Fellowship

I was thinking this morning again about the Bible study that I went to on Monday.  It was just so refreshing to sit with like-minded people and share with them who I was - my past, my future, my goals, my struggles, my anxieties - without worrying about being judged. 

I also found the text that we discussed rather ironic.  We were in Philippians 2, which encourages its readers to fellowship with and lift each other up and to stay strong in the faith, even in difficult times.  What a great God we serve!  Our God is one who sends us reminders exactly when we need them.

Fellowship is so important.  And the great thing is that God is not limited by national boundaries.  He has called us to lift each other up, but we don't have to assume that that is only possible when we are in our own native country.  That was one thing I was worried about before coming to orientation - how would I find somewhere to worship in a small town where I didn't speak the language?  Well, instead of bringing me to a church, God brought the church to me.

So I encourage you, find somewhere you can worship with other believers.  It doesn't have to be in an organized church....but it has to be somewhere.  We can't live out this thing called Christianity by ourselves.  We need each other.

Philippians 2:1-18

Imitating Christ’s Humility

¹ Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, ² then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. ³ Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, ⁴ not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
 ⁵ In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
 ⁶ Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; ⁷ rather, he made himself by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. ⁸ And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! ⁹ Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
   and gave him the name that is above every name, ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
   in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹ and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Do Everything Without Grumbling

 ¹² Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, ¹³ for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.  ¹⁴ Do everything without grumbling or arguing, ¹⁵ so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky ¹⁶ as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain. ¹⁷ But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. ¹⁸ So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.

The bare necessity

I've spent this week helping my father get some work done on one of his home repairs that he's working on.  The heat is absolutely unbearable, the bugs merciless, the hours unending, and the work unpleasant.  It is easy to complain about the unpleasantness of the situation; in fact, it is difficult not to.

So I was very much convicted today when I opened my Bible to Philippians 2.  It says in that chapter to "do everything without grumbling or arguing."  What a tall order that is!  Sometimes I think that we as human beings believe that complaining is part of our natural birthright and responsibility.  We complain about anything and everything that we can think of, anything that is even remotely unpleasant.

So I thought to myself, "if grumbling is such a common human characteristic, how can God expect us to not do it??"  But read further.  It says that we will shine because of our lack of complaining - as we hold to the Word of life.

God doesn't expect us to be perfect.  He expects us to hold to His Word.  That is, in a nutshell, the "bare necessity" of life.  And once we've got that down, we can expect God to make a habit out of doing the impossible in our lives.  Like, for example, making content people out of natural complainers.

Philippians 2:14-18

 ¹⁴ Do everything without grumbling or arguing, ¹⁵ so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.”  Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky ¹⁶ as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain. ¹⁷ But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. ¹⁸ So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.