Pride and Weak Character

Pride is nothing more than the manifestation of a

weakness in our character.  It shows that we are

so insecure in ourselves that we must seek out

opportunities to boast, or look for reasons to

be arrogant.  

The Greatest Injustice

He made Him who knew no sin to be sin

on our behalf, so that we might become

the righteousness of God in Him.

II Corinthians 5:21

The greatest injustice ever wrought would be Christ   

being punished for the sins of all those who would 

never come to Him.  Indeed, this would be the 

 most cruel and unusual punishment imaginable; 

 as it would be punishment in vain.  

Our Great Salvation

The author of Hebrews calls our salvation

a great salvation; and it is great, indeed, because

of the greatness of our sins.  For all of our sins 

past, present, and future, yes, the totality of

our sins was laid upon Christ; and He paid

the penalty due for each and every one.

The Freedom of God

Only God is completely free.  He is the only one 

who can be completely free, as He is the only

one who is completely holy.

A Prayer for Spiritual Growth

Father, make us sensitive to the sins in our life.

Do not let us gloss over them, ignore them,

or put them out of sight or mind.  Do not let 

the habit patterns of our daily life keep us blind 

and insensitive to the sin that is entrenched in us.

Our Standing with God

Based on our own merits we have no standing with God.

Therefore, we must always base our standing with God

on what He has done for us in Christ.  Indeed,

what God has accomplished in Christ, on our

behalf, is the foundation of our relationship with Him.

Therefore, our relationship with Him is always secure, 

not because of us, but because of Him.

The Word of God can Heal the Soul

The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul.

Psalm 19:7a

The Word of God is able to do soul surgery

(Hebrews 4:12), and like surgery performed

correctly, its wound brings healing.  There is 

nothing else that can both touch the soul

and heal its deepest and most profound wound.
See also Jeremiah 17:14.

The Word of God is Sure

The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.

Psalm 19:7b

The Word of God is faithful and trustworthy, and knowing

it gives even the simplest person the knowledge of  God's will.

Knowing the will of God enables even the simplest person 

to become skilled in the art of godly living.

The Word of God is Right

The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart.

Psalm 19:8

The Word of God is right, therefore it gives us

the right knowledge of God, which enables us

to make right choices about right things at the 

right time.  When we know the Word of God,

it gives us discernment as to what is right, and

obeying it keeps us right with God.  It is being

right with God that causes the heart to rejoice.

Relating to God

For by grace you have been saved

through faith; and that not of yourselves,

it is the gift of God; not as a result

 of works, that no one may boast.

Ephesians 2:8-9 

I have been crucified with Christ; 

and it is no longer I who live, 

but Christ lives in me; and the 

live which I now live in the flesh

I live by faith in the Son of God,

who loved me and gave Himself 

up for me.

Galatians 2:20

We relate to God on the basis of faith, not on the basis of works--

not only in our salvation, but also in our sanctification.

The Mystery of God's Sovereignty and Our Vision

...It is not so much that we as ministers need to understand and accomplish God's purpose, will, or vision for the church; what we need to understand is that God will accomplish his purpose for the church and in the mysteries of his grace he may use us in the process.

It may be valuable at time to determine the direction of the church, but the danger of "vision casting" is that we as church leaders can become anthropocentric in our approaches, focusing on what we do rather than on what God is doing. Our participation is not necessary for God to accomplish his plan any more than our resistance can thwart his purposes (Job 42:2, Isa. 46:11, Acts 17:25). Thus, the most important requirement for participating in God's purpose for the church is not a clear vision, but a submissive will. When we become willing vessels for God to use in whatever capacity he chooses, when we obey his Word and submit to him, God accomplishes his work through us whether we understand or comprehend his purpose or not. Likewise, Christ is not a cosmic cheerleader, rooting us on and hoping we will "win" in building the church. No, he is sovereignly active, taking personal responsibility for the health of the church. In the  process, he may use us, remove us, or work around us, but he will build his church (Matt. 16:18, Eph 5:11-16).

We give ourselves far too much credit for the success and growth of the church. The church is ultimately the work of God's sovereignty, not our best efforts and strategies. Sometimes, God accomplishes his purposes by revealing his will in very dramatic and comprehensible ways. At other times. he accomplishes his purpose when we are confused and unclear about what he is doing...

...For all the research, studies, and statistics, the bottom line is no one knows why some churches grow and some do not. We cannot even adequately define success in ministry. This is the mystery of God. In our ministries, we forget that God cannot be reduced to programs, strategies, and methodologies. He often uses them, but he is not controlled by them. As pastors of small churches, we often get discouraged because our visions do not materialize and our people do not embrace them. We become discouraged when one outreach program after another fails to attract new people. We forget the mystery of God. Perhaps God's purpose is not found in the fulfillment or our visions but in the failure of them. Perhaps God's purposes are accomplished when we think we have been the least successful (Isa. 6:9-13, Ezek. 2:5-8). Perhaps God's purposes are not being accomplished through us but in us. This is the mystery of God that we often forget. God is good, but he is not to be trifled with or manipulated. He is not a God of our creation; nor is he a God that we can manage. As Creator of all things and sovereign God of the universe, he doesn't have to conform to our expectations of what he should or should not do.

Glenn Daman
Leading the Small Church
Pages 44-46

A Mark of Christian Maturity

One of the marks of maturity as a Christian

is when you start praying to be a 

blessing to others.

Being Great in the Eyes of God

Being great in the eyes of men is much

different than being great in the eyes

of God, for the requirement is humility.

He has told you, O Man, what is good;

And what does the Lord require of you

But to do justice, to love kindness,

And to walk humbly with your God.

Micah 6:8

"For My hand made all these things,

Thus, all these things came into being,"

declares, the Lord.

But to this one I will look, to him who

is humble and contrite of spirit,

and who trembles at My word.

Isaiah 66:2

Sitting down, He called the twelve and said to them,

"If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all

and servant of all."

Mark 9:35

But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says,

                                "God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble."

James 4:6

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand

of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time.

I Peter 5:6

The Blood of the Atonement

The blood of atonement is required from all.

Romans 1:20-21a For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.  For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks...
Romans 3:23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Hebrews 9:22b...and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
Leviticus 17:11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement.
Genesis 3:21 The Lord God made garment of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed.  (The first blood atonement for sin, performed by God, Himself)
Genesis 4:3-4 So it came about in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to the Lord of the fruit of the ground.  Abel, on his part brought of the firstlings of his flock and their fat portions.  And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering.  (Abel offered a blood sacrifice)

The blood of the atonement is available to all.

Ezekiel 18:23 "Do I have any pleasure in the death of the wicked," declares the Lord God, "rather than that he should turn from his ways and live."
Ezekiel 33:11 "Say to them, 'As I live!' declares the Lord God, 'I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live.  Turn back, turn back from your evil ways! Why then will you die, O house of Israel.
Isaiah 45:22 "Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.


The blood of the atonement is applied only to the elect.

Romans 8:28-29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the  image of His Son...and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.
I Peter 1:1-2 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood:  May grace and peace be yours in fullest measure.
Hebrews 12:24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel.
 Revelation 5:9 And they sang a new song, saying, "Worthy are You to take the book and break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.

The Faith of the Gospel

...standing firm in one spirit, with one mind

striving together for the faith of the gospel.

Philippians 1:27b

The faith of the gospel is:

The body of doctrine we believe.

Jude 1:3, II Peter 3:2, Hebrews 1:1-2, I Corinthians 15:1-8

The salvation that it brings.

I Peter 1:1, Titus 1:1, II Timothy 1:5, Hebrews 2:3, Romans 10:17

The way of life that it produces. 

Acts 6:7, Romans 16:25-26, Philippians 1:27a, Colossians 1:5b-6, I Timothy 6:12

Conduct Yourselves in a Manner Worthy of the Gospel

Only conduct yourselves in a manner

worthy of the gospel of Christ...

Philippians 1:27a

In order for us to conduct ourselves

in a manner worthy of the gospel, it 

is required of us to live up to the

demands of the gospel; and to live 

up to the demands of the gospel, we  

must live out the gospel in our lives.

Who You are in the Lord

Who you really are in the Lord,

the reality of who you are in Christ,

the Christian you really are,  is most

evidenced by who you are with the 

Lord when you are alone with Him.

Time, Truth, and Endurance

But prove yourselves to be doers of the word,

and not merely hearers who delude themselves.

James 1:22

It is only when you live and apply the truth of

the Bible to your life that it becomes part of you.

The longer you do this, and  the more effectively you do this,  

the more a part of you the Word of God becomes.  

There is no shortcut for this, as the Lord works in us

 at the speed of life, with its days and months and years.

For you have need of endurance, so that when you have

done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.

And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be

perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Hebrews 10:36, James 1:4

Don't Abandon the Biblical Metaphors for the Church: It Is Not a Community, It is Much More

This is an updated and rewritten compilation of several posts from 2007, which was caused by my reading a new book on church life.

One of the new buzz words in the church in the new millenium is community, and the use of this metaphor to describe the church has bothered and concerned me for quite some time. This has been brought to a head by my reading a book on the church by a prominent and popular pastor. His emphasis on the life of the church and how the church functions and disciples, is couched in the term community. In the church's attempt to contextualize all that we do, we have started abandoning Biblical terms and metaphors, and we see this in the church now being called a community of believers.

Webster's Dictionary defines community as a body of people living near one another and in social relationship. It can also be defined as body of people with a faith, profession, or way of life in common. Even though I think that many times, not every time, when community is used in church speak the latter definition is meant, it still winds up way short of how the Bible refers to the church. And since it has become such a buzz word in our church speak, have we really stopped to think about what we are saying, and how what we are saying affects people's perception of what church is to be? We talk of the church as being a community of believers, having community groups, creating a sense of community, or being community oriented. Why doesn't the Bible use that word? How come the Lord did not use the community metaphor to describe the church, and its members? Maybe because the Lord had better metaphors that more accurately and more succinctly picture what the church is, how it should function, and how its members should relate to each other. For example, the Bible uses the word brethren 188 times in the New Testament, the words brother or brothers are used to describe believers, believers are called the household of God or the household of faith. God is our Father, Abba. We are His children, we are joint-heirs, and have an inheritance. All of these are familial terms. Family indicates a closer bond, a shared lineage, a shared future/inheritance, a relationship, and a responsibility; community does not.

Communities are places where people live and hang out while they are pursuing their own interests. All of us live in communities of one sort or another and most of us don't know our neighbors, and they don't know us and could care less. Community is a nice, safe, generic term that does not require intimacy or commitment. You can come and go at will and take what you need. Community describes how the world lives and relates, and, unfortunately, how so many in the church now live as it is all about them and their pursuits.

So church has become another place to hang out, chat with your friends, and leave with no more sense of belonging, acceptance, and commitment than being gathered together at Starbucks or sitting on the stool at the local watering hole. Is it any wonder why people are church hopping/shopping because underneath it all they are looking for somewhere to belong, like a family, not just some place to be.

The Church is more than a community. As I said, it is family. We all are God's children. We are brethren, joint heirs with Jesus who is the first born of many brethren. We are all born from above, born of God, and therefore we all have the same inheritance. The phrase one another is used 61 times in the NT as it refers to those who are part of the church, the household of the living God. As you read through the verses you see the rights, privileges, accountability, responsibility, and affection that family members are to have. This is no accident that it is portrayed in this manner. Let's take a look a few examples:

John 13:34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
John 13:35 By this all men know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.
I Thessalonians 4:9 Now as to the love of the brethren, you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another;
I Peter 4:8 Above all keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.
I John 4:21 And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also.

I Peter 4:9 Be hospitable to one another without complaint.
I Peter 4:10 As each one have received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
Hebrews 3:13 But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called "Today," so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
James 4:11 Do not speak against one another, brethren.
Galatians 6:2 Bear one another's burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.
Ephesians 4:25 Therefore, laying aside falsehood, SPEAK THE TRUTH EACH ONE OF YOU WITH HIS NEIGHBOR, for we are members of one another.

We, the church, are the family of God. Why then don't we talk about or portray it in this way? Would not most of us want to be part of a family instead of a community? Is not being part of a family richer, deeper, and better than just being part of a community? Are not our best and most fulfilling relationships our family relationships, not the social or civic relationships that we have through our community involvement? Words are important because words communicate, words portray, words create images in our mind, and words define. The words of Scripture were picked by God Himself to convey exactly what He wants, and, therefore, to achieve specific intended results. God uses the family metaphor for a reason and in the church's rush to be relevant and use new and hip terminology, and rename and reinvent the church, it has missed what God was intending to communicate. Therefore the result is a church where involvement and commitment and the resulting benefits are seen no differently than being involved civically, which for most people is just not meaningful. Yet, you hear the concerns/complaints at how uninvolved and uncommited church members are today. Maybe the reason is that the pastors and leaders in the churches, through renaming what the church is, have communicated to the people that the church is no different than the Lions Club, or the United Way, or the Little League Association.

To me, using the word community to describe the church is hard and shallow and does not really convey the full sense of what a church is. It misses the mark in describing what the church is all about. Could it be that the reason the Lord does not use the community metaphor (and He certainly could have) is because a community does not have the closeness, the caring, the accountability, the support, the sharing, the concern, the forgiveness, the camaraderie, the committment to each other's welfare, the watching each other's back, the standing up for each other, and the relational ties that bind that a family has? All of these things promote the good of the whole at the expense of the individual.

Also, in addition to family, the Lord uses another metaphor to describe the church, and that is the metaphor of a body. The word body is used 31 times in the NT to describe the church and its companion descriptive, member(s), is used 21 times. If you will give some thought to what is being conveyed by these terms you will see that community does not even come close. Let's look at a few more examples:

I Corinthians 12:27 Now you are Christ's body, and individually members of it.
Romans 12:5 so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.
Ephesians 1:22 And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
Colossians 1:18 He is also the head of the body, the church;.....
Colossians 2:19 and not holding fast to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God.
I Corthians 12:8 But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired.
Ephesians 4:12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ;
Ephesians 4:15 but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ 16 from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.

I Corinthians 12:22 On the contrary, it is much truer that the members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary; 23 and those members of the body which we deem less honorable, on these we bestow more abundant honor, and our less presentable members become much more presentable, 24 whereas our more presentable members have no need of it. But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that member which lacked, 25 so that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. 26 And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.

I Peter 2:5 you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

When thinking about a body and its members you see the interconnectedness, the interdependence. You see a living organism, you see purpose and function, you see life, you see personality, you see softness, and you see strength. This body that is the church is not just any body, it happens to be the body of Christ. The world does not see Christ through a community, it sees Christ through His body, the church; it sees Christ through His family, the church. As a body and a family we hurt together, rejoice together, cry together, and celebrate together. We are not spectators, but participants. We don't just live together, but live for each other. What benefits one benefits all. What is detrimental to one is detrimental to all.

Maybe, just maybe, if this was taught in its fullness, we would see a change in the church. Maybe we would see a vibrancy. Maybe we would see that we are truly all in this together. Being a Christian is not about becoming a better community member, it is about becoming more like Christ. It is not about overcoming your shortcomings, it is about having the fullness of Him who fills all in all. It takes all of us, being in the body just where He put us, properly working as He designed us, to build each other up to the fullness of the stature of Christ. A community can't do that, but a living organism can.

Let's don't rename the body of Christ. Let's don't call the family of God other than what it is. Let's don't make the church less than what God has intended for it to be known and portrayed as. Let us stop abandoning the Biblical terms to make the church more appealing, and less foreign to the world. Let's don't think that somehow we know better than God what term to use. So let us use the same metaphors and same terminology the Lord has chosen, and trust the Word to do its intended work, and trust Him with the results.  Let us not be ashamed to be called the family of God and the body of Christ.

The Gift of Exhortation

Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us,

each of us is to exercise them accordingly:  if prophecy, according 

to the proportion of his faith; if service, in his serving; or he

who teaches, in his teaching; or he who exhorts, in his exhortation...

Romans 12:6-8a

The gift of exhortation is considered one of the speaking gifts, and its Greek root means to come alongside of so as to help.  So it is a gift that enables one to give aid to another, to come alongside and give aid by speaking to the need of the moment.  It is a gift that enables one to speak truth, God's truth, the truth of Scripture, into the life of a fellow believer.  It is the gift to be able to speak the truth, and speak it in love.

Sometimes this will be a word of encouragement and sometimes a word of rebuke, sometimes it will admonish and sometimes it will strengthen, sometimes it will correct and sometimes it will comfort, sometimes it will convict and sometimes it will affirm.  It will always aid in helping the fellow believer press on in the faith, to press on in Godliness, to be encouraged to live a more Christlike life, and to see the truth about themselves and the situation they are in.

It is an important and necessary gift to the body of Christ, and is important in discipling and mentoring; and those who exercise this gift should be greatly appreciated.