escalation

John 4, 2 Corinthians 12

Jesus always escalates the conversation; He did with Nicodemus in John 3, and He did with the Samaritan woman in John 4.  They say something, and He could reply with something nice and confirming, but He always takes it to the next level.  Perhaps I should be more bold in conversations with people. Of course it is going to bring friction, which will be awkward (especially in the U.S.), but I bet the Holy Spirit will lead me through it.

The first part of Jesus's discussion with the Samaritan woman (v. 7-15) was about helping her identify her spiritual emptiness (i.e., thirst for living water).  Then Jesus (rather abruptly) shifted the conversation to sin (v. 16-18).  I think we tend to get it backwards.  We think, "That person is sinning, so they need Jesus to fix their sin."  That is sort of true, but I think it is better to realize that we are all empty apart from Jesus, and sin is the consequence of that emptiness.  As I heard somewhere, "We aren't sinners because we sin.  We sin because we are sinners."

Then the conversation transitioned to worship and Christ (v. 19-26).  Here again is demonstration of the exclusivity of true worship through faith and obedience in Jesus Christ.

So she went to her village and gave everyone a three point outline of the theological points that she learned from Jesus.  No!  She shared her experience with Christ.  And the result:

^3:39Many Samaritans from the village believed in Jesus because the woman had said, "He told me everything I ever did!" ⁴⁰When they came out to see him, they begged him to stay in their village. So he stayed for two days, ⁴¹long enough for many more to hear his message and believe. ⁴²Then they said to the woman, "Now we believe, not just because of what you told us, but because we have heard him ourselves. Now we know that he is indeed the Savior of the world."

Other people believed in Jesus simply because she told them her experience with Christ.  There's a novel idea!  Hmmm... I wonder what would happen if we simply shared with people around us what Jesus has done in our lives.  Maybe that is scary for some people because they realize that they've been so caught up in the world and playing the church-game that they don't have any experience with Jesus.

As a farmboy, I love the analogy that Jesus gives for a person sharing the Gospel:

^3:36 ... But I say, wake up and look around. The fields are already ripe for harvest. ³⁶ The harvesters are paid good wages, and the fruit they harvest is people brought to eternal life. What joy awaits both the planter and the harvester alike! ³⁷ You know the saying, 'One plants and another harvests.' And it's true. ³⁸ I sent you to harvest where you didn't plant; others had already done the work, and now you will get to gather the harvest."

Heavenly Father, please help me wake up and join you in the Harvest.  There are so many empty souls around me that need to be connected with Jesus.  Lord, help me see the reality of how I have been saved from Hell and saved for your Glory, so that I will be authentic and genuine in sharing what Jesus has done in my life.  Lord, help me sensitive to the Holy Spirit to be bold in conversation about Christ.  I love you, Lord.  You have been so kind to me.  Please help me worship you in spirit and in truth.  I pray in the name of Jesus, the Christ.  Amen.

persecution

John 3, 2 Corinthians 11

Note:  One of the Brothers that I meet with regularly has suggested that John 3:5 shows the necessity of baptism.  However, in studying the context, it seems to me like there is a parallelism in the preceding and following verses:  the first birth is in the flesh (or "water") and the second birth is in the spirit.

In our Bible Life Group on Sunday mornings, we have been studying the book of Acts, and several of the recent lessons have been about the persecution of the Church.  First of all, I think we in the U.S. generally don't have a clue about persecution.  Even after reading Tortured for Christ by Richard Wurmbrand, I still only appreciated it empathetically.  Perhaps one of the ways we can "suffer" in the U.S. is by giving sacrificially with our finances to support the global Church.  I recently have been drawn to support these two ministries because of their strategic operation in fronteir nations:

 - Voice of the Martyrs: Pastor Support Program  (http://www.persecution.com/psp)
 - Voice of the Martyrs: Bibles Unbound (http://www.biblesunbound.com/qry/mc_home.taf)

When I think about what Paul and other Saints have given for the Gospel, I am reminded that Grace is Costly:

^11:23 Are they servants of Christ? I know I sound like a madman, but I have served him far more! I have worked harder, been put in prison more often, been whipped times without number, and faced death again and again. ²⁴ Five different times the Jewish leaders gave me thirty-nine lashes. ²⁵ Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea. ²⁶ I have traveled on many long journeys. I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not. ²⁷ I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm.

 ²⁸ Then, besides all this, I have the daily burden of my concern for all the churches. ²⁹ Who is weak without my feeling that weakness? Who is led astray, and I do not burn with anger?

Heavenly Father, thank you for paying the Cost of Redemption with Christ on the Cross.  Lord, may I live in response to this incredible payment.  Lord, it's not like I want to suffer for the sake of suffering, but if suffering is what it takes to gain Christ and be found in Him, then lead me by your grace through it.  Father, please show me the work you have for me.  Lord, please help me be faithful and obedient.  I pray in the name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

holy temple warfare

John 2, 2 Corinthians 10

^{J 2:13} It was nearly time for the Jewish Passover celebration, so Jesus went to Jerusalem. ¹⁴ In the Temple area he saw merchants selling cattle, sheep, and doves for sacrifices; he also saw dealers at tables exchanging foreign money. ¹⁵ Jesus made a whip from some ropes and chased them all out of the Temple. He drove out the sheep and cattle, scattered the money changers' coins over the floor, and turned over their tables. ¹⁶ Then, going over to the people who sold doves, he told them, "Get these things out of here. Stop turning my Father's house into a marketplace!"

I was thinking about our Lord's passion for the holiness of the temple of God because it is the center of worship.  Of course, our Lord explains that the real temple is the body, soul, and spirit of each Believer:

^{J 2:19} ... Jesus replied. "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."

I am reminded of reiterations of this truth by Stephen in Acts 7 and Paul in Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 6. 

Q:  How have I turned His temple (myself) into a marketplace? 
A:  Whenever I allow worldy things to be my focus, I am not wholly dedicated to worshiping the Lord.

An even more challenging point is that maintaining a holy temple is not a passive responsibility.  It is an active spiritual battle of the heart and mind that continues until we die:

^{2 Cor 10:3} We are human, but we don't wage war as humans do. ⁴ We use God's mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. ⁵ We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.

The focus here is not on the destruction of evil, but on the glorification and lordship of Jesus Christ.

Heavenly Father, thank you for your mercy and grace through the Lord Jesus Christ.  Lord, please search me and expose the worldliness and corrupted aspects of my life so that I can repent and give myself even more to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.  Lord, I want to worship you in spirit and in truth, and I want you to be pleased.  Lord, you are so good and kind; please continue to be patient with me and help me see the importance of holiness.  I pray in the name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

spiritual weaponry

Luke 22, 2 Corinthians 6

^{2 Cor 6:7} We faithfully preach the truth. God's power is working in us. We use the weapons of righteousness in the right hand for attack and the left hand for defense.

From Ephesians 6, we can see the Sword of the Spirit (the Word of God) in the right hand and the Shield of Faith in the left.  We are not individual warriors, we are indwelled by His Spirit - a situation which requires holy living:

^6:16 For we are the temple of the living God. As God said:

   "I will live in them
      and walk among them.
   I will be their God,
      and they will be my people.
 ¹⁷ Therefore, come out from among unbelievers,
      and separate yourselves from them, says the Lord.
   Don't touch their filthy things,
      and I will welcome you.
 ¹⁸ And I will be your Father,
      and you will be my sons and daughters,
      says the Lord Almighty."

^7:1 Because we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that can defile our body or spirit. And let us work toward complete holiness because we fear God.

Heavenly father, please help me see the spiritual battle that rages around me, and help me fight honorably.  Holy Spirit, please fill me and anoint me, and lead me in righteousness and holiness.  Please purify me body, soul, and spirit.  I ask in the name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

giving

Luke 21, 2 Corinthians 5

The Widow gave everything she had.  She trusted that the Lord is her provider, and He is faithful to His promises.  This is a type of the early church; Brothers and Sisters sold their possessions and gave the money to the Church, for the Kingdom.  It is when we have abandoned ourselves to be helpless at the mercy of God that we experience the fullness of His provision.  Sarah brought up that point last Sunday morning in our discussion.  It's too bad so few of us ever get there.

We must walk faithfully, especially through the persecution that will occur before Christ's return.  We will be judged according to our works, so let us remain sober minded and diligently working for the Lord.  Along those lines, Pastor Mark spoke to us this morning at Men's First Thursday breakfast about entrusting our faith to other Brothers.  This encouraged me to continue pouring out my life into others because that is practically how the Kingdom advances.  It also parallels the Widow's offering.  What a wonderful ministry the Lord has given us:

^{2 Cor 5:10} For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body. ... ¹⁵ He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them. ... ¹⁷ This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! ¹⁸ And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. ¹⁹ For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people's sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. ²⁰ So we are Christ's ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, "Come back to God!" ²¹ For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.

Heavenly Father, thank you for giving your Son Jesus Christ to pay our death-debt of disobedience.  Lord, thank you for calling us into life with you and for giving us the promise of your presence and eternity with you.  Lord, please give me faith to trust you with everything, and may I be a good steward with the relationships you have given me.  Please help me to take care of my wife and son.  Lord, may I entrust the faith you have given me to Beau.  And Lord, please help me be faithful to invest in the Brothers and Sisters in our Bible study group.  What a joy it is to serve you!  I pray in the name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

increasing glory

Luke 20, 2 Corinthians 4

I had a great conversation with Herb on the bus on Monday evening.  He is still reading through the Old Testament; he is in Daniel right now.  He shared some of the most wonderful insights from Ezekiel and the Old Testament in general.  He told me that his biggest problem is with the idea that Jesus is God in a Trinitarian way.  I sent him an email with a list of Scriptures that explain the deity of Christ, and many of them suggest a Trinitarian perspective, but perhaps it would be helpful if I supplied some Scriptures that support the concept of the Trinity.  As I read 2 Corinthians 4 this morning, several of these verses reinforced this topic of the person of Christ and my relationship with Herb:

^{2 Cor 4:3} If the Good News we preach is hidden behind a veil, it is hidden only from people who are perishing. ⁴ Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don't believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don't understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God. ⁵You see, we don't go around preaching about ourselves. We preach that Jesus Christ is Lord, and we ourselves are your servants for Jesus' sake. ⁶ For God, who said, "Let there be light in the darkness," has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.

I pray for several friends regularly that the Lord will give spiritual sight to see Jesus clearly and trust Him as Savior and Lord, for the glory of God:

¹⁵ ... And as God's grace reaches more and more people, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory. ¹⁶ That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. ¹⁷ For our present troubles are small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! ¹⁸ So we don't look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

Those last couple of verses remind me of a few lines in David Crowder's song that I quoted a couple of days ago:

When all of a sudden,
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realize just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.

Heavenly Father, your love for us is amazing.  Your work through us is amazing.  Lord, please use me, an ordinary clay pot, to shine the light of Jesus Christ and bring others to know you.  Lord, please deliver my friends from spiritual blindness, and put faith in their hearts so that they will believe and experience the life of Christ at work through them, also.  Lord, I know that you will receive glory as you do this.  Please give me strength to be faithful during times of testing as I realize that these troubles are minor and temporary compared to your Eternal Rightousness.  May your name be praised among the nations.  I ask in the name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

repentance and glory

Luke 19, 2 Corinthians 3

When someone is truly repentant, they are not only sorry for what they did wrong, but there is a desire to respond with action:

 ^{L 19:8} Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and said, "I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have cheated people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!"

I think when I am confronted with something I did wrong, I am usually sorry for it, but generally lazy about responding with action.  I pray that the Lord will teach me to walk in godly repentance.

Continuing with the recent theme, redemption is not the end-point of our salvation, it is the beginning:

^{2 Cor 3:17} For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. ¹⁸ So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.

It is the Lord's good will to mold us into the image of Christ and show off how good He is.

Heavenly Father, you are good and kind.  Jesus, you are glorious.  Holy Spirit, teach me to walk in true repentance and to draw close to you in spirit so that you will shine your light through me into the world.  May the nations see your glory and seek you.  I pray in the name of Jesus Christ.  amen.