What a gross passage. Did you feel like you needed to take a shower after reading this? Immorality abounds. Division is all over the place. Believers are suing believers without consulting the church first. People are perverting married sexuality in ways that are destructive and inviting to temptation.
Right in the middle of it all: you are not your own, you were bought with a price (1 Cor. 6.19-20). The Gospel. Right there. Beauty in the midst of ugliness. Hope in the midst of frustration. A reminder in the midst of forgetting (and living like it was long-forgotten). Gospel.
And that reminds me today that no matter where I am in the world, where I am spiritually, where I am maritally or relationally, I need the Gospel to be right in the middle of my life. And so do you.
But that's just me thinking thoughts...
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Monday, October 11, 2010
NT75 Day 29: 1 Corinthians 1-4
Let me give a quick intro into the Corinthian letters for this week. Corinth was a messed up place, lots of pagan influence, and seepage into the church of Jesus there. Thus, Paul expresses dismay and often quotes them asking questions before he answers (see, for instance, 1 Cor. 7.1 and other places). So read and know that there are plenty of historical examples of "no perfect church."
As to today's content, I appreciate how unimpressive Paul is. He didn't wear A&F or AE. He didn't have a cool hat. Faux hawk? Nope. Stylish retro glasses? No. He was pretty unimpressive and said as much about himself, being with them in "weakness and in fear and much trembling" (2.3).
But he preached Jesus. And that is impressive to me. Without lights, microphones, PowerPoint slides, or anything else we consider essential to modern-day preaching, he preached Christ and Him crucified. He yielded himself to the Spirit, depending on Him to get the work done.
We pray pretty often around our office the recognition that we cannot assemble enough talent in any room to advance the Kingdom. True for Paul. True for Trent.
But when I get out of the way, faith rests on the power of God, not the wisdom (or the entertainment) of men.
But that's just me thinking thoughts...
As to today's content, I appreciate how unimpressive Paul is. He didn't wear A&F or AE. He didn't have a cool hat. Faux hawk? Nope. Stylish retro glasses? No. He was pretty unimpressive and said as much about himself, being with them in "weakness and in fear and much trembling" (2.3).
But he preached Jesus. And that is impressive to me. Without lights, microphones, PowerPoint slides, or anything else we consider essential to modern-day preaching, he preached Christ and Him crucified. He yielded himself to the Spirit, depending on Him to get the work done.
We pray pretty often around our office the recognition that we cannot assemble enough talent in any room to advance the Kingdom. True for Paul. True for Trent.
But when I get out of the way, faith rests on the power of God, not the wisdom (or the entertainment) of men.
But that's just me thinking thoughts...
Saturday, October 9, 2010
NT75 Day 27: Acts 24-28
I'm impressed with the power of testimony. Between yesterday's reading (ch. 22) and today's (ch. 26, specifically) we get a couple of full accounts and a couple of partial accounts of God's work in Paul's life.
Some people worry that their "testimony," the story of how God has worked and is working in their lives, is boring. They never smoked pot or stole a Mercedes or threw mannequins stolen from JC Penney off the bridge into late-night traffic. They grew up in church, they loved their parents, and they never really knew life apart from God's activity in their lives.
First of all, that's the way it's supposed to be. Parents are supposed to raise their kids in the "fear and instruction" of the Lord. Kids are supposed to grow up and honor their parents, learning from them what it means to walk with God. Somewhere along the way, God saves them spectacularly though not "visibly" (as He did with Paul). The salvation is no less spectacular, no less a raising of a dead person to life, no less of a forgiveness of sin, no less a glorious purchase and ransom of a life. My friend Brian, who didn't grow up in a family who loved God, got to baptize his daughter the other day. Her testimony: "Well, I never really knew life apart from Jesus. Mom and Dad always made that a part of our home. Now I want to live for Him." Brian, through tears, commented how different it was from his own testimony since he came to faith in college. That's the way it's supposed to be. I'd say to those with testimonies like this to speak of God's faithfulness!
But second, it's not always that way. Our lives are wrecks apart from God and the restraining influence of parents and other authorities. Some have proven that and done so in spades. To them, I encourage you to speak of life's emptiness and God's willingness to love you and fill you.
Either way, speak up. The world needs to hear.
But that's just me thinking thoughts...
Some people worry that their "testimony," the story of how God has worked and is working in their lives, is boring. They never smoked pot or stole a Mercedes or threw mannequins stolen from JC Penney off the bridge into late-night traffic. They grew up in church, they loved their parents, and they never really knew life apart from God's activity in their lives.
First of all, that's the way it's supposed to be. Parents are supposed to raise their kids in the "fear and instruction" of the Lord. Kids are supposed to grow up and honor their parents, learning from them what it means to walk with God. Somewhere along the way, God saves them spectacularly though not "visibly" (as He did with Paul). The salvation is no less spectacular, no less a raising of a dead person to life, no less of a forgiveness of sin, no less a glorious purchase and ransom of a life. My friend Brian, who didn't grow up in a family who loved God, got to baptize his daughter the other day. Her testimony: "Well, I never really knew life apart from Jesus. Mom and Dad always made that a part of our home. Now I want to live for Him." Brian, through tears, commented how different it was from his own testimony since he came to faith in college. That's the way it's supposed to be. I'd say to those with testimonies like this to speak of God's faithfulness!
But second, it's not always that way. Our lives are wrecks apart from God and the restraining influence of parents and other authorities. Some have proven that and done so in spades. To them, I encourage you to speak of life's emptiness and God's willingness to love you and fill you.
Either way, speak up. The world needs to hear.
But that's just me thinking thoughts...
Friday, October 8, 2010
NT75 Day 26: Acts 19-23
I so appreciated the pastoral touch of Paul today. I think Paul kind of gets the hard-driving, endurance-having, go-get-'em sort of reputation without the balance of the gentleness he had toward the places and people. He stopped in places. He stayed with people. He encouraged them. He taught them. None of this makes him soft. It makes him prioritized, since he was giving himself to something that lasts forever in the souls of people.
One thing that scared me and made me examine the church's leadership landscape was his discourse to the Ephesian elders in Acts 20. Within that discourse, he prophetically announces that wolves will come in to devour the flock, and "from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things to draw away the disciples after them" (v.30). Did you get that? From "your own selves." From the very elders that he is speaking to and encouraging and exhorting. From those that should be guarding the flock will come the wolves that seek to devour it. From those who should care for the doctrinal and moral purity of the church will come those that have neither kind of purity and will entice others away.
Wow.
That's scary stuff and drives me to live out v.32 in my ministry: committing people to God and to the word of His grace. More Bible, less opinion. More Bible, less email. More Bible, less meetings. More Bible, less PowerPoint. You get the idea. Only the Scriptures can build others up and give an inheritance among those who are sanctified.
But that's just me thinking thoughts...
Thursday, October 7, 2010
NT75 Day 25: Acts 14-18
I saw courage this morning. I don't mean a small iota of courage, but medal of honor courage. I saw Daniel in the lions' den courage, the three Hebrew fellas in the fiery furnace courage, the prophet Jeremiah confronting the false idea of Temple courage.
Paul gets stoned in Lystra. And that's not stoned as in "Dude, I'm stoned..." That's stoned as in people pick up rocks and throw them at your head. He's pulled out of the city and left for dead. And what does he do? He gets up and goes back into the city (14.19-20). He spent the night in the exact same city where he was stoned and left for dead. He went back into the place where great suffering and injustice were perpetrated against him.
And then he did it again (14.21). And then he did it again! (16.1)
Three times he went back to Lystra, back to the place of stoning and persecution, back to the place of pain. He did so for the sake of the Gospel in the lives of those who lived there. He did so because dying is gain. He did so because there are things more important than comfort. He did so because he drew from a source of life that produced this kind of courage in him.
But that's just me thinking thoughts...
Paul gets stoned in Lystra. And that's not stoned as in "Dude, I'm stoned..." That's stoned as in people pick up rocks and throw them at your head. He's pulled out of the city and left for dead. And what does he do? He gets up and goes back into the city (14.19-20). He spent the night in the exact same city where he was stoned and left for dead. He went back into the place where great suffering and injustice were perpetrated against him.
And then he did it again (14.21). And then he did it again! (16.1)
Three times he went back to Lystra, back to the place of stoning and persecution, back to the place of pain. He did so for the sake of the Gospel in the lives of those who lived there. He did so because dying is gain. He did so because there are things more important than comfort. He did so because he drew from a source of life that produced this kind of courage in him.
But that's just me thinking thoughts...
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
NT75 Day 24: Acts 9-13
I'm praying this for our church and my family today:
And walking in the fear of the Lord an in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, [the church] multiplied. (Acts 9.31).
I'm sure I've read that verse before, but it leapt off the page to my eyes and right into my heart before the coffee even kicked in. I want to be a man, husband, father, and pastor who is marked by the fear of the Lord and traffic in it constantly. I want to see that in my kids, a gleeful terror and frightening gladness in the King of the universe. I want to see it in the church too, holy fear and awe and fright and respect and reverence. That would sure make us different from the flippant, inconsequential world and prompt their questions.
And the Spirit's comfort too - the alongside-ness of His nature as He indwells me. More of His activity and my recognition of it, that's what I mean. I long for that. I'm praying for that.
And I'll leave the result to God: He can multiply what He and when He thinks is best. Amen.
And walking in the fear of the Lord an in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, [the church] multiplied. (Acts 9.31).
I'm sure I've read that verse before, but it leapt off the page to my eyes and right into my heart before the coffee even kicked in. I want to be a man, husband, father, and pastor who is marked by the fear of the Lord and traffic in it constantly. I want to see that in my kids, a gleeful terror and frightening gladness in the King of the universe. I want to see it in the church too, holy fear and awe and fright and respect and reverence. That would sure make us different from the flippant, inconsequential world and prompt their questions.
And the Spirit's comfort too - the alongside-ness of His nature as He indwells me. More of His activity and my recognition of it, that's what I mean. I long for that. I'm praying for that.
And I'll leave the result to God: He can multiply what He and when He thinks is best. Amen.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
NT75 Day 23: Acts 5-8
There were a lot of great stories in this section and lessons to be learned (like: "Don't lie to God, it's a bad idea."). Two specific things stood out to me...
Most of the time when you look into heaven (through the Scriptures) you see Jesus seated at the right hand of God, the position of authority. As Stephen is being stoned and his death is immanent, he looks into heaven and sees Jesus standing at the right hand of God. I'll not make a doctrine of this, but I wonder if Jesus was standing to receive one of His servants into heaven. I wonder if Jesus stands to welcome those for whom He died. Think I'm crazy? Maybe. But it would be reflective of Psalm 116.15 - Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His saints. And it'd be one more reason not to fear death as a believer.
Also, I saw where the persecution that came upon the church after Stephen was martyred was used by God to push the church into new mission fields. He had told them that the Word would spread to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth (Acts 1.8). Persecution pushed them into places and their response wasn't complaint but "preaching the word" (8.4). So maybe when harder times come my way, I shouldn't gripe so much as look for avenues and opportunities to spread the Gospel.
And since it's Testament Tuesday (created by my awesome wife on her blog), I wanted to tell you of a brief experience and a brief reflection from a couple of days ago. Two Saturdays ago, I had the opportunity of doing a graveside memorial service for a friend and the family. He passed away a year ago or so, dedicated his body to science, and we had a memorial service for his ashes. His widow has been walking faithfully through grief and significant physical pain in the last 12 months. But she's been walking through it! She's prayed, shared, loved, cared and walked. The two stories above reminded me of her - God's preciousness in death and His ongoing desire to use us, even in our pain.
And that kind of life speaks to me. And I hope it speaks to you - you're never alone and never useless.
That's just me thinking thoughts...
P.S. Want to jump in on Testament Tuesdays? It's easy. Go to my wife's blog, fill out the information at the bottom of the Testament Tuesday post, and then testify to God's work!
Monday, October 4, 2010
NT75 Day 22: Acts 1-4
The book of Acts records the birth of the church and its nascent activities in spreading the Good News of Jesus around the known world. There are tons of great stories and quotes to spur spiritual growth. From this morning's readings, I had two questions.
First, did Peter make a mistake? In Acts 1, he brings up the point that someone should take Judas' office and proceeds to move forward on that with Matthias as the ultimate choice. But I've also read Acts 9, where God clearly chooses Paul as an apostle, even appearing to him personally. I read that and wonder if Luke is letting us in on an early leadership mistake. I'm not saying he is, but I do wonder. And then I think about how if I get in a hurry I make mistakes (leadership and otherwise) too.
Second, do I think about the events of the original Easter weekend the way the the apostles describe it in these early chapters? The description seems to go something like this: evil men killed Jesus, just as God the Father had ordained to happen (see 2.23-24, 3.13-15, 4.27-28). There is the evil component of the earthly action and the beautiful component of the sovereign plan. The cross was no surprise and was no Plan B that God swooped in to redeem in the last moment. He intended to do this. Sovereignty was at work throughout. And if it was at work throughout the most wicked, horrible, unjust action known in the history of mankind, it's probably at work in the circumstances of my life too.
But that's just me thinking thoughts (and asking questions)...
First, did Peter make a mistake? In Acts 1, he brings up the point that someone should take Judas' office and proceeds to move forward on that with Matthias as the ultimate choice. But I've also read Acts 9, where God clearly chooses Paul as an apostle, even appearing to him personally. I read that and wonder if Luke is letting us in on an early leadership mistake. I'm not saying he is, but I do wonder. And then I think about how if I get in a hurry I make mistakes (leadership and otherwise) too.
Second, do I think about the events of the original Easter weekend the way the the apostles describe it in these early chapters? The description seems to go something like this: evil men killed Jesus, just as God the Father had ordained to happen (see 2.23-24, 3.13-15, 4.27-28). There is the evil component of the earthly action and the beautiful component of the sovereign plan. The cross was no surprise and was no Plan B that God swooped in to redeem in the last moment. He intended to do this. Sovereignty was at work throughout. And if it was at work throughout the most wicked, horrible, unjust action known in the history of mankind, it's probably at work in the circumstances of my life too.
But that's just me thinking thoughts (and asking questions)...
Saturday, October 2, 2010
NT75 Day 20: Luke 19-24
When you offer something to God, it tends to be sacrifice. That's right. That's good. Because offering something to God isn't like offering something to a beggar. You give a beggar a few bucks and are in a position or benefaction and power over him. What's more, you probably don't miss what you give because you don't think about giving sacrificially in those moments.
But God, He's a different story. When I give to Him (money, time, abilities, and so on), I'm not playing the role of benefactor nor exercising some power over Him. He's not once looked at me and said, "O! Thank you for tithing! I wasn't sure how we were going to make it without your check! Whew! Praise Me!" Never happened. Never will.
Giving to God is sacrificial by nature because in our giving (again, of time, money, abilities, etc.) we're giving to someone far superior to us to reflect His worth to us. And when the lady dropped the two small copper coins (21.1-4), she was reflecting God's worth to her. That's why Jesus praised her. That's why He set her out as an example.
So what is God worth to you and how will you reflect it in the sacrifice you give?
But that's just me thinking thoughts...
But God, He's a different story. When I give to Him (money, time, abilities, and so on), I'm not playing the role of benefactor nor exercising some power over Him. He's not once looked at me and said, "O! Thank you for tithing! I wasn't sure how we were going to make it without your check! Whew! Praise Me!" Never happened. Never will.
Giving to God is sacrificial by nature because in our giving (again, of time, money, abilities, etc.) we're giving to someone far superior to us to reflect His worth to us. And when the lady dropped the two small copper coins (21.1-4), she was reflecting God's worth to her. That's why Jesus praised her. That's why He set her out as an example.
So what is God worth to you and how will you reflect it in the sacrifice you give?
But that's just me thinking thoughts...
Friday, October 1, 2010
NT75 Day 19: Luke 14-18
This is probably my favorite run of chapters in the book of Luke. Strike that - it IS my favorite run of chapters. I have spent more collective time studying, soaking, and preaching these chapters than any others in the Gospel.
One insight on prayer that I'll offer today from 18.1-8.
The widow refuses to give up on the unjust judge. The judge finally relents. Getting the woman off his back becomes an easier and more profitable road than whatever kickbacks he's getting from the injustice. And God's not unjust, so we can expect more from Him than the judge.
But then this bombshell: when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?
The first several times I read that, I had no idea what it meant. Faith on earth? Huh? Is Jesus mixed up or is He throwing down some riddle or playing a verbal game? But then, in a sermon I heard as a college student, it hit me: the kind of faith that Jesus is wondering about is the kind of faith that perseveres, specifically in prayer.
It's easy to give up on praying for someone, some activity, some circumstance, some situation. You can offer a few things heavenward but, if the answer doesn't come, life or doubt or apathy can settle in and pare the prayer life down to the bumper sticker on a car I saw the other day: "God bless everyone, no exceptions." Nice sentiment. Not faith.
Faith locks on and grabs hold like a bulldog. Tenacious. Fierce. Jacob wrestles, saying, "I'm not letting go until you bless me." That's the kind of faith that will persevere in prayer.
Anything you need to stoke the fires of faith and keep praying for?
One key suggestion (for me, anyway) is to keep the Scripture open and let the promises therein be what prompts me to keep praying. When one isn't working and my faith is waning, I turn to another and try to keep praying. And on occasion, it happens to me too, I have to say to the Lord: I believe, but You have to help my unbelief.
But that's just me thinking thoughts...
One insight on prayer that I'll offer today from 18.1-8.
The widow refuses to give up on the unjust judge. The judge finally relents. Getting the woman off his back becomes an easier and more profitable road than whatever kickbacks he's getting from the injustice. And God's not unjust, so we can expect more from Him than the judge.
But then this bombshell: when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?
The first several times I read that, I had no idea what it meant. Faith on earth? Huh? Is Jesus mixed up or is He throwing down some riddle or playing a verbal game? But then, in a sermon I heard as a college student, it hit me: the kind of faith that Jesus is wondering about is the kind of faith that perseveres, specifically in prayer.
It's easy to give up on praying for someone, some activity, some circumstance, some situation. You can offer a few things heavenward but, if the answer doesn't come, life or doubt or apathy can settle in and pare the prayer life down to the bumper sticker on a car I saw the other day: "God bless everyone, no exceptions." Nice sentiment. Not faith.
Faith locks on and grabs hold like a bulldog. Tenacious. Fierce. Jacob wrestles, saying, "I'm not letting go until you bless me." That's the kind of faith that will persevere in prayer.
Anything you need to stoke the fires of faith and keep praying for?
One key suggestion (for me, anyway) is to keep the Scripture open and let the promises therein be what prompts me to keep praying. When one isn't working and my faith is waning, I turn to another and try to keep praying. And on occasion, it happens to me too, I have to say to the Lord: I believe, but You have to help my unbelief.
But that's just me thinking thoughts...
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