Maturity: Fulfilling the Message of God Among Us

Discipleship Training Ministries, Inc.
1789 Iglehart Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104-5215 : Info: Phone (651) 283-0568 : www.dtminc.org

Notes for the Ekklesia Meeting
Sundays @ 10:00 a.m. Today’s Date: June 25, 2006

Maturity: Fulfilling the Message of God Among Us

"And y'all, formerly being alienated-away-ones and hostile-ones in the understanding by evil acts, 22 yet now He reconciled in the body of His flesh by means of the death to present y'all set-apart-ones and unblemished-ones and irreproachable-ones in His sight, 23 if indeed y'all continue-on in the faith, [being] having-been-founded-and-still-founded-ones and settled-and-steadfast-ones and not being-ones-dislodged away from the hope of the good news which y'all heard, that being preached in all creation under the heaven, of which I, Paul, became a servant. 24 Now I rejoice in the sufferings on behalf of y'all, and I complete the things lacking of the afflictions of the Christ in my flesh on behalf of His Body, which is the gathered-assembly (ekklesia), 25 of which I became a servant according to the stewardship of God given to me to fulfill the message of God toward y'all, 26 the mystery having-been-hidden-away-from-view from the ages and from the generations, -- but now it was made visible to His set-apart-ones, 27 to whom God purposed to make known what [is] the wealth of the glory of this mystery among the nations, which is Christ in y'all, the hope of the glory; 28 Whom we continuously-proclaim, reminding every human-being and teaching every human-being with all skill, in order that we might present every human-being mature in Christ; 29 unto which [purpose] also I labor-to-exhaustion intensely-struggling-against-opposition according to the inworking-energy of Him inworking in me in power." Col. 1:21-29

This section of Scripture is interesting from the standpoint of the number of players involved. There are four perspectives presented in this passage, any of which we could follow and find instructive. There is the perspective of the believers in Christ at Colossae, the recipients of God's grace in Christ whom Paul seeks to serve and mature. There is the perspective of Christ, Who gave Himself on behalf of human beings to reconcile us to God, and to present us before Him holy, blameless, and irreproachable. There is the perspective of God, Who is behind this redemptive work, has prepared the way for it for centuries, and Who has now taken action to make known the hidden message of His heart to all people. And, finally, there is the expression of Paul's own heart, who has been given a stewardship by God as a servant of the good news of Jesus' coming to fully carry out its implications among human beings from all nations, serving them by proclamation, education, and even admonition to the end that they might grow up to the full potential of what God desires for them in Christ, who lives within them. What can we learn by approaching this from the vantage point of the apostle who has shared with us here a bit of himself?

Paul saw himself as having been given a stewardship from God (cf. Eph. 3:1). He called himself a servant (Gk. -- diakonos) of the gospel, the good news of the salvation brought about in Christ (Col. 1: 23; cf. Eph. 3:7). In I Cor. 9:16, he tells us that he felt a necessity, compulsion or constraint having been laid upon him, by virtue of his calling and gifting (Acts 26:14-18; Eph. 3:1-13). This was not a compulsion where he could not stop from doing it, though that may have been the case also. The force of the context indicates that Paul saw this as a responsibility, a trust, which he was given, and concerning which he would someday be required to give an account. He could do it eagerly, or begrudgingly. That was up to him. In either case, the point was that he had a job to do, and he was responsible to get it done. He had a clear sense of this trust and responsibility. He also saw himself as a servant (diakonos) of the Church, in that it was his role to "fulfill, complete, carry out" the message of God. How did this work? He had a clear understanding of how Christ could live in His people, and of God's purposes for them, …and he intended to do whatever it took to bring this potential to pass in actual experience.

In both cases, by using the Greek word diakonos, Paul was seeing himself in a supportive, assisting role, being "at the ready" to serve in practical ways the two-fold interests of the gospel message: (1.) the proclamation and spread of the message; and (2.) the implementation and activation of the message in the learning laboratories of the local meetings of the saints. Both parts needed to be done. Neither dimension can effectively be done without the other. Diakonos was not a religious word. It was a hands on, practical, "get it done" kind of word. It was a "table waiter", "domestic servant" type of label. It had no connotation of religious worker, or clergy vs. laity, or professional vocation. If anything, it was more a blue collar type of term that emphasized making oneself available to do whatever it took to get the job done.

OK. *****First application: What is the stewardship that God has placed on me? He says He has gifted me and placed me in the Body of Christ to fulfill a function, to get a job done. Is that not a trust? Is that not a responsibility? Will I have to give an account for what I have been entrusted with? Am I seeing that clearly, and living accordingly? Does it matter if I don't want to do what I am asked to do? Will I be any less responsible? Furthermore, will my action or inaction affect anybody else? Does it matter if I "opt out"? Also, based upon the origin of the word, would you expect "ministry" (diakonia) to be a gloriously fun and immediately rewarding experience all the time? About as fun as mopping the floor, changing diapers, or serving others while they eat, right? Are you willing to make yourself available to do whatever it takes to get the job done that God has assigned to you?

A second observation about his experience in walking out his calling is that Paul met with obstacles and resistance. As a servant (diakonos), one who lived for others, he repeatedly experienced inconvenience to himself. It is the nature of choosing to love others that their interests will often be at apparent cross purposes with our own. If it were not so, everybody would be loving. The truth is, that we cannot consider the interests of others as more important than our own, and not experience sacrifice at some point (cf. Phil. 2:1-11). Paul chose to put aside the inner resistance of self-interest in order to serve others. Secondly, Paul also experienced resistance in others. They did not want to change or be changed. Their growth and change would require Paul's attentive involvement in their lives as a change agent. They needed to be taught about how the good-news of Jesus' death and resurrection could be applied to their lives, they needed to be reminded of these truths, and they needed to be held accountable for growth. Resistance from other believers is not a new thing. Paul dealt with it repeatedly. Inertia is as much a factor in human growth as it is in the laws of physics. Count on it. If you want to be a change agent, persistence is required. The need for forgiveness and repetition come with the territory. Admonishment and confrontation are also necessary if we are to truly be able to help one another mature. Finally, there will be obstacles in both the natural and the supernatural realms. Some of this is the result of the limitations of our human existence in this world. Paul did not have a "money tree". To do what he did required that he give up some creature comforts and security. He couldn't "have it all", and God did not change the rules just for him. To devote himself and his resources for the sake of the Kingdom generally meant that his resources and energy were used up, and no longer available for other things. In other words, he sacrificed in order to do God's will. He experienced both suffering and afflictions as a result of his choice to do what God was asking of him. He also experienced persecution, ridicule and harassment from people, in addition to, or in conjunction with, the spiritual opposition he faced.

*****Second application: Don't be surprised that the way is hard, or that there are dry times, or that people don't seem to "get it", or don't want to change. Expect it. You are going against the grain. Did you ever have to go to work when you didn't feel like it? This is for a temporal responsibility. How much more should we "press on" when the outcome clearly is eternal, in that it is Kingdom business?

A third observation is that Paul clearly and passionately knew what he was trying to accomplish. He was trying to proclaim and implement the "glory-giving" of God among believers. The "mystery" which had been hidden, but now is made known, is that God would come to dwell inside His people, "Christ in you, the hope of the glory".

What is this "hope of the glory" business? Well, in Rom. 3:23, Paul tells us that part of the fallen human state is that we "lack the glory of God". Jesus, in Heb. 1:3, is described as the radiance [outflashing] of God's glory. This is re-emphasized in John 1:14, "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, ...full of grace and truth". Jesus was full of the glory of God, meaning that He radiated God's character and likeness from His life, and it was seen by others. Humanity was made in the image of God, and we still bear that likeness in some fashion, but it is like a light bulb, or electrical appliance, without an adequate power source. The old batteries, the remnant of God's creative life that remains with us apart from Him, are not enough to fully energize our capabilities to express the imprint of the design of God, which is part of our makeup. The "glory of God", the "new covenant glory" that Paul said belonged to every Christian, and was greater than the outward luminescence seen on Moses' face (II Cor. 3:5-4:6), is the indwelling presence of the Spirit of Christ (Rom. 8:9-17). So, in essence, what God has done for us in Christ, is to place an unlimited power source inside of us, so that we could also radiate His glory.

There are three aspects to this "glory-giving".

First, it is a one-time event that comes to us the moment we are born from above, and we receive the Holy Spirit. From that moment on, we are no longer children of darkness. We are sons and daughters of light (Eph. 5:7-21; Jn. 12:36; Mt. 5:14-16).

Secondly, there is an ongoing process of learning to respond to and express that inner light of God's Spirit outwardly to the surrounding world. Our job is to learn to be filled with the power of that indwelling Spirit, and to clearly, faithfully and effectively radiate what He has put inside of us in accordance with our God-designed nature. Our job is also to help our brothers and sisters in Christ to grow in their capacity and willingness to be "light-shiners".

Thirdly, there is a future hope of complete deliverance from every obstacle and misalignment. When Jesus returns, then the sons and daughters of glory will be revealed (Rom. 8:18-25). They will "shine forth as the sun" (Matt. 13:43). There will no longer be any darkness of sin within us to obscure the inner light.

*****Third application: Are you giving yourself diligently to "plugging in" to the indwelling power source of the Holy Spirit? Are you responding to His initiatives of energy desiring to express His inner life through you? If not, you will not experience the power flow, and you will not experience the freedom and joy of being empowered and liberated to be the real inner you that God has designed.

Finally, Paul would not let up on these people. He was determined to see them come to maturity. Are you willing to be as insistent with others? Will you allow people to be as insistent about your growth and maturity?

Delivered Up By Envy, Delivered Over For Expedience

Discipleship Training Ministries, Inc.
1789 Iglehart Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104-5215 : Info: Phone (651) 283-0568 : www.dtminc.org

Notes for the Ekklesia Meeting
Sundays @ 10:00 a.m. Today’s Date: June 25, 2006

Delivered Up By Envy, Delivered Over For Expedience
by Dan Trygg

" For he knew that it was out of envy that they had delivered Him up. 19 Besides, while he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, ‘Have nothing to do with that righteous Man, for I have suffered much because of Him today in a dream.’ 20 Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus." Matthew 27:18-20

"From then on Pilate sought to release Him, but the Jews cried out, ‘If you release this man, you are not Caesar's friend. Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar.’ 13 So when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Stone Pavement, and in Aramaic Gabbatha. 14 Now it was the day of Preparation of the Passover. It was about the sixth hour. He said to the Jews, ‘Behold your King!’ 15 They cried out, ‘Away with Him, away with Him, crucify him!’ Pilate said to them, ‘Shall I crucify your King?’ The chief priests answered, ‘We have no king but Caesar.’ 16 So he delivered Him over to them to be crucified." John 19:12-16

We recently saw how the Jewish religious leaders had arrested Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane, and had run Him through a semblance of legal steps in order to sentence Him to death, and remove Him from the scene. Never mind that they had illegally compressed what was normally a three-day process (at least) into a few hours. They were desperate to get Him out of the way before the city woke up, and Jesus’ supporters could respond in any way that may impede their plot. Thus, we see that they did not waste any time in getting Jesus to Pilate, the Roman governor. The Romans had removed the right of capital punishment from the Jews, reserving that power to themselves alone. According to law, a Roman court could meet any time after sunrise. John 19:14 tells us that the proceedings before Pilate were all done by "the sixth hour". This included a first appearance before Pilate, an appearance before Herod, and a second appearance before Pilate, all by 6:00 a.m.! Before most people in the city had really gotten their mornings started, Jesus had been tried and convicted by the Jews, and had been brought before the Governor, who delivered Him over to crucifixion, the Roman death penalty for those who were not Roman citizens.

As long as the Galilean contingent, those who were especially loyal to Jesus, did not find out what had happened, and appear before the governor, the chief priests and elders had a good chance of getting what they wanted. Certainly a good percentage of the crowd that appeared before the courtyard of Pilate, and followed the proceedings to Herod’s residence and back again before Pilate, were strongly under the influence of the enemies of Jesus. When you consider the early time of these events, who would have been milling about the city looking for a court hearing to attend before breakfast? Furthermore, considering that this was also the day after the Passover meal, when friends and family came to town for the feast, the size of the crowd at that early hour is even more peculiar. The "public gallery" was heavily stacked against Jesus, so that Pilate certainly did not get an accurate perception of the popularity of Jesus by the multitudes He had ministered to. This explains also the way in which the chief priests were able to motivate the crowd to call for Jesus’ death so profusely. From the representation Pilate would have seen in attendance, certainly Jesus would have appeared unpopular to the extreme.

We have the interviews with Pilate recorded in more detail by John’s gospel (18:28-19:16). The charges the Jews brought against Him were that "We found this man misleading our nation and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, and saying that He Himself is Christ, a king" (Lk. 23:2). The only charge which Pilate seemed to take interest in pursuing was the last of these. Recorded in all four gospels is His question, "Are You the King of the Jews?" Each of these four witnesses record Jesus’ affirmative answer, but John gives us more detail. In His account, Jesus asks Pilate if this question was his own, or because others had brought this accusation against Him (18:34). Pilate dismissed Jesus’ probing, saying, "Am I a Jew? Your own nation, and the chief priests have delivered You up to me; what have you done?" To this, Jesus replied, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, then My servants would be fighting, that I might not be delivered up to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm." Pilate responded, "So You are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness of the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice." At this, Pilate said, again probably dismissively, "What is truth?" This was enough for him. He knew now that Jesus had done nothing wrong, but had merely been delivered up by the Jewish religious authorities because of envy. He was no threat to Rome, or to the peace. He went out to the chief priests and the multitudes and said, "I find no guilt in this man" (Lk. 23:4).

That was not the end of the matter, however. They kept on insisting that He was worthy of death, claiming that, "He stirs up the people, teaching all over Judea, starting from Galilee, even as far as this place" (Lk. 23:5). Upon learning that Jesus was a Galilean, Pilate was more than glad to send Him to Herod, so that he himself would not have to deal with Him. Luke alone records Jesus’ visit to Herod, who happened to be in Jerusalem for the Passover (Lk. 23:5-12). Herod was initially pleased to see Him, but when Jesus did not perform some miracles, or even answer his questions, he grew weary of Him. With the chief priests and scribes standing there, vehemently accusing Him, Herod decided to send Him back to the Roman governor, after first mocking Him and treating Him with contempt.

Upon His return, Pilate made a stronger effort to release Jesus. He summarized his findings, which had been confirmed by Herod, that Jesus had done nothing worthy of death. He appealed to a well established custom, where the Roman governor would release one prisoner as a show of clemency (and of confident power) in honor of the Jewish holiday. He tried to offer to release to them "the King of the Jews", making light of the situation. The crowd rejected his offer, saying, "Not this man, but Barabbas" (Jn. 18:39,40). Tradition says that Barabbas’ first name was also Jesus. The name "Barabbas" literally means "son of a father", probably indicating that he was an illegitimate child. He was a notorious criminal, an insurrectionist, or violent revolutionary against Rome. He was also a murderer and a robber (Mk. 15:7; Jn. 18:40). He was not even a good guy in the eyes of the Jews. He was not a folk hero, like Robin Hood. He was a criminal, in everyone’s eyes. He was, in reality, everything that the chief priests and elders were falsely ascribing to Jesus. They were trying to make the case that Jesus of Nazareth was a revolutionary, a rabble rouser and insurrectionist, and a threat to Roman stability, which He was not. Barabbas, on the other hand, was worse than all they had ascribed to Jesus. Partly in reaction to Pilate’s arrogance, the chief priests moved the crowd to cry out for Barabbas, and to call out for Jesus’ death. Unbeknownst to them, they were rejecting the true King, the virgin-born Son of God, who was innocent of all charges, in order claim Jesus Barabbas, the illegitimate child of an unknown father, who was guilty of all Jesus of Nazareth was accused of, and more. They were rejecting the King of heaven in exchange for an earthly wannabe.

While this was going on, Pilate received a message from his wife, saying that she had suffered greatly in a dream about Jesus, and warned him to have nothing to do with Him (Matt. 27:19). This motivated him all the more to release Jesus, but seeing the insistence of the crowd, Pilate thought he might appease them if he gave them some measure of what they wanted. He determined to punish and publicly embarrass Jesus, ordering Him to be scourged, saying, "I will punish Him and release Him" (Lk. 23:16). A Roman scourging utilized the infamous "cat of nine tails", a whip consisting of leather strips with bits of bone or lead attached to them. The weight of the lead would increase the punishing force of each blow, and the sharp bits of bone would penetrate the flesh, tearing it as the whip was pulled back. By the time a scourging was completed, a man's back and legs would be a shredded, pulverized, bloody mass. Victims of a Roman scourging often died under the whip, or as a result of the beating. After the scourging, the soldiers had taken it upon themselves to mock and beat Jesus, making a crown of thorns, beating Him in the face, and arraying Him in a purple robe. When Pilate called Him out, he again asserted that he had found no guilt in Him (Jn. 19:4).

When Pilate tried to release Him again, the Jews played their trump card. They cried out, "If you release this man, you are not Caesar's friend. Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar." Pilate already had a somewhat checkered administrative record. His arrogance and high-handedness had offended the Jews on more than one occasion, and he knew that he did not need any more negative feedback from those in his charge. Tiberius Caesar had become very intolerant of any rumors of insurrection. To dismiss the charges against Jesus would not play well with his superiors. He would have some explaining to do. Even if his actions could be explained, he would be under the emperor’s eye of suspicion, which was never a healthy place to be. He was cornered, and he knew it. Rather than take a stand on principle, it was politically expedient to give this Man over to their wishes.

The governor knew that this was unjust, though he could make a defense for condemning Jesus to die on the cross. This was a distasteful business, however, and it bothered him. Matthew records (27:24) that he ordered a basin of water to be brought to him, and washed his hands in front of the multitude, saying, "I am innocent of this Man’s blood; see to that yourselves," putting the responsibility upon His accusers. They responded, "His blood be upon us and on our children!" He had Jesus brought out before them, proclaiming, "Behold, your King!" They cried out, "Away with Him! Crucify Him!" Pilate said, "Shall I crucify your King?" The chief priests then exclaimed, "We have no king but Caesar." (This was a serious contradiction to their professed faith that God Himself was their only true King, and His Messiah would come to reign as His earthly representative.) Having had the last word, and having clearly, on record, established his loyalty to Rome, so there would be no grounds for accusations, Pilate delivered Jesus over to be crucified.

Thus, Jesus was delivered up to the governor because of the envy of the Jews, and delivered over by him to crucifixion out of fear and political expedience. None of these rulers had the backbone to stand up for truth and justice. This truly was the "hour and the authority of darkness" (Lk. 22:53).

An A.S.I.D.E. About Church

Notes for the Ekklesia Meeting
Sundays @ 10:00 a.m. Info: (651) 283-0568 Discipleship Training Ministries, Inc www.dtminc.org Today’s Date: June 18, 2006

An A.S.I.D.E. About Church
by Dan Trygg

"But truthing in agape, we might grow all things toward Him, who is the head (source, origin, the one who brings to completion), Christ, ...out from whom all the Body, being tightly fitted together and being knitted together by means of every bond of support according to the in-working in proportion of each individual part, by agape makes the growth of the Body unto the building up of itself." Eph. 4:15,16

We are coming up on our 10 year anniversary for Ekklesia! This is a reprint from Sept. 13, 1998, an oldie, but a goodie. It is good to review why we "do church" as we do. We are called to meet together for a reason. If we don’t understand why, we won’t see the significance of what we do. -- Dan

We have been talking about our gatherings with one another as being similar to a huddle in a football game, or as a dugout in a baseball game. When we come together, we meet to help one another refresh and refocus to get back "out there" to "play ball" in the various playing fields of our lives. Or, they are like team meetings, training classes, or interest groups of virtually any kind imaginable. The point is that our meetings are times spent aside from the regular business of everyday life, ...times where we meet with others to share struggles, to talk over mistakes, to learn new methods and solutions to problems, to strategize and collaborate together to enable us to be more effective at whatever it is we do, and to encourage us to go back to our everyday business with new vigor and motivation. Analogies and word pictures are only illustrations. They are imperfect comparisons that help us to see aspects of life more clearly. Sometimes it takes a few analogies or comparisons to help us get a handle on a truth, a principle, or a "piece of reality" that we had not fully grasped before. The piece of reality for your consideration here has to do with "What is church for, anyway? How does it work? What am I supposed to be getting out of it?" Allow me to make some observations to stimulate the thinking process a bit, and then follow up with some principles that I believe would help us to clarify our thoughts and expectations about what "church" could be for us.

First, church is not to be our life, it is to help us to live life more effectively. To put it in terms of some of our illustrations: The huddle is not the game; the game is the game. The huddle is only there to help us play the game more effectively. In the same way, the training seminar, or the strategy session, is not the job for which I was hired (unless I am the one hired to give seminars). What I do at my desk is what I was hired for. Training or strategy meetings are only there to enable me to do my job more effectively. In the same way, church is not life; it is an "aside", a time set apart where we can gather with others to prepare ourselves to do life more effectively. Church is not "where it's at". It is not an end in itself. It is a means to an end. It is an artificial environment which is intended to, as the apostle Paul says, "equip [us] to do a work of service". For what end? "To build up the Body of Christ" [A much larger vision than a local church!], ...until we all might grow up to maturity in understanding, discernment, experiential relationship with God and Christlikeness of character, ...so that, instead of being tricked by the wiles of the enemy, we might grow all things into Jesus, out from whom the Body, being joined and knitted together through "truthing in love" and the unique functioning of each individual, might cause the growth of the Body toward the building up of itself in love. The endpoint is maturity for everybody, represented by discernment, intimacy with God, and a character of righteousness and love. In other words, church is to be a place where we get equipped to live life well.

Second, church will not tell me everything I need to know. As with the corporate world, there are general principles and policies that may be applicable to everyone, but no one has exactly the same responsibilities, doing the same work in the same way. Like most businesses, and most teams in any setting, the church is to be an interactive, interdependent community of specialists. To some extent, because I face a unique set of tasks, and I am a unique person, I will need to find my own way to get the job done well. No one does exactly what I do with the exact same set of variables, tools and abilities. I will need the freedom to find what works for me. Like the sports analogy, that will be a process of self-discovery, moving from learning certain fundamentals, ...to gaining insights through watching others and getting instruction and feedback from coaches and teammates, ...to finding a position that corresponds to my gifts and abilities, ...and then learning how I can best play my position by experimentation, by analysis and feedback, and through a growing accumulation of experience. In order for me to be at my best, I need a community of support that will accommodate me, ...one that will accept me for who I am (and who I am becoming), ...one that will encourage me to grow and experiment, ...one willing to change and make modifications together with me. I also need to be willing to encourage and accommodate others.

Third, I need to take ownership for my own growth, as well as for my own part in helping others to grow. According to the NT, growth will not just "happen to us", we must pursue it. We must invest ourselves to "make it happen". A huge element of my own growth, as well as of my own personal fulfillment, is that I have been made to help others. The process of maturing is growing from being totally dependent upon others, through an adolescence of self-discovery and individuation, to a place where I have the strength and perspective to offer help and support to others. We will never grow up if we remain passive. We will never really learn to play the game, if we stay on the sidelines. Furthermore, others need what we have to offer. They will never benefit from what God has designed and intended for us to supply to them, unless we become strong and able to supply it, ...and unless we learn to interact with others in such a way that we can offer our strength in a way that is safe, appropriate, and helpful to them. Some of us spend a lot of time working on the first part, but have not developed the latter part. What is the strength for, if we cannot relate to others in such a way so that we can offer help when they need it, ...and they will take it from us? Others work on the latter part, but not the former. What good is it to have relationships with others, if we have no sound, dependable insights or strength to offer them when they need us? Both parts of the equation are necessary, ...and are our responsibility, like it or not. It is quite clear that the New Testament plan for the church and the individual believer is that everyone is to participate, ...everyone has something significant to bring to the table to share with others.

I mentioned that our meeting together is an artificial environment, a "time-out" from our everyday existence, ...an aside, like the dugout or the huddle or the business strategy meeting, to recharge, refocus, retool and to risk. Using the word, "aside", following is an acrostic to help us zero in on what our gathering together is to accomplish:

Affirmation of value -- Many of us have been deeply hurt by abusive family backgrounds, or we suffer from feelings of insecurity. The enemy is well known for his relentless accusation and slander against us. It is part of his technique to debilitate and isolate humankind, and to keep them under fear and domination. He magnifies our failings, and "beats us up" with criticisms and self-recriminations. Since this is true, and since we are to be a community of love, the importance of spoken and outwardly expressed affirmation from one another is very important. God has outwardly expressed His valuation of us on the cross. We should follow His lead, and express affirmation to one another on a regular basis. The Biblical "holy kiss" was one way to do that. Giving hugs, where that is comfortable to both parties, and sincerely greeting one another are a beginning way of expressing this. Taking time to listen, and speaking relevant words of value and appreciation for the person will bring this deeper. We need the emotional support and upbuilding that comes from a community of people who truly care for us.

Support in difficulty -- The Bible talks of "weeping with those who weep", and that we truly are "members of one another". If one member is hurting, we all will be affected by their pain and struggle. Love calls us to "be there" for one another when we go through hard times. When we gather together, and someone shares their burden or pain, part of our purpose in meeting is to rally around that person to serve them, and to help them with their load.

Instruction -- The four-fold ministry gifts mentioned in Ephesians 4:11,12 are all "word gifts", in that they all share the common feature of declaring God's word to people. This activity will help all of us to be "equipped", or "fitted-out" or "mended-and-restored", as we have need. Since a big part of the maturation process is about renewing the mind, proclamation and teaching play a big role in helping us lay a foundation in that area. Beyond these more specific giftings, however, there is the instruction that can happen if we will share life-lessons with each other, or practical applications of truth we have learned by experience in our own walk. The word "admonish" simply means to "bring to mind". A "reminding ministry" is something that many more of us can do than just a few "preacher types". "Truthing in love" implies an instructional element, as well. This is Body-life activity.

Discipleship -- Jesus commanded us to make disciples: active, obedient followers. A discipline is a voluntary strategy for growth. Discipleship is putting ourselves into relationship with others for the purpose of growth and accountability. God's plan for the church, Body-life, is a system of such relationships. He intends for us to take advantage of the support, insights, and common accountabilty which can be ours when we meet together.

Encouragement to risk -- Since so much of our progress in growth is dependent upon discovering by experimentation (Rom. 12:2), and pushing back the boundaries of the unknown and uncomfortable, risk-taking is part and parcel of what it takes to grow. When we gather, this should be a key element of our interaction. We need encouragement (giving-courage-within-to-face-the-fear) to do what does not come naturally or easily.

I think we should think of ourselves as a strike-force in training, meeting to prepare and strategize about taking territory away from the enemy. We are to get our mission objectives from God, and with all seriousness and discipline, set about to accomplish what He wants.