The Pastor’s Pen

I encourage you to live for one another and watch God at work

Christian living fleshes out this fact; “we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another” (Romans 12:5). We belong to each other as much as we belong to Christ. At rebirth we became as spiritually intertwined with our fellow believers as we are with Christ. If we belong to Christ, we belong to our fellow Christians. Being a part of the breathing and changing body dynamics of a church can be both challenging and greatly rewarding, often all at the same time. The glue that brings us together, and holds us together, is Jesus Christ our Lord.

How we interact with one another should always begin by welcoming “one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God” (Romans 15:7). God’s glory is the bullseye of every engagement we have with fellow believers, because His Son is the foundation of every relationship we have in Christ. Therefore, by “submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ” (Ephesians 5:21) we give expression to the reality of Christ in our lives.

By being “kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32) we are a testimony of Christ’s power through the gospel. It’s as the apostle John explained; “this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us” (1 John 3:23). Recognising the significance of, and loving fellow believers is authentic evidence of genuine belief in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour.

Christian relationships are about Christ, not us. James urges us not to “speak evil against one another,” nor to “grumble against one another” (James 4:11; 5:9). Why, because moaning violates our relationship with Christ who lives in both you and your brother or sister in the Lord. Paul told the believers in Rome to “outdo one another in showing honour” (Romans 12:10), for this is surely the most appropriate way for brothers and sisters in God’s family to treat each other. Christ, who lives in your fellow believer by His Holy Spirit, is our motivation to “live in harmony with one another” (Romans 12:16). This prevents us from passing “judgement on one another…” instead, we “decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother” (Romans 14:13).

This protective relationship with our fellow saints is reflective of our highest esteem of Christ’s relationship with us. This heavenly connection that Christians uniquely enjoy is to motivate us to cloth ourselves “with humility toward one another, for God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (1 Peter 5:5). We strive for each other “with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love” (Ephesians 4:2). “Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you” (2 Corinthians 13:11).

“Therefore encourage one another and build one another up… always seek to do good to one another and to everyone” (1 Thessalonians 5:11, 15). “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly” (1 Peter 4:8). “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35 NIV).

Today, view your fellow believer as the Saviour views them. Encourage them also to live for one another and watch God at work. God will be pleased, believers will be blessed, and the world will see Christ through us all.

 

I encourage you to grow together in Christ and for Christ

As God’s children we recognise that we are made “alive together with Christ” (Ephesians 2:5). Christians have been “called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 1:2). This was God’s eternal intention, for all Christian relationships to begin with and continue in the Christ centred grace of salvation. It’s a treasure to have friendships continually growing together in there value, appreciation of each other, and sweetness because of Christ.

The Lord’s intent and design for His church is that “the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God” (Colossians 2:19). Unfortunately, people who are influenced by sin work against God’s purposes for the rich blessings of togetherness.

Sadly, it’s mankind who separates and isolates relationships. Sin motivates people to promote self to be their highest priority. Once self is the supreme ruler of the heart, everything and everyone is able to be sacrificed in order to satisfy its cravings. Selfishness destroys the togetherness of God’s people. It has no concern for the damage it causes, just as long as it gets what it wants. But not so for the children of God!

Love’s Togetherness

Praise God, He has given the gift of love, planted within us (Romans 5:5) to be used for His purposes and glory. Therefore, “above all… we are to put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony” (Colossians 3:14). Love enhances and advances Christian togetherness. Love never works to separate or isolate. Rather, “not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another…” (Hebrews 10:25), love pulls together in fellowship at the expense of selfishness, for the benefit of others.

Our completeness in Christ is experienced more intimately as “one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honoured, all rejoice together” (1 Corinthians 12:26). We are so intertwined in Christ that as we engage with each other in ‘agape’ love, we experience the reality of the risen Christ. Therefore Paul prayed; “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” (Romans 15:5-6). Togetherness glorifies God by displaying His character, while individuality dishonours our Heavenly Father through selfishness.

It is our privilege to watch with understanding as the Lord builds His Church (Mat 16:18). In Christ, His Church is “being joined together, [and] grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit” (Ephesians 2:21-22). We have the joy of engaging with fellow believers in cooperation with the Lord who is actively synchronised with our Christian relationships.

Gospel Togetherness

As unbelievers view and interact with the Church, they taste the character of the Lord Jesus Christ through the relationships of God’s children. They experience the “bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3) which they don’t experience in the world. This is body evangelism. “By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother” (1 John 3:10).

I encourage you to live Christ through enriching your togetherness with fellow believers. In this our Saviour is glorified, our fellow saints are blessed, and the world will see God’s gospel love through you.

 

I encourage you; aim to be complete in your faith

It’s faith in God that aims at the goal of being complete in our relationship with Jesus Christ and others. James, Jesus younger half-brother, recognised the believer’s need to persevere in working toward spiritual completeness. This Christian maturity is to impact every sphere of life, recognising that nothing is to be deprived of Christ’s influence.

My brothers and sisters, consider it nothing but joy when you fall into all sorts of trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect effect, so that you will be perfect and complete, not deficient in anything. But if anyone is deficient in wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without reprimand, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed around by the wind (James 1:2-6 NET).

Brotherly wisdom

Here, James draws our attention to the usefulness of trials. The very thing which the world presents as negative, God uses for His glory and our benefit. Christians receive assurance from the presence of “all sorts of trials” because God uses them to test the authenticity of our faith in Him. Obviously, if faith is genuine, it will persevere through struggles. Whereas pretend faith is temporary by nature; usually dictated by circumstances and feelings and always leading its victims away from the Lord.

Realise that a believer’s “endurance” through trials, including personal failures and stumblings, gives evidence of genuine faith. This is God’s design for the progressive development of our faith. While many simply give up when the going gets tough, “brothers and sisters” in the Lord “consider it nothing but joy.” This is because they understand God’s purposes for growing mutual comfort, support and maturity within His family. Togetherness in relationship loyalty is vital for the outcome of spiritual completeness! Believers need their fellow believers in order to grow.

The unfairness of half portions

Most of us dislike it when we receive incomplete things in life. Half portions of anything when we expected to receive a whole portion leave us feeling robbed. So it is in our walk with the Lord. God’s love for our spiritual completeness of character permits and even orchestrates struggles to aid us in this endeavour. Our maturity and holiness means everything to our Heavenly Father. He’s willing to risk whatever is needed to advance our personal development into likeness of His Son.

It’s our responsibility to “let endurance have its perfect effect.” Bailing out on God robs us of growing to the full measure of maturity which results with us recognising that we are “not deficient in anything” in Christ. This fantastic goal in Christian life is to be shared with fellow believers, walking together, growing in like-minded purpose of Christ’s development together.

It’s reassuring to know that “if anyone is deficient in wisdom,” we can ask God for it. We certainly need lots of wisdom to endure for the Lord while we “cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God” (2 Corinthians 7:1). We pursue this “in faith without doubting,” not “blown and tossed around by the wind,” for together we stand firm, unitedly growing in Christ for His glory.

I encourage you to confess the Apostle Paul’s words; “I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6). Come Lord Jesus!

 

I encourage you to embrace obedience which involves sacrifice

Modern attitudes lead people to believe that pleasures are a right, without having to sacrifice in order to have them. But not so with the children of God. The believer’s highest pleasures are found in Christ, with our many earthly pleasures falling secondary under His supremacy. This is because self comes second to Jesus Christ, therefore we live to “proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9).

Consequentially, the follower of Jesus Christ accepts Jesus claim on their lives; “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23). The Lord never pretended that following him would not involve personal sacrifice and even times of suffering. Faith in Christ requires that believers take ownership of their commitment to walk in alignment with Christ.

While it’s easy to say that you want to follow Christ, it’s in your self-denial that you see authenticity of the claim. It’s the willingness to daily take upon one-self the cross of identification with the Lord Jesus Christ that truly marks the follower of Christ. Herein lies the Christ-centred motive for obedience to God. Christ “died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised” (2 Corinthians 5:15).

As always, Christ is our supreme example, particularly as He obeyed His Father’s will at Calvary. “By the one man’s (Adam’s) disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s (Christ’s) obedience the many will be made righteous” (Romans 5:19). Likewise, we are to “walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Ephesians 5:2).

Amongst the many things Jesus accomplished when He died on the cross, was that He took the judgement of our sin in order that we could receive His righteousness. What a fantastic exchange! However, in doing so, Christ lead by example with the ‘exchange’ principle. We give up the old in order to receive the new. By faith in God, we sacrifice:

• Foolishness for wisdom
• Isolation from God’s people for fellowship in the Beloved
• The wrath of God for the peace of God
• Animosity and resentment for forgiveness
• Intoxication for sober mindedness 
• Eternal damnation for eternal life
• Hatred for love
• Selfishness for selflessness
• Loneliness for assurance and security 
• Faithlessness for faithfulness 
• Regret for sweet memories 
• Despair for hope

Most of us realise that we “are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness”? (Romans 6:16). The child of God chooses to give up the weak things in life in preference for the Lord’s ways. This is what marks us as Christians. Believers have exchanged the life of sin in order to “continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name” (Hebrews 13:15). We prefer that our lives should be an expression of praise to God over living for self.

I encourage you today, embrace obedience which involves sacrifice. The slight discomfort of surrender is nothing compared to the rich blessing of obedience through doing God’s will. God will be pleased, you will be blessed, and others will be encouraged.

 

I encourage you to obey God as worship of God

Desires often war within us against the idea of walking with the Lord in obedience. This is because sin works at every level, in the most seductive of ways to lure us away from faithfulness to Christ.

The Lord taught Samuel; “to obey is better than sacrifice” (1 Samuel 15:22). We can easily get caught up with doing Christian stuff out of a sense of obligation. We can even sacrifice things for God out of religious duty instead of from loving obedience, thus missing the heart of worshipful living for the Saviour.

Listen then do

Listening to God’s Word and walking in co-operative compliance is the best expression of love for Christ that you are capable of. Unfortunately though, there can be internal conflict which occurs when you mix your old unsaved behaviour with your new life in Christ. As a believer, you can avoid this conflict if you “put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:22-24).

This takes conscious effort, a determined desire and willingness to allow Christ to change your thinking, your values, your motives, your dreams, and your desires. It’s inviting Christ to exchange the wrong or weak things that bring you pleasure for things that bring Him pleasure, things which are useful for His purposes and beneficial to others.

Prioritise by faith

Our goal as Christians is to express the character of the Lord Jesus Christ in an attitude of worship. It begins and continues when you “present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship” (Romans 12:1). As the desire to live worshipfully grows, so does your willingness to change the things that hinder, and slow down behavioural worship.

Both obedience and disobedience have tremendous power to alter the course of both our lives and others. Taking your eyes off others, and adjusting your focus from self to Christ is essential if victory is to be the outcome.  Realise that you are not only to “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,” but also that “it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:12-13). Desiring to obey, wanting to change for Christ; is a sovereign work of the Almighty within you. Follow His lead! This will also allow others to witness the reality of God at work in your life.

Submissively following Jesus Christ is a sweet walk with God because “this is the love of God: that we keep his commandments. And his commandments do not weigh us down” (1 John 5:3 NET). God is not a harsh dictator, determined to beat us into submission. Jesus invitation is to “Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).

Today, I encourage you to consciously worship the Lord through your obedience to Him. Then you will able to say with the Psalmist; “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth” (Psalms 119:103), “Blessed be the name of the LORD from this time forth and forevermore”  (Psalms 113:2).