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The Right Hand of Fellowship

11 Mar

Galatians 2:9
James, Peter and John, those reputed to be pillars, gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship when they recognized the grace given to me. They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the Jews.

The right hand is important in fellowship.  Even left-handed people shake hands with their right hand.  The right side is considered the side of importance and power.  Consider the saying, “He’s my right-hand man.”  It is a position of trust.

Here Paul and Barnabas were given the right hand of fellowship – they were accepted as fellow ministers and believers in the body of Christ.  This was important, because before his salvation, Paul had a reputation as being a deadly enemy of the church.

How were the early believers able to trust him enough to embrace Paul into their spiritual family?  The answer is in this verse.  It happened when they recognized the grace given to him.  They were able to see that he had a calling from God to bring the Gospel of Christ to the Gentiles.

So often Christians find themselves unfulfilled.  This shouldn’t be the case.  We all have a calling from the Father.  Sometimes we blame God and say that He hasn’t spoken to us about our calling.  I think that in many cases it is more a problem of inactivity.  The verse above says that they recognized the grace that Paul was given to minister to Gentiles.  If he had never done anything, there would not have been any recognizing.

Today, don’t just go to church.  Make it your goal to be the church.  Do something for the Lord.  Allow His Spirit and His grace to work through you.  Who knows, maybe you or others will recognize a gift of God’s grace in you.  Then you can be fulfilled as you pass on the blessing of God to others.

 
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Posted by on March 11, 2012 in Daily Thoughts

 

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Waiting for Christ’s Return

07 Mar

Acts 1:9-11
After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.  They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them.  “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky?  This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”
(NIV)

Yesterday I shared about the reason we need to know about the return of the Lord.  We saw that Jesus taught His disciples that the important thing was being a witness.  After explaining all this to the disciples, He rose from the earth and was taken out of their sight.  The tragedy is that there are too many Christians around who are just like those disciples.  You know them.  It’s almost as if their life can be summed up with those words, “WHY ARE YOU LOOKING UP INTO HEAVEN?”

That seems to be their whole outlook on life.  Their only goal is to find out when Jesus is coming back.  “Lord, is it today?  Can somebody tell me?  Is it going to be this week?”  Their whole Christian life is looking to see when Jesus is coming back.  In doing that they miss the main emphasis given to us by Christ, which is “BE A WITNESS.”

What we usually find when we read through the Scripture is that when Jesus or the Apostles talk about the Second Coming of the Lord, the main theme of the teaching is usually about something else.  The Return of Christ itself is not their main focus.  When we think about it, the main emphasis should be the change that is needed in our lives to prepare us for the return of the Lord.  The apostles only seem to use the return of Christ as a side illustration to emphasize the urgency that is needed to spur us on to change our ways.

There are so many people worried about what’s going to happen next.  They are always asking, “Am I going to make it?”  If that’s you – SNAP OUT OF IT!  God is going to see us through.  I’ll tell you now how it all ends – we win.  All the rest is about how we get there.  The end has already been written even though we haven’t reached it yet.

Christ is returning.  That is a Scriptural fact.  The real issue is what I am doing with this knowledge.  Am I sitting back, doing nothing until He comes to get me?  Or is it propelling me forward to share God’s love with others?  The choice is yours.

 
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Posted by on March 7, 2012 in Return of Christ

 

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Why We Know About the Return of Christ

06 Mar

The Bible talks a lot about the return of Christ.  Why is that so important to us?

Acts 1:6-8
So when they met together, they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.  But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
(NIV)

The Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is probably the most talked about subject in all of Christianity.  Unfortunately, many believers miss the point of why God put this teaching in the Scripture.  Too many people want to know about Christ’s return for the wrong reasons.  Some want to know simply to satisfy their curiosity.  Others like sensationalism.  These are not good reasons to study the Word of God.

As Jesus prepares His disciples for His departure into Heaven, He tells the them to go to Jerusalem and wait there for the baptism of the Holy Spirit.  When that happens, they will be given all the power that they need to bring the Gospel to the ends of the earth.

As they share this time with the Lord, they ask Him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”  This was a burning question that they had on their minds.  Think of it.  Jesus rose from the dead!  When Jesus was ministering on earth He was able to feed 5,000 people with just a few loaves and fishes.  Just imagine Him leading the army of Israel.  The Romans can’t kill him.  He can supply all the food they need.  He can get money out of a fish’s mouth.  How could they lose with a commander like that?  The disciples must have decided that now is the time to restore the Kingdom of Israel.

Surprisingly, Jesus tells them that they don’t need to know the Father’s timetable.  The most important thing to know is how to be a witness.  We know about the Return of Christ in order to be a WITNESS.  Why?  By knowing the times and seasons, we can better understand the hour in which we are living.  We can better understand the closeness of Christ’s return.  It is this information that will give us the incentive we need to bring others into the kingdom before it’s too late.  That’s why Jesus shares with them the exhortation that they don’t have to worry about the “when”.

You don’t have to be anxious about the day or the hour of His return either.  These things are all in the Father’s hands.  That’s His job.  What you and I need to know is how to be the best witness we can be.  We must major on how to bring God’s glory to the earth while we still have that chance.

 
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Posted by on March 6, 2012 in Return of Christ

 

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Devoted to the Fellowship

04 Mar

Acts 2:42
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
(NIV)

This was the description of the early church in the book of Acts.  The church was an exciting place.  They were growing and reaching their world with the Gospel of Christ.  The secret was their devotion to Christ in a number of ways – one of which was the fellowship.

It all come down to what devotion means.  The Greek word for devotion literally means “strong, steadfast, and enduring toward.”  Believers would probably all agree that we need to be strong and enduring toward reading the Bible.  We must continue steadfastly in prayer.  What we have a problem in is the fellowship.

When it comes to meeting together with the body of Christ, many act like it is only a good idea if there is nothing better to do.  Parties, sports activities, and playtime come first in the lives of many Christians.  Then we wonder why the church in America seems to be very ineffective in reaching our culture.

It’s time for us to return to the values that propelled the early church forward.  We must embrace the same spirit of fellowship.  Be a part of what God is doing in these last days.  Devote yourself to the fellowship of believers that God has called you to.  Let this work in you as it did in those who first received the Gospel.

 
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Posted by on March 4, 2012 in Daily Thoughts

 

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Our Common Faith

26 Feb

What is church all about?  Why is it important to attend meetings?

Titus 1:4
To Titus, my true son in our common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.
(NIV)

Many believers have a misconception of what the church is.  They see it in a very self-centered way.

“I go to church because I like the praise and worship.”

“They have a great youth ministry.”

“I get a lot out of the preaching.”

While these are all good things to say about a church, ultimately, they are not the main reason for going.  It is not all about what I get out of it that makes the church important to me.  There is a higher purpose.

The Apostle Paul gives us some insight in his words to Titus.  He calls Titus his son in their common faith.  That speaks volumes to me.  Son.  The church is not just a collection of individuals who happen to meet together to sing some songs and hear a speech.  Because of the blood of Christ imparted to us, we are now a family.  The church is, in fact, a family get-together.

We must see the church as a family unit.  A place where the bonds are more important than the individuals.  Paul calls it their common faith.  It is the family heritage.  Have you ever heard someone say something like, “Everyone in my family has a temper.”  Or maybe, “My family are all very giving people.”  There is a common trait to some families.  To those of us in Christ, it should be our common faith in the Lord.

The church is that place where we pick up and strengthen our family traits.  We start to resemble the Lord as we meet together with His family.  Don’t miss out on the family reunion.  Be a part of the church God has called you to.  Let our common faith be what the world sees in us.

 
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Posted by on February 26, 2012 in Daily Thoughts

 

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The Joy of Fellowship

19 Feb

Everyone wants joy.  Unfortunately many Christians miss out on the joy that God wants them to have.  What is the key to the joy of the Lord?

I John 1:3-4 – We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.  We write this to make our joy complete.
(NIV)

The key to complete joy can be summed up in one word – fellowship.  Because of what Christ did on the cross, we can have fellowship with a holy God.  Then, because we are in fellowship with Him, we are also in fellowship with each other.  According to the Apostle John, that is the foundation for complete joy.

So many believers have no clue what fellowship entails.  The root word of fellowship means together, united, or beside.  It speaks about sharing in one another’s lives, not just sitting next to each other in a church service.  If the church was only about hearing a message about God, we could do that in front of a TV at home.  Fellowship is much more than that.

It is when those who have surrendered to the Holy Spirit meet together to share their lives with each other.  Those who have won a victory can encourage those who are in the middle of a struggle.  Those who have a testimony of praise can help those who are down.  The strong can pray for the weak.

Together, the whole body of Christ can be strengthened and built up.  We can hear the Word together, pray together, and share together.  The church is more than just a good organization, it is an organism.  It is alive and life giving to those who know what true fellowship is about.

Be an active member of the body of Christ.  Participate in the lives of others.  Allow the complete joy of the Holy Spirit to find a place in your heart.

 
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Posted by on February 19, 2012 in Daily Thoughts

 

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