Tag Archives: brothers and sisters

DOING LIFE TOGETHER

Bible Study, ,

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, and the unity that bonded them together.

“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 meantime, 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 put on 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!

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

NO FEAR OF DEATH

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NO FEAR OF DEATH

Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters. He says:

‘I will declare your name to my brothers and sisters; in the assembly I will sing your praises.’ And again, ‘I will put my trust in Him.’ And again He says, ‘Here I am and the children God has given me.’

Since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity so that by His death He might break the power of him who holds the power of death – that is, the devil – and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. (Heb. 2: 11-15)

No fear of death! Wow!

Why does the believer in Jesus no longer need to fear death? Because he no longer fears punishment! Jesus shared our humanity and took our punishment so that we are free to come home to the Father and to His perfect love.

There is no fear in love. But perfect loves drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. (1 John 4: 18)

Death has lost its terror since Jesus faced death for us and overcame. Death was the devil’s trump card because he knew that death was final and sealed the fate of all humanity. There was no escape and no return from death. Jesus took death on the chin for us and came back in a resurrection body that can never die again to tell us that He conquered death once and for all.

The devil went one step too far by having the Son of God put to death. He thought he would destroy Him forever and the chance for mankind to be rescued from his clutches. Death is the penalty for sin, but Jesus did not sin. Therefore, death could not hold Him forever. He passed through death and returned to declare that God’s estranged children were free to return home. The Father’s wrath against sin had been satisfied. Satan no longer had the power to hold us in death.

This was God’s final and most powerful act of perfect love. What seemed to be folly and weakness was the most powerful power in the universe – the power of love. Love accepted the worst that sinful people could do to an innocent man without His retaliating. Jesus bore the injustice, the insults, the physical agony and even the horror of being abandoned by the Father with nothing but perfect love. He forgave in the midst of His pain and died without a murmur or a word of rebuke or a threat of revenge.

When they hurled their insults at Him, He did not retaliate; when He suffered, He made no threats. Instead, He entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly. (1 Peter 2: 23)

Everything Jesus accomplished through the cross culminated in one thing – God’s children are free to return home. The implications are huge. Home! That means back to the Father’s dwelling place where we are safe in the Father’s care and eligible to participate in all the benefits and blessings of family life together with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

God is a family. He made us to be part of His family. He gave us His name; we are free to live with Him in His home; we have an inheritance with the Son; we share in all the resources, privileges and blessings of life in the family of God and we have the responsibility of representing the Father to the unbelieving world by demonstrating what it is like to live in God’s kingdom.

How amazing that we are actually brothers and sisters of Jesus and, what’s more, He’s proud to call us His brothers and sisters! How can that be? Because, through His death He has made us holy! Holy? Yes, holy, set apart for and belonging to God. We have a share in the nature of God (2 Peter 1: 4). We have the same nature as the Son. We are part of a new race made in the image of the last Adam, our elder brother, Jesus.

And we are free! Free to live life to the full because we have no fear of punishment or death. When death comes, we go home to the Father’s house to dwell with Him forever. And we die in the hope of resurrection because our Brother, Jesus, rose from the dead – and He is the firstfuits of the resurrection and the guarantee that we, too, will rise again.

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Doing Life Together

Bible Study, ,

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!

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.