By: Dr. Steven K. Parker
· What is faithfulness?
· Are there any examples that pop into your mind when you think of the word faithfulness? Describe those.
Hear:
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. (Galatians 5:16-26)
Pause:
· If the fruit of the Spirit that Paul lists are a normal part of life when we live in God’s kingdom, what does that say about faithfulness?
· If we grow in the Spirit, we will grow in faithfulness, but how do we grow in God’s Spirit in a way that produces faithfulness?
Reflection:
Often in evangelical circles, faithfulness has been equated to consistent participation in and financial support of church activities; those activities are often connected to the church building. The problem with that definition is that it’s quite limiting and doesn’t scratch the surface of what Biblical faithfulness looks like. In my years of ministry I’ve encountered people who attended church every time the doors were open, but did not seem to be touched, in a transformational way, by the gospel. In those same years, I’ve also met people whose jobs and commitments made consistent participation in traditional church activities difficult or impossible. The church is so much bigger than a building. During this pandemic, traditional church attendance has not been possible; yet, many of our members have continued to be faithful to the gospel and faithful to our church. Many of us find ourselves wringing our hands about different aspects of life in this pandemic. Praise God, some have been asking, How can I be faithful to the gospel through this difficult season and express “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” to God and my neighbor?
We can get frustrated by what we’re facing; and that’s ok. But we can also seize this moment and let God use it. We can make a choice to worship together in our homes as a family and make the most of that experience, discussing what we’re hearing, wrestling through this struggle together. We can participate in family devotionals, taking the time to read the Bible together, and listen prayerfully to questions and struggles our loved ones might have. We can engage in Bible Studies; you can call the church office to find out how to participate in these. We can give, we can pray, and we can be ambassadors for Christ in our workplace and with our friends. There are many other ways to grow in faith, but, like anything that’s worth having in life, it won’t happen if we don’t make and keep the commitment to do it. The fruit of the Spirit is faithfulness and nothing can keep us from growing in faith if we live with this kind of faithfulness that is the norm of life in God’s kingdom.
If you’d like to hear more about faithfulness, you can access a recent sermon in our Living Into A Kingdom Normal series by clicking here.
Wonder:
· Why do you think the simple virtue of faithfulness is so significant?
· How can we show faithfulness through this pandemic and hurricane recovery effort?
Bless:
· Affirm what everyone has shared.
· Pray that God might help us to grow in His Spirit that our lives might more and more be characterized by faithfulness.
Pray together:
“Lord, we are grateful for the faithfulness you have shown us. You are always faithful. Help us to draw close to you and grow in faithfulness. In the midst of the frustrating uncertainty of this pandemic and the unexpected stresses of hurricane recovery, help us to express our faithfulness to you and everyone you put in our path. In the face of all the hate, frustration, and anger that we experience on a daily basis, help us to sow Jesus’ style of faithfulness. Amen.”
We hope that you will join us online Sunday at 9:30 AM in Spanish and at 11:00 AM in English. We also have various Zoom Bible Studies and Sunday School classes that you can plug into; call the church office at 956-968-9585 or message us on Facebook for more information about those. May God produce His faithfulness in us!