Tag: gospel

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John Devotionals

Three questions

Phillip

So when Jesus looked up and noticed a huge crowd coming toward him, he asked Philip, “Where will we buy bread so that these people can eat?”

He asked this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do. (John 6:5-6)

I was thinking this morning what it meant that Jesus was testing Phillip.

What was he asking Phillip?

I’m not sure, but I imagine he was asking, “Do you know who I am yet? Do you know what I’m capable of doing? How much do you trust me?”

If that’s what Jesus was asking, Phillip failed the test on all three counts.

All he could see was the disciples’ inadequacy in meeting the needs of the crowd.

But Jesus already knew what he was going to do. And in his grace, he used what little Phillip and the disciples had to feed thousands.

Sometimes, I am like Phillip. Jesus sees people around me he wants to minister to. He already knows what he’s going to do. But he turns to me and asks, “Do you know who I am yet? Do you know what I’m capable of? How much do you trust me?”

But instead of seeing who Jesus is and what he can do, all I can see is my own weaknesses and inadequacies.

The truth is, my weaknesses and inadequacies are irrelevant. What’s important is who Jesus is. What he can do.

The only question is will I trust him and do what he asks.

Because Jesus is more than able to take what little I have to touch those around me with his love.

So maybe I need to think on those questions more.

“Do you know who I am yet?”

“Do you know what I’m capable of doing?”

“Do you trust me?”

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Romans Devotionals

God’s remnant

I ask, then, has God rejected his people? Absolutely not…

God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew.

Or don’t you know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah—how he pleads with God against Israel?

Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars. I am the only one left, and they are trying to take my life!

But what was God’s answer to him?

I have left seven thousand for myself who have not bowed down to Baal.

In the same way, then, there is also at the present time a remnant chosen by grace. (Romans 11:1-5)

In this passage (and for that matter, the last two chapters), Paul is addressing the Jews and their hardness of heart towards the gospel. And he asks here, “Has God then rejected the Jews?”

His answer is unequivocal: No. There has always been and always will be a remnant of those who belong to him, a remnant chosen by his grace.

I think about Japan where I live. It’s easy to look at how few Christians there are here and think, “Has God rejected Japan?”

But I think Paul would answer just as unequivocally: No.

Of course, we can’t apply all Paul’s words concerning the Jews to the Japanese people.

But I do believe that in each city of Japan (and in each country throughout the world), there is a remnant of people whom God has known before time began and chosen to be his own.

All that’s needed is for us to bring the gospel to them. (Romans 10:13-15)

So let’s not get discouraged when we see the numbers of people who don’t know Christ in Japan or whatever country you may be in.

Instead, let’s pray. Then let’s go out to those God has put in our lives, sharing the gospel with them.

And by his grace we will find that remnant.

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Isaiah Devotionals

Slinging stones

slinging stones

Last Sunday, I was listening to a message on David and Goliath. And one of the things my pastor was talking about was David slinging his stone that the world might know the God that Israel followed. (1 Samuel 17:40, 46)

And that stone skillfully slung accomplished the purpose God intended, not only defeating Goliath, but letting the Israelites, the Philistines, and all the other nations know that he is God.

As I read today’s passage, I thought about that message. And one stone I want to sling skillfully is the stone of his Word, namely, the gospel.

I want to encourage the people around me to stop seeking things that can’t satisfy and to seek God who alone can fill the hole in their hearts.

I want to urge them to turn from the sins that are destroying them.

And I want to tell them the good news that it is never too late for them. That our God freely pardons all who come to him in repentance.

God promises that his word, like David’s stone, will never return to him empty, but will accomplish all that he desires.

Father, help me know your word well and sling it skillfully that those around me may know you are God and find life.

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Matthew Devotionals

Our place in the story

Matthew

“Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”

Then one of the Twelve, the man called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?”

So they weighed out thirty pieces of silver for him. And from that time he started looking for a good opportunity to betray him. (Matthew 26:13-16)

As I read those words, it struck me that not only is Mary (sister of Lazarus and Martha, John 12:1-8) and her deed remembered, but so is Judas and his deeds.

Mary is remembered for her love for Jesus.

Judas is remembered for betraying him.

And it made me think, “What is my place in the gospel story? What is my place in this story that started in the garden of Eden and has stretched out until the present day?

“How will I be remembered when I’m gone? What stories will be told of me?”

And then I thought of Peter. He too is remembered.

He is often remembered for his great failure, for denying Jesus three times.

But he is also remembered as one who came to know God’s grace.

And really, that is what the gospel is all about. It’s all about God’s grace. It’s about the body that was broken and the blood that was poured out there on the cross so that our sins could be forgiven.

So many of us look at our own sin and brokenness and it depresses us.

But like Mary, like Peter, we are recipients of God’s great love and grace.

That’s our part in this gospel story God is writing.

Let us rejoice in it!

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1 John Devotionals

Calling God a liar?

1 John

The one who does not believe God has made him a liar. (1 John 5:10)

Those words struck me this morning.

When we do not believe God, we are effectively calling him a liar.

Satan called God a liar in the garden of Eden and taught Adam and Eve to do the same. (Genesis 3:3-6)

When we reject his word as outdated or flat out wrong, we call him a liar.

Perhaps the biggest thing people struggle with is the idea that Jesus is the only way to have a relationship with God. That he is the only way to eternal life. (John 14:6)

We especially struggle with that when we think of our loved ones who don’t know Jesus. Couldn’t there be other ways?

But to say that is to call God a liar.

John tells us that God has testified to his Son as being the only way through the water, the blood, and the Spirit.

Through Jesus’ baptism, God testified to who Jesus was and his mission of salvation. (John 1:29-34 )

When Jesus died, his blood cried out a better word than Abel’s (Hebrews 12:24).

A word that instead of crying for vengeance, cried out for forgiveness (Genesis 4:10-11, Luke 23:34, John 19:34-35).

And the Father answered by tearing the temple curtain, opening the way for us to have a relationship with God. (Matthew 27:50-51)

The Spirit then testified to what Jesus had done at Pentecost, and continues to testify to this day. (Acts 2:16-21, John 15:26, 16:7-10, Romans 8:14-17)

When we reject that testimony and insist there must be other ways, we call God a liar.

Do you ever question the things God teaches and testifies to in his Word?

Let us never compromise his word, especially what he has to say about salvation. Instead, let us hold fast to his testimony and take it to the ones we love so that they may know him, and that our joy may be complete. (1 John 1:1-4)

And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. The one who has the Son has life. The one who does not have the Son of God does not have life. (1 John 5:11-12)

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2 Corinthians Devotionals

That our ministry might not be slandered

2 Corinthians

We are not giving anyone an occasion for offense, so that the ministry will not be blamed.

Instead, as God’s ministers, we commend ourselves in everything… (2 Corinthians 6:3-4)

Those words really struck me this morning.

The gospel message will cause offense. Whenever we confront people with their sin and God’s holiness, whenever we proclaim Jesus as the only way to salvation, we risk offending them.

But while people may be offended by our words, they should see an integrity in us that they cannot question.

Just as importantly, they should see the fruit of the Spirit in our lives, God’s love, kindness, patience, among other things.

Why did Paul’s words strike me? I wonder sometimes if I ever give people occasion for offense, an opportunity to disparage the gospel I proclaim.

The truth is, there are times I have. And I’ve had to repent.

But all of us, not just me, are called to be Christ’s ambassadors.

By his grace and his strength, may we all live up to that calling, giving people no room to disparage the gospel because of our words and actions.   

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Acts Devotionals

A witness

Acts

And he said, ‘The God of our ancestors has appointed you to know his will, to see the Righteous One, and to hear the words from his mouth, since you will be a witness for him to all people of what you have seen and heard.’ (Acts 22:14-15)

You did not choose me, but I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce fruit and that your fruit should remain…

When the Counselor comes, the one I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father—he will testify about me.

You also will testify, because you have been with me from the beginning. (John 15:16, 26-27)

Before time began, God chose us to be his children and appointed us to know his will. And because of that, we heard his words of life and saw his work in our lives.  

But now, God doesn’t call us to simply revel in his love. Rather, he has appointed us to bear fruit. He has appointed us to be his witnesses, bringing people life by touching them with the gospel we ourselves have received.

But what do witnesses do?

Preach sermons?

No.

Teach others theology?

No.

They simply tell others what they have seen and heard.

What things have you seen God do in your life? What things have you learned from his Word? How have they touched you? How have they changed you?

These are the things that we are to share.

And if we do, we will bear fruit.

So take the time to think about your testimony. What great things has God done in your life? What truths have you received that changed your life?

Not all of us are called to be pastors or teachers.

But all of us have been appointed to be Jesus’ witnesses.

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Acts Devotionals

Finishing the course and ministry we have received from Jesus

Acts

But I consider my life of no value to myself; my purpose is to finish my course and the ministry I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of God’s grace. (Acts 20:24)

I think it’s easy to look at these words, and say they’re only for the elite Christians like Paul.

But the truth is all of us have received a course, all of us have received a ministry from the Lord.

Namely, all of us are called to testify to the people around us about the gospel of God’s grace, the message of repentance and faith in our Lord (21).

Of course, no course or ministry looks exactly alike. Not all of us are called to travel from place to place to share the gospel with people we don’t know.

But all of us are called to share the gospel of grace we have received with those around us. To share with others what Jesus has done for us so that they too might share the joy we ourselves have. (1 John 1:3-4)

Who has God put in your life?

At the end our lives, may we all be able to say as Paul did,

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

There is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me, but to all those who have loved his appearing. (2 Timothy 4:7-8)

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Acts Devotionals

When the world is not fair

Acts

This world is not fair.

And sometimes, as Christians, we are criticized and persecuted for our beliefs. 

That is a fact of life. 

The question is what do we do about it. 

A very common response is to get angry. These days, that often turns into complaining on social media.

I admit: I myself have done that.

But when the apostles were treated unfairly, persecuted because others were jealous of their popularity, abused for doing what was right, what was their response?

They rejoiced, keeping their focus on what is important: taking the gospel out to a dying world. 

When this world sees our response to how they treat us, what do they see? 

Angry complaints? 

A grim determination to endure?

Or do they see people characterized by the joy and the love of Christ?

Which response is most likely to cause Jesus’ light to shine in this darkened world? 

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Acts Devotionals

Why Jesus saved us

Acts

“For what purpose did Jesus save me?”

Have you ever thought about that?

Is it just to go to heaven someday? Is it just so that we can have a happy life here on earth?

I think we find the answer in Jesus’ words to Paul.

He said,

For I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and a witness of what you have seen and will see of me…

I am sending you to them to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a share among those who are sanctified by faith in me. (Acts 26:16-18)

Jesus saved us that we might become his servants and his witnesses who share his gospel with others and tell them what God has done in our lives.

He sends us so that their eyes may be opened, that they may turn from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God.

He sends us that they too may receive forgiveness of sins and the inheritance we ourselves have received from God.

Some like Festus will call us crazy. Some like Herod will harden their hearts. But others will become Christians too.

Paul said concerning Jesus’ command, “I was not disobedient.”

By God’s grace, may we all be able to say the same.

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Acts Devotionals

No pity parties

Acts

If there was anyone who had a “right” to throw a pity party, it was the Christians in Acts chapter 8.

After the murder of Stephen, the Christians in Jerusalem were persecuted, being dragged off to prison, and in some cases even being executed.

As a result, they fled, scattering across the Roman empire. What did they do as they scattered? Throw pity parties, feeling sorry for themselves?

No.

So those who were scattered went on their way preaching the word. (Acts 8:4)

The result? Many people entered God’s kingdom, finding the joy that only comes from Jesus. (8, 39)

In these troubled times, it’s easy to throw pity parties for ourselves.

But as God’s people, we need to look outside of ourselves and our own problems to a world that is dying in their sin.

How about you? Where is your focus?

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Luke Devotionals

Our message

Luke

I ended last week by talking about the real problem in society and the only true solution.

The real problem in society is not systemic racism or injustice, but sin in the hearts of individuals.

Unless you deal with the sin in the hearts of individuals, all the reform of the world’s systems will not make any substantial change.

And so our message needs to be the message Jesus gave.

The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.

He has sent me
to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to set free the oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. (Luke 4:18-19)

Jesus then said,

Today as you listen, this Scripture has been fulfilled. (21)

What kind of good news was Jesus preaching?

What kind of release was he proclaiming? What kind of sight was he restoring? What kind of oppression was he dealing with? In what way was he proclaiming the Lord’s favor?

Was he talking about all the problems we see in society?

No. Jesus dealt with none of the societal problems of his day when it came to the oppression the Jews were facing from the Romans during his three-year ministry. Neither did the apostles after they took over his ministry.

Instead, he was talking about release for the spiritual prisoners, restoration of their spiritual sight (although he did restore physical sight too), and freedom from their spiritual oppression.

When he talked about God’s favor, he meant God showering down his grace upon us so that our sins may be forgiven and that we might receive new life, a life restored from the brokenness of sin.

That’s the message of hope we proclaim.

Am I saying then that we just let our society fall apart around us? That we don’t care when we see injustice around us?

No. Get involved in your community. Get involved in politics. At the very least, vote. Let your voice be heard.

But never forget your primary mission: to proclaim his gospel.

If any other message is exchanged for it, no matter how good the cause, we will eventually lose sight of our true mission.

What message are you proclaiming?

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Luke Devotionals

The real problem, the real solution

Luke

In the States, we hear the terms “systemic racism” or  “systemic injustice” being thrown around left and right. And even within the church, people debate how systemic these problems really are.

As I read Luke chapter 3 today, however, it seems crystal clear where the real problem lies and what the real solution is.

John the Baptist came onto the scene in Israel and made an instant impact.

What was he pointing to in his preaching? Systemic racism and oppression against the Jews? Systemic injustice in Rome?

No. He pointed to individuals and their sin, and he called them to repent.

And John was not one to mince his words.

Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Therefore produce fruit consistent with repentance. (Luke 3:7-8)

John wasn’t speaking to the Roman government. Nor was he speaking primarily to those in power among the Jews. He was talking to the people.

What did he preach?

  1. God’s wrath is coming upon you because of your sin.
  2. Repent, not just in your words, but in your actions.

Even for those in the corrupt “system,” the tax collectors and the soldiers, John did not call on them to reform the system, much as the system needed reform. He called on them to repent as individuals. To change their own actions.

But this is a lost message in many churches.

We no longer preach sin, no less accountability for it.

No doubt there are problems in the system. And there is no doubt that there is some degree of oppression in them, although I would argue there is a lot less of it than there was 50 years ago.

Does that mean we then stop working for reform? Of course not.

But all the reform of the world’s systems will never solve the true problem: the human heart.

Let’s assume for a moment that all racism is completely eradicated from the system. Will that then eliminate all of society’s problems?

No. Because sin will still reign in the hearts of people.

You already see that in the hearts of many who are calling for reform.

They aren’t calling for justice as defined by the Bible. Their concept of sin is so far from the concept as found in the Bible, that we’ll end up in Sodom and Gomorrah if we follow them to their logical conclusion.

True God-honoring societal change will not come from systemic reform, especially as it is defined by many of the current “reformers.”

It will only come when we start calling individuals to repent of their sin.

We need to tell them what sin is. We need to tell them what the ultimate consequences of their sin are. And we need to tell them what God has done to rescue us from this problem.

And if we fail to do that, if we instead make systemic reform our “gospel,” we will have failed in the commission God has given us. (See Ezekiel 33 and Acts 20:21, 24-27).

The gospel of Jesus Christ, the gospel that God loves us and desires to save us has no meaning apart from the concept of sin and repentance.

After all, if people cannot even recognize their own sin, what are they being saved from? Racial oppression? Poverty? Disease?

All these are important, but they are secondary to the primary problem of the human race: their own personal sin.

Make no mistake, though. The world does not want to hear that message.

For all their cries for justice, they want nothing to do with God’s justice. They want nothing to do with hearing about their own personal sin and their accountability to God for that sin.

Just look at John the Baptist. Herod sinned by marrying his brother’s wife. And when John rebuked him for this one sin (although there were apparently others as well), Herod imprisoned him, and eventually executed him.

We the church will be persecuted if we preach sin. But we can’t be faithful to our call unless we do.

Question: when will we not only call for people in the system to repent, but for people among the “reformers” to repent?

There are Christian leaders who rightfully call for systemic reform. But where are those same leaders when it comes to calling for repentance among the “reformers?”

When we see injustice, let’s fight against it. If you want to march or sign petitions for it, great. If you want to post your opinions on social media, fine.

But more importantly, let’s start with the individuals we know and start preaching repentance and faith in Jesus Christ (Acts 20:21).

Because only when the hearts of individuals change will we see true societal change.

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Matthew Devotionals

Making a difference in an unbelieving and perverse world

Matthew

I don’t know how we can look at the world today and not mourn.

As I write this, we have not only the Covid-19 virus still lingering, but in the U.S., we’ve also seen police brutality, violent protests, riots, and looting.

I can’t help but think Jesus would say the same thing to this world that he said while he walked this earth.

You unbelieving and perverse generation, how long will I be with you? How long must I put up with you? (Matthew 17:17)

The sad thing is that while Jesus no doubt was chiding a broken world which had turned its back on God, he was specifically addressing his disciples and their inability to make a difference in such a world.

Why were they so powerless? Because they had so little faith.

The ultimate solution to this unbelieving and perverse world?

Bring [them] here to me. (17b)

But how many of us truly trust in Jesus’ power to save the world through the gospel which he has entrusted to us?

We may say we believe the gospel is enough to save, but our actions often say we believe otherwise, either by watering it down or failing to preach it at all.

The result? We fail as miserably as the disciples did to make a difference.

Do we preach the message that Jesus gave us?

“Repent of your sins! Stop going your own way!

“The Kingdom of God is near! Submit yourself to your King! He gave his life for you that you might find life! You are only destroying yourselves by going your way! Stop choosing death! Choose life!”

Is this the message we’re preaching? Or are we preaching something else?

We are so quick to preach the love of God.

In times like these, we are also quick to preach the need for justice in the world.

But how quick are we to preach repentance?

Why do we fail to make a difference in this unbelieving and perverse world?

Because of your little faith…For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will tell this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move.

Nothing will be impossible for you. (20-21)

Lord, increase the faith of your people. And let us be faithful to your Word you have given us to preach and live out.

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Matthew Devotionals

Listen to him!

Matthew

It wasn’t long ago that I wrote on the parallel passage from Mark concerning Jesus’ transfiguration.

But the Father’s words, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased. Listen to him!” still ring in my heart.

The writer of Hebrews, perhaps recalling this story, said this:

Long ago God spoke to the fathers by the prophets (like Moses and Elijah) at different times and in different ways. In these last days, he has spoken to us by his Son. (Hebrews 1:1-2)

In chapter 2, he continues,

For this reason, we must pay attention all the more to what we have heard, so that we will not drift away.

For if the message spoken through angels was legally binding and every transgression and disobedience received a just punishment, how will we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?

This salvation had its beginning when it was spoken of by the Lord (Jesus), and it was confirmed to us by those who heard him (the apostles and other witnesses).

At the same time, God also testified by signs and wonders, various miracles, and distributions of gifts from the Holy Spirit according to his will. (Hebrews 2:1-4)

One of the main points of the letter to the Hebrews is that we are to hold tightly to this gospel we have received.

The problem was that people who had once claimed to believe it had fallen away from it. Why? Because the gospel had not truly taken root in their hearts. (Matthew 13:5-6).

Their understanding of the gospel was extremely shallow and they never truly understood what the gospel was and what it means to be a Christian.

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, we see that happening even today with famous pastors and worship leaders falling away.

So I really challenge you: pay attention to what you have heard. Truly think about the gospel you have heard, the gospel Jesus preached to his disciples after his resurrection. (Luke 24:25-27, 45-47).

Do you truly understand it? Do you truly understand what sin is? Why is it so bad?

Who was Jesus? How do we know he truly is God?

Why did Jesus have to die? Why is the resurrection so important?

What does it truly mean to be a Christian? Why do you believe what you believe?

Can you answer those things beyond the standard, shallow Christian replies?

If not, it’s time to start asking those questions. Listen to the answers Jesus gives. Listen to the answers that he gave through his apostles.

Listen!

For if the law God gave to Moses through angels condemned those who broke it, how can we escape if reject the gospel of salvation he has given through his Son?

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Acts Devotionals

Angry at evil?

Acts

This past week, in Japan (where I live), a terrible incident happened in which 34 were people were killed due to an arsonist who set fire to an anime studio called Kyoto Animation.

A friend of mine, who is an anime fan, was extremely upset about it, but so was my wife who is not an anime fan.

I think it is a natural reaction. We should be upset, both angry and saddened by this kind of evil.

The question is, “What do we do about it?” Just complain about the evil and ask God why he doesn’t stop it? Simply mourn over the tragedy of it?

I think about the passage in Acts 17 where Paul was in Athens.

He saw a city filled with idols, and Luke tells us, “he was deeply distressed” by it. Other translations put it, “he was greatly provoked” or “he was upset.”

In short, he was angry.

What did he do? Simply rage at its evil? Simply mourn over it?

No. He went out and preached the gospel to everyone he could.

Why? Because the only solution to sin and evil in this world is the gospel. Only the power of the gospel can change lives and bring healing to this broken world.

The question is, “Do you believe it? Do you believe it enough that when you see all the evil that sin causes, you want to share the gospel to all the hurting people around you?”

What is your response to evil?

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Acts Devotionals

How people respond to the gospel

Acts

The response of the Atheniens to Paul’s message on Mars Hill is interesting to me. Paul gave a marvelous presentation on who God is and was starting to give the message of the gospel when he was forced to stop.

Why? Because there were people who, the moment they heard him talking about resurrection, laughed him off. They laughed off someone who could explain God and the gospel probably better than anyone else in church history.

And yet, there were others who believed.

That’s what we need to remember as we share the gospel. We may give a perfect gospel presentation, and some people will still laugh us off.

But there will be others who believe.

So don’t give up. Just do what Jesus has ordered us to do. Preach the gospel. And leave the results to him.

 

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John Devotionals

What are you seeking?

John

I don’t mean for this to be a series or anything, but I keep seeing this question throughout John. (Maybe because I’m preaching on this question on Sunday).

In verses 37-38, Jesus cries out,

If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. The one who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, will have streams of living water flow from deep within him. (John 7:37-38)

There are probably two pictures here. At the Feast of Tabernacles, there was a water ritual which reminded the Israelites of how God provided water for them in the desert through a rock that was struck by Moses.

In that same way, Jesus was struck for us on the cross, and because of that, we receive “water” that leads to eternal life from him.

The Holy Spirit (verse 39) himself comes into our lives and makes us new people.

But there’s another picture, provided in Isaiah chapter 55.

God speaks and says,

Come, everyone who is thirsty,
come to the water;
and you without silver,
come, buy, and eat!

Come, buy wine and milk
without silver and without cost!

Why do you spend silver on what is not food,
and your wages on what does not satisfy?

Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good,
and you will enjoy the choicest of foods.

Pay attention and come to me;
listen, so that you will live. (Isaiah 55:1-3)

Again, are we seeking? Are we seeking things that do not satisfy? Or do we seek Jesus, who alone can satisfy?

But notice what is the result of coming to God and drinking of the water he provides.

so you will summon a nation you do not know,
and nations who do not know you will run to you. (Isaiah 55:5)

That’s what I want in Japan (and in all nations for that matter). That people would see the glory of God in us, and run to us wondering why we’re so different.

What do we tell them when they do? The message found in verses 1-3. And the message in verse 6-7.

Seek the LORD while he may be found;
call to him while he is near.

Let the wicked one abandon his way
and the sinful one his thoughts;
let him return to the LORD,
so he may have compassion on him,
and to our God, for he will freely forgive. (Isaiah 55:6-7)

And God promises,

my word that comes from my mouth
will not return to me empty,
but it will accomplish what I please
and will prosper in what I send it to do. (Isaiah 55:11)

And as we are filled with the God’s Spirit, touching people’s lives, God says,

You will indeed go out with joy
and be peacefully guided;
the mountains and the hills will break into singing before you,
and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. （Isaiah 55:12）

May we all seek a life filled with God’s Spirit and love to the point of overflowing. A life that touches others so that not only we find joy, but the the people we touch find it too.

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3 John

Walking in the truth

Walking in truth

It’s hard to escape the word “truth” in this letter. John uses it six times in this very short letter.

What is he talking about when he says, “the truth”? Most likely, he’s talking about the truth of the gospel.

And John, after praising Gaius for walking in the truth of the gospel, tells him,

I have no greater joy than this: to hear that my children are walking in truth. (3 John 4)

What does that mean, to walk in the truth of the gospel?

I think it means to walk in the love and grace of God each day.

To remember each day that God has rescued us from a life of sin that was destroying us.

To remember that we are already accepted by him as his beloved children.

And to live each day in gratitude and in awe of the grace that we have been given.

And if we walk in this truth daily, it puts a love in our hearts for God that transforms our entire life.

It changes the way we think and the way we act.

And people will notice, as they did with Gaius and Demetrius.

How about you? Are you walking in the truth of the gospel?

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1 Peter Devotionals

What are we drinking?

1 Peter

“You are what you eat.”

Or so the saying goes.

In this case, Peter might change that to, “You are what you drink.”

I talked in my last blog about living by the gospel.

But what kind of things do we drink in every day?

Malice toward other people?

Deceit and hypocrisy, pretending to be something we’re not?

Envy of those around us?

Slander, trying to cut others down to size?

Or are we drinking in the gospel?

Peter writes,

Like newborn infants, desire the pure milk of the word, so that you may grow up into your salvation, if you have tasted that the Lord is good. (1 Peter 2:2-3)

You could of course interpret “word” broadly to refer to the whole Word of God.

But in 1:25, Peter specifically limits it to the gospel we have heard.

We never outgrow the gospel, no matter how “mature” a Christian we may be.

And if we aren’t drinking in the gospel daily, we eventually end up drinking in other filth.

That’s why we need to come to Jesus every day. Every day, we need to drink of his goodness, remembering all he has done for us.

What has he done for us?

He redeemed us from an empty way of life by his blood on the cross. (1:18)

He gave us new life. (1:23)

He made us his temple, his priests. (2:5)

He made us his own people. (2:9-10)

More, he has made us his own children. (1:14, 17)

When we were lost sheep, he sought after us and brought us back, dying for our sins, and healing us. (2:21-25)

Drink those things in. Meditate on them daily. Remember just how amazing all this really is.

And as these truths sink in, all the poison we have taken into until now will be cleansed out of our system.

Lord, let me never take these things for granted. I do so too often. As I daily take in the milk of the gospel, renew in me each day the joy of my salvation. Amen.

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2 Timothy Devotionals

Living by the gospel

2 Timothy

One thing that Paul wanted Timothy to remind the Christians is to live by the gospel. What does that mean?

It means that we daily remember the goodness and loving kindness of God toward us. That when we were lost sheep who were far from him, he saved us.

He saved us not because we were good sheep doing good things.

He saved us because of his mercy. He washed us and made us into new people through his Holy Spirit.

And it is because of that grace, we stand justified before him.

What is the result of remembering all this? It fills our hearts with thanksgiving and causes us to want to please him. Paul says,

I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. (2 Timothy 3:8)

Take some time to read all of Titus today (it’s very short), and see how many times that theme of God’s people doing good works is repeated.

But remember: We are not trying to impress God with our good works. We are not trying to prove ourselves to him by these works. We have already been accepted and loved by him.

And when we remember that, we can’t help but want to please our Father.

Do you feel you have to prove yourself worthy to God? To your pastor? To your parents? To others?

That’s not living by the gospel. To live by the gospel is to rest and rejoice in the love and grace of our Father.

If you have constantly feel you have to prove yourself worthy, you’ll eventually get tired and worn out. If you rest in the Father’s grace and love, pleasing your Father will be your joy.

How about you? Are you living by the gospel?

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Hebrews Devotionals

Ignoring the word of Jesus

Hebrews

In my last post, we saw how Paul told Timothy, “Remember Jesus Christ.”

Here we see similar words by the author of Hebrews: “Consider Jesus.” (Hebrews 3:1)

I have probably read Hebrews dozens of times, but as I’ve been reading it through this time, I’m starting to see what the author is saying more clearly.

I’ve always seen how he was talking about the superiority of Christ: to angels, to Moses, to the priests, to the animal sacrifices.

But this time, something else struck me even more strongly: Why was the writer of Hebrews talking about all this?

I’ve mentioned in my first blog postings on Hebrews, that the book of Hebrews was written by a Hebrews (Jew) to the Hebrews, telling them to stop acting like Hebrews and start acting like Christians.

In other words, because of persecution, these Jews were being tempted to go back to their old Jewish rituals in order to obtain their salvation. But the only way to do so would be to turn their backs on Jesus and his message of salvation.

And that was the main point of all that the writer of Hebrews was warning against in these four chapters (and for the rest of the book for that matter.)

In chapter 1, the writer says,

Long ago God spoke to the fathers by the prophets at different times and in different ways. In these last days, he has spoken to us by his Son. (Hebrews 1:1)

He then lists the qualifications of Jesus:

  1. He is the heir of all things.
  2. He is the creator of the universe.
  3. He is the radiance of God’s glory.
  4. He is the exact expression of God’s nature.
  5. He sustains all things by his powerful word.
  6. He was confirmed by the Father as God’s Son.
  7. All the angels worship him.
  8. His throne will last forever.
  9. He is flawless in justice and  righteousness.
  10. He is eternal.
  11. All things are put under his rule.

And it is because Jesus is all these things, the writer of Hebrews says this,

For this reason, we must pay attention all the more to what we have heard, so that we will not drift away. (Hebrews 2:1)

Why? Because if the law which was brought to Moses by angels was binding and required obedience on pain of punishment, how much more is the word of Jesus binding on us and requires our obedience?

How do we dare ignore the message of salvation he brings.

And the writer makes it clear that it was Jesus himself that spoke of this salvation that we have, right after his resurrection from the dead. (Luke 24:44-47)

The apostles then testified to that same message. (Acts 2:22-39, among other places.)

For that matter, God in Trinity attested to this message that Jesus brought: the Father through signs and wonders, and the Holy Spirit through the distribution of his gifts.

In chapter 3, the writer then points out that Jesus is the Son over God’s house, and that we ourselves our God’s house.

The implication? That we are answerable to Jesus. And we are to obey him.

And then here’s the kicker. The writer quotes Psalm 95, something that clearly refers to Yahweh, and applies it to Jesus.

Today, if you hear his (Jesus’) voice,
do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion…(Hebrews 3:7-8)

In the desert, they tested Jesus, and so Jesus swore to them in his wrath, “They will never enter my rest.” (3:11)

No less than three times in chapters 3 and 4 does the writer reiterate, “Don’t harden your heart to Jesus’ voice. For if you do, you will never enter his rest.”

And so the writer encourages us,

Therefore, a Sabbath rest remains for God’s people. For the person who has entered his rest has rested from his own works, just as God did from his.

Let us then make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall into the same pattern of disobedience. (Hebrews 4:9-11)

But then he warns us,

For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow.

It is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. No creature is hidden from him, but all things are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give an account. (4:12-13)

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Jesus himself is called “the Word of God” by John.

And the writer of Hebrews warns us: we cannot simply ignore him. For everything is exposed before him and we will give an account to him for what we’ve done.

And again, the main point of this whole passage is Jesus’ specific word on the way of salvation. There is no other way but through him.

So many people want to say that there must be other ways. That God wouldn’t be so narrow as to limit the way of salvation to Jesus.

But there is no rest or peace apart from Christ. There is no salvation apart from him. And if you choose to ignore him and his message of salvation, only his wrath remains.

As John put it,

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them. (John 3:36)

How about you? What will you do with the word of Jesus?

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Galatians Devotionals

Out of step with the gospel

Galatians

Verse 14 really strikes me.

…I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel… (Galatians 2:14, ESV)

Obviously, in this context, Peter’s conduct was out of step with the gospel in that by his actions, he was once again calling what God had made clean, “unclean.”

He did this, not only in terms of the food they were eating, but more importantly, in terms of separating himself from the Gentiles at the dinner table.

By doing this, he restored the dividing wall of the law that stood between Jew and Gentile, and threatened to destroy the unity of the church, for whom Christ died. (Ephesians 2:11-22)

And by walking out of step with the gospel, there was a serious breach between what he preached and what he did.

Namely, it is through grace, apart from works, that we are justified before God, and it is our love for Christ that now drives our every action. (15-20)

Peter’s actions, however, threatened to undo all that he believed and preached to the church at Antioch.

We may not be out of step with the gospel in that sense, but are we out of step with the gospel in other ways?

Do we look down on other Christians for their “immaturity” and “failings” while forgetting that we ourselves stand only by the grace of God?

Granted, we are to help our fellow believers reach maturity, but there is no room for pride in our own “maturity” as we do so. We have only reached the point we have by the grace of God.

And even now, if we are truly closer to Christ’s light, we should see our own flaws even more clearly.

Before, we probably didn’t even notice them because of the size of our “bigger” sins.

But in the brightness of God’s light, our multiple “lesser” flaws should become even more visible to us. And if you can’t see those flaws, you’re either perfect, or you’re not as mature as you think you are.

We all stand by the grace of God alone. If you don’t see that and weep, you’re probably out of step with the gospel.

On the other hand, some people are out of step with the gospel in that they are constantly beating themselves up because of their sin.

But they too, in a sense, are living in pride. Pride that they should be able to clean themselves up. And the fact that they cannot devastates them.

But the gospel says we are to throw away that pride. We are all completely dependent on God’s grace, and it is because we cannot clean ourselves up that Jesus had to die on the cross.

To insist that we should be able to clean ourselves up, and to weep because we can’t, is to nullify the grace of God in our lives. For if we could do so, and thus save ourselves, Christ died for no purpose. (21)

And finally some people are out of step with the gospel in saying, “Well, now I’ve been forgiven, so I can live anyway that I wish.”

But the gospel says our old life has been crucified with Christ. And it is no longer we who live, but Christ lives in us. And Christ does not live a willfully sinful life. Neither should we.

Instead, the knowledge that the Son of God loved us enough to give his life for us should cause us to live each day in gratefulness to him, and put a desire in our hearts to live each day for him.

How about you? Are you walking in step with the gospel.

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1 Corinthians Devotionals

Selfishness and pride

1 Corinthians

If there is one theme that I’m consistently seeing in 1 Corinthians, it’s the problem of selfishness and pride in the Corinthian church. And so time and again, Paul tries to bring them back to what is central: God.

That’s what we see in chapter 8.

Some Corinthians were saying, “I know! I’m mature. I’m strong as a Christian. You don’t know. That’s why you have such a weak conscience concerning things that shouldn’t bother you at all (in this case, eating food offered to idols).”

But Paul reminds them:

“Hey! Remember what’s central here. You’re not living for yourself.

“You know that there is one God. Great! Remember what that means. He made you, and you exist for his purposes.

“You know that there is one Lord, Jesus. Great! Remember what that means. Remember that it is through him that all things were created and that all things, including you, exist.

“You’re not the center. He is.

“Remember this too: your brother (or sister) also loves God and is known by him. And if you destroy someone that Christ died for by your “knowledge,” you’re sinning against Christ, and God will hold you accountable.”

How about you? Where is your faith centered? Is it centered on you? Or is it centered on Christ?

The truth is, the moment we center our faith on ourselves, we lose sight of the gospel. We lose sight of our need for Christ, and we start thinking ourselves better than we are, while judging those around us.

We never outgrow our need for the gospel. So let us keep our lives centered on Jesus and the grace he has extended to us, and in humility and gratefulness live each day for him.

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Acts Devotionals

The whole gospel

Acts

Something struck me as I read Acts 10: the gospel message of Peter.

He talked about how Jesus had come with power, healing the sick and doing good. He then talked about how Jesus was crucified and subsequently resurrected. And then he said this,

 He (Jesus) commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that… (Acts 10:42a)

Okay, you fill in that blank. What do you think they were commanded to preach and testify about to the people?

I’ll wait….

Ready?

Are you sure?

Okay, here’s the finish to that sentence.

…he is the one appointed by God to be the judge of the living and the dead. (42b)

Surprised?

I was. How many people, when they come to the crux of the gospel and what the death and resurrection of Christ mean, start off with that sentence?

“Judgment day is coming. And on that day, Jesus will judge you.”

It’s so easy for us to preach the love of God. But we also need to preach the judgment of God.

Before there can be good news, people need to know that there is bad news: we all are worthy of condemnation because of our sin, and like it or not, judgment day is coming.

After that, we can pass on the good news. What is it?

All the prophets testify about him that through his name everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins. (43)

The price for our sin has already been paid by Jesus on the cross. Our Judge is also our Savior. And if we will put our trust in him and the work he did on the cross, we will be forgiven.

That’s the whole gospel.

Let’s not sugarcoat the gospel. Let’s tell it as it is. Like Peter did. Like Paul did (Acts 17:30-31).

And by God’s grace, many will hear and be saved.

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Revelation

The one on whom all God’s plans rest

Revelation

I have to admit, until recently, I had never really thought about Revelation as being centered around the gospel.

But we saw very early on in chapter one, that Revelation starts with the gospel, and now here in this chapter we see that it is centered on the gospel. In the final chapters, we will then see the gospel consummated.

In chapter 4, we saw God the Father sitting on his throne receiving all the worship and adoration he deserves.

And now in chapter 5, John notices something new. There is a scroll in the Father’s right hand, with writing on both the front and back, and sealed with 7 seals.

It seems very reminiscent of a Roman will in which the outside writing summarizes the details within. And the only only way for the will to be executed is for someone to break the seals and to see what is in it.

In this scroll contains all God’s purposes for history. But the seals prevent them from being carried out. And so a mighty angel cries out,

Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll? (Revelation 5:2)

The response? A deafening silence.

Think about this. The 24 elders sitting on their thrones were there. The 4 living creatures were there. Thousands upon thousands of angels were there.

There were wonderful Christians living on the earth. People like John.

There were wonderful Christians who had died and were now with God in heaven. People like Peter and Paul. And yet, not one was worthy to break the seals and open the scroll. (3)

And so John wept. All God’s plans were for naught. They would remain sealed in the scroll, forever dormant. (4)

But then one of the elders said,

Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals. (5)

John looks up expecting to see Jesus. Or perhaps a great lion symbolizing Jesus. And he sees…a lamb. And not just a lamb, but a lamb looking as if it had been slain.

Indeed, John probably made the mistake that many Jews had made. When they thought of their triumphant Messiah, they thought of a conquering Lion.

And Jesus is a Lion. But he conquered by dying like a Lamb. He is the Lion and the Lamb.

He had 7 horns, symbolizing great power, and 7 eyes which symbolize not only his omniscience, but the Holy Spirit of God within him. The same power and Spirit that raised him from the dead in victory. (Ephesians 1:19-20, Romans 8:11)

Jesus took the scroll from the Father’s hand, and when he did, the four living creatures and the 12 elders took a break from their usual refrain (4:8, 11), and sang a new song.

You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals. (9a)

Why?

…because you were slain and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and nation.

You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth. (9b-10)

In these words we see the fullness of the gospel, and God’s plans for eternity.

That through the blood of Jesus, we were redeemed from our sin and made his people, his kingdom, and his priests. And we will serve God forever, reigning in the new heavens and earth when he makes all things new.

And because of this, all creation in heaven and on earth cry out,

Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise…

To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever…Amen. (12-14)

This is what Revelation is all about. It’s about the gospel, and the Lion and the Lamb who made it all possible.

And through this gospel, we can know that we have hope, for all God’s plans will come to fruition.

So let us sing with all God’s angels and all creation, “Worthy is the Lamb!”

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Revelation

The gospel behind Revelation

Revelation

This being Easter Sunday in the States, I suppose it’s only fitting that we see the gospel here in this passage.

Most people don’t think of Revelation being a book about the gospel. But it is. And we see it laid out beautifully here by John. He says,

Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, and from Jesus Christ who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.

To him who loves us and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father — to him be glory and power forever and ever! Amen.

Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth shall mourn because of him. So shall it be. Amen. (Revelation 1:4-7)

Some things to note about the gospel.

First it comes from God in Trinity.

It comes from God the Father, who is, and who was, and who is to come. This title reflects the name God revealed to Moses in Exodus 3:14, the great I AM. The Eternal One.

It comes from the seven spirits before his throne, which seems to be a figurative way to speak of the Holy Spirit.

Many scholars think this alludes to Isaiah 11:2, where the Holy Spirit is called 7 things: the Spirit of the Lord, the Spirit of wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge,  and the fear of the LORD.

Seven is also the number of completeness or perfection in the Bible, which shows the Spirit’s perfection and completeness as God.

The gospel also comes from Jesus. And it’s interesting what John calls him, for in these titles we see the gospel itself. John calls him the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.

The word “witness” comes from the Greek word where we get our English word “martyr.”

Initially, the Greek word simply meant “witness,” but even in John’s time, we start to see a change in meaning to “someone who bears his testimony to the point that he’s willing to die for it.” (See Revelation 2:13).

So John seems to show Jesus as the one who died as a martyr for us.

But Jesus is also the firstborn of the dead. This does not mean, however, that he was the first one ever to rise from the dead. Jesus himself raised several people from the dead.

The word “firstborn” has the idea of preeminence. In other words, Jesus is the preeminent one of all who have ever risen from the dead. Why?

He tells us in verse 18.

I am the living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.

While all those Jesus raised from the dead would later die a second time, Jesus never did die again and he never will.

But not only is he preeminent over all who ever rose from the dead. He is preeminent over all who will rise in the future. Why? Because he alone has the keys of death and Hades. He alone gives eternal life to whoever he pleases.

And now, he is king forever, the ruler of all other kings of the earth.

So from God in Trinity, we have this gospel of grace and peace.

What exactly is this gospel?

That God loves us.

That Jesus died for our sins and set us free from them. We are no longer slaves to sin, nor are we condemned for them.

More, we have been made part of God’s kingdom. We are now God’s priests, with direct access to God, and charged with serving him and ministering to the world on his behalf.

And one day, Jesus will return and judge this world.

How can we know these things for sure? Because of what God says in verse 8.

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”

In short, God is in control. He is the beginning of all things and the end of all things. And all things are in his hands.

And because of that we have hope.

That’s the message of the gospel. That’s the message of Easter. And that’s the message of Revelation.

To Him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen. (6)

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3 John

Walking in truth and love (part 2)

Support our missionaries

As we look at 3 John, we see many of the same themes that we see in 2 John, and for that matter in 1 John: those of truth and love.

Here, though, we have a very practical application of these things: the support of missionaries and other ministers of the gospel.

As we saw in John’s last letter, there were many traveling teachers who went from church to church, missionaries if you will.

They seemed to be not only going to the churches, but preaching to unbelievers as well, as John makes specific note that they received no support from the “pagans.” (7)

Because these missionaries were doing this service for the sake of Christ, John encouraged Gaius, the recipient of this letter, and apparently a leader in the church, to support such people in giving them a place to stay, and providing food, drink, and other needs that they might have.

(This is in sharp contrast to what John told the church in 2 John 1:10 concerning false teachers).

Many Christians don’t think of this, but by supporting missionaries, we are walking in truth and love.

We walk in truth in that we support the spread of it to those around us. And we walk in love by helping those who preach it.

In doing so, not only are we showing love to those missionaries, but love for those they take the gospel to.

Unfortunately, a man named Diotrephes refused to do this. He was another leader in the church, but instead of living a life of truth and love, he lived only for himself.

John said that he loved to be first (9) and would have nothing to do with the leaders of the church and those missionaries who spread the gospel.

Instead, he spread gossip about them. More, he threw people out of the church who tried to support the missionaries that had come to them. (10)

In short, out of his pride, Diotrephes told his congregation, “I don’t recognize these people, and neither should you.”

Unfortunately, there are pastors like this. Because they are so concerned about their own position, they refuse to work with anyone else outside their own organization.

What’s even worse is when they refuse to accept any authority besides themselves because of their pride.

But John tells Gaius,

Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. (3 John 11)

In other words, “Don’t be like Diotrephes, Gaius. Walk in truth and love as we do and as you have been doing until now.”

How about you? Do you support the truth and those who preach it with your finances? Do you support your pastor? Do you support the missionaries you know?

Do you seek to bless such people who are working for the name of Christ?

Or do you instead snipe at them from behind?

This world needs Jesus. But they will never find him if we are not walking in truth and love. And one big way to do that is to support those spreading the gospel.

Are you?

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1 John

Testing the spirits

1 John

There are many today who claim to follow Christ, to have the Holy Spirit, and to preach the gospel. The question we always need to be asking, however, is if they follow the true Christ, have the true Holy Spirit, and preach the true gospel.

Paul once wrote with great concern to the Corinthian church, saying,

But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.

For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough. (2 Corinthians 11:3-4)

It was with this same kind of concern that John wrote to his readers. After telling them that we can know God dwells in us by the Spirit he gave (3:24), he immediately warns them,

Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. (1 John 4:1)

I don’t think there’s a disconnect in thought between 3:24 and 4:1. I believe they’re strongly connected.

John’s saying on one hand that we as Christians are indwelt by the Holy Spirit.

But then he swiftly warns us to watch out because the Holy Spirit is not the only spirit around. There are a lot of evil ones out there too, and most times, they come portraying themselves as “angels of light.”

And just as there were many false prophets in the Old Testament days, there were false prophets in John’s day and there are false prophets even in our day, all powered by these spirits.

So John says, when someone claims to speak for God, test them. Don’t be fooled by sweet sounding words or by spiritual experiences.

How can we discern the false spirits from the Holy Spirit?

One thing is to test what they say about Christ. In John’s day, the big thing was whether Jesus had actually come in the flesh or not. Many people claimed that he hadn’t. That he had just appeared to have flesh, but was not truly human.

Not many deny Jesus’ humanity nowadays, but many do deny his deity, that he truly was God come in human form. But John says that anyone who fails to confess Jesus as he truly is, both God and man, is not from God. (4:2-3)

The other test is if they contradict the things that the apostles have already taught about Jesus and the gospel. He says,

We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood. (4:6)

Those are strong words, and they show the authority that God had given the apostles. As a result, you cannot claim to follow God and yet deny or contradict what the apostles taught.

So if you hear anyone who does that, you know he cannot from God.

The sad thing is that many people do not test what they hear. They believe everyone who says they follow Christ, and because of that, they fall into darkness. They are in fact following antichrists, not the true Christ.

But if we test the spirits, we don’t need to fear about falling into confusion or darkness. For John tells us,

You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. (4:4)

Are you testing what you hear?

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1 John

Proclaiming the One who is life

John

And so we come to the last “long” letter of the New Testament. Or at least the last letter with multiple chapters, anyway.

And from the very beginning, you can almost hear the emotion coming from the apostle John who wrote this book. From this man who was called the beloved disciple.

He says,

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched — this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.

The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. (1 John 1:1-2)

It never really struck me until very recently that everything in here is pointing to Jesus himself. He is the Word of life. He is the very expression of life itself. All that life is supposed to be is found in him: whole and complete in every way, with no defects.

And he is the expression of Life himself. The Author of Life expresses himself to us in Jesus. And Jesus himself is Life.

So when John says in verse 2, that the “life” appeared,” he’s referring to Jesus in his incarnation. He came to earth as a man, and John and the other apostles were able to hear his voice, see him with their own eyes, and touch his nail-scarred hands after the resurrection.

And John calls Jesus, the “eternal life.”

He was with the Father before time began, having no beginning or end. And now he gives life to those who are dead. He gives life to those who are spiritually dead, living apart from God.

And the day will come when he will give life to those who are physically dead, giving them new bodies that are like his own.

With that in mind, John says,

We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.

We write this to make our joy complete. (3-4)

In short, John and the other apostles weren’t content to revel in the joy they had because of their fellowship with God.

Rather, they didn’t consider their joy complete until others could join them in that fellowship. And so they were bold to proclaim all that they had seen and heard.

In that, as well as many other things, we are to follow in their footsteps.

Too many Christians are just happy to be saved. To revel in the love that God has for them and the forgiveness he has imparted to them. To rejoice in the healing God has brought in their lives.

But we can’t simply be satisfied with that. To be satisfied with that and that alone is pure selfishness when many other people are dying apart from Christ.

They don’t know his love. They don’t know his forgiveness. They don’t know his healing in their lives. How can we not weep for them?

And so like John and the other apostles, we need to go out and proclaim this Life that has been given to us that they may share in that fellowship with Him too.

How about you? Are you so focused on rejoicing at your own salvation that you can’t see those around you that need that salvation just as badly?

Let us go out. Let us proclaim the gospel to our loved ones. To those in our neighborhood, workplace, and schools. And when we do and see people come into God’s kingdom, that’s when our joy will be made complete.

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Hebrews

Why we dare not ignore the gospel

Hebrews

One of the key themes you see throughout Hebrews is the supremacy of Christ.

In chapters 1-2, you see his supremacy over the prophets and the angels. In chapter 3, we see his supremacy over Moses. And in chapter 4, we will see his supremacy over Joshua.

But there is a key point we need to remember as we consider Christ’s supremacy.

If he is indeed supreme over all the angels and the other messengers of God, and all of them proclaimed the message of God and people were held to account for what they heard, then we dare not ignore the message that Christ brings.

We see this in the first few verses of chapter 2, where the writer of Hebrews says,

We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.

For if the message spoken by angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation?

This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him.

God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will. (Hebrews 2:1-4)

Here, the writer of Hebrews seems to be referring to the Law of Moses (Deuteronomy 33:2, Acts 7:53, Galatians 3:19).

And the writer says the people were judged when they failed to keep this law, even though it was brought by “mere” angels of God.

But now Jesus himself has come and given us the gospel through his own mouth and the mouths of the apostles, and God testified to their veracity by performing signs, miracles, and wonders, not to mention all the gifts of the Spirit that were poured out.

And if the Father, Son, and Spirit themselves testify to these things, not simply angels, will we not be held more accountable?

Of course we will. And there will be no escape from hell if we ignore this gospel that God in Trinity has testified to.

The writer then compares Moses to Jesus. Moses had been a great leader. God used him to deliver the people from slavery in Egypt and through him taught the people His law.

And yet, the writer says,

Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself.

For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything. Moses was faithful as a servant in all God’s house, testifying to what would be said in the future.

But Christ is faithful as a son over God’s house. And we are his house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast. (Hebrews 3:3-6)

Moses, the writer says, was a mere servant. A faithful servant, but a servant.

And as much as the Jews were held to accountable to a servant like Moses in keeping the law he taught, we are held far more accountable to Jesus because he is God’s Son and the builder of God’s house, the church.

Because of this, we dare not ignore the gospel of salvation he brings. There is no higher court of appeal to go to. He is our final judge.

So the writer tells us,

Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess. (Hebrews 3:1)

How about you? Are you taking the gospel lightly? As a message that you can simply ignore?

Whether you like it or not, you will be held to account for it. So believe it and embrace it while you still can. And if you do, you will find life.

To reject it means judgment and death.

More on that next time.

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1 Timothy

The wonder of the gospel

1 Timothy

Christmas is right around the corner, and I think it can be so easy to take for granted what it’s all about. Do we truly wonder at what it really means?

Paul did.

He said,

Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great. (1 Timothy 3:16a)

The mystery of godliness.

So many people in Paul’s time said that the key to godliness was their own self-effort. That it could be found through asceticism or through keeping the law.

Others were saying it was found in these myths and genealogies that they were promoting.

But true godliness does not come through religion or self-improvement. It comes through Jesus Christ and what he did for us.

Paul wrote,

[God] appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory. (16b)

God came down to this earth as a tiny baby in Jesus Christ.

God who created this world. God, the one who sustains all things by his word alone. The true King of the universe, apart from whom nothing would exist. He came as a helpless child.

Jesus grew up as a carpenter’s son. He knew hardship as a youth with Joseph his father passing away, leaving him to care for the family.

He then left his home to start his ministry, preaching to the people. He showed them who God really is.

He showed them the power of the kingdom, casting out demons, healing the sick, and raising the dead. And yet they crucified him, just a week after declaring him king.

But the Spirit showed him to be the Son of God with power by raising him from the dead.

The angels proclaimed his resurrection to his disciples. He himself appeared to them, and then was taken into glory.

His disciples took this news to the world, and even now, Jesus’ name is preached and believed on throughout the world.

And it is through this gospel, that people are now made righteous before God, their lives transformed by the very power of God that raised Jesus from the dead.

That’s the wonder of the gospel. That’s the wonder of Christmas.

May we, his church, be the pillar and foundation of this truth, proclaiming it to this world that is dying and without hope.

Let us never become calloused and take for granted the glory of this gospel.

How about you? Do you still wonder at this gospel you believe?

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Philippians

What the gospel is all about

Jesus

We saw last time that Paul tells us to live a life worthy of the gospel. But what is that gospel?  He makes it crystal clear in chapter 2.

The gospel is all about Christ,

who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 

And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death– even death on a cross! (Philippians 2:6-8)

Think about that a moment. Jesus was by his very nature God. But he did not say, “I am equal to the Father and the Spirit. Why should I be the one that goes down to save a wretched, rebellious people?”

Instead, he made himself nothing. He let go of the glory that rightfully belonged to him as God and he became a mere man. And not a king among mere men. But a mere carpenter born of a poor family.

More, he didn’t come doing his own will as he had every right to do. Instead, he came as a servant, humbling himself, doing only what his Father in heaven told him to do.

And when the Father told him, “It is time to die for the sins of the world,” Jesus replied, “Not my will, but yours be done.”

Why? Because he loved the Father. And because he loved us. And because of that love, he was willing to lay down everything that was rightfully his to die a shameful death on the cross.

But the gospel doesn’t end there. For Paul says,

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (9-11)

God not only raised Jesus from the dead, but has now placed him above all things as head and ruler over all.

And the day will come when all who are saved will fall at his feet in worship, proclaiming him as Lord, unified as one under him, a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, holy and blameless, to the glory of the Father.

It is this gospel that Paul says we are to live lives worthy of. Since Christ did all this for us, how can we not follow his example? As Paul said,

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.  (5)

We are now united with Christ. How can we not live as he did? How can we not show tenderness and compassion as Christ did, even to those who reject us?

Since we will one day all together worship him as Lord, how can we not now love one another, and work with one another for his kingdom?

And how can we not throw aside selfishness, putting our brothers and sisters’ interests above our own, and laying down our lives for them as Christ did for us?

How about you? Do you believe the gospel? And if you do, are you living this gospel every day?

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Galatians

Fighting for the gospel

Galatians

In this passage, we see Paul fighting for the truth of the gospel.

First he went to Jerusalem to make sure he was on the same page as the rest of the apostles concerning salvation by grace apart from law.

And in the midst of that, the Judaizers started insisting that Titus (the same Titus Paul wrote to later in the book of the same name) had to be circumcised in order to be truly considered a Christian.

But Paul said,

We did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might remain with you. (Galatians 2:5)

The other apostles, fully on Paul’s side on this matter, then gave their blessing for him to go out to the Gentiles with this gospel of grace. (Galatians 2:7-9)

But later, Paul had to confront Peter himself on this matter.

Apparently, Peter, because of his experience with Cornelius earlier (Acts 10-11) had fully embraced the Gentiles and had gone to the extent of actually eating with them and most probably eating their food, even though it went against both Jewish custom and law.

When people from Jerusalem came, however, they were apparently looking side-eyed at Peter for what he was doing, and so he started separating himself from the Gentiles.

As a result, the other Jews with Peter started to follow his example, threatening to split the church all over again over a false gospel.

And so once again, Paul went to the mat, fighting for the gospel, essentially saying, “What in the world are you doing Peter?

All this time, you’ve been acting as a Gentile, eating their food and hanging out with them, this though you are a Jew. And why?

Because you know that we are not saved by keeping the law but through faith in Christ.

You know perfectly well that nobody can be saved by keeping the law because nobody can possibly keep it perfectly. So why are you doing this?” (Galatians 2:14-16)

Why was Paul so passionate about this? Why did he fight for the gospel so desperately? Because it was this same gospel that had saved him.

It was not some gospel that he or anyone else had simply made up (Galatians 1:11).

It was a gospel that had stopped him in his tracks from a life headed toward death and gave him life.

But this was not a gospel that had come to him because of his own goodness or worth. It was not a gospel that had come to him because he had kept the law perfectly and because he had earned his salvation. He had murdered people, persecuting the church of God.

Rather, God had called Paul solely by His grace from before Paul was even born. And it was by His grace that God was pleased to reveal his Son to Paul. More he called Paul to spread that same gospel of grace to the Gentiles (Galatians 1:11-16).

And so when people attacked this gospel that had saved him, Paul fought for it.

So should we. We have been given life through this gospel. God set us apart for himself before we were born and he called us. Not because of our own goodness. Not because of our own worthiness. But because of his grace.

And now he calls us to spread his gospel of grace to those around us. So when this gospel of grace is attacked, we need to defend it.

How passionate are you about the gospel? Do you realize just how much you have been given? Do you understand the grace that God has showered down upon you?

Then let us fight for the gospel and defend it against those who would attack it. Not because they are our enemies. But because they and all those around us need the truth of the same gospel that has saved us.

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Galatians

A people-pleasing gospel

Galatians

Let’s face it, the gospel we preach is hard for many people to swallow. And because of that, sometimes Christians try to dilute it or sugar-coat it in order to make it more palatable for people to accept.

“Oh yes, Jesus said he was the only way, but he didn’t really mean that. There are many other godly people in this world and God will surely accept them even if they never put their faith in Jesus.”

“Jesus doesn’t ever want you to suffer under any circumstances. It’s his will that you live the good life, and to be healthy and prosperous here on earth.”

“Yes, I know that the Bible says this is sin. But really, it was just laws for that time. We are no longer under those laws. The important thing is that we love and accept people for who they are.”

(I am not saying here that we are saved by keeping rules, which is the main thing that Paul speaks against in Galatians. I’m speaking against the opposite error of saying that we are free to live what God calls a willfully sinful life and still call ourselves Christians.)

For the Galatians, it was the grace of God that was diluted. No longer were people saved by God’s grace alone. Instead the gospel was diluted with the idea that you had to keep the laws Moses gave the people in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

Why did some Jews try to dilute the gospel? Probably because they were too worried about what the non-Christian Jews would think.

They were worried that if they preached the grace of God alone for salvation, that they would no longer be seen as good Jews. That they would be rejected by their family and friends.

And so they adopted this gospel that they hoped would be more acceptable to them.

Many people today do the same. In order to make the gospel more “acceptable” to those around them, they dilute the gospel message.

But Paul says in this verse,

Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ. (Galatians 1:10)

In short, he’s saying, “When I preach the gospel, I’m not concerned about people’s approval of the message. I’m not trying to please them. Rather, I am trying to please God.”

And because of that Paul fought to preserve the utter simplicity and purity of the gospel, even going so far as to oppose Peter to his face when necessary (Galatians 2:11-14).

How about you? Are you diluting the gospel message to make it more acceptable to people? Or are you telling people like it is?

As long as we are worried about what people think of us, we cannot please God. And we certainly can’t please God by sharing with people a diluted gospel.

What kind of gospel are you sharing with those around you?

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Galatians

Deserting God

Fork in road

A lot of people today see Christianity as a set of rules. They think that you have to keep these rules to be accepted by God. Even many Christians tend to think this way. But is this what the Bible teaches?

In this letter, Paul was writing to a troubled church in Galatia, which is in modern day Turkey. Paul had started many churches there on his first missionary journey, and at first all had seemed well.

But then word came back to him that some people called Judaizers had crept into the church.

These were people that were teaching that it wasn’t enough to just have faith in Jesus. In order to be truly saved, they said you also needed to follow the Jewish law.

In particular, they said that one needed to be circumcised. And if you weren’t circumcised and keeping all the Jewish laws, then you weren’t really a Christian.

Because of this, the Galatians were falling into confusion, and had started to buy into this false gospel. And so Paul wrote them this letter.

Right from the very beginning, he reminds them of this gospel that he had first preached to them, saying,

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory for ever and ever. (Galatians 1:3-5)

Here he reminds them that they had received grace from God and peace with God. How? Through keeping the law? Through getting circumcised?

No, this was all of God, who had planned the way of salvation, and who through Jesus Christ had paid the penalty for all our sins through his death on the cross.

And because this was all the work of God, we don’t receive any of the credit for our salvation because we did nothing to earn it. Rather, it is God that receives the glory because salvation is all of him.

This was the gospel that Paul had preached to them.

But now he tells them,

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel– which is really no gospel at all.

Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. (Galatians 1:6-7)

That first phrase strikes me. By turning to a gospel of law, to a gospel of salvation by keeping a set of rules, the Galatians were actually deserting God.

They thought they were pleasing him. That they were drawing close to him by trying to keep these rules. But in reality, they were turning their backs on him.

They were essentially telling him, “We reject your plan of salvation by grace alone through Jesus’ work on the cross. We’re going to follow these other teachers and add these other requirements to your plan of salvation.”

In short, they were no longer putting their total faith in God for their salvation, but in these false teachers and their own ability to keep the law of God.

And so Paul reacted harshly, telling them,

But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!

As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned! (Galatians 1:8-9)

Paul was saying, “This ‘gospel’ you’re embracing is no gospel at all. I don’t care who it is, if anyone, even an angel from heaven or even us, preaches a different gospel from the one we first gave you, they are worthy of eternal damnation.”

Why? Because they have deserted God. And anyone who follows a gospel of rules has deserted God too.

Which gospel are you following? Are you following a gospel that says that faith in Jesus is not enough, but that you must keep a bunch of rules as well in order to be saved?

Or are you keeping your eyes on the cross, trusting in Jesus alone for your salvation?

Let us not desert God by following a false gospel, but put our full trust in him and Christ’s work on the cross for our salvation.

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2 Corinthians

Our part, God’s part

2 Corinthians

I think one thing that a lot of people worry about as we share the gospel is how people will respond.

It’s only natural, I suppose. For one thing, we really want them to be saved. For another, we want people to like us.

But while the first desire is important, the latter is entirely secondary. More, it should never interfere with our proclaiming the gospel.

Paul wrote,

Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. (2 Corinthians 4:1)

When he says, “we do not lose heart,” I think one thing he means is that he doesn’t allow himself to be discouraged when people reject the gospel message.

It can be disheartening when that happens. It’s even more disheartening when people reject us because of the gospel.

But Paul declares,

Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God.

On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. (2 Corinthians 4:2)

In other words, “In declaring the gospel, everything we do is aboveboard. We’re not trying to trick or deceive anyone.

Nor,” Paul says, “Do we distort the word of God.”

That word “distort” is very interesting. It’s the same word wine merchants used for diluting their goods.

Put another way then, Paul is saying, “We refuse to dilute the word of God. We refuse to water it down to make it more palatable for those who hear. Instead, we simply lay down the truth plainly as it is.”

In our day and age, it can be tempting to water down the word of God so that people can accept it and us.

But for Paul, it was unacceptable to do this. Instead, he just laid the gospel before people and said, “Here it is. Now what will you do with it?”

And God calls us to do the same. It’s not our responsibility to make people believe. Our responsibility is to tell it like it is.

Paul tells us,

And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.

The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. (2 Corinthians 4:3-4)

What Paul is saying is, “If we declare the gospel as we should, and people still can’t see the truth, we shouldn’t be blaming ourselves. Satan himself has blinded their eyes.”

So what should we do then? Put it in the hands of God. Paul writes,

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:6)

Just as God was the only one who could bring light into the darkness at the creation of the world, he is the only one who can bring light into the darkness of the human heart.

So if someone rejects the gospel, pray for them. That’s our part. The rest is up to God.

Let us never dilute the gospel of Christ to make it more palatable to others. Instead, let’s tell it like it is and pray for them.

After that, let God do his part as he works in their hearts. And ultimately, we will see fruit.

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1 Corinthians

The most important thing

1 Corinthians

We now come to perhaps the most important part of this letter, because it stands at the core of our faith.

Paul writes,

Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand.

By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures…this is what we preach, and this is what you believed. (1 Corinthians 15:1-4, 11)

What is the gospel?

1. That Jesus died for our sins.

2. That Jesus was buried.

3. That Jesus rose again.

And all this happened according to what God had prophesied in the Old Testament, particularly in Isaiah 53, but in many other passages as well.

Paul says this message was of first importance to him. Why?

By this gospel you are saved. (1 Corinthians 15:2)

If anyone is going to be saved from their sin and have eternal life, they must believe these three things. There is no other way.

If eternal life was to be earned by our works, then the law would have been of first importance to Paul.

If there is no eternal life, then how we live our lives on earth would have been of first importance to Paul.

But there is eternal life, and the path to it comes through the cross of Christ, and God proved he accepted Christ’s sacrifice by raising him from the dead.

Because of this, this was what Paul considered more important than anything else. And wherever he went and whoever he was with, this was the message he brought.

How about you? Is the gospel of first importance to you? Is it so important that you take it out to the people around you?

If we truly believe it, how can we not?

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1 Corinthians

Speaking clearly

1 Corinthians

In the midst of Paul’s speech about tongues and prophecy, I think there’s a little nugget that we can all take to heart from pastor all the way down to the person in the pew.

Paul says,

Even in the case of lifeless things that make sounds, such as the flute or harp, how will anyone know what tune is being played unless there is a distinction in the notes?

Again, if the trumpet does not sound a clear call, who will get ready for battle?

So it is with you. Unless you speak intelligible words with your tongue, how will anyone know what you are saying? You will just be speaking into the air.

Undoubtedly there are all sorts of languages in the world, yet none of them is without meaning.

If then I do not grasp the meaning of what someone is saying, I am a foreigner to the speaker, and he is a foreigner to me. (1 Corinthians 14:7-11)

Again, Paul is talking about why tongues without interpretation is useless within a worship service.

But have you ever been in a church where the pastor seems more interested in showing off his theological knowledge than communicating the truth of God to the people?

Who throws around all these impressive sounding words that no one really understands?

Who after he finishes speaking, people say, “Wow! That was really impressive…What was he trying to say?”

I’ve read books on theology that read much the same way.

Now obviously, they’re meant to be much more scholarly and for a more tightly focused audience. But they turned me off because I had to struggle just to figure out what they were saying.

But we can do the same as we’re sharing the gospel with people.

We throw around words like “redemption,” “saved by the blood,” “sanctification,” and “justification,” and never think that the other person might have no idea what we’re talking about.

Even a word like “sin” can be misunderstood if not explained. For the Japanese, for example, “sin” means “crime.”

So if you don’t explain it, many Japanese will say, “No, I’ve never sinned.”

And so we need to be very careful as we share the gospel with people.

If we do not speak using intelligible words, no one will really know what we are saying, and we’ll essentially be speaking to the air.

They’ll look at us as if we’re speaking a completely different language. And to them, we will be. (I tend to call it Christianese.)

Let us not do that. Instead, let us learn to speak intelligibly as we share the gospel.

And for those of us who teach or write the Word, let it not be our goal to impress people with our knowledge, but to make sure they can grasp what we are saying so that God can work in their hearts.

Let us be as Paul who said,

When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God.

For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling.

My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power. (1 Corinthians 2:1-5)

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Romans

The One who establishes us

Romans

And so we finish off Romans.

I think it’s been one of the more fun books that I have blogged through. And as we do, we finish up where we started. With a reminder that salvation is ultimately the work of God.

Paul writes,

Now to him who is able to establish you by my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God. (Romans 16:25-26)

Here we see the wonder of the gospel. That years before Jesus came, God gave glimpses of what was to come through the prophets.

It was something that was unclear for hundreds of years but found its clarity in Jesus Christ. And now this gospel is clear for all to see that,

all nations might believe and obey him. (Romans 16:26b)

But it’s not a gospel based on our works. Rather, it’s based on the grace of God. He is the one who establishes us in our faith, and in our salvation.

Before time began, he chose us, predestining us to be conformed to the likeness of his Son.

Through Jesus, he paid the price for our sin. And through the Spirit, he sanctifies us day by day so that we might become more like Jesus until the day we see him in glory.

That’s the wonder of salvation. Not that we deserved it. Not that we earned it.

But that through his grace, God’s love was poured out on us that we might believe and be transformed into his likeness.

So as Paul said,

To the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen. (Romans 16:27)

Indeed, amen and amen.

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Romans

Refusing to believe

Romans

A couple of days ago, I talked about the paradox of salvation. That though the path to salvation is so easy, yet it is difficult.

All we have to do is put our faith in God and Jesus’ work on the cross and we’ll be saved. And yet so many people don’t.

We see this problem with the Jews. Paul writes,

But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?” (Romans 10:16)

That’s not just the problem with the Jews; it’s the problem with most people today.

To this very day, these words ring true. “Lord, who has believed our message?”

Paul then says,

Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. (Romans 10:17)

In other words, two things are necessary to be saved. To hear the message of the gospel and to believe it.

What is the problem? Why don’t so many Jews and others believe. Is it that Christ has not spoken? Or is it that they have not heard?

Not at all. Paul writes,

Did they not hear? Of course they did: “Their voice has gone out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.” (Romans 10:18)

The quote here, from Psalm 19:4, talks about how the heavens declare the glory of God.

Paul then applies this to the gospel, that Jesus’ words had gone into all the known earth.

Paul then asks,

Again I ask: Did Israel not understand? (Romans 10:19)

Rhetorical question here, the answer being, “No, they didn’t understand.”

And Paul goes on to talk about the irony of the work of God. That those God revealed himself to first (the Jews) rejected him, but when God went on to others, those others did believe.

So Paul quotes Isaiah who said,

I was found by those who did not seek me; I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me. (Romans 10:20)

God is specifically talking about the Gentiles here. That though the Gentiles were going their own way and were not even seeking God, God revealed himself to them and they accepted him.

The truth is, though, verse 20 can equally be applied to the Jews.

They weren’t really seeking God. They had started worshiping other gods in Egypt. (Joshua 24:14)

Yet God revealed himself to them. But what was their response when God revealed himself to them?

God said of them,

All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and obstinate people. (Romans 10:21)

Why didn’t they believe? They saw all the miracles. The ten plagues in Egypt. The parting of the Red Sea. The manna in the desert. And so much more. They had every reason to believe.

Then Jesus came. He performed miracles. He cast out demons. He preached words of wisdom such as they had never heard before. And yet they rejected him. Why?

The others (unbelieving Jews) were hardened, as it is written: “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes so that they could not see and ears so that they could not hear, to this very day.” (Romans 11:7-8)

This is a quote from Isaiah 29.

I talk more about this here, but the idea from this passage is that the Jews first blinded themselves. And so God said, “You don’t want to see? Fine. Be blind.”

That’s what happened with the Jews. For hundreds of years, despite all God did and said, they refused to believe. So God gave them over to their unbelief.

That’s the danger for all who hear the gospel. If we harden ourselves to it, sooner or later, God will say, “Fine. Dwell in your unbelief,” and he gives us over to the results of that unbelief: death.

So don’t harden your hearts to God’s message of salvation. Don’t listen to it with a heart that is skeptical and hardened from the beginning.

If you do, you will only blind yourself and you will die, separated from God for all eternity.

Instead, open your heart. For only in Christ and his message of salvation will you find life.

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Romans

The need for us to go

Romans

We’ve talked about this not too long ago, so this should be short and sweet. I’ve mentioned before that we were chosen before the beginning of the world to be God’s children.

There have been, however, Christians who have taken this concept too far and said, “Well, if God has already chosen those who will be saved, there’s no need for us to go out and evangelize them.”

That kind of thinking overlooks one key thing. God commands us to go.

The reason: though he doesn’t need us to evangelize, nevertheless, he chooses to spread his gospel through us. He has given us the keys to his kingdom.

But if we don’t use them, people will not be saved.

That’s why Paul says,

How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in?

And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?

And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? (Romans 10:14)

These are all rhetorical questions, and the answer is crystal clear to all of them. People can’t.

They can’t call on the one they haven’t believed in. They can’t believe in the one they have not heard. And they cannot hear without someone preaching to them.

Paul then says,

And how can they preach unless they are sent? (Romans 10:15)

Again, the answer is that they can’t.

But here’s the thing to note: God has called all of us who are believers to go. All of us have been commissioned by him to go and share his gospel.

Jesus told his disciples and us,

As the Father has sent me, I am sending you. (John 20:21)

And again,

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. (Matthew 28:19)

We don’t need to wait for him to send us. He already has.

So Paul says of those who take the gospel out,

How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news! (Romans 10:15b)

How about you? You’ve been given the keys to the kingdom.

What are you doing with them?

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Romans

The gospel

Gospel and the Bible

In this passage, Paul talks about his longing to come to Rome that he might share the gospel with them as he had in so many other places.

Not to say that they didn’t know the gospel, as they had already come to faith. But all of us need reminders of what the gospel is, and not only that, to get grounded deeper into it and all its implications.

And that’s what Romans is really all about. Getting rooted deeper into the gospel.

Verses 14-15 strike me where Paul said,

I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish.

That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are at Rome. (Romans 1:14-15)

Obviously, Paul as an apostle called by Christ, had this obligation to share the gospel. But for him, it went beyond obligation. It wasn’t a drudgery that he had to force himself into. He was eager to do so.

The same should be said of us. We shouldn’t have to force ourselves into sharing the gospel with others. We should be eager to do so. Why so eager?

I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. (Romans 1:16)

It is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.

I wonder sometimes if we truly understand what this means.

The gospel is God’s power to change lives. Not just so that people can go to heaven.

Salvation doesn’t simply mean a one-way ticket to heaven. It also means that people’s lives can be made whole here on earth.

Salvation means that their lives which have been broken by sin, can be made whole. That their hearts that have been wounded by the hurts of this world can be made whole.

It means that their marriages and relationships with others that have been torn apart can be made whole.

And most importantly, salvation means that their relationship with God which was broken by sin can be made whole.

That’s salvation. And the gospel is God’s power to bring that salvation.

More, the good news is for everyone. It was first brought to the Jew because God had originally chosen them to be his special people.

But after Jesus died on the cross and was raised again, it became possible for all people to approach God, both Jew and non-Jew. We who believe are all now accepted as God’s children.

How is this possible?

For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” (Romans 1:17)

“Righteousness” has several nuances in scripture, but the idea here is that the gospel shows us how to come into a right relationship with God.

Our relationship with God was broken because of sin. How then do we come into a right relationship with God? Through faith.

When you think about it, it totally makes sense, because our relationship with God was broken.

How?

By not trusting God. By not believing that he is looking out for our best. By distrusting his motives. And as a result, we turned our backs on God and started living our own way.

How then does that relationship get repaired? By turning back to God and saying, “I will trust you.”

That starts with trusting in Jesus’ work on the cross to make us accepted by God. To say, “Jesus I believe that when you died, you took the punishment for my sin.”

When we do that, God not only forgives us, but gives us a new heart that can trust him, not only for salvation, but for everything in life.

And as we learn to trust him more each day, and as God works in our lives empowering us to do the things he asks, our actions start to change and we start becoming more like Jesus in everything we do.

The result? Our lives are totally transformed, and we are made whole. That’s salvation.

Do you know that salvation in your own life? And do you understand it so deeply that you are eager to share it with those around you?

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Romans

Loved and called by God

Romans

And so we hit Romans, perhaps the most important book in the New Testament, because it so clearly sets out what the gospel is.

It was written by Paul to the church in Rome before he had had the chance to visit there.

And unlike many of his other letters, he is not addressing any church-specific problems or issues. Instead, all his focus is on the gospel God had set him apart from birth to preach.

In his greeting, Paul talks about how God had called him to be an apostle and set him apart to specifically reach out to the Gentiles.

It would be easy to take this almost as boasting. “God chose me! God loves me!”

But then Paul wrote,

And you also are among those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.

To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints. (Romans 1:6-7)

You also.

I love those words.

You also.

Paul told the Romans, “You also are called to belong to Jesus Christ. It’s not just us Jews. It’s not just us ‘special people.’

You too are special. You also are loved by God. You also are called to be his saints.”

Sometimes, we wonder how God could possibly love us. We’re nothing special. Why would God even bother with us?

And yet God looked down upon us, even before time began, and said, “I choose you. I love you.”

He saw all our faults, all our sins, all our weaknesses, and despite all that, said, “I set you apart for myself.”

And that’s actually what “saint” means. It means “people set apart for God.”

A lot of us look at the word, “saints,” and we think, “Me? A saint? I’m no saint?”

We think that because we picture saints as people with this halo over our heads who live perfect lives.

But you are a saint not because you are intrinsically better or purer than anyone else, but because God has loved you and chosen you.

That’s grace: the imparting of God’s love to you though you did nothing to earn it. Though you are no better than anyone else. And because God has bestowed his love upon us by grace, we have peace with God.

We don’t have to worry about whether God accepts us or not. We’d only have to worry about that if we had to earn God’s acceptance. But we don’t.

Before the creation of the world, he already chose you and accepted you. And if we could only understand that, how different would our lives be?

No longer striving, no longer fearful. But resting in the love, grace, and mercy of God.

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Acts

Compelled

Acts

In this passage, we see three reactions to the gospel.

One is persecution, like the Jews persecuted Paul.

The second is people thinking we’re crazy, as Festus thought of Paul.

The third is a patronizing attitude toward us and the gospel, as Herod had. An attitude that looks upon us as naive children for believing such a thing.

And yet, Paul continued to speak.

Why? I think we see the reason in 1 Corinthians chapter 5. Paul wrote,

If we are out of our mind (as Festus contended), it is for the sake of God; if we are in our right mind (as Paul asserted), it is for you.

For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. (1 Corinthians 5:13-14)

Why did Paul speak? Because he was convinced in his heart that Christ loved us so much that he died on the cross, taking the punishment for our sins.

And the love of Christ that had touched him now compelled him to share that news with others, no matter what they thought of him.

And that’s the attitude that we should have.

If we truly believe that Jesus died for us, if we have been truly touched by his love, that love should drive us to share the gospel with those around us that they too may receive the same gift of life that we have.

Some may persecute us. Some may think we’re crazy. Some may look on us patronizingly.

But does the love of Christ drive you to share the gospel with them anyway?

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Acts

Obedient to the call

Acts

As we look at this passage, we see Paul’s appearance before Festus and Herod Agrippa II.

This last of the Herods that we see in the New Testament was the son of Herod Agrippa I who had killed James and had attempted to kill Peter.

At any rate, the Jews once again tried to get Paul to be brought to Jerusalem so that they could kill him, and when Festus tried to convince Paul to appear in Jerusalem (not knowing the Jews’ plot), Paul appealed to Caesar.

That left Festus in a bit of a quandary because he wasn’t sure how to present the charges that were made against Paul, which were purely religious ones.

So when Herod came by for a visit, Festus consulted with him, and Herod agreed to hear Paul’s defense.

And so for the final time in the book of Acts, we see Paul give his testimony. Each time he spoke, we see a bit more of his story.

One of the most interesting things here was the mission Jesus gave to Paul on the road to Damascus.

I am sending you to them 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 26:17-18)

The same mission that Jesus gave to Paul, he gives to us.

We are to share the gospel with those around us that they might see their own bondage to sin and the darkness that they’re in.

We do this so that they might be set free from the kingdom of Satan and brought into the kingdom of God, forgiven of their sins and adopted as his children through faith in Christ.

Concerning this mission given to him in the vision, Paul told Festus and Herod,

I was not disobedient. (Acts 26:19)

How about you? God has told us to go and spread his gospel to those around us.

Are you? Are you fulfilling the mission he has given you?

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Acts

The whole counsel of God

Paul and Felix

Paul once told the Ephesians,

I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all of you, for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God. (Acts 20:26-27, ESV)

What did he mean by “the whole counsel of God?” I think we catch a glimpse of it here.

Paul was brought before the Roman governor Felix to face his accusers. After the initial hearing was held, Felix called in Paul more than once to chat, and Paul took the opportunity to talk about his faith in Christ.

But Paul didn’t stop at talking about God’s love, the cross, and the salvation that comes by faith. Rather,

Paul discoursed on righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come. (Acts 24:25a)

In short, Paul told Felix, “You know that your life is not right before God. You know that you have sinned, and unless you turn from your sin, you will be judged someday.”

The result?

Felix was afraid and said, “That’s enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you.” (Acts 24:25b)

The gospel is not all God’s love and good, warm, fuzzy feelings.

The gospel also is, “There is a serious problem. You have sinned and are facing condemnation. So turn to Christ. Put your faith in him and his work on the cross for you while you can.”

And if we fail to tell people this, we are not giving people the whole counsel of God, and we will be responsible for their blood if they go to hell.

I’m not saying we should literally “scare the hell out of them.”

The Gospel is “good news.”

And the good news is that we don’t have to go to hell. That God loves us so much that he made a way, not only to escape hell, but to live a life that’s full and complete. To have a life filled with his joy and peace.

That’s where our main focus should be when preaching the gospel.

But we do need to warn people, “If you refuse Jesus, you are facing judgment.”

Some people, like Felix, may become fearful as a result.

They may chase us away until a more “convenient time.”

But how they respond is not our responsibility. All we can do is share the message God has given us.

How about you? Are you giving the people the full counsel of God?

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Acts

Shrewd as a serpent

Acts

I think in this passage, we see a perfect example of someone being as shrewd as serpents as Jesus told his disciples to be in Matthew 10:16.

Surrounded by a pack of wolves, Paul shrewdly divided those who would attack them. How? By claiming his heritage as a Pharisee.

He told them,

My brothers, I am a Pharisee the son of a Pharisee. I stand on trial because of my hope in the resurrection of the dead. (Acts 23:6)

This was completely true. He was on trial because he believed in the resurrection of the dead, namely Jesus.

Of course he didn’t mention the latter part, but by saying what he did, his accusers became divided between those who believed in the resurrection of the dead (the Pharisees) and those who didn’t (the Sadducees).

Not only that, one wonders what later impact he might have had on some of the Pharisees who had initially opposed him. For some were saying,

We find nothing wrong with this man…What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him? (Acts 23:9)

The point is, know the people you are talking to.

There are people that may oppose you and be utterly hardened toward the gospel. But by knowing who they are, and how they think, God can give you insight in how to turn the tide in their hearts.

And with some shrewd words, the seed of the gospel may be planted in their hearts.

So remember the words of Jesus.

I am sending you out like sheep among wolves.

Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. (Matthew 10:16)

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Acts

Fulfilling our responsibilities

Acts

One thing that Paul did was he preached the gospel. Wherever he went, he preached to the people that Jesus is the Christ.

Why did he do so? One reason, of course, was that Jesus commanded him to. And it was not a one-time command either. Jesus first gave him that charge when Paul was saved (Acts 9:15), and we see it again here where Jesus told him,

Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. (Acts 18:9)

But there was another reason. Paul remembered the words of God to Ezekiel. Namely,

When I say to a wicked man, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn him or speak out to dissuade him from his evil ways in order to save his life, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood.

But if you do warn the wicked man and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his evil ways, he will die for his sin; but you will have saved yourself. (Ezekiel 3:18-19)

That’s why after the Jews rejected his message in Corinth, he told them,

Your blood be on your own heads! I am clear of my responsibility. (Acts 18:6)

He would later tell the elders in Ephesus something similar (Acts 20:26-27).

The point is, we have a responsibility to share the gospel to those we know.

We are not responsible for how they react, but we are responsible to tell people the truth. And if we don’t, God will hold us responsible for their blood.

Paul understood this. Do you? Are you taking the gospel to the people God has put in your lives.

As Jesus told Paul, he now tells us:

Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. (Acts 18:9)

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Acts

Set free

Acts

If there is one theme in this chapter, it’s being set free.

Lydia and her household were set free from their sin, and perhaps the Jewish requirements of the law as well.

The girl was set free from the demon possessing her.

The jailor was set free from his sins, and perhaps so were many of the other prisoners.

And of course, Paul and Silas were set free from their chains.

All of this, in fact, is summed up in their prison experience. As they were sitting there, probably in great pain because of the beating they had taken, they nevertheless started singing and praising God.

At first, all the other prisoners must have thought they were nuts. But somehow they sensed a reality to what they were hearing. Perhaps they even sensed God’s presence in the prison and started asking Paul and Silas questions.

The jailer, meanwhile, probably just went to bed thinking they were all crazy. But then, an earthquake hit, and when it did,

All the prison doors flew open, and everybody’s chains came loose. (Acts 16:26)

Those words strike me. Because when we let God work in our lives, that’s exactly what happens. Prison doors fly open, and everyone’s chains come loose. Not only in our own lives, but in the lives of those we touch.

God’s love touched the prisoners in the jail cells to the point that none of them tried to escape when Paul asked them to stay. And it touched the jailer to the point that he cried out,

Sirs, what must I do to be saved? (Acts 16:30)

And because of that love and compassion that flowed out of Paul, the jailer and his family were set free from the chains of Satan that had bound them all their lives, and they were all filled with great joy.

God wants to set those around you free. That’s why Jesus came 2000 years ago. So let us spread the love of God to those around us, especially this Christmas. And let us share the message of the gospel that Paul did.

Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved–you and your household. (Acts 16:31)

And people will be set free.

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Acts

Opposition

Acts

If there is one word that comes to mind as I read this passage, it’s “opposition.”

As Paul and Barnabas preached the gospel, they faced opposition from Elymas and the Jews.

One was spiritual opposition. The other was opposition that sprang up from human jealousy and sin. (Although you could argue that all opposition to the gospel is ultimately spiritual.)

How did Paul and Barnabas respond? When the direct hand of Satan was involved, they confronted it by the power of the Holy Spirit, as they did when dealing with Elymas.

One thing we cannot do is face spiritual powers on our own. They are more powerful than us. But as John wrote,

You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. (1 John 4:4)

And by the power of the Spirit, Paul and Barnabas vanquished Elymas, and Sergius Paulus and his family were saved.

When confronted by humans in their jealousy and pride, Paul and Barnabas continued to stand boldly and preach the gospel.

And when the people hardened their hearts, Paul and Barnabas moved on. First to the Gentiles in the city, and then, ultimately leaving the city to minister to others.

In the same way, we will face people who will oppose us for their own selfish reasons. And we will face others that simply will not believe no matter what we say.

Eventually, the time will come when all we can do is to leave them over to God and his judgment. We cannot make them believe. All we can do is to preach the gospel. The rest is up to them and God.

So when people reject the message, don’t get discouraged. Simply move on, and continue speaking boldly.

All of us will eventually face opposition. But when you do, remember the words of Paul himself, who said,

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. (Galatians 6:9)

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Acts

Those who have not heard

Acts

One of the big conundrums Christians come up against when saying Jesus is the only way to heaven is the question, “What about those who have never even heard about Jesus? Will they go to hell too?”

And because of this question, many people start to wonder if perhaps there is another way. Everything we read in scripture, however, clearly states there is no other way. And we see it in this story as well.

Here was another man who, like the Ethiopian eunuch in chapter 8, was a God-fearer. He gave alms to the poor, and prayed continually to the one true God.

The problem was that while he had no doubt heard about Jesus, he nevertheless didn’t know the way of salvation that comes through Jesus.

So God sent an angel to him. Cornelius, understandably, was terrified. “Why has this being come to me? Has he come to kill me for my sins?”

But the angel said,

Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. Therefore, I have come to tell you that salvation is yours. Peace to you. Rest in your salvation.

Is that what he said? If you believe the people who say that there is another way to salvation for those who have never heard the gospel, it sounds right.

But that’s not what the angel said. Instead, after talking about how God accepted Cornelius’ prayers and gifts, he said,

Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter. He is staying with Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea. (Acts 10:5-6)

Why did the angel tell Cornelius to do this? So that he could hear the gospel and be saved. Hearing the angel’s command, Cornelius obeyed, and sent men to bring Peter to his house.

Peter, when he came and heard Cornelius’ story, exclaimed,

I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right. (Acts 10:34-35)

In other words, “God is fair. God accepts anyone who fears him, no matter what nation he is from.”

Peter then said, “God bless you,” and went on his way.

No?

No!

He preached the gospel to them. They believed and were baptized in the Holy Spirit.

What can we get from this?

First, there is only one way to heaven. By hearing the gospel and believing it. Everything in this story makes that crystal clear.

What about those who have never heard? I believe that if they respond to what God has given them, God will respond to them.

Cornelius responded to what he had heard from the Jews about God. So did the Ethiopian.

And I believe if there is someone out there in an unreached country, that sees creation, realizes that there’s a creator, and cries out, “God reveal yourself to me,” he will. Because God is fair. And he is faithful.

How will he reveal himself? Either by direct revelation, by sending someone, or both. In this chapter, we see both.

I was reading in a missions newsletter of just such a man. He had known there was a “Most High God,” but didn’t know who he was. Every day for 20 years, he prayed, “God, send somebody to me to explain who You are.”

And when the missionary came, the man immediately believed.

God is just. No one who truly seeks him will die without hearing the gospel. But let us not fool ourselves into thinking there is another way. There isn’t.

So let us obey our Lord’s command, taking his gospel to the utter ends of the earth that all may hear and believe.

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Acts

Spreading the joy

Acts

Well, Christmas season is upon us. It is officially December 1st here in Japan, and my 5 year old daughter and I put up our Christmas tree and all the Christmas decorations yesterday.

I’ve probably mentioned this before, but this is truly my favorite time of the year.

In this passage, we see the church going out and spreading the joy of Christ to the areas beyond Jerusalem. But it wasn’t without a push.

With the death of Stephen, persecution swept the Christian community in Jerusalem under a Pharisee named Saul.

The ironic thing is that he hoped to squash Christianity, but not only did he unintentionally cause its initial spread by persecuting the church, he would eventually be responsible for its spread throughout the known world as a minister of the gospel.

I wonder, though, if such persecution would have come to such an extent if the apostles had done what they were supposed to do.

Jesus told them,

Stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high. (Luke 24:49)

Then just before his ascension, he told them,

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. (Acts 1:8)

And yet though the Spirit had come upon them, they all stayed in Jerusalem.

Had they all left Jerusalem to do what Jesus had commanded, would the church still have been persecuted with all the main leaders out of sight of Jerusalem?

Perhaps, but it’s possible that a lot of the trouble they suffered would have been avoided.

Even after persecution struck the church, the apostles still refused to leave. Why? I don’t know.

Maybe they felt they needed to show their courage to the rest of the church. But in doing so, they continued in disobedience to the Lord’s command.

But others did go out.

One of the deacons, Phillip, went to Samaria, a place where Jesus had visited before, but which was despised by the Jews. But Phillip followed in the footsteps of his Lord, not only by preaching the gospel there, but by performing miracles as well.

The result?

There was great joy in that city. (Acts 8:8)

It can be so easy to become self-centered at Christmas. To focus on ourselves and the things we want.

But let us remember that Jesus doesn’t want us to focus simply on our own joy. He wants us to take the joy we have received and to spread it to the people around us.

So many people are hurting and are in need of Christ.

So let us seek to be filled with his Spirit. And then let us go out, praying that he will use us to touch and change every person we meet.

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Acts

The message of the gospel

Acts

This was the first ever gospel message preached in all its fullness. All the preaching that had gone on before was prior to the death and resurrection of Christ.

Now, all things had been fulfilled, and Peter preached to the people that this Jesus whom they crucified was both Lord and Christ.

The people, cut to the heart cried out, “What shall we do?”

Peter replied,

Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off – for all whom the Lord our God will call. (Acts 2:38-39)

That, in a few sentences is the gospel message.

That first, we need to repent of our sins. In other words, we need to stop living our way. By living our way, we hurt God, we hurt each other, and we hurt ourselves.

And so we need to get to the point where we say, “Lord Jesus, I’m tired of living my way. It’s only brought me pain. But you loved me so much that you went to the cross to take the punishment I deserve. And so now, I want to follow you. I’m putting my trust in you and following you.”

Baptism is a sign of that decision you make. It’s saying, “I’m dying to this old way of life. I’m dying to ‘My way.’ And I’m coming up a new person. Washed by the blood of Christ from my sins and empowered by the power of his Holy Spirit to live a new life.”

And it is this promise of the Holy Spirit that is the best gift of all. Because the Holy Spirit is God himself dwelling in you.

We no longer have to be separated from God. We can walk in close relationship with him.

And as we do, he heals us of our hurts and he transforms us into new people. More, we find life as God intended when he first created us.

Eternal life doesn’t start in heaven. It starts right here, right now.

That’s the gospel message. Have you truly accepted it in your life? It’s as easy as the prayer I wrote above. If you pray it, please tell me about your decision. I’d love to hear from you.

Categories
John John 20 Luke Luke 24

Filled and sent out

The gospels

It seems like there was quite a bit of confusion and disbelief among the 11 and the others gathered in the upper room that Sunday.

Here was Mary, the women, the two followers of Jesus, and Peter himself saying that they had seen the Lord. And even then, many of the other disciples simply could not bring themselves to believe.

And then Jesus appeared. Understandably, they were freaked out, thinking he was a ghost, particularly those that hadn’t seen him up to that point. And Jesus said, “Peace with you.”

That was actually a very common greeting, like “Hi.” I wonder if that’s how he meant it the first time. “Hi guys.”

But everyone freaks out thinking he is a ghost so he says it again more seriously, “Hey relax. Be at peace. It really is me.”

He then shows them his hands and feet and even eats some fish to prove he is not a ghost.

I can imagine that everyone wanted to touch him to make sure it was really him, and when they did, they were filled with unspeakable joy.

Then Jesus explained to them how all that had happened to him had been prophesied in the Old Testament, and he probably reminded them of his own words to them as well.

Having said these things, he then told them,

As the Father has sent me, I am sending you. (John 20:21)

You are witnesses of these things. I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high. (Luke 24:48-49)

At that point, he breathed on them, and said,

Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven. (John 20:22-23)

It kind of reminds me of another event in Genesis, where God breathed physical life into Adam.

Here, Jesus breathed spiritual life into his disciples. The Holy Spirit came into them as a seal of their salvation, and as Jesus promised, he would teach them all they needed to know and would be with them wherever they went.

Not only that, we find in Acts that he would fill them with power to do all that he asked, to take the gospel to every nation.

In the same way, Jesus breathes life into us when we receive him as Savior and Lord. His Holy Spirit comes into us to lead us and guide us. More, he gives us the power to live the life he calls us to, and to accomplish purposes.

In short, we are not alone. The Christian life is not about trying to please God and accomplish his purposes in our own strength and by our own efforts.

Rather God himself, through the Holy Spirit dwells in us, he fills us, and gives us everything we need for life, for godliness, and for his service.

And the main task he has given us is to spread the gospel. To declare to those who repent and turn to Jesus that their sins have now been forgiven. And to warn people of the judgment to come if they refuse to repent.

God has given us the keys to the kingdom. When we share his gospel, we open the doors wide open to those who would walk in. So let us go out, filled with his Spirit, and open those doors to a lost and dying world.

Categories
Luke Luke 22 Mark Mark 14 Matthew Matthew 26

The ultimate question

The gospels

The trial of Jesus was an atrocity on many levels.

Among them, the priests and Sanhedrin knew Jesus was innocent. Yet because of their jealousy and hatred of Jesus, they were desperate to find a reason to kill him.

Jewish law required that two witnesses agree before condemning a person, but time after time, the testimony was completely uncollaborated.

Finally, they seemed to find two people that could agree. Two witnesses came up and said that Jesus had threatened to destroy the temple and that he would build a new one.

This, though Jesus had meant, “Though you destroy this temple, I will raise it up,” and that he was referring to his death and resurrection, not the destroying of the Jewish temple. (John 2:19-21).

As a result, there were contradictions between what even the two witnesses said and in the end, their testimony became completely invalidated.

The high priest was so frustrated at that point, that he finally questioned Jesus directly, and when Jesus refused to answer, he said,

I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God. (Matthew 26:63)

And that is the ultimate question. Who is Jesus? Is he really the Christ? Is he really the Son of God? Because if he is, we owe him our lives. More than that, we are accountable to him.

Jesus warned them as such, saying,

But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven. (Matthew 26:64)

The reference is to Daniel 7, where all authority, glory, and power were given to the Messiah, and judgment would be pronounced on all who warred against him.

The reaction of the priests and Sanhedrin? Rejection. They refused to believe that Jesus was the Son of God. That he was their Messiah. Instead, they accused him of blasphemy and condemned him to death.

Many people do the same today.

They are exposed to the gospel. They are exposed to the claims of Christ. And they reject him. They trample underfoot the one who loved them enough to die for them.

As a result, the writer of Hebrews tells us they will be judged. (Hebrews 10:28-30)

But for all who believe in him and receive him, he gives the right to become children of God. (John 1:12)

The choice is yours. What will you choose? What will you do with Christ?

Categories
Mark Mark 9 Matthew Matthew 18

How God sees our children

The gospels

In his discourse on greatness in the kingdom of heaven, Jesus also makes it very clear how God feels about children.

First, he gives us a warning. “Don’t do things that would cause a child to sin.”

If that isn’t clear enough, he tells us,

But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.

Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to sin! Such things must come, but woe to the man through whom they come! (Matthew 18:6-7)

He then goes on to say you’d be better off to maim yourself than to do something that would cause a child to sin.

Why is Jesus so vehement about this? Because children are impressionable. They learn from what they see us do.

If they see us losing our temper all the time, that’s what they’ll do.

If they see us taking our spouse for granted, they will learn to do the same when they get married.

And if we abuse them, they will tend to abuse their children when they become parents.

So be careful how you act around your children, because God will hold you accountable for it.

He also warns us, however,

See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven. (Matthew 18:10)

God cares so much about children, that he assigns angels to them to watch over them. And if God so cares about them, how can we dare see them as any less valuable. To push them aside as unimportant or insignificant. To see them as anything less than the treasures God has entrusted us with.

He then compares them to sheep that are lost, and how God will do anything to save them. He concludes by saying,

In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost. (Matthew 18:14)

A couple things here. I do believe there is an age of accountability. That there is a point when a child will be held responsible for their sin.

What that age is, I don’t know. My guess is that it would depend on the child. Whenever they become aware of their sin, and that it’s really wrong, that’s when they will be held accountable for it.

Second, just because it says that the Father is not willing that any of the little ones be lost does not mean that they cannot be lost.

It says in 2 Peter 3:9 that God is not willing that any should perish but that all would repent. But in that same passage, Peter makes clear that people will perish if they don’t repent. And so will children if they willfully reject God in their lives.

So let us treasure our children. Let us value them as God does. And let us preach the gospel clearly to them so that they may be saved too.

Categories
Matthew Matthew 16

The one on whom all stands

Matthew

This is truly a powerful passage and as such, it deserves another look.

After Peter declares Jesus to be the Messiah, Jesus praises him, saying,

Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.

And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.

I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. (17-19)

That’s a mouthful. But what does it all mean? What can we get from all of this?

First, salvation comes as God reveals himself to people. Because God is invisible, we can only come to know him if he reveals himself and his truth to us. As such, salvation truly is by grace from first to last.

Lots is made by the Catholics of Peter’s name and how he is the rock on which Jesus would build his church. But that’s not what Jesus is saying here.

The word “Peter” basically means “little stone,” while the “rock” on which Jesus would build his church is a word for “bedrock.”

Peter himself refers to this in one of his letters as he said,

As you come to him, the living Stone — rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him — you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

For in Scripture it says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” (1 Peter 2:4-6)

According to Peter, who was the stone on which all stands? It was and is Jesus.

What are we? We are living stones built into the church that God is creating. And through Christ, we have been made his priests. We don’t need other people to be our priests. We are priests who have direct access to God.

And because this church is built on Christ, all of Hades cannot stand against it. Though Satan has sought to wipe out the church from the very beginning, it still stands and will stand until the end of time when Jesus returns.

Was Jesus giving Peter any special authority in this passage?

To some degree, I believe so, although I doubt the disciples, and even Peter truly understood it at the time.

It was Peter who first opened up the gospel to the Jews by preaching to them in Acts 2.

And it was Peter again who first opened up the gospel to the Gentiles by preaching to them in Acts 10-11. In so doing, he used the keys of the kingdom to open the way to salvation for all people, both Jews and Gentiles.

It was also Peter that helped set the Gentiles free from following the law of Moses, loosing the requirements of the ceremonial and dietary laws, while still binding Christians to the moral laws as well as a few other things for the sake of peace between the Jewish and Gentile believers at the time. (Acts 15).

That said, I think it goes too far to say that he was the first pope and that this authority was to be passed on to his successors. Jesus never, ever said that.

To some degree, though, these things Jesus said to Peter apply to all Christians. As his priests, we have been given the keys to the kingdom, and by preaching the gospel to those around us, we open the way of salvation to all those who will listen and believe.

And we have been given authority to declare the forgiveness of sins through Jesus by grace, setting people free from trying to earn their salvation through their works.

So let us use the keys and authority we have been given by Jesus so that those around us may find the salvation we have been given.

Categories
Matthew Matthew 10

When persecution comes

Matthew

Persecution.

Not a pleasant word. And not something that I really want to go through. But one thing that the Bible warns us is that it will come. Paul warns us in 2 Timothy 3:12,

In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.

Not might be. Not possibly will be. Will.

Like I said in the last blog, if your goal is to be like your Teacher, some people will hate you for it. Persecution is just the next step beyond that.

Jesus knew that, so he warned his disciples about it. He called them (and us) sheep among wolves. (16)

What instructions does he give about facing persecution?

First, as I mentioned before, be on your guard. Watch out for the people that would hurt you because of your faith.

Jesus was talking about physical harm, of course, but we could extend it to emotional harm as well. There are some people with vile tongues that will try to hurt you because of your faith. Know who they are.

And if you’re in danger of getting hurt either physically or emotionally, Jesus says to flee. Don’t feel like you have to keep preaching to them once you’ve fulfilled your duty.

Rather, Jesus says that if they reject your message to,

Shake the dust off your feet when you leave [them]. (Matthew 10:14)

Jews used to do that when leaving foreign lands because they felt to take the dirt from those lands into Israel would be to make Israel unclean.

And so Jesus was telling his disciples, “Make it clear to these Jews who reject you that they are the ones who are unclean because they have rejected your message, and that their blood is now on their own heads, because you have warned them.”

In the same way, we should let people know, “I’ve done my duty, but you’ve rejected my message, and now you’re persecuting me because of it. I feel sorry for you and love you, but I can’t make you believe.

“You are now responsible before God for what you do with what I’ve told you.”

And then leave. Once you’ve fulfilled your duty, there is no need to expose yourself to further abuse.

It is easy, however, once we’ve been exposed to persecution to become afraid that it will happen again. And because of that, we become hesitant to speak again to others who have not heard the message.

But Jesus tells us,

Do not be afraid of them. There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed or hidden that will not be made known.

What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. (Matthew 10:26-27)

In other words, “My words that I have told to you in private will eventually get out. Nothing can stop it, not even persecution. So don’t be afraid. Keep proclaiming boldly what I’ve told you.”

He then warns us not to fear those who can kill their body, but the one that can destroy body and soul in hell. (28).

That’s not Satan. Satan is a victim of hell, not the ruler.

But we are to remember that people are dying and going to hell every day because they have rejected God. God has no choice but to send them there, because no impure thing can enter heaven.

That fear for those we hold dear should be more than enough to keep us proclaiming boldly the message of the gospel no matter what persecution we may face.

But then he gives us words of comfort,

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father.

And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. (29-31)

Jesus tells us that though persecution will come, God will not forget you. He will see you though.

And if the time comes when you must die for his sake (Jesus never says that the sparrow won’t die, only that it never happens apart from God’s will), even in that God will be with you and you will see him shortly on the other side.

So let us not fear persecution. Rather let us proclaim boldly the Word of Life that he has given us.

Categories
Matthew Matthew 10

Trying to be loved by all

Matthew

I was reading Matthew 10 with my wife last night, and I realized that I had meant to come back to this passage in a bit more detail and never did.

So before I move on, let’s go back a bit to the instructions Jesus gave to his disciples when they went out to minister to Israel.

There are many things that strike me here.

First, Jesus’ words in verses 7-8 where he instructs them to preach the kingdom, to heal, raise the dead, and drive out demons, after which he says,

Freely you have received, freely give. (Matthew 10:8b)

In other words, you have received the grace of God freely, so give freely of it. The kingdom of God is not for the purpose of making worldly profit.

This is not to say that people can’t be financially supported for their work, because he says in the next verse, that a worker is worth his keep.

But our goal in preaching the gospel should not be getting something from the other person. Rather, it is to pass on to them what we have received.

But the thing that strikes me most is that Jesus warns them that not everyone will accept them. Not everyone will love them for giving them God’s message and doing his work.

In fact, he specifically warns them that some people would reject them, and hate them for it. And so he warns them that they should be wary of the very people they minister to, even their own families.

Sounds paranoid? In this day and age, it probably is. But in that day and age it wasn’t.

Persecution became very great in the early part of the church, particularly in the time of Saul. And if you trusted everyone, you would be dead.

Even your own family members and friends would betray you, because like Saul, they thought they were doing God’s will.

So Jesus told them, be as wise as serpents. In short, think before you act. Think about who you’re dealing with. Can they be trusted?

But he also told them to be as innocent as doves. Don’t become so jaded to people because of betrayal that you become like them, hating and trying to hurt them back.

What can we get from this? Understand that if you follow Jesus, not everyone will love you for it. You may not have to worry about being killed because of your family and friends, but they may very well reject you.

Jesus told his disciples,

A student is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for the student to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master.

If the head of the house has been called Beelzebub, how much more the members of his household! (24-25)

Jesus was perfect love. He was perfect in all his ways. And people still hated him. They called him the devil himself. And then they killed him.

If we follow Jesus, can we expect to be treated better than our teacher?

So don’t make it your goal to be loved by everyone. It won’t happen. Rather, simply make it your goal to be like your Teacher, the one who gave everything for you, even his own life.

Categories
Matthew Matthew 9

Seeing the harvest

Planting seeds

Lots of things to see in this passage.

Jesus went. He went out to preach the good news, to touch, and to heal those who were hurting.

Jesus saw. So many times we see people, but we don’t really see them. Maybe we’re too wrapped up in our own thoughts, our own lives, or our own agendas. And so fail to really see the people we come into contact with.

Other times, we see them but only see the outside. How they look. How they act. But we fail to see the hurt and utter need in their hearts. But Jesus saw all these things.

Jesus had compassion. He not only went and saw, but his heart went out to them.

He had compassion on them as he saw all the chains that Satan had bound them with. He had compassion on them as he saw how Satan was constantly harassing them.

And as they wandered around completely lost, not knowing the path of life, his heart ached for them.

As disciples of Jesus, this is how we should be. Going out. Seeing. Showing compassion.

Jesus exhorted his disciples, pled with his disciples,

The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.
Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. (Matthew 9:37-38)

There’s an old song I love from the Imperials (anyone still remember them?) that I always think of as I read this passage.

It says,

See the fields,
Ripe and white as snow,
Up from the seeds of faith we planted long ago.

So many the hearts in season,
With every prayer they’ve grown.
He has made them ready,
But we must bring them home.

Time like a free wind,
So quickly slips away.
Too soon today’s tomorrow,
Too soon a yesterday.

So little time for the reaping,
And laborers are few,
Lift your heads to the fields of white,
The work that we must do.

Lord of the Harvest,
Place your fire in me.
Servant you need now,
Servant I will be.

Give me the eyes of your Spirit,
Your heart of compassion to know,
Lord of the Harvest,
Show me where to go.

Wherever you may lead me,
Lord of the Harvest,
Lord of the Harvest, I’ll go.

–Paul Smith, James Newton Howard

Categories
Luke Luke 8 Mark Mark 4 Matthew Matthew 13

Parable of the sower: Planting the seed

The gospels

As I looked back on the last blog, there was one last point that occurred to me that I want to put here.

So often, I think of the farmer as Jesus. But I think it’s equally if not even more valid to think of the farmer as Christians.

Because while Jesus was here for a short time, planting the words of God in the hearts of people, it is we, here and now, who are planting the seeds in the hearts of people today.

Taken that way, I think there’s one more valuable lesson to take from this parable.

Sometimes, as we plant the word of God in people’s hearts, as we scatter the seed, some seeds fall on hardened hearts. People hear us, but they don’t understand, and Satan quickly snatches that seed away.

Other people hear it, and we’re encouraged because they get excited. Perhaps, they even make a profession of faith. But then trouble or persecution comes, they get discouraged, and they fall away.

In other cases, people receive the word and start to grow. But then work starts to get in the way of their relationship with God. Or they start getting too wrapped up in money or possessions.

Maybe they still go to church every Sunday, but they no longer grow. They bear no fruit.

But for other people, they hear the word of God, and in their lives, they produce the fruit of God, making an impact for his kingdom.

What’s my point? We are not responsible for the results. We cannot shape people’s hearts. What can we do?

Plant the seed. Water it. And then pray. Paul put it this way: one person plants, another person waters, but only God can make the seed grow. (1 Corinthians 3:6-7)

Do you get discouraged because the seeds you plant don’t seem to bear fruit? You can’t control that. All you can do is keep planting the seed. Keep watering it. And leave the rest to God.

How about you? Are you planting the seed in the hearts of the people around you?

Categories
Matthew Matthew 7

Sermon on the Mount: Wasting your breath

Matthew

I mentioned in the last blog that while Jesus warns us against hypocritical judging, he does call us to rebuke people who are in sin.

But when we do so, we should keep something else in mind: who we’re rebuking.

Jesus says here,

Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces. (Matthew 7:6)

What is Jesus saying here? He’s saying that there are some people you are just wasting your breath with if you try to rebuke them.

They simply don’t want to hear what God has to say, and if you try to tell them, they’ll rip you apart. So Jesus says, “Don’t bother.”

Solomon put it this way,

Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man and he will love you. (Proverbs 9:8)

This is also true in sharing the gospel.

There are some people that you share the gospel with, and instead of being receptive or interested, they simply mock you. In that case, leave that person in the hands of God. You did your job.

The responsibility now lies with that person to do something with the Word you’ve given them. You are not required to keep tossing them the pearls of the gospel.

It can be hard to watch a person you love mock the gospel. Or harden their hearts to the word of God.

But once you’ve done your responsibility and shared his Word with them, if they reject it and make it clear that they don’t want to hear it, there’s nothing left to do but pray for them. Because at that point, only God can change their hearts, not you.

Who are you casting your pearls to?

Categories
Luke Luke 6

Good news

Luke

There seems to be some dispute as to whether the teachings from the Sermon on the Mount recorded in Matthew and the teachings from the Sermon on the Plain in Luke were actually the same message or not.

Some think they are, stating that the “level place” in Luke could very well have been on that mountain mentioned in Matthew.

I would guess, however, that these are two different messages, although with repeated themes that at times were altered because of the audiences Jesus was speaking to.

I strongly doubt that Jesus taught completely unique messages wherever he went. As he traveled from place to place, he probably taught variants of the same message.

In this passage, I get the impression that he was speaking to a lot of poor people. Literally poor. People who had little money, and little hope for the future.

Perhaps they were widows. Or disabled. Or immigrants from another land. And as such, Jesus tailored his message a bit for them. In doing so, he fulfilled Isaiah’s prophesy which said,

The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.

He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor. (Isaiah 61:1-2)

So Jesus said to them,

Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.

Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied.

Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. (Luke 6:20-21)

This of course is not a blanket statement that all who are poor and depressed will enter his kingdom and be blessed.

The underlying caveat behind all this is that they are people who pursue God. That if Jesus is your Lord, though you may be poor, though you may be hungry, though you may be weeping, there are better times coming.

And in a world that’s less than perfect, that’s good news.

How about you? Is your life hard? Are you struggling because of your circumstances? There is hope. There will be better times. But only if you make Jesus your Lord. Paul wrote,

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)

Are you in love with Jesus Christ? And are you living for his purposes or for yours? Who are you living for?

Categories
Luke Luke 4

To all who receive him

Luke

As I read this passage, I can’t help but think about John 1:11-12, where it says,

He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.

Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.

In this passage, Jesus literally came to the people that he had grown up with all his life in the town of Nazareth. They knew him and his family well. He had undoubtedly visited this very synagogue hundreds of times.

And yet when he preached to them, they did not receive him. Instead, they rejected him and tried to kill him.

But Jesus makes clear here that to any who received him, they would receive the right to become children of God.

The passage in Isaiah he quotes (Isaiah 61) goes on to talk about God’s vengeance against Israel’s enemies and all those who would oppose him.

But Jesus pointed out that until that time, God’s grace extends to any who believe, even the Gentiles like the widow of Zarephath and Naaman the Syrian.

And to those who believe in him, he brings good news to those who are poor and in need.

This, of course, is true in the physical sense, but also in the spiritual sense. That to those who are poor in spirit, and realize their need for God, Jesus brings news of a new relationship with God based on grace.

He brings freedom and forgiveness to those enchained to their sins. To those chained to the hurts of their past, he also brings healing.

Jesus healed the physically blind, but also gives sight to those Satan has blinded spiritually, that they might see the light of the gospel, and the hope that Jesus brings.

Jesus releases those oppressed by Satan and his demons. Through his blood, he brings us not only victory, but overwhelming victory.

More than that, he proclaims the Lord’s favor here and now.

This was perhaps a reference to the time of Jubilee in the Old Testament, a time when slaves were set free, debts were forgiven, and land that was sold to pay off debts were returned to their original owners. In short, people were given a new start.

That’s what Jesus came to bring. A new start. A new relationship with God.

And as John said, it’s available to all who will put their faith in Christ.

How about you? Will you put your faith in him today?

Categories
Luke Luke 4 Mark Mark1 Matthew Matthew 4

A light in the darkness

The gospels

I mentioned yesterday the question of why God allowed John the Baptist to go to prison. We don’t know for sure, but perhaps one reason was to get people’s eyes off of John and solely on to Jesus.

For right after John went into prison, it says that Jesus returned to Galilee to begin his formal ministry. In doing so, Matthew tells us he fulfilled the words of Isaiah who wrote,

Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way to the sea, along the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles– the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. (Matthew 4:15-16)

It’s amazing that the Pharisees totally missed this passage as they disparaged Jesus’ background. (John 7:52)

But here we see one of the reasons Jesus came. We were living in darkness, separated from God by our sin, condemned to death. But in Jesus, a light dawned.

Hope sprang anew as he showed the way to the Father. He declared to the people,

“The time has come…The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:15)

That is our message to this day. The King has come. His kingdom is near. Both in the fact that it is working in the hearts of all who believe in him, and in the fact that Jesus will come again to establish his kingdom here on earth forever.

And so we are called to repent. To repent is to turn around. To change our way of thinking. To stop living for ourselves and start living for God. To put aside our distrust of God and to follow him wholeheartedly.

A big part of that, of course, is to believe in the good news of Jesus Christ.

That God became man, becoming one of us. That he died on a cross to take the punishment for our sins, and that he rose again. And that if we will only put our faith in him, trusting in him as our Lord and Savior, we will be saved from eternal hell.

That’s the message Jesus came to bring.

Now there are two questions we all must ask.

First, have you put your faith in Christ? And if you have, are you continuing to pass on the message Jesus came to give?

How about you? Can you say yes to both questions?

Categories
John John 3

The other side of the gospel

John

The word “gospel,” as most people know, means “good news.”

But the good news can’t really be understood until you understand the bad news. What is the bad news? It’s found in verse 18 of this passage.

Whoever does not believe (in Jesus as their Lord and Savior) stands condemned already. (John 3:18)

Ever since the time of Adam, every single member of the human race has stood condemned. Why? Because we failed to trust in God, and as a result, we turned our backs on him, and started going our own way.

Why is that a problem?

In Romans 6:23, it says,

“For the wages of sin is death.”

We are not in danger of death row. We are on death row, because all of us have sinned. Judgment has already been passed.

So it says in verse 17 that when Jesus came to this earth, he didn’t come to condemn us because we were condemned already. It’s a bit redundant to condemn a person that’s already condemned.

That’s the other side of the gospel. It’s a side that we don’t like to talk about very much.

If you don’t believe in Jesus, you’re not going to be condemned by God in the future. You already stand condemned.

How often do we think about that? That right here, right now, many of our family, friends, and neighbors already stand condemned before God.

Some of you as you read this also stand condemned before God because of your sin.

It’s not a pleasant thought. But that’s where the good news comes in.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. (John 3:16-17)

God loved us so much that he sent his Son to save us. Jesus took our punishment for us.

Now he asks a simple question. “Will you trust me? Will you put your faith in Jesus and his work on the cross for the forgiveness of your sins?”

There is only one way off of death row, for you and for those you love. It’s through Jesus Christ. And John writes,

Whoever believes in him is not condemned. (John 3:18a)

When we put our trust in Christ, God forgives us our sin. Not because of anything we have done. But because of what Christ has done for us.

And he looks at us and says, “Because my Son has paid the penalty for your sin, I no longer condemn you.”

Again, it’s not that God says “I won’t condemn you in the future (although of course, that’s true). But God says right here and right now, ‘You are not condemned.'”

But if you choose to reject Jesus, you are on death row and the clock is ticking. John concludes by saying,

Whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. (John 3:18b)

What will you do?

Categories
Proverbs

Remembering who’s in control

When we look at this world, it’s easy to wonder if God is still in control.

In verse 1, Solomon writes,

The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases.  (Proverbs 21:1)

Yet in recent years, especially as I look at the States, it’s hard to see sometimes.  

In Hawaii, a gay marriage bill passed a few weeks ago.  This despite the fact that in 1998, the people in Hawaii overwhelmingly voted on a constitutional amendment that supposedly banned it. 

Now people have looked at the wording of the amendment and realized that it doesn’t say gay marriage is not allowed. 

Rather, it simply gave legislature the power to ban it if they pleased, and at the time they did.  Now the legislature has reversed itself and is allowing it.

Is God still in control?  Are things slipping through his fingers?  Not according to Solomon, who wrote,

There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the LORD.  (Proverbs 21:30)

Why then is all this happening?  It’s happening because God is allowing our country free choice.  The choice to follow him and his ways, and the choice not to.

God could force us all to be robots and to do things as he wants, but he doesn’t want robots.  He wants people to choose him because they love him.

I think God may also be allowing this for another reason.  We’ve been failing at our call as Christians. 

Our call is not fight legal battles to force people to conform to the moral standards God has set up.  To do so is a losing battle. 

Why? 

Because our legal system is run by people corrupted by sin.  And if people corrupted by sin are running our legal system, they will eventually corrupt that system.  That’s what we’re seeing now.

Our call is not to fight legal battles to force people to conform.  Our call is to go into all the world and make disciples of all nations…starting with our own. 

That’s how a nation changes.  Not through legal machinations and maneuvering.  But one person at a time as we bring the gospel to them and God changes them from the inside out.

Am I saying we shouldn’t fight for our rights?  No.  But I am saying that if that’s our primary fight, we’re missing out on God’s call for us as Christians.  We’re called to fight Satan who is enslaving people to sin and destruction.

The church is already seeing persecution because of this gay issue.  And despite the “protections” added to the Hawaii bill, I foresee more of it. 

Jesus never promised no persecution for those who believe in him.  In fact, he guaranteed we’d be persecuted.

But no matter what persecution we may face, always remember that God is still in control.  And ultimately, when Jesus comes back, we and the whole world will see it.

But until then, let us yield ourselves to him daily, and carry out the mission that he has given us to do.

Categories
Isaiah

The mission of Messiah, and us

Isaiah

Here in this passage we see the mission of Messiah.  What is it?

First, to display the splendor of God.  To show Israel who God really was.  (Isaiah 49:3) 

That’s what Jesus did, for he was God in human flesh. 

Colossians 1 puts it this way,

He is the image of the invisible God…God was pleased to to have all his fullness dwell in him.  (Colossians 1:15, 19)

Second, he was to be a light to the Gentiles, and bring salvation not only to Israel, but to the ends of the earth. (6)

Third, he was to be a covenant for the people.  Before Jesus died, he had dinner with his disciples, and after dinner, he took the wine, and said,

This cup is the new covenant in my blood poured out for you. (Luke 22:20)

And again,

[It] is poured out for the forgiveness of sins.  (Mathew 26:28)

The first covenant under the law of Moses was dependent on the obedience of the people to God’s law. 

But with the new covenant, our salvation comes by faith in Christ and his work on the cross for the forgiveness of sins.

Finally, Messiah would

say to the captives “Come out,” and to those in darkness, “Be free!”  (9)

Jesus himself said of his mission,

He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed.  (Luke 4:18)

In other words, to those held captive to sin and to Satan’s kingdom, Jesus brings freedom.

But here’s the thing.  While Jesus did the initial work on the cross, he now sends his Spirit into the hearts of all believers that they may bring his work to completion.

Namely, we are called to spread the gospel throughout our land and to the whole world. 

As He dwells in us, he speaks through us and acts through us to touch the world around us.  He calls us to go out with his message of salvation and freedom.  To call out to the people, “Come out” and “Be free!”

Are you doing that?

Sometimes, we get discouraged, wondering if the work we do for God is bearing any fruit.  Sometimes, our message seems to fall on deaf ears.  Messiah said the same thing.

I have labored to no purpose; I have spent my strength in vain, and for nothing.  (Isaiah 49:4)

But then he said to himself, and to us,

Yet what is due me is in the Lord’s hand, and my reward is with my God.  (4)

No work that you do for God will go unrewarded.  Even if you can’t see the fruit immediately, God is working.  So as Paul said,

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.  (Galatians 6:9)

May you be salt and light to the people around you today.