Last words

by Paul Ice

Here we are at the end.  The last chapter of the New Testament.  The last post on a reading.

Today’s chapter couldn't be a better end.  It really shouldn't be a surprise that the greatest Author of all ended His book in such a fitting way.  This is a great ending to Revelation and a great ending to the New Testament.

            The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.

           

(Revelation 22:21 ESV)

These are the very last words of the Bible.  The last words of any piece of literature may not be the most important, but they do leave the lingering taste.

Along the way in the Bible, there is so much high drama filled with creation, men and women in search of home, kingdoms built and lost, fire falling from the sky, a baby obscurely born in a manger, two men walking toward each other on a stormy sea, the horror of the cross, and the earth-shattering resurrection.  And Revelation is probably the most dramatic chapter of the whole story.  But it all ends with a gentle blessing – “the grace of the Lord Jesus be with all.”

What more could we want than that – the grace of the Lord Jesus.  Humanity can live by the grace of the Lord Jesus.  Amen indeed.

Revelation 12-18

by Adam Johnson

Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus. Revelation 14:12


As I was reading these passages I realized that this same verse was given in the previous chapter, but in this verse it commands believers to keep their faith in Jesus. All over the world people will be imprisoned, beaten, rejected, or killed for their faith in Jesus. It's a verse that stood out in these chapters where the wrath of God is poured out in measures we cannot fathom today as the world stands in complete defiance of God and those who follow Him.

How can the saints face this kind of demonic hatred and pain? They have their faith in the One who went before, and drank the cup of God's wrath to the bottom for us. The world today has no love for the Savior, but in all events we can face turmoil and even death because of our faith in Jesus. We have the very Son of God who went before us, and suffered these things so we could have life for ever with Him. So, even if the whole world turns against us literally, we can face all things with Jesus by our side. Let us not fear what the future holds in our world, but look with anticipation on all that God will accomplish through us until He returns.



Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident. Psalm 27:3

Revelation 1 Alpha and Omega

by Jill Ice

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”

Revelation 1:8

I am Alpha and Omega - these are the first and the last letters of the Greek alphabet, and denote properly the first and the last. Among the Jewish rabbis it was common to use the first and the last letters of the Hebrew alphabet to denote the whole of anything, from beginning to end. Thus, it is said, "Adam transgressed the whole law, from 'Aleph (א) to Taw (תּ)." "Abraham kept the whole law, from 'Aleph (א) to Taw (תּ)."

The language here is what would properly denote "eternity" in the being to whom it is applied, and could be used in reference to no one but the true God. It means that he is the beginning and the end of all things; that he was at the commencement, and will be at the close; and it is thus equivalent to saying that he has always existed, and that he will always exist.

Compare Isaiah 41:4, "I the Lord, the first, and with the last"; Isaiah 44:6, "I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God"; Isaiah 48:12, "I am he; I am the first, I also am the last." There can be no doubt that the language here would be naturally understood as implying divinity, and it could be properly applied to no one but the true God.

As we come to the end of the calendar year and begin another, let us remember the One Who is the beginning and end of all things. Let us begin and end each new day in Him.

The Importance of "The Faith" - Jude

By Mike Durrill

Jud 1:3 ESV - Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.

The theme of this small book is found in verse 3 where we are exhorted to "earnestly contend for the faith." 

The phrase "earnestly contend" is strong priority language because of the life or death nature of truth. "The faith" refers to embodiment of teaching of the Scriptures regarding Who Jesus Christ is and what He has done.

Here is John Macarthur's solid take on the History and Theme of this book:

Jude is the only NT book devoted exclusively to confronting “apostasy,” meaning defection from the true, biblical faith (vv. 3,17). Apostates are described elsewhere in 2 Thess. 2:10; Heb. 10:29; 2 Pet. 2:1–22; 1 John 2:18–23. He wrote to condemn the apostates and to urge believers to contend for the faith. He called for discernment on the part of the church and a rigorous defense of biblical truth. He followed the earlier examples of: 1) Christ (Matt. 7:15ff.; 16:6–12; 24:11ff; Rev. 2,3); 2) Paul (Acts 20:29,30; 1 Tim. 4:1; 2 Tim. 3:1–5; 4:3,4); 3) Peter (2 Pet. 2:1,2;3:3,4); and 4) John (1 John 4:1–6; 2 John 6–11).

Jude is replete with historical illustrations from the OT which include: 1) the Exodus (v. 5); 2) Satan’s rebellion (v. 6); 3) Sodom and Gomorrah (v. 7); 4) Moses’ death (v. 9); 5) Cain (v. 11); 6) Balaam (v. 11); 7) Korah (v. 11); 8) Enoch (vv. 14,15); and 9) Adam (v. 14).

Jude also vividly described the apostates in terms of their character and unconscionable activities (vv. 4,8,10,16,18,19). Additionally, he borrowed from nature to illustrate the futility of their teaching (vv. 12,13). While Jude never commented on the specific content of their false teaching, it was enough to demonstrate that their degenerate personal lives and fruitless ministries betrayed their attempts to teach error as though it were truth. This emphasis on character repeats the constant theme regarding false teachers—their personal corruption. While their teaching is clever, subtle, deceptive, enticing, and delivered in myriads of forms, the common way to recognize them is to look behind their false spiritual fronts and see their wicked lives (2 Pet. 2:10,12,18,19).

Propitiation - I John

By Mike Durrill

1Jo 4:10 ESV - In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

Love is God sending Jesus to be the propitiation for our sins.

This word "propitiation" is a wonderful word meaning "appease" or "conciliate".

Here is an excellent description taken from Blue Letter Bible:

Propitiation:

was used amongst the Greeks with the significance "to make the gods propitious, to appease, propitiate," inasmuch as their good will was not conceived as their natural attitude, but something to be earned first. This use of the word is foreign to the Greek Bible, with respect to God, whether in the Sept. or in the NT. It is never used of any act whereby man brings God into a favorable attitude or gracious disposition. It is God who is "propitiated" by the vindication of His holy and righteous character, whereby, through the provision He has made in the vicarious and expiatory sacrifice of Christ, He has so dealt with sin that He can show mercy to the believing sinner in the removal of his guilt and the remission of his sins.

Thus in Luk 18:13 it signifies "to be propitious" or "merciful to" (with the person as the object of the verb), and in Hbr 2:17 "to expiate, to make propitiation for" (the object of the verb being sins); here the RV, "to make propitiation" is an important correction of the AV, "to make reconciliation." Through the "propitiation" sacrifice of Christ, he who believes upon Him is by God's own act delivered from justly deserved wrath, and comes under the covenant of grace. Never is God said to be reconciled, a fact itself indicative that the enmity exists on man's part alone, and that it is man who needs to be reconciled to God, and not God to man. God is always the same and, since He is Himself immutable, His relative attitude does change towards those who change. He can act differently towards those who come to Him by faith, and solely on the ground of the "propitiatory" sacrifice of Christ, not because He has changed, but because He ever acts according to His unchanging righteousness.

The expiatory work of the Cross is therefore the means whereby the barrier which sin interposes between God and man is broken down. By the giving up of His sinless life sacrificially, Christ annuls the power of sin to separate between God and the believer.

In the OT the Hebrew verb kaphar is connected with kopher, "a covering" (seeMERCY-SEAT), and is used in connection with the burnt offering, e.g.,Lev 1:4; 14:20; 16:24, the guilt offering e.g., Lev 5:16,18, the sin offering, e.g., Lev 4:20, 26, 31, 35, the sin offering and burnt offering together, e.g.,Lev 5:10; 9:7, the meal offering and peace offering, e.g., Eze 45:15, 17, as well as in other respects. It is used of the ram offered at the consecration of the high priest, Exd 29:33, and of the blood which God gave upon the altar to make "propitiation" for the souls of the people, and that because "the life of the flesh is in the blood," Lev 17:11, and "it is the blood that maketh atonement by reason of the life" (RV). Man has forfeited his life on account of sin and God has provided the one and only way whereby eternal life could be bestowed, namely, by the voluntary laying down of His life by His Son, under Divine retribution. Of this the former sacrifices appointed by God were foreshadowings.

II Timothy

by Paul Ice

Merry Christmas Eve,

As I read this passage, I was reminded of all those across the world who celebrate this holiday in significantly different circumstances then we do.  Paul wrote this to Timothy, and it is a good reminder to us also.


Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,

(2 Timothy 1:8-10 ESV)

Hebrews 1 The Supremacy of God's Son

by Jill Ice

I love that the opening of Hebrews 1 is given the subtitle “The Supremacy of God’s Son” by the editors of Bible Gateway. Read the passage –

 

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, ² but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. ³ He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, ⁴ having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

Hebrews 1:1-4

In the Christmas season, we often think of Jesus coming to earth as a baby and not consider the rest of His life. But even as a baby, Jesus represented this passage accurately – He was the heir of all things, He created the world, He was the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of God’s nature, and He upheld the universe by the word of His power. As a baby, He was God!

 But there is so much more to the story. His life on earth demonstrated the nature of God – love unending and superior to any earthly love, holiness and justice, mercy and grace, forgiveness, gentleness, peace.

The culmination of His life occurred at His death, and is spoken of in the passage above in the phrase “after making purification for sins”. He paid our ransom and mediated between God the holy and man the fallen once and for all. For when the purification was complete, He “sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high”. No other high priest was ever able to sit down – there was always more sacrifice to be made, more sin to be atoned for. But Christ’s perfect substitutionary death triumphed over all sin, in all ages, for all people.

This is the supremacy of God’s Son, who came to earth as a baby.

"But ye are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light."  - I Peter 2:9

I once was fatherless, a stranger with no hope.
Your kindness wakened me, wakened me from my sleep
Your love it beckons deeply, a call to come and die
And by grace I now will come and take this life, Take Your life.
Sin has lost it's power and death has lost it's sting
And from the grave you've risen -- Victoriously!

Into marvelous light I'm running...
Out of darkness, out of shame.
By the cross You are The Truth
You are the Light, You are The Way!

(Sung by Christy Nockels, written by Charlie Hall)

Grace Upon Grace

by Diana Durrill

"For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ." - Titus 2:11-13

Such beautiful, life-giving words!  God's grace brought us salvation through the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ, who was full of grace and truth (John 1:14).  But God's grace doesn't end there.  "From His fullness we have received grace upon grace" which goes on to sanctify us, teaching us how to live a life that is glorifying to Him.  God's grace, generously poured out on undeserving beneficiaries, models what grace should look like in our own lives.  His generous, life-giving grace trains, inspires, and motivates us to live a grace-full life free of ungodliness and worldly passions, self-controlled, upright, and godly.  This grace allows us to fully embrace today while eagerly anticipating the Lord's return. 

Grace is the good pleasure of God that inclines Him to bestow the benefits upon the undeserving. It is a self-existent principle inherent in the divine nature and appears to us as a self-caused propensity to pity the wretched, spare the guilty, welcome the outcast, and bring into favor those who were before under just disapprobation. Its use to us sinful men is to save us and make us sit together in heavenly places to demonstrate to the ages the exceeding riches of God’s kindness to us in Christ Jesus.  - A. W. Tozer

Phil 1

by Paul Ice

            "Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.

            Yes, and I will rejoice,"

(Philippians 1:15-18 ESV)

 

Paul lives for the gospel.  He raises its banner in every book he writes.  And here we see that in the worst of human circumstances, sitting in prison, he is rejoicing in the proclamation of the gospel even when it is done at his own expense.  Seems a little confusing doesn’t it.  How could some “proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment.”

Consider this:

The answer might be found in our brushing over the word “proclaiming”.  That is not necessarily the same as evangelizing.  For sure Paul had enemies; and they are contributing to his trouble in prison by trumping up charges against him. The most effective way for the Judaizers to do that would be to make a clear distinction in the minds of Paul’s captors between the approved religion that they (by virtue of their association with Judaism) enjoyed, and the illegal religion that Paul was advocating; rigorously detailing the differences between what they teach and what Paul teaches, in other words: “Do you realize Paul actually teaches that all one must do to be saved is to believe in Jesus, and that there is no necessity in keeping Jewish law? Why that’s not the true approved teachings of Judaism!”

 And so, even though it meant ill for his health, he rejoices in the fact they were instruments of the gospel, proclaiming the truth in an attempt to silence the truth.

We already struggle when the truth is spread through events that don’t fit our well thought out system, don’t we?  How would we respond when it gets personal?  Self-defense?  Paul’s response -  “I will rejoice.”

Strengthened with all power...

"May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light." Colossians 1:11-12

"... In praying for spiritual strength, we are not straitened, or confined in the promises, and should not be so in our hopes and desires. The grace of God in the hearts of believers is the power of God; and there is glory in this power. The special use of this strength was for sufferings. There is work to be done, even when we are suffering. Amidst all their trials they gave thanks to the Father of our Lord Jesus, whose special grace fitted them to partake of the inheritance provided for the saints. To bring about this change, those were made willing subjects of Christ, who were slaves of Satan. All who are designed for heaven hereafter, are prepared for heaven now. Those who have the inheritance of sons, have the education of sons, and the disposition of sons. By faith in Christ they enjoyed this redemption, as the purchase of his atoning blood, whereby forgiveness of sins, and all other spiritual blessings were bestowed. Surely then we shall deem it a favour to be delivered from Satan's kingdom and brought into that of Christ, knowing that all trials will soon end, and that every believer will be found among those who come out of great tribulation."

- taken from Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

Acts 27-28 Shipwreck

by Jill Ice

The journey and shipwreck of Paul teach a couple of important lessons. One is that when God wants something done, it gets done, period! Nothing will stop it from completion.

 
The other is that God, as we have seen since Genesis, always keeps His promises. Paul was imprisoned, betrayed, the target of assassination, 2,000 miles away from his destination, shipwrecked, stranded on an island, and had a deadly snake bite him severely enough to have hung from his hand. Yet God wanted him to be in Rome, and had promised that he would get there safely. We can take comfort, knowing that His will is going to be done, and that He has promised salvation for His faithful.

A Great Assignment - Acts 24-26

by Diana Durrill

Paul received a very specific calling from the Lord at the point of his salvation.  He was transformed from feared persecutor of the church to the church's greatest missionary.  When he met the Lord on the road to Damascus he was given this clear path for his future:

"But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things which you have seen of me and to those in which I will appear to you, delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles -- to whom I am sending you to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me." Acts 26:16-18

Paul is told to "Go -- serve and testify of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles."  Christ promises to deliver him from the hands of his own people and will use his message to open the eyes of the Gentiles so that they may know the salvation of the Lord.

Paul's confidence in his calling is evident as we journey with him through the New Testament, as demonstrated in today's reading.  Paul is testifying in court that he has done nothing wrong, that he is being falsely accused.  His confidence is so evident one can perceive it as either foolish arrogance or unbridled courage. We marvel at his boldness in the face of human authority and power, but when we reflect on the calling God had on his life we see where his confidence is grounded.  He has no concern over the verdict because his marching orders come from the supreme authority of Jesus Christ.

Do we know the clear calling of Christ on our lives?  Do we walk the path He's laid out before us with confidence?  Do we boldly proclaim Jesus Christ?  We have not heard the audible voice of the Lord but we too have been commissioned to go and make disciples of Christ.  Like Paul, we can courageously live this life for the glory of the Lord as we proclaim the truths of Jesus Christ's life, death and resurrection!

Acts 20:4 - 23:35 Fearful yet...not.

By Mike Durrill

[11] The following night the Lord stood by him and said, "Take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome." - Act 23:11 ESV


Courage is not the absence of fear. It is continuation despite the emotion of fear.

The great Apostle Paul whom we highly revere for his strong stands, his commitment to truth, and devotion to the Lord still had chinks of fear in his armor.

Thus the reason for the encouragement from the Lord.

Take comfort in this friends. Fear is real, but has little strength when you know the One who has conquered ALL fear.

God has not given us a spirit of fear - but of power, love, and a sound mind.

Yes, even Paul needed a reminder.

The great leader Joshua was also reminded by the Lord - [9] Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go." - Jos 1:9 ESV

Like a child fearlessly heading into the dark woods hand in hand with his father, so the Christian faces this life.

What has God called you to today? The Lord your God is with you.

Rom 11 - Has God Rejected His People

By Paul Ice

Adapted from John Piper

Romans 11

Romans 11:1, "I ask, then, has God rejected his people?" That question is utterly pressing because of the preceding chapters and the preceding verse (Romans 10:21), "But of Israel he says, 'All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.'" In other words, it looks like Israel is resistant to God and therefore rejected.

So Paul asks in verse 1: "Has God rejected his people?" And he answers: "By no means!" Then he gives his argument, his reason: "For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin." Do you see how different this argument is from anything else he has said so far in Romans 9-11? Here he is arguing that God's faithfulness to his people is found precisely in the fact that Paul is Jewish. God has not rejected his people! Look! I am a Jew. I am an Israelite, a "member of the tribe of Benjamin." The fact that he mentions what tribe he is from shows that he is not merely thinking of himself as a spiritual descendant of Abraham, but also as a physical descendant. God has not rejected his people, because I am not rejected and I am part of physical Israel. That is his argument so far and it is new in these three chapters. This is a new level in the argument.

From here he will argue that there is a remnant including himself-including Jews for Jesus-and a remnant points to a fullness the way first fruits point to harvest. We will need to follow this argument carefully. But I save that for next week. I want to ask the "so what" question as we tackle Romans 11. Why should anyone care about this ancient letter? Why should anyone who is here for the first time today bother to come back?

Really it's a question of whether we need to be assured that the word of God to Israel has not fallen. Paul must think this issue is enormously important to spend three chapters defending God's faithfulness to his word to Israel. Why? And why should we care?

Consider these two reasons.

1. If God's Word Fails to Israel, God Is Not Glorious, and God Is Not God

If God's word fails to Israel, God is not glorious. And if God is not glorious, God is not God. And if God is not God, our greatest treasure is taken from us, and we are turned into beasts with the monkeys and the porpoises, and all our love and all our affections are nothing more than chemicals, and we must play "make believe" all our life that anything is significant.

But Paul is passionate for the glory of God and the God-ness of God and the unspeakable significance of your life. And so he writes these chapters and ends them like this:

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! 34 "For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?" 35 "Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?" 36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen. (Romans 11:33-36)

That is what hangs on God's faithfulness to his word to Israel. His glory. His being God. And your life mattering at all.

2. If God's Word Fails to Israel, We Cannot Believe That the Promises of Romans 8 Will Be True for Us

The second reason you should care about God's faithfulness to his word to Israel is that if God does not keep his promises to Israel, all our hope that he will keep his promises to us in Romans 8 falls to the ground.

What about the promise of Romans 8:38, "I am sure that neither death nor life . . . will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." Will death separate you from the love of God? Not if you trust Jesus Christ as your only Savior and Lord and not if God is trustworthy. But if he does not keep his promises to Israel, he is not trustworthy, and the promise of Romans 8:38 is unreliable, and the experience of Frances Ridley Havergal is a sham and you will never know it. She wrote "Like A River Glorious." She died when she was 42. She wrote:

I do not fear death. Often I wake in the night and think of it, look forward to it, with a thrill of joyful expectation and anticipation, which would become impatience, were it not that Jesus is my Master, as well as my Saviour, and I feel I have work to do for Him that I would not shirk, and also that His time to call me home will be the best and right time; therefore I am content to wait. (Like A River Glorious: Prose, Poetry, and Music by Fances Ridley Havergal, Rio, Wisconsin: The Havergal Trust, 2003, p. 710)

Romans 8-10

by Adam Johnson

The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs--heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. Romans 8:16-17


These chapters written by Paul are some of the deepest and most powerful chapters of Scripture. Paul delves into things that tell the believer all the benefits of being a Christian. He speaks of the indwelling Holy Spirit that is given to us upon our salvation. Our position is one of an heir as a child of God - we have the same position before God as Christ Himself. However, there is a criteria that Paul clarifies for all believers that is a reminder of our place in the world. The Holy Spirit is there to help us in these times of trial as he speaks later in the chapter.

The believer who is growing and seeking the will of God has an inner confidence that comes from the Spirit of God within them. They have peace because their position before God is secure. It tells us that even our suffering is for a reason because during the times of greatest duress we know God is closest to us. That suffering also shows the unbelieving world around us that we have a Hope that surpasses all of their understanding. Paul tells us in the very next verse that no suffering we endure can compare with the reality of eternity before us. Christlikeness is the goal of every believer - to be like the One who gave us righteous standing before God. Nothing should shake our confidence in this life because we are continuing on to that day when we stand complete in Christ before God.

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. Romans 8:18

Romans 1:6 You Are Called to Belong

"...And you also are among those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ." 

 Romans 1:6

Did you know that you are invited to belong in Christ Jesus? He has called you out of the kingdom of darkness and translated you into the kingdom of His dear Son (Colossians 1:13). There is something incredibly satisfying in belonging to Jesus Christ.

By belonging to Jesus, we get to partake of the abundant grace offered through our Savior for His glorious name's sake. This includes each and every one of us who have called upon that precious name. Doing so by faith, we become dear children and precious friends of our Lord and Savior.

Our invitation and calling to belong to the Lord carries weight with him. Peter tells us in I Peter 2, "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy." (I Peter 2:9-10)

Unlike trying to fit in with the popular crowd in high school, or keeping up with the Jones’ as adults, our association with this chosen people of God is based solely on the Lord and His mercy. And Paul tells us in Romans 1:5 that we are among those who are called to belong to Him. We are called, invited and offered this grace freely and without reservation. Today, it is my hope that you trust in that name and find contentment, satisfaction and overwhelming joy in belonging to God.

Written by Juli Camarin.

Hypocrisy? -- 2 Corinthians 10-13

By Mike Durrill

"Let such a person understand that what we say by letter when absent, we do when present." - 2Cr 10:11 ESV

These three chapters written by the Apostle Paul are intriguing. He is writing a church that he had written before and soundly chastised. He writes them again in this letter and commends them for changes that have been made yet also defends the message and manner in which his previous letter had been written.

This statement in verse 11 is a principle for all to live by. The principle can be said many different ways - 

Do what you say.

Be who you say you are.

Walk your talk. 

Practice what you preach.

All of us at times put a better foot forward than is actually ours. We all desire to be perceived in a certain light. However, there is much freedom and fresh air in having a desire to be Christ-like and yet admitting when we are not. Striving together toward godliness, yet understanding we are all in the ocean of life on the same boat named Grace. 

By God's grace I desire to do what I say, walk the talk, and practice what I preach. Honestly though - I don't always. There are times that I say one thing and do another. A hypocrite you say? Guilty and charged. But one who desires to not be and leans upon the grace of God to be less so. 

Love that Compels Me

Today's Passage:  2 Corinthians 5-9

"For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this:  That one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised." - 2 Corinthians 5:14,15

Christ loved me so much that in tremendous humility He took my sin upon Himself and died for my sin, saving me from eternal damnation.  

This love should compel me to live for Him.  

In verse 20 Paul calls me an Ambassador for the kingdom of God.  An Ambassador represents and promotes his homeland.  Am I accurately representing the King of Heaven or have I received His grace in vain?  (6:1)  As a child, I remember hearing adults talk about the Lord's return and their longing for Heaven.  I couldn't understand what the hurry was.  The older I get the more I understand the longing for our Heavenly home.  In the meantime, I have Jesus -- my Messiah -- to live for and promote.

He became sin Who knew no sin

That we might become His righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21)

He humbled Himself and carried the cross

Love so amazing, Love so amazing!

Jesus Messiah, Name above all names

Blessed Redeemer, Immanuel

The Rescue for sinners, the Ransom from Heaven

Jesus Messiah, Lord of All

2 Corinthians 1-4

II Cor. 4:15-18 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are see are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

How rich are you... really? You may have heard it said that the answer is to add up all the things money can't buy and death can't take away. And you know what, that is Biblical.

Verse 18 has actually been one of my life verses since I first started truly reading the Bible seriously. Right after I graduated from High School back in the summer of 2003. Think about it today. What can't be seen? The influence of a relationship, love, mercy, truth. We see their affects, but they mean so much more than that car, lake house, or designer outfit. Let's spend our energy today on the eternal.

Of First Importance, I Cor 15,16

by Paul Ice

I get gospel-amnesia. Even though I talk about it a lot, I need to be regularly reminded of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  And so that is what the Apostle Paul is doing in I Cor 15. 

            “Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.

            For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,”

           

(1 Corinthians 15:1-4 ESV)

Paul points directly to the events of the cross and resurrection of Christ. He is not concerned with just any gospel, but with the only gospel that saves. This is “the gospel I preached to you,”

Paul writes with urgency about the truths that are “as of first importance.” All revealed truth is vital, invaluable, life-changing truth to which every disciple of Christ is fully accountable. But certain truths are of highest importance, and that is the language Paul uses.

And what is of first importance? “That Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,” and “that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.” The cross and the empty tomb stand at the center of the Christian faith. Without these, there is no good news — no salvation.  The gospel is at the center of our faith, and the cross and the empty tomb are at the center of the gospel.

Paul, who wrote 75% of the New Testament, “Of everything I wrote, of everything I talked about, of everything I unpacked for you, let me give you what’s of first importance. Let me give you what you can’t mess up. If you mess this up, everything else is off. Even if it’s right, you’re off in how you operate in it. You’ve got to get this right.”

“So we preach, and so you believed,” Paul encourages us. [1 Cor. 15:11]

A great daily reminder

I Corinthians 9-11

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. I Corinthians 9:24-26

Paul was writing to people who lived in a city where they were able to witness Olympians train. The Corinthians knew of the rigor and strain that these professional athletes placed themselves under to win the laurel crown. The apostle points to the Christian life as being comparable to the same discipline exercised by athletes. 

We might not be Olympians in training, but we run everyday in an arena of spiritual warfare. Our old nature pulls at us to do the opposite of what God wants us to do. Paul understood what it meant to sacrifice everything for one goal just as an athlete would train to win a prize before the governor or even the emperor. We fight to win the prize underneath the gaze of the Creator of the universe. Our arena is before everyone we come into contact with; our cause - the cause of representing the Gospel. Our prize is eternal and infinitely more rewarding than any laurel wreath or trophy or ribbon we could ever win on this earth. 

I Corinthians 6 No Entitlement

by Jill Ice

 As we meditate on this verse in today’s reading…

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

I Corinthians 6:19-20

and pair it with this Scripture…

knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.

I Peter 1:18-19

we get a clear picture of a better way of life. Being born into a fallen race, our ways are futile. Everything we know and do will degenerate and eventually die. We have no hope within ourselves because we are broken, and the world we live in is broken.

Fortunately, we do not have to stay broken. There is One Who has ransomed us and paid the price demanded by a holy God for our redemption. Because of our awe-inspiring redemption, our bodies are now His property. The Holy Spirit lives within us.

So we seek to glorify God with our bodies, because they belong to Him. But something interesting happens here. Our lives are no longer futile. There is purpose. The brokenness is replaced with fulfillment. He creates beauty where ashes once were.

Why do we cling to our broken ways when God offers lasting satisfaction through a life lived for Him? Let’s give up our so-called, frail entitlement to our lives and live a life abandoned to Him.

I am of Jesus Christ - I Corinthians 1-4

by Diana Durrill

"Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge -- even as the testimony about Christ as confirmed among you -- so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.  God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." -- I Corinthians 1:3-9

Paul is extending a message of grace and peace to the Corinthians that I believe we need to be reminded of today.  In the opening of this two part letter to the body in Corinth, Paul reminds them that they have been extended God's great grace through the finished work of Jesus Christ.  This means, says Paul, that they are not lacking in any way as they journey through the Christian life.

On these grounds he exhorts them to:

• Stop emphasizing divisions (I am of Paul, I follow Apollos) (1:10,12-31)
• Be united in the same mind and judgment (1:10)
• Be overcome by the work God has done in their lives, through Christ Jesus (1:25-31)
• Rely on the Spirit of God to reveal truth and give understanding (2:8-16)
• Stop behaving in the flesh (3:3)
• Again, stop emphasizing the divisions (or schools of thought and training) among men and understand that Jesus Christ is the all-important and essential foundation in our lives (3:4-11)
• Know that what is built on that foundation will be tried by fire (3:12-15)
• Live in the knowledge that God's Spirit dwells within you (3:6)
• Understand that spiritually they have nothing that God has not given them (3:21-23)
• Behave as faithful servants, good stewards of what God has entrusted to them (4:1-2)
• Stop judging others and leave that to God (4:3-6)

The Corinthians were arguing, dividing, judging, and gossiping about one another as a result of pride in their lives.  They boasted of who they were trained under and who's school of thought they follow.  They condemned others for not doing things the way they "should be done" rather than focusing on their point of unity -- Jesus Christ.  They failed to respond to the Holy Spirit in their lives, Who was their Counselor and Guide in all truth.  Rather, they puffed themselves up in human understanding.

Sound familiar?  The church today (all stripes) is guilty as charged.  My, how things could change if we'd begin building on the foundation of Jesus Christ, giving up our emphasis on divisions and arguments by uniting where we can:  in Him and His finished work.  

As we have been given an extraordinary measure of grace at salvation, so let us walk in grace with one another and see the church grow - in all ways - as a result.

Active Belief Acts 18:19 - 19:41

by Mike Durrill

[18] Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices. [19] And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver. [20] So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily. - Act 19:18-20 ESV

Throughout the Scriptures one reads of people that do works that contradict belief in God. One also reads of works that people do which correspond with belief. This certainly reminds one of the old adage, "Actions speak louder than words".

James, the brother of Jesus, in his letter to the Jewish brethren scattered due to persecution writes, "Faith without works is dead being alone".

In this Acts 19 passage you have people who "were now believers" recognizing that their past behavior no longer corresponded with their new belief. Change must take place. There must be a severing of the old and a cleaving to the new.

The Apostle Paul reminds these same believers - [17] Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. - 2Cr 5:17 ESV

He also writes to the Roman Christians, [11] Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. [12] The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. - Rom 13:11-12 ESV

Isn't it refreshing to see new believers in Jesus Christ make specific, active changes in their everyday living? Yet, I think it is just as refreshing for the LORD to see "mature" believers making specific, active changes in our everyday living as well. There is always room for growth in regards to behavior matching belief.

The evil behavior may not be as obvious as witchcraft, but yet still anti-belief. Perhaps it is an attitude towards your spouse or children that is self serving? Or maybe negative comments shared to someone regarding another person? It could be eating or spending habits that need to be given over to God?

Whatever they may be, all of us are in a position to seek the LORD continually and ask him for the faith to change our living to match our belief.

Acts 17

by Paul Ice

Well here is something to meditate on.  This paragraph really jumped out at me and one little phrase in particular.

            The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us,

           

(Acts 17:24-27 ESV)

I love verse 27.  God did this “so that. . .”

What a great way to start the week.

Acts 15-16 A Changed Life

^{By Jill Ice}

²⁵ About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them,²⁶ and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone's bonds were unfastened. ²⁷ When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. ²⁸ But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” ²⁹ And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas.³⁰ Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” ³¹ And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” ³² And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. ³³ And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. ³⁴ Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God.

Acts 16:25-34

The trembling jailer accepted the gospel, committed himself to Christ and rose up a Christian man. We see the evidence of this at once in the man’s new spirit and character. “He took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, set meat before them, and rejoiced.” Immediately after believing on Christ, the cruel pagan became gentle. The love of Christ began to work in his heart and to work out through his life. He became kindly and compassionate. At once he began to love the Disciples of Christ and to relieve the sufferings of the men who had told him the way of salvation. At once he made confession of Christ before his family and friends, and was baptized. He also began to rejoice. The songs the prisoners had been singing a little while ago in the dungeon broke now from this new convert’s lips, too. No better proof of conversion can be found than we see in him.

The Tests of Faith James 1-5

by Mike Durrill

I have thoroughly enjoyed reading Dr. John MacArthur's sermons on the book of James. This poignant little book was written to new believers who had been displaced because of severe persecution. They were scattered abroad! James writes to them as their shepherd in order that he might encourage them in their faith. He gives them hooks to hang their faith upon as they are going through difficult times. Below is an outline taken from Dr. MacArthur to help you as you read through the passages. 

John MacArthur writes, "There are a number of ways to outline the book to grasp the arrangement of its content. One way is to arrange it around a series of tests by which the genuineness of a person’s faith may be measured."

Introduction (1:1)

I. The Test of Perseverance in Suffering (1:2–12)

II. The Test of Blame in Temptation (1:13–18)

III. The Test of Response to the Word (1:19–27)

IV. The Test of Impartial Love (2:1–13)

V. The Test of Righteous Works (2:14–26)

VI. The Test of the Tongue (3:1–12)

VII. The Test of Humble Wisdom (3:13–18)

VIII. The Test of Worldly Indulgence (4:1–12)

IX. The Test of Dependence (4:13–17)

X. The Test of Patient Endurance (5:1–11)

XI. The Test of Truthfulness (5:12)

XII. The Test of Prayerfulness (5:13–18)

XIII. The Test of True Faith (5:19, 20)

The Straight, Fruitful Paths of the Lord - Acts 13, 14

by Diana Durrill

In today's passage Paul aggressively confronts a Jewish false prophet for trying to turn the proconsul (governor or deputy consul) away from faith in Jesus Christ.  Paul goes so far as to call him a "son of the devil" and "enemy of all righteousness."  I am envious of his boldness!  I admire the courage with which he speaks.  But what I love most about Paul's righteous tirade is this:

"Will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord?" (13:10)

False prophets will do that.  They will complicate and muddle up the Christian walk, making it more complicated than it needs to be.  Oh, it's true that the gate to eternal life is narrow and the way is hard while the gate to eternal damnation is wide and easy (Matthew 7:13,14), but in the end, the paths of the Lord are straight.  The grace we are given for salvation can and should be applied to the Christian walk as well. Just as we came to Jesus Christ in humility and by faith (the narrow, hard surrender of our pride), so can we walk in humility and faith as we bask in the grace God has lavishly poured out on us.

False prophets tend to make the walk harder than the entrance into eternal life.  Everyone can come through their wide, easy gate (not requiring much humility or faith because of works), but no one can live up to their expectations, rules and regulations "necessary" for sanctification.  This is anti-gospel.  One way to discern the difference between truth and lies is by examining the fruit produced by those walking that path.  On the straight paths of the Lord you will see supernatural fruit (Galatians 5), but on the crooked paths of a false gospel you will lack the evidence of Spirit-produced fruit.  You may see man-made fruit (fake fruit) but you will be hard pressed to find the supernatural fruit of the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 7:15-20 says,

"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.  You will recognize them by their fruits.  Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?  So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit.  A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit.  Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.  Thus you will recognize them by their fruits."

Which type of fruit are you producing?  Who's message are you listening to?  Are you striving to keep a list of do's and dont's, working to please the god of a false gospel?  Are you soaking up the message of ravenous wolves who seek to keep you from the fulness of joy that comes through faith in Christ?  Or are you enjoying the straight and fruitful paths of the Lord?  I pray that, like the disciples in Acts 13 verse 52, you find yourself filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.

Many witnesses Acts 9,10

Many witnesses

By Paul Ice

In the reading today we hear the testimony of 4 witnesses.  Their messages transformed the cities around them, and would continue to have an impact to this day.

The first is Saul.  On his way to bind those that profess that Jesus was the Christ, he encounters that very Jesus.  His eyes are opened and his message is so powerful, it confounds the Jews, and "proves that Jesus is the Christ"

Next we meet Ananias, whom The Lord reveals himself to.  His part in the story enables Saul to be the powerful witness.

Then we meet Peter and Cornelius.  Peter is an eye witness to the resurrected Jesus.  Cornelius, a devout Jew and a man of God, receives his message from the Angel of The Lord.   The two of them testify that the message they received from God is that the Gospel of Salvation will be for all people from every tribe and every nation.  Through Peter's preaching and miracles, many come to Christ and the Holy Spirit comes upon them.  They are baptized and the Gospel begins to spread to all the surrounding region.  

The message is set loose.  The gospel is at work.  Many will believe and be transformed by the power of the work of Jesus Christ.

Let it be known

by Rebekah Johnson "Let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead--by him this man is standing before you well. This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." Acts 4:10-12 Peter being filled with the Holy Ghost, would have all to understand, that the miracle had been wrought by the name, or power, of Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah, whom they had crucified; and this confirmed their testimony to his resurrection from the dead, which proved him to be the Messiah. These rulers must either be saved by that Jesus whom they had crucified, or they must perish for ever. The name of Jesus is given to men of every age and nation, as that whereby alone believers are saved from the wrath to come. But when covetousness, pride, or any corrupt passion, rules within, men shut their eyes, and close their hearts, in enmity against the light; considering all as ignorant and unlearned, who desire to know nothing in comparison with Christ crucified. And the followers of Christ should act so that all who converse with them, may take knowledge that they have been with Jesus. That makes them holy, heavenly, spiritual, and cheerful, and raises them above this world. -  taken from  Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary What a precious responsibility we have to reflect the love of Jesus Christ. I want it to show in my daily activities that I "have been with Jesus." I want to be in close communion with Him so there is no question for Whom and in Who's power I am living.

Acts 1-3 To You and Your Children

by Jill Ice

If you are following the blog, you will recall that earlier this week in Matthew 27 the religious leaders brought Jesus to be put on trial.  Pilate wanted nothing to do with this judgment, but the people cried out, “His blood be upon us and upon our children.”

Now we are in Acts 2 and the Holy Spirit has come upon the 120 disciples of Jesus.  Many in the audience were amazed because each was hearing the disciples in their own language.  But there was a group of mockers claiming they were just drunk.  So Peter steps in to set them straight.

Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know—this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up. . .

Acts 2:22-24

He echoes this thought again in verse 36.

Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.

Acts 2:36

The Bible says they were cut to the heart.  So they asked,

Brothers, what shall we do?” And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.

Acts 2:37-38

Now the best part!

For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off. . .

Acts 2:39

Did you catch his word choices?  And do you understand the good news he is proclaiming? When Peter says that "the promise is to you [the Jews] and your children”, it could be that he is referring back to Matthew 27 where we read that the Jews, in crying out for the crucifixion of Jesus Christ cried out, “His blood be upon us and upon our children.”

Here is the good news.  Peter is telling the Jews that God is still ready to forgive those who crucified His Son and their children if they will repent and turn to Christ in faith.