A Man Who Had Learned to Live

(This is the first of several installments that will be taken from the book TO LIVE IS CHRIST by Tom and Sheila Jones)

God is always surprising us.  Who would have expected him to use a short letter written by a prisoner in first-century Rome to a church in a small uncelebrated city to teach millions of people the true keys to life and happiness?  But then, who expected him to teach us the power of love at the foot of a cross?

Sometime in the seventh decade of the first century AD, chains were fastened onto a middle-aged Jewish man, whose appearance probably impressed no one, as he was held prisoner by the greatest power on earth. Later, with chains in place, he penned several letters to Christian churches around the Roman Empire.  None of these letters showed any sign of despondency or discouragement, but one in particular, the letter to the church in Philippi, literally resounded with joy. 

Armed

 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. Ephesians 6:10-11

“Life is difficult.” So begins a book that has been a best-seller for the last twenty years. That simple line connected with millions of readers. Every person finds life to be such. But once you have signed on to be a disciple of Jesus, there are some unique difficulties that will come your way. Normal life is full of challenges, but the man or woman who steps out of the crowd, embraces God’s great plan and identifies himself or herself with Jesus Christ, will especially be under attack. Such a person has declared war on what Paul calls “the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Look in the face of a modern terrorist and you will see the same hate that fills the heart of our spiritual enemy. And so for the believer in Christ, life is a battle. If we are to win (and we certainly can win), we must pay careful attention to what this passage says.

Succeeding through Submission

            Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. 
                                                                                   Ephesians 5:21

The heart of the New Testament is the message of the cross. The central tenet of the New Testament is that if we want to find our lives, we must lose them, and if we want to be exalted, we must humble ourselves. When we hear this, we know right away that this book is not normal and does not reflect the wisdom we receive from the world. It should not surprise us then that the Biblical message about how to succeed in relationships is going to fly in the face of conventional wisdom.

Glory in the Church. Really?

This Sunday morning, October 7, 2012, I looked across our congregation in Nashville, Tennessee, and thought of words I wrote sixteen years ago when in the church in Boston. They are still true.

…to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. Ephesians 3:21  

Someone who looks at the church may see only average people with commonplace conflicts and typical weaknesses, and tend to dismiss her. I am writing this on a morning after being with the church on the previous night. I have to admit there was nothing outwardly impressive about most of us who were in that assembly. A snapshot of our group would have revealed some unusual diversity of race and age, but beyond that, we would be known for our ordinariness. But a closer and longer look reveals much more.