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 April 17-19th, Monroe WI
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.

econd, 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
United Methodist Church of Monroe, WI 
Contact: Mike Rhoe - mdrhoe2@charter.net

Father/Son Retreat - April 24-26
Camp Marantha, 170 Floyd Rd. Danielsville, GA
Contact: Joe and Sheri Dooley - 706-248-0310 or doocrew@windstream.net

Chicagoland Father/Son Conference - May 30
Chicago, IL
Contact: Alan Wilson - ALAN.J.WILSON@sargentlundy.com

Family Life Conference - July 16-19
Evangelical Institute of Greenville, SC 
Contact: E.I.G. - 864-678-4900

Family Conference - Aug. 24-29
Harvey Cedars Bible Conference, Harvey Cedars, NJ 
Contact: http://www.hcbible.org

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
            Elijah Ministries
            P.O. Box 377
            Bulverde, Texas 78163
            830.980.5606
            info@spiritofelijah.com
            http://www.spiritofelijah.com

03.09

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