June 5

“Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded…” Philippians 2:2

Paul had seen a great deal of personal trial, difficulty and affliction in serving the Lord. He bore many burdens and suffered many persecutions, tortures and loss. He had to deal with the many dissentions, arguments and false doctrines arising among some of the churches. All this added pain and sorrow to an already difficult ministry unto God. Here however was a great opportunity for joy! The apostle’s joy was structured and fulfilled by the Christlike manner, godly conduct and scriptural faith of those who had grown in his care and as a result of his ministry. His joy was to see brethren working together in unison, harmony and love. Those having the same mind of godliness and making efforts to maintain unity and love in the church, were a cause of joy to this great man of God. This is true of any minister who has a true pastor’s heart. He rejoices in God, when God’s people function without schism and discord, are free from contentions and strife, and in true humility of heart, love and serve God and uphold one another! This is cause for great joy! It surpasses all thrills that a servant of God may experience in any other aspect of life! It is God’s will that His church be one-minded in faith, purpose and practice. When a minister can verify that this is taking place in the body of believers, he can rejoice because God’s will is being fulfilled, and no greater joy exists for the servant of God! It is the task of the true believer to find his place in God and fill it to the best of his ability. Along with the specific call or ministry to which we may be directed, there are the common goals in the church, to which we are all called as the Lord’s disciples. These include the necessity to love one another, to serve God from a pure heart, to maintain a bond of peace and unity of spirit, to bear one another’s burdens and to pray without ceasing. There is plenty of room in the family of God, plenty to do and be involved in, and much purpose to fulfil. Let us determine by our actions and conduct, to make our leaders truly joyful in their service to God, and most of all let us remember that our lives are open before Him, who knows and sees all things, and rewards accordingly!

http://www.pentecostalfamilychurch.com.au/devotion

Mar 7

“... Hearts...might be comforted, being knit together in love…” Colossians 2:2

Our text expresses the comfort and encouragement, experienced by those who are united in faith to God. Christians are well acquainted with the distresses and trials of life, the rigours of persecutions and the challenges of reaching the lost. All such things add to the ‘discomfort’ that may be experienced as we walk ‘in Christ’. Yet God has not left His people without comfort! He not only sent the ‘Comforter’ - His Holy Spirit, to fill, empower and guide the believer, but He has also ensured that our hearts may find comfort in the reality of the companionship, fellowship and brotherhood that exist within the Church. The bonds of this company of blood-washed, redeemed individuals are strong! God’s family is meant to be close-knit and cohesive. Like the sinews and tendons that hold the joints of our bodies, even so the members of the Body of Christ, are held together by the strong bonds of the truth and love, which God has imparted to them. This is the mortar that joins each brick in the building and forms the edifice of God! The brethren that belong to the family of God, are not meant to be disavowed, distanced acquaintances, empty of common purpose and devoid of interest and love for one another.  The opposite is true! God’s will for us is that we are ‘knitted together’ into a solid, unified ‘oneness’, fused with the ‘glue’ of His amazing love, and motivated by His Spirit to carry out His godly and spiritual purposes! May the hearts of those who willingly put aside their own program of life, and embrace God and His ways, find in Jesus, and in the wonderful family of God, the joy, comfort and strength of His love, and the blessing of intimate unity.

http://www.pentecostalfamilychurch.com.au/devotion

Feb 23

“…that in thy stead he might have ministered unto me…” Philemon 1:13

As he sends him back to Philemon, Paul gives reference of the servant Onesimus, in such a positive light, that he compares the services he is rendering to Paul while in prison, equal to and as valuable as those that Philemon himself would have offered, had he been with Paul. There is an affinity which grows among fellow ministers. This is the result of the calling that is placed on their lives by the Lord. It is a precious fellowship, one that goes beyond mere organizational ties, or academic connections. It is borne of the like precious faith which joins and makes a common bond and purpose, for those who are part of it. It is a spiritual fellowship; a companionship and friendship ordained by God’s Spirit and supported by His Word. The called ones, who are privileged to experience such excellence of ministry, benefit not only from the gift of God to minister to others, but the blessing of receiving the ministry of others. In difficult times, times of trials and afflictions, when few understand the heart and burden of the minister, God sends one who is called, to help carry the load, encourage the heart and remind the wearied servant to remain yet faithful. Paul was in bonds not for some misconduct or crime, but for being a preacher of the gospel of Christ. He might have been limited in his space and movements, but was not impoverished in the faith and in his zeal for the Lord. Onesimus proved profitable, as he willingly helped to support the weight of Paul’s cross! Helping him to carry the burden of his prison bonds and ministering to his needs, as Paul in turn, concentrated all he had left to minister the word of God to others! Might we pray that God may supply us with more ‘Pauls’ to see the gospel go forth and God’s kingdom spread, but that he may also provide more precious workers, like useful Onesimus, to minister to the needs of the ministers, faithfully and without complaint. This is what true service and ministry to God, is really all about, each doing what God has called us to do, lovingly, humbly, patiently and joyfully, as unto the Lord!

http://www.pentecostalfamilychurch.com.au/devotion

Feb 18

“Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Ephesians 4:3

As can easily be verified by a reading of the Epistles, even from its beginnings, the church was adversely affected by the factions, divisions and strife so common and peculiar to our flawed human nature. The exhortation before us is a hearty encouragement to work hard and consistently, at the maintenance of the ONE mind and accord, identifying the ONE Body of Christ, into which we have all been baptised by the ONE Holy Spirit! There is no division in God! His unity should be reflected in us as His people. Firstly, by each of us being truly one with Him. This means taking on His life, His ways, His will, and making it our own, and in this way aligning ourselves with Him. Secondly, by being united one with another, in purpose, manner, desire, peace and love. This harmony clearly does not happen automatically, nor is it our natural bent. It takes effort, and it is a clear Christian duty and endeavour, to instigate and keep the kind of unity and accord which pleases God, and correctly reflects His nature. Without God’s Spirit in us, and a willingness on our part to yield to His influence, we will not be able to remain close, even less in true concord. This is one of the wonderful aspects of the ministry of the Holy Spirit, which God pours into each believer, when we come to salvation! God’s Spirit strives in us, to preserve the unity God desires in His church. When we yield our personal preferences, agendas and control, to the Holy Ghost, and humbly follow His lead, we place ourselves in the best and most favourable position, to help maintain the kind of harmony and connection, God wants for His people. Our carnally induced contentions, frictions, criticisms and discontents, cannot but produce divisions and obstruct the condition of peace and unity, which must exist among believers. The bond of peace is a strong bond if we remain ‘in the Spirit’, but can conversely become fragile, when we step out of the flow of the Spirit of God and into our own fleshly mode. Those who claim to be believers yet insist on bellicose opinions, antagonistic behaviour, negative conversations and contentious unedifying attitudes, are not walking worthy of the vocation of peace-keeping to which the Lord Jesus has called us, and which we must in all humility of heart fulfil.

http://www.pentecostalfamilychurch.com.au/devotion

Jan 12

“….that they be of the same mind in the Lord.” Philippians 4:2

We are throughout scripture instructed and encouraged to strive for the unity of the faith. Although this is to be done without compromise of the main core tenets of the faith, it is intended to be a necessary exercise, practiced by all who profess to follow Jesus. Unity in the faith is achieved through choosing the bond of peace, the attitude that prioritises others instead of ourselves. Rivalry and self-ism is inappropriate and dangerous among believers. We are therefore to make efforts towards a one-mindedness, finding common ground on which to stand and unite our efforts for the Kingdom. This is not to say that we are all to be mere ‘rubber-stamp- copies of each other, but rather that we should all draw closer to the mind of Christ, and in imitating Him, be in fact nearer in mind, heart and purpose to each other. Like a team on one side of the rope in a ‘tug-a-war’, though each member grips in a different place on the rope, yet all pull together, have the same goal and contribute to the same victory! Being of one mind, still allows for our personal and individual growth, personality and approach to various aspects of life, but standardises what we believe, how we respond to matters regarding Christian living, and what we preach to the lost around us. One-mindedness causes us to recognise what God is doing with our fellow-believers and without envy and resentment, and genuinely support the work they do. When we insist on individuality, personal superiority and recognition, ahead of keeping ‘one-mind’ humility in the message of Christ, we will end up in divisions and debates, and the very cause of Christ we uphold will suffer. There is much to be said for the beauty, peace and harmony that come from a genuine ‘one-mind’ approach to Christian life. The women mentioned in our text, though they had possibly co-operated in the work of God, had probably at some stage, and through circumstances, become estranged. This kind of distancing places a burden on the body of Christ, for any such division between brethren of precious like faith, is felt and noticeable. Paul exhorts them and pleads for differences to be put aside and oneness restored, that God’s work may be done in a spirit of true unity and love. This is good advice to all of us believers today!

http://www.pentecostalfamilychurch.com.au/devotion