How Israel is God's Calendar and Window

Ezekiel 20:38 "and I will purge from you the rebels and those who transgress against Me; I will bring them out of the land where they sojourn, but they will not enter the land of Israel. Thus you will know that I am the Lord."

Romans 11:25-26 "For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery—so that you will not be wise in your own estimation—that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in;26 and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, He will remove ungodliness from Jacob.”

Introduction:

Israel is God's calendar for the events of history and His window through which to preview up and coming events. Whenever you read Ezekiel 20:1-32, God reviews with the people of God through Ezekiel His historical dealings with her, her failures, His attempts to redeem her and her many refusals to submit to His will. 

Three particular occasions are mentioned by God: Israel's rebellion while in Egypt before the Exodus (Ezekiel 20:1-8); her rebellion in the wilderness following the Exodus (20:9-17) and the rebellion of the second generation following Moses right up to the entry of the promised land in Deuteronomy (Ezekiel 20:18-32). Each time they rebelled, God chose to spare them for the sake of His name. (Ezekiel 20:9, 17,22) Unless God had intervened in Israel's past, she would never had survived beyond that first generation. 

Ezekiel then fast forwards into the millennial reign of Christ in Ezekiel 20:33-38. The Millennium will begin when Christ returns at the end of this current age, sets up His Kingdom and restores the nation of Israel and brings into His Kingdom those Jewish people who by grace through faith looked upon the One whom they had pierced. (Zechariah 12:10; Luke 21:28) The Apostle Paul reminds us that all Israel will be saved and that our salvation in this current age is integrally connected to God's faithful promises to His chosen people - Israel. (Romans 11:25-26) 

Ezekiel's prophecy, having covered Israel past and Israel future deals with Israel in immediate history in Ezekiel 20:39-21:32. She would choose to spurn the voice of God in favor of pursuing her own direction, resulting in her being taken into exile in Babylon. Like Adam and Eve who broke the covenant of works in the Garden of Eden, Israel the nation would also be operating with a broken covenant of her own. 

Just as Adam and Eve needed God to issue a second covenant, a covenant of grace based upon the shedding of blood receive by faith, Israel portrays in a small way the need of every man to receive by grace through faith the covenant of grace paid for by the shed blood of Jesus Christ. When you turn to the book of James, you read about the Jews who are scattered all over the world. 

Israel to this day is still God's calendar and window. It was through the Jews that God sent His Son to enter into history through the virgin birth, to live, die, be raised from the dead and ascend into heaven. In this current age the God of heavenly lights, with Whom they is no shifting of shadow, desires by His Spirit to draw forth those Whom He loves to believe, be born again and to love in such a way as to be salt and light in a dark world. Soon Christ will return, which is why now counts for eternity.

Sovereignty and human responsibility in the post-conversion Christian life

Hebrews 13:20-22 "Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, 21 equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen. 22 But I urge you, brethren, bear with this word of exhortation, for I have written to you briefly."

Introduction:
The Christian life is a life that is to be lived out by the Christian and at the same time can only be lived out by Christ working in the Christian. Hebrews 13 is a very practical chapter that illustrates this two-fold truth of Christian in the post-conversion Christian life (i.e sanctification): namely me living in Him and He living in me. In the opening verses above, we see not a contradiction, but complementary truths regarding our responsibility in God's grace and God's grace working forth the desire to be responsible in the Christian life. 

With regards to the Christian's responsibility in sanctification, we are to show Christ's love (13:1-3), honor our marriages (13:4), cling to God's promises (13:5-8), center on the cross (13:9-14), worship Him with our life (13:15-16), prayer for the pastor (13:17-19), rely on His strength (13:20-21) and study the scripture (13:22-24). All of these important activities could not be done apart from Jesus Christ equipping us with every good thing to do His will according to His grace. (Hebrews 13:20-21,25) 

To demonstrate that this two-fold reality is not restricted to the New Testament, Ezekiel 17-19 teaches this same principle of the life of faith needing to be lived out by the believer and yet being only done so as God grants His grace of presence to do so. Ezekiel tells a version of a parable of soils and seed being sown in fertile soil, much like Jesus would do centuries later in Matthew 13. In Ezekiel's version of the seed planted in soil, God is the only one who can sustain the vine that has sprung up and grown. Unless God is sustaining the believer, no matter how strong them may seem, they will wither and die. (Ezekiel 17) 

What Ezekiel writes in Ezekiel 17 sounds similar to what Jesus taught his disciples nearly 600 years later in John 15 about He being the vine, and they the branches.  As Jesus teaches in John 15, apart from Him, no believer is able to do anything of spiritual value that contributes to their salvation or sanctification.  The Sovereign grace that sustains in Ezekiel 17 is put alongside the believer's responsibility to live the life of faith in Ezekiel 18. 

What happens if a person fails to heed God's word? Whose fault is it? It is the person's fault. We learn from Ezekiel 18 that God does not rejoice in the death of the wicked.  Even though He is the Just God, He also is not willing that any would perish, but would love to see all come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9-10) The mystery of God's Sovereign grace working in a person's life is the reason why anyone remains in the faith. Likewise when anyone rejects or turns away from the faith, truly that person, not God, bears the blame. 

I would urge us all to pray the words of Hebrews 13:20-21 and 13:25, recognizing that it is Christ the Great Shepherd of the Sheep that sustains and leads His sheep. May we heed His voice through His word, for He is the same yesterday, today and forever. (Hebrews 13:8)

The miracle of regeneration to saving faith - A case study of Paul's conversion

Galatians 1:15-16 "But when God, who had set me apart even from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, was pleased 16 to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with flesh and blood."

Introduction:
The salvation of a sinner in their life begins with the miracle of regeneration unto saving faith. The Baptist Faith & Message 2000 defines regeneration and its role in salvation: "Salvation involves the redemption of the whole man, and is offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, who by His own blood obtained eternal redemption for the believer. In its broadest sense salvation includes regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification. There is no salvation apart from personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord."

The BFM 2000 then specifies how regeneration functions in relationship to faith and repentance: "Regeneration, or the new birth, is a work of God's grace whereby believers become new creatures in Christ Jesus. It is a change of heart wrought by the Holy Spirit through conviction of sin, to which the sinner responds in repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Repentance and faith are inseparable experiences of grace. Repentance is a genuine turning from sin toward God. Faith is the acceptance of Jesus Christ and commitment of the entire personality to Him as Lord and Saviour."

How the Apostle Paul illustrates the miracle of regeneration in salvation
Whenever we read of the dramatic conversion of the Apostle Paul from deadness in sins, trespasses and presecutions of the church to becoming Christ's greatest spokesman - and all in the same chapter (Acts 9) - we realize that we are dealing with the miracle responsible for such a conversion. That miracle is described in the Bible as regeneration unto saving faith. Several other New Testament passage enable us to view Paul's salvation experience from several angles. 

First, we see Paul's testimony of his encounter with the risen Christ in 1 Corinthians 15:8 "and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also."  In three places in the Book of Acts we find Paul's testimony (Acts 9; 22 and 26).  Then of course we come to Galatians 1:13-24 and see Paul's writing about his "former way of life in Judaism (Galatians 1:13-14), how he then was converted to Christ (Galatians 1:15-16) and then what he had begun to do following such a conversion (Galatians 1:17-24). We will use the following headings to describe Paul's regeneration unto saving faith:

1). Desperate Situation: A Murderer persecutes the church. Galatians 1:13-14

2). Direct Encounter of Paul by Christ. Galatians 1:15-16

3). Definite Change: A murderer becomes a missionary. Galatians 1:17-24

In explaining Paul's dramatic change by the resurrection power of Jesus Christ, we will note two reasons for noting the significance of this event: Such power is available today and such power is necessary to live effectively for Jesus Christ.

Desparate Situation: A Murderer persecutes the church Acts 9:1-3; Galatians 1:13-14

Many people tend to nearly forget what Paul's life was like before Jesus. However, by his own testimony the evidence is overwhelming with regards to his desperate situation as a murderer - that is to say - as one who was responsible for the deaths of many Christians. Acts 9:2 begins - "and asked for letters from him to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, both men and women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem." As we dig further into the other occassion where Paul testifies about his pre-conversion days - the picture becomes darker.  In Acts 22:4-5 we read - "I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and putting both men and women into prisons 5 as also the high priest and all the Council of the elders can testify. From them I also received letters to the brethren, and started off for Damascus in order to bring even those who were there to Jerusalem as prisoners to be punished." Acts 26:10-11 paints the darkest picture - "And this is just what I did in Jerusalem; not only did I lock up many of the saints in prisons, having received authority from the chief priests, but also when they were being put to death I cast my vote against them. 11 "And as I punished them often in all the synagogues, I tried to force them to blaspheme; and being furiously enraged at them, I kept pursuing them even to foreign cities." 

To corroborate these accounts, Paul retells the story in Galatians 1:13-14 - "For you have heard of my former manner of life in Judaism, how I used to persecute the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it; 14 and I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries among my countrymen, being more extremely zealous for my ancestral traditions."

Make no mistake about it - Saul of Tarsus was the last man anyone would had ever expected to be the greatest missionary for the cause of Christ.  In his spiritually dead, unconverted state, Saul was the church's public enemy #1. This man was desparate and in need of a resurrection from tomb of religious rebellion and unbelief. 

Definite Encounter by the risen Christ - Acts 9:4-9; Galatians 1:15-16

As Saul of Tarsus was on his way to Damascus to persecute more Christians, the suddenness of Jesus' appearance to Him results in Paul being knocked off of his horse onto the ground.  Acts 9:4 records Jesus telling Saul: "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" Note how He does not say: "Why are you persecuting my church?" Truly its as Jesus said in his days here on the earth in Matthew 25:45 "Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me." We also know that in Paul's recollection in Galatians 1:15-16, God had already set his affection on Paul, choosing him and set him aside at least from his mother's womb. This of course is Paul's way of expressing the fact of God's unconditional election of him not only from the moment of his conception, but in the fact that God had Paul on His mind from all eternity (see Ephesians 1:1-5). 

Now in short order we can detail through Acts 9 the elements of Jesus' post-resurrection encounter with Saul that led to him becoming dramatically changed.  These elements also explain what takes place in the conversions of people today who go from being sinners apart from salvation to saints in salvation. Please note the following:

A. Call             Acts 9:4-5 

Like Paul, every sinner must first be engaged by the call of Christ to their hearts. In Galatians 1:15 we read - "But when God, who had set me apart even from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, was pleased." John 5:24-25 spells out this calling, with Jesus describing salvation as beginning with Him spiritually raising the sinner from the tomb of unbelief by means of His voice. This miracle call is brought to us by the Holy Spirit as described in Romans 8:11 "But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you."

B. Quickening  Acts 9:6

The call of Christ brought by the Holy Spirit leads to the quickening of the human heart by the Spirit. (James 1:18; 1 Peter 1:3, 23)  Paul describes his quickening in Galatians 1:16 -  "to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with flesh and blood."

If you have ever gotten a splinter in your finger and responded with a quick pulling back of your hand - then you know what it means to be "quickened". Or better still, the word "quickening" is still used today to describe the first movement of a baby in a mother's womb - whereby she feels the "first signs of life" within her - i.e "quickening". If I were to call your name - you would look my way.  If I did not call your name, there would be no response.  The Bible connects the quickening, or the work of regeneration to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 3:18 (KJV) states - "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit." Ephesians 2:1 (KJV) "And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins."

C. Conversion to faith. Acts 9:7-9

The quickening, regenerating work of the Holy Spirit simulaneously brings about faith - in which the sinner exercises saving faith and repentance.  Paul testifies that when He had been encountered by Jesus in Acts 26:19 "So, King Agrippa, I did not prove disobedient to the heavenly vision." We know Paul is speaking of His response to Christ by faith because from true saving faith proceeds the fruit of obedience as so described in Paul's opening statement about the Gospel in Romans 1:5 in the phrase: "the obedience of faith". 

We know that this call, quickening and conversion was not caused by just a mere vision.  This was a literal, direct encounter with the post-resurrected, post-Pentecost Jesus.  In all three testimony accounts (Acts 9,22,26) wee witness all of Paul's companions seeing the bright light and hearing a voice.  Only Paul of course was able to understand the words. Such physical phenomena, witnessed by others, makes this experience out to be a genuine encounter with Christ. 

Definite Change: A murderer becomes a missionary - Acts 9:10-22; Galatians 1:17-23

In the whole sequence of events that follow from Paul's dramatic encounter to his eventual preaching of Jesus, the calling of Jesus on his life bore fruit.  Following his time of recovery in Damascus under the watch care of an obedient Ananias (Acts 9:10-16) we see the healing of Saul and his being filled with the Holy Spirit in Acts 9:17.  In obedience to what had occured from His conversion to saving faith, Saul is baptized (Acts 9:18) and having been strengthened by the partaking of physical food is ready to serve the Lord. 

Acts 9:20-22 records the outcome - "and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues,saying, “He is the Son of God.” 21 All those hearing him continued to be amazed, and were saying, “Is this not he who in Jerusalem destroyed those who called on this name, and who had come here for the purpose of bringing them bound before the chief priests?”22 But Saul kept increasing in strength and confounding the Jews who lived at Damascus by proving that this Jesus is the Christ." As Paul testifies in Acts 26:18, Jesus told Him to proclaim the following message - "to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me." The change that takes place as a result of regeneration unto saving faith is not only internal, but should be evident to others. Paul himself describes what others were saying about him in Galatians 1:23  "but only, they kept hearing, “He who once persecuted us is now preaching the faith which he once tried to destroy.”

Conclusion:

As we have considered the miracle of regeneration that is the Holy Spirit's Divine power at work in saving faith. We also witnessed how the Apostle Paul illustrates for us this precious teaching of scripture. We noticed the following:

1). Desperate Situation: A Murderer persecutes the church

2). Direct Encounter of Paul by Christ

3). Definite Change: A murderer becomes a missionary

In explaining Paul's dramatic change by the resurrection power of Jesus Christ, we noted two reasons for noting the significance of this event: Such power is available today and such power is necessary to live effectively for Jesus Christ. It is wonderful to think about how such power and the Person of Jesus is brought to us by the Holy Spirit. (Romans 8:11; 1 Peter 1:3)  Truly salvation is a miracle that can change any sinner into a saint with a message of hope about how Jesus can change any life at any time. 

Serving God Effectively - A Character Sketch of the Prophet Samuel

1 Samuel 3:1-4 "Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord before Eli. And word from the Lord was rare in those days, visions were infrequent. 2 It happened at that time as Eli was lying down in his place (now his eyesight had begun to grow dim and he could not see well), 3 and the lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord where the ark of God was, 4 that the Lord called Samuel; and he said, “Here I am.”

Introduction

Perhaps next to Moses, Samuel stood out as the greatest of the prophets who lived before the prophet Isaiah. Moses ministered in the early years of Israel when she was being called forth as a people from bondage in Egypt in 1446 b.c. Samuel's ministry would occur some 350-400 years later. The wonderful thing about Samuel is that his very name means: "God heard" or "God answered". Before it would be all said and done, Samuel's prophetic career would embody his name. When we consider the significance of Samuel's ministry, he was the one that inaugurated the end of one era (the period of the Judges - see Acts 13:20) and the beginning of the era of Israel's Kings (chiefly Saul and David).  

Everything that could be possibly said about this man of God will not be attempted in this post today. Rather, I want to offer a thumbnail sketch of the significance of Samuel's life to readers in the form of a quick character study. What traits of Samuel's life can we find helpful in understanding what is necessary to serve God effectively?

1. Samuel heard God. 1 Samuel 3

As we mentioned a moment ago, Samuel's very name meant that God had heard. Hannah, Samuel's mother, had prayed for a child. God granted her request and thus she pledged to dedicate him to the ministry of the temple all the days of his life (see 1 Samuel 1-2). When Samuel was weaned, she brought him to the temple to begin his service. Whenever you read 1 Samuel 3, you find the account of Samuel's call to ministry. Three times Samuel heard the Lord calling his name. Upon the fourth time, when Samuel answered, God gave him his first prophetic message concerning the priest Eli. It was a hard message for this budding prophet, but he heard God and acted in obedience. 1 Samuel 3:19-21 states - "Thus Samuel grew and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fail.20 All Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of the Lord. 21 And the Lord appeared again at Shiloh, because the Lord revealed Himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the Lord." 

The Christian is by definition one who can hear God. Like Samuel, God first calls us to Himself (1 Peter 2:9). Jesus reminds us in John 10 that His sheep hear His voice and follow Him. To hear God means to have the unwavering conviction regarding what God would have you to do or not do according to His word. Samuel had that, and so can you dear Christian. Now notice the second trait of Samuel's effective service to God...

2. Samuel obeyed God. 1 Samuel 15

Samuel would be later called to anoint the first King of Israel - Saul. Sadly, Saul did not walk consistently with God. His impetuous ways eventually cost him everything. Due to Saul's disobedience, 1 Samuel 15 records the words of God through Samuel that Saul's kingdom would be taken from him. We read the focal point of the message in 1 Samuel 15:29 - "Samuel said, “Has the Lord as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams." 

If there was such a contrast in scripture, none hardly rivals the contrast between a disobedient Saul and obedient Samuel. As far as we know, Samuel never received a rebuke from God for disobedience. Whenever God told him to do anything, he quickly responded. You and I dear friend need to be quick responders in the realm of obedience. Quickly obeying God makes for effective ministry, and positions you to hear God even better. 1 Thessalonians 2:13 gives us a grand New Testament picture of this point of instant obedience - "For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe." So an effective servant of God hears God, obeys God and then finally...

3. Samuel's testimony of fidelity for God

What kind of testimony and legacy did Samuel leave behind? Amazingly, several books of the Bible record the testimony of Samuel's fidelity to God. I am sure some readers may recall years go how one could purchase "hi-fi" speakers. The little abbreviation stood for "High Fidelity", meaning that the sound system or speakers reproduced faithfully the sound of the original recording. Hi-fi speakers were known for being crisp, clear and faithful to the original. Samuel's aimed to imitate His Lord (compare Ephesians 5:1). Notice what other books of the Bible say about Samuel:

a. 1 Chronicles 29:29  "Now the acts of King David, from first to last, are written in the chronicles ofSamuel the seer, in the chronicles of Nathan the prophet and in the chronicles of Gad the seer"

b. Jeremiah 15:1 "Then the Lord said to me, “Even though Moses and Samuel were to stand before Me, My heart would not be with this people; send them away from My presence and let them go!"

c. Hebrews 11:32-33 "And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak,Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, 33 who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions."

These three passages illustrate the testimony of fidelity that Samuel had. We have his words preserved in scripture. His life is held in esteem by God as a standard of what is righteous. Then Hebrews reminds us that among the giants of the faith, Samuel stood high and strong. 

Closing thoughts:

Today we aimed to understand what it takes to serve God effectively by doing a quick character sketch of the prophet Samuel. We first noted the ability to hear God. Next we saw the importance of instance obedience. Then lastly, we saw the need to have a tesitmony of fidelity to God. 

The Supernatural Power that flows through a church devoted to one another

Romans 12:10 "Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor"

Introduction:

I like how the NASB above renders this command of being "devoted" to one another. The word translated "devoted" occurs only once in the entire New Testament. As Paul was writing under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, this particular word lept into his mind, through his heart and out through his pen. The word in question is a powerful word. In referencing other Jewish literature written at the time of the New Testament, we often see the word referring to extraordinary compassion, affection or strong intense love of a parent towards a child. I am sure readers of this blog know the type of strong emotions you have towards your own children - you would do anything for them, would you not? 

The manner of devotion being advocated by Paul here in Romans 12:10 is a supernatural intensity of loyalty and devotion to someone who may not be part of your family. It goes beyond friendship and acquaintance. How often do we see such expressions of devotion and love among church members in the American church today? Would we be willing to lay down our lives for those in the churches which we attend or preside over as pastors? To whit, this is the type of devotion being commanded here by the Apostle to every Christian. 

What supernatural empowered devotion can look like in a church

Other reciprocal commands (i.e "one-another commands"), further detail for us the type of devotion we as Christians ought to have towards fellow believers. Take notice of the underlined phrases where we see expressions of deep devotion commanded of one another in the church. Notice too how in some of the verses, God is the Sovereignly

1. Romans 12:16 "Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation."

2. Romans 15:5 "Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus."

3. 1 Corinthians 12:25 "so that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another."

4. Galatians 5:13 "For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another."

5. Ephesians 4:25 "Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor, for we are members of one another."

6. Ephesians 5:2 "and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma."

7. Philippians 2:3 "Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves."

I don't believe for a moment these are ideals never to be experienced in churches. When Paul wrote his letters to the churches in the New Testament, they were churches that were going through challenges and triumphs much like today. For instance: Corinth was experience majors schisms and immorality issues; Galatia was dealing with the threat of false teaching; Ephesus would eventually be chastised for having a love grown cold and Philippi had two prominent church members at odds with one another.

In some cases, these same churches were commended for the times they attained the level of devotion spoken of in the verses we just explored. Only the Holy Spirit, combined with the scriptures and willing hearts, can result in the level of supernatural devotion commended by the Apostle Paul. 

I believe the church today can experience the same type of supernatural, God-infused phenomena, where everybody in the church is willing to put each other ahead of themselves. I recall experiences as a young boy and in times throughout my own ministry of either being in churches or witnessing churches where the power of God's presence was atmospheric. The devotion I saw among Christians and do see on occassion even today is not a contrived nor forced devotion. Truly when a church comes together, lays down the agendas and yields to the leading of the Holy Spirit, the most beautiful, other-worldly type of unity occurs. 

My prayer for churches, pastors and Christian everywhere in America and around the world would be for God's supernatural power to flow unabated to the result of Christ-like devotion to one another.  

The Supernatural Power of the One Another Church - Love one another

John 13:34-35 "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Introduction:

I pray today's post will open my eyes of readers to the possibilities of supernatural church life. In the New Testament we find over 50 commands that urge believers to do something to "one another". Such commands are called "reciprocal commands", meaning that whatever I do to you, you are to reciprocate in return. Much like when you see a tennis match: one player lobs the ball to the other player; and the idea is for the other player to send the ball back. 

The first time we encounter a command like this in the New Testament is in Jesus' word in John 13:34-35. This particular reciprocal command is seemingly simple and almost a given. However, whenever you look closer at Jesus' command for us to "love one another", the one phrase that many miss is Jesus' statement: "as I have loved you". 

It becomes very clear that the kind of love that Jesus is expecting His disciples to exercise toward one another is not the garden-variety, natural-based, human-type of love. I think we as Christians in our churches get frustrated in trying to carry out this simple command of loving one another because we think of it in natural terms. Most people may very well have a generally good capacity to get along with other people. However, when discomfort, offense, conflicting personalities and personal space issues enter into the fray - what then?

The kind of love Jesus is urging us to do here in John 13:34-35 is the supernatural, God-kind of love toward one another. Out of all the reciprocal commands in scripture, the command to "love-another" dominates what ought-to-be a supernaturally charged church life. In order to demonstrate why the kind of love being commanded by Jesus is the God-kind of love, one only needs to see how else the rest of the New Testament re-issues this same reciprocal command. I will then close today's post with the power source necessary for carrying out such a command.

The reciprocal command to "love one another" is the God-kind of love

Romans 13:8 "Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law." The law of God cannot be fulfilled in the flesh to the satisfaction of Holy God, and yet the kind of love toward another fellow-believer is equated with such. This must mean that this love is exercised in the righteousness of Jesus Christ and by the power of the Spirit-filled life. In Ephesians 4:2 we read -"with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love". For church members to consistently love one another in the manner commanded here is impossible in the flesh. God's supernatural power is necessary is such love is to be expressed in humility, gentleness, patience and tolerance. 1 Thessalonians 3:12 "and may the Lord cause you to increase and abound in love for one another, and for all people, just as we also do for you." Why love one another in the local church with the God-kind of love? Because the God-kind of love extends in more general terms to people in the world who are unbelievers. There are distinct manifestations of God's love experienced by Christians and the general type of love-benevolence, experienced by unbelievers - whether they realize it or not. God loves unbelievers more than we could ever love. The last entry in Paul's letters concerning loving one another is in 2 Thessalonians 1:3, where the growth of faith is directly related to the love believers exercise toward one another.

So what about the Apostle Peter? Peter's description of the kind of love Christians are to have for each other in the local church is even more profound. 1 Peter 4:8 "Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins." It's one thing to say "hi" to one another or even express the statement: "I'll be praying for you". But have we ever seen a church body where the love expressed between the church membership exceeds the commitment and love that may be found in the closest of families? Do we have the type of love that would be willing to lay down one's life for the other person? Jesus defined this type of love as the God-kind of love in John 15:12-13 “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends."

To try to drive home the point that the love advocated by Jesus is not garden-variety human love, let me ask this simple question: would you willing die for every single person with whom you go to church or whom you know to be a church member? Wherever we hesitate in answering that question, that tells us that we are loving people with our human-brand of love. So then, in seeing this one kind of example of the "one-another church", what then is the supernatural power-source for becoming a true "one-another church"?

The Spirit-filled life is the only way we can carry out any of the reciprocal commands - such as "loving one-another"

The Apostle Paul writes in Ephesians 5:1-2 "Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; 2 and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma." This command restates in general the specific content of the reciprocal commands we have been exploring today. How then can we truly love one another in the manner commanded in scripture. In Ephesians 5:18 we read the command for being Spirit-filled - "And do not get drunk with wine,for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit." The Spirit-filled life is another way of saying "the Spirit-controlled life". In salvation, the Christian gets all of the Holy Spirit he or she is ever going to get. The issue in the Spirit-filled life concerns the amount of your life that is currently under the control of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit comes to indwell us one time at salvation, however there are to be repeated fillings following salvation. We know that the Spirit-filled life is the power-source behind not only the reciprocal command to "love one-another", but other such commands. Consider for example Ephesians 5:19-21  "speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; 20 always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father; 21 and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ."

Bill Bennett, writer and Bible teacher, writes the about the requirements of being filled with the Holy Spirit. Here is a summary:
1). You must be born-again in saving faith.

2). You must be desire with all your heart to be filled (Mt 5:6; Jn 7:37-39))

3). You must believe God will fill you, not just God can fill you

4). You must denounce all known sin in your life. (Prov. 28:13)

5). You must dethrone self and enthrone Christ as Lord of all.

6). You must, by faith, ask the Holy Spirit to fill you. (Lk 11:13)

7). You must accept the fact He has filled you and live in total dependence on Him. (Gal 5:16)

Closing thoughts: The Spirit-filled life combined with church members carrying out reciprocal commands makes for a supernatural, one-another church

Today's post aimed to look at one of the main commands in the New Testament - "love one another". We saw that this type of command is call a reciprocal command, meaning that whatever I do to do, you must do in return. We also discovered that reciprocal commands such as "loving one another" involve the God-kind of love, and that such commands cannot be carried out by sheer natural will-power in the flesh. We suggested and demonstrated that unless the Christian is filled-with the Holy Spirit, the ability to be a "one-another church" will be impossible. 

How Jesus Supplies the Christian Supernatural courage to Face Any Fear

Acts 18:9-10 "Then the Lord said to Paul in a night vision, “Don’t be afraid, but keep on speaking and don’t be silent. For I am with you, and no one will lay a hand on you to hurt you, because I have many people in this city.”

Introduction

The courage to serve God becomes a highly sought after commodity whenever the prospect for victory appears dim. I marvel at this opening verse, since the Apostle Paul is among the bravest men of God in the Bible. He had taken a stand against those who were opposing his efforts to preach the Gospel. This brave man of God, this stalwart of the Christian faith saw conversions despite the opposition. Yet, the growing fear within his heart must had reached a point which threatened to shut him down. 

The text said: "the Lord said to him in a night vision....". Notice: a vision, not a dream. A dream would imply sleep. A vision occurs when one is awake. I'm sure Paul stared out into the darkness. The weight of ministry, the events of days prior and the emotional toll that any fast-pace ministry life can wreck had began to erode the resolve of Paul. The Lord Jesus Himself came to Paul in a vision and spoke familiar words that are found some 200 or so times in the scripture: "Don't be afraid". What peace must have washed over His soul like a stream over a barren land. Jesus then states: "but keep on speaking and don’t be silent. For I am with you, and no one will lay a hand on you to hurt you, because I have many people in this city.”

Jesus not only promised Paul that He would remain with him, but He also guaranteed that there were others who would be reached. There were others whom the Spirit of God was working on and whom God had purposed to save. There were unnamed people whom God intended to save, and Paul was the chosen vessel by which God would deliver His Word for their salvation. Jesus had further work, which meant that He not only would supply courage for the present moment, but also for the duration of the remainder of Paul's task.

How do we know that what Jesus said gave Paul the courage he needed to do God's work? Notice Acts 18:11 "And he settled there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them." Paul "settled in" for the long haul and did the work His Lord said needed to be done. Corinth was a hard city. As one reads through the first two letters from Paul to that church, it would prove to be among his most difficult churches. Jesus gave supernatural courage where natural courage could not abide. In closing, let the reader be reminded of Jesus' words in John 16:33 "These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”