Signs in the End Times Church (Part 3)
Part 3 – Intimacy with Our First Love
Continued from Parts 1 and 2 http://mitchellmalloy.blogspot.com/2012/06/signs-in-end-times-church.html
Experiencing God should be the biggest ambition of the church… He has to remain our First Love! Why would anyone want to go to heaven if not to be with God and the whole family of believers? The book of Revelation warns the church in Ephesus to recall and hold onto its First Love or face serious consequences. At first glance the Ephesus church seems to be rock solid:
I’ve seen some Christian leaders point to the spiritually euphoric or profound experience as the necessary proof of God’s anointing, but if the Fruit of the Spirit doesn’t accompany the activity, I have to question if it’s truly from God. Without the spiritual maturing that comes through a committed relationship, it is more like “spiritual and emotional pleasure-seeking” than the “marriage model” He has given us. And like a marriage relationship that is only held together through physically euphoric moments, it will either wither under trial or break down under temptation.
Jesus told us that we can judge a tree by its fruit. A good tree will bear good fruit and a bad tree will bear bad fruit. (Matthew 7:16-18) I think we may have a misconception about what constitutes “good fruit” and “bad fruit”. I once thought: “I don’t know if I’ve ever led someone to the Lord… am I producing good fruit?” It really bothered me and for selfish reasons I wanted to evangelize. I was on a mission, and while Jesus used my selfish reasons for good purposes, I recognize it was my mission and not His. Then I read something that made evangelization easy:
The pressure was off… I just needed to be faithful to plant and water, leaving the germination and growth to God. I recognized that my motivation needs to flow from both a loving obedience to God and a love for others, not as a self-edifying indicator of my salvation or holiness. So that caused me to wonder: “what exactly is ‘good fruit’?” When Paul taught in Galatians 5 (supported by Ephesians 5) on life by the Spirit, he explained the concept of the good fruit and the bad fruit in a way that fits contextually with Jesus’ description. The fruit grows in us, for us and through us a marker of Christ’s reign in our lives. When that happens, the Kingdom of Heaven is truly near!
Some people point to numbers as the fruit by which a church can be judged (e.g. – regular attendance, commitments / baptisms, etc.). But if people are following the wrong thing, I wonder if it might be an inoculation against authentic Christianity, destined for disappointment. In my experience, I’ve seen it lead people away from the One Hope we have in Jesus. So I’m reminded of Paul’s rebuke to those that proclaimed a false gospel:
Continued... Part 4 – Marriage of the Administrative and Prophetic
http://mitchellmalloy.blogspot.com/2012/07/signs-in-end-times-church-part-4.html
Continued from Parts 1 and 2 http://mitchellmalloy.blogspot.com/2012/06/signs-in-end-times-church.html
Experiencing God should be the biggest ambition of the church… He has to remain our First Love! Why would anyone want to go to heaven if not to be with God and the whole family of believers? The book of Revelation warns the church in Ephesus to recall and hold onto its First Love or face serious consequences. At first glance the Ephesus church seems to be rock solid:
I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.
Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. (Revelation 2:2-3)
But even though that particular community seems to be doing everything else right, without its First Love, God threatens to remove the church. (NOTE: Revelation 1 explains that lampstands represent churches). The Church was created to be Christ’s Bride and not just a vanguard of doctrinal purity. God’s message of peace is born out of His desire for a love relationship with us. His pure and infinite love demands a deeply committed and intimate love response from us.
I’ve talked with many people throughout the years about the importance of intimacy with God, and I understand that there are different interpretations for this term. Intimacy with God needs to be understood as something more steadfast than a string of spiritually euphoric experiences; it is recognized as a deepening relationship that grows through both difficult and victorious moments, much like a marriage relationship. The Fruit of the Spirit is produced through the maturation process: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23) Even in the midst of great pain or trial, the mature believer bears this fruit. Sure, there might be some momentary breakdowns, but we recognize God’s working in us through the fruit He bears in us.
I’ve talked with many people throughout the years about the importance of intimacy with God, and I understand that there are different interpretations for this term. Intimacy with God needs to be understood as something more steadfast than a string of spiritually euphoric experiences; it is recognized as a deepening relationship that grows through both difficult and victorious moments, much like a marriage relationship. The Fruit of the Spirit is produced through the maturation process: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23) Even in the midst of great pain or trial, the mature believer bears this fruit. Sure, there might be some momentary breakdowns, but we recognize God’s working in us through the fruit He bears in us.
I’ve seen some Christian leaders point to the spiritually euphoric or profound experience as the necessary proof of God’s anointing, but if the Fruit of the Spirit doesn’t accompany the activity, I have to question if it’s truly from God. Without the spiritual maturing that comes through a committed relationship, it is more like “spiritual and emotional pleasure-seeking” than the “marriage model” He has given us. And like a marriage relationship that is only held together through physically euphoric moments, it will either wither under trial or break down under temptation.
Jesus told us that we can judge a tree by its fruit. A good tree will bear good fruit and a bad tree will bear bad fruit. (Matthew 7:16-18) I think we may have a misconception about what constitutes “good fruit” and “bad fruit”. I once thought: “I don’t know if I’ve ever led someone to the Lord… am I producing good fruit?” It really bothered me and for selfish reasons I wanted to evangelize. I was on a mission, and while Jesus used my selfish reasons for good purposes, I recognize it was my mission and not His. Then I read something that made evangelization easy:
I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. (1 Corinthians 3:6-8)
The pressure was off… I just needed to be faithful to plant and water, leaving the germination and growth to God. I recognized that my motivation needs to flow from both a loving obedience to God and a love for others, not as a self-edifying indicator of my salvation or holiness. So that caused me to wonder: “what exactly is ‘good fruit’?” When Paul taught in Galatians 5 (supported by Ephesians 5) on life by the Spirit, he explained the concept of the good fruit and the bad fruit in a way that fits contextually with Jesus’ description. The fruit grows in us, for us and through us a marker of Christ’s reign in our lives. When that happens, the Kingdom of Heaven is truly near!
Some people point to numbers as the fruit by which a church can be judged (e.g. – regular attendance, commitments / baptisms, etc.). But if people are following the wrong thing, I wonder if it might be an inoculation against authentic Christianity, destined for disappointment. In my experience, I’ve seen it lead people away from the One Hope we have in Jesus. So I’m reminded of Paul’s rebuke to those that proclaimed a false gospel:
But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse! (Galatians 1:8-9)
Continued... Part 4 – Marriage of the Administrative and Prophetic
http://mitchellmalloy.blogspot.com/2012/07/signs-in-end-times-church-part-4.html
