Our discipleship process has four parts: attend worship, belong to a small group, care for those around you, and call others to Christ. There is a fifth part, but it happens in conjunction with the other four: connect with God and one another. Over the next four weeks we will consider how connecting with each others "comes alongside" the other four parts as we do those things together.
It all starts somewhere, and when it comes to our connection with each other when we worship, it is founded in Christ. Our fellowship is established by or based on our mutual belief in Christ, who we attend to in worship together. We are connected through worship because we are connected through Christ..
"[Jesus] is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy." (Colossians 1:17-18, NASB)
Jesus is the "glue" that holds us together and draws us to join one another in worship. No matter what else we do (or, in some cases, do not) have in common, we all share faith in Christ, and it is that faith that helps us work and worship so well together. You and I were reconciled to God through Christ, and that forms a bond between us that is stronger than any other. It is what causes us to worship together, to pray together, to love one another, to rejoice together, and to weep together. As you reflect on how the Father brought you together with Him through His Son, Jesus Christ, rejoice also in how He has brought us together through His Son, so that together we can worship Him and accomplish the work He has set before us.
"...but few things are needed—or indeed only one..." (Luke 10:42)
The "one thing" needed here could be a reference to Jesus needing nothing more than a simple meal, but more likely Jesus was referring to the decision to sit at His feet, listening to His teaching. It is our decision as followers of Christ to listen to (and obey) His teaching that helps hold us together, and in more ways than one! As sisters, Mary and Martha were bound together by blood, but they would soon be bound together even more powerfully by Jesus' blood. We choose to worship together, to in effect "sit at Jesus' feet" together, because of the blood of Christ we share in common. If we are already connected in some way, this connection helps bind us together all the more. If it is the only connection we have, it is enough to bring us together in worship, and is stronger than whatever may bind us to the world. That connection is glorious and mysterious, and it is open to all who would sit at Jesus' feet. As you marvel at the relationship we share through our connection with Jesus, pray for those who are outside looking in, that they might connect with us and with the Savior, and thus discover the one thing that is needed.
Colossians 1:15-23 By the blood of the Cross our fellowship with the Father has been clearly established,
2 Kings 4:8-17 Hospitality establishes a fellowship that will be richly rewarded. Psalm 139:13-18 Our fellowship with God was established at conception.
Luke 10:38-42 We shall not be moved from our fellowship, established at Jesus’ feet.
Our passage from Colossians begins by explaining the preeminence of Christ. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation, before all things, sustainer of all things, the head of the body (the church), the beginning, and the first born from the dead. In Him dwells the fullness of God, and through Him we are reconciled to the Father. All of those things reassure us that it is through Jesus alone that we can find peace with God. That is the truth we celebrate together as we gather for worship. Connecting through worship also provides a means for us to review what God has done, what God is doing, and what God will do in our lives. More on that later, but for now we can rejoice that through Jesus, we can connect with God and, through worship, we can connect with God together.
As we read Colossians 1:21-23, our past, present and future are revealed. We who belong to Christ, who have been reconciled to God through Jesus and have found peace with God at the foot of the cross, can know with certainty not only the past, but also the present and the future. We know that our past was marred by sin, and that we were in effect enemies of God. But Jesus died on the cross so that we would no longer be alienated from God. We know that right now the Holy Spirit is at work within us, helping to bring to fruition what God has already declared to be true about us, that we are holy in His sight, without blemish and free from accusation. We know that in the future the Father will glorify us, preserving us in the faith so that the hope held out in the gospel will come to pass. Knowing these things, we are granted an unbreakable connection with God and one another and freed to proclaim the gospel that we have heard to every creature under heaven.
We can see in Colossians 1:15-23 the God addressed our past through the Son, is addressing our present through the Spirit, and that our future will be addressed through the Father. But there is a long way between what we are becoming and what we will be, and we need the connection we have with one another to help us along the way. I did not come to Christ in a vacuum; there were people who were instrumental in helping me find justification. I have not become more Christ-like in a vacuum; there were and are people there helping me find sanctification. In order to address the "if" clause Colossians 1:23, to continue in the faith and persevere until I am glorified, I will be helped by those who walk with me in community. As we connect with God and one another, we help each other to be established and firm in our faith. Who will you support along the way today?
Our discipleship process has four parts: attend worship, belong to a small group, care for those around you, and call others to Christ. There is a fifth part, but it happens in conjunction with the other four: connect with God and one another. Over the next four weeks we will consider how connecting with each others "comes alongside" the other four parts as we do those things together.
ReplyDeleteIt all starts somewhere, and when it comes to our connection with each other when we worship, it is founded in Christ. Our fellowship is established by or based on our mutual belief in Christ, who we attend to in worship together. We are connected through worship because we are connected through Christ..
ReplyDelete"[Jesus] is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy." (Colossians 1:17-18, NASB)
Jesus is the "glue" that holds us together and draws us to join one another in worship. No matter what else we do (or, in some cases, do not) have in common, we all share faith in Christ, and it is that faith that helps us work and worship so well together. You and I were reconciled to God through Christ, and that forms a bond between us that is stronger than any other. It is what causes us to worship together, to pray together, to love one another, to rejoice together, and to weep together. As you reflect on how the Father brought you together with Him through His Son, Jesus Christ, rejoice also in how He has brought us together through His Son, so that together we can worship Him and accomplish the work He has set before us.
"...but few things are needed—or indeed only one..." (Luke 10:42)
ReplyDeleteThe "one thing" needed here could be a reference to Jesus needing nothing more than a simple meal, but more likely Jesus was referring to the decision to sit at His feet, listening to His teaching. It is our decision as followers of Christ to listen to (and obey) His teaching that helps hold us together, and in more ways than one! As sisters, Mary and Martha were bound together by blood, but they would soon be bound together even more powerfully by Jesus' blood. We choose to worship together, to in effect "sit at Jesus' feet" together, because of the blood of Christ we share in common. If we are already connected in some way, this connection helps bind us together all the more. If it is the only connection we have, it is enough to bring us together in worship, and is stronger than whatever may bind us to the world. That connection is glorious and mysterious, and it is open to all who would sit at Jesus' feet. As you marvel at the relationship we share through our connection with Jesus, pray for those who are outside looking in, that they might connect with us and with the Savior, and thus discover the one thing that is needed.
Here's my connecters:
ReplyDeleteColossians 1:15-23 By the blood of the Cross our fellowship with the Father has been clearly established,
2 Kings 4:8-17 Hospitality establishes a fellowship that will be richly rewarded.
Psalm 139:13-18 Our fellowship with God was established at conception.
Luke 10:38-42 We shall not be moved from our fellowship, established at Jesus’ feet.
Our passage from Colossians begins by explaining the preeminence of Christ. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation, before all things, sustainer of all things, the head of the body (the church), the beginning, and the first born from the dead. In Him dwells the fullness of God, and through Him we are reconciled to the Father. All of those things reassure us that it is through Jesus alone that we can find peace with God. That is the truth we celebrate together as we gather for worship. Connecting through worship also provides a means for us to review what God has done, what God is doing, and what God will do in our lives. More on that later, but for now we can rejoice that through Jesus, we can connect with God and, through worship, we can connect with God together.
ReplyDeleteAs we read Colossians 1:21-23, our past, present and future are revealed. We who belong to Christ, who have been reconciled to God through Jesus and have found peace with God at the foot of the cross, can know with certainty not only the past, but also the present and the future. We know that our past was marred by sin, and that we were in effect enemies of God. But Jesus died on the cross so that we would no longer be alienated from God. We know that right now the Holy Spirit is at work within us, helping to bring to fruition what God has already declared to be true about us, that we are holy in His sight, without blemish and free from accusation. We know that in the future the Father will glorify us, preserving us in the faith so that the hope held out in the gospel will come to pass. Knowing these things, we are granted an unbreakable connection with God and one another and freed to proclaim the gospel that we have heard to every creature under heaven.
ReplyDeleteWe can see in Colossians 1:15-23 the God addressed our past through the Son, is addressing our present through the Spirit, and that our future will be addressed through the Father. But there is a long way between what we are becoming and what we will be, and we need the connection we have with one another to help us along the way. I did not come to Christ in a vacuum; there were people who were instrumental in helping me find justification. I have not become more Christ-like in a vacuum; there were and are people there helping me find sanctification. In order to address the "if" clause Colossians 1:23, to continue in the faith and persevere until I am glorified, I will be helped by those who walk with me in community. As we connect with God and one another, we help each other to be established and firm in our faith. Who will you support along the way today?
ReplyDeleteGood Sabbath! Are you ready to connect with God and one another this morning in worship? See you there!
ReplyDelete