One Another #6 - Negatives

Along with all the things we should be doing for one another, there are five verses about what we shouldn't do.

"Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another." Galatians 5:26

"Do not lie to one another." Colossians 3:9

"Do not complain, brethren, against one another." James 5:9

"Do not speak against one another." James 4:11

And my personal favorite: "But if you bite and devour one another, take heed that you are not consumed by one another." Galatians 5:15

All joking aside, these verses show that along with having a huge potential to do good to one other, we also are quite capable of tearing each other to bits.

Do you feel like you have a valid complaint to make about another believer? Take a look at the context of James 5:9. James does not brush aside the reasons Christians have to complain. Instead, he points us to Christ in two ways. The first is that complaining opens us up to be censured by Christ for the same offence (the ol' mote in his eye, beam in yours idea). The second is that if we handle the offence patiently, we have Christ's compassion and mercy to look forward to. Take the example of Job. Though God did not explain Job's predicament to him, He also did not let Job's tormentors go unreprimanded.

Instead of telling all your friend about the person who offends you, try to imagine how you would like Christ to respond to you if you treated Him the way your offender treated you. Once you know what Christ would do, you have a pattern to follow in your dealings with that person.

Since there are so many positive things we can do for one another, let's get the negatives out of the way and focus on building rather than biting.

Rachel Potter

And the Winner Is......

All of us in the communications department would like to congratulate Jason Rush for persevering despite electronic setbacks and technological challenges to correctly name the tunes posted under "Contest."

Jason received his Starbuck's gift certificate after the Sunday evening service.

In case you were wondering, the correct answers were: 

1. Jesus Is Tenderly Calling
2. Not I But Christ
3. Summon the Heroes
4. Nessun Dorma
5. The second movement of Bethoven's ninth symphony

Thank you to everyone who participated.

One Another #5

I have about forty-eight references that fit under how Christians love one another. Serving (1 Peter 4:10), praying (James 5:16 ), and being hospitable (1 Peter 4:9 ) are three. Burden sharing (Galatians 6:2) is another, as is forgiving (Colossians 3:13).

The one that has captured my attention is 1 John 4:12, "No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us." In other words, like Jesus explained God to everyone while He was on earth, we explain God to other people when we love each other. When we are hospitable and when we pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ we are treating them the way Jesus would have if He were still here.

How is your explanation of God going?

I have to admit that mine is selective - based on time constraints and personality preference. But this verse is not meant to beat us over the head when we do not imitate Jesus perfectly. Every time we love another Christian in practical ways like serving, forgiving, or burden sharing, we show our family resemblance to Christ. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we can do that more and more often until we reach "a mature man, the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ." (Ephesians 4:13)

When you see someone who is "loving one another" in the next week, give them some encouragement to keep going. And take a picture. I could use an illustration for this segment.

Rachel Potter

God Has a Perfect Plan - Part 3

  Ok guys, what are we supposed to be doing while we search for the girl that God wants us to marry and how do we find her?  Well let me first of all tell you where not to look for a girl.  Don't be looking for her at the grocery store or the mall or, dare I say it, on the internet!  Trust me, I looked, and it isn't worth the money or the headache of trying to find someone who has the same standards, morals, and theological philosophy online.  The place God most likely has your girl is in your local church or at the Bible college where you attend, be that BJU, Northland, or any other God-honoring college or university. 

   So now you know where to find her, now what should you be doing?  You should be preparing yourself to be able to support the woman you will someday fall in love with.  Get a job. Get out of or reduce any debt that you may have.  You need to be ready - or on your way to being ready - to support her.  Last of all, but definitely not least, prepare to lead her spiritually.  Being spiritually responsible for someone else is a big job and not one that is easy.  As one of my friends challenged me recently, we as men need to “Be the man God wants you to be.”  Stand up, take the initiative and be courageous! 

   For both the guys and the girls, the biggest thing you can do for your future mate is to pray for them.  I know you may not know who it is, especially you girls, but pray that God would work in their hearts to mold them into His image so that when God does bring the two of you together you will be ready to follow Him where ever he leads. 

   In closing, I just want to give one little encouragement to those who are hesitant about getting into a relationship because of private sins that have happened in the past.  Just because you haven't always been the godly young man or young woman you long to be doesn't mean that God and your future intended won't forgive you for things from your past.  The hardest thing about past mistakes is admitting them.  Your future intended will only gain more respect for you for telling them about your past.  We all make mistakes. We don't want to just sweep them under the rug, but they are covered by the blood of the Lamb.  So stand up, and live today in light of the Word of God.     

   “The past is behind, learn from it. The future is ahead, prepare for it. The present is here, live it.” - Anonymous

 Brian Green

One Another #4

If you use a Bible search engine to locate all the "one another"s in the New Testament, you will come across four very uncomfortable references: Romans 16:16, I Corinthians 16:20, II Corinthians 13:12, and 1 Peter 5:14. All four of them speak specifically of greeting one another with a kiss. I'll let the Artios guys comment on the kissing part, but I think all Christians can (and should) follow the greeting part.

Did you know that obeying the Bible can be as easy as a handshake?

Greetings are a first step in obeying other Bible directives. Many one-another verses have "love" written all over them in invisible letters. I may not love everyone I greet, but I cannot love someone I never greet. I cannot build up (Romans 14:19), speak to (Ephesians 5:19), encourage (1 Thessalonians 5:11, Hebrews 3:13, Hebrews 10:25 ), or admonish (Hebrews 10:24 , Colossians 3:16 , Romans 15:14 ) people if I never get close enough to shake their hands. All of those verbs expand on the active love that the Holy Spirit empowers Christians to show. Building up, speaking to, encouraging, and admonishing must all be done in love in order to have any effectiveness. 

Where is a good place to go beyond greeting and do some building-up/encouraging/admonishing? 

In our American (and especially Baptist) context, sharing food offers an ideal opportunity to obey these Biblical directives. The college and career class tries to offer eating times in order to facilitate one-another times. The real purpose of coffee Sundays is not to enjoy Mrs. Roach's great cooking but to find ways to stimulate each other to love and good works. So next time we have a fellowship, get your plate, greet someone, and get going!

Rachel Potter

God Has a Perfect Plan - Part 2

As a single guy, for several years I often wondered if God would ever bring the right girl across my path. I had asked a few girls out and had communicated with a couple more girls. But nothing ever came of it. God was always saying “No” or at least I thought He was saying, “No.” In all reality He was saying, “Wait, I have someone better for you.”  

Just over a year ago I became aware of “Ladies in Waiting” and began to take an interest in the editress, Sarah Ann. As I prayed, God led. Over the past six months we've become the best and closest of friends. Over the past five months we've been getting to know each other better with the intention of marriage. God has done an amazing work in our lives together. We've had our trials and our good times, but in all of it God has continued to confirm in our hearts that we’re not just meant for each other, we were designed for each other. God, from the beginning of time, planned for Sarah and I to one day (hopefully sooner than later) get married. It wasn't luck. It wasn't fate. We were designed for each other.  

So to answer my question from the beginning, “Are there guys out there who are looking for girls who have high standards?” The answer is yes. I have several friends who are godly guys who have high standards and one day they'll find the girl God has for them. It's just not the right time yet. It sometimes seems like they aren't looking, or they don't have the ambition to get married and raise a family. Trust me, every godly guy thinks about getting married and having kids. We just don't talk about it. You can call it a guy thing if you want, because it is. Every red blooded American, Canadian or otherwise Christian guy is keenly aware of the girls in the church. He doesn't think about it all the time, but he does think about it.

While you are waiting, first of all make sure that you make your relationship with God your number one priority because once that guy enters your life it won't be easy to do that. Secondly, prepare yourself for marriage, as a lady and as a homemaker. Lastly, make sure you pray for your future intended. You may not know who he is yet, but he still needs your prayers. Be faithful in these things and God will provide the man you want, the man you need, and the man who is better than all of your dreams!

Brian Green

One Another #3

Have you ever been extremely annoyed by someone with stricter standards? Some people perfectly fit H. L. Mencken’s definition of Puritanism: “The haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy.” Those folks go hand-in-hand with people following the Islamic idea, “if everyone around me would quit tempting me, I could be right with God.” They don’t realize that nuns and monks already tried imposition and isolation, and it didn’t work.

God does not say in so many words, “thou shalt not be annoyed with one another,” but He does give us directives for how to think about more conservative brothers and sisters in Christ.

Romans 14:13, Galatians 5:13 – Determine to be a blessing. Face it. The way to help a guy realize that Jesus did not have comb-over is not to ruffle up his hair in public. Let God soften the conscience of your bound brother as he watches you love and serve selflessly.

I Peter 5:5, Romans 12:16 – Be humble. The trick with humility is that when you have it, no one notices.

Philippians 2:3, Ephesians 5:21 – Be willing to be governed by a person with stricter standards that God has put near you. Give them the honor God directs us to show one another and use the time with them to figure out why they hold their standards. (Keep in mind that they have probably encountered all your objections. Try to nail down why they still maintain their position.)

Of all people, we at Mt. Calvary should know that you probably won’t interact with certain people longer than a few years. Instead of using our time complaining or being annoyed, let’s “always seek after that which is good for one another” (I Thessalonians 5:15).

God Has a Perfect Plan - Part 1

Over the past year, God has done quite a work in me.  He has also brought a young lady into my life. This was no coincidence. God has a perfect plan for us individually and in relationships.  My girlfriend, Sarah, has a ministry for young singles called “Ladies in Waiting.” I don't claim to be an expert on the courting/dating subject, but I thought it would be helpful for me to share an article I wrote about a guy’s perspective on dating. First, I'll talk to the girls and then the guys. It will take several posts, so keep coming back!

Ok ladies, as you wait for the man God has for you, you may ask, “Is it worth it?” or, “is anyone looking for girls with high standards?” For singles, these are pressing questions. Each day you feel more and more alone. You wonder if a godly leader will ever show up. The thought might cross your mind that perhaps you might need to lower your standards. You've seen movies and read books where “The Guy” comes, sweeps his girl off her feet, and they live happily ever after. You know other girls who found their guy before they were 20.The dream you have of getting married seems just like that, a dream that will never come true.

Before I answer those thoughts, let's look at what a “Lady in Waiting” is. Webster's Dictionary defines “lady” as “a woman of refinement and gentle manners.” A lady acts properly in formal situations. She does not make a scene or draw undue attention. A lady is also gentle in the way she talks, acts, and treats others. She isn’t trying to keep up with the guys. That doesn't mean she can't play sports or joke. Almost every guy appreciates a girl who can throw and catch a football.

So that’s a lady, but a lady in waiting is more. A lady in waiting is obviously waiting for her man, but what should she be doing while she waits? While waiting, a lady should prepare for married life. Knowing how to cook, sew, keep house, decorate, and even garden are all things that most guys will find attractive in a prospective wife. Marriage is a time of learning about and interacting with your mate. Learning as much as you can now about the mundane aspects of life will help you be ready when Mr. Right arrives. 

We have now completed our definition of a “lady in waiting,” right? Almost. If you are just looking for any guy, then yes. But you don't want just any guy. You want the guy God has for you! Okay, so, being a “lady in waiting” isn't enough. Let’s add another word. Let's add “a godly lady in waiting.”  

When you put God in front, the basics may stay the same, but the purpose changes. Living for God means putting Him first in your daily life. A godly lady in waiting must be closer to God than she will ever be to her boyfriend, fiancée, or husband. Before God gives you someone else, He wants to make sure that He is the permanent, number-one guy in your life. So when God is your closest friend, you know how to handle yourself socially, you are gentle and learning all you can about homemaking, then you're ready, right?

Maybe, and maybe not. God's timing is perfect. Sometimes we try to hurry God, but that usually falls flat. Other times we go too slow, and God prods us. You might be ready, but your man might not be.

Brian Green