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Elijah Ministries - Request and Announcement Would you consider participating in Elijah Ministries? I'm sure everyone is feeling the economic pinch, and it is in times like this that God's grace and provision can be experienced and shown in powerful ways. Longtime financial supporters have lost jobs and have let us know they currently are unable to continue their financial participation in Elijah Ministries. Please consider joining the Elijah Ministries financial support team with a small monthly gift of $10-$25. You may contribute online at: http://www.spiritofelijah.com/donate. This page also answers any questions you might have about why we need support and what your support goes to. The small, meaningful gifts of many can be used in powerful ways by the Lord to build up the local church by equipping and training men through Elijah Ministries. I would be honored to labor with you in sharing the gospel and impacting generations for the glory of God. Strengthening
Christian Families Conference I will be speaking at a family conference hosted by the Straight Shooters Christian Sportsmen in Monroe, WI on April 17-19. If you would like to attend, you may contact Mike Rhoe at 608-558-7620 or mdrhoe2@charter.net. For further information, including schedule, topics, location, and more, click here to see the conference brochure. Chariot
March 2009 -
Norm Wakefield Reality
Check: It's Not About You - Part
6
Last month we looked at the premier example of Jesus Christ to see what
it means to live in a manner worthy of Christ. We discovered it meant
three things: 1.
Emptying
ourselves. 2.
Humbling
ourselves to serve. 3.
Willingly
bearing the sins and weaknesses of others. Jesus'
doing these three things was what accomplished your salvation. If you have
experienced any encouragement, consolation of love, fellowship of the
Spirit, affection, and compassion in Christ, then you have received it
because Jesus emptied Himself, humbled Himself to serve you, even to the
point of willingly bearing your sins. How should you then live?
The Apostle Paul's point to the Philippians was that they should
intentionally have one purpose in life: to live with the same attitude as
He who saved them. After describing the attitude and character of Jesus
which brought about their salvation and God's exaltation, the Apostle Paul
called his readers to the same obedience as their Lord and Savior. Reality Check Six: Are you obeying the gospel by working
it out in your life?
God, the Father, commanded Jesus to lay down His life
willingly and also gave Him authority to take it up again. Here's how
Jesus described His mission. "No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay
it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have
authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father"
(John 10:18). Jesus' obedience entailed willingly-of His own
initiative-emptying Himself, becoming a servant, and laying down His life.
Surely we can follow Paul's reasoning. It makes sense then that Jesus'
attitude and actions which brought about our salvation command a similar
obedience from those He saved. He wrote, "So then, my beloved, just as you
have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my
absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling" (Philippians
2:12). If emptying self, humble service to others, and willingness to bear
the sins of others is what saved you, then dearly loved brothers and
sisters, you must work that salvation out in your own lives. That's what
it means to "walk in a manner worthy of the Lord." Your motivation for obedience is that God has saved you
A workshop manager commented that he noticed when he was present, certain
men worked harder than when he was not present. I imagine that's human
nature. We tend to put on the act when we're being watched by men because
we want their approval. However, the great apostle raised the bar with the
Philippians when he challenged them to obedience "now much more in my
absence." He was saying, "Don't let me be the motivating factor in your
obedience, but let your experience and participation in the gospel
motivate you. If you obey when I'm not there, you prove that your
motivation is not from fear of men, but from fear of God." Your obedience is not what saves you, it is the
proof that you are saved
We want to be careful not to think that Paul was telling them to work "for"
their salvation. We know that's not possible because he had just made it
clear that their salvation was totally based on the humble service of
Jesus Christ on their behalf. Furthermore, in the next chapter he made it
clear that his confidence was in "not having a righteousness of my own
derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the
righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith" (Philippians
3:9).
So when we read that we are to obey and work out our salvation, we know
this work is not meritorious in any way with regard to salvation. Empty yourself, humbly serve others, and willingly bear
others sins with fear and trembling
Why should these things be done with fear and
trembling? Two reasons come to mind as I read the next three verses. For it is God who is at work in you,
both to will and to work for His good pleasure. Do all things without
grumbling or disputing; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless
and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and
perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world
(Philippians 2:13-15).
First, we should be concerned about our working out our salvation on a
daily basis because we are enjoying the salvation of God on a daily basis.
God is working in us! Working out our salvation isn't something we resist
if we have truly experienced His salvation. In fact, we should be afraid
that we might displease Him who lives within us by being selfish! We have
the Spirit of God working within and we want to do those things that
facilitate fellowship with Him, namely, emptying ourselves, humbly serving
others, even if it means forgiving and bearing their sins and weaknesses
repeatedly.
Second, we obey with fear and trembling because we are
so prone to being overcome with selfishness, namely grumbling and
disputing. It is so natural for us to forget the only way we are to live
our lives: in a manner worthy of the gospel. When we do forget our one
purpose, instead of working out our salvation, we grumble and dispute with
others as we try to work out our selfish agendas. So we should work out
our salvation with fear and trembling that we might not do the very
things Jesus saved us from!
Third, we obey and work out our salvation with fear and trembling because
so much rides on our doing so. Only gospel living appears as a light in
the midst of a crooked and perverse generation. It is how we prove
ourselves to be "blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach."
Everyone in this world lives for self, except God's children who have been
saved by Christ through the gospel. Only those who have experienced the
gospel have a basis for living differently. So we should also be afraid
that we might fail to shine Jesus' light in this dark world. Emptying self, humbly serving, and willingly forgiving and bearing others
sins = working out your salvation
Again, one of the ways to summarize what Paul was
teaching the Philippians is to say, "Reality Check: It's not about you. It's
about Christ!" We have seen Paul's answers to the three questions I raised
earlier in the series. What is the gospel? - Jesus emptying
Himself, becoming a servant, to the point of obeying His Father and
forgiving us by bearing the penalty for our sins in His death on the cross
is God's provision for reconciliation with Him. What does it mean to walk in a manner
worthy of the gospel? - It means that those who have experienced the
gospel of Christ also empty themselves, become servants, even to the point
of obediently forgiving and bearing the sins and weaknesses of others
(suffering the pain, inconvenience, and rejection) for Jesus' sake. How does one walk in a manner worthy of the gospel? -
One works out his salvation by the power of God who works in them. If one
has experienced the gospel, then he knows the power of God that saved Him
and thus is motivated internally to bless others the same way. Reality Check Six: Are you obeying the gospel by working it out in your
life?
Are you really a child of God? That's what a reality check means.
Has this been your one, intent and purpose since you have been saved? If
not, then you should take some time now to talk with God about your
salvation. Have you been a spectator or a participant of the gospel? Are
you a doer of the gospel or merely a hearer only? These questions and the
questions below help us get to the heart of the matter and avoid being
spiritually deluded. 1. What difference would it make
in your marriage, family, and church if everyone who believed lived with
this mindset and purpose? 2. What is the difference between
being commanded to empty yourself, etc. and being commanded to willingly,
joyfully empty yourself, etc. of your own initiative? 3. If you have a new understanding of these verses, share
it with your wife/husband/family. Check out Evangelical Institute of Greenville at www.eigonline.org. It's
a Jesus-saturated environment for young adults to prepare for life,
ministry, and missions. Upcoming Events Strengthening Christian
Families Conference - April 17-19 Father/Son Retreat - April 24-26 Chicagoland Father/Son Conference - May 30 Family Life Conference - July 16-19 Family Conference - Aug. 24-29 Would
you like to be on the Elijah Ministries Prayer Team? The backbone of Elijah Ministries is the prayer team who pray diligently for God to turn the hearts of men to Himself, their wives, and their children. Before I leave to speak, I send out a prayer team invitation to those who will intercede for God to work for His glory in us as a team for the Kingdom. Not only is it a blessing to those whom I speak and myself; but it is also a reminder to the team about the direction of their own hearts. If you would like to enter into the labor together with me, you may go to my website and click on "Prayer Team". Has Norm's Chariot or other resources been an encouragement to you? As a nonprofit organization, Elijah Ministries needs support from people like you in order to function. If God has ministered to you through Elijah Ministries and Norm Wakefield, would you consider supporting the work? You can do so here. (Elijah Ministries is a tax-deductible 501c3 and is financially accountable to an overseeing board of 8 non-paid members from around the country.) The Chariot is also available as a podcast. You can automatically receive the Chariot each month in iTunes by subscribing here. (An RSS capable browser such as Internet Explorer 7 or Safari is required.)
If you haven't visited our website, www.spiritofelijah.com,
please stop by sometime. You'll find: * Resources to equip you and your family * Previous Chariot articles * Norm's speaking schedule *
Free MP3 downloads * Subscribe to the Chariot Podcast here. * Various resources/pages translated and available in Spanish * An online store to purchase resources and make tax-free contributions by credit card
I invite you to be a part of the
moving of the Spirit of Elijah in your church, community, and the world.
How?
1.
Send this article to other men or families that you know would
benefit from it. You might inform them of the previous articles
available on-line at our website.
2.
Share resources from the Spirit of Elijah Ministries with others.
If Equipping Men or Rising to the
Call have been a blessing to you, then you know it will be
beneficial to others. Either share your resources, tell them about the
resources, or purchase a set or two as an investment in their lives. 3. Share with others what you have learned and put into practice in turning your heart to God, your wife, and your children. If God has done this in you, then He wants to affect others through you.
4.
Join the Elijah Ministries email prayer team and make
intercession for others that their hearts would be turned in revival to
the Lord, their wives, and their children. This can be done on-line at www.spiritofelijah.com.
Norm
Wakefield 03.09 To unsubscribe, click here.
Do not change the subject of the email that launches when you click
above; just press send. Or send an email with the subject Unsubscribe
Chariot to chariot@spiritofelijah.com.
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