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.

Ancestral Mistakes

Posted on by korgrocker

“I don’t want you to forget, dear brothers and sisters, about our ancestors in the wilderness long ago. All of them were guided by a cloud that moved ahead of them, and all of them walked through the sea on dry ground. In the cloud and in the sea, all of them were baptised as followers of Moses. All of them ate the same spiritual food, and all of them drank the same spiritual water. For they drank from the spiritual rock that travelled with them, and that rock was Christ. Yet God was not pleased with most of them, and their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.”
1 Corinthians 10:1-5 NLT

We all have ancestors, and genealogists try their hardest to source a person’s origins, even analysing DNA to determine where a person came from. Occasionally, a set of bones emerges from the ground or another burial site, and the owner of the remains is tested for DNA, and even their facial features are reconstructed. Their age and manner of death are worked out, and we end up marvelling about what has been found. But none of that determines the state of the person’s soul, something that will continue to be a mystery. Most people can only look back over two or three generations before their ancestors become lost in time. But one thing can be guaranteed, and that is their choices in life would have determined their ultimate home. Ever since Jesus walked this planet, the importance of making the right decision has been apparent. However, for those of our ancestors who never heard about Jesus, there is no escape clause, because we are all made in God’s image (Genesis 1:27). This means that people will instinctively know right from wrong. Paul wrote, “They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right” (Romans 2:15). Paul also wrote, “For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God” (Romans 1:20). See also Acts 17:30. Of course, we worship a righteous God who will judge fairly. 

Paul reminded the Corinthians that the Israelite slaves followed Moses out of Egypt, and were effectively “baptised” as they passed through the Red Sea on dry land, and were then led through the wilderness by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. Paul used the analogy of the cloud and the sea as baptismal indicators, but regardless of that, most of the Israelites did not please God. He was warning the Corinthians that just ticking all the liturgical boxes did not mean that they were then behaving as Christians should. Baptism is all about making a public declaration of faith, a faith that displays the belief that when a person is baptised, their “old man” is left in the baptismal tank, and their “new man” rises up to start their journey as a born-again believer. However, just because a person is baptised does not mean that God will always then be pleased with them. Their subsequent behaviour could be sufficient to make Him displeased, resulting in some form of discipline, because God loves them and wants what is best for them. 

The message to us pilgrims is the same. When were we baptised? Are we now growing in the faith day by day, reading our Bibles, praying to our Heavenly Father, witnessing to our friends and families, and anyone else who stops to listen? Are we dealing with sin in our lives through confession and repentance? The Christian walk of faith is not one of grumbling and sin, as displayed by those ancestors long ago in the wilderness. The Israelites had remarkable indicators, miracles performed before their eyes every day, but they still failed to walk in the shadow of God’s provision. As a consequence, most of them failed to enter the promised land that God had prepared for them. The journey from Egypt to the Promised Land should only have taken a few weeks at the most, but our patient God allowed them to wander around the wilderness for four decades, due to their disobedience and lack of faith. 

Of course, we pilgrims would claim that had we been with them at the time, then we would have behaved differently, but this would not necessarily be the case. Are we disobedient sometimes? How is our faith in challenging times? Do we grumble too much when things don’t go our way? Of course, we are guilty of such things, but thanks be to God, He forgives all those who come to Him in repentance. He dusts us off when we fall and stands us back on our feet. That’s what we call God’s grace. Through Jesus, we have a Friend and Saviour who, by His Spirit, is with us on our journey through life. And so we are so grateful. We may not have a pillar of fire leading us, but we do have God’s Word and the Holy Spirit. 

Dear Father God. Thank You for Your grace and mercy, always there, packaged with Your love. We worship You today. Amen.

Run to Win

Posted on by korgrocker

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Gospel Blessings

Posted on by korgrocker

“When I am with those who are weak, I share their weakness, for I want to bring the weak to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some. I do everything to spread the Good News and share in its blessings.”
1 Corinthians 9:22-23 NLT

Paul sought to be all things to all people to try to “save some”. Only someone with a strong and secure character could do this, as there is always a risk of becoming attached to the role they assume. For instance, visiting the local pub or wine bar to attract converts carries the danger of alcohol dependency. The human mind has an extraordinary ability to rationalise its way out of situations, justifying all manner of unwise and even sinful behaviour. However, as we noted earlier, Paul was a driven man, devoted to sharing the Gospel—the Good News about Christ—with everyone he met. He did that for their benefit, of course, because he wanted everyone to experience a living relationship with God just as he had found that momentous day on the Damascus Road. But Paul said there were blessings for himself as well. 

Responding to the Gospel by believing in Jesus brings numerous blessings. Let’s look at a few of them:

We have the primary benefit of salvation and eternal life. We know the verse from John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”. This is a blessing that we will not immediately experience in this life, but one day we will be with Jesus in Heaven, blessed beyond even our wildest dreams. Paul wrote in his Philippian epistle, “For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better. But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ. So I really don’t know which is better. I’m torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me. But for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live” (Philippians 1:21-24). Paul was drawn to the benefit of leaving this life because by so doing, he would join his Lord and Master, Jesus, in Heaven.

Another blessing we receive from the Gospel is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. In Ephesians 1:13-14, we read, “And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him”. 

When we believe in Jesus and respond to the Gospel through repentance, we achieve right standing before God because Jesus gives us His righteousness. 2 Corinthians 5:21, “For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ”. That is truly amazing, that a sinner estranged from a relationship with God can become like Jesus in His eyes, and in the process, join His family as an adopted son or daughter. Ephesians 1:5, “God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure”. 

As human beings, sin is always lurking at the door of our souls, and we strive to keep short accounts with God through repentance when we get things wrong. We may have to repent daily or even more frequently, as the Holy Spirit reveals to us things we do or say that are wrong and ungodly. However, Paul wrote, “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death” (Romans 8:1-2). 

There are many more blessings, of course, for a believer in Jesus. Paul continually experienced the blessings of the Good News and shared them with those he met at every opportunity. But we pilgrims do as well. We will always encounter people in our daily lives and find opportunities to share the gospel of Jesus with them. Our hearts, empowered by the Holy Spirit, cannot keep all the blessings to ourselves, and like Paul, we share them with the needy and lost in our society. Our wonderful God works through us with words of comfort, grace and love. Only Jesus has the words of eternal life, something that is too important to squirrel away just for our own benefit.

Dear Father God. Please lead us by Your Spirit to those whom You have pre-ordained to hear the Gospel. We thank You for Your grace and love, and pray that You keep us close to You in this sinful world. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Compromise?

Posted on by korgrocker

“Even though I am a free man with no master, I have become a slave to all people to bring many to Christ. When I was with the Jews, I lived like a Jew to bring the Jews to Christ. When I was with those who follow the Jewish law, I too lived under that law. Even though I am not subject to the law, I did this so I could bring to Christ those who are under the law. When I am with the Gentiles who do not follow the Jewish law, I too live apart from that law so I can bring them to Christ. But I do not ignore the law of God; I obey the law of Christ.”
1 Corinthians 9:19-21 NLT

In his day, Paul was considered a free man. As a Roman citizen, he enjoyed all the privileges that came with this status. In the first century, Roman citizens held significant legal and social advantages, including the right to vote and hold office, protection from arbitrary arrest and punishment, the right to a fair trial, and the ability to own property and enter into contracts. They also benefited from freedom of travel throughout the empire and could appeal court decisions. We also know that Paul was free from the requirements of the Jewish Law, even though he was a Jew, to the extent of being a Pharisee earlier in his life. How could he make that claim? Romans 10:4, “For Christ has already accomplished the purpose for which the law was given. As a result, all who believe in him are made right with God”. But Paul announced to the Corinthians that, regardless of all his freedom, he was a “slave to all people” and he “obeyed the law of Christ”. Voluntarily, Paul decided that because his role was “to bring many to Christ”, he had to place certain restrictions on his freedom. His first example was how he behaved when in the presence of Jews. We know that when Paul first visited Corinth, he began preaching in the synagogue there. Acts 18:4-5, “Each Sabbath found Paul at the synagogue, trying to convince the Jews and Greeks alike. And after Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul spent all his time preaching the word. He testified to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah”. Where did Paul find the Jewish people in Corinth? The prominent place to start was where they worshipped, and it was there that Paul would have behaved as if he were a Jew. And he didn’t stop at the synagogue door. We read in Acts 18:18, “Paul stayed in Corinth for some time after that, then said good-bye to the brothers and sisters and went to nearby Cenchrea. There he shaved his head according to Jewish custom, marking the end of a vow. Then he set sail for Syria, taking Priscilla and Aquila with him”. Paul was still prepared to abide by Jewish customs if it meant that by so doing, some Jews would take note and believe what Paul was saying.

In 1 Corinthians 9:21a, we read, “When I am with the Gentiles who do not follow the Jewish law, I too live apart from that law so I can bring them to Christ …“. The last thing the Gentiles, the non-Jews, would appreciate was a Jew behaving as one in their midst. Paul must have participated in the Gentile customs, as far as he was able by his faith in Christ, and joined in their meals with foods perhaps not allowed for a Jew to eat. But what else could Paul do if he was going to reach the Gentiles with the Gospel? To a Jew, a “Hebrew of Hebrews” (Philippians 3:5), associating with Gentiles was not allowed. However, Paul was confident in God’s grace and was able to live the Gentile way, demonstrating in the process that he wasn’t a hypocrite, as he spoke the words but also lived under God’s grace in accordance with the Gospel. 

But let’s consider what Paul was saying in the light of our 21st-century lives. We, too, are governed by the law of Christ, secure in the infinite supply of God’s grace. But do we have the courage to follow Paul’s example and live in a way that allows the people around us to relate to us? Are we prepared to compromise our lifestyles, not our beliefs, of course, to win those around us for Christ? For a Christian, it is much easier to spend time with fellow Christians, enjoying the services and Bible studies, the fellowship meals, and the socialising. It is a safe space where no one will be offended. But are we willing to venture into places beyond our comfort zones so that we can “win some for Christ”? It is a complaint I have heard from Christians that when it comes to evangelisation, they no longer know anyone who is not a Christian. Over the years, their unbelieving friends have faded away, leaving them in a purely Christian bubble. But those of us who are working have unbelieving workmates, so perhaps we could join them in some of their activities. It does not mean that we compromise our beliefs, but it does provide an opportunity to bridge the gap and, in time, deliver the Good News about Christ in a way that our workmates might accept. There are other opportunities, at the school gates or in the supermarket queues. Anywhere, in fact, where a common experience of life presents itself. A Christian man I know calls himself a “space invader”, always looking for a way in which he can invade someone’s personal space to start a conversation and try to find some common concern or topic, and use it to tell them about Jesus.

Paul’s intentions could have been considered a compromise by some, but the lesson we must learn is that neither he nor we should ever compromise our beliefs, our obedience to God, and our love for Jesus. 

Dear Father God. Please lead us to opportunities to share the fantastic, life-saving news about Jesus.  Amen.