Fresh Speaking
(Nancy's notes from Lord's Day, August 22, 2010)
Did you enjoy the songs last night? The Christian life is a pathway leading into glory! The way the Lord makes Himself glorious is by making us glorious. And along the way we have companions to help us go along this way. The end result is His longed for counterpart. In God's will, Christ is the focus. He headed up all things in Christ. This heading up is to the church, His body, His fullness. He is the One who fills. He fills by our eating and drinking! He is the One who fills all in all. There are a lot of parts in me that He needs to fill. He needs to put the saints in my heart. God's will is 1) to head up all things in Christ 2) to the church, His body 3) to fill all in all.
So, I make up my mind to read the Bible every day and become filled with grandeur that I am so much? We need to eat and drink Christ! He has become so small for us to eat! How small He is to get into us and fill us.
The will of God is not according to my understanding. We need the saints to apprehend. In Col. 1 Paul says, "I do not cease to pray and ask on your behalf". God fills us by dispensing Himself into us, and immediately we pray for the saints. His will is to take us out of one realm- darkness, old creation - and bring us into another realm - the realm of the Son of His love. We have all been put into Christ that He can dispense Himself into us. He is the Head, we are the body. In every part of the Bible, God's desire is revealed to us. When we see God's will, we can not remain in our old way of living. A heart filled not with self, but with others - this is the will of God. God's view must be our view!!!! Our living must fall in line with God's view!
Phil.1 "I thank God upon all my remembrance of you."
I (Mike) appreciate all the saints. With our situation Kathy is not able to do things. The saints have been there to care for us. Paul brought dinner, Nancy Stapp has been to the nursing home every day to care for Kathy's mom. It is so wonderful to know that the saints have us in their hearts.
Phil. 1:7 " ...because you have me in your hearts.."
You have me in your hearts. Therefore I can speak such a bold word to you. Therefore I do not cease to pray for you. My prayer is for your going on.
v.19 - because of your prayer, this will turn out to my salvation. That Christ will be magnified in my body, for to me to live is Christ. I remain in the flesh because the saints really need me! We should really have such a heart. We are confident of the saints' need for us, and our need for them. Don't think your Christ is too small. I need that part! Being headed up in Christ - as the body - we need each other. My being in the meeting, my calling you, etc. is for you. His filling, His dispensing, is by our opening to Him daily, for the saints, that this filling will fill all in all. As members of His body, we can all testify that by one another, He can fill all in all.
v.27 - "conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel"
Not to be nosey about each others situations, but to struggle together for one another for the same goal. This struggling together is the manner worthy of the gospel - to remain in the flesh, to struggle, to be spent for the sake of others, to be poured out as a drink offering. Now, we live if you stand firm in the Lord. Your Christ is my hope. Christ needs you, and so do we all. Every member is necessary.