apostle paul – Hope and Passion Ministries

The Most Dangerous Kind of Biblical Belief

Posted on August 30, 2016 by admin

The apostle Paul stood before the Roman governor, Festus, and proclaimed the truth of Jesus from the Old Testament scripture. Paul emphasized Jesus rising from the dead in order to be the light of the world. The response of Festus is not unfamiliar to many of us; the governor accused Paul of being “out of his mind” (Acts 26:24). Paul quickly replied that rather than being insane, his words were true and rational. Then, in a winsome turn to King Herod Agrippa I, who was listening to Paul alongside the governor, the great apostle declared, “For the king knows about these things, and to him I speak boldly. For I am persuaded that none of these things has escaped his notice, for this has not been done in a corner” (Acts 26:26).

This was a quite a strategic move by Paul. He appeals to the actual historical account of the death and resurrection of Jesus. Certainly the king of Judea knows of all that has happened in his time and in his region. When God acts, He acts in real history and real geography. Having brought the true account of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection to the forefront, Paul makes a critical connection. For, what a person does with facts concerning God’s working in this world of ours is of a life-or-death nature. King Agrippa must acknowledge the reality of the existence, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Now, what He does with these facts will determine his eternal destiny.

Paul goes for the jugular next, so to speak, in the hope of the king’s conversion. Having established the historicity of Jesus’ life, the apostle now looks directly at the king and asks, “King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you believe” (Acts 26:27). Paul is able to ask this question because he knows of the king’s loose connection with Judaism. As the Bible commentator Matthew Henry once wrote, “For everyone knew that Agrippa professed the Jews’ religion, as his fathers had done, and therefore both knew the writings of the prophets and gave credit to them.” The apostle appeals to Agrippa’s background and professed religious beliefs. As a Jew, how could the king discount the Old Testament prophets? Of course King Agrippa held to the tenets of the Old Testament scriptures; he could not deny the reality of Paul’s statement from a purely mental standpoint.

It catches us off guard that Paul says to an unsaved man, “I know that you believe.” Certainly, Agrippa was not a Christian. Despite the fact that he was in the line of wicked Herod’s and also was married to his own sister, Agrippa could have come to salvation. But he did not. He only believed.

What? Yes … he only believed. He only gave mental ascent to the facts of Jesus Christ and all the prophecies of the Old Testament that the Son of God had fulfilled. He only held these beliefs in his mind, as they could not be denied. He only read and knew the Bible verses to the point of head knowledge; never did he lay his life on the truth of Jesus.

We read in the very next verse of this “AGRIPPing” account (you can laugh there) these scary words, “And Agrippa said to Paul, ‘In a short time would you persuade me to be a Christian?” (Acts 26:28) There you have it. The king, although given a concise opportunity to connect the dots of true Christian faith, decided to reject honest salvation. He was willing to believe the facts with his mind, but He was not willing to give his life as a follower of Christ and be called – in the most genuine sense of the word – a “CHRISTian.”

Do you know the facts of the Bible and the life of Jesus? So do the demons and Satan. Read Matthew 8:29 and realize that demons acknowledge Jesus as the Son of God and even understand that He has an appointed time in the future when he will torment them for their wickedness. I guess that is why James says in chapter 2, verse 19, “You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe – and shudder!” But then James goes on to tell us that faith without works is dead. Head knowledge without life application is pointless in terms of our safety. We are damned if we only give mental ascent to the things of Jesus and His Word but do not stake our very lives on Him. To believe with your brain is one thing, to live with your heart is another.

Let the account of Paul and King Agrippa be an intense reminder for us. Answering the question, “Do you believe?” is not just a “yes” or “no” task. The answer needs to be more like, “I believe both with my mind AND my life.”

– By Shelli S. Prindle

Confident Conscience

Posted on May 6, 2014 by admin

A tormentor and murderer of believers. A man so fixated on his own, false religious zeal that he despised God’s own people and threw them into prison. This was the apostle Paul in his early days. So, if anyone had reason to bear a guilty conscience and be left in the misery of regret, it was Paul.

I think about the real man, Paul, as he sat chained in an underground Roman prison. The tables are turned, and the redeemed Paul is now the one being persecuted for his faith. He knows his execution is near, and he is left with his thoughts and his God in the dark, damp, disgusting dungeon.

If Paul was a human like you and me – and HE WAS – then his mind had to have drifted back a few years to Stephen, the first martyr of the Church. After Stephen witnessed to the crowds of God’s love in Jesus, the crowd rushed at Stephen and stoned him to death. And guess what leader was there approving of Stephen’s execution? Paul! In fact, as Acts 8:3 (ESV) details, “But Saul [Paul] was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison.” With all this in mind, we can only surmise that Paul had to be pondering the irony of his situation. The persecutor has become the persecuted. The murderer is about to be murdered.

Now we might conclude that Paul’s psychological position at this point would be one of weakness. Feeling sorry for himself, he might have thought, “Well, I deserve this.” If I were Paul, I would have been tempted to believe the worst – that because of all my sin, I was finally going to get what I had coming to me. God’s care of me might have been seriously clouded by my own guilt. Could I even call on Jesus now to help me … after all I’ve done? Why should God deliver me from circumstances exactly like those to which I had sinfully committed other people? Why should God help me, when I had been so evil?

Miraculously – and I mean by the actual miracle of God’s grace – Paul’s psychological bent at this point in his life was one of strength … and a confident conscience. Against all odds of human tendency, Paul penned the following words from his dungeon soon before he was beheaded, “The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen” (2 Timothy 4:18, ESV).

Can you believe it? Paul was not drowning in guilt or pity. He believed God would rescue him from every evil deed – despite the evil he had done. Paul was fully convinced that Jesus had already taken the hit for his sin when He died on the Cross. Paul – even in his last days – lived by the truth of the full forgiveness we find through Jesus Christ. The blood Jesus shed was truly a healing salve for Paul’s guilty conscience, broken heart, and haunted mind.

Jesus gave to Paul not only a clean conscience, but a confident conscience. Jesus enabled Paul to live above both the physical and psychological circumstances that would seem to hold him down. History upholds the execution of Paul under Emperor Nero. He did not recant. His head was placed on the chopping block, but his conscience was unbroken. At the moment of his death, I wonder if Paul was recalling the words he had written in Romans 5:1 (ESV), “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ”?

Personal Reflection Questions:

1) For what sins should your conscience be broken and guilty?

2) Have you really trusted that the substitution of Jesus enduring the wrath of God on your behalf has cleared your guilt before God?

3) Will you, as Paul, trust God today for a clean conscience through Jesus AND a CONFIDENT conscience for all the future holds?

IF YOUR MAN DOESN’T WIN: A Broad View of Politics and God’s Plan

Posted on October 18, 2012 by admin

The Apostle Paul declares in Romans 13:1 (ESV), “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities.” He boldly added in verse seven, “Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.” Clearly, God’s plan is one that requires order and includes human government because of man’s sinful nature. We will not all keep reign over our own behavior, therefore, a higher human authority established by God must do so. Some people allow God’s principles to rule generally over their actions because they have relationship with God. Others throw off the thought of God and His authority and must be directed in behavior by outside influence rather than the Spirit of God in their hearts. This need for outside parameters when internal criteria are rejected is expressed beautifully in Psalm 32:8-9 (ESV),

I [God] will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. Be not like a horse or mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you.

God’s desire is a man who willingly accepts God’s rule in His life. However, due to our fallen nature; God intervenes with human authority’s influence when we fail to restrain ourselves. Human government is a tool of God for a broken universe filled with broken people.

We must keep in mind that government consists of human beings and so is inherently fallible. God’s intention for authorities is clear and expressed in Romans 13:3-4 (ESV),

For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.

Generally, then, God intends authorities to promote good and punish evil. We know beyond the shadow of any doubt that this does not always happen. Without reference to myriad contemporary examples, think of the Apostle Paul’s personal experience. Though he writes very succinctly of government’s meaning, he was killed under the reign of Emperor Nero. He and Peter were martyred by authorities because they were Christians! In both of their lives, authorities acted perversely – in direct contradiction to God’s expressed purpose for government. Paul was not a fool, and he understood what we apprehend – that government fails at many points – just as people do.

Nonetheless, people of God understand the importance of government within its human limitations. It is both a creation and tool of a sovereign, unfailing God. As a created institution, it must align itself with God’s truth in order to fulfill its right aim. Government is not a stand-alone entity, and it is not the solution to the human dilemma. Jesus Christ stands alone as the Way to existence as God intended. No man, woman, or child will ever experience the right-working, soon-coming, perfected and re-made universe without first entering into a relationship with the Creator through Jesus Christ. The answer to human failure and misery is spiritual in nature. People need reformed on the inside – in the spirit. A right spirit in a woman gives her the power to live as she should, and that new heart can only come from God.

Good behavior, good laws, good decisions, good government, good families, good economic plans, good relationships, and good education – all these are the result of an inside job, if you will. A person is delivered first from his enslavement to sin’s power, and then he can act rightly on a more consistent basis. With the Holy Spirit of God abiding in his clean heart, a man can now act as one should whose goal is a right-working, God-glorifying universe (the ultimate goal of God!). Note the incredible thoughts of Charles Colson (2007),

Today’s enthusiasm for political solutions to the moral problems of our culture arises from a distorted view of both politics and spirituality – too low a view of the power of a sovereign God and too high a view of the ability of man. The idea that human systems, reformed by Christian influence, pave the road to the Kingdom – or at least, to revival – has the same utopian ring that one finds in Marxist literature. It also ignores the consistent lesson of history that laws are most often reformed as a result of powerful spiritual movements. I know of no case where a spiritual movement was achieved by passing laws. (pp. 343-344)

Vital is our responsibilty to keep God’s order of things from being turned inside-out. Government is an important part of God’s plan; government is not the salvation of man. God is the Savior, and He is in the business of transforming people’s individual lives so they can help transform the world around them – including political systems.

Throughout history, governments and rulers have both succeeded and failed in their proper endeavor. We thank God for the privilege of observing His hand in the working of the government of the United States in many ways throughout the years. We think also of atrocities resulting from governmental rule – including our own political system. We often stand in speechless horror when we think of the sins committed and the misery wrought by political entities. Going directly to the Word of God, we have many examples. There is faithful Daniel who is tossed into a den of lions during the sixth century B.C. by decree of the Persian King Darius because Daniel refused to stop praying to His Savior. Daniel’s firm trust in God (his spiritual underpinning) resulted in his deliverance from the lions and a counter decree by King Darius charging citizens to reverence the God of Daniel.

There is the Apostle Paul, whose last years were spent often in prison under the authority of the Roman government. Nonetheless, faith in God grew as people witnessed the spiritual strength God gave to Paul despite the grave error and persecution of government. We see Paul gazing intently at his heavenly citizenship even as he walked this earth and sat in chains. The Word of God rang out with divine power despite – perhaps even because of – the evil committed by a government turned against its God-given intention. As he sat in a dungeon, chained to a Roman soldier, Paul wrote Philippians 1:12-14 (ESV),

I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.

The apostle saw God using this circumstance – this perversion of government – to God’s glory! Paul knew the only true answer for the human condition was found in salvation. If his imprisonment meant more souls could enter the greatest place to be a citizen – Heaven – then Paul counted persecution worth the cost. He no doubt prayed for His release and the turning in repentance of Roman authority, but he patiently waited on the greater plan of God while doing so. Paul lived rightly, honored human authority rightly, and prayed rightly; but he staked his life on a greater reality than this world’s system. Hear his amazing words written from prison in Philippians 3:20-21 (NIV),

But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

In line with Paul’s words are those of Russell Kirk as quoted by Colson (2007),

Christian faith may work wonders if it moves the minds and hearts of an increasing number of men and women. But if professed Christians forsake heaven as their destination and come to fancy that the state . . . may be converted into the terrestrial paradise – why they are less wise men than Marx.

Yes, Heaven is our destination. Its perfect justice and overwhelming beauty will be the result of God’s miracle in human hearts. Jesus died so we could live rightly. Note I Peter 2:24 (NIV), “[Jesus] himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness.” In Heaven, we will finally live rightly without hindrance!

For now, our encumbrance is a sinful nature. That nature prohibits perfection in both individuals and institutions. But it does not prohibit the purpose of God! God is transcendent, existing outside the universe and independent of any institution. He is able to fulfill the truth of Ephesians 1:11 (ESV), “[God] works all things according to the counsel of his will.” All things. Not some. All. Everything. Without a wasted circumstance. Incredibly, He even works the result of every presidential election after the counsel of His own will!

We must pray continually. We must act righteously in a dark world. We must vote. We must promote the heart of God to a world in trouble. Ultimately, though, we must trust in God. We must put all our hope in an infinitely big God who saves people one at a time now and will save the entire world system one day for those who trust in Him. No matter who the president is, God is the ruler of every inch of reality. Put your hope in Him, and influence others to do the same. Tend to the spiritual matters of the heart, and political matters will fall into line – along with all other interests. For there is a King greater than all kings, and His name is Jesus. He was born in the days of evil King Herod (Matthew 2:1). God allowed even His own Son to endure governmental injustice. Though Herod sought to kill Jesus, Jesus lived on! The plan of God for our salvation endured. Herod died. God’s purpose continued. That is the way it will always be. Evil is vanquished; God’s goodness prevails. No matter what it ever appears in this imperfect world, the curse will one day be fully erased! (Revelation 22:3)

God’s man wins! His name is Jesus.

Reference:

Colson, C. (2007). God & Government: An Insider’s View on the Boundaries Between Faith & Politics. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

Do All Good Things Really Come to an End?

Posted on August 9, 2012 by admin

I recently attended a picnic that included a fun “bouncy house” with a slide for kids to enjoy. Squeals of delight accompanied the antics of the children as they jumped and played. The picnic also included cookie decorating for kids and the time-tested water balloon battle.

As I was leaving the picnic and walking to my car in the evening, I heard a young voice about one hundred feet behind me begin to complain and then cry. This little girl wanted her mom to know that she was not at all ready to leave the bouncy house and all her friends. As the girl entered into a tantrum; I heard her mother say, “All good things must eventually come to an end.” At those words, I stopped in my tracks. I literally paused in the parking lot and thanked God that the mother’s statement was not true. Though countless people throughout the years have uttered the same sentence as this caring mother, it is simply false.

Oh, to be sure, we have all felt the pangs of good things seeming to come to an end: the last day of a great vacation arrives, darkness settles in after a glorious sunset, bad news follows a time of laughter with friends, sickness hits after a long stint of health, discontent invades after a great success, a beautiful flower fades, a loved one moves away, a friend dies, a season of life passes and only memories are left. Yes, in this life we experience loss and grief. The glimmers of goodness are invaded by a pervasive tendency toward disappointment, sadness, and loss. However, the good we experience is not a temporary blip on the computer screen of life, but rather a deep and meaningful reminder of original intentions that will be gloriously restored. Good is not flimsy and of a temporary nature; good is ultimately enduring and victorious.

Recall God’s original pronouncement of His work on the sixth day of creation, “God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good” (Genesis 1:31, NASB). Before our human nature turned against God and His plan for the cosmos, the world was very good. Of course! For, it came from a good God. This God is eternal; His goodness goes endlessly back before the start of the world. In the same way, His good will go endlessly forward at the re-creating of this world. When God finally makes His dwelling place with us (Revelation 21:3), we will experience the reality of Psalm 16:11 (NASB), “In Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever.”

Did you catch the all-important words? “Fullness of joy” and “pleasures forever.” This is not the stuff of fairytales. This is truth from the Word of God. As true as John 3:16 is Psalm 16:11. God will once-and-for-all vanquish evil and allow good to prevail unhindered. Imagine! No end to righteous enjoyment! No watching the clock to see when the end of a good thing comes. No incomplete moments. No “having to leave the bouncy house.” No separating of right relationships. No goodbye. No regret. No end to good.

I urge you, then, to consider the way to be a part of God’s plan. In the first century A.D., the Apostle Paul identified the heart of the problem when it comes to goodness and our own, individual hearts. He knew the pain of goodness interrupted – of the seemingly triumphant evil. He said in Romans 7:18-20 (NIV), “I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do – this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.”

So we see that good has its limits and end in people, too. But this is not the final chapter of the story. Even in the case of our own, human heart, “All good things do not have to come to an end.” Paul found the answer to our dilemma. When he recognized the sin himself (and, by the way, sin is the absence of good), he cried out, “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? (Romans 7:24, NIV, 1984). Paul saw that sin brings the death of all hope and goodness. He recognized his desperate need to be delivered from sin and death. The answer reverberates through the annals of time, “Thanks be to God – through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:25, NIV, 1984). Unequivocally, Jesus is the One who rescues us from sin and the death of good. Because of Jesus Christ, I will one day experience “fullness of joy” in God’s presence and His divine “pleasures forever.” (Psalm 16:11)

Hold on, my friend! Allow the glimpses of good you experience now to remind you of the ultimate and enduring reality, “All good things do not come to an end.” In fact, all truly good things will go on forever when our God comes back to vanquish evil and make all things good again. No more tears of sadness then. No more tantrums or frustration. Thank you, Jesus!

What Does It Mean to Live, and What Does It Mean to Die?

Posted on September 27, 2011 by admin

In my observation of discussing death and entrance to the next life with various people, most are apt to give the same type of answer to the question, “Why are you not ready to die (or be taken to Heaven) at this particular time?” The vast majority give a reply something like this: “I want to live on earth at least a little longer because I have not yet _____.” (Insert into the blank space any number of various experiences, e.g., travelled to a foreign country, gotten married, earned my doctoral degree, held my first grandchild, owned my own home, etc.) Even though most of the people I have spoken with are Christians, the basic response remains unchanged. People are not ready to die because some desired earthly experience has yet eluded them. If the people with which I have interacted through the years are truly representative of Christian feeling on the subject, we would be tempted to conclude that the Apostle Paul was out of his mind when he wrote the letter to the Philippians.

Under Roman house arrest and the shadow of his own execution, Paul penned these stunning words, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21, NASB). My mathematical mind forms succinct equations: Living = Christ and Dying = Gain. The strong and intellectual apostle boldly proclaimed a truth so simple, yet so antithetical to our regular way of thinking. Paul believed – and was inspired by God to record – that to die is actual gain. No matter what Paul had or had not experienced to date in his life, he knew that his death would result in a tangible gain that far surpassed any unrealized goal. No matter what supposed earthly pleasure or experience Paul might not have had, he knew that the reward of Heaven wiped out the loss by infinite measure.

Many Christians today believe our best life is this life – within a broken universe. Wrong. Our best life is the one to come – in the presence of God. The recreated heavens and earth, the restored bodies, the whole minds, the healed relationships, the contented hearts basking in the uninterrupted blessing of God, the everlasting adventures in the universe that is then made right, and an unbroken relationship with God will more than make up for anything we perceive ourselves as “losing” here. Paul stood firm in the reality – the unequivocally substantial nature – of Heaven. Thus, he could declare without doubt that his death is really gain . . . solid, true gain.

Let us go back to the other equation, “To live = Christ.” How many of us can proclaim that equation without reservation? How do I view living? Is life for my enjoyment? For my happiness? For my fulfillment? From a biblical perspective, the answer is “no.” My life should be defined in one beautifully simple way, “Christ.” I am always amazed and inspired by Paul’s firm grasp of God’s truth. This apostle actually believed and lived the equation, “To live = Christ.” Paul was not in the business of the Gospel for himself. He did not seek glory, admiration, or pleasure. He resolutely sought to make Christ known through both the everyday moments and the pinnacle experiences of his life. Paul would not have said, “Let me live on earth a little longer so I can take a dream vacation or complete a five-year plan of mine.” Paul would only say, “Let me live on this broken planet longer only if it means people will see Jesus in me.”

I fear we have negated God’s life and death equations in our lives by adding or subtracting our ideas. The equations are simple: Living = Christ and Dying = Gain.

Inverting the Flow of Life

Posted on June 27, 2011 by admin

We have things a bit turned around in our world, inverting the proper flow of life. It seems some of us Christians seek to accumulate earthly goods, access many avenues of entertainment, secure successful career paths, and fill our families’ lives with countless activities which are meant to lead to healthy self-esteem and proper socialization. These pursuits appear to come first, followed by the occasional or regular prayer to invoke the blessing of God on the myriad endeavors. We, as good Christians, seek the Lord to bless our fast-paced, culture-driven lives.

Starkly contrasted to this rhythm, the heart of the endeared apostle Paul streamed in the opposite direction. He spoke clearly in Colossians 4:2 (NIV), “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.” Paul endured the gloom of Roman imprisonment when he penned this directive, and his heart was sure of one fact – all of life and its activities follow after a soul fixed on God’s ideals. We ought to have a permanent bent in our attitude. We ought not to jump from one pursuit to the next event without knowing our very heart is stayed on God. Do we arise in the morning clearly cognizant of His Lordship and His promises? Are we determined to know His Word in such a way as it boldly jumps to the forefront in our moments of rest and moments of work?

Lips moving and words spoken are one way to pray – and a pivotal one. However, prayer is also a state of mind. The God of all reality should be the most important consideration in all things. Am I devoted to prayer, or am I devoted to an “acceptable life”? Am I devoted to prayer, or am I devoted to “success”? Am I devoted to prayer, or am I devoted to busyness? Am I devoted to prayer, or am I devoted to the escape from boredom? Am I devoted to prayer, or am I devoted to me?

Without basic freedom and suffering for His faith in Jesus, Paul pronounces that prayer is to be coupled with watchfulness and thankfulness (note again Colossians 4:2 . . . “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful”). Even while jailed, Paul recognizes the need to be vigilant – to refuse to drift through life or allow circumstances to pull us along. Rather, we must remain alert, aware of the human tendency to drop to status quo – mediocrity. We are to be consciously aware of the condition of our heart and the spiritual realm surrounding. Life is so much more than what we eat and drink and watch on television. We are to be constantly asking, “What is God up to?” and “How are the spiritual forces of wickedness seeking to divert God’s work in my life”?

When Jesus’ own disciples fell asleep just hours before His arrest, Jesus told them, “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak” (Matthew 26:41, NIV). As the disciples dozed, Jesus was getting ready to change eternity by His death and resurrection. Could they not stay alert? Realizing our bodies tend to spiral downward in devotion, Jesus emphasized the spirit’s dominance and agrees with Paul in declaring we need to watch and pray. Amazingly, Jesus is about to change eternity again by coming back to this earth to gather His own people to Himself and usher in His grand remaking of heaven and earth. When He returns, will we, too, be sleeping and resting? Are we so slothful and unaware of God’s working in the world? We have it backwards. Life is not about the filling of moments with our own plans and procedures, but a focus on God Almighty, whose plan overpowers all!

We notice Paul adds thankfulness to his watchful and prayerful demeanor. We note so little gratitude among people in today’s world – even believers. Perhaps we are not thankful because we are focusing on our own work rather than the mysterious work of God. My preoccupation does not make me thankful, but my meditation on the moment-by-moment, righteous working of God causes my heart to leap! Things may not always truly be as they appear. Yes, Paul was in prison, but God’s inexplicable joy and future hope pervaded Paul’s soul. The Gospel rang out loudly to innumerable people. We, too, may live in muddled times. The answer is not changed circumstances, but a heart devoted to prayer with watchfulness and thankfulness.

A Deep Greeting

Posted on May 26, 2011 by admin

The New Testament book of Philippians is known as a letter of encouragement and joy. Ironically, the apostle Paul wrote this letter while imprisoned in Rome. He opens the book by addressing his listeners as “the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi” (Philippians 1:1, NASB).

Before we delve into the beautiful depths of that greeting, consider the memory Paul had of his founding of the church at Philippi. We read of Paul’s first visit there in Acts 16. After sharing the Gospel and casting an evil spirit out of a young girl, Paul and Silas were persecuted by the authorities and thrown into jail. (Yes, in doing the will of God we can find ourselves in challenging circumstances!) During their ordeal in prison, Paul and Silas chose to worship the God who is bigger than our trials. They sang and praised God after having been beaten with rods and placed in stocks. Our very real God chose to shake the foundation of the prison house and set His servants free. (And yes, God intervenes in the tangible circumstances of life!)

The city of Philippi, then, no doubt brought to the surface many emotions for Paul. he remembered severe and physical persecution on the heels of service to the Lord. He remembered, too, an irrepressible joy that pervaded the very place of pain in which he had resided. Paul surely smiled as he recalled singing to Jesus with a bruised back and restrained in a dark place. The smile arose from a heart that had come to understand the inexplicable joy that erupts when a person chooses to place his life in the protection of Jesus Christ. Chains or no chains – discomfort or comfort – Paul and Silas were shielded by the Savior who lives in their hearts. Defying what circumstantial evidence dictates, the Holy Spirit delivers protection incomprehensible. Trust bubbles over. Joy outruns pain.

Fast forward ten years to the early AD 60’s. Now Paul is imprisoned in Rome under the general persecution of Nero. As a prisoner, he is writing to the church of Philippi where he was ten years ago. Armed with the memory of God’s faithfulness in that Philippian jail a decade earlier, Paul greets his friends this way, “To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi.” A deep salutation it is! We Christians today need to claim it as our own. Though we do not live in Philippi, we are the saints in Christ Jesus who are in (insert your own town).

What exactly is a saint? The Greek word behind “saint” here is a word that could be alternately rendered “holy one.” We are saints because we are “set apart for God’s purposes” (the essential meaning of holy). In other words, we are different – and not simply for the sake of being different. We are peculiar because we have been forgiven and made new by the death and life of Christ Jesus. We operate counter to the dark ways of the world. We take the path largely untrod. Our very countenance is noticeably and beautifully strange to the unredeemed, as the light of Jesus Christ shines in us. We operate with different motivation, out of gratefulness and adoration for a merciful God. We are saints, and no one can make a saint but Jesus! Hence, Paul proclaims, “To all the saints in Christ Jesus.”

This point cannot be overemphasized. I am not holy because of what I do; I am set apart because of Him to Whom I belong! Since I am “in Christ Jesus,” I am different. I am in Him; He surrounds me with His presence. As a child in His arms, I rest. As a warrior with Him as my shield, I enter battle. Wherever I am, Christ Jesus is with me, encircling me with His power, and encompassing me with His faithful love.

Since I am “in Christ Jesus,” nothing can touch my life that does not first touch Him! Why were Paul and Silas okay in the Philippian jail? They were surrounded by Jesus! Paul knew nothing invaded His life without first passing through the plan and love of Jesus. Jesus knows our limits and knows the ways in which we need refined. If we are in Him, we have nothing to fear.

Notice, too, these are the “saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi.” Is God really with you in the home in which you live? On the road where you walk? In the office where you work? In the hospital where you recover? In the town in which you dwell? Yes! You are in Christ Jesus, and He is quite literally with you geographically. Christ surrounds you, and He also surrounds the place where you are. He is Lord of all locations! (Psalm 24:1)

We are safe no matter where we are or how we are. We are set apart for God’s purposes as we live in Christ Jesus. We must – like Paul – proceed forward in the high calling of God. Experiences and memories of imprisonment did not thwart Paul. Hard times did not dissuade him. As he sat imprisoned in Rome, he wrote those precious words to us, the saints in Christ Jesus who are in (insert town here).

The Weakness of God

Posted on January 17, 2011 by admin

The God of the Bible is both all-powerful and unchanging. He is not, therefore, weak. Having created the universe and every system within it, He upholds the same universe. Our God is strong, for sure. Why then does the apostle Paul clearly say, “The weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength”? (I Corinthians 1:25, NIV)

Beginning at verse sixteen of the same passage, Paul begins to tell us the world system simply could not understand the death of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. While the Greeks saw the message of a god dying on a cross as foolishness, the Jews saw it as weakness. The Jews – as Paul points out – demanded miraculous signs, as they wanted their Messiah to come in power and take over the governments of the world to set His people free in the here and now. Therefore, Jesus was a “stumbling block to Jews” because they had their eyes fixed on an earthly ruler. While running after that kind of a deliverer, they tripped over the real Jesus who came the first time to earth to pay for our sins. The full redemption of the universe is yet to come. Priority at the first advent of Christ was His sacrifice for our sins, without which we are eternally lost. This mission was painful beyond imagination and was viewed by many as weakness, but – in reality – it was the most powerful thing ever done. Perfect God takes on human flesh to provide the way out of sin’s curse for people. Eternal deliverance for those formerly hopeless is brought to the forefront; that is power!

Let us go back to that beautiful phrase, “The weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.” God is not weak – not even close. However, His power appeared as weakness to the world. The crucifixion did not make sense to the masses of unbelievers. Even today, we are largely taught to work it out for ourselves, to work hard, to be self-sufficient, and to get all we can. Antithetical to the selfish mind is this concept of a God who purposefully allows Himself to take on flesh and die for the sake of the world. Also antithetical to the sinful mind is the idea that we as humans can be truly forgiven and released from our sins because of God’s payment instead of our efforts. This kind of thinking – this amazing plan – appears to the world system as frailty. It is not – in fact – weakness, though many view it that way. It is – in reality – the ultimate power of a God both loving and holy.

What appears to be God’s inadequacy is actually the thing that saves us! In other words, God’s “weakness” is actually more powerful than the greatest strength of humans. People can accomplish many things, and our greatest efforts do contribute to the course of life. However, when it comes to the most essential areas of reality, our greatest strengths mean nothing. No person can save himself from sin. No person can overcome sin’s power in her life. No person can escape the curse of sin. No person can overcome death. We are doomed – despite our greatest accomplishments – unless the “weakness” of God rushes in. What appeared to make no sense – the crucifixion of Jesus Christ – powerfully pays for our sin!

The weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength. May we also remember this in everyday moments of life. Metaphorically speaking, God has more strength in His pinky finger than all the collective power of every human being who has ever lived. I need not worry about my life if He is my Lord. Furthermore, whatever part of God’s plan appears powerless or foolish is actually stronger than anything I can imagine. What God is currently “up to” in my life may not make sense to me, but at the times He seems to make the least sense, He is up to something incomprehensibly effectual! “The weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.”

When your strength seems gone, remember that the veritable weakness of God is more than enough for you. God works in paradoxes; He takes pleasure in turning things inside-out. The greatest story He has written is that of our salvation, and though it has often been interpreted as foolishness and weakness; it is the supreme work of an all-powerful God.

How will He now work when you feel weak and confused? We can only imagine!

“For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.” – I Corinthians 1:25 (NIV)

Seeing the Unseen: Reflecting on a Winter Sunset

Posted on January 10, 2011 by admin

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. – II Corinthians 4:18

Seeing the unseen. Catching a glimpse of the eternal while stuck in the mundane flow of life. Paul had this in mind when he wrote in his second letter to the Corinthians, chapter four, verse eighteen, “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

How do we fix our eyes on the unseen? Are not our eyes made for seeing what is visible? Yes, our eyes of flesh look at the visible, but our spiritual eyes are intended to behold the invisible. “By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible” (Hebrews 11:3). Aha, the essence of all we see in this world sprang from what we cannot see, God Himself. From God’s viewpoint, training ourselves to look at the invisible is of utmost importance.

I took time one evening to look for quite some time at a beautiful winter sunset that caught my eye as I entered a room of my house. It was nearly completely dark outside, and so the sunset shone brightly through the window while the lights in the room were turned out. I had to stand in the darkened room to fully appreciate the blazing red glory resting just above the horizon and the bright, hopeful blue sky set atop the red brilliance. After observing for more than a few moments, I reached for the light switch so that I could return to my chore, the reason for entering the room in the first place. However, I was quite distracted by that light, as it obliterated my view of the beautiful sunset, making the window appear black compared to the brightness of the room.

Very quickly I once again reached for the switch – this time to turn off the light. I had to walk to the window and view that sunset one more time, taking it into my heart as I drew a deep breath. And then I thought, “Only when this room and its immediate atmosphere right around me are dark can I appreciate the true beauty of the sunset in the distance.” So it is. We cannot see the real beauty of God’s work in our hearts and our world when we are focused intensely on our immediate needs, concerns, and selfish intentions. Usually closest to our hearts are our own needs. When we finally “turn out the lights” on the seemingly pressing selfish wants and mundane busyness of life, we will be able to behold the eternal working of God Himself in our life and world in which we live.

The goal is for us to forget what we deem important and focus on what Jesus deems invaluable. We need to “turn off the lights” on the immediacy of self and turn our eyes to the invisible intentions of God in our lives. Maybe then, we will begin to see the beauty for which we are longing.

Let us aptly say, “Beauty – real beauty – is in the eye of the beholder of invisible things.” To see the invisible, we have to sacrifice the self.

Thank you, Jesus, for that evening’s winter sunset.

Waiting to Catch Up

Posted on November 26, 2010 by admin

(A letter to the Apostle Paul, reflecting on Romans 8:22-25)

Thank you, Paul, for acknowledging that the best of us groan.

Ours is not a shallow whining or complaining; but a deep, aching sorrow for the brokenness we face.

You have gently reminded us that the entire earth cries out for redemption – to
be bought back – to be restored – to be held in the hands of Jesus once and for all.

I remember, Paul, when you said we are pressed but not crushed.

In this jar of clay I call my body lives God Almighty.

When that pressing of life seems to be too strong for the walls I have sought to build around me, may I remember that the burden will not break me; for who can crush the infinite?

It is impossible that the pressure be too great for Jesus.

You said, Paul, we would be perplexed but never in despair.

I am perplexed. I am confused by many things.

By unanswered prayers – the ones that seem so right.

By the aching hearts of children in their innocence neglected.

By the aching heart of adults in their willfulness alienated.

By injustice – seeing some have and some have not.

By loneliness never wished for, never intended.

By broken bodies.

Bay daily battles with disease.

By the last and greatest enemy of the living – death.

By all these things, my dear friend, Paul, I am perplexed.

But I am not in despair.

There is one thing of which I am sure . . . God makes sense of confusion.

Confusion is . . . seeing the Son of God lie in the feeding trough of animals.

Confusion is . . . seeing the Light of the universe being rejected by the darkness of men.

Confusion is . . . seeing the Lord of all creation crushed on a cross.

Confusion is . . . seeing a rock roll over the tomb of the Author of life.

Does God make sense of confusion?

Did the Son of God, Light of the universe, Lord of all, and Author of life stay in the trough, in the darkness, on the cross, or in the tomb?

No! God took the confusion, balled it up in His hands, breathed mercy upon it, and threw it back to us as droplets of hope.

And wherever the droplets of hope find a home, God comes to live.

Does God make sense of confusion?

Will unanswered prayers be left misunderstood?

Will aching hearts always writhe in pain?

Will lonely people never share laughter?

Will broken bodies never be fixed?

Will death always be the final pain we face?

No. No. No. A thousand times over . . . no.

Paul, you said we groan. You said we cry inside waiting for redemption.

As sure as the sun rises, that day will come.

As your friend, Peter, said, this is our “living hope.”

Dipped inside my spirit is a droplet of hope from God’s own hand.

This hope tells me it will all make sense someday.

This hope tells me we will be reunited in the end.

This hope tells me that as Jesus really came out of the tomb, we really will, too.

This old, broken body so ready to sin will one day fly heavenward.

I groan now. That is the reality of a broken person and a broken world.

But I will not groan forever.

God has redeemed my spirit, Paul. My emotions and my body are just waiting to catch up.

“We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.” – Romans 8:22-25 (NIV)

The Exo-Eso Effect

Posted on October 3, 2010 by admin

The concept of an inverse relationship is rather easy to understand: as one quantity increases, the other decreases. For example, as the price of a product increases, the quantity sold decreases. This simple mathematical relationship is brought to light in a wonderful piece of Scripture.

Do you realize that we are to avoid discouragement by recognizing a spiritual, inverse relationship? The apostle Paul tells us not to lose heart because “our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.” (II Corinthians 4:16, NASB) That’s right, for every moment that our physical bodies are decaying, our inner spirit is being renewed and becoming more like Jesus!

I like to call this concept the “Exo-Eso Effect.” The Greek root behind “outer man” is exo and the Greek root behind “inner man” is eso. What a hopeful, invigorating thought to know that as the outer shell of me wears away because of age and disease and hardship, the inner me is gaining new strength.

When Paul speaks of the outer man decaying, he is referring to the ruination of the body’s vigor and strength; he is targeting the second law of thermodynamics as it applies to the wearing down of our physical bodies with age and affliction. None of us can avoid this process in this life, but we have proof positive that our condition will change in the next life. Residing within this body is a spirit that is growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. Our spirit’s growth and renewal day by day reminds us that our bodies that are in process of dying will one day suddenly change too.

The Exo-Eso Effect is so plain to us, the people of God. Our bodies become tired, they ache, and they wear down. But, even as they do, we grow closer and closer to God. In fact, sometimes it is because we suffer tribulation in this physical body that we grow closer to God and are made more like Jesus! The inverse relationship is strong.

Paul went on to say that “momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison.” (II Corinthians 4:17, NASB) There it is again – the mysterious, inverse workings. My affliction is momentary and light. The glory produced is eternal and weighty! Hold onto that truth for dear life. We suffer now, and it can seem so heavy. However, compared to the eternal glory we shall enjoy, our affliction is nearly weightless. God promises that the good He is achieving through our commitment to Him is the heaviest of matters and lasts forever – literally. We simply cannot imagine how the trial of now could be so small compared to the glory of later, but that is because we have not experienced the vastness of eternity and perfection. We have to trust the One who holds eternity and perfection in the palm of His hand.

As we trust Him, we observe the Exo-Eso Effect in daily operation. My outer self is going downhill, but my inner self is growing in strength. This is not a problem for me, but an encouragement. My relationship with God through Jesus Christ is my hope. It is okay for this body to wear down and die, as long as my heart loves Jesus more and more. “Why,” you ask? Because we know that “He who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus.” (II Corinthians 4:14, NASB) In other words, even when the outer self finally does succumb to physical death, the inner relationship to the living God will overcome. The eso will overtake the exo on that glorious day when “death is swallowed up in victory.” (I Corinthians 15:54, NASB)

For now, the Exo-Eso Effect is the outer self fading and the inner self growing. One day, the Exo-Eso Effect will culminate in a “new exo” that never wears away, never gets sick, and never grows tired. I’ll take that hope while I make sure my “eso” is growing in Jesus.

“Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison.” – II Corinthians 4:16-17
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This is (Not?) Too Much for Me

Posted on September 14, 2010 by admin

I know the tribulation of life can feel this way, but – for the Christian – it cannot accurately be said that a trial is simply “too much for me.” Oh, I have surely felt at my literal wit’s end in deep places of despair and struggle, but the Word of God stands true forever. Paul said triumphantly in I Corinthians 10:13 (NASB), “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.”

Either we believe in the God of the Bible or we do not. As a Christian who trusts God for my salvation, I must certainly also trust Him for my survival through difficulty. How can I claim the miracle of Him saving me from the wrath my sin deserves, but I cannot also believe the miracle that He provides my way to escape the temptation to sin or to give up?

I Corinthians 10:13 outlines five important facts to remember:

1) Every trial we undergo is common to the human race

2) God is faithful even though we are not

3) God will not give to us more than we can endure

4) God always provides a way of escape

5) God’s plan is that we endure, not be destroyed

Yes, our hearts break under the weight of anguish and difficulties of many kinds. However, let’s take God at His Word. Let’s memorize and ponder and live out the truth of I Corinthians 10:13. Then we can say, “This is not too much for me, for my God is faithful.”