LIFE TO THE FULL w/ Nancy Campbell

EPISODE 378: HOW CAN WE FOLLOW IN THE STEPS OF CHARLIE KIRK?

We praise God that thousands are rallying to take up Charlie’s mantle to boldly proclaim the Gospel and biblical truths to the world. What do we need to do to be ready for this task?

Announcer: Welcome to the podcast, LIFE TO THE FULL with Nancy Campbell, founder and publisher of Above Rubies, a magazine bringing strength and encouragement to families across the world.

Nancy Campbell: Wow! Ladies! I wonder if you watched yesterday, Sunday afternoon, the memorial service for Charlie Kirk. It was so amazing. We finished church and got it all set up to watch on the big screen. We watched from one o’clock until well after five o’clock. No, after six! Yes. It was over five hours, but we were held spellbound.

It was so amazing. I hope you were watching. If you didn’t get a chance to watch, I hope you can look up and find at least some parts of it because it was so inspiring. There were about two million live audience, and then they believe that it went out by YouTube and livestream to at least 100 million viewers. It was going out across the world.

And the amazing thing, ladies, is that the gospel message went out across the world. It was so incredible. In fact, it started with Pastor Rob McCoy giving the gospel message and sharing how we’ve all sinned. And yet Jesus came from the glorious Heaven down to this sin-sick world to not only become a man and live amongst us, but to die upon the cross for our sins, for my sins, for your sins, and to pay the price of our redemption.

He spoke it out so clearly, and then he asked anyone who wanted to stand up and say: “Yes, I want to receive Christ. I want to follow Christ with all my life.” Many stood up all over that great auditorium. It was so amazing. It was such a bold proclamation of the gospel, just as Charlie Kirk was such a bold confessor of the truth and the Word of God.

In fact, I think since Charlie’s assassination, which, of course, has been the most grieving and saddest thing, that this young man so full of passion to reach the young people of this generation was taken so terribly from us, yet, God has been doing wonderful things. I think there comes such a boldness to speak God’s Word. I mean, we saw this, even with all the speakers. There were speakers right from one o’clock until after six o’clock yesterday. It was so amazing.

But I loved the way . . . I guess you've already listened to so many small bites of Charlie Kirk, and what he would say. I love the way he made them so simple and so clear to get the word out. He didn’t just speak God’s Word inside closed doors to only the Christians. No, he got God’s Word into his heart, and he said it to the world, in fact, right out to the most liberal and antagonistic students of our day. But he would say: “Every day, read the Bible, do what it says, and then tell other people what it says.” So simple! And yet, since his death, that has begun to happen in so many amazing ways.

Well, oh yes, I loved too how he . . . Have you noticed how he didn’t just speak about theological things, although he debated many theological arguments with college students around the nation, but he spoke about the things that are so close to God and are so much in the Word of God.

He had such a vision to raise up men to be men instead of just playing around like little boys. I love that one he spoke about to men. Did you ever see this? He tells about when a person gets dressed to go to a funeral, they usually wear a suit. Usually that is what you wear to a wedding as well. He said:

“You’re saying good-bye to your previous self. The woman is the icon, the symbol of beauty, almost always in white. The man, usually in black and white like he’s attending somebody’s death, because, at his wedding, it is a death.

It’s the death of the bachelor mindset.

It’s the death of promiscuity.

It’s the death of the wandering eye.

It’s the death of immoral behavior.

It’s the death of texting girls casually.

It’s the death of ‘I get to do what I want to do.’

It's the death of going to the bar with friends.

It’s the death of acting like an infant.

It’s the death of playing video games until 1.00 am., and . . .

It’s the birth of a man!”

Wow! Well, you don’t often even hear that kind of message from the pulpit, do you? But that was Charlie Kirk. What a great message! And how true it is. I’ve noticed that with all our grandsons getting married, and we have many grandsons married now. Many of them were married at the young age of 18 years of age. Were they too young? No, they weren’t too young.

Every one of those young men, they didn’t play around. They didn’t play around looking at girls. Every one of them, when they saw the one that they knew was the one, and it happened with all of them. They saw that one girl and they knew that was the one. They got on the job. It wasn’t too long later that they were married.

Every one of them have good jobs. They provide well for their wives, and they’ve embraced children, which of course, is part of getting married. If you're not ready to have children, well, you're not ready to be married. It doesn’t matter whether you're 38. That’s the sad thing in our society today, even in the church, that there are young men in their late twenties, and they may have a girlfriend, but they don’t seem to know how to take responsibility, get married, provide, and raise a family!

That was a word that Charlie loved to share with young people. It is true. We noticed these young grandsons, they were just young teenagers, and suddenly they get married, and they’re like men! They became men overnight because they had to take on responsibility.

HAVE MORE CHILDREN THAN YOU CAN AFFORD

That’s another thing that Charlie used to love to say:

“Get married young, work hard to provide,

and have more children than you can afford.”

Well, was that just a crazy statement? No, it’s not, because I think every one of you listening, you know, don’t you? Every baby you had, well, you didn’t have a load of money in the bank. You didn’t think, “Wow! We’ve got plenty of money! We’ll have a baby because we can provide for this little one.”

No, most probably most of you never had enough money to provide. In fact, I think if we had waited until we could provide to have our children, we wouldn’t have any children! Because mostly, you never have enough money to provide for a baby when you conceive. But, as we all know, the amazing thing is, God is in it.

God is in conception. He’s the One who gives conception. God is into having babies! God loves babies. God wants the godly seed to come into this world. What happens is, you might not have any money before the baby comes. Sometimes you don’t have any money when the baby comes, but somehow God provides. He does it. He provides.

I love that Scripture over in Deuteronomy 28. That’s the blessing chapter. Actually, it’s also the cursing chapter, but I have to confess I don’t read these curses as much as I read the blessings. Well, the blessings are to those who obey and walk in the commandments of the Lord. The cursings are for those who refuse to do that.

But anyway, in these blessings, it says here, in verse three: “Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field.” Isn’t that great, ladies? You know, it doesn’t matter whether you live in the city or whether you live in the country, God wants to bless you wherever God has put you.

It goes on the say: “Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb.” That’s the very first blessing God talks about. And then He goes on to say: “Blessed shall be the fruit of your ground, and the fruit of your cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store.” In other words, after the blessing of the womb, then He says, “I’ll bless you with everything you need to provide for this baby. I’ll increase your sheep and your cattle, and I’ll bless your basket and your store. The provision you need to feed and clothe these children I will give you.”

So, Charlie’s word is a good word. “Have more children than you can afford.” Well, it’s so right. It doesn’t matter whether you can afford them. You go ahead. You trust God for the children He wants to give you whether it’s only one. Sometimes that happens. Or whether it’s six, eight, nine, or ten. Yes, and God will provide for everyone because He says it here in His Word.

Charlie was not ashamed to speak the Word of the Lord. In fact, when you think about this passage, all over this county, and pastors won’t even talk about having children in their pulpit. They’re scared somebody might get offended. I can’t believe it! Pastors who are meant to speak the whole counsel of God. And you’d think that part of the whole counsel of God would be the very FIRST commandment that God ever gave, the very first words He spoke into the ears of man: “Be fruitful. Multiply. Fill the earth. Subdue and take dominion.”

These are first words He said. Yet many pastors are too scared to even speak about them. Sometimes they make jokes about them. This is coming from the pulpit. Yet, here was Charlie. He spoke these words not just in closed doors in a church. He spoke to them out there to the world, to these young atheists, and those who are totally brainwashed, and who don’t believe in God. He spoke the Word of God to them, because that’s what we’re meant to do. “We read the Word. We do what it says. And we tell everyone else what it says.: Doesn’t matter who they are. We tell them the truth. Amen?

Well, it was just so great to hear so many of these speakers. I loved hearing Benny Johnson. He mentioned how Stephen in the Bible, he was the first martyr. He says, “I believe that Stephen was martyred at the age of 31,” which is the age that Charlie was murdered.

I thought, “Well, that’s interesting. I’d better look it up.” I did, and most commentaries and historians say that he would have been anything from 27 to 31 years. That’s interesting, isn’t it?

Then when Donald Trump, Jr., got up to speak, oh my! It was the most powerful, powerful message. If you can look it up, you need to hear it. He was speaking about Stephen, the first martyr too. He said, “You know, you read in the Word of God of Jesus sitting at the right hand of the throne of God, but when Stephen was being martyred, it says he looked up steadfastly in Heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God. And Stephen said: ‘Behold, I see the heavens open, and Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.’”

And he said, “Well, OK. We usually read of Jesus sitting at the right hand, but I believe that as Stephen was coming into the presence of God, Jesus was standing up to welcome him.” I’m sure that’s what Jesus was also doing that moment when Charlie finished his life on this earth, because it was in one minute, one second. They say that bullet came and that was it. He never suffered any pain. Charlie went into the presence of the Lord, and Donald Trump, Jr., said, “I am sure that Jesus stood up to welcome His beloved son into His presence.” I love that thought.

I can’t tell you about all the speakers. Goodness me, there were so many of them, but many of the current administration were speaking. I was unbelievably amazed. I didn’t know these people were so much on the side of God. Every single one of them spoke the gospel. In fact, Tucker Carlson, his speech was amazing too. He said, “In these last eleven days, I have spoken more boldly about Jesus than I ever have in my whole life. That’s what I want to do now.” (Actually, I think that may have been J. D. Vance). So amazing to hear that.

We also heard from Tulsi Gabbard, Director of National Intelligence; Marco Rubio, Secretary of State; RFK, Secretary of Health and Human Services; Pete Hegseth, Secretary of War; JD Vance, the Vice-President, of course. Every one of these people spoke the gospel clearly. It was amazing. Oh, it was incredible. And then, Erika herself got up. That was the most moving thing you could ever see. How she said that she has forgiven this man who killed her husband, took him away from her. And yet, she has forgiven. It was just so moving to hear her say these words.

Last was President Trump, who also glorified the Lord. He spoke of the time when Charlie opened his heart and received Christ Jesus as his Savior and Lord. So, it was like a whole gospel afternoon. It was amazing.

And we know that since Charlie has passed into the glory of the eternal realm, so many young people have been affected and are wanting to rise up and take his place. Of course, no one will ever, ever take the place of Charlie. He was unique. He was mightily anointed by God. There is no one quite like him.

But, of course, there will be many. We pray for hundreds, thousands, even millions, who will rise up to speak boldly the gospel and God’s truths as Charlie did. In fact, I heard that there had come to Turning Point USA (which Charlie began when he only a young guy of 18 years of age. He began this amazing movement). There have come in these last eleven days 62,000 requests for Turning Point chapters in the colleges across our nation (think it may have been 54,000). Now, that is unbelievably amazing!

I think we should pray much about that, because, obviously, all these people have been so impacted. They’re now filled with passion and fervor to openly share the gospel in the darkest of places, in these universities and colleges where they’ve been brainwashed against everything that is truth and that is Bible.

They want to take this truth. But, as I’m thinking about this, and I’m so thrilled about it, I feel a burden to pray. I think we should all be praying that all these precious young people who now have this fervor upon them will get something even more than just the fervor to go in Charlie’s footsteps. I pray they will get a burden and a longing to seek after God with all their hearts, to seek after truth, to get to know the Bible, because it’s all very well to have a fervor to go out there and do what Charlie was doing. But they have to have it in them. Charlie had it in him, because he disciplined his life to study the Word of God, and to study the answers that he could give these young people.

THE TONGUE OF THE LEARNED

I was just reading Isaiah 50:4: “The Lord God hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: He wakeneth morning by morning, He wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned.”  When I read that Scripture, I picked up that phrase: “the tongue of the learned.”

And that’s what Charlie had. He had “the tongue of the learned.” He had learned. He had studied. He had prepared. He had disciplined his life to prepare so that he could know and know what God said about all these different subjects, so that he could take them out there, and speak the truth, and speak the Word of the Lord. I’m praying so much for all these wonderful, precious young people with this fervor upon them, that they will have this great desire to have “the tongue of the learned.” Yes, that they will be prepared to be prepared.

How do we get prepared? How will they get prepared? Well, it tells us in the same verse: “Morning by morning, He wakens my ear to hear as the learned.” This is the secret. This is the answer. Will they do it? Let’s pray, shall we, for this great revival that is happening, that it will be a deep revival, not a shallow one, but one where these young people will wake every morning. When God comes to wake them, they’ll be ready to be awake.

Now that means that they won’t be staying up all night, just hanging out, and wasting their time, as most young people do today. It's become the thing of the young people today to hang out at night. Then they can’t get up in the morning. So many young people today sleep in. It’s actually not how God planned our lives. He gave us the night to sleep. He gives us the day, and the dawn to wake up, and to wake up early. “Morning by morning, He awakens my ear to hear as the learned.”

And so, there often has to be a change of lifestyle. In fact, it speaks to all of us. I have this burden for all these amazing young people, but it’s for all of us, and for our children. Mothers, what kind of lifestyle are we training our children into? Are we just letting them sleep in? It is sad, because I know there are many homeschooling mothers who let their children sleep in. They’re not training them according to how life is meant to be lived!

There are some who don’t need so much sleep. They can stay up later and get up early. But there are some who need more sleep, and if they need more sleep, well, they’d better get to bed on time so they can be ready to wake, so they can hear what God says to them.

That word “learned,” we’d better find out what it means. It means, “to be taught, trained, skilled.” The word in the Hebrew is limmud, L-I-M-M-U-D.  It also means, “to be a disciple or a student.” It doesn’t happen by haphazard reading of the Bible. “OK, somewhere I’ll get ten minutes in during the day and read some of the Bible.”

No, what does the Scripture say? “He wakens my ear, morning by morning.” It also means, “to be ready, to get up, to be disciplined.”

The God’s Word Translation says: “Morning by morning, He will wake me, to listen like a student.”

The New English Translation: “He wakes me up every morning. He makes me alert so I can listen attentively, as disciples do.”

The Berkeley Translation: “He alerts my ear to hear as a student.”

And so, it’s becoming a student of the Word of God. What does a student do? A student studies. It’s not just reading the Bible. It’s studying the Bible. It’s studying it to see what God says. It’s studying the doctrines of the Bible. And what is doctrine? It’s what God says about any subject, from Genesis to Revelation. It’s not just one verse. “I read one verse. Oh yeah, that’s great!” No, that’s not the doctrine on the subject. There will be more! There’s so much more!

ARE YOU READY FOR STUDY?

We have to see, what does God say from Genesis to Revelation? We’re going to have to study. I love 2 Timothy 2:15; one of the Scriptures I memorized as a young teen. It says: “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth.” Do you notice some words there, ladies? Did you notice it says, “a workman”? It doesn’t say, “a lazy man,” or “a lazy woman.” No, a “WORKman.” It’s talking about a workman coming to the Word of God.

That reminds me of a little story I read of Alexander MacClaren. He is a great commentator of the Word of God. That’s years ago, but I love to read his writings. I read how every day, when he went into his study to wait on the Lord, to get his messages ready, or to write the book he was writing, he would put on his working boots. It would be very easy to stay in his slippers in his Bible study room. But no, he would put on his working boots like he was going outside to do some hard work. It caused his mind to realize, “Yes, I’m in work mode as I’m studying the Word of God.” I love that.

And so, the word there, “study,” is the word spoudazo. I like saying that word. I like it. It has a nice sound. OK, children, any children listening? You want to say a funny word? Say it with me: spoo-dad-zo! OK, say it again. Spoudazo. That word means “to study.”

Actually, the full meaning is, “to make haste, to use speed, to exert oneself, to give diligence.” So, when God wakens us up in the morning, or if we’re not yet into the habit of waking early, we’ll have to use the alarm to get us into the habit. What do we do? The alarm goes. “Oooh, it’s so nice and cozy here in bed and so warm. I think I’ll just turn it off and turn over.”

Or do we do what it says? “Make haste, make speed.” Whoo! Get out of bed! Get dressed! Go to that special place you have where you read God’s Word. Now, you do need to get up. If you lie in bed, you’ll just go off to sleep again. No, you’ve got to mean business! You’ve got to put your working boots on! You’ve got to get up and get to that place where you're going to read, and you're going to listen with your ears, and you're going to be training and prepared to have “the tongue of the learned.” Amen.

Actually, I know another man, an older man, 80 years of age. He is a teacher of the Word, and He still gets up at 4.00 am every morning. He studies in the Word until lunchtime so that he can give the Word of the Lord. That’s really preparing, isn’t it? That’s “the tongue of the learned.”

In Ezra 7:10, in the Berkeley version, it talks about Ezra, and it says of him: “For Ezra had disciplined himself to study the law of the Lord, to practice it, and to teach its statutes and ordinances to Israel.” In order for Ezra to be that great teacher of the law of the Lord, he had to first discipline himself to study the law of the Lord.

So, lovely ladies, can you join with me to pray for this beautiful move of God where God is raising up young people across our nation to want to speak God’s Word boldly and take it out, right out into the marketplace, right out into the colleges, and to follow in the footsteps of Charlie Kirk, that they will get this heart to be true disciples and students of the Word? And also, as mothers, we’ll want to encourage our own children in this way.

Colossians 3:16: “Let the Word of God dwell in you richly, in all wisdom.”

Joshua 1:8: “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.”

OK, did you hear what I just read, ladies? Did you hear? Where does it say we have to have God’s Word? Did you hear? Was it in our hearts? Well, yes, we’ve got to have it in our hearts, but it didn’t say that. In our minds? Oh, yes! We’ve got to have it in our minds, but it didn’t say that.

What did it say? “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth.” That’s where we have to get it! Now, we won’t get it in our mouths until we first get it in into our minds and then our hearts. Then we have to get it in our mouths so it’s coming of our mouths. Is it coming out of your mouth? Is it coming out of the mouth of your children? This is where God wants us to have it. Amen?

Well, we’ll talk a little more about this in next session, so let’s pray.

“Lord God, we thank You so much for what is happening. Our hearts are still grieving, Lord God. It’s hard to take in, that this devoted young man is no longer with us. Lord, we don’t always understand, and yet we do thank You that amazing good has come from it.

“We pray that it will be truly good fruit, bringing forth one-hundred-fold. We pray that all these precious young people will get such a longing and desire for Your Word that they will become true students and disciples of Your Word, Lord God, to get Your truth filling their hearts. We ask it, Lord God, we pray for this beautiful thing to happen. In the mighty Name of Jesus, Amen.”

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

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LINK TO WATCH THE CHARLIE KIRK MEMORIAL. DON’T MISS:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AKWzUIpX6U

Transcribed by Darlene Norris

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DON’T FORGET TO TELL OTHERS ABOUT THESE PODCASTS AND TRANSCRIPTS.

“LIFE TO THE FULL w/ Nancy Campbell, Above Rubies”

DON’T KEEP THE BLESSINGS TO YOURSELF.

ALL WIVES AND MOTHERS NEED ENCOURAGING.

 

 

LIFE TO THE FULL w/ Nancy Campbell

EPISODE 377: LIVING THE BLISSFUL LIFE, No. 11

We conclude The “koinonia” Lifestyle today. It includes sharing our Testimony (declaring the good things God is doing in our lives), our Touch (befriending one another), our Treasures (sharing our finance and “treasures” with the saints, our “over the top” Thankfulness to our husbands, children, and those around us, and dropping seeds of Truth into the lives of all we come in contact with.

Announcer: Welcome to the podcast, Life to the Full, with Nancy Campbell, founder and publisher of Above Rubies, a magazine bringing strength and encouragement to families across the world.

Nancy Campbell: Hello, ladies! We continue talking about THE KOINONIA LIFESTYLE. And we are up to point number four of the eight points of this wonderful lifestyle. They all start with “T.” Now, this one is . . .

No. 4. We offer up our TESTIMONIES

Remember, this koinonia lifestyle, the Bible talks about it as a sacrifice which is most interesting. Hebrews 13:15: “But to do good, and to fellowship, forget not, for with such sacrifices, God is well pleased.”

So, it’s one of the New Testament sacrifices, to fellowship. But as we have also talked about, that’s when we talked about the sacrifice of Christ and how He came to this earth to offer up His body as a living sacrifice. It was an incredible sacrifice. We read how that when He was going to the cross, the end was nearly too much for Him to bear as he thought of what was going to come upon Him. And yet, He was not only obedient. The Word of God says that He delighted to do the will of God.” Yes, He said: “Not My will, but Thine be done.”

In Psalm 40, which was prophetic and was repeated again in Hebrews 10, He says the words: “I delight to do Thy will, oh my God.” We’re taking these sacrifices from the thought of sacrificing to where Jesus took it, into DELIGHT. We DELIGHT to do these things.

This one, OFFERING UP OUR TESTIMONY. Now, some people are not those who want to talk a lot or say a lot, and they say, “Well, that’s not me.” But offering up our testimony is very much part of the koinonia lifestyle. To fellowship we need to be sharing the good things of God.

So, precious ladies, we have to get out of this “me” lifestyle into the “thinking of others” lifestyle so that we’re not thinking about how this affects “me.” “I don’t really feel like sharing, and I’m not going to open my mouth.” No, we must think of how we can bless others with our testimony with what God is doing in our lives.

Psalm 66:16: “Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what He hath done for my soul.” Don’t you love that? We have to declare, to speak out, to testify what God has done for our soul.

Romans 10:9, 10 says: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised im from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (Sorry, I quoted this Scripture but somehow it was cut out of the podcast).

Can I tell you a little secret, dear ladies? What we testify and speak out with our mouth is what we will keep, because how are we saved? We see here (in Romans 10:9, 19) that we are saved through believing in our hearts and confessing with our mouths that Jesus is Lord.

But this is the same way we continue our walk with the Lord. We continue as we read His Word, and imbibe His truths into our lives, that we not only believe them, but we confess them with our mouths. When we confess them, we will have them. They will become part of us.

I really want to encourage you with that, because you can believe in your heart, but, you know, the devil can snatch it out of your heart and snatch it out of your mind. But when you confess it, oh my! It’s clinched. The deal is clinched in you. It’s so powerful. So, not only do we do this for salvation, but in everything in our walk with the Lord.

TAKE NOTE!

That’s why it is so important to TESTIFY, to give our TESTIMONY, to TALK about what God is doing in our lives, to talk about what we’re reading in the Word.

A good thing to do, even if you're at your family table in the evening, when you're all dialoging together, ask your children. Put out the question. Of course, if you have very little children, they won’t yet be doing this. But as your children are getting older, you can ask them as children, “What has God been saying to you today?”

If you have been having family devotions morning and evening, they will be hearing the Word of God. The Holy Spirit will be speaking in their hearts, and as they’re getting to that place of being able to read well, you will be encouraging them to have the own personal time with the Lord each day where they open the Word and ask God to speak to them as they read.

You can ask them, “What is God saying to you? What has God done in your heart today?” Children are usually so spontaneous. You’ll be amazed at what they say. Get them into the habit of testifying, because if they don’t get into the habit of testifying when they’re young, it becomes harder for them when they’re older. Maybe that’s why it’s harder for you now, because you didn’t do it when you were younger. Get your children into the habit of it now.

It’s also a wonderful thing, when you have visitors, you're showing hospitality. Some people say, “Oh, help! But if I have people over, I don’t know what I’d say to them. What would we talk about?”

Well, there’s so much to talk about when you testify! Start asking questions. You can ask them:  

“Now, how did you find Jesus? Tell us how you came to know the Lord.”

Oh, if you have a couple with you, ask them, “How did God bring you together? Tell us the story of how God brought you together, and how you got married.” Those are always such wonderful stories.

Ask them to share how God has healed them.

How has He provided for their needs?

Or maybe even how He has changed their heart about having children? Oh, there are so many questions you can ask. Just get them testifying.

Psalm 107:2: “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, Whom He hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy.” Did you get that? “Let the redeemed of the Lord” be quiet, and believe in their hearts? No, it didn’t say that. “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so!”

We have to say. We have to speak. We have to testify of the good things that God is doing in our lives. Now, I know that sometimes you have to come out of your comfort zone to do that. I think that’s why fellowship is called a sacrifice because you do have to get out of your comfort zone. You can’t just sit away in your corner and live your little life. We are living our lives for others.

I think of Philippians. What does it say there? Philippians 2:4: “Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.” We’re not only to think about, “Well, what do I feel like doing?” No, we’re thinking of others, how we can bless them. So, we are offering up the sacrifice of our testimony. Amen?

No. 5. We offer up the sacrifice of our TOUCH

Well, I don’t think this one is very much of a sacrifice, is it? It’s a delight. We talked a lot about touching in this series of living the blissful life, because part of living a blissful life is touching, caressing, hugging. Yes, it’s that touching of one another.

When God speaks to the older women in Titus 2, and tells them what to tell the you there in “love” there is that phileo love. Phileo love, which is a love which is affectionate, friendly, showing our love by touching, hugging, caressing. It’s a very affectionate love.

It’s the same kind of love when it says we are to love our children. The word there is philoteknon, phileo once again meaning “affectionate love,” and teknon, “children.” In podcast 370, I went through all the different phileo words in the New Testament which are all part of the koinonia lifestyle. You can go back and listen to all those words. There are a lot of phileo words in the New Testament encouraging us with this koinonia lifestyle.

All right, let’s go on now, shall we? Seeing we’ve talked about that one before, we’re going to go on to . . .

No. 6. We offer up our TREASURES

Now, this is an interesting one. Let’s read Philippians 4:18. Paul says here: “Having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odor of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well pleasing to God.”

Here Paul is saying that when he, and others with him, received the things Epaphroditus brought with him that were sent from the Philippian church, it was like “an odor of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well pleasing to God.” The sacrifices in the Old Testament, God said they were a sweet odor unto Him. Here this is a New Testament sacrifice. That is, meeting the needs of one another, sharing from what God has given us. We share with others. It’s not only sharing our lives, but sharing our finances, and sharing the things that we have for one another. It’s a sharing and giving lifestyle.

In Romans 15:27, it says: “For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is to minister unto them in carnal things,” or material things. People who share and pour out their lives to bring the Word of God and to care for the people of God, the Word of God says that those who’ve been cared for and blessed should give back to them with material things and financial things.

It becomes a sharing. One is giving the spiritual and the other is giving back the material. It’s rather like back in the Old Testament when the Levites weren’t given a special portion for themselves. They just lived in places amongst all the tribes. Then, the tribes had to give to them. They didn’t go out and earn their money like all the others. They were dedicated to the sacrifices in the temple, and helping the people sacrifice, and doing all the things that are all mentioned there in Exodus and Leviticus. So, they were provided for from the rest of the tribes.

All right. Let’s look at another Scripture. Oh, yes, I’m always challenged by this Scripture:

2 Corinthians 8:1-5. I’ll read it in the New English Translation: “Now we make known to you, brothers and sisters, the grace of God given to the churches of Macedonia, that during a severe ordeal of suffering, their abundant joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in the wealth of their generosity.  For I testify, they gave according to their means and beyond their means. They did so voluntarily, begging us with great earnestness for the blessing and fellowship of helping the saints.”

The King James says, “Praying us with much entreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints.” The word “fellowship” there in the Greek is, once again, koinonia. It’s talking about how the Macedonian believers gave. They didn’t just give out of their wealth. They gave out of their poverty, out of their extreme poverty.

It says: “They gave beyond their means,” and “urged us” that they would take the gift from them, because, obviously, they didn’t want to take it “You can’t give this. You need it yourselves,” but, “No, no, you must take it! You must take it for the fellowship, for the koinonia.”

They wanted to share with the other saints because they were going through poverty. But these Macedonians were going through even more poverty! They gave “beyond their means.” And so, they were giving, not just out of all their wealth, but giving even beyond what they had. That’s such a very challenging Scripture.

But here, this word is “treasure.” They gave out of their treasure. I love that Scripture in Matthew 13:52. It’s actually a one-Scripture parable that Jesus told: “Then said He unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.”

A “treasure” is a place where precious things are collected and stored, where we keep valuables. The Amplified says: “To bring out of his treasure things that are new and fresh, and things that are old and familiar.” So, when we give out of our treasure to other folks, and maybe people in need, or those we want to bless, we may not necessarily have to always buy something new. Maybe we’ll give something old. But it’s a treasure and we give it.

I remember once I was in Alaska, taking an Above Rubies retreat. While there, I remembered some very dear, dear people who had visited our church when we were living in New Zealand, Dick and Carol Benjamin, who lived in Alaska. They had come to our church to minister and they had really blessed our church. We were all very blessed by them.

I had this desire to go and see her, so the people I was staying with found out where she lived. They graciously took me to see her. It was so beautiful to meet up with her again and fellowship. As I was going, she said, “Just a minute, Nancy.” And she went to her bedroom, and then she came out, and she gave me a beautiful necklace. It was a beautiful necklace. It wasn’t something new she bought. It was a necklace she may have had for many years. She brought it out of her treasure and she gave it to me.

I’ve worn it many times. I still have it hanging in my necklace jewelry box. Every time I look at it, I think of her, and what a beautiful thing it was. She didn’t just let me go, but she gave me a little treasure to take with me.

That really challenges me. I’m reminded of it again. When we are receiving hospitality, it’s always good to take something with us. I’ve always trained our children, if you go into someone’s home for a meal, take something with you. Always take a little gift, or something to help towards the meal.

But I have been thinking too, how maybe it’s a lovely thing, just as this dear precious lady gave me her treasure, to give a little treasure to someone who comes when we offer hospitality ourselves, to send them home with a treasure. I’ve done this sometimes.

Often, on Shabbat, I would have a girls’ night, and I invited my beautiful granddaughters, and maybe some other of the other girls who live around. Then I would have a little gift for each one. One time I purchased, what was it? A little ring for each one, but a different one for each one. And then another time they came, I purchased earrings for each one. Each one had a little wrapped parcel on their plate. It was some earrings. They all had fun opening them.

A couple of other times I’ve done necklaces for them. I’m a person who loves jewelry, so I’m always giving jewelry because I love jewelry. So, I have done that, especially for my granddaughters, but I have been thinking, yes, I’ve got to think more and more of when inviting people over for a meal, of thinking, “Now what could I give them to take home out of my treasure?” That’s something to think about, isn’t it, ladies?

This also means “finance,” of course, but I also believe it can mean “treasures,” not just new, but old treasures that are very special. Maybe it’s an old book. Oh, I love old books! They’re better, usually, than new books. Maybe it’s one that would really bless a certain person who you are inviting.

Or maybe sometimes it may not even be a material gift, but it can be words. It can be something you write for them to take home. Or, as we were sharing last session, about name places, and how you can write beautiful things. I’ve often, when I’ve had visitors . . . sometimes I haven’t written rhyming rhymes, but I’ll just write their name, and then write a little phrase underneath it. It starts with the letter of their name. Something about them, something about their character, which can be encouraging for them. But we think of something that can bless them, some little treasure. OK?

All right. Now, what is our next one?

No. 7. We offer up our THANKFULNESS

Well, we’ve talked about thankfulness in this series. We started it off on how to be thankful and smiling even when we don’t feel like it. Colossians 2:7 tells us to “abound in thanksgiving.” Some translations say we are to “overflow in gratitude.”

The Greek word there is perisseuo, and it means “to superabound, to be excessive, abundant, exceed, over and above.” In other words, ladies, it’s more than the normal, so when it’s taking about thanksgiving, it says we are actually meant to be more than the normal, over and above, jutting over, exceeding, excessive.

Well, are you like that with thankfulness? I’m reminded of the feeding of the five thousand in John 6. Here, in this passage, it tells us that when they filled up the twelve basketsful that remained, it says that 12 baskets “remained over and above.” It’s the same word, perisseuo, the same word that means “excessive, abundant, over.” Well, that’s how it’s translated. “Over and above.”

As I was thinking about that, I was thinking, “What kind of lifestyle do we really live? Do we live a one-basketful leftover lifestyle? Someone does something for us or gives something to us, what do you say? Oh, you never forget to say “Thank you,” do you? Of course!

But how do you say it? That’s the thing. Maybe you say, “Oh, thank you.” Well, that’s maybe one-basketful. You say “Thank you,” but it’s not very excessive. Perhaps you could say, “Oh! Thank you!” That’s getting maybe to two or three basketfuls. Maybe you say, “Oh! That’s so WONDERFUL of you! THANK YOU! I REALLY appreciate it!” Now you're getting up to maybe five or six basketfuls.

Oh, let me tell you this story! When the Johnson children, that’s Evangeline’s children, were younger, oh, they were so excessive. They were trained in really thanking. Oh, I can remember being there when it was a birthday, or something. The children would all be giving their presents. All the cousins were there. Sometimes their presents would be something they found in their home and they’d wrap it up, sometimes even wrapped up in newspaper!

But it didn’t matter what. When they received that gift and unwrapped it, they would go to the person, put their arms around them, hug them, and say, “THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH!” Well, I think that’s getting up to about the 12 basketsful!

Well, a family came to visit us. Anyway, they were just so amazed after visiting the Johnsons. It’s the way they were so excessive in their “thank you’s.” Everything they said was, “THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH!” So, they began to say it! I’ll never forget. They had stayed with us for a few days, and they were leaving.

As we always do, when we are saying goodbye to our guests (because we live upstairs, downstairs is our Above Rubies basement. So, we live upstairs). When people are going, we never say “Bye!” and let them walk down the stairs and go out on their own. We always walk down the stairs with them. And we always wait for them to get in their car so we can wave them goodbye on their way.

I remember, as we were waving this family goodbye, they all put their heads out the window and said, “THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH!” They really got it. They were up to the twelve basketsful left over.

But dear ladies, maybe you don’t have to go quite to that extreme, but let’s get a bit more excessive, can we?

And your children! Goodness me! Don’t let them just say, “thank you.” No, that’s disgusting! Goodness me! Get them to put a bit of life and reality and passion into saying, “THANK YOU SOOO MUCH!” Get them into the habit of being thankful.

If you just say, “thank you,” that’s not being very thankful. And how does the Bible want us to be thankful? Abundant! Perisseuo! Excessive, jutting over, over and above, more than the norm! Come on, ladies! How are you training your children? What kind of a lifestyle do you live in your home? Imagine living in a lifestyle where everybody is over the top with thanking one another and appreciating one another! Wow, this is the blissful lifestyle!

And what about your husband? Do you thank him? Do you really thank him for the little things he does that you usually just take for granted? No! Don’t take anything for granted. Thank him. Always be thanking him. In your words, maybe in what you write to him. I write something special to my husband every day because we’re not meant to be normal in thankfulness. We’re meant to be over the top.

And, of course, what about our God? Oh, surely, we are over the top, and over above, and excessive in worship, and thanking Him for His salvation, and all He has done for us! Oh my! Never be normal! Never, ever, ever be normal in your thanks, and praise, and worship to God! Oh, let’s be more than, over and above, excessive! Let’s be the perisseuo, abundantly thanking Him. Amen?

Oh, yes. Let’s read Psalm 119:162: “I rejoice at Thy Word as one that findeth great spoils.”

Psalm 119:172, my, we’re getting up to many verses, aren’t we? Psalm 119 has 176 verses. Here he says: “My tongue shall speak of Thy word.” Yes, we are over the top in thanking the Lord for His words, for His salvation, for His faithfulness, for His goodness. Oh, let’s be such thankful people—to God, to our husbands, to our children, to everyone we meet. Amen and amen!

All right! That was the eight points. Oh no, I’m sorry, I missed out on number eight, the truth.

No. 8. We offer up the TRUTH

That was the Scripture I gave you there: “I rejoice at Thy Word as one that findeth great spoils.” Yes, we offer up the truth.

This is a very important part of the koinonia lifestyle, because when we get together and fellowship, we’re not just getting together to gossip and talk about this one and that one. No! We want to fellowship in the truth. Oh, goodness me, when we’re in the Word of God, we are finding great treasures, great spoil, and we want to tell everybody about them.

One of my favorite things is asking people, “Hey, what’s God been saying to you lately? What have you been getting from the Word?” The sad part about it is . . . often there’s no answer. They haven’t been in the Word. They haven’t been getting anything. This should be our normal lifestyle, that when we are fellowshipping with one another, when we’re showing hospitality, we are overflowing with what God is saying to us, what He has been showing us from His Word.

We are encouraging one another with the truth. We are always ready to speak the truth. We are dropping seeds of truth wherever we go. Yes, we drop seeds of truth, even if it’s only a little phrase. We’re just going to drop the seeds of truth because the truth is a seed. It can grow once someone takes it into their life. That seed can grow, and it can bring forth fruit. Truth is so powerful.

Now, the Above Rubies magazine is filled with truth about family, about mothering, about homemaking, and about the lifestyle God wants us to live as mothers. Don’t forget, ladies, to take this magazine wherever you go. Every day, when I go out . . . I don’t go out every day, sorry. I don’t go out much at all, about once a week. I find that I accomplish so much more in my home.

But when I go out, I’ll take a few copies of Above Rubies with me to leave in waiting rooms, to leave in restrooms, and baby-changing tables waiting for the next mother coming to change her baby. Just leave the magazine and drop these seeds of truth wherever you can, ladies.

OK, so that was the last one, the eighth point. Now we get to the last point of the five New Testament sacrifices. I’ll have to tell you this one quickly.

No. 5. THE SACRIFICE OF LOVE

It’s the biggest one of all, the sacrifice of love. Ephesians 5:2: “Walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and have given Himself for us, an offering and sacrifice to God, for a sweet-smelling savor.”

Do you get that Scripture, darling ladies? It’s saying that just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as an offering to God, as a sacrifice to God, so, that’s the way He wants us to walk. He wants us to offer up our lives as a sacrifice to one another, as a sweet-smelling savor unto Him.

This is one of the New Testament sacrifices. We’re not in the Old Testament, sacrificing on an altar. We’re now sacrificing our lives, showing love, God’s love. That love where He laid down His life for us. We’re to show that love to one another. It’s a giving life, a giving.

Galatians 1:4: “Jesus gave Himself for our sins.”

Galatians 2:20: “The Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me.”

Hebrews 7:27: “This He did once, when He offered up Himself.”

Hebrews 9:14: “Christ offered Himself to God.”

Hebrews 9:26: “Christ put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.” And He says, “This is the way I want you to offer up your lives, for one another.”

1 John 3:16-18: “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because He laid down His life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.”

The Message Bible says: “Christ sacrificed His life for us. This is why we ought to live sacrificially for our fellow believers, and not just be out for ourselves.”

The New Living Translation says: “We know what real love is, because Jesus gave up His life for us. So, we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters.”

So, here it is. Yes, ladies, we still do sacrifices in the New Testament. We still do sacrifices today. This is what God wants us to do. And how do we do it? We do it by what I’ve just been sharing. Offering up—giving up our time, our table, our talents, our testimonies, our touch, our treasures, our thanks, and our sharing of the truth. Amen and Amen.

“Dear Father, oh, I know we fall so short of the lifestyle that You want for us. And yet, Lord God, it’s a lifestyle of blissfulness, even though a sacrifice, because it takes us out of our comfort zone. Help us to be those who come out of our comfort zones to live the life that You want us to live. Laying down our lives, delighting to lay down our lives, losing our lives, because, Lord, You have told us, when we lose our lives, we find them again. We find You. We find our own life in pouring our lives out for others.

“So, we thank You, Lord God. And Lord, I pray Your blessing on every family, every mother, wife, teenager, child who is listening. Lord, bless them, I pray. Oh, let them come into the beautiful lifestyle that, Lord, You laid out for us. We ask it in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

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www.aboverubies.org

Transcribed by Darlene Norris

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DON’T FORGET TO TELL OTHERS ABOUT THESE PODCASTS AND TRANSCRIPTS.

“LIFE TO THE FULL w/ Nancy Campbell, Above Rubies”

DON’T KEEP THE BLESSINGS TO YOURSELF.

IT IS ENCOURAGING FOR ALL WIVES AND MOTHERS.

 

 

LIFE TO THE FULL w/ Nancy Campbell

EPISODE 376: LIVING THE BLISSFUL LIFE, No. 10

Continuing the “koinonia” lifestyle. How do we share our Table (hospitality) and our Talents with others?

Announcer: Welcome to the podcast, Life to the Full, with Nancy Campbell, founder and publisher of Above Rubies, a magazine bringing strength and encouragement to families across the world.

Nancy Campbell: Hello, ladies. Always great to be with you. We are continuing our series called “Living the Blissful Life.” At the moment, we are talking about the eight points of LIVING THE KOINONIA LIFESTYLE. This is Podcast No. 10 in this series. We started last time on the points, and we talked about OFFERING UP OUR TIME. Then we began the second point, OFFERING OUR TABLE. We began to talk about hospitality.

There are three important things to remember about hospitality.

Firstly, that is, hospitality is a biblical doctrine. It begins in Genesis and weaves its way through the pages of the Bible right until the last book of Revelation.

Secondly, hospitality is an extension of our mothering and homemaking ministry. I believe it’s one of the greatest ministries that we can have as mothers.

Thirdly, hospitality is not an option. It is commanded in God’s Word. It is the lifestyle of the kingdom of God.

So, I thought we’d look at a few Scriptures. It’s always good to talk about things, but it’s always greater to see what the Scriptures say, isn’t it? I wonder, lovely ladies, if you know what is the first time that God says, “Come,” in the Bible? I think “come” is one of God’s favorite words. But do you know the first time that He said it?

All right. I’ll tell you. I’m sure some of you got it right. It was when he told Noah to “come” into the ark. Do you remember? Genesis 7:1: “And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.” We read down further: “And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him, into the ark.”

Isn’t that such a beautiful thing? God didn’t say, after all the years of Noah building this ark, and now it’s ready, He doesn’t say, “Noah, OK, time to go into the ark which you've built. You’ve done a great job. You can go in now.” No, He says to Noah, “Come, Noah, come into the ark,” because the ark was a type of our salvation and our deliverance from sin and evil.

Everything in the Old Testament is a type. In this amazing story we read about the flood and God providing a salvation for Noah. God says, “Come.” God still says “come” today.

Isaiah 55:1: “Ho, every one that thirsts, come to the waters, and you who have no money come, buy, and eat; yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.”

We get to the New Testament, and Jesus says: “Come unto Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” When Jesus was gathering His disciples and was talking to them, one time He says: “And Jesus turned and seeing them following, said to them, what do you see? They said to Him, Rabbi, where are you staying? And He said to them, come and see. They came and saw where He was staying and remained with Him that day.” Jesus’ words were “come. Come and be with Me.”

We go right to the last book of Revelation 22:17: “And the Spirit and the Bride say come. Let him who hears say come.” The voice of the Holy Spirit is “come.” But God wants the voice of the bride. He wants our voice to also have that same language, that language of saying, “Come. Come to my house. Come and have dinner with us. Come. We’d love you to come.”

We should make that part of our vocabulary, because hospitality is meant to be a lifestyle. There’s a great difference between entertaining and hospitality. Some people think of times when they’re going to put on a very special meal and entertain guests. But that’s usually trying to impress people.

Hospitality is not trying to impress. It is serving. In fact, it’s not so much what we do. It’s who we are. We are hospitable because God, who is hospitable, lives within us. He wants to reach out to His people, to His loved ones. He wants to show them hospitality. But how can He do it, except that He does it through us?

How often did the early church show hospitality? Well, we read how they showed hospitality every day. “Daily they met together at one another’s homes, and daily the Lord added to the church such as should be saved.” Well, today, I don’t think there are many who are offering hospitality every day. But I think you should always be open and ready to receive someone in need. Let’s look at some Scriptures, shall we?

Romans 12:13 says we are to be “given to hospitality.” That word “given” in the Greek is dioko. It means, “to pursue, to follow after, to press forward.” In fact, it even means “to persecute.” In fact, it’s actually translated “persecuted” more than any other word. Wow, that’s pretty amazing! That means that we don’t give up on asking people to our home. We persecute them with love, kindness, and hospitality. That’s how much we are to be given to it.

1 Corinthians 16:15: “You know the house of Stephanas. They have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints.” They were given to it. It was their delight to minister to the saints, and to show hospitality.

Getting back to that word, “given to hospitality,” we also read in 1 Timothy 3:2 the same phrase again, but this time it’s speaking specifically to elders and pastors. It says if they desire to be an elder, or a pastor of a church, they must be “given to hospitality.”

Then again, over in Titus 1:8, once again it keeps talking about the elders and pastors, and the criteria, the character that they must have if they aspire to that position. It says: “they must be a lover of hospitality.”

That’s interesting, isn’t it? There are some pastors who never invite anybody to their homes. They’re not fulfilling the Word of God. God says a pastor must be open to hospitality. More than that, he must be a lover of hospitality. More than that, he must be given to it. Of course, we then get the Scripture which I read before, which is given to all of us. We are all encouraged to be “given to hospitality.”

We can go over to 1 Peter 4. I love this passage. It begins with the words: “But the end of all things is at hand.” Wow! That’s a pretty important statement, isn’t it? We would think, after Peter writing that, that he would have something very, very powerful to say about how we should be living our lives.

But what does he say? “Be therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. And above all things have fervent love among yourselves, and practice hospitality one to another without grudging. Did you get that, ladies? “The end of all things is at hand.” OK. “Show fervent love to one another, and practice hospitality to one another without grudging.”

It reminds me of that Scripture where it says that we are to “not neglect the assembling ourselves together, and so much the more, as we see the day approaching” (Hebrews 10:25). The closer we get to the end, the more we should be showing hospitality to one another, and gathering with one another, and experiencing the koinonia lifestyle, which is fellowship, and ministering to one another.

Let’s see, what else did I make a note of here? Yes, I think those are just a few reminders of hospitality. I’m not going to make it the subject of our series today or we’d be spending the whole time, because hospitality goes from the beginning of the Bible, right to the end of the Bible. It’s revealing the heart of God. His heart reveals a hospitable God.

Let me just read to you this poem, a poem I wrote many, many years ago. It’s called “At the Table,” and I think it gives us a vision for our table, not only for our family, which is where it begins, but also extending our family to others\ so we can bring others around our table also.

AT THE TABLE!

Where can you communicate while you eat?

Where can you enjoy real fellowship sweet?

Where can you laugh with friends who are neat?

         At the table.

Where can you pour out your heart and soul?

Where can you explain what is taking its toll?

Where can you share your vision and goal?

         At the table.

Where can you dialogue and sift through ideas?

Verbalize thoughts and yet still be at ease?

Discover new subjects to debate if you please?

         At the table.

Where can your hearts be knitted as one?

Where can you yarn and old stories be spun?

And feel accepted so you don’t have to run?

         At the table.

here can your children learn to sit still?

Acquire eating habits that won’t make them ill?

Be taught good manners of which some have nil?

         At the table.

Where to imbibe values and ethics for life?

Learn to eat correctly with fork and knife?

Observe how “to father” and be a good wife?

         At the table. 

Where can you reveal God’s ways to your kin?

Teach them His Word will keep them from sin?

And to follow God’s laws is the way to win?

         At the table.

Where can you encourage your children each day?

And boost the confidence of these “jars of clay”?

Give counsel that will keep them from going astray?

         At the table.

Where can you make your house feel a “home”?

With a lovely warm ambience and happy tone?

From where your children will not want to roam?

         At the table.

Where can you show love to God’s special “flock”?

Feed those who come to your door and knock?

Even those who don’t know God can be their Rock?

         At the table.

Where does God love His presence to fill?

Where does He want His blessings to spill?

Where does He want restless hearts to be still?

         At the table.

Dear father and mother, look again at your table,

Family meals together will make your home stable!

Make it a priority--your God will enable!

         Sit at your table!

All right, ladies, let’s get onto No. 3 of the koinonia lifestyle. Remember we’re starting them all with a “T.” So, the next one . . .

No. 3. WE OFFER UP OUR TALENTS

Once again, we read this in the Word. 1 Peter 4:10: “And as every man hath received the gift, even so, minister the same one to another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.”

This is now talking about the talents and the gifts that God has given to us. He’s given to each one of us different gifts, unique gifts. In fact, He’s given different gifts to each of our children. Isn’t it amazing to watch our children grow and begin to see the gifts that God has put in them? Sometimes gifts that neither you nor your husband have.

As we watched our children grow, we began to see them moving into gifts that we didn’t have ourselves. We didn’t give them to them. God gave them to them. It is God Who puts these wonderful, unique gifts within us. He puts them in us for a certain reason, to minister to one another, to bless one another.

Let’s look at some other translations, shall we?

Christian Standard Bible: “Thus, as each one has received a gift, use it to serve others, as good stewards of the very grace of God.”

The Berean Standard Bible: “As good stewards of the manifold grace of God, each of you should use whatever gifts he has received to serve one another.”

The Living Bible: “God has given each of you some special abilities. Be sure to use them to help each other, passing on to others God’s many kinds of blessings.”

The Goodspeed Translation: “Whatever the endowment God has given you, use it in service to one another.”

OK, I think we’re getting the message, don’t you? Now, what often happens is that people will take the gifts that God has given to them and use them to make money. Well, there’s nothing wrong with that, especially as the men in the house, who are the providers use their gifts to be the providers for their home.

It’s a wonderful blessing when a man is able to use his gift to provide for his family. There are many men who are working at jobs and they’re not really having the opportunity to use the wonderful gifts God has given them. When a man can do that, and provide for his home, that is wonderful.

DON’T EXPECT MONEY FOR EVERYTHING YOU DO

Many mothers too have wonderful gifts, and they’ll begin a home business and help to provide for the family with those gifts that God has given her. But I do have to say, ladies, yes, gifts are for the provision of our home, but did you get that Scripture? The Scripture here says that ultimately, we use our gifts and talents to serve others. So, don’t always expect to get money for doing the gifts that God has given you.

Now, there may be a place for that, and you will do that. That’s fine. But don’t do it to not just do it for love, to serve others. That’s God’s heart, and this is part of the koinonia lifestyle where we offer up our talents and our gifts to serve people, to bless them. It seems that more and more, in our “me” generation, nobody wants to do anything unless they get money for it. I’m surprised. I see that even in young people today. They don’t want to do anything unless you give them money for it.

Oh, what happened to serving one another with love according to the gifts that God has given us? It’s such a beautiful thing. I think we need to get this message because this is what the Word says to serve others. Often, I get ladies writing in to me and many times they’ll write beautiful poems. I can’t always print them in Above Rubies. I don’t always have room to print them. I’m always running out of room when I’m doing a new magazine.

In fact, the new magazine, No. 103, is now at the printers. We’re just waiting our turn to get on the big presses. Hope I don’t have to wait too long. However, I will often write back, and say to these lovely mothers, “I’m so sorry. I haven’t been able to use your poem. But don’t waste it. Use it to serve others.”

We don’t have to wait to have an article, or a story, or a poem printed. We can bless others with it! There are so many hurting and needy people around. If you've written a beautiful poem of encouragement, write it out beautifully, or type it, and put it in a card. Give it or send it to someone who needs encouraging. Use it to serve others, even your own family.

If you have a gift for writing, you can use it. Don’t think, “Oh, well, I’ve got to be a great writer. I’ve got to get a book published.” Well, start with little things. I believe in starting with little things. “He that is faithful in that which is least will be faithful in much” the Bible says. We start with the little. Start it with your family. Begin to write things for your husband, for your children.

WRITE SPECIAL PLACE CARD FOR YOUR FAMILY

A beautiful thing you can do, you don’t do this every night, but when you have a special meal, you can write PLACE CARDS for your children. Don’t just write their names, but you can write a little two-line rhyme, or a limerick, or maybe two lines or four lines. Write about their lives. Write about something to encourage them and put it at the table by their plate.

When they come to the table for a special meal, there will be a special thing for them. They’ll want to keep it. I should read you maybe a few of these little name places I have done throughout the years for my own family as they were growing up. And then for the grandchildren as they came around.

Let’s see. I don’t think I’ve got some of when they were really young. Oh, here we are. This is Haven’s, Serene’s daughter. I’ve written a limerick here.

This is just a name place . . .

There’s a girl with bright shiny eyes,

When she walks, she literally flies,

       She’s a little sparkle,

       And quite a marvel,

Our Havey with the bright shining eyes.

Here’s one for Cedar. I think I wrote this as a teenager. Cedar is now a married man with two children. But I wrote here . . .

This young man’s growing tall and straight,

He has strength of character and is great,

       He will never give in

       To the devil’s grin,

Our Cedar who stands tall and straight.

Here’s another one. This is Arden’s, Serene’s eldest son.

There’s a man who goes out with his bow,

To hunt the stag and doe,

       When he takes aim

       He gets the game,

He’s an expert with arrow and bow!

So, you can just write these little limericks and these little lines, to bless your children. Write about what they’re doing and write about their character. As you do that, it goes into their lives, and you can use your gift in these little ways to bless your family. Sometimes I would get a bit longer. In fact, oh, here are some that I wrote for my husband. Well, actually, these are just some place cards.

The most wonderful husband on this earth.

There’s no one better from here to Perth!

Well, Perth is a city down in Australia. Here’s another one:

Helping and going the extra mile,

And always doing it with a smile.

Another one:

He has a great big kind and loving heart.

He likes things big, and he likes them smart.

I like this one:

I love you much more than words can say,

Please live to one hundred, for this I pray.

And so, as you can see, they’re not great, exceptional lines, but they’re from the heart. I’m sure you’ll love doing them. Here’s a longer one I wrote:

He came from a home always perfect and clean,

Not a speck of dust could ever be seen!

And then he got married—and what did he get?

Papers here, papers there, and more papers I fret!

And in the middle of the night the bed is an office!

Perhaps we should call his home a “Hoffice”!

Or even a “Boffice” seeing the bed became an office!

So, there we go. Oh, and usually, on Christmas Eve, Colin and I will go over to Serene’s and have Christmas Eve with them. Then I will usually write a little two line, sometimes they get longer, for everyone in their family. I don’t buy gifts. Can’t afford it. So many presents to buy now.

If we count up all the children in our family, our children, their spouses, our grandchildren, their spouses, and their children. And now the great-grandchildren, it comes to over 100. So, in the early days, Christmas time was always a great time of great gift-giving, giving to every single person. But as the family kept growing, it just got far too much. So now, when we pop over there for Christmas Eve, I just write poems.

What have I got here? Oh yes, here’s another one, about Havey.

Never have I met such a glorious little girl,

She just makes you want to do a twirl!

She is full of life and twinkles and smiles,

She makes everyone happy for miles and miles!

Here’s Breezy. This was back when she was twelve years.

Oh, what a wonder is our beautiful Breeze,

There’s not an opportunity that she doesn’t seize!

At only twelve years old she purchased a horse trailer

To make her own coffee shop which won’t be a failure!

She’s already a barista, a coffee-maker pro,

Working at THM with her personality aglow!

She blesses everyone who comes in the door,

Her smile lights them up whether they’re rich or poor.

At every occasion she watches out for others,

The widows, the lonely, and especially the mothers,

To make sure they have a drink or something to eat

Which she runs off to do, oh, she is so sweet!

She is full of vision and creative glory

For all the things she will do to make her story.

And now Breezy is 16, and she and her cousin Ikara have their coffee-making little caravan. They already have their business called “Milk and Honey.”

OK, here’s one. Oh, time is going! But I’ll just read you one more. This is Sheppy, (Shepherd) another one of Serene’s sons.

One thing about Shep, he knows how to work,

And from it he doesn’t ever shirk!

He’s learning and growing to be a man

And knows how to fix things with his hands.

He works fast and quickly and doesn’t muck around,

But does it with a smile instead of a frown,

Even today he fixed the hole in Granddad’s tire,

In no time at all the job was no longer for hire.

It’s sure great to have a handyman around the place,

Who knows how to get “stuck in” in every case.

OK, so there’s a few little ideas, just to use your gift right there in your home, and to bless others and share it with others.

Some of you are the greatest cooks, and some of you even do a business with your cooking, making bread, whatever. But once again, don’t always do it for money. Remember those hurting people, those people who are sick. They need some of your lovely cooking or a loaf of your beautiful bread.

Some of you have other gifts that you love. You are artistic, you paint. Maybe you can share your paintings. But once again, make sure you do some just to serve others. Don’t wait for the big. Start with the little.

I think of one of my Above Rubies helpers, Kerry Friedman. In fact, three of the Friedman sisters have been Above Rubies helpers. Kerry loves to paint. So, often in the evenings, she would go to her room and paint beautiful pictures. In the morning, she would come out, give one to me, all ready for me to put on my wall! And now, actually this Above Rubies magazine that will be coming out soon, No. 103, I have used a painting of Kerry’s on the front cover. But she didn’t wait to get on the front cover. She just gave them to me to bless me.

I think of Acts 9:36-42. It tells the story of Dorcas. You remember her? She was full of good works and almsdeeds which she did. The word “almsdeeds” mean “compassion, especially for the poor.” Dorcas made coats and she made dresses. She didn’t do it all for money.

No, when we read The Passion Translation, it says: “There were many widows.” Now, you remember Dorcas died. All the people came. They were so sad. “There were many widows standing next to Peter weeping. One after another, they showed him the tunics, and the other garments that Dorcas had made to bless others.”

You notice those words? She made them to bless others. Maybe you have a beautiful sewing gift. Maybe you’ll use it to help financially in the home, but once again, make sure you also use that gift to bless others as well. That word, yes, I told you the word “almsDEEDS” means “compassion, especially to the poor.” That’s why it’s called “almsDEEDS.” Did you notice the word “deeds” in it? That means “action,” doesn’t it?

Anyway, ladies, we offer up our talents to the Lord. Whatever talents you’ve got, offer it up to the Lord to bless others. Maybe you’re a great singer. Wow! And you haven’t even yet been asked to sing on the worship team. Well, don’t worry. Sing to your family. You know someone who is sick. Visit them. Take something. Sit by her bedside and sing to her. Sing a beautiful worship song. Sing a hymn to her. Whatever gift you have, offer it up to bless others.

How’s our time going? Oh yes. Maybe we’d better not start another one. We’ll start next week with some others of the koinonia lifestyle.

“Dear Father, we come to You at the end of this session. We want to thank You again for Your precious Word. It reminds us of how You want us to live, the lifestyle You want us to live, the koinonia lifestyle. This is the lifestyle of the New Testament.

 

“Lord God, we need to learn how to live it, because it’s also the lifestyle that causes us to live a blissful lifestyle, because Your ways are the best ways. They fill us with joy and peace and rest. We thank You.

 

“And Lord, I pray Your blessing again today on all the families listening. Pour out Your blessing all over them. Fill their homes with joy and with Your beautiful Presence. I pray in the Name of Jesus. Amen.”

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

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www.aboverubies.org

Transcribed by Darlene Norris

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DON’T FORGET TO TELL OTHERS ABOUT THESE PODCASTS AND TRANSCRIPTS.

“LIFE TO THE FULL w/ Nancy Campbell, Above Rubies”

DON’T KEEP THE BLESSINGS TO YOURSELF.

IT IS ENCOURAGING FOR ALL WIVES AND MOTHERS.

 

MY HEART IS FULL

I trust you love the new song introducing this podcast. Well, it’s not a new song. Serene and Pearl wrote it many years ago but the words are still so anointed for every mother in her home.

You can download the full song from www.aboverubies,or from the Book and music store. Go to: Above Rubies Bookstore

The following is the link for the single:

MY HEART IS FULL - Music Single from Peace All Over Me - Downloadable MP3 Format Album

Here are the words for you:

MY HEART IS FULL

Little arms reaching for me,

Grubby fingers touch my face

And love is what I feel.

Little eyes looking at me,

Chubby cheeks burst with smiles

And joy is what I know,

Peeking in while they sleep at night,

I thank God for the gift of life,

I thank God for more that I deserve.

CHORUS.

My heart is full, my heart is full,

Why would I want for more?

When my cup overflows?

My heart is full, my heart is full,

This much I know.

Strong arms reaching for me

Circle my waist for the millionth time

And love is what I feel

Sometimes I watch him sleep at night,

I thank God that I am his wife,

And joy is what I know.

CHORUS.

Sometimes when discontent creeps into my soul

A still small voice reminds me of the ones my arms can hold.

 

 

 

LIFE TO THE FULL w/ Nancy Campbell

EPISODE 375: LIVING THE BLISSFUL LIFE, No. 9

We continue the New Testament sacrifices and begin talking about the eight points of the “koinonia” lifestyle God wants us to live. They all begin with T. You’ll want to check them out.

Announcer: Welcome to the podcast, Life to the Full, with Nancy Campbell, founder and publisher of Above Rubies, a magazine bringing strength and encouragement to families across the world.

Nancy Campbell: Hello, ladies! Today we are continuing from last week. I began to tell you of how, in the Old Testament, there were five different sacrifices that the priests and the people did unto the Lord. We don’t live in the Old Testament. We live in the New Testament. But amazingly, we also find five different sacrifices in the New Testament. Now, we’re no longer sacrificing animals upon an altar, but God talks about sacrifices that He wants us to do.

Last week, we talked about the first one, OFFERING OUR BODIES AS A LIVING SACRIFICE. Today we’re on to . . .

No. 2. THE SACRIFICIAL OFFERING OF PRAYER

We go to Revelation chapters 5 and chapter 8. Here we see John, the apostle John is looking into the eternal realm. He sees the altar of incense. At that altar of incense, he sees the incense going up.

But what is it? The Bible tells us that it is the prayers of the saints. Revelation 5:8 says that he saw the golden vial full of incense “which are the prayers of saints.” We go over to chapter 8, and there he saw another time, another vision that he saw into the eternal realm. He saw an angel, who “was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar, which was before the throne of God.”

Here we see that that altar of incense was a type of the prayers of God’s people going up before the Lord, offering up before the Lord. It’s an offering of sacrifice before the Lord on this golden altar, which is in heaven at this time, dear ladies. That golden altar is right before the throne of God. When you are offering up your prayers before the Lord, it’s right before the throne of God. It’s a golden altar.

My husband calls prayer “a golden ministry.” It is true. If you are praying in your home, praying with your family, you've got gold in your home. You know, ladies, I’ve talked a lot about prayer. We’re not going to spend too much time on this point, but I do want to encourage you. Are you sacrificing to pray? Are you gathering your family morning and evening to read the Word to them and pray together, to send your incense up before the Lord, to offer it up before the Lord?

That is a sacrifice God wants us to do. It’s not just Old Testament, it’s New. But we do get an understanding from one Old Testament Scripture. Here it’s David praying. He says: “Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.”

Back in Bible days, they had the morning and the evening sacrifice. David says, “Oh God, every time I pray, every time I lift my hands up before You, see it as the evening sacrifice,” because that evening sacrifice was a beautiful sweet-smelling savor unto God. Every time you pray, it’s a sweet-smelling sacrifice unto the Lord.

BRASS INSTEAD OF GOLD

Oh, it’s such an important thing. Sometimes, because of life, life is busy, and things begin to happen in our lives, we’ve got this going, and that going, and somehow, we don’t even get time for that evening sacrifice where we gather our family together. We gather them around the table to read the Word, and then to pray, getting each one in the family to pray unto the Lord.

Oh, don’t let this sacrifice go, dear precious ladies. It is so powerful, and it’s New Testament. It’s something that God wants. It’s a sacrifice He wants from our lives. We’ve got to watch that we don’t let other things take its place, because what happens is that the enemy can come in. He can take the gold and just fill it with brass.

We think of these other things that we get involved in and we have to go to at that time of the day, that evening time when we should be gathering around the table as a family so that at the end of our meal, we can come before the Lord in prayer. Instead, we let these other things come in. Ladies, they’re just brass. They’re not gold. This sacrifice of prayer is a golden ministry.

Notice too, how David says, “Lord, even when You see me lifting up my hands unto You, see it as the evening sacrifice.” Oh, there may be some of you listening who think, “Oh my! We’ve never done that in our house! Oh, nobody lifts hands in our house.” Or “Nobody lifts hands in our church.” I know that is true. Many never lift their hands.

Isn’t it amazing that it’s actually Bible? That’s only one verse. There are so many Scriptures about it. Even in the New Testament, yes. But I do have to say, dear ladies, I always wonder how it is that people don’t want to lift their hands before the Lord. I find that I can’t not do it, because when I’m coming before the Lord, I’m not praying some rote prayer. I’m coming desperate before God.

If it’s for myself, I’m desperate before the Lord. Not that I hardly ever pray for myself. I can hardly think when I do. But I’m so often praying for others. At our family prayer times, we pray for those in need. We’re praying for the persecuted church that is suffering so incredibly! We’re praying for Israel. We’re praying for this nation, and the things that are happening.

I am desperate before God. I am automatically reaching up my hands to the Lord, because I’m passionately praying, and seeking His face. We must be doing it very pathetically, if it doesn’t even touch our bodies. Remember last week? We are to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice unto Him. Our arms, our hands are part of our body which we offer up to the Lord! In prayer, in praise, in worship.

Oh, that makes me think of a little story. This happened to a friend of ours years and years ago. He was in a meeting where people were worshipping the Lord. Many people around him had their hands raised. But he did not believe in doing such a thing. He had come from a church and a background where you did not do anything emotionally or physically.

He was standing there with his arms by his side, saying “I will never, ever do this! You’ll never get me doing such a thing!” All of a sudden, a bee stung his elbow! And up went his hands! Oh, he realized God had gotten him. He never had any trouble from that moment raising his hands. He thought, “My, if I can stick my hands in the air just because a bee stung me, I can do that to worship the Lord.”

All right, lovely ladies. Don’t forget that evening sacrifice, and, of course, the morning one, will you?

No. 3. THE SACRIFICIAL OFFERING OF THANKSGIVING

Well, we’ve already talked about this so much on this series, “Living the Blissful Life.” It’s come up so much and it comes up here again, because it’s one of the New Testament sacrifices. Hebrews 13:15: “Let us offer a sacrifice of praise to God continually.”

I won’t talk too much about it but just add a little bit that I haven’t actually shared with you yet. This is interesting, because if we go back to the Old Testament, we find that the sacrifice of thanksgiving is not a singular thing. It is plural.

Psalm 107:22: “And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare His works with rejoicing,” Did you hear that? “Unto His name.” There it is. It’s plural.

Then we notice, also, in regard to praise, Jeremiah 17:26: “Bringing sacrifices of praise into the house of the Lord.” Once again, it’s plural. “Sacrifices of praise.”

And then, when it’s talking about joy, it talks about the sacrifices of joy. Psalm 27: 6: “I will offer in His tabernacle sacrifices of joy.” Once again, it’s not singular. It’s plural, with an “s” on the end.

Yes, we’ve got to keep doing it. We make it a lifestyle. Well, how do you make it a lifestyle when you don’t feel joyful? I know there are many times you don’t feel joyful. But you see, ladies, what is it called? “The sacrifices of joy.” We don’t live by our feelings. We live by the truth.

The truth is that Jesus Christ, who is Joy, who has more joy than all His fellows. It tells us in Hebrews that He lives within us. He doesn’t change. His joy does not change when things are bad, and the going is difficult. No, that does not determine our joy.

We determine to be joyful, even when things are going wrong. “I WILL joy in the Lord! I WILL joy in the God of my salvation. I WILL be joyful, because Christ dwells in me, and because I know that God is a good God. He is working everything out for good. I can trust Him, so I will JOY!”

Is that your confession? Make it your confession, dear lovely mother. Confession is so powerful. You can feel lousy, but when you open your mouth, and you say, “I am filled with the joy of the Lord, and I will joy in my God,” when you begin to confess those words, it will change you on the inside. It will change your attitude.

This is what David did. Many times, in the Psalms, we see him down and rock bottom. He’s in the mire, sinking in the mud because of all the terrible things that are happening around him. But then, in a few verses, we read: “But I will rejoice in the Lord my God! I will joy in my God!” He would never stay in his circumstances. He would always begin to confess his joy in the Lord. Amen? Can you make that your lifestyle? Remember, we’re talking about living the blissful lifestyle. Well, this is how we do it, ladies.

At the end of this Scripture: “I will offer in His tabernacles, sacrifices of joy.” Remember, it’s an offering, an offering of sacrifice. He goes on to say: “I will sing, I will sing praises unto the Lord.” This is how we offer our sacrifices of praise. We’ve got to start singing. You remember that singing is one of the ways we release oxytocin which is that beautiful hormone that is the bliss hormone, the calming hormone, and the happy hormone. God knows the way that He wants us to live so we can live this blissful lifestyle.

Let’s go on to the next one, shall we?

No. 4. THE SACRIFICE OF DOING GOOD AND KOINONIA

Here it tells us of two sacrifices put together. Hebrews 13:16: “But to do good and communicate, forget not, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.”

Let’s look at the first one, “to do good.” The word here is eupolia. It means “well doing; giving beneficence, including ministering and serving the saints; giving to the needy; hospitality.” This is what it means “to do good.” The Bible says here that this is a sacrifice “with which God is well pleased.” We don’t always feel like doing good, and doing these things, but as we sacrifice to do it, God will be well pleased.

The next word is “communicate” and that’s the Greek word koinonia. This is a very big word in the New Testament. It was also the lifestyle of the early church. In fact, if we go back to Acts 2:42, and we read about the new believers and their lifestyle, this is what we read. “They continued steadfastly in . . .”

Number one, “the apostles’ doctrine.” They listened to the Word of the Lord, so they would know how He wanted them to live.

Number two, “fellowship.” That’s the word koinonia.

Number three, “breaking of bread,” which is also fellowship and hospitality, because it didn’t only mean having communion, it meant gathering together with one another and eating a meal together.

Back then, they didn’t have loaves like we have, where we cut our bread. They had flat bread, which they would break. Then they would dip it into the dish that they had made, maybe hummus or baba ghanoush, or something like that. They would say when they wanted to gather with someone, “Come and let’s break bread together.” So, with fellowship and hospitality.

Number four, “prayers” with “s” on the end, plural. They also gathered to pray together. This was their lifestyle. It was a lifestyle of fellowship. We can read some other translations here.

A Faithful Version says: “Now, do not forget to do good, and to fellowship, for with such sacrifices, God is well pleased.”

The New English Translation: “And do not neglect to do good, and to share what you have, for God is pleased with such sacrifices.”

Also going back to Acts 2 in the Good News Bible this time: “They spent their time in learning from the apostles, taking part in the fellowship (koinonia) and sharing in the fellowship meals and the prayers. All the believers continued together in close fellowship, and shared their belongings with one another. They had their meals together in their homes, eating with glad and humble hearts.”

That lifestyle was a foretaste of what it is going to be like in Heaven. We’re going to have meals together. We’re going to sit down with the saints and fellowship and eat together, apart from doing many, many other things. But even when Jesus was here on earth, He said to His disciples, “I want you to sit down with Me at My table, in My Kingdom.”  He talked about His table in His heavenly kingdom. There it is, that fellowshipping.

I must tell you a little story. Before I understood the full meaning of koinonia and fellowship, I read this Scripture: “But to do good and communicate, forget not.” I thought, “Oh, wow!” I had to use that Scripture for a certain thing. It was when Colin and I were courting, way back, many years ago, because Colin and I have been married for, can you guess how many years? We’ve been married for 62 wonderful years.

But back when we were courting it wasn’t like today. We didn’t have social media. Colin and I lived in two different cities, a long way from one another. So, how on earth did we communicate? We didn’t even use the telephone, because back then, it was too expensive. You would only telephone if it was a birthday, or Christmas, or something like that.

The only way we communicated was through letters. Because we were so completely and passionately sold out to the Lord, we didn’t even want to waste any time from seeking the Lord or serving the Lord. I only wrote a letter one week, and then he would write the next, so it means we were only getting a letter from one another every two weeks. That was pretty pathetic, wasn’t it?

But one time, his letter didn’t even come the second week. I was very upset. I thought, “What is happening? This is not good!” And I read that Scripture. So, I was very naughty, and instead of writing a beautiful, lovely letter as I always did, I just wrote that Scripture, and nothing else. It just said, “To do good, and communicate forget not.”

Well, he didn’t really have a very good response from that, so that wasn’t really a very nice thing to do, was it? But anyway, we got back into our lovely communication again. It really means “fellowship.” And the koinonia lifestyle was the lifestyle of the early church, and it should be our lifestyle today.

So, ladies, I am going to give you now eight points on living the koinonia lifestyle. You may like to take notes, because I think you’ll want to get these points. Although maybe you can’t take notes because you may be on a walk as you're listening, or maybe you're driving the car as you're listening. Maybe you're doing the dishes.

Oh well, perhaps you can listen again, or, of course, you can always go to the transcript. You know that we do a transcript for all our podcasts. My dear lovely friend Darlene does the transcripts faithfully, every week. She does it as a ministry unto the Lord, and to you, to all of those who want to read them. I’m so grateful to her, and I know you are so grateful too.

Anyway, let’s start on these points, shall we?

No. 1. WE OFFER UP OUR TIME

Notice it’s an offering. We’re talking about the sacrifice of koinonia. These are the New Testament sacrifices, and one of them is the koinonia lifestyle. God calls it “a sacrifice.”

But what did Jesus call a sacrifice? The greatest sacrifice of all time? When the Son of God, the glory of heaven, sacrificed His life unto death for our sins, what did He call it? He didn’t call it a sacrifice. He called it “a delight.” “I delight to do Thy will, oh My God.” So, I think each time we talk about one of these offerings up to the Lord, let’s look upon them as a delight, shall we?

So, we offer up our time as a delight. Yes, a delight. Our time. Well, there are some people who really don’t like to fellowship. They really like to stick to themselves. There are some people who do not even fellowship with other believers every week. That’s not really living the New Testament lifestyle.

It’s not living the koinonia lifestyle, because gathering together at least once a week . . .  The early church didn’t gather only once a week. Do you know how many times they met together? The Bible says they met together daily. Daily they met together in one another’s homes, and what happened? “Daily the Lord added to the church such as should be saved.” They lived a daily koinonia lifestyle.

There are some believers today who don’t even have a weekly gathering. That should be the minimum of our gathering together with the people of God, to fellowship with them. Because church itself is not even meant to be just gathering to come and hear a message. No, it’s meant to be fellowship. It’s meant to be also eating together.

Of course, even meeting together more than that in hospitality throughout the week. Maybe getting together to pray, and so on, through the week. So, we’re giving up our time. We give up our time to bless others. We give up our time to pray and even give up our time and our thoughts.

Did you know we have to give time to think about others? It’s very easy to let all our thoughts just wrap around ourselves. Of course, when you get married and you become a mother, you then begin to realize your thoughts are not just about you and your husband. Then, you begin to have others who consume your thoughts because you have your children and they become part of your thoughts.

But even as we have family, we’ve got to give time even to others who are in need, and those that we need to bless, or maybe give a call to, or write a card to, or do something for them. We’re giving of our time.

No. 2. WE OFFER UP OUR TABLE

Not as a sacrifice, but as a delight, remember. The table is the heart of every home and family. I trust that the table is a very special piece of furniture in your home. I believe the table should be the focal point in our home where we gather as a family. We not only gather to eat but we gather to fellowship. We gather to dialogue together. And we gather to meet the Lord as we read the Word and pray together. It is a gathering place.

Of course, you’ll be using your table for loads of other things too. Your children will be homeschooling on your table, and they’ll be doing lots of things on your table. There will be lots of stuff on your table and you've got to clear it all off, ready for when you sit down at a meal.

MAKE SPECIAL TIMES

But ladies, we can’t keep our table to ourselves and just to our family. No, we’ve got to open up our table to others, to bring others in to join our family meal table. Now you won’t be doing that every day of the week, but you need to start making the times. I think it’s good to make times where you say, “OK, this day will be a day, or an evening. when we will invite someone to our table.”

Maybe it’s just one person. Maybe it’s a widow who’s living on her own, or a widower living on his own. They’re lonely. God sets the solitary in families. He wants them to be part of a family. Maybe you’ll invite just one person. Or maybe you’ll have a family, a family with little ones. Or you might even have courage to have a big family! But you’ll be praying and asking the Lord, “Who do You want me to have?”

We have had different seasons in our lives. We had churches where we didn’t have a fellowship meal afterwards. Currently, we do. In the last few years, we’ve always had a fellowship meal so that everyone who comes to this fellowship church will stay on for the fellowship meal. That is so glorious. It’s as important as the service.

We sit around tables together and fellowship and talk about things that we would never have an opportunity to do if we just came to church and went home. It’s at the table where we begin to feel and hear the needs of others, pray with one another, talk about problems together, and talk about life! It’s just so wonderful. It’s so great if you do belong to a church where they have a fellowship meal.

There have been times when we haven’t been in that situation, so when we’ve been in that situation, we have always asked someone home for a meal for our Sunday fellowship. We have never, ever, except one time, had a Sunday where we haven’t been fellowshipping with the people of God.

I remember one time, way, way, way, way back in the early, early days. I remember saying to Colin, “Oh darling, why don’t we, this Sunday, just don’t have people? We’ll just come home and be ourselves. We’re always reaching out and feeding everybody. Let’s just have a day where we don’t.” So, we decided that would be a good idea. We did not invite one person. We went home on our own.

Can I tell you that that was the most boring Sunday of our whole lives? We didn’t know what to do with ourselves. It was so boring. We never did it again. We always invited people. Back in those days, we would invite a family. As our children grew older, they would be inviting their friends. Goodness me. We often ended up home with about 30 people, sitting around our table, and sitting here, and sitting there. But what glorious fellowship we had! It was always so wonderful.

I have a little wee piece here from a lady who wrote about how she loved coming to our place for a meal. I think I wrote it here. Let’s see. Yes, she said, “Nancy and Colin always invited me to have Sunday lunch with them after church with their family.” (She must have been one we made, “OK, you just come every Sunday!” because we usually had different people). “What a blessed time that was, of sharing food, and discussing. We would all clasp hands and sing grace together. What marvelous conversations flew around that table. Discussions on many topics. To prove a point, Colin would often bring out the Bible and quote from it. That settled the matter. We all learned so much, and how we laughed!”

I love that, because when you have people coming to your home, you don’t want it to be some boring thing. You want it to be life, and dialogue, and conversation, and laughter. We always made Sunday a time for a fellowship meal, or inviting a family, or other people home.

Currently we also make Friday night a night, where we always invite people, because it’s our Shabbat meal. We always, always have someone to gather at our table for our Shabbat meal. Often, during the week, we’ll also have another night where we have people as well. That’s just our lifestyle.

What is our time, girls? How are we doing for time? Oh goodness me, I’m over time! OK. Well, we’ll just continue next week. All right.

“The Lord bless you, dear ladies, dear mothers, dear young people, dear little children listening. May you all be blessed of the Lord. I bless you in Jesus’ Name. Amen.”

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

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www.aboverubies.org

Transcribed by Darlene Norris

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“LIFE TO THE FULL w/ Nancy Campbell, Above Rubies”

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