The Continuum PART 2

PART 2

^{Colossians 2:6-7}

⁶ So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, ⁷ rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

In verse 6 

 I have been reflecting on this verse over the last few days. In the first part  I reflected on verse 6 and how we stay rooted in Christ. Paul is urging us to continue in certain things as we live out our Christian life and calling.

He is very clear in his communications. He isn’t just saying “Be a good Christian, “ Or “ Oh you have been saved, now enjoy life. It is all grace brother! Do not bother about anything. Jesus has done it all. Jesus loves you” etc etc.

He reminds his readers of the great sacrifice that Jesus paid for us all. He reminds us that is a complete work; Satan's defeated.

We are set free from the tyranny of the myriad laws that encumbered the poor Jewish soul.

Now that we are free – we are free for a purpose. This is specific for each one of us.

We are to continue in many things. However, this “continue” is not static. It’s not about maintaining the status quo. It is about sustaining growth. It’s progressive: from one degree of glory to another.  In scripture, we are encouraged to “build ourselves up in the holiest faith”.

I move my reflections on to the next part of verse 7, which asks us to be “built up”

Why do we need to do this? How do we do this and what is involved? Reflect with me.

WHY

In our journey as Christ followers, our aim is to become more and more like Jesus, to be Holy even as He is Holy. To fulfill the good works he has prepared for us to do. This is the reason we are saved. To be a light to all.

HOW

We are built up as we stay rooted – as we continue to grow deeper in our fellowship with him.

We get built up by meditating on His Word and allowing it to grow richly in our lives, allowing the word to challenge and change us. The phrase built up implies growth. As Christians we are on a continuum of growth – the overall movement in our lives ought to be forward.

WHAT

What do I do, to be built up, to grow, to be encouraged, and to be focused?

 So what do I continue in? Here are some things:

Continue to be a learner – seeking the kingdom to influence my lifestyle and decisions.

Continue to add to my “faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.”  (2Pet 1:5-7)

Continue to persevere in the face of trials “ ³ because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. And tastings so my faith grows strong.” (James 1:3)

Continue to dig deep into God’s word in sweet fellowship and prayer (Col 3:16)

Continue to do good, and not grow weary of it (Gal 6:9)

Continue to meet with other Christ followers to encourage and be encouraged. Let us not give up the habit of meeting together, as some are doing.( Heb 10:25)

Continue to build on Christ the Cornerstone. (1Cor 3:11)

When I do this, I will grow strong, mature and be productive bearing the good fruits of the faith.

 Are there things that you need to continue in that you have stopped doing? Now is a good time to hit the reset button and restart.

Paul knew that there would be times we would slacken off or give up. That is why there are so many verses encouraging us to keep going, to fight the good fight of faith, to press on, to keep at it. Let us encourage each other and our other brothers and sisters to keep going.  We are yet to come into our best. Let us continue to the finish line and finish strong.

Part 3 click here

For PART 1 Click here

The Continuum

THE CONTINUUM

Colossians 2:6-7

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, ⁷ rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

This is the verse I am reflecting on today and want to mull over it bit by bit because I think there is a lot in this small but very rich instruction  Paul is giving us Christ followers.

V6 a- So Just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord -  Paul was encouraging the Colosse Christians to hold on to truth and not be swayed by many fine sounding arguments ( verse4) or even a false gospel that was already making the rounds. (verse 8).

How did we receive Jesus?

He wants them to hold fast to what they were taught by the apostles. They received it from men of creditability and received it by faith.

I pause to think about this. We have no lack choice today as to who we would like to listen to, which church sermons we want to watch. Sometimes we can be sucked into subtle false teachings without even realizing it.

We need to know whom we are learning from: what is their track -record, what is their life like, and what are their core doctrines. It is not easy to test this in the cyber world.

The other thing that Paul is reminding them is about how they received Christ. How did we receive our salvation? We received it by grace through faith. Nothing more, nothing less. The Cross of Christ is complete and covers everything for me. I cannot earn it, I don’t deserve it. I appropriate it by faith alone and in humility accept this grace gift in my life.

Let no one add to that or take away from this great work of our wonderful God.

The deity of Jesus was coming into question no sooner did he resurrect from the dead and ascend into heaven. This truth is still being challenged and toyed with today. Let us remind ourselves of the glorious savior who did a finished work making a public spectacle of Satan and all his schemes when he triumphed over him on the Cross. (verse 15). The devil thought sending Jesus was the greatest trick and his ace card. What he and not know was that he played into the very plan of God that sealed his fate forever.

Let us remind ourselves that the life we now live is not to be lived by a set of rules. We live this life because we have a relationship that is sustained by deep communion and staying firmly rooted in Jesus ( verse 22-23)

V6b - continue to live your lives in him, ⁷ rooted and built up in him,.

In my 4+ decades of being a Christ follower, one thing I have seen and now with an ever increasing measure, sadly, is that people often start well but do not continue with increasing fervor. Some tragically lose their way floundering amidst the cares and worries of this world.

So the encouragement to ‘continue ‘is not without cause. To Continue is an important motif in the New Testament and should be in our lives too. This is said in many different ways in the Bible. Here are some : persevere in the faith, fight the good fight of faith, press on toward the goal, run the race with perseverance, run the race marked out for us, he who preservers will be given the crown of life, do not grow weary in doing good and many, many more such exhortations.

This is not a call to continue to exist. There is a manner in which I am to continue. Paul goes on to tell us how.

As I reflected on the word ROOTED, I thought it is good to pause and ask some questions. Is, my life built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness? I have salvation here and here alone. He is my Rock and the source of my life. He is my cornerstone. This means I am not relying on my strength, independence etc.

 Why are roots important?

It is the life source to the whole plant. Whatever soil the roots of my heart are planted in, will nourish me and determine how healthy the plant will be and what kind of fruit I will produce.

So where do I get my values from? What is influencing my life and my character formation? Is the soil that of the world or is it Christ? What my mind feeds on will affect thought patterns, my emotions, and my behavior.

What soil my roots are in will affect what is” built up”. I can wipe and clean and polish the leaves all I want but if the roots are rotting or have poor nutrition or are in a toxic environment, the rot is going to show and destroy the plant as well. The plant will grow, but not as a healthy one.

So what do I learn from this morning’s reflections? No matter how old or young a Christ follower I am, I need to continue to be rooted in Christ which is the richest and best place to have my life planted in. John 15 is replete with repeated reminders to remain in Jesus so that we will bear fruit that will last.

I pray and you and I will continue on this continuum of life with steadfastness growing from strength to strength being built up in Christ. 

How are we built up? More in the next blog. Click here for Part 2 

Navaz DCruz

STRONGER - PART 5| HOW DO WE FIGHT?

PART 5

I came across a book early this year by Havilah Cunnington titled “Stronger than the Struggle”. I strongly recommend you read it. Much of what I am blogging here is from that book and what I did with a ladies group called Coffee Chats. If you find this useful, please feel free to use this material in a study group you might be leading. The blogs in this series are reflections and a summary of what I got from this fantastic book that I recommend you to buy. 
For part 4 please click here

Before we go any further, I just want to say the whole of our life is not a battle. It is not meant to be that way. That was not what Jesus had in mind when he said He has come to give us life in abundance. He wants us to have righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. He wants to give it us what no eye has seen nor ear has heard, he wants us to enjoy all the treasures of heaven.  Victorious living is a part of our journey with God. However, we all go through seasons of struggle. Trial and troubles cannot be your lifestyle. If that is the case I recommend that you talk to someone who will be able to help you discern where the source of the trouble is.

So what tools do we have? One tool that translates across all barriers of time, geography, culture, age, and experience is TRUTH. God’s truth interpreted properly. Jesus used it to fight the devil in the wilderness. Though our enemy is defeated, we still need to know how to deal with him. Paul in Eph 6:17 onwards teaches how to fight.

The weapon we have is the Sword of the Spirit the word of God. This has two meanings. 1)LOGOS is the whole counsel of the word of God. All of it

2) REHMA is a specific word of the Spirit for a specific situation. You need both. You cannot have Rehma if you do not know the logos.

When we are fighting the enemy we need both. Rehma the quickened “now” word which is a word for a particular situation at that moment. When I am in financial trouble the word I call back to mind is not to say “ Love the Lord your God…” good as that might be. I need to call to mind verses that speak of God’s provision like “my God shall supply all my needs”.

The Roman soldiers used two swords big one to practice with and a small dagger in battle. It required less effort but was very effective. Jesus used the Rehma word in the desert when he fought Satan saying “Man shall not live by bread alone”

In order for you to be able to this, you need to be filled with the Word of God, worship, listen to an uplifting message, Feed your spirit well so when you are in a battle you know which dagger to pull out and not just your favourite  scripture.

The devil wants us to think that we are fighting for victory, which is not true. Jesus has already won the victory for us.

One of the things the devil is good at is taking a legitimate need and trying to get us to satisfy that need through illegitimate ways. Remember you can pick your sins but you don’t get to pick the consequences. Sometimes we can invite the enemy to play havoc in our lives when we compromise our conscience, when new get into relationships we should not, be in places that we need to avoid, watch stuff that we should be deleting etc.

When we do not live out our calling we can end up on balconies that can ruin our lives like it did to David. We need to get off the balcony and get into the battlefield and get after our destiny. This does not need anyone to preach to you, prophecy or pray for you.

You have to take personal responsibility and live out the Word of God.

This is how we get to living an abundant life. The more we focus on the right things the less energy will be spent on battling.

Will all battles cease? No. We will learn to fight better, stronger and swifter because we now know how to recognize his fingerprints.

When God is taking us to new levels, we have to fight new devils.  The increased measure will be met will greater resistance. Satan does not mind passive Christians. Attacks can often mean that we are doing something right and we have to stand or take ground. There is no neutral ground. Whenever God is pushing us to the higher ground there is a battle to take ground just like Joshua in the promised land. It did not come without a fight. The Promised Land as the name suggests came with a promise – that it would be theirs. They just needed to fight the enemy and live uncompromised lives.

So Struggles can strengthen us or knock us out.

Courage to fight happens in community and not in isolation. It is ok to ask for help. We are called to bear each other’s burdens.

One key in Spiritual warfare is obedience and endurance. If God is pointing out a thought pattern, or behaviour or lifestyle choice that has got you stuck and you find that you are not winning your battles, you need to do a heart check. Is there something you are stubborn about and unwilling to change it? You need to embrace the disciple and get unstuck.

       ( TO be continued - concluding part)

Dealing with the Doing | Reflections on John 15 | Part 1

Would you consider the last words of a dying man important? You might say it depends on who and for whom. Absolutely right!! The last words of my father mean a lot to me but not of a stranger.

Connection gives weight and meaning to words. Those words can affect the rest of our lives for example, if it’s the last will and testament bequeathing everything to long-lost relative or son.

The chapter divisions in the Bible are not always helpful as I find in this case. As I was reading John 15 I realized there are RED letter words preceding John 15. Therefore, this is a continuation of a talk Jesus is having with His disciples.

Where did it begin? I trace it back to John 13, which is another pivotal chapter: the great chapter on servanthood and it ends in chapter 17 with what we call Jesus’ great “High priestly prayer”.  Soon after that he goes to the garden of Gethsemane and is then arrested. So the last words of Jesus to his disciples start in chapter 13 and end with chapter 17. These must be very, very important things that he is talking about. These are Jesus' last instructions His disciples before He goes to the cross.

To summarize:

Chapter 13 is a very important chapter because it’s about the Passover meal Jesus shares with his disciples before his crucifixion; commonly referred to as the “Last Supper”. He talks to them about serving each other, Judas’s betrayal, Peter’s denial. This is heavy stuff.

 He goes on in Chapter 14 to comfort them with the future hope of being with him forever. Once again he is telling them is  HE the only way to the Father. He is now being more clear about who He is. He is giving them the promise of the Holy Spirit.

We then come to Chapter 15 where he transitions from talking about the intense union between the Father and himself to the intense union between Jesus and us and then with each other.

Therefore when we are in close union with Jesus, we are in close union with the Father ( because the Father is in Jesus, and Jesus in the Father ( John 14:10). 

 Chapter 16 He explains more about the working of the Holy Spirit and what they can expect to happen after his death, resurrection, and ascension.

Chapter 17 is the great high priestly pray once again praying for his disciples and all of us who were yet to come to faith. He is praying for our protection and the unity (John 17: 20- 23)

CHAPTER 15

Jesus tells us who the actors are in this story. The Father is the Gardner, The Vine is Jesus, We are the branches. He is now getting more specific about how we ought to relate to himself, one another; and how this threesome are supposed to work together.

As I was reading this, I was struck by a few verses that made me stop to think. Here are some of my reflections.

verse 1. “I am the true vine”. This opening statement is a bullseye shot. It means there are many vines that I could be a part of and they are not the true vine. However, the only true vine is Jesus.  A good question for all of us to ask is  "am I in the true vine? Do I belong to Jesus? Have I made Him the center of my life, my Lord, my Saviour?"

Verse 5“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing”

No branch can have life without being connected to the main branch. All the branches draw their sap, sustenance from the main branch. It gets its nourishment, strength, fruit-bearing ability, it’s very DNA from the main vine.

 A branch on an orange tree does not look like a branch from a coconut tree. They have a distinct identity and characteristics unique to their species. Therefore it looks like, behaves and produces fruit like the rest of the vine.

 Here the Vine is Jesus. Therefore, if I am well connected to Him; I should behave, look like and produce fruit that is Jesus like!

Therefore staying in connection is crucial. Fruitfulness is linked to my relationship with Jesus.  It is not about how well I administer or create programs; it is not connected to my slick Sunday service. None of those trappings of modern day Christianity have anything to do with my connection to Jesus.

It’s so simple to the point that we actually ignore it or miss it altogether. It’s about me “being” and not “doing”.

In this picture, the only one working is the Father. He is doing all the vine dressing, the cutting and pruning. The branch has one job: stay connected. It sounds too simple we would argue. For a Martha like me, I find this very hard. My hands need to be doing something all the time. Sitting down in silence is not second nature to me.

This verse tells me that I bear fruit from abiding. I bear fruit as my relationship with Jesus grows. The more I draw from the main branch, the more fruit I bear. This means my relationship with Jesus is really important. In a world where fruit/success is measured by performance, this is so hard to understand. I also get my Identity from being connected. Why is this important?

I stop to think: Can my relationship with Jesus become a religious duty? Obedience alone that is dry and faithless won’t produce healthy fruit. 

Jesus says that “Apart from me you can do nothing”. That seems like a strong statement. Some might even say an exaggeration. Well since these are Jesus word I would be wise to pay close attention. What is this nothing! I think he goes on to explain himself further down this passage. We can’t do anything that Jesus is looking for ,i.e which is of eternal consequence or significance if we are not firmly connected to HIM.

Verse 9 ⁹ “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. ⁰ If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love”

Here Jesus tells us about the Father’s love for him and His own love for us. Jesus says obedience in an indication of love. What kind of obedience and to what?

The Pharisees were obedient. Was that an indication of love? Jesus spells out what this obedience is about in verse 12 and 13. ( for PART 2 click here)

Simple Equations

In today’s world performance outstrips everything else. All can be and will be overlooked if one brings in the results – whatever that may be. The bottom line is the bottom line in a balance sheet: do the profits look good? The end is more important than means therefore collateral damage is the catch word.

 Walking the straight and narrow is becoming a thing of the past or is certainly under threat.

Ethics and Character have no part to play in this game of success and being opportunity driven rather than value driven is becoming the norm. One only needs to look at politics to see it at its best.

All that is very well; we can moan about all the lack of integrity out there and how rotten the system is, how immoral x, y and z and shake our heads at “them”.  But, what about us Christ followers? My daily Bible reading and meditations have made me reflect much on this. Let me share my thoughts and reflections with you.

I have been in the book of 1 John for some time now simply because it’s not an easy book to read through and walk away from unchallenged or unprovoked.

John throws a challenge to the Christ follower to love. One would think he is stating the obvious – of course we are called to love !!  Easier said, than done !

I feel 1 John and 1 Corinthians 13 are two sides of the same coin. One challenges our beliefs and allegiance to God and the other challenges our practice of this confession and the attitudes of the heart that underlie everything we do – even the use of the great gifts.

Often  these days we are willing to side step the character issues that crop up; turning a blind eye simply because we are blinded by the gifting before us and to the opportunities that are presenting itself to us.

While it’s all very well to point fingers, 1 John brings the truth starkly home. He addresses “me” and not “them”. He hammers away mostly at one point from every angle even at the risk of over repeating himself in every little chapter in this even smaller book. I think he knows how easy it is for us to want to skip what we don’t want to hear to the other “interesting “bits that we want to .

But he comes at it again and again. He puts before us some very simply equations so that we don’t miss it.

Here are some I have jotted down

1:5 God is light = no darkness In Him

2:3 Knowing God = obeying Him

John is establishing where he is coming from. Then he homes in on what he wants to focus on.

2:5  Light= no hate

Hate = darkness. The math is pretty simple, clear cut as black ≠ white

Let’s  go further

2:12-14   John reassures us of our forgiveness and position of being over comers in Christ.

2:15-17 Love  God = hate the world

John seems to have been contending with a lot of liars and deceptive people!! Is it different today?

3:10 Children of God = those who love their brother

 Doing what is right = a child of God

3:11 Love one another is the bottom line

3:15 Hate one’s brother = a murderer

Murderer = hell

3:6 Love = Jesus dying for us

 Brotherly love = laying down our lives for each other.

3:17 Love = meet each other’s needs.

3:18 Love = action

3:22 Obedience to God =  answered prayers

4:16 God is love = we should love = God lives in us

4:19 Hate your brother = liar = hates God. WOW!! John is turning up the heat. He is not mincing words.

4:21 Love God = Love brother

5:1 Love God = Obey God

In such a short book John packs a solid punch! That’s a lot of emphasis on one point. Interesting to note John is not encouraging us to love the unbeliever, the persecutor. He is commanding us to love our brother!!!

What he is saying is (and I paraphrase) : don’t you get it ? You don’t have a choice in this one. You have to love. And if you can’t, there is no fudging it. It’s as clear as crystal, as plain as day. There is no second interpretation, no further explanations, contextualization’s and all the other lame duck excuses you give not to obey a passage in scripture. Bottom line – you have got to love your brother no matter what.

Even as I write it send shivers down my spine. This is ruthless coming from the apostle of love. It’s downright radical. Take or leave it – that’s what John is saying.

Who is my brother? Is a clever devious question I might throw to save my skin, in my defense trying to justify a lack of brotherly love across borders or denominations, churches, apostolic movement I belong to etc etc. Let’s not try and see much hate I can get away with. The truth is God is love and I have to love at all times and EVERYONE. Jesus once said on the Sermon on the Mount “Love your enemies…”  There goes my last chance at hate! – All excuses crumble at the cross.

The point I think John is making is – guys love is not an option you can opt out of, we have to love everyone. If we can be forgiving and tolerant toward the unbeliever,  how much more our own brothers.

I find the book entirely rhetorical in nature. John states the obvious because sometimes it needs to be said. It’s like saying you drive a car you don’t push it. If you push it around, it’s not a car anymore. Therefore get into the car and drive for it to be a car!! Get it?

I think I  am getting it  - therefore no room for grudges, hurts, nursing old wounds, playing  politics and all the others thing even we Christ followers have got cozy with simply because rationalizing comes easy when the shoe is on the other foot.

As I reflect I think of those I find hard to love, I think of those old wounds that won’t heal because I keep pulling the scab off, etc. Can we resolve to deal with these things before we grow old and bitter and realize that all the hate was not worth it after all? There is so much in life to appreciate and love and be thankful for.

So this brings me back to where I first started . I can be very gifted, very well known, very liked , even in the Christian circles but that does not really count. In the final reckoning of things if i do not have love I am nothing ( 1 Corinthians 13 lays it our starkly). In the final scheme of things "success" as everyone sees it may not necessarily be so because I have neglected this one very important thing called love. Sobering isn't it?

Let’s drop all that stuff and just do it – LOVE.

Navaz

 Image credit - http://amandapanda84.wordpress.com/

Will it be a strong finish?

We recently acquired a book on which this blog is based. This book was recommended by a good friend who has seen a lot of life and experienced a great deal more. This book has challenged, provoked and encouraged me keep going on the straight and narrow because it opens up to true healthy joyous living and indeed to finally finishing strong.

We have all seen flash in the pans, the ones who make a big noise, know how to attract and play to an audience, to focus on the external and on what is seen rather than on the  eternal, that which is not seen. We all know of one or two great men of God who suddenly shot to fame and suddenly got shot down by something or someone.

I have summarized a few points from a chapter this book that I have being reflecting upon. But what is the title of this book? Well, it is aptly titled “Finishing Strong” by Steve Farrar. I would strongly recommend you make a wise investment of buying this super book.

So here goes:

There are different kinds of finishes

Cut off early

Finishing poorly

Finishing “so- so”

Finished well

To finish strong we need to survive the ambushes that life throws at us in various forms. Getting through the ambushes is what separates the boys from the men. The men are aware and prepare for the ambushes.

Three major ambushes

Money

Another woman

Neglected family.

And might I add – power? In my life experience I have seen many being ambushed by this deadly one and the root of which I feel is selfish ambition and pride.

King Solomon got ambushed by all 3

There are four simple questions we need to ask ourselves and answer ruthlessly honestly. All of the great men who fell tripped up on one of the 4 mentioned below. Frighteningly sobering.

• 1.      Do I have a constant quiet time? The correct answer ought to be YES
• 2.      2 Do I have 1 or 2 friends in my life? Based on trust who love me enough to get into my face and tell me the truth about myself. The correct answer ought to be YES
• 3.      Are you currently spending a lot of time with another person of the opposite sex? The correct answer ought to be NO
•  4.      Are you sure you will finish strong. The correct answer ought to be NO

1 wrong answer- risk, 2 wrong answers – moderate risk, 3 – bad risk, 4 – dead meat. The author recommends you get help quickly and treat this as urgent.

MONEY

Ananias and Saphira were more interested in looking good than doing good. Do you think it was the first time they lied about money. Are you shooting straight when it comes to money?

NEGLECTED FAMILY

Many great men of God neglected their family. Leaving behind family to become missionaries is not a biblical example, though some have done it but to the destruction of their marriages and family. The Apostles took their families along. Neglected family is un biblical and contradicts the Father heart of God and the qualifications for a good leader ( 1Tim 3:4-5)

Qualifications for having a public ministry is not giftedness - Qualifications for ministry is proven character.

A gifted man is not necessarily mature. In fact the very “giftedness” can be his down fall because he does not to work hard at discipline. That’s why they lag behind in character.

The great commission and family are not in conflict with one another. The Great commission is about making disciples and the first ones are in your own home.

Our kids don’t need more things- they need us.

I think there is a lot of matter to reflect upon and work on in this brief summary of but one chapter in this great book. I am putting some things that my heart has been convicted of into practice. Will you join me?

Navaz D Cruz

 April2013

P. S for our Indian readers Finishing Strong is available on Infibeam