TODAY IN THE WORD

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: 1 John 4:7-26
Be imitators of God . . . and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us. - Ephesians 5:1a, 2
TODAY IN THE WORD
In his book, His Needs, Her Needs, William Harley writes about “affair-proofing” one's marriage. He asserts that couples can protect their marriages by making “deposits” into their spouse's love banks. By meeting each other's needs and fostering romantic love, couples can protect themselves from seeking emotional fulfillment in extramarital affairs.

It's good advice for two imperfect people trying to love each other, two sinners who care more about being loved than expressing love. But our passage today describes how the church's Husband, Jesus Christ, loves her infinitely more and better than this.

We usually think of love as something we reciprocate rather than something we initiate. Romantic love as well as friendship seems to last only as long as there is mutual give and take. We give love in proportion to how we receive love. But God's love for the church doesn't depend on whether or not we return His affection. To use the example of a scientific model, His love is cause, not effect. He loved us before we loved Him (v. 10).

He loves us not because we're loveable but because He chooses to, because His very nature is love (v. 16). God pursues the people He has made, who have rebelled against Him and who don't have a single reflex in their body capable of loving. We don't have the equipment to love God back without His help (vv. 7, 16). He loved us when we were His enemies (cf. Rom. 5:. And even then He loved us at the highest price to be paid, the cost of His Son's life (v. 10).

This kind of love proves Christ to be the faithful Husband of the church. He won't give up on His vows to us. He won't grow disillusioned by our mistakes. He is building the church in order to bring the people He has made into a love relationship with Himself.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
The church is one of God's many good gifts to His people because it is in the fellowship of other believers that we can joyfully proclaim what it means to be loved by God. Church should be the place where we feel the most loved, the most forgiven, and the most accepted because of the love Christ has shown us. Is this how people feel when coming to your church—whether visitors or members? You can extend this love the next time you greet others in your congregation!

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Titus 2:11-15
Jesus Christ . . . gave himself for us to redeem us . . . and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. - Titus 2:14
TODAY IN THE WORD
New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof wrote a series of articles exposing the tragedy of sex trafficking in places like Cambodia. While there, he attempted to buy the freedom of two Cambodian teenage prostitutes and return them to their families. His effort toward redemption was only partially successful—one of the girls was reunited with her family, but the other girl ended up returning to her old way of life.

Buying the freedom of sex slaves provides an analogy to what Jesus did for us on the cross and His redeeming love. God's rescue is two-fold: salvation from and salvation for. His salvation rescues us from condemnation and for salvation (v. 11). In one sense, our salvation becomes a reality at the very moment of our conversion (cf. Rom. 10:9), and because of this, we can look forward to our hope of heaven (v. 13). But in another sense, a process is still required, a process by which the bride of Christ remains faithful and pure to her Beloved.

In the old covenant, Yahweh declared to the people of Israel that He is a jealous God (Ex. 20:5). Because of His divine jealousy, He commanded the Israelites to worship Him alone and put away false idols. When they rebelled time and again against God, their sin was often compared to spiritual adultery (cf. Jer. 3:. In the new covenant, this divine jealousy is expressed through Christ. He wants a pure and spotless bride for Himself. He asks us to vow our love and faithfulness to Him, “forsaking all others.” His grace is a means for us to learn to love Him more and our old habits of sin less (v. 12).

Clearly the church should reflect this change of affection. If we love Jesus Christ, we will obey Him (cf. John 14:21). We should not be like a redeemed slave who exchanges new freedom for former bondage, rebuffing the saving attempts of her rescuer. We should instead feel immense indebtedness to the one who paid our ransom.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
In 2005, the Barna Research Group published their study on the state of the Christian church in the United States. It noted few significant lifestyle differences between Christians and non-Christians. In Barna's words, “people sleepwalk through their religious paces, oblivious to the fact that many of their beliefs and practices dishonor God.” Would you pray for yourself and your local church that you would live “self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age” (v. 12)?

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: John 17:6-26
Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name–the name you gave me–so that they may be one as we are one. - John 17:11b
TODAY IN THE WORD
In his acceptance speech for the Republican nomination for President, Abraham Lincoln declared emphatically, “ ”˜A house divided against itself cannot stand.' I believe this government cannot endure, permanently half slave and half free. . . It will become all one thing or all the other.” Lincoln, quoting the words of Jesus from Matthew 12:25, knew the importance of unity. This is true not only for the nation but also for the church.

Today's passage reveals Jesus' earnest prayer for His disciples as He prepared to leave His disciples and send His Holy Spirit. And not only for them, but for the church of the twenty-first century as well (v. 20)! While Jesus was with the disciples, He had protected them (v. 12). As the Good Shepherd, He protected His vulnerable sheep from both attack and their own defenselessness (cf. John 10:11). Jesus knew that the church would continue to be threatened in many areas, and His prayer in these last hours before His crucifixion was for the church's protection (vv. 11, 15).

But protection from what? No doubt the church faces myriad threats, but one particular danger evident from this passage is the threat of disunity. Repeatedly in Jesus' prayer, He asks the Father to make the church one (vv. 11, 21-23). He prays for two kinds of unity in the church: unity among themselves (v. 11) and unity with Christ (v. 21b).

Unity with Christ is our foundation for unity with each other. When we abide in Christ, the fruit of the Holy Spirit in our lives produces what is necessary for relational peace: love, patience, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal. 5:22). By being connected to Christ, we necessarily have to be connected to one another. Jesus Christ has one bride whom He has saved and loves. He has one bride whom He longs to purify and present to Himself as radiant (cf. Eph. 5:27). We are one church.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Jesus compared the church's unity for which He was praying to the unity He enjoys with the Father. That unity is characterized by generous sharing (vv. 6, 10) and a spirit of cooperation (v. . The Father and the Son work together, not against one another. What would happen if Christians decided to mirror this kind of unity? Can we, across denominational divides and theological nuances, begin to join hand-in-hand in the work for which we've been sent (v. 18)?

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: John 15:18-25
Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit . . .? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. - 1 Corinthians 6:19, 20a
TODAY IN THE WORD
Throughout Africa, a practice known as lobola in the South, mahari in the East, or wine-carrying in the West continues today. This is the practice of paying a bride price. When a man agrees to marry a woman, he pays a price in cattle or crops in exchange for her hand in marriage. In the twenty-first century, this ritual is becoming more controversial. Some believe it is insulting to women, while others consider it an expression of honor and esteem.

Our verse for today reminds us that Christ has paid a bride price for His church. We belong to Him now. As the church, we no longer belong to the world, and our new allegiance has definite implications.

Jesus says, “No servant is greater than his master” (v. 20). With these words, Jesus predicts what kind of treatment the church should expect today. Christ was hated. We shouldn't be surprised when we are hated as well (v. 18). Christ was persecuted. We, too, will suffer for being Christians. Our world prefers rebellion to repentance, so we should expect an irrational and indiscriminate hatred toward those who seek holiness (v. 25).In the United States, our worst persecutions rarely amount to more than being occasionally misunderstood, criticized, patronized, and discriminated against. In other places around the world such as China and Vietnam, Christians face imprisonment, beatings, and even death for calling on the name of Christ.

As the bride of Christ, we do much better to anticipate mistreatment and persecution than to expect tolerance and inclusion. We must remember that we don't belong to the world (v. 19). It's not our “club.” We don't know how to act. In a figurative sense, we look funny, we talk funny, and we act funny. And the world sees it. While the rejection stings sometimes, we can rejoice at what and to whom we now belong: to Jesus Christ and to His church.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
When Jesus called His people out of the world, it was an act of consecration. Much like Moses was instructed to purify and consecrate all of the priestly garments and tabernacle furniture for God's use, we are set apart by God through the atonement of Christ Jesus for holy purposes (cf. Ex. 29:29-46; Rom. 12:1-2; 2 Tim. 2:20-21). Rejoice that God has loved you enough to consecrate you, and be looking for ways to live out your calling.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Colossians 1:15-20
And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body. - Ephesians 1:22-23a
TODAY IN THE WORD
Whether caused by severe accidents or illness, damage to various areas of the brain can eliminate different functions of the body. In the case of brain death, which is a total cessation of brain activity, the body is absolutely lifeless. It cannot function without its control center.

Unsurprisingly, then, Scripture gives Christ the title of “Head” of the church, His body. The church can never function apart from Christ. Like the brain is to a physical body, so Christ is to the church. He is responsible to direct its activities and coordinate its movements.

Christ is Head of the church because He deserves to be, as this passage makes clear. In his letter to the Colossians, Paul seeks to undermine a heretical teaching within this particular church (cf. 2:4, . This false teaching described Christ as one of many spiritual beings given by God to bridge the gap between Himself and man. Paul refutes this teaching by exalting Christ. He is not One among many—He is God Himself. As the second Person of the Trinity, He is distinct from but equal to God the Father (v. 15). All the attributes of God are His in fullness (v. 19).

Christ is Creator of the universe (v. 16). Not only did He create the animals, plants, and people of earth, but He also created the angels and heavens themselves. And because of His preeminence as Creator, He has the prerogative of Ruler. He is supreme over everything on earth and everything in heaven (v. 18). He deserves first place, first say, first regard.

Finally, Christ is Head of the church because He is the firstborn from among the dead (v. 18). He has gone before us all. He has experienced all the temptations and sufferings that we ourselves face. Because He has tasted death itself and freed us from its power through His resurrection, He now describes us as His brothers and sisters (cf. Heb. 2:11, 14, 17) and we can be free from the power of death.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
We are reminded today that because Christ is Head over the church, He has authority over the church. One characteristic of a church that submits itself to Christ's authority is prayerfulness. Are the leaders of your church committed to prayer before decision-making? Are the people in prayer for the leaders? When conflict arises, is the first step toward resolution a commitment to prayer? Does your church value prayer above programs? Let's stay connected to our Head, seeking His guidance and will through prayer.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Revelation 2:18-29
Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds. - Revelation 2:23
TODAY IN THE WORD
At half-time, a coach has an important job to do in the locker room. He has to encourage the good play as well as address the mistakes his team has made so far. He needs tips for improvement as well as motivation for his players to stay focused for the rest of the game.

Our passage today sounds like a half-time talk for the church in Thyatira. On the one hand, this church receives praise from the Lord (v. 19). On the other hand, they have some weaknesses in their game, some sin that needs to be addressed.

The church was guilty before God and called to repent (v. 22). The people of Thyatira have tolerated sin in their midst. A woman, compared to Jezebel (cf. 1 Kings 16:31-33), had been allowed to teach false doctrine. Her teaching had produced more sin, rather than greater righteousness (v. 20). What's more, she herself wouldn't repent. Christ had given her more than one occasion to repent, but she refused (v. 21). In His brief address to the church in Thyatira, Jesus reveals the importance of three different aspects that we've discussed for the church. The first is unity. Jesus addresses the church corporately (vv. 19-20). We usually think of our responsibility before God as personal and individual, but here we see a church being called to account. What we do as the body of Christ in our local congregations matters to Christ just as our individual, personal choices matter.

Second, we see Christ's authority over the church at Thyatira. He knows the church (v. 19), He examines the church (v. 23), and He has the authority to cast judgment over what He sees. Christ addresses the sin and forecasts punishment for the sin He sees.

Finally, we see the importance of purity in the church. She belongs to Christ, and anyone who steers her away from obedience to Him is guilty of leading the church into adultery.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Imagine Jesus visiting your church today and addressing your congregation. What commendation could you expect from the Lord? What areas of weakness would He address? Can you support your conclusions about what your church is doing right or wrong through Scripture? As you think through the relevant Scripture, ask God to help you encourage your church for its strengths and to be a part of the solution for weaknesses. Remember that while no church is perfect, we should all be striving for Christlikeness!

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: John 14:1-26
I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these. - John 14:12
TODAY IN THE WORD
In her book, L'Abri, Edith Schaeffer describes how her husband, Francis, began to question: “Suppose we had awakened today to find everything concerning the Holy Spirit and prayer removed from the Bible. . . . What difference would it make practically between the way we worked yesterday and the way we would work today, and tomorrow?. . . . Where does the supernatural power of God have a real place?”

Francis Schaeffer was identifying the weakness of the church in his generation and our own. Do we have the faith of which Jesus spoke in today's verse? Do we have vital prayer lives where we expectantly and confidently ask and receive things from God (vv. 13-14)? Do we attempt things with God's help that only He can do? By depending on the work of the Holy Spirit indwelling every believer, we can begin to see Jesus' promises fulfilled (v. 17).

Christ is Head of His body, and the Holy Spirit is its lifeblood. In this passage, two important roles of the Holy Spirit are described. First, He guides the church into truth (v. 17). He doesn't invent new ideas, update old-fashioned principles, or revise history. Instead, He reminds us of everything that Jesus has said to His church (v. 26). This vital ministry protects the church from error. And as He guides the church into a greater understanding of the commands of Jesus, He enables the church to really love Jesus (v. 23).

Second, the Holy Spirit empowers the church. Jesus had confidence in the church because He knew her future. He would leave, and the Holy Spirit would come. Jesus insisted that this truly was best for believers (cf. John 16:7). As their Helper (v. 16, nasb), the Holy Spirit would live in all who believe, not just a select chosen few (v. 17). He would help the church do ministry in the name of Christ (v. 12) and truly fulfill its mandate to be Christ's body in the world.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Did you know that it is a command in Scripture to “be filled with the Spirit” (Eph. 5:18)? We the church desperately need the Holy Spirit. He fills us as we regularly confess our sin before God, ask Him to fill us, and walk in the Spirit.

By saturating our minds with Scripture, praying without ceasing, listening to God, and witnessing to others, we can walk in step with the Spirit.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Matthew 28:16-20
Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you. - John 20:21
TODAY IN THE WORD
Mission: Impossible, a television series that premiered in 1966, began each episode the same way. A secret message was delivered to a team of government spies in the form of a pre-recorded tape. The message gave detailed instructions for the mission, announcing at the end of each recording, “This tape will self-destruct in sixty seconds.” Bam!

Minus the self-destructing tape, in today's reading the church receives instructions and encouragement for its final mission before Jesus' return. The task is challenging—but not impossible. First, all authority belongs to Jesus Christ (v. 18). Nothing can stand in our way of getting the job done. Everything and everyone submits to Christ's authority, even the Devil himself. We can also draw confidence because Jesus promises to be with us forever (v. 20). As we discussed yesterday, this promise is fulfilled because Holy Spirit indwells us as believers.

With this confidence as our foundation, we must make disciples (v. 19). Though other verbs appear in this sentence (go, baptize, teach), the primary action command here is to make disciples. The main goal of the church isn't to help the homeless or to build orphanages or to teach the illiterate, though these things will happen as a result of its mission. Its priority is helping people understand salvation through Christ and obedience to Christ. Making disciples must come first.

Now for the method—Jesus insisted in our verse for today that we are sent just as He was sent. Taking a quick look back at the opening chapter of John, we remember that Jesus was sent by God in the “flesh” and He “made his dwelling among us” (John 1:14). Jesus didn't substitute mass advertising for the Incarnation. He made God the Father known as He walked and talked, as He touched the sick and called the fishermen. He made God real and present and near. And this is the role of the church today in our world, to bring God close, to speak His words and extend His touch where people are hurting and in need.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
How is your church impacting your community? Making disciples requires both evangelism and then intentional discipleship. Is your church weaker in one area than another? Are you individually weaker in one area than another? Identify your area of weakness and make goals to see God strengthen that weakness. Also, consider reading The Master Plan of Evangelism by Robert Coleman, a classic book on this assignment that we as the church have to make disciples.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Matthew 5:13-16
My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. - John 17:15
TODAY IN THE WORD
In 1910, John Wilbur Chapman wrote the hymn, “Our Great Savior,” to describe the many wonderful roles of Christ. “Jesus, what a friend for sinners . . . what a strength in weakness . . . . what a help in sorrow . . . what a guide and keeper . . . Hallelujah! What a Savior!”

“Friend of sinners” was actually an accusation that the Pharisees leveled against Jesus (cf. Matt. 11:19). These religious leaders of Jesus' time criticized Him for the time and attention that He devoted to sinners. The Pharisees believed that this was proof enough that He was not sent from God (cf. Luke 7:39). Yet Jesus was not threatened by this misunderstanding, nor did He worry about alienating His religious critics. He kept loving the unlovely and forgiving sinners. If Jesus reached people outside the temple walls, we as the church must follow His example.

Jesus' teaching in the Sermon on the Mount emphasizes this. Take the examples of salt and light given in this passage. Salt and light are only as effective as the extent of their contact. Salt, used as a preservative in biblical times, had to be rubbed into meat to prevent decay. Light depends upon darkness to exercise its function. Likewise, we as spiritual salt and light must come into contact with our morally decaying and dark world. The church is not an isolated ivory tower. Indeed, our function requires a great deal more courage than that.

For all our discomfort in a world where we truly don't belong (see March 11), we cannot hide and we cannot run. Instead, we have to make our presence, the presence of Christ Himself, felt and seen and heard (v. 15). We must be willing to leave the comfort of our familiar circles in order to minister to those who are hurting, lonely, and lost. We do this because we are the body of Christ in the world today. We do this because Christ has commissioned us to this call.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
We must pray for potency in our “saltiness” (v. 13). We're not good for much when we're so like the world that we cease to impact the world.

Second, we need to pray for courage in our testimony. Light cannot and should not be hidden. As the illuminated city on the hill, we will need to talk frankly to unbelievers about our conversion to Christ and our firm faith in the truth of the gospel.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: 1 Corinthians 12:1-12
There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. - 1 Corinthians 12:4
TODAY IN THE WORD
Writing a mission statement is common business protocol. Companies define their vision so that each employee will know the goals that the company is trying to achieve. The mission is the same for each employee, but the function of each employee differs. Not everyone is a CEO. There must also be mailroom employees, secretaries, salespersons, and mid-level managers!

We've spent our recent discussions defining the purpose of the church. As the body and bride of Christ, we have a unique purpose in this world. We are unified around this common vision. However, we are not uniform in the way that we set about the task at hand.

Today's reading reveals the Corinthians' ignorance concerning spiritual gifts (v. 1). They were operating under a false presumption: that some gifts indicated special favor and importance while others were less valuable (cf. 1 Cor. 12:12-30). They misunderstood the necessary diversity of the body of Christ. They confused unity for uniformity. We are unified because of our confession of faith. The church must with one voice declare emphatically, “Jesus is Lord” (v. 3). This declaration of faith and act of submission signals the work of Christ in a believer and in a church (see March 1).

Our faith in one Lord produces not conformity, however, but diversity (vv. 4-6). While working toward the same goal and for the same Lord, believers have different areas of focus, different burdens of compassion, different methods, and different capacities. Comparing one church to another or comparing one believer to another is unfair and inaccurate. The same Holy Spirit can work differently from one life to another, one congregation to another.

Understanding this diversity enables the cooperative spirit necessary in the church today (see March 10). It destroys ego and competition because of its focus on the Holy Spirit who distributes the gifts (v. 11), rather than on the one who uses the gifts. We owe all of our abilities and ideas for ministry to Him.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
God has provided believers with spiritual gifts so that we can serve one another and help meet the needs in the church. Do you know if you are exercising a spiritual gift? Think of a time when you felt the thrill of being used by the Lord in His work. Does this indicate to you an area of giftedness? Think also of the specific personal burdens you carry for your church and for the world. These areas of interests can help guide you to discovering your spiritual gifts.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Romans 12:3-16
So in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. - Romans 12:5
TODAY IN THE WORD
BagBorroworSteal.com is a new Web site that features trendy handbags for rent. Using the concept of renting the latest blockbuster movie on video, you can now shell out your cash for a designer purse to use and then return. Purse junkies, as they call themselves, love the ability to have the latest, most stylish purse for a fraction of the cost of owning. One does wonder, though, in what condition the purses are returned!

When something belongs to us, we tend to care for it more carefully. That's why the church must gain a sense of belonging to each other so that we can value one another. As members of the body of Christ, we must learn to function as a unit (vv. 4, 5). Just as we care for and appreciate the functions of all the limbs and organs of our body, so we need to appreciate each member of Christ's body.

This first requires humility (v. 16). Humility is the opposite of vain conceit, or thinking of yourself more highly than you ought to think (v. 3). In humility, we value other members' contributions to the body. Humility isn't, however, false modesty but rather sober judgment. It's not a judgment rendered by a measure of comparison but by a measure of faith. It's service with confidence but without a need for the spotlight (vv. 7-8). This allows us to attempt great things for God and believe God has great plans for us, but that comes from faith in His power rather than pride in our own abilities. This kind of service enriches the body of Christ.

Our participation in the body also requires sincere love (v. 9). This passage gives some concrete examples for how to show love to the body of Christ. We love by sharing our time and money and resources with others when they need it. We love them by inviting them into our homes (v. 13). We love them by celebrating their successes and grieving their losses (v. 15). We love them by choosing to disregard our privileges and befriending those who are different from us (v. 16).
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
In the next month, take time to celebrate the successes of a brother or sister in Christ. Send a note of congratulations for a recent promotion. Praise God in your personal prayer time for the growth they're experiencing spiritually. In addition, mourn with those who mourn. Carry a burden for people by praying for them and with them. You could do important, practical things like make a meal for someone under emotional stress or attend the wake or funeral of a friend's loved one.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Ephesians 4:4-16
From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. - Ephesians 4:16
TODAY IN THE WORD
The health of our physical body depends on the health of each individual organ and system. Torn ligaments don't kill us, but ask anyone with a torn ACL and they will attest to pain and handicap that requires surgery. Though not as vital as the heart, even a torn ligament requires immediate attention so that the body doesn't suffer permanent damage. The body of Christ mirrors this complexity and interdependence. In the church, every member is important. Not one single member is unnecessary. Each part has a job to do (vv. 12, 16).

That said, certain spiritual gifts are absolutely vital within the church. The local congregation needs those who equip the church (v. 11). To say that these gifts are perhaps more necessary doesn't elevate the pastor or evangelist to a sort of “super-Christian” status before God. It also doesn't mean that they alone do all the work while the congregation sits idly by. On the contrary, their most important function is to train those under their leadership to do “works of service” (v. 12).

The “equipping” gifts are different from other gifts, such as encouragement or intercession, in that they are “truth” gifts. The church cannot stand apart from the foundation of the truth. The church itself is the pillar and foundation of the truth (1 Tim. 3:15). The Holy Spirit's role is also to guide us into truth (see March 14). For any other gift to operate properly, it must be grounded in truth and equipped by truth. Without truth, the church is vulnerable to its own immaturity and to deception (v. 14).

Timothy, himself a pastor, evangelist, missionary, and teacher, received profound advice from Paul that is much needed for people in those roles today: “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved . . . who correctly handles the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15).
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
If you are serving as a pastor or teacher in your church, evaluate the time and intentionality you are giving to your study of the Word.

If you don't have these gifts but appreciate those who exercise them in your church, encourage them by saying so. They need it. And if you're a “supporting ligament” in the body of Christ, recognize and fulfill the work God has for you!

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Matthew 25:31-46
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and Love your neighbor as yourself. - Luke 10:27
TODAY IN THE WORD
An unfortunate division occurred in the American church at the turn of the last century. Many denominations, feeling threatened by the theory of evolution, exchanged fidelity to the gospel of Christ for social activism. Feeding the poor seemed less problematic than teaching the Word of God. Many evangelical churches, on the other hand, went to the other extreme, neglecting social issues in their concern for souls.

Today's passage helps us understand why the church cannot abandon care for either souls or bodies. Yes, the church has its commission from Christ to impact this world spiritually by making disciples (see March 15). But this does not preclude the church's much needed influence in meeting everyday physical needs. Our greatest commands, as given by Christ, are to love God and to love our neighbor. Indeed, love for God necessitates love for our neighbor. As people who have received God's mercy, we must now become instruments of that mercy in our world today.

We do so by acts of compassion. In the name of Christ, we serve the most neglected and abused people in our society: the poor, homeless, lonely, destitute, sick, and imprisoned (vv. 35-36). Interestingly enough, in the parable from Matthew 25, the righteous people who were doing these things hardly realized that they were serving God. They seem quite surprised by Jesus' praise (v. 40).

Jesus shattered the divide between spiritual and secular, holy and ordinary. Every act of service could become a fragrant offering of worship. Every act of the Christian disciple becomes spiritual and holy when it is committed to the glory of God. Yesterday we learned that teaching gifts within the church prepare us for works of service, and today's reading gives us a glimpse of the ways that we can serve in the name of Christ.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
How might you begin serving the poor and destitute as an expression of your gratitude to Christ for loving and saving you? Compassion International has a wonderful ministry to poor children across the globe. By a monthly contribution to this ministry, you can begin to help feed, clothe, nurse and educate a needy child. Check out their Web site at www.compassion.com for more information. Locally, can you also begin serving at a homeless shelter or contributing to a food pantry?

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: 1 Peter 4:7-11
Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. - 1 Peter 4:8
TODAY IN THE WORD
Stop, drop and roll—it's one of the first tips we learn about fire safety. If our clothes are on fire, the worst thing we can do is run and feed the flames with more oxygen. We've got to smother the flames in order to extinguish the fire.Peter has a safety tip for the church of Jesus Christ. When it seems that God's purposes are going up in flames, when people professing the name of Christ wound and are wounded, we've got to smother the fire of dissension and disappointment with the covering of God's love.

Why does it sometimes feel like the church is failing? Why does the church lead unbelievers to malign Jesus Christ and misunderstand His redemptive purposes? At these times it may be because the church has forgotten how to love.

Sinners we are and sinners we will be until Jesus returns for His church. We are a fallen people. Our offenses, both the ones we commit and the ones we suffer, are real and many. But if we remember and practice the law of love, the injuries from our offenses heal more quickly. Love helps us forgive. Love helps us persevere through conflict. Love believes the best.

Love also keeps us from complaining about one another (v. 9). Loving one another deeply means coming to a place where service doesn't happen because of arm-twisting. When we love deeply, we serve sincerely, without hypocrisy.

Finally, love frees us to exercise our spiritual gifts with humble confidence (v. 10). By recognizing that our gifts can actually administer the grace of God in someone's life, in love we'll be eager to serve and to use our gifts.

If the church remembers to love, God will be glorified. It's for this reason that the church exists. In fact, everything exists, “that in all things, God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever” (v. 11). Plain and simple, the church exists for the glory of God.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
For the next ten days, we'll be setting out diagnostic tests to examine the health of our churches. Today's test measures the quality of our love for one another. Proverbs 19:11 amplifies what Peter says about love: “A man's wisdom gives him patience . . . to overlook an offense.” Practice this week overlooking the mistakes, snide comments, and offenses of others. Praise God for every opportunity you have to cover these offenses by not mentioning them or being angered by them.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Matthew 18:10-35
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. - Ephesians 4:32
TODAY IN THE WORD
If you watch almost any talk show or read popular magazines, you'll sometimes hear advice like this for resolving conflict: try once to resolve the misunderstanding, and if you're rebuffed, wait for the apology that you deserve. Don't let people take advantage of you. You shouldn't be too nice or too forgiving. Otherwise, you're giving people license to walk all over you.

Biblical principles differ radically from this advice, and how churches resolve conflict reveals their spiritual health. Will we listen to the voice of the world or the voice of Christ when it comes to the practice of forgiveness?

The Bible says that we must always take the initiative when a relationship is suffering. Like Dr. David Jeremiah has said in his preaching, “When it comes to forgiveness it's always your turn.” We can't wait for an apology. We can't hope that the conflict will resolve itself. If we have been sinned against, we must go to the person who has offended us and “show him his fault” (v. 15). This isn't an adversarial confrontation, because the goal is to win our brother over. We are respectful about the way in which we confront; the confrontation should be private so as to avoid embarrassment, and also specific, so as to be helpful.

Second, if need be, we go multiple times to the person who has offended us. We don't stop when we've tried once and seen no success. We try two more times with witnesses, and even if these steps fail, we still love and pray for our brother or sister (vv. 16-17, cf. Matt. 5:43-48). If Christ cannot let even one sheep stray from the pasture (v. 14), how can we give up easily on those who have hurt us? How can we bear to let the fellowship of the church be fractured by personal conflicts?

Our forgiveness reveals the extent to which we have grasped the significance of God's forgiveness (vv. 32-35). Just as today's key verse reminds us, we must forgive as Christ freely forgave us.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Do you have a broken relationship with a brother or sister in Christ? Do as Christ requires of you. First, go to this person alone in a spirit of love and with the purpose of restoration. If this person refuses to listen, take another believer along with you a second time. If this fails, take yet another brother or sister with you.

Pray fervently for unity and fellowship in Christ to be restored.