Being Yourself as You're Used of God in the Body

Yesterday my wife and I worshiped in Greenville, SC with the body at New Covenant Christian Fellowship. I was encouraged, challenged, and exhorted by the brothers there, mostly through individual conversation after church over lunch and coffee. Conversing with three brothers in particular was greatly encouraging and the Lord revealed to me an important truth as I sat this morning, thinking over our discussions the day before. Each one of these three brothers has a very different personality and a very different style of relating to others. On the other hand, each of them can be accurately characterized as continually having the gospel on their lips. Their speech runs sweet with love for Jesus and their lives reflect that love in the form of humble obedience to His lordship. The first brother is a sober-minded, analytical, slightly introspective type. The second brother is an evangelistic, "let me tell you what He has done for my soul," Barnabas-the-encourager type. The third brother is a visionary, go for the gusto with the gospel, "tell me what you think about this new idea" type. Enumerating their characteristics in this way was a phenomenal help to me this morning, as I realized that each one of these men is simply being himself as he submits himself to the lordship of Christ through a life of humble obedience and diligent love for Jesus and His word. This helped me realize that I cannot be like all three of these brothers. I probably cannot be like even one of them. The only thing that I can do is be who I am. At the same time, I can be like these brothers in devoting myself to my Lord and yielding my life, my personality, and my talents to His purposes. I also realized that we all have the same Holy Spirit empowering us, so rather than wishing I had more time to fellowship with them and glean from their love for Jesus and His word, I can go straight to the foot of Jesus like Mary did and straight to His word and seek to be the things I see in them.

I apologize for the scatter-brainedness of this post. I do hope that you see the same thing I saw and cease striving to be like others, whether it be men of God around you, or men of God in history, and instead, seek to be who God has made you to be as you submit yourself to His lordship in every area of your life.

Quote of the Day

"When you see that you are dependent, not self-determined, then--and then alone--can you appreciate Who God is and who you are. God is the Creator of all things Who made you for His pleasure; He does not exist to please you. He is not some cosmic vending machine that will give you whatever you want when you insert the proper prayer coins. You were made to glorify Him either as a vessel of mercy or as a vessel of wrath. It is not incumbent upon God to glorify you. That He has chosen to save you, Christian, should not merely please you; it should astonish you."
- Jay Adams, The Grand Demonstration, p. 49-50.

Salvation is of the Lord

"I have my own private opinion that there is no such thing as preaching Christ and him crucified, unless we preach what nowadays is called Calvinism. It is a nickname to call it Calvinism; Calvinism is the gospel, if we do not preach justification by faith, without works; nor unless we preach the sovereignty of God in his dispensation of grace; nor unless we exalt the electing, unchangeable, eternal, immutable, conquering love of Jehovah; nor do I think we can preach the gospel, unless we base it on the special and particular redemption of his elect and chosen people which Christ wrought out upon the cross; nor can I comprehend a gospel which lets saints fall away after they are called, and suffers the children of God to be burned in the fires of damnation after having once believed in Jesus. Such a gospel I abhor.

If ever it should come to pass,
That sheep of Christ might fall away,
My fickle, feeble soul, alas!
Would fall a thousand times a day."

-C. H. Spurgeon