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BUILDING THE CHURCH IN UNITY FOR CHRIST (Feb)
We are already in the second month of the new year and with the lunar new year just round the corner. This is the second year since we have
embarked on the church theme of “Building the Church In Unity for Christ”. We read about the important elements required to build up the church. But why do we build up the church? One of the reasons is because we
are family. Paul reminds us that we are bonded together through Christ. We partake of the same loaf (1 Corinthians 10:17). If we look at the example of the early church, it shows us what it means to belong to a
community, a family of God’s people. And what does FAMILY mean?
Focusing on Christ and His Word
- They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to
the breaking of bread and to prayer. (Acts 2:42)
Affirming each other as we grow in grace
- Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. (Acts 2:46)
Magnifying God through lives of worship
- Praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. (Acts 2:47)
Imagining the nations won for Christ
- And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. (Acts 2:47)
Loving people
- Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. (Acts 2:45)
Yoked together in love
- All the believers were together and had everything in common. (Acts 2:44)
We are all in this together and we need to support one another. As singer/song writer Michael Card wrote:
There is a joy in the journey, There’s a light we can love on the way
There is a wonder and wildness to life, And freedom for those who obey
And all those who seek it shall find it
A pardon for all who believe
Hope for the hopeless and sight for the blind
To all who've been born in the Spirit, And who share incarnation with Him
Who belong to eternity stranded in time, And weary of struggling with sin
Forget not the hope that's before you
And never stop counting the cost
Remember the hopelessness when you were lost
There is a joy in the journey, There's a light we can love on the way
There is a wonder and wildness to life, And freedom for those who obey
And freedom for those who obey...
Wishing you all a blessed Lunar New Year and joy in your journey.
In His Service,
AKC
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BUILDING THE CHURCH IN UNITY FOR CHRIST (Jan)
Today, as we enter another era while unveiling a new chapter in our lives, it is only appropriate for us to pause for a moment to marvel over the beauty of God’s
creation around us: from the tropical rainforest to the swampy mangroves, from the soaring eagle to the tree-climbing squirrel and from the blue expanse of heaven to a tiny drop of dew on our window sill.
It is this same God who has also sculptured each of us individually and uniquely for the building of the Church in unity for Christ. What are the important elements required to build a united Church?
The Christians in Antioch was a church that cared for the welfare of others.
When a severe famine was predicted for Jerusalem and for the entire Roman world, the Antioch church decided to provide practical help for the fellow Christians in Judea, each according to his ability・(Acts 11:29). The decision to help the Christians was not only important but practical to the need of the believers. Those helpful Christians would have been only showing idealism rather than realism had they only sent messages of sympathy and comfort to the needy. They believed that if one part of the body suffers, all the other parts suffer with it; if one part is praised, all the other parts share its happiness・(1 Corinthians 12:26).
This same church in Antioch had a distinct sense of worth and respect for every person. They believed that in every man and woman, God has created a reservoir of possibilities and potentials,
given the right circumstances and training. As Christians, we are given the infinite possibilities because we come in contact with Christ, the great Stimulus of the universe. As the apostle Paul affirmed in 2
Corinthians 4:7 ・We, like common clay pots have this spiritual treasure, in order to show that the supreme power belongs to God, not to us・
The next important element for us to consider
in building a united Church is that Christ must be central. When there are disagreements in view and action amongst Christians, it is imperative for such situations to be dealt with grace, dignity and without
any partiality.
In Acts 15:39-41, we are told that the church in Antioch displayed a commendable attitude when there was a sharp disagreement between Barnabas and Paul. It did not allow the dispute to cause a rift in the church even though the two great missionary leaders ultimately sailed off in separate directions but with a single objective to strengthen the churches. The church at Antioch knew not only how to act but also to react. The moral lesson for us today is that when we make Jesus Christ our Lord and Master and gather around Him only, we will invariably find our common unity as a family of God’s people. Then, only then will we be able to transcend all of our personal differences and crossing all boundaries of self-centeredness.
Perhaps a new set of circumstances and fresh experiences await for each of us in the year that lies ahead.
Along this same pathway we travel with our fellow Christians, we may encounter difficulties and disappointments with each other, perhaps even a great deal of pain. But let us constantly keep our eyes on Jesus Christ and make Him our main focus of attention, then whatever happens, the Spirit of the Lord will help us like eagles to soar above the winds of adversity and raising us to the heights to achieve our objective of 釘uilding the Church in Unity for Christ・
In His Service,
MG
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