Building Together

"For in fact the body is not one member but many. If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body," is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body," is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling? But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. And if they were all one member, where would the body be?" (1st Corinthians 12:14-19)

In the third chapter of Nehemiah we find an account of the rebuilding of the city walls around Jerusalem. Jerusalem had been destroyed in 586 BC by the Babylonians and the people carried away to Babylon. In 445 BC Nehemiah led a third group of exiles back from the captivity to rebuild the city walls. The Temple had been rebuilt around 516 BC, but the walls and gates remained broken, which left Jerusalem vulnerable to attack. In a culture based upon honor, broken walls were also a blight on the city's reputation. Nehemiah was led by the Lord to see that the walls were restored.

Nehemiah completed the restoration of the walls in under two months. In Nehemiah, chapter three, he records the various people who worked the wall. It was true team effort. Instead of having a select group of wall-builders who did all the work, different groups of people worked on sections of the wall. Nehemiah chronicles the work counter-clockwise around the wall.

Eliashab, the High priest, and some fellow priests rebuilt the sheep gate.
Men of Jericho worked next to them to rebuild their section of the wall.
The sons of Hassenaah rebuilt the fish gate.
Further down, Jehoiada the son of Paseah, and Meshullam the son of Besodeiah, repaired the old gate.
Malchijah the son of Harim, and Hashub the son of Pahathmoab, repaired part of the wall and the tower of the furnaces.
Shallum and his daughters worked on a portion of the wall. His father, Halohesh, ruled half of Jerusalem. While some nobles refused to work, they pitched right in to help.
On the south side of the city we find Shallun, the son Colhehez, the ruler of Mizpah, repairing the fountain gate.
A group of priests lived near the horse gate and each repaired the section near his home.
A group of goldsmiths and merchants fixed the walls from the northwest corner to the sheep gate.

I haven't included everyone listed by Nehemiah but I'm sure you get the point. The wall was a collective effort. People from all walks of life worked on it -- men, women, priests, Levites, merchants and goldsmiths. Sons of rulers worked alongside regular folk.

It took everyone to get the job done. In First Corinthians, chapter 12, Paul compares the church to the human body. He makes the point that every part much do its part for the body to function correctly. Everyone doesn't have the same purpose. It's when everybody is fulfilling their individual part that the whole works the way God would have it to work. We all have something to give and a part to play in what God is doing. Don't sell yourself short. Don't look at your own limitations but at the greatness of God!

In Need of a Savior

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil." (John 3:16-19)

John 3:16 is possibly the most well known Bible passage but you really need to see it in context to get the full impact. God sent His son to rescue us -- that we might be saved. He who does not believe is condemned already. That's powerful. We are born in sin. We are born into darkness. That's a little unpalatable. We like to think that children are sweetness and light and little blank slates full of goodness. The truth is somewhat different. The Word of God places a heavy responsibility on parents to raise and train their children. Why? Because humans don't have to be taught to do wrong. They have to be taught to do right.

Folks love to whine about the transgressions of Christianity. They'll point to the inquisition, the Crusades, witch hunts or religious wars as proof. That's a game they don't want to play. Yes, some terrible things have been done in the name of Jesus by people who, for the most part, were probably not believers. And yet,the evil that so-called Christians have done is a pittance when compared to those who have rejected God. This last century witnessed the rise of some of history's biggest mass murderers at the head of atheist regimes. I know a few deluded souls who actually claim that Hitler was a Christian but he rejected Jesus Christ for a bizarre blend of mysticism and Norse-Germanic mythology. Hitler was no more a follower of Jesus Christ than was Mohammed.

Man apart from God is pretty nasty. We were created to know Him and outside of that fulfillment are angry, searching and selfish. The heart of man is rebellion. The heart of man is to rule and dominate his fellow man. Look at history. Look at the world today. Western intellectuals are scared to death of Christians while refusing to take a look at the rest of the world. It's not such a wonderful place is it? That's why we needed to be rescued. We need a savior because we are completely unable to save ourselves. But men love darkness, rather than light.

A Better Covenant

"But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second." (Hebrews 8:6-7)

Hebrews, along with Galatians and Romans, is absolutely critical to our understanding of God's Word -- particularly the relationship between the Old and New Covenants. Trying to mix the two gives us a confusing schizophrenic blend of law and grace. Hebrews 8 talks about Jesus as the mediator of a better covenant that was established on better promises. The comparison here is between the Old Covenant, given through Moses, and the New, established in Jesus Christ. Let's be clear here -- the New is better than the Old and established on better promises. The first covenant was faulty. It sounds almost blasphemous to say that but it's okay -- God said it first.

Why was it faulty? If we keep reading in Hebrews 8 we find that "they did not continue in My covenant." Man couldn't keep his end of the covenant. The covenant was continually being broken. Reading on in Hebrews 8:10 we find that God says, "I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people." The Old Covenant was an external law to be followed but it didn't change the heart. The New is written on our hearts. The Old was based in keeping rules, the New is based in relationship.

In Hebrews 9 we read that Christ came as High priest with the greater and more perfect Tabernacle and not of this creation (9: 11). The elements of the priestly service in the Old Covenant consisted of things made with wordly things. Every element, from the wood and gold to the goats and calves, was part of this creation. But Jesus came from outside of this creation as the perfect sacrificial lamb with the shedding of His own blood. This is critical. The Old Covenant was cut between God and man, who as we have seen, always failed to keep his part. The New Covenant was cut between God and Jesus. God came from outside and entered His creation to bring us redemption. God, literally, cut covenant with Himself. God upholds both ends of the covenant so it cannot be broken. We are partakers of this covenant by faith.

Now that is good news!

"And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance." (Hebrews 9:15)

Tested Love, Proven Love

"But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just." (Luke 14:13-14)

The poor, the maimed, the lame and the blind? Wow! What a powerful point Jesus is making here! One that really tests our hearts too. Give to people who can't give back. Help people who really can't repay. I think, as Christians, we kind of get that in some ways but miss it in others. I think the real challenge comes when we have to deal with people on a personal level. Donating money to an orphanage or a project overseas is wonderful but we're often disconnected from the reality of people's actual lives.

Sometimes the poor, the maimed, the lame and the blind don't come with physical wounds that you can see. Sometimes they come with wounds of the soul that make them tough to deal with. We've all known people like that. We may have seen them at church. We avoid them. We rationalize with excuses like , "I just don't have anything in common with someone like that." We're polite but we keep them at a distance.

I think one of the wonders of this thing we call church is when we really do become a body and people begin to find a place in it. They find a home -- they find a family. It is not always easy. There are inherent challenges in relationships under the best of circumstances. We tend to gravitate to people who are like us. Church provides an opportunity for us to grow (when we allow it) by putting us in a position to love people who are not like us at all.

Love is only proven where it is tested. It's easy for me to say I love you when I never have to deal with you. "Church" ought to shake that tree a little bit. Knock off some of the selfishness and the unrealistic expectations of others. We often want a lot more grace than we are willing to give out. I think one of the most wonderful things about the body of Christ is when the walls are torn down and true relationships form between people of widely divergent backgrounds and experiences. For that to happen though I have to be willing to step out. To give. To help those who don't look like me or act like me.

"But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them." (Luke 6:32)

The Truth

"Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; On You I wait all the day". (Psalm 25:5)

In John 18 we read the account where Jesus stood before Pilate and made the statement, "Everyone that is of the truth hears my voice." Pilate answers, "What is truth?"

In some ways that is the eternal question but also the eternal excuse. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me" (John 14:6). Jesus makes a pretty bold claim concerning himself here. This is the kind of claim that troubles people in a post-modern world. Relativism is everywhere. Everything is shade and nuance. That's why Christianity is so offensive to some people. Christianity makes some bold and definite claims. Jesus made some bold and definite claims. They test the heart. They divide and separate. They can be tough.

God is holy and supreme. In Christ God did an awesome thing. He revealed Himself to us by becoming one of us. He humbled himself to let His very creation kill Him. In doing so He paid for our pardon. He then rose from the dead, showing His power and authority. God went above and beyond to draw us to Him. But He is still God. He's the one who sets the terms. We must conform to Him. He is God and we are not, although we would like to be. God deals in truth. Truth is a funny thing. It is sometimes uncomfortable and inconvenient. But it's what is real.

God is. Jesus Christ is Lord of all. Our belief doesn't change that. Our belief only changes how we relate to Him. As Keith Green wrote in Altar Call, "You're gonna find out He's the way, no matter which way you choose but i pray you fin out by His love for you."

Jeremiah 29:13 "And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart".

The Only Way

Love One Another

"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. (John 13:34-35)

Love one another -- sometimes easier said than done but that's what Jesus told us to do. He said that the world would know we are his by our love for one another -- not by our big buildings or programs or ad campaigns or but by our love for one another. A biblical understanding of love involves a paradigm shift in our thinking. Biblically, love is not so much about what I feel but about what I do. When I understand that it becomes easier to love others.

Understanding that love is an action changes my reaction. If my ability to love is based on how I feel then when someone hurts me or makes me angry I will withdraw or even try to get back at them. G.K. Chesterton wrote that "Love means to love that which is unlovable; or it is no virtue at all." Loved that is based solely in emotion can never do that. Other people then determine our love for us. As believers we are to be led by God's Spirit and be doers of His Word. That puts responsibility squarely back on us but that's a good thing. Then you are in charge of your love, not someone else.

"And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour." (Ephesians 5:2)

By Him and for Him

"For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him."
(Colossians 1:16)

At times in my life I've run into folks who didn't believe in the trinity and didn't believe that Jesus Christ was God incarnate come in the flesh. Usually using specious logic they try to convince me of the rightness of their position. Invariably I show them the first chapter of John and then bring them to the first chapter of Colossians. It's usually at Colossians that they give up the argument and (I guess) move on to someone else.

This is actually one of my favorite verses. It gives us a glimpse into the pre-incarnate Christ and His connection with creation. Jesus existed with God eternally before He ever came as a baby in a manger. The act of humility in coming to earth and laying His life down for us and bearing the sin of all mankind was an incredible act of love.

What kind of God does such a thing?

Not the capricious gods of Greece and Rome or Germanic mythology.

Not an accounting Allah who would always watch the scales.

Not pagan tribal gods who demanded human sacrifice to be appeased.

Just the real one. The one who loves His creation so much that He would personally redeem them.

It's amazing to me how He has done so much for us and yet our hearts are hardened to the point where people actually hate the notion of Jesus. People are surely blinded by the god of this world (2nd Co. 4:4).

Blessed Assurance

Music-wise I'm more of a praise and worship/contemporary/rock kind of guy but I do love the words to some old standards. Fanny Crosby's "Blessed Assurance" is a song that touches my heart. As I was sitting here on the computer I just got through listening to a version on a Vineyard CD. Good stuff.

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
O what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
I'm born of his Spirit, washed in his blood.

Refrain:
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long;
This is my story, this is my song,
It's praising my Savior all the day long.

Perfect submission, perfect delight,
Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
Angels descending bring from above
Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.
(Refrain)

Perfect submission, all is at rest;
I in my Savior am happy and blest,
Watching and waiting, looking above,
I'm filled with God's goodness, I'm lost in His love.
(Refrain)

Fanny Crosby was blinded as an infant after developing a cold and subsequent eye infection and then receiving poor treatment. She never let her blindness get in her way. She was a prolific songwriter, wrote poetry and was a preacher and speaker.

Her writing often reminds me of the goal of this life in Christ. "I'm filled with God's goodness, I'm lost in His love." Lost in His love. What a concept.I enjoy the study of theology and the Word of God but it can be sometimes a problem where we think that's what God wants of us when what He really wants is our hearts and lives. Studying theology and the Word is awesome but not the end. The outworking of the process is to know God. To walk with Him. To live in Him and live a life for His glory.

If we were truly lost in His love we would sure look a lot different.

I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the [life] which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)

This Life

Life is such a precious gift from God but all too often we spend so much of our lives just trying to get by. Jesus said in John 10:10 that "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have [it] more abundantly." What does an abundant life look like? It is too easy to boil it down to material possessions but the sad reality is that the pursuit of stuff won't bring the abundant life. Don't misunderstand me -- having material wealth is not in and of itself a bad thing -- we just have to own our stuff and not let our stuff own us. God uses faithful people who are wealthy to finance a whole lot of ministry. Jesus asked the wealthy ruler in Luke 18 to sell all he had and give it to the poor but, as far as we know, never asked Lazarus or Joseph of Arimathaea to do the same thing.

So what does an abundant life look like? Maybe it's not so much in what you have but what you do. Obviously the place to start is to seek first the Kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33). Since Jesus came for us to have an abundant life the absolute first plac eof abundance is in our walk with God. We are called to an abundant fellowship with Him! Nothing else can ever supplant what is really the key principle of the the life in Christ. Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, prayed "this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent" (John 17:3).

I have a friend who likes to say "nothing satisfies like ministry." We have made the term ministry out to be a really spiritual or religious word when in fact it is a very practical word. The Greek word diakonia, where our word deacon comes from, simply means service or care. Ministry is about serving and caring for others. It is so much more than preaching a sermon or singing in church. It is so much bigger than that! Real ministry may be something as big as helping someone through a crisis in their life or as little as helping someone change a tire. It's sometimes messy and sometimes inconvenient. Ministry opportunities don't always pop up when we have free time and are looking for something to do. They sometimes involve some sacrifice.

But there truly is nothing like it. Jesus said "I am among you as one who serves" (Luke 2:27). Serve here is the same Greek word Diakonia but with a different tense. It could just as well be translated I am among you as one who ministers." 1st John 4:17 tells us that "as He is, so are we in this world."

Ministry doesn't just come by happenstance. Don't wait on a church program to create a ministry opportunity for you. We run into them every day but aren't always paying attention. Be bold. Dare to ask the Lord, "What can I do today?" They don't always have to be a big deal. It may be something you do for your spouse or your parents. It may involve helping a friend or a stranger.

It's better to make life happen than to let it pass you by!

Unto Us a Child Is Born

For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. (Is.9:6-7)

God's goodness to us expressed in the incarnation of Jesus Christ is truly marvelous! In Him we find the fulfillment of the deepest needs of our hearts.

I pray that this Christmas will be a time for each of us where we are reminded of the goodness of God and our hearts will be drawn to want to know Him and walk with Him in a deeper way!

Celebrate Him. Love the people you find yourself with! Embrace the day with joy!

He laid Down His Glory

"Being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross."

Phil. 2:6-8

Christmas is a good time to remember the sacrifice that God made for us. Christ laid down His glory and willingly submitted Himself to His creation. We understand, somewhat, the agony of the cross but we sometimes gloss over the sacrifice for the eternal Word to live like us and among us. He endured the trauma of childbirth. He was thirsty and cold and sweaty. He was even tempted with sin just as we are (Heb. 4:15). He submitted to the point of allowing His very creation to execute Him. Hebrews 12:2 tells us that He endured the cross for the joy that was set before him. That joy was for those who would receive Him.

He laid down so much and we struggle to lay down so little. The declaration that "Jesus is Lord" (Romans 10:9) is so much more than just about fire insurance. It involves a submission of our wills to His. That means we do what He would have us do, regardless of how we feel. One of the real traps of our culture is the whole concept of judging right and wrong according to our feelings. I'll do something (or maybe not) depending on how it makes me feel. In doing so we allow ourselves to be trapped into self-serving narcissism.

We hold onto attitudes that are contrary to the Word of God. We do things that are contrary to the Word. We curse instead of blessing. We criticize instead of helping. We judge instead of loving. We avert our eyes and go our way where we can help. We tell ourselves that it is not our problem.

Colossians 3:17 tells us "And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." That's a pretty comprehensive prescription.

We get the so-called big sins but what about the other stuff? What about gossip or envy? What about stirring strife? Maybe I'm holding onto anger and unforgiveness? What about pride or selfishness?

He laid down His glory for you. What, in your life, is it time to let go of? You'll be glad you did.

Slipping Ladders

Ever have a ladder slip out from under you? I have. God is good. I only ended up with skinned shins, a sore foot and a bum elbow. Which brings me to today's post.

Ever try to do something with a body part out of whack. You never realize how much you need your elbow until you hurt it. Even something as simple as tying shoes becomes a slower process. I like to be doing things so having am elbow slowing me down is not in the game plan.

Reminds me of Paul's words in 1st Corinthians 12:12-27.

For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. For in fact the body is not one member but many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling? But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. And if they were all one member, where would the body be? But now indeed there are many members, yet one body.And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty, but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.

The body of Christ is awesome when we are all doing our part! Our experience, in this walk with God, should be so much more than just sitting in Church. While that is good and necessary there is so much more. In the analogy of a body we find a picture of action. Christianity is not to be lived as some kind of passive, minimal effect on my life, existence. Our walk with Jesus ought to intertwine and impact every area of our lives.

Going back to the body. My wife has done a lot of work helping people who have lost their hearing. We take our hearing for granted until we lose it. But lose it and you will miss it.

When a member of the Body of Christ doesn't function according to God's calling for their lives we all suffer. The Body is weakened.

What's your calling? What does God have for you to do? The Body of Christ needs you! A lost and dying world needs you. Don't let anything rob you of your special place in the Body of Christ.