Distinctively Christian

Distinctively Christian Is there much?

Copyright Doug Blair, Waterloo ON, 2019

Parishioners

Oh, they love the Lord. Can remember the circumstances of His rescue of them. Worship regularly in the Sunday hour. Share the peace. Shake hands and smile.

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But what’s distinctive? Do they bake a pie, offer a ride, deliver a meal, baby-sit, lend some money? Well, the world, the un-churched, do all such things in the spirit of generosity without any reference to Christ.

Somewhere a sermon has been preached that “only what’s done for Christ will last. That Romans 8 proclaims things done in the flesh cannot please God.” They hear such and cannot discern the meaning. I am reminded of Jesus’ parable about the wheat and the tares (weeds). Both were allowed to grow full term without visible distinction, and only at the harvest would their destiny of favour or flames be determined.

So back to the distinction. Believers will never allow the demeaning of His name or message; will never stand idly by in the face of oppression or struggle of one of His little ones; will forgive; will pray fervently; will think the best possible report on a set of circumstances; will “salt” their speech; will resist the lust to retaliate or self-vindicate; will name His name unashamedly in public; will affim that He is God as well as man; will affirm that He is coming again in triumph. Now we’re getting somewhere!

And all this will be done in the face of a world which is enslaved by political correctness and the advertised standard; which will pay lip-service to a God of some sort but not acknowledge the “Name above all names”. That Name has been called a sword of division. There is a price to be paid for such audacity. It will be more than settled “by and by”.

Churches must spend time giving out this fair warning to the flock. The flock must spend more time occupied in these distinctives.

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Hearing With Right Em-Pha-Sis

"If ye love me, keep my commandments." (John 14:15)

Jesus is in the Upper Room. Leaving a parting message with his friends.

Explaining the equipment which is to be forthcoming for their mission to change the world.

It is at a time of departure that we attempt to communicate our intense feeling, our best encouragement, our most worthy advice, the particulars of our reunion.

Facing his perplexed travel-mates and students, he assures them of the soon arrival of another comforter and guide, the Holy Spirit. He then issues the marching orders above-mentioned.

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I wonder if we hear them right. There is a crucial point of emphasis. A world of difference between pain-staking duty rendering dubious sucess, and grateful love which never fails in giving what the Master has requisitioned.

Have you heard Him say,"If ye love me, ​keep my commandments​." If so be prepared for the long painful stretch of self-examination, frustrating set-backs and discontent in the Christian walk. This is law, and it will bring us to "wit's end corner".

But perhaps you have heard Him say, "​If ye love me, ​keep my commandments". One's thoughts are drawn out of one's self to the object of love. His heroism. His spotless record. His many deliverances of the past. The courage and resolve which are even now quickening to the fulfilment of the will of the Beloved. We must please Him. And the Holy Spirit is the executor of this process in us. This is grace, and it is success.

Hear some of the comments of Matthew Henry on this chapter taken from his "Concise Commentary on the Entire Bible":

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"Christ promises that he would continue his care of his disciples. I will not leave you orphans, or fatherless, for though I leave you, yet I leave you this comfort, I will come to you. I will come speedily to you at my resurrection. I will come daily to you in my Spirit; in the tokens of his love, and the visits of his grace. I will come certainly at the end of time.

Those only that see Christ with an eye of faith, shall see him for ever: the world sees him no more till his second coming; but his disciples have communion with him in his absence. These mysteries will be fully known in heaven. It is a further act of grace, that they should know it, and have the comfort of it. Having Christ's commands, we must keep them. And having them in our heads, we must keep them in our hearts and lives.

The surest evidence of our love to Christ is, obedience to the laws of Christ. There are spiritual tokens of Christ and his love given to all believers. Where sincere love to Christ is in the heart, there will be obedience. Love will be a commanding, constraining principle; and where love is, duty follows from a principle of gratitude. God will not only love obedient believers, but he will take pleasure in loving them, will rest in love to them. He will be with them as his home. These privileges are confined to those whose faith worketh by love, and whose love to

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Jesus leads them to keep his commandments. Such are partakers of the Holy Spirit's new-creating grace."

Stormy Crossing

An excellent meditation from J.R. Miller:

Toiling in Rowing

“He saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them.”

Mark 6:48

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Jesus always sees our toils and distresses in this world. We do not see Him, and sometimes we think He has forgotten us; but that is never true.

He is never indifferent for a moment. On the heights of Sedan, while the battle was in progress, stood a group of men watching the struggling armies in the plain below. In this group was the American general Sheridan, who watched the mighty strife with the keen eye of a soldier.

King William was also there; watched the battle with the eye of a father as well as of a king.

Christ looks down upon our struggles in this world. He sees us toiling; all our battles and strifes He beholds. He sees us in the waves and in the storm. He sees us, not with the eye of the calm spectator merely, but with the eye of tenderest love. This is a great thought; if we can only get it into our hearts, it will give us wondrous courage in the hour of toil, sorrow, or struggle. Jesus knows when the battle is hard, when the night is dark, when the temptation is more than we can bear.

Here the winds were contrary, though Christ sent His disciples out to sea. We learn that even when we are doing the things God has bidden us do, we may encounter opposition and sore difficulty. We may even be

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beaten back, and find the resistance too great for our strength. Many of the Lord’s disciples have to make their voyage over very stormy seas on their way to glory. For some people duty is hard; indeed, a true, noble, positive, aggressive life must always be in the face of opposition and contrary winds. “The law of head-winds in life is doubtless in the secret love of God. When the voyage is over, perhaps we shall be let see the charts, and know why it had to-be.”

The Rest of Hebrews 4

We have a Word We have a promise We have a seed of faith And a constant keeping Father.

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There is no cause For faltering course Our great High Priest Is mercy’s source.

He suffered all And knows our lot And so a bold Approach we’ve got.

So mixed with faith Our journey right Past peril’s roar Past death’s short night.

The First Thing Said to the Church

John 20:

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19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.

21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” ​(NIV)

It is my submission that the Church was birthed in this room of prayer when the disciples saw the risen Lord and received the communication of the Holy Spirit. Others suggest that it was on the Day of Pentecost when the Spirit came in powerful manifestation following Peter's signal sermon (Acts 2).

In the above verses I note that the very first statement after Jesus breathed upon His friends concerned ​forgiving others​. Indeed it is at the heart of every Gospel message. Divinity has provided the remedy for

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the burden and consequence of sin. We are to preach this message. We are to exemplify it. Bitterness and pettiness will only mar the testimony and throw self-imposed chains of handicap around the follower of Christ.

To forgive is to run against the grain of this insecure society. It is shocking and shaming when observed in its innocent simplicity. The observer may be convinced that the God of this ethic does offer the means of release and a fresh start. In this fashion the Christian witness does cause the ​remission​ of sins (KJV).

If you are in a struggle of hurt and resentment, take it to prayer and expect the supernatural provision of liberty and love. In this regard you might examine the previous post:

http://momentsmidstream.blogspot.com/2009/06/bus-fare.html

Prayer: Dear Lord please enable us to keep our theology small and our meditations of Jesus’ love large and compelling unto service. For this we must give greater room to the Holy Spirit...and wait...and listen as trusting children.

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