Give Thanks - part 1
For Unity in Christ
"Rejoice in the Lord, always!" Throughout the Bible, one defining characteristic of our relationship with our Creator is 'joy'. This joy is expressed through thankfulness. We give thanks for what God has done. We give thanks for what He is doing. And, we give thanks for what will be done. Thankfulness is an attitude of life that counters the sinfulness of coveting. Now, in our day and age, we do not hear much about coveting anymore. That's because it has become more of a virtue than a vice. But, it goes by a new name--commercialism. Commercialism is the drive to sell things. But, it has also become a way of life for many.
Consider how products and services are sold these days. It is no longer about what lasts the longest--in fact most products are made consumable so that you have to keep buying them. It is not about what is the best quality manufacturing--those $200 sunglasses break just as easily as the $5 ones. Most commercials are about the experience of the product. Next time a car commercial comes on, listen to how they are selling it. They are selling the experience of the vehicle. Most of the time used is about what the people are doing with the car rather the car itself. The goal of advertising is to sell the product, and today, the most effective way is to promise this product will make life easier/better/more enjoyable.
The problem with this mentality is that no thing can make life better. The things of this life are passing away. Rust, moth, time, and now even our own fickle desires ultimately destroy the things in our life. The perfect example is the smart phone. This little device can open up endless opportunity for knowledge, communication, and entertainment. And yet, each year, sometimes twice a year, a newer better version comes out making the previous ones unsatisfying and undesirable for the adherents of commercialism. In the 19th and 20th centuries, humanity was promised that technology would realize the possibilities of a utopian life. Even in the 60s, and continuing today, Star Trek taught pop culture that one day humanity would achieve world peace and exponentially greater prosperity, all because of the wonders of technology. But, as anyone who has ever read the comments section on an article knows, that dream is simply just a dream.
So what is the answer for Christians? How do we live as sojourners in a world of the false hope in commercialism?
Turn with me to Philippians 4:4-7.
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
- Philippians 4:4-7
Rejoice always! That Greek word is pantote. Do you know what it means? It means "always", "all times". Rejoice all the time. Paul says it again in case you miss it. He is saying, "Yes, I do mean always." We can rejoice in good times and bad, because we know Christ is on the throne, and He is working out His plan in our lives.
Verse 5 tells us to let our reasonableness, or some translations will have 'gentleness', be known to everyone. That particular word, epiekes, is a catch-all term that includes gentleness, patience, fairness, and mildness. It is a patient response to a trying situation. How can we have this attitude? Because "the Lord is at hand". We do not have to be anxious about anything, because the Lord is at hand. The proper response to trying times, and in easier times, is patient endurance and contentment in the Lord's work. What should we do? "In everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God."
We rejoice in the Lord by:
- living in a state of prayer (constant communication)
- living in thanksgiving.
Sometimes when Christians are taught to pray, they are taught to offer thanks and then offer requests. This is fine, however, I should note that Paul is not separating the two here. The supplication, our petitions and requests, are coupled with the thanksgiving. We thank God for what has been provided and for what will be provided. We expect God to provide for our requests, because Jesus said that whatever we pray for will be provided. We make these requests with thanksgiving, because it is in the attitude of thanks that we realize God has already provided so much for us. Sometimes we ask for things that we already have, because we have been caught in the trap of commercialism. It happens to the best of us, but it is only in constant prayer with our Heavenly Father will we recognize the trap.
But, if we are wise in our prayers, and maintain this attitude of thankfulness, look what Paul promises us: "And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Christian, if you want peace in your life, give thanks to God.
Peace comes with thankfulness.
If we want peace in our church, peace in our hearts, peace in our country, we have to give thanks to God. It is not by coincidence that the rise of commercialism, and the entitlement attitudes of today, have also included an increase in societal disruptions and wars. Selfish ambition leads to conflict and sin, James 3:16, "For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice."
For the next few weeks, we will examine a few things for which to give thanks. Today, we will give thanks for fellowship in Christ.
We give thanks for fellowship in Christ
There are times when we experience an overwhelming sense of unity in a local church. Unfortunately, it feels few and far between for many congregations. However, when the local church is of one mind and one mission, they find themselves in that sweet state of fellowship. Now, as Baptists, we hear the word fellowship often, and typically, it involves a meal. Every month our association invites pastors to a luncheon where the goal is to get them to fellowship with one another in order to spark cooperation. The event itself is commendable, but it continues the misunderstanding of the word 'fellowship'. Fellowship is not about eating, it is having one mind and one mission. It is true unity.
Fellowship in Christ also goes by the name 'the Body of Christ'. Christ physically walked the earth, died on the cross, and then rose again. After His resurrection, He walked the earth for awhile longer to teach the disciples what they needed before He ascended to heaven. Now, the Church is the physical representative of Christ in the world. We are Christ's ambassadors. We live on earth knowing that earth is not our final home. We are on our way to heaven, and our goal is to bring as many people with us as will come.
With that in mind, let us look three passages which speak to who we are in Christ, what we are becoming as Christ's people, and what we will be at the culmination of human history.
We are one body : 1 Corinthians 12:12-27
For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.
For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.
The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.
Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.
Paul uses the illustration of the body to explain the role each believer plays in the Church. Now, this passage falls into the greater context of Paul's discussion of spiritual gifts. We will return to the topic of spiritual gifts another day, but for now, I would like to focus on verse 27--"You are the body of Christ and individually members of it." Notice how verse 12 mirrors verse 27. These verses are the main point Paul is making concerning the Spirit and the gifts He gives us. There is one Holy Spirit who empowers the many believers with a variety of gifts. These gifts reveal themselves in even more contexts, but ultimately, each believer is a member of the Body of Christ with a job to do. Furthermore, each believer is necessary to complete the mission of Christ, and no one member should be jealous, or consider himself better, than another.
There is one Spirit who brings eternal life to those who put their faith in the One Lord, Jesus Christ.
Now look at verse 13. Paul states we are baptized into one body--Jews or Greeks, slaves or free. At the time, the Jews considered there to be only two races, Jew and Gentile. The Romans stated the same, only they considered the groups to be Roman or barbarian. As much as the Jews did not want to associate with Gentiles, the Romans felt the same. The Jewish people were a bizarre group that were better left to the fringes of the Empire.
Paul is writing to the Christians in Corinth who undoubtedly were primarily Gentile, however, there were Jews in Corinth, as well. The Corinthian church would be a motley group, because of Corinth's demographics as a major trade city. But, Paul does not say the Gentiles became Jewish, or the Jews became Gentiles, he says they have been baptized into one body--the body of Christ.
The Early Church continued this teaching using the term, "the Third Race". Where once there existed the race of Jews and the race of Gentiles, now there also exists the third race of "Christian". The Church, as a whole, has seem to have forgotten this doctrine. For Christians, it is not a question of black, white, or brown, not of which country your family descends, it is a question of whether a person is in Christ. These political, geographic, and social boundaries dissolve in the body of Christ. Whatever your political leanings on race, immigration, and the multitude of other issues facing our country, the fact of Christianity is that you have more in common with the believing refugee than your unbelieving neighbor.
How does that work out politically? I leave that to the politicians. But, theologically, and in terms of Christian ethics, we are to care for the aliens in our midsts, because we know that we, too, are aliens in this world. God called the Israelites to care for the sojourners and aliens in Israel, because the Israelites were also aliens in Egypt. As the Third Race, whose homeland is Heaven, we, too, are called to care for the immigrant and sojourner.
“Third Race” is a theological term that describes the new creation in Christ.
Paul continues his illustration pointing out how each member of the body serves a different function and are treated differently. Some body parts are fine for people to see, others require more modesty. Modesty is needed for the parts that are less honorable in society, but have more honor to the individual. There is an ethical side note regarding modesty which young people must learn. Modesty is not about arbitrary rules and restrictions, it is about keeping honor where honor is due, and not giving away honor to those who are unworthy.
Likewise, some members of the body are considered weaker, but they are indispensable to the body. The eye is a very fragile organ, but without it, a person is blind. The pinky toe is the most susceptible to the late night stubbing, but when it suffers, the whole body suffers--and bounces and aches. Thus, as verse 26 states, "If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together."
We are one body in Christ, and thus, we are just as invested in Kingdom work abroad as we are here. Now, of course, we cannot have the same influence or hands-on experience with endeavors abroad, but we should pray for them and rejoice with them just the same. So far, I have had no influence in Christ's work in the Middle East that I know of. But, I rejoice every time I hear stories of what is happening there. I rejoice because for centuries Christians have been told Muslims don't want anything to do with Christians, and we should just stay away. But, we are seeing a great movement of the Holy Spirit today. Likewise, growing up we would talk about missionaries going to Africa. Now, Africa sends missionaries to the U.S. I am excited that Christianity is flourishing in these supposed "unreachable places". However, I am dismayed at stories where Christians are succumbing to the traps of liberalism, syncretism, and other cultural influences. There are members of the body of Christ suffering, and the whole body suffers for it.
What happens to one group of Christians affects the rest of us, because we are all members of one body.
Consider the number of leaders who have fallen to temptation. Every time a Catholic priest or a Baptist preacher is called out and castigated for immorality and lawlessness, the Church suffers. Our witness is tainted. It is only when we are the first to discipline rather than the last are we able to maintain our moral authority.
We are becoming one holy nation : 1 Peter 2:4-12
As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in Scripture:
“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone,
a cornerstone chosen and precious,
and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe,
“The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone,”and
“A stone of stumbling,
and a rock of offense.”They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.
- 1 Peter 2:4-12
This brings us to our next passage: 1 Peter 2:4-12. Peter uses the illustration of building a house. Much like Paul's 'Body of Christ' metaphor, Peter is illustrating how each Christian is a stone in the spiritual house. Christ is the cornerstone chosen by God, and we are the stones added to the building. The goal is to be one house, a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. In the Old Testament, God commissioned the Israelites to build a Temple for Him to reside in. Now, under the New Covenant, we ourselves are that temple. God resides in our hearts, and each one of us is unified into the one Temple of God.
Then, look again at verse 9. "You are a chosen race." Again we see the beginnings of this term "Third Race". We are a royal priesthood. We have a royal lineage now, because we have been adopted by the King into the family of the One True King. However, that royal lineage is not just to rule what He has made us stewards over, but also as a priest we are to make intercession for those around us, bringing them closer to Christ in order that they too can be saved and adopted into the family. We are a people for His own possession. We no longer live for us, we live for our King. Only when we have truly given ourselves over to the King will we find true meaning, true living, and we will not be able to help but proclaim the excellencies of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light.
The one who lives in Christ will give thanks to Christ for being called out of darkness into light.
Last, verses 11 & 12 leave us with a profound tool for evangelism. First, Peter calls us sojourners and exiles. Again, we must always remember that this world is not our home. Our home is Heaven, and we are just traveling through this earth. As travelers, we must not let this foreign land corrupt our souls. We will find ourselves in hostile territory on earth, because this world has rejected Christ. Christians are to abstain from the things of this world in order to avoid the corruption that comes from it. Now, that doesn't mean we can go live in caves...unless that's just something you really want to do. What it does mean, is that while living among the Gentiles--those who are far from God and want nothing to do with Him--we are to live so honorable, that even when they accuse us of evil, they see our good deeds and glorify God.
Peter uses the phrase, "day of visitation", which refers to the day of judgement prophesied in Isaiah 10 and Luke 19. Now, we know that at Christ's Return every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord. We also know that some will do so willingly, and others because they have figured it out too late. But, notice that Peter is talking about them 'glorifying God'. The word 'glorify' is doxazos which is the root for our word 'doxology'--a praise hymn. It occurs 61 times in the New Testament, and each time the person 'praising' or 'glorifying' is a willing participate. The people here are not praising God because judgement has come, and they are forced to worship. They praising God, because they too have been saved from the coming wrath.
Thanksgiving is the attitude of the evangelist.
If we will keep our deeds and attitudes honorable, keeping an attitude of thanksgiving rather than worry or coveting, then people will see that, and even though many will accuse us of evil, many others will be saved.
We will be one voice from a gathered people : Revelation 7:9-17
After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”
Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
“Therefore they are before the throne of God,
and serve him day and night in his temple;
and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.
They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore;
the sun shall not strike them,
nor any scorching heat.
For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd,
and he will guide them to springs of living water,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”- Revelation 7:9-17
Paul used the metaphor of the body, and Peter used a house. Our last passage gives us a glimpse into the culmination of this unity. Turn with me to Revelation 7:9-17. John received a vision from Christ concerning the end of this age. During this vision, John sees a series of people sealed from the nation of Israel, then in verse 9, "a great multitude that no one could number." This great multitude comes from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages. Every people group is represented in this multitude.
Heaven is populated with people from all nations who have become one heavenly nation.
Who are these people?
They are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have been washed in the blood of the Lamb. Heaven includes all those who have called on the Name of the Lord, and everyone that will do so come from all nations and languages. They are a multitude of people, the body of Christ, the living stones in the Temple of God, and now with one voice they cry out, "Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen!”
True worship includes thanking God for what He has done.
Closing Exhortation
Now, as we have seen Christ is making One Unified People out of the diverse tribes and nations of this earth. They will be one people under the banner of Christ. That said, how then should we live in our little part of the globe? The implication is simple, and Paul said it this way:
I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
- Eph 4:1-3
As we close today, I ask you to search your heart and ask God to reveal any attitude of discontent that is preventing you from living in Unity with your fellow believers. It may be that you have not taken the first step of faith in Christ. Today is the perfect day to do just that. But, as we enter the season of Thanksgiving, be thankful that you are reconciled to Christ, and through His work, you can be reconciled to your fellow human beings. Because one day, we will all surround the throne of God and cry out, “Amen! Glory and honor and power and thanks be to Him who saved us!”