Jammy Church 10.13.13

"We are the variable in other people's lives" was a statement made this morning that resonated with me.  We have a brother that attends a local Bible study with people from all over the world. We talked about how the love of God can just intervene in our lives and in the lives of the people around us.

We noticed that in our upbringing, we often feel like we have to prepare and plan and "do" in order to get a Bible Study going. Several people shared testimonies that God would use them, not to quote scripture with someone, but simply to 'be' who they were in Christ. Our UN Bible study have people from all over who want to come. The brother finally realized that the Holy Spirit could do more than any of his 'planning' could do, and he's learned to just relax and just let God do it. Let's face it--the God of the Universe is more than willing to show His love.

God can take our measly mud-pies and do something with them. God is not shocked or surprised at anything we say or do. It's not like any of us can mess up anything God's got planned. Could you imagine God saying, "Oh no! I had this good speech for you to give the lost person, and you messed it up! Now he's going to go to hell!" I mean, seriously? Nothing we do will catch God off guard, and nothing we say will hinder His will. If someone is ready to accept the Grace of God, then God will get it done, and nothing we do, will mess it up.

Oh no, I've got to get these people saved!  was a mindset of times past, according to our Cajun brother. He finally realized that the salvation of the world is not on his shoulders. Too often we fall in that trap, but thankfully, the love of God will pull us out.

God is the initiator, we get to just sit back and watch God do, what God does. was also said as an encouragement. After all, God is bigger than any mountain ;)

There is Nothing New Under the Sun

So, this morning in our Jammie Church, the discussion got around to cares of this world. Remembering of how things were "back in the day", most of us recalled not really worrying about anything as far as the dangers of this world. Now, it seems we are over run with the evil of this world. A brother shared a story of having his boys out in their garage playing, ages from 6-10, I believe, then suddenly hearing some older boys in his garage. The fear that he read in the news, was overlayed onto these boys in his garage and he immediately ordered them to leave. The innocence of his own boys let him know that the older kids were being nice. The brother decided to go see for himself. The thing is, we didn't use to hear about all of the bad stuff going on. Did that mean it wasn't happening, or just that we didn't hear about it? After all, there is nothing new under the sun. 

Another brother made the statement that we seem to be thinking and growing in the knowledge of good and evil. Focusing on the evil, we wind up being so cautious, our lives are being dictated through fear. This doesn't have to be. 

Although this world is waxing worse and worse, we can still live in dependence on our Heavenly Father. Let Him worry about the world, while we enjoy being in the Family, and relationships with our brothers and sisters in Christ. 

Segue into the Metro Message of II Peter 1.  "It's good to remind you again" Everything we experience, including the cares of this world, can be viewed through the eyes of the New Covenant. We all need reminded just how deep and wide God's love is for us. Peter reminds his readers how intimate Jesus is, and how he's going to remind them again and again. In light of living in a dark world, hearing the gospel message just once isn't enough. We need to hear it again, again and again. It is essential that we know that no prophecy of scripture comes about by the prophet's own interpretation of things. These were spoken from God, through the personalities and voices of His servants as they are carried along by the Holy Spirit. 

Are your eyes focused on the cares of this world, or on the face of Jesus?

Got any ID?

Interesting dialogue this morning. A buddy who is part of a Bible Study that we've lovingly nicknamed "The UN Bible Study" because it contains various families of various nationalities, shared some of their points with us. In the represented countries of his bible study, there are countless witnesses of Christian Persecutions. This led to the fact that a lot of people are called Christians, simply because they're from a "christian" country, as opposed as being from a "Hindu" country, or "Muslim" country, or "Buddhist" country, etc. We discussed the fact that our Identity, according to the Bible, we're "In Christ"..., or "Christ in us"... or "New Creation"... "New creature"... "born again"... "Bride of Christ"...  "Children of God"...

The point here, I think, is... we have this "oneness" with God. The above descriptions of who we are reflect that we can't get any closer to God than we already are.  No matter what may come our way, Christ is our all in all.  Our Cajun brother brought up the fact that there was only one instance in scripture where believers were called, "Christians", and that instance wasn't even meant as a positive thing, but more as a slam. Yet, today, it's simply more religious verbiage.

Not I but Christ....one thing remains.....
The Holy Spirit is our DNA. As Jesus is our life, we are a new species of life. We have the Gentile race, there's the Jewish race, and now we have the "Called out ones" Ecclesia. This is an accurate acknowledgement of our ID, as believers in Christ. We can't become "dead" again, even if we wanted to be. We have been made new. Call us what you will, but the fact of the matter is, when the Holy Spirit takes us residence, we are no longer the old person. The Holy Spirit, as promised by God, will never leave us nor forsake us. We will no longer be that dead person we once were.

This line of thought was carried over into the Metro Church services. We had a treat, in that we had the privilege to listen to Greg bring us the word. He'd mentioned in passing that in his former beliefs, there was the doctrine that people had to be dead for a certain length of time before they could be deemed "saints". He mentioned that "dead" people aren't saints. For a person to become a saint, they have to be alive--to have the life of Christ dwelling within us. Strange that this point should be driven home shortly after our private Bible Study session, to which Greg was not able to join. Coincidence? I think not.

As children of God, He's given us a robe to wear. We discussed this and we all agreed that when we thought of the word "robe" we think of comfort. Long, flowing, airy, breezy. The priests from the Old Covenant temples were robes made of linen. This further gave the connotation of comfort. Our life in Christ, our rest in Him, should be be like a straight-jacket that some well meaning people try to make us wear, but rather a robe of comfort. The priests, although there were no chairs allowed in their temples, were still allowed to have some sort of comfort as they went about their daily chores.

So it could be with us--and this was needed personally. There are times that we feel we are being worked to death in our daily lives, with no relief in sight, yet, when we remember that we have a robe of righteousness on, because of who Christ is, our souls can rest, even in the midst of our weary, earth bound life.

This was contrasted between what's been termed as the "Bait and switch gospel".  First, get them saved with phrases like, "God is good" "It's all Jesus, "Grace, grace, grace".Then, after we get the unsuspecting person 'converted", we say things like, "Okay, now that you're saved, you need to _____ and _____ and ___" If not, you're a gasp! CARNAL Christian! Next thing we know, we're wearing the straight-jacket of religion. We never saw it coming. Our lives become a list of things to do in order to gut it out for God. This gives a connotation of 2 different beings separated by sin. Jesus and ourselves.  We get that intimate contact for just a split second at the point of salvation, but then when we sin, we've "drifted away" and are no longer "connected" to our savior. Then we're given a list of things to do in order to get that intimacy back. This isn't the case at all. At the point of salvation, we become alive IN CHRIST. Not beside Him, not under Him, but IN Him. And what is our hope of glory? Christ IN US, our hope of glory.

So, who are you? Any ID?



"My prayer for you" Ephesians 3:14

14 For this reason (What reason?) I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,(Why?) 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.(Ahh. Okay) And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power,(power to do what?) together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,(power to grasp the depth of His love is for us) 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge (power to know this love)—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.(wonderful reason to pray)

20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, (aha! another "in" word, as opposed to "out there" word) 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

What do these verses have in common?

  Nehemiah 6:9 9 For they all wanted to frighten us, thinking, "Their hands will drop from the work, and it will not be done." But now, O God, strengthen my hands.

  1 Kings 17:13-16 13 And Elijah said to her, "Do not fear; go and do as you have said. But first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterward make something for yourself and your son. 14 For thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, `The jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty, until the day that the Lord sends rain upon the earth.'" 15 And she went and did as Elijah said. And she and he and her household ate for many days. 16 The jar of flour was not spent, neither did the jug of oil become empty, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by Elijah.

  Psalm 37:25 25 I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread.

  Matthew 6:31-32 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, `What shall we eat?' or `What shall we drink?' or `What shall we wear?' 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.

  Matthew 7:11 11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

  Luke 12:7 7 Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.

  John 21:6 He said to them, "Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some." So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish.

  2 Corinthians 9:8 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.

  Philippians 4:19 19 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

 Stay tuned to find out!