Tag: Fellowship

Fellowship…

Fellowship…

These are the regulations for the fellowship offering anyone may present to the Lord: (Leviticus 7:11)

Among the various types of offerings to be presented to the Lord, there is the fellowship offering which anyone may present to Him. (Cf. Leviticus 7:11-38) The people were instructed, “When you sacrifice a fellowship offering to the Lord, sacrifice it in such a way that it will be accepted on your behalf.” (Leviticus 19:5) Indeed, there were many instructions regarding fellowship offerings written in the Mosaic ordinances. Their purpose was to offer thanksgiving to God and to rejoice in His presence! How timely is this word as we end another Thanksgiving Day…. 

Fellowship is what we experienced as a family during the Thanksgiving Holiday. There was a time of warm companionship … enjoying the closeness of each other. Around the dining room table, there were memories recalled and relived for a moment. There were bonds of love and joy shared in our hearts. Yes, it was a fellowship offering before the Lord as we rejoiced in Him with gratitude for all His blessings….

In Scripture, fellowship is the mark of community among believers. In the early church, they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. (Acts 2:42) Believers are admonished to consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds; not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:24-25) And Jesus commanded: “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35)

My friends, we were created for fellowship – fellowship with God and with each other! For love can only be expressed within the context of relationship. It has no meaning or purpose otherwise. This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. (1 John 4:10) And Paul affirmed: “God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” (1 Corinthians 1:9)

John envisioned that we might have fellowship with other believers and with the Father and His Son. (1 John 1:3) But John cautioned: “If we claim to have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin.” (1 John 1:6-7) Indeed, let us be mindful of the sacredness of fellowship! Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. (Ephesians 4:2-3)

Have a Blessed Day!

God Is Light…

1 John 1:7 (NIV)

But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin.

Our Verse of the Day challenges us to live in the light of God … according to His Word and through the life of His Son! 

In his first epistle, the Apostle John gives us some foundational theology to govern our walk with the Lord Jesus.  John begins with his eyewitness testimony regarding Jesus, and shares his desire to declare the truth of his personal encounter with the Son of God. He asserts that Jesus is the living Word of God; the light and revelation of God the Father; and the atoning sacrifice that reconciles believers with Him. I have reprinted Chapter 1 for your reference:

1 John 1:1-10 (NIV)

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of Life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you that which we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make your joy complete. This is the message we have heard from Him (Jesus) and declare to you: God is Light; in Him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all (every) sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar and His word is not in us.

From this chapter, we learn that God is Light. There is no darkness in Him at all. We also know that God is Spirit and that God is Love. And Jesus, His Son, is the living holiness and light of God. He is the very nature of God (light and love) sent in human form (Cf. Philippians 2:5-11) through whom we receive atonement, salvation, and fellowship with the Father and one another.  John said this is what we declare. Indeed, this is WHO we proclaim. Jesus is the Light of the Gospel message. Jesus is the Light that we have been called to walk in from the beginning. He is the Good News we are to share with others!

I want to note that John admonishes us to be mindful about what we claim regarding ourselves. “If we claim to have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth.” And, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we claim we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar and His Word is not in us.”  These declarations affirm that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Cf. Romans 3:23) There is no room for “fake” fellowship. There is no allowance for hypocrisy. Our sinful human nature points to our need for atonement and salvation in order to be reconciled to fellowship with our Holy Father. It requires the humble and unequivocal submission of our own will to the will of the Father. To receive Jesus … to believe in Him … means He becomes Lord and Master of our lives.  It means the utter denial of ourselves if we want to have abiding fellowship with Him.

John 1:1-9 (NIV)

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.

John 3:16-21 (NIV)

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.

My friends, Jesus was sent by the Father to reveal His Light … to reveal the way and the truth and the life. If you reject Jesus, the Light of God sent into the world, you reject the truth of God and His sovereign authority.  As John affirmed: “Light has come into the world, but people love darkness instead of light because their deeds are evil.” And it is clear that people do not want to see the truth because they love their sin and darkness. As Paul explained, “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the Gospel that displays the glory of Christ – who is the image of God.” (Cf. 2 Corinthians 4:4) Unless a person comes to the Light of God found in Jesus alone, they continue to walk in darkness … they continue in the condemnation of sin … they continue to be separated from the life of God. Indeed, there are eternal consequences to living and remaining in darkness! All the more reason for the light of the Gospel to be shared.  All the more reason to pray for the lost to come to the light of Jesus. All the more reason to know the truth and to walk in it. As Apostle John exclaimed: “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” (Cf. 3 John 1:4)

It is my hope and prayer that we who now walk in the light will testify to others that Jesus is the light of the world. He has fulfilled our need for reconciliation with the Father. Indeed, He is the only answer to our human dilemma of separation from God. Jesus commands His disciples to go into all the world and declare the Gospel to all creation. (Cf. Mark 16:15) So, let us continue the Great Commission in our generation as we approach the end of the age.

So Now You Know…

Have a Blessed Day!

I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness. ~ Isaiah 42:6-7

Reverence Through Fellowship…

Ephesians 5:19-20 (NIV)

Speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Our Verse of the Day looks into aspects of our fellowship and interaction with one another in the Church.  Paul spends considerable time discussing relationships Ephesians 5, so I thought it might be good to reprint this portion of his letter to provide the context for what Paul is instructing us. To me, several of his points are connected to the last few verses that we have recently studied:

Ephesians 5:1-21 (NIV)

1 Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children 2 and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. 3 But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. 4 Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. 5 For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. 7 Therefore do not be partners with them. 8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10 and find out what pleases the Lord. 11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. 13 But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. 14 This is why it is said: “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” 15 Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Notice that our conduct with one another is to be “imitators of God” and to “walk in love just as Christ has sacrificially loved each of us.” What we do … how we behave around and toward one another is to be marked with the utmost concern, reverence, and respect for the dignity of others – as contrasted with our former way of life and conduct when we were lost and without of the light of the Spirit. We have been redeemed (saved) from darkness and called to leave our lives of dead works and to be wise … to make the most of every opportunity to be instruments of light in this dark world. And where do we find this wisdom?  How do we attain it? “The fear of Lord is the beginning of wisdom; and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” (Cf. Proverbs 9:10)

Proverbs 8:12-14 (NIV)

12 “I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence; I possess knowledge and discretion. 13 To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech. 14 Counsel and sound judgment are mine; I have insight, I have power.

Proverbs 14:26-27 (NIV)

26 Whoever fears the Lord has a secure fortress, and for their children it will be a refuge. 27 The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, turning a person from the snares of death.

Proverbs 23:17-18 (NIV)

17 Do not let your heart envy sinners, but always be zealous for the fear of the Lord. 18 There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.

Indeed, our lives are to be characterized by worship (reverence) for God – being filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. We are to sing and make music from our hearts unto the Lord; always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. And note Verse 21 – that we are to submit ourselves to one another out of reverence for Jesus Christ. The NKJV translates this verse: “submitting to one another in the fear of God.” Thus, we can see that submission to each other within the Body of Christ is an act of reverence for God; and humility is the fear of the Lord. (Cf. Proverbs 22:4) I think these verses also confirm that love for one another is “how” we can demonstrate our love (worship) for God. (Cf. 1 John 3:11, 23; 1 John 4:7, 11, 12)

As you begin your day, I encourage you to consider how your conduct towards others – especially those of the household of faith – reflects your relationship with God. These Scriptures indicate how we behave and interact with others is indicative of our walk with Jesus Christ. For we were once darkness, but now we have received the light of the Lord. Therefore, we are called to live as children of light and to find out what pleases the Lord. My prayer is that we will do so. Amen.

So Now You Know…

Have a Blessed Day!

Is God Testing You?

Deuteronomy 13:4 (NIV)

It is the Lord your God you must follow, and Him you must revere. Keep His commands and obey Him; serve Him and hold fast to Him.

I want to spend some time on our Verse of the Day because it resonated so deeply with me. I believe the most important thought or concept that God wants us to embrace is His Being. He IS! God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’” (Cf. Exodus 3:14) He is the self-existent One … and that is difficult to wrap our finite minds around. Yet the God who created all things … who created us in His image … did so with intent. His purpose was to have fellowship with His creation…. And I believe that He has communicated His will for that fellowship to be expressed in relational terms – according to the word He spoke to Moses. So, let’s put our verse into context so that we can understand God’s passion for us to truly know Him:

Deuteronomy 13:1-5 (NIV)

1 If a prophet, or one who foretells by dreams, appears among you and announces to you a sign or wonder, 2 and if the sign or wonder spoken of takes place, and the prophet says, “Let us follow other gods” (gods you have not known) “and let us worship them,” 3 you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. The Lord your God is testing you to find out whether you love Him with all your heart and with all your soul. 4 It is the Lord your God you must follow, and Him you must revere. Keep His commands and obey Him; serve Him and hold fast to Him. 5 That prophet or dreamer must be put to death for inciting rebellion against the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt and redeemed you from the land of slavery. That prophet or dreamer tried to turn you from the way the Lord your God commanded you to follow. You must purge the evil from among you.

If you read the rest of Deuteronomy 13, you will continue to sense the great concern God has for us to know Him … the only true God. We are to worship Him and Him alone … not follow after anyone or anything besides Him. This exhortation from Moses is prominent throughout His inscription of God’s word to us:

Deuteronomy 4:32-40 (NIV)

32 Ask now about the former days, long before your time, from the day God created human beings on the earth; ask from one end of the heavens to the other. Has anything so great as this ever happened, or has anything like it ever been heard of? 33 Has any other people heard the voice of God speaking out of fire, as you have, and lived? 34 Has any god ever tried to take for himself one nation out of another nation, by trials, by signs and wonders, by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, or by great and awesome deeds, like all the things the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your very eyes? 35 You were shown these things so that you might know that the Lord is God; besides Him there is no other. 36 From heaven He made you hear His voice to discipline you. On earth He showed you His great fire, and you heard His words from out of the fire. 37 Because He loved your ancestors and chose their descendants after them, He brought you out of Egypt by His Presence and His great strength, 38 to drive out before you nations greater and stronger than you and to bring you into their land to give it to you for your inheritance, as it is today. 39 Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other.40 Keep His decrees and commands, which I am giving you today, so that it may go well with you and your children after you and that you may live long in the land the Lord your God gives you for all time.

King Solomon, when he had finished building the temple and prepared the people for its dedication, testified to the faithfulness of the one true God toward His people and how devoted worship of Him is the proper relational response:

1 Kings 8:54-61 (NIV)

54 When Solomon had finished all these prayers and supplications to the Lord, he rose from before the altar of the Lord, where he had been kneeling with his hands spread out toward heaven. 55 He stood and blessed the whole assembly of Israel in a loud voice, saying: 56 “Praise be to the Lord, who has given rest to His people Israel just as He promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promises He gave through His servant Moses. 57 May the Lord our God be with us as He was with our ancestors; may He never leave us nor forsake us. 58 May He turn our hearts to Him, to walk in obedience to Him and keep the commands, decrees and laws He gave our ancestors. 59 And may these words of mine, which I have prayed before the Lord, be near to the Lord our God day and night, that He may uphold the cause of His servant and the cause of His people Israel according to each day’s need, 60 so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God and that there is no other. 61 And may your hearts be fully committed to the Lord our God, to live by His decrees and obey His commands, as at this time.”

The Prophet Isaiah captured this same theme in his prophetic writings as well. Isaiah Chapter 45 hones in on the uniqueness of God as creator … who declares: “I am the Lord, and there is no other.” This same God reaches out to us … reveals Himself to us … calls us to believe in Him:

Isaiah 45:18-19; 22-23 (NIV)

18 For this is what the Lord says—He who created the heavens, He is God; He who fashioned and made the earth, He founded it; He did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited—
He says: “I am the Lord, and there is no other. 19 I have not spoken in secret, from somewhere in a land of darkness; I have not said to Jacob’s descendants, ‘Seek me in vain.’ I, the Lord, speak the truth; I declare what is right. 22 “Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other. 23 By myself I have sworn, my mouth has uttered in all integrity a word that will not be revoked: “Before me every knee will bow; by me every tongue will swear.”

So why is knowing the “true God” important for us? Well, a deep concern of Paul and the Apostles, is that people will fall into apostasy … abandon faith in the one true God … and forsake His covenant of love. The loss of fellowship with the Father was the very reason Jesus Christ was sent into the world. “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.” (Cf. John 3:17) Yet, this good news, and its power to redeem people, has been subverted. And it continues even today in both subtle and overt ways:

1 Timothy 4:1-2 (NIV)

1 The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. 2 Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.

2 Peter 2:1-2 (NIV)

1 But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. 2 Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute.

1 John 4:2-3 (NIV)

2 This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.

Jude 1:3-4 (NIV)

3 Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people. 4 For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.

So why has God allowed deception to continue since Adam and Eve? Why are we warned to recognize it and to resist it? I think the answer is found in the context of our verse: “The Lord your God is testing you to find out whether you love Him with all your heart and with all your soul.” The issue is whether we truly desire to follow God … whether we want to believe the Truth in our own hearts. The Apostle John offered this sobering insight into the human heart: “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.” (Cf. John 3:19-20)

So, I want to encourage us to be aware of false teachers, deceiving spirits, and to acknowledge the test we have been presented. Jesus Christ has revealed the Father to us. He is the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Him. (Cf. John 14:6) Because of His great mercy, we have been shown these things so that we might know that the Lord is God; besides Him there is no other. And as Moses reminds us: “It is the Lord your God you must follow, and Him you must revere. Keep His commands and obey Him; serve Him and hold fast to Him … so that it may go well with you and your children after you and that you may live long in the land the Lord your God gives you for all time.” This is my prayer for us all … to pass the test! Amen.

So Now You Know…

Have a Blessed Day!

Send Greetings!

2 Corinthians 13:13 (NIV)

All God’s people here send their greetings.

Our Verse of the Day might seem mundane at first glance, but when I read the surrounding context, some inspirational thoughts emerged that blessed my quiet time this morning.

11 Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you. 12 Greet one another with a holy kiss. 13 All God’s people here send their greetings. 14 May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

2 Corinthians 13:11-14 ~ Final Greetings

As I read the benediction of his last letter to the Corinthians, I felt the impact of Paul’s message and instructions – not only for believers in Corinth but in Ephesus, Macedonia, and all the other places where his evangelical passion helped establish new churches. His utmost desire to see the ordained purposes of the universal Church to produce the fruit of Gospel resonated with me.  Indeed, the reasons for assembling ourselves and joining our lives is evident in these last words:

  • Rejoicing in the Lord Jesus and in His redemption!
  • Striving for restoration of intimacy with God through abiding in the Lord Jesus!
  • Encouraging one another in the faith, and the good deeds that come through faith!
  • Being of one mind and one accord through the unity of the Spirit!
  • Living in peace with one another through compassion, humility, and forgiveness!
  • Experiencing the love and peace of God within the Church!

Paul follows with Verses 12-13 which speak to the affection among believers that should be demonstrated throughout the universal Church. He seems compelled to include: “All God’s people here (in Macedonia) send their greetings (their holy kisses) to all of you all there (in Corinth).” Yes, every local body of believers should express their love … their affection … to other believers everywhere! To me, Paul affirms what Jesus related to His disciples: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (Cf. John 13:34-35) Indeed, the purpose of the Church is to be … and to share … and to spread … the love of God revealed in the life of Jesus, His Son! This is how His love is completed in us! (Cf. 1 John 4:12; 17)

Well, I hope that we see the importance of sending greetings of affection; expressing concern and providing support for needs; providing encouragement to build up the faith of others; and equipping believers for works of service. For these things are not only important for those within the local body, but also for believers all across the world who form the Body of Christ. The purpose is that we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. (Cf. Ephesians 4:11-16) Yes, this is my prayer for all who believe and abide in in the Lord Jesus. And I join with Paul in these words: “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”

So Now You Know…

Have a Blessed Day!

Great Is Thy Faithfulness

Joel 2:23 (NIV)

Be glad, people of Zion, rejoice in the Lord your God, for He has given you the autumn rains because He is faithful. He sends you abundant showers, both autumn and spring rains, as before.

Our Verse of the Day is a reminder to us that God is faithful. He provides us what we need in the times and seasons of our lives. So be glad and rejoice in the Lord your God! As David extolled: “I will praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, my God; I will sing praise to you with the lyre, Holy One of Israel. My lips will shout for joy when I sing praise to you— I whom you have delivered.” (Cf. Psalm 71:22-23) Indeed, “Who is like you, Lord God Almighty? You, Lord, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you.” (Cf. Psalm 89:8) And Moses wrote about the faithfulness of God to those who love Him:

Deuteronomy 7:6-9 (NIV)

6 For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be His people, his treasured possession. 7 The Lord did not set His affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. 8 But it was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath He swore to your ancestors that He brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. 9 Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; He is the faithful God, keeping His covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commandments.

Yes, God is faithful! The Father has shown us His love and faithfulness through His Son. As Paul affirmed in his Letter to the Corinthians:

1 Corinthians 1:4-9 (NIV)

4 I always thank my God for you because of His grace given you in Christ Jesus. 5 For in Him you have been enriched in every way—with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge— 6 God thus confirming our testimony about Christ among you. 7 Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. 8 He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

So, as you begin your day, remember to thank the Lord for His faithfulness to you and your house … His faithfulness to watch over you and protect you. For He who watches over you will neither slumber nor sleep. (Cf. Psalm 121:3-4) The Lord watches over all who love Him. (Cf. Psalm 145:20) And a final thought: “What shall I return to the Lord for all His goodness to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord. I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all His people.” (Cf. Psalm 116:12-14)

Father God, I pray each of us will meditate this morning, throughout the day, and always, the faithfulness you have shown us in our lives. I pray that You will be greatly praised by those who know you … those who place their trust in you … those who know your abiding goodness and love. May each of us offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving this morning for who You are and for all You have done. Thank you, Lord God, for your faithfulness … for your covenant of love … for your Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We bless You and honor You for our salvation through Him. Thank you for your indwelling Holy Spirit so that we may know You intimately! You are forever worthy of all honor, glory, and praise! Amen.

So Now You Know…

Have a Blessed Day!

One New Humanity…

Ephesians 2:19 (NIV)

Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of His household…

Our Verse of the Day addresses a theological concept that uses metaphorical language to explain how our relationship with God as non-Jewish followers of Christ is “equivalent” to the natural born relationship of God with His chosen people … His treasured possession.  Let’ look at the context:

Ephesians 2:1-22 (NIV)

1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages He might show the incomparable riches of His grace, expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

11 Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)— 12 remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For He Himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by setting aside in His flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in Himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, 16 and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which He put to death their hostility. 17 He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18 For through Him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.

19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the chief cornerstone. 21 In Him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And in Him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit.

I think Paul gives us a brilliant explanation of how Christ Jesus has joined together both Jew and Gentile believers into one body … one temple … one dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit.  This is how He established a unity of the faith handed down from Abraham through His descendants.  The hostilities between Jewish and Gentile believers have ceased in Christ. Our diversity has been transformed into unity within the Body of Christ … for Jesus accomplished reconciliation and peace with God for both peoples through the cross. Paul presents a similar narrative in his Letter to the Colossians:  

Colossians 1:15-23 (NIV)

15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through Him and for Him. 17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. 18 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. 19 For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, 20 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.

21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds as demonstrated by your evil behavior. 22 But now God has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in His sight, without blemish and free from accusation— 23 if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.

I encourage you today to meditate on what Christ Jesus has done … the unity of faith He has established to bring peace and reconciliation to all peoples. Remember, “In Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Cf. Galatians 3:26-29)

So Now You Know…

Have a Blessed Day!

The Work of Your Hands…

Psalm 139:13-14 (NIV)

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

I find Psalm 139 one of the most insightful meditations on the nature of God. I thought it would be useful for us to discuss our verse in the broader context of the full Psalm. David considers the sovereignty of God: His omniscience … His omnipresence … His omnificence … His omnipotence.  David captures the essence of each attribute and personalizes it; meaning, he brings perspective on how we as created beings can relate to our Creator in personal terms. So I have reprinted it here:

Psalm 139 For the director of music. Of David. A Psalm.

1 You have searched me, Lord, and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.
4 Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely.
5 You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.

7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,”
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.

13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful – I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
17 How amazing are your thoughts concerning me, God! How vast is the sum of them!
18 Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand— when I awake, I am still with you.

19 If only you, God, would slay the wicked! Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty!
20 They speak of you with evil intent; your adversaries misuse your name.
21 Do I not hate those who hate you, Lord, and abhor those who are in rebellion against you?
22 I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies.
23 Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Wow!  Such a powerful meditation … filled with humbled emotion.  When I read this Psalm, I feel overwhelmed with the divine power and presence of our Creator … a God who expresses deep concern and love for a mere speck of dust on a speck of solar dust traversing through one of billions of interstellar spirals within the infinite expanse of what we call the universe…. Yes, like David, I find such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. Yet, this infinite God is an intimate being.  He knows each of us … every detail from conception through all the days ordained for each one. The gift of life each one of us receives is wholly an experience of grace … which is why we should feel nothing less than deep reverence for Him.  Our lives are 100% in His hands from beginning to end whether we desire to accept this truth or not. There are no surprises for God. Nothing has ever happened or will happen in your life that He is not aware.   He is unmoved, unshaken by anything within His created order.  Stars are formed … and they are scattered in supernova fashion.  Galaxies spin and collide to produce new formations. This brings to mind another Psalm in which David shares additional perspective on our purpose with the created order.  Again, the emphasis becomes focused on our relationship with God:

Psalm 8

1 O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory in the heavens. 2 Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger. 3 When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, 4 what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? 5 You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor. 6 You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet: 7 all flocks and herds, and the animals of the wild, 8 the birds in the sky, and the fish in the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas. 9 O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

David appeals to that inner knowing we can experience when we are at a loss for words … when only our spirits can express with groans what our hearts feel.  It is in that quiet contemplative moment we ponder: “Lord, what is man, that You take knowledge of him? Or the son of man, that You are mindful of him? Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow.” (Cf. Psalm 144:3-4) King Solomon, David’s son and successor, often contemplated the observance of creation and its profound mystery as the manifestation of a personal, relational Creator. God enables human beings to see the handiwork of His Word in all of its majesty; yet, we cannot find out the work that God does from beginning to end. (Cf. Ecclesiastes 3:11) And Solomon wrote: “As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the spirit enters the body being formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things. (Cf. Ecclesiastes 11:5) I think the mysteries of God and His Creation are designed to intrigue us and to activate our faith in Him. 

But for all the awe-inspiring mystery and visual splendor of creation we can observe, there is a greater work of God in our inner being that should rapture our hearts like nothing else: “To believe in the One He has sent.” (Cf. John 6:29) Jesus implored people to believe in Him! He said to know Him is to know the Father! To abide in Him is to abide in the Father! Indeed, Jesus embodies the eternal love and passionate concern of God for all who are created in His image. Jesus answered the question David asked: “What is man that You take thought of him, and the son of man that You visit him? Jesus asserted, “For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of Him who sent me.” (Cf. John 6:38) Jesus shared, “I have come that people may have life, and have it to the full.” (Cf. John 10:10) And Jesus declared, “I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness” (Cf. John 12:46) I have to emphasize here that Paul explained how those who believe in Jesus are the handiwork or workmanship of God: “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Cf. Ephesians 2:10).  Indeed, all of creation exists for the pleasure of God.  As the Apostle John recorded in the Book of Revelation:

Revelation 4:8b – 11 (NIV)

Day and night they never stop saying: “‘Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty,’ (Cf. Isaiah 6:3) who was, and is, and is to come.” 9 Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: 11 “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will (for your pleasure) they were created and have their being.”

Oh, how I pray that every heart would receive and respond to the manifold revelations of God … through His creation … through His Word … and through His Son!  For His creation reveals His eternal power and divine nature. (Cf. Romans 1:20) His Word reveals His will and purpose. (Cf. Isaiah 46:10) And His Son reveals the exact representation of His being. (Cf. Hebrews 1:3) In addition, we are surrounded by such a great cloud of faithful witnesses! “Therefore,let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.  (Cf. Hebrews 12:1-2a)  I have long felt convicted that the “sin that so easily entangles” is the sin of unbelief or a lack of faith. Why? “Everything that does not come from faith is sin.” (Cf. Romans 14:23) And while I realize the context of Romans 14 explores the matter of conscience concerning food, the spiritual principle is there nonetheless.  Evaluate any specific sin, and you will discover its origins in darkness. As the Apostle John wrote: “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.” (Cf. John 3:19)

So what is the application here?  What is the conclusion?

First, God has revealed Himself through His Creation.  He has manifested His incredible attributes:

His Omniscience                    He is the Knower of all things                   Psalm 139:1-6

His Omnipresence                  He is the Being of all things                      Psalm 139:7-12

His Omnificence                     He is the Creator of all things                   Psalm 139:13-18                                

His Omnipotence.                   He is the Authority of all things.              Psalm 139:19-24

Second, God has revealed Himself through His Word.  He has manifested His desire for relationship with us from Genesis through Revelation.

Third, God has revealed Himself through His Son.  He manifested His everlasting, immutable love for us through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

Yes, there is a multitude of mysteries we will never understand in this life. The mysteries of God will forever remain in our quest for understanding because there is knowledge too high for us to attain. But Moses attested: “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.” (Cf. Deuteronomy 29:29) Yes, it is clear that our Father wants us to know Him through what He has revealed through His creation … His Word … and His Son.  To me, it is no mystery that God exists … that I AM is Spirit … and that He cannot be seen with human eyes. Yet, the Father has ordained for us to see Him through the eyes of faith alone … with spiritual eyes and ears to discern and know Him.  And the greatest visual image we will ever have of the Father is His One and Only Son … Jesus.  Jesus embodied the Word of God. Indeed, He is the living Word of God! (Cf. John 1:1-5) Jesus declared, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. (Cf. Matthew 5:17)

If people would consider these truths in their hearts, what can be known of God should move their hearts to repentance and reverence.  God has made known His covenant of love … His compassion … and His desire for fellowship with those He created in His image. Yes, God has visited us and even borne the judgment for our sin of unbelief upon the cross. The purpose of all His works is this: God wants us to believe in the One He sent.  It is only through faith in Jesus that we will come to perfect faith in God the Father.  It is only through Jesus that we will understand the unsurpassed love of God … the riches of His grace … and the desire of His heart for our sanctification and holiness.  Through faith in Christ, we become new creatures!  The old is gone.  The new has come. (Cf. 2 Corinthians 5:17) We become the handiwork of God! And this is the message we need to share with the prodigal, the wayward, and the lost: “Consider all that God has made known, and believe in the One He sent!” The Lord God declares: “You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am He. Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me. I, even I, am the Lord, and apart from me there is no Savior. I have revealed and saved and proclaimed— I, and not some foreign god among you. You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “that I am God. Yes, and from ancient days I am He. No one can deliver out of my hand. When I act, who can reverse it?” (Cf. Isaiah 43:10-13)

So Now You Know….

Have a Blessed Day!