Coffee With The Lord

My Bible reading this morning reminded me of some of the wonderful fellow Christians and faithful servants of the Lord (“ministers” if you please) with whom I have had the privilege of serving the Lord…

Paul recalled with affection several and he drew his letter to the church in Colossae to a close…

“Tychicus… a beloved bother and faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord!

“Onesimus… a faithful and beloved brother – one of you!

“Aristarchus… my fellow prisoner (a Christian brother with Paul in prison).

“Epaphras… one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, who has always struggled on your behalf in his prayers, that you will stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God… he has worked hard for you!

“Archippus… who needed to be sure to fulfill the ministry that he had received from the Lord.

And finally to all those who served alongside him… “Remember my chains (i.e. my imprisonment – it’s cause and purpose), Grace be with you!”

(from Colossians 4:7-18)

It brought to mind several I’ve served alongside (and received ministry from) – fellow servants of the Lord I treasure and love deeply (and if I start I just know I’ll overlook a lot of people who are really important to me! … So this list is just a starter – many more will come to mind as I reflect on it…

Delmer Guynes… learned more about leadership from him than any living person.  Mighty in prayer and passion for the advancement of the Kingdom of God worldwide.

Paul Brooks… Deeply committed to the authority of Scripture and passionate that Pentecost be a living reality within the Church

John Wyckoff… a faithful friend if there ever was one, whose concern for spiritual vitality among God’s people is evident in every conversation.

Bruce Rosdahl…  one of the finest Bible scholars and theologians I know who continually exhibits servant leadership and a gentle spirit.

Amy Alexander… gifted writer and teacher who continually exhibits the fruit of the Spirit in all its beautiful variety

Fred and Brenda Kuntz… a ministry team as home group leaders who are exemplary in every way – sacrificially caring for the spiritual and practical needs of those who are a part of their small group.

John and Naomi Brady – Incurably pastors!  Always exhibiting the loving heart of a “shepherd” to anyone they have the opportunity to serve!

That’s just a few that immediately popped in my mind today…. Who would be on your list?  Why not make one and jot down a few notes about them as Apostle Paul did as he finished  writing Colossians… Perhaps even jotting them a note of thanksgiving or telling them about your esteem and appreciation personally.

When I became a Christian, put my trust in Jesus to forgive me sin, and decided to follow Jesus, and was baptized, the Bible describes a new reality – a life-transforming reality – that happened to me! I was “born again!” I took my “old self” to the cross and it died with Jesus there (His death was somehow my death to the old way of life). But I also was “raised with Him” – in other words, His resurrection was in a very real way my resurrection to a new life! All of this was witnessed and illustrated by my baptism – death to self and sin and resurrection to live a new life.

Then the challenge began… Considering this Spiritual reality true in my life and living it out every day! Death to the old way of life and living out the new life His resurrection had given me! This morning during my devotions (my time of “coffee with the Lord”) I read all about it again. And I dedicated myself to “putting off” – putting to death the old way of life (much like I put off the old, wet, garments after I was baptized) and “putting on the new self” (like I put on fresh, new, clean clothes after baptism).

All of this is a life quest for me now – putting off the old way of life (considering it to be dead with Christ on the cross) and putting on the “new self” at work within me through the resurrection power of Jesus at work in my life. Here is how it’s described in Colossians 3:1-10, my Bible reading this morning:

“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these things the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its Creator.”

Hey, that’s what I’ve dedicated my life to today… Working out in daily living what Christ began within me through His death, burial, and resurrection! Away with the old (It’s dead and buried with Christ!) And putting on the new (the tomb is empty – He’s alive and working within my life through the power of the Holy Spirit” I’m living out what baptism pictures every day of my life! Hope you are too!

I just finished reading a passage during my time of “coffee with the Lord” today that I dread reading every year… A passage that frankly makes me sick!!! What passage is that you ask… Judges 19. Read it for yourself… I’ll not bother to explain it or retell the events it describes. Every time I’ve finished it I’m indignant, I grieve, and almost want to vomit!
I’m glad I feel that way about it! In fact, I’d be concerned about myself if I felt any other way!
The passage describes what can happen in a culture that abandons Biblical moral norms – a culture in which everyone does what seems right to them personally – situational ethics degenerating into moral chaos!
Here’s what the Bible says that relates to the account in Judges 19… “Righteousness exalts a nation but sin is a reproach to any people!” (Proverbs 14:34)
Oh, and one more thing about Judges 19… It’s where we’re head edin our nation and world if we continue to abandon what the Bible teaches about right and wrong and reject God’s lordship over our lives and culture! In fact, watch the evening news… listen to your radio… read your newspaper… we’re already seeing it played out all around us! It’s time to be “salt and light” in our world (Matthew 5:13-16)… it’s time to pray for a moral and spiritual revival!