The Sign of Tongues

Posted on by korgrocker

“So you see that speaking in tongues is a sign, not for believers, but for unbelievers. Prophecy, however, is for the benefit of believers, not unbelievers. Even so, if unbelievers or people who don’t understand these things come into your church meeting and hear everyone speaking in an unknown language, they will think you are crazy. But if all of you are prophesying, and unbelievers or people who don’t understand these things come into your meeting, they will be convicted of sin and judged by what you say. As they listen, their secret thoughts will be exposed, and they will fall to their knees and worship God, declaring, “God is truly here among you.””
1 Corinthians 14:22-25 NLT

Paul seems to contradict himself in these verses today. On the one hand, he said that speaking in tongues is a sign for unbelievers, but then he says that “if unbelievers or people who don’t understand these things come into your church meeting and hear everyone speaking in an unknown language, they will think you are crazy”. Which is it? If we extend what this all means to today’s Western churches, then we can see the problem. Most established churches have a liturgy that excludes the possibility of speaking in tongues in public during the meeting. I can just imagine that the church wardens would descend on such a person and, unless they desisted from their message, they would be escorted out the door. Those churches with a freer form of service, such as the one I attend, still only rarely hear the public message of tongues, although it features greatly in personal prayer and praying for healing, for example. But someone walking in off the street and hearing a church full of people all speaking out their messages in tongues would very quickly reach the conclusion that everyone there is mad! 

On the other hand, Paul said that the same random person, an unbeliever, who walked into the church and found messages of prophecy being spoken out, would be able to understand what was being said and would be convicted of sin. This would be because the Holy Spirit brings the prophecies. We know the ministry of the Holy Spirit from what Jesus said, referring to the time when the Comforter comes, in John 16:8, “And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment”. Paul said such people, hearing the prophecy being spoken, would “fall to their knees and worship God, declaring, “God is truly here among [them]””. 

“God is truly here”

This was all good practical advice from Paul, as he appealed to the intelligence of the Corinthian believers, and logically explained something that, surprisingly, had not occurred to them. But why should Paul be concerned about what unbelievers think? That is an easy question to answer, because Paul was not only an Apostle, but was an extraordinarily effective evangelist. He was very concerned about the salvation of the peoples in his time, and in particular, his fellow Jews. He wrote to the Romans, “I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my people, those of my own race, the people of Israel” (Romans 9:2-4a). Later on in Romans, Paul wrote, “It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else’s foundation” (Romans 15:20). And we can read from 2 Corinthians 11 what Paul suffered in the process of evangelism.

We pilgrims, too, must be concerned about what people think. Too many Christians adopt an offensive attitude toward the unsaved people around them. They behave in ways that demand a contemptuous response rather than one that is attractive and able to perhaps open a door for the Gospel to be delivered. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 9:19-23, “Though I am free and belong to no-one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings“. In that context, Paul perhaps foresaw a situation in which a believer invited an unsaved neighbour into the church. What would this person find there? Chaos with the church members babbling away in tongues, or a place where there were prophetic messages, bringing conviction of sin?

“Is the Holy Spirit alive
and well in my church?”

We pilgrims go to a church, I’m sure. Do we feel comfortable about inviting our friends and neighbours there, or is it a place that, deep down, we’re ashamed of? Is it a place where the Holy Spirit is alive and well, and able to bring messages through His gifts that will bring conviction of sin? If we think not, or we’re not sure, perhaps some further prayerful thought is required about where our spiritual home should be.

Dear Father God. We want to be in the place where You want us to be. It must be a place where Your Spirit is free to live and move in the hearts and minds of believers, and where You can be freely worshipped. Please lead and guide us, we pray, and help us to reach out to those around us with the Gospel and Your message of hope. In the name of Your dear Son, Jesus. Amen.


The Same Spirit

Posted on by korgrocker

“The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptised into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.”
1 Corinthians 12:12-13 NLT

We pilgrims look around us in our Christian setting, and sometimes we ask about our value. By that I mean, how do we fit in with this fellowship of believers? Perhaps when times get a bit tough, do we look at other churches, thinking that we might be a better fit there? As with any group of people, cliques can develop, and friendships can be exclusive. Generally, people tend to gravitate towards those around them who share similar interests or backgrounds, often excluding those who do not. But Paul, perhaps sensing that this might be a problem in the Corinthian church, wrote to them using the analogy of the human body, which is composed of many different parts and functions. There seemed to be four different major groups in Corinth – Jews, Gentiles, slaves, and free people. However, Paul wrote that, regardless of these differences, they comprised one body because they had all been baptised by the same Spirit, and all shared the same Spirit, implying that, despite their differences in status, they were all essential members of the Body of Christ.

The church I attend has members from diverse backgrounds. Our pastor was originally from Senegal. We have several families from Nigeria, a number of indigenous Scots, and even one or two who were born South of the Scottish border. We have those who are retired and those who work. Those who live in social housing and those who are fortunate enough to own their own homes. School children and adults. But we all comprise a single fellowship because we have all been “baptised into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.”

In a conference recently, Gavin Calver, the CEO of the Evangelical Alliance, shared that the men in his church went out for a meal together, and the proprietor of the establishment was struck by the diverse nature of the men present. It wasn’t just the age range, which was from teens to someone in their eighties, but the different nationalitles represented were nearly as numerous as the number of men present. But all the men there had one thing in common – they were united by the same Spirit.

We must remember that God does not prefer one person over another.

“But there will be glory and honour and peace from God for all who do good—for the Jew first and also for the Gentile. For God does not show favouritism”.

Romans 2:10-11

“”Then Peter replied, ‘I see very clearly that God shows no favouritism. In every nation he accepts those who fear him and do what is right”

Acts 10:24-25

So all believers everywhere can be assured that, before God, they all have equal standing. 

So such a perspective must be considered by all believers who make up the local church or fellowship. When worldly and sinful attitudes perhaps emerge and cause unwelcome partiality, we must remember before God that He loves all our fellow worshippers, regardless of who they are or where they have come from. And we must be inclusive with them all because they have all been “baptised in the same Spirit”. It is the same Holy Spirit who is within each believer.

Dear Father God. We thank You that before You we are all Your children and have equal rights and responsibilities. We love You Lord, and give You the glory for the amazing way that You are building Your church. Thank You. Amen.

Glory Be To God

Posted on by korgrocker

“So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Don’t give offence to Jews or Gentiles or the church of God. I, too, try to please everyone in everything I do. I don’t just do what is best for me; I do what is best for others so that many may be saved.”
1 Corinthians 10:31-33 NLT

In Christ, we are free. Jesus said that in John 8:36, “So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free”. A bit later on in John’s Gospel, Jesus also said, “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life” (John 10:10). However, there are several considerations that have so far emerged in the 1 Corinthians letter, as we enjoy the freedom we have been granted in our “rich and satisfying life”. 

The first is that everything we do should be done with God in mind. For the Corinthians, this initially focused on food offered to idols, but Paul expanded this to include everything we are involved in, adding a catch-all. In 1 Corinthians 6:12, Paul wrote, “You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is good for you. And even though “I am allowed to do anything,” I must not become a slave to anything”. This can be true in several ways, as we are adept at forming habits, which can be both beneficial and detrimental. Because of sin, bad habits often prevail, and we must be vigilant to avoid falling into this trap.  

Another consideration is the impact our behaviour has on other believers. Paul particularly highlighted offending Jews and Gentiles, something very sensitive in those days, because the church in Corinth would have had people from both backgrounds in the church there. In modern churches here in the UK, there is no longer the same issue, but we must still be aware of other sensitivities. In the church I attend, there are several lovely Nigerian families, but their culture is very different to mine, and because of that, I have to be very sensitive to their backgrounds. 

Yet another consideration concerns offending the church of God. This is very easy to do, as we mix with other fellowship groups, movements and denominations. There are a plethora of beliefs in Christianity, and some are deeply cherished by their adherents. I used to live near a family with cessationist beliefs that clashed with my own continuationist beliefs, and care had to be adopted as we discussed the things of God. And then there are differences in liturgies and even versions of the Bible, with some Christians including the books of the Apocrypha in their churches, even though most don’t, something that can perhaps cause a conflict in theology.

So Paul’s approach was to try his best to please everyone. But in many ways, this was something that Paul wasn’t very good at, if the physical abuse he suffered is anything to go by. The overriding factor for Paul was the phrase, “I do what is best for others so that many may be saved”. The sad thing was that most people in the Mediterranean lands, as is the case today throughout the world, have a different view of what is best for them. People generally prefer to live their sinful lives without anyone pointing out to them the eternal consequences of such a choice. And so believers will experience pushbacks from the very people who would benefit from their message of the Good News about Christ.

Today, it is the behaviour of Christians that speaks the loudest to the unbelievers in our society. There is an old saying, “Preach the Gospel and if necessary use words”, and although only partly true, this has a point. A common objection heard from those invited to attend a church service is that the congregation there is full of hypocrites. A sad indictment, which unfortunately can be true. But Jesus said, “In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father” (Matthew 5:16). Paul wrote about the connection between our salvation and good works in Ephesians 2:9-10, “Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago”. It is a fact that in the UK, most charities have a Christian influence, as the good deeds being performed by Christians demonstrate their faith in God.

But in all that we do, we do it for the glory of God. This includes not only our good deeds but also the way we conduct our lives. Paul wrote, “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). A believer who lives their life trusting in God will shine like a beacon in a world that is lost and dying. They will be a beacon that will shine with God’s glory everywhere.

Dear Heavenly Father. Please help us shine for You today, so that Your glory is reflected everywhere we go. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Earth is the Lord’s

Posted on by korgrocker

“You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is good for you. You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is beneficial. Don’t be concerned for your own good but for the good of others. So you may eat any meat that is sold in the marketplace without raising questions of conscience. For “the earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.””
1 Corinthians 10:23-26 NLT

In Psalm 24:1, the Psalmist David wrote, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him”. Paul quoted this verse in 1 Corinthians 10:26, with the thought behind it that God has created everything in the world, and nothing in His creation can be considered harmful. But there is another thought here, and that is that the earth belongs to God. Obvious, really, because He created it all in the first place. Starting with nothing, and at the beginning of time, God spoke. We read, “Then God said …,” which appears seven times in Genesis 1, once for each day and twice on the last day, the second time when His words applied to the creation of human beings. They were something special in all God’s creative miracles, because human beings were made in His image, “to be like us”. 

How does that make us feel? When we overlay God’s ownership of the world and all that is in it, including human beings, on top of current world events and activities, we can only feel a deep sense of sadness. Human beings, created by God “in His image,” have sinfully and systematically trashed His creation. And, worse, through that sin, human beings have trashed themselves. What does God feel about such behaviour? The Garden of Eden, a utopia here on earth, a paradise truly lost, has been forgotten by most, but ever since, mankind has tried to create its own equivalent. They tried with the Tower of Babel, as we read in Genesis 11:4, “Then they said, ‘Come, let’s build a great city for ourselves with a tower that reaches into the sky. This will make us famous and keep us from being scattered all over the world””. Ever since, efforts have been made to create a place called utopia, which typically describes an imagined community or society that possesses highly desirable or near-perfect qualities for its members. Philosophers such as Plato, More, Bloch and many others have described such a place, and successive governments and nations have tried to implement it, but their results have produced nothing more than chaos and confusion. No one can duplicate God’s creation, no matter how hard they try. And it is indicative of the arrogance of sinful man that they would even think about doing so. 

However, there is hope for the future, because God has a plan. Through Jesus, sinful mankind has the opportunity to be redeemed from the consequences of their sins. “Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes” (Ephesians 1:4). God’s plan involves creating a new people, and His patience in this season of grace is giving time for this to achieve the numbers He requires. Romans 11:25b, “… Some of the people of Israel have hard hearts, but this will last only until the full number of Gentiles comes to Christ”. In 1 Peter 2:9, we read, “But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light”. God is creating again, and this time He has begun with human beings who love Him, believe in Him, and desire to spend eternity with Him. 

The climax to God’s plan appears in Revelation 21:1-2, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband”. This has to be a wonderfully perfect world, a new earth to replace the one that sinful man has trashed. And we see how wonderful it will be when we read the next two verses in Revelation 21, “I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever””. 

Many unbelieving people today think that they will die and go to Heaven. The ones they have left behind can frequently express their belief that these loved ones look down on them, as though such a thing is a given fact. But nothing can be further from the Biblical truth. Believers will spend eternity in God’s presence and ultimately He will dwell with them in the new Jerusalem, located on the new earth, as described in the Book of Revelation. And we find out the qualifications for the inhabitants of the New Jerusalem when we read Revelation 21:27, “Nothing evil will be allowed to enter, nor anyone who practices shameful idolatry and dishonesty—but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life”. 

We pilgrims, believers in Jesus, washed in His Blood, forgiven of our sins, true children of God, have our names recorded in that most important Book, the Lamb’s Book of Life. We do our utmost to convince others of the importance of this, because once they pass on from this life, it will be too late.

Dear Father God. You own everything in and on this world, and we are so grateful. You are still on Your throne, regardless of the attempts of sinful man to declare otherwise. We pray for our loved ones that they, too, will come to faith in You. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Remain As You Were

Posted on by korgrocker

“Yes, each of you should remain as you were when God called you. Are you a slave? Don’t let that worry you—but if you get a chance to be free, take it. And remember, if you were a slave when the Lord called you, you are now free in the Lord. And if you were free when the Lord called you, you are now a slave of Christ. God paid a high price for you, so don’t be enslaved by the world. Each of you, dear brothers and sisters, should remain as you were when God first called you.”
1 Corinthians 7:20-24 NLT

Being born again was a new experience for the Corinthian believers, and they were unsure of how to navigate this new life within them. Here was Paul telling them to calm down a bit and take things more slowly. Society in Corinth was an immoral hotchpotch of different trades and professions, with a liberal presence of slaves, and, although very different to today, there are many similarities. For a start, we don’t have a population of slaves here in the West, and owning a slave is illegal (although this practice goes on under the authorities’ radar). Our society also frowns upon many of the sexual practices that went on in the Greek societies. Still, we must face the reality that our culture today is no more moral than it was in Corinth nearly two thousand years ago. Human nature hasn’t changed when it comes to matters of sin. 

Being born again is a life-changing event that propels unbelievers into a new realm where spiritual rebirth opens a door into the Kingdom of God. It is a wonderful place, full of all kinds of spiritual treasure, that transforms a human being into a spiritual being, albeit shackled to a dying physical body riddled with sin. But then the struggles start, as Paul wrote in Romans 7:15, “I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate“. He continues, “But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong”(Romans 7:20-21). It is only through Jesus that we can find a remedy for the sin that hangs on within us.

However, we can understand why the Corinthians behaved in the way they did because we experience the same struggles. Their approach to their new lives, however, had a tendency to be dramatic, with thoughts of leaving unbelieving spouses or becoming celibates in a very sexually-oriented society. Paul advised them to remain as they were at the time when they were spiritually reborn. If they were married, stay married. If they were circumcised or not, don’t try to change anything. And he advised that if they were in a situation such as a slave, don’t fret about it. 

In the 21st Century, the same advice applies. At the point of salvation experienced by a new believer, they should not make any rapid decisions about their status; whatever profession they were in (as long as it was legal and not immoral) should be continued as before. Paul’s advice, which he wrote about two thousand years ago, remains just as relevant today. He specifically suggested that decisions regarding relationships and marriages should not be rushed, with the new believer waiting until the Holy Spirit provides the necessary guidance. An example from my own experience: when I was reborn by the Spirit of God, I was employed by a UK defence contractor developing an IT-based training facility that would help to teach army gunners to shoot their weapons. I continued for a couple of years until the Holy Spirit suggested to me that this might not be the best profession for me and my conscience. So I moved to another job in a different industry. However, I once knew a couple in a cohabiting relationship who were both saved at the same time and who immediately took steps to remedy the situation by following their pastor’s advice for a pathway towards an early marriage. What they did was right in their situation.

Paul singled out the situation of the slaves, telling them not to worry about their enslaved status, although if they got the chance to become free, they should take it. He put slavery into context by reminding them that they were now slaves of Christ, who “paid a high price for” them, and that is true, because today as well, we know what Jesus did for us at Calvary. However, Paul reminded all believers, then and now, that they must not be enslaved to the world. There is a balance to be struck between living in the Kingdom of God and living in the world. We consist of a physical person and a spiritual person, all wrapped up in the same package, and each part has its own needs. So the physical person needs to be fed and supplied with the necessities of natural life. A spiritual person has spiritual needs, satisfied by communion and fellowship with God. However, the question that needs to be answered is this: how do these two entities live in harmony? Well, the answer is that, more often than we would like, the physical person, complete with their sinful nature, prevails. Thankfully, through the gentle encouragement of the Holy Spirit, our lives become more and more spiritual as we grow in grace and holiness.

Paul’s pastoral love shone out when he referred to the Corinthians believers as “dear brothers and sisters”. From God’s perspective, He looks down from Heaven and refers to us as His dear children. His love and compassion, grace and kindness, know no bounds, and we are fully resourced by Him to face the life that we lead. He knows what’s best for us, and that’s all that matters.

Dear Heavenly Father. We know that we can trust You with our lives and journey towards our Heavenly home. We praise and thank You today. Amen.

“Imitate Me”

Posted on by korgrocker

“So I urge you to imitate me. 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.”
1 Corinthians 4:16-17 NLT

On his second missionary journey, Paul left one major city, Athens, and moved to another, Corinth. There he made the acquaintance of another tent maker, Aquila, and his wife Priscilla, fellow Jews who had been evicted from Rome by the Roman emperor at that time, Claudius Caesar. After opposition from the local synagogue, Paul, with the help of his colleagues Timothy and Silas, started the Corinthian church in the house next door. And in Acts 18:11, we read, “So Paul stayed there for the next year and a half, teaching the word of God”. Paul reminded the Corinthians that he was their spiritual father because he introduced them to Jesus through the Message of the Cross, the Good News of salvation through Jesus. Knowing Paul, the grounding in the faith that they received would have been faultless, but the Corinthians became proud and arrogant, and Paul wrote, referring to their spiritual state, “You think you already have everything you need. You think you are already rich. You have begun to reign in God’s kingdom without us! I wish you really were reigning already, for then we would be reigning with you” (1 Corinthians 4:8). 

The Corinthians must have been drawn into error from somewhere other than their leaders, because Paul and Apollos would have taught them correctly. They had the Old Testament Scriptures to refer to, of course, but it takes very little to skew and distort the Gospel, particularly as our enemy, the devil, is alive and active, just as much as today. It might be worth asking ourselves the question, “Would we have behaved in the same way, had we been in that congregation?”. So, we too must also be on our guard, because it is easy to become lop-sided in our faith. As an example, I was once in a church in my early days as a believer, where the pastoral care and relationships amongst the Christians there were excellent, so good in fact that I, as a new Christian, had a feeling that new people might have a detrimental effect on the church. How did that happen? There was a wealth of good teaching on edifying and growing the believers there, but perhaps teaching on evangelism was given insufficient weight, or, more likely, I ignored it. Thankfully, my perspective has changed, and I have much to thank my spiritual fathers for. Paul was sure of his teaching, and he commended Apollos as well for his, so the faults Paul outlined, of a congregation prone to judgment, factionalism, quarrelling and general arguing, did not start with them. Paul wrote this letter during his third missionary journey, probably from Ephesus, as reports of what was going on in Corinth reached him. 

Paul told the Corinthians to imitate him. There is much in that because Paul was a teacher and they were his audience. He was saying that they must look at what he was doing, and follow not only his teaching but also consider the practical aspects of his life. They had taken the good bits from his sermons and ignored those parts that they weren’t too happy about. To imitate Paul, they had to consider that their lives would not necessarily be comfortable any more. Paul suffered much to share the Gospel, and not just with them. Paul wrote, “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. We work wearily with our own hands to earn our living. We bless those who curse us. We are patient with those who abuse us” (1 Corinthians 4:11-12). Their comfortable lives would have to be cast aside because there was a new order in play. Instead of being what they had always been first, their world had to be turned around so that Christ was their first priority. I used to know a lovely man who was a blacksmith by trade. He was first and foremost a believer, and that governed his life. Every spare moment of his life was devoted to serving Jesus, and his business cards had his name followed by “Christian and Blacksmith”. There was no doubt in the minds of his customers where his loyalties lay. 

The same principle applies today to us pilgrims. Because we are diligent followers of Christ, we are always prepared and ready to put Him first in our daily lives. No more self-first and God second. It’s God first, and everything else follows. Paul urged the Corinthians to pattern their lives after his. This was not pride and ego at work. Paul was not trying to set himself up as a kind of cult leader. He was not asking to be called by the title of “father,” or demanding any other honour. He did not want to take the place of Christ in their lives. Instead, he was describing the pattern of Christian discipleship. He was saying to the Corinthians, “I have taught you what to believe, now follow my example of how to live it out.” Paul said to Timothy, “Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity” (1 Timothy 4:12). Paul wanted the Corinthians to follow the example of his lifestyle described in the previous verses. There, he described himself and the other apostles as leading lives of poverty, considered as foolish by the world for Christ’s sake, and mistreated for their association with Him. Instead of retaliating or running away, though, they followed Jesus’ example by doing good to those who treated them badly. Paul wanted the Corinthians to do as he did, to give up chasing wealth and trying to gain the respect of the unbelievers in their culture and to serve Christ first and above all.

There is a cost to being a Christian. We are a counter-cultural people who say “no” when the secularists around us say “yes”. We stand in the gap protecting those who are defenceless and without hope. We share the good news about Jesus with those who are heading for a lost eternity, hoping and praying that the seeds we plant will bear the fruit of salvation. And we imitate Paul and follow Christ’s teaching, holding our worldly gifts and assets with open hands, always ready to bless those who curse us, always shining like beacons in a world of darkness. That is what being a Christian is all about. Paul’s life was far from comfortable, but he was faithful to the end, despising the comforts of those around him, allowing nothing to divert him from his mission. We all do not have a calling like Paul, but a calling is what we have, and we allow nothing to get in the way of what God wants us to do. 

Father God. We commend ourselves to You once again because we are here to serve You and Your people. Please lead and guide us in the paths You wish us to take. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Jesus Christ the Foundation (1)

Posted on by korgrocker

“For we are both God’s workers. And you are God’s field. You are God’s building. Because of God’s grace to me, I have laid the foundation like an expert builder. Now others are building on it. But whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ.”
1 Corinthians 3:9-11 NLT

I watched a man recently digging a series of trenches that were to become the foundation of his new house. He had a mini digger which removed all the otherwise hard and back-breaking shovel work, but it still took him quite a while to penetrate the heavy West-Fife clay and prepare the ground. The following week, a ready-mixed concrete lorry delivered what was to become the foundations to his new dwelling. A process that was labour-intensive, ultimately unseen, but necessary. But houses built nearby in the Victorian era had no such care taken with their foundations, because there was a practice of building directly onto the ground without any consideration of the effects of the load of the house above. And in another place near where I live, several houses started to sink because an unknown mine shaft was directly below them. Sometimes, even adequate foundations can be insufficient.

Paul wrote that the Corinthians were “God’s building”, and Paul laid their foundation, “like an expert builder”, and he went on to say that “now others are building on it”. He used an analogy which aptly connected with the process of growing a new Christian because the foundation on which he built was Jesus Christ Himself. There is no better start to a believer’s life than a sound doctrinal and Biblical foundation. But sadly, some have been converted by a “Gospel” that lacks the proper credentials and content, and results in disappointment and dismay. Jesus taught about foundations in a parable that we find in Matthew 7. He started with this verse, “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock”. That’s a good place to pause because there was nothing easy about Jesus’ teaching. For example, here are a couple of verses from a previous chapter that are especially hard for men to follow, “You have heard the commandment that says, ‘You must not commit adultery.’ But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:27-28). And here’s another one further down in the same chapter, “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbour’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!” (Matthew 5:43-44). But Jesus was clear that unless a new believer could follow and apply such teaching, his or her foundation would otherwise be somewhat fragile and would lead to the result the other builder in Jesus’ parable experienced. Matthew 7:26, “But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand”. In both cases, the storms of life would buffet and bluster against the “buildings” built by the good and not-so-good builders, with one house standing strong and the other collapsing into a pile of bricks. The Corinthian Christians who were in Paul’s mind were very blessed because he laid a proper foundation of Scripture and the teaching of Jesus as revealed to him, with his messages supported and endorsed by the Holy Spirit working through miracles and signs. A solid foundation for sure, and one that became his legacy with the writings and teachings contained in his epistles. Paul knew that a new believer with a proper foundation was always going to be resilient and resistant to the attacks that were to come in his or her life. The one that had perhaps been converted with a Gospel based purely on the single thought that God loves them, was always going to be vulnerable to the devil’s attacks. The devil destroyed Eve with his question, “Did God really say …” (Genesis 3:1), and he will do the same with them, introducing doubts into their minds about God’s love when a problem or challenge emerges. At such a time, the devil’s question will be “Does God really love you …” or “surely a loving God wouldn’t have allowed that to happen to you”? The foundation that Jesus taught about started with John 3:16, ” … whosoever believes in Him …”, and that was the basis of Paul’s foundation, the foundation that was Jesus Christ Himself.

In Ephesians 2:20, Paul succinctly referred once again to believers being a building, “Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself“. A drone view of a housing estate will portray many little boxes all isolated from each other, separate buildings where the occupants need to have no contact with other residents. But not so in the Christian life. We are all being built into a single building, God’s house, with everything being built on Christ, the Cornerstone, the only Foundation required. John 14:1-2 records the words of Jesus about the life to come, a “house” that He is preparing for us. He said, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?” There has been much conjecture and even a few jokes about this place, a “building” of which we have no idea. But the picture emerges that what Jesus is building for us is going to be wonderfully amazing, because it will be God’s house. We pilgrims, however, have to be founded and built here on this earth in a way that will fit into God’s house. The wrong foundation on earth will produce a lop-sided structure that might not fit very well, if at all, when we come to knock on the door with the address 1 Heaven, expecting to be shown our room. 

Are we pilgrims sure of our foundation? If we have any doubts then we must ask the Holy Spirit for guidance and He will lead us into all truth (John 15:26). It is amazing how His gentle whispers and nudges will steer us back onto the right path, and He will fill the gaps and blemishes in our foundation, allowing the building of our lives to continue.

O Lord. We love You and worship You today. You are the foundation on which we build our lives, and we ask for guidance to lead us in the right way. We know that You will never disappoint us, and we thank You that You bless us with Your presence day by day. Amen.  

Mature Believers

Posted on by korgrocker

“Yet when I am among mature believers, I do speak with words of wisdom, but not the kind of wisdom that belongs to this world or to the rulers of this world, who are soon forgotten. No, the wisdom we speak of is the mystery of God—his plan that was previously hidden, even though he made it for our ultimate glory before the world began.”
1 Corinthians 2:6-7 NLT

Paul admitted that although he used plain speech when he first came to the new believers in Corinth, he spoke “words of wisdom” when around those he referred to as being “mature believers”. He explained further that the wisdom he used was not worldly wisdom but instead the wisdom connected to the “mystery of God”. Paul described the “mystery of God” as being ” God’s Secret Plan” that we looked at in more depth a few days ago. This plan of course was a secret for many years before Jesus came to this world. Apart from a few hints, the Jews had no idea when their Messiah would arrive, and their expectation of His mission was related in part to the political situation in which they lived. However, the Plan has still some way to go because it includes the Second Coming of Jesus. We have no idea when this will be, although we do know where it will happen and why (Acts 1:11 and Hebrews 9:28).

So why did Paul adapt the words he spoke according to his audience? One reason could have been that his listeners could either have been from a Jewish or Gentile origin. When speaking to Jews, Paul would have used the Hebrew language (Aramaic was the most common in those days) and his discussions would have included many references to Old Testament scriptures. At Ephesus, en-route to Jerusalem, Paul said, “And now I am bound by the Spirit to go to Jerusalem. I don’t know what awaits me” (Acts 20:22). But when Paul finally reached Jerusalem in the Acts 21 and 22 account, he was nearly killed by a Jewish mob who grabbed him, “yelling, “Men of Israel, help us! This is the man who preaches against our people everywhere and tells everybody to disobey the Jewish laws. He speaks against the Temple—and even defiles this holy place by bringing in Gentiles”” (Acts 22:28). A riot developed so the local commander of a Roman regiment ordered his men to restore order and “then the commander arrested [Paul] and ordered him bound with two chains. He asked the crowd who he was and what he had done” (Acts 21:33). Mayhem ensued so the soldiers took Paul to the fortress, apparently no easy task, as we read in Acts 21:5, “As Paul reached the stairs, the mob grew so violent the soldiers had to lift him to their shoulders to protect him”. But Paul persuaded the commander to allow him to address the crowd and “the commander agreed, so Paul stood on the stairs and motioned to the people to be quiet. Soon a deep silence enveloped the crowd, and he addressed them in their own language, Aramaic” (Acts 21:40). In the first two verses of the next chapter in Acts, we read, ““Brothers and esteemed fathers,” Paul said, “listen to me as I offer my defence.” When they heard him speaking in their own language, the silence was even greater.” Then followed his testimony about his Damascus Road conversion. Paul’s words were full of a wisdom influenced by his Jewish upbringing, and because they were addressed to a Jewish audience. In Acts 23 we read the account of Paul brought before Sanhedrin, the High Council, using a wisdom aligned to his knowledge of the Jewish faith.

Regarding speaking to the Gentiles, we see the approach Paul used when addressing the “high council” of the city of Athens. He would have been speaking using the Greek language and we read, “So Paul, standing before the council, addressed them as follows: “Men of Athens, I notice that you are very religious in every way, for as I was walking along I saw your many shrines. And one of your altars had this inscription on it: ‘To an Unknown God.’ This God, whom you worship without knowing, is the one I’m telling you about” (Acts 17:22-23). Paul had done his homework and checked out what he could find from the local customs and culture. In both cases, Paul used his cultural knowledge to apply wisdom to the situations he found himself.

But what has all this to do with the “mystery of God”? Jesus could see what was coming for His disciples, soon to become the first Apostles. Matthew 10:16, “Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. So be as shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves”. Further down the Matthew 10 passage, we read, “When you are arrested, don’t worry about how to respond or what to say. God will give you the right words at the right time. For it is not you who will be speaking—it will be the Spirit of your Father speaking through you“. God’s mysterious plan exposed much about the ministry of the Holy Spirit and perhaps that influenced Paul’s words when he conversed with “mature believers”.

In Hebrews 5 we find some verses that identify the differences between new and mature believers. The writer to the Hebrews wrote, “You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food” (Hebrews 5:12). New believers, such as Paul was addressing in 1 Corinthians, were those who needed to hear “the basic things about God’s Word”. We know that because in 1 Corinthians 1 Paul was addressing believers who had not yet grasped the basics of living in harmony with each other. 1 Corinthians 1:11-12, “For some members of Chloe’s household have told me about your quarrels, my dear brothers and sisters. Some of you are saying, “I am a follower of Paul.” Others are saying, “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Peter,” or “I follow only Christ””. Paul then went on to set out again the Message of the Cross to a quarrelling and factional congregation, who had lost sight of why Jesus had come.

Are we pilgrims now familiar with God’s “mysterious plan”? Would Paul have spoken to us with words of wisdom or would he have once again preached the message of salvation through the Cross to us? It’s a good question because we believers sometimes never seem to get beyond the basics of our faith. We come up against a challenge in our walk with God, and end up taking a wrong turn. But God is so patient, and He gently leads us around the mountain once again, bringing us back to the issue we find so difficult. But however and wherever we find ourselves in our walk along the Narrow Way, we know that God is there with us. He promised never to leave us and forsake us. Ever.

Dear Heavenly Father. We love you and worship You, deeply thankful for each day You grant us. We are especially grateful that You have involved us in Your “mysterious plan” and we pray for Your guidance and assistance in overcoming every obstacles that threatens us. In Jesus’ precious name. Amen.

Called By God

Posted on by korgrocker

“This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from our brother Sosthenes. I am writing to God’s church in Corinth, to you who have been called by God to be his own holy people. He made you holy by means of Christ Jesus, just as he did for all people everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours. May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.”
1 Corinthians 1:1-3 NLT

Yesterday we considered Paul’s assertion that we have been “chosen by the will of God”. Today we look at Paul’s next statement, presented as fact, that those in the Corinthian church had been “called by God”. In other translations, this epistles starts with ” … Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, …”, indicating that being called and being chosen are much the same. However, being “chosen” doesn’t somehow have the same active meaning as being “called”. Back in my school days we sometimes used to assemble at lunch times for a game of football. Two captains were chosen and they in turn selected their teams, calling out the best footballers. Sadly, I was rubbish at football so was always the last choice but once chosen the teams battled out their game, being called to play football. We talk about being “called” into a profession, like nursing. Or being “called” to be a missionary or minister. The implication is that in the job scene, being “called” is being chosen to work in a profession that is perhaps shunned by others because it is too difficult, messy or just doesn’t fit with personalities or characters. Take being a pastor for example. A person may be a believer, but the thought of having to shepherd people perhaps just doesn’t appeal to that person because they just aren’t a people person, and instead prefer to administer or teach. Paul was called to be an Apostle, implying that having been chosen he now had to live a life represented and dominated by working out his calling.

We look at the “calling” of James, John and Peter, to see how they became Jesus’ disciples. In Luke 5:10-11 we read, “His partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were also amazed. Jesus replied to Simon, “Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for people!” And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus“. At Jesus’ suggestion, the soon-to-be disciples had just had a miraculous catch of fish, convincing them that they had to follow the Master. A bit further down in Luke 5 we read about the calling of Levi (Matthew), “Later, as Jesus left the town, he saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. So Levi got up, left everything, and followed him” (Luke 5:27-28). The first four disciples were chosen into a calling following Jesus for three and a half turbulent years, years that, with the other disciples, established their later role as the early church fathers. 

What is our call as believers in God? We know that we were chosen “before the foundation of the world”, but we are also called to be someone. In Ephesians 4:1 we read, “Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God”. All believers, pilgrims everywhere, have a calling, and in Ephesians 4 Paul continues, “Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace”(Ephesians 4:2-3).‭‭ The life of a Christian is a calling, but it is more than a job of work, it is a lifestyle that will continue for all eternity. In another epistle, Paul wrote, “For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time—to show us his grace through Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 1:9). So our calling involves living a life of holiness. That may conjure up in our minds pictures of monks or nuns dressed in their habits, but that would be incorrect. Today’s believers are facing into seemingly insurmountable challenges as we are bombarded with the products of this evil and wicked world, deflecting us away from the calling to be holy. Being chosen leads to being called to do and be someone. 

1 Peter 2:9 reads, ” … for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light”. Consider this, there we were as unbelievers, bumbling along in our sinful lives in an evil and dark world until we somehow heard a voice calling us. It may not have been an audible voice from Heaven, but through a series of contacts, conversations and situations we found ourselves looking at a wonderful world as a believer. The calls continued and one day we transitioned into God’s world of light. God’s goodness indeed. And Peter reminds us that our calling is to “show others the goodness of God”.

So are we pilgrims working out our calling as believers in Jesus? I suspect we all are, possibly at different rates, or in different ways, but with an active faith like we have what else could we be doing? But that is not to encourage complacency, because we know that the heart is deceitful above all else (Jeremiah 17:9). Day by day we come before God in our prayer times, as we study His Word, and allow the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us in the times ahead.

Dear Father God. There was that day when we heard Your voice calling us and we responded at the foot of Jesus’ cross as we confessed and repented of our sins. We thank You for Your grace and mercy and Your love that never fails us. Amen.

An Outburst of Praise

Posted on by korgrocker

“I love you, Lord; you are my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my saviour; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety.”
Psalm 18:1-2 NLT

The preamble to this Psalm records that David wrote it “on the day the Lord rescued him from all his enemies and from Saul”. But David didn’t just write it, he sang it. David was an extraordinarily gifted man, able to govern wisely, a giant killer, a musician, song writer and singer, and all because he was favoured by the Lord. If David was asked about all his gifts, I’m sure he would have pointed to Heaven and say it was all because of His Lord.  In these first two verses of Psalm 18, look at the words David used in his song of praise and thanks. He wrote that the Lord was his “strength“, his “rock”, his “fortress”, his “Saviour”, his “shield”, and he finishes with the Lord being “the power that saves [him], and [his] place of safety”.What an accolade! David would have been the sort of person who you wanted to have around in church, encouraging people in their faith.

There was a time when David lived for a time in a cave, an account which we can read in 1 Samuel 22, but the first two verses read, “So David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam. Soon his brothers and all his other relatives joined him there. Then others began coming—men who were in trouble or in debt or who were just discontented—until David was the captain of about 400 men“. There was something about David that drew people to him, and even his oldest brother, Eliab, who was recorded as saying to David, “But when David’s oldest brother, Eliab, heard David talking to the men, he was angry. “What are you doing around here anyway?” he demanded. “What about those few sheep you’re supposed to be taking care of? I know about your pride and deceit. You just want to see the battle!”” (1 Samuel 17:28). There were some interesting family dynamics in David’s life!

But David was quick to credit the Lord with all His blessings so freely poured out on him. God was there for David through some difficult times and David was quick with his thankful responses to his Lord and God. Note though, that God didn’t take away the circumstances that David encountered in his life, but He did keep David safe within them. It is the same with all His people. We live in a sinful and wicked world, but that is how it is for human beings. Because of sin this world is a hostile place for God’s people, but as Jesus said to His disciples, “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Think of all those people who have fallen away from the faith because they mistakenly thought God would save them from all their troubles. Instead of saving them from their troubles, God will save them within them. David knew that and we know from previous Psalms that he was always ranting about the wicked people, his enemies, who continually caused him grief, but in this Psalm David is singing his heart out with a song of praise and thankfulness.

What about us pilgrims? What problems are we facing into at the moment? Financial issues? Worries about our families? Anxieties about the state of the world, with the wars and famines? When Jesus said that he had “overcome the world” He proclaimed that He was bigger than anything we will find in this life. And in faith we can start to thank God for being for us all the things He was to David, who lived in a much more dangerous time than we do. So today, can I hear a chorus of praise and thanks to God, a song penetrating the dark fogs of 21st Century Planet Earth? Of course I can. We all can. Because we are the choir, practising for the time when we will indeed spend eternity praising the One who saved this sad, bad world.

Dear God. You have the world in which we live snuggled in the palm of Your hand, and in spite of all its sin and wickedness. Thank You for the assurance that You are standing with us through every circumstance. Amen.