Satan's Wagging Tail....

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   Therefore, when we could no longer endure it, we thought it good to be left in Athens alone, and sent Timothy, our brother and minister of God, and our fellow laborer in the gospel of Christ, to establish you and encourage you concerning your faith, that no one should be shaken by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we are appointed to this. (1 Thess 3, 1-3) 

   At first glance this seems an ordinary passage, perhaps even shallow. But a deeper look at two words it contains illuminates a deeper view. 

   When Paul described Timothy as a minister, what did you think? We use the word  minister as a 
title of leadership, and we know Paul has trained Timothy as a leader so it's easy to deduce that Paul is telling us he sent Timothy to lead as the Ordained Minister at the church in Thessaloniki. The Greek word translated as minister has a much more humble origin. 

   Originally the word denoted the service of a table waiter, and from that it came to signify lowly service of any kind. It was often used by the early Christians to give expression to the service that they habitually were to render to both God and to man. Where a word like 'slave,' which is often used of Christians, puts the emphasis on the personal relation, this word draws attention to the act of service being rendered." (Morris) 

   Paul sent Timothy to serve the church. Only servant leadership produces servant leaders. When the Lord sent you to your church, did you go to lead or to serve?

   Paul follows this with the expression that no one should be shaken by these afflictions; Some afflictions shake us up, they frighten us. But the Greek word chosen by the Holy Spirit here has subtle implications easily missed when translated into English. Trapp explains it like this -- 

 The ancient Greek word translated shaken, came from the idea of a dog wagging its tail. "Flattered, as a dog flattereth, by moving his tail; the devil, by flattering you, with promise of more ease by a contrary course, will but do as a dirty dog, defile you with fawning." (Trapp)

   Oh, has the Satan wagged his flattering distractions before my eyes a thousand times! What is his hope? To turn me from servant leadership to desiring the prideful ownership of a Christian position of authority. He hates a humble heart as much as the Lord loves one. 

   Children of God, there is a battle for our hearts. If Satan's tail is wagging the benefits of religious position before your eyes, turn your heart back to the Lord and serve Him with humility.

   For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. (John 6:38)

   Copyright 2014 Mission of the Master Ministries, Inc. 

Walking in the Spirit... (or in a Cloud of Fruit Flies)

     But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified  the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. (Galatians 5:16-23 NKJV)

       Ignoring context in scripture may lead me to a mild case of Christianity — maybe enough to get into heaven, but without any real Christ image formed in me. Most of us have heard a message series regarding Galatians 5:22, the fruits of the Spirit. We've been told of the wonderful fruit that will grow once we are en-grafted into the Holy Spirit through faith in Jesus. Today, let’s take a look at some of the context, and see what is required for that fruit to appear and ripen. 

     God always sees the end of things, the outcomes, and then somehow still has the grace, mercy, and patience to walk though our mess with us toward that end result. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.  If we live??? That’s right. When God looks upon His creation He sees many dead people. Anyone who refuses His offer of Grace through Jesus is dead. To become alive, we need to get connected to Jesus so we can live by the Spirit...... Paul says if we live…let us also walk by the Spirit. Apparently, it is possible to be brought to life by the Spirit, but to refuse to walk by the Spirit. 

  

     I once saw a guy walking along in my hometown. Although I hadn't seen him in twenty five years, I recognized him from behind and from a great distance by the way he walked. If the Holy Spirit lives in me and my life is fully influenced Christ, then the Holy Spirit will be made completely evident in my walk. The Holy fruit bearing Spirit influences every believer through His Word, through His presence in other believers as they reflect Him in their walk, and through His inner witness in our hearts.

     Commentator David Guzik states it simply — How can you tell if someone walks in the Spirit? They look a lot like Jesus! 

     Paul uses Hebrew parallelism here to contrast the fruits that we love to hear about from verse twenty-two with their counterparts a few verses prior, the flesh blights of immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these…  Then, under the inspiration of the same Holy Spirit of whom he is speaking he issues me an ominous warning -- …I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 

      If you follow me, will you see the footprints of Jesus where I have walked? If I am walking in the Spirit of life, you will. If my flesh is in control, you’ll just see the crooked path of crooked flesh. 

     If you see flies over a bowl of fruit, something is rotten. People are following me, looking for Jesus. Will they see Him in my walk today, or just a cloud of fruit flies?  

Copyright 2014 Mission of the Master Ministries, Inc. May be reproduced in whole or in part without prior written permission if a link is provided to http://wordworkswednesday.blogspot.com 

Too Tired to Find Rest.....

   Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it...... For we who have believed do enter that rest. ........ There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. (excerpted from Hebrews 4:1-10 NKJV) 

 

   Rest? What's that? 

 We Christians today often lead a haggard, anxiety filled existence while quietly reassuring ourselves that we can rely on Christ -- if we can just find time to get around to it.  We conceive that rest is an inactivity only to be engaged when no possible activity can replace it. Even church activity can overwhelm our capacity. Do we really think this is what Jesus meant when He said, Come to me all of you who are weak and heavy burdened and I will give you rest?

   John Owen, bible commentator, cited five attributes of resting in Christ:

1-  Rest means peace with God.

         

      We should find great rest when the Lord lifts our sin burden. Knowing the eternality of our peace with God should be a fountain of daily peace.

2-  Rest means freedom from a servile, bondage-like spirit in the worship and service of God.

       Paul often repeated that he was a bond servant to Christ, but meant an indenture induced by his love for his Savior rather than at the hand of a tyrant God.  

3-   Rest means deliverance from the burden of Mosaic observance.

      This should be a no-brainer for every Christian, but it is not. It is very easy to drift into a mindset of law abiding works, where our service becomes erroneously a pleasing payment that tries to earn the gift that Jesus has already given us.

4-  Rest means the freedom of worship according to the gospel.

      How often have we stood in worship on the brink of exuberance, only to tamp it down out of concern what some other Christian might think of us? Oh, if we would only worship with childlike abandon!

5-   Rest means the rest that God Himself enjoys.

    

      God never experiences anxiety or worry. Ever. As animators of Christ's attributes in and to a hurting world, we need only to receive His rest to animate it visibly in our lives. This takes first a restructuring of our priorities. There will be no peace without sufficient daily prayer and time spent in the Word. While seemingly obvious Christian solutions, these are often supplanted by human busyness. We need to relive ourselves of the mistaken view of Christianity as a state of constant doing, and replace it with a view of our constant awareness of our eternal peace with, in, and from the Lord. 

        We have submitted to His authority. Why do we find it so hard to submit to His rest?

Psalm 116  -- Return to your rest, O my soul,For the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.

Copyright 2014 Mission of the Master Ministries, Inc. May be reproduced in whole or in part without prior written permission if a link is provided to http://wordworkswednesday.blogspot.com