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1 Corinthians 6:19

Giving Ourselves to Each Other!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
February 2, 2025

In my devotion yesterday, I mentioned that the early church practiced four things whenever they gathered in the community. The first thing was they devoted themselves to learning “The Apostles’ teachings.” They communally spent time in God’s Word. The second thing they devoted themselves to was “fellowship.” That simply means they shared their lives with each other. It’s more than a meal together, or going out to a movie or watching a sporting event together, it’s more personal and intimate than that. It involves being open and honest about feelings and hurts and pains and needs along with a willingness to share and be shared with as appropriate. The early church even shared their possessions. It was not “communism,” an official program in which an authoritative entity divides the wealth among the population. It was a voluntary giving “as each had a need.” In other words, they simply took care of each other, and in so doing, they took care of themselves. It was a spontaneous lifestyle of Jesus’ disciples.

I had a small group of close friends while I was in Blair.  It was my domino group. We got together once a month and played. In this high-tech world of video games, which my sons and grandsons are getting me into (I used to be an adventurer like you, but then I took an arrow in the knee!), you don’t see dominos played much anymore. When Kathy’s Mom was in the nursing home after her operation, we visited her after Church one Sunday, and I noticed a small group of elderly people playing dominos in the cafeteria. I guess that tells you who I identify with! But Dominoes is a very interesting game. The only way you can win is to give away everything you have. It’s not the one with the most dominos at the end that wins. It’s the one with the least.

I was thinking that it’s a lot like the Christian life. The person next to me plays a nine, I have to identify with them and play a nine also. The more you go along with what others play before you, the faster you get rid of your dominos. Then, you’re the winner when you have submitted to what was played and have given yourself away, and all your dominos are gone. David Jeremiah made this comparison also in his commentary on the Power of the Holy Spirit, and he concludes, “When we give ourselves to God and let His Spirit fill us and control us, we will give ourselves to others, rather than protecting ourselves and holding on to what we have. And then, when we’ve given it all away, we win. When we are in eternity together, what we have won will be so much greater and more radiant than what we gave away that our small sacrifices will hardly be worth remembering. Except to the One who never forgets.” He is the one that matters. Paul says, “You are not your own, for you were bought with a price.” 1 Corinthians 6:19

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Acts 2:47

Breaking Bread Together!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
February 1, 2025

There were four things that the members of the early church devoted themselves to in Acts, Chapter 2. First, it was the “Apostle’s teaching,” Second, it was to “fellowship,” and the third thing was “The breaking of bread.” There are lots of different opinions about what this means, and the text might be intentionally ambiguous about whether this refers to common meals or to the Lord’s Supper, communion as we know it. Both were done in individual homes. It probably refers to both. They likely stopped in the midst of the common meal with their friends, brothers, and sisters in Christ and acknowledged the bread and wine symbolic of the Lord’s body and blood in remembrance of what He did for them on the Cross of Calvary. To ancient Jews, eating together was a sign of acceptance. It was a sacred time. Every meal among the disciples was an anticipation of the final great banquet. The orthodox Jew today still puts an empty seat at the table during the Passover celebration, awaiting the coming of the Messiah.

We read in Acts 2:46, “And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.” The church continually grew! NOTICE THE GROWTH OF THE 1ST CHURCH! Acts 1:15, 120 believers. Acts 2:41 says 3000 were added to the church that day. Acts 2:47, the Lord added daily to those being saved. Acts 4:4, the number of men grew to 5000. Acts 5:14, more and more believed & a multitude was added. Acts 5:28, you’ve filled Jerusalem with your teachings. In Acts 6:1, the number of disciples rapidly multiplied. In Acts 6:7, the number of believers increased rapidly. In Acts 21:20, Tens of thousands became believers.

The first-century Christians lived incredibly contagious lifestyles. They had been redeemed from the condemnation they all experienced under the Jewish legal system and had truly been set free to live life with new hope of eternal life, which inspired a healthy, happy, and meaningful life in the present. They lived in a community that was wonderful and rare, caring for and being cared for by each other. I would argue that today there aren’t that many contagious Christians anymore, and fewer contagious churches. The true key to living a new life, a new life that is truly contagious to others who see it, is a life in which love for others and true biblical community is obvious. Jesus explained it to us clearly. He said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this, all people will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another.” Then as the story of the advancement of the church continued, Acts 19:20 say, “So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.” Acts 19:20

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Acts 2:42

Devoted to Prayer!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
January 31, 2025

According to the book of Acts, the members of the early church community devoted themselves to the “Apostle’s teaching,” to “fellowship” with other believers, to the “breaking of bread,” and the fourth thing they devoted themselves to is “prayer.” Their gatherings were not simply social gatherings, but they had spiritual content. They shared times of worship where they sang hymns and spiritual songs, they broke bread, they discussed the Bible (the Apostles’ teachings), and they prayed for each other & probably their communities, the unsaved, the message, the messengers, and many other things of a more personal nature. You will notice also that they did not do any of these things because they were commanded to. They were simply living out their new identity in Christ. This is simply the way they lived. It was rather spontaneous.

In Acts 6:7, we read, “And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.” This happened right after the Apostles had appointed others to serve the physical needs of starving members. They were becoming overwhelmed with the demands of their lives, and it became increasingly obvious that they could not focus on both the Spiritual needs of the community and the physical needs at the same time. Thus, the Apostles called the church together, probably a contingent of recognized leadership, and charged them with assigning various responsibilities to others so they could “devote themselves to the Word of God and to prayer.”

Preaching the Word and prayer are the two most significant responsibilities of the Spiritual leadership of any New Testament church. During my years as a pastor, I’ve often felt that I don’t have time for prayer. It isn’t getting done what I thought, or the church leaders thought, needed to be done. I have too many other pressing matters at hand rather than prayer.  It often gets pushed to the end of the agenda, but it really should be at the top of the agenda. With the apostles wholly devoted to prayer, study, and the preaching of the Word of God while others attended to the physical needs, the church continued to be blessed. No wonder the number of “disciples multiplied.” Under the Spirit’s quickening power, produced by earnest prayer, God’s word became, in reality, what the author of Hebrews says it is, “living and active.” The Word of God became effective in arresting, illuminating, convicting, converting, delivering, and cleansing many in their community. The Word of God combined with prayer is one of the most important ministries of any church. Paul told the Romans that prayer was important, “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer…” Romans 12:10-12

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Colossians 2:19

Belonging & Growing!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
January 30, 2025

The New Testament makes it clear that belonging to the Body of Christ and growing in Christlikeness are integrally related. There will be no growth without the connection, and the connection isn’t what God wants it to be without spiritual growth. One of the more important verses in the New Testament that put these two together is found in Colossians, Chapter 2, verse 19. The Good News Bible translates it this way: “Christ…is the head of the body. Under Christ’s control, the whole body is nourished and held together by its joints and ligaments, and it grows as God wants it to grow.”

Notice that the nourishment is dependent upon its connection to the body. Just as any vital organ in the human body is dependent upon all the others. We need each other for fellowship and growth. It doesn’t surprise me that since we are created in God’s image, we were designed for community. The Bible insists that God Himself exists in community. There are three persons in the Godhead. There are not three Gods, but one God in three Persons. The text uses the Hebrew word Elohim, the plural form of Eloah (“God”), for this communal, supreme Creator-God. Later, we discover the three Persons included in “Us”: the Father (James 1:17–18), the Son, Jesus Christ (John 1:3; Col. 1:16), and the Holy Spirit (Gen. 1:2; Ps. 104:30).

Thus, God Himself exists in community. God didn’t need to create us. He didn’t need fellowship with man; He was, and He is complete in Himself. He was not a lonely God who needed someone to talk to. He was and is completely self-sufficient. But He chose to create the world and its people as a gift given out of His abundant love. In Genesis 1:26, God is saying, in effect, “Let us create Adam and Eve and their descendants as creatures who can share the love and community we already have among Ourselves.” It’s unnatural for us to think of God as a community in and of Himself, but its implications are quite profound. It’s the basis for marriage and gives us the overall guidelines for understanding the family unit. It’s God’s way of telling us that our relationships with each other are not only important but necessary. We need each other in community, connected, and growing as God wants us to grow. As God’s revelation of Himself makes clear, we are all encouraged to build community, not separate ourselves from it. It’s in this way only, that we take nourishment and grow up! Paul said, “Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ.” Ephesians 4:15

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Ephesians 3:16-18

A Growing Faith!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
January 29, 2025

In Romans 5:8, Paul tells us that God demonstrated His love for us on the Cross of Calvary by sending His son to pay the penalty for our sins while we were still sinners. There is no greater love than that of the one who gives up his life for another. The scriptures call us to return God’s love. John says that we love God because He first loved us. To grow in our love for God, we must grow in our faith and trust in what he has accomplished for us on the cross. That involves focusing on it and reflecting on its importance in our lives. Many religions encourage their adherents to meditate. Christian meditation is not looking at our navels and reciting some nonsensical sound like “Oom.” It is contemplating God’s love as demonstrated by Christ in all of its glory.

When we first come to faith in Christ, our faith is like a tender shoot. It’s even compared to such in the Bible. It is bent and driven by every change of weather. But it must continue to get stronger as it takes its nourishment from its connection to the tree. As it grows stronger, it becomes able to bear heavier burdens and handle all severe weather conditions. Growing disciples have a growing faith. Notice that the nourishment that is drawn from the connection is taken out of an endless supply of sustenance. When Paul wrote to the Colossians, he exhorted them and us to let our “roots grow down into him and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong…”

The next truth is crucial. That endless supply of nourishment that God provides abundantly is His love.  Paul wrote to the Ephesians and told them and us what he was praying for for them. It was “that from His unlimited resources God will empower you with inner strength…that your roots will grow down deep into God’s love and make and keep you strong.(See Ephesians 3:16-18). He goes on to pray that we will continue to grow in understanding the depth, height, breadth, and width of God’s love. Grasping that truth about God’s disposition towards us is what nourishes true growth! One phrase that has struck me in my 50 years as a believer never gets old with me. I say it a lot: Faith is believing that God has my best interest foremost in mind regardless of the circumstances in my life.  As your roots go down deep into this truth, you get stronger in the changing weather of life. Paul is often excited to see believers grow in their faith. He tells the Thessalonians, “We ought always to give thanks to God for you…because your faith is growing abundantly.” 2Thessalonians 1:3

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Romans 15:13

A Growing Hope!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
January 28, 2025

When we sink our roots down deep into God’s Love for us and begin to fully apprehend how deep, how high, how long, and how wide God’s love for us really is, our faith grows. We get stronger and stronger, and life’s tidal waves and tsunamis may bend and twist us, but they will never break us! Being a true disciple means a growing faith that withstands the trials and hardships of life. Another major element of spiritual growth is our “Hope.” Now, the Bible teaches us that “hope” is the substance of things not seen. Hope reaches into the future to better times and better circumstances. If our love has its roots in God’s love, it looks back to the cross and draws sustenance for the present. Hope, on the other hand, sets its sights on the future, also drawing sustenance for the present. Knowing what awaits us in the Kingdom of God has a powerful, sustaining effect on our lives as we walk hand in hand through this valley of the shadow of death. In this life, we all need something to look forward to.

The key verse regarding a growing hope is Romans 15:13. It’s another prayer that Paul prays for the believers in Rome and in every city in the world. He writes, “May God, the source of hope, fill you with all joy and peace by means of your faith in him so that your hope will continue to grow by the power of the Holy Spirit.” God is always the source of it all. It all comes from Him! His love is the nourishment that feeds our faith. I like to see joy as the water! I think of the tree of Psalm 1 that is planted by the living water and has all the nourishment it needs. Its limbs get big and strong and hold many branches, which hold many leaves, and it is a joy to behold. Peace is the sunshine. If he “leads me beside still waters and puts me in green pastures,” I’m overcome by a sense of peace that feeds and nourishes my soul to continue its journey in this valley, looking forward to the meadow of heaven that awaits me at the end.

Heaven is often presented to us in unattractive ways! Most of us don’t want to spend eternity floating around on clouds playing harps in white robes! How boring does that sound? When I think of heaven as the scriptures present it, I think of complete healing. I think of complete peace and contentment and perfect communion with God and with those we love. I think of pleasures far exceeding the lame excuses we have in this life, but the details of which haven’t been completely revealed. Paul said, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.” But God has revealed the general idea. They are enough to nourish us and sustain us in the present through any trial and hardship life might bring our way. Paul told the Philippians, “Our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory.” Philippians 3:20-21

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Philippians 1:9

A Growing Love!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
January 27, 2025

When Paul prayed for the believers at Philippi, he told them, “…it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more…” (Philippians 1:9). As Christians, we need to grow not only in faith and hope but also in our love. Paul not only prayed for this for the Philippians but also for the Ephesians. He wrote to them (Ephesians 4:15-16), “…we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” God’s love, (LOVE), is the soil into which we must sink our roots to draw up the nourishment we need to grow. It was so important that the Holy Spirit insisted on Paul repeating the idea a third time in his prayer for the Thessalonians. He writes to them (1 Thessalonians 3:12), “May the Lord make your love grow. May it be like a rising flood. May your love for one another increase. May it also increase for everyone else.” John, the Apostle of Love, teaches us that we learn to love only when we receive God’s love. That love was expressed for us on the cross of Calvary.

There are actually four words for love in the Greek language of Paul’s day. Paul chose the word “agape” to emphasize the self-sacrificial love of Christ. It is a selfless action to benefit someone else. The model for this love is Christ, who gave himself for the sins of the world. We are to love our spouses that way. We are to love our children that way. We are also to love each other that way. Each of those relationships requires a different kind of sacrifice, each with a depth appropriate for itself. When the lawyer answered Jesus’ question about the greatest commandment, he said to love God and love your neighbor. This brought a discussion about what constituted a neighbor. Jesus told the parable of the good Samaritan who sacrificed of himself to help the injured man.

There are two phrases in Philippians 1:9 worth looking at. First, Paul wants our love to “abound.” The Greek word means to “be present in abundance.” It’s like having a million dollars in your checking account. There’s more than enough to meet your day-to-day expenses, and you can live liberally with others. The word is present progressive and should be translated as “keep on abounding.” We must continue to make deposits in our “love” account so that we can continue to dispense it as needed in every situation. Notice also the phrase “more and more.” Growing up involves learning to love each other liberally more and more with each passing year. Paul had already commended the Philippians for their love for each other. Even though they had it, there was always room for more! And more! John explained this was the true mark of a Christian. In John 13:35, he wrote, “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples if ye have love one to another.”

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Philippians 1:4-5

Growing in Joy!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
January 26, 2025

Growing in our faith, hope, and love will also result in an ever-increasing life of joy. When Paul wrote the Philippians his central theme of that small book was all about the joy involved with those who know and walk with the Lord. In that small letter he was struggling with his emotions and being in prison, he wasn’t sure he was going to live through the experience or not. He argued that he could live a contented life with whatever circumstance that God allowed in His life. He often longed to go home to be with the Lord, but because others needed him, he was certain God would deliver him from the current imprisonment. He writes in chapter 1:4-5, “But it is more important for you that I stay alive. I’m sure of that. So, I know I will remain with you. And I will continue with all of you to help you grow and be joyful in what you have been taught.

Joy is the result of living healthy and wholesome lives in an open and honest relationship with our creator. Paul didn’t make up this idea, because it’s mentioned several times in the Old Testament. Real joy, a contented, satisfying life, is not found in wealth, fame, or the pleasures of our world. Rather, real joy is found in a close walk with the Lord. Isaiah said, (Isaiah 29:19) “The lowly will find ever more joy in Yahweh and the poorest of people will delight in the Holy One of Israel.” All the wealth in the world and all the security in the world cannot compare to a close walk and an intimate connection with the God that made us. The Psalmist sings (Psalm 4:7), “You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound.”

When Christ was born, the angels declared, “Behold, I bring you tidings of great joy which shall be for all the people.” (See Luke 2:10-11). No matter who you are, where you’ve been, or what you’ve done, the man or woman who receives Jesus will find joy, great joy! The absolute highest joy in life comes from being rightly connected with God. Jesus’ very purpose for coming was to make the connection for us and plug us back into the only true source of real joy. The closing of the book of Jude contains one of the most frequently recited blessings in the Bible. It’s all about joy! It says, “Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy…, Verse 25 identifies that one as Jesus. The closer our walk with Jesus, the greater our joy! John explains why his writing his first letter in 1 John 1:4. He says, “And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.” 1 John 1:4 Back in my younger days (1965-69), I was a wild young thing, not to mention stupid. I simply pursued all the pleasures of this world. I was into the Steppenwolf scene. I was born to be wild! Yet, during those years, Edwin Hawkin’s Singers had a hit song that made it to number one in many places around the world. Whenever it played, it caught my attention. I would always stop and think about it. At the time I didn’t understand how a song like that made up the list in popular music alongside songs like, “Magic Carpet Ride.” I remember a group named “The Crazy Word of Arthur Brown.” They did a song entitled, “Hellfire.” Its opening line was “I am the god of hellfire, and I bring you fire!” During those crazy wild days, “Oh, Happy Day” always caught my attention.  I puzzled how that song was so popular. I wondered how such a song could make it to the number one spot on the chart.  The Edwin Hawkin’s song was “Oh Happy Day.” It repeated that often but explained it by describing it as the day “That Jesus took my sins away.” It was a decade before I learned that personally in 1978.

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