There is much more to being the Family of God. The way you minister should reflect this fact.
The Relationship Way We Should Minister to the Family of God
1 Thessalonians 2:6-12
(Children's Sheet for Sermon Interaction is at bottom. Notes are throughout sermon)Pastor Kerry Kinchen, Bridgeway Bible Church
Turn to 1 Thessalonians 2:6-12. As you are turning there, I want you to think about the people around you right now. These people are the family of God. There are more of us beyond this local fellowship. We all know this is true; but, there is only one way that we can be the family of God. There is only one way to become part of the family of God. It is by a miracle work of our Father, where He adopts you into His family. But God does not merely adopt you as you are. He adopts us in His Son, Christ Jesus. You can not be a son without being in the Son. So, here we are as His family. This relationship has huge implications for us in terms of blessing, and love, and privilege with our Father. We say,
Thank you for loving us Father--keeping us--caring for us--listening to us--having grace and mercy on us when we fail!
Our Father is so good to us! Our relationship with the Father also has other implications. Coming into our passage, Paul continues to mention his ministry among the Thessalonians. In Paul's description, he goes on to use family language. This language is part of the pattern for our own personal ministries. This is the implication of family that we are interested in this morning. Please read Paul's words along with me, starting in 2:6,
"6 nor did we seek glory from men, either from you or from others, even though as apostles of Christ we might have asserted our authority. 7 But we proved to be gentle among you, [see Greek origin-- "instead we became little children, among you"; cf. NET] as a nursing mother tenderly cares for her own children. 8 Having so fond an affection for you, we were well-pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become very dear to us. 9 For you recall, brothers, our labor and hardship, how working night and day so as not to be a burden to any of you, we proclaimed to you the good news of God. 10 You are witnesses, and so is God, how devoutly and uprightly and blamelessly we behaved toward you believers; 11 just as you know how we were exhorting and encouraging and imploring each one of you as a father would his own children, 12 so that you would walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory." 1 Thessalonians 2:1:6-12
Please prepare your heart to learn, along with me, from the preaching of God's word in this sermon titled,
The Relationship Way We Should Minister to the Family of God
[prayer]
God considers us to be His family. He considers us to be the body of His Son, Christ Jesus. Our privilege is different than the oft touted lie of the world that claims non-Christians are part of the family of God. You will hear people say,
"After all, we are all God's children."
The same lie can be found being proclaimed about some so-called special ethnic group. The fact of the matter is that we Christians are the only true members of the family of God. It is a precise relationship that you have with other Christians. This means that your special spiritual family connectedness goes beyond all the redefinitions of church that we see around us. The implications of this are enormous--especially for your ministry. In our passage, Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, demonstrate a pattern for the proper way for you and I to minister as family to our family members in the family of God. Just like physical families have special ways of relating, we should minister in a certain spiritual family manner. As we dig into our passage, my hope is that we will glean seven things from the Lord concerning our ministry in the Spirit--particularly in God's family relationship way of ministering. Starting out, I want us to quickly notice that Paul reminds the Thessalonians of the list of things that demonstrate who God's servants are, (as those who wish to please God rather than men), Paul is talking about the apostles. Paul says at verse 6,
"6 nor did we seek glory from men, either from you or from others, even though as apostles of Christ we might have asserted our authority." 1 Thessalonians 2:6
/1/
This touches upon the first thing we want to glean in the relationship way we should minister to the family of God. What it is, is that you recognize that God has not called each one of us to minister in seeking glory from the ones that we minister to, or glory from anyone else who might know about what you are doing. Our brothers (Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy) are our family pattern. Think about who they are. They are apostles, and so think about their position.
Do you recognize how significant it is that they are the ones that are saying that they don't seek glory from men?
Apostles were awe inspiring prophets. The primary apostles are the first class category of apostles. They were unique. They were commissioned by Christ Himself, where they actually talked with Him, and learned from Him directly concerning their commission. When you think about name dropping, nothing trumps what a primary apostle could say;
"You know I remember when Jesus said to me the other day ..."
and everyone instantly takes notice with a keen interest. I mean you know you are in the presence of someone who, like the apostle John says in 1 John 1:1, is someone who has from the beginning, heard, seen with their eyes, looked at, and touched with their hands, concerning the Word of Life;
"Let me tell you about the time that the resurrected Messiah blinded me on the road going up to Damascus ..."
Uh ... wow.
Such unique experiences, and commission, command a certain kind of respect. These guys were the men who were sent out on the big mission to establish the church's roots. We partake in their special ministry today--even in these Scriptures to the Thessalonians that we study as our own.
Now think about this; When you think of Paul, you are thinking of someone who is known as a primary apostle of Christ. Paul was stopped in his tracks by Christ. He was immediately drafted into service for Christ. Instantly he is inducted as a primary apostle by the Lord Who audibly spoke to him. Paul became a missionary of the Messiah. He became one of God's sent out ones to proclaim the good news.
Apostle, means sent out one--a missionary.
Paul was a primary apostle because Christ met with him and personally spoke with him in his commission. Silvanus, and Timothy are secondary apostles, but they are still New Testament apostles. They were chosen by a primary apostle to be apostles of Christ in sharing the missionary ministry. Matthias, Barnabas, and Appolos were secondary apostles too. They are all New Testament apostles. They were the prophets that God called and used in the first generation to establish His church among the nations. So, in a certain manner, these men could have asserted their authority in such a way as to bring attention to themselves as being something great if they wanted to. This is my point. It would have been very easy, but very sinful, for them to assert their authority in an attempt to receive glory from men. I am wanting you to really sense where I am going with this. I am wanting you to be aware of your own self. This is serious, because this is the same danger that we all face. Whenever you minister, you will be tempted to bring attention to yourself in some area that can bring self glory. It may be a tiny area, but it is an area. It might be a particular insight. It might be a certain gifting that you have. It might be some leadership authority that you have. It might be some accomplishment that you have achieved. You can point to it. It might be the fact that you have a whole lot of knowledge, or you are familiar with a particular doctrinal fabric that most everyone else sees as a cobweb. It can be a lot of things, but the point is that it can happen very quickly, even in the midst of your Holy Spirit led and empowered ministry. This is why the familiness aspect of ministry is so important. The family relationship pattern of ministry checks you. It alerts us to not go there in bringing one tiny molecule of glory to ourselves or any man. The danger can be insidious, because when you minister for Christ, you are a minister of Christ. So, nobody needs to tell you that you are serving the Lord. You know that you are serving the Lord, but you want others to know that you are serving the Lord. This is perfectly logical. Paul just asserted his service in the verses coming into our passage. But here is the concern--Because of this, it is very easy for us to pamper our pride. It is very easy to assert your ministry authority, calling, and gifting, in such a way as to try and receive some of the glory for yourself. We can even creep on over to thinking that it is us who are the ones accomplishing what God is doing by using us. It is bragging, but not in God. Now think about how this can work: Whenever you are influencing someone, your influence is a powerful area where there can be a real sense of your self. You are the one praying. You are the one communicating. You are the one laboring. You are you, and you are the one doing something that you are doing! And so we can start thinking about how important we are as doers, and so then we think that other people should also recognize this fact. What I mean is that because we want people to recognize our importance, we can easily bring attention to things like our work, accomplishment, education, vast knowledge, and just about anything else that has to do with what we have done. Remember, you are ministering--doing the work of the Lord, but then that weird shift can occur and you can think;
Don't you see how smart I am?
Don't you respect me?
Don't you see how much I know about this subject?
Don't you see how wise, and good my advice is?
Don't you see how profound my message to you is?
The next thing you know, you are seeking to get a little bit of God's glory that is meant for Him. And it is so easy to do. We can easily bring attention to our unique ability to speak and explain complex doctrines that others fumble over. Maybe you really are the one who can make that cobweb look like a beautiful tapestry. It is so easy to point to our track record of people who have had changed lives because of our words. They may have been lost, and you led them to Christ, and they got saved. They may be in the family already, and you counseled them, and then they took your advice, and their life was changed for the better. This stuff is so insidious that we may even be found promoting the fact that we have the marks of a martyr. You know--
I have suffered for the Lord.
and so,
Look at me. See how much I have suffered for Christ. See how spiritual I am. Do you see how it is made evident in the fact that people reject me?
Don't you recognize how many personal sacrifices I have made for the ministry?
I'm not talking about defending your ministry against critics and malcontents. Again, Paul had to do it too. I am talking about the attitude where your desire is for all of these things to be accentuated to glorify some aspect of your self. The point is that we are not in ministry for our self. We are sent out by Christ to glorify Him alone. The principle here is the one that John the baptist taught his students when they reported to him that Jesus was baptizing and teaching. They acted like they were surprised. They said to John about Jesus,
"... all are coming to Him." John 3:26
This is what the elect remnant among the lost sheep of the house of Israel were supposed to do (ie. all). The remnant were supposed to come to Jesus, and all of them did. Our job is to lead people to Jesus. If they are in the family, then they already know Christ, but when we minister to them, we still lead them to Christ by leading them to the Head of the family. We are comforters, but it is supposed to be because of the comfort of Christ. We teach, but it is supposed to be the teachings of Christ in His New Testament revelations. Next, we see what happens with John;
"27 John answered and said, 'A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven." John 3:27
This is the true substance of all ministry. It is the substance of your salvation and your adoption into the family in the first place. But, here, John is talking about ministry.
Remember the danger?;
We should never act like our unique way we minister, or our great message, or our talents, or even our suffering and martyrdom is because of our own power or greatness, or because we are unique. You should never put those things on a pedestal. Anything about your ministry, even your desire to do it, comes from the place of glory. It comes from the Holy Spirit from heaven. You are simply a tool in God's hands. If God's hand isn't being exalted in whatever we claim is ministry, then we are not following the proper pattern. We are following the ways of the world. The point is that as God's tools, His hand should be what people see using us. A tool is simply a tool. In ourselves, we are meant to be used. You are meant to get greasy, and used, to accomplish what God wants by His Spirit. We are meant to get marks of use, but the tool gets no glory and it should never want to. Marks of use are not marks of us. The tool is doing the work of the hand that uses it. Then John goes on and says,
"28 You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, 'I am not the Messiah,' but, 'I have been sent ahead of Him.'" John 3:28
We are not Christ, but we are the body of Christ--the family of God. Christ has gone up in glory into the heavenlies. He has sent His Holy Spirit, and whenever you minister, you are the vessel that the Holy Spirit empowers and uses, and so there is a good way we should think about ourselves. Each of us should think of ourselves as those who are sent ahead to minister. And when you minister to the body, you are sent to minister among your family for His glory. Then John put it straight,
"30 He must increase, but I must decrease." John 3:30
@1 Christ Jesus must increase in my life, and I must _____________. (John 3:30)
How many of you have heard of the cliche' sales pitch called The Purpose Driven Life? Well this is the verse that preaches a million words on the purpose driven death. John says,
"30 He must increase, but I must decrease. [John's purpose driven death] 31 He who comes from above is above all, he who is of the earth is from the earth and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all." John 3:27-31
By the way, John did decrease shortly after saying this in a true purpose driven death, where he was executed for being a prophet of the Messiah. The point is that whenever we minister, we must consciously decrease in our selves. Whenever you do, God, who is above all, gets all the glory, and further, the power of the Holy Spirit is manifested out of you. The summation, then, of this first important fact of ministry is that whenever we seek to increase Christ in us, Who is our hope of glory, out to others, we are being filled to overflowing with the Holy Spirit and Christ increases in edification of the body and glory of Himself. Paul continues with more family relationship ministry,
"7 But we proved to be gentle among you, as a nursing mother tenderly cares for her own children."
/2/
The second principle in the relationship way we should minister to the family of God is that we must be gentle in a humble manner. I want to bring something out here that is very interesting about this because of our theme. Based upon the earliest manuscripts, scholars identify that Paul is using a double metaphor here. What I mean, is that the sense is conveyed that Paul is saying that the apostolic group of ministers became like little ones (children) among the Thessalonians in their humble manner of gentleness. The translation for this, comes from the early manuscripts which have it like this from the Greek:
"7 But we proved to be little kids among you, as a nursing mother tenderly cares for her own children."
or as the New English Translation renders the Greek,
"although we could have imposed our weight as apostles of Christ; instead we became little children among you. Like a nursing mother caring for her own children," 1 Thessalonians 2:7 NET
This would indicate that there are two family metaphors here. One is acting in the humble sweetness of children, and the other is in respect to the way of a nursing mother with her infants. So from that first metaphor of being humble in gentleness like kids, rather than alpha male, rough, dominating, kinds of adults, Paul goes on and magnifies his point, but uses the intimate family metaphor in a different way. The care that they had was like a nursing mother in the way she tenderly loves and nurtures her own children. So, the sense is that:
You and I should minister to other members of the family of God with an attitude like little children in our humbleness, gentleness, kindness, and helping manner, and the gentleness that we are to have like little children, should extend to be the same kind of caring nurture that a nursing mother has as she tenderly cares for her own infants.
This is a beautiful pattern for our ministry in this family language that Paul uses. Paul gives a similar kind of ministry urging to Timothy,
"24 The Lord's bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, ..." 2 Timothy 2:24
@2 God does not want me to be quarrelsome (fighting all the time) but wants me to be _________ to all. (2 Timothy 2:24)
What Paul tells Timothy here, is exactly the way Timothy, Paul, and Silvanus had already acted at Thessalonica. It is imperative that we be gentle in our relationship way of ministering to people in the family of God, and there is no greater example than our family roots of Christ and the apostles. The example they give is as humble, caring, attentive, gentle, loving, ones who are like nursing mothers, who are attentively nurturing their little babies to meet their needs. Then Paul says,
"8 Having so fond an affection for you, we were well-pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become very dear to us." 1 Thessalonians 2:8
/3/
The third principle in the relationship way we should minister to the family of God, is that we should have Holy Spirit led, fond affection, and we need to have it while being well pleased to impart the good news, and even our own lives to those God has placed us with. This is an extension of the mothering way of ministry that Paul is still continuing to expound upon. Paul demonstrated the self sacrifice part. We know that Paul had preached in the midst of much opposition in risk of life, 2:1 (cf. Acts 16-19). Paul has some precious words here to emphasize the way that he cares for the Thessalonians like a nursing mother cares for her children. A mother has fond affection for her infants. She is more than pleased to impart the precious milk for the child's growth, and need. She is attentive to the child's cries because that is the way God designed the mother-child relationship to be. She does not want to leave the child alone for very long. In a manifestation of a special kind of love, she would willingly give her own life for her child. Paul was truly led by the Spirit in respect to the members of the body in this same sense. The family pattern that he emulates is that he had a deep affection for the Thessalonians even though he had only spent a short time with them, and possibly would never see them again until the afterlife.
When you recognize the people of the body as more than objects or passing acquaintances in this world (because even in ministry we can do that); but we recognize them in the actual family manner that God wants us to recognize them, (which is really His manner--the functional family manner of the loving Father, with His children loving each other) then we realize that God wants us to have a fond affection for the body that is much deeper than many Christians manifest in their unbiblical disfunctionality; and the way to check where you are on this, is whether you are well pleased to share the good news, but also your own life with your brothers and sisters. The standard is high, but counter cultural Christianity that seeks to excel still even more in the upward call is a Biblical-culture standard. This is the big issue; and this is more purpose driven death in action. So, we need to ask ourselves:
Am I willing to spend and be spent for others, holding others dear to my heart the way my Father holds us all dear to His heart?
We saw it in our great teacher, brother, and Lord, in how he humbled Himself and looked at us as being better than Himself. He even went to the cross for us. We see it in the apostolic example. It is a fact:
If you are filled with the Spirit, and are being led by the Spirit, then you absolutely will have this kind of fond affection that comes from the Spirit of the family for the family.
Paul says,
14... I do not seek what is yours, but you; ... 15 I will most gladly spend and be expended for your souls." 2 Corinthians 12:14-15
The relationship way to minister is to seek the person, and spend ourselves gladly for others. Any good mother reflects these traits. But, you won't do this if you are ministering for selfish reasons. Instead of seeking the family with fond affection--to build it up--to minister in true desire to see growth in nurture--you will be seeking what you can get out of the family.
What mother is seeking love of money, or status, or honor from care for her baby?
If you and I are going to have effective, powerful ministry, then we must think of others in the body like these family ministry ways, where we decrease, but Christ in us increases, and the importance of the other family members increases in our eyes, no matter who those people are. This means you are going to have to die to yourself and live for others even if you don't particularly like to be around them. This is where family life gets real. You are going to need to look at the unlovely people the way the Father looks at them, and you are going to need to have family affection for them--demonstrating that they are lovely to God because they are part of the family. It is grace. It is Christianity. It is true love in true action. And if you don't have it, then you are in an emergency situation, and so you must pray to God for you to get it. Do not allow yourself to fall short of having fond affection for the members of Christ's body. You and I, need to look at them as being better than ourselves. Look at them as those whom Christ loves, and so your Jesus has you in this world to love them, care for them, and bear their burdens where you become His arms, and hands, and mouth of ministry. Then Paul says,
"9 For you recall, brothers, our labor and hardship, how working night and day so as not to be a burden to any of you, we proclaimed to you the gospel of God." 1 Thessalonians 2:9
/4/
The fourth principle in the relationship way we should minister to the family of God, is that we should try not to be a burden to those who are not mature, as we proclaim the good news of God. When it came to being supported in ministry, Paul knew he had the right to be paid. He proclaimed it in other epistles. Paul is recorded as accepting money for his personal support on numerous occasions. But when it comes to the Biblical record, we know that there were 2 reasons why Paul did not accept money. One was when he had first brought the gospel, and was establishing a church among a newly reached group. In the formative period of newborns in Christ, Paul, like a nurturing mother, did not want to be a burden to anyone. The other reason was because of an attitude of fleshliness among some of the fledgling churches. It was when money would raise questions among the immature, about Paul's ministry calling. If Paul thought that it would cause a problem with judgmental, immature people, he would opt out of accepting ministerial support from that group. Paul had this problem with the immature, fleshly, church of Corinth. Paul wrote to the Corinthians about this. He expressed both His ministry right to refrain from working, and also the reason why he chose not to exercise his right in respect to the Corinthians. He says,
"6 Or do only Barnabas and I not have a right to refrain from working? 7 Who at any time serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat the fruit of it? Or who tends a flock and does not use the milk of the flock? 8 I am not speaking these things according to human judgment, am I? Or does not the Law also say these things? 9 For it is written in the Law of Moses, 'You shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing.' God is not concerned about oxen, is He? 10 Or is He speaking altogether for our sake? Yes, for our sake it was written, because the plowman ought to plow in hope, and the thresher to thresh in hope of sharing the crops. 11 If we sowed spiritual things in you, is it too much if we reap material things from you? 12 If others share the right over you, do we not more? ..." 1 Corinthians 9:6-12
This is how Paul states the right of a full time minister to receive support from the body. But Paul goes on. He explains that he would forgo such support from the Corinthians because of not wanting to be a personal hindrance to the gospel because of fleshly judgment against Paul. So, Paul says in the rest of the verse,
"... Nevertheless, we did not use this right, but we endure all things so that we will cause no hindrance to the gospel of Christ." 1 Corinthians 9:12
@3 It is godly to endure all things so that we will not cause hindrances to the ____________ because of our personal activities. (1 Corinthians 9:12)
Unlike the more mature Philippian church, from whom Paul received ample support on a continuous basis according to his right, Paul realized that this would be a problem to the babies of Corinth. Paul goes on,
"19 For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more. 22 ... I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some. 23 I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it. 27 ... I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified."
@4 It is godly to do ____ things for the sake of the gospel. (1 Corinthians 9:23)
I deal with this passage extensively in my book, Biblically Defending Salvation. Paul is interested in how he is received. He does not want to be disqualified in the minds of men. He is not worried about being disqualified by God, because Paul believed and taught when you are truly in the family of God you are Once Saved In Eternal Spiritual Salvation (OSIESS), and so Paul, in this instance, does not want to be disqualified by fleshly minded people concerning money. The main point that Paul is making is that he has this right, but he does not always exercise it. In the same way, Paul did not exercise this God given right at Thessalonica in the early part of his ministry. Instead, Paul labored on the side--making tents. Later, he received some money from the church at Philippi to support himself,
"15 And as you Philippians know, at the beginning of my gospel ministry, when I left Macedonia, no church shared with me in this matter of giving and receiving except you alone. 16 For even in Thessalonica on more than one occasion you sent something for my need." Philippians 4:15-16
For us, the relationship way we should minister to the family of God is to be thinking of the people. We should ask:
Can they handle certain burdens?
Are they immature?
This is concern. God says for us to bear one another's burdens. He also says for us to share all things with the one who ministers the word to us, which is also concern for God's mandates in action, but our ministry is also supposed to be one of sensitivity and concern over personal demands. Then Paul says,
"10 You are witnesses, and so is God, how devoutly and uprightly and blamelessly we behaved toward you believers;"
/5/
The fifth principle, in the relationship way you should minister to the family of God, is that you should endeavor to be an exemplary Christian among the body. The body should recognize it. If the people who know you in the church were asked to describe you, they should be able to testify to your devoutness, uprightness, and blamelessness in your ministry. Paul is talking to "you believers" that he ministered to. It is the family way of ministering to the family from the family. More importantly, God should witness these things in us because we answer to our Father in respect to how we treat his family. This leads us to remember that Paul mentioned being like a nurturing mother. Next, Paul goes on and says something very similar in verse 11. It is family language too. He says,
"11 just as you know how we were exhorting and encouraging and imploring each one of you as a father would his own children,"
Like children, like mother, and now like a father.
/6/
The sixth principle in the relationship way we should minister to the family of God, is that we must have such care and surety of our authority and ministry rights in Christ that we minister, in strongly urging, encouraging, and imploring other members of the family of God, with full confidence that we are called to do so. The example of Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy was that they did this as a father would concerning his own children. In the local church body context, God has called and qualified certain men as pastors for this task. In 2 Timothy 2, God indicates that He does not want women to teach or exercise authority over men in the church. But, in Titus, 2:3-5, we read of where older women are to minister to younger women by encouraging
"4 ... the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, 5 to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored." Titus 2:3-5
The big point here for all of us, is that Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, were gentle like nurturing mothers in one sense, but they were carrying the weight of the authority of directing-fathers in their care in another sense. They were on task in ministering to help the body, and they looked at each member of the family of God as opportunities to encourage on to love and godliness in growth and maturity. You and I and all Christians have a mandate to hold one another accountable. I want to encourage you, that you should feel completely justified to minister with directness, in compassion and authority, as a family member who is used by the Holy Spirit to guide others. Paul makes it clear a little further on where he says,
"14 We urge you, brothers, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone." 1 Thessalonians 5:14
The Holy Spirit is telling you what your right and responsibility is to do. You have the authority.
@5 God wants me to be ___________ with everyone. (1 Thessalonians 5:14)
But what I want you to notice, is that this is also the proper way a father should treat his children. He should admonish them when they are unruly. He should encourage them when they are faint hearted (discouraged). He should help them in their weakness. And the fatherly way of parental ministry to his children is to be patient with them. You do all of this, and you are doing real love in real action. It is an excellent, fruit producing, pattern that mimics the heart of your Father in heaven. Finally there is a goal to all of this. Paul says,
"12 so that you would walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory."
@6 God wants me to __________ in a manner worthy of Him who called me into His own kingdom and glory. (1 Thessalonians 2:12)
/7/
The seventh principle in the relationship way we should minister to the family of God, is that what we are exhorting and encouraging and imploring our family toward, is to the worthy walk as citizens of God's kingdom. When we minister, our goal should be to help people to act, in a more perfect way, like Christ is the King and we are His people. Family ministry has a purpose. Your goal, and my goal, is to manifest the fruits of the Spirit of Christ working in us. And what is so beautiful is that God uses you and I as ministers in the body as a means to accomplish this. The goal of it all is that we would grow into the full stature of looking, acting, and thinking more like Christ. It is God's kingdom. It is God's glory. When you speak to others as a nurturing mother, and a directing father, your goal should be to encourage people, in love, to excel still more. We want to help each other to look like citizens of a heavenly kingdom. We want to help each other to reflect the glory of our Lord.
I encourage you to look at the family like God does. Your other family members are Gods' special focus of His love. When we minister, let's love like the Father does. When we minister, let's try to live according to the family principles. Let's seek to bring glory to Christ, and not to ourselves. Let's be humble and gentle like innocent children, and caring like nurturing mothers. Let's have fond affection for one another. Let's have this with those we are offended by, and those we don't get along with very well, and with those we disagree with. Let's be well pleased to impart our own lives for them. Let's try not to be a burden to the immature. Let's endeavor to be exemplary Christians among the body. Let's recognize our authority to implore our family in spiritual things. Let's do all of it with the goal of helping one another to excel in our high calling to look, think, and act, more like Jesus. amen.
@1 Christ Jesus must increase in my life, and I must _____________. (John 3:30)
@2 God does not want me to be quarrelsome (fighting all the time) but wants me to be _________ to all. (2 Timothy 2:24)
@3 It is godly to endure all things so that we will not cause hindrances to the ____________ because of our personal activities. (1 Corinthians 9:12)
@4 It is godly to do ____ things for the sake of the gospel. (1 Corinthians 9:23)
@5 God wants me to be ___________ with everyone. (1 Thessalonians 5:14)
@6 God wants me to __________ in a manner worthy of Him who called me into His own kingdom and glory. (1 Thessalonians 2:12)
