Galatians 1: 6-9
I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel;
Paul is astounded and dismayed that these precious believers are already succumbing to other beliefs so contrary to the simple trust in Jesus, that it has drawn these Galatians completely away from our Lord Christ!
which is really not another;
This is really not good news, because it isn't good. It takes away the confidence they had in the Lord.
only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the Gospel of Christ.
There were Jews from Jerusalem who had come in and insisted that believing in what Christ has done for us wasn't enough, that we also have to do something to save ourselves, by following the Law of Moses.
This is very serious, because it denies that Jesus' death and resurrection is sufficient. It's so serious that it has actually pulled them away from Christ.
But even if we, or an Angel from Heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!
Paul is very strong here, declaring that even if he himself or even one of God's Angels is telling them anything different to dilute or pollute the original message he had originally preached to these people--the complete sufficiency of the Lamb of God's Sacrifice on our behalf, and his rising from the dead as proof that God the Father accepted His payment in full for our sins--then God's eternal curse is upon that person.
As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!
Paul is so strongly convinced of this, he repeats it, he calls down the curse of God on anyone who would contradict God's Truth in this basic, fundamental fact. Without this foundation, of Christ Himself having done all the work of our Salvation, we don't have the Christian faith at all, but something else. And anyone who says that anything else is needed is leading people away from God, and is therefore under God's curse!
Generally, Church history tells us that the Dark Ages came when the Christian church leaders had declared that they were the only ones God could teach His Truth to, and they brought in other ideas, like having to work for your own salvation, and led the people away from Christ.
That's why the Reformation happened, when people who were true Christians and educated to be able to read the Scriptures, realized what the official Church had done, and some of them wanted to bring it back to the simplicity of the Gospel. But the leaders refused to debate the issues, and simply threw them out of the church.
When these Christians taught others God's Truth from Scripture, then the Protestant denominations arose, and education spread from just the aristocratic and noble of the people to the common population, the Enlightenment happened.
(All this history is just a generalized overlook of the whole historical period.)
Paul is writing to the churches in the Galatia area, and was amazed at how soon they left the simplicity of the Truth. This shows us how easily the World and our enemy and our own sinful hearts can lead us astray, if we are not vigilant in maintaining our trust in Christ alone for our Salvation.
The history of the church all through the centuries since Pentecost has shown that the official Christian Church has undergone various iterations; but we can rest assured that God's true children have persisted throughout all of this Church Age, whether inside or outside the "official" (according to the World's history) church.
Even today, we must consider God's Word as He has given it to us in the Scriptures must take precedence over any "church doctrine." As far as I can see, it looks like all the "high churches" of the denominations have lost their way to some greater or lesser degree, so we must be very careful who we listen to, what church we need to attach ourselves to, and who we consider our counselors and teachers of God's Word.
I do not even trust myself, in sharing my musings here, to always be absolutely right in everything I say, as I am still living in my flesh and therefore susceptible to error. If any of my readers ever find that they can dispute any pronouncement I have made, I ask that you would be bold to comment and let me know where I have gone to the right or to the left of God's pure Truth, so I can investigate further.
My purpose in sharing here in every one of my blog entries is to help you, my reader, grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, that we all, as God's children, would be strengthened and prepared to stand our ground on the Solid Rock when the storms of life and current history will rage against us.
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, and every tongue will proclaim the Lordship and Kingship of Christ Jesus the Son, to the eternal glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!
Saturday, November 30, 2019
Friday, November 29, 2019
The Constitution For Christianity
Galatians 1: 1-5
This letter to the Galatians is like the Constitution for Christianity. Our Founding Fathers in America gathered to amend the Articles of Confederation, to fix all the issues it had that made it unfit to undergird the new government, and everyone had a different idea, not one agreed with anyone else on anything.
So they decided to pray about it and meet in the morning. They did, and came out with a whole new document.
The only comparison I wish to make here is that God led our American Founding Fathers to draft the Constitution that brought this Nation into the greatest prosperity any Nation of the World had ever enjoyed.
And God is the One who called Paul and taught him and led him to found all these churches.
Some Jews came from Jerusalem and brought in the idea of following the Mosaic Law in order to be a Christian, and Paul wrote this Epistle to set the record straight.
Paul, an Apostle
An Apostle was a "founding father" of the Christian faith, to lay the foundation of Christ for succeeding generations to build on. Now that the foundation is laid, no more "founding fathers" are needed.
(not sent from men nor through the agency of man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead),
Paul was not sent from any human agency, but was called directly by Jesus Himself on the Damascus road, and taught directly by Him when he went to Arabia (see Vs. 11, 16-17).
and all the brethren who are with me,
He is saying that all the believers who are with him, in particular the teachers, agree with his stance on what constitutes true Christianity.
To the churches of Galatia:
There is more than one congregation here, Paul is writing to several churches he founded in this geographical area.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,
Paul is already laying the groundwork for the arguments he will set out. Grace is the opposite of works, and peace comes from God, not what we do.
God had Paul write to these believers so that all of us, all the way down to today, would have the proper foundation to our faith; so as he refutes these Jerusalem legalizers, he is also refuting all the other wrong ideas that have come into the church through the whole time of this church age.
who gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,
Jesus gave His own life "for" us, and this word, hyper, denotes "substitution," as our Sacrificial Lamb of God He took our place individually in death, fulfilling the personal sacrifice of Leviticus 1, paying off our sin-debt for us.
This is to "rescue" or "deliver" us, exeletai, which denotes not a "deliverance from" but a "rescue out of" the power of evil and the values of this evil World-system around us through the power of the risen Christ in His Holy Spirit within each Christian. (We will one Day be delivered from the very presence of the evil, when He returns as King.)
This is all according to what God planned before He made anything.
to whom be the glory forevermore. Amen.
Paul usually puts a doxology like this at the end of his letters, but he puts it here at the beginning to set the preeminence of the Lord Jesus Christ and his work above any human criticism or praise.
O my Father, I pray that You would show us what You want us to know, how to lay the basis for our faith in You, and to have Your Truth undergirding everything we think, say, and do.
Help me, Father, as I read Your letter to me, to draw out of Your words the meanings and understanding that I will share with those who come here to read them. I pray for them, as they read, to consent with Your Word; and if I have misconstrued any point, that they would have the boldness to call me on it, so that I will be able to study further to extract the fullness of the extent of Your Truth that we need to apply today to our attitudes and lifestyles, to promote Your Kingdom.
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, and every tongue will proclaim that Jesus is our Christ, the Lord God Almighty, to the eternal glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!
This letter to the Galatians is like the Constitution for Christianity. Our Founding Fathers in America gathered to amend the Articles of Confederation, to fix all the issues it had that made it unfit to undergird the new government, and everyone had a different idea, not one agreed with anyone else on anything.
So they decided to pray about it and meet in the morning. They did, and came out with a whole new document.
The only comparison I wish to make here is that God led our American Founding Fathers to draft the Constitution that brought this Nation into the greatest prosperity any Nation of the World had ever enjoyed.
And God is the One who called Paul and taught him and led him to found all these churches.
Some Jews came from Jerusalem and brought in the idea of following the Mosaic Law in order to be a Christian, and Paul wrote this Epistle to set the record straight.
Paul, an Apostle
An Apostle was a "founding father" of the Christian faith, to lay the foundation of Christ for succeeding generations to build on. Now that the foundation is laid, no more "founding fathers" are needed.
(not sent from men nor through the agency of man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead),
Paul was not sent from any human agency, but was called directly by Jesus Himself on the Damascus road, and taught directly by Him when he went to Arabia (see Vs. 11, 16-17).
and all the brethren who are with me,
He is saying that all the believers who are with him, in particular the teachers, agree with his stance on what constitutes true Christianity.
To the churches of Galatia:
There is more than one congregation here, Paul is writing to several churches he founded in this geographical area.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,
Paul is already laying the groundwork for the arguments he will set out. Grace is the opposite of works, and peace comes from God, not what we do.
God had Paul write to these believers so that all of us, all the way down to today, would have the proper foundation to our faith; so as he refutes these Jerusalem legalizers, he is also refuting all the other wrong ideas that have come into the church through the whole time of this church age.
who gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,
Jesus gave His own life "for" us, and this word, hyper, denotes "substitution," as our Sacrificial Lamb of God He took our place individually in death, fulfilling the personal sacrifice of Leviticus 1, paying off our sin-debt for us.
This is to "rescue" or "deliver" us, exeletai, which denotes not a "deliverance from" but a "rescue out of" the power of evil and the values of this evil World-system around us through the power of the risen Christ in His Holy Spirit within each Christian. (We will one Day be delivered from the very presence of the evil, when He returns as King.)
This is all according to what God planned before He made anything.
to whom be the glory forevermore. Amen.
Paul usually puts a doxology like this at the end of his letters, but he puts it here at the beginning to set the preeminence of the Lord Jesus Christ and his work above any human criticism or praise.
O my Father, I pray that You would show us what You want us to know, how to lay the basis for our faith in You, and to have Your Truth undergirding everything we think, say, and do.
Help me, Father, as I read Your letter to me, to draw out of Your words the meanings and understanding that I will share with those who come here to read them. I pray for them, as they read, to consent with Your Word; and if I have misconstrued any point, that they would have the boldness to call me on it, so that I will be able to study further to extract the fullness of the extent of Your Truth that we need to apply today to our attitudes and lifestyles, to promote Your Kingdom.
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, and every tongue will proclaim that Jesus is our Christ, the Lord God Almighty, to the eternal glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!
Thursday, November 28, 2019
Happy Thanksgiving!
May You Each Have A Blessed Thanksgiving, and May God Be Healing Your Family Relationships This Holiday Season!
Psalm 9: 1
I will praise Thee, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will show forth all Thy marvellous works.
God blesses everyone every day, and in America we have a legal holiday today, Thanksgiving Day. Today is a day we have set aside specifically to praise and thank God for all the wonderful and bountiful blessings He bestows upon us every day.
But God blesses everyone all over the whole World every day. You don't need to be an American to celebrate Thanksgiving Day every day.
May all of God's children remember to thank Him every day for His bountiful grace and mercy, and to let Him make us channels of His blessings to others in each of our worlds every day.
And may the love for one another that we display before the world draw them also to inquire of us of this amazing and marvellous God we know.
Even so, come soon, Lord Jesus!
Psalm 9: 1
I will praise Thee, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will show forth all Thy marvellous works.
God blesses everyone every day, and in America we have a legal holiday today, Thanksgiving Day. Today is a day we have set aside specifically to praise and thank God for all the wonderful and bountiful blessings He bestows upon us every day.
But God blesses everyone all over the whole World every day. You don't need to be an American to celebrate Thanksgiving Day every day.
May all of God's children remember to thank Him every day for His bountiful grace and mercy, and to let Him make us channels of His blessings to others in each of our worlds every day.
And may the love for one another that we display before the world draw them also to inquire of us of this amazing and marvellous God we know.
Even so, come soon, Lord Jesus!
Tuesday, November 26, 2019
Final Encouragement
Romans 16: 17-27
Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you have learned, and turn away from them.
Paul is telling them to keep an eye out for those who would come in and cause trouble. He's had to deal with these people in his travels, and he knows they are also headed toward Rome, too.
For such men are slaves, not of our Lord Christ but of their own appetites; and by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting.
He says they're addicted to their own fleshly gratification, and with "good words" and "fair speeches" they are able to influence those who are "simple."
For the report of your obedience has reached to all; therefore I am rejoicing over you, but I want you to be wise in what is good and innocent in what is evil.
Paul is commending them for their growth so far through their obedience, and he is wanting to strengthen them to continue to increase their spiritual growth to maturity; but to not waste any time on investigating or listening to anyone who would come in spouting any other gospel or diversion, to recognize it and avoid falling into it.
The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.
If they keep on growing in the Truth, then God will use them to demolish Satan's doctrines and eliminate them from the Roman church. Did this happen?
They may have for a while. But History since that time has shown that the Roman church has given in to some of these "doctrines of demons" and left the pure Gospel, bringing in the "Dark Ages" and the resulting Reformation.
The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.
This is Paul's usual final blessing in his letters. But he always had other workers around him, and some of them wanted to say. "Hello!" to those in Rome, also, so he added these.
Timothy my fellow worker greets you, and so do Lucius and Jason and Sosipater, my kinsmen.
These are with Paul, sending greetings to Rome: Timothy we know pretty well, who is Paul's son in the faith, and the other three are Jewish believers.
I, Tertius, who write this letter, greet you in the Lord.
Paul often used a secretary to take his dictation, and he wanted to say, "Hello!," too.
Gaius, host to me and to the whole church, greets you.
Paul spent the winter at Gaius' house (see Acts 20: 3) when he spent three months there then changed his travel plan because of a plot against his life when he went to Cenchrea to board ship.
Gaius may have had a large house in Corinth, because the church also met there for their meetings.
Erastus, the city treasurer greets you,
Erastus is mentioned on a stone that was used as a paving block as the aedile, or "Commissioner of Public Works" in Corinth.
So he was one of the exceptions to the, "not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called" (I Corinthians 1: 26).
and Quartus, the brother.
One of the Gentile believers at Corinth who knew some of the Roman believers.
[The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.]
This looks like another ending, and it doesn't appear in "the earliest manuscripts." Paul does like to bless his readers, doesn't he!
Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my Gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ,
He calls it, "my Gospel," to maybe distinguish it from any other "gospel" they may hear. The preaching of Jesus Christ includes the Gospel Paul preaches, along with urging obedience to His commandment.
according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret for long ages past,
This mystery is the Truth that wasn't known before, that the Gentiles and the Jews will be united into the same Body of Christ.
but now is manifested,
Now it is revealed so that we can know it, and live by it.
and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God,
Also, now reading the Prophets, we can understand what they were talking about by the revealing of the New Testament Truths and the Holy Spirit living in us to teach us. This is God's desire, His will, His commandment, that we obey Christ.
has been made known to all the Nations, leading to obedience of faith;
This has now been made known in the Holy Scriptures, available to everyone in the World, in all the Nations, to read and understand how much God loves us all, and has sent His Son for every person to believe and put their faith in Him.
So it's up to us, fellow believers, to see that the Scriptures will be translated into every language spoken, so that every person alive can hear and understand. This is our job, people. Let's do it!
to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be the glory forever. Amen.
Now, finally, we have Paul's blessing!
Yes, Father, we agree with Paul that You are the Wise One, our only God, and through Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Way to You, the Truth we are to put our faith in, and the Life in the Holy Spirit for us to live forever with You! And You will receive all the glory forever.
Every eye shall see, every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that Jesus of Nazareth is our Lord God Almighty, King of the Universe, through whom the Almighty God the Father will receive all the credit, all the praise, all the glory for everything that has been done, past, present, and future, throughout all eternity, forever and ever. Amen and Amen.
Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!
Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you have learned, and turn away from them.
Paul is telling them to keep an eye out for those who would come in and cause trouble. He's had to deal with these people in his travels, and he knows they are also headed toward Rome, too.
For such men are slaves, not of our Lord Christ but of their own appetites; and by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting.
He says they're addicted to their own fleshly gratification, and with "good words" and "fair speeches" they are able to influence those who are "simple."
For the report of your obedience has reached to all; therefore I am rejoicing over you, but I want you to be wise in what is good and innocent in what is evil.
Paul is commending them for their growth so far through their obedience, and he is wanting to strengthen them to continue to increase their spiritual growth to maturity; but to not waste any time on investigating or listening to anyone who would come in spouting any other gospel or diversion, to recognize it and avoid falling into it.
The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.
If they keep on growing in the Truth, then God will use them to demolish Satan's doctrines and eliminate them from the Roman church. Did this happen?
They may have for a while. But History since that time has shown that the Roman church has given in to some of these "doctrines of demons" and left the pure Gospel, bringing in the "Dark Ages" and the resulting Reformation.
The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.
This is Paul's usual final blessing in his letters. But he always had other workers around him, and some of them wanted to say. "Hello!" to those in Rome, also, so he added these.
Timothy my fellow worker greets you, and so do Lucius and Jason and Sosipater, my kinsmen.
These are with Paul, sending greetings to Rome: Timothy we know pretty well, who is Paul's son in the faith, and the other three are Jewish believers.
I, Tertius, who write this letter, greet you in the Lord.
Paul often used a secretary to take his dictation, and he wanted to say, "Hello!," too.
Gaius, host to me and to the whole church, greets you.
Paul spent the winter at Gaius' house (see Acts 20: 3) when he spent three months there then changed his travel plan because of a plot against his life when he went to Cenchrea to board ship.
Gaius may have had a large house in Corinth, because the church also met there for their meetings.
Erastus, the city treasurer greets you,
Erastus is mentioned on a stone that was used as a paving block as the aedile, or "Commissioner of Public Works" in Corinth.
So he was one of the exceptions to the, "not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called" (I Corinthians 1: 26).
and Quartus, the brother.
One of the Gentile believers at Corinth who knew some of the Roman believers.
[The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.]
This looks like another ending, and it doesn't appear in "the earliest manuscripts." Paul does like to bless his readers, doesn't he!
Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my Gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ,
He calls it, "my Gospel," to maybe distinguish it from any other "gospel" they may hear. The preaching of Jesus Christ includes the Gospel Paul preaches, along with urging obedience to His commandment.
according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret for long ages past,
This mystery is the Truth that wasn't known before, that the Gentiles and the Jews will be united into the same Body of Christ.
but now is manifested,
Now it is revealed so that we can know it, and live by it.
and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God,
Also, now reading the Prophets, we can understand what they were talking about by the revealing of the New Testament Truths and the Holy Spirit living in us to teach us. This is God's desire, His will, His commandment, that we obey Christ.
has been made known to all the Nations, leading to obedience of faith;
This has now been made known in the Holy Scriptures, available to everyone in the World, in all the Nations, to read and understand how much God loves us all, and has sent His Son for every person to believe and put their faith in Him.
So it's up to us, fellow believers, to see that the Scriptures will be translated into every language spoken, so that every person alive can hear and understand. This is our job, people. Let's do it!
to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be the glory forever. Amen.
Now, finally, we have Paul's blessing!
Yes, Father, we agree with Paul that You are the Wise One, our only God, and through Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Way to You, the Truth we are to put our faith in, and the Life in the Holy Spirit for us to live forever with You! And You will receive all the glory forever.
Every eye shall see, every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that Jesus of Nazareth is our Lord God Almighty, King of the Universe, through whom the Almighty God the Father will receive all the credit, all the praise, all the glory for everything that has been done, past, present, and future, throughout all eternity, forever and ever. Amen and Amen.
Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!
Monday, November 25, 2019
Greetings!
Romans 16: 1-16
I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea;
that you receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints, and that you help her in whatever matter she may have need of you; for she herself has also been a helper of many, and myself as well.
Phoebe is on her way there to Rome, or has just arrived with the letter.
Greet Prisca (Priscilla) and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus,
who for my life risked their own necks, to whom not only do I give thanks, but all the churches of the Gentiles;
Paul met Priscilla and Aquilla in Corinth (Acts 15), after they had to leave Rome, and they traveled with him.
also greet the church that is in their house.
Wherever Priscilla and Aquilla went, they gathered a church in their house.
Greet Epaenetus, my beloved, who is the first convert to Christ from Asia.
Greet Mary, who has worked hard for you.
Greet Andronicus and Junias, my kinsmen and my fellow prisoners, who are outstanding among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me.
Andronicus and Junias were Jewish believers, who came to faith in Jesus before Paul had his crisis on the road to Damascus.
Greet Ampliatus, my beloved in the Lord.
Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and Stachys my beloved.
Greet Apelles, the approved in Christ. Greet those who are of the household of Aristobulus.
Aristobulus may or may not have been a Christian, but some members of his household were.
Greet Herodion, my kinsman.
Herodion was also a Jewish believer.
Greet those of the household of Narcissus, who are in the Lord.
Greet Tryphaena and Tryphosa, workers in the Lord.
Greet Rufus, a choice man in the Lord, also his mother and mine.
This shows how close relationships Paul forged with those he preached to, to consider Rufus' mother also a mother to himself.
Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas and the brethren with them.
Greet Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister and Olympas, and all the saints who with them.
Greet one another with a holy kiss.
It was customary to greet a friend with a kiss on the cheek, or even on both cheeks, aka the way the French do today.
All the churches of Christ greet you.
Paul had founded all the Gentile churches in the whole area, so he could speak for all of them in greeting the Roman church.
Paul loved people. He loved all these people, and knew them by name. How many people do I love enough to remember their names, and their situations?
He loved the Lord Jesus Christ so much that he wanted everybody to know Him too. He knew how much Jesus loved the people, and he couldn't but keep going, spreading the Gospel to all the known World of his time, and where he didn't go, others went from him, even further.
And after he planted the churches, his concern for them sent him out on a second, and then a third missionary journey. He cared for these he considered his family now. Even when he couldn't travel because he was confined in jail or house arrest, sitting in chains with soldiers beside him, he used the time to write letters to them. He had a constant concern for their welfare.
And he was also in prayer for them all, each one, praying for them by name; and also for the groups of them, when he could see the enemy encroaching, as we learn in the next few verses, tomorrow.
O my Father, thank You for giving Paul to all Your churches down through the church age, by his writings in Your Scriptures. Thank You for his heart for those he knew, and he knew everyone! He named by name so many of the believers, different ones in the different letters to different recipients. He always kept in order where each one was and what their situation was.
Father, if Paul could keep everyone straight, then how much more do You keep track of all Your children, and You always know where I am and what I am doing. Father, help me to always do each day the things You place before me to do, and to recognize when it is not of you but just a distraction.
I want to serve You, Father, with everything I do, whether I eat or drink, or whatever I do, may I do it all to promote Your Kingdom, to bring all the glory to You.
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that Jesus is our Christ, the Lord God Almighty, King of the Universe, to the eternal glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
Even so, come swiftly, Lord Jesus!
I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea;
that you receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints, and that you help her in whatever matter she may have need of you; for she herself has also been a helper of many, and myself as well.
Phoebe is on her way there to Rome, or has just arrived with the letter.
Greet Prisca (Priscilla) and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus,
who for my life risked their own necks, to whom not only do I give thanks, but all the churches of the Gentiles;
Paul met Priscilla and Aquilla in Corinth (Acts 15), after they had to leave Rome, and they traveled with him.
also greet the church that is in their house.
Wherever Priscilla and Aquilla went, they gathered a church in their house.
Greet Epaenetus, my beloved, who is the first convert to Christ from Asia.
Greet Mary, who has worked hard for you.
Greet Andronicus and Junias, my kinsmen and my fellow prisoners, who are outstanding among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me.
Andronicus and Junias were Jewish believers, who came to faith in Jesus before Paul had his crisis on the road to Damascus.
Greet Ampliatus, my beloved in the Lord.
Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and Stachys my beloved.
Greet Apelles, the approved in Christ. Greet those who are of the household of Aristobulus.
Aristobulus may or may not have been a Christian, but some members of his household were.
Greet Herodion, my kinsman.
Herodion was also a Jewish believer.
Greet those of the household of Narcissus, who are in the Lord.
Greet Tryphaena and Tryphosa, workers in the Lord.
Greet Rufus, a choice man in the Lord, also his mother and mine.
This shows how close relationships Paul forged with those he preached to, to consider Rufus' mother also a mother to himself.
Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas and the brethren with them.
Greet Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister and Olympas, and all the saints who with them.
Greet one another with a holy kiss.
It was customary to greet a friend with a kiss on the cheek, or even on both cheeks, aka the way the French do today.
All the churches of Christ greet you.
Paul had founded all the Gentile churches in the whole area, so he could speak for all of them in greeting the Roman church.
Paul loved people. He loved all these people, and knew them by name. How many people do I love enough to remember their names, and their situations?
He loved the Lord Jesus Christ so much that he wanted everybody to know Him too. He knew how much Jesus loved the people, and he couldn't but keep going, spreading the Gospel to all the known World of his time, and where he didn't go, others went from him, even further.
And after he planted the churches, his concern for them sent him out on a second, and then a third missionary journey. He cared for these he considered his family now. Even when he couldn't travel because he was confined in jail or house arrest, sitting in chains with soldiers beside him, he used the time to write letters to them. He had a constant concern for their welfare.
And he was also in prayer for them all, each one, praying for them by name; and also for the groups of them, when he could see the enemy encroaching, as we learn in the next few verses, tomorrow.
O my Father, thank You for giving Paul to all Your churches down through the church age, by his writings in Your Scriptures. Thank You for his heart for those he knew, and he knew everyone! He named by name so many of the believers, different ones in the different letters to different recipients. He always kept in order where each one was and what their situation was.
Father, if Paul could keep everyone straight, then how much more do You keep track of all Your children, and You always know where I am and what I am doing. Father, help me to always do each day the things You place before me to do, and to recognize when it is not of you but just a distraction.
I want to serve You, Father, with everything I do, whether I eat or drink, or whatever I do, may I do it all to promote Your Kingdom, to bring all the glory to You.
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that Jesus is our Christ, the Lord God Almighty, King of the Universe, to the eternal glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
Even so, come swiftly, Lord Jesus!
Sunday, November 24, 2019
Unity In Diversity
Romans 15: 1-7
Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength and not just to please ourselves.
As big brothers and big sisters we need to uphold our little brothers and sisters, helping them for their benefit and growth. This will also benefit us, too, but we are to do it for their good, as members of our family.
Each of us is to please his neighbor for his good, to his edification.
We need to be aware of our neighbors, to be able to help them in the way that will benefit them, even if they're not family members yet, so that they will be drawn to God as we were.
For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written,
For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
God had all the Scriptures written down, not just an oral history, so that we could know that what we read there is accurate, and trustworthy, and true. We can confidently trust it to lead us aright. To show us how following His ways is so beneficial for us, to encourage us to keep on keeping on, especially when the going is tough. So we would know that His plans for us are for our good, to reward us with Himself and His glorious goodness.
Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus,
He wants us all to be one family, to all think His thoughts for us, so we will all hold up one another in encouragement to persevere in the things He has planned for each of us to accomplish in His strength.
so that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
As one great choir, all singing the same symphony, in gorgeous harmony, in thanksgiving for all He has done for us and in us and through us, glorifying His great Name!
Therefore, accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God.
This will only happen when we take one another just as we are, even when we rub against each other's rough spots, when we are aggravated and irritated with one another's faults. Christ accepted every one of us in our sinfulness, which made us His enemies; so we are to accept one another, and let the irritations slide off our backs as water off a duck's back.
We are to forgive one another, as God forgives us through Christ, and get along with one another, helping their weaknesses in our strengths, and letting them help our weaknesses in their strengths. We are so much better together, as our Father in His compassionate wisdom has put us together to help one another, to His great glory!
O my Father, You are so compassionate in Your Love for us, to put us together into families and communities and congregations and Nations. You made us to be social beings, because You enjoy being Father and Son and Spirit.
You are One and You want us to be united as one in You also. In unity, not uniformity, because You love diversity. You made us all different from one another, and You want us to learn to get along with one another, even in our differences. To be united in Your Love.
Father, continue to teach us how to do this. You know that we are only dust, and we have the World, the devil, and our own flesh all working against us. But Your Spirit in us is so much stronger than all of these combined, to give us the victory over every deception and every battle and every temptation, because Christ Jesus has already won the war!
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, and every tongue will sing Your praises, that Jesus is our Christ and Redeemer, our Lord God Almighty, King of the Universe, to the eternal glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!
Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength and not just to please ourselves.
As big brothers and big sisters we need to uphold our little brothers and sisters, helping them for their benefit and growth. This will also benefit us, too, but we are to do it for their good, as members of our family.
Each of us is to please his neighbor for his good, to his edification.
We need to be aware of our neighbors, to be able to help them in the way that will benefit them, even if they're not family members yet, so that they will be drawn to God as we were.
For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written,
"The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on Me" (Psalm 69: 9).Jesus took our sins upon Himself, when we were still His enemies, and He drew us to Himself thereby; so our doing good to our neighbors will show them God's love for them.
For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
God had all the Scriptures written down, not just an oral history, so that we could know that what we read there is accurate, and trustworthy, and true. We can confidently trust it to lead us aright. To show us how following His ways is so beneficial for us, to encourage us to keep on keeping on, especially when the going is tough. So we would know that His plans for us are for our good, to reward us with Himself and His glorious goodness.
Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus,
He wants us all to be one family, to all think His thoughts for us, so we will all hold up one another in encouragement to persevere in the things He has planned for each of us to accomplish in His strength.
so that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
As one great choir, all singing the same symphony, in gorgeous harmony, in thanksgiving for all He has done for us and in us and through us, glorifying His great Name!
Therefore, accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God.
This will only happen when we take one another just as we are, even when we rub against each other's rough spots, when we are aggravated and irritated with one another's faults. Christ accepted every one of us in our sinfulness, which made us His enemies; so we are to accept one another, and let the irritations slide off our backs as water off a duck's back.
We are to forgive one another, as God forgives us through Christ, and get along with one another, helping their weaknesses in our strengths, and letting them help our weaknesses in their strengths. We are so much better together, as our Father in His compassionate wisdom has put us together to help one another, to His great glory!
O my Father, You are so compassionate in Your Love for us, to put us together into families and communities and congregations and Nations. You made us to be social beings, because You enjoy being Father and Son and Spirit.
You are One and You want us to be united as one in You also. In unity, not uniformity, because You love diversity. You made us all different from one another, and You want us to learn to get along with one another, even in our differences. To be united in Your Love.
Father, continue to teach us how to do this. You know that we are only dust, and we have the World, the devil, and our own flesh all working against us. But Your Spirit in us is so much stronger than all of these combined, to give us the victory over every deception and every battle and every temptation, because Christ Jesus has already won the war!
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, and every tongue will sing Your praises, that Jesus is our Christ and Redeemer, our Lord God Almighty, King of the Universe, to the eternal glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!
Saturday, November 23, 2019
Being Good Big Brothers And Sisters
Romans 14: 1-23
Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions.
Loving one another means we will not deliberately offend a brother or sister. We might say that everyone is welcome in our meetings, but then we tend to criticize someone who does not meet our standards.
One person has faith that he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats vegetables only.
In this Roman society, the raging issue was that all the meats in the market had been previously sacrificed to idols. So was it all right to eat them or not?
The one who eats is not to regard with contempt the one who does not eat, and the one who does not eat is not to judge the one who eats, for God has accepted him.
If you know that the idols are nothing, and therefore could not have any effect on the meat, so it's all right to eat it, then don't look down on your brother who has not yet come to this understanding, and still has doubts about it.
And if you think that the demons behind the idols could have put some kind of curse on the meats, so you don't want to expose yourself to any detrimental spiritual effect from it, so you don't eat it, then don't criticize your brother who is eating it, because he is your brother who God has accepted in Christ.
Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own Master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
We are all to serve one another, but our Master is Christ, and we are accountable to Him. So we are not to put down another servant of Christ as though we are his master. We are each ultimately accountable to Him, and He is able to exonerate each one of us eventually.
One person regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind.
Many of the pagan festivals were open to everyone who wanted to join the party. So if someone wanted to go and have an enjoyable time out with his wife, he didn't have to acknowledge the idol to just have a good time, considering it just another day that had an opportunity.
Another brother might consider that festival day to be one to stay home, to not give any weight to the Pagan idol being celebrated.
The brother out to dinner, and the brother eating at home, are both doing what they consider the best thing to do at that time, but each should be convinced that they are both doing the right thing, having no doubts about it.
He who observes the day, observes it for the Lord, and he who eats does so for the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who eats not, for the Lord he does not eat, and gives thanks to God.
So the one who eats dinner out, gives thanks to the Lord for the good food and good time and good opportunity to enjoy the party. And the one who stays home and does not go out to eat, still thanks God for the good things He gives him at home, and the good time he can have privately with his own family.
For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself;
for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord's.
So whether we live, however we live, or even if we should die, we all still belong to the Lord.
For to this end Christ died and lived again, that He might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.
No matter what our condition is, Jesus lived though it all, experienced it all for us, so that He would have victory over everything that could happen to us; and He has conquered everything that we will ever face, no matter what it is, all the way up to dying. He has our back.
But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt?
We are all at different spiritual stages of maturity. We have big brothers and big sisters and we have little brothers and little sisters. We are to love one another in this big family of God, considering that we are at different "ages" in relation to our siblings, and let the big brothers and sisters have the freedom and privileges due their maturity without envy or comparison, and see our little brothers and sisters with compassion to protect them from from hurt or wounding.
For we will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
This is the Bema Seat, the awarding of prizes and awards for achievement. Every one of us will receive some commendation, for all the wrath and punishment for our sins has already been paid by Jesus on the Cross as our Personal Sacrifice. We all will receive only for the good things we have done, as crowns and jewels in our crowns to cast at His feet (see Revelation 4:10).
For it is written,
Only our Creator God and Redeemer God has the authority to judge each of us. He is our Owner and Master and Lord, and has purchased us with the Blood that was poured out at the foot of His altar, the Cross (see John 19: 34, and Leviticus 4: 7).
Therefore let us not judge one another any more,
We are not judges, but we are to be encouragers of one another, to build each other up in the Lord.
but rather determine this--not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother's way.
We are to make up our minds to be aware of others' sensibilities to not do or say anything that might cause another brother or sister to stumble or doubt. For if we boast about or proudly display some behavior that someone else may not be convinced is all right, then we may be encouraging them to do something they may consider might be wrong because you think it's okay.
I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; but to him who thinks anything is unclean, to him it is unclean.
Our thinking processes determine our attitudes. Paul knew that Jesus has cleansed all the animals, making them all right to eat, because of Peter's vision in Acts 10: 9-16; 11: 4-12, as well as the Gentiles to receive the Gospel.
For if because of food your brother is hurt, you are no longer walking according to love. Do not destroy with your food him for whom Christ died.
So don't show off your freedom in the Lord to show up someone else! This is not loving one another, it's wounding their consciences.
Therefore do not let what is for you a good thing be spoken of as evil;
And it's letting something good be spoken evil of, which is what our enemy tries to convince people of in his deceptions. He always twists what God made as good into some evil caricature, and calls evil good and good evil. We certainly don't want to be like him.
for the Kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Food is only what sustains this Earthly life we are living now, and has no eternal value in itself. So whatever diet you decide to eat is up to you, to keep your body healthy. And remember that righteousness and peace will last forever, which will cause our joy in the Holy Spirit to increase.
For he who in this way serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men.
So when we live this way, we will be doing what is right for both now and eternity, and people will find nothing in us to criticize.
So then let us pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another.
Let's just go after what will help us get along with one another and encourage each other to keep on growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Do not tear down the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are clean, but they are evil for the man who eats and gives offense.
Food is what was the troubling issue of that day, but the principle is to be applied to anything in each society that is considered questionable. Should a Christian today have a social drink? Would a Christian woman wear a bikini at a public beach? There is any number of issues that we must consider in living our lives, for we live in glass houses, observable and watched by the World around us. Everything we do and every word we utter is scrutinized by the world around us.
But we are to be especially aware of our brothers and sisters in Christ.
It is good not to eat meat or to drink wine, or to do anything by which your brother stumbles.
We are to limit our freedom in the Lord for the sake of our family members. If I would want to do something dangerous, but see my little sister there, I will desist in doing that dangerous thing, even if I was trained to do it safely, for her sake. I must be protective of my family members.
The faith which you have, have as your own conviction before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves.
When I am confident in what I do, then I will do it in joy and enjoyment.
But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and whatever is not from faith is sin.
But if someone still has doubts as to the rightness or wrongness of what he is considering, if he does it anyway, thinking it might be wrong, then he is deliberately doing wrong, which is sin.
That's why we need to be totally convinced in our own minds. We must believe that what we are doing really is right and beneficial. We don't want to miss the mark (sin) in anything we do or say, as far as we are able.
O my Father, teach us Your ways. Help us to be firmly thinking Your thoughts for us, to have Your viewpoints and Your attitudes concerning what is going on in our lives. Help us, Father, to protect our little brothers and sisters, and to help them to also grow up in the grace and knowledge of our Lord. Teach us how to be good big brothers and sisters, and to always make the right choices in how we live our lives.
May our every moment be in acute awareness of Your Presence in us and with us, to do what pleases You according to Your will for each of us, and keep us from comparing ourselves with ourselves and each other, but only with You.
Teach us how to love one another as You have Loved us, that the World will know we belong to You and will be drawn to You.
And every eye will see, every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that Jesus is our Christ, our Lord God Almighty, King of the Universe, to the eternal glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
Even so, come soon, Lord Jesus!
Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions.
Loving one another means we will not deliberately offend a brother or sister. We might say that everyone is welcome in our meetings, but then we tend to criticize someone who does not meet our standards.
One person has faith that he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats vegetables only.
In this Roman society, the raging issue was that all the meats in the market had been previously sacrificed to idols. So was it all right to eat them or not?
The one who eats is not to regard with contempt the one who does not eat, and the one who does not eat is not to judge the one who eats, for God has accepted him.
If you know that the idols are nothing, and therefore could not have any effect on the meat, so it's all right to eat it, then don't look down on your brother who has not yet come to this understanding, and still has doubts about it.
And if you think that the demons behind the idols could have put some kind of curse on the meats, so you don't want to expose yourself to any detrimental spiritual effect from it, so you don't eat it, then don't criticize your brother who is eating it, because he is your brother who God has accepted in Christ.
Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own Master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
We are all to serve one another, but our Master is Christ, and we are accountable to Him. So we are not to put down another servant of Christ as though we are his master. We are each ultimately accountable to Him, and He is able to exonerate each one of us eventually.
One person regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind.
Many of the pagan festivals were open to everyone who wanted to join the party. So if someone wanted to go and have an enjoyable time out with his wife, he didn't have to acknowledge the idol to just have a good time, considering it just another day that had an opportunity.
Another brother might consider that festival day to be one to stay home, to not give any weight to the Pagan idol being celebrated.
The brother out to dinner, and the brother eating at home, are both doing what they consider the best thing to do at that time, but each should be convinced that they are both doing the right thing, having no doubts about it.
He who observes the day, observes it for the Lord, and he who eats does so for the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who eats not, for the Lord he does not eat, and gives thanks to God.
So the one who eats dinner out, gives thanks to the Lord for the good food and good time and good opportunity to enjoy the party. And the one who stays home and does not go out to eat, still thanks God for the good things He gives him at home, and the good time he can have privately with his own family.
For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself;
for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord's.
So whether we live, however we live, or even if we should die, we all still belong to the Lord.
For to this end Christ died and lived again, that He might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.
No matter what our condition is, Jesus lived though it all, experienced it all for us, so that He would have victory over everything that could happen to us; and He has conquered everything that we will ever face, no matter what it is, all the way up to dying. He has our back.
But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt?
We are all at different spiritual stages of maturity. We have big brothers and big sisters and we have little brothers and little sisters. We are to love one another in this big family of God, considering that we are at different "ages" in relation to our siblings, and let the big brothers and sisters have the freedom and privileges due their maturity without envy or comparison, and see our little brothers and sisters with compassion to protect them from from hurt or wounding.
For we will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
This is the Bema Seat, the awarding of prizes and awards for achievement. Every one of us will receive some commendation, for all the wrath and punishment for our sins has already been paid by Jesus on the Cross as our Personal Sacrifice. We all will receive only for the good things we have done, as crowns and jewels in our crowns to cast at His feet (see Revelation 4:10).
For it is written,
So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God."As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall give praise to God" (Isaiah 45: 23).
Only our Creator God and Redeemer God has the authority to judge each of us. He is our Owner and Master and Lord, and has purchased us with the Blood that was poured out at the foot of His altar, the Cross (see John 19: 34, and Leviticus 4: 7).
Therefore let us not judge one another any more,
We are not judges, but we are to be encouragers of one another, to build each other up in the Lord.
but rather determine this--not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother's way.
We are to make up our minds to be aware of others' sensibilities to not do or say anything that might cause another brother or sister to stumble or doubt. For if we boast about or proudly display some behavior that someone else may not be convinced is all right, then we may be encouraging them to do something they may consider might be wrong because you think it's okay.
I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; but to him who thinks anything is unclean, to him it is unclean.
Our thinking processes determine our attitudes. Paul knew that Jesus has cleansed all the animals, making them all right to eat, because of Peter's vision in Acts 10: 9-16; 11: 4-12, as well as the Gentiles to receive the Gospel.
For if because of food your brother is hurt, you are no longer walking according to love. Do not destroy with your food him for whom Christ died.
So don't show off your freedom in the Lord to show up someone else! This is not loving one another, it's wounding their consciences.
Therefore do not let what is for you a good thing be spoken of as evil;
And it's letting something good be spoken evil of, which is what our enemy tries to convince people of in his deceptions. He always twists what God made as good into some evil caricature, and calls evil good and good evil. We certainly don't want to be like him.
for the Kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Food is only what sustains this Earthly life we are living now, and has no eternal value in itself. So whatever diet you decide to eat is up to you, to keep your body healthy. And remember that righteousness and peace will last forever, which will cause our joy in the Holy Spirit to increase.
For he who in this way serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men.
So when we live this way, we will be doing what is right for both now and eternity, and people will find nothing in us to criticize.
So then let us pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another.
Let's just go after what will help us get along with one another and encourage each other to keep on growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Do not tear down the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are clean, but they are evil for the man who eats and gives offense.
Food is what was the troubling issue of that day, but the principle is to be applied to anything in each society that is considered questionable. Should a Christian today have a social drink? Would a Christian woman wear a bikini at a public beach? There is any number of issues that we must consider in living our lives, for we live in glass houses, observable and watched by the World around us. Everything we do and every word we utter is scrutinized by the world around us.
But we are to be especially aware of our brothers and sisters in Christ.
It is good not to eat meat or to drink wine, or to do anything by which your brother stumbles.
We are to limit our freedom in the Lord for the sake of our family members. If I would want to do something dangerous, but see my little sister there, I will desist in doing that dangerous thing, even if I was trained to do it safely, for her sake. I must be protective of my family members.
The faith which you have, have as your own conviction before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves.
When I am confident in what I do, then I will do it in joy and enjoyment.
But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and whatever is not from faith is sin.
But if someone still has doubts as to the rightness or wrongness of what he is considering, if he does it anyway, thinking it might be wrong, then he is deliberately doing wrong, which is sin.
That's why we need to be totally convinced in our own minds. We must believe that what we are doing really is right and beneficial. We don't want to miss the mark (sin) in anything we do or say, as far as we are able.
O my Father, teach us Your ways. Help us to be firmly thinking Your thoughts for us, to have Your viewpoints and Your attitudes concerning what is going on in our lives. Help us, Father, to protect our little brothers and sisters, and to help them to also grow up in the grace and knowledge of our Lord. Teach us how to be good big brothers and sisters, and to always make the right choices in how we live our lives.
May our every moment be in acute awareness of Your Presence in us and with us, to do what pleases You according to Your will for each of us, and keep us from comparing ourselves with ourselves and each other, but only with You.
Teach us how to love one another as You have Loved us, that the World will know we belong to You and will be drawn to You.
And every eye will see, every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that Jesus is our Christ, our Lord God Almighty, King of the Universe, to the eternal glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
Even so, come soon, Lord Jesus!
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