Do We Really, Really Trust in the LORD?

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." Proverbs 3:5,6 (NKJV)

At the minimum, we do trust in the LORD. Thus, we keep reading the Word of God, pray to Him as our Heavenly Father, honour Him with our tithes and offerings, fellowship with other believers, pray for the sick, make disciples of all nations, and so forth.

However, it is a higher level of believing when we can trust in the LORD fully, completely and without wavering. The challenge is to keep trusting in the LORD in spite of discouraging circumstances such as when: we do not have any breakthrough to advance towards our dream; we are thrown in the lions' den or fiery furnace; or we have just experienced a shipwreck.

As believers we are still susceptible to forget God's Word and operate with a carnal mind. This happens when we allow fear (i.e., false evidence appearing real) and circumstances to take our eyes away from the Word of God -- the truth which can set us free from all manner of sin, such as the lack of faith, which displeases God.

Our understanding is very finite, indeed. Let the words of our infinite, omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient God speaks louder to us than all the things this world has to offer. "Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh and strength to your bones." Proverbs 3:7-8 (NKJV)

So, to what extent, do we acknowledge God in our ways, let alone all of our ways? I submit that the more in tune we are to the frequency of God's radio station manned by the Holy Spirit and let His Word guide us, the more conscious we will be to interact with the Holy Spirit as our Senior Partner and live life in tandem with His leading and instruction.

Lest we forget, "For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God." 1 Corinthians 2:11-12 (NKJV)

As we are led by the Holy Spirit, He will make straight or smooth, the paths that we take. If we can acknowledge and receive such an immense gift as our salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, trusting God fully and acknowledging Him in all our ways need to part of our DNA as His new creation.

Truly, as we trust God wholeheartedly and undertake all our endeavours in God's way, He will be glorified though us. ""Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches; but let him glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth, for in these I delight," says the LORD." Jeremiah 9:23-24 (NKJV)

I Have Been Crucified with Christ

"I have been crucified with Christ [in Him I have shared His crucifixion]; it is no longer I who live, but Christ (the Messiah) lives in me; and the life I now live in the body I live by faith in (by adherence to and reliance on and complete trust in) the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself up for me." Galatians 2:20 (AMP)

Much have been said and taught that the Word of God is Life and Spirit and that man shall not live by bread alone but by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God. Knowing the truth of God's Word in our mind is insufficient. As A.W. Tozer had observed, "Truth that is not experienced is no better than error, and just as dangerous."

However, when we experience God's Word it would elevate us to a whole new plane of knowing it in our heart. Now, I wouldn't say that I have fully experienced Galatians 2:20, but just scratching the surface of this kernel of truth was enough to propel me powerfully today so much so that I wanna penned it down as a tribute to the Word of God and God Himself.

This morning the Holy Spirit brought to my mind Galatians 2:20 and it infused new energy for me to carry out my work and all for the day. I have memorized the aforesaid verse before in the New King James version and did not even have to meditate on it to be superlatively rejuvenated in my spirit, soul and body.

Much intrigued, I am meditating on this verse and cross-referencing it to other Bible verses. My short study is presented here along the way. 

'I have been crucified with Christ' ....When Christ died, all of my sins were nailed to the cross. My old self was crucified on the cross and sins do not have power over me. As Romans 6:6 (AMP) explains, "We know that our old (unrenewed) self was nailed to the cross with Him in order that [our] body [which is the instrument] of sin might be made ineffective and inactive for evil, that we might no longer be the slaves of sin."

Galatians 5:24 (AMP) says, "And those who belong to Christ Jesus (the Messiah) have crucified the flesh (the godless human nature) with its passions and appetites and desires." 

Further on, we have Paul's declaration, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, in Galatians 6:14 (AMP), "But far be it from me to glory [in anything or anyone] except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah) through Whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world!"

'It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me'.... Far be it from me to think that I can run my life the way I want it. It is Christ whom I need to enthrone on the seat of my heart so that my every thoughts and actions will be captivated by the will, purpose and delight of the LORD of lords and KING of kings. God is worthy of my all; He alone is my all in all. 

Following from this, whom shall I fear and of what shall I be afraid of? God alone is supreme. all-powerful, all-present and all-knowing. With God as the Chief Operating Officer of my life, I am more than a conqueror in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:37) and I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13)

'I live by faith in the Son of God' .... My life is centred on Christ Jesus who has said, inter alia, that He is the Bread of Life and has come to give us life and life more abundantly,and He will come again. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is the Way, the Truth and the Life, and no one can come to God the Father except though Him (John 14:6). 

This means that I submit myself to live life in a manner that is according to the Word of God such as 2 Corinthians 5:15 (AMP): "And He died for all, so that all those who live might live no longer to and for themselves, but to and for Him Who died and was raised again for their sake."

'the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me' .... this truth is expounded expansively in Ephesians 2:4-6 (AMP), "But God—so rich is He in His mercy! Because of and in order to satisfy the great and wonderful and intense love with which He loved us, 

Even when we were dead (slain) by [our own] shortcomings and trespasses, He made us alive together in fellowship and in union with Christ; [He gave us the very life of Christ Himself, the same new life with which He quickened Him, for] it is by grace (His favor and mercy which you did not deserve) that you are saved ([a]delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ’s salvation). 

And He raised us up together with Him and made us sit down together [giving us [b]joint seating with Him] in the heavenly sphere [by virtue of our being] in Christ Jesus (the Messiah, the Anointed One)."

Oh, such unconditional love of Christ for us! As Isaiah 53:12 (AMP) describes it, "... He poured out His life unto death, and [He let Himself] be regarded as a criminal and be numbered with the transgressors; yet He bore [and took away] the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors (the rebellious)."

Thank God for His Word which is living and active. 

May the truths of Galatians 2:20 spurs us to live in a like manner after Colossians 3:1-4 (AMP), as well:- 

"If then you have been raised with Christ [to a new life, thus sharing His resurrection from the dead], aim at and seek the [rich, eternal treasures] that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

And set your minds and keep them set on what is above (the higher things), not on the things that are on the earth.

For [as far as this world is concerned] you have died, and your [new, real] life is hidden with Christ in God.

When Christ, Who is our life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in [the splendor of His] glory."

God Loves the 5th Sparrow, too!

"Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will." Matthew 10:29 (NKJV)

"Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God." Luke 12:6 (NKJV)


The above two Scripture passages are I am sure familiar to those of us who have been a Christian for the longest time. Yet, as with me, you may have read them without due thought and overlook the significance of the math involved -- God's mathematics that would bend our mind with 2 + 2 = 5!

As we read closely, we could buy 2 sparrows for 1 copper coin and for 2 copper coins we could buy not 4 but 5 sparrows. In other words, the 5th sparrow is thrown in as a spare or goodwill. In effect, the 5th sparrow is of no monetary value; only to be given away for free upon the sale of every 4 sparrows.

Now, there are upon a search on the internet quite a number of stories or exposition on the 5th sparrow but I like the following version best as shared by Pastor Edmund Chan in his book Growing Deeper With God (ISBN 978-981-08-1392-5):-

"A moving story was told of a little Spanish boy in Vigo who became a devout Christian. He was asked about his conversion.

"It was all because of the fifth sparrow," he said.

"I do not understand," said the Englishman. "What fifth sparrow?"

"Well, Senor, it is this way," the boy said. "A man gave me a New Testament, and I read in one Gospel that two sparrows were sold for a cent (farthing). And again I read in Luke, 'Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings?'

"And I said to myself, Jesus Christ knew well our custom of selling birds. As you know, Sir, we trap birds and get one chico for two sparrows and for two chicos, we throw in an extra sparrow, the odd sparrow as a spare. That extra sparrow, the fifth sparrow, is a dead weight and is of no account at all. It's just a spare. But yet, the Bible says that not one of them is forgotten before God.

"And so I think to myself, I am so insignificant, so poor, so small, of no account at all. Yet I am like that odd sparrow. God remembers me. I have never heard of such a thing. No one but God would have thought of not forgetting me. I am significant to Him!" 

That, my friend, is the saving grace of God! "But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven." Matthew 10:30-32 (NKJV) 

Join me, and tell the world that Jesus lives!

Breakthrough!

On 2 November 2013, I received this revelation that God has a good plan and great destiny for the believers even though it may not have panned yet out according to His plan. He has already seen the end from the very beginning as He is the Alpha and Omega; the beginning and the end.

After all, is there anything too hard for our Creator? God can do anything. (Okay, God can’t sin, to wit.) And, God remembers and cares for us. While the children of Israel were taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar from Jerusalem to Babylon, God sent His word to them through the prophet Jeremiah. Amongst other things, He said, “As soon as Babylon’s seventy years are up and not a day before, I’ll show up and take care of you as I promised and bring you back home. I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for. (Jeremiah 29:11; MSG)”

Also, didn’t Jesus say: “I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of. (John 10:10b; MSG)”? What is eternal life? “And this is the real and eternal life: That they know You, the one and only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You sent. (John 17:3; MSG)” Did we get that? We have access to the most High God! An audience with Him in His throne room, if you will. And, we thought minion thoughts that meeting with Bill Gates or having lunch with Warren Buffet was such a big deal. Hey, let’s get our perspective and relativity of awesomeness in order.

Coming down to earth, we may be living far below what God has planned for us but that does not negate His plans. The greatest waste or loss is the gap between who we are and the person we were meant to be, in Christ Jesus. No wonder it is also commonly said that one of the richest places on earth is the cemetery where so much dreams and aspirations lay buried and wasted. One idea or product and one prepared person whose time has come can change the world.

Yes, who knows (God knows!), you may well change your world or even change the world if you would prepare and pursue all that the Holy Spirit is revealing to you. Think about it, mull over it. Do we really know our God? Don’t we know our God? If we would recall, “God is not a man, that He should tell or act a lie, neither the son of man, that He should feel repentance or compunction [for what He has promised]. Has He said and shall He not do it? Or has He spoken and shall He not make it good? Numbers 23:19; MSG)”

The ball is in our court, so to speak. We can bridge the dichotomy between who we are now and all that God intends for us. It’s all up to us to respond and take this journey of faith. It’s amazing that we can trust God for our salvation by His grace or favour through faith in Jesus Christ and not apply the same faith in God’s grace for every other areas of our life.

I am repentant of this and have only just begun to see that while Ephesians 2:8 speaks of God’s grace for salvation, His grace is not confined or restricted to salvation from the consequences of our sins and our sin nature. There is so much more, in Christ!

How do we advance and step into our Promised Land -- our dream position, home, family relationships, friendships, ministry, et cetera? Faith is sacrosanct in this regards. Faith in God through our relationship with Him and in His Word. It has to be developed and proven (put to the test) over time through our a close walk with the Holy Spirit who will teach us the Word of God, reveal the truth and wisdom therein, and instructs us in our walk of faith.

^“But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God” (1 Corinthians 2:9-10; NKJV).

Also, “This Book of the Law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe and do according to all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall deal wisely and have good success” (Joshua 1:8; MSG).

Next, we need to guard our heart and let praise and thanksgiving spring forth. What we say will reveal the treasure of our heart -- the Word of God, no less! We will get the biggest bang for storing His Word in our heart and internalizing it so much so that we know the thoughts and ways of God. For example, that He is a good God and He has loved us with an everlasting love.

King David knew so well of how to find salvation or deliverance when he wrote by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit that: “He who brings an offering of praise and thanksgiving honors and glorifies Me; and he who orders his way aright [who prepares the way that I may show him], to him I will demonstrate the salvation of God. Psalms 50:23; AMP)”

Our breakthrough is at hand. Keep believing. Do not grow weary. Keep sowing. God is all for us and we can truly live out, through obedient faith, all of what He has planned for us.

Kingdom of Priests

This reflection is adapted from a message preached by Rev Dr A. R. Bernard in City Harvest Church on 21 September 2013.

In Revelation 1:5b – 6 (NKJV) we read,  “To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” Also, we read from 1 Peter 2:9 (NKJV), “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;”.

As we have seen in the aforesaid verses, the Word of God tells us in no uncertain terms that the Christian believers are all priests and priestesses. (I will stick with priest or priests in this writing to refer to both male and female believers.) Truth be told, the moment we are born again, we become part of the royal priesthood of Jesus Christ.

Dr Bernard asserted that every New Testament believers is a priest and our greatest privilege is to have direct access to God Himself, with great thanks to what Jesus Christ has accomplished for us through His death and resurrection. We may not feel like a priest or even royalty, for that matter. Yet, the heart of the matter is that the Word of God is the final authority. When God says it and we believe in His Word, that settles it.

This will require a paradigm shift as many believers have abdicated their priesthood to the church. Thus, many sincere believers were trained over the years to get from the church rather than take up their responsibility as a priest unto God, with Jesus Christ as the High Priest.

Following from this, we could well imagine throngs of downtrodden believers coming to church for repair and maintenance. I once liken believers coming as cars to the garage of a cell group meeting for refueling, fixing-up and washing-up.

But, we were meant to be givers as the priesthood is based on sacrifices. We come not to seek the blessing but the One who gives the blessing.

Dr Bernard highlighted that as priests we are to offer the following sacrifices to God:

1)   Our bodies as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1);

2)   Fruit of our lips as a sacrifice of praise (Hebrew s 13:15);

3)   Our substance in our tithes and offerings (2 Corinthian 9:7); and

4)   Our service heartily unto God (Colossians 3:23).

When we know and become the priests according to the order of Melchizedek, doing church or playing church will longer be our weekly agenda.

We can, with diligence and discipline by the power and wisdom of the Holy Spirit and in the fellowship of healthy believers, become a minister of God 24/7 and seven days a week. All Glory be to God! Amen and amen.

It is my prayer and aspiration that this gentle reminder from Dr Bernard of our priesthood and the disciplines entailed thereof will help to move more and more believers to “reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:17)

JESUS, Our Best Friend

Many people will find it a great honour to have tea with a person of great stature such as the President or Prime Minister of their country. Indeed, many of you may have had the privilege of doing so from time to time, year after year. But, what if you have the privilege of having breakfast (by the Sea of Galilee would be nice) with the King of kings and the Lord of lords every day? Lunch and dinner are do-able, too.

On 11 August 2006, my cell group leader shared that it is a privilege to be in relationship with God and that serving God is a privilege. Upon reflection, it hit me that we must never take our relationship with God for granted. The danger is that we tend to lose what we do not value.

Once we were part of the crowd, searching for purpose and meaning in life. As the following song puts it:

One day I was wandering, what’s it all about
Life is full of heartbreak, restlessness and doubt
Then a gentle stranger whispered words of love
Pointed me to heaven, wrote my name above

Chorus:
I know where I’m going, and who I’m gonna see
I have a Friend named JESUS, waiting there for me
He has given me something that only He could give
He gave His life in payment so that I could live

JESUS is no longer a stranger to us now, but has become our Saviour and LORD. We began our walk with Him as follower amongst the crowd of new believers, moved on to become a disciple (disciplined, consistent and faithful follower), and, as we keep walking with Him, we can experience Him as a Friend (think of Abraham, Enoch and Moses).

For sure, God anoints us for roles such as shepherd, under-shepherd, king, priest, and prophet. Yet, God desires that we do not neglect spending time with Him in intimate fellowship so that He can impart His secret things (great and wondrous truths from His word) through the Holy Spirit, our Helper. Just as we share our secrets (aspirations, dreams, visions, etc.) with our close friends, God will do the same with us when we cultivate a close fellowship with Him.

And, we can become a friend of God when we choose to obey His word and the Holy Spirit. God is not a dictator who insists that we must obey Him. The truth is that God, our Creator, knows what is best for us and everything that He desires of us is actually for our own benefits, first of all. When He sees us arranging our lives under His principles, He rejoices over us because His blessing will be ours to receive. Remember, Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. (John 10:10b; NKJV)”

In Jeremiah 7:23 (NLT), God said to the Israelites, “Obey Me, and I will be your God, and you will be my people. Do everything as I say, and all will be well!” What a privilege it is when God is for us! The choice is ours to make by deliberate acts of obedience to His word. Hear then the words of JESUS: “You are my friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, FOR ALL THINGS THAT I HEARD FROM MY FATHER I HAVE MADE KNOWN TO YOU. (John 15:14, 15; NKJV)” What an awesome privilege it is to be a friend of JESUS!

Have we failed our Friend, Jesus, or grieved His Holy Spirit, our Helper? Repent, come back to embrace His good, acceptable, and perfect will for us. As Jesus asked Peter, He may well asks us, too, “Do you love Me?” Jesus could see that despite Peter’s failings, he (Peter) loves Him in his heart of hearts. Let’s love (agape) Jesus at all times, and He will guide and lead us towards His plan and purpose for us through the times and seasons of our life.

“Thank you, JESUS, for being our Friend. You are the best friend we can ever have. Help us to nurture our friendship with you, day after day. Amen.”

(Scripture quotations are taken from:
- the Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982, by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
- Holy Bible, New Living Translation. Copyright 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. All rights reserved.)
© Copyright 2006, by Michael S K Chu.

(Free to Share article posted by me with FaithWriters.com on 18 August 2006)

Paul's Letter to the Church of God

During Saint Paul’s era, it is common for people to dictate their letters to a secretary and then add their signature to it. Also, as pointed out by Dr William Barclay in his Daily Bible Study Series, the letters in those days would usually consist of the following sections: (i) The Greeting; (ii) The Prayer (for the health of the recipients); (iii) The Thanksgiving; (iv) The Special Contents (the main body of the letters); and (v) Special Salutations and Personal Greetings.

Why did Paul write his letters or epistles, as they are commonly called? How come they can still speak to us through the years? Dr Barclay explains, “With a very few exceptions, all Paul’s letters were written to meet an immediate situation and not treatises which he sat down to write in the peace and silence of his study. There was something threatening in Corinth, or Galatia, or Philippi, or Thessalonica, and he wrote a letter to meet it. He was not in the least thinking of us when he wrote, but solely of the people to whom he was writing. Deissmann writes, ‘Paul had no thought of adding a few fresh compositions to the already extant Jewish epistles; still less of enriching the sacred literature of his nation … he had no presentiment of the place his words would occupy in universal history; not so much that they would be in the next generation, far less that one day people will look at them as Holy Scripture.’

We must always remember that a thing need not be transient because it was written to meet an immediate situation. All the great love songs of the world were written for one person, but they live on for the whole of mankind. It is just because Paul’s letters were written to meet a threatening danger or a clamant need that they still throb with life. And it is because human need and the human situation do not change that God speaks to us through them today.”

Today, for our study and reflection, let’s refer  to 1 Corinthians 1:1-3 (NKJV): “Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

In his greeting, Paul identified himself by his new name after conversion from Judaism to become a believer and follower of Jesus Christ and forsook his former identity as Saul of Tarsus. The name “Paul” is derived from the Roman family name Paulus, which meant “small” or “humble” in Latin. As for Saul (Saoul in Greek or Sha’ul in Hebrew) it denotes “asked for” or “prayed for”. He certainly never looked back. For example, he regarded himself as the least of the apostles (1 Corinthians 15:9) and consistently acknowledged that it was God who has called him to be an apostle; he did not pray or asked for it.

While Saul was still persecuting the churches and making his way to Damascus, he had a life-changing encounter with Jesus Christ (Acts 9:1-9). He was called to be a chosen vessel of Christ to bear His name before Gentiles, kings and the children of Israel and to suffer for His name’s sake (Acts 9:15-16).

Later on, as he testified before King Agrippa, Paul recalled the words of Jesus to him, “…for I have appeared before you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you. I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, to open their eyes and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.” (Acts 26:16-18)

What I find amazing is the faith and obedience that Paul demonstrated to fulfill his calling. It wasn’t like he was launched off in double-quick time, smoothly, unchallenged and without perils to become a prominent apostle of Jesus Christ. After his calling, Paul immediately went to the synagogues preaching that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. The Jews were furious and plotted to kill him. “But their plot became known to Paul. And they watched the gates day and night, to kill him. Then the disciples took him by night and let him down through the wall in a larges basket.” (Acts 9:24-25; NKJV)

As explained by Paul in 2 Corinthians 11:32-33 (NKJV), “In Damascus the governor, under Aretas the king, was guarding the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desiring to apprehend me; but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall, and escaped from his hands.”

Paul then went to Jerusalem but the disciples there found it hard to accept his sudden turnaround. Moreover, he disputed against the Greek-speaking Jews, but they attempted to kill him. “When the brethren found out, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him out to Tarsus.” (Acts 9:30; NKJV)  

From his letter to the Galatians, we understand that Paul “went to Arabia and returned again to Damascus” (Galatians 1;17b; NKJV); “Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to se Peter, and remained with him fifteen days” (Galatians 1:18; NKJV); and “Afterward I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia; and I was unknown by face to the churches of Judea which were in Christ.” (Galatians 1:22; NKJV); and “Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and also took Titus with me.” (Galatians 2:1; NKJV)

Indeed, Paul endured much suffering just as Jesus Christ had said he would for his calling. Consider Paul’s account in 2 Corinthians 11:24-28 (NKJV): “From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness – besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches.”

Paul was diligent to make his calling and election as an apostle of Jesus Christ sure. It was an apostleship that is rooted in Christ and for the glory of Christ. He was not an apostle for his own satisfaction and achievement; he was nothing apart from Christ. Dr C. Peter Wagner briefly defines an ‘Apostle’ as a: “Christian leader who is gifted, taught, and commissioned by God with the authority to establish the foundational government of the Church within an assigned sphere of ministry by hearing what the Spirit is saying to the churches and by setting things in order accordingly for the advancement of the Kingdom of God.”

Also, he pointed out that his calling was by divine initiative (“by the will of God”). He set this out clearly in Galatians 1:1 (NKJV), “Paul, an apostle (not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised Him from the dead). To this, we can add divine revelation, as well, from what he disclosed in Galatians 1:11-12, “But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

In his epistle to the Corinthians, Paul recognized that the Church is primarily the Church of God, regardless of whether it is located at Corinth or elsewhere. He described the Christian as: (i) one who is set apart to God by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ (i.e., positional sanctification); (ii) one who is marked out and being made holy by the work of the Holy Spirit as specially belonging to God and devoted to God’s service (i.e., progressive sancitifcation); and (iii) one who is part of a community of believers worldwide.      

Finally, as Dr Barclay explains, “Paul speaks of our Lord Jesus Christ, and then, as it were, he corrects himself and adds their Lord and ours. No man, no Church, has exclusive possession of Jesus Christ. He is our Lord but he is also the Lord of all men. It is the amazing wonder of Christianity that all men possess all the love of Jesus Christ, that “God loves each one of us as if there was only one of us to love.” ”

Thus in just the aforesaid three verses from 1 Corinthians 1:1-3, we have much to understand and deepen our knowledge of God’s Word. You may wish to ponder over the following questions and emulate the example of Saint Paul:

a)                  Have I truly embraced my new identity in Christ by seeing myself in the mirror of God’s Word?

b)                  Am I living out my calling in Jesus Christ or am I still enslaved to self and sin?

c)                  Am I growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ?

The following selected manifesto from Saint Paul is for your takeaway:

“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Galatians 2:20 (NKJV)

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Bibliography:

1.                  The Daily Bible Study Series (Revised Edition): The Letters to the Corinthians – translated with an Introduction and Interpretation by William Barclay 

2.                  Meaning of “Paul” and “Saul” (Source: http://www.behindthename.com/name/)

3.                  Definition of “Apostle” (Source: http://www.coalitionofapostles.com/about-ica/definition-of-apostle/)

4.                  The NIV Study Bible by The Zondervan Corporation