1 CORINTHIANS 4:14-16 8/31/2021*

“I do not write these things to shame you, but as my beloved children I warn you. For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus, I have begotten you through the gospel. Therefore, I urge you, imitate me. ”

Two Questions: 
1. Are there people in your life you could say you have “begotten through the gospel”?

2. Are you walking with God to the degree you can encourage others to imitate you?

Paul sees the Corinthians as his children in the faith. He has earned the right to speak by accurately sharing the Word. There is a hint of annoyance in his comment about the 10,000 teachers because the truth he preached was being polluted by others with ulterior motives.

I think God may have that same annoyance at my insistence on new ways to worship…new ways to interpret scripture…new music…new pithy ways to preach… I may have 10,000 teachers but the Holy scripture is what birthed me. I need to cling to that…I need to meditate on the unvarnished, unenhanced, accurate Word of God…and use it to reach others.  

Adding creativity is fine, but the core of my faith is walking through scripture daily. As Darrell Royal said I need to “dance with the one that brung me”.

Secondly Paul has earned credibility with the Corinthians based on his conduct.  His walk matches his talk…. It may seem humble if I am hesitant to say “live as I live” - but it is not so much humility, as it is disobedience.

So, do I continue excusing my defiance – or do I change it? Do I continue to explain my sin, or do I put the bar back were Jesus set it, and strive to reflect Christ?

Constantly using “humble brags” to rationalize my failures gets old.  Talking one way and walking another leads to my actions speaking so loudly that people cannot hear my words.

 

We have been commanded to make disciples…. It is time to invest in people by accurately sharing scripture …it is also time to start living in a way that allows us to say, “do what we do” … not “do what we say.”

“Faith, as Paul saw it, was a living, flaming thing leading to surrender and obedience to the commandments of Christ.”

- A. W. Tozer

 

PSALM 23:4-5 8/23/2021*

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies”

This passage is often quoted in an almost boastful manner…But it hit me differently this morning… It had a comforting, but ominous tone.

The passage doesn’t say IF I walk through the valley of death…It says I WILL walk through it…. I am not carried, I don’t fly…I walk. It doesn’t say I am strolling through a plush garden …it says I am in a deep dark valley, and I am at times assigned the task of putting one foot in front of the other just to get through it.

It is the valley of the shadow of death…the ultimate predator - a dark frightening place. A table is prepared for me but not with friends …sometimes I must sit with enemies who want to destroy me.

Yet, in the midst of all of this- I do not fear, I am protected by the Shepherd, and I am not alone – through the struggle, this is what comforts me.

Too often we try to portray the Christian life as a carefree walk in the park…but you were not given the full armor of God so you could walk in the park…it was provided so you could walk through the valley.  You wear armor to do battle.

People don’t identify with the prosperity gospel because it doesn’t sync up with what they see in the world… The lost see our pristine steeples and our flawless veneers - and look elsewhere for comfort.

We need to get rid of the “perfect life” social media façade, and speak the truth… We’re in a raging battle – the war is all around us…. but we are not alone, we are not afraid - and though bloodied and bruised at times - we are more than victorious.

Drop the perfect Christian charade – be transparent, show your wounds…and others will seek you out …Then you can do battle together… Armor on - walking through the valley without fear, fighting right beside each other.

“There is a beautiful transparency to honest disciples who never wear a false face and do not pretend to be anything but who they are.” - Brennan Manning

Galatians 2:11-12 8/17/2021*

 “But when Peter came to Antioch, I had to oppose him to his face, for what he did was very wrong.  When he first arrived, he ate with the Gentile believers, who were not circumcised. But afterward, when some friends of James came, Peter wouldn’t eat with the Gentiles anymore.”

In Antioch Peter shared meals with Gentiles until some men arrived from Galilee. He then separated himself from his Gentile brothers because he didn’t want to be snubbed by men he perceived as important Jews.

Paul confronts Peter because he had permitted separation in the church based on ethnic and cultural differences.

Whether it is racism, classism, culturalism, or any other “ism” …If it divides the body of Christ, it is “very wrong”.

These divisions show a misunderstanding of the gospel.

Our salvation does not enhance us - it annihilates us and replaces us with something new.  “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” (2 Cor. 5).

As new creations we recognize no separation based on race, class, traditions, or lineage…. You are not a white Christian, or a black Christian, or a brown Christian … You are a Christian - period - the adjectives are superfluous.

“Christ follower” is all encompassing and definitive. It establishes your identity, sets your value, and determines your behavior.

God made us beautifully different, and we are not called to uniformity – He even created us with our own unique fingerprint – but we are absolutely called to unity.     

If the first thing you see when you look at your brother is skin color, economic status, or ethnicity…you have missed the point. The cross makes all those things incidental.

How can the church unite society when we tolerate divisions amongst ourselves? …Labeling, categorizing, and avoiding each other – cannot be allowed in the house of God… Speaking the truth in love, combating sin, promoting harmony, and valuing each other is what Jesus requires.

Do something today to promote unity.  Educate those who wish to separate us – stop tolerating and enabling unwarranted divisions.

As Christians we must demonstrate the path to becoming blind to things that are unimportant, and completely focused on things that are eternal.

“Until we take seriously God's definition of the church and stop just 'having church,' we will not see transformation in our society.”

- Tony Evans

2 Peter 3:1-3 8/10/2021*

“Beloved, this is now the second letter I am writing to you in which I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of a reminder, to remember the words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles.”

Do I treat people in such a way that I can open a letter to them with the word “Beloved”? Do I conduct myself in a way that makes that greeting seem normal?  

To call someone beloved there must be an intentional granting of importance…a spiritual adoption that sets their value as one made in the image of God.

We know Peter was an “A” type, man’s man.  He argued with Jesus, he cut off ears, walked on water, brashly stated opinions…. So, tenderness did not come naturally to Peter…Yet he begins his second letter with this gentle word. The letter addresses sin and failure by the recipients but to Peter they are still “beloved”.

This is a great template for my own ministry. It reveals an important requirement if I am to be a disciple…affection.

Ministry is fun – but dealing with people can make it a burden…If I allow that to be my approach, I have not earned the right to speak…If I cannot view others as beloved, I have nothing to offer them. 

After a decade of coaching, I figured out that the kid that was the most trouble, and least needed on the team – was usually the one that needed the team the most. And that kid naturally knew whether you cared about him or not, since because of his conduct, he had experienced hostility and rejection before.  

That kid is who I was before I knew Christ - and he will resemble others that God brings across my path. 

Hurt people, hurt people - and I need to look past their behavior and see them as an opportunity to share Christ - not a burden.

I must love them at a level they recognize as “other worldly”. My love must be undeserved…the way Christ loves me. 

Only then will I have earned the right to share the gospel. Only when they see that they are valuable in my eyes will they listen to me sharing God’s plan of salvation. 

 “Don’t tell them Jesus loves them, until you’re ready to love them too.” 

– Steve Camp

Psalm 90:12 8/3/2021*

“So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.”

Is numbering your days part of your decision-making process?... Each of our lives on earth will have a first and last day – so our limitedness should probably be part of our planning method. 

Only today is guaranteed…but statistics say most of us will be given approximately 29,000 days on earth… How are you spending yours?  What are your goals? More importantly are those goals meaningful? … They should be because you are literally giving your life for them.  

Many people don’t achieve what they intend to accomplish in life…Often it is not because they didn’t have time but because they didn’t use it well.  

If you don’t number your days, then there is no drive in your strategy - which leads to procrastination and waste. 

Procrastination is not always a product of laziness; it is sometimes just allowing the urgent to usurp the important. There will always be pressing issues so handle them after you have dealt with the things in your life that have eternal consequences. 

Many of us habitually waste time… which is odd since time is the one thing, we cannot get more of…Still we throw it away staring at a screen watching videos or sitcoms … or debating online with people we don’t know…or sacrificing relationships to make money when we already have enough…. None of that reflects a heart of wisdom.

This verse says to number your days - use them well. Use the life God has given you to do the things God would have you do. 

Realize that choosing an activity - is choosing not to do something else…. make sure the selection makes sense.  Max Lucado suggests that you make major life decisions in a cemetery… which will keep the trivial from distracting you. 

Your Heavenly Father has a perfect plan for you today… If you seek Him, you will find it. So, chase after the things that matter… God, your family, your ministry, helping others…Seek those things of eternal significance first.

The number of days in our lives is finite. Make sure that when your head hits the pillow tonight you are pleased with how you spent today.  

"The bad news is time flies. The good news is you're the pilot." 

-- Michael Altshuler