How do mercy and grace intertwine with branches on a grapevine? Read and see…

Chapter 3 in Secrets of the Vine deals with “the barren branch,” which relates to Christians who get stuck in their walk with Christ. Does Christ just walk off and leave us? Not at all! He works with us until we get unstuck. What kinds of things cause us to get stuck? Anger, bitterness, unforgiveness of oneself and/or others, uncontrolled or misdirected grief, unrealistic and unmet expectations, complacency, and an unrepentant heart are a few of the things that keep us from walking close to Christ and get us stuck in the proverbial mud. To see what Christ does for us during those times, we look at the vine that has fallen or grown in the dust and mud.

(from page 34 and 35) “New branches have a natural tendency to trail down and grow along the ground…they don’t bear fruit down there…the branch becomes sick and useless.” The workers walk through the vineyard looking for those branches. They carry pails of water and strips of cloth. When they find a branch that has trailed in the dust and mud, they take it and wash it off and then tie it back onto the trellis where it can flourish.

John 15:2 provides quite an explanation of this process in our lives, “He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” Sounds dreadful, doesn’t it? There are two things in this verse that we need to know.

1. “In me” is reserved for those who are in Christ. He’s not talking about people who don’t follow Him, but those who do. We take great comfort that He loves us and will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).
2. “Cuts off” has a better translation, “lifts up.” It makes better sense, doesn’t it? The Greek word is airei. Its definition is: to raise, take up, lift. Its order of usage: I raise, lift up, take away, remove. Jesus “takes away” the branch from the mud, not from the vine. “Airei” never means “cuts off.”* “Takes away” or “cuts off” is an unfortunate (and misleading) interpretation* in the NIV, NLT, ESV, KJV, NKJV, NASB, and many more.**

When Jesus washed the feet of His disciples, He was demonstrating this illustration. When He mentioned it in the vineyard, I’ll bet that they remembered that He had washed their feet that very evening. Jesus doesn’t give up on us; instead, “He gives us mercy and grace in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). When we feel stuck, let’s turn to Him–run to Him–and ask for help. He is waiting with open arms!

Abba, we thank You for Your mercy and grace. “Mercy” is more than You not giving us what we deserve; it’s all about Your ever-present compassion for us when we turn to You, and then You providing what we need in order to heal and be restored. We live in Your “unmerited favor,” which is grace. Why would we ever look anywhere else for help when You have offered us Your mercy and grace? Teach us to turn and run to You all the time, every time. Amen.

*Page 33

**Bible Hub

We are free to represent Christ to the world. That means we need to look like Christ–how do we do that?!

Our passage is 2 Corinthians 5:14-20,

¹⁴ …Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. ¹⁵ He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.
¹⁶ So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! ¹⁷ This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
¹⁸ And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. ¹⁹ For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. ²⁰ So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!”

Notice that:

1. We have died in Christ and now live through Him;
2. We are not to live for ourselves any longer, but for Him;
3. We don’t think of others by their current lifestyles, but how they can be in Christ. We now see them as Christ sees them;
4. God has reconciled the world to Himself through Christ. Our Good News is that all they have to do is turn to Christ for help–help with their chains, their deceptions, their obsessions, and the evil desires that tend to draw us into sin. The personal relationship that Jesus extends to them is HOW He helps them. It’s a daily thing for the rest of their lives.
5. We have been enlisted to plead with them, “Come back to God!”

We are not meant to do it alone. He wants to do it with us. God is all about connecting first to us, and then to the world around us. In this way, the Gospel will go out to the ends of the earth! Listen to what Jesus said, “Yes, it was written long ago that the Messiah would suffer and die and rise from the dead on the third day. ⁴⁷ It was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority of his name to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem: ‘There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.” (Luke 24:46-47). We proclaim the message in His name by being IN HIM. Sometimes, we get to speak our message; sometimes, we only get to show people what we believe. There are even times when our sheer presence convicts of (reveals) sin in people’s lives, and they react violently to us. That’s okay; Christ is still working in their lives. We count it a privilege to suffer for His name.

Being free in Christ is the best and highest way for us to live. Let’s walk closely to our Savior and in step with the Spirit each day, every day.

Abba, we are free to sin, but we no longer want to because it leads us back into bondage and even destroys us and makes the people around us suffer. Instead, we are free to love You, each other, and even ourselves! Keep teaching us to love, Abba. It’s who You are and it’s who we want to be. Amen.

John the Baptist was a witness to the authenticity of Jesus as Messiah. Did you know that John actually called Him a Lamb?

If we are to believe John the Baptist, and the people of his day considered him to be a prophet, then Jesus is the True Passover Lamb,

²⁹ The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! ³⁰ This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’ ³¹ I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.” ³² And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. ³³ I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ ³⁴ And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.” John 1:29-34

There are some key phrases in John’s testimony that only a prophet would make. Statements like these:

• John called Him “the Lamb of God” in human form. Were the people looking for a human “lamb?” No! They were looking for a military leader in the likeness of King David. They weren’t looking to be delivered from sin, they wanted to be delivered from Rome.
• Most people may not have known that John was older than Jesus by six months (Luke 1:36). Yet, John referred to Jesus as before him and that He ranks higher than him. John was testifying in a cryptic way that Jesus was eternal. Jesus makes the same claim in John 10:56-58.
• John saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove and come to rest on Jesus. That’s huge!
• The Father, who sent John to baptize, told John to look for the One on whom the Spirit descends and rests. John knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jesus was the Messiah, the Anointed One.
• John spelled it out in verse 34, “I have seen and borne witness that this is the Son of God.”

The religious leaders couldn’t afford to believe John, nor did they think that they needed to repent of anything. Jesus told them otherwise,

Matthew 5:20 “For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Matthew 23:13 “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in.”

Matthew 23:27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness.”

The entire world needed a human Passover Lamb. Jesus is that Lamb. At the original Passover, as Israel prepared to leave Egypt, the lamb became the symbol of redemption and deliverance from bondage. Jesus came to lift Israel, and thus the entire world, out of the sinful state in which they were trapped and to lead them into a right relationship with Him. God became flesh to join us so that we could join God in the fellowship of the divine Trinity. He is our Deliverer!

Abba, thank you for sending John to point us to Jesus. He told the people straight up that he wasn’t the Messiah, and then he told them that Jesus is the Messiah. I wish more had believed him. Even then, they all needed Jesus to be their human Passover Lamb, just as we do. Thank You, Jesus, for delivering us from the bondage of sin. We owe You everything. Amen.

If you haven’t clicked the link and read a post lately, today would be a good one to do just that.

We need spiritual wisdom and revelation in our lives in order to live godly lives. This wisdom and revelation come from our continued connection with the Spirit. According to Ephesians 1:16-23 and 3:14-21, we find that God wants to enlighten our hearts with our experiential knowledge of Him:

¹⁷ I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.

1. He wants us to know the hope we have in Jesus, ¹⁸ I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you…This hope is more than just wishful thinking. It’s based on factual information as given to us by Christ.
2. He wants us to experience the riches of our glorious inheritance through the saints,  the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people…In other words, we can experience heaven with other believers now.
3. He wants us to be strengthened by His incomparably great power through His Spirit in our inner being, ^3:16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being ¹⁷ so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith…This happens when Christ lives/dwells/abides and rules in our hearts.

Jude 24 reveals that it is not we, but Christ, who keeps us from stumbling in our faith, ²⁴ To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—which turns our rocky times into seasons where trust can be built and faith deepened. Our promise is that HE will present us to Himself (Ephesians 5:27) ultimately without fault, and He will do it with great joy! In the meantime, we are to turn our hearts, faces, and prayers to Him. When? Every time we are reminded to do so by the Spirit.

What is the desire of your heart? Do you really want to follow Jesus? Then, let’s start getting to know Him better through His Word, prayer, and His people. His hope, inheritance, and power are available to all.

Abba, I pray that You will, indeed, enlighten the eyes of our hearts so that we can see You better and know You better. According to Your own words, Jesus, You will give us rest, for You are gentle and humble at heart (Matthew 11:28-30). We have nothing to fear from You and everything to fear away from You. Teach us to trust You, Lord. Amen.

Haverim-the fellowship, partnership and mutual respect between friends as they study and discuss spiritual topics together.

When discussing the Bible, what it means, how we interpret it and how history, archeology, science, biology, astronomy, etc. fit into it, we need some ground rules. These rules are meant to take the “fight” out of the discussion. When we divide over non-essentials (the essentials being Jesus Christ crucified, buried, raised from the dead-1 Corinthians 15:3-4), we have missed the point: “that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.” (John 17:21). So, what are these ground rules?

“Come, let us reason together,” says the Lord. Isaiah 1:18

If we are ever to grasp spiritual concepts, we must do it reasonably.

If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the good things of the land; Isaiah 1:19

We must be willing and obedient to the Spirit, who will give us all that we need for a reasonable discussion, such as love,

⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

⁸ Love never fails.

If we discuss (Haverim) in this kind of love, we will “never fail.”

Abba, I love discussing Your Word, Your creation, Your spiritual concepts, and Your love with other Christians. We learn from each other as we hear their stories of how they came to know You. May we consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another (Hebrews 10:24-25). It’s what You’ve asked us to do, therefore, we will do it out of love and respect for You. Amen.

What’s so special about Christmas? Part 8

⁴ But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, ⁵ to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. Galatians 4:4-5

We have been looking into what St. Paul meant by “the fullness of time.” God crafted history to come together in a culmination of circumstances that fulfilled prophecy and propelled the Gospel into the world in a manner and rate that were unprecedented in history. Here are the strands to date:

1. The Communication Strand
2. The Colonization Strand
3. The Transportation Strand
4. The Circulation Strand

Today, we look a the last strand,

The Toleration Strand*

Up until the Roman Empire, every invading army set up its own gods to be worshipped by the conquered people. The Romans did things differently: They allowed the conquered people to continue to worship their own gods, but to also pay homage to the Roman gods, especially Caesar, which most did–but not the Jews. They would worship no other God but Yahweh. So, the Romans made an exception and allowed the Jews to continue their monotheistic religion as long as they paid their taxes.

Concerning Christ and Christianity, the Romans saw it as a branch of Judaism and as long as they didn’t cause trouble, the Romans left them alone. It wasn’t until 64 AD when Nero burned part of Rome and blamed the Christians for it that things got bad–really bad. But, for 30+ years, Christianity was tolerated by the Roman government, in which time, St. Paul and others spread the Gospel all over the Empire.

In the words of J. Warner Wallace, “The Roman Empire had unified much of the known world, adopted a popular language, provided a shared alphabet, established peace, constructed roads, developed the world’s best postal service, and embraced just enough religious tolerance to detonate an explosion.”*

The fullness of time had come, and God came to earth as Jesus.

Lord Jesus, You are amazing! You fulfilled so many prophecies even as You guided history to just the right moment in time to come. Thank You for coming. You came to “to bring good news to the poor; to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:18-19). We are the fruit of Your labor! Hallelujah! Amen.

*From, Person of Interest, by J. Warner Wallace, pages 20-23

Each day, we learn a little bit more about God, Jesus, and the Spirit. We just need to know where and how to look.

My pastor has been preaching out of the Gospel of Luke lately. He made the excellent point that Jesus revealed Himself to His disciples in a progressive manner.

Let’s search the scriptures to see what this looks like:

Jesus is Lord over life,

¹¹ Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. Luke 2:11

Jesus is Lord over demons,

³⁵ “Be quiet!” Jesus said sternly. “Come out of him!” Then the demon threw the man down before them all and came out without injuring him. Luke 4:35

Jesus is Lord over sickness,

¹³ Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” And immediately the leprosy left him. Luke 5:13

Jesus is Lord over sin,

²³ Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? ²⁴ But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” Luke 5:23-24

Jesus is Lord over the Sabbath,

⁵ Then Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” Luke 6:5

Jesus is Lord over death,

¹⁴ Then he went up and touched the bier they were carrying him on, and the bearers stood still. He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” ¹⁵ The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother. Luke 7:14-15

Jesus is Lord over nature,

²⁴ The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!” He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. Luke 8:24-25

Jesus is Lord of the grave,

“Why do you look for the living among the dead? ⁶ He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ⁷ ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” Matthew 24:5-7

As we can see, everything Jesus did was designed to reveal more and more of His identity. We are grateful to the apostles and to Luke for writing down these accounts of Jesus so that we may know Him, too. As John said, “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written” (John 21:25). We will have to count on the Holy Spirit to teach us anything else. Fortunately, we have these promises,

²⁶ But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. John 14:26

But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. John 16:13

Abba, You want us to know You. We can see this truth from the very beginning with Adam and Eve, and then with Abraham, with Moses, and with David. We especially see it in Jesus’ incarnation. May we seek Your face, do Your will, and listen raptly to Your Spirit as He teaches us and reveals You to us. Amen.

 ^“It is enough for students to be like their teachers, and servants like their masters.”* We are learning to become more like Jesus!

The idea of fellowship with the Trinity (Jesus and God are one, along with the Holy Spirit), is the hope of what drives us to learn to live “godly”, which is to grow and live like Jesus in virtue and character. I am very thankful that God provided us with the perfect Example of godliness. Here are the verses that describe the relationship between the Father and the Son,

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:1

¹⁴ The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14

¹⁸ No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known. John 1:18

³⁰ I and the Father are one.” John 10:30

⁹ Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? ¹⁰ Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. John 14:9-10

These verses tell me that when I look at Jesus, I see the Father incarnate (in the flesh). They are one and the same–and, yet, individual. It’s beyond my pay grade to understand; all I have to know is that when I see one, I know what the other is like. The same goes for the Spirit. He is referred to as the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:18), the Spirit of God (Romans 8:9), and the Spirit of Christ (2 Corinthians 3:17-18).

Understanding that our inner desire is to live like Jesus (godly), we look at the life of Christ and trust the Holy Spirit to show us, guide us, train us, and empower us to live as godly men and women. It is our destiny, “…to be conformed to the image of his Son…” (Romans 8:29).

Tomorrow: What’s it like to be conformed to His image? (Hint: it involves a cross…)

Abba, You know our hearts–yet, You love us still! Thank You that You love us where we are, but You love us too much to leave us as we are. May we respond to Your “teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.”** You became like us so that we can become like You. Have at it, Lord! Amen.

*Matthew 10:25

**2 Timothy 3:16-17, All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, ¹⁷ so that the servant of God^[a] may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

The Christian life is a process of getting to know our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. Be patient.

Yesterday morning in Sunday’s Cool (Sunday School), we looked at Jesus’ letter to the church in Ephesus. Here’s part of what Christ said,

⁴ Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. ⁵ Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. Revelation 2:4-5

They were doing all the right things:

• Hard work (v.2)
• Perseverance (v.2)
• Not tolerating wicked people (v.2)
• Testing the “apostles” for genuineness (v.2)
• Endurance of hardships for Christ’s name (v.3)
• Not growing weary (v.3)

What was missing? Their communion with the Lord. Paul had told them in his letter to the Ephesians to “sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:19-20). Their problem came in three parts that translate into our world today:

1. The Ailment-taking our eyes off Jesus and our relationship with the Holy Spirit and either becoming indifferent to spiritual things or obsessive with worldly things–or both!
2. The Cure-returning to the Father’s side and renewing our relationship with Jesus. Our daily communion with the Father is the key.
3. The “Therapy”-dive into Scripture and prayer. Fast from worldly activities. Seek spiritual family and fellowship. Surround ourselves with reminders about God and prompts that encourage obedience and worship. Commune with Him!

We have this promise from Saint Peter:

⁵ For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; ⁶ and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; ⁷ and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. ⁸ For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 5-8

The goal is to keep growing in our knowledge of Jesus. Paul said, “I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, ¹¹ and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead” (Philippians 3:10-11). This knowledge is more than just intellectual knowledge; it’s experiential knowledge. It comes only when we spend time with Him, listening to Him, and obeying His every command. Mary had the right idea,

She [Martha] had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. Luke 10:39

Today, let’s spend time with the Lord, sitting at His feet loving and serving Him in grateful obedience. By doing so, we will find love, joy and peace beyond comprehension! Enough to share with others.

Abba, spending time with You is the best way to start our day. It’s like getting to the trail head early in the morning and meeting You, our Guide. You have for us what we will need for the day (daily bread), and we head off up the trail walking in step with You. What an adventure! May we never take our communion with You for granted; may we never become indifferent to spending quality time with You. May we always keep our fervor in serving You. Amen.

Being a disciple of Christ is based upon hope. Hope in what? For What?

The “in what” is easy. It’s in the resurrection from the dead. It’s in living beyond these present bodies. It’s being united with Christ for eternity. We will look at several Scriptures later.

The “for what” is a little more complicated. Christ has redeemed us for a purpose. What is that purpose? I believe His purpose for us is wrapped up in an illustration,

¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:14-16

Jesus Christ is our Light (John 1:4). His light shines through us to a dark world (John 1:5, 9). But, what happens during times when His manifest Presence seems faint, possibly feeling nonexistent? It is then that we return to Scripture, as Jesus did, and quote Psalm 22:1, “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?” To which, we find the answer in verse 24, “For He has not despised or disdained the suffering of the afflicted one; He has not hidden His face from him, but has listened to his cry for help“.

We take comfort in what we know in Scripture about our hope and our purpose. For instance,

³ His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 2 Peter 1:3

²¹ [May the God of peace] equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. Hebrews 13:21

We take comfort in Paul’s faith as his end was nearing, “Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:8). THIS is the faith we are called to hold. Let this world do as it pleases; we look forward to a far greater future (here is the “in what” promise):

¹⁶ Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. ¹⁷ For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. ¹⁸ So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

We hope in what Christ has for us today, tomorrow and forever; we hope for a new creation, a new beginning, and a new life, one that lasts forever with Him. When times get dark, we sing that which we know to be TRUE:

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
On Christ, the Solid Rock I stand,
all other ground is sinking sand,
all other ground is sinking sand.

Abba, in times of doubt, we turn to Your Word, which reminds us of Your promises, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” “Christ in us, the hope of glory.” “Your love has been poured out into our lives through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.“ We rest in these promises and wait for You to fill us with a sense of Your presence once again. We claim 1 Peter 1:8, “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy.” Lord, it doesn’t get any better than that this side of heaven! May our lights shine for you today. Amen.

If we had to work for our salvation, we would be in BIG trouble. Jesus has already done all the work!

What exactly were the Judaizers preaching that got Paul so upset? Let’s take a look as we delve into the reason for the letter to the churches in Galatia.

From GotQuestions.org:

In the early church, those who taught a combination of God’s grace and human effort were called “Judaizers.” The word Judaizer comes from a Greek verb meaning “to live according to Jewish customs.” The word appears in Galatians 2:14 where Paul describes how he confronted Peter for forcing Gentile Christians to “Judaize.”

According to the Judaizers, a person couldn’t be a Christian without following the Jewish customs, which included circumcision. Paul used circumcision as the encapsulation of Judaism, of abandoning being saved by grace alone and “going backward,” trying to be saved through works again. Paul said,

² I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard? ³ Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh? Galatians 3:2-3

Earlier in his letter, Paul stated how a person is justified,

“¹⁵ “We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles ¹⁶ know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified. Galatians 2:15-16

What can we deduce from this passage?

1. Works of any kind do not save a person. Forgiveness has already been given by Jesus through His FINISHED work on the cross. To continue to work for something that has already been given is to discredit the gift.
2. Jews already knew that the law could not truly justify them. It is why they looked for Messiah to come. Psalm 130:7-8 says, “Israel, put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption. ⁸ He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins.” The fact that they had to offer sacrifices each year reminded them that their sins were only covered and not washed away. Only Jesus’ blood shed on the cross could wash away their sins.
3. Our belief (faith) in Christ’s redemption of the whole world is why the gospel was being preached in Galatia to the Gentiles along with the Jews. This good news was available to all who would receive it!

Paul concluded his letter with this unequivocable statement, “Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is the new creation” Galatians 6:15. Paul left no doubt about where he stood on the matter. We would do well to remember that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit love us as only They can love. Forgiveness is already given! Therefore, let’s give thanks to Them for that love, forgiveness and grace and live our lives in assurance and gratitude.

Abba, thank You for the saving work of the cross. It’s where Your self-giving love shone on us, and it’s where we receive Your forgiveness that You offer freely to all who will come. May we be lights for You that point others to the One who wants to save them: Jesus Christ. Amen.

I found this song in the archives and thought it would be appropriate for today as we go to church:

We only did this song once. It was at a Matthew* Reunion at Brookwood around 2009. We were in the new auditorium and David Polk was still with us this side of heaven. I probably recorded this song so that the guys could practice before they came. Don’t expect a great rendition…(click the title, go to the link; it’s the last song on the list).

Waiting

We come together to sing and praise,
We talk about the weather and about our days,
Then we sing a worship song;
We listen to the pastor break the Bread of Life,
We take up the offering ‘cause we know it’s right,
Then we all just run along…

And Jesus waits for us to come
So He can wrap His arms around us,
The Holy Spirit’s calling us to Him,
So here we stand before Him now,
Will we run to Him or turn around
And all just walk away…
Let us turn to Him and say:

We wait upon You, Lord,
Not because of fame and fortune,
Not for what You can do for us—
We wait upon You!
We wait upon You, Lord,
You pour out grace through Your Holy Presence,
You’re the One with the words of life,
We wait upon You! We wait upon You!

We are waiting…we are waiting…waiting…

We come together to sing Your praise,
Joining our voices, we Your anthem raise,
We are crying out to You;
We listen to the stories of Your faithful ones
And we are encouraged to continue on
As we run to the prize:
From Your throne in Glory rise!

And Jesus beckons us to come
So He can wrap His arms around us,
The Holy Spirit carries us to Him,
Then we will stand before His throne,
We will pledge allegiance to the Lamb
And fall at His feet…those nail-pierced feet—but until then:

We wait upon You, Lord,
Not because of fame and fortune,
Not for what You can do for us—
We wait upon You!
We wait upon You, Lord,
You pour out grace through Your Holy Presence,
You’re the One with the words of life,
We wait upon You! We wait upon You!

We are waiting…we are waiting…waiting…

May we enter into corporate worship with consecrated hearts that come from consecrated lives. If we have not been living as set-apart Christians, then we need to start with repentance. Let us turn to Him and ask Him to help us orient our lives to the cross and to His throne. We cannot do it ourselves; we need Him. So we wait…

Abba, I know that as Worship Leader, I must be the Lead Worshiper. I ask that you prepare my heart for worship. May I seek Your presence now so that I won’t be surprised when You show up in our midst! Manifest Your presence with us, O Lord. WE NEED YOU! Amen.

*Matthew was our singing group. We traveled to churches and sang concerts of original songs.

Jesus didn’t leave any room for ambiguity. He demonstrated His lordship over death. Will we trust Him as Lord?

The reaction to the resurrection of Lazarus was polarizing. Many believed in Jesus because of the miracle, but others took it as a threat to their security and way of life. I’m sure it was “just business…”

⁴⁵ Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him. ⁴⁶ But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. ⁴⁷ Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin.
“What are we accomplishing?” they asked. “Here is this man performing many signs. ⁴⁸ If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our nation.”

 ⁵³ So from that day on they plotted to take his life.
⁵⁴ Therefore Jesus no longer moved about publicly among the people of Judea. Instead he withdrew to a region near the wilderness, to a village called Ephraim, where he stayed with his disciples.

I believe that Jesus knew what the result of the resurrection of Lazarus would be. He knew that they would kill Him. The high priest, Caiaphas, made a remarkable statement during the leaders’ meeting,

⁴⁹ Then one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up, “You know nothing at all! ⁵⁰ You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.”

John included his own commentary about his statement,

⁵¹ He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, ⁵² and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one.

The village called Ephraim is today called, “Tazbeh,” and is 9.5 miles Northeast of Jerusalem. We don’t know how long Jesus stayed there until time to ride the donkey’s foal into Jerusalem, but I’ll bet it wasn’t long. Jesus was much too popular to stay hidden for any extended length of time.

For me, the take-away is the deliberate “offering” of Himself to die for us. His mission was to “proclaim good news to the poor, to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:18-19). The only way for us to be truly free was for Him to break the power of the evil one (Hebrews 2:14-15). Jesus would go through death and “kill” it with His LIFE. He offers us that same life.

Abba, looking at the mission of Jesus shouts Your love for us. You conquered death for us so that we can experience Your life. You are amazing! May we shout for joy this coming Sunday–and every day–for Your amazing love. Amen.

Humility is being willing to change your conclusions when new information comes in. Science is always changing. So should our conclusions.

42 Then Job replied to the Lord:
² “I know that you can do all things;
    no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
³ You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?’
    Surely I spoke of things I did not understand,
    things too wonderful for me to know. Job 42:1-2

“10 Best Evidences from Science That confirm a Young Earth,” by Answers in Genesis, has provided some super examples of science finally catching up to the Bible. Let’s look at number 7:

#7 Caron-14 in Fossils, Coal, and Diamonds

“Carbon-14 (or radiocarbon) is a radioactive form of carbon that scientists use to date fossils. But, it decays so quickly–with a half-life of only 5,730 years–that none is expected to remain in fossils after only a few hundred thousand years. Yet, Carbon-14 has been detected in “ancient” fossils–supposedly up to hundreds of millions of years old–ever since the earliest days of radiocarbon dating.

Even if every atom in the whole earth were carbon-14, they would decay so quickly that no carbon-14 would be left on earth after only 1 million years. Contrary to expectations, between 1984 and 1998 alone, the scientific literature reported carbon-14 in 70 samples that came from fossils, coal, oil, natural gas, and marble representing the fossil-bearing portion of the geologic record, supposedly spanning more than 500 million years. All contain radiocarbon. Further, analyses of fossilized wood and coal samples, supposedly spanning 32-350 million years in age, yielded ages between 20,000 and 50,000 years using carbon-14 dating. Diamonds supposedly 1-3 billion years old similarly yielded carbon-14 ages of only 55,000 years.

Even that is too old when you realize that these ages assume that the earth’s magnetic field has always been constant. But, it was stronger in the past, protecting the atmosphere from solar radiation and reducing the radiocarbon production. As a result, past creatures had much less radiocarbon in their bodies, and their deaths occurred much more recently than reported!

So, the radiocarbon ages of all fossils and coal should be reduced to less than 5,000 years, matching the timing of their burial during the flood. The age of diamonds should be reduced to the approximate time of biblical creation–about 6,000 [to 8,000] years ago.”

I remember back in the 70’s and 80’s the scientific world touting carbon-14 dating. Due to more advanced scientific methods, this method of dating has proven that everything that was tested for carbon-14 is less than a million years old–and probably less than 50,000! According to God, He created everything about 6,000-8,000 years ago. Since He was there, we can trust His word on the matter.

Tomorrow, #8 – Short-Lived Comets

Abba, thank You for requiring us to believe You by faith. You continue to unveil truth to us as science continues to delve Your secrets, O Lord. May we have the patience and humility to wait on You without making assumptions, and to be willing to change our conclusions based upon the unveiling of Your truths. Faith is “Forsaking All, I Trust Him.” We trust You, Abba. Amen.

The coming of Jesus 2000 years ago is still having a major impact on our world today.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Hebrews 13:6

We saw in, “Person of Interest,” written by J. Warner Wallace, that Jesus is the most written-about person in history. What about architecture? How did Jesus influence the way we build?

Churches in the first centuries of the Common Era were still relatively dark, uninspiring spaces, although they were much larger than their house church counterparts. But even in these heavy spaces, a simple architectural development would eventually point believers heavenward.
Domes were not unknown to the Greek and Roman world, or course, but they were mastered by Christian church builders who stretched the limit of the archetype.
These arched ceiling surfaces provided opportunities to paint images of the angelic realm, and architects designed them to be illuminated in heavenly ways with hidden light wells and strategically placed window openings. Many domes also allowed for the placement of statues, providing yet another artistic avenue for expression. The technology involved in perfecting dome architecture stretched the imagination and engineering skills of designers and builders. The dome at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome in an excellent example.
Designed by Michelangelo, the structure of the dome is an artistic and engineering tour de force. He carefully controlled the way in which he allowed light to enter the space by building a double-walled dome with a light chamber. Windows along the base provided another source of controlled light. The result is nothing less than stunning.

Flying buttresses, visible in the pictures on the St. Peter’s Basilica website, were another invention by Christians that allowed architects to design and build windowed walls that did not bear weight inside the outer weight-bearing walls, thus allowing the inner space to be much larger than was formerly possible. Flying buttresses were used all over Europe thanks to the inspiration of Christians.

There was an unexpected inspiration that happened in the first three centuries during persecution. People began to draw and paint pictures of our Lord and to write songs about Him. We will look at these tomorrow.

Abba, when I think about Your love, mercy and grace, and when I experience Your peace and joy, my heart sings. Others express their adoration and praise to You in other ways. We are inspired to worship You in ways that are unique to each of us. May we not think down on ourselves for loving You as only each of us can. The songs I write to You and about You will probably never reach the masses, but You receive glory and honor through my meager talents. May I praise You with all my heart, O Lord, and with everything I have. Amen.

As Jesus headed to Jerusalem, He spoke to many people. He used analogies from everyday life to describe Himself.

²³ Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, many people saw the signs he was performing and believed in his name. ²⁴ But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people. John 2:23-24

In John 10, Jesus uses several analogies to define who He is:

1. Jesus is the Gate for the sheep (John 10:7).
2. Jesus is the Door for salvation (John 10:9).
3. Jesus is the Good Shepherd (John 10:11, 14).
4. Jesus told them that as the Good Shepherd, He lays down His life for his sheep, and will take it up again by the authority given to Him by His Father (John 10:17-18).
5. Jesus and the Father are one (John 10:30).
6. Jesus is God’s Son (John 10:36).
7. Jesus told them to believe His works even if they didn’t believe His words (10:37-38).

Jesus’ greatest public miracle happened in Bethany when He raised Lazarus from the dead. In His conversation with Martha, Jesus declared:

²⁵ Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; ²⁶ and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

Martha spoke the same confession that Simon Peter did when Jesus asked the disciples who they thought He was (Matthew 16:16),
²⁷ “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”

We now come to the final public address that Jesus gives. In it, He reveals His mission, how He will fulfill it, and what He will accomplish in doing it–and we will pick up here tomorrow. If you want to read ahead, it begins in 12:20 and runs through the end of the chapter.

In the meantime, read through again the list of analogies Jesus gave us and ponder what they mean to us. How do we relate to each one?

Abba, as I look at these analogies, I see myself as one of Your sheep. I put my full trust in You because You laid down Your life for me and then took it up again so that I might not fear death (Hebrews 2:14-15). I know that You hold me in a double-fisted grip (John 10:28-29), and I believe You are God and Son at the same time. You have worked a miracle in my heart and life, and I praise You and thank You. Amen.

God is a loving and patient Parent. We need not fear Him–respect Him? Absolutely, but He wants the best for us. Choose Him.

³⁷ “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. Matthew 23:37

We have been looking at four questions I wrote at the end of chapter two of, “A Grand Illusion,” by David Young about what radical progressives believe–or don’t believe.

Why do we need to recognize Jesus as Lord?
Why do we need a Savior?
How can the Bible be “living and breathing?”
What is holiness?

We are on the fourth question,

What is holiness?

Holiness is the character of God. Whatever God is like, that is holiness. Let’s look at some verses that tell us about the character of God.

PART 2

We continue reviewing the Scriptures that list characteristics of God. Yesterday, we began with Exodus 34:6-7 and Psalm 86:4-7. Today, we start with Psalm 103:8-13.

⁸ The Lord is gracious and compassionate,
    slow to anger and rich in love.
⁹ The Lord is good to all;
    he has compassion on all he has made.
¹⁰ All your works praise you, Lord;
    your faithful people extol you.
¹¹ They tell of the glory of your kingdom
    and speak of your might,
¹² so that all people may know of your mighty acts
    and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
¹³ Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
    and your dominion endures through all generations.
The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises
    and faithful in all he does.

As David described the attributes of God, we can see that he had an ongoing and personal relationship with Him, one that gave David great insight to the character of God. Notice the absence of punishment down to the third and fourth generations. David knew the grace of God (Psalm 51), His love that is everlasting (Psalm 103:17), His mercy that is very great (1 Chronicles 21:13), and His lovingkindness (listed 22 times in Psalms, KJV). Psalm 145:8 is yet another listing by David of those attributes.

The next listing of God’s character is Joel 2:13-14, which takes place around 250 years later,

¹³ Rend your heart
    and not your garments.
Return to the Lord your God,
    for he is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and abounding in love,
    and he relents from sending calamity.
¹⁴ Who knows? He may turn and relent
    and leave behind a blessing—
grain offerings and drink offerings
    for the Lord your God.

We see that the attitude toward God is beginning to change from God being stern to One who allows people to reap the consequences of their own bad decisions. Joel’s call to rend their hearts and not their garments places God’s priority on their attitude and holiness (being like Him) rather than their lip service and rituals.

We will stop here for today and meditate on the goodness of God, how He loves us dearly, but allows us to experience the consequences of our bad decisions while calling us back to His side.

Abba, this process of choosing my own way and then coming back to You is a lifelong process. Through my life, I have learned to return more and more quickly to Your side. Being with You is the safest and most pleasant place for me to be even when life is hard–especially when life is hard! Thank You for loving me. I want to be just like You. Amen.

How closely aligned to the world are we? Do we stand out in this world? Are we enough like Christ for people to tell the difference?

⁴ You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means hostility toward God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. James 4:4

One of the most glaring recriminations that Israel committed is described in Jeremiah 7:17-19,

LXX- 16 Do you not see what they do in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? 17 Their sons gather wood, and their fathers kindle the fire, while their women knead cake dough for the host of heaven [pagan gods]; and they pour out drink offerings to foreign gods to provoke Me to anger. 18 Do they provoke Me to wrath? says the Lord. “Do they not provoke themselves to the shame of their own faces?”

MAS- ¹⁷ Do you not see what they are doing in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? ¹⁸ The children gather wood, the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead dough to make sacrificial cakes for the queen of heaven; and they pour out drink offerings to other gods in order to provoke Me to anger. ¹⁹ Are they provoking Me?” declares the Lord. “Is it not themselves instead, to their own shame?”

The entire family was involved in worshiping the gods of the land. If we read further, we find that they were mixing these offerings with their offerings to the Lord at the temple,

LXX- 21 Thus says the Lord: “For I did not speak to your fathers, nor command them concerning whole burnt offerings and sacrifices in the day I brought them o the and of Egypt. 22 But I commanded them this word, saying, ‘Listen to My voice, and I will be to you as God, and you shall be to Me as a people. Walk in all My ways I commanded you, that it may be well with you. 23 Yet they did not hear Me and did not attend their ear. Instead, they walked in the devices of their heart and went backward, not forward.

MAS- ²² For I did not speak to your fathers, or command them on the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices. ²³ But this is what I commanded them, saying, ‘Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you will be My people; and you shall walk entirely in the way which I command you, so that it may go well for you.’ ²⁴ Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but walked by their own advice and in the stubbornness of their evil hearts, and they went backward and not forward.

Their continued rejection of God’s commands ultimately reaped the whirlwind. Was it God’s doing, His wrath? In an indirect way, yes. Because of the consequences of sin and death, the sin nature pervades all of humanity and nature. God’s commands were designed to help us avoid much of the natural consequences of living in this world. His commands were also designed to foster a relationship between God and each person. Some did, but most didn’t.

If we only understood that His yoke is easy and His burden is light (Matthew 11:28-30), we would trust Him with our lives. He wants only the best for us, which includes a walking, talking, active relationship with Him. He wants to do things WITH us, and to create anew with us. The synthesis between each of us and the Spirit is new! The Father is guaranteed worth getting to know.

Abba, You know our hearts. We would never turn to You were it not for Your sacrifice and Your Spirit calling out to each of us. May we all respond to Your call, accept Your invitation to join You, and receive You into our lives. Daily. Amen.

Having a goal for our lives is important. Christ has given us His goal; are we interested?

Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”John 6:68

I found a new passage that works very much like the Great Commission of Matthew 28:18-20, which says,

¹⁸ Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

The passage of which I am speaking is personal. Jesus spoke it directly to Paul (Saul at the time), but we can assume that its message was given to the disciples earlier. It ties together the Old and New Testaments in a very specific way.

Here is the passage:

¹⁶ ‘Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of me. ¹⁷ I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them ¹⁸ to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’ Acts 26:16-18

Jesus had appeared to Saul (Paul) on the road to Damascus. This commission sounds very much like the Great Commission, but with more information. Jesus is tying together Isaiah 6:9-10, Mark 4:21-22, and then the Acts 26 passage. Here are the first two:

⁹ He said, “Go and tell this people:
“‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding;
    be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’
¹⁰ Make the heart of this people calloused;
    make their ears dull
    and close their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
    hear with their ears,
    understand with their hearts,
and turn and be healed.”
Isaiah 6:9-10
[Although it sounds like God is hardening their hearts, He is simply giving them over to what they have already done in their hearts. See Romans 1:24-26]

²¹ He said to them, “Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don’t you put it on its stand? ²² For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. Mark 4:21-22

At this point in Jesus’ ministry, it wasn’t time for full disclosure. He had yet to rise from the dead. THEN, it would be time to tell everyone! What was it that they were to share with everyone?

¹⁸ And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. ¹⁹ For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, ²⁰ and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. Colossians 1:18-20

We will delve the depths of this passage tomorrow. For today, let’s rejoice in the great calling of Christ on our lives that we get to participate with Him in reconciling the world to Him by sharing the Good News of what Jesus has done or us and what He will do for them.

Abba, thank You for such good news to share with others. Helping people align themselves with Christ is pure joy for me, whether it’s unto salvation by the calling of the Holy Spirit, or to an even deeper walk with Christ for long-time followers. Thank You for including me in Your Plan. Amen.

Ever wondered why you believe what you believe? I read through the Baptist Faith and Message the other day…

Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. ² By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:1-2

As I read through the BF&M, I felt grounded in my faith and secure in my belief. I thought you might like to walk through them with me. None of them are very long, but they do speak the basic truths of our Baptist beliefs.

I. The Scriptures

The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is God’s revelation of Himself to man. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter. Therefore, all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy. It reveals the principles by which God judges us, and therefore is, and will remain to the end of the world, the true center of Christian union, and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried. All Scripture is a testimony to Christ, who is Himself the focus of divine revelation.

Exodus 24:4; Deuteronomy 4:1-2; 17:19; Joshua 8:34; Psalms 19:7-10; 119:11,89,105,140; Isaiah 34:16; 40:8; Jeremiah 15:16; 36:1-32; Matthew 5:17-18; 22:29; Luke 21:33; 24:44-46; John 5:39; 16:13-15; 17:17; Acts 2:16ff.; 17:11; Romans 15:4; 16:25-26; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; Hebrews 1:1-2; 4:12; 1 Peter 1:25; 2 Peter 1:19-21.

I like the way that each article has a list of Scripture passages as references. The sad part is the loss of the original texts and our inability to read Hebrew. Hebrew is a three-dimensional language as opposed to Greek, Latin, and English. As was said by an interpreter around 3 BC, there are some concepts that simply do not translate from Hebrew to Greek*. Even so, from Hebrew to Greek, to Latin, to old English, and finally to contemporary English, the Central Idea of the Text has never changed.

We do well to remind each other often of the Gospel we have received from reliable witnesses and on which we have taken our stand. We are saved through this Gospel; let’s hold firmly to it. What is the Gospel on which we hold firmly?

• Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
• He was buried,
• He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
• and was seen by Cephas (Peter), the Twelve, more than 500 brothers and sisters at the same time, to James (His brother), and to Paul (1 Corinthians 15:3-8).

Abba, we search the Scriptures not to find life, but to find You, for You give life (John 5:39-40). May we study them diligently in order to correctly handle the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15). Sanctify us with Your truth; Your Word is truth (John 17:17). Amen.

*In the prologue of Wisdom of Sirach

God’s design of the human ear – Part 2

19:27 Stop listening to instruction, my child, and you will stray from the words of knowledge.

Yesterday, the outer ear. Today, the middle ear.

The function of the middle ear is to amplify the sound vibrations of the eardrum. the vibrations must be compressed into a much smaller area.
This is accomplished by a sequence of three small bones in the middle ear, known collectively as ossicles. The ossicles are the smallest bones in the body. They are the only bones that never grow larger from the time of birth.
Vibrations produced in the eardrum are passed to the first bone, called the hammer (malleus) whose “handle” is attached to the eardrum. This bone, in turn, passes its vibrations to a bone called the anvil (incus). Next, the vibration is transmitted to a bone that looks like a stirrup, called the stapes. Finally, the “foot place,” located on the stirrup, is inserted into a small oval window.
Amplification results because the surface area of the eardrum is much greater than the foot plate of the stirrup, thus concentrating the energy over a smaller area and resulting in over a 20-fold increase in pressure. The foot place moves in and out, like a piston, producing waves in the fluid of the inner ear.

How these bones know what to do is beyond me. The very fact that they never grow any bigger after birth is astonishing. How did evolution figure that one out? How did these bones know that if they worked together that they could transmit sound from the eardrum to…what? That’s tomorrow’s lesson: The Inner Ear. Prepare to be amazed (if you already weren’t).

Abba, as much as we depend upon hearing in this world, I am glad that we don’t have to depend upon hearing you audibly; You speak directly to our hearts and minds. May we listen for You daily as we train ourselves to listen closely for Your still, small voice–most of the time… Amen.

Dying to self means giving up our natural instincts and taking on new, spiritual ones. Are we ready?

8:11 Choose my instruction instead of silver, knowledge rather than choice gold.

One of the most interesting passages in the Gospels to me is the scene where the official slapped Jesus in the face,

¹⁹ Meanwhile, the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching.
²⁰ “I have spoken openly to the world,” Jesus replied. “I always taught in synagogues or at the temple, where all the Jews come together. I said nothing in secret. ²¹ Why question me? Ask those who heard me. Surely they know what I said.”
²² When Jesus said this, one of the officials nearby slapped him in the face. “Is this the way you answer the high priest?” he demanded.
²³ “If I said something wrong,” Jesus replied, “testify as to what is wrong. But if I spoke the truth, why did you strike me?” 

I’ve always wondered what the official thought of Jesus’ question. In the Matthew account, here is what happened next,

⁶³ …The high priest said to him, “I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.”
⁶⁴ “You have said so,” Jesus replied. “But I say to all of you: From now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” [Psalm 110:1; Daniel 7:13-14]
⁶⁵ Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy. ⁶⁶ What do you think?”
“He is worthy of death,” they answered.
⁶⁷ Then they spit in his face and struck him with their fists. Others slapped him ⁶⁸ and said, “Prophesy to us, Messiah. Who hit you?”

Jesus was demonstrating His own teaching,

³⁸ “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ [Exodus 21:24; Lev. 24:20; Deut. 19:21] ³⁹ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. Matthew 5:38-39

Was Jesus serious about His teaching? His commitment? You bet He was! He was willing to die to prove it. But, Jesus knew what would be accomplished by loving His enemies. He knows what will be accomplished if we love our enemies, too. Here’s what He said,

³⁵ “But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. ³⁶ Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:35-36).

Jesus’ plan went beyond death. It still does. Ask any of the martyrs throughout our Christian history (we’ll have to wait until we get to where they are). We must see beyond our current circumstances, too. Do we stand by and allow people to hurt those whom we love? No. We put our lives between them and the aggressors. But, it’s not about safety on this side; it’s bigger than that. It’s about having victory on His side. Tomorrow, we will look at two reasons for Jesus’ demonstration of love.

Abba, help us to comprehend Your love. It’s bigger than this world can hold. How can we demonstrate a love like that? Only by Your Spirit in us, that’s how! May we give our lives over to You, Lord, and the lives of our loved ones (which is actually harder to do). We trust You completely. Amen.

Following Jesus is not a drudgery if we truly take the time to know Him, talk to Him and listen to Him.

¹⁷ Pay attention and turn your ear to the sayings of the wise;
    apply your heart to what I teach,
¹⁸ for it is pleasing when you keep them in your heart
    and have all of them ready on your lips.

Yesterday, we looked at Titus 3:1-8 about respecting our rulers and authorities and “to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, ² to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and always to be gentle toward everyone.” A tall order, right? One that can only be done in cooperation with the Spirit.

There’s another passage that really is impossible without the direction and participation of the Holy Spirit. It is 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24. We will look at verses 16-18 today,

¹⁶ Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray continually, ¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

• Rejoice always– means to have joy, His joy, in us always. Joy is not happiness; happiness is an outward and fickle emotion while joy is an inward state of mind. We have joy because we KNOW what Christ has done for us, is doing in us, and will do for us when we die.
• Pray continually– means to have an open line of communication with the Father through the Son via the Holy Spirit all the time. Never are we to shut it down. If (when) we do by turning away from His face, then we repent and turn back around and face Him. We will not see anger on His face, but complete love and intense compassion. His smile and pleasure are always upon us for us to see and experience.
• Give thanks in all circumstances– means to understand that nothing in this world or the next can separate us from the love of Christ (Romans 8:35-39) and that He is walking through our circumstances with us (Hebrews 13:5). We know that He will take those circumstances and use them to mature us (Romans 8:28-29). We become more like Him by sharing in His sufferings (Philippians 3:10).
• For this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus– means that becoming like Jesus is the overall plan (2 Corinthians 3:18). Our constant fellowship with the Father is what the cross was all about! (see John 16:7, 13).

As we can see, these three verses constitute our attitude while in this world. The great part is that we don’t have to generate anything on our own; the Spirit is our dynamo,

¹³ [Not in your own strength] for it is God Who is all the while effectually at work in you [energizing and creating in you the power and desire], both to will and to work for His good pleasure and satisfaction and delight. Philippians 2:13

Abba, thank You for providing the motivation and energy to even desire to know You. It has been called an “irresistible grace,” yet You allow each person to choose or not choose You. It’s not a matter of how many times we rebuff You, but when we turn from the darkness in our lives to the saving light of Your glorious face, Jesus! May everyone experience Your wonderful cleansing and new life. Amen.

“Since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses…” Heaven is watching; let’s press on toward the goal.

15:24 The path of life leads upward for the wise to keep them from going down to the grave.

I got to thinking about something that has changed my perspective on my immediate future. It is this question:

Since I am 61, how will I live my life with the prospect
of having 25 more years of active living?

I think of my dad who was 82 when he died of a stroke. He was scheduled to work that week at his job at the funeral home. He had worked full-time at the county courthouse in Durant until he was 77.

I can look across the hall at church at the office of Bro. Robert Griffin who is currently 82 and is our part-time Senior Adult minister. He and Mama Faye have that ministry going great guns. They have no plans to quit anytime soon.

In light of these two very influential men, I see myself continuing in ministry until the day I die. I probably won’t work full-time until I’m 77, but I see no reason to slow down and stop just because I reach retirement age.

What I CAN see is my training up the next generation of servant/leaders. My generation needs to start thinking about handing off our ministries to the ones coming behind us. Doing so means that we will have to adjust to their way of doing things, changing things, and using different people, but it has to be done. I am rarely on the stage leading by myself anymore. Why? Because I have other people out there leading with me and sometimes for me. Most of them are younger than me (which is most people anymore). It’s a good thing.

If you are around 60, I pray you would consider two things:

1. Get involved and stay involved in the Lord’s ministry; get in people’s lives.
2. Train up the next generation as you give your ministry away.

Abba, may I continue to train up the next generation. May I give them room to spread their wings. I know they will make mistakes; I made them, too. With You guiding them, they will grow from their experiences just like I did. In the meantime, please continue to expand my ministry; I don’t want to quit and wait for death; I want You to catch me ministering when You return either for me personally or for everyone. Thank You for the hope we have in You. Amen.

Easter is the commemoration of Resurrection Day, the day that Jesus rose from the grave thus breaking the power of death.

1 My child, keep my words [the account of my coming] and store up my commands within you.

We were encouraged Sunday night to read John 12-18 this week. John 12 holds a particularly strong statement made by Jesus that defines the wrath of God. It is,

³¹ Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out.

The first half of the verse tells us what: Judgment; the second half tells us who: The prince of this world, i.e. Satan. From this verse, we can derive the definition of the wrath of God. That wrath is directed toward anything or anyone (namely, Satan) that deceives, damages or destroys His children. Jesus destroyed death so that we will not longer fear it (Hebrews 2:14-15).

Athanasius of Alexandria (296-373 AD) talks in his book, “On the Incarnation,” about how Jesus allowed his enemies to choose the form of death for Him (pg. 75). That way, when He won, no one could say that Jesus set the whole thing up. Just like a wrestler who takes on all opponents in whatever style of wrestling they desire, Jesus took on the cross, mankind’s worst torture/death tool. From Athanasius,

“…but he [Jesus] accepted and endured on the cross that [torture and death] inflicted by others, especially by enemies, which they reckoned fearful and ignominious and shameful, in order that this [way of death] being destroyed [by Christ’s resurrection], he might himself be believed to be Life, and the power of death might be completely annihilated.” Page 74-75

He goes on to say that the cross became “the trophy of his victory over death.” Jesus really was on a rescue mission to save His creation, mankind. Remembering that the Trinity was present at and on the cross with Jesus, Athanasius posits that the Trinity became flesh and blood in Christ so that death could be experienced and subsequently dealt with.

Athanasius continued, “that by the grace of the resurrection [Jesus] banished death from them [us] as straw from fire. For the Word [Jesus], realizing that in no other way would the corruption of human beings be undone except, simply, by dying, yet being immortal and the Son of the Father, the Word was not able to die, for this reason he takes to himself a body capable of death, in order that it, participating in the Word who is above all, might be sufficient for death on behalf of all, and through the indwelling Word would remain incorruptible, and so corruption might henceforth cease from all by the grace of the resurrection.” Pg. 57-58

Put plainly, love wins. From now on, we see God as the merciful and hospitable Father, who wins by love, whom we don’t have to fear, who accepts and adores us while we’re still a mess, and sees us as we are and heals us with hugs and Fatherly affection. He’s particularly fond of us, you know! His kindness, forbearance and patience lead us to repentance (Romans 2:4), and by His grace we have salvation and His direction in our lives (Titus 2:11-12).

What a joyous time of year it is as we remember all that He has gone through for us!

Abba, thank You for going to so much trouble for us! I am both humbled and lifted up knowing that we humans, Your creation, are very valuable to You. Thank You for saving us. May we make known the marvelous mysteries of Your grace to each other and to those who don’t know You (yet). Amen.

Want to be like Jesus? Forgive, forgive, then forgive again.

24 Now then, my children, listen to me; pay attention to what I say.

We came to a conclusion this morning in Sunday’s Cool (Sunday School). After an hour of discussion (there were 20 of us), we decided that there are no human words that can describe what Jesus did for us on the cross, that there is no human thought that can grasp the Trinity, and that we all should be careful not to hold too tightly to any perceived analogy or explanation. It is enough to believe in what Jesus did and to trust Him with our lives. We did not frame our conclusion in quite this succinct manner, but it is the heart of our discussion.

The greatest thing that we came away with this morning is the love and mercy of God. The debt that we owed that we could never pay wasn’t paid by Jesus–it was canceled by Him. Read His own words:

²¹ Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”
²² Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times [or, seventy times seven].
²³ “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. ²⁴ As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. ²⁵ Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.
²⁶ “At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ ²⁷ The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.
²⁸ “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins.^[i] He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.
²⁹ “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’
³⁰ “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. ³¹ When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.
³² “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. ³³ Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ ³⁴ In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
³⁵ “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

Want to be like Jesus? Forgive, forgive, then forgive again. Cancel the debt. Then reset.

Abba, finding that reset button is hard to do, but necessary for the Jesus Way. To begin again with someone without holding past offenses against him/her is only something that You can do in us. Make it so, Abba! May we be like Jesus in this way today. Amen.

Christ is our all-in-all. When will we begin living like it’s a reality rather than just a concept?

1 My child, keep my words and treasure up my commandments with you;

Yesterday, we discussed the Beatitudes and how the first half of each one is about Christ and the second half is about us in Christ. “Each blessing describes our participation in the resurrection life of Christ–the life of the age to come as it breaks into our lives now.”* The Beatitudes point to Christ and our life in Him. “They are Jesus’ version of the fruit of the Spirit and signs of the Spirit-filled life.”*

1. We learn that we bring nothing to the table spiritually. We become humble.
2. We learn that there is a balm for our “wretchedness, miserableness, poorness, blindness, and nakedness” (Revelation 3:17). He comforts us with His presence. It’s part of our humility.
3. We learn to be meek and gentle. Again, it’s part of our humility.
4. We learn to be hungry and thirsty for the right things. We are satisfied.
5. We learn to treat people as we want to be treated: With mercy.
6. We learn to look for God and nothing else (it’s hard to do, but we’re learning). The more focused our vision, the clearer we see God.
7. Peacemaking happens when we quit fighting fire with fire. Instead, we hold out forgiveness and an olive branch of peace to those who are trying to fight with us. It’s how we are most like Christ (think “cross”).
8. Being persecuted for His name’s sake means that we are, indeed, citizens of the kingdom of heaven.

The Beatitudes also speak of our glorification:

1. Ours is the kingdom of heaven (in us).
2. We are comforted by the Holy Spirit.
3. We will inherit the earth as the Church fills it up.
4. Our hunger and thirst for righteousness will be satisfied in Jesus.
5. We have received mercy!
6. We will see God!!!
7. We are called His children.
8. Great is our reward in heaven (the kingdom of God–which is in us).

We usually refer to glorification as the last step in salvation (we are made new creations), sanctification (we are being made into the image of Jesus), and then glorification (we receive our glorified bodies in the kingdom). But, it’s not the only use of the term. Romans 8:30 says, “and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.” Taking the sum of the Beatitudes, we become like Jesus when they are manifested in our lives. Bradley says, “Rather, glorification by the Holy Spirit is humility, meekness and mercy. Glorification turns worldly power on its head with a force more powerful: self-giving, cruciform (which means, “cross-like”) servant-love.”*

To summarize, “The whole Sermon is a finger pointing to Abba’s love, made resident by the Spirit in human nature and manifest in Christ and his followers. The [early Christian] Fathers go so far as to say that we will become by Grace what Christ is by nature…”*

Abba, becoming like Jesus is my highest goal–it’s my only goal! If I am like You, then I know that I will mature, whole and complete (the definition of being perfect). I know I can only do it by following You and allowing You to transform me day by day, even moment-by-moment. Thank You once again for inviting me to share in the Fellowship of the Trinity. Amen.

*Bradley Jersak, “A More Christlike Way,” pages 151, 153, 154, 155

We don’t have to worry about getting people lost to get them saved. God has already done that (in a manner of speaking).

27 Her house is the way to Sheol, going own to the chambers of death [aren’t we glad Jesus rescued us?].

Yesterday, we established that Jesus came to redeem us. Jesus also used the term, “ransom,” (Matthew 20:28) which was used to indicate the purchasing of slaves. We were slaves to sin and we were held in bondage to the fear of death. Jesus saved us from them both! To understand this process, let’s begin with Romans 11:32 and then work our way backwards through Romans,

³² For God has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all.

God has always considered all of His children as equals, no matter how different things were and are in the physical world. He sees us with spiritual eyes that “divide soul and spirit, joints and marrow, able to discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart” of mankind (Hebrews 4:12). We are all on the same plane in His eyes: We are sinners in need of saving, lost children in need of rescue, and His treasures in need of restoration.

Now that we recognize that we all need a Savior, let’s look at 2:1-3,

2 Therefore you have no excuse, everyone of you who passes judgment, for in that which you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. ² And we know that the judgment of God rightly falls upon those who practice such things. ³ But do you suppose this, O man, when you pass judgment on those who practice such things and do the same yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God?

The judgment of God of which Paul speaks is not the passing of a sentence, but rather the meting out of mercy, the mercy mentioned in 11:32. It’s a discernment of what is needed and then applied. Now, the judgment that man uses is, indeed, condemnation, but it backfires because every man falls to the same temptations. We are all in this mess together!

I think we’re ready now to discuss 1:18,

¹⁸ For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,

This “wrath of God” is God “shutting us all up in disobedience” (11:32) so that He could show mercy to us all! The description of the acts of rebellion and defiance show the depths of the Father’s love. A singing group named Philips, Craig and Dean had a song called, He’ll Do Whatever It Takes,” that says,

He’ll do whatever, whatever it takes
His grace reaches lower than your worst mistake
And His love will run farther than you can run away, my friend
He’ll do whatever, whatever it takes
He’ll do whatever, it takes

Rather than seeing “us and them,” “the saved and the sinner,” let’s see everyone as lost sheep, lost coins, and lost sons. Jesus makes the same plea to everyone,

²⁸ “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

It’s all about a relationship with Jesus. Always has been; always will be.

Abba, thank You for calling me into a deep and abiding relationship with You. When people ask me how I’m doing, I think that I will respond, “I am full of joy,” or “I am peaceful,” or “I am loved.” If/when they ask me why, I will have the opportunity to share with them the wonderful news of Your mercy and grace, and the invitation for them to come and receive You and all You bring with You. I’m looking forward to it. Amen.

Two metaphors, one connotation: Life in God (the Trinity). It’s all about relationship.

4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,” and call insight your intimate friend…

In 1 John 3:9, we have two metaphors used to help describe our relationship with the Father, Son and Spirit. Let’s look at the verse,

⁹ No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God.

The first metaphor is “born of God.” Jesus used this metaphor in John 3:3. He described salvation as being first born of water (natural birth) and then of spirit (a spiritual birth). The second metaphor is, “God’s seed.” The seed of God in each of us is “born” when it sprouts in fertile soil. Both are viable as descriptions of salvation. Jesus refers to the kingdom of heaven as a mustard seed and yeast in dough (Matthew 13:31-33), and finding the kingdom of heaven as a treasure hidden in a field and a pearl of great price (Matthew 13:44-46). The kingdom of heaven comes through a Person, and that Person is Jesus Christ. “Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.” 1 John 5:12

Jesus’ message is simple and straightforward: “Repent [change the way you are thinking], for the kingdom of heaven [heavenly life that God the Son brings] is at hand.”

If we really want a description of salvation, Jesus gives us one in Matthew 13:15. It’s at the end of a quote from Isaiah 6:9-10,

¹⁵ For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’ Matthew 13:15 (also in John 12:39-40)

King David proclaimed, “Your face, O Lord, I will seek” Psalm 27:8. In Matthew, Jesus said, “Come to Me,” (11:28); in Luke, He said, “Now, they are hidden from your eyes,” (19:42), and in John, Jesus says, “Come into the light,” (3:21). In John’s first letter, he says, “The darkness has blinded their eyes” (2:11).

Conclusion: We need to turn to Jesus and have our eyes healed. When we do, the deception and lies fade away in light of the Truth. We could say that “the scales fall off our eyes” (Acts 9:18). We begin to see with new eyes, hear with new ears, and understand with new hearts. Are they really new? No, but they are restored. Turned away from the Father, we saw only darkness. Many love it because they feel that they can do what they want to do. The problem is that they cannot see the consequences until it is too late to avoid them. Walking in the light of Christ–with Christ–is the only way to avoid wrath (consequences). We who walk in the light, as He is in the light, have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus God’s Son (continuously) cleanses us from all sin (because of Christ’s completed work on the cross). If we have the Son, we have (eternal) life. If we turn away from the Son, we “enter” darkness. Let’s keep our faces turned toward Him.

Tomorrow, we will look at the metaphor of the seed and its significance.

Abba, I don’t need eternal life–I need You. You ARE eternal life. Rather than pining for a perfect location to live, a paradise, I want a relationship with You, and I don’t care where we are or how we live. If I’m with You, then as far as I’m concerned, that’s heaven to me. Your love, Your joy and Your peace allow me to endure and even enjoy the most dire circumstances. I know that this world will pass away, but Your promise to be in me and I in You forever will never change. I have You and that’s all I need. Thank You, Abba, Jesus, and Spirit for living in me and I in You, and including me in Your fellowship.

We cannot understand the Bible unless the Spirit gives us spiritual insight into the meaning of the Scriptures. Will we listen?

24 Now then, my children, listen to me; pay attention to what I say.

The apostle Paul said, “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1). At a time when there were no New Covenant Scriptures and virtually no Christians, it made sense for Paul to tell the Corinthians to follow his lead. Nowadays, we have an entire culture based upon Judeo-Christian values (although, not so much anymore), the Old and New Testaments, and plenty of people to imitate concerning godly living.

But, Christian living is much more than imitation. We have the Holy Spirit in us to guide us along the way. The early Christians did, too, and leaned heavily upon Him for guidance through a very pagan world. It may be that our culture has made it too easy for us to be lax in our dependency upon Christ. As our nation drifts farther away from those Judeo-Christian values, we Christians will need to go back to the basics. What are those basics? They begin with knowing what Jesus said:

1. “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” John 14:6. To know the Father, we must know the Son. To know the Son is to know the Spirit of the Son and the Father.
2. “If you love me, keep my commands.” “Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them” John 14:15 and 21.
3. “The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you” John 14:26.

So far, we have us coming to Jesus, obeying Him and having Him and the Father and the Spirit coming to live in us. He (they) will tell us everything we need to know. These are the words of Jesus. He is our Lord and Master, King of the Universe. We are to listen to Him. Nothing else matters. If we knew nothing but these few verses, we would make it just fine because we have been promised that the Spirit would teach us what Jesus said and meant, and what the next step would be.

Caveat: I envision them coming to live in me much like the old couple in the car. She said, “Remember when we used to sit close together and cuddle as we drove?” He (who was driving) replied, “Honey, I never moved.” Like the Prodigal, the Father waits for us to come home even as Jesus comes to find us. Isn’t that exciting?!

Maybe losing our Christian culture would be the catalyst for revival among the Church (as a whole), especially in America! The Gospel is spreading like wildfire in restricted countries; why not here? Maybe we need some pruning. We certainly need some focus. Let’s be available to the Spirit to help us take the mighty stone of the Gospel and turn it into a mighty mountain that fills the entire earth (Daniel 2:35).

May we pledge our lives to Jesus Christ anew this morning.

Abba, I pledge my life to You. May we, together as partners, do mighty works that glorify Your name in heaven and earth. You lead, I will follow. THAT’S a partnership I can trust and enjoy! I love You, Abba. Amen.

We are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His appeal through us: Be reconciled to God!

13 She took hold of him and kissed him and with a brazen [uncovered, painted] face she said, “Today I fulfilled my vows [probably at a pagan temple], and I have food from my fellowship offering at home. So I came out to meet you; I looked for you and have found you!”

With the same enthusiasm that this woman looked for and appealed to this man, Jesus wants us to continue His mission, although we will do it with unveiled faces and with ourselves being the temple of God! As we finish our study on 2 Corinthians 5:11-21, verses 18-21 are about the ministry that God has given us,

¹⁸ All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: ¹⁹ that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. ²⁰ We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 

1. We are reconciled to God through Christ. God loves us so much that He came as Jesus to reconcile us back to Himself. We now can have sweet, intimate fellowship with Him. One of the best verses in the Bible is Revelation 3:20 where Jesus says, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and he/she with me.” Dinner was a near-sacred time for Jewish folks. To eat with them was to temporarily become “one of the family.” Jesus wants us to become part of His family–He wants to adopt us!
2. We have been given the ministry of reconciliation. In the same way that we were reconciled to God (we accepted His love and His kingdom into our hearts and lives), we are now to tell others what happened to us and how they can have it happen to them. That’s what sharing the Gospel is: Sharing good news with others.
3. What is this good news? “that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins again them.” This is big, folks! It means that even the people who put Jesus on the cross were included in this reconciliation (not just the Roman soldiers, but the people in charge who ordered the execution). The kingdom–Jesus–is now available to anyone who receives it (Him).
4. This message of reconciliation is what we are to take to the world. We are ambassadors for Christ. We are to implore people to receive the reconciliation that the Father offers through Jesus.

Verse 21 has a lot packed into it. Here it is:

²¹ God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

The first thing we need to know is that Jesus is our Representative. Just as Adam was our first representative, which is why we are all born with a sin nature, Jesus has become our second Representative, which is why we all can be reconciled to God through Him (C.S. Lewis refers to it as “the deeper magic).

The second thing we need to know is that all sin was laid on Him, and then He took it to the grave. Sin died with Jesus Christ. The good news is that Jesus rose up out of that grave, leaving death behind.

The third thing is that now we can become the righteousness of God. How? By having Christ in us. HE is our righteousness, and because He is in us, we become that righteousness, too.

Summary of the entire passage:

1. We fear the Lord, but not as the world fears their leaders. We fear out of awe and respect.
2. God is concerned about what is in the heart, so we must be, too.
3. Christ died for all so that all who live should not live for themselves, but for Christ.
4. We view everyone who doesn’t know Christ as prospective brothers and sisters.
5. All who are in Christ are new creations; they are brand new!
6. This great message has been given to us to share to others. We are His ambassadors.
7. The message is: We have been reconciled to God through Jesus Christ. You can be, too!”
8. God makes His appeal through us as extensions of Him on planet earth.
9. God took our sin to the grave and left it there so that we could receive and become His righteousness.

May we recognize our new relationship with God the Father, our new position as Christ’s ambassadors, and our new Companion, the Holy Spirit.

Abba, may we recognize who we are in Christ (Your ambassadors) and get excited about sharing what You have done in our lives. We are new creations! We got that way by being reconciled to You. You live in our hearts. THAT’S GOOD NEWS! Thank You for being my Representative and for taking my sin to the grave. Now, I walk in Your righteousness even as You live in me and walk with me. Please give me opportunities to share this good news. Amen.