The Bible has much to say about believers in the Church. Different pictures were used to describe the Church. Some of these are a building, a bride, a body, and a bastion. But, the one picture that might be most endearing is the picture of the brethren. The New Testament draws lessons from the relationship in a family for our relationship with each other. Just like in a family sibling rivalry exists, at times a little misunderstanding can happen in a local church. And, just like in a family, we will defend our family to the end, so also in a local church we should be prepared to stand up for one another. Families are a great metaphor for the Church.
Many years ago Bill Gaither wrote a song we sing quite often. Some of the words are, “I’m so glad I’m a part of the family of God. I’ve been washed in the fountain, cleansed by His blood. Joint heirs with Jesus as we travel this sod, For I’m part of the family, the family of God.” This family is precious to us. We have members of our family around the world that we haven’t met. Yet, this is not the family I want to talk about.
I doubt anyone would disagree with me that the family is under attack. More than ever the family unit is being maligned and redefined. Society is pushing the make up and purpose of the family unit far from a biblical model. G. K. Chesterton once said, “The family is the test of freedom.” Where did the family come from? Why does it exist? How is it formed? These and other questions will be considered as we continue our way through Ephesians 5.
Two main functions will be seen in these verses. The first one is the roles of the husband and wife. Paul will spell out how this relationship should function. Remember, he was addressing a culture quite immoral and pagan. Ephesus was the headquarters for the worship of Diana. The people who made up the church were coming from lives of debauchery and depravity. They did not grow up in a “christian home” or a “christian society.” They had to learn first hand how the home should be a reflection of Christ and the Church. What a change this represents for them. What a testimony it would have been to see the dramatic difference their families would make.
The second relationship referred to is the parent and child. Some married couples will not have children. God is the One who opens and closes the womb. But, those who are blessed with children carry a huge weight of responsibility. The home should the breeding ground of faith as the children see genuine faith being lived out. One author said this, “The family circle is the supreme conductor of Christianity.” We as parents are to be raising our children to love the Lord. Will they all follow the Lord? No. But, it is our responsibility to be the first one to share the Gospel.
Family; we all have one. It may not be the best, and it may not even be Christian. But, we can change that cycle. Love your family and give thanks for them.
How’s your questioning? I know, sometimes we are told that questioning things is a sign of doubt. That can be true. But, other times asking questions is a sign of interest. So, I’ll ask you again, how’s your questioning?
Today I want to remind you that Sunday is coming and we will be remembering the Lord Jesus Christ via our Communion service. We have a Communion service each month on the first Sunday. For many of us we have been doing this for MANY years! So, maybe it has become simply a ritual we put up with. But, this Sunday we will be doing some things that will shake things up. We will have some unfamiliar aspects in the service.
During the Seder meal that the Jews celebrate each year at Passover a series of four questions are asked. These questions are designed to elicit a response to point out the reason the meal is being held. The questions aren’t necessarily being asked for information people don’t know the answers to. Rather, it gives the leader another opportunity to tell the story of Passover, the most important night in the history of Israel.
Sunday we will ask a series of five questions to direct our thoughts to the purpose of Communion. These questions are similar to the questions asked at the Seder meal. They will direct our thoughts away from the service and unto the Lord Himself.
One poet put it this way:
Gathered in Thy name, Lord Jesus
Losing sight of all but Thee,
Oh what joy Thy presence gives us,
Calling up our hearts to Thee.
Notice the wording that points us to Jesus. The poet says that during the Communion service we are be “Losing sight of all but Thee.” As you approach Sunday be asking the Lord to do that for you. You can ask yourself questions about Jesus and His work. The hymn “Lead Me to Calvary” has this chorus, “Lest I forget Gethsemane, lest I forget Thine agony, lest I forget Thy love for me, lead me to Calvary.” Go to Calvary to see past the cross, the pain and the suffering to see Jesus.
Another poet said this,
Amidst us our Beloved stands,
And bids us view His pierced hands;
Points to the wounded feet and side,
Blest emblems of the Crucified.
Come Sunday prepared to celebrate the Lord’s Table with us. What are your questions?
When Jesus met with His disciples on that last night together He knew it would be their last meal, but they didn’t. They were going through yet another Paschal meal, one like all the others. The ritual, the songs, the ceremony were designed to bring to their minds the events of Passover night. Each element prepared them for the offering of their passover lamb. Each one would have concluded that this night was no different than any other night. But, oh were they wrong.
The Jewish cycle of life is designed to stir the memory. Throughout the Old Testament the Lord set aside certain celebrations or places to remind them of where they had come from and where they were going. Throughout the Book of Joshua we meet a series of piles of stones used for this reason. The piles were placed at different spots so the younger could ask the older, “What is that pile of stones for?” Each memory was to be as fresh as at first.
But, over the years the freshness became stale. The memories became blurred. And, the worshippers become dull to the real reason for the celebration. Even to his day Jewish folks gather for the celebration of Passover without realizing the most important part; that it points to Messiah Jesus. In the entire service each element is yet another signpost pointing to Jesus. Yet, being blind to spiritual matters they simply go through the motions.
Sunday morning we will once again celebrate the Lord’s Table, Communion, or the Lord’s Supper. Our celebration goes by many different names. However, it has one main purpose; to remind of of Jesus. The words above our the key to what we do and why we do it. Each part of the service is designed to point us away from ourself and unto Jesus. It’s truly not about us, but rather, it’s about Him.
Would you begin now to prepare your heart for Communion? Would you look deeply into your heart to be sure your saved and walking in obedience to the Lord? Don’t wait until Sunday morning to prepare your heart. Begin now.
What a crazy picture, right? Have I lost my mind? Have I misread my calendar? Could it be Thanksgiving Day already? What happened to our summer vacation? What happened to Easter, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, July 4th, and Labor day? I must be really confused.
Well, not exactly. I’m just trying to get your attention! Do I have it yet? For the next few minutes please give me your undivided attention.
We have so relegated giving thanks to a day on the calendar that sometimes we have forgotten that we are to be thankful all the time. Every day of our life should be a day of thankfulness. Regularly and continually we should be offering our praise to God, our Heavenly Father. Thanking Him should be more than a yearly exercise.
And, even more forgotten is that giving thanks isn’t designed just for the good things in life. Of, believe me, we are to give God thanks for all those “good and perfect” which come down from Him. But, thankfulness should emanate from our hearts even when things are not as we expected. Difficulties as well as blessing are to be received with a heart of thankfulness.
Maybe the most familiar account in the Word of God concerning thankfulness or the lack thereof, is the account of the ten lepers. Luke 17:11-19 records this event. Jesus gave healing to ten desperately needy lepers. Yet, when the healing was received only one returned to give Him thanks. Is 10% really the right percentage of thankful people? Shouldn’t it be 100%?
What about us, do we give God thanks everyday for every thing? Sunday morning we will look at this important subject as we continue to proceed through the Book of Ephesians. Come to worship with us.
Today is Valentine’s Day. I would imagine each of us have loved ones we need to express our love to. This expression of love could be to our moms and dads, husbands and wives, brothers and sisters, or other family and friends. This day has been set aside on the calendar as a remembrance of more than one saint named Valentine. In these cases it reflects one who lived with the love of God in their hearts. It wasn’t until the days of Chaucer that the thought of love turned to a romanic love.
Valentine’s Day is also remembered for a brutal attack that is anything but an expression of love. On Valentine’s Day 1929 members of the Al Capone gang murdered seven members of the Bugsy Moran gang in cold blood. This event has been known as the “St. Valentine’s Day Massacre.” What a sad reminder of the hate some people express.
Of all the love we will ever experience from family and friends, none is more important than the love we experience from the Lord Himself. The Apostle John, who would come to be remembered as the :apostle of love,” wrote in 1 John 3:1, “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us…” Even into eternity we will never be able to understand all there is to know of God’s love for us. At the death of Lazarus, when Jesus wept, just before raising him from the dead, the onlookers said, “Behold how He loved him.” God’s love for us was demonstrated most emphatically upon the cross of Jesus.
Could we ever out love God? Certainly not. But, none the less, we are to respond in love to our Saviour and others. Jesus summed up the whole Mosaic Law into two statements; love God, love others. On this Valentine’s Day, consider how much you love God and others. Be ready to be one who will reach out in love as deeply as God reached out in love to you.
Listen to this beautiful rendition of an old song about the love of God sung by Mercy Me.
Have you ever asked someone this question, “What kind of music do YOU like?” Wow, “them’s fighting’ words, pardner.”
As we have progressed through Ephesians 5:18-20 we have come to the subject of music. Every Spirit filled believer will have music in his or her heart. No one can be filled and controlled by God’s Spirit who will not have a song in their soul. This music is the response of our heart to the grace and love of the Lord. We can see life through the eyes of Him who leads and guides our walk. Here is a song you need to listen to. It’s a great song about a “Song in my Soul.”
Sunday morning we will return to the subject of singing and music. We will look at some different types of music and the audience of our songs.
Do you have music in your soul? Do you overflow with joy as you are led by the Spirit of God? Come Sunday to study this important subject with us.
Prayer. Could prayer be the most misunderstood and most unavailed aspect of our Christian walk? Could anything else displace this from being our most unused asset? I doubt it.
J. Sidlow Baxter, a consumate pastor, theologian, writer and preacher said this, “Men may spurn our appeals, reject our message, oppose our arguments, despise our persons, but they are helpless against our prayers.” If this is true, and I believe it is, why do we invest more time on all of these to the neglect of prayer?
How many of us desire to be led by and controlled by the Lord? I would imagine everyone who has claimed Christ as their Saviour would agree that they want this for their lives. We hear about “being filled with the Spirit,” but seem to go though life without a semblance of understanding what it is. We would attest that without it our spiritual lives will be defeated and empty. Yet, we shy away from it because we either don’t know or are unwilling to do what is necessary to be filled with the Spirit.
The Apostle Paul contrasts being filled with wine and being filled with the Spirit. The basic idea behind these two conditions is control. The one using alcohol is controlled by the alcohol. The more alcohol consumed, the more control it brings. So, also, with the Holy Spirit. The more we submit to His control the more He will control us. And, how do we find this control? It is found partly by developing a deep and lasting prayer life.
Prayer should have three focuses. One focus is to look to the Lord. Seeing Him will keep our perspective correct as to our worship. A second focus is to focus upon the needs of others. Seeing and praying for others will keep us from becoming to self-focused. And, lastly, we should focus upon our needs and seeing that we submit to God’s will in all things.
When I was in high school I loved math. In fact, I took all the math I could take. In my senior year I took trigonometry. I know what you’re thinking, HIM!? Yes, I took this challenging course because I thought I would go to college to become a math major to teach math someday. My grades were pretty good in trig. Those long equations seemed right up my alley. One other student and I were battling it out for the title, “Math Student of the Year.” But, ones thing tripped me up. Though I could do the equations and follow the intricate formulas, I was careless in the details. I would add 2+2 and get 5! Then, because of that one small mistake, my final calculation was incorrect. I was just too fast and caviler.
Life is much like that. We can get the big picture right. We can know that we are to make decisions based upon God’s Word. We can know it and reflect on it. The subject matter isn’t our problem. We can move from Genesis to Revelation in record time. Our problem, however, is that we are too caviler in the small details.
The difference between truth and error can be a wide gap or a small crack. False teachers can get close but still be teaching error. And, the minute we let down our guard and think we have all the answers we are in danger of being taken off the right path.
On occasion we need to go back to “check our work.” My math teacher used to say that to me a lot. She would hand me back a homework assignment or test and tell me to recheck my work. When I did, I would often find the smallest mistake that made my conclusions incorrect. If I had only checked it before I handed in the assignment or test, I might have been the math student of the year.
No two answers can be correct to a math problem. Although they may look right, unless we follow the correct steps, we will be wrong. Two students solved the following simple math equation differently and both thought they were correct. They were asked to solve the following; 3+4×2. One student answered 11 the other answered 14. The first student multiplied 4×2 first and then added 3. The second student added 3+4 and multiplied by 2. Which is correct? If you chose student number you 2 you are………wrong! In math you do multiplication before you do addition. So, in this equation you multiply 4×2 and then add 3. Both answers look correct, but, only one is.
As you read and study the Word of God be sure to ask the right questions and find the right answers. Even a small mistake can result in a grave error, like missing Heaven by a mile.
When I was a “youngin” I remember hearing a song about this topic. Kitty Wells, a popular Country and Western singer, sang a song entitled, “Dust on the Bible.” In the song she sings about going to a friend’s house to visit and seeing their Bible laying on a table covered in dust. It was obvious their Bible was unused. She was saddened by that fact. She sang that we should “get the dust off the Bible and redeem your poor soul.”
Maybe her singing was a bit “twangy” and method a bit outdated. But, her message is one needed to be heard by every generation of believers.
We have all entered 2014 with the same amount of time given to all. Today is January 17. If you had read four chapters a day you would have already finished 68 chapters! If you had begun in Genesis you would be to Exodus 18. If you had begun with Matthew you would be finishing the Gospel of Luke. Think of the good things you could have been reading about.
But, it’s never too late to begin a Bible reading schedule. You can do it so many different sways. The key is to DO IT.
After reading this, if you haven’t been reading God’s Word daily, stop to read at least a chapter. If you will begin today, read four chapters a day, you will complete the Bible in 2014.
20 years ago Hank Hanegraaff of the Christian Research Institute wrote a book to expose some of the excesses happening under the umbrella of Christianity. His book was one of many being written to warn believers of the dangers of departing from the historic faith “once delivered to the saints.” His work, among others, was clearly in the pathway of the Apostle Jude’s warnings in the first century.
In our evening services we have embarked upon a study of the Book of Jude. We are attempting to see what Jude had to say to his culture, and how this small book speaks to our culture. Error and apostasy are still the same animal. The basics of Satan’s attacks haven’t changed since the Garden of Eden. Satan will seek to cause doubt in the minds of people as to the truthfulness of God’s Word. If that tactic doesn’t work, he will try a direct denial of God’s Word. If that doesn’t work, he will seek to detour folks into something else to believe. In each case, whether hundreds of years ago or today, Satan’s goal is to bring people to a rejection of God and HIs Word.
If your spiritual antennas are not up when you listen to or read the works of a teacher, they should be. You and I must be discerning people as to truth. Error can be easily made to sound true simply by redefining the words or presenting a half-truth as a whole-truth. Many well know “preachers” of God’s Word today fall into that category. Sunday evening we spent some time pointing out these false teachers.
Recently Dr. John MacArthur organized a gathering of Bible-centered preachers to expose the gross errors within the “Word-Faith” movement. He called his meetings, “Strange Fire.” From that meeting a book has been written to get the information to more and more people. I would recommend the reading of Hank Hanegraaff’s book and John MacArthur’s book as primers into these false teachers and teachings.
May each of us keep our hearts and heads in tune with the God of Truth.
If you would like to read either of these books, just click on the image. It will take you to Amazon.
