Christians talk quite a lot about the idea of a personal relationship with God; rarely do we discuss the actual experience of that relationship. We may say something about prayer or reading the Bible, and both are good and necessary. But what is it actually like to be loved by God and to love Him, to know Him who is truth? (John 14:6) Because we are human we tend to look at things from a human perspective. This sometimes results in a Santa Claus type God, who exists to meet our needs and to do what we want. But He is not one dimensional. Yes, he does desire to bless us and give us good things. On the other hand, he does not promise immunity from suffering or persecution. I sometimes see God as a blend of love and truth. Understanding Him as one or the other alone leads us to a situation like that of a person walking on one leg. The use of crutches may make that possible but it certainly is not how God created us.
Ephesians 4:15 says, "Instead, speaking the truth in love..." 1 Corinthians 13, the chapter specifically about love, says in verse six, "Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth." 2 John 3 says "Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father's Son, who will be with us in truth and love." And 3 John 4, "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth." Jesus prays to the Father in John 17:17, "Sanctify them by your truth; your Word is truth." He promises to send the Spirit of truth. (John 16:13) And "whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." (1 John 4:8)
Seeking to have the Holy Spirit reveal this blending of God in truth and love is at the foundation of my personal relationship with God. He is neither a stern, distant figure waiting to whack me with a celestial ruler at my first imperfection nor is He the permissive, do whatever you want figure who winks at my imperfection. Instead He is an intensely personal, relational Person who has made every possible loving effort to see me become conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. (Romans 8:29) "For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness (or image) of His Son, that He might become the firstborn among many brothers." (All quotations NIV)
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Missing Ingredient Part 3
Note to Readers: The first 2 parts of this theme are several days back
In recent posts I have expressed my belief in the importance of the apostolic ministry. If anyone is still with me on this, one question is how would a believer recognize this gift functioning in someone else? What are the characteristics? In over forty years of walking with Christ, I have only known two apostles personally. The rest of my reflections come from the Scripture.
Probably the most important quality is humility. Paul refers to this in Acts 20:19 when he says that he has "served the Lord with great humility...". Peter references the same quality in 1 Peter 5 when he calls himself a fellow elder, rather than an apostle in verse 1, not lording it over the flock (v. 3), and again in verses five and six. Humility comes from a true revelation of whom we are in contrast to who God is.
Another is breadth of vision. In Romans 15 Paul writes that he has preached the gospel "from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum (modern day Croatia). (Romans 15:19) In verses twenty-four and twenty-eight of the same chapter he expresses his desire to go to Spain, the western end of the Roman world, where the lingua franca is Latin rather than Greek. The apostolic ministry is not confined to local or even regional areas. Its true parish is the "ends of the earth." (Acts 1:8)
Yet another is prodigious love. God's love flows through them so powerfully that people are swept along as if they had fallen into a flooded river. The two I have known have suffered in their childhoods yet through God's love have triumphed over their adversities.
They act like a coach to a sports team, recognizing that they can't and should not try to do everything. Rather they help others to operate in the gifts that they have been given. They smooth the ruffled feathers of people who tend to see things very differently. Apostolic workers are not very detail oriented because they are looking at the big picture. And they are itinerant, typically traveling much of the year.
The above is not in any way exhaustive but is a snapshot.
In recent posts I have expressed my belief in the importance of the apostolic ministry. If anyone is still with me on this, one question is how would a believer recognize this gift functioning in someone else? What are the characteristics? In over forty years of walking with Christ, I have only known two apostles personally. The rest of my reflections come from the Scripture.
Probably the most important quality is humility. Paul refers to this in Acts 20:19 when he says that he has "served the Lord with great humility...". Peter references the same quality in 1 Peter 5 when he calls himself a fellow elder, rather than an apostle in verse 1, not lording it over the flock (v. 3), and again in verses five and six. Humility comes from a true revelation of whom we are in contrast to who God is.
Another is breadth of vision. In Romans 15 Paul writes that he has preached the gospel "from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum (modern day Croatia). (Romans 15:19) In verses twenty-four and twenty-eight of the same chapter he expresses his desire to go to Spain, the western end of the Roman world, where the lingua franca is Latin rather than Greek. The apostolic ministry is not confined to local or even regional areas. Its true parish is the "ends of the earth." (Acts 1:8)
Yet another is prodigious love. God's love flows through them so powerfully that people are swept along as if they had fallen into a flooded river. The two I have known have suffered in their childhoods yet through God's love have triumphed over their adversities.
They act like a coach to a sports team, recognizing that they can't and should not try to do everything. Rather they help others to operate in the gifts that they have been given. They smooth the ruffled feathers of people who tend to see things very differently. Apostolic workers are not very detail oriented because they are looking at the big picture. And they are itinerant, typically traveling much of the year.
The above is not in any way exhaustive but is a snapshot.
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