Be Strong In Love

By Chris Ward, Campus Director, LHM Houston

"You’re such a Corinthian!"

"How dare you call me that!"

If you lived in A.D. 56, you might have heard this conversation between two people. The city of Corinth had a reputation as a polluted city and I don’t mean it had excess garbage or trash. I mean that every kind of evil was present in Corinth and the worst part was that the Church was polluted as well. Paul confronted the Corinthians in ways that we certainly need to hear in our own lives, particularly given our contemporary culture. 

In 1 Corinthians 16:13-14, Paul speaks into the lives of the Corinthians and directly into our lives as he says,

Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love. (1 Cor. 16:13-14 ESV)

BE WATCHFUL- 

As a child I remember playing “I Spy,” but as adults we are called to “Spy” what God is doing. God is at work in our world and He desperately desires for us to join with Him in that labor. Make no mistake about it, He actively works around you. Look for it, find it, and join Him.

Additionally, we must be watchful for the evil that lurks around us. We read about this in 1 Peter 5:8- Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. We are hunted. The devil would like nothing better than to take us down and ruin our witness. Always be aware that the devil never quits trying, so we must always be watchful and ready.

STAND FIRM IN THE FAITH-

No matter how long we have been walking with God, there are always truths that we can stand on as trouble and difficult circumstances find us:

         God is good.

         God loves me.

         I am forgiven through Christ.

         God is a God of second chances.

         God cares.

         God will carry our burdens.

Stand on these and so many more of God’s promises throughout scripture. The world we live in shouts the opposite in our ears, but we must stand firm on the truths of God.

BE STRONG- 

When Paul uses the Greek word for strength or determination (κραταιοῦσθε), he refers to our maturing faith, one that grows and learns through listening and obeying. We should all be able to easily speak to what we have recently learned and recognize where God is still growing and stretching our faith. Unfortunately, at times when we are asked to share this information, we sit in silence, finding it hard to recognize what He is doing. This should not be!

LET ALL THAT YOU DO BE DONE IN LOVE-

         Earlier in 1 Corinthians Paul writes,

“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.”

We might like to hear the sound of a gong one time, but definitely not over and over and over again. The same is true of a cymbal. When used properly and connection with a whole drum kit, it fits; however, if someone only played the cymbal over and over and over and over and over, it would be torture

 Paul goes on to write,

“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful…”

In this spiritually polluted and dark world, this type of love shines out with incredible brightness for all to see. 

As we watch the news and see our culture shifting away from God’s truth, it is crucial more than ever that we follow Paul’s admonition:

         -Be watchful

         -Stand firm in the faith

         -Be Strong (maturing)

         -And live a life of Love

He Has Brought Us Near

By Bonnie Scasta, Women’s Ministry Director

Ephesians 2:12-14

¹² . . . remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

We have all experienced the harsh realities of sin and separation from Christ in our lives. It is clearly evident that, as this verse says, we are separated, alienated, estranged, and at times hopeless. We all know the sting of this alienation and isolation; the pain of being apart from those we love or long to be loved by. We’ve felt the weight of being unknown, of being an outsider or “other than” the rest. Everyone, at one time or another, has felt excluded, unseen, unloved, and utterly alone. 

¹³ But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

But, Paul writes, the Lord, in His great love, does not leave us in hopelessness and isolation. He does not leave us in our far off condition, but instead brings us near! We long for this nearness that can make everything feel different: we’re accepted, loved, and understood in ways we’ve never been before.

When this desire for nearness is misdirected, however, it often drives us straight into our sin. We long to be “brought near” in whichever relationship we think will ease our loneliness. We long to be “brought near” to those images that diminish our sense of separation and alienation. We long to be “brought near” to the objects of our desire, believing they will satisfy our longings for connection and intimacy. We believe the enemy when he lies to us, telling us that nearness can be found apart from trusting Jesus.

The truth is, only God’s decision to draw us near to Him can produce lasting hope and ease the separation that sin has caused in our hearts and lives. Only by trusting in the blood of Christ can that nearness really happen. Whenever we try to fill our voids with people (loved ones, mentors, parents, friends) or things (images, objects, feelings of pleasure) we only intensify that separation and hopelessness. Only Christ’s sacrifice can bring us near. Only His work can resolve our true need. Only His sacrifice on the cross can provide a remedy for our sin, and when we look elsewhere for satisfaction, we cheapen His grace in our lives.

¹⁴ For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 

When God draws us near, covering us and our sin his purifying blood, the result is peace: peace that breaks down the dividing walls in our hearts – the things that keep us from the connections we so desperately want; peace that makes us one with the Father and never again alone; peace that reminds us that we no longer have to seek out sin to fill the void, and that we freely experience nearness in Christ!

Oh, what grace that is! Rest in His nearness and peace today, dear friends. Trust in His blood to bring you near and know that you are not far from the steadfast love of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Are there actions and attitudes in your life that are creating distance from God and others? Are you seeking other things to ease the disconnection and loneliness you sometimes feel? Are there things you need to surrender to experience God’s nearness and peace? Meditate on those things today, and on our merciful savior’s desire to draw us into intimacy with Him.

Accountability

by Samuel Parrish, Campus Director, LHM Charleston, SC

“And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” Hebrews 4:13

Accountability.

Ugh. Another 2 hours I have to cut out of my already busy week to sit and listen to people I don’t really like talk about how they can’t seem to get their life together.

If you’ve attended a Sunday school class or a small/life/family/cluster/recovery group in the last five years, you’ve probably thought the same thing every once and awhile.

Long periods of awkward silence that give way to prayer requests for that one guy’s aunt’s neighbor’s cat who was stuck in a tree can wear down on even the most committed believer.

Sadly, if that’s as deep as we ever go, or we give it up entirely as a waste of time, we will miss something that both Jesus and the authors of the New Testament saw as essential for the Christian life.

In the Gospels, Jesus told quite a few parables involving agriculture. Sometimes the focus was on the seed or the fruit. In others, he emphasized the factors beyond the farmer’s control like weather, weeds, and soil. Many though highlighted the relationship between the owner of an estate and his workers. Whether his sons, or hired labor, the workers would receive a task from the landowner, and a time period to get the work done. This would be followed by a moment of reckoning, where the workers would give an account for the work they had done. This was completely appropriate and expected. The owner had given them his resources to steward to his advantage and promised reward if they worked diligently.

We seem to understand this principle well when our paycheck is a few hours late on the direct deposit, but totally disconnect it from how we spend our Saturday afternoons.

Of course, I work hard 9-5. That’s my company’s time.

The weekends, though, are mine.

Psalm 24 doesn’t mince words:

“The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof,
  the world and those who dwell therein.”

Not only does God own time, he owns us and the world as well. So when the writer of Hebrews says that we are exposed before God and will give an account for our lives, what is that truth supposed to do in us? Is it a God-sized scare tactic? Maybe a promise of wealth if we work really hard?

Not necessarily.

Accountability reminds us that we are under authority. Paul, writing to the Corinthians, reminded them that they were not their own; they were bought with a price. In accepting Christ as Lord, we are giving up the right to self-identify. In Christ, we are a new creation. In Christ, the old is gone and the new has come. In Christ, we have an inheritance. None of those things are true unless we are in Christ. Being in Christ overwrites any false identity the world, the enemy or our fallen selves might have named us.

Accountability reminds us that we are stewards, and not owners. Time, money, and relationships: they all belong to him. This doesn’t mean however, that will be fighting over crumbs. By his grace, we have been lavished with good gifts that are to be used to the praise of his glory (Ephesians 1). Paul tells Timothy that God has provided everything for us to enjoy. Stewardship is not drudgery. It’s a call to do and use every resource available to make Christ great among the nations.

Accountability reminds us that obedience is rewarded and wickedness is judged.

God is not like one of my elementary school teachers. On the first day of school, she taught us this elaborate system of conduct, various tiers of rewards and punishments meant to keep us in line. It didn’t take long to realize that she not only didn’t enforce the boundaries, she didn’t reward compliance either.

While it might seem scary to think that we will answer for every action, word and thought, we have a great hope in Christ. He died and rose so that we would not stand condemned on the day we give account, justified by his blood and adopted as His son/daughter!

So accountability this side of eternity helps us remember. And when we remember, we should worship. Our actions no long stand as a record against us! By his death, that record is nailed to the cross, and we are free to live a life of obedience by his ever-present grace.

The Never-ending Battle With Sin

By Ricky Chelette, Executive Director

“I’m tired of this,” he said, exasperated. “I don’t think any of this stuff is working! If I am going to be continually faced with these temptations, why don’t I just be gay?” 

The devil is persistent. The Bible warns us in the very first pages of scripture that “sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it” (Gen. 4:7). We tend to believe our struggles will simply disappear as we decide to follow Jesus. The fact is, however, they are more likely to increase. 

Before knowing Jesus, we’re in the devil’s camp. We’re doing things that benefit him, serving him: we’re not threats. That all changes when we encounter the saving grace of the cross. That’s when we begin to turn from sin—and when the devil begins to work a whole lot harder to make that sin appealing.  

Though the devil is not all knowing, he is observant and cunning. He sees the weaknesses of our flesh, and he is keen to craft ideal situations to tempt us to sin. Every temptation is designed by Satan to trick you into believing that you can trust in the temporal more than the eternal. Every temptation is designed to make you think you can somehow meet your own needs, in your own way, and find more fulfillment there than when you trust in Christ. Every temptation is crafted to cause you to believe more in yourself than you do in the Creator you vow you to love and obey.

Jesus experienced just such temptations. He felt the pull of his flesh just as we do, but he knew true joy, true happiness, and true fulfillment can never be found in temporal pleasures or quick fixes, but only in fellowship with a Holy Father who loves us. 

Luke 4 tells us about Jesus’ temptation. Surprise: Jesus wins! But despite Jesus’ victory over temptation, the devil was not finished with Him. The Scripture clearly states, “he [the devil] departed from him [Jesus] until an opportune time” (Luke 4:13). In other words, Jesus won the moment, but the devil would be back. He would try again to get Jesus to deny the Father and embrace His flesh. We see it clearly in the moments when Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane and again on the cross. Jesus’ flesh would cry for relief, but His love for the Father was greater than His need for relief. Despite the temptations, He would be found faithful.

Are you ready for a long battle with your flesh? We are mistaken if we think following Jesus is an instant relief for the temptations we face. It is not. The devil is waiting and watching patiently for just the right moment when he can present what you think you want, so that he can instead give you what you should fear most – separation from the Father. Don’t believe the lies. And don’t be discouraged by the temptation. In fact, allow the temptation to be an encouragement to you. Think of it as evidence that you belong to Jesus and that you are a threat to the devil. If you are never tempted, it would mean that you were in Satan’s hands. You’re not.

“Opportune times” for Satan to tempt us will come. But Jesus has promised us this: “greater is He that is in you than He that is in the world” (1 Jn. 4:4). He has also promised that He will never leave you or forsake you (Deut. 31:6, 8; Heb. 13:5). We need to believe that when temptation strikes: that He is with us, and He is better.

How are you fighting against the temptations Satan presents you? Are you disappointed that you are still tempted? Can you see how your temptations can be a source of encouragement, leading you to deeper dependence upon Jesus? Ask the Father for His strength to resist the devil’s lies and embrace the Way, the Truth and the Life!