And the word "fellowship" struck me. What's the coincidence of having two separate articles on the net talk about the same thing as what you've been thinking about?
Coincidence? Maybe... not. :)
Anyway I've pasted it here... hope it helps you too? :P
MAKROTHUMIA* - patience, longsuffering, forbearance - Part 1
Makrothumia is used to express a slow human reaction toward another human being or of God waiting long to bring judgment against man. It is helpful for the understanding of makrothumia to consider it in contrast to hupomone, which means a remaining under or endurance in circumstances.
As we will establish in this study, makrothumia is a necessity in Christian fellowship, as well as in ministry. This is because successful fellowship and ministry among Christians happens only when human reactions are under control. People need the ministry of God's Spirit, not the human reaction and opinions of others. This necessary control is brought about by the presence and ministry of God's Spirit. Our study this week, from Galatians 5:22-23, will focus on the source that produces long-suffering in the life of the believer.
It must first be noted that makrothumia, longsuffering or slow in human reaction, is produced by God's Spirit alone. It is not an ability possessed by a human being, nor is it the result of human effort. A person can exercise discipline to control the flesh, but he/she cannot duplicate the control of his/her reactions toward other persons for the purposes of God.
Galatians 5:22-23
22) But the fruit of the Spirit is love (agape), joy, peace, longsuffering (makrothumia), kindness, goodness, faith,
23) gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Just as Agape is present in mature believers, so must Makrothumia be present because each is an integral, inseparable part of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) and each is a component of the other (Galatians 5:22-23; 1 Corinthians 13:4). The successful effect of God's Spirit on others, whether that be simply in fellowship or in ministry, is accomplished only through their presence within the believer.
(Somehow when I read the word "component", I was immediately reminded of how my software engineering projects must be integrated in order to function fully and effectively. No matter how much we try to minimise the coupling between subsystems and components, there must come a point where there has to be integration for the whole thing to work with synergy. Where the whole is greater than the sum of its part. So it is with the fruit of the Spirit and the fellowship of the Body of Christ, the Church.)
Whether we, as mature believers, are emotionally up or down, whether we are angry with another or indifferent, God's Spirit keeps our fleshly reactions under control, enabling His Spirit to flow in fellowship and ministry.
And then i think God is correcting me here: "Do not quench the Spirit."
Pondering...
No comments:
Post a Comment