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Tag: Church

  • To Die is Gain

    To Die is Gain

    Philippians 1:

    To Live Is Christ, To Die Is Gain

    Christians have heard it, perhaps even others:

    [ctt title=”Phil.1:21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. ” tweet=”Philippians 1:21 ‘For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.’ Who in the 21st c. church longs to be with the Lord rather than gain in this life?” coverup=”81X1L”]

    What a strange sound to our contemporary hearing that a follower of Christ would prefer to die, rather than live as long as we can in this life. Why would the Apostle Paul say such a thing?

    Paul further explains: 22 If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me.

    OK, that’s more like it. We hope those in our church will do some fruitful labor, but Paul continues:

    Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. 23 I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. 24 But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account.

    Paul seems rather conflicted in wanting to die to be with Jesus Christ, even as he tells of his desire to be with those of the church in Philippi “for your progress and joy in the faith.” [v.25b]

    Like any letter we cannot just take the words of the writer (or writers, in this case) as literal advice to you and me without considering the context and background as well as the reason to write to those who first read it. The people of the church a Philippi were the very reason Paul and Timothy wrote this letter. In fact, Paul had much in common with these saints of this local church.

    Dear church family in Philippi Macedonia,

    Or in a 21st letter that is what we might have said. The letter, however, begins:

    To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers (meaning bishops) and deacons:

    2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

    3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.

    The Greek words for overseer, where superintendent could also be used, and deacon, which indicates the ones who follow the commands of the appointed one in charge have a deep relational and much-lost meaning to the church. The description of the senders, however, reveals an even more-convicting humility, for Paul and Timothy refer to themselves as “doulos,” that is, “slaves” or servants.

    Although you or I would end a letter with our signature, Paul and Timothy, as was the custom of the day, begin with their signature as identification to all of the senders at first hearing of the public reading of their letter:

    Παῦλος καὶ Τιμόθεος δοῦλοι Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ

    Paulos kai Timotheos doulos  Iēsous  Christos

    Paul and Timothy, servants of Jesus Christ

    Servant Leadership

    Without taking time here to further develop a central theme which must typify followers of Jesus, the Christ of God and King over all creation and souls; please note Paul’s characteristically loving concept best demonstrated by Christ our Lord, that to lead others means to serve others.

    What must Paul do before he dies? Even though Paul longs to be with the Lord Jesus, he concedes, “to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account.”

    Paul and Timothy are slaves of the King, Christ Jesus. The Superintendents of the churches to whom they write are also expected to be humble servants of those they lead. Elders and Deacons must have expected obedience to the righteous decrees of the King, that is, Jesus. And the saints (small, ‘s‘) are obedient followers of church leaders, because we desire to obey the King, that is, we want to follow Jesus.

    A Background in Common

    Returning to Philippi, a complete reading of this letter from the slaves of Jesus Christ, Paul and Timothy, is much more than just instruction to a church; it is a much hoped for love letter from a dear one in a far away place.

    Don’t you have a dear one in a far away place? I do.

    [ctt title=”Many beloved ones live beyond the reach of my encouragement and embrace.” tweet=”Many beloved ones live beyond the reach of my encouragement and embrace.” coverup=”t1zeE”]

    Here Paul and Timothy have reached out by messenger to the saints they love, even those with whom they share Christ Jesus, and so much more in common.

    3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you…

    7 It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel.

    8 For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. 9 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

    “Would you die for Christ?

    [ctt title=”Would you live to serve the saints of Christ\’s church? ” tweet=”Would you die for Christ? Would you live to serve the saints of Christ’s church? – For me to live is Christ, to die is gain. Phil 1:21″ coverup=”Sd5ao”]

    Paul and Timothy and the early saints of the church did. Peter and John and the Apostles did. Stephen and James the brother of Jesus and the first century martyrs did. These all lived for Christ to serve others. These saints of the church, our beloved company of believers, died first to self to serve Jesus as Lord.

    For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. – Philippians 1:21

     

  • Mission 3 – Who?

    Mission 3 – Who?

    Whatever your mission, whatever the corporate mission of your church: People are more important than things.

    Our mission is not so much what we do or where we go, as it is who we do it for.

    My personal mission, your personal mission and the corporate mission of our churches must minimally include two VIP’s:

    1. THE LORD GOD
    2.  Each person we serve.

    Your mission may have a long laundry list of things to do and places to do them, but ultimately our mission is to go to another in the Name of God and Jesus Christ, to accomplish the mission of the LORD in the life of another.

    Much ado is rightfully made about the great commission. Christ Jesus IS! He alone defeated sin and death. Christ sent His Apostles into ‘all the world’ to preach the Gospel and indeed they went out from Jerusalem into other lands.

    Jesus commands us to take the gospel into the world; however before Jesus and His Disciples went into the world, they first saturated the world nearby and the people they knew and loved with the good news: Our salvation is come in Jesus Christ.

    Repent! for the kingdom of God is at hand. Worship the LORD. God is our loving Father. Your sins are forgiven.

    Matthew 4: English Standard Version (ESV)

    Jesus Ministers to Great Crowds

    23 And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people.

    IF you and I were to take the Gospel into all the world in the fashion of Jesus’ three-year earthly ministry, we would start at home. Galilee was Jesus’ home state. He was known by others in relation to his home town; for many called our Lord, ‘Jesus of Nazareth.’

    • Does your mission to those in your home town and local community show you living a life like Jesus?
    • Is your life good news to your family, your neighbors, your friends?
    • Is your righteousness in Christ Jesus good news of love and forgiveness?
    • Do you dare call your fellow sinners to repentance?
    • Is your daily life an invitation to others to live a godly life like yours?
    • Does your life preach the Gospel throughout all the places you travel in your state and in the world?

    Jesus lived, breathed and walked as ‘GOD in the flesh.’

    GOD did not send Jesus Christ on a mission of miracles, but on a mission to heal sin and save sinners.

    As Jesus taught scripture He demonstrated the saving power of the Word of God. Prior to His death and resurrection Jesus showed us how to be changed in our daily lives. Jesus showed Christians how to love one another as God truly loves us.

    GOD loves us Personally, in the incarnate Person of the Son, Christ Jesus.

    We have many examples in the four Gospels of how Jesus Christ spread the Good News. Jesus repeatedly set aside the ‘TO DO list’ of His brief journeys to be the Good News for individuals personally.

    To the LORD, people are more important than things.

    The NIT’s (Not Important Things) of our “Mission” seem to steal mortal time from the VIP’S (Very Important People) of our lives.

    Jesus Christ has a mission to take the Gospel into the whole world. Our Lord’s mission always takes time for the VIP’s God would save from sin and death.

    Do you have time for these in the mission of your life?

    In our next series [August, 2015] we will examine the Mission of Jesus in the Gospels and look to His example of how our Lord took time to interrupt His Mission to minister to the VIP’s to whom He is sent.

  • Mission – 1 – What?

    Mission – 1 – What?

    What is your mission in life?

    Do you have one? Have you ever thought about your daily life in terms of what GOD wants you to do?

    Christians typically don’t think of our day to day life in terms of mission, but rather we ‘send missionaries’ away to other places to ‘spread the Gospel.’

    The Apostle Paul addresses the mission of Jesus Christ in his opening advice to the church:

    1 Timothy 1:15 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.

    Jesus Christ has a mission to save sinners. Our Lord paid the price for our sin. He continues to save us from the penalty of sin and death. Paul confesses his own sin, as should we.

    Jesus had a mission to accomplish in His three-year ministry which He continues to accomplish through those accepted by God as part of His body, the church.

    What is the mission of our church?

    Many churches and most Christians will take some approach to mission to accomplish the sending out of missionaries (as Jesus sent out His Apostles).

    We support or hire missionaries to accomplish the mission of Christ, rather than approaching our own lives as being one sent as an ambassador from God into this perishing world in the Name of Christ Jesus to save sinners.

    The church of this century has corporately fallen into a worldly check-list of ‘christian’ things that we do through others for others in the Name of Christ.

    A brief look at our corporate church websites will include visions and missions not unlike a Fortune 500 focus constructed with a secular and worldly-relevant appeal. I do not condemn us for laying a groundwork for the important business Christ has given us to accomplish, yet even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.  [2 Corinthians 4:3]

    Sending missionaries makes our church feel good. We ourselves seem to have no mission for Christ in our daily life beyond the doors of a building we call our ‘church.’ (We contribute to missions as a small portion of our meager offering.)

    How easy it is as a church or as a Christian for us to either get caught up in goals of our ‘mission’ or to ignore them entirely.

    What is my mission as a member of Christ’s church?

    If we approach our typical intention to a mission individually we might take a systematic approach. Vision pyramidOur local body of believers may only make the connection to mission as we understand it’s meaning from the Latin root: Mid 16th century (denoting the sending of the Holy Spirit into the world): from Latin missio(n-), from mittere ‘send’.

    Mark 16:15-16 “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

    Perhaps as Christians it is time for us to take another look at mission more in terms of the reason Christ Jesus has already sent us into the world to live as ambassadors of Heaven to a fallen world. Perhaps the time of our return should be taken with more of the daily intentional seriousness of the Apostles.

    The Letter of Paul to the church at Philippi

    3:14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. 16 Only let us hold true to what we have attained.

    Do we press on toward this goal of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus in the same way that the Apostles remained so focused on God’s ambassadorial mission for our daily lives… until we are called upward to the time and place we will receive our resurrected eternal bodies?

    If a ‘christian’ is to have a Christ-like mission, shouldn’t we look to Christ Jesus as our example for our day to day life?

    Is your life a mission for Christ?

    Do you have any thought at all of how God the Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit would use you in the lives of others?

    To be continued…