Tag Archives: encouragement

PARTNERS WITH GRACE

Bible Study, ,

Philippians 2:1-2 NLT
[1] “Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? [2] Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose.”

Look at these qualities that foster
unity!

Encouragement…comfort…
fellowship…tenderness and compassion…all so real in God’s people but so foreign to people who don’t know Jesus. These are “kingdom” characteristics that are formed in people who have been joined to Jesus by faith and are growing in maturity…the love and unity the Holy Spirit produces.

Not only did Paul desire and call for all the aspects of partnership we have already explored, but he also pointed them to partnership which grew from within. The inward qualities of a believer, the fruit of the Holy Spirit’s transformation, made unity possible.

It’s all about attitude. This is what Meta says about attitude.

“Attitude refers to a person’s perspective, outlook, or disposition towards something, often influenced by their emotions, experiences, and values. It encompasses their thoughts, feelings, and behaviours, shaping how they interact with and respond to various situations, people, and environments.”

That’s comprehensive, isn’t it! Paul points to the importance of the attitude that shapes the way God’s children navigate the world and relationships with people, with all their trials, temptations and challenges.

God’s grace has made this transformation possible. Without Him, people are doomed to live selfish, aggressive, and hostile lives, always pleasing and protecting themselves at the expense of others. Grace has freed us from the “me first” attitude that is self-destructive. “Ingrown eyeballs” give way to the attitude Jesus displayed…the self-giving love that made salvation possible.

The attitude of God’s children focuses on being and doing whatever builds others up. When believers foster this all-encompassing attitude, and partner with the character of Jesus in their hearts, they will find no place for selfish ambition and self-gratification in their relationships with others.

How important, then, that we apply this truth to ourselves. God has given us the priceless gift of His Spirit to align us with all the fruits of His grace. Not only has He provided the Spirit’s presence and power to transform our attitudes but He has also given us the supreme of all examples to follow…Jesus Himself, the epitome of perfect obedience and unselfish giving!

There is a particular challenge for preachers, teachers, and writers of the Word. How easy to become hypocrites by reading and expanding on God’s Word for the benefit of others without taking heed to what the Word is saying. We can eagerly press others into obedience without obeying ourselves!

There are no trials and tests in life beyond us if we heed God’s promise of enough grace for every situation. With the strength of His grace, we can be overcomers in our struggle against the pull of the flesh.

Let me illustrate. I have an elderly friend who struggles with memory loss. As her condition worsened, I became increasingly impatient and irritated with her. Try as I did to overcome my attitude, , I left her after each encounter feeling guilty and ashamed of falling repeatedly into the same trap. I cried out for God’s grace but it seemed that God was deaf.

After weeks of struggling with myself, something changed in me. The struggle was over. Grace began to free me from myself. What was difficult became easy. I began to interact with her with compassion and patience. God’s love in me which had evaded me for so long, began to change my attitude towards her.

You see, I realised that partnering with God’s grace is real. It cannot happen through self-effort. I think the Lord allowed me to struggle for a while to show me that it was He, through His Spirit in me, that made the change not me by the power of my self-will.

So, in all the issues of our lives, this partnership with the Holy Spirit is our only hope of obeying the Lord and producing the fruit that is evidence of God’s Spirit at work in us.

ON TO MATURITY

Bible Study, ,

ON TO MATURITY

“Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from His love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, of any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being in one spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking at your own interests but each of you to the interests of others.” Philippians 2:1-4.

Paul must have been relieved that he did not have to deal with false teaching or misconduct in the Philippian church. These people were a joy to him. Some of the churches he founded were still wading around in the shallows of false beliefs and ungodly behaviour. This group of people seemed to have grasped the truth from the beginning and were moving apace towards being mature in their faith and influential for Christ in their living out the gospel.

Paul was happy to be able to add some polish to their lives by urging them on to unity which was the high tide mark of the true church. The gospel and their faith in Christ had brought them into the realm of the Spirit of God where the values of the kingdom were becoming more meaningful and ever more evident in them despite their environment.

Like all the other churches, they were like lilies blooming in the swamp. All around them people lived in the ungodliness of their sinful natures. There were no boundaries to their wicked behaviour because they were living out the nature of the gods they worshipped. However, in the church and in their lives together, the values of the kingdom of God were appearing more and more: unity with Christ, the comfort of His love, caring and sharing among the people in the Body, tenderness and compassion, were all there in increasing measure.

This delighted Paul. It was what the gospel was all about – not just believing in Jesus as a passport to heaven, a free ticket to God’s forgiveness and access to all His blessings. The gospel was about yielding to Christ as their new Master and living in the world by His power and in line with His nature.

All this is moving towards the goal of God’s creation. Adam and Eve were created in the image of God to reflect Him by living in perfect harmony with him with one another and with the world which He created for them. God is one; He made the entire universe to be one, interconnected and interacting as a unit. Sin entered the world through Adam’s disobedience, disrupted the unity and brought death and destruction to God’s perfect creation.

Jesus came to earth, God in person, to restore the universe to its original state and to get God’s purpose back on track. Once the barrier of sin had been removed, God was able, through His Holy Spirit, to set His plan in motion to reunite estranged people to Himself and to each other. This was the evidence that Jesus accomplished what He had been sent to do.

Why does the church not understand this? Paul touched the nerve centre of man’s fallen nature – selfish ambition and vain conceit. As long as self rules, the life of that person will be out of sync with God’s intention to reunite everything in Christ as the head.

“For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through the blood of His cross.” Colossians 1:19, 29, 20.

What is the key to real unity in the church? Paul gives us two simple steps: value others above yourselves and take care of the interests of others above your own. Is that difficult to do? Yes, it is if we are still alive to ourselves on the inside. No, it is not if we, like Paul, have died to ourselves and are alive to Christ and to what pleases Him. It all depends on how we view ourselves, alive or dead.

When we die to our old fleshly desires and appetites, we see ourselves from another perspective – not individuals taking care of ourselves first, but part of a living organism that functions as a unit, each part moving in unity with those around him. The goal is not for selfish benefit but for the benefit of the whole body. Then we can begin to experience heaven right here on earth and convince the world that Jesus was who He said He was and that He really came from heaven to restore everything that went wrong in the beginning.

Now Paul invites us to be a part of eternal plan!

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.

HE DESERVES THE PRAISE

Bible Study, ,

HE DESERVES THE PRAISE

“May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other than Christ Jesus had so that, with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.” Romans 15:5-7.

Once again, as he always did, Paul came full circle back to God as the one who works in everything and who deserves and must receive the credit for doing the work.

Our study of the Old Testament has many outcomes. 

We gain an understanding of the roots of our faith. It is not a human philosophy spawned in the fertile imagination of some mystic. It is the revelation of God to real people in real human circumstances in a real geographical place through real human experiences.

We watch and listen to their responses and learn how to interact with the same God through faith and obedience. Just as He met with them then, so He meets with us now and treats us with the same mercy and compassion He had towards them. We discover that His passion for our wellbeing is the same as it was for them. We learn to hear His voice and follow Him just as they were supposed to do but failed because of their stubborn rebellion. When we obey Him, we find that His promises are true.

We uncover some of the nuances of their culture and lifestyle. Against that backdrop, His word begins to make sense, even for us with a western, Greek-based mind-set. Middle Eastern cultural practices, and especially Jewish beliefs and behaviour take on new meaning and Jesus begins to emerge from the pages of the New Testament as a flesh-and-blood person with a real family background and history.

As we blend into the body of Christ from all nations and walks of life, we learn the meaning of unity. Everything God does is to restore unity between us and Him and between one another because unity is the essence of His being and image. Everything God made was intended to work together in unity to reflect the oneness in the Godhead.

He created the universe as a unit; every star, planet and heavenly body was meant to interact in harmony across space.  Sin disrupted the unity, but it will be restored when all imperfection is removed at Jesus’ return.

“The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, whether visible or invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

“And He is the head of the Body, the church, He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything He might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through His blood,  shed on the cross.”  Colossians 1:15-20.

Jesus removed the reason for the disruption of unity through His death. It is up to us to live out in practice what He achieved through the cross so that the world may see the miracle of restoration in the fellowship of the church. Unity is impossible in the world because human beings are irreconcilably alienated from one another by their selfishness.  Only through God’s power at work in us by the Holy Spirit can our hearts be transformed and the image of God be restored in us.

As we reflect God’s nature by our willingness to accept one another and live in harmony, God is glorified because it can only happen through His power at work in us. Jesus said:

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:35.

“I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one – I in them and you in me – so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” John 17:22, 23.

Acknowledgement

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.

TIMELESS WORD OF GOD

Pastor's Desk, ,

Dear Family
The timelessness of the Word of God continues to motivate and encourage me. I remain aghast at the way in which the Word works in and around my life in spite of the fact that nothing new has been written for nearly two thousand years. Clearly this book we have is inspired and useful for every area of our lives. When we choose to use it, to believe it, and to live it, we experience the “living and active” nature of it!
With so much insecurity going on in our country at the moment, it is easy to become bogged down in the weight of negativity that streams in from every angle. Humanly speaking, we are doomed! The politics and philosophies of this world are failing at every turn as selfish, greedy people continue to feather their own nests at the neglect of the many around them who have placed their faith and trust in them. Outside of the Word of God and the principles contained therein is only helplessness and hopelessness. However, as we gaze into the perfect law of God, we are encouraged and simply infused with hope. God has never failed, God is still on the throne, and God will accomplish His purposes with or without the co-operation of fallen man. Jesus came to seek and to save the lost—nothing has changed!
And so, as we look around and are tempted to slide into discouragement, let’s remember such simple truths as we read, for example, in Psalm 150:1 “Let everything that has breath, praise the LORD.” That’s not everything that is wealthy, or everything that is healthy, or everything that is happy, or everything that is rosy or hunky- dory. That’s simply, everything! Whatever your state or circumstances are, praise the LORD.

The most amazing thing happens when we do: our eyes are lifted off of our troubles onto His faithfulness, enabling Him to begin to work in our lives as He wants. Our Father loves us. He has promised to care for us, irrespective of our circumstances. Start today. Praise the LORD!

On To Maturity

Bible Study, , , ,

ON TO MATURITY

“Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from His love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, of any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being in one spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking at your own interests but each of you to the interests of others.” Philippians 2:1-4.

Paul must have been relieved that he did not have to deal with false teaching or misconduct in the Philippian church. These people were a joy to him. Some of the churches he founded were still wading around in the shallows of false beliefs and ungodly behaviour. This group of people seemed to have grasped the truth from the beginning and were moving apace towards being mature in their faith and influential for Christ in their living out the gospel.

Paul was happy to be able to add some polish to their lives by urging them on to unity which was the high tide mark of the true church. The gospel and their faith in Christ had brought them into the realm of the Spirit of God where the values of the kingdom were becoming more meaningful and ever more evident in them in spite of their environment.

Like all the other churches, they were like lilies blooming in the swamp. All around them people lived in the ungodliness of their sinful natures. There were no boundaries to their sinful behaviour because they were living out the nature of the gods they worshipped. But, in the church and in their lives together, the values of the kingdom of God were appearing more and more: unity with Christ, the comfort of His love, caring and sharing among the people in the Body, tenderness and compassion, were all there in increasing measure.

This delighted Paul. It was what the gospel was all about – not just believing in Jesus as a passport to heaven, a free ticket to God’s forgiveness and access to all His blessings. The gospel was about yielding to Christ as their new Master and living in the world by His power and in line with His nature.

All this is moving towards the goal of God’s creation. Adam and Eve were created in the image of God to reflect Him by living in perfect harmony with him with one another and with the world which He created for them. God is one; He made the entire universe to be one, interconnected and interacting as a unit. Sin entered the world through Adam’s disobedience, disrupted the unity and brought death and destruction to God’s perfect creation.

Jesus came to earth, God in person, to restore the universe to its original state and to get God’s purpose back on track. Once the barrier of sin had been removed, God was able, through His Holy Spirit, to set His plan in motion to reunite estranged people to himself and to each other. This was the evidence that Jesus accomplished what He had been sent to do.

Why does the church not understand this? Paul touched the nerve centre of man’s fallen nature – selfish ambition and vain conceit. As long as self rules, the life of that person will be out of sync with God’s intention to reunite everything in Christ as the head.

“For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through the blood of His cross.” Colossians 1:19, 29, 20.

What is the key to real unity in the church? Paul gives us two simple steps: value others above yourselves and take care of the interests of others above your own. Is that difficult to do? Yes, it is if we are still alive to ourselves on the inside. No, it is not if we, like Paul, have died to ourselves and are alive to Christ and to what pleases Him. It all depends on how we view ourselves, alive or dead.

When we die to our old fleshly desires and appetites, we see ourselves from another perspective – not individuals taking care of ourselves first, but part of a living organism that functions as a unit, each part moving in unity with those around him. The goal is not for selfish benefit but for the benefit of the whole body. That’s when we can begin to experience heaven right here on earth and convince the world that Jesus was who He said He was and that He really came from heaven to restore everything that went wrong in the beginning.

Now Paul invites us to be a part of that!

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.