How I relate to the body of Christ around me

We live in the very last days, the days of the great falling away, and one of the bad fall-outs of this time is that many Christians no longer have a Biblical understanding of the church, the local church and the way the body of Christ universally is supposed to relate to one another. Now, it’s I am of Paul, I am of Apollos, I am of John MacArthur… On every street corner new churches are started daily, each with its own brand and flavor. And when you meet them they invariably say that you should join them and belong to them, all competing for a slice of the pie.

Now, in light of this rather odd scenario what should a disciple of Christ’s opinion be? Let me tell you how i relate to the body of Christ. I see the small gathering of saints i meet with as a part of the body of Christ. Not a body, but a part of the body. That we are free to gather together in Jesus name within the relationships (real friendships) which God has opened up.

There is a very simple logic here. Most groups want you to join them, and many of them will relate to you in a negative way or not at all if you do not “cooperate” and join in with them. Many would even judge you as being in sin if you don’t join them.

So, a thinking Christian knows that this is a spiritually bankrupt concept to begin with.

If you are not compelled to join any group or church, but you know according to the NT you should and must have fellowship with the body of Christ, then that leaves you free and gives you a right to congregate and assemble together according to your conscience, according to the relationships you have in Christ.

Then, as you yourself are freely assembling you will not compel others to assemble with you, you will leave them free to decide with whom they will fellowship.

And in this manner all the body of Christ can function in harmony with one another, without competition or sectarianism (denominational-ism). If disciples know Jesus and heed the NT then there can be many groups all over a city who harmoniously relate to one another by discerning the body of Christ.

Then, if a person compels you to join their group you can also ask them to fellowship with your group. But if they say, Oh, I can’t do that as yours is not a REAL church like ours!, then the disease has been diagnosed for you, the spirit of it has been exposed. They need help.

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We learn from the Holy Spirit

We should learn from how the Holy Spirit relates to us how to relate to others in the church and in life. The Holy Spirit never forces, compels or drives people. And He is God. So, if God never controls, manipulates or forces people then we shouldn’t either. As He gently deals with us, as He gently leads us, without using guilt to manipulate us, without using either carrot or stick, in the same manner we should relate to the body of Christ, and we must relate to the body of Christ if the love of Christ is in us.

We must never deal with people in a different manner or spirit than the Holy Spirit deals with us. He always leaves us free to exercise our freewill for only then are we responding in love, when we choose to yield to His will. In the same vein, our relationships within the body of Christ can only glorify God if the relating, the relationships are love-based, and not on any other basis.

Lost your moorings?

It’s interesting to consider the moral dilemma the world faces (though they don’t consider it a dilemma at all). They are saying that morality is cultural. So when the culture shifts then morality shifts with it, having no moral absolute it is anchored to. Then, theoretically, there is no limit to what evils a society could eventually legitimize when people think they are God – the determiners of right and wrong. Atheism or humanism are self-theisms – just an exchange of gods.

Do not conform to Christian culture

On the surface level of a natural understanding it may appear to be a sound Biblical desire that your society be Christianized and become a Christian culture, To the natural mind they would think this means the Kingdom has come.

But the early church knew that this would spell death to Christianity if it ever became a culture. They knew they were called-out of the world so that they would indeed be a light to the world. If they conform to the world they no longer are a light to the world, they are just another religion, just like the rest.

The Apostolic guidelines for the church checked the possibility of Christianity becoming a culture.

There were no religious days. Why? Bcos that would create a situation where people get religious or pretend to be religious, whether they know and obey Jesus or not.

The early church knew that would be a disaster and bring shame upon the name of Jesus.

The early church knew that what they had was unique in the whole world – they were a totally new and unique spiritual race of people in Christ Jesus, and this was their witness to the world, that they were not of this world, that nothing they did conformed to the principles of the religions of this world, but to Christ.

Therefore there was no place for anything which resembled other religions, and even no place for Judaism in the church – there was a clear break from the Old Covenant in every aspect of life and in the functioning of the church.

As soon as any part of the Christian life becomes a cultural observance then the heart of what the church is has died, and something has replaced it (See Rev. 17).

At the most basic level: I encounter well meaning Christians who force their children to go thru the motions of being spiritual, not realizing they are training them in hypocrisy (see Rev. 17 again).

And in the church when this happens, that you have to conform to the tradition and go thru the motions of the religious service, you are participating in some level of fakery – at the very least it is far below what Christ intended for His church as His people.

What made up my mind about Christmas

What made up my mind for me about Christmas and religious days is when i found out that the early church did not observe them. They were not invented till hundreds of years later, and then only when Christianity had fallen away from the truth.

That made up my mind. It was very simple for me, I assumed they knew better than we know today. And isn’t that reasonable? They knew better than us so we should trust the fact they knew what they were doing in the kind of Christianity they lived.

If you do these days or don’t do them then God bless you!

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He that hates his life in this world shall keep it

And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it abides alone: but if it dies, it brings forth much fruit. He that loves his life shall lose it; and he that hates his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. If any man serves me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serves me, him will my Father honor. John 12:23-26

Please note how pinpoint specific the Lord Jesus is here. He doesn’t say you have to hate who you are as a person, He qualifies it by saying we should hate our life in this world – in relation to this world.

So this is not about hating yourself. To hate yourself would, ironically, put the focus back on yourself, and that is the last thing Jesus wants is for people to be focused on themselves, whether in a “positive” or “negative” light. No. He asks us to consider what is our life in relation to this present, fallen world. Do we still desire something from this world? Do we still think there is something this world can give us, and therefore we are still not yet in a position of hating our life in relation to the world we live in? Is there still an appeal to this world?

And it may come in a religious disguise. In this context “world” also encompasses the religious world bcos the religious world is not the Kingdom of God, so it must be one of the kingdoms of this world – something from beneath and not from above.

The Lord Jesus says that if we don’t hate our life in relation to the world then we strike out on two counts – we remain alone – lonely, independent, self-sufficient people who have no real love for people, and we don’t bear the real fruit of the Holy Spirit.

Reality surpasses the shadows

If i didn’t know Jesus then i would probably be interested in celebrating special holy days, but since i know Him those days are irrelevant to me. When one has the reality then it surpasses the shadows.

One advantage of Biblical church

Being in a relational church will help you develop in the ability to relate to others in real life, as you get the practice and training for that when you assemble as the church according to 1 Cor. 14. And this means you have a more authentic witness to the world of Jesus.

You cannot be on the payroll

Preachers will be judged not only for what they said, but also for what they didn’t dare to say.

~ Leonard Ravenhill

Living by faith

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believes; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For in it is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God has showed it unto them. Romans 1:16-19

But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. And the law is not of faith: but, The man that does them shall live in them. Galatians 3:11-12

Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. Hebrews 10:38

If a man is going to live in Christ’s life then he has to live by faith. When Scripture says a man lives by faith it means that every issue and aspect and fiber of what constitutes his living on earth is done by faith. He lives by faith. He does nothing apart from faith if he is living by faith. Every thought is a thought of faith, every word and every action is his faith in action.

If we live by faith this means that every issue of life is an issue of faith.

In this light then consider this:

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1

We sometimes remark of someone, his talk is good but there’s little substance to his life; or of others, there is little evidence they are disciples of Jesus.

If a man is living by faith in Jesus Christ then how he lives is the evidence of whether he is indeed living by faith – every aspect of his life will reveal evidence either way, that he believes or doesn’t believe.

If Christians don’t pray it’s bcos they don’t believe. If they are casual toward obeying the truth of Scripture it’s bcos they don’t believe, regardless of their claim to believe. They don’t have the substance and evidence of faith.

If I believe that I have access to God by the blood of Christ and He will answer my prayer, then I will pray. And this principle applies to all obedience.

Jesus looks for the substance and evidence, whether our faith is living or dead.

Yea, a man may say, You have faith, and I have works: show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.

But will you know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

James 2:18,20

The authentic Christian life is simply what happens when a person lives by faith – The just shall live by faith.

An unauthentic Christian life is to compartmentalize your life into things of faith and things not of faith.

How to pray for souls

No man can come to me, except the Father who has sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. John 6:44

Categorically, no one can come to Jesus unless the Father draw him. So when we pray for our friends to be saved we should ask the Father to draw them to Jesus. If God answers that prayer they will be drawn to Jesus and be saved by the hearing of the good news.

Note, that this statement by Jesus is not fatalistic, that even though only the Father can draw people to Jesus it doesn’t preclude us beseeching Him to do it. It is all the Father’s work by birthing His compassion in us so we will ask Him to save them.

The right foundation

If you took the worship band away would there be any “church”? In most cases, no. Which tells you it is not a church.

Receive the love of the truth

Unless a person receives the love of the truth of God’s Word (2 Thess. 2:10) then demons will be able to teach them and they will think it is the Holy Spirit – there is no absolute to test which spirit they are heeding.

This is why when people cast any shadow of doubt on the authority of Scripture, or have a casual attitude toward Scripture, then you know they have been listening to demons more than God.

A cryin shame

It’s a cryin shame when those who know the truth in Jesus do not proclaim it with boldness and authority, and false teachers and the deceived are the only ones who speak boldly and with “authority”.

Because He is Worthy

Would you get out of bed early to approach the Throne of Grace if there was nothing in it for you, but just bcos He is worthy to be worshiped? On the understanding that if you didn’t worship Him even the rocks would cry out?

It’s better just to forget about what you will get or how you feel and believe in God. Believe He is worthy. Approach Him for who He is. Be mindful of who this Person is and therefore mindful of how to relate to Him in an appropriate manner as His created and redeemed by His blood child.

This kind of attitude toward God is received in heaven as “I love you”. That’s how the Father sees it and receives it.

And before long you will be caught up in the power of the Holy Spirit and He will lead you in all things.

Iran playing a game

Iran has reached a deal with six world powers to curb its nuclear activities in return for the easing of sanctions imposed by Western countries.

So, this means that these six world powers believe that Iran is lying when it says its nuclear program is only for civil purposes, as there would be no need to curb a peaceful program. So, if Iran is lying about its real intentions then it’s also likely they are playing a game with these six world powers and concealing from them what they are doing.

A part-time interest in God

A part-time interest in God would be OK if Jesus were a part-time King.

The Year 6000?

Did you realize that it is approx. 6000 years since Adam? (Give or take a few years) We met a brother yesterday who painstakingly did the math, took him a while, and went thru the whole Bible calculating the chronology and he came up with 2014 as the year 6000.

What does the Spirit witness with your spirit? That the time is very short? Me too.

An experiment which failed

Using a rock band as the basis by which to form a church and to be the driver of it was an experiment which has proven to be a failure.

Hillsongs is beginning to embrace gay as normal, it’s proceeding down that slippery slope. All that “great worship” was for nothing, just trying to reach an altered state of reality so as to avoid facing the hard realities of life. Now the nakedness is being fully revealed.