1 Thessalonians 5:11 "Therefore encourage one another and build up one another…"

This time of year the subject of food seems to be the topic of many conversations. I don’t know about anyone else, but given all the amazing and delicious foods that I have eaten in the last month or so, I probably should not be hungry until late May!

In John 4:1-42 we find the wonderful gospel story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well. As I was preparing to teach on this passage recently and as I went through and studied the various actions and reactions of the individuals in the story, perhaps none struck me as significantly as that of Jesus to his disciples.

When the disciples rejoin Christ from their trip into town, they say to him “Rabbi, eat something”. Jesus’ response could have focused on the physical need that he had as we are told that he is weary and thirsty from the journey. The situation could have played out where Jesus and the disciples share a meal and discuss the unheard of conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well. But that is not what God wants us to see, that is not what was on Jesus’ heart. Jesus replies to the disciples in a manner that draws attention to his priorities in life and ministry, and that should set an example for our life as believers. Jesus plainly states “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.” Later in John, Jesus again stresses this point when he tells the disciples “For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.” His spiritual food, his sustenance, is found in doing the will of God the Father.

Christ was not sent to be idle while on earth. He was not sent to simply come and sit in the temple and reign from some lofty place of authority. He came and “he did”. Far too often our churches become a place of passivity. A place where people observe, receive, and are served, rather than a place where believers are doing the will of God…seeking, giving, and serving. Christ engaged, he gave, and he served with his entire being. And he did it all so that the will of his father would be done and would be finished.

If you have been called by God your heavenly Father to follow Christ, then you were called to do a mighty work for the God who called you. Be encouraged to seek and do the will of your heavenly Father, he longs to feed you with an abundance of grace, mercy, wisdom and love.  Let us always hold foremost in our hearts and our minds the work of Christ…remember his willing, unconditional, and immediate obedience to the will of his father, and strive to pattern our lives after our Savior.  Be fed in the will of God and let Christ satisfy your hunger and thirst.

“For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
John 6:33

Why is it, that conflict, hate, slander, and anger seem to find their way into the church body? Why is it the smallest of things so often end up causing the biggest division and hurt? Sometimes those things, those events, are so ugly and hurtful. They tear your heart out and leave you wondering… What just happened? Why our church? Why our Pastor? Why my best friend? The hurt cuts deeply and the pain and questioning seem to linger for far too long. Why God…why?

It is so important during these times that we remember that through it all we are called to be obedient to God and make sure we do not lose sight of our priority of serving and worshiping Him alone. In Deuteronomy 6:5 God commanded Israel in saying: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” Then, in Matthew 22, Christ responds to the Sadducees and Pharisees regarding the greatest command and once against reminds them of correct priorities regarding our relationships, especially to the Lord, and he says: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”

But what does that have to do with the pain that we experience when turmoil and warring finds its way into our church family and tears the body apart? It seems that more often than not, people forget the truth of God’s word. We forget His character. We forget who it is that we serve. We forget that when we gave our lives to the Lord we became his slave. Our heart, mind, soul, strength…they are not ours anymore…they are His. As a new creation we are to worship God. We are not supposed to worship pastors, or people, things, programs, processes, budgets, or even ourselves. We are supposed to love and worship the Lord…and love our brothers and sisters.

In John 15:17 there is a commandment from Christ and it is not the least bit vague. Christ said “This I command you, that you love one another.” In all of our trials and disagreements, we need to continue to love the Lord and love each other. If our mindset was first and foremost consumed with that command, if we were modeling the love that Christ has for his Father, and the love he has for us, we would guard our hearts, our mouths, our minds, everything, and bring it into submission before the Lord.

Consider for a moment how Christ reacts when we disagree with Him…when we willingly disobey His commands…when we sin. How does he respond? Does he leave us in anger? Does he condemn us and hold that sin against us? Does he go before His Father and slander our name? Does he gossip about us to the Holy Spirit? Does he change His holy character and suddenly become unfaithful and unloving? Never. Never. Never.  He is loving.  He is gracious.  He is merciful.  He is forgiving.  He is faithful.

God has called us to live righteous lives, to be holy, so we should look to Christ as our example and evaluate our holy or unholy responses to others. When we go through these times we should ask ourselves if we are acting with a character that models the Risen Savior that died on the cross and rose again, that is forever gracious, merciful, faithful and loving? He is forever faithful.

Lord, we are your new creation. Help us to demonstrate righteous behavior towards each other all of the time and teach us to do it with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Amen.

”Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.””  1 Peter 1:13-16    New American Standard Bible (NASB)

When Peter wrote these words, the Holy Spirit put on Peter’s heart the need to encourage fellow believers in the early church to live holy lives, not as a means of salvation, but as a result of their salvation.  In a time of tremendous persecution Peter wanted to call people to live a life that was seemingly impossible.  The greatest encouragement in the passage above is the first word…therefore.  Peter is referencing the first dozen verses in his letter in which he reminds fellow believers of the AMAZING gift of salvation, the Living Hope, found in the sacrificial work of Jesus Christ on the cross and his resurrection.

Sometimes in our lives as believers we can forget the blessing and the cost of our salvation.  We sometimes forget that as a true disciple of the Lord we are called to fix our hope completely on the grace of God that will be ours when Christ is revealed.  The word “completely” in the original Greek is teleiós which means “perfectly, completely, without wavering, to the end”.  Our hope is to be fixed perfectly, completely, without wavering, until the day Christ returns.  It is to be fixed teleiós because of the mercy and grace of God.

Living a life for Christ is not based on our happiness or comfort, on wealth or health.  It is a life that is based on the gospel message and is reflects an attitude of the heart that is fixed completely on the living hope Christ Jesus.  If you are truly a child of the Most High God your hope completely each day and for eternity is found in Christ alone.  Find encouragement, confidence, and refuge in that truth and live a holy life for your Savior.