By Grace Alone

John tells us “Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard.” (1 John 2:7, ESV). This old/new commandment is a commandment to love the brethren which in turns shows we love God which in turns shows that we are truly Christians and to love God means to keep His commandments!

“Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”” (John 14:21, ESV)

“If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.” (John 15:10, ESV)

“You are my friends if you do what I command you.” (John 15:14, ESV)

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”” (John 13:34-35, ESV)

It is so easy to forget that we are commanded to love the brothers and it is a true test to see if we are of the faith. Love of the brethren furthers the Gospel, makes a clear biblical witness to a lost world and brings assurance to the believer. What more could you ask for?

 

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In Flock we are studying What is a Healthy Church by Mark Dever and the 9 Marks Ministry. The lesson from chapter 13 was Biblical Church Leadership. We looked at some of the biblical passages that describe elders and leaders in general. Get the message here:

 

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“My Imprisonment is for Christ” Paul says “What is yours for?”

“So that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ.”
(Philippians 1:13, ESV)

We looked at this wonderful passage in Philippians and talked about suffering for the Gospel. We also looked at God’s providence in the lives of Paul, Joseph and ourselves. Great message that needs to continue to be retold time and time again. May the Lord continue to use our suffering to advance His Gospel.

In Christ
Jeff

 

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 *

Discipleship is sometimes considered a “second tier” in the minds of some believers. It is considered for the “zealous” and “fanatical” rather than what it really is -  a true Christ follower! We addressed this issue Sunday with the passage from 1 John 2:6 and as I was looking for the right picture for this post I ran across this quote on Amazon and thought it was appropriate on this issue (I haven’t read the book - yet  ).

 ”When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” With these words, in The Cost of Discipleship, Dietrich Bonhoeffer gave powerful voice to the millions of Christians who believe personal sacrifice is an essential component of faith.” (Bonhoeffer was a German Lutheran pastor and theologian, was an exemplar of sacrificial faith: he opposed the Nazis from the first and was eventually imprisoned in Buchenwald and hung by the Gestapo in 1945)**

This is the very thought that John tells us when he says ”whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.” (1 John 2:6, ESV) To walk as Christ walked is to live, not by rules, but by an example. It is to follow Him, to be His disciple. This discipleship is personal, active and costly. Jesus said “By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.” (John 15:8, ESV) and in 1 John 2:5-6 discipleship is in view as we are told that true believers will imitate Christ.

*Photo courtesy of Themishmash
**Quote from Amazon Book Page

 

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In Flock we are studying What is a Healthy Church by Mark Dever and the 9 Marks Ministry. The lesson from chapter 12 was on Biblical Discipleship and Growth. It says that we should be working toward church growth as it is prescribed in the Bible. That means growing members, not just numbers. Some people today think that a person can be a “baby Christian” for a whole lifetime. Growth is treated as an optional extra for zealous disciples. But growth is a sign of life. If a tree is alive, it grows. If an animal is alive, it grows. Being alive means growing, and growing means increasing and advancing, at least until death intercedes. This is true discipleship and growth.

 

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