All Our Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus.
Good Morning Friends,
The matter to be worked out today in this devotional is about our own salvation but also the work needed for the salvation of others so that our Lord’s boundaries of the Master’s Kingdom might grow. Now in one sense we are saved without any work of our own, we are complete in Jesus. But there is another part to salvation called sanctification. The first is for us and the second is in us. If you have not desired to spread this truth of God then maybe you need to seek to understand it better. Toward that goal today’s devotional is directed to All Our Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus.
Scripture: Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.
Philippians 2:12-13 (NIV)
After Paul and Silas had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three sabbath days argued with them from the scriptures, explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Messiah to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, “This is the Messiah, Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you.” Some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women. But the Jews became jealous, and with the help of some ruffians in the marketplaces they formed a mob and set the city in an uproar. While they were searching for Paul and Silas to bring them out to the assembly, they attacked Jason’s house. When they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some believers before the city authorities, shouting, “These people who have been turning the world upside down have come here also,
Acts 17:1-6 (NRSV)
Let them praise his name with dancing and make music to him with timbrel and harp.
Psalm 149:3 (NIV)
Message: There is a dance of the Holy Spirit with the Father and Son across Holy History that turns the world upside down with a new song. And we can join in the dance if we believe…believe we have been forgiven by the King of Kings. If you do not believe, if we do not collectively believe as a Body it is all a bit frustrating as we step on each other’s toes for lack of unity. To join the dance one has to believe that Jesus knows the right steps and has forgiven us for our missteps. Here God breaks the yoke of sin so we might put on the yoke of Christ and then together get to work on the task of becoming more holy…more perfect in the dance. And for this, we have to take personal responsibility but also realize that there is an inexhaustible grace of divine wealth in us in the comfort of the Holy Spirit that needs to be shared. Friends, God will work in us, to will His desire for us, to be Holy. But God wants the dance to continue. Ok here is where it gets interesting for God is not only working in us individually but collective so we might be a Holy Body according to His good pleasure. So we have to work out what is worked into us individually and collectively believing that God is equal to all challenges. But in order to be fully delivered from sin we need to work this out not just as an individual but also as a civic and worshipping community. That is the great business of the Christian life. In the New Testament the word ecclesia is used to describe the called out body of believers…the assembly of those summoned for a purpose as a separate civil community under the jurisdiction of Jesus. No man ruled them! Only Christ. And that was the reason these same Christians ran into trouble with kings and rulers; were arrested, crucified and martyred. They took up Christ as their king. Now is that clear? Do you see what they were doing? Paul and Silas were not church builders. They were not proselytizing people from one church or synagogue to another. They were kingdom builders! They were dethroning rulers in the minds of the people. They were teaching the principles of Christian government. They were putting forth the call of God to whomever would hear and obey, and those whose hearts responded to the call became citizens of Christ’s kingdom and joined themselves to the ecclesia…the community of believers in a divine dance. Friends, the Holy Spirit is in this world to comfort and chastise but also so that collectively we might be sanctified in the Body in a dance with the Father until Christ returns.
Pray we have an energetic spirit to work out our salvation. Pray we rejoice because Jesus has interceded for us to protect, sanctify and bring unity to us all through love. Pray we be in awe of God and the active grace placed in us to do His will. Pray we have divine power to dance with divine grace and to not only overcome our own sick sins but be strengthened to bear the infirmities of our brothers and sisters in Christ. Pray God grant in us a Spirit of unselfishness. Pray we lead the world in a new, better way of life with a new song. Pray we meet the challenge of being Christians in the world. Pray we develop our relationship with God through creative acts that in partnership help us to see Christ building His Church. Pray we cultivate creative Christian culture in community. Pray we stop complaining about secular culture and start creating a Christian one.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 