Lincoln

Hopeful comfort through grace

By / The Pastor's Pen / 3 minutes of reading

Following the apostle Paul’s words of thanks and appreciation for the Lord producing salvation in the believers of Thessalonica, he presents a short prayer. Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17).

Here, Paul states 5 truths, then he makes 2 requests of the Lord which remain true for all believers. These few lines highlight much needed spiritual maintenance for Christian hearts for rising above the difficulties of living in a spiritually harsh environment.

First, the intimate relationship between God and believers is sensed as Paul directs his thoughts through “our” Lord Jesus Christ to “our” Father God. Salvation has not produced some illusive or generic association of religious people with an impersonal deity. No, every believer is directly connected, as divinely adopted children (Eph 1:5), to their heavenly Father through the Father’s son Jesus Christ.

Second, God the Father and Son were, and continue, to engage with believers in selfless relational love. Which enables the third truth; God’s love, once embraced through the gospel, produces eternal comfort. Salvation is so comprehensive that the results are experienced through eternal life which transferred us from being enemies to being children in God’s secure comfort. Hostility with God is replaced with eternal relief from the consequences of our sin. Isolation is replaced with Holy Spirit enabled intimacy. We belong to God for eternity, unable to be separated from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom 8:35-39).

Fourth, the loved and comforted child of God is gifted with hope. Not just a momentary emotional desire that life may go well, but with an expectation of God fulfilling all His promises as if already being fulfilled. This hope is convincing, it’s certain because it comes at the expense of the Lord Jesus’ death and resurrection.

Fifth, spiritual hope within the Christian stands secured by God’s amazing grace. Without God’s grace there would be no salvation, no relationship with God, and no possibility of forgiveness with eternal life. Fear of separation from God is replaced by the indwelling and sealing work of the Holy Spirit, guaranteeing security that is not dependant upon our ability to live perfectly. Every blessing is made and experience because of God’s grace, which is accessed through belief in Jesus Christ.

With these 5 certainties in Paul’s mind, he asks God to comfort hearts and to establish the comforted hearts in every good work and word (2Th 2:17). The idea of comfort here, is that of calling near the believer so they can experience a depth of loving grace that cannot be experienced from a distance. Comfort is critical, for without it humans can easily drift away from intimacy with the Lord. Comfort motivates the believer to stay close, to rest in Him while waiting upon Him for needs to be met. Comfort’s target is the deep and personal recesses of our hearts, where no one sees, other than God. However, everyone will be able to see the effects of God’s comfort through our living.

This is why Paul asks God to establish His comfort. To establish simply means to set it firmly. In other words, to attach comfort so solidly within the believer that it cannot be moved. This is what enables good works and words to flow out from us in God’s strength for God’s glory, even when life is difficult. May the grace of God impact each of us in these ways for God’s praise and our blessing.

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Effective Encouragement

By / The Pastor's Pen / 3 minutes of reading

Encouragement is one of those universal tools that can be used by anyone wishing to benefit another person or group. For Christians, encouragement can be especially effective when we transfer to others the encouragement God implants in our lives. The apostle Paul was a master at this, as he sprinkled uplifting words throughout His writings, always highlighting God’s gracious goodness in it various forms.

Romans chapter 15 is no exception. Paul exalts Jesus Christ while urging his readers to pass on to others the things God had given them in Christ. Regardless of each other’s spiritual stage of maturity, Let each of us please his neighbour for his good, to build him up (Romans 15:2). As always, Jesus is the Christian’s supreme example, as Christ did not please himself (Rom 15:3a). Paul then reminds us of two things God uses to inspire hope within believers, endurance and… encouragement of the Scriptures (Rom 15:4b).

The most common vehicle used by God throughout history for transporting encouragement and spiritual education to His people has been His Word. For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction (Rom 15:4a). History is remarkably cyclical, with lessons from the past remaining relevant and applicable today. As we read and learn from God’s Word we are equipped to look forward with increased determination to persevere in the faith, growing to be more Christlike and more effective in helping others to be Christlike also. And as we all know, this requires endurance on our part which only God can provide.

However, the encouragement of the Scriptures is critical for our hearts to rise above the difficulties of  life with a lasting hope that is centred in Jesus Christ. Which is why Paul prays in Romans 15:5-7, May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul follows this short prayer with a helpful and practical instruction, Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.

Paul was thinking that as the Word of God encourages us, we are to pass it onto others. The most obvious way we do this is through forwarding verses that God has used to encourage us. With modern technology, this is easy to do. However, Paul has an even more impactful method in mind that often gets overlooked. Once again, this second method centres on relationships. No surprizes there!

Choosing to be the person of harmony in our church relationships is a must. Again, the standard and example are Jesus, as we apply the character of Christ in our speech and behaviour, so we act in alignment with Jesus in our relationships. For those who ask, “what’s that look like”? Paul explains it becomes evident as we prioritise joining our lives for the common purpose of glorifying God through Jesus Christ. This is how we apply God’s Word in such a real way that the world will not be able to ignore it.

As we know, for the church to have one voice, it requires each Christian to be humble, gracious, patient, and selfless with love, just as Jesus is with us. These character qualities will enable us to genuinely welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. May each of us be proactive in applying God’s Word by encouraging others, for God’s glory in other’s lives and for the blessing of everyone in the body of Christ.

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Seek the Lord

By / The Pastor's Pen / 3 minutes of reading

For many, seeking God is not easy. This is not because God’s hiding, but because our thinking is biased towards worldly misinformation about Him, which Satan fortifies through godless culture. Added to this struggle, is the instinctive self-deceiving nature of our hearts which lead us as far from God as possible. Thinking we can successfully live independent of God, we give preference to sinful pleasures with self at the centre of importance (Jeremiah 17:9; James 1:14–15).

Psalm 10:3-4 voices just how far some are willing to go in avoiding God. For the wicked boasts of the desires of his soul, and the one greedy for gain curses and renounces the LORD. In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him; all his thoughts are, “There is no God.” Consoling themselves in the idea that they have cancelled God, they claim He no longer exists, they have no hope apart from God’s amazing grace to rescue them. We can therefore understand why the apostle Paul wrote, none is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God (Romans 3:10-11).

Moses explained that God’s mercy is so great, that even people who abandon themselves to the worst of idolatry can still find the Lord. But from there (idolatry) you will seek the LORD your God and you will find Him, if you search after Him with all your heart and with all your soul (Deuteronomy 4:29). It’s here that we begin to see God’s limitless, undeserved, and breathtaking grace in action. He refuses to be ignored or wished out of existence. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse (Romans 1:19-20). God testifies about Himself, there is no other god besides me, a righteous God and a Saviour… Turn to me and be saved… (Isaiah 45:21-22).

But trusting in mankind’s deceived and sinful heart to do the right thing towards God is an exercise in futility. So, again, in Gods’ grace He supplies the resources needed to enable people to genuinely seek Him. But most of all, God sent His Son Jesus to earth to make Himself known and to save sinners (Luke 19:10; Galatians 4:4-5). But that still was not enough; He did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all… He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross of judgement (Romans 8:32; 1 Peter 2:24). Then God gave even greater testimony through Jesus rising to life again, with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus… (Acts 4:33). But that still was not enough for God, who is a Saviour by nature. God now sends believers in Jesus, you and I, to proclaim the gospel of Jesus to the world (Matthew 28:19-20; Romans 10:13-17; 2 Corinthians 5:20).

Like Paul, no believer should ever be ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes (Romans 1:16). The invitation to seek God remains open today, as it was for king Asa, if you seek the Lord, he will be found by you (2 Chronicles 15:2). May we continually seek the Lord, and may we be active in calling others to seek Him also. God’s promise is as clear as His invitation, “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13).

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Uniting our heart – Part 1

By / The Pastor's Pen / 3 minutes of reading

Buried within David’s prayer of Psalm 86, sit two verses that speak to the very essence of our human condition and response to God. David, like many of us, lived a life packed with complexity and change. Both he and those who surrounded him, were inconsistent and unreliable in their day to day living towards God and one another. Those who hated David treated him poorly, while he often didn’t  respond well. Many of David’s relationships were messy for all kinds of reasons. The understandable consequence of this for David, as it is often for us also, is that our inner hearts and minds become perplexed and confused.

Unable to make sense of the clashes of life, we can become inwardly splintered. It’s the conflict between what we believe and expect of God, plus what we experience in relationships and circumstances, with our inability to match or align those two aspects in a way that makes sense or gives hope of a good outcome.

David experienced this same dilemma. And while feeling exasperated he turns to the Lord, praying his thoughts simply as they rolled out of his mind. Within this honest dialogue with God, David says; Teach me your way, O LORD, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name. I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever (Psalm 86:11-12).

Here we see some of David’s admirable qualities within his weaknesses. Not trusting his ability to correctly process the messiness of life, David says in effect, Lord you need to teach me how to live in this mess while being aligned with your truth, because I just don’t get it. Then David makes this remarkable request of God which strikes to the very heart of his inner conflict, “unite my heart to fear your name.”

Not wanting life’s painful circumstances to grow unbelief, or even to subdue his existing belief towards the Lord, David confesses that God is going to have to be the One who pulls it all together. All his fragmented thoughts, damaged feelings, doubting beliefs, and failed expectations, all required uniting into cohesive and respectful trust in God.

David invites the Lord to do the very thing he knew he could not do for himself. God stitching back together that which people had torn apart was going to be no small task, and only the Almighty could do it. Specifically, David knew that God had to persist at this task until his heart really did fully fear God again. His heart, which comprised of all his thoughts, feelings, and beliefs about God needed to function in a single and cohesive attitude which feared Yahweh without compromise.

Only God can do this within a person’s broken heart. And the starting point is precisely here, where David began, calling upon the Lord to do a spiritual work that only God can do. It would require unnatural responses by David, and trust in his God who is larger than the damage caused by life. It would require stubborn faith in the God of truth who does not want His people to compromise. This would take time, patience, and much humility. But David had got off to a great start by recognising his inner most need and inviting the Lord to heal his heart.

While in hindsight we know that God did answer David’s prayer by growing him to be a man after God’s own heart, we need to know how God accomplished this. So, next week we shall consider some of the tools used by the Lord in achieving a God honouring result through this mission. 

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Apollos the willing

By / The Pastor's Pen / 3 minutes of reading

Apollos is one of those New Testament characters who gets my attention for all the right reasons. He was a Jewish believer from Alexandria who first appears to us in Ephesus. Acts 18:24-25 tells us that Apollos was an eloquent speaker who knew the Scriptures well… He had been taught the way of the Lord, and he taught others about Jesus with an enthusiastic spirit and with accuracy (NLT).

Whoever taught Apollos was thorough in passing on the teachings of John the Baptist, which he learnt well. But instead of keeping these truths to himself, Apollos gave himself to teaching others in Ephesus. Without fear or hesitation, he taught boldly in the synagogue… which was where Priscilla and Aquila heard him (Acts 18:26). They recognised his genuine belief yet also observed that he was lacking a full understanding of Jesus Christ as he knew only the baptism of John the Baptist (Acts 18:25). So, Priscilla and Aquila took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately (Acts 18:26).

Wasn’t that great, rather than criticise Apollos or shrug him off as naive, they discipled him with a more expansive understanding of God. This husband and wife team, Priscilla and Aquila, had the gracious perception and willingness to act, stepping into Apollos’ life at this critical time of learning. They recognised what was obviously the Holy Spirit’s activity in Apollos and acted with grace, not only for Apollos’ benefit, but for the blessing of many who would come under his teaching in the future.

Apollos was a doer! From the outset, he shared with others his existing knowledge of God. Therefore, when his time of instruction in Ephesus concluded, he moved to the area of Achaia. The church in Ephesus encouraged him in this and provided a letter of commendation to the believers of that area. Again, Apollos settled into his new surroundings and soon helped the believers by publicly refuting fellow Jews with Scripture, proving Jesus was the Messiah.

Settling for a time in Corinth, Apollos’ influence in the church was significant enough to be mentioned by the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 1:12. Despite divisions in the Corinth’ church, the relationship between Apollos and Paul was marked by mutual respect. Paul acknowledges Apollos’ contributions to the ministry and emphasizes the unity of their work in advancing the Gospel. In 1 Corinthians 3:6, Paul writes, I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. Here, Paul highlighted the complementary nature of their ministries, with Paul initiating the work and Apollos nurturing it for a time before moving on.

Concluding his letter, Paul explains that he had adviced Apollos to revisit Corinth for further ministry (1Co 16:12). Paul obviously recognised Apollos’ teaching skills, his ability to fit in and get along with the church as a leader, and the collaborative spirit that existed between he and Apollos. It’s apparent that Paul recognised Apollos was a unifying influence upon the church. His eloquent style of teaching and his deep understanding of God’s Word made him a formidable advocate for the faith. Plus, his willingness to learn and grow underscored his humility and commitment to truth.

These are not only wonderful qualities for anyone to possess, but they are qualities which God uses to build up His church. Instead of weakening and dividing the church, Apollos was a willing instrument in unifying believers, in advancing the gospel to the unsaved, and in maturing believers in their faith. May God grant that each of us develop these Christ honouring characteristics for His glory and the blessing of others.

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