In The Spirit

Posted on by korgrocker

“For my part, even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. As one who is present with you in this way, I have already passed judgment in the name of our Lord Jesus on the one who has been doing this. So when you are assembled and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord.”
1 Corinthians 5:3-5 NIVUK

Just to recap, a man in the Corinthian church is having a sexual relationship with his stepmother, and the church seemed quite comfortable and accepting about what was going on. The news about this had reached Paul, but how did he find out, in that age, without the internet and mobile phones? In 1 Corinthians 1:11, we read, “For some members of Chloe’s household have told me about your quarrels, my dear brothers and sisters”. ‭‭So some people from this family must have travelled to Ephesus, and there they found Paul and updated him about what was going on. I suppose the other thing we can infer from this is that not all the people in the Corinthian church were in agreement about what was happening there.

In this day and age, a true Christian church would not accept any form of sexual immorality and would deal with it along Biblical lines, but it is true to say that some denominations are quite “liberal” in their teaching and ethos, believing that the verses highlighting the need for sexual purity don’t apply today. Quite how they overlook verses such as Galatians 5:19-21 is a mystery to me. These verses read, “When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarrelling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God”. Sadly, today, as an example, the Anglican church has a liberal or modernist faction that views scripture as being interpreted through reason and tradition, an approach that acknowledges that Christian beliefs and practices can evolve over time and that social and political action can contribute to God’s kingdom. But in the process, they have abandoned what the Bible says. So perhaps in the Corinthian church, there was the start of a liberal theology that gave more weight to love and acceptance rather than sin and restoration. But Paul was having none of it, and perhaps it is a shame that he cannot speak today in the Anglican corridors of power.

Paul called for the Corinthians to hold a church meeting, and Paul said that he would be with them “in the spirit”. Did that mean that Paul had some form of supernatural power able to transport him to their meeting? Or was it less dramatic, by Paul announcing his spiritual authority as an Apostle and making his views clearly known to the meeting as though he was there in person himself. We note from the previous verses in 1 Corinthians 5 that Paul treated the matter extremely seriously, and he expected the church there to adopt a state of mourning and evict the man from their congregation. 

There was an occasion in the Bible where someone was transported by the Holy Spirit to another location. Philip was one of the early deacons engaged to serve the church in Jerusalem, but an angel told him to go to a certain place where he met an Ethiopian eunuch, a civil servant to the queen there. We can read the account of the interaction between Philip and the eunuch in Acts 8, which resulted in a baptismal service taking place in an adjacent lake or river. And we then read in Acts 8:39, “When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing”. In another place, we read what happened to the Apostle John in Revelation 1:10, “On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet“. John was caught up into a spiritual realm where he received his amazing Revelation. But as far as Paul was concerned, there was nothing more dramatic than the spectre of his letter and the instructions contained therein hanging over the Corinthian congregation as they discussed what to do. 

What happened to the man that Paul said should be evicted from the church? We don’t really know, although this might have been the man in 2 Corinthians 2:5:8, “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“. If it was the same man, then Paul’s presence “in the spirit” was enough to bring about change and reconciliation. 

Practically, today, for us pilgrims, we too must be careful and observant in listening to the Holy Spirit about what is happening in our churches and fellowships. The enemy will always try to find a way to drive wedges between believers over something that starts small and apparently insignificant, but in the end grows into a big issue that splits a church. There is a tendency for believers in a congregation to “go with the flow” when it comes to certain matters, but instead, believers must be led by the Spirit to make sure a situation as occurred in Corinth never happens. We must pray for our leaders and congregations that God’s wisdom will prevail.

Dear Father God. We do indeed pray for our pastors and other leaders, that You will grant them wisdom and power through Your Spirit. Please also fill us afresh with Your Spirit so that we can walk in Your ways. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Reigning With Christ

Posted on by korgrocker

“You think you already have everything you need. You think you are already rich. You have begun to reign in God’s kingdom without us! I wish you really were reigning already, for then we would be reigning with you.”
1 Corinthians 4:8 NLT

Paul suggested with a bit of sarcasm that the Corinthians had begun to “reign in God’s Kingdom” without involving Paul and Apollos and, presumably, other leaders sent to bless this wayward congregation. They had developed this line of thinking because they thought they were already receiving the future blessings of Heaven in their earthly lives, not understanding that they had much to learn and consequently receive. God had graciously provided all the spiritual gifts they needed, as Paul said in 1 Corinthians 1:7, “Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed“. So perhaps the Corinthians thought that they didn’t need anything more, but Paul administered a good dose of realism with 1 Corinthians 1:26-27, “Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong“. But their worldly behaviour in judging the merits of Paul and Apollos exposed a reality gap between what they thought they had become and what they really were. These were just ordinary people saved by God’s grace, but still needing the basics of God’s teaching so that they would grow up to become the people of the Spirit that God desired. 1 Corinthians 3:1-3, “Dear brothers and sisters, when I was with you, I couldn’t talk to you as I would to spiritual people. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in Christ. I had to feed you with milk, not with solid food, because you weren’t ready for anything stronger. And you still aren’t ready, for you are still controlled by your sinful nature. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your sinful nature? Aren’t you living like people of the world?” The Corinthians seemed to have become so arrogant that they believed that they were “reigning with Christ” already, not realising that their worldly behaviour was getting in the way of God’s purposes.

So what does “reigning with Christ” really mean? In Romans 5:17, we receive some insight that provides an answer: “For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!” Unbelievers live in a kingdom where death reigns. Romans 5:14, “Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come”. Because of Adam, sin always brings death. Death became king. It ruled the lives of every person born from Adam, and it still rules our societies today. Until the point when we pilgrims became believers in Jesus, we too were living in the kingdom of this world, living in a place that was without hope and subject to a curse that would result in our ultimate “death” in a place we call hell. Of course, we are referring to spiritual death, and we know that through Jesus, life will reign supreme and eternal. Through His grace, we are reigning in God’s Kingdom, and it is all about Him, Jesus our Saviour. In other words, receiving God’s justification by placing our faith in Christ not only frees us from the kingdom of death, it allows us to rule in the kingdom of life alongside Jesus, as the very children of God.

Do we reign with Christ today? Romans 8:15-17 (MSG), “This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It’s adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike “What’s next, Papa?” God’s Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who he is, and we know who we are: Father and children. And we know we are going to get what’s coming to us—an unbelievable inheritance! We go through exactly what Christ goes through. If we go through the hard times with him, then we’re certainly going to go through the good times with him!” We pilgrims know the future because we have faith in God and His promises. But in the here and now, we receive a foretaste of what is to come, because we are co-heirs with Christ “Now if we are children, then we are heirs – heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings so that we may also share in his glory” (Romans 8:17 NIV), but we note the added caveat – “sharing in [Christ’s] sufferings”. But what does this suffering look like? Well, for a start, we will be persecuted. It may be in a low-key way here in the West, or it may come to physical harm, as in other parts of the world. We will be ostracised in the office or in any other social gathering, considered as having “weird” beliefs. If we stand firm in our faith, it may reduce job opportunities and even exclusion from certain jobs. And we must also die to our previous sinful lives so that we can live a life of purity and holiness. 

If we wish to “reign with Christ” there is a cost, but ” … the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast” (1 Peter 5:10). Our life on this earth seems to have the potential to go on forever when a person is young, but the reality is that, compared to eternity, it is little more than a puff of wind. So, fellow pilgrims, let us reign together in God’s Kingdom, set free through the blood of Christ.

Dear Father in Heaven. Please help us in our lives today, as we reach out to You for the resources we need to be Your people of faith in a dark, sinful world. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

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. 

Mature Believers

Posted on by korgrocker

“Yet when I am among mature believers, I do speak with words of wisdom, but not the kind of wisdom that belongs to this world or to the rulers of this world, who are soon forgotten. No, the wisdom we speak of is the mystery of God—his plan that was previously hidden, even though he made it for our ultimate glory before the world began.”
1 Corinthians 2:6-7 NLT

Paul admitted that although he used plain speech when he first came to the new believers in Corinth, he spoke “words of wisdom” when around those he referred to as being “mature believers”. He explained further that the wisdom he used was not worldly wisdom but instead the wisdom connected to the “mystery of God”. Paul described the “mystery of God” as being ” God’s Secret Plan” that we looked at in more depth a few days ago. This plan of course was a secret for many years before Jesus came to this world. Apart from a few hints, the Jews had no idea when their Messiah would arrive, and their expectation of His mission was related in part to the political situation in which they lived. However, the Plan has still some way to go because it includes the Second Coming of Jesus. We have no idea when this will be, although we do know where it will happen and why (Acts 1:11 and Hebrews 9:28).

So why did Paul adapt the words he spoke according to his audience? One reason could have been that his listeners could either have been from a Jewish or Gentile origin. When speaking to Jews, Paul would have used the Hebrew language (Aramaic was the most common in those days) and his discussions would have included many references to Old Testament scriptures. At Ephesus, en-route to Jerusalem, Paul said, “And now I am bound by the Spirit to go to Jerusalem. I don’t know what awaits me” (Acts 20:22). But when Paul finally reached Jerusalem in the Acts 21 and 22 account, he was nearly killed by a Jewish mob who grabbed him, “yelling, “Men of Israel, help us! This is the man who preaches against our people everywhere and tells everybody to disobey the Jewish laws. He speaks against the Temple—and even defiles this holy place by bringing in Gentiles”” (Acts 22:28). A riot developed so the local commander of a Roman regiment ordered his men to restore order and “then the commander arrested [Paul] and ordered him bound with two chains. He asked the crowd who he was and what he had done” (Acts 21:33). Mayhem ensued so the soldiers took Paul to the fortress, apparently no easy task, as we read in Acts 21:5, “As Paul reached the stairs, the mob grew so violent the soldiers had to lift him to their shoulders to protect him”. But Paul persuaded the commander to allow him to address the crowd and “the commander agreed, so Paul stood on the stairs and motioned to the people to be quiet. Soon a deep silence enveloped the crowd, and he addressed them in their own language, Aramaic” (Acts 21:40). In the first two verses of the next chapter in Acts, we read, ““Brothers and esteemed fathers,” Paul said, “listen to me as I offer my defence.” When they heard him speaking in their own language, the silence was even greater.” Then followed his testimony about his Damascus Road conversion. Paul’s words were full of a wisdom influenced by his Jewish upbringing, and because they were addressed to a Jewish audience. In Acts 23 we read the account of Paul brought before Sanhedrin, the High Council, using a wisdom aligned to his knowledge of the Jewish faith.

Regarding speaking to the Gentiles, we see the approach Paul used when addressing the “high council” of the city of Athens. He would have been speaking using the Greek language and we read, “So Paul, standing before the council, addressed them as follows: “Men of Athens, I notice that you are very religious in every way, for as I was walking along I saw your many shrines. And one of your altars had this inscription on it: ‘To an Unknown God.’ This God, whom you worship without knowing, is the one I’m telling you about” (Acts 17:22-23). Paul had done his homework and checked out what he could find from the local customs and culture. In both cases, Paul used his cultural knowledge to apply wisdom to the situations he found himself.

But what has all this to do with the “mystery of God”? Jesus could see what was coming for His disciples, soon to become the first Apostles. Matthew 10:16, “Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. So be as shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves”. Further down the Matthew 10 passage, we read, “When you are arrested, don’t worry about how to respond or what to say. God will give you the right words at the right time. For it is not you who will be speaking—it will be the Spirit of your Father speaking through you“. God’s mysterious plan exposed much about the ministry of the Holy Spirit and perhaps that influenced Paul’s words when he conversed with “mature believers”.

In Hebrews 5 we find some verses that identify the differences between new and mature believers. The writer to the Hebrews wrote, “You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food” (Hebrews 5:12). New believers, such as Paul was addressing in 1 Corinthians, were those who needed to hear “the basic things about God’s Word”. We know that because in 1 Corinthians 1 Paul was addressing believers who had not yet grasped the basics of living in harmony with each other. 1 Corinthians 1:11-12, “For some members of Chloe’s household have told me about your quarrels, my dear brothers and sisters. Some of you are saying, “I am a follower of Paul.” Others are saying, “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Peter,” or “I follow only Christ””. Paul then went on to set out again the Message of the Cross to a quarrelling and factional congregation, who had lost sight of why Jesus had come.

Are we pilgrims now familiar with God’s “mysterious plan”? Would Paul have spoken to us with words of wisdom or would he have once again preached the message of salvation through the Cross to us? It’s a good question because we believers sometimes never seem to get beyond the basics of our faith. We come up against a challenge in our walk with God, and end up taking a wrong turn. But God is so patient, and He gently leads us around the mountain once again, bringing us back to the issue we find so difficult. But however and wherever we find ourselves in our walk along the Narrow Way, we know that God is there with us. He promised never to leave us and forsake us. Ever.

Dear Heavenly Father. We love you and worship You, deeply thankful for each day You grant us. We are especially grateful that You have involved us in Your “mysterious plan” and we pray for Your guidance and assistance in overcoming every obstacles that threatens us. In Jesus’ precious name. Amen.

Boasting

Posted on by korgrocker

“God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God. God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin. Therefore, as the Scriptures say, “If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord.””
1 Corinthians 1:28-31 NLT

Who are the “boasters” in society today? usually, these are the people, men and women and even children, who think they have something significant in their lives to boast about. Perhaps they are great sportspeople, with a string of awards for athletic prowess, being the fastest at running, or the highest long-jumper. There is much boasting going on after a goal is scored in a football match or for the winner in a boxing match. Or consider a bore at a social gathering, boasting about his success in the business world, or a woman boasting about her wonderful new house. In the academic world there are boasters who brashly brag about the paper or book they have just written referring to some obscure mathematical theory, or medical procedure they have invented. Yesterday I met a man who was a great boaster. Recently retired, he outlined all that he was doing, and he talked much about his boat moored in the Forth Estuary, his camper van and where he’s been, his motorbike and sports bicycle. Sad really, and the first thought that came to my mind was the parable of the Rich Fool, who tore down his barns and built bigger ones to store his bumper crops, and then said to himself, “ … You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry” (Luke 12:19). and then we read in the next verse, ““But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’” But all these boasters have two things in common – they think they are better than their fellow members of society, and consequently God has no time for them. Psalm 5:5, “The boastful and the arrogant will not stand in Your sight; You hate all who do evil“. Paul wrote about the foolish people who have rejected God, and with them those that boast, “They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents” (Romans 1:30). 

Yesterday we considered ordinary people, the majority in our societies, who go about their daily business with little, if anything, considered of value to society. They would be struggling to find anything to boast about at a significant level, although there is always something that could be found. Perhaps they could boast about having met a member of royalty or they have a certain number of great grandchildren. But the one thing that Paul singled out was those people in society who boast about their wisdom and knowledge. 1 Corinthians 1:20, “So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world’s brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish”. These people who the world considers wise and knowledgeable have to work very hard to avoid being labelled “boasters”, but they fail to realise that in God’s sight such attributes are worthless because He considers them “foolish”. We read more about Paul’s perspective in Philippians 3:3b-5, “ … We put no confidence in human effort, though I could have confidence in my own effort if anyone could. Indeed, if others have reason for confidence in their own efforts, I have even more! I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin—a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law“. In Acts 23:6 Paul claimed he was a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees, promoting himself upwards into the elite in his society. But in Philippians 3:7-8 he wrote, “I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ“. Paul got it, and his life was a living example of a man who had rejected all that the world considered of value and instead he started right at the bottom, on his knees, before the cross of Christ.

There is a sober lesson for us pilgrims today. It doesn’t matter what we have done or think we have done. It doesn’t matter how well we were educated, or what job we have, or where we have lived and so on. We have nothing to boast about because before God our human achievements don’t impress Him at all. Jeremiah wrote, “This is what the Lord says: “Don’t let the wise boast in their wisdom, or the powerful boast in their power, or the rich boast in their riches. But those who wish to boast should boast in this alone: that they truly know me and understand that I am the Lord who demonstrates unfailing love and who brings justice and righteousness to the earth, and that I delight in these things. I, the Lord, have spoken!” (Jeremiah 9:23-24). We humans always like to have something to boast about because, so we think, it makes us look better than those around us. In a secular society with many people, anything that somehow elevates them above their fellows is to be sought out and promoted. But not us pilgrims. We instead promote our faith and belief in Jesus, because this is the only wisdom or knowledge that is worth anything. And, paradoxically, such eternal knowledge and wisdom is thought foolishness to those around us and unbelievers discard it as being worthless and to be pitied. Such people, fully of their worldly boasts, puffed up with pride, will find one day that when they cross the Great Divide, they can’t take anything with them. Before God, they have empty hands because all the rubbish that they used to contain has been burnt up and not even ash will remain. God doesn’t need human prowess and knowledge – after all, He created it in the first place. The only knowledge worth anything is the knowledge of Christ. As Paul said, “I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!” (Philippians 3:10-11). 

Do we pilgrims truly know the Lord? Are we able and willing to boast about His saving grace and love? Are we aware of the dangers of focussing too much on our human abilities and in the process boasting about the wrong things? One day we will be, and of course we won’t want to look back in regret at what we left behind. With Paul, we cast aside our human inclinations and ” … press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us”(Philippians 3:12b-14). Paul also wrote, “Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ” (Philippians 3:8).

Am I labouring the point? Probably, but human wisdom and knowledge has no place in the Kingdom of God, and He has labelled such attributes foolishness. But along with Paul I am looking ahead, in the knowledge that the past contains much that could skew my faith. At every opportunity I will tell people about Christ and all that He has done for me. I don’t care much for those who consider me foolish, but the important thing is that I can hear Jesus cheering me on, and that is all that matters. And one day will I hear those words, “well done …”? I hope and pray that this will be the case, and I know that all pilgrims everywhere hope to hear the same.

Dear Father God. You are the only Source of knowledge and wisdom that really matters. So we praise and worship You, asking that Your reveal to us all that we need for our lives lived in this world. And as we journey on in our faith, we look forward, reading Your Word and marvelling about finding all that we need to confound the wisdom of the wise. Thank You. Amen.

Ordinary Folk

Posted on by korgrocker

Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God.”
1 Corinthians 1:26-29 NLT

With whom do we identify in our societies? With those who live in big luxury houses in our suburbs, or those who rent a house or flat from the local council? With those who work in a “white collar” job in an office, or as a “blue collar” worker in a factory? Do we still separate people in our minds into “working class” or “professional class”, “middle class” or “upper class”? In these enlightened days we tend to avoid classifying people for fear of offending them, but distinctions still apply below the radar. TV programmes such as “Downton Abbey” highlight the distinction between the wealthy aristocracy “upstairs” and the working class servants “downstairs” in years gone by. Well, it appears that the Corinthian church had a congregation drawn from the “downstairs” demographic because Paul wrote, “few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy” when they became believers in Christ. These were ordinary folk, and in many churches and fellowships today we will find them well represented. Nothing wrong with that of course, and there may be a good reason for churches to be populated from the less well off in society. Those who have much are less likely to realise that they need God for their salvation. They believe that by their own efforts they have added to their wealth and have no need for any form of religion. A few years ago I found myself walking around the more affluent area of a Central Scotland town with a local pastor and we prayed much, lamenting that there was no-one from this area represented in the local church. They had their neatly manicured lawns and flower beds resplendent with colour. They had luxury cars sitting in their driveways, and money oozed from every brick of their big, architect-designed, houses. In Paul’s eyes, these would have been those who thought they were “wise” by human standards. But a short distance away was a housing estate made up of what has come to be called “social housing”, populated by people who had little, who often struggled to make ends meet, and who lacked the education and employment that would have elevated them into the same league as the “have’s” just down the road. But such people were represented well in the local church, and Paul would possibly have referred to them as those the “world considers foolish”. These were the people who were “powerless” and Paul said that God would use them to “shame those who think they are wise”.

Perhaps in Paul’s days the same principle between the “have’s” and the “have-nots” applied, with those puffed up with their human wisdom looking down on those who were at the lower ends of society, the slaves and servants, considered of little relative value and therefore expendable. But Paul emphasised the fact that God uses those the world despises to do His work. There is a tendency of the earthly wise to have an overblown sense of their own worth, and in their pride and arrogance they have no time for the things of God. They instead adopt a critical view of Christians, remembering that it was Karl Marx who disdainfully referred to “religion” as being the “opiate of the masses”, implying that it was only ordinary people, who made up the “masses”, who would benefit from a belief in God. 

Paul put things into context when he wrote, “When a potter makes jars out of clay, doesn’t he have a right to use the same lump of clay to make one jar for decoration and another to throw garbage into?”(Romans 9:21). All human beings are created by God with a similar appearance – two arms, two legs etc. – and all from the same lump of “clay”. As Jesus told in the parable of the talents, we are each given different gifts and opportunities, and no-one is better than anyone else. The people in the Corinthian church were a gifted people, because they were initially chosen by God and He used them, despised by the world as they were, to “to bring to nothing what the world considers important“. In the context of eternity, a short life span on 70 or so years is but the blink of an eye, and the message of the Cross, no matter how foolish it appears, becomes the most important account that human beings will ever need to hear. Death is a great leveller, because at that point all the wealth, education, and belongings will be left behind, souls traveling on into what for many will become a distressing experience. 

Jesus founded a movement that shook up the world in the First Century and it all started with ordinary folk. A few fishermen were the first called by Jesus, and we know what the “have’s” thought of them from Acts 4:13, “The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognised them as men who had been with Jesus“. Ordinary men transformed by the wisdom of God. Men not puffed up by their knowledge, but instead in love with Jesus, determined to follow Him regardless of the consequences. With God in their lives they went on to establish the early church, and today there are estimated to be 2.4 billion Christians on our planet. A phenomenal number of people and far beyond anything that could have been established by human wisdom.

Today, we pilgrims are “ordinary folk” who are sold out for Jesus. We may have all the human knowledge and wisdom in the world, but along with Paul we have made this a secondary factor in our lives. Instead, we promote what the world considers foolishness, the message of the Cross of Christ, wisdom indeed.

Dear Father God. You have upended the priorities in society and we are accordingly re-orientated. Your message of hope is now ours to share and we ask for Your help in leading us to the right people. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Simple Become Wise

Posted on by korgrocker

“The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes;”
Psalm 19:7-8 NKJV

In Psalm 19:7 we find this reference that “the testimony of the Lord” turns simple people in wise people. Other translations refer to the commands or decrees of the Lord. But what does “simple” mean? One definition is “someone who leads an uncomplicated life, values genuine connections and experiences over material possessions, and is content with the basics“. There is a lot to commend living life this way, because it very much is in line with what Paul wrote in Philippians 4:12, “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“. Living a simple life in this context provides space for living life God’s way. However, Proverbs 14:15, 18 shows a different meaning to being “simple”, comparing them to the “prudent” or wise. “The simple believe anything, but the prudent give thought to their steps. … The simple inherit folly, but the prudent are crowned with knowledge“. In this context, the “simple” appear to be people who are gullible and easily led into error. But in both definitions for simple people, there is much that the Lord’s testimony and instructions can do to help them, and everyone else in the process because we all need more wisdom at times. So how do people transition from being simple to being wise?

Firstly, it’s a good idea to abandon any thoughts that we are not simple just because we think we are pilgrims, following God and His ways. In Proverbs 11:2, we read, “Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom“. We have to approach God with a humble spirit because otherwise we will stumble over a rock of pride and end up humbled anyway. Associated with this is the importance of having a teachable spirit, which is essential if we are to acquire wisdom. Proverbs 19:20, “Get all the advice and instruction you can, so you will be wise the rest of your life“. When someone offers us advice, we do well to consider it because it may be coming to us directly from the Lord. He loves us and cares for us, and can sometimes use even unbelievers to offer us instructions and advice. 

Secondly, there is something in the thought that God knows best and we are foolish if we try and elevate ourselves into His domain. That is not only pride, but it is also a dangerous course of action to try and get matey with God. Psalm 111:10, “Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true wisdom. All who obey his commandments will grow in wisdom. Praise him forever!” Of course, that is not to say that we live our lives afraid that a Heavenly lightning bolt is poised in an angel’s hand, ready to zap us the moment we fall into sin. The word “fear” here is the way we look at God, with awe, humility, and reverence, and giving Him the place deserved by the Creator of the Universe and the One able to look into our very souls. We ascribe to Him all the glory and all the praise. 

Thirdly, if we want to become wise, we just have to ask God. James 1:5-6, “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind“. It’s no good asking God for the wisdom to deal with a situation and then decide you don’t like His advice and do something else instead. 

And lastly, we have to be aware that wisdom comes with a price tag. It’s easy to go with the flow and do things the world’s way, but aligning ourselves to God’s ways, the way of wisdom, may cost us something, a cost we must be prepared to pay. Proverbs 4:7, “The beginning of wisdom is this: get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.” And Proverbs 16:16, “How much better to get wisdom than gold, to get insight rather than silver!”

An epilogue from James 3:17, “But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere“. Paul wrote, “Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is“. Underpinning all wise believing people is the reality that only by living God’s way, close in our relationships with Him, will truly transform a “simple” person in someone who is “wise”. There is no other way. No short cuts.

Dear Lord God. Only You have the words of eternal life. Only You can show us the way of wisdom, and we praise and worship You today with deeply grateful hearts. Amen.

Groundless Accusations

Posted on by korgrocker

“How long will you people ruin my reputation? How long will you make groundless accusations? How long will you continue your lies?”
Psalm 4:2 NLT

How do we rate our personal reputations? Important or not? We live in a world where what people think of us matters. Our reputation is coupled with character traits such as integrity and honesty. So if someone trashes our reputations it can do us a lot of harm. Sadly, today in the UK, if someone goes up to a policeman and makes an accusation against another person, whether it is true or not, then the accused person will often be investigated. Such accusations can be trivial, like the recent real-life situation where a person of one type of skin colour accused another of a different colour, of racism, purely because the second person picked up the last bunch of daffodils in the supermarket. Really? But this actually happened and was recorded as a NCHI (Non Crime Hate Incident) by the police. Today, teachers and social workers, foster carers and many others in professions that interface with children and the public in general have to be very careful to avoid “groundless accusations” and “lies” levelled against them. 

But it was no different in David’s day. As David wrote Psalms 3 and 4 he was dealing with his son Absalom’s rebellion, and false stories fuelled by lies abounded against him, purely to bolster his son’s position. But we shouldn’t be surprised by such events. Jesus Himself was convicted and executed through an illegal court believing lies. The Son of God, sinless and innocent of any crime, suffered the ultimate penalty because of “groundless accusations” and “lies”.

In the end, what really matters to us pilgrims is what God thinks of us, and if we become the focus of false allegations, or lies spread about us, we can of course enter God’s presence and claim that we are innocent (if we are of course!) through God’s grace and mercy. Sadly, many Christians have become the focus of “groundless accusations” because of a lack of wisdom. They have managed to put themselves in situations where they were vulnerable to all sorts of abuse from unscrupulous individuals out to cause trouble to God’s people. But wisdom is ours for the asking (James 1:5) and the Holy Spirit will lead and guide us in the right paths. However, should the unthinkable happen, we can pray as the Psalmist did in Psalm 43:1, “Vindicate me, O God, And plead my cause against an ungodly nation; Oh, deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man!” Deliverance will come, as surely as night follows day.

Dear Father God. You know what is within us, and You will deliver us from evil people. Please help us live lives of honesty and integrity and grant us the wisdom we need every day of our lives. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Act Wisely

Posted on by korgrocker

“Now then, you kings, act wisely! Be warned, you rulers of the earth! Serve the Lord with reverent fear, and rejoice with trembling. Submit to God’s royal son, or he will become angry, and you will be destroyed in the midst of all your activities— for his anger flares up in an instant. But what joy for all who take refuge in him!”
Psalm 2:10-12 NLT

The Psalmist David gave us a bit of advice that we would all do well to heed – “act wisely”. But it seems to be a human trait to do just the opposite. The Bible is full of advice about wisdom, but why is it that even God’s people seem to lack the ability to “act wisely” as they go about their business? David was focused on world rulers when he wrote Psalm 2 and as we look around we can see a stunning lack of wisdom in the behaviour of national leaders today. We see the actions of heads of nation states who seem to be quite prepared to sacrifice their own people at a whim, causing unnecessary deaths and misery to many innocent people. And this is not just through wars – it can also be through political decisions derived from following a flawed ideology (for example think about the confusion about gender). But where can we find the wisdom that aligns with the wisdom David was warning the “kings of the earth” about?

In Psalm 2:11a we read, “Serve the Lord with reverent fear …”. If we turn to Proverbs 1:7 we read, “Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline“. This isn’t the sort of fear that comes from expecting a lightning bolt from Heaven if we do wrong. This is a reverent awe, acknowledging all who God is, realising that He created the earth and all that is in it, and therefore ensuring that we include Him in all that we are about. So where do we find the wisdom so essential to living a life God’s way? Turn to James 1:5, “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking”. Simple really – God has all the answers we need to live a life impregnated by wisdom. We might protest that we are not world rulers so the need for wisdom is perhaps not quite so important. But God’s ways are for everyone, no matter how insignificant we might think we are. 

Father God. You are the Source of all wisdom. Please forgive us for our errant ways and we pray for Your wisdom to infuse all we think, say, and do, day by day. Amen.

Riches, Wisdom and Knowledge

Posted on by korgrocker

“Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!”
Romans 11:33 NLT

At the end of a passage where Paul has considered God’s gracious mercy to both His chosen people, Israel, and the Gentiles, or non-Jews, he is overwhelmed by God. Paul cannot get his mind around all that God is and does, and lapses into praise. And failing to fathom the depths of God, he exclaims, “How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!” Paul had a very healthy view of God’s greatness and his lowliness. Perhaps he would have considered himself to be a clay pot wondering how the potter created him. But Paul realised that through all the agonising about his people, and when they would be saved, if at all, he realised that, in the end, it is all about God.

As Paul realised, we can never enter God’s domain and think His thoughts and share in His plans. God said in Isaiah 55:8-9, ““My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” But Paul looked up and received a glimpse of God through a human-limited fog, understanding once again that God’s greatness is beyond his experience. And we realise that as well. We too can only marvel how unlimited God is, in all His ways, thoughts and deeds. 

I heard recently of how a conference speaker was delayed in reaching the departure gate at an airport, to find that her plane was being rolled back from the terminus, and she had missed it. The next one involved a wait of four hours, meaning that she would miss the first conference session. Finally boarding this flight she found herself sitting next to a smartly dressed businessman who opened a conversation, asking what she did for a living. To cut a long story short, the speaker led him to making a decision for Jesus. Did God engineer circumstances to allow His grace to reach someone in desperate need? Someone more important to God than a conference preach? We don’t know God’s plans, but sometimes the circumstances accumulate to the extent that, in hindsight, we see His hand at work.

Paul knew he would never understand God’s ways. But he trusted Him. His life was totally committed to serving God, come what may. And he ended up suffering all sorts of abuse for the sake of the Gospel. He allowed God to use him, whatever the need was. Are we pilgrims totally committed to serving God, regardless of what the cost will be? We aren’t all Pauls of course. But, like the conference speaker, we may find ourselves in a situation that may be inconvenient but one that figures big-time in God’s plans. Whenever things go wrong, upsetting our schedules, perhaps we need to look to see if God is doing something, keeping our eyes and ears open to leverage any opportunities for the sake of the Gospel. 

Paul was overwhelmed in wonder about God’s “riches and wisdom and knowledge”. Everything about God combines to provide an unlimited and total ability to reign and rule over the earth and all who live in it. We pilgrims need to keep our spiritual eyes and ears wide open in obedient service to the One who knows all things.

Dear God. You are the Source of everything. Nothing happens without Your permission. And we trust You with all that we are and all that we have, knowing that You care for us in every way. We thank You and praise You today. Amen.