Fellowship With God and Others

Wherever truth is found, we can be certain there will be many errors.  Jesus identified Himself as the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and the world has opposed His claim at every turn.  We have all heard the suggestion there are many ways to come to God, that truth is relative or subjective to our views, and our life consists in what we have.  All of these statements are exposed as false by the revelation of God in scripture, divine truth and wisdom for life which has endured and triumphed over all manner of attack.

The truth is often not complicated, but our struggle can be to distinguish it from all the lies that spring up everywhere.  It is familiarity with the truth of scripture that aids believers to disregard falsehoods that have swept others to ruin.  There are people who will not consider entering a church building or read a Bible because they have the idea they need to "get right" with God first.  This suggests several dangerous misconceptions.  The first is the assumption we can get right or stay right with God by what we do.  It is not getting right but being made righteous by faith in Jesus Christ as the first step to being born again, receiving forgiveness, reconciliation and enjoying fellowship with God.  Going to church is in no way a claim of perfection before God or man, for every Christian and seeker are sinners in need of God's grace.  Reading the Bible is not reserved for priests and preachers, for it is God's word all people need for life.

It is not only the lost or uninitiated who can give place to falsehoods, for Christians can unwittingly suffer from lies we believe.  I remember once our pastor exhorted us from 1 Corinthians 11 not to receive Communion in an unworthy manner.  I knew I was struggling (and in reality dominated) by a particular sin so I decided not to receive Communion because I did not want to run the risk of chastening or judgment:  in other words, I played the hypocrite by not receiving Communion rather than confessing my sin and repenting right then!  Jesus came this earth and went to the cross to atone for my sin, yet in my self-righteousness and fear of punishment I chose to hold onto my sin as a Christian.  I unrespectfully declined to partake of the broken bread that symbolised the body of Jesus broken for me; I refused the cup that symbolised the blood of Jesus shed for my sins and atonement because of sin He died to save me from.  I foolishly thought I did the right thing to not eat and drink, as if only the "worthy" could earn the right to partake through sinless perfection.  In a vain attempt to avoid hypocrisy I blindly embraced it.

1 John 1:5-7 reads, "This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. ⁶ If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. ⁷ But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin."  Walking in the light is different than walking according to the light.  Walking in the light does not mean sinless perfection, but when the Light of the world and the illumination of God's word reveals sin in me, I am to remain in the light by acknowledging my sin, confess and repent of it without excuses, and go on walking in obedience to Jesus.  If we have forsaken the gathering of ourselves together with fellow Christians, walking in the light means we humbly admit we have been slack and go to church.  Backsliding ought not to be our identity, for Jesus has made us to be strong in the LORD and stand in the power of His might, feed shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace.  Jesus Christ has given us the opportunity to have fellowship with Him and other believers, and if they judge us harshly for our faults God will address their error in due time--even as He has chastened and corrected us.

Godliness and Contentment

When my eldest son was learning to pray out loud to God, he said something that makes me smile to this day.  Shortly after our kitchen had been remodelled, before a meal he rattled off a series of things he was thankful for.  As he made a sweeping gesture with his arm he said happily, "And thank God for the countertops!"  We never had new countertops before, and we were all pleased to have them.  His exuberance over our remodeled kitchen was unexpected and fun to see.

At Calvary Chapel Sydney we are studying through the book of Ecclesiastes, and Solomon was no stranger to new or nice things.  One thing he discovered, however, was no matter how many nice things he had they would not remain his forever:  new things quickly grow old, and things in themselves cannot provide meaning or satisfaction.  We only had our new countertops for a short time before they took damage from an exercise ball that inadvertently knocked a chisel into the bench surface near the sink.  It was a test for me:  would I become angry and frustrated over the damage?  Would I justify bitterness or resentment because of what happened?  How could we take precautions to prevent this from happening again?  Was I praising the LORD with gratitude the chisel had not landed on a little foot or hand?

In contrast to those who believed gain was godliness, Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 6:6-7:  "Now godliness with contentment is great gain. ⁷ For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out."  Whether Paul had money in abundance or was on a tight budget, he discovered contentment in God that did not depend on his present circumstances.  Paul was content to walk the streets of Jerusalem as a free man or be incarcerated in Rome.  He maintained the eternal perspective knowing he came into the world with nothing and would leave the same way.  While quality countertops are useful, we cannot take them with us.  Those who realise in God all our needs are met can be genuinely thankful and grateful for all we have and not be addled with covetousness over what we do not have--which leads us not to appreciate all God has provided.

Should it become apparent our outlook is marred with greed, covetousness or discontent, many people "try" to be content--as if that is the problem in itself.  The reality is, our lack of contentment is evidence of lack of godliness.  Children of God can fight a continual losing battle to be content in the LORD when we have not first acknowledged and repented of our greed and covetousness and thanking God for all He has given.  Confessing and repenting of our sin is a critical step to walk in godliness with contentment.  Our good God will see to it we will remain troubled should we remain unrepentant in sin.  Contentment is not carelessness or rejection of material possessions but gratitude, thankfulness and joy in the LORD who has given us all that pertains to life and godliness.  We can be thankful and praise God for all He provides for us--even when a chisel gouges the counter.  In our God is only gain, and by faith in Him we can be content by His grace.

Our Sure Help

"For it is written in the law of Moses, "You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain." Is it oxen God is concerned about? ¹⁰ Or does He say it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written, that he who plows should plow in hope, and he who threshes in hope should be partaker of his hope."

1 Corinthians 9:9-10

In his letter to the church at Corinth, Paul demonstrated the relevance of precepts from the Law of Moses for present personal application.  While Christians were not "under the Law" or obliged to keep the letter of the Law, even a passage that prohibited the muzzling of an ox that treads out the grain provided guidance in the financial compensation of Christian ministers who laboured in the word.  This insight provides precedent by the leading of the Holy Spirit to open up enlightening and refreshing applications tucked away in the Old Testament modern-day believers ought to consider and heed.  Paul's point was God included the law that forbade muzzling oxen at work--not just to prevent animal cruelty--but for the sake of guiding and exhorting Christians to contribute towards the temporal or financial needs of Christian workers.

Understanding the timeless relevance of God's righteousness in Law, wonderful insights are provided for the hungry seeker.  I was greatly encouraged by another passage that happened to involve animals in Deuteronomy 22:4:  "You shall not see your brother's donkey or his ox fall down along the road, and hide yourself from them; you shall surely help him lift them up again."  Children of Israel who saw their brother's ox or donkey fall over and struggle to rise were not to pretend they did not notice the animal in distress.  Even if the brothers or neighbours were not on the best terms, people were legally obligated to help their fellow Jew to lift up their donkey or ox--a tiring, time-consuming task.  As Paul mentioned, though this passage in the Old Testament is about a donkey or ox falling down, this is written for our sakes.  If we see our brother in Christ stumble or fall into sin, we should not hide ourselves from helping support and strengthen him, desiring him to be restored to fellowship with God and the church (Gal. 6:1).

Carrying this further, we know by the scripture God never commanded people to do things He did not always do Himself.  If God should command brothers to help one another lift up a fallen beast of burden, we can know the God Who sees all does not act oblivious when one of His own precious children stumbles and falls.  God knows very well when we are cast down and unable to lift ourselves.  The Good Shepherd will leave 99 sheep to search and rescue one, and thus we know He will not hide Himself from us even when we are to blame for wandering from His side and into trouble.  God said to His people, "You shall surely help him lift them up again" and we can have confidence God will not hide Himself from us in our distress:  He will surely help lift us up again.  He is the lifter of our head and more still.  When Ezekiel was confronted with the glory of God and fell on his face, Ezekiel 2:1-2 reads:  "And He said to me, "Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak to you." ² Then the Spirit entered me when He spoke to me, and set me on my feet; and I heard Him who spoke to me."  Ezekiel stood and heard, yet it was all God's doing.

When we struggle to rise and it seems God is far from us, know He is aware of our need for help.  He does not hide Himself from us to "teach us a lesson" but draws near to help lift us up so we might again walk in the light.  God is not to be blamed or at fault for our falls:  it is we who are weak, stray, stumble and fall and ironically are reluctant to seek or cry out to God in our distress.  He draws near to all who draw near to Him in faith, and should God be hidden from our sight most likely it is because we have not actually sought Him.  We have hoped in ourselves or looked for something or someone other than God to do what only He can.  Psalm 43:5 wisely says:  "Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God."  By hope in God those who despair are made to praise Him with joy and gladness.

The Unchanging, Good God

Understanding context is very important.  Many times we have come into a conversation at the "wrong time" and were left confused or perhaps offended by what we heard because we didn't understand what was said before we arrived.  This can be applied to situations as well.  Imagine walking into a room and to your shock see masked people in white coats removing organs from a living human being.  To people ignorant of surgery, this would seem the most inexcusable, barbaric butchery.  What could seem cruel and horrific was a procedure done by trained, experienced professionals to promote the health of a consenting patient.

I believe this illustration of the one who unwittingly stumbles into an operating theatre is fitting for many people who read the Bible and are appalled by God's judgments and actions.  Even Christians can be confused and almost embarrassed God would judge people and nations that result in death.  Perhaps they had only been exposed to a view of God that emphasises His love, mercy and grace without comprehension of His righteousness, justice and wrath which complement one another.  They have come into a conversation without knowing God's revelation of Himself in truth; they have wandered into passages they cannot understand because they are not mixed with faith that God is good, His ways perfect, and He is our Peace.

No Christian needs to defend or apologise for anything God has done, for His righteous, loving and just ways are higher than ours.  When God chose to use the Canaanites, Philistines or Babylonians to judge His people by oppressing them or killing them in battle, He was wise in doing so.  There were also times God used the children of Israel as His instrument to judge other nations long in sin.  Know that this was never without warnings and opportunities to repent and submit to God.  The Law commanded the Hebrews give a proclamation of peace before attacking if their enemies would willingly surrender (Deut. 20:10).  Some might be aghast God would kill the firstborn of man and beast in Egypt with what would surely happen if they would not let His people go.  God said to Moses in Exodus 4:22-23, "Then you shall say to Pharaoh, 'Thus says the LORD: "Israel is My son, My firstborn. ²³ So I say to you, let My son go that he may serve Me. But if you refuse to let him go, indeed I will kill your son, your firstborn."

Even as faith in God was required for Pharaoh to hear and heed the word of the LORD, so it is for those who read the Bible to obtain understanding and wisdom from it.  Those who are not convinced God is good, gracious, just and merciful will balk to receive the truth of scripture.  Refusal to submit to God's ways as right and our own perceptions and judgments as infinitely inferior will prevent us from walking in the fear of God.  As long as we stand in judgment of God as unnecessarily harsh and brutal, we blind ourselves from God's goodness to show the wickedness of sin.  It is not the licensed, skilled surgeon who has blood on his hands that is in the wrong, but those who call him a butcher because they--in their ignorance--do not agree with his methods.  God was willing to come to earth and shed His blood (Acts 20:28) so we could be forgiven, redeemed and saved, and He is the merciful and just God of the Old Testament as well.