I Love My Church
Posted November 8, 2009
Scripture Reading: 1 John 4:7-12
God, who is love, wired us to love Him first, but then as a close second, to love people. It is all over the Bible and all of human history testifies that we are made to love people. I’m not saying we live in a world where everyone loves. Far from it! But we all want and need to love and be loved. Jesus left one new commandment: “to love one another.” It is what our life is to be about!
It’s also clear that we function best with several kinds of relationships. For instance, you are someone’s child, you probably are someone’s sibling, maybe you are someone’s spouse, etc. We are designed to live in meaningful, life-giving relationships. Do you realize God Himself lives in relationship community? Father, Son and Holy Spirit have a perfect relationship model and we are made to be deeply satisfied with the same.
Here are some thoughts about relationships. Read them, reflect on your relationships, then go a step further and answer some questions.
The three-tier relationship model:
- People who speak into your life and help you be accountable – Pauls.
- People who are friends and you mutually enjoy and encourage – Barnabuses.
- People who you are helping and investing in – Timothys.
Draw a tic-tac-toe grid. Put yourself in the middle. Now fill in the top tier (Pauls), middle tier (Barnabus) and bottom tier (Timothys).
So, how is your relationship grid? Are there gaps?
Who could fill those gaps? (Make a plan to fill your grid and then connect with those in it).
Pray over your relationships with your family and close friends.
Posted November 5, 2009
Scripture Readings: Psalm 1:1-6; James 5:13-18
We have now spent a week looking at aspects of loving God in the life of the Church. The beauty of salvation, Baptism, Communion, and the corporate gathering is that while they are each individually impactful, they remind us that our Christian life is not a life for Lone Rangers. It is deeply relational, deeply imbedded in community, and deeply cooperative. Together, we pursue God and the purpose He has called us to (Eph. 2:10).
However, God is a personal God and the beauty of the Gospel is tied to the fact that a sinful individual can encounter, know, enjoy, love, and have a relationship with Him thanks to the saving work of God in Christ on the cross. Our Christian walk, while done in a family of believers, is also an individual pursuit of knowing and being with God. No study in “loving God” can be complete with at least a few comments on how you as an individual can pursue your relationship with God on a personal level.
There are a lot of ways to pursue God, but ultimately, no Christian life is complete without a regular diet of God’s Word (the Bible) and prayer (conversation with God). Below are some thoughts on each based on the Scriptures above.
Word: Psalm 1:1-6.
Notice the richness of the adjectives in this passage. There is blessing, delight, fruitfulness, prosperity, and righteousness. All of this comes to the person who is devoted to “the law of the Lord,” which is the Old Testament’s way of saying “God’s Word.” Notice, this isn’t simply an occasional, cursory reading; it’s described as “meditation.” In other words, we are reading, thinking, pondering, and practicing the things we read in the Scriptures and allow it to change us. It sounds like a lot of work, and at times it can be, but ultimately it is a source we can find a “delight” in the investment.
What is amazing about this passage is the outcome. Sure, there is “blessing” and “prosperity,” which in themselves are very intriguing. But the pinnacle part of the passage is in verse 6. “God knows the way of the righteous.” As we delight in God’s Word, we not only know God more, but we more and more experience being known by God. He enjoys His time with us, talking to us, and fellowshipping with us, being with us. A no matter what path in life we are on – from the path of joy to the path of suffering – He knows and cares.
Prayer: James 5:13-18
Prayer is simply talking to God. In our lives our prayer will take on a variety of different tones and levels of earnestness. There will be times when it is simply an ongoing conversation between you and God. There will be times when it will be worshipful, perhaps even musical. There may even be times when it’s desperate and passionate. But no matter the form of the conversation, it is still a conversation with God made possible by the sacrifice of Christ.
The key part of this passage is verse 16b, “The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” You need only look at the things prayer is being used to do in this passage to know this: healing, forgiveness, ending draughts, etc. This makes sense. Because of the righteousness that is ours in Christ, God has granted us access to seek Him on any matter. When He goes to answer our request, there is nothing He can’t do.
Thoughts for Reflection:
Perhaps you known the importance of spending time in the Word of God and in prayer, but have questions on “how” to make it a regular part of your life. Below are some simple suggestions.
First, Pick a Place and Pick a Time. Having a regular place and time will assist in developing the habit of reading God’s Word and prayer. For example, I typically spend time with God at 6am at my kitchen table with a cup of coffee in my hand. The table gives me room to write and study, 6am is about the only time of the day when the house is quite, and the coffee ensures I’m understanding what I’m reading and praying.
Second, Have a Plan. You need a plan for how you will read the Bible and pray. Simply showing up and then going…“gee, where should I start” will keep you from getting started. Below are some easy plans for reading the Bible.
- Read the Bible in a Year: Online there are tons of “read the Bible in a year” plans that break down daily Bible readings to make it easy to follow and stay interested in reading the Bible. Simply Google “read the Bible in a year” and choose a plan you like.
- Read a Proverb a Day: The Book of Proverbs is broken into 31 chapters (the same as a normal month of the year). So, sit down, look at the day’s date, and read the Proverb chapter that corresponds with the day. That way you never have to ask, “what should I read today?”
- Study a New Testament Letter: Get a notebook or journal (see below), and pick one of the letters in the New Testament. Then go paragraph by paragraph asking the following questions: What does this tell me about the author of this letter? What does it tell me about the letter’s audience? What is the author telling the audience? What is God telling me? This is a simple way to learn a lot about the message of the Bible.
Third, Use a Journal. A journal is helpful in two ways. First, you can use it to make notes on what you are reading in God’s Word. This helps you interact with what you read so that you remember it and can put it into practice. Second, it is a great way to keep an ongoing prayer list. If there are certain people, certain needs, or certain requests you need to seek God for you can write them down and keep them in front of you so you will remember to pray for them.
Prayer:
Spend time thanking God for His Word and for the privilege of being able to have a conversation with Him.
Ask God to give you a specific time, place, and plan for spending more time with Him in His Word and Prayer.
Posted November 4, 2009
Scripture Reading: Acts 2:42-47; 2 Timothy 4:1-5
For as long as God has had a people, there has been a day or time that has been set aside for the rest and worship of Him. In the Old Testament it was the “Sabbath” which was observed on a Saturday (Ex. 20:8-11). In the New Testament, since Jesus was raised from the dead on a Sunday morning, the primary day of worship was moved to Sunday and it was called “The Lord’s Day” (Rev. 1:10).
It is also clear that from the moment there were Christians there was an importance placed on the large group gathering of the people of God. In Acts 2:42-47, we see that the people gathered in a large group on a regular basis in the Temple, as well as in small group in houses. They did this for teaching, fellowship, prayer, etc. So the gathering of God’s people on a regular basis for worship has been something the church has always held in high esteem.
While there is not a whole lot in the Bible about what the early Church’s worship services and corporate gatherings looked like, there are some hints given here and there. Below is a short list of what those meeting involved.
- Preaching of the Word (2 Timothy 4:1-5/Acts 2:42-47): God’s people regularly met to hear the truth about God proclaimed from the Scriptures. This, as the book of Timothy describes, was to help us grow in our faith and to protect us against wrong teachings about God.
- Musical Worship and Singing (Colossians 3:16-17): The early church regularly used music as a form of proclaiming the praises of God and to encourage the hearts and souls of the saints.
- Prayer and Unity (1 Timothy 2:8/James 5:13-15): The early church regularly prayed for God to intervene on their behalf and in the lives of people they loved.
- Encouragement of those who attended the meetings (1 Corinthians 14:26): The early church believed that the worship, singing, prayer, preaching and gifts used in the corporate gathering were all for the purpose of “building up” the people who attended the meeting. In other words, they were to lay a firm foundation of the Gospel for every person who attended, and proclaim a better possible future for them all based on the truth of that Gospel.
- Evangelism (2 Timothy 4:5/1 Corinthians 14:23-25): Those who did not know Jesus would come to the corporate gathering of believers and become followers of Him. Even in the early church sinners were saved during their regular, weekly, large corporate worship services.
At Grace Church of Chapel Hill, we believe that our weekly Sunday morning worship service is one of the primary ways we demonstrate our love for God to the world. Like the early church we believe Sunday mornings are a place where the Word of God is to be preached, where our musical worship is to proclaim His goodness, where prayer and unity will mark us as a people, where everyone who attends will see the vision that God has for their life through the power of the Gospel, and a place where the lost can hear of the saving work of Jesus Christ. But like the early church, we also believe that church life, especially on Sunday morning, is not the work of a few professionals and special volunteers, but is a place where the entire congregation is supposed to “get in the game.”
Think about it, which proclaims God better? Watching a band play music that is high quality, or participating with a worship team in the service by singing along and declaring the praises of God? Waiting for the preacher and prayer teams to pray, or finding that friend in the lobby who is going through a tough time and taking some time to pray for them there? Simply listening and agreeing with the sermon that is preached, or allowing the Holy Spirit to impact you through His Word and bringing about real life change in your soul? Hoping the preacher will be a good evangelist, or actively seeking out friends and family who need the Gospel and leading them to Christ yourself? We want you in the game!
Thoughts for Reflection:
So, how can you get the most out of your Sunday morning experience with God and your spiritual family? Below are some suggestions to reflect upon.
- Show up to the service on time or even early so that you can engage the new people who are there or your friends. Look for opportunities to encourage them.
- Be in the service ready to praise God and worship Him in singing.
- Volunteer to help out on the greeting team, children’s ministry team, communion serving team, prayer team, sound team, projection team, worship team, parking team, etc. After all, would you want to come to a church where no one greets you, your children aren’t cared for, communion isn’t served, prayer doesn’t happen, the music sounds terrible, you can’t sing the songs, there is no worship, and you can’t find a parking space? Your participation is more than just filling spots, its welcoming people to the Gospel of Christ!
- Bring a friend to the service. Who knows, maybe you’ll get to do the “work of an evangelist.”
- Invite someone out to lunch after the service.
- Give financially to the church. Remember, your heart will follow your money.
- Join a small group. More on that next week….
Prayer:
Spend time thanking God that He didn’t put you on your journey with Him alone, but gave you a spiritual family that can encourage you along the way.
Ask God how you can learn more from Him during the Sunday morning services.
Ask God if there is someone He wants you to invite to this week’s Sunday service and invite them.
Posted November 3, 2009
Scripture Readings: Matthew 26:17-29; Luke 22:14-23; 1 Corinthians 11:17-32
As we learned yesterday, there are two “Sacraments” that God gave the Church to remind us of what Jesus did on our behalf and to provide a way of“grace” as we become more and more like Him. Today we will look at the second Sacrament: Communion or the Lord’s Supper.
The Lord’s Supper is loaded with symbolism of God’s work for salvation and the Church. Two symbols are primary: the death of Christ, and the unity of the Church.
Death of Christ: In Matthew and Luke, Jesus describes the bread and the wine as symbols of His body and His blood. His body will be broken, like the bread, in His work on the cross in taking the judgment for the sins of man. His blood will be shed as a sacrifice on our behalf as He takes the punishment our sin deserves. There is an added symbol in the blood as well, and that is the “cup.” In the Bible, cups often symbolizes what God’s wrath was stored up in. By using a cup to pour the wine, Jesus is saying that His blood is not being shed for some random reason, it is being shed to take up the wrath that God has stored for the right and just punishment of man’s sins. Therefore, when Jesus says “remember me” He is saying that we should always remember the grossness of our sin that required His sacrifice, but also the incredible mercy of His act that completely satisfied and judgment we deserve.
The bread and the wine are also symbols of the “new covenant” that Jesus makes with God on our behalf. A covenant was a legally binding promise made between two powerful entities. In the mind and culture of ancient peoples, it could not be broken without enormous consequences. The New Covenant is one made between Jesus and God in which Jesus promises to completely fulfill all that is required to save those who have faith with Him. Thus, by dying, Jesus is guaranteeing that all the judgment our sin deserves is forever satisfied in His actions.
So the first primary symbol of Communion is that of God’s forgiveness of our sins by Jesus taking on the judgment those sins deserve on our behalf through His death on the cross.
Unity of the Church: In 1 Corinthians 11, the apostle Paul is spelling out the second powerful symbol of Communion, the unity of the Church. The problem in the church of Corinth was that there were “divisions” among the people and that they were eating the Lord’s Supper while being divided. Paul calls this “profaning” the body of Christ. Why?
The most basic reason for “division” is sin that is left unforgiven. In other words, someone sins against us and instead of forgiving that person and seeking to be reconciled and walking in unity with them, we hold a grudge, speak bad about them, hate them, refuse to talk to them, etc. The problem is that the Lord’s Supper itself is a meal of magnificent forgiveness. Our forgiveness was costly, requiring Jesus to have His body broken and His blood shed on our behalf. When we take the Lord’s Supper while harboring unforgiveness against someone in our church, we profane Christ’s body because we are essentially saying it is right for Christ to forgive us our large sins, but it is right for us to refuse to forgive others of the small sins. In other words, our actions proclaim the little sins a fellow Christian commits again us is greater than any sin we ever committed against God. This, indeed, profanes His work.
The unity of the Church is built on the saving work of Jesus, and the fellowship of a commonly forgiven people. When we take the Lord’s Supper we are declaring that we are forgiven because of His work on our behalf and that we, in turn, are actively forgiving others for whom He died. Thus, Communion should always be taken with some self-examination. Are there sins we need to confess, are there grudges we need to let go of?
Questions for Reflection:
Why would God feel it is important to “remember” Jesus’ sacrifice so often?
Are you aware of any unconfessed sins that you need to bring before God today? If so, what are they?
Are you holding a grudge or bitterness against someone? If so, read Matthew 5:21-26. What should you do about your grudge?
Prayer:
Spend time thanking God that He took on the wrath you deserved for sin.
Spend time confessing and repenting of any sins you have kept hidden from God.
Ask God to give you the grace and courage to forgive and seek forgiveness from anyone you are holding a grudge against.
Posted November 2, 2009
Scripture Readings: Acts 2:37-41; Romans 6:1-12
Yesterday we discussed God’s plan of salvation. However, just because Jesus defeated sin and we follow Him as Lord it does not mean that we do not continue to sin (after all, we all know, or are, Christians who are pretty “messed up”). To help us in our journey to become more like Jesus and to defeat sin, God gave the church two Sacraments (“means of grace”): Baptism and Communion. Today we will look at Baptism.
First, notice how important Baptism is in the New Testament. After the people of Jerusalem were saved in Acts 2, they were all Baptized to demonstrate their faith and repentance. So, why is it so important? Below are the answers to the key questions about Baptism.
What is Baptism? Baptism is an act that confirms our Christian commitment and life before God and a Church body of believers. Baptism symbolizes two things. First, it illustrates Christ’s burial and resurrection. “For when you were baptized, you were buried with Christ, and in baptism you were also raised with Christ (Col. 2:12).” Secondly, it illustrates our “new life” with Christ. “By our baptism then, we were buried with Him and shared His death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead… so also we may live a new life (Rom. 6:4).” Through this simple act, the Christian declares to the world that they are a new creation made by the gift of faith in the saving work of Christ on the cross and His resurrection.
Why should I be Baptized? Christian water baptism is a way to publicly identify with Jesus Christ’s experience of taking our sins and being resurrected into a new life. It openly tells the world who we once were (a sinner), and now, through Christ, who we are (“the righteousness of God in Him.” – 2 Cor. 5:21). The practical result of baptism is that we have publicly demonstrated our faith that brings us into fellowship with the Father and with His Son by means of the Holy Spirit.
When should I be Baptized? “Those who believed… were baptized… that day (Acts 2:41).” The book of Acts records that baptism typically followed immediately after the profession of faith. The order seems to have been: 1) Believe that Jesus is the Christ; 2) Be baptized as your way of publicly renouncing sin and announcing your citizenship in the Kingdom of God. So… as soon as possible seems to be the best way!
At the same time it is important to understand that the decision to be baptized is not trivial. Around the world many closed countries will allow you to confess Christ, but upon being baptized Christians become candidates for martyrdom. In the joy of our new life, we need to remember that there is some solemnity in this ceremony. The act of baptism is an eternal declaration of your faith and submission to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of your life. Before you get baptized be sure you are willing to live the commitment you will demonstrate before all.
How should I be Baptized? The New Testament model was water baptism by immersion (the person goes completely underneath the water, not simply sprinkled with water). Jesus was baptized this way (Matt. 3:16) and Philip baptized the Ethiopian in this way (Acts 8:38-39). Even the Greek word for baptism – “baptizo” – means to “immerse or dip under water.” During the ceremony, the preacher will baptize you by laying your full body under water and then lifting you up out of the water. This is the best way to symbolize the death and resurrection of Christ.
Is Baptism required for Salvation? No. At the crucifixion, Jesus says to the thief on the cross “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise (Luke 23:43).” Obviously, the thief was not baptized because he died on the cross, yet he was with Jesus in heaven upon their deaths. Baptism doesn’t make you a believer – it declares that you already believe.
Questions for Reflection:
What does Romans 6:1-4 teach us about our relationship with sin?
What does Romans 6:5-11 say the power of Christ’s resurrection is?
If Baptism symbolizes our death with Christ and our resurrection with Christ, what power do we have over sin?
Why does this give us hope in light of Romans 6:12-14?
Have you been Baptized since you became a believer in Christ? If not, what is preventing you?
Prayer:
Thank God for the power of the work of Jesus on your behalf.
Ask Him to give you fresh grace and faith to be an instrument of righteousness.
Ask Him when He wants you to be baptized.
Posted November 1, 2009
Posted November 1, 2009
Scripture Readings: Ephesians 2:1-10; Acts 2:22-41
God’s plan of salvation through Jesus Christ is the grand theme of the Bible and all history and there are a ton of passages we could visit that spell this out. However, Ephesians 2 and Acts 2 together proclaim the two major actions that are taking place. The first is the cosmic action (seen in Ephesians 2): this is the grand story from God’s point of view, showing how his plan impacts our lives. The second is the more detailed view (Acts 2), where the historical actions of Jesus actually result in our changed lives. Let’s examine both these passages together.
Ephesians 2:1-3: “And you were dead in your trespasses and the sins in which you once walked…. And were by nature, children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.” The great problem of humanity is sin. The Bible teaches that God originally created the world as a place of goodness, peace and perfection and then gave it to mankind to “rule and reign” over it (Genesis 1-3). However, instead of loving and worshiping God for His spectacular gift of a perfect creation, mankind rebelled against God and tried to take His place by “being like God” and disobeying His rule. As a result, sin entered the world and became the dominating force in all mankind. Our lives show the truth of this: we have all sinned. Let’s face it, we have all lied, we have all thought horrific thoughts, we have all done things we’ve known were wrong even when we didn’t want to do them. As these verses say, sin is part of our “nature.” We can’t escape it.
The problem is that because our nature constantly causes us to rebel against God, we are the enemies of God. Because we are enemies of God, and because our nature is sinful, God is storing up punishment against our rebellion (wrath), and that punishment is ultimately physical death (sickness, disease, tragedy, and dying) and spiritual death (everlasting judgment in hell). This punishment is right because God cannot let a rebellion against Himself go unanswered.
Ephesians 2:4-7: “But God…because of His great love towards us… made us alive together with Christ… so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” The amazing thing about God is that He had “great love” towards His enemies and had a gracious plan to take us from our “death” in sin to “alive together with Christ.” This was through “His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”
Ephesians 2:8a: “For by grace you have been saved….” So here it is, the Bible saying we have been saved through grace. The question is, “what is grace?” and “how are we saved by it?”
Acts 2:22-36: In this passage Peter explains the “how” of Jesus’ saving work. First, Jesus, who was God, came as a man to live the life we are supposed to live free from sin (v.22). Second, Jesus was crucified, and died, in order to take the punishment we deserved for our sin (v. 23). Third, Jesus was raised from the dead thereby defeating both sin and its judgment of sin – death – for us (23-31). Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection was a historic event that actually happened, it was not made up or the stuff of fables (v. 32). Now Jesus reigns in heaven as God and because of His work, we can be raised up and reign with Him as well (v. 33-36). Why is this called grace? Because grace is God doing what we should be able to do but can’t, and everything that Jesus did on our behalf to save us, as described in Acts 2, is something none of us can do.
Ephesians 2:8-9 “… through faith. And this is not of yourself it is a gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” What is faith?
Acts 2:37-39. When the people of Jerusalem heard what Peter said they did two things. First, they believed that it was true (v. 37) and they “repented” (v. 38). Faith results in these two things, it causes us to believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died in our place to bring us salvation, and it causes us to repent by rejecting sin and submitting ourselves to Jesus, and to do whatever He commands us to do. In essence, faith declares that Jesus is who He says He is and creates a desire to live in accordance with that confession. This faith is what makes Jesus’ work on the cross effective. By it, your sins are counted paid for, and Jesus’ perfection is counted as yours (Galatians 2:20-21; 1 Corinthians 5:21).
Ephesians 10: “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” This is the exciting thing about God’s work of salvation. In addition to delivering us from the death of sin, He actually has a plan and purpose for your life that He’s known about all along.
There is something “good” He’s called you to do that will change the world because it brings God worship. This calling is the exciting adventure that you begin when you enter His salvation. That is, in part, why God created the Church. It is supposed to be a community of people who will help you discover, discern, develop, support and even launch in you into your greater purposes for God. In the coming weeks you will learn how all of this works out.
Reflection Questions:
Have you ever truly believed that Jesus is who He says He is (who the Bible says He is) and surrendered your life totally to Him? (If not, pray the prayer at the bottom of the entry).
Why do you think Ephesians talks about our life before Christ as being “dead” and our life after Christ being “made alive”?
Does it comfort you to know that God has saved you for a purpose?
Prayer:
If you would like to ask Jesus to forgive your sin and confess Him as your Savior and Lord, simply pray the following prayer.
Dear God,
I admit that I am not perfect. I admit that I have sinned and done things that have violated your rules and laws. I realize that because of my sin, I can’t truly know you on my own. I am asking you to forgive me of my sins. I am asking Jesus Christ to save me from my sin. I believe that He is God, that He died for me, and that He rose from the dead and paid the penalty for my sin. I confess that He is the Lord of my life. Thank you for saving me. Amen.
Posted October 25, 2009
