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In and out
Everybody knows the relief of coming home after a long day of work. Our home is the place where we rest before going out again the next day. In this way, we are continually ‘coming in’ and ‘going out’. We can understand the Christian life in much the same way. We are continually ‘coming in’ to the house of God and ‘going out’ into the world. The Bible uses these two phrases, ‘coming in’ and ‘going out’, to identify the purpose, direction and activity of the Christian life.
When Moses was looking for a leader to replace him, he asked the Lord, ‘Who will go out and come in before them, and who will lead them and bring them in, so that the congregation of the Lord will not be like sheep which have no shepherd’. Num 27:17. King Solomon prayed to the Lord, ‘Give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people, for who can rule this great people of Yours’. 2 Chron 1:10. It is evident that knowing how to come in and go out is absolutely essential for a Christian leader. The psalmist rejoiced, ‘The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in, for this time forth and forever’.
Psa 121:8.
When a person comes to know the Lord Jesus, they are transferred out of darkness and into His marvellous light. We are transferred out of the dominion of darkness and into the kingdom of the Son. We are established among His people, and that is where we belong. This is the first crisis for any Christian. Do we belong in the world and simply go to church every Sunday? Or, do we belong in church, the Lord’s house, and go out to work each week? We still live in the world, work in the world, and have many relationships with people in the world, but our priority must be the Lord’s house. When the Master returns, there will be no more going out. We read in the book of Revelation, ‘He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore’. Rev 3:12.
In the faith of that day, we should be ‘coming in’ to the Lord’s house to serve, give, and make offering. We don’t come firstly to receive; we come to give. Jesus said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’. Acts 20:35. Of course, as each person in a church is committed to giving, then the whole church also receives. It becomes a fellowship of giving and receiving. And in this way, the church is built up and edified in love. As we come into the Lord’s house, we must follow the example of our Lord Jesus who said, ‘The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give’. Mark 10:45.
On the other side of the coin, we should be ‘going out’ into the world with the singular purpose of sowing. This is the most basic of all Jesus’ parables: ‘Behold, the sower went out to sow’.
Mark 4:3. The world is the place where we sow and reap to support our families and generate increase for the kingdom of God. And the world is also the place where we sow the word of God into the lives of those who are yet to believe in Him. It is easy to lose our focus and become consumed by the worries of the world, the deceitfulness of riches, or the desire for other things.
Knowing how and why we ‘come in’ and ‘go out’ is the evidence of genuine Christian maturity. King Solomon prayed, ‘I am but a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in’. 1 Kings 3:7. He then proceeded to ask for wisdom. We can all pray for wisdom in this area, for God gives to all generously and without reproach. As we come in and go out, our lives can be full of purpose and direction.
David Baker
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Feature Articles
March 2010
First Place
In and out
Facing our fears
First love
Fronting up!
Are you the one?
Seek Him first
The first and the best
When the axe is blunt
Come home
Familiarity breeds contempt
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