BLOG 12 - GOLD, SILVER AND PRECIOUS STONES

Dear Accepted in the Beloved (Eph. 1:6)

In what ways did the early church brethren love one another fervently? What did being knit together look like? What was the evidence of their love? Acts 2:42-47 says "they continued steadfastly in the apostle's doctrine (the Word) and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers... Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common... So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and in breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved." There is such a spirit of togetherness in these verses. How would onlookers describe our fellowship? Perhaps they might say at times: "Because of our lawlessness (lack of love) the love of many has grown cold." Matt 24:12. I always thought this applied to the world around us, but then I realized that the world has pressed us into its mold. We have put up walls. We are guarded by formalities. We fear closeness. We don't allow people to know us. We keep people at a distance. Yet we crave intimacy and acceptance. We need to be needed. The Holy Spirit is not divided. Wherever the Spirit is there is love. This is what the world needs to see. This is the labor that will bring in the harvest.

When the Father gives us His Holy Spirit so abundantly, the evidence of it will be the fruit of that Spirit which is first of all love. These are our tools for building that we cannot acquire any other way than by spending time with the giver. The gold, silver and precious stones are the people whose lives are touched forever by these tools. They are loved into the living temple of God by Jesus in us.

Some of us find it easier to go to great lengths, time and expense to go to a faraway places and love complete strangers than the brother or sister struggling right next to us. We can more easily initiate conversation with a homeless drunk, a street kid high on glue or give a tract to a passerby we will never see again than those we rub shoulders with every day. It is often easier to talk to someone in a nursing home about Jesus than someone in our own home or church.

But how do we do what the scripture talks about so much: "love one another?" We need modern day examples of what love looks like. We need some present day footsteps to follow.

Never before has it been easier to love one another. Let us compare our day and Jesus day:

We can send a card; they couldn't.
We can call on the phone; they couldn't.
We can hop in a car and stop by; they couldn't.
We can take someone out to a quick lunch we didn't even make; they couldn't.
We can order pizza to be delivered to our own home within an hour for any amount of people; they couldn't.
We can send an e-mail; they couldn't.
We can send an electronic card; they couldn't.
We can send flowers, candy gifts of all sorts the same day or the next; they couldn't.
We could go bowling, golfing, batting, tennis, swimming, bicycling together... They couldn't.
We can instant message electronically; they couldn't.
We can pray together anywhere on the globe cell phones will receive; they couldn't.
I am sure that there are many more ways we can build with silver, gold and precious stones if we let His love have its perfect way in us.

Silver, gold and precious stones are the only works that the Bible says will not be burned up. Wood, hay and stubble will be burned up. It seems important to know what these are. These verses have to do specifically with the temple of God.

Let us look at the Word: 1 Cor. 3:11-17 "For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one's work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is. If anyone's work which he has built on endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss, but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, (stressing law without mercy, the empty works of the pharisee without compassion, whitewashing the outside while ignoring the deadness inside) God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are."

If I am a great speaker with great tongues of men and angels; if I have the gift of preaching or prophecy; if I have all wisdom and understand all mysteries and all knowledge and write great books; if I have all faith, bestow all my goods to feed the poor or even die a martyr's death, without love, it is nothing. Works without love will be burned up and come to nothing. The Pharisees were great at these kind of empty works. These were the works that were recognized and admired by men but Jesus did not recognize these works as anything.

Love, in word and deed, that the world can see, is what God says will never fail. It will bear fruit. Fruit of the Holy Spirit: Love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. All of these are the fruit of His everlasting love. This fruit contains the seeds that bear still more fruit. Some hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. The world will know us by this fruit of love. Father fill me with Your Holy Spirit, that I may build with gold, silver and precious stones and not wood, hay and stubble. Let it be with fellow believers built up and encouraged, loved into action for His kingdom by Jesus in me. Let it be with precious living stones in a temple not made by human hands, but by God's love in us. Agape.

BLOG 11 - "I HAVE CALLED YOU FRIENDS."

Dear accepted in the beloved,

The verse laid upon my heart this morning with Jesus was John 15:15, where Jesus said to His disciples: "I have called you friends." This is said in the context of the verses on abiding in Christ as the vine and the branches, bearing fruit and the new commandment of loving one another. The Lord has been impressing on me that this fruit is not converts, but the fruit of the Holy Spirit which is "love, joy, peace..." etc, the deep changes that cause the body of Christ to be in communion with one another and thus a picture of God's love to the world.

Love is the greatest thing. Scripture tells us in seven places: To love the brethren fulfills the law. This is the proof to the watching world that Christ indwells my heart.
Friendship is our first ministry.

This is the peace that the world does not know, not just internal, but communal peace between believers that still have the offensiveness of their sin natures, but through the grace of God choose to cover it over.

This is a love that overcomes evil with good, confounds unbelievers and turns enemies into friends. This love enabled Jesus to even call Judas His friend, and Jesus would not say that if He did not mean it (Matt. 26:50). Can I call those who have hurt or betrayed me "friend"? I can if I let the mind of Christ be in me. I can if I love them the way He loves me as He has commanded me to. Romans 10:8 says that I "owe" this love to my brother. In fact, God's love is perfected when I love my brother. (1 John 2:5; 4:12,17; John 17:23)

The word "ministry" in scripture is always used to apply to the body of believers, never to the rebellious or evil doers of the world.

As a body, we are to seek out those who want to enter into this family relationship with "Our Father" and bring them into the fold. This means there has to be a "fold" to bring them into. A place to be edified, encouraged, valued...; a place to belong!!! It is not a building, an institution or an organization, but a spiritual family relationship that includes all the true brothers and sisters of Christ without partiality or favoritism. Only the Holy Spirit can accomplish this. This is how we know where the Spirit of God is. "Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is LOVE."

When I am cold or ignore my brother, the Bible says it is a hypocrisy against the truth of the gospel and that the love of God does not abide in me. (Gal. 2:11-14; 1 John 3:17) Thank you Jesus for the grace that covers the millions of times I have been guilty of this. May the Lord cause me to see and respond to the needs of my brothers and sisters around me. Especially to those who may have been hurt or feel rejected by my actions. This is a serious misrepresentation of God. Their cries against me bring shame on the name of Christ. Lack of love among Christians is the greatest stumbling block for the majority of unbelievers and I contribute to it every time I speak in anger or unkindly and every time I ignore a brother or sister in need. Loving one another is the single most important thing we can do to keep souls out of hell.

BLOG 10 - MERCY NOT SACRIFICE

Dear accepted in the beloved,

"But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice...' "
Matthew 9:13

Performing the sacrifices was the main part of the ministry of the priests in the Old Testament. God frowned on outward obedience while their hearts were far away from him. How did he determine that their hearts were far away from Him? Because they lacked mercy, compassion and love for the people.

As a royal priesthood we are called upon to be living sacrifices, to lay ourselves on the altar of the Lord. Usually we call this ministry. Is ministry what God wants from me? Is there something that could make all my service to the Lord null and void? The Lord is telling me, yes. If I put ministry ahead of mercy I will be just like the hypocritical pharisees. The pharisees knew the law. From all outside appearances they kept the law better than all others. They made sure of it. But they missed the most important thing. God says in the verse above: "Go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy not sacrifice.' "

Mercy flows only from a heart of love, love for God and for those God loves. If we serve God in a perfunctory way without love, God says in 1 Cor 13 we are nothing.

The pharisees were always being portrayed as beating the servants of the Lord.
Are we beating the servants of the Lord by cold or critical words or actions towards those God loves, casting people away, rejecting them, ignoring them, ignoring needs while thinking we are doing the work of the Lord.

Are we like the unmerciful servant who expected mercy for his own shortcomings but did not extend it to his fellow servant? Are we expecting ministry rather than extending it? Are we like the ministry people who saw the wounded man in the road, but were too busy to help him. They put ministry (sacrifice) before mercy.

O Lord help us to look in the mirror of your word and to see ourselves- who we really are. Help us to weep and wail over our deep iniquity.

We are the pharisee keeping the law without love.
We are the unmerciful servant beating our fellow servants.
We are the ministry minded doing great things in your name while walking by the wounded.

Meditate on Luke 10. Imagine that you asked Jesus: "What must I do to inherit eternal life?"
Imagine Jesus answering you with the parable of the Good Samaritan. Who would you be in the story? You are not who you think you are. I am not who I think I am. What do others see? What do the wounded see? Are they crying to the Lord because of me?

What sacrifices am I bringing? I tithe, I work in nursing homes..., Sunday school..., I go to church, bible study..., I bring a sacrifice of praise to the Lord, I preach, I teach..., Lord I did all this in your name. I am serving the Lord.........

How am I showing mercy?
Have I seen the wounded man?
Have I shown him mercy or am I just passing him by?

You may say: "Well, the Lord has not told me to do this specific thing."
The Lord has already spoken. Am I listening to what He has already said?

Agape.