Psalm 18:1-19 Take a Moment

Take a moment and read Psalm 18:1-19. Now there are some things to remember: Psalms are poetry - Hebrew poetry; some of the metaphors are new to us like "horn" and "stronghold" but you can tell what they mean - God is hero, conqueror, dependable. Remember this is POETRY not history or story...read it like a Hallmark card. Too much analyzing spoils the effect. Remember to IMAGINE while the verses roll by. See the pictures in your heart and mind. Catch the spirit of the words like a poem in a card from a friend.

This Psalm is about God as SAVIOR. His beloved is in dire need ("the cords of death entangled me"). The Savior's anger is against those who punish his loved one. So, God storms out of heaven guns a blazing. He rides on the wind to rescue and save. He is like a mother saving her child from those who would destroy and kill. The love, power and gentleness of God are apparent. The Psalm reminds us that in our trouble God is aware and responsive. Finishing verse 19 leaves a picture of comfort, peace and salvation. God is always ready when trouble comes...He loves us so...(John 3:16). Foree

1 Cor. 1:10 - "Speak the same thing..."

So one reads 1 Corinthians 1:10 and comes away teaching that the family of God must be of the same "mind and judgment" on everything and the 'fun" begins. One brother believes Praise Teams are a sin...another that you cannot support orphan homes with "church money." Still another sister thinks the Spirit dwells only through the word while her husband believes in personal indwelling. The exchange of ideas and breadth of beliefs are myriad. Each believer believing their perspective is correct. In time, often, since the "same mind and judgment" cannot be found division occurs, communication stops and fellowship is withdrawn. Is that what Paul had in mind in the passage cited?

Read the passage again but do not take 1:10 out of context. Avoid turning it into a proof text. After Paul makes the comment, inspired by the Spirit I might add, he asks some questions: "Is CHRIST divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul? What is his point. the questions points all the divided brothers right back to Christ. Interestingly they were all baptized into the name of the one who died on the cross for them - Jesus Christ. He is the one about whom they are to speak the same thing and have the same judgment. He is the one in whom they put their trust. He is the one they hear. If we believers agree on Christ unity exists. Then we follow Paul's advice from 1 Cor. 8 when we still disagree on details but the basis for our unity remains intact. Good news again.!

It Is A WONDER

So give some thought to the work of God..."let there be light"..."From one man God made all men everywhere"..."To him who is able to do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine..." "It is God who is at work in you to will and to act according to his good purpose" [you can search around to find those verses in your bible]. God, the creator and the one who sustains everything dwells is "light unapproachable"and is in need of nothing from me. This magnificent benefactor of the human race loved enough to give his only son.................................for me. It is a wonder I am included. After all the work done by the Father to bring Jesus (the administration of his grace) at one point it all fell on me. This slight individual, one among many who have lived and died and I get to be a part. God's love is grand enough to cover the world and focused enough to be pointed in my direction. God actually knows who I am and cares for me individually. To the Father I am not just another but I am his son and heir..... Right now he knows where I am, what I am doing and the condition of my heart. It is a WONDER....he knows who I am...thanks be to God for this indescribable gift. And you are HIS too, so that makes us one.

Brotherhood

My brother's name is Walter. HE is my brother because he was born of my Mom and Dad. We are caring the exact same DNA - we found this out when I gave him a kidney - so are brothers. So our brotherhood was established regardless of what we did.

People who confess the name of Jesus and are dead to themselves via immersion have been made one as brothers in Jesus Christ. It is because of him, himself that things which hold people apart are gone..due to Jesus unity exists. Like brothers by blood believers are brothers because of the blood of Christ. The requirement for this brotherhood is faith in Jesus as God's sin offering. So when one is immersed in Jesus' name he is in the family of God.

If we could embrace this foundation - being Jesus himself- we would be embracing unity IN CHRIST. Inside that oneness there would be differences in maturity of faith, in personal applications of God's will, in points of opinion etc...but unity would exist...how great is that! Foree

Christ

Christ means "anointed one." The Old Testament prophets longed to know what it was that God was doing "in them" 1 Peter 1:10-12. God's work to bring Christ was called a "mystery" by Paul (Ephesians 1:9-10). The Father's "Anointed One" was His choice and His choice alone. Jesus' arrival was the final act of the Father in His pursuit of his beloved (John 3:16). Jesus was/is the fullness of the divine (Colossians 1:19). He was the "word" becoming flesh (John 1:1-4,18). If you want to know what the Father had in mind when he made the world (through Jesus) then take a look at Christ. He is the focus of everything including our faith.
Faithfulness means being full of faith in Christ. Obviously the faithful will hear Jesus and defer to him relative to the activities of their lives-they will seek to obey him in all things (Matthew 28:20). The will of Christ is supreme because He is supreme, the will of the Father in the flesh, the image of the invisible God (Col. 1:15). It is Jesus who holds everything together (Col. 1:17). HE is the head of the assembly [church] (Col. 1:18). HE is the fulfillment of the law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms (Matthew 5:17-20; Luke 24:44). Christ, the center, the focus, the all in all, the one in whom we place our faith. Without him we are nothing. As Jesus says, I AM...
If the church which belongs to Christ is ever going to be faithful it must, through each member, remember what the Father has done. It must focus on the cross, the empty tomb and the Man who made that journey. Nothing, nothing is more important than faith in Jesus, nothing. If any belief, any practice, any opinion, any perspective ever takes the focus off of Jesus, the Anointed One, then all is lost.
If brothers in blood ever seek to unite on anything other than Christ himself then unity will be never be found. If peace could be found between Jews and Gentiles when they each believed in Jesus (Ephesians 2:11-22) then peace can be found between all persons who place their faith IN HIM (Paul's oft used expression). Foree

Another One

It happens way to often...someone has a disagreement with a brother and decides that the issue, if not resolved, must result in separation. Several years ago a church began using an "affirmation" step in their elder selection process. The "affirmation" step apparently is applied in different ways by different brethren. First two brothers began debating the "issue" each of them coming from different points of view. After some discussion (and these brothers were both well trained, honest, capable preachers) the two could not come to consensus on this "affirmation" aspect of elder selection. So what is the solution? Divide. Brothers brought together in the blood of Jesus, immersed in his name, disagree over a facet of process men created and use to select elders. Now the brothers no longer give support, emotional or otherwise, to one another. One even calls his "use to be" brother a false teacher. So now once again a new church begins or established ones cannot have anything to do with one another...all in the name of truth. This is truth about something the bible does not include...the manner or methodology of appointing elders (unless you subscribe to Paul's way told to Timothy). So, God chooses not to explain the procedure of selecting elders and two brothers divide over a manner of doing it some other brother dreams up...in the process the blood of Christ is forgotten, brotherhood is torn, feelings are hurt and on and on it goes...so the "issue" becomes more important than Christ...and Christ did not even mention the issue in the first place. So here is ANOTHER ONE, another reason to divide..."affirmation".....when will it end? Foree

Finding Churches

If one reads the NT carefully you will find that the NT churches are much like churches today. They are filled with people...people who like us... are not complete. The disciples of the NT were unfinished. They were people in progress involved in a dynamic relationship with Jesus as Lord. As you read the Epistles you find churches dealing with the sins of her members, congregations suffering from periods of discontent and churches dealing with doctrinal questions.
Every one of the NT books have one continuing theme - keep your eye on Jesus. The inspired authors of these books, guided by God's Spirit, sought to return the focus of the members back to the Lord. If we stay focused on people, their view points and their weaknesses we will be easily discouraged. People have "all sinned" (Rom. 3:23) and if anyone claims to have no sin they are a liar (1 John 1:8,10). So the writers of the Epistles just kept tuning us back the the Lord, the Father and the Spirit.
Looking for a church without stain is like looking for a person without sin and will finally push a person to church after church bent on a path of ultimate discouragement. Keeping our eyes on the Lord and remembering we are not perfect either is the best course. Obviously we all have to keep trying, communicating...letting iron sharpen iron...so that we will grow and become more like Christ. What if Christ gave up on us? Give the church a little grace, after all Christ has given us that......hasn't he? Foree