What Is God Doing In Your Community?

Philippians 1.6 “For I am sure of this very thing, that the one who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”

There’s a couple of things I believe Paul is wanting to get across here. First, the work is not ours, but it’s God’s. “the one who began a good work in you,” was it yourself that began the good work in yourself? Was it yourself that made the change? Of course not. It is God’s work. Yes, we prepare and work hard and we are co-laborers with Christ the bible says, but this ministry work is up to whom? Who started it? Who’s going to continue it? This is another whole book on partnership with God, but we accomplish His work, His business. And even with all the planning we can muster up, who’s the one who directs our paths? Right! Okay. Well now that we have that out of the way.

The second thing I want you to focus on is the phrase “in you.” There are a couple of ways of understanding this verse, particularly this phrase. One is the obvious that Christ is working in my personal life and your personal life and that he’s working to make me perfect and you perfect. I bet you’re glad to know that he’s still working in my life, wouldn’t you love to point out a few things to God to work on next!

Yet, I think the bigger understanding of this passage and phrase is not so much speaking about Christ working in our individual lives, but that Christ is doing something in a bunch of us together! The English does a poor job sometimes in translating a word from Greek. And it’s not necessarily the translators fault (maybe the NLT...ha ha), but it’s that Greek can carry multiple meanings in a simple word “en.” The word can also be translated “in union with” or “among” you. And the you is plural, a collective grouping.

Look at verse 1 “to all the saints” and verse 4 “you all” and verse 7 “all of you” twice and verse 8 “all of you.” Get the point. Paul wasn’t just saying that God is working in you and me and you (and He certainly is, there's not a debate here about that), but God is working in a lot of us from one location, which makes that place pretty special.

This is what Paul was so excited about. Yeah he knows that God is working in my life and he’s working in your life, but he’s excited that God is working in yours, and yours, and yours, and yours, and yours, and a bunch of us all in the same location. The church at Philippi was doing some amazing things (check out how Paul brags on this church in chapter 4), not because they were big, and not because of one person, not because of the lead pastor or those on staff there, but because they (everyone) had a big heart and often did more than some of the other bigger and more spiritual churches in the area.

So what does that mean for us? We must stop putting such Holy Spirit pressure on ourselves to fulfill some expectations we might have in our minds about our ministry and our church. We can get so frustrated about ministry wondering whether we’re making any difference and when we don’t think it’s worth it we want to quit. I’m not saying we don’t do things with excellence, but enjoy the journey! Pray, prepare, do it with passion and pray some more, but let God do His work. He's the master gardener, we are His faithful employees.

Fund Raisers?

Having gone through the motions of many fund-raisers (different than capital gain campaigns) I am beginning to wonder what the Bible has to say about them. What exactly is fund raising? How did Jesus and the apostles raise funds? How did even the Old Testament speak when it came to raising funds for a project?

Today's model (maybe there's better models) as I see it, is providing someone with a service or a gift in exchange for money (hopefully which exceeds the funds to provide the service or gift). Sounds more like a job, then a fund raiser. I wonder if the apostles ever had camel washes, spaghetti and idol meatball dinner, Peter James John and Paul quartet concerts, "hire an apostle for day" auction?

It seems like it was simple. They casted a vision and a need before the people, people sold land, gave money or whatever services they could without something in return just for the progress of the cause. That's all it took! I would love for someone to share some insights about passages in the bible that might look different. I don't say that as prideful but truly humble plea for wisdom in this area.

Should any Christian cause be supported through Fund-raisers? If so, why and how or which ones?

Letting It All Go

Mark 10:29-30 "I tell you the truth," Jesus replied, "no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields-- and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life.

The context of this verse surrounds Jesus' discussion of how hard it is for a rich person to enter into the kingdom of Heaven because they are unwilling to give it all up, putting complete trust in God. The only thing needed for salvation: faith, not works.

The thing I want to focus on in this verse is the idea of "who has left."

"who has left"- meaning to totally separate from like a divorce. It's letting something go, or leaving it behind to the point of neglecting it and letting it happen. The word is used in Mark 15:37 when Jesus let go a loud cry before he died on the cross. Jesus used it in Luke 7:47 to show the forgiveness of sins (there's a good message right there).

What does it mean to truly give it all up for Christ and allow His message to be proclaimed?

I think of my wonderful parents who live in Iowa and have let their only two sons leave their homeland and venture out for the sake of the gospel. Me in Massachusetts and my brother in Canada on his way to Africa.

I think of people in Acts that sold everything they had and gave it to the apostles for the sake of the spread of the Gospel.

I wonder if there is any significance of Jesus not saying leaving your wife/husband. Divorce was never encouraged. And doing ministry is exponentially enhanced with the support of a wife/husband. Ministry is exponentially destructive without the support of a wife/husband. Marriage has always been likened to the marriage of Jesus and the church. So at this point, I'm assuming marriage was left off this list for a reason.

but what is left on this list is amazing to really put into practice. How have you or have you really given up your close loved ones and your big earthly possessions so that the Gospel of Christ can be spread?

If not, you may not experience the blessing of receiving it back a hundred fold now and in eternity. I'm not proclaiming a prosperity theology, but there's something to giving things up for God out of faith and love and His desire to bless you and reward you for your commitment. There's something to letting your money go when you think you don't have any to give. There's something to not seeing your life blessed by God by holding on to things.

Let it go.