Daily Archives: December 9, 2014

Doing Life Together

December 9, 2014Bible Studybrothers and sisters, God's people, greetLuella Campbell

DOING LIFE TOGETHER

“Greet all God’s people in Christ Jesus. The brothers and sisters who are with me send greetings. All God’s people here send you greetings, especially those who belong to Caesar’s household.

“The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.” Philippians 4:20-23.

After all that Paul had written about, perhaps some of his most significant words come at the end of his letter in his “signing off” statement. Once again he gives us a glimpse of the true meaning of “Christian” – people who belong to Christ – family! Paul was a catalyst – keeping people in touch with one another and fostering the family spirit by connecting the people in the churches and by constant interaction with them.

Paul was in prison in Caesar’s palace awaiting trial and possible execution, but that did not deter him from keeping the family together and urging them to support one another. He was the one who initiated the collection of money to help believers in Judea who were suffering because of famine in their area. He urged the churches in Greece to show their love by helping them in their need.

He constantly sent fellow workers to check on the believers in other places when he was unable to go himself. He often concluded his letters with greetings from individuals and church groups even though they did not know each other personally. Paul was a family man. He understood how important it was for God’s family to stand together because it was them against the world.

How many churches today are run more like a business than a family! We live in our little isolated islands, meeting together on a Sunday and perhaps once during the week, but for the most part not really involved in the lives of the other members of the family of God. Of course the church is now worldwide and too big and scattered for us to be connected across the board. But what about the local congregation of which we are members?

Not all churches are groups of impersonally disconnected individuals. Thank God for those who take their responsibility of doing life together seriously! Jesus said that the mark of true discipleship that will convince the world far more than doctrine or success is the love of the disciples for one another.

“One another” is a recurring phrase that sets the church apart from the world. That does not mean that life in the body of Christ is idyllic – far from it. We still drag our old fleshly nature around with us and will do so until we shed this body and step into the presence of Jesus. In the mean time we learn to overcome our natural selfishness and self-centredness by serving one another. We learn to love by loving. We learn to give by giving. Little by little, deed by deed, we subdue our old “man” by putting on the new man.

Doing life together can be messy at times. Conflicts will happen, but how we deal with them reveals how real our determination is to follow our Master. That’s why we forgive – four hundred and ninety times a day if necessary. Who is going to keep a record, anyway? Jesus’ prescription for harmony in the family is very simple – die! Dead people don’t quarrel. Dead people are not selfish. A truly “dead’ believer has no personal agenda because his life is inextricable intertwined with his Lord’s.

How we do life together in our church family is a good test of how dead we really are. We can either withdraw and distance ourselves from the mess, even if we are part of it or we can get in there, get dirty and help clean it up. Paul put it in a nutshell:

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with one another and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” Colossians 3:12-14.

Did you get that? Put on these attitudes as you would your clothing in the morning. Keep putting on the behaviour until you become what you do. Why must we do that? Because we may! We are no longer the slaves of our old sinful, selfish selves. We are free to love and loving is the most liberating way to live. Loving our brothers and sisters in the Lord by meeting their needs at our expense moves us closer to the image of Jesus.

And that’s what it’s all about!

Acceptable Sacrifices

December 9, 2014Bible Studyacceptable sacrifice, fragrant offering, full payment, pleasing to GodLuella Campbell

ACCEPTABLE SACRIFICES

“I have received full payment and have more than enough, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” Philippians 4:18, 19.

Now we have the full picture. Although giving to meet the needs of others is our duty, it is much more than our duty. Paul said that it is an act of worship! It is one of the sacrifices that we offer to God as an expression of adoration and praise to Him. Yes, we no longer need to sacrifice animals to worship the Lord but we still offer sacrifices that are pleasing to Him.

1. Our bodies – Romans 12:1

2. Our praise – Hebrews 13:15

3. Our generous attitude – Hebrews 13:16

4. Our resources – Philippians 4:18

5. Our submissive hearts – Psalm 51:17

In our meditation yesterday, we explored God’s way of keeping His resources circulating, by giving and receiving. God’s way of meeting our needs and the needs of others is through people. When we give to others, we create a current which comes back to us in our time of need and so there will be equality if we all play our part.

When people hoard their money instead of keeping it flowing, they opt out of the system and decrease the available resources to meet everyone else’s needs. We cannot claim God’s promise to meet our needs if we are not fulfilling the condition to help others. Philippians 4:19 is not blanket promise for everyone to claim, especially those who are not fulfilling the condition attached to the promise.

It amazes me how many believers have not taken the trouble to understand God’s ways. He is not a sugar daddy who indulgently dishes out whatever His children ask for, regardless of their obedience to His instructions. God works in accordance with His own laws and not in a disorderly and haphazard fashion. His law of sowing and reaping applies in the realm of agriculture and in every area of our lives as well.

“Nevertheless, the one who receives instruction in the word should share all good things with his instructor. Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.” Galatians 6:6, 7.

When hard times come, people pray desperately for financial help but nothing happens. Why? They have mocked God by failing to sow for a harvest. Would it be right for God to give on demand and violate His own law? That would make Him unreliable, and that is unthinkable! Instead of praying for help, sow some seeds and the harvest is guaranteed.

But is it not wrong to give to get? Is it wrong to sow a field full of wheat and not expect a harvest? The point of sowing seed is to have bread to eat and seed to sow again. A farmer would be a fool if he ate all his seed or stashed it away in his barn and failed to sow for the next harvest.

Jesus told a story about a greedy farmer who had a bumper crop which he stored away in bigger barns he had built to accommodate his increased yield. He sat back to enjoy his bounty with not a thought for the God who had provided for him. God called him a fool and took his life because of his selfishness. His harvest would go to provide for others, not because he was generous but because God had others to provide for as well.

How much better when we worship the Lord for His goodness to us by caring for His children so that they, in turn can also be generous when their opportunity comes. When God can trust us not to hoard our money but to keep it circulating so that everyone has enough, He will increase the bounty He lavishes on us because He is that kind of God. But if He cannot trust us with the little we have, He cannot give us more.

Giving to God when we have little ourselves may be difficult, but it is a step of faith as well as an act of worship. God challenges us as He challenged the Israelites in Malachi 3:10:

“‘Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,’ says the Lord Almighty, ‘and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.'”

Try it! God will never go back on His promise.

Freely Give

December 9, 2014Bible Studyaccount, credited, giving, receivingLuella Campbell

FREELY GIVE

“Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles. Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid more than once when I was in need. Not that I desire your gifts; what I desire is that more be credited to your account.” Philippians 4:14-17.

Aha! So Paul also had problems with stingy people in the churches in his day! It is not only a problem with modern-day churches to have financial constraints because God’s people do not understand their duty. They had it too.

Hidden in this short paragraph are some valuable truths about money and our duty to God. Why do I call it duty? Doesn’t the word “duty” take the joy and pleasure out of giving? Not at all! Duty does not make our responsibilities to God into drudgery. It rather highlights what God expects of us as His children and where we fail when we do not realise what we owe Him. Duty has to do with function, not attitude.

As citizens of the kingdom of God, we have certain duties and responsibilities just as we have in our own country. God runs His economic system on principles which are clearly taught in Scripture. Unlike the world’s system which is based on buying and selling and on investment and interest, God runs His on the principle of giving and receiving, and sowing and reaping.

Firstly, we need to get our thinking straight. Moses warned the Israelites before they entered the Promised Land to remember, when they began to prosper, that it was God who gave them the power to get wealth (Deuteronomy 8:17, 18). We are stewards, not owners of our resources. Therefore we have a duty to use them according to God’s instructions.

When we hoard our money and possessions, and fail to provide for the needs of others, we are breaking God’s covenant with us (Deuteronomy 8:18); stealing God’s resources (Malachi 3:8-10), and refusing to wear Jesus’ yoke. He was generous because God is generous. We are obliged to wear His yoke in everything He taught and did, or we are disqualified from being His disciple (Matthew 16:24-26). His prescription for us is:

“…Freely you have received; freely give.” Matthew 10:8.

Like the earthly system, we can accumulate wealth in the kingdom of God and secure it in a “heavenly” bank account. Jesus taught His disciples that what they gave away to others in need was deposited in their heavenly account where it was safe from corruption and loss (Matthew 6:19-21). What’s more, their heart would be where their money was deposited.

God’s way of providing for people is to keep the resources circulating. He works through people. Needs are met through giving and receiving. Hence Paul’s words to the Philippians: “…not one church shared in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only…” They were the only ones who understood how God works; not only giving but also receiving. Their needs would be met in the same way if they were willing to help others.

God’s intention is that everyone should have enough. By sharing instead of hoarding our resources, we make sure that there is equality instead of inequality in what God has provided for us to live on this planet. Greed and stinginess haves no place in God’s scheme of things. Stingy believers are a contradiction because God has set us free from the love of money so that we can share in His divine nature.

“Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. At the present time your plenty will supply what they need so that, in turn their plenty will supply what you need. The goal is equality, as it is written, ‘The one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little.'” 2 Corinthians 8:13-15.

Paul valued their understanding and obedience to the word of God even more than the actual gift they sent him because he knew that they would be the recipients of God’s provision and blessing. What a lovely attitude! He knew that when they gave to him, they would benefit as much as he did and he rejoiced for their sake.

Contented In Any Situation

December 9, 2014Bible Studycontent, learned, plenty, wantLuella Campbell

CONTENTED IN ANY SITUATION

“I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned but you had no opportunity to show it. I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:10-13.

Imagine living in a world with no e-mail and no internet banking! We have it so easy today that living in Paul’s day where the postal and banking services were carried out on foot, is unthinkable.

That makes Paul’s comments about being content in every circumstance even more amazing. Here he was, incarcerated in a high security prison in Caesar’s palace, shackled to a Roman soldier as though he were a dangerous criminal, cut off from the outside world, and especially from his friends and the churches that he loved so much, and he says he’s content! How could he be content in a situation like that?

Paul said that he had learned the secret. How did he learn it? He learned it through trusting God in his suffering. His story, recorded for us in the book of Acts reads like a spy thriller. His mission was to bring the truth of God to people who were embroiled in idolatry and enslaved by their own depraved lives. Instead of being welcomed and his message believed, he was treated like a felon, hounded from one city to another, beaten, stoned and imprisoned and his message discarded with contempt.

It would be like the prisoners on death row beating up their warden and throwing him out when he opened all their cell doors and told them that they had been pardoned and that they were free to leave.

Paul had no idea what the next day would bring for him. Would he be taken for trial? Would he be released or executed? Did he have a future or was today his last day? And he was content! It makes no sense to anyone who does not understand God’s promises or have the security of knowing who he is in Christ.

What was this contentment of which Paul spoke and what was its source? It was the attitude of absolute trust in God no matter what happened because he knew that God was in charge. It was something he had to learn, not natural to him as a human being. It was a supernatural gift of God’s grace given to him in his utter weakness. It was the ability to relax and let God take care of things for him because he was powerless to change anything.

How did Paul learn this attitude of quiet trust in the turbulence of his life? He learned it by trusting God before, in, and after the storm, when he could look back and see a pattern that revealed the hand of God over his life. Every bad patch he went through strengthened his conviction that it was okay to relax because God was there, until nothing fazed him no matter what life dished up to him. He was at peace in the knowledge that, even if they took his life, he was still secure in Christ.

Discontentment is evidence that we believe that God is being unfair and that He has short-changed us. We look at others and envy them for their circumstances, their gifts, their jobs, their position, their influence, their wives, husbands, children and…and…and! We chafe when life is hard. We can’t wait for this, that or the other to happen. We are always borrowing from tomorrow instead of living fully today.

Paul measured the slowness of the Philippians’ response to his needs against his ability to be at peace in jail and he could reassure them that he understood and that it was okay because he was not driven by his circumstances or his needs. They did what they could and he appreciated their concern for him. What they could not do did not matter because his heart was at peace.

Out of the depth of his own suffering, and the confidence in his heavenly Father that suffering had taught him, Paul could say, “Godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world and we can take nothing out of it. If we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.” 1 Timothy 6;6-8.

There are three non-negotiable obligations for every believer in Jesus: to protect love, preserve unity and promote contentment. Imagine if these were the characteristics of every body of believers in the world!

Mind Your Mind

December 9, 2014Bible Studynoble, practice, pure, right, think, trueLuella Campbell

MIND YOUR MIND

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if there is anything excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received from me, or seen in me – put into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” Philippians 4:8-9.

Paul’s prescription for living ends in a crescendo of triumphant declaration – the God of peace will be with you. How did he get there?

The key is in your thought life. What we think, we are and what we think, we do. Anxious thoughts lead to foolish choices. The solution is to take possession of your mind and bend it towards God instead of indulging in random and undisciplined thinking.

This is not about playing mind games. This is about spiritual warfare. Yes, spiritual warfare! The notion that spiritual warfare is about pulling down demonic strongholds over nations and regions and flushing out demons from behind every bush is not Biblical and a complete waste of time. The way to deal with the devil is to give him no place in your mind

Deeds and actions are conceived in the mind according to what we believe to be true. The hijackers of American Airlines Flight 11 believed that they were doing God’s will and pleasing him when they flew the plane into the north tower of the Twin Towers in New York. Reciting prayers to Allah as the plane crashed into the tower, they thought that they were doing the right thing because it was in keeping with their understanding of the will of their god.

Just as it is impossible to be anxious and at peace at the same time, so it is impossible to think two conflicting thoughts at the same time. The only way to get rid of wrong thoughts is to replace them with thoughts about things that are good, pure and lovely. Where do we find thoughts like that when the world is continually bombarding us with thoughts of ungodliness?

We will think the thoughts about the things that we have fed into our minds. We live in an era of information overload. Most of the information we receive is either anti-God or completely ignores God as though He does not exist. Like the hijackers of 911, the world has hijacked God’s blessings and prostituted them on their own pleasure and for their own benefit, not giving Him a thought when they squander His resources on themselves.

As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ and citizens of God’s kingdom, we are not to be like that. We are to fuel our minds with thoughts that honour God so that what comes out will be words and actions that reflect His presence in our lives. Satan can only plant thought in our minds. He cannot control our choices. It is up to us to filter out the thoughts that are Satan-inspired and not a reflection of the nature of God in whose nature we have been recreated.

“The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:5, 6.

A mind shaped by learning to think the way God does by filling our minds with God’s word, is a disciplined mind. The outcome is astonishing. “The God of peace will be with you.” “What’s the big deal?” you say. “I thought that God is always with me.” Sure; that’s what He promised, but being with you and being with you are two entirely different things.

You can accompany a person who is committing a crime without being with him, approving of and supporting him in his action. On the other hand, you can be entirely with a person when he is doing a good deed, helping him wherever necessary so that the outcome is good. There are many references in Scripture where God was “with” a person so that he prospered and fulfilled his calling: Joseph in Egypt, Samuel, David as king of Israel and most of all, Jesus.

It’s that kind of being “with” us that Paul was emphasising. Just imagine – when you take the time to fill your mind with the word of God and begin to see your life from God’s perspective, instead of whining about your hardships, you will begin to praise Him. Difficulties will become opportunities, like they were for Joseph. Hardships will be lessons in trust, like they were for Paul. Don’t you think that you will experience God’s overwhelming peace because He is upholding and supporting you in your trial?

He will do anything for those who are willing to praise Him in trouble, because it is an expression of trust. And the outcome will be more than you can imagine of hope for just as it was for Joseph. Do the right thing for God and He will do the right thing for you. But you have to think it first!

Ebenezer Family Church

HE IS RISEN!