I Need Your Celebration

The Christian race is difficult to run. It is a race where we need each other. We need fellowship as we worship God in spirit and in truth. We need friendship in overcoming the hurdles along the path. We need edification to keep from turning off of the path so that we can reach the finish line. We also need celebration as we run the race of life.

 

A few years ago I did quite a bit of running. Most of the running was done to help charities. I ran a couple of half marathons and a few 5K races. It helped to raise money for cancer treatment and research, children with terminal illness that wanted just one special wish in their lives granted, blood drives, and more. I was blessed to raise a substantial amount of money to help those in need and I worked in each race with a team and we raised tens of thousands of dollars of support. It is difficult for a big boy like me to run and my hips and feet still hurt to this day. I did lose quite a bit of weight. But that isn’t want I want to talk about. It hurts to run long races. There are blisters, cramps, clothing that rubs your skin raw, thirst, exhaustion and much more. Running a race is tough.

 

During the race, there are things that keep you moving. Of course one of the motivational factors is the end result of raising the money to help others. But one of the keys to being successful in those long races is that all along the route, there are people cheering you on. There are people with signs, banners, water, refreshments and even port-a-potties. There are police men supervising the roadways. There are paramedics in ambulances ready to administer first aid. There are volunteers everywhere cheering you on. In a couple of the marathons there were bands every couple of miles playing up tempo encouraging music to keep you moving. The entire atmosphere was one of encouragement and support to those running the race. As much as it hurt, I will tell you it was one of the most encouraging times in my life. I was a part of a team again (after more than 25 years it was great to be on a sports team again). The team was focused on getting me across the finish line. They were cheering me on. They were calling my name. They were taking my picture. They were applauding my efforts. I will tell you, that as you run through those hills and valleys, emotions run all through your mind. It is a mental battle as much as a physical battle. With the emotions rushing through you, with the support of the crowds, with feelings of joy, being a part of something bigger than you, being a part of team, having people who are supporting you and a feeling of accomplishment, people often weep during and after the race.

 

The Christian race has many of the same qualities, only it is a much better race. We are trying to cross the finish line where we will gain eternal life. We are going to a place where there will be no pain, disease, sickness or suffering. We are going to be in a place where we will be able to worship in the greatest assembly of all time with the greatest people who have ever lived as we worship the Great God and Father of all. It’s going to be a glorious time.

 

However, running the race has obstacles. We face struggles spiritually, physically, emotionally, and financially. We face persecution and temptation. We struggle with making sure we are on the right road and overcoming the obstacles. On this race, you know what we need? We need people on the side of the road cheering us on, calling out our name in prayer, helping us stay on the right path, helping us keep our focus on the prize and we need people who will help us when we hurt. We also need people who will help us celebrate (Phil. 4:6). There is a crown waiting (2 Tim. 4:6-8). Run the race with endurance (Heb. 12:1). Follow the rules and run to win (2 Tim. 2:5; 1 Cor. 9:24). Let us celebrate as we run the Christian race, cheering each other on to victory!

I Need Your Edification

The goal of dedicated Christians is to go to heaven. In order to get from where we are to where we want to be we must grow. Peter said that we should be striving to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as we prepare for eternal life when this world is over (2 Peter 3:18). To have this kind of steady growth into maturity, it will take hard work. I must study guides word. I must read it but I must dig in to it as well to gain the depth of knowledge and understanding necessary to follow the Christian walk. I must pray as I realize weaknesses in my own life, asking for help from God as I exercise my senses to be able to discern right and wrong (Hebrews 5:12-14). However, in order to grow and mature as I should, I can’t do it alone. I need fellow Christians who will help me with the battles of the Christian life. I need brethren who will lift me up when I’m down, celebrate with me when I’m doing well, reach out with me to friends and family who are lost and struggling, and challenge me when I am struggling spiritually. In order to grow as I should, I need your edification.

Edification by definition is to instruct, improve or benefit another causing their growth. It is often used to describe the process of helping someone grow morally or intellectually. In Biblical terms, we often refer to it as building up another. The idea is that we build up, construct, establish and strengthen one another as Christians through our fellowship, friendship and faithfulness to God. We teach the Bible and its principles to those we love and care about and help them understand its import in their lives. I love the pattern the priests followed in Nehemiah 8:8: “So they read distinctly form the book, in the Law of God; and they gave the sense, and helped them to understand the reading.” First, they went to God for the source of instruction. Then they helped the people understand the concepts and how to apply it. This is a Biblical picture of people edifying one another that we should follow.

One of my favorite passages on the subject is Ephesians 4:11-16. Paul said that Christ gave us work to do in the church, “for the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness by which they lie in wait to deceive, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head — Christ — from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.”

There are so many lessons in this passage but let’s focus on three: first, edification requires work where we equip, build up, grow up, every part doing its job which will cause growth in the body of Christ. Second, failure to grow will bring confusion, destruction, and loss of our souls, and sadly, there are people who would rather tear us down than to build us up spiritually. Third, this whole process requires unity. The world is crying for unity. But unity can only come when we are united in Christ, united according to His word, united in purpose (to seek and save the lost and to edify the body), and then we work hard to build one another up. The growth and the process of working together will bring us into a tight bond of Christian love and support.

“As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend” (Proverbs 27:17). As brethren, we cannot go it alone. I need you. I need your friendship. I need your fellowship. And I need your edification.

I Need Your Friendship

True friendship seems like such an easy thing to talk about but at the same time it is so difficult to develop. Too often, our friendship is with the world. James would tell us that making friendship with the world makes us enemies of God (James 4:4). I want to avoid anything that puts me at odds with God. There are other friendships that can hurt our lives. For instance, the Wiseman advises us not to make friends with an angry man or a furious man (Proverbs 22:24). We know that having evil companions will corrupt our morals or habits (1 Corinthians 15:33). Even knowing this, far too often our closest friends are people who do not know God, love God or live for God. Folks, if we are going to be all that we can be in service to God and our fellowman, we need to choose friends who will lift us up and support us in the Christian walk.

A friend is someone we are attached to with affection and esteem. We love them and we think highly of them. Of course the greatest friend we should have is Jesus. He has demonstrated that friendship by giving His life for us on the cross so that we might live eternally. More than that, He has shown His friendship by providing us with His word to guide us to those heavenly shores. He even supplied us with a support group of family and friends in the church which He built and purchased with His blood (Acts 20:28). He provided us with an avenue of friendship, family, love, connection, help and support. Even so, we often turn to the world for that connection which He intended for us to have in His body, His church, His family. Jesus is the greatest friend we can ever have and He has supplied us a way to find real friends and real connection in the church.

There are many examples and illustrations in the Bible that bring out the importance of true friendship and its blessings. Proverbs 18:24 declares, “A man who has friends must himself be friendly, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” Our spiritual bond in Christ is stronger than a familial connection (what a blessing it is to be both physical family and spiritual family). Proverbs 27:6 tells us, “Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.” What a blessing it is to have friends who will be there through thick and thin and who have the courage and love to tell us the truth to save our souls and to help us live a blessed life in Christ. The last thing we need is a group of “friends” who will tell us everything is ok, when in truth, we are lost in sin. Let us be a people who love, esteem and support one another in all things and help each other go to heaven.

There are many wonderful things we discuss about friends and there are many beautiful passages teaching the value of friendship such as the love between Jesus and Lazarus (John 11) or between David and Jonathan who loved each other as their own soul (1 Samuel 18). However, I want you to understand that this isn’t just a biblical principle that is far removed by time, culture and/or geography. It is something that is very real and is needed right here and right now. We need each other.

Of course this is true personally for Robyn and I as we are new to town, to the region, to the congregation, and more. Brenna is new to the school and the activities of the area. We need your association and friendship. We need you to love and support us.

As a preacher, this is true because as friends we can study any passage or any subject without fear knowing you are on my side. If you have questions or comments, as friends, I know you will think of things in the best light and if there are any doubts you will come to me and talk about it. I could expound on this but you get the point: I need you to be my friend. As I have already stated in previous articles, I need you, I need your fellowship, and I need your friendship.

More than that, we all need the friendships that can only be found in the church. We need to support each other as we fight the Christian fight. There are so many negatives in this world. We are being bombarded on every side. The world is against us with things like evolution, abortion, filth spread through media, restriction of religion in public arenas and much more. The culture of sinful behavior and immorality is infiltrating even the church. We want it to stop, but since it continues, we need each other to help overcome these obstacles. We need each other to love, esteem and support. We need each other to talk to, to cry with, to encourage, to love and to strengthen. Folks, we need each other as friends. I need your friendship! — Denny Wilson

I Need Your Fellowship

The word koinonia in the Greek language is often translated communion or fellowship. It involves the idea of sharing something in common. Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon defines it as “the share which one has in anything, participation.” You have probably heard it described as joint participation. As members of the family of God, being sons of God through the putting on of Christ in baptism, we are to have fellowship (Gal. 3:26ff).

Philippians 2:1,2 — “Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.” The phrase “if there is” is to be understood as saying “since there is.” The idea is that we are to be unified in the encouragement we have as Christian, the comfort we have in God’s love and our love for one another, the fellowship we have in the Spirit (meaning we have fellowship as we follow the Spirit’s direction through the inspired word), and we have affection and mercy as brethren. Additionally, we have attitudes and actions that demonstrate our unity in having the same mind, love and harmony because we love God and follow His word.

In order to gain this kind of fellowship, we must not be selfish, divisive, or cause factions in our false pride. In fact, “Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Prov. 16:18). Our attitude must not be of selfish ambition or conceit, but bust esteem others better than ourselves in humility. With this kind of lowly attitude we will look out for the needs of others above our own (Phil. 2:3,4). To have the fellowship that we need, we must be humble (Rom. 12:3) and we must have an unselfish concern for others (Rom. 12:9,10). Jesus exemplified the right attitude in that He gave of Himself, came to this earth and was executed at the hands of His creation (Phil. 2:5-11). He gave of Himself willfully because He loved us (1 John 3:16).

It is quite obvious that our world is far from being a place of fellowship, humility, love and support. The world is a difficult place to be at times with its cruelty, darkness and sin. The good news is that we can overcome because “He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). “For whoever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world — our faith” (1 John 5:4). On our own we are lost and will fail, but with Jesus we have victory. “Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 15:57).

The world isn’t going to get any easier, folks. Life is hard. People are going to get sick. Some are going to die. Some will lose jobs. Some will lose possessions in tragedies. Even when things are going “good” we are faced with moral decline and a bombardment on many sides by the sinfulness of the world. It becomes tough for us to want to keep fighting. Sometimes we feel like the mother in the old Calgon commercials saying, “Calgon, take me away!” Sometimes we feel like Elijah saying, “It’s enough! Now, Lord, take my life...I alone am left; and they seek to take my life” (1 Kings 19:4,10). As Zig Ziglar used to day, “We have a case of stinkin’ thinkin’ and we need a check-up from the neck up.” Life is hard. We can’t run away from our problems as Jonah found out. While a bath sometimes can wash away more than just the physical dirt and can leave us refreshed, that isn’t the real answer to life’s problems. The truth is the solution is to realize we aren’t alone. We are not the only ones left who are trying to do what is right. We aren’t the only ones in the church who care. What we need is to trust in God and spend more time in fellowship with one another.

I need your fellowship. I need you here in Bible classes as we grow closer to God, closer to one another and grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord. I need you here for worship on every occasion where we can praise God together and stir up one another to love and good works. I need you here to encourage me on Wednesday nights to help me have the strength and courage to fight the Christian fight the rest of the week. I need your love and support in my daily life as we work together for the Lord, as we reach out to the community, as we help those who are suffering and as we help our families reach the shores of heaven. Folks, this is not a battle we can fight on our own. We need each other. I need you here. The elders need you here. The Lord needs you here. Your brethren need you here. We can make a difference in this world. Won’t you share in the love and fellowship that is in Christ Jesus?

I Need You

As long as I have lived, the song I Need Thee Every Hour has been an important song to me. It is a moving song about the need of man to have the blessings of God that can be enjoyed by the child of God who has obediently put on Christ in baptism.

I need Thee every hour, Most gracious Lord;

No tender voice like Thine, Can peace afford.

 

I need Thee every hour: Stay Thou near by,

Temptations lose their pow’r, When Thou art nigh.

 

I need Thee every hour, In joy or pain;

Come quickly and abide, or life is vain.

 

I need Thee every hour, Most Holy One;

O make me Thine indeed, Thou blessed Son!

 

I need Thee, O I need Thee;

Every hour I need Thee!

O bless me now, my Savior:

I come to Thee!

 

There is no doubt that we need the Lord Jesus Christ. Though we were created in the image of God (Gen. 1:28), as we mature as human beings we enter into sin (Rom. 3:10; 3:23), and will be lost as a result (Rom. 6:23). However God loved us so much that He sent His Son to die in our stead so that we might be saved (John 3:16; 1 Tim. 2:3,4). We need the blood of Jesus to save us from sin (Rom. 6:3,4).

More than that, we need to will of Jesus to guide us in our daily lives. His word will judge us in the last day (John 12:48). But when we follow that word, we will know the truth that saves and sanctifies us (John 8:31,32; 17:17; James 1:21).

Our world is a difficult place to live for us and it wasn’t a cakewalk for the Lord either. However, because He endured the hardships of this life, He knows our struggles and is able to provide aid (Heb. 2:17,18; 4:13-16).

While I cannot have life eternal outside of Christ and I don’t have anywhere to turn for rest and comfort outside of Christ (Matt. 11:28-30; 2 Cor. 1:3-5), it is also true that my life cannot be complete without you, my brethren. I need your love (1 John 4:7,8). I need your prayers (1 Tim. 2:1,2,8). I need your kindness and forgiveness (Eph. 4:32). And just as I must put you first above my own needs, sometimes I need you to put me first (Phil. 2:1-4).

Do you know what else I need from you? I need you to be here for me in the worship and in Bible study. For it is when we come together and sing (as well as in the other acts of worship) that we speak to one another, teach and admonish one another, encourage faithfulness in one another, challenge each other to live for Christ, and show our love for God as the body of Christ (Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16). It is in the time we come together that we best stir up one another to love and good works (Heb. 10:24). It is where we gain conviction and strength to hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering (Heb. 10:24). It is something I need from you more and more as I grow older, as my children grow older, as the world continues, as frustrations and heartache pass by (Heb. 10:25). This world is a tough place to live. But when we come together as Christians, you help me more than you could know.

It is interesting that the Bible describes us as a body (1 Cor. 12:12f; Eph. 4:4). In order for a body to function the body must be intact. An eye can’t say to a foot, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, the separate parts of the body cannot function unless they are connected and the systems are properly functioning.

The church is also described as a family. We are to be a fully functional family. As brothers and sisters in Christ, we should long to be with each other at every opportunity. There is no doubt, we need God and we need each other. Brethren, I need you!  

 

I Am So Embarrassed - I was Wrong

I don’t know about you, but there are times in my life where I was involved in things that I thought were the right things to do and I gave it my all thinking it would be the solution to the world’s or the church’s problems (ok, maybe not so dramatic but you get the point). I poured myself into the activity, work, event or group. Yet, as time went along, I soon realized I was wrong about the people in the group or I was wrong about the motives of others or even about the results that would be accomplished through my efforts. In times like these, I have been tempted to take my ball and go home, to give up, to hide out or to avoid my brethren. It is hard to admit defeat. It is hard to fail. It is hard when people you trusted in let you down. It is especially hard when the people you are working with don’t want to go the same direction you want to go. As difficult as it may be, the last thing we need to do is run away. However, that is exactly what we do sometimes when we are embarrassed.

In this instance, let us learn from the apostle Paul. The first we learn of Saul of Tarsus, he was consenting to the death of Stephen. He was involved in what is described as a “great persecution” against the church. He “made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison” (Acts 8:1-3). It wasn’t long before he would have to face the reality that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. He came to the reality that Jesus Christ is the Savior of those who believe and obey through the events on the road to Damascus and in the teaching of Ananias (Acts 9,22,26). Ananias challenged him with the greatest question of all, “And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord” (Acts 22:16). Paul was able to put his past mistakes behind him and move forward as a servant of the Lord.

When we make mistakes that turn out to be contrary to the will of God or when we try to do something thinking we are doing right but it turns out to be oh so wrong, we must not give up. We can change our lives and get right back to doing great things for Christ and His church. Oh, we may never forget those mistakes, but we can be forgiven of them and we can learn from them. Notice what Paul said about his former life: “And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief...This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief” (1 Tim. 1:12-15). What is amazing to me is that Paul tried so hard to do what he thought was right...and yet he was as wrong as could be. He sincerely gave it his best. He said in this passage he did it in ignorance and in a lack of faith in Christ. In Acts 23:1, he said that he had lived his life in “all good conscience before God until this day.” He did his absolute best with the best intentions, but he was wrong. When faced with the truth of his actions, Paul admitted his mistakes and learned from them. He then went to work for the Lord.

Notice the continuation of his thoughts for 1 Timothy 1:16: “However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life.” Paul is a pattern for us in many ways. For the purpose of this discussion, he is an example of what we do when we gave it our best, trying to do what is right, thinking we were on the right side of the equation, only to find out that we were wrong. When we are wrong, it is not the end of the world...as long as we repent and get right back to work for the Lord doing things His way. God is patient and longsuffering and He wants us to repent (2 Peter 3:9). We can overcome our mistakes through Christ.

Of course we realize that none of us are perfect and righteous before God in all things (Rom. 3:10). We realize that we have all fallen short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23). Yes, we understand that sin hurts God, others and even ourselves. Learn from David in his sins with Bathsheba: “I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me” (Ps. 51:3). He didn’t run and hide. He wanted to be restored to God and then he said he would “teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners shall be converted to You” (vs.12,13). There is no need to be embarrassed. We all make mistakes and need God’s grace. While difficult to bear at times, sins are not fatal if we repent of them, learn from them, and then get to work for Lord.

I Am So Embarrassed - I Tried So Hard

I have tried very hard many times to do things that ended up blowing up in my face. I have a pencil lead in my right hand that is from trying to help a girl in school who was always picked on by others. I bent down to give the pencil to her that she dropped on the floor and when I gave it to her she yelled at me while slamming the pencil into the palm of my hand. She wasn’t trying to do me harm. She was striking back because she thought I was going to pick on her or do her harm like so many others had done. It hurt my feelings to be lumped into the group of those who were making fun of a disabled young girl when I was trying to do something good.

Do you realize that many times we face the same kind of hurt feelings and are floored by the reactions of people when we have tried to do something that was good and beneficial to those involved? There are times in life when we want to try something new or are interested in learning about something that our families and friends just don’t appreciate. What is worse is when we want to try something or get involved in a work or project with the church and face the same kind of ridicule or frustration. Maybe we wanted to teach a class on a certain subject or age group, or maybe we suggested a different method of greeting our visitors, or maybe we even were bold enough to suggest we change the order of worship or even the time that we meet and then were taken aside and shown “the way of God more accurately” by our brethren. In such cases, it would be so easy to run away and hide. It would be tempting to quit worshiping with that group and go somewhere else. It would be frustrating to feel like our opinion doesn’t matter.

When we are faced with rejection from our brethren when we are trying very hard to do what is right, we need to make sure we respond to the decision in the best possible way. We must realize that in matters of opinion, things don’t have to go my way. Additionally, we need to realize that there may be good reasons why the brethren don’t want to change. There may have been a similar mission tried in the past. There may have been an effort made that was rejected from others. There may be something in the story we do not know about and sharing those things with us might not be an option. Yes, it may be that the people aren’t ready to get to work and need some direction on the mission and purpose of the church. Yes, there may need to be an attitude adjustment made to certain individuals, but that is not our place. If we have made an offer or suggestion to the brethren and the eldership but it was rejected, we should not have a knee jerk reaction to take our ball and go home. We must humbly submit and keep striving toward helping others to give God first place in their hearts while helping the church to grow.

Can you imagine the embarrassment James and John felt in that Samaritan village where they wanted to command fire to come down and destroy the city? Jesus rebuked them for wanting to destroy men’s lives rather than saving them (Luke 9:51-56). When Jesus prophesied of His coming death, Peter said that he wasn’t going to let this happen. Jesus replied, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men” (Matt. 16:21-23). These three men would have felt embarrassment and frustration, but they did not leave Christ. In fact, they are later described as being a part of the group that turned the world upside down (Acts 17:6). Don’t quit and don’t give up!

We can learn from the example of Aquila and Priscilla in how they worked with Apollos. Apollos was a man who loved God, was fervent in spirit, spoke and taught accurately, but didn’t know about the baptism of Christ. Fortunately, there was a loving couple who took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately and even sent a letter to other brethren so that Apollos would be well received and be put to work in the kingdom. When he arrived he was a great help to the church and he vigorously refuted the Jews publicly showing from Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ (Acts 18:24-28). Do you think that these three brethren hid from each other after this? I suggest to you that they loved each other and formed a closer bond because they were able to grow and further the kingdom. A problem was handled but it was handled in the right manner. 

If you have tried and been rejected, don’t feel like a failure. Keep on fighting for the Lord. If you are trying to help someone work more effectively for the Lord, don’t belittle them. Take them aside and teach and support them. Then let us all get to work together. If we do, there will not be embarrassment.