All posts by Luella Campbell

WHAT IS THE LOCAL CHURCH?

Apologetics,

Isn’t it amazing how people, we humans, have the knack of changing God’s Word to suit us. Take, for example, the way we identify church groups, denominating them by theological criteria…Baptist, Presbyterian, Methodist, Anglican…etc. We immediately associate people belonging to these “denominations” as either subscribing to infant baptism and confirmation versus believer’s baptism, hierarchical church government versus congregational rule, or even “born-again, Spirit-filled believers” versus the rest! There are other, lesser differences that give denominations their unique identity, as in today’s world, independant groups who think they have a handle on the truth but, in the end, these are artificial, non-biblical, superimposed differences.

The New Testament puts the church into only two categories according to its GEOGRAPHY, the local church and the universal or global church. So, churches were identified by where they were situated in the known world of that day.

Jesus is head of the universal church, His body which, like a human body, is made up of cells, which are the local churches…all believing the same truth, all connected to and living under the authority of the same Lord. Unlike the human body whose cells function differently, the cells of the global church have similar functions.

Some local churches today, unfortunately, have lost or ignored the pattern of the biblical church. Some are run as businesses, others as clubs, still others as military operations, with strict hierarchical orders, depending on the bent of the leadership.

No so the church of the Lord Jesus Christ! His church is made up of His sons and daughters doing life together under the loving leadership of its Head. Each member is a responsible and willing partner in the harmonious togetherness of the whole.

Let’s examine three of the main functions of the local church.

First, the nature of the church is a FAMILY . Every member of the local church is a son or daughter of God, born from above by the Spirit of God and adopted as full members into His divine family. Every member worships the same Lord, believes and practises His Word, and is connected to every other member by the “glue” of the same Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians 12:13 NLT
[13] “Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.”

Jesus is both head and elder brother in this family. In the Hebrew family, the eldest son, the first-born, is responsible for the wellbeing of all the “second-borns”, and the family as a whole. As the “priest” of the family, he represents the family to the father and the father to the family. So, Jesus, our elder brother, represents the Father in all the doings and dealings of the family and us to the Father. God chose Him to be the head and leader of His family because He was qualified to be High Priest of the family.

Hebrews 5:5, 8-9 NLT
[5] “That is why Christ did not honor himself by assuming he could become High Priest. No, he was chosen by God, who said to him, “You are my Son. Today I have become your Father.”…
[8] Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered. [9] In this way, God qualified him as a perfect High Priest, and he became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey him.”

Hebrews 2:10 NLT
[10] “God, for whom and through whom everything was made, chose to bring many children into glory. And it was only right that he should make Jesus, through his suffering, a perfect leader, fit to bring them into their salvation.”

This new family overrides all human family ties.

Matthew 12:48-50 NLT
[48] “Jesus asked, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” [49] Then he pointed to his disciples and said, “Look, these are my mother and brothers. [50] Anyone who does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother!”

We become members of God’s family by adoption through the new birth.

Ephesians 1:5 NLT
[5] “God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.”

Romans 8:14-16 NLT
[14] “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. [15] So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” [16] For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.”

Jesus is the head, elder brother, High Priest, and blueprint for every member of His family.

…made like us…

Hebrews 2:11, 14, 17 NLT
[11] So now Jesus and the ones he makes holy have the same Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters…

…died for us…

[14] Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death.

…represents us…

[17] “Therefore, it was necessary for him to be made in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. Then he could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people.”

… and we are being remade like Him…

Romans 8:28-29 NLT
[28]”And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. [29] For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the FIRSTBORN among many brothers and sisters.”

Togetherness is the hallmark of the family, bound by love and the strong family ties of new birth and belonging. So, the whole New Covenant presents the blueprint for the life of love and unity in the kingdom, the solid foundation of our family connectedness. It’s this real difference between the church and the world that alerts unbelievers to true power of the gospel.

John 13:34-35 NLT
[34] “So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. [35] Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”

John 17:23 NLT
[23] “I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.”

Second, this divine family expresses itself through FELLOWSHIP.

What is fellowship?

Worldly clubs and organisations sometimes classify their togetherness as” fellowship” because they share the same goals and objectives. Their “fellowship” is based on ideas and philosophies external to themselves. Most often, their goals and objectives are not the driving force of their lives but rather some “after-hours” activity they engage in.

No so the church!

John teaches us about fellowship in his first letter.

1 John 1:2-3 NLT
[2] “This one who is life itself was revealed to us, and we have seen him. And now we testify and proclaim to you that he is the one who is eternal life. He was with the Father, and then he was revealed to us. [3] We proclaim to you what we ourselves have actually seen and heard so that you may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.”

Fellowship in the church begins in the heart and is the heart of its togetherness. Real fellowship has Jesus as its root…understandimg and believing who He is and what He did, according to the Bible’s evidence, and being rooted by faith in Him as the source of life itself. Fellowship with one another is based securely on “Christ in us, the hope of glory”.

The miracle of this fellowship is that first, we share the very life of Jesus through faith in Him, and second, we share this common life with one another because He is in us collectively as His body, the church.

Third, we maintain the integrity of this fellowship by being transparent with one another and with the Father.

1 John 1:5-7 NLT
[5] This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. [6] So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. [7] But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.

God the Father has impregnated us with His own nature by His word…

1 Peter 1:22-23 NIV
[22] “Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. [23] For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.”

1 John 3:9-10 NIV
[9] “No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God. [10] This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister.”

Both Peter and John testify that the evidence of new birth and the presence of the life of God in us is the love we have for one another.

This means that Jesus Christ is the heart of our fellowship because He is at the centre of the Father’s heart and He is the centre of our new lives.

The most amazing truth is that God maintains the integrity of our fellowship by the constant cleansing of the blood of Jesus as we walk in honesty with the Lord and with one another.

The third characteristic of the local church is it’s FUNCTION .

The primary function of some local churches is to turn the church into a facility for “tertiary education”. The function of their churches is to train people in every facet of Christian life. Seminars, courses, conferences, meetings, even church services…all the members must attend to qualify for serving in the church and to move them towards becoming model believers.

Other congregations, for example, focus on the “good works” side of their life together. Social involvement is the main function of their family.

These things may be important but they must flow from, not be the reason for family togetherness. The function of the family, first, is to be a family. It is this aspect of the local congregation’s life that sets it apart from all other worldly groups and organisations.

We have this witness in the life of the early church in Acts. The church was welded together by the way they handled their everyday lives…their problems and challenges…applying the wisdom given to them by the Spirit to overcome their human frailties.

The outcome was waves of new converts, convinced by the witness of believers to their new lives, and coming into the church through the One who changed the people in God’s family. Being convinced that this was a God-thing, they wanted to be a part of it. Despite hardship and persecution, they also believed and were born into God’s family.

After the judgment in Ananias and Sapphira…

Acts of the Apostles 5:11-14 NLT
[11] Great fear gripped the entire church and everyone else who heard what had happened. [12] The apostles were performing many miraculous signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers were meeting regularly at the Temple in the area known as Solomon’s Colonnade.
[13] “But no one else dared to join them, even though all the people had high regard for them. [14] Yet more and more people believed and were brought to the Lord—crowds of both men and women.”

So, we have, in Scripture, the witness of one global church, divided, geographically, into small units…believers living in unity with each other in obedience to their Head, doing life together, and having a powerful influence on outsiders.

What if the artificially divided and theologically distanced groups of believers today were to return to our roots in the New Testament? Perhaps the church of the Lord Jesus would no longer be a joke but would once again become the powerful force that would turn our world “right-side-up”!

CHRIST IN ME, THE HOPE OF GLORY

Christian life,

have travelled slowly through Paul’s letter to the Colossians, stopping at every new point to examine each truth and draw from them the life lessons that Paul built into them to guide his readers through some treacherous waters. Though he did not know them personally, he knew that false teachers were assaulting their simple faith in Jesus as Lord. He also knew that they needed solid grounding in the Word because, as new Gentile believers, they had no background knowledge of the Old Covenant and its significance for the New.

Paul carefully steered them back to the supremacy and sufficiency of Jesus for faith and life. All the additions and subtractions of unscrupulous false teachers did nothing but confuse and distract these new believers from one simple truth, that God sent Jesus, His own Son, to redeem them from sin…to restore His presence in them.

Paul slowly builds the picture until he reaches the zenith of his message… “Christ in you, the hope of glory! “

An alternative translation clarifies Paul’s disclosure, the secret hidden from their understanding until this moment.

Colossians 1:26-27 NLT
[26] This message was kept secret for centuries and generations past, but now it has been revealed to God’s people. [27] For God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory.”

God has finally ended the hatred between Jew and Gentile. This was His plan from the beginning of time, to unite all people under one Head, Jesus, and to put His own Spirit in them as a guarantee that each one would be recreated in His image.

Paul fleshed out this goal, but not in so many words, in his instructions to the men and women in Colossae who made up God’s household in that city…wives, husbands, children, slaves and masters. Each had a role to play in God’s divine order. How were they, ex-pagan, new-born believers in God’s family, to live by God’s impossibly high standards?

Paul’s answer is simple, unimbellished and powerfully possible. Jesus Christ is in you by His Spirit. His life in you makes possible God’s predetermined outcome. Wives can submit to their husbands gladly and willingly because Christ is in them. So too, husbands can love their wives; children can submit to and obey their parents; fathers can teach and train their children without provoking them; slaves and masters can run the household without resistance or conflict because…CHRIST IS IN THEM.

For us too, and all believers for all time, this is the one truth and reality that makes this life possible, despite the ungodly environment in which we live. Jesus is not only the centre of the universe and the centre of our personal world but also the very power by which we are energised to live His life while we are here.

What if this truth dominated our thoughts every moment as we navigate the temptations and tests of everyday life? What if we managed every choice and decision by this thought, “Jesus Christ is in me!”?

Paul seems to have got it right.

Galatians 2:20 NLT
[20] “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Since Paul’s “old self” was dead, he was no longer obliged to take notice of it. Dead people don’t respond! He was infused with a new nature and a new life. He had a new driver in his vehicle. NOT I BUT CHRIST IN ME!

What an amazing difference it would make to us, to our families, our workplaces, our churches, and to the world around us if we were to live our this truth, Christ in me, the hope of glory.

Paul’s statement has in it a powerful reassurance. Since Christ resides in our spirits by His Spirit, we have the guarantee that God will achieve a seemingly impossible purpose. He will transform these sin-riddled, stubbornly independent, rebellious slaves of the devil into perfect replicas of His own Son. How will He do this? By putting the Spirit of His own Son in us!

Paul tells us, in his letter to the Ephesians, that the Holy Spirit is God’s “deposit”, His promise, like an engagement ring, that He has redeemed us, that we belong to Him, and that He will finish what He started. How will He do this? By Christ in us. “Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory…(becoming exactly like Him).”

Ephesians 1:12-14 NLT
[12] “God’s purpose was that we Jews who were the first to trust in Christ would bring praise and glory to God. [13] And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. [14] The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.”

So, John could write,

1 John 3:2 NLT
[2] “Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that WE WILL BE LIKE HIM, for we will see him as he really is.”

We receive this assurance by faith. We believe what God says, do what He tells us, experience His grace, and the end result is guaranteed.

Do you get it?

WHAT IS “FAITHFULNESS”? – 2

Bible Study, ,

Matthew 24:45-47 NLT
[45] “A faithful, sensible servant is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them. [46] If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward. [47] I tell you the truth, the master will put that servant in charge of all he owns.”

In definition and practice, we have, in Jesus, the perfect model of faithfulness, one of the crowning qualities of the Son.

In contrast to the ones the world commends and rewards… people who achieve great success, people who have beauty or intellect, people who are in the forefront in their particular discipline, people who generally stand out above others… Jesus made only one quality the criterion for reward, faithfulness.

1 Corinthians 4:2 NLT
[2] “Now, a person who is put in charge as a manager must be faithful.”

Unlike those who receive accolades for being greater or better than the rest in the world’s eyes, everyone is elegable for reward in God’s kingdom. It’s not about competition. It’s about character.

What are the qualifications that meet God’s standard of “faithfulness”? I suppose we can consider many requirements that form the list of boxes God might tick. Let’s look at some as a guideline for us as we strive for the greatest of all commendations, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”

These are random, not in order of priority.

Jesus told stories to illustrate His perspective of faithfulness.

  1. Faithful use of God’s resources

Matthew 25:14-16, 19-21 NLT
[14]“Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. He called together his servants and entrusted his money to them while he was gone. [15] He gave five bags of silver to one, two bags of silver to another, and one bag of silver to the last—dividing it in proportion to their abilities. He then left on his trip. [16]“The servant who received the five bags of silver began to invest the money and earned five more…
[19] “After a long time their master returned from his trip and called them to give an account of how they had used his money. [20] The servant to whom he had entrusted the five bags of silver came forward with five more and said, ‘Master, you gave me five bags of silver to invest, and I have earned five more.’ [21] “The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’ “

Note that, in his commendation of two of the servants, it was not the amount but the faithful stewardship of his resources that he praised. Each was rewarded according to his faithfulness.

  1. Faithful stewardship of duty

Matthew 24:45-47 NLT
[45] “A faithful, sensible servant is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them. [46] If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward. [47] I tell you the truth, the master will put that servant in charge of all he owns.”

Duty implies doing the assigned tasks. The faithful servant is one who gets on with the tasks assigned to him regardless of how long the master was away.

  1. Faithful stewardship of God’s Word

God’s Word is a package deal, a deposit given to His people for His divine purpose…to reveal the truth about Himself, His relation to people, and His requirements for His family for life under His reign. He gave it to us as a unit, to guard and keep intact, to believe and live by, and to pass on, unchanged, to the next generation.

Paul was careful to instruct his young protege, Timothy, about faithfulness to God’s Word, in three ways.

3a. Guard the integrity of God’s Word unaltered and unembellished.

2 Timothy 1:14 NLT
[14]”Through the power of the Holy Spirit who lives within us, carefully guard the precious truth that has been entrusted to you.”

3b. Pass God’s Word on to the next generation.

2 Timothy 2:2 NLT
[2] “You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others.”

2 Timothy 2:15 NLT
[15] “Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth.”

3c. Live by the requirements of God’s Word.

2 Timothy 3:16 NLT
[16] “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.”

  1. Faithful obedience to God’s calling and ministry

Paul’s example of faithfulness to his calling and ministry was impeccable…

1 Corinthians 9:16 NLT
[16]”Yet preaching the Good News is not something I can boast about. I am compelled by God to do it. How terrible for me if I didn’t preach the Good News!”

Romans 1:14-15 NLT
[14] “For I have a great sense of obligation to people in both the civilized world and the rest of the world, to the educated and uneducated alike. [15] So I am eager to come to you in Rome, too, to preach the Good News.”

…as was his counsel to young Timothy.

2 Timothy 4:5-8 NLT
[5] “But you should keep a clear mind in every situation. Don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at telling others the Good News, and fully carry out the ministry God has given you…”

Paul’s own life was a testimony, to Timothy, of his faithfulness and the anticipation of his reward.

“[6] As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God. The time of my death is near. [7] I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. [8] And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing.”

  1. Faithful use of spiritual gifts

Romans 12:6-8 NLT
[6]” +In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So, if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. [7] If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. [8] If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.”

  1. Faithfully doing good works

Revelation 19:7-8 NLT
[7]”Let us be glad and rejoice, and let us give honor to him. For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb, and his bride has prepared herself. [8] She has been given the finest of pure white linen to wear.” For the fine linen represents the good deeds of God’s holy people.”

Hebrews 13:16 NLT
[16]” And don’t forget to do good and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God.”

“Good works” represent the sum total of our obedience to Jesus as Lord.

  1. Faithful in prayer

Romans 12:12 NIV
[12] “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”

Faithful, as in keeping in touch with the Father, through the Son, in the power of the Spirit, to stay on track and to keep on doing the Father’s will.

There may be other evidences of faithfulness to the Lord and His work but these seven are sufficient to give us an idea of what faithfulness requires.

Jesus said we must always be ready for His return so that we are not caught off guard when He comes. Despite the unexpectedness of His appearing, we can always be assured that we are ready if we continue faithfully and lovingly to serve Him and His people untiringly, day after day, in these ways.

Matthew 24:42 NLT
[42] “So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming.”

1 Corinthians 15:58 NLT
[58] “So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.”

WHAT IS “FAITHFULNESS”?-1

Bible Study, ,

We don’t have to look very far for an example of supreme faithfulness that sets the standard and the tone for what the Lord requires of His children…God Himself is faithful.

As always, who God is and what He does is the foundation of our response to Him. If He requires faithfulness in His children, He is first faithful to us in specific ways as God.

First, God is faithful to Himself…to His character and His ways. He is predictable when it comes to who He is. God is holy/love. This means that He fits perfectly and always, in His Words and works, into these two absolute qualities. Whatever He says and does matches who He is.

He is holy meaning, first, that He is absolutely separate from sin and, second, He is always consistent with who He is. He will never deviate from His perfect purity and He will never act out of character.

Moses’ encounter with the pre-incarnste Jesus at the burning bush gave him opportunity to ask Him His name. Why was this significant? In Biblical thought, a name is “a prophetic utterance of character”, (so I learned). Babies were often named according to the circumstances of their birth and/or in anticipation of who they would become.

So, Moses asked for much more than the title, the name by which the Deity he met would be known. He wanted to know who this God really was.

The reply was enigmatic, yet explanatory at the same time, YHWH in Hebrew, implies the absolute certainty of His being. In three tenses, Jesus was saying, “I am who I am,”, ” I was who I was,”, and “I will be who I will be!” This simple name was much more than a handle. It was a guarantee that He would never change. He would always be faithful to Himself in nature and function.

Scripture endorses the significance of that name in all the stories and records of His dealings with humans, both His own people, and the nations surrounding them. Whether He dealt with them in mercy or judgment, He was faithful to His name. Some people even added to that name a hyphenated description of who He was to them in their experience, for example, to Abraham Yahweh became YHWH-JIREH, Yahweh who provides. To Moses and the Israelites, He was YHWH-NISSI, Yahweh our banner, etc.

Hebrews 13:8 NIV
[8] “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

2 Timothy 2:13 NLT
[13] “If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny who he is.”

What security in the assurance that God is not influenced by our circumstances. He will always be faithful to Himself…the God who is holy love.

Second, God is faithful to His Word. Again, I learned that God’s Word is “the manifestation of Himself in another form”. How true this is in the incarnation of Jesus! He came to earth as God’s Word in person.

John 1:14 NLT
[14] “So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.”

Jesus not only spoke God’s Word. He WAS the Word. He declared two fundamental truths about the Word…

John 17:17 NLT
[17]”Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is TRUTH.”

John 14:6 NLT
[6] “Jesus told him, “I am the way, the TRUTH, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.”

So, Jesus was and is God’s final and complete message to the world and perfectly consistent with who He is…

Hebrews 1:1-2 NLT
[1] “Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. [2] And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he created the universe.”

Third, Jesus was faithful to His calling.

Hebrews 3:1-2 NLT
[1]”And so, dear brothers and sisters who belong to God and are partners with those called to heaven, think carefully about this Jesus whom we declare to be God’s messenger and High Priest. [2] For he was faithful to God, who appointed him, just as Moses served faithfully when he was entrusted with God’s entire house.”

Jesus lived for and obeyed the Father even to the cruel death He suffered on the cross.

Psalms 40:6-10 NLT
[6]”You take no delight in sacrifices or offerings. Now that you have made me listen, I finally understand— you don’t require burnt offerings or sin offerings. [7] Then I said, “Look, I have come. As is written about me in the Scriptures: [8] I take joy in doing your will, my God, for your instructions are written on my heart…”

Part of Messiah’s role on earth was to reveal the true nature of the Father.

“…[9] I have told all your people about your justice. I have not been afraid to speak out, as you, O Lord, well know. [10] I have not kept the good news of your justice hidden in my heart; I have talked about your faithfulness and saving power. I have told everyone in the great assembly of your unfailing love and faithfulness.”

So, He did the Father’s will…

Philippians 2:7-8 NLT
[7]” Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, [8] he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.”

Fourth, Jesus, the Son of God, is faithful to His “house”.

Hebrews 3:5-6 NIV
[5] “Moses was faithful as a servant in all God’s house,” bearing witness to what would be spoken by God in the future. [6] But Christ is faithful as the Son over God’s house. And we are his house, if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope in which we glory.”

Jesus is head of the church, His house or household of redeemed people. He is in charge of all things, i.e.,

Ephesians 1:22-23 NLT
[22]”God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. [23] And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.”

He loves, leads, and serves the church as His bride-to-be in preparation for and inticipation of His return.

Ephesians 5:25-27 NIV
[25]”…Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her [26] to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, [27] and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.”

Fifth, Jesus is faithful to His promises.

2 Corinthians 1:19-20 NLT
[19]” For Jesus Christ, the Son of God, does not waver between “Yes” and “No.” He is the one whom Silas, Timothy, and I preached to you, and as God’s ultimate “Yes,” he always does what he says. [20] For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for his glory.”

Jesus’ faithfulness…to Himself, His calling, His work, His people, and His promises…forms the solid foundation for His requirement of faithfulness to Him in all the facets of our lives and service.

“What a celebration of who you are, Jesus, what you have done, and what you are doing as God-made-flesh so that we can become replicas of who you are! Every detail of my faithfulness to you, tattered and shredded as it is because of who I am, is a glad celebration of You, or not at all!”

PARTNERSHIP THROUGH PRAYER

Christian life, ,

I have copied and posted this article in total, gladly acknowledging its source because I believe that this is the recovery of a powerful “tool” in the hands of the church today.
“We often think about the relationship between the Apostle Paul and the New Testament churches as a one-way street. Paul’s impact on the churches is obvious, as his letters instruct them about God’s truths. But we don’t think the other way round, about how the churches impacted Paul’s life and ministry.

“Recently, I had an opportunity to study Philippians. As I studied the core message and the context of this letter, I realized how much Paul’s success in ministry was dependent on the churches that he wrote to. I can see that these churches impacted his ministry greatly. That’s why, in all his letters, he commended them for such great support. In Philippians, he called that a partnership in the gospel. What does a true partnership look like? There are two elements— material support and prayer—and they go both ways.

“Paul wrote the letter to the church in Philippi while he was in prison in Rome. He started by saying, “I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now” (1:3-5). This partnership they had with Paul was “both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel” (1:7-8).

“He appreciated them so much that at the end of his letter he repeated with an emphasis, “And you Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only.” By the way, the core message of Philippians is about partnership, not joy as I used to think.

“This church not only partnered with him by sending gifts to meet his need but also in prayer. When they knew that Paul was in prison for the sake of the gospel, they prayed earnestly for his deliverance. Paul knew about this through Epaphroditus, whom they sent to help Paul (4:18). And now Paul sent him back with the letter (2:25). In verse 19 of chapter 2, he said, “Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance.”

“Often, we think that material support is more important than prayer. We are happy to cut a check every month for a ministry, but spending time to pray for them is more difficult for us. We can see immediate result of our material support, while prayer takes time. Often we are not patient enough, so we focus on the first one.

“In all Paul’s mission trips, everywhere he went, he faced a lot of hardship and persecution, especially from the Jews, even believing Jews. Paul knew the importance of prayer, as he urged believers to pray for his deliverance, acceptance, and fruitful result. “I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf, that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, so that by God’s will I may come to you with joy and be refreshed in your company. May the God of peace be with you all. Amen” (Romans 15:30-32). Interestingly, he used the word strive to describe prayer, which means struggle or fight vigorously. Partnership through prayer requires hard work and humility.

“The call for prayer and intercession for ministry is so clear in Paul’s letters. To the Corinthians, who had problems with Paul because they listened to false teachers, he said, “Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and He will deliver us. On Him we have set our hope that, He will deliver us again. You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many” (2 Corinthians 1:10-11). Prayer heals relationships and brings hope; it shows our dependence on God’s power.

“To the Hebrews, Paul wrote, “Pray for us. We are sure that we have a clear conscience and desire to live honorably in every way. I particularly urge you to pray so that I may be restored to you soon” (Hebrews 13:18-19). Prayer is one way for us to connect with God and be cleansed.

“And there are many more verses like these throughout the New Testament.

” Our organization is working in many countries with unique challenges and needs, and they are not often material. In those circumstances, your prayers are what we need, more than anything else. I believe that our faith will increase as we see God’s power and glory revealed through your prayers in tough situations. I believe whether we are in the mission field or staying at home, we are all together for the Kingdom of God and that we can partner in the way God showed us in His Word.”

Acknowledgement

https://reconciledworld.com
Article: Parnership Through Prayer

About the Author: Nam
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Nam is the International Director of the Truth Centered Transformation program which keeps him moving. He spends 40 weeks a year on the road! Beyond seeing the world, his great passions are coffee and photography.