Monday, February 11, 2019

໐ຖē ๖໐໓ฯ

In Acts 2:42-47, Luke describes the first meeting of believers after they received The Holy Spirit and what they did as 'The Body' or 'Fellowship Of Believers'.  We find in Paul's writings, a model for The Church which is not based on a particular time or place and certainly not in need of emergent concepts or cultural amendments.  It should be a serious matter to a person considering committing to or leaving a particular fellowship, because we are called to love and serve all believers especially.  The way people generally choose a church today, while uniting those with common interests and experiences, actually causes them to be more divided from the larger body of believers in their community and the world.  Modern Christianity suffers under what Lesslie Newbiggin called an 'advanced case of syncretism'.  He also said, "We need the witness of Christians of other cultures to correct our culturally conditioned understanding of Scripture."  We seem to easily forget that Jesus was born in the east.

Sectarian movements and 350 years of denominational and general Christian dominance in America have had a bad influence on the larger ministry and mission.  There have been obstacles to the growth of The Church and misplaced passions.  Many modern churches are treated like a business.  This has contributed to a lack of accountability in The Body and misuse of God's Word.  The focus has generally been more on us than God and politics over personal holiness.  Are you prepared to obey God in a hostile environment or sacrifice your security for others?

William Paley commented, "From the widely disproportionate effects which attend the preaching of modern missionaries of Christianity, compared with what followed the ministry of Christ and his apostles under circumstances either alike, or not so unlike as to account for the difference, a conclusion is fairly drawn in support of what our histories deliver concerning them, viz. that they possessed means of conviction which we have not; that they had proofs to appeal to which we want."

 The modern Americanized Church looks quite different from that which Jesus founded and has increasingly focused on exciting atmosphere or practices rooted in traditions which have little to do with conforming to the example of Christ and applying The Truth found throughout The Bible.  Since churches are made of people, none will be perfect but 'called out people' do not blend in with the rest of society and it is apparent when someone is trying to conform to Christ.  Casual visitors should feel uncomfortable despite being welcomed.  We must be careful to learn from the ones criticized in Revelation as we are not immune to these same pervasive attitudes.


  • Ephesus- The bright and shining love of knowing and following Jesus was turning into duty and obligation. We reduce God to a mere system that can be manipulated to yield more benefits to us.
  • Pergamum- Impure living and idolatrous teachings were infecting them with immorality. Our identity with Christ is so tenuous because of our lack of study and discipline that eventually something else catches our eye.
  • Laodicea- Self-importance and pride leaves God out and makes faith wither. We far too easily become ungrateful for God's provision and sacrifice, becoming our own self-absorbed God.

We are after all, The Bride of Christ, and so should seek to please Him above everything. An ever increasing number appear to be nothing more than affinity clubs, concerned mainly with popularity and aligning with others to pursue superficial or personal ends.  This is what happens when people come with a consumer's attitude instead of a heart of giving and sacrifice. The focus of ministry must remain firmly on The Gospel and the manifestation of it in people.


 Followers of Christ must spend a lot of time together outside of our normal functions and away from our many comforts in order to encourage real spiritual growth and powerful unity like we see in the first church.  If human unity can be powerful, how much more can Christian unity.  Societal barriers(like generation gaps, class distinctions, taboo practices, the 1% difference in our DNA) must be overcome with mercy as every single one of us was created in the image of God and made unique by His hand. As Christians, we are called to sacrifice for others as leaders, overcoming pride and self-centeredness. We can't be there for everyone, but we must really be there for those God has sent us to and sent to us.  We don't wait for invitations to anything, we make the invitations. A mere hour or so on Sunday is not what The Church was meant for, and that isn't the best time to catch up with everybody.

 We must make every effort to experience God on His terms and serve Him rather than expecting to be entertained or carried along. Ministry is hard work, and the disciples would attest to that as they were continually serving and learning to love people, which required them to abandon their regular, routine way of life so that they could do whatever was required.

 At times, they couldn't even feed themselves because there was too much to be done.  When they did eat, it was usually together with each other, symbolic of and fostering their unity in Christ(and encouraged modesty and self-control).  They shared everything they had and looked forward to when they would sit at God's table and enjoy even greater things.  If one had a problem, they all shared the burden and help was given instead of talk.  There were no personal stashes or secrets allowed.  Raising money was not job one and some suffering was expected.

 The apostles and other people we read about in The Bible were ordinary humans just like all of us who shared a vested interest.  Sometimes they wrestled with unnecessary worries and personal agendas when they could have been enjoying a time of respite and joy.  Some had families or other important responsibilities along with the apostleship.  Many would meet with efforts to silence them and intense personal persecution.  Still, all this work is nothing compared to the work that God has done in creation and the sacrifice of His Son for a people who would always fail without Him.

 They were unusual in the fact that they gave everything they had for people less fortunate and trusted God to lead them. They freely gave money and time to help where they saw need, not where they thought someone deserved it or where it would be seen as an honorable gesture. They did not worry about whether a person had wrong motives or would use their gifts to continue living selfishly.


 They let Jesus be the judge and simply aimed to please Him. Just because we can afford to isolate ourselves from others does not mean it is good.  It's worse for those who have struggles.  They got involved with the people around them personally, looking for opportunities to share with them the meaning of The Gospel while building trust and showing integrity.

 Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “The Church is the Church only when it exists for others . . . not dominating, but helping and serving. It must tell men of every calling what it means to live for Christ, to exist for others.”

 We cannot let culture define our relationships and priorities or determine the goals for our life.  Your body and soul were given by God, together.  Individual autonomy and self-authentication are not hallmarks of a Christian.  We are not supposed to make our service to God fit with or extend out of everything else we do.  We are both leaders and followers.  We go to the context and apply it as those people will understand, not trying to train them on our context.

 The Body of Christ is a whole family that represents the presence of The Almighty Father God. Every church that claims Christ is one that must reach out to the lost and the found. We are united in Spirit though we may not speak the same language- Our faith is not provincial. If we are to remain in step with The Spirit, we must be moving with Him and those He has redeemed with us.

A quote from Mark Devers' Understanding the Great Commission reveals a common problem-"We don’t want an ‘information’ booth version of the Great Commission. . . . [Many] show up on Sunday, receive a download of information, and then spend the rest of the week better informed, yes, but scarcely connected to the other members of the church or the pastors. That’s how an information booth works. You walk up to the desk, ask your question, and walk away better informed. But you leave with no relational ties to the people back at the desk. They’ve performed their duty, and now you can get on with your business."

Christians will find ways to work things out and be together. True Believers persevere. We must work hard to thwart satan's efforts to divide us, let God work in our differences and concentrate on nurturing truth in every situation. Not acknowledging your responsibility to lead those around you is not humble. Thinking of leadership as a right or title or promotion is not humble. Submitting to God and someone God has appointed is humble.

Only when we make our commitment to Him and His family more important than 'my life' will we be free to enjoy the rich benefits of being in the family of Christ. Our brothers & sisters need it, our children need it and our community needs it.

 We can:
  • confess our sins openly to each other in the interest of unity and have the support we need to overcome them permanently
  • work together to swiftly meet any need that arises, using our resources more efficiently as a body rather than 'each his own'
  • study and apply God's Word with integrity and discipline so that we continue to grow in knowledge and influence for His purposes, keeping one another grounded solidly in The Faith and purely in love with God
  • frequently and enthusiastically celebrate God together for who He is(supreme and sovereign) and maintain that focus through any individual difficulties, suffering or persecution we experience
  • actually spread the Truth of The Gospel by our speech and actions in the confidence that The Spirit provides and follow through on our mission to make disciples and brothers and sisters of those we have found who want a relationship with Christ

 We must not use our relationship with God as a retreat to personal enjoyment, but sacrifice ourselves for Him and each other, working together as a family on a mission, keeping our focus on what our Father desires from us and realizing Christ in every one of us. Society teaches us to create barriers to intimacy and focus on our differences, giving a mere appearance of being social and avoiding any sort of accountability.  Facebook is an idol for most of it's users.  God commands us to function as one body made of complementary parts which serve different purposes but conform equally to the holy standard of Christ.

 In that body, the ordinary parts which are not very visible are nonetheless what keep it alive and functioning. Jesus did not intend for us to labor alone and He alone is the leader/shepherd. He has no peers. Likewise, your Pastor is not responsible for your spiritual growth. He leads, and you do the reading and studying and discipleship of those around you. You must make yourself accountable and participate. Our participation in that fellowship is extremely important because it is our lifeline, causing us to draw on each others strengths to keep pursuing Christ regardless of what happens. Facebook does not facilitate that kind of devotion.  John Mark Comer has said, "Our generation aches for belonging, yet wants to keep its options open. But you can’t have community without commitment."

It is an honor to be a part in God's army, fighting a bloody and difficult battle in which His Kingdom has been promised absolute victory by simply walking in His Spirit.  For Spurgeon, the prayers of the church were quite literally a boiler-room.  The Church only exists because God designed it to, and it is not collecting dust.  We must, as individuals and The Body, bring Him glory by our submission to His Holy Spirit.  We cannot expect our brothers and wives to give us what only Christ can, but we must love them deeply.  Pastors and other leaders of the church are humans, capable of failure like the rest of us. Either he is an entertainer, subject to our critiques, or God has put him there intentionally and can replace him as He sees fit.  If God has not commisioned him, then he will not deliver truth.  We must let go of the pressures of secular lifestyle and the tendency to do what other communities or churches are doing, so that we can mature as The Church that honors The Word of God.

 Below is a list of things that The Church is responsible for and some key scriptures that tell us how to do be His faithful and pleasing bride.


“When our Lord prayed that his church might be one, his prayer was answered, and his true people are even now, in spirit and in truth, one in him.  Their different modes of external worship are as the furrows of a field;
the field is none the less one because of the marks of the plough.”
Charles Spurgeon

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