Worship Outside the Walls

"I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship" (Romans 12:1)

How many of you have ever heard someone say, "I don't feel that I need to go to church in order to worship God?" Now, for the record, the focus of this week's devotional thoughts is not on who goes to church and who does not! But there is an unusual sense in which that oft-heard statement is true. "Worship" is not limited to what happens between 11 a.m. and noon on Sunday morning. I recall preaching a message years ago entitled "From the Postlude to the Prelude" which dealt with that very issue of what takes place when we are not "at church." Would it surprise you to learn that what takes place, or at least what is supposed to take place outside of scheduled worship services is worship itself?

It's true! Note in the words of the apostle Paul to the saints in the city of Rome his reference to that which is every believer's "spiritual service of worship." Our problem is that, whenever we see the word "worship," we customarily think of organ and piano music or praise bands, of free-flowing spontaneous congregational praise or solemn liturgy, of joyful jubilation or quiet reverence. But we seldom seem to think in terms of true "service" unto God. And that is what the thrust of the Greek word latreia is. In fact, it is likely that the King James Version carries for us the best translation possible here:

"which is your reasonable service"

As latreia in that day focused upon the actual service which the Levitical priests offered unto God daily in the temple, so our "worship" must include that which we give to Him in ministry through the living of our lives, a "worship without walls." Your "spiritual service of worship," then, that which He has every right to expect from you as His redeemed one, is that sacrifice of your whole life in living daily so as to glorify His name and accomplish His purposes. Don't leave your "worship" at church, beloved, but make it a matter of ongoing ministry, moment-by-moment as you seek to glorify Jesus Christ!

Ron

Watch Those Pine Cones!

"By this is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples" (John 15:8)

I remember so well visiting a specialty store one Christmas season, beloved, and marveling at the magnificent trees, ornaments, and decorations available for sale. While there, I suddenly noticed one gorgeous tree that was not only beautifully decorated, but whose branches were filled with pine cones that made the tree look as if it had just been plucked from the forest and brought into the store for decorating and display.

As I approached the tree, however, I noticed the tiny wires with which each of those pine cones that had caught my attention was attached to the limbs of an obviously artificial tree. No matter how attractive it was to the eye, then, its beauty lay in that which had been artificially created by the hand of man.

When it comes to Christmas trees, beloved, the issue of that which is "artificial" is not so important and even understandable. But when the same condition exists in the life of a Christian, it becomes a different matter altogether. Jesus told His disciples on the last night they were together before the cross that His Father would be glorified if their lives were to "bear" fruit, real fruit, spiritual fruit that would be eternal and life-transforming in their own lives and in the lives of others.

Think of it! People who do not know Jesus Christ personally coming to a saving knowledge of Him through faith in His name, believers transformed through the power of God's Word as they grow in the grace and knowledge of who He is, broken relationships saved and put back together by the power of God's mercy and forgiveness, minds and hearts encouraged to keep on serving the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, physical needs met in the lives of those who are suffering in this world of sin, and the church of Jesus Christ at long last becoming the power-force in this world that God envisioned all along that it become. These are but a few examples of the genuine "fruit" with which the branches of our lives are to be adorned, beloved! This is the kind of living that is meant to glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

How easily, though, we settle for the artificial! How often we wire onto the branches of our lives those artificial "pine cones" of religious ceremonialism - the attended worship service, the bit of currency put into the offering plate, the carried Bible and the spoken liturgy of worship. Yet in those times when we are not "at church," what real fruit grows on the boughs of our daily living? Where are the transformed lives, those precious people to whom the Spirit of God longs to send us to be touched and changed by the power of His love and grace? Where are the souls gladly and joyfully receiving Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord through the instrumentality of our personal living? That will be the real "fruit," beloved! Those will be the branches laden down with the true harvest!

Watch those pine cones, child of God! Don't settle for that which may be artificially attached by our own devices. Refuse to be satisfied with anything less than the divine power of God released in and through your life by the indwelling Holy Spirit. And as that happens, we will each discover for ourselves the difference between that which man is able to imitate and that which only the power of God can produce. Watch those pine cones!

Ron

Remembering the Lion and the Bear

"And David said, 'The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.' And Saul said to David, 'Go, and may the Lord be with you'"
(1 Samuel 17:37)

"Remembering" is without a doubt one of the most essential elements of victory in Christian living, beloved! Yet sadly it remains one of the least sought after truths in our lives.

David as a youth stands as a shining example of just how important this need is. Sent into the valley of Elah to take lunch to his brothers serving as warriors in the army of Israel, David heard the vile taunts of the Philistine giant, Goliath, as he slandered the soldiers of Israel and Israel's God. When David volunteered to fight Goliath, the king told him that he was no match for the Philistine champion. It was then that David made the conscious choice to "remember" when God had delivered both a lion and a bear into his hands and he had killed them as a shepherd guarding his flock. As God had delivered him from the threat of both lion and bear, so He would deliver him from the hands of Goliath.

What should we do, beloved, when confronted by the trials of this life? We should choose to remember those times when God has delivered us from past trials, from the "lion" or the "bear" that we could not overcome in our own strength. And what He has done in the past He will do in the present. We can face every trial of life, then, with utter confidence because we know that our God is able!

Now pay close attention to Saul's response to David's declaration of his complete trust in God - "Go, and may the Lord be with you." When once we have set our eyes upon the Lord and our trust is in Him, all that remains is for us to "go" - straight ahead as David did. Whatever we face, our direction is ahead into the future that God has for us. Remember the "lion" and the "bear," beloved? Good! Now "go" and may the God of all grace be with you!

Ron

Where Was God?

"He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up freely for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?" (Romans 8:32)

Have you ever been through such a difficult trial, something so devastatingly painful, that you cried out to God and asked, "God, where were You when I was going through this? Why did I have to go through it alone?"

If you have, beloved, then you are no different than just about every other Christian who has ever lived. At one time or another we have all felt that sensation of being utterly alone, the feeling that God had abandoned us in our time of need. And of such times it is common for us to ask, "Where was God?"

The apostle Paul in writing to the church in Rome revealed something of the character of God that we would do well to take to heart and never forget. He reminded them that God, when faced with the prospect of sacrificing His only begotten Son on the cross for our sins, did not cling to Him, but rather "delivered Him up for us all." You see, no one took Jesus from the Father. God had to hand Him over voluntarily so that we might know forgiveness of sins. He was not "kidnapped" and held for ransom by sinful men. His own heavenly Father gave Him to them to be crucified. That's how much He loves you and me!

So what is the point? The point simply is, as Paul has so beautifully shown us in this verse of Scripture, if God did not withhold His own Son, is He really likely to bail out on you in times of sorrow and grief? I recently received an e-mail containing a story about a lady whose young son had suffered long with cancer and had finally been taken from her. Her cry? "Where was God?" In anguish of heart and mind, she cried out to Him in her distress. And in a very special way, He sent her the answer that her heart needed. He let her know that, while her son lay dying in that hospital bed, He had been right where He was when His own Son was dying on the cross for our sins. He was right there with her!

Where will God be, then, the next time you are suffering, beloved? He will be right beside you. He will feel your pain, weep with you, and walk you through that trial of life into the sunshine of a new and glorious day. Why? Because that's what fathers do! And He is the greatest Father of all. Let me encourage you to seize the promise of God in this verse of Scripture and make it your very own. Where is God now and where will He be whenever you need Him? If you will just look up, you will find yourself looking into His wonderful face.

May the truth of God's Word speak comfort to your hearts now and always.

Ron

Never Alone!

"I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you" (John 14:18)

The thought of anyone being an "orphan" brings out the tenderest thoughts in most everyone, beloved, especially if those orphans are small children. How vividly I recall visiting an orphanage in South Korea while serving there during my time in military service. I was deeply touched by the plight of those children whose parents were not there to care for them. The apostle James urged his readers as believers to minister to the widows and orphans and referred to such ministry as "pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father" (James 1:27).

In His words to His disciples the night of His betrayal, Jesus told them that He would not leave them " as orphans." It is interesting that the King James Version translates the Greek word orphanous as "comfortless." Whenever we think of orphans, we often see them as "comfortless" because of having no families to love them, affirm them, and meet their needs. The wonderful promise of Jesus to His disciples on that night and to us today through them is that He would not leave them and will not leave us as if we were "orphans." In other words, He intends to develop such an intimate relationship with us that we will never feel alone in this world of sin and sorrow! The apostle John nailed down the surety of this relationship when he wrote:

"See how great a love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him" (1 John 3:1).

Jesus wanted the disciples to know, and we need to learn the same truth today, that He would never under any circumstances leave them to fend for themselves in this world. He has sent the Holy Spirit to abide within us forever, the assurance of His very own presence with us. Beloved, we are never alone in any circumstance of life as Christians! We are not "orphans" in this world of sin, but find our identity in Jesus Christ as sons and daughters of the Most High God. Circumstances may entice us to feel alone, but in reality we are not alone. We are indwelt by the Spirit of Christ (Romans 8:9) and are members of God's own family. Whatever we may face here, we never face it alone.

And even though Jesus' promise to them that night - "I will come to you" - spoke directly of His pouring out of the Spirit upon them on the day of Pentecost, still there is comfort for you and me today in those words. One day Jesus will "come to us" and will catch us away to be with Him forever. Until that day, beloved, we must remember that, come what may, we are never alone! If you want to know the comfort of His daily presence, get to know Him more intimately through His Word and through your daily walk with Him. We are not orphans! May God bless your service with His presence and His power.

Ron