"Now you are the body of Christ, and members in particular." (1 Cor. 12:27)
Centuries ago the psalmist said, "I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made" (Ps. 139:14). The human body is a marvelous example of unity in diversity. Dozens of organs all performing different functions, yet working together in such harmony that we must make a deliberate effort to think of the human body in any way other than as a unity.
In the church at Corinth some had gifts that others did not have and, as a result, they thought of themselves more highly than they should have. This provoked the less gifted to jealousy. The result was discord and strife among the members. In substance Paul was saying to them, "You do not realize your relationship to one another and to Christ. You are joined to one another and depend on one another just as the members of the body are joined to one another and depend on one another. You are the physical expression and instrument of Christ in this world just as the body is the physical expression and instrument of the mind." "Now you are the body of Christ, and members in particular." (1Cor. 12:27) Several practical suggestions about the church are called out by this text.
1. Each member of the church is different from every other member.
The church has the unity of a living organism. No two parts are alike, and each part carries out a different function for the good of the whole. Some inescapable, practical implications are seen.
A. Every member of Christ's church has some place of service cut out for him or her. Sometimes we wonder about the function of the appendix or the tonsils, but all in all, there are no useless members or organs of the body. They each have a function to perform, and unless they do, the whole body suffers. Likewise, no two members of the church have equal abilities. But every member has a function to perform for the common good. Under the leadership of the Spirit it is each person's privilege and duty to discover what that place is and to fill it.
B. Each member of Christ's church must perform his or her own function in the church. As Paul says, "The eye cannot say to the hand, I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!" On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable" (v 21-22). Every pastor has had members of his church say to him, "All I can do is just go to church and just sit there." The majority of those who say something like this could do more if they wanted to. If every member of every church would only fill his or her place of service, what a difference it would make!
C. No place of service is so low as to be despised or looked down on, and no place is so high that it justifies conceit on the part of the one filling it. Some members at Corinth were discouraged. Their attitude was: "We don't amount to much in the church." Paul said to them, "If the foot should say, "Because I am not the hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body" (v15). Some at Corinth had too high an estimate of their worth. To them Paul said, "The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" (v21). To the Romans Paul was even more specific, "Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, But rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. Just as each one of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us" (12:3-6).
2. Each member of the church is to be devoted to the best interest of every other member.
Someone has said, "In brute creation it is the stomach that rules the world. "Selfishness rules. The law of the jungle is "Every man for himself and the devil take the hindmost." But in Christ's church the ultimate aim is the well being of one's fellow members and therefore the whole church. Since the church is a living organism, each member is to be devoted to the highest good of every other member.
Paul told the Corinthians, "There should be no division in the body, but...it's parts should have equal concern for each other" (1 Cor. 12:25). He gives two reasons for this:
A." If one part suffers, every part suffers with it" (v 26). When one member is the victim of half-truths or untruths, when any member is the prey of cheap gossip, the church is the loser. When one member falls into sin, all suffer. Sinning on the part of one member of the church is like putting poison in the public water supply. Sooner or later all the members are hurt by it.
B. "If one part is honored, every part rejoices with it" (v26). Since the church is a body, what is for the good of one is for the good of all. Paul urged the Romans, "Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves" (12:10). The members of a church are to be devoted to one another to the building up of the body in love. If only we followed that ideal, how different things would be in our churches!
3. Each member of the church is dependent on every other member.
The human body is dependent on the functioning of each individual organ. When one organ is diseased and unable to perform its function properly, the whole body is sick. The proper use of the hands and feet is dependent the health of the nervous system. The welfare of the nervous system is dependent on proper circulation. No part of the body is independent of any other part.
Likewise, no member of the church is independent of any other member in the worship and service of Christ. And no member is the whole of himself; his fellow members complete him. If the church is to grow and move forward, every member must fill his place and perform his function, because every other member is dependent on him!
Consider a serious question: What is the function of the whole body, each member performing his or her individual part? "You are the body of Christ," our text says. What the physical body is to the mind and soul, the church is to Christ--the physical instrument by which He works His will in the world.
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
When Religion Gets Sick
And when He had made a scourge of small cords, He drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables; And said to them that sold doves, "Take these things from here; make not My Father's house a house of merchandise." (John 2: 15-16)
A famous preacher once asked, "What is worse than having no religion?" Then he paused for a moment and then answered his own question, " Having no religion is bad, but having the wrong kind of religion is even worse." Wayne E. Oates, in a provacative book entitled " When Religion gets Sick," proposed the possibilty of allowing religion to get sick, (just as we see in the the passage above) He concluded that having a sick religion is worse by far than having no religion at all, and I concur.
Jesus was concerned with sick religion as indicated by His driving the moneychangers out of the temple. Much of Judaism had gotten sick, and the Great Physician had come to bring healing. What did Jesus see in the temple that caused such aggressive action?
1. The Lost Sense of Awe and Reverence for God.
A. The Jews had lost the profound sense and reverence for God. Look carefully at what Jesus observed when He visited the temple. Mant Jewish patrons were coming and going. They had little respect for what took place in the temple, namely communion with God. They bought and sold animals, and they exchanged money as if the court of the gentiles was a market place.
God had intended the temple to be a meeting place for human beings and Himself. He had not intended the temple to be a den of thieves. He wanted it to be a place of prayer.
B. Christians often lose their sense of awe and reverence for God. As people go about the routine of Bible study and church attendance, they can lose reverence for God. The Lord, His church, and His book become rather ordinary.
Jesus' anger is aroused when He sees a lost sense of awe and reverence for His Father. Religion can get sick when the sense of wonder of God departs from aperson or a group of people.
2. The Lost Sense of The Cost of Religion.
A. The Jews had lost sight of the cost of serving the Lord. The presentation of the animals in temple sacrifice represented a commitment on the part of worshippers. ( Just as our tithes and offerings still do today.) God wanted the Jews to present the best animals out of their flocks. This would mean that they gave their best to God.
When Jesus walked into the temple, He saw that religion had been made cheap. People were told, " Leave your animals at home and buy one in the temple." Purchasing animals from the temple merchants cheapened the sacrificial system. And this anger the Master.
3. The Lost Sense of the Outsider.
A. The Jews had lost the sense of the Gentiles' need. The place where the moneychangers and merchants did business was in the court of the Gentiles. This was the place within the temple prcinct where Gentiles, outsiders, could come and learn of the Lord. Most of the Jews in Jesus' time were not concerned for the Gentiles. They were concerned for their rituals but not for the mission of being a blessing to the nations that God had given them.
B. Modern Christians can lose the sense of the outsider. The church can easily become an exclusive club with a preoccupation for its membership. Religion gets sick when people turn inward and do not look outward for the sinners.
How is the health of you Christian expression? If you do not mind, let's have a checkup. Is there a great thrill over the greatness and gradeur of God? Or are you taking short cuts? Are you asking for the minimal requirememts? Then, what about your concern for others? Let's keep our religion healthy and groeing.
A famous preacher once asked, "What is worse than having no religion?" Then he paused for a moment and then answered his own question, " Having no religion is bad, but having the wrong kind of religion is even worse." Wayne E. Oates, in a provacative book entitled " When Religion gets Sick," proposed the possibilty of allowing religion to get sick, (just as we see in the the passage above) He concluded that having a sick religion is worse by far than having no religion at all, and I concur.
Jesus was concerned with sick religion as indicated by His driving the moneychangers out of the temple. Much of Judaism had gotten sick, and the Great Physician had come to bring healing. What did Jesus see in the temple that caused such aggressive action?
1. The Lost Sense of Awe and Reverence for God.
A. The Jews had lost the profound sense and reverence for God. Look carefully at what Jesus observed when He visited the temple. Mant Jewish patrons were coming and going. They had little respect for what took place in the temple, namely communion with God. They bought and sold animals, and they exchanged money as if the court of the gentiles was a market place.
God had intended the temple to be a meeting place for human beings and Himself. He had not intended the temple to be a den of thieves. He wanted it to be a place of prayer.
B. Christians often lose their sense of awe and reverence for God. As people go about the routine of Bible study and church attendance, they can lose reverence for God. The Lord, His church, and His book become rather ordinary.
Jesus' anger is aroused when He sees a lost sense of awe and reverence for His Father. Religion can get sick when the sense of wonder of God departs from aperson or a group of people.
2. The Lost Sense of The Cost of Religion.
A. The Jews had lost sight of the cost of serving the Lord. The presentation of the animals in temple sacrifice represented a commitment on the part of worshippers. ( Just as our tithes and offerings still do today.) God wanted the Jews to present the best animals out of their flocks. This would mean that they gave their best to God.
When Jesus walked into the temple, He saw that religion had been made cheap. People were told, " Leave your animals at home and buy one in the temple." Purchasing animals from the temple merchants cheapened the sacrificial system. And this anger the Master.
3. The Lost Sense of the Outsider.
A. The Jews had lost the sense of the Gentiles' need. The place where the moneychangers and merchants did business was in the court of the Gentiles. This was the place within the temple prcinct where Gentiles, outsiders, could come and learn of the Lord. Most of the Jews in Jesus' time were not concerned for the Gentiles. They were concerned for their rituals but not for the mission of being a blessing to the nations that God had given them.
B. Modern Christians can lose the sense of the outsider. The church can easily become an exclusive club with a preoccupation for its membership. Religion gets sick when people turn inward and do not look outward for the sinners.
How is the health of you Christian expression? If you do not mind, let's have a checkup. Is there a great thrill over the greatness and gradeur of God? Or are you taking short cuts? Are you asking for the minimal requirememts? Then, what about your concern for others? Let's keep our religion healthy and groeing.
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
The Rich Rewards of Prayer
".....The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." (James 5:16b)
The Bible teaches that those who have the habit of prayer experience rich spiritual blessings in their hearts and lives. Scripture and christian history both testify that those who have served God significantly have been men and women with an earnest prayer life. So lets take a look at some of the rich rewards that come to those who have faith in God that expresses itself in a life of prayer.
1. A Vivid Awareness of the Nearness of God.
" Draw near to God and He will draw near to you." (James 4:8). When the grateful and humble child of God seeks to come into the throne room of the heavenly Father, one of the great benefits that will come to him is a vivid awareness of just how close God really is.
A. Experiencing the nearness of God can be frightfully disturbing for one who has not experienced genuine repentance, sicere confession, and the joy of being cleansed from the pollution of sin.(Isa, ^; Luke 5:8-10)
B. Experiencing the nearness of God can also be very comforting (Ps. 23:4) He gives strength in times of difficulty
C. Experiencing the nearness of God can be very exciting (Phil. 4:13) The assurance of the nearness of God can give great courage and joy as one faces the trials of life.
2. A Vital Experience of The Dearness of God.
Jesus taught His disciples to approach the Creator God not on the basis of His being their Creator but in terms of His being " our Father who art in heaven" (Matt. 6:9). While He is the God who is in heaven, He is also the Father with whom we can have dislogue in the closet of prayer(v6). It is in the prayer experience that the Father communicates His nearness and His dearness to those who look to Him in faith.
3. An Enlightening Experience of the Wisdom of God.
Throughout the entire Bible and in the experience of the believers, we have testimony after testimony of how, as they prayed, God stimulated their thinking and caused them to have new insight that helped them to cope with the strains and pressures of life.
WE have instance after instance in which God recalled to the memory of His discouraged childern His goodness in the past to help them to face the pressures of the present.
4. An Enabling Experience of the Strength of God.
"He give power to the faint; and to them that have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." (Isa. 40: 29-31). Time spent in God's presence fills the child of God with the strebth that comes from heaven.
Most know the famous cartoon character Popeye. He faced many difficult and dangerous crises but was never quite adequate for these until he had eaten a can of spinach, which gave him superhuman powers. I have often thought of how time spent with the heavenly Father brings to His children strength comparable to that which spinach brought to popeye.
The apostle Paul prayed for the believers at Ephesus that they might be strengthen witnmight through God's Spirit in the inner man and that they might be filled with all the fullness of God (Eph. 3:16,19). He encouraged them to trust in and depend on the God who was at work within them and who was able to do far more abundantly than anything they had previously asked for or even thought about. (vv 20-21)
5. A Cleansing Experience of the Forgiveness of God. ( 1 John 1:6-7)
God is eager to forgive His sinful children, He is eager to cleanse us and make us white as snow. Our heavenlt Father does not delight in our being guilty of or burdened by sin. He is eager that we forsake those ways and attitudes that are destructive and come to Him for forgiveness and cleansing.
Scripture tells us that our God is a forgiving God who forgives fully and freely and forever when His children sit in judgement on their own sins and turn from the sin that disrupts their fellowship, destroys their influence, and deprives them of joy. Prayer is the div ine gift by which we can come into God's presence, receive His forgiveness, and experience both the cleaness that follows and the joy of a restored fellowship.
Do not rob yourself by neglecting to pray. When you do not feel like praying, that is all the more reason you should pray. Prayer is not a process by which you make "brownie points" with God. Prayer is not a magical means by which something happens automatically. Prayer is meant to be an experience in which a spiritual tranformation takes place. This is why we are commanded, "Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." ( 1Thess. 5: 16-18).
The Bible teaches that those who have the habit of prayer experience rich spiritual blessings in their hearts and lives. Scripture and christian history both testify that those who have served God significantly have been men and women with an earnest prayer life. So lets take a look at some of the rich rewards that come to those who have faith in God that expresses itself in a life of prayer.
1. A Vivid Awareness of the Nearness of God.
" Draw near to God and He will draw near to you." (James 4:8). When the grateful and humble child of God seeks to come into the throne room of the heavenly Father, one of the great benefits that will come to him is a vivid awareness of just how close God really is.
A. Experiencing the nearness of God can be frightfully disturbing for one who has not experienced genuine repentance, sicere confession, and the joy of being cleansed from the pollution of sin.(Isa, ^; Luke 5:8-10)
B. Experiencing the nearness of God can also be very comforting (Ps. 23:4) He gives strength in times of difficulty
C. Experiencing the nearness of God can be very exciting (Phil. 4:13) The assurance of the nearness of God can give great courage and joy as one faces the trials of life.
2. A Vital Experience of The Dearness of God.
Jesus taught His disciples to approach the Creator God not on the basis of His being their Creator but in terms of His being " our Father who art in heaven" (Matt. 6:9). While He is the God who is in heaven, He is also the Father with whom we can have dislogue in the closet of prayer(v6). It is in the prayer experience that the Father communicates His nearness and His dearness to those who look to Him in faith.
3. An Enlightening Experience of the Wisdom of God.
Throughout the entire Bible and in the experience of the believers, we have testimony after testimony of how, as they prayed, God stimulated their thinking and caused them to have new insight that helped them to cope with the strains and pressures of life.
WE have instance after instance in which God recalled to the memory of His discouraged childern His goodness in the past to help them to face the pressures of the present.
4. An Enabling Experience of the Strength of God.
"He give power to the faint; and to them that have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." (Isa. 40: 29-31). Time spent in God's presence fills the child of God with the strebth that comes from heaven.
Most know the famous cartoon character Popeye. He faced many difficult and dangerous crises but was never quite adequate for these until he had eaten a can of spinach, which gave him superhuman powers. I have often thought of how time spent with the heavenly Father brings to His children strength comparable to that which spinach brought to popeye.
The apostle Paul prayed for the believers at Ephesus that they might be strengthen witnmight through God's Spirit in the inner man and that they might be filled with all the fullness of God (Eph. 3:16,19). He encouraged them to trust in and depend on the God who was at work within them and who was able to do far more abundantly than anything they had previously asked for or even thought about. (vv 20-21)
5. A Cleansing Experience of the Forgiveness of God. ( 1 John 1:6-7)
God is eager to forgive His sinful children, He is eager to cleanse us and make us white as snow. Our heavenlt Father does not delight in our being guilty of or burdened by sin. He is eager that we forsake those ways and attitudes that are destructive and come to Him for forgiveness and cleansing.
Scripture tells us that our God is a forgiving God who forgives fully and freely and forever when His children sit in judgement on their own sins and turn from the sin that disrupts their fellowship, destroys their influence, and deprives them of joy. Prayer is the div ine gift by which we can come into God's presence, receive His forgiveness, and experience both the cleaness that follows and the joy of a restored fellowship.
Do not rob yourself by neglecting to pray. When you do not feel like praying, that is all the more reason you should pray. Prayer is not a process by which you make "brownie points" with God. Prayer is not a magical means by which something happens automatically. Prayer is meant to be an experience in which a spiritual tranformation takes place. This is why we are commanded, "Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." ( 1Thess. 5: 16-18).
Monday, March 4, 2013
Prayers We Need To Pray
With my whole heart have I sought you: O let me not wander from your commandments. (Ps. 119:10)
Pslam 119:9-16
It is altogether appropriate for us to say "Amen" when we hear the prayers of others and those prayers express the deep desires of our heart. The Hebrew word "amen" means " let it be so." It is an affirmation of concurrance and agreement. Each of us can participate more meaningfully and more profitably in the public prayers spoken by others if we listen intently and appropriately say "amen."
With great benefits coming to us, we can study the written prayers of others. Often they verbalize the prayers that we would like to utter, and we can then say "amen " as we read written prayers.
Psalm 119 is an artistic record of the psalmist's devotions and dialogues with God. The psalm contains many prayers that we could profitably pray as our very own prayers.
Lets take a look at the second of 22 stanzas in this acrostic poem. It contains some prayers that each of us needs to pray.
1. "Let me not wander from your commandments."
The psalmist recognized the human tendency to wander away from the proper path and offered a prayer that he might be saved from a life of aimless wandering. Why does man wander away from God's truth?
A. Perhaps because of our fallen nature.
B. Perhaps it's because we are forgetful.
C. Many of us are preoccupied with other things, and we find it easy to drift.
D. We can be tempted by the promises and possibilities of what the world has to offer.
E. Some of us wander because of weariness. The psalmist prays that God will so work in his life that he will be saved from straying from God's precious commandments.
2. "Teach me your statutes." (v12)
Throughout this longest psalm in the Bible, we hear the psalmist repeating the petition, "Teach me your statutes." each of us should repeat this prayer and mean it with all our heart.
In this petition the psalmist is saying, "I want what God wants." God's grace had worked within the innermost being of this man to cause him to want to follow God's statutes.
We need to remember that our Savior was thought of as the great teacher ( Matt. 5:1-2; 7:28-29). Only as we understand the teachings of God through Jesus Christ can we truely walk in His ways and do the things He wants us to do.
3. Putting feet on our prayers.
For prayer to be meaningful and productive, we must do more than just talk to Father God. We must cooperate with Him as He works to bring about the fullfillment of the desires we have expressed in the prayer we have offered.
A. We can keep our lives pure by bringing our thoughts and actions under the searching light of God's word.( Ps. 119:9)
B. We can avoid a life of sin by storing up God's word in our hearts that it might serve as both a restraint and as a challenge (v11)
C. We can verbalize the great truths and the great insights that come to us from God's word in our conversations with others (v13).
In order to pray effectively, we need to delight ourselves in God's precepts, His ways, His statutes (vv 14-16).
Devotional Bible study can be the listening side of prayer. God will speak to our needs through His Word if we study it with trust and with a willingness to be obedient.
Pslam 119:9-16
It is altogether appropriate for us to say "Amen" when we hear the prayers of others and those prayers express the deep desires of our heart. The Hebrew word "amen" means " let it be so." It is an affirmation of concurrance and agreement. Each of us can participate more meaningfully and more profitably in the public prayers spoken by others if we listen intently and appropriately say "amen."
With great benefits coming to us, we can study the written prayers of others. Often they verbalize the prayers that we would like to utter, and we can then say "amen " as we read written prayers.
Psalm 119 is an artistic record of the psalmist's devotions and dialogues with God. The psalm contains many prayers that we could profitably pray as our very own prayers.
Lets take a look at the second of 22 stanzas in this acrostic poem. It contains some prayers that each of us needs to pray.
1. "Let me not wander from your commandments."
The psalmist recognized the human tendency to wander away from the proper path and offered a prayer that he might be saved from a life of aimless wandering. Why does man wander away from God's truth?
A. Perhaps because of our fallen nature.
B. Perhaps it's because we are forgetful.
C. Many of us are preoccupied with other things, and we find it easy to drift.
D. We can be tempted by the promises and possibilities of what the world has to offer.
E. Some of us wander because of weariness. The psalmist prays that God will so work in his life that he will be saved from straying from God's precious commandments.
2. "Teach me your statutes." (v12)
Throughout this longest psalm in the Bible, we hear the psalmist repeating the petition, "Teach me your statutes." each of us should repeat this prayer and mean it with all our heart.
In this petition the psalmist is saying, "I want what God wants." God's grace had worked within the innermost being of this man to cause him to want to follow God's statutes.
We need to remember that our Savior was thought of as the great teacher ( Matt. 5:1-2; 7:28-29). Only as we understand the teachings of God through Jesus Christ can we truely walk in His ways and do the things He wants us to do.
3. Putting feet on our prayers.
For prayer to be meaningful and productive, we must do more than just talk to Father God. We must cooperate with Him as He works to bring about the fullfillment of the desires we have expressed in the prayer we have offered.
A. We can keep our lives pure by bringing our thoughts and actions under the searching light of God's word.( Ps. 119:9)
B. We can avoid a life of sin by storing up God's word in our hearts that it might serve as both a restraint and as a challenge (v11)
C. We can verbalize the great truths and the great insights that come to us from God's word in our conversations with others (v13).
In order to pray effectively, we need to delight ourselves in God's precepts, His ways, His statutes (vv 14-16).
Devotional Bible study can be the listening side of prayer. God will speak to our needs through His Word if we study it with trust and with a willingness to be obedient.
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