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God Be With You

Movies do this often.  The final words of a character are often very important.  Having spent three years in Ephesus, it was understandable that when Paul needed to go to certain imprisonment and persecution in Jerusalem, he wanted to speak to the church there.  But, not wanting to be held up long with people he loved, he had the elders trek about 40 miles to the coast to speak to him at Miletus (Acts 20:17-38).  What he said is important for all of us as part of a local body of Christ to minister to one another after a leader has left.

I.  1 Corinthians 12:18-26.  To minister to the flock, you must pay careful attention to the other parts of the body.  None of us is alone as a Christian but have a responsibility to serve, feed, and care for one another.  The first stanza of the hymn, “God Be With You,” explains this:

God be with you till we meet again; By His counsels guide, uphold you, With His sheep securely fold you; God be with you till we meet again.

God has a relationship with each of us, yes, but it is collectively as His bride that He sanctifies us (Ephesians 5:25-32).  We can study His Word and determine to live for him alone, yes, but it is together that are secure and have fellowship with believers who help us keep in step with the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-25).

II.  Matthew 7:15-20.  To minister to the flock, you must watch for wolves from without and within.  Both might be hard to spot as they may appear as friends who tell you exactly what your itching ears delight to hear, so it is by the ‘fruit’ of their lives that you will know them.  The song continues:

God be with you till we meet again; ‘Neath His wings protecting hide you, Daily manna still provide you; God be with you till we meet again.

Satan is the biggest wolf without (1 Peter 5:8), but even he can masquerade as an angel of light.  When warned of the wolf within, Cain still killed his brother (Genesis 4:5-9).  We must protect and provide for each sheep just as Jesus would (Luke 15:4-5).

III.  John 10:2-5.  To minister to the flock, you must first be alert yourself.  Paul considered it his responsibility to minister to his brothers and sisters (2 Corinthians 11:28-29).  So, it is ours, who strive to follow Christ, to help others listen to the Good Shepherd’s voice.  The third verse says it this way:

God be with you till we meet again; Keep love’s banner floating o’er you, Smite death’s threatening wave before you; God be with you till we meet again.

We each have the responsibility of working out our own salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12), yes, but we can lighten the loads that others carry by our instruction, encouragement, and concern for them (Galatians 6:1-5).  This is how the body works together.

Goodbye (from “God be w’ ye” or the name of the hymn) is so final, and indeed the elders wept knowing they would never see Paul’s face again … in this life.  You see, for Christians who are parting, even physical death is a temporary separation.  We will all see each other again in heaven for eternity.  Rather, it is ‘So long’ or ‘See you later.’  The song captures this sentiment in the refrain:

Till we meet, till we meet, Till we meet at Jesus’ feet; Till we meet, Till we meet again, God be with you till we meet again. 

 

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Immerse Yourself in Them

There are two ways to enter a pool: cannonball or creep.  Those who creep endure a slow, inch-by-excruciating-inch torture of cold water on their feet, ankles, legs, knees, etc. and usually complain loudly at each step of the way until they finally put their heads under and exclaim, “It’s alright once you get in!”  Those who jump right in skip the torture in a split-second shock … and usually splash (and annoy) those creeping in.

This is how it is with a living out of our faith (1 Timothy 4:15-16).

I.  Revelation 3:15-16.  We’ve all been around those who have truly realized the gospel, obeyed it, and then been “on fire” for God.  If we’re ones creeping into our Christian walk, then we might have even found ourselves splashed with a little more church or Jesus than we’re acclimated to.  Paul’s advice to Timothy is immerse himself into His Christian walk.  God does not like lukewarm Christianity!

II.   James 3:1.  Even the first duty of someone seeking to be a shepherd over God’s flock is to watch himself first (Acts 20:28-31).  That is Paul’s next piece of advice to the young evangelist, but it is not just for ourselves that we pay careful attention to how we walk.  We also are to be careful of what we teach to make sure that whether in word or deed we do all according to God’s Word (Colossians 3:17).

III.  James 1:2-12.  Anyone can do right as an event (even a stopped clock is right twice a day), but it takes someone truly committed to walking as Jesus did (1 John 2:6) to persist in living out God’s Word.  If we persevere, Paul tells Timothy that he will save both himself and his hearers.

This doesn’t happen by those inching their way into their Christian walk.  It’s time to cannonball in!

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Stand Before the Son of Man

When coming to Luke 21, we can’t switch from preaching the gospel to reading the tabloids!  In the manual for life, Jesus, zeroing in on verses 34-36, gives us advice about how to live in this life so we can live in the next.

I. Matthew 14:27-30.  After Peter is invited to step out of the boat, he loses his focus on Jesus and begins to sink.  So do we when our hearts are weighed down by the struggles of this life.  We are to fix our eyes on the eternal (2 Corinthians 4:16-18), particularly on Jesus so we don’t grow weary and lose heart (Hebrews 12:1-3).

II. Mark 14:32-38.  At Gethsemane, Jesus asks his followers to watch while He prayed.  Why?  For Him or for them?  The question is answered when He returns and tells them to watch and pray to not be tempted.  Prayer is the church’s weapon of choice (Acts 12:4-5).  We do not wage spiritual war as the world does, and so must use heavenly weapons (2 Corinthians 10:3-5).

III. Ephesians 6:10-13.  At the end of all things, we must be able to stand before the Son of Man.  That’s what the decisions we make in this life are all about.  How good it will be to hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21), if we have stood our ground using the full armor of God to aid us.  If we persevere, God will hand us a crown of life as we stand before Him (James 1:12).

So, is your heart weighed down by the temporary struggles of this life?  Where are your eyes fixed?  Are you watching and praying?  Are you wearing the full armor of God daily?

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‘Serious praying’ in 1 Peter 4.7

Mike Brooks shows special interest in two key words in 1 Peter 4.7. He then says,

Prayer is serious business. It is not to be engaged in lightly or carelessly. We are asking for the attention of the almighty ruler of the universe. That is not given negligently.

Be sure to read his whole article on Forthright Magazine: “Serious Praying.” The link also contains a prayer need, in the first two paragraphs.