Unity in the Body
Philippians 2:1-4 states, "Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others."
This is a beautiful reminder of the importance of unity among Christians. If we truly have a relationship with Christ, then we should strive for unity. In order to be unified, an unselfish attitude is key according to Paul. He goes on to explain that this was the attitude of Jesus. In our efforts to become more like Jesus, we must be mindful to focus on the interests of others whether it's a parent, the children in your classes, the teacher you are serving with, or a servant down the hall.
Even Jesus, when praying for you and me in John 17:20-23 states, "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one; I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me."
If we can become one, then Jesus states that the world (including all the children and parents that walk through the doors of Calvary Chapel) will believe that God loves them so much that He sent Jesus so they could obtain salvation.
This is the ultimate goal...spreading the GOOD NEWS!!!!
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We Must Endure
2 Timothy 2:10-13 states, "Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. This is a faithful saying: For if we died with Him, We shall also live with Him. If we endure, We shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us. If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself."
Some of us have been taken advantage of or tested in some way this past week. Some of us even question how God could allow this circumstance to be taking place. Doesn't God's Word say that He will destroy the wicked and be our victory? Doesn't He promise that He will provide for all of our needs? Doesn't He tell us to seek Him first and everything else will be added unto us? Yes, His Word does say these things... BUT it also says right here in 2 Timothy that we must ENDURE.
In the original Greek, this word for "endure" can mean "to remain, to bear trials, to persevere, to abide, to be patient, and to suffer." We need to remember to take our eyes OFF the offenders and/or the world and to place our eyes ON those that need salvation. This is the ultimate reason WHY WE MUST ENDURE. Did you catch it in verse 10? We ENDURE for the sake of the elect... that is those that will come to salvation. Maybe we are the person who plants a seed in someone that will soon accept Christ as their Savior. If that person doesn't see us endureWHATEVER trial comes our way, then we will MISS the blessing of being a part of that person's process to coming to Christ. If we don't ENDURE, then what kind of faith is that???? The answer... It's not faith at all! Aren't we glad Jesus endured when taken advantage of, when rejected, and when He was finally killed?
Fellow servants, we ALL go through various trials. Let us not complain so much when they come our way. Let us look around and find someone to tell/show the love of Christ to EVEN in the midst of our trials. Let us plant seeds in the hearts of those unbelievers that the Lord has surrounded us with. Parents, let us exemplify to our children what a faithful soldier of Christ does when the enemy attacks! Bear fruit that will last! "You therefore MUST endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ" (2 Tim. 2:3).
"Yes, and the Lord will deliver me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to His heavenly Kingdom. To God be the glory forever and ever. Amen." 2 Timothy 4:18 (NLT)
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What Can God Do Through Me?
Have you ever wondered why God's grace fell on you? When I ponder on the fact that God wants to use me for His perfect purposes, I truly become amazed. I am soooooooo far from perfect that I think... "what in the world can I do for God?" I mean... I have this problem and that weakness... oh and this issue... HOW CAN I POSSIBLY HELP further the kingdom of God?
This is actually the wrong question to be asking though! The question should be, "What in the world is God going to do through me?" When we change the question from "what can I do?" to "what can God do?" the possibilities are endless because God has no problems, weaknesses or issues. God takes our foolishness and uses US to bring His Son glory!!!! He desires to do this so that no one can take the credit for His work. When we can daily realize that it is not about us, but about God... we can find hope and peace because, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (Phil. 4:13) In other words, His perfect plan for us is doable since He is going to be the One giving us the strength and power to do it!
The following verses sum it up best...
1 Corinthians 1:27-31 state, "But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence. But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God- and righteousness and sanctification and redemption- that, as it is written, "He who glories, let him glory in the Lord."
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Yield and Serve
Romans 6:12-14 states, "Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace."
These verses seem to tie into what we have been hearing Pastor Bob teach on recently. Our bodies, that will soon perish will always lust after all sorts of things while we still have a mortal body. God does not want us to obey the desires of our flesh because our flesh will choose unrighteousness every time. Instead, the Lord desires us to present or yield ourselves to Him so that He may use the "members" of our body to serve Him. When we are using our flesh to do righteous acts, then sin will not "have dominion" over us. For those of us that hate to sin, we can see that if we are constantly using our bodies to DO righteous things, then we will have less time to DO unrighteous things. Thanks again for each of you that weekly yield yourself to God with the righteous act of serving the body in the Children's ministry at Calvary Chapel. May each of us daily yield ourselves to God so that we may daily use our bodies as "instruments of righteousness" for His glory.