Who Will You Be? (Part Two)

Remember that Switchfoot song, "This is your life. Are you who you want to be?" Well, are you? Even more importantly, are you who God wants you to be? The answer to this question is determined by key choices you make in your life. And as Elijah reminded us in 1 Kings 18:21, sitting on the fence is never an option. So what will you choose?

Will you be in fellowship or will you miss out?

In Fellowship:

Fellowship may be another one of those words of which Christian culture has watered down the meaning. Crank out a lasagna and some dominoes, and you've got a fellowship right? Not exactly. While group activities and eating together can be a part of fellowship I think the Bible ascribes a much deeper meaning to the word.

Look at the driving desire behind the apostle's words in 1 John chapter 1 verse 3, "that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ." The fellowship John is describing here is a deep intimate relationship shared with other believers and with God.

Consider one of the dictionary definitions of "fellowship": a close company of friends. Notice that it does NOT describe a superficial group of acquaintances that come together weekly and then have nothing to do with one another. Quite the opposite. Remember the first movie of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Fellowship of the Ring. The movie centered around a group of characters that were very different, yet they banded together to fight side by side because they shared a common bond. Sound familiar? This is supposed to be what the church does, with our common bond being Jesus Christ.

Missing Out:

On the other hand, all too often, we retreat from this fellowship. Like the prodigal son, we pursue our own course and our own interests and forget about the greater body that we are a part of. And as Christians, we ARE a part of it; just look at 1 Corinthians chapter 12 verses 13 and 27 if there's any doubt. Christ has invited us to be a part of something bigger than ourselves, to share in an intimate relationship with our Creator and with the other members of the body. Why would we ever want to miss out on that?

And yet it happens. Whether it's someone convincing themselves that "church" is not an essential part of their spiritual journey or the average attendee that is perfectly content with nothing more than surface level relationships with other believers, sometimes we try to go against God's design for His church and be lone rangers. And that's when we miss out on an important component of our purpose in Christ.

So will you choose to resist the fellowship God has created you for? Paul warns us in 1 Corinthians chapter 12 of "division in the body" and reminds us in verse 26 "if one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together." That is how connected the church is supposed to be. Or as it is depicted in Ephesians chapter 4 verse 16: "...the whole body joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love." Will you choose to be an active part of that body? Or will you miss out?

Who Will You Be?

A choice stands before you. You get to choose who you will be. In fact, every day you make that choice. Just like the choice posed in Joshua 24:15. Each week for the next few weeks, we'll look at two options that we face as individuals and the decision we must make to choose one or the other. So which will you choose?

Will you be a disciple or a prodigal?

A Disciple:

A disciple literally means one who learns. A disciple of Christ is not just a pupil, but an adherent to His instruction and an imitator of the Master. I realize it's a culture shift for us to imagine sitting under a Rabbi and totally submitting to His authority in order to learn and grow. But that's exactly what Jesus is talking about.

So what does it take to be a disciple of Jesus Christ? In John chapter 8 verses 31-32, Jesus explained, "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." We must "abide" or dwell in God's word. Live in it and by it. This is the mark of a true disciple.

Jesus also said this in John chapter 13 verse 35, "By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." The first thing we need to learn and understand to be a disciple of Christ is how to love others. Jesus said this is how the world will identify His disciples, that they (like their Master) show love for people.

Finally Jesus assured his followers in John chapter 15 verses 7-8, "If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples." Here's the bottom line: disciples of Christ bear fruit. When you follow the Master and submit to His instruction, your life displays the evidence. The more you follow the Master, the more you become like Him, and the more you point others to God's glory.

A Prodigal:

The word prodigal refers to a wasteful lifestyle. The term is often used to describe the son from Luke chapter 15 who took from his father his share of the inheritance money and wasted it on indulgent living. He chose to trade his relationship with his father for money, leave his family behind, and waste what he had been given on temporary worldly pleasures. You see selfishness fuels the prodigal lifestyle.

If you are not moving forward as a disciple of Christ, then you are living as a prodigal. There is no middle ground. While disciples learn, follow instruction, and love others, prodigals do the opposite: they refuse to listen, follow their own lust, and love themselves.

God has entrusted us with many wonderful gifts. But the Bible reveals a pattern with how we should respond to the gifts of God. God loves us so that we may love Him and love others. We are forgiven; therefore, we forgive others. Christ showed us love, grace, and mercy by dying for us; therefore, we choose to live a worshipful life for Him. If we become selfish and think only of ourselves, we miss our true purpose. And our life (our greatest gift) gets wasted.

It's Time to Grow Up

I asked myself this question: what does it mean to grow up? Some immediate answers come to our minds: growing up means accepting more responsibilities, having more freedom, becoming a leader. While we may associate these with growing up, they themselves are not a part of the process of growing. They are the results of our growing up. We have to grow up first before we can fulfill more responsibilities, have more freedom, or be in a role of leadership.

Like so many things in life, we want the perks of growing up without actually going through the process of growing.

Here are five areas where we can see evidence of the growing up process. In other words, if we are growing up (which we should always be doing), then we will be doing these five things:

1.) You learn from your mistakes.

2.) You learn how to better take care of yourself avoiding danger and self-inflicted harm.
3.) You are making progress, moving forward. You don't need to be babied any more.

4.) You have goals and you are achieving them. You are becoming your own person and finding your purpose.

This is obviously not an exhaustive list, but for as much as it applies to our physical growth, it applies to our spiritual growth as well. Why all this talk about growing up? Well, God's Word tells us that we should constantly be growing as Christians and as the Church.

Paul writes to the church in Thessalonica, "We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing." (2 Thessalonians 1:3) What a great picture of growth in church! I want the same to be said about our church and our young adult ministry that we are growing abundantly in faith and love.

In Ephesians 2:19-21, Paul likens the body of the believers to the household of God with Jesus Christ as its cornerstone, "in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord." Growing is an action word; it conveys that action is happening. This should be the action of the church. I'm not talking about numerical growth here, but growth in numbers is a result of a church that is growing spiritually. Remember where there is no growth, there is death. A church that's not growing spiritually is a dead church (see Revelation 3:1-6).

The stern warning of Hebrews 5:11-14 reminds us of the call to grow up. We should not remain as children needing milk, but rather should be maturing as believers. Are you in the same place spiritually as you were a year ago, two years ago? Then it's time to start growing up!

Reading Ephesians 4:11-16, we see Paul mention different people (apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, and teachers) that are using their spiritual gifts to fulfill their purpose, to equip the saints and help the church grow in maturity. There's that call for us to grow in maturity again. We do not want to be like "children tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes." Instead, we want to grow up in our understanding of God's Word and our application of it to our lives.

I notice some insight on how we should grow up found in Ephesians 4:15-16.

1.) You must be willing to accept the truth. To hear it, live by it, and speak it.
"Rather, speaking the truth..."
2.) You must strive to do all things in love. Hate and bitterness are signs of immaturity in a Christian's life.
"...in love..."
3.) Growing up spiritually is a choice. If you are not willing to grow up in the other areas of your life, you will not be able to grow spiritually either.
"...we are to grow up in every way..."
4.) You are growing into Christ. He is our ultimate example.
"...into Him who is the head, into Christ..."
5.) It's not just about you. The church is supposed to grow together and build itself up.
"...from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds it self up in love."

The Bible is clear. It's time to grow up. Not just for your own sake, but for the sake of the whole body, the church. Let's join together. Grow together. And build each other up in love.

*all scripture references taken from the English Standard Version of the Bible with some emphasis added.

Churches of Pergamum and Thyatira

As Christ continues to address the churches in Revelation Chapter 2, the problem of false teaching takes center stage with the churches in Pergamum and Thyatira. The believers in Pergamum were being swayed by the teaching of Balaam and the Nicolaitans while Christians in Thyatira were being seduced by a wicked prophetess known as Jezebel. In both situations, the church was compromising and (worse) abandoning their belief in the truth for lies.

God takes false teaching very seriously (2 Peter 2:12-16). Just look at the urgency of Paul's charge to Timothy in 1 Timothy 1:3-7, "...remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not teach any different doctrine...", and his grave warning in 2 Timothy 4:3-5, "For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their passions, and will turn away from the truth and wander off into myths." I don't believe that false doctrine sneaking into the church is merely a thing of the past. Unfortunately, it seems unbiblical teaching has seeped into many churches today and many Christians are being seduced by false teachers in their classes, on their television, and even from the pulpit.

In light of this very real danger, the best advice to take when dealing with any precarious teaching is to heed 1 Thessalonians 5:21 and 1 John 4:1. In other words: Do not believe everything you hear, but test everything according to God's holy scripture. Ask: does it promote the teaching of Jesus Christ or go against it?

So here are three popular false doctrines that have been accepted by Christians and even churches across the globe and the truth that they contradict:

1. We can't say that Jesus is the only way. Unfortunately there are Christians who refuse to accept the truth that it is through Jesus alone that we can be accepted by God and allowed into heaven. "That seems too narrow minded," they say. There have even been world famous preachers who have backed down from the truth when confronted with this issue. Jesus spoke clearly on the matter: "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6)
2. The Bible is not infallible and not relevant today. Professing Christians have watered down scripture as just another book with some good guidelines for life but nothing more. They ignore whole books or teachings they dislike. "I believe the words of Christ, but I don't believe everything Paul wrote," they might declare. This is a lie born out of pride, for all scripture is inspired by God. "For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man's gospel. For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ." (Galatians 1:11-12) "All scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness." (2 Timothy 3:16)
3. Grace through Christ permits us to blatantly sin. The idea that Christians can live however they like with no care of the consequences of sin because of the grace offered to them by Jesus is nothing new. But it's just as false today as it has always been. In fact, the Bible directly addresses the lie. "What shall we say then? Are we to continue to sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions... but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness." (Romans 6:1,12-13)

Let's seek truth from God's word and not fall into the trap that so many churches like Pergamum and Thyatira have buying into the lies that the world is selling.

"I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel, not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed." (Galatians 1:6-8)

"Buy truth, and do not sell it; buy wisdom, instruction, and understanding." (Proverbs 23:23)

*all scripture references taken from the English Standard Version of the Bible with some emphasis added.

The Church in Ephesus

Rescue Has A Blog Now!!!

Rescue has an official blog site! Tell your friends. We'll be posting announcements, sermon notes, and other important info for this College and Young Adult Ministry.