Christianoi

September 4, 2014

Christianoi

They wanted to enslave us and force us to follow their Jewish regulations. But we refused to give in to them for a single moment. We wanted to preserve the truth of the gospel message for you.

 Galatians 2:4b-5

We live in a hyphenated-culture. Seldom is someone referred to by just one defining characteristic. People are referred to as African-Americans or Asian-Americans or Italian-Americans. We also divide ourselves into sub-groups based on schools and universities, states and regions. As seriously as some people take these divisions, they pale in comparison to how the Jews in the first century marked their identity as God’s people through male circumcision. This national, religious and cultural identity ran so deep that even the Jews who had accepted Jesus as their Messiah expected all the male followers of Jesus to be circumcised. This was a huge point of contention between the Apostle Paul and those leaders in the Christian movement who tried to require Gentile believers to comply with male circumcision and the Law of Moses. (These leaders were known as Judaizers.)

At one time, the followers of Jesus were known as Christianoi, People of Christ. Over the centuries, we have become Roman Catholics, Methodists, Presbyterians, Baptists, Pentecostals, and Anglicans etc. Why all the denominations and non-denominations and differing local churches?

It’s all about control. With churches, it is a way of trying to hold on to our past, and at the same time step into God’s Kingdom. This puts us in a dilemma. On one hand, the way churches are organized creates a temptation to think we are right and others, not in our church, are wrong. This creates disunity in the Body of Christ. On the other hand, our churches in their present form are all we have. This reality creates a huge temptation for us to think we can just bring our Christian faith alongside of our cultural beliefs and try to blend them together.

How can we respond to this dilemma? First, don’t take your denominational or non-denominational doctrine and structure too seriously. The most important thing is to keep your eyes on Jesus. Paul told the Corinthians “that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! (2 Corinthians 5:17). He was more emphatic in what he told the Galatians. Not only is our old life gone, our old identity is dead. We have a new identity as the People of Christ. (Galatians 2:20)

The Jews set themselves apart from others through their mono-theistic faith in the Creator God, their male circumcision and their dietary laws. Today, the People of Christ are set apart by their belief in justification by grace through faith in Christ Jesus. Any other form of identification for the followers of Christ is not of God.

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription.

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

·        Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

·        The second edition of  First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

·        Meditations on The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ has been released as an e-book on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188.

A Pleasing Aroma to God

September 3, 2014

A Pleasing Aroma to God

“Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us[a] and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.”

Ephesians 5:2

Jesus was able to reconcile two seemingly irreconcilable truths he experienced on the cross. By resting in the truth of God’s affirmation of him -- “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy” -- Jesus was able to confront his negative emotions --“My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” -- and return to resting in God’s love -- “Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!” As the followers of Christ, we too are called to reconcile two seemingly irreconcilable truths.

On the one hand, our life, apart from the saving grace of Jesus, is totally repugnant to God. Even so, while we were completely lost in our sin, God loved us and Christ died for us. “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— not the result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9 NRSV). We have been saved by grace and we live by grace. We can never, ever do anything to earn our right standing with God. Even though God speaks those most precious of all words to us when we come to Him by faith, “This is my dearly loved (Child), who brings me great joy,” nevertheless our works within our own strength are still repugnant to him because they are offered through our sin-broken flesh.

However, Jesus shows us how to reconcile our life in grace with the works of our hands. Jesus “loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God” (Ephesians 2:5). The Philippians grasped this truth when they sent an offering to Paul while he was in jail. Paul wrote to them that their offering was “a sweet-smelling sacrifice that is acceptable and pleasing to God” (Philippians 4:18). When the love of Christ for us moves us to express his love for others, especially when we give sacrificially of ourselves and our resources, our offering becomes a pleasing aroma to God.

As you seek to make your life a pleasing aroma to God, never forget that it is God working in you to transform your life into a sweet-smelling sacrifice.

 

“For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him” (Philippians 2:13).

“May he equip you with all you need for doing his will. May he produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to him. All glory to him forever and ever! Amen” (Hebrews 13:21).

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription.

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

·        Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

·        The second edition of  First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

·        Meditations on The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ has been released as an e-book on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188.

How Foolish Can You Be?

September 2, 2014

How Foolish Can You Be?

How foolish can you be? After starting your new lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort?

Galatians 3:3

Our culture differs greatly from that of the Galatians. Most of the people in our culture do not believe in any gods, much less in the Christian God. Many Christians, while affirming their faith in God, see their faith as a means to a better quality of life, not a means to be in a right relationship with the God of the universe. I believe it is in the DNA of Americans to be proud, rebellious and self-reliant. When I visited the Museum of Western Expansion in St. Louis, I saw this character trait embodied in a quote from the journal of someone who was a part of a wagon train heading west: ‘We had preceded only a few days travel, when the American character was fully exhibited. All appeared to be determined to govern, but not to be governed.”

However, it was vitally important to the people in the Galatian congregations to be in a right relationship with God. This was not optional to them. It is not hyperbole to say it was a matter of life and death to them. With this in mind, you can sense Paul’s frustration. Paul had proclaimed the Gospel to them, and the Galatian Christians had experienced the power of the Holy Spirit in their lives. They had entered into a right relationship with God by grace, through faith in Jesus. Now the church leaders were backing up and forcing their congregations to keep rules and laws in a desperate attempt to stay in a right relationship with God. Do you remember the third chapter of 2 Corinthians where Paul talked about the veil being removed? The Galatians were putting the veil back up, and Paul was doing his best to get them to remove the veil and live by grace, not works.

Seeking the life in Christ is hard work! On one hand, we rejoice that God loves us, unconditionally, just as we are. On the other hand, we know this marvelous grace of God does not give us a license to keep on sinning. We are called to crucify our flesh with its sinful desires. On one hand, we want to glorify God and live in a manner that others can see Christ in our mortal flesh. On the other hand, the witness of Christ within us comes by grace, not an accumulation of good works. (See 2 Corinthians 4) Reaching a balance where our good works are evidence of God’s grace at work in our lives is an art more than it is a process to be learned. As we seek to release the graceful artist within us, we’ll do well to remember Paul’s admonishment to the Galatians, “How foolish can you be? After starting your new lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort?” (Galatians 3:3).

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription.

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

·        Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

·        The second edition of  First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

·        Meditations on The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ has been released as an e-book on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188.

When the Angels Are Absent

September 1, 2014

When the Angels Are Absent

And a voice from heaven said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.”

Matthew 3:17

Because Jesus is fully divine, the Word made flesh, he can forgive our sins.  Because Jesus is fully human, the author of Hebrews could proclaim, “This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin” (Hebrews 4:15). I am comforted to know that Jesus experienced the same self-doubts that I do.

There were times when Jesus must have wondered if it really was the Holy Spirit who led him to the River Jordan to be baptized and then led him into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. I suspect there were times when he got tired of the hostility heaped onto him by the Pharisees, and when he grew weary of his disciples who just couldn’t connect the dots of his ministry. Even so, we don’t have to wonder how he handled those times of doubt: “But Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer” (Luke 5:16).

During those times of prayer, I believe Jesus’ Heavenly Father was gracious to speak again those most comforting of all words, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.” I believe there were times when, as in his wilderness temptation experience, that God’s “angels came and took care of Jesus” (Matthew 4:11). I also believe there were times when heaven was silent and the angels were absent.

It was during these silent and absent times that Jesus’ faith was forged into unbreakable iron. This is the faith that allowed Jesus to reconcile two seemingly irreconcilable truths he experienced on the cross.

“My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” (Matthew 27:46)

“Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!” (Luke 23:46)

During those silent times in the wilderness, Jesus may not have heard again the voice of God, but he never forgot what he did hear that day in the River Jordan, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.” By the way, a voice from heaven said the same words to you when you were baptized. In your moments of weakness, recall those words and allow the Holy Spirit to forge strong your faith.

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription.

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

·        Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

·        The second edition of  First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

·        Meditations on The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ has been released as an e-book on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188.