Read 2 Corinthians 1:12-2:1
The whole context of this portion of Paul’s letter is talking about the reason behind Paul’s change in travel plans and also the ways he wants them to address someone that is causing problems in the church. In this, Paul wants to share the way the his confidence derives from God’s work of establishing Paul’s ground for boasting publicly. We think boasting is bad, but Paul is sharing that he acts in this world with uprightness and sincerity.
“Uprightness” and “sincerity” here are pertaining to moral purity. Therefore, we know from Paul’s previous letters he considers humans fully as sinners. We are sinful in nature so therefore the presence of uprightness and sincerity does not come from Paul himself but can only be attributed to coming from God. It is the result of the transforming work of God’s Spirit in the lives of his “new creation”.
So it points to God’s grace. Let’s talk about grace. We don’t give enough attention to grace. We talked about grace but I am not sure if we fully grasp grace and live with a fully understanding of grace. If we did, I think we would truly be open to living a life of thankfulness to God that extends it to us and also lives that would be extending it to one another.
Paul’s point in verse 12 is that his outward behavior, rather than calling his ministry into question, actually confirms the grace of God’s call in his life. Therefore in Paul’s boast about his clear conscience, Paul is not engaging in the self-glorification and self-dependence that he himself so strongly condemns. However, he is boasting in one’s honesty and sincerity, or in any other evidence of God’s grace, is to boast or glory properly in what God has done in and through one’s life.
Examine your own life and see if you are living as one who boasts in God’s grace. What would it take for you to be able to boast in His grace? What are things that are hindering you from doing that?
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Monday, March 29, 2010
The God of All Comfort
In the song “You Hold Me Now” by Hillsong United, the chorus goes like this: No weeping/ no hurt or pain/ no suffering/ you hold me now/ you hold me now/ no darkness/ no sick or lame/ no hiding/ you hold me now/ you hold me now. That comes right out of Revelation 21:4 and is a beautiful picture of how God will take away all the things that hurt and cause pain and suffering and sorrow. That is definitely something we should look forward to when Jesus returns, but the reality is that right now, we still have pain and suffering. So how does God speak to us in the midst of that?
Read 2 Corinthians 1:1-11
What are the things in our lives that have caused or are causing us pain? Broken relationships? Death or sickness for loved ones? Take a moment to reflect on the things that hurt and bring you pain.
Often we get caught up in why God allows us to experience pain. Why do we have to lose loved ones? Why do the people we care about get sick and suffer? What we often forget is that regardless of the His reason, God’s character does not change. And the fact of the matter is that God is the God of all comfort because comfort is rooted in his nature. He IS comfort. 2 Cor 1:3-4a “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction”
This is the awesome thing about God. When He makes us a promise, He ALWAYS delivers. If we ask with genuine faith, God always answers. The way He comforts may change, the timing may change, but God will comfort.
Take a moment to ask God to remind you that He is the God of All Comfort. Ask him to bring you comfort in the midst of difficult circumstance or sorrow. Lift these things up to Him knowing that He does comfort.
So why does God comfort us? First of all, God comforts us because He loves us. That’s it. He cares about us, he has compassion on us. He sees our suffering and pain and as the perfect Father he comforts us. It’s who he is. But God also comforts us because he wants us to comfort others. 2 Cor 1:4 “[God] comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” He wants to use you to be a light to others. To tell your story of how the God of the universe knew your pain and brought you comfort. To reassure those around you that your God does indeed comfort. That he has compassion and mercy.
Think about the pain and suffering God has comforted you in. How might you be able to use that painful situation and the comfort that came to tell others about who God is?
Paul does exactly this in 2 Cor 1:10, “He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again.”
Read 2 Corinthians 1:1-11
What are the things in our lives that have caused or are causing us pain? Broken relationships? Death or sickness for loved ones? Take a moment to reflect on the things that hurt and bring you pain.
Often we get caught up in why God allows us to experience pain. Why do we have to lose loved ones? Why do the people we care about get sick and suffer? What we often forget is that regardless of the His reason, God’s character does not change. And the fact of the matter is that God is the God of all comfort because comfort is rooted in his nature. He IS comfort. 2 Cor 1:3-4a “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction”
This is the awesome thing about God. When He makes us a promise, He ALWAYS delivers. If we ask with genuine faith, God always answers. The way He comforts may change, the timing may change, but God will comfort.
Take a moment to ask God to remind you that He is the God of All Comfort. Ask him to bring you comfort in the midst of difficult circumstance or sorrow. Lift these things up to Him knowing that He does comfort.
So why does God comfort us? First of all, God comforts us because He loves us. That’s it. He cares about us, he has compassion on us. He sees our suffering and pain and as the perfect Father he comforts us. It’s who he is. But God also comforts us because he wants us to comfort others. 2 Cor 1:4 “[God] comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” He wants to use you to be a light to others. To tell your story of how the God of the universe knew your pain and brought you comfort. To reassure those around you that your God does indeed comfort. That he has compassion and mercy.
Think about the pain and suffering God has comforted you in. How might you be able to use that painful situation and the comfort that came to tell others about who God is?
Paul does exactly this in 2 Cor 1:10, “He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again.”
Friday, March 26, 2010
Why We Do What We Do
Read 1 Corinthians 14:26-40
I know that I am a pretty spontaneous person most of the times, but there are times when I value structure and order. One of these times is during Sunday Service. Just imagine what Sunday Service would be like if we just all came together without a plan to just worship God. Well, the heart is definitely there, but the lack of organization shows even more. Just think about the many different aspects of service that we take for granted or just look over.
The Praise Team:
This is definitely not something we look over. It is actually the most visible in my opinion. Look at the cool kids on the stage jamming out and singing praise songs to God! No. Honestly and hopefully, the praise team is not seeking attention for themselves. Instead, they should be doing a good job in leading everybody, including themselves, to worship the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. If anything be too musically awesome, they are effectively distracting the congregation from their purpose. If anything be too musically messy, they are effectively distracting the congregation from their purpose. But what most of us don’t see, whether or not it was musically awesome or messy, is the time they put in to preparing. Preparing includes the choice of songs, to the choice of instruments, to the actual rehearsing. They are worrying about it so we don’t have to worry about it! All we have to focus on is praising and worshiping God
The Congregational Prayer:
We forget that prayer is an essential part to our spiritual walks. Usually, at WCAC, people think that the congregation prayer is boring and lame. We zone out and tend to fall asleeeeeep… Oh sorry! Let me ask you this. Have you actually paid attention to what they’re saying? What they’re lifting up to God? Though there may be some things that are actually the same like health, jobs, our walks with God, every congregational prayer is different. If we prayed for the same exact thing every week… then everybody would be falling asleep. The world is an ever changing place. Like when disaster struck in Haiti, I remember the first Sunday after that, we lifted them up in our prayers. It is absolutely important that we come together as a congregation to pray because then together as a unified body, we are all before God with the same purpose. As one, we confess, we praise, we thank, and we intercede.
The Power Point, the Ushers, and the Sound Room:
These are the more unnoticed parts of worship. We forget that they are key to the flow of Sunday Service. No Power Point? Well, I guess the Praise team is singing alone. No Ushers? Well, I guess we don’t have friendly people in our church. No Sound room? Well, I guess we’re all going to have to pay close attention… or fall asleep because you can’t hear anything. See how important these people are when they serve God with a humble heart.
The Speaker:
Well, No matter how boring or how exciting the speaker is, they are there to help us understand and apply God’s Word. A church that does not produce fruit is a dead church. A church that does not follow God’s commands is a lost herd of sheep. Our speaker helps us grow in God’s Word and challenges us to live it out in our daily lives. Without them, I don’t know… We screwed.
See these aspects? All of them are equally important. People in our congregation use the gifts that God gives them. But they aren’t trying to outdo each other. Wouldn’t that be a sight? The praise team trying to worship God through song, while the speaker screaming at the top of his lungs to get us to understand God’s Word… All of this is happening while everybody is praying together. That sounds crazy! Good thing that doesn’t happen. God calls us to be orderly when we come together in worship, because it is important that we lift God up and we encourage each other in a peaceful fashion. Reflect upon how blessed we are to be able to worship God together in peace.
“For God is not a God of confusion but of peace.”
I know that I am a pretty spontaneous person most of the times, but there are times when I value structure and order. One of these times is during Sunday Service. Just imagine what Sunday Service would be like if we just all came together without a plan to just worship God. Well, the heart is definitely there, but the lack of organization shows even more. Just think about the many different aspects of service that we take for granted or just look over.
The Praise Team:
This is definitely not something we look over. It is actually the most visible in my opinion. Look at the cool kids on the stage jamming out and singing praise songs to God! No. Honestly and hopefully, the praise team is not seeking attention for themselves. Instead, they should be doing a good job in leading everybody, including themselves, to worship the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. If anything be too musically awesome, they are effectively distracting the congregation from their purpose. If anything be too musically messy, they are effectively distracting the congregation from their purpose. But what most of us don’t see, whether or not it was musically awesome or messy, is the time they put in to preparing. Preparing includes the choice of songs, to the choice of instruments, to the actual rehearsing. They are worrying about it so we don’t have to worry about it! All we have to focus on is praising and worshiping God
The Congregational Prayer:
We forget that prayer is an essential part to our spiritual walks. Usually, at WCAC, people think that the congregation prayer is boring and lame. We zone out and tend to fall asleeeeeep… Oh sorry! Let me ask you this. Have you actually paid attention to what they’re saying? What they’re lifting up to God? Though there may be some things that are actually the same like health, jobs, our walks with God, every congregational prayer is different. If we prayed for the same exact thing every week… then everybody would be falling asleep. The world is an ever changing place. Like when disaster struck in Haiti, I remember the first Sunday after that, we lifted them up in our prayers. It is absolutely important that we come together as a congregation to pray because then together as a unified body, we are all before God with the same purpose. As one, we confess, we praise, we thank, and we intercede.
The Power Point, the Ushers, and the Sound Room:
These are the more unnoticed parts of worship. We forget that they are key to the flow of Sunday Service. No Power Point? Well, I guess the Praise team is singing alone. No Ushers? Well, I guess we don’t have friendly people in our church. No Sound room? Well, I guess we’re all going to have to pay close attention… or fall asleep because you can’t hear anything. See how important these people are when they serve God with a humble heart.
The Speaker:
Well, No matter how boring or how exciting the speaker is, they are there to help us understand and apply God’s Word. A church that does not produce fruit is a dead church. A church that does not follow God’s commands is a lost herd of sheep. Our speaker helps us grow in God’s Word and challenges us to live it out in our daily lives. Without them, I don’t know… We screwed.
See these aspects? All of them are equally important. People in our congregation use the gifts that God gives them. But they aren’t trying to outdo each other. Wouldn’t that be a sight? The praise team trying to worship God through song, while the speaker screaming at the top of his lungs to get us to understand God’s Word… All of this is happening while everybody is praying together. That sounds crazy! Good thing that doesn’t happen. God calls us to be orderly when we come together in worship, because it is important that we lift God up and we encourage each other in a peaceful fashion. Reflect upon how blessed we are to be able to worship God together in peace.
“For God is not a God of confusion but of peace.”
Thursday, March 25, 2010
POPULAR
This week, I would like to talk about the social image of teenagers, especially Christian teenagers. One of my friends, let’s call him Rick, goes to a church not far from WCAC. At school, he wears shirts proclaiming his faith and his church. He tells people that he goes to youth group, and that he does volunteer work for church too. Now, most of us often say, “Hey, that’s cool!” But one time, another friend turned to me and said, “Rick is Christian? Really?” See, Rick has a terrible vocabulary, his sentences littered with swears and racial slurs, and is pretty crazy at parties. He also lashes out at people and makes fun of those who can make targets for him. Unfortunately, this makes him pretty well-liked by some of the kids around Neuqua.
The inherent problem is that being Christian and living out Jesus does not grant us popularity in the high school pecking order. So the choice now is, will you pick Jesus, or your social image?
Here are some quotes on popularity:
Popularity is what men and women think of us; character is what God and angels know of us.
~Thomas Paine
Avoid popularity; it has many snares, and no real benefit.
~William Penn
Popularity is evanescent; applauded today, forgotten tomorrow.
~Edwin Forrest
Popular opinion is the greatest lie in the world.
~Thomas Carlyle
So ask God to make clear the distinction between favor on Earth and favor in Heaven. I hope that when the times come for you to make that choice, then you really have an internal battle to see what’s right.
The inherent problem is that being Christian and living out Jesus does not grant us popularity in the high school pecking order. So the choice now is, will you pick Jesus, or your social image?
Here are some quotes on popularity:
Popularity is what men and women think of us; character is what God and angels know of us.
~Thomas Paine
Avoid popularity; it has many snares, and no real benefit.
~William Penn
Popularity is evanescent; applauded today, forgotten tomorrow.
~Edwin Forrest
Popular opinion is the greatest lie in the world.
~Thomas Carlyle
So ask God to make clear the distinction between favor on Earth and favor in Heaven. I hope that when the times come for you to make that choice, then you really have an internal battle to see what’s right.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Universal Church
At the Urbana 2006 Missions Conference, Rev. Oscar Muriu gave the following paraphrase of 1 Corinthians 12:14-27. (Rev. Muriu is the Senior Pastor of Nairobi Chapel in Kenya, a church that has grown from 20 members in 1991 to over 3,000 members and has established 25 church plants.)
Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the American church should say, “Because I am not African, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. And if the Canadian church should say, “Because I am not Asian, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. If the whole body were European, where would the sense of joy be? If the whole body were African, where would the sense of order be? But in fact God has arranged the parts of the body, every one of them, just as He wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
The Canadian church cannot say to the Asian church, “I don’t need you.” The American church cannot say to the African church, “I don't need you.” On the contrary, the Asian parts that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the African parts that we think are less honorable should be treated with special honor. And the Latin American parts that seem unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while the presentable parts like the big, wealthy American church need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.
The brilliance of this paraphrase is that it emphasizes the interdependence of all the worldwide ethnic parts that constitute the body of Christ.
But, if we were to take this paraphrase and apply it to one local church, the meaning would be destroyed. The meaning would be changed into something like, “within this local church, we need each other in order to be a whole body of Christ.” That would not be true. It is not true that an ethnic church can say to all the other ethnic groups of the world, “I don’t need you. By myself, and within my own ethnic group, I am a self-contained and self-sufficient body of Christ.”
Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the American church should say, “Because I am not African, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. And if the Canadian church should say, “Because I am not Asian, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. If the whole body were European, where would the sense of joy be? If the whole body were African, where would the sense of order be? But in fact God has arranged the parts of the body, every one of them, just as He wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
The Canadian church cannot say to the Asian church, “I don’t need you.” The American church cannot say to the African church, “I don't need you.” On the contrary, the Asian parts that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the African parts that we think are less honorable should be treated with special honor. And the Latin American parts that seem unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while the presentable parts like the big, wealthy American church need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.
The brilliance of this paraphrase is that it emphasizes the interdependence of all the worldwide ethnic parts that constitute the body of Christ.
But, if we were to take this paraphrase and apply it to one local church, the meaning would be destroyed. The meaning would be changed into something like, “within this local church, we need each other in order to be a whole body of Christ.” That would not be true. It is not true that an ethnic church can say to all the other ethnic groups of the world, “I don’t need you. By myself, and within my own ethnic group, I am a self-contained and self-sufficient body of Christ.”
Monday, March 22, 2010
The Resurrection
There are some parts of God’s salvation plan that ought to just make us sit in awe of God’s amazing plan. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is one of those times. Just take some time to read 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 and reflect on God’s incredible grace and mercy, and the sheer incredibleness of what it meant for the Son of God to have victory over the sin and death.
Lets unpack this for just a moment. In 1 Cor 15:1-2 Paul describes the gospel in four ways. It was preached to you. You received it. You now stand in it. And you are being saved by it. Amazing! The good news of Jesus Christ has been preached to us. At some point or other, we heard the story of God’s love for us; think back to the first time you heard it. Not just a story going into one ear and out the other, but you allowed the truth of the good news to sink in. Do you remember that day? And then sometime after hearing the good news you received it. You accepted it as truth and reality. And this is what Paul is telling us, right now, this very moment, you are standing in that good news. It’d be easy for us to think that we by our own ability make ourselves stand for truth, but what Paul really means here is that it’s the Gospel that causes us to stand. To stand against sin, to stand in a depraved world for the truth of the Gospel, and to stand for Christ who went to the cross and died for us. That should be a relief, to have the full power of the good news of Jesus Christ bracing you in your weakness. And finally, Paul says that we are being saved by this good news. Paul doesn’t mean that we have to fear that our salvation is not at this moment secure, but rather, the salvation process which started at our acceptance by faith of God’s grace continues until Jesus comes again and we stand before the God of the universe. The reality is that the Gospel begins the salvation process when we were saved from the penalty of sin, continues to save us now from the power of sin, and finally will save us from the presence of sin.
So all this in that simple word. The Gospel. The Good news of Jesus Christ. The story of the birth, death, and resurrection of the Son of God. Paul in 1 Cor 15:3-11 reminds us of what that story was all about. Sometimes it seems that just vs. 3-5 are the good news, why does he include all the people that Jesus appeared to? Paul was verifying the absolute certainty and reality of what Jesus had done. With all these eye witnesses to His resurrection there could be no doubt that this story was the truth. And why did it matter that the early church was absolutely certain what they believed was the truth? Unlike us, they had to know it was the truth because for many of them, standing for the truth meant dying for the truth. Paul was telling them, this is what we are willing to die for, to tell the story of what Jesus has done. And it is absolutely worth dying for.
Read 1 Corinthians 15:1-11. There is some amazing truth in this passage. It is a reminder of the Gospel that we believe and hold fast to. The Gospel that is saving us and causing us to stand. Are we willing to give all of our lives for the sake of this good news?
Lets unpack this for just a moment. In 1 Cor 15:1-2 Paul describes the gospel in four ways. It was preached to you. You received it. You now stand in it. And you are being saved by it. Amazing! The good news of Jesus Christ has been preached to us. At some point or other, we heard the story of God’s love for us; think back to the first time you heard it. Not just a story going into one ear and out the other, but you allowed the truth of the good news to sink in. Do you remember that day? And then sometime after hearing the good news you received it. You accepted it as truth and reality. And this is what Paul is telling us, right now, this very moment, you are standing in that good news. It’d be easy for us to think that we by our own ability make ourselves stand for truth, but what Paul really means here is that it’s the Gospel that causes us to stand. To stand against sin, to stand in a depraved world for the truth of the Gospel, and to stand for Christ who went to the cross and died for us. That should be a relief, to have the full power of the good news of Jesus Christ bracing you in your weakness. And finally, Paul says that we are being saved by this good news. Paul doesn’t mean that we have to fear that our salvation is not at this moment secure, but rather, the salvation process which started at our acceptance by faith of God’s grace continues until Jesus comes again and we stand before the God of the universe. The reality is that the Gospel begins the salvation process when we were saved from the penalty of sin, continues to save us now from the power of sin, and finally will save us from the presence of sin.
So all this in that simple word. The Gospel. The Good news of Jesus Christ. The story of the birth, death, and resurrection of the Son of God. Paul in 1 Cor 15:3-11 reminds us of what that story was all about. Sometimes it seems that just vs. 3-5 are the good news, why does he include all the people that Jesus appeared to? Paul was verifying the absolute certainty and reality of what Jesus had done. With all these eye witnesses to His resurrection there could be no doubt that this story was the truth. And why did it matter that the early church was absolutely certain what they believed was the truth? Unlike us, they had to know it was the truth because for many of them, standing for the truth meant dying for the truth. Paul was telling them, this is what we are willing to die for, to tell the story of what Jesus has done. And it is absolutely worth dying for.
Read 1 Corinthians 15:1-11. There is some amazing truth in this passage. It is a reminder of the Gospel that we believe and hold fast to. The Gospel that is saving us and causing us to stand. Are we willing to give all of our lives for the sake of this good news?
Friday, March 19, 2010
Obedience
Adapted from Living for Jesus Beyond the Spiritual High
We all want to be ourselves. We do what we want, when we want. Well, no one is going to tell us what to do because we don’t want them to. We want to be in control.
You know what? Obedience is an essential part Christianity. Sort of like a foundation to a house. If you don’t build a strong foundation, the whole house will crumble and fall. Obedience is so important because we must submit and humble ourselves before Christ.
“Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me” John 14:21
Basically he says, “Hey! Here’s what I have in store for you and here are my commands. If you truly, truly love me, then you would follow my commands.” Well, we are not here to be legalistic. Which is, be all nit picky about things. But we should be following God’s commands because we love Him.
What does it look like, though? It means that you are letting God take the driving wheel. You seek to be holy and pleasing to God through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.
Whatever it may be, reflect upon how to be holy and pleasing to the Lord.
“Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account” Hebrews 13:17
This gives us an idea of who we are to obey. Let me list a few if you are completely clueless. People like your parents, teachers, your boss, the Po-Po, and God of course. But this doesn’t mean follow blindly. The ONLY time you shouldn’t obey somebody is IF they directly contradict God’s Word. Got it? (And also, contrary to popular belief, your parent’s telling you to do your homework does NOT contradict God’s Word.)
More importantly, we can learn from Christ’s obedience. For Jesus, obedience was laying down his life.
“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who being in the very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but he 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 2:5-8
As you see, obedience is very crucial. Some people say that once you accept Jesus into your life, you can just go on and do whatever you want. NO! That is just the beginning. You need to start living a transformed life!
“What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? … Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead… You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone” James 2:14, 17, 24
Start living out holy lives that are pleasing to God. Hey now, I know that we can’t be holy. But even though we are unholy, if the Holy Spirit dwells in us then we have His holiness living in us. Whether you believe it or not, when you choose to follow God’s Word or your parents, you show little pieces of His holiness in you. Cool, eh?
“It’s good to obey God because He tells us to, but it’s even better to obey Him because of who He is and because you love Him!” – Greg Speck
Friday: Pray for the Church (Big C)
Pray for God’s Guidance in the furthering the development of the universal Church
We all want to be ourselves. We do what we want, when we want. Well, no one is going to tell us what to do because we don’t want them to. We want to be in control.
You know what? Obedience is an essential part Christianity. Sort of like a foundation to a house. If you don’t build a strong foundation, the whole house will crumble and fall. Obedience is so important because we must submit and humble ourselves before Christ.
“Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me” John 14:21
Basically he says, “Hey! Here’s what I have in store for you and here are my commands. If you truly, truly love me, then you would follow my commands.” Well, we are not here to be legalistic. Which is, be all nit picky about things. But we should be following God’s commands because we love Him.
What does it look like, though? It means that you are letting God take the driving wheel. You seek to be holy and pleasing to God through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.
Whatever it may be, reflect upon how to be holy and pleasing to the Lord.
“Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account” Hebrews 13:17
This gives us an idea of who we are to obey. Let me list a few if you are completely clueless. People like your parents, teachers, your boss, the Po-Po, and God of course. But this doesn’t mean follow blindly. The ONLY time you shouldn’t obey somebody is IF they directly contradict God’s Word. Got it? (And also, contrary to popular belief, your parent’s telling you to do your homework does NOT contradict God’s Word.)
More importantly, we can learn from Christ’s obedience. For Jesus, obedience was laying down his life.
“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who being in the very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but he 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 2:5-8
As you see, obedience is very crucial. Some people say that once you accept Jesus into your life, you can just go on and do whatever you want. NO! That is just the beginning. You need to start living a transformed life!
“What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? … Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead… You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone” James 2:14, 17, 24
Start living out holy lives that are pleasing to God. Hey now, I know that we can’t be holy. But even though we are unholy, if the Holy Spirit dwells in us then we have His holiness living in us. Whether you believe it or not, when you choose to follow God’s Word or your parents, you show little pieces of His holiness in you. Cool, eh?
“It’s good to obey God because He tells us to, but it’s even better to obey Him because of who He is and because you love Him!” – Greg Speck
Friday: Pray for the Church (Big C)
Pray for God’s Guidance in the furthering the development of the universal Church
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Spirit Powah!
Have you ever tried to say something but it came out in a different language, and then someone says, “Hey, I didn’t know you spoke Swahili”? Have you ever gone into a daze and saw something that would actually come true a few years later? Well, if you said yes to the first one, you may have the gift of tongues. If you said yes to the second one, then you may have the gift of prophecy. If you said yes to both, then God may have some great things in store for you. So then, what do the gifts mean for us? Well, it’s more of a commentary on our individual skills in building community. But I’m getting ahead of myself; let’s start by reading the passage on the gifts!
Read 1 Corinthians 14:1-25
Right now you’re probably thinking that all this is cool, but that it may not have much application with us. Well, I think that this passage extends to more than just the utilization of the gifts of the spirit, but how we use our skills too. Think about your gifts; are you good at music? Are you really good at talking? Are you friendly? Well, then these gifts should be used to bring the good news to everyone! This passage tells us that they should be used wisely, that at times it is more beneficial to have a certain skill more than another one. Therefore, a church should have a balance of gifts, as to bring the most people to God!
What do you feel are your gifts that God has given you?
Now, reflect on these gifts, and think of ways that you may use them.
Devotional Prayer
Dear God, I want to thank you for the gifts that you have given me, and I pray that you may use me to contribute to your kingdom. Give me the courage to use these gifts, and light in me the desire to use them. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Thursday: Pray for the church (small c)
Pray for the divisions among our church: Whether it’s within individual congregations or the church as a whole
Read 1 Corinthians 14:1-25
Right now you’re probably thinking that all this is cool, but that it may not have much application with us. Well, I think that this passage extends to more than just the utilization of the gifts of the spirit, but how we use our skills too. Think about your gifts; are you good at music? Are you really good at talking? Are you friendly? Well, then these gifts should be used to bring the good news to everyone! This passage tells us that they should be used wisely, that at times it is more beneficial to have a certain skill more than another one. Therefore, a church should have a balance of gifts, as to bring the most people to God!
What do you feel are your gifts that God has given you?
Now, reflect on these gifts, and think of ways that you may use them.
Devotional Prayer
Dear God, I want to thank you for the gifts that you have given me, and I pray that you may use me to contribute to your kingdom. Give me the courage to use these gifts, and light in me the desire to use them. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Thursday: Pray for the church (small c)
Pray for the divisions among our church: Whether it’s within individual congregations or the church as a whole
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
True Love
Read: 1 Corinthians 13
As I said in last week’s devo, love has confused by the media. That’s why we discourage you from dating, because many of you don’t have the correct view of love. What you see on TV and chick flicks may be oh-so sweet, but don’t deceive yourselves. Stanley Hauerwas once said about love, “How do I know that my wife and I love each other? Because for 40 years, through what we’ve been through, we’re still committed to each other.” Oh, be still, my beating heart! That, my friends, is true love. But St. Paul wrote a soaring tribute to love in 1 Corinthians 13 that, if you read it well, would drive you to tears! Go ahead - read it out loud, and let your spirit soar!
Love is patient. Love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast. It is not proud, it is not rude. It is not self-seeking. It is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
True love is an unflagging commitment to the well-being of others, no matter what happens. Some of you know the Ted Haggard scandal. Haggard is one of the most prominent evangelical pastors in the world, but was caught having sex with another man. But the hero of this entire thing was his wife, who after much prayer, decided to stay with Ted, and heal their marriage.
But Paul goes on. Love never fails. Where there are prophecies they will cease, because true love stays intact, no matter what happens in the future. Where there are tongues, they will be stilled, because true love cannot be described. Where there is knowledge, it will pass away because true love is incomprehensible. But ultimately, true love unites. It reconciles. It lifts everyone up.
So beautiful is love, only God defines it! And he defined it on the Cross to ransom souls from sin. So much did God love us, that He sent His Son to die on the cross for our sins, for God did not seek to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. What a fellowship, what a joy, divine!
The media tells you that dating is a beautiful thing because you discover your “true love”. Hah! What a joke, because that’s absolute dung, because true love is selfless. True love motivates someone to look at a half-dead bony 2-year old dying of hunger in the streets of Calcutta, and say, “I will do something about it!”
At a church I went to many, many years ago, there was a single woman who adopted two children: Shang-wen, who was severely-retarded, and one with heart trouble. She could’ve adopted two healthy kids, but no - she choose to adopt Shang-wen and his brother. I know Shang-wen, because we all loved Shang-wen, but we couldn’t come close to his mom. Indeed, his mom understood true love.
Imagine a place where everyone cares for each other, lifts each other up, goes head over heels just for each other! Imagine a place where the retarded, the half-dead, the poor, the sick, the deaf, the blind, the Blacks, the Latinos, can all be fed and loved. That’s what the Church is supposed to be!
But I must be honest with you, I’ve not met a church that truly loves. Oh yes, there are people in the churches who truly love, but a few people out of many don’t make up a church. Is there any surprise, then, that so many Christians are finding love in all the wrong places? If they can’t find love in the Church, where else, pray tell, are they supposed to find it?
So let’s be brutally honest with ourselves right now. Are we true lovers? Is WCAC a church that truly loves? Pray about it.
Wednesday: Pray for friends
Pray for your friend’s busy-ness and that they will look to God for strength
As I said in last week’s devo, love has confused by the media. That’s why we discourage you from dating, because many of you don’t have the correct view of love. What you see on TV and chick flicks may be oh-so sweet, but don’t deceive yourselves. Stanley Hauerwas once said about love, “How do I know that my wife and I love each other? Because for 40 years, through what we’ve been through, we’re still committed to each other.” Oh, be still, my beating heart! That, my friends, is true love. But St. Paul wrote a soaring tribute to love in 1 Corinthians 13 that, if you read it well, would drive you to tears! Go ahead - read it out loud, and let your spirit soar!
Love is patient. Love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast. It is not proud, it is not rude. It is not self-seeking. It is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
True love is an unflagging commitment to the well-being of others, no matter what happens. Some of you know the Ted Haggard scandal. Haggard is one of the most prominent evangelical pastors in the world, but was caught having sex with another man. But the hero of this entire thing was his wife, who after much prayer, decided to stay with Ted, and heal their marriage.
But Paul goes on. Love never fails. Where there are prophecies they will cease, because true love stays intact, no matter what happens in the future. Where there are tongues, they will be stilled, because true love cannot be described. Where there is knowledge, it will pass away because true love is incomprehensible. But ultimately, true love unites. It reconciles. It lifts everyone up.
So beautiful is love, only God defines it! And he defined it on the Cross to ransom souls from sin. So much did God love us, that He sent His Son to die on the cross for our sins, for God did not seek to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. What a fellowship, what a joy, divine!
The media tells you that dating is a beautiful thing because you discover your “true love”. Hah! What a joke, because that’s absolute dung, because true love is selfless. True love motivates someone to look at a half-dead bony 2-year old dying of hunger in the streets of Calcutta, and say, “I will do something about it!”
At a church I went to many, many years ago, there was a single woman who adopted two children: Shang-wen, who was severely-retarded, and one with heart trouble. She could’ve adopted two healthy kids, but no - she choose to adopt Shang-wen and his brother. I know Shang-wen, because we all loved Shang-wen, but we couldn’t come close to his mom. Indeed, his mom understood true love.
Imagine a place where everyone cares for each other, lifts each other up, goes head over heels just for each other! Imagine a place where the retarded, the half-dead, the poor, the sick, the deaf, the blind, the Blacks, the Latinos, can all be fed and loved. That’s what the Church is supposed to be!
But I must be honest with you, I’ve not met a church that truly loves. Oh yes, there are people in the churches who truly love, but a few people out of many don’t make up a church. Is there any surprise, then, that so many Christians are finding love in all the wrong places? If they can’t find love in the Church, where else, pray tell, are they supposed to find it?
So let’s be brutally honest with ourselves right now. Are we true lovers? Is WCAC a church that truly loves? Pray about it.
Wednesday: Pray for friends
Pray for your friend’s busy-ness and that they will look to God for strength
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Jesus is for Reals so Your Life is for Reals
This passage is one of the more confusing texts in the New Testament. It has some things that seems straight forward and other things that you just wonder what was going on in Apostle Paul’s head. So in order to understand this text remember to always go back to the context of the letter and who he was writing to. Also think about the things Paul was trying to share with the church in Corinthian. There was a lot of disunity and also teaching that was trying to take them away from Christ and His power and meaning. So some were being influenced with the thought that they were living for nothing because there is no “resurrection of the dead” meaning Christ did truly come back to life in human form and thus can’t give us full life. So read it, I will give you some info from the NIV Application commentary, and then we will apply it to our own lives.
Read 1 Corinthians 15:12-34
The main point of verses 12-19 is that if there is no coming bodily resurrection of all Christians, then Jesus himself was not bodily raised, and that makes Christianity futile. Paul continuously repeats this thought from several different angles in these verses. Christ has been raised bodily and has thus set into motion an inexorable chain of events that will culminate in the universal demonstration of the absolute sovereignty of God. Paul points out the parallel between Adam’s sin leading to the sinfulness of all humanity (cf. Rom. 5:12–21) and Christ’s resurrection leading to the resurrection of all his followers (vv. 21–22). Because Adam represented the entire human race that would descend from him, sin spread throughout the whole world. Because Christ, as fully human, represented the entire human race in bearing its sins, he is able to apply the benefits of his death and resurrection to all who will accept them.
But the general resurrection of believers at the time of Christ’s return is just the beginning (v. 23). Verses 24–28 go on to explain what will subsequently occur. After some unspecified interval of time, “the end” or goal of human history will arrive. By this time, Christ will have destroyed all opposition to his reign in the universe—both human and angelic.
This passage then moves to Paul explaining that we aren’t living this race out in vain. All the things that he has been doing and sharing passionately with people is not for nothing. And then he gives a very important verse to us – Vs 33 (memorize it) – Do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character." Right before this verse he talks about people in the world living in a way that says let’s eat and drink for tomorrow we die. It is this notion to just live for all your fleshly desires now and enjoy life all you can because you don’t know what tomorrow will bring. I’ve actually hear this advice a lot in from the secular world and shockingly I have heard a few times from people in the church. Just enjoy life to the fullest, whatever your heart wants and live in the moment now. This doesn’t give us the proper perspective of loving God, worshipping Him and living righteous holy lives. Am I saying that living a life with God does give us the ability to enjoy life? ABSOLUTELY NOT (my little Paulism)! That is the true enjoyment when we are living for God. But the world wants to change our understand of what is meaningful and what is joyful in this life. That is where Paul says bad company corrupts good character. This is so important for us as we want to hang out and be a witness for our friends. But we have to come to a point to make sure we are a better influence on them then they are a bad influence on you. Reflect on that and pray about it.
Tuesday: Pray for your family
Pray that God will provide for your family’s daily needs
Read 1 Corinthians 15:12-34
The main point of verses 12-19 is that if there is no coming bodily resurrection of all Christians, then Jesus himself was not bodily raised, and that makes Christianity futile. Paul continuously repeats this thought from several different angles in these verses. Christ has been raised bodily and has thus set into motion an inexorable chain of events that will culminate in the universal demonstration of the absolute sovereignty of God. Paul points out the parallel between Adam’s sin leading to the sinfulness of all humanity (cf. Rom. 5:12–21) and Christ’s resurrection leading to the resurrection of all his followers (vv. 21–22). Because Adam represented the entire human race that would descend from him, sin spread throughout the whole world. Because Christ, as fully human, represented the entire human race in bearing its sins, he is able to apply the benefits of his death and resurrection to all who will accept them.
But the general resurrection of believers at the time of Christ’s return is just the beginning (v. 23). Verses 24–28 go on to explain what will subsequently occur. After some unspecified interval of time, “the end” or goal of human history will arrive. By this time, Christ will have destroyed all opposition to his reign in the universe—both human and angelic.
This passage then moves to Paul explaining that we aren’t living this race out in vain. All the things that he has been doing and sharing passionately with people is not for nothing. And then he gives a very important verse to us – Vs 33 (memorize it) – Do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character." Right before this verse he talks about people in the world living in a way that says let’s eat and drink for tomorrow we die. It is this notion to just live for all your fleshly desires now and enjoy life all you can because you don’t know what tomorrow will bring. I’ve actually hear this advice a lot in from the secular world and shockingly I have heard a few times from people in the church. Just enjoy life to the fullest, whatever your heart wants and live in the moment now. This doesn’t give us the proper perspective of loving God, worshipping Him and living righteous holy lives. Am I saying that living a life with God does give us the ability to enjoy life? ABSOLUTELY NOT (my little Paulism)! That is the true enjoyment when we are living for God. But the world wants to change our understand of what is meaningful and what is joyful in this life. That is where Paul says bad company corrupts good character. This is so important for us as we want to hang out and be a witness for our friends. But we have to come to a point to make sure we are a better influence on them then they are a bad influence on you. Reflect on that and pray about it.
Tuesday: Pray for your family
Pray that God will provide for your family’s daily needs
Monday, March 15, 2010
The Lord’s Supper
As we continue to read through 1 Corinthians we arrive at the passage that is most often read during Communion on Sunday mornings. Here Paul reiterates the instructions and reasoning concerning the Lord’s supper. In all probability, the Lord’s supper in the early church looked very different than what communion in most evangelical churches today looks like. Instead of a tiny cup of juice and one bite wafer, the Lord’s supper was probably exactly that, a meal. The actual breaking of bread together. But that’s what was causing problems in the church in Corinth.
Read 1 Corinthians 11:17-34
What was the problem? The church in Corinth was a church divided. This has been clear since the beginning of the letter, and apparently the division had spilled over into communion. 1 Cor 11:21 sums up the major issue. “For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk” Here was the problem, in bringing food to church to have a meal together and to remember Jesus’ death on the cross for them, those with food were eating their meals without those who didn’t have food. Instead of sharing the meal together, those who had were filling themselves while those who had nothing were going hungry. In the early church (a church without walls) it would have been common for their to be people from the middle/upper class just as there were people from the lower classes of society. Slaves, the poor, widows, orphans, the people that Jesus commanded us to care for. Those who had food had no desire to give to those who didn’t, to sacrifice of themselves for the good of others. What a slap in the face to the whole idea of the Lord’s supper, where we REMEMBER the atoning sacrifice that Jesus made for us. 1 Cor 11:26, “for as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” What Paul was telling the church in Corinth was that what they called “the Lord’s supper” was really a false imitation of the real thing because of their behavior.
Now it would be easy to just look at this under the lens of communion, to make sure our hearts are right when we go before the Lord’s table on the first Sunday of every month. [Side note: Communion is a privilege for Christians, but it is not reserved only for those who are baptized. This is a privilege for anyone that has put their faith and trust in the saving work of Jesus on the Cross, and is a time for us to remember the sacrifice he’s made for us.] But what about other areas of our walks with the Lord? Are we doing what the church in Corinth was doing in other aspects? They came to the Lord’s table thinking they were doing the right thing, but their hearts and attitudes and motivations were centered on themselves. Have we done the same? Maybe in worship? We come thinking the singing and music is glorifying to God, but we do it to promote ourselves. Or what about service projects? Do we go in order to show love to others? Or do we feel this is just another task to put on our spiritual resumes? I’m not saying don’t worship or don’t do service projects. What I would encourage all of us to do is go before God and ask him to help us examine our hearts so that everything that we do is for the purpose of bringing Him glory and showing the world that He is real and at work in you.
Monday: Pray for your relationship with God
Ask God to show you what he is calling for you to do.
Read 1 Corinthians 11:17-34
What was the problem? The church in Corinth was a church divided. This has been clear since the beginning of the letter, and apparently the division had spilled over into communion. 1 Cor 11:21 sums up the major issue. “For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk” Here was the problem, in bringing food to church to have a meal together and to remember Jesus’ death on the cross for them, those with food were eating their meals without those who didn’t have food. Instead of sharing the meal together, those who had were filling themselves while those who had nothing were going hungry. In the early church (a church without walls) it would have been common for their to be people from the middle/upper class just as there were people from the lower classes of society. Slaves, the poor, widows, orphans, the people that Jesus commanded us to care for. Those who had food had no desire to give to those who didn’t, to sacrifice of themselves for the good of others. What a slap in the face to the whole idea of the Lord’s supper, where we REMEMBER the atoning sacrifice that Jesus made for us. 1 Cor 11:26, “for as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” What Paul was telling the church in Corinth was that what they called “the Lord’s supper” was really a false imitation of the real thing because of their behavior.
Now it would be easy to just look at this under the lens of communion, to make sure our hearts are right when we go before the Lord’s table on the first Sunday of every month. [Side note: Communion is a privilege for Christians, but it is not reserved only for those who are baptized. This is a privilege for anyone that has put their faith and trust in the saving work of Jesus on the Cross, and is a time for us to remember the sacrifice he’s made for us.] But what about other areas of our walks with the Lord? Are we doing what the church in Corinth was doing in other aspects? They came to the Lord’s table thinking they were doing the right thing, but their hearts and attitudes and motivations were centered on themselves. Have we done the same? Maybe in worship? We come thinking the singing and music is glorifying to God, but we do it to promote ourselves. Or what about service projects? Do we go in order to show love to others? Or do we feel this is just another task to put on our spiritual resumes? I’m not saying don’t worship or don’t do service projects. What I would encourage all of us to do is go before God and ask him to help us examine our hearts so that everything that we do is for the purpose of bringing Him glory and showing the world that He is real and at work in you.
Monday: Pray for your relationship with God
Ask God to show you what he is calling for you to do.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Respect for God
Read 1 Corinthians 11:1-16
Alright, so this passage is pretty hard to understand. What’s all this about head coverings and worshipping God? And why is it so dishonoring to God? Well, honestly I wish I could give a good answer but I can’t. Well... let’s think about the way we dress and honoring God as today’s parallel to head coverings.
Many of us use clothes to express ourselves. It shows what kind of person we are, our personality, and our level of comfort. I know that on Sundays I don’t always dress up. In fact if I don’t dress up, I dress down. Sweat pants, Hoodie, clean shoes. That’s also what I wear to school. What’s the big deal?
Recently I was reading up on Moody’s dress code. The only thing I saw that pertained to me was NO SWEATPANTS in the classroom setting. Now I’m going like WHAAAT!? The most comfortable pants on earth other than PJs can’t be worn in class!? OK I know I’m freaking out, but I figured there was reason behind all this madness. As you know, Moody prepares people for ministry. And thus, there must be a respect for God. Our dress should reflect that.
I know that we should “come as we are” when going into the presence of God because he accepts who we are and all our weaknesses. But we must recognize the holiness and sovereignty of God. On top of that, our respect for God turns into respect for our brothers and sisters. The things we wear should not be too revealing, too trashy, or too flashy because it then distracts our brothers and sisters from worshipping God.
Also keep in mind 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.
This is a practical way of living that should not only be on Sunday mornings, but also throughout the week.
Note:
Guys, KEEP YA PANTS UP!
Girls, respect yourselves as well as your brothers in Christ by not being a stumbling block.
Friday: Pray for the Church (Big C)
Pray that we are constantly reminded of what we are to be like as the children of God. A Holy, Generous, Spirit-filled, Strong, and Humble people!
Alright, so this passage is pretty hard to understand. What’s all this about head coverings and worshipping God? And why is it so dishonoring to God? Well, honestly I wish I could give a good answer but I can’t. Well... let’s think about the way we dress and honoring God as today’s parallel to head coverings.
Many of us use clothes to express ourselves. It shows what kind of person we are, our personality, and our level of comfort. I know that on Sundays I don’t always dress up. In fact if I don’t dress up, I dress down. Sweat pants, Hoodie, clean shoes. That’s also what I wear to school. What’s the big deal?
Recently I was reading up on Moody’s dress code. The only thing I saw that pertained to me was NO SWEATPANTS in the classroom setting. Now I’m going like WHAAAT!? The most comfortable pants on earth other than PJs can’t be worn in class!? OK I know I’m freaking out, but I figured there was reason behind all this madness. As you know, Moody prepares people for ministry. And thus, there must be a respect for God. Our dress should reflect that.
I know that we should “come as we are” when going into the presence of God because he accepts who we are and all our weaknesses. But we must recognize the holiness and sovereignty of God. On top of that, our respect for God turns into respect for our brothers and sisters. The things we wear should not be too revealing, too trashy, or too flashy because it then distracts our brothers and sisters from worshipping God.
Also keep in mind 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.
This is a practical way of living that should not only be on Sunday mornings, but also throughout the week.
Note:
Guys, KEEP YA PANTS UP!
Girls, respect yourselves as well as your brothers in Christ by not being a stumbling block.
Friday: Pray for the Church (Big C)
Pray that we are constantly reminded of what we are to be like as the children of God. A Holy, Generous, Spirit-filled, Strong, and Humble people!
Thursday, March 11, 2010
I’m Free, Baby!
Don is the son of my mom’s coworker. He was very motivated and determined during his younger years. He studied hard in high school and got into Computer Science at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, commonly called MIT, on a full scholarship. He was going down the track to a successful career, and seemed to have his life set in place. When Don got to MIT, he was surprised by the freedom and life that was available there; some of those MIT kids knew how to party (MIT is one of the Top 40 Party Schools in the US). Don started to live the fun life: going to parties, playing DotA until morning, romping around downtown Boston, doing whatever he wanted. His college life could have been the music video for the Black Eyed Pea’s “I Gotta Feeling”. Needless to say, Don’s grades dropped like a radioactive potato, to the point where by 2nd semester sophomore year, Don lost his full scholarship and was kicked out of MIT. Also, Don is not allowed to apply to any state universities in Massachusetts. He is black-listed in Massachusetts, and unfortunately that appears on his record too. Don now goes to a community college in Boston, and is set on rebuilding his life. But he’s three semesters too late.
1 Corinthians 10:23-33
The Believer's Freedom
23"Everything is permissible"—but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible"—but not everything is constructive.
Being human is like being a college kid. We have the opportunity to do whatever we want. The blood of Jesus has indeed given us a license to be free, but that freedom does not mean we can abuse it. Think about it this way: if Jesus died on that cross so we could be saved and be free, then what would we be doing if we just turned around and did whatever we wanted? That’s like Don abusing the scholarship and life that was given to him. It’s a slap in the face of the institution, and us taking our freedom for granted is essentially a slap in the face to the sacrifice Jesus made. What freedom do we have then? We have the freedom to talk about God to our friends whenever the chance arises, we have the freedom to rebuke a brother/sister in Christ, we have the freedom to say no to that house-party, to walk away from gossip, to help that woman with her groceries, to talk to the odd kid in the cafeteria, to forgive the bullies on the basketball team. We, who were once slaves to sin and now freed by Jesus, have the freedom to love. We have the freedom to overflow Jesus.
Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father,
I want to thank you for the freedom you have given me through your son Jesus. I pray that you protect my heart, so that I do not take this freedom for granted. Please, Lord, start in me the fire to take my freedom and use it to glorify You. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Thursday: Pray for the church (small c)
Pray for our church’s expansion project; that God will provide and lead us as we move forward.
1 Corinthians 10:23-33
The Believer's Freedom
23"Everything is permissible"—but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible"—but not everything is constructive.
Being human is like being a college kid. We have the opportunity to do whatever we want. The blood of Jesus has indeed given us a license to be free, but that freedom does not mean we can abuse it. Think about it this way: if Jesus died on that cross so we could be saved and be free, then what would we be doing if we just turned around and did whatever we wanted? That’s like Don abusing the scholarship and life that was given to him. It’s a slap in the face of the institution, and us taking our freedom for granted is essentially a slap in the face to the sacrifice Jesus made. What freedom do we have then? We have the freedom to talk about God to our friends whenever the chance arises, we have the freedom to rebuke a brother/sister in Christ, we have the freedom to say no to that house-party, to walk away from gossip, to help that woman with her groceries, to talk to the odd kid in the cafeteria, to forgive the bullies on the basketball team. We, who were once slaves to sin and now freed by Jesus, have the freedom to love. We have the freedom to overflow Jesus.
Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father,
I want to thank you for the freedom you have given me through your son Jesus. I pray that you protect my heart, so that I do not take this freedom for granted. Please, Lord, start in me the fire to take my freedom and use it to glorify You. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Thursday: Pray for the church (small c)
Pray for our church’s expansion project; that God will provide and lead us as we move forward.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
I’ll Flee Away, O glory, I’ll Flee Away!
Read: 1 Corinthians 10: 14-22
We all go to a Chinese church, so you know as well as I do that meals are a big deal. After youth group we’d go to McDonald’s, have a bite to eat. Not that we needed to have a bite to eat, but it is a symbol of our friendship, our association, and more importantly, our brotherly and sisterly statuses as members of the Church. For some random kid to just sit next to us would be quite awkward.
One of the most powerful symbols in Christianity is the communion table. At WCAC, the communion table says, “This do in remembrance of me”, and it is true that communion is a time of remembering what Christ did on the cross. But it is also a symbol of unity. In the earliest days of Christianity, because churches were largely in the large cities, the municipal bishop (or senior pastor, if you will) would bless many loaves of bread and quite a bit of wine. Then messengers would then take most of the bread and wine to all the other churches in the city. The idea was powerful, because even though we are many churches, by eating from the same bread and wine, we affirm our oneness.
We have to remember that Corinth was like Las Vegas at the time. There were even signposts at the time directing interested men to local prostitution dens, in case they were wondering. Thus, Paul makes it a big deal to maintain the church’s holiness and purity. So big a deal it is that he says (vs. 21) that you can’t “drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too.” For someone to not even care about holiness or purity is like consorting with the devil himself!
A few weeks ago you guys had a “Dating Seminar”, and it’s important because the world has its definition of dating. The world says that dating is like love. What’s love? This oogly-gushy nice feeling you get when boy meets girl. And this is the type of love that is continually perpetrated by companies like Disney. Thus, we need to remember not to be a part of this shallow love!
My most memorable days at WCAC were spent with the junior highers, because they have many surprises. One in particular sticks out. I think it was during a praise night that we held outside. In the middle of it, Rev. Ben told everyone that if they need someone to pray for them for anything, go to a counselor, or whatever. Now, in my experience, nobody ever came up to me to ask for prayer, so I was going to head to the kitchen to grab a cup of water.
But unexpectedly a junior higher pulled me aside. “I’m dating someone,” the junior higher told me, “and I’m wondering if you can pray about the fact that I don’t think it’s the right thing to do now.” The prayer request almost blew me away! This person understood what Paul was getting at. We need to distinguish between what is good and not. Whatever is not good we should avoid! If I remember correctly, this was the only personal request the junior higher ever gave me. For the rest of the time I was at WCAC, the requests were all about others, friends, siblings, etc.
So, maybe some of you need to flee away from something that’s bad, but you’re having trouble letting it go. Those of you signed up with a prayer partner, maybe share with your prayer partner that thing which you need to flee away from. Spend some time praying honestly about it.
We all go to a Chinese church, so you know as well as I do that meals are a big deal. After youth group we’d go to McDonald’s, have a bite to eat. Not that we needed to have a bite to eat, but it is a symbol of our friendship, our association, and more importantly, our brotherly and sisterly statuses as members of the Church. For some random kid to just sit next to us would be quite awkward.
One of the most powerful symbols in Christianity is the communion table. At WCAC, the communion table says, “This do in remembrance of me”, and it is true that communion is a time of remembering what Christ did on the cross. But it is also a symbol of unity. In the earliest days of Christianity, because churches were largely in the large cities, the municipal bishop (or senior pastor, if you will) would bless many loaves of bread and quite a bit of wine. Then messengers would then take most of the bread and wine to all the other churches in the city. The idea was powerful, because even though we are many churches, by eating from the same bread and wine, we affirm our oneness.
We have to remember that Corinth was like Las Vegas at the time. There were even signposts at the time directing interested men to local prostitution dens, in case they were wondering. Thus, Paul makes it a big deal to maintain the church’s holiness and purity. So big a deal it is that he says (vs. 21) that you can’t “drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too.” For someone to not even care about holiness or purity is like consorting with the devil himself!
A few weeks ago you guys had a “Dating Seminar”, and it’s important because the world has its definition of dating. The world says that dating is like love. What’s love? This oogly-gushy nice feeling you get when boy meets girl. And this is the type of love that is continually perpetrated by companies like Disney. Thus, we need to remember not to be a part of this shallow love!
My most memorable days at WCAC were spent with the junior highers, because they have many surprises. One in particular sticks out. I think it was during a praise night that we held outside. In the middle of it, Rev. Ben told everyone that if they need someone to pray for them for anything, go to a counselor, or whatever. Now, in my experience, nobody ever came up to me to ask for prayer, so I was going to head to the kitchen to grab a cup of water.
But unexpectedly a junior higher pulled me aside. “I’m dating someone,” the junior higher told me, “and I’m wondering if you can pray about the fact that I don’t think it’s the right thing to do now.” The prayer request almost blew me away! This person understood what Paul was getting at. We need to distinguish between what is good and not. Whatever is not good we should avoid! If I remember correctly, this was the only personal request the junior higher ever gave me. For the rest of the time I was at WCAC, the requests were all about others, friends, siblings, etc.
So, maybe some of you need to flee away from something that’s bad, but you’re having trouble letting it go. Those of you signed up with a prayer partner, maybe share with your prayer partner that thing which you need to flee away from. Spend some time praying honestly about it.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
God would like you to Know Your History
It has been really interesting seeing Christian groups get together and do ice-breakers which involve Bible Trivia. What has been so alarming is the inability for people to answer things about the Bible. I mean how are we to know how to live according to God’s Word and desires, if we don’t know His Word and His Desires. Given Trivia about small things in the Old Testament might seem irrelevant but we will see in today’s text, that a knowledge and understanding of the Old Testament are crucial to understand this passage in the New Testament. So let’s dig in
Read 1 Corinthians 10:1-13
From the first verse, Paul is reminding the believers of their history with their ancestors and understanding the cloud and passing through the sea. So what does that mean? These both come from Exodus, chapter 13 and 14 respectively. After Israel departed from Egypt, God led them with a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night (read Exodus 13 for more). He then parted the waters of the Red Sea, enabling the people to walk across on dry ground. Both of these events were given to them to remind them of God’s presence with them. As the Israelites were wandering, they also were given manna and water to drink which both were given supernaturally from God. However, none of these miracles guaranteed that the children of Israel would reach the Promised Land. Disobedience caused people to forfeit this promise and die in the wilderness.
Read verse 6 again. These things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. Paul again tells some more things for them to remember from Israel’s history. We see the worship of idols Exodus 32:6, the giving over to sexual immorality where many died Num 25:1-9 and the encounter with snakes Num 21:5-9. Each was a story of Israel’s disobedience before God and where the people turned to evil things. It was so sad because God was with them and His Presence was there but they turned from Him. We do this very often ourselves. We need to remember God’s Presence in our lives. He has given us Jesus Christ as the sacrifice for us to be reconciled back to God. He then gives us the Holy Spirit to dwell in us to again know God’s Presence and experience more of Him. Therefore, God wants us to remember our history to continue to set our hearts on the right things which is God and His promises. We have to be aware of all the ways we can turn from God because of the evilness in our heart. Our stories are different than the ones we can read in Israel’s history but we can recall all the ways we have turned or seen others be disobedient, and see them as warnings against turning from the Presence of God.
Take some time to reflect on how you have seen God’s Presence in your life. Now see the things and ways that are tempting you to set your heart on evil things. Take some time to pray that God will give you strength to keep from setting your heart on those things.
Tuesday: Pray for your family
Pray for one member of your family that is going through a time of trial.
Read 1 Corinthians 10:1-13
From the first verse, Paul is reminding the believers of their history with their ancestors and understanding the cloud and passing through the sea. So what does that mean? These both come from Exodus, chapter 13 and 14 respectively. After Israel departed from Egypt, God led them with a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night (read Exodus 13 for more). He then parted the waters of the Red Sea, enabling the people to walk across on dry ground. Both of these events were given to them to remind them of God’s presence with them. As the Israelites were wandering, they also were given manna and water to drink which both were given supernaturally from God. However, none of these miracles guaranteed that the children of Israel would reach the Promised Land. Disobedience caused people to forfeit this promise and die in the wilderness.
Read verse 6 again. These things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. Paul again tells some more things for them to remember from Israel’s history. We see the worship of idols Exodus 32:6, the giving over to sexual immorality where many died Num 25:1-9 and the encounter with snakes Num 21:5-9. Each was a story of Israel’s disobedience before God and where the people turned to evil things. It was so sad because God was with them and His Presence was there but they turned from Him. We do this very often ourselves. We need to remember God’s Presence in our lives. He has given us Jesus Christ as the sacrifice for us to be reconciled back to God. He then gives us the Holy Spirit to dwell in us to again know God’s Presence and experience more of Him. Therefore, God wants us to remember our history to continue to set our hearts on the right things which is God and His promises. We have to be aware of all the ways we can turn from God because of the evilness in our heart. Our stories are different than the ones we can read in Israel’s history but we can recall all the ways we have turned or seen others be disobedient, and see them as warnings against turning from the Presence of God.
Take some time to reflect on how you have seen God’s Presence in your life. Now see the things and ways that are tempting you to set your heart on evil things. Take some time to pray that God will give you strength to keep from setting your heart on those things.
Tuesday: Pray for your family
Pray for one member of your family that is going through a time of trial.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Surrender Your Rights
Today’s devotional covers quite a bit of ground in Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth. Paul begins the passage by addressing the issue of caring for those who are preaching and teaching in the church. Apparently, either the church in Corinth wasn’t willing to provide and care for Paul or some in the church were questioning why Paul deserved to be provided for. In either case, Paul reminds the church that God calls his people, both in Israel and in the church to care for the needs of the Pastors/Missionaries among them. Read 1 Corinthians 9:1-14.
But here is where things begin to get interesting. While Paul is adamant that the church has the responsibility to care for it’s shepherds, Paul also acknowledges that he personally has given up that right to financial support for the sake of the gospel of Christ. See for Paul, the priority of preaching the good news was so high for him that he wanted absolutely nothing to prevent from speaking the truth. Read 1 Corinthians 9:15-18.
Paul not only gave of his own rights, but he became like those who he was ministering to in order to bring the Gospel to them in their context. Read 1 Corinthians 9:19-23. However, despite all that Paul was willing to become to share the truth of the Gospel, the message in itself did not change. Nor did Paul ever compromise in areas of his life that would have put him outside the law of God. Paul summed up his view on ministry in 1 Cor 9:22,
I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some.
Finally, Paul talks about his own ministry as an apostle and how he is able to do the things required of him in preaching the Gospel. Read 1 Corinthians 9:24-27. In order to fully surrender his rights, Paul had to discipline himself. He knew that disciplining himself would allow him to pursue the purpose God had placed in him. 1 Corinthians 9:26-27,
So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.
So what does this mean for us today? Do we see the task of proclaiming the Gospel as the number one priority the way Paul did? What are sacrificing for the sake of the Gospel? Are we willing to go into other people’s contexts in order to proclaim the good news? Have we disciplined ourselves so that we can complete the task that God given to us?
Sunday: Pray for the Global community
Pray for Chile as they recover from an 8.8 earthquake. Pray also for Hawaii and the west coast as it recover from tsunamis
Monday: Pray for your relationship with God
Lift up yor complaints to God. Know that he hears them and cares for you
But here is where things begin to get interesting. While Paul is adamant that the church has the responsibility to care for it’s shepherds, Paul also acknowledges that he personally has given up that right to financial support for the sake of the gospel of Christ. See for Paul, the priority of preaching the good news was so high for him that he wanted absolutely nothing to prevent from speaking the truth. Read 1 Corinthians 9:15-18.
Paul not only gave of his own rights, but he became like those who he was ministering to in order to bring the Gospel to them in their context. Read 1 Corinthians 9:19-23. However, despite all that Paul was willing to become to share the truth of the Gospel, the message in itself did not change. Nor did Paul ever compromise in areas of his life that would have put him outside the law of God. Paul summed up his view on ministry in 1 Cor 9:22,
I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some.
Finally, Paul talks about his own ministry as an apostle and how he is able to do the things required of him in preaching the Gospel. Read 1 Corinthians 9:24-27. In order to fully surrender his rights, Paul had to discipline himself. He knew that disciplining himself would allow him to pursue the purpose God had placed in him. 1 Corinthians 9:26-27,
So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.
So what does this mean for us today? Do we see the task of proclaiming the Gospel as the number one priority the way Paul did? What are sacrificing for the sake of the Gospel? Are we willing to go into other people’s contexts in order to proclaim the good news? Have we disciplined ourselves so that we can complete the task that God given to us?
Sunday: Pray for the Global community
Pray for Chile as they recover from an 8.8 earthquake. Pray also for Hawaii and the west coast as it recover from tsunamis
Monday: Pray for your relationship with God
Lift up yor complaints to God. Know that he hears them and cares for you
Friday, March 5, 2010
Stumbling Block!
Read 1 Corinthians 8:1-6
Let me give some background from the trusty ESV Study Bible.
Because pagan temples offered parts of animals in sacrifice to the gods, they also often functioned as butcher shops and banqueting halls. Sometimes meals for trade guilds, clubs, and private dinner parties were held in a temple dining room. Often meat from a temple was sold to the public in the marketplace.
So Paul is calling the church in Corinth to not eat this food in the temple. Food itself is not bad. But this food was offered to pagan gods. To put it in simple terms, the meat is unclean.
Read 1 Corinthians 8:7-13
The reason why Paul urges them not to eat in the temples is to protect their weaker brothers and sisters. Not only is it idolatry, it making the church look bad and it is hindering the walks of brothers and sisters in Christ. How does this relate to us? It calls us to sacrifice our bad habits. But doing so will not earn favor with God, instead we are serving God by looking out for the spiritual well-being of those young in their faith. Therefore, if you are doing something that is making a stumbling block for another person, don't do it! This is how we should live in relationship with our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Reflect upon what this looks like in our lives.
Think about the higher expectations we are called to.
Friday: Pray for the Church (Big C)
Pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ who are being persecuted around the world.
Let me give some background from the trusty ESV Study Bible.
Because pagan temples offered parts of animals in sacrifice to the gods, they also often functioned as butcher shops and banqueting halls. Sometimes meals for trade guilds, clubs, and private dinner parties were held in a temple dining room. Often meat from a temple was sold to the public in the marketplace.
So Paul is calling the church in Corinth to not eat this food in the temple. Food itself is not bad. But this food was offered to pagan gods. To put it in simple terms, the meat is unclean.
Read 1 Corinthians 8:7-13
The reason why Paul urges them not to eat in the temples is to protect their weaker brothers and sisters. Not only is it idolatry, it making the church look bad and it is hindering the walks of brothers and sisters in Christ. How does this relate to us? It calls us to sacrifice our bad habits. But doing so will not earn favor with God, instead we are serving God by looking out for the spiritual well-being of those young in their faith. Therefore, if you are doing something that is making a stumbling block for another person, don't do it! This is how we should live in relationship with our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Reflect upon what this looks like in our lives.
Think about the higher expectations we are called to.
Friday: Pray for the Church (Big C)
Pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ who are being persecuted around the world.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Bad Romance?
This week I get the passage that talks about marriage, because I've totally have been there, done that. Yeah, as a 17 year old, this passage doesn't really sing to me. But there are some points that we should take that are pretty important. After the Dating Seminar we had last week, I think that this is a perfect opportunity to touch on some of the topics that the panelists didn't have time to. Well then, put on your goggles and let's dive in!
Read 1 Corinthians 7
Who needs marriage counseling when you've got this? But don't be mistaken, this passage is not focusing on how to treat a spouse, but rather on how to focus on God while married. Nic, one of the panelists, mentioned something about a “Triangle Relationship.” For those who don't know what that is, its simply:
God
^
/ \
/ \
Husband ----- Wife
The marriage between a man and a woman should still look to God, meaning that together husband and wife help each other become closer to God. But let's cross that bridge when it comes. The striking thing from this passage was the idea that marriage is not for everyone. Mainstream media and societal values makes it almost a life necessity to settle down and start a family. But as Ben said, singleness is truly a gift. You are not held back by any obligations, and the only person you share your life with is God. This is not to say that marriage is some kind of curse, only that you should not think that you must marry or that you should, for that matter, because God may have plans for you to be single.
This is still way far to come, so let's talk about something more immediate: High school dating. High school dating is like the lottery: many buy into it, but only very few last past college. Personally, I do not recommend them, but I have learned a lot from the relationships I have been in. More than anything, dating for us teenagers is a means to learn the hard way. Sure, you learn how to treat and socialize with the opposite gender, but you can do that without being intimate. Right now, the only thing that forges two high school kids together is hormones and a desire to be accepted/loved. Admit it, at this point in your life, you have more questions than answers. If you have not truly found your own identity, how can you find it in someone else? I learned with my first girlfriend that a relationship has to be two people giving unconditionally to each other. The problem was that I was the one doing the giving, and nothing was given in return. But then, I realized something. As one who has not truly found his identity, what do I possibly have to offer to a girl? And what does she possibly have to offer me? Now the main problem was that I had to learn that the hard way: through heartbreak. So just as Paul writes this passage because he wants to save you the trouble of learning the hard way yourself, I too, want to spare you the trouble. Take this for thought: because high school relationships are almost guaranteed to end badly, and the consequences will distract you from God, from school, from friends, why do it now when you could just wait a few years and actually have a good chance at a serious, fruitful, Godly relationship? Well, that's my take on it, but it's kind of biased because I've become sort of cynical after the couple failures I've been through. But ask yourself the questions that I have posed, because God wants you to protect yourself.
Thursday: Pray for the church (small c)
Pray for 30 hour famine. That God will prepare the hearts of those participating.
Read 1 Corinthians 7
Who needs marriage counseling when you've got this? But don't be mistaken, this passage is not focusing on how to treat a spouse, but rather on how to focus on God while married. Nic, one of the panelists, mentioned something about a “Triangle Relationship.” For those who don't know what that is, its simply:
God
^
/ \
/ \
Husband ----- Wife
The marriage between a man and a woman should still look to God, meaning that together husband and wife help each other become closer to God. But let's cross that bridge when it comes. The striking thing from this passage was the idea that marriage is not for everyone. Mainstream media and societal values makes it almost a life necessity to settle down and start a family. But as Ben said, singleness is truly a gift. You are not held back by any obligations, and the only person you share your life with is God. This is not to say that marriage is some kind of curse, only that you should not think that you must marry or that you should, for that matter, because God may have plans for you to be single.
This is still way far to come, so let's talk about something more immediate: High school dating. High school dating is like the lottery: many buy into it, but only very few last past college. Personally, I do not recommend them, but I have learned a lot from the relationships I have been in. More than anything, dating for us teenagers is a means to learn the hard way. Sure, you learn how to treat and socialize with the opposite gender, but you can do that without being intimate. Right now, the only thing that forges two high school kids together is hormones and a desire to be accepted/loved. Admit it, at this point in your life, you have more questions than answers. If you have not truly found your own identity, how can you find it in someone else? I learned with my first girlfriend that a relationship has to be two people giving unconditionally to each other. The problem was that I was the one doing the giving, and nothing was given in return. But then, I realized something. As one who has not truly found his identity, what do I possibly have to offer to a girl? And what does she possibly have to offer me? Now the main problem was that I had to learn that the hard way: through heartbreak. So just as Paul writes this passage because he wants to save you the trouble of learning the hard way yourself, I too, want to spare you the trouble. Take this for thought: because high school relationships are almost guaranteed to end badly, and the consequences will distract you from God, from school, from friends, why do it now when you could just wait a few years and actually have a good chance at a serious, fruitful, Godly relationship? Well, that's my take on it, but it's kind of biased because I've become sort of cynical after the couple failures I've been through. But ask yourself the questions that I have posed, because God wants you to protect yourself.
Thursday: Pray for the church (small c)
Pray for 30 hour famine. That God will prepare the hearts of those participating.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
What’s Missing From Sex Talks
Read: 1 Corinthians 6: 12-20
Just by the NIV title of the section, you know what this post is about. I don’t believe in “skirting the issue” by fluffing it up or euphemizing sexual terminology, because the Church needs to grapple with this issue and face it. So as a disclaimer, if you don’t like frank sex talks, then just read the passage above and reflect over it. With that in mind, let’s talk about sex.
Sexual immorality happens because something is screwy about the sinner’s perception of him/herself. Now, that can mean either pride (you think too much of yourself), or poor self-esteem (you think too little of yourself). That’s why in the passage you’ve read, Paul warns that sexual sins are sins against one’s own body. Now, in Paul’s mind, sexual immorality was thought of as adultery, meaning someone has sex with another outside of marriage (this includes before marriage, by the way). Thus, if your body’s the temple of God, how can you unite the temple of God with the temple of a pagan god (prostitutes)?
But if we look at the whole biblical narrative (i.e. the entire Bible), we see that sexual immorality is not just constrained to having sex with prostitutes or having extramarital affairs. It includes pre-marital sex and homosexuality as well. It also includes masturbation. Quick tangent: if you read the Bible properly, as opposed to literally, you can see why masturbation is displeasing to God.
But here’s the kicker: this sex talk is not just about sex. This is an ethic about self-love. In church, we talk about loving others, which is great. But the second commandment says this: “love your neighbors as yourself.” How do you love your neighbors, then, if you do not love yourself? Which brings us to the question, how do you love yourself?
To love oneself involves the willingness to train yourself to practice what is good, to develop habits and thoughts that honor God. It is right and good to exercise everyday (something I struggle with...) to keep the body healthy, to eat right (hard in Singapore...) to be healthy , to take a shower everyday and keep your teeth well brushed and flossed for obvious reasons, etc. It is right and good to have good friends, male or female, to edify you and spur you on towards Christlikeness.
I believe that many times we are tempted to sin sexually because something, or someone, has bewitched us into thinking that you’re not enough. You’re too fat. You’re too anti-social. You’re too messy. You don’t have good enough grades. You don’t have that glamorous job. You’re not enough!! Or, maybe it’s the other way - someone has lulled you into thinking that you’re the definition of enough. Nobody looks better than you. Nobody has more friends than you. You’re the fashionista with the 5.0 GPA! Sexual immorality is often linked to poor self-esteem or to pride because if you don’t think right about yourself, you easily sin against yourself.
If we notice carefully, we see that sexual immorality seems to be a struggle that can be only dealt with as a community. If you see yourself poorly, you can’t help yourself now, can you? So you need the help of the Church. How does the Church fight pride or poor self-esteem? The world accepts only those who fit within their view of acceptability. Good, sexy ladies, or buff and cut men. The Church, on the other hand, throws her doors open widely to accept everybody! I know that in the Asian church, we quickly filter out people we think undesirable. From my experiences in Taiwan, China, and Singapore, this “social selection” is the Asian way.
But in the Church, we’re Christian first, then Anglican, Alliance, Chinese, or whatever. We accept everybody. In youth group, you accept people who didn’t have that perfect 5.0 GPA. You accept the people who are working as janitors at Dominick’s. You love the fat, the lazy, the hei-run, those who barely have an income, if any. Yes, you may have a college degree, a master’s degree, or a PhD. You may be destined for Harvard or Yale. You may, for crying out loud, be predestined over and over again to be the next world dictator. But, by God, when a homeless fat black dude walks into the sanctuary smelling like pee, you will embrace him and welcome him to the community! That’s called being a Christian!
So I hope I’ve made my case, that (1) sexual immorality is really an accompaniment to many other sins that need to be dealt with, and (2) it is something that can only be dealt with as a community. Now, you and I are not the only ones struggling with lust and sexual sins, so for the prayer section, let’s do this. If you struggle with lust and sexual sins, talk about it with your prayer partner (if you don’t have one, talk to Ariel or Priscilla, who will assign you one for the week). It’s better to do it in person, but if that’s not possible do it by email.
Be frank and honest, and pray for each other over this. If your prayer partner struggles with pride, gently bring him/her down to reality. If your partner struggles with poor self-esteem, show them that they’re more than they think they are. And maybe even exhort each other to love themselves properly, to exercise, eat right, etc. Only together can we truly fight sexual immorality, pride, poor self-esteem, and other sins against one’s own body.
Wednesday: Pray for friends
Pray for your Christian friends, that they will not be swayed by outside pressures
Just by the NIV title of the section, you know what this post is about. I don’t believe in “skirting the issue” by fluffing it up or euphemizing sexual terminology, because the Church needs to grapple with this issue and face it. So as a disclaimer, if you don’t like frank sex talks, then just read the passage above and reflect over it. With that in mind, let’s talk about sex.
Sexual immorality happens because something is screwy about the sinner’s perception of him/herself. Now, that can mean either pride (you think too much of yourself), or poor self-esteem (you think too little of yourself). That’s why in the passage you’ve read, Paul warns that sexual sins are sins against one’s own body. Now, in Paul’s mind, sexual immorality was thought of as adultery, meaning someone has sex with another outside of marriage (this includes before marriage, by the way). Thus, if your body’s the temple of God, how can you unite the temple of God with the temple of a pagan god (prostitutes)?
But if we look at the whole biblical narrative (i.e. the entire Bible), we see that sexual immorality is not just constrained to having sex with prostitutes or having extramarital affairs. It includes pre-marital sex and homosexuality as well. It also includes masturbation. Quick tangent: if you read the Bible properly, as opposed to literally, you can see why masturbation is displeasing to God.
But here’s the kicker: this sex talk is not just about sex. This is an ethic about self-love. In church, we talk about loving others, which is great. But the second commandment says this: “love your neighbors as yourself.” How do you love your neighbors, then, if you do not love yourself? Which brings us to the question, how do you love yourself?
To love oneself involves the willingness to train yourself to practice what is good, to develop habits and thoughts that honor God. It is right and good to exercise everyday (something I struggle with...) to keep the body healthy, to eat right (hard in Singapore...) to be healthy , to take a shower everyday and keep your teeth well brushed and flossed for obvious reasons, etc. It is right and good to have good friends, male or female, to edify you and spur you on towards Christlikeness.
I believe that many times we are tempted to sin sexually because something, or someone, has bewitched us into thinking that you’re not enough. You’re too fat. You’re too anti-social. You’re too messy. You don’t have good enough grades. You don’t have that glamorous job. You’re not enough!! Or, maybe it’s the other way - someone has lulled you into thinking that you’re the definition of enough. Nobody looks better than you. Nobody has more friends than you. You’re the fashionista with the 5.0 GPA! Sexual immorality is often linked to poor self-esteem or to pride because if you don’t think right about yourself, you easily sin against yourself.
If we notice carefully, we see that sexual immorality seems to be a struggle that can be only dealt with as a community. If you see yourself poorly, you can’t help yourself now, can you? So you need the help of the Church. How does the Church fight pride or poor self-esteem? The world accepts only those who fit within their view of acceptability. Good, sexy ladies, or buff and cut men. The Church, on the other hand, throws her doors open widely to accept everybody! I know that in the Asian church, we quickly filter out people we think undesirable. From my experiences in Taiwan, China, and Singapore, this “social selection” is the Asian way.
But in the Church, we’re Christian first, then Anglican, Alliance, Chinese, or whatever. We accept everybody. In youth group, you accept people who didn’t have that perfect 5.0 GPA. You accept the people who are working as janitors at Dominick’s. You love the fat, the lazy, the hei-run, those who barely have an income, if any. Yes, you may have a college degree, a master’s degree, or a PhD. You may be destined for Harvard or Yale. You may, for crying out loud, be predestined over and over again to be the next world dictator. But, by God, when a homeless fat black dude walks into the sanctuary smelling like pee, you will embrace him and welcome him to the community! That’s called being a Christian!
So I hope I’ve made my case, that (1) sexual immorality is really an accompaniment to many other sins that need to be dealt with, and (2) it is something that can only be dealt with as a community. Now, you and I are not the only ones struggling with lust and sexual sins, so for the prayer section, let’s do this. If you struggle with lust and sexual sins, talk about it with your prayer partner (if you don’t have one, talk to Ariel or Priscilla, who will assign you one for the week). It’s better to do it in person, but if that’s not possible do it by email.
Be frank and honest, and pray for each other over this. If your prayer partner struggles with pride, gently bring him/her down to reality. If your partner struggles with poor self-esteem, show them that they’re more than they think they are. And maybe even exhort each other to love themselves properly, to exercise, eat right, etc. Only together can we truly fight sexual immorality, pride, poor self-esteem, and other sins against one’s own body.
Wednesday: Pray for friends
Pray for your Christian friends, that they will not be swayed by outside pressures
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
God Wiser than Judge Judy or Judge Milian
Last week, we had our passage that allowed us to see that God is Stronger than Chuck Norris. We get to this passage in 1 Corinthians 6 and understand that we are talking about the courts and law. So now a days, when I think about those things, I think about the Supreme Court but also Judge Judy or Judge Milian from the People’s Court. I actually like Judge Milian. She is strong, knows the law, and I think she uses a lot of wisdom. However, here we see the call for the judicial process should work within the church rather than outside it. If we are Christians (because remember this is written to the church and people that are calling themselves believers to avoid division), then why are you bringing your case to the secular world to rule and judge. They don’t rule with godly wisdom or judgment. Here is where we get to our title – God is wiser than Judge Judy or Judge Milian.
Read 1 Corinthians 6:1-11
I want us to turn to the NIV Application Commentary for a little explanation. “Paul makes two main points: (1) if disputes require intervention, it should occur within the Christian community; and (2) it is even better to accept being wronged than to demand recompense in either a secular or a Christian context. Verses 2 -3 present parallel examples of the logic of arguing “from the greater to the lesser.” Drawing on Daniel 7:22, Paul reminds the Corinthians that they will help Jesus exercise judgment over the non-Christian world (both people and angels). Surely, therefore, they must be competent to handle earthly disputes in their own midst. “Trivial cases” (v. 2) does not mean that the Corinthian litigation did not involve serious offenses, merely that all human litigation is trivial when viewed in the light of Judgment Day.”
So we come to the “so what” part of reflecting on this passage. We have to see this passage is about how we carry ourselves as a Christian community and reflections of God. Read 1 Corinthians 6:11 again and we see that we were transformed and changed by Christ and His blood. So if we truly know this, then we should live lives that reflect that and can be seen in our own community. When people outside the church look at us, they should see a people that are living and reflecting Jesus to one another. Are we doing that? Do we truly show Christ in all our relationships with one another in the church. If we don’t, then the people outside the church point right away that this group is no different than those outside the church.
Thus, we must reflect, how are we truly living in reflection of Jesus and a life changed. That should completely allow us to exercise love, kindness, and grace to one another. So, here is your application – GO DO IT!
Tuesday: Pray for your family
Ask God how your family can be a light to the community around you
Read 1 Corinthians 6:1-11
I want us to turn to the NIV Application Commentary for a little explanation. “Paul makes two main points: (1) if disputes require intervention, it should occur within the Christian community; and (2) it is even better to accept being wronged than to demand recompense in either a secular or a Christian context. Verses 2 -3 present parallel examples of the logic of arguing “from the greater to the lesser.” Drawing on Daniel 7:22, Paul reminds the Corinthians that they will help Jesus exercise judgment over the non-Christian world (both people and angels). Surely, therefore, they must be competent to handle earthly disputes in their own midst. “Trivial cases” (v. 2) does not mean that the Corinthian litigation did not involve serious offenses, merely that all human litigation is trivial when viewed in the light of Judgment Day.”
So we come to the “so what” part of reflecting on this passage. We have to see this passage is about how we carry ourselves as a Christian community and reflections of God. Read 1 Corinthians 6:11 again and we see that we were transformed and changed by Christ and His blood. So if we truly know this, then we should live lives that reflect that and can be seen in our own community. When people outside the church look at us, they should see a people that are living and reflecting Jesus to one another. Are we doing that? Do we truly show Christ in all our relationships with one another in the church. If we don’t, then the people outside the church point right away that this group is no different than those outside the church.
Thus, we must reflect, how are we truly living in reflection of Jesus and a life changed. That should completely allow us to exercise love, kindness, and grace to one another. So, here is your application – GO DO IT!
Tuesday: Pray for your family
Ask God how your family can be a light to the community around you
Monday, March 1, 2010
Unleaven the Lump
Last week when we started 1 Corinthians, I talked about how the church in Corinth was the poster child for dysfunctional churches. If you missed it, I’ll say it again, the church in Corinth is the poster child for dysfunctional churches. In the passage for today, Paul comes face to face with a situation that seemed so ridiculous yet was a reality. Paul had to deal with the aftermath of a man sleeping with his father’s wife.
Read 1 Corinthians 5
Alright, its pretty clear that Paul is shocked at the behavior coming from this church. But I think what shocks him isn’t what might shock us from this passage. We read it and think, “A man sleeping with his step-mother? How can this be???” But Paul isn’t so shocked by the sin itself but rather by the church’s response to blatant sin. There was no desire whatsoever to confront the individual. Rather, it seemed that the church had accepted it and was even boasting about it. How a church could be boasting about sin I’m not sure. Maybe they thought it meant they would receive more grace. In any case, Paul’s reaction is clear. He is adamant that this behavior could not be tolerated in the church. The clear course of action was to remove the immoral brother from the church. But why?
Paul then begins an interesting analogy. I like when the church is called a house or a kingdom or even Christ’s body. But Paul here calls it a lump. A lump? A lump of dough. And sin when it is allowed to fester and take root is like yeast that unleavens the whole lump of dough, causing it to be no good. Paul is saying you aren’t an old lump of dough. You are a new lump with no yeast. A people set apart for God that has no part in wickedness. See the call to holiness and righteousness was not just for the individual but was a call for the entire church corporately.
Now before we go and decide, we have to remove ourselves from any interaction from the world because sin is in the world, I want you to Reread 1 Cor 5:9-13. Paul never said to remove ourselves from the world. In fact, he acknowledges that that would require leaving the world. What Paul was saying was that within Christian community among those who profess to be a part of the body of Christ, we needed to remove from our midst unrepentant sin. Paul was not being harsh with the believer here. This was not the first time Paul had written to address the situation as he mentioned previous letters. This man after being told the necessity for holiness continued to live in sin, and the church tolerated it. Paul is saying within the community of believers we ARE to judge one another’s actions and hold them accountable.
What Paul calls the church to do seems so contrary what many in the church believe today. That an individual’s struggle with sin is their own, or we hear cries of “don’t judge me!” Or maybe we even see what the Corinthian church was doing, tolerating the presence of unrepentant sin among those who professed to be a part of the body. 1 Corinthians 5 however, is not a suggestion. It is the living word of God. So how might God be convicting you today? Perhaps it is to first unleaven your own lump. Then, maybe as He continues to refine you, He may be calling you to purify His bride, the church, until the day the bridegroom returns.
Monday: Pray for your relationship with God
Pray for a desire to learn more about God. Ask God to give you a thirst for his word.
Read 1 Corinthians 5
Alright, its pretty clear that Paul is shocked at the behavior coming from this church. But I think what shocks him isn’t what might shock us from this passage. We read it and think, “A man sleeping with his step-mother? How can this be???” But Paul isn’t so shocked by the sin itself but rather by the church’s response to blatant sin. There was no desire whatsoever to confront the individual. Rather, it seemed that the church had accepted it and was even boasting about it. How a church could be boasting about sin I’m not sure. Maybe they thought it meant they would receive more grace. In any case, Paul’s reaction is clear. He is adamant that this behavior could not be tolerated in the church. The clear course of action was to remove the immoral brother from the church. But why?
Paul then begins an interesting analogy. I like when the church is called a house or a kingdom or even Christ’s body. But Paul here calls it a lump. A lump? A lump of dough. And sin when it is allowed to fester and take root is like yeast that unleavens the whole lump of dough, causing it to be no good. Paul is saying you aren’t an old lump of dough. You are a new lump with no yeast. A people set apart for God that has no part in wickedness. See the call to holiness and righteousness was not just for the individual but was a call for the entire church corporately.
Now before we go and decide, we have to remove ourselves from any interaction from the world because sin is in the world, I want you to Reread 1 Cor 5:9-13. Paul never said to remove ourselves from the world. In fact, he acknowledges that that would require leaving the world. What Paul was saying was that within Christian community among those who profess to be a part of the body of Christ, we needed to remove from our midst unrepentant sin. Paul was not being harsh with the believer here. This was not the first time Paul had written to address the situation as he mentioned previous letters. This man after being told the necessity for holiness continued to live in sin, and the church tolerated it. Paul is saying within the community of believers we ARE to judge one another’s actions and hold them accountable.
What Paul calls the church to do seems so contrary what many in the church believe today. That an individual’s struggle with sin is their own, or we hear cries of “don’t judge me!” Or maybe we even see what the Corinthian church was doing, tolerating the presence of unrepentant sin among those who professed to be a part of the body. 1 Corinthians 5 however, is not a suggestion. It is the living word of God. So how might God be convicting you today? Perhaps it is to first unleaven your own lump. Then, maybe as He continues to refine you, He may be calling you to purify His bride, the church, until the day the bridegroom returns.
Monday: Pray for your relationship with God
Pray for a desire to learn more about God. Ask God to give you a thirst for his word.
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