As iron sharpens iron,
one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
“Distinct yet inseparable explains who God is and how God works in his world. It explains what he has created us to be and how he has called us to live within the church.” - Challies
An article at Proclaim & Defend last week raised the question “Do We Still Believe in Backsliding?” For me, the answer is, “Yes, but not in the way you mean.”
In general, we should describe the Christian life using biblical language in a biblical way. When we do that, we avoid a lot of misunderstanding or misemphasis. So, considering the topic of backsliding, we should start with three questions:
“I still think about that diagnosis when I find myself in a similar spiritual malaise of both needle-like tingling and numbness at the same time.” - Chuck Lawless
“Confessions is well-written and rewards re-reading, but ultimately it is good because it is true. It is a book by and for the restless soul, which is every soul.” - Word by Word
“The LORD will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the LORD is the key to this treasure. (Isaiah 33:6)” - Geiger
Read the series.
Biblical fellowship is a two-sided coin, or a two-edged sword, or a two-way street, or something. (The title of this post strongly implies that I don’t know anything at all about baseball.)
Read the series.
Last time we considered a passage from Ephesians 5 that provided some basic principles to underlie our exercise of fellowship. This time I’d like to consider a different Pauline passage, one that helps us recognize when we’re succeeding.
In the opening paragraph of Philippians 2, Paul exhorts the church to live out their unity in Christ in several specific ways—
“The first time I shared my testimony, my campus ministry leader said, ‘I love that we see God’s grace through TikTok.’ I was shocked.” - TGC
Read the series.
It’s time to look a little more closely at what we’re actually doing as we minister our gifts to one another in the church.
A passage I find helpful in this regard is the opening paragraph of Ephesians 5, which is just one sentence with two main verbs that point us to how we conduct our relationships in the church.
Last time we noted that from the beginning we’ve been designed for fellowship, for interpersonal relationships—and that for our time in history, the church is a significant part of God’s plan for that. He even commands us to keep at it.
OK, if God says I’m supposed to fellowship, then I will.
Discussion