Being A Helper Scriptures

What It Means To Be A Helper (According to the Scriptures)

Imitating Christ's Humility


Philippians 2:1-11

If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

5Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
6Who, being in very nature[a] God,did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
7but made himself nothing, taking the very nature[b] of a servant,being made in human likeness.
8And being found in appearance as a man,he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross!
9Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,
10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,to the glory of God the Father.

1 Peter 5:2
Be shepherds of God's flock, the believers who are under your care. Serve as their leaders. Don't serve them because you have to. Instead, do it because you want to. That's what God wants you to do. Don't do it because you want to get more and more money. Do it because you really want to serve.

Love Your Neighbor As Yourself

Lev. 19:17-19
"`Do not hate your brother in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in his guilt. "`Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD. "`Keep my decrees. "`Do not mate different kinds of animals. "`Do not plant your field with two kinds of seed. "`Do not wear clothing woven of two kinds of material.

Lev. 19:33-34
"`When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him. The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the LORD your God.

John 13:33-35
"My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come. "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

Chosen To Be Free

Galatians 5:13-14
My brothers and sisters, you were chosen to be free. But don't use your freedom as an excuse to live in sin. Instead, serve one another in love. The whole law can be found in a single command. "Love your neighbor as you love yourself."—(Leviticus 19:18)

Love Must Be Sincere

Rom. 12:6-11
We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully. Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.

Be Kind and Compassionate

Eph. 4:31-32
Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Hebrews 10:24-25
Let us consider how we can stir up one another to love. Let us help one another to do good works. Let us not give up meeting together. Some are in the habit of doing this. Instead, let us cheer each other up with words of hope. Let us do it all the more as you see the day coming when Christ will return.

Love One Another Deeply, From The Heart

1 Peter 3:8
Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble.

Testimony

Sharing your testimony can be a powerful act. Someone may be wandering foreign lands, but no longer deaf at the sound of your tongue. Let the Lord use you.

I must say, tonight's Bible study was powerful. Having said that, I will tell you why...Perhaps the promise I made to myself for the new year is the reason why I took the risk of sharing my personal testimony. On the other hand, the cognizant effort to take risks wasn't really on my mind. The whole thing took me by surprise. I suppose the Lord was doing a work in me.

Each of the 3 women before me shared their testimony on how they came to know the Lord, and they shared key aspects in their lives that allowed them to maintain a relationship with Him through thick and thin. Some items that were shared were ideas of youthful purity, struggles with relationships with boys (notice I didn't say men), and what it meant to grow up in the church.

For instance, my sister in Christ said that she felt more "pure when [she] was younger." She went on to explain that different college experiences led her to such things as dating unequally yoked men, consuming alcohol, not attending church regularly, and the like. All experiences causing her relationship with God to falter. However, as a result to her Christian upbringing, she was able to access the Spirit of the Lord that beckoned her.

All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful for those who keep the demands of His covenant. "For the sake of your name, O Lord, forgive my iniquity, though it is great." Ps 25:10,11

In addition, we learned that we truly do serve a jealous God and that no matter how far our curious selves stray, He'll never let us go. This was especially highlighted in one testimony about how God's place in our hearts could never and can never be filled. We may have tried to find satisfaction and validation from the men we meet, but in the end, they are only temporary. God's patience for us putting Him on the side burner is impeccable! Glory Be To God! We know that no matter how attractive he is, how many times he opens the door for us, or how much we tell our girlfriends "He's such a good guy," if his heart is not for the Lord, first, then with him neither will ours.

We often try to rationalize things in our heads, but when we finally say things aloud, we see it in a whole new perspective. Praise God for having Christian brothers and sisters who allow us a safe and positive place to speak, and help us recongnize the path of the Word versus the desires of the flesh. Amen!

It's great how no matter what the circumstances in our lives were, the constant was God. Repeated was the gratitude we had for being raised in the church, because we always knew who our heart belonged to even though we foolishly played hard to get.

Not all of our experiences were negative. Fortunately, we didn't have to share struggles with alcohol, drug, or pornography addiction. Although, those testimonies are strong and need to be shared. Instead, we had uplifting revelations such as how our struggles caused us to lean on God and learn to love and serve. Showing love to everyone and humbling oneself to serve others is not always an easy feat. But God bless the child who's on her knees. One of the testimonies shared was how the church taught how to be of service to others and exude love. This lesson, although not immediately realized, was carried through duties of (present-)eldest sibling responsibilities. It's a struggle to be the role model and caregiver at a young age. Thoughts of "why me" and "how will I accomplish my dreams" are only two comments that came to cease toward the absent mother who provided an ample house and home, food, clothing, transportation, education, support, vision of strength, and most importantly love. This realization of love initiated an admiration for an absent mother who wasn't really absent at all.

Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. Prv 22:6

Grateful are we to have been raised in the church that we may recognize God's voice when He calls to us. I'm believing that anyone who gives their heart to the Lord will distinctly hear His voice regardless if they were raised in the church or not. Is it booming with authority, or smooth like the ripple in a calm sea? For you, I'm not sure. Just open your Bible and hear His voice. Trust in Him! God is Able!

My Testimony

Fortunately, I was born into the church, raised in the church, and liked it. I didn't feel any reason to rebel against organized religion because it didn't hinder me from living life. In other words, I did not want to steal or get drunk so when the Bible and those in authority said "don't do it," it didn't phase me. Fortunately.

Now, that's not to say I've never stumbled on this path that's straight and very narrow. But, no matter the stumble-whether it caused scrapes or bruises-I always found myself in the arms of the Father. And I was not only healed, but forgiven and redeemed.

I look at life a little differently than my Sisters in Christ, and most of my friends, because of the different curve-balls pitched to me in life. Most of them I hit foul, some of them I'd like to say I hit home, and on record, there's only been one to strike me out. (Does that make any sense to you?) Regardless of how I reacted to the pitch, including striking out, I always had a reason to stay in the game. The Lord can applaud His faithful angel, my mother, for that.

The fact that I knew my mother's heart belonged to the Lord, and that He would claim her, is the only reason I've never completely turned away from God.

It didn't matter how much I hated (seriously mad at) God, or how long it took me to regain my personal relationship with Him. I always knew that Jesus was the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Jn 14:6 As a result to this knowledge, I was able to rebuild my confidence and, soon, develop a relationship that was no longer "religious" but truly spiritually connected.

I've found that the more I know about Jesus, the more I don't know. But I can honestly say that when I finally come to understand even the smallest aspect of Him, I've find myself in complete reverence embracing all of His joy. And it's a GREAT joy!

So, the conclusion of our study and time of sharing truly emphasized the incessant presence of the Lord in our lives. He never left us, or resented us for giving Him the cold shoulder. In fact, He loved us more. He showed us a warmer embrace than anything our flesh sought after, and because of this we are humbled and grateful.

Blessed are they who keep His statutes and seek Him with all their heart....I will speak of your statutes before Kings and will not be put to shame. Ps 119:2,40

These are our testimonies.

Our Body As The Temple

Tonight's WOTB discussed how our bodies are a temple for the Lord. As Christians, we have the Holy Spirit within us and must be in constant recognition of this as we move throughout our daily activities.

1 Corinthians 6: 18-20 explains that when we defile our bodies, we defile the Holy Spirit that lives within us. The picture that the Bible portrays is through sexual relationships that occur outside of holy matrimony.

Some may think that their actions are their own, when in truth they are affecting others. For instance, it hurts God. It is disappointing to Him that we give in to the desires of our flesh, rather than the guidance of the Holy Spirit. It also affects others in the sense that it causes them to violate their commitment to God. Take a look at Romans 14. It guides us to not consume things that can cause others to falter.

God calls us to live joyfully because He is with us all the time. You know, dance in the rain. Laugh in the face of danger...

My friend's pastor at Greater Christ Temple often says: "This flesh is a mess!" Meaning we need to not let the weary flesh guide us, rather be led by the Spirit of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!

Find time to speak with God. Don't know what to say? Just start with easy conversation. And, be honest! One of the women at Bible study said her mom taught her to pray: "Lord, my spirit is strong, but my flesh is weak." By saying this, you are acknowledging that your spirit longs for the Lord, but there are temptations attacking your flesh. (By the way, God wants you to ask Him for help. So...ask!)

"Do not be foolish but understand what the Lord's will is."

Ephesians 5:17 again reiterates that we must live wisely. Are you curious as to whether or not it's OK to drink, get a tatoo, or...? This conjured up a grand discussion at our study. Granted none of us have attended a seminary school, we gathered information from the Bible to answer these questions. For instance, the verse in Ephesians clearly states to not get drunk on wine because your lack of sense will cause you to be vulnerable to stupidity. Ok, I changed the words a bit. But you get my point.

Leaders of the church often discard the idea of alcohol consumption entirely because it's so easy to have one-two-many. So, they will not encourage you to practice 'responsibility' because there are so many church members who are recovering alcoholics, not responsible, give in to their weak flesh more often than to their God breathed spirit; etc. For these reasons, it makes complete sense to avoid it altogether!

In the Bible it suggests we get drunk off of the Spirit through song and praise. This is the opening track of of CeCe Winans Alabaster Box:

Fill my cup Lord/High I lift it up Lord/Come and quench this thirsting in my soul./Bread from Heaven/feed me til I want no more/Fill my cup/Fill it up/And make me whole.//

I used to sing this during college when I was going through difficult times. Just by singing it from my heart, I was strengthening my spirit. Give it a try sometime; I recommend it.

Furthermore, if the Bible is telling us to know the will of the Lord and to abide by it, then we know we have to make educated decisions. That is, the Bible does not forbid us to drink, but if you have a problem stopping after two then don't you think it's wise to let this demon go? And, tatoos are forbidden in Leviticus (Old Testament) because the ink tainted the body. However, since the New Testament we've consumed meat- including pork- because God does not want us to address any of His creations as 'unclean'. Still, what are these markings you cover your body with? Be wise as to what message you are sending to others, and to yourself on a daily basis. After all, "what you put up with, you end up with."

For me it was difficult to truly abide by the Spirit because I was uneducated in my walk with the Lord. Although I have always been a Christian, I didn't always understand the life I had to lead. Then, I had that A-HA! moment when you finally understand why 4+4=8. Once I finally got that, I knew that I it wasn't enough just to be a nice person who gives to others selflessly, attends church, and calls their self a Christian.

I have to literally be the image of God, and I'll learn how through the Word and the message shared by my pastors and anything/one the Lord sends my way to speak to me.

Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!

Today's Bible Lesson...

The woodpecker might have to go!

Everything I need to know about life, I learned from Noah 's Ark.
One : Don't miss the boat.
Two : Remember that we are all in the same boat.
Three : Plan ahead.. It wasn't raining when Noah built the Ark.
Four : Stay fit. When you're 600 years old, someone may ask you to do something really big.
Five : Don't listen to critics; just get on with the job that needs to be done.
Six : Build your future on high ground.
Seven : For safety sake, travel in pairs.
Eight : Speed isn't always an advantage. The snails were on board with the cheetahs.
Nine : When you're stressed, float a while.
Ten : Remember, the Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.
Eleven: No matter the storm, when you are with God, there's always a rainbow waiting.

You're smiling, aren't you.... :)