HOLY WEIRDNESS – PART 4 “The Cost of a Cheating Heart”
“DON’T SHOW DISDAIN FOR THE CHURCH”
Acts 20:28-30, 28 “So guard yourselves and God’s people. Feed and shepherd God’s flock—his church, purchased with his own blood—over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as leaders. 29 I know that false teachers, like vicious wolves, will come in among you after I leave, not sparing the flock. 30 Even some men from your own group will rise up and distort the truth in order to draw a following.”
Through Luke believers are reminded how they are entrusted with the care of the church, the bride of Christ. Jesus left the church in our hands to feed, shepherd, and stand guard over His bride. This responsibility is not something to take lightly. We are called to protect the church in every way to allow it to do the important work of calling and discipling believers. Part of this protection is to guard our own hearts against the spirit of offense, recognizing everyone we interact with at church is also human and not perfect.
Hebrews 13:7, 7 “Remember your leaders who taught you the word of God. Think of all the good that has come from their lives, and follow the example of their faith.”
The author of Hebrews encourages believers to “remember your leaders who taught you the word of God.” By remember, it does not just mean to think of fondly, but to be generous in supporting them and helping to meet needs they may have. Leaders of faith carry more weight than we can imagine as they will be held to a higher standard when called before Jesus. They need our encouragement and support, and for us to meet needs the Holy Spirit is leading us to meet, which provides for the work of God’s Kingdom, and we cannot even imagine the blessings He will pour out on us for our obedience.
2 Corinthians 8:1-5, 1 “Now I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters, what God in his kindness has done through the churches in Macedonia. 2 They are being tested by many troubles, and they are very poor. But they are also filled with abundant joy, which has overflowed in rich generosity. 3 For I can testify that they gave not only what they could afford, but far more. And they did it of their own free will. 4 They begged us again and again for the privilege of sharing in the gift for the believers in Jerusalem. 5 They even did more than we had hoped, for their first action was to give themselves to the Lord and to us, just as God wanted them to do.”
It is a privilege to support the church in its work to further the Kingdom of God. When we accept the gift that Jesus paid such a high price to give us, we are saying that we want Jesus to rule every part of our lives – we do not get to pick and choose. God is looking for full surrender, an emptying of the worldly and filling with the eternal so that we can pour out eternal blessings on those around us.
IMAGINE FOR A MOMENT WHAT IT WOULD BE LIKE TO HAVE THE WEIGHT OF SHARING THE GOSPEL WHILE AT THE SAME TIME TRYING TO MAKE A LIVING AND PROVIDE FOR YOUR FAMILY IN TODAY’S SOCIETY. ASK GOD TO HELP YOU SEE THE OTHER SIDE OF MINISTRY, THE DAY-TO-DAY CHALLENGES THAT ARE CARRIED BY THOSE IN LEADERSHIP. THE EARLY CHURCH SHARED EVERYTHING FOR A REASON, THEY KNEW THAT THEIR LEADERS COULD NOT WALK IN THEIR CALLING WITHOUT THEIR SUPPORT.
Galatians 6:6-10, 6 “Those who are taught the word of God should provide for their teachers, sharing all good things with them.7 Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. 8 Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. 9 So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. 10 Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith”.
Paul shares with us the principles of reaping and sowing. God loves to bless His people, and when we plant what pleases the Spirit, we can trust that the blessings are coming. Remember, blessings come in a variety of ways. Often, they do not look as we expected, but God knows what we need and when we need it better than we ever could. We can trust Him!
Jeremiah 17:9-10, 9 “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things,
and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?
10 But I, the Lord, search all hearts and examine secret motives.
I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve.”
Jeremiah reminds us that our hearts have a natural bent toward deceit and wickedness. God knows our motives. He knows if we inwardly have disdain for the church... if we are critical and allow the lies of the enemy to dictate how we care for the leaders of the church, or if our actions are those that seek to protect and build the church from a heart of service and surrender.
PUTTING THIS INTO PRACTICE
God loves when we give cheerfully, as Paul shares in 2 Corinthians 9:7. When Paul speaks about giving, he is not only referring to money. There are so many ways that we can give to support the ministry of the church. Are you a “cheerful giver”?
Read 2 Corinthians 9:6-15.
Verse 10 speaks of a “great harvest of generosity.” Have you ever experienced this and how would you explain what it means to a new believer?
Share with your small group any struggles you may have with this passage, or any encouraging experiences you have had when you gave cheerfully.
Vigilance in our faith reaps eternal rewards. When we live with an eternity mindset, giving cheerfully comes more naturally.
Read Revelation 2. Can you see the importance of being obedient and being aware of our hidden motives? Which church stands out the most to you?
What is one thing you can do to help you remain vigilant in your faith?
Can you think of another example in Scripture where we see teachings on eternal rewards?
Spend some time considering the repercussions of a divided heart.
Write out a prayer asking God to reveal any areas where there is division in your heart. Share with someone you trust to hold you accountable in moving to a united heart.
Read Philippians 1:27-30. What verse or verses resonate with your spirit today? Write them out to post as a reminder.
Thank Jesus for His example. What is one area that you can stand and fight together for the faith today? Ask God to help you grow in this area, to see things as He sees them and to be given what you need to stand together with Anchor, united in purpose.
