Together as a Christian Team

"Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus . . . He began to speak boldly in the synagogue.  When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately. When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him . . . On arriving, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed."  (Acts 18:24,26-27)

As people do we really care about each other? Do we have that deep relationship where we grow spiritually

each day together as we have our face buried in our phone or social media? Sometimes I think we have that waving neighbor attitude. We see each other as we leave for work, at church etc. but never get to know each other as an example of love between God and Man.  Some may say, “They do not need to know my business, it must be confidential or who can we Trust?” as always scriptures comes to mine when I hear this: "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts; See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting" 

Psalm 139:23-24

As a football coach, I would often ask my athletes at the beginning of the season (a bonding exercise

question), “what is my job?” They would respond often with,” all about me answers” such as; help us get a scholarship, to be famous and make a lot of money, girls, respect from a people or the best I can be.” My answer to them would be,” To Love You”! Pausing enough to get through the chuckles and half-suppressed macho thing, “oh coach get out of here.” I would say, “To Love You”! Then I would say, what is your job, silent, your job is to love each other. Every practice I would end with this. Finally, they began to recognize and appreciate each other’s unique qualities which lead to a development of a hugging, caring team defined with shouts of Love! We became unified. My question to you as believers of Christ, What is our Job?

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.1 John 4:7

Put your Trust in the Lord and it will allow you to serve another as a single unit for the glory of God, which is to Love each other unashamedly!

Gods Blessing and this Ministry!

The Past meet’s the Present

What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ. Philippians 3:8

This is undoubtedly Paul’s happiest letter he has written, for he is rejoicing in the great blessings both he and the Philippians believers had experienced. He encourages them to rejoice in the Lord always, for his bounty, glory, and provisions. He wants them to know God has noticed all they have done in the service of the Lord, both to Paul’s ministry and other areas, and that God would certainly reward them faithfully.

In the midst of all this joy, he also wants to warn them to stay on the right track. In the text, he begins by saying “I’ll end up repeating a lot of what I have said in other letters, so I hope you don’t mind hearing it again. But you need to beware of all of those religious folks who are totally convinced they are the only ones who are right about anything. They are the ones whose are all bark and no bite”. He explains that these folks feel they are more interested in appearance than they are the soul, and they think they are the only ones right with God. But the real believers are the ones who are led of the Spirit of God in his service, who fill the air with the great praises of Christ!

One of the great challenges in our Christian history has been to bring a Christian influence to bear on the structures of the world without becoming too much like the world. Jesus said that his follower was “the salt of the earth” not the stew! When Christians tried to be the stew, they were distasteful. For about a thousand years, during what we today call the middle Ages, Christians sat on most thrones in the Western world, but today the Church must still live down the scandals, distortions and misbeliefs that arise among us who tried to live it up when they were in positions of power. Plus, as traditional Christians, sometimes we deal with a lot of people not knowing what we stand for. My question, what is our Identity that would get people excited, without us losing the Truth, as the word with the help of the holy spirit, teaches us?

Reflecting on Paul’s letter makes me think of the present.  To me, Paul’s says, back then I thought I was really somebody. I thought I knew a lot of stuff, but I found out when I really came to know Christ in a real personal way, I didn’t know anything! And in my present state, I realize all of the accolades, awards, achievements, knowledge, traditions and credentials I ever gained are like dog dung in comparison to what I have in Christ I’ve dumped it all away just so I can embrace Christ. I can’t change my past life, but my present life is looking pretty good!

Paul goes on to say at the end of Chapter 3 “there’s far more to life for us. We’re citizens of a higher heaven, awaiting the arrival of the Savior Jesus Christ, who will transform our earthly bodies into glorious ones.”
As in the old song, “Ahead there is joy and gladness, and rest for my weary soul…”
Since I know Jesus in the right now in such an awesome way, my eternal future is so much better than anything here. I can boast in the Lord that I’m about to be absent from the body and present with the Lord! I’m going home with Jesus in the twinkling of an eye. When he calls, I’m going with him, because I’m ready! Oh yes, my eternal future is looking really good right about now!

While the Church attempted instruction of the world in the past, some would say didn’t make sense to the masses, let’s give credit for many significand contributions of Church to society in the Middle Ages. 

The Church did attempt to put Christians ideals into practice in society with a changing culture. Despite various mistakes and abuses, the Church did refuse to retreat into the merely private realm that seems to be becoming the one socially-acceptable niche for religion in that day. The Church was seeking to penetrate society with its influence While it may have stretched Jesus images of the Church as light of the world and salt of the earth, at least it took them seriously. With all its faults and excesses, at least it tried to hold up the Biblical view of God’s Kingdom as involving true change in society, and not merely in individual interiors. Hum. Perhaps a question for us today is: Are we willing to seek a Christian world less through the use of stubbornness toward tradition, raw power of no change, I wasn’t raised that way, I just need some time, I’m not ready to give it up, I’ve got too much going on to get saved, I’ve got hurt too often in church etc. But really is none of that, a good reason to let our present state live outside the presence of God!

 Let’s think about service with a relational missionary focus (each one of us evangelize one or two people at a time) rather than an event-based focus. Regardless of what our past was like, if we presently are not in tune with God (through his word), we’re in danger of missing a great future. Think about it: as a Cristian family let us serve God and others with the commandment in John 13:34-35, which says,” a new commandment, I give you Love one another as I have loved you so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” We who stay in the past are the missing piece of the future. Why not turn your life to him today and instead of being a waving neighbor how about being a hugging neighbor with deep relational love!

God’s Blessing and this Ministry!

Our Comfort Allows Us to Comfort Others

As the apostle Paul noted, the things that get people all worked up and red in the face generally, don’t amount to a hill of beans. What counts is whether we have been transformed into a new creation Gal 6:15

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

This is so striking to me because, I want my heart as well as fellow believers to feel the same comfort as Paul’s when we hear the news that the church is acting out biblically for the good of others. I want to so love them and invest in their lives for the glory of God that my heart is immediately uplifted upon hearing even the smallest report of their obedience to the Lord.

 I was also struck by what God used to comfort the apostle Paul and what it says about Paul that he actually saw this as comfort. But in 2 Corinthians 7:6-7 Paul tells us what actually brought them comfort: “But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, and nobly by his coming but also by the comfort with which he comforted by you.”

 What Paul is saying to me also is that they were comforted by the fact that Titus had been comforted by the Corinthian church the people he is writing to, was meant to him that they were in a place of spiritual health. This desire, however, should not be only for pastors and people in full-time ministry, but for everyone in the church,” you are leaders as well”. We are together the body of Christ, united with him through his death and resurrection. Therefore, let us pray that our hearts will be “knitted together in love” Colossians 2:2, so that what we experience as comfort in our trials is the news that others are growing in holiness.

God promises to comfort us in our troubles, then asks us to share that comfort with others. We are to empower others with the power God gives us. Leaders who empower others offer these gifts:

Accountability which help others keep their commitments to God.

Affirmation we help people speak words of support and encouragement.

Assessment always from the heart evaluate others progress, offering an objective perspective.

Advice gives us words of wise counsel and direction.

Admonishment may lend words of caution, rebuke, or correction.

Assets give tangible resources to help their people reach their goals.

Acceptance will provide unconditional love regardless of the recipient’s identity.

Application, finally by helping others find places to apply and practice what they learn.

The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you. 2 Timothy 4:22.

In it, let us learn how to remove the barriers in our relationship with God and others. Let us discover how to refresh our spiritual passion full time. It’s my prayer, especially for those of us who are feeling spiritually dry or disconnected from others that we will connect in a relational way during times of joy as well as during times of suffering and begin with new eyes and experience that reflect God’s comfort of love in a deeper way than ever before. 

God Bless you and this Ministry!