Under Siege

Today is the second day in our 36th week, reading the Bible through in a year.  Our scriptures* today are:  2 Kings 18-19; 2 Chronicles 32; 1 Corinthians 9; Psalm 67.

Today's OT passages are about Hezekiah, the king of Judah, and his response to the siege placed against him by the king of Assyria.  The Assyrian King Sennacherib sent a messenger to Jerusalem, boasting that he would take the holy city, just the same as he had taken so many other kingdoms.  The gods of those people had not rescued them, he said, and neither would the God of Abraham rescue Hezekiah's people.  While the people of Judah shook in fear, Hezekiah knew just what to do.

Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord and spread it before the Lord. And Hezekiah prayed before the Lord and said: “O Lord, the God of Israel,enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth.  Incline your ear, O Lord, and hear; open your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the living God.  Truly, O Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands and have cast their gods into the fire, for they were not gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone. Therefore they were destroyed.  So now, O Lord our God, save us, please, from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, O Lord, are God alone (2 Kings 19:14-19).”

God was glad when He saw Hezekiah turning to the Lord for help.  Rather than trusting in his own might, the king of Judah trusted in God for deliverance.  Verses 35-37 say:

And that night the angel of the Lord went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies. Then Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and went home and lived at Nineveh.  And as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, Adrammelech and Sharezer, his sons, struck him down with the sword and escaped into the land of Ararat. And Esarhaddon his son reigned in his place.

Most people who don't attend church say that they're just too busy.  Imagine how busy King Hezekiah must have been when his city fell under attack!  Yet he still had time to go into the Lord's house, fall on his knees, and pray.  If he hadn't done this, how might the outcome been different?  Yet, because he took the time to acknowledge God's power, and to turn to Him for deliverance, the nation was saved.

I wonder--what is besieging your life today?  Is it a health problem that holds you in a grip of fear?  Are financial troubles overwhelming you?  Does an addiction threaten your body and soul?  Turn to God.  Like Hezekiah, you need to run as fast as you can to church, fall on your knees, and pray that God will deliver you.  If it's been a long time since you were in church, that's no reason to stay away.  That's all the more reason to hurry.  God wants to rescue you.

I hope that you'll get back to church this Sunday.  September 15 is "Back to Church Sunday."  Please take a look at this video promo to learn some stats about church attendance, absenteeism, and what brings people back.




*Scriptures taken from the ESV. 

Back to Church Sunday

Today is the first day in our 36th week, reading the Bible through together in a year.  Our scriptures* this week are:

•  2 Chr 29-31; 1 Cor 8
•  2 Kings 18-19; 2 Chr 32; 1 Cor 9; Ps 67
•  Isa 36-37; 1 Cor 10; Psalm 123
•  2 Kings 20; Isa 38-40; 1 Cor 11; Ps 68
•  Isa 41-44; 1 Cor 12

This coming Sunday, many churches around the United States are celebrating "Back to Church Sunday."  Check out this video promo for the event (linked from Youtube).  You might be surprised.

Why not invite someone to church this coming Sunday?  They might not be like you.  They might not "do church" the same way you do.  They might not know how to "do church" at all.  They might not fit into the same social circles, or even have the same standards of cleanliness that you have.  But invite them to church anyway.  Let's pack the pews this week!

In 2 Chronicles 30, we read about a Jewish version of "Back to Church Sunday."  The Israelites had neglected their regular observance of the Passover.  King Hezekiah decided it was high time that everyone get back to worship.  So he called a sacred assembly, and the people came.  They came, just as they were.  Not everybody was prepared for what was going to happen, but they came anyway.  And that's the way it ought to be when you go to church.  Whether you're ready or not--come anyway.

The people came, even though there weren't enough priests who were prepared to serve.  The people came, even though the preacher was the king and not a priest or prophet.  King Hezekiah said:

“O people of Israel, return to the Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, that he may turn again to the remnant of you who have escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria.  Do not be like your fathers and your brothers, who were faithless to the Lord God of their fathers, so that he made them a desolation, as you see. Do not now be stiff-necked as your fathers were, but yield yourselves to the Lord and come to his sanctuary, which he has consecrated forever, and serve the Lord your God, that his fierce anger may turn away from you.  For if you return to the Lord, your brothers and your children will find compassion with their captors and return to this land. For the Lord your God is gracious and merciful and will not turn away his face from you, if you return to him (2 Chronicles 30:6-9).”

If you've been away from church for awhile, or if you've never been to church at all, God wants you to turn to Him.  If you're a regular attender, then God wants you to invite someone to church.  Even if church's isn't perfect...even if you're not perfect...even if "those people" aren't perfect...God wants everyone in His house, seeking Him.

Verse 17 says that "there were many in the assembly who had not consecrated themselves."  A lot of people think that they have to get themselves cleaned up--either spiritually or physically--before they come to church.  But it's okay--God wants you to come, just as you are.  The king and his people showed up just as they were, and look what happened:

For a majority of the people, many of them from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet they ate the Passover otherwise than as prescribed. For Hezekiah had prayed for them, saying, “May the good Lord pardon everyone  who sets his heart to seek God, the Lord, the God of his fathers, even though not according to the sanctuary's rules of cleanness." And the Lord heard Hezekiah and healed the people.  And the people of Israel who were present at Jerusalem kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with great gladness, and the Levites and the priests praised the Lord day by day, singing with all their might to the Lord (2 Chronicles 30:18-21).

You don't have to get your life straight before going to church and seeking God.  Going to church and seeking God gets your life straight.  When you turn to God, He will bring joy to your life.  Verses 26-27 say:

So there was great joy in Jerusalem, for since the time of Solomon the son of David king of Israel there had been nothing like this in Jerusalem. Then the priests and the Levites arose and blessed the people, and their voice was heard, and their prayer came to his holy habitation in heaven.

This Sunday, I hope you'll get back to church.  If you've been away for awhile, don't worry about that awkward feeling that you expect to have.  I promise, lightning won't strike just because you step in the building.  The church won't catch on fire.  But you might catch on fire--with your faith rekindled, you may just feel the warmth of Christ returning to your life.  

This Sunday, I hope you'll invite someone to church.  It may be the best thing you've ever done for your neighbor, your coworker, your friend.  Invite them to church.  You'll be glad you did.

*Scriptures taken from the ESV. 

Sexual Idolatry

Today is the final day in our 35th week, reading the Bible through in a year.  Our scriptures* today are:  2 Chr 28; 2 Kings 17; 1 Cor 7; Psalm 66.

Today's first three passages are all about idolatry.  The OT passages shows people worshiping false gods, setting up blasphemous altars, and even sacrificing their children in the fire to their demonic lords.  But you may ask, Where's the idolatry in 1 Corinthians 7?

Sometimes, idolatry is obvious.  Other times, it is more subtle--but that doesn't mean that it's any less real.  In 1 Corinthians 7, Paul deals with a much more obscure form of idolatry: false worship at the sexual altar.

In verses 1-2, Paul talks about the idolatry of sexual temptation.  Within its proper context, sexuality is a God-given, beautiful thing.  But people can get carried away with it, and it can lead to a form of idolatry.  When a person overemphasizes the importance of sexuality in their lives, this can become idolatrous, and can lead to sin.  Marriage is the only way to keep your sexual expressions pure:  one man and one woman, committed to each other for life.

Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.”  But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband.

Committed marriage is the only way to avoid the kind of sexual idolatry that seeks partners and pleasures wherever they may be found.  Yet, even within the context of marriage, sexuality can be idolatrous.  In verses 3-5, Paul addresses the idolatry of selfish sexuality within marriage.  

The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does.  Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

These verses have been misunderstood and misused since Paul penned them, so let me clarify what the Bible is not saying, and then let me state what it is saying.  

This passage is not saying that a spouse has a biblical right to demand sexual attention anytime they desire.  After all, a person always has the right to say "no."  In fact, the right to say "no" supercedes any conjugal rights belonging to a marriage partner.  God is horrified at Christian spouses who use His Word in order to control or manipulate one another into some sort of sexual performance.  When this happens, we set up altars to ourselves, and place our own sexual interests ahead of honoring our spouse. Inappropriate sexual interest, and undue sexual pressure within marriage is a different form of selfish idolatry. Paul gives these verses as a word of encouragement to share yourself in the marriage bed, but not as a mandate to conform to a spouse's inappropriate appetites.

This passage is saying that we are not our own.  As Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20:

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

Because we are not our own, we should honor God with our bodies.  Because we are not our own, we should honor our spouses by sharing our bodies with them.  Yet for some spouses, sexual disinterest is a problem.  Paul addresses this, not from the perspective of a clinical therapist, but from the standpoint of a godly counselor.  

There are many legitimate reasons for someone to be disinterested in sex.  There might be a medical issue due to a physical illness, injury, mental struggle, or other genuine inability to perform sexually.  Lack of sexual interest on one person's part may be due to the negative attitude toward sexuality that the other spouse exhibits.  Who, after all, would respond well to someone whose approach to marital sex is selfish, over-demanding, demeaning, or disrespectful?  Perhaps one spouse has violated the trust of the other, and that breech has made the other one reluctant to share themselves sexually.  These reasons don't fall into the category of sexual idolatry that I'm writing about today.  Nor do I believe that they fall under the categories of denial that Paul had in mind.  

There are those who use sexuality as a means of controlling their marriage partner.  They withhold affection in order to bend their spouse to their will in other, unrelated areas of life.  This kind of selfish idolatry distorts God's plan for intimacy within marriage.  It puts Self on the altar, and removes God's purpose from our relationships.  Then there are others who are sexually disinterested--not because they are manipulative, but simply because they have less of an appetite than their spouse.  They don't intend to deprive their beloved, but simply are not motivated either to initiate or respond to physical intimacy.  It is to these people that Paul writes, as a gentle reminder to be focused on the interests of their marriage partner.  

Sometimes, marriages can get so caught up in sexual issues, that people lose sight of God.  Sex can become something it was never intended to be.  Sex outside of marriage is sinful in any situation, yet even sex within marriage can become idolatrous, if attitudes are wrong.  When one or both marriage partners get off-track in their sexual attitudes, a sexual fast may be in order.  Paul gives instructions for this as a concession, not as a command (verse 6).  Sexual fasts within marriage are not for everyone, but for some people, they may be a helpful way of hitting the 'reset button' and purifying the marriage bed.  As Paul states in verse 5, a sexual fast is for the purpose of devoting yourself to prayer and seeking God's will for your sexual expression.  It should be for a stated duration, and should end with spouses returning to a restored state of physical intimacy.

In verses 7-9, Paul addresses sexual temptation for unmarried people.  He says:

I wish that all were as I myself am. But each has his own gift from God, one of one kind and one of another.  

To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is good for them to remain single as I am.  But if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.

For himself, Paul prefers the single state.  For him, and for many, singleness and celibacy are gifts from God.  But Paul recognizes that not everyone is gifted in the same way.  For those whose desires for companionship and physical intimacy are strong, marriage is God's blessing for them.  To remain in a state of lonely singleness, unable to share yourself with anyone when that is your great desire, is not God's purpose.  That can lead to another form of sexual idolatry--an overdeveloped focus on what you don't have.  This can become an obsession, and can lead to sin.

Having given his instructions in verses 7-9, Paul then gives further advice to the unmarried and to widows/widowers in verses 25-40:

Now concerning the betrothed, I have no command from the Lord, but I give my judgment as one who by the Lord's mercy is trustworthy.  I think that in view of the present distress it is good for a person to remain as he is.  Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be free. Are you free from a wife? Do not seek a wife.  But if you do marry, you have not sinned, and if a betrothed woman marries, she has not sinned. Yet those who marry will have worldly troubles, and I would spare you that.  This is what I mean, brothers: the appointed time has grown very short. From now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none,  and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no goods,  and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away.

I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord.  But the married man is anxious about worldly things, how to please his wife,  and his interests are divided. And the unmarried or betrothed woman is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit. But the married woman is anxious about worldly things, how to please her husband.  I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord.

If anyone thinks that he is not behaving properly toward his betrothed, if his passions are strong, and it has to be, let him do as he wishes: let them marry—it is no sin.  But whoever is firmly established in his heart, being under no necessity but having his desire under control, and has determined this in his heart, to keep her as his betrothed, he will do well.  So then he who marries his betrothed does well, and he who refrains from marriage will do even better.

A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord.  Yet in my judgment she is happier if she remains as she is. And I think that I too have the Spirit of God.

The point of all this is just that people need to focus their lives on God, and not on their undue desires.  If marriage satisfies a person's desires so that they can then turn their attention to God, then Paul advises the blessing of marriage.  This is a great way to avoid the sexual idolatry that can come from trying to find forbidden pleasure outside of marriage.  However, if a person can please God through singleness, then that is also a holy and blessed lifestyle.

Many unmarried people who struggle with sexual temptation and sin believe that marriage will eliminate their sexual idolatry.  For some, this is true.  For many others, it is not.  Sexual idolatry remains an issue for many married people.  Some seek sexual satisfaction outside of God's will and outside of their marriage, either through in-person infidelity, or through online affairs and pornography.  Others selfishly demand their own way in the marriage bed, making their own pleasure the goal instead of being attentive to the needs of their spouse.  Some selfishly withhold affection from their marriage partners, using sex as a means of control.  Still others don't intend any harm, yet are not mindful of their spouses' needs.  All these forms of idolatry can be addressed by prayer, fasting (abstention from illicit or even all forms of sexuality), getting honest with ourselves and with our spouses, and seeking to honor God with our bodies and in our relationships.

When you read about idolatry in the Bible, it's easy to say to yourself, "I'm not bowing down and worshiping a statue."  But idolatry is so much more than that!  Idolatry is allowing anything to get between us and God.  It's entertaining selfish attitudes in the marriage.  It's seeking inappropriate outlets for your sexuality, and not following God's design for intimacy.  The believer must avoid all kinds of idolatry at all times--the overt kind, and the covert kind.  Sexual idolatry is a subtle religion that replaces our true faith with the falsehood of forbidden flesh.  God wants us to remain pure, and undefiled by the world.  His Word reminds us how to avoid sexual idolatry when it says, "You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body."

*Scriptures taken from the ESV.

Just Because You Can...

Today is the fourth day in our 35th week, reading the bible through in a year.  Our scriptures today are Isaiah 33-35; 1 Corinthians 6.

I turned eighteen years old the June after I graduated high school.  Later that summer, our church's youth group went on a missions trip to Georgia.  One night while on our trip, the group ate at Applebee's.  I'd never before eaten at a restaurant that had a bar, and I came prepared with an argument for my pastor that I thought was pretty cool.  "You know," I said with the kind of swagger that only an eighteen-year-old can possess, "I did just turn eighteen.  And, did you know that the drinking age in Georgia is eighteen?  What would you say if I ordered a beer?"

I'll never forget the lesson that Pastor Tim taught me that night when he said, "You're right, Greg.  The drinking age is eighteen here, and you are eighteen.  So you can order a beer, if you want.  But think about this:  You are the oldest one in the youth group, and they all look to you as an example.  So, you just go ahead and order that beer, if you feel like that's the right thing to do."

In other words, just because you can, that doesn't mean you should.

In 1 Corinthians 6, Paul talks about similar issues that Pastor Tim had to deal with, as he taught me how to lead by example.  In verse 12, Paul quotes the phrase that everybody in the church was using those days.  "All things are lawful for me."  The people were flaunting their freedom in Christ, claiming that since all their sins were forgiven, all things that were formerly called "sin" are now permitted.  (This, by the way, was the teaching of the Nicolaitans which Jesus says he hates in Revelation 2:6, 15.)  Paul responds to this teaching by saying, "But not all things are helpful."  Again, he quotes this licentious aphorism, “All things are lawful for me,” and rebuts it by saying, "But I will not be dominated by anything."  Finally, in verse 13, Paul cites another favorite motto of the antinomian crowd, saying, “Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food.”  But then, he rebuts it with, "God will destroy both one and the other."   

Paul basically is saying, Just because you can, that doesn't mean you should.

When it comes to sin, many people ask, "How much can I sin, and still go to heaven?"  Others say, "Go all the way--since Jesus forgives everything, then everything is now permissible."  

Paul does give a list of people (vv. 8-10), who, if they do not repent, will not enter the kingdom of God.  Many of these likely call themselves Christians, yet they continue to live unregenerate lives.  But rather than focusing on a list of don'ts, Paul takes a different perspective.  He says "You were washed, you were sanctified,you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God (v. 11)."  Then, he adds, "You were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body (v. 20)."

Rather than asking how much we can get away with, we should be asking how we can honor God.  In this chapter, Paul spends a good deal of time talking about sexual immorality, and certainly today there are a lot of people who claim to be Christians, yet who seem to be living without any biblical sexual boundaries.  But, just as Pastor Tim showed me, just because you can do something, that doesn't mean you should.  This principle applies to a long list of other temptations that we don't have time to list here.  My prayer is that every believer should be concerned less with what we can do, and more with what we should do, as conscientious followers of Christ. 

Restored, Not Rejected

Today is the third day in our 35th week, reading the Bible through together in a year.  Our scriptures* today are Isaiah 30-32; 1 Corinthians 5.

1 Corinthians 5 is a difficult scripture for many Christians, because we want to believe that the church is full of godly people.  In reality, the church is a mixed bag of saints and sinners, of those who are truly seeking the Lord in their lives, and those who are not.  Some people are Christians in name only, but reality shows that their behavior is unregenerate, no different from the rest of the world.  In this chapter, Paul talks about how to handle those who are in need of "church discipline."  

Now, before I go any further, let me say that everybody sins.  My sin is no better or worse than your sin, or anybody else's sin.  "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23)."  This study on 1 Corinthians 5 keeps in mind that no person is better than another, because "none is righteous, no, not one (Romans 3:10)."  There is, however, a need to keep the church from being infected by rampant sin, and a need to show people how grievous their sin is, when it corrupts other members of the body of Christ.

This study bears in mind Jesus' teaching about taking the logs out of our own eyes, before we take the specks out of other people's eyes.  Click here to read my article about that.  It also recalls Jesus' teachings about forgiveness and restoration.  Click here to read my article about that.  

In 1 Corinthians 5, Paul deals with sin that is so egregious that its taint has infected the entire congregation.  This sin has become open and notorious, and indeed those who indulge in it have become sin-missionaries, wanting to spread their licentiousness to others.  In verses 1-5, Paul says:

It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father's wife. And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you.

 For though absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing.  When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.

The problem here is not simply the fact that this church member is sleeping with his stepmother.  It goes beyond that, to the fact that the church is arrogant about it.  "So what?" they say.  "Jesus forgives us for our sins, so the more we sin, the more forgiveness we'll have!"  Paul addresses this flippant attitude toward sin in Romans 6:1 when he says, "What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?  By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?"  The fact that Paul brings up this question gives evidence to the pervasiveness of this false teaching.  Paul knows that in order to cut this heresy out of the church, he has to cut the purveyors of this lie out of the church as well.

"A little leaven leavens the whole lump"

Paul knows that this prideful attitude toward their sin will spread, like yeast spreads through a batch of dough.  In 1 Corinthians 5:6-7, he says, "Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?  Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened."  The people really are unleavened, meaning that they truly are free from the power of sin in their lives.  So, since sin has no power, they should not give it power over their lives.  Once you give it power again, it expands until it has influence over the entire congregation.

Paul's solution: remove the offending brother from the church.  Now, Paul almost certainly wrote this prescription before Matthew chronicled his version of Jesus' ministry.  Paul did not have Matthew 18 to draw from.  Still, it's safe to presume that discreet attempts had been made by some of the true believers in the congregation, to persuade the licentious brother to change his ways, before this became a church-wide matter.  However, not only had the behavior remained--it seems that the congregation as a whole affirmed it.  Again, since it hadn't been written, they couldn't quote Matthew 7:1, which says, "Judge not, that you be not judged."  However, the sentiment must have existed at the time.

Yet, Paul claims his apostolic authority and pronounces judgment nevertheless.  In 1 Corinthians 5:12-13, Paul writes:  "For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge?  God judges those outside. 'Purge the evil person from among you.'”  

So, should we judge, or should we not judge?  

There is a difference between condemning a person for their actions, where you say, "This person is worthless, a sinner, someone who deserves damnation," and making a decision to eliminate a person's evil influence from the church, for the good of everyone in the congregation.  In the first case, you write the person off entirely.  In the second case, there is still room for restoration.  Because he is a believer, this man is still saved, despite his actions that grieve the Holy Spirit.  Turning him out of the church, and relinquishing him to Satan for the destruction of his flesh sounds pretty harsh.  But hope is found in the knowledge that his spirit will be saved in the Day of the Lord.  Certainly, though, the hope is greater than that.  Restoration to the church may take place, when there is repentance.  Indeed, 2 Corinthians 2:5-11 shows that this man did return to the church with a contrite heart.  Paul writes:

Now if anyone has caused pain, he has caused it not to me, but in some measure—not to put it too severely—to all of you.  For such a one, this punishment by the majority is enough,  so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow.  So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him.  For this is why I wrote, that I might test you and know whether you are obedient in everything.  Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. Indeed, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ,  so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.

So, Paul's judgment wasn't for the sake of either discrimination or condemnation.  Rather, it was so that the man, being turned over to the power of Satan, might see the error of his ways.  Like the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32) who longed for his father's house, the errant man remembered the solace of Christ's body the church.  Repenting of his sins, he returned and was restored to fellowship.  This is the whole point of church discipline--not condemnation, but contrition.

Certainly, self-discipline is far better than needing to submit to church discipline.  Returning to righteousness is much better when you do it on your own.  No one wants their sins confronted publicly.  Instead, God wants us to come to him simply because we realize that we've done wrong.  Two passages in our Isaiah readings demonstrate this today:

15 

For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel,
“In returning and rest you shall be saved;
    in quietness and in trust shall be your strength (Isaiah 30:15).”


And the effect of righteousness will be peace,
    and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever (Isaiah 32:17).


This is God's will for our lives--not sin and shame and embarrassment.  Not isolation and judgment and suffering.  How wonderful it would be, if we would simply trust that when God says something is off-limits, we would avoid it?  How much better it would be, if God's people would learn to avoid sin, rather than pushing the limits of God's grace!  Like the Prodigal Son, when we wander, God is always willing to take us back.  He wants us to return and be restored.  He wants to give us rest and strength when we come to Him in quiet trust.

Today, you might be like the man in 1 Corinthians 5.  You've wandered pretty far from God's path.  You've done some pretty rotten things.  Maybe it's even gotten to the point where people have thrown their hands in the air and are done with you.  Separated from the people of God, you've found that Satan has had even more power in your life.  You know that you need to be set free.  The good news is that God is not done with you.  There's still time for you to repent and come home to Jesus.  If you need some help with this, then I'd sure like to talk with you.  Just email me at revgregsmith@gmail.com.  I'll do whatever I can to help.  Because Jesus wants you restored, not rejected.  He wants to see you recovered and reclaimed by His love.



*All scripture taken from the ESV.

Perfect Peace

Today is the second day of our 35th week, reading the Bible through in a year. Our scriptures* today are:  Isaiah 26-29, 1 Corinthians 4; Psalm 65.

Today, I want to focus on one verse from Isaiah 26.  Verses 3 says:


You keep him in perfect peace
    whose mind is stayed on you,
    because he trusts in you.
4 

Sometimes life throws you curve balls that threaten to steal your peace.  An injury comes out of nowhere.  A friend betrays you.  An unexpected diagnosis is given.  Something you hold dear is stolen.  Even if you're normally a peaceful person, or someone who's generally at peace within yourself, sometimes circumstances threaten that sense of well-being.  In times like these, we decide how we are going to respond.

Recently, I heard a hot-headed person say, "Sometimes I lose my temper, but that's just who I am!"  

What a cop-out!  I've heard this kind of statement so often that it makes me roll my eyes.  People say things like this when they want to make excuses for poor behavior, when they want to allow themselves to act badly.  In reality, each of us makes choices.  We choose, either to respond to difficult situations with grace, or to react to them with negativity.  But we can only respond with peace if we have peace inside ourselves.

How do you keep peace inside yourself?  Isaiah answers this.  When our hearts are stayed on God, then the Lord will keep us in perfect peace.  You could probably say this the other way around, as well.  You can keep your heart stayed on God by keeping yourself in "peace, peace."  It's a cycle.  Focus on God, and He will give you peace.  Focus on peace, and you will abide in God.

I love the Hebrew in verse three.  It says, "You will keep him in peace, peace."  Hebrew has no way to say "very" or "really" or "perfect" or "ultimate."  The best way that Hebrew has to do this is to say a word two or three times, if you want to emphasize it.  For example, Jesus would frequently say, "Truly, truly, I say to you..." He did this because He had no word for "really truly."  By repeating the point, he drives it home.

This repetition is important.  "He will keep you in shalom, shalom," whose mind is stayed on you.  This one-word prayer expresses a desire for peace, even when your peace feels threatened.  This one-word prayer imparts peace to your friends and family, and even to the people for whom you feel no peace.  This one-word prayer shifts your alignment, and sets you at peace, even when a peaceful attitude doesn't come naturally.

The next time you're blindsided by one of those experiences that threatens your peace, try this one-word prayer.  (You could say it in English, or in Hebrew, if you want.)  "Peace, peace."  "Shalom, shalom."  This is how you keep your mind stayed on God.  Repeat it over and over to yourself until you feel God's peace washing over you.  Repeat it still more, until you feel God's peace radiating from you, cleansing your relationship with that person who might have shattered your peace.  Repeat it until you are transformed into an instrument of God's peace.  Then, trust in God, that He will take a troubling circumstance and transform it into peace.


*All scriptures are taken from the ESV.

Fractious Factions

Today is the first day in our 35th week, reading the Bible through in a year.  Our scriptures* this week are:

•  Isaiah 23-25; 1 Cor 3
•  Isa 26-29; 1 Cor 4; Psalm 65
•  Isa 30-32; 1 Cor 5
•  Isa 33-35; 1 Cor 6
•  2 Chr 28; 2 Kings 17; 1 Cor 7; Psalm 66

In 1 Corinthians 3, Paul deals with disunity in the church.  The problem is that different people within the body follow different spiritual leaders.  Some follow Paul, who claimed apostolic authority, but whose speech was filled with fear and trembling--yet also resonated with divine truth.  Others followed Apollos, who was a fiery and convincing preacher, but who needed to be corrected on his theology at times.  Still others followed Cephas (Peter), who may have been an impetuous and bumbling disciple while Jesus was in the flesh, but who turned out to be a pillar of the church and a great evangelist at Pentecost--and whose apostolic authority was undeniable.  Each leader had his merits, and each had his flaws.  Each had his own following at the church in Corinth, and that made for some fractious factions within the church.

Paul's answer to this was to remind the Corinthians that each of these three men of God had his own gift and purpose for the church.  In verses 5-9, he says:

5 What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. 8 He who plants and he who waters are one, and eachwill receive his wages according to his labor. 9 For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's field, God's building.

Paul gives a warning to those who would cause trouble and divisions in the church.  In a couple of verses that are often taken out of context (click here to read one way that these are often taken out of context, or click here to read another way that they're taken out of context), Paul reminds them:

16 Do you not know that you [the church] are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you [the church]? 17 If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple.

The right context for us to understand is that Paul is talking about the church when he says that your body is God's temple.  He is warning against fractious factions within Christ's body.  He cautions that serious consequences await any who destroy that body through promoting disunity.

Has your church been experiencing disunity lately?  Have you been part of a faction that seeks its own way?  Do you think that you're promoting God's plan for the church, when you insist on having it your way?  Paul says, "Watch out!"  God "catches the wise in their craftiness (1 Cor 3:19)."  It's better to seek the unity that comes from the whole church following the Holy Spirit's lead.  Today, I'm praying for unity in your church.  And I'm hoping that you'll work for unity there as well.

  

*All scriptures taken from the ESV.