Week 16, Day 4: The Lights of the World
Today’s Reading: Matthew 7:1-8:34
Some thoughts from yesterday’s reading…
In Matthew 5:14-16, Matthew records for us the teachings of Jesus as He relates the nature of the believer to the rest of the world. We, as believers, are supposed to be the “light of the world.” Sometimes, we may lose sight of what is meant by that, especially with the application that Jesus Himself makes in verse 16. There, He tells us that we are to let our lights shine before men, so that they might be able to see our good works. What some interpret this to mean is that we are supposed to be boastful about the good works that we do, so that others will make sure and take note of them them. That is simply not the case, and is contrary to other Bible teachings. For example, in Matthew 6:3, Jesus specifically says that when doing charitable deeds, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. That is, we should not be trying to broadcast our good works in such a way as to try and draw attention to ourselves.
This seems to indicate that there is a fine line between what we are forbidden to do, and what we are expected to do. We should be careful in our actions, for it appears that our very attitude may be the difference in crossing that line. Do we do things so that others may pat us on the back and tell us what a good job we are doing? Or do we do things so that God may be glorified (Matthew 5:16)?
One good example of the proper attitude is found in Tabitha, whose story is told in Acts 9:36-43. When Tabitha died, there were many who came to mourn her, and brought the things that she had made for them. They were able to be a testament to her charity, and her good works. Notice that the passage does not say that she had proclaimed her good works before others. She had performed them before others, and they took notice of them. Tabitha did not have to “toot her own horn” and brag about what she had done. She didn’t have to draw attention to herself. But, those who had been on the receiving end of her good works were more than happy to share their feelings toward her.
This is what we should be like! We don’t have to go about telling everyone what we have done, or are doing. We should do as much as we can for others, and then pray that God is glorified by our actions. We shouldn’t need the accolades of men. We should be willing to do good for others just because we know that is what Jesus wants us to do. If we have to pat ourselves on the back for what we are doing, then we have the wrong attitude!
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Week 16, Day 3: Preaching Like John the Baptizer
Today’s Reading: Matthew 5:1-6:34
Some thoughts from yesterday’s reading…
There seems to be a move in the religious world today, and even among those in the Lord’s church, to soften the preaching of the gospel message. Just recently, I read a blog post in which the author opined that we need to preach more like Jesus. In the context of his writing, he meant that we need to be more loving, and more soft in delivering the message found in scripture. This mentality seems to be the prevailing thought! However, it does not take into consideration the method and manner in which the first century preachers spoke. It seems that we are moving toward (if we have not already reached the point) of training ourselves to want “professional preachers” who will dress according to our pre-determined dress code and speak softly, no matter the subject under consideration, and who will not offend anyone with anything that he says. Let’s compare that to Matthew’s account of John’s preaching in Matthew chapter 3.
First, in Matthew 3:4, Matthew gives us a description of John. Based on that alone, John would not be allowed to enter into the pulpit of most churches. Even by the day’s standards, John was rough looking. How often today do we let the manner of dress deter us from being willing to listen to the message that is delivered? I am not suggesting that we need to try and purposefully offend with our dress, but to set the standard as being a 3 piece suit with tie is purely devised by man. How many churches wouldn’t think of letting the preacher preach if he were to show up without a tie, or a suit jacket? How many would not let John preach? Perhaps we should reconsider our purely superficial standards for what makes one “qualified” to preach!
Secondly, consider the message presented by John. We sometimes walk around on egg shells for fear that we might offend someone with the message of scripture. However, John started his message with a striking thought. In Matthew 3:7, John called his audience a “brood of vipers.” I am sure he meant that in the most loving way! His message was one designed to warn the people of their impending doom if they did not make the changes that God was demanding of them. He told them not to rely upon their Jewish heritage to save them, for God could raise up children of Abraham from the stones. He told them that they could be cut down and thrown into the fire. His message was not one of comfort, or peace to them. He was harsh and very plain spoken. How many of these types of lessons would a church today be willing to hear before deciding that it was “time for a change”?
Unfortunately, there seems to be a movement among churches to want their ears scratched rather than hearing what is needed. And, there are plenty of preachers who are willing to give the churches just what they want. There is a need for all preachers (myself included) to evaluate ourselves and see if we are indeed preaching like the first century preachers preached. Are we willing to say the hard things, the things that are not accepted so easily? Or are we the type of preachers who dress nicely, speak kindly, and never offend? If that is the case, we will make many soft Christians, who are never taught what is necessary to be pleasing to God. People are offended by the gospel message. In fact, far more are offended than are accepting of it. That was the case in the first century, and it is the case today. If we find something different, then we better check our preaching, and see where we have left the first century gospel! We should want to be preachers like John, and Jesus, and Paul and Peter, and Stephen. Yet every one of those men offended their audiences enough to lose their lives. Would our preaching have done the same thing?
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Week 16, Day 2: Unbelievable Bible Stories!
Today’s Reading: Matthew 3:1-4:25
Some thoughts from yesterday’s reading…
Yesterday, we considered the idea of having a love for truth. The basis for loving truth has to come from believing what God has revealed, even when it seems difficult to believe. There are many accounts revealed in the pages of the Bible that test our willingness to accept the “unbelievable.” Are we going to accept the truth, even if it challenges the things that we know to be true about the natural world?
There are many things that are contrary to natural occurrence in the Bible. The story of Jonah and the great fish relates a man swallowed by a great fish, living in its belly for 3 days. The book of Joshua speaks of a day in which the sun did not set when it should, shining in the noon time position for a whole day. Genesis speaks of a flood that covered the whole world. The book of Matthew relates to us the birth of Jesus. Are we going to believe these “unbelievable Bible stories”?
Matthew 1:18-25 tells us that Jesus was born of a virgin, which was exactly what the prophet Isaiah had predicted (Isaiah 7:14). Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and He was called the Son of God. Verse 21 tells us that His name was called Jesus (Savior) because he would save His people from their sins.
There are many people who choose not to believe this account of the birth of Christ. It simply cannot be, because virgins don’t have babies! Realize that if you reject this Bible account of Jesus’ birth, you must reject the rest of the account of Jesus’ life. If you reject the account of Jesus’ life, then you must reject His teaching. How can we have any confidence in any of the Bible message? If the Bible is partly not true, then all of it is untrustworthy!
Some accounts in the Bible may be difficult for us to accept. But, God has provided enough evidence for us throughout the rest of the Bible, and through the natural creation, to give us confidence in Him and His revelation. We must truly have a love for truth to be able to come to belief in God, and trust His word. When we come to a belief in who He is, then these accounts are not hard to understand. Why would it be difficult for an all powerful God to cause a man to be swallowed by a great fish? Why would it be difficult for Him to perform miracles? Why would it be difficult for Him to send His son to earth by way of a virgin?
Do you believe the unbelievable Bible stories?
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Week 16, Day 1: Love of the Truth
Today’s Reading: Matthew 1:1-2:23
Some thoughts from Friday’s reading…
Do you have a love for the truth? Some may think that a silly question, but it is certainly one that we need to consider. Paul, as he wrote to the church at Thessalonica warned about the coming of the lawless one, and how he would be destructive to those who did not have a love of truth. He would be able to deceive them into following after a lie, and they would be led away from God and His will for them (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12).
When we look around us at the plethora of denominations it becomes clear that Satan is still very active today. God does not cause the disagreement in the religious world today. He has only given one truth, and expects for us to follow it. But then Satan came along with the great deception that being “close enough” is “good enough.” This has led to people being deceived into being “religious” without really being faithful to God. They have followed the “strong delusion” rather than following the truth. How can this be avoided? Simple: have a love for truth!
It is difficult to watch a person reject the pure gospel message just because they don’t want to really make changes in their lives. They say that they want to be saved, but they want to be saved on their own terms rather than God’s. Often, we as teachers wonder why a person would choose to reject God’s gospel, until we realize that there is something in their sinful life that they really do not want to give up. They count the cost, and determine it to be too great. What it boils down to is that many people do not have that love for truth that is necessary to be obedient to God. If we love the truth, there isn’t anything that we will refuse to give up for God. After all, the reward is so great that it is worth whatever it might cost us to attain!
So, again, I ask: Do you have a love for the truth? If you do, then you will do anything that God requires of you. If you do not, then you will make excuses, ignore God’s revelation, and participate in sinful lusts. The end of this is found in 2 Thessalonians 2:12: “they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth…” On the other hand (2 Thessalonians 2:13) God offers sanctification and salvation to those who will accept His truth and be obedient to it! This seems like an easy choice: Choose truth!
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Week 15, Day 5: God’s Great Judgment
Today’s reading: 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3:18
Some thoughts from yesterday’s reading…
I know that I am late getting this posted today, but the day was so beautiful, it was difficult to get inside and work on this. I hope that you all were able to enjoy the beautiful day, and that you will get to resting long before I do tonight!
In 2 Thessalonians 1:3-8, Paul writes about the judgment that God would bring at the end of time. He speaks of giving rest to those who are troubled, and punishment to those who are doing the troubling. But, in the process of giving this statement, Paul speaks of those who will reap the punishment of God. There are two classes of people in particular that he specifies. The first is “those who do not know God” and the second is”those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Thessalonians 1:8).” When we consider these two classifications of people, it should make the work we have to do very clear!
The first group are those who do not know God. There are many people who have never learned about God. I know that we as a nation tend to be “religious”, but that does not mean that people know about God. In fact, I would guess that most people, even among those who are religious, do not know the one true God at all! How many religions today are centered upon the desires of the people, rather than the desires of God? How many have instituted beliefs and practices that have no foundation, let alone authority in the pages of God’s revealed word? Many “churches” have become nothing more than free social clubs, places where people can come together for the purpose of fulfilling their own physical and social desires. It is our responsibility to take the true God to these people, and share Him with them, teaching His will alone.
The second group are those who do not obey the gospel. This seems to indicate those who have heard the gospel message, but have chosen not to be obedient to it. This is another area that we often do not stick with God’s revealed word, but rather soften the gospel message so that more people will be drawn to it. If we teach something short of the unadulterated gospel message, then we will not be teaching people what it takes to be pleasing to God. We may get them baptized, but if they are not taught the whole gospel message, and given the opportunity to choose to accept it (including the need to repent!) then they are not being obedient to the gospel. If we fail to teach the whole counsel of God, then we do a grave disservice to those whom we teach. Our role is to preach the plain, heart changing gospel. There are many gospel preachers today that would never be in danger of being stoned had they preached their message in the first century because they have softened it so much people wouldn’t even know that they were saying they had to make changes in their lives! In fact, it seems, that many teaching the “gospel” today don’t even try to get people to make changes (repent) to be pleasing to God!
The consequence for both of these groups is a sad and frightening one. Paul said that the Lord and His mighty angels would come in flaming fire, taking vengeance on those in these two categories. That should make us want to do all that we can to ensure that we are not in those categories, and that we help others to not be in those categories. We have the opportunity to share the gospel with others, and strive to teach them God’s will for them. If we teach “another gospel” we endanger both them and us (Galatians 1:6-9). Let us go forth and “preach the gospel” (Mark 16:15) just as they did in the first century. There will be some who will obey. There will be many others that will reject the word. But, we must fulfill our responsibilities (Ezekiel 33). Let us do our very best to lead as many from the destruction of the judgment day as we can, being agents of God to help lead those souls into the “kingdom of His dear son (Colossians 1:13).”
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Week 15, Day 4: The End of Time
Today’s Reading: 1 Thessalonians 5:1-2 Thessalonians 1:12
Some thoughts from yesterday’s reading…
Recently, we have been studying the book of Revelation in our adult Bible studies on Sunday morning. As we have been talking about chapter 20, the doctrines of pre-millennialism and the end of time have been discussed frequently. Paul’s writing in 1 Thessalonians 4 make it pretty clear that the doctrines devised from Revelation chapter 20 are unsubstantiated by scripture. When we have a difficult passage to understand, like Revelation 20, we cannot violate passages that are much easier to understand, like 1 Thessalonians 4. Paul does not write about a 1000 year reign at the end of time, but tells us very clearly what will happen at the end of time. Here, he is not using figurative or symbolic language like John is in Revelation 20.
Paul provides for us a time line concerning the resurrection. He tells us in 1 Thessalonians 4:16 that the Lord will descend from Heaven with a shout, and with the sound of trumpets and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, those who are alive and faithful will be called to meet Him in the air. Notice that Paul did not mention those who were not faithful to Christ–only the faithful. Was Paul saying that the unrighteous would not be raised, or that they would be raised at a different time? No. In this passage, Paul’s purpose is to encourage those who are faithful (1 Thessalonians 4:18), and his attention is not focused on the wicked at all!
We can see, however, by looking at another clear passage that the wicked and the righteous dead will be raised in the same day. In John 5:28-29, Jesus tells us that the hour is coming when all of the dead would be raised from the dead. At the same time, the righteous would be raised to their reward of eternal life, while the wicked would be raised to their eternal destruction. This is the final judgment that Paul writes about in 1 Corinthians 15:21-24, after which comes “the end”. There is nothing that follows that. There is no 1000 year reign. There is no battle of Armageddon. There is only the judgment, and then the end for the souls–punishment or reward.
This passage in 1 Thessalonians 4 should be encouraging to saints. It is not very encouraging however to those that are not faithful to God. We as Christians have something to look forward to when this life is over. The unfaithful have nothing but fear. This thought should comfort the faithful and frighten the unfaithful! It should be easy to decide which camp we want to be in.
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Week 15, Day 3: Attitude Toward God’s Word
Today’s Reading: 1 Thessalonians 3:1-4:18
Some thoughts from yesterday’s reading…
Paul praised the Thessalonian brethren for having the proper attitude toward the word of God. He told them in 1 Thessalonians 2:13 that he thanked God for them because they received the word of God as just that–His word. They did not think of it as the word of men, or the traditions of men. Understanding that it was the word of God caused them to be obedient to what it said. Having this proper attitude allowed the word to work effectively in them, transforming them into the kind of people that they should be.
It was through that word of God that the people in Thessalonica were able to become imitators of the churches of God that were in Judea (the place where the church had first been established, 1 Thessalonians 2:14). It is interesting that Paul was praising the church in Thessalonica for being imitators of the first churches established. In essence, the point seems to be that the word of God will make churches that are very much alike. In function, and in practice, the churches of the first century were the same. Having the same set of rules certainly would make the churches the same. Think of how every football game is played the same way. It is because it has the same rule book. The church also has only one “rule book” and that is the word of God.
Today, there are many who believe that the word of God is just a set of recommendations, and general instructions, rather than a book of requirements. However, if that were the case, then how could the churches in Thessalonica be imitators of those in other places? Paul, as he wrote to the Corinthians, stated that he taught the same things to all the churches (1 Corinthians 4:17). If we realize that the instructions for every single church were the same, then it should not be surprising that churches function the same ways.
Churches today have the same teachings as the church in Corinth, the church in Thessalonica and the churches of Judea. God’s word reveals to us what He wants us to do, and how He wants us to do it. If we follow the word revealed by God, then we too will be imitators of the churches of Judea. But, we have to have the right attitude toward the word of God. It is the authority for all that we believe and practice. If we stray beyond the revealed word, we can have no way of knowing that our practice is acceptable to God. So, we must get rid of all the teachings of men, and listen to only the word of God. If we accept it as authoritative (as the word of God) then we will not argue with it, and we will submit to every bit of instruction that we find.
We, as Christians today, can also thank God without ceasing for our brethren that have the proper attitude toward the word of God, causing them to be faithful and develop churches that are in accordance with His will.
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Week 15, Day 2: Examine Yourselves
Today’s Reading: 1 Thessalonians 1:1-2:20
Some thoughts from yesterday’s reading…
Paul told the Corinthians that they needed to examine themselves to see if they were in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5). This is something that we probably do not do often enough, and it may very well be one of the short falls that leads to one falling away from Christ. There is a need for constant vigilance, so that we know whether we are a part of the Lord’s body of saved people. We must constantly be examining ourselves to see if we are truly being faithful.
It is important for us to always be honest with our evaluation. If we are examining ourselves with some kind of blinders on, we will never identify those areas that we need to improve in. If we cannot identify those areas that we need to improve (or grow) in, then we will start regressing, rather than progressing. Instead of just saying that we are doing fine, we need to scrutinize our own service to God and see where we have shortfalls (for we all do!). Only when we are honest with ourselves will we truly make the changes that are necessary to be pleasing to God.
We also have to use the right measuring stick when we are examining ourselves. Earlier in the book, Paul commented on those who used the wrong standard to measure themselves (2 Corinthians 10:12). I attended a gospel meeting just last night in which the speaker (Greg Gwin) commented on this passage, and made the observation that we can all compare ourselves to others and declare that we are better than someone. Theoretically, there is only one person on the face of the earth that cannot say he is better than someone else–the absolutely worst person on the earth! The rest of us can always say we are doing better than at least one person. But, there should be no comfort in that. You see, we are using the wrong standard! We need to use the standard of the word of God, since that is what He will be using to judge us in the end (John 12:47-48).
Self examination also has to be something that is done on a constant basis. It is not something that we can do one time, and be done with it. Every day we have to remind ourselves that we are going to be faithful to God. Every day we have to check ourselves to make sure that we are remaining in the faith that was once delivered to the saints (Jude 3). This passage indicates more than just making sure we live morally. We have to have the right doctrine as well. There are a lot of people who are good moral people who are not in “the faith”. The only way to know if we are continuing in the doctrine delivered in the first century is to constantly study the word of God. We must be honest enough to recognize when we are not faithful to those teachings and make changes to our own beliefs and practices so that we can be the true children of God!
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Week 15, Day 1: Simplicity in Christ
Today’s Reading: 2 Corinthians 12:1-13:14
Some thoughts from Friday’s reading…
Paul wrote to the brethren at Corinth that he was afraid for them that they might be deceived by Satan and their minds might be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ (2 Corinthians 11:3). Surely this is still a danger in the world today! Think of how many people are trying to find the truth of the gospel message, but allow themselves to be deceived by Satan into believing that they have to do things in a much more difficult manner. Sometimes, people are confused by all of the various teachings in the world concerning the Bible. It is certainly not God who is propagating such confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33), but rather it is Satan at work!
I am afraid that many of us are susceptible to the dangers that Paul warned of in this verse. Many people are constantly looking for some new thing to teach from the scriptures. If we come up with something new, 2000 years after the revelation of Christ was completed, then we most likely are adding to the scriptures. There is nothing new to be found, and nothing new to be taught. We need to stay with the simple message of Christ, and teach that same doctrine as what was taught in the first century. We have no need to prove our intellectualism, or our scholarly abilities. We should be content to go forth with the same message as those apostles of old!
If we teach the same message, then we will be the same kind of bride that Paul sought to deliver to Christ with the church in Corinth. We will be a part of that bride that will be presented as chaste and pure, without spot or any such thing! if we are not a part of that church, founded on the simplicity of the message of Christ, then we will not have a place in Heaven!
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Week 14, Day 5: Generosity of the Saints
Today’s Reading: 2 Corinthians 10:1-11:33
Some thoughts from yesterday’s reading…
Often, 2 Corinthians 9 is read just before the collection of the saints is taken up on a Sunday morning. I think that the applications to that setting are very good, and very appropriate. However, I think that the principles established in this chapter are far deeper, and more important than just how much money a person decides to put into the collection plate.
Paul speaks in this chapter about our generosity. In 2 Corinthians 9:6 he tells us that those who sow sparingly will also reap sparingly. It is certainly not uncommon for Paul to use a gardening example in his teaching. Here, the example is of one who spreads seed. The one who is greedy with his seed, striving to save all that he can and not scattering it in the field, will have a much lower yield than the one who is generous with his seed. The same application can be made to us as Christians. If we are greedy with our money, then we will “reap” sparingly. We will be far more blessed by being generous than by being greedy. But, we do need to remember that what comes back to us (that which we reap) is not necessarily financial prosperity as so many denominations teach.
Paul also speaks of our attitudes. In 2 Corinthians 9:7 he tells us that God loves a cheerful giver. God does not want His people despising the money (or anything else) that they give in service to Him. It seems like there are many Christians who do give in a begrudging way. They put their money in, but they are going to complain about it. Maybe they will not complain when they give it, but they will complain if it is not spent just the way they want it to be spent. Or perhaps they will begin to withhold their money if they don’t like something that the church has done. Either way, this can be a sign of a deeper attitude problem that reflects greediness on our part! Notice that Paul also addresses the idea that we shouldn’t give “out of necessity.” That is, we shouldn’t think of our giving as something that we have to do just because God told us to do it. It should be something we want to do. It should be something that we GET to do!
Finally, realize that Paul also addresses what this money that is collected is to be used for. In 2 Corinthians 9:8, he tells us that by being generous there would be enough money to always have what was needed to do perform the work of the Lord, and even have “an abundance for every good work.” Of course, “every good work” is defined by God’s own word–not by the desires of mankind (2 Timothy 3:16-17). We need to use the money that is collected according to what God has commanded. To be wasteful, or to use it in manners that are not approved of by God constitutes stealing from God Himself. This was one of the problems faced by the Children of Israel by the close of the Old Testament. Malachi specifically addresses those who would be so presumptuous as to steal from God (Malachi 3:8-12).
We typically get very sensitive when it comes to “our money.” But, let us always remember that what we have is a gift from God. He provides for us, and we should always remember to be gracious and generous with what He has provided. Let us give to the work of His church, and let us be generous with others whenever the opportunity arises.
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