I've Heard of You!

It feels good to sit here at my desk, starting the book of Colossians.  I began Philippians nearly six weeks ago, and being immersed in that book sustained me through some of the more difficult spiritual circumstances of my life, lately.  I'm grateful for God's sustaining grace and for His empowering direction during troubling times.  Miracles are more apparent during those times; faith is strengthened.  God is good!

At any rate, the next Pauline letter in the chronological study we've doing is Colossians.   So, onward!

4because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God’s people—

(1:4, NIV)

9For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you.

(1:9, NIV)

There are a couple of mega-churches of which I have heard and would love to visit.  One is the Brooklyn Tabernacle, in New York City.  Those of you who know I'm a musician understand my fascination.  The choir there has, for years, been glorious!
The other is John Hagee's church, in San Antonio.   I ALMOST got to visit it when I was in that town for a reading convention a few years back; but, to my misfortune, Dr. Hagee was out of the pulpit that Sunday.  Bummer!

In the verses above, Paul says he has "heard of" the church at Colosse, because he never visited there, at least, he had not to this point, nor is there any record that he did later.  By this time, A.D. 60, he was nearing the end of his ministry and his life.  Paul did not plant the church at Colosse either.  It appears from chapter 1:7 that the church was started by someone named Epaphras.  Who was he?

In his New Testament Commentary1 Warren Wiersbe notes that the Colosse was a small town.  The Colossian church, a predominantly Gentile church, was started by two converts from the church in Ephesus.  Those two converts were Epaphras and Philemon.  We can reconstruct this from comparing Acts, Ephesians, Colossians and Philemon.

Acts 19:10 tells us the scope of the Ephesian church's influence.  Ephesus was a large town, large church, which "planted" smaller churches all throughout Asia.  One of these was the Colossian church, which was probably about five years old at the time Colossians was written.

"We have heard of your faith...."

What a tremendous compliment!  Here was the renowned apostle Paul, writing to this little po-dunk church to say that their faith had come to his attention.

Another point that is key here is that this (seemingly) little "nobody" church was a key player in "spreading the gospel to every creature", as Jesus had commanded.  We are often deceived into believing that the big, flashy ministries are the ones that matter.  Just this morning I was thinking about Beth Moore, for instance.  There is no doubt in the world that her ministry has been and is continuing to be mightily used by God to save souls, release Christians from spiritual bondage, and so forth.  She has been used by God tremendously in my own life!  But, my next thought was something akin to this:  my little ministry is worth less than nothing.  That was a devil-thought sent like a flaming arrow to my spirit, right there!

I assure you that neither you nor I can comprehend the scope or influence of this ministry or any other, for that matter.  Only God knows.  I believe we will be shocked and amazed if and when God reveals to us in Heaven which ministries He used the most to further His kingdom!  Most of them we probably will never have heard of!

One of my college roommates lost her father a couple of weeks ago.  He had been pastor of his church, one church, for over 60 years!!!  Yes, you did read that right!
Or, I think of my friend, whose ministry is under tremendous spiritual attack at the moment.  Who KNOWS what God wants to do with that ministry of his, in the future, when Satan is defeated in his current attempt to destroy it!
Or, there's Jim Elliot2, whose name came up in Sunday School yesterday.  Jim's ministry to the natives in Ecuador, on the face of it, looks like a terrible tragedy.  Yet, God has used that ministry to not only bring many of those Ecuadorian natives to salvation in Jesus Christ, Jim is famous around the world today for his witness and his martyrdom.

So, my fellow believer, don't think that you are a "nobody" for the kingdom.  God knows you.  He knows your heart.  He knows the extent of your love for Him.  He wants to use you in ways that you cannot even imagine or even see with human eyes.

Be faithful.

"We have heard of your faith...."

Father, You know the name of each of us, Your children.  We may believe that what You have called us to is insignificant or, even....silly!  But, only You know the true impact of our callings, faithfully fulfilled, to Your kingdom.  Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven!  May each of us shrug off the enemy's arrows and re-affirm in our hearts the spiritual callings you have placed on our lives today.  Grow our faith exponentially, Father!  In Jesus' name, amen.

Sources:

1   Wiersbe, Warren W., and Warren W. Wiersbe. The Wiersbe Bible Commentary: The Complete New Testament in One Volume. Colorado Springs, CO: David C. Cook, 2007. Print, p. 658.

2  End of the Spear, 2005.

When It Bites...

As we begin Ephesians we find Paul in prison in Rome, where he remained for 2 years.  During this time, he wrote the letters to the Ephesians, the Philippians and the Colossians.  He also wrote the letter Philemon then.

We begin and end with verses 1 and 2 today:

From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints [in Ephesus], the faithful in Christ Jesus. ² Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!

Practically the first words out of Paul's mouth were concerning "the will of God".  Here he was, in prison, and he still testifies that he remains an apostle of Jesus Christ. Furthermore, not only is he what he is by the will of God, but he's where he is by that same divine will. God's will is still in operation in his life.

The Roman imprisonment was much more humane than others he had experienced.  Ephesians 6:20 and Acts 28:30 tell us that during this time he was "chained"; but, basically he lived in his own rented villa, under "house arrest".  (As we explore the remaining Pauline epistles we'll see that other imprisonments were much more dire.)

Still, it was imprisonment, and Paul testified that God had willed it that he should be there, for that span of time.

It is easy to embrace God's will when things are running along as we would prefer.  It is easy to "do" His will at those times also.  The true test of our submission and obedience is when His will runs contrary to ours.

Earlier this morning I was reading a fellow blogger's book review of a new book about C.S. Lewis' eventual wife, Joy Davidson Lewis.  (For time's sake, I won't go into the details here, but I'll reference her post in Sources: below.)  One of the startling facts of their relationship, however, is that they were married for only 4 years before her death from cancer, though their friendship had begun years earlier.  "How tragic!", we might exclaim.  Was it cruel of God to give them only 4 years of wedded bliss?

When God's will when it does not line up with ours, we begin to ask all sorts of questions:  "Did I do something wrong?"  "Is this my fault?"  "Why is this happening?" 
You know them because, like me, you've asked them at some point or another.

Notice that Paul did not begin his epistle with a "Woe is me" attitude, though certainly he had rather been charging down the missions trail, starting churches, winning souls.  That was the level of his zeal.  But, it was not God's will for him at that time.  Imprisoned, how could he continue to impact the spread of the gospel?  Answer: he could, by the inspiration of God, write letters to infant churches - - - letters which have endured and which still speak to those who seek the Savior, thousands of years later.

Are you in a place today where God's will is a mystery?  I am.  Today's post comes to you from the public library, because my crashed computer is still with Dr. Jim.  That's a relatively "little thing", a pebble in the shoe.  Perhaps the entire mountainside of boulders seems to be resting on you, crushing your body, soul and spirit.  Are you having trouble discerning God's will or even finding God at all, underneath those crushing rocks?  He is still there, and He is with you.

Don't fret that you cannot see or even hear Him.  Keep praying and keep trusting.  Remain faithful through the time of testing.  Your faith is being exercised, strengthened.  As you respond in obedience and trust, God will do amazing things, which may not be fully known in your lifetime.  We are not given to see the end, but we serve the One who "knows the end from the beginning" (Isaiah 46:10) .

Even in prison, Paul sends "grace and peace" to the church at Ephesus, and in the middle of your confusion, he sends it to you as well.  Dwell in the grace and peace of Jesus Christ.  Let them roll over your spirit like a mighty wave of the ocean. God has a divine plan, and it (just like He!) is GLORIOUS!  His love is ever with you, His child, and you are privileged because you are being used to accomplish His purposes and bring Him glory! 

Father, I am not promised perfect (or close to perfect) understanding.  What I am promised is the PEACE that surpasses all understanding, that perfect peace Jesus gave. "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." (John 14:27)  In Jesus' name, may it be ever so! Amen.

Sources:

https://www.christiancourier.com/articles/144-pauls-two-year-roman-imprisonment

http://www.matthewmcgee.org/paultime.html

https://michelemorin.wordpress.com/2016/04/26/joy-davidman-lewis-author/


 

For You Shall Laugh

Good morning,

Have you ever been so stunned with joy and amazement that you laughed?  Perhaps it was when you received your husband's marriage proposal or ... guys... when she said "yes".  Perhaps it was when you learned you were about to become a parent.  Or, when you learned you had received a tremendous gift - - - the laughter just came bursting out of you, like so many bubbles or so much confetti.

At first glance, laughter does not seem to be a deeply theological topic, does it?  I had sort of a what-the-heck? moment upon seeing that this was the topic for Dec. 6, in Ann Voskamp's Advent devotional book.1  Laughter? Of all things!  

Probably the most memorable Scriptures about laughter revolve around Sarah, Abraham and Isaac. When eavesdropping Sarah heard the LORD proclaim to Abraham that she would give birth to a son at age 90, she began to laugh (whether in disbelief, derision or joy, we do not know) (Gen. 18:12-15). Furthermore, Abraham laughed so hard at the news, he fell on his face!  (Gen. 17:17)  Abraham was nearly 100 at the time.  When the promise was fulfilled, about a year later, and they held their beautiful baby boy in their arms, they named him Isaac, which means ... oh yeah..."laughter".  It was to this boy God promised He would make his descendants more numerous than the stars in the sky (Gen. 26:4).

Erick Erickson used a big theology-school word in one of his recent posts, protoevangelium.  That is just plain fun to say - - seven syllables.  It means "first gospel", and refers specifically to Genesis 3:15, where God promised to send Christ, the "seed of the woman", who would crush the head of the serpent (Satan).  More broadly, it refers to instances in Scripture where the gospel of Jesus Christ is foreshadowed.  The story of Isaac's conception and birth is one such place where God gives us a peek into His gospel of amazing grace.

Abraham, Sarah and Isaac are touchstones on the path to Jesus Christ - -  forebearers in Jesus' human lineage.  They are pictures of God's miraculous grace.  The same God who miraculously kindled the womb of a much-aged woman also infused the womb of a virgin teenage girl with the One who created all things (Colossians 1:16), including His own human mother.  INCONCEIVABLE, is it not?  It almost makes you laugh!  {Okay, some puns are too good to resist...}

Laughter is always an emotional response, always.  The thing is, we can't be certain which emotion is producing it.  Laughter is often misunderstood.  Most of us have innocently found humor in a situation, yet been accused of "laughing at" another person, thereby hurting their feelings.  There are several references to laughter in the Bible - - some are negative, others are positive.

Oddly, there are no instances recorded in the New Testament, where Jesus laughed.  I had never thought about that!  He did, however, mention laughter in Luke 6:21 (ESV)

"Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. "Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh."

The Greek word used here is "gelesete" γελάσετε  .  It is the only time it occurs in the New Testament!  There are Old Testament mentions of God laughing, although most of those occur in conjunction with his derision over the schemes hatched by the wicked (Psalm 37:13).  But look!
Zephaniah 3:17 - -

The Lord your God is in your midst;;

He is a warrior who can deliver.

He takes great delight in you;

he renews you by his love;

he shouts for joy over you."

Doesn't "shouting for joy" sound an awful lot like joyful laughter?

Here are some other OT references to laughter.

He will yet fill your mouth with laughter, and your lips with shouting.

Job 8:21

Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then they said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.”

Psalm 126:2

And, this last one, Proverbs 31 women:

Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come.

Proverbs 31:25

This last one really gets me.  Often, OFTEN, when I think of the future, I don't laugh.  In fact, I have to push back my fear, like when you think you are going to vomit, and you are trying to hold it back? Or, I have to battle sadness, which wants to cover and stifle me, like those lead jackets they put on you at the dentist's office before x-rays.  Sarah laughed at the LORD's pronouncement, at "the time to come".  Could this be why she is listed in the book of Hebrews, as one in the "roll call of faith"? (Hebrews 11)

What makes joyful, incredulous, miraculous laughter in uncertain times even possible?

What makes it possible is remembering grace, His miraculous grace to you and to me.  It is remembering and believing that every, single circumstance touching our lives is an evidence of His grace to us.  Laughter is made possible by remembering His sovereignty, that "His ways are perfect", Y'all (Psalm 18:30).  PER-FECT.

Ann says it like this (so beautifully!):

"The gigantic secret gift that He gives and we unwrap, that we never stop unwrapping - - we who were barren now graced with the Child who lets us laugh with relief for all eternity.  There is nothing left to want.  There is nothing left to fear; 'All fear is but the notion that God's love ends.' And His for you never will.  So loosen up, because the chains have been loosed, and laugh the laughter of the freed.  Laughter - - it's all oxygenated grace."

"You have as much laughter as you have faith."  Martin Luther

Father, please fill our hearts and souls and minds with joyful laughter this Advent season, so that our spirits may dwell in the oasis of your generous, bounteous grace, rather than remain imprisoned in the deserts of fear, depression, worry, faithlessness.  In Jesus' name, amen.

Sources:

1 Voskamp, Ann. The Greatest Gift: Unwrapping the Full Love Story of Christmas. Print. 

2  https://abrahamsseed.wordpress.com/2013/08/30/proto-evangelium-and-the-two-seeds/

3  http://www.gotquestions.org/holy-laughter.html

Ain't Me; It HE!

Good morning,

At first reading 2 Cor. 10 seems like a strange, little chapter.  No one verse jumps out until the very end.  You get the idea that Paul is uncomfortable talking about himself, to some extent, and so talks all around the actual point until he gets to the very end.  What's going on here is that the Corinthians, as mentioned before, were at the nexus of a spiritual "power grab" from competing religious factions, of which Paul was one.  Paul was defending his authority, with meekness, but he was also pointing out that the Corinthians, by focusing on all these "better than thou" comparisons were missing the point.

I think that we tend to do that in Christian circles today.  While it's true that "spiritual fruit" is an indicator of God's blessing, we should not get "hung up" on that.  There are times of dormancy, which are not only a natural part of the growth of fruit trees, but also of ministries.  When a ministry has been through a particularly nasty attack from Satan, the results will be visible and plain.  It often takes some time to recover.  One of the biggest fallacies of comparing ministries is failing to realize that God works in His own ways and in His own time.  Some folks "stars" are "ascending" while others' are on the wane, at any given point in time.  So what?  Soli Deo Gloria!

The main thing is this:  each ministry must remain true to its calling and true to the Word of God, using powerful God-tools to smash warped philosophies and tear down barriers against that Truth (vs. 4-5).  That should be the focus.  Then, if there is any comparing, boasting, bragging or claiming of credit to be done, it should be the way Paul put it in verses 17 and 18:

17 But the one who boasts must boast in the Lord. 18 For it is not the person who commends himself who is approved, but the person the Lord commends.

NET

This is meekness: not some trumped-up sense of false humility, but rather a determined, carnality-stomping focus on what He has done, not on what we have done.  "God gives the increase", not us. (1 Cor. 3:6)  Since He is in charge of results, why all this comparing?  Paul says when we do that we demonstrate a lack of proper understanding (vs. 12).  Indeed.

A frequent, unfortunate outcome of spiritual pride is that it blinds us to what God wants to do in our ministries next.  We are so sure WE know where God is going to lead us that we miss seeing what He would like to do.  I know I've been guilty of that.  "Man judges on the outward appearance, but God judges the heart."  My recollection of 1 Samuel 16:7.  Here it is from the NET:

7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t be impressed by his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. God does not view things the way men do. People look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Samuel was making comparisons between the sons of Jesse, and he thought for sure that Eliab, one of the taller, handsomer sons, was the one God would choose as Israel's next king.  But, no....and the verse above is what God spoke to Samuel in response.

Basically, spiritual pride just kills spiritual discernment.  So, let's seek meekness in our walks, in our ministries ... not seeking to promote ourselves, but rather, seeking to promote our Lord and His saving gospel.  We are called to meekness and to faithfulness.  He will grow His work in and through us.  He will "give the increase"!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QqBJu55oXM 

Father, please forgive me for my self-aggrandizement, my extreme deficit of meekness.  Oh Lord! It's all about You!  Nobody else.  In Jesus' name, amen.