Acts 9:28, 31
So he went in and out among them at Jerusalem, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord. So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.
It has been said that, "The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church." Church history has proven this time and again, Stephen, often called the first martyr, being among the more notable examples. When genuine faith and the public eye intertwine, there is something in which stirs the hearts of like belief, such that deeds of greatness and lives of greater devotedness come "out of the woodwork," so to speak. Martyrdom is a miracle to me, especially its effects. How is that the fanaticism of one person or group inspires others to increased vigilance, even when that first person or group is killed precisely on account of their staunchness? Somehow, the giving of these lives encourages the nascence of more just like it, or even more than it. What would the Church, or any group, be without new growth? I will arrive at my point presently.
Seeds are well and good. There is no hope for newness or regeneration without them. My contention (for so it has become) is with the lack of maturity. If the blood of people who have passed on spurs the church to new growth, then the blood of those who have yet to slough off these mortal coils is what should help to make thrive what growth already exists. For what it is worth, my opinion leads me to think that we saints have become preoccupied with the new, following the example of the world system. The newest gadgets hit the market, and in flow the consumers. The latest apparel is in stock, and the masses make their way into the stores. Lights, camera, action, and the congregation...I mean, theatre,...is on edge for the theatrical display put on by the preacher in the pulpit...uh, actors...on the screen. The most intimate details, confided in secret to a fellow Christian pilgrim, are leaked into the tiniest but no less public corner of the electronic world. Why? Well, no one has ever heard it, at least not quite like this. We need newer, better, faster, now-er gratification.
The way wewe are held together by the word of God as one body, after allare living makes the miracle of the Church's existence all the more wonderful, because it seems that we are allowing (or have we already allowed (maybe 'welcomed' is a better word)) the evils of the age into the joints, ligaments, and marrow of Christ's body. Only God's word keeps these carcinogens from crippling and devouring the effectiveness of his work through and for his people. If left up to the most pious of the saints, self-acclaimed or otherwise, the body would be bedridden and full of every kind of disease. Enough of the diatribe, though, I suppose. My point hastens ever closer.
The lifestyle of the saints is the water of the church. I will avoid generalizations from here to the end. I have been given a clear command.
Romans 12:1 For this reason I make request to you, brothers, by the mercies of God, that you will give your bodies as a living offering, holy, pleasing to God, which is the worship it is right for you to give him.
It is not about me being willing to die for the cause of Jesus. It is about my willingness to die to myself for the cause of Jesus. That is the meaning of living sacrifice. Like with Elijah and the prophets of Baal, the fire of God consumed the sacrifice that pleased him. In the same way, when I put my life on the altar, then I remember the other command.
Romans 12:2 And let not your behaviour be like that of this world, but be changed and made new in mind, so that by experience you may have knowledge of the good and pleasing and complete purpose of God.
"Be changed and made new in mind." My command, since it is passively participatory at this juncture (mine is to offer myself), is to let the Lord himself change me. That is the hang up. I have to give up control. I like having control. I do not like giving it up. If I would let the Lord work on me, then I would see the miracle of his good and pleasing and complete purpose. But, wretched as I am, I would rather die uncompleted than live to tell of my utter transformation into the likeness of God.
So he went in and out among them at Jerusalem, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord. So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.
It has been said that, "The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church." Church history has proven this time and again, Stephen, often called the first martyr, being among the more notable examples. When genuine faith and the public eye intertwine, there is something in which stirs the hearts of like belief, such that deeds of greatness and lives of greater devotedness come "out of the woodwork," so to speak. Martyrdom is a miracle to me, especially its effects. How is that the fanaticism of one person or group inspires others to increased vigilance, even when that first person or group is killed precisely on account of their staunchness? Somehow, the giving of these lives encourages the nascence of more just like it, or even more than it. What would the Church, or any group, be without new growth? I will arrive at my point presently.
Seeds are well and good. There is no hope for newness or regeneration without them. My contention (for so it has become) is with the lack of maturity. If the blood of people who have passed on spurs the church to new growth, then the blood of those who have yet to slough off these mortal coils is what should help to make thrive what growth already exists. For what it is worth, my opinion leads me to think that we saints have become preoccupied with the new, following the example of the world system. The newest gadgets hit the market, and in flow the consumers. The latest apparel is in stock, and the masses make their way into the stores. Lights, camera, action, and the congregation...I mean, theatre,...is on edge for the theatrical display put on by the preacher in the pulpit...uh, actors...on the screen. The most intimate details, confided in secret to a fellow Christian pilgrim, are leaked into the tiniest but no less public corner of the electronic world. Why? Well, no one has ever heard it, at least not quite like this. We need newer, better, faster, now-er gratification.
The way we
The lifestyle of the saints is the water of the church. I will avoid generalizations from here to the end. I have been given a clear command.
Romans 12:1 For this reason I make request to you, brothers, by the mercies of God, that you will give your bodies as a living offering, holy, pleasing to God, which is the worship it is right for you to give him.
It is not about me being willing to die for the cause of Jesus. It is about my willingness to die to myself for the cause of Jesus. That is the meaning of living sacrifice. Like with Elijah and the prophets of Baal, the fire of God consumed the sacrifice that pleased him. In the same way, when I put my life on the altar, then I remember the other command.
Romans 12:2 And let not your behaviour be like that of this world, but be changed and made new in mind, so that by experience you may have knowledge of the good and pleasing and complete purpose of God.
"Be changed and made new in mind." My command, since it is passively participatory at this juncture (mine is to offer myself), is to let the Lord himself change me. That is the hang up. I have to give up control. I like having control. I do not like giving it up. If I would let the Lord work on me, then I would see the miracle of his good and pleasing and complete purpose. But, wretched as I am, I would rather die uncompleted than live to tell of my utter transformation into the likeness of God.
posted from Bloggeroid
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