Doctrinal Arguments

Posted on by korgrocker

“Judge for yourselves. Is it right for a woman to pray to God in public without covering her head? Isn’t it obvious that it’s disgraceful for a man to have long hair? And isn’t long hair a woman’s pride and joy? For it has been given to her as a covering. But if anyone wants to argue about this, I simply say that we have no other custom than this, and neither do God’s other churches.”
1 Corinthians 11:13-16 NLT

Paul writes his final words about the head covering debate, pre-empting an argument and further discussion about the right and wrongs of such an instruction. Why did Paul not just provide written instructions, commandments perhaps, instead of the previous eleven verses in 1 Corinthians 11? Some people seem to need dogmatic and clear guidance in their Christian lives because anything else just confuses them. But instead Paul has been round the houses providing the reasons for why men should not wear a hat when they pray, and women should cover their heads to show that they are under a man’s authority. 

In what we refer to as a non-conformist church, few restrictions are considered “doctrinal” but the Anglican and Catholic Churches have many, and over the years people have tended to get very upset if they are violated. Taking the Anglican Church as an example, doctrinal arguments involve differing views on topics like the ordination of LGBTQ+ clergy, the nature of sacraments, and the authority of Scripture versus tradition. These debates are often centred around a tension between the emphasis on tradition and reason, versus the Scriptures and the need for contextual interpretation. Contemporary disputes include the role of same-sex relationships, the authority of bishops, female roles, and the relationship between different parts of the Anglican Communion. Other arguments emerge over customs such as baptism. The Scriptures are clear that a believer’s baptism is by full immersion in water, supported by verses such as Matthew 28:19, “Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit”. How baptism is carried out can be found in Mark 1:9-10, “One day Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee, and John baptised him in the Jordan River. As Jesus came up out of the water, he saw the heavens splitting apart and the Holy Spirit descending on him like a dove”. However, the Anglicans will sprinkle a few drops of “holy” water over a baby’s head, something not supported in the Bible. I can remember my sister being puzzled when I informed her that I was getting baptised by full immersion in the Pentecostal church where I came to know Jesus, because she said that I had already been baptised when I was an infant, showing her ignorance of what the Scriptures say. In the past, when I have challenged the reason for such customs, the main response has been “We have always done it that way”, with no reference to why and supporting Scriptures.

Paul was perhaps correct in his teaching about head coverings, because in the process he laid down theology that made sense. A wise pastor will from time to time teach the church members about theology and the beliefs of the church denomination or movement of which they belong, reviewing such customs as the Lord’s Supper (Holy Communion) by referring to the verses that support them. In the end, doctrines have to be supported by what is written in the Bible, but that still leaves a few customs that are not, and we must review why we do them. There is no place for following a ritual in our worship of God. But we must remember that what matters to God is not adherence to religious laws, customs and doctrines. Pharisees do that. It is what is in a person’s heart that really matters.

Dear Lord Jesus. You went to Calvary to set people free from their sins. That freedom provides us with the opportunity to worship You in a way that is heart-felt and real, giving You all the glory and all the praise. We bow before You in worship today, respecting Your place as God over all. Amen.

Interdependence

Posted on by korgrocker

“But among the Lord’s people, women are not independent of men, and men are not independent of women. For although the first woman came from man, every other man was born from a woman, and everything comes from God.”
1 Corinthians 11:11-12 NLT

Good, factual words from Paul in our verses today. He referred back to the Creation story that we can read in Genesis 2:18, 21-22, “Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.” … So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep. While the man slept, the Lord God took out one of the man’s ribs and closed up the opening. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib, and he brought her to the man”. So the first woman appeared on this planet without a belly button, it would seem. We also find the account of the first operation performed with an anaesthetic. God did amazing and wonderful things during the creation of this world, and all that is within it, but, sadly, people today choose to overlook or even deny that it happened. When we look at the perfection within the human body and consider the views of the evolutionists, we wonder how they could have ever concluded that it all happened by chance. In the end, I have to admit that I, and many people I know, don’t have the faith necessary to be an atheistic evolutionist. 

But today we are considering the interdependence of men and women. Two distinct roles that are accompanied by all the spiritual and mental resources needed for each. A man has the mental capacity to be a breadwinner and protector of his family. A woman has the emotions to care for her children and husband. And both have the intelligence to be able to make choices, to love and support each other, in a match truly made in Heaven. But as we know, the devil has deeply impacted this relationship by corrupting God’s order and creation, by introducing lies that have confused men and women, bringing them to situations that God never intended. And, worse, society has picked up these lies and used them, through legislation, to exacerbate the devil-introduced corruption, blighting the human race with falsehoods. Firstly, the devil introduced what Paul referred to as “foolish ideas”, as we read in Romans 1:21, 25, “Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. … They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshipped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen”. Secondly, the devil introduced thoughts and physical changes that went directly against what God intended for men and women. We read in Romans 1:26-27, “That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved”. Back in Genesis 2:24, we read what God really intended in the relationship between men and women: “This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one”. 

In the interdependence between men and women, there is ultimately a “joining” that prevails. However, as Paul previously taught in 1 Corinthians 7, there is a role for singleness as well, should God ordain it. But there is no room in God’s creation for all the societal “wokeness” that has burst into God’s created order. We must pray for the poor people who have been corrupted by the devil’s attacks and who have found no Godly support for their confusion.

Paul wrote that “everything comes from God”. It has to, really, when we think about Genesis 1 and 2. But this is a belief that diverges from the sad secularism that has blighted our societies, with those who deny the existence of God forced to come up with some other explanation for the origins of our world. Men and women, however, have an interdependence that will outlast the attempts of mankind to corrupt God’s order. Such men and women are still getting married today. They are still spending their lives together, raising their children, living in harmony, and bringing glory to God. One day, God will have the last word, and it will be preceded by the devil being consigned to an eternity away from the ability to influence mankind ever again, an existence that will provide him with an opportunity for eternal regrets. The sad thing is that many men and women will ultimately join him there. There will be no defence before God, such as “the devil made me do it”, because men and women were created in God’s image, with the ability to make choices.

Dear Heavenly Father. You created men and women in accordance with Your divine design. We thank You for who we are, and the opportunities that You have provided for us. We repent of our sins today, and cast off the corruption that pushes against us and what we believe every day. We worship You with all that is within us because You are the only true God this world has ever had. Amen.

Head Covering (2)

Posted on by korgrocker

“A man dishonours his head if he covers his head while praying or prophesying. But a woman dishonours her head if she prays or prophesies without a covering on her head, for this is the same as shaving her head. Yes, if she refuses to wear a head covering, she should cut off all her hair! But since it is shameful for a woman to have her hair cut or her head shaved, she should wear a covering.”
1 Corinthians 11:4-6 NLT

Through the lens of 21st-century Britain, we’re on contentious ground, because today men and women have a different perspective from that prevalent in 1st-century Greece. Yesterday, we considered the importance of men honouring their head, Christ, by not wearing any form of headgear while they were praying or prophesying. However, wearing hats was quite commonplace when I was growing up, with no particular religious significance. Although hats of various shapes and styles were worn, they were always removed in the presence of anything considered religious, such as within a church building. This is something that has followed me even to this day, as it has with most men of my generation. And a hat was also “doffed” in the presence of a woman, as a matter of respect.

For women today, wearing any form of head covering, regardless of its style, is mainly considered a fashion statement. However, my mother’s generation always wore a hat or headscarf to church, and failure to do so was not acceptable. 

In both situations, the unwritten rules regarding head coverings were followed in accordance with the verses we read in 1 Corinthians today. We should note that both men and women were allowed, and even expected, to pray and prophesy in a church meeting; however, there were particular rules that had to be applied. This was not a liturgical necessity, but connected to an important spiritual principle, that of respecting a man or woman’s “head”. In the case of men, this was Christ. In the case of women, this was a man, in accordance with 1 Corinthians 11:3, “But there is one thing I want you to know: The head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God”. 

In 1 Corinthians 11:5-6, Paul uses the word “dishonours”, as applying to a lack of respect, hiding away in a person’s heart, a lack of submission to our God-given order. The order is: God the Father, God the Son, the man or husband, and the woman or wife. The veil or covering on the head of a believing Corinthian wife showed that she was under the authority of her husband, and therefore under submission to God.

In 1 Corinthians 11:10, we read something about angels. “For this reason, and because the angels are watching, a woman should wear a covering on her head to show she is under authority”. The holy angels, who are in perfect and total submission to God, expect that we, as followers of Christ, be the same. I don’t believe it is just women who have been singled out here because I’m sure angels are watching men as well. So from these verses and others, we know that God sees what is in our hearts, and angels see the outward manifestations of our heart attitudes. Hebrews 12:1 reads, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us”. A sobering verse, I think we all agree. 

However, in today’s society, with its more relaxed and permissive attitudes, these verses on the importance of head coverings remain relevant. If there is no outward show of hats, there must still be the inner attitude of submission, whether male or female. There was the story of the small boy whose teacher repeatedly told him to sit down. In the end, he complied but muttered under his breath, “I’m still standing up inside”. This is the sort of attitude that God sees as sinful when accompanying our prayers and prophesies, whether in church or without. Philippians 2:5 opens a door to the right attitude of submission to God – “You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had”. There is no other way. We read on, “[Jesus] humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honour and gave him the name above all other names” (Philippians 2:8-9). That is true submission to God and His order.

Dear Father God. We understand Your teaching on submission and pray for the grace to implement it in our lives. We confess our sins and pray for forgiveness, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Head Covering (1)

Posted on by korgrocker

“A man dishonours his head if he covers his head while praying or prophesying. But a woman dishonours her head if she prays or prophesies without a covering on her head, for this is the same as shaving her head. Yes, if she refuses to wear a head covering, she should cut off all her hair! But since it is shameful for a woman to have her hair cut or her head shaved, she should wear a covering.”
1 Corinthians 11:4-6 NLT

In the next few verses in 1 Corinthians 11, Paul continued his teaching about headship. To recap, 1 Corinthians 11:3 reads, “But there is one thing I want you to know: The head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God”.  The principle that everyone has a “head,” or someone to whom they are accountable, is fundamental to believers, and Paul wrote that men are accountable to Christ, who is their Head. So, how is this to be shown? In the Corinthian culture, there was much importance given to honour and shame, with a person’s behaviour significantly contributing to this. In our societies today, there is little that outwardly shows a man is a Christian. However, for those in leadership or a position of authority in some denominations, there is a dress code. For example, a minister or a priest can be distinguished by something we call a “dog collar”, a white band that goes under a shirt collar and covers up the top button. In a church service, individuals with a particular role can be seen wearing a cassock, a long, black or red-coloured garment. Senior members of the clergy also have a particular style of hat, which is worn in ceremonial circumstances. In the Church of Scotland, an elder can be seen wearing pin-striped trousers with a black jacket and tie, or, in previous years, wearing a suit with tails. But all of this applies in professional religious environments. In non-conformist churches and denominations, there is no such uniform, and leaders are indistinguishable from the laity. 

So, in public, what is there to distinguish a man who is a Christian from the rest of society? There are certain dress codes that a male believer should not adopt, of course, and one of them is the modern tendency for some men to dress as women. In recent years, much has been made in some Christian circles for men to be men, standing up and portraying the role that God has given them. But Paul particularly addressed the situation in a church service, when a man should display his reverence for his Head, Jesus, by not covering his own head. This level of strictness has been abandoned in some contexts, with baseball caps appearing in worship bands, etc., but this probably displays a lack of teaching rather than a deliberate attempt to dishonour Christ. 

Another thing worthy of note is that men had the opportunity to pray and prophesy. Paul wrote, “A man dishonours his head if he covers his head while praying or prophesying”. For us men, our head is Christ, and we must have an attitude that is befitting and honouring to Him. Paul wrote to the Philippians, “You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to” (Philippians 2:5-6). Sadly, today, the attitude of humility before God can be hard to find. Often, there is a matey-ness present in our relationship with God, regarding Him almost as an equal, a friend, but without an attitude of awe and a holy fear. 

It may be a time for us men to do a spiritual check-up, and consider how we honour Jesus with all that we are, our minds, our bodies and our souls. Psalm 96:8-9, “Give to the Lord the glory he deserves! Bring your offering and come into his courts. Worship the Lord in all his holy splendour. Let all the earth tremble before him”. In that context, we should never bother to cover our heads. They would not be seen because we would be on our knees, our heads bowed, worshipping Jesus.

Dear Lord Jesus, our Head in the Godhead. Please forgive us for our lack of reverence, we pray, and instead we worship at Your footstool today. Amen.

Role Models and Red Lines

Posted on by korgrocker

“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. And you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.”
1 Corinthians 10:33 – 11:1 NLT

Do we pilgrims have any “red lines” in our lives? Is there anything about what we do, how we spend our time, and govern our thoughts, that is non-negotiable and something that we would not be prepared to abandon? Paul had his faith in Christ and all that that entailed. His “red lines” included his desire to share the Good News about Jesus with everyone he met, his life of prayer and devotion to God, and his pastoral care for the churches he founded. He was not distracted by family needs, particularly by marriage, as we read three or four chapters before in our verses today. Paul was a driven man, totally devoted to his “red lines”, which didn’t even stop when he was imprisoned. His life was structured yet flexible enough to adapt to any situation or circumstance that he encountered. He wrote to the Philippians, “Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:11-13). 

At the start of our new chapter in 1 Corinthians 11, Paul encouraged the Corinthians to imitate him because he was a Christ-imitator. This might have been difficult for some in Corinth, because different preachers there had their own followers. In 1 Corinthians 3:4-5,  Paul wrote, “When one of you says, “I am a follower of Paul,” and another says, “I follow Apollos,” aren’t you acting just like people of the world? After all, who is Apollos? Who is Paul? We are only God’s servants through whom you believed the Good News. Each of us did the work the Lord gave us”. But Paul wasn’t looking for people to follow him, or perhaps even to behave like him. He exhorted the Corinthians to imitate his devotional life and his works of service. Not everyone could preach like Paul. Not everyone had his theological training, refined and powered by a miraculous and personal encounter with Jesus. However, they could establish the structures and principles that would guide them on their journey to Heaven. And regarding the last verse of 1 Corinthians 10, we read about Paul’s desire to introduce everyone he could to God’s saving grace. “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”.

Paul developed the same thoughts in Philippians 2, something that we pilgrims would do well to read and re-read. Regarding our relationships with others, this is what he wrote in verses 3-4, “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”. And then he followed it with, “You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had”. We, too, must imitate Christ in all that we do.

So, back to our “red lines”. Most people need to install some form of structure in their lives as they go about their daily business. There is an observation that I often hear from retired people, in that they never know what day of the week it is. The structure afforded by employment has gone, and unless they put something else in place, the days will merge into a featureless mist of wasted time and opportunities. We pilgrims would be well-advised to spend time in days that otherwise will drift away from us by reading our Bibles and praying to our wonderful Heavenly Father. For me, this is a “red line” so important that, if circumstances prevent me from having a “Quiet Time”, my day loses its lustre. There is something significant about turning our thoughts to the Heavenly realm in prayer and meditation at the start of a day, and asking for a fresh infilling of the Holy Spirit to empower me for the day ahead. And then I personally try to supplement my morning devotions with a prayer walk when I can bring other issues before God, and look for opportunities to introduce people to Jesus. Another “red line” for me is attending church on Sundays, as well as prayer meetings and Bible studies if available, and if my circumstances allow. But we are all different, and we must all ask God for His guidance and help to establish some spiritual “red lines” in our lives, remembering that there is no condemnation for any of God’s children.

Dear Heavenly Father. There is no substitute for spending time with You, and we are so sorry for the wasted days when our humanity gets in the way. Please help us establish good habits in our busy days, when we can structure our lives around You and Your Word. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Meat Conclusion

Posted on by korgrocker

“If someone who isn’t a believer asks you home for dinner, accept the invitation if you want to. Eat whatever is offered to you without raising questions of conscience. (But suppose someone tells you, “This meat was offered to an idol.” Don’t eat it, out of consideration for the conscience of the one who told you. It might not be a matter of conscience for you, but it is for the other person.) For why should my freedom be limited by what someone else thinks? If I can thank God for the food and enjoy it, why should I be condemned for eating it?”
1 Corinthians 10:27-30 NLT

1 Corinthians 10 is a chapter rich in references to idolatry and the issue of food offered to idols. It even contains a warning about the behaviour of the Israelites as they slowly journeyed to the Promised Land from slavery in Egypt. But in our verses located towards the end of the chapter, we see Paul reaching a conclusion. He said that if the food before him, regardless of its source, can be eaten with thanks for it being offered to God, then the only potential harm in eating it is if, by so doing, it would offend someone with a weaker conscience. We’re back to the principle of loving others, looking out for them, and preferring them to ourselves, a principle that should be deeply ingrained in Christians everywhere. However, the issue of food offered to idols doesn’t impact believers today in the same way it did in First-Century Greece.

To the Jews, however, quite rigid laws apply for the consumption of meat. Such laws determine which types of meat can be eaten and which can’t, and they also apply to how the animal must be slaughtered. Adherents to Islam have a similar set of rules and regulations. So we end up with meats that are “kosher” or “halal”. Jewish dietary laws, known as “kashrut”, were given to the Jews for several reasons, including a divine commandment in the Torah, to maintain Jewish identity and separateness, and to elevate the act of eating into a religious ritual. 

Peter faced a dilemma when he had a vision from God concerning the consumption of animals. Peter was staying in a place called Joppa, a city located on the coast, approximately 40 miles north of Jerusalem. At the same period when Paul had his Damascus Road conversion, Peter was travelling around, eventually ending up in Joppa. During his journey, he performed many miracles and saw many turn to Christ. In Joppa, there was a woman called Tabitha (or Dorcas in the Greek), who became ill and died, and we read in Acts 9:39-40, “So Peter returned with them; and as soon as he arrived, they took him to the upstairs room. The room was filled with widows who were weeping and showing him the coats and other clothes Dorcas had made for them. But Peter asked them all to leave the room; then he knelt and prayed. Turning to the body he said, “Get up, Tabitha.” And she opened her eyes! When she saw Peter, she sat up!” But here was Peter, still staying in Joppa, when he had a vision, which we can read about in Acts 10:10-13. Peter “ … was hungry. But while a meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. He saw the sky open, and something like a large sheet was let down by its four corners. In the sheet were all sorts of animals, reptiles, and birds. Then a voice said to him, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat them””. Peter’s response was in the next verse, ““No, Lord,” Peter declared. “I have never eaten anything that our Jewish laws have declared impure and unclean”. The voice in Peter’s vision then said, “Do not call something unclean if God has made it clean”. Paul must have reached the same conclusion about meat and its origins at some point on his post-conversion journeys, and he was able to advise the Corinthians accordingly. 

“Do not call something unclean if God has made it clean”

We pilgrims can learn a lesson or two from all of this. Sometimes, it is easier for believers to isolate themselves as far as possible from worldly things. Such behaviour may not involve certain types of food, but it will include our relationships with people who aren’t Christians. Therefore, we tend to avoid contact with unbelievers whenever possible. But if we do so, how can we share the Gospel —the Good News about Christ —with those who need to hear it? That was why Peter received the vision. He obviously received God’s intended message, because we read what he said to the Gentile Cornelius, and those gathered with him, in Acts 10:28, “Peter told them, ‘You know it is against our laws for a Jewish man to enter a Gentile home like this or to associate with you. But God has shown me that I should no longer think of anyone as impure or unclean”. And so it is with us. So, when we meet someone today, we do not recoil in case we become corrupted by the encounter, but instead we consider the person before us as a potential child of God. We reach out to them, in any way that we can, looking for an opportunity to tell them about Jesus and His saving grace.

Dear Father. You have ordained our lives of service, and we don’t want to do anything that gets in the way of sharing Your Good News. Please lead and guide us, we pray, to the places where we need to go and in the relationships we need to make. 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.

God is Jealous

Posted on by korgrocker

“What am I trying to say? Am I saying that food offered to idols has some significance, or that idols are real gods? No, not at all. I am saying that these sacrifices are offered to demons, not to God. And I don’t want you to participate with demons. You cannot drink from the cup of the Lord and from the cup of demons, too. You cannot eat at the Lord’s Table and at the table of demons, too. What? Do we dare to rouse the Lord’s jealousy? Do you think we are stronger than he is?”
1 Corinthians 10:19-22 NLT

Paul asked two questions: “Do we dare to rouse the Lord’s jealousy? Do you think we are stronger than he is?” Taking the first, Paul had already stated that it is impossible to worship demons, in the form of idols, and worship God at the same time. Doing such a thing, Paul said, would be in danger of rousing “the Lord’s jealousy”. Many years before, the Israelites had been told: “You must worship no other gods, for the Lord, whose very name is Jealous, is a God who is jealous about his relationship with you” (Exodus 34:14). 

However, we know that jealousy is a sin; so, what does it mean when the word is connected with God? In a human sense, jealousy is a negative emotion we feel when we look at something someone else owns and express a desire to own it ourselves. Jealousy can lead to theft or worse, just for the opportunity to own something we cannot afford to buy. Or jealousy can apply to how we feel about another person’s job, or their ability to do something we can’t. Earlier in Exodus, we read, “You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. …” (Exodus 20:4-5a). Notice that God is jealous when someone gives to another something that rightly belongs to Him. Worship, praise, honour, and adoration belong to God alone, for only He is truly worthy of it. Therefore, God is rightly jealous when worship, praise, honour, or adoration is given to idols.

The second question Paul asked was: “Do you think we are stronger than he is?” Of course, the answer is that we are not. But the implication is that by thinking we can involve ourselves with the worship of demons, we are effectively putting ourselves in a place where we think we know best, leaving God out of the situation. This is a dangerous place to be, because our God will not tolerate this, and, with His anger aroused, we are facing a slippery slope that could ultimately end in hell. 

What do we pilgrims make of these two questions? We should first remember our place as God’s children and who our Heavenly Father is. We read Psalm 147:4-5: “He counts the stars and calls them all by name. How great is our Lord! His power is absolute! His understanding is beyond comprehension!” We only have to read Genesis 1, and we find how great God is, so we can never say we know better than He does. God knows more than anyone the importance of worshipping Him, because if we don’t, we will find ourselves worshipping something that ultimately could turn out to be a demon. Those of us who are a bit older will remember Bob Dylan’s song ”Gotta Serve Somebody”, which uses the phrase to mean that everyone must ultimately serve either “the devil or the Lord”. 

We worship God, not because He needs our worship, but because of who He is. Within us is an inbuilt desire to worship, and all because we are created in God’s image. We must never forget who God is and why we need to focus our worship and praise on Him. We turn to Jesus, God’s Son, and remember what He did for us. We remember the time when we nailed our “old man” to the Cross of Calvary, so that Jesus could release our “new man, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness”. How can we not turn our praise and worship, our awe and adoration, to our Heavenly Father?

Dear God. Please help us refocus our hearts and minds on You today, so that we can give You the worship You deserve. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Cup of Demons

Posted on by korgrocker

“What am I trying to say? Am I saying that food offered to idols has some significance, or that idols are real gods? No, not at all. I am saying that these sacrifices are offered to demons, not to God. And I don’t want you to participate with demons. You cannot drink from the cup of the Lord and from the cup of demons, too. You cannot eat at the Lord’s Table and at the table of demons, too. What? Do we dare to rouse the Lord’s jealousy? Do you think we are stronger than he is?”
1 Corinthians 10:19-22 NLT

It is one thing to think that the food we are eating is acceptable because it was offered to an idol, a lump of stone or metal, and totally inanimate. But if the same food had been offered to a demon, then we would be in a totally different ballpark. Well, Paul was very clear when he wrote our verses today about the association between idols and demons. 

The Bible records much about demons. Jesus walked around Israel, casting out demons from people, people who were oppressed and possessed by these malign beings. In Matthew 8:28, we read, “When Jesus arrived on the other side of the lake, in the region of the Gadarenes, two men who were possessed by demons met him. They came out of the tombs and were so violent that no one could go through that area”. The rest of this account can be found in the following verses. Jesus, being the Son of God, had authority over these beings and was able to cast them out, and there are many other examples recorded in His ministry.

But what is, or was, a demon? The Biblical definition is found in Revelation 12:9 “This great dragon—the ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world—was thrown down to the earth with all his angels”. So a demon was an angel who had chosen to rebel against God, along with satan, and was excluded from Heaven. They then had to live somewhere, and Earth with its inhabitants became the obvious choice. In general terms, a demon is typically described as a malevolent supernatural being or evil spirit.

In Paul’s time, idol worship was common, and people generally would not have made the association between what they were worshipping and the force or influence behind it. Paul observed that there has to be a distinction between anything related to demons and a believer’s life in Christ. Demons, as spirit beings, have the ability to take possession of a physical body. This cannot happen to a child of God, since the Holy Spirit resides in the heart of the believer in Christ. 

When Paul referred to the “cup of the Lord” and “the cup of demons”, he wasn’t literally alluding to drinking cups of something supplied by either. He was instead building on the picture he was referring to in a previous verse in 1 Corinthians, “When we bless the cup at the Lord’s Table, aren’t we sharing in the blood of Christ? …” (1 Corinthians 10:16a). The message is clear. It isn’t possible to be a believer in Christ and a follower of the devil or one of his demons at the same time. 

So, what does all this matter to us pilgrims today? It matters a great deal because demons didn’t all disappear at the end of the First Century. They are still with us today, and we need to be aware of their malign influence. They may not be able to possess a child of God, but they can still do much harm by leading them into sin. In Colossians 2:15, we read, “In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross”. Paul warned the Ephesians, “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12). These evil rulers, authorities and spirits are demons. We need to be aware of them, discern their presence, and resist their influence. Paul gave the Ephesians a defence plan, based on the individual items worn by a Roman soldier, and when in place, there is no demon that has any power over us. 

Dear Heavenly Father. We pray “deliver us from evil”, and we pray that again this morning and every morning as we go about our mission as Your children. We pray for Your Spirit to be with us and protect us every step we take. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Unity?

Posted on by korgrocker

So, my dear friends, flee from the worship of idols. You are reasonable people. Decide for yourselves if what I am saying is true. When we bless the cup at the Lord’s Table, aren’t we sharing in the blood of Christ? And when we break the bread, aren’t we sharing in the body of Christ? And though we are many, we all eat from one loaf of bread, showing that we are one body. Think about the people of Israel. Weren’t they united by eating the sacrifices at the altar?”
1 Corinthians 10:14-18 NLT

Paul wrote, “though we are many, we all eat from one loaf of bread, showing that we are one body”. There are several different ways of sharing the Lord’s Supper. In Corinth, they started with a single loaf of bread, and each communicant took some of it as it was passed around the church. In many churches today, the sacraments are contained in a small plastic cup, with the liquid sealed and then a wafer sealed on top, a modern solution to the potential transmission of diseases such as Covid. Anglican churches have a special mass or Holy Communion service that involves a cup of wine and a plate containing wafers. But in it all, there is the sacrament of sharing in the body and blood of Christ, in memory of all that Jesus did for us.

To the Corinthians, Paul asked a question designed to focus their minds on the implications of sharing from the same loaf of bread. Surely, he was saying, this act of unity should be outworked in their relations with each other as they sensitively avoided any behaviour or belief that would upset their fellowship. Paul wrote to the Philippians the following: “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” (Philippians 2:3-4). Jesus said to His disciples, “This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:12-13). And to the Corinthians, Paul wrote, “I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose” (1 Corinthians 1:10). 

Today, there are many facets of the Christian church. As I write, the appointee for the post of Archbishop of Canterbury has just been announced —a woman from the more liberal wing of the Anglican Church. This is likely to be an appointment that will be divisive rather than inclusive, and we can expect, sooner or later, to see a schism emerge between the liberal and traditional wings of the Church of England. However, we also have various denominations and movements, each representing distinct biblical positions and interpretations. Unity in the church? We are far from it. Unity in our churches and fellowships? In many cases, that is not so apparent either. How God must grieve sometimes. 

We pilgrims carry a message of hope and reconciliation, which we share with those both inside and outside our churches. Human nature is full of its egos and sensitivities, and this is sadly very apparent in our churches. Worldly behaviour is so often brought inside our church doors, and this disrupts and distorts the true reason for why we are there. Church unity, I’m afraid, starts with us, and our example in sharing the love of Jesus with those around us. We are all at different stages in our Christian journeys, and our fellow believers often carry heavy burdens, such as health problems, financial worries, and so on. And yet we are commanded to love one another, with all that that entails. So we look out for one another and bless them as we are able, in the name of Jesus. We pray for them, we help them practically, we weep with them, and we laugh with them. And we graciously accept the love shown to us by others when we, too, struggle with our own issues. A fellowship of believers living in the “sweet spot” of Jesus’ love is a fellowship that will grow, both numerically and individually. 

Dear Father God. We are Your children, and our squabbling and lack of unity saddens You greatly. Please help us get this right, because one day we may spend eternity with the very people we lived with on earth. We ask this in the name of Your Son, Jesus. Amen.