Building the church - Love letters from God (09-07-91)
I. Building the church - Love letters from God
Ephesians 4:11-13
And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 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 knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.
II. Love letters express feelings and intentions in a different manner than is usually done verbally. With a letter you can return again and again to ponder the words and the sentences.
A. A true love letter is one in which the writer pours of themselves, the feelings and emotions and thoughts that they have toward the object of their affection.
B. II Cor 3:2-4
1. “...read by all men.”
a. Why should it not seem logical that if Satan is the accuser of the brethern that his children, that is, those that still belong to him would by the very nature of things seek to examine our lives in order to find occasion to bring an accusation against us.
b. In my estimation, being told by an unbeliever that something that I have done is, “Not very Christ like.” or “That is not the way I thought Christians were to conduct themselves.” is one the most stinging criticisms that a Christian could receive. Especially when it is justified.
2. “...a letter of Christ, cared for by us.”
a. Although God uses others, often many others to care for us during our spiritual journey with Him, we are Christ’s letter. Anything else deviates from the truth and results in error. Be careful concerning those who shepherd you.
b. The context of this passage where Paul in 2:17 is contrasting the ministry that he has supplied with those whose motivation for preaching the Gospel is in doubt.
3. “written...with the spirit of the living God.”
a. The Word says, (Philippians 1:6)
“For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in will perfect it until the day of Christ.”
b. A heart operation by the Spirit of God Jer 31:33-34
4. “...on tablets of human hearts.”
a. The gospel goes beyond the words written on pages with ink. As far as our unbelieving neighbors, family we are the Gospel to them.
b. Our hearts are living organs, dynamic in nature, able to respond to changing conditions. When we exert ourselves, our heart responds by pumping faster to increase the flow of blood to the body.
i. Those around us will observe how we react to changing conditions, to trials and tests. They want us to prove that our actions are consistent with our words.
ii. E. Stanley Jones told the following story:
A missionary was giving a Bible lesson in Zenana. In the midst of the most interesting portions one of the Hindu women deliberately got up and went out. After a while she came back and listened more intently than ever. At the close the missionary asked her why she went out; wan’t she interested? The women replied, ‘Oh, yes, I was so interested in the wonderful things that you were saying that I went out to ask your carriage driver whether you really meant it and whether you lived it at home. He said that you did, so I came back to listen again.
C. Plain language
1. Almost every discipline or profession has a vocabulary unique to itself. Jargon, which intended or unintended, can confuse and bewilder the outsider.
a. In the computer world, attempts to make computers accessible to the average person have been dubbed USER FRIENDLY. Perhaps we need to look at ways of making our presentation of the Gospel more PEOPLE FREINDLY.
D. To make this a little more interesting let’s look for a moment at II Cor. 2:14-16
1. We are a fragranced love letter from God.
Some of before this morning did not know that you were a love letter from God to the world and now I am telling you that you are are love letter with a scent.
2. For purposes of our own self-esteem we need to make mentions that in the same way that love letters are not always received in the same spirit by which they are sent. We know that Jesus was not received by most who were exposed to His ministry.
a. John 16:1-3
b. John 17:13-21
III. The practical application
A. We must believe what we believe.
1. II Cor 4:13
But having the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed, therefore I spoke,” we also believe, therefore also we speak.
2. Do we really believe what we profess to believe, that is, there is no other name by which we can be saved. Do we really believe that those who do not have a relationship with Christ Jesus will be eternally separated from him.
B. We must know our objectives
1. It might be as simple as asking the Lord to direct our steps or we may ask Him to place the burden upon our hearts for specific individuals.
2. Be available - More than anything else make yourself available.
C. We must have knowledge and exercise wisdom
1. Eph 1:17
“...that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of Glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him.
2. The deeper the revelation of Christ Jesus is in our lives the greater our ability to identify the needs of those around us who are in need of the Savior.
D. We must have encouragement
1. Support groups are very much in vogue right now, there are such groups meeting for a wide variety common needs and problems. People who are facing difficult circumstances often respond positively to others who have faced or are facing similar problems.
2. But God designed the church to be the ultimate support group for Christians. We come from a variety of backgrounds and circumstances, but we have a common faith in Christ Jesus, we have a common goal, the salvation of our souls as well as a common enemy, the devil.
E. We must have intestinal fortitude (guts)
1. In Ephesians 6, Paul concludes his dissertation on the whole armor of God with these words: “and having done everything, to stand.”
2. There are no doubt times in our lives when we are unsure, uncertain and perhaps hesitant to to take our stand. It is at those times that we will need to depend upon those things that we know are absolutely dependable and sure. Jesus said. “I will never leave or forsake you.” David said, “...Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death you are with me.”
IV. Conclusion.
A. I will never cease to be amazed at the wisdom of God in how he has chosen to use us to bless the world. It is an awesome undertaking requiring us to depend wholeheartedly upon Him.
B. Remember this, He desires to demonstrate His love to the world through us. Let us follow these steps.
1. We must believe what we believe.
2. We must know our objectives
3. We must have knowledge and exercise wisdom
4. We must encourage one another
5. We must have intestinal fortitude (guts)