Tag: Apostle Paul

Posted on

Thank God for the Apostle Paul

Reading Time: 2 minutes 
“For merely listening to the law doesn’t make us right with God. It is obeying the law that makes us right in his sight. Even Gentiles, who do not have God’s written law, show that they know his law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it. They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right.” Romans‬ ‭2:13-15‬ ‭NLT‬‬

He was raised and trained in all things Jewish. And he mitigates the complex understanding of how God brought the story of salvation to and through the Jewish people. Yet, God does not hold Gentiles (us) to the complicated, but necessary, adherence to the details of the Law, he’s given us a new and better way.

We were not given God’s written law, nor his blood covenant he made with Abraham. We were given a new law, written on/in our hearts and a blood covenant made and paid for by Jesus. I can’t speak to the effectiveness of God’s law written and remembered by the Jews, but I can speak to the law written on the Gentile’s heart.

God has made himself abundantly clear to every Jew and non-Jew on the planet. He has and is doing so through his creation itself, life’s circumstances (across ALL cultures) and even in the still quiet places of dreams and visions.

I have been talking to a wonderful Vietnamese woman who cuts my hair about God. She went through a lot of struggles with her shop because of the pandemic and our Governor’s attempt to crush small businesses. I told her I prayed that God would do a miracle and get her out of a large lease space that the owner would not release her from and move her into the much smaller space next door. God did the miracle for her and she was thankful. Yesterday when I got another hair cut, I noticed that she was having a conversation with a woman who is also a believer and the gal was so sweet and kind to the shop owner. I remembered, God is ALWAYS working in people and whispering in someone’s ear about how much he loves them! I know she will come to faith in Jesus because of this verse Paul is writing to the Romans. And, we get to be a part of that. On any given day at any given time, our joy is to say yes to God about using us to love, tell our story and just be the light of Christ in someone’s dark place in their life.

PRAYER:

Dad,
I’m glad to see these things explained by Paul in your word. Because, that’s how it happened in my own life. And yes, you used a number of situations and people to get me to a quiet but frustrating place in my life. A place where I recognized just how chaotic and dark my life was and how you were offering a new future. I am so thankful that all the WORK is done by you and we just get the chance to participate with you in seeing people come from death to life! May it be so more often in me and my friends.

Posted on

Some are just PASSIONATE about special abilities!

Reading Time: 2 minutes 
“There are many different languages in the world, and every language has meaning. But if I don’t understand a language, I will be a foreigner to someone who speaks it, and the one who speaks it will be a foreigner to me. And the same is true for you. Since you are so eager to have the special abilities the Spirit gives, seek those that will strengthen the whole church.” 1 Corinthians‬ ‭14:10-12‬ ‭NLT‬‬

​The Apostle Paul gets down to some serious Spirit-business! Churches in Corinth, they’re a wild bunch. Smart, savvy, metropolitan, maybe even cool. They were probably wealthier than their sisters and brothers in the other cities. Corinth was a major seaport, and you know those sailors – just kidding. The city was a high concentration not just of proud Greeks, but people from all over the known world. They were there buying and selling goods.

The church there was also bustling. With a mix of backgrounds and former ways of life, people were a bit more celebrative, you know a “happy” group. Paul addressed so many abuses in their theology and behavior that he wrote three or four letters explaining, in detail, a lot of things of the Spirit. There were HIGHS, the love chapter and LOWS, the sexual permissiveness scoldings.

I love how Paul frames the “speaking in tongue’s” conversation – “since you are eager…” Paul uses a word, “zélótés” or zealous. However, the root of that word, “zeloo” is jealous, or “eager to possess.” This church was crazy passionate about spiritual gifts.

Fine, Paul says, let’s just keep this in perspective…use them to STRENGTHEN the whole church – cough, cough, not just yourself! I’m also interested because in the verses that follow Paul instructs them about two different kinds of people that are in the church gathering. Those who are believers, members of Jesus body, the gathering of saints. And… the unbeliever. For if you bless God (eulogeó) in the Spirit, how can the uninformed, the “idiṓtēs”– a person who conspicuously lacks education, status or understanding benefit and join in?

Paul is concerned both for the church folk AND the person who comes in off the street. He gives an illustration of preference in verse 19. In the (ekklésia) assembly, a congregation I would rather speak FIVE intelligent words or instructive words than 10,000 words in tongues. Does Paul believe in speaking in tongues? Absolutely, he does so often, he writes. However, when gathering have some order, have some understanding, READ THE ROOM Corinthians – it’s not just about ME or even US, it’s also about THEM.

Don’t ya just love that the body of Christ is so beautiful, so diverse in color and culture? Yet, we are family. We are “blood” because of Jesus. We may have “denominations” for practical reasons or even preferences, but we are ONE under the lordship of Jesus. Churches in Corinth and Rome may be different in expression, but they are the same in belief!

PRAYER:

​Dad,
I don’t like the fact that there are so many different “denominations,” but I get it. Folks have to be able to free to live and live in ways that make them feel more comfortable.

But still, we should be able to see that these different gatherings are based on preferences, not theology. I get diversity in unity because you made us so different from each other in personality.

But as family, we are the same. As family we are thrilled to gather TOGETHER and celebrate the variations of perspective and opinion. Help us Oh God be one even as you are one!

Posted on

Mavericks and spirit-eneurs for the gospel

Reading Time: 3 minutes 
“When we arrived in Macedonia, there was no rest for us. We faced conflict from every direction, with battles on the outside and fear on the inside. But God, who encourages those who are discouraged, encouraged us by the arrival of Titus. His presence was a joy, but so was the news he brought of the encouragement he received from you. When he told us how much you long to see me, and how sorry you are for what happened, and how loyal you are to me, I was filled with joy!” 2 Corinthians‬ ‭7:5-7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Because these are letters to and from the Apostle Paul and the churches, in Corinth in this case, there is real and raw conversations that are captured. We call the different passages of the Bible, “books,” but most aren’t actual books as we know it. There are several different genres of the 66 collections of writings.

Much of the New Testament are letter form, like this one from Paul. It is believed that Corinthians had three or four such letters. 2 Corinthians may have been a composite of two of them, but the other was never found and thus did not make it into the Bible. It was also thought to be his last of his letters to them. Correspondence like this was common then and Paul was prolific in his letter writing abilities.

As you can see here with this small passage, Paul has become super transparent with his life in this letter. Using words, even here, like “conflict” or “fear,” as well as true joy. In chapters 6 & 11, Paul openly writes about all his conflicts, troubles and actually lists the number of times he was beaten, imprisoned even shipwrecked. Most normal people die in these circumstances, but Paul just kept on living and never stopped preaching, writing and living out the gospel all the way to his death in Rome, where he believed God wanted to give him audience with Caesar himself! Some think the book of Acts of the Apostles was Luke’s written account that Paul used to tell Caesar about Jesus Christ.

I often think about Paul doing what no one had done before, blazing an uncharted trail to bring the gospel to the gentiles. And when I see how God used him, I understand that any leader, every leader will face insurmountable barriers when cutting a path that no one sees or understands. Most of our modern leaders, especially in the church, are not leading out ahead, they’re just following the safer routes that have been cleared by mavericks and spirit-eneurs before them.

We need BOLD and humble leaders today. We need men and women of faith to take the gospel to the unknown as well as the “nones.” The church could not handle a lot of “Pauls” today, but we could sure use a few of them.

PRAYER:

Dad,
Thank you for leaders like Paul! Once a fierce enemy of the gospel, but then multiple times more “dangerous” after meeting you in person on the donkey ride to Damascus. We need more like him today. They are probably out there and I’m just not aware of it. Since leaving Royal Family KIDS, I’m back to more of a local focus of the church. Remember that one guy I met while flying somewhere, the guy I asked about our modern Apostles? That was so amazing. He acted like he knew of some and we had such an interesting conversation. That was such a divine appointment to get to listen to him! I just want to faithful to the task you called me to and remain open to your leading.