Paul was chained up in a dark, dank prison in Rome with deplorable conditions…yet his concern was focused on proclaiming the Gospel. So what’s my excuse? What’s my justification for not telling others about Jesus? How can I explain away the times I’ve had the opportunity…but didn’t speak? God will open doors daily for us to tell others about the spiritual truths of the Gospel…we just need to be brave enough to walk through them. I pray in the days ahead that all Believers be endowed with a supernatural boldness to reach the lost for Jesus…times are getting short.
Tag: body of believers
II Corinthians 4:4 ” The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”
The darkness of evil is everywhere in this present world…obscuring the understanding of the Gospel to the lost. As a Believer, what can I do to make a difference? The song, “My Father’s Eyes”, reminded me that His light needs to be shining forth when someone looks at me. I need to be unashamed of professing my faith in public and able to back it up with sound doctrine when questioned. I need to be able to share the Good News of Jesus with anyone, at anytime, in a manner that is easy to understand, non-threating, and loving. Finally, I need to be able to share my testimony…my story, in a concise, simple manner…for there is nothing more powerful than a declaration of what the Lord has done in my life. Are you up to the challenge to make a difference in this fallen world?
Matthew 26: 31 ” Then Jesus told them, ‘ This very night you will all fall away on account of Me, for it is written: I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ “
Jesus wasn’t chastising the Disciples, He was simply speaking the truth, and fulfilling the prophecy spoken of from Zechariah. Jesus Christ is our Good Shepherd…the one Who cares for, watches over, and provides for the welfare of His flock…Christian Believers everywhere.
Hebrews 10: 37-38 ” For in just a very little while, ‘He who is coming will come and will not delay. But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him.’ “
The writer of Hebrews is paraphrasing Habakkuk 2:3-4 in this passage. He’s stressing that our spiritual walk is made up of constant, focused, decisions to trust and obey the Lord…even when we can’t see change. He warns us against retreating or drawing back from trials simply out of fear. If you’re in the middle of a storm today, don’t allow fear to rule your life…don’t hesitate when apprehension rises in your throat…rather make a conscious decision to listen to that still small voice of the Holy Spirit and walk by faith.
I Corinthians 12:12-13 ” The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body – whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free – and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.”
Here Paul is comparing the human body with the body of Christ…the Church. Just as the many parts of the human body work together in complete harmony…each with its own unique purpose, the body of Christ – the Church and its many parts need to come together in like-mindedness also. And just like the human body, one part cannot work in isolation from the rest. That would be like one Sunday morning your heart getting up and deciding not to be part of your body that day! You may think that your presence at Church doesn’t matter…but it does…the whole body suffers when one part is absent.
I Corinthians 1:10 ” I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought. “
There was Church division in Corinth…some followed Apollos, some Peter, and some Paul. All three were Godly men…all three were preaching the Gospel. So where could there be the disagreement? Apollos was an Alexandrian Jew that was converted to Christianity and tutored by Aquila and Priscilla in areas of the faith he was ignorant of. While Peter was one of the original twelve Disciples that had witnessed firsthand the work of Jesus. Finally there was Paul, a Jew and persecutor of the Christians until that fateful day on the road to Damascus when the Lord confronted him. All three were passionate about the Lord and the desire to evangelize. But they all came from different backgrounds and different life experiences, and their preaching styles showed it. Thus Paul exhorted the Believers to be joined together in Christ and the Gospel, not divided apart by man and subtle nuances.
I Corinthians 12:12 ” The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body.”
“No one will miss me…nobody will even realize I’m not in Church.” The enemy does it all the time – convincing us that we don’t count, that we aren’t important enough, or that no one will even notice if we’re not in Church. But if someone took your brain, or your heart, or your lungs you’d notice real quick! Just like the human body, the Church is composed of many working parts, each with a specific task, but all working together for the common good of the body. No one part can function separately from the body…it will die. Never allow the enemy to persuade you that you aren’t important, or that your presence in Church is insignificant…you are very needed within that Body of Believers for it to function well.
James 1: 2-3 ” Consider it pure joy my Brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.”
Trials and temptations…we don’t like them. We would rather live blissfully in some kind of bubble insulated from the world and all bad stuff, but this scripture tells us otherwise. It says as Believers we need to look upon trials and temptations with happiness… because by them we are refined in the crucible of Christ …becoming more like Him everyday.
Romans 1: 11-12 ” I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong – that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each others faith.”
When you and another Believer meet, you have much more in common than you think, even if it’s a chance meeting in the grocery store. You share the mutual faith in Jesus Christ and are both part of the community of Believers. So your interaction now becomes inspired, giving hope and confidence to one another, and boosting each others faith.
Romans 15: 5-6 ” May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
When tough times come into your life the Lord doesn’t want you to self-isolate away from the Body of Believers. Yes, God will give you the ability to remain tranquil in the mist of suffering, and He will exhort to firmly establish your faith. But there’s something about being with a group of like-minded people praying, and praising God for what He has and will be doing in our lives, that changes our perspective…our inward focus will move outward…our mind will be taken off ourselves, to others… The situation may not change…but we will.
Safetypinlove 