Message: Communion in Gifts and Graces
Time: Not the first, but 2nd letter to Corinthians, but the first to survive and to be considered authoritative. Written in AD 55, it was penned after Paul had reports of quarreling in this church he had previously visited. Paul covers a number of subjects, but all focus on the Christian's life in the church.
What the Lord is Saying:
Historically, after the Reformation period, men and women sought to carry out and define further the doctrine from this period. One way was making doctrinal statements such as the Westminster Confession of Faith. It was published in 1647 and drawn up by the Westminster Assembly, a 121 person group of theologians appointed to restructure the church of England. Division of church government was on the rise at the time and this was an attempt to better align themselves with the Church of Scotland. In addition, during the Protestant Reformation at the beginning of the 16th century, the church of England had separated themselves from the Catholic Church, though it was still thought (by Puritans) that they remained very influenced by Catholicism.
Chapter 26 of the Westminster Confession of Faith is the Communion of the Saints. One of the purposes of the church is expressed in section 1:
All saints that are united to Jesus Christ their head, by his Spirit and by faith, have fellowship with him in his graces, sufferings, death, resurrection, and glory:(a) and being united to one another in love, they have communion in each other’s gifts and graces,(b) and are obliged to the performance of such duties, public and private, as do conduce to their mutual good, both in the inward and outward man.(c)
In reading this I see a lot to unpack. First, this community begins with who we are in Christ. Our first community is with Jesus Christ. But our fellowship with Him is different as it is with him in his graces - sufferings - death - resurrection - and glory. Interesting. I've never thought of it like this or maybe had it explained like this.
John 1:16 - For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.
Romans 6:5-6 - For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.
Ephesians 2:5-6 - even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
Ephesians 3:16-19 - that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Philippians 3:10 - that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.
2 Timothy 2:12 - if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us;
I John 1:3 - 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.
Wow. Those are some great verses and now it begins to make more sense. We have all received grace...united with him in death, in resurrection...old self crucified...alive by grace, raised and seated...we comprehend with all the saints to know the love of Christ...be filled...share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death...endure, reign with him...fellowship with the Father and with His Son.
I know these things, but this idea that I am united with him, having fellowship with him in these things he did. These things he provided for me. I'm just thinking about this and meditating on this.
Just as we are united with Him, we are united to one another. Everything God did for us was out of love for us. And we can have this same love for one another. The way he loves can be the way I love. And then I or we can have communion with each other in each other's gifts and graces.
I Corinthians 3:21-23 - So let no one boast in men. For all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, and you are Christ's, and Christ is God's.
I Corinthians 12:7 - To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.
Ephesians 4:15-16 - Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 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 itself up in love.
Colossians 2:19 - and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.
This second part hones in on the idea first of our unity. Even in our working together it is God that grows us. He is the one that makes the body grow. It is the Spirit manifestation in us that makes this possible. Each day I am to submit and surrender to Him and Lord, may your Spirit be filled in me.
And the final part makes it clear that being united in Him and then united in each other makes our work an obligation.
Romans 1:11-12 - For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you— that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith, both yours and mine.
Romans 1:14 - I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish.
Galatians 6:10 - So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.
I Thessalonians 5:11 - Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.
I Thessalonians 5:14 - And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.
I John 3:16-18 - By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
Again, here are the truths from God's word. I am under obligation...to do good to everyone...to encourage one another and build one another up. I need to do good to everyone. That's intense. Everyone. Do good. But it should happen also. It should because of our unity in Christ, and because the Spirit is in us.
In this vein and from the passage today found in I Corinthians is the encouragement that all of us working within the Body, within the Church, both locally and worldwide serve a function. No one part of the body is more important than another and every part is important. Our church has been celebrating service of late and those who have served and one such person that has been brought to the forefront is a man that has arrived at church to make coffee. It is a wonderful point of recognition. He has been doing it for 30 years and his wife and him will now take some time away to travel. Gifts have been purchased for him and he has been celebrated even through a video in church. It is a great thing and it goes to show that we are all valued in our serving. VBS ended as well with a great celebration of those that volunteered. This is how the church works and should live. We don't need recognition but it is nice when it occurs. It reminds us that we are all in this together.
Summary: We are to do good to everyone, but especially those that we call our fellow believers. We are to exercise our spiritual gifts with one another. We are united with Christ in how he has provided for us for all eternity, and this brings us together also as followers of Christ, giving us the ability then to work effectively as members of the Body.
Promise: We must use the gifts God has given us. We serve one another with the use of our gifts to make the church healthy and able to ward off the infections of impurity, false doctrine and an unloving spirit.
Prayer: It is such a great joy Lord to read and study your Word. Thank you for bringing people together and the writing of the Westminster Confession 400 years ago. You still use that for me today to help me understand better your words. Thank you for the clarity of Your Word and the joy it brings. Lord, help us to continue to work as Your Body and continue to support those that are in need. I pray that Your Gospel will continue to be preached. Raise up people to continue to get out of their comfort zones and serve those that need to hear. Be glorified in what we do and say.
Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional, though I am now working through 2017 devotionals. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines celebrating the 500th year of the Reformation. The month of August is about the Body of the Lord - the Church recovered in the Reformation; July was the right use of God's Law; June was justification by faith alone; May, Christ Alone; April, salvation by grace alone; March, the sovereign providence of God; February, the doctrine of revelation, Scripture; January, the doctrine of God.
Christ's Body
The Body of Christ - The Church is the Body of Christ and Christ loves the church. We are to imitate Christ and see that the Church is how Christ carries out His purposes in the world. The Head of the Church - Christ is Head of the church and he only has final authority and gives life to the church. Life is found only in Jesus Christ our Lord. - The Church We Can See - Belonging to a church is not optional, for anyone. We are meant to live in a community with other believers, to hear the Word of God preached, and to grow. The Church We Cannot See - What we see is the Visible church, the invisible church only God knows because He is omniscient and that is the Church we cannot see.
Truths about the Church from the Apostles Creed
Church Unity - The church is bigger than our local assembly; there are core beliefs among the invisible church. One People Throughout History - God has only one people; throughout the world there are people that share doctrines and truths despite their being differences in where we attend or belong. God's Holy People - By being in Christ, though we still have a fallen nature, God has set us apart as holy, as his saints. True Catholocity - God's people includes men and women from every tribe and every tongue that hold to the biblical gospel. The Apostilic Church - we are fellow citizens with all people from all tribes and tongues throughout history, united by being built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets teaching, thus apostolic, with Christ Jesus being our cornerstone.
What the Church Does and Believes
Preaching Christ and His Commandments - A church needs to be committed to faithfully preaching the Word of God. Administering Sacraments - Sacraments (The Lord's Supper and Baptism especially) need to be part of a church existing, but they also need to be rightly administered. The Discipline of the Church - We need to be a people that encourage repentance to keep the church pure and set apart.
Church Leadership Offices
Prophets and Apostles - There is a foundation of how the church begins and that foundation is the apostles and prophets. Evangelists, Shepherds, and Teachers - Only mention of pastors in the New Testament.
Purpose of the Church
Our Arena for Growth - It is being at church, present, that we are to be equipped, build one another up, in order to grow in maturity.
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