United

1 Corinthians 1:10-17

 ^"I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. What I mean is that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.” Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name. (I did baptize alsothe household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power."

I married a Diamondbacks fan... it's not my favorite thing about my husband, but I deal with it. See, I am a Dodger fan. Born and raised. I may not follow them as closely as a diehard fan should, but no matter what state I live in I will proudly sport that beautiful blue (much to the dismay of my husband.) I think that is is fun to be a fanatic. We love to declare our allegiance to a team or a television show or even a pastor. How many times have I heard a person say, "Do you listen to  Piper? I love Piper!" only to hear, "Nah... I'm more of a Driscoll person." I mean, I've even heard people get into arguments over that kind of thing. Do you see how this is finally relating to 1 Corinthians? There is something in our human nature that wants something to belong to. The problem here, and so often in our culture, is the Corinthians were raising the wrong banner. 

Paul's plea in this passage is for the church to "be united."  He wants them to be of "the same mind and the same judgment." There is so much the church can learn from verse 10. If you want read more in depth about that call to unity, I encourage you to read John Piper's sermon, "The Nature of the Unity We Seek".  But the main idea that struck a cord with me is that we, as a body, are to be moving together toward a common goal with a shard purpose. Not only should our direction be the same (our mind), but our reason for that direction as well (our judgment). So often we get so caught up in what God has put right in front of us that we forget He has a global, eternal purpose for the Church. We are a part of the Church. We are a redeemed people through Christ who was crucified for us. The gospel unites us under one purpose which is the Kingdom of God. Along the way the Lord is so good to us. He is teaching individuals different things. He moves us in different directions and little by little convicts us, shaping us into vessels to be used for a specific end. However, if we get tunnel vision about a specific theological camp, or missional mindset, or way of doing ministry, we divide the Church. 

When I thought about how the Spirit unifies I was reminded of something my pastor, Josh Reich said on Sunday. He was talking specifically about seeking the will of God in our lives, but I think it applies here too. He said, "Anything that moves the mission of God forward, that makes more of Jesus and less of you, that is what the Spirit is all about!" That is the banner we should raise. United. Seeking the Kingdom for our good and His glory. 

God is Faithful

1 Corinthians 1: 4-9

"I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, that in every way you were enriched in Him in speech and all knowledge - even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you - so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord."

When I read this passage my heart stands up inside me and screams "Look at all the AMAZING things God does for you!!! Look at how AWESOME you get to be, and it has NOTHING to do with you!" I feel like that is the basic idea behind what Paul is telling this church. He loves them, he is grateful for them, he thinks they are pretty cool. But, he gives them none of the credit for it. Everything we are is in Christ and everything that we have to be grateful for is because He is faithful.

Paul lays out their life in Christ. First, he is grateful to God "because of the grace of God that was given (them) in Christ Jesus". He is grateful for their salvation. He is glad that they are saved by the grace of God and that this is His work, not theirs (Eph. 2:8). Paul is also grateful that they are "enriched in Him" and "not lacking in any spiritual gift". I'm so blown away but this. God doesn't save us and then walk away from us. It's not as if He says, "cool! now I'll see you in 40 years. Good luck with your life, I hope you make me proud. I guess we'll see on that judgment day how you did." No! If He did I don't think any of us would be surprised. I mean the majority of the church walks around as if that is what they believe anyway (I know I do). Instead, He has equipped us with what we need to glorify Him. He as made us lacking in nothing and it is Him that sustains us till the end. It is the Lord who will present us to Himself "guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ". He saves us, He sanctifies us, He glorifies us. He does it all! Look at all the AMAZING things God does for you!!!

These are some pretty splendid promises. They are massive and our lives depend on them. Paul completes his thanksgiving by remind us why we will not be disappointed. "God is faithful". He is. Always. And the assurance we are given is our salvation. It was by God that you were called to salvation, "into the the fellowship of His Son". When I look back at my salvation I recognize how much I was running in the opposite direction. But God called me. He was irresistible. He was stubborn. He was faithful to me when I was completely faithless. That is how I know He will do what He says. Because He as already done such amazing things for me. He has already done it all, and He will complete my journey to Himself for my good and His glory.

And away we go...

Introduction

When it comes the Corinthians, they seem like so many other prosperous cities in the

Roman Empire. Large due to trade and military. Corrupt due to a pagan temple. And a

church that is caught somewhere between the indulgence of the city and the morality of

empty religion. I think this feels a lot like the world we live in today. But that makes sense.

There is nothing new under the sun. Sin is the same today as it was then. However, so is the

God we serve. He is the one who speaks light into the darkness. Paul writes to the

Corinthians in response to reports he has received from the church. He addresses internal

issues and answers questions they have about the specifics of Christian life. Something I

love about Paul is that he is very thematic. His epistles speak on many different subjects, but

woven through different topics is always one theme that he is driving home. In this letter,

Paul desires that the church be unified. I was amazed that in the greeting, just the first three

verses, Paul is already making clear the oneness of the Church body.

1 Corinthians 1:1-3

Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes,

To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints

together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both

their Lord and ours:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 

The word “our” is used 4 times in these 3 verses. Paul speaks of “our brother”, “our Lord

Jesus”, referring to Him as “their Lord and ours”, and “God our Father”. Paul is connecting

himself with the church. The God they serve is not theirs, He is ours. He is the thing that

unifies. And He doesn’t just unite Paul and the Corinthian church, He unites all believers

everywhere together. The letter is addressed “To the church of God that is in Corinth….

Together with all those who in every place call upon the name of out Lord Jesus Christ,”

When I read this it struck me that this letter was written to me as well. We cannot read this

letter and claim it is for another culture in another time. If we call on the name of Christ, this

letter is for us. If we call on the name of Christ, we are united with this church 2000 years ago

through His name.

This unity is through His name and it is for His name. In John 17:21 Jesus

prays, “that they may be one, just as You, Father are in Me, and I in You, that they also may

be in Us, so that the world may believe that You have sent me.” Our unity is for so much

more than brotherhood or solidarity. It is because when they see our love for our brothers

and a mutual sacrifice in order to have harmony, the world will take notice. They will

understand that Christ is who He says He is. I reflected on how many issues I take with

God’s people and how much that must grieve the Lord. I have an opportunity when there is

disagreement with a sister to not only preach (through my actions) the Gospel to that sister,

but also to the world watching. Christ laid down His life for me. I can humbly submit to others,

laying down my right to be right. I can fight for oneness in the church. I hope, as I join a new

church body, I will make that my goal. As far as I am able, I will fight for oneness for our good

and God’s glory.

Conquering: Revisited

It has come to my attention that (again) I have been neglecting this blog. Although a crazy work schedule, involvement in my local church, keeping up a social life and planning a wedding may be justification enough for blowing off my blog, all of that is not reason enough to neglect time with the Lord. I have let an inconsistent schedule be my excuse for pushing aside my Bible for the last two years. Now that things are starting to quiet down, I can hear the Lord prompting me to return to His Word and deepen my knowledge of Him. 

As I thought back on school and the sweet times I had in the Word, some of my favorite times were during the course I took on preaching. I loved spreading my books out on the floor of my dorm room and diving deeper into a passage of Scripture. When I began this blog I wanted it to be a reflection of what I was studying. I am determined to do that now.  

So... here is the plan. 

Once a week I commit to writing a sermon on the passage I am studying. Not  a long one, more of a devotion really. And I am going to post a summary or my favorite thoughts here. Not that I believe I have something to teach the world, but more because I know God has something to teach me. I am motivated by deadlines, so Fridays by noon with be my due date. And the book I will be going through for the next probably year of my life is going to be 1 Corinthians. 1) because I have study materials on it and 2) because I love both the Gospel truth and the life application found in Paul's letters. 

Friday, September 7th will be my first post. An introduction to 1 Corinthians and Paul's greetings to the church. If any of you feels the desire to keep my accountable I would love some gentle (or not so) nagging if I miss my deadline. I am so excited to see what God teaches me. Thanks for supporting me as I study His Word for my good and His glory.

UPDATE: 
It's been over 2 months since I began this project. I found out that the deadline, the goal, the study wasn't enough of a motivator for me to be daily in God's Word. But finally I think the Lord is revealing to me my true heart. I have spent so long trying to fill my day with things that I wanted to satisfy me. But none of them were enough. And the more I fill myself with these things, the less room I left of the Spirit to move in me. What is enough to motivate me to change is the Cross. Jesus died so that we could live in Him. He gave His life because only He can satisfy our needs. I'm doing some practical things to help redeem my days. Like organizing my day and week and pulling out my old prayer journals to keep things tangible. But my hope and prayer is the Lord keeps my need for Him ever before my eyes and I would labor after Him first. (updated 11/26/12)

Wiggin' Out

"So..." She began with a look of genuine care across her face, "how are you doing with all the changes coming up in your life?" I hadn't been asked that question yet. I'd been asked "where will you live?" "what will you do?" "how are the plans?" but not "how are you doing?" and the answer is pretty simple. "I'm FREAKED!" Yes i am SO stoked to be married! Yes, I can not wait to begin a life with Jake. But in all honesty. I'm wiggin' out on the inside. In four months EVERYTHING changes. My home, my roommate, my job, my family (the part where i gain a new one) my church, my city, even my grocery shopping. Nothing will be the same. I will go from Abigail Thomson, San Diego barista living with 3 friends from college attending Kaleo church and dating the SDCC chaplain to Abigail Ruth Wilhelm. And with the new name will come new everything else.

That is the intro of a blog I intended to write on how Christ is interceding for my life before the Father. And maybe I'll get to that blog eventually. But suddenly I realized that those last few lines sound like the beginning of an identity crisis. And they are, aren't they? It's only a matter of time and I will no longer be Abigail Thomson San Diego anything. So, if that is what my identity is in I'm in trouble. Desperate, tragic trouble. And i should be wiggin' out that is the only reasonable thing to do. HOWEVER, i want more than that. I want to stand firm, not feel shaken. And I can, Because my true identity is in the one who bought me with His blood. It is as a daughter of the Most High God. I pray He reminds me daily of that for my good and His glory.

Now... Would you do something for me? Would you comment on this post with verses that remind you of you of your identity in Christ? It would be a HUGE encouragement to me. Thank you for sharing!

Perfection

It has been a crazy couple of months. Pair that with the fact that I was never a very diligent blogger to begin with, and the result is an almost 3 month absence from posting. But here I am again realizing that what I thought would be a simple project of recording random ramblings and periodic ponderings has morphed into a once-a-month (or once-a-three-month) attempt to express within a small community the impact that Christ is having on me. 

 

Welp... I'm engaged! December 18th 2011 I agreed to marry Jake W Wilhelm. He is such a good man and I am so beyond blessed to be his wife in to the not too distant future. For years I have looked forward to being engaged. Being a wife and a mother has been the goal of my professional career since I was in elementary school. While other kids wanted to grow up to be doctors, firefighters, teachers and soccer players I wanted to be an archeologist! However, I soon outgrew that childish fantasy and settled comfortably into the dream of domestic engineer. Now, I see the dream stretched out before me and I can't wait to begin! But inwardly I'm scared. I thought I'd be MORE by now. More patient, more kind, more submissive, more encouraging, more wise, dare I say more perfect. 

This leads me to the lesson the Lord has been teaching me in the last few months. I am not perfect. SHOCKER! The Lord has shown me my weaknesses in new and beautiful ways through engagement. And it's been frustrating. I mean you think that knowing I'm not expected to be perfect would be relief but instead I'm annoyed. And here is the real kicker. God has been peeling away the layers to reveal my true heart about perfection. I don't want to be perfect to bless others or to be the best wife ever. I want personal perfection because I want salvation on my terms. It's not enough for me that Christ died to reconcile a wretch like me to Himself, I want to earn it on my own. Like the little girl up the street I stomp my foot and shriek "I do it MYSELF!" 

I believe that in this the Lord is even more gracious to me. He kindly reveals my imperfections. This is kindness because only when I see them as truth can I turn to Him. My Hero. My Redeemer. The one who sees the sin that my heart has closed its eyes to and takes it, giving to me what I strive so hard for on my own. Perfection. May I rejoice in the flaws of my humanity because they are the reason I receive the blessing of Christ Himself. I need Him and may I daily acknowledge it, for my good and His glory.

Takes Me Back...

Tomorrow Jake is speaking in chapel. I am so excited to go hear him preach the Word of God. He is nervous. TOTALLY understandable! And as I was seeking to encourage him I couldn't help but wonder to myself, "will he speak clearly?", "will his transitions work so that it flows?", "will the students accept what he has to say?", "will they respect him?" I was taken back to my days sittings in chapel at SDCC. Feeling the safety of the anonimity that a crowd of students brings, I was more than happy to judge the speaker (and his walk w/ the Lord) based on the 20 minute sermonette he had just delivered. I neatly tucked away mental scores based on stage presence, humor, theology, Bible translation used and relate-ability. Yet, as I sought to calm Jake's nerves a passage from Isaiah came to mind.

"For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
   and do not return there but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
    giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
   it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
   and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it."

Isaiah 55:10-11

Why did I not consider this in school? I was so full of my own self-righteousness that I forgot it is the Lord that works. HIS Word does not return empty with out accomplishing HIS purpose because it is HIM who has sent It. I love this passage. I pray that as I continue to grow in the Lord, He will grow my love for His people. Especially those He has called to teach His word. (It really is not easy task, and I truly appreciate those men who take up this post). I pray that my heart will be one of discernment rather than judgment so I may find joy in the expounding of His truth. I pray He will bring this about for my good and His glory.