Tag Archives: denominations

Being One in Jesus

Posted on 23/05/2016 | Leave a comment

Last time I wrote about how Jesus prayed specifically and most pointedly for you and me, as if it were the most important request ever . . . .

 That they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You (John 17:21)

Can you see what that means? We are to be ONE together, with one another, with each believer, in the same way that Jesus is ONE with the Father.

We are ever so plainly told here what is the will of God for us, what we must observe, what we must obey.

You could not get anything more obvious about the will of Jesus and the will of the Father for you who love Him and follow Him.

It is as plain as the nose on your face.

Unless you are nose-less or even faceless or blind.

If this is the will of Jesus, then it is absolutely, beyond any shadow of doubt, that we do what He says, do what he so seriously prayed for us, our destiny, our identity, just before His immeasurable, unrepeatable, awful and costly sacrifice for us.

We cannot escape the carrying out of this ultimate imperative.

That is, if we love Him.

If we ignore this awesome destiny, it may be that all our efforts are a waste of time. Wood. Hay. Stubble.

If we fail to change our minds at this point and put it off till another time, we are living in disobedience.

How shall we escape if we ignore such a great desire and plan and purpose of the Living, Loving God? Something so close to His heart?

What shall we say to the Judge of all the earth when we stand before Him?

So how can we –you and all of us—who call ourselves Christians, who profess the faith of Jesus, who claim to be biblical, who believe in truth and righteousness, how can you go on identifying yourselves as Anglican or Baptist or Pentecostal or whatever, belonging to separate competing groups and religious structures, divided over doctrines and along denominational divisions, none of which were envisioned by our Lord, and all of which hurt Him terribly?

Does he ask the impossible?

Yes impossible, unless we abandon our fleshly ideas of church and ministry and start boldly and humbly relying on the Holy Spirit who is give to us for this very task.

All things are possible to the one who believes.

The first step is repentance. Change of the mind. And the will.

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A New Covenant—Ignored?

Posted on 22/04/2016 | Leave a comment

God’s first agreement (covenant) with His people, Israel, was defective, wrote the author of the New Testament book The Letter to the Hebrews (8:7-8) so a better was needed. This author shows how much more serious is our attitude and response to the New Covenant (how shall we escape if we ignore its implications, Hebrews 2:1-4).

The new must not be ignored. God’s design practices for corporate worship revealed in the New Covenant/New Testament must be followed. We must not lose His words or replace them by worldly or pagan ideas and practices like clergy—laity, pastor—people.

In this better covenant Jesus is not prevented by death and we are ALL called into the experience of the Lord Jesus in the power of his endless, indestructible life in which he works in us who draw near. He promises to energise within us, in our own life, breathing his life in us, so that it becomes our new nature to love him, delight to do his will—his own life in us.

Have believers gone backwards since Judaism with corporate matters?  In many ways our practices in churches as Christ’s people today are often more bound and institutional and domineering to that of many devout Jews in Jesus’ own day. Jews did not have a pastor or priest ruling over them. Nor did they meet in ‘house-of-the-Lord’ type buildings. Nor was the sharing of the word of God jealously guarded by one (or two) leaders.  The synagogue was a place of discussion and sharing of scriptures by the several.  Common meals were frequently shared together. Plus each synagogue was independently managed. They did not have to toe the line of any outside superintendent, C.E.O., denomination, statement of faith, or any head office!

These churchy practices plainly ignore the New Covenant.

How far we have drifted from the apostles’ teaching and practice! They were liberated from the practices of Judaism, yes, of religion and the Holy Spirit was living in each one! Yet today Christendom is weak, divided up into competing denominations, living “in the flesh” and generally not experiencing the New Covenant. It seems we have a similar situation today to that which our Hebrews author was addressing  (Heb 8:7-8) . . . .

 If the first covenant with God had been all right, there would not have been any need for another one. But the Lord found fault with them and said . . . . . .  (quoting Jer 31:31-34)

I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts.
I will be their God, and they will be my people.
No longer will they teach or say to one another, “Know the Lord,”
because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest.
For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.’

Can we just go on and on ignoring the New Covenant made at the most tremendous cost to the Father by Jesus?

“If you love me you will keep my commands”  John 14:15

To be continued

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SALTY AND LIT UP

Posted on 12/02/2016 | Leave a comment

Jesus words to his disciples in Matthew 5 . . .

“You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned? It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.  You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden.  Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house.  Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.”

We obey these amazing words of Jesus today if we are his disciples and not mere churchgoers or professors of religion.

His words are so encouraging: “You are the salt of the earth! You are the light of the world!”

Those who follow him are declared wonderful, salt that has a heavenly and altogether different taste to what is seen in the world whether in ancient Israel or in our troubled world of 2016.

Jesus’ words show he expected his disciples to be outstanding, flavoursome, even delicious. They were intended for suffering, as the context of his words surely indicate, but yet for glory. For glory!

His disciples are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Amazing. World changers.

Is that how you see yourself as a follower of Jesus? How else can you see yourself in Christ?

There is no way his expectation of us would be anything less because he is the living bread who comes down from heaven and gives life abundantly. He promises the Holy Spirit as our helper, our resource.

Not quite like the average religious people attending church services.

Jesus intended nothing like church buildings, money-driven organisations, services, priests and hierarchies. Right?

He intended that his followers be salt that had not lost its flavour and light that would not be hidden in Christian ghettos. He hates it when his people are lukewarm (Revelation 3). He would rather have them cold. But he expects them to be hot with all the amazing blessings he has lavished upon them. Isn’t that true?

They must be good salt—full of good deeds like their master because they are in him and he in them.

Their light must shine before others.

Others must see their good deeds, without them seeking the glory from men, just the glory from God.

And as a result, glorify their heavenly Father. You agree?

What have we all done with Jesus’ designs, his intentions, his commands? slumbering as we often do under the false systems of denominational, competitive businesses driven by human effort and worldly glory. So we have salt that has lost all the brilliant taste of its designer. So what will happen to this useless salt? It will be thrown out.

The light of Jesus’ good news must be shining out there in the world, upon the needy, the sick and oppressed of the satan. But all too often the light is hidden. Are we so afraid to approach the people of the world that we instead find plenty of meetings, conferences, seminars, talk-fests, group studies and formal study courses are more important?

Time for change. Radical change. Re-formation. Are we up for it?

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