Ephesians 2:8-9 English Standard Version

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

I received this in reply to a recent post from a dear brother in the Lord. It is not correction, it is encouragement.

I was encouraged by a recent sermon and heard “What have you done for me lately?” I thought the message was about those struggling to see God at work in their own life. As it turns out I was wrong, the message was for me.

The answer to struggling is fellowship.

He who is in me is in you. Anyone can be used by God to deliver a message that makes a difference in the life of a brother or sister in the Lord. We are not alone and as such need fellowship in order to receive just as much, if not more so, than to give.

The central command for a disciple is to love one another. The best way to love one another is performed through fellowship. God at work is best seen in fellowship. If we have not seen God blessing us in our lives, then perhaps it is because we have neglected fellowship.

• Hebrews 2:1 Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.
• Hebrews 2:3 how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard,
• Hebrews 10:25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
• Hebrews 13:2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
• Hebrews 13:16 Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.

If we are to think that Hebrews was written to Christian Jews we are overlooking that fellowship and encouragement is extended to all God’s children no matter what they call themselves.

Allow me to remind you that the only child of God that got it right every time was Jesus Christ.

The rest of us need one another.

John 14:16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever,

I know the truth. It is not a matter of how I know, it is a matter of who I know.

John 14:17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.

Given that I believe that the Holy Spirit, my helper, is the third person of God, and that God does not lie, I can trust that the Holy Spirit will only reveal the truth to me.

John 14:26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

1 John 5:20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.

I do not define truth as the world defines truth. What truth I do know is only because He who is true has revealed it to me. Everything in the world is suspect because the Prince of the Power of the Air is a liar and has great influence over those who are not in Christ. We do not know that every source of information available to us is based on lies, but I would rather not dabble in lies.

This is why I choose to rely on His Word, the Word of Truth, the testimony of He who is True.

That does not mean my eyes do not perceive the lies of the enemy of Christ.

2 Corinthians 2:11 so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.

My motto on one social media site is: “If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything!”

I will not endeavor to trip anyone.

Romans 14:13

Do Not Cause Another to Stumble

Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother.