Is God Real To You?

Is God real to you? This might seem like an easy question to anyone who pursues Biblical knowledge or who come together to worship Him every week. The question, however, is not one of belief in existence. Rather, is God real to you? There is a difference between acknowledgement of theoretical existence and application of reality. We are a culture of the virtual – things that look real but are not. Has God been reduced to a theoretical exercise among those who would claim to be His followers?

Why and How God Becomes Theoretical

Why does God become less real to us? Why has He become virtually real instead of actually real? In everyday life, we learn to rely on ourselves, and, ultimately, we feel accountable to ourselves and ourselves alone. Our money goes to our priorities, and our actions have no consequences beyond the immediate ones we can see. We wrestle with these realities of our life that make God seem less and less real to us – reducing Him to the theoretical.

• Selfishness. In Romans 1, Paul makes the argument that all need God and the gospel. He claims, in verse 21, that all knew God at one time, but their own selfishness drives them away from God. Verse 28 sums up that they refused God, so God gave them up. He will not force us to follow His will, and our self-centeredness can lead us away from His reality. We can look to what we have accomplished, relying on our own selves rather than on God.
• Worldly Interests. I John 2:15-17 reminds us of the dangers involved in loving the things of this world. God ceases to be real to us when we begin believing that our happiness and our fulfillment come from this life. Things in this world can indeed make us happy for a while, but those joys are fleeting. They are replaced when new things come along. We wear ourselves out pursuing the temporary while neglecting the eternal.
• Priorities & Time. We grow too busy for God, pushing Him further and further down our list of priorities, and we spend less and less time looking for Him and praying to Him. When is the last time you or I honestly and sincerely prayed? When was the time before that.

Making God Real Again 

Philippians 4:19 records Paul calling God his own. He refers to “my God.” In redeeming us from our sins, God has made us His, and He is ours. Paul, in Romans 5, appeals to God’s love for that close relationship, understanding in verses 6-10 that God’s love for him is gracious and unmerited by him. God was neither virtual or theoretical to Paul. God knew Paul, and Paul knew God. God knows us as well, and we should strive to be as close to Him as Paul. God loves each one of us without reservation. In Galatians 2:20, Paul knows the love of God through the sacrifice of Christ, a sacrifice through which he gives himself up in love.

 

In Philippians, Paul says “my God will supply.” He demonstrates a belief that God is active and interested in his life. Philippians 4:5 records Paul writing that the Lord is at hand, and we often apply this to the Second Coming, but the context points instead to a nearness of God, a readiness to help. Romans 8:28, Colossians 1:16-17 – these show a confidence by Paul in God’s interest in his life. God has a direction for my life, and He is an active God. When we say, “If the Lord wills,” we sometimes treat it as a concession. When Paul speaks of God’s will, He expresses confidence in God’s providential control.

 

II Corinthians 9:10, Acts 14:17, Matthew 7:26 – these verses and more express God’s interest in His creation. Philippians 4:6 reminds us to take everything to God, and I Peter 5:6-7 tells us to humble ourselves before God, casting all of our anxiety upon our caring God. Look at the life of Christ – what did He do that was not for the benefit of others? He prays for others’ needs; He heals others; He relieves others’ burdens. Each time Jesus intercedes for others, His intervention is specific and necessary. We can hope for as much from a God that is real to us and active in our lives.

 

lesson by Tim Smelser

Walking Worthily of Our Calling

Salvation has location. Ephesians 1 emphasizes what we find in Christ. Terms like In Him, in the Lord Christ, in Jesus are repeated throughout the chapter, and this concept bleeds over into chapter 2. Paul explains that being in Christ constitutes a new life, emerging from the death of sin into the spiritual resurrection in Jesus. We are made alive through Him. Paul concludes chapter 2 with reconciliation to God, emphasizing the elimination of racial and carnal divisions through the cross of Christ. This leads into chapter 3, discussing this as God’s eternal purpose. Christ’s role, our reconciliation, our spiritual rebirth – all of this is God’s plan based in His love.

In this book, Paul expresses his sympathy and understanding for everything the Ephesians are facing. In these first three chapters, Paul reminds us it matters not who we are, where we come from, how old we are, our cultural background, what sins we may have committed – we all need Christ, and He is available to all. Chapters 4-6, however, change focus from God’s plan to our response to that plan. He focuses on our walk, our conduct. We once walked according to this world, but now I must change my path if I am to be a follower of Christ.

Walking Befitting Christ’s Sacrifice
Ephesians 4:1 begins with a statement to walk worthily of our calling. The first three chapters make clear the care and deliberation that went into our salvation. We should therefore be as careful and as deliberate in our own lives as Christians, as followers of Christ. In verse 22, Paul calls on us to crucify our former selves, putting on new selves created in the holiness of God’s truth. We are not to walk as the world. In this, Paul points our three important facets – walking in love, walking in light, walking carefully. This is presented in the context of Paul writing that salvation is in Christ, that salvation remakes us anew, and that His sacrifice and salvation is not an accident.

• Walking in Love – Ephesians 5:1. Are we willing to give ourselves up for one another? Our walks of love are to resemble the love God shows us. John 13:34-35, I John 4:7-11, Romans 5:8 – these recount God’s love for us is a sacrificial unconditional love even when we are unlovable. We have to put to death hatefulness and enmity to clothe ourselves in the love of Christ.
• Walking in Light – Ephesians 5:7-8. Matthew 5:14 records Jesus calling His followers a light to the world. If we claim to wear His name, we should brighten the world around us, avoiding darkness in our attitudes and conduct. Philippians 2:15 reminds us to consider the example we set in all we say and do. Wearing the name in Christ necessitates that we walk in light.
• Walk Carefully – Ephesians 5:15. Some translations say to walk circumspectly, carrying the idea of looking around carefully as we walk. We carefully consider those things we engage in and approve of, examining their benefit to our Christian lives. Proverbs 14:16, I Thessalonians 5:21 – these remind us to be careful in all we do as followers of God.

Conclusion
Paul calls us to walk wisely in light and love as response to Christ’s sacrifice for us. God shines His love on us in His deliberate and intentional plan for our salvation and reconciliation to Him. Our walk should be the same. Jesus did not die on the cross so I may live however I want – foolishly thinking that will bring me closer to Him. We should sacrifice ourselves as Christ sacrificed for us. We have a new life with new expectations and a new hope when we submit ourselves to Him and walk after His example.

lesson by Tim Smelser

Servants in the House of the Lord

Servitude is a theme replete throughout scripture. In Matthew 20:20, when a mother asks that her sons sit on His right and left sides, the apostles grow contentious over their rank in the kingdom. Jesus, however, says they should not seek to be masters but servants, for it shall be the servants that will be honored in His kingdom. Jesus’ mission is one of service, and our mission should be likewise focused. Also, Romans 12:7 and I Peter 4:9-10 encourage us to devote ourselves to our lives of service, and II Corinthians 11:8 records Paul his acceptance of donations from other congregations was for the purpose of service.

In Ephesians 6:5-8, Paul is specifically speaking to the servant-master relationship, and he tells those servants to be obedient. He explains, though, that giving goodwill service to another is giving service to God. Finally, in Galatians 5:13, Paul tells us to use our spiritual freedom to become servants one to another.

Examples of Service

• John 13 records the events of the last supper. Starting in verse 4, Jesus kneels to wash His disciples’ feet, taking on the role of servant to His followers. Knowing He was about to die, Jesus takes these last few hours to teach humble servitude to those who had been following him these last three years.
• In Acts 9:36, we meet a woman named Tabitha through her death. She is described as reputed for her charity. She served others, and, when she dies, those upon whom she had shown charity were gathered around her, displaying gifts she had given them.
• During the events of John 11, Martha works to serve the many people coming in and out of her home. In the presence of Jesus and His followers, she busies herself
• Philippians 2:22 records Paul describing Timothy as a fellow servant in the gospel. He describes his relationship with Timothy like father and son. That’s how attentive Timothy is to Paul in their service to the Lord.

Korah and Servitude

Psalms 42-49 and Psalms 84-89 (with the exception of one Psalm in each of those groupings) are attributed to the sons of Korah. In Numbers 16, Korah and many of his family rise up against Aaron and Moses – wanting to be as important in their role before God. This small revolt ends poorly for Korah and his supporters, but some of his family survived to write some of the Psalms.

In one of these Psalms, number 84:9, these sons of Korah express they would rather be doorkeepers in the house of Jehovah that dwell in the homes of the wicked. These sons demonstrate a contentment their forefather lacked. They are content to be servants rather than masters. Psalm 42 focuses on longing after serving God, and, throughout these Psalms written by the sons of Korah, this attitude of service and gratitude repeats. It no longer matters to these sons their level of importance in God’s work, so long as they can serve and glorify God.

Personal Applications

It’s not easy to focus on others before self. It’s not easy to deny self, but that is what our Savior did. We have to develop a servant mindset, and we have to be able to put God and others first. There are many things we can do, whether we are like Tabitha with charity, like Martha with hospitality,or like Timothy in service to the gospel. We should be serving one another in love. We should be more like the sons of Korah in Psalms, happy to be doorkeepers in the house of the Lord, submitting to God and to one another in humility.

lesson by Tim Smelser