Thankful for Gospel Partnerships

/ Richard Bargas / Leave a comment

“I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.” Philippians 1:3–5 (ESV)

The idea of separation in fundamentalist circles has been a blessing at times and at other times it has resulted in the unnecessary weakening of the Church through schism after schism. Some historians have noted that the doctrine of separation in fundamentalism has probably helped to preserve the Bible church from the influx of much that is plaguing the evangelical church in its ecumenism and inability to even define the gospel. Of course, fundamentalism has its own issues to deal with.

Getting the right balance, biblically speaking, can be a challenge and it takes great wisdom along with a desire to be faithful to the Lord and the Word above all else. This wisdom and fidelity, when applied with humility, will allow for the opportunity to partner with other biblically faithful Christians to do the work of the ministry for the glory of Jesus Christ.

As Paul reflected on his time with the Christians in the city of Philippi, he fondly remembered their partnership for the sake of the gospel. Although Paul was the church planter and Apostle in this city, he could not carry the burden for the work alone. Paul joyfully proclaimed the gospel and watched as the work of God in the heart of his people in Philippi bloomed into a beautiful fellowship of saints who would carry on the work as Paul carried the gospel seeds elsewhere.

Right now in our country the world is ablaze with such hatred and violence that it is shocking to see. More evidence of a coming persecution like we have never seen in the States is looming on the horizon. Like Paul, I am thankful for the many gospel partnerships that exist within my fellowship at IFCA, and those outside as well. I have noticed that where there had been bad blood between certain groups and denominations in the past, many biblical Christians are now seeing that our differences were really in-house debates with other brothers and sisters, and as such should be laid aside as we gear up and band together for the work that Jesus has sent us to do. That is a great thing to see!

I pray that as the circle of those who are committed to biblical truth and the fundamentals of the Bible becomes smaller in the face of a growing external aggression, we would draw closer to one another, working together, praying for one another, and if we are called, being willing to suffer together for the sake of the gospel of Jesus Christ. In the end, it is not about our little corner of the vineyard. Instead, may we remember that it has always been about Jesus.

The Gospel-Effect Upon Society

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Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. Ephesians 6:1–4 (ESV)

I keep hearing that the Church needs to do something to address the social issues of the day, and that this means it needs to do more than simply say that the gospel of Jesus Christ is enough. By this some imply that it isn’t. Social action is the desire, and the timing for that action is now.

But Scripture is clear, we sow what we reap (Job 4:8; Prov 22:8; Hos 8:7; Gal 6:7-8), and America has been sowing some nasty seeds for a long time. Add to this the failure of the American church to faithfully proclaim the truth of Scripture and its application to the life of the home and society, and we have a recipe for disaster. The culture has changed and the salt of Christians has in many places lost its saltiness (Matt 5:13; Mk 9:50; Lb 14:34). As a result, the Church in general has very little impact upon the culture today. We have traded our inheritance of influence for a bowl of political-alliance stew, as it were. The solution for when you find yourself in a pit is not to dig faster, but to stop digging.

The solution for the Church is not to engage in more social action, but instead to return to her charter: bold, faithful, gospel proclamation.

At the end of Ephesians 5 and following into chapter 6, Paul lays out the way that the Church is to “walk in the Spirit” in practical, everyday terms. The gospel life has an effect upon marriage and addresses the practical life of the wife and the husband. It reaches into the home further and makes clear the way that children are to live and how parents should raise them up. It also speaks about the relationship of servants and masters, who in the time of Paul’s writing, were house-servants. Although this could be applied to the employee/employer relationship today, in Paul’s day he was still addressing issues of life in the households of believers.

In the very next section, Paul then transitions to speaking about spiritual warfare. This isn’t an accident. Paul didn’t just lose interest and abruptly change the subject. He knew, as the Church once knew better, that to engage in spiritual battle begins in our homes and our communities. When we fail to parent as Christians, and we send our children off to school and they absorb the wisdom of the world because of the vacuum we have left in their souls, they will soon enough take on the lies and philosophies of the evil one. And as we forsake our marriage vows and live no different than the pagan world around us, indulging in the lust of the flesh and calling it “entertainment,” we will find our vows are crumbling. And when the love of Christ does not inhabit our homes so that husbands will not lead the family before the throne of grace, and wives will not lovingly follow her husband as he follow Christ, we are sowing seeds of destruction that the enemy will water and tend.

Why are we in such a state in our nation? There are many reason, some of which we cannot influence directly. After all, our God moves the nations by his sovereign hand for his good purposes. But we can be faithful to proclaim the gospel from our churches, into the hearts of God’s people, and repeatedly echo those truths in our homes with love and joy, so that our spouse, our children, our neighbors, and our community smell the fragrance of life lived in Christ. We will be salt and light as we are supposed to be. Salt will have its effect on the spoiling world around us, and the light will shine bright against the darkness.

We don’t need a revolution of society. We need a revolution of our souls. We need revival in our churches and homes. We need to return to the fundamentals.

When the Struggles Run Deep

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“But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not become partners with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light”

(Ephesians 5:3–8, ESV)

What happens when a sinner is redeemed? Do all of their sinful habits and lifestyles instantly disappear, with no trace or spot left? Yes and no. Before the holy eyes of God, our sins, every one of them, vanish beneath the blood of Christ. But for now, there remains in us an ongoing struggle that is a battle between the desires of the flesh and the desires of the Holy Spirit who now resides in us. At times, the battle cools and the temptation will lay dormant. At other times it will be sparked and set ablaze like a fire in a powder keg.

As Paul has laid out in Epehsians 4, we need to live or “walk” in a manner worthy of our calling, and this new lifestyle must be empowered by the Holy Spirit filled life (Eph 5:18). The new life in Christ is too often described as something it is not. The miraculous redemption we receive is described in terms that are over-realized; making young Christians think that their new life in Christ has given them complete mastery over their sin. But that sort of idea is dangerous for two reasons: It does not warn of the power of the flesh and the strength of temptation, especially in those areas of past habitual sin. The second reason this idea is dangerous is the fact that most new Christians are told very little about the need for dependence upon the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit to defend against the overwhelming urges to give in to sin. The result is that they try to overcome their temptation with will power and fleshly means and end up failing.

In Ephesians 5, Paul deals with some pretty strong sins that were affecting some of the Christians at Ephesus: sexual immorality, impurity, covetousness (v. 3), filthiness, foolish talk, and crude joking (v. 4). These sins, like all sin, have been conquered by the cross of Christ. Those who place their trust in Jesus Christ alone for salvation have been cleansed and set free from the filthiest of sins. We need to say that more. We need to let the man or woman who is mired in shame and guilt know that Christ can set them free and cleanse them from all unrighteousness. They don’t need to clean up themselves in order to come to Christ. As a matter of fact, they can’t. As the song says, “What can wash away my sin, nothing but the blood of Jesus!”

But we must also acknowledge that once a person has come to Christ and been washed clean, and they are justified with Christ, they are not incapable of the temptation to sin. If this were the case, then Paul’s words of warning would make no sense. Neither would all of the exhortations in the New Testament about fleeing from sin and temptation. And since we are to grow in holiness, and to learn to grow in dependence upon the power of the Spirit, and to wield the Sword of the Spirit, we need to also acknowledge that the young Christian is in need of discipleship, patience, and brotherly oversight. And this is especially true when the struggles run deep.

In our society today we have been hearing more and more about the “gay Christian.” In this passage, Paul is pretty clear–there is no such thing. But that doesn’t mean that we will not have new believers who will need us to walk with them as they battle sin and temptation. They will need much prayer, Bible instruction, love, friendships, and hospitality. So will the Christian struggling with other forms of sexual immorality, and adultery. So will those struggling with anger, gossip, ingratitude, coveting, bitterness, and shame. The list is never ending. We need one another. None of us has arrived, but we are all making our way.

We cannot accept that Christ saved us so we can remain in our sin, therefore we can continue to wallow in it. But neither can we say that Christ saves us and therefore, temptation is stricken from our hearts so that we no longer struggle with it anymore. If that were true, we wouldn’t need the Church, we wouldn’t need each other. And we wouldn’t need Christ or the Spirit of God. May the Lord help us to reach out to those who are struggling. And may we be prepared to go with them for the long haul, knowing that this is how Christ uses the Church, the Spirit and the Word to bring about our sanctification.

How Shall We Then Live?

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“But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.” (Hebrews 11:16, ESV)

“I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

(Ephesians 4:1–3, ESV)

A few days ago I spent some time laying out the biblical truth that salvation is by faith alone plus nothing, and that some in the churches of Galatia had taught that works must be added to the equation in order to gain salvation. For those peddling the heresy in Galatia, it appears that the rites and rituals of Judaism were what they prescribed, and especially circumcision. Paul and the rest of Scripture is clear that salvation is a free, unmerited gift of the grace of God apprehended through faith in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Although this is absolutely true, there are some who have pushed fromthe ditch of legalism across the road into another ditch–that of loose living, as if this is what freedom in Christ is about. But the Word of God rejects this idea:

“What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.”

(Romans 6:1–4, ESV)

Paul is saying that by being identified with Christ through the baptism of the Spirit, we have also identified with his death, so that we are no longer living our former life, but a new life in Christ. This doesn’t mean we can’t sin, but that we are no longer enslaved to sin so that we must obey it as our master: “What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.” (Romans 6:15–18, ESV)

This fits in perfectly with what Paul is saying in Ephesian 4, where he identifies not as enslaved to sin, or traditions of men, but as the prisoner of/for the Lord. As such, Paul begins to speak about the outworking of the Christian life that he described as a gift of God in Ephesian chapters 1-3. In the last three chapters, Paul shows that justification leads to sanctification by the very nature of the new life.

For the Christian, there is still a remaining struggle with the flesh (as Romans 7 clearly describes), and will always be such until we are glorified with christ. But there are also divine exhortations throughout Scripture to pursue holiness and righteous living. In Paul’s words, “walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called.” As the first six verse of Ephesian 4 show, this desire for Christians to walk in the same direction of godly living results in greater unity in the church. Like the sound coming out of a blacksmith’s shop as the hammer strikes the anvil, the theme of unity thunders out: one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father… (vv. 4-6). Christ has brought unity and Christian living resounds with these truths. When a Christian or multiple Christians live out os sync with godliness, they are reflecting a disunity that is not true and is at odds with their identity in Christ.

The Church of the Risen Christ should all be following the same drum beat of her Lord. In reality, we wander sometimes. We stop to check out another trail off to the side. We sit our for a while. We begin telling the other soldiers around us where they should go, forgetting we should keep our eyes on the Lord ourselves. We outright rebel and do our own thing for a while. Sometimes these happen.

But the blessing of having one another is greater. Christ leads, and he has given us one another, he has given us the teachings of the apostles and prophets, we have the gifted evangelists among us, and those that shepherd and teach us through Word and example how to follow Christ (Eph 4:11-16). We are so blessed because we are not alone on the narrow road. We have one another to encourage us along the way, help us bear our burdens, and to watch for the times when we might need to be exhorted along the path.

We are no longer on the broad path, so we aren’t to think like the unsaved think because their mindset is futile and dark (Eph 4:17-18). Therefore, may we live this new life on the path of righteousness for the glory of Jesus, not by ourselves or even for ourselves, but in true communion with the saints who walk alongside us. After all, all of us pilgrims will one day reach our home, and we will live together forever with our God. What a glorious day that will be!

Be On Guard!-For Others and Yourself

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Further Thoughts on Galatians 6:1

“Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.” (Galatians 6:1, ESV)

(Galatians 6:1, ESV)

Having explained what the works of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit look like in Galatians 5, the Apostle Paul continued his letter in the direction of the practical outworking of Christians who are overtaken by the works of the flesh and those spiritually mature Christians who should help carry their burdens and restore them in love.

This idea of a Christian being “caught in any transgression” speaks of the danger of “falling into sin.” In other words, it is not a premeditated act of open rebellion against the Lord, but may have come about by a carelessness and lack of watching ones own life carefully. This word “caught” is used of a Roman military legion being overrun by a Jewish military force.

There are times when we know we are walking into trouble, and then there are those times when we get swept up into it, never intending to do so. The Bible describes the open and brash sinner as a scoffer and a mocker, while the person caught up in sin as foolish and sometimes naive. While there is danger in both, the Christian who find himself or herself in sin would hopefully be the one who slowly wandered into it because they were careless.

So, what is the responsibility of those who are walking in the Spirit? The “spiritual” person in Galatians 6:1 is not a reference to “the mature in Christ” only. Going back to the previous chapter, a spiritual Christian is one who is walking in step with the Holy Spirit (5:25), made manifest in the fruit of the Spirit (5:22-23). Since every Christian has the Holy Spirit living in him or her (Rom 8:9; 2Tim 1:14), we are all “spiritual” and are not to submit to the fleshly desires that can still present a problem to the Christian. But the reality is that we may all act in a fleshly way at times.

The goal of all of this care is for restoring our brother or sister to a right relationship with Christ. Yesterday’s post addressed the truth that for far too many Christians, the attitude is one of self-preservation and personal faith that has no room for confrontation or personal accountability. Bearing one another’s burdens is itself a burden. So many avoid it.

In comments regarding the parable of the Lost Sheep (Matt. 18:12-14), James Montgomery Boice shows how to seek after the lost, wandering sheep is to be like Christ:

“What were the disciples thinking about when Jesus told them about the lost sheep? They had been arguing about which of them should be greatest in the kingdom of heaven. With that in the immediate background, presumably they were thinking of themselves as among the ninety-nine who were still on the hillside and were wondering which of the ninety-nine would be the “top sheep.” As long as they were thinking of such things, they would never be concerned for the one who was lost, and they would never do anything to help find him or her. Who will be greatest? We should be beginning to understand the answer to that question by now. The greatest believer is the one who is most like the Shepherd, who gave himself for us. Like little children? Yes. But like the Shepherd too. We are never more like God than when we exert ourselves to help others, and if God rejoices over the one we help to bring home, he is probably rejoicing over what we are doing too.”[1]

James Montgomery Boice

But, unlike Jesus, there are dangers for us. We are still sheep. We all struggle with temptation and a desire to wander ourselves. And so, Paul added the warning to “keep watch for yourself, lest you too be tempted.” The temptation might be the same sin that caused the other brother or sister to fall, but that is not necessary. It might be another sin altogether. And even more possible, is the temptation to think of yourself as being more godly than the one who was taken by sin. We must remember our Lord’s words in Matt 7:1-5.

““Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.”  

(Matthew 7:1–5, ESV)

So how can we put all of this together? Bear one another’s burdens, seek after those who have gone astray, don’t be too proud and watch out for yourself so that you don’t get taken down by sin yourself? It all seems so complicated! Perhaps a simple scenario will help illustrate the idea.

Imagine the Christian life like a tribal people who need to use the river for bathing. Lining the banks of the river are man-eating crocodiles. Each person takes his turn watching out for the others, and sounds a warning when the crocodiles come close. When they attack, everyone is called to pull the victim away from the killer reptile. But we need to watch out! It will soon enough be our turn to bathe in the waters and the gator may get us just as easily. Would you want the others to watch out, or would you be foolish enough to think that you are smart enough and fast enough and alert enough to avoid the danger without any other to help you?

We need each other. That is why we were given the Church. Tomorrow is the Lord’s Day. May we have this mindset as we enter into the House of Prayer and worship our great God.

[1] James Montgomery Boice, The Gospel of Matthew (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2001), 389.