Shining as Believers: A Call to Action

Posted on by korgrocker

“If we are ‘out of our mind,’ as some say, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.”
2 Corinthians 5:13-15 NIVUK

Paul wrote that Jesus died for all. Not just the Israelites, the Jews living in the First Century, but also for the Gentiles, people like you and me. Jesus died the death that we were supposed to have died because He took on the punishment we deserved for all our sins. What are they? Anything that is in opposition to God. There are no “little white lies” or half-truths. Every wrong thought and deed has been brought under the cleansing blood of Jesus. Isaiah wrote, ““Come now, let’s settle this,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool” (Isaiah 1:18). The Bible has a theme running through it, about God pursuing people everywhere because He loves them. Peter wrote, “ … He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent” (2 Peter 3:9c). And He achieved that aim through Jesus, “that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life”. Jesus died our death so that we would be able to live His life. What a Saviour! 

We pilgrims, therefore, have an obligation to live our lives God’s way, without self-centred ambition and in a way that hides our spirituality from those around us. We are not monks shut away from the world behind the walls of a monastery. We are out there, shining like a beacon in a dark and hopeless world. We must live in a way that is Christ-centred, and no longer focused on our self-centred ways. Paul wrote, “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had” (Philippians 2:3-5). In it all, we must each consider the question, “Who is at the centre of our lives, me or Jesus?” But what does “shining like a beacon” look like? It is a counter-cultural manifestation of human qualities soaked in the Holy Spirit, not the spirit of the world. So, we pilgrims will not join in with the negative talk amongst friends. We will not join in with the office gossip or smutty jokes. We will not rubbish the government (read Romans 13). We will not get involved with worldly ideologies. Instead, we will speak the truth about God and all He has done for us.

“Because He lives
I can face tomorrow”

Paul wrote, “that those who live should no longer live for themselves”. Of course, everyone “lives” until the day they die, but that is not the “live” that Paul was meaning. Peter wrote, “For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God” (1 Peter 1:23). To a Jewish leader called Nicodemus, “Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.” … “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life” (John 3:3, 5-6). Our bodies will one day wear out and die, but our spirits will continue to live forever. There are men and women who claim to be Christians but who deny that it is necessary to be “born again”. The term has somehow been associated with a fundamental minority who have become radicalised into believing something more associated with sects. But we pilgrims “live” a spiritual, born-again, life, the Jesus way, following in the steps of the Master.

Jesus died on that Roman cross, and if that was all that there was, then we are a sad people. Paul wrote, “I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). But he went on, “For if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless. And we apostles would all be lying about God, for we have said that God raised Christ from the grave. But that can’t be true if there is no resurrection of the dead. And if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless, and you are still guilty of your sins. In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost! And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world” (1 Corinthians 15:13-19). Indisputable logic from Paul, emphasising the importance, the cornerstone, of our faith. Jesus died and rose again, and through Him we can also look forward to our resurrection one day.

The Cross is validated by Jesus’ resurrection, and through Him we have victory over death. The grave no longer has any hold over us, because we pass through it into eternal life. We pilgrims serve a living King, victorious and glorious. Jesus said, “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me” (John 15:4). Through the indwelling Holy Spirit, we remain connected to the Vine, who is Jesus, living the life that He has granted us through His grace and mercy. 

We serve the risen Jesus. He is alive today, tomorrow, and forever. So today, we must turn up the wick on our beacons, shining brighter and brighter, bringing Jesus’ life into the lives of those around us. 

Father, we pray for forgiveness for our sins, in deep gratitude for Jesus and His death and resurrection. With His life within us, we share the Good News, the truth about our faith, to those we know and even to those we don’t. We pray for our friends and families that the light and life of Jesus will illuminate their lives as well. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Faith: Our Assurance Beyond Mortal Existence

Posted on by korgrocker

“So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord. For we live by believing and not by seeing. Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord.”
2 Corinthians 5:6-8 NLT

We human beings are mortal. This means that there will come a time when we will die. It is a thought that horrifies many people, but it is one of the few things about our lives that we cannot control. We don’t know when the final day will come, but even if we did, there is nothing we can do about it. There are scientists who claim that there are some things that we can do, though, to delay the inevitable, like being careful about how we live, avoiding smoking, drugs, and alcohol. By eating the right foods and avoiding the wrong ones. And some claim to be on the edge of creating chemicals that would significantly prolong our lives. The Victorian writer H Rider Haggard wrote a novel called “She”, and it was about a woman who was immortal because she had discovered a “Pillar of Fire” that granted immortality to anyone who was fortunate enough to be able to stand in its flame. It’s a great story but a long way from the truth. Interestingly, it explores some of the perils of immortality from a purely secular perspective, particularly when bestowed upon an evil person. Mankind has always been fascinated with the concept of life, death and immortality, and there are some who make a living by pandering to people’s desires. Job wrote the truth, however, as we read in Job 14:5. Speaking to God, he said, “You have decided the length of our lives. You know how many months we will live, and we are not given a minute longer”. 

From the perspective of eternity, therefore, we are living in a temporary home. Our spirits will one day be set free from the physical entity that we call our bodies. Paul wrote that he would rather be away from his, because then he “will be at home with the Lord”. Our earthly existence is real, meaningful, and purposeful—but it is not ultimate. There is a quiet homesickness woven into the heart of every believer. We experience moments when we feel lost, or experience thoughts like “what am I doing here”? We pursue pleasurable activities but find them unfulfilling. We suffer through illness or pain, and wonder what is going on. But in it all, we sometimes sense that we were made for something more. An unbeliever will not be immune to the feeling that they don’t belong here, and they try their best to fill the gap by material means, or try to suppress the feelings with alcohol or drugs. A visit to a psychiatrist might provide temporary relief, but in the morning, the mind-numbing processes of the previous day will have all worn off, and the sense of loss will still be there. Unbelievers learn to suppress such feelings, although they sometimes emerge when not expected. But a believer like us doesn’t have such feelings because they have been replaced with the knowledge that we are indeed just living in a temporary home.

Paul didn’t despair about his physical challenges and feelings of homesickness because he had confidence in his future and the God who would one day make it all possible. How could he say that while acknowledging suffering, persecution, and uncertainty? Paul wasn’t playing some kind of mind game, convincing himself about his future, a self-assurance that had no basis in truth. Paul had a God-assurance, the settled conviction that whether he remained in his body or left it, he belonged to the Lord. That kind of confidence cannot be shaken by changing circumstances. With Paul, we pilgrims understand that our true home is with God, and earthly instability loses its power to terrify us.

Paul wrote, “For we live by believing and not by seeing”. We call that “faith”. Faith is not blind optimism. It is a steady trust in what God has promised. It is choosing confidence when circumstances are unclear. It is walking forward even when the road ahead disappears into fog. Hebrews 11:1, “Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see”. The problem is that in this life, we are trained and conditioned to trust what we can see with our eyes. But faith doesn’t work like that, and instead, we put our trust in the One who has promised us life in our new home, one that He is preparing for us right now. The Christian hope is not merely about survival after death—it is about reunion. It is about fullness. It is about finally being where our hearts have always belonged. To be “at home with the Lord” suggests intimacy, rest, and completion. Home is where we are fully known and fully loved. Paul’s longing reveals a heart that has tasted God’s presence so deeply that eternity feels like the most natural destination.

Do we pilgrims feel the same as Paul? I’m sure many of us are weary of the limitations of our current bodies, but one day, perhaps soon for some, we will be at home with the Lord. There will be no better place possible. At last, we will lose that sense of not belonging. At last, we will be home.

Dear Father God. There is a song, “What a day that will be / When my Jesus I shall see / And I look upon his face / The one who saved me by his grace.” We worship You today, Lord. Amen.

Overcoming Life’s Challenges with Unwavering Faith

Posted on by korgrocker

“Yes, we live under constant danger of death because we serve Jesus, so that the life of Jesus will be evident in our dying bodies. So we live in the face of death, but this has resulted in eternal life for you. But we continue to preach because we have the same kind of faith the psalmist had when he said, “I believed in God, so I spoke.””
2 Corinthians 4:11-13 NLT

Paul quoted from Psalm 116 when he wrote, “I believed in God, so I spoke”. That Psalm is entitled, “Thanksgiving for Rescue from Death” and is an appropriate psalm for Paul to quote from. The Psalmist was in a place staring at death, “Then I called on the name of the Lord: “Please, Lord, save me!” How kind the Lord is! How good he is! So merciful, this God of ours! The Lord protects those of childlike faith; I was facing death, and he saved me” (Psalm 116:4-6). And as we read the rest of the Psalm, we can see how Paul must have found much comfort in it. We know from earlier in 2 Corinthians that Paul and his colleagues were in a dangerous place, to the point where they feared for their lives. But they, with the Psalmist, could claim, “I was facing death, and he saved me”. What connected the Psalmist and Paul? It wasn’t time, because they lived in different ages, separated by hundreds of years. They both attributed their salvation from death to God, but was there more involved? Of course, there was, and Paul put his finger on the missing element: faith. The Psalmist and Paul both had the same assurance of faith, that God would protect them in times of trouble. They both spoke out in the knowledge that God was there for them, close by, and able to save.

The writer of the Hebrews letter helpfully listed some men and women who displayed a faith so vibrant and real that it brought them through some terrible circumstances. Imagine having Noah’s faith, spending decades building a boat on dry land, a statement of faith to a nation that had never seen an expanse of water sufficient to float it. Imagine having David’s faith, heading out onto the battlefield armed only with a sling and five stones, facing a giant, a heavily armed opponent, saying, “The Lord who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!” (1 Samuel 17:37a). But even today, imagine sitting by the bedside of a seriously ill child, one who the medics had written off, but having the faith saying and praying that God would heal, and seeing a miracle as a result.

Paul was a preacher who spoke out his message of the Gospel because he had faith that God would protect him until his mission was complete. But even if he died because of the Gospel, Paul still believed he would be resurrected, just as Jesus was. He had the same kind of faith as the unknown Psalmist did.

What about us pilgrims? Where are we at with our faith? Such faith will take many forms, each dependent on our own circumstances. Our faith is a statement to this hopeless world around us, because most of the people we meet have little or no faith in anything. We have to look up to a Higher Power far above our politicians and leaders to find the source of anything worth having faith in. We may not be facing death at this moment, but there will be other things that need us to have faith to overcome. God is interested in the smallest hurdle that we face, but we mostly seem to associate faith with the big things in life. 

There were three Jewish men who were faced with a life-threatening situation because they refused to worship the gold statue of a Babylonian king. We pick up the story in Daniel 3:16-18, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up””. That’s faith, that God will save even in impossible circumstances. But, and this is the “same kind of faith” that Paul had, even if God hadn’t saved them, the outcome would be better because they would have found themselves in God’s presence. 

Paul preached the message of eternal life through belief in Jesus to a deeply resistant andresentful people, and he suffered much because of it. But he was sustained by the faith that he had, because the “life of Jesus [would] be evident in [his] dying body”. Paul was aware that his time on earth would be short compared with eternity, so he made good use of the time that he had, even though his body was dying. Paul didn’t know what his future held, but he had faith in the One who held his future in His hands. Do we have that kind of faith? 

Dear Heavenly Father. You know all about us, when we go out and when we come in. You know what is going to happen in our lives and what our future holds. But we have confidence that regardless of what happens, we will one day be secure in Your presence. Forever. Thank You. Amen.

By Your Own Faith

Posted on by korgrocker

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Risking Death

Posted on by korgrocker

“If the dead will not be raised, what point is there in people being baptised for those who are dead? Why do it unless the dead will someday rise again? And why should we ourselves risk our lives hour by hour? For I swear, dear brothers and sisters, that I face death daily. This is as certain as my pride in what Christ Jesus our Lord has done in you.”
1 Corinthians 15:29-31 NLT

There is no point, said Paul, to face into all the danger that being a Christian involved in those days, if there was to be no resurrection of the dead. Previously, in this chapter, in this his first letter to the Corinthians, he answered those in Corinth who were saying that there would be no resurrection of the dead. This was despite what Paul and his colleagues in ministry were teaching. And Paul made several points to them about what this would mean in practice. 

Jesus died and rose again
on the first Easter Sunday
morning

Firstly, he said, “For if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised either” (1 Corinthians 15:13). To deny that Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to so many witnesses was to do what some people do today. They were trying to rewrite history because it didn’t suit their particular worldview. We have those today who deny that the Holocaust actually took place, but just to deny that something ever happened doesn’t change the facts. Jesus died and rose again on the first Easter Sunday morning. Of course, we remember the Sadducees who were around between 200BC and about 70AD. They were a rich and powerful sect of mainly businessmen who denied that the dead would be raised, and they were also very prominent in the Sanhedrin, the Jewish ruling council. Paul knew that they believed that there was no resurrection and he used this to good effect when he was brought before the Sanhedrin. Acts 23:6, “Paul realised that some members of the high council were Sadducees and some were Pharisees, so he shouted, ‘Brothers, I am a Pharisee, as were my ancestors! And I am on trial because my hope is in the resurrection of the dead!’” The Council was made up of Pharisees and Sadducees, and absolute mayhem resulted as they fought over their different beliefs about resurrection, to the extent that the local commander of the Roman forces had to send soldiers in to rescue Paul. 

Secondly, Paul made the simple statement, “And we apostles would all be lying about God—for we have said that God raised Christ from the grave. But that can’t be true if there is no resurrection of the dead” (1 Corinthians 15:15). It would be a sad place for Paul, if he had made up all the stories and facts about Christ’s resurrection. To find out that he was lying would have been a terrible place for him to be in, and totally contrary to the purity of the Good News that he preached. 

Thirdly, Paul pointed out that “ … if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins”(1 Corinthians 15:17). The fact of Christ’s resurrection is a fundamental cornerstone of our faith. Without it we are just a deluded set of fantasists believing in fairy stories and heading for an unknown post-death fate.

Paul said, “I face death daily“.

Fourthly, and in connection with the last point, Paul said that “ … why should we ourselves risk our lives hour by hour? For I swear, dear brothers and sisters, that I face death daily. This is as certain as my pride in what Christ Jesus our Lord has done in you” (1 Corinthians 15:30-31). It would be hard enough to live out a life of denial, but to be so convinced by that lie, involving facing death, as he was doing, every day,  beggars belief. In the first century, many martyrs died for their faith, and Paul was well aware that he was in danger himself. 

We pilgrims, believers in the resurrection, will never experience the danger of death in response to our faith. But we are increasingly experiencing persecution through the passing of secular laws and through ridicule and exclusion in various places in our society. But we know that this would happen because Jesus Himself warned us about it. So we stand strong in our faith, believing in our salvation and in the One who made it all happen.

Dear Lord Jesus. You came to this world proclaiming the words of eternal life. We have nowhere else to go, and we pray for the strength to hold firm in this, our hostile, lost and evil world. In Your precious name. Amen.

Faith, Hope and Love (2)

Posted on by korgrocker

“When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely. Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.”
1 Corinthians 13:11-13 NLT

We continue to look at the three eternal qualities that will surpass the spiritual gifts that Paul has been writing about in 1 Corinthians 12. Yesterday, we briefly considered the first, faith. Today, we move on to consider the quality of hope, something that is misunderstood in today’s secular society. We may start a holiday with the thought, “I hope it won’t rain at the beach”, or we might walk into the exam hall with the thought, “I hope that I pass this exam”. There is a rather depressing verse in Ecclesiastes, “It seems so wrong that everyone under the sun suffers the same fate. Already twisted by evil, people choose their own mad course, for they have no hope. There is nothing ahead but death anyway” (Ecclesiastes 9:3). The author of this Book, traditionally thought to be King Solomon, was referring, I think, to people who had no eternal God-perspective in their lives and, like lemmings, they were rushing on to a sure death and eternal misery. But Solomon quite correctly went on to say that hope is only for the living, and it is through our lives that we are able to live a life of hope. In Hebrews 11:1 we read, “Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see”.

The Biblical view of hope is defined as being without doubt. Our examples above imply that it might rain or we might fail the exam, building in an element of doubt, but hope lived out God’s way does not doubt because it is underpinned by faith. Worldly hope is just a shadow of what our hope in God really means. In Psalm 16:8-9, we read verses that are permeated with a Biblical hope, “I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me. No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice. My body rests in safety”. There is an assurance contained within these verses that is unshakeable and an eternal statement of hope. So what is it that we hope for?

“I do believe, but help me
overcome my unbelief!”

We pilgrims hope in God for eternal life, including forgiveness of our sins and being with God forever. This hope also includes the future resurrection of the dead, being transformed into the likeness of Christ, and the ultimate redemption of both believers and all of creation. We also hope for strength, guidance, and completion in our spiritual journey through the Holy Spirit’s power to live a life that honours God. There is no room for doubt with such a hope, and we pray the same prayer as the father of the evil-spirit-possessed boy did, “ … I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24). Therefore, biblical hope is a confident expectation or assurance based upon a sure foundation for which we wait with joy and full confidence. In other words, “There is no doubt about it!”

The third eternal quality from the last verse of 1 Corinthians 13 concerns love. This is something that we considered a few days ago, and Paul reminds the Corinthians believers that this is the greatest of the three eternal qualities. So in conclusion, we read the last verse in 1 Corinthians 13, with the knowledge that “Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love”. Of course, we desire the spiritual gifts because God has provided them for us, to build up, encourage, and serve the community of believers, known as the body of Christ, for the common good and God’s glory. But underpinning them all are the qualities of faith, hope and love, and particularly love. Without them, the spiritual gifts will not be of any use.

Dear Lord, we love You, praise You and worship You today. Please forgive us for the times when we have failed to love others. Amen.

Faith, Hope and Love (1)

Posted on by korgrocker

“When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely. Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.”
1 Corinthians 13:11-13 NLT

In the context of the verses we are considering today, we find that love is the essential quality required to enable the spiritual gifts to function. Paul started 1 Corinthians 13 with the thought that no matter how effective a person was in their Holy Spirit gifting, unless they loved others, anything they did, even in God’s name, would be ineffective and pointless. Love of others, true agape love, is the foundation upon which the spiritual gifts are able to function. It is the “glue” that binds believers together and enables God to bring Heaven into our earthly lives. But take away love and the whole Christian faith becomes pointless, indeed no more than a clanging bell peeling from a church tower on a Sunday morning, calling the believers to an empty void in a loveless building. There will come a day, Paul reminded the Corinthians, when the spiritual gifts they enjoyed so much would no longer be required, because once in Heaven there would be no need for them. In Heaven will be found Perfection, and Jesus Himself would eclipse any partial or incomplete experiences of the gifts. Sadly, there are some who believe the Perfect has already come in the form of the Bible, God’s Word, but how can that be possible? There is only One who is Perfect, and He is Jesus Himself. A man-made object, the Bible, even if it contains writings produced under the influence of the Holy Spirit, can never be totally perfect because it, too, only reflects God’s message in a way that is sometimes puzzling and dark. 

Faith, Hope, and Love

There are three eternal qualities that will last forever, even surviving the journey across the Great Divide, death itself. They are faith, hope and love, Paul wrote, and although essential to us pilgrims, they are qualities despised and ridiculed by the secular people around us, who have been prevented from seeing the truth that emanates from Jesus Himself. The devil hates these three qualities, and he will do everything he can to destroy and disrupt, because he knows that once a believer applies them in their lives, he has lost them forever. 

Faith we know everything about, because it is through faith that we have become believers. “A biblical definition of faith reaches beyond mere belief—the simple acknowledgement that God exists—into the realm of trust. Genuine faith involves abandoning all human reliance on self-efforts and placing total dependence upon God’s character, His actions, and His promises, as revealed in His Word” (quote from Gotquestions.org). We all know the verse in Hebrews 11:6, “And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him”. We pilgrims have that faith, I know, because we are believers in Jesus, who died in our place as a punishment for our sins. How can we ever thank Him for that? But our faith extends further as we apply God’s promises in our lives. This world will throw us many situations that threaten to overwhelm us, but through our faith in God, we are overcomers, applying it and affirming that He is who He said He is. 

Dear Father God. Many will ridicule and even attempt to turn us away from You, but we thank You that through Jesus, we have the strength and determination to be overcomers and stay faithful to You. We declare that we have the faith we need to know that You are who You say You are, and we stand on that foundation today and every day. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Miracles

Posted on by korgrocker

“He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.”
1 Corinthians 12:10-11 NLT

The Bible is full of miracles. And there is no reason that I can find as to why God would have stopped doing them in 21st-century Planet Earth. Of course, there are some Christians who claim that the Gifts of the Holy Spirit died out with the Apostles and never happen today, but the facts do not support such a view. Often today, a miracle, such as in my own testimony, is associated with a medical condition. At other times, a series of “coincidences” seems to point to a miracle granted from God. To take an example, a neighbour of mine, driving a large camper van, had a heart attack on a motorway in Scotland. His wife, from the passenger seat, was able to bring the vehicle to a stop in the middle lane on the highway, with traffic backing up behind them. There was then a series of “coincidences”. Several vehicles behind them was a paramedic going on holiday. Behind him was a bus that happened to have a defibrillator on board. The paramedic managed to restart my neighbour’s heart, and minutes later an air ambulance landed close by. A miracle? My neighbour thought so. The sceptic might dismiss such a series of circumstances attribured to God, and, with an isolated example, they might be right, but when examples such as this stack up, a wise person might start to wonder.

In the Bible, we read about Jesus and the many miracles He performed. The first recorded miracle was in John 2, at the wedding in Cana, when Jesus turned water into wine. We read, “Standing nearby were six stone water jars, used for Jewish ceremonial washing. Each could hold twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus told the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” When the jars had been filled, he said, “Now dip some out, and take it to the master of ceremonies.” So the servants followed his instructions” (John 2:6-8). As if this weren’t miraculous enough, we then read in the following two verses, “When the master of ceremonies tasted the water that was now wine, not knowing where it had come from (though, of course, the servants knew), he called the bridegroom over. “A host always serves the best wine first,” he said. “Then, when everyone has had a lot to drink, he brings out the less expensive wine. But you have kept the best until now!”” 

There was also an occasion when the Pharisees asked Jesus for a miracle to prove His authority. We read in Matthew 12:38, “One day some teachers of religious law and Pharisees came to Jesus and said, “Teacher, we want you to show us a miraculous sign to prove your authority””. But Jesus was having none of their hubris, as we read in the next verse. Going back to Exodus, we find the Israelite slaves seeing one miracle after another, but they still rebelled against God. The parting of the Red Sea. Manna to feed them, not just once but for forty years. The pillars of fire and smoke. Water from a rock. What did God have to do to get through to such a stubborn and rebellious people? But this is the thing about miracles. They may lead a person to faith for a short time, but such a faith based on miracles will not last. There were plenty of Jesus’ miracles for the Pharisees to consider. He healed the sick, and He raised the dead. He fed five thousand men and their families. Jesus even walked on water, and the Pharisees were present for most of these. But even when presented by the miracle that took place in a synagogue, they still didn’t get it. In Luke 6 we find the occasion when Jesus healed a man right in front of the Pharisees and teachers of religious law. We read, “On another Sabbath day, a man with a deformed right hand was in the synagogue while Jesus was teaching. The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees watched Jesus closely. If he healed the man’s hand, they planned to accuse him of working on the Sabbath” (Luke 6:6-7). After Jesus healed the man, we read, “At this, the enemies of Jesus were wild with rage and began to discuss what to do with him” (Luke 6:11). The Jewish leaders failed to be convinced of Jesus’ pedigree and authority even when faced with a miracle.

“Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think”

Ephesians 3:20

Through the Holy Spirit, the Gift of Miracles is granted to believers to benefit the “common good”. And if we pilgrims lack the faith to pray, expecting a miracle, we must turn to Ephesians 3:20, “Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think”. What does “infinitely more” look like? Ask Jesus. He knows.

Dear Lord Jesus. You performed many miracles in Israel during your time on this world. And through Your Spirit, there is more to come. We pray for the faith to do Your will. In Your precious name. Amen.

Run to Win

Posted on by korgrocker

“Don’t you realise that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.”
1 Corinthians 9:24-27 NLT

The Corinthian society was highly competitive, and the ancient Olympic Games were founded in Greece in the eighth century BC. The modern Olympic Games were founded on the same principles and were restarted in 1896. The predominant race in ancient Greece was known for its prowess in running, and Paul used that analogy in the verses we are reading today. But Paul was not suggesting that Christianity was an athletic sport in which there was only one winner. Neither was he implying that there was some competition among individual believers. Instead, Paul was referring only to the effort and dedication exhibited by the athletes: that was what the believer should duplicate in their pursuit of Christ. 

The point of participating in a race is to win, and winning takes work. Athletes who hope to be competitive must exercise significant control over themselves in all that they do. This would include not just physical training, but also strict diets, regular sleep schedules, abstaining from harmful substances, and exercising caution in their behaviour. Through it all, they would keep their focus on winning the race and getting the prize: a wreath. At the games in Corinth, a pine wreath was placed on the head of the winner, much like a crown. If Paul were writing this today, he might refer to the gold medal of the modern Olympics. 

However, the wreath sought after by the Greek athletes was perishable, Paul wrote. The prize a Christian aspires to win is imperishable; it is eternal. To accomplish that, Paul indicated that considerable human effort was required to win the award. This all sounds logical, particularly to people who are naturally competitive and able to train hard in whatever discipline they choose, be it athletic or something else. But then we stop and think for a moment. We don’t have to strive by human effort to win the prize of eternal life, because Jesus did that for us. The Amplified version of Ephesians 2:8-9 reads, “For it is by grace [God’s remarkable compassion and favour drawing you to Christ] that you have been saved [actually delivered from judgment and given eternal life] through faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [not through your own effort], but it is the [undeserved, gracious] gift of God; not as a result of [your] works [nor your attempts to keep the Law], so that no one will [be able to] boast or take credit in any way [for his salvation]”. Put simply, it is through faith that we will receive eternal life, and certainly not by our own efforts. 

So what is the point that Paul was making, and how does that impact pilgrims like us today? Paul’s metaphor of an athlete in training did not apply to his desire to get to Heaven one day, but instead to the service he was conducting in spreading the Good News about Christ. Paul was totally focused on his mission to see souls saved for the Kingdom of God, and to achieve that, he put his body through much hardship to achieve his goal and win the prize. His efforts for God eclipsed everything else that he did, even at times impacting his basic life needs. He was afraid that his efforts would have been insufficient to win the race and disqualify him from achieving his goal. Paul was a driven man, totally focused on his mission and the goals that it contained. 

And so we turn to us pilgrims. What are we focused on? Is there a “race” that we are trying to win for God? And if so, what is our personal race? Many believers do little outside of attending church meetings. There, they have the faith to believe in Jesus, but do little with that faith. In Ephesians 2:10, we read, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do”. We note that Paul wrote that we are not saved by our good works but saved for good works. So, we pilgrims must ask ourselves about the “good works” that Jesus prepared for us to do. Many Christians work in charities and other organisations to share God’s love with less fortunate fellow citizens. A friend of mine works part-time in his retirement at a food bank, assembling packs for those unable to afford the basics of life. Other people will do what they can to be “salt and light” in their communities. Even others engage in philanthropic acts of kindness, such as what happened to my niece, who was financially supported through college by a benefactor. James wrote, “In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead” (James 2:17), and so it is.

We pilgrims must pray for God’s guidance in the “good works” that we do. It is easy to burden our lives with things that God doesn’t want us to do, with poor results. We have all been granted at least one gift (Matthew 25), and we must use the gifts we have been given for the benefit of the church or fellowship to which we belong, as well as for our neighbours and friends. To ignore our gifts is not an option in the Kingdom of God. 

Dear Heavenly Father. We thank You for the fullness of life that You have granted us through Jesus. Please guide us in the ways You wish us to follow, and the works of service You have pre-ordained for us. We love You and thank You for Jesus, and for all that He did for us at Calvary. We worship You today. Amen.

Uncertainty

Posted on by korgrocker

“A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. If her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but only if he loves the Lord. But in my opinion it would be better for her to stay single, and I think I am giving you counsel from God’s Spirit when I say this.”
1 Corinthians 7:39-40 NLT

So, Paul wrote that “A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives”. In today’s society, which is conscious of and sensitive to the rights of women, this is not a politically correct instruction. To single out a woman’s responsibility to her husband but not the other way round is enough to make any feminist’s blood boil. But in the misogynistic and patriarchal societies two thousand years ago, instructions such as these were not uncommon. A woman was considered the lesser of the two people in the marriage partnership. In first-century Greece, formal education for women varied significantly according to where a person lived. Corinthian girls would have received little to no formal instruction, instead learning domestic skills like weaving and household management from their mothers to prepare for marriage and motherhood. Male education varied by place as well, but generally involved foundational literacy and numeracy for the wealthy, with higher learning for affluent boys through Sophists and philosophers, emphasising rhetoric and philosophy. Physical training was also standard, often in a gymnasium, to instil discipline and prepare for military service. Today, in Western societies, education is available to all, regardless of sex, providing equal opportunities. This ensures that marriage is equally supported by both men and women, even to the extent of traditional role reversals, with the husband taking on childcare and managing the household.

Paul, however, suggested that, should the husband die first, then the wife, presumably a believer, was free to remarry, as long as the new husband was another believer. But, and here’s the thing, Paul suggested that it would be better for the widow to stay unmarried and remain single. This would not always be the best option for the poor woman, because these were days before Social Security payments were available. The church would have helped out in a way such as was recorded in Acts 6:1, “But as the believers rapidly multiplied, there were rumblings of discontent. The Greek-speaking believers complained about the Hebrew-speaking believers, saying that their widows were being discriminated against in the daily distribution of food”. But nevertheless, Paul promoted singleness for the widow, writing, “I think I am giving you counsel from God’s Spirit when I say this”. “I think …” indicates a degree of uncertainty on Paul’s part, as he showed an honesty about what he thought he was hearing from the Holy Spirit.

If we pilgrims are honest with ourselves today, “I think …” is more common than we might be prepared to admit. Faced with an important decision, it is difficult most of the time to separate our human thoughts from God’s thoughts. Although the Bible is full of God’s counsel, on many matters it is difficult to get a definitive answer from it. Yes, we will receive general advice in line with God’s principles, but often we come up against situations about which Scripture is silent. This introduces a difficulty when it comes to matters of direction. “Should I accept this job …”, or “should I date this girl …”. Perhaps, “Should I become a missionary”, or “Should I go to Bible College”, might be options laid before us. For older people, thoughts of moving to a smaller house or a new part of the country to be nearer family might present themselves as potential “I think’s“. So what should a pilgrim do?

If we find ourselves presented with a life-changing option, such as the widow in Paul’s verses today, we must first pray about the situation, believing that through our faith, the Holy Spirit will lead and guide us. In parallel, we might bounce our thoughts off a trusted friend or pastor, obtaining more guidance and a different perspective. But if we’re still not sure, then for the “risk-averse” amongst us, perhaps the best solution is to put the matter before God, leaving it “on the back burner” until we get the confirmation or direction that we need. This is not always best, though, because sometimes God wants us to step out in faith, much as Jackie Pullinger did when she boarded a steamer asking God to reveal to her the port where He wanted her to start her missionary calling. We must also be aware that often, the decision before us may be acceptable to God, whichever way we go and whatever we do. In the end, He wants us to grow in His grace and love, flourishing in the place and bearing fruit where He has placed us.

“I think …” may be a God-thought that we need to act upon. Consider ourselves a sailing ship, tied up in port, while we wait for the right wind, one that is right in terms of direction and speed. But it never comes, and we remain in the port, increasingly unhappy and frustrated, never going anywhere. Sometimes God wants us to launch out and leave the port anyway, because once we are on the move, God can work in the situation to bring the right circumstances. These may not be what we were expecting while in the port, but once on the move, God can show us the course He wants us to take. Psalm 119:105, “Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path“. Psalm 37:5, “Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you”. Proverbs 16:3, “Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed“. God doesn’t mind sometimes if we make mistakes. Paul wrote in Romans 8:28, “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them”. Once we are on the move, God will redeem the situation we find ourselves in, and as we look to Him in faith, He will guide us. We don’t know what the future holds for us in our natural lives, but we do know who holds the future, both now and forever.

Dear Father God. We know that You love us and want the very best for each one of Your children. Please lead us and guide us, we pray, as we walk along Your paths in this life, in preparation for the next. In Jesus’ name. Amen.