Building His Church

Jesus in the General Epistles (5)

Pray Psalm 48.1-3.
Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised
In the city of our God,
In His holy mountain.
Beautiful in elevation,
The joy of the whole earth,
Is Mount Zion on the sides of the north,
The city of the great King.
God is in her palaces;
He is known as her refuge

Sing Psalm 48.1-3.
(Cwm Rhondda: Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah)
Great is God, now greatly praise Him in the city of the LORD!
Holy she, His lovely mountain, great and glorious by His Word!
God her King is great within her, He, her Stronghold ever sure!
He, her Stronghold ever sure!

Read 1 Pet. 2.4-11; Heb. 12.18-29; meditate on Heb. 12.22-29.

Preparation
1. To what have we come, we who believe in Jesus?

2. What are we receiving? What should we do?

Meditation
Jesus is building His Church—a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God to possess and love forever! The writer of Hebrews teaches us to think about this project in terms of Jerusalem at the height of its glory and power (Ps. 48). This is what we have come to, but a heavenly, not an earthly city. Many citizens are already there, “an innumerable company of angels… [and] the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven. But we have also come into the Presence of God and Jesus Christ, Who daily watch over us and the work we have been given to do, to provide us grace to help in building His Church.

Because we are citizens of an unshakeable Kingdom, we need an unshakeable and unchangeable currency to do the business of that Kingdom in building the Church. Money and things will not suffice. Let us have grace instead. Grace is the love of God, filling up and overflowing from us to bring the refreshment and the glory of the Lord into every area of our lives. Let us have grace, by seeking the Lord in His exalted glory, that we may be revived daily and refreshed to serve Him with those resources of grace only He can provide. Let us have grace, since an infinite treasury of grace is available to us to spend and invest on the business of our King, as we show His love and live in the hope that love brings to us day by day. 

Grace is the currency of the Kingdom of God, and we may be renewed in it daily. Our account will never be empty but will always abound for whatever need or opportunity presents itself. So let us have grace for being witnesses, making disciples, building the Church, and advancing the Kingdom. Let us have grace!

Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
Grace is a commodity lacking in today’s culture.
Grace, shared by believers, will be obvious and appreciated.
Grace, that is greater than all our sin.

“Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire” (Heb. 12.28, 29).

Assuredly, God’s grace is not some namby-pamby, wishy-washy, ooey-gooey thing, without moral compass or guidance. It is God’s love, generously offered, to those who cannot keep His Law, but should. Jesus suffered greatly to compensate for our downfall. Without the backbone of the Law, grace crumples. For without failure, what is grace?

“For by grace you have been saved through faith,
And that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 
not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Eph. 2.8, 9).

God’s continuing grace is then showered upon those who seek His face, who repent, who turn from their wicked ways; who then offer God’s gracious salvation to others, giving His glorious grace away—regifting.

“For the LORD God is a sun and a shield;
The LORD will give grace and glory;
no good thing will He withhold from those
who walk uprightly” (Ps. 84.11).

When the world around us is canceling, ghosting, and annihilating each other for minor infractions, the gift of God’s grace will be a welcome drink of water, light shining in the darkness, and salt to flavor the tasteless effects of hate (Matt. 5.12, 14).

“Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious,
you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, 
to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 2.4, 5).

Living stones, with hearts of flesh, offering God’s grace to a love-starved world.
“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; 
I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, 
and you will keep My judgments and do them” (Ezek. 36.26, 27).

“Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace,
that we may obtain mercy and find grace 
to help in time of need” (Heb. 4.16).
Receiving grace to give grace, in Jesus’ Name, to build His Church.

Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within;
Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that is greater than all our sin.
(Julia H. Johnston, 1911)

The gift of grace is one that is meant to be regifted; for “Grace is the currency of the Kingdom of God.”
Grace is sufficient for every circumstance (2 Cor. 12.9), and the perfect gift for every occasion.

Reflection
1. How do you experience the grace of God working in you?

2. How do you express His grace working through you?

3. Whom can you encourage today and pass the grace along in the Name of Jesus?

The Apostle means in short, as I think, that provided we enter by faith into Christ’s kingdom, we shall enjoy constant grace, which will effectually retain us in the service of God; for as the kingdom of Christ is above the world, so is the gift of regeneration. John Calvin (1509-1564), Commentary on Hebrews 12.28

Pray Psalm 48.4-14.
Pray for revival for your church and all churches, that God would help us recover a true vision of the Church as Jesus intends it, and that we might bend all our labors to realizing His vision for our churches.

Sing Psalm 48.4-14.
(Cwm Rhondda: Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah)
Earthly kings, amazed and wond’ring, look upon the Church with fear.
See them flee in dread and anguish, knowing that the LORD is near.
For the city of the Savior, God will keep forevermore!
God will keep forevermore!

For Your grace and lovingkindness we proclaim Your matchless worth!
As Your Name is, great and boundless, let Your praise fill all the earth. 
Let Your people sing rejoicing for the judgment of Your truth;
for the judgment of Your truth.

Walk about the blessèd city, see her beauty, see her power.
Count her ramparts, filled with glory, look on every mighty tower.
Tell her glory to the nations: God will guide her evermore;
God will guide her evermore!

T. M. and Susie Moore

If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).

Other columns of interest this week: Our ReVision series on “The Kingdom Economy” wraps up our study of time and turns next to consider the work we’ve been given to do. In our Read Moore column, we continue working through the book, Understanding the Times. And I encourage you to follow our Corsfigell series on Brendan of Clonfert, nicknamed “The Navigator.” Join us and find out why. Click the Articles tab on the home page to see all the selections available to you.

And please prayerfully consider supporting The Fellowship of Ailbe with your prayers and gifts. You can contribute online, via PayPal or Anedot, or by sending a gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, P. O. Box 8213, Essex, VT 05451.

Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.