In our church Bible study on Wednesday evenings, I have started a series entitled “What is the Church?” Some may think this is a very simplistic question, but we may discover there are aspects of the Church we have never thought about or been taught.
Let’s begin by discovering what Scripture calls the Church. Ephesians 2:22 A dwelling place for God by the Spirit 2 Corinthians 6:16 Temple of the living God, My people 1 Corinthians 3:9 God’s fellow workers, God’s field, God’s building Ephesians 3:15 Family in heaven 1 Timothy 3:15 Household of God, Church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth. Acts 20:2 The flock, the Church of God (purchased by blood) Revelation 21:9 The Bride 1 Corinthians 12:12-13 One body, and members of one body 2 Corinthians 8:23 The glory of Christ Each of these names and attributes of the Church has a wealth of truth and teaching associated with it. I invite you to spend time looking at the context of these references to see how they are used to reinforce the grand purpose of the Church. In the next few days, we will continue to explore the majestic plan of God for this blood bought family.
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We looked yesterday at God’s careful oversight of our spiritual growth and the necessary corrections so that our fruit production will increase. There are two more critical elements in this section of John 15:1-17 that must be included in this review.
This intense teaching comes just hours before his rigged trial and crucifixion. Jesus wanted to leave these disciples with the resources in the Holy Spirit and their close relationship with Him so that when he left them in Acts 1, they would be fully equipped for the most powerful ministry this world has ever seen. Are you living for this ULTIMATE purpose? I am sure that most of us who read this blog have heard messages or read articles on John 15:1-17. Why would I write yet another article on this passage when so much has already been said or written on it? If we think our spiritual state is beyond needing help, we are really in a very bad condition! However, if we think our spiritual condition is beyond the point of receiving help, then we do not realize the power and sufficiency of God’s Word.
This section in John 15 starts with Jesus referring to His Father as the “Vinedresser,” the person who oversees the vine and branches to make sure there is abundant production of fruit. It seems to be our tendency to forget how interested He is in our spiritual growth and effectiveness. Note the actions He takes to make sure we are fruitful in His field.
There are several other critical points I will highlight tomorrow. Between now and then, ask yourself, do I invite the Vinedresser to do what is necessary, so I become more fruitful? As I close this day with time spent in prayer for many of our ministry partners around the globe, I stop at Pakistan. Based on a false rumor, a mob in Faisalabad tore through a Christian village (part of the city) burning around 500 homes and all the churches. Most of the believers have fled to the countryside where there is no water, food or shelter.
Please pray for their comfort, protection, and the strengthening of faith in these conditions of suffering. Paul makes it clear that in the body of Christ, we “all suffer together” (1 Corinthians 12:26) because we are “members of one body in Christ” (12:12). Just because we are thousands of miles and many hours apart, there should be a deep sense in our hearts of being bound with them by the same Spirit (12:13). If you want to send them a brief note of encouragement and comfort, please send it to me and I will forward it to our partner. (nfi@newfoundationsinternational.org or NFI, 44 Great Oak Drive, Garner, NC 27529-6125. Two days ago, I had a very interesting conversation with a man who is struggling with the church he and his family attend. He feels there is tradition that is both insincere and meaningless. He wanted me to recommend a church that would address the needs of his heart, life, and family.
Recommending a church is dangerous without knowing where that person is in their spiritual walk with the Lord. I first want to get more acquainted with the person and learn where they are spiritually. We agreed to meet for coffee in the very near future. This conversation raised a concern in my heart that has occupied my thinking many times. Why do so many hide behind rituals and traditions but refuse to get into a genuine relationship that does not need ‘props’ that appeal to others. Paul faced the same problem with Corinth. He exposed cliques in Chapter 3 of his first letter to them and again in Chapter 11 when giving instructions about the Lord’s Supper. “I hear that there are divisions among you…for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized” (1 Corinthians 11:18–19). It is very sad that this must be the case even today. The fruit of the Spirit in us is to reveal the “genuine” so that the fake is exposed. The “genuine” will attract others to Jesus, NOT a person, special group, or style of church. May the Lord make you and me “genuine”! As we read through the Book of Acts, we notice there are different receptions to the gospel as it was presented by the apostles. In some places the opposition was so strong that Stephen and James were killed, and Peter was put in prison (chapters 7 and 12). Did this stop the Church and the apostles from continuing to preach the gospel? No! Prayer became more important to the Church (4:24-31; 12:5).
When we get to chapter 17, there is a mixed response. Those in Thessalonica and Berea “received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so” (17:11). As Paul and Silas moved on to Athens, the spiritual climate changed and there was not the same reception. What is our reaction when we get a cold audience or when there are threats cast in our direction? We must remember that our ‘heart knowing God’ has gone before us and either prepares the soil to receive the gospel or He hardens the heart. Paul understood this when he says, “So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.” (Romans 9:18). Are we resolved to continue working where God has gone before us and prepared hearts, or do we keep laboring where He is not working? Jesus and Paul both left places where God had not prepared the soil. Remember, it is HIS work, not ours! There were times in Jesus’ ministry when it was appropriate to shock the person or persons with a question or statement that revealed truth in a very clear and profound way.
The woman in John 4 was amazed that Jesus would even speak to her and then offer water that becomes “a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (14). But Jesus then reveals a very personal side of her life when He said, “Go, call your husband and come here” (16). That one question uncovered a history she would rather keep hidden. Jesus did this to set her free from that history and give her a new life. A group of Pharisees and scribes were condemning the disciples for “not washing their hands when they eat” (Matthew 15:2), Jesus uses Isaiah 29:19 to expose their hearts. “This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me” (15:8). They were preoccupied with the outward appearance while God was looking at the sin in their heart. Finally, Jesus writes to a church that was very proud of their record. Jesus says to them, “For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked” (Revelation 3:17). Pride blinds us to our real condition while repentance provides humility that receives correction. What we do when the Lord exposes our real condition will make the difference between remaining stagnant in our sin or repenting and discovering freedom through forgiving grace. We are always thankful to receive news of what God is doing in places where our team has planted seeds of His Word through our training material. This report comes from David in Nicaragua who has faithfully trained many believers and churches. As you read this short report, please pray for him and his family. “I share with you this photo of some brothers and sisters who recently finished the manual, God's Plan for His Disciples. They are the first people to finish the manual in the Nazarene Church. Next week they begin the second manual, God's Plan for His Church. Hearing the brothers' testimonies and the experience they had was shocking. They said it gave them strength and it enabled them to help others learn what they received.” We are praying that this type of expansion will take place in every place where we have trained leaders through our resources that help them return to the Scriptures as their only authority for faith and practice. Tim gave a message this morning to a church in Ecuador. He drew from Paul’s beautiful expression of “Christ in you” which came from the unfolding of a “mystery” that had been hidden for ages until the coming of the Holy Spirit to Indwell those who believe in Jesus.
“I [Paul] became a minister according to the stewardship from God…to make the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:25–27). How could this be? Just before going to the cross, Jesus made this statement, “I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you” (John 14:18). Fifty days after the resurrection, Jesus ascended to His Father’s right hand. He is not here now in the physical form that He was, but He is here because of this wonderful statement in verses 16-17. “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever. You know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.” “Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you” (16:7). Because of this wonderful divine gift, the Spirit living in us, Christ is in us through Him. These believers had never heard this glorious truth. Now their hearts are filled with joy! I was having a conversation this evening with my long-time mentor about the authority of Scripture and why this principle is slipping away in many churches. Though he has taught in several seminaries, he lamented that many students graduate from these institutions and carry with them an unspoken idea that their education has become their authority rather than relying on God’s Word for what they preach and teach.
This is a sad departure from what the Early Church believed and taught. I remind us of Peter’s exhortation; “knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:20–21). It was the Holy Spirit as the divine author that gave authority to what was written. It comes very close, if not actually, a sin against the Spirit to place any authority in the teaching of men above the Scriptures. We may not think this is happening, but when teachers and preachers quote book authors or well-known speakers as the authority for what they teach (“so and so said…”), we are resting our teaching on individuals rather than God’s Word. This is a dangerous habit. BE CAREFUL |
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