Devotions

"For many are called, but few are chosen" (Matthew 22:14). I picture God looking over that banquet hall, declaring, "For many years I called out to Israel, through My apostles. But they refused to hear. Now these guests here in My house have responded to My call. I tell you, they have been chosen. And I won't allow Satan to cut off any one of them from My Body."

We know the devil hasn't yet been cast into his eternal prison. Yet, as we feast at the banqueting table, waiting for the Bridegroom to come, we're given a command. The King has told us to bind up the devil and cast him out of the banqueting hall. In short, we're to rise up and take serious action against Satan's attacks on Christ's Body.

Amazingly, this command is ignored by many Christians. Whenever we see a tenderhearted believer in pain, we think, "I'll offer him comfort. I want to be a listening ear." Or, "I can provide some kind of support. I'll bring him a meal, or offer financial help." These are indeed acts of godly love but often they're not enough.

If we know Satan is speaking lies into someone's life, we're required to do more than merely listen or offer counsel. We're to gather other believers together and take authority over the enemy. Jesus tells us some kinds of demonic oppression "goeth not out but by prayer and fasting" (Matthew 17:21). Thus, with fasting and prayer we are to bind up the enemy. And we are to cast him out of our fellow believer's mind, soul and circumstances.

Are you living under a cloud of despair? Do you know a brother or sister who is downcast, listening to Satan's accusations? I urge you, seek out praying believers in Christ's Body. Go to those who truly know God's heart and let them point out the enemy's lies for what they are.

Scripture says that if one of us hurts, we all hurt. That's why it's absolutely vital that we gather together in Jesus' name, for each other's sake. We are to call on our Savior's authority, bind up the enemy, and cast him out of each other's lives. Then we'll be able to bring every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. That is truly the work of Christ's Body.
 

"Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests" (Matthew 22:8-10).
Since Calvary, the gospel has gone out to all humankind: Jew and Gentile, slave and free, rich and poor, good and bad alike. This is how "the wedding was furnished with guests" (22:10). Please understand, this scene isn't about the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. These guests are those who heed the call to receive Christ as Lord.
Think of it. According to Jesus, this Bride is comprised of "as many as they found, both bad and good" (22:10). Such a group includes formerly bad people: addicts, alcoholics, prostitutes, murderers, gamblers, drug pushers. Yet it also includes formerly good people, those who once relied on a righteousness of flesh.
Now they all have been changed. They've confessed their sins and been washed clean by Christ's blood.
Typically, we think of wedding feasts as lasting a few hours. In the Jewish culture of Jesus' day, such feasts could last up to seven days. Yet to God, a day is as a thousand years. And in this parable, the feast we are seeing has lasted since Calvary. It has been going on for centuries. And it won't end until the Bridegroom returns.
Dear saint, do you realize what this means? Every day is your wedding day. As a member of Christ's Body, you are a part of His Bride. That means each morning when you rise, you are to put on your white wedding garment. If it becomes spotted or soiled, you are to bring it to His Word to be washed clean. And you are to wear your wedding ring at all times. It signifies your married status, as sealed by the Holy Ghost. Finally, you are to feast on the Bread of heaven: Christ, the heavenly manna.
This wedding feast is taking place every day in Christ’s Body.
 

Jesus said, “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35).

This bread is what distinguishes us as members of His Body. We are set apart from the rest of humanity because we dine from a single loaf: Jesus Christ. "We are all partakers of that one bread" (1 Corinthians 10:17).

Some Christians, however, don't want to be connected to other members of the Body. They commune with Jesus, but they deliberately isolate themselves from other believers. They want nothing to do with the Body, other than the Head.

But a body can't be comprised of just a single member. Can you picture a head with only an arm growing out of it? Christ's Body can't be made up of a head alone, with no limbs or organs. His Body consists of many members. We simply can't be one with Christ without being one with His Body also.

You see, our need isn't just for the Head, it is for the whole Body. We are knit together not only by our need for Jesus, but by our need for each other. Paul states, "The eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you" (1 Corinthians 12:21).

Note the second half of this verse. Even the head can't say to another member, "I don't need you." What an incredible statement. Paul is telling us, "Christ will never say to any member of His Body, 'I have no need of you.'" Our Head willingly connects Himself to each of us. Moreover, He says we are all important, even necessary, to the functioning of His Body.

This is especially true of members who may be bruised and hurting. Paul emphasizes, "Much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary" (12:22). The apostle then adds, "And those members of the body, which we think to be less honorable, upon these we bestow more abundant honor; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness" (12:23). He's speaking of those in Christ's Body who are unseen, hidden, unknown. In God's eyes, these members have great honor. And they are absolutely necessary to the work of His Body.

This passage holds profound meaning for us all. Paul is telling us, "It doesn't matter how poor your self-image may be. You may think you're not measuring up as a Christian but the Lord Himself says, 'I have need of you. You're not just an important member of My Body. You're vital and necessary for it to function.'"
 

The apostle Paul instructs us, "Ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular" (1 Corinthians 12:27). He says more specifically, "As the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members . . . being many, are one body: so also is Christ" (12:12).

Paul is telling us, in essence, "Take a look at your own body. You have hands, feet, eyes, ears. You're not just an isolated brain, unattached to the other members. Well, it is the same way with Christ. He is not just a head. He has a body, and we comprise its members."

The apostle then points out, "We, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another" (Romans 12:5). In other words, we are not just connected to Jesus, our Head. We are also joined to each other. The fact is, we can't be connected to Him without also being joined to our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Paul drives this point home, saying, "The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread" (1 Corinthians 10:16-17). Simply put, we are all fed by the same food: Christ, the manna from heaven. "The bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world" (John 6:33).

Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life . . . I am the living bread which came down from heaven . . . he that eateth me, even he shall live by me" (John 6:35, 51, 57). The image of bread here is important. Our Lord is telling us, "If you come to Me, you will be nourished. You will be attached to me, as a member of My Body. Therefore, you will receive strength from the life-flow that is in Me." Indeed, every member of His Body draws strength from a single source: Christ, the Head. Everything we need to lead an overcoming life flows to us from Him.
 

John the Baptist would not let himself be distracted from leading a life of great consequence.

The gospel of John tells us, “A discussion arose between some of John’s disciples and a Jew over purification. And they came to John and said to him, ‘Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you bore witness — look, he is baptizing, and all are going to him’” (John 3:25-26, ESV). John’s followers were speaking of Jesus. Evidently they had theological concerns about Him. Maybe they had heard about His miracle at Cana and thought He had mishandled the cisterns.

John wasn’t going to be distracted by the debate. He knew that something greater than doctrinal sticking points was at stake. He answered, “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven” (John 3:27). In other words: “Can someone work a miracle like this if he hasn’t been sent by God? That kind of power comes only from heaven.”

What John says next is powerful: “You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.’ . . . He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:28, 30). John’s focus in life was clear; his holy calling was centered completely on Jesus. For that reason John the Baptist was known as a great man.

The problem for many of us today, in our success-driven culture, is that we seek great things for ourselves. Well-intentioned ministers seek to build a Twitter following. Christians want to be heard even if it means having fifteen seconds of stupidity on YouTube. We may convince ourselves we are pursuing things for God, but is Jesus really our focus? Without rigorous examination of our hearts, we won’t be able to discern whether we are pleasing our Master or following an inner longing for validation.

The prophet Jeremiah addressed this question directly: “Do you seek great things for yourself? Seek them not, for behold, I am bringing disaster upon all flesh, declares the Lord. But I will give you your life as a prize of war in all places to which you may go” (Jeremiah 45:5). Jeremiah makes clear that God’s measurement of greatness is much different from the world’s. Note that he doesn’t say, “Do not be great. You’ll get spiritual brownie points for false humility.” No, as Jesus Himself says, greatness is measured in how well we serve others.