In the Bible study on 1 Cor 3:1-9 we looked again at the topic of spiritual maturity or growing up in God. Paul’s discussions contrasting human wisdom with God’s wisdom were firmly rooted in the problems experienced in the Corinthian church, touched on in 1 Cor 1:10-17 and now expanded in more detail. The Corinthians were described as ‘worldly’, demonstrating the folly of immature thinking, because their attitudes were full of jealousy and quarrelling and they had a tendency to place leaders on pedestals, not understanding that the nature of growth lies with God (we may plant and water the seed, but it is God who makes it grow!) They had completely misunderstood the whole question of servanthood, so ably demonstrated by Jesus (see Mark 10:42-45, John 13:1-13, Phil 2:1-11). Paul was at pains to remind the Corinthians that we all have different functions in the church (see 1 Cor 12:12-31 and Romans 12:4-8), but growth comes about through the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We have to leave behind our worldly way of thinking and reasoning if we are to grow to maturity, thus fulfilling God’s purpose for our lives (see Eph 4:14-16).

There are indeed rewards for our labours (see 1 Cor 3:8) and we should indeed respect those who work hard amongst us for the Lord, but the petty childishness of favouring Apollos over Paul or Peter over Apollos had no place in the church and we need to reflect on the fact that only Christ must have the pre-eminence in our churches (see Col 1:18). Service and servanthood have to be the heart attitudes of all who are maturing. ‘A mature Christian uses his gifts as tools to build with, while an immature believer uses gifts as toys to play with or trophies to boast about.’

Jesus said, ‘… you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’ (Acts 1: 8) As we have been praying for the Holy Spirit’s power in May, this month let’s pray for the purpose of the filling of the Holy Spirit to be fulfilled in our lives: witness.

• Pray for the witness of the whole Church in Goldthorpe (our church, Salvation Army and the parish church), as well as churches in Thurnscoe and Bolton-on-Dearne and other Dearne towns

• Pray for us as we ‘prayer walk’ the streets during June, asking God to lead us and direct us to those He is preparing for salvation and to guide us in our prayer for our locality. Join with us if you can on 11^th & 25^th June at 7:30 p.m. (or pray in the church building if you are not able to walk far.)

• Pray for our individual witness, where ever we are: at home with family and friends, with our neighbours, in our locality, or at work.

‘Being salt and light demands two things: we practise purity in the midst of a fallen world and yet we live in proximity to this fallen world.’ (David Kinnaman) Let’s continue to pray for love and holiness to be seen in our lives, for these are powerful aspects of our witness. As Garry reminded us on Sunday, witness is about more than the words we speak. We earn the right to speak through our obedient, holy living, and we can only do this as we abide in Christ and yet remain in the world: ‘May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.‘ (John 17:21)

Col 3:16 urges us to let the word of Christ dwell in us richly and indicates that this can be done through a variety of means, including teaching and admonishing one another and singing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. Singing is a very powerful way of getting God’s word into our hearts (the psalms were intended to be sung and many modern songs are actually simply words from the Psalms set to music) and also of declaring God’s word aloud. Songs can also be powerful prayers, for we need to open our hearts to God and ask Him to reveal more of Himself to us and to mould us and use us as He sees fit. ‘Here I Am’ by Jeremy Camp (echoing Isaiah’s words in Is 6:8) is a song which articulates for me many of the prayers I find in my heart at this present time. Never think that Christian songs are simply time-fillers, ways to make a service last longer, or that they are of no importance in our daily living. In the truths they proclaim and in the prayers they articulate, they are powerful words which can help us to grow in Christ and help us to be rooted and grounded in the word of God.

‘You are waiting for us to move.
There is so much more
Deeper than I’ve ever known and known before.
When we draw near
I see the mysteries of who You are.
Reveal my heart to be renewed
Until nothing’s left but You,
Only You.

Here I am.
Falling to my knees I’m crying out again.
Jesus, take me deeper than I’ve ever been.
Lord, here I am:
All of me reaching to the places that I cannot see;
Desperately, I need You to know me
Here I am.

You are waiting for me to see
All of who You are.
God, You are so patient with me
Day after day.
Come. living water, let me drink from Your amazing grace.
Reveal my heart to be renewed
Until nothing’s left but You,
Only You.

Let the things of earth lose their hold on me.
Let Your river flow, You are breaking me free
I will lift my hands in Your presence, God,
Make me like You are.

Here I am,
Everything surrendered.
I am Yours
Nothing else that matters,
Laying down every one of my fears ,
God, won’t You
God, won’t You move me?
Here I am ‘ (‘Here I Am’, Jeremy Camp)

Continuing the theme of detoxification, we need to be careful what we drink.

Jesus offers us living water to drink (John 7:37-38), water that will slake our thirst and satisfy us, water that is pure and refreshing.

Instead of drinking from this water, however, we tend to prefer a host of other drinks:

sugary fizzy drinks

tea or coffee

alcohol

We prefer these drinks because they taste nicer to us or we like the effects they provide (more energy, fewer inhibitions, blotting out painful situations or memories and enabling us to see life through rose-tinted spectacles). We need to understand, however, that any substitute for God’s living water will not ultimately satisfy us or do us good. Too many sugary drinks rot our teeth and cause us to become overweight. Too much caffeine interferes with our body’s natural need for rest. Too much alcohol slows down our reactions and prevents us from thinking clearly.

Just as water is the only drink really with no adverse side effects (and the only fluid which is absolutely essential to life), so God is the only true source of joy and pleasure which will never harm us. Jeremiah said, ‘My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.’ (Jer 2:13)

Let’s cut out the fine-tasting but potentially harmful drinks from our lives and learn to slake our thirst in God alone. Let’s leave behind everything which is only a substitute for God and settle only for ‘the real thing.’

Detoxing is all the craze in many health circles. The abbreviation ‘detox’ is short for ‘detoxification’, meaning to rid the body of all toxic or unhealthy substances, and usually refers to periods when certain foods and drinks and substances are avoided and healthier substances substituted.

It’s a sad fact of life that we often ingest substances which may taste pleasant, but which often do us little physical good: junk food, a surfeit of sweet things, too much caffeine or alcohol and so on. To detox means to consciously abstain from such things in an attempt to rid the body of all harmful things so as to regain a healthy and more balanced equilibrium.

What is true in the physical realm also applies to our spiritual wellbeing. Prayer, Bible study, fellowship and wholesome, holy, obedient living based on God’s word are crucial to our spiritual health, but other things easily creep in. Sometimes the things that dominate our daily lives are not in themselves sinful, but anything which takes our attention from Christ needs to be firmly resisted. Work, hobbies, TV, sport, social media, even friends and family, can all become toxic to our spiritual health if we overdose on them. God is a jealous God seeking whole-hearted devotion, not because He is needy and demanding, but because He knows better than we do ourselves what is needed for spiritual health to flourish.

Is it time for a spiritual detox?

Is it time to fast not only from food or drink but from things which are getting in the way of our first love?

Is it time to pray ‘search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting’? (Ps 139:23-24)

Paul reminds us that God cannot be mocked and that we reap what we sow. (Gal 6:7) If we sow to please our sinful nature, allowing self free rein (and reign!), we will reap destruction. If we want to reap eternal life and to know peace with God, we must sow to please His Spirit. (Gal 6:8-9)

Nothing is more important than our relationship with God. His desire is for us to live holy lives that are set apart for His glory. Physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. (1 Tim 4:8) It’s time to throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles and run with perseverance the race marked out for us. (Heb 12:2)

‘I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.’ (Gal 2:20)

Sometimes others say what I struggle to articulate. Listen here.

‘In this obsession with the things this world says make us happy
Can’t see the slaves we are in all the searching all the grasping
Like we deserve much more than all these blessing we’re holding
So now I’m running free into an ocean of mercy unending

So come and empty me
So that it’s you I breathe
I want my life to be
Only Christ in me
So I will fix my eyes
‘Cause you’re my source of life
I need the world to see
That it’s Christ in me
That it’s Christ in me

Done with what holds me down the things I once was chasing after
Throw off these heavy chains that I have let become my master
So now I’m running free into an ocean of mercy unending

So come and empty me
So that it’s you I breathe
I want my life to be
Only Christ in me
So I will fix my eyes
‘Cause you’re my source of life
I need the world to see
That it’s Christ in me
That it’s Christ in me.’ (‘Christ In Me’, Jeremy Camp)