Fidelity to God’s Word

Fidelity

…to the Formation, the Faith, the Finish

“So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.”

Hebrews 6:17-18

Foundational Passages

Philippians 2:1-11

“So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” ESV

Romans 12:3-21

“Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.” ESV

Philippians 1:27-28

“Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God.” ESV

Introduction

The Reunion Church is a Bible teaching church in Peoria AZ.  God is speaking a word to us – fidelity. Fidelity is not a new word nor recent concept – it is as old as time; old as in – the beginning. So let’s begin our conversation simply about the word itself – fidelity. Fidelity is a Biblical word; therefore, it is an eternal word. Fidelity is a relationship word; therefore, it loves, serves, gives, trusts, respects, and expects. It is a covenant word; therefore, it is a God word, and a word from God. To understand the significance of fidelity to God, we can start with acknowledging both the obvious and the maybe not so obvious. God seeks loving relationship with us, and then to honor and acknowledge those relationships, He makes a covenant with those He loves and those who choose to love Him – that is His way. God’s covenant with those He loves has been established in and through Christ Jesus, His Son. And, finally, God’s covenant with us is entirely upheld and fulfilled within the righteousness and fidelity of Christ Jesus, the Word. This is a snapshot of fidelity to our formation in Him.

As much as fidelity is a word, and fidelity to the Word, is at the centerpiece of our mission, message, and the Kingdom outcomes of our calling to God, and to one another. There is another vitally important dimension to the fidelity concept. We understand, for the most part, the aspects, and need fidelity to formation in God and the Word. It will require more understanding and grace to fully embrace the very specific expectations for fidelity to our walk of faith with one another. However demanding and messy, it is living our faith with fidelity to one another that actually validates our faith with God.

John 13:34-35

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” ESV

That kind of fidelity is most difficult, as it exposes the strengths and the weaknesses of our humanity, all the while demanding our fidelity expressed in love. But make no mistake, this kind of selfless fidelity reveals the true meaning for our lives and shapes our purpose for living. It is good to be reminded from time to time that we are all called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28, 2 Timothy 1:9). As a Bible teaching church in Peoria AZ committed to being Biblical worldview Christian community, we look to unpack and find our moment with the Biblical concepts and context for the word FIDELITY no matter what aspects of it that we like or dislike. At this point – it is not about us, it is about others. Our success and our failure will be judged with the same judgment we have judged one another. If we want to push every aspect of our character and heart for God through the fidelity filter, this is where it often begins and ends. So, in this fidelity process, we are going to look boldly at a Biblical truth that has vanished from our secular and godless culture – both inside and outside the Christian community.

You not me – Him not I. In fact, without Google, pretty sure most will not know what the word fidelity even is. Especially when it comes to serving others before serving ourselves. So go ahead, google it and I will wait. We will all wait. We will patiently wait because the reality is that you and I cannot move forward in our faith without fidelity, to the Church, the body of Christ, we cannot complete our mission to make disciples, to baptize in Jesus’ name, or to teach all that He commanded without love for one another. What He commanded is love – what it means is fidelity. Fidelity to others is in fact, our fidelity to Him.

With all that in tow, let’s now ask… For our Bible teaching church in Peoria AZ, what does the concept of fidelity mean for our relationship with God and with one another? What do the principles and character of fidelity mean for our relationship between ourselves and this world? How does fidelity as a godly and righteous practice of virtue and character impact how I have lived my life before God and those that I love?

In this series, Fidelity, in the broader sense, we will come to see the vital eternal concepts of fidelity as encompassing much more than faithfulness, loyalty, and steadfastness. More than just our formation and our faith. Fidelity will also take us to places we have not been. It will bring into focus for us our finish. To think for a moment about what we often do not want to think about, and to consider what we sometimes do not want to consider. We will see how our final practice of fidelity will bring us to the final doorstep of our journey here. Who is the finisher of our faith? How do we want to finish? What is the legacy of our faith and love for God and others?

I say, Fidelity to the Finish.

Although the Bible may not directly reference every modern context of fidelity, its teachings provide profound insights into the spiritual and practical dimensions of fidelity. So it is more than apropos, it is the practical practice of fidelity to look directly to the scripture to find a Biblical grid of truth and some objective instruction as a means to that point. At Bible teaching church in Peoria AZ, the series “Fidelity” will be a comprehensive view applicable to the historical, the present-day, and a life legacy for those of us on a journey of fidelity to God the Father Almighty – Creator of Heaven and Earth.