Monthly Archives: January 2021

THE FIERY ORDEAL

January 16, 2021Bible Studyfiery ordeal, rejoice, testLuella Campbell

THE FIERY ORDEAL

Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when His glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. (1 Peter 4: 12-14)

What was the fiery ordeal of which Peter spoke? In his day it was the persecution of believers at the hands of Nero. There were no lengths to which Nero would not go to rid the empire of the followers of Jesus. Their lives were forfeit at the hands of gladiators, ferocious and half-starved wild beasts kept especially for the purpose, and fire; Christians were covered with pitch and set alight to amuse the emperor and entertain his guests at his lavish garden parties.

Don’t be surprised, said Peter, when this happens. Was this the way Jesus’s followers were normally treated? Peter was merely echoing Jesus’s many warnings that following Him would be no walk in the park. The world then, as now, was polarised into two camps. Jesus said it would be so. He did not come to bring peace but a sword.

‘Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law – a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household. (Matt. 10: 34-36)

But Jesus, I thought you came to bring peace? Is that not the promise the angel brought when he announced your birth to the shepherds outside Bethlehem? “Glory to God in the highest heaven and on earth peace to those on whom His favour rests.” The disciples were convinced that Jesus’s mission was to conquer the occupying Roman forces and restore their land to them as it was in David’s day. However hard He tried, Jesus could not convince them otherwise.

Yes, Jesus did come to bring peace, but not the kind of peace they anticipated. His peace was the peace between His Father and His estranged children, reconciliation through His blood which would bring them restoration to their place in God’s household as His sons and daughters.

Of necessity, this new relationship with God would produce a chasm between believers and unbelievers. Everyone who sided with the devil would be in the opposite camp to those who followed Jesus. It would have to be because of the irreconcilable rift between the devil and God. So deep was the hatred in the hearts of unbelievers that they would do anything to get rid of the scourge of those who constantly irritated their conscience by their godly lives.

Peter said, ‘Don’t be surprised.’ The moment they stepped over, through faith, into the camp of those who followed Jesus because they were convinced that it was He, not Caesar, who was the true Son of God, they became marked people. On the contrary, as Peter echoed the words of His Master:

Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matt. 5: 11, 12)

Instead of complaining or even retaliating, they were to rejoice in the midst of their suffering because it was for His sake that they were facing their fiery ordeal – and they were in good company. The prophets faced and endured the same treatment at the hands of God’s own people. Persecution would be transient and a part of their experience in this life only, but their reward would be eternal.

Jesus even told His disciples not to be afraid of those who could only kill the body and, after that could do no more to them. The body was destined to perish anyway, to make way for a resurrection body that would be eternal and imperishable like the body of their resurrected Lord. They were to live in reverent fear of the one who had the power to destroy them forever in hell.

On top of their temporary suffering which would give way to eternal glory, the very suffering they had to endure to experience forever the glory of God would bring them the overshadowing power of God’s Spirit to endure it in a way the echoed the suffering of Jesus. Far from being a raw ordeal, like Stephen who, in the midst of his ordeal, saw Jesus awaiting his arrival in glory, they would also have God’s Spirit resting on them.

Have you ever wondered how the people in Peter’s day, and even those at the present time who are being tortured and beheaded for their faith, were able to endure? We tremble at the very thought, but God’s promise still stands:

My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. (2 Cor. 12: 9)

FAITHFUL STEWARDS OF GOD’S GRACE

January 15, 2021Bible Studyfaithful stewards, gift, God's graceLuella Campbell

FAITHFUL STEWARDS OF GOD’S GRACE

Each of your should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory and the power for ever. Amen. (1 Peter 4: 10, 11)

Get a hold of that!

Spiritual gifts – what are they? In many people’s book, they are the reason to put themselves a cut above other believers. ‘I have the gift of . . . ‘ Tongues? Word of knowledge? Discerning of spirits? Healing? Faith? Wisdom? These all have levels of superiority. If you have this gift, or that gift, you are a very spiritual Christian – in fact, if you can speak in tongues, you have the evidence that you are ‘Spirit-filled’! Really? Is that how Paul classified a true believer?

In my Bible the evidence of a child of God is clear:

For if you live according to the flesh, you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. For those who are led by the Spirit are the children of God. (Rom. 8: 13, 14)

What is the purpose of spiritual gifts, then? Whose gifts are they? Some of us act as though they are our gifts – as though we earned them and we have them to enhance our prestige in the Christian world. God forbid! Spiritual gifts are gifts of the Spirit and they are lent to us for only one purpose – to serve the body of Christ. The Holy Spirit channels His power through ordinary human beings who are obedient to Him to minister to the needs of Jesus’s body.

We cannot claim to own any gift. The Holy Spirit gives them according to His will. He is free to give or withdraw His gifts as He chooses according to our availability and obedience. As always, we are to be stewards of God’s grace, not owners or dispensers as though we were handing out sweets t o little children. God’s gifts are a sacred trust. We cannot use them according to our whims but in obedience to His will.

There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them it is the same God at work. (1 Cor. 12: 4-6)

Spiritual gifts are not a title or an office but a function. Even functions like apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher are not offices or titles which give us a position in the church; they are functions which serve Jesus’s body.

So, Christ Himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers to equip His people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up. (Eph. 4: 11, 12)

How tragic that people who are supposed to serve in these functions have taken them to be titles and used them to elevate themselves over their fellow believers as the authority in the church! Even people who have had theological training think that they are a cut above unlearned believers, as though head knowledge makes them superior to everyone else.

As for you, the anointing you have received from Him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as His anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit – just as it has taught you, remain in Him. (1 John 2:27)

Jesus chose relatively uneducated men to be His disciples so that He could teach them His truth and send them out to replicate Him in the world.

Spiritual gifts are a trust from God to us as His sons and daughters, not a reward for good behaviour, to be used to serve His people, not to enrich ourselves or to enhance our reputation. They will always remain His gifts, not ours. We are accountable to Him for what we do with them. We are to be stewards of His grace as faithful servants, always keeping the mind-set of a servant.

God’s grace is multi-faceted, ministering healing, deliverance and hope to the broken and helpless. He apportions His gifts of grace to reliable stewards who will use and not prostitute His gifts for the enrichment of self or others. In that spirit, let us give freely to the needy of that which He has given us.

LIVE FOR OTHERS

January 14, 2021Bible Studyhospitality, love, prayLuella Campbell

LIVE FOR OTHERS

The end of all things is near, Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you can pray. Above all, love each other deeply because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. (1 Peter 4: 7-10)

Peter and Paul must have shared many hours together and many thoughts about their understanding of what the Christian journey was all about. Peter echoed Paul’s instructions about prayer which we have already studied in Col. 4. In fact, what he wrote is almost word-for-word Paul’s words.

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. (Col. 4: 2)

Prayer is a pivotal part of our lives as followers of Jesus. Prayer is the unique activity of a son. Jesus’s role on earth was to take us to the Father so that we can interact with Him as His sons and daughters. For what purpose? To get to know the Father, to listen to Him and to submit to His authority and His will. Our task is to reproduce Jesus on earth so that His will and purposes will overtake and replace the rebellious designs of mankind. We are here for Him, not Him for us. To listen to Him is our greatest privilege and responsibility and that happens, among other things, through prayer.

And for the rest, our lives are to be lived for others. Jesus came to earth both as a son and a servant. By serving people He served the Father. Strange as it may seem, a child’s primary responsibility is to learn submission and obedience and in so doing to serve his father. How else will the family unit be established? Unless God’s authority structures are followed, the unity He envisages in the family cannot happen.

The pattern for unity is the Godhead; each one serving the other for the mutual benefit of all. When unity is disturbed, the entire universe descends into chaos and disintegration. The way to establish and maintain unity is through mutual submission and loving service.

That brings me to another thought. Power in the kingdoms of men and in the kingdom of God are in direct opposition. In the world, power is exerted by one person over another. Power is about controlling other people for one’s own ends. If people do not reciprocate, the next step is force. Make them do what I want by whatever means works – intimidation, manipulation, domination. That is Satan’s way.

Power God’s way is through self-control. Part of the miracle of the new birth is the infusion of God’s nature into the believer. He has given us His nature – mirrored in Jesus so that real power begins to operate when we respond as Jesus did to sin. Jesus showed us how it is done. Submission to the Father motivated Him to take everything that was thrown at Him without retaliating. By not participating in the sin of those who crucified Him (and that includes you and me), Jesus put an end to it right there, in His body, when they nailed Him to the cross.

Our way is to react, retaliate, take revenge or allow our anger and hatred to fester inside. Sooner or later, we will take it out on someone close to us, and so the sin of others is perpetuated in us and through us. The good news is that God is the just judge. We can leave it to Him to fight for us. How much better to let it go when we have been wronged, knowing full well that we can, like Jesus, entrust ourselves to Him who judges justly (1 Peter. 2: 23)

So, Peter said, instead of spending your time fighting your own cause, let God do it for you. It is better to spend your time serving others because, in this way you’ll be spreading goodwill around you instead of fomenting hatred and bitterness. This is the way of the kingdom. By serving others, we confirm our relationship to God as His children. We resemble Jesus, our elder brother, by acting the way He did and we, in the end, earn the right to have authority in God’s kingdom.

By investing our time and abilities in the wellbeing of others, at our own expense, we will grow in the likeness of God, whose nature is in us, and we will put to death the old selfish nature that leads to death.

ACCOUNTABLE TO HIM

January 13, 2021Bible Studyabuse, give an account, wild livingLuella Campbell

ACCOUNTABLE TO HIM

They are surprised that you do not join them in their reckless, wild living, and they heap abuse on you. But they will have to give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. For this reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged according to human standards in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to the spirit. (1 Peter 4: 4-6)

Accountability isn’t something that people like to acknowledge or even think about. Is that not the reason there are atheists in the world? It’s not so much about a belief system that honestly denies the existence of God. To use the word “God” is to acknowledge His existence. It is impossible to believe in something that does not exist. If God did not exist, it would be like saying, ‘I do not believe in paragoodles!’ We don’t talk about paragoodles because there is no such thing, and yet we talk about God because He is.

The real issue is accountability. If someone conveniently hides behind his insistence that God does not exist, he can fool himself into thinking that he can live as he likes and get away with it. However, that still does not excuse him from having to answer to God. In fact, it compounds his guilt because he is lying about God as well as living recklessly in sin.

Every human being is born with a conscience and a God-consciousness. It cannot be otherwise because every human being is created in the image of God. We are inextricably linked to our Creator, whether we like it or not. We are His offspring (Acts17: 28). We are ‘from Him and through Him and for Him’ (Rom. 11: 36).

The problem is that being aware of coming judgment does not stop people from living wildly and recklessly. It only intensifies their wickedness because they know their day is coming. The devil is well aware that his doom is sealed and his judgment is sure. The Holy Spirit constantly makes him aware of that!

When He (the Holy Spirit) comes, He will convince the world about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned. (John 16: 8a, 11).

God is inescapable. David knew it well when he wrote:

Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, ‘surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night about me,’ even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. (Psa. 139: 7-12)

Instead of running from God, he ran to Him because he knew that, in God he was safe from His wrath when he was honest about his sin.

Solomon’s conclusion, after exploring every possible way of living that would give meaning to him, was:

Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter. Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil. (Eccles. 12: 13, 14)

Peter touches on a very real problem. People who live wildly and recklessly in sin do not want to go down alone. They will do everything they can to take others down with them. Paul was also aware of this when he wrote:

Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practise them. (Rom. 1:32)

We can be sure of one thing: just as surely as every person will die, just as surely, every person will face God and give an account of his or her life to Him.

Then I saw a great white throne and Him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from His presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and the books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. . . Anyone whose name was not found in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire. (Rev. 20:11, 12, 15)

The only place of safety from the judgment of God is the ‘ark’ – the Lord Jesus Christ, because God’s judgment on sin has already fallen on Him!

HOW DOES SUFFERING DEAL WITH SIN?

January 12, 2021Bible StudyChrist suffered, done with sin, same attitudeLuella Campbell

HOW DOES SUFFERING DEAL WITH SIN?

Therefore, since Christ suffered in His body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin. As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans do – living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry. (1 Peter 4: 1-3)

Again Peter’s words are puzzling. If we take them at face value, we may come up with some strange doctrines. If we suffer, do we become our own saviour? We must once again read them in conjunction with the rest of Scripture to get his meaning.

First of all, what was the purpose of Christ’s suffering? Jesus suffered in His body – as a perfect, sinless human being because He had to be our substitute in every way. His suffering and death as God’s sacrificial lamb atoned for sin, took sin away and brought about cleansing of the heart and conscience for those who believe in Him. He suffered in obedience to the will of His Father, without retaliation or threats, entrusting Himself to Him who judges justly.

The theme of Peter’s letter is suffering, especially in the context of the cruel and unjust persecution of believers. How were they to respond to injustice? Peter’s message to them was – take it on the chin, just as Jesus did. Why should they? What good would it do them to be sitting ducks for every person who had it in for them for whatever reason? What benefit would it be to them?

Peter’s response: It’s about your attitude. Paul spoke about attitude as well. His words to the Philippian church were – have the same attitude as Jesus had (Phil. 2:5-9). He gave up all His rights as God to come to earth as a human being. He humbled Himself from being God to becoming a man, a slave and a condemned criminal. You can’t go any lower than that! Why did He do it? Because the Father required it of Him if He was to be the Saviour of the world.

Suffering for doing the right thing has a purging effect. Jesus said that persecution for His sake is a reason to rejoice, firstly because of our identity with Him and secondly because we are in good company (Matt. 5: 11, 12). The prophets of old suffered persecution and even death for proclaiming God’s word to His rebellious people. Persecution for Jesus’s sake sets people apart as belonging to Him. Who would be willing to lay down his life if he was not convinced of the truth?

One does not indulge in every form of wickedness and, at the same time, live in the conviction that Jesus is Lord. It just does not work that way. People are persecuted because their righteous lives are a threat to the wicked. Ungodly people hate godly people because godly lives show up the wickedness of the wicked. Their response is not to change but to get rid of the one whose good behaviour offends them. Religious people did that to Jesus and they will do it to anyone whose godly life offends them.

Peter’s counsel was: Don’t stop living a godly life because it gets you into trouble. Be like Jesus. He trusted His Father for justice and did God’s will anyway. If you take up that attitude, you won’t want to fulfil the evil desires that would pull you away from God. The people around you indulge every whim; they live to satisfy every lust, but your focus must be on doing God’s will. That’s the evidence of your true sonship.

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him. For everything in the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life – comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever. (1 John 2: 15-17)

To sum up then, the way Jesus lived and died is an example for us to follow. No matter what people did to Him, He trusted the Father and lived to do His will. His suffering did not destroy Him. On the contrary, it brought about our salvation. In the same way, if we suffer for our faith in Jesus, it will not destroy us. It will help to purge us from living sinful lives because we cannot experience persecution for our faith in Christ and live to satisfy our evil desires at the same time.

Our suffering does not take away our sin. Jesus’s suffering did that for us. However, it does take away our desire to sin because our hearts are set on living for Jesus and not for ourselves.

Ebenezer Family Church

HE IS RISEN!