Coming Up Sonday August 30, 2015
Philippians 1:3-5. Partners. How We See Others.
Read Proverbs 27:17
It was heartbreaking to see the arrogance of the TV preacher,
Apart from hating such arrogance, God also hates this kind of individualism that spurns the input and support of others. In God’s eyes there are no Lone Rangers. There are no unteachable preachers or pastors or members in His church.
In fact, Proverbs 27:17 shows how God wants us to be working together. Both parts are iron and are working together to bless each other. In this Proverb it’s iron sharpening iron. The afore mentioned ‘preacher’ would probably rather that it read, ‘As diamond sharpens Iron, so I sharpen you’. That kind of one way relationship is unheard of from God’s perspective.
God wants us to be sharpening each other just like iron sharpens iron. That sharpening process has deep seated and challenging implications for our lives.
Firstly, we can never be unteachable. We should always be ready and willing to learn from other believers. They can challenge us, correct us and even rebuke us. As Col 3:16 clearly says
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.
If we are to sharpen each other as the Proverbs says then we cannot forsake or regularly miss our weekly gathering. Gathering around the Word and focusing on Christ Jesus in song, prayer and adoration is a vital part of our sharpening process. Without this vital input we will, put bluntly, be blunt and useless in our work for the Lord.
Added to this, it’s vital to be a part of a midweek group. By engaging in a midweek group we can sharpen and be sharpened as we grow in deeper relationship with other believers. Rich, warm, Bible centred mid-week fellowship is a great way to grow and be sharpened and to help in sharpening others.
If we are going to be an instrument in the Lord’s hand to sharpen others then we should seek to have time with the Lord where we can speak openly with Him, read His Word more deeply and where we can be still in His presence. A relationship with God that is ‘on the run’ and kept together by fleeting moments of together time will leave us blunt, exhausted and of no value to others. There is simply no substitute for quality and quantity time with the Lord.
Another preacher I was listening to, a well-respected, prolific writer and perhaps one of the greatest theologians of our day spoke about how a new believer helped him understand a part of the Bible he had been wrestling with for years.
Iron sharpening iron is a two way process. It takes both humility and courage – humility to learn and to be sharpened by others, and courage to engage with others so that they are sharpened.
Prayer:
Using today’s Bible passage and notes write down points for
Adoration:
Confession
Thanks
Supplication:
· Pray for your Session as they meet and seek to lead the church in ways of godliness and Kingdom mindedness. Pray for growth and wisdom of session members.
· Pray for the various ministry leaders in your church to be men and women filled with God’s Spirit and able to discern what is good/bad, right/wrong etc. Pray that God would lead them powerfully for the sake of His kingdom.
One on One
While tribal animosities and political turbulence flare up once again, there is another story to be told from South Sudan - a story of unity, peace and reconciliation under the leadership of Christ.
The sound of chalk scribbling on a chalkboard filters through the room. Images of sun, arrows, small mud huts and groups of people fill the board. Thirteen women sit in the small, hot classroom studying Bibles written in five different languages. More than eight tribes are represented and all Bibles lay open to the book of Ephesians.
Each woman carefully reads or listens to the words of the passage in her own language, dissecting the ideas and questions in her mind. Using Arabic as our bridge language, together we transform written truths into images on the board, a curriculum brimming with hope, ready to be taken into homes and translated into the heart language of each woman's village.
A strong theme runs through Ephesians. The church back then looks so similar to churches in our town of Melut on the banks of the White Nile in South Sudan. In Ephesus, one church was united in the truth of Jesus but divided into tribes - Jew and Gentile. The women share stories of divided churches, villages and people. Two small huts are sketched beneath the image of the church on the board - division and separation residing in one house of God.
Then one phrase begins to pop out across Ephesians in each language, " ... but God." The weeks continue and we lean into this truth. We are dead in our sin; we are separated from God and each other ... BUT GOD. In Him everything changes. Images begin to populate the board of stick figures embracing each other, huts joined and walls torn down.
The women tell stories of arriving at Gideon Theological College knowing no one, feeling alone and distant even from their closest neighbours, and then this amazing encounter of "but God" happened. Through classes, study of Scripture, time with each other, and the work of the Holy Spirit, each woman became part of a larger family then they had known before. Dinka, Shilluk, Maabban and Uduk are embracing each other, standing alongside each other and supporting each other as one family instead of fractured tribes. The truth of Ephesians is real; it has flesh on it because it is more than stick figures on blackboards and words in Bibles. We all saw God do this work of harmony, unity and peace in our own lives over time.
The students of Gideon Theological College graduated and returned to their own homes, but only God knew what was to come in South Sudan.
On December 15, 2013, fighting erupted in the South Sudan capital of Juba and spread across many states in the eastern section of the nation. Within less than three weeks, all SIM personnel were relocated to neighboring Kenya. The conflict rekindled deep divisions between tribes yet God in His wisdom had gathered a group of thirteen women to sit in a hot classroom months earlier, teaching them to teach others in their heart language that because of God we are no longer stranger and aliens, cut off from each other and from the forgiveness of God. Because of Jesus we are brought close to God; we are all one family.
The scribbles on the chalkboard tell a story; they tell the story of the church in Ephesus and they bring hope to current events in South Sudan. No matter what lies around the next bend, God waits there and it is His work through Christ that makes us one family.
After the study, the women worked together to compose a song about what they learned in Ephesians. May the truth of God's Word transform a nation into one of Peace through the sacrifice of Christ
Taken from http://www.sim.org/index.php/content/unity-in-south-sudan
Personal Questions
1. How’s your prayer life?
2. Describe your current thought life?
3. How’s your relationship with your spouse or your parents?
4. Discuss how and if you’ve struggled with sin/temptation this week.
5. How are you worshipping God through work, family and social networks?
for unity to encompass your church and your city/region.
for the blessing to be able to work as partners in the gospel with everyone in your church, your region/city and your state and nation.
1. Why is Christian unity so important?
2. What factors work towards unity and what factors work against it?
3. When does unity have to cease?
4. Which is more important, unity or gospel purity? Back up your answer with the Bible.
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