PODCAST TRANSCRIPT | Episode 105: TOGETHERNESS, Part 2
FROM OUR HOME TO YOURS w/ Nancy Campbell
EPISODE 105: TOGETHERNESS, Part 2
Are you enjoying togetherness in your family life? What about your church life? Is this your habitual experience?
Rocky Barrett: Welcome to the podcast, From Our Home to Yours, with Nancy Campbell, founder and publisher of Above Rubies.
Nancy Campbell: Hello, ladies. We are continuing again today to talk about togetherness, of course, family togetherness. I trust that you have been enjoying family togetherness this last week.
It seems as though we are always getting together here in our family. The other week we had a birthday party for my granddaughter's little girl, Ezzie. That’s Rashida’s daughter, Evangeline’s granddaughter, and my great-granddaughter. That was a fun time.
Then the next night was Memorial Day. That's gone past now. Usually we have a barbeque for Memorial Day, but this year we had a games night. Serene's daughter, Cherish decided to put on a game’s night. It was amazing.
Oh my, she just thought of some amazing fun games that required a lot of energy, and a lot of fun, and a lot of screaming and yelling. I think we must have had 75 or 80 people in our big room downstairs having such a wonderful time.
We had taco night too. Everybody brought stuff for tacos. Then after all food and games, they went out and played volleyball. Sometimes they play until ten or after at night. I think one night they were still playing until midnight!
The other Sunday, we had Rashida's baby shower. Rashida is Evangeline's daughter. She is having her third baby, a little boy this time. We must have had about 50 ladies all come together for her shower. It was such an amazing, amazing time together. Fellowship and then praying over her. People telling their fun stories of things that happened with their births. It was so great.
The other night, at our Shabbat meal, we enjoyed celebrating an engagement. We didn't plan to do this. We had invited people over. And then, at the last minute this couple said, “Oh we want to celebrate our engagement, joining you for Shabbat!” And they had just got engaged that day. So that was so beautiful and exciting.
I have to tell you who it is. You're going to get all confused, so see if I can make it simple. OK, now Pearl's son Noble, he is engaged to Megan. Megan is the daughter of Erin Harrison. I used to do a Talk Show with Erin, but somehow, we both got busy. She now has two special needs little children. We haven't done one for a while.
I think some of you know Erin. She has also done podcasts with me. So Megan and Noble are going to be married in November. But then her other daughter got engaged, Molly. And she got engaged to Riku. Now who is Riku?
Pearlie's older son, Bowen, is married to Kahoru, and Riku is Kahoru's brother. Oh wow. Have you got it all in your head now? Anyway, we're so excited about this beautiful, beautiful relationship. Riku came to visit Kahoru from Australia. He's lived most of his life in Japan, but he was in Australia and came from there
While he was here, he met Molly. They have got engaged now. Sadly, he's just had to go back to Japan. Because of visa problems, he can only stay so long in the country. Now he'll have to work out how he gets in. Most Americans don't realize that it's not so easy to come permanently into the country. We ourselves were New Zealanders. We had to become green card holders. Then after many years, we eventually got our citizenship.
But anyway, we trust it will all work out for Riku because it's just beautiful to see their lovely relationship. I love the way God brings couples together. Don't you? I believe God is in it. I really do.
I think back to the very first moment of how we read in the Word of how God created the woman out of the man. Then the Bible says: “And God brought the woman to the man.” I love that. God did it, and I believe that God still does that today. He brings the woman to the man. God is into bringing beautiful couples together.
This coming week I'm hoping to have a . . . No, this week's nearly ended as I'm sharing this with you. Next week I'm going to have a night where I'm going to have some of our courting couples. I love that. I had a courting couples’ night a few months ago. We had such a special time with all our lovely couples so I'm going to have another one. I'm looking forward to this.
Isn't it fun to think of ideas to bring members in the family together? We do this in family life, and we do it in church life. This should always be our heart. We're always thinking of fellow members of our fellowship who are part of the body of Christ. How we can relate to them? How we can ask them into our home to have a meal with us and really get to know them.
Hospitality was the lifestyle of the early Church. They didn't show hospitality once in a while, perhaps every now and then. No! They showed hospitality daily! They just so loved to be together and share the things of God together. People looked on and they saw their lifestyle. They saw their love for one another. They just saw what was happening in their lives. The Bible says: “They found favor with the people, and the Lord added daily to the church.”
Well, we're going to carry on today with more points about our togetherness in the body of Christ, and how God loves us to come together.
THE PURPOSE OF COMING TOGETHER IN ONE PLACE—
No. 6. TO BUILD ONE ANOTHER UP
TO BUILD. The purpose of coming together in one place is to build one another up. In 1 Corinthians 14:26, the Bible says: “How is it then, brethren, when you come together,” there's those words again, they keep coming up all the time. “When you come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.” That means “building up.”
The Passion Translation says: “Let each one contribute what strengthens others.” T
The New English Translation says: “Let all these things be done for the strengthening of the church.”
The World English Bible says: “Let all things be done to build each other up.”
So what did they do in the early church? A little bit different than what we do today. Mostly we come together to church, and we have our organized program of worship, and then the ministry of the Word, and so on. But when the early church came together, every one of them had an opportunity to take part, and to share. It says, every one of you, not just the pastor. Little bit different than what we do today, isn't it?
But this, once again, is the pattern. Of course, it is very difficult to do something like this in huge churches, where you have a thousand or more people meeting together. But this can happen in small churches.
We have experienced this most of our lives. Colin and I actually grew up way back in New Zealand, amongst the church affiliation known as The Brethren people. They believed in the priesthood of all believers. It was a wonderful truth. It's a Biblical truth, of this very Scripture. When you come together, it's not just the pastor who takes control, it is: “every one of you has a psalm to share or has a doctrine, or has a tongue, or has a revelation.” You've got something that God has been showing you, and you want to share it. It makes church life very exciting.
In our fellowship, my husband, who is the pastor, will always have a word ready to share. He will give a word most Sundays unless we have a visiting speaker. But we give time for sharing, for open sharing, for the functioning of the priesthood of all believers. Because we are all priests unto God, not just the pastors.
It does make life exciting. Also, it causes the people in the fellowship to not rely only on the pastor to get a word from God. No, we should all be seeking God every day in the Word. We get into the Word daily. When you come to the Word, and you're asking God to speak to you, and He gives you revelation, well then, you're wanting to share it. So it is a beautiful thing.
No. 7. WE ARE MADE ALIVE TOGETHER IN CHRIST
Ephesians 2:5: “When we were dead in sins, he quickened us together with Christ.”
No. 8. WE ARE RAISED UP TOGETHER IN CHRIST
Do you notice that in all these things, we don't only experience them singularly, but together? Ephesians 2:6: “And he has raised us up together, to sit in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”
No. 9. WE ARE BUILT TOGETHER BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD
Ephesians 2:22: “In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.” God is putting together a building. He is building us together. Just as living stones, one by one, He's putting us into this great building.
We love to sing the old chorus:
There is a virgin church, untouched by man,
A holy habitation, built by God’s own hand.
The blueprint is the Bible, the foundation is the Son,
And we are all as living stones, built in one by one.
No. 19. WE ARE JOINED TOGETHER
Ephesians 4:15-16: “Yet, speaking the truth in love, may grow up into Him, in all things, which is the Head, even Christ, from Whom the whole body, fitly joined together....“ Did you get those words? “Fitly joined together.”
This is how God sees His body. This is how He sees His church, which is His Bride. He sees us “fitly joined together.” This happens by the Spirit, but also practically. Dear ladies, this is what church is about. When we come together, it's not just to a building. Yes, we come to the building so that we can come together, and encourage one another, and build one another up, and help one another to grow so we become “fitly joined together.” And compacted, yes, not isolated, not here and there, not just unto ourselves, but no, compacted.
It's good to say those words. “Fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth.” Do you get that? “Every joint supplieth.”
You're one of the joints. Or maybe you're not a joint. Maybe you're a nerve, or maybe you're a sinew, or maybe you are an artery. But you are some important part of the body. And the body will not be what it really should be, unless you are jointly fitted in, and you are supplying to the body.
You see, we supply one another. We can't do that unless we're meeting with one another. We can only supply one another if we come together “according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the building up of itself in love.”
Wow. That Scripture, ladies, takes a lot of taking in, doesn't it? Oh, I know you'll have to go and read it again later and let the glorious truth of it sink into your soul. I don't think I've got it all yet. Oh, it is just about too much to get. But we need to read it over, to let it become part of us. So we'll be able to begin to function as God wants us to.
Now that's from the King James. But maybe you'll read it from a more modern version. Perhaps you'll understand it even a little more.
The New English Translation says, “From Him the whole body grows, fitted and held together through every supporting ligament. As each one does his part, the body grows in love.”
Do you get the picture? This is what God wants us to be. Joined together, every joint supplying, every ligament supporting another area of the body. Isn't that wonderful? We do that, precious family, as we come together. Families coming together as an extended family body in the body of Christ.
No. 11. WE ARE KNIT TOGETHER
Colossians 2:2: “That their hearts may be comforted, being knit together in love.”
Colossians 2:19: “The Head, from Whom the whole body, supported and knit together through its ligaments and sinews, grows with a growth that is from God.”
In that Scripture I read in Ephesians 4:16, about the whole body “fitly joined together and compacted,” the word “compacted” is actually the word that's translated “knit together.” The Greek word is soombibadzo. It means “to drive or force together, to unite, to gather, to knit together, compact.” So we're getting the revelation of what it really means to be a church. Amen?
No. 12. WE WILL BE CAUGHT UP TOGETHER TO BE WITH THE LORD
Notice “together”! Yes, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17: “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trump of God. And the dead in Christ shall rise first” (hose who have died and gone before) Then we, which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds.”
We're all going to go up together, even those who passed away. Yes, their spirits are with God, but their bodies are going to come alive and they're going to rise, and we're going to meet together in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air! And so shall we ever be with the Lord!
No. 13. WE WILL LIVE TOGETHER WITH HIM FOREVER
1 Thessalonians 5:10: “Who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.”
Well, lovely ladies, if we're going to live together with one another forever, we'd better get used to living with one another down here! We have to get used to living with one another in families, don't we? And even family life is not perfect. No, we have our ups and our downs, and we have our challenges, and we have our spats, and we have our disappointments with one another, maybe getting on one another's nerves. We have to learn how to live with one another, how to forbear with one another, how to have patience with one another.
So we do in the body of Christ also. There are many people who, sometimes, in our particular body, they're not easy to get on with. But we have to learn to love them. We have to learn to forbear with them. And to embrace them, even though they may not be our type, even though we may not agree with them.
We have people in our fellowship who we don't agree with them on certain issues of doctrine. They don't agree with us. But as my husband says (he says this regarding our marriage, because my husband and I don't always agree with one another, but we love one another, and that's the thing). My husband always says we don't have to agree with one another, but we have to love one another.
We have to see past grievances, see past not even agreeing with one another. We see past idiosyncrasies. We see past all these things. Even though we don't agree, we don't really . . . OK, they may not even be our type. We love. We love one another. So it's a good idea to get used to it down here because they're going to be with us for eternity!
No. 14. WE ARE TO COMFORT ONE ANOTHER WITH GOD’S WORDS
We are to comfort one another with the words that we have been sharing: “Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” (1 Thessalonians 4:18).
1 Thessalonians 5:11. Again, it says: “Wherefore comfort yourselves together and build up one another even as you also do.”
No. 15. WE ARE TO FOLLOW THE LORD TOGETHER
Philippians 3:17: “Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as you have us for an example.” So you're not only walking on your own. There you are, you're on a lonely road, walking your walk of faith. No, God wants us to do it together, because when we do it together, we'll be so much stronger in our walk.
No. 16. WE STRIVE TOGETHER FOR THE FAITH
Philippians 1:27: “Stand fast in one spirit, with one mind, striving together for the faith of the gospel.” It’s not easy to stand alone. And God doesn't want us to. He wants us to do it together.
The word striving together is soonathleho. It means “to wrestle in company with others, to seek jointly, to labor together, to strive together.” It comes from the root word athleo, meaning to contend in the competitive games.
So in our striving, in our faith, we don't do it alone. We do it together. That's why we need one another! That's why we need to meet together. That's why we need to come together as a body. Because God knows we need one another. We've got to strive together for the faith of the gospel! We'll all be so much more powerful in the gospel when striving together for the gospel, as we are doing it together.
No. 17. WE HELP ONE ANOTHER BY PRAYING TOGETHER
2 Corinthians 1:12: “Ye also helping one another by praying.”
Prayer is something we need to do together. Well, it's something you do on your own. Yes, we pray personally. But we need to pray as family. Oh precious ladies, are you praying together as a family? Family praying is so important.
But we also need to pray with others. We pray at a special prayer meeting where we gather others to pray with. Or we pray at church.
When we start our church each Sunday, we start with prayer. No, my husband doesn't open with prayer. We start by having a prayer meeting. Now that is not a prayer meeting before the church. That's church. Because the Bible says, when you come together, once again, come together, first of all, pray for those who are in authority: “For kings, and for all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceful life.” (1 Timothy 2:2) So we are commanded to pray for those who are leading us and those who are in authority. We need to do that together. There's so much more power in prayer together.
We have a weekly prayer meeting. At the moment, we have it in different places, usually our place Over the winter we've been having it at Serene's home. We have lots of young people coming to this prayer meeting. It's so wonderful.
Colin usually says, “OK, young people, I want you all to pray first,” because if we, maybe as adults, sometimes we will get praying, and we don't give time to all these amazing young people! So he will say, “Young people, you get praying first!” And they get praying!
Oh my, it's so wonderful to hear them praying! Praying for our nation, and praying for the current needs of our nation, and praying for the incredible things that are happening. Especially as I talk now, we are watching anarchy in our nation. There are many, many young people who are stirred up by those behind the scenes. We know there are people who are orchestrating this and planning these riots. Young people are being given money to do this.
So they're storming cities and burning cars with fire. They are destroying buildings and churches. They are looting and stealing. You see pictures of shops with nothing left in them. People who have established businesses over the years are just left with nothing. We see all this happening and we can't just sit idly by. We have to pray. Prayer is our only answer to stop what is happening in our nation.
We can't do it alone! We have to pray together. That's why the Bible says we are helpers together in prayer. HELPERS TOGETHER. We have to help one another.
I think I mentioned the last couple of podcasts ago how that even the angels, Michael and Gabriel, they had to help one another in fighting those spirit forces over cities. They couldn't do it alone. They had to help one another! Read about it in Daniel 10:12, 13, 20).
We're not fighting flesh and blood. Not at all! We're fighting these demonic spirits of destruction and rebellion. It's demonic spirits that we are fighting. We can't do this alone! We have to fight together in prayer! So we have to come together to pray.
This, I believe, is one of the most important things in a church, is that they pray together. Maybe as we come back to our churches, we will see more of helping one another in prayer. It's not just coming to a program. But we are coming together to build one another up and to encourage one another. We're coming together to pray and pray for the nation. These are very much part of what church life is all about.
We are in a war! A war, ladies, a war that can only be won by prayer. The greatest way we win the war against evil, and against demonic spirits, is in prayer.
I love this chapter in 1 Samuel, chapter 22. That's another chapter that you need to read on your own, later, when you get some time. It talks about David. Now when David was escaping from Saul, first of all, he escaped to the cave of Adullam. While he was there, men came to him. It's very interesting.
It says: “And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented and disgruntled, gathered themselves unto him.” He had a real lot of misfits come to him.
My, they weren't people who were successful and great and amazing. No! They were in debt, and they were disgruntled, and they were in distress. They came to David. But David became captain over them. There were about 400 of them that came. And David made them into a mighty army.
It's amazing what God, well God did it, I'm sure, through David, through those disgruntled men. But then we read of another passage. This is later now. More and more have been added to David. His company is growing and growing by the day.
In 1 Chronicles 12:1: “Now these are they that came to David in Ziklag.” He's now established in the city of Ziklag. “And all the mighty men came, helpers of the war.” David was in a war. He was still fighting or hiding from Saul. He was still fighting battles on the side. These men, they came to make David king.
Let's see, 1 Chronicles 12. Where does it say that in Scripture? Verse 38: “All these men of war, that could keep rank, came with a perfect heart to Hebron, to make David king over all Israel.” These were men of war who came. They came to be helpers of the war.
Now what are we doing as a church? We are preparing to make Jesus king over all the earth. At the moment, we're fighting many battles because Satan is out to bring down the people of God, to bring down the Kingdom of God.
We're fighting a spiritual battle, not against flesh and blood, but against these demonic spirits. And we will fight it in prayer. We, lovely ladies, have got to be HELPERS IN THE WAR. We're in the war. So what are we? Are we helpers of the war? Or are we just in the road? If we're helpers of the war, we'll be praying.
I love these other descriptions about these men who came to David (you can read them in 1 Chronicles 12):
“Men of war, fit for the battle, that could handle shield and buckler, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and were as swift as the roes upon the mountains”
“mighty men of valor”
“ready armed for the war”
“men of valor for the war“
“men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do.” That's one of my favorite Scriptures. I believe we're living in an hour when we need to know, “Oh God, what do You want us to do in this hour?” Well, I know He wants us to pray. That's our biggest weapon.
“men who were expert in war”
“they were not of a double heart”
“men of war that could keep rank”
And so they were helpers of the war. That's what we're to do, help one another in prayer. Pray as a family. Gather others with you to pray. Encourage your church members to pray together. Amen?
Yes, all right. I wonder if we can finish off our points today, ladies?
No. 18. Now this is not a very nice one, but it's in the Word, and therefore we have to read the whole counsel of God, don't we?
WE BRING JUDGMENT OF SIN WHEN WE COME TOGETHER
1 Corinthians 5:4, 5: ”In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,” Paul said, “when ye are gathered together . . . to deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.”
We don't ever see this happen in church life today. But back in the early church life, when there was sin, and this was a very grievous sin that had happened, Paul said they were to gather together. It was to be done in the gathering of God's people, not silently, not kind of hiding away. They were to do this in the gathering of God's people. They were to deliver that man “unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved . . . ” It was for his salvation.
Sadly, today, there is sin in the church. Nobody does a thing about it. People are allowed to keep on sinning. So more sin comes, because “a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.” Back then, when there was sin, this was a very grievous, adulterous sin, it was dealt with.
I remember when, back in our church in New Zealand, we faced a very horrific thing when one of our elders was caught with playing around with boys. That was horrendous. That was unbelievable. The other elders, pastors, including my husband, together brought the whole church together.
They first of all spoke to this man, and dealt with him, and dealt with him in love. Because they wanted to see his deliverance and his salvation. He was willing for discipline. He wanted to be free. So he was brought before the church. His sin was exposed.
The elders said to the people, “We don't want any of you to be visiting him. This is a time for God to deal with him. We will meet with him. We will pray with him.”
So they did. For a few months, the elders continually met with him and prayed with him. God began to work in his life, and deal with him. He came through to a great place of repentance. So much so, that there came a time when they felt that God had done His beautiful work. God had brought repentance to him and brought deliverance to him. It was time to bring him back into the church.
Now in the first meeting, it was the most solemn meeting I have ever been in in my whole life. It was, to this day, I can still feel the pins and needles. The fear of God came into that meeting. It was packed out. The church was full.
That night, at the end of that night, the altar was packed with people coming down to the altar, crying out to God, confessing their sins. That exposing of sin caused the fear of God to come into the church. People got right with God. It was most healthy, most powerful.
Then came the time when this man was received back into the church. He wasn't received back as an elder, but he was received back in love, as a member. The people embraced him and received him back.
That man went on to be able to (he was a great teacher of the Word) he went on to minister the Word around the world, because discipline had been dealt with. He was delivered. There are too many people who are shipwrecks because they have not been dealt with as God wants them to in the church fellowship.
No. 19. WE ARE TO SHOW POLITENESS AND COURTESY WHEN WE COME TOGETHER
They were having problems at Love Feasts because some were getting in before others and eating it up, and not leaving stuff for others. Even all that's dealt with in the Word of God in 1 Corinthians 11. How it says you're to show love to one another, reverence to one another, and wait for one another when you have times of love feasts and eating together.
And now No. 20. I haven't got time for it. This is the most important one! This is so powerful. The amazing thing is ladies, I have never noticed this Scripture before. How can I read the Word over and over and over and miss something? Well, here it is. Romans 1: 12.
Oh, goodness me, they're showing me the card. It's time up! I'd better do it next week. Oh, I'm so sorry!
OK, we'll do our most important point next week. Well, it's really very much part of all the others, but it's amazing. And I never noticed it before! Oh, so I'm going to share it with you next time, OK? Don't forget to listen in!
“Father, we come to You again at the end of the session. Thank You again for all these Scriptures that talk about us being together. Everything You do, Lord God, for us, You do it together, because You see us as one body. We are one body.
Yes, we are individuals, and Lord, You understand the uniqueness of each one of us. You have given specific and special gifts to each one of us. But You see us as one body, one bride, one church, one building, one house. Lord God, help us to see ourselves as You see us, and to truly be the church coming together to build one another up, coming together to be helpers in praying for one another and this nation.
Lord, help us to truly be what You want us to be, not, Lord, according to custom. Oh, God, we've gotten in so many customs of just going to church. We worship, we hear the Word, we go home. Lord, we're not really even fellowshipping with one another. Help us to be what You want us to be as the People of God. We ask it in Jesus' Name. Amen.
Transcribed by Darlene Norris.