September 1 - 2 Corinthians 5:11-21 - Judging By the Label

Labels. Labels can be very helpful. How would I know to wash my hair twice during every shower if the label didn’t tell me to “Rinse. Repeat.” No, seriously. Labels are extremely important. When contents are hazardous, I want a label to warn me. If I’m trying to eat healthy food, the label comes in handy to identify the ingredients and their sugar, fat and calorie content. “Batteries not Included” and “Some Assembly Required” are good additions to labels. But there is a place where labels are not appreciated. Labels don’t belong on people.

Some of Paul’s observers took what little exposure they had to his ministry and drew conclusions, labeling Paul. They labeled him arrogant, greedy, bossy, crazy! Do you ever feel like some people have labeled you? They stick a name on you and they never treat you any differently than what their own uninformed label says about you. It’s a final judgment. Nothing you do seems to convince them that they have labeled you, and that they got it wrong. Worse yet, have you labeled people in your world, your church, your family? Are you ever going to peel that thing off and take a fresh look inside?

Paul says, “God knows who I am. It’s plain as can be to Him.” And if people take the time and make the effort, they can see past the surface into a person’s heart. Yes, we act crazy sometimes, but it’s because we dance to God’s rhythm and not the world’s. Yes, our boldness seems a bit arrogant sometimes, but it’s because we revere God’s expectations of us, and not man’s. If you tore your label off me and looked hard into my jar, you’d see that the compelling love of Christ is my main ingredient. Christ has made me a new creature; if you don’t know what He’s about, then you really don’t know me. Especially since that transformation came through His reconciling death and resurrection!

Bringing sinful humanity and holy God back together again – that was the ministry of Christ, and now it is our ministry. Regardless of what others may say about me, God says I am a reconciled reconciler. I am an ambassador, representing Jesus in my mercifully renewed self, pleading with a world that is accurately labeled by God – “lost and dying.” And I love that world. As did Christ, from the beginning. And His love in my heart compels me to press on through the name-calling, through the mis-labeling, to plead with my neighbor, “Be reconciled to God!”

He let Himself be labeled “SIN” so that you and I could be labeled “Righteous.”

Pray: Loving, Re-Creator God, thank you for the new creature you have made me. I will never know the depths of suffering You plumbed to bring me back to You. And so I honor You; I fear You; I represent You – and no other. And I accept no other name than the name You have given me. Child of God. Ambassador of Christ. Help me to love and not label. Make your appeal to a dying world through me.

August 31 - 2 Corinthians 4:13-5:10 - The Invisible Blizzard

The evolution of wireless communication is a fascinating story. One might even call it a revolution, since it has been barely a century from Marconi’s 1896 wireless telegraph demonstration to the widespread use of radio, television, cell phones, and Wi-Fi at the turn of the current century. More fascinating than the story is the reality of broadcast communication itself. There is a blizzard of music, words, and pictures swirling around me constantly. These media are not piped in through some tube or wire or filament of glass. They are in the air. The Mona Lisa blows by my left ear. Homer’s Iliad rushes over my feet. Coltrane’s tenor sax blasts past my chest. But none of it is seen or heard. Not until I tune the right receiver does the blizzard become visible.

Paul says a quirky thing in today’s text – “We fix our eyes on what is unseen.” Weird. Wild. An oxymoron; if it’s unseen, how can they fix their eyes on it?  I guess it’s just like wireless communication. You have to tune in with the right receiver to perceive it. Maybe it’s like this – God the Father produces the content, Jesus Christ transforms us into receivers, and the Holy Spirit tunes us in.

It seems the believers at Corinth were beginning to depend too much on their physical eyes for assessing their own condition. They saw their physical health waning with the passing years. They saw the trouble their new way if living was bringing them in the form of persecution. And with Nero on the throne, their faith could mean their death!

Paul reminds them of their spiritual ‘receiver’ status. “Use your other eyes!” he seems to implore. God has broadcast content that may be invisible to the human eye, but not to the redeemed soul. The gospel of Christ has been broadcast. His resurrection has been proclaimed and the promise of our sanctification has been revealed. A heavenly house and eternal glory have been declared and a guarantee of them has been proffered. But you can’t receive those invisible realities until you let the Spirit tune you in to the setting labeled, ‘faith.’ “Live by faith, not by sight.”

Once you’re on the right channel, honed in on the right wavelength, then you can see it – that Christ’s resurrection is the foreshadow of your own indestructible future; that while the body wastes, your inner person is renewed daily; that the ‘seen’ is temporary, but the ‘unseen’ is forever; that this life’s burdens are feathers in comparison to the weight of heaven’s glory!

Tuned in and receiving God’s content, I can turn my earthly vision to other horizons, away from sorrow, self and survival, and upward to confidence and testimony and pleasing God.

Pray: God of revelation, tune my heart to know Your ways. Remind me of the spiritual realities that sometimes get lost in the flurry of earthly challenges. Make me steadfast in the present by casting a vision of my eternal future. Help me to live by faith, pleasing You all the way to glory.

August 30 - 2 Corinthians 4:1-12 - Blind the One! Break the Other!

The survival instinct and the pleasure drive move human beings to seek and maintain a comfort zone. We try to find that place of equilibrium where threats are minimized and thrills are maximized. The culture of contemporary America thrives on this. Advertising pretty much has only two motivators; it plays on our fears and our desires. Money or materials is usually set forth as the solution to these two. You can buy insulation from the things you don’t like and access to the things you do. This dynamic between man, money and media is one example of what Paul calls “the god of this age.” Sadly, the pursuit of the comfort zone is the path to spiritual blindness. “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers …”

Interesting that Paul doesn’t say “blinded their eyes.” He says, “blinded their minds.” Train a person’s thinking and you will control them. Thought shapes culture, and then our expressions of culture reinforce our thinking. Around and around, we stir our way of life until it cures like cement. We end up with bricks for brains! Who can break through this concrete blindness? Only One. Only the Lord, who can renew the mind, bust up the bricks and bring true sight through the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Unfortunately, the god of this age is a breaker, too. He wants to blind unbelievers and break the faithful. Enlightened believers are not blockheads, but they are jars of clay. We carry the treasure of the truth of Jesus in delicate vessels. We are subject to pressure, perplexity, persecution and pounding. But the power of God is at work in us. He will not allow us to crumble, lose hope, anguish alone or be defeated.

Rather than lose sight or lose heart, fix your gaze firmly on the glorious face of God. If you have a secret, shameful sin – turn away from it. If you tend to bend the truth or warp the word of God – turn away from that. Turn and look long into the brilliance of Jesus Christ. True vision, clear thinking and victory will follow.

Pray: Merciful God, thank you that you have declared “Let there be light,” not only in the creation of the universe, but also in the re-creation of my soul. Now, I can see clearly. I can think clearly. I can accept that I am but clay. And I can rejoice that I am kept by the all-surpassing power of Jesus Christ. Help me to break through to the blind in my world, that they, too, might know your glory.

August 29 - 2 Corinthians 3:1-18 - Shine On!

What a beautiful full moon we had last week! I am intrigued when the full moon rises at the end of Alamo Drive before I turn left on Vanden. (Those who don’t live here in Vacaville have no idea what I’m talking about.) The moon is low on the horizon and framed by the trees and seems nearly twice as big as when it ascends high above me. I used to think there was a simple explanation for this, but apparently, it is an illusion that is yet to be definitively explained. [see Moon Illusion on the internet] All I know is that the glories of the Moon wax and wane with its relationship to the Sun, the atmosphere, and its angle of elevation.

Paul talks about reflected light in today’s text. He is referring to the light of God’s glory as reflected in the life and work of the believer. In the days of Moses, the glory of God shone on those who were permitted to draw near to God. In His glorious presence, they could be enlightened, literally, and carry that glow away with them for a time. But the reflection of God’s brilliance would fade. The glory waxed and waned. By contrast, Paul says, we now have a new covenant, a new relationship with God, where the Spirit of God is ever-present with us. The Spirit in us allows us to reflect the glory of God at all times. The Spirit in us transforms us so that the glory shines in ever-increasing brightness.

Moses used to wear a veil to hide the fact that the glory of God was fading from his face. The people might get discouraged, thinking that the presence of God with their leader was an on-again, off-again proposition. But Paul says since he turned away from the old way of relating to God, through religionism and legalism, and turned by faith to Jesus Christ, he can boldly go unveiled. God the Spirit never stops shining in him.

This is what made Paul competent for ministry. Not his degrees or his experience so much as his shining with the light of Christ’s Spirit. Not the numbers of his endorsements or letters of recommendation, but the perpetual glow of the presence of God in him. And standing illuminated in that glow was the proof of his competency --  the lives he had changed. His credentials were each and every Corinthian Christian he had led to the Cross.

Friend, where are you in relationship to the Son? When the world gets between the Moon and Sun, there is no glorious reflection. What happens when the stuff of earth gets between you and the Son of God? Do you quench the Spirit with your worldly ways? Or does your glow wax and wane because you relate to God in the old religionist way? Come humbly with your empty lamp and He will fill you with His Spirit and set you ablaze!

Leader, are you leaning on your learning, your skills, and your strategies to succeed at your ministry? Those are but bulbs of varying size and color; where is the filament? Where is the power and glory to illuminate them and bring them to life, and then bring people to life in their light?

The Spirit of God is the key. Christ in you is your only hope of glory. Shine!

Pray: Brilliant, inextinguishable God, be my fuel, my wick and my flame. You glow with the light of love and mercy, holiness and truth. Cast out all the darkness in me. Make my life and work a reflection of all your glorious attributes. 

August 28 - 2 Corinthians 2:12-17 - Something Doesn’t Smell Right

Some people’s faith is stronger than others. My faith in refrigeration is stronger than my wife’s.  We try to be good stewards of our food budget so we Tupperware our leftovers and put them in the fridge. (Did I just use Tupperware as a verb?) Sandie thinks they’ll be good for three days and then we need to toss ’em. I think they’ll be good for three weeks. Well, come on, it’s refrigeration! This is what the ice box was invented for – long-term food storage. Unfortunately, under my scheme, some items get tucked to the back and forgotten. Until one day, I open the door and something doesn’t smell right.. Science project, anyone? Home-made penicillin? At that moment, the only thing stronger than my faith in the fridge is the stench.

Today’s text is all about aroma; three different scents. The first involves Paul’s trip to Troas. It isn’t the refrigerator this time, but God opens a door and something doesn’t smell right to Paul. The door is a door of opportunity for Paul to preach in Troas. But he can’t find his buddy, Titus, there, so he turns his nose up at it. Something to ponder in our ministries – sometimes the key piece for success is having the right partner. Maybe some of our young missionary preachers, our church planters, could be successful if they just had a good partner (like a sponsoring church). 

The second scent of this aromatic text is the aroma of Christ in the life of His followers. Any of you guys remember the after shave your Dad used? Cast a whiff of Old Spice in my direction and I am right back in the arms of my father. That fragrance melts my heart. Jesus has a unique fragrance as well. It is the smell of truth, of love, of devotion to His Father. Disciples of Jesus exude the same character qualities. We give off the same scent. And Paul says the presence of Eau de Jesu has a powerful proving effect. The ones who love God, love it. The ones who shun God, can’t stand it. Keep the aroma of Christ radiating from your life, regardless of who you draw and who you drive away.

There is one final scent in today’s text. Some who are drawn to the fragrance of Christ are even more allured by the smell of money. The gospel becomes a commodity to them and the ministry of those peddlers goes afoul. Their interest is exclusively on the offering; the financial offering they consider their own collection. But their service to God is an offering that reeks in His nostrils. Where is the Eau de Jesu? It is absent.

Every so often we need to pop the lid on our ministry. Take a whiff. If you’ve got solid partnerships, Christ’s character, and holy motivation – you’ll be smelling like a rose. (Hey, anybody know how long a rose will keep in the refrigerator?)

Pray: God, I want to be to you the aroma of Christ. Just like so many scents evoke strong memories and emotions in me, let me life produce blessed moments and stir up joy in Your heart. Let my presence in this world not be neutral, but let me stand out as the fragrance of Christ-like character emanates from my every word and deed.

August 27 - 2 Corinthians 1:12-2:11 - Pastoring as Parenting

“This is going to hurt me as much as it will hurt you.” You remember that phrase? Of course, as a child, we couldn’t imagine how that could possibly be true. For you new-schoolers, that was the phrase parents used just before they paddled their kids’ behinds. (Please resist the urge to dial Child Protective Services; back in the day, spanking done right was acceptable and effective discipline.) But what were our parents saying? My Mom swatted my tush once and broke a blood vessel in her hand. 

Is that what they meant? Nah. It was about the pain in their heart. 

It was about knowing your kids have sin nature and that nature doesn’t step back easily; that discipline does in fact inflict pain and when you love your kids, the last thing you want to do is make them hurt. 

But sometimes that’s what it takes. The actions of the negative sin 

nature call for negative consequences.

Being a leader among God’s people is often like parenting. We educate, feed, nurture; we direct and re-direct; we supply, inspire and cheerlead. And all of this driven by a love that is unique among God’s people; Spirit-produced ‘agape’ love. But does a divine affection lack toughness and discipline? Proverbs 3:11 and 12 are quoted again in the twelfth chapter of Hebrews –

"My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline,

      and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,

 because the Lord disciplines those he loves,

      and he chastises everyone he accepts as a child."

Lord knows, our tendency is to make light or lose heart under discipline. But wisdom sees the love behind it.

Paul had quite a time with the Corinthian church. He had a houseful of undisciplined hooligans. They split up into boastful cliques, they sued each other, they were promiscuous and drank too much, and they challenged appropriate authority! But Paul had delivered them into the Kingdom at great personal pain; he was their spiritual parent. We heard him offer his kids a choice in 1 Corinthians 4:21 – “What do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a whip, or in love and with a gentle spirit?” Seems they dared him to bring the whip, so that he writes in today’s text  – “I made up my mind that I would not make another painful visit to you.” Paul had gone to his spiritual children and whipped out the needful discipline. It was painful for the church, but it was also painful to Paul. “This is going to hurt me as much as it will hurt you.”

Instead of visiting again, he wrote them a letter saying, “I wrote to you out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you.”

I appreciate a man who is both tender and tough. I aspire to be that kind of man, parent, and pastor. To my Pastors in the Redwood Empire and to leaders everywhere --  show your people an abundant love, Spirit-produced agape love, and show it both in the pain you’re willing to suffer for them and in the pain you of necessity must inflict.

Pray: Good and Righteous Heavenly Father, help us in this most difficult and subtle part of leadership. Help us to discipline in love; help us to chastise for reformation and transformation, and not in condemnation. Help our mercy to exceed our justice, that discipline would be followed by forgiveness and comfort and reaffirmation of our love.

August 26 - 2 Corinthians 1:1-11 - Suffering That Means Something

Some things in life just don’t make sense until we stop focusing on ourselves. Work becomes a privilege once I understand the value of service. Marriage goes deeper when my spouse feels utterly cherished. Perhaps the hardest thing in life to make sense of is suffering. The existence of pain and suffering is one of the main reasons atheists do not believe there is a god. Would a god who had the power and means to prevent such pain allow such pain? This is incredible to them. Even many believers have their greatest struggles with faith when in the throes of suffering.

It would be easy to move into a discussion on the problem of evil at this point, but I would rather stick close to today’s reading. Maybe you could call me, email me, or Facebook me if you want to go down that road with me. So, rather than justify evil’s existence with its concomitant suffering, let’s talk about how that suffering becomes meaningful.

Paul tells us that we have a God who both suffers and comforts. This is huge! Because in the time of my suffering, I know that my God understands. The gift of the Incarnation becomes more precious at this point. Jesus knows! He’s been there. He has agonized. He has wept. He has bled. Mocked. Scorned. Condemned. Humiliated. There is no pain that He does not empathize with. And there is no suffering that my God does not extend His comfort to.

Paul calls Him, “the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort.” Not ‘compassionate Father,’ but ‘Father of compassion.’ In other words, He is the inventor and source of this thing called compassion. He gave birth to it. Nobody does compassion better than God, because it came out of the core of His being. And He created it transferable. We can comfort others with the comfort we received from God. Even as Jesus identifies with our pain, we can identify with our hurting neighbors and comfort them.

Now suffering begins to mean something. It becomes a means of understanding our smitten and afflicted Savior. It becomes a means of identification with our fellow man. It becomes a means of transfer as God’s comfort TO me flows out FROM me. And it becomes a motivation for intercession. People can be lifted out of their anguish through the favor granted them in answer to our prayers.

Hardships can drag you to the brink. In Paul’s case, he despaired of life; he “felt the sentence of death.” But don’t you love his conviction? God “HAS delivered us … and He WILL deliver us.” That kind of faith doesn’t come from being shielded from pain. That kind of steadfast hope only comes from having suffered and come out the other side -- by the Father’s comfort, the Savior’s sympathy, and the prayers of the saints.

Pray: Father of compassion, thank you for comforting me in all the painful moments of my life. Crucified Christ, thank you for being with me in my suffering; hurting right alongside of me. Spirit of intercession, thank you for helping me take my eyes off myself to turn my heart and prayers toward others. Thank you, Jesus, that because of your suffering there are things I will never have to suffer. You have already borne the pain in my place.

August 25 - 1 Corinthians 16:1-24 - Out of Unity, Generosity

I wrote in an earlier blog about my love for language. Well, I like numbers, too! How do like this:

1 x 8 + 1 = 9; 
12 x 8 + 2 =  98;        
123 x 8 + 3 =  987;    
1234 x 8 + 4 =  9876;

Isn’t that cool how the numbers work together? Keep adding the next numeral in sequence to the first number as you increase by one the number before the equal sign. Watch what happens. Fun with math!

Statistics are interesting, too. Did you know that the US Population hit 300 million at 7:46 a.m. (Eastern Time) on Tuesday, October 17, 2006?

In fact, the number of millions of people in the US and the number of billions of dollars donated to charity were identical in early 2010 – 306. 306 million people. 306 billion dollars. Oversimplifying, that means that every man, woman, boy, and girl in the US gave $1000 to charity this year. A thousand dollars per person! And since we know that children don’t usually have that kind of money, it is more like $2000 per adult American. That’s pretty generous!

The apostle Paul was interested in numbers and generosity, too. He had moved from great city to great city, region to region, continent to continent. His mission to evangelize and plant congregations made him the friend of thousands and the nexus of a far-flung association of churches. Paul understood how God’s grace had brought down the barriers among them – Jew vs. Gentile, free vs. slave, male vs. female, the so-called upper and lower classes. What mattered now was that they drew together in love for the cause of Christ. And we see that in today’s text. Warm greetings were sent from the Asian churches to the Greek churches. Paul’s reference to Stephanas and the Achaian converts indicates that they travelled from their province to Corinth to help Paul with a need the Corinthians couldn’t meet. Timothy invested in the work at Corinth, also, and Apollos would do so when he could.

You see, being one people united under one mission brings out compassion and generosity for each others’ needs. The Jerusalem church had a need; a financial need. And Paul had a method; regular, proportionate giving. Fun with math! The heart and the head come together to lend a hand. Paul initiated this collection for the Jewish-Christians among the Gentile-Christians of Galatia. “Hey, we’re in this together! One people of God. One mission.” Then on to the Corinthians, who were urged to do the same.

Paul, the associational missionary, went visiting and found unity and generosity. I’m looking forward to that myself. So, from your Associational Missionary -- “How can I help you?” and “How can we help each other?”

Pray: Lord of all, thank you for the thousands of brothers and sisters I have in Christ throughout the Redwood Empire. Help me to help them, in great and small ways. Soften our hearts for each other. Bind us together with love. Stir our generosity toward one another. Make us an association with impact. One people of God. One Mission. Dividing our burdens and multiplying joy.

August 24 - 1 Corinthians 15:29-58 - The Raise of the Son

I don’t recommend toying with Scripture, but I must admit one of the funniest signs I’ve seen in a church is the one above the baby nursery that quotes, “We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed.” Signs are very useful. Signs help me spend a lot less time in the grocery store than I would if there were no signs. Signs keep me from wandering off the trail. Signs stop me from driving up one-way-down streets. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is a sign.

Paul continues his discussion of the importance of the resurrection in today’s reading. If there is no resurrection; if there is only ‘you die and you’re done,’ then that completely changes the way a person would live. There would be a strong sense of absurdity to life. There would be little reason to do anything that had risk or danger attached to it. Just ‘eat and drink,’ just live for comfort, for pleasure – after all, tomorrow you could be gone. Gone for good. Non-existent.

But Paul says, that is crazy advice from the crowd that will lead you into corruption. That is an approach to life that comes from an ignorance of God. Life begins in the flesh, and yes, there is death for the flesh, but life ends in the spirit. Jesus guarantees it. Actually, it’s as obvious as kindergarten science. Remember? You took that dried up bean and you slid it down between the construction paper strip and the side of the clear plastic cup. You watered it and set it on the window sill. And then … something marvelous happened. Something in that bean responded to the rays of the sun. A tiny root shot downward and a tender stem shot upward. You ever wonder how they know which way is which? They don’t even need a sign. But they ARE a sign!  “What you sow does not come to life unless it dies.”

There is life after death. There is the physical body and there is the spiritual body. I can’t improve on Paul’s poetry so I’ll just repeat it:

“So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.

      If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.”

And when this happens, “Death has been swallowed up in victory … through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 

This is such a strong and comforting passage that I have read it at every graveside service I have officiated. It matters that people walk from the cemetery knowing that the one who has fallen asleep in Christ will soon be an imperishable, glorious, powerful, spiritual being! The ‘seed’ of their beloved will respond to the “raise of the Son.”

Pray: Everliving God, thank you for showing us that there is life after death. Thank you for the sign of the Risen Christ. Death doesn’t get the victory; we do through Jesus our Redeemer. Help us to show those who are dead in sin and ignorant of God the way out of the land of “whatever.” There is so much more to life than they know. More to life, and less to death.

August 23 - 1 Corinthians 15:1-28 - To Death with Death (and some Sharpies)

One of the more difficult classes I had in Art school involved a professor with a Sharpie marker. I don’t think I ever saw him without his Sharpie in his hand. It was his signature. And at first encounter, it seemed his dagger. You see, the class wasn’t difficult because the assignments were too advanced; the class was difficult because Dr. Sharpie had no qualms about drawing thick black slashes across our “masterpieces.” Sure, it was just a class assignment, but we worked at it and we produced art – and works of art are like your children. You labor to bring them into existence and they bear some of your own soul. You lift one out of the cradle of your portfolio and display her with pride and then Professor Permanent X. Marker defiles her! It’s an inky stab to the heart. But as the semester goes by, you come to understand the value of valid critique. Thank goodness the man with the marker had a clue about what he was doing.

In today’s reading, Paul begins by re-drawing the portrait of the gospel he had rendered for the Corinthians when he first preached to them. There are three panels to the portrait – the first, of God’s Anointed One dying for the sins of the world; the second, of that same Savior buried and sealed in a tomb; and the third, of a Risen Savior appearing to many after His conquest of the grave. Paul reminds them that he is one of those eyewitnesses to the triumphant Jesus; an encounter by God's pure grace and for personal transformation.

So how, Paul puzzles, can somebody come along (who has no clue what they’re doing) and deface the gospel masterpiece? And how could the Corinthian Christians accept that thoughtless revision – that big black Sharpie “X” across the third panel of the portrait? No resurrection?! What?! Let me restore this for you, is Paul’s response. Watch me re-draw this for you so you will really understand how significant it is. “If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.”

If Jesus is not risen from the dead then, in spite of all the great things He taught and did, death would remain the final victor. If Christ is swallowed up by the grave, then this huge question mark gets drawn over the entirety of His life and work? Was He really who He said He was? How can He save anyone if He can’t save Himself? The portrait would remain unfinished and what would be the end of us who put our faith in Him? Must the canvas always fade to black?

No, Paul declares! In the chiaroscuro of the passion, Jesus emerges. From the deep shadows of the cross and the tomb, the Lord comes victorious. Now everything He said and did has the endorsement of an unconquerable life. He is Invictus; the one and only. Don’t let anyone deface or defile the gospel for you. Know and understand the great masterpiece God has painted in the portrait of the dead, buried and risen Christ. Let the revisionists and the revolters slash away with their Sharpies. “Christ has indeed been raised from the dead … [and] He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.”

And it is (already) finished.

Pray: Risen and Exalted One, you are alive forevermore. And I am alive forever in You. Thank you that you looked upon me, as You did Paul, with great compassion and grace. Thank you for transforming my dead-in-sinness into everlasting-living!

August 22 - 1 Corinthians 14:18-40 - Tongue-Tied

Do you ever find yourself in a group having a conversation when the discussion veers off into a subject you really would rather not talk about? Worse yet, somebody turns to you and asks a direct, probing question about the topic! You’re not sure how you want to respond and so you stutter and stammer, “Umm, yes, well, I, uhh, you see…” Tongue-tied.

Well, when you commit yourself to blogging on the entire New Testament, you can’t really pick and choose your topic. I would especially like to skip over the controversial ones, but First Corinthians is not cutting me any slack. The fourteenth chapter, yesterday and today’s readings, are primarily about the issue of speaking in tongues. And where I come from, that’s a controversial topic. But, I’ll address it with the two principles I have taught in my New Testament Survey classes: The principle of primacy of Scripture – before I ask what anybody else says about a topic, I must first ask what the Bible says about the topic, and the principle of plain sense – the majority of Scripture simply means what it says in common language for ordinary people.

Here’s what I understand the plain meaning of 1 Corinthians 14 to say about speaking in tongues:

It was practiced in the Corinthian church. V.2

It is speech directed to God. V.2

Tongues edify the person speaking. V. 4

Paul is OK with tongues speaking. V.5

Paul values prophecy over tongues. V.5

Paul prefers the gifts that edify the whole church. Vss.6-12

Tongues should be interpreted. V.13

Tongues are a form of prayer and praise. Vss.14-16

Paul is thankful for his own tongue speaking. V.18

Speaking intelligible words is for more useful in the church than speaking in tongues. V.19

Over-emphasizing the value of tongues comes from childish thinking. V.20

Tongues are for the fulfillment of prophecy that unbelievers will not be drawn to God by language signs. Vss.21-22

Unbridled tongue speaking in the church looks like craziness. V.23

Prophecy is far more effective for transformational witness. V.24-25

Tongues speaking can be controlled by the speaker and must be interpreted. V.26-28

Tongues speaking is not to be forbidden, but everything is to be done decently and in order. V.39-40

This is what I hear Paul saying about the gift of tongues.

What do I think about speaking in tongues? What he said.

Pray: Spirit of the Living God, fall fresh on us. Give us gifts as You determine. Empower us for Your purposes. Clarify and prioritize Your gifts that there would be no misuse or abuse of them among Your people. Break us of our self-edification, and cause us to build up the Body first and foremost.

August 21 - 1 Corinthians 14:1-17 - Words Like Vitamins

Do you enjoy words and language? I have always had a love affair with language. As a preschooler, I could spell “hippopotamus” and “Mississippi.” My sister and I would hear common words as if they were from another planet, all sound and no meaning, and bust out laughing. “people.” “people.” Don’t process it, just hear it. “people.” It’s funny. I think we anticipated Neil Simon’s routine in “The Sunshine Boys,” where the old vaudevillian talks about word choice and comedy …

“Fifty-seven years in this business, you learn a few things. You know what words are funny and which words are not funny. Alka Seltzer is funny. You say "Alka Seltzer" you get a laugh . . . Words with "k" in them are funny. Casey Stengel, that's a funny name. Robert Taylor is not funny. Cupcake is funny. Tomato is not funny. Cookie is funny. Cucumber is funny. Car keys. Cleveland . . . Cleveland is funny. Maryland is not funny.”

Some words aren’t funny, they’re just fun to say. You know what the technical name for vitamin B12 is? Cyanocobalamin. That is a fun word to say. Try it … sigh-Anna-co-BALa-mean.

Words and language became an issue in the early church. Paul describes a practice among the Corinthians where they would “speak to God in mysteries with their spirit.” These mysteries came out as “prayers and songs.” Paul indicates that this “speaking in tongues” is language directed to God and unintelligible to everyone else. He does not anathematize the practice (how’s that for a word), “I would like every one of you to speak in tongues …,” but he does put it clearly in its place. The value of speaking words that are clear and constructive, building up the hearers, is by far more desirable in the church. If you want to pray and sing to God, by all means do so. Even if those means are mysterious and spiritual. But understand - that will only edify the self. Words and language are primarily to be used for edifying others. This is a continuation of Paul’s emphasis in the previous two chapters about Christ’s followers being other-oriented.

How can I strengthen, encourage and comfort you? How can I inform, instruct and unveil God’s Word to you? How can I sound a clear call to spiritual battle for you? How can I pray with a fruitful mind as well as a fruitful spirit? By speaking in plain and understandable language.

Paul says, “try to excel in gifts that build up the church.” Don’t use words as ambiance, incense, soundtrack. Use words like vitamins. Give me something simple. Give me something easy to swallow. Build me up with something nutritious. Give me some spiritual cyanocobalamin! (Sorry, couldn’t help myself.)

Pray: God of all knowledge and all people, you understand us no matter how we communicate. We can groan in your direction and you get it. But Lord, the rest of us are not so brilliant. Help us to communicate in ways that draw attention to You, and declare Your goodness, love and mercy. Help us make the gospel clear and relevant to every people group in every generation. Surely, your Spirit prefers to empower this.

August 20 --- 1 Corinthians 12:27 - 13:13 --- The Greatest

Love.

Love is the greatest.

Love is greater than eloquence; it speaks life to the soul.

Love is greater than giftedness; it is the end for their means.

Love is greater than knowledge; it gives purpose to its power.

Love is greater than sacrifice; it authenticates surrender.

Love is greater than faith; it inspires trust.

Love is greater than hope; it anchors expectation.

Which will accomplish more; which will make things better …

Love or impatience?

Love or cruelty?

Love or envy?

Love or arrogance?

Love or rudeness?

Love or selfishness?

Love or rage?

Love or wickedness?

Love or giving up?

Love. Love. Love. Love. Love. Love. Love. Love. Love.

Love is the greatest.

Now ...

Love.

Pray: Thank you, God, for loving the world so much that you gave us your one and only Son. Thank you, Jesus, for loving us unto death. Thank you, Holy Spirit, for producing the fruit of love in us. Now help us live out the love that made us, the love that saved us, the love that sets us free.

August 19 - 1 Corinthians 12:1-26 - The Many and the One

Sometimes it’s pretty easy to see what a particular text of Scripture is all about. All you have to do is watch for the repeating words. Did you see how many times the words ‘many’ and ‘one’ appear in today’s reading? Did you catch the references to those ideas even when the words weren’t explicit?

Remember that the spiritual condition of Corinth was one of saturation, inundation, idols and superstitions and philosophies dripping off everything. Paul refers to the plurality of idols when he begins this discussion of spiritual gifts. He wants to re-focus their understanding from the many to the one. “I know there are many idols in this culture, many you once worshipped. And I know there are many spiritual manifestations now among the followers of Christ. But don’t let the many gifts make you think that they have many sources. There are many gifts, but only one Spirit.”

Since they have one source, there is only One who dictates their nature. They are powered by God for service to God according to the plan of God. [vss. 4-6] That’s the first thing Paul doesn’t want them ignorant of. The gifts are about the one Giver and the one Giver’s goals.

The second thing Paul wants them aware of is the appropriate approach to the ‘many.’ Pride in the spiritual gifts can cause us to focus on ourselves; what I possess; what I can do. That’s the wrong ‘one.’ The one to focus on is God, the Giver. In humility, I understand that my giftedness is from the One for the good of the ‘many.’ The right ‘many’ to focus on is the other members of my church. It is God’s design to have a diverse Body working in unity under one Head, Jesus Christ. “God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as He wanted them to be.” The Spirit gives gifts “to each one, just as He determines.”

See the inclusion of the words ‘each’ and ‘every?’ How important is it that we recognize that each and every person in our church is gifted and joined to the church by the divine design of the Master? How important is it that I use my gift as a God-attached member of my local body to serve the Lord and advance the good of the whole group? How important is it that I not judge the other members or vaunt myself above others based on my limited ability to assess gifts? How important is it that I get it right in regard to the ‘many’ and the ‘one?’

Pray: Lord God, Giver of gifts and Head of the Body, thank you for our spiritual gifts. Thank you for showing yourself through us in this way. Help us to glorify only You with our giftedness as we bless each other and do good to one another. Empower our wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discernment, languages, and interpretation. But most of all, empower our humility.

August 18 - 1 Corinthians 11:17-34 - J.O.Y.

So, I’m driving with Sandie down Shaw Avenue in Fresno after the CSBC New Pastors’ Orientation and she says, “There’s the Men’s Wearhouse. Do you still have that gift card in your wallet?” I pull over. By golly, I do. We go in the store and Hector comes over to offer his services. We thank him and tell him we’ll call him when we need him. Seems like the best value in the store today is shoes, so I pick a comfortable pair of black Dockers. I ask Hector if he can show me a pair in size 11. He gets the shoes and sits down in front of me to help slide me into them. Hector begins the conversation –

            “So, what do you do for a living?”

            “I just started a new job as Director of a network of about fifty Baptist churches. My job is to help them to be healthy, growing churches.”

            “Wow, that’s good work. A very noble vocation.”

            “Thank you. Yes. I’m very glad to be doing this work.”

            “My girlfriend is Baptist. I’m Catholic. But I’m going to this Baptist event with her next week.”

So, now I could get into the whole contrasting theology and practice thing, but the Holy Spirit puts on my lips …

            “Well, we agree on the Cross, don’t we. God loves us and gave us the greatest gift in Christ on the cross.”

            “Yes, that’s true.  [pause]  I probably don’t think about that as often as I should.”

            “Mmmm. We should think about that often.”

Hector gets called to the back room. Kind of ironic; Hector is a Catholic and could go to his local parish and participate in the Eucharist – the Lord’s Supper – every week and think on the Body and the Blood, the gift of God in Christ on the cross.

Today’s reading talks about the Lord’s Supper, unfortunately in the context of its abuse by the Corinthian church. In that day, the Supper was part of a larger communal meal, a “potluck” if you will. It was called the ‘love feast.’ Paul has to discipline them for having the feast and not the love. Many in the church were arriving early with their food and drink and being gluttonous and careless of others. They would even be drunk before the gathering was over! Paul sternly rebukes them, identifying their selfishness and reminding them that this is about Jesus first – commemoration, and others next – communion. That’s where the real joy is; not in bloated stomachs and the buzz of wine. The real joy in the Lord’s Supper, and in the Christian life at large, is in Jesus, Others, and then Yourself.  J.O.Y.

When I had picked out a belt to go with my shoes, and Hector finished ringing me up, I left him with this …

            “Hector, live your life out of a heart of thanksgiving for the cross of Christ. Thankfulness for God’s love – that’s the key.”

            “That’s good, Bob. I need to remember that. You need to keep coming back and reminding me!”

No, just keep coming back to the Cross, Hector, like the Lord’s Supper helps us to do.

Pray: Crucified and Risen Lord, help brother Hector and his girlfriend to pursue you and find you. May they celebrate the Lord’s Supper together and together discover the joy of being one with You and with your disciples. Call all of us to the Cross often. There is where our relationship priorities fall back into the right order.  J.O.Y.

August 17 - 1 Corinthians 11:1-16 - Courage Now

Sometimes, the coward in me steps up, or I guess more accurately, steps backward. Writing on 1 Corinthians 11:1-16 pushes my ‘coward button.’ But then, it makes me study and think harder. And so, I find the courage to press forward.


Paul speaks here about male-female relationship and how that relationship manifests itself in the gathering of the church. First, notice that Paul does NOT say women may not pray or prophecy in the church. He assumes that they do. He simply says that women who do pray or prophecy in the congregation should do so in a seemly, honorable way. This indicates an equality of function with the men of the congregation. Both are permitted to lead in prayer and preaching. Then, Paul writes vss. 11 and 12, stating the inter-dependence of men and women under God, indicating an equality of value and need. Men and women are valuable to one another and can receive aid and blessing from one another. This core equality is also implicit in Genesis, where it states that both male AND female are made in the image of God. And in 1 Peter 3:7, husbands are urged to respect their wives as co-heirs of the gracious gift of life.

But Paul also speaks of ‘headship’ and authority. This is to be construed in the context of marriage, for it would be chaotic to think that every woman is to be under the authority of every man. In Paul’s culture, hair or headcovering was the symbol of submission to authority. And so, in the churches of that day, Paul encourages the wives to retain a symbol of their husband’s headship while leading prayer or when preaching.

Is this a contradiction? Is a husband’s headship and a wife’s submission inconsistent with the aforementioned equality of the sexes? No. No more than Jesus’ equality with God the Father renders inconsistent God’s headship of Christ, or Christ’s submission to the Father. Father and Son are co-equal, yet the Father is head of the Son. Jesus is one with the Father, and yet He fully submits to the will of the Father. It is this blessed mystery that is wrapped up in God’s design for marriage. In the marriage union there should be a picture and demonstration of Christ’s submission, and that through the wife. And in Ephesians 5 we get the complete picture, where we read of the sacrificial love of Christ that should be demonstrated through the husband. Two forms of selflessness; not a dominator/ dominated relationship. Two equally challenging calls to be like Jesus!

Where does that leave us today? With these three imperatives – Let men and women together feel free to pray and preach under the Spirit’s leading in the church. Let men and women celebrate their equality and their inter-dependence under God their Father. And let husbands and wives courageously demonstrate, in the divine design of the marriage relationship, self-sacrifice and submission – the noblest characteristics of our Savior.

August 16 - 1 Corinthians 10:14-11:2 - Freedom and Responsibility

I have a crazy suggestion. Let’s add another sense to the Five Senses. No, seriously, I’m not talking about some mystic sense or a sense of humor. It just seems to me that our sense of balance qualifies as a genuine sense. Senses assess and deliver stimulus input from our environment through specialized body parts. Eyes give visual input, ears give auditory input. Nose, tongue, and skin tell us about our surroundings. Why wouldn’t specialized semi-circular canals in our inner ear that give us balance input, and could give us that input independently of all the other senses, be considered a sixth sense? I’d love to get your feedback on that.

Staying balanced in thought and action are as important as staying balanced on foot. Paul lived in a culture that was very much like ours; it placed an inordinate amount of value on freedom. He appears to be quoting his contemporaries when he repeats, “Everything is permissible … everything is permissible.” People who think everything is permissible will do whatever they want. But, freedom that isn’t balanced by responsibility would result in lawlessness and chaos. Responsibility without freedom is slavery. Freedom without responsibility is anarchy. Balance is what’s necessary. Freedom speaks mostly to individuality; to the “I.” Responsibility speaks to community; to the “We.” Something may be permissible, but is it beneficial? Is it constructive? Does it take into account the good of others?

Paul refers to the connection we have with Christ and with one another through sharing the Lord’s Supper. The Supper reminds us that our personal rights and freedoms are not the highest values. Participating with God and with our fellow man is even more precious. “Do all to the glory of God,” Paul urges. “Seek the good of others that they may be saved,” he instructs.  Use your freedom in responsible ways; ways that bless. The people who obsess in freedom are only interested in blessing themselves.

Pray: Unlimited, all-powerful God, help us realize that you put on self-limitations when you came to walk among us as Jesus. You reined in your freedom to act for the good of others. You could have been hunger and thirst free, insult and pain free. But you forfeited those freedoms to save my soul. Help me to balance my freedoms with Christian responsibility. Help me to glorify you in all things, and to do good to all people, even if it means giving up some of my personal freedom.

August 15 - 1 Corinthians 9:19-10:13 - Winning Requires Discipline

I am a football fan. I’ve watched the game on TV as far back as I can remember. Side by side with my Dad, who played semi-pro ball with the Clason Point Rams, we’d cheer for the Giants and the Jets. I played sandlot ball, but mostly street ball – you know, where you use the parked cars for screens to catch the down-and-outs. When the seasons changed and the bats or the hoops came out, I still just wanted to play football. Thank goodness Chuck Mandery felt the same way. I was his WR and he was my QB. We would throw and catch almost every day. We were devoted and disciplined. We got our timing down. And when we played on the same team, we won a lot.

Do you see how many times in today’s text it says, “to win,” “to get the prize,” “to get the crown?” Some make sports their god. But others learn from sports to serve their God. One of the biggest lessons learned is, “No one wins carelessly.” You have to want it, and you have to be willing to do what it takes to get it. Paul says, if it means being flexible and adaptable, I’ll do it. If it means pursuing excellence, I’ll do it. If it means strict training, discipline and sacrifice, I’ll do it. Because in this ‘game’ called the Christian Life, winning means winning God’s pleasure and the souls of men!

Many of our churches are shrinking and dying off. And for many, the reason has been a lack of the winning attitude. Mediocre, maintenance Christianity does not win souls, neither the pleasure of God. Careless Christianity does not win against temptation, even though there are plenty of examples in Scripture to warn us against such carelessness. And don’t you know, God is rooting for us; He wants us to win! He provides the way out of every temptation. He provides the blessings of today’s victories and the crowning prize of our ultimate victory.

Let’s run this race like we mean to win it. Get training. Get disciplined. Name the lost you aim to win and win them. Win against evil. Win the pleasure of God!

Pray: Triumphant Lord, help me move to the next level of desire, devotion and discipline. Help me make the commitment to do whatever it takes to win souls for You. Coach me out of my complacency. Keep me focused so that temptation becomes something peripheral and easily overlooked as I pursue your goal – saving the lost.

August 14 - 1 Corinthians 9:1-18 - For Heaven’s Sake, Pay the Preacher

One of the hardest responses we ever have to deal with is thanklessness. We work hard, we work well, we sacrifice and invest for someone and then, we are under-appreciated. We labor long, and then there is little compensation. And then, how hard is that to address? Is it right to say things like, “Is that all the thanks I get?” “Don’t I deserve more than this?”

We can feel Paul’s uneasiness as he broaches this touchy subject with the Corinthian church. Paul is an exceptional servant and leader. He is an apostle; he’s had a face-to-face with Jesus Himself. The Corinthians might still be dead in their sin were it not for the missionary preacher. And not that he preached for fame or fortune – he preached out of his calling, out of his gift. It was God’s mandate to Paul and “woe to him if he didn’t preach.” His ministry was a spiritual compulsion. And man, did he and his fellow missionaries bear assaults and burdens to do it. “We put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ.”

But did anybody appreciate the value of all that? There’s a Biblical principle that goes, “Don’t muzzle the ox while he’s treading out the grain.” In other words, take good care of those that do good work. Appreciate good labor and reward it accordingly. Paul was an ox who more than deserved his grain. Unfortunately, many were insensitive to his efforts.

To the preachers out there, keep preaching. Preach out of your gift, out of your calling, out of your spiritual compulsion. Don’t shut the fire up in your bones. Preach for the love of God and for the salvation and fortification of souls. Preach freely and for free.

But to the churches out there, for heaven’s sake – pay the preacher! Understand what that shepherd does to feed the sheep. Appreciate the struggle of trying to be a humble/bold servant/leader. Comprehend the true value of what is coming to you out of that pastor’s mouth, heart, and hands. Of all the verses you have memorized, add this one to it –
“…the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.” 1 Cor. 9:14. You may not have known that verse because your pastor was too humble to preach it. And for that, he ought to get a bonus.

Pray: Savior, you preached the good news until it stripped you of everything and killed you. The true preacher is willing to go there for you, but the true church must never let it happen. Convict us when we spend top dollar for everything else but exemplary leadership. 

August 13 - 1 Corinthians 8:1-13 - Stumbling Over Our Knowledge

You’ve heard the phrase, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” The apostle Paul has an interesting take on that. He says, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you LOVE.” If we follow Christ, then love must trump knowledge.


The Corinthian Christians lived in a metropolis saturated with superstition and idolatry. (Superstition … really? … and I’m commenting on a chapter with 13 verses on Friday the 13th … hmmm.) On a regular basis, the offerings of meat that were brought to the pagan idols and altars found their way into the marketplace. What effect would the meat’s origins have on the consumer? Would buying it and eating it be a type of participation with the idols? If I practiced a different faith, would eating such meat be a sin; idolatry? Some Christians in Corinth answered that question, “Yes” and others, “No,” based on their knowledge of God and the gods.

Paul says his knowledge of the gods as ‘nothing at all’ renders the meat simply, meat. There is no advantage or disadvantage in eating or not eating it. In fact, he says that knowing the idols don’t exist and that the meat is not spiritually tainted is the stronger position. Those who still have scruples about the effects of idols have ‘a weak conscience.’ But here is where love trumps knowledge. I care about my brothers concern for holiness; I don’t want to be a source of stumbling for the sister that I love. Therefore, I will not exercise my freedom. I will not wound their conscience. I will install boundaries around my freedoms for the sake of others, because I love them.

Paul is right about lifeless idols, but rather than insist on being right, he would rather be ‘rightly related’ to his brethren. That’s always a good question for us to ask ourselves – “Do I want to be right, or rightly related?” Imagine if Jesus’ love didn’t trump His knowledge. He knows every sinful thing about me. If He acts solely on that knowledge, I get raw justice. But because He loves me, I get justified! Instead of doing what He knows to be right (condemning what is unholy), He rights the relationship I have with Him (makes me holy through the love of the Cross). Love trumps knowledge!

“Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.” How will you press your knowledge into the service of love today?

Pray: All-knowing God, thank you for not giving me what you knew my sins deserved. Thank you for loving me and for the personal sacrifice that love required. Help me to do as you have done. Help me make my knowledge a servant to unselfish love. Make me as sensitive to others’ needs for a clear conscience as I am to my own need to exercise freedom.

August 12 - 1 Corinthians 7:25-40 - The Secret of Life

Do you remember this scene from the 1991 film, City Slickers?  Urban cowboy-for-a-week Mitch has a chat with true horseman Curly, and the dialog goes like this (pardon the expletive deleted):

Curly: You know what the secret of life is?
Mitch: No, what?
Curly: This. (holds up one finger)
Mitch: Your finger?
Curly: One thing. Just one thing. You stick to that, and everything else don't mean ****.
Mitch: That's great, but ... what's the one thing?
Curly: That's what you've got to figure out. 

Curly’s mighty wise for a cowpoke. And with the help of God’s Word and Spirit, we’ve got it figured out.  David requests in the 86^th Psalm, “give me an undivided heart…” Give me a heart for just one thing.

Through the prophet Ezekiel, God responds --

“I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.” Sensitized to the one thing.

And ultimately, Paul describes to the Philippians the One Thing: “I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ.”

Knowing Christ is the One Thing! Not just head knowledge, but that great full meaning of the word ‘know’ like the Hebrews used it. Knowledge by intimate experience. Knowing Christ by touch and sound  and smell. By being in Christ and having Christ in me. This comes not by reading or even deep study, but by devotion and surrender and unwavering obedience. Nothing comes close to the surpassing greatness of this. In fact, Paul’s contrast words – ‘loss’ and ‘rubbish’ come pretty close to the meaning of Curly’s deleted expletive!

What does this have to do with today’s reading? This half of chapter 7 is Paul’s treatise on the value of singleness. Paul has acknowledged marriage as a gift from God, but man, he really prefers the single life! In Paul’s opinion, a spouse is a distraction. Here’s the heart of the matter for him – “I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord.”

For Paul, life is all about “undivided devotion.” An undivided heart. The secret of life is to commit yourself completely to the one thing. And the One Thing is knowing Jesus Christ. See if you can be and do all that you are as a function of knowing Christ.



Pray: Matchless Lord, Lover of my soul, I pray the prayer of David -- "Give me an undivided heart."  If I love anything as much or more than you, dissolve that affection and turn it to you. I want to know you in every way more and more each day.

August 11 - 1 Corinthians 7:1-24 - Is My Condition A Hindrance?

I’m so glad I’ve gotten smarter over the years. When we were first married, Sandie and I lived in a renovated garage. I wanted to build a room divider so there would be a separation between the kitchen/dining area and the bedroom/living area. The Saturday I set aside for the task was gorgeous, weather-wise. I brought the materials home and made a decision -- since I was going to paint it (and didn’t want to mess up the floor) and since it was such a beautiful day, I would build it outside. Some of you are already cringing. Yes, you are right. When it was finished, it was too bulky to get through the door! As some of my little friends might say… “Derrrr!”

In the formative years of the church, there were many questions asked about the nature of discipleship. Hearts were turning to Jesus, and devotion was sincere. And so, the queries began, “Is there anything about my life that would hinder my walk with Christ?” “Is there anything in my life that makes me ‘too bulky’ to ‘get through the door’ of faithful followship?”

Marital status was one of those topics of inquiry. “Is it standard practice, even required, that a Christian be married?” “Is it OK to be single and a Christian?” “What if I surrender to the Lord, but my spouse doesn’t? Should I separate from him?” “If my spouse abandons me as a result of my new faith, where does that leave me?”

As we all come to realize, theological decisions have practical implications. Pastors deal with this all the time as church members come for wise counsel on issues of faith and practice. Paul does a good job of putting forth his opinions while making clear that’s what they are. He writes, “This is what the Lord says,” and “This is what I say.” If you have the opportunity to offer advice, pray for the discernment to keep the lines clear between doctrine and opinion.

In Corinth, marriage, ritual circumcision and social status were all issues of concern. Paul put forth a principle that covers all these topics and more. He says that no cultural condition is a hindrance to following Christ. Christians can be married, single, live with an unbelieving spouse, be circumcised, be uncircumcised, be free, be a slave. As long as we are obedient to the One who bought us with His blood, these cultural conditions are no hindrances.

Pray: Lord, in my role as a leader, help me not to put unnecessary requirements upon the disciples I lead. Help me not to put forth my opinions as doctrine. Help me not to water down your doctrine with my opinions. You have called each one of us to live life differently. Help me not to judge, but to appreciate the disciple who is different than I am.

August 10 - 1 Corinthians 6:1-20 - But YOU Were Washed and Bought

Folks up here in this part of California sure do love their wheels. I saw more classic cars and ultra-accessorized late models in my first year living here than I saw in the entire decade I lived in Massachusetts. Guys with great skills and great patience (and apparently a good amount of discretionary income) take the oldies and make them shine. They make ‘em purr! Vehicles headed toward the junk yard are bought up, cleaned up, fixed up, tuned up … Now, can you imagine if you were given one of those beauties? Free of charge! You are now the proud owner of a meticulously, lovingly restored classic car. Think about how careful you’d be with that car; how you would want to keep it in its pristine condition.  Think about how your car care would honor the one who invested so much to breathe new life into it.

Now consider what Paul says about you and your fellow believers. “You were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ … you were bought at a price.” To me, this is the common link between the first and last halves of this chapter. It might be easier to deal separately with the issue of Christians not taking Christians to court and the issue of sexual purity. But the truth that ties them together is the truth of our ‘bought and washed’ condition. The blood of Christ purchased us from the junkyard of sin. The blood of Christ washed away the dust and corrosion of our flesh and renovated our spirit. We have been meticulously, lovingly restored to right relationship with God. This frame, this body, this powertrain of mine is beautiful now and prepared to roll the streets of gold!

How then shall I honor the One who invested so much to breathe new life into me? Will suing my fellow Christian demonstrate that honor? Will joining the body He bought with His blood to a prostitute show Him respect? Paul addresses two very different behaviors, but categorizes them both as wicked. And what is the key to resisting wickedness? Remembering who washed and bought you. Remember who and what you really are in Christ. You are saints; you are family; you are members of Christ; you are a temple of the Holy Spirit; you are the purchase of God. And oh! what a purchase price He paid.

Pray: Lord Redeemer, Savior of my soul, help me in the heat of disagreement. Help me in the heat of desire. When I am enraged and ready to take my brother to court, remind me of who I am. When I am inflamed and ready to take a harlot to bed, remind me of who I am. Remind me that these two sins will be expressed in lesser degrees and yet no less sinful. In all my legalisms and lusts, remind me that I belong to You.

August 9 - 1 Corinthians 5:1-13 - No Grace Without Discipline

We worship a merciful God, don’t we? Ezra 9:13 says “…God, you have punished us less than our sins have deserved …” Jeremiah in Lamentations writes, “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed …”  What compassion and mercy! But does that mean that unholy behavior is of no concern anymore? Do we leave our sins unaddressed, covered by the mountain of His grace? Might we go so far as to be proud of our ‘graciousness’ at the expense of spiritual discipline? It appears Paul is speaking to that situation in 1 Corinthians 5.

Corinth was a city known for its sexual immorality. In fact, the city’s name had become a verb in the common language of the day. To corrupt people’s morals was to “corinthianize” them! But corrupt people do get saved. They don’t get perfected, they get forgiven. This means, many still carry around some of the baggage of the old life. The man in today’s text still carried his lust and lack of restraint around with him. And it showed up in a despicable way – a sexual encounter with his stepmother.

In the midst of this, Paul says the church was “proud” and “boasting.” It would be extremely difficult to think that the congregation approved of this behavior, proud and boasting about a man’s tryst with a family member! I rather think the church was proud and boasting about its grace or forgiveness toward the man. But grace is not a free pass. Forgiveness is not the repeal of holiness. Where was the calling of sin sin? Where was the appropriate sorrow and anger that such a thing could happen among them? Where was the necessary rebuke and correction?

The pursuit of holiness and spiritual discipline are part of God’s plan. Some preachers rail against the sins of the world, yet tend so weakly to the ungodly behaviors in their own churches. Paul says it’s not our jurisdiction to judge those outside the church. Our responsibility is to call our own members to live according to God’s Word; speaking pure truth in love.

Pray: Holy God, help me to promote and model holy living among your people. I thank you for your grace and forgiveness. Help me to be merciful even as I have received mercy. But do not let me use your grace as an excuse for license. Help me to apply discipline with love; and to apply it first to me.

August 8 - 1 Corinthians 4:1-21 - Son of Scum

Out in Denver, Colorado there is a church called Scum of the Earth. And their newsletter is called Rubbish. It’s not that they have horrible self-esteem. They’re just identifying with what the Apostle Paul said in today’s passage about people who really take their servant/missionary calling seriously. You see, Paul and those like him had painfully experienced the ridicule of the world that came with their counter-cultural mission. As we read in yesterday’s text, the Jews thought the Christians were a scandal and the Greeks thought they were fools. In obedient fulfillment to their mission calling, they found themselves hungry, thirsty, poorly clothed and homeless. They were brutalized, cursed, persecuted and slandered. They were regarded, “the scum of the earth.” But they stayed diligent, merciful and kind. They pressed forward in faith because they served a divine trust and knew the final assessment of their work was in God’s hands.

Unfortunately, many of the Corinthian Christians lived in comfort and had become arrogant in it. How frustrating and heart-breaking this was for Paul. He was a spiritual parent to them. Through his mission labors he had birthed this church. And now his spiritual children were bearing little resemblance to their faithful father. Some of you Christian parents, church planters and pastors know how this feels. And so we hear both the affection and aggression of Paul. “My dear children, I’ve warned you, and now I’m coming to confront you, and we’ll see what your arrogance gets you when we are face to face!” “Shall I come to you with a whip, or in love …?”

To some degree, we can understand the Corinthians’ resistance to follow in Paul’s footsteps.  After all, who wants to be ‘son of Scum’?  But what Paul has demonstrated, and what he is sending Timothy to Corinth to reinforce, is that his way of life is consistent with the gospel he teaches. Paul is a trustworthy servant-leader with integrity!

When the Lord, and no one else, makes the final assessment of our Christian lives, He won’t be looking to reward a full refrigerator, or fine clothes, or arrogance. Jesus will reward service, faithfulness and integrity.

Pray: Lord, sometimes it gets really hard to serve you. It seems you’ve called us to be fish out of water. We strive in your direction while so many move against us in the direction of the world. When I compromise my faithfulness and integrity, I feel less uncomfortable; it takes the edge off the struggle. But I know that’s not what you want. Help me to be obedient, regardless of how others may regard me. Help me to be humble and bold at the same time. I am willing to be a ‘fool’ for you, Christ.

August 7 - 1 Corinthians 3:5-23 - Built to Withstand the Test

This passage in Paul’s letter is chock full of analogies. His rich and Spirit-led imagination conceives of the church as God’s servant farmers, God’s fellow workers, God’s field, God’s building, and God’s temple! You may wish to use this text as a point of departure for your own imagination. Take some time to reflect on each of Paul’s word pictures and draw out some of the implications of these parallels.

The word picture most fully drawn here is the image of God’s people as a building. Paul speaks first of the foundation. Every Christian and every community of believers is to be founded firmly in Jesus Christ. Considering that I’m writing from earthquake country, I am convinced that a solid foundation is critical. Google ‘Loma Prieta’ if you want some stunning visuals of what happens when your foundation turns to quicksand. (also, see “liquefaction”) This is why leading others to faith in Christ is so important. No other foundation for life is reliable – and certainly not permanent. Christ is the only rock that cannot be moved.

Upon that Rock, each Christian is privileged to build. But the structure and details of our lives will be put to the test one day and must prove to be of excellent quality. Paul contrasts building materials that are substandard and subject to destruction with those that are of great strength and value. Extending his analogy, I hear him saying that God is the Great Building Inspector. And what an inspection process – trial by fire! Now my imagination is really getting crazy. I see the Lord taking the building of my life, foundation and all, and setting it on this enormous conveyor belt. The belt jerks into motion and my life is transported into the mouth of God’s ‘house furnace.’ As its smoky glass windows begin to glow bright red, I wonder about the life I’ve built. Did I make designs, employ methods and materials, worthy of that fabulous foundation? Or did I throw up a cardboard lean-to on a mansion’s footprint? How well have you done with your 'life-house?'

The test won’t condemn you, Paul assures. You will be saved because that foundation of Christ WILL stand up to the flames. But some of us will smell heavily of smoke, singed hair, eyebrows, and all.

The Word says your Foundation is priceless and eternal, and you yourself are sacred. Make your life choices, build your legacy, with those realities in mind. Tear out the old wood, hay, and straw – or God will burn it out for you.

Pray: Heavenly Father, you have given me a matchless foundation for my life. You have called me Your Building, Your Temple. Help me to fashion a life that is consistent and worthy of these. To rise up on Christ, I must rise up as Christ. Help me to be like Jesus. 

August 6 - 1 Corinthians 2:6 - 3:4 - “That’s Inconceivable!”

My Mom has this great snapshot of me and my older sister. We’re in our pajamas, lying on our stomachs with our knees bent, our fuzzy slippers dangling in the air. We’re watching TV. We might have been watching Dick Tracy or the Jetsons on a Saturday morning. Tracy could speak face to face with his Chief through his ‘two-way wrist radio.’ George Jetson could communicate via videophone. And Marilyn and I could only lay there and imagine what it would be like to actually have a wireless telephone with pictures. Wouldn’t it have been shocking if Mom scooted down between us and handed us an iPhone 4G with Skype!? Crazy! Amazing!

Paul says God is doing far more shocking things among us. In verses 9 and 10 of chapter 2 he writes, “no mind has conceived … but God has revealed …” Maybe cartoon creators and sci-fi writers can conceive of inventions decades before their production, but there are some things no mind can conceive. Those things can only be revealed. They have their source in the mind of God, and only He can produce them. And for whom? “…For those who love Him.” Isn’t that awesome? What ‘no eye has seen’ WILL be seen by the lovers of God. What ‘no ear has heard,’ what ‘no mind has conceived,’ these will be given to His loving children.

No one could have imagined that God would come in the flesh; that God in Christ would offer up His life for the life of the world. Who anticipated that the Father, at the request of the Son, would send the Spirit to live IN US? No one! It was inconceivable, but God determined and made it to be so. And Jesus said, “You will do greater things…” Really?! But … that’s ... that's ... inconceivable! (And that word means what I think it means.)

Yes, it is. But you have the Spirit of God. And you have the mind of Christ. So, love the Father – and come to understand what He has audaciously prepared for you.

Pray: Lord, reveal to us by your Spirit the truths and wonders of your divine plan. Empower us to speak spiritual words that captivate other's imaginations and renew their minds. Help us to remain confident that you are doing supremely amazing things in us, even in this moment.

August 5 - 1 Corinthians 1:18 - 2:5 - The Wisdom and Power of the Cross

A thick red circle around a red spot. A swoosh. Two ‘c’s overlapped, back-to-back. They’re logos. Target, Nike, Chanel. Iconic. There’s instant recognition and response. But what happens when the icon loses its luster? What happens when time and neglect drain the symbol of its significance?

I think that’s what’s happened to the cross.

In the Apostle Paul’s day, the cross could make you do a double-take in three different ways. Today, the cross is bling; the cross is a sign post to indicate where religious people gather; it’s something you carve into a tombstone. But in Paul’s day, the cross represented the height of Roman domination and the depths of personal shame. It was no demonstration of power and glory to be crucified. Rendered helpless and drained of life, you were humiliated; a laughingstock. So, what to make of Jesus, pierced through with Imperial spikes?

The first double-take is the Jewish response. Paul says that Jews look for miracles. They revere Creator God, the glorious Almighty. How could His chosen one, His liberator, be the gasping, waning man on the cross? Where is the glory and the power? Jesus is a scandal, not the Savior.

The second double-take is the Gentile response. Paul says that Greeks look for wisdom. The young Galilean sage had said that he was “the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” But his way had led to arrest and torture and death, not life. Some say he came back from the grave - others said his body was merely stolen. Do we really know the truth? Why put faith in such foolishness.

But the third double-take is the response of the believer. Paul comes preaching, and in his own words, came with not much personal wisdom or power; nor did his hearers possess any surplus of these. But the gospel of a crucified Savior has wisdom and power all its own. The cross is the icon of power in weakness. The cross is the symbol of wisdom through foolishness. In the cross, what man means for shame, God means for glory. On the cross Christ becomes our righteousness, holiness and redemption.

Has the cross lost its luster, slumped in significance in our thinking? Do we know people who would rather have a religion of spectacle? Do we know people who think their wisdom is wiser than God’s? Keep talking about the cross. Take them to the cross. The Spirit will do the rest.

Pray: Father, you are Lord God Almighty. All strength and wisdom are yours. Jesus, you are Savior; crucified and risen Redeemer of all who believe. Holy Spirit, you are the energizer of this great good news. Revive our understanding of the impact of the cross. Make us messengers of its life-changing power.