SHALOM

The Incarnation of Christ, Shalom and the Ministry Gifts

Introduction

The Hebrew language is a language that carries a rich variety of meaning in each word. In addition the Hebrew language is a language that is highly graphics, pictorial and numeric where the letters use give both a picture of a particular words meaning and each letter in the word carries meaning as well. The pictographic and numeric meaning of the Hebrew word Shalom is an authority is coming who shall destroy the works of the one who causes chaos and confusion.

Ronald J Sider has stated “the Gospel is the Good News of the kingdom of shalom and righteousness that broke into history decisively in the person and work of Jesus Christ and will come in its fullness when Christ returns.”

A glimpse of what that means can be seen in our first Bible reading.

Galatians 4:4–6 LSB

But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”

God sent forth his Son in the fullness of time or at just the right moment

Why was Jesus sent forth to redeem his people?

To rescue people from their alienation from Him.

For what reason did God do this?

That those who would believe in Him might be adopted as His children. Those who have accepted Jesus become the Father’s children, who the Father then sends the Holy Spirit that they might call the Father “Abba, Father”.

How was this accomplished?

In order for us do unpack this, let us listen to the opening verses of Philippians chapter 2.

Philippians 2:1–5 LSB

Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, fulfill my joy, that you think the same way, by maintaining the same love, being united in spirit, thinking on one purpose, doing nothing from selfish ambition or vain glory, but with humility of mind regarding one another as more important than yourselves, not merely looking out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this way of thinking in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,

Wow, what a wonderful picture of unity, a picture of a diverse body of believers acting as one man providing a place where there is edification, encouragement and comfort. An expression of shalom where each person lives in harmony with each other and receives care and love A place where each member is highly valued and considered just as important as the next person

Is such a community possible?

The answer is yes if and only if we follow the example of Christ. Who showed us not only what humility and meekness are but what true worship is. As Paul goes onto say

Philippians 2:6–10 LSB

who, although existing in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a slave, by being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore, God also highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

In the next few verses Paul calls the church at Philippi to worship God the Father by fully obeying Him just as Jesus was fully obedient to the Father. Such obedience is true worship. True worship is obedience to the Father’s will not just the music we listen to or play or our gathering together weekly as important as that is. True worship involves working out our salvation fully as the text in Philippians goes onto say

Philippians 2:12–13 LSB

So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

In the Christian calender Christmas and Easter are inseparably linked. For Christ came from Heaven to Earth then He journeyed from the Manger to the Cross. In both the act of becoming human, and taking on man’s sinful nature Jesus was being obedient to the will of His Father.

Writing about the few moments before our Lord died upon the cross, the Apostle John records

John 19:28–30 LSB

After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been finished, in order to finish the Scripture, said, “I am thirsty.” A jar full of sour wine was standing there; so they put a sponge full of the sour wine upon a branch of hyssop and brought it up to His mouth. Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.

Jesus knew His mission had been completed, he had fulfilled the Father’s will to the utmost. Jesus had completed His life of worship, full obedience to the Father. His last words were “it is finished” which in the Aramaic language Is “m’shalem” which has the same route as the word shalom. Jesus had reconciled man back to God, and made the way for humans to experience completion, fullness, wholeness and wellbeing. Let’s meditate on that as we listen to the following words.

What are the implications for us who believe in Jesus’s life, crucifixion, death, and resurrection. Listen to what the Apostle Paul said in his second letter to the church at Corinth.

2 Corinthians 5:16–20 LSB

Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer. Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their transgressions against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. So then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as God is pleading through us. We beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

If you are here today and are away from the Lord , I would love to talk to you about coming back to Him after the service.

We who have been reconciled to God have been given the ministry of reconciliation, that is we have been tasked with bringing those astranged from God into a right relationship with God. How? By living in this world with all it’s corruption and rottenness as Christ’s ambassadors, not looking down on people who are yet to know Christ from a human perspective but seeing them as possible future fellow members of God’s family who can enter into His kingdom characterized by shalom.

THE CHURCH IS CALLED TO

How are we in the church to go about doing this?

To answer this let’s first consider

Ephesians 4:1–6 LSB

Therefore I, the prisoner in the Lord, exhort you to walk worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, being diligent to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.

Paul calls upon the church at Ephesus to walk in unity. The church is to express the same unity and inter-connectivity and interdependence as that exists in the Father, the Son and the Spirit.

How does this occur?

The Ephesians are to bind themselves together with peace. The word peace here is the Greek word Eirene which has the same meaning as the Hebrew word Shalom. A salvation that embraces completion, harmony, wellbeing and welfare amongst many other things.

I am very passionate about shalom. In the context of Ephesians it can be said that it describes the relationship between the Father, Son and Holy Spirit as well as the relationship that exists between the believer and every member of the Trinity. As well as the fellowship that there is between every member of the body of Christ.

If we are to walk in Shalom each of us needs to walk worthy of the calling we have received, always being humble and gentle. Being patient and constantly overlooking each other’s faults. That is an incredibly high calling.

Yet incredibly in the midst of this unity of shalom there is tremendous diversity

Ephesians 4:7 LSB

But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.

Ephesians 4:8 – 10 states that when Christ ascended He gave gifts to men. These gifts are not the motivational gifts of Romans 12:4-8 or the Spiritual gifts of 1 Corinthians 12.8-10. Although each person having an Ephesians 4 gift will have multiple motivational and spiritual gifts. And will learn not to rely on their own natural abilities and skills but on the empowerment of the Lord.

In his ministry our Lord Jesus Christ ministered in all the gifts. Ephesians 4:11 identifies the five gifts.

Ephesians 4:11 LSB

And He Himself gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers,

In recent years it has been suggested that people having these gifts are present in every local assembly. Often lying unrecognized, undeveloped and under utilised. Northern Regional Presbytery has begun to recognize that there is a need for new forms of ministry. In days gone by it used to be that there was such a strong influence of the church in the local community that people would be drawn to Christ would bring themselves to an assembly on their own volition. Sadly this is often no longer the case, we desperately need those who have been gifted by the Lord to go into the local community and establish relationships with those who are yet to know Christ.

The modern day view of an Apostle is someone who starts and establishes an assembly or ministry into an area or community where none has previously existed. They are also able to rejuvenate a well established church that is declining because they are gifted in strategic thinking and bring fresh insights that foster growth of the body of Christ in an area.

It might be better to call those gifted in this way pioneers as there are those who hold a view than an Apostle was someone who had seen Jesus and was sent by him into an area previously not reached by the Gospel. However there is some Biblical evidence to suggest that even in Biblical times the word Apostle was used in a wider sense.

A prophet’s calling is to be a mouthpiece for God drawing ever closer to the Lord in intimacy to commune and worship Him, in doing so the prophet hears and discerns what the Lord is saying to an assembly then delivers whatever that message may be to them. The prophet also encourages and helps others hear the Lord for themselves .

An evangelist reaches out to seek and lead people who are yet to know the Lord into a relationship with Him, they help train others to do the same.

A shepherd seeks to serve a local assembly by caring , nurturing, overseeing and protecting the people of God.

A teacher loves to dig deeply into the Scripture by doing in depth studies and passing their discoveries , knowledge and understanding on to others.

Jesus Himself was and is the Apostle, the Prophet, the Evangelist, the Shepherd and the Teacher In each of them He is the supreme example who continues to direct, inspire and motivate us all in and through these gifts.

Each of these gifts can run into serious difficulties if they do not learn to function in conjunction with the other Ephesian four gifts. If we are going to be a community church engaged in the mission of God then we need to allow room for all the gifts that the Lord has given us not only to operate but function freely in our midst.

Just how they are to function together with one another in the church is set out in Ephesians 4:12-13.

Ephesians 4:12–13 LSB

for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the full knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ,

The key words are equipping, building up, continue, faith, full knowledge of God’s son, mature in Christ.

The key task of all five Ephesian 4 gifting’s is to equip and build up the body of Christ so that it may carry out its ministry of reconciliation, making Jesus Christ known through love in action . In many ways we proclaim the shalom that Christ went about ministering during his life and ministry and fully accomplished at Calvary.

The ministry of those referred to in Ephesians 4 is to continue until the church obtains unity in the faith and knowledge of God’s son and becomes mature in Him. They are indispensable.

To me Jesus became man that we might experience Shalom with Him, His Father and the Holy Spirit, along with other believers and with our own selves. and indeed all of creation. To an ever increasing degree in this life and completely when we go to be with our Lord eternally.