The mind of Christ

Bible Reading: 1 Corinthians 2

1 Corinthians 2:16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

The Bible says that the spiritual man has the mind of Christ. What does that mean?

Romans 8:6, 9 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

The Holy Spirit dwells in you. He is the Spirit of Christ so you have Christ in you. Do you know that? Do you walk in that realization? What an amazing thing to think about!

The believer who is led by the mind of Christ thinks the thoughts the Jesus thinks and has the motivation and intentions that Jesus has. This is why the Bible instructs us:

Ephesians 5:18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit.

When we are filled with the Spirit, we are letting the Holy Spirit have full control of our thought process. As we do this, we will make decisions based on the mind of Christ and not our carnal mind. Here is another way that the Bible says it:

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

What will it look like when we live our lives based on the mind of Christ?

Philippians 2:5-8 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

The mind of Christ will lead us to be humble servants who are obedient to the will of the Father.

1 Peter 4:1-2 Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.

The believer who is led by the mind of Christ is living to please the Father and not walking according to the flesh.

You have the mind of Christ if you are a believer. Let him lead you!

In Christ,

Rody

They gathered the church together

Acts 14:26-28 And thence sailed to Antioch, from whence they had been recommended to the grace of God for the work which they fulfilled. And when they were come, and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles. And there they abode long time with the disciples.

When Paul and Barnabas returned to Antioch from the first missionary journey they realized God’s grace in the work they had done. Their first order of business was to gather the church together and tell them all that God had done for them. They wanted the church to know that the Gentiles had received the gospel and God had given them open doors for ministry. They were excited about what God was doing. The Bible says they ‘gathered’ the church together. The Greek word translated ‘gathered’ is sunago. I understand this word well. It is what I have spent a lot of time doing. Growing up, we gathered lots of cows.

Interestingly, this is the root word from which the idea of a Synagogue comes. A Synagogue is a place where Jews gather to worship. It is important that we understand that God’s people are to gather together. Do you consistently gather together with God’s people? It is something we are told to do.

Hebrews 10:24-25 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

Once again, the word translated ‘assembling together’ has the root of sunago. The manner of some is to forsake the assembling together of the church. The Bible says, “Don’t do that. Don’t develop a habit of forsaking the assembly.”

Jesus used the word sunago in another context that is interesting. He said:

Matthew 12:30 He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.

This verse leaves no room for fence-sitting! You are either with Jesus or you are against him! You either gather with him or you scatter abroad. How do you gather with Jesus? Well, first of all you help him to gather up lost sheep. Secondly, you gather together with his church, where he has promised to be when they are gathered!

Matthew 18:20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

Are you gathering or scattering? There is no in between…

In Christ,

Rody

God is faithful

Bible Reading: 1 Corinthians 1

1 Corinthians 1:7-9 So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

As the Corinthian Christians waited for the coming of Jesus Christ, Paul was confident that Christ himself would make them stable and establish them as mature believers. That is what the word ‘confirm’ means. It is interesting to see the confidence of Paul in the fact that Jesus Christ will sanctify his followers. He said to the Philippian Christians:

Philippians 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.

As we think about this confidence, Paul did not leave newly born again believers all alone. He worked hard to teach them and instruct them in the ways of God. On his first missionary journey, Paul and Barnabas led many to faith in Christ. They preached in several cities and then went back to check on the new churches.

Acts 14:21-23 And when they had preached the gospel to that city, and had taught many, they returned again to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch, Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God. And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed.

Paul preached the gospel and taught them of the Christian life. He ordained elders for the churches and made sure there were overseers. Ultimately, he commended them to the Lord. After all, Jesus is the One whom they are to follow, not men. It is important to help new believers grow in their faith, but it is also important to know that we cannot do it for them. They must know Jesus and follow him. We can help. We are called to the fellowship of the Son of God, Jesus Christ our Lord. We can trust God to work in the lives of his children.

Do you know someone who is struggling in their faith? What should you do? Pray for them. Talk to them. Encourage them and try to help them. But most importantly, be confident that God is faithful and he will bring his children to a place of maturity in their Christian walk.

In Christ,

Rody