1 Timothy 2: 1-2, “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life.”
The concept of praying for the governing bodies that rule over one, or even others is one that is a truth and of importance among the believers. This is not to say that we place our salvation in government or in the laws passed by government but rather that we pray that God would be working in the lives of them to direct them in ways that will allow Christians to perform their reasonable service to God free from persecutions at times. This is also not to say that one will never face persecutions and therefore we should cease to pray when they come. Rather Paul tells Timothy and actually urges him that the practice is good and profitable, and pleasing in the sight of God (v. 3).
Personally I think it is often times difficult to know how to guide ones prayer for a government one might agree with yet often makes decisions against our conscience or even to pray for a government one does not agree with altogether. The same can be said about our governing authorities at our jobs, our various forms of recreation, or even in the homes that we live in.
In Psalms 72 we see the psalmist writing a psalm or even a prayer to God for the king of the land. We see a starting point by which we can begin to see HOW to pray for our governing bodies, our authorities, our leaders, and our “heads” of various organizations. In this psalm we see the prayer being that they would have the justice and their progeny would practice righteousness. The prayer is for a righteous government continually, that would be God-honoring and of good benefit. There is a prayer for the authority judging righteously, an aspect that asks for prosperity for the people, and righteousness to exist among the people. A prayer that the authority would protect the poor, give deliverance, that they would fear God, that peace would abound. These are things that we can pray for earnestly and seek God to instill and bring about… “that we may lead a peaceable and quiet life.” It is not wrong to pray for this and to pray for the righteousness of our authorities…but it is not in keeping with the urging of Paul and the Scriptures to not pray for them at all. Even Psalm 72:15 it states, “…May prayer be made for him continually, and blessing invoked for him all the day!”
The Psalm in a more serious sense gives a good picture to Christians of what the Reign of Christ will look like. He will encompass all of this, will bless the righteous, will prosper the saints, and will bless those who serve and worship the Lamb of God. It is a beautiful picture of what we can hope and pray for in the rule and leadership of Christ over His church and over His creation and in that sense should encourage prayer in 2 ways. The first is praying that the leaders would in essence lead and govern in a way that resembles Christ’s true leadership. The other is to pray that Christ would enact HIS leadership and to look forward to the coming kingdom of Christ!
As we continue or even start to pray for government it will begin to focus our attention to the work of God in various other areas of our lives and world that we might not otherwise notice. It will encourage us to trust God and His sovereign appointment of all who are in authority (Romans 13) and will continue to allow us to say as Psalm 75:18-19 state, “Blessed be the Lord, The God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things. Blessed be His glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory!...”
Let’s begin to practice the encouragement of Paul to Timothy, begin to pray for our leaders, our governing authorities, both in the church and in the various other areas of our daily living. Seek to serve God even in our prayer life that we might continue to say…Blessed be the Lord, who alone does wondrous things. Continue to submit and align our thoughts to His thoughts, and look forward to the coming kingdom of the Lamb of God!
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Monday, May 10, 2010
Sweet Psalmist of Isreal...
David was a warrior, a king, and a godly leader but one of the titles he was given is the "sweet psalmist of Israel". I always loved that title but it really made me think about this: God used more than just David's spiritual talents, He used everything David had.
When I look at David's life it wasn't like the man wasn't busy. He had quite a few wives to manage, many children, politics and controlling a nations armies but somehow he was always writing his psalms. It was almost as if writing the psalms opened David's mind and relieved some of the daily pressures wearing the crown gave him.
When I look at the church it is clear that God has given us spiritual gifts, He's given us teachers, pastors, evangelists and leaders, but didn't He also give us artists, decorators, builders, and cleaners? Sometimes we hide some of our gifts, thinking that maybe they aren't spiritual or maybe the church isn't the place for them, but I would challenge you not to do that.
When Peter visited the city of Lydda a woman named Dorcas had died. She was clearly influential in people's lives but look at the picture given of her: "All the widows stood around him, crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them." She had made it her spiritual work not to teach, or to evangelize but to make clothes!
Maybe we can learn a little lesson from Dorcas and use some of our "other" talents for the good of the church. Do you have a talent or skill that's not being used? Go to the leaders of the church and let them know what it is. Use your talents to aid people, let your gifts glorify God.
Maybe you're a little like David, known for a strong spiritual gift, but don't forget that the other talents you use may be the ones that find a way to touch peoples hearts the most. After all the one thing we have left from David is not his armies, but his psalms.
When I look at David's life it wasn't like the man wasn't busy. He had quite a few wives to manage, many children, politics and controlling a nations armies but somehow he was always writing his psalms. It was almost as if writing the psalms opened David's mind and relieved some of the daily pressures wearing the crown gave him.
When I look at the church it is clear that God has given us spiritual gifts, He's given us teachers, pastors, evangelists and leaders, but didn't He also give us artists, decorators, builders, and cleaners? Sometimes we hide some of our gifts, thinking that maybe they aren't spiritual or maybe the church isn't the place for them, but I would challenge you not to do that.
When Peter visited the city of Lydda a woman named Dorcas had died. She was clearly influential in people's lives but look at the picture given of her: "All the widows stood around him, crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them." She had made it her spiritual work not to teach, or to evangelize but to make clothes!
Maybe we can learn a little lesson from Dorcas and use some of our "other" talents for the good of the church. Do you have a talent or skill that's not being used? Go to the leaders of the church and let them know what it is. Use your talents to aid people, let your gifts glorify God.
Maybe you're a little like David, known for a strong spiritual gift, but don't forget that the other talents you use may be the ones that find a way to touch peoples hearts the most. After all the one thing we have left from David is not his armies, but his psalms.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Christian Empiricism
John 20:25 “But he [Thomas] said to them, ‘Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.'”
Empiricism is the philosophy (way of thinking) that we can only know by what we have experienced or can feel. Although there may be some truth to this in certain areas, the biblical method and view point is contradictory to empiricism. In our culture empiricism combined with relativism (truth is dependent on the individual) is becoming one of the leading philosophies and it is working its way into the church gradually more and more. As our society moves away from Biblical truth and revelation and towards other philosophies we will be losing our source of belief in “things unseen” to a degree. Biblical revelation does not continually need to be “proven” in the sense of a scientific fact, it does not need to be validated by the feeling of an individual, it simply IS truth because it comes from the God of ALL truth!
The Christian church needs to continually reevaluate what is necessary for salvation and where the foundation of our faith IS. Is it in the feeling we receive when we hear a positive message, do we lose our way when we hear a negative message simply because it does not make us feel joyful. Is the depth of our walk with God one that is swayed by the tides of our emotion or do we seek stability, sufficiency, and strength in Christ our cornerstone and firm foundation. The Christians life although influenced by feeling and experience is NOT determined by things such as this. Truth does not always need a definite experience for it to be true; it does not need to be validated by feelings of pleasure or pain in order for it to be valid. If it were, miracles would be out of the question, the working of God unexpectedly would be unexplainable and then written off, due to the inability to actually scientifically/experimentally prove it as happening. If truth and knowledge MUST be attributed to feeling and experience then some truths we would never know without partaking in them ourselves. Science would prevail over Biblical truth, for “science” is the only thing that is actually proven, right?
Thomas is a key example of an individual who relayed purely on empirical data to believe in Christ. He said he would not believe until he could see, touch, and feel that Christ had risen from the dead…this was NOT what was encompassed in believing the testimony of those who have seen him, even though positive testimony does add more confidence to our strength and trust in the mighty works of God! The beautiful thing about Christ is that He does allow Thomas this sign that he seeks in order to believe, yet proclaims, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” There is something good to believing in the truth without ALWAYS have to feel something, see it, or be able to explain it. That good is attributed to a deep confidence and assurance in the work of God and the Character of God regardless of our instantaneous feelings or desires. He is good whether we feel it or not. We see the work of God in the hearts of men all the time without being able to explain how that work occurred or the length and breadth of the work that God had been doing all along. We see the effects of the wind without seeing the Wind, and so also we see the effects of the Spirit of God at work in the hearts of men without always seeing HIM specifically. We do exercise faith without always having to feel something in the midst of it.
As we continue to draw near to Christ and God who is our source of Truth we must continue to shirk the notion that the way that I feel is the determining factor to the depth of my relationship. If we have been saved by the powerful grace and work of God, then we can proclaim Blessed be God in the midst of our feeling happy or sad, tired or energized, whether we are seeing the nails in His hands or believing the testimony of the work and word of God itself…we do not have to conform to society that teaches if you don’t feel it, see it, empirically test it, it cannot be true. Let God be true and every man a liar!
Empiricism is the philosophy (way of thinking) that we can only know by what we have experienced or can feel. Although there may be some truth to this in certain areas, the biblical method and view point is contradictory to empiricism. In our culture empiricism combined with relativism (truth is dependent on the individual) is becoming one of the leading philosophies and it is working its way into the church gradually more and more. As our society moves away from Biblical truth and revelation and towards other philosophies we will be losing our source of belief in “things unseen” to a degree. Biblical revelation does not continually need to be “proven” in the sense of a scientific fact, it does not need to be validated by the feeling of an individual, it simply IS truth because it comes from the God of ALL truth!
The Christian church needs to continually reevaluate what is necessary for salvation and where the foundation of our faith IS. Is it in the feeling we receive when we hear a positive message, do we lose our way when we hear a negative message simply because it does not make us feel joyful. Is the depth of our walk with God one that is swayed by the tides of our emotion or do we seek stability, sufficiency, and strength in Christ our cornerstone and firm foundation. The Christians life although influenced by feeling and experience is NOT determined by things such as this. Truth does not always need a definite experience for it to be true; it does not need to be validated by feelings of pleasure or pain in order for it to be valid. If it were, miracles would be out of the question, the working of God unexpectedly would be unexplainable and then written off, due to the inability to actually scientifically/experimentally prove it as happening. If truth and knowledge MUST be attributed to feeling and experience then some truths we would never know without partaking in them ourselves. Science would prevail over Biblical truth, for “science” is the only thing that is actually proven, right?
Thomas is a key example of an individual who relayed purely on empirical data to believe in Christ. He said he would not believe until he could see, touch, and feel that Christ had risen from the dead…this was NOT what was encompassed in believing the testimony of those who have seen him, even though positive testimony does add more confidence to our strength and trust in the mighty works of God! The beautiful thing about Christ is that He does allow Thomas this sign that he seeks in order to believe, yet proclaims, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” There is something good to believing in the truth without ALWAYS have to feel something, see it, or be able to explain it. That good is attributed to a deep confidence and assurance in the work of God and the Character of God regardless of our instantaneous feelings or desires. He is good whether we feel it or not. We see the work of God in the hearts of men all the time without being able to explain how that work occurred or the length and breadth of the work that God had been doing all along. We see the effects of the wind without seeing the Wind, and so also we see the effects of the Spirit of God at work in the hearts of men without always seeing HIM specifically. We do exercise faith without always having to feel something in the midst of it.
As we continue to draw near to Christ and God who is our source of Truth we must continue to shirk the notion that the way that I feel is the determining factor to the depth of my relationship. If we have been saved by the powerful grace and work of God, then we can proclaim Blessed be God in the midst of our feeling happy or sad, tired or energized, whether we are seeing the nails in His hands or believing the testimony of the work and word of God itself…we do not have to conform to society that teaches if you don’t feel it, see it, empirically test it, it cannot be true. Let God be true and every man a liar!
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
The Steadfast Love of God
The Steadfast Love of God
Psalm 48:9 “We have thought on your steadfast love, O God, in the midst of your temple.”
The concept of meditating on the steadfast love of God is a practice that Christians can rely on and can continue to do in the midst of struggles, in the times of joy, and in the times of wondering what God might be doing with you at the point that you are in. Although it is often viewed in an ambiguous and frail it is quite contrary to this thinking. The steadfast love of God is one that is of great depth and meaning especially in the life of the believer. It is chiefly manifested in Christ, in the sending of Christ to the earth, in the demonstrating of God’s love for us while we were yet sinners sending Christ to die on the cross for us. The focal point of Gods love rests on His Son Jesus Christ.
To meditate on the steadfast love of God is one that keeps Christ in the picture continually. It encompasses the salvation we have received by God, it is something that we are able “put before our eyes” (Psalm 26:3). We are able to walk in it, to practice it, to show it to others who are believers and unbelievers; however, it is not possible to show what one has not encountered themselves. The love of God is only shown in those who understand and have experienced God’s love through salvation and therefore the people who are able to call God Blessed!
Meditation on the love of God takes into account the sacrifice given by God in sending His son. The love of God in providing Salvation, as well as the condemnation of God on those who do not and will not receive the testimony of His Son! These people are referred to as individuals who have loved darkness rather than light, who desire evil rather than good, who love evil and hate God. These are the type of people that cannot and will not focus on or take part in the steadfast love of God!
With the ability to focus on, think about, remind ourselves of the love of God we can begin to actually practice thinking about the Love and character of God as a whole. We can meditate on His greatness, on the fact that He is Sovereign, on the concept of Him being the Lord of Peace, the Father to the Fatherless, the protector of widows, the deliverer of the downtrodden and the helpless. He is the one whom we can say “Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears us up; God is our salvation. Our God is a God of salvation and to God, the Lord, belong deliverances from death.” He is the God who has delivered us from death, who has given us salvation…who has redeemed us. The following is an excerpt from the hymn Redeemed; it pictures the praise and glorification that goes to God for our salvation, the Lamb who purchased us with His blood. Think on the steadfast love of God today.
Redeemed--how I love to proclaim it!
Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb;
Redeemed through His infinite mercy,
His child, and forever, I am.
Redeemed, redeemed,
Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb;
Redeemed, redeemed,
His child, and forever, I am.
Redeemed and so happy in Jesus,
No language my rapture can tell;
I know that the light of His presence
With me doth continually dwell.
I think of my blessed Redeemer,
I think of Him all the day long;
I sing, for I cannot be silent;
His love is the theme of my song.
I know I shall see in His beauty
The King in whose way I delight;
Who lovingly guardeth my footsteps,
And giveth me songs in the night.
Psalm 48:9 “We have thought on your steadfast love, O God, in the midst of your temple.”
The concept of meditating on the steadfast love of God is a practice that Christians can rely on and can continue to do in the midst of struggles, in the times of joy, and in the times of wondering what God might be doing with you at the point that you are in. Although it is often viewed in an ambiguous and frail it is quite contrary to this thinking. The steadfast love of God is one that is of great depth and meaning especially in the life of the believer. It is chiefly manifested in Christ, in the sending of Christ to the earth, in the demonstrating of God’s love for us while we were yet sinners sending Christ to die on the cross for us. The focal point of Gods love rests on His Son Jesus Christ.
To meditate on the steadfast love of God is one that keeps Christ in the picture continually. It encompasses the salvation we have received by God, it is something that we are able “put before our eyes” (Psalm 26:3). We are able to walk in it, to practice it, to show it to others who are believers and unbelievers; however, it is not possible to show what one has not encountered themselves. The love of God is only shown in those who understand and have experienced God’s love through salvation and therefore the people who are able to call God Blessed!
Meditation on the love of God takes into account the sacrifice given by God in sending His son. The love of God in providing Salvation, as well as the condemnation of God on those who do not and will not receive the testimony of His Son! These people are referred to as individuals who have loved darkness rather than light, who desire evil rather than good, who love evil and hate God. These are the type of people that cannot and will not focus on or take part in the steadfast love of God!
With the ability to focus on, think about, remind ourselves of the love of God we can begin to actually practice thinking about the Love and character of God as a whole. We can meditate on His greatness, on the fact that He is Sovereign, on the concept of Him being the Lord of Peace, the Father to the Fatherless, the protector of widows, the deliverer of the downtrodden and the helpless. He is the one whom we can say “Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears us up; God is our salvation. Our God is a God of salvation and to God, the Lord, belong deliverances from death.” He is the God who has delivered us from death, who has given us salvation…who has redeemed us. The following is an excerpt from the hymn Redeemed; it pictures the praise and glorification that goes to God for our salvation, the Lamb who purchased us with His blood. Think on the steadfast love of God today.
Redeemed--how I love to proclaim it!
Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb;
Redeemed through His infinite mercy,
His child, and forever, I am.
Redeemed, redeemed,
Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb;
Redeemed, redeemed,
His child, and forever, I am.
Redeemed and so happy in Jesus,
No language my rapture can tell;
I know that the light of His presence
With me doth continually dwell.
I think of my blessed Redeemer,
I think of Him all the day long;
I sing, for I cannot be silent;
His love is the theme of my song.
I know I shall see in His beauty
The King in whose way I delight;
Who lovingly guardeth my footsteps,
And giveth me songs in the night.
The Work and Blessing of God
How can I grow? How can I help the church grow? How can I help the body of Christ mature? Most Christians understand that growth is one of the great callings of our faith. From the beginning of time Adam was told to "be fruitful and multiply" and in the New Testament Jesus instructed his disciples to "go and make disciples of all nations". We know that we should grow but we wonder how we should do this and what we should really expect. Should we expect thousands to come to Christ like what happened after Peter preached in the beginning of Acts? Should we expect signs and miracles?
I'm not sure we can answer all of those questions in one day, but I do think that the Bible gives us beautiful battle plan to achieve all that God wants to accomplish through us.
First we have to really believe that God wants to accomplish something through through the church and our desire has to be just that. Whatever we do has to be done through individuals dedicated to the work and institution of the local church. If my work is not founded in what Christ founded, if I don't put my trust and faith not only in Christ but in his work and join the body of his belivers I cannot expect my work to grow. And I'm not just talking about membership, I'm talking about our hopes, dreams and prayers.
Nothing good can come from a people without a vision but for the Christian that vision has to come through the church. I think that means we have to really expand our mind to what a church should truly be. It should open the doors for all sorts of gifts and talents to be used in the church.
The Second thing we need is a real and earnest prayer. I wrote about this a few days ago, but I don't think we Christians can really stress it enough: I need to start praying big and earnest prayers that God would bless our church in a dynamic and measurable way. I need to put my faith into action and boldly approach the Lord for requests and truly believe He has the power to deliver. Of course He can say no, but when I pray my focus shouldn't be on His ability to say no, my focus should be like Paul's so that I can ask that God "fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith."
And lastly I believe we have to have faith in the work and blessing of God. We have to truly believe that God WILL reward every good work. We have to truly believe what Jesus said "Do you not say, 'Four months more and then the harvest'? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. Even now the reaper draws his wages, even now he harvests the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. Thus the saying 'One sows and another reaps' is true. I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor."
Let's trust in our gracious and powerful Heavenly Father, who grants us spiritual and physical blessings; a God who will let us reap what we did not sow, and will bless our earnest work with His power. Let's trust that He will fuffill our desires for good work. Let's accomplish great things through His church.
I'm not sure we can answer all of those questions in one day, but I do think that the Bible gives us beautiful battle plan to achieve all that God wants to accomplish through us.
First we have to really believe that God wants to accomplish something through through the church and our desire has to be just that. Whatever we do has to be done through individuals dedicated to the work and institution of the local church. If my work is not founded in what Christ founded, if I don't put my trust and faith not only in Christ but in his work and join the body of his belivers I cannot expect my work to grow. And I'm not just talking about membership, I'm talking about our hopes, dreams and prayers.
Nothing good can come from a people without a vision but for the Christian that vision has to come through the church. I think that means we have to really expand our mind to what a church should truly be. It should open the doors for all sorts of gifts and talents to be used in the church.
The Second thing we need is a real and earnest prayer. I wrote about this a few days ago, but I don't think we Christians can really stress it enough: I need to start praying big and earnest prayers that God would bless our church in a dynamic and measurable way. I need to put my faith into action and boldly approach the Lord for requests and truly believe He has the power to deliver. Of course He can say no, but when I pray my focus shouldn't be on His ability to say no, my focus should be like Paul's so that I can ask that God "fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith."
And lastly I believe we have to have faith in the work and blessing of God. We have to truly believe that God WILL reward every good work. We have to truly believe what Jesus said "Do you not say, 'Four months more and then the harvest'? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. Even now the reaper draws his wages, even now he harvests the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. Thus the saying 'One sows and another reaps' is true. I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor."
Let's trust in our gracious and powerful Heavenly Father, who grants us spiritual and physical blessings; a God who will let us reap what we did not sow, and will bless our earnest work with His power. Let's trust that He will fuffill our desires for good work. Let's accomplish great things through His church.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Commitment
Matthew 28:19-20: “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, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always to the end of the age.”
This verse has MANY different applications and lessons to be drawn from it. However, the concept of “teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” is probably one of the broadest aspects of the whole command and therefore has the most possible applications.
The concept of commitment is one that applies to many different facets of the Christian life, from our individual commitment to Christ, to the church as a whole and its commitment to Christ. The commitment between the individual person and Christ is one that is seen as a pivotal one in the concept of an individual and their “walk” with God. It is one that is seen throughout the entirety of Scripture, the idea that man is meant to commune with God, to walk with him, just as Adam did in the garden…however, the concept of communing and walking has no impact if we do not view the relationship as one that deserves commitment. Christ put it best in his description of those who follow him…they must “deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me [Jesus].” The commitment between an individual and their savior is an all or nothing commitment. It is a desire to serve and follow Him, to seek His face and His desires, to do all that he commands us to do. To discuss further commitment would be futile if it is not first based on a right relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore we see the continual exhortation to “follow me.” Are we truly following the Lord? Are we seeking repentance daily to better serve Him? Do we desire to be vessels which He can use for His purposes to the effective ministry and proclamation of His name? Or do we cherish sin so that we are ineffective, and unfruitful?
Commitment within the scriptures, however, does not stop at the concept of the individual and Christ. It involves more than that, but is vanity without it. The commitment of an individual to a local body of believers is encompassed in the notion of “teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” This is clearly seen in the book of Acts when the church is being added to on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2). The Scriptures say in verse 42, following their conversion and baptism, they “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and prayers…and day by day attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes…” We see a tie between the individuals relationship with Christ and the individuals relationship with others who are ALSO Christ’s. There is a devotion to the teachings of the apostles which were in line with the teachings of Christ. The believers sought a unity between themselves and the church of God and sought to continue in that unity. Hebrews 10:25 states, “ 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.” We see the Scriptural exhortation, the desire of the Apostles, and the desire of Christ is a unity, a fellowship, a commitment to a local body of believers. In this there is the opportunity for great accountability, encouragement, fellowship, help, prayer, and service. Are we seeking a deep commitment between ourselves and the church? How does this look to commit oneself to a body of believers? How can we encourage, exhort, hold accountable, pray for, and help our brothers and sisters in Christ in the local body?
The final way that commitment is seen in the Scriptures is between the church and Christ. It is one of the more vivid examples and explanations of commitment. It is seen as a marriage relationship, the union of two individuals for life. This is the way that the Church is viewed in Ephesians 5 and it gives us deep insight into various other passages that refer to Christ as Head of the church, to Christ as ruling over His church. The idea of obedience and submission to Christ is mirrored in the obedience and submission of a wife to her husband. The love that Christ showed the church is seen in the love that a husband is to give his wife. The leadership shown by Christ is to be mirrored or seen in the leadership of His church and in individual families. Marriage from the beginning of time was meant to be life long, and lasting, and the same view is seen in the relationship of the Church to Christ. Is the church as a whole seeking obedience to our Lord and Master Jesus Christ? Is the church seeking His guidance and direction for our tasks? Do we desire to see Him glorified in the local body of believers looking to Him as our head?
Continue to seek the deeper relationship and commitment that God desires for you, through your individual commitment to Him. In your commitment to a local body are you seeking to use the gifts of God to the benefit, edification, and encouragement of the other believers? Is the church that you attend seeking the praise and glorification of God and Christ over their own glorification is the church seeking the way, the truth, and the life? Ask yourself, am I willing to “take up my cross and follow.”
This verse has MANY different applications and lessons to be drawn from it. However, the concept of “teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” is probably one of the broadest aspects of the whole command and therefore has the most possible applications.
The concept of commitment is one that applies to many different facets of the Christian life, from our individual commitment to Christ, to the church as a whole and its commitment to Christ. The commitment between the individual person and Christ is one that is seen as a pivotal one in the concept of an individual and their “walk” with God. It is one that is seen throughout the entirety of Scripture, the idea that man is meant to commune with God, to walk with him, just as Adam did in the garden…however, the concept of communing and walking has no impact if we do not view the relationship as one that deserves commitment. Christ put it best in his description of those who follow him…they must “deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me [Jesus].” The commitment between an individual and their savior is an all or nothing commitment. It is a desire to serve and follow Him, to seek His face and His desires, to do all that he commands us to do. To discuss further commitment would be futile if it is not first based on a right relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore we see the continual exhortation to “follow me.” Are we truly following the Lord? Are we seeking repentance daily to better serve Him? Do we desire to be vessels which He can use for His purposes to the effective ministry and proclamation of His name? Or do we cherish sin so that we are ineffective, and unfruitful?
Commitment within the scriptures, however, does not stop at the concept of the individual and Christ. It involves more than that, but is vanity without it. The commitment of an individual to a local body of believers is encompassed in the notion of “teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” This is clearly seen in the book of Acts when the church is being added to on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2). The Scriptures say in verse 42, following their conversion and baptism, they “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and prayers…and day by day attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes…” We see a tie between the individuals relationship with Christ and the individuals relationship with others who are ALSO Christ’s. There is a devotion to the teachings of the apostles which were in line with the teachings of Christ. The believers sought a unity between themselves and the church of God and sought to continue in that unity. Hebrews 10:25 states, “ 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.” We see the Scriptural exhortation, the desire of the Apostles, and the desire of Christ is a unity, a fellowship, a commitment to a local body of believers. In this there is the opportunity for great accountability, encouragement, fellowship, help, prayer, and service. Are we seeking a deep commitment between ourselves and the church? How does this look to commit oneself to a body of believers? How can we encourage, exhort, hold accountable, pray for, and help our brothers and sisters in Christ in the local body?
The final way that commitment is seen in the Scriptures is between the church and Christ. It is one of the more vivid examples and explanations of commitment. It is seen as a marriage relationship, the union of two individuals for life. This is the way that the Church is viewed in Ephesians 5 and it gives us deep insight into various other passages that refer to Christ as Head of the church, to Christ as ruling over His church. The idea of obedience and submission to Christ is mirrored in the obedience and submission of a wife to her husband. The love that Christ showed the church is seen in the love that a husband is to give his wife. The leadership shown by Christ is to be mirrored or seen in the leadership of His church and in individual families. Marriage from the beginning of time was meant to be life long, and lasting, and the same view is seen in the relationship of the Church to Christ. Is the church as a whole seeking obedience to our Lord and Master Jesus Christ? Is the church seeking His guidance and direction for our tasks? Do we desire to see Him glorified in the local body of believers looking to Him as our head?
Continue to seek the deeper relationship and commitment that God desires for you, through your individual commitment to Him. In your commitment to a local body are you seeking to use the gifts of God to the benefit, edification, and encouragement of the other believers? Is the church that you attend seeking the praise and glorification of God and Christ over their own glorification is the church seeking the way, the truth, and the life? Ask yourself, am I willing to “take up my cross and follow.”
Friday, April 30, 2010
To Debate or not To Debate?
Apologetics, the study and disproof of other religions - many Christians wonder what value this field has. Should we immerse ourselves in it so that we can disprove every false view that comes before us? Should we back off, knowing that a debate is not going to save anyone? These questions are good, but to answer them we have to acknowledge both the values and limitations of apologetics and debate.
Apologetics is a valuable field, especially for Christians seeking leadership in the church. Jesus debated with the religious leaders of his day repeatedly, the Apostles were constantly debating the Pharisees, and one way we knew that Paul was saved was that he "baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Christ".
By understanding and debating other religions we learn to value what God has taught us more dearly and we can see the dangers of misunderstanding the truths of scripture more clearly and earnestly than we could before. At its core apologetics is the understanding of truth and the lie, and no Christian should go with out.
Apologetics encourages deeper study, it allows us to tailor our message to different audiences, and it allows us to face different religions and show them the greatness of believing in God, but it does have limitations. We can't debate people into salvation because salvation is not a mere intellectual understanding, it is a heart change. Debate can pave the way for this, and it can make evangelism more effective, but we shouldn't lose sight of our goal: we are aiming to win souls for Christ, and take every thought captive to do his will.
So knowing all this what should we do? First we ought to study the scriptures so that we can answer people who have questions or want to challenge the scriptures. Every Christian needs to be able to proclaim the essence of what we believe. Secondly, we need to exercise discernment; we can't disprove everything, nor should we even try. Rather than getting too focused on the lie we should always strive to preach the truth. Don't forget that when Paul was debating the Jews he wasn't just trying to prove them wrong, he was proving "that Jesus is the Christ".
So lets go out there and debate, let's challenge false teaching, and let's point people to the truth: Jesus is the Christ, and there is no way to salvation except through him.
Apologetics is a valuable field, especially for Christians seeking leadership in the church. Jesus debated with the religious leaders of his day repeatedly, the Apostles were constantly debating the Pharisees, and one way we knew that Paul was saved was that he "baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Christ".
By understanding and debating other religions we learn to value what God has taught us more dearly and we can see the dangers of misunderstanding the truths of scripture more clearly and earnestly than we could before. At its core apologetics is the understanding of truth and the lie, and no Christian should go with out.
Apologetics encourages deeper study, it allows us to tailor our message to different audiences, and it allows us to face different religions and show them the greatness of believing in God, but it does have limitations. We can't debate people into salvation because salvation is not a mere intellectual understanding, it is a heart change. Debate can pave the way for this, and it can make evangelism more effective, but we shouldn't lose sight of our goal: we are aiming to win souls for Christ, and take every thought captive to do his will.
So knowing all this what should we do? First we ought to study the scriptures so that we can answer people who have questions or want to challenge the scriptures. Every Christian needs to be able to proclaim the essence of what we believe. Secondly, we need to exercise discernment; we can't disprove everything, nor should we even try. Rather than getting too focused on the lie we should always strive to preach the truth. Don't forget that when Paul was debating the Jews he wasn't just trying to prove them wrong, he was proving "that Jesus is the Christ".
So lets go out there and debate, let's challenge false teaching, and let's point people to the truth: Jesus is the Christ, and there is no way to salvation except through him.
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