www.esvbible.org/Luke+6/
The disciples go through a field on a sabbath plucking wads of grain and eating them. The Pharisees see them doing this and ask Jesus why they do this because there is supposed to be no sort of work on the sabbath, and they consider plucking grain to be work. Jesus recounts a story from scripture in which King David and his men go into the temple and eat the bread reserved for the priest. This is the man after God's own heart. He did so out of necessity, just as the disciples now eat. Then, Jesus tells them the the Son of Man is The Lord of the Sabbath. It is a statement that serves dual purposes. First, Jesus states (albeit a little shroudedly) that He is the Son of Man, and second, He reminds the Pharisees that the sabbath is not about just simply following rules as they had been a accustomed to using it for, but the true purpose, which they had lost sight of, is actually to worship and be mindful of God.
The Pharisees try to catch Jesus doing wrong again on another sabbath day. Jesus taught at a synagogue where a man with a paralyzed right hand worshipped. The Pharisees wanted to see if Jesus would heal the man so they could accuse Him of doing something wrong. Jesus, however, knew what they were trying to do, so He called them out. He brought the man to the center of the synagogue and asked all the people what the sabbath should be used for: doing good or doing evil, giving a man health or destroying him. Then, He healed the man. Again, the Pharisees did not recognize what the sabbath is truly for because they were obsessed with making people follow the rules. Jesus points out that it is important more important to do a good deed on the sabbath when God presents the opportunity than it is to do evil by ignoring it under the guise of honoring the sabbath.
Jesus went to a mountain to pray, and when He came down, He chose twelve of His disciples and called them apostles. It is important to note that Jesus consulted with God about His choice of disciples. We cannot forget to listen to God when we make desicions. The twelve apostles Jesus chose we're: Simon, his brother Andrew, James, John, Phillip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James, Simon the Zealot, Judas, and Judas Iscariot (the traitor).
When Jesus and the twelve came down, there was a huge crowd from all over waiting for Him. They wanted to hear Him teach and be cured. They all tried to touch Him because the power radiated from Him. An interesting observance is that only people who want to be healed are healed. People go up and ask or touch Jesus and that is when they are cured. In doing this, these people are first admitting that they need to be cured. Jesus says the sick need a doctor, not the healthy. Only people who know they are sick and will admit it go to the doctor. This is true in the people that come to Jesus, bits those who need physical healing and those who come to receive their salvation.
Jesus teaches His disciples of the way things will be in Heaven. He says blessed are the people who are poor in this world because they will be rich. And He warns the rich because He says they have had their comfort in this world. This isn't to say that everyone who has a lot of money will go to hell. But it talks more of generosity. Are you using your wealth generously, or are you living in excess? He says the hunger are blessed and they will be we'll fed, but the well fed will be hunger. This means that we must rely on the Lord, and be thankful for what He provides us. Finally, He says blessed are you when people insult you because you follow the Son of Man and warns you when everyone has only nice things to say about you. You must be unashamed of what Jesus has done for you. You must speak boldly about Him and His gospel. Otherwise, your heart is not really in it, and Jesus is after the heart.
Jesus teaches a hard lesson. He tells us we must love our enemies, be kind to those who hate us, bless those who insult us, etc. This is where He teaches us to turn the other cheek. He tells us if someone takes our coat, we should offer them our shirt. Give to everyone who asks for something and expect nothing back. Do for other people what you would want them to do for you. After all, how great is it if you only love those who love you? Anyone can do that. Anyone can lend to those from whom they expect something in return or help those who have helped them. There's no honor or reward in that. If you love, help, and lend to your enemies without expecting anything back, you will be rewarded, and God will call you His child. After all, God loves those who are evil and unkind, and a child does what the parents do by example. Be merciful as the Father is merciful.
God uses the standards to treat you that you use to treat others, so if you forgive, you will be forgiven; if you stop judging, you won't be judged; if you don't condemn others, you will never be condemned. Jesus gives the illustration of the blind leading the blind. Both will fall into the same pit. If you send out evil thoughts towards others, it will come back to get you in the same way. No student can be better than the teacher, but a good student who tries will learn to be like the teacher. How can you say to another be,I ever that he has a piece of sawdust in his eye when you have a wood beam in your eye. First you must remove the wood beam in your eye so that you can clearly see the sawdust in your friend's eye. Don't go around pointing out the sins of others because you are not sin free. Just by pointing out the sins of others while you ignore your own sin is sinning. First, clear up your problem with God, then you may help your friend with their problem. Also, when we see the sawdust, we are only seeing and judging based on a small problem because we are distant from it. We are quite close to our own problems, so they are even bibgger to us and blinding.
Jesus uses an illustration of a tree. A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. In this way, a good person will do the good things in them while the evil person will do the evil within them. What people say comes from inside them. If someone speaks of good, they are good, but if someone speaks of evil, there is evil inside them.
Jesus asked why the people listen to Him but do not do what He says. He tells them that those who listen and obey Him ate like the man who built his house on the bedrock. When the flood came, the house stood strong. The person who hears but does not obey, however, is like the man who built his house on the sand. When the flood came, it collapsed the house.
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Luke 5
http://www.esvbible.org/Luke+5/
Jesus taught by the Sea of Galilee, and He saw some fishermen cleaning their nets. He went up to Simon and asked him to take the boat a little off shore so that all the people could hear Him. Simon complied, and after Jesus finished teaching, He told Simon to lower the nets in the deeper water. Simon told Jesus that he and his partners fished all night and caught nothing, but he still lowered his nets. He started catching so many fish that he had to call James and John, his fishing partners, over to help him haul in the catch. Simon fell on his face and told Jesus to leave because Simon is sinful. At once, Simon knew who Jesus was and believed. He also knew that he was not worthy of being in the presence of God, but Jesus was all about doing things despite our sin. Jesus told Simon not to be afraid and to come with Him to catch people instead of fish. Simon, John, and James left everything and followed Jesus. I think that the phrase "and didn't look back" should be added on. They knew that a relationship with Jesus was worth so much more than anything that they had that it was an instantaneous decision to follow Christ.
At one town, Jesus encounters a man with a skin disease. The man bows down and says if Jesus wants to, He can heal the man. Jesus says He wants to and touches the man, and the man is clean. A recurring theme with these healings is Jesus touching the sick. In those times, the Old Testament was the only Word of God, and it said that if a sick person, who was considered dirty, touched a non-sick person, the non-sick person also became dirty. Jesus, however, never becomes dirty. He is so clean, because He is God and dirty things are ungodly things, that there is nothing dirty enough to make Him dirty. He takes on the sins of the world, but He comes up clean again. Jesus tells the man to not tell people what happened but to go instead to the temple, present himself to the priest, and offer the sacrifices required of him. The news of Jesus continues to spread. Even with the crowds following, Jesus always made time to be alone in prayer. Jesus' time revolved around God. These are how our priorities should be set.
Jesus taught in front of some Pharisees. Some men tried to bring their paralyzed friend, who was on a stretcher, to Jesus, but they could not find a way in. Finally, they got up onto the roof, removed some tiles, and lowered the man on his stretcher in front of Jesus. Jesus was amazed by their faith, and He told the paralyzed man that He forgave the man's sins. The Pharisees were shocked by this, and they said to each other that Jesus dishonors God because only God can forgive sins. Jesus knew what they were thinking and said that it may be easier to say your sins are forgiven than get up and walk. He tells them that He has the authority to forgive sins on Earth. Then, He tells the man to get up and walk, and the man does. All of the people who saw this were amazed, and they could hardly believe what they had witnessed.
Jesus sees a tax collector named Levi (later Matthew) in his booth. Jesus tells Levi to follow Him. Levi gets up, leaves everything, and follows Jesus. Tax collectors were corrupt, and that made them rich. Jesus called this corrupt man, and Levi left all of his wealth to follow Jesus. Then, he threw a party for Jesus at his home. Many other tax collectors came. The Pharisees complained about why Jesus ate with tax collectors and other sinners. Jesus told them that healthy people don't need a doctor, sick people do. In the same way, Jesus came for those who know they need a savior, not those who think they have God's approval. We have to confess that we need Jesus in order for Him to save us, and most of the Pharisees thought they were good with God, and they missed out on their chance with Jesus.
The Pharisees also complain that Jesus' disciples don't fast. Jesus tells them that wedding guests don't fast while the groom is still there. Later, the groom leaves and the guests fast. Jesus and God are often compared to a groom in Scripture. Jesus is foretelling His death although no one realizes it. At that time, the disciples will fast out of obedience, but right now, all they have to do is follow Him. Then, Jesus gives two illustrations. The first is about tearing a new coat to patch an old, and that would tear the old fabric. Then, He talks of putting new win in old wineskins, which would burst the skins. He talks of the new way of doing things because Jesus came. There is a difference now. The new way overpowers the old way, and it doesn't make sense to use the old way when the new way is so much better. But He adds on a final thought that many people will reject the new wine because the like the old wine. Many of the Jewish people rejected Jesus, especially when He was on trial. Jesus says this is primarily because they like the way things are, and they don't want to have to do things the new way.
Jesus taught by the Sea of Galilee, and He saw some fishermen cleaning their nets. He went up to Simon and asked him to take the boat a little off shore so that all the people could hear Him. Simon complied, and after Jesus finished teaching, He told Simon to lower the nets in the deeper water. Simon told Jesus that he and his partners fished all night and caught nothing, but he still lowered his nets. He started catching so many fish that he had to call James and John, his fishing partners, over to help him haul in the catch. Simon fell on his face and told Jesus to leave because Simon is sinful. At once, Simon knew who Jesus was and believed. He also knew that he was not worthy of being in the presence of God, but Jesus was all about doing things despite our sin. Jesus told Simon not to be afraid and to come with Him to catch people instead of fish. Simon, John, and James left everything and followed Jesus. I think that the phrase "and didn't look back" should be added on. They knew that a relationship with Jesus was worth so much more than anything that they had that it was an instantaneous decision to follow Christ.
At one town, Jesus encounters a man with a skin disease. The man bows down and says if Jesus wants to, He can heal the man. Jesus says He wants to and touches the man, and the man is clean. A recurring theme with these healings is Jesus touching the sick. In those times, the Old Testament was the only Word of God, and it said that if a sick person, who was considered dirty, touched a non-sick person, the non-sick person also became dirty. Jesus, however, never becomes dirty. He is so clean, because He is God and dirty things are ungodly things, that there is nothing dirty enough to make Him dirty. He takes on the sins of the world, but He comes up clean again. Jesus tells the man to not tell people what happened but to go instead to the temple, present himself to the priest, and offer the sacrifices required of him. The news of Jesus continues to spread. Even with the crowds following, Jesus always made time to be alone in prayer. Jesus' time revolved around God. These are how our priorities should be set.
Jesus taught in front of some Pharisees. Some men tried to bring their paralyzed friend, who was on a stretcher, to Jesus, but they could not find a way in. Finally, they got up onto the roof, removed some tiles, and lowered the man on his stretcher in front of Jesus. Jesus was amazed by their faith, and He told the paralyzed man that He forgave the man's sins. The Pharisees were shocked by this, and they said to each other that Jesus dishonors God because only God can forgive sins. Jesus knew what they were thinking and said that it may be easier to say your sins are forgiven than get up and walk. He tells them that He has the authority to forgive sins on Earth. Then, He tells the man to get up and walk, and the man does. All of the people who saw this were amazed, and they could hardly believe what they had witnessed.
Jesus sees a tax collector named Levi (later Matthew) in his booth. Jesus tells Levi to follow Him. Levi gets up, leaves everything, and follows Jesus. Tax collectors were corrupt, and that made them rich. Jesus called this corrupt man, and Levi left all of his wealth to follow Jesus. Then, he threw a party for Jesus at his home. Many other tax collectors came. The Pharisees complained about why Jesus ate with tax collectors and other sinners. Jesus told them that healthy people don't need a doctor, sick people do. In the same way, Jesus came for those who know they need a savior, not those who think they have God's approval. We have to confess that we need Jesus in order for Him to save us, and most of the Pharisees thought they were good with God, and they missed out on their chance with Jesus.
The Pharisees also complain that Jesus' disciples don't fast. Jesus tells them that wedding guests don't fast while the groom is still there. Later, the groom leaves and the guests fast. Jesus and God are often compared to a groom in Scripture. Jesus is foretelling His death although no one realizes it. At that time, the disciples will fast out of obedience, but right now, all they have to do is follow Him. Then, Jesus gives two illustrations. The first is about tearing a new coat to patch an old, and that would tear the old fabric. Then, He talks of putting new win in old wineskins, which would burst the skins. He talks of the new way of doing things because Jesus came. There is a difference now. The new way overpowers the old way, and it doesn't make sense to use the old way when the new way is so much better. But He adds on a final thought that many people will reject the new wine because the like the old wine. Many of the Jewish people rejected Jesus, especially when He was on trial. Jesus says this is primarily because they like the way things are, and they don't want to have to do things the new way.
Luke 4
http://www.esvbible.org/Luke+4/
Following His baptism, the Holy Spirit filled Jesus, and led Him in the desert. Matthew said the Sprit led Him into the desert, and Mark says that immediately after the Holy Spirit filled Jesus, the devil took Jesus out to the desert. While Jesus is out there for forty days, He eats nothing. When the devil comes to tempt Jesus, Jesus is very hungry. The devil tells Jesus to turn a stone into bread, but Jesus quotes Scripture against the devil. This example is one reason it is important to memorize Scripture. When life comes to tempt you, throw Scripture at it not only to put it at bay but also to remind yourself what you need to do and who you serve. Next, the devil shows Jesus great kingdoms and tells Him that the kingdoms are under the devil's command, and if Jesus bows down to him, the devil will hand them over to Jesus. Jesus remembers He only bows down to God, and He uses Scripture again against the devil. Another interesting note about this part is that the world is the devil's domain. He has command over the things of this world, and that is why Paul says that when we have our Salvation, we are no longer part of this world. Jesus breaks the devil's hold on us, and we are Jesus' domain. This is why immediately after baptism, the tempting becomes the worst, even for Jesus. After we are filled with the Holy Spirit, the devil comes trying to break that bond, but we must remember that God is stronger, and God is our strength. We must remember the promise we made Him that He is the only one we will worship. No other name shall be higher than His. Finally, the devil takes Jesus to the top of a temple and tells Him to jump because Scripture says the angels will come and protect Him. That's right. The devil knows Scripture, and he will take it out of context and out of place to tempt us. Jesus uses a different Scripture against the devil saying that we should not tempt or test God. Luke says that the devil tempted Jesus in every way but did not succeed. He left Jesus until another time. The devil won't leave you alone after round one. He will be after you as long as you stand with God. If you have no struggles with sin in your life, that means you are already in the devil's pocket.
Jesus traveled around teaching in synagogues for a while. Then, He returned home. On the day of worship, He went to the synagogue and read Scripture. He read from Isaiah where the prophet speaks of one who has the Spirit of the Lord to tell Good News. He is sent to heal and forgive. Then, Jesus closed the book and handed it back to the attendent. Everyone watched Him, so He told them that the passage came true on the day they heard Him read it. The people were amazed. They asked each other if that was Joseph's son. Jesus told them that prophets are always rejected in their hometowns. Elijah lived in a time of many widows, but God sent Elijah to a widow outside of Israel. Elisha lived in a time of skin disease, but God only used him the cure a Syrian. This made the people in the synagogue angry, so they took Jesus to the edge of the cliff, where they intended to throw Him over, but He simply walked past them because it wasn't His time. Everything has to happen according to God's time, and if it looks like it's not, God will fix it so that it stays on track. Jesus knew this, so He spoke the truth to the people, and God blessed Him for it.
Jesus spoke in a synagogue on a day of worship when a demon possessed man came up to Him and asked Him what He wanted. The demon said he knew who Jesus was and called Him the Holy One. Jesus ordered the demon to stay quiet and leave the man. Then, it happened, and the man remained unharmed. The people who witnessed this were amazed that Jesus could give a command to a demon, and the demon would obey. News about Jesus spread to nearby villages.
Jesus went to Simon's (who later becomes Peter) house. There, he sees Simon's sick mother-in-law. The family asked Jesus to help her, and He cured her. She got up and made a meal for them. Then, everybody brought their sick to Jesus to be healed. The faith of Simon's family is amazing because they may have heard stories from the nearby regions, but Jesus had not been in action where they lived yet. Still, they had faith that He could heal the sick. Then, as soon as the woman is better, she gets up and serves Jesus. That is what we all should do. When we find our salvation, and Jesus brings us to life, we should immediately serve Him. Later, demons come to Jesus and shout that He is the Son of God, but Jesus commands them to be silent.
In the morning, Jesus went to be alone. It is important to be alone with just God. It refreshes the soul. Then, the people searched for Him. When they found Him, they tried to keep Him from leaving, but He told them He had to go spread the Good News in other cities.
Following His baptism, the Holy Spirit filled Jesus, and led Him in the desert. Matthew said the Sprit led Him into the desert, and Mark says that immediately after the Holy Spirit filled Jesus, the devil took Jesus out to the desert. While Jesus is out there for forty days, He eats nothing. When the devil comes to tempt Jesus, Jesus is very hungry. The devil tells Jesus to turn a stone into bread, but Jesus quotes Scripture against the devil. This example is one reason it is important to memorize Scripture. When life comes to tempt you, throw Scripture at it not only to put it at bay but also to remind yourself what you need to do and who you serve. Next, the devil shows Jesus great kingdoms and tells Him that the kingdoms are under the devil's command, and if Jesus bows down to him, the devil will hand them over to Jesus. Jesus remembers He only bows down to God, and He uses Scripture again against the devil. Another interesting note about this part is that the world is the devil's domain. He has command over the things of this world, and that is why Paul says that when we have our Salvation, we are no longer part of this world. Jesus breaks the devil's hold on us, and we are Jesus' domain. This is why immediately after baptism, the tempting becomes the worst, even for Jesus. After we are filled with the Holy Spirit, the devil comes trying to break that bond, but we must remember that God is stronger, and God is our strength. We must remember the promise we made Him that He is the only one we will worship. No other name shall be higher than His. Finally, the devil takes Jesus to the top of a temple and tells Him to jump because Scripture says the angels will come and protect Him. That's right. The devil knows Scripture, and he will take it out of context and out of place to tempt us. Jesus uses a different Scripture against the devil saying that we should not tempt or test God. Luke says that the devil tempted Jesus in every way but did not succeed. He left Jesus until another time. The devil won't leave you alone after round one. He will be after you as long as you stand with God. If you have no struggles with sin in your life, that means you are already in the devil's pocket.
Jesus traveled around teaching in synagogues for a while. Then, He returned home. On the day of worship, He went to the synagogue and read Scripture. He read from Isaiah where the prophet speaks of one who has the Spirit of the Lord to tell Good News. He is sent to heal and forgive. Then, Jesus closed the book and handed it back to the attendent. Everyone watched Him, so He told them that the passage came true on the day they heard Him read it. The people were amazed. They asked each other if that was Joseph's son. Jesus told them that prophets are always rejected in their hometowns. Elijah lived in a time of many widows, but God sent Elijah to a widow outside of Israel. Elisha lived in a time of skin disease, but God only used him the cure a Syrian. This made the people in the synagogue angry, so they took Jesus to the edge of the cliff, where they intended to throw Him over, but He simply walked past them because it wasn't His time. Everything has to happen according to God's time, and if it looks like it's not, God will fix it so that it stays on track. Jesus knew this, so He spoke the truth to the people, and God blessed Him for it.
Jesus spoke in a synagogue on a day of worship when a demon possessed man came up to Him and asked Him what He wanted. The demon said he knew who Jesus was and called Him the Holy One. Jesus ordered the demon to stay quiet and leave the man. Then, it happened, and the man remained unharmed. The people who witnessed this were amazed that Jesus could give a command to a demon, and the demon would obey. News about Jesus spread to nearby villages.
Jesus went to Simon's (who later becomes Peter) house. There, he sees Simon's sick mother-in-law. The family asked Jesus to help her, and He cured her. She got up and made a meal for them. Then, everybody brought their sick to Jesus to be healed. The faith of Simon's family is amazing because they may have heard stories from the nearby regions, but Jesus had not been in action where they lived yet. Still, they had faith that He could heal the sick. Then, as soon as the woman is better, she gets up and serves Jesus. That is what we all should do. When we find our salvation, and Jesus brings us to life, we should immediately serve Him. Later, demons come to Jesus and shout that He is the Son of God, but Jesus commands them to be silent.
In the morning, Jesus went to be alone. It is important to be alone with just God. It refreshes the soul. Then, the people searched for Him. When they found Him, they tried to keep Him from leaving, but He told them He had to go spread the Good News in other cities.
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Luke 3
I've already done Luke 1 and 2 around last Christmas because they are the Christmas story. So we pick up with Chapter 3: http://www.esvbible.org/Luke+3/
God called John the Baptist to begin telling people the Messiah was coming and to teach about repentance. Repentance is simply the act of changing your actions or thoughts. God wanted wicked people to abandon their wicked ways and do what pleases God. John traveled the desert, and many people thought he was crazy. Others thought that he could be the Messiah, but he guaranteed them that the Messiah was far more powerful. John baptized with water as a symbol of cleansing the wicked ways away. Jesus baptizes with the Holy Spirit. He literally lays the Holy Spirit upon you. John says he is unfit to untie the Messiah's sandal. As we see later, we are all unworthy of what the Messiah does for us. While spreading the Good News of what would come to the people, John also warned that the Messiah was preparing for judgement. He would separate those who accepted salvation from those who didn't and keep those who did in His Kingdom while throwing those who didn't into the eternal fire. All sorts of people came to John. Tax collectors, who were considered the most sinful, came to John and asked him what they should do. He told them to only take the money they were required to take. Soldiers asked the same question to John the Baptist, and John answered that they should take their pay and not blackmail others for money. John begins preaching the message of love that Jesus will expand upon. John the Baptist criticized Herod, the ruler of the region because Herod married his own sister-in-law. Herod also did many other evil things, and according to Luke, added one more evil deed to his list when he locked John the Baptist in jail.
Jesus went to John the Baptist to be baptized just like the people. As He prayed, the Holy Spirit came down upon Him, and a voice said, "This is my Son. I am pleased with you." At this point, God openly calls Jesus His Son, and Jesus begins His ministry. He was thirty years old. If your opportunity to serve God in big ways hasn't come yet, do not be discouraged. We are missing almost all the information from Jesus' life from the time He was born until He's thirty, and He's the most important person ever to serve God.
Luke traces the lineage of Jesus back through David, back through Jacob, Isaac, and Abraham, all the way back to Adam. That's pretty cool!
God called John the Baptist to begin telling people the Messiah was coming and to teach about repentance. Repentance is simply the act of changing your actions or thoughts. God wanted wicked people to abandon their wicked ways and do what pleases God. John traveled the desert, and many people thought he was crazy. Others thought that he could be the Messiah, but he guaranteed them that the Messiah was far more powerful. John baptized with water as a symbol of cleansing the wicked ways away. Jesus baptizes with the Holy Spirit. He literally lays the Holy Spirit upon you. John says he is unfit to untie the Messiah's sandal. As we see later, we are all unworthy of what the Messiah does for us. While spreading the Good News of what would come to the people, John also warned that the Messiah was preparing for judgement. He would separate those who accepted salvation from those who didn't and keep those who did in His Kingdom while throwing those who didn't into the eternal fire. All sorts of people came to John. Tax collectors, who were considered the most sinful, came to John and asked him what they should do. He told them to only take the money they were required to take. Soldiers asked the same question to John the Baptist, and John answered that they should take their pay and not blackmail others for money. John begins preaching the message of love that Jesus will expand upon. John the Baptist criticized Herod, the ruler of the region because Herod married his own sister-in-law. Herod also did many other evil things, and according to Luke, added one more evil deed to his list when he locked John the Baptist in jail.
Jesus went to John the Baptist to be baptized just like the people. As He prayed, the Holy Spirit came down upon Him, and a voice said, "This is my Son. I am pleased with you." At this point, God openly calls Jesus His Son, and Jesus begins His ministry. He was thirty years old. If your opportunity to serve God in big ways hasn't come yet, do not be discouraged. We are missing almost all the information from Jesus' life from the time He was born until He's thirty, and He's the most important person ever to serve God.
Luke traces the lineage of Jesus back through David, back through Jacob, Isaac, and Abraham, all the way back to Adam. That's pretty cool!
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Philemon
Fun fact about the Letter to Philemon: while it may only be 25 verses long, it helped abolish slavery 1800 years after it was written. http://www.esvbible.org/Philemon/
Paul again opens his letter by identifying himself as its author and addressing it to Philemon and Philemon's sister. The church at Colossae, where the letter to the Colossians was written, met in Philemon's house.
Paul says that he is thankful for Philemon because Philemon has a pure heart and is able to extend the love of Christ. He has remained faithful to the work the God set out before him. Paul prays that Philemon will have an even deeper understanding of the blessings we receive from Christ. So often, we overlook things that Christ has done for us. Sometimes, as the old expression goes, we need to "stop and smell the flowers." Philemon is a comforter to God's people. Comforters are very important in the body of Christ because as another expression goes, "God gave you two ears but only one mouth." We need to be there and listen to what troubles other believers.
The main point of this letter is that Paul asks Philemon to free his runaway slave Onesimus, whose name literally means "useful." Onesimus ran away from Philemon, his owner, and found Paul in prison. He eventually accepted Christ as his Savior. Then, he and Paul became friends. He wants to help Paul spread the Good News since Paul is in jail and can't travel around. Paul desires this greatly, but he does not want to hurt his relationship with Philemon, so he sends Onesimus back to Philemon with this letter beseeching him to free Onesimus. He says that Philemon must see Onesimus's value as a person and a Christian. This part could have gone to freeing the slaves in 1865 because slave owners at that time did not view their slaves as people. Paul says that he can even see Onesimus staying with Philemon forever as a brother instead of a slave. He brings up that God wants Paul to command Philemon to do what is right, but Paul knows the best way to to that for Philemon is through an appeal of love. Paul also says that Philemon owes Paul his life, but Paul says he doesn't want to use that because he knows Philemon will see what the right thing to do is. Paul tells Philemon that if he considers himself a partner to Paul, he should treat Onesimus as he would treat Paul. We later see that Philemon must have obeyed because Onesimus serves in the church at Colossae in Colossians. Finally, Paul tells Philemon to prepare the guest rooms because he knows that the people's prayers will free him, and he will be able to visit.
Paul closes the letter with some greetings from fellow Christian prisoners.
Paul again opens his letter by identifying himself as its author and addressing it to Philemon and Philemon's sister. The church at Colossae, where the letter to the Colossians was written, met in Philemon's house.
Paul says that he is thankful for Philemon because Philemon has a pure heart and is able to extend the love of Christ. He has remained faithful to the work the God set out before him. Paul prays that Philemon will have an even deeper understanding of the blessings we receive from Christ. So often, we overlook things that Christ has done for us. Sometimes, as the old expression goes, we need to "stop and smell the flowers." Philemon is a comforter to God's people. Comforters are very important in the body of Christ because as another expression goes, "God gave you two ears but only one mouth." We need to be there and listen to what troubles other believers.
The main point of this letter is that Paul asks Philemon to free his runaway slave Onesimus, whose name literally means "useful." Onesimus ran away from Philemon, his owner, and found Paul in prison. He eventually accepted Christ as his Savior. Then, he and Paul became friends. He wants to help Paul spread the Good News since Paul is in jail and can't travel around. Paul desires this greatly, but he does not want to hurt his relationship with Philemon, so he sends Onesimus back to Philemon with this letter beseeching him to free Onesimus. He says that Philemon must see Onesimus's value as a person and a Christian. This part could have gone to freeing the slaves in 1865 because slave owners at that time did not view their slaves as people. Paul says that he can even see Onesimus staying with Philemon forever as a brother instead of a slave. He brings up that God wants Paul to command Philemon to do what is right, but Paul knows the best way to to that for Philemon is through an appeal of love. Paul also says that Philemon owes Paul his life, but Paul says he doesn't want to use that because he knows Philemon will see what the right thing to do is. Paul tells Philemon that if he considers himself a partner to Paul, he should treat Onesimus as he would treat Paul. We later see that Philemon must have obeyed because Onesimus serves in the church at Colossae in Colossians. Finally, Paul tells Philemon to prepare the guest rooms because he knows that the people's prayers will free him, and he will be able to visit.
Paul closes the letter with some greetings from fellow Christian prisoners.
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Romans 16
http://www.esvbible.org/Romans+16/
Paul writes about a lot of people at the very end of his letter. It goes to show that a lot of people go into one person's journey of faith. Do not be discouraged if you do not see the direct fruits of your labors. God is using you for His work but it is not about you, and you are not the only one He uses. Beware of those claiming to be Christians who create divisions. They seek glory for themselves. They are smooth and flattering but deceitful. God can strengthen you. Let His Good News be known, so He can reveal the mystery.
Paul writes about a lot of people at the very end of his letter. It goes to show that a lot of people go into one person's journey of faith. Do not be discouraged if you do not see the direct fruits of your labors. God is using you for His work but it is not about you, and you are not the only one He uses. Beware of those claiming to be Christians who create divisions. They seek glory for themselves. They are smooth and flattering but deceitful. God can strengthen you. Let His Good News be known, so He can reveal the mystery.
Romans 15
http://www.esvbible.org/Romans+15/
Those of us who have strong faith must practice patience with those who have weak faith. We must not think only of ourselves, just as Christ did not think only of Himself. Imagine if He had chastised everyone about the small things they did wrong. He would have never had as much influence in helping people see that faith is all that matters. The bottom line of the Scriptures is faith, so Jesus did not let Himself get caught up in the surrounding decisions people made based on their faith. He only looked at the one literal life or death decision. In the same way, concern yourself with people who see you and what will further them in faith.
The Old Testament Scriptures exist because they give us confidence through endurance and encouragement of the Scriptures. It would be much harder to have faith in Jesus if the prophets had not written about Him long before He came. Having a Savior would not matter if we did not know what we needed to be saved from. The whole context that comes from the Old Testament puts the gospel into perspective. It deepens our understanding of just how powerful God is. God gave us the ultimate example for living together in unity by giving us Jesus. The bottom line of Jesus' message is love (faith comes through love). This unity within the church is important because we all have the same goal of brining praise to God the Father and Jesus. When we break down along certain belief lines, we fall out of unity, and that shows nonbelievers that we don't know what we're talking about. It displays a limited power to God instead of the limitless. Another importance in unity is that Christ accepted all of us, despite how messed up we all are, and now we must continue to follow His example and accept each other. Paul lists some very good verses about unity. When God fills you up with joy and peace through your faith, you will overflow into the lives of others. You will feel like you have no other choice than to pour out into those around you. God looks for that in all of us.
Paul talks a little bit about why he shares the gospel. He writes to the Christians in Rome to remind them of certain things that Jesus teaches. God gave him a gift, he calls it, to spread the gospel to non Jewish people. Paul considers this a great blessing from God to have the honor of telling people about Jesus, yet this is something many of us fear doing today. Part of Paul's offering to God is to bring people to a relationship with Christ. He builds on new territory for God because the Scriptures say that those who do not see will be shown. For the rest of this chapter, Paul talks about visiting them on his way to Spain. He asks them to pray for his safe travels.
Those of us who have strong faith must practice patience with those who have weak faith. We must not think only of ourselves, just as Christ did not think only of Himself. Imagine if He had chastised everyone about the small things they did wrong. He would have never had as much influence in helping people see that faith is all that matters. The bottom line of the Scriptures is faith, so Jesus did not let Himself get caught up in the surrounding decisions people made based on their faith. He only looked at the one literal life or death decision. In the same way, concern yourself with people who see you and what will further them in faith.
The Old Testament Scriptures exist because they give us confidence through endurance and encouragement of the Scriptures. It would be much harder to have faith in Jesus if the prophets had not written about Him long before He came. Having a Savior would not matter if we did not know what we needed to be saved from. The whole context that comes from the Old Testament puts the gospel into perspective. It deepens our understanding of just how powerful God is. God gave us the ultimate example for living together in unity by giving us Jesus. The bottom line of Jesus' message is love (faith comes through love). This unity within the church is important because we all have the same goal of brining praise to God the Father and Jesus. When we break down along certain belief lines, we fall out of unity, and that shows nonbelievers that we don't know what we're talking about. It displays a limited power to God instead of the limitless. Another importance in unity is that Christ accepted all of us, despite how messed up we all are, and now we must continue to follow His example and accept each other. Paul lists some very good verses about unity. When God fills you up with joy and peace through your faith, you will overflow into the lives of others. You will feel like you have no other choice than to pour out into those around you. God looks for that in all of us.
Paul talks a little bit about why he shares the gospel. He writes to the Christians in Rome to remind them of certain things that Jesus teaches. God gave him a gift, he calls it, to spread the gospel to non Jewish people. Paul considers this a great blessing from God to have the honor of telling people about Jesus, yet this is something many of us fear doing today. Part of Paul's offering to God is to bring people to a relationship with Christ. He builds on new territory for God because the Scriptures say that those who do not see will be shown. For the rest of this chapter, Paul talks about visiting them on his way to Spain. He asks them to pray for his safe travels.
Romans 14
http://www.esvbible.org/Romans+14/
It is important to welcome people who have weak faith, maybe especially so. Be careful, however, not to argue with them over simple differences in opinion. So often, especially in the US, we get caught up in denomination, and what the differences in our denominations mean. We can never stray to a church outside of our denomination and we are cold and hostile to those who were not raised in our denomination. This way of treating other people is wrong because it does not come from love. If we all love God and believe in the sacrifice of Christ, then we should all love each other even if we disagree. Some Christians may believe in ceremonies such as not eating meat or making one day holier than the others. As far as not eating meat, Paul writes that God revealed to Him there is nothing evil about any type of food. The person who eats all types of food does it in praise because He blesses the food before God then eats it. There is nothing wrong with not eating certain types of food because the person still blesses the food before eating it. The person who does not eat certain foods, however, has the weaker faith because he is putting stock in something other than pure faith in Jesus Christ. It is still up to those with stronger faith not to cause others to stumble, so if it will make someone stumble to see you eat meat, do not eat meat in their presence. Never intentionally cause someone to stumble because that is a terrible thing to do against someone you are supposed to love. Also, never let anyone tell you something you believe to be good is evil. If you believe something, go for it as long is it does not go against anything God or the Bible says. The person who follows what they believe is better than the one who believes something that doesn't act on it because that second person does not act on faith. Anything not done in faith is done in sin. It is right to avoid eating or drinking anything that causes other Christians to have doubts regardless of the fact that it is not wrong to eat or drink any certain types of food or drink. The Kingdom of Heaven is not made up of what we eat and drink. It's made up of God's approval, peace, and the joy that comes from the Holy Spirit. That sort of joy you feel when you know you've done something that pleases God. That feeling of knowing you are so deeply in love with God and He reciprocates those feelings times a billion. Every person has to make their own decisions regarding faith. We don't live or die to honor ourselves. We live and die to honor God because we belong to Him. Christ died and came back to life to be Lord of the living and the dead. You can never escape Him in all of eternity. You are called upon to honor Him with your life and death. Therefore, we all belong to the Lord as His servants, and it's not up to us to criticize someone else's servant. The Lord will discipline and teach them what is right in these nearly meaningless choices.
It is important to welcome people who have weak faith, maybe especially so. Be careful, however, not to argue with them over simple differences in opinion. So often, especially in the US, we get caught up in denomination, and what the differences in our denominations mean. We can never stray to a church outside of our denomination and we are cold and hostile to those who were not raised in our denomination. This way of treating other people is wrong because it does not come from love. If we all love God and believe in the sacrifice of Christ, then we should all love each other even if we disagree. Some Christians may believe in ceremonies such as not eating meat or making one day holier than the others. As far as not eating meat, Paul writes that God revealed to Him there is nothing evil about any type of food. The person who eats all types of food does it in praise because He blesses the food before God then eats it. There is nothing wrong with not eating certain types of food because the person still blesses the food before eating it. The person who does not eat certain foods, however, has the weaker faith because he is putting stock in something other than pure faith in Jesus Christ. It is still up to those with stronger faith not to cause others to stumble, so if it will make someone stumble to see you eat meat, do not eat meat in their presence. Never intentionally cause someone to stumble because that is a terrible thing to do against someone you are supposed to love. Also, never let anyone tell you something you believe to be good is evil. If you believe something, go for it as long is it does not go against anything God or the Bible says. The person who follows what they believe is better than the one who believes something that doesn't act on it because that second person does not act on faith. Anything not done in faith is done in sin. It is right to avoid eating or drinking anything that causes other Christians to have doubts regardless of the fact that it is not wrong to eat or drink any certain types of food or drink. The Kingdom of Heaven is not made up of what we eat and drink. It's made up of God's approval, peace, and the joy that comes from the Holy Spirit. That sort of joy you feel when you know you've done something that pleases God. That feeling of knowing you are so deeply in love with God and He reciprocates those feelings times a billion. Every person has to make their own decisions regarding faith. We don't live or die to honor ourselves. We live and die to honor God because we belong to Him. Christ died and came back to life to be Lord of the living and the dead. You can never escape Him in all of eternity. You are called upon to honor Him with your life and death. Therefore, we all belong to the Lord as His servants, and it's not up to us to criticize someone else's servant. The Lord will discipline and teach them what is right in these nearly meaningless choices.
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