6/5/14- The Invisible Communion

therefore it is called the communion, not of profane persons, but of saints, who, as citizens of the heavenly Jerusalem,[3] have the fruition of the most inestimable benefits: to wit, of one God, one Lord Jesus, one faith, and of one baptism;[4] out of the which kirk there is neither life, nor eternal felicity. And therefore we utterly abhor the blasphemy of them that affirm that men which live according to equity and justice shall be saved, what religion that ever they have professed. For as without Christ Jesus there is neither life nor salvation,[5] so shall there none be participant thereof, but such as the Father has given unto his Son Christ Jesus, and those [that] in time come unto him,[6] avow his doctrine, and believe into him (we comprehend the children with the faithful parents).[7] This kirk is invisible, known only to God, who alone knows whom he has chosen,[8] and comprehends as well (as said is) the elect that are departed (commonly called the kirk triumphant), as those that yet live and fight against sin and Satan as shall live hereafter.[9] (Scots 16 b)

"I am not referring to all of you; I know those I have chosen. But this is to fulfill this passage of Scripture: 'He who shared my bread has turned against me.' (John 13:18)

19For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. (Colossians 1:19,20)

Thoughts: Knox rightly points out that we commune not with the disobedient or unrepentant but with the invisible church- the elect- who are known only to God.  There is not bond with those who do not believe or do not seek to love or follow God.  There has always been a strain within Christianity that push for universal salvation no matter what we do or believe. But in this confession, we are reminded that we are not saved because we are "good" people by human standards or judgment.  We are united to Christ when we tie ourselves to Him in belief, and forsake evil and unbelief.  The tie that binds does not bind us to those who do not have the Holy Spirit in them by belief.  

Prayer: Lord, help me to recognize and be grateful for my brothers and sisters.  

4/30/14- Real Children

7But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. 9And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 10The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. (Matthew 3)

Thoughts: The lesson of Jesus to the Pharisees is that just being religious is not enough.  Having an intellectual belief in one God is not enough.  Just being sincere in your belief is not enough either.  Instead, it is a matter of having a love for God that produces fruit.  Without fruit, we are like discarded branches.  The fruit- is the fruit of reproduction- reproducing faith and the fruit of the Spirit.  There are physical-visible children of Abrham, and real spiritual descendants of him.  
    In our day, many people think that because they are religious and go to church, they are a part of the family.  But the heart has to be right and if the heart is right, the right kind of life and fruit are produced. A sign of religious ferment is trusting in habit instead of trusting in the heart.  The corollary is also true- to trust the heart without habit destroys the depth of our belief.  Hopefully we have our hearts right with God and are consistent in serving Him in worship and helping others.  The invisible church of the heart shows itself in bearing fruit.  

Prayer: May my heart show in my life. May my devotion show itself in my going to worship you.  

6/10/13- Finding the :"Right" Church

2 To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy people, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours.

3 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. (John 10:14-16)

Thoughts: How do you find the "right" church.  The average American moves every 2.5 years (this was somewhat slowed by the Great Recession- but is picking up again).  When you move to a new home and are looking for a church home, what do you look for?  A denominational name? Good music?  A good preacher?  A beautiful building?  A church just like my "old" church with a preacher just like my "old" preacher?  A great nursery?  A great youth program?  A mission-oriented church?  I believe in our day all these things are fickle.  We live in a post-denominational time in which there are more non-denominational churches than old-line denominational churches.  Even denominational churches vary widely between high and low churches and evangelical and progressive churches- with the possible exception of Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox.  Musicians and preachers come and go- and some churches live and die by the preacher and the musicians.  In our consumer oriented society- we often ask "what's in it for me and my family?" So the nursery, size of the youth group, children's ministry, or people my age is the question.  In the early church and in some countries where there are few churches- they are just looking for a Christian church period.  In our day in America we have the luxury of sorting through.  Sometimes the sorting is also a pruning for the churches.  The churches who do not adapt well are pruned out.  The churches who try to listen to both the Lord and providence- what is going on around them- are more likely to survive.
     So this week we'll be looking at this. When we become believers we are part of the Church- the Church that God sees.  He sees all those who believe in Him.  This is what Augustine of Hippo and many after him call the "invisible church."  This invisible church has a special fellowship or mystical communion- that is mentioned in the Apostles' Creed's phrase "communion of the saints."  The invisible church includes those who believe who are in heaven now as well as those who believe on the whole earth.
      The problem is that the visible church- sometimes better than others- reflects this invisible church.  The most important thing is not the entertainment package of a church, but the obedience of the church.  Is the church you are looking for listening to God?   This has to do with the reformation idea of the "marks" of the Church.  How do you identify or "mark" a good church is important. We should not assume that all churches are good or that all churches in one particular denomination are "bad."  The main question is whether we are "listening to His voice."  For where the church is truly listening to God intently- there the Holy Spirit will be giving life and moving.  

Prayer: Lord, give me grace to listen to your voice.  Help me to seek and find you more in a true and listening church. 

(Line outside Westminster Abbey)