Class 3 – Prepared Unto All Good Works

God’s Perspective About Your Mind Transformed by the Renewing of Your Mind Prepared Unto All Good Works

  

“Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building. According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon.”

1 Corinthians 3:9-10

“husbandry” – georgion – tillage, cultivation; RV – “tilled land.” Only in NT

“laborers together” – fellow-workers, partners, co-workers (Diaglott)

“building” – oikodome – the act of building up – not only a field to be cultivated, but a house that God can dwell in – the temple of the living God

Our minds are the tilled, cultivated land under the management of Almighty God

He is cultivating it to produce a harvest to Himself

Our minds are like the erection of a building by the Master Architect

He is designing a home where He might dwell

In both cases, we are given the privilege of partnering in the work – to cultivate our minds and provide a dwelling place for our Lord

John 14:16-17 – “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.”

John 15:5 – “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.”

Romans 8:9-11 – “Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.”

As our transformation progresses, the flesh is deadened and the mind of our Lord dwells in us and progressively dominates our thinking

It empowers us to do good works We discern life through different eyes We progressively become a temple of God!

“Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” 1 Corinthians 3:16

Parable of the talents – Matthew 25:14-30 Divided according his several ability (ability:

dunamis – miraculous power) dunamis – “spirit and power of Elias” (Luke

1:17); “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.” (2 Cor.4:7); “I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” (2 Cor. 12:4)

Therefore, distribution of talents was not about one’s shrewdness in business, one’s scholarly capacity – it was about the presence of the power of Christ!

Hebrews 11:24-26Acts 7:20-28 – but his thinking needed transformationvs. 22 – “…So Moses was educated in all the learning of the Egyptians, and possessed great influence through his eloquence and his achievements.” WeymouthExodus 2:11-14 Exodus 4:10-17 – LXX (vs. 10) – “…I have not been sufficient in former times, neither from the time that thou hast begun to speak to thy servant: I am weak in speech, and slow-tongued.” (vs. 13) “I pray thee, Lord, appoint another able person…”

Building Carnal Mind Mortifying Carnal Mind Prepared Unto All Good Works

Exodus 3

vs. 10 “I will send thee”vs. 12 “Certainly I will be with thee”vs. 15 “Thus thou shalt say”vs. 16 “Go and gather the elders”vs. 20 “And I will stretch out my hand…”vs. 21 “And I will give this people…”

Exodus 4vs. 1 “But, behold they will not believe me…”vs. 10 “O my Lord, I am not eloquent…”vs. 10 “I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.”

LXX – vs. 10 – “And Moses said unto the LORD, I pray LORD, I have not been sufficient in former times, neither from the time that thou hast begun to speak to thy servant: I am weak in speech and

slow-tongued.”vs. 13 “Oh, my Lord, please send somebody else.”

Names of his two sons…

Gershom – “a stranger here”

Eliezer – “God is my help”

Moses was now a sojourner, recognizing God as his strength

A significant “mixed” multitude

“One law shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you.” 12:49

“Thou shalt neither vex a stranger, nor oppress him: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt. Ye shall not afflict any widow, or fatherless child.” 22:21-22

“Also thou shalt not oppress a stranger: for ye know the heart of a stranger, seeing ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.” 23:9

“But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.” Lev. 19:34

“The Lord is my strength”

“And it shall be when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What is this? that thou shalt say unto him, By strength of hand the LORD brought us out from Egypt, from the house of bondage:” 13:14

“Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day.” 14:13

“The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt him.” 15:2

God systematically helps us remove Egypt from our thinking

There may be a “Midian” experience required to remove it In order to serve Him best, we will need to deaden the

thinking of the flesh and develop spiritual thinking When our faith fails, He patiently works with us – He may

even make accommodation! When we recognize that we are sojourners and our

strength is God, then we are prepared unto all good works

“And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.”

Luke 15:14-19

Mark 5:18-20 Luke 8:38-40

In this account, we see a fully carnal mind, out of control, no man could tame him. Yet, Jesus was able to heal the raging mind. When sitting, clothed and in his right mind, Jesus immediately puts him to work in Decapolis.

Losing your job and financial stability can help you later to appreciate the psychological trauma others are undergoing

Studying the Word now prepares one for a “word in season” later

Serving when young in the CYC prepares you for future service in the full ecclesia

Losing a loved one provides one with a special sensitivity to those who mourn

Surviving cancer with a “mind exercised thereby” opens door to be of special value to those undergoing treatment

Letters from several Christadelphian sisters

“That surrender gave me such peace as I faced the operation and am now in recovery. It has given me fresh light and understanding about what people facing serious medical problems face. Not only what they face but the emotional impact the illness has on the family members. I really never gave a lot of thought about any of this before since I had been spared any serious illnesses all my life. What I have learned and what has been a life-changing eye opener for me is that there is definitely a difference between sympathy (which I think I always had) and empathy which I now feel deep in my heart.”

“But the most important part of my diagnosis and treatment was my family, friends, brothers and sisters who cared and prayed for me.  My time in prayer to our Heavenly Father was my strength.  I firmly believe that our father would not put me through any battle that I could not handle.  I believe this battle was to strengthen my love and belief in him.” 

“I never thought why me? I thought why not me? Maybe I was strong enough to handle it, where someone else might not have been. I have had many trials in my life, maybe they were preparing me for a cancer diagnosis. Maybe God is using my life to help others. What I really think is that he is preparing me for his Kingdom. If I tell someone who is hurting, that I understand, I really do. Maybe that will be my job in the Kingdom, to comfort others - or maybe hospitality chairperson.

  My view of fellowship has changed for the good. The way I deal with people has changed too. I try harder to reach out to others in the ecclesia, where I might not have before. Everyone is going through something. I hope God will continue to use me to do his will and show his love.”

“There is indeed a sudden and dramatic bond that seems to be established between each other. You find that you have an overwhelming love and concern from them. Not only are they there to help you every step of the way but they can give advice about what to expect before and after the operation. One sister from another ecclesia became like a big sister to me. She sent me cards and little stone-like objects with Scriptures on them for me to put in my pocket to pull out to read and meditate on while in recovery. She visited me in the hospital and brought me a pillow to help while in bed. After I got home she called and gave spiritual encouragement. Another sister, who was just finishing cancer treatment, called often, sent cards and came to visit after the operation. This support was of great spiritual comfort to me. It opened my eyes to ways I can now respond to others in need with great empathy and practical acts of kindness.”

“Although I always sent out cards to cancer patients and survivors – I now know what to say to help others through the experience.  It also helps to let others know what you went through – my chemo and concurrent radiation was different from a lot of experiences.  Now when I hear of someone diagnosed with cancer I can tell them I sympathize, what to expect, to let God work through their issues and that there will be an outpouring of thoughts, cards and prayers on their behalf.  And then I try and keep in touch throughout the process, checking their experiences and progress, until, God willing, they are out of the woods.”

“What helped me was the wonderful outpouring  of love, concern and prayers from brothers and sisters all over the world!  Most of all I appreciated the sisters locally calling and offering any kind of help I needed.  One sister was very much a strength to me since she was still going thru her trials with cancer and  calling me to offer advice. Two sisters were particularly helpful to keep in touch frequently and actually going with me for difficult doctor’s  visits.  Another sister drove me to a doctor’s visit when I wasn’t supposed to drive. Also an offering of a meal here and there was a big help as well. One sister from another state was in touch constantly by phone and I felt free to call her anytime I needed to talk or just whine and cry or laugh.  All those things helped.  With the input from friends who have been through this and knowing God is in control, I feel confident all will go well.“

“We are serving others as Christ served us. In doing so, we serve Christ. We look beyond our immediate circumstances, beyond the person to whom at this moment we might be rendering service and see Christ in him. “Not with eyeservice as men-pleasers, but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart” (Eph. 6:6). In this way, the most outwardly unpleasant service can take on a different hue.”

“Good works, in the widest sense, are the measure of our spiritual progress in reaction to the Truth. They are the fruits of the spirit. Faith, zeal, purity, love, compassion, preaching, benevolence and kindness in all its forms: not one can be excluded. The sort of compassion which animated Jesus must animate each of his followers, compassion for all men’s needs, both spiritual and material. Indeed, the Scriptures point repeatedly to the unselfishness of our charity in material things as being an indication of the sincerity of our spiritual profession.”

Works alone can deceive us about the level of spiritual maturity we have reached

It is what gets most reinforced and recognized by our families and brothers and sisters

We can “turn it off and turn it on”

It is often rooted in dark corners of our mind which seek personal gratification Better to develop minds that are minds of Christ. A

dwellingplace where good works are not forced, but flow naturally.

God moves in a mysterious wayHis wonders to perform;

He plants His footsteps in the sea, And rides upon the storm

His purposes will ripen fast, Unfolding every hour:

The bud may have a bitter taste, But sweet will be the flower.

Blind unbelief is sure to err, And scan His work in vain;God is His own interpreter,And He will make it plain.

William Cowper (1731-1800)

Verse 10

“For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (NIV)poiema - a product, that is, fabric (literally or figuratively): - thing that is made, workmanshipproetoimazo - to fit up in advance (literally or figuratively): - ordain before, prepare afore.RV – “which God hath afore prepared”

The field was cultivated for this purpose. The building was designed for this work. God knows well in advance what we will need to do His works.

Used twice only in the NT – both by Apostle Paul One is about the natural creation “For the invisible

things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made…” Romans 1:20

The second is about a spiritual creation – us! Like the natural creation, His workmanship is our spiritual development that produces good works that allow us to clearly see and understand God through the marvels of His creation

We are now called to be within the natural framework of the new creation – in harmony with the wonderful works of the Almighty God

The Lord’s process in our spiritual development is not exclusively “for us”

He is also preparing us for work The work to be done by us is known in advance by

our Lord Our challenge is to be fully prepared for these works

by having minds that are ruled by Him, bodies enabled by His power

In the end, he expects a return on his investment

“Paul provides the ultimate proof of this by saying that we ourselves are the workmanship of God. This means that we are only and altogether God’s, and we cannot therefore produce any good works of our own with which to purchase favour from God. Nevertheless, good works there must be, for “we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works”. Obviously, the good works that we are expected to produce will not be ours, but God’s through us. If there are not good works, it is difficult to escape the conclusion that we are not the creation of God. “

Acts 14:27 – “…they rehearsed all that God had done with them…”

Acts 15:4 “…they declared all things that God had done with them.”

Acts 15:12 “… declaring what miracles and wonders God had wrought among the Gentiles by them.”

So that the man of God may be complete, trained and made ready for every good work. (BBE 1964)

that the man of God may be complete, fully fitted to every good work. (Darby)

that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work. (ESV)

Note: we are transformed by the “renovation” of our minds. Now, the Word is what “throughly furnishes” exartizo - to fit out, to prepare perfectly, to complete for a special purpose." The picture of a transformed mind, renovated and ready for use.

“If a man keeps himself clean from the contaminations of evil he will be a vessel used for honourable purposes, clean and serviceable for the use of the master of the household, all ready, in fact, for any good purpose.”

2 Timothy 2:20-21 JBP

“Now, concerning myself, I want you to know, my brothers, that what has happened to me has, in effect, turned out to the advantage of the Gospel. For, first of all, my imprisonment means a personal witness for Christ before the palace guards not to mention others who come and go. Then, it means that most of our brothers, somehow taking fresh heart in the Lord from the very fact that I am a prisoner for Christ's sake, have shown far more courage in boldly proclaiming the Word of God.”

Philippians 1:12-14 JBP

“I lack enough Bible knowledge to effectively preach to others” “Can’t you find someone more qualified than me to do this

work? “I cannot speak” “I am not academically advanced and cannot do well with

Bible study” “I don’t know what to say to those who are in pain and

suffering – best to let others with those sensitivities do that work”

I’m too busy with life right now to be able to really involve myself as I later wish to

At some point, we must realize that we are His workmanship, we do not depend on our own capacity.

“Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.”

Philippians 2:12-13

Is well underway in each of our lives! While our bodies are anchored in flesh, our minds

are being raised from the dead NOW and empowered with the mind of the spirit

As his workmanship, he is carefully preparing us for his service

Yet, the greatest transformation lies ahead for believers!

“We shall be like him,” O how rich the promise;What greater could our Father’s love prepare?Few are the words, and softly are they spoken,But who shall tell the blessings hidden there?

“We shall be like him” – pure in heart, and sinless;But his redeeming mercy ends not there;

These bodies like to his shall then be fashioned, And we his resurrection glory share.

We shall be like him,” raised above all weakness,For ever past all weariness and pain;

E’en death itself shall have no power to reach usWhen with our risen Lord we live and reign.

So, in the hope of bearing his bright image,Rejoicing in this present gift of grace,

His love shall keep our hearts in patient waiting Till we in glorious beauty see his face.

Hymn 388