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“Thank You For Being a ______”, is the theme to the “Golden Girls”…
“You’ve Got a _______”, sang James Taylor…
“You’ve Got a ______ in Me” sang Randy Neuman…
“Why Can’t We Be _______?” sang War…
“That’s What ______ are For”, sang Dionne Warwick… If you’re filling in the blank with FRIENDS you’re all over it! And if you’re wondering what “spiritual friends” look like…keep reading! Welcome back Finishing Well Friends…praying the summer is off to a good start for you! Most of the graduation parties of your kids or grandkids are over with a record number of meatballs from Sam’s Club perhaps consumed! And the weather here in southern Indiana looks awesome this next week…of course that could change before I finish writing this devotion! We continue with our FLOURISHING WELL study this month with part 2 of a 4 part series. Last week we looked at the first aspect of “early church life” with Acts 2:42-47 being our focus. The initial discipline, the “apostles’ teaching”, which I referred to as “Teaching Truth” was based on Old Testament awareness and “eyewitness accounts” that the disciples were privileged to have with Jesus. Now the framework of this week, I’d like to call “SHARING MOST OF LIFE”. The Bible calls it “fellowship”. It’s kind of a blending of our relationships, while living our own distinctive lives of faith. It’s a “one for all and all for one” strategy of honoring and loving each other as Christ loved and honored us. And I just happen to have 5 passages (Monday thru Friday) for us to focus on for our reference this week! They’re based on other Scriptures to help us see how the Early Church “lived this out”, so to speak. My hope is that these passages become familiar to us for easy recall as we “encourage one another daily” (an exhortation from Hebrews 3:13). So here we go…. MONDAY / “Walking in the Light” / 1 John 1:7
“But if we are living in the light as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.” I remember hearing a marriage interview on “Focus on the Family” years ago by a couple who had learned the difference between 2 key words in their relationship. The first word was “TRANSPARENCY”. They emphasized, while that is important, it’s not enough. Now I think I remember when that word became a relational “buzz word” as people defended their great success in at least being authentic and “transparent”. Please hear me, when I say it is good to be honest, but something more is needed. I mean a person “venting” is being transparent. Good for them! Bobby Knight was “transparent” when he tossed the red chair across the floor. Got him a technical foul, but he was being transparent! The couple went on to say being “VULNERABLE” becomes the key to closeness in marriage and any relationship. Being vulnerable is being transparent but also being “open to attack” and not being defensive. Now that changes everything! I believe this passage of Scripture in 1 John reminds us that we are called to be “vulnerable” as God is. Walking and living “in the light” (exposed rather than hidden). And the Bible says that when we do, we have fellowship with one another! GOAL! There is a bond formed on truth, authenticity AND vulnerability, which requires honor and respect in those relationships! And then we are living in the light “as He is in the light”. And let’s be honest….it ain’t easy. It requires our defenses to be down. Occasionally in marriage counselling times thru the years I have had to set ground rules, where I would say, “check your weapons at the door”. You see pastoral counseling is free, but not a “free for all”. Venting is addictive by nature. Respectful truth-telling, or as Ephesians 4:15 says, “speaking the truth in love” is the key to holy recovery and healing. QUESTION…So is there someone we need to “be less defensive with” today? Who has God put “on your heart” or “in your path” for such a thing? TUESDAY / “Living with Empathy” / Romans 12:15 (NLT) “Be happy with those who are happy and weep with those who weep.” The word is “EMPATHY”. It’s different from sympathy. Sympathy is being sorry FOR someone else, while empathy is being sorry WITH someone. I remember our Psychology professor in Bible college, Tom Ewald, called it having “YOUR hurt in MY heart”. Or on the other side of things, its having your JOY in my heart, being authentically happy with someone in their blessing. If we struggle with envy, we might find it easier to weep with those who weep, than rejoice with those who rejoice! Nevertheless, joining in “one another’s experiences” brings great encouragement and invites them to be a part of our lives as well. Take a moment today to celebrate or grieve with another person. Again, it might just be who you sense the Lord is putting “on your heart” or “in your path”. WEDNESDAY / “Bearing Burdens” / Galatians 6:1-5 (NIV) “Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves. Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else, for each one should carry their own load.” Whoa….now that’s some serious coaching the Bible gives us on relationships! The first part of the passage involves “RESCUE”. It doesn’t always imply “intervention” but it can. Notice it is for the “healthy” to come after the “hurting”. The purpose is simply “restoration”. The style is “gentle”. The temptation might fool you though, as temptation usually does. You may not be tempted in the same struggle the person is caught up in. Your temptation might be to either be “overly judgmental” towards them….or inappropriately “sympathetic”, getting sucked in to their pathology. But we are called to bear one another’s burdens. To come alongside them. The early church was committed to this type of fellowship. And in doing so, we are “fulfilling the law of Christ”. Now an interesting element in this passage is the word for “burden” is different than “load”. Burden can also be translated “boulder” and load is very similar to the word “backpack”. In other words, each one of us aren’t intended to bear our own burdens alone. We need help. But we are expected to carry our own backpack. There is a big difference. QUESTION…So who has God put on your heart or in your path today that might need help with their bearing a significant “boulder”? Or let me ask, do you have a significant challenge you need a godly friend’s perspective and help with? Try your best to walk in the light so others might help you….and look for those around you who might need a hand or a heart to trust. THURSDAY / “Serving Alongside” / Romans 12:6-8 “In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And If you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.” I wonder how many in the early church found a friend through” SERVING rather than GROUPING”? Just wondering. I’ve seen it many times in the church. Mostly with men who used their gift and found a brother in the process. The Bible says speaking, serving, teaching, encouraging, giving, leading and being kind are all things needing to be done in the life of the church. And if you are gifted and willing, then your spiritual life will bond deeply with those you commit to in ministry. Some of the closest friends I’ve ever had were “service buddies”, though I never served in the military. Ministry friends for a lifetime can be made when we simply serve WITH one another. QUESTION…So where are you currently serving? And with whom are you “shoulder to shoulder” in your calling? Remind them it either was a privilege…or still is….to serve in the Body of Christ next to them! FRIDAY / “Mutual Confession” / James 5:16 (NLT) “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” This verse carries so much implication. First of all it doesn’t say we’re to confess our struggles to “ALL others” but to “EACH other”. That means one or one at a time. It implies we all continue to sin on some level (no argument here). It also implies “mutual” confession, not just a “one-way street”. It implies prayer is always a part of the process. It implies healing is the result that God brings. And it implies God brings a superlative aspect to all this. Where there is an “earnestness”, there will be “great” (not moderate) power and “wonderful” (not average) results! Today is a good day to pick a partner if you haven’t already. You and I are to BE a trustworthy friend of such a venture and relationship. And we are to FIND a trusted person we can enter into this type of life-giving friendship with. It might be a person in your small group at church. It might be a friend you serve in a ministry with. Or it might be a long time friend you spiritually bonded with years ago but need to pick up where you left off. Thanks for diving in with us to discover a deeper part of fellowship God has for us in His Church. May He draw us closer to Him this week. And may we together become the “friends of His” that He wants us to be! Love you guys, george
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