“Seek Intently”

Scripture: Job 5:1-27

During this month, we have been considering some of the attributes, as well as the struggles that may be associated with each, that a Christian should strive to adhere to.
First, we discussed how important the gospel message is for each of our lives, and how it can remold us into the image of Christ.
The next step was one that leads us to trust in all that scripture and the Holy Spirit calls us to be as disciples of Jesus Christ. And last week, we considered the need to find joy in Christ, even as we are traveling though some difficult, and even oppressive, times in life.

Today, we consider God’s call on our lives to actually seek out the Lord and his ways, and not to simply sit back and wait for him to “show up”. Our test is from the book of Job, and the words come from one of his “friends” who tried to prove to Job that the torment and loss that he was experiencing was all because he had failed the Lord in some way.

This man, Eliphaz the Temanite, would be the first of 4 who would approach Job in an attempt to get him to confess whatever it was that he had done to “anger” God, and to repent of that sin. At first, he admits that Job had done a great many good things throughout his life, but then, his attitude changes, when he says "Who, being innocent, has ever perished? Where were the upright ever destroyed?” (Job 4:7) He was saying “Job, you must have done something wrong! Confess it and move on.” And later in chapter 4, and continuing through the beginning of chapter 5, he claims that he has received some secret message, presumably from the Lord, that condemns Job. (Job 4:12-21)

But even as Job sits there, listening to these words that actually have no relevance whatsoever to his life, he begins to hear words that he did need to hear, words that would strengthen his trust in the Lord, and would remind him to never give up seeking the Lord’s understanding for his life.

Read Job 5:8-16

So far, Eliphaz has been talking about the sinfulness that resides in the human spirit, and it is that very nature that causes us to travel far afield from the Lord’s presence. But now, he begins to focus on the divine nature, that which is far greater than our own, the one who is more capable to rescue us from sin than we can ever know, the one who will always stand ready to protect us from the wiles and ways of the wicked, and the only one who can expose the lies that the supposedly “wise” tell about us.

Eliphaz shares these thoughts with Job, presumably to bring his “disoriented and lost” friend back into God’s mercy and into the holy reality that still waits patiently for him. But for Job, I believe, it is more of a reinforcement of his lifelong belief that God has always been there for him. Job was a man who looked to the Lord for guidance in his life, and was constantly seeking him out for help in all aspects of his life.

Eliphaz is trying to call his afflicted friend back to the hope and promise of God, even though Job has never lost the divine hope that has sustained him throughout his life, and which would continue to see him through this time of torment.

Read Job 5:17-27

Eliphaz offers sage advice to Job, but we have to be careful about taking each of these situations literally. Instead, read verse 17 as the focus that the rest should be taken in. Does God actually wound us? No, but we are “wounded” in many different ways when we stop walking in the Lord’s way. And during those less than faithful times, the Lord allows us the leeway to give our own ways a try, and as we all know, our way never seems to work out as well as we had hoped! (Amen?)
And the troubles that we find ourselves in aren’t the Lord’s fault – they are the result of our own follies. God allows us to fail in life, while, at the same time, offering us the opportunity to get right with him once again - this is the Lord’s unique form of discipline.

Discipline, itself, is more than simply a form of punishment – it is the truest form of love, and most effective form of correction. The Lord wants us to understand just how destructive our personal planning and decision making really is. But even while we are making that discovery, he is still with us, holding out hope, prepared to welcome us back into the greatest way - the one that only exists in him.

When we are “wounded”, whether in physical, or emotional, or relational, or spiritual ways, he will bring healing to our brokenness - when we let him.
No matter how often we find ourselves immersed in misfortune and hardship, he will be there to rescue us - as soon as we come to his truth for our lives.
When starved for nourishment in our life, especially the spiritual and emotional kind, he is the Life that is offered in a generous and compassioned way – a way that we don’t always recognize as the answer for the issue we are dealing with.
When we are hated and verbally abused, he frees us from the fear of those attacks.

Whenever we look to him for guidance, we will experience the blessing and peace of all creation, and will come to know the divine assurance that is the source of all peace and comfort. Even the specter of death will become a sign of fulfillment in God’s presence, and our fear, and trembling, and that sense of finality will become thoughts that no longer exist within us.

And this may be the greatest aspect of healing that God can bring to our lives – that of destroying our fear and anxiety over the world’s painful ways. Job had that assurance and strength in his life, even in the face of all that Satan was bringing against him.

God is a power unlike anything else in all creation, and the abilities that Satan has, and the troubles that trust in the world can bring, are nothing compared to what the Lord is prepared to work on our behalf. God’s way isn’t one that eliminates all the trials and wickedness that come against us – his way is one of helping us to endure and survive those hardships.

In Isaiah 9:4 we read “.. you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor.” This was written just 2 verses before the prophecy of Jesus’ birth (Isaiah 9:6-7), and Matthew 11:29-30 calls us to take on Christ’s yoke as a replacement for the world’s broken burden. So what does a yoke say to us who have never worked with a yoke, let alone have never even seen one!?

A yoke, as you may know, is a devise that harnesses animals, usually oxen, to a plow, or wagon, or some other heavy load. The Isaiah passage, then, is about our having to pull a burden that exceeds our strength and stamina. For Israel, it was about the slavery they experienced in Egypt, as well as the ways they had created when they denied God and began worshipping the idols and gods of Canaan.
But on the other hand, the yoke that Matthew was describing was connected to the same troublesome earthly burdens, but it was no longer our own weakness that was subjected to the terrible loads of life. It was God’s plan for humanity that allows us to be yoked with Christ by faith, to be paired up with the One who can carry all burdens, but who will help us with the ones that we are saddled with. And as Matthew 11:30 tells us, “For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

It is ours to seek the faith that is sufficient to overcome all of our problems - that by faith in Jesus Christ, the effect that the burdens of life can have on us will be reduced to nothing more than minor inconveniences! Christ doesn’t destroy our problems, but by faith and trust in him, they will be lighted to the point that we can easily deal with them. Philippians 4:13 – “I can do all things through him who gives me strength.”

This may possibly be our greatest obligation when we choose to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. Seeking and understanding his ways, seeking his truths for our life, seeking the living path that God has created for us, seeking and receiving the yoke that Christ has prepared for us and is already wearing in great anticipation of our arrival.

And we must always remember that the first move toward a relationship is ours. In Matthew 7:7-12, Jesus tells us that if we “Ask”, we will receive, if we “seek”, we will find it, and if we “knock” at the door of his presence, he will lovingly open it for us and welcome us in. But in every instance, we are the ones who must first ask, and seek, and knock.
And then, we can let him break the yoke that the world has placed on our shoulders, and invite him to remove it, piece by piece, until we are truly free of that burdensome influence.

Are you ready to be free in Christ, or does the world’s yoke still have a death grip on your life? Jesus is the answer, you know.

“Rejoice Faithfully”

Scripture: 1 Samuel 1 (selected)

In 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, Paul offers some sound advice for our life in faith. He wrote “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you”. And while we all would probably agree with this, I’m certain that we all would also admit that it is nearly impossible to do it consistently! Have you ever tried to have a joyful heart during the most trying of circumstances? Are you in an attitude of prayer every moment of every day? How often do you actually give the Lord your grateful acknowledgment, regardless of the circumstances?

God knows, and I think that even Paul knew, that “always” never quite happens for us. But the point of Paul’s call is that whenever possible, our heart, mind and soul should truly be in this very state of thankful communion with the Almighty. And even though Paul doesn’t say it here, when we make a commitment to the Lord, regardless of what it may be, we had better be prepared to back it up with our actions.

Our text today is about a woman who lived in nearly constant oppression, and struggled deeply with why God would allow this to continue for so many years. She may not have been able to “rejoice always” during this time, but she never lost her faith and trust in Yahweh.

The woman’s name was Hannah, and she was unable to bear children.

Read 1 Samuel 1:1-2

The story of Hannah takes place 300 years after Israel finally entered the Promised Land and roughly 1,000 years before Christ’s birth. It was a time when a woman’s self-worth was centered on how many children she could bear for her husband, and more importantly, how many boys she gave birth to. Peninnah was honored, Hannah was a failure, but this didn’t mean that their husband, Elkanah, played favorites. He cared deeply for both women, but there was nothing that he could do for Hannah, except love her dearly. The prevailing thought was that God had, for some unknown reason, made her barren. Elkanah would give double portions of meat to Hannah as a sign of compassion and love for her, but this may have only served to fuel the antagonism that existed between the women.

Peninnah never gave Hannah a moment’s rest whenever Elkanah wasn’t around – she was constantly ridiculing her, and making her feel like a second class wife.

This story is about a broken family, and the unenviable position that Hannah found herself in. But in spite of her very great trial, Hannah would never give up hope that the Lord would, one day, and for some specific purpose, grant her a child.

Read 1 Samuel 1:9-17

Shiloh was the location of the Tabernacle and the Ark – the place where God lived with Israel. The entire family had come there to worship and sacrifice to Jehovah God, and I suspect that Hannah thought that the presence of the Lord would be a place of safety and hope. So in her great sense of loss and abandonment, she had come to the conclusion that her barrenness had something to do with God’s desire for her life. And she made the decision to offer the Lord the only thing she could possibly give him – if God would grant her the blessing of a child, she would commit her first born son to the Lord and to his service.

Think about the faithful heart that this woman must have had. For her entire life, she had been unable to gain the very thing that would have given her the greatest joy and personal worth, and here she is, willingly offering her first male child to the One who was thought to be the reason she couldn’t have children in the first place. Now it’s true that God isn’t in the deal making business, but there are times that we are allowed to go through a time of trial so that we can grow into the next phase of our life in faith.

What would you be willing to give to the Lord – not just offer as a loan for some short period of time, but to give it in a permanent and loving way forever? Would you be willing, if God granted your request, to give up the only thing you have ever wanted but could never have?

Maybe Paul was on to something when he wrote “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks”. This is exactly what Hannah was doing. She definitely had a prayerful heart, and even though she was anything but happy over her situation, she knew that her Lord cared for her. And she makes a thank offering to God of not just something that she could easily afford to give away, but of the very thing she had been praying for for years.

Hannah’s joy wouldn’t be solely in giving birth, but rather in knowing that her God loved her enough to overturn this life of barren existence. And we can also see this as a symbol of Israel’s relationship with Almighty God. Israel was yet to have a king, even while the nations that surrounded her did. The people of God were to place their allegiance and trust and hope in the authority of their Almighty , not in the presence of an earthly king. It wouldn’t be long before Israel would, indeed, ask for and receive a human king, but even at that, the king was to be committed to listening to, and following in, the way of God. By reason of this story of Hannah and her undying faith in God, Israel was being told that the only true way to live was through allegiance to the great Jehovah.

Through Hannah’s story, we discover that our faith has nothing to do with the way that people, who are in our lives, treat us, and that it isn’t even based in the religious authorities who are called to lead us. Faith is a one-on-one relationship between each of us and God alone. It is about the trust that we are called to show to the Lord; it requires our surrender to his authority; it involves a love that goes beyond description or definition; it is demonstrated by belief in the power of prayer; it is the belief that God has no limits, and that He wants to use that great power for our good. That is where Hannah was, it was where Israel should have been, and it is where each of us must be today.

But this isn’t the last lesson that Hannah has for us.

Read 1 Samuel 1:24-28

After they had returned home from Shiloh, Elkanah laid with Hannah, and she conceived. But now comes the test – would the woman keep her vow that the boy would be given – not just dedicated, but given – to service in the Lord, or would she decide that she just couldn’t give up the wonderful gift of this first child? Scripture doesn’t seem to indicate, or even imply, that there was any hesitation on Hannah’s part, so I think we can safely assume that Paul’s constant joyfulness and thanksgiving was at play in this moment of her life.

So our last lesson for today is this – what is it that you desperately need, or want, more than anything else in the world, and if you ask the Lord, and if He grants your request, are you willing to return it for service in the name of Jesus Christ?

If it is freedom from some addiction, will you allow the Lord to use your story, as embarrassing as it may be, to free others from the darkness that envelopes their lives?
If it is healing from a deadly illness, will you commit your life to serving Almighty God in his way, and not your own?
If it is relief from an oppressive burden that is destroying your life, will you lead others to the source of relief for their lives?
If it is your search for answers to the questions of this life and beyond, what will you do with those answers?

Are you prepared to live with a joyful heart that, regardless of what this life entails, brings honor to Jesus Christ?
Are you ready to live a prayerful existence, to always stay in connection with God?
Will you show your gratitude to God for his presence in your life, and give your thanks to him in all matters?

You may notice that I’m leaving you with a lot of questions today, and allowing you to make your own connection between Hannah’s story, as well as that of Israel’s history, and relate it to the story that God has prepared for you. Jeremiah 29:11-13 is far more than just a promise – it is a call that the Lord has placed on your life, and a promise that is founded in his faithfulness. (READ) It’s a plan that we must never say “no” to.

The Lord was faithful in his plan to care for Hanna’s needs, and she was joyfully faithful in return. Won’t you give the Lord a chance to work that same power of faithfulness in your life? Today?

“Trust Always”

Scripture: Exodus 16:2-15

The story of Israel and their relationship with God, is also the story of humanity’s relationship with him. Sometimes, they were right in step with the Lord, and other times, they weren’t even heading in the same direction. And there are still people today, who I truly believe are well meaning, who think that their ideas and ways are far better and more appropriate than the Almighty’s! The plague of ancient Israel - their failure to follow God’s way, and their refusal to accept His Divine Truth - continues to live in the hearts and minds of our 21st century society.

Personally, that’s arrogance, and the only way that anyone can justify that attitude is by denying who God is. God is, as the Nicene Creed reminds us, the Creator of all that is, seen and unseen; he is King of kings, Lord of lords, and will be the ultimate Victor over evil; he is the one who suffered on our behalf, the one who accepted scorn, and hatred, and torture, and condemnation, and death, so that we might, by faith, live with him in eternity; he is the one who is omnipotent (all-powerful), omniscient (all- knowing), and omnipresent (universal in all time); he is the one who has established, and lived, the standard by which we all must live. How can any person, created by this God (and we all are!), believe that they are smarter and more capable than he is?

Israel, and humanity in general, have, with only a few exceptions, treated God as far less than he truly is, and has considered themselves as far better than they ever could be. And for some reason, that attitude has yet to change.

Read Exodus 16:2-3

The Lord God Jehovah had brought the people out of a life of servitude and slavery, and was leading them to freedom in the land that was promised to Abraham and his descendants. (Genesis 15:16-19) But the fact that God isn’t providing for the people in the way that they expect, or demand, leads to a mounting crisis against Moses and Aaron. The people Israel don’t directly complain about God, but instead, they direct their anger against the human leaders that God has placed before them. Jesus would remind us of the same situation - that others will hate us, simply because we have committed ourselves to follow the Lord’s way, and his alone. (Acts9:1-5)

Even Israel’s memory has faded – they seem to remember that they lived a comfortable life back in Egypt, with lots of food and other benefits. The truth is that they had no such thing. They were slaves, and as such, they were abused and oppressed! They may have been given barely enough food to allow them to work extremely long hours and to serve at the Egyptians command, but that would be about all. Their lives weren’t respected, and their existence was, at the very least, tentative and fragile! They had forgotten all of this, and they had forgotten that their mighty Yahweh has brought them out of that mess, and they couldn’t, or wouldn’t, turn directly to the Lord of their salvation to ask for nourishment.

The Lord had told them that he would lead them to a land that was overflowing with every good thing that they could ever want, if they would just follow him. Didn’t they believe him?

Read Exodus 16:4-8

The Lord hears their complaining, and immediately responds. They aren’t expected to repent of their lack of trust, they aren’t expected to pray for divine intervention, even Moses and Aaron aren’t required to make any sacrifice to Yahweh – God responds to and through his chosen leaders. I know that many folks want to hear directly from God, but that isn’t always the way he works. He sends preachers, he sends prophets, he sends all kinds of servants, and he even sent his Son Jesus to remind us of the relationship that is waiting for each of us. And still, people can’t seem to trust the offer.

Author Ian Lynch writes:
If we want to be delivered from the evil one, we have to trust God, we have to let Jesus take the test for us. It is like having a lightning rod to protect you. Not only does a lightning rod not prevent lightning, it attracts it! But, the lightning rod is grounded, so the powerful and dangerous electricity passes right through from the air to the ground without doing damage. Since we are pretty sure that we can't pass the temptation tests on our own, we have to trust the one who always passes to keep us safe.

--Ian Lynch, "Grounded," DarkwoodBrew.org, July 11, 2011. Retrieved August 10, 2015.

This is the problem, that ”We can’t pass the temptation tests on our own”. We need a spiritual lightning rod! And that is what God, in Moses and Aaron, was for Israel. Even though the Lord was constantly working for the benefit of his people, they just couldn’t see it. They had been rescued from slavery; they had been promised a new and wonderful home; they were being led to that place because they didn’t know how to get there on their own; they had received water out of solid rock; they would soon begin being fed, and it would continue for the next 40 years; and in the very near future, they would receive instructions on how to keep from falling into dependence on earthly means again. And yet, the people didn’t see it.

The issue, at least in part, is that Israel didn’t trust God. The food would begin coming every day, but it would only last for each day. They would have meat in the evening, and bread every morning, but eventually, that wouldn’t even be sufficient – they wanted variety! And their “lightning rods”, Moses and Aaron, would continue to hear about all of the inadequacies, over and over again.

Read Exodus 16:9-15

Does God care about them? Of course he does, and he works to resolve their cares!
First, he hears their concerns and fears, and he understands, and he responds. The Lord knows that this life is filled with uncertainties and problems and needs, and that humanity has always feared the unknown. And yet, somethings can only be revealed at the right time, and not when we want to know.
Next, the purpose of God’s provision is not simply to care for our needs, but to reveal his presence among us. In verse 8, the leaders tell the people that by the giving and receiving of what they need for daily life, that they will both experience God, and will know that it is of God.
And third, they are to understand that their “wilderness” is not devoid of life, that life-giving food, life-giving water, life-giving glory is all around them, regardless of what may be apparent at the time. And all they have to do is trust in the Great Provider, if they truly want to see.

And when do they see the Divine Glory that had been promised? When they come together, when they gather to acknowledge the Lord, when they come to worship the true Giver. The New Interpreter’s Bible tells us this – “In drawing near, however, Israel dramatically turns its face away from Egypt and looks again toward the wilderness. It sees there what it always thought to see in Egypt, and what it never expected to see in the wilderness. It is not an empty, deathly place, but the [very place] of God’s sovereign splendor. The wilderness is more brilliant than Egypt, because Yahweh has “gained glory for [himself] through Pharaoh” (Exodus 14:4). By God’s rule, the wilderness is completely redefined.”

By God’s rule, the wilderness is completely redefined!
What do we see when sufficiency turns to wilderness in our lives? Do we only see desolation and destruction, insurmountable obstacles, no way out, no hope, only pain and loss and death? Or do we experience God’s preparation and deliverance at work on our behalf? Israel revealed to their Jehovah God their fear and their need, even though it came across in a negative light, and they received, not just what they needed, but far more. The Lord provided for their need, but he also gave them assurance of his presence and power, and showed them his glory.

The Bible is not just a story of faith, but is also the story of the lack thereof. It tells of what is available to all who 1) have faith, and 2) have trust. God doesn’t work on our time line or in our expectations – he provides all that we need when it is needed. Remember the prayer that Christ taught us – that phrase that reminds us to ask for “our daily bread”? We don’t pray for a bakery, or even for an entire loaf – we pray for that which we need right now.

And when we do, we will receive in the same way that Israel did – the need will be cared for in God’s way and in his time, and his presence will become obvious, if we are open to it. Faith in God goes far beyond simply acknowledging his existence – it must also include believing that his presence in our lives is for our benefit, and not for his. Faith in God goes far beyond believing in the words he spoke and the gifts he gave – it must also include living those words and sharing his gifts with those who are in need. Faith in God goes far beyond simply following – it must also include a willingness to follow when he says “Follow.”, and to lead when he says “Lead.”, and to not confuse the two with our own desires.

Trusting God must be complete in every way – placing not only our hearts and minds in him, but also our actions, our life, our present and our future in his perfectly capable and loving way. And each one of us must begin today.

Surrender, and know the joy of freedom in Almighty God.

“Being Worthy of the Gospel”

Scripture: Philippians 1:21-30

Last week, as we considered the first half of this passage, we came to realize the importance that Paul placed on the gospel message. Whatever situation he found himself in, he saw it only as an opportunity to proclaim the Lord Jesus. Whether in chains in a Roman prison, or on a dusty road with strangers, in a synagogue, in a field, in a private home – regardless of where he was, Jesus came first.

And why would he be so committed? He had been intensely committed to the law all his life, until he met the resurrected Lord on the Road to Damascus, and it was then that his allegiance completely shifted. The zealousness of his love never changed – it merely moved from dependence on the law, to faith in Christ.

Our text last week ended with this thought from Paul – that he might never shame himself in faith, but have the courage to exalt Christ throughout his life, and into his death. (Philippians 1:20) Today, Paul considers what our relationship with Jesus and his word should be, and that the gospel is a gift that we can never ignore.

Read Philippians 1:21-26

For Paul, either living or dying in Christ are the best of all possibilities. Of course, the world would, and still does, disagree with him. Society would have us believe that we are always to live for our own agenda, whatever that may be. In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, he wrote that famous line “This above all: to thy own self be true”. And today, this has been taken to mean that your personal desires and standards are all that matter. But in researching this quote, the context is that we are to stay with the truth, and avoid all activities that are detrimental to our well-being. It is not about being true to our selfish desires, but only to that which is best and right for us - that which comes to us from Almighty God.

Paul wants us to know that Jesus Christ is that very Best for our lives. For him, and for us, remaining true to Christ and his teachings is the only choice if we are to live for the truth, even if it means dying for it. But are we to look forward to dying? Paul is also in a quandary over which he would prefer – to go on living for Christ, or to die in him.

Of course, dying in Christ means that we no longer have to fear the temptations of this life, or the hatred and persecution that others show toward us, or the chance that we might fail the Lord when he calls us to a task, or even our facing the range of emotions that life in the flesh can bring. But death also means that proclaiming Jesus to our friends and neighbors, and even to strangers, can no longer be. Paul sees only two options for his best – living in glory, or continuing to live in the flesh, proclaiming Jesus and his salvation, and he says that his best choice is to go on living for Jesus.

How many of us would make that choice? It’s a tough one, to say the least! To leave the pains and struggles and disappointments of this life behind, or to continue to live in failure and minor victories; to encounter divine glory and to know Jesus face to face, or to continue to live a life that shares the Lord and his message of salvation with others. I think that the apostle’s greatest joy is to share Jesus with those who have yet to know the Lord for themselves, but personally, each of us have to decide that for ourselves.

But isn’t that decision actually a moot point? After all, living or dying isn’t our choice – it’s God’s! Truthfully, the decision that we have to make is how we will live out this life in the flesh. Will we see each and every day as being filled with fresh opportunities to be the hands and feet, and voice and heart of the Lord Jesus for the people of earth? That is the very best, the only worthy option for our life!

Read Philippians 1:27-30

What does it mean to be “worthy of the gospel of Jesus Christ”? Think of it this way - what does it mean to be a citizen of our nation, or resident of this state? Better yet, what does it mean to break the laws of this nation and state? For most violations of the law, there are either fines or imprisonment, but for major offenses, there is the forfeiture of one’s life. But if we live within the law, or at least never get caught in breaking them, we are deemed to be worthy of continuing to be a free citizen.

That’s very much like being worthy of the gospel. When we love the Lord and his teachings, we become worthy; if we don’t, our unrepentant offenses against God will keep us from knowing his grace and mercy. In John 14:15-17, we read that, in essence, the Holy Spirit is the proof of divine worthiness. If we love Christ and keep his commandments, we will receive the “Spirit of Truth”. But without Christ, we can never know or receive the Spirit. The Spirit of God only comes in worthiness.

Love of Christ requires that we follow his teaching, or at least to make a wholehearted attempt to do so. Paul tells us that our love of the Lord enables us to stand in unity as his Church, and the Church must stand tall in faith for the gospel, regardless of what comes against it. Paul writes that the steadfastness of the Church, not only in faith but in unity of purpose, will be a sign to the world of the salvation that comes by faith in Christ, and of our redemption from the condemnation that is rightfully ours without the Lord.

But worthiness in Christ also means that we become unworthy to the world! I understand that no one wants to hear that they are wrong, and that everyone will, one day, discover the truth of Christ for themselves. But the world’s position is not only that they are right, but they also demand that Christians be accepting and tolerant of their ways. They believe, and want us to believe, that Jesus and his gospel aren’t just wrong, but that his way is hateful. And that is what the Church must stand unified against.

So how do we do it? How do we live in unity, when we have so many differences? Today is World Communion Sunday, and regardless of our denomination, or nondenominational status for that matter, we celebrate the sacrificial gift of Christ in unity. Churches all over the world will join together to share in Jesus’ gift of life, even if they have little to do with each other during the rest of the year. But while this is a unified day, we need to begin spreading this unity across the rest of our life in Christ. During the closing days of the Continental Congress, and just before he added his signature to the Declaration of Independence, Benjamin Franklin is reported to have said “We must, indeed, all hang together, or most assuredly we shall all hang separately.”

The Church is at this same crossroads today. The gospel of Jesus Christ has been given to the people of earth, and the Church is the only entity that has been charged with spreading this Good News. By faith in Christ’s great act at Calvary, we have been made worthy of his salvation, and by trusting in the word of God that comes to us in the gospel, we show our worthiness to the world by sharing it’s message of life and love with them. We, then, become the sign of eternal life, that others might come to the truth of God.

The gospel of Jesus Christ is truly worthy of our commitment – but are we worthy of it?