The Body of Christ

The Body of Christ

Dr. Charles Stanley

Ephesians 4:11-16

As we saw yesterday, all the people who gather to worship in churches around the world form one body—the body of Christ. Jesus is the head. Paul described Him as "the beginning, the first-born from the dead" (Col. 1:18). He takes priority in the church and in the lives of every believer.

At salvation, you become a part of the body, no matter what your local church's membership rules may be. By receiving the Savior, a person is made one with Jesus. Therefore, if you're a believer, you are a breathing and active part of Christ, who is at work on earth through His followers. The church is Jesus' feet to carry the gospel message, His arms to care for those in need of love, and His hands to uphold the weak.

Christ's physical body underwent terrible pain and persecution. His church body cannot expect a cozy, easy existence either. Being Jesus to the world means making sacrifices, accepting ridicule, and loving our enemies (Heb. 13:16, Matt. 5:44). God called us to spread the gospel, but that doesn't mean people always like what we have to say. Sin and accountability aren't popular messages. Yet being trendy and well liked is not the point. We're here to carry out the work and mission of God, even when doing so is uncomfortable.

The spiritual makeup of the church is linked to its mission. The gospel cannot be spread except through the strength and wisdom of Jesus Christ, the head. The body of believers is united with Him through the indwelling presence of His Holy Spirit. He reaches the world through His church and its members.

Why Isn’t God Answering My Prayers?

Why Isn’t God Answering My Prayers?
LYSA TERKEURST

“So in the course of time Hannah became pregnant and gave birth to a son.” 1 Samuel 1:20a (NIV) 

Have you ever cried over something so much that you run out of tears? Your swollen eyes just give out and dry up while a current of unrest still gushes through your soul. And you look up toward heaven in utter confusion — “Why isn’t God answering my prayers?”

Me too.

And there’s someone else in the Bible who was right there as well.

She felt provoked and frustrated. Her anguish was so intense that she wept and would not eat. Before the Lord, she cried out in bitterness of soul, “LORD Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant … then I will …” (1 Samuel 1:11b, NIV).

These words describe and articulate the deep distress of a woman from thousands of years ago, and yet here I sit in modern times relating so completely. They are from a woman named Hannah, found in 1 Samuel 1.

Hannah’s tears over her empty womb were made even more painful by her husband’s other wife, Peninnah. She had many sons and daughters and made sure to rub this fact in Hannah’s face every chance she got.

There’s a common thread that weaves through Hannah’s story, and yours and mine. We can all be found desperately wanting something we see the Lord giving to other women. We see Him blessing them in the very areas He’s withholding from us. We look at them and feel so hurt and unfairly set aside.

Why them? Why not me? 

Then the seemingly unjust silence from God ushers us from a disturbed heart to a bitter soul. And we start to feel something that contradicts everything we hold true: If God is good, why isn’t He being good to me in this? 

And in this moment of raw soul honesty, we’re forced to admit we feel a bit suspicious of God. We’ve done all we know to do. We’ve prayed all we know to pray. We’ve stood on countless promises with a brave face. And still nothing.

What do we do when our heart is struggling to make peace between God’s ability to change hard things and His apparent decision not to change them for us?

We do what Hannah did.

Instead of pulling away from God in suspicion, she pressed in ever closer, filling the space of her wait with prayer.

Oh, how I love her unflinching faith. Where barrenness and mistreatment by Peninnah could have caused Hannah to completely lose heart, she refused to be deterred from trusting in God. She possessed a faith that was not contingent upon her circumstances, but based on what she knew to be true about her good and faithful God. A faith that led her to pray with so much passion and boldness in the tabernacle that Eli, the high priest, accused her of being drunk (see 1 Samuel 1:12-18)!

And though eventually her cries of anguish gave way to the cries of her newborn son, 1 Samuel 1:20a uses very clear words to let us know Hannah’s answer didn’t come right away: “So in the course of time Hannah became pregnant and gave birth to a son … ” (emphasis added).

It took time. But make no mistake. God’s timing, though not the same as Hannah’s, was perfect timing.

And the timing of Samuel’s birth was imperative because Samuel was destined to play an integral role in the transition from the time of the judges to the eventual establishment of kingship for the Israelites.

God hadn’t made Hannah wait to punish her. He hadn’t been callous or indifferent to her cries. And He’s not ignoring those of us waiting either.

God loves us too much to answer our prayers at any other time than the right time.

Father God, thank You so much for reminding me today that You are not ignoring me. You hear every cry of my heart. Will You please comfort me in the waiting? Help me trust Your perfect timing. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY:
Psalm 27:13, “I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.” (NKJV)

His Love Endures Forever

His Love Endures Forever
by Ryan Duncan

Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever! -1 Chronicles 16:34 

Last December I had the privilege to be part of a short-term mission’s trip to Vladimir, Russia, where I worked alongside Russian Christians in the city’s orphanage. The trip was incredibly challenging, but the opportunity did help me learn a lot about God and about myself. In particular, I remember the Sunday morning where our interpreters invited us to attend their Church. The building they met in was small, and as I took my seat with the rest of the team, I realized there couldn’t be more than thirty people in the congregation.

I found that number rather depressing. My own Church here in the states wasn’t what I’d call big, but it certainly had more than thirty people in it. A small voice in the dark part of my mind wondered if this was a sign of change in our world, that maybe Christianity was beginning to die out. I was still in this dismal frame of mind when the congregation stood for the first song, and it was at that point something extraordinary happened. The people of that small Church began to sing together, and I was amazed at the passion they displayed toward God as they worshiped.

Afterward, my interpreter took me aside and began to tell me about the history of the Church. Apparently this little Church had been in the community for ten years, and it wasn’t shrinking, it was growing. My interpreter told me how it was through this Church that he had first come to know Christ. He was the only Christian in his family, and was doing his best to witness to them, but in the meantime he considered the people here just as close as any brother or sister. Nearly everyone in the Church was involved in some kind of outreach, some even worked with the orphanages full time.

All of this from a Church of thirty people. Sometimes I lose sight of who God really is, and what he can do with the smallest of offerings. God will never be threatened or hindered by our world. He will always be there for us no matter how far we stray or how hard mankind tries to remove him. Through the rise and fall of countless empires, all the advancements of science, through war and pain, the spirit of God has endured.

I guess the writer of Psalms knew what he was talking about when he wrote,

“Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever. Give thanks to the God of gods, for his steadfast love endures forever. Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his steadfast love endures forever; to him who alone does great wonders, for his steadfast love endures forever;” – Psalms 136:1-4

Intersecting Faith and Life: Try to find ways to live your faith, consider getting involved in your Church outreach.

God’s Hammer Soften Hearts

God’s Hammer Soften Hearts
by Lynette Kittle

“’Is not my word like fire,’ declares the Lord, ‘and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?’”  -- Jeremiah 23:29

Have you heard of God’s indestructible hammer as described in Jeremiah 23:29? If not, you may never have thought of God’s Word being like a powerful hammer.

The Old Testament often describes how at times, the Israelites hearts had hardened towards God. Zechariah 7:12 explains, “They made their hearts as hard as flint and would not listen to the law or to the words that the Lord Almighty had sent by His Spirit through the earlier prophets. So the Lord Almighty was very angry.”

To have an adamant or hard heart describes a person who refuses to be persuaded, who is unmovable or unshakeable in their thinking. In Scripture it refers to the spiritual condition of a person who is rebellious towards God’s law and His words.

By describing their heart condition as hard as flint, the hardest of stones and used to cut other rocks, meant their hearts were to the point where they were too hard to receive God’s law, to be carved or receive His words.

Yet God’s hammer, His Word, is able to judge the hardest of heart. It’s able to infiltrate into the deepest part of man’s heart and bring to light true motives, thoughts, and attitudes.

His hammer is able to break the unbreakable kind of rock, to shatter man’s stubbornness and arrogance against God.

As Hebrews 4:12 describes, “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

R.C. Sproul writes, “God’s hammer smashes not just the icons of the world around us; it also smashes the idols of my heart. It is hard, heavy, even painful, precisely because of the love of the One who wields it. He has promised to forgive me for my hard heart but has also promised to soften it.”

Ezekiel 36:26 reveals God’s desire towards men, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and you a heart of flesh.”

Like a physical hammer shatters, God’s hammer demolishes spiritual strongholds as 2 Corinthians 10:4 explains “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.”

With God’s hammer, as 2 Corinthians 10:5 describes, “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

A Prayer for When You Are Anxious

A Prayer for When You Are AnxiousBy Wendy van Eyck

I am my beloved’s, and his desire is for me. Song of Solomon 7:10

When I first read about the following prayer in in a book by Brennan Manning called, “The Furious Longing of God,” I thought it sounded too simple but I gave it a try anyway.

I can’t remember the exact words Manning wrote but I remember reading something along the lines of, 'if you pray this prayer every day for one month it will change you.'

This prayer has changed me.

This 5-word prayer has become my "go-to" prayer anytime I feel anxious.

· Driving to the oncologist to get scan results: Abba, I belong to you.

· Waking in the middle of the night with concerns about work or finances: Abba, I belong to you.

· Worrying over a relationship that is struggling to work: Abba, I belong to you.

· Praying for a friend: Abba, [insert name of friend] belongs to you.

As I pray it I find myself remembering who God is: Big, mighty, good, merciful, loving, Abba.

As I pray it I find myself surrendering to who God is: In control, infinite, beyond comprehension, seeking my good.

As I pray it I find myself believing who I am:  Human, living in forgiveness, valuable, beloved, desired by God.

Ponder: Are you willing to try praying this prayer everyday for a month and see if it helps your anxiety? 

Prayer: I exhale and inhale when I pray it like Brennan Manning suggested, but I’ve found my own rhythm: 

Inhale: Abba

Exhale: I belong

Inhale: to 

Exhale: you

I find the combination of breathing and words calm me. This makes sense to me because none of us are only physical or only spiritual. We are both, so why not use both to find peace when I'm anxious?

WHEN THE RESOLUTIONS FAIL

WHEN THE RESOLUTIONS FAIL

For a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again, but the wicked stumble in time of calamity.
Proverbs 24:16

Many people I know make New Year's Resolutions.  They vow to exercise more. eat right. lose weight. quit that bad habit. get out of debt. put God first. stay pure. etc.  But what do you do if you fail and falter in your New Year's Resolution and it is only January 8th?  What then?

I know what lots of people do. They beat themselves up with guilt and shame. They tell themselves what a loser they are. They heap condemnation on their heads and walk around in defeat mode. That is not the thing God wants us to do when we fail.

GOD'S PROGRAM FOR THOSE WHO FAIL

Proverbs 24:16 is a great verse to help you and me when we falter in our well-intentioned resolutions or commitments to God. Look at it again - For a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again, but the wicked stumble in time of calamity.

Notice that God says "a righteous man falls seven times." Even the righteous person, even the one who desires to do right and please God, that one falls. and fails. and blows it - not once or twice, but seven times (over and over and over again).

Now the devil will tell you when you fall, "Give up, you bum! Throw in the towel and quit!! You will never walk in victory over this anger, this worry, this bitterness, this lust, this greed, this addiction, this whatever. You are a loser and a failure and a major disappointment to God." Have you ever heard those words play in your head? Well, the good news is this: "The devil is a liar and the father of lies."

When we fall, God never says, "Give up," He says, "GET UP!  RISE AGAIN!  Confess that sin. get it out of your heart and under My blood. Take my hand and let's walk together. Keep looking to Me, and we WILL slay this giant in your life."

WE CAN'T DO IT ALONE. AND WE DON'T HAVE TO

My friend, you and I do not have the power to change our hearts. but He does. He can change your sinful desires. He can give you a heart that beats for Him and His righteousness. He can clean you up and set you on a path of joy and peace and victory. The little poem says, "I can't. He never said I could. He will. He always said He would."

If you have fallen, will you quit beating yourself up and start looking up?  Will you open your eyes and see a Savior who loves you. who has a nail-scarred hand stretched out to you. who says to you, "Will you take My hand and walk with Me?"  What is your answer to Him?

Love, 

Pastor Jeff Schreve,