THE SHARING SERVICE
GREETINGS IN THE NAME OF JESUS:
We have been talking about personal relationships that impact our own lives but now I want to turn to a relationship that is not spoken of very much within our churches today, and that is the one that we have really been created as a church to have in this world; that is the relationship that we should have with one another specifically as both a purpose of being a safe haven for new Christians to grow in and as the main source of our testimony to this world.
From the very beginning, our relationship with one another both in and outside of the church services is watched closely by this world, and with great reason. The world around us has no reason at this point to listen to what we say because they are seeing the Gospel as a lie and a farce just like all of the other theories that have been planted by this world to keep people seeking down different rabbit holes that go nowhere. What we are doing is simply wasting our time trying to convince people that Christ is the answer without actually living out that answer for our own lives.
The answer to this problem is, of course, letting God have control and our first indication of the church letting God have complete control is found in Acts 2:37-47. We were formed as a family to give protection and guidance for those who first come to Christ so they can be taught and shown by teaching the truth and living the example of what it means to live for Christ. These people need to be taught how to pray and become mature in their faith. The weak should learn from the strong, but we all have something to both teach and learn from each other. They broke bread to remember what Jesus had done for them and what He had been sent to accomplish in His ministry "As often as you do this; do it in remembrance of me" Matthew 26:26-29.
There is something even more important I need to touch on in this blog, and that is that when they were together in service or fellowship anywhere they sought out those who were hurting for any reason, and they ministered to them. They recognized one another as their brother or their sister and they shared with one another as they would the members of their own family. I am not just talking about possessions but also with emotions and support with advice and favor, and in doing this they all benefited from God's grace as He supported the whole body in Christ. The emotional involvement is probably the most important part of our involvement in Christ because if we truly care about someone else we will show it through our physical support as well. This world gets us all tied up in knots over material things, and the temptation that surrounds all of it, but what that does is separating us from one another more so than helping us. Each one seems to be taking care of his or her own interests...each one enjoying their own little piece of the world when the greatest happiness and the most fulfilling parts of life come from openly sharing with those whom we love around us. That does not mean we have t give things away to everyone we meet because there will always be poor in this world, but a brother or sister should become precious to us, and it is our responsibility to look out for our Spiritual family in any way that we can.
The one thing that we should be doing as Christians is to show this world an example of what living in Christ can mean to them. Our love should reflect Christ within us by not misleading or lying to one another in our Spiritual family. The standard " How are you? Oh, I am doing just fine" is a classic lie that we tell each other all of the time. If you are genuinely concerned enough to ask; also take the time to listen. It is time to bear one another burdens. The idea of sharing with one another truthfully and honestly will take some time and work on our part; it does not come easily. It starts by building up trust in one another and hope in those whom we share Christ with. Interestingly, that is what will also allow God's Spirit to begin to draw others toward us too, which is what God's plan was all along. I want to share more about our time together as the family of God next time. May you richly bless God through your life in Him.
THE UNWORTHY SERVANT
We have been talking about personal relationships that impact our own lives but now I want to turn to a relationship that is not spoken of very much within our churches today, and that is the one that we have really been created as a church to have in this world; that is the relationship that we should have with one another specifically as both a purpose of being a safe haven for new Christians to grow in and as the main source of our testimony to this world.
From the very beginning, our relationship with one another both in and outside of the church services is watched closely by this world, and with great reason. The world around us has no reason at this point to listen to what we say because they are seeing the Gospel as a lie and a farce just like all of the other theories that have been planted by this world to keep people seeking down different rabbit holes that go nowhere. What we are doing is simply wasting our time trying to convince people that Christ is the answer without actually living out that answer for our own lives.The answer to this problem is, of course, letting God have control and our first indication of the church letting God have complete control is found in Acts 2:37-47. We were formed as a family to give protection and guidance for those who first come to Christ so they can be taught and shown by teaching the truth and living the example of what it means to live for Christ. These people need to be taught how to pray and become mature in their faith. The weak should learn from the strong, but we all have something to both teach and learn from each other. They broke bread to remember what Jesus had done for them and what He had been sent to accomplish in His ministry "As often as you do this; do it in remembrance of me" Matthew 26:26-29.
There is something even more important I need to touch on in this blog, and that is that when they were together in service or fellowship anywhere they sought out those who were hurting for any reason, and they ministered to them. They recognized one another as their brother or their sister and they shared with one another as they would the members of their own family. I am not just talking about possessions but also with emotions and support with advice and favor, and in doing this they all benefited from God's grace as He supported the whole body in Christ. The emotional involvement is probably the most important part of our involvement in Christ because if we truly care about someone else we will show it through our physical support as well. This world gets us all tied up in knots over material things, and the temptation that surrounds all of it, but what that does is separating us from one another more so than helping us. Each one seems to be taking care of his or her own interests...each one enjoying their own little piece of the world when the greatest happiness and the most fulfilling parts of life come from openly sharing with those whom we love around us. That does not mean we have t give things away to everyone we meet because there will always be poor in this world, but a brother or sister should become precious to us, and it is our responsibility to look out for our Spiritual family in any way that we can.
The one thing that we should be doing as Christians is to show this world an example of what living in Christ can mean to them. Our love should reflect Christ within us by not misleading or lying to one another in our Spiritual family. The standard " How are you? Oh, I am doing just fine" is a classic lie that we tell each other all of the time. If you are genuinely concerned enough to ask; also take the time to listen. It is time to bear one another burdens. The idea of sharing with one another truthfully and honestly will take some time and work on our part; it does not come easily. It starts by building up trust in one another and hope in those whom we share Christ with. Interestingly, that is what will also allow God's Spirit to begin to draw others toward us too, which is what God's plan was all along. I want to share more about our time together as the family of God next time. May you richly bless God through your life in Him.
THE UNWORTHY SERVANT
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