Family talk

Hi Ladies,

In light of the brunch this morning, I wanted to take this week to remind us of what God says about our church. 

If you read through the New Testament, you will find multiple metaphors or pictures used to describe His people. Just to highlight a few of the primary ones, we are a temple (1 Cor. 3:16-17), a priesthood (1 Pet. 2:9), strangers and exiles (Heb. 11:13), a body (Eph. 1:22-23; 4:15), and a bride (Eph. 5:22-33; Rev. 21:2, 9; 22:17). 

But the most pervasive description of those who are in Christ is that of a family. The Greek word adelphos, translated "brother," or "brothers/brothers and sisters" in the plural, is found at least 340 times in the New Testament! While some of the occurrences refer to biological family, the majority refer to the spiritual family. God sent Christ into the world to bring us back to Himself and fulfill His unbreakable, relational covenant. "See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are." (1 Jn. 3:1) 

It's amazing! 

Notice, though, that salvation did not only bring us into a personal relationship with God. John didn't say "that we should be called a child of God," though that is true. He said, "children." Salvation has brought us into relationship with every other son and daughter of His! We have been saved into a family. 

This universal family stretches both back in time and forward. And that certainly is glorious. But we find the New Testament writers focusing primarily on the local, located family - the brothers and sisters gathered in the local church at a particular time and place.

As a family, we have responsibilities toward one another. Just as fathers and mothers are called to train their children, so spiritual fathers and mothers are instructed to do the same (Tit. 2:1-4; 2 Tim. 2:2). Just as children are to respect their parents and love their siblings, Paul challenges young believers to do the same with their elders and their peers (1 Tim. 5:1-2). Even as blood families provide for one another, support one another, rejoice with, cry with, admonish, encourage, spend time with, etc., we find all these "one anothers" given to the spiritual family. (If you don't know the passages I'm talking about, I encourage you to study this for yourself!) 

It's clear from Scripture that we have a great responsibility towards our spiritual family. This in no way minimizes responsibilities toward our biological family, but rather expands our calling. Our spiritual family is one that will last for eternity. (Lord willing, your biological family is also your spiritual family - your husband as "brother," your son or daughter as "brother" or "sister," your mom as "sister," etc. God, may You accomplish Your powerful work where this is not yet the case. 🙏🏼) 

In a day and culture where individualism, sexism, abuse, objectification, the breakdown of the family and the deification of self bombard us from all sides, we cannot lose sight of God's true, good and beautiful design for the family of Christ, and more specifically for the local family here at Abingdon Bible Church. This doesn't mean we live naively or ignore sin. We know that messiness exists within the church family too. Despite our unity in the Spirit, we don't always live like we are Spirit-filled. This family at ABC, if it hasn't already, will get under your skin, or misunderstand, or disappoint, or maybe even hurt or sin against you. 

This is not as it "ought" to be. And yet, we have something stronger than human blood to bind us. We have the precious blood of Christ. And we have His Spirit in us, convicting us, changing us, and reminding us of our unity, and our future. And so, we groan together, waiting for the day when all sin will be fully and finally eradicated. And we continually seek to live toward who we are becoming, and will one day be perfectly, forever… a glorious family. 

Let's pray for our family this week, that we would each grow in our understanding of and ability to live out our God-given responsibilities within this family - for His glory, our good, and also for the watching world who desperately needs to see this good and beautiful truth lived well! ❤️🙏🏼

Anna

New shareable blog

Hi Friends,

Some of you have asked about making our weekly devotionals more easily shareable. Pastor Jason and Jeffrey Johnson have both encouraged this and helped make it possible, so I wanted to let you know about it! 

The emails will now get published to our ABCW (ABC Women) blog, and there is a "subscribe" button there. Even though I write these primarily for us here at ABC, I'm delighted that others may benefit as well. So feel free to share the link below with anyone who might be interested, or simply tell them to search for "Abingdon Bible Church women blog." This will p website first, but they can then find the blog there. Here is the link to the blog: 

https://abcwomenblog.blogspot.com/

If you see Jeffrey, make sure to thank him for all his work to make this possible!

Anna 

Unpacking John 15:1-11, part 5 - Ask Whatever You Wish?

Hi Ladies,

When we first started meditating on this passage in January, there were probably at least two sections that caused you to scratch your head. We addressed one of them a few weeks ago… about being cut off and thrown away. This week, I'm praying that the Spirit guides us into a fuller understanding of the other… about prayer. As always, we need the context. So please read our passage again below, noting the bolded portion: 

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full."

"Ask whatever you wish…." Where does your mind go when you read that?? Mine goes to genies in bottles, to power and control. It also goes to the reality that that has not been my experience. Do I just not have enough faith? 

Here is another example of where we need to use our principles of interpretation: 

1) Context is key

2) Let Scripture interpret Scripture

3) Let clear passages help interpret less clear passages

So, let's do that together.

First, what does Jesus say on either side of this statement? Go back and look. Last week, we saw the centrality of the Word. His words. Asking "whatever we wish" assumes that His words are abiding in us. Further, the context is about bearing fruit - Spiritual fruit that brings Him glory. From looking at this context, we learn that these prayers align with His words and bring Him glory by bringing about Spirit-produced fruit. 

Second, if we consider the whole counsel of God, what does He reveal about prayer elsewhere? I've shared much on prayer in these devotionals over the last few years, so we won't rehash all of that now. If you've missed them and want me to send them to you, please just email me! But to summarize briefly, we must acknowledge that the "how" of prayer is largely a mystery. How a sovereign God uses the prayers of His people to bring about what He has already ordained cannot be explained with a formula. But this is the pattern we see over and over in Scripture: God is sovereign. God tells His people to pray. God responds to the prayers of His people. People praise Him for answering. 

Third, what other clear passages help us interpret this seemingly all-inclusive statement? Before we get there, I think we can all acknowledge the confusion and damage that has been done by taking a verse like this out of context and out of the whole of Scripture and letting it become the lens through which we pray (or tell others to pray). I don't want to criticize. I believe most people are well-meaning and simply trying to take the Bible for what it says. But you and I are learning how to handle Scripture faithfully. This is a challenging but rewarding and all-important journey - to be equipped, and to help equip others to rightly interpret the whole Word of God. (God, continue to do this in me and in our ladies at ABC!)

Here are a few passages that we can bring to bear on this statement:

- "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him." (1 Jn. 5:13-15) Written by the same John who recorded Jesus' words in Jn. 15, he qualifies our asking with it being in line with God's will. Is this really any different than abiding in Christ's words and asking in light of them? I don't think so. So, is that all there is to praying? Just know God's will? Maybe we need to consider more…

- "This is the will of God for you…." (1 Thess. 4:3; 5:18; 1 Pet. 2:15) Three times explicitly, and a multitude of times implicitly, God has revealed much of His will to us. However, Moses also records that "the secret things belong to the LORD our God" (Deut. 29:29). And Paul, echoing the Old Testament saints and prophets says, "Who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been His counselor?" (Rom. 11:34) Some scholars refer to this tension as the "two wills of God." I find this distinction slightly unhelpful, as it could lead to the wrong conclusion that God is either inconsistent or whimsical. I prefer to think of it like a small box in the midst of infinite space. Inside this box is me, and you, and all that God has revealed to us. Outside the box is His infinite perfection that we as finite humans don't have the capacity to know or understand. If we did, God would not be God! What we don't know is not because of any sin or selfishness in God. What He has withheld from us is ultimately for our good. And all that we do not (yet) see or understand, we can trust that because of His infinite wisdom, goodness and power, He will handle and accomplish in the best way possible. 

Does this require faith and trust? It does. 

Is He trustworthy? He is. 

He has proven it over and over. 

Do you believe it? 

So, back to Christ's statement in John - "ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you." We must read this in light of all that He has revealed to us: His words of command and His words about Himself. 

The result, ladies, is wonderful freedom in our prayers. We can pray boldly for all that He has promised. And we can pray fervently and yet peacefully for all that our finite minds long for, knowing that as we submit ourselves to His infinite perfections, He will work in and through our imperfect prayers to bring about all that is for our good and growth into Christlikeness, and all that brings Him the glory He so wondrously deserves. 

Let's pray for each other this week, that the Lord would grow us in knowledge of His will and submission to His ways, so that we might pray faithfully and fervently, for His glory and our good. ❤️🙏🏼

Anna 

Unpacking John 15:1-11, part 4 - Vines and Words

Hi Ladies,

With the predominant metaphor of the vine, it is easy to miss another key point Jesus is making in this passage. That is, the importance of the word. Read the passage below, noting the bolded sections:

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full." (John 15:1-11)

"Already you are clean…" What did Jesus mean by this statement? It might seem out of place to us, but it wouldn't have been to the disciples. Just moments earlier in the upper room (in our chapter 13), Jesus and Peter have a dialogue about washing. We know this passage as the foot-washing passage. Peter is aghast that Jesus would wash his feet. But when Jesus says that those who are not washed "have no share in [Him]," Peter flips and wants his whole body washed! Jesus then says this: "'The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not every one of you.' For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he said, 'Not all of you are clean.'" (13:10-11)

This passage makes clear what Jesus is talking about. Eleven of the disciples are already clean, because they have believed the words that Jesus has spoken to them. And they have chosen to follow Him. They have placed their faith and trust in Him and have been forgiven (because of the Cross, which was just about to happen!). 

Tying that in with the vine analogy, it's important to recognize the centrality of the Word in order to be placed into - attached to - Christ. "Faith comes through hearing, and hearing by the Word of Christ." (Rom. 10:17) Jesus Christ is shown to be the living Word. (Jn. 1:1; Heb. 1:1-2) We must believe His words!

But note the second bolded phrase above. It's not enough to believe them once. These words must continue to abide in us. Christ abiding in us, and His words abiding in us are not two separate things. Or to say it another way, to abide in Him is to abide in His words. And the third bolded section shows us what this means. We must obey them. If they are abiding in us, we will be living them. Not perfectly, this side of glory! But just as the attached vine bears fruit, so those in Christ follow, walk in, live out His teaching. 

Lastly, note the final bolded section. Jesus - the Living Word - has spoken to us, not simply to create a contractual agreement for us to follow. Hardly! He has spoken these things so that His joy - the perfect joy He shares with the triune God - might be in us and fill us to overflowing. His words are not burdensome. They are for our good, for our ultimate delight! 

Do you view Jesus' words this way? 

Can we proclaim like the psalmist…

"In the way of your testimonies I delight
as much as in all riches.
I will meditate on your precepts
and fix my eyes on your ways.
I will delight in your statutes;
I will not forget your word." 

Ps. 119:14-16

Let's pray for each other this week, that we might treasure His Words to us - remaining in them, submitting to them, and letting them fill us with a joy that far surpasses any earthly treasure. ❤️🙏🏼

Anna 

Retreat details

Ladies, 

Sorry for two emails in one day, but I wanted to get the retreat details to you. I'm so excited to be able to gather again for this special time of teaching and fellowship! 

Please make plans to join us March 20-21 as we explore the topic of Abide - Why it's important, What it is, and How we Live it Out Practically. 

See the schedule below. If you can't make it to every session, please come for what you can! 

Please RSVP to me by March 15 for food and planning purposes. You can do that at our Facebook group event, replying here, texting or in person. 😊

Friday
5:30pm - Dinner
6:30-8:15pm - Session 1: Why Abide? A look at God's plan from Genesis to Revelation

Saturday
8:30-9am - Muffins and coffee/tea
9-10:15am - Session 2: What Does it Mean to Abide? The Doctrine of Union with Christ
- Break - 
10:30-11:45am - Session 3: How Do We Abide?
- Lunch - 
12:45-1:30pm - Practical Workshop: How to Share Your Testimony
1:30-2:15pm - Q&A Panel

We will have a special guest joining us for this. Elizabeth Lewis is a pastor's wife, passionate discipler, and dear friend of mine. I can't wait to share her with you...and you with her! 

We will also have another practical workshop with our very own, Brenda Vernon! 

Please join me now in praying for this event. And please consider bringing a friend. We are holding it at ABC this year so we have more space, and better music. 😊

Can't wait!

Anna 

Unpacking John 15:1-11, part 3 - Perfect Pruning

Hi Ladies,

I hope you're not tired of John 15 yet. I promise we won't stay here all year. 😊 But it's rich and powerful and there are more diamonds to mine! 

Read the passage again, noting the bolded sections in their context. 

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full." (Jn. 15:1-11)

Last week, we looked at the two groups presented in this passage - 1) those attached to the vine who bear fruit, and 2) those who are not attached and therefore don't bear fruit. 

But did you notice that both groups get cut? Read that first bolded section again.

Have you ever pruned bushes or trees? Whether you have or not, you've probably seen the results. The plant doesn't look very pretty, does it? In fact, sometimes it looks like it's been killed. 

But next spring, the stubs begin to grow, eventually becoming long and lush - and beautiful. Had it been left alone, it would actually be less healthy, less full, less beautiful. 

Ladies, this is both instructive and hope-giving. This means that abiding in Christ our Vine doesn't equal a pain-free life. In fact, it guarantees that it won't be. There might even be times when you feel like your Vinedresser has all but killed you. 

But this passage also provides so much hope, because it means that God's pruning is not punitive - it's not a punishment. Rather, it is a result of His tender pruning. Our perfect Vinedresser knows just how much of us needs cutting so that we might bear the fruit that He has lovingly ordained for us to bear, as we continue to draw our nourishment from Christ. 

Look at the final bolded section. Bearing fruit is not only what is best for us, but it is also what glorifies our Father. It further proves our position in Christ, as we looked at last week. (Make sure you get that: proves, not earns). All these realities work together, not contradicting, but rather supporting one another. 

We frequently sing "His Glory and My Good" in our corporate gatherings. This truth is incredible: His glory and my good do not conflict. They are not at odds each other, nor are they competing for priority. God in His sovereign goodness and mercy has ordained that our good is His glory. It might not always feel good, but we can trust His infinite goodness. He has proven Himself over and over…climactically at the Cross. 

If you are hurting from deep cuts this morning, Friend, rejoice. Rejoice that you are attached to the Source of life and healing. Rejoice that He has your good in mind, and is bringing glory to Himself in that good. Rejoice that your Father has much more fruit for you to bear - fruit that resembles Christ more and more. And keep on abiding. Paul tells us in Philippians 1:6 that "He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Christ." What a promise! 

Let's pray for each other this week, that we might continue to abide as our loving Vinedresser does His perfect work in us. And in addition to prayer, let's look for tangible ways to support and encourage one another, especially in the midst of the painful pruning. 

What a privilege it is to abide, to bring Him glory, and to bear His fruit. ❤️🙏🏼

Anna