Paul the Encourager

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. ⁴I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, ⁵for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind—⁶just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you—⁷so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁸He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.  1 Corinthians 1:3 - 9

            One of the things that I love best about the writings of the Apostle Paul is that he begins his letters by letting the people know that he is thankful for them; that he is thankful for the work that they do; that he is thankful for their faithfulness to God. From a practical standpoint in regards to ministry this might be one of the most important things that we can take away from Paul’s letters. I know from my own experience that it’s easy to get caught up in doing ministry and I can forget to acknowledge the contribution others make in bringing the Gospel of Christ into the world. Or, in those times when there are struggles and difficulties in ministry I might not feel like being thankful for some of my fellow followers of Christ. Yet, I must take my cue from Paul who, regardless of the circumstances, always remembers to give thanks to God for those who “have been given the grace of Jesus Christ.” Plainly, it’s encouragement, and both the act of giving and receiving makes everyone feel good.

            Paul is an encourager. Aside from all the other gifts for ministry that Paul was given he was definitely given the spiritual gift of encouragement. Just look at the other things he tells the people of Corinth: “God will strengthen you”, “God is faithful”, “You have everything you need, the necessary spiritual gifts”. If we remember just these three things as we engage in ministry we will always be successful in carrying out God’s mission. You’re engaged in ministry. You know that sometimes it’s rough. You know that it’s easy to get discouraged. You know that sometimes it’s hard to see how things will work out. In those times remember these words of encouragement. Also, in those times remember to give thanks for those who are journeying along with you. In those times remember to praise God.

Questions for Reflection

v  For whom do you give thanks to God?
v  Are you a person for whom others are thankful?
v  In what ways are you strengthened by God?
v  How do you encourage others?

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Scripture from The New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. All rights reserved.

Are you in or out?

There's lots of talk these days about who's a real Christian and who's not.  Fingers pointing at front running presidential candidates by those claiming to know if these are true followers of Jesus Christ or not based upon their religious affiliations.  Now clearly there are those about whom we can say with certainty that they are not followers of Jesus Christ because of their religious affiliation.  For example, those who are Jewish, Muslim, or Hindu, to name a few.  However, when it comes to shades of Christianity we should be careful in our finger pointing exercises regarding who's in and who's out.  Yes, before you go off and shout at me that there are clearly some theologies about Christ that have been rejected by the traditions of Christianity, I assure you this is true.  But, the question that remains to be answered is this:  when we come before God our maker will we be judged based upon our subscription to human theological understanding or will we be judged based upon the love of God that is in our hearts? 

There has been much wrangling and hand ringing throughout the ages over our theological understandings of God and Jesus Christ.  But has all this theological argument and discussion brought us any closer to God or closer to one another?  I'm inclined to poll negatively on this at this juncture but the final verdict is still out. 

Personally, I believe that those who are so certain that they've got it all figured out regarding who's in and who's out are just liable to be really surprised in the end.  I also think that Jesus would have had some harsh and critical words to say to these folks because often in their certitude they believe that they're in and the others are out; and this belief is often not held in such ways that are filled with the compassion and love of God.  In other words, it is often assumed that one ought not associate with those who are believed to be out for fear that they might tarnish one's image in the eyes of God, or some such thing.  It seems to me that it is this very attitude that Jesus sought to correct.  Most likely it was the correction of this attitude that was the root cause of his execution.  How many times does scripture record Jesus telling those who were on the fringes that they too were the beloved children of God.  Scripture is replete with evidence of Jesus' distaste of the self subscribed chosen of the religious establishment.  Many times he confronts the hardened hearts of those who believe they have it made; those who believe that they were in while all those other unclean ones were out.  I do believe that his message was quite the opposite.

For me Jesus was not just another man.  For me Jesus is the son of God and it is through my faith in Jesus that I know God.  I strive to follow him in all the dealings of my life.  I am far from perfect in living out my faith and for this reason I am wholly grateful that Jesus is also my redeemer and intercessor.  I decided long ago that it's not my job to decide who's in and who's out and for this I am also really grateful as it would be an overwhelming responsibility.  It is my job to bring to the world the message that Jesus Christ is the light of the world who shines the love of God into places where darkness abounds.  It is my job to allow the light of Christ to shine in me and through me, to the best of my ability.  This journey of following Jesus Christ while not without its challenges is one that I am grateful to be on and I invite you to join me.