Obedience

So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling Philippians 2:12
Obeyed – The motivation for obedience is not always the same. Why you obey is sometimes just as important as the fact that you do obey. In Greek, there are words for this distinction – words that we do not have in English. One kind of obedience describes submission. It’s the kind of obedience that comes from putting yourself under the authority of another. Paul uses this word (hupotasso) in 1 Corinthians 15:27 (“God will put all things under His feet”). But that is not the word used here, and the difference is important. Here the word is hupakouo. This is a word used to describe the obedience of a child to parents. It has direct links to the Hebrew word shema because hupakouo means “to listen attentively in order to answer.” Just as the Hebrew shema means both hear and obey, so hupakouo means to hear and respond. In fact, it comes from the root word akouo which means “to hear.” Guess what? Paul is reminding the Philippian Christians about something they already were doing – listening and obeying, just as they did when they responded to the shema. Of course, that doesn’t mean that the other word for obey does not apply. We are asked to volunteer to submit to the Lord’s authority. We do so because it is in our best interest – and He is worthy of our allegiance. But when it comes to working out our salvation, there is another kind of obedience needed – hearing and doing.Many Christians concentrate on the last part of this well-known verse, namely, “work out your salvation.” But do you see now that this is directly connected with hearing and obeying? So, you might want to ask, “Hearing and obeying what?” And for the answer, we have to look at the little word pantote (“always”). Paul commends his brethren because they have always known the secret of hearing and obeying. They have exercised the properly motivated obedience for a long time. Now, what do you suppose they were hearing-obeying? That requires a little research. In Acts 16:11-15, Luke describes the beginning of the assembly in Philippi. Lydia was at the center of this group. She was a devout convert to Judaism. That implies that she was familiar with, and obedient to, the Torah – the Law of Moses. When she becomes familiar with the Messiah, she embraces Him as the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham. So do the others in Philippi. In spite of the fact that this assembly was not Jewish, these people were already observing God’s way through Jewish roots when the news of Jesus arrived. They knew all about the shema because it was already part of their lives. It was a very short step from shema to hupakouo.We learn something important here. We learn that submission is not at the heart of working out our salvation. Listening and doing is! We learn that listening and doing has been part of God’s plan all along – long before Jesus arrived. But now we know that listening and doing are only one aspect of obedience. The other aspect is submitting. Both are needed. God is not interested in compliance. He wants voluntary acceptance demonstrated by attentive listening and responding.

Skip Moen
Topical Index: Obedience

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Death is certain but the Bible speaks about untimely death! Make a personal reflection about this.. Very interesting, read untilthe end...It is written in the Bible (Galatians 6:7): "Be not deceived ; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
Here are some men and women who mocked God:
1.- John Lennon
Some years before, during his interview with an American Magazine, he said: "Christianity will end, it will disappear. I do not have to argue about that. I am certain. Jesus was ok, but his subjects were too simple, Today we are more famous than Him" (1966). Lennon, after saying that the Beatles were more famous than Jesus Christ, was shot six times.

2.-Tancredo Neves (President of Brazil ): During the Presidential campaign, he said if he got 500,000 votes from his party, not even God would remove him from Presidency. Sure he got the votes, but he got sick a day before being made President, then he died.

3.- Cazuza (Bi-sexual Brazilian composer, singer and poet): During a show in Canec�o (Rio de Janeiro), while smoking his cigarette, he puffed out some smoke into the air and said: "God, that's for you." He died at the age of 32 of AIDS in a horrible manner.

4.- The man who built the Titanic After the construction of Titanic, a reporter asked him how safe the Titanic would be. With an ironic tone he said: "Not even God can sink it" The result: I think you all know what happened to the Titanic.

5.- Marilyn Monroe She was visited by Billy Graham during a presentation of a show. He said the Spirit of God had sent him to preach to her. After hearing what the Preacher had to say, she said: "I don't need your Jesus". A week later, she was found dead in her apartment.

6.- Bon Scott The ex-vocalist of the AC/DC . On one of his 1979 songs he sang: "Don't stop me, I'm going down all the way, down the highway to hell". On the 19th of February 1980, Bon Scott was found dead, he had been choked by his own vomit.

7.- Campinas/SP IN 2005 In Campinas, Brazil a group of friends, drunk, went to pick up a friend.. The mother accompanied her to the car and was so worried about the drunkenness of her friends and she said to the daughter - holding her hand, who was already seated in the car: "My Daughter, Go With God And May He Protect You.." She responded: "Only If He (God) Travels In The Trunk, Cause Inside Here...It's Already Full" Hours later, news came by that they had been involved in a fatal accident, everyone had died, the car could not be recognized what type of car it had been, but surprisingly, the trunk was intact. The police said there was no way the trunk could have remained intact. To their surprise, inside the trunk was a crate of eggs, none were broken.
8.- Christine Hewitt A Jamaican Journalist and entertainer, said the Bible (Word of God) was the worst book ever written, in June 2006 she was found burnt beyond recognition in her motor vehicle.
Many more important people have forgotten that there is no other name that was given so much authority as the name of Jesus. Many have died, but only Jesus died and rose again, and he is still alive.

10 THINGS THAT GOD WON'T ASK YOU:

1. God won't ask you what kind of car you drove. He'll ask you how many people you drove who didn't have transportation.
2. God won't ask the square footage of your house. He'll ask how many people you welcomed in your house.
3. God won't ask about the clothes you had in your closet. He'll ask how many you helped to clothe.
4. God won't ask what your highest salary was. He'll ask if you compromised your character and integrity to get it.
5. God won't ask you what your job title was. He'll ask if you performed your job to the best of your ability.
6. God won't ask how many friends you had. He'll ask how many people to whom you were a friend.
7. God won't ask in what neighborhood you lived. He'll ask how you treated your neighbors.
8. God won't ask about your sins. He'll ask about those you helped stay away from sins.
9. God won't ask you the color of your skin. He'll ask about the content of your character.
10. God won't ask why it took you so long to seek salvation. He'll lovingly take you to your mansion in Heaven and not the gates of Hell.