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Stand Firm in the Faith

Posted on by korgrocker

“Don’t let anyone treat him with contempt. Send him on his way with your blessing when he returns to me. I expect him to come with the other believers. Now about our brother Apollos—I urged him to visit you with the other believers, but he was not willing to go right now. He will see you later when he has the opportunity. Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. And do everything with love.”
1 Corinthians 16:11-14 NLT

I wonder why Apollos really didn’t want to go to Corinth? Apollos was involved from time to time in the ministry in Corinth, as Paul mentioned in 1 Corinthians 3:5-6,  “After all, who is Apollos? Who is Paul? We are only God’s servants through whom you believed the Good News. Each of us did the work the Lord gave us. I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow”. Previously we know that Apollos arrived in Achaia (a region in Greece that included Corinth) from Acts 18:24, 27,  “Meanwhile, a Jew named Apollos, an eloquent speaker who knew the Scriptures well, had arrived in Ephesus from Alexandria in Egypt. … Apollos had been thinking about going to Achaia, and the brothers and sisters in Ephesus encouraged him to go. They wrote to the believers in Achaia, asking them to welcome him. When he arrived there, he proved to be of great benefit to those who, by God’s grace, had believed”. So I think we can assume that Apollos was very effective in Corinth, building on the Gospel foundation Paul had laid. Perhaps Apollos was genuinely too busy, or genuinely didn’t have the opportunity to join Timothy’s party of believers who travelled to Corinth from Ephesus. Or perhaps he was worried about the reception that might await him in Corinth. Wisdom was to wait and see whether Paul’s letter would resolve the difficulties there.

But Paul moved on to encourage the Corinthians to “be on guard”. He knew better than most of the devil’s attempts to destroy and disrupt the growing churches around the Eastern Mediterranean. Personally, he suffered much from abuse directed at him for nothing more than sharing the Good News about Jesus, and he wanted the early believers to be aware of the dangers. Earlier in 1 Corinthians, Paul detailed some of the hardships that he had been experiencing. “Our dedication to Christ makes us look like fools, but you claim to be so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are so powerful! You are honoured, but we are ridiculed. Even now we go hungry and thirsty, and we don’t have enough clothes to keep warm. We are often beaten and have no home” (1 Corinthians 4:10-11). So Paul personally had to “be on guard” through everything he encountered.

But what does “be[ing] on guard” mean for us pilgrims? It means being proactive in protecting one’s heart, mind, and soul from things that could damage our relationship with God. There’s a great Proverb: “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life” (Proverbs 4:23), which is a warning we would do well to take note of. But we mustn’t just wait until we are overwhelmed by a heart-harming event. We must be diligent and stop it from happening in the first place. Take, for example, a film on TV that our sinful mind wants us to watch, but our spiritual mind tells us we must avoid it. Two scenarios can develop from this tussle within. One is to be obedient to our flesh, and the other is to obey our spirit. Before the wrong option has had a chance to assert itself and destroy our relationship with God, a heart-guarding choice will maintain its integrity. If we allow our hearts to be polluted by sin and allow it to take root, then our words and actions will be infected. Being on guard means we behave as a “gatekeeper,” filtering out harmful items before they can destroy us.

Peter warned believers about the devil’s role in all of this. 1 Peter 5:8, “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour”. The next verse commences, “Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. …”. Similarly, Paul wrote to Timothy, “Through the power of the Holy Spirit who lives within us, carefully guard the precious truth that has been entrusted to you” (2 Timothy 1:14). Note that the time-honoured excuse “the devil made me do it” has no validity for a believer in Christ, infilled, as he or she is, with the Power of the Holy Spirit. Remember the verse, “But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world” (1 John 4:4)? 

There is one other thought that must inhabit a believer’s mind, and that is moral readiness. It’s the idea of living in such a way that if Jesus were to return at this very moment, we wouldn’t be ashamed of what we were doing. We don’t know when Jesus will return to this planet, but we must “be on guard” just in case His time has come. Is the angel already in the process of placing the last trumpet to his lips? A scary thought, particularly if Jesus finds us in the middle of a sinful action. So we pilgrims diligently refuse to lower our guards and let the enemy land a blow.

Dear Father God. Thank You for Your power and grace, providing all the resources we need for a victorious life. And once again. We pray, “Come Lord Jesus”. Amen.

Timothy Intimidated

Posted on by korgrocker

“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. When Timothy comes, don’t intimidate him. He is doing the Lord’s work, just as I am. Don’t let anyone treat him with contempt. Send him on his way with your blessing when he returns to me. I expect him to come with the other believers.”
1 Corinthians 16:8-11 NLT

Paul met Timothy in Lystra during Paul’s second missionary journey. Timothy became Paul’s protege and eventually the pastor of the Ephesian church. His name appeared in 1 Corinthians 4:17, “That’s why I have sent Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord. He will remind you of how I follow Christ Jesus, just as I teach in all the churches wherever I go”, so perhaps Timothy was the bearer of this letter from Paul. But as we review the previous fifteen chapters of this epistle, we can see that it was not going to be well-received by the Corinthians. So perhaps Timothy, as the messenger, would potentially be under fire for its contents. But would the believers in Corinth have intimidated him? This letter addressed several problems in the church, and not all the believers would have appreciated its message. There were the problems of the different factions, jealousy and quarrels. A man was living in sin with his stepmother, lawsuits were going on between church members, and Paul addressed issues with sexual immorality. Rules and suggestions about marriage were included, as well as how to deal with foods offered to idols. Paul didn’t hold back from confronting the Corinthian church’s problems, because he had a sincere love for the people there and wanted their highest good for lives lived God’s way. But inevitably, there were believers in Corinth who would not have liked the contents of Paul’s letter and would have been perhaps a little unfriendly to Timothy. We don’t know how long Timothy stayed in Corinth, but Paul instructed the believers there to treat him well. After all, Paul said, “He is doing the Lord’s work”. 

Paul wrote two letters to Timothy while he was ministering elsewhere, probably in Ephesus. In 1 Timothy 1:18, Paul wrote, “Timothy, my son, here are my instructions for you, based on the prophetic words spoken about you earlier. May they help you fight well in the Lord’s battles”. We’re very grateful for Timothy and his inexperience because Paul’s instructions had the benefit of providing much New Testament theology. There were no Bible Colleges in those days, with exams that had to be passed before someone could be considered for a ministerial vacancy. It was very much on-the-job training, with leaders emerging with reliance on the Holy Spirit and the Jewish Bible for guidance. And Paul faithfully encouraged and taught Timothy so that he followed the right paths.

In our churches today, do we feel intimidated by someone around us who perhaps has a better knowledge of the Bible than we do? Or is there someone who can pray so much more eloquently than we can? Is there someone who seems to have their life very much intact and coherent, while we seem to jump from one crisis to another? Do we feel discouraged when the pastor appears to preach about an issue we are battling with, leaving us squirming in our seats? At such times, there is one precious place where we must turn to – God’s presence. What does God think of us? Isaiah wrote, “But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you. O Israel, the one who formed you says, “Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. … Others were given in exchange for you. I traded their lives for yours because you are precious to me. You are honoured, and I love you” (Isaiah 43:1, 4). Instead of the names “Jacob” and “Israel”, we must put in our own names, and then read and re-read these verses. At a time when we might feel intimidated, we remember what God has said about us. As His children, we are each precious members of His family. He knows us personally by name, in fact, so intimately that God said, “See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands ...” (Isaiah 49:16a). And then there is the ultimate security, because our names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. 

We pilgrims must never be intimidated by those around us. Instead, we must carry on with our journey through life, doing the Lord’s work as he has asked. After all, we only have to look up and see Jesus, and then all else becomes largely irrelevant. Timothy wasn’t intimidated, I’m sure, because soon after he delivered the letter, he was on the journey back to be with Paul. Job done. Message delivered. Intimidated no more.

Dear Father God. Thank You for Your love and kindness, for Your encouragement and grace. Please help us in our life journeys so that one day we will be in Your presence forever. In Jesus’ name. Amen. 

Embracing the Open Door: Paul’s Call to Evangelism

Posted on by korgrocker

“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. When Timothy comes, don’t intimidate him. He is doing the Lord’s work, just as I am. Don’t let anyone treat him with contempt. Send him on his way with your blessing when he returns to me. I expect him to come with the other believers.”
1 Corinthians 16:8-11 NLT

Paul was staying in Ephesus when he wrote 1 Corinthians, and a substantial distance of over 500 kilometres across the Aegean Sea separated the two congregations. Without a postal system, Paul would have relied on a merchant or some other traveller to transport the letter. But Paul was apparently reluctant to leave Ephesus at that time because there was a “wide-open door for a great work” in that city. We note that this “great work” was not easy for Paul because many opposed him. But that was never going to stop Paul from doing the Lord’s work, no matter the consequences. We can read about one of the dangers Paul faced in Acts 19, when the silversmiths in Ephesus started a riot because they feared their business would suffer from Paul’s evangelism. There was fierce opposition to the Good News about Jesus in those days, as the devil tried desperately to stop his worldly kingdom from being eroded.

If we fast-forward to today, to our 21st-century Western societies, we find a distinct lack of emotion expressed toward the Gospel. But resistance to the things of God is still here in the UK, as we are increasingly finding out that British Christians are being persecuted for “crimes” such as silent prayer and, as a recent case exposed, for preaching the Gospel from John 3:16, both within the abortion clinic buffer zones that have been established in this country. Sadly, we have had a series of governments that have passed laws that go against Biblical truth, and even more sadly, Christians here have let it happen. 

“The harvest is great”

But as we look around our cities, villages and towns, what do we see? Churches with dwindling congregations? Worldliness abounding through a plethora of betting shops and drinking houses? People pursuing hedonistic activities but neglecting their souls? I’m sure Paul looked around Ephesus and observed much the same, because human nature hasn’t changed much over the times in between. But rather than view what was happening as a negative, Paul instead considered the opportunities for preaching the Gospel, describing the city of Ephesus as a “wide-open door”. Jesus looked around at the people in Galilee and saw an opportunity. We read in Matthew 9:36-38,  “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields””. When Jesus was in Samaria, He felt the same way, and He said to His disciples, “You know the saying, ‘Four months between planting and harvest.’ But I say, wake up and look around. The fields are already ripe for harvest”. So, the problem with reaching our societies for Christ might not lie so much with the message as with the lack of people preaching it. So, as we look at the people around us, what do we see? A mission field just waiting for someone to bring in a harvest of souls, or a place of barrenness incapable of producing any fruit?

“The Lord opened her heart”

Even Christians will discourage their fellow believers from reaching out to those around them. There are many excuses offered, and I was recently told by a minister’s wife that there is little point in reaching out to strangers during my morning walks because evangelism is only really effective with people we already know. But such thoughts didn’t stop Paul, and they won’t stop me either. We read about Paul and Silas’ visit to Philippi in Acts 16:13-14, “On the Sabbath we went a little way outside the city to a riverbank, where we thought people would be meeting for prayer, and we sat down to speak with some women who had gathered there. One of them was Lydia from Thyatira, a merchant of expensive purple cloth, who worshipped God. As she listened to us, the Lord opened her heart, and she accepted what Paul was saying”. God went before Paul and prepared the way. And He will do the same for us, as we commit our ways to Him.

Today, we must always be prepared to share the Gospel and our testimonies. The “wide-open door” is still there, and God is still in the business of preparing the way. How prepared are we, though? What stops us from reaching out to people? Fear of what they might say? Fear of rejection? Paul experienced all of this and worse. Yes, we will experience knockbacks, but even in contact with others, we might just plant a seed that will grow over time into someone finally accepting Jesus for themselves. So today, we must look at the day ahead and commit it to God, asking Him to show us who He wants us to share Jesus with. 

Dear Father God. There are many people around us who, in their spirits, desperately need to hear about You and Your saving grace. Please go before us, preparing the way, and please give us the courage we need to share Your Good News. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Making Plans

Posted on by korgrocker

“I am coming to visit you after I have been to Macedonia, for I am planning to travel through Macedonia. Perhaps I will stay awhile with you, possibly all winter, and then you can send me on my way to my next destination. This time I don’t want to make just a short visit and then go right on. I want to come and stay awhile, if the Lord will let me. 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.”
1 Corinthians 16:5-9 NLT

I’m writing this on the last day of 2025, although it will be a few days yet before my readers read it. Paul wrote about the plans he was making. He was totally committed to his work for the Lord, undertaking one missionary journey after another, making converts and establishing churches. He reminded the Corinthians, “For I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified” (1 Corinthians 2-2:). A great place to start if evangelism is attempted. But as we know, we have a sceptical world around us who are like the people in 1 Corinthians 1:23, “So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense”. But that didn’t stop Paul from making plans because he saw the world around him as fields ripe for harvest. Then, as now, many people need to hear the Good News about Jesus, because they are depressed and weary from the constant bad news peddled by the media. Many people struggle to live the life they have found themselves in, facing issues such as illness, cost-of-living pressures, and poor-quality housing, among others. But the biggest issue people face is a lack of hope. Hope for the future. Hope for their family. In fact, I recently spoke with a lady whose children had decided not to have children themselves because they didn’t want to burden them with a life in the bad and sad world in which we live. So there is an increasing sense that living is pointless and to be endured, not enjoyed. But this is not what God intended when He created mankind.

What plans can we make to share the Good News with those around us in our neighbourhoods, communities and families? What about our workplaces or social clubs? Schools or colleges? Paul didn’t care about what people thought of him because he had his mind fixed on the goal of the Heavenly prize. Philippians 3:12b-14, “ … But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us”. Such motivation could only empower the plans Paul was making. But reading these verses begs the question: what plans are we making? What is the goal we are striving to reach? Are we actively trying to achieve it, or are we just warming a pew, waiting for the day when we die?

We pilgrims also have the opportunity to make plans for our families. We may be parents or grandparents, but we must make plans to nurture the younger members of our families so they grow up knowing God. We may not always express words, but they will look closely at how we live our lives. Referring to what the Lord had done for them, Moses instructed the Israelites, “But watch out! Be careful never to forget what you yourself have seen. Do not let these memories escape from your mind as long as you live! And be sure to pass them on to your children and grandchildren” (Deuteronomy 4:9). We have a testimony about which we must never be shy of sharing with others in our families. 

We pilgrims also have the opportunity to make plans for our churches and fellowships. There is always the tendency to allow others to do the work necessary in a church, practical things like cleaning and serving. We must ask God to show us the plans He wants us to make so that we can live a church life, “loving our neighbours as ourselves”. And then those of us still in employment can make plans to help and encourage our fellow workers, showing them the practical side of Christianity so that perhaps one day they will ask us how they too can be saved. 

“Speak Lord, Your servant is listening”

In the year before us, what plans can we make for Jesus? Worth a prayer of two? But more than that, in response to our prayers, God might ask us to do something outrageous as He did to Ananias, when He told him to go and pray for Saul after his Damascus Road encounter with Jesus. We also need to have the same attitude as Samuel. Remember the story, “And the Lord came and called as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel replied, “Speak, your servant is listening”” (1 Samuel 3:10). When we pray for God to help us in our plans, we need to listen. And God, seeing a heart willing to serve, will bless us richly with an answer. 

Dear Father God, we pray today for Your input into our plans. Please lead us in this next season in our lives, because, regardless of our ages, You have work for us to do. May the year before us be filled with Your blessings in all that we do. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Church and Money

Posted on by korgrocker

“Now regarding your question about the money being collected for God’s people in Jerusalem. You should follow the same procedure I gave to the churches in Galatia. On the first day of each week, you should each put aside a portion of the money you have earned. Don’t wait until I get there and then try to collect it all at once. When I come, I will write letters of recommendation for the messengers you choose to deliver your gift to Jerusalem. And if it seems appropriate for me to go along, they can travel with me.”
1 Corinthians 16:1-4 NLT

In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul has covered a lot of ground, much of it apparently in response to a letter the Corinthians had written to him. As we turn the page into the last chapter, Paul addresses their practical question about how to collect money “for God’s people in Jerusalem”. What he suggested has become the norm in Christian churches. “On the first day of each week,” money was to be collected from the congregation and used as the Holy Spirit leads. For us pilgrims, the week starts on a Sunday, with corporate and public worship meetings held in churches, community centres, schools, wherever a room is available. Such gatherings even take place in people’s homes, if the numbers are small. But an important part of worship is taking a collection, in which every person present gives money for the work of the church. Of course, in today’s internet age, many give online by scanning a QR code or similar, or through the banking system with standing orders, but the same principle remains. 

Paul wrote this letter to the Corinthians in about 55 AD, during the period before the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD. In the middle of all the political unrest, the Christians in Jerusalem were going through a terrible time of persecution and were desperately in need of help with their poverty. As we read in Acts 12, the Apostle James was martyred, and Herod Agrippa went on to imprison Peter, intending to put him on trial. Christians were not at all popular with the Jews in those days, and the Judean Christians were not the only believers suffering persecution. In his first letter to the Thessalonians, Paul acknowledged how much they, too, were suffering. 1 Thessalonians 2:14, “And then, dear brothers and sisters, you suffered persecution from your own countrymen. In this way, you imitated the believers in God’s churches in Judea who, because of their belief in Christ Jesus, suffered from their own people, the Jews”. By contributing from their resources, the believers in Corinth were able to help other believers who were in need, but there was a spin-off benefit that was important. The Corinthians were mostly Gentiles not of Jewish ancestry, and it provided for them the opportunity to heal any rifts that had developed between Jews and Gentiles. It also established the principle of unity between Christian churches, wherever they were, and regardless of the ethnicity of their congregants.

Today, we collect money from our congregations and use it for God’s work as well as for practical requirements, such as the upkeep of the church building or renting alternative space. Then we have the church leaders to provide for. Some churches struggle to do even that because of their numbers, but others have a surplus and can budget to use it to support evangelical work, missionaries, food banks, and other philanthropic work as God leads. Paul suggested that the believers “should each put aside a portion of the money [they] have earned”. How much that should be is often debated, with some proposing ten per cent of earnings, others suggesting different amounts. But whatever decision is reached, it should be between the believer and God, who sees what is going on inside a person and in their bank accounts. 

A Christian is a believer who obeys the Lord, who follows Him and His teachings, and who is a citizen of the Kingdom of God. Such a life is very different from that of unbelievers, and there will be sacrifices accordingly. We pilgrims devote our time and resources to God, because we love Him and want to please Him in all that we do. There is a principle of sowing and reaping that applies in God’s economy, and the agricultural analogy covers many aspects of a believer’s life. Money, time, our behaviour, hospitality, and so on. The principle means that if we sow sparingly in any of these areas, then the harvest that we reap, will be equally sparse. Galatians 6:7, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows“. Jesus Himself taught, “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you”.

In these verses today, Paul wasn’t suggesting that the Corinthians believers were a bit stingey with their money. Rather, Paul was suggesting a way to budget their giving so there wasn’t a problem with collecting it all at once. Good practical advice and one that has followed him into the twenty-first century.

Dear Father God. Thank You for the resources You have given us, and for helping us to use them wisely. Amen.

Working for the Lord

Posted on by korgrocker

So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.”
1 Corinthians 15:58 NLT

Paul finally winds up the long chapter of 12 Corinthians 15 with an exhortation in three parts: “be strong”, “[be] immovable”, and “always work enthusiastically for the Lord”. We need to dig a bit deeper to understand what Paul was saying, however. 

To be strong isn’t encouragement to continue our gym membership and to persevere in building up our natural bodies. There is nothing of eternal value in that. One scripture that comes to mind was the time after Moses died, and the Lord spoke directly to Joshua, his successor. Joshua 1 commences with God telling Joshua about all the land that the Israelites were going to possess, and He continues with “be strong and courageous” in verse 6, followed by “be strong and very courageous” in verse 7. But in the pursuit of strength and courage, God made the first priority clear to Joshua. It wasn’t to make sure all the swords had been sharpened, or to ensure that the Israelites had been properly trained. It was “ … Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do” (Joshua 1:7-8). God told Joshua that if he and the people kept their eyes firmly on Him and were obedient to all that He had told them, then they would be successful in their campaign to possess the Promised Land. The next verse sums this up, “This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9).

To be immovable is a rare quality in today’s world. Hardly a day goes by without some new teaching or new ideology emerging from society’s cesspit of secular, devil-inspired thinking. Our politicians seem to have abandoned the Bible-inspired morality that has founded our nation, and people everywhere have ended up like a ship without a rudder, blown this way and that by the winds of adversity and ideologies, choosing lifestyles and worldviews that match exactly the last words of the Book of Judges, “ … all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes”. But what was Paul referring to with his exhortation to be immovable? We have a Rock on which we stand while the ungodly around us stagger in a bog and fog of confusion, worldliness and sin. Evil pushes otherwise good people around, and they lose their way, ending their lives as confused as when they started. If only the ungodly in our society would turn to God and follow His ways, then the fog would clear, and they would find themselves safe and secure in God’s hands. To be immovable means to follow what God said to Joshua, “Study this Book of Instruction continually”. Soaking our minds and hearts in God’s Word and living them out, even while the storms of life are raging around us, will result in us pilgrims becoming immovable. When some new ideology or societal trend emerges, we can turn to God’s Word and find the Rock on which we can stand. We can be encouraged by the verses in Hebrews 12, “This means that all of creation will be shaken and removed, so that only unshakable things will remain. Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshipping him with holy fear and awe” (Hebrews 12:27-28). The next verse reminds us that all things not of God will burn up one day and disappear. We read, “For our God is a devouring fire”. So we turn our eyes upon Jesus, “the author and perfector of our faith”. 

Paul continued with “always work enthusiastically for the Lord”. We all know what work is all about. We work at a job or profession to earn a living. We work out in a gym to build muscle tone and fitness. The concept of work is inbuilt within us and has been ever since the days of Adam, when he heard the consequences of his sin: “And to the man he said, “Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat, the ground is cursed because of you. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it” (Genesis 3:17). Life was easy for Adam before the Fall.

In days past, a prison sentence was often accompanied by the addition of “hard labour”, and I remember seeing a device used to apply this in the Inverary Jail museum. It was a large cylindrical device with a counter and a handle, filled with sand. The prisoner had to work at completing so many revolutions per day as part of their hard labour tariff. A pointless exercise, but one that illuminates what many consider about work, a merry-go-round of meaningless activity, and to be endured until the time comes to “clock off”.

But what is “working for the Lord”? It is not, as some maintain, being a minister or pastor. A missionary or Christian charity worker. In working for the Lord, we acknowledge that every task we perform—whether it’s a high-level job, a mundane chore, or schoolwork—is actually an act of worship directed toward God. When we work for the Lord, our “boss” isn’t just the person who pays our wages. We act as if God Himself is our direct supervisor. This means that we don’t settle for “good enough” or do the bare minimum; instead, we strive for quality because we are offering our work as a gift to God, and we work just as hard when no one is watching because we know God sees our effort. Martin Luther famously taught that a milkmaid milking a cow is doing God’s work just as much as a priest, provided she does it to the best of her ability for God’s glory.

Paul concludes this verse with the thought that “nothing [we] do for the Lord is ever useless“. We may feel that we are wasting our time, like the prisoner interminably cranking a handle in a prison cell. But what the Lord sees is a willing heart doing its best in often trying and difficult circumstances. And in the process, treasures are credited to our account in Heaven.

Dear Father God. We read that You “placed Adam in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it”. Thank You that You have work for us to do as well, and we pray that we do it to the best of our abilities. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Understanding the Sting of Death: A Biblical Perspective

Posted on by korgrocker

“”O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
1 Corinthians 15:55-57 NLT

What is the “sting of death”? Perhaps we can consider the analogy of a scorpion or a bee. A bee is frightening because of its stinger; if the stinger is removed, the bee can still buzz around, but it can no longer truly harm us. The Bible teaches that death only has a sting because of sin. Without sin, death would not be a punishment or a source of spiritual “poison”—it would simply be a transition.

Paul wrote, “the law gives sin its power”, This means the Law (God’s moral standards) highlights our sin, making the “sting” feel even sharper because we realise we have fallen short of those standards. But to which law was Paul referring? Usually, when we refer to the Jews and the Old Testament, the “law” we have in mind is the Mosaic Law, as found in Exodus 20, and all the rules and regulations found in the Torah, the first five books of the Old Testament. Human beings love structure, such as that contained in the Law, because otherwise a lawless existence results. Imagine the chaos if there were no laws in our society, and everyone behaved as they saw fit. Because of sin, society would very quickly disintegrate. Moses gave the Israelites God’s Law, as revealed to him on Mount Sinai, as a covenant, to reveal His holy character, set them apart as His chosen people, teach them righteousness, reveal their inability to save themselves, and guide them in worship and daily life. An unbeliever is justly condemned in God’s sight by the Law that was given to His servant Moses. But what about those who are not Jews? Paul wrote about them in Romans 2:14-15, “Even Gentiles, who do not have God’s written law, show that they know his law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it. They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right”. Jesus Himself said this about the Law, “Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved” (Matthew 5:17-18). 

The problem with the Law is that even when it is in place, no one can keep it in a way that fulfils God’s requirements. All it does is expose the sin that is ingrained within us. Jesus exposed the intent of the Law when He taught, “You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment’” (Matthew 5:21). The Pharisees were very good at keeping the outward aspects of the Law, and in this case claimed a tick in the “do not murder” box. But Jesus pricked their righteous bubble when He said, “But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell” (Matthew 5:22). In Matthew 5:20 Jesus said, “But I warn you—unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven!”

Paul wrote that “the law gives sin its power” and regardless of the law, human beings, Jews or otherwise, can never be good enough to meet God’s standard on their own. We all know the verse in Romans 3:23, “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard”. But rather than leave us in a hopeless situation, God sent His Son, Jesus, to take on the punishment for sin that we deserve. Paul wrote, “He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.” God’s plan was for mankind to be reconciled to God. Jesus took on Himself our sins and gave us His righteousness so that we can truly be God’s children, able to enter His presence.

This is exciting for us pilgrims because we have the assurance that one day we can enter Heaven, crossing the Great Divide free from the sting of sin and death. We lived a life that started when we responded to God’s call and repented of our sins, believing in our wonderful Saviour. A quote from “Gotquestions.org”, “Christ became the end of the Law by virtue of what He did on earth through His sinless life and His sacrifice on the cross. So, the Law no longer has any bearing over us because its demands have been fully met in the Lord Jesus Christ. Faith in Christ, who satisfied the righteous demands of the Law, restores us into a pleasing relationship with God and keeps us there. No longer under the penalty of the Law, we now live under the law of grace in the love of God”. 

“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?“

The sting of sin and death no longer appears in the hearts and minds of us pilgrims. Can we feel the flood of God’s love and grace pouring over us? Can we truly claim that the “things of earth go strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace”? According to what we believe, Jesus took the “sting” (the penalty of sin) upon himself. Because Jesus rose from the dead, death is viewed as a defeated enemy. It may still happen physically, but its “poison” (eternal separation from God) is gone. Forever.

Father God. We thank You that we never die but instead transition from this life into eternal life, where we will be in Your presence. “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” Amen.

The Sting of Death

Posted on by korgrocker

“Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled: “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power.”
1 Corinthians 15:54-56 NLT

Imagine that day, when we find ourselves back in a body, no longer a spirit being. But this won’t be any body, much like our old one with all its aches and pains, and sinful tendencies. This will be a body that will never die. It will never let us down. It will be there for us forever. Too much to believe? But that is what Paul wrote in these verses before us today. So how is it going to happen? In 1 Corinthians 15:52, Paul wrote, “It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed”. 

In Matthew 24, Jesus was replying to a question from the disciples about when the world would come to an end. It’s a question we might have too, because if we look at what has happened in our world since the start of the twentieth century, we wonder how life can continue. Two world wars, and even now, there is another war going on in the eastern boundaries of Europe. But Jesus was clear. He said, “Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come” (Matthew 24:7-8). However, other events must happen before the “last trumpet” is sounded. At the end of all the apocalyptic events Jesus described will be a sign that no one will miss. “And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with the mighty blast of a trumpet, and they will gather his chosen ones from all over the world—from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven” (Matthew 24:30-31). But one day, sooner or later, our life as a human being will come to an end. Our physical bodies will be consigned to the grave and will return to dust as God told Adam in Genesis 3:19, “By the sweat of your brow will you have food to eat until you return to the ground from which you were made. For you were made from dust, and to dust you will return“. But our souls/spirits continue to live forever. Believers will find themselves in Paradise (Heaven): Luke 23:43, “And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise”. Everyone else will end up in Hades or Sheol, different names for the Place of the Dead: Luke 16:22-23, “Finally, the poor man died and was carried by the angels to sit beside Abraham at the heavenly banquet. The rich man also died and was buried, and he went to the place of the dead. There, in torment, he saw Abraham in the far distance with Lazarus at his side”.

“For the wages of sin is death“

So we get a good idea of what the “sting of death” is all about when we consider what could happen after death. Believers, those who have put their trust in Christ, and have repented of their sins, and have accepted righteousness through Him, will have nothing to fear, and there is therefore no “sting” involved. But those who are unbelievers are unrepentant sinners, and so they will experience a spiritual death in the life to come. Paul wrote, “For sin is the sting that results in death“. God never intended Adam and Eve to experience death, but it was something they brought upon themselves through their sin, and human beings have been sinners ever since. Of course, we also realise that sin has a “sting” that impacts unbelievers within their natural lives, because their spirits will be dead and perishing. Whatever our state, sin alienates mankind from God: Isaiah 59:2, “It’s your sins that have cut you off from God. Because of your sins, he has turned away and will not listen anymore”. Consequently, sin, if unaddressed, will lead to eternal death: Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord“.

Once again, I find myself writing that people have a choice about where they will spend eternity. It seems to be a theme that runs through much of Paul’s letters, and I’m sure he implored people to make the right choice at every opportunity. So must we, and I’m always looking for people with whom I can share the love of Jesus. But I was thinking today: what if someone came up to me and told me they had life-changing news that could change my life forever? I know what my answer to them would be today, because I have embraced the message and believe it, but it wasn’t always so. We must ask God to prepare the hearts and minds of the next person He wants us to share the Good News about His Son with. Thankfully, due to the persistence of a Godly man, I am a child of God who doesn’t fear the “sting of death”. We, too, must persist, helping someone to become a child of God as well.

Dear Father God. Thank You for Your saving grace and for Jesus who died for our sins, taking on our punishment so that we wouldn’t have to. We praise and worship You today. Amen.

A Wonderful Secret

Posted on by korgrocker

“But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed. For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies.”
1 Corinthians 15:51-53 NLT

There is something amazing coming for us pilgrims. Our bodies are going to experience a transformation into immortality. Although it was always God’s intention to grant immortality through the Tree of Life, sin corrupted mortal bodies. So there is a problem with our natural, physical bodies, because they cannot exist in God’s domain. “What I am saying, dear brothers and sisters, is that our physical bodies cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. These dying bodies cannot inherit what will last forever” (1 Corinthians 15:50). But anyone of advancing years will know all about the limitations of our physical bodies. The aches and pains increase with age and bring some to the point where they don’t want to carry on. Some experience a constant merry-go-round of hospital visits, GP appointments, and calls upon the local pharmacist, all of which combine to dictate a way of life that never appeared in God’s plan for humans. Sooner or later, God’s people will need a new body, one suitable for spending eternity with God. A new body that will never die.

We don’t know when this event will happen, of course. But the Bible includes many references to the End Times, and when the end of the world was going to happen was one of the last questions the disciples asked of Jesus. His response was, “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. … 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 24:6, 14). There have been many predictions of when the world will end, and in 2015, apparently, 22% of the UK population believed that such an event would happen in their lifetimes. Even religious men and women, like John Wesley, were tempted to make a prediction (1836, in his case). Charles Russell, a forerunner of the JW’s, proposed that Jesus would return in 1874, and when He didn’t, Russell then suggested that Jesus had indeed returned but invisibly. But Jesus was clear that no one knew when the world would end except God Himself. Matthew 24:36, “However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows”. 

Some in the Corinthian church were puzzled because, in their number, a few deaths had apparently occurred. How will these believers, therefore, experience a transformed body? So Paul put their minds at rest by saying, “those who have died will be raised to live forever“. Not an illogical suggestion at all, because of what happened to Jesus. He was dead, graveyard dead, and yet was resurrected that first Easter Sunday morning. We pilgrims know that one day Jesus will come and take us to be with Him. John 14:3, “When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am“. We know how that will happen, because Jesus told us. Matthew 24:30-31, “And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with the mighty blast of a trumpet, and they will gather his chosen ones from all over the world—from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven“.

All this was a mystery to the Corinthians, but with the benefit of the Bible, we know better. I don’t know about you, fellow pilgrims, but I’m looking forward to receiving a new body. A transformed and resurrected body just like Jesus’. No more tears, no more sickness, no more death, and in God’s presence forever.

Dear Heavenly Father. We all pray together, “Come Lord Jesus”. Amen.

The Kingdom of God

Posted on by korgrocker

“What I am saying, dear brothers and sisters, is that our physical bodies cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. These dying bodies cannot inherit what will last forever.”
1 Corinthians 15:50 NLT

The first recorded words of Jesus in Mark’s Gospel concerned the Kingdom of God, as He preached the Good News in Galilee. And believers in close proximity to Him would have heard Him say, “The time promised by God has come at last!” he announced. “The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!” (Mark 1:15). So how does this statement from Jesus fit in with what Paul was telling the Corinthians? He told them that while in their physical bodies, they could not be part of God’s Kingdom. Although Jesus came to this world preaching about the Kingdom of God, it was something that the Jews totally misunderstood. Their expectation of God’s Kingdom was for a political and military solution to the occupation by the hated Romans, allowing them to once again become an autonomous nation free of foreign interference. Even Jesus’ disciples initially had this expectation. But every time Jesus taught about the Kingdom of God, He had in mind the rule and reign of God in people’s hearts and minds. 

The kingdom of God is a spiritual rule over the hearts and lives of those who willingly submit to God’s authority. Those who defy God’s authority and refuse to submit to Him are not part of the kingdom of God; in contrast, those who acknowledge the lordship of Christ and gladly surrender to God’s rule in their hearts are part of the kingdom of God. In this sense, the kingdom of God is spiritual. Paul wrote, “For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17). Jesus said to Pilate at His trial, “ … My Kingdom is not an earthly kingdom. If it were, my followers would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish leaders. But my Kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36). 

Paul was therefore correct in what he said to the Corinthians, about physical bodies being unable to be a part of the Kingdom of God. In the context of 1 Corinthians 15, a long chapter about resurrection, Paul started by reminding the Corinthians about the Gospel message, the Good News about Jesus and all that He accomplished for sinners living in their physical bodies. Through faith, a person came to believe in Jesus and embraced their salvation, a process that continued throughout their lives. Through repentance a believer became part of the Kingdom of God. Matthew 4:17, “From then on Jesus began to preach, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near””. Jesus established His spiritual Kingdom here on earth, and we pilgrims are a part of it. 

“we are citizens of heaven“

But even though the Kingdom of God is present, because it is a spiritual kingdom, it is only our spirits that can become citizens. Philippians 3:20, “But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Saviour”. There will come a time, however, when we will be supplied with a resurrected body, and then we will be complete members of God’s Kingdom. Now we are believers who live by Christ’s values, representing His kingdom on Earth, and awaiting His return, experiencing His rule now through faith and the Spirit, though anticipating its full realisation when Jesus returns for the second time. 

“you belong to God, my dear children“

How do we pilgrims reconcile the two kingdoms of which we are part? We have our physical bodies, very much entrenched in the kingdom of the world, and we have our spirits alive in the Kingdom of God. Again, for an answer, we look to Jesus. He was very much engaged in conflict with satan’s kingdom, and He demonstrated the power of God’s Kingdom through the ways He dealt with the enemy. He healed the sick, He cast out demons, He raised the dead, and by doing all these miracles, He demonstrated that the power of God’s Kingdom far surpassed that of the kingdom of satan. Even Jesus’ disciples found that they, too, were empowered to work the miracles of the Kingdom. Luke 10:17-19, “When the seventy-two disciples returned, they joyfully reported to him, “Lord, even the demons obey us when we use your name!” “Yes,” he told them, “I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning! Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure you“. We pilgrims have the same power within us, and we are overcomers of the kingdom of the world through that power. As John wrote, “But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world” (1 John 4:4).

We pilgrims have to decide which kingdom we are going to be a part of and follow, because there is no grey area of dual citizenship. Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money” (Matthew 6:24). Perhaps we need to bang a stake in the ground of our lives and echo the statement made by Joshua, “But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15).

Father God. We declare before You today that we will indeed serve You and Your Kingdom. We sing together the song, “I have decided to follow Jesus, No turning back, no turning back”. Amen.