Mentoring Minutes

“For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.” Paul (Galatians 5:13)

Love and Lordship in Focus…From last week’s “one another” we build on serving without favoritism to serving all other, especially believers, in love. This also implies that we can actually serve in our flesh without loving as there would be no need for this command if that were not the case…think about it.

As Paul, in The Holy Spirit, continues to address the various early church plants we find more and more of these “one anothers” encouraging The Body of Christ in how we are to love each other and all others in Him, bringing us to a “one another” is both troubling and encouraging.

In Galatians 5:13, just before Paul describes the lusts of the flesh and the fruit of The Spirit, he tells the believers, then and now, to “serve one another in love.” Then comes that drastic contrast between flesh and Spirit (Galatians 5:16-24).

Just before this passage he has spent time admonishing believers regarding 2 key issues; 1) to know the freedom they have in Christ and; 2) not to abuse that freedom so that it becomes license (a false freedom of unbridled sin).

Back to the implication I stated in today’s Focus that allows us to see even more clearly that there can be service done in our flesh to satisfy ourselves rather than being done in The Spirit which is done only through the maturing fruit of The Spirit in our lives, of which the first and most important one is…LOVE!

How do we do this? By dying to our self and the flesh! Only then can we truly place others above self in love and serving our fellow man. Doing this as an overflow of our love for Christ, by Holy Spirit in us, and it keeps us from turning our freedom in Him into selfish satisfaction and seeking for our own fleshly desires.

This serving is not simply a duty on a checklist but as Paul states, it is done because of and in love. This is why it’s essential that we understand and continue to seek and grow in our love for God, know and love who we are so that we are “serving one another in love.”

Food for Thought…Have you ever thought about the reality that you can serve others out of your flesh which is ultimately selfish? Have you ever thought that without proper understanding of God’s Word and dying to our flesh that we have entire churches that do the same? Let’s be careful to learn what God’s Truth and Love are and then live it out in the authority of Christ as Lord and the power of Holy Spirit in us by His grace!

Love in Action –

1. Spend time with Him in His Word and prayer daily – read and study the Scriptures in this post as a way to start
2. Ask The Holy Spirit to teach you
3. Ask Holy Spirit to test your heart (motives) in all you do in order to recognize, and then die to, the natural flesh so that you are serving others in love.
4. How might it look differently when you serve from your flesh than when you serve in The Spirit?

Contact us at loveandlordship@gmail.com.

Love and Lordship Prayer Focus…Heavenly Father, Help me to better understand Your Love by prioritizing my time with You, in Your Word and prayer to know and love You with all my being. As I do so help me then to serve others in the Love of Your Spirit in Christ rather than in the self-focused motives of my flesh. In Jesus Name. Amen.

“So that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another.” Paul (1 Corinthians 12:25)

Love and Lordship in Focus…God is no respecter of persons because He’s The One who has given every person life and purpose…His purpose. That’s why followers of Jesus Christ should care for all others without discrimination (this does not mean we must agree with everyone but that we must love and serve others equally).

With that said we find the next “one another” as we continue in Paul’s first letter to the church at Corinth in 1 Corinthians 12:25-26 and look where The Holy Spirit leads Paul to write just after reminding us to wait on others. He tells us that love is to “have equal concern for each other.” In a simple summary…don’t show favoritism!

The text here is where Paul is describing the various parts of the body, our literal body, as an example of how all the parts are absolutely needed and of great importance. No one part is greater than any other regardless of the function and recognition given to it. This is how the Body of Christ is to function and by giving equal concern and care for each other we avoid division and create unity.

He follows this teaching on the unity and importance of all the parts and gifts of the Body with what we know as The Love Chapter in 1 Corinthians 13. Here The Holy Spirit, through Paul, describes what happens when we place undue priority and importance on what we’re doing rather than why we’re doing it…in Love.

This is why we must not show partiality or favoritism in any way because it divides us and it diminishes His Love in and through us. We rejoice in their blessings and fruitfulness and we hurt when they hurt…this is love as we care for each and every “one another” in fellowship in His Church.

Love and Lordship…Food for Thought – How are you caring for all those in your sphere of influence, especially those in the Body of Christ? Do you prefer some people over others…and then act on that preference?

Love in Action –

1. Spend time with Him in His Word and prayer daily – read and study the Scriptures in this post as a way to start
2. Ask The Holy Spirit to teach you
3. What motives or thoughts may tempt or cause you to show favoritism to others? Do you struggle with this issue with others in Christ?
4. If so, what needs to change and how can you change your heart to make it happen in your relationships with all others?

Contact us at loveandlordship@gmail.com.

Love and Lordship Prayer Focus…Heavenly Father, Forgive me when my fleshly pride and desires cause me to elevate some folks over others, especially in Christ’s Church. Help me to see and act toward all others as Christ has done with me. In His Name. Amen.

“So then, my brothers and sisters, when you come together to eat, wait for one another.” The Apostle Paul  

Love and Lordship in Focus…Waiting for, or showing deference to, others is a sign of love and humility. No wonder The Holy Spirit directed us to wait for one another even as we gather together as believers to eat…but it’s about much more than just eating.

Wait Patiently for One Another (1 Corinthians 11:33)

Our next “one another” is somewhat interesting in that it is very simple to understand but evidently not always easy to follow through (maybe that’s true of all of the “one anothers” and certainly true apart from Christ). We find it in 1 Corinthians 11:33 where we are told to “wait for each other” when we come together to eat.

In the context it strongly appears to point to those who were giving into their hunger pangs and coming just to fulfill those with no regard to other believers. This caused them to fall or fail in two ways: 1) to wrongly partake of the Lord’s Supper (Communion or Eucharist) because they were more concerned with filling their bellies and flesh rather than acknowledging The Lord’s sacrifice, death and payment on our behalf, and therefore bringing condemnation on themselves (1 Corinthians 11:27); 2) they ate impatiently and indulgently or selfishly (see vv. 17-22) and without thought, care of deference for others, i.e., waiting respectfully on all those who would gather to partake.

Both of these point to a heart that is hardened and not open to humility, generosity and fellowship as it places self above others. It hinders and/or destroys the loving fellowship of believers, which is the desire of Christ for His Bride, The Church.

Seems simple but when we move in our flesh there is a need for the command, not just about eating and partaking properly, but this is only accomplished with hearts of love…loving one another as we wait for and, defer to, one another.

Only Jesus can give you the latter and that’s why all the “one anothers” of love and loving are found only in Him!

As we continue with the “one anothers” in Scripture I need to remind myself and if needed you will receive this reminder…the “one anothers” are included in Scripture to literally help us love others as we love ourselves (Mark 12:31)…and as Christ has loved us (John 14:15).

However as we spent time sharing previously in these posts we can do neither without first knowing and learning to love God with all we are (Mark 12:29-30) as we prayerfully attempt to do through better knowing His Names. Then we must learn to love who we are in Christ (Ephesians 2:10) as we find our Identity in Christ.

Food for Thought… What guides and drives your heart, mind and body (flesh, hunger, lust, selfish desires)…OR humility, graciousness, gratitude, generosity, others above self? The former is always done in the flesh and the latter can only be done in The Spirit!

Love in Action –

1. Spend time with Him in His Word and prayer daily – read and study the Scriptures in this post as a way to start
2. Ask The Holy Spirit to teach you
3. What is your motive, impetus and focus when it comes to sharing time and breaking bread with others?
4. What does your focus…and words and actions…reveal about where you are in Christ?

Contact us at loveandlordship@gmail.com.

Love and Lordship Prayer Focus…Heavenly Father, help me to understand that living out these one anothers always and must begin with my relationship with and love for You. Only as I grow in that relationship by grace through faith in Christ can I ever truly hope to wait patiently for others as I place them above myself. Thank You for forgiving me and making this possible in the salvation I have in Christ. In His Name. Amen.