worship Archives - Leaving Laodicea

Persecution, Growth, and the Underground Church

by Steve McCranie | Aug 14, 2023

The Lost Discipline of the Love Feast – Part 4

The parallels between the underground church in China and the early church of the first three centuries are striking. Both suffered intense persecution, being declared enemies of the state. Both responded by holding fast to the foundational tenets of their faith theologically and in practice (Acts 2:42). And both did more than just survive— they thrived. So much so that Constantine was forced, among other reasons, to issue the Edict of Toleration, and later the Edict of Milan,¹ because of the growing number of believers in the empire. Scholars estimate that by the end of the third century, over 10% of the Roman population were Christians, not counting a vast number of slaves.²

Fast forward seventeen hundred years and we have the same scene played out in our time, only bigger. Instead of the persecution by the Roman Empire, we see the grand persecution of the church under Mao’s People’s Republic of China beginning in 1949 when atheism was established as the official state religion. Soon, missionaries were expelled from China, churches and schools were closed, their property confiscated, and pastors and church leaders were imprisoned or condemned to labor camps.

No longer was there freedom of religion or assembly or the right to worship. Instead, like the early persecuted church, believers were forced underground to practice their faith. And the results of China’s state-wide treatment of Christianity was “legendary,” says Paul Hattaway, director of Asia Harvest. He continues, “For thirty years, they have shown the world how to be the church Christ intended.”³ Some estimates suggest there are more Christians in China than Communist Party members, totaling over 150 million and growing by over 30,000 per day. In fact, it is reported that over half of all believers in China choose to worship in an underground church than in one approved by the state. Let that sink in for a moment.

The Underground Church in China

How did this happen so fast? And how did the underground church in China grow so quickly under persecution when the church in the West has seen decades of decline over the same period? What are we missing that they have found? Or what do they know and practice that we have conveniently forgotten?

The history of Christianity in China is marked by periods of rapid growth amidst brutal persecution. Ever since the communist takeover in 1949, Christians in China have faced oppression from the atheist government and have been forced to worship underground, or in homes, buildings, or barns, anywhere away from the watchful eyes of the state. Yet the church continues to grow at an astonishing rate, unparalleled in modern history, primarily through underground house churches operating illegally outside of state control. Through courage, faith, perseverance, and the willingness to adapt to change, these unheralded believers have found innovative ways to live out the Gospel, even in adversity. The underground church in China may be a prototype of the future church in America. But we’ll write more about that at a later time.

Believers met in homes, apartments, barns, or anywhere they could gather without being noticed, since public meetings often led to arrest and imprisonment. Yet, they persevered and adapted, just like the early church. House churches were free to share their faith as they desired without any state interference. They could properly train leaders without the government dictating what was taught, much like Bonhoeffer’s “illegal” seminary for the Confessing Church in Finkenwalde. They could worship the Lord as the Spirit moved, without coming under cultural and governmental scrutiny. Again, just like the early church while facing Roman persecution. And their commitment to each other and their faith in the Lord became contagious to a generation seeking something real, something they could believe in— which may explain the rapid growth of the underground church that lived in obscurity and poverty.

But the question for us is not the extent or degree of state persecution the church in China experienced, but what they did to shine so bright during times of great satanic darkness. How did they allow their light to shine so “they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matt. 5:16)? What was life like for them in the underground church? And why do over half of the believers in China today still choose the underground church over the visible state-sanctioned church?

What is Worship Like in an Underground House Church?

As in the first three centuries, the underground church in China met primarily in homes or other isolated locations, usually at different times on different days of the week. By meeting in homes, the underground church could share full meals with one another, echoing the agape or love feast practiced by the early church but forgotten for centuries. Re-establishing the love feast as a foundational aspect of their worship together was one of the first things the underground church did— and they established it for the same reason the Lord instituted the practice in the first place (Acts 2:42). For them, the love feast served the same purpose it did centuries ago, binding believers together in the intimate spiritual unity and love only a relationship with Christ could bring, while strengthening their joint submission to Christ and each other (John 17:21).

Eating together in their homes allowed members to know each other deeply and care for each other as a family. Sharing stories, struggles, hopes, and prayers during the feast forged deep emotional bonds vital in keeping the church together while suffering persecution. Participation in the love feast required sacrificial giving by those with more financial means to freely and joyfully supply the physical needs of those in the body of Christ with less (Rom. 12:4-5). For poor Christians in house churches in China, the weekly love feast might be the only decent meal they would eat all week. And the unity, love, selflessness, and care shown through the feast gave them hope and spiritual strength to endure hardship the rest of the week. Just as in the early church, the shared meal reinforced that believers belong to one another as members of Christ’s body as children of God (Rom. 8:16-17). It was a tangible demonstration of the family of God caring for its own. And it is how the church was meant to function from the beginning. Still not sure? Then read it for yourself in Acts 2-6.

Both the early church and the underground house churches in China rely on the power of this communal meal to unite them in a steadfast spiritual community— all for one, and one for all as brothers and sisters in Christ.

“What Have You Learned, Dorothy?”

If the greatest revival of Spirit-empowered church growth in the last century has taken place under great trials and suffering of the underground church in China, and if the greatest apostasy and compromise of His church has taken place in Europe and the United States, which have freedom of religion cemented as part of their cultural charter and churches and cathedrals on almost every street corner— and if the underground church went back to the basics of the faith, back to Acts, in practice and belief— then it would appear they may have discovered the Holy Grail of Christian living, of pleasing God, of living the surrendered, sanctified life, which is taking God at His Word and not altering or changing it for tradition or convenience sake. One long sentence, I know.

And if any of that is true, and I am convinced that it is, then we have much to consider as the church in the West. There is apparently much we must do as His church that we no longer consider relevant in our version of church today. And there is much we must stop doing as His church that we should have never started in the first place. This means everything, and I mean everything, about church and our accepted relationship with Him must be re-examined under the light of His Word and not based on our cherished traditions.

One last thing before closing. Please don’t think this is all about a meal, far from it. The meal, the love feast, is just the vehicle God uses to bring us together as one in His church. It’s not about adding a meal to our crowded Sunday service. It’s about the meal serving as an opportunity for us to become more like our Lord. To do that, our attitudes about each other must change. Our acceptance of fellowship as being nothing more than a surface-level conversation with casual friends over a chicken dinner must change. We must desire to be more than what we are today if we expect Him to move in our midst. But I think we already knew that, didn’t we?

Can you see why the enemy worked so hard to remove the love feast from the arsenal of tools the Lord used to create men and women of God in His church? And can you see why we are in the lukewarm, Laodicea shape we are in today (Rev. 3:16)?

But all that can change. It doesn’t have to stay the same.

And it can begin with you this Sunday.

Notes

1. The Edict of Toleration, issued in 311 AD by Emperor Galerius, granted some rights and tolerance to Christians, ending official persecution, while the more expansive Edict of Milan in 313 AD, under Constantine I and Licinius, provided full religious tolerance and rights to all religions, establishing Christianity as an accepted religion in the Roman Empire.

2. Stark, Rodney. The Rise of Christianity: A Sociologist Reconsiders History. Princeton University Press, 1996. p.6 – “By a hundred years after the Crucifixion of Jesus, Christianity had achieved significant penetration of the urban centers of the Roman Empire, reaching approximately 6 million adherents by 300 AD, or about 10 percent of the Empire’s population.”

3. “The fortitude of the Chinese house church is legendary. For thirty years, they have shown the world how to be the church Christ intended.” – Paul Hattaway, director of Asia Harvest ministry, quoted in “The Heavenly Man” by Brother Yun (2002).

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Persecution, Faithfulness, and the Love Feast

by Steve McCranie | Aug 9, 2023

The Lost Discipline of the Love Feast – Part 3

The last few posts talked about the “agape” or “love feast” and centered on it as a fulfillment of the mandate given by the Lord for His church in Acts 2:42. Just to jog your memory, let me share the four practices the early church devoted themselves to that allowed the Spirit to move in them as He did:

And they continued steadfastly in (1) the apostles’ doctrine and (2) fellowship, in (3) the breaking of bread, and (4) in prayers – Acts 2:42.

But the point often overlooked is these four practices of the early church were not four separate and unique things they did at different times and maybe on different days. Nor were they separate and individual parts of a combined worship service. They were the four key elements that made up their worship service, the sum parts of the whole, indivisible from each other and of equal importance. One practice did not eclipse the others.

Think about our church services today. When we come together, we are often presented with a bulletin or playbill outlining the separate things we will do during the service and the order in which they will happen. First, an opening prayer. Then, some announcements. After that, maybe some congregational singing followed by a Scripture reading. Next, the “special music” performed by someone other than the congregation followed by a sermon or message of some sort. Then we have a closing song, a benediction, and somewhere between these parts, we take up an offering to keep the lights on. Whew, I get tired just thinking about it.

Persecution, Faithfulness, and the Love Feast

If you come in late, you can check the bulletin and see precisely what is next and what you may have missed. It’s all linear in nature, first to last, from the opening prayer to the closing benediction, with no surprises. And the order is cast in stone, printed on paper or projected on a screen, with no deviations allowed. Each line represents a single individual act of one long play. And you can clearly see where one act ends and the next one begins.

But that’s not how Acts 2:42 plays out. In the early church, the four practices the church “continued steadfastly” in were all integrated as one, like a cake baked with four ingredients. You cannot separate the eggs from the sugar, but the combined result was pleasing and satisfying, as church should be. During their worship time, they embraced the preaching of God’s Word, and there was a time for prayers, both corporate and individual. Their entire service centered around a shared, common meal, the agape or love feast, which also included the celebration of the Lord’s supper.

This format the church in Acts devoted themselves to led to their unprecedented spiritual growth in record time. And the results? Breathtaking. Read them for yourself in Acts 2-6. It looks like we have strayed far from this mark today.

This prompts the question: Why did the church change if God ordained the church to function under the example of Acts 2:42? Why don’t we do now what worked so well in the past? What happened to the church “continuing steadfastly” in anything, especially the four abovementioned things?

Persecution, Faithfulness, and the Love Feast

Logic and the Definition of Insanity

During our study of the seven letters to the seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3, we concluded that each letter prophetically describes church history in advance. And in each of these letters (or ages of church history), the Lord has something to say to them and us. Sometimes what He says is good— and sometimes, well… not so good.

When we did an overview of these letters, we discovered two of them the Lord said only good things about (Smyrna and Philidelphia), and two of them the Lord said nothing good about at all (Sardis and Laodicea). The rest was a mixture of things He both praised and rebuked them for (Ephesus, Pergamos, and Thyatira). So logically, it would seem we would want to follow or emulate the practices of the church in the ages our Lord only commended and praised, and run far and fast from the methods of the church in the ages our Lord condemned and rebuked, which would be Sardis and Laodicea, the latter being the church age we live in now. If the following statement is true, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting different results,”— then the opposite must also be true, “Insanity is expecting the same results yet refusing to do what brought success in the first place.” For some reason, we embrace this truth in all areas of life, except the church.

The Persecuted Church in Smyrna

During the first two centuries of the church, it faced unbelievable persecution. Jesus said, in His letter to the church of Smyrna¹ (representing the church age from about 100 AD to the Edict of Toleration in 312 AD):

“Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life” – Revelation 2:10.

The phrase, ten days, points to the ten waves of state-sanctioned persecution the church suffered.² And the Lord admonished these early Christians to remain faithful, even unto death. But faithful to what? To Christ, His kingdom, and the gospel? Of course. To their “common salvation” and the “faith which was once delivered to the saints”?³ Absolutely. To the church practices and disciplines instituted by the Lord in Acts 2 and elsewhere in Scripture for their growth, unity, and power? Undoubtedly.

And if you read the letter, you will find the Lord characterized the church during this time as experiencing “tribulation and poverty,” yet He called them “rich” (Rev. 2:9). How is that possible? For a church living as foreigners and strangers in this world (Heb. 11:13) without buildings, staff, age-segregated programs, media presentations, multi-campus mega-churches, live-streaming, movie studios, publishing houses, or radio stations, how could they be deemed rich? Simple. They understood Jesus’ words when He proclaimed, “One’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses” (Luke 12:15). What the persecuted church lacked in material things, they made up for in spiritual riches— big time.

They were faithful amidst suffering, like Paul and Silas singing praises to the Lord while beaten, bleeding, and unjustly imprisoned in Philippi (Acts 16:23-25). They were rich in fellowship (koinōnia), love, and trust in the Lord to “supply all their needs according to the riches in glory of Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:19). They counted it all joy to embrace the greater blessing of patience that trials and persecution inevitably bring (Jas. 1:2-4). And they had an eternal perspective, being promised the “crown of life” for their patient endurance (Rev. 2:10).

But don’t let the obvious slip past you. The persecuted believers also remained devoted to the practices God gave them to foster unity, trust, loyalty, partnership in the gospel, and a sense of oneness and family stronger than blood (John 17:21). They lived as children of God and as part of the family of God (Rom. 8:16-17). And all this experience of oneness centered around worshiping the Lord, as strange as it may seem, while sharing a common, communal meal God had prescribed for the edification and sanctification of His church. It’s hard to believe something so simple as a meal could be so important.

But that is how things are with our God. Have you noticed?

But What Happened to the Love Feast?

Satan and the flesh operate from the same playbook. He never changes. And he is not very original, but quite proficient in his deception skills. So the enemy starts to attack whenever the Lord institutes something to build His church and strengthen the body of Christ. And once God speaks, and Satan counters with the question, “Has God indeed said?” (Gen. 3:1), we have a choice. It’s the same choice offered Adam and Eve in the garden, and it’s the same choice we face every day. Will you trust and follow the commands of the Lord, no matter how trivial and unimportant they may seem to you at the time? Or will you trust your own heart (Prov. 28:26), lean on your own understanding (Prov. 3:5), follow your own reasoning (Isa. 55:8-9), and do what seems right in your own eyes (Prov. 21:2)?

In effect, this was the choice presented to the church in the spring of AD 312 when Emperor Constantine issued the Edict of Toleration and, not long after, the Edict of Milan. These imperial decrees granted full rights and freedom of religion to Christianity and soon propelled the once persecuted faith to the most favored status of religion in the Roman Empire. Not too shabby for a bunch of former rebels who worshiped a dead carpenter from Nazareth who, with the stroke of a pen, were no longer on the Top Ten Most Wanted List.

Now, what will the church do? Will they follow the practices and purity of their faith that allowed them to thrive during almost twenty decades of persecution? Or would they run after the wealth and cultural acceptance their newfound notoriety and freedom gave them? I think you know the answer. But how the early church came to choose its course of action may surprise you.

Their compromise gave birth to the next of Jesus’ seven letters to His churches, the letter to the church at Pergamos, which, by the way, means “mixed marriage.” Ah, a fitting picture of the marriage of the pure bride of Christ to the unholy Roman empire, wouldn’t you say?

We will look more into the collateral damage of this unholy union, this mixed marriage, next time. But one last thing, it was during this phase of church history the love feast met its sad demise.

But more on that next time.

Notes:

1. The name Smyrna means “crushed, suffering, or myrrh.” Fitting, don’t you think?
2. The ten phases of persecution the church suffered under a succession of Roman emperors are:

Nero (AD 64-68): Nero infamously blamed Christians for the Great Fire of Rome. He subjected them to various brutal executions, including burning them alive.

Domitian (AD 81-96): Domitian saw Christians as political rebels. Under his rule, Christians were exiled, including John, the author of Revelation.

Trajan (AD 98-117): Trajan set a precedent where Christians were not to be sought out but were to be punished if accused and found guilty.

Hadrian (AD 117-138): Hadrian’s policy was similar to Trajan’s, but there was an increase in mob violence against Christians.

Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius (AD 138-180): Christians were seen as enemies of the state and endured great sufferings, including the martyrdom of Polycarp, a disciple of John.

Septimius Severus (AD 193-211): Severus sought to unify the empire under the sun god, leading to increased persecution of Christians who refused to conform.

Maximinus Thrax (AD 235-238): Maximinus targeted Christian leaders specifically, executing many church pastors and leaders.

Decius (AD 249-251): Decius required all citizens to sacrifice to Roman gods, leading to widespread torture and execution of Christians who refused.

Valerian (AD 257-260): Valerian targeted Christian clergy, leading to numerous martyrs, including Bishop Cyprian.

Diocletian and Galerius (AD 303-311): Known as the Great Persecution, it was the most severe, resulting in thousands of Christian deaths, including mass executions.

3. Jude 1:3
4. The letter to the church at Pergamos represents the time from the Edict of Toleration in AD 312 until the recognition of Boniface III as the first Pope in AD 606.

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What Did the Agape or Love Feast Look Like?

by Steve McCranie | Aug 7, 2023

The Lost Discipline of the Love Feast – Part 2

As with most of life, all good things must come to an end. Some by natural design and others by more sinister means. We can say the same for the “love feast,” which was a foundational aspect of worship during the church’s first three centuries that met its demise in the most nefarious way. And as we dig into this further, you might conclude, as I have, that the forces of darkness conspired to rid the early church of a powerful, God-ordained way of forging a group of individual believers into a single voice, a single body, into the body of Christ (Eph. 4:12). And that way was the “love feast.”

Oh, and the results of that conspiracy? Well, just look around at the fractured and scattered church today. I think the fruits are evident, don’t you?

What Is or Was the Love Feast?

As we have shared earlier, the early church was a group of Spirit-filled and committed strangers who were brought together by God’s effectual calling to form more than an organization or religious institution, but a family— the family of God or the body of Christ. And the Lord gave them the discipline of sharing a common meal together as part of their corporate worship time (Acts 2:42) to facilitate the intimacy and fellowship (koinōnía) needed to become the light of the world (Matt. 5:14).

But the “love” or “agape” feast was more than a simple meal. It was a time of bonding together, much like a family does after a tragedy. It was a time to embrace new believers, encourage those struggling in their faith, and rejoice with those with whom God was doing mighty things. The agape, or love feast, was an opportunity for the church to share the highs and lows of the Christian life as one, while building itself up on the “most holy faith” (Jude 1:20).

During the feast, the older, more mature Believers would share wisdom and what they had learned from walking with Christ longer than the new believers just learning how to crawl spiritually. It was a picture of what a Christian worship service should look like. Everyone had a part, and everyone was encouraged to participate.

How is it then, brethren? Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification – 1 Corinthians 14:26.

When was the last time you saw congregation members encouraged to share a teaching, tongue, revelation, or interpretation during a Sunday worship time without that first being cleared by those in charge? Exactly. But what a fantastic time that would have been, not constrained by the rules or traditions of men, but singing spontaneous songs and hymns, offering prayers without being asked, and praising God continually for all He had done in the lives of those with you, all prompted and empowered by the presence of the Holy Spirit moving in everyone, and not just a few. Amazing.

Couldn’t Things Go Wrong?

Now, it is true that this type of freedom in worship has its inherent dangers. We see that in Jude 1:12, where Jude says non-believers, satanic plants, had infiltrated the church, just like they have today, and became “spots in your feast, while they feast with you without fear, serving only themselves.” The word translated spots is spilás and means “a rock by the sea or submerged in the sea by which ships are shipwrecked.” In essence, these people became a hidden reef that could cause great damage to the church due to their selfishness, “serving only themselves.” It looks like not much has changed in 2,000 years. But is the fear of abuse or selfishness a reason to scrap something God established for such good? I don’t think so.

Then, we see the problem with pride in the church. In Corinth, the people had strayed into factions and groups, favoring those who “have” and rejecting those who “have not.” In giving his instruction for the Lord’s Supper in 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, Paul first chastised those who had turned the agape or love feast into something dishonoring to Christ. And it was this rebuke that gave rise to his instructions (1 Cor. 11:17-22). You might want to read it yourself. It kinda stings.

But again, is this a reason to reject the plan of God entirely because some in the church have abused it? Notice that Paul did not cancel the love feast. He only regulated it and the Lord’s Supper. So yes, as with anything, there are inherent dangers. And this is true of the love feast. But do you think that when God instituted it along with Bible teaching, fellowship, and prayer, He was unaware of the dangers? Like maybe they caught Him by surprise? Or perhaps He made a mistake? Again, I think not.

So What Did the Love (Agape) Feast Look Like?

According to the New Testament and the writings of the early church fathers, the agape or love feast was celebrated by the early church this way:

The church would gather on the first day of the week to celebrate the Lord and praise Him. This time, what we would call our Sunday Worship Service, would begin with a common, shared meal— with those who had much sharing with those who had little.

The agape feast and the Lord’s Supper were closely connected, with the feast first followed by the Supper. Ignatius of Antioch (35-108 AD) wrote: “It is not lawful without the bishop either to baptize, or to offer, or to present sacrifice, or to celebrate a love-feast.”¹ This indicates the love feast and the Lord’s Supper were not separate practices for the early church. They were two sides of the same coin.

During the love feast, those present were encouraged to share, for the edification of the body, what the Lord had shown them or what He had done in their lives, much like our time of testimonies. There was freedom within the church. No clergy, laity divide. Everyone had direct access to the Lord and, therefore, everyone had the opportunity and right to share their relationship with Him. It was the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers on steroids.

According to church historians, their time began with prayer, followed by a communal meal (love feast) and time of sharing, singing, testimonies, Scripture, and worship. This was followed by a teaching from the Scripture and ended with the Lord’s Supper. An offering was also received for the needs of others. Tertullian (160-225 AD) explains the offering in his Apology, “Our feast explains itself by its name. The Greeks call it agape, i.e., affection. Whatever it costs, our outlay in the name of piety is gain, since with the good things of the feast we benefit the needy.”²

Remember, when the church came together, they were “devoted to” or “continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers” (Acts 2:42). These were not four separate activities that took place on different days. These four God-ordained practices of His church made up their worship service and were sum parts of the whole that were vital in turning the persecuted early church into the men and women of God who “turned the world upside down” for Christ (Acts 17:6).

But What Happened to the Love Feast?

Great question. And the answer may surprise you. Remember, whenever God provides His children with something to benefit them, as He did with the four practices in Acts 2:42, the enemy and the flesh work overtime to destroy all God has created. We see this in every area of life, and especially in His church.

So next time, we will look at the sinister compromise the church made with the secular world for the sake of acceptance and wealth and how the agape feast proved too powerful to be allowed to stand. So, like most things God gives us for our good, it was set aside for something we want more. And the unintended consequences for the church (or maybe they were intended) have been severe.

We can learn much about how God intended His church to function rather than how we have decided we want it to be today. And who knows, maybe God is moving His church from its dependence on repurposed pagan temples back into the homes where it first began. Perhaps He will reinstitute His love feast among believers and how we worship Him in the future. Who knows?

But if that is what He is doing, I, for one, am ready for it. Are you?

Notes:

1. Letter to the Smyrneans 8.2
2. Apology, 39.16

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Prayer: Ephesians 2:19 – Saints, Part 1

by Steve McCranie | Dec 2, 2019

As we get ready for another Sunday, let me encourage you to prepare your heart this morning to meet with the Lord. Remember, how you worship in church with others is just an extension of how you worship with Him alone. So begin today with just the Lord and worship Him by prayer and adoration. And then, come and worship with the rest of the “called-out” ones this morning.

To help focus your prayers we are looking at Ephesians 2:19 and especially this strange description the Holy Spirit calls each of us: saints. Read it for yourself.

Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God – Ephesians 2:19.

Note the transition from the many to the few. We go from “citizens” to members of a “household.” Note also the description of those who are also citizens with you, the “fellow” part of this verse. They are called saints or, literally, “holy ones.”

Saints! Really?

The word translated saints (hágios) means “holy, with the idea of separation, consecration, sanctification, and devotion to God.” It is the go-to name in the New Testament for believers. And that also makes it the go-to term that describes you and me. The Scriptures teach we are saints, those redeemed and set-apart for God and God alone. I know, it seems the terms saints is reserved for people who lived long ago and whose images now adorn stained-glass church windows. But that’s not how the Lord sees it. In fact, you are a saint in His eyes. Let me explain.

Watch, for example, how Paul describes those in the various churches to whom he writes:

To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints – Romans 1:7.

To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours – 1 Corinthians 1:2

To the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in all Achaia – 2 Corinthians 1:1.

To the saints who are in Ephesus, and faithful in Christ Jesus – Ephesians 1:1.

To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons – Philippians 1:1.

To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are in Colosse – Colossians 1:1.

Get the point? He calls fellow believers, fellow “citizens” and “members of the household of God” saints. But there is more.

Just in Ephesians, look at how the Lord inspired Paul to use the term saints to again refer to believers like you and me.

Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints – Ephesians 1:15.

The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints – Ephesians 1:18

Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God – Ephesians 2:19.

To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ – Ephesians 3:8.

That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God – Ephesians 3:17-19.

And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ – Ephesians 4:11-12.

But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints – Ephesians 5:3.

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints – Ephesians 6:17-18.

That’s who you are. You are a saint. Not the way we define that word today, which usually means someone of impeccable character that God used in a mighty way. Although that’s a pretty good description of a Christian. But God calls you to be a saint, a member of His body, the church, and one in which the Holy Spirit now resides. That’s you.

Time to Pray

But there is one more thing before we pray. As we have noted, the word saint literally means “holy ones”. In essence, holiness is their nature, their primary characteristic, just like it is for our Lord. But if you are like most believers today, your behavior is often anything but holy. Ok, maybe a bit holy on your best day. But on most days, would you describe your life as holy? Or would you use terms like “not too bad” or “could be better” or “better than I used to be” or “pretty good” or something like that? I know that sounds good to us, but still falls short of holy.

What can we do about that? How can we live up the standard of the name the Lord calls us everyday? How is that possible?

Tomorrow, we’ll look at that very issue. But for today, thank Him for seeing you through His eyes, as holy and beloved and as a saint, and not through yours. Because that is one of the greatest blessings of all.

Until tomorrow,

PS: Go through these verses above and, as you read them, every time you see the word saint, replace it with “holy ones”. If you do, it will forever change your perception of what the church is all about.

374: In Everything Give Thanks… Why?

by Steve McCranie | Nov 21, 2016

In the final few words in his first letter to the church at Thessalonica, the apostle Paul leaves them with some heartfelt, bullet-point warnings and admonitions that speak to living in the Kingdom. In 1 Thessalonians 5:16-19 he said,

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit.

If you look closer, you will see this is another classic, life-changing if / then passage. If we do the first three, then we won’t experience the last. Or, if we don’t do the first three, then the last, quenching the Spirit, is ours as a consequence of the first three. And who in their right mind wants to willingly quench the Spirit of God in our life. But there is so much more to be found here. Interested? Then keep listening.

The following is a study on 1 Thessalonians 5:16-19.

To download the slides to this message, click – HERE

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