Category: Purpose

The Fellowship of the Son

Posted on by Dorci

Many Christians think of fellowship with other believers as just getting together on Sunday morning, maybe mid-week, maybe at a Bible study, and hanging out. I’ve heard so many say they don’t need the church.  They don’t need to be with other Christians. They can hear a teaching online, they can worship God by themselves. They can do their Christian faith alone.

My guess is a lot of those people have been hurt by others in the church, and I understand that hurt, but I also know God desires to heal our hearts and bring us back into fellowship, a deep, meaningful spiritual fellowship, something that is far greater than simply getting together. 

“God is faithful, and by Him you were called to the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” 1 Corinthians 1:9

The word for fellowship here is koinōnia – partnership, participation, communion. 

At the moment of salvation, we’re called into partnership with Jesus Christ, to commune with Him, to participate with Him in our own spiritual growth, as co-laborers of His work here, and as co-heirs of our eternal inheritance.

This same word, koinōnia, is used to describe the early church: “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” (Acts 2:42)

Because we’re called into a partnership with Christ, and we are filled with His Holy Spirit, we are called into a partnership, a fellowship, with one another. 

You might have heard of another fellowship, one solely built around a ring. Its purpose wasn’t just to socialize (although they did do that), but to fulfill a singular vision, a mission. This fellowship of nine banded together to see that a ring and its evil power was destroyed, saving their world.

Each member had a different position with its own responsibility, its own strengths, none less important than another. They worked together as one, realizing that no one member can fight the evil power alone. 

Like that fellowship, God’s given us different gifts to use and we need each one.

“Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” 1 Corinthians 12:27

We’ve been called to come together as one body, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, to use our God-given gifts “for the equipping of the saints, for the work of service, and for the building up of the body of Christ (each other), until we all come into the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God…”  (Eph. 4:12-13a)  

We are each members of a fellowship, not to destroy something, but to lift up and glorify the Holy and Righteous One as we journey through this life, maturing in Christ, doing the good works God prepared for us to do, leading others away from the enemy and pointing them to Christ and to salvation, and battling side by side in spiritual warfare through prayer, until the day God destroys the evil one. 

The Bible says the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour, and a lion loves nothing more than to get his prey alone. 

The enemy of Christ can and will attack us with lies, discouragements, temptations, misdirection, anything to try to separate a believer from the truth, and that is so much easier to do when a person is not surrounded by the fellowship, the partnership, the ministry of other believers.

“…you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of His household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the chief cornerstone. In Him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in Him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.” Ephesians 2:19-22

This is who we are.  Christ is the cornerstone and each of us is added as a brick to be built together as the living temple of God.

This is our fellowship with one another, the Fellowship of the Son. 

***

Heavenly Father, thank you for this amazing and blessed calling to partner with Jesus. I pray for not only a clear vision of your will for us corporately and individually, but a passion to carry it out. Help us know the gifts you’ve given us and to partner with Jesus in using them according to your will to serve you and our brothers and sisters in Christ.  For those who are without a church right now, I pray you would lead them to a Spirit-filled group of believers where they can minister and be ministered to. And for those who have been hurt, I pray you would give them the ability to forgive for the healing of their hearts. Give us the will, the strength, and the courage to not allow the enemy to keep us from our calling, our purpose, but to fulfill it for your glory. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Saturday Song – A Special “O Holy Night”

Posted on by Dorci

“For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish
but have eternal life.”
John 3:16

Amidst the twinkling lights, baking, and shopping, I pray we follow our Father’s example and give the most important gift: love.  I hope this blesses you as much as it did me.  Merry Christmas.

 

Remember Your Position

Posted on by Dorci

Some wise words from Anne Graham Lotz.


“For you are all sons (those who inherit) of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, ‘Abba, Father!’  Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.”
Galatians 3:26, 4:6-7

Think About These Things

Posted on by Dorci


It is incredibly easy to get focused on what’s going wrong, what went wrong, and what might go wrong in the future. 

Paul had plenty he could have been depressed about when he wrote his letter to the Church in Philippi.

He was writing while imprisoned unjustly and constantly guarded, and had to rely on people outside the prison to supply most of his food and anything else he needed. He lived with a chronic health issue. And he faced the real possibility of execution.

Five times he’d been punished with thirty-nine lashes, three times he was beaten with rods and once was stoned. He was shipwrecked three times, and spent a whole night adrift at sea. He faced danger from rivers, robbers, Jews and Gentiles, wolves in sheep’s clothing, in cities, deserts, and on the seas. He had sleepless nights, had gone without food and water, and had shivered from enduring cold without enough clothing to keep him warm. 

But Paul did not focus on those outward things. 

His focus was on his Savior and his calling, and both of those led him to have a heart for God’s people. Instead of thinking about all that was going wrong or could go wrong, he’s writing a letter to the body of Christ to encourage them. 

He tells them not to worry about him, but reminds them the truth that his imprisonment has only served to advance the gospel inside and outside the prison.

He finds it praiseworthy that his imprisonment has served to strengthen the faith of believers, that they “dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear.”

And he speaks of the loveliness of this body of believers in sharing in his suffering by sending him aid. 

Paul’s whole heart, mind, and soul are laser-focused on the Lord, on getting out the gospel for the sake of lost souls, and encouraging his beloved brothers and sisters. 

If we’re abiding in Christ, our circumstances are in the hands of a gracious and merciful and loving Father. And the excellent thing about Him is that He loves to be our strength when we are weak, and He will use those circumstances in ways we might not know about until we see Him face to face. 

Paul never knew he was writing the majority of the New Testament, and that 2000 years later we would be benefitting  from the encouragement he took and wrote about to the churches while he was in prison. 

Yes, there’s a lot going on in our own lives and all around us we could focus on that is untrue, unjust, unrighteous, etc., etc., and etc.

But we can take our thoughts away from those things and focus them on the Lord, the gospel, and our calling. We walk in the Spirit by first thinking in the Spirit, seeing our circumstances through the eyes of Christ, remembering He has a plan, and praise Him for all the ways He’s blessed us, is blessing us, and will bless us. 

God’s given each of us spiritual gifts to use, and circumstances that allow us to use them. 

I think about my own life, and let me tell you, it’s been a doozy. Almost from day 1 to now it’s been an uphill climb. Sometimes I come to some level ground, although even that’s been rocky. And every once in a while I come to an oasis – a true word from the Lord, a lovely friend, or a praiseworthy answer to prayer. 

Yet I remember that it is in the very depths of those difficult circumstances that draw me to Christ, keep me needing Him, abiding in Him, and loving Him more and more. And without all He’s taught me through them, I wouldn’t have had much, if anything, to write about. 

Even if we can think of nothing else, we can focus on the fact that

“In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 1 Peter 1:6-7

So. What can we focus on right now, today, that is

True (truth)? 

Noble (worthy of respect)?

Right (just, in character or act)?

Pure (innocent, modest, perfect)?

Lovely (friendly towards)?

Admirable (well spoken of)?

Excellent (praise, virtue)?

Praiseworthy (commendable)?

Hint: The best place to be reminded of all that is true and praiseworthy and everything in between is in the very pages of God’s Word. (Can you imagine Paul’s joy knowing that here we are in 2021 taking courage from his encouragement?)

And one more word of truth lived out by our brother Paul – 

“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” 2 Cor. 10:5

Heavenly Father, we give you praise for our salvation through Christ and for the continual blessing of the Holy Spirit. When we begin to get our eyes onto things or perspectives that would bring us down, remind us of what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. Help us remember and live worthy of our calling to the praise and glory of Jesus Christ. And thank you for preparing for us a place in heaven, where we will live with you and everything that is good and right and holy forever and ever. In Jesus’ precious name, amen. 

 

The Believer’s Speech

Posted on by Dorci

My son was at the store the other day standing in an aisle searching for what he needed when he overhead a couple of employees near him deep into a very colorful conversation deriding this group and that one. Their conversation disturbed him so much that he found another employee to let her know what was going on, and then he called me. 

Of course it was disheartening to hear that that kind of divisive and hateful talk was going on, let alone by two employees who are supposed to be working, and that some of the hateful comments were directed toward Israel. 

But it shouldn’t be surprising. 

1 John 3:13 tells us

“Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters, if the world hates you.” 

The world doesn’t only hate believers, though. It just hates. And the hate seems to be revving up. Or at least people seem to feel more free to speak their hatred out loud, joining in the chorus. 

Hate seems to be the speech of the day. 

But it should never be our speech. 

The speech of believers ought to be prayer. 

Jesus said

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven.”  Matthew 5:43-44

As I talked to my son, empathizing with him, that yes, this was a terrible thing that people were talking this way, and even worse that it was in their own place of business for any customer to hear, the Lord put on my heart to tell him that maybe God put him in that aisle, at that moment in time, so that he could hear their hateful words and pray for them. 

Is there anyone who needs prayer more that someone whose heart is filled with hatred? Is there anyone who needs the redeeming grace of God more? 

I told him God’s given him an opportunity to pray for these men. Maybe, just maybe, God wants to save them and give the world two more souls who love instead of hate.

Praying for them also protects our hearts from unforgiveness and bitterness.

I hear a lot of believers talking about the terrible sins going on in the world, but how we talk about it much of the time is no different than the world. I hear speech that is hateful, mocking, divisive. 

Friends, that is not God’s way. Yes, it’s our natural instinct and gut reaction to the sin we see, but being in Christ we should hate the sin because we know that the people caught in it are people loved by God and made in His image, and are being swallowed up by it. That should grieve us just as it grieves the Lord. 

But if we act like the world instead, how do we expect it to see the love of Christ and know there’s a better way? How do we expect to be walking, breathing testimonies of His love and grace? How can we hate in one breath and in the next talk about God’s love? 

As we let God’s love mature in our hearts, we’ll see with His eyes of mercy, our speech will always be gracious, seasoned with salt, and we’ll understand the privilege and responsibility we have to pray for the lost souls God puts in our way. After all, we were all lost once. 

The world has enough hate. It needs our love and it needs our prayers. 

 

Father, forgive me for the times my speech has not been glorifying to you or edifying to those around me. Set a guard over my tongue, and give me eyes that see with your grace, that I might pray and do your will.  In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.