Healing of Nations Church

Humility of mind involves more than the intellect. God’s grace toward us in Christ needs to get down deep into our hearts in order to change us.

We need to acknowledge our resistance to grace—our reluctance to be served by Jesus. We need to “give up” and allow him to serve us in the ways we so desperately need. And we need to reflect on his gracious humility toward us so that our hearts are softened and changed.

Then we will find ourselves increasingly joyful and selfless as we delight in serving him by serving others in our community and reaching beyond ourselves to serve those who do not yet know Jesus.

To be cont'd....

Jesus serves as our example of the ultimate servant. He had a right to be served simply because he is God, but rather than claim that right, Jesus became flesh in the form of a humble servant. “The Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).

Jesus serves us personally so that we can experience His grace. But often we aren’t comfortable with a God who serves us. Instead, selfishly (and ironically), we want to serve God so that we can demand something in return. We want a transaction: Because I’ve done X for God, God should do Y for me. But when we allow Jesus to serve us, when we accept His grace instead of insisting on repaying him, we are humbled. This is how Paul could say, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in Him for eternal life” (1 Timothy 1:15−16).

Jesus transforms us from selfish consumers to faithful servants. Through the gospel, we become “bond-servants” of Christ—free persons who willingly become servants out of gratitude and honor to our master. “This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God” (1 Corinthians 4:1). As bond-servants of Christ, we live to serve others, for Jesus’ sake and for God’s glory. “For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake” (2 Corinthians 4:5 niv).

As this penetrates our hearts, we will be eager to bless not just each other, but the world around us as well.

To be contd...

A HUMBLE COMMUNITY

Before her death in 1997, Mother Teresa spent her life serving the poor in the slums of Calcutta. Her mission, in her own words, was to serve “the hungry, the naked, the homeless, the crippled, the blind, the lepers, all those people who feel unwanted, unloved, uncared for throughout society, people that have become a burden to the society and are shunned by everyone.”*

Mother Teresa never sought fame or power. And yet, in an odd way, she had both. She won the Nobel Peace Prize. She inspired millions. She influenced presidents and kings. She is one of the most admired and revered humanitarians in recent history.

We may argue about her politics or disagree with her religious convictions, but all of us feel a desire to honor a person like Mother Teresa. Why? Because she considered other people’s needs above her own. Not just in her ideology, but in her practice.

All of us want to be part of a community where people consider the needs of others and take action to meet them ..... a community where pride and ego are put to death and selflessness and service are brought to life. This is just the kind of community the Bible urges us toward: “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others” (Philippians 2:3−4 nasb).


To be contd.....

RESPONDING IN JOYFUL GRATITUDE:

Finally, ask: “If I really believed the truth of justification by faith, what would I be doing (or feeling, or thinking) differently?” The benefits we have in Christ don’t just make us feel better about our relationship with God; they also draw us to love others more, to respond to God in gratitude and obedience, and to repent and turn from harmful, sinful things.

Spend some time sharing some things you are grateful for and
joyful about as a result of these realities. Doing this together makes gratitude and joy contagious. Don’t turn this third step into introspective navel-gazing. The point is to see that faith resting in Christ’s righteousness brings joy! Notice that we’re not asking, “What should you be doing differently?” We’re asking, “How would faith work itself out in love (and joy)?”

As you close this exercise, spend a few moments worshiping “in the mo- ment”—that is, praying short prayers thanking God for the great gift of justification by faith. As you learn to “breathe in the good news of the gospel” many times each day, praying short worshipful prayers like this will help you rejoice in Christ moment by moment.

To be contd...

As we learn to live out our new identity, we’ll also begin to change in other ways—what we do, what we love, what we desire, how we live.

STEP ONE: SEEING OUR SIN

Pick an area where you’re struggling right now in sanctification. It could be a poor prayer life, a failure to love others, a persistent character flaw, etc.

How is your failure in this area causing you to feel toward God?

Do you feel distant from him? Discouraged? Defeated? Not very useful? Different people will feel different things. Describe how you feel toward God as you think about your failure to faithfully obey Him.

Now, think about those same feelings in terms of unbelief. What
are you not believing about the gospel and, specifically, about justification? How do your feelings reveal that you are trusting in your own performance instead of resting in Christ’s accom- plishments for you?

STEP TWO: REMEMBERING AND RECEIVING WHAT WE HAVE IN CHRIST

Now, practice getting your eyes off yourself and onto Christ by remembering and receiving the great promises of justification by faith. Here are three categories to think through:

(1) Justification (Negative): Though I am a sinner, God has forgiven all my sins—past, present, and future—because of what Christ did for me. I am no longer under condemnation. I don’t have to pay for my sins doing penance or work my way back into God’s favor. Romans 8:1: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

(2) Justification (Positive): Despite my ongoing struggles with sin, Jesus’ righteousness and obedience have been credited to me. His “rightness” is now mine. When God looks at me, He doesn’t see my sin; He sees Jesus’ righteousness. 2 Corinthians 5:21 “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

(3) Adoption: God doesn’t just forgive me; He adopts me as His beloved child. My identity is not “forgiven sinner” but “beloved child of my heavenly Father.” Galatians 4:4−6: “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’”

Question: Which of these promises speaks most directly to your area of unbelief identified in Step One?

To be Contd....

GROWING IN JOY

It may sound paradoxical . . . but you must be made miserable before you can know true Christian joy. Indeed the real trouble with the miserable Christian is that he has never been truly made miserable because of conviction of sin. He has by-passed the essential preliminary to joy. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Spiritual Depression: It’s Causes and Cures

Question:
What must you know to live and die in the joy of [gospel] comfort?

Answer: Three things: first, how great my sin and misery are; second, how I am set free from all my sins and misery; third, how I am to thank God for such deliverance.

If joy comes from basing our sanctification on our justification, then growing in joy requires us to learn how to live out of our justification on a daily basis. Just like oxygen, we need to be breathing in the truth of the gospel constantly. We can’t “get a little Jesus” during our small group time or Sunday worship and live off that for the rest of the week any more than we could take one big breath in the morning and then say, “I’m good. I’ve got my daily supply of oxygen.”

TBC

So how do we experience lasting joy?

By believing the truth of justification by faith. We must start every day claiming the great biblical promises of justification: I have peace with God (Romans 5:1). Jesus bore my sins in His body on the cross (1 Peter 2:24). God has credited Jesus’ righteousness to me by faith (Romans 4:5). It is finished (John 19:30).

How great these truths are! How rich and joyful these realities are! I don’t contribute a single thing to my justification. My sanctification—or lack of it—changes nothing. It’s Jesus’ righteousness that guarantees my acceptance before God. “Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to thy cross I cling,” says an old hymn.** Jesus’ righteousness is the ONLY righteousness I need.

Relying completely on justification by faith—Christ’s work on my behalf—is crucial to deep and abiding joy.

When my sanctification is slow and my struggles against sin are intense, I’m still joyful because Jesus is my righteousness! When my sanctification is rapid and I’m experiencing victory over sin, I’m joyful because Jesus is my righteousness! Even my striving for sanctification is permeated by joy because I’m motivated by love (knowing I already have God’s favor) instead of fear (trying to earn God’s favor). This discipline of resting in my justification by faith is a constant process of reorientation and reminding. It’s ongoing. It’s daily. It requires me to hear the Spirit’s conviction when I am not believing or obeying. (We’ll be doing an exercise to help us learn how to do this moment by moment.)

TBC

Continued from last post...

Here’s the great mistake that often steals our joy: our confidence in our justification tends to be based on our sanctification. In other words, unless we’re really “doing well” in holiness and obedience, we doubt whether we’re truly forgiven by God and credited with Christ’s righteousness. When we’re struggling in the sanctification process, plagued by the same sins over and over again, when we can’t seem to “get our act together” spiritually, we question whether God could really accept and love us. Sometimes we wonder if we’re even Christians at all. We live in defeat, despair, and discouragement.

Do you see this pattern in yourself? Do you see it in Christians around you?

When our confidence in our justification is based on our sanctification, what we’re really doing is falling into self-righteousness. It doesn’t feel that way because, after all, we don’t feel righteous! But think about it: If our lack of sanctification (our lack of day-to-day righteousness) causes us to doubt God’s love and acceptance, then whose righteousness are we actually relying on? Our own! This is the reason we lack joy. This is the reason we’re “spiritually depressed.” We’re trusting in ourselves! (Let’s face it, who wouldn’t be depressed?)

To be contd....

Justification is the theological term that refers to God’s once-for-all dec- laration of forgiveness and pardon (and more). It’s a legal term, so it might help to picture a heavenly courtroom. God is the Judge and you stand before him guilty, on trial for your sins. But because of your faith in Christ and his death on the cross on your behalf, the gavel falls and God pronounces you “not guilty.” You are forgiven, freed, and pardoned! The “guilty” verdict for your sin is transferred to Jesus. But that’s not all. Jesus’ record of perfect righteousness is also credited to you. So you’re not just forgiven; you’re declared righteous in Christ! This is a once-for-all, completed judicial transaction that happens the moment you trust in Jesus: “Since we have been justified by faith [past-tense, once-and-for- all], we [now] have peace with God” (Romans 5:1).

Sanctification is the theological term that refers to our ongoing trans- formation into Christlikeness. It’s a progressive journey toward holi- ness that continues throughout our lives. Sometimes it proceeds at a dramatic and breathtaking pace. Other times it’s slow and methodical. But it’s always happening, because God is faithful: “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6 niv). While justification is a one-time act of God, sanc- tification is an ongoing process that requires our cooperation: “Present your members [of your body] as slaves to righteousness, leading to sanctification” (Romans 6:19).

To be contd....

Our lack of joy is a missional issue. It’s a gospel issue. For the glory of God, for the good of others, and for the cause of the gospel, we must relentlessly pursue joy. But how? How do we become more joyful?

In the last lesson, we saw that a lack of love always reveals a lack of faith. The same is true for a lack of joy. If we lack joy, our real problem is unbelief. We are not fully trusting and resting in Jesus and what he accomplished for us in his death and resurrection. Joy comes from believing: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing” (Romans 15:13).

So what is the “belief problem” beneath our lack of joy? Quite commonly, the problem is that we’ve confused justification and sanctification.

To be contd...

The conclusion is clear: God’s people ought to be consistently, recognizably, resolutely joyful.

So take a moment and think about yourself. Are you a joyful person? Do people see you that way? Now think about your church or community group. Is it marked by radical joy? Would outsiders spending time among you comment on the deep joy they see in your community?

Many of us would have to admit that joy isn’t always the defining characteristic of our souls or of our communities. And we don’t always recognize that as a significant problem.

If our churches aren’t biblically literate, or if they aren’t missionally effective, making disciples, or if they aren’t growing, those are issues we think are worth talking about. But a lack of joy? What’s the big deal?

Allow Martyn Lloyd-Jones, an influential 20th century British preacher, to answer that question.

Christian people too often seem to be perpetually in the doldrums and too often give this appearance of unhappiness and of lack of freedom and absence of joy. There is no ques- tion at all but that this is the main reason why large numbers of people have ceased to be interested in Christianity.

In a world where everything has gone so sadly astray, we should be standing out as men and women apart, people characterized by a fundamental joy!*

To be contd...

One of the defining characteristics of a gospel-centered community is JOY.

If we have believed the good news of the gospel, and if we are experiencing the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit through repentance and faith, we will be a joyful people. There’s no way around it! Joy is one of the by-products of knowing Jesus as Savior and Lord. “The fruit of the Spirit is . . . joy” (Galatians 5:22).

Notice how Scripture consistently describes joy as a consequence of believing the gospel:

1 Peter 1:8−9: “Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”

Romans 15:13: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”

Acts 13:48, 52: “And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed. And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.”

1 Thessalonians 1:5−6: “Our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit.”

To be contd....

A JOYFUL COMMUNITY

In the last lesson, we examined the concept of “faith working through love” (Galatians 5:6). We saw that our lack of love always reveals a lack of faith—a “gospel disconnect.” We said that this idea of faith work- ing through love is a “hinge point” in the study and a core principle we’ll return to over and over again. In this lesson, we begin to look at some of the characteristic marks of gospel-centered community.

The first—and perhaps the most important—is joy. If joy is missing from Christian community, it’s a clear indication that something is amiss in our understanding of the gospel. This lesson will help us understand why the relationship between justification and sanctification is crucial to experiencing joy in Christ.

To be contd...

How does your failure in this area—your lack of love—reveal a lack of faith? Where is there unbelief in your heart? What “good news” about God and his grace are you not really believing? (This is where we really need to invite others to speak into our lives. We want to help each other articulate specific areas of unbelief and get below the surface by sharing our own relevant stories. If we could figure things out on our own, then what’s the point of the exercise? We need others to tell us what they see in us.)

How might a deeper confidence and joy in God’s love, in Christ’s
righteousness, and in the Holy Spirit’s presence work itself out in greater obedience to this command?

Finally, close the group by praying out loud together. Those who are willing can confess their unbelief and ask the Holy Spirit to convince them more deeply of the truth of the gospel so that they can more freely love others.

To be Contd...

“For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love” (Galatians 5:6).

The goal of this exercise is to take the basic biblical command of “faith working through love” and apply it practically in your everyday existence. Do this exercise in community. Talk honestly with one another. “You can’t see your own face” you need others to help you see yourself rightly. So, as a group, walk through the steps below one at a time. Then close by praying together.

Below are some specific ways the Bible commands us to love one another. Pick the one that challenges you most.

“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs . . ” (Ephesians 4:29 niv).

“Let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger”
(James 1:19).

“Admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with all” (1 Thessalonians 5:14).

“Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God” (Romans 15:7 niv).

“I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree and that there be no divisions among you” (1 Corinthians 1:10).

As you seek to obey this command, do you tend toward resolution (“I’m going to make this happen!”) or resignation (“I have a hard time in this area. Maybe I’ll just give up.”)?

What would “faith working through love” look like in this area?

To be contd...

If you’re still sorting out the heart dynamics that hinder you from community, ask the Holy Spirit to shed light on those things.

Do this exercise as a community, not as a gathering of individuals. Listen attentively to what others are saying. Pray with them and for them. Ask God to give you words. The Holy Spirit may lead you to pray or read specific things that will minister to others. You might even incorporate practices like holding hands, kneeling together, or laying hands on someone as you pray together for him.

Are these things “awkward” in our culture? Sure. But they’re biblical, good, and appropriate. And they help confront our barriers to community.

The goal of this exercise is to turn our hearts toward God and awaken deeper love for him, together.

Are you ready? Let’s begin.

To be contd...

COMMUNAL PRAYER AND WORSHIP

The antidote to false belief and false sources of hope/trust is worship. It is by worshiping God in Spirit and truth that our hearts relax their grip on false beliefs and idols. So this week, as we close our study, we want to actually spend some time in prayer and worship together, focusing on what is true about God in a way that will loosen our grip on things that are false. We’re going to practice actually being a gospel community instead of just talking about it.
Here’s what we’re going to do:

Start by having someone read one of the following Scripture passages aloud:

Psalm 25
Psalm 103
Isaiah 55
Matthew 6:25−34

[any other passage that highlights God’s goodness, grace, and power]

- Respond to the truth of the passage by praying out loud, wor-
shiping God for what is true of him.

- If you’ve identified false beliefs and false gods that you’re ready to turn from, then feel free to do that in prayer as well. You can confess your unbelief and idolatry and express your desire to worship and obey God above these things.

To be contd....

Still, all this “I” and “me” talk is misleading. This isn’t a process that happens alone as I pursue Jesus by myself. The whole thing happens in community. I need others to help me see my sin and point me to the gospel. And they need me to do the same for them.

Being in community shines a light on my need for change. I’ll need to repent, believe, worship, and love many, many, many more times in community than I would if I could just be left alone to pursue “Jesus and me.”

So what does a healthy, vibrant Christian community look like? How does it avoid being shallow and superficial?

It’s honest. Struggling. Loving. Failing. Clinging to Jesus. Repenting to each other. Forgiving each other. Placing others ahead of ourselves. Helping point each other to the cross. This is the beautiful mess of gospel-centered community.

to be contd....

This repentance and faith—this turning back to God and moving out in love—is not a one-time event. It’s more like the basic step in a dance, a foundational pattern repeated over and over again, that creates a joyful, beautiful movement. This is how the gospel builds a deeper, more vibrant community.

The Scriptures call me to community. As I try to obey that call and move toward others, I encounter barriers that keep me from loving others as God has loved me. Those barriers reveal that I’m more needy, broken, and sinful than I thought!

My natural response is to ignore, avoid, or excuse my brokenness. But Jesus invites me instead to acknowledge my sin and turn to him in repentance, faith, and worship. As I do this, I am changed. I begin to see how desperately I need to depend on God mo- ment by moment (and this starts to feel good!).

I start to trust that my Father loves me and wants the best for me. And I’m freed to love other people—my faith expresses itself in love for others.

To be contd...

3. WORSHIP GOD. Rejoice in the goodness, grace, and glory of God. Do this in prayer. Do this in community. Do this out loud. The more you treasure God, the more your soul will relax its grip on false gods. Worship is not just something you do on Sundays. It is an all-the-time, moment-by-moment response of your heart to who God is and what he has done for you.

4. LOVE OTHERS. Now, by faith, start moving toward others to love them as you have been loved! The gospel frees you to love.

Gospel change is not an interior, navel-gazing sort of change; it is “faith expressing itself through love” (Galatians 5:6 niv). Pursue deeper community. Enjoy people who are unlike you. Love those who are hard to love. And as you fail (which will happen a lot), start this process all over again!

To be contd....

So how do we build deeper community that reflects God more fully and displays His glory to the world more clearly? By believing the gospel more deeply.

Here’s a simple, biblical, four-step process to help you do that.

1. REPENT. Turn from the lies and false gods you’ve identified. Ask God to show you how you’ve turned your back on Him. Acknowledge that the sin and selfishness driving your unbelief are really a relational rejection of your heavenly Father, who loves you and wants the best for you.

2. BELIEVE. Turn to Jesus and the good news of His gospel. Believe first of all that Jesus died for your sin and unbelief and receive His forgiveness anew. Believe secondly all the freeing truth of the gospel: that Jesus redeemed you for community and calls you to community, that He frees you to worship Him (not yourself or others), that He gives you His Spirit to empower you for obedi- ence. Remember that “belief ” in the Bible is not just a cognitive word; it speaks of an intentional “dwelling on” all that is true of us in Christ and an ongoing dependence on Him as we live in joyful obedience.

To be contd...

Hello & Welcome!

Here are two possible examples.

Community Barrier: “I have boundaries; don’t push me.”
What’s underneath that?

False Beliefs:
About God: God’s ways are overwhelming and difficult. I’ll be more content if I do things my way instead of his way.
About myself: I always know what’s best for me.
About others: They want something from me. They aren’t out for my good.

False Sources of Hope/Trust:
I’ll be happy if I can prevent people from making demands on my time and energy. I’m trusting in the false god of control.
Community Barrier: “I don’t want to inconvenience others.”
What’s underneath that?

False Beliefs:
About God: I’m probably an inconvenience to him too.
About myself: I’m not worth people’s time and attention.
About others: They would probably reject or resent me if I “needed” them. I’ve really been burned before and I don’t want to experience that sort of pain again.

False Sources of Hope/Trust:
I’ll be happy if people never see me as an inconvenience or feel like I’m making demands on them. I’m trusting in the false god of approval. (I don’t want to be perceived as a needy person.)

These are only two possible examples. They aren’t exhaustive, and the lies and longings beneath your particular barrier might be completely dif- ferent from the ones given here. The point is to help you see that the barriers and excuses that sabotage our attempts at community are actually gospel issues. They are symptoms of deeply held beliefs, objections, and longings that need to be changed by Jesus and what he has done for us.

To be contd...

Hello everyone. Apologies for the long break.. Thank you all for visiting this page. May God be glorified in each of our lives.

Continued from the last post.

“May they all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you . . . so that the world may believe that you have sent me” (John 17:21).

In pursuit of that sort of community, let’s go back to the barrier you identified a few paragraphs back and ask one simple question: What’s underneath that?

Don’t think “underneath” as in Sigmund Freud—we’re not urging you to uncover some repressed memory from your childhood (unless you need to). Rather, think “underneath” as in a medical diagnosis: What’s underneath that symptom? What’s causing it? What core issues of unbelief does it reveal? Jesus said, “Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45). So these “barrier statements”—these objections to community—reveal even deeper barriers below the surface, in our hearts. Here are two categories to think through.

- False Beliefs. What false ideas (lies) about God, myself, and others am I believing as true?

- False Sources of Hope/Trust. What “false gods” am I hoping in, trusting in, relying on? What am I really counting on to make me happy, content, satisfied? (Here’s a short list of common cultural gods: power, approval, control, comfort, respect, success, security.)

To be contd....