LEARN HOW TO DISAGREE WITHOUT BEING DISAGREEABLE

Proclamation:

“Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, ‘Let us go back and visit the believers in all the towns where we preached The Word of The Lord and see how they are doing.’  Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work.  They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company.  Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the believers to the grace of The Lord.  He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.”  Acts 15:36-41 (NIV)

Explanation:

When Barnabas and Paul left Antioch to begin their first Holy Spirit directed missionary journey John Mark was with them as their helper. (Acts 13:1-5)  However, when they sailed to Perga in Pamphylia, Mark left them and returned to Jerusalem. (Acts 13:13)  It is not recorded why Mark left them but it is clear that Paul felt that he deserted them and did not want to take him on another journey.  The disagreement between Paul and Barnabas over Mark was so sharp until they parted company and went in different directions.  They did not split the church in Antioch where they were like “co-pastors”.  They both continued to do the work of The Lord but with different travelling companions for their second missionary journey.

Application:

Unfortunately, from time to time believers will disagree with one another, and so do men of God.  The Christ-like way to handle such things is to disagree without being disagreeable.  Do not tear apart the church because of human differences and disagreements.  There is plenty of work for all of us to do in different venues.

RIGHTEOUSNESS IS NOT EARNED IT IS A GIFT FROM GOD THAT IS CREDITED TO US

Proclamation:

“This is why ‘it was credited to him as righteousness.’  The words ‘it was credited to him’ were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness, for us who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.  He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.”  Romans 4:22-25 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by the Apostle Paul in his letter to the believers in Rome.  Paul was telling them about Abraham, the father of the faithful.  He reminded them that the scripture says that Abraham believed that God would keep His promise and because of his faith in God he was credited with righteousness. (Romans 4:18-25)  Paul told them that those who had faith in God would also be credited with righteousness and their sins would be forgiven just as King David had said. (Romans 4:6-8 and Psalm 32:1-2)  

Application:

Because of our sinful human nature, alone at our best our “righteousness” is but as filthy rags in His sight. (Isaiah 64:6)  It is by the grace of God that we are saved, it is His gift to us, and we did not do anything to earn it. (Ephesians 2:8-9)  If we believe and have faith in God, then we too will be credited with righteousness.  Our faith will be tested, but if we hold on to our belief we will be rewarded.  The testing of our faith leads to the development of perseverance, which helps us mature as Christians. (James 1:2-4)  Because Christ died for our sins, believers can live and be credited with righteousness. (Romans 4:25 and 1 Peter 2:24)

WE WILL PRAISE THE NAME OF THE LORD FOREVER

Proclamation:

“In God we will make our boast all day long, and we will praise Your name forever.”  Psalm 44:8

Explanation:

This psalm was written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by an unknown human author (probably King David) for the sons of Korah to sing.  The psalmist begins this psalm talking about victories of the past, (Psalm 44:1-3) and current victories which have already been won, (Psalm 44:4-7) then continues and talks prophetically about defeats which have yet to come. (Psalm 44: 9-11 and 22)  He gives God credit for the victories, brags about what God has done, then says that they will praise Him forever.

Application:

We have no reason to brag or boast about ourselves, our accomplishments, or our possessions.  All that we are and all that we have are blessing from The Lord God. (2 Corinthians 10:13)  Our very lives and our existence is because of His goodness, mercy, and grace.  Any bragging we do should be about what The Lord had done.  Everything from creation to our last breath and heart beat is a blessing and a miracle from God.  We should give Him credit, thanks, and praise for all that He has done. (Proverbs 3:6 and Ephesians 5:20)

WE ARE NOT THE PERSON WE USED TO BE

Proclamation:

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come.  The old has gone, the new is here.”  2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by the Apostle Paul to the believers in Corinth.  Paul wanted the people of God to know that once a person accepts Christ as their personal savior they become a new creature, or a new creation.  They are no longer the person that they used to be.  The corrupt old nature is still present but the person is different because of the implantation of new principals of grace and holiness.  This gives them a new spirit and a new heart which results in new desires, new affections, new delights and joys.  They now see things differently and they behave differently.

Application:

All of us have done some things in the past that are an embarrassment to us now.  It does not matter how many skeletons there are in our closets, God can still use us.  All of the great men of the Bible were sinners, except Jesus, The Christ, and God used them.  We should not let our past sins get in the way and stop us from serving God now.  We have changed, we are new creatures.  Thanks to The Holy Spirit we are not who we used to be.  The fact that we have stopped doing some of the things that we did in the past may help us reach someone who is lost in sin where we used to be.  However, we are not perfect.  We still struggle with some of our sinful ways.  That is why we pray daily to ask God to forgive us of our sins and to help us as we walk this Christian walk.  God has a plan for each of us, and I am sure that part of that plan involves helping someone else and sharing with others what we know about Christ.