The reason is that the New Testament presents Jesus as the final, definitive, perfect revelation of God. This is what is meant when John calls Jesus the “Word” (logos) of God. When God speaks or thinks, John is saying, it looks like Jesus (Jn 1:1). So too, Paul calls Jesus the “form” of God and the “image” of God, which means that the infinite God has made himself finite and visible in Jesus (Phil. 2:6; Col.1:15). While no one has seen God as he is in himself, the Gospel of John says, the “one and only Son, who is himself God…has made him known” (Jn 1:18). This is why Jesus responded to Philip’s request to see the Father by saying, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (Jn 14:9, emphasis added). We behold the glory of God himself in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Cor 3:18-4:6; I Jn 1:1-3) which is why we are always to fix our spiritual eyes on him, and on him alone (Heb 12:2; Col.3:5).

The author of Hebrews sums up the matter nicely when he writes:

In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven (Heb 1:1-3).

The author is saying that while God revealed himself in a variety of ways in the past, in these “last days” (meaning simply, in this last epoch of history), God has superseded all these by revealing himself through his own Son. Unlike all previous written and spoken revelations, the Son radiates God’s glory and is “the exact representation of his being.” He is, in fact, the one through whom and for whom everything exists (Col 1:15-17).

In other words, Jesus is the point of everything – including the point of all the previous revelations (see Jn 5:39-40, 46). While others spoke and wrote about God, Jesus is God (I Jn 1:1; Rom. 9:5; Tit. 2:13). Indeed, “in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form” (Col. 2:9). Think about this! All (not some) the fullness (not an aspect) of the Deity (God himself– not a lesser being) lives in bodily form (in the incarnate Son of God).

The unmistakable message these various authors are hammering home is that, if you want to know what God is like, look at Jesus Christ. Jesus isn’t merely part of God’s revelation, as though it’s ever appropriate to line him up alongside of the Old Testament and/or our life experiences as a supplemental or competing source of revelation. No, Jesus is himself the definitive, unsurpassable revelation of God. All we need to know and can know about God is found in him. Jesus is not a way to God or a truth about God: he is the way and the truth – which is why he’s the only way to go to the Father (Jn 14:6). Jesus is not a Word, an image or a form of God. He is the Word, the image and the form of God. Now that God is revealed in Christ, there are no competing or supplemental revelations.

Now, if Jesus is in fact “the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being,” and if in fact we see the Father when we see Jesus, we have to wonder why God doesn’t look like Jesus in the violent strand of the Old Testament. We’ll deal with this soon. But my point right now is that, even if we fail miserably at resolving this issue, it would constitute a denial of the New Testament’s understanding of faith in Christ to allow this violent strand to in any way qualify the picture of God given to us in Christ. We would be placing the violent strand of the Old Testament alongside Jesus — as though it stood on equal footing with Jesus — which is the very thing Jesus and the New Testament explicitly forbid. There’s only one “exact representation of [God's] being” — and it’s Jesus.

All of a sudden I was finding it difficult to merely hold it together. The tiniest annoyances would set me off. It began to escalate to a point where I would be consumed with the smallest things. It became the topic of every discussion, “You have no idea what I have to deal with on a daily basis…” or “I don’t know if I can take anymore of his stupid comments…” I was experiencing roadrage in my daily life and for a guy who hasn’t driven in years, that’s a bizarre phenomenon! My impatience began to build up, until I was brimming with bitterness and resentment. My heart was hard as stone towards anyone who offended me. It was as if God had taken the training wheels off of my patience and I was falling off my bike faster than I could get on.

This went on for four months. Four months of me being prideful and self-righteous, sitting in church nodding and saying my Amens and Hallelujahs to messages that were clearly for the sinners in the congregation and couldn’t possibly be for me. Messages on the greatness of God, on His Lordship over our lives, on His sacrifice–I was taking all this good stuff into my ears, but they weren’t getting to my heart. But God takes His perfect time and everyone of those messages, everything I was seeing, hearing, reading was making a difference, even when I continued to struggle with the same issues.

I was reading Francis Chan’s book Crazy Love and he speaks on how God needs nothing, yet would do and has done everything to have a relationship with us, yet here we are desperately in need of Him, yet more often than not, we want nothing to do with Him. Romans 5:8 says “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (TNIV) That’s the kind of inhuman love we’re called to share with the world and here I am unable love a person for not having the same taste in movies as me.

All that talk of love had its effect on me, but God wasn’t quite done yet and neither was I. I’d be hanging out with my friends discussing the book and in the same conversation start complaining about a roommate, or Manhattan tourists. I was now hobbling along on my bike and slamming back down on the pavement.

What I realize now, but couldn’t possibly see then, was the fact that my impatience was essentially me stating my superiority over others. I was seeing everything in terms of me vs. you. If I determined my intellect was superior, I felt I had the right to find you offensive. We do it all the time. Someone drives too slowly in front you, you have the right to curse them since you are the faster motorist. In a city like New York, we especially feel a certain right, as New Yorkers to treat tourists like second class citizens. So often I felt that I had earned a certain right to be impatient. That I just needed to vent and I was righteous in doing so.

God takes His perfect time with us. Finally He spoke words to me that would not have meant much had I not struggled that four months, heard those messages, read those words, seen the lives of people around me. I remember the day perfectly. I was helping a friend of a friend move. I showed up a little early expecting to load some stuff into a truck. I walk into the apartment full of open boxes and this person is on her way out the door! She tells me that she needs to go to work and if I could do her a big favor and tape up all the boxes. I sat in the apartment alone looking at packing tape in my hand and strangely enough I wasn’t annoyed. The thought weakly entered my head that “she should done this days ago, she’s not even going to be grateful for this.” But then something miraculous happened. In that moment alone in that apartment He spoke in a still small voice.

What if I only did things for you when I know you’d be grateful for them? How often do you dump your baggage on me last minute when I gave you every opportunity?

I almost fell over. My heart was overwhelmed with joy at the mere truth that all this time I didn’t have right to be impatient. That weight, that hardened heart was lifted and all that was left was love. I loved that girl because she left me with all her last minute packing because it reminded me of what my Savior has done for me. What would have normally lead to bitterness, and disdain was now simply love. I lovingly taped up all those boxes singing aloud, tears in my eyes and in that apartment I had one of the most intimate, joyful worship experiences of my life.

Later that day I was walking behind a particularly slow group of tourist in Times Square and instead of my impatient voice I heard His still small voice again.

How often do you walk around this life like you own it and get in the way of my path?

And for the first time in my life I loved tourists! I began to sing out loud praises to God in the middle of Times Square, which lead to a couple of odd glances, but I was too full of joy to care. This was true freedom and fullness of joy that could only come from God.

My father would later grunt ironically in his impatient old Korean man way that “That’s the fruits of the spirit! Love is patient fool!”

It was with that kick in the pants that I began to tell everyone I met about what God had done. And everytime I wrote this down, or told someone what had happened, God has blown my mind with new insights from His word and from other people. What I had gone through was a shift in thinking. Like my small group liked to put it “Shift happens.” I went from judging others based on how they related to me, to loving others based how I related to God. I no longer had the right to be offended by what someone else had done because I had done much worse to Him and yet He would do and has done everything to be in a relationship with me. He not only forgave me, He takes His perfect time with me.

God wanted me to move forward from my stagnant, comfortable Christian life. I was standing still on an down escalator moving away from God. A lot of times in our struggle, we just want God to fix it right then and there, but God wants us to grow. Had I not struggled for four months, I would not have come to this realization that it is by His grace towards us that we are free from offenses commited against us.

Let’s take it even further now. Christ suffered the worst injustices, was falsely accused, beaten, mocked and given a criminal’s execution on the cross. Nails driven through His hands and feet, thorns pressed into His brow. With His last breath as He was asphyxiating, excruciating pain shooting through his body, He pleaded on the behalf His oppressors. He faced every injustice, every flogging, He faced death with love. He did it for us. So now that when we face injustice and we face death, we can rejoice! Because we have done it all to our Lord and He has pleaded on our behalf, and the only response to that is overwhelming love and peace. Peace in the face of trials. Peace in the face of financial difficulties. Peace in the face of a boss who takes advantage of us. We are free to share His love in all circumstances because He made a way!

Paul writes in 1 Timothy 1:16 “But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display His immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life.” (TNIV) We can invite our coworkers to church and put our favorite Bible verse at the end of our interoffice e-mails, but what they’ll remember is the patience we display in situations where patience is simply not humanly possible. Jesus made a way for us as we are, chiefs of sinners in our own right, to show the world a love not humanly possible. His love that rescued us.

So when I got home, I opened up my Bible and started to research the importance of fellowship. I came across a very large amount of scripture on this topic. We see home fellowship mentioned several times in the New Testament (1 Cor 16:19, Col 4:15, Rom 16:5, Acts 20:20, Heb 10:25). The Bible says that “fellowship” is the evidence of walking in the light (1 John 1:7), it also says that “loving the brethren” is evidence of that walk. “He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him” (1 John 2:10). This shows that there is a strong, inseparable relationship between “fellowship” and “loving the brethren.” Consequently, it appears that fellowship is intended to be the practice of loving the brethren, which helps keep us in a right relationship with Christ so that His shed blood can continue its full cleansing effect.

Many passages of the Bible confirm that “love toward the brethren” is proof of our salvation. “We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren…” (1 John 3:14). In essence, we need brethren to have a right relationship with God. We are able to see our relationship with God from the reflection of our relationship with our brothers and sisters in Christ. “…for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?” (1 John 4:20). Fellowship with the brethren is an exercise of love bringing us toward spiritual maturity. “…If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us” (1 John 4:12).

 Fellowship with the body of Christ is where love is tested and proven, it is the opportunity to learn how to love one another . We are benefited by both, the strengths and weaknesses of the fellowship. The mature ones help to strengthen and encourage us, while the weaknesses in the less mature give us the opportunity to practice — to test our spiritual growth in such characteristics as patience, long-suffering, gentleness, meekness, etc. At some time you may meet a few rude, offensive, immature believers in the body. They need someone like you to show them love and patience (so they’ll grow up), and you need them in order to practice and develop your love for the brethren. When you can remain loving and steadfast, even if brothers say negative things about you, let you down, or do offensive things, your love is being perfected — you’re growing up as a Christian and becoming more like Christ!

How much much love do you have for your brethren? The Bible says that we’re supposed to be ready to lay down our life for our brothers. But do you suppose you would really lay down your life for them if you’re not willing to even come together with them a few times a week for worship? “By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren” (1 John 3:16). Jesus expressed that we must be committed to the love of the brethren in the same way that He was. He stated that this love toward the brethren was the necessary evidence to prove our authenticity as Christians to the world. “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35).

It is essential for every believer to be an active part of a Christian fellowship. Willful rejection of fellowship is evidence of not walking in the light. Paul Washer once said “show me a professing Christian who seldom attends Church, and I’ll show you a backslider who needs to get their heart right before God.” All through the New Testament, Jesus shows us that He takes personally, how we relate to His body. Our love, expressions of kindness, and ministry to any of our brothers and sisters in Christ are received as though they were done unto the Lord, Himself. “…inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.” (Matthew 25:40). Therefore, would we refuse to gather with Jesus when the opportunity is given? If we refuse to gather with our brethren, we have, in reality, refused to gather with Jesus. “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20).

Fellowship with the body of Christ is not just an option, but is critical to our continued survival as Christians. We need the preaching and teaching from God’s Word, worship and praise, the encouragement which we draw from our brethren, the opportunities of Christian service, and we need the opportunity to practice love toward other Christians.

I pray that these scriptures have opened your eyes as it has mine. There are literally dozens more verses on this topic, so I would encourage you to study on your own. I will end with this:
“And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the day approaching. For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins.” (Heb. 10:24-26).

The NDCS summary report said, “Religious congregations are the most basic and important unit of American religious life. They account for half of the volunteer sector in the U.S.—a fact that is not widely known or appreciated. The NDCS continues to educate American leaders and the public about what congregations do and how they fulfill their missions…In the first round of the NDCS, we collected information from a total of 531 congregations.”

Here are some of the NDCS summary findings on church leadership, membership, staff, pastors’ commitments, worship, and outreach and service, along with other significant findings.

LEADERSHIP

• - 95 percent of congregations are led by a head minister, while about 4 percent by an assembly of congregational members.
• - About 80 percent of head ministers are male, and 20 percent are female.
• - Head ministers have held their positions for an average of 8 years. Of course, some ministers have been at their congregation for a significantly longer number of years (the highest is just over 50 years), which may make the average number of years misleading. The median number of years at the congregation is 5, which essentially means that half of pastors have been at their congregation for less than 5 years and half have been at their congregation for more than 5 years. The average age of head ministers is about 52 years.

MEMBERSHIP

• - 207 people regularly participate in the life of the average congregation. However, several very large congregations pull up the overall average. Interestingly, the median congregation has 77 people who regularly participate in the life of the congregation. That is, about half of congregations have less than 77 regular participants, and half have more than 77 participants.
• - Of course, many more people are associated with the congregation than regularly participate. On average, 522 people are associated with the congregation. Again, this is high due to a few extremely large congregations. The median congregation has 150 people who are associated with the congregation in some way.

STAFF

• - The number of paid staff for the average congregation is three. But nearly half of all congregations have one paid staff member.
• - 58 percent of congregations have a youth minister, and half of these youth ministers are volunteers.

PASTOR’S COMMITMENTS

• - The head pastor spends, on average, 2.4 hours each week in community organizing, 3.6 hours in visitation of members and their families, 1.8 hours interacting with prospective members, 5.1 hours visiting the sick and shut-ins, 5.7 hours counseling, and 11 hours in sermon preparation.
• - In an average week, head ministers work slightly more than 40 hours. However, if we only consider ministers that are paid for their work, the average head minister works nearly 45 hours per week. Of course, some ministers are paid for part-time work. That explains why the median hours worked by all paid ministers is actually higher than the average hours. The median pastor who is paid by the congregation works about 50 hours per week.

WORSHIP

• - On average, congregations hold about two worship services per week. About 61 percent of congregations have important differences between services, such as a traditional and a contemporary service, or services in different languages.
• - In almost all congregations, about half of the attendees stay after the worship service to socialize for about 25 minutes.
• - 62 percent of congregations have prayer services throughout the week.
• - 53.4 percent of congregations have small groups meeting regularly. The most common purpose for small groups is Bible study, group prayer, and church planning.

OUTREACH AND SERVICE

• - There is a tremendous amount of outreach and service available through congregations. Almost all congregations offer some support for congregants in need.
• - 94 percent of congregations have a social service ministry; 84 percent have an educational or counseling ministry; and 78 percent have an evangelistic or religious outreach ministry.
• - 44 percent of congregations reported mission and service trips, 32 percent offer prison ministry, 30 percent offer street evangelism, and 22 percent provide college campus ministry.
• - 81 percent of congregations help others through food pantries or soup kitchens, 73 percent through cash assistance for the less fortunate, 68 percent through clothing donations, 43 percent through assistance for seniors, 43 percent through service trips to poor communities, and 40 percent through home repair for those in need.

Of particular interest was overseas giving and missions work by congregations. Here are some preliminary results from that effort:

• - In 2006, about 56 percent of congregations gave money to U.S.-based organizations providing relief and development overseas. 33 percent gave donations directly to programs or organizations in foreign countries, and 35 percent reported that people from their congregation went on short-term mission or service trips overseas. About half of congregations supported other types of mission trips or missionaries overseas.
• - Congregations gave about $7 billion in 2006 to support the needy in foreign countries. About $3.8 billion of this amount went directly to overseas causes.

The NDCS reports, “This is the first information that has been available on overseas giving by US congregations. Until now, no one knew the extent and shape of the overseas work by U.S. congregations. We will be looking more closely at these data to better understand congregational overseas ministry, and will send reports to you as these are available.”

http://www.marshillchurch.org/media/easter_2009/easter-2009-born-again

But when things are tough do you trust God? Do you fully give the Lord our trust? Do we trust God with situations enough to hold our tongues when we surly have something to say on the matter, so that we might give God the opportunity to speak to someone? Do we give the Lord our finances when we only have so much for the week when so He might know better where our money should go and who has less than us that week? Do we speak to that strange looking person when we are uncomfortable so that God might use our mouths to encourage or help this person in mist of struggle themselves? Most of us say what we need to say. Most of us spend what we need to spend. Most of us go where we want to go. Must of us feel what we want to feel? Most of us do what we want to do. Yet in the mist of trials we look toward the king and say to you we put our trust. Really…Really?

We so easily trust one another and so easily are let down when that person fails us or does not meet our standard. Yet the creator of all things we don’t see as fit to place that trust in… Surely we would never say that. But the bible tells us that actions speak louder than words. Do we understand where our trust should be? Do we really understand that trust placed in the wrong hands not only hurts ourselves but hurts our Father?

I speak of this only because God has been teaching me this lesson for a while now and it is such a hard concept to truly understand and truly…live. But it is so very important and vital in our walk as a disciple of Christ. I urge you, next time you want to speak quickly, act quickly, spend quickly, go quickly or even trust quickly. Re-evaluate what you’re doing and decide to Trust in the Lord quickly. Truly Trust.

If it were so that were are ineffectual, then God literally had no point in creating us. Think about it, if God created us for no reason, there would be billions of people roaming this earth bearing nothing and doing nothing for no point what so ever and basically taking us space. Does that sound right? Is God a “do nothing” God? No. Not even the human brain agrees with that. It is literally designed to soak knowledge from experience and circumstances. When this happens, it begins to grow. Studies have shown that within only six years, children with attention and exposure of others and parents have larger brains than children without the exposure and communication.

I stumbled upon brilliant verses in the Bible that deliberately contradict the philosophy of humans bearing nothing and their existence being meaningless.  There is book in the Old Testament called Jeremiah, and in that book there was a man named Jeremiah.  And basically God called Jeremiah to his prophetic ministry of announcing divine judgment on Judah for idolatry.  Jeremiah 1:4-10″Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying, ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.’ Then I said,’Ah, LORD GOD! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.’ But the LORD said to me, ‘Do not say ‘I am only a youth’; for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the LORD.’ Then the LORD put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the LORD said to me, ‘Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.  See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.” I don’t know about you, but that is a perfect example for me of someone being fully capable but scared and God comforting them and strengthening them to do his will.

The Bible reminds us of the grace of God, and the grace of Christ. And after Jesus ascended into Heaven the disciples were not at all sad because they were returning from Bethany to Jerusalem praising and blessing the Lord’s name because he had conquered sin and death and he is now the living hope! They went out ministering the Word of God to everyone simply because they could not suppress their joy and happiness. I would imagine they did it with the talents they had acquired already. Those who proclaimed the gospel in the New Testament were different practitioners.  Some were tax collectors, some what doctors, fisherman, and my favorite: Pharisees! So the knowledge and The Holy Spirit that lived inside of them was ministered through their abilities God gave them in the first place. Those same rules apply to us. With what we can do and God has inspired, there’s no telling how abundantly God can use us.

Loose Change to Loosen Chains (LC2LC) is a campaign to raise money and awareness about modern-day slavery globally, which twenty seven million are , and half of that children. The idea is that they give the loose change they accumulate to organizations so that can really make impacts in areas of the world where slavery is still rampant. Not only that, but encouraging people to do so. It came to my attention that the individual who started the campaign was a 15 year-old boy at the time, named Zach Hunter. He was to go in front of fifteen thousand people after David Crowder’s performance at the Del Mar fairgrounds in California. Now being a 15 year-old freshman and a history of anxiety attacks could not be easy on him. I could not imagine, and neither could he. As its leader he speaks in front of more than half a people at live events,  he has even spoken in the White House, and he has written two books (Be the Change and Generation Change).  “We can make a difference in the lives of slaves. It doesn’t really matter how young we are. It doesn’t really matter if we have physical, mental, or emotional disabilities. It doesn’t matter the color of our skin or where we’re from. Anybody can make a difference and be a voice for the voiceless.”- Zach Hunter, 16 (Harris, 188). If that’s isn’t a holy ambition with a gift I don’t know what is.  Zach literally rose to the occasion and overcame his fears and delt with the problem. Can we do the same?

The scriptures hold many examples of people, just like you and I, in these circumstances where individuals feel out of place or the can’t do something God has appointed them to do. But God consistently reminds them, he is in control and will never leave them.  The author of the New Testaments books; First and Second Peter is Simeon Peter.  In First Peter four, Peter writes in the context of suffering for your faith in God. But within that book he also wrote something that alludes to this blog; 1 Peter 4:10-11 “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies-in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

Let this be an eye-opener to those who feel that their existence is petty and futile. This is not so, for God did not create us beautiful and knowledgeable in his image for no reason. That would mean God’s very image is also petty and futile. So regardless if you dance, sing, design, debate, serve, sweep floors, or make website blogs, use these talents that are from God to glorify him. Satan working through people and circumstances may discourage you, but God is bigger than Satan, his for destination is predestined.  The only outcome will be an immense reward in Heaven Christ has promised in the Bible.

Work Cited- Alex and Brett Harris, Do Hard Things, Colorado Springs, Zondervan, 2008

No more. Neo-Calvinist ministers and authors don’t operate quite on a Rick Warren scale. But, notes Ted Olsen, a managing editor at Christianity Today, “everyone knows where the energy and the passion are in the Evangelical world” — with the pioneering new-Calvinist John Piper of Minneapolis, Seattle’s pugnacious Mark Driscoll and Albert Mohler, head of the Southern Seminary of the huge Southern Baptist Convention. The Calvinist-flavored ESV Study Bible sold out its first printing, and Reformed blogs like Between Two Worlds are among cyber-Christendom’s hottest links.