Whose am I? Our Belonging to One Another in Christ

 

This message is definitely a continuation of what Carl covered last week. He introduced the concept of being “at home” in the family of Christ, experiencing the bond of love that draws us together as believers. Our mysterious union with Christ is reflected in the mysterious union and connection that we have with other Christians. I remember one time during my childhood in Nepal when we were trekking in a remote part of the country as a family, approaching a village that we had never been to before. We met a teenage girl along the path, and she was surprised to see us, as foreigners were still something of a novelty in those days. But she gave a big smile and joyfully told us as a greeting, “I love Jesus, too!” I am so glad that we could vigorously affirm that and speak some words of encouragement to her. She was our sister in the Lord, and the immediate bond that was so evident and heartfelt made a deep impression on me, out there in the middle of nowhere. Since that time, I have visited so many countries and cultures and experienced warm fellowship with believers all along the way. It is indeed a great blessing to be at home in the family of Christ.
 
Carl mentioned how we all want to feel at home somewhere. It’s part of how God has created us. I recall a more recent illustration from Nepal where in 2010 we were getting ready to uproot as a family from the mission hospital community where we had lived for 3 years and move to a new area where we knew practically no one. My young son was feeling unsettled in this transition, and I asked him what we could pray for – for him. His response reflects this deep longing that we all feel. He said, “I want to pray that we can find a home.”
 
We did find a home in that place. On a scouting trip I found a house being built that the landlord was willing to fix up to make it a little easier for us: just adding some luxuries like an indoor bathroom and a kitchen sink. We moved with probably way more stuff than we should have, a whole mini-truck full, and it was quite an adventure getting it all there over a terrible road and by porter the last bit. But we made it, and felt blessed to be there. Our years in that town – and we were the first western family to ever live in that district – were very significant, especially formative in our kids’ lives. It did come to be our home as we got to know people and grew to love the stony mountain paths and very basic routines. Facing all the challenges together and in the grace of God is part of what it took to make that simple house a home.
 
I would love to know what home means to each of you. Perhaps you would relate it to the word at the center of our title today: belonging. Does “home” feel like a place to “belong”? What does it mean to belong? Or, more specifically, what does it mean for us to belong to each other in Christ?

Belonging can refer to ownership, of course. This computer belongs to me, and I have the right to do as I like with it. We might think of our belonging to Jesus in this way. He bought us with his blood, and as our Lord (as well as our Creator, actually) he has the right to do whatever he wants with us. However, I don’t think that we belong to each other in this way. We do have obligations to each other, but they are based on love, not ownership.
 
Belonging can also refer to something being in its proper place. A horse does not belong in your living room. Some things just fit somewhere, like they were made for those places. My wife belongs in pediatrics. As a job, it suits her perfectly. And she is good at it – at least most of her patients think so. Where do you belong? Do you feel like you belong in this church? Is it a good fit for you?
 
But even that definition is not what our title is referring to today. Belonging to one another in Christ means a connection, an allegiance, a level of interdependence, being a part of each other, working together with the same vision and purpose. It means that we function as a body. Thus, our focus today will be on what it means for us to be part of the body of Christ. We belong to each other as believers because we belong to him as our head.
 
One of the main passages talking about the body of Christ in this sense is in 1 Corinthians 12:
 
Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.
Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body. – 1 Corinthians 12:12-20
 
This passage is beginning to speak of the unity in diversity that we have as the body of Christ. And the group of people that Paul is referring to here is not just a local fellowship of believers but actually the global body of Christ, all of his followers everywhere. Therefore it doesn’t matter if someone is a Jew or Gentile, slave or free – they can all be part of the body. The glue that holds us together is the Holy Spirit. We were baptized by one Spirit and given one Spirit to drink. The sense seems to be that we are covered and infused by the Spirit: washed by the Spirit in baptism and filled from the inside as well, so that the Holy Spirit becomes part of who we are. That is the essence of our unity with Christ. He is part of the body as well, as its head. That is why, according to our title today, we belong to one another to the extent that we are in Christ. His Spirit is the unifying force.
 
At that same time there is great diversity in the body. The body is made up of many different parts, according to God’s plan. God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be, it says here. These parts have specific functions, just as physical body parts do. We can see this quite easily at the local level, with the different gifts that we have allowing us to fulfill different roles in the church. But what about on a global scale? How is a pastor in America supposed to be different than a pastor in China, for instance? In some ways they might look similar in function, but think about what the Chinese pastor could teach the American about perseverance in the face of persecution. And consider the encouragement that the American pastor could be by motivating prayer for his Chinese brother.
 
Each part of the body is important, so there is no need for one to feel inferior to another. The way God values each person is different from the way we do. It is his Spirit working within us who makes us effective for him – that power made perfect in our weakness. So we shouldn’t elevate the great evangelist leading thousands to the Lord over the mentally handicapped person singing a simple song of praise in their own way. Both are essential to the body. The passage in 1 Corinthians 12 continues:
 
The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. – 1 Corinthians 12:21-27
 
This continues the theme of valuing all parts of the body. God gives greater honor to the parts that lack it, it says. Every part having equal honor should result in mutual respect and appreciation. Unfortunately we often don’t see this across denominational lines. Christians easily look down on each other for differences in doctrinal views and practices. Someone with the Holy Spirit is my brother or sister in Christ, regards of what else they believe. We can disagree without being disagreeable, as I heard someone say this week. Our differences indicate how big God is – none of us can fully understand him.
 
God honors each part of the body, so that there should be no division. All parts ought to have equal concern for each other, bearing each other’s burdens, suffering together, and rejoicing together. Jesus told his disciples that they would be identified by the world as his followers because of their love for each other: “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another,” he said in John 13:35. We so often fall far short of that, but Christians have no excuse to stop loving each other.
 
This leads us to the other main passage in the New Testament about unity in the body, in Ephesians 4. Carl used part of this last Sunday, but I would like to expand on what he said. Paul is very specific and practical here about what operating as a body really means:
 
Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. This is why it says:
“When he ascended on high,
    he took many captives
    and gave gifts to his people.”
(What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. – Ephesians 4:2-13
 
These principles apply mainly to proximate relationships, in the local body. What does it mean to bear with one another in love? It is more than just tolerating each other. The word for “bearing with” literally means to “hold up.” We need to bear each other’s burdens and make up for what is lacking in each other. Carl alluded to this last time. This is a big part of loving and honoring someone, isn’t it? And it certainly requires humility, gentleness, and patience, as Paul indicates here. Forgiveness is a key element here, too. We can easily become impatient when a brother or sister keeps falling in the same way. But Jesus tells us that we need to be willing to forgive them seventy times seven times. We mustn’t give up on them or even look down on them. Real forgiveness is a big part of bearing with one another in love.
 
Here that theme of unity also appears again. Carl pointed out that the unity of the Spirit is not something that we create, it is something that we must guard or keep. And that does take effort. Everything out there, all the forces in the world, seem to be trying to tear people apart. The bond of peace leads to unity, and unity leads to peace. This is not the kind of peace that papers over differences and conflict, but one that comes when sin and failure is dealt with honestly and truly forgiven. This requires grace, given as Christ apportioned it – in abundance. The grace that has covered our sins needs to overflow from us to cover the ways others have offended us. There is one body, Spirit, and hope. The things that unite us are much stronger than any that try to separate us.
 
This passage also mentions gifts, and the grace of Christ is also extended in these gifts that he has given us. When he ascended to heaven after his resurrection he sent the gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. The filling of the Spirit equips us for works of service to build up the body. For some people this means having an identifiable role as an apostle or prophet or evangelist or pastor or teacher, but all believers have some responsibility for building up the body. It is interesting to see the order here: that the works of service come before and result in unity in the faith and knowledge of the Son of God. We get to know God by serving him. Our faith is deepened, and we are drawn together in a sense of unity. Paul defines maturity here as “attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” I guess that none of us is really mature then, are we! There is always something more in the fullness of Christ for us to understand, experience, and put into practice. Continuing on in Ephesians 4,
 
Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. – Ephesians 4:14-16
 
Maturity protects us from being misled. This is also a corporate function, as the body builds itself up. We are vulnerable when we are alone and isolated. We need each other. Participating in the body of Christ helps keep us all on track, as we exhort each other with the truth of who Jesus is and what he has taught us. Speaking the truth in love brings all matters into the light where they can be examined and resolved properly. Truth can be a weapon for tearing other people down, unless it is spoken in love and genuine, unselfish concern for each other’s wellbeing. There needs to be mutual understanding and trust in the relationship before speaking truth to someone else will be effective. Love allows truth to be received. The fruit of the Spirit, a list beginning with love, are these supporting ligaments that hold the body together and help it to grow – with each part doing its work under the leadership of Christ.
 
In our understanding, we often associate the body of Christ with the local church, and indeed that is our most direct experience of life together with other believers. The principles that we have been considering do apply mainly to face-to-face relationships. The word “church” appears 68 times in the text of the NIV New Testament. In about half of those, it appears to be referring to a specific local church, like when Paul sends greetings to Philemon and the church that meets in his house. Most of the rest of the times the word is used to mean the universal body of Christ, as in Ephesians 1 where it says that God has “appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.” This is the church that is referred to as the bride of Christ in Revelation as well.
 
We ought to have this same balance in our thinking concerning the body that we are a part of. Where is our focus, our loyalty, our sense of responsibility? Clemson Community Church is certainly an important part of that, but it is only a part. Our effort, our resources, and our prayers should be applied in equal part to the Church with a capital C, the body of Christ around the world. I believe this will help us avoid the pitfall of focusing too much on what benefits us individually. A church that is just trying to take care of itself, meeting its own needs or protecting its own domain, will eventually die. The vision of the church needs to be outward, being a light to the world and a blessing to believers everywhere. In the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5, Jesus was speaking to his disciples corporately when he said,
 
“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. – Matthew 5:14-16
 
The ultimate end is to bring glory to God, through the good deeds that we do, in the sight of the world. Some churches become like the lamp under the bowl. It might be cozy and warm under there, with plenty of good light, but that is not the purpose of a lamp. The lamp is supposed to give light to everyone in the house. A town on a hill cannot be hidden. If the church is doing its job everyone around will have to take notice.
 
Belonging, therefore, is not primarily for our own benefit. Yes, we need to care for each other and build each other up in various ways as we are able, but the ultimate goal is to be that light to the world. This is what sets the church apart from other social groups. You may have heard of the secular churches that exist today: people getting together weekly to have “fellowship” without God being a part of it at all. They may even sing songs and have an inspirational talk to involve them in some good cause. They are trying to fulfill our innate need as humans to have meaningful social relationships, to create groups with a sense of belonging.
 
So how are Christian churches supposed to be different? Some churches do function like social clubs, places to connect with friends, to be supported and involved. But that is not what belonging to one another in Christ is all about. We are the light of the world, the city that cannot be hidden. With that always in view we will keep from becoming too inwardly focused.
 
It will also protect us from another danger of belonging as an end in itself, and that is thinking that we are doing okay because of the group that we are a part of. We are not the ones to draw the boundaries in the body of Christ. Some people who are very different from us are equally a part of that body as well. We need to be challenged by what they have to say and the ways in which they operate. Jesus is the one to decide who is part of his body and who isn’t.
 
There is so much more that could be said about how a church should operate. I have touched on just a few ways that we should be part of the body of Christ, belonging to one another in him. Let’s review these in closing:
 
1. It does not mean ownership but it does involve responsibility. Perhaps it would be clearer if we said belonging with each other in Christ rather than to each other.
2. It means being connected, interdependent, and working together.
3. It means being part of the universal body of Christ, in all of its wonderful diversity.
4. It means recognizing the value and unique role of each individual.
5. It means relying on the Holy Spirit as the source of our unity.
6. It means forgiving and bearing with each other, in the grace of Christ.
7. It means speaking the truth in love.
8. It means letting our light shine in the world, to bring glory to God.

Who loves me? Our Home in the Family of Christ

Welcome! Today we continue our series on identity, belonging, and purpose, continuing our exploration of belonging. Two weeks ago, Tim spoke on our communion with Christ, and last week, John spoke on our intimacy with Christ. It goes without saying that spending two weeks exploring our relationship with Christ barely scratches the surface. By one count, the New Testament refers to our union with Christ over two hundred times. The entire New Testament contains 260 chapters, so that is about one reference to our union with Christ per chapter. Or to put it another way, many physical Bibles have around 200 pages in their New Testaments, so that means about one reference per page.
 
In the excellent book called Deeper by Dane Ortlund, the author mentions multiple Biblical metaphors that describe our relationship with Christ. These are super-encouraging when you reflect upon them separately but even more so together, so I want to give you a brief summary of them so that you get a glimpse of the profound depth and breadth of the benefits of us being “with” Christ. The wording here is a mix of the author’s and mine.
 
Now I thought about providing Bible verses for these metaphors, but then I decided against it, because I would rather you experience for yourselves the blessing of finding these truths in Scripture. It is quite easy to do this thanks to the technology we have today. In a search box you can simply look up “Bible verses about …” and put the topic in, and you will be given multiple links that take you to lists of relevant verses. I encourage you to do this as a part of your quiet times.
 
First is the law-court metaphor. This is about the Biblical doctrine of justification – that is, we are no longer condemned. Second is purity-restoring metaphor, about sanctification – we are no longer defiled. Third is the family-joining metaphor, adoption – we are no longer orphaned. Fourth is the relationship-restoring metaphor, reconciliation – we are no longer estranged. Fifth is the physical-cleaning metaphor, washing – we are no longer dirty, no longer soiled. Sixth is the metaphor of human trafficking and servitude, redemption – we are no longer enslaved. The seventh metaphor is financial; we could call it purchase – we are no longer in debt. The eighth metaphor concerns our release from imprisonment, liberation – we are no longer captives. Ninth is the metaphor of our second physical generation, the new birth – we are no longer unborn. Tenth is the metaphor about light, illumination – we are no longer blind. Eleventh is the metaphor about our bodies, resurrection – we are no longer dead. Our twelfth but by no means final metaphor regards our overall union with Christ, we could call it our integrating metaphor – and I’m not talking about calculus here – we are no longer alone. This commingling, intermixing, joining – whatever you want to call it, is perhaps the deepest mystery of all. But we know it is true, because God tells us in His Word that it is true.
 
And this leads well into our topic for today – as believers, not only we do we experience a mysterious supernatural joining with Christ, but God equips us so that we can also experience a supernatural bonding, a bonding in love, with one another.
 
In our title today, I carefully chose the word “Home.” What comes to mind when you think of home? I do not necessarily mean the place you are currently living at. College students, especially, are in a time of transition, and it is common to feel like you have lost your since of home, at least to some degree. And it can take many years to find that you fully have that feeling again. But if you come from a family of devoted followers of Christ, and even in some cases if not, hopefully home brings up images of times with family, more than the building in which you lived. Even if you have not experienced this, I can bet that you have longed for it.
 
Home is something that God promises us, not only in Him, but in His grand family of believers. This is something we will experience in the fulness of eternity on a scale that we cannot begin to imagine. Yes, heaven will be about Jesus, worshipping Him, spending time with Him, knowing Him and loving Him intimately, but it will also be a collective experience. We will find home not only in Him, but among our fellow believers.
 
One of my favorite stories about David involves Mephibosheth, in 2 Sam. 9. I want to read some of this, starting in verse 2, but let me first give you some background. Recall that King Saul had repeatedly disobeyed God, and God announced that he would no longer be king. Saul was told of his fate, and he became suspicious and jealous of anyone who might be on the track to becoming the next king. It soon became clear that David was experiencing the favor of God and the people, and Saul began to try to, first, thwart him, and then, kill him outright. For a long period of time, David was on the run from Saul. To his great credit, Saul’s son Jonathan, who had long been good friends with David, not only looked out for David, but then confronted his father. After a long time, fulfilling a prophecy, Saul was mortally wounded in battle, and his son Jonathan died in the same battle, leading to David finally becoming king. Now in after a typical conflict like this, the new king would seek out all the former allies and family members of the old leadership and, well, imprison or kill them, so that there would be no further threat. Now, David loved Jonathan, but not everyone knew this, and neither did people at this time know what David might be like as king. Keep this in mind as I read this passage, and also know that Mephibosheth was Jonathan’s son, so he was Saul’s grandson.
 
Now there was a servant of Saul’s household named Ziba. They summoned him to appear before David, and the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” “At your service,” he replied. The king asked, “Is there no one still alive from the house of Saul to whom I can show God’s kindness?” Ziba answered the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan; he is lame in both feet.” – 2 Samuel 9:2-3
 
This son is in fact Mephibosheth. Now, this passage does not reveal motivation, but as a long-time servant of Saul, I would have to think that this guy was extremely nervous when being called forth to appear before David. When David asked if there was anyone still alive from the house of Saul to whom he could show “God kindness,” the natural response would be to think that David was speaking, well, metaphorically. Ziba replies that there is a son of Jonathan alive, but he avoids giving his name, and he hastens to add that he is lame. Again, I wonder what Ziba is thinking. Perhaps he mentions his lameness in the hopes that David will leave him alone, as he is no threat to him. The passage continues:
 
“Where is he?” the king asked. Ziba answered, “He is at the house of Makir son of Ammiel in Lo Debar.” So King David had him brought from Lo Debar, from the house of Makir son of Ammiel. – 2 Samuel 9:4-5
 
A good question to ask is why the son of Jonathan was not under the care of Ziba, but instead hidden away, it seems, at someone else’s home in another city. Perhaps to keep him safe? In any case, Mephibosheth is brought to David. If in fact Ziba had feared for Saul’s descendants, this action was the realization of Ziba’s worst fears. It would follow that Mephibosheth would also be terrified of this coming encounter, as he is escorted by David’s men straight to the king. How does this encounter play out?
 
When Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David, he bowed down to pay him honor. David said, “Mephibosheth!” “At your service,” he replied. “Don’t be afraid,” David said to him, “for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table.” Mephibosheth bowed down and said, “What is your servant, that you should notice a dead dog like me?” – 2 Samuel 9:6-8
 
Notice how David began his discussion with the phrase “Don’t be afraid.” I would assume that this was because Mephibosheth was terrified. He probably thought that his life was about to end due to his being the grandson of Saul. But the degree of the reversal is shocking – not only will  Mephibosheth live, he will be like one of David’s own sons! Mephibosheth is simply blown away by David’s kindness.
 
Then the king summoned Ziba, Saul’s steward, and said to him, “I have given your master’s grandson everything that belonged to Saul and his family. You and your sons and your servants are to farm the land for him and bring in the crops, so that your master’s grandson may be provided for. And Mephibosheth, grandson of your master, will always eat at my table.” (Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.) Then Ziba said to the king, “Your servant will do whatever my lord the king commands his servant to do.” So Mephibosheth ate at David’s table like one of the king’s sons. – 2 Samuel 9:9-11
 
This true account is a beautiful picture of what has happened to us. We too were members of a household who hated God (the human household). We too were nobodies, insignificant. But God the Father, on account of Jesus’ sake, Jesus, who you could say, also died in “battle” – God sought us out because, by faith, we have become a part of Jesus’ family, and so God invites us home, home to be a part of the King of king’s table forever.
 
And just as Mephibosheth joined David with the rest of his family, so do we get to join God with the rest of His family, all the other believers, together.
 
But the kingdom of God does not only begin in heaven – it begins here on Earth. And we are privileged to be able to begin to experience home here on Earth, with our fellow believers in Christ.
What does God expect this experience to be like? Human families on Earth are a mixed bag. Epic sibling fights and rivalries, arguments between Mom and Dad, and so on, are hallmarks of our blood family homes. It should not be so and it need not be so, but it often is, because we are all sinners, and operating apart from the fellowship available to us in Christ, we tend to mess up our family relationships just as we tend to mess up absolutely everything else we do as humans. And unfortunately, there can be non-godly behavior and divisions among the family of believers as well. But this is not what God desires, and neither does it have to be.  
 
As fellow followers of Christ, we share something that non-believers do not share – we share the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit does countless things in our lives – but one of the things it does, if we abide in Christ, is make us able to love one another, deeply, in word and in action. Note that we all don’t have different Holy Spirits, or even different “pieces” of the Holy Spirit – there is only one Holy Spirit, and He lives in all of our hearts. And He is always working to draw us together, to make us into the loving family of Christ, so that we can begin to experience home here on Earth. This makes me think of Ephesians 4:
 
Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. – Ephesians 4:2-6
 
Note that this passage doesn’t say we are to create the unity of the Spirit; the Holy Spirit is already here with us; our task is to make every effort to “keep” it. The Greek word translated as “keep” is tayrayo, a word means to keep an eye on. It can be translated as guard, but there are different Greek words that mean to be a military guard, preventing someone from escaping. That is not the idea here. The Spirit is not trying to escape; it is trying to stay! It is more like to be on the watch for someone else who tries to steal it away. It is our lack of humility, our lack of gentleness, our lack of bearing with one another in love, that we need to watch for.  Because of the Holy Spirit’s influence, home is what we will experience if we abide in Christ in humility, gentleness, patience, and longsuffering. I really think this is an important point – we don’t need to artificially try to manufacture a loving community of believers; we simply need to get our fleshly selves out of the way of what the Holy Spirit is doing.
 
I think it is important to explain that the “unity” of the Spirit is not at all the same thing as “uniformity.” In fact, God loves the opposite of uniformity; He promises that our future home will be comprised of people from all nations and cultures. We should be especially welcoming to Christian believers who are not like us. I think of a passage in Galatians 3:
 
So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. – Galatians 3:26-28
 
The things that unite us – the things of Christ – may be small in number in comparison to the things that make us different, but these things are deeper, more profound. They speak to the things that are most important to us, and we should agree what these most important things are. We should all rejoice as we hear of new believers coming to Christ, and we should all care deeply when some of us suffer, even if it is happening on the other side of the Earth.
 
One of the things I have experienced repeatedly among believers that I do not experience with anyone else is the ability to reconnect with someone after a long period of time, even 10 years or more, and as we talk about Christ, about spiritual things, about what the Lord has taught us and had us experience, it is as if nothing has changed. In fact, I have repeatedly experienced deeper connections with these supposed “strangers” than I have had previously. I believe the reason for this is that the Holy Spirit has helped us to grow, and now we are even more one in Christ than we were, because we are even more deeply connected to Him.
 
I would strongly urge you to develop the art and skill of having meaningful and personal spiritual conversations with other believers. I know that this is easy for some people and a much greater challenge for others, but even if it is hard for you, I encourage you to work at it. I know that this did not come easy for me at all at the beginning of my life as a new believer. I felt so self-conscious that I couldn’t pray around others, and, as I wasn’t good at “regular” conversations anyway, the idea of having a spiritual conversation was terrifying. But I had good friends, friends who knew how to fill in the “gaps,” friends who were humble and gentle, who allowed the Holy Spirit to guide them to help me grow. If you are someone who is more comfortable doing this, I encourage you to gently befriend those who aren’t. And if you are uncomfortable, I encourage you to keep it simple. Remember that Jesus loves the simple prayer “Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner,” and He also loves the man who simply said “All I know, is that I was blind, but now I see!” 
 
Coming back to the topic of unity versus uniformity, I encourage you to befriend those who are unlike you. Single people can become great friends in Christ with married people, the young can become friends with the well-seasoned, and so on. In Faculty Commons, faculty (including me) often say that faculty best “get” faculty, and this is true. There are things I go through on campus that I don’t share here – not only because it might get me in trouble – but because I know it is far beyond the realm of most of your experiences, and you simply won’t understand. But I do have wonderful relationships with many of you, and I desire it to be all of you, because although my job may take a great part of my day, it is our lives in Christ that are infinitely more important and meaningful. Faculty Commons at Clemson has a wonderful person who assists us as a Faculty Commons staff member, and I feel like we connect on a very deep level, even though he is not a faculty member. And I feel the same way about his wife, who often cooks food for us. Why? Because they are humble, and caring, and allow the Holy Spirit to orchestrate their lives. I know of other faculty members who have broken down the “walls” so as to have deep relationships with their former students who are believers, as well as faculty who have great spiritual relationships with the janitorial staff.
 
The world is supposed to marvel at how believers can be so different and yet have this oneness in Christ Jesus. It should draw them to Christ!
 
In John 17, shortly before Jesus goes to the cross, He prays for His disciples multiple things including that the Father would protect them so that they could be one as He and God are one. He then goes on to pray for all believers, those who are the spiritual “children” of the disciples, and that includes us. And this is what He prays:
 
“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in Me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as You are in Me and I am in You. May they also be in Us so that the world may believe that You have sent Me. I have given them the glory that You gave Me, that they may be one as We are one—I in them and You in Me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that You sent Me and have loved them even as you have loved Me. – John 17:20-23
 
I remember a long conversation I had years ago, with a person who grew up under a mix of religions, including Hinduism. We talked for what was actually hours about what our religions teach. Mostly, I remember, he talked, and I listened. As this went on, I prayed that God would give me an insightful question to ask him. I believe that God powerfully answered that prayer. We were talking about what happens after you die, and he was explaining the how the goal in Hinduism is to attain Nirvana, paradise, after death. And then God I believe gave me my opening. I affirmed with him that there are indeed similarities between Christianity and Hinduism (a theme he kept trying to promote) in that we believe in life after death, and even in the concept of a final, eternal destination (although of course Christians do not believe in reincarnation as Hindus describe), but, I asked him what that ultimate “oneness” actually means in Hinduism. My specific question was, “When you achieve Nirvana, are you still ‘you’?” The personality, the memories, and so on, are you still you? I explained that in Christianity, we are still us, only we are a “better” us. But we still have our memories, we still have our distinctives, and in fact, our unity is not about unison at all, but rather the opposite (as we have been talking about here). This question caused him to actually panic. He started reciting, quickly and quietly, some things he had memorized, as if he was a computer given an endless loop to answer. He finally said that he didn’t know. I believe that God used this question to make him spiritually interested in Christianity. In any case, after this, he spent more and more time exploring Christianity, and then he finally gave his life to Christ. Before he moved away after graduation from Clemson, he spent time here at this church. I am sure you old timers remember him.  
 
“Then the world will know that You sent Me and have loved them even as you have loved Me.” As I was writing up this message and reflecting on this verse, memories of this student brought tears to my eyes. It is the Holy Spirit that moves us to tears. What we share, in Christ, this realization that we are part of  “A Grander Story,” (to quote a great book title) and the realization that God equips us through His Spirit to experience loving fellowship together so powerful, so meaningful, that words fail to express it adequately, may make us all cry. Our Lord is so good!
 
I want to take my final minutes to talk about what if you feel like you have never experienced “home”, and perhaps feel like you are incapable of experiencing “home” because your home life growing up was pretty dysfunctional. Let me first say that I completely understand. I know that my parents dealt with their own traumas, and that these traumas significantly affected their abilities to function as adults. My dad was extremely reserved when it came to showing love and emotion. I now know he loved us as best he could. My parents were not believers.
 
My mom was extremely nervous, easily became extremely angry, and also suffered from alcoholism. In her better moments, she did express her love to me. Being the older sibling, I left home three years before my sister, and I know that things became even worse after I left. There is no question that my parents’ faults affected both of us in significant ways. We both share aspects of the personalities of our parents. I can struggle both with expressing love and with anger. And although God has helped me grow significantly in these areas, I am still frustrated with myself when I revert back to these old patterns. I know that there are home situations that are dramatically worse than what I experienced, horrifically worse. But I think I understand that people cope with what they are forced to deal with. I considered my somewhat dysfunctional home life as still home, and I missed it especially when I went across the country to graduate school. But upon marriage, and children, I knew by then that I did not want to perpetuate what I had experienced. I now marvel at what God did in my family, in my home. When our kids were little, when I would come home, they would all run to me, arms open wide, shouting “Daddy!”, and as for Mimi, I don’t even know where to begin. She has brought tremendous healing to my life, even before we were married, and she continues to model Christ’s love for me, every single day. Anyway, when I would come home in those days, it was all I could do not to cry every evening as I wondered, how in the world did I get to be so fortunate as to experience this? I am truly blessed. I kind of miss the days when our kids were little and did this each day as I came home, but I am greatly enjoying these new chapters of life, as our kids have grown up, and now I can love them as the beautiful Christ-loving adults that they have become or are becoming. I am still truly blessed.
 
Now, not everyone is called into a life of marriage, and it is certainly possible to be exceedingly blessed apart from marriage. Paul even talks about the benefits of remaining single as pertains to a life of ministry. But God has chosen to bless me through marriage and family life, to bring healing to me, and I know that God has done the same for some of you.
 
But my blessings do not end there. You, all of you, are also home for me. Whether I have known you for a few months or for 30 years, you are my treasured family in Christ, and I love you. Again, I don’t know how I got to be so fortunate to experience this, but I am incredibly thankful for all of you, and I know that I am truly blessed.
 
My deeply heartfelt prayer for all of us, and especially for you if you too had a far-from-ideal home life growing up, is that, here, in this place, surrounded by incredible believers who deeply love the Lord, you would find home.
 
And may we make Christ’s body home for one another. As a “homework assignment” this week, I encourage you to reach out to someone you do not usually reach out to, whether to talk on the phone, grab a coffee, or whatever seems fit to you, as the Lord leads.
 
May we all yield to Holy Spirit, in humility, love, patience, and forbearance, so that this home for the Lord would be like a pleasing aroma to the Lord. In this Mordor of a world, may we find the Shire in one another, in Christ. And may we all be on the lookout for Mephibosheths to lovingly adopt into our home.

Who Can Comfort Me? Our Consolation in Christ

Paul wrote his letter to the Philippians somewhere around 61 AD.  This was about 28 years after Jesus rose from the dead.  He wrote this from a prison in Rome.  His circumstances weren’t terrible.  He was living in a private residence.  He was able to have visitors and have other freedoms.  But he was chained to a guard 24 hours a day.  Every six hours there would be a change of the guard.  He had no privacy. 
 
Between 47 AD and 61 AD he did face a horrendous amount of suffering.  He spent about 14 years on the move.  He was sharing the gospel, teaching Christians to obey Jesus, and solidifying gatherings of disciples, which were called churches.  Early in his days as a Christian, people in the church didn’t trust him.  After all, he had persecuted the church before his conversion.  There were plots to kill him, opposition to his teachings and demonic encounters.  He was stoned and left to die.  He was beaten and thrown into prison.  He faced rioting mobs.  He had been falsely accused.  He even survived a shipwreck while on one of his trips.  Towards the end of his life he ended up in prison for no wrongdoing.  He was in trouble because he testifyied to what he had seen and heard in Jesus. 
 
This was someone who needed comfort.  We need comfort as well.  Sometimes we might face suffering for our faith in Christ.  Most of the time we need comforting because of trials or the uncertain times we face.  Over the past couple of weeks I’ve faced my share of issues.  My truck, a GMC 3500, had an engine failure.  This is the truck I use for my business.  I found this out while I was sick with covid.  Another challenge has been that numerous people on numerous occasions haven’t done what was promised.  As a family we’ve been working through what it means to be controlled by the Spirit, not anger, impatience, or rudeness.  We led a student to Christ last semester.  A Christian from another Christian organization has been working at preventing this new believer from staying connected with us.  I’ve also faced a small amount of harassment.  Someone, who knows I share Jesus, got my phone number and has been mocking me.  While one of my employees was out working with my other truck, he called me telling me that it had broken down as well.  By the grace of God it was just something temporary.  I was going to joke that I broke a nail.  But a couple nights ago I knocked about one-fourth of my toenail off that’s on my big toe!  So, I didn’t need to joke about breaking a nail.
 
As Paul went through all his trials and pressures, what brought him comfort?  Kenneth Wuest, a New Testament Greek Scholar, stated, “The word ‘comfort’ is the translation of a Greek word which means literally, “a word which comes to the side of one to stimulate or comfort him.” It speaks of persuasive address. Lightfoot translates it by the words “incentive, encouragement.”
(Wuest, K. S. (1997). Wuest’s word studies from the Greek New Testament: for the English reader (Vol. 5, p. 57). Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.)  What was it that gave Paul incentive or persuaded him to keep focused, to have faith and to have joy in spite of his circumstances?  It’s a good question for each of us to ask ourselves.  What is truly giving us motivation to continue on?  Are we looking for the incentive that God wants to provide?
 
Where do we get our motivation?  It would be easy for us to get our motivation from our national heritage as Americans.  After all, we have the most advanced military on Earth, therefore, we have protection.  We have capitalism, freedom of speech, incredible medical coverage, etc.  It would be easy to hide behind the protection of these things.  But these things are temporary.
 
So, back to the original question.  What brought Paul comfort, encouragement, consolation, motivation, incentive?  In the four short chapters of Philippians, Paul mentioned Jesus 34 times.  Over and over he said “in Christ”, “for Christ” and “with Christ”.  He didn’t talk about his ability to avoid sin.  He didn’t share about his incredible, vibrant daily bible reading and prayer time in which he never missed for 14 years.  He didn’t talk about his eloquent speech or his evangelism skills.  Listen to the way he talks about Christ being the one who came to his side to encourage him:

1. Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. – Philippians 1:2

It brings a moment of clarity to our lives when we understand that Jesus is the source of grace and peace.  How often has this world tried to bring peace but failed?  There’s enmity between husbands and wives that’s trying to be solved by secular psychologists.  There are countries in the Middle East that have failed miserably at this for thousands of years.  Animosity still exists between political parties, races, religions and even between tigers and gamecocks. 

2. being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. – Philippians 1:6

Jesus is the one who will finish the work that was started in us.  Paul didn’t feel the pressure of having to be there every step of the way for the church’s growth.  Jesus could change people in ways that Paul couldn’t.  Years ago, at Faithwalkers, I remember Rebekah telling us that she wanted to learn more about sharing her faith.  John encouraged her to connect with me on campus.  Her first answer was a shake of the head, as in “No!”  Later, I asked again.  Nope, not gonna do it.  A few years later, after she had submitted herself to the lordship of Christ, did she finally come around.  Not only has she been sharing Christ but she has been teaching others how to do the same.  God was at work even when I wasn’t around.

3. God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus. – Philippians 1:8

The affection he showed the Philippians came from Jesus.  It takes perseverance to love people even while we go through difficult times.  This cannot come from ourselves.  The supreme example of Jesus.  He had been slandered, spit upon, cursed at, whipped, beaten, and was shamed by being hung on a cross while naked.  And, yet, what did he say as one of his last words?  “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.”

4. so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ – Philippians 1:10

Paul was comforted to know that the fruit he hoped to see in their lives was going to come “through Jesus Christ.” Even though he desired to see great things to happen in them, he was able to relax and be patient as God transformed his people.  It wasn’t on his shoulders.  He was in prison.  He couldn’t go see them, teach them, exhort them, train them, or anything else.  But he could pray for them.

5. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. – Philippians 1:13

He knew that the chains he had on his arms and legs weren’t in vain.  He was “in chains for Christ.” You might feel chained to your desk at work.  You might even feel chained to your children!  You might feel chained to a health problem or an unbearable boss.  It’s comforting to know that God is not chained even though we may feel like we are.

6. But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice. – Philippians 1:18

Even though it was distressing to know that people were preaching Christ out of selfish motives, Paul knew that, at least, Christ was being preached.  He took comfort in knowing that as the words of Jesus were spread, Jesus would take care of the rest.  The apostle John said that Jesus “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” He didn’t say that Jesus had the Words of God.  He said that He was the Word.  If you let the lion out of the cage you don’t have to teach it to hunt for food and water.  You don’t have to teach it to attack and take territory.  Just let him loose! So, Paul’s comfort was not in the sharer of the message, but rather in the power of the message and in the fact that it was alive and active…unchained if you will.

7. for I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. – Philippians 1:19

He took comfort in knowing that Jesus would deliver him.  One way or the other, he would be delivered.  If Jesus freed him from prison then he would have more time on this Earth to do God’s will.  If he died, well, that was even better.  He would be delivered from his body of sin, given a glorious body and be in the presence of God forever.  That’s why he said the very next thing.

8. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. – Philippians 1:21

He took comfort in knowing that he couldn’t lose: “To live is Christ and to die is gain.”  No matter what the enemies of the cross of Christ would throw at him, he couldn’t lose!  Max and I will play sports quite often.  Imagine us playing baseball and he comes up with a special, unspoken rule, as he often does.  This is usually the kind of rule I learn about at the exact moment as I’m winning the game.  My perspective is that I’m winning according to the rules that every baseball player  has gone by since the 1800s.  “But dad”, Max suddenly interjects as I’m celebrating my win over an eight year old boy, “you can only use the black bat.  Whatever points you score with the red bat don’t count.”  Now it makes sense why he was having such a good time while I was pumeling him 20-0.  He knew he couldn’t lose.  What encouragement do you think we would have if we knew that we couldn’t lose?  It kind-of reminds me of  the scene in The Matrix Revolutions.  Neo is in a fight with Smith.  He confidently stood up, looked Smith directly in the eyes, wound his arms up as if in a karate stance, sticks out his hand then motions him to bring it on.  You might receive a bad grade in class but you won’t lose.  You might suffer for Christ, but you won’t lose.  You might be chained, but you won’t lose.

9. Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel. – Philippians 1:27

He took comfort in knowing that the gospel of Christ provided the glue for unity even if he wasn’t there with them. When I leave in the evening to go meet with students I’ll often have a sit-down with my kids.  I’ll tell them to work even harder at obeying me when I’m gone as compared to when I’m home.  Paul oftentimes, even in Philippians, encouraged the disciples to follow his examples and the example of other godly believers.  In this instance, he couldn’t be there to be their example.  But he knew that they knew the gospel and the type of holy God that was proclaiming this gospel.  This standard could be with the Philippians no matter where they live, and no matter if Paul was with them or not.  When I was in high school I went to church just about every time we had a meeting.  I was even being asked to take up the offering and pray during the church meetings.  I appeared as if I was a godly person.  But in reality I was doing things behind the scenes that were hypocritical.  It wasn’t until college that I finally found saving faith in Jesus.  After that I realized that God had given me a message to give, the gospel.  God didn’t expect me to be perfect.  He wasn’t wanting me to reach a certain level of maturity or purity before I even opened my mouth about God’s salvation in my life.  But he did want my life to match my calling.  This is the same calling he gives every Christian.  I was given a calling/a mission first no matter the state I was in.  I had a brand new identity separate from my performance as a Christian. But God did want me to repent so that my life was a demonstration of the gospel.  Our mouths are to communicate the gospel and our lives are to demonstrate the gospel.  Paul knew that this calling would lift them up even if he couldn’t be in their presence.

10. For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him… – Philippians 1:29

He was comforted because he knew that the suffering he was experiencing wasn’t a sign that he was far from Christ.  It was a sign that he was near to him.  I don’t think a Christian needs to instigate arguments.  But if faced with opposition he shouldn’t cower away.  In Philippians 1:28 Paul exhorted them to not be “frightened in any way by those who oppose you.”  Some Christians have a view that we shouldn’t stir up any tension.  But that’s what the gospel does.  I didn’t like looking into the mirror of God’s word and seeing that I was filthy.  This caused a tension.  My flesh wanted sin.  But God was drawing me to himself.  If I felt no tension then that meant that I was content to stay in my sin.  Sometimes you might face a little tension from other people as you hold the mirror up to them.  But the presence of this tension, or suffering even, isn’t a sign that you’re doing something wrong.  It could be a sign that you’re doing everything right!  It could be a sign that you’re following Jesus more closely than you realize.

11. If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion… – Philippians 2:1

Paul was comforted because he was encouraged in Christ, he had consolation from God’s love and he had fellowship  with the Spirit.  These are things that people can’t take away from us.

12. If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless.  – Philippians 3:4-6 

Before Christ, Paul’s incentive was that he was involved in a worthy cause, cleansing the land of those heretical Christians.  He said “as for zeal, persecuting the church…” (Phil. 3:6)  He really, truly, totally without a possible doubt believed that he was doing God’s will.  But sin had poisoned his ability to think clearly about the theology he taught!  He was on the front line of doing God’s will.  He was sincere about what he believed, but he was sincerely wrong.  Jesus warned the disciples about people like Paul, “2 They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God.” (John 16:2)  At the time that Jesus said these words Paul may have been a young boy.  Later, he would become one of the greatest persecutors of the church.  Before Christ he also had gotten his motivation from his national heritage and religious effort.  After he came to Christ, he considered those things to be like dung.

13. and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. – Philippians 3:9

He was encouraged to know that he didn’t have to work for his righteousness.  It was provided to him through Christ. It’s a heavy weight to believe that we have to work for our right standing with God.  It’s exhausting.  It could be comparable to pushing a 5,000 lb GMC 3500 because it had an engine failure

14. and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. – Philippians 3:14

He had motivation to “press on” because there would be a prize waiting for him in heaven.  There are times that I’ve gotten my comfort from the prizes that are on this Earth.  If my incentive was heavenly, I didn’t notice the commotion going on around me.  If my incentive is Earthly, it feels like everything is going wrong.  Max loves to play Minecraft.  He sets a timer in order to let him know when his screen time is over.  Most of the time he doesn’t even hear the alarm.  He’s oblivious.  Actually, he’s quite oblivious to a lot of things.  We can holler at him and he doesn’t blink an eye.  I’ve often said that he would be a great emergency room doctor.  He’s oblivious to chaos.  Sometimes I wish I had this particular gift, especially when I go into his room and see chaos all over the place.

15. Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:6-8

His comfort came through the reality that Jesus himself would protect his heart and mind from anxiety as he faced the future.  It wasn’t until college that I realized what those strange feelings were that I was having in the morning.  I would think about the future, then I would think about all the things that could go wrong.  Later, I learned that those feelings were feelings of anxiety.  The consolation is that Jesus can protect us in places that we didn’t even know needed protecting.  In Proverbs it says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” (Proverbs 4:23).  My mom, sister and my grandma went on a trip out to the Western part of the US.  They traveled past scenic mountains in Montana.  The river looked beautiful, cold and refreshing.  As they stopped, they saw someone bending down to drink out of the stream.  My grandma said something like, “I would never drink out of an open stream like that.  You never know what’s in it.”  They got in the car and drove up the road.  Just a short distance up the road they saw a dead moose right in the river!  There’s no telling what kind of toxins were in that water!  Our hearts are susceptible to toxins as well.

16. And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:9

He also took great encouragement that God would meet all his needs according to God’s glorious riches in Christ Jesus.  His comfort didn’t come from the things, it came from the person who gave the things.  He said, “And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”  Notice that he said “my God”.  When is the last time that you told someone about God and you used the phrase “my God”.  There have been countless times that I’ve talked about God.  But I can’t even remember the last time I said “my God.”  His relationship with Jesus was real.  This gave him confidence to share Jesus and what Jesus could do for them.

17. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen. – Philippians 4:23

His last comforting thought is that Jesus is alive and he is sitting right beside each one of us.

Who loves me? Our Communion with Christ

Our current series – In Christ, With Christ, and for Christ – is structured around some very basic questions about our relationship with God. It’s good to consider these often, because they go to the heart of what we believe as Christians. And who we are and what we do – what we focus on and prioritize – are always a reflection of what we truly believe. So I am finding this series very thought provoking and worthwhile. May God continue to bless it and use it in each of our lives.
 
Our three main topics are identity, belonging, and purpose – all in relationship with Jesus Christ. We have considered our identity in Christ for a few Sundays now. Carl started with that, and John and Fred expanded on it. Today we start to think more about belonging, but of course these three – identity, belonging, and purpose – and all interrelated and intertwined. Our communion with Christ is part and parcel of our identity and purpose, as well as the basis for our belonging.
 
Today we are going to talk about our love relationship with God. We are saved for relationship, aren’t we? God wants us to relate to him in love and extend that love to others. In a couple of weeks Carl will be talking about our love relationship with other people, and I will try to avoid stealing his thunder in today’s message. Fortunately the topic of love is so huge that it could easily be its own sermon series. So today we will consider our relationship with God, not ignoring how that should impact our relationship with others, but deferring that part for later.
 
Let’s begin with prayer and then look at this word communion. Communion is a useful description of this love relationship with God. What does communion mean? If you look at dictionary definitions they mention things like sharing, intimate fellowship, communication (it’s easy to see how that is related), exchange on a mental or spiritual level, rapport (which means harmony based on understanding another’s feeling and ideas), and of course what we call communion in church: the ritual with the bread and cup that we do to remember Christ’s death for us.
 
Incidentally, the reason that ceremony is called communion is because for many believers it involves more than just remembering something that happened in the past – it is actually part of our real fellowship with Christ right now and in some mysterious way enhances our spiritual union with him. In my church tradition, the communion ritual is considered a “means of grace,” a way that we can receive God’s grace and forgiveness anew. But I certainly admit that eating Christ’s flesh and drinking his blood is something that is difficult to understand. When Jesus first stated this in John 6, the response from his disciples was, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?” And it says that “From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.”
 
So I’m not going to talk more about the ritual of communion, although it is very important to me and receiving the body and blood of Christ on a regular basis is an incredibly intimate and gracious experience. The larger concept of our communion with Christ transcends that and should be a moment by moment reality all through our lives, not just in church or as part of a ceremony.
 
With such a big concept, I would like to establish a simple structure to keep us from just wandering around in the scriptures and then looking back wondering where we’ve been. In considering our communion with Christ, I would like to focus on its foundation, its fruit, and its fulfillment. And I didn’t even have to work that hard to get them all to start with “f.”
 
The foundation of our communion with Christ is a something that I have already mentioned, in a word: love. This is a love relationship that God initiated:
 
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. – John 3:16
 
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. – Romans 5:8
 
But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. – Ephesians 2:4-5
 
This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. – 1 John 4:9-10
 
This is the core of the gospel message, isn’t it. We have done nothing to deserve God’s love, it is inherent to his nature. God is love, so he loves us whether we respond or not. While we were still sinners he sent his son to die for us, to pay the price for those sins. We were dead in our transgressions, it says – and a dead person cannot save themselves. It is by grace we have been saved: not that we loved God, but that he first loved us.
 
We will never be able to fully comprehend the love of God – and yet Paul prays this for the Ephesians in chapter 3 of his letter:
 
I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. – Ephesians 3:16-19
 
What an incredible description of our communion with Christ! Once again, it starts with God the Father and his glorious riches, the power of the Holy Spirit that enables Christ the Son to dwell in our hearts by faith. The whole Trinity is involved here. The indwelling presence of Christ is what enables us to experience the love of God, to be rooted and grounded in it. The Holy Spirit within us confirms again and again that God loves us, that he has forgiven us, that he is taking care of us in every way. Then, as we come together as a community of believers, combining the experience and insight of all of the Lord’s holy people, we begin to get a glimpse of how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ. We can’t perceive this on our own, only as part of the universal body of Christ. Even then, this is love that surpasses knowledge, just as it says here. And what does it mean to be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God? This too is a mystery, but we can know for sure that God is willing to fill us with as much of himself as we could ever imagine, as part of our communion with him.
 
The church is described in Revelation as the bride of Christ, and marriage is an important metaphor for our communion with our Lord. Of course every human marriage is flawed, but there are moments in good marriages that do reflect the love and intimacy at the center of our relationship with Christ. As a husband and wife spend time together and get to know each other and begin to communicate openly and deeply, they have the opportunity to offer grace and support. Unconditional love and trust begin to build on each other, strengthening their bond and commitment. Marriage is designed to be exclusive, and in the same way nothing else in our lives should be allowed to detract from our relationship with God. The Bible refers to two people becoming one flesh in marriage, another expression that should characterize our intimacy with Christ.
 
How do you experience communion with Christ? Do you share everything with him? Do you turn to him in any and every kind of need? Are you able to rest in his presence? Do you hear his voice and understand his direction for your life? Are you confident of his unfailing love for you? And is your communion with Christ evident in the way you live and treat other people? Some of this comes and goes, I know, because we are weak and fallible humans. But these questions about the effect of our relationship with Christ lead to the next point I would like to talk about: the main result or fruit of this communion.
 
You may immediately think of the fruit of the Spirit that we find in Galatians: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These and many other qualities should flow out of our relationship with Jesus. God has loved us so we are able to love him back and love our neighbor as ourselves. Jesus pointed out that this is the greatest commandment. Love for God leads to all kinds of other good things: obedience, humility, courage, and self-sacrifice. This list goes on and on. The fruit of communion with Christ should radically change who we are.
 
I am reminded of the story from Acts 4 where Peter and John are arrested and brought before the Council to justify their healing of the lame man in the temple in the name of Jesus and proclaiming the resurrection. Before all these leaders Peter clearly witnesses to the power of the name of Jesus, that name by which everyone would need to be saved. In Acts 4:13 (ESV) it says that the Council was quite taken aback:
 
Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus. – Acts 4:13
 
They had been with Jesus, and that had transformed who they were. Communion with Christ should give us boldness also in witnessing for him. We need to “press on to acknowledge the Lord,” as my favorite verse from Hosea states. There is so much that could be said about the outcomes that we can expect from our communion with Christ. But since we are supposed to be answering the question, “Who loves me?” I would like to home in on one aspect in particular. The fruit of our communion should be security. I don’t mean the security of our salvation. Indeed, no one is able to snatch us out of God’s hand. Rather I am referring to a sense of security and confidence that allows us to let go of fear and truly receive and rest in his love for us. This may or may not be accompanied by physical security. It should not be dependent on that. Another word for this sense of security might be faith.
 
The reason I want to highlight this as the fruit of our communion is because of the current sense of upset in the world. I know that the world has always been an uncertain place, and other generations of people have lived through tremendous upheavals as well. But the COVID pandemic has had an unprecedented global impact, affecting the routines of virtually every person everywhere. The effects are much broader than the disease itself. Family relationships, mental health, employment, supply chains, church attendance, health systems, politics – the list goes on and on as to the aspects of life affected around the world. On top of that, there are ongoing military threats always lingering in the background. Might America go to war against China or Russia? Will a rogue state like North Korea fire a nuclear missile at an American city? There is a lot to be worried about these days!
 
Where can we turn to for security? Our government seems broken in so many ways. It can barely even deliver the mail anymore. Political polarization hampers pretty much anything from getting done at the federal or state level. The economy and markets are up and down, affecting income and wealth in unpredictable ways. Social ills seem as intractable as ever. Of course there is progress in some areas, and science and technology have helped to conquer many problems, but they have added many more, and overall the world is not becoming a better place. Where can we turn, except to the Lord?
 
One thing I ask from the Lord,
    this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
    all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord
    and to seek him in his temple.
For in the day of trouble
    he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent
    and set me high upon a rock. – Psalm 27:4-5
 
Here in Psalm 27, it’s clear that David knew what it meant to have communion with God. It was the deepest desire of his heart. We have studied the many “days of trouble” that he had over his years, especially as he fled for his life from King Saul. What did it mean for the Lord to hide him in the shelter of his sacred tent? It’s unlikely that he meant the literal tabernacle. That would not have provided much physical security. David was referring to the deeper security that comes from dwelling in the presence of God, in gazing on his beauty and connecting with him in worship.
 
David’s word are a comfort and encouragement for us today, as they have been for countless others down through the centuries. David knew what it meant to be afraid, but he also knew where to turn when his world seemed out of control. He did not let fear get the better of him. Fear is an enemy of love, because it is an enemy of faith. John addresses this in 1 John 4:
 
If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. – 1 John 4:15-18
 
God living in us means that we can live in God, in the type of intimate communion that we have been talking about. Living in God means to acknowledge him moment by moment, with a sense of his consistent involvement in our lives: guiding, providing, caring, and motivating. We know and rely on the love God has for us. You have probably heard how Brother Lawrence, back in the 1600s, “practiced the presence of God,” as described in his little book by that name. Here are a couple of quotes that will give you a sense of how he tried to live in God:
 
“He does not ask much of us, merely a thought of Him from time to time, a little act of adoration, sometimes to ask for His grace, sometimes to offer Him your sufferings, at other times to thank Him for the graces, past and present, He has bestowed on you, in the midst of your troubles to take solace in Him as often as you can. Lift up your heart to Him during your meals and in company; the least little remembrance will always be the most pleasing to Him. One need not cry out very loudly; He is nearer to us than we think.”
 
“The difficulties of life do not have to be unbearable. It is the way we look at them - through faith or unbelief - that makes them seem so. We must be convinced that our Father is full of love for us and that He only permits trials to come our way for our own good.
 
Let us occupy ourselves entirely in knowing God. The more we know Him, the more we will desire to know Him. As love increases with knowledge, the more we know God, the more we will truly love Him. We will learn to love Him equally in times of distress or in times of great joy.”
 
This is a wonderful, simple, little book, and I highly recommend it if you have never read it. “Our Father is full of love for us,” says Brother Lawrence, reflecting the second part of our passage in 1 John 4. I’ll just read that again.
 
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. – 1 John 4:16-18
 
Love is made complete among us when we are like Jesus in the world, representing him to the people around us. And his perfect love drives out fear. The world can seem like a pretty scary, unpredictable place at times. I don’t know what your fears are right now, but I pray that the perfect love of Jesus will drive them out. We can be assured that whatever happens to us we are secure in him. Suffering will come, but he will be with us in it. Even if our faith seems weak, we can hang on to the fact that he has forgiven our sins and will receive us to himself.
 
And that leads into my third point about our communion with Christ, its fulfillment, which will be in heaven. Paul says in Philippians, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Paul clearly lived in communion with Christ. “It’s all about you, Jesus,” he would have sung with Matt Redman if he could. And he did say to the Galatians in chapter 2,
 
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. – Galatians 2:20
 
Therefore, if Paul, living by faith, could say, “For me to live is Christ,” then dying would indeed be gain. If living is Christ, then dying means even more of Christ, dwelling in his presence forever. That is what David was longing for as well, as we read in Psalm 27. None of us can know what heaven will actually be like, but we know that its focus will be on worship of the Lamb. As John says in Revelation 7, in his vision of heaven,
 
After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice:
“Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb.” – Revelation 7:9-10
 
And skipping down to verse 15,
 
 Therefore,
“they are before the throne of God
    and serve him day and night in his temple;
and he who sits on the throne
    will shelter them with his presence.
‘Never again will they hunger;
    never again will they thirst.
The sun will not beat down on them,’
    nor any scorching heat.
For the Lamb at the center of the throne
    will be their shepherd;
‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’
    ‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’” – Revelation 7:15-17
 
This then is our destiny as believers, our eternal communion with Christ, the Lamb. We are not told much about what we will do in heaven besides worship, so some people have worried that heaven will be boring. I like how Randy Alcorn responds to this:
 
Our belief that Heaven will be boring (and I hear this from people all the time) betrays a heresy — that God is boring. I think that we will see that for the lie it is if we realize that Heaven is God’s place and it’s the person whose place it is that determines the nature of the place….if  we’re experiencing the invigorating stirrings of God’s Spirit and trusting Him to daily fill our lives with divine appointments, experiencing the childlike delights of His gracious daily kindnesses to us, then we will know that God is exciting and Heaven is exhilarating. People who love God crave His companionship. To be in His presence will be the very opposite of boredom.
 
Randy makes it clear that if we are experiencing communion with Christ now, then our anticipation of eternal communion with him will be even greater. I heard a quote this week, probably third or fourth hand, that got me thinking more about this: our dreams should always exceed our memories. I’m sure you have met people who seem to be living in the past. Each of us probably feels nostalgic at times, wishing for bygone days that were better than now in some way. But our dreams of the future really ought to exceed our memories, if we have heaven to look forward to. Our earthly lives may indeed diminish as we grow older and are unable to do or influence as much as we used to. Communion with Christ may be all that we are left with in the end. This is what I saw as my mom faded away last September. As death approaches, nothing else really matters. And he promises to be with us as we transition from this life to the next.
 
So who loves me? Jesus loves me; this I know, for the Bible tells me so. Karl Barth, the great 20^th century theologian, said that this was the most profound theological statement that he could make. This love, flowing from Christ, is the foundation of our communion with him. The fruit of this communion is security, and its fulfillment is in heaven. I noticed that Psalm 23 is actually a beautiful expression of these three points, so I would like to close with reading that:
 
The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
    for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk
    through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
    for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.
Surely your goodness and love will follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
    forever. – Psalm 23:1-6