Community Compass

Although I hope to come to you soon, I am writing you these instructions so that, 15 if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth. 16 Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great:

He appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit,
was seen by angels,
was preached among the nations,
was believed on in the world,
was taken up in glory.

1 Timothy 3:14-16

Here is the great confession of the Church: That Jesus is God very God and man very man. What a great summary of the life and ministry of Jesus Christ! Paul connects the identification of the Church (the Church of the living God) with the mystery (a truth previously unknown) of godliness – namely:

1. God became a man - Jesus took on human flesh and became a person who lived in our world, who ate our food, who conversed with normal humanity, who shared in the same struggles and cares of humankind. John 1:14 tells us that the Word (Jesus) became flesh and Philippians 2:6-7 tells us that He was equal with God and took on Himself the likeness of humanity. This is what Christmas is all about!

2. Jesus was vindicated (declared or shown to be right) by the Holy Spirit. There were a number of would-be messiahs in the ancient world. How would people know that Jesus was truly the Messiah of Israel? Matthew 3:16 declares that when Jesus was baptized and as He was coming up from out of the water “he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him.” It was the public demonstration of the Spirit’s approval and association with Jesus. No doubt, Jesus would perform many miracles through the Spirit’s power. His life was characteristic of being filled with the Holy Spirit as He was given the Spirit “without limit” (John 3:34)

3. He was seen by angels - Angels announced Christ’s birth, they helped Him in distress at times, and they were the ones who heralded His resurrection to the women who came to the empty tomb (Matthew 28:2-7). Can you imagine the home-going Jesus had when He entered heaven? Think of the angels singing His praises as the One to Whom all praise belongs!

4. He was preached among the nations -Before going into heaven, Jesus commanded the disciples to “Make Disciples” of all nations (Matthew 28:18-20). What an unlikely group of men this was! They were fearful and imperfect (like the rest of us) and yet they took the message out to the lost and were faithful even to the point of death. All but one suffered a martyr’s death.

5. He was believed in the World. -God used these imperfect people to herald the good news of the Gospel so that all over the known world the Gospel was bearing fruit (Colossians 1:6). Not only was it bearing fruit in Paul’s day, but also in ours! What a powerful message. Only God can do this!

6. He was taken up to Glory – Luke 24:51-53 reveals that Christ went up to heaven as He was blessing His disciples. What a victorious triumph! Not only did He rise from the grave, but He blessed those who would follow Him. This was a time, not of sorrow, but of great rejoicing and excitement! The angels told the people that Jesus would return in the same way He went up to heaven (Acts 1:9-11). What a joy to realize that Christ could come back soon! First in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:14-18) to receive His church and then again to the Mount of Olives for judgment of His enemies and the beginning of His victorious reign (Zechariah 14:3-9).

Six small statements encapsulate the whole ministry of Christ! What a concise confession of faith! As believers, we look with great love and appreciation on the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. This confession of faith reminds me of Handel’s Messiah because it tells the whole story of Christ.

Do you know Christ? To know Christ is to know God. Admit to Him that you are an unworthy sinner, believe that Christ died for you personally. Ask Him to be your Lord and Savior. He will.

As we approach Christmas 2007, let’s remember, not only His birth, but also the the whole story. This little confession of faith is worth pondering. Let’s continue to spread the message of Salvation by faith alone. Let’s earnestly look for His coming! Let’s be busy for Him!

A fellow computer programmer for a consulting group had designed some software for one of our largest accounts. He asked my help in putting it into operation.

At first, he handled most of the work. Eventually, though, he asked me to help with the last phase of the training. When I sat down with one woman and told her I would be showing her how to make changes to the files, she sighed with relief. “I’m so glad you’re teaching me instead of him.”

Surprised, I said that my colleague was far more experienced than I was.

“Yes,” she said, “but I feel much more comfortable with you. I get nervous around really smart people.”

http://cybersalt.org/cleanlaugh

Here is an exercise program for those of us whose wisdom exceeds our ambition. The doctor told me “Physical exercise is good for you.” I know that I should do it, but my body is out of shape, so I have worked out this easy daily program I can do anywhere. If I can do it, you can do this, too.

Monday:
Beat around the bush.
Jump to conclusions.
Climb the walls.
Wade through paperwork.

Tuesday:
Drag my heels.
Push my luck.
Make mountains out of molehills.
Hit the nail on the head.

Wednesday:
Bend over backwards.
Jump on the bandwagon.
Balance the books.
Run around in circles.

Thursday:
Toot my own horn.
Climb the ladder of success.
Pull out the stops.
Add fuel to the fire.

Friday:
Open a can of worms.
Put my foot in my mouth.
Start the ball rolling.
Go over the edge.

Saturday:
Pick up the pieces.

*Thanks to Pastor Tim for this joke!* www.crosswalk.com

I’ve been out for a little while with illness, but I’ll be back writing soon!  Thanks for your prayers!

In April 2007, Evangelist Daniel and more than 40 Christian leaders in Indonesia were arrested after a video recording of them praying for Muslims and the Quran was leaked to Islamic organizations. Evangelist Daniel was sentenced to five years in prison for praying, “Father we pray for the leaders of the madrassa, so their hearts would be open for gospel.”  Let your friends know about suffering Christians and encourage them to pray  too. Get involved, pray for Evangelist Daniel today!

A disappointed soft drink salesman returned from his Middle East assignment His boss asked, “Why weren’t you successful with the Arabs?”

The salesman explained, “When I got posted in the Middle East, I was very sure to make a good sales pitch as our product was virtually unknown there. I didn’t know to speak Arabic, so I planned to convey the message through 3 posters. My first poster was a man crawling through the hot desert sand, totally exhausted and panting. Second, the man is drinking our soft drink and third, our man is now totally refreshed. Then these posters were pasted all over the place”

“That should have worked,” said the boss.

The salesman replied, “Well, not only did I not speak Arabic but I didn’t realize that Arabs read from right to left.”

*Thanks to Pastor Tim for this joke!*

Although I hope to come to you soon, I am writing you these instructions so that, 15 if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.
1 Timothy 3:14-15

God is a God of order and the Apostle Paul wanted to make sure that Pastor Timothy knew how things should be done within the local church.  As a missionary and church planter, Paul was very concerned that each church thrive and do things decently and in order. He also desired that Timothy would be able to lead the flock with greater ease.   So he clearly defined roles and procedures for the local church starting with pastors and deacons (chapter 3),  elder men and women (5:1-2), widows (5:3-16), elders (5:17-22), slaves (6:1-3) rich people (6:17-19).  Throughout the book, he gives Timothy personal instruction on how to be a good pastor and he warns him about false teaching creeping in the church.

Why all the instruction?   It’s because Paul recognizes that the local church is the institution for doing God’s work in this age.  It is the pillar and support of the truth. God’s Word is the source!

The church affirms the truth by teaching it, preaching it and living it!  No, the “church” not the sole dispenser and arbiter of God’s truth.  The church depends  upon her Lord and ministers in His Name.  How important it is to closely follow the truth of God’s Word. It’s HIS church. It’s HIS plan.  Let’s be faithful to the truth. Let’s be faithful to minister to others through the local church.

An elderly lady was well-known for her faith and for her boldness in talking about it. She would stand on her front porch and shout “PRAISE THE LORD!”    

Next door to her lived an atheist who would get so angry at her proclamations he would  shout, “There ain’t no Lord!!”

Hard times set in on the elderly lady, and she prayed for GOD to send her some assistance.

She stood on her porch and shouted “PRAISE THE LORD. GOD I NEED FOOD!! I AM HAVING A HARD TIME. PLEASE LORD, SEND ME SOME GROCERIES!!”

The next morning the lady went out on her porch and noted a large bag of groceries and shouted, “PRAISE THE LORD.”

The neighbor jumped from behind a bush and said, “Aha! I told you there was no Lord. I bought those groceries, God didn’t.”

The lady started jumping up and down and clapping her hands and said, “PRAISE THE   LORD. He not only sent me groceries, but He made the devil pay for them. Praise the Lord!”

who [God]  wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all men-the testimony given in its proper time. 7 And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle-I am telling the truth, I am not lying-and a teacher of the true faith to the Gentiles.   I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing.
1 Timothy 2:4-8
After telling Timothy to give great attention to prayer for everyone (verse 1) ,  Paul goes on to give the explanation: God wants all men to be saved.  It was God who sent Christ to become a man (verse 5) and stand before God as a representative.    It was the MAN Christ JESUS Who made a way for us to be saved and come to the truth by dying on the Cross.  This mediator Himself  gave up to take the punishment by giving himself for us all (verse 6),   that we may be saved.  His sinless life and perfect death allowed us to be able to be saved! As a God-sent preacher and teacher to the nations, Paul was overcome with the heart of a missionary.  He longed for all people to have the opportunity to hear the good news of Salvation.  No wonder Paul desired that all should pray for all men (verse

Do you know God?  Have you accepted His forgiveness by trusting Christ as your only way to be forgiven?   John 3:16 states For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Forsake all that you are trusting and ask God to forgive you and make you new for Christ’s sake.  He will do it.

Believer, are you concerned for others?  If you read the passage, you’ll find that it was God who planned, carried out and propagates the good news of Salvation.  We see the heart of God.  Do we have a heart like his?

During the second Gulf War, I was an Air Force colonel. I routinely flew on different aircraft to familiarize myself with their capabilities. One day I was aboard an intelligence aircraft where each crew member was surrounded by complex gear.

Nodding, I moved down the line. Flashing on an airman’s screen several feet away was this warning: “Heads up! The colonel’s on the way!”

Thanks to Pastor Tim for this joke!
http://www.cybersalt.org/cleanlaugh