We Have Everything

Posted on by korgrocker

“Stop deceiving yourselves. If you think you are wise by this world’s standards, you need to become a fool to be truly wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. As the Scriptures say, “He traps the wise in the snare of their own cleverness.” And again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise; he knows they are worthless.” So don’t boast about following a particular human leader. For everything belongs to you— whether Paul or Apollos or Peter, or the world, or life and death, or the present and the future. Everything belongs to you, and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.”
1 Corinthians‬ ‭3‬:‭18‬-‭23‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Paul wraps up this chapter in 1 Corinthians with a resume of the problem of factionalism and disunity in the Corinthian church. Earlier in this chapter, he put his finger on an issue that can still affect people today. We read from verse 4, “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?” And Paul was right, because human beings have a tendency to follow and promote church leaders using criteria that are based on human wisdom rather than what God sees. Paul connected true wisdom with this issue, even introducing a clear distinction between worldly wisdom, which would be based on a person’s human qualities, and God’s wisdom, which sees right into a person’s heart. It was this latter wisdom that mattered, and Paul told the Corinthians that although this might look foolish to unbelievers, it was “truly wise” to Him. 

Even today, the same problem can be found in our churches. For example, I know of a church that can guarantee a good attendance when a certain leader is speaking, but when another is preaching, there is a marked reduction in numbers. And yet, it might be the person who is not so popular who God wants to deliver His message. The worldly view is that the not-so-popular preacher isn’t worth listening to, and to attend church that day is considered foolishness. But we know that God’s Kingdom is very different. Paul quoted two Scriptures about the worldly wise people, the first from Job 5:13a, “He traps the wise in the snare of their own cleverness”, and the second from Psalm 94:11, “The Lord knows people’s thoughts; he knows they are worthless!”. An unbeliever cannot discern spiritual truths, and as they try and get their minds around God’s thoughts, they eventually give up and deem it foolishness. A true believer will discern spiritual truth and follow it, running the risk of being called a fool in the process. Was Paul labouring his point? I think he might have had to, as he addressed the Corinthian problem with gentleness and truth.

Paul continued by saying, “Everything belongs to you …”. That needs a bit of thought to unpack, because from a worldly perspective, we know that it can’t be true. But if we look at it with our spiritual eyes, a new understanding will emerge. If we think about it for a moment, the Corinthians had access to three very able teachers – Paul, Apollos and Cephas (Peter). Why not be blessed by all three and not just by the one they preferred? Come to that, what or whom else did the Corinthians have access to? They obviously had the Hebrew Scriptures and Paul’s letter. And there were probably other resources available, though all with the caveat that spiritual discernment was required to separate the good from the bad, separating truth from error. Only three preachers were mentioned, but there may have been others. Paul finally winds up the chapter with “everything belongs to you, and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God”. Jesus was the ultimate resource, and Paul told his readers that it is to Him that they should ultimately look, because God made Him totally available to them. 

Today, the same thoughts apply to modern believers. There are far more resources available to Christians today, and the “everything belongs to you” is overwhelming in its potential. For a start, we have the canon of Scripture, the Bible as we know it, and then it comes in many different translations. I have some books, and as I look in my bookcase, I see books by authors such as Gordon Pettie, David Pawson, Max Lucado, Selwyn Hughes and many others. I find more on my Kindle reading device. We have on our electronic devices apps that contain not just the Bibles but also commentaries and other helps. We can explore videos on Social Media and video platforms such as YouTube. Television has the Christian channels available to us as well. And then there is the internet and all the resources contained there. A new resource has emerged in recent years, under the heading of Artificial Intelligence and with an app such as “ChatGPT”, I can type in a question such as “Who is God?” and receive a detailed essay of all the world’s religions. I can type in “What is the Bible?”, and an overview quickly appears on my screen. All these resources are available to us pilgrims, but with all this easily accessible knowledge, we need a matching quantity of wisdom, because otherwise we will quickly be diverted into error or drawn up a blind alley, into irrelevance.

I’m writing this on a Sunday morning, and soon I’ll be heading for church. The preacher will have been in God’s presence, finding out what God wants to say to the people gathered in the pews. And with a (hopefully) open heart, I will listen and hear what God has for me, with food for my soul. I’ll spend time in worship with the congregation and chat with the believers there, eventually leaving enriched spiritually by the experience. But on the other days of the week, my resource will be the Bible. Although I will dip into books by Godly men and women, I will always use the Bible as the final arbiter of God’s truth. Paul wrote to Timothy these words, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). 

And so we pilgrims look beyond the modern equivalents of Apollos, Paul and Peter. We instead look to the reality that we “belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God”. Through all the “noise” we find by living on 21st Century Planet Earth, with all the information such as the world news and issues and the worries and anxieties of living, we look for a haven of peace, not as the monks and nuns of old in their cloisters and closets, but in the presence of Jesus, the ultimate Source of all we need that matters.

Dear Lord Jesus. Only You have the words of eternal life, and in the end, that is all that matters. As we go about our daily lives, please always be there for us in times of chaos, providing peace for our souls. We remember that in the middle of a storm on the Sea of Galilee, You were resting asleep. That is the peace we desire, and know that it is a peace that only You can provide. In Your precious name. Amen. 

Scripture Fulfilled

Posted on by korgrocker

“I am not saying these things to all of you; I know the ones I have chosen. But this fulfils the Scripture that says, ‘The one who eats my food has turned against me.’ I tell you this beforehand, so that when it happens you will believe that I Am the Messiah. I tell you the truth, anyone who welcomes my messenger is welcoming me, and anyone who welcomes me is welcoming the Father who sent me.”
John 13:18-20 NLT

In these verses today, Jesus quoted part of a verse from Psalm 41:9, “Even my best friend, the one I trusted completely, the one who shared my food, has turned against me.” This was a psalm written by David at a chaotic time in his realm, during his son Absolom’s rebellion. David seemed to have an illness, and there was much plotting going on, even by his trusted friend and advisor Ahithophel – the account is in 2 Samuel 16. But Jesus also saw this scripture as a prophesy of His betrayal by Judas. Jesus told His disciples about this so that they would be forewarned when it happened. And He adds the assurance that this is one more occasion underpinning His claim to be the Messiah.

There were many Scriptures in the Old Testament that foretold the coming of the Messiah, Scriptures that were interwoven within the warp and weft of Jewish religious society. The problem for them was that there were two types of prophesy, some about Jesus’ first coming and others about His second, so from the two the preferred picture emerged of a victorious King vanquishing the enemies of Israel and forming an eternal and autonomous Kingdom where the Jews would live in peace. The Jews looked for a natural physical Kingdom, but Jesus came to establish a spiritual Kingdom where people would live free of sin and wickedness. 

We pilgrims are Christ’s messengers, carrying the Gospel’s torch wherever we go. And by so doing we fulfil the Scripture left us in Matthew’s account of the Great Commission – “Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”” There are those, of course, who try to wriggle out of their obligation to make disciples because they claim that this was aimed at the first disciples, those who became the Apostles. But they all died in spite of Jesus saying that He would be with them until “the end of the age”. That phrase in itself implies that the work of making disciples continues from one generation to the next, while we indeed wait for the current age to come to an end. We live in a season of God’s grace, but it won’t last forever.

Dear God. We willingly look for opportunities to share Your Good News of the Kingdom with those who You have chosen. Please help us as we fulfil Your commands in our generation. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Know the Scriptures

Posted on by korgrocker

“They replied, “We’re stoning you not for any good work, but for blasphemy! You, a mere man, claim to be God.” Jesus replied, “It is written in your own Scriptures that God said to certain leaders of the people, ‘I say, you are gods!’ And you know that the Scriptures cannot be altered. So if those people who received God’s message were called ‘gods,’ why do you call it blasphemy when I say, ‘I am the Son of God’? After all, the Father set me apart and sent me into the world.”
John 10:33-36 NLT

More clear speech from Jesus. Faced with a situation where the people around Him wanted to kill Him because He claimed to be the Son of God, a blasphemous claim in their eyes, Jesus pointed out what was written in Scripture. Jesus quoted a verse from Psalm 82 – “I say, ‘You are gods; you are all children of the Most High” (Psalm 82:6).  But the Psalmist, under the power of the Holy Spirit, then wrote, “But you will die like mere mortals and fall like every other ruler”. Of course, these references to “gods” were not assigning the recipients some form of divinity, but God was pointing out through the Psalmist that anyone who has some degree of control over another, such as a judge or someone in a position of authority such as an employer or civil servant, has a power that is godly (note the small “g”). And God then included a warning that such “gods” will themselves be accountable for their actions. Such judges were perhaps referred to by Paul in Romans 13:1, “Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God”. Jesus was saying if those who hold a divinely appointed position can be considered “gods,” how much more can the One whom God has chosen and sent be the Son of God.

The Scriptures, what we believers refer to as the Old and New Testaments, are a rich and limitless source of information, all of which was inspired by the Holy Spirit through over 40 authors and over a period of 1500 years or so. The more we pilgrims read the Bible, the more we find out about God, and what we don’t know about Him. We can read a passage of Scripture one day, and then find more from it at a subsequent reading. Such a divinely inspired book is unique and it connects us to our Heavenly Father, inspiring us, and touching our spirits with His love and grace. Sadly, many theologians over the years have interpreted the Scriptures in certain ways and have veered away from God’s original intentions. This is how cults have developed, and some have even changed the Scriptures to suit their beliefs. 

But we pilgrims are committed to the Bible and all it contains. We take seriously the warning at the end of Revelation, “And I solemnly declare to everyone who hears the words of prophecy written in this book: If anyone adds anything to what is written here, God will add to that person the plagues described in this book. And if anyone removes any of the words from this book of prophecy, God will remove that person’s share in the tree of life and in the holy city that are described in this book” (Revelation 22:18-19). Instead, we agree whole-heartedly with Peter’s words in his first epistle, “Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment” (1 Peter 2:2). The “pure spiritual milk” constitutes God’s complete, special revelation, encapsulated in what we now know as the Bible. So we pilgrims read the Bible and re-read it, feeding our souls on God’s Word. There we will find peace, purity and food for our souls. There is no other religion in the world that has a God who died for us so that we can have eternal life. All the other religions expect works to take place, so that our place in eternity is earned. We pilgrims are saved purely by grace. There is no other way into God’s presence.

Dear Father God. Only You have opened a door into Your presence. Other religions fail to find it, no matter what they claim. So we fall on our knees before You today, in grateful worship. Amen.

A Clear Conscience

Posted on by korgrocker

“Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ.”
1 Peter 3:15-16 NLT

Our consciences are deeply embedded within our minds, and they are a very important driver of our thoughts and actions. A person without a conscience doesn’t exist, but a conscience can be trained to be more or less sensitive to certain behavioural patterns. Our thought processes can rationalise what we do and override our conscience-generated feelings and emotions. But, generally, our consciences make us feel bad when we do wrong and feel good when we do right. A big driver of how we feel and behave is related to our morality. The modern ideology of “if it feels right just do it” is a conscience-busting principle where our personal morals have failed in keeping us free of guilty thoughts.

So we must ask the question – what is our moral or values system? Where do we find the standard which we can use to programme our consciences? This is where the world view clashes with the God view. There is obviously some behaviours that are essential in society, driven by a pragmatic understanding of what Jesus said in Matthew 7:12, “Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets“. This, called the Golden Rule, cannot be disputed even by those who are not believers. Bluntly, we don’t abuse our neighbours because they would then feel entitled to do the same to us. 

We must operate a system of self-evaluation within us, but we know that we can’t depend on ourselves in this process. We read all about this in Jeremiah 17:9-10, “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? But I, the Lord, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve“. We need that external guidance to eliminate any possibility of our consciences being tarnished by our own deceit. Paul, on more than one occasion, publicly declared that he had a clear conscience. Acts 23:1, “Gazing intently at the high council, Paul began: “Brothers, I have always lived before God with a clear conscience!”” 

So we pilgrims must work hard to maintain a clear conscience, and the only source of the data we need to ensure our consciences are in line with what God requires is through His Word, the Bible. We must constantly read the Scriptures, because we forget and are often in danger of being subtly lured away from the straight and narrow path by the whisper of the enemy bringing half-truths into our thoughts. Remember what the serpent said to Eve? “Surely God did not say …”. Thankfully God’s presence is always with us. By constantly flushing our thought processes with the water of His Word we will maintain a soft heart.

One final thought. There will be others around us in the family of God who will perhaps not be in the same place as us when it comes to matters of the conscience. We pilgrims treat them with love and compassion, as God does with us. 

Father God, we thank You for the way we are “wired”, with a conscience aligned to Your Spirit. Amen.