Touching Base! Part 138

The Invisible Gift: Self Control

A Guest Posting by Lew Worrad

(This article can also we found on our website at
http://www.bethelkingston.comunder the tab called "Blog")

This Touching Base is a useful tool for small group discussion, personal reflection or in a one-on-one conversation. We believe that if the Sunday teaching is discussed outside of the morning services, it will be an opportunity to go deeper and build healthy community because God's Word needs to be discussed in community.

The Fruits of the Spirit, as delineated by the Apostle Paul in Galatians 5:22, 23, have long been a template to evaluate Christian character. Surely all of us would be better people if we exhibited all of these Fruits of the Spirit in our lives. None of them are disposable. Yet not all of them are truly valued in the same manner. Such is the fate of the fruit: self control.

The mere fact that it is listed as last in a list of nine such traits leads some to believe that it is the least important of these traits. An ‘add on’, so to speak! Yet maybe its position in the list says something quite the opposite. Maybe the best has been saved to last.

Think of it this way - what would love be without self control? Or what would goodness be without self control? What would peacefulness be without self control? Any good thing can easily become a bad thing if it is not under control. So self control is quite necessary, essential one might say. But it is also quite invisible. Self control is not so much seen for what it does in itself - it is seen in what other things do not do. For example a truly loving person is seen as loving when they love in a situation where they could reasonably be expected not to love. The same is true of a good person. They are known as good due to the fact that they do good things when in fact they would not be expected to do a good thing. They are under control.

Surely, as Paul writes to the Galatians, they are out of control especially in the moral and spiritual areas of their lives. If they need anything, they need self control. And, if we take Paul’s other writings seriously, for example 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1, we become keenly aware of the fact that a key requirement for a church leader is the fruit of Self Control.

Nowhere is Self Control more evident than in the life of the Lord, Jesus. He exercises self control in the face of threats from both political and religious leaders. He does so in the face of temptation by the Devil. And surely, if self control was ever in view, it was at the cross. Spit upon, mocked, cursed, humiliated, beaten… this self controlled Jesus is able to say, “Father, forgive them, they do not know what they are doing.”

How does one acquire such self control? Paul states a number of things in the text:

1. Live in the Spirit,
2. Follow the Spirit,
3. Crucify earthly passions and lusts, and
4. Stay in sync with the Spirit.

Here are a few questions you might want to contemplate:

1. How self controlled am I?
2. In what area of my life am I least in control?
3. What steps do I need to take to change this situation?
4. How can I improve my relationship with the Spirit of God?

Lew Worrad

If interested in joining or starting a small group contact markkotchapaw@gmail.com

Touching Base! Part 137

Gentleness - When You Need to Listen to "Hard Things"

Guest posting by Fred Grendel

(This article can also we found on our website
at http://www.bethelkingston.com under the tab called "Blog")

This Touching Base is a useful tool for small group discussion, personal reflection or in a one-on-one conversation. We believe that if the Sunday teaching is discussed outside of the morning services, it will be an opportunity to go deeper and build healthy community because God's Word needs to be discussed in community.

On Sunday, my Big Idea was “We need to go vertical with God, before going horizontal with each other.” The key verse was 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.”

Now in this Touching Base I’d like to expand on something I didn’t really have time to cover much on Sunday.

Many of us have been there - we sense there is tension between us and a friend, or us and another team member… and then they ask us to go for coffee. We show up at the Starbucks or Tim Horton’s of their choice, nervously order something to drink, and then it happens… before you get a chance to enjoy your cup of coffee, you realize that the person with you is about to say hard things to you: you are going to get rebuked.

In this case the person talking to you thinks that you need to be restored. In the moment, you can pray silently but you really don’t have an opportunity to get totally vertical with God in prayer, so what do you do? Personally, I can be very stubborn, hard-headed and driven as a leader, so this has happened to me several times and this is what the Lord has taught me to do when confronted by another believer:

• Understand that gentleness has everything to do with humility. In the moment when you are being confronted, silently submit your will to God’s and ask him for strength (Ps. 25:19)
• Actively listen. Don’t think about your response yet, just sit and listen (Prov. 5:7)
• Ask clarifying questions, like, “What did you mean by that?” or “Can you give me an example of when this happened?”
• Test what the person is saying with scripture. Don’t be afraid of silence during the conversation and when there is silence take time to see if what they are rebuking you for lines up with God’s word (1 John 1:4)

It’s okay to tell the person you need to get back to them on the matter. Give them a time or a place in which you will meet again (now you have a chance to get vertical in prayer with your Heavenly Father! (Ps. 86:6))

However, if you’re ready to respond to the rebuke and need to defend yourself, be careful of your tones and do so in gentleness as well (Gal 6:1).

If the person is right, confess your sin to them and admit that you have been wrong, asking for their forgiveness. If you need their help in battling the sin, ask. (James 5:16)

When it appears that the conversation is drawing to a close:

• Ask the person if there is more. Now the last thing you will want to hear at this moment is “more” rebuke! Remember, however, that it took courage for your brother or sister in Christ to pull you aside, and they may have gotten through the “meat of the matter” and are losing strength to get into more minor details of your behavior which may be important.
• If you’re thankful for the conversation tell them so (1 Thess. 5:18).
• Ask the person if you can follow up with them even if all issues have been resolved. Sometimes we need accountability.

But what if things head south? One time when I was being confronted, I was clearly in the wrong. I had hurt the person so badly, and they were so unprepared for the conversation that part-way through it as I began to defend myself on a few matters, they got increasingly upset, and I actually felt threatened. In fact, I feared they were going to punch me in the face! In these situations:

• Tell the person you feel uncomfortable and you need to leave
• Do just that! Remove yourself from the place and situation before it gets worse!
• Take the situation to what I call “stage 2” of Matthew 18. The next time you meet, bring some witnesses with you. Even though you may need to hear what they have to say, the other person clearly needs more help and you need the protection of some other Christ-followers. (Matt 18:15-17)

Have a great week, and if you find yourself in a situation where someone is saying “hard things” to you, remember that you are not alone. Thousands of Christ-followers including myself have been rebuked and restored.

Fred


If interested in joining or starting a small group contact markkotchapaw@gmail.com

Touching Base! Part 136

Believing Big – Living Big! (Faithfulness)

Guest posting by Adam Davies

(This article can also we found on our website at
http://www.bethelkingston.comunder the tab called "Blog")

This Touching Base is a useful tool for small group discussion, personal reflection or in a one-on-one conversation. We believe that if the Sunday teaching is discussed outside of the morning services, it will be an opportunity to go deeper and build healthy community because God's Word needs to be discussed in community.

Whether your commitment is to Jesus or to Allah or Buddha or some other God, or whether it is to morals or sensuality or pleasure or government or some kind of cult (like the Maple Leafs), the idea of faithfulness is not a new or a foreign concept. Faithfulness is the very groundwork for marriage, friendship, business or any thought or ideal that we cling to. Faithfulness is what we stand on - it keeps spouses from seeking other lovers, it keeps friends from abandoning each other, it keeps businesses from breaking contracts with their customers and it keeps Liberals and Conservatives on opposite sides of the imaginary dividing line in politics. Faithfulness implies a commitment to remain with our choice and forsake other options; faithfulness can be broken in an instant but is never accomplished. We are only as faithful as our last betrayal. What would you say you are faithful to? Have you experienced the opposite of faithfulness?

What exactly is faithfulness? How do we define it or characterize it? Is it something tangible we can measure or hold onto? We often look at faithfulness from the “doing” perspective: What do faithful spouses do? How do faithful friends behave? What do faithful businesses look like? Our questions about faithfulness imply that something is to be done or said or completed. Sometimes our look at faithfulness is even better described in contrasts, “If my husband was faithful, he wouldn’t sleep around” or “If my friend was faithful, then he wouldn’t have forgotten about me” or other such comparisons. I think all of this is good, but I don’t think it tells the whole story, I think we are leaving out the WHY question when we define faithfulness only in terms of what we can see.

What do I mean by the “why”? What I mean is, WHY BE FAITHFUL? What motivates or drives us to remain with our choice, persevere in our relationships, and stay steadfast in our commitment to Jesus? We don’t need to look too far. Paul says that “the fruit of the Spirit is… faithfulness”, and if we remember the context of this verse (Galatians 5:22), Paul is writing to a group of people who are walking away from God in deed because they are being convinced there is another way. Faithfulness has its root in faith (both the English and the Greek point to this), and faith means being persuaded or convinced or fully believing in something. This is the motivator to be faithful, and this leads me to the big idea, and that is “Faithfulness is the vindication of our confession; faithful people believe big and therefore live big.” So to figure out the “why be faithful?” question, we need to figure out is the “what is your faith” question. What do you believe? Is it the one true God? Is it the power of wealth or prominence? Is it the pleasure of food or lust?

One of our great problems is that we are often really good at the “Babe-Ruth-point-to-the-stands” without the “Babe-Ruth-swing-for-the-fence”! We say “I believe in God with all my heart, all my soul, all my mind and all my strength”, but we don’t always really follow through with the same well-rounded commitment. James gets us on this point in James 2:14-26. Here there are no punches held, James spells it out as clearly for us as possible: Faith without action is dead. Wait, I thought we were talking about faithfulness?! We are… think about what James says. If there is no action, there is no faith. We could just as easily say “if there is no faithfulness, then there is no faith”. The point of this is that James reminds us that if we lack the fruit of faithfulness, perhaps the issue isn’t really our “follow-through”, but rather our “pointing”. If we confess faith in Jesus but have no faithfulness to Him, then doesn’t that mean we really have no faith at all? Is our faith dead? I need to search my heart, as do we all, and ask God “Does my life match up to what my words are saying?” Have you ever heard God challenge the depth of your faith, whether through the lips of a friend or a spouse or in the words of Scripture?

So, is the issue with faithfulness that we have a tendency to prove ourselves unfaithful? Perhaps, but my conviction is that we all have the capacity for great faithfulness, to remain steadfast in our belief, to give and to sacrifice, to be utterly committed to something. The real question is, what or who has captured the attention of our hearts and what or who are we giving our lives to? The reason so many of us resemble Mr. Pliable and Mr. Facing-both-ways in Pilgrim’s Progress (if you haven’t yet read this classic you should!) is that with our lips we say one thing but with our hands and feet we say another. I know I have proven myself unfaithful when I say, “I follow Jesus” but I have given everything to continue in sin and selfishness. In Joshua 24:15, Joshua says to all the people, “And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” Jesus says in Matthew 6:24, “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” So maybe a better question is not, “Am I faithful or unfaithful” but “what am I faithful to?” If we were to look at a week of our lives, or look at a day of our lives, what would that week or day tell us that we believe? Where do our money and time and energy and affection go?

On Sunday we looked at Hebrews 11, and considered what Abraham and Moses did in v.8-19 and v.23-28 respectively. Sure their actions were awesome, but why did these men do what they did? Hebrews 11:1 says that faith (that is, the motivator to be faithful) is “the conviction of things hoped for, the assurance of things unseen.” Read v.10, 11b, 13b, 14, 16, 19, 25 and 26... anything pop out at you? Not only should these things tell us why these men did what they did, but it should also make our heart explode out of our chest. Do we “consider the reproach of Christ [as] greater wealth” and therefore live in such a way that the world sees that truth? This is a great challenge to us, to let the incredible things that God says in Hebrews 11 to those who were faithful be true of us. Are we people “who God is not ashamed to be called their God”, “of whom the world was not worthy” and who will be “commended by their faith” in God?

Looking at Hebrews 11, so many of the people listed in those verses were faithful because they counted on the faithfulness of God. Faithfulness is one of those “communicable” attributes, that is, a characteristic of God that can be and is meant to be reflected in the lives of His people. God is all-powerful and all-knowing, and as much as we would like to be those things we are still working on the formula. Faithfulness, however, is something that can be reflected in our own lives, and it is a celebrated attribute of God. We sang about it on Sunday, and we see it all over the scripture - have a look at Psalm 136 or Lamentations 3:22-23 or search scripture on your own time and see how often the faithfulness of God is called upon or mentioned or praised. In Psalm 18, David says “I love you, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” If God was not faithful, how could David say this?

On Sunday we shared communion together and I reminded us that communion is also a reminder of faithfulness, both from the perspective of God’s love for His people and of our faithfulness to Him. God shows His faithfulness to us by the giving of Jesus; long promised in the scriptures through prophecy, God the Father was faithful to send His Son to us. Jesus reminded us constantly of the faithfulness of God (see Matthew 6:25-33) and lived a life of faithfulness to God (His very food was to do the will of God, see John 4:34), even to the point of death. So when we take the bread and hear Jesus say again “this is My body, broken for you”, we remember His sacrifice and His faithfulness to us. But when the cup is passed and we hear “this is the covenant in my blood”, this is where we must pause and reflect about our own faithfulness. This phrase, “this is the covenant in my blood” comes from Exodus 24 where Moses commissions the people to do what God has laid down for them in the law. In v. 7 the people say “all that the Lord has spoken we will do” and in v. 8 Moses takes the blood of the sacrifices and throws it on the people and says “behold, the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.” Communion does more than remember the death of Jesus. Communion, in view of the death and resurrection of Jesus is also our re-dedication of ourselves to the challenge of being faithful people, living out the life that God has graciously given to us.

Faithfulness is the vindication of our confession: oh Lord, let our lives reflect that we truly believe in who you are and what you have done for us this week, and all the days of our lives.

Adam

If interested in joining or starting a small group contact markkotchapaw@gmail.com

Touching Base! Part 135

God’s goodness is right at your fingertips

(This article can also we found on our website at
http://www.bethelkingston.comunder the tab called "Blog")

This Touching Base is a useful tool for small group discussion, personal reflection or in a one-on-one conversation. We believe that if the Sunday teaching is discussed outside of the morning services, it will be an opportunity to go deeper and build healthy community because God's Word needs to be discussed in community.

How offended do you think people would be if they knew that Jesus had said the following, “No one is good except God alone.” (Mark 10:18). I think that this statement of Jesus would irk some. It would be an offense to our sense of decency, independence, progress, sophistication, and superiority. After all, in the 21st Century (and long before) man has put himself/herself in the place of god. Yet the biblical concept of moral and spiritual good is thoroughly theological, and stands in sharp contrast with the anthropocentric view of goodness developed by the Greeks and later thinkers in the Greek tradition.

Our own goodness would, and does certainly “blush” in the face of God’s goodness. Paul understood this when he said that there was no moral good within human nature (Romans 7:18). If there is any good to be found in us, it had to come from God, for we are incapable of producing it ourselves.

In our study this week we are looking at the 7th trait of the fruit of the Spirit - goodness. God’s nature is ultimately defined by goodness and, consequently, so are the actions that flow from His nature. All throughout Scripture we read of people praising, literally boasting, about the goodness of God.

“God Himself is good; that is, He is everything that God should be — the ideal person, the sum total of all perfection. There are no defects or contradictions in Him, and nothing can be added to His nature to make Him any better. He is excellence to an infinite degree, possessing every desirable quality, and therefore of inestimable value. God is good.” Richard L. Strauss

An interesting fact about God’s goodness is that it was the first attribute of God to be brought into question when the enemy came to Adam and Eve and implied that God was less than good for denying her the luscious fruit of that one forbidden tree (cf. Genesis 3:1-5).

This week we answered the question “What is an example of the goodness of God?” The answer comes in the form of our big idea - The goodness of God is right at your fingertips. If the Bible is what it claims to be, and what God claims it to be, then God’s word to us is one of the greatest demonstrations of God’s goodness. He has given us a manual for this life and for eternity!

Let’s develop this big idea by looking at the benefits of Scripture as listed in Psalm 19:7-11:

• It Revives the Soul

To revive is to return something to it original state, to make a linear motion back to a point previously departed from. There is a healing, restorative element to God’s word. The imagery that I used on Sunday was of a guitar being tuned. Our lives can get out of “pitch” and Scripture can bring us back in to tune. The greatest tune up is when we come to Christ and He restores what was lost in the Fall (in Genesis). Yet as Christ-followers we need to allow Scripture to tune up our lives daily by the power of the Holy Spirit. Notice that the text says it revives our soul. In other words, Scripture does not do what Botox does. Rather Scripture takes God’s healing truth to our souls - the inner person - that often can involve repentance, forgiveness, exposing a lie, attitudinal changes etc. Notice that the implication of this statement, “revives the Soul”, is that we come to Scripture with contrition and openness to its authority. We deceive ourselves when we merely listen to it but do not do what it says (James 1:19-25)

During the day, when do you allow Scripture to revive your soul? I often end my own day reading Scripture and praying through what I read. Sometimes the day has affected my personal tuning and I need God to use His word to help me get back in pitch.

What was a recent tune up like for you? How did God’s word shape you or challenge an attitude?

• It Makes Wise The Simple

This statement says something about the nature of God’s word: “It has been said that the Bible is like a deep, broad, body of water, shallow enough for a lamb to wade in but deep enough for an elephant to swim in.” (DeYoung, Editor. Don’t Call It A Comeback, p.66) However this statement also says something about humankind. In comparison to God, the most intelligent human being that has ever walked this planet is simple. Not only does our goodness “blush” in the face of God’s goodness but our intelligence and sophistication “blushes” in the presence of God. However, God is so good that He gives us His word. Listen to what the Psalmist said:

“Keep me from deceitful ways;
be gracious to me and teach me your law.
I have chosen the way of faithfulness;
I have set my heart on your laws.
I hold fast to your statutes, LORD;
do not let me be put to shame.
I run in the path of your commands,
for you have broadened my understanding.”
(Psalm 119:29-32)

Ever seen any evidence to suggest that in spite of all our advances, man is still somewhat simple? “Simple” means “pertaining to persons that are easily deceived or persuaded, showing lack of wisdom and understanding.”

• It Gives Joy To The Heart (I will be brief on this point)

Note the benefits listed in this text. Is it any wonder that joy would well up in your heart because of how your life can benefit from investing in God’s word? Let’s remember that the word leads us to the ultimate Word that John talks about in John 1:1: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” It is Jesus who can truly revive the soul, make wise the simple and bring light to our path. It is the message of Christ that is weaved from Genesis to Revelation.

• It Gives Light to the Eyes

The imagery is pretty clear. The word of God is like a flashlight that casts light onto the path of life. There are other “light” sources that many choose to live by, but God has given us His word so that we can truly find our way. One thing I would say is that we can stick a flashlight on the shelf and only pull it out in case of emergencies and benefit from its light. But the word of God doesn’t work like that. My observation is that if you only pull it out in times of crisis you will fumble around trying to find the right light for the kind of darkness you are facing. And even if you find the right light, you may be so use to living in accordance with another light source that you might have a hard time believing, receiving and submitting to God’s light. God’s word casts the best light for those who daily invest and are shaped by its enlightening truths.

What part of your path needs some of God’s light these days?
How has God’s truth guided your steps in a recent decision?

The goodness of God is right at your fingertips. Are you embracing the goodness of God? Are you daily taking in God’s word? No doubt on a daily basis your heart is being bombarded by messages that are attempting to shape you and make you. God is so good that He has placed in our laps His Word for our lives. Don’t keep just keep it at your fingertips. Embrace it, or you will miss out.


Mark

If interested in joining or starting a small group contact markkotchapaw@gmail.com

Touching Base! Part 134

Profit Bringer

(This article can also we found on our website at
http://www.bethelkingston.comunder the tab called "Blog")

This Touching Base is a useful tool for small group discussion, personal reflection or in a one-on-one conversation. We believe that if the Sunday teaching is discussed outside of the morning services, it will be an opportunity to go deeper and build healthy community because God's Word needs to be discussed in community.

How much does the world you live in need a little kindness these days? Do you know anyone that would greatly benefit from a little kindness? Is there possibly a struggling single parent, a family teetering, a senior in need of an act of kindness? Do you believe our world is deficient in acts of kindness? I have heard some say that the world can be a pretty cruel place.

This week in our Punch series we looked at the fifth trait of the fruit of the Spirit, “kindness”. Here is what the word means:

• Moral goodness,
• The idea of treating all people like members of your family
• A person who is acts kindly, and who brings profit to their situation
• A person who is described as a kind person is usually a person people want to be around because they feel empowered, enable by that person, they feel stronger.

On Sunday, I repeatedly used the phrase “profit bringer”. If you think about it that is exactly what a kind act, word or gesture does for someone else. They profit from the interaction, from the act of kindness. Their lives are better off because somehow their life intersected with a “profit bringer!”

Let’s check out a story Paul recounts demonstrating the influence of a “profit bringer”:

Text: 2 Timothy 1:16-18

“May the Lord show mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains. On the contrary, when he was in Rome, he searched hard for me until he found me. May the Lord grant that he will find mercy from the Lord on that day! You know very well in how many ways he helped me in Ephesus.”

The “profit bringer” is Onesiphorus, not a common household name today. Perhaps in the school yard his nickname was “One” so let’s stick with One for now. The profiteer is Paul. Note how much One stands out. In verse 15, everyone has deserted Paul. This is a bit of an overstatement but when you are in the pit that is what it may feel like. But One has stayed with Paul and as a result, Paul blesses everyone in the household of One.

Note the gratitude of Paul: Read v. 16a and 18a and you get an idea of how full Paul is with thanks for One showing kindness to him. I find that in all my conversations with people, when referring to people who are “profit bringers”, there is a welling up of thanks and appreciation directed toward that person or persons. Some even have tears come to their eyes when thinking of how deeply touched they were by a certain act.

Imagine living in such a way that people have this goodwill toward you or the church. Imagine having this kind of impact on people’s lives. The imagery that comes to mind is that of the wake a boat leaves as it rides along the surface of the water. Paul stands in One’s wake and says thanks.

It is not always easy to demonstrate kindness because sometimes the profit bringer needs to bring a hard word that may not be interpreted as an act of kindness. However, the full intention of what is said is for the person’s best.

Who is standing in your wake?
If you are married, what would your spouse be saying?
What are your friends, workmates or kids saying as they stand in your wake?

Note what One the profit bringer did: “… refreshed me…” (v.16) This is a great word which Paul uses here. It means “to cool off” or “to recover” from the effects of the heat. During this time of the year you can really feel what Paul is saying. We are all seeking refreshment on a hot day. I was down at Confederation Park the other day and one thing I noticed was how all the park benches in the shade were occupied. The sunny ones were vacant. People were even sitting on the ground, under the shade of the trees. Shade on a hot day attracts the crowds as they seek to be refreshed. One the profit bringer, in refreshing Paul, brought shade to Paul from the hot sun he was being exposed to as he served Christ. Paul is drawn to the “shade”, and gives thanks.

We don’t know exactly what One did for Paul but it is possible that One was wealthy and opened his home in Ephesus to provide “shade” for Paul while on his missionary journeys (see v. 18). How do you or could you use your resources to provide “shade” for people?

“(…) was not ashamed of my chains” (v.16)
At times when in prison, Paul would have been bound to a soldier. Note the contrast here: in v.15 Phygelus and Hermogenes ( I wonder if they had any nicknames - Phil and Herm) both abandoned Paul. Possibly they were afraid of the escalating risks of associating with Paul. Whatever the case, One did not become ashamed or fearful, but hung in there with Paul. One of the realities of demonstrating kindness, being a “profit bringer” is that there will be situations where you may be the only one bringing profit. For whatever reason everyone else walks by, ignores the need, deserts or abandons. To be a profit bringer can sometimes mean we stand alone. Perhaps this is why kindness is a fruit of the Spirit. We need divine strength, strength beyond ourselves, to move towards people who have “chains” that have caused other people to walk away.

What are “chains” today that can cause us to pull back on expressions of kindness?

• Chains representing a past- a past that makes us fearful or judgmental of the person
• Chains representing a particular lifestyle - their current practices we find appalling or unacceptable
• Chains that represent our personal history with that person - our lives have crossed over in the past and there is a history of hurt and pain - they let us down so we now withhold kindness
• Chains representing ethnicity - believe it or not even in Kingston, the color of someone’s skin can be a barrier
• Chains representing… got another one?

You often see this in school yards but it reflects what can happen in adult school yards - the workplace, church etc.

“…he searched hard for me…” (v.17)
Again note the contrast. Phygelus and Hermogenes were on a mission of abandonment, One, though, was on a mission of engagement. This was not a leisurely stroll in the park looking around for someone random to whom he could provide shade. Note the language Paul uses, “searched hard for me until he found me”.

We talk about “random acts of kindness”, which is great: Unplanned, unexpected, a need pops up before you and because you are wired to God, you act - bring profit. We have all had these experiences.

But note that there is nothing random about this act of kindness. It is intentional, well thought out, planned for, with preparation involved. I believe that One is illustrating what it means to be led by the Spirit. God has laid Paul on his heart so when he goes to Rome, instead of going to the movies and then to the Keg afterwards for dinner ,he is walking the streets, knocking on doors, working his network, searching out Paul because God has laid Paul on his heart - nothing random about it! The last person he thinks about before falling asleep is Paul, the first person who comes to mind when he awakes is Paul - a profit bringer on a mission- sent by God and empowered by God to make a difference!

Has God ever laid someone on your heart like this?

My guess is that One was just what the doctor ordered for Paul to make it through this leg of his journey. Paul, in retelling this story to Timothy, underscores how important and meaningful One’s actions were for Paul when he was in Rome. I know that all of us could recount our story and think of a few people who, by their act of kindness, gave us the encouragement and resources we needed to face another day.

This week, try showing a little kindness. Be a profit bringer. By the way, guess what Onesiphorus’ name means? You got it – “profit bringer”. It wasn’t just what his name meant, but what his life came to represent. Might we follow in the steps of One who followed in the steps of the ultimate One demonstrating kindness beyond compare.

Mark


If interested in joining or starting a small group contact markkotchapaw@gmail.com

Touching Base! Part 133

Got any off-beat clappers in your life?

(This article can also we found on our website at
http://www.bethelkingston.comunder the tab called "Blog")

This Touching Base is a useful tool for small group discussion, personal reflection or in a one-on-one conversation. We believe that if the Sunday teaching is discussed outside of the morning services, it will be an opportunity to go deeper and build healthy community because God's Word needs to be discussed in community.

Patience… now there is a topic we can’t cover too quickly! On Sunday we looked at the fourth trait of the fruit of the Spirit in our Punch series. We used three objects to help us define this word.

The Timer
The most common word for patience in NT comes from a compound of “long” (makros) and “temper” (thymos). In the OT, the concept is denoted by Hebrew ’ārēḵ, meaning ‘long’. The idea is to set the timer of one’s temper for a long run. We might be use to “5 minutes” but God might be asking for 30 minutes!

The Duck
Built into this idea of patience is endurance, constancy, steadfastness, perseverance - to remain under something. So patience isn’t passivity, but rather properly-expressed activity. It may appear like someone is doing nothing but in actual fact lots of activity is going on. When you look at a duck in the water, it may appear that they are just sitting there but below the surface, hidden from human sight, their webbed feet are paddling.

The Metronome
Finally, as you look at the practice of patience in the Bible one comes to quickly realize that patience is about keeping in step with God’s timing. Patience can have the effect of a metronome - it is about keeping in sync, in step and being led by the Spirit in all of my encounters.

The big idea we looked at on Sunday was that patience involves living in a way that is, at times, contrary to my human spirit, but in step with the Holy Spirit.

In light of the above definitions consider the following questions:

• Where/with whom do you need to set a longer timer?
• Where/with whom do you need to keep paddling?
• Where/with whom do you need to work on keeping in step with God’s metronome?

Let’s consider three applications of patience:

#1 With Others….. in leadership
When it came to leadership Paul expected leaders to be patient and he himself modeled patience. Check out 2 Tim 4:1,2, 2 Cor. 6:3,4 ). In one sense, we are all leaders. As parents we lead, as spouses we at times take the lead on certain issues, at the work place, in friendship. Think about the following statements and how they apply to your situation of practicing patience with people. Perhaps one of these statements will describe exactly how you are feeling in a particular relational situation.

• Patience may mean not acting, not speaking (biting your tongue), not deciding.... YET - but giving space, allowing time to run its course.
• Patience may mean that in acting, speaking and deciding you go about doing it with a patient tone, demeanor, saying what needs to be said but in a patient way.
• Patience may mean releasing only so much information, or words of instruction. Dumping the whole mother lode might overwhelm.
• Patience may mean giving up your way and letting someone do it their way.
• Patience may mean letting someone “hang” themselves so that they might listen next time.
• Patience may mean not abandoning even though it would be very easy to walk away.

When attempting to practice patience with people there are a number of factors that can rob us of patience.

• Conflict with anger can quickly snatch this trait from us (check out Proverbs 15:18, James 1:19, Ecc. 7: 8,9)
• How have you seen conflict steal away patience?
• Made any wrong decisions because the conflict sabotaged your patience and you acted inappropriately?
• What do you do to prepare for conflict so that you don’t lose your patience?

#2 With Myself
“Your nature is a hard thing to change; it takes time…. I have heard of people who have life-changing, miraculous turnarounds, people set free from addiction after a single prayer, relationships saved where both parties ‘let go, and let God.’ But it was not like that for me. For all that ‘I was lost, I am found,’ it is probably more accurate to say, ‘I was really lost. I'm a little less so at the moment.’ And then a little less and a little less again. That to me is the spiritual life. The slow reworking and rebooting the computer at regular intervals, reading the small print of the service manual. It has slowly rebuilt me in a better image. It has taken years, though, and it is not over yet.” —Bono, lead singer of U2

Perhaps the most difficult person in expressing patience towards is yourself. Our spiritual growth demands patience. It is only as we patiently walk with God, keep in step with the Spirit does He grow us and shape us. Check out Luke 8:5 and Romans 5:3,4

Patience is the companion that we need to become all God desires us to grow in to.

• We fall - patience says we get up
• We relapse - patience says we go at it again
• We have a bad day - patience says tomorrow is a new start
• We fail in a particular task - patience says we learn from the failure
• We are a disaster in a relationship - patience says we own our piece, do the time for the crime - become wiser for next time.

A Chinese proverb says, “Patience is power; with time and patience the mulberry leaf becomes a silk gown.” Ours is not the first generation to struggle with the frustrations of waiting. Patience is power because patience is partly what it means to live by the Spirit.

#3 With God
Ever felt God was out of sync?
Ever looked at the timer and said- how long Oh Lord must I be patient?
Ever felt like a duck- paddling, persevering and wondering- Where is all of this getting me?
Ever wished God’s metronome would speed up or slow down or.....?
Has exercising your patients with God ever resulted in complaining? Check out these complaints?
Ps 10:1,44:24,142:2

Our patience with God might not get God to do what we want Him to do but can result in God shaping us into the kind of person He wants us to become.

Mark


If interested in joining or starting a small group contact markkotchapaw@gmail.com

Touching Base! Part 132

Peace On Guard
Guest posting by Eric Prost

(This article can also we found on our website at
http://www.bethelkingston.comunder the tab called "Blog")

This Touching Base is a useful tool for small group discussion, personal reflection or in a one-on-one conversation. We believe that if the Sunday teaching is discussed outside of the morning services, it will be an opportunity to go deeper and build healthy community because God's Word needs to be discussed in community.

Main Text: Philippians 4:7

Peace is sometimes defined as “the absence of war”. This is true. However, “peace”, in scripture, often means much more than this. It is an active word, full of meaning and impact, not merely the absence of something.

For example, read Isaiah 26:3 – “You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you”. This verse is not talking about the end of war but about peace as an attribute that God controls and gives to us.

Or read John 14:27 – “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid”. This verse is certainly not talking about the absence of conflict or war. After Jesus returned to the Father, his followers experienced a lot of conflict and persecution. And yet he still promised peace.

Question: What then is this peace that God says is a fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22?

Question: Is it peace with God? (What other verses illuminate the idea of peace with God?)

It certainly includes this, and only followers of Christ with their sins forgiven can show the peace of Galatians 5. But could it mean more than the peace of knowing our sins are forgiven?

Question: Is it peace with others? (How is this crucial to leading a Christian life?)

It probably includes this, too. Pastor Mark taught on love two weeks ago and how that fruit of the Spirit should show in our community with others around us.

Question: Could peace mean even more than this though?

Peace as a concept – and a symbol – in the ‘60s and ‘70s was often countercultural and anti-establishment, a symbol of protest. The scriptural definition is not politicized and yet is more revolutionary than any opposition to the Vietnam War could create. The scriptural concept is richer, the bar raised much higher. It is nothing short of the idea of completeness and fulfillment that is total and profound.

Philippians 4:6-7 captures this: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Here’s what our 3 verses – Isaiah 26:3, John 14:27, Philippians 4:7 – show about this peace:

1. It is sublime or transcendent – “perfect,” “transcends all understanding”.
2. You need to trust in God to get it.
3. God controls it and gives it – He is the one keeping us in perfect peace, leaving peace with us.
4. Prayer is involved.
5. Anxiety, worry, trouble will lose their power.

Question: Are there examples from real lives you know where these 5 attributes of peace have been illustrated? Does it ever seem too easy? Are there times when this peace eludes us completely?

The last attribute (#5) is extremely practical and is related to peace as a fruit, a behaviour and attitude, in the life of a Christian. The final image in Philippians 4:7 illustrates this. It is a fantastic irony in the verse: peace is described acting in a warlike or martial way. “To guard” in Greek has a military connotation. Peace is actively guarding our hearts and minds. Peace (of all the fruits!) is on high alert, in uniform, as a sentry, guarding your emotions and your thoughts, your personality, from fear and trouble.

The same peace that exists at the throne of God, the same peace of Christ who is the same yesterday, today, and forever, is active and on duty.


Eric


If interested in joining or starting a small group contact markkotchapaw@gmail.com