Boasting

Posted on by korgrocker

“Yet I dare not boast about anything except what Christ has done through me, bringing the Gentiles to God by my message and by the way I worked among them. They were convinced by the power of miraculous signs and wonders and by the power of God’s Spirit. In this way, I have fully presented the Good News of Christ from Jerusalem all the way to Illyricum.”
Romans 15:18-19 NLT

Boasting is usually an objectionable trait. I’m sure we have all met a person who doesn’t stop “blowing his own trumpet” about his achievements, his lovely garden, his latest car, his sporting prowess, his … All things that are materialistic or worldly, and relatively unimportant in the Kingdom of God. Boasting is a form of pride, which is a sin. Solomon, thought to be the person who wrote Proverbs, recorded the following, “Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18). But Paul confessed to being a boaster, about something far more significant. His testimony was impressive. He could talk about the wonderful things that God had done, by “bringing the Gentiles to God”. 

Paul had much to boast about. In 2 Corinthians 11, we read about Paul’s concern that the Corinthian church was being corrupted by false apostles. These were people who claimed to be just as good as Paul, but he accused them of delivering error, as we read in 2 Corinthians 11:4, “You happily put up with whatever anyone tells you, even if they preach a different Jesus than the one we preach, or a different kind of Spirit than the one you received, or a different kind of gospel than the one you believed”. Paul was quite scathing about these people. About his message he wrote, “But I will continue doing what I have always done. This will undercut those who are looking for an opportunity to boast that their work is just like ours. These people are false apostles. They are deceitful workers who disguise themselves as apostles of Christ. But I am not surprised! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:12-14). He went on, “And since others boast about their human achievements, I will, too” (2 Corinthians 11:18). Referring to the false apostles, Paul went on, “ … But whatever they dare to boast about—I’m talking like a fool again—I dare to boast about it, too” (2 Corinthians 11:21b). 

Paul then went on to list all the privations and danger that he had experienced while disseminating the message of God’s Good News. And then he finished this list with, “If I must boast, I would rather boast about the things that show how weak I am” (2 Corinthians 11:30). We turn the page to the next chapter and read about an experience he said he could boast about. 2 Corinthians 12:1, “This boasting will do no good, but I must go on. I will reluctantly tell about visions and revelations from the Lord”. His visit to the third Heaven (where God and His angels live) must have been so amazing that it would have done his street cred no harm at all. But he wrote in 2 Corinthians 12:5, “That experience is worth boasting about, but I’m not going to do it. I will boast only about my weaknesses”. We know of course what Paul’s weakness was – he wrote, ” … So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud. Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me” (2 Corinthians 12:7b-9).

Paul was kept from being conceited by having to dependent on Jesus. But in it all he directed the glory to God. His life was totally sold out for Jesus. He didn’t boast about his tent making skills, or the number of miles he walked every day. His boasting was a testimony of God’s grace and love and the power of the Holy Spirit. At every opportunity we too should “boast” about what God has done in our lives. Our testimonies of God’s saving grace surely count for much and will shine as bright as a beacon in this sad and dark generation.

Father God. You have done so much for us, but please forgive us for holding back on speaking out our testimonies of Your love and grace. Please lead us to the right person today, so that we can give them too the opportunity of sharing what You have done for them. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Enthusiasm

Posted on by korgrocker

“So I have reason to be enthusiastic about all Christ Jesus has done through me in my service to God.“
Romans 15:17 NLT

Paul wrote in his letter that he was enthusiastic about all that Christ Jesus had done through him. Paul’s life wasn’t just about being an itinerant preacher. Going around from pulpit to pulpit, delivering messages and sermons to a receptive audience. He was a counter-cultural fire-brand speaking about God’s message of hope, the Gospel. He told his listeners about Jesus, the Son of God crucified for the salvation of Jews and Gentiles alike, and they mostly didn’t want to hear it, because it was a message that demanded a response. Paul wouldn’t have held back – his message was black and white. No room for compromise. It was Heaven or hell. Repentance or judgement. And the peoples of the societies in which he found himself largely rejected him, sometimes violently. 

In Ephesus, Paul’s message turned the city upside down, to the extent that the silversmiths making idols for the goddess Artemis were afraid that they were about to lose their livelihood. So they started a riot – we can read about it Acts 19. Paul’s message had quite an impact, I think we can all agree. Paul got into more bother in Philippi, where he ended up in gaol, having been beaten by the local law enforcers. We can read that story in Acts 16. It wasn’t just his message, it was the “enthusiastic” way he delivered it with power and with signs following. We read in Mark 16:20, “And the disciples went everywhere and preached, and the Lord worked through them, confirming what they said by many miraculous signs”. 

Sometimes I dream about being in meetings where the preaching of the word was so powerful that people were flocking to hear it and conviction of sin was universal. Where the Word of God, and the power of the Holy Spirit came upon people in the street, their workplaces, their homes. The Holy Spirit power and presence was such that God was real to everyone, and healings were commonplace. It’s never going to happen, the sceptic might say, but it did happen in the first century, and has happened at various times since. We pilgrims must pray for another visitation from God to this war-torn planet. 

How enthusiastic are we pilgrims in our Christian witness? Do we hold back, not wanting to offend anyone? Unfortunately, the Gospel is an offence to those who hear it, because it confronts them with their sins, and the fact that they are a broken people. The one solution involves repentance, death to themselves and future life devoted to God. The old is replaced by the new. We can speak enthusiastically about God’s saving grace through Jesus, but most people in our societies will reject both us and the message we are delivering. But enthusiastic we must be, because of Jesus and His love for us. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:14-15, “For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again”. 

The Message of the Cross is life changing and we must share Paul’s enthusiasm by sharing it in our generation. We have no other option.

Dear Lord Jesus. It is only You that spoke the words of eternal life. Please help us to echo them in our families and communities, in our schools and workplaces. In You precious names’ sake. Amen.

A Reminder

Posted on by korgrocker

“Even so, I have been bold enough to write about some of these points, knowing that all you need is this reminder. For by God’s grace, I am a special messenger from Christ Jesus to you Gentiles. I bring you the Good News so that I might present you as an acceptable offering to God, made holy by the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:15-16 NLT

Paul qualifies his statement in the previous verse, Romans 15:14, about teaching others, by saying something like, “I knew you would be good teachers, full of the goodness of God, but I was just reminding you in case it had slipped your minds”. And for good measure, he laid out his credentials about being Jesus Christ’s special messenger. Regarding the latter, if there was anyone who could make that claim of being special, it was Paul. Just read the account of his Damascus Road conversion in Acts 9. And the reason for Paul’s reminder was to make sure that the Roman Christians became “an acceptable offering to God“. An acceptable offering made holy by the Holy Spirit.

What reminders do we pilgrims need? Do we think sometimes that there are so many different things a Christian needs to remember that inevitably some seem to fall by the wayside? In 1 Corinthians 2:1-4 we read, “When I first came to you, dear brothers and sisters, I didn’t use lofty words and impressive wisdom to tell you God’s secret plan. For I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified. I came to you in weakness—timid and trembling. And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit“. Paul was quite capable at making clever speeches – he was one of the greatest theologians of his day – but his focus was always on the good news of Jesus Christ and his crucifixion and resurrection. The Good News about God’s saving power through Jesus. For most of the time Paul was a one message evangelist. His message was incredibly repetitive – it was almost exclusively about Christ Jesus, and Him crucified. The Gospel, God’s message of hope and salvation, was always on his lips.

In the previous verses in Romans 14 and 15 Paul wrote about the importance of living together as Christians in a hostile environment. He reminded them about how they had to pull together, in loving one another, not criticising one another, being sensitive to one other, and all because he wanted to present them as an acceptable and holy offering to God.

Paul was very clear about his mission to the peoples of his world. He was so focused that at times he upset the status quo in the communities and workplaces in which he found himself. His message of God’s saving grace through Jesus was so radical that even the Jews, his own people, threw him out of their synagogues and he ended up being stoned and abused by hostile mobs. But the Holy Spirit was with him and his message of the good news was received gladly by many people. So it begs the question – are we pilgrims clear about our message to our families and the communities where we live?

Paul took the Good News wherever he went and so must we. Our messages of hope, our testimonies, may be by using words but they should also be by what we do and how we behave. Jesus said in Matthew 5:13, “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavour? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless“. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 9:16, “Yet preaching the Good News is not something I can boast about. I am compelled by God to do it. How terrible for me if I didn’t preach the Good News“! Paul could speak about nothing else. He was a driven man, compelled to share the message of the Good News. We too must never miss the opportunity to share the Gospel – we may never see the fruit of it in this life, but when we get to Heaven perhaps someone will come up to us to thank us for taking the time to share what we knew about Jesus. Paul reminded the Roman Christians about their obligations to God and each other. Let us not forget that either.

Father God. You have placed us in communities and families. Please help us to look out for each other and grasp every opportunity to share the Good News of the Risen Christ. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

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Being Full of Goodness

Posted on by korgrocker

“I am fully convinced, my dear brothers and sisters, that you are full of goodness. You know these things so well you can teach each other all about them.”
Romans 15:14 NLT
“Personally I am convinced about you, my brothers and sisters, that you yourselves are full of goodness, amply filled with all [spiritual] knowledge, and competent to admonish and counsel and instruct one another.”
Romans 15:14 AMP

There are two principles in Romans 15:14 that are worthy of note. Paul encourages the Roman Christians with the thought that they are “full of goodness”. How does he know that? After all, Paul had apparently never met anyone in the church in Rome when he wrote this letter. But in faith, he knows in his spirit, and by reports that had probably filtered through from travellers, that those Christians in Rome were great people. What did Paul mean by “goodness”? Qualities such as mercy, compassion, unselfishness and love come to mind. But a Christian is a reflection of God’s “goodness“, and every God-attribute builds together to develop a picture of “goodness”. In the end, though, “goodness” is really godliness. We add into the mix His qualities of purity, forgiveness, holiness, and righteousness. Jesus demonstrated His “goodness” at Calvary, where He put aside all so that we could find forgiveness with God. Paul was “fully convinced” that the Christians in Rome were “full of goodness”. Quite a statement but Paul knew that all followers of Christ would have “goodness” within them. 

Because of their “goodness“, Paul knew that those early believers could teach others around them, and reminded them of the second principle in Romans 15:14. The church in Rome was growing, and new converts needed the “goodness” qualities of the older Christians to show them the way in the faith. God in His mercy could of course teach His children about His ways and the correct path to Heaven without the help of others, and it would seem, according to Hebrews 10:25, that indeed some Christians had stopped fellowshipping. We read, “And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near“. We meet together as Christians for just the reason Paul wrote about. Teaching each other is not necessarily a formal “chalk and talk” session, but it is to do with shared life together. The Holy Spirit inspired much teaching about the “one another’s” in the Bible.

Here are some “one another’s” that come from “goodness”. “You must warn each other every day, while it is still “today,” so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God” (Hebrews 3:13). Ephesians 4:32, “Instead, be kind to each other, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you“. ‭‭2 Corinthians 13:11, “Dear brothers and sisters, I close my letter with these last words: Be joyful. Grow to maturity. Encourage each other. Live in harmony and peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you“. And there are many others. They all speak to a shared life agenda.

We all need the encouragement or goodness in this world of badness. Sometimes we feel as though we are living in a strange place, hostile to God and His people. A place where all the qualities opposite to what God desires and exemplifies abound. A place where the devil is doing his utmost to discourage us and attack us. Breaking up our families. Destroying our finances. In fact he wants to stop believers from following God. But within us is this Holy Spirit glow of God’s goodness, equipping us to prevail over all the enemy throws at us. And we share the encouragement we feel with those around us, helping each other on our separate journeys to our promised land, life with God in Heaven. 

Dear Father. We pray the prayer that Jesus gave us, and which includes the words “deliver us from evil”. Thank You for Your goodness and mercy. Amen.

Paul’s Prayer

Posted on by korgrocker

“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.”
Romans 15:13 NLT

The word “hope” appears twice in this verse, and it points out that the hope Paul is writing about is something that comes from God. So it isn’t a natural hope, like “I hope it doesn’t rain today” or “I hope we have a good holiday”. Paul continues to pray in the next sentence that this “hope” is something full of confidence and powered by the Holy Spirit. And the consequence of this “hope” is a complete infilling with two qualities enjoyed by Christians – “joy and peace”. Perhaps when we consider this verse we are looking for a meaning to the word “hope” that is different from the world view.

As we look into other parts of the Bible we see that “hope” is a word often associated with “faith”. We read Hebrews 11:1 from the Amplified version, “Now faith is the assurance (title deed, confirmation) of things hoped for (divinely guaranteed), and the evidence of things not seen [the conviction of their reality—faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses]” (emphasis mine). It’s the fact that a Christian’s “hope” is “divinely guaranteed” that is exciting. We believe through faith that the promises of God will come to pass. We “trust in Him”, as Paul wrote.

What God-given promise is most likely to fill us with “joy and peace”? A “hope” that God has guaranteed? There are many such hopes written in the Bible, but where else can we initially turn to other than to John 3:16? We read, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life”. The promise is that one day we will “have everlasting life”. Eternal life. Endless life spent in God’s presence. In Revelation 21:3-4, we receive a hint of what this future life will be like. “I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” “Death or sorrow or crying or pain” just about sums up every negative human emotion and experience and we “hope” that one day God will deliver the promise to do away with them “forever”. And, poignantly, God will personally be involved with each one of us, wiping away our tears.

In the meantime, we have a “hope” in this life. Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope“. As we journey through the years remaining in our natural lives, God reminds us that He has good plans for us. He sees our years laid out before us, and He knows what’s coming our way. Perhaps some people view this as a negative. Weary people populating a pew and waiting for the day when they cross the Great Divide and enter eternal life. But God has so much more for us in this life. Exciting things. Things that are the manifestation of our hope in Him. And Paul’s prayer was that we would experience “joy and peace” as we “trust in Him”. What a prayer! But what a Saviour!

Dear Lord. Thank You for showing a world without hope that there is a future. We are a part of Your plans, and so we declare our trust in You with our future, in this life and the next. Amen.

The Gentile Mission

Posted on by korgrocker

“He also came so that the Gentiles might give glory to God for his mercies to them. That is what the psalmist meant when he wrote: “For this, I will praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing praises to your name.” And in another place it is written, “Rejoice with his people, you Gentiles.” And yet again, “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles. Praise him, all you people of the earth.” And in another place Isaiah said, “The heir to David’s throne will come, and he will rule over the Gentiles. They will place their hope on him.”“
Romans 15:9-12 NLT

In a previous blog we considered that Jesus’ mission to Planet Earth was limited to His people, the Jews. That was what God promised, and, as we know, God’s promises always come to fruition. In these next few verses, Paul demonstrated very clearly, from some Old Testament prophecies, that Jesus’ message of salvation and the Kingdom of God, would also apply to the Gentiles. 

In Romans 15:9-12, Paul quoted four Old Testament verses, the first of which comes from Psalm 18, “Therefore I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the Gentiles, And sing praises to Your name” (Psalm 18:49). The Psalm also appears in 2 Samuel 22, and David wrote it “ … on the day when the Lord had delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul” (2 Samuel 22:1b). But the implication is clear, that there will one day be a time when the Jews and the Gentiles will unite in praises to God. 

The second quote from Paul, in Romans 15:10, comes from Deuteronomy 32, “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people; For He will avenge the blood of His servants, And render vengeance to His adversaries; He will provide atonement for His land and His people” (Deuteronomy 32:43). This verse concluded the Song of Moses at the time when Joshua was about to take over the leadership of Israel and lead the Jewish people into the promised land. Moses prophetically could see down through the ages to the time when Jews and Gentiles would be together, part of the atonement.

Thirdly, Paul, in Romans 15:11, quoted from Psalm 117. We read, “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles! Laud Him, all you peoples! For His merciful kindness is great toward us, And the truth of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord!” (Psalm 117:1-2). A short psalm. Only two verses. But why would the Gentiles praise God if they didn’t know Him? Prophetically, a time was coming when the Gentiles would in fact mingle with God’s people, the Jews. The Psalmist could see it coming and wrote a psalm that the Gentiles could pick up in prayer and song.

Lastly, Paul quoted from Isaiah 11:10, “And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, Who shall stand as a banner to the people; For the Gentiles shall seek Him, And His resting place shall be glorious“. The prophet Isaiah was declaring a time when a descendant of David would rule the Gentiles as well as His own people. Isaiah described a world where “the lion shall eat straw like an ox” and “the wolf also shall dwell with the lamb” (Isaiah 11:7b, 6). Perhaps this was world described at the end of Revelation – the new Heaven and earth. Or perhaps during the millennial reign and rule of Christ.

As Gentiles, we indeed “give glory to God for his mercies to them”. We indeed enjoy God’s mercies every day, really grateful that His grace extended even to us. 

Lord God, we praise You for Your grace and love so bountifully given to us Gentiles. We give You all the glory this day and every day. Amen.

Christ Came

Posted on by korgrocker

“Remember that Christ came as a servant to the Jews to show that God is true to the promises he made to their ancestors.”
Romans 15:8 NLT

We Gentile pilgrims sometimes forget that Jesus was a Jew. He would have been Middle Eastern in appearance, not as commonly portrayed in Western films as a white Caucasian man. In fact, Matthew 1 records His genealogy all the way back to Abraham. He was a descendant of King David and fulfilled the Jewish expectation of their Messiah. Zechariah 9:9 was just one verse amongst many prophesying the coming King, “Rejoice, O people of Zion! Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem! Look, your king is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious, yet he is humble, riding on a donkey— riding on a donkey’s colt”. As we know, that very prophecy came to fruition on the first “Palm Sunday”. Isaiah 9:2, “The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine.” This prophecy from Isaiah continued – Isaiah 9:6-7, “For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen”!

There were many promises in the Hebrew Scriptures about the coming Messiah. Jesus Himself repeated the prophecy from Isaiah 61 when He preached in the synagogue in Nazareth. He said, ““The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the Lord’s favour has come. ” He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant, and sat down. All eyes in the synagogue looked at him intently. Then he began to speak to them. “The Scripture you’ve just heard has been fulfilled this very day”” (Luke 4:18-21). Jesus was clear and focused about His mission. And He fulfilled it to His own people, the Jews.

In Matthew 15 we read about the encounter between Jesus and a Gentile woman, whose daughter was seriously ill. The dialogue wasn’t going well for the woman and we read in Matthew 15:24, “Then Jesus said to the woman, “I was sent only to help God’s lost sheep—the people of Israel.”” Jesus was clear that His mission was to be a servant of the Jews. But we read that the woman persisted in her demands that Jesus heal her daughter – we read the conclusion in Matthew 15:28, ““Dear woman,” Jesus said to her, “your faith is great. Your request is granted.” And her daughter was instantly healed”. As an aside, perhaps this gracious miracle opened the door for the Gospel to be preached to the Gentiles. 

Way back in Genesis we read how God chose Abraham, a man on whom He would found a nation, the Jews. What followed was a series of promises to His people, generation after generation, until the Messiah finally arrived. The Incarnation of God’s Son complete. Jesus served the Jews throughout His life here on Planet Earth, but sadly His own people rejected Him. It was all part of God’s plan, of course, but we must never forget that the Jews are still God’s chosen nation. Zechariah prophesied that one day the Jewish nation will finally accept their Messiah. we read in Zechariah 12:10, “Then I will pour out a spirit of grace and prayer on the family of David and on the people of Jerusalem. They will look on me whom they have pierced and mourn for him as for an only son. They will grieve bitterly for him as for a firstborn son who has died“. We are grateful for the Jews. They have suffered much over the many generations since Abraham, but God has always had His hand upon them. We thank God too for the early Jewish Apostles and evangelists who took God’s message of hope and grace to the Gentiles.

Father God. What can we do other than worship You, and thank You most sincerely for Your grace and love. Amen.
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Acceptance

Posted on by korgrocker

“Therefore, accept each other just as Christ has accepted you so that God will be given glory.”
Romans 15:7 NLT

Another “each other” pops up in Paul’s letter to the Roman Christians. “Accept each other”, he writes.  And he makes the point that the reason we have to do that is because Christ accepted us. The principle here is that Jesus showed us the way, and because of His example, we do likewise to others. When we think about it, Jesus chose and accepted a real motley crew of disciples. There were fishermen, a tax collector, a Zealot intent on liberating Israel by force, and others. Perhaps a good cross section of the ordinary people in Palestine at that time, and Jesus accepted them all. Incidentally, one thing that they all had in common was that they were all sinners.

Jesus told a story about the importance of extending God’s grace to others. We find the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant in Matthew 18. A king called in the debts of one of his servants, who owed him a sum way beyond his capability of repaying. But just before his wife and children were sold into slavery to find the money for the debt, the servant begged the king to be patient with him and grant him time to make the repayment. But we read in Matthew 18:27, “Then his master was filled with pity for him, and he released him and forgave his debt”. The relief that must have flowed over that servant! The gratitude that he must have felt. But unfortunately, he didn’t extend that forgiveness to another servant, who owed him money. Just a small sum. Nothing significant. But the servant ignored his debtor’s pleadings and we read in Matthew 18:30, “But his creditor wouldn’t wait. He had the man arrested and put in prison until the debt could be paid in full”. The situation was fed back to the king, who became very angry. We read how the story ended in Matthew 18:32-35, “Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me. Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’ Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt. “That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart””.

Of course, this story was to do with forgiveness. Christ has forgiven us of so much, a debt way beyond what we could ever repay. And in the same way He has accepted us, warts and all. We are a people who are very unattractive when viewed from a Heavenly setting. We sin our way through life, and yet a sinless God has forgiven us and accepted us through what Jesus did for us at Calvary.

The moral of the parable that Jesus told is that we should do to others what He has done for us. God has accepted us, so we must accept others. And Paul finished today’s verse with the thought that as accepting each other ripples through His church, God will receive all the glory. We’ll add to that our praise, and thanks, and worship, as well.

Dear God. Thank You for accepting us. And we pray for the strength to accept our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. Amen.

One Voice

Posted on by korgrocker

“May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus. Then all of you can join together with one voice, giving praise and glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Romans 15:5-6 NLT

Oh Paul! How could you be so naïve! To think that Christians could ever live “in complete harmony” or “join together with one voice”. But Paul was communicating what the Holy Spirit told him to write. If it was up to our natural abilities, there would be no chance at all of any form of unity between Christians, no matter how limited. But there is a chance that with God encouraging us, we might get there. After all, there will come a time when all Christians will be in total togetherness. 

In terms of what unifies us believers, we have the Bible giving us guidance. So we could be forgiven for thinking that the issues clearly delineated in Scripture, such as Christ dying for our sins, must be something all Christians can agree on. This is a fundamental pillar of our faith. But then we get to other issues written in the Bible, such as what God has said about sexuality, and our unity very quickly falls apart. There is the liberal faction that chooses to impose modern societal thinking on Biblical doctrine, or cherry pick the bits that they want to believe in, discarding the rest. And then the traditionalists choose to believe 100% of everything that is written in the Bible, no matter if the truths there are inconvenient in the light of our “enlightened” age. Within some denominations this dichotomy can never be reconciled. And then, added to all this, there are areas in the Bible that seem open to interpretation, such as the Genesis story. Some believe in the literal 7-day creation event, whereas others suggest that a “day” might mean an “age”, of indeterminate time length. So faced with such a plethora of views and beliefs within the Christian faith, how can we be in complete harmony?

For me, the very inviolable essence of Christianity starts with the life and work of Jesus Christ. And that can only be found in the Bible, not in liturgies that have emerged over the past two thousand years or so. His status as the Son of God, His incarnation, sinless life, death and resurrection, and forgiveness of sins through Him, are all fundamental beliefs and any Christian who claims otherwise by emphasis or creed is walking a path away from the unity in the Spirit. 

Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 1:10, “I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose“. Ephesians 4:3-6, “Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all, in all, and living through all“. And Colossians 3:17, “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him“.

Romans 15:5-6 in the NKJV gives us a clue. “Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (emphasis mine). The Christian movement of which I am a part publishes a Statement of Beliefs, towards which I am a passionate adherent. It is soundly Biblically based and completely sums up the pillars of our faith. There are other movements that believe the same. And so between us we are “like-minded” and living in harmony. We may worship in different churches but at any time we can come together in unity of faith and purpose. Can we be “like-minded” with those in denominations that believe differently? Possibly, but it depends. In my community there is a Christian family who believe that the works of the Holy Spirit died out with the first Apostles. But we both believe in God’s saving grace and all that He did through Jesus. We’re not in “complete harmony” but we can pray together and perhaps God working through His Spirit will square the circle one day.

Father God. Your church is being built and refined as a Bride for Your Son Jesus. It is exciting to be a part of it, and I pray for Your Spirit to lead and guide us in Your ways. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Hope and Encouragement

Posted on by korgrocker

“For even Christ didn’t live to please himself. As the Scriptures say, “The insults of those who insult you, O God, have fallen on me.” Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled.
Romans 15:3-4 NLT

How do we wake up in the morning? Depressed because there is another day, with all its hassles, that we have to face into? Or raring to go, full of energy and vigour, more than willing to take on anything the day ahead can throw at us? Too many of us will probably fall into the first category, dragging ourselves out of bed in obedience to the alarm clock or a strident voice echoing up the stairs. A parent once told me of an infallible way they used to get their reluctant teenagers out of bed in the morning. It was a variation of the cold wet flannel. Instead they used to threaten a teaspoon of cold water poured into whichever ear was uppermost. Just a threat was sufficient, they said.

What do we do when we get up in the morning? Is it a mad dash to get to the office on time, or a more leisurely start? Do we start the day on our smartphones, reviewing the emails and messages that came in overnight? Then do we check our bank accounts and scan the news headlines? All tasks soon followed by feelings of regret that we even bothered because the bank account suffered from overnight transactions and the news was all bad. All worthy things to do in themselves, but would we have been better off reading the Good News, and lifting up our spirits into Heavenly places? I know we can’t live in denial, but perhaps God’s Word will give us the perspective we need to see the world through God’s eyes.

So, one thing we definitely need most mornings is a dose of hope and encouragement. Paul wrote in Romans 15:4 that this can be found in Scripture. And so it can. A good start would be to turn to Jeremiah 29:11. A well worn verse we know, but full of encouragement. “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” Imagine it. God has plans for us. Good plans. And in them we have a “future and a hope“. And then we have Isaiah 41:9b-10, “ … For I have chosen you and will not throw you away. Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand“. God said that we are His chosen ones, and as we look to Him, with our hands palms up to receive, He will provide the strength we will need for the day ahead. His “right hand” is a picture of that strength, and it is “victorious” as well, implying that He has defeated all the foes who have come against Him.

There may be times when we have gone to bed, discouraged and oppressed after a bad day. Well, read Lamentations 3:22-24, “The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him“”! 

Why do we wonder that we are depressed as the sun emerges in the dawn? When the morning breaks upon our consciousnesses? Paul wrote that we should be patiently waiting “for God’s promises to be fulfilled” and we can only do that as we take the trouble to find our what the promises are. When we neglect our spiritual well-being, the day, more often than not, becomes overcast with difficulties. A few minutes in God’s presence is worth far more than an extra hour or two spent in bed. In John 7:37b-38, Jesus said, “ … Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart‘”. A prayer I regularly pray in the mornings is this, “Jesus has been glorified and he is waiting for people to say, “I’m thirsty, Lord, desperately thirsty, and I’m going to go on coming to you until you give me something to drink deeply. I want living water inside. I am thirsty, and I want to be baptised inside, and I want within me a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”” Praying the promises of God is a powerful way to start the day, filling it with hope and encouragement through the power of the Holy Spirit. And you never know – those around us will probably be impacted as well.

Father God, thank You for all the gracious and loving words of encouragement contained within Your Word. Amen.