Playbook For Christian Living - Living As The Church

Play Number Six: "Living As The Church"
11.29.15

Jesus spent three years with his disciples. He taught them about daily living, righteousness, hypocrisy, and a multitude of other topics. He did not lay out an exact blueprint for organizing what we call today "the Church". I believe that is in large part because Jesus was concerned about the individual's life being the best it could be since it is the individual believers that form the Church. Paul writes about this to the Colossians:

"And God placed all things under his [Jesus] feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way."
Ephesians 1:22-23

There is much to be said about the Body of Christ. Today I will focus on three ideas. 

First, The Body is Diverse. 

"For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink."

1 Corinthians 12:13

The body of Christ (the Church) consists of various people from a multitude of ethnic, racial, economic, social and spiritual backgrounds. It is a melting pot of individuals, ideas, and preferences. But just as the individual cells of the body come together and find unity, so must the individuals of the Church join together growing up to Him who is the head (Ephesians 4). 

Second, The Body Has Purpose.

"So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up."

Ephesians 4:11-12

The human body is the mechanical holding form for our soul. It has function to interact with this unique environment, gravity, temperatures, etc. The Church as the continuing physical body of Christ here on earth has its role too. Some are to teach, some encourage, some replicate (evangelize), and on and on just as individual cells have their role in the larger form, so do individuals within the larger Body of Christ. While Christ is Spirit and wishes to interact thru spirit, it is the physical forms of we mere humans that serve to translate those spiritual thoughts and intents into the carnal world. 

Third, The Body Has Organization.

"If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body."

1 Corinthians 12:17-20 

We cannot all be leaders. We cannot all be teachers. We can all be servants to each other. But each person must find and fulfill their role. The human body is not just a set of random cells struggling to identify themselves for what they are and where they belong. It is not their role to do so. Instead, they are subject to the DNA imprinting given to them by the architect of The Body, which is God. We must each connect to that inner DNA and serve God as He has it planned. When that happens, there is health and vitality in the body. But when cells rebel and strain to complete their own programming, the result can be dangerous - even deadly. While there is room for The Spirit to move within the ranks of God's people, there is no room for disorganization. Healthy cells moving in unison can achieve amazing things, but moving a part from each other is disastrous. We should respect God's authority and His assigned representation here on earth. 

Playbook For Christian Living - Living Generously

Play Number Five: "Live Generously"

11.22.15

Christmas is quickly approaching. Marketing and store web sites provide daily and hourly countdowns until the 25th of December. We are encouraged to give extravagant gifts (which of course means more profit for the stores), and these great gifts will show our love and appreciation for people who receive the presents. This form of generosity is a forced and contrived one. It is opposite of the description Paul gives in 2 Corinthians 9:7 -  "Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." 

Giving is a part of the Christian life. Today we unpack five truths about living a life that is centered on biblical generosity. 

1. We are conduits, not collectors. 

And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written: “They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor; their righteousness endures forever.”

2 Corinthians 9:8-9

God blesses us so that the blessing may flow through us to others. He does not give to us so that we simply collect the blessings. It is like the man who buried his coin in Luke 19 and failed to bring a return on the investments the kings had made. We are to use God's  blessings as a resource, not a reservoir. 

2. God is the supplier.

Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.

2 Corinthians 9:10

All good gifts come from God. We must seek him as the source of all our blessings. Pursuing other sources is what causes us to sin (i.e., seeking the truth of good an evil in the garden). 

3. Generosity leads to gratitude. 

This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. 

2 Corinthians 9:12 

When we pass along the blessings God has shared, it allows others to experience it as well and if will lead them to thanking God. Notice they will thank God, not us. Be mindful that we do not seek God's spot of thanks. 

4. Generosity leads to praise.

Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. 

2 Corinthians 9:13

The natural reaction of blessings from God is praise. He is worthy of praise and we are responsible to deliver it. It is praise for the gift, and praise for the demonstration of the true belief in the gospel of Christ. It is praise for our testimony of a great God! 

5. We give because we were given grace. 

And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

2 Corinthians 9:14-15

We have moved from death to life, unclean to clean, unrighteous to righteous! This gift was just that, a gift (Romans 6:23) from God. Since we who had nothing have been given everything, we should reflect the awesome generosity of our Father God. 

Playbook For Christian Living - Living In His Love

Play Four: Living In His Love
11.15.15

There are a lot of theological discussion on various things that Jesus taught in his time on earth. His parables and stories sometimes leave us scratching our head wondering what he is exactly saying. But sometimes he is very clear. Take for example the last super he has with his disciples. He is the creator God in flesh, and he bends to his knee and washes their feet. He follows this act of service with this command:

“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.”
John 13:34-35

He has set the bar high already, and is about to go to the cross and truly give example of what it means to love someone. This simple command is easy to conceive yet difficult too often to execute. Today I want to explore six ideas of what this love should look like.

In 1 John chapter 4, we read a wonderful explanation of what Godly love and therefore Christian love should look like. John writes this:

"Dear friends, let us love one another, because love comes from God. Everyone who loves has become a child of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. Here is how God showed his love among us. He sent his one and only Son into the world. He sent him so we could receive life through him. Here is what love is. It is not that we loved God. It is that he loved us and sent his Son to give his life to pay for our sins. Dear friends, since God loved us this much, we should also love one another. No one has ever seen God. But if we love one another, God lives in us. His love is made complete in us." (verses 7-12)

1. Love is spiritual.

In verse 7 we read that love comes from God. We are made in the image of God (Genesis 1) and we reflect his characteristics. If we are to learn to love one another as Jesus commended, then we must learn to love from the source. It is a pure and perfect love. It is genuine, and never ending.

2. Love is revealing.

Verse 8 tells us that we reveal our hearts by either loving or not loving. If we wish the world to see us as Christians, then there is no greater indicator than loving one another. Our love or lack thereof will tell the world whether we are a true believer.

3. Love is an action.

"This is how God showed his love..." verse 9 begins. Think about that statement. God showed his love to us. For many religions and gods of this world, it it the pleasure of their gods to only receive love, but the God of the Bible, the one true God, is a loving God. He took action to show his love in the form of his Son whom he sent to us to make a way for us to join him where he is. God took action and showed us his love!

4. Love is unconditional.

He took that action and showed his love through his son long before we loved Him. He accepted us where we were, and loved us. Too often this point has been used by non-believers as proof that we are not real Christians; citing the fact that Jesus was known to accept sinners where they were. True. But he loved them enough to not leave them in their sin and misery. He loved them enough to challenge them and change them. Real love is unconditional, but it also leads people to transformation.

5. Love is relational.

John reminds us in verse 11 that since God loved us, we should love each other. That means the guy or gal in your small group that is always late, always unprepared, and always asks the rabbit trail questions. It means we love our spouses, our kids, our friends, neighbors, waitresses, and more with the same unconditional spiritual love demonstrated by God. It also means that we must look in the mirror and love the person we see.

6. Love is evidence of God.

"Nobody has seen God!" the non-believer will state with emphases to prove there is no God. But in 1 John 4:12 we see this fact admitted and embraced. No one has seen God, but if we learn to live a life which demonstrates His love as his Son has commanded, then we are giving evidence that He exists. Our love for one another is proof that there is a loving God.

Playbook For Christian Living - Relying On God's Word

Play Three: Relying On God's Word
11.8.15

Visit your local library, bookstore, or favorite online retailer, and you will find thousands of books on how to live your life. Advise from self proclaimed experts on topics as varied as family, marriage, retirement, building a business, or even how to program your smart watch. There is plenty of suggestions, and often these suggestions can contradict or change as new information is revealed. But God's Word is solid. It is the rock to build a life on so that when the storms come, what you have labored to accomplish will not be washed away.

In Acts 20:32 Paul instructs the Ephesians, and us today, to "commit to God and to the word of his grace, which can build up up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified." The best way to be committed to God and His Word is to study it. There are plenty of ways to study the Bible, and hundreds of plans to accomplish the task. Below I provide a system I call PRAISE. It is a practical way to dive in and learn the lessons and leading of God in his love letter we call the Bible.

Pray

“Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.”
Psalm 119:18

Read

“Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.”

Joshua 1:8

Ask

“The disciples came to him and asked...”

Matthew 13:10a

Investigate

“Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.”

Acts 17:11

Search

“For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”

Matthew 7:8

Evaluate

“For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us.”

Romans 15:4a

We PRAY to open our hearts and mind for communicating with the author of the Scriptures. We READ, even though it seems such a simple step, because we should see for our self what the Word says. For much of the history of the Church, this privilege was forbidden. Take advantage of liberty in which we currently live. We ASK because we have a Father who is open to our questions and created in us an inquisitive mind. We should ask questions with the truth in mind that the people recorded in the bible were the same as you and I. They lived in a real time at a real place. They ate, loved, hated, ached, and experienced all we do today. When we ask questions, we must INVESTIGATE to discover answers to our questions. The Bible has an amazing ability to answer it's own questions if you take time to look. In order to see those answers we must SEARCH. Like a search and rescue expert, we must train our spiritual eyes to see the truth in the 66 books we call a bible. If we get lost in the words or the volume of thoughts, we can get loose sight of the proverbial "tree in the forest". Finally, we must take our answers and EVALUATE what we conclude with the other written word of God. In other words, you must compare the verse you are studying with the whole chapter, whole book, and finally with all the other books. If you have discovered a truth from God, it will agree with the rest of scripture. 

PRAISE God daily in your study of His Word and you will find yourself laying a strong foundation to a wonderful life - both here and in Heaven. 

Playbook For Christian Living - Relying On His Strength

Play Two: Relying On His Strength 
11.1.15

When a team takes the field, they have to rely on the strength of either the offense or defense. The element of the team that has helped them to victory in the past. As a Christian, our greatest strength is Christ! We read in Philippians 4:13 - "I can do all things through him who strengthens me." Today we will explore some of the elements found in this powerful verse!

1. I Can

There is a prideful way in which we as humans can say with defiance to God - "I can!" The people of ancient Babel had this attitude. In Genesis 11:4 we read where they made plans to build a city with a tower that would reach the heavens, so that they may make a name for themselves. This pride persists today. It is in our culture that leads to self important players and leaders thinking they did it - all by themselves! Unfortunately, this pride is seen in churches of today as well. Men and women who "build" a church with their name and brand on it and call it "good".

Instead of the prideful approach to the I Can statement, let us consider what Paul writes about we who are doing good for God. In 1 Corinthians 1:27-28, he reminds us that "God chose the foolish things of this world (that's us) to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things -and the that that are not- to nullify the things that are." The "i can" should be with a little "i". A humble spirit for sure.

2. All Things

Colossians 1:16 and John 1:3 both remind us that God created ALL THINGS, and that he governs over all things which means there are no limits of what we can do or accomplish In HIM! All things which are according to HIS WILL can be accomplished because he has rule over all things and all situations.

3. Through Him Who Gives Strength

"For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power." - 2 Timothy 1:7

When you consider the power of the Holy Spirit - creation, sustaining, convicting of sin, and bringing Christ back from the dead - all of this power is available to us through the Spirit. But we must be connected to the power source. The lamp does not generate its own power, but if it is plugged into a power outlet, it can produce light. We are called to be light, and that requires power through us.

4. Strength Comes From Within

The power and strength offered to us is a spiritual strength. No amount of push ups or weight lifting will give it to us. It must come from a spiritual source. Paul prays in Ephesians 3:16 that those in Ephesus will be "strengthened with power through his Spirit" in their inner being. His prayer was the the strength came from the spiritual, not the physical. We must be in tune spiritually to process the power and strength promised.

5. We Are Strengthened For His Glory

"But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed...The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen." - 2 Timothy 4:17-18