God's Chosen Family

When I was born to my parents years ago, they didn't choose me from a litter.  I also did not have the choice of my parents or whether I would have a brother or sister:  God sovereignly brought us together as family and I learned to live with and love them all despite our differences.  A day came when I sought the permission of Laura's parents and asked for her hand in marriage.  After being united by God in matrimony new branches were added to the families we were already connected to.  God has graciously given us sons who are growing up and perhaps will someday enlarge our family even further.

My views concerning the church, the Body of Christ, align well with this approach to family relationships that acknowledges the wisdom and sovereignty of God.  Even as I did not choose my parents, I did not choose my Sunday School teachers, pastor or church I grew up attending and later served in.  A day came when the LORD guided me and my family to settle in Australia and serve in a different fellowship of believers which is part of the same Body of Christ.  We were in no way divorced or cut off from fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ in the United States but the move has enlarged our circle and enriched our lives.

I recall an impactful incident when I attended an evangelism course out of state years ago.  It was a gathering of people at a conference who were keen to share their faith and I perceived in many an undercurrent of dissatisfaction and disdain of their current congregations which did not share their passion for evangelism.  One person murmured, "To me, this is church.  This is where I really fit in."  There was a sense of disappointment as our time together drew to a close because they knew they were heading back to churches that had little emphasis on evangelism.  Their hope was to attend the next gathering of these folks and steeled their resolve to endure months of isolation from "real church."

From my perspective, this seemed to be a case of a hand desiring to be cut off from a body to be with other hands.  Could it be God had sovereignly placed them in a church which had little emphasis on evangelism because they were to take up the charge themselves?  There is a draw for people to be around people with whom they share things in common, and in the church it is Jesus Christ alone who unites us.  There is nothing wrong with evangelists, missionaries, teachers, pastors, women, men and youth gathering together as distinct groups within a church or even meeting together for conferences.  A problem arises when we, out of dissatisfaction with others God has sovereignly joined to us, cut ourselves off from other believers and them from us.  The commitment God showed to the children of Israel because of the covenant He made with them is a good example for us to follow.  Jesus has made a covenant with us by grace through faith, and we ought to extend grace freely to others as we have freely received grace from Him.

Since the church is the Body of Christ comprised of different members with different functions and gifts according to God's will, let us acknowledge our call and the place where He has us is His doing.  It may be God will say to you as Abraham concerning your home church, "Leave your family and go to the land I show you."  Faith in God must be answered with obedience and trust to do so even when it is not our plan or idea.  God may also put you in a position like Jesus who was sent by God to the lost sheep of Israel who would reject Him.  Paul was raised as a Jew yet was called to bring the Gospel to the Gentiles, and his love for his fellow Jews never waned.  Persecution may scatter believers and physical distance may separate us but this will never sever the fellowship with have with one another through Jesus Christ.  Like Paul's advice to the married that they should not seek to be loosed, it is good to bring that level of commitment to serve and contribute at the church where God has us.

Jesus, Unity and Peace

In a increasingly polarised world it is good to remember Jesus has united believers in the church as one.  Instead of being focused on groups or people which should be excluded from the number of "true disciples," it is more useful for us to ensure we personally are in Christ and walking in His love.  Today I was reading about how timber, gold, silver, curtains, loops, and clasps united together to make one tabernacle.  This is one allusion to the uniting of Jew and Gentile in the church, the Body of Christ.  From every nation, tribe and tongue God has comprised a united church filled with the Holy Spirit.

Paul wrote to Gentile (non-Jew) believers in Ephesians 2:11-18:  "Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh--who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands--¹² that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. ¹³ But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. ¹⁴ For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, ¹⁵ having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, ¹⁶ and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. ¹⁷ And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. ¹⁸ For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father."  Remembering our previous distance from God and our unworthiness and inability to draw near to God fills us with gratitude for the access given us by grace through faith in Jesus.

I have heard this passage explained like this:  our sins once separated us from God and through the atonement of Jesus on Calvary the "wall of separation" has been destroyed and united us with Himself.  This is true, however that is not the point Paul makes here.  The context of the passage is the initial distinction and separation between Jew and Gentile, the children of Israel who entered into the covenant of Law and the Gentiles who were foreigners and aliens from the commonwealth of God.  Jesus has broken down the middle wall of separation and created "in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace."  Jesus has united Jew and Gentile as one in the kingdom of God even as timber was gilt with gold in the articles of the tabernacle or the gold clasps hooked to the wool loops.  The Body of Jesus the church is one made of many different members by the same Holy Spirit.  The Gospel was preached to Jew and Gentile alike and by Jesus we all have access by one Spirit to the Father.

The temptation of the early church was to place pressure on the Gentiles to live as Jews under Law and for Jews to cast off their heritage and traditions.  Both groups had potential to stumble one another because of their diverse backgrounds, convictions and personal experiences, yet God chose to unite the two as one:  Jesus is our peace, having created one Body redeemed with His own blood.  The knowledge we have been made one body with Jesus prevents us from excluding those God has chosen and accepted as His own.  Having been made one it is the love of Christ that guides us in our interactions with others within and outside the Church.  We ought to demonstrate the same patience and compassion with people who are in Christ to those we desire to introduce to Him and are far off as we used to be.  If Jesus has broken down the middle wall of separation, there is no wall we can justify erecting to protect ourselves or to prevent others from fellowship through Jesus Christ.  Every part of the Body is useful for the whole because it is different than others and thus we can embrace differences for God's glory and unfolding plans.

It requires humility and grace from God to make the personal changes required to walk in unity with all our brothers and sisters.  There is pride, assumptions, and expectations in us God wants to confess and strip from us even as the children of Israel were called to throw out their idols.  The "us" and "them" mentality of circumcised Jews and uncircumcised Gentiles has remained endemic among people to this day and can result in denominational and interpersonal divides.  Jews did not always agree or approve of the practices of their brethren, and liberalism is just as threatening as legalism to undermine and hinder the fellowship of believers.  As much as depends upon us we are to live peaceably with one another knowing we are members of one another as well as Christ.  It is written in Romans 12:3-5:  "For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. ⁴  or as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, ⁵ so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another."

People can spend their entire lives trying to "fit in" when Jesus has chosen believers to be part of His Body the church and become our peace.  We can also have a critical mind and find fault with others, effectively closing the door of fellowship to others due to irreconcilable differences.  He has united us with one another by God's grace to supply what the other parts lack.  It is good for the hand to delight to grasp objects and for the feet to be joyfully strengthened to walk and run, but let not the hand imagine the foot is better suited to imitate a hand.  On the heels of exhorting believers to submit to one another in love, Paul wrote in Ephesians 5:1-2:  "Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. ² And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma."  It is the one who walks in love towards God and others that is a living sacrifice God delights in, and this is our reasonable service.

Love Is Patient

 Occasionally on a social media news feed I see a story about a neglected or abused animal which has been rescued.  There was the little pony whose hooves had overgrown so it was unable to walk properly, a cocker spaniel with hair so matted it dragged heavily on the ground, and other animals which had disabilities or were abandoned.  The video goes through the transition of recovery, fostering, and re-homing animals that often the rescuer love too much to let go.  There is an understanding these animals need help, patience, and an investment of time to earn their trust with continued love and gentleness.

These animals that have suffered from abuse and neglect can be quite skittish and hostile toward those who desire to help them.  They growl, bare their teeth, and even snap at any who invade their personal space.  Because of what the animals had suffered the animal lovers who hope to help them are compassionate and patient, realising their present condition is largely a result of their circumstances.  Neglect of proper care, food, training, and affection leads domesticated animals to become wild and dangerous to others.  Unwilling for an abused animal to be put down out of convenience, people make it their life's work to rescue, rehabilitate, and love on these animals who have never known love.

It is a sad and tragic reality that many people have experienced a life without experiencing the love of God.  They also can suffer the pain of neglect, abuse, and abandonment.  When I worked with fostered kids I met caretakers at their wit's end to know how to love and help a very angry, manipulative, and vindictive child who did everything possible to bring havoc into the home.  These folks did a wonderful job to continue to be patient with this little one who was hurting and continued to lash out in response to inner pains.  It is not just small children we ought to be patient with but to keep reaching out to hurting people who have suffered and are suffering.  Jesus knows exactly what they are going through and is able by His grace to give us wisdom, gentleness, and patience to demonstrate His love with compassion.

I remember one video where a rescuer moved a bit too close and attempted to pet a neglected animal and was bitten on the hand that drew blood.  "That's my fault," he said.  "You're not ready for that yet."  There would have been some people who would have taken that dog to be destroyed because the dog hadn't progressed quickly enough according to expectations.  Instead the rescuer took the blame for the incident and kept on showing love to the dog with gentle words and embraced slow progress.  This is what God's love looks like, doesn't it?  After coming to Jesus in faith He doesn't disown us because we lash out in anger and are blinded to His kindness and forgiveness by our pain.  Like a good shepherd who knows His sheep and calls them by name, the LORD seeks us out when we have been lost and neglected.

In 2015 "Chris the sheep" was found and rescued in Canberra with a uncut wool coat he had been carrying for an estimated 6 years.  Because no sheep can shear itself he required rescuing to be relieved of his own wool which weighed a whopping 41 kilos!  In a similar way Jesus rescues people from the burden of our sin, neglect, and abuse we have endured.  Removing the fleece occurred at once but Chris then needed to learn what it was like to live with a caretaker and among other sheep.  I do not know what goes on in the heads of sheep, but there is an incredible amount of thinking, feeling, reacting, worrying, fearfulness, and assuming which goes on in the minds of people.  It takes time to grow and develop as a person, and it also takes time to gain dexterity when an injured person needs to learn to walk again after a significant injury.  Let us be those who are patient and gracious to hurting people, that we would not just receive people into a church fellowship but into our lives, homes and hearts with joy.  We love God because He first loved us, and may we keep loving others as unto Him.

God Draws Near

How good is God to draw near to unworthy sinners who draw near to Him!  God promises if we seek Him with our whole hearts we will find Him (Deut. 4:29).  An example of this is seen after the children of Israel sinned through idolatry when Moses met with the LORD on Mt. Sinai.  Exodus 33 describes how Moses daily went into the tabernacle to meet with God and from their tents the Hebrews witnessed the presence of God descend in a cloud upon it.  Overwhelmed with the dire consequences of their sin of which resulted in separation and distance from the Almighty God, the people grieved over their transgression.  The people worshiped when they saw the presence of God who spoke with Moses face to face as a man speaks with a friend.

Moses provided insight concerning one of these private meetings with God.  After Moses asked to see God's glory Exodus 33:20-23 records, "But He said, "You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live." ²¹ And the LORD said, "Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock. ²² So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by. ²³ Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen."  The God who is unapproachable in glory descended and met with a mere man he had a place for.  Isn't that amazing?  God said, "Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock."  Moses drew near to God, and God drew near to him.  God also had a place by Him where Moses was invited and welcome to stand.  God promised to protect and shelter Moses from harm.

Now for those familiar with scripture, the place on the rock God offered extends beyond sedimentary, igneous, or metamorphic rock.  Like the rock from which living water flowed to sustain the lives of God's people in the wilderness, it alludes to the rock of salvation and chief cornerstone who is Jesus Christ the promised Messiah.  David sang in 2 Samuel 22:47, "The LORD lives! Blessed be my Rock! Let God be exalted, the Rock of my salvation!"  It is through faith in Jesus Christ we stand as it is written in 1 Peter 2:4-6 reads, "Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, ⁵ you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ⁶ Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, "Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious, and he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame."

The scene of the interaction with God and Moses is an awesome foreshadowing of the relationship made possible through Jesus.  Moses was permitted to see some of God's glory, but it was revealed fully in Christ the Word in John 1:14:  "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."  The Jewish religious leaders did not have a place in their rigid legalism for Jesus, yet Jesus promised He would go and prepare a place in the heavens for all who trust in Him (John 14:2-3).  After Jesus rose from the dead and ascended to heaven the Holy Spirit came upon followers of Jesus without measure.  To think God who descended in a cloud and offered a place on the rock to Moses would prepare a place in heaven for redeemed sinners and make our hearts His holy habitation is amazing beyond belief!  As the song "Joy to the World" exhorts, may every heart prepare Him room as we joyfully declare Him our King.