Standing Firm

Posted on by korgrocker

“I wrote to you as I did to test you and see if you would fully comply with my instructions. When you forgive this man, I forgive him, too. And when I forgive whatever needs to be forgiven, I do so with Christ’s authority for your benefit, so that Satan will not outsmart us. For we are familiar with his evil schemes.”
2 Corinthians 2:9-11 NLT

Paul wrote that he had forgiven the man who opposed him and disrupted the other Corinthian believers, and Paul asked them to forgive the man, too. But he went on to mention the devil and his evil schemes. The devil has nothing new that will impact Christians, but we must be aware of his strategies and methods, and who he is most bothered by. Peter warned the believers in Asia that he is like a roaring lion: “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Peter proceeded to say, “Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith…”. Paul wrote in Ephesians 6 about the weapons we have available to “stand firm” when the devil is on the prowl: “Put on all of God’s armour so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil” (Ephesians 6:11). 

“Stand firm … and be strong in your faith”

So what are these devilish “strategies”? From our verses today, there is a connection with forgiveness, or lack of it. If the believers in Corinth had decided that the man causing the offence was beyond being forgiven, even if he had left the church, there would have been an opportunity for the devil to point an accusatory finger at them for denying Christ’s teachings. Jesus, in His Sermon on the Mount, said, “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins” (Matthew 6:14-15). And as the Roman soldiers hammered home the nails, “Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing … “ (Luke 23:34a). Unforgiveness is a spiritually debilitating disease that will sap our strength and stunt our Christian lives. But it is pretty serious if any of us hold unforgiveness in our hearts, because, as Jesus said, God will treat us in the same way, and without forgiveness, there is no possibility of salvation. 

The devil will fight against us, and many a Christian has fallen under the onslaught of his attacks. If anyone in the Corinthian church had refused to forgive the man in question, then the devil had won the battle. He would have succeeded in snatching someone from God, and if that person never subsequently came to a place of seeking forgiveness both from the man and from God, then they were in danger of being lost forever. 

It is worth meditating regularly on the verses that describe our spiritual armour. As we consider the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of peace, the shield of faith and the helmet of salvation, we have all the protective armour that we need. And then we have one further offensive weapon that the devil cannot stand before, and that is the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Three times in the wilderness, the devil tried to tempt Jesus away from His mission, and each time Jesus had a Scripture ready to block the attack. We can read them in Luke 4. But what would have happened if Jesus hadn’t remembered the Scriptures He required? Come to that, do we know the Scriptures we need to “stand firm” when the devil attacks? There is only one way to resolve ignorance: reading the Bible.

The devil has no jurisdiction over true believers in Jesus. There are many who claim to be believers, but who are confused or ignorant about the Christian faith and what it means. We find them in some of our denominational churches, where liberal theologies abound. In such churches, there are blatant deviations from Scriptural truths, and the people in the pews suffer the consequences. In a church near where I live, the congregation is devoted to its building. The devil isn’t bothered about them because they are no threat to him while they are trying to fix the fabric of their church. And if they even spark into spiritual life God’s way, then all he has to do is to poke another hole in the roof and divert their attention back onto their building. The congregation is now mostly elderly and sadly dwindling. 

But we pilgrims are Bible-believing, blood-bought, children of God, and nothing will pull us away from a life spent in His presence. 2 Corinthians 1:21-22, “It is God who enables us, along with you, to stand firm for Christ. He has commissioned us, and he has identified us as his own by placing the Holy Spirit in our hearts as the first instalment that guarantees everything he has promised us”. With God on our side, we are invincible, but only if we live our lives His way. 

Dear Heavenly Father. We pray Jesus’ prayer: “Forgive us our trespasses and deliver us from evil” in faith and with grateful hearts. On Your Word we stand firm forever. Amen

Causing Hurt

Posted on by korgrocker

I am not overstating it when I say that the man who caused all the trouble hurt all of you more than he hurt me. Most of you opposed him, and that was punishment enough. Now, however, it is time to forgive and comfort him. Otherwise he may be overcome by discouragement. So I urge you now to reaffirm your love for him.”
2 Corinthians 2:5-8 NLT

It seems that in the Corinthian church was a man who was a bit of a rebel, and caused Paul some pain. What was that all about? It doesn’t appear to be the man who was publicly sinning by his sexual relationship with his stepmother. So there was someone else causing trouble, perhaps by challenging Paul’s authority, as he confessed to having felt some hurt. Even though this man was opposed by most of the believers, it appears that he repented of his rebellion, and Paul encouraged them to forgive, comfort, love, and, I expect, move on. 

Perhaps there had been a bit of a power struggle in Corinth, with this individual trying to assert his authority and dispel Paul’s. But before we say this couldn’t happen in churches today, something occasionally disrupts a leader’s position and causes problems. The Church of Scotland seems prone to that. I know of two ministers who, in recent years, were put into a position by the actions of the church’s governing body, the presbytery, and were forced to leave their posts. The first was a man I much respected and who had been quite successful in building up the church in a village near where I lived, increasing the congregation’s size through the positive nature of his ministry. But he was a “born again” man who was open to the moving of the Holy Spirit in the church and people’s lives, and there were two or three “elders” in the presbytery who were very much against him for this. They undermined him at every opportunity and made his life very difficult. So he left and was appointed to another congregation elsewhere in Scotland. The second was a lady minister who is no longer practising in that role due to ill health, but, again, the presbytery was strongly opposed to change and to any attempts to bring the church closer to the Bible. 

The church I currently attend is better governed than the Church of Scotland, with the local pastor supported by a small local leadership team, and with the knowledge that he has a pastor himself who is a member of the national leadership team. Security and accountability strengthen the leaders and the congregation. 

The Bible describes rebellious people as those who defy authority and reject God’s word. In Old Testament times, there was a king who began well but ultimately disobeyed the Lord’s commands. That king was Saul, and he was instructed by Samuel to completely destroy the Amalekites together with their livestock (1 Samuel 15:3). But Saul didn’t do what he was asked to do, and he spared the Amalekite king and the best of the livestock. The outcome was severe, and we read in 1 Samuel 15:22-23, “But Samuel replied, “What is more pleasing to the Lord: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams. Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft, and stubbornness as bad as worshipping idols. So because you have rejected the command of the Lord, he has rejected you as king””. It was all downhill for Saul after that, and the chapter ends “… And the Lord was sorry He had ever made Saul king of Israel”. 

So now to us pilgrims. Are there any rebels amongst us? Are there times when we push back against the teaching we receive, or grumble about the pastor or minister in the company of other rebels and cause dissent and distress? Or perhaps it is a broader issue involving rebellion against our political leaders or other civil authorities. Paul wrote, “Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God. So anyone who rebels against authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and they will be punished” (Romans 13:1-2). The current UK government is turning out to be very unpopular amongst the electorate, and there is much grumbling going on, even amongst God’s people. We must be careful and remember that we are citizens of God’s Kingdom, and of a different spirit. 

It is not always possible to avoid hurting others, no matter how hard we try. There are times when we have to stand for the truth of the Gospel, and this will cause offence and hurt some people. But we leave such times in the hands of the Holy Spirit, who ultimately will bring conviction for sin. We must read the situation well and share the love and grace of Jesus. No one will surely be hurt by that.

Dear Father God. Please help us to share the Word, the Good News about Jesus, sensitively and lovingly, to those around us, never causing hurt unnecessarily. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Causing Grief

Posted on by korgrocker

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Your Own Faith

Posted on by korgrocker

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Confidence

Posted on by korgrocker

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Paul in Trouble

Posted on by korgrocker

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Final Words

Posted on by korgrocker

“Here is my greeting in my own handwriting—Paul. If anyone does not love the Lord, that person is cursed. Our Lord, come! May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. My love to all of you in Christ Jesus.”
1 Corinthians 16:21-24 NLT

Final words from Paul after his long letter, the second-longest (after Romans) that Paul wrote. He had answered all the questions from the believers in Corinth, so it was time to sign off. While the authorship of this letter was attributed to Paul, he probably had assistance from Timothy and others, and according to early church historians like Jerome, the letter was dictated by Paul and written by an amanuensis called Titus. So at the end of the letter, Paul wrote a greeting in his own handwriting. In the final verses of the epistle to the Galatians, we read, “Notice what large letters I use as I write these closing words in my own handwriting” (Galatians 6:11). It is thought that Paul had poor eyesight, preventing him from writing letters himself. That was perhaps confirmed by the episode in Acts 23:1-5, where Paul appeared unable to distinguish the High Priest’s person in the meeting of the High Council.

“whosoever believes in Him
will never perish
but have eternal life”

But in his final words, Paul summarised much of what he had said in this letter by saying that all those who didn’t love the Lord were cursed. Of course they were, and will be when they find themselves standing before Jesus, unless they repent of their sins and believe in Him. In Galatians 3:13, we read, “But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree””. Why is it that Christians, then and now and in the ages in between, get so preoccupied with liturgies and doctrines, when the important thing is so simple – “whosoever believes in Him will never perish but have eternal life”. The colour of the altar cloth, or who sits in which pew, the beauty of the stained glass windows, or the splendour of the Prayer Book, will make no difference to those still living under the curse of sin.

1 Corinthians 16:22 ends with the Aramaic saying, “Marana tha”, meaning in this translation, “Our Lord, Come”. That thought must have often occurred to Paul, as he suffered so much for sharing the Gospel throughout his years of ministry. Those times he spent in jail, often chained and beaten, cold and hungry. If only Jesus would come and end his suffering, but it wasn’t to be just yet. He still had work to do. There was more gracious theology yet to flow from his pen to encourage the saints scattered through the Middle East.

“God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense”

Paul then went on to give a blessing: “May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with you“. Grace is a word much overlooked by believers today because we take it so much for granted, but the acronym “God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense” defines it well. But if we really stopped to think about how God’s grace has impacted our lives, both now and for all eternity, we can do nothing else but fall on our knees before our wonderful and amazing God. The tragedy is that God’s favour in sending His Son, Jesus, to die for us and take on the punishment that we deserved, so that we could spend eternity with Him in heaven, is largely ignored and rejected by the majority of our fellow citizens. Society today has no place for God, let alone His grace, and it has pushed our Christian faith to the margins, considering it a domain for rather wacky and delusional people. But we pilgrims need God’s grace to live in this sad and bad world, because we are the only ones who have the words of eternal life. Imagine a society without God and His grace. Some would define that as hell on earth. And we thank God for those of our faith who are prepared to stand up and be counted, challenging, often at great personal cost, the evil ways in our society. One day, they will be vindicated, as those who have persecuted them stand before God to give an account of their evil ways.

Finally, Paul expressed his love for the Corinthians. It hasn’t been an easy letter to write, as he wrestled with how to put into words the Holy Spirit-inspired thoughts within him. But it was that love that he first experienced through his encounter with Jesus that he extended to the believers in Corinth. From all accounts, they responded positively to it, and a second letter followed a few months later. But more of that tomorrow.

Dear Father God. Thank You for Your obedient servant Paul, and the legacy that he has left us. May we too be gracious and loving servants, looking out for each other in this increasingly belligerent world. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

A Holy Kiss

Posted on by korgrocker

“The churches here in the province of Asia send greetings in the Lord, as do Aquila and Priscilla and all the others who gather in their home for church meetings. All the brothers and sisters here send greetings to you. Greet each other with a sacred kiss.”
1 Corinthians 16:19-20 NLT

1 Corinthians 16:20 is translated in the NIV, “All the brothers and sisters here send you greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss”. Sacred or holy, the meaning in this verse is the same. In the culture of Paul’s day, a kiss was a common form of greeting between family members and close friends. In some parts of the world, this custom has continued, and we find the same instruction from Paul in Romans 16:16, “Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ send greetings”. Peter wrote the same, “Greet each other with a kiss of love. Peace be with all of you who are in Christ” (1 Peter 5:14), so it was not just Paul’s suggestion.

In our Western and British culture, a kiss is retained for romantic or sensual purposes, and is not associated with a Christian greeting (although I did attend one church where the pastor asked the congregation to greet each other with a kiss – it didn’t go down well!). Instead, when asked, the congregation will greet each other with a handshake, a hug, or no physical contact at all. And in every case, some words of welcome or reference to something known about the other person accompany the greeting.

In the Church of England, they have formalised the greeting into an action called the “Passing of the Peace”. This practice involves a liturgical exchange between the minister and the congregation, after which members of the congregation greet one another. The standard words used during the service are from the Common Worship texts: The minister says, “The peace of the Lord be always with you”, and the congregation responds, “And also with you”. The minister then usually encourages the congregation with words such as, “Let us offer one another a sign of peace”. The practice is intended to symbolise the congregation’s reconciliation with one another and their becoming one body of Christ before sharing in the sacrament of Communion. Parishes are encouraged to ensure that the greeting is inclusive and that visitors or those who do not know many people are not left out. I think it is rather sad that the intent behind the “holy kiss” has had to be formalised in this denomination, and even misinterpreted just to involve “peace”, good though that is. 

So what was the purpose of greeting each other with a “holy or sacred kiss”? Over the centuries, the practice of greeting one another with a holy kiss adapted to fit various cultural contexts. What remained constant, however, was the godly principle of mutual love and respect for our brothers and sisters. In Romans 12:9-10, Paul wrote, “Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honouring each other”. When greeting another person, regardless of the context, social norms and sensitivities must be honoured. I used to know a young man who couldn’t cope with physical contact at all, and when this sensitivity emerged in a church context, everyone quickly honoured him with restraint. At the other end of the spectrum, an old lady in the church loved hugs and really appreciated gestures of love and acceptance.

The adjective “holy” or “sacred” in the NLT translation indicates that this kiss embodies the love, purity, and sanctity of Christian fellowship. Jesus said to His disciples, “So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples” (John 13:34-35). We can demonstrate Christian love in a number of ways, but I sometimes think that those in the society in which we live would never know just by looking at us together. A public greeting that differs from the norm of handshakes might perhaps be a good idea. What do my fellow pilgrims think?

Dear Lord Jesus. You gave us a new commandment to love one another, and we are so sad that we too often fail in this part of our Christian life. Please help us, we pray, to treat each other in the faith well, and with the love that You commanded. In Your precious name. Amen.

Be Strong

Posted on by korgrocker

“Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. And do everything with love.”
1 Corinthians 16:13-14 NLT

We’re considering two short verses containing three “Be’s”, a “stand”, and a “Do”, all action words requiring effort to apply in a world where passivity seems to be the norm. Although these verses were written to the early Christians in Corinth, they equally apply to Christians today. Then, as now, society was largely biased against believers in God, choosing instead to pursue gods of the people’s own making. And at the root of the lives of unbelievers was the propensity to pursue sinful activities that titillated their hedonistic tendencies. Such a root often sparked a “what’s in it for me” response when situations arose that required a more positive solution. So Paul, seeing the dangers, wrote about the care a believer should take to avoid being sucked into behaviour that was sinful and against God’s expectations for His children.

Just thinking about Paul’s exhortation to “Be strong” perhaps reminds us of something that Jesus said in Matthew 7:13-14, “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it”. In John Bunyan’s “The Pilgrim’s Progress”, the Narrow Gate, which he also called the Wicket Gate, is the crucial first entrance to the King’s Highway. It symbolises the deliberate choice to begin the Christian life by turning to Christ for salvation from the City of Destruction, representing repentance, faith, and leaving the world behind to find relief from sin’s burden. I always imagine a road on which many people are walking. They don’t know it is going to lead to an eternal death, but it seems a relatively easy path to take, and, anyway, everyone is going that way, so it can’t be all bad, can it? But then, covered in weeds and almost hidden, is a small gate made of wood and of the type found in many a garden. Perhaps curiosity takes a person through the gate onto the way that leads to God. But the path is heavy going, and many obstacles are in the way, and when it becomes too hard, a glance to the rear shows that the broad road is only a step away. In such circumstances, Paul encouraged those early Christians, and by implication, we Christians today, to “Be strong” and keep going on the “narrow road” because, whether we like it or not, there are times when we need to be strong. 

Perhaps we have woken up this morning feeling a bit lazy, but because it is a Sunday, we decide to give church a miss. Just once won’t really matter, will it? And we snuggle down under the duvet to enjoy another hour or two of sleep. Or perhaps someone in the office where we work is organising a night out to somewhere we would feel uncomfortable being in, but we don’t want to upset anyone, do we? Perhaps we decide to join in, with the thought that maybe we could leave a bit earlier. It is on occasions such as these that we need to “Be strong”. As many Christians have found out, the Narrow Way and the Broad Way are paths that we cannot walk on at the same time. 

Jesus made the choice clear when He was teaching about money and possessions. We read in Matthew 6:24, “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money”. We cannot live a worldly life and a Godly life at the same time. Joshua set out the choice that must be made to the Israelites, as we read in Joshua 24:15, “But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord”. Joshua knew all about what making the wrong choice meant.

“But those who trust in the Lord
will find new strength.“

So today, dear fellow pilgrims, what choice are you making? Yes, the battle is hard to fight. Yes, we’re tired, and we think that sometimes it will be so much easier to slip back into our old ways. There was a time when disciples left Jesus because His teachings were too hard for them. John 6:60, 66, “Many of his disciples said, “This is very hard to understand. How can anyone accept it?” … At this point many of his disciples turned away and deserted him”. In the next verse we read Jesus’ response, “Then Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked, “Are you also going to leave?”” But Peter’s reply was one that has reverberated down the ages ever since; “Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life. We believe, and we know you are the Holy One of God”” (John 6:68-69). That is what being strong means, so we turn to Isaiah 40:29-31, “He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint”. Can we feel ourselves being lifted up today? With an inner strength, we look forward, not along a path that leads to hell, but one that leads to eternal life.

Dear Lord Jesus. Thank You for supporting us in the hard times and encouraging us when we stumble and fall. Thank You too for carrying us when we’re too tired to go on, and helping us to be strong when we need to be. We worship You today. Amen.

Embracing the Open Door: Paul’s Call to Evangelism

Posted on by korgrocker

“In the meantime, I will be staying here at Ephesus until the Festival of Pentecost. There is a wide-open door for a great work here, although many oppose me. When Timothy comes, don’t intimidate him. He is doing the Lord’s work, just as I am. Don’t let anyone treat him with contempt. Send him on his way with your blessing when he returns to me. I expect him to come with the other believers.”
1 Corinthians 16:8-11 NLT

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

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

“The harvest is great”

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

“The Lord opened her heart”

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

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

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