“Now the dwelling of God is with people, and he will live with them…The will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain for the old order of things has passed away.” Revelation 21:4
Have you ever received a comforting word from another person during a difficult time in your life? Maybe it was during a season of loss or one of great heartache. Paul tells us that the Thessalonian believers needed similar comfort. Death had visited the church at Thessalonica. However, Paul wanted those who remained to experience hope in the fact that they were going to see those who had died once again when Jesus Christ returns (1 Thess. 4:13-17). Here's the point - one day all things will be made right. In heaven, there will be no more death, crying, or sin. In the meantime, we are to point our brothers and sisters in Christ to the glorious future God has in store for those who love Him. Who has God brought to mind who needs a comforting word?
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“Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you.” Romans 16:16
Church has always been a family; brothers and sisters in Christ living life on mission in the world. And though that fact has not changed, the way believers have expressed their love for those in the family depends largely on culture. For followers of Jesus in the first century, greeting those in Christ with a kiss was an expression of love for others in the family of God and the unity that they experienced together. For you and I, specifically in the western culture, greeting another believer in Christ with a kiss is typically not welcomed or appropriate because of the difference in our cultural context from those in the first century. But the principle still remains. Jesus followers should always look for ways to extend love and hospitality when greeting those who are part of the family of God. What are some culturally appropriate ways you can extend a loving greeting toward other members of the family of God? “Live in peace with one another.” 1 Thessalonians 5:13
Following Jesus is all about relationships! One of those relationships is the one believers have with one another as God's family. Before a church is anything else, we are a family. We all know that there are hundreds of different dynamics that exist within the context of a family. Within a family there is responsibility, support, miscommunication, celebration, and sorrow just to name a few. And those dynamics not only exist in our biological families, they also exist in our spiritual family. The dynamic of a family that scripture is highlighting today is that of peace. When a family is functioning correctly, there is a constant pursuit of peace with one another. In the same way, as members of God's family, when conflict arises, we are to look for every way to pursue peace with one another. Are you living at peace with your brothers and sisters in Christ? Is there a relationship that God has put on your heart that you need to seek to make right? “If I then, the Lord and Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.” John 13:14
There is no greater example of humility than Jesus Christ. Philippians 2 says, "Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others." During His earthly ministry, there was never a moment when Jesus did not regard His followers as more important than Himself or put the interests of others ahead of His own. At the end of Jesus' earthly ministry, He looked at His disciples and told them to go do the same. Today, the same life of humility we see in Jesus in the Gospels is in us and will be pressed out of us as we pursue intimacy with Him. The life of a Jesus follower is to be marked by humbly looking for ways to sacrificially serve other members of God's family. Are you only focused on what is best for you, or are you looking out for what is best for others? “Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Ephesians 5:19
As followers of Jesus, what we say to one another and how we say it is a very big deal. Paul felt it was necessary to address the way the believers in Ephesus were to speak to each other as the family of God. He identifies three things that should shape the way we speak to one another. He mentions psalms (God-inspired writings set to music), hymns (songs that express worship and praise to God), and spiritual songs (testimonies of what God has done for us). This is not a command to make every conversation we have into a song; rather it is an instruction for our words and attitudes to be marked by the things of God. As our hearts are filled with worship and praise to our God, what flows out of our mouths will be honoring to Him and edifying to other believers. Are your words and attitudes building others up or tearing them down? |
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June 2018
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