Take time to read 2 Corinthians chapter 2. Below is a post I wrote two years ago about this chapter.
Before we take a look at the Word of God I want to teach you a little history. A triumphal procession was a Roman military tradition. After a victory the Roman general would display his treasures and captives amidst a cloud of incense being burned. To the winners the incense probably smelled of sweet victory. To the defeated people the incense smelt of the fore coming slavery or death.
"But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task? Unlike so many, we do not peddle the Word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God."
2 Corinthians 2:14-17
Let me confess something to you. I write a lot about the importance of evangelism but I don't find myself personally leading others to Christ often, or I should say hardly ever. I don't mean that I don't share the Gospel; what I mean is I don't get the opportunity to pray with someone as they accept Christ. I want badly to do that, but it hasn't happened in a very long time.
So, I'm left wondering what I do in light of that. Let me say first that it is frustrating, but it will not stop me. Not everyone who shares the Gospel will see changed lives but everyone who shares the Gospel will get results. Unfortunately and fortunately it isn't up to us to decide the result, it is up to our Sovereign God.
To some I am the smell of death; to others I am the smell of life. Is the difference my approach? No. The difference is the choice of God. I am not a peddler of the Word of God; I cannot sell the Gospel. My job is to in Christ speak the Word of God with sincerity like a man sent from God.
Friends, the response to the Gospel is just that; the response to the Gospel not a response to me personally. It may feel personal but it isn't. I'm writing this to encourage myself and you. Be the aroma of Christ, share the Gospel with your words and actions. But let God be God. Let God take care of saving people because He is the one who saves, not us.
Don't be discouraged. To some we are the smell of death; to others, the fragrance of life. Waft the aroma of Christ and leave the rest up to Him today.
Sunday, February 23, 2014
Sunday, February 16, 2014
Uncle Brad
Today my Uncle Brad died. It was sudden and unexpected. My dad called me and said he had bad news and I had no idea what he was going to say. He said, "Your Uncle Brad died today". My mind was in shock. I had questions. I didn't know how to feel. What was happening?
I don't know the answer to many of my questions. I've felt several emotions today and I'm not sure which ones I want to feel. I mean, it just happened.
But God sure was in control today. I got the call as I was supposed to be starting to run sound for a practice of our church's Easter passion production. I decided to stay and go on with practice while I cried and thought. The theme of this year's production is "Hope". While watching the practice and the scenes, I was reminded of the hope we have in Jesus' death and resurrection.
Following this practice I was supposed to have a Bible study. I thought about not going to it, but the passage was exactly what I needed. Read 2 Corinthians chapter 1 to see what I'm talking about. But here's a snippet of what bolstered me while reading this chapter.
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God." 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
Wow! God had my day planned. He reminded me of His comfort and the hope that is mine because of Jesus. God has many promises for us and: "... no matter how many promises God has made, they are 'Yes' in Christ." 2 Corinthians 1:20
Now let me tell you about my Uncle Brad.
He was the life of the party. I didn't get to see him as often as I would have liked, but I saw him nearly every Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving was my favorite holiday because of that. Brad was funny. He made everyone laugh and smile. My grandparents are usually in a good mood, but when Brad was there they were always looking for the next reason to laugh. And if you could make Brad laugh you felt like you were really funny. The house would always get really loud on Thanksgiving, because people were always shouting toward Brad their funny idea or joke to get his laugh of approval.
I'll miss that.
When relatives come there is usually a bit of friction that comes with them, but not with Uncle Brad. He brought joy and unity to our family when he came. Everyone had a good time when Uncle Brad was in the house. This Thanksgiving will hurt without him there at the table.
Let me tell you something else about my Uncle Brad. He put his faith and hope in Jesus. He was not perfect by any means, but I know he's in heaven today because of his trust in God. My Uncle Brad is in heaven because of what Jesus did on the cross. Uncle Brad's hope was in Jesus and today he is with Jesus in paradise.
I'm sad today at the death of my uncle. But I take great comfort in the fact that my God is the Father and creator of the very idea of compassion and comfort. I'm going to trust in God to provide comfort for me and my family. I'm also going to cling to the promises of God as a source of comfort.
Please pray for my family. And if you don't know Jesus like my Uncle Brad did (and does infinitely better today than yesterday), if you don't know that you'd go to heaven if you died unexpectedly today, I beg you to call out to Jesus right now. I urge you to have what my Uncle Brad had. I encourage you to ask Jesus to be your Lord, Savior, and Living Hope today.
I don't know the answer to many of my questions. I've felt several emotions today and I'm not sure which ones I want to feel. I mean, it just happened.
But God sure was in control today. I got the call as I was supposed to be starting to run sound for a practice of our church's Easter passion production. I decided to stay and go on with practice while I cried and thought. The theme of this year's production is "Hope". While watching the practice and the scenes, I was reminded of the hope we have in Jesus' death and resurrection.
Following this practice I was supposed to have a Bible study. I thought about not going to it, but the passage was exactly what I needed. Read 2 Corinthians chapter 1 to see what I'm talking about. But here's a snippet of what bolstered me while reading this chapter.
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God." 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
Wow! God had my day planned. He reminded me of His comfort and the hope that is mine because of Jesus. God has many promises for us and: "... no matter how many promises God has made, they are 'Yes' in Christ." 2 Corinthians 1:20
Now let me tell you about my Uncle Brad.
He was the life of the party. I didn't get to see him as often as I would have liked, but I saw him nearly every Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving was my favorite holiday because of that. Brad was funny. He made everyone laugh and smile. My grandparents are usually in a good mood, but when Brad was there they were always looking for the next reason to laugh. And if you could make Brad laugh you felt like you were really funny. The house would always get really loud on Thanksgiving, because people were always shouting toward Brad their funny idea or joke to get his laugh of approval.
I'll miss that.
When relatives come there is usually a bit of friction that comes with them, but not with Uncle Brad. He brought joy and unity to our family when he came. Everyone had a good time when Uncle Brad was in the house. This Thanksgiving will hurt without him there at the table.
Let me tell you something else about my Uncle Brad. He put his faith and hope in Jesus. He was not perfect by any means, but I know he's in heaven today because of his trust in God. My Uncle Brad is in heaven because of what Jesus did on the cross. Uncle Brad's hope was in Jesus and today he is with Jesus in paradise.
I'm sad today at the death of my uncle. But I take great comfort in the fact that my God is the Father and creator of the very idea of compassion and comfort. I'm going to trust in God to provide comfort for me and my family. I'm also going to cling to the promises of God as a source of comfort.
Please pray for my family. And if you don't know Jesus like my Uncle Brad did (and does infinitely better today than yesterday), if you don't know that you'd go to heaven if you died unexpectedly today, I beg you to call out to Jesus right now. I urge you to have what my Uncle Brad had. I encourage you to ask Jesus to be your Lord, Savior, and Living Hope today.
Friday, February 14, 2014
Valentine's Day
This is a post I wrote one year ago.
Valentine's Day- God's Love
Happy Valentine's Day! I'm excited about Valentine's Day because I have someone this year. I get to share my love with my fiance this Valentine's Day. Granted I have to work this evening so I can't take her out, but I am not celebrating Singles Awareness Day as in past years.
I have someone to celebrate Valentine's Day. Someone I love and who loves me back. But then again, I've had that every year. Obviously, God has loved me each every Valentine's Day, each and every day and will love me every future day. As is painted on my coffee cup that Christine made made:
"But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8
God loves us. Cool, but what does that mean?
I've been reading J. I. Packer's classic book Knowing God. Packer defines God's love as follows:
"God's love is an exercise of His goodness toward individual sinners whereby, having identified Himself with their welfare, He has given His Son to be their Savior, and now brings them to know and enjoy Him in a covenant relation."
I'm not going to break this down in the detail that Packer does, but I will venture some brief explanation.
First, "God's love is an exercise of His goodness..." God is so good (and by "good" I mean infinitely perfect not necessarily nice) that His goodness spills over due to one of His traits, that being generosity. God loves because love and generosity are innately His character. As you've heard from John, God is love.
Secondly, God's love is given freely to those who don't deserve it. God chose to love you. Let that sink in... God chose to love you. It is not required for God to love you; rather He does it out of the overflow of His goodness and of His choosing. As Packer said, "No reason for His love can be given except His own sovereign good pleasure."
Thirdly, "... having identified Himself with their welfare..." God was supremely happy before He created the world. Supremely, perfectly, happy. In fact, the Holy Trinity shared love openly and freely for eternity before time (mind blower). But God decided to hinge his happiness in our welfare. He made, by His choice, His happiness eternally conditional on ours. Packer says, "Thus God saves, not only for His glory, but also for His pleasure."
Fourthly, as we saw in Romans 5:8 God's love came through Jesus's sacrifice on the cross. Without Jesus God cannot love you.
Lastly, "... brings them to know and enjoy Him in a covenant relation." God is committed to loving you. He has made a covenant to love you, just as a groom does with his bride in marriage. Like a groom, God loves us by doing the best for us. As John Tillotson said, "This is true love to any one, to do the best for him we can." God does this. And get this, God's best is based in His omnipotence, His almighty power!
Oh, how He loves us! Happy Valentine's Day! Meditate on God's love for you today.
I have someone to celebrate Valentine's Day. Someone I love and who loves me back. But then again, I've had that every year. Obviously, God has loved me each every Valentine's Day, each and every day and will love me every future day. As is painted on my coffee cup that Christine made made:
"But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8
God loves us. Cool, but what does that mean?
I've been reading J. I. Packer's classic book Knowing God. Packer defines God's love as follows:
"God's love is an exercise of His goodness toward individual sinners whereby, having identified Himself with their welfare, He has given His Son to be their Savior, and now brings them to know and enjoy Him in a covenant relation."
I'm not going to break this down in the detail that Packer does, but I will venture some brief explanation.
First, "God's love is an exercise of His goodness..." God is so good (and by "good" I mean infinitely perfect not necessarily nice) that His goodness spills over due to one of His traits, that being generosity. God loves because love and generosity are innately His character. As you've heard from John, God is love.
Secondly, God's love is given freely to those who don't deserve it. God chose to love you. Let that sink in... God chose to love you. It is not required for God to love you; rather He does it out of the overflow of His goodness and of His choosing. As Packer said, "No reason for His love can be given except His own sovereign good pleasure."
Thirdly, "... having identified Himself with their welfare..." God was supremely happy before He created the world. Supremely, perfectly, happy. In fact, the Holy Trinity shared love openly and freely for eternity before time (mind blower). But God decided to hinge his happiness in our welfare. He made, by His choice, His happiness eternally conditional on ours. Packer says, "Thus God saves, not only for His glory, but also for His pleasure."
Fourthly, as we saw in Romans 5:8 God's love came through Jesus's sacrifice on the cross. Without Jesus God cannot love you.
Lastly, "... brings them to know and enjoy Him in a covenant relation." God is committed to loving you. He has made a covenant to love you, just as a groom does with his bride in marriage. Like a groom, God loves us by doing the best for us. As John Tillotson said, "This is true love to any one, to do the best for him we can." God does this. And get this, God's best is based in His omnipotence, His almighty power!
Oh, how He loves us! Happy Valentine's Day! Meditate on God's love for you today.
Monday, February 10, 2014
A Final Word
Please read 1 Corinthians chapter 16.
In this final part of his letter to the local church at Corinth Paul wrote two sentences that concisely summarize the purpose of his entire letter. I want to look at those two sentences and see how we can live in light of them, especially in our local church, today.
"Be on you guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. Do everything in love."
1 Corinthians 16:13-14
Be on your Guard.
The local church will always be a prime target for attacks from Satan. See, the local church is a body of believers dedicated to living for Christ and His mission and Satan can't stand that. We must be on guard. For what? For the sins of the flesh that would tear our churches apart from within; from false teachers who would infect our churches with wrong doctrine; or anything that prevents us from carrying out the Great Commission in our community.
Stand Firm in the Faith
To stand firm in the faith we must be well versed in what our faith, the Gospel, is. When we know what the Gospel is and what it isn't, we must stand firmly on it. Like a house built upon a rock we will stand if we stand on the Gospel even in the midst of the storms. But like a house built on the sand we will tumble down when the rains come if we're built on anything less than the rock. "My hope is built on nothing less, than Jesus' blood and righteousness!" Know the Gospel and take a stand on it; don't let yourself be moved by pride, fad or even war. Let nothing move us!
Be Men of Courage
This applies to women, too. We must be courageous. Don't be afraid to stand up and keep our local churches true to Christ and His mission. As C. S. Lewis said in The Screwtape Letters: "Courage is not simply one of the virtues but the form of every virtue at the testing point, which means at the point of highest reality." Jesus wasn't just loving, as we might define love. Rather, He had courageous love that loved far beyond the point of testing. If you have patience, have it beyond the point of testing; that is courage. That is what we are called to. Be men and women of courage!
Be Strong
To be strong you must work out. We must strengthen ourselves through immersing ourselves in His Word and His ways. And to be strong we must have reliance on the Holy Spirit Himself. A strong Christian is not rogue. He is not an "army of one". A strong Christian knows the source of his strength and stands beside his brothers to maximize each others strength in the Lord.
Do Everything in Love
This is the lynchpin of functioning local churches. If you want to know what love is read 1 Corinthians chapter 13. Love is the lynchpin because the four previous commandments will be screwed up royally by us, if not done in love. If not done in love being on guard is paranoia; if not done in love standing firm in the faith is legalism; if not done in love being courageous is empty; and if not done in love being strong is shallow machoism. God is love. If we abide in Christ we will exude His love. We, as the local church, must exude His love.
"Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. Do everything in love" today.
In this final part of his letter to the local church at Corinth Paul wrote two sentences that concisely summarize the purpose of his entire letter. I want to look at those two sentences and see how we can live in light of them, especially in our local church, today.
"Be on you guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. Do everything in love."
1 Corinthians 16:13-14
Be on your Guard.
The local church will always be a prime target for attacks from Satan. See, the local church is a body of believers dedicated to living for Christ and His mission and Satan can't stand that. We must be on guard. For what? For the sins of the flesh that would tear our churches apart from within; from false teachers who would infect our churches with wrong doctrine; or anything that prevents us from carrying out the Great Commission in our community.
Stand Firm in the Faith
To stand firm in the faith we must be well versed in what our faith, the Gospel, is. When we know what the Gospel is and what it isn't, we must stand firmly on it. Like a house built upon a rock we will stand if we stand on the Gospel even in the midst of the storms. But like a house built on the sand we will tumble down when the rains come if we're built on anything less than the rock. "My hope is built on nothing less, than Jesus' blood and righteousness!" Know the Gospel and take a stand on it; don't let yourself be moved by pride, fad or even war. Let nothing move us!
Be Men of Courage
This applies to women, too. We must be courageous. Don't be afraid to stand up and keep our local churches true to Christ and His mission. As C. S. Lewis said in The Screwtape Letters: "Courage is not simply one of the virtues but the form of every virtue at the testing point, which means at the point of highest reality." Jesus wasn't just loving, as we might define love. Rather, He had courageous love that loved far beyond the point of testing. If you have patience, have it beyond the point of testing; that is courage. That is what we are called to. Be men and women of courage!
Be Strong
To be strong you must work out. We must strengthen ourselves through immersing ourselves in His Word and His ways. And to be strong we must have reliance on the Holy Spirit Himself. A strong Christian is not rogue. He is not an "army of one". A strong Christian knows the source of his strength and stands beside his brothers to maximize each others strength in the Lord.
Do Everything in Love
This is the lynchpin of functioning local churches. If you want to know what love is read 1 Corinthians chapter 13. Love is the lynchpin because the four previous commandments will be screwed up royally by us, if not done in love. If not done in love being on guard is paranoia; if not done in love standing firm in the faith is legalism; if not done in love being courageous is empty; and if not done in love being strong is shallow machoism. God is love. If we abide in Christ we will exude His love. We, as the local church, must exude His love.
"Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. Do everything in love" today.
Monday, February 3, 2014
Sex
Let me begin by quoting the demon Screwtape on the subject:
“Never forget that when we are dealing with any pleasure in its healthy and normal and satisfying form, we are, in a sense, on the Enemy’s (God’s) ground…He [God] made the pleasure: all our research so far has not enabled us to produce one. All we can do is to encourage the humans to take the pleasures which our Enemy [God] has produced, at times, or in ways, or in degrees, which He [God] has forbidden. ”
~C.S. Lewis from The Screwtape Letters
Sex is good. Sex existed in the Garden of Eden before sin, therefore it is good not sinful. God created sex and saw that it was good. That is what the Bible says about sex. We also know that Satan wants to take this good and encourage us to use it in times, ways and degrees that are not good.
The youth group at my church, Grace Baptist, is just finishing up at three week series on Sex and Dating. This topic is so hard to teach in a God honoring way that students will benefit from.
In this series I want students to know a few things. First, that God created sex and created it for His glory and our good. Sex, in marriage glorifies God and is a source of joy for us. Secondly, I want students to know that God's plan for sex is the only truly satisfying plan. All sex outside of wedlock is sin and can lead to our detriment. Thirdly, God has sufficient grace for all our sins, even sexual sins.
The Bible says sex was created for the purpose of unity (Genesis 2:24), intimacy (Song of Solomon 1:13, 2:3, 2:6, 4:5), procreation (Genesis 1:28), companionship (Song of Solomon 3:1), pleasure (Song of Solomon 1:2) and His glory. Christians, let's not forget to tell this side of the story. Often when we talk about sex we present a list of dos and don'ts. I think we hurt our presentation of God honoring sexuality if we limit it to dos and don'ts.
That being said the Bible clearly says sex is for marriage only (Hebrews 13:4, 1 Corinthians 7, etc). I'm so glad I waited until marriage for sex, and this was by the grace of God not my own strength. Sex outside marriage often ends in pain and heartbreak. How many babies have been aborted because of the sin of pre-marital sex? How many marriages have dissolved because of adultery? How many hearts have been broken because the unity that sex enhances was thrown away after a short fling? How many kids don't live with both mom and dad because they were conceived out of marriage? God's plan for sex protects us from this. And as one who waited until I was married at age 26 to have sex, I don't feel that I've missed anything good by waiting.
For those of you that have erred in this, remember our God is gracious. Christ didn't bear the weight of all sins except sexual on the cross. No! He died for them all. He's offering you forgiveness of all sins. Take His forgiveness today. Don't let Satan convince you that you're no longer "good enough" because of sexual sin. He loves to this. He loves to entice us to sin and then encourage us to shy away from the throne of grace because of that same sin. Christ loves you and died for every last one of your sins.
For those of you waiting for marriage, hold on. You can do it! God promises that with Him you can withstand the temptation of pre-marital sex.
"No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." 1 Corinthians 10:13
For those of you that are married:
"May your fountain be blessed,
and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth.
A loving doe, a graceful deer...
may her breasts satisfy you always,
may you ever be captivated by her love."
Proverbs 5:18-19
Sex is good... when done God's way. Give yourself fully to God including your sexuality today.
“Never forget that when we are dealing with any pleasure in its healthy and normal and satisfying form, we are, in a sense, on the Enemy’s (God’s) ground…He [God] made the pleasure: all our research so far has not enabled us to produce one. All we can do is to encourage the humans to take the pleasures which our Enemy [God] has produced, at times, or in ways, or in degrees, which He [God] has forbidden. ”
~C.S. Lewis from The Screwtape Letters
Sex is good. Sex existed in the Garden of Eden before sin, therefore it is good not sinful. God created sex and saw that it was good. That is what the Bible says about sex. We also know that Satan wants to take this good and encourage us to use it in times, ways and degrees that are not good.
The youth group at my church, Grace Baptist, is just finishing up at three week series on Sex and Dating. This topic is so hard to teach in a God honoring way that students will benefit from.
In this series I want students to know a few things. First, that God created sex and created it for His glory and our good. Sex, in marriage glorifies God and is a source of joy for us. Secondly, I want students to know that God's plan for sex is the only truly satisfying plan. All sex outside of wedlock is sin and can lead to our detriment. Thirdly, God has sufficient grace for all our sins, even sexual sins.
The Bible says sex was created for the purpose of unity (Genesis 2:24), intimacy (Song of Solomon 1:13, 2:3, 2:6, 4:5), procreation (Genesis 1:28), companionship (Song of Solomon 3:1), pleasure (Song of Solomon 1:2) and His glory. Christians, let's not forget to tell this side of the story. Often when we talk about sex we present a list of dos and don'ts. I think we hurt our presentation of God honoring sexuality if we limit it to dos and don'ts.
That being said the Bible clearly says sex is for marriage only (Hebrews 13:4, 1 Corinthians 7, etc). I'm so glad I waited until marriage for sex, and this was by the grace of God not my own strength. Sex outside marriage often ends in pain and heartbreak. How many babies have been aborted because of the sin of pre-marital sex? How many marriages have dissolved because of adultery? How many hearts have been broken because the unity that sex enhances was thrown away after a short fling? How many kids don't live with both mom and dad because they were conceived out of marriage? God's plan for sex protects us from this. And as one who waited until I was married at age 26 to have sex, I don't feel that I've missed anything good by waiting.
For those of you that have erred in this, remember our God is gracious. Christ didn't bear the weight of all sins except sexual on the cross. No! He died for them all. He's offering you forgiveness of all sins. Take His forgiveness today. Don't let Satan convince you that you're no longer "good enough" because of sexual sin. He loves to this. He loves to entice us to sin and then encourage us to shy away from the throne of grace because of that same sin. Christ loves you and died for every last one of your sins.
For those of you waiting for marriage, hold on. You can do it! God promises that with Him you can withstand the temptation of pre-marital sex.
"No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." 1 Corinthians 10:13
For those of you that are married:
"May your fountain be blessed,
and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth.
A loving doe, a graceful deer...
may her breasts satisfy you always,
may you ever be captivated by her love."
Proverbs 5:18-19
Sex is good... when done God's way. Give yourself fully to God including your sexuality today.
Monday, January 27, 2014
From Acorn to Oak
1 Corinthians 15 is perhaps my favorite chapter of Paul's letter. Please read it as it talks about the resurrection of Christ, the dead and the body.
Paul gives this as the bare bones definition of the Gospel:
"... that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to Scriptures..." 1 Corinthians 15:3-4
I am going to assume that you believe that Jesus was raised from the dead. I'm also going to assume that you know that believers will be raised from the dead and given eternal life. This is the promise of the Gospel. This is the truth we are told to stand firmly upon. Without this our faith is useless and should be abandoned.
But what about our heavenly bodies? Paul says we we rise again with heavenly bodies. What will these be like? Why do we need new bodies? Is my current body ugly?
Paul writes that we currently have bodies with splendor.
"... the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another." 1 Corinthians 15:40
Our bodies have splendor. We are made in the image of God by a skillful, artistic creator God. Don't ever say that you aren't beautiful and wonderfully made because the Bible says you are.
So, why then will we need heavenly bodies if our earthly bodies have splendor? Paul says that our heavenly bodies will have a different kind or different level of splendor. We are made in the image of God now, but that image is cloudy. Remember that in those days they didn't have mirrors like we do. To see one's image one might look in the water or in the reflection on metal. The image is a reflection but not a perfect reflection. So, our heavenly bodies will be a splendorous reflection of the glory of God.
"Just as we have born the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven (Jesus)." 1 Corinthians 15:49
What will our heavenly bodies be like other than that? Will we all be little Jesus clones? Absolutely not. We will reflect His character but retain the essence of who He created us to be as individuals.
Think of it this way. An acorn is a beautiful part of nature. But put the acorn in the ground and it will grow into a towering, beautiful, majestic oak tree. The acorn will never turn into a pine tree or a palm tree. The acorn of an oak will only turn into an oak. And we can always look at an oak tree and know what it used to be. The oak tree has the same essence as the acorn, the same genetic makeup but a different type of splendor and there is no arguing which splendor is better.
We are like that. In heaven we will keep our essence while enhancing our splendor. In fact, in heavenly we won't be less like ourselves we will be ourselves as we were designed to be. In the end of time our friends and family that we will meet in heaven will be recognizable yet completely morphed into their splendid heavenly form.
We will be changed like an acorn into an oak. We will be raised from death to eternal life because of the death and resurrection of Jesus! This is our hope.
"'Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?'
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourself fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." 1 Corinthians 15:55-58
We have immense hope. We will rise again. We can laugh at death. We will receive heavenly bodies that will not have aches and pains. Because of our hope we can and must stand firmly on the Gospel. We can and must be fully devoted to the work of the Lord because if God can give us this hope how much more can He ensure that our work in Him is not in vain?
Stand firm on the Gospel. Be devoted to work of the Lord because your labor will not be in vain today.
Paul gives this as the bare bones definition of the Gospel:
"... that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to Scriptures..." 1 Corinthians 15:3-4
I am going to assume that you believe that Jesus was raised from the dead. I'm also going to assume that you know that believers will be raised from the dead and given eternal life. This is the promise of the Gospel. This is the truth we are told to stand firmly upon. Without this our faith is useless and should be abandoned.
But what about our heavenly bodies? Paul says we we rise again with heavenly bodies. What will these be like? Why do we need new bodies? Is my current body ugly?
Paul writes that we currently have bodies with splendor.
"... the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another." 1 Corinthians 15:40
Our bodies have splendor. We are made in the image of God by a skillful, artistic creator God. Don't ever say that you aren't beautiful and wonderfully made because the Bible says you are.
So, why then will we need heavenly bodies if our earthly bodies have splendor? Paul says that our heavenly bodies will have a different kind or different level of splendor. We are made in the image of God now, but that image is cloudy. Remember that in those days they didn't have mirrors like we do. To see one's image one might look in the water or in the reflection on metal. The image is a reflection but not a perfect reflection. So, our heavenly bodies will be a splendorous reflection of the glory of God.
"Just as we have born the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven (Jesus)." 1 Corinthians 15:49
What will our heavenly bodies be like other than that? Will we all be little Jesus clones? Absolutely not. We will reflect His character but retain the essence of who He created us to be as individuals.
Think of it this way. An acorn is a beautiful part of nature. But put the acorn in the ground and it will grow into a towering, beautiful, majestic oak tree. The acorn will never turn into a pine tree or a palm tree. The acorn of an oak will only turn into an oak. And we can always look at an oak tree and know what it used to be. The oak tree has the same essence as the acorn, the same genetic makeup but a different type of splendor and there is no arguing which splendor is better.
We are like that. In heaven we will keep our essence while enhancing our splendor. In fact, in heavenly we won't be less like ourselves we will be ourselves as we were designed to be. In the end of time our friends and family that we will meet in heaven will be recognizable yet completely morphed into their splendid heavenly form.
We will be changed like an acorn into an oak. We will be raised from death to eternal life because of the death and resurrection of Jesus! This is our hope.
"'Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?'
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourself fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." 1 Corinthians 15:55-58
We have immense hope. We will rise again. We can laugh at death. We will receive heavenly bodies that will not have aches and pains. Because of our hope we can and must stand firmly on the Gospel. We can and must be fully devoted to the work of the Lord because if God can give us this hope how much more can He ensure that our work in Him is not in vain?
Stand firm on the Gospel. Be devoted to work of the Lord because your labor will not be in vain today.
Monday, January 20, 2014
You Can Prophesy
Please read 1 Corinthians chapter 14. The chapter is full of great insight and some confusing topics. I will not be addressing the section on orderly worship because I cannot do it justice in a short blog. However, I will look at the topic of prophecy.
When reading the Bible we can never read it chapter by chapter as if one chapter of a book is completely independent of another. So, when we read chapter 14 we must remember that chapter 13 came before it. And when we read the passage about women in the church we must remember that chapter 11 is of the same book.
Chapter 13 is aptly described as the Love Chapter. The focus of the first part of chapter 14 flows smoothly out of chapter 13. Let's look at the first few verses.
"Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy. For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God. Indeed, no one understands him; he utters mysteries with his spirit. But everyone who prophesies speaks to men for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort. He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church. I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy." 1 Corinthians 14:1-5
If you want to learn more about why tongues are good but prophesy is preferred, go ahead and read Paul's chapter. I want to look more at how we can have the gift of prophecy. If prophecy is to be especially desired and beneficial to the church then we should find out how to have this gift.
Prophecy is speaking the words of God. Throughout the history of the Church and the nation of Israel prophets have spoken the words of God. Sometimes as warning, sometimes as predictions of the future, sometimes for encouragement and always for the benefit of others.
When we think of prophecy we get stuck on the predicting of the future. I want us to believe that that can and does happen, but I don't want to spend much time with that.
You can prophesy. I guarantee you.
You can prophesy from your computer, phone, in person... you can prophesy with the equipping you have now.
Remember prophecy is speaking the words of God. You are incredibly fortunate to have a copy of the Word of God. Even if you don't have a physical Bible I know you can download the Word of God for free on whatever it is you're reading this on.
Prophesy today by sending a text with a scripture on it. Make your Facebook status an encouraging word from the Word. Remind a friend of one of the promises in Scripture and that the promises in Scripture are for them in their life today.
Let's say your friend is battling depression. Google "Bible verses for people with depression" and tell your friend to look them up. Or restate the verses as a prayer for them and send that prayer in writing to them.
The well of prophecy is deeper than this for sure, but it starts at this level for us all to take part in the most loving gift of the Spirit. Think of ways to use the Word of God to strengthen, encourage and comfort those around you today.
When reading the Bible we can never read it chapter by chapter as if one chapter of a book is completely independent of another. So, when we read chapter 14 we must remember that chapter 13 came before it. And when we read the passage about women in the church we must remember that chapter 11 is of the same book.
Chapter 13 is aptly described as the Love Chapter. The focus of the first part of chapter 14 flows smoothly out of chapter 13. Let's look at the first few verses.
"Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy. For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God. Indeed, no one understands him; he utters mysteries with his spirit. But everyone who prophesies speaks to men for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort. He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church. I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy." 1 Corinthians 14:1-5
If you want to learn more about why tongues are good but prophesy is preferred, go ahead and read Paul's chapter. I want to look more at how we can have the gift of prophecy. If prophecy is to be especially desired and beneficial to the church then we should find out how to have this gift.
Prophecy is speaking the words of God. Throughout the history of the Church and the nation of Israel prophets have spoken the words of God. Sometimes as warning, sometimes as predictions of the future, sometimes for encouragement and always for the benefit of others.
When we think of prophecy we get stuck on the predicting of the future. I want us to believe that that can and does happen, but I don't want to spend much time with that.
You can prophesy. I guarantee you.
You can prophesy from your computer, phone, in person... you can prophesy with the equipping you have now.
Remember prophecy is speaking the words of God. You are incredibly fortunate to have a copy of the Word of God. Even if you don't have a physical Bible I know you can download the Word of God for free on whatever it is you're reading this on.
Prophesy today by sending a text with a scripture on it. Make your Facebook status an encouraging word from the Word. Remind a friend of one of the promises in Scripture and that the promises in Scripture are for them in their life today.
Let's say your friend is battling depression. Google "Bible verses for people with depression" and tell your friend to look them up. Or restate the verses as a prayer for them and send that prayer in writing to them.
The well of prophecy is deeper than this for sure, but it starts at this level for us all to take part in the most loving gift of the Spirit. Think of ways to use the Word of God to strengthen, encourage and comfort those around you today.
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