In
the current meditations we reflect on the question: is the full armour of God
of which Paul talks in Ephesians 6:10-17 only meant for individual Christians
or also for the local church as a whole? Does God’s armour only protect Christ’s
life in us personally against Satan’s assaults? Does it equally protect
Christ’s life within the local church which is the Body of Christ? So far we
have seen that Jesus wants to manifest His life in our churches through our
passionate love for God and for each other. We have realized that God’s Spirit
is well able to produce this Christlike love in our hearts and in our
congregations. However, the question remains: how do we protect Jesus’ life in
our churches against Satan’s attacks? The apostle Paul encourages the church in
Ephesus (Turkey) to “be (or: grow, become) strong in the Lord...” (Ephesians
6:10**). In the present meditations we ask ourselves: how does a church that
wants to grow strong ‘in the Lord’ practically look like?
In Meditation 136 we
saw that for a church to ‘grow strong in the Lord’, growing in pure Christlike
love, produced by God’s Spirit, is a first necessity. In Meditation 137 we
tried to formulate other major requirements a church community should meet if
it wants to grow strong in the Lord. In Meditation 138 we
meditated on the fact that corporate Christlike compassion for those who suffer
is another powerful expression of divine love in a church that desires to grow
strong in the Lord. In Meditation 139 we reflected on the importance of
corporate Christlike humility.
In two meditations, we
want to talk now about the significance of mutual Christlike service within the
local church as a requirement for growing strong in the Lord. We do not speak
about any act of helpful activity organized by individual Christians or a
church organisation. Our purpose is to find out what God’s Word reveals on the
type of service that has been produced by the Spirit of God within a Christian
community. Only such service can truly withstand Satan’s attacks.
In this first meditation,
we need to look at the characteristics of the divine Servant of God, Jesus
Messiah. In the second meditation, we want to see how Jesus’ way of serving characterises
a church that is controlled by God’s Spirit.
Jesus Messiah demonstrates
what true divine service indicates
In the Old Testament
Jesus is often called the Servant (Hebrew: ‘ebed) of God. The
Hebrew noun ‘ebed means servant or slave.
God the Father points
to His Son, Jesus Messiah, when He proclaims by mouth of the prophet Isaiah (8th
century BC): “Look
at My Servant, whom I strengthen. He is My chosen One, and I am pleased with Him.
I have put My Spirit upon Him...” (Isaiah 42:1*)
From
this text, we understand that God’s Son - the Father’s beloved Servant - is
chosen by God Himself and anointed with God’s Spirit. This opening words are
clear-cut Trinitarian!
Isaiah
continues: “He (i.e. God’s Servant) will reveal justice to the nations. He
will be gentle -- He will not shout or raise His voice in public. He will not
crush those who are weak or quench the smallest hope. He will bring full justice
to all who have been wronged. He will not stop until truth and righteousness
prevail throughout the earth. Even distant lands beyond the sea will wait for His
instruction.” (Isaiah 42:1-4*)
Here
we read that humility and compassion are characteristics of this divine
Servant’s ministry. He will champion the needy and valiantly stand for justice,
righteousness and truth on behalf of God’s covenant people and the rest of
humanity.
In Isaiah 49:13 and 5-6*, we
receive a personal testimony from God’s divine Servant: “Listen to Me, all
of you in far-off lands! The LORD called Me before My birth; from within the
womb He called Me by name. He made My words of judgment as sharp as a sword. He
has hidden Me in the shadow of His hand. I am like a sharp arrow in His quiver.
He said to Me, ‘You are My Servant, Israel, and you will bring Me glory.’ .....
And now the LORD speaks -- He who formed Me in My mother's womb to be His Servant,
who commissioned Me to bring His people of Israel back to Him. The LORD has
honored Me, and My God has given Me strength. He says, ‘You will do more than
restore the people of Israel to Me. I will make You a light to the Gentiles,
and You will bring My salvation to the ends of the earth.’"
In this testimony, God’s
Servant addresses the nations and speaks of His divine origin and commission.
His heavenly Father calls Him ‘Israel’ to demonstrate that He is the embodiment
and true representative of God’s covenant people. As such He is appointed to
reconcile God’s people Israel and the rest of mankind with God the Father. In
this way He will bring God’s message of the hope of salvation to our entire
lost and reprobate world.
Furthermore, in Isaiah
50:4-9*, God’s messianic Servant speaks of His intimidate relationship with His
heavenly Father: “The
Sovereign LORD has given Me His words of wisdom, so that I know what to say to
all these weary ones. Morning by morning He wakens Me and opens My
understanding to His will. The Sovereign LORD has spoken to Me, and I have
listened. I do not rebel or turn away. I give My back to those who beat Me and My
cheeks to those who pull out My beard. I do not hide from shame, for they mock Me
and spit in My face. Because the Sovereign LORD helps Me, I will not be
dismayed. Therefore, I have set My face like a stone, determined to do His
will. And I know that I will triumph. He who gives Me justice is near. Who will
dare to oppose Me now? Where are My enemies? Let them appear! See, the
Sovereign LORD is on My side! Who will declare Me guilty?”
In
this text, we read that His wisdom comes from God who shows Him how to encourage
those who have grown tired and are disillusioned. He is determined to know and
obey the Father’s will in any situation. He is not a rebel, fighting on the
barricades for justice. He is ready to suffer injustice if that is the way His
heavenly Father has chosen to reveal His glory.
In
Isaiah 52:13-15**, God reveals how He will commission His Servant to
save mankind: “See, My Servant will act wisely; He will be raised and lifted
up and highly exalted. Just as there were many who were appalled at Him -- His
appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man and His form marred beyond
human likeness -- so will He sprinkle many nations, and kings will shut their
mouths because of Him. For what they were not told, they will see, and what
they have not heard, they will understand.”
First
we read here again that the divine Servant will be filled with God’s wisdom to
know how to act in a God pleasing way. His heavenly Father wants that the commission
of His Servant will include the fact that He will be “raised and lifted up.”
Jesus shows us that these expressions speak first of all of His crucifixion: “Just
as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up
(on a cross)...” (John 3:14**). See also John 8:28 and John 12:32. Yet, His
commission will also comprise that He will be “highly exalted” (Isaiah
52:13). In Acts 2:32-33**, the apostle Peter explains in his Pentecost message
that “God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the
fact. Exalted to the right hand of God, He has received from the Father the
promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. (i.e. the
coming of God’s Spirit)” Later, the apostle Paul writes to the church in
Philippi (Greece) about the fulfilment of this prophesy in Isaiah 52: “...
He (Jesus) made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being
made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled
himself and became obedient to death--even death on a cross! Therefore God
exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every
name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth
and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the
glory of God the Father.” (Philippians
2:7-11**)
In
Isaiah 11:2-5**, we find another description of the characteristics of Jesus’
personality: “The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him -- the Spirit of
wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of
knowledge and of the of the LORD -- and He will delight in the fear of the
LORD. He will not judge by what He sees with His eyes, or decide by what He
hears with His ears; but with righteousness He will judge the needy, with
justice He will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the
earth with the rod of His mouth; with the breath of His lips He will slay the
wicked. Righteousness will be His belt and faithfulness the sash around His
waist.”
Like
in Isaiah 42:1, we notice in this portrayal of the divine Servant first of all
that He is anointed with God’s Spirit. That’s why Jesus is called ‘the Anointed
One’ (Hebrew ‘the Messiah’ and in Greek ‘the Christ’). Then follows a depiction
of some of the attributes of God’s Spirit. Finally, we read how God’s Spirit
shapes the character of God’s Servant.
700
years later, God points to Jesus as being the fulfilment of what He had said
about His divine Servant through Isaiah’s prophesies: “Look at My Servant,
whom I have chosen. He is my Beloved, and I am very pleased with Him. I will
put My Spirit upon Him, and He will proclaim justice to the nations.” (Matthew
12:18*)
In
the Gospels, we read another fulfilment of Isaiah’s testimony about the coming
Servant of God. Jesus testifies to
Satan: “... the Scriptures say, 'You must worship the Lord your God; serve
only Him.’” (Matthew 4:10*; see also Luke 4:8)
Jesus
Himself explains the reason of His arrival on earth as the beloved Servant of
God: “The Son of Man did not come to
be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many." (Matthew
20:28**, see also Mark 10:45)
Again,
we read in Luke 22:27** that serving God and man was the main characteristic of
Jesus’ ministry: “I am among you as one who serves.”
On
the evening before His death, Jesus did the humble work of a slave by washing His
disciples’ feet. In that way He wanted to show them that Christlike service will
indeed be the main characteristic of His Spirit-anointed followers: “After
washing their feet, He put on His robe again and sat down and asked, "Do
you understand what I was doing? You call Me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord’, and you are
right, because it is true. And since I, the Lord and Teacher, have washed your
feet, you ought to wash each other's feet. I have given you an example to
follow. Do as I have done to you.” (John 13:12-15*)
As we said in the beginning,
in the next meditation we want to see how Jesus’ way of serving characterizes a
church that is controlled by God’s Spirit. So, stay with me.
Translations: * New Living
Translation; ** New International Version
About “Who is the Holy
Spirit and what is His ministry?”, see Meditations 27-33 and 49-55.
About "God's
major project: transforming me and my church into the likeness of Christ",
see Meditations 44-48.
About “Personal,
Christlike love for God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ”, see Meditations
56-62.
About “Corporate,
Christlike love for God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ”, see Meditations
63-99.
About “The Church as a
‘Corporate Personality’, see Meditation 63-65.
About “The two Tracks
of Maturing in Christlikeness”, see Meditation 100.
About “How to overcome the power of sin in my life?”,
see Meditations 101-130.
About “How to overcome the power of sin in my
church?”, see Meditations 131-139.
