For Building Up, Not for Tearing Down

Posted on May 10, 2022 by Pete

Paul had opened his heart to them. He had been gracious towards them. Though many among them questioned his authority and his sincerity, yet Paul was patient with them. He reasoned with them, he reminded them of what was true, he wanted to restore them. Yet, he was coming to them. And, if those who persisted in rejecting him did not repent, he would, with the authority of Christ, deal with them.

His patience should not be regarded as acceptance. His gracious approach, not exploited as general disregard. His reasoning not mistaken as a reason to continue in flirting with “super-apostles” and their corrupt gospel.

Paul, in the way of Christ, had been slow to anger. But Paul, by the authority of Christ, could be severe in his response. And all of it, for building up and not for tearing down.

For we are glad when we are weak and you are strong. Your restoration is what we pray for. For this reason I write these things while I am away from you, that when I come I may not have to be severe in my use of the authority that the Lord has given me for building up and not for tearing down.

(2Corinthians 13:9-10 ESV)

Paul did not want to be severe towards the Corinthians when he came to visit them for a third time (13:1). But he makes clear that if things had not changed by the time he arrived, he would change them. He would put a stop to the nonsense being spread by so called super-apostles. He would deal with any “quarreling, jealousy, anger, hostility, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder” (12:20) that arose because of those enamored with a gospel of self-power and self-promotion. He would be “sharp” (NKJV), he would be “harsh” (NIV), he would be “abrupt” (literal translation), and would deal with the sin among these believers with “the authority” that the Head of the Church had given him. Severity given for building up, not for tearing down.

We’re not Paul. We don’t carry his apostolic authority. But we are called to bear one another’s burdens and to restore those overtaken in a fault (Gal. 6:1-2). So, like Paul, we should approach such matters with a “spirit of gentleness.” We should be slow to escalate. We should patiently pursue restoration peaceably. We should love one another, comfort one another, be kind to one another, bearing with one another and forgiving one another — all the while praying for one another as we seek to gently restore one another. But it is unloving to give up on one another when those things are not producing the needed outcome. In our “one another tool kit” we are also told to admonish one another (Col. 3:16), exhort one another (Heb. 3:13, 10:25), and even rebuke one another (1Tim. 5:20, Tit. 1:13). Not to tear down, but to build up.

The Lord of the church loves the church and, as part of His purifying work within the church, wants to use the church to restore the church. Brothers and sisters who have one another’s back want to avoid being “severe” but are willing to be “severe” if it is used of the Spirit — even if it means sometimes having to say the hard thing. Not to tear down. But to build up.

By God’s grace. For God’s glory.

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Being Okay with My Weakness

Posted on May 5, 2022 by Pete

It might not be exactly aligned but I think it is applicable.

The “weakness” Paul recounts to the Corinthians in 2Corinthians 11:24-28 had to do with what he endured as a messenger of the gospel. Things which, for those who were cared about building themselves a platform and a following, demonstrated that he was anything but a “super-apostle” (2Cor. 11:5). Forty lashes five times. Three times beaten with rods. Once stoned, three times shipwrecked. In danger from rivers and robbers and relatives. In danger, seemingly, wherever he went. Constant stress, sleepless nights, and “the daily pressure” of his “anxiety for all the churches.” All indicators of weakness in a world that viewed ease, popularity, and power as the signs of winning.

For many of us, our weakness isn’t in what we endure externally as we seek to follow Jesus but more in the “beatings” we take internally. Many times, lashed with doubts. Often beaten with disillusionment. Pelted sometimes with despondency. In danger of being sucked into depression. Resulting in seasons of constant stress, sleepless nights, and a daily pressure even as we seek to serve the church. Like I said, not really the same as Paul. Nevertheless, I think Paul’s view of his weakness can be applicable to ours.

If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.

(2Corinthians 11:30 ESV)

Paul didn’t want to be braggy. He wasn’t looking for glory. Wasn’t wanting a pat on the back. Yet, he felt cornered into a defense of his ministry by church people who were being attracted to false apostles who were building themselves up by tearing Paul down. And so, “since many boast according to the flesh”, Paul did too (2Cor. 11:18). Yet, boasting in the weakness of the flesh.

I know that in the next chapter Paul will connect the dots between the weakness of his flesh, the all-sufficient grace of His God, and the power made perfect in weakness (2Cor. 12:9), but for now I’m chewing on just being okay with my weakness.

Even though, as I press on to be faithful, I would like to feel like I was doing so more from a position of strength and victory, can I be okay boasting of the things that show my weakness? Less concerned about how “super” I feel in myself, but resting in doing what I think God wants me to do, trusting that He’ll do it through me even as I struggle internally as I do it?

I don’t like operating from a place of weakness. And my “weakness” has no comparison to Paul’s. Yet, I serve a God who’s been known to “chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong” so that “no human being might boast in the presence of God” (1Cor. 2:25-29). So, I’ll continue to try and serve faithfully even amidst the awareness of my own frailty.

Only by His grace. Only for His glory.

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On Me Alone

Posted on May 4, 2022 by Pete

They are the words of Christ, spoken 1,000 years before Christ. The cry of the Son of Man expressed by a woman of God.

They’ve popped from the page before. They do so again this morning.

“On me alone, my lord, be the guilt.”

(1Samuel 25:24a ESV)

Or, the fresh twist this morning, the CSB’s rendering, “The guilt is mine . . . “

Still, too often, I am Nabal, “harsh and badly behaved” (25:3b). And I’m David — not David as in the foreshadow of Christ David, but David as in the hungry, cranky, impulsive let-me-take-matters-into-my-own-hands, bull in a china shop David. How I need an Abigail, literally “the father’s joy”, to intervene and intercede on my behalf.

Hovering over three words this morning and thankful for a Savior who spoke similar words on a cross 2,000 years ago for this sinner saved by grace.

Here are my thoughts from four years ago . . . .

Did I just see Jesus? Was He foreshadowed in a no-name, non-descript woman whose name pointed to her father’s joy? A lady who rises up seemingly out of nowhere to redeem an entire household? A gal identified with a worthless man and yet willing to step up to save his skin? A woman of great wisdom? A woman of great compassion? A woman of great resource? A woman who not only saves a house, but also keeps a would be king from bloodguilt? Did I just see Jesus?

Hmmm . . . I’m thinkin’ . . .

When Abigail saw David, she hurried and got down from the donkey and fell before David on her face and bowed to the ground. She fell at his feet and said, “On me alone, my lord, be the guilt.”

(1Samuel 25:23-24a ESV)

On me alone be the guilt. Those are the words that grabbed my mind’s eye this morning to behold Jesus.

Abigail, whose name means “my father is joy,” would have brought her father great joy if he could have seen her willingness to fall on her sword for the sake of her husband, Nabal, the fool. She was ready to bear the guilt for her worthless husband (the Scripture’s assessment, not mine) and for his entire household who, by association, were also under the curse of his guilt because of his greed-driven, bone-headed arrogance.

She sought to atone for their guilt at great cost–” two hundred loaves and two skins of wine and five sheep already prepared and five seahs of parched grain and a hundred clusters of raisins and two hundred cakes of figs.” She would give of her best for the sake of the worst, in order to redeem from egocentric rebellion.

“On me alone,” she says, “be the guilt.” She who was without guilt was willing to take on the guilt of another.

And He who knew no sin, was made sin for us (2Cor. 5:21). The One in whom even the Roman governor could find no guilt, became a curse for us (Gal. 3:13). Though Jesus was rich, yet for our sake He became poor (2Cor. 8:9). Though the Christ was without blemish, He offered Himself as the spotless Lamb of God, giving His life in exchange for ours as the once-for-all atoning sacrifice (Jn. 1:29, 1Jn. 4:10).

But not only a bearer of guilt. Beyond being an offerer of sacrifice. Also an intercessor on behalf of others.

“And now let this present that your servant has brought to my lord be given to the young men who follow my lord. Please forgive the trespass of your servant.” ~ Abigail

(1Samuel 5:27-28a ESV)

“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” ~ Jesus

(Luke 23:34 ESV)

Oh, if Nabal could have seen his wife stand before David’s wrath-filled army of judgment. If he could have seen her willingness to bear his guilt. If he could have looked upon the abundant provision she brought as a sin offering. If he could have heard her words, “Please forgive the trespass of your servant.”

Then, might he have said, “How amazing is this lady!”

Oh, that we would consider again our Savior during those hours of darkness upon the cross when He bore the righteous wrath of the Father for our sin–hear afresh His cry, “My God, my God why have You forsaken Me?” That we would know again the guilt He bore for us. Be reminded afresh of the cost of His great sacrifice in order to redeem our lives. And hear once more His cry on our behalf, “Father, forgive them!”

Then would we declare again, “How awesome is our Savior!!!”

Yeah, I think I just saw Jesus.

In all His grace. To Him be all the glory.

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First Things First

Posted on May 3, 2022 by Pete

During a season in which they were trying to keep their heads above water, it’s kind of amazing that they were concerned about keeping others afloat as well.

You don’t necessarily expect “a wealth of generosity” from a group “in a severe test of affliction.” If there’s anybody you’d excuse from getting on board with a giving campaign, it’s those who are going through the ringer themselves. And yet, for the churches of Macedonia, their time of troubles and their “extreme poverty” birthed a joyful generosity. In fact, they begged Paul to participate in gracing the saints in need in Jerusalem by providing them some financial relief.

So how come? What motivated a people in severe need themselves to focus on those in need elsewhere? Short answer: They put first things first.

. . . they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us.

(2Corinthians 8:5b ESV)

They gave themselves before they gave their money. They presented their bodies as a living sacrifice to God (Rom. 12:1) before they tithed from what little treasure they had. Having given themselves first to the Lord, they then were in a state to be directed by the Lord. Having given themselves to Jesus, Jesus moved them, graced them, and enabled them to give as they could to others.

Their testing compelled them towards Jesus. He was the ultimate prize in their affliction. He is always the prize. Our times of trial are the perfect space to know Jesus and the power of His resurrection even as we share in His sufferings (Php. 3:10). And drawing closer to Jesus, abiding in the shelter of His wing, drawing from the life-giving strength of the vine, these Macedonian believers were able to look beyond their own affliction and show affection to brothers and sisters in similar situations.

We start with giving ourselves continually to the Lord — and that only by His grace. Then, as we abide in Jesus and He lives through us, that same grace abundantly flows, according to His will, as He uses us in the lives of others. Acts of temporal generosity ignited by living into His eternal gift. Doing good because we’ve determined to give ourselves fully to Him, trusting in His goodness. Our works motivated by His moving, even as, despite our circumstance, we rest in His finished work.

First things first.

By His grace. For His glory.

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Worship Work

Posted on April 29, 2022 by Pete

So, who is serving who in a “church service?” Is God serving His people when they gather, or are His people to be serving God when they gather? Certainly, in our consumerist culture we are most naturally wired to thinking we should be served. And to be sure, we are ministered to by God on a Sunday morning as He visits us with His presence when we come together as a living temple of God by His Spirit. We are served by God as He speaks to us through His preached word. But as I chew a bit on Psalm 100 this morning, I’m reminded that we also get to serve God as His people when we gather. We do that with worship work.

Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth! Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into His presence with singing! now that the LORD, He is God! It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

(Psalm 100:1-3 ESV)

I think the songwriter is repeating the same thing three times in three different ways.

Make a joyful noise to the LORD = Serve the LORD with gladness = Come into His presence with singing!

When His people gather — those He has made in His own image and redeemed to be His own special possession — they are to make a joyful noise to the LORD. When His sheep come together as a flock, they are to serve the Great Shepherd with gladness and singing in His presence.

It’s service, or work, we can all render to God. And, if I can use the term, it’s kind of a “gimme.”

That portion of our church gatherings where we are called to sing together — regardless of what type of music or how many songs we sing — is a time presented to us when we can serve together. Where we can labor for the Lord as a body. No special gifting or talents required. Sure, if you can sing in key or keep a beat, bonus! But more than once I have been beside a dear saint who embraces “making a joyful noise” even though they know they can’t carry a tune. But hey, they’re not singing to me, they’re serving their Savior.

Full disclosure: I’m naturally a music guy so I am going to have a natural bias towards the music opportunity we have when we gather as a congregation. But Psalm 100 is a supernatural lyric, it’s God-breathed. So, when gathered in His presence, shouldn’t His people have a supernatural bias towards serving Him in song? I’m thinking.

Worship in song shouldn’t be that part of the “church service” that we endure because we’re not “into the music” and so it’s not serving me very well. Nor should it be regarded as just the “prelims” before the “main event” of being fed from the pulpit and so, attendance and participation is optional.

No, when we get a chance to sing as a church, we should embrace the chance to sing as a church. We should enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. With gusto, we should give thanks to Him and bless His name (Ps. 100:4).

We should serve Him. For He is worthy of church service.

For the LORD is good; His steadfast love endures forever, and His faithfulness to all generations.

(Psalm 100:5 ESV)

Worship work. Let’s do it!

Because of grace. For His glory.

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Keep Me from Foolishness

Posted on April 28, 2022 by Pete

It was the pragmatic thing to do. Given the situation, it was the best way forward. There was an enemy army at hand. There was a battle to be fought. And his army was becoming increasingly agitated by waiting to get in the game, some even “scattering from him.” He had to engage his men or he feared losing his men. But before he could do that, there were boxes to be checked. One of those was honoring the LORD and invoking His favor. And though that was to be done by another, given the reality of the situation Saul took matters into his own hands. He offered the burnt offering. And, says the Spirit through Samuel, he had done foolishly.

He waited seven days, the time appointed by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the people were scattering from him. So Saul said, “Bring the burnt offering here to me, and the peace offerings.” And he offered the burnt offering. As soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came. And Saul went out to meet him and greet him. Samuel said, “What have you done?” And Saul said, “When I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines had mustered at Michmash, I said, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the favor of the LORD.’ So I forced myself, and offered the burnt offering.” And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the command of the LORD your God, with which he commanded you.”

(1Samuel 13:8-13a ESV)

Who’s gonna argue with Saul’s reasoning? He wanted to see the right thing done. He even knew it should be done in the right way. So, he waited for Samuel — for seven days! But when Samuel didn’t show, and as his men were increasingly going AWOL, it was time to get ‘er done! And so, he did what he thought was the practical thing to do. And the right thing was done, but in the wrong way. And it was foolishness.

The danger of noodling on the compromise of pragmatism is that you get labeled as a legalist. That you’re seen as a “letter of the law” guy and not a “freedom of the Spirit” guy. But despite the “danger”, as I hover over this passage, I can’t help but think there is direct instruction here about obedience. Doing what God says in the way God says it should be done. Not aiming for close enough because it’s good enough given that the circumstances make it seem enough in light of the realities of a situation.

The way of the Spirit is the way of faith. And it would have taken faith, dependence on God, for Saul to have waited for Samuel to arrive and do the right thing in the right way. Saul’s pragmatic reasoning and response was a reflection of a greater trust in himself than in His God. It showed he had a skewed view of the efficacy of burnt offerings — that somehow, they had value in and of themselves rather than as a reflection of the heart of the burnt offering offerer. Obeying God by doing the right thing in the right way is reflection of a heart tuned to God’s heart.

“But now your kingdom shall not continue. The LORD has sought out a man after His own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you.”

(1Samuel 13:14 ESV)

A man after God’s own heart is a man who obeys God’s commands. Not to earn favor, but to exhibit faith. Not because it’s necessarily practical, but because it relies on God’s power. Not because it guarantees that things will play out as we think they should, but because we believe it will play out as God has sovereignly determined they should.

There’s a place for pragmatism. A place for discerning reality and determining a logical path forward for success. But not when it comes to matters were God has specifically revealed how to accomplish God’s work in God’s way. Not that the work won’t get done, or the victory won’t be won — for God is faithful and His grace is overflowing. But that, in our pragmatism, in our wisdom concerning how we think the God of heaven should do things given the reality around us, we end up being foolish. The work done, but our efforts wasted. The battle won, but the prize forfeited.

Father, give me clarity on those things I’m called to do in a way which You have determined. Keep me from leaning to my own understanding of how, practically, they can best be accomplished. Create in me a heart after Your own heart that I might walk in Your ways after Your way. Keep me from foolishness.

By Your grace. For Your glory.

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Prearranged Seating

Posted on April 27, 2022 by Pete

Hovering over something Jesus told His disciples in Mark 10. And it has me wondering what all lies before us when we see Jesus’ glory given that we know there’ll be prearranged seating.

And [Jesus] said to [James and John], “What do you want Me to do for you?” And they said to Him, “Grant us to sit, one at Your right hand and one at Your left, in Your glory.” Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. . . . but to sit at My right hand or at My left is not Mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.”

(Mark 10:36-37, 38a, 40 ESV)

The main point of the passage in front of me isn’t about heavenly preparation, it’s about the upside down-ness of heavenly exaltation — “whoever would be great among you must be your servant” (10:43). But I’m in awe this morning that whoever sits at Jesus’ right or left hand in the kingdom isn’t something still to be figured out but that it is for whom it has been prepared.

Seating at the head table, as it were, has already been determined. Name plates (if we’ll need such things) already set out for the marriage supper of the Lamb. Individual robes of righteousness and garments of praise already cloaking the backs of chairs waiting for their specific recipients to take their seats for the wedding celebrations.

So, if the seating has already been prearranged, what else is being prepared?

I know there’s a city prepared (Heb. 11:16). I know there’s a house with many rooms being prepared (Jn. 14:2). But if details such as seating are already determined, what else has been planned for us? I can only imagine! Or, maybe I can’t.

Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”.

(1Corinthians 2:9 NKJV)

Hmm, prearranged seating . . .

Prepared according to God’s grace. To be occupied one day soon for God’s glory.

Kind of awe invoking!

Amen?

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Now in This Time, and in the Age to Come

Posted on April 26, 2022 by Pete

I love Peter. Not because he’s so perfect, but because he’s so real. And, because his realness showcases Christ’s patience with those less-than-perfect people He calls to represent Him.

Reading in Mark 10 this morning. Jesus encounters a young man who wants to know what he must do “to inherit eternal life” (Mk. 10:17). Obey the commandments of Moses, says Jesus. “Check,” replies the young man, been there doing that. Then, says Jesus, sell all that you have — exchange it for treasure in heaven — and come follow Me. To which the young man then replies, “Checking out!” And the young man walks away sorrowful, “for he had great possessions” (10:22). It was too great a price to pay for eternal life (that’s a whole other point to ponder).

Okay, this is where Peter comes in. (Did I mention I love that guy?) He’s been listening in. He hears the whole conversation. He processes what Jesus told the young man and starts doing the math in his head. I’ve walked away from my source of income to follow Jesus. I’ve said goodbye to my wife, my kids, my home for extended periods of time as a I’ve followed Jesus on His itinerant ministry. I’ve taken a hit from friends and family who are suspect of my Teacher’s radical ways. So, is it the same deal for me?

Peter began to say to Him, “See, we have left everything and followed You.”

(Mark 10:28 ESV)

Jesus, what you told that young dude to do, we have done. “What then will we have?” (Matt. 19:27).

And I think Jesus thought it was a fair question, because Jesus answers Peter without rebuke.

Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for My sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life.”

(Mark 10:29-30 ESV)

And I read that, and I think to myself, “Self, that looks like a promise to claim. Pull out the orange-colored pencil and shade it.” But then I think, is it really real? Does it reflect the reality for those who for centuries have left behind “everything” to follow Jesus? Does it reflect my reality?

Not that I’ve left “everything”, but for me to declare Christ as my Savior at the age of 19 cost me something with family and friends. No longer tracking on the same path, or thinking the same way, or valuing the same stuff. Referred to by some as a “bible-thumper”, assessed by others as someone who “grew up so smart and ended up so dumb.” A very real sense that, though I had already moved out of the house, I had now left home and family. Maybe I too could have asked, “What then will I have?”

So, does Jesus’ response ring true? As I noodle on it, “Yes and Amen!”

Having been disconnected somewhat from family, I found myself among this new family, the family of God. Brothers and sisters, and moms and dads, welcoming me, teaching me, encouraging me, befriending me — and to say that it was “a hundredfold” isn’t exaggerating. Houses too. I can’t recall the number of houses I was invited into for meals, for games, for fellowship. The home I left replaced by home after home. All part of the reward, “now in this time”, of owning Jesus as Savior. All with the ever-increasing, ever sure hope of eternal life “in the age to come.”

Yet the promised “return on investment” hasn’t just been sunshine and roses. But Jesus covers that too. He said that part of the “reward” would be “persecutions” as well. Yup, known some persecution in my day — not to the extent others have, for sure, but more than if I’d never tried to live for Jesus as Lord of my life. Have known some hardship, too. But through it all, I’ve known also the abiding presence of a faithful God, the ever-present power of His indwelling Spirit, and the unfailing love of His Son who gave Himself for me.

So yeah, I think there’s a promise to claim and a reality to recognize here.

Now in this time, and in the age to come.

By His grace. For His glory.

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God Knows

Posted on April 22, 2022 by Pete

There’s a lot of stuff going on in the first couple of chapters of 1 Samuel. And it’s all happening at Shiloh, the “place of rest.” Only, there’s not a lot of rest going on.

There, though a family comes to worship, marital discord weighs heavy (the risk you take, I suppose, when you have two wives). They’ve come to offer their firstfruits yet one of the wives is barren and the other is berating. The barren wife is compelled to desperately pour out her soul for a son,yet is misunderstood for being completely drunk.

There’s a bloated high priest who honors his sons more than His Sovereign — sons who were simply bad priests. Bad not as in, not good at their job, but bad as in wicked. Bad as in, though they ostensibly served the LORD, “they did not know the LORD” and had no regard for the LORD. As in, they took what was offered to Jehovah and kept it for themselves. As in, they lay with women who were serving in the LORD’s holy place on the doorstep to the LORD’s holy place. As in, they wouldn’t listen to the voice of their father when he sought to warn them and correct them.

And yet, juxtaposed against all these happenings, is another happening. A prayer answered and a baby born. A vow honored and a young child given to God’s service. A boy who grows in the presence of the LORD, both in stature and in favor.

And as I hover over this out of control dynamic at Shiloh, as I wonder how a kid could flourish amidst such chaos, this is what pops from the page.

And Hannah prayed and said, “My heart exults in the LORD; my horn is exalted in the LORD. My mouth derides my enemies, because I rejoice in Your salvation.

There is none holy like the LORD: for there is none besides You; there is no rock like our God. Talk no more so very proudly, let not arrogance come from your mouth; for the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by Him actions are weighed.”

(1Samuel 2:1-3 ESV)

God knows. God weighs. God makes right.

There is none like our God. None holy like Him. None solid like Him. None who is able to act as He can act. Because the LORD is a God of knowledge.

If you’re Eli’s sinning sons, that’s a terrifying revelation. If you’re Samuel faithfully serving amidst their sacrilege, it’s a great comfort and source of confidence.

God knows. God weighs. God acts — according to His purposes, all in His timing.

And that’s Shiloh, a place of rest.

Because of His unfailing grace. All for His unfathomable glory.

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A Prayer for an Addiction

Posted on April 21, 2022 by Pete

They didn’t apply for a role. They weren’t ordained for a task. No title. No job description. No standing, really. And yet, Paul says, “be subject to such as these.”

Now I urge you, brothers — you know that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves to the service of the saints — be subject to such as these, and to every fellow worker and laborer.

(1Corinthians 16:15-16 ESV)

Devoted themselves to the service of the saints. That’s what I’m chewing on this morning.

Not asked. Not recruited. No arm twisting, no pressure. They devoted themselves. Literally, they ordered themselves. They appointed themselves. They assigned their own responsibility and authority. As fellow recipients of grace, as the firstfruits of Achaia, they saw an opportunity among the body of believers, and they serviced them. They ministered to them. Though they held no office in the church, had no formal standing in the church, received no remuneration from the church, yet they served the church.

And Paul says, “Be subject to such as these” and to all who are like them.

Submit to those with no rank, arrange yourself under those of no position. Do so simply because they serve the saints.

Support them. Encourage them. Assist them, as you’re able. Not because of their title, but because of their task. They are but your “run-of-the-mill” people of God who are ministering to God’s people. Put yourself under their leadership.

Reminded this morning that the church wasn’t designed to be an “institution” but was wired to function as a family. Not to model itself after a business but to reflect the realities of a body. Its structure less determined by organization charts and more reflective of a fluid dynamic of each one arranging themselves under other ones for the good of everyone. Not just a place to attend, but a living, supernatural community to engage with and invest in.

Though it had a different connotation back in the 1600’s I’m sure, I am intrigued by the old King James translation of the original word used to describe Stephanas & Co.’s dedication to serving the saints.

. . . they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints . . .

In an age where we’re more likely to try figure out how we can fit the church into our busy calendars and fulfill our sense of obligation to it, how refreshing is the idea that some — not just the some who are paid — might be addicted to attending to the needs of others. Sinners saved by grace, so moved by grace that they devote themselves to gracing others for God’s glory.

Idealistic? Perhaps. Unrealistic? Don’t think so. I see it happening. Oh, that it would happen more.

That God would work a revival among the saints such that, as but simple saints with no particular standing among the saints, serving the saints might become an addiction valued and honored by all the saints.

That God’s people would be blessed. And that God’s grace would abound. So that God’s glory would be known.

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