J.o.y. of caring and of being cared for.

The Apostle Paul did not allow his circumstances (of being in prison for preaching the gospel) to hinder His calling as a minister of the Gospel, but rather as we heard earlier his being in prison actually furthered the effect of the Gospel. While in prison, he utilized a couple of coworkers that not only ministered to others, but who ministered to Paul himself.  Paul had learned to not only minister to others, but he also received ministry from others, as in from Epaphroditus. (Philippians 2:25)

Paul was not a one way servant in that he spent his time serving others, but he himself knew that he needed encouragement and help himself. We about this in his letter to the Roman church.

Romans 1:9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers;

 10 Making request, if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you.

 11 For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established;

 12 That is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.

He cared deeply for those in the congregation that he had helped plant and now he wished to know how they were doing in their Christian faith. So he sent unto them Timothy and then Epaphroditus. He knew and trusted the character of Timothy, who available to go.

Philippians 2:19 But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timotheus shortly unto you, that I also may be of good comfort, when I know your state.

 20 For I have no man likeminded, who will naturally care for your state.

 21 For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's.

 22 But ye know the proof of him, that, as a son with the father, he hath served with me in the gospel.

 23 Him therefore I hope to send presently, so soon as I shall see how it will go with me.

 24 But I trust in the Lord that I also myself shall come shortly.

He then sent Epaphroditus, who was also available and who had ministered to Paul himself.  Epaphroditus was not only available, but he was also sensitive to the wants of Paul. Paul knew of his brother’s sensitive heart for he had experienced the kindness of Christ through him, not only for himself, but for those in the Philippian congregation. 

 25 Yet I supposed it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, and companion in labour, and fellowsoldier, but your messenger, and he that ministered to my wants.

 26 For he longed after you all, and was full of heaviness, because that ye had heard that he had been sick.

 27 For indeed he was sick nigh unto death: but God had mercy on him; and not on him only, but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow.

 28 I sent him therefore the more carefully, that, when ye see him again, ye may rejoice, and that I may be the less sorrowful.

Ephaphroditus was not only available, he was sensitive to the needs of the Philippians, but he was also reliable. Paul could count on him to do as he was sent to do, for Epaphroditus did not count his life dear to him, but understood and ministered putting himself last. He lived by J.o.y.

 30 Because for the work of Christ he was nigh unto death, not regarding his life, to supply your lack of service toward me.

We are now at the halfway point in our studies through the letter to the Philippian church, or we might say we are halfway through the letter of the Lord to our beloved Kingston congregation. May we pause in order to reflect on what the application might be for us from the Word of the Lord? It would be good to do so and let us start by looking at the big picture.

The title that is given to the message today is “Caring and being cared for.”  That was chosen to reflect the reality that within every congregation there are basically two categories of people: Those who are able to care for others and there are those who need caring for. We already saw how the Apostle Paul kept this in balance, recognizing that as he ministered to others, that he needed their reciprocal ministry towards him.

In our readings today, (2 Samuel 9) and (Luke 10:25-37) we witnessed the kindness of God demonstrated by David and Kindness Himself having compassion on the man who appeared to be dead on the road to Jericho. When we have received the kindness of God through Christ in that we have by grace through faith become a partaker of the divine nature (2 Peter 1;3-4), we are a new creation created unto good works in Christ Jesus. We have been rescued along the road by the Kindness of God and have been given all that is needed to be scatterers of the Kindness of God. David, even though living in the Old Testament times, was indwelt by the kindness of God so that he asked the question in 2 Samuel 9

KJV 2 Samuel 9:1 And David said, Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul, that I may shew him kindness for Jonathan's sake?

3 And the king said, Is there not yet any of the house of Saul, that I may shew the kindness of God unto him? And Ziba said unto the king, Jonathan hath yet a son, which is lame on his feet.

After Jesus asked the lawyer  which one of the three was a neighbor to the man lying on the side of the road, he answered, “He that showed mercy unto him,” he was basically saying that the one that showed kindness to him.’

Jesus responded: Do, and do likewise. Go and demonstrate the mercy of God towards your family, towards your brothers and sisters in the church, and towards the world.

Have we experienced the Kindness of the Lord? If so, how are we living out that which we have received from the Lord? Who might we be kind to today?

Are we available to serve? Are we sensitive to the needs of people? Are we reliable?

Lord, please guard our relationships from the evil one, strengthen them in faith and trust in You and deepen our understanding and experience of Your love for us. In Jesus Name, Amen

Pastor Orval Wirkkala

Our Father

          Our Father

May the quiet waters of God's grace be with you and in you today..

KJV Luke 11:1 And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray,

Our Lord was a praying man, for there are 27 specific instances in the Scripture in which He is found communing with His Father in prayer. He not only sets the example for us, but when He was teaching His disciples about Kingdom Life in Matthew's Gospel, He gave them what we call the "Lord's Prayer" and invited them to use that form when they commune with their/our Father.. Luke in his Gospel writes that He pointed them to the Lord's Prayer" upon their asking Him to "teach us to pray."

"Our Father"   We need to remember that we not only pray with all those in the body of Christ, but that when we pray our Brother Jesus Christ is praying with us and for us. So when we enter into communion with Our Father, let us remember that He, Jesus, was quite comfortable spending a lot of time with Our Father in prayer for long periods of time, even all night at times.

When we recognize that this earth is an alien land for Him, it is not that difficult to see how He was so accustomed to having fellowship and communion with His Father. It would be like He was going back home. On the other hand, it is difficult for us to make the switch from our earthly existence and thought process to the realm into which it would be quite natural to pray with our Brother Jesus, "Our Father." 

He allows us to share in His prayer, invites us to this communion and desires that through these times we would grow together in heart and mind with the Father, the Son and the Spirit.

Our Struggle

We hear about God, we know people who say they believe in God, and we also have a hard time understanding a God who seems to be distant from us.  We ask the questions like, "Where was this God when my son died suddenly, where was this God when I got my cancer, where was this God when I became afflicted with this disease, where was this God when my spouse left me for another person?"  In light of all this, how can I even begin to pray, "Our Father?"  I do not understand that kind of a prayer at all........I can barely say, "God, let alone "my" or "our God." 

He knows everything before it even happens while we struggle with knowing what is happening in our lives at the moment, let alone what is coming in the future.  In essence, we do not know what our real needs are, what we lack and what we need.  We have no problem knowing what our wants and desires are. There in lies the problem, we think that our wants are our needs. And we will see those wants satisfied in what ever ways that we can find to do so.

If we are lonely, we will look for companionship with someone or something that will bring satisfaction.  If people are not available, we will look for means that will deaden the pain of loneliness in our heart and being, knowing that the quick fix will only deaden the pain or medicate the pain, but will bring no long term resolution to our sense of separation, isolation and loneliness. Whatever we have become accustomed to will be that which we resort to in order to fill the deep need in our soul. 

And when it becomes a pattern, it becomes addictive, which then brings us into a bondage that we have no power to get out of, and in fact, do not wish to get out of since it is a place of escape, of comfort and of pleasure.  In that relationship there is no risk, there is no work to be done, but only to take that which we so desperately need.  We want to stay there, even though inside we know that it will not fix our desperate need for companionship.

When we go to visit a doctor, sometimes it is with definite physical symptoms and other times it can be without definite pains, but only a sense of something is wrong. If we visit a doctor with anxieties and worries, the doctor will through questions and observations come to understand what is the root of our troubles and then seek to address the root cause of them.

It is like that for us as we approach our Father with our needs, asking for something that will satisfy these deep needs without really realizing why we are asking for them to be filled in a certain manner. The need for affirmation by us as humans drives us to ask for things that will make us feel accepted and validated by others, for in that acceptance and validation is our entire feeling of self worth. 

It is our self love that causes us to pray for the changing of our circumstances rather than looking inside our hearts to determine what is motivating and moving our attitudes, actions and words.  In all sincerety, we think we know what we need, but our Father knows really what we have need of and we keep evading and running from those things that He knows we need.   He knows our deepest needs and secrets. So when we pray for healing for ourselves or for those around us, are we doing them a good service or are we trying to circumvent that which God wants to do through their need?

Our Father

Richard Wurmbrandt, a missionary who spent fourteen years in prison in Romania for preaching the Gospel, wrote in one of his books that the first two words of the Lord's Prayer, "Our Father" were of great comfort to him during the years of his captivity in a Romanian prison for preaching the gospel, especially in the later years when he had forgotten nearly all of the Bible verses that he had memorized.

He stated that in these two words, "Our Father," he was reminded and encouraged that he was not an orphan and that he was not the only one suffering persecution, for God was his father and he had many brothers and sisters in Christ throughout the world. It was a profound experience for Richard which came from thinking on and being fed by those two words which ministered grace and love to his soul.

As we watch families interact together we notice that sometimes very little is said as mom or dad are busy doing their thing while the children are busy playing together or by themselves. Occasionally there will be a glance from the adult to the child or vice versa, there will be a smile exchanged, and both will resume that which they were doing.  The parent knows that his/her offspring is near, they have no immediate need  and all is well in the family. Words are not always needed among families in order for the love that is shared among them to be enjoyed and for it to grow and flourish.  Even though the child may be living for the moment, the parent knows the needs of the child not only for the day but the needs for the days in the future.

God has spoken first, and He has acted first even as our parents have acted  so that we were brought into the world.  We are His offspring and often times we go through times of enjoyment of being in His presence without hearing from Him or saying much back to Him. We are like the child and parent which we related above in that it is okay to be silent while enjoying the love and security of our relationship with Our Heavenly Father.

We must be quiet before Him, as much as possible having a calm spirit even in the midst of the troubles that we find swirling around us and in us. At this point, the logical question is brought forth by many: "If Our Father knows beforehand what we need, why should we pray?"

Communing with Our Father

We answer this by saying that the main purpose of prayer is not to ask for something or for someone, but it is to enter into communion with Our Father. If we only say "Dear Heavenly Father" and no more words are said, but that in the Spirit we enter into communion with Him, we are with Him with those few words and in the ensuing silence more than saying a million words to Him.

When we think of the meaning of the words, Dear Heavenly Father, we are reminded first and foremost that if He is our Father, then it means that we are His children. We are in essence hearing Him cry out through the ages based on His creative Word and His Incarnate Word: "You Are Mine!"

When we enter into communion with our Our Father, our needs, our pains, our frustrations and our cries are brought before Him on the basis the the Word. Our petitions are received by Him, they are considered, they are considered according to His will, and, in that we are given peace as we move towards Him in oneness of spirit as we by faith accept all as from His loving hands.  We may not understand, but we accept these things as from Him, knowing that Father knows best.

It is important that we realize that when we stop communing with Our Father in heaven and when we stop living and breathing in this relationship of love, we will begin to talk about God and not with Him. When we talk about religion in a ritualistic manner, it is because we have moved away from our fellowship with Him and consequently we only speak of things of the Spirit in a distant manner.

Dear Father, help us to come before you in quietness, leaving all the distractions outside, knowing that you will hear us in secret and reward us according to what you want for us.  You already know our needs, we only know our wants, and in your wisdom and love, you will not give us all that we want. So, dear Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, would you teach us to pray?

Pastor Orval

J.o.y. of being served and of serving others.

Dear friend,

This is the day that the Lord has made, and we will rejoice and be glad in it!! That sentence is taken from Psalm 118:24. That greeting certainly can apply to everyday that we are given, but the foundation of that greeting is pointing to Jesus the Christ as the Way, the Truth and the Life.  Here is the portion of that psalm which I am referring to.

118:22 The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner.

 23 This is the LORD'S doing; it is marvellous in our eyes.\

24 This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

25 Save now, I beseech thee, O LORD: O LORD, I beseech thee, send now prosperity.

The day that is being referred to is the day of Christ, the day everything changed in time as a result of Christ making everything new. Therefore, when we arise to a new day we take those words and their meaning deep into our heart, soul and life, knowing that we are a new creation in Christ Jesus. We do not walk by sight, but we walk by faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ, and that means that we are a child of God by grace through faith. 

As we continue our studies in the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Philippian congregation, we find that he is still living a joyful life in spite of his circumstances, or even in his circumstances.

KJV Philippians 1:4 Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy,

KJV Philippians 1:18 What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.

KJV Philippians 1:25 And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith;

KJV Philippians 1:26 That your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again.

KJV Philippians 2:2 Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.

Paul prayed for them with joy, he rejoiced when the Gospel was preached, he realized that through his ministry those who were blessed would rejoice more abundantly in Christ and told them that they would increase his joy by their being in unity.

Last week we heard that humility is the necessary ingredient of unity in the body of Christ, which is lived out within the body that we are privileged to be a partaker of and participator in. Joy comes to the heart of our Father when there is humility and unity within a fellowship of believers, in the home or in the church. He wrote of having the mind in us which was in Christ Jesus:  He then used the illustration of the most selfless person that ever walked the face of the earth: The God Man Jesus the Christ. Through the Holy Spirit, Paul wrote of how God in Christ humbled Himself even to death in order to “taste death for every man.” (Hebrews 2:9)

Then in Philippians 2:9-11 the Word tells us that after His humiliation, God highly exalted Christ and gave Him a name above every other name, that at this Name every knew should bow and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.  The Holy Spirit has lifted the hearts of the hearers to heavenly heights as He moves them from the humiliation of Christ to His exaltation. As the Apostle John wrote in his epistle, “there is no greater joy than to know that my children walk in truth,” is it not a much greater joy to our Father in heaven when we have come through being humbled by His Word of Truth in repentance and faith, and as a result have been lifted up into heavenly places in Christ Jesus, whereby we praise and thank Him for His love, His mercy and His forgiveness. Remember the joy that was amongst the neighbors, in heaven and in the house of the prodigal son upon the sheep being found, the coin being found and the human being being found. Luke 15.

It is now that the Apostle begins to apply that which he has written to this point. Let us read verses 12-18 and then we will go through the main points in the verses.

Philippians 2:12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

 13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

Last Sunday I tried to make a point of how Paul related to his people in a positive manner, always putting the best on their walk in Christ. Note how he says “as ye have always obeyed.”  He builds them up by taking it for granted that they have been faithful in their walk in Christ in his absence, before he begins to give them additional direction. He tells them to work out, not work for, their salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in them both to will and to do of His good pleasure 

There is a lot in these two verses, but let it suffice for me to give an illustration to shine some light on the fear and trembling first.  Is it not like a child who doesn’t know how to swim, so in the water the child is deathly afraid of going under for the water has the last word. That child is deathly afraid of drowning once she has gained an understanding of the power of water.

But isn’t it much different after that same child learns to swim that it now enjoys the water, but yet realizes that the water has the last word. The child respects the water, yes fears the water, but yet enjoys the water.  We must never forget that God is God, we are the thankful recipient of his favor towards us, and therefore we praise Him never forgetting that He is God and we are not.

What about God working in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure? How does that work for us? Do you and I always feel like doing those things that are pleasing in His sight? Of course, not for we are yet plagued by our old nature which is continually trying to resurrect itself back into dominion. In Romans 6 it is written how we are no longer under the dominion of sin, but now live under grace, as is written in the letter to Titus:

Titus 2:11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,

 12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;

God has graced us with a new heart and a new mind which is now programmed to do those things that are pleasing in His sight, but as said earlier, there remains the susceptibility to follow the old portion or the inclinations of the flesh. He now gives some practical teachings.

 14 Do all things without murmurings and disputings:

 15 That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;

 16 Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.

He speaks of doing all things without murmuring or disputings, for being caught up in these will cause breaks in the unity and the harmony. The mindset of the world has always been dark, and as light in his world, as sons of God we shine brighter that darker it gets. Let us remember that Jesus said that “You are the light of the world,” and He did not say, be or try to be the light of the world. That is an important distinction to remember.

Paul again demonstrates that his joy in life does not come from earthly and happy circumstances or situations, but it comes from knowing that they are holding fast to the Word of life, Christ and His Gospel. What else can bring life to one who is dead, but the Wonderful Words of Life that are in Christ Jesus. “Believe your sins forgiven through the Name and Shed Blood of Jesus Christ.” That last thing Paul wanted was that the Word of Life that he had preached would have fallen upon deaf ears or unreceptive hearts. He did not care about himself as he elaborates on in the next verses.  He was a bulldog for the gospel, for he cared more about the eternal salvation of the souls of man than anything else, even his own……What did I just write? Please read the following verses….

Acts 20:22 And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there:

 23 Save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me.

 24 But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.

ESV Romans 9:3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh.

 17 Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all.

 18 For the same cause also do ye joy, and rejoice with me.

Let us note how Paul again demonstrates that he does not care about himself, having the mind of Christ for others. J.o.y.   He would gladly go to his physical death if it would be of spiritual benefit to his beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, and in that he would rejoice with them as he went that way. But note that he assumed that same attitude of heart and mind into them, when he spoke of their having the same joy that he possesses. This cannot be overemphasized, as it is the mortar that holds a relationship together: The mortar of love, love which is described in chapter 13 of 1 Corinthians.

May the Lord grow us in the knowledge and experience of what His love has done, is doing and is able to do through us for the benefit of others.

In closing, let us return to the three thesis statements that we made at the beginning of this series through Philippians. J.o.y.

Joy is a reality that is ours through the knowledge that God has reconciled us to Himself through the cross, by His gracious gift we trust in that reality, and even if circumstances change in our lives, our relationship with Him now and forever cannot be shaken.

Joy is the settled assurance that God is in control of all the details of my life, the quiet confidence that ultimately everything is going to be alright, and the determined choice to praise God in every situation.

Christian joy is shared, it is confident and it is increasing.

May the Lord bless our meditations in the Truth, in Jesus Christ through the power of His Word as revealed by His Spirit.