Psalm 73- When Good Guys Seem Like Losers

Below is a Psalm I read today.  I "randomly" flipped to this Psalm and it is exactly what I needed to read.  In Pulse (my church's youth group) we have been talking about sex.  I talked about waiting until marriage, which I am.  While I want to follow God's plan, sometimes I look around and it seems like those that aren't waiting are doing just fine and enjoying themselves much more than I am.  This Psalm is the perfect response from God.

Psalm 73 A psalm of Asaph.

1 "Surely God is good to Israel,
to those who are pure in heart.

2 But as for me, my feet had almost slipped;
I had nearly lost my foothold.
3 For I envied the arrogant
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

4 They have no struggles;
their bodies are healthy and strong.
5 They are free from common human burdens;
they are not plagued by human ills.
6 Therefore pride is their necklace;
they clothe themselves with violence.
7 From their callous hearts comes iniquity
their evil imaginations have no limits.
8 They scoff, and speak with malice;
with arrogance they threaten oppression.
9 Their mouths lay claim to heaven,
and their tongues take possession of the earth.
10 Therefore their people turn to them
and drink up waters in abundance.
11 They say, “How would God know?
Does the Most High know anything?”

12 This is what the wicked are like—
always free of care, they go on amassing wealth.

13 Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure
and have washed my hands in innocence.
14 All day long I have been afflicted,
and every morning brings new punishments.

15 If I had spoken out like that,
I would have betrayed your children.
16 When I tried to understand all this,
it troubled me deeply
17 till I entered the sanctuary of God;
then I understood their final destiny.

18 Surely you place them on slippery ground;
you cast them down to ruin.
19 How suddenly are they destroyed,
completely swept away by terrors!
20 They are like a dream when one awakes;
when you arise, Lord,
you will despise them as fantasies.

21 When my heart was grieved
and my spirit embittered,
22 I was senseless and ignorant;
I was a brute beast before you.

23 Yet I am always with you;
you hold me by my right hand.
24 You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will take me into glory.
25 Whom have I in heaven but you?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.

27 Those who are far from you will perish;
you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.
28 But as for me, it is good to be near God.
I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge;
I will tell of all your deeds."

Acts 18- Paul, Priscilla, Aquila and Apollos

Please read Acts chapter 18.

In this chapter of Acts Paul finishes his second missionary journey and begins his third missionary journey. Also, in this chapter we meet three amazing Christians named Priscilla, Aquila and Apollos.  I want to take a look at something we can learn from each character in this story and I'm taking the husband and wife team of Priscilla and Aquila as one.

Paul's story:
Paul's biggest impact in this chapter comes when he lets go or seemingly does nothing.  First, he spends a lot of time sharing the Gospel with the Jews in the synagogue in Corinth.  Paul gets nowhere and he is frustrated saying in verse 6, "Your blood be on your own heads!  I am clear of my responsibility.  From now on I will go to the Gentiles."

Story over, right?  The Jews blew their chance, right?  Wrong.  Paul realized that he could not force people to convert; all he could do and had to do was share the Gospel as best he could.  So, Paul let go.  Amazingly as soon as Paul let go and went next door to share the Gospel with the Gentiles at Titius Justus' house the synagogue ruler Crispus showed up.  Crispus and his whole household heard the good news and believed.  When Paul stopped God didn't.

Later Paul was brought to trial accused of teaching a religion that was unlawful under Roman law.  In verse 14 Paul started to talk, but was interrupted by the Roman proconsul Gallio.  Gallio interrupted Paul and ruled that Christianity was a sect of Judaism and therefore a legal religion throughout the empire.  When Paul did nothing God did a huge thing.

From Paul's story we can learn that sometimes trusting God means leaving the work up to Him.  This isn't always true; I'm not promoting sitting on your butt and waiting for God all the time, but sometimes this is how God works.

Priscilla and Aquila's story:
Priscilla and her husband Aquila were kind, hospitable people.  They housed Paul and gave him work while he lived in Corinth.  They also were kind rather than confrontational with Apollos.  Apollos had half of the Gospel when he arrived in Ephesus (only what John the Baptist taught).  Apollos was preaching this less than complete Gospel to many people.  Apollos just didn't know better.  So, instead of calling him out in public, Priscilla and Aquila invited Apollos over to their house probably for dinner and explained the whole Gospel to him.  Because of their kindness Apollos became a powerful missionary in the early church.

From Priscilla and Aquila's story we can learn that God loves to use kindness to expand His kingdom.  If we are kind and hospitable we may not be noticed by men but we will be noticed by God.

Apollos' story:
Apollos was a man that came to Ephesus and was the smartest guy in the room just about everywhere he went.  He was from Alexandria and probably went to the world's greatest university that was located in Alexandria, Egypt.  He had a following of people.  He had no human reason to listen to Priscilla and Aquila when they invited him to their house.  Apollos was a smart, persuasive, magnetic man; however, his best quality may be teachability.  Apollos was teachable.  He humbly listened to Priscilla and Aquila and therefore was able to share the whole Gospel to thousands.

From Apollos' story we can learn that God loves His people to be teachable.  We as Christians should be lifelong learners always looking to the other parts of the body to grow us.  Don't be so full of yourself that you become unteachable.

So, let go and let God when the occasion arrises.  Be kind and hospitable.  And be teachable today.

You Complete Me

Valentine's Day is next week and I just got back from my beautiful cousin Kirsten's wedding (I'm not sure beautiful cousin narrows it down in my family), so I've been thinking about relationships and marriage.  Don't worry, this isn't a completely sappy post and yes I will be back in Acts soon.  Anyway, I was thinking about relationships and marriage.

You've seen the movie Jerry Maguire, right?  It is a pretty good movie and it has some memorable lines.  "You had me at hello" "Show me the money" "Help me, help you" and of course, "You complete me." Great lines.  But "You complete me", is that what relationships are for?  Should I look for my better half.  Do I need to be completed by another person?

My cousin Nate (slightly less beautiful than Kirsten, but better than the average bear) officiated the wedding Saturday.  He said something that I've heard probably a hundred times before, but something we all need to hear again.  He said, "Don't expect the other person to be everything for you."  His point was that Kirsten is not going to be able to complete Phillip and Phillip won't be able to complete Kirsten.    Only God can complete you.

If you feel less than complete then find Jesus.  Jesus is the only one that can fill your life.  He promises to give us life to the max.  We can only be complete in Christ Jesus.

Where does that leave marriage?  While I'm not going to write about all that marriage is supposed to be Biblically (mostly because I'm not qualified to do it), I do want to give some advice to those of us who are single.

Don't look for someone to complete you.  Search out completion in Christ.  "It's not good for man to be alone".  The Holy Trinity said that.  Trust that God will not leave you alone.

Look for a companion, not the missing puzzle piece.  I want the woman that my sovereign God has prepared for me, but not because she can complete me.  I want a companion.

Then what's marital companionship look like?  I'm not completely sure yet.  All I know is that the analogy Paul gives us of running the race to the end is important to me.  What I want is someone to hold my hand as we run toward Christ together.  I want a companion who will encourage me to run with more endurance and speed than I am now.  I want to pick up the pace every day as we run side-by-side.

Sorry if that's a bit cheesy; but it makes more sense than "You complete me"... sorry Tom Cruise.

Search out the One who can complete you.  Be complete in Christ.  Run the race with endurance today.

Acts 17- The Purpose of an Open Mind

Please start by reading Acts chapter 17.

Paul, Silas and Timothy are continuing their second missionary journey in this chapter.  They have just left Luke in Philippi and are continuing through Macedonia and further into Greece.  In this chapter they visit Thessalonica, Berea and Athens.  I want to look at their time in Berea and Athens.

In Berea and Athens we see two different reactions to the message of the Gospel.  Both reactions to the Good News start with an open mind, but the end of these two stories are different.  This makes us wonder, "What's the purpose of an open mind?"

In Berea the people "received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.  Many of the Jews believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek woman and many Greek men." (Verse 11b-13)

The Bereans had an open mind.  They were open to hear what Paul had to say.  They didn't hate him just because what he had to say was different.  The Bereans then went home and examined the Scriptures to see if what Paul said was true.  The Bereans are a good example for us.  Have an open mind but be sure to find out if it is true and once you find the truth do something about it.  Many Bereans realized they found the truth and they committed to it.

Now let's look at what the Athenians did when they heard the Gospel.

The Athenians heard Paul preaching and they were intrigued by his message.  So the Athenians, who spent all day chatting about the latest ideas, invited Paul to explain the Gospel to them.  So, Paul explained the Gospel clearly.

The Athenians had an open mind.  They were open to hear what Paul had to say.  They didn't hate him just because what he had to say was different.  However, the Athenians, save a few, didn't do anything about the message they heard.  They kept their mind open and most likely discussed a new "truth" the next day.  I mean, these people had so many different philosophies and religions that they had an idol to an unknown god so they wouldn't miss any.

Both the Bereans and Athenians had an open mind.  Both openly heard the Gospel message.  So, what's the purpose of an open mind?

My pastor says (I'm not sure where he got this) that the purpose of an open mind is the same as the purpose of an open mouth... to bite down on something good.  We can't possibly think that we are uberintelligent because our mind is open to everything.  An open mind is a great thing, but an open mind that doesn't bite down on truth is pointless.  The Bereans had an open mind and found the Truth.  The Athenians had an open mind and let the Truth pass them by.

In our lives we need to have an open mind.  But the purpose of an open mind is not to accept truth and garbage together or to do nothing about the messages we hear.  The purpose of an open mind is to find the truth and bite down on it.  So, have an open mind, but bite down and savor the Truth of the Gospel, like the Bereans did, today.

Acts 16- God the Rewarder

Acts 16 is one of the most memorable chapters in Acts.  In this chapter we meet Timothy; we read about Paul's vision of the man of Macedonia; Lydia and her household are converted in Philippi; Paul heals a fortune teller possessed by demons; and Paul and Silas pray and sing causing an earthquake that frees them from their chains in prison.  Take time to revisit this famous chapter in Acts.

There is a lot to be gleaned from this chapter of Acts.  We can learn about going beyond the minimum requirements for God, like Timothy did.  We could discuss how the Spirit communicates.  We might talk about how Paul didn't let the Devil put a good thing in the way of a great thing.  We could examine the power of prayer mixed with singing.  Or we could talk about the power of simply communicating the Gospel.  We can learn much from this chapter but I want to focus on one thing.

In Acts 16 we see how God is a rewarder.  We see this first with Lydia.  Lydia was a female business owner from Thyatira near Philippi.  She had a company that dealt expensive purple cloth.  Acts also says that Lydia was a worshiper of God, a seeker of God.

To understand more about Lydia you must realize that seeking God was not exactly accepted in Philippi.  Over the arches on the outside of the city of Philippi an inscription warned against bringing unrecognized religions into the city.  This is why Lydia and the other women met outside of the city by the river.  Lydia realized that she needed God.  She was seeking Him and knew that the religions inside the city walls couldn't help her.

God rewarded Lydia's earnest seeking of Him.  Remember, He said "Seek and you will find.  Knock and the door will be opened."  God rewards those who honestly seek Him.  V. 14 "Lydia... a worshiper of God.  The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message."  God saw that she was seeking so He opened her heart to be able to respond to the Gospel.

If you seek God He will be found.

God also rewards endurance with joy.  Paul and Silas (maybe Luke too) were beaten to a pulp and placed in the most secure part of a Philippian jail.  These men didn't respond to adversity by being angry at God; rather they "were praying and singing hymns to God."  What a reaction!  What a response!  God rewarded this response by setting them free and allowing them to continue to do His work by leading their jailer and his whole family to Christ.

God wants to teach us to rejoice in our sufferings and He rewards those who do.

Rewards are not always what we would typically view as rewards.  Lydia was rewarded with salvation. Awesome!  But she no doubt was persecuted for her new faith.  Paul and Silas were rewarded with freedom.  Great!  But later they were jailed and beaten again and eventually murdered.  Having said that, God's rewards are greater than what we typically view as rewards.

God is a rewarder of those who earnestly want to please Him and those who desperately want to depend on Him.  Seek God and rejoice in Him today.

A Prayer for My Church

I will be back in the book of Acts in a day or two, but I want to share with you a prayer of Paul the apostle.  Paul prays something in Colossians that I also have been called to pray for my church.  If you feel called to pray this, for Grace Baptist or your own church or you specifically, then I encourage you to do it.

Colossians 1:9b-14

"We have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.  And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way; bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.  For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins"

Please pray this with me today.

Acts 15- Disputes

Read Chapter 15.

Have you ever had a dispute with other Christians?  Have you ever had your church have a dispute in house?

If you answer 'yes' to either of these questions then congratulations you go to a church made up of human beings.  Churches and Christians will not always be in agreement even when it comes to issues of our faith.

In Acts 15 we see two disputes.  I want to look at the first one to see how we should go about settling a dispute.  I believe that from this particular pattern we can see a five step process to solving disputes.  Remember, this is not the only example in Scripture of a dispute being resolved and therefore it is not the only way to resolve a dispute.

In Acts 15 we see the early Church dealing with the issue of whether Gentiles needed to be circumcised or not.  Let's mirror the five step process they took to solve this issue.

Step 1) Express legit concerns.  It does no one any good to ignore a legitimate concern especially when souls are at stake.

Step 2) Appoint mature representatives to discuss the situation.  Fewer voices will reduce the noise, but don't make this number too small and therefore non-representative.

Step 3) Back up your position with Scripture.  What else should we have as the basis for the functions of a church?

Step 4) Reach a consensus with the Holy Spirit and each other.  Do what is in line with the Spirit's leading and do what is in line with the consensus of the representatives in the room.  Consensus with each other doesn't mean that everyone agrees 100% with the decision, but rather that they can support the decision made.

Step 5) Live with the decision made.  This is perhaps the most important step.  Once a consensus is reached do not leave the room stirring up trouble and complaining.

You will not ever be in a perfect church.  I guarantee it.  However, if we take a Biblical approach to handling internal issues in our churches we will not let the internal stand in the way of the eternal.  Try to live in unity, as Christ prayed for us, today.