Getting Along with our Brothers and Sisters

Of the ten Evangelical churches in the wider community where we live, three of them are currently in a teaching series on the nature of the church itself. There is so much to unpack, and each is approaching it differently.

My definition — not original to me — of church is, “A group of people who have come under the loving lordship of Jesus Christ, and joined ourselves to a company of imperfect people who are trying to live a new life in a new way.”

Ruth’s definition is, “The gathering of a family called out from within families; a nation called out from within nations, to live by the laws of Jesus’ Kingdom.”

Whatever your definition, the church is a wonderful thing… except when it isn’t. We are often plagued with things which fracture us, a situation that lately seems to recur more often in the broader climate of divisiveness and extremism. Which brings us to today’s devotional.

Today we’re back for a fifth time highlighting Michael Wilson at Jesus Quotes and God Thoughts. Clicking the title below will allow you to read this where it appeared first. Michael is the author of Faith at Work: The Jesus Way.

United in the Messiah: Embracing Harmony and Oneness

What type of thing would seriously and urgently concern the Apostle Paul about Christians? Paul challenges me to get along. That is it. Paul would be “shocked” at the condition of the faithful today. I am sure his admonition would doubly stand.

I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Master Jesus the Messiah, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.^[1] 1 Corinthians 1:10

This heartfelt plea from the apostle remains relevant even today, as we strive to maintain unity and harmony within the body of believers. Let us explore the significance of unity in the Messiah and the ways in which we can foster oneness in our communities.

The Beauty of Unity in Christ: Unity is a precious gift from God that holds immense power to transform lives, communities, and the world. When believers are united in Christ, the Church becomes a living testament of God’s love and grace. Our unity reflects the very nature of God, who exists eternally as a perfect unity in the Holy Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Through unity, we become a living testimony to the world of the reconciling power of the Gospel.

Furthermore, unity in the Messiah enriches our fellowship with one another. It fosters an environment of love, support, and understanding, where we can grow together in our faith, sharpen one another, and uplift those who may be struggling. It is in unity that we find strength to face the challenges that come our way, knowing that we are not alone but surrounded by fellow believers who share the same hope and purpose.

Overcoming Divisions: The world we live in is diverse, and disagreements are inevitable. However, as followers of the Messiah, we are called to transcend these divisions and demonstrate a higher standard of love and unity. The Apostle Paul’s plea to the Corinthians serves as a gentle reminder that, despite our differences, we should seek common ground in our shared faith in the Messiah.

To overcome divisions, we must first recognize that unity does not mean uniformity. God has uniquely gifted each of us with diverse talents, perspectives, and backgrounds. Rather than allowing these differences to create barriers, let us celebrate them and use them as opportunities to complement one another. As Paul emphasizes in Ephesians 4:3, we are to be “eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

Practical Steps Toward Unity: Focused on the Messiah: Center our lives and communities on the Messiah, the ultimate source of our unity. When we keep our eyes fixed on Him, our differences become less significant, and our common faith becomes the foundation of our relationships.

• Humility and Grace: Approach one another with humility and grace, recognizing that we all fall short of God’s glory. By humbly acknowledging our weaknesses and strengths, we create an atmosphere of understanding and empathy.
• Prayer: Dedicate time to pray for unity within the body of Christ. Pray for a spirit of reconciliation, healing, and mutual understanding to prevail in any situation where division threatens to emerge.
• Open Communication: Foster open and respectful communication among believers. Listen actively and empathetically to each other’s perspectives, seeking to understand rather than merely respond.
• Pursue Love and Forgiveness: As followers of the Messiah, we are called to love one another deeply and unconditionally. Let us extend forgiveness and grace, just as the Messiah forgave us, to mend any broken relationships and heal wounds caused by disagreements.

The Apostle Paul’s heartfelt appeal to the Corinthians echoes through the ages and speaks directly to us today. Unity in the Messiah is not a mere suggestion; it is a divine calling for every believer. As we align our minds and judgments in the Messiah, we participate in a grand tapestry of God’s redemptive plan, displaying His love and glory to a divided world. Let us embrace our differences with humility, grace, and love, standing firm in our shared faith, united in the name of our Master Jesus the Messiah. May our lives and communities be living testimonies of the power of unity, drawing others closer to the heart of God.

^[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), 1 Co 1:10.

Don’t Just “Do” Church

by Ruth Wilkinson

Doing Church – Introduction (Matthew 16:13-19)

For several years in the early 2000’s, my husband and I didn’t ‘go to church.’ We were two of many, many people, particularly in North America, whose imaginations and whose hearts were caught up by the ‘Missional Church’ movement.

That movement was fueled by an increase in Christian bloggers, which provided people like us, living in a smaller town with not a lot of internet access up to that point, with a greater awareness of other opinions, traditions, and perspectives. It gave us some insight into ancient writers like St. Ambrose, John Chrysostom, Ignatius of Loyola, and Hildegard Von Bingen. These writers had a passion for Jesus, as well as insights and ideas that we found inspiring.

Alongside that growing awareness of other Church traditions, seeing what was happening in our world (watching TV and reading the newspaper (back when that was a thing) and seeing the impact of our culture’s shift into post-modernism) meant taking a deep look into ourselves, and at the Church’s place in the world and saying, “We’re not in Christendom anymore.” Our world had changed.

At the same time, in reaction to the post-modern movement of our broader culture, the Evangelical Church was creating a subculture of music and books and rules and vocabulary. Some of us started to wonder whether we were trying to turn Christianity into a sort of gated community. Someplace where we could feel safe. Some of us started to ask ourselves, “Are we supposed to feel safe? Are we supposed to even be safe?”

The Missional Church movement helped my husband and me to put a finger on some frustrations that we both had with our church experiences, especially around dealing with people who were ignoring the way the world had changed, and who wanted to keep doing things the way they’d been doing them for decades and for centuries. We had butted heads with people whose motto seemed to be what is jokingly called The Seven Last Words of the Church: “We’ve always done it this way before.”

Postmodern, Missional, Christian writers—bloggers and authors like Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch—were not only pushing back against stodginess within the church. They were also pushing back against the secular religiosity of consumerism. Of cynicism. Of vague spirituality. Of worshipping the tiny little gods of individualism. These writers pointed and pointed and pointed to Jesus, and they helped people like us to find our way through some of those frustrations while keeping our eyes on Jesus.

They also refreshed our desire to see God do something amazing. They urged us, in the parlance of the conversation, to not just ‘do church,’ but to ‘be the Church.’

They wrote passionately about being the Church that was created and empowered by the God who was the original missionary,

• The God out of whose real self flowed all that was good to create the universe to create us
• The God who waded into the shallows of three-dimensional space to walk with Adam and Eve in the garden.
• The God who chose to reveal His power, His glory, and His love to humanity,
• The God who became one of us who embodied himself as a human so that He could deliver His message in person.
• The God who, after His death and resurrection, filled us with His spirit and sent us out to do the work that He had begun—of restoring our relationships with him, with each other, and with our planet.

Missional writers urged us to be that Church—to be the Church that was established by the God on whose mission we had been sent. They urged us to be the Church that was founded on Peter’s testimony:

You are the Christ. You are the Son of the living God.

To be the Church that is on the march against the gates of death. The Church who hold the keys to those gates because we’ve been handed them by the one who infiltrated the kingdom of death and opened the gates from the inside.

These writers urged us to reimagine the Great Commission, “Go into all the world, and preach the gospel, making disciples…” not simply as a willingness to leave our home and to go to some other part of the world where maybe they hadn’t heard about Jesus, but also as “You’re going into the world anyway. You are going into the world every day. Wherever you are, as you are going, be preaching the good news of Jesus.”

We heard fantastic stories—like the church that was planted on the Pine River in Australia by a guy who was a waterskier. He went waterskiing one Sunday morning and prayed with somebody. He went waterskiing the next Sunday morning and told somebody about Jesus. And they slowly built a church of waterskiers who met on Sunday morning on the bank of the river: who worshipped and ‘did church’ together as a bunch of waterskiers. We loved those stories. They’re so exciting.

Those ‘Missional Church’ years have left their fingerprints on the way church planting is done today, continuing to engage with the principles and ideas fleshed out during that era. It was a good thing. It was a powerful thing. It was an important challenge and, I believe, a correction for the way that many of us had been doing church.

And I loved it. I don’t regret a single second of missing church on Sunday mornings for the years that we were doing the work that we were doing.

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However…

I have to confess.

I have to confess that, in my excitement of seeing God do amazing things as we went into our day to day world, I and others fell into a trap: of looking over our shoulders at the brick and mortar churches from which we had come, and being just a little bit prideful.

Being a little bit arrogant.

Because we said, “We’re ‘being the Church.’ They’re only ‘doing church.’ They’re only showing up on Sunday morning for an hour, singing the same songs they’ve been singing since 1940, following the same formulas, putting their money in envelopes and into a plate. They are stuck in the past. They do their hour on Sunday morning and then they go home. Back to ‘real life.’ They’re not really living their faith. They’re not really ‘being the Church.’ Like we are.”

That is the trap that we fell into. And that is a thing of which I have had to repent.

Not because churches can’t get stuck. Not because Christians can’t forget to live out their faith out in real life and as they go in the world. We are all capable of doing those things.

The reason why I have to repent of that attitude is because I came to understand that those things that we do in that hour on Sunday morning really matter. When we pray together, when we sing together, when we learn together, when we share baptism, when we sit side by side, rubbing elbows. When we do those things well, we are doing things that Jesus himself did and/or commanded us to do. And when we do those things together well, we are fed. We are healed. We are encouraged. We are humbled in ways that empower us when we go out into the world to ‘be’ preaching the gospel we need those things.

They are an inescapable, inextricable part, a necessary part of living our lives of faith in Christ. They are a necessary part of living in—and living out—the mission of the missionary God.

Where our vision fails, where we start to get off track, is when we start to think in terms of ‘being the Church’ and ‘doing church’ as two different things. It’s not either/or. It’s not binary.

We ‘be the Church’ by doing the things that Christ has told us to do. We ‘be the Church’ by engaging—yes!—with Him in a personal relationship, and also with how He moves through our world.

We ‘do church’ by being the Church: by coming together, being together, worshipping together, then going back out into the world and embodying the good news of Christ, because we have been fed and healed and embraced and encouraged (and sometimes corrected) by our brothers and sisters.

We need… us.

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During this series, we’re going to come back a few times to Acts 2:37 and following. This is moments after Peter has preached his first sermon, and people in the streets are asking him, “Now what?”

So the people, when they heard [Peter’s sermon], were cut to the heart and they asked Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers and sisters, what shall we do?” Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, everyone of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” …Those who embraced his message were baptized and about 3000 were added to the believers that day. They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, to prayer, and a sense of awe came over everyone, and the apostles performed many wondrous signs. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and their goods, they shared with anyone who was in need.

In that passage, we see the Church doing church: gathering, worshipping, baptizing, sharing communion at the breaking of bread, praying, learning, teaching, giving. These are the things that we do when we ‘do church’ and these are things that we must do well. Because Jesus has told us to do these things.

So… for a few years in the early 2000s, I didn’t go to church on Sunday mornings, and I do not regret a single second of that adventure. I don’t regret a single second of that schooling and (I gotta be honest) there are times when I miss it. Because it was an adventure.

But I have come back. I have come back to the brick and mortar church. I have come back to this hour on Sunday morning. I have come back to do the things that we do together when we ‘do church’ because I have come to understand that you can’t ‘be the Church’ if you can’t ‘do church.’

We can together stay grounded in our shared history. We can together stay grounded in our forms of worship. And we can—absolutely—have the adventure.

I am here to ‘do church.’ I am here to do it well. I am here to ‘do church’ in a way that shapes me, informs me, and changes me in a way that makes it possible for me to live out—and to live in—the mission of God.

I am here to invite you to join me in doing church together in a way that equips us for being that Church.

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Ruth Wilkinson is Pastor of a CBOQ (Baptist) Church in Cobourg, Ontario, Canada and appears here most Fridays. Her sermon blog is Pastor Percipia. Click the title of this post for a link to the original article and a video sermon of which this is an excerpt.

Rooting for Rivals

To start, the title that I assigned to today’s post is not original. It’s the title of a 2019 Bethany House book in which three authors are more concerned with what is sometimes perceived as organizational competition among ministries, and the need for collaboration and mutual support.

That title really stuck with me.

Today however, we’re talking about individuals.

After missing a year, today we’re back for the 11th time with Bryan Lowe and his blog, Broken Believers. His writing is especially focused on readers who face challenges or disabilities which can be both visible or invisible. Click the link in the title which follows to read this where it first appeared.

When Others are More Gifted Than You

“There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all.”

1 Corinthians 12:4, NLT

“God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.”

1 Peter 4:10

“Deliver me, O Lord, from that evil man, myself.”

     Thomas Brooks

Several years ago, the Holy Spirit upended my understanding of the Church. It took some time, as I’ve been in full time ministry for almost 40 years now–and that can be good, or bad. I made many mistakes, and naturally blamed most of the failures on others.

Over the years I suppose I had made the Body of Christ into a competitive sport. And although I wouldn’t have phrased it exactly that way, it was how I approached the Christian brothers and sisters in my life. There were simply rungs to be climbed.

A great deal of my effort was generated to receive the proper recognition.

I had misunderstood the nature of being a ‘gifted’ person. As I look back, I was very much like James and John, in Matt. 20:20-22. It wasn’t so much that I was exalting myself, but I felt (?) that I needed to push for all that Jesus had for me. I desperately thought it had to be on a platform.

We must learn to respect the giftedness of others.

Often, this is easy. Encountering those with a special ability, it can be fairly easy to do. When we hear a teacher or preacher, a worship leader or even an amazing writer we often put them on a pedestal. Because of that gifting it becomes fairly simple for the Church to recognize them.

I suspect we’re probably more inclined to operate out of our own envy or frustration.

Rather than accepting others, we look for any reason at all to invalidate and disparage them. We scour and search for anything to minimize or reject our “competitor.” To bolster our efforts, we label it as “discernment.” This justifies us, as we think that it is protecting the Church.

The Spirit, out of His infinite inventory, distributes the gifts to the Church.

We honor and respect Him when we acknowledge that. We don’t elevate the person, but we do accept them, and their obvious gifts. We can’t ignore any sin, but we should recognize the Spirit’s decision to use a person in a certain way. Almost always, that gift is hidden in a clay pot. And maybe that’s our difficulty? (I have met some gifted saints who were absolute jerks).

What about a person who has a gift that is seen in someone 30 years younger than you? Paul wrote young Timothy precise instructions on how to handle his youth, and understand how he should understand his position in the Body.

“Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity.”

1 Timothy 4:12

We honor the Spirit when we honor His gifted people.

We should respect the giftedness that others may have. Humility often varies with the person, the gift and the maturity. And yet, it would be foolishness for us to think we have settled this issue, once and for all.

A good place to start. And finish:

“Be desirous, my son, to do the will of another rather than thine own.”

-Unknown

When Others Don’t Wish to Share Your Happiness

Romans 16:15 offers an image of sisters and brothers sharing both the high points and the low points of life.

Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep. (CSB, NASB, et al)

Part of what this verse is asking us to do is to enter in to the circumstances of others and be present with them in whatever state they find themselves; rejoicing or weeping.

On March 12th, we looked at this verse and noted that the verse is asking us to “Presence yourself with someone because they are hurting, and still be there when the time of rejoicing comes.”

The verse offers two different scenarios an “up” time and a “down” time. The down times are difficult. Living out the mandate to “bear one another’s burdens” can take a toll. Pastors and counselors often speak of “compassion fatigue.”

But being there for the party? That should be a piece of cake, and often literally!

In Luke 15 Jesus tells a trio of parables. The woman who has misplaced what was, in her day, a precious coin, exudes, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my lost coin.’ (15:9) The shepherd who has found a missing member of the flock invites us to ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my lost sheep!’ (15:6).

But then an interesting turn. A father rejoices over a wayward son returned home and invited back into the family. ‘For this son of mine was dead and is alive again! He was lost and is found!’ So they began to celebrate. (15:24) But not everybody rejoices. ‘The older son became angry and refused to go in.’ (15:28a)

The father gets where the older son is coming from. I have no doubt about that. But then he says what I believe should be our key takeaway today: ‘But it was fitting to celebrate and be glad…’ (15:32)

My extended paraphrase, ‘Look, I get your feelings on this. And we can talk about that. But for right here, right now, it’s a time of rejoicing. The party is happening as we speak. There is music. There is dancing. Only thing missing is you.’

It is fitting to celebrate.

I understand compassion fatigue. I understand not wanting to be there in the down times. I don’t understand choosing to opt out of a time of collective rejoicing in the body of Christ because of personal convictions, past hurts, deep rooted feelings. For right here, right now, everyone else is rejoicing. Put on a smile. You can do that, right? It is fitting to celebrate.

1 Corinthians 12:25-26 was also mentioned in the article I referenced.

…so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other.  If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

Eugene Peterson translated this as

The way God designed our bodies is a model for understanding our lives together as a church: every part dependent on every other part, the parts we mention and the parts we don’t, the parts we see and the parts we don’t. If one part hurts, every other part is involved in the hurt, and in the healing. If one part flourishes, every other part enters into the exuberance.

And think what a testimony this is to the broader world: To see the body of Christ in “party” mode.

Back to Romans 15.

The rejoice/suffer contrast is presented immediately after another verse which tells us to do something that seems counterintuitive.

Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. (15:14 NLT)

This seems the more difficult of the two proposals. After blessing our persecutors, the rejoice/suffer thing seems simple by contrast. But perhaps there is an element of verse 14 in the backstory that explains the situation in verse 15.

The verse also appears in Matthew 5, and here the KJV and NKJV are longer and seem to be reliant on a manuscript that introduces three distinct situations:

But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you (5:44 NKJV)

Back to Romans one last time.

The “rejoice with” and “suffer with” verse is followed by verse 16, which I believe hints at reasons that any given person might not want to be among the rejoicing; might choose not to attend the party:

Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. (15:16 NIV)

It’s easy to skip the party because I think I’m better or know better. ‘A smart shepherd would be thankful for the other ninety-nine and not take risks to rescue 1% of the flock.’ Or, ‘a smart woman would take better care of her coins.’ Or, ‘if he was truly worth celebrating he wouldn’t have squandered his inheritance in the worst possible ways.’

Or maybe we wanted the prize or the distinction. In February 2020, one of our writers wrote, “I’ve not been as generous in spirit as I ought to be when others get something I want.”

We can all think of times we didn’t show the right empathy or sympathy for the hurting.

Are there times we didn’t show the right amount of congratulations for the rejoicing?

Rejoice with those who rejoice!

The Importance of Community

If you find you’ve been hearing a lot about the importance of what we call fellowship lately, it may be due to the number of local congregations which lost numbers during, and in the wake of, the worldwide pandemic. Or maybe God is just trying to tell you something.

This is, I think, our ninth annual visit sharing the ministry of First 15 which is designed for the first 15 minutes of your day, and can be delivered direct to your phone or tablet, and is also available in Spanish at Primeros 15. Click on the header which follows to read this where it appeared earlier today. Click here to see all the posts in the “Seeking…” series of devotions from October, 2023.

Seeking God Through Community

May God open your heart and mind today to the community in which he’s placed you in this season.

Introduction

In today’s devotional we wrap up our week on seeking God by looking at the act of seeking God through community. You may be a people person, or a total introvert, but either way, God wants to use his church to encourage you and draw you closer to him. The Lord loves unity in his body, and he longs for his church, his Bride to worship and seek him as one. May God open your heart and mind today to the community in which he’s placed you in this season.

Scripture

“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

Hebrews 10:24-25

Devotional

We were not created to go about this life apart from relationship with fellow children of God. Without our brothers and sisters, we will never experience the fullness of life God intends for us. In community, we discover our place in the body of Christ. In community, we learn what it is to serve out of love, honor, and respect. And in community, we receive the healing and love that can only come from those who share in the same Spirit.

Acts 2:42-47 says,

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

Acts 2 describes community that my soul longs for. We were made for honest, vulnerable fellowship. We were created to help each other, eat together, worship our God, and love others. Through engaging with fellow believers, we become a witness to the world of what happens when God works in the hearts of his children. We declare through our love for each other the life and joy that comes from relationship with our heavenly Father.

Scripture is clear that true community requires sacrifice and vulnerability. 1 Corinthians 12:25-26 says, “That there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.” God’s desire is for all his children to humble themselves and live as one body. When one part of a physical body hurts, the rest of the body feels the pain and works together to heal. God desires it to be the same among the spiritual body of believers. He desires to fill us with his love and use us to provide healing for one another. He longs to guide us to a lifestyle of humility and sacrifice in pursuit of being his hands and feet for each other.

It takes receiving the love of God to give love. It requires a work of the Spirit to fill us with courage to be vulnerable with our community in order to receive and give the love we’ve been given in Christ. So, will you be a child filled with the love of your Father today? Will you allow God to use you to help a brother or sister? Will you choose the purpose and joy that comes from living sacrificially and vulnerably? If so, you will discover a satisfaction only found in the edification that comes from believers loving one another. May you find the fellowship your heart longs for as you courageously love your brothers and sisters.

Prayer

1. Meditate on the importance of community. Allow Scripture to fill you with a desire to love and be loved by your community.

“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

“Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.” Proverbs 27:17

“And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.” Acts 2:42-47

2. Reflect on your need for community. Where do you need the healing that comes from relationship with others? What people has God placed in your life? How can you in humility reach out to them for help?

3. Take time and pray for an increase in God-filled community in your life. How does he want to use you to help another person today? How can you lead out in being courageously vulnerable? If you lack such a thing, ask God to provide you with this type of community to share life with.

“Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working… My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.” James 5:13-16, 19-20

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Elsewhere online: When someone says “Reformed” they could be referring to established denominations such as the Christian Reformed Church, or they could be talking about “Neo Reformed” or “Neo Calvinism,” a movement which has crystalized over the past 20 years, which has some practices and doctrines which are different from the older movement and differ from mainstream Evangelicalism. We tried to sort out some of those differences in this post.

We Thank God When We Pray for You

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae:

Grace and peace to you from God our Father.

We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard about your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all the saints— the faith and love proceeding from the hope stored up for you in heaven, of which you have already heard in the word of truth, the gospel that has come to you.

All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood the grace of God. You learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, and who also informed us of your love in the Spirit. – Colossians 1:1-8

In presenting devotional and study content from a diversity of sources, today we’re back with Jerry Robinson, who is one of  at Reflections of a Lay Catholic. You’re encouraged to click the link in the title which follows to read this where it appeared first.

Pray Like Saints Paul and Timothy

In today’s first reading from Paul’s letter to the Church in Colossae (Col 1:1-8), St. Paul writes that he and Timothy offer prayers of thanksgiving for them because of their faith in Jesus and their hope for heaven.

We say prayers of petition asking for God’s help, often for the intentions of someone we love to grow deeper in their faith.  We say prayers of thanksgiving for all the grace and mercy we receive but don’t deserve.  But, how often do we give thanks and pray for those who already know the love of Christ, who follow Him, and who proclaim the Gospel at every chance?  Do we tell them and affirm them that, by glorifying God with their words and in their actions, they are making the world a better place, that they are doing their part to grow His Kingdom?  Maybe not so much.

We are one Church, one Body, and, if we practice the theological virtue of charity as we ought, we look outside of ourselves to other people.  Usually our focus is on the poor and needy, the sick, and those who are far from our Lord.  But, we can’t forget to recognize the good that people do, especially the good that results from those who have a deep faith and love for Jesus.  Without them, there would be no proclamation of the Gospel and no propagation of the faith.

Our world today presents us with endless disorder and distractions that work to diminish the faith of even the strongest among us.  Couple this with the natural force of entropy, and the faithful are faced with a constant uphill battle.  Is there any wonder why Christianity, and especially Catholicism, in America is on the decline?  Perhaps one reason is that we do not affirm, accompany, and pray specifically for continued courage and strength for all of our holy brothers and sisters, especially our priests, who are committed to making disciples and bringing the love of Christ to all people.

“Heavenly Father, I give You thanks for all the holy priests, deacons, religious, lay leaders and evangelists, and spiritual directors who proclaim the Gospel in their words and deeds.  I don’t encourage them and pray for them nearly as much as I should.  Thank You for opening my heart and mind to Your Word today.  I resolve to sow the seeds of this Word by making a concrete resolution to pray daily for, and give thanks for all those who are leading the charge in the battle to win souls.  Amen.”

 

©2013-2023 Reflections of a Lay Catholic.

 

 

The Importance of Community

My motivation for this topic today began with an article I was writing for another platform, which I’ve included in full following the scripture medley which follows first. This outline was prepared by Jeff Snow who we’ve featured at Thinking Out Loud several times before; including a book review, a story about his day-to-day ministry on a university campus, and his 3-part series on divorce, which we ran twice.

Jeff is in bi-vocational ministry; at least sort-of. Both halves of his life involve ministry with two different organizations. One as a local church pastor for which he is paid a salary, and the other as a campus ministry worker on the combined campus of a university and community college, for which he must raise support.

Are you ready for lots of scripture today? Here we go…

Community is based on a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin. – 1 John 1:7 NLT

Community finds its source in the Godhead — Father, Son and Holy Spirit,

Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. – Ephesians 4:3 NIV

Community is a place where members can find encouragement, strength, comfort and assistance for daily life.

Carry one another’s burdens and in this way you will fulfill the requirements of the law of Christ [that is, the law of Christian love]. – Galatians 6:2 AMP

So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith. – Galatians 6:10 NASB

In Community, each member belongs to the other.

[I]n the same way we who are many are one body in Christ and individually members of one another. – Romans 12:5 CSB

In Community, each puts the interests of others above their own.

Instead of being motivated by selfish ambition or vanity, each of you should, in humility, be moved to treat one another as more important than yourself. Each of you should be concerned not only about your own interests, but about the interests of others as well. – Philippians 2:3-4 NET

Community involves accountability

Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. – Galatians 6:1 NLT

Community is strengthened through worship, fellowship and prayer.

They spent their time in learning from the apostles, taking part in the fellowship, and sharing in the fellowship meals and the prayers. – Acts 2:42 GNT

Community is strengthened by engaging in works of service together.

Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. – Hebrews 10:24 NLT

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Are You a Covid Church Dropout?

If you’re one of the ones who never went back, this is for you. If you know someone who fits that description, you can forward this to them. The absence of you and many like you is felt.

Many of you were contributing to various programs at your church; perhaps others of you were simply part of the worship community that happens in a healthy church. It’s possible today there are choirs with not enough members to re-start. Children’s programs that are still on hold for a lack of teachers and leaders.

But most of you were also contributing financially, and right now churches are feeling that loss. A handful have mentioned to me that while giving sustained during the actual lockdowns, a new reality has crept in as people have lost contact with their place of worship, or are themselves squeezed by economic realities.

It’s time to go back. Time to re-experience:

• community and fellowship
• the impact made by corporate giving
• corporate worship
• corporate prayer
• help and prayer for yourself in times of need
• The Lord’s Supper / Communion / Eucharist
• the spiritual ‘sharpening’ that takes place in interacting with each other
• being part of a mission that’s bigger than our own

and so much more.

The followers of Jesus met together in homes, and later in public spaces. Our faith is meant to be lived out together.

It’s time to return.

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If you’re one of the ‘givers’ and you’d like to support Jeff’s ministry, click this link. American readers, remember your dollars go farther as this is set up in Canadian currency, so please be generous!

Be Really Busy and Know That He is God

In the last five years, I’ve noticed a spike in interest in giftware products containing Psalm 46:10, “Be still and know that I am God;” and at the same time many people commenting on the deeper context of the verse and how all these “trendy scriptures” (such as “For I know the plans…) are taken out of context.

Still, (pun intended) there is value in stillness. One of my favorites is Isaiah 30:15b

…“Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength…” (NLT)

So why the title of today’s post?

July 1st is Canada Day and in the U.S., July 4th is… well, it’s better known simply as “The 4th of July.” (Independence Day to be precise.)

Many times people feel very lonely and even severely depressed on holidays, especially when they (a) have no one to share the time with and (b) they don’t have the distractions of their job.

If you are single and you think marriage is the cure for this, think again. For many years, my wife and I would have said that we currently do not have any other couple that we, as the kids would say, hang with.

Also, being in a crowd doesn’t help. Many times it simply reinforces the detachment or loneliness that some experience. Holidays simply aggravate this current state of social affairs, and as I type this, we’re actually dealing with another byproduct of having no one we call on to help with a particular need.

The Psalmist understood this; Psalm 73: 25 says

Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you.

Some might argue that the key to this verse is “in heaven;” that Asaph is comparing the God of Israel to other gods. But I believe he is also contrasting “friends on earth” to having a “friend in heaven.”

A similar passage is in John 6:68, when Jesus has asked the disciples if they wish to leave

Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.

Cynics would say that Peter is simply saying he has no other options, almost implying that he might leave if something better came along.

But time will prove the prophetic nature of his statement. Jesus remains faithful to Peter even when Peter doesn’t remain faithful to Jesus. Peter messes up but Jesus restores him. Truly, this is a friend who stays closer than a brother.

One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. – Proverbs 18:2

Typically, people have seen a Christological element in this verse; that the friend described is the Son of God Incarnate, now seated at the right hand of God.

That’s the kind of companion you have in Christ, even on a holiday when waves of depression roll in.

So again the title of today’s post…

…I believe that times of loneliness and depression are best defeated by engagement in activity. That hand-in-hand with Christ we can avoid the over-intensive introspection that comes with idleness and the temptations that often accompany solitude.

Mental health issues are not to be taken lightly. Sometimes medical intervention is necessary in cases of depression. But the ‘holiday depression’ described here is something I believe we can remedy through a change of attitude and by getting out into the community — and away from our phone/computer screens — ironic as you read this, I realize — still knowing that He is God.

Yes, Christ can present himself in the stillness, but so can anxiety, fear, and the isolation of the stillness itself. Find ways to connect with people. Especially God’s people. Don’t let your affiliation with one particular congregation stop you from joining an activity being organized or presented by another.

Have a blessed Canada Day, 4th of July, or whatever holidays present themselves where you live.

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Just for my Canadian readers:

Whenever Canada Day happens, I am reminded that the current revision of the country’s national anthem, O Canada, has the chorus cast as a prayer. “God keep our land; glorious and free.”

There is a second verse that has been sung in churches I attended that is based on the song Lord of the Lands. It continues in the form of a prayer.

Almighty God,
by Thy mysterious power
In wisdom guide,
throughout this crucial hour
Be ours a nation evermore
that no oppression blights
Where justice rules from shore to shore
From lakes to Northern Lights

and then we usually return to the anthem’s chorus,

God keep our land
Glorious and free
O, Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
O, Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

This is a crucial hour; not just for Canada, but for the world. We can all pray for wisdom in this cultural and historical moment.

 

We Are His Church

^{NLT.Eph.2.19b}  …You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. ²⁰ Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. ²¹ We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. ²² Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit.

This is an encore presentation of an article which first appeared here several years ago as part of our Sunday Worship series.

 

a worship liturgy by Ruth Wilkinson

We are His church and we stand together.

We are one body, in one Spirit, called to one hope, under one Lord, with one faith and one baptism for one God, one Father of all.

Once we were without, now we are within.

Once divided, now unified.

Once hostile, now reconciled.

Once far away, now brought near.

Once foreigners and strangers, now fellow citizens and family.

We are diverse – many parts, with many gifts and many shapes and cultures – but built on one foundation into one building, a holy sanctuary, the Spirit’s dwelling place, standing with Christ himself as the cornerstone.

We are His church and we stand together.

*********

We are His church and we make a choice.

When He asks us, “Who do you say I am?” we choose to say, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God!”

When He says, “Take up your cross and follow me” we choose to say, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”

When He says, “Will you leave me, too?” we choose to say, “We know You, and we believe You. No one else has the words of life.”

We are His church and we make a choice.

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We are His church and we have an identity.

We are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His possession,
so that we may shout His praise. Once we were not a people. Now we are God’s people.

God’s people hold the keys to the kingdom of heaven,
binding and loosing things in heaven and on earth.

God’s people are not bound by categories.

Categories like Jew or Gentile
– because He calls us from every nation to be His own.

Categories like male or female
– because we are all equal inheritors of His Kingdom and equal builders of His Kingdom.

Categories like slave or free
– because we are all free, and all bearers of His Name.
All redeemed from under the law, adopted as sons and daughters,
with the responsibility to act, to speak, to love in His Name.

In the name of the One who gave us life and set us free.

We are His church and we have an identity.

***********

We are His church and we are not our own.

Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this physical surrender is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this age, to this culture, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.

We are His church and we are not our own.

***********

We are His church and we are forever.

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea no longer existed. I also saw the Holy City, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband.

Then I heard a loud voice from the throne:

Look! God’s dwelling is with humanity,
and He will live with them.
They will be His people,
and God Himself will be with them
and be their God.
He will wipe away every tear from their eyes.
Death will no longer exist;
grief, crying, and pain will exist no longer,
because the previous things have passed away.

Then the One seated on the throne said, “Look! I am making everything new.” “

We are His church and we are forever.

Praying in Community: The Family

The family that prays together stays together, and if they stay together they will love one another as God has loved each one of them. And works of love are always works of peace. – Mother Teresa

 

We found today’s devotional at the website Makanji Space and not knowing more about the writer, discerned that it would be a good fit here. Click the title below to read it where it first appeared, and then navigate from there to read other posts as we did.

Divine Threads: Unraveling the Power of Shared Family Prayer

In the words of Venerable Patrick Peyton, the celebrated phrase, “The Family that Prays Together Stays Together,” was given birth, illuminating the profound connection between family unity and collective prayer. Father Peyton, also known as The Rosary Priest, was a fervent advocate of family prayer, particularly the recitation of the rosary. His unwavering conviction was that prayer, especially when done together as a family, had the power to strengthen familial bonds, instill virtues, and bring divine grace into the home.

This spiritual reflection seeks to delve into this aphorism’s depths, exploring why and how shared prayer holds the potential to sustain and nourish family unity. Drawing on biblical texts and interpreting them in the context of family and prayer, the reflection offers insights into the transformative power of shared prayer. It articulates how shared prayer fosters peace, enhances communication, invites divine interventions, instills virtues, provides a shared sense of purpose, and strengthens familial bonds.

“A Family that Prays Together Stays Together” reveals profound insights about prayer and family life. It encapsulates the transformative power of prayer, which is not just an act of uttering sacred words, but an experience that fosters shared peace, enhanced communication, divine intervention and virtuous development as a sense of purpose.

Yet, another perspective deserves our attention: the community aspect of prayer. Acts 2:42 says, “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and prayer.” Here, prayer is not an isolated practice but integrated into the fabric of vibrant community life. It is in this community life that the family finds its highest expression. The family that prays together forms a small ecclesia, a small church, a spiritual community that lives in communion with God and each other.

The divine communion is beautifully demonstrated in 1 John 4:12: “No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.” The family that prays together invites God’s love into their hearts, enabling them to love each other more deeply. This divine love transcends human limitations and helps family members to accept and cherish each other in their uniqueness, promoting unity in diversity.

The family that prays together also embodies and perpetuates the faith tradition.

Deuteronomy 6:6-7 advises, “These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home, walk along the road, lie down, and get up.” Prayer becomes an occasion to pass faith values and wisdom to the younger generation, promoting continuity and tradition that strengthens family bonds.

In retrospect, the concept of a family that prays together, staying together transcends the mundane aspect of human interactions. It places the family in the sacred realm of divine love, grace, and wisdom. It acknowledges that family is not just a human institution but a divine blessing, an opportunity to experience and manifest God’s love.

Prayer can therefore be seen as a spiritual thread that weaves the family together, and it is the golden cord that connects the family and God. The family that prays together stays together- not just because they pray, but because they live, love and grow together under the divine umbrella of prayer. They become a spiritual community that embodies the psalmist’s words in Psalm 133:1 “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!”

And so, to answer the question as to why the family that prays together stays together, it is not simply the act of prayer that keeps the family together. It is what prayer signifies: a collective surrender to divine guidance, a shared journey into love and understanding, a mutual nurturing of virtues, and a united front facing life’s challenges. It is about communicating with each other and with God. It is about being together in the most intimate way possible, in the quiet moments of reverence, in the shared silence of the divine, and in the unity of purpose that prayer cultivates.

This reflection only scratches the surface of the depth of wisdom encapsulated in the phrase, “The Family that Prays Together Stays Together.” May each family discover the beauty and power of shared prayer, and through this practice, may they grow stronger, closer and more loving.

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Mission Statement: Christianity 201 is a melting-pot of devotional and Bible study content from across the widest range of Christian blogs and websites representing diverse denominational viewpoints. Sometimes two posts may follow on consecutive days by authors with very different doctrinal perspectives. The Kingdom of God is so much bigger than the small portion of it we see from our personal vantage point, and one of the purposes of C201 is to allow readers a ‘macro’ view of the many ministries and individual voices available for reading. Your suggestions of articles and websites to consider are always welcome.

Scripture portions from various translations quoted at Christianity 201 are always in green to remind us that the Scriptures have LIFE!

When Someone in Your Church Knowingly Disobeys God

It isn’t my responsibility to judge outsiders, but it certainly is your responsibility to judge those inside the church who are sinning. – Apostle Paul, 1 Corinthians 5:12 NLT

The topic of what’s called “Church Discipline” is a thorny issue for sure. I’ve seen examples of this being done in a very heavy-handed and even unnecessary manner, but have also seen congregational leadership unwilling to confront someone living in — and even flaunting — a sinful lifestyle.

This is our fourth time featuring the writing of Michael Wilson at Jesus Quotes and God Thoughts. If you click the title which follows, there’s also a related embedded video in the original post.

What are the Problems that Require Church Discipline?

This is a tough issue. My experience is that many churches ignore this and hence, have no process to deal with it. It is the “head in the sand” conundrum.

Is there a principle we can follow? Yes, Jesus and the Apostles laid it all out for us. Here is the principle:  We should deal with any professing believer who associates with this church and is knowingly and rebelliously disobeying the clear commandments of Scripture.

The person must be a professing believer. Paul had written a now lost letter in which he told the church not to associate with immoral people (1 Cor. 5:9). Now he clarifies that he did not mean unbelievers, but rather a “so-called brother” who is immoral or covetous or an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or a swindler (5:11). He states (5:12) that it is God’s business to judge those outside of the church, but it is the church’s responsibility to judge those within the church. Our first step should be to make sure that the sinning person understands the gospel. Sometimes the problem is that the person is not truly born again.

The person must associate with this church. Some Church constitutions and by-laws spell out that by joining this church, you are submitting to the process of church discipline. But, also, if someone attends this church regularly and especially if he is involved in any church ministry, we must practice church discipline. The testimony of this church is at stake, and the world does not check to see if the person is an official member.

The person must be knowingly and rebelliously disobedient. This calls for discernment. Paul writes (1 Thess. 5:14), “And we urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone.” We should not encourage the unruly but admonish him. We should not admonish the fainthearted or weak but encourage and help them. Sometimes, a newer believer is in sin due to ignorance of God’s Word. He is weak. But, if he continues defiantly in the sin after you show him what the Word says, he then becomes unruly. The sequence laid out by Jesus and the Apostles is that first one person goes, then 2 – 3 and finally it is taken to the whole church.

I find the analogy of child rearing helpful here. If my three-year-old was acting like a three-year-old, I tried to help him learn how to behave in a more mature manner. But I didn’t discipline him for being three. But when your three-year-old is defiant, you must deal with his rebellion. If a believer is overcome by a sin, but is repentant and wants help, you help him. But if he says, “I have a right to do as I please,” he is defiant and needs discipline.

The person must be disobeying the clear commands of Scripture. You don’t discipline someone for areas on which the Bible has no clear commandments. Drinking alcoholic beverages is not grounds for discipline; drunkenness is. Watching movies is not grounds for discipline; watching pornographic movies is. Scripture contains many lists of sins (1 Cor. 6:9-10; Gal. 5:19-21; Eph. 4:25-5:6; 1 Tim. 1:9-10; 2 Tim. 3:2-5; etc.). We may summarize these as:

1. Violations of God’s moral commandments (1 Cor. 5:10-11; 6:9-10; 2 Cor. 6:14-7:1; Gal. 5:19-21; Eph. 5:3-5).
2. Unresolved relational sins, such as gossip, slander, anger, and abusive speech (Matt. 18:15-20; Eph. 4:25-31; Gal. 5:19-21; Col. 3:8).
3. Divisiveness in the church (Rom. 16:17-18; Titus 3:10; 3 John 9-10).
4. False teaching on major doctrines (Gal. 1:8-9; 1 Tim. 1:20; 6:3-5; 2 John 9-11).
5. Disorderly conduct and refusal to work (2 Thess. 3:6-15; 1 Tim. 5:8).

We have good news. If the process is followed, starting with one person and then followed up with another visit by several, souls can be restored. This may not happen with someone who is defiant.

 

Go Because of the Hurt; Stay for the Healing

^{I Cor 12:25 (NIV)} so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. ²⁶ If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

²⁷ Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.

^{I Cor. 12:25-26 (The Message)} The way God designed our bodies is a model for understanding our lives together as a church: every part dependent on every other part, the parts we mention and the parts we don’t, the parts we see and the parts we don’t. If one part hurts, every other part is involved in the hurt, and in the healing. If one part flourishes, every other part enters into the exuberance.

^{Romans 12::5 (Phillips)} Share the happiness of those who are happy, the sorrow of those who are sad.

^{Romans 12:15 (NLT)} Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep.

I originally wrote this when several different people we knew were facing the anniversary of a loss. I copied The Message version of I Cor. 12:25-6 into an email and sent it to one such family. I respect Eugene Peterson’s credentials to do a translation like The Message, but I don’t know enough about his translation process to know how we came to “…involved in the hurt and the healing.” It’s certainly unique to his translation; but I like that it implies a sense of follow through; that we stick around not only for the hurt but for the better days that are to happen.

Think of this way: Presence yourself with someone because they are hurting, and still be there when the time of rejoicing comes.

This whole sense of bearing one another’s burdens is so contrary to western “me-first” individualism. We sort of get the idea of extending love and care to someone else, but we often miss the part of the concept where you and I are one. We sort of get the idea of the people in our church being family, but we miss out on the idea that as the body of Christ we are an organic unity.

It totally flies in the face of the Western mindset of individualism.

Even in marriages — the epitome in scripture of becoming one — it’s now common for husbands and wives to have separate bank accounts. I’m not talking about a situation where one spouse has a household account out of which to pay expenses as they crop up; I’m referring to situations where each keeps a portfolio of savings and investment accounts. Perhaps in an easy-divorce culture, it makes the separation of assets more simplified.

So the notion of weeping with those who weep and rejoicing with those who rejoice tends to miss the recurring word “with.” We often weep for, and rejoice for, instead of weeping with and rejoicing with; and by this I am referring to the full sharing of their situation, not something simply done in physical proximity.

In our business, we adopted a financial policy that is somewhat biased toward the people of like faith that we deal with. We pay all our bills on time anyway, but we like to use the following principle, and expect the people who deal with us — many of them who are churches — to carry a similar goal:

^{Gal 6:10 (ESV)} So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.

The problem is, consider the following scenario: A and B are both Christ-followers and are involved in a financial transaction where A is performing a service for B that is part of his trade. A wants to give B a price break because she is a fellow believer, but B wants to pay more than A is invoicing her for because she wants to honor the Galatians 6:10 principle.

I’ve been involved in such transactions where each person thinks it’s them that is doing the other person a favor, and it’s not unlike the classic scene where two very polite people are standing on one side of a door trying to let the other person go through the door first!

The way we work out these things is going to be complex, and sometimes an exactly similar situation will be interpreted in different ways by the different parties, leading to different outcomes. Still, I believe that God is pleased when we are endeavoring to honor Him by preferring others in all that we do.

This also has embodies the idea of humility, which is a recurring theme in my writing. You adopt a mindset of habitually esteeming the other person.

Furthermore, I believe that what honors Him the most is when we truly view ourselves as part of a single collective body.

Paul used the analogy of parts of the body, but if he had jigsaw puzzles in his day, he might have said, “The bottom right corner piece of the puzzle cannot say to the middle piece, ‘I don’t need you.'”

The way we show there’s no preference is to prefer the other.

^{CSB.Rom.12.10} Love one another deeply as brothers and sisters. Take the lead in honoring one another.

Paul Desired That We Speak With One Voice

The source for today’s devotional was new to us, though I’m not sure how we missed it earlier. Unashamed of Jesus has been active since October, 2014, and has over 106,500 subscribers. (We couldn’t find an ‘About’ page, or names of the writers.) There were some excellent articles we scanned, and we encourage you to click on the title which follows to read this one where it first appeared.

Note: Today’s devotional used the KJV, and knowing that some of you struggle with that, the link for the two passages will take you to the NLT for the same verses.

1 Corinthians 1- Unite in Christ

Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you. Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. 1 Corinthians 1:10-12

Since the beginning of time, there has been problems in the Church. Anytime you get a group of people together, there is always going to be conflicts and issues. That’s why Paul here urges the Church to “that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind” How did it work out? Well currently we have over 40,000 different denominations, including Catholicism and Orthodox.

So we know that there are a lot of things that divide us, such as for example a Catholic and a Protestant, have a lot of theological differences that keeps them from worshiping together. However let’s focus on what we do have in common, what do we all have in common with other Christians? Jesus Christ our Lord , Christ died for our sins, and Christ rose again on the 3rd day as according to the scriptures, and Christ will come again!

Many Christians like to keep arguing about tradition and theology, instead of sharing the gospel with non-believers. Back in the first century , there were believers saying they were followers of Paul, others said they were followers of Peter, and others followers of Apollos. Is this any different today? We have Christians today who are followers of the Pope, or followers of Luther, or followers of Wesley, but what about Jesus Christ?

Jesus Christ is the head of the Church, Christ is our Lord and God, not any mortal human or faith tradition. Christ should be the foundation of our faith, and also the foundation that unites us together as brothers and sisters of God

Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius; Lest any should say that I had baptized in mine own name. And I baptized also the household of Stephanas: besides, I know not whether I baptized any other. For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. 1 Corinthians 1:13-17

As the Apostle Paul states here “Is Christ divided?” No, there is only One Lord, One God, One Church, One Holy Spirit, One Faith, etc. There is not multiple Churches as we like to think here , when the Kingdom comes into full completion, there is only One bride of Christ, not multiple brides. If you hate your Catholic, Lutheran, Baptist, brothers and sisters, then you need to repent and get over it, Christ is Lord of All, Amen!

Peter Wrote to an Ongoing, Continuing, Future Church

Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it. – Matthew 16:18 NLT

Did the epistle-writers (Paul, Peter, John, James, Jude) know that their words were not just for the immediate recipients of their letters but also “… your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call;” including you and me? In today’s devotional we get a sense of that. His generation would pass, but God was building his church; his gathered ones; and Peter had been told personally that nothing would thwart that…

Last year at this time we introduced you to Pastor Will who lives on the U.S. west coast. If you have time, check out his testimony. His blog is titled, Today’s Scripture. We plucked today’s devotional from the middle of a series on 2 Peter, all of which makes great commentary on the passage.

When We Listen

Read with Me

2 Peter 3:1-2 (HCSB)
Dear friends, this is now the second letter I have written to you; in both letters, I want to develop a genuine understanding with a reminder, so that you can remember the words previously spoken by the holy prophets and the command of our Lord and Savior given through your apostles.

Listen with Me

Peter knew two things very well. First, he knew that he was not going to live forever. This knowledge was underscored as he wrote this letter by the fact that he was now sitting on death row in a Roman prison. He knew that he would never deny Jesus to save his own life again, so he knew that he would make his transition the next world sooner rather than later.

But he also knew that the Church, the community of those belonging to God through faith in Jesus, would continue after he was gone. And he knew that, for that reason, he had a responsibility to ensure that the Christians of the future would be reminded of who they are and what they were charged with doing, even after he and the other apostles had passed on. That is the reason for his writing both of his letters, and it provides the context in which both are to be read.

Whereas neither Peter, nor Paul, nor any of the other writers of the New Testament epistles, ever sat down to write “Scriptures”, Peter also understood that what he was writing to pass down to future generations of Christians was not merely his own thoughts or opinions.

Instead, he knew that he was passing on the commands of Jesus that were being given to his people through the apostles. His words were not his own. He was just doing his best to pass on the words of the holy prophets of old, pure and untarnished, but made clear by the life and ministry of Jesus. And he was also working to make sure that he was passing on the words that Jesus Himself spoke, both while in the flesh and through the presence of the Holy Spirit, also pure and untarnished. And it was these words, not his own thoughts or opinions, that he knew would serve to stimulate his readers to genuine understanding, and would protect them from both false teachings, and compromises and corruptions of the truth.

Pray with Me

Father, reading these letters with Peter’s stated intentions in mind really does provide a content that makes them make a lot of sense. Peter was not only living focused on the present, but with an eye to the future; a future that includes me today. He was well aware that false doctrines were already arising, and that they would only multiply as time went on. So, he did his best to convey what Jesus revealed to him would help us to stay in the center of what is true and right, instead of allowing ourselves to be whipped about by the winds of changing worldviews and morphing doctrines. Thank you for Peter and his faithfulness. Amen.

 

Quarreling, Divisions and those Weak in Faith

Sit back, as this devotional goes in several directions at once!

First, as we should, let’s begin with text. Romans 14:1 should be familiar to most of you:

Accept other believers who are weak in faith, and don’t argue with them about what they think is right or wrong. (NLT)

Give a warm welcome to any brother who wants to join you, even though his faith is weak. Don’t criticize him for having different ideas from yours about what is right and wrong. (TLB) (That’s how I first learned it.)

Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not to have quarrels over opinions. (NASB)

Now receive the one who is weak in the faith, and do not have disputes over differing opinions. (NET)

I think you get the idea.

I was drawn to this verse on Wednesday when someone who is considerably younger than myself quoted it to me from the KJV. I’m always surprised when a new generation embraces this translation, as I expected it to die out in the 21st Century, but it’s not on a trajectory to do that anytime soon. It reads,

Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations.

That phrase, “doubtful disputations,” a form of the word dispute, got my attention, and got me meditating — as we spoke about a few days ago — on this passage again.

First (and I grant that this is somewhat anecdotal) I’ve noticed that many new believers immediately form opinions based on their reading of scripture; opinions which they believe should be prescriptive for everyone.

Let me give an example of how this strikes me: My oldest son is an Electrical Engineer. I know relatively nothing about the profession. If I were to read a few newspaper or online articles and then offer strong opinions on some matter related to the field, he might take the time to correct me, or he might just smile and walk away, completely bewildered as to how I have someone become an expert on something for which I am entirely unqualified to offer an opinion. Furthermore, at some point I would expect to be self-aware enough to realize that I simply didn’t know what I was talking about.

This is however, something we often see in the local church. People come arrive at our fellowships with some pre-loaded opinions on various matters, and become quite infuriated when we who have walked with Jesus for considerably more years do not hold the same convictions.

We, being human, often respond with equal passion!

The NLT citation of the verse says to simply not engage the debate. (For those of you who know your book of Proverbs, about a dozen cross-references might come to mind!)

But the NASB rendering of the verse suggests there might be some who would invite someone into their fellowship for the very purpose of debating them. Instead, we should simply accept them.

Decades ago, the worship team Scripture In Song wrote “The Song of Acceptance” in which they took Romans 15: 6-7, but reversed the order of the verses, leading to this phrasing:

(v.7) Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God, (v.6) so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. (NIV)

Second, I think the backwards nature of the situation bears exploring. One would expect those who have studied the scripture for decades to be the ones with established positions on issues. But it doesn’t work that way. While they clearly “know who they have believed” it because of the relational dynamic implicit in knowing Christ that they avoid inter-personal conflicts. In other words, they’ve got all the right information about theology and doctrine, but they’ve also absorbed the right character of Christ so that they are less argumentative. They have the doctrine that comes with years of study, but they also have the spirit of humility.

In at least one case where I’ve run into relatively new believers whose ideas are inflexible, or intransigent, what I want to say to them is, ‘You lack a humble apologetic.’

A few days ago I read a news account which contained this quote: “He is my political opponent, but he is not my enemy.” Too many times our real enemy would have us see the other person as a threat to the work of the global Church, when they are instead simply a highly opinionated new believer sharing their issues with those within earshot.

Third, such debates can consume much time, mental energy, and even physical energy (through stress) that could instead be put into building the kingdom.

I’ll leave us with Eugene Peterson’s rendering of today’s key verses in The Message Bible:

Welcome with open arms fellow believers who don’t see things the way you do. And don’t jump all over them every time they do or say something you don’t agree with—even when it seems that they are strong on opinions but weak in the faith department. Remember, they have their own history to deal with. Treat them gently.