Angelic Conflict part 213: Human history (the Church) – Rom 12:1-21; 1Co 2:10-12; Psa 116:12-13; Joh 3:27, 34; 15:5; Luk 16:10.

Title: Angelic Conflict part 213: Human history (the Church) - ROM 12:1-21; 1CO 2:10-12; PSA 116:12-13; JOH 3:27, 34; 15:5; LUK 16:10.

 

 

ROM 12:1 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 [reasonable based on your position in Christ] service of worship.

 

ROM 12:2And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

 

And so now comes the fellowship of believers in the micro-organization known as the local assembly. The principles thus related are each going to be intensely attacked by satan and his organization of bad guys.

 

ROM 12:3For through the grace given to me [revealing his own status - not from Paul but from the Lord] I say to every man among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.

 

This verse proves that the old Adamic nature and its estimate of itself carries over into the Christian way of life.

 

"I say through the grace that is given to me, to every one of you, that he should not estimate himself beyond what he should estimate, but that he should estimate himself in such a way that he would have a sensible estimation of himself." [expanded]

 

And with this proper attitude now the spiritual gifts can be exercised in their various ministries and effects in humility and modesty.

 

A right opinion of self and God is constantly sought for by the advancing believer. He is not to think to highly or lowly of himself. One who gets prideful because of his spiritual gift in essence robs God of the glory. One who does not esteem his gift as a gift from God will likely hide it in a napkin, as in the parable of the talents, and lose his reward. There should not be pride, low self-image, or false humility in the life of the believer. Through years of training in doctrine he comes unto a balance of a proper appraisal of himself and a deep faith in the glory and worthiness of God and God's grace towards him.

 

Romans 12:9  Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good.   

 

How does one know himself to be nothing and still possess spiritual self-esteem? His eyes are on God and not himself.

 

How does one know all the benefits bestowed upon Him by God at salvation and not get proud? His eyes are on God and not himself.

 

He accepts the gifts of God with gladness and knows fully that none of them are given because of any merit within himself. He exploits those gifts to the maximum because God has encouraged him to and God has told him that this is well-pleasing to Him. He is not in fear of risking faith on such exploitation because God has told him that all opposition has been overcome and even in failure there is neither condemnation nor any remembrance of the past, but only an unfathomable grace that draws the faith of the believer like a high powered magnet.

 

Meekness is a vertical virtue, measuring self against God at every moment. Being a servant of Christ and His body does not mean that a believer does not have confidence and courage towards mankind.

 

Moses was meek at the burning bush but a courageous force before Pharaoh.

 

HEB 13:6

"The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid.

What shall man do to me?" \

 

Now that the question of justification is settled, and the individual knows his true relationship to God in Christ, it is necessary to establish a proper relationship toward other Christians.

 

We must understand that there is great diversity, but there is rich power through doctrine and the Spirit that lead us to unity and richer ministries.

 

ROM 12:4For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function,

 

ROM 12:5so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

 

I used the article "I Pencil" and the free market economy model to depict the various diversity of gifts but the same purpose or goal being accomplished. The motive behind the free market economy is profits. The church has profit in every member in the currency of spiritual growth and so that analogy holds. But what is also true is that lives are on the line. In a free market this is generally not the motivation, but in combat, it is. I have never served in the military, but I have read about the bonds that are formed there between soldiers and especially in combat. Each man is watching the other man's six. One life depends upon another. The goal is not only to win the battle but to bring as many guys home alive as possible.

 

Paul uses many military analogies in his epistles and rightly so as we find ourselves in the midst of a war.

 

One must remember that God literally cannot be in a war since there is no way He can lose. He is not a combatant, but He has allowed the combat to take place, and in the person of Christ, He Himself did take place in the combat and He won the ultimate victory. It is very important for the Church to know that she is on this side of the victory, in front of it and not behind it. With that wisdom she can rest in that victory and cease from works; the works that were already accomplished by Christ. In victory, the love and unity of the individual members of the church reveal the person and work of Christ, and the plan of the Father to the world.

 

Yet in the world she is attacked relentlessly. Therefore, in the military analogy, each believer should know that his/her ministry is bearing up other ministries, so in essence we are unified as we keep each other's six; each other's backs.

 

Paul mentioned how the Corinthians could not handle any advanced doctrines of the AC because there was jealousy and strife amongst them. He instructed them in the second epistle to forgive one another so that there would be no openings for satan's schemes.

 

And again, the particular ministry that each has is bestowed by God. In WWII, in order to get one G.I. to land on the Normandy beachhead, he had to be supported by artillery, naval and air units. These, in turn, were supported by those who supplied food, ammunition and fuel. The man below the decks in the engine room of the tanker knew that he was helping to keep the tanker moving so that the oil and gasoline on board might be delivered ashore for the trucker to deliver to a forward position where the planes could be fueled and thus continue to blaze a path for the infantry. Sometimes, being absorbed with our own lives, we forget that this is much like the church of Jesus Christ interlocks.

 

The same word, the same Spirit, the same Lord, and the same Father move us to different ministries that God, our supreme commander, has determined in order to interlock one to another in the common goal of glorifying Christ in this world.

 

We each yield in our own souls before God, alone. No one can do this for us. Yet that yielding leads to a life of service of others that has rewards both in time and eternity. Often the greatest reward is simply watching your particular ministry having an impact on someone else.

 

ROM 12:6And since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let each exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith;

 

ROM 12:7if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching;

 

ROM 12:8or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence [leaders should not be slothful]; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

 

While it is true that some gifts get more notice and to which other bestow more honor, and others who seem to have talent galore, or others who are great and tremendous leaders, and there are other gifts which do not get much notice or notoriety, we find that God bestows honor on the believer, noticeable gift or not, who does not do what he does for any recognition, who is not at all enamored with his own capacity, and who has tremendous energy and happiness in the exercise of his gift.

 

A 10,000 gallon tank is more noticeable and has more capacity than a quart pitcher. But what if the large tank is only half full and the quart pitcher overflows? Which one do you think is more pleasing to God?

 

Is it quantity and show that God desires, or is it quality, in whatever gift and ministry God has given you?

 

1CO 3:13

Each man's work will become evident; for the day will show it, because it is to be revealed with fire; and the fire itself will test the quality of each man's work.

 

If a believer thinks the small things are not important is the believer who misses this principle to his own hurt. To say that a thing is too small a task and so is not important is to fail also in the large tasks, since both demand the same motivation and power. The size of the task is unimportant as all things pale in comparison to God's infinite being and therefore all things are comparatively small.

 

LUK 16:10

"He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much

 

All things that are wrong in human society come from hearts which believe that it is possible for man to originate something of value, or give something of value, apart from Jesus Christ.

 

JAM 1:17

Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation, or shifting shadow.

 

Christ did not found His Church with intellectual giants but by means of humble, unlearned men who, when filled with the Spirit, were irresistible in the hands of God.

 

Vv. 6-8 state that our gifts should be used with zeal, diligence, cheerfulness, but in verse nine we have something more. Love must leave the stage of acting and become us in the inner man.

 

ROM 12:9Let love be without hypocrisy [lacking in pretense or show, but genuine]. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good.

 

No definition of love is given here because God wants us to simply see the issue and the beauty of the life of divine, virtue love.

 

Plus, the definition is given elsewhere, especially in 1Co 13.

 

Our definition from our in depth study is as such:

 

As we have defined agapan love: A mental attitude love from mature virtue that recognizes the value of an object, which produces a preference and a regard for its benefit, without sin, nor motivated by any affection or attraction.

 

The gifts are gifts of service to be used for the common good, and if love is not in the heart of the believer and he is an actor of love, a hypocrite, then the gifts will not function and division and strife will.

 

Love is the ultimate virtue as it includes all other virtues. There comes a time when it must leave the stage and become the believer.

 

Hypocrisy refers to acting. It is a word of the theater. Actors in Greek theater wore masks, comedic or tragic. God does not desire His love to be a mask that covers un-love within. God wants His love to completely absorb our hearts. God wants His love to reside within and not leave.

 

1JO 4:16

God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

 

The Lord Jesus Christ came in love and died for us. We who have been redeemed by His love are to be possessed by His love. Surely it should not be a mask that we put on in public or in church and then remove when it’s safe to do so. We are to abide in love and if we do, we abide in God, meaning the sphere of God’s influence, wisdom, power, and virtue.

 

PHI 4:8-9

Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely [prosphileo], whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence [arête = virtue] and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things; and the God of peace shall be with you.

 

We will further define the virtue of agape love in 1Co 13. It is the glue of the church and so it is heavily attacked by satan.

 

ROM 12:9Let love be without hypocrisy [lacking in pretense or show, but genuine]. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good.

 

It seems that translators have a hard time using the word hate when it comes to a Christian. The object of hate is not a person but a form of thinking that is defined as evil.