Tough Love

Posted on by korgrocker

“That is why I wrote to you as I did, so that when I do come, I won’t be grieved by the very ones who ought to give me the greatest joy. Surely you all know that my joy comes from your being joyful. I wrote that letter in great anguish, with a troubled heart and many tears. I didn’t want to grieve you, but I wanted to let you know how much love I have for you.”
2 Corinthians 2:3-4 NLT

Paul didn’t want to return to Corinth so that he would have to deliver another confrontational message. He wanted to visit them in a way that gave him “the greatest joy”. If they were joyful, then so would he be. But his first letter wasn’t an easy one to write, and Paul referred to “great anguish” and “a troubled heart and many tears” as he wrote it. But he wrote it, not out of a malicious or frivolous motivation but because he loved them greatly.

That’s the thing about love, true agape love. It requires courage and determination to apply to another in a situation that is ultimately in their own best interests. It particularly applies to a parent and a child when the young person is in danger, or has already embarked on a course of action that would lead to destruction of one kind or another if allowed to continue. But there in Corinth, there were some who had decided to behave in ways that were incompatible with their faith, and some form of correction was required. The man sleeping with his stepmother was a situation involving blatant sin, and, for the two people concerned, as well as their friends who must have condoned it, they needed to know what they did was sinful in God’s sight. So rather than ignore it through a misguided application of love, Paul confronted them head-on, pointing out the seriousness of the situation. 1 Corinthians 5:1-2, “I can hardly believe the report about the sexual immorality going on among you—something that even pagans don’t do. I am told that a man in your church is living in sin with his stepmother. You are so proud of yourselves, but you should be mourning in sorrow and shame. And you should remove this man from your fellowship”. He continued, “Even though I am not with you in person, I am with you in the Spirit. And as though I were there, I have already passed judgment on this man”. These must have been difficult words to write, but behind them was a feeling on Paul’s part of disappointment that the Corinthian church had come to a point where they had accepted such behaviour. Paul used this situation to expand the scope of what holiness means to a believer. 1 Corinthians 5:11, “I meant that you are not to associate with anyone who claims to be a believer yet indulges in sexual sin, or is greedy, or worships idols, or is abusive, or is a drunkard, or cheats people. Don’t even eat with such people”. In other words, if there is sin in the church, then deal with it, because otherwise the whole congregation would end up on the slippery slope that ends in hell. 

Tough love is a widely used phrase in parenting, but its reach is broader and extends to facets of society both inside and outside the church. What would Jesus think or do? was a phrase widely used in teenager camps, and it is true, because the last thing a believer truly wants is to go against the words and character of Jesus. Tough love started at the point where a person comes to faith in Jesus, and we see the ultimate expression of such love in John 3:16, “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”. God Himself, our loving Heavenly Parent, set forth, through Jesus, the reality of the position He is in when dealing with sinful mankind. He set out a choice between two outcomes: eternal life with Him and eternal life without Him. I can remember being told of a situation where a mother, faced with continuing and unacceptable behaviour from her son, had to say in the end that unless he stopped behaving in the way that he was, then she had to assume he didn’t want to be her son anymore and was no longer welcome in her home. Tough love at a human level, but nothing compared to the ultimate choice offered to mankind.

But tough love for a Christian didn’t end in John 3. Jesus said to the church in Laodicea, “I correct and discipline everyone I love. So be diligent and turn from your indifference” (Revelation 3:19). And the writer of the Hebrews letter wrote, quoting Proverbs, “For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child” (Hebrews 12:6). I suspect all believers, after they have been on their journeys of faith for a while will have experienced God’s discipline in one way or another. To some, it would have been devastating. To others, it would have been ignored. But in the end, discipline, especially from God, is designed to keep a person on the “straight and narrow” path to eternal life. 

Back to my 1970’s song with the chorus line, “I’d rather live in his world than without him in mine”. That ultimately, in a spiritual sense, is the desire of us pilgrims. We willingly accept all of God’s discipline because one day we want to live with Him in His world, Heaven itself. There is no better place to be.

Dear Father God. We know we mess up at times, and ask for Your forgiveness. We ask You today to search our hearts, and point out to us the error of our ways. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Causing Grief

Posted on by korgrocker

“So I decided that I would not bring you grief with another painful visit. For if I cause you grief, who will make me glad? Certainly not someone I have grieved.”
2 Corinthians 2:1-2 NLT

The word “grief” is usually associated with that feeling of intense sorrow at the loss of a loved one after they have died. It is an emotion difficult to describe unless you have already experienced it, but it is accompanied by a range of other emotions that supplement feelings of loss. People often spend their remaining years with a feeling of regret that they didn’t do more for the person who has died, or spend more time with them, even to the point of imagining things that build on feelings of guilt. Some even remember the final days of the relationship as stressful, marked by arguments and the added burden of words later regretted. I can remember a conversation with a church leader who had suddenly lost his wife to an unexpected heart attack, but a few months later, he said his biggest problem was loneliness, a side effect of the grieving process. Spending a lifetime with a spouse is a difficult bond to break, and the only solace a Christian has is the thought that one day they and their fellow believers who have been left behind will be able to meet up with the one who has died. They would also be comforted by the thought that their loved one, assuming they died as a believer, would now be in a better place, free from the sickness and pain that might have blighted their final moments and even years.

Today, however, Paul uses the word “grief” in these initial verses of 2 Corinthians 2, in the sense of trouble or annoyance. Paul had decided that he wouldn’t cause them further difficulties by delivering a rebuke for their behaviour in person, even if it was well deserved. It would be a visit that would otherwise cause pain to both Paul and those believers in his Corinthian church plant who listened to it. Can we let our imaginations run for a moment, as we think of Paul standing before the congregation? There would be a sense of anticipation, perhaps even antagonism, because they would have known from his previous letter that Paul had something to say that they didn’t want to hear. Those, such as the man living with his stepmother and their supporters, if they were still present, would have had a good idea of what was coming. Perhaps others felt resentful about Paul, unsure of his authority. The church leaders would have had a discussion with Paul before the event, which might have added to the stress that was most likely already present. So really, it would have been understandable for Paul to consider that a face-to-face meeting might have been counterproductive, and it would have been better to hand-deliver another letter by men who were prepared to travel to Corinth, who knew Paul and the situation, and who could tailor the message to achieve a better result. 

The problem for Paul concerned church discipline and sinful issues that needed correction. Jesus taught about correcting another believer in Matthew 18, and He laid out a three-stage process that began with a private conversation between the sinner and the one bringing correction. A positive response from the person who had sinned was the best outcome. I wonder if that first step had been tried with the man sleeping with his stepmother? From his first letter, I doubt that this was the case because of the public way it had been raised. Jesus continued with the second stage: “But if you are unsuccessful, take one or two others with you and go back again, so that everything you say may be confirmed by two or three witnesses” (Matthew 18:16). At this point, the one being corrected would hopefully have responded positively, but I suspect if it got to this stage in a church today, the person would have resigned and moved on to save themselves public disgrace. However, Jesus continued to stage three with: “If the person still refuses to listen, take your case to the church. Then if he or she won’t accept the church’s decision, treat that person as a pagan or a corrupt tax collector” (Matthew 18:17). 

Paul didn’t want to be a stage-three apostle, bringing public correction, because it would have created an atmosphere of grief rather than joy. Understandable, of course, but sometimes there has to be pain before gain. Thankfully, today we have the authority of Scripture to help us in our journeys through life, and public denouncement from the pulpit is rare. We live in the Kingdom of God, and the rules concerning behaviour and sin are well established and followed. But there are still young Christians who need guidance and help in their early years. 

Above all the issues raised, however, we pilgrims know our loving Heavenly Father and His grace and forgiveness. We have a personal relationship with Him through prayer, and we have His Word, the Bible, for reference to keep us strong and full of faith. Through our praise and worship, we honour Him in the way that He deserves, and we are full of joy in these last days in the knowledge that soon we will never experience any form of grief ever again.

Dear Father God. Thank You for Paul and his letters and his faithfulness, building on the foundation provided by Your Son, Jesus. We worship You today. Amen.

By Your Own Faith

Posted on by korgrocker

Now I call upon God as my witness that I am telling the truth. The reason I didn’t return to Corinth was to spare you from a severe rebuke. But that does not mean we want to dominate you by telling you how to put your faith into practice. We want to work together with you so you will be full of joy, for it is by your own faith that you stand firm.”
2 Corinthians 1:23-24 NLT

Paul finally explained why he changed his travel plans: he wanted to “spare [the Corinthian believers] from a severe rebuke”. What that was is revealed in 1 Corinthians 2, so more on that later. But Paul had been led by the Holy Spirit to delay his return and instead write another letter, in the hope and expectation that this would be sufficient to resolve the problem. Paul said he wanted to work with the Corinthians so that they would become “full of joy” as their faith was put into practice. 

People can sometimes lack the ability to see a problem in their lives, one that needs to be addressed and resolved. For such people, a gentle hint is sometimes sufficient to correct the situation. But at other times, some form of direct action is necessary, and that was obviously the need in Corinth. The spiritual ears of the believers must have been rather dull or even stopped up for Paul to think it was necessary to deliver a “severe rebuke”. Paul mentioned their faith, and working this out practically in their lives was the route to a life “full of joy”. 

Joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit, and it is only experienced as a believer lives their life God’s way, working in accordance with His will. Joy is a deep, lasting and internal delight rooted in God Himself, rather than through temporary circumstances. It is a spiritual strength that enables believers to remain hopeful and thankful even during difficult times. Unlike happiness, which depends on a person’s circumstances, spiritual joy can be found even in times of suffering. James starts his epistle, “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy” (James 1:2). Joy is found in God’s presence, and that includes our redemption and eternal hope, bolstered by the Holy Spirit who lives with us. Psalm 16:11, “You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever”. Joy comes from a willingness to trust God in all that we are and do, as we are obedient to His ways. Joy also shows the strength we need to keep going, even when times are difficult. Nehemiah 8:10, “And Nehemiah continued, “Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!”

So, it is obvious that a person who has some kind of communication problem with God is behaving in some way that stops the connection. Perhaps unrepentant sin is the problem. Or a person may have abandoned their walk of faith and lapsed into a worldly state, neglecting Bible reading or prayer. There seemed to be a problem in Corinth with the faith of the believers, but that is a foundational part of being a Christian. We remember the Scripture, “And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him” (Hebrews 11:6).

Paul didn’t want to tell the Corinthians how to apply their faith in their daily lives, and neither should a pastor do so today. We believers have to work out how to apply faith in our own lives, or we will miss out on the promises of God. Faith is not an academic thought or something on a Christian’s wishlist. James wrote, “What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? … So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless” (James 2:14, 17).

We pilgrims, though, are faith-filled believers, journeying on as we live out our days in this world, and looking forward to the next. In the process, we please God by applying our faith to everyday events, making a difference as salt and light in our communities.

Dear Heavenly Father. Please forgive us for the times we doubt and lose our faith perspective. Regardless of our circumstances, we turn to You in worship, deeply grateful for all You have done for us. Amen.

United for Christ

Posted on by korgrocker

“It is God who enables us, along with you, to stand firm for Christ. He has commissioned us, and he has identified us as his own by placing the Holy Spirit in our hearts as the first instalment that guarantees everything he has promised us.”
2 Corinthians 1:21-22 NLT
“Now it is God who establishes and confirms us [in joint fellowship] with you in Christ, and who has anointed us [empowering us with the gifts of the Spirit]; it is He who has also put His seal on us [that is, He has appropriated us and certified us as His] and has given us the [Holy] Spirit in our hearts as a pledge [like a security deposit to guarantee the fulfilment of His promise of eternal life].”
2 Corinthians 1:21-22 AMP

Starting with that first Day of Pentecost, all believers in Christ have been rewarded by the gift of the Holy Spirit, who has acted as a “seal”, identifying us as part of God’s family with all the benefits that this brings. This was a reminder from Paul that the Corinthians, to whom the letter was addressed, were no better than he, and he was no better than they. Our second Bible version today highlights this: “in joint fellowship”, because there is nobody who is better than anyone else before God. All believers have been equally anointed, commissioned and sealed with the Holy Spirit. There is a unity here that cuts across denominations and movements. Before God, we are equal, one with another.

It seems impossible that this is the case, because each person is a unique creation, with their own physical and mental attributes, abilities, gifts, and upbringings and developments. Some people rise to high office in governments and companies. Others never progress beyond the shop floor. Some people become preachers; others become missionaries or pastors; others are happy just to sit in a pew. But none of this has anything to do with the central point Paul was making – we are all equally blessed by God to be members of His family. 

“God has given us different gifts
for doing certain things well“

But at this point, it may be appropriate to prick the bubble that’s forming. It is sad that some, perhaps many, Christians do not want to be fully involved as members of God’s family in the way that Paul implied. What does it mean to us individually that we are commissioned in Christ, empowered with the gifts of the Spirit? To some, this is an energising motivation to get more involved in spreading the Gospel, perhaps by becoming a missionary, working for a Christian charity, or simply sharing the wonderful news about Jesus whenever an opportunity arises. There is a man I know who is employed part-time to collect trolleys from the car park at our local supermarket and return them to their designated area just outside the store entrance. But he makes no secret of his faith and shares the Good News whenever he gets the opportunity, stopping people in the car park and even the City Centre High Street to and from work. He chips away at the atheistic and agnostic facades of his fellow workers, totally impervious to what they think of him. But others put evangelism, whatever its form, on the back burner, thinking that such thoughts and desires will have to wait until they have time, perhaps rationalising their thoughts with excuses about their health, busy lives, or a lack of opportunity. But Paul wrote that with the gift of the Holy Spirit came certain responsibilities. Romans 12:6, “In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you”. Paul also wrote, “A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other” (1 Corinthians 12:7). He took it as fact that each believer would receive at least one gift, so the question for each of us pilgrims is this: what is our spiritual gift and are we using it “to help each other”? We can find a list of spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 12, and various helps are available to identify which gifts we possess. But one gift we all have is the ability to share our testimonies with our friends, family and neighbours.

“Now all glory to God“

Jesus commanded us to “love our neighbours and ourselves” and to “make disciples”, and in obedience to Jesus, we can call on the empowering of the Holy Spirit, who resides within each one of us. There are two verses in Ephesians that never fail to intrigue and challenge me. They are, “Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen” (Ephesians 3:20-21). That is some power we have! It’s not weak and feeble, and only selective to whom it is given. We all have the opportunity to call upon it, so why don’t we leverage it to realise great works for God? It’s the sort of question that makes us feel a bit uncomfortable because there are no caveats that release us from the challenge. But in prayer, we ask God for His help in using the gifts He has given us day by day, proactively for Jesus.

Dear Heavenly Father. Please forgive us for our laziness and lethargy. We desire to do Your works as You have asked. For Jesis’ saler. Amen.

Yes and No

Posted on by korgrocker

“You may be asking why I changed my plan. Do you think I make my plans carelessly? Do you think I am like people of the world who say “Yes” when they really mean “No”? As surely as God is faithful, our word to you does not waver between “Yes” and “No.” For Jesus Christ, the Son of God, does not waver between “Yes” and “No.” He is the one whom Silas, Timothy, and I preached to you, and as God’s ultimate “Yes,” he always does what he says. For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for his glory.”
2 Corinthians 1:17-20 NLT

It seems the Corinthians asked Paul why he had planned to visit them, but then changed his mind. Towards the end of his previous letter, Paul wrote, “I am coming to visit you after I have been to Macedonia, for I am planning to travel through Macedonia” (1 Corinthians 16:5). As we know, plans can change, often due to factors outside of our control. Illness, a family bereavement, a cancelled business meeting, or bad weather can force a change of plan. But something similar happened in Paul’s situation, and he couldn’t return to Corinth after all. In 1 Corinthians 16:8-9, we read, “In the meantime, I will be staying here at Ephesus until the Festival of Pentecost. There is a wide-open door for a great work here, although many oppose me”. Perhaps Paul felt that the situation in Ephesus required him to stay longer, and being pulled in two directions caused him considerable pain. But the greater need prevailed in the end, and he stayed in Ephesus.

Paul seemed to be trying to prejudge what the Corinthians thought of his change of plans, writing, “You may be asking why I changed my plan”. Perhaps he had heard that the Corinthians had made grand arrangements to receive him, with accommodation and a series of special meetings organised, so the organisers were a bit upset. In modern times, we might think that Paul had been “no-platformed” because of his belief in Jesus, His death, resurrection and divinity, all events hotly contested by the traditional Jews. But whatever the reason, Paul had to cancel or postpone his original plan to visit his friends in Corinth.

Paul continued by asking the question, “Do you think I am like people of the world who say “Yes” when they really mean “No”?”. That was a problem then, as it is today, because people say what they think others expect them to say, even if they have no intent of carrying through on what they said “Yes” to. So Paul moved quickly to quash that idea. I do not vacillate as the people of the world do, was his response. In his previous letter, Paul genuinely intended to visit Corinth, and it would have upset him to learn later that he couldn’t. But that was not due to any lack of integrity on his part. His “Yes” meant “Yes” and not “Yes” and “No” at the same time. 

Jesus taught about vows, oaths and integrity in His Sermon on the Mount, and we read in Matthew 5:33-34, 37, “You have also heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not break your vows; you must carry out the vows you make to the Lord.’ But I say, do not make any vows! Do not say, ‘By heaven!’ because heaven is God’s throne. … Just say a simple, ‘Yes, I will,’ or ‘No, I won’t.’ Anything beyond this is from the evil one”. Jesus put His divine finger on the problem of human duplicity, and His teaching is as relevant today as it was then. But often we find ourselves under pressure, trying to take the easy way out and saying whatever it takes to extricate ourselves from an otherwise unbearable situation. Imagine the boss at work calling us into his office at 5 pm, and asking us to do something in our leisure time over the weekend. We say “Yes, I’ll do it” to be able to retreat quickly from his office, but then spend the weekend thinking of a reason why we haven’t been able to do it. It would have been far better to talk through the reason with him why weekend working would not be possible, and to say “No, sorry, but I can’t” to his request. Or a relative wants us to visit, but we don’t want to hurt their feelings. So we agree to schedule a visit, effectively saying “Yes, I’ll come to see you”, but then conveniently forget the request and say to ourselves inside, ”No, I can’t at the moment”. The problem is that people tend to take the easy way out and say “Yes” when they really mean “No”. 

“For all of God’s promises
have been fulfilled in Christ
with a resounding “Yes!”

Paul reminded the Corinthians of Jesus’ integrity, because He is the ultimate “Yes” to all of God’s promises. God has given us the gift of eternal life; He hasn’t said “Yes, I’ll do it” when He really meant “No, I won’t”. When God says “Yes”, He means “Yes” and not “No”. Paul was led by God’s “Yes” when he changed his travel plans, because it was for the good of both the Ephesians and the Corinthians, and for Christ’s glory. When we say “Yes” and “No” in true integrity and honesty of heart, God smiles on us. It pleases Him because by doing this, we are behaving in a way that brings glory to His Son, Jesus. What are we pilgrims going to face today? Are we ready to tell the truth, no matter how difficult it might be? Or is there something we said “Yes” to in the past week or so that we haven’t done yet? Hmmm…

Dear Father God. Integrity of heart is what You require, and once again we confess our sins and ask for Your help and forgiveness. Please bring to our remembrance situations that need to be corrected. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

A Blessing

Posted on by korgrocker

“Since I was so sure of your understanding and trust, I wanted to give you a double blessing by visiting you twice— first on my way to Macedonia and again when I returned from Macedonia. Then you could send me on my way to Judea.”
2 Corinthians 1:15-16 NLT

Paul’s plan was to visit the Corinthians on his way to Macedonia and then again on the way back, giving them a “double blessing”, but assuming, of course, that his visits would be welcome. Was Paul assuming a bit too much in his expectations? After all, his first letter was quite confrontative and difficult to accept in places. Through it all, however, Paul’s intentions were the highest for his church plant in Corinth, and he agonised much in his prayers and in writing his letters. Imagine sitting in a pew in the Corinthians assembly, hearing Paul’s first letter being read out, and finding what he was saying quite difficult to accept. Would what he had written encourage us, or would it have been something that we would reject, just because it didn’t suit our particular world view or even preferred behaviour? And then, in meeting Paul face-to-face, how would we respond to him? I’m sure most of the converts there would have welcomed Paul’s words for the clarity and correction they provided, but some would still not have been very happy. What about the man publicly exposed for sleeping with his stepmother? I’m sure he wouldn’t have been very welcoming to Paul, even if his name had been removed from the church membership roll. So perhaps Paul’s expectation of being a “double blessing” might have been a bit presumptuous.

In our pilgrim lives today, are we a blessing to those around us, in our circle of friends and family? Do they welcome us when we call, or do they pretend to be out? It all depends on the relational bridge that we have in place. It is impossible to deliver a message of personal correction to someone we don’t know. We need either a friendship robust enough to survive the confrontation or a shared interest that serves as an external factor we both believe in. For example, a police officer or other government official can correct us when we do something wrong. Another example is a visiting preacher who delivers a hard message from the pulpit, perhaps one that demands personal change away from a sinful lifestyle. But on a one-to-one basis, a friendship is necessary to bring any form of correction. I can remember, as a Christian only a few days old in the faith, when the minister called to start me off on the road of discipleship. I resented him for that because the relational bridge wasn’t there, and anyway, I naively thought, who was he to say these things about getting involved in personal prayer and Bible reading? Thankfully, I persevered, and we became good friends.

The Bible, God’s Word, calls us to be a blessing to those around us. But before we can be that, we need to accept the blessings God provides. Ephesians 1:3 roots God’s blessings in Jesus; “All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ” (Ephesians 1:3). What are these blessings? Well, they are too numerous to count, but Paul listed a few in Ephesians 1. God loves us and adopts us into His own family through Jesus. He has poured out His grace upon us. He is rich in kindness and purchased our freedom through the blood of Jesus, forgiving our sins. He has showered us with wisdom and understanding. And we must not forget that spiritual blessings are gifts from God, and we have to accept them before they can be absorbed into our souls and spirits.

Jesus asked us to bless those who mistreat us. Luke 6:28, “Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you”. Paul wrote, “Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:32). Another analogy aligns our presence as a “sweet perfume”. 2 Corinthians 2:14, “But thank God! He has made us his captives and continues to lead us along in Christ’s triumphal procession. Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume”. We all know the aroma of perfumes, as produced by our cosmetics industries, but what smell do we leave behind us when we pass by? 

As Christians, we have a mission to be a blessing to those around us, but not everyone will accept it. Paul wrote, “To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume. And who is adequate for such a task as this?” (2 Corinthians 2:17). Thankfully, God has equipped us with every spiritual blessing so that we can be His blessing to those around us. Not everyone will accept the blessing, of course, but what can be a greater blessing than the free gift of eternal life? 

Father God. Thank You for all the blessings that You have given us. We open our hands today and receive them gratefully. Amen.

On That Day

Posted on by korgrocker

“We can say with confidence and a clear conscience that we have lived with a God-given holiness and sincerity in all our dealings. We have depended on God’s grace, not on our own human wisdom. That is how we have conducted ourselves before the world, and especially toward you. Our letters have been straightforward, and there is nothing written between the lines and nothing you can’t understand. I hope someday you will fully understand us, even if you don’t understand us now. Then on the day when the Lord Jesus returns, you will be proud of us in the same way we are proud of you.”
2 Corinthians 1:12-14 NLT

The early church lived their lives anticipating that Jesus’s return to this world was imminent. So Paul wrote “on the day when the Lord Jesus returns” in an almost matter-of-fact way, much as we would say “we’ll pay you a visit when we get back from the shops”. Of course, Paul’s generation didn’t know when that would be, but they lived their lives as though it were coming tomorrow. There was a headline in one of the papers this morning in bold and large print, “WORLD ON THE BRINK”, and it went on to provide a list of jingoistic statements being made by various world leaders, the gist including what Jesus spoke about in Matthew 24:6: “And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately”. But those last few words are of bittersweet comfort to us pilgrims. We want Jesus to come back, and it is good to know that we are a few steps nearer than Paul was, but wars are terrible, and we look on at the situation beyond Eastern Europe’s borders and feel the pain of the people on both sides and pray for them.

We know more about what is to come than Paul did. Paul wrote this letter to the Corinthians about 55AD, but the Gospel of Matthew wasn’t written until after 70AD, and Revelation wasn’t written until about 95AD. However, Paul would have known some of what was to come and yet still believed that Jesus was returning in his lifetime. One statement Jesus made was quite revealing: “And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14). We can see this possibly happening in the next few decades, or even sooner, as Bible translation projects continue to bear fruit. 

Paul hoped the Corinthians would come to realise the truth contained in his letter, to the point that they would feel proud of his achievements, and that Paul would feel equally proud of theirs. Paul said he wrote this letter with integrity and without any duplicity or “between the lines” innuendo, and he hoped that one day the Corinthians would fully understand the truth of this. It must have been painful to Paul, as it would be to anyone in his shoes, to hear that the believers in Corinth were unsure of the contents of Paul’s letters, as he painfully tried to find the words to keep their faith pure and holy in a world of false prophets and much potential error. But to Paul, the time was short because, on a day soon, the Lord Jesus would be there, calling His people to account.

The issue for us pilgrims remains: are we prepared for the return of Jesus at any time soon? If He returned to this world tomorrow, are our spiritual affairs in order? In a sense, events might happen that propel us to the Pearly Gates before we expect them, because no one knows the time or place when we will die. We, of course, live our lives without such a thought, but are we ready just in case? The early church was always in a state of readiness, and so should we be. In the following chapter in Matthew, Jesus told a parable. It was about ten bridesmaids, five of whom were prepared, but the other five weren’t. The hapless five tried, too late, to do what was required to gain entry to the Wedding Feast, and they cried out in despair, “… Lord! Lord! Open the door for us!” But the bridegroom responded, ” … Believe me, I don’t know you!” (Matthew 25:11b-12). And then Jesus concluded the parable with, “So you, too, must keep watch! For you do not know the day or hour of my return” (Matthew 25:13). Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 5:2-3, “For you know quite well that the day of the Lord’s return will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night. When people are saying, “Everything is peaceful and secure,” then disaster will fall on them as suddenly as a pregnant woman’s labour pains begin. And there will be no escape“. Paul’s final advice can’t be bettered. He wrote, “So be on your guard, not asleep like the others. Stay alert and be clearheaded” (1 Thessalonians 5:6).

We pilgrims are very much awake, I’m sure, with our escape kit ready and waiting for the big day when we greet the Lord Himself. Remember the old Gaither song, “What a day”? Here are the lyrics to sing us out into the new day.

What a day that will be,
When my Jesus I shall see,
And I look upon His face,
The One who saved me by His grace;
When He takes me by the hand,
And leads me through the Promised Land,
What a day, glorious day that will be.

Dear Father God. That will indeed be a glorious day when we see Your Son Jesus in Heaven. With deep thanks, we worship You today. Amen.

A Clear Conscience

Posted on by korgrocker

“We can say with confidence and a clear conscience that we have lived with a God-given holiness and sincerity in all our dealings. We have depended on God’s grace, not on our own human wisdom. That is how we have conducted ourselves before the world, and especially toward you. Our letters have been straightforward, and there is nothing written between the lines and nothing you can’t understand. I hope someday you will fully understand us, even if you don’t understand us now. Then on the day when the Lord Jesus returns, you will be proud of us in the same way we are proud of you.”
2 Corinthians 1:12-14 NLT

Can we say, as Paul did, that our consciences are clear? He wrote he had “lived with a God-given holiness and sincerity in all [his] dealings”. Quite a claim and one that confirmed God’s grace and his confidence in God, in everything that he did. I read something the other day: “no matter how often we sin, God will forgive us through the blood of His Son, Jesus”. But believing this is a subtle way of behaving in the same way as the Romans, and Paul berated them for assuming that they could continue to live a sinful life, as we read in Romans 6:1-2; “Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it?” The writer of the Hebrews letter put things even more forcefully in Hebrews 10:26-27, “Dear friends, if we deliberately continue sinning after we have received knowledge of the truth, there is no longer any sacrifice that will cover these sins. There is only the terrible expectation of God’s judgment and the raging fire that will consume his enemies”. 

But was Paul’s claim just focused on his dealings with the Corinthians? When we read his first letter to them, Paul was certainly very confrontational at times, and it may have been that some in Corinth were challenging or disputing his credentials and behaviour as an Apostle. In that context, Paul claimed that his conscience was clear because of his integrity, honesty, holiness, and sincerity. But as we pause for a moment, fast-forwarding to today, is such a claim present when we deal with other people? Do we tell lies to save our skins, or do we tell the truth and face the consequences? In our societies today, integrity and honesty are qualities of character not often seen in our political leaders, our bosses at work, or, sadly, sometimes even in our churches. Or even more sadly, in our own lives.

Paul mentioned that he had put aside human wisdom, replacing it with God’s grace. There is a principle here that every Christian would do well to follow. How often is it that we launch into a course of action, something that seems right to us, and before we know it, we are having to dig ourselves out of a hole in a way that violates our integrity and honesty? It is far better to wait and seek God in these situations, as doing so will help us avoid unintended consequences.  This is nothing new: Proverbs 14:12, “There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death”.   People can easily deceive themselves into believing something is right, even if it contradicts God’s will or leads to negative consequences. The problem is that something that starts with human-centred wisdom, which can seem appealing at the time, ultimately violates God’s divine perspective. 

“Search me, O God, and know my heart“

So how can we ensure that we pilgrims live with a clear conscience? A “clear conscience” isn’t about being perfect; it’s about living honestly before God and others, staying aligned with what we know to be right, and dealing promptly with anything that disrupts that alignment. We do this by taking time to reflect on our thoughts, actions, and motives. Our goal isn’t to look for guilty feelings but to be honestly aware of our thoughts and actions. Perhaps we could use moments of quiet prayer to ask if we have ignored something that we know we should have done. Or in our interactions with others, have we acted in love, or have we wronged anyone? If our consciences are pricking us, then we can bring the issue to God. Confession isn’t about informing God—He already knows—but about aligning oneself with truth. Repentance means turning away from what we have done wrong and turning toward what is right. The Psalmist David wrote, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life” (Psalm 139:23-24).

” Christ … is at the right hand of God and is … interceding for us“

To ensure that we have a “clear conscience” there are other things that we must do, such as putting things right with those we have wronged. We must stay close to God in prayer and by reading His Word, the Bible. In faith, we believe that the Holy Spirit guides believers, nudging them away from harmful choices, and strengthening them to do what’s right. A clear conscience grows from staying attentive to that inner prompting. Lastly we must avoid being too hard on ourselves. Many people are walking aroud with a sort of false guilt, still feeling guilty about things that were confessed to God and forgiven some time ago. In times of attack we also remember what Paul wrote in Romans 8:34, “Who then is the one who condemns? No-one. Christ Jesus who died – more than that, who was raised to life – is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us”. We pilgrims are children of a wonderful loving Heavenly Father, who is for us not against us.

Dear Heavenly Father. We love You and worship You today. We thank You that You forgive us for our wickedness and will never again remember our sins. Thank You Amen.

Confidence

Posted on by korgrocker

“In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead. And he did rescue us from mortal danger, and he will rescue us again. We have placed our confidence in him, and he will continue to rescue us. And you are helping us by praying for us. Then many people will give thanks because God has graciously answered so many prayers for our safety.”
2 Corinthians 1:9-11 NLT

Where, or in whom, do we place our confidence? Paul and his fellow missionaries went through a situation in Asia that brought them close to death, and from what he wrote, there was nothing that they could have done about it. Paul found that the only place they could be confident was in God, and God came through for them, rescuing them from mortal danger. In our Western societies, much is made of self-confidence. It seems to me, as I look around in public places, that younger people, particularly those born around the Millennium, are so full of confidence. And yet, to counter that, there is so much said about mental illness in this demographic. Is it possible that the majority of our younger people are placing their confidence in the wrong place? Come to that, this is not just a question for the young: it also applies to older generations. 

Most people today will never experience a life-threatening situation like Paul’s, but on occasion, we hear tales of people who cried out to God in terrible circumstances, with no one else to turn to. They didn’t spend the time of day with him at any other time, but to so many, God is the last resort when all else has failed. Inbuilt within people is the vague knowledge that there is a God, but He never appears in their thinking when things are going their way. Paul, in his letter to the Philippians, wrote, “For we who worship by the Spirit of God are the ones who are truly circumcised. We rely on what Christ Jesus has done for us. We put no confidence in human effort” (Philippians 3:3). “Human effort” is translated elsewhere as the flesh, that part of our beings that it is not a good idea to put our confidence in. Accompanying that is the confidence that people put in their qualifications, their jobs, their upbringing, and their genes. But to put our confidence in our human nature is to believe a lie, because we are totally incapable of fixing all the adversities that come our way.  I remember that some years ago, at a company where I worked, a particularly high-flying young manager aggressively chased promotions, upsetting and trampling on people in the process. He was particularly self-confident in his abilities and rose to a very senior position in his career very quickly. But he had a hobby that was potentially dangerous, and one day his parachute failed to open, and he fell to his death. A sad day for his wife and young family, but his self-confidence was of no help to him during his final moments. 

There is much good advice about where our confidence should lie in the Bible. For example, Psalm 118:8, “It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man”. The next verse is similar: “It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes”. Another place where confidence would be misplaced is in the “princes“, politicians in government and others in authority. Our princes of power are not known for their sensible and Godly decision-making; instead, they are more likely to let us down when life becomes difficult. But to trust in God is the ultimate security, as Paul and his companions found out. Only God can rescue us from adversity, and as we go through our lives trusting in Him with our life decisions, He will keep us on the right path. Through our faith in Jesus, we are children of God, and, as the writer to the Hebrews said, “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need”. 

In our lives, there will be occasions when we make poor decisions, and God will not necessarily protect us from the consequences. For example, a thief who has been caught stealing from a shop will have to face the consequences of his actions, no matter how many times he calls out to God for help. But God’s grace is there for the thief, as one found out in the final hours of his life spent on a Roman cross. God will accept any person’s repentance and cleanse them from all sin.

So we, pilgrims, place our confidence in God and His Word. Biblical self-confidence is confidence in God’s Word and His character. We put no confidence in our flesh, but we have every confidence in the God who made us, called us, saved us and keeps us.

Dear Father God. We can come into Your presence, graced with the robe of Jesus’ righteousness. We thank You for Your Son Jesus and all that he did for us two thousand years ago. Amen.

Paul in Trouble

Posted on by korgrocker

“We are confident that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in the comfort God gives us. We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead.”
2 Corinthians 1:7-9 NLT

Paul and his companions seemed to be in trouble. In fact, the trouble was so devastating that they thought they “would never live through it”, and they “expected to die”. We don’t know what this trouble was, but in other Biblical accounts, we can find out the extent of Paul’s sufferings. 2 Corinthians 11:23b starts the list, “ …I have worked harder, been put in prison more often, been whipped times without number, and faced death again and again”. Why did Paul do it? Whereas today a preacher of the Gospel in the UK can expect to do so without fear of reprisal, it hasn’t always been so, and in some parts of the world, a missionary would be treated in the same way as Paul was. There is something about the Gospel that introduces a dichotomy into society, separating people into those who support the things of God and those who don’t. And the schism can become violent, on occasion. But sadly, the majority sit between the two extremes: people who are disinterested and uninvolved. Jesus had something to say that applies to this majority as well as the Laodiceans to whom it was addressed, “I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!” (Revelation 3:15-16). 

For people with strong opinions on anything, there are always consequences, and that was true in Paul’s day as well as in 21st-century Britain, and the USA, from all accounts. Lifting our heads over the parapets of societal norms can put such people in the firing line for legal action or fear of arrest. Public preachers of the Gospel in the streets of our towns and cities are at the mercy of malicious accusations, and if they try to talk about Jesus near an abortion clinic, then they risk arrest for breaking a law designed to quash what should come under the heading of “free speech”. But the worst that can be expected is arrest, a court appearance, and a fine. Not so, however, in Paul’s day, where summary “justice” was the norm, with public whippings and beatings designed to keep order in a fractious society. 

But in all this, Paul never stopped trying to convince people of the truth about Jesus and all that He had done for human beings. Personal danger was something he ignored. But Paul put his finger on an important factor in all this: the need to rely on God. The threat of death was no barrier to Paul because his faith in God was unshakeable: God can raise the dead. Having experienced so much, Paul was uniquely positioned to help those facing the same persecution that he was. Paul’s suffering was so severe that it brought him and his companions to the end of themselves. They were helpless and forced to put all their hope in God. Suffering can do the same for any believer, removing whatever we falsely hope in and landing all our hope in the powerful God we trust. Earlier in 2 Corinthians, Paul wrote, “Even when we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation! For when we ourselves are comforted, we will certainly comfort you. Then you can patiently endure the same things we suffer” (2 Corinthians 1:6). Paul wrote this to the Philippians while chained to soldiers in a Roman prison cell: “For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him. We are in this struggle together. You have seen my struggle in the past, and you know that I am still in the midst of it” (Philippians 1:29-30). 

“Preach the Gospel and if necessary use words.”
St Francis of Assisi

There is a cost to being a Christian. Jesus never wanted us to sit in a pew and be a passive Christian, never interacting with others in society. In my morning prayer walks and at other times whenever I can, I try to invade people’s personal space as inoffensively as possible because the message I have to share is too important to consider individual sensitivities. I may be rejected, but I always hope to plant a Gospel-seed that will ultimately lead to eternal life. A frosty reception sometimes needs to be endured for the sake of Jesus. Of course, not everyone has the opportunity to share their faith in this way, but we do what we can as the Holy Spirit leads. But whatever we do, I hope we never get into the trouble that Paul did.

Dear Lord Jesus. You commissioned us to make disciples wherever we are in this world. Please lead us and guide us through Your Spirit, so that we can introduce You and Your saving grace whenever possible. In Your precious name. Amen.