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Elijah Ministries - Upcoming Conferences Would you like
to attend one of these events this summer or fall? Family Life
Conference at Evangelical
Institute of Greenville, SC. July 16-19. www.eigonline.org/conferences/intro Homeschool Week at Harvey Cedars Bible
Conference Center, Harvey Cedars, NJ - August 24-30. www.hcbc.org Father/Son
Campout, GA - September 18-20. Contact
Brian Toussaint, frenchtoastdad@bellsouth.net Father/Son
Retreat sponsored by CHEF of MO
at YMCA Trout Lake Camp - October 2-4. Contact: Jon Summers,
314-521-8487 or mochefconference@yahoo.com Father/Son Camp,
Good Tidings Bible Camp, NY,
- October 8-11. Contact Mike Ryan at mike@goodtidingsfellowship.com
or www.goodtidingsfellowship.com Men's Retreat,
Evangelical Institute of Greenville, SC, Oct. 16-18,
more info and register at www.eigonline.org. Father/Son Camp in Oakland, IL - October 29-Nov. 1. Register online at www.fathersoncamp.org. Chariot
June 2009 -
Norm Wakefield Reality
Check: It's Not About You - Part
9 We are in a series of seven reality checks taken from
Paul's letter to the Philippians. Each of them may be summarized by the
title of this series, "It's Not About You." It's about Jesus! Here
are the seven reality checks. Have you
realized the power of your life? Are you a
participant in the gospel? Have you
realized that living for self is anti-Christ? Do you have a
gospel mindset? Are you obeying
the gospel by working out your salvation? Will you be an
example of gospel-worthy living?
This month I want to continue to discuss the seventh reality check. The
Apostle Paul was a courageous man who was passionate about the gospel and
about life with Jesus Christ. He counted everything as loss compared to
knowing Christ and being conformed to His death. How was he conformed to
Jesus' death? By emptying himself, humbling himself to serve others, and
by willingly suffering to bear the sins and weaknesses of others. This is
the pattern Paul saw in the life of Jesus which was described in Chapter
Two. What motivated him to live by this gospel standard? Embracing what lies ahead is the foundation of gospel-worthy living. ...I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which
also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself
as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies
behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal
for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians
3:12-14).
Have you embraced what lies ahead for you? Death lies ahead for all of
us. The apostle's attitude toward death was one of excitement and
expectation. Therefore, he ran toward it like a racer runs for the finish
line. I think Paul had considered the moment he would breath his last
breath and enter into the presence of Christ. Why set his mind on what
self had done whether it be failure or accomplishment? Compared with
gaining Christ, those things would be counted as loss. So they might as
well be evaluated in light of gaining Christ now! Living for self whether
it be evil or good deeds is empty and meaningless when it comes to dying
and standing before Christ.
Because Paul had embraced his death and knew that it meant gaining
Christ, he was motivated to live in a manner worthy of the gospel. That
was his goal. He pressed on toward that goal because he knew the fruit and
reward of such living–glory to Christ and the gospel! Being an example of gospel-worthy living gives confidence in life and
death.
For Paul to live meant that Jesus would live in and
through him. For Paul to die meant he would gain Christ. If given the
choice, he would pick gaining Christ! However, for the sake of others,
Paul thought God would have him hang around a while longer, even if it
meant suffering (1:21-25). The point I want us to see is that
gospel-worthy living instills confidence in believers both in life and
death. Paul certainly didn't believe when he came to die that he could
stand in his own righteousness before God having worked for his salvation
by serving others. He made that clear in 3:9, "and may be found in Him,
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." Paul's working out his salvation according to the
pattern of Jesus' death and being filled with the same attitude as
Christ (2:5) was proof that he was indeed a child of God (2:15). It gave
him confidence in life and death. The
Apostle John put it this way in his first epistle. By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us,
because He has given us of His Spirit (1 John 4:13).
God has given us the love of Christ (in Paul's definition the want to
and ability to empty ourselves, humble ourselves to serve others, and
willingly bear the sins and weaknesses of others) when He gave us "of
His Spirit." As that love finishes its course through or in us
(perfected love) we may have confidence when we die. There is no fear
because we have been in this world just as Jesus was in this world,
namely, emptying ourselves of self, humbling ourselves to serve others,
and willingly bearing the sins and weaknesses of others for the sake of
God's glory and Jesus' name.
So John's thinking about life and death was the same as Paul's
thinking. Gospel-worthy living gives confidence in life and death. One can
only know this in his or her heart by having embraced what lies ahead:
gaining Christ through death to this world and self. Will you be an example of gospel-worthy living?
We can get in touch with Paul's heart and passion when we consider what
it would take for us to stand in front of our churches and declare, "I
am going to live in a manner worthy of the gospel by emptying myself,
humbling myself to serve others, and by willingly bearing the sins and
weaknesses of others. Watch and join me!" That's what Paul did
essentially with the Philippians. Let's read what he wrote. "Brethren,
join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the
pattern you have in us" (Philippians 3:17).
It helps me to picture Paul standing before the Philippians and asking
them to join him in being an example of gospel-worthy living. This surely
brought all his readers to a reality check: Will life be all about me or
will it be all about Jesus? For those of us familiar with the history of
Texas' independence, this kind of courage was illustrated by Colonel
Travis. During the battle of the Alamo, Travis drew a line in the sand and
asked, "Who will join me and die for freedom?" When Paul issued the
challenge, "Brethren, join in following my example," he was drawing a
line in the spiritual sand.
The only difference between the challenge of Travis and that of the
Apostle is that Travis didn't indict anyone who refused to stand with
him. The Apostle taught that there was no other way to live–or die–if
one believed in the gospel and trusted in the cross of Christ for his or
her salvation. We read in 1:27, "Only conduct yourselves in a
manner worthy of the gospel..." In 2:2, "...being of the same
mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on
one purpose." The
only other way to live other than living a gospel-worthy life is to live
for self and be an enemy of the cross. Lest you think this is too strong,
read what Paul wrote next to the Philippians. "For many walk, of whom I
often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of
the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose god is their
appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on
earthly things" (Philippians 3:18-19). This is why I think this is a
reality check for the church today. If Paul drew the line in the spiritual
sand with the Philippians, then those of us who are Bible-believing
shepherds and leaders of the church should do the same. "Let us
therefore, as many as are perfect (mature), have this attitude [namely,
emptying ourselves, humbling ourselves to serve others, and willingly
bearing the sins and weaknesses of others for the sake of Christ and the
gospel]; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal
that also to you" (Philippians 3:15).
Paul trusted God to witness to his readers that these things were true. I
do the same. For those of you reading this series of reality checks who
are mature, let us therefore join Paul in being an example of
gospel-worthy living. Let us proclaim the gospel and these reality checks
to our families and to the church of Christ trusting God to work in them
and help them see that life is not all about them; it's about Jesus
Christ! Have you
realized the power of your life? Have you
realized that living for self is anti-Christ? Do you have a
gospel mindset? Are you obeying
the gospel by working out your salvation? Will you be an
example of gospel-worthy living? Application Questions 1. What is the difference between how unbelievers face death and how the Apostle Paul faced death? 2.
What is your attitude toward death? Have you embraced it? List reasons why
you are prepared to die. 3. Will you join Paul in being an example of gospel-worthy living to your family? If you decide to do so, I encourage you to tell them and ask them to join you. Then pray for each other. 4. Discuss what impact you think it would have on your church if you or someone else drew the same "line in the sand" as the Apostle Paul did with the Philippians? 5. Which of the
seven reality checks meant the most to you? 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 06.09 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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