Knit Together In Love

...that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ...
Colossians 2:2, ESV

Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.
Colossians 2:18-19, ESV

These verses in Paul's God-breathed letter to the church of Christ in Colossae reveal several keys for healthy growth of the body of Christ (i.e. the church of Christ - see Ephesians 1:22-23).

1. Mutual encouragement among members is essential to to being "knit together in love" (v. 2a).
2. Unity in the body will ensure the attainment of the goal of all God's people -- spiritual riches, assurance, understanding, and knowledge (v. 2b).
3. Without the Head (i.e. Christ), the body (i.e. church) cannot truly function (v. 19a).
4. When the church is nourished by Christ and bound together by the joints and ligaments of brotherly love, all growth will be Godly growth (v. 19b).
5. This being the case, sound (i.e. healthy) doctrine (i.e. teaching) and mutual love amongst the people of God are both indespensable components of the life and growth of the body of Christ.

How have you shown your love for Christ and your spiritual family today? How can you better serve the Head (Christ Jesus) and be those "joints and ligaments" of love that act as a moving, stablizing force in the body of Christ?

I'm thankful for all of you who are striving to this end.

r2

A Position For Everyone

The sport of rugby has been frequently on my mind for the past two months. At almost 30 years of age, I will play my first season of competitive rugby this spring.

I knew very little about this sport, other than what I had seen from watching a collective total of about 30-minutes on television. I played football for many years, and what I saw in rugby was essentially American football without pads. The more I learn about the game of rugby, the more I find out how wrong I was in such an assumption.

American football actually grew out of rugby. When rugby came across the Atlantic from the British isles in the mid-19th century, various changes were made to resemble what we now see in our football games. But good old fashioned rugby has maintained a presence -- albeit much, much smaller -- in the U.S. to this very day.

As I learn the basic laws (yes, they're called "laws," not "rules") and strategies of rugby, I am fascinated to see how much skill, mental focus, and tactical savvy are required to be successful on the rugby pitch (football fans would say "field").

One of the reasons rugby is such a great game that can be enjoyed by anyone is the wide array of skill sets and body types that are fit for competition. Though rugby players are bigger, stronger, and faster than they have ever been, you will still see players who range from hulks to featherweights. Of course, when one of those featherweights gets cornered by one of those hulks, the results usually end up as a bone-crunching highlight on YouTube. Nonetheless, when one of those little guys breaks out into the open, those monstrous front-liners have no chance at running him down.

Rugby is a game that is based on teamwork -- 15 men performing their widely varying roles as individuals with the ultimate goal of helping their fourteen teammates emerge victorious at the end of the game. Usually, the side that plays with the strongest concept of teamwork emerges victorious at the end of 80 minutes.

Thinking about this reminds me of Paul's God-breathed words to the church of first century Corinth (1 Corinthians 12:12-31). Just as a rugby club is made up of many members with varying abilities and duties, the body of Christ (i.e. the church of Christ, Ephesians 1:22-23) is made up of many individual members. Each man and woman whom the Lord has added to the church (Acts 2:47) is vital in the growth and harmony thereof.

Rugby teams filled with selfish players rarely win. Churches filled with self-absorbed, uncaring people are far from what the Lord designed. Are you a member of the Lord's body? If so, are you helping or hindering your spiritual family from attaining "the prize of the upward call" (Philippians 3:14)?

Is your attendance at the assemblies of the church encouraging others in their faithfulness? Is your participation in the evangelistic efforts of the church encouraging the participation of others? Is your giving enabling the church to expand their reach in carrying out "the great commission?" Do your words and attitudes serve to edify (build up) the individual members of your church family?

These and other questions will help you and me in determining the manner in which we are helping (or hindering) the growth of the local body of Christ.

r2

The First Church

And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
Acts 2:42, ESV

This statement from the divine record shows us God's plan for his church. In its infancy, the church of Christ was:

1. Sound in doctrine
2. Strong in fellowship
3. Devoted in worship
4. Steadfast in prayer

Why would we ever want to de-emphasize any one of these areas? Each one is vital to the healthy growth of the body of Christ. Which of these items do you suppose we may deem less important than any other? Beyond a doubt, one of the reasons the early church prospered in such a way was due to their balanced approach.

Let us all step back from time to time and be certain of our motives in all that we do. Let us never neglect to maintain healthy, Biblical teaching while pursuing unity. At the same time, let us never fail to pursue peace and brotherly kindness while defending sound doctrine. A balanced approach will cause the church to prosper and grow in a healthy way.

r2

Brotherly Love Conquers All

Tomorrow night (Friday, September 28th) at 8:00 p.m., the West Virginia Mountaineers will take the field at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. They will line up against the South Florida Bulls in what is being hyped as one of the biggest games in all of college football this season, and as one of the biggest games in the history of the Big East conference.

The University of South Florida is an institution comprised of more than 40,000 undergraduate students in Tampa. It also happens to be the university my wife, Kelly, and I attended. We have been devoted fans of the Bulls (especially football and men's basketball) since our time there in the late 1990's and early 2000's.

Obviously, Kelly and I are "pumped" for Friday night's showdown on ESPN. We are in the middle of ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference) country here, but we have at least two WVU Mountaineer fans that I know of here at Cold Harbor. I have been preparing both of these brothers for their defeat over the past two or three weeks, but I am not convinced they are ready to handle the deep depression that will set in when the clock reads 0:00 and the point total under "Bulls" is higher than that under "Mountaineers" (sorry guys, had to say it!).

I write all that to say this: No matter how passionate we may be about a sports team or any other interest in life, there ought to be nothing that supercedes these two things:

1. Our love for God
2. Our love for our fellow man

While we should be good and kind to everyone about us, our Christian brothers and sisters should occupy a unique reservation in the love we bestow (Galatians 6:10). Would you believe churches have been split and preachers have lost their jobs due to arguments about football games?!?! 'Tis true! What a tragedy when brethren place greater value on their allegiance to a sports teams (or anything else) than on their relationship in Christ.

It is so rewarding to have Christian brothers like Joe and Steve. We can enjoy the rivalry on the field, all the while maintaining our love for and commitment to Christ and one another.

Friend, never allow anything this world has to offer come between you and your Lord, nor you and your brother!

ps -- be sure to turn on ESPN2 tomorrow night @ 8:00 p.m. to see the Bulls stampede!!

r2

How To Be A "Joy-Giver"

Are you interested in bringing your Christian brothers and sisters joy? Follow these guidelines, and you will be a great source of encouragement for the family of God:

1. Walk in truth (2 John 4)
2. Love the truth (2 John 6)
3. Abide in truth (2 John 9)
4. Welcome no untruth (2 John 9-11)

(Click here to read the brief book of Second John)

The result will be joy among the people of God!

r2

Clothed With Humility

Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.
1 Peter 5:5, ESV

Good guys, and bad guys: Every movie has them. If you have "a team," every game has them. Life itself has "good guys and bad guys," too.

Men and women who have considered the evidence, and therefore, have faith in the God of the Bible understand the very simple choice in life every individual must make: Serve the Lord of all goodness and love, or the great deceiver who tempts and destroys in this realm and that which is to be. It comes down to good guys and bad guys. And although God "made man upright" (Ecclesiastes 7:29), we have all sought out many schemes. We have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Our own pride led us away from God, and that puts us on the side of "the bad guys."

Truly, God stands in opposition when we allow pride to chart life's course. The potential for the happy ending is there, though! The latter part of the statement from First Peter chapter five above reveals, of a truth, that God will bestow his kindness (i.e. grace) to those who will draw near to him in self-resigned humility. A chance to be on the side of "the good guys." A chance to serve God in humility, to be sure; but also an opportunity to gain a more complete understanding of how to treat our fellow man with respect and dignity.

The instruction given in the God-breathed statement above is to "clothe yourselves" with humility when it comes to our dealings with our brothers and sisters in the Lord. Certainly, the same applies to our treatment of the entire human race. In the original language, the phrase, "clothe yourselves" is a term (engkomboosasthe), occurring only this once in the New Testament. It is a verb formed from kombos, which means "a knot," or "a buckle." As the verb occurs here in First Peter, it means, "to attach," or "to fasten." As Ceslas Spicq points out, "It evokes the large apron that workers or slaves fitted or fastened to their tunics to protect them."

Such an apron was one of the primary ways in which slaves (indentured servants) were distinguished from freemen during the first century. The idea, then, is that every Christian ought to present himself to his neighbor in a spirit of modesty and self-denial gained by an attitude that is firmly fitted with the "apron" of humility."

How many problems (both within the church and without) would be averted if every man would so clothe himself?

r2

Don't Lose Sight Of The Positives!

Is the church of Jesus Christ facing threats from within? Certainly. Influential individuals and entire congregations have introduced doctrine and practice over the years that have sought to move what should be a body without schism (1 Corinthians 12:25) toward an organization that mirrors the concept of the church in the denominational order of things.

However, great effort must be made not to lose sight of the multitude of positive, Biblical works ongoing in the kingdom of God today. If we are not careful, we can become so "wrapped up" in keeping tabs on those weighing the church down that we overlook or even refuse to see those who are doing great things to build her up! I speak from experience.

The more brethren I meet from across our nation -- yea, across our world -- the more I am encouraged and convinced the church is strong and very active in carrying out her mission. I recently had the opportunity to attend the Polishing The Pulpit seminar in Birmingham, Alabama. I met men and women from all over our own nation, and several who are doing the Lord's work on other continents. We have an abundance of talented people who are serving the Lord and his church in mighty ways. Let us remember to unceasingly pray for the church around the world, and to be active supporters of as many workers for the truth as possible.

Beloved, it is a faithful thing you do in all your efforts for these brothers, strangers as they are, who testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God. For they have gone out for the sake of the name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. Therefore we ought to support people like these, that we may be fellow workers for the truth.
3 John 5-8

r2

One Weak Valve Equals One Big Mess

Those who know me at least somewhat well are well aware of the fact that I am one of the most squeamish of all the people who have ever walked the face of this planet. It's not only the sight of blood or an injury that will cause me to squirm and feel ill. Often just hearing about it will cause me to be weak in the knees! I've always said it's a good thing I had no aspirations to work in the medical field, for my dreams would have been dashed early on.

I struggled mightily in my science classes in which I was responsible for dissecting everything from a cow's eye (yuck!), to a frog (ugh!), to a fetal pig (ahhhh!), to a cat (excuse me for a moment........). Don't bother sending me emails making fun of my wimpiness, for I acknowledge it in full.

I'm glad I was sitting down this morning when I read a story about a certain tanker truck spill in the Pacific Northwest. This past Wednesday, the truck -- carrying 4,000 pounds of pig blood -- spilled all its contents on a roadway in Klamath Falls, Oregon. Zoikes!! Biohazard teams were sent to clean up the scene caused by a broken valve on the tanker truck.

Here are the numbers:

4,000 pounds pig blood
200 feet of roadway
1 tanker truck
1 broken valve on said tanker truck

That tanker truck was only as strong as its weakest link, and its weakest link happened to be exceptionally weak! The church of God is a living organism, made up of all sorts of individuals. At any point in time -- past, present, or future -- that number will always include those who are experiencing a spell of weak faith.

How are we to treat these brothers and sisters?

"And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all."
1 Thessalonians 5:14, ESV

If my counting is correct, this divine directive includes four verbs -- four terms of action God prescribes for our dealings with a weak brother or sister.

1. Admonish
2. Encourage
3. Help
4. Be patient

So friend, while holding fast to and being uncompromising with the doctrine of Christ, take care to admonish, encourage, help, and be patient with our weak brethren. When your own weaker times come, you will need the same!

R2