Every Sunday we meet together to worship God, and part of that worship contains a ceremony designed to connect us emotionally and symbolically to what makes having a genuine relationship with God possible – we call it The Lord’s Supper. Instituted by Christ on the night He was arrested (Matthew 26:26-28), during the Feast of Passover, Jesus took time to make a connection for them about something that had been planned since the beginning of time. He said to them, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me… this cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of Me” (1 Corinthians 11:24-25).
But just like the Jews of Jesus’ day didn’t instantly make the connection between what Jesus was doing and what they believed the Messiah would do, we too must try to understand how God wants us to ‘remember him’ as He was, not as how we want Him to be.
In the 5th century, there was an Egyptian desert-monk named Nilus of Sinai who was known for his wisdom and insight. He said, “Do not be always wanting everything to turn out as you think it should, but rather as God pleases, then you will be undisturbed and thankful in your prayer.”
Ultimately, it takes spending some time with God in prayer and in study to really get a clearer picture of His will and how He tends to work with us. The people of Jesus' day had to come to grips with the fact that the Messiah wasn’t coming as a royal king to overthrow the Romans, that salvation would be made possible to people other than Jews – even Samaritans, and that the gifts of the Spirit weren’t given to divide and give cause for arrogance but given for edification and blessings to the church as a whole.
Our challenge as followers of Christ is to be careful about how we approach those that haven’t understood who God is and what His will really is. In our effort to defend the truth of the Gospel, we can actually do more harm to the way people respond to it. 1 Peter 3:15-16, “But in your hearts revere
Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.”
There are disturbing beliefs and practices becoming increasingly mainstream in our culture that we, as Christians, have to know how to approach. Most folks recognize these issues as difficult to address, especially when they end up in the church. Things like: homosexuality, transgender, and even more common issues like sacrificial acts of obedience or issues of forgiveness. There have been a lot of twisted justifications and bad instructions given to many that negatively influence people’s perception of the Gospel.
One thing we don’t want to be guilty of is failing to address issues out of fear or failing to demonstrate godliness whenever we do address them. The Great Commission given by Jesus in Matthew 28:18-20 is God’s primary way of helping a lost and wicked world understand what He is willing to do to redeem mankind. Sin is a serious problem, and all of us have fallen victim to it (Romans 3:23). Therefore, our aim should be to search out ways to draw people to Christ, and to model total surrender to his will so “that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).
This week, several of us are going on a hike to Colorado, and we’ll be studying Titus while we’re up there. Titus was called to address a challenging group of people – the Cretans. Time after time Paul reminds him that “doing good” will be a powerful tool in influencing unbelievers and people that twist scripture to their own will. (Titus 1:8; 2:3, 7, 14; 3:1, 8, 14).
Let’s follow the same model Titus did – Jesus Christ.
Sunday, July 22, 2018
Friday, July 6, 2018
Are You Fighting The Good Fight?
Ecclesiastes 7:8, “The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride.”
As a guy who has trouble finishing projects that I start, I completely connect with this statement. Finishing a project, and finishing it well, is a wonderful feeling and can be a huge relief. So, when I think about the words of Paul in 2 Timothy 4:7 “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith,” I can’t help but think about how satisfying life can be at the end of it all – IF you’ve ran well.
But what goes into your life in order to be able to echo those words? It’s hard to compare my life to his life, when he made such an impact on the progression of the church throughout Asia Minor. But it wasn’t in his initial “high points” that we understand where his confidence comes from. Because he started his journey off with the facts of his life as his best qualities.
Philippians 3:5-6, “If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; regarding the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless…” These were all very impressive qualities to carry as a good Jew, but he continues, “But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ…”
Over time his perspective of what made his life great changed a little. He said in 2 Corinthians 11:23-29, “[I have been] imprisoned frequently, been severely flogged, and been exposed to death repeatedly. Five times I received 39 lashes from the Jews. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.”
Although the first list sounds more prestigious than the second, his trials help define the idea of faithfulness. That is the act of continuing to do the will of God in spite of what we face. What a legacy to leave behind, something truly inspiring to live by. Consider your contribution towards the work of Christianity displayed in your life. Maybe you’re the only person that speaks kindly towards co-workers or neighbors. Maybe you’re more generous than your peers around you. Maybe you pray with people often, offering a living perspective of prayer to God. There could be any number of things that you do to help promote the will of God to the people around you.
So, be sure to focus on what Paul says in Colossians 4:2-3, 5-6, “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful… Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone…” A person who tries to live that can confidently make the same claim that Paul made as their life draws to a close – “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
As a guy who has trouble finishing projects that I start, I completely connect with this statement. Finishing a project, and finishing it well, is a wonderful feeling and can be a huge relief. So, when I think about the words of Paul in 2 Timothy 4:7 “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith,” I can’t help but think about how satisfying life can be at the end of it all – IF you’ve ran well.
But what goes into your life in order to be able to echo those words? It’s hard to compare my life to his life, when he made such an impact on the progression of the church throughout Asia Minor. But it wasn’t in his initial “high points” that we understand where his confidence comes from. Because he started his journey off with the facts of his life as his best qualities.
Philippians 3:5-6, “If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; regarding the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless…” These were all very impressive qualities to carry as a good Jew, but he continues, “But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ…”
Over time his perspective of what made his life great changed a little. He said in 2 Corinthians 11:23-29, “[I have been] imprisoned frequently, been severely flogged, and been exposed to death repeatedly. Five times I received 39 lashes from the Jews. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.”
Although the first list sounds more prestigious than the second, his trials help define the idea of faithfulness. That is the act of continuing to do the will of God in spite of what we face. What a legacy to leave behind, something truly inspiring to live by. Consider your contribution towards the work of Christianity displayed in your life. Maybe you’re the only person that speaks kindly towards co-workers or neighbors. Maybe you’re more generous than your peers around you. Maybe you pray with people often, offering a living perspective of prayer to God. There could be any number of things that you do to help promote the will of God to the people around you.
So, be sure to focus on what Paul says in Colossians 4:2-3, 5-6, “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful… Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone…” A person who tries to live that can confidently make the same claim that Paul made as their life draws to a close – “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”