#2Corinthians5 #2Corinthians6 - Father Fix-It

Click here to read 2 Corinthians 5-6:

1. What stood out to me from this chapter?

We all know at least one guy who can confidently wear and live up to a "Mr. Fix-it" sweatshirt. Almost regardless of the type of thing that's broken, they can restore it back to near perfection. I am NOT one of those guys. If I need more than a Leatherman I struggle. The big churchy word in these chapters is "reconciliation". 6 SYLLABLES! But really reconciliation here is simply about fixing broken relationships. When two people have a fallout, their coming back together is called being reconciled. In 2 Corinthians 5 especially, we see that we all need to be reconciled with God because our relationship has been broken by sin. The good news of the gospel however, is that in Jesus Christ our sins can be forgiven so that our relationship with God can be fixed. In fact, this chapter goes so far as to say that the ultimate purpose of the church is to be messengers and ministers of this message of reconciliation with God through Jesus. It's a big deal. So the title of this blog is not about some handyman priest. Rather it is about our heavenly Father who has made it part of his eternal mission to fix broken relationships. He deserves the ultimate Father Fix-It mug...or something like that. (After all we know that He-brews) :)

2. How does this relate to any other Scripture I know?

This whole concept of being reconciled to God, our Heavenly Father, makes me think immediately of the Prodigal Son or Lost Son story told in Luke 15. It's a great picture of a son who walked away from his father, disowning him really. After losing everything he realizes that he was better off with his father and hopes his dad will hire him back as a servant. The father, however, has no intention of doing that. Without hesitating for one second he immediately restores to his son all the love and rights of being a son and celebrates his return. This part of the story really captures God's forgiveness.

3. What does this mean for my life?

We do have a charge in this passage. We are all called to be Christ's ambassadors, "as though God were making his appeal through us." I had to step back and think, what do people think about God's invitation through me? Am I sharing those words at all with people around me? Is my life reflecting the character of God so that people want to be reconciled with him? Am I modeling reconciliation in my own relationships to be obedient to God and to be a good witness for him? Those questions gave me a little pause this morning.

4. What questions do I have about this passage?

Paul makes a pretty strong statement. He says, "Do not be yoked together with unbelievers." I know the yoke is referring to the tool that links oxen or cattle or horses together so they can pull the wagon or plow at the same speed. But is Paul saying, "Don't marry someone who is an unbeliever?" Or is he saying, "Don't go into business with an unbeliever?" Or is he saying don't be friends with an unbeliever?" Maybe there will be a gray blurry line here no matter what, but a little clarification might help.

Those are my thoughts for this chapter. I'd love to hear yours. God's blessings to you and KEEP DIGGING IN!

In Christ,
Dan

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#1Corinthians16 - It's Personal

Click here to read 1 Corinthians 16:

1. What stood out to me from this chapter?

Although many might skim or skip over this chapter, there is one thing that stood out to me above all else. MINISTRY IS PERSONAL! It's very easy to get caught up in starting more programs, focusing at numbers of participants, talking big theological talk, or thinking about buildings and facilities. But ministry means nothing if it's not personal and relational. After all, the core message about Christianity is about restoring our relationship with our heavenly father through forgiveness of sins. The second greatest commandment is to love our neighbor. There are no commandments about how many programs we're supposed to have, or what mix of new and old songs to play in worship. Paul's series of personal greetings and acknowledgements reminds me that we need to be first and foremost about relationships - with God and others. When the gospel and other teachings of the Bible are encompassed by a loving, caring relationship, it "goes down easier".

2. How does this relate to any other Scripture I know?

Actually, many of Paul's letters end this way, with personal greetings (Romans 16, Colossians 4, etc.). When Paul visited a city either to start churches or strengthen churches, he spent considerable time there. He got to know people and love people. So in these letters he acknowledges them and mentions many of them with fondness. Even though there may not me a whole lot to meditate on or discuss from these sections, it is a great reminder that people matter to God.

3. What does this mean for my life?

In the middle of these personal greetings, Paul gives a verse of encouragement and exhortation. Verse 13-14 says, "Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love." This verse encouraged me today, and reminded me to keep pressing on. Don't give up. Don't give in to pressures and temptations of the world. And above all, do everything in love.

4. What questions do I have about this passage?

Some of the people mentioned in this chapter don't appear in other places in Scripture (to my knowledge). I just wonder what role did they have in the ministry of Paul or the ongoing ministry of the churches?

Those are my thoughts for this chapter. I'd love to hear yours. God's blessings to you and KEEP DIGGING IN!

In Christ,
Dan

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Acts 21-23 - The Trial That Never Ends

So I hit an incredibly busy spell and am now catching up. But these three chapters were all really connected, telling the story of Paul's journey to Jerusalem. On accident, I came up with a Blog title that has an interesting double meaning. The final chapters of Acts all recount Paul who is being put on trial before the Jews, the Romans, the governors, etc. He gets brought from one place to the next, and he is spared by one and then another. But throughout his life and missionary work, he faces trials that never end. It is almost always by the Jewish leaders, but must have gotten old after awhile. So here are my thoughts on these three chapters.

Acts 21, 22, and 23

1. What stuck out to you from this chapter?

In Acts 22, Paul starts speaking the language of the people: Aramaic. Verse 2 states, "When they heard him speak in Aramaic, they became very quiet." I think that all of a sudden this trial got very personal and hit close to home. It's not just about some religious zeal parade, but it became about a guy who is from them. It reminds me how powerful speaking in someone's language is and no matter how fluent you are, the attempt means a lot.

2. How does this relate to any other Scripture I know?

As Paul came back to Jerusalem, the apostles there urged him to go through a ritualistic cleansing ceremony, to help the Jewish believers not stumble over details of the law. Even though Paul knew this was not required for salvation or by salvation, he didn't want others to become alienated on his account. It reminded me of a verse from Romans 12:17-18 which says, "Do not repay evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone." We shouldn't compromise God's commands for our life, but if we can live in a way that helps others see Jesus rather than turn them off from Jesus we should do it.

3. What does this mean for my life?

I'll share the first thing that I thought of for this question, and it came from the very first verse I read in Acts 21. I had to re-read the last part of chapter 20 to remember the context. Paul was saying goodbye to some of the church leaders who visited him and with whom he had spent significant time teaching and training. The first sentence of chapter 21 is a telltale sign that Paul didn't just do ministry. Everything was about investing in others, and it involved relationships. I need to remember that there is more to ministry than good songs, good skits, increasing numbers, decreasing expenses, good food, good social media, etc. It has always been about people, and as soon as it stops being about people, it stops meaning much.

4. What questions do I have from this chapter?

In verse 38, the commander asks Paul if he was an Egyptian who led a revolt. Who was that? I've heard of Maccabes. Is that it? Maybe someone from history we don't know about. But that's an interesting detail. Also, we see Paul speak in at least a couple different languages. I wonder how many different languages he knew and what languages were common for people to speak.

That's it. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

In Christ,
Dan