Calvary Wolfeboro

Faithfulness must be proven. You cannot measure the faithfulness of a person or a machine until it’s been run through it’s paces. So it is with a church. A faithful church is one that has been proven by trial and persecution. Such was the church in Philadelphia. While the church in Ephesus was certainly well-known by man, Philadelphia was the well-loved by Jesus. Let’s consider what we, as the church and as Christians, can imitate. Because, like the church in Philadelphia, we want to be found faithful too.

Compromise is like the navigator who was only off in his calculation by one degree on the compass but ended up taking his ship hundreds of miles off course. What the human eye would never be able to detect (a one-degree deviation) can end up being a catastrophic mistake. So it is with compromise in the church. In Jesus’ letter to the church in Thyatira he reveals that this was a compromised church. They had veered off course so much that without correction, Jesus promised that he would send physical suffering, tribulation, and even death. All of these, the consequences of continued compromise. Jesus is not messing around when it comes to the purity of His Bride. Let’s consider this for our own live today and see if perhaps we have compromise in our lives that needs to be corrected.

Second only to the idea of truth, tolerance is the most misunderstood idea in our culture today. Many Americans, because of what they believe, are losing their God-given rights under the guise of tolerance. In this climate the church is more and more being labeled as intolerant. And, in part, the label is right. The church is intolerant. In fact, it should be the most intolerant people on earth. Not intolerant of people, but intolerant of evil and the lies that perpetuate it. Jesus' letter to the church in Pergamum reveals that there was a level of tolerance that wasn’t good. Let’s consider this ancient church’s example and how we can learn from their mistake.

Suffering is not just common to man, it costs Americans about $635 billion dollars a year (according to medicine net.com). Those who are have chronic pain will go to great lengths to find their pain and suffering relieved. Understandably so, because, as C.S. Lewis observed, pain is a megaphone. But suffering, according to the Scriptures, isn’t all bad. And the Spiritual discipline of fasting, which Jesus participated in and encouraged, involves intentional suffering. In fact, Scripture has a very different perspective on suffering than the world. We’ll consider this other perspective this week as we begin the series, Pilgrimage: Our Journey Toward Easter.

What if you knew that everything you did and everything others did to you and everything that happened to you would turn out for your best? That would be amazing wouldn’t it? Well, for the child of God who is living a life devoted to his or her father, this is exactly what is promised. Now, of course, there are some important details that must be understood and accepted. This promise isn’t unconditional, and the good that is promised may not be the good that is comfortable. That’s why we must consider the promise of Romans 8:28-30 very carefully.

What causes us to do the things we do? What makes us get up every morning? The answer is that something or someone is motivating us. Motivation is part of the human condition. We need motivation in order to start and continue the things we do. This is obvious in the work that “puts food on the table." Most people are motivated to work by the paycheck that they will receive for their work and the provision that paycheck will provide. But motivation is not so obvious when it come to the work of the Gospel in the Church. Often the motivation that people respond to when it comes to following Christ is just wrong. Guilt, fear, and power, for example, are all possible and often common motivators. What should motivate us to serve Jesus as Christians? That’s the question we will consider as we unpack the next passage in the Deep and Wide series through the book of Romans.