United for Christ

Posted on by korgrocker

“It is God who enables us, along with you, to stand firm for Christ. He has commissioned us, and he has identified us as his own by placing the Holy Spirit in our hearts as the first instalment that guarantees everything he has promised us.”
2 Corinthians 1:21-22 NLT
“Now it is God who establishes and confirms us [in joint fellowship] with you in Christ, and who has anointed us [empowering us with the gifts of the Spirit]; it is He who has also put His seal on us [that is, He has appropriated us and certified us as His] and has given us the [Holy] Spirit in our hearts as a pledge [like a security deposit to guarantee the fulfilment of His promise of eternal life].”
2 Corinthians 1:21-22 AMP

Starting with that first Day of Pentecost, all believers in Christ have been rewarded by the gift of the Holy Spirit, who has acted as a “seal”, identifying us as part of God’s family with all the benefits that this brings. This was a reminder from Paul that the Corinthians, to whom the letter was addressed, were no better than he, and he was no better than they. Our second Bible version today highlights this: “in joint fellowship”, because there is nobody who is better than anyone else before God. All believers have been equally anointed, commissioned and sealed with the Holy Spirit. There is a unity here that cuts across denominations and movements. Before God, we are equal, one with another.

It seems impossible that this is the case, because each person is a unique creation, with their own physical and mental attributes, abilities, gifts, and upbringings and developments. Some people rise to high office in governments and companies. Others never progress beyond the shop floor. Some people become preachers; others become missionaries or pastors; others are happy just to sit in a pew. But none of this has anything to do with the central point Paul was making – we are all equally blessed by God to be members of His family. 

“God has given us different gifts
for doing certain things well“

But at this point, it may be appropriate to prick the bubble that’s forming. It is sad that some, perhaps many, Christians do not want to be fully involved as members of God’s family in the way that Paul implied. What does it mean to us individually that we are commissioned in Christ, empowered with the gifts of the Spirit? To some, this is an energising motivation to get more involved in spreading the Gospel, perhaps by becoming a missionary, working for a Christian charity, or simply sharing the wonderful news about Jesus whenever an opportunity arises. There is a man I know who is employed part-time to collect trolleys from the car park at our local supermarket and return them to their designated area just outside the store entrance. But he makes no secret of his faith and shares the Good News whenever he gets the opportunity, stopping people in the car park and even the City Centre High Street to and from work. He chips away at the atheistic and agnostic facades of his fellow workers, totally impervious to what they think of him. But others put evangelism, whatever its form, on the back burner, thinking that such thoughts and desires will have to wait until they have time, perhaps rationalising their thoughts with excuses about their health, busy lives, or a lack of opportunity. But Paul wrote that with the gift of the Holy Spirit came certain responsibilities. Romans 12:6, “In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you”. Paul also wrote, “A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other” (1 Corinthians 12:7). He took it as fact that each believer would receive at least one gift, so the question for each of us pilgrims is this: what is our spiritual gift and are we using it “to help each other”? We can find a list of spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 12, and various helps are available to identify which gifts we possess. But one gift we all have is the ability to share our testimonies with our friends, family and neighbours.

“Now all glory to God“

Jesus commanded us to “love our neighbours and ourselves” and to “make disciples”, and in obedience to Jesus, we can call on the empowering of the Holy Spirit, who resides within each one of us. There are two verses in Ephesians that never fail to intrigue and challenge me. They are, “Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen” (Ephesians 3:20-21). That is some power we have! It’s not weak and feeble, and only selective to whom it is given. We all have the opportunity to call upon it, so why don’t we leverage it to realise great works for God? It’s the sort of question that makes us feel a bit uncomfortable because there are no caveats that release us from the challenge. But in prayer, we ask God for His help in using the gifts He has given us day by day, proactively for Jesus.

Dear Heavenly Father. Please forgive us for our laziness and lethargy. We desire to do Your works as You have asked. For Jesis’ saler. Amen.

Signs and Wonders

Posted on by korgrocker

“Jesus asked, “Will you never believe in me unless you see miraculous signs and wonders?””
John 4:48 NLT

The civil servant from Capernaum came to Jesus and begged Him to heal his sick son. He was desperate and probably sick himself with worry over his son’s threatened demise. But Jesus’ response was to ask a question about how people can come to believe in Him. Did they believe in Him because of His message or because He healed them and did other miracles in their society? Did the “miraculous signs and wonders” convince people that He was who He said He was, or was it because of His message about the Kingdom of God? Here was a people who were anticipating the imminent appearance of their Messiah. But they were suffering under the Roman occupation, in poverty (apart from a select few, the landowners and others) and desperate for a solution to their suffering. The Messiah they were expecting would set them free from all this, or so they thought, and transform Israel into an utopian state.  

Jesus’ message was about the Kingdom of God and was about a world that differed from that of His fellow Jews. And he came to give them the opportunity to join their Heavenly Father there. It was not going to happen totally during their earthly lives but happen it would one day. Jesus’ message was simple – repent of your sins, believe in Me, and follow Me. He taught about a relationship that would blossom into eternal life and He showed the compassion God had for His people by doing “miraculous signs and wonders” in their society. In those days, Heaven touched earth, and crowds of people came to hear Him and be healed of their ailments. On two occasions, when they were hungry, He even fed them. To be near Jesus was an incredible and life changing experience, and yet most people rejected Him. 

In John 1:10-13, we read, “He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God“. Sadly, many of the people on His day failed to recognise their Messiah and instead of believing in Him they rejected Him, even though He did some amazing “signs and wonders” amongst them. But it wasn’t all bad news and a wasted opportunity. In spite of all of this, there were many people who did believe in Him and were born again into His Kingdom. The Church was birthed and has been growing ever since. The early believers, fronted by the disciples, turned their world upside down with their message of hope.

The Apostle Thomas wasn’t present with the other disciples when Jesus appeared to them after His resurrection. He had to wait for Jesus’ next appearance and his response to Jesus, after he had the opportunity to examine His wounds, was “My Lord and my God” (John 20:28). But Jesus’ reply was significant – “Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me” (John 20:29). We pilgrims heard the Good News about Jesus and believed in Him, but we have never seen Him bodily. However we will one day and in the meantime we share that message today with anyone who will listen. We perhaps think we don’t see many “signs and wonders” today, but we should pause and think. Many good things happen today and we do God a disservice by not giving Him the glory for them. The amazing strides made in science and medicine, for example. These would have been “signs and wonders” to the people of Jesus’ day. Perhaps we should thank God for His gifts, even though arrogant people claim the credit for themselves. God’s compassion for humanity, and His “signs and wonders”, didn’t end on a cross at a place called Calvary.

Dear God. We thank You for doing so much for us, even when we don’t ask or recognise Your hand in the answers to our prayers. We worship You today. Amen.

Spiritual Gifts

Posted on by korgrocker

“God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.”
1 Peter 4:10-11 NLT

We often associate spiritual gifts with something supernatural, like prophecy or healing. But there is a “great variety of spiritual gifts”, according to Peter. He gave two examples here in his  letter – speaking and helping. But there are many more, of course, and they are to be used for serving “one another”. Peter encourages his readers by telling them that by exercising their spiritual gifts, they “will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ”. But the important message from Peter is that each one of us has a spiritual gift. It was true when he wrote to the believers in what is now Turkey, and it is just as true today. And we know from other Scripture passages that we may have more than one spiritual gift.

So if that is the case, we pilgrims are obliged to determine what our spiritual gift is and then use it for God’s glory and the benefit of our fellow believers. We will, of course, have natural giftings, and will make good use of these generally in our lives. So to use my wife as an example, she has a gift of needlecraft and is always producing one garment or another, often with complex patterns, for the benefit of the family. But when she uses her gift for others, using it well, with the Holy Spirit helping the process, then it will become a spiritual gift. What potentially might have been a naturally lengthy and difficult process somehow becomes easier and more joyful when the Holy Spirit is involved in the process.

In 1 Corinthians 12, the Apostle Paul wrote in some detail about the spiritual gifts. 1 Corinthians 12:4, “There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all”. In verse 7 of this chapter he wrote much the same as Peter did, “A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other”. And Paul finished this section with “It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have” (1 Corinthians 12 :11).

So how do we know what spiritual gift we have? There are various helps around that can focus our thinking and come up with an answer, but most times we can find our gifts through prayer, encouragement from those around us, who observe us functioning in our spiritual gift, and by asking the Gift-giver, the Holy Spirit Himself. We must of course avoid the temptation of seeing someone else moving in their gifting, and decide that we want to have that gift as well. I remember a young church member who decided that they had a gift of worship leading. So they learnt a few guitar chords and asked the pastor if they could lead worship one Sunday. But, sadly for them, the gift just wasn’t there and they ended up frustrated and demoralised. Thankfully, the pastor was able to lovingly and sensitively help them find out what their true gift really was. 

We must remember that the spiritual gifts are not for our benefit but for the benefit of others and for the glory of God. And Peter ended his thoughts excitedly exclaiming, “All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.” A good place to finish, giving glory to God.

Dear Father. Thank You for the gifts You have given us. Each one fits exactly with the person You want us to be. So all we can do is give You all the glory. Amen.

In Conclusion

Posted on by korgrocker

“The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.”
Romans 16:24 NKJV
“Now all glory to God, who is able to make you strong, just as my Good News says. This message about Jesus Christ has revealed his plan for you Gentiles, a plan kept secret from the beginning of time. But now as the prophets foretold and as the eternal God has commanded, this message is made known to all Gentiles everywhere, so that they too might believe and obey him. All glory to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, forever. Amen.”
Romans 16:25-27 NLT

In Romans 15:33 we read what looked like a final greeting at the end of the letter, but then Paul continued to write about his friends and fellow workers in chapter 16. Some manuscripts then include another “final greeting” in Romans 16:24. Perhaps the letter was assembled at different times, and Paul was reluctant to say it was finished. He could have been anxious to make sure he hadn’t forgotten anything, but in the process he sent a double blessing to the Roman believers, God’s peace and the Lord Jesus Christ’s grace.

Paul concludes his letter with a reference to the “Good News”, which was where he started in Romans 1, and he reminded the believers in Rome that the Good News would give them strength. Paul continued by reminding them of something else, and that was the revelation that the Good News was finally made public, a secret no more, and because it included the Gentiles, who had a significant presence in the Romans Church. So the Good News was a revelation of God’s secret plan to make God’s grace universally available to all peoples and nations. There were no exclusions, except for those who rejected God.

In Romans 1:1 we read, “This letter is from Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, chosen by God to be an apostle and sent out to preach his Good News”. That was his mandate. And Paul ends his letter giving glory to God. He knew it wasn’t about him. He knew he was a man with a mission limited by his humanity, but his passion was to do what he could in his time in which he lived, to share God’s heart with anyone who would listen. His theological and oratorical skills convinced many, and offended even more, but he was a driven man, aware of limited time to share God’s grace. We have read the end of the story, and we know that God’s patience will not last for ever. There will be a time when a Heavenly “enough!” will cry out over this world, and God’s Son, Jesus will appear for a second time. God’s glory will fill the heavens, and usher in a new dawn. 

Paul gave glory to God with all he was and all he said. We pilgrims must also. We have in our hands Paul’s baton, running the race for the pilgrim team. The race course is before us. And the people we meet on our journeys need to know all about God’s Good News. For every person who joins the race with us we give God all the glory. It is all about Him and His plan for mankind, a plan so gracious and loving we can only wonder and worship the only One who really matters.

Father God, as we conclude our journey through the Book of Romans, I pray that all who read it will be richly blessed. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Holy City (5)

Posted on by korgrocker

“The nations will walk in its light, and the kings of the world will enter the city in all their glory. Its gates will never be closed at the end of day because there is no night there. And all the nations will bring their glory and honour into the city. Nothing evil will be allowed to enter, nor anyone who practices shameful idolatry and dishonesty—but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.”
Revelation‬ ‭21‬:‭24‬-‭27‬ NLT

In his vision John saw Jerusalem how it should have been, how God had planned it from the very beginning of time. A place of purity and holiness. A place providing all that was needed for post-old-world life. A place where God lived. In his vision, John saw nations living outside the city, nations ruled by kings, who came and went into the Holy City as they wanted, in all their finery. There was no need to shut the gates when it got dark, for two reasons. Firstly, God lived there and His light, His glory, meant that it never got dark. Secondly, in those days there will be no evil, so no-one would be sneaking into the city to commit a crime. 

John saw all the nations, those people living in Heaven, coming to the Holy City to lay down at God’s feet all their glory. We read about it in Isaiah 60. Here’s a couple of verses, “All nations will come to your light; mighty kings will come to see your radiance. ..… They will honour the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has filled you with splendour.” (‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭60‬:‭3,‭9b ‭NLT). And we read earlier in Revelation 4 and 5 about the worship that will be happening in Heaven. The Holy City will be filled with wonderful new songs, honouring God, worshipping Him, glorifying Him. 

When we pilgrims come to the foot of God’s throne, we come to give Him our glory and honour. The world system, and those who live in it, love to be honoured. There are those who receive medals or titles in the British New year honours list, philanthropists rewarded for their charitable works. There are those who are rewarded with a promotion or a pay rise at work, in recognition of their outstanding service. A pensioner might receive a clock, or something similar, to commemorate his many years working for the company. An athlete might receive a medal or engraved cup for winning a race or tournament. But, as today’s verses imply, when one day we enter the Holy City, all our previous honours, and the associated glory, will be laid at His feet, all worthless when compared to His glory.

John finishes recording what he was seeing with a reminder that there will be nothing evil allowed into the Holy City, the new Jerusalem. In fact, there will be nothing evil allowed in Heaven. The Lamb’s Book of Life was the decider. If a name wasn’t there, then that person wouldn’t be in Heaven either. There was another home prepared for them.

Once again, we pilgrims look on and marvel. The Holy City, Heaven, God and Jesus, all there waiting for us to join them. We have decided to follow Jesus, as it says in the words of the old song. We won’t be disappointed with what we will find in Heaven. 

Dear Father. We give You all the honour, all the glory, today. Amen.