Microchurch Minute
On his journey to reach Rome, Paul wasted no time in encouraging and exhorting those who were chosen according to God’s will. He begins his letter by confirming the truth of Jesus Christ — the Son of God, who came fully clothed in flesh. We know Paul’s story through his encounter with Christ on the road to Damascus — a single, life-altering moment that transformed him from a persecutor of believers into a man wholly devoted to the mission of Christ. Paul affirms that the gospel is for all believers — that all people stand equal before God. The Jews are no longer elevated above the Gentiles; instead, all who believe are united as the body of Christ. As saints, we are called to pursue holiness — not through perfectionism, but through the forgiveness and complete justification made possible by the blood of Jesus. Here, we see the heartbeat of the gospel — the urgency to share the good news. Those who are called to His purpose are commanded to go and proclaim Christ to the ends of the earth. The world is fallen and desperate for a Savior. Yet, in His love, God allows humanity the freedom of choice. When people give in to the lusts of their hearts, He allows sin to run its course — not out of indifference, but as part of His sovereign will. We were created to worship, yet humanity often replaces God with idols of its own making. Still, God continually reveals Himself — both through the beauty of creation and within the hearts of men, even those who have never heard His name. What a powerful reminder that He never stops pursuing us. It is our responsibility to turn from sin and keep God at the center of our knowledge and lives. While unbelievers may feel free to live without moral restraint, we who belong to Christ are held to a higher standard — the standard of holiness and grace found in our sainthood.
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. (v.16)
Microchurch Minute
Human beings were created for connection. We get to be connected to God. We get to be connected to each other. God showed His love for us in sending His son as the ultimate sacrifice to bridge the gap that sin created. When we are in relationship with God, we are filled with His love. As He fills us, out cup overflows! We have the opportunity to tap into this abundant love and grace to, in turn, pour it out on others. We embrace and forgive others. We hold each other accountable. Boundaries and accountability are biblical concepts. When we truly care for fellow believers, as a good parent cares for their children, we correct out of a longing to restore their walk with Christ. We do these things out of joy in being aligned with Christ. Biblical obedience isn’t about following a set of laws “because I said so”. Instead, it is because we know Him and trust that His ways are better than ours.
When Jesus says ‘abide in Me” it shows a matter of free will. How do we live our lives? What do we fixate on? We must be remaining and abiding in Him to produce good fruit. The good news, through the Holy Spirit, God is already abiding in us. Your responsibility is to press in to Him, to stay pressed in to Him. Reach out and talk to God, but also be on the ready to listen for His response. In the same way that you would not confidently leave your home with your clothes next to you, but rather “abiding” in them, wearing them, being immersed in them – walk boldly abiding in the love of God, in obedience with His will.
Trust that God has planted you where He will provide what you need to blossom. Do these circumstances always look ideal? Not a chance. But remember that even grapes require rocky soil to grow. Is it comfortable? Not always. When God sees that we are aligned with Him, He will continue pruning, removing what is holding us back and blocking our spiritual fruit from blossoming. Abide in Jesus, acquiring knowledge from His life and your user manual (a.k.a. the Bible).
Microchurch Minute
As we wrapped up the book of 1 John, we took some time to focus on our foundation in the identity of Jesus Christ through the Spirit, blood and water. We have a unique opportunity to live our lives from a position of victory, we aren’t fighting with fear of the ultimate outcome. We already know how the story ends. We have confidence that Jesus has already overcome the world. When we believe in Him and have the Holy Spirit inside of us, that makes us overcomers as well. When He freely gave Himself on Calvary’s hill, Jesus granted the opportunity for the Holy Spirit to fill all who believe. This gives us the ultimate gift of eternal life to look forward to, as well as a distinct comfort and understanding on this side of Heaven that unbelievers don’t get to experience. As human beings, we were created for worship. But, what are you worshiping? Is there something (or someone) in your life that you are putting on a pedestal above God? We must reject the worship of idols, this can be commonly recognized as money or the earth itself. There is a fine line between honoring what God has created versus elevating it to a status that puts importance above the Creator of the universe. Alternately, we can be fooled into worshiping a “good” idol too. Think about your past relationships – has there been another human relationship that you placed so much value on that it was slowly pacing your relationship with Jesus out of the picture? We hear “all things in moderation”. But the truth of the matter is God first. When we allow our primary focus to be on Him, God will appoint space in our heads and hearts to prioritize what He wants us to focus on. When we relinquish the “power” we like to think that we have over life, we find the confidence to freely share our own testimony with whatever audience God gives us. We shift from fearing the judgement of the world to living unashamed because we already have the love and approval of the only One that matters.
Three things I will leave you challenged with this week:
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stop going through life on the fight for victory – recognize that Christ has already won, you are fighting from a position of having already achieved the ultimate victory, you get to keep it with confidence
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hold fast to the testimony of the Truth – to include where you’ve been, what God has brought you through and the Truth of His written Word – this pushes accountability on you (do you know the Word of God? are you spending time immersing yourself in the Word?)
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pray with confidence – God wants to pour out all the goodness that He has stored up for you, but this will require that you ask for it – that you are aligned with God in such a way that the desires of your heart are written by your Heavenly Father, He is the God Who can
Microchurch Minute
As we continue to dive into the book of 1 John, we jumped straight into the importance of discernment. Many people will be filled with words, however it is up to us to test claims, stories and prophecies against the truth that is the Living Word. Often times, you will see a video or hear a remark from someone in close proximity to you. Do you absent-mindedly go along with whatever claims brush your ears? I would certainly hope not, we can find miles of lies and conspiracy partial truths in the error of human teachings. It is wise to evaluate your circle of influence, those whom God has placed in your life. Never be afraid of testing their claims against what you know to be true. God wants to reveal the truth to us, His truth – through the power of disciplined discernment. But He requires that you seek it. This puts accountability on each of us. If we aren’t spending time diving deeper into the word of Christ, how will we know what to believe? Your circle is important. Be wary of those whom wear down your faith with their partial truths.
But in the same way that we are to be cautious not to believe everything we hear, we can also recognize that God was very intentional with the people that He chose to surround us with. It is our great responsibility to model Christ’s love to them. An unbeliever will certainly have doubts when your Jesus-loving self is not living out the Christ-like love that we have been called to. It isn’t easy, to love like Jesus. He is merciful and compassionate. How does that look when you interact with your spouse? Your children? Are your words and actions warm and embracing, radiating the light of your heavenly Father? Or do you speak with scorn and malice in your actions? If we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior, the Holy Spirit lives in us! What a standard! God is love, and with His Spirit abiding in us, we are also called to walk out the actions of love.
Microchurch Minute
Would you drink poisoned water? What if it’s just a splash of poison in there? The poison is clear. No one can tell by looking at it that it’s dangerous for you. No one would know as it burned it’s way through your esophagus and into your stomach. It’s internal, right? (*PSA* do NOT drink poison!)
But now that I’ve got your attention, how much sin is “safe” for you to ingest? Just a little splash? After all, maybe no one would be able to see it anyway. John is very clear about this, there is no place for continual sin in the life of a believer. When we choose to walk with God and receive the Holy Spirit, we want to honor God. We walk in obedience to God by doing what is right, inside and out. Our spiritual family and community will see us holding our heads high with clear moral conscience. We will show love to all of God’s children. What if you don’t want to? Simply put, whoever does not love his brother or sister abides in death. If you’re with the Lord, we cannot be hating brothers and sisters, especially within the body of Christ. Mere humans won’t be able to express the true agape love of our Heavenly Father, but that is the level of humble excellence that we are called to pursue. Don’t just talk about it, walk out your actions. Actually love them, actually embrace them, actually tangibly bless them. God knows our hearts, He sees when we are freely giving and when we are selfishly withholding. God is greater than my heart, I pray that He sees, knows and exposes my heart until I am fully aligned in Him. When we fully surrender to His will, our obedience will yield spiritual fruit in this life.
