Ephesians
4:11-15 “So Christ himself
gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors
and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body
of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith
and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the
whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed
back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of
teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful
scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become
in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.”
Michael continues: A
real man and woman are not mature until they "run to the King (Jesus) and
bow down to authority." It may be difficult to "grow-up"
and give in, but this is what is required to come before the throne of grace
with a heart of humility and meekness. "Transparency" means to be
able to divulge ourselves to those who need to be helped. In order to deal
with sin, we must first identify the problem so that we can concentrate on the
solution. According to 1 John,
if we claim that we are in the light
while we are in the darkness, then we deceive ourselves. Satan's name
means "deceiver." If we deceive ourselves, we're playing in the
Satan's ballpark. However, if we
confess our sin (our missing God’s mark, our shortcomings and failures), He is faithful and just to forgive us of all
unrighteousness. To come to Jesus, we must crucify our selfish flesh
nature in order to come to Him with a humble and a contrite heart.
Psalm
51:15-17 “O Lord, open my
lips, and my mouth shall show forth Your praise. For You do not desire
sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. The
sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart—these,
O God, You will not despise.”
When
we're right with God in fellowship with Him, our prayer for others must be the
prayer that Jesus prayed while hanging on the cross: "Father forgive them
for they know not what they do." As Romans 12 exhorts us,
"Be not overcome of evil but overcome evil with good." We cannot have
Christian fellowship until we are walking
in the light as He is in the light. When we walk together in the light
then truly our fellowship is with our Heavenly Father, His Son Christ Jesus,
and one with another in the household of faith.
Hebrews
12:14 “ Make every
effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy;without holiness no
one will see the Lord.”
The
exhortation to fellowship is for fellows to get into the boat and row together
with our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the captain of our salvation. When
we're in the vessel together then we can be "harmoniously fitted
together." There is tremendous energy released in a "fusion
reaction" that unites many into one. We have been called, collectively, as
the "body of Christ" so that others can witness
"holiness." Holiness means to be set apart according to the
purpose intended by the Designer. Holiness means to "Give 'em
heaven!" Ephesians 4:13 is a picture of fellowship and a fitting
benediction: “From whom the whole body fitly joined together and
compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual
working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying
of itself in love.”
2
Corinthians 13:14 “May the grace of
the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the
Holy Spirit be with you all.
May
God richly bless you!
Your brother in Christ, Michael
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