Old Saint to New Saint Fellowship

Hey ya'll...what's da Word?

"That which was from the beginning, which we have HEARD, which we have SEEN, with our eyes, which we have LOOKED upon and our hands have HANDLED concerning the WORD OF LIFE...the life was manifested, and we have SEEN and BEAR WITNESS, and DECLARE to you that eternal life which was WITH the Father and was MANIFESTED to us...that which we have SEEN and HEARD we DECLARE to you...that you also may have FELLOWSHIP with us; and truly our FELLOWSHIP is with the Father and with His Son JESUS CHRIST."
(I John 1:1-3)

FELLOWSHIP: partnership, participation, intercourse, benefaction, communicate, communion, distribution.

Having something in common...with those "old saints" of days gone by...seems like an impossibility. Sure we have the ability to read about the history of the events...but to actually have a partnership...a participation...to communicate and have a common communion with them seems so distant...so far away. After all...they had first hand experience with Jesus.

They...those in the past...have heard, seen, looked upon, handled, and bore witness this thing called eternal life...BUT they wanted the readers of the letter...the epistle...the book...to have KOINONIA with them. Not only to have fellowship with them...but also to have fellowship with (1) the Father (2) the Son...Jesus the Christ.


John...also wrote a gospel of discourse...called The Gospel According to John. In that Gospel...he opens up with...

"In the beginning was the WORD (Jesus)...and the WORD (Jesus) was with God (the Father)...and the WORD (Jesus) was God. He (Jesus) was in the beginning with God (the Father). All things were made through Him (Jesus) and with Him (Jesus) nothing was made that was made. In Him (Jesus) was life and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. (John 1:1-5)

"And the WORD (Jesus) became flesh (human) and dwelt among us, and we beheld His (Jesus) glory as of the only BEGOTTEN (Son) of the Father (God), full of grace and truth.


The link...the connecting point... the thing that makes us have communion and something in common with the "old saints"...to us "new saints" is THE WORD OF GOD. This connection is two fold...(1) the Word in the form of Jesus...via His D.B.R., the Death, Burial, and Resurrection which includes the cross and shed blood....and (2) the Written Word of God...that is more than just a book on paper...but it is a LIVING WORD.

"For the WORD OF GOD...is LIVING and POWERFUL, and SHARPER than any tow-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit (human) and of joints and marrow, and is a DISCERNER of the THOUGHTS and INTENTS of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12)

For us to have FELLOWSHIP with one another...and with the Father...and with Jesus...we must have a relationship with THE WORD. That relationship starts out with our EARS...(physical and spiritual ears)...as FAITH comes...by HEARING...and HEARING by the WORD OF GOD. (Romans 10:17) Oh that we would have the ears of that picture of the dog.

Another connection that we have...is THROUGH the "old saint's" WORDS. "I (Jesus) do not pray for these ("old saints" alone...BUT ALSO...those who will BELIEVE IN ME...THROUGH THEIR WORD." (John 17:20) Jesus gave explicit orders to the eleven... and gave marching orders to (1) Go (2) make disciples of all the nations (3) baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit (4) teach them (the made disciples) ALL THINGS that I have commanded you. (Matthew 28:16-20)

Our KOINONIA...with "old saints"...with the Father...with the Son...and with one another in the local church (gathering of saints)...and the church (gathering of saints) around the world will be through THE WORD...JESUS...by the substance of things hoped for...the evidence of things not revealed to the senses. (Hebrews 11:1)

As a RUMINATOR...someone who chews on the cud of the WORD OF GOD...I said all of that to say this...
Begin to moo and chew on NOT just a historical doctrine...but the LIVING WORD OF GOD.

"For the WORD OF GOD that God SPEAKS is alive and full of power-- making it active, operative, energizing and effective; it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the breath of life (soul) and [the immortal] spirit and of joints and marrow [that is, of the deepest parts of our nature] exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purpose of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12 The Amplified Bible)


AND NOW A WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR..THE RUMINATOR SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASS. If you are in the area...and would like to join the herd to moo and chew on THE WORD OF GOD... I would like to invite you to join us at:

Smyrna Assembly
14119 Old Nashville Highway
Smyrna TN 37167
(615) 459-3421
www.SmyrnaAssembly.org

The herd gathers at 9:00 A.M. as we begin to have KOINONIA over food, fun, fellowship, and breaking of the bread of the Word of God.

Love and Koinonia Kisses
Rodney "Mooin' and Chewin' On Da Word of God" Boyd

WHERE IS EVERYBODY...THE CURE FOR LONLINESS

Hello human beings...how's it going? Are you interacting with other human beings...or do you feel like you are in isolation? D0,do,do,do...do, do, do, do...
(If you say the do, do, do, do's just right...it sounds like the theme to the T.V. show...The Twilight Zone). The theme music was by Bernard Herrman and Marius Constant...and set the mood for the mysterious.

The Twilight Zone...the brain child of Rod Serling...was a T.V. show that debut on C.B.S. in 1959. They were stories about ordinary people...who experienced extra ordinary circumstances. The stories always ended with some twist.

The camera would pan over to Mr. Serling as the stood with his hands crossed, a burning cigarette in his hands, dressed in black suit, white shirt and tie...and introduce the nights show. He would also narrate the Twilight Zone openings. Here are three of the various openings:

#1
"Your travelling through another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound, but of mind; a journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination. That's the signpost up ahead---your next top, the Twilight Zone!"

#2
"There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area which we call...the Twilight Zone."

#3
"You're travelling through another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound, but of mind; a journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination--next stop...the Twilight Zone."

The first episode in 1959 was...WHERE IS EVERYBODY?

"The place is here, the time is now, and the journey into the shadows that we're about to watch could be our journey." Earl Holliman played Mike Ferris...in an Air Force jumpsuit...finding himself in a town that has no people in it. He runs around trying to find anyone... with a the paranoid feeling that he is being watched. The sensation of loneliness, hopelessness, isolation escalates until he pushes a cross walk button on a street corner. It is at this moment that it is revealed to the audience...that the button is a panic button and Ferris is an astronaut-trainee strapped into an isolation booth in a simulation of a moon flight. He was in the booth for 484 hours and cracked from SHEER LONELINESS. His journey was all in his mind. (Thanks and a Tip O Da Hat to The Twilight Zone Companion).


That loneliness and sense of isolation...is not uncommon to various people. Oh it may be intensified and exaggerated for the purpose of television and ratings... but that sense of loneliness in the middle of a crowd is nothing new.

Sometimes we feel like Jimmy Stewart in the classic movie..IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE. George Bailey had spent his entire life...in Bedford Falls... and sacrificed his dreams and ambitions on the altar of helping others. Every time he feels he is about to escape his destiny...somebody's problems rise up...that only he could deal with.

The straw that broke the camel's back...finally happened. and George got to the point of the sense of helplessness...and hopelessness...where he felt the only way out was suicide.

I remember back to 1970...where I reached that point in my life. At that point I became a follower of Jesus Christ. Within two years...what appeared to be a sudden turning away from my faith...was actually a gradual slide into isolation from my family, friends, church...into hopelessness.

I NEEDED HELP. Our friend in the Twilight Zone pushed a PANIC BUTTON.
George Bailey was rescued as an answer of prayers from the people he ran from...in the form of an angel with the I.Q. of a rabbit..Clarence, Angel 2nd Class with no wings. I turned back to God....back to hope...through the prayers of some saints GATHERED TOGETHER interceding for me.

There is a cure for this helpless, hopeless, sensation of loneliness. It's called KOINONIA. This word is from the Greek word KOINE' means common. There is the classical Greek language...and the KOINE' Greek language...the common language of the common people. This is what the New Testament is written in.
KOINONIA...is a sharing, a communion, having something in common between people.

As believers...we really do need each other. Yes...our individual experience with God is between us and Him...BUT...to walk out this experience...we cannot do it in ISOLATION. We must surround ourselves with other people who have made Jesus Christ as Lord of their lives...so that we can encourage, edify, lift up, when we get WEARY.

On a cold, cold night...where you cannot get warm...the cure is a THREE DOG NIGHT. No...I'm not talking about putting JOY TO THE WORLD by the singing group....but depending on how cold it is...you can put one dog on for being cold. This is called a one dog night. A little more colder...two dogs...and for the freezing cold...it is a THREE DOG NIGHT. As Three Dog Night sang...ONE is the loneliest number that you'll ever know. Even The Lone Ranger...was not ALONE. He may have been the surviving member of a group of Rangers who was attacked...but even The Lone Ranger had his faithful steed Silver...and his friend TONTO. We need Amigos...to help us out of the muck of loneliness.



We really do need each other. If that is true...why do we isolate ourselves? I know people who remove themselves from people who love them...only to listen to lies of the enemy...about what they thing people have said or done to them. A good wolf...likes nothing better for the sheep to remove themselves from the flock. It's like a sheep buffet...easy pickings. In Africa...we got to see the stalking lioness waiting for the right moment for an isolate Wildebeest to ring the dinner bell.

"Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labour. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is NOT ANOTHER TO LIFT HIM UP. Furthermore, if two lie down together they keep warm but how can ONE BE WARM ALONE? And if ONE CAN OVERPOWER him who is ALONE...two can RESIST him. A CORD OF THREE STRANDS IS NOT QUICKLY TORN." (Ecclesiastes 3:9-12)

"Iron sharpens iron...so ONE MAN SHARPENS ANOTHER." (Proverbs 27:17)

"Again I say to you...that if two of you AGREE on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. For where two or three have GATHERED TOGETHER in my name, there I am in their midst." (Matthew 18:19,20)


"Let US hold fast the confession of OUR hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful, and let US consider how to stimulate ONE ANOTHER to love and good deeds, not forsaking OUR own ASSEMBLING TOGETHER, as is the habit of SOME but encouraging ONE ANOTHER, and all the more as you see the day drawing near." (Hebrews 10:23-25)

Are you one cord, one piece of iron, one sheep? Do you wonder why you feel so lonely. Even if you are in the largest megachurch or the smallest home meeting...you can be in self isolation by the choices you make. Reach for your PANIC BUTTON now...call out to your God for HELP...connect again with a brother and sister in the Lord.

"What we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, that you also may have KOINONIA WITH US....and indeed OUR KOINONIA is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things we write, so that OUR JOY MAY BE MADE COMPLETE." (I John 1:3,4)

Hey...if you're out there...give me a shout.

Love and 3 Cord Kisses
Rodney "KOINONIA" Boyd

FAILURE...TO COMMUNICATE

Hello friends and neighbors...how's your communication skills? As I am writing this Rambling...I am listening to the Theme to the movie Cool Hand Luke. A very soothing, calming, picking of the guitar with a wave of strings drawing you into a peaceful setting that was anything but peaceful.

In 1967 there was a movie released that quickly became one of my favorite movies.. by the name of COOL HAND LUKE starring Paul Newman. It is a movie about conformity and submitting to the system personified in the character of Lucas Jackson. It opens with Lucas cutting the heads off of parking meters on one drunken night. He was arrested...and when asked why he did such a thing...his answer was...
"Small town, not much to do in the evening. Mostly just evening up scores." He was sent to a prison camp...where it was expected that he would conform...one way or the other.

The Warden/Captain was played by a wonderful character actor named Strother Martin. He has been in many T.V. shows and movies including.. the movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

In this one he played a southern warden of the prison camp...who was in charge of taking non-conformist and conforming them the easy way or the hard way. Lucas Jackson chose the hard way.

Luke...became a hero in the eyes of a lot of the prisoners...and became almost a religious icon as someone who would not conform to the chains that were to remind him of what the Captain was saying. Instead they reminded him of why he wanted to break free from those chains and not conforming to prison life. The name Cool Hand Luke came after he won a five card stud game on a stone cold bluff. Luke states..."Yeah, well, sometimes nothin' can be a REAL COOL HAND." Many reviewers of the movie noted the religious context of Luke being a "Christ-like" character with his martyrdom by authorities. Even in the closing shoot of the movie they indicate that in the closing pullback shot of roads...there forms a distinct cross.

One of the most famous lines...that was repeated 2 times in the movie with a slight variation was found in this dialogue after Luke attempted on of his escapes:

CAPTAIN: You gonna get used to wearin' them chains after awhile, Luke. Don't you never stop listenin' to them clinking, cause they gonna remind you of what I've been saying.... for your own good.

LUKE" I wish you'd stop being so good to me, Cap'm.

CAPTAIN: Don't you ever talk that way to me. Never! Never!

(addressing the rest of the prisoners)

What we've got here...is FAILURE TO COMMUNICATE. Some men, you just can't reach. So you get what we had here last week--which is the way he wants it. Well...he gets it. And I don't like it anymore than you men.

NOTE: He makes the statement again later...and adds...A failure to communicate.

Communication Breakdown is at the core of a lot of the problems in world relationships and in inter personal relationships. We have a FAILURE TO COMMUNICATE.

The heartbeat of God is COMMUNICATION. He is a revealer, discloser, a manifester of mysteries and secret things. The Greek word KOINONIA...has many meanings. On aspect of koinonia is to have FELLOWSHIP. It speaks of an intimacy going beyond surface relationships. It speaks of having something in common with someone. The root of the word is KOINE' which means common. There is the classical Greek language...and then there is the street language of the koine'...or common man. This is what the New Testament is written...to communicate with the common man. Another meaning of koinonia is communion...COMMUNICATION... and sharing.
I'm convinced that God's heartbeat is to COMMUNICATE with us. I believe that the core of many of our problems as Christians is based on our having a FAILURE TO COMMUNICATE.

"For the crooked man is an abomination to the Lord; BUT He is intimate with the upright." (Proverbs 3:32)

The Amplified Bible puts it this way..."For the perverse are an abomination--extremely disgusting and detestable---to the Lord; BUT His confidential communion and secret counsel are with the uncompromisingly righteous--those who are upright and in right standing with Him."

Note that the FAILURE TO COMMUNICATE is not on God's end of the communication process...it is on my end. The ONLY way to get into a position of being upright and in right standing with Him...is JESUS CHRIST...and the D.B.R...nothing more...nothing less. Every time I move from the cross...and into righteousness based on my goodness...and what I can do or not do...I immediately go in to COMMUNICATION FAILURE. The only way to relink back into favor...is the way I got there in the first place...grace, mercy, yielding my will to His will by the BLOOD of Jesus (I John 1:1-10) This is where the word...KOINONIA is found in reference to our standing with Him.

One of my favorite scriptures to fall back on when I don't understand something is Deuteronomy 29:29..."The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the THINGS REVEALED belongs to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law."

As in the movie Cool Hand Luke...the chains that bind us can remind us to conform to this world and remain prisoners...or they can remind us that IT WAS FOR FREEDOM THAT CHRIST SET US FREE... THEREFORE KEEP STANDING FIRM...AND DO NOT BE SUBJECT AGAIN TO A YOKE OF SLAVERY. (Galatians 5:1).

For Luke...the freedom that he sought was found in death. For us... the freedom that we seek is found in death....and resurrection. When we die to our SELF...our wishes...our desires...and then allow God to breath His Spirit on us...we really begin to LIVE. Sometimes I find my self walking around with the chains of the flesh...like a zombie or the living dead... when I could be set free. What I have is FAILURE TO COMMUNICATE... with the Creator of Communication.

Love and NON-FAILURED Kisses
Rodney " I'm Shaking It Boss" Boyd