Our idea of leadership in the Church these days suck. I wish I could find a better word to use but it seems the most appropriate. Leadership is groomed to look handsome, tailored, well spoken, well presented, professional, confident, empowering, attractive. Spit and polish is how it seems and anyone who doesn't fit into that mould, regardless of anointing, is kicked to the curb. But such leaders in these last days are going to fail and the Lord is going to raise up his anointed to step forward in his power and strength, and who he has chosen may surprise all of us.
When we think of Paul the apostle we often think of a passionate, educated, confident man who God used greatly according to his ability. But that is not how Paul saw it. He saw himself as not deserving anything from Jesus, yet he never denied who he was in Jesus. He saw no strength in himself but ministered in the Lord's strength. He did not travel about with confidence in himself because his confidence was only found in Jesus.
This is how he described himself to the Corinthians:
I stood in front of you with weakness, fear, and a lot of shaking. (1 Corinthians 2:3)
This is the same leader/trainer/teacher who wrote:
I can endure all these things through the power of the one who gives me strength. (Philippians 4:13)
Each of us have been called and given tasks in the Body of Christ. Each of us have received power to enable us to do those things. It is not about our ability, personality, strength and confidence; it is about us living in Jesus. In order for Jesus to be glorified in us during these days ahead, we need to learn what it is to live in Jesus. Don't deny his work in you just because you don't look or feel the part. It is according to his will:
All these things are produced by the one and same Spirit who gives what he wants to each person. (1 Corinthians 12:11)
For far too long we have allowed the educated, talented and "beautiful" people to take us (the Church) off track. We have allowed the managers and marketers to take the place of the Holy Spirit. We have set aside our purpose of making disciples for the more glorious and incorrect task of building mini kingdoms. If we as individuals are to survive the days ahead, we need to cast off every pattern of this world and learn to live by the Spirit of God, according to his will and strength:
Don’t be conformed to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds so that you can figure out what God’s will is—what is good and pleasing and mature. (Romans 2:2)
We must prepare ourselves for the days ahead. Get intimate with Jesus.
Showing posts with label Body. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Body. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 17, 2015
Tuesday, November 25, 2014
Being An Island Sucks
You are not meant to be alone. You are not meant to face life here on your own strength. You are not an island. You need people. More accurately, you need your brothers and sisters in Christ. That is how it was designed. It is a spiritual fact and when we fight against it, decide against it we are deciding against Yahweh. Don't do it.
A simple verse to put the truth in focus is:
"For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them." (Matthew 18:20)
I make it a point not to argue against the words of Jesus. Even if I may not understand it at this moment I have found it is best policy simply to trust that Jesus is right.
There are a number of challenges with fellow Christians because each person is an individual and no one is perfect. We have certain expectations of each other and we all fail those expectations. We make mistakes, we hurt each other, we don't always follow Yahweh's instructions, we are sometimes selfish, we often try to manipulate things to our advantage. This causes hurt and when we are hurt the first thing we want to do is withdraw. This is natural to us. But we no longer allow our old nature to reign but instead support our new nature.
The first and most important aspect of this new nature is forgiveness. The only way the Body of Christ works is when forgiveness is always our first reaction. The only way we can be brothers and sisters is when we are liberal in our forgiveness. The only way we can make sense of anything is when we learn to forgive in the same manner we have been forgiven.
I am not talking about the forgiveness that says "I forgive but I will not trust you again". The forgiveness we have received from Father says "I forgive you and will continue to forgive you for eternity. I am making myself vulnerable to you and will absorb the pain in order to continue to forgive". Now if you want to talk about a definition of real love, this is it. It is that decision to not withdraw from the people who hurt us but to forgive them and to sacrifice ourselves for them, even if they hurt us again. This is love as defined by Jesus who told us to love each other as he has loved us.
If we choose to withdraw, to be alone, to isolate ourselves, it is because we have failed to understand what it is all about. It means we haven't surrendered our heart to Jesus but have simply paid lip service. This is not a physical or emotional response but a spiritual reality. Jesus transforms the surrendered heart, strengthens it to love as he has loved, unconditionally, with unending forgiveness, willing to be hurt countless times in vulnerability, always being healed by love. We are not an island and when Paul described the Church in 1 Corinthians 12 he ended it by explaining how this impossible thing was possible:
I want you to desire the best gifts. So I will show you a much better way. (1 Corinthians 12:31)
And then he gave us 1 Corinthians 13. Love is how it all works. Love makes the impossible work. Love provokes you to forgive those who hurt you and to draw close to them. These are the decisions we have to make. We have to decide not to withdraw, to stay close, and to make friends out of our brothers and sisters in Christ, no matter the cost.
A simple verse to put the truth in focus is:
"For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them." (Matthew 18:20)
I make it a point not to argue against the words of Jesus. Even if I may not understand it at this moment I have found it is best policy simply to trust that Jesus is right.
There are a number of challenges with fellow Christians because each person is an individual and no one is perfect. We have certain expectations of each other and we all fail those expectations. We make mistakes, we hurt each other, we don't always follow Yahweh's instructions, we are sometimes selfish, we often try to manipulate things to our advantage. This causes hurt and when we are hurt the first thing we want to do is withdraw. This is natural to us. But we no longer allow our old nature to reign but instead support our new nature.
The first and most important aspect of this new nature is forgiveness. The only way the Body of Christ works is when forgiveness is always our first reaction. The only way we can be brothers and sisters is when we are liberal in our forgiveness. The only way we can make sense of anything is when we learn to forgive in the same manner we have been forgiven.
I am not talking about the forgiveness that says "I forgive but I will not trust you again". The forgiveness we have received from Father says "I forgive you and will continue to forgive you for eternity. I am making myself vulnerable to you and will absorb the pain in order to continue to forgive". Now if you want to talk about a definition of real love, this is it. It is that decision to not withdraw from the people who hurt us but to forgive them and to sacrifice ourselves for them, even if they hurt us again. This is love as defined by Jesus who told us to love each other as he has loved us.
If we choose to withdraw, to be alone, to isolate ourselves, it is because we have failed to understand what it is all about. It means we haven't surrendered our heart to Jesus but have simply paid lip service. This is not a physical or emotional response but a spiritual reality. Jesus transforms the surrendered heart, strengthens it to love as he has loved, unconditionally, with unending forgiveness, willing to be hurt countless times in vulnerability, always being healed by love. We are not an island and when Paul described the Church in 1 Corinthians 12 he ended it by explaining how this impossible thing was possible:
I want you to desire the best gifts. So I will show you a much better way. (1 Corinthians 12:31)
And then he gave us 1 Corinthians 13. Love is how it all works. Love makes the impossible work. Love provokes you to forgive those who hurt you and to draw close to them. These are the decisions we have to make. We have to decide not to withdraw, to stay close, and to make friends out of our brothers and sisters in Christ, no matter the cost.
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Because Of God's Grace, I Am Thankful For You
"I thank my God always for you, because of God’s grace that was given to you in Christ Jesus. That is, you were made rich through him in everything: in all your communication and every kind of knowledge, in the same way that the testimony about Christ was confirmed with you." (1 Corinthians 1:4-6)
The world is getting to be a very hostile place for people of faith so we better start appreciating the Jesus in each other. Imagine thanking God for a brother or sister in the Lord, not for what they have done, but because Jesus saved them. Do you ever marvel at God's grace in a person's life instead of looking at what they used to be?
I have heard mature Christians respond in such positive ways when gossipy people have tried to bring up someone's past: "Did you know this Mrs. White used to ____________?" Response: "The emphasis is on the "used to ". What a wonderful trophy of God's grace she is now, all praise to Jesus." It is amazing how quickly a mature Christian can chase those spirits right out of the room with a wise response.
I have always said there are a lot of bullies in the Church, who try to make themselves feel good by pushing people down. But we don't have time for that in the Church, never did. We need to come back together as a family as the world heats up against us. We need to appreciate the one Spirit we were born from, the one Lord who is our head, the one grace that sustains and empowers all of us. It doesn't matter what we have been forgiven because we all have been forgiven more than we deserved.
We are family and in the months to come we are going to discover the value of our spiritual family. May that day start today. "I thank my God always for you..."
The world is getting to be a very hostile place for people of faith so we better start appreciating the Jesus in each other. Imagine thanking God for a brother or sister in the Lord, not for what they have done, but because Jesus saved them. Do you ever marvel at God's grace in a person's life instead of looking at what they used to be?
I have heard mature Christians respond in such positive ways when gossipy people have tried to bring up someone's past: "Did you know this Mrs. White used to ____________?" Response: "The emphasis is on the "used to ". What a wonderful trophy of God's grace she is now, all praise to Jesus." It is amazing how quickly a mature Christian can chase those spirits right out of the room with a wise response.
I have always said there are a lot of bullies in the Church, who try to make themselves feel good by pushing people down. But we don't have time for that in the Church, never did. We need to come back together as a family as the world heats up against us. We need to appreciate the one Spirit we were born from, the one Lord who is our head, the one grace that sustains and empowers all of us. It doesn't matter what we have been forgiven because we all have been forgiven more than we deserved.
We are family and in the months to come we are going to discover the value of our spiritual family. May that day start today. "I thank my God always for you..."
Friday, October 18, 2013
The Misuse Of God's Gifts
If you are a member of the Body of Christ, you are called, equipped and anointed for the function you have been given. No one can exist in Jesus outside of the Body. Many try due to their lack of maturity. They are too busy looking at the imperfections of other people to understand the grace that has been applied to their own. They use others as an excuse to separate instead of a reason to serve. We are the Body and God has appointed us to our place in it. Verify the truth of the matter in 1 Corinthians 12.
You have been given certain gifts by the Spirit in order to function within the Body. These are not natural to us but are supernatural, given to us supernaturally. We cannot serve God in a way that pleases him in our natural, but he equips us to serve him in the supernatural. The question is, will we use these gifts to faithfully serve his will, or will we use them selfishly for our own gain? Solomon is a good illustration.
King Solomon knew enough to know he was over his head. What he had been called and anointed to do was beyond his own natural ability, and he was wise enough to realize it. So when God asked him what he could give Solomon, this young, wet behind the ears, newly appointed king asked for two things: wisdom and knowledge. But take note of why he wanted these gifts from God:
Lord God, you were always loyal to my father David, and now you have made me king of Israel. I am supposed to rule these people, but there are as many of them as there are specks of dust on the ground. So keep the promise you made to my father and make me wise. Give me the knowledge I’ll need to be the king of this great nation of yours. (2 Chronicles 1:8-10)
Solomon did not ask for his own benefit but so that he could fulfill his calling, the task for which he was anointed, which is why we receive gifts from the Spirit. God was pleased with this and because he asked with this motivation he also provided Solomon with everything else. But Solomon did not stay so pure in his motivation.
Solomon allowed his eyes to turn inward. He indulged in the privilege of his position. Instead of serving God by serving God's great nation, Solomon started serving his own selfish desires. How easy it is to turn what God gives us to serve him into something for selfish gain.
As great as Solomon was he could have become more. He seeded things into his children which caused the split in the kingdom. Instead of being a united people for the glory of God, they became spoiled and selfish, requiring the great correction God visited on them. We are not too far from this ourselves, even in the early days of the Church.
When apostle Paul wrote to Timothy, guiding him in the strengthening of the Church in Ephesus, he said something that we need to take note of today:
You needed to warn them to stop wasting their time on senseless stories and endless lists of ancestors. Such things only cause arguments. They don’t help anyone to do God’s work that can only be done by faith. (1 Timothy 1:4)
We can never forget the purpose of our calling and the focus we have been given. There should never be anything that we are involved in that does not help us to do God's work. That is the entire focus of our life, to do God's work. It is not a part-time thing. It is not a weekend thing. It is something that we are occupied with every moment of our day, and it is the reason we have been equipped by the Spirit.
It is possible for us to waste the gifts of the Spirit, to use them for ourselves instead of for Jesus in the context of the Body. It is possible but it will prove to be our ruin as it ruined Solomon. We will never reach the heights that God has intended for us and we will seed things that will prove to be the undoing of other people as well. For this we will have to give an account. Don't forget the parable of the talents.
Perhaps it is time to allow the Spirit to take an inventory of where we are with the gifts we have been given, and permit him to remove what is not a help in doing God's work by faith.
You have been given certain gifts by the Spirit in order to function within the Body. These are not natural to us but are supernatural, given to us supernaturally. We cannot serve God in a way that pleases him in our natural, but he equips us to serve him in the supernatural. The question is, will we use these gifts to faithfully serve his will, or will we use them selfishly for our own gain? Solomon is a good illustration.
King Solomon knew enough to know he was over his head. What he had been called and anointed to do was beyond his own natural ability, and he was wise enough to realize it. So when God asked him what he could give Solomon, this young, wet behind the ears, newly appointed king asked for two things: wisdom and knowledge. But take note of why he wanted these gifts from God:
Lord God, you were always loyal to my father David, and now you have made me king of Israel. I am supposed to rule these people, but there are as many of them as there are specks of dust on the ground. So keep the promise you made to my father and make me wise. Give me the knowledge I’ll need to be the king of this great nation of yours. (2 Chronicles 1:8-10)
Solomon did not ask for his own benefit but so that he could fulfill his calling, the task for which he was anointed, which is why we receive gifts from the Spirit. God was pleased with this and because he asked with this motivation he also provided Solomon with everything else. But Solomon did not stay so pure in his motivation.
Solomon allowed his eyes to turn inward. He indulged in the privilege of his position. Instead of serving God by serving God's great nation, Solomon started serving his own selfish desires. How easy it is to turn what God gives us to serve him into something for selfish gain.
As great as Solomon was he could have become more. He seeded things into his children which caused the split in the kingdom. Instead of being a united people for the glory of God, they became spoiled and selfish, requiring the great correction God visited on them. We are not too far from this ourselves, even in the early days of the Church.
When apostle Paul wrote to Timothy, guiding him in the strengthening of the Church in Ephesus, he said something that we need to take note of today:
You needed to warn them to stop wasting their time on senseless stories and endless lists of ancestors. Such things only cause arguments. They don’t help anyone to do God’s work that can only be done by faith. (1 Timothy 1:4)
We can never forget the purpose of our calling and the focus we have been given. There should never be anything that we are involved in that does not help us to do God's work. That is the entire focus of our life, to do God's work. It is not a part-time thing. It is not a weekend thing. It is something that we are occupied with every moment of our day, and it is the reason we have been equipped by the Spirit.
It is possible for us to waste the gifts of the Spirit, to use them for ourselves instead of for Jesus in the context of the Body. It is possible but it will prove to be our ruin as it ruined Solomon. We will never reach the heights that God has intended for us and we will seed things that will prove to be the undoing of other people as well. For this we will have to give an account. Don't forget the parable of the talents.
Perhaps it is time to allow the Spirit to take an inventory of where we are with the gifts we have been given, and permit him to remove what is not a help in doing God's work by faith.
Friday, October 11, 2013
Ordered By God Or Organized By Man
If you were to rate yourself on your organizational skills what grade would you give yourself out of ten? Being organized takes discipline which is a godly thing. Some people think to live by the Spirit is a wild and crazy thing that has nothing to do with being organized. For them, the Spirit is chaotic but our God is not a God of chaos. Neither is he into a useless religious life.
Discipline brings with it a release to be free in the Spirit. It means that everything in your life is understood, has a purpose and a place. When needed you know exactly how to call upon what you need.This goes for physical, mental and spiritual things.
On the other hand, a religious mind brings a rigidness. It is more about law than purpose. A religious mind can tell you where something is and what it is for but does not always have the understanding to use it. A religious mind knows how to make things look good but is seldom useful or available to God.
These were my thoughts as I read through the organization of the kingdom of Israel under David in 1 Chronicles 23-24. Everyone had a place, a responsibility, well defined and they operated in it. There was order in the kingdom and it prospered under the divinely directed leadership of David, a man after God's own heart. Everything was as God directed it to be, not as man thought it should be.
The Body of Christ, the Church, does not have a man as the head. All of us, apostles, prophets, teachers, pastors, evangelists, elders, deacons, worship leaders, administrators, healers, all of us in the Body are parts of the Body, functioning members.These places are assigned to us by Jesus through the Spirit in us. These are not functions according to our ability and talents but according to God's anointing. It is his choosing, not ours, and once realized and understood, we must be faithful to it.
Everyone should be in their place, with understanding and power, ready to respond when called upon by the Spirit. The Spirit is the electron that shoots from the head to the part that needs to respond. According to God's will the Body is well ordered, well organized, even if it makes no sense and looks like madness to this world. The problem comes when we try to bring our own definition of order and organization according to our thinking instead of the mind of Christ. There is nothing religiously minded about the Body of Christ and it is Jesus who keeps the Body in good order.
Do you know your place? If not, speak to the elders and pastors of your church. We need you to take your place.
Discipline brings with it a release to be free in the Spirit. It means that everything in your life is understood, has a purpose and a place. When needed you know exactly how to call upon what you need.This goes for physical, mental and spiritual things.
On the other hand, a religious mind brings a rigidness. It is more about law than purpose. A religious mind can tell you where something is and what it is for but does not always have the understanding to use it. A religious mind knows how to make things look good but is seldom useful or available to God.
These were my thoughts as I read through the organization of the kingdom of Israel under David in 1 Chronicles 23-24. Everyone had a place, a responsibility, well defined and they operated in it. There was order in the kingdom and it prospered under the divinely directed leadership of David, a man after God's own heart. Everything was as God directed it to be, not as man thought it should be.
The Body of Christ, the Church, does not have a man as the head. All of us, apostles, prophets, teachers, pastors, evangelists, elders, deacons, worship leaders, administrators, healers, all of us in the Body are parts of the Body, functioning members.These places are assigned to us by Jesus through the Spirit in us. These are not functions according to our ability and talents but according to God's anointing. It is his choosing, not ours, and once realized and understood, we must be faithful to it.
Everyone should be in their place, with understanding and power, ready to respond when called upon by the Spirit. The Spirit is the electron that shoots from the head to the part that needs to respond. According to God's will the Body is well ordered, well organized, even if it makes no sense and looks like madness to this world. The problem comes when we try to bring our own definition of order and organization according to our thinking instead of the mind of Christ. There is nothing religiously minded about the Body of Christ and it is Jesus who keeps the Body in good order.
Do you know your place? If not, speak to the elders and pastors of your church. We need you to take your place.
Monday, October 7, 2013
A Note To My Church: Will We Embrace Our Destiny?
It is exciting to see the great outpouring of God's blessings on our church here in Montreal, but it is God who is doing it. It is great to see old friends renewing relationships and new souls coming to the Lord, but it is God who is doing it. It is great to see revival taking root in God's children and the freedom that is being given to the Spirit to move in our hearts, but it is God who is doing it. Unless he calls us we cannot answer. Unless he invites us in, we cannot go. Unless he seeks us we would never desire to seek him. So we rejoice in his love, goodness, joy and blessings. It is a wonderful thing to serve him. But now what?
Do we just sit back and hope there are more blessings? After all, it is God who is doing it.
When God rescued Israel from Egypt and called them his people, his nation, his children, he also put a structure in place so he could glorify himself through them. When God rescued us sinners from slavery and called us his people, his nation, his children, he also put a structure in place so he could glorify himself through us. It is called the Church, the Body of Christ, of which we are functioning members, called to a specific purpose. It is time to walk fully in this function.
Each of us has a destiny to fulfill and the last thing we want to do is fail to enter into it. King Solomon had a great destiny but failed to walk in it. 1 Chronicles 17 has a recording of the destiny God had planned for David's son:
I’ll choose one of your sons to be king when you reach the end of your life and are buried beside your ancestors. I’ll make him a strong ruler, and no one will be able to take his kingdom away from him. He will be the one to build a temple for me. I will be like a father to him, and he will be like a son to me. I will never put an end to my agreement with him, as I put an end to my agreement with Saul, who was king before you. I will make sure that your son and his descendants will rule my people and my kingdom forever. (1 Chronicles 17:11-14)
Now God kept his promise to David about always having a son on the throne but note what he said about Solomon: "I will be like a father to him, and he will be like a son to me." What an incredible promise and Solomon started off well in it. God gave him wisdom to be a great King. He subdued all his enemies. There was peace in the land and Solomon had a great relationship with God. But Solomon got distracted. He allowed his head to be filled with other people's ideas and opinions. He lost sight of his destiny, of his relationship with God. He lost his purpose, not as king, but as a child of God.
It is possible for us to walk in a shadow of our responsibility and miss our destiny. It is possible to go through all the motions, use the right vocabulary, to look the part but fail in the most important thing; our relationship with God. Our destiny is for him to be our Father and we his children. If that is in place and our greatest desire is to love him with our entire being, then everything else about our destiny will fall in place. Obedience becomes an easy thing, and his equipping for his chosen task for us flows without fail.
In our church we must submit ourselves to the truth of what Jesus taught: Deny yourself, take up your cross and follow him. The first part is all about relationship, living only through Jesus and denying our selfish motives and desires; living his will and his purpose. The second is to step into our calling, responsibility, task, purpose. We have to take it up, bear it, operate in it, embrace it. The last part is to follow Jesus'example, our teacher, the first born of the many who would follow (you and me). This is where we need to go, to become, our destiny, which is great and glorious because it is how Jesus will be glorified through us. No one is unimportant. No one is permitted to be a spectator. No one gets to decide for themselves. No one gets to retire.
It is time for us to accept and understand the structure God has put in for the Church, to allow him to reveal our place in it. It is all laid out for us, to accept and to grow in it. The question is church, will we embrace our destiny?
Do we just sit back and hope there are more blessings? After all, it is God who is doing it.
When God rescued Israel from Egypt and called them his people, his nation, his children, he also put a structure in place so he could glorify himself through them. When God rescued us sinners from slavery and called us his people, his nation, his children, he also put a structure in place so he could glorify himself through us. It is called the Church, the Body of Christ, of which we are functioning members, called to a specific purpose. It is time to walk fully in this function.
Each of us has a destiny to fulfill and the last thing we want to do is fail to enter into it. King Solomon had a great destiny but failed to walk in it. 1 Chronicles 17 has a recording of the destiny God had planned for David's son:
I’ll choose one of your sons to be king when you reach the end of your life and are buried beside your ancestors. I’ll make him a strong ruler, and no one will be able to take his kingdom away from him. He will be the one to build a temple for me. I will be like a father to him, and he will be like a son to me. I will never put an end to my agreement with him, as I put an end to my agreement with Saul, who was king before you. I will make sure that your son and his descendants will rule my people and my kingdom forever. (1 Chronicles 17:11-14)
Now God kept his promise to David about always having a son on the throne but note what he said about Solomon: "I will be like a father to him, and he will be like a son to me." What an incredible promise and Solomon started off well in it. God gave him wisdom to be a great King. He subdued all his enemies. There was peace in the land and Solomon had a great relationship with God. But Solomon got distracted. He allowed his head to be filled with other people's ideas and opinions. He lost sight of his destiny, of his relationship with God. He lost his purpose, not as king, but as a child of God.
It is possible for us to walk in a shadow of our responsibility and miss our destiny. It is possible to go through all the motions, use the right vocabulary, to look the part but fail in the most important thing; our relationship with God. Our destiny is for him to be our Father and we his children. If that is in place and our greatest desire is to love him with our entire being, then everything else about our destiny will fall in place. Obedience becomes an easy thing, and his equipping for his chosen task for us flows without fail.
In our church we must submit ourselves to the truth of what Jesus taught: Deny yourself, take up your cross and follow him. The first part is all about relationship, living only through Jesus and denying our selfish motives and desires; living his will and his purpose. The second is to step into our calling, responsibility, task, purpose. We have to take it up, bear it, operate in it, embrace it. The last part is to follow Jesus'example, our teacher, the first born of the many who would follow (you and me). This is where we need to go, to become, our destiny, which is great and glorious because it is how Jesus will be glorified through us. No one is unimportant. No one is permitted to be a spectator. No one gets to decide for themselves. No one gets to retire.
It is time for us to accept and understand the structure God has put in for the Church, to allow him to reveal our place in it. It is all laid out for us, to accept and to grow in it. The question is church, will we embrace our destiny?
Thursday, September 26, 2013
1 Timothy 1: Too Mature To Be Mentored In The Spirit?
Everyone needs someone they answer to for their spiritual condition. All of us need someone of greater maturity to help us along in our growing process. We never arrive. There is never a place you get to when you can relax and say "I am here". The moment we stop increasing we start decreasing. Growth is not an option; it is a must, and growth is not a matter of age but of relationship. Maturity is not according to the years spent but relationship developed.
The purpose of Paul's letters to Timothy was to continue the process that started when Paul invited Timothy to join him and Silas on their mission journey. Timothy was not invited as a minister but as a chore boy, a servant. He was invited to come to prepare their meals, wash their clothes and whatever else needed to be done so these men would be freed from the common tasks, allowing them to concentrate on their purpose. However, Timothy was not destined to remain in such a position.
Paul became Timothy's mentor, training him in the Lord and Spirit. Paul first encountered Timothy in Derbe, which we read of in Acts 16. Timothy was highly thought of by everyone around as they spoke well of him to Paul, and it was Paul's desire for Timothy to come on their adventure:
Paul and Silas went back to Derbe and Lystra, where there was a follower named Timothy. His mother was also a follower. She was Jewish, and his father was Greek. The Lord’s followers in Lystra and Iconium said good things about Timothy, and Paul wanted him to go with them. (Acts 16:1-3)
Here we find something that demonstrated the character of Timothy. Paul always went to the synagogue of the towns he visited but Timothy was half Greek and had never been circumcised. Paul knew that circumcision had no place in the new covenant with Jesus as the Spirit circumcised the heart instead of the body, but Paul also understood the people to whom he ministered. Timothy would need to be circumcised for the sake of this ministry. At his age, circumcision would be very painful and would take days from which to recover. But Timothy submitted himself to it.
Timothy became like a son to Paul as they spent months together, with Timothy serving and Paul instructing and training. It is because of this relationship that Paul addressed his letter:
Timothy, because of our faith, you are like a son to me. I pray that God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ will be kind and merciful to you. May they bless you with peace! (1 Timothy 1:2)
At the time of writing this letter to Timothy, Paul was no longer writing to someone who had the task of washing his clothes. He was writing to a man, a minister of the gospel, someone who had matured into spiritual leadership. All the way along, from town to town, Timothy was faithful to his tasks, and to his faithful submission to the instruction of his mentor. It was only in Macedonia that Paul started to entrust him with actual ministry:
Right away the followers sent Paul down to the coast, but Silas and Timothy stayed in Berea. Some men went with Paul as far as Athens, and then returned with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible. (Acts 17:14-15)
Paul was forced to leave the church before it was established. Why leave Timothy unless it was to allow him to work with Silas in finishing the establishment of the church?
Even in the world the importance of mentoring was understood. Now we live in an age of privilege and people expect the top job because they have a degree in the theory of operations. Few are willing to start as a servant and grow into responsibility. But in the Church, the Body of Christ, it is still essential.
We are watching more and more ministers who have yet to mature, making stupid decisions that damage the Church; to say there is no hell and everyone will be saved regardless; to say that atheists will be in heaven if they are true to their convictions; to say that homosexuality is blessed by God, because spiritual awareness of these matters is an evolution of revelation; to say that "church sucks", to water down the importance of corporate worship and instruction, to "dumbify" the Church can only comes from a place of great immaturity. Such ministers either lack a mentor or need a better one. The Word continues to be the revelation of God and all things in the Kingdom submit to this Word. Even the Spirit does not depart from the Word.
There is a structure that God has put in place for the Body. At the top we have the Apostles and Prophets. We have evangelists, pastors and teachers. There is a teaching and mentoring that comes from the top down. God's design, not man's. Jesus told us to go and make disciples, not church members. We are part of the growth of the body, of the maturing process. We cannot miss the importance of Paul's revelation in Ephesians 4:
Christ chose some of us to be apostles, prophets, missionaries, pastors, and teachers, so that his people would learn to serve and his body would grow strong. This will continue until we are united by our faith and by our understanding of the Son of God. Then we will be mature, just as Christ is, and we will be completely like him. (Ephesians 4:11-13)
It is a process and maturity is the goal. Right after this Paul writes:
We must stop acting like children. (Ephesians 4:14)
Are you submitted to someone who is of greater spiritual maturity than you? Are you growing, moving toward the goal of being just like Jesus? Are you willing to become whatever it is that the Father has decided you will be?
The purpose of Paul's letters to Timothy was to continue the process that started when Paul invited Timothy to join him and Silas on their mission journey. Timothy was not invited as a minister but as a chore boy, a servant. He was invited to come to prepare their meals, wash their clothes and whatever else needed to be done so these men would be freed from the common tasks, allowing them to concentrate on their purpose. However, Timothy was not destined to remain in such a position.
Paul became Timothy's mentor, training him in the Lord and Spirit. Paul first encountered Timothy in Derbe, which we read of in Acts 16. Timothy was highly thought of by everyone around as they spoke well of him to Paul, and it was Paul's desire for Timothy to come on their adventure:
Paul and Silas went back to Derbe and Lystra, where there was a follower named Timothy. His mother was also a follower. She was Jewish, and his father was Greek. The Lord’s followers in Lystra and Iconium said good things about Timothy, and Paul wanted him to go with them. (Acts 16:1-3)
Here we find something that demonstrated the character of Timothy. Paul always went to the synagogue of the towns he visited but Timothy was half Greek and had never been circumcised. Paul knew that circumcision had no place in the new covenant with Jesus as the Spirit circumcised the heart instead of the body, but Paul also understood the people to whom he ministered. Timothy would need to be circumcised for the sake of this ministry. At his age, circumcision would be very painful and would take days from which to recover. But Timothy submitted himself to it.
Timothy became like a son to Paul as they spent months together, with Timothy serving and Paul instructing and training. It is because of this relationship that Paul addressed his letter:
Timothy, because of our faith, you are like a son to me. I pray that God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ will be kind and merciful to you. May they bless you with peace! (1 Timothy 1:2)
At the time of writing this letter to Timothy, Paul was no longer writing to someone who had the task of washing his clothes. He was writing to a man, a minister of the gospel, someone who had matured into spiritual leadership. All the way along, from town to town, Timothy was faithful to his tasks, and to his faithful submission to the instruction of his mentor. It was only in Macedonia that Paul started to entrust him with actual ministry:
Right away the followers sent Paul down to the coast, but Silas and Timothy stayed in Berea. Some men went with Paul as far as Athens, and then returned with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible. (Acts 17:14-15)
Paul was forced to leave the church before it was established. Why leave Timothy unless it was to allow him to work with Silas in finishing the establishment of the church?
Even in the world the importance of mentoring was understood. Now we live in an age of privilege and people expect the top job because they have a degree in the theory of operations. Few are willing to start as a servant and grow into responsibility. But in the Church, the Body of Christ, it is still essential.
We are watching more and more ministers who have yet to mature, making stupid decisions that damage the Church; to say there is no hell and everyone will be saved regardless; to say that atheists will be in heaven if they are true to their convictions; to say that homosexuality is blessed by God, because spiritual awareness of these matters is an evolution of revelation; to say that "church sucks", to water down the importance of corporate worship and instruction, to "dumbify" the Church can only comes from a place of great immaturity. Such ministers either lack a mentor or need a better one. The Word continues to be the revelation of God and all things in the Kingdom submit to this Word. Even the Spirit does not depart from the Word.
There is a structure that God has put in place for the Body. At the top we have the Apostles and Prophets. We have evangelists, pastors and teachers. There is a teaching and mentoring that comes from the top down. God's design, not man's. Jesus told us to go and make disciples, not church members. We are part of the growth of the body, of the maturing process. We cannot miss the importance of Paul's revelation in Ephesians 4:
Christ chose some of us to be apostles, prophets, missionaries, pastors, and teachers, so that his people would learn to serve and his body would grow strong. This will continue until we are united by our faith and by our understanding of the Son of God. Then we will be mature, just as Christ is, and we will be completely like him. (Ephesians 4:11-13)
It is a process and maturity is the goal. Right after this Paul writes:
We must stop acting like children. (Ephesians 4:14)
Are you submitted to someone who is of greater spiritual maturity than you? Are you growing, moving toward the goal of being just like Jesus? Are you willing to become whatever it is that the Father has decided you will be?
Saturday, August 17, 2013
We Need To Get Out Of Bed
There are some days when it is hard to get moving; you just don't want to get out of bed. Sure there is a long list of things to do, but it would also be great to be able just to stay under the covers and keep the world at bay for a few more minutes. Then there are those days when, even though you did get out of bed, you just don't feel like doing those things on your list. If only we had fewer responsibilities, fewer items on the "to do" list, fewer work hours in the day. This flesh can get lazy at times.
Now, I am not talking about those necessary down times or vacations. Our bodies and minds need rest. God created it and we need it. But there are times when we want to take rest in the midst of the work. It is at those times that we have to dig a little deeper, push a little harder. It can make the difference between success and failure in the day. It is no different spiritually. There are a lot of parallels in the physical and spiritual realms.
How often have you felt too tired to spend time in the Word or to go to the Lord in prayer? How many days or weeks have you spent having nothing to do with God except for your little prayer before you eat? How many times has the Spirit provoked us to call or visit someone but we just didn't feel like it? Our spiritual failure often happens because we do not know how to push through those moments. It is called discipline and many of us lack it. It is the reason our walk with Jesus is often more like a roller coaster ride.
We admire someone like apostle Paul but we are not willing to pay the price to serve with the intensity he had in service. And when we encounter other Christians who do have that similar spirit we often marginalize them so we don't feel guilty. They have discipline and we don't. They have determination and we don't. They push through and we don't. We decide that they are not normal and we are. But, according to the Kingdom they are the normal ones.
This is what Paul said about keeping his flesh in check so that the Spirit would reign:
You know that many runners enter a race, and only one of them wins the prize. So run to win! Athletes work hard to win a crown that cannot last, but we do it for a crown that will last forever. I don’t run without a goal. And I don’t box by beating my fists in the air. I keep my body under control and make it my slave, so I won’t lose out after telling the good news to others. (1 Corinthians 9:24-27)
The knowledge of how to make our bodies our slave is something that the Church is lacking. Wait, let me get personal with this; it is something that I am lacking. I am doing my best to gain it back but I know the ability to do so only comes from the Holy Spirit, so I am taking steps to ensure every day that he has control. I do this by repenting for every incident where I took control back. By being aware of what I am doing I am demonstrating a deep desire to change. The Word says that God loves a repentant heart.
We are a new creation because of Jesus and we live that out by the Holy Spirit in us, but it means we must take control of our bodies. It means the desires of our flesh must be denied so the will of the Father will be our priority. It doesn't mean austere actions but a disciplined approach to life. Just as we need to know the right foods to eat and the right activities to participate in for a healthy body, we need a regime of discipline to feed our spirit what it needs and to participate in activities that bring health. It means we need to say no to ourselves or understanding the words enough and satisfied. It means a denying of self and taking up that cross. It means following Jesus, not just admiring him. It means keeping the body under control and making it do what we want it to do.
A walk with Jesus is not a coasting along in life; it is a process, a growing, an increasing, knowing what our goal is and making the correct decisions to enable our Lord to get us there. So get off that spiritual coach and do something. Plan out your day to include alone time with Jesus. Decide on a course of study in the Word. Plan worship in your day. Seek the face of God. Ask for a greater anointing. Seek more of the Spirit. Meet with brothers and sisters to pray, share in testimony and encourage one another. So no to evil. Turn your back on the enemy of your soul. Pray with and for your spouse. Pray with and for your children. Pray for your parents instead of criticizing them. Fight for your pastor and the church leadership. Desire greater maturity, a closer walk, greater sensitivity to the Spirit and to be used in the battle for the souls of this doomed planet.
At the very least, take the first step; get out of bed.
Now, I am not talking about those necessary down times or vacations. Our bodies and minds need rest. God created it and we need it. But there are times when we want to take rest in the midst of the work. It is at those times that we have to dig a little deeper, push a little harder. It can make the difference between success and failure in the day. It is no different spiritually. There are a lot of parallels in the physical and spiritual realms.
How often have you felt too tired to spend time in the Word or to go to the Lord in prayer? How many days or weeks have you spent having nothing to do with God except for your little prayer before you eat? How many times has the Spirit provoked us to call or visit someone but we just didn't feel like it? Our spiritual failure often happens because we do not know how to push through those moments. It is called discipline and many of us lack it. It is the reason our walk with Jesus is often more like a roller coaster ride.
We admire someone like apostle Paul but we are not willing to pay the price to serve with the intensity he had in service. And when we encounter other Christians who do have that similar spirit we often marginalize them so we don't feel guilty. They have discipline and we don't. They have determination and we don't. They push through and we don't. We decide that they are not normal and we are. But, according to the Kingdom they are the normal ones.
This is what Paul said about keeping his flesh in check so that the Spirit would reign:
You know that many runners enter a race, and only one of them wins the prize. So run to win! Athletes work hard to win a crown that cannot last, but we do it for a crown that will last forever. I don’t run without a goal. And I don’t box by beating my fists in the air. I keep my body under control and make it my slave, so I won’t lose out after telling the good news to others. (1 Corinthians 9:24-27)
The knowledge of how to make our bodies our slave is something that the Church is lacking. Wait, let me get personal with this; it is something that I am lacking. I am doing my best to gain it back but I know the ability to do so only comes from the Holy Spirit, so I am taking steps to ensure every day that he has control. I do this by repenting for every incident where I took control back. By being aware of what I am doing I am demonstrating a deep desire to change. The Word says that God loves a repentant heart.
We are a new creation because of Jesus and we live that out by the Holy Spirit in us, but it means we must take control of our bodies. It means the desires of our flesh must be denied so the will of the Father will be our priority. It doesn't mean austere actions but a disciplined approach to life. Just as we need to know the right foods to eat and the right activities to participate in for a healthy body, we need a regime of discipline to feed our spirit what it needs and to participate in activities that bring health. It means we need to say no to ourselves or understanding the words enough and satisfied. It means a denying of self and taking up that cross. It means following Jesus, not just admiring him. It means keeping the body under control and making it do what we want it to do.
A walk with Jesus is not a coasting along in life; it is a process, a growing, an increasing, knowing what our goal is and making the correct decisions to enable our Lord to get us there. So get off that spiritual coach and do something. Plan out your day to include alone time with Jesus. Decide on a course of study in the Word. Plan worship in your day. Seek the face of God. Ask for a greater anointing. Seek more of the Spirit. Meet with brothers and sisters to pray, share in testimony and encourage one another. So no to evil. Turn your back on the enemy of your soul. Pray with and for your spouse. Pray with and for your children. Pray for your parents instead of criticizing them. Fight for your pastor and the church leadership. Desire greater maturity, a closer walk, greater sensitivity to the Spirit and to be used in the battle for the souls of this doomed planet.
At the very least, take the first step; get out of bed.
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Is Their A Place For Suffering?
The Western Church has a hard time with the concept of suffering, yet it is a natural character of a Christian. I am not referring to the miserable suffering that produces nothing but agony and complaints. That is what some of us have turned God's great intention into, an excuse to complain. We turn something beautiful into something ugly. Yet, God has used suffering for a long time to produce great things.
I am sure that Jonah considered his time in the belly of the fish to be suffering. Forty years wondering around in the desert would also fall in the column of suffering. There are lots of examples in the Hebrew Scriptures but we have plenty of examples in the New Testament as well. Obviously Jesus' beating and crucifixion would be placed in the category of suffering. So would the beating of the disciples, the stoning of Stephen, the great persecution of the Church, and Paul's many trials. But consider what God developed out of all of this, especially the cross.
I like the example of the 40 years in the desert simply because many of us can relate to it. For forty years God cut his people off from anything that would make them independent. He used this time to get rid of the bad seeds in this people he had called out as a nation. He made them completely dependent on him for food and water. He taught them obedience by moving them around; when he moved they moved. When they finally emerged from the desert they had become a strong nation in every sense; strong enough to move into the promised land. There was never another generation of Israelites that could compare to this valiant generation. There is always purpose in the "valley of the shadow of death" that God leads us through. Sometimes it is for our benefit and other times for the benefit of others.
Paul realized that much of what he went through was for the benefit of others:
Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. (Colossians 1:24)
Paul recognized that the great suffering he and his comrades went through was for the purpose of the Church. Not many will suffer for the Body today. Not many will risk jail for preaching on the streets. Not many will turn their "castles" into hospitality centres to invite people in and be generous with their supply. Not many will go the extra mile or give the shirt off their back to demonstrate the love of Jesus. But some do. Some give up their comforts of home, the joy of watching television or playing mindless games on FaceBook, to bring the Word to the streets and coffee shops of the city. They face rejection, beatings, and scorn.
There is also the suffering Church in many parts of the world, where being a Christian has a death sentence. There are many places where pastors risk jail or beatings or death for preaching the good news. There are many who would run from these great injustices but the ministers of the gospel must stand where God has placed them. They must face those beatings as others have done before them and they must even face death as others have done, to serve the Body and to present Jesus. We must do it with the same joy we see expressed in Paul because we know that something is being produced from these sacrifices that God has directed.
There are different kinds of suffering, most caused by the foolishness of our own actions. But I refer to a different type of suffering, one directed by God for his greater purpose and one we will understand and accept if we have the intimacy of friendship that we are suppose to have with God. God has never asked us to suffer blindly or needlessly but when we are intimate with him we know the mind of Christ, the will of God and we are able to walk in those shoes. Ours is always a relationship of trust with God, a place of dependence and even more so in times of suffering.
I am sure that Jonah considered his time in the belly of the fish to be suffering. Forty years wondering around in the desert would also fall in the column of suffering. There are lots of examples in the Hebrew Scriptures but we have plenty of examples in the New Testament as well. Obviously Jesus' beating and crucifixion would be placed in the category of suffering. So would the beating of the disciples, the stoning of Stephen, the great persecution of the Church, and Paul's many trials. But consider what God developed out of all of this, especially the cross.
I like the example of the 40 years in the desert simply because many of us can relate to it. For forty years God cut his people off from anything that would make them independent. He used this time to get rid of the bad seeds in this people he had called out as a nation. He made them completely dependent on him for food and water. He taught them obedience by moving them around; when he moved they moved. When they finally emerged from the desert they had become a strong nation in every sense; strong enough to move into the promised land. There was never another generation of Israelites that could compare to this valiant generation. There is always purpose in the "valley of the shadow of death" that God leads us through. Sometimes it is for our benefit and other times for the benefit of others.
Paul realized that much of what he went through was for the benefit of others:
Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. (Colossians 1:24)
Paul recognized that the great suffering he and his comrades went through was for the purpose of the Church. Not many will suffer for the Body today. Not many will risk jail for preaching on the streets. Not many will turn their "castles" into hospitality centres to invite people in and be generous with their supply. Not many will go the extra mile or give the shirt off their back to demonstrate the love of Jesus. But some do. Some give up their comforts of home, the joy of watching television or playing mindless games on FaceBook, to bring the Word to the streets and coffee shops of the city. They face rejection, beatings, and scorn.
There is also the suffering Church in many parts of the world, where being a Christian has a death sentence. There are many places where pastors risk jail or beatings or death for preaching the good news. There are many who would run from these great injustices but the ministers of the gospel must stand where God has placed them. They must face those beatings as others have done before them and they must even face death as others have done, to serve the Body and to present Jesus. We must do it with the same joy we see expressed in Paul because we know that something is being produced from these sacrifices that God has directed.
There are different kinds of suffering, most caused by the foolishness of our own actions. But I refer to a different type of suffering, one directed by God for his greater purpose and one we will understand and accept if we have the intimacy of friendship that we are suppose to have with God. God has never asked us to suffer blindly or needlessly but when we are intimate with him we know the mind of Christ, the will of God and we are able to walk in those shoes. Ours is always a relationship of trust with God, a place of dependence and even more so in times of suffering.
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Defender Of The Bride
I am as guilty as the next person for Church bashing. I look at the Church, know what she is suppose to be, see what we turned her into and am disappointed. I criticize her, point out the ugly bits and often forget to lift up the pretty parts. But I forget something; she does not stand separated from Jesus. Jesus has not abandoned her or stepped back from her. He is the head and when we criticize the Church for being less than what she was designed to be, we are attacking Jesus too.
Now let's be a bit more personal.
The Church is not some great temple somewhere. It is not an institution. The Church is people. The Church is people who have gone through and are still going through a great transformation. The Church is people who are a new creation and are still trying to get use to the newness of it all. When we criticize the Church we aren't pointing a finger at some nameless vague wispy thing; we are pointing a finger at Bob, who we may or may not know. We are pointing a finger at Mary, and Sue. We are pointing a finger at millions of people with names, faces, and a genuine love for Jesus. We are pointing a finger at ourself.
The beauty of God's grace is that it covers all the failings, blemishes, ugliness and then calls us blameless and innocent. If it does that for us as individuals then it has done that for the Church. The Bride may be far from perfect but Jesus has covered her with his garments, has called her beautiful and is pouring out his love on her. And we dare stand back and call her ugly?
We certainly need a grander vision of the Church, a greater understanding of who she is and knowledge of how we function in her. But the one thing we are desperate for is wisdom to honour the Bride of Christ with the reality of Jesus' place in her. He is the head:
And he is the head of the body, the church. (Colossians 1:18)
We love to keep Jesus in the manger. He looks so cute and innocent there. We love to see Mary and Joseph watching over him with adoration. We like to keep Jesus small, like a baby, then we can do what we want with the Church as if she is on her own. But Jesus isn't a baby. He is not stuck in a manger unable to defend his Bride. He has not left the Body without a head. He has not told the hand to govern her. He has not told the feet to do what they want. He has not given her over to the whims of the heart. Jesus is the groom and he will defend his Bride: Bob, Sue and Mary.
It means that as a pastor I cannot do whatever I want in the Church. It means that I don't get to shape her according to my will. It means that I am not in charge. It is not my church. I am only one small part of her, called to specific roles and responsibilities. It means my function is to be faithful in my role and to praise the Head.
As I celebrate Christmas this year I am not celebrating the baby but everything that came after that moment. It is great that God became Emmanuel but if that is all there had been it would have been worthless. This Christmas I celebrate Jesus, supreme above all things and the head of the Church. And I stand amazed at what he has done for the Bride.
Now let's be a bit more personal.
The Church is not some great temple somewhere. It is not an institution. The Church is people. The Church is people who have gone through and are still going through a great transformation. The Church is people who are a new creation and are still trying to get use to the newness of it all. When we criticize the Church we aren't pointing a finger at some nameless vague wispy thing; we are pointing a finger at Bob, who we may or may not know. We are pointing a finger at Mary, and Sue. We are pointing a finger at millions of people with names, faces, and a genuine love for Jesus. We are pointing a finger at ourself.
The beauty of God's grace is that it covers all the failings, blemishes, ugliness and then calls us blameless and innocent. If it does that for us as individuals then it has done that for the Church. The Bride may be far from perfect but Jesus has covered her with his garments, has called her beautiful and is pouring out his love on her. And we dare stand back and call her ugly?
We certainly need a grander vision of the Church, a greater understanding of who she is and knowledge of how we function in her. But the one thing we are desperate for is wisdom to honour the Bride of Christ with the reality of Jesus' place in her. He is the head:
And he is the head of the body, the church. (Colossians 1:18)
We love to keep Jesus in the manger. He looks so cute and innocent there. We love to see Mary and Joseph watching over him with adoration. We like to keep Jesus small, like a baby, then we can do what we want with the Church as if she is on her own. But Jesus isn't a baby. He is not stuck in a manger unable to defend his Bride. He has not left the Body without a head. He has not told the hand to govern her. He has not told the feet to do what they want. He has not given her over to the whims of the heart. Jesus is the groom and he will defend his Bride: Bob, Sue and Mary.
It means that as a pastor I cannot do whatever I want in the Church. It means that I don't get to shape her according to my will. It means that I am not in charge. It is not my church. I am only one small part of her, called to specific roles and responsibilities. It means my function is to be faithful in my role and to praise the Head.
As I celebrate Christmas this year I am not celebrating the baby but everything that came after that moment. It is great that God became Emmanuel but if that is all there had been it would have been worthless. This Christmas I celebrate Jesus, supreme above all things and the head of the Church. And I stand amazed at what he has done for the Bride.
Friday, October 5, 2012
Our King's Desire
There is nothing that destroys school spirit more than disunity, when there is no unifying force like a well loved sports team or a beloved principal. There is nothing that destroys the strength of an army more than division in the ranks, when there is no unifying leader or, for that matter, enemy. There is nothing that destroys the beauty of a family more than shattered unity, when there is something that divides the mom and dad. Unity is a powerful thing, beautiful in its effectiveness. Yet unity's beauty is as delicate as a flower, easy to crush.
That is the state of unity in the world but it should look much different in the Kingdom of Jesus Christ. We have a much loved King we share in common. We have a common enemy we fight against. Our list of things in common is long and our differences short. We are members of the same family with an awesome Father involved in our daily living. We share the same Spirit. We just don't see the importance of unity and don't understand the glory we are robbing from Jesus by our disunity.
Do you remember this prayer from Jesus?
“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me." (John 17:20-23)
We hear about so many other things that Jesus taught but on this prayer of unity we hear very little. It is our King's prayer that you and I would be one, united together so that in our unity this lost and rebellious world would see Jesus and understand his love. It is hard to preach this message of love when we can't manage to love each other.
Most people don't even understand the church doctrines they defend against other believers. We defend them because it is the church we were born in. These walls need to come down and the Church needs to rise up so we can be effective in our purpose. Apostle Paul told us what unites us:
Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called— one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (Ephesians 4:3-6)
Paul makes it very simple, giving us a list of the doctrines that keep us united under Jesus. There is one body (Church), one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one Father. That's it. Plain and simple. This is what you and I have in common, the reason we can worship and serve side by side and why our hearts should be filled with love for one another.
It should be enough that our King's desire is for us to be united, to be one as he and the Father are one. Just that alone should give us the desire to set aside any differences and be united. Our purpose is to bring glory to God, to allow his glory to be seen in us. He said to love him and love others; be united with him and united with others; be one with him and one with each other.
So, let us love one another as Jesus has loved us (with great sacrifice) and allow the world to see Jesus.
That is the state of unity in the world but it should look much different in the Kingdom of Jesus Christ. We have a much loved King we share in common. We have a common enemy we fight against. Our list of things in common is long and our differences short. We are members of the same family with an awesome Father involved in our daily living. We share the same Spirit. We just don't see the importance of unity and don't understand the glory we are robbing from Jesus by our disunity.
Do you remember this prayer from Jesus?
“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me." (John 17:20-23)
We hear about so many other things that Jesus taught but on this prayer of unity we hear very little. It is our King's prayer that you and I would be one, united together so that in our unity this lost and rebellious world would see Jesus and understand his love. It is hard to preach this message of love when we can't manage to love each other.
Most people don't even understand the church doctrines they defend against other believers. We defend them because it is the church we were born in. These walls need to come down and the Church needs to rise up so we can be effective in our purpose. Apostle Paul told us what unites us:
Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called— one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (Ephesians 4:3-6)
Paul makes it very simple, giving us a list of the doctrines that keep us united under Jesus. There is one body (Church), one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one Father. That's it. Plain and simple. This is what you and I have in common, the reason we can worship and serve side by side and why our hearts should be filled with love for one another.
It should be enough that our King's desire is for us to be united, to be one as he and the Father are one. Just that alone should give us the desire to set aside any differences and be united. Our purpose is to bring glory to God, to allow his glory to be seen in us. He said to love him and love others; be united with him and united with others; be one with him and one with each other.
So, let us love one another as Jesus has loved us (with great sacrifice) and allow the world to see Jesus.
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