life together

Posted by Tom Welch on August 18, 2008 under Essay | Be the First to Comment

When you read the New Testament documents, how is the community life of the church pictured? What kind of relationships did the early Christians have? How does their relational life compare to ours?

We get a glimpse from texts like Hebrews 10:24-25:

“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

Here we see a community of believers who are committed to the spiritual success of one another. We see at least three aspects of their “life together”:

1. They were thinking about one another (“let us consider…”)

2. They were connecting with one another (“not neglecting to meet together”)

3. They were encouraging one another to keep focused on Jesus (“encouraging one another”)

And this was NOT the job of the leaders, but the role of every follower of Christ. True, the leaders should set the example in spiritual care. But the challenge is for every Christian.

We can take up this challenge in the same three ways.

1. Who are you thinking about? The best way to think about someone is to pray for them. Who is one your mind? Is it just the people with whom you have natural friendships or are others on your “radar” as well?

2. Who do you connect with? Connecting happens when we worship together. Do you greet others or just those in your “comfort zone”? When you miss someone, give them a call or write them a note. Ask yourself, “Who is missing that I can contact?” These are all great ways of connecting.

3. Who are you encouraging? That can be as simple as asking “how can I pray for you?” When you hear of a struggle or trial someone is going though ask yourself “I wonder how that is affecting them spiritually?” – then ask the person! It is a way to let them know you care about their soul’s happiness!

Now, this may all be new to you. It will require that you do things differently this week. It will require you take actions that may be new to you. Yet, imagine what God would do through our church if each one of us took up the challenge in all three areas, together! May it be done, Lord, for your glory!

The well wisher of your soul’s happiness,

Tom

P.S. #1 – As we see what “Fay” is going to do, let’s make sure we reach out and check on one another!

P.S. #2 – This Wednesday and Thursday evening Grace Church is hosting Dr. Sam Storms (a favorite author and speaker of mine) of Enjoying God Ministries at Church of the Messiah’s fellowship hall (did you get all that?!). The meetings are at 7:00 PM. I am hoping to attend. If you’d like to join me let me know!

Christ Our Sanctifier

Posted by Tom Welch on August 11, 2008 under Essay | Be the First to Comment

One of the distinctives of the Christian & Missionary Alliance (our “tribe”), is honor Christ as our sanctifier. “Sanctifier” is a big word for the one who makes us holy. So let’s consider one practical aspect of what that means.

When we think about growing in our relationship with God and personal holiness, we can look one of two directions. We can look inward and chart the progress of our souls. Or we can look outward at Christ. A preoccupation with the inward gaze can lead to frustration, guilt, and spiritual paralysis. The outward gaze leads to something absolutely paradoxical. Listen to how A.W. Tozer (a C&MA pastor of the last century) puts it:

“While we are looking at God we do not see ourselves – blessed riddance. The man who has struggled to purify himself and has had nothing but repeated failures will experience real relief when he stops tinkering with his soul and looks away to the perfect One. While he looks at Christ, the very thing he has so long been trying to do will be getting done within him.”

- A.W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God (Camp Hill, PA: Christian Publications, Inc., 1993), 85.

As we look away from ourselves and look to Christ – who he is and what he has done, we discover that the Spirit is busy at work forming Christ within us! As we trust in him, his perfect righteousness is imputed to our account even as our sins are taken by him on the cross. That’s what followers of Christ can be called “perfect” even though we have a long way to go on the journey! As the writer of the book of Hebrews puts it:

“For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.”

(Hebrews 10:14)

That’s where justification (declared righteous in Christ) meets sanctification (having a heart set apart to delight in doing God’s will). Because Christ does this work, we honor him as our “Sanctifier”. The Scottish pastor, Robert Murray M’Cheyne give us some insight in this proper perspective:

“I must not only wash in Christ’s blood, but clothe me in Christ’s obedience. For every sin of omission in self, I may find a divinely perfect obedience ready for me in Christ. For every sin of commission in self, I may find not only a stripe or a wound in Christ, but also a perfect rendering of the opposite obedience in my place, so that the law is magnified, its curse more than carried, its demand more than answered.”

—Robert Murray M’Cheyne, quoted by Andrew Bonar, Robert Murray M’Cheyne (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1960), 176

I couldn’t have said it better myself!

p.s. Do yourself a big favor and check out the blog “Of First Importance”, your soul will thank you for it and you’ll see where I get all my cool quotes!