Has anyone asked after your prayer life or your Bible reading?
Has anyone really focused on your walk and expressed a concern to be part of your growth?
In your distress and affliction, has anyone come alongside to pray with you? Has anyone come alongside to hear your worries and struggles and to encourage and admonish you in His love and grace?
Just wondering. It seems to be a lost art of the Body.
Orthodoxy - right belief and Orthopraxy - right practice seem to have been split or at least just ascribed to head stuff and not hear stuff.
Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. (Gal 6:2)
Though the context in which we find this verse has to do with a brother or sister who has stumbled I can't believe that it is limited to that. Afflictions, difficulties, etc. are all times of temptations to sin. Should we wait until the temptations has overcome a brother or sister before we begin to bear their burdens with them?
There is never any reason or excuse for a believer to be isolated and alone. Yes, I know God is with them always - but He has also provided human servants and called them to serve one another diligently, sacrificially and lovingly.
I have served the isolated for many years and their pain and anguish is a terrible thing. I've known that isolation myself and to be honest, it is indeed, if not a faith killer at least a faith smother-er.
We tell those in distress to "trust God," and we are right in that BUT we have to come to that uncomfortable place where we ask, "What is my role in God's work in this my brother's or sister's distress?" We have to ask, "What must I do?"
See, telling folks to trust God is good. But when you see a brother or sister in need do you just dump them on God's door step or do you ask God how you need to trust Him in reaching out to those in need? I know, having worked with a lot of isolated believers that, "Trust God!" sounds and feel more like, "Lot's of luck, you're on your own!"
Yes, I'll be honest enough to share that this comes not just from my experience with the isolated but from my own experience as well. I have known the pain and fear, the terror of hearing, "Trust God!" and getting a pat on the back. Yes, this is kind of a "soap box" for me and to a degree about me. But God has blessed me with the opportunity to "be there" int he middle of the mess with folks who needed someone - some human believer - to stand with them in the mess and hold them up.
We spend so much time and effort and money fighting the "culture wars" that we let our own wounded languish. Yes, we do need to confront the culture but I believe we only do that when we are the church Christ calls us to be. There is now very real need for the church to be the church - and by that I mean to follow the example of those early isolated believers.
And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
(Act 2:44-47)
There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. (Act 4:34-35)
But - we're not there. We haven't been there or a long long time. Perhaps this is what we need to repent of. This is not "communism," it is fundamental "Christianity." If the church is not being the church how can God add to it - why would He want to?
Some of you are indeed doing what we find those early believers doing and may God encourage and bless you greatly. Some of you would rather not put yourself in the position of having to trust God enough to follow the example of the early believers.
The church is seen in these Acts passages taking care of its own. Did they ignore the needs of those outside? I don't know. What I do know is that regularly, sacrificially and faithfully the "saints" cared for the "saints," and God added to their number those who were being saved.
It is a thing worth praying about and seeking His guidance about and following His example about - it is a good thing, a biblical thing, a faithful thing.
Father, let me not become so fixed on my needs both real and imagined that I forget that I may well have what another needs. Let me seek Your guidance and the power to trust You to follow the example my early brothers and sisters set.
May your Bride be faithful to You and to herself. May she care for her own, trusting You to provide. May we all be appropriately convicted and concerned for the example we find in these early believers as they trusted you to provide for all through Your blessings to each individual.
Forgive me for seeing only my own need and affliction and forgetting that I am a member, a part of a Body and that You not only provide me with what need but You provide for me to help others in their need as well.
Dear Father - let the church be he church.
Amen
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