The Gospel is for believers as well

The apostle Paul wrote the letter of Romans to the Christians in Rome.

Being a Roman citizen by birth, but having never been there, Paul was eager to finally see Rome. He was planning a new mission to Spain (Romans 15:24), so Paul considered it the perfect opportunity to see Rome enroute to Spain.

Whilst there, Paul would also seek to be strengthened by the Christians there in Rome and likewise, he could also help them in their faith

Romans 1:11-12:

"For I long to see you so that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, that you may be established; that is, that I may be encouraged together with you while among you, each of us by the other's faith, both yours and mine."

Not only did Paul want to encourage them in their faith as well as be encouraged by them, Paul wanted to preach to them the gospel.

Romans 1:15:

"So, for my part, I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome."

So the original recipients of Paul's letter were the members of the church in Rome. The majority were both Jewish and Gentile Christians.

The book of Romans has some of the greatest summaries of the gospel contained within it.
Martin Luther, the great reformer said of Romans:

"This letter is truly the most important piece in the New Testament. It is purest Gospel..."

The interesting question here is, why does Paul preach the gospel to Christians?
Look at these verses:

Paul preached the gospel to the saints at Ephesus:

Ephesians 1:3-8:
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,
just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him In love
He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will,
to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight.”

He also preached the gospel to the church at Corinth:

1 Corinthians 15:1-2 says:
“Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand,
by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.”

Note here in these verses, Paul points out to the Corinthians, that the gospel is:
1) by which also you are saved
2) in which they now stand

We all know the most obvious fact regarding the gospel, that is, it is for the unsaved in which they can gain salvation. But the fact is, Scripture not only preaches justification by faith and the redemptive work of Christ at the cross for the unsaved, but it also preaches the gospel to believers even far more than it does to those who are not saved.

I mean, just look at the Pauline epistles – they are letters for the Christian churches that outline instructions for Godly and righteous living.

The gospel, I feel, has been consigned to only a message of good news for the unsaved and that’s about it.
But this would be a grave mistake on our part.
The gospel is not something we experience at the point of salvation and then shelve for some time and then pull out when you encounter those who don’t know Christ.

This attitude shows a lack of understanding, on our part of the true Christian life and of salvation by grace, through faith in Christ.
We, at times, forget the fact that while we were (and will be) passive participants in our justification and future glorification, we are still very much participants in our on-going sanctification, the process in which we become more like Christ, while the hold of sin on us lessens.

So, we should regularly remind ourselves of the gospel and the power that is gained within.
Why? Well, living a true Christian life and following in the footsteps of Christ is inextricably connected to the work of Christ at the cross.

Because of the gospel, once we were dead, now we have life. 
Because of the gospel, our former slavery to sin and the guilt of sin is broken.
Because of the gospel we can now escape the temptation of sin through the strength which He provides.
Because of the gospel, when we sin, we are forgiven.
Because of the gospel, our prayers for are heard. 
Because of the gospel, we can worship our awesome God.
Because of the gospel, we never need to feel that we are on a constant performance treadmill and in which the Christian life seems an impossible standard of living.
Because if the gospel, we can rest knowing that God will never hold our sin against us.

Really good News
The gospel, then really is good news. It is especially good news for Christians.
We should dwell in the gospel more often, remind ourselves daily of how amazing the gospel really is and experience the life-transforming and sanctifying power if it.

2009 Impact Bible Conference - Hastings, NZ

I love the first weekend of June as this is where I head to the Impact Bible Conference held in Hastings, NZ.

This year, the usually talented line-up includes:

- Jerry Wragg, Pastor of Grace Immanuel Bible Church in Florida
- Rick Holland, College Pastor at Grace Community Church in Los Angeles
- Martha Peace from Faith Bible Church in Georgia.

That dates for this conference are 29 May - 2 June 2009.

Don't miss this opportunity to catch some great teaching and participate in biblical worship and fellowship.

Be challenged!

Having true fellowship

The third purpose for our home group is fellowship.

I guess it is fair to say that the meaning of 'Fellowship' has been watered down over time and I am quite certain that the fellowship exercised by the early church is quite different from what some people, or dare I say it, some churches in this day, would understand fellowship to be and to mean.

For instance, would you consider two friends who both share a passion for golf and who spend every weekend playing the game they love, to be fellowship?
Would you even consider two Christian friends who both supported the same rugby team and often spent time together talking about their team and discussing the various selection dilemmas if they were the head coaches to be fellowship?
Consider a Christian family sitting at the dinner table, sharing a meal and talking about the events of the day. Is that fellowship?

The problem is, many people don't really know. Many don't know what true fellowship is. They don't really know how to experience fellowship and they probably wouldn't even recognise it if they actually experienced it.

So, in order for us to find out what true fellowship is, we need to go back to God's Word and see for ourselves.

The word fellowship in the New Testament is the Greek word koinōnia and it means contribution, participation, sharing.
It appears some 19 times and is translated (in NASB) as fellowship 9 times. In the other instances, it is translated as Contribution, Participation or Sharing.

So fellowship is a word that speaks of close partnership.

The first instance we find it in the NT is in Acts 2:42:

"They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer."

Here is another example found in 1 Corinthians 1:9:

"God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord."

and another. This is in 1 John 1:3:

"what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ."

It is interesting to note 3 things from the passage in 1 John 1:
1) The source of our fellowship
2) Who can have fellowship
3) The reason why we have fellowship

1) The source of our fellowship is Christ.
In verses 1-3, John goes to great lengths to explain that what he is telling us he knows from personal experience. In verse 1, he says "what we have heard, what we have seen, looked and touched." For emphasis, John repeats this in verses 2 and 3.
His reference of course is to Christ. Christ is the source from what he has heard, seen, looked at and touched.
Just as God revealed Himself to Israel in the Old Testament through various prophets, so God chose to reveal Himself to the world through His Son in the New Testament.

From verse 3, John explains to his readers how they can have fellowship with the apostles and God. He knows this from what he heard and saw from Christ.

2) Fellowship is designed for believers.
It is likely that John's readers are Christians. It is only possible for believers to fellowship with God since fellowship follows salvation.
Verse 3 also indicates that not only is fellowship a vertical thing (between the believer and God), but is also allows fellowship horizontally, that is, with other believers. This also illustrates that not only is God the source of fellowship, but salvation must be a pre-requisite for fellowship.

3) The reason to have fellowship is so that our joy will be complete (v4). We cannot experience real joy until we have a relationship with God and it is growing. Unless we are in Christ, we cannot have real joy in our relationships with other believers (John 15:11).

In short, fellowship is understanding that through our relationship with Christ, we also have a relationship with all believers. Fellowship is spending time with other believers, studying Gods Word, praying with and for each other, edifying each other through encouragement and gentle correction in order to contribute to our sanctification.
It is sharing with one another the common entity that unites us, communicating to each other what things our Great God has done for us and revealed to us through His Word that encouraged and strengthened us.

Next time you are in your own home group, put away the conversations about the weather, politics or the state of the country's economy.  Put aside your pride, but instead reveal to others what you have been struggling with and ask them to pray for you. Discuss with each other ways in which you can keep your quiet times fresh and invigorating and find new opportunities in which you can serve others.

Don't waste time on unimportant things and meaningless conversation. Sanctification is a life-long process and fellowship is a special gift we have been given to help us along the way.

Caring for one another

The second purpose of our home group is for each member to participate in mutual  care of one another.

Sadly, this is not always the case in most churches. Since the church does not comprise of perfect, sinless people, this can't be the case.
It certainly wasn't the case with the Corinthian church who suffered from a great number of difficulties and sins, which Paul had later heard about (1 Corinthians 1:11, 1 Corinthians 11:18) and which prompted him to write this letter to them.

Care for one another. On the face of it, this seems such a cliche or such a politically correct thing to suggest as a purpose for the group, but it is important to understand the logic behind this command. Once we get a better understanding of how we as believers are related, our attitude will change from 'Why should I?' to "How could I not?'
Let me explain.

The command for us to care for one another is found in 1 Corinthians 12:25 and the command comes with a warning if the command is not met.  The verse says :

"that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another."

1 Corinthians 12 gives us some instructions in the use of our spiritual gifts and in it, we also find the analogy that Paul uses to describe the individual members of the church as members of a living and growing body in which Christ is the head.

This is essentially what the church is. It is a living, growing organism.
There are a few other analogies in the NT which also portrays the church as an organism.
John 10:16 talks of the Shepherd and his flock. In John 15:1-5, the church is likened to a vine in which Christ is the branch and Revelation 19:7 illustrates the bride (the church) being presented to the groom (Christ).

So the church is an organism. It is living, it is growing, it is indestructible (Matthew 10:16). It is precisely this not only because Christ has all of creation been made subject to Him and not only is He the head of the church, but He builds and fills the church as He pleases and uses the church to showcase His glory to the world (Ephesians 1:22-23).

That is mind boggling stuff, but certainly very exciting to be part of.

So, the church is a living organism and all the individual believers are the members that make up the church (the body).
Now, there are 4 main aspects that Paul uses to further develop this analogy of the church being like a body and functioning like a body:

Diversity
All members are different.
No two members are exactly the same, and we all have slightly different functions. Just because no one member is not the same as another, doesn't make that one member any less useful or important.
Consider the parts of your own body. Each part has a function and all parts are as equally important otherwise the body will fail to function properly. Your fingers cannot work without the hand and the hand cannot work without the forearm and so on.

Unity
The church is made up of many members (1 Corinthians 12:12, Romans 12:5, Ephesians 1:22-23), but all members are are members of one body and all the members are united by one spirit (1 Corinthians 12:12; Ephesians 4:4).
We are all borne of the same spirit, indwelt by the same spirit, baptized into the body by one spirit and we are made to drink from the same spirit (1 Corinthians 12:12).

It is this same spirit that unites us.

God's Design
1 Corinthians 12:18 says

"But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired."

The word 'placed' used here means to have been divinely appointed.

We must understand that we have been intentionally placed in the church by God, with the varying gifts and resources that we have as He has designed.
He does nothing by accident.  God wants the church functioning just as it should be because that is the way He has designed it to be and to function.
He has carefully metered out to us, according to our faith, the resource or gifts that is required to carry out His work within the church (Romans 12:3).

We all have different functions, but we all receive our gifts from the Holy Spirit just as He has willed and determined (1 Corinthians 12:11, Hebrews 2:4). The Holy Spirit is the source of our different gifts and is the same spirit that unites us.

Harmony
God has not only chosen believers and put them into specific places with particular gifts, He has also, in His wisdom, blended or mixed the various parts or members together.

The word here 'composed' (other versions use 'blended', 'combined' or 'tempered') means to mix together.
This word is used in the context of an artist and the way the artist mixes and blends primary colours to form new colours. These new colours would then go onto the picture in the precise way that the artist decides.
So too with the church and the way in which God mixes the members together within the church. Each member is a mixture or blend of all the various gifts and inputs from other member's gifts and skills, and you are the exact 'colour' that you have designed to be.

This analogy broadly shows how the many members, however different they are, belong to one another within the same body and how dependent they are on each other to work and for the body to function properly and efficiently.

So, given this, what steps can we take to drive this change so that we care for one another as we should?

1) We need to understand that we all in Christ (Romans 12:5, Galatians 3:28, Colossians 3:11).

This is vitally important. We must understand that we all different parts of the same body and that we are all indwelt and united by the same spirit. Together we comprise the body of Christ, in which He is our head.

2) We must accept our diversity.

It is important that we realize that we won't have the same gifts as one another (1 Corinthians 12:19), but accept our own particular gifts and place in the body.

The Corinthians made the mistake of not doing this and this contributed greatly to the division and strife that existed among them.

3) To achieve point 2) we are commanded to treat all members equally as none of us more important that any other. In fact, Paul says that for any member we consider less honourable or less presentable, we must make that member even more honourable and even more presentable (1 Corinthians 12:23-24).

We are the body of Christ and in it there should be no sense of superiority among us and no sense of inferiority.

Instead we are to care for one another, to ensure that the body of Christ glorifies Him and that world sees how marvellous and glorious He really is.

Sanctification

As believers, we possess a desire to become like Christ. Our sanctification should not be a passive process. It should not be one in which we cruise, relax and have an idle attitude toward. Rather, we should actively pursue and seek after sanctification (Hebrews 12:14).

One of the purposes for our home group this year is to help and encourage each member in their desire and pursuit of Christlikeness. This is a process that will literally take a lifetime, so what better way to work this out than within an encouraging and supportive church or home group environment.

So, what is sanctification?
According to scripture, there is positional sanctification. This means to be made Holy, or to be set apart by God and for God.
It is an instantaneous act of God in which believers are declared Holy (1 Corinthians 1:2; Hebrews 10:10).
This describes our position before God and should be distinguished from progressive sanctification.

Progressive sanctification is the ongoing process in which believers become more and more like Christ and in which the hold of sin in our lives lessens.
It is the progressive sanctification that we are concerned with here.

But to me, one of the most mind-blowing things about the process of sanctification is that as believers, we already reflect the glory of God, but as our knowledge of Him grows and as our relationship with Him deepens, more and more of His glory will be reflected in us (2 Corinthians 3:18).

When does progressive sanctification begin?
The process of sanctification begins the moment we are regenerated.
John 3:3 says:
Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

The moment we are born-again, we are regenerated.
Ezekiel 36:25-27 gives a picture of regeneration whereby God sprinkles a sinner with water to cleanse him from all his filthiness, gives the man a new heart and puts His spirit within him.

Regeneration is an instantaneous, sovereign act of God whereby a spiritually dead person is raised into a new life in Christ (Ephesians 2:1-6).

With regeneration comes a new heart and new desires. In a true believer, this is instantly noticeable.
A desire to know God and a desire for holiness should be apparant in a true believer. A desire to worship, serve, honour and obey God is instilled in him.
These new desires, however are not just God focussed, but also focussed on others. A new desire to love and serve others is also instilled in a new believer.

These new desires are impossible in a natural man, in his ungenerated state.

Even though we have new desires, it is important to note that we still have our old desires. Worldly desires, desires of the flesh (Galatians 5:16-17).
This is an on-going battle whereby the desires of the flesh opposes the new desires placed in us by the Holy Spirit and tries to lead us into sin, but the Holy Spirit sustains our new desires from being devoured by the desires of the flesh.

Our part in the process.
This then, requires a concerted effort on our part, gaining our strength from God, to strive for sustained obedience to God and for Holiness (2 Corinthians 7:1).

I love the analogy Paul uses in Philippians 3:10-14 whereby he likens a runner in a race to the process of christian growth. Whilst the runner is running his race, he has not yet won, but he must have the determination to press on to win his prize.
So it is with our daily process of sanctification. While we may reflect the glory of God, we have not yet attained the prize of Heavenly rewards and glorification. We must press on with our eyes on the prize and be determined to win.

In order to help us in our constant battle we should:
1) Seek Gods strength through persistent and earnest prayer
2) Abide or remain in Christ
3) Saturate ourselves in His word daily. Not only read God's Word, but to also apply what we read. This is critical.
In James 1:22-24, James likens those who read God's Word, but upon reading doesn't make any changes to their lives to a man who gets up in the morning, looks and then leaves without making changes to the way he looks.
In reality, no man leaves for work without first showering, shaving, combing his hair and brushing his teeth before dressing appropriately.
Why then do we so often fail to change what we see must be changes, but do not.
We must be prepared to analyse what we see in the mirror (Scripture) and be prepared to make the necessary adjustments to what we see or know to be unsightly.

Back to the Home Group
To bring this back to a home group perspective, we shouldn't feel that we are alone in doing this. Sanctification and battling sin on a hourly basis is no easy task and it is certainly no easy road.

Whilst as believers we carry some responsibility for our own sin and our practice before God, there is a great amount of nourishment and refreshment to be gained from a God-centered home group.

Home Group 2009

This year I have been given the privilege of leading a home group.
It won't be an easy year, but a year that I am hopeful will be very fulfilling, where I will get to know a new group of people better, but most importantly a year in which my relationship with Christ will be all the more stronger and my walk with Him will be closer.

This is a brand new group and many of those attending are new to our church, but reside near where I live.

I am a big fan of home groups and find them to be invaluable.They provide a forum and opportunity for believers to gather, study Gods Word and to help and encourage each other in the working out of their salvation that is not always possible on a Sunday morning.

With this in mind, I have set 3 main goals for the group:

1) Our progressive sanctification
2) Mutual care
3) Fellowship

In the first 3 sessions, we will do a mini-study on each of these topics to discuss these further and set the tone for the group.

So, here goes...