One Amazing Expectation for All Christians

Mike Hosey, An Elder

The New Testament only mentions the man Epaphras three times, but his role in its creation is significant. Not only was he a fellow prisoner with Paul (Philemon 23), but he also founded the church at Colossae (Colossians 1:7), which is where we get Paul’s letter to the Colossians. Paul makes a curious statement about Epaphras in that letter.  He says that Epaphras “struggles” in his prayers on behalf of the Colossian Christians, so that they will reach maturity and stand confidently in the will of God (Colossians 4:12). Epaphras prayed for their maturity.  That is, he prayed for their spiritual growth. His desire for the Christians at the church he founded was such that he “struggled” in prayer. And it was his own maturity that advanced the Kingdom of God in ways that we cannot fathom, and that has spanned generations because he stood confidently in God’s will by founding that church. His prayers show that he sought that same potential in the church that sprang from his own mature obedience.

This is not an uncommon theme in the New Testament.  Just look at Paul’s expectation in Ephesians 4:15 that we are to grow or mature in every way to become more like Christ.  It’s likely that Paul means this both as an individual statement, as well as a collective one.  For instance, he expected that each individual Ephesian would grow to become more like Christ. He also expected that the family of Christians at Ephesus would grow to become more functional as Christ’s body in that area (Ephesians 4:16).

All throughout the New Testament you will find an expectation of growth. Consider how the writer of Hebrews admonishes his fellow Christians for a lack of growth.  He expected to see them as teachers, but found them more like children who needed to be taught again (Hebrews 5:12-14). The writer of Hebrews was disappointed in the progress he found among his brethren. But contrast that with Paul’s statement on progress to Timothy.  Paul is instructing Timothy on how to shepherd his fellow Christians, and he tells him to immerse himself in the reading of scripture, teaching, and of not neglecting the gift he had been given.  He tells him to do this so that everyone may see his progress. 

Every Christian has been given some kind of gift, and there is an expectation on the part of God that every Christian grow toward maturity, and to be more like Christ in the use of that gift. How hae you progressed in the use of yours?

Is Reconciliation More Important than Worship?

Mike Hosey, An Elder

You are likely going to sin against your brothers and sisters at some point in your Christian walk – either intentionally or not. You will say something, do something, or be a part of something that will damage others in a way that will harm your relationship with them.  These sins against others can range from major events, such as sexual infidelity in a marriage, to relatively minor events, such as revealing information that a friend wanted kept secret.  There’s no way to categorize these kinds of things with precision because everyone is different in their sensitivity to slights, wrongs, or offenses, and there are far more wrongs that can be done than we can even imagine. 

But one thing is rather precise, and that is that God expects us to live in a loving relationship with other Christians. 1 John 4:19-21 puts it in stark perspective.  It’s there that we’re told that anyone who says he loves God but hates his brother is a liar. How can we love God who we’ve not seen, and not love our brother who we have seen? Anyone who loves God, must also love his brother.  The bible is packed with verses that teach the same general thing. Another verse, Romans 12:18, tells us that we are to live peaceably with others as far as it depends on us.  Paul’s teaching here is that we are to take great care to promote peace to the best of our own ability. 

In fact, God is so serious about this particular idea that Jesus gives us another stark perspective.  In Matthew 5:21-26, Jesus describes some actual serious sins in which one person might physically or verbally assault another person in anger. Flowing from that discussion, In Matthew 21:23-24, Jesus commands that if we are at the altar and we remember that we have sinned against a brother (or sister), then we are to stop our act of worship and go quickly to our brother (or sister) and be reconciled.  Jesus is saying that in that moment, reconciliation with our brother or sister is more important than the worship! There’s an immediacy to the words of Jesus here.  When you realize that your brother, sister, neighbor, or friend has something against you – that is when you have sinned against them – you are to immediately go to them and do your best to make things right. This means that you are not to wait on them to come to you, but rather you are to go to them.  This is a spiritual act, and it will take supernatural resources to accomplish. But thank God, he’s given us those resources (2 Timothy 1:7, Philippians 4:13).

Don't RelationSLIP Your Parents.

Mike Hosey, An Elder

To honor your mother and father is the fifth commandment in the famous Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:12).  It is different from all of the other commandments in one way, and set apart from 8 of them in another way.  First, it is the only commandment that comes explicitly with a promise (Ephesians 6:2).  If you honor your parents, you will have long life. Although the bible doesn’t say it here, you also generally will have a blessed life.  Giving us parents, and expecting us to honor them, and then to bless us with a long and generally healthy life is one way that God mirrors man’s relationship with himself and his expectations regarding that relationship. 

However, the second way that honoring one’s parents is set apart from most of the others is a bit more curious. Eight of the other commandments are negative.  For instance, in most of the other commandments, we are charged with a “thou shalt not . . .”  So instead of saying to us “don’t do this,”  in the fifth commandment, God tells us to take action.   We are to live our lives in such a way that our parents are honored, revered, set apart, or recognized for our behaviors and actions. The way that we do this honoring, chiefly, is by obeying them during those times in which we live under their direct authority.  However, that, by far, isn’t the only way that we honor them. We honor them by living Godly lives and being functional members of our communities. Our parents are to be recognized, not so much by our successes, but rather by our goodness. Further, we honor them by loving them – that is by being committed to their wellbeing in all of those ways that we are able.  It means being committed to their mental, spiritual and emotional wellbeing by calling them, visiting them, being there for them, and by showing them that we love and appreciate them. All of these are active “thou shalt do” behaviors. 

Finally, one of the most important ways that we honor our parents is by taking care of them when they no longer are able to do so on their own.  Of course, this makes sense.  After all, they took care of us when we were too young to do so for ourselves.  Reciprocation seems more than fair.  The bible puts very great importance on it.  For instance, consider Paul’s discussion of the topic to Timothy. In 1 Timothy 5:3-9 Paul is training the young pastor on how the church should manage widows.  In the context of that discussion, he says that a person who doesn’t take care of the relatives in his own household is “worse than an unbeliever.”  Paul recognizes that children should take care of their parents when they are able, rather than the church, and that if one doesn’t do so, then one’s standing with God might be in question. 

So respect the 5^th commandment, and take care of your parents in an active way. Love them and honor them with your life.  Doing so is a reflection of your relationship with God!