LOVE: 1 Corinthians 13:4-8(a)

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Above Ourselves

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"Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves."
Romans 12:10






A quiet smile and a nod of the head to our friends at NJHCN for giving us the heads up to this beautiful photo.


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Jesus: Of His Life and Death

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And there shall come forth a Shoot out of the stock of Jesse [David's father], and a Branch out of his roots shall grow and bear fruit.
And the Spirit of God shall rest upon Jesus--[and His Spirit will be] the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, [and His Spirit will be] the Spirit of counsel and might, [and His Spirit will be] the Spirit of knowledge and of the reverential and obedient fear of God--
And it shall make Him of quick understanding, and His delight shall be in the reverential and obedient fear of God. And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, neither decide by the hearing of His ears;
But with righteousness and justice shall He judge the poor and decide with fairness for the meek, the poor, and the downtrodden of the earth.....
Isaiah 11:1-4

Let us read of Jesus, of His life and death upon the cross, from God's Word.

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
Luke 2:8-14

A man with leprosy came and knelt before Jesus and said, "Lord, if you want to, you can make me clean."
Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I want to," he said. "Be clean!" And immediately he was cured of his leprosy.
Matthew 8:2-3

The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group
and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery.
In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?"
They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger.
When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her."
Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there.
Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"
"No one, sir," she said.
"Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."
John 8:3-11

At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?
And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them,
And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.
For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.
How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray?
And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray.
Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.
Matthew 8:1-4, 10-14

Jesus got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.
When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch."
Simon answered, "Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets."
When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break.
So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.
When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus' knees and said, "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!"
For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken,
and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon's partners.
Then Jesus said to Simon, "Don't be afraid; from now on you will catch men."
So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed Jesus.
Luke 5:3-11


For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
John 3:16-17

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning?
Psalm 22:1

I am poured out like water, and all my bones have been knocked out of joint:
Psalm 22:14

.....they have pierced my hands and my feet.
Psalm 22:16

.....I look down and I can see all of my bones:
Psalm 22:17

I gave my back to those who whipped me, and I gave my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I did not hide my face from shame and spitting.
Isaiah 50:6

.....he was crushed for our iniquities;
Isaiah 53:5

.....there were many who were appalled to looked at him, because he was disfigured more than any man had been disfigured before, and his body was marred that you could not tell that he was a human.....
Isaiah 52:14

He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.
Isaiah 53:7

Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And he was buried, and he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
1 Corinthians 15:3-4

"The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart," that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming:
That if you confess with your mouth that, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”
Romans 10:8-11

Jesus is the author and finisher of faith; and because of the joy that he saw before him he was able to endure the cross, discounting the shame, and He is now set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hebrews 12:2

Yet it was the will of God to bruise him; God put him to grief: but at the moment that God made his soul an offering for sin, Jesus saw God’s people.....
Isaiah 53:10

It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour,
for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two.
Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." When he had said this, he took his last breath.
Luke 23:44-46

Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
John 1:29

For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;
That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.
Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
Ephesians 3:14-21



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That You Also May Be Where I Am

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"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in Me.
In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
You know the way to the place where I am going."
John 14:1-4



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Our Father's Delight

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When I look at my son, I see myself. He is almost exactly like I was when I was his age. The stamp of his lineage is indelible and undeniable. I am blessed that, with God’s loving wisdom and guidance, I can help to guide my young son through the simplicities and complexities of youth. Perhaps his life can be more fruitful, and sooner, than was mine. No matter what, though, I deeply love him just as he is today.

I used to wonder whether my Father looked down and saw Himself in me in the same way. Was the stamp of His lineage as indelible and undeniable in me? I would have liked to think so, but some days I would blunder about so clumsily that it made me wonder how He could see Himself in me.

My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction: For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.
Proverbs 3:11-12

You see, He delights in us. Though He hates sin, He is not frustrated by our ignorance or disobedience. He corrects the error in us, yes, but His chastening is a sign of love from our Father above. His correction is given to us because He delights in us, even in our present, sometimes very flawed state. He loves us just as we are, and He loves us enough not to leave us that way.

Even though we may sometimes be disappointed by our own behavior, our all-knowing Father never is. He knew of our blunders and missteps and outright disobedience before He framed the worlds. And knowing of them and the eternal punishment that our sins would ultimately bring, He sent His Son Christ Jesus to pay the price for our sins, so that we - being forgiven through the blood that Christ shed on the cross - might know the sweetness of God’s loving presence, even in our current state.

God, who already knows our hearts, is not shaken by our actions. He is not troubled by doubt when it comes to His children, for He already knows that our destiny it is to spend eternity living with Him. But - do you suppose?........

Do you suppose that - from within the security of His knowledge of us - He might actually find some kind of joy in the occasional, clumsy blundering of His children, as I did recently with my own young son?

[Our family is riding to the store in the van].
Son: Dad?
Dad: Yes, son?
Son: Dad, my hand is stuck in the window of the van.
Dad: What?
Son: My hand got stuck in the window when you just now closed it with that button up there.
Dad: (immediately opening window) But, son, I told you to make sure your hand was out of the window right before I closed it.
Son: I thought you said to put my hand in the window before you closed it.
Dad: But son, why did you think that I would tell you to stick your hand in the window and then close the window on your hand?
Son: [silence]
Dad: Son?
Son: Yes, Dad?
Dad: Son, you can take your hand out of the window now.
Son: Oh.
Son: Ok, Dad.

I'm glad that God doesn't get frustrated with me. I’m glad He finds delight in His children, even when we clumsily blunder.



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A Present Truth

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"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?
Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life[a]?
"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.
Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.
If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'
For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Matthew 6:25-34

Jesus says in this passage that we should not worry about earthly things, but turn our attention and purpose toward God's things. He says, "don't worry about tomorrow."

Not that I have now attained [this ideal], or have already been made perfect, but I press on to lay hold of (grasp) and make my own, that for which Christ Jesus (the Messiah) has laid hold of me and made me His own.
I do not consider, brethren, that I have captured and made it my own [yet]; but one thing I do [it is my one aspiration]: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,
I press on toward the goal to win the [supreme and heavenly] prize to which God in Christ Jesus is calling us upward.
Philippians 3:12-14

In this passage the apostle Paul, too, counsels us to turn our attention from yesterday and to focus upon both the spiritual purpose for which we were created and our ultimate destination. He says, "don't worry about yesterday."

"Don't worry about tomorrow." "Don't worry about yesterday."

When is the future? Well, a millisecond from now, I guess. When is the past? A millisecond ago. What does that leave us, then, as God's place for us?

This very moment.

Jesus is asking us, "Can you be with Me in this moment, and with others that I will bring into your life in this moment? That is what I am asking of You. You cannot carry the past. It's too heavy and you will be weighed down with shame. Let it go, child. You cannot carry the future. It's too heavy and you will be held back by fear. Let it go, and simply live with Me and the least of my brethren in this moment. I love you so much. I will help you. Can we do this, together?"

With Your love and your grace and Your mercy, Lord Jesus, yes, we can.

Therefore then, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses [who have borne testimony to the Truth], let us strip off and throw aside every encumbrance (unnecessary weight) and that sin which so readily (deftly and cleverly) clings to and entangles us, and let us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us,
Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, Who is the Leader and the Source of our faith [giving the first incentive for our belief] and is also its Finisher [bringing it to maturity and perfection]. He, for the joy [of obtaining the prize] that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising and ignoring the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hebrews 12:1-2



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Indispensable

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“I just wish that I could hear from God like I see other people hearing from Him,” my friend had shared with me just months before. He was a relatively young Christian with a loving heart and - just like me - with plenty left to work on in his life.

Months later, I would be sitting in the visiting area of a local jail, speaking with him as he was to leave for prison. Convicted of a crime he didn’t commit, it looked like he would be gone for years, and in my pasts visits he had been understandably grieving.

But this day was different. When he came around the corner and I saw his face, I leaned forward. It was easy to see that something was very, very different. What could it be? (Click on the "Read More!" link below)

When my friend sat down, I asked him, “So how are you this morning?” “Great,” he said. “I was up all night. I was reading a passage of Scripture, the same one over and over.” “What passage?” I asked. “It’s from 1 Corinthians 12,” he said with a smile.

He went on to tell me that he had, sitting in a jail cell unjustly convicted and condemned, finally heard from God. He knew it, and he was overjoyed. He couldn’t stop smiling as he relayed to me what God had shown him about this passage of Scripture.

“You know the part where God says...” he said...

On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
[1 Corinthians 12:22-26]

“Yes,” I replied. “It’s one of my favorite passages of Scripture.”

“Well,” he said with joyful tears in his eyes, “that’s me. I’m the less honorable one. And I need to be in the Body. I’m part of it all.”

I realized that my friend had heard from God through His Word to us. And it had changed him, literally, overnight.

“Tell everyone, won’t you?,” he asked me. “Tell everyone what God showed me about all of us.” I promised I would.

Later that day, and before I would have opportunity to gather again with my and my friend’s fellow believers, I attended a meeting of spiritual leaders who were coming together from many different churches and denominations, seeking to reach out to our community in a Spirit-born, unified effort.

As the meeting began, the pastor who was coordinating the meeting opened it with a prayer and then said, “There’s something we need to do before we do anything else,” he said quietly. “I want you all to look at this. Look at it, and then we‘re going to speak it out loud together.”

He placed a transparency on the screen of an overhead projector. Shining on the wall of the meeting room, big and bright as could be, were the following words:

On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
1 Corinthians 12:22-26

In the seeming destitution of a jail cell, one brother in Christ, convicted and condemned, heard from God. In the seeming serenity of a pastor’s office, another brother in Christ, respected and revered, heard the same thing.

That’s the kind of oneness that we as God’s people can manifest when we’re listening to God with humility and one another with compassion.

Bear (endure, carry) one another's burdens and troublesome moral faults, and in this way fulfill and observe perfectly the law of Christ (the Messiah) and complete what is lacking [in your obedience to it].
Galatians 6:2

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Journey To The Circle Of Faith

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When the Lord learned of this, he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee.
Now he had to go through Samaria.
So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar.....
John 4:3-5(a)

From Lone Celebration To The Circle of Faith
Jesus left “Judea.” Judea means “celebrated.”

[Strong’s Greek #2449- #2453- #2448- Heb. #3063- celebrated]

Most of us begin our discipleship of Christ Jesus as wide-eyed, praise-filled newborns in the faith, full of celebration. We must never lose those qualities but, as we mature in Christ Jesus, we must move on to a more perfect faith in which we also grow to possess an unwavering oneness with Christ and other believers developed through experiencing difficult circumstances.

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This place of oneness in John 4:3 is noted in the word “Galilee.” The word “Galilee” means a “circle” or “circuit.”

[Strong’s Greek #1056- Heb. #1551- circle, circuit]

Here is the scriptural symbol of oneness with Christ and brethren that never begins or ends, but just is. Note that, of the 12 original disciples, only one was not from Galilee. Only one was not part of the circle of oneness with Jesus and their other brethren. His name was Judas.

We Need Journey Through Samaria, Through Sychar
To get from the Judea place in our faith to the Galilee place in our faith requires a journey, then. We find in reading this passage that getting from Judea to Galilee requires that we go through Samaria, and specifically through a city called Sychar.

The roots of the word “Samaria” show us the meaning “to hedge (as with thorns), to guard, to protect, attend to.”

[Strong’s Greek #4540- Heb. #8111- 8104- to hedge (as with thorns), to guard, to protect, attend to].

Hedging with thorns denotes something that is accompanied by pain. Immediately, most will read this definition and remember the thorns that were placed round Jesus’ head just before He died for our sins. But through that experience, Jesus also guarded, protected, and attended to - in the ultimate way - all of us, everyone that God had created, the things of God and the things of His brethren and brethren-to-be. Jesus was made to be the doorway to this Galilee kind of faith that, through faith in Him as the Way, the Truth and the Life, we might receive the forgiveness of our sins and eternal redemption.

Becoming mature in our faith brings with it the understanding that the oneness that we have been given with God and our brethren is not something to be either taken lightly or quickly tossed away. This oneness must be guarded and protected and attended to.

Our journey to oneness with Christ and our brethren will also bring with it visits to a place called “Sychar.”

“Gut Check” at Sychar
The word “Sychar” generally refers to that which will make you drunk or drunkenness itself.

[Strong’s Greek #4965- Heb. #7941- an intoxicant, i.e. intensely alcoholic liquor- translated as drunkard].

We will both meet people at points in our journey and be people at points in our journey who seem to be “spiritually drunk,” and I don’t mean “drunk with the Holy Spirit.” Many believers who have purposed to arrive in Galilee find in Sychar a spiritual Truth that is hard to handle. They find in Sychar that the price of being a disciple is high, higher than they first imagined, and they are either wondering if or have decided that they cannot go on as they were before.

But we must all go through this at some point or another. To get to the oneness with Christ and our brethren that God intended, we must go through some painful experiences. We must be confronted time and again with an escalating sense of the true price of discipleship, and time and time again we must confirm our commitment to Christ and move on once again.

Too many of us get derailed in Sychar. Hopefully it is not for too long, and hopefully it is not on a permanent basis. But we should note that, when we start getting drunk in Sychar, we don’t like to drink alone. People who are getting drunk will ask you and anybody else to join them.

Jesus Himself experienced the “Sychar” drunkenness Himself, among some of His most trusted disciples.

“You Do Not Want To Leave, Too, Do You?”
“I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life.
I am the bread of life.
Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died.
But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die.
I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world."
Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"
Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.
For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink.
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him.
Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me.
This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever."
John 6:47-58

The Jews weren’t the only ones who had trouble with what Jesus was preaching here. They weren't the only ones who heard here a spiritual Truth that was hard to handle. In verses sixty six through sixty nine, we see that many of the disciples did, too.

From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.
"You do not want to leave too, do you?" Jesus asked the Twelve.
Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.
We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God."

When we are confronted by a new revelation of the price of discipleship, we must consider the price, cling to Christ, and move forward with our brethren with whom we share the journey. Where else can we turn? To whom shall we go? Jesus has the words of eternal life. He is the Holy One of God. Onward with Him in faithfulness.

So, scary as it may be sometimes, we must pass through this place of painful experiences and potential drunkenness to arrive at the circle of faith, a place where we experience a oneness with Christ and each other like we have never experienced before.

Perhaps we will make multiple trips through Samaria and Sychar. Chances are we each will. That’s okay, though, because the result will be an ever-growing commitment to Christ over ourselves, the Spirit over the flesh, and the needs of our brethren over our own.

The destination will be worth it - an unbroken circle of oneness with Christ and our brethren.

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.
Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.
Romans 15:5-7





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No Shortcuts For Butterflies

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Billy and Susie could not wait. They had watched the caterpillar create its cocoon, and now racked with suspense as they beheld it every day, waiting for the butterfly to emerge.

Able to wait no longer, Billy had an idea. “Susie,” he said, “We will help the butterfly! Let’s get some scissors and cut the cocoon open for him. Don’t worry, we’ll be careful.”

After much convincing, Susie agreed and they proceeded to get a pair of scissors and oh, so gently cut open the cocoon. Inside lay the butterfly they had so longed to see. Their eyes lit up the moment they could see his wings, and soon the wings began to flutter. It was only a few minutes, however, that they knew something was desperately wrong.

The butterfly wasn’t flying. It was as though he couldn’t. He just laid there flopping around and, soon thereafter, their beloved butterfly died.

What Billy and Susie didn’t yet know, and we as believers sometimes forget, is that butterflies will die if you cut open their cocoon. Why? Because God made it so that it is the struggle of them constantly flexing their wings against the walls of their cocoon that strengthens their wings to the point that they can fly when they emerge. Without that struggle, they are helpless, weak, and will soon die.

Sometimes we ponder why God might allow us to feel trapped within situations and even seasons in our lives. Why is it taking so long for this to end? Why can’t I immediately break free from this as I have from other situations in my life in the past? Why is this struggle so hard?

Perhaps our Heavenly Father has purposed to bring about a great transformation in our hearts and lives, to through it change us to be more like His Son and our Lord Christ Jesus. Perhaps we need to struggle to strengthen our wings for this new season. Perhaps the struggle that what we perceive to be so hard is actually a new life being born.

Jesus entered the cocoon of the grave for us all, and emerged as the Savior and Captain of our souls. He's been through it. He knows what it's like. So don't hesistate to ask him for His help.

Now that we know what we have—Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God—let's not let it slip through our fingers. We don't have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He's been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin. So let's walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help.
Hebrews 4:14-16

Don’t try short-cuts. Put away the scissors. And keep flexing those wings. In just a little while, you’re going to need them to fly.



Below is a time-lapse video of a Monarch butterfly emerging from its cocoon. Look familiar? View the end result.







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Jesus: Grace and Truth

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The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.
He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.
He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.
Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—
children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John testifies concerning him. He cries out, saying, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.' "
From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
John 1:9-17

Jesus brought grace and Truth to us. A grace and a Truth that were a vivid manifestation of how deeply He loved us.

When we study the word truth and its roots in this passage, we find that it means a truth that reveals that which even might have been formerly hidden for whatever reason, including unwitting ignorance.

[225-aletheia- truth, from 227-alethes true (as not concealing), and from 1-a not (as a negative particle) and 2990-lanthano- to lie hid, unwittingly]

Jesus came to us as the Truth that would reveal itself in love. His was not a hurtful Truth, but a liberating one.

Perhaps Peter felt at a loss when a Carpenter taught him how to better fish, or when a Master told him that he would betray Him three times. But that momentary sadness would give way to a life-changing revelation. These Truths were a vivid manifestation of how deeply Jesus loved Peter, and it changed Peter’s life.

The word grace means, especially, God’s influence upon our hearts and His reflection in our lives.

[5485-charis- graciousness, (as gratifying), especially the divine influence upon the heart and its reflection in the life, including gratitude.]

The grace of God, embodied in Christ Jesus, is not like any grace we will ever know. It is a life-changing grace.

Grace and Truth.
Witness a woman caught in the act of adultery, and brought to be stoned:

And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst...
John 8:3 (KJV)

Those about to stone had set her “in the midst” and were preparing to kill her when Jesus approached. Most of us know the rest of the story, with Jesus saying to them, “You who are without sin cast the first stone,” but it is the end of the story that is most stirring.

When all her accusers have dropped their stones and left, God’s Word gives us an amazing revelation of grace through Jesus.

And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
John 8:9

This woman who was set “in the midst” of all these accusers was left standing alone with Jesus and yet God’s Word says that she was “in the midst.” In the midst of what? The next 2 verses tell us.

When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?
She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
John 8:10-11

“Neither do I condemn thee.” Grace.
“Go and sin no more.” Truth.

This woman, just as we have so many times and will so many times again, stood in the midst of grace and Truth, a grace and a Truth that were a vivid manifestation of how deeply He loves us.

Truth and Grace.
We all have been sorely in need of that kind of grace and Truth over the course of our lives. We needed it before we became His disciples and we’ve needed it afterward, as well.

We’ve needed the kind of grace and Truth that our Lord Jesus Christ afforded this woman, and that which He gave to Peter, too.

Peter, having already received from Jesus the saddening Truth that he would betray Him three times, now finds himself standing before a resurrected Christ in John 21.

How Peter must have felt. He loved Jesus so much. Jesus had changed his life. He was so sure he wouldn’t betray Him, and yet - when it was all said and done - he had betrayed Him just as Jesus said he would. One wonders if He could have even looked Jesus in the eye. Peter stood spiritually naked, helpless and ashamed before the Truth.

But, because of Jesus’ deep love for Peter, that’s the moment when Truth’s partner Grace showed up.

Jesus asked Peter, “Do you love Me, Peter?,” to which he replied, “You know I do, Lord.”

Three times Peter denied Jesus.

Three times Jesus asked him, “Do you love me, Peter?”

Three times Peter said, “You know I do, Lord.”

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.
1 Peter 4:8

Jesus has brought grace and Truth to us because He loves us so deeply. It’s the kind of love and grace and Truth that will change your life.

Today, it can change your life again.



Below is a video presentation of one of the most beautiful songs ever written, How Great The Father's Love For Us by Stuart Townend. You will find that this song truly embodies His love and grace and Truth.

Click on the arrow in the middle of the movie screen below to play this video.







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Follow Me, and I Will Make You Fishers of Men

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In Matthew 4:19, Jesus said, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

There are certainly pockets of resistance, but in large part the Western Church is mired in mediocrity and lukewarmness. There is little fire to publicly live the Gospel in demonstration of God’s loving power. Much of the Western Church - institutional, house and para - has left the prison house of sin and bondage only to be imprisoned yet again, and more desperately so, in a prison house of religion.

Jesus said, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
“Follow Me.”

Not “Receive Me as Lord, and I will make you fishers of men.”
Not “Go to church, and I will make you fishers of men.”
Not “Pay your tithes, and I will make you fishers of men.”

All of the above are absolutely necessary, but they have nothing to do with being fishers of men. To be a fisher of men, you have to follow Jesus.

The word “follow” in this verse is not translated as “follow” anywhere else in the Bible. It is unique to this verse. In this verse, the word “follow” is a combination of two separate Greek words; deute which means come here! (the exclamation point is literally there) and opiso which means to the back.

Jesus was saying “Come here to My back!” emphatically and urgently. With an exclamation point, even. Again, Jesus wasn’t talking about getting “religious.” He was talking about a life-changing, intense turn toward Him.

Many Christians simply do not follow Christ. They show up on Sunday. Some “feel” God and some don’t. But with many, any effect from that church service has worn off by about Monday noon, if not Sunday afternoon.

Feelings aren’t the point. Following Jesus isn’t about following good-feeling emotions. Following Jesus is about following Him in spite of overwhelmingly negative emotions.

Peter followed Jesus, and look what Jesus said to him just before He ascended. In John 21:18, Jesus says....... (Click on the "Read More!" link below)“Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdest thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not.”

In today’s English, Jesus was saying: “When you were young, you dressed yourself and went where you wanted to go. But when you become mature [follow Me alone], you will stretch out your hands and I will dress you, and take you places where you don’t want to go.”

As harsh as this may sound to some, this is what it means to follow Jesus. To throw away not only the living of one’s life in this world. but to throw away the perception of one’s life in this world. You see, it is our fleshly perception of and fleshly love for this temporary, earthly life that seeks to trick us, and trap us, and hinder us, and if possible even prevent us from following Christ.

But we must crucify that fleshly love of our lives in this world. This is what Jesus instructed us to do. In Galatians 5:24, the Word of God tells us that .....“they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.” In Mark 8:35, Jesus says, “For whosoever will save his life [in this world] shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it [eternal life].” And again in John 12:25, Jesus says, “He that loveth his life [in this world] shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.”

..........all that we may gain Life. Zoe life. God’s eternal Life.

So we see then that it is only when we “throw away” this temporary, earthly life that we can truly follow Jesus.

This is a main reason why much of the church is not fishing effectively, and has lost its spiritual vibrancy. Too many of us are not following Christ.

Following Christ means letting Him dress us - letting Him determine how we look on the outside to other people.........and You’ll remember that Jesus made Himself of no reputation (Philippians 2:7), so watch out! He probably won’t be aiming to make us look “good,” either.

And, following Jesus means going where He says to go and doing what He says to do there - no matter what the consequence - even at the expense of our very lives (Revelation 12:11).

Even when, and especially when, we’re “fishing.”

“Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.
And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.
And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake.
And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink.
When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.
For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken:
And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.
And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him.”
Luke 5:4-11



Click below to view a very interesting presentation - complete with fishing boat, pole and tackle - of the scriptural message shared in this post.







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Sheath A Sword, Heal An Ear

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In Revelation 13, the Word of God describes the rise of the beast and his power throughout the world. Revelation 13:7-10 tells us:

7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
9 If any man have an ear, let him hear.
10 He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.

Verse 7 shows us that the beast will be given power, with God’s approval, to make war against and to overcome the saints (meaning to capture and execute them for their faith in Christ Jesus).

Verse 8 tells us that, some believe because of the great fear that this will instill in the people in the world, they will worship him, the beast.

Then, in Verse 9, God says something that should always make our ears stand up when we read it in God’s Word. If any man have an ear, let him hear.

Even when Jesus preached, and when He preached the very deepest spiritual concepts, He would say the same thing - If any man have an ear, let him hear. The Apostle Paul did the same thing after Him, preaching the deeper spiritual things of God, saying I speak as to wise men.....

If any man have an ear, let him hear tells us that what is about to be said can only be understood through the Holy Spirit......in other words, with spiritual ears. So, let’s listen carefully. (Click on the "Read More!" link below)


Based upon what is shared in Verse 7, He says He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.

Quite simply put, God is saying that, in the midst of this great attack against the Body of Christ, we are not to take any attacker captive, and we are not to kill any attacker. In fact, He is stating that, in the last days, this non-violent approach toward enemies and adversaries - even as they may be killing us - is a sign of the true saints.

Here is the patience and the faith of the saints, He says. Here is the patience, meaning “cheerful or hopeful endurance” through (via the root) “staying under” the mighty hand of God.

Here is the patience and the faith of the saints, He says. Here is the faith, meaning “specifically, reliance upon Christ for salvation.”

These are those who know that they are saved through Christ Jesus and have learned to stay beneath God’s protecting hand to their very last breath. They have learned that they are not to rise up with force against the beast and their enemies and their adversaries, even if it may be in their last moments on earth.

We need only look to Christ’s very own life for the confirmation of the words written here.

In Matthew 26:47-54, God’s Word says:

47 And while he yet spake, lo, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and elders of the people.
48 Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he: hold him fast.
49 And forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, master; and kissed him.
50 And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus and took him.
51 And, behold, one of them which were with Jesus stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and struck a servant of the high priest's, and smote off his ear.
52 Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.
53 Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?
54 But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?

In Verses 51 and 52, the correlation between this passage and the aforementioned passage in Revelation is quite clear. One who was with Jesus seeks to protect through physical force the literal body of Christ, and attacks the high priest’s servant, cutting off his ear. Jesus’ immediate response is two-fold and telling.

First, Jesus said unto his follower who attacked the servant Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword, the exact same statement made in Revelation.

But secondly, we see Jesus do something magnificent in Luke’s account of the very same events, in Luke 22:51:

51 And Jesus answered and said, Suffer ye thus far. And he touched his ear, and healed him.

“Just let me do this”, Jesus asks the very soldiers who will lead Him to His trial and eventual death. And He reaches out and heals the ear of the high priest’s servant.

Then, in Verses 53 and 54, Jesus again turns to His follower who attacked the high priest’s servant and says:

53 Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?
54 But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?

The point here is clear. God could have saved Jesus, but He chose not to because His will was that a greater good that would be accomplished through Jesus’ death. You see, Jesus HAD eternal life! And so do we.

Jesus knew, and we now know that when we “die,” God’s Word promises that we will spend eternity with Him. But there are many around us who, if they died today, would spend eternity in hell and the lake of fire.

Do you think that the high priest’s servant knew that Jesus was something special? You bet he did. Ears don’t just heal themselves, do they? And everyone who saw that miracle knew that Jesus was special, too. Everyone there who might have “had ears to hear” now had the chance to live another day and possibly becoem His disciple.

Because Jesus didn’t fight back and attack, because He didn’t call down angels to destroy His attackers, but rather He reached out to heal His attackers, accepting that His own death was God’s perfect will......others lived another day to have another opportunity to receive eternal life.

We must come to understand our own attackers, enemies and adversaries in the same manner in these last days. We have eternal life. Many of them do not. And we must seek to manifest the love of God like Jesus did, even toward those who would ultimately kill us.

A note in closing:

The Lord led me to share what I have shared here with my two sons, then ages 4 and 5. Every day, they would ask me to share the same story again, soaking in the wonder of Jesus’ love for mankind, even in the face of a horrible death.

Some time after I had begun sharing this with them, my sons and I were discussing the meaning of “trespassing” on someone else’s property. They asked if someone who might come into the downstairs of our home in the middle of the night would be punished with a jail sentence, to which I responded “probably."

My youngest son was thoughtful for a few minutes. Then he said, “If some bad men came into our house in the middle of the night, I would come downstairs and ask them to please leave."

My instinct was to say “Well, son, you should let Daddy take care of that so you will remain safe." But something just told me I should do otherwise, and I instead asked him, “Why, son?"

“Well, Dad”, heh said, “I would ask them to leave right away before the policemen come so they don’t have to go to jail."

You see, my young son got it. He understood the heart of Jesus in all of this. There is eternal life, and eternal “jail," and our desire to see everyone escape that horrible sentence and enter into eternal life must supercede all concerns - even ourselves.

With a constant awareness of eternity, we will be able to sheath the sword of vengeance and extend the hand of healing, because our own lives have already been saved - by Christ.

Every Member Brings: Part 7 (Conclusion)

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This is Part 7 of a multi-part series of posts entitled Every Member Brings.



Part 7: Conclusion

We have spent some time looking at the Biblical concept of every member bringing, expressed in 1 Corinthians 14:26. We have looked at the spiritual portrait of us presented by God’s Word, but reality may not immediately, or ever, take on the appearance of this spiritual portrait.

The many members of the Body of Christ who are one are also human. That fact will always affect how we manifest this spiritual portrait in actual practice. Those who have walked in this for years know that. They have lived it, and are living that reality today.

Some people may not agree with what has been shared here; this study tends to get a very marked response from those who read it. Some people may consider this a “lightweight presentation” of God’s Word, and still others might consider it “out of reach” for today’s believers and impractical. That’s OK. Some may not agree because they reject the concept of eldership outright, or conversely believe that it should remain in place as it is today. And that’s OK if they feel that way. Some may never feel comfortable facing their fears and bringing forth what God has placed within them. They may never speak a word in gatherings. There may be many other responses, and that’s OK, too.

Coming to the place where we, as God’s people, begin to walk in this way of living and worshipping is not a tidy proposition. The Journey is based upon both individual and group learning, with the Word of God learned and lived through God’s Holy Spirit by individual members and the whole Body alike. It is a marked by shared mistakes and failed attempts, jointly experienced deadlocks and exhilarating breakthroughs. And that’s OK.

This same Journey, regardless of how each of us may or may not as individuals begin to embrace and live this Biblical spiritual portrait, produces in us a spiritual growth that is the hallmark of a genuine and spiritually growing spiritual community. Daily, we all grow to be a little more like Christ because of God and Him in those around us. Seasons characterized by giant leaps, or by baby steps, or by seeming setbacks waiting to be overcome through Christ Jesus are all OK. It’s all part of the Journey.

God loves us as we are, and He loves us enough not to want to leave us that way. As much as is within us, we must grab His hand and the hands of those around and embark on this Journey together. We must simply and in sincerity be who are in Christ and live the Journey day by day.

This spiritual portrait that we see in 1 Corinthians 14:26 gives us a picture of who we can be as a Body through Christ Jesus and God’s Holy Spirit. It establishes a Truth from God, and dispels a lie from satan.

We are not a boat full of holes, brethren, as satan would have us believe. If we see boards on the Ark that need more sealer lest we leak, or more pegs lest we come apart, it is not because we are falling apart. It is because He is still building us. He has but a little left to finish, and then it will begin to rain.

If we look at the horizon, we can see that there are clouds that are growing dark for this world. It is not growing dark for God’s children, though. Our path grows brighter and brighter until the last day, God tells us in His Word. The day will someday come, perhaps soon, when it will begin to rain. We, however, need not fear nor strive, for we are safe and sound upon the Ark of our salvation, Christ Jesus.

In God’s Word, we read of Nehemiah, who instructed his workers to work with a trowel in one hand and a sword in the other. Let us do likewise, serving in the Kingdom of God by making disciples with one hand through God’s Word, and with the other hand lovingly standing against the enemy satan who seeks to divide us.

We are one. Let us, with His help and one another’s, manifest it.

12-13 You can easily enough see how this kind of thing works by looking no further than your own body. Your body has many parts—limbs, organs, cells—but no matter how many parts you can name, you're still one body. It's exactly the same with Christ. By means of his one Spirit, we all said good-bye to our partial and piecemeal lives. We each used to independently call our own shots, but then we entered into a large and integrated life in which he has the final say in everything. (This is what we proclaimed in word and action when we were baptized.) Each of us is now a part of his resurrection body, refreshed and sustained at one fountain—his Spirit—where we all come to drink. The old labels we once used to identify ourselves—labels like Jew or Greek, slave or free—are no longer useful. We need something larger, more comprehensive.

14-18 I want you to think about how all this makes you more significant, not less. A body isn't just a single part blown up into something huge. It's all the different-but-similar parts arranged and functioning together. If Foot said, "I'm not elegant like Hand, embellished with rings; I guess I don't belong to this body," would that make it so? If Ear said, "I'm not beautiful like Eye, limpid and expressive; I don't deserve a place on the head," would you want to remove it from the body? If the body was all eye, how could it hear? If all ear, how could it smell? As it is, we see that God has carefully placed each part of the body right where he wanted it.

19-24 But I also want you to think about how this keeps your significance from getting blown up into self-importance. For no matter how significant you are, it is only because of what you are a part of. An enormous eye or a gigantic hand wouldn't be a body, but a monster. What we have is one body with many parts, each its proper size and in its proper place. No part is important on its own. Can you imagine Eye telling Hand, "Get lost; I don't need you"? Or, Head telling Foot, "You're fired; your job has been phased out"? As a matter of fact, in practice it works the other way—the "lower" the part, the more basic, and therefore necessary. You can live without an eye, for instance, but not without a stomach. When it's a part of your own body you are concerned with, it makes no difference whether the part is visible or clothed, higher or lower. You give it dignity and honor just as it is, without comparisons. If anything, you have more concern for the lower parts than the higher. If you had to choose, wouldn't you prefer good digestion to full-bodied hair?

25-26 The way God designed our bodies is a model for understanding our lives together as a church: every part dependent on every other part, the parts we mention and the parts we don't, the parts we see and the parts we don't. If one part hurts, every other part is involved in the hurt, and in the healing. If one part flourishes, every other part enters into the exuberance.

1 Corinthians 12:12-26 (The Message Translation)

Every Member Brings: Part 6

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This is Part 6 of a multi-part series of posts entitled Every Member Brings.



Part 6: It Must Be Done For The Strengthening of the Church

Next, 1 Corinthians 14:26 goes on to say:

What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done.....

God is a loving God. Does He forgive when we err? Absolutely. But does He require obedience of us? He does. Does this make Him unloving? Hardly. God knows that obedience to His Word and will bring righteousness, safety, peace and blessing. Our God loves us SO much, and wants the very best for us!

Together, we can work as one to be obedient to the instruction God gives us in 1 Corinthians 14:26 and see righteousness, safety, peace and blessing spring up among us!

And finally, 1 Corinthians 14:26 tells us:

What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church.

We see God’s ultimate purpose in having every member bring a a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation - the strengthening of the church.

In these days, the church and its individual members are being attacked worldwide in a way not seen since the days of Acts.

We need to be strong, and we need to be one.
We need to be one, and we need to be strong.
And we must remember that our strength lies within our oneness with God and one another.

We intimately know the wiles of the devil, for he has sought to use them against each of us since the day we received Christ as our Saviour and Lord. This comes with the territory. There are Christians, however, that are more intimately familiar with satan’s attacks than they are with God and one another. Whatever our spiritual state, this is a day to draw near unto God and with one another as never before.

And it all starts with every member bringing.......what God gave them to bring today.

Every Member Brings: Part 5

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This is Part 5 of a multi-part series of posts entitled Every Member Brings.



Part 5: The Spiritual Buffet

There is one other thing that I am will share on this topic of The 5 Courses. It is the concept of the spiritual "buffet." This is what God intended the gatherings of His people to be - spiritual buffets that were supplied by Him, for His glory, through the entire church and for its edification.

Corn here, salad there, roast beef there, pie over there, fresh water there, bread over there. You get the picture. A spiritual buffet.

But how would you feel if you went to your local buffet-style restaurant, paid your money, got a plate and approached the buffet - only to find that each and every container on the buffet held corn? Most of us like the taste of corn, even love it. And it’s nutritious, as well. Nothin’ bad you can say about corn. If you had to, you could live on only corn and water.

This "boring" buffet - with corn as its only course - is too often what man has created in today’s church. The pastor or assistant pastor or teacher speaks almost every week in most churches and, anointed and “nutritious” as it may be, it is only corn.

Many in the Western, and especially American Church, have tried to integrate big sound systems and multimedia screens and church outreaches for every concievable "group" of believer, all with the purpose of "making church interesting" and "drawing people to God." There is nothing in God's Word that says that big productions are inherently wrong. The book of Acts tells us of three thousand people becoming disciples of Christ in one day. That's a big production.

There is a vibrant and growing number of house churches and para-church ministries throughout the world. The popularity of their focus upon "simplicity and intimacy" has been chronicled by the media. There is nothing in God's Word that says that smaller groups are inherently wrong. The book of Acts tells us that the Church began in this fashion.

But if we, whether in larger church settings or smaller, whether in institutional church or house church or para-church settings, are still serving up "just corn," we have missed something vitally important about God's way of doing things. We have forgotten that God's Word is clearly trying to tell us that "what's interesting" and "what will draw people to God" is God's people jointly sharing a manifestation of Him and His Son and His Holy Spirit.

True Biblical community as evidenced in the book of Acts and 1 Corinthians 14:26 and lived out in whatever church size or form, lifts up Christ. As such, it presents people with something that - if they have eyes to see - they can't take their eyes off of.....Christ Himself.

And when He is lifted up, He tells us, He will draw all men unto Himself.

Would you go back to a buffet that only offered corn to eat? No. It is for this same reason that people - in droves - are switching churches or leaving the church altogether.

Don’t get me wrong. Perhaps some of us in the church meant well. Perhaps some of us looked at building the church on a practical level, and that’s where we got into trouble. The church is not a practical organism, it is a spiritual organism.

Perhaps some of us looked at building the church on a professional level, like a successful company, and that’s where we got into trouble. The church is not a professional organism, it is a spiritual organism.

And sadly, perhaps still others of us looked at building the church on a personal level, seeking to build our own Kingdom to give to God, and that’s where we got into trouble. The church is not a personal organism, it is a spiritual organism, and God created it to give to Himself.

We are not called to build the Church. Jesus said that He would build His church. He told us to make disciples of all men. And the best way to disciple is that way that Christ Himself did; by sharing His daily life with those whom He was seeking to disciple.

That is why every member bringing when they come together is such a powerful thing. What is experienced there and is shared there is a spiritual product of God's work in and through His Church, an ordained response to what He is doing in the hearts and lives of each member and amidst the community of believers as a whole. When this happens, there is nothing more worshipful, more praising unto God, more laden with glory for our Creator and Father.

God has created us in oneness to provide a buffet that is representative of our Heavenly Father, a feast of the Holy Spirit beyond human measure, a banquet that is fit for the King.

Every Member Brings: Part 4

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This is Part 4 of a multi-part series of posts entitled Every Member Brings.



Part 4: The Five Courses

Next, we reach God’s explanation of the 5 courses of this spiritual meal that He desires to bring to His people through His people.

When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation.
1 Corinthians 14:26

A Hymn

A hymn, as defined here in its original Greek meaning, refers to a Hebrew psalm. The significance of this meaning, as opposed to a meaning like “a song,” etc., is this:

~ The Psalms of the Bible are almost always praise directed toward God.
~ Psalms do not necessarily rhyme.
~ Psalms do not necessarily have musical accompaniment.
~ Psalms are simple songs, sung as a person might pray it in a prayer of thanksgiving.

This shows us that the term hymn is not referring to the “shows” that we sometimes see during "worship" in many churches today. Remember, God’s Word in this verse says “every member brings,” not “those who have been called to the ‘worship team’ bring” or “those who have signed up to sing a guest song bring.” God says that every member brings.

Is it scary for people to sing a hymn this way? By all means, YES! :-D One must first practice this scriptural principle at home, as we are instructed to do in God’s Word.

In Ephesians 5:19, God Word tells us that we should first be Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord... Then, later, God’s Word tells us in Colossians 3:16 that we are to Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

By practicing the singing of hymns at home in this manner, we become comfortable with this profound expression of thanks and ministry to God. Then, mixed with faith, we can step forward to minister to the church in "public" at gatherings (church services) in the same way.

A Word of Instruction

A word of instruction is, for the most part, a revelation of Scriptural Truth. Whether in the form of sharing one or two scriptures and sharing what God has revealed to you through His Spirit regarding those verse(s), or sharing word of testimony based upon the application of a revealed Truth in your own life, words of instruction are “meat and potatoes” to the church.

A Revelation

A revelation is best understood by looking at the original meaning of the Greek word. The term revelation means to take the lid off of something so that it can be seen. There are a number of ministries amongst the church which are revelation ministries, with prophecy, words of wisdom and words of knowledge, and Spirit-birthed testimony among them.

A Tongue

A tongue simply refers to speaking in tongues, be it in the tongue of man or of angels.

An Interpretation

A interpretation is the revelation, in the common language of the listeners, of a tongue.

Every Member Brings: Part 3

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This is Part 3 of a multi-part series of posts entitled Every Member Brings.



Part 3: Everyone Brings

Note that in 1 Corinthians 14:26, God’s says When you come together, everyone has.... If you use your concordance, you will find that the term “everyone” means “everyone.” This simple Truth is of enormous impact upon the Body of Christ.

When God says “everyone has,” He means “everyone has.” Now, it is true that when we review 2 of the major reasons, previously stated in Part 2, that this scripture is not being accurately practiced in the church today:

~ Many people are afraid to, are too lazy to, or don’t believe that they’re able to effectively speak in front of the Church.
~ Some selfish elders lustfully and pridefully fear giving up “control” of church services - even temporarily - to the "common man."

....we see that one of the causes may be the people themselves. If someone is too afraid, too lazy, or too insecure, no one - including elders - can bring them out of their shell. By the same token, if an elder is too lustful, prideful or afraid to give up "control" of the church to God, then no person is likely to change their minds.

In the interest of Truth, however, it must be stated that the lion’s share of the responsibility for the accurate practice of 1 Corinthians 14:26 first rests with elders. If they have not served the Church by humbly helping them to live their lives, including corporate worship, in the manner that God commands within this verse, then they bear great responsibility when the church is not being effectually edified.

So, elders are first responsible to serve the Church by humbly helping them to live this scriptural model for the operation of the Body of Christ, and then to humbly train up God’s people within that to minister and edify.

Once these 2 things have taken place, now it is the responsibility of each believer to come to every gathering with the hymn, word of instruction, revelation, tongue or interpretation that has been given to them by God.

Note that I have not written that every believer is responsible to bring A hymn, word of instruction, revelation, tongue or interpretation that has been given to them by God. Rather, THE hymn, word of instruction, revelation, tongue or interpretation that has been given to them by God.

We must be careful not to get the cart in front of the horse when discussing and living out this scripture. 1 Corinthians 14:26 is not a laundry list to believers, to be used as a reference to “come up with something” to share at every gathering. It is a statement about what God will be causing to happen within us and then out through us when we, as individual believers and the Body of Christ as a whole, are walking in accordance with His will for our lives.

When we are in oneness with God, with our spouse, with our brethren and with God’s Word, a hymn, word of instruction, revelation, tongue or interpretation that has been given by God will already be upon our lips, from out of the bounty that He has placed within our hearts.

The result of these two scriptures (1 Corinthians 14:26 & Ephesians 4:11-12 ) practiced obediently and working in tandem, will be believers growing up to become like Christ Himself, and the church being strengthened through every member in oneness. And this is what every faithful believer so desires to see.

Every Member Brings: Part 2

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This is Part 2 of a multi-part series of posts entitled Every Member Brings.



Part 2: In Tandem and As One

What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church.
1 Corinthians 14:26 (NIV)

11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Ephesians 4:11-12

One of the most influential scriptures in the entire New Testament regarding the effective day-to-day operation of the Body of Christ is 1 Corinthians 14:26.

It is often overlooked or under-applied for a number of reasons, 2 major ones being:

~ Many people are afraid to, are too lazy to, or don’t believe that they’re able to effectively speak in front of the Church (and virtually everything detailed in 1 Corinthians 14:26 is in spoken or sung form).
~ Some selfish elders lustfully and pridefully fear giving up what they perceive to be “control” of church services - even temporarily - to the "common man."

1 Corinthians 14:26, is to be practiced in tandem with Ephesians 4:11-12, and thus does a mighty work of God amongst His church:

11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

Ephesians 4:11-12 tells us that one of the elders’ primary purposes is for the perfecting (equipping / training) of the saints for 2 purposes; to equip / train them for the work of the ministry (evangelism, etc.) and to equip / train them to edify. Verses 13 - 15 tells us that the result of this equipping / training will be very positive and productive, namely that the believers will grow up to become like Christ Himself.

It is clear that we have each been given a special role in God's plan. Our special role, however, is one with the special plans that He has for the rest of His children. In some way, they dove-tail with one another. They fit. We, who are created by God for an individual purpose which is yet one with a greater plan, are not able to fulfill the the individual purposes of others as effectively as God intends.

God has not done this to create "classes" amongst a people whom He has called to be one. Rather, He has done this to create a myriad of ways in which He manifests Himself in this world, through Christ Jesus and in the midst of His people.

As such, those who are created by God to function as elders while being one with God's people and plan cannot fulfill the call of those who are not, and those who have not been called to function as elders while being one with God's people and plan cannot fulfill the call of those who are. No class distinctions. No lording over God's heritage instead of selflessly and sacrificially serving God and His people. No lazily leaning upon "people in charge" when we should be faithfully depending upon God and doing what He created each of us to do.

It takes everyone doing their part to accomplish the fullness of God within and through the Body of Christ, and it simply will not happen unless this scripture (1 Corinthians 14:26) is taught and practiced without fail.

This is the purpose of this series of writings....to take a close, loving look at what we will allow God to do in our midst when we obediently practice 1 Corinthians 14:26.