Several years ago, I had purchased an old pickup with engine problems; the plan was to do a quick repair and sell it, and make some profit.  I read a few articles about the process, and a couple mentioned a ‘trick’ that would save me quite a bit of time when replacing an internal engine part.  Thinking I understood what the article meant and confident I could figure it out if I needed to, I jumped in and started disassembling the motor. When I got to the part where I planned to use the ‘trick’ mentioned in the article, though, I was stumped.  It could not work!  The parts were worn,  everything was dirty and oily, and my old fingers simply couldn’t make things work.  I re-read the articles, and even pulled out the factory manual for help – nothing helped!  Finally, I turned to YouTube, an online video site, and punched in a title that I thought would help.  It took a few minutes to find the right video, and I finally found one that discussed the ‘trick’ I was looking to use.  The mechanic's voice-over made it seem really simple. After he got the light and the camera, he performed the trick – it was an amazing feat!  Just like the article said, when you got your fingers in the right place and applied just the right pressure, you could disassemble part of the engine almost instantly, without any tools. 

I couldn’t learn what I needed from just hearing about it – I needed to see it with my own eyes, and once I did, it worked well.  Amazing!

The Apostle Palu knew nothing about working on an old truck motor. Still, he did understand the importance of a ‘picture’ or example of doing something, so that others might learn.

In his letter to the Philippians, Paul taught the early Christians how to live like Jesus.  He put things into his own words, and then, to make sure they ‘got it,’ he pointed to the example of Jesus:  not what He said, but what He did.  Here is the way Paul taught the early church how to live: 

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. Philippians 2:5-8

Do you see what Paul did?  He did not repeat the words of Jesus in this section; he merely reminded readers of how Jesus lived and how he put his faith in God into action.  That was Paul’s teaching method!

Jesus’ actions taught us: 1) Understand your ‘place’ in the Church.  A believer is “in Christ,” with all the potential for Spiritual gifts and usefulness to God.  2)  We must understand our ‘place’ in the church as a humble servant of God.  The point of our faithfulness is to proclaim the Gospel, minister to others in the name of Christ, and glorify Him.  Finally, 3) True faith leads one to obedience to the leadership of the Spirit and submission to God’s Word.  We are to seek and find God’s will for us in any given situation, and prayerfully submit.  That is God’s eternal plan!

Let me challenge you to learn from the actions of Jesus and learn to do more than just talk about your faith.  Put it to work!

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