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

PSALM 139:23-24 7/27/21*

^“Search me, God, and know my heart; Put me to the test and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there is any hurtful way in me …”

Have you ever let shame stop you from praying that prayer?  Have you ever been afraid to ask God to Search your heart? …You might as well - He has already seen it. (Psalm 7)

Every selfish thought, every hypocrisy. Your pride, your lust, your perversions…The dark things you don’t even admit to yourself…He already knows.

But there is something YOU need to know…He has seen it all and He loves you. 

Regardless of what immorality turns up when your heart is examined…. God loves you; and proved it by dying for you while you were still rejecting Him.

Because God has seen it all…because He has faced it all - so can you. You don’t have to hide anything anymore – because it has all been viewed, paid for, and redeemed. 

Pray the prayer. Ask God to search your heart…and be ready to deal with whatever He finds…No more hiding. There is no sin that He cannot release you from, and there is nothing He can’t forgive…Face the hidden failings that you have been ashamed to confess and allow Him to restore your freedom.  

When you hide sin in the dark, it grows …Drag it out in the light of God’s grace and watch it disintegrate.

There is freedom in transparency - and there is bondage in hiding. It has been said that “we can endure all kinds of pain, but it is shame that eats men whole”. Confess it, knowing that nothing can separate you from His love. (Romans 8)

Cling to Christ and lay your sins at the cross - God has promised to make those sins as far from you, as the east is from the west, they are no longer part of your story. You don’t have to put up a façade. He knows all and loves you.

No more deception. Your value is based on His love not your past… Now you can walk in integrity and tell others about His grace offering the same forgiveness and freedom that has been given to you.

“An exciting and inspiring future awaits you beyond the noise in your mind, beyond the guilt, doubt, fear, shame, insecurity and heaviness of the past you carry around.”- Debbie Ford

Romans 15:14 7/20/2021*

 “And concerning you, my brethren, I myself also am convinced that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able also to admonish one another.”

Admonishment is defined as a firm warning or reprimand.

When is the last time someone admonished you? .... How did you respond?  The bible is clear that as Christians we are called to do this for each other.

It is hard to admonish because we don’t like confrontation.  And it is hard to be admonished because we present ourselves as perfect.

Most people want “friends” who praise them and revere them…but seldom do we want to be corrected or reprimanded.

In other words, we want fans, not friends. 

If a fan sees a destructive flaw in my life, they will look the other way…If a friend sees one, he will call me on it.  

The bible tells us to love one another, be at peace with one another, be devoted to one another and those things are pleasant and provide fellowship …But it also says to admonish one another…and while not always pleasant, it is valuable because it improves and protects us.

I am thankful for people in my life who are willing to correct me…I seldom enjoy it, but it forces me to look in the mirror and it makes me better.

Having a friend that cares enough to admonish is like having a knowledgeable coach in the press box. It provides a vantage point that you cannot see for yourself. And if there is someone you trust in the press box, you will make better decisions on the field.

The key to being a successful “admonisher” is your motivation… If you correct me because you want to elevate yourself by pulling me down - your admonishment will be useless…but if you admonish me because you love me and want what is best for me…your words can be life changing. 

We all need friends who love us enough to be uncomfortable. That is the difference in an acquaintance and a brother.

Determine to have that in your life. Love your brother enough to tell him what he needs to hear – And love your brother enough to listen when he tells you what you need to hear.

“If you don’t love your friend more than you love your friendship then you don’t have either one.”

– Anonymous

1 Peter 5:12-14 7/13/2021*

“With the help of Silas, whom I regard as a faithful brother, I have written to you briefly, encouraging you and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand fast in it. She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you her greetings, and so does my son Mark. Greet one another with a kiss of love.”

This letter was addressed to "resident aliens" scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. It was from “She who is in Babylon” which was the church in Rome. It calls for unity that crosses cultural, race, and community boundaries.

Peter’s instructions to greet each other with a kiss may be discouraged while practicing social distancing - but the concept is to be enthusiastic and loving when we see each other. Not just cordial, but really cherishing each other.

His refusal to allow unwarranted division is illustrated with his support of both Mark and Silas …These two were the counterparts to Paul and Barnabas after their argument regarding the mission team. Their spat was one of the first “church quarrels”, and it shows Peter’s refusal to pick sides and divide the body of Christ…This stubborn unity is noticeably missing in the church today.

We divide into opposing camps over the smallest issues. So much so that we are viewed as petty and insignificant, instead of powerful messengers of God, and when we stand against actual sin - it is seen as just one more negative in our confrontational organization.

We need action to change this perception…Peter does not say to march for unity…He says to love each other at a granular level. Stop bickering about the lack of love and spread some yourself. Mother Teresa said, “If you want to change the world go home and love your family.”

Don’t preach about it - model it. You cannot legislate love, but you can demonstrate it. We are God’s children, stop pointing and start hugging. Speak the hard truth – but speak it in love.

To clean up a garbage dump you don’t have a discussion about it - you start picking up trash. Examine your heart and remove any rubbish that has separated you from your brother. Love each other tenaciously and change the world one heart at a time...starting with yours.

“Love one another. We don't need more instructions; we need more examples.”

Bob Goff

Romans 6:1-2 7/6/2021*

 "What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase?  Far from it! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?"  

Humans can be slippery…We can rationalize anything. We are chameleons, taking on the colors of our environment…Behaving one way on Sunday, and another way during the week. Although the law is clearly laid out before us - we find a way to profess righteousness without living it.

The problem with that is there is no end to it… 

Sin is never satisfied, perversion is never appeased, selfishness never has enough, anger never subsides…it is a slippery slope with no base - sending us into spiritual free fall. 

That was never God’s plan…as a Christian I cannot biblically rationalize continually living in sin…Nor can I ignore it.  Lack of confession keeps me from acknowledging sin…Lack of repentance keeps me in it… Confession is not so God knows ….it is so I know…and it must lead to remorse and repentance.

Paul asks, should we just get our “fire insurance” and keep living unchanged by the Cross? And His answer is unwavering … Bewildered by the thought, he ask how can we live in sin if we died to it? 

If your conversion did not produce change, you missed something. The entire purpose of the cross was to pay for your righteousness and break the chains that held you in sin…those are the reasons for the greatest sacrifice ever given.

It is easy to find preachers who will say what I want to hear…but if I justify my sinfulness, if I don’t fight against temptation…then I am ignorant of a fundamental biblical truth … Our old sinful life died on the cross with Jesus… “How shall we who died to sin still live in it?”

So, decide… There should be fruit in your life and that fruit shows itself in continued transformation…Hate sin and fight to be a man of God – or do not.  But don’t fool yourself by talking one way and walking another. Jesus didn’t die to make you comfortable in your sin…He died and rose again to free you from it.

“The religion of both Old and New Testaments is marked by fervent outspoken testimonies against evil. To speak smooth things in such a case may be sentimentalism, but it is not Christianity.” 

- Charles Spurgeon

James 5:16 6/29/2021*

“Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.”

We don’t confess our sin to each other very often.  Because that would infringe on our national pastime of presenting a perfect self-image to the world. 

 
We use “filtered” photographs, staged activities, and blatant lies to present a deceptive picture of who we are…. 

Why would we ruin all that by telling someone the truth?

 
We might “humble brag” by confessing a struggle with pride or self-discipline.  But our propensity to tell the truth diminishes as the sin gets less socially acceptable.

Pornography, alcohol abuse, and drug addictions are less likely to be shared and the probability lessens as we get into sexual deviance, theft, and acts society deems as “darker” sins.…. We not only don’t confess these… we deny them.

  
This obsession with hiding our flaws and fighting our addictions by ourselves is the enemy’s greatest tool.  Our insistence on handling problems alone makes us vulnerable like an antelope that has wandered away from the herd. 

We hide our sin in the dark and put up a façade…. but sin flourishes in the dark, so God tells us to drag it out into the light.

  
Your first step is to find some loyal brothers and come clean about your struggle, then together you devise a plan to eliminate this sin from your life. 

The unmentionable wickedness that has paralyzed you for so long is a paper tiger… and if you will stop trying to be The Lone Ranger - stop hiding in the shadows - and reach out to some friends … its lack of power will become evident.

That does not mean to post it on Facebook or shout it in the streets.  It means to find some buddies you trust – tell them you need help and get their commitment to hold you accountable and to pray for you …. Resolve to remove this sin from your life whatever it costs …and according to God, the prayers of your friends will “accomplish much”.

  
Life is not an individual activity…it is a team sport, and we must have each other’s back…Be courageous enough to tell the truth, and watch the truth set you free. 

“The confession of evil works is the first beginning of good works.” - Saint Augustine