Paul's Day/Jeremiah's Day/Our Day

Acts 19:20 So the word of the Lord was growing mightily and prevailing.

Paul's day was one of great advancement for the gospel throughout Asia.

Our day, at least in America, is not similar, although there are parts of the world where the gospel is growing mightily and prevailing (Asia, Iran, India, Africa, come to mind). I think of our day more along the lines of Jeremiah's day where there is great spiritual—not just apathy, but—opposition and darkness.  Nevertheless we press forward and proclaim God's message to the people of our time as Jeremiah did.

Paul's Day/Jeremiah's Day/Our Day

Acts 19:20 So the word of the Lord was growing mightily and prevailing.

Paul's day was one of great advancement for the gospel throughout Asia.

Our day, at least in America, is not similar, although there are parts of the world where the gospel is growing mightily and prevailing (Asia, Iran, India, Africa, come to mind). I think of our day more along the lines of Jeremiah's day where there is great spiritual—not just apathy, but—opposition and darkness.  Nevertheless we press forward and proclaim God's message to the people of our time as Jeremiah did.

Christ: "My words will not Pass Away": Seriously?

Mark 13:31

Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.

Breathtaking words from Christ here, when one begins to think about it.  His words would last longer than the heavens and the earth?  Normal people don't say these things; mere humans don't say these things; crazy people might say things like this, or liars might, but liars on a grand and unimaginable scale.  

It is statements like these from Christ that led C. S. Lewis to conclude: 

"Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic - on the level with a man who says he is a poached egg - or he would be the devil of hell. You must take your choice. Either this was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us."

Just so.  We believe that when he said at his words will not pass away, that he was speaking the truth.  What Christ said was eternal...and true...and our only hope.

There is Another King

Acts 17:7

and Jason has welcomed them, and they all act contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.”

The Jews who opposed Paul's ministry certainly had the message correct (even though they shaped it so as to make Paul look bad to the civil authorities).  There was another king.  His name was Jesus.  He is the only true king.  Paul and the rest of the followers of Christ worshipped Jesus as the one, true king.

We do to.

There is another king; Jesus.

"Little dogs, Little Tables, Little Crumbs"

Mark 7:28

But she answered and *said to Him, “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs under the table feed on the children’s crumbs.”

Such an amazing encounter with the Syro-Phoenician woman here; one of my favorite stories in the gospels.  Christ sounds harsh, but he is testing her. Oh how she passes with flying colors.  Her response to Christ's comment can be translated "Little dogs, little tables, little crumbs." Displaying at once her humility and her willingness to accept humility to see her child delivered.  She could have gone away insulted at Christ's words; she chose to embrace them. Christ heals her daughter from afar.

Pride will not get you Christ.  Humility will get you Christ.  This woman's humility and willingness to embrace humility was what caused Christ to do for her as she asked.  She no doubt went away devoted to Christ.

No Partiality in the Gospel

Acts 10:34 And opening his mouth, Peter said: “I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality,

Peter is speaking here of who can receive the grace of God.  The answer he concludes, based on the events surrounding Cornelius, is anyone.  

This is a powerful passage for us.  We cannot limit in any way the reach of the gospel.  God can draw whomever he chooses from any tribe, tongue, people, nation, race, sex, or economic class.  All may come.  All should be treated equally, as the early church comes to understand (not without some difficulty).

This struggle to understand that in Christ all are equal, is an example of progressive revelation.  God uses the events of history and the church's struggles to reveal more and more of his truth as time goes by.  

"Hush! Be Still!"

Mark 4:39

And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still.” And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm.

The disciples had seen Christ do many miracles and no doubt when they awoke him in the storm they expected a miraculous discovery, or at least for Christ to show some concern.  What they end up with is Jesus treating the wind and waves as if they were unruly children.  "Why are you causing such a ruckus and scaring these guys?" he seems to imply, "Hush! Be still."

And the wind and waves obeyed.

The disciples are flabbergasted.  "Who is this guy?  Even the wind and waves obey him."

A couple of observations.

1. The wind and waves did obey him because they were obedient to him because Christ was and is their master.

2. The disciples were not in the least bit of danger, even though from their perspective they were in grave danger of being swamped in the storm. The wind and waves only blow at the behest of their master, and stop when he orders.

The Hope and Promise of the Gospel: Joy

Acts 8:8 And there was much rejoicing in that city.

This is a city which had experienced the ministry of Phillip in preaching the gospel and healing people.  It is the hope and promise of the gospel.  When the gospel comes in power, there is great rejoicing.

Faith in Jesus Name

Acts 3:16

And on the basis of faith in His name, it is the name of Jesus which has strengthened this man whom you see and know; and the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect health in the presence of you all.

Peter was super clear when he preached an impromptu sermon after he had healed the lame man.  The man was strengthened by the name of Jesus, not by the name of Peter. Faith in Jesus name. 

Peter's message and our message are the same; we preach faith in Jesus name. It's a pretty simple message really.

The Unexplainable

Acts 2:21

‘ And it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. ’

Acts 2:39

For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.”

Peter obviously felt that there was no difficulty between the fact that all who call upon the Lord shall be saved, and those people will come whom the Lord our God will call to Himself.  Of course, like Paul, neither did he feel the need to explain it, perhaps because he couldn't explain it.  Peter and Paul were quite comfortable with the unexplainable.  We could learn from them.

Justice, Mercy, Faithfulness: The Weightier Matters

Matthew 23:23

“ Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others.

The weighty matters of the law (and of the Christian faith) are justice, mercy, and faithfulness.  There are other things we ought to be doing, but none as important as these.  Indeed, from the tenor of Christ's words in the passage if one is not concerned about justice, mercy, and faithfulness, one is not committed to God himself, no matter how one swears one is, or one's outward appearance. This is sobering.

Let us then, as followers of Christ, place justice, mercy, and faithfulness where they belong: at the top of our concerns and aims.

"The Only Name Worth Praising"

“Let them praise the name of God— it’s the only Name worth praising. His radiance exceeds anything in earth and sky;” (Psalm 148:13, The Message) 

The name of God is the only name worth praising.  This is because God is the highest being in the universe; there is no one and nothing greater or more worthy of praise than he.  Indeed, Jonathan Edwards works out in his book The End for Which God Created the World, that God created the world for him to receive the glory and praise of which he is worthy because he is the supremely highest being.  If we praise anything or anyone else, than our praise is misdirected, but when we praise God, we are doing both right (there is no one higher or more worthy that we could praise) and good (we are created to worship, and when we worship God, we are worshiping he whom we were created to worship).  

This is also why it is right and good only for God to call for all creation to praise himself.  When he does that, he is calling us/it to both do what we/it were created to do and calling us/it to the highest good—praising the most worthy being in the universe.

This is what the psalmist means when he writes that God is the only name worth praising.

Inconceivable!

Psalms 147:5

Our Lord is great, with limitless strength;

we'll never comprehend what he knows and does

 Simple and direct.  When one considers just God as creator it boggles the mind how inconceivably great God must be.  From monster galaxies to super small quarks and bosons, God spoke and it was, just as he desired it to be.  How true it is that we will never comprehend all that he knows and does. 

With the Marginalized

Psalms 140:12

I know that you, GOD, are on the side of victims,

that you care for the rights of the poor.

This is a theme that runs throughout both the Old and the New Testaments.  God's heart is with those whom society marginalizes and neglects.  

As followers of Christ, this ought to be our heart as well.

Gain the Whole World; Forfeit Your Soul

Matthew 16:26

For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?

Christ to his disciples, but it is a question that haunts every human.  Do you want all the world has to offer, but to forfeit your soul in the process? I've lived long enough now to understand how short and empty life is, even when one has it all.

Ted Turner comes to mind.  One of the richest men in the world; the largest private landowner in America, but what is he now? Old and decrepit, tottering around to his different homes while living with four different women, who all are happy to use him for their own purposes. Ah, what a fulfilling life. Ted will die soon and everything that he has and all that he built will be left behind.  He will have gained the whole world, but lost his own soul. A tragedy.

Christ calls us to be more concerned about eternal things here.  He wants us to understand the brevity of life and how wealth and honor do not follow us to the grave.

Most Holy is Your Name

Psalms 138:2

I kneel in worship facing your holy temple

and say it again: "Thank you!"

Thank you for your love,

thank you for your faithfulness;

Most holy is your name,

most holy is your Word.

When The Message is on, it is really on.  As here. 

Delivered!

Joshua 4:24

This was so that everybody on earth would recognize how strong GOD's rescuing hand is and so that you would hold GOD in solemn reverence always. "

The reason for the crossing of the Jordan into Canaan on dry land.  It had a two-fold purpose: First, so that everyone on earth would know that God brought his people into Canaan.  Second, so that God's people, who saw it, would have it as a permanent memorial, as if to say, "remember how God miraculously brought us into the promised land?"

As followers of Christ, this and other mighty miracles are to be used in the same way. They are to remind us of God's power and strength and willingness to help his people.

All the Things God has done that need Praising

Isaiah 63:7

 I'll make a list of GOD's gracious dealings,

all the things GOD has done that need praising,

All the generous bounties of GOD,

his great goodness to the family of Israel--

Compassion lavished,

love extravagant.

Surely it is right and appropriate to remember what God had done in the life of Israel as compassion lavished, love extravagant. Indeed it is the same for our own lives as we see God lavish compassion again and again, not because we deserve it—all of our righteousness is, after all, dirty rags—but because it his his good pleasure to do so.

This is why it is good to make a list of God's gracious dealings.  It keeps us focused on him; and keeps us humble.