Implements of Sanctification

The process I've been writing about the past few days, sanctification, is the way through which God shapes and conforms us into the image of Jesus Christ, His Son. Throughout the Bible, the inspired writers use images that testify to the Lord's work of forming us into His children. Isaiah 64:8, for instance, calls God a potter: "We are like clay, and you are the potter; your hands made us all." (NCV) Like a potter, God uses implements or tools to shape us into the people he desires to associate with and people who can be of use to Him. Remember we have been changed from a plain, inexpensive "earthenware" vessel and formed into one that is "grace-filled" and beautiful, fit to hold the very Spirit of God.

The Church. Scripture teaches us that the "Church," is comprised of believers themselves and is not a building or structure in which to worship. We are all part of the body of Christ, and as such, we need each other to function properly. The Bible instructs us not to foresake gathering together as a group and worshiping God in a corporate setting. Hebrews 10:25 says, "Let us not give up meeting together, as some have the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another..." There are numerous benefits to coming together in this way inside a physical church building. For instance, we learn of God's ways from a pastor's sermon or a Sunday School teacher's lesson. And the prayers of many as one voice is like the fragrance of a sacrifice, sweet smelling and pleasing to the Lord. These individuals have been called to minister to the body. Furthermore, God calls His children to fellowship together so He can use fellow believers in each other's sanctification process. Other believers encourage our hearts when we feel troubled and up build us in our Christian walk. They also hold us accountable when we fall victim to sin and temptations. God never intended for us to worship and serve Him in isolation. That's why He gave instructions on building the tabernacle in the first place. Only in a corporate or church setting can we find avenues of service for the Lord and we are all called to serve. While working in a community service area (serving in a soup kitchen, for instance) could be argued to support the idea of service outside the "Church," how many people actually avail themselves to serve in this capacity? The point remains that the coming together of believers in churches all over the world has many benefits and opportunities to both serve and be served. Corporate worship services have always been part of God's original design.

The Bible. Scripture, the Psalmist writes, is to function as a "lamp for [our] feet and a light for [our] path." (Ps 119:105) It is the work of the Holy Spirit to illuminate what we read so that we, in turn, can fall under conviction and grow in our faith. Scripture shows us the mind of God and tells us what pleases Him. While we can learn of God in the beauty and design of the physical universe itself, the Bible is the pinnacle of knowledge about Him. Restricting ourselves to learning about God by just "seeing Him in nature around us" is like trying to enjoy a meal just by it's smell. It smells good but it tastes better! So, yes, we can learn of God by looking at His creation, we don't have to read the Bible, but that's like smelling the food and not eating it. The delicate interpersonal relationship we establish with the Lord is fed with Scripture. You don't have to read the Bible to feed your soul and strengthen your commitment to serve Him and Him alone, but it helps tremendously. We come to know the Lord in Scripture and we come to know ourselves in Scripture too. Like a big mirror, Scripture reveals us to ourselves and allows us to see where we are lacking. It also shows us where we have an abundance that we can share with others. If our spiritual life is considered the engine of our souls, the Word of God can be thought of as the fuel that fires it. Many good Christians have withstood years and years of incarceration in hostile countries without having a Bible, so yes, we can have a close personal relationship with God without reading the Bible. But just ask one of those brothers or sister and they'll tell you the value of reading the Bible. They know first hand how it nourishes the soul. They totally understand and recognize its incredible value.

Suffering. When we suffer as saints, the first thing we do is we run straight to our heavenly Father for comfort and consolation. And God freely gives us solace and help, but He also uses our painful circumstances to further refine and shape us into the persons God desires us to be. Our Christian faith grows during times of suffering in ways that it can only grow through suffering and the people we become after enduring suffering are simply better people. Our faith is stronger. Our reliance on God is stronger. And our loving relationship with our heavenly Father is stronger. Suffering strengthens us in ways that we can't otherwise be strengthened. Yes, while the suffering itself is painful and unpleasant, the results make it all worthwhile because we go into suffering as spiritual babies and come out as full-fledged adults. Our faith and our relationship with the Lord mature during difficult times and circumstances. We come out of suffering looking more like Christ than ever before when we submit to the work the Holy Spirit is doing in our lives. And that is why we can consider it all joy (James 1:2) when we struggle with suffering because we know the results ahead of time.

This transforming work of sanctification, this process, is ever ongoing. We are continually and constantly adjusted to the alignment of the Truth of our salvation and redemption that we find in Jesus Christ. And if we desire to glorify our Lord by faithfully reflecting His glory, we must yield and avail ourselves to His implements of sanctification. The Holy Spirit does all the work. All that's required of us is to submit to His efforts. If we will live our lives in submission to the Lord, the Holy Spirit himself will do whatever is necessary to sanctify us and make us holy when we stand before God. All He requires of us is our submission to His will. Watchman Nee explains that the Chinese characters for "Holy Spirit" literally mean "Resident Boss." Isn't that great? The Holy Spirit is our Resident Boss and all we have to do is do what He asks and submit to the implements (the church, the Bible, and suffering) He uses to produce the finished product of sanctification.

Well, I didn't think I'd have time to blog this morning but as it turns out I woke up at 5:30 and couldn't go back to sleep so I decided to get up and hit the computer. Therefore, because I may have been half asleep, what I wrote may not make sense and it may be filled with typographical errors and I will apologize in advance for any and all confusion. LOL. I was hoping to get to this blog today because it's the last in the series on sanctification. Now it's done and I'm happy I got up early and did it but I feel like I want to go back to bed and sleep some more. That does sound so good to me right now.

I hope today is a repeat of yesterday as far as the weather goes because yesterday was almost perfect. We never got over 90 degrees all day and we only ran the cooler for about 20 minutes just to air out the house before going to bed. That was nice. Real nice.

My shoulder is still really bothering me and I can't decide how it feels. It's not any worse but I'm not sure it's any better either. But it will get better I'm sure. I guess I'm going to let this be it for this morning and get busy doing something. As long as I'm up I may as well do something. If I didn't have a doctor appointment to go to later this morning I'm sure I'd be going back to bed. Sometimes I think the best feeling in the world is slipping back into bed and getting another hour's sleep.