Being the Church #31

I

n Colossians 3 we find one of Paul's contrasts between the old life and the new:
5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming. 7 In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. 8 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. 11 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.

The first list is the most observable list of actions that are inappropriate for those who claim to be followers of Christ and children of God. But the second list is no less sinful or inappropriate. Even more so, the fact is that Christ indwells His followers of every kind and background.  None of these are things we can see or hear Jesus doing or saying, especially towards or with one another.  These are not only sins against God - which is bad enough - they are also sins against the Body of  Christ - who we are to be. 

Being the Church #30

We have already been in Acts 2 a couple of times looking at particular aspects of being the Church. But today, we step back to get a fuller view and ask some serious questions.
42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

Let's get right to the questions: Are we doing these things together? Are you doing these things with other believers? They devoted themselves to them? Are we truly devoted, not only to doing them, but doing them right? If you gather with other believers regularly, do you open your Bible and read along? Do you spend time with them, or dart into and out of services and meetings? Do you really think about what you are doing during communion?  When someone in the service prays, are you really in tune and agreement? Has being a part of the body of Christ affected your financial lifestyle? Are you aware of and responsive to the needs of others?  Are these people a part of your daily life, not just your weekly life? Are you really the Church?

Being the Church #29

In Matthew 16, we find Jesus taking His disciples aside for a serious discussion about what He was doing:

13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

This was a pivotal moment, as Jesus questioned them about their convictions. Once they get it right, Jesus then tells them what they are a part of - what we are a part of: His Church. God is up to big things under the authority of Christ; we are privileged to be a part of it.  In Christ, there is a connection between heaven and earth, between us and God. We are in His plan.  Who do we say Jesus is?  Do we live like He is?  

Being the Church #28

After Jesus' resurrection and before His ascension, He took Peter aside for a conversation.  This is of particular interest to us in our series of studies because Peter was the one to whom Jesus had given pointed words about "The Church," and it was Peter who would step up and be the spokesman when The Church began a short time later. 

18 Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” 19 (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.”
20 Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who also had leaned back against him during the supper and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?” 21 When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” 22 Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!”

If you noticed above, both paragraphs end with Jesus' call to Peter: "You Follow Me." No matter what others do - no matter what happens to you or them, you follow me.  From the get-go, Jesus wants it to be very clear that there is no room in His Church for "the comparison game." Both men would faithfully serve Him to the end and to their end. Both would receive His "Well done, my good and faithful servant." But each of us have our own calling, our own course to run, though we run it together.  We are in this thing called "The Church" together, to support and encourage one another, but the details of each of our journeys are as different as our fingerprints. Let's keep our eyes on and follow Christ, not one another. 

Being the Church #27

We talked yesterday about Samuel learning to listen to God, and what an example he is to us that we need to learn the same things. We find that same principle repeated and developed in I Kings 19:

11 The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.
Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

Like Eli, Elijah had been listening to God for a long time.  He was mature enough to realize that God does not usually speak through loud, earthshaking events as much as He does that still, small voice. He was wise enough to cover his face when he went out to meet with Holy God; he had not gotten too comfortable with God so as to take this lightly.  And rather than just expecting God to tell him exactly what to do, he had to be willing to answer some soul-searching questions.  As the people of God, we need to be willing to take those quiet times, individually and together, to meet with Him, wait on Him, listen to Him, and do some sincere soul-searching on what in the world we are doing. We need to let Him challenge our path. 

Being the Church #26

In I Samuel 3, young Samuel is serving in the house of Eli, the Judge and Priest. One night...

4 Then the Lord called Samuel, and he said, “Here I am!” 5 and ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call; lie down again.” So he went and lay down.
6 And the Lord called again, “Samuel!” and Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, my son; lie down again.” 7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.
8 And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy. 9 Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down, and if he calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant hears.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
10 And the Lord came and stood, calling as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant hears.”

Samuel, in a sense, was a model disciple, an example to us as members of the Body of Christ, the Church.  We need to learn to listen for the voice of God.  As a servant he was constantly exposed to the Word of the Lord, but he needed to learn for himself what it meant for God to lead Him.  Though we may not hear an audible voice, God does still speak through His Word and His Holy Spirit, and we need to develop a sensitivity by shutting up and asking Him: Speak, Lord, for your servant hears.  Notice as well that it took Eli, the old, experienced servant, a little while to figure out what was going on.  Sometimes we get so wrapped up in life and what we think we know that we stop listening and stop asking. Let's listen today.

Being the Church #25

Paul had given many encouraging words in his letter to the church at Thessalonica; what challenge would he give as he closed? Chapter 5:

12 We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, 13 and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. 14 And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. 15 See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies, 21 but test everything; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil.

One word that I think summarizes everything Paul is saying here is atmosphere: contribute to an atmosphere where people come into your fellowship and notice these things: respect, calmness, unity, commitment, compassion, joy, gratitude, teachability, wisdom, and holiness. This is simplifying things a bit, but Paul is saying we each need to do our part to help create this kind of atmosphere by our personal conduct, especially towards one another. If there is one thing I left out or could not summarize, it is the shortest phrase in the Greek: pray without ceasing - This group of people is like this because they pray.

Being the Church #24

We talked yesterday about keeping the main thing the main thing. The Church's main responsibility is taking the Good News of Christ to all people. This passage in Isaiah 56 pointed to that centuries before Christ came:

 Thus says the Lord:
“Keep justice, and do righteousness,
for soon my salvation will come,
    and my righteousness be revealed.
2 Blessed is the man who does this,
    and the son of man who holds it fast,
who keeps the Sabbath, not profaning it,
    and keeps his hand from doing any evil.”
3 Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord say,
    “The Lord will surely separate me from his people”;
and let not the eunuch say,
    “Behold, I am a dry tree.”
4 For thus says the Lord:
“To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths,
    who choose the things that please me
    and hold fast my covenant,
5 I will give in my house and within my walls
    a monument and a name
    better than sons and daughters;
I will give them an everlasting name
    that shall not be cut off.
6 “And the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord,
    to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord,
    and to be his servants,
everyone who keeps the Sabbath and does not profane it,
    and holds fast my covenant—
7 these I will bring to my holy mountain,
    and make them joyful in my house of prayer;
their burnt offerings and their sacrifices
    will be accepted on my altar;
for my house shall be called a house of prayer
    for all peoples.”
8 The Lord God,
    who gathers the outcasts of Israel, declares,
“I will gather yet others to him
    besides those already gathered.

God said: "Live out your relationship with me by opening your hearts those who are outsiders - those who need to be brought in."  It is this passage that Jesus alluded to when he cleansed the temple and yelled at the Jewish leaders for cluttering up The Court of the Gentiles - the only place foreigners were allowed in the temple.  They were violating this call in Isaiah 56, making it hard for these outsiders to even come in and obey the Sabbath and call out to God in prayer.  What are we doing that makes it hard for those outside of the Body of Christ to come in and find Him?

Being the Church #23

Like any other group that has ever been established, it is so easy for the Church to get off track. We need to be reminded over and over why we are here, as Paul reminds us in Romans 10:

13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
God has established the Church for the proclamation of the Good News of Christ.  There are many other things He has us do as part of that endeavor, but they should never become the main thing. As people hear of God's plan, they come to understand what they need, what God is offering, and have opportunity to trust Him and His plan. He even offers the faith to believe. It is also through the proclamation of the Good News that our own faith is established, increases and grows.  May we stay on track with this purpose. 

Being the Church #22

Often, as the New Testament People of God, the Church, it is helpful for us to look back to the Old Testament to see what happened when God's people got off tract from what God really wants: Amos 5:

21 “I hate, I despise your feasts,
    and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.
22 Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings,
    I will not accept them;
and the peace offerings of your fattened animals,
    I will not look upon them.
23 Take away from me the noise of your songs;
    to the melody of your harps I will not listen.
24 But let justice roll down like waters,
    and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

God is not into big productions, where we try to impress Him with our money, our music, or our big productions.  He is looking at our hearts and how we relate to Him and others.  Justice - doing what is right towards others, and Righteousness - having our relationships right, is a much more important and real picture of where we stand with Him.  He wants to see those things roll and flow from our lives and from the Church, not hear and smell the things we tend to do instead.  Let's give God what He wants. 

Being the Church #21

One of the earliest mentions of the Church is not in Acts, but in Matthew 18:
15 “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. 18 Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 19 Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”

We often identify this passage as instructions on church discipline, but it is so much more - it is a call to church unity.  Rarely do we connect verses 15 through 17 with verses 18 through 20, which is about praying as one.  People carry grudges against others instead of getting things right. This does not just affect that relationship, but the whole church, and the power of prayer in their own personal lives and that of the congregation as a whole.  How much have we missed out on - as individual believers as the Body of Christ - because we have been unwilling to stop, get things right, forgive and reunite, then move on together in prayer?

Being the Church #20

Listen to what happens to the personal pronouns as Paul writes in Romans 8:

18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 19 For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. 22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies.

What begins as a personal conviction becomes a joint hope for all of us as the children of God. We groan together. We all realize that the sufferings of this present life are just like birth pangs - only temporary. On the other side is new life, new bodies, new dwelling places, new understanding of what eternity will be. We are here together to go through these struggles.  When we live that way, the rough spots are much more bearable.  

Being the Church #19

Yesterday we were in Philippians 2. Today we move into chapter 3:

7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

After reciting all of his religious credentials and background in the opening verses Paul now gets to what really matters: Christ. Notice the emphasis throughout the passage on Him: ten times Paul uses His name or a pronoun referring to Him. When it comes to "religions", the core issue boils down to righteousness: Is what I believe right? Is what I am doing right? Am I on the right path? Am I right with God. Paul knew he was on the right path because His faith was in Christ and not himself. Christ was his righteousness. Is He yours?

Being the Church #18

In Philippians 2, Paul calls us as the Church to have an attitude of humility toward one another. Verse:

4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 

We are to have the mind of Christ. How can we know what His attitude what, what He was thinking? By looking at His actions.  He sacrificed for us. He gave up the perfections of heaven to come down to us. He spent His life serving the needs of people. He gave up His life to die for our sins.  He was humility in the flesh. We as the corporate people of God need to demonstrate that, which requires that each of us individually have such an attitude and lifestyle, so when blended together as one, the world around us cannot help but seeing Christ, which draws them to Him, to trust and receive the Gift God sent with Him. Let each of us do our part today.

Being the Church #17

Historically, many church denominations have viewed the existence of the local church to include the celebration of Communion. This is for good reason, as we see in Paul's words in I Corinthians 13:
23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

Remembering Christ's sacrificial death for us is indeed something we should find His people doing. We cannot imagine it otherwise.  Many congregations celebrate it weekly. So why does Paul even mention it? Most of his words to the Corinthian church were corrective.  Some of their "celebrations" of the Lord's table did not clearly commemorate our union with our Only Savior; they had a blend of idol worship and a pompous show of affluence mixed in.(read chapters 10 and 11 in their entirety.)  True believers do look back and look ahead to get a proper grip of where we are now in our relationship with our Lord and Savior. Let us not take the Lord's table for granted. 

Being the Church #16

One of the things we need to ask ourselves as the church is: "What do we get excited about?"  Jesus pictured the answer to that question for us: 

4 “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ 7 Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

This short illustration was in response to the criticism Jesus was getting from the scribes and Pharisees over His investment of time and ministry into sinners and tax-collectors.  He was asking: "What is it that excites God and His angels in heaven?" Answer: to see a repentant sinner come to faith. That is the heartbeat of God, and ought to be the heartbeat of His Children, followers of Christ - the church. There are so many other things we find ourselves stress over, invest in, and get excited about.  It is easy for us to lose our perspective and fail to go where Jesus wants us to go and do what He wants us to do. May God reset our focus today.

Being the Church #14

In our study of "Being the Church", we have been in Acts 2 before, and even read these verses, but today we want to focus in on them more. Verse:

44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.

Something very important was going on here that we need to grasp, but we also need to realize what it was not. It was not every believer selling everything they had, putting the money they had together and living in some sort of commune while they waited for Christ's return.  These people lived life in community but did not seclude themselves from the world around them.  They did not just sell all they had and give it to anyone and everyone. They shared with fellow believers in dire need.  Because of the people Jesus had been willing to reach out to, many of them were poor and needy. Because many were rejected by family and friends when they accepted Christ, they needed help just for daily needs. Yes, this also resulted in the believers being willing to help others in need, but it started in the church. The church became known and influential not because of their free handouts, but because of the love the world around them witnessed.  These people had different hearts, generous hearts, hearts changed by the power of Christ. That's what our world needs to see again today.

Being the Church #13

So much of being the body of Christ has to do with our attitudes, as we see in I Corinthians 12:

21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22 On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, 24 which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, 25 that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. 26 If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together

There is absolutely no room for arrogance or a sense of spiritual superiority in the Body of Christ - no attitude that someone else is not needed. All that does is create division and strive. On the positive side, the atmosphere we need to have and encourage is one of empathy, so that because we are one body, we feel with one another all the hurts and the honors any other member receives. We adjust our lives to do what is appropriate and needed in the lives of one another. Our hearts beat together as one heart.

Being the Church #12

We often view the Apostle John as being the nice guy that wrote a lot about love, but he was not soft on sin, as we see in His first letter, chapter 3

 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. 4 Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. 5 You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. 6 No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. 7 Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. 8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. 9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.

If you are a child of God, act like it. Don't excuse your sin. Don't act like a child of the devil. If your hope is truly in Christ coming again, behave like He is and clean up your act. Thanks, John; we needed that.

Being the Church #11

When it comes to "being the Church" it is important that we stop to ask what Christ wanted us to be. In John 17 He pours out His heart to the Father about what He envisioned for us:

20 “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, 23 I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. 24 Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. 25 O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. 26 I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”

Christ wants us to experience the oneness that He and the Father have enjoyed forever. It is a oneness of relationship, purpose, and presence that can be experienced nowhere else in the world. The big thing is that we can only do this together as we all know Him better and become part of His plan for us. This is why He came; this is why He died; this is why He returned to the Father; this is why He is coming back for us. Are you on board with that?

Being the Church #10

We've already looked here in Acts 2 at the beginning of the Church, but we did not finish all there is to see there. Picking up on verse:

43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

The key word here is together. There was a sense of togetherness that marked the first church. Not only did they meet for prayer, worship, study, and communion, they did life together; they looked out for one another; they all contributed to the sense of awe, joy and comradery that made the world step back and say: "wow, we want to be a part of that."  These believers were all in: following Christ together. We are all responsible to make the same thing happen now.

Being the Church #9

Psalm 19: 

The heavens declare the glory of God,
    and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
2 Day to day pours out speech,
    and night to night reveals knowledge.
3 There is no speech, nor are there words,
    whose voice is not heard.
4 Their voice goes out through all the earth,
    and their words to the end of the world.
In them he has set a tent for the sun,
5     which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber,
    and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy.
6 Its rising is from the end of the heavens,
    and its circuit to the end of them,
    and there is nothing hidden from its heat.

Creation speaks. It cannot be silenced. Everyone sees and hears its voice - all over the created world.  What does that have to do with us as the church? We should be heard and seen bring God glory. The last verse of the Psalm brings it back home:

14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart

    be acceptable in your sight,

    O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

Being the Church #8

As the church, we have a lot to look forward to - like we find in Revelation 19:

 5 And from the throne came a voice saying,
“Praise our God, all you his servants,
you who fear him, small and great.”
6 Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out,
“Hallelujah!
For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.
7 Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory,
for the marriage of the Lamb has come,
    and his Bride has made herself ready;
8 it was granted her to clothe herself
    with fine linen, bright and pure”—
for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.
9 And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.” 

The picture speaks pretty clearly for itself, but just two quick questions: What do brides do? They get themselves ready. They are consumed with making plans and preparing themselves not only for that day, but for a lifetime afterwards.  What are we thinking about and preparing for as we await Christ's return?

Being the Church #7

As Paul gathered church leaders together near the city of Ephesus, he advised them: 

28 Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. 29 I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30 and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. 31 Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears. 32 And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.

When I was younger, my sister gave me a little poster that said: "Be alert; the world needs more lerts." That statement is very true. We need in the body of Christ more people who are alert to what is going on, who keep an eye out for false teaching that leads to false discipleship.  When we are alert, God gives us everything we need to not be led astray: the teaching of His Word, His wonderful grace, and our fellow-followers.  Be alert. Our world needs more lerts. 

Being the Church #6

It was just last month we were in part of this passage, but we cannot help but return here when talking about Being the Church: Ephesians 2:
4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 

The great truth of salvation by grace brings with it imperatives for how we should behave as the church. First, there should be a great humility when we remember we have been saved from a sea of sin. We have nothing to brag about, except in Christ.  Secondly, we need to be continually prayerful, since we have been seated at the family table with the Father and with Christ. Thirdly, we should be eternally thankful, because we now have God's storehouse of riches at our disposal; there is no room or reason to complain. May God's grace be evident in our lives today.

Being the Church #5

Sometimes it seems that the Church has a hard time figuring out what we should be doing.  This is not because Jesus did not give us clear instructions, as we seen in passages like John 13, in the Upper Room:

 31 When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. 32 If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once. 33 Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me, and just as I said to the Jews, so now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going you cannot come.’ 34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.

Here is a distinct way we can show we are Christ's followers: truly love one another, doing what is best for each other, even at our own expense.  This is no weak concept of love like in the world today, where we try to make each other feel good in our own sin. It is a strong, determined love that costs us something. It is in stark contrast to everyone positioning themselves to look good, feel good and grab all the good they can for themselves. It is recognizing that all the Good I have comes from Jesus, and I want to share Him.

Being the Church #4

As we stop and think about being the Church, it is not long before we remember the charge Christ gave to His first followers in Matthew 28:

 16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Jesus has saved us and called us to go out into the world and be and do who He instructs us to be and do. It starts with us worshipping Him where we are, here and now, reading His instructions and determining that we are going to follow them and follow Him, even if we have some fears and doubts. It means we are to believe Him and trust Him, because He really is in charge and knows what He is doing. And it requires that we interact with people - all kinds of people - believing and unbelieving, to draw others to Him, and to help each other grow closer to Him.  We do not have to do this alone; we cannot do this alone; we are never alone; He is with us and has given us one another.  Let's do this together. 

Being the Church #3

Many of the well-known passages of scripture become very clear and applicable when we think about life in terms of being the church, such as II Timothy 3:

14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

As children of God in Christ, we received salvation and new life when we responded to the Good News of the Word of God.  It only makes sense that we would continue to live out our salvation by turning again and again to His word for how to live out that new life.  It is profitable - more than just necessary - and desirable, for us to know the truth, be stopped and reminded by the truth, and corrected and redirected by the truth back onto the path of righteousness over and over day by day.  This word righteousness especially has to do with our relationships - including and in particular - those within the Body of Christ. When we all stay focused on the Word of God together, relationships in the Church family flourish. We need to be people of the Word. 

Being the Church #2

We began yesterday shifting gears from "remembering who we are as the Church" to "being the church." There is no better place to start than the beginning of the church in Acts 2:

38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” 40 And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” 41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. 42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.  

The first phrase used to describe what the Church did is devoted themselves. That's what God's people do. We need to devote ourselves to being God's people together: studying, praying, sharing, and never forgetting what Christ has done for us. God brought us together and will keep us together, when we get together to grow together.  Lack of such commitment allows us all to stray from Him and His will for us. We don't have to look far to see that evidenced in our society today.  Meetings and ministries are not magical, but they are meaningful when they mark our devotion to Christ and His church. May we be devoted.

Being the Church #1

 

We spent this past month remembering who are as the Church, the people of God.  Today we want to begin to explore the question: If God has made us all of those things, in Christ, what should we then be?" We begin to answer that by looking again in Ephesians 2:
19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

We are God's beautiful building project.  Now that may not sound so fantastic or romantic, but back then, Ephesus was filled with magnificent, beautiful, and highly functional buildings. It was a city to behold. There was also an attitude that their city was highly civilized and those outside were much less. Paul says: Christ's church is the most glorious building there is. Not only does it have the most solid foundation; it is a building that keeps on growing; it is alive; the One True Living God is inside.  We need to consider being a part of Christ's church a great privilege and honor and do all we can to protect its beauty and unity. When we gather together, people need to be able to look and say: "God lives there."