1 Thessalonians 2 - 2006.10.28

"For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe. — I Thess. 2:13

In the first chapter of this epistle the apostle Paul expresses his enthusiasm for the fellowship of believers at Thessalonica as "remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in the sight God and the Father; Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God [ v.3-4]." In our verse for today that joy is defined in terms of unceasing thanksgiving to God for these believers. What accounted for this exciting church? Two things in particular. First, the rendering of the word of God on the part of those who delivered it. Second, the reception of the word of God on the part of those who now constituted the local church there.

Scripture says "Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God," following the question, "… how shall they hear without a preacher[Rom. 10:17, 14]?" Clearly the subject matter of effective preaching is the word of God presented as the word of God. In this instance the preacher was the apostle Paul and the communication was the word of God. There was nothing wrong with the rendering of the message, either in the instrument or in the content. Yet how many times have Spirit-filled men spoken the truths of the word without the joy of harvest, whether to a congregation, or one on one; whether the word of salvation to a lost soul, or the word of sanctification to a professed believer? Before there can be an appropriate result, the word must be "received."

A few evenings ago we had a newscast on while eating supper. At one point my wife asked, "What did he say about the weather?" to which my response was, "I don't know. I heard it, but I wasn't listening." Thus it is so often when the word of God is adequately presented. Some go away empty because they hear, but do not listen. A contemporary writer, referring specifically to the scribes and Pharisees, said, they "knew the words of scripture well, but heard the voice of God not at all. They had an extensive and meticulous knowledge of scripture. They revered it. They memorized it. [But] the words were studied and not heard."

So today the word of God is still available through the voices of faithful men of God. The potential for life changing encounter with the Living Word is there, but it amounts to nothing because men hear, but do not listen. The sounds suited to salvation or sanctification are there, falling upon the marvelous mechanism God has given us so He can communicate with us, but nothing happens. It is not that they cannot hear, but that they do not hear. "Having ears to hear, they hear not."

There is more to communication than utterance. The word must be properly received. The Thessalonians qualified. First, they paused to listen: "ye received it." They did not receive it passively, but perceptively: "Ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God." For them what was uttered was not a matter of opinion, but a revelation from high. God was speaking, and they were listening, not just hearing. It was good seed upon good soil.

The result was dynamic: "For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance… and ye became followers of us, and of the Lord… [1:5]." "For ye, brethren, became followers of the churches of God which in Judea are in Christ Jesus [2:14a]." And they became followers who stood their ground when the going got tough. "Ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost [1:6]," and "… ye also have suffered like things of your own countrymen, even as [the churches in Judea] have of the Jews [2:14]."

It is not great preachers who make great churches. It is ordinary men who preach the word of God as the word of God, reaching ordinary people who receive the message as the word of God, and respond appropriately. "Take heed therefore, how ye hear [Luke 8:18a]." Are you listening?


For HIS praise,

"Pastor" Frasier

1 Thessalonians 1 - 2006.10.21

"And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost: So that ye were examples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia." — I Thess. 1:7-8

In several places, including this one, the New Testament gives emphasis to the power and importance of example. In I Peter 5:3 the Spirit of God, through the apostle Paul, admonishes pastors not to lord it over their churches, but to be examples to the flock. Writing to the Philippians he is not ashamed to call attention to the example set by himself and his associates in ministry, when he says, "walk so as ye have us for an example (cf. Phil. 3:17)." Again, he writes of "… making ourselves an example unto you to follow us (cf. II Thess. 3:9)."

To his young protégé Timothy Paul counseled, "Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity [I Tim. 4:12]." And in Titus 2:7 he exhorts that young minister, "In all things [show] thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine showing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity, Sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you," where the word "pattern" in the Greek text is identical with the word "example" in the preceding references.

In I Timothy 1:15,16 the apostle Paul says, "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting."Here the word "pattern" is a derivative of the word for "example." Paul is identifying himself as a pattern or example for others to follow. That is consistent with his exhortation to the Corinthians, "Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ [I Cor 11:1]." (See also I Cor 4:16; Phil. 3:17; I Thess. 1:6; Heb. 6:12)

The supreme "example" for us to follow is, of course, Christ. The apostle Peter noted, "… Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps… Who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth…" [I Pet. 2:21-22]." In I John 2:6 we are counseled, "He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk , even as He walked." It was Paul's aim to do just that; so to order his life, that those who followed his example would be perfectly aligned with Christ. It should be yours and mine as well! It is, to say the least, a lofty goal, and one that cannot be fulfilled in the energy of the flesh, but only through the grace and power of the Holy Spirit.

Reflection upon these passages, and this study on the importance of example, confronts us with a self-test: If others follow my example (and someone will!) will they be following Christ? Many years ago a gospel tract circulated entitled, "Your Children will be like you." It is a sobering thing to consider, whether one thinks of his literal offspring or his spiritual "children." Again, there was a gospel song which carried the line, "What you are speaks so loud men can't hear what you say!" Even if we tell the truth, others are not likely to "hear" it unless they see it exemplified in our lives.

May it be our unwavering aspiration so to live that our spiritual overseers may be able to say of us what Paul said of the Thessalonian believers: "Ye were examples to all that believe… " A Christian can be paid no higher compliment.

For HIS glory,

"Pastor" Frasier

Columbus Day "Blizzard of Buffalo"

Due to the Columbus Day "Blizzard of Buffalo," which destroyed power and telephone lines, leaving us without electricity and heat, etc., we had to leave home for a season. As a result, the VOW did not go out, and will probably be omitted until next week, "same time, same station." We are home, as of late this afternoon, and all is well, praise the Lord. But, things are in something of disarray. Thanks for your patience and prayers.

"Pastor" Frasier
Isaiah 55:8,9

Colossians 4 - 2006.10.07

"Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving." — Colossians 4:2

No spiritual exercise is potentially more significant, nor practically more difficult than prayer. My own prayer life is such that it is almost embarrassing to write on the subject, but the word of God, not one's own personal experience, is the ground for discourse.

Prayer, more than any other engagement, links us with God. We can feed upon His word, and that is vital, but if we truly pray, we fellowship with Him. If there were no God in heaven, prayer would be the silliest thing a man could do; he ends up talking to himself. But since there is a God in heaven, prayer is the noblest activity in which the believer can engage, and the highest privilege he enjoys. When I pray— when I really pray— the God of the universe pauses to listen and deigns to respond. "Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not [Jer. 33:3]." How incredible! "The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and His ears are open unto their cry [Ps. 34:15]." How wonderful! "The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles [Ps. 34:17]." How encouraging!

The Savior said, "Men ought always to pray, and not to faint [Cf. luke 18:1-8]." The implication is that consistency in prayer will protect from "fainting," i.e., spiritual weakness. The counterpoint is that negligence in prayer will result in feebleness of spirit.

Based upon the fact that we have in heaven a "great high priest," the writer to the Hebrews exhorts, "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need [cf He. 4:14-16]." This, too, is linked to spiritual stability: "Let us hold fast our profession. ( v.14)." The prayerless Christian is a powerless Christian.

When the believer prays, he is afforded the assistance of the Holy Spirit. Paul writes, "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit (himself) maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And He that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because He maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God [Rom. 8:26-27]." Imagine engaging in prayer with the Spirit of the living God. Or, the Spirit of God condescending to pray with us. Yet this is what transpires when we really pray!

Important to "continuing" prayer, of course, is intelligent content in prayer. Consider some of the subject of prayer revealed in the New Testament scriptures. First is the recognition of God Himself: "Our Father, which art in heaven." It is my judgment that our prayer life should first and foremost cultivate our consciousness of God and His glory. Think God when you pray, "Hallowed be Thy Name." Homage to the King ought always to precede petitioning the King. Of further note, if we follow the Savior's pattern prayer, is the priority given to prayer for His concerns before we address ours: "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." When the apostle enjoins prayer, it is along these lines that he expresses his primary concern. "Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds: That I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak [Col. 4:3-4]." He does not request prayer for release from prison, but that where God has placed him he may be advancing the kingdom. This same spirit prevails in Ephesians 6:18-19, where he exhorts, "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel… that I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak." He does not ask prayer for better circumstances, but for the grace to take full advantage of the circumstances in which God has placed him.

This does not, of course, preclude the privilege of, or need for prayer for ourselves. "Give us this day our daily bread"; "forgive us our debts… "; "lead us not into temptation"; "deliver us from evil." It is interesting though, if one pauses to reflect upon it, how little instruction scripture gives us in prayer for physical "health and welfare," and how much is focused on the spiritual state of the individual believer and the church. Evangelicals generally discredit the so-called "health and welfare gospel," but our prayer life often reflects it!

"Continue in prayer," indeed. But let us seek to do it with discernment, drawn from the word, of what concerns the heart of God.
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[For further study of the content of prayer in N.T. scripture see Rom. 15:30-33; II Cor. 13:7; Eph. 6:18-20; Phil. 1:9-11 & 4:6; Col. 1:9-13; I Thess. 5:17; II Thess. 3:1-2; I Tim. 2:1-3; Heb. 13:18-21; Jas. 5:13-18; I John 5:14-17.]

For HIS glory and our good,

"Pastor" Frasier

Colossians 3 - 2006.09.30

"When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in Glory." ― Colossians 3:4

"Christ… is our life." The biblical definition of Christian experience is, indeed, remarkable. At the point of our exercise of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, according to the scriptures, one order of existence ended and another began.

To be a Christian, according to the Bible, is not simply to be transplanted, as when an entity is removed from one location and rooted in another, but the entity itself is changed; it takes on a new order entirely. In the biblical perspective of conversion, not only is the believer found in a new environment, ("hid with Christ in God," v.3) but he is himself a 'new creation.' "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new [II Cor. 5:17, italics mine.]."

It is not merely a career that is ended, it is a whole order of being. Both the center and the circumference of this new order is Christ. "Christ is our life." And that is the perspective we are here enjoined to adopt.

The story is told of one of the early Christians of note, that one day he was confronted by one of his former consorts who solicited his attention, calling him by name and crying, "It is I!" As he fled from her presence and would be advances, he responded, "I know, but I am no longer I." Would that every believer would perceive and embrace that perspective; anything and everything that is apart from and contrary to Christ is part of the old order and the old nature, and has no longer any claim or validity for us.

For now, of course, this which is essentially true is an eternal fact, but a temporal process. We are still "in the world." We must adopt by faith the position that we are not "of it." A significant element in cultivating the proper perspective is focusing on the prospect the new order sets before us: Jesus is coming again. "… Christ, who is our life, shall appear… " If we will live properly in this transition state, we must live expectantly. Early Christians, it would seem, lived in much keener awareness of Christ's return than we do today. For us the "second coming" is a distinct part of our theology, but has little bearing on our conduct or values. We hold the doctrine as a promise of eventual relief from life's hardships; they held it as the key to the manifestation of the new order and motivation for new values in the interim.

The apostle John wrote, for example, "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, (a new order of being) and it doth not yet appear what we shall be (transition state): but we know that when He shall appear (the imminent prospect), we shall be like Him (the final transformation), for we shall see Him as He is." (Cf. I John 3:2) On the strength of that prospect the apostle urged, "And every man that hath this hope in Him purifieth himself, even as He is pure [ v.3]." The prospect of Christ's return was not abstract, but dynamic. So should it be for us.

"Then shall ye appear with Him in glory." That is the promise, looking forward to the moment when we will "catch up with our (new) selves," so to speak. What is even now spiritually true will become visibly evident in that great day. What is here held out to us is not the realization of our new state, but the revelation of what is already an established fact in the mind and heart of God.

The whole thrust of New Testament ethics is that the believer should no longer live as he was, but as he is "in Christ Jesus," Who "is" his life. As this perspective, prospect and promise penetrates our consciousness, it will stimulate a passion to break with the old nature and embrace the new. "Things above" will have our hearts (Col. 3:2) and be our dominant quest ( v.1), and heaven will be the environment of the soul. To the watching world we may look the same, but we will not be the same. The difference will be in demonstration of Christ, Who is our life, in the "today" of our experience!

For HIS praise,

"Pastor" Frasier