Prepare for Worship | Glorify God
Last Sunday, Pastor Will Jackson preached from Acts 15:1-35 and exhorted us to clarify the gospel.
Read: Acts 15:36-6:5
This Sunday, Pastor Ken Lewis will encourage us to keep our eyes on Jesus when we don’t see eye-to-eye. As you prepare for our Sunday gathering, let this excerpt from Ken Sande’s The Peacemaker encourage you rely on God’s grace and pursue His glory when you face various types of conflict.
Reflect: “Glorify God”
Conflict always provides an opportunity to glorify God, that is, to bring him praise and honor by showing who he is, what he is like, and what he is doing. The best way to glorify God in the midst of conflict is to depend on and draw attention to his grace, that is, the undeserved love, mercy, forgiveness, strength, and wisdom he gives to us through Jesus Christ. You can do this in several ways.
First, you can trust God. Instead of relying on your own ideas and abilities as you respond to people who oppose you, ask God to give you grace to depend on him and follow his ways, even if they are completely opposite to what you feel like doing (Prov. 3:5-7).
Above all, hold on tightly to the liberating promises of the gospel. Trust that Jesus has forgiven your sins, and confess them freely. Believe that he is using the pressures of conflict to help you to grow, and cooperate with him. Depend on his assurance that he is always watching over you, and stop fearing what others might do to you. Know that he delights to display his sanctifying power in your life, and attempt to do things that you could never accomplish in your own strength, such as forgiving someone who has hurt you deeply. As you trust the Lord in these "unnatural" ways, people will have the opportunity to see that God is real and praise him for his work in your life (see Acts 16:22-31).
Second, you can obey God. One of the most powerful ways to glorify God is to do what he commands (Matt. 5:16; John 17:4; Phil. 1:9-10). As Jesus said, "This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples" John 15:8). Obeying God's commands without compromise honors him by showing that his ways are absolutely good, wise, and dependable. Our obedience also demonstrates that he is worthy of our deepest love and devotion. Jesus said, "If you love me, you will obey what I command...Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me... If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching.... He who does not love me will not obey my teaching.... the world must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what my Father has commanded me" (John 14:15-31; cf. 1 John 5:3 and 2 John 5-6). This repetition makes a life-changing point: If you want to honor Jesus and show that he is worthy to be loved more than anything in the world, learn his ways and obey his commands.
Third, you can imitate God. When the believers in Ephesus were struggling with conflict, the apostle Paul gave them this timeless advice: "Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God" (Eph. 5:1-2; see 1 John 2:6). As Paul knew, imitating Jesus in the midst of conflict is the surest path to restoring peace and unity with those who oppose us (see Eph. 4:1-3). More importantly, when we live out the gospel in our lives and mirror Jesus' humility, mercy, forgiveness, and loving correction, we surprise the world and give concrete evidence of the Lord's presence and power in our lives (see Phil. 1:9-11; 1 Peter 2:12).
Fourth, you can acknowledge God. As God gives you grace to respond to conflict in unusual and effective ways, other people will often take notice and wonder how you do it. If you are silent, they may give you credit for the remarkable things you have done, which would rob God of his glory. Instead, use these special opportunities to breathe grace to other people by telling them that it is God who has been working in you to do things you could never do on your own (Phil. 2:13; 1 Peter 3:14-16). Then go on to share the gospel, telling them of Jesus' love for them, his saving work on the cross, and his offer to forgive their sins and free them from the attitudes and actions that lead to conflict. You may have their attention only for a moment. Make the most of it by pointing straight at Jesus and giving him all the glory.
Every time you encounter a conflict, you will inevitably show what you really think of God. If you want to show that you love him "with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind" (Matt. 22:37), then ask him to help you trust, obey, imitate, Ste and acknowledge him, especially when it is difficult to do so. This behavior honors God and shows others how worthy he is of your devotion and praise.
“Glorify God,” excerpt from chapter one, in The Peacemaker, by Ken Sande.
Sing: Song List for Sunday
1. “Let the Nations Be Glad,” by Matt Boswell
2. “My Worth Is Not in What I Own,” Arr. The Worship Initiative
3. “Christ Is All,” by Matt Boswell
4. “Yet Not I but Through Christ in Me,” by CityAlight