#2Corinthians3 #2Corinthians4 - Work In Progress

Click here to read 2 Corinthians 3-4:

1. What stood out to me from this chapter?

Have you ever gone to an art show or gone inside a building or driven across a road that says "Work in Progress?" It means that even though you can still use it now, it is being transformed piece by piece or section by section or room by room into a much more beautiful or functional space. It's kind of like saying, "Go ahead and enjoy it now, but just wait till you see it when it's finished!" In this chapter, Paul tells us that "we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." When we let God's Spirit work in us and surrender control of our lives to God's designs and plans, it's like we have a big sign on us that says "Work in Progress." In the context of these two chapters, Paul is comparing things that are temporary with things that are eternal. So essentially, Paul is saying, "You think this life is cool? It is, and with God it gets cooler every day. But just wait until God's work is completely finished. Then we'll see instant transformation into something so glorious that nothing in this world can even compare."

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

We had a retreat here at camp called "Aliens," and we based it on Hebrews 11:13 which in some translations says that all these "heroes" of the faith considered themselves to be "aliens  and strangers on this earth." They realized that they were "just passing through." They knew this wasn't their home, and so while they took care of what they had they did not become attached to it. Rather they knew the things of this earth, even their bodies and their lives, were just temporary, but the things of God are eternal.

3. What does this mean for my life?

Chapter 4, verses 7-18 really spoke to me personally today. Paul talks about the difficulties he faces in this life and in ministry. Yet even in doing so he realizes that though he may be down, he's not out of the fight. He realizes that because of the ministry God has called him to, and because he has said yes to follow God's call, the gospel message of God's grace is reaching to more and more people all the time. So Paul's words at the end of the chapter ring true for me. "Therefore we do not lose heart..."

4. What questions do I have about this passage?

What is Paul talking about at the beginning of chapter 3? He talks about letters of recommendation. Were people asking for a letter of recommendation for Paul's credentials? What's that all about?

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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#1Corinthians10-11 - Freedom for Glory

Click here to read 1 Corinthians 10-11:

1. What stood out to me from this chapter?

After the last chapters, where Paul was explaining that we are not bound by some old covenant laws anymore, he uses these chapters to explain what that freedom looks like. He starts out reminding us of Israel's past and urges us to learn from them: "Don't grumble like they did in the desert...it didn't turn out so well..." :) He urges us to be cautious of eating food sacrificed to idols, simply because it could be a stumbling block to others. He speaks to appropriate conduct in worship and to appropriate teachings about the Lord's supper. But the most interesting lesson for me from this chapter was when Paul acknowledges the freedoms we have, but says that not everything is beneficial. It's like the freedoms we enjoy in the U.S. I have the freedom of speech, but not everything I am permitted to say is beneficial. It might hurt someone else. It might be taken the wrong way. It might send mixed messages to others. So I choose not to say a lot. :) The freedoms we enjoy, rather, are to be used for the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31).

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

I thought it was interesting that Paul is the one instructing the Corinthians about Communion, especially what Jesus said on the night he was betrayed. Paul wasn't there, he must have learned from someone. He did spend time with Peter and the other apostles, so it could have been any one of those encounters where he learned it. Luke's gospel records some very similar words during the account of the Last Supper in Luke 22:17-29. It's neat that these words are still the same words many churches use when celebrating communion together.

3. What does this mean for my life?

1 Corinthians 10:13 really stood out to me. "No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it." Sometimes I feel defeated just because I'm experiencing strong temptation. The truth is that experiencing temptation doesn't mean I have to give in to it. I can say no. That's the power of Christ in me. God will always provide a way out. Sometimes, I'm sure it's simply to say no and move on. :)

4. What questions do I have about this passage?

I actually have quite a few, but I think my greatest confusion comes with the head-covering rules. Paul seems to be pretty clear, that men should not cover their head (or have long hair), but women should cover their heads (or have long hair). Does this apply in every church of all time, or was it something specific that this congregation was dealing with?

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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#1Corinthians7-9 - Running for the Prize

Click here to read 1 Corinthians 7-9:


After a busy weekend I am playing catch-up, so there will be at least one more post with multiple chapters. It's nice that it's easy to catch up and stay on track with this format.

1. What stood out to me from this chapter?

Chapters 7 and 8 of Paul's first letter to the Corinthians address some specific questions the church had for him after he had left their company. Although we don't even know the exact questions, we can guess pretty closely by his answers that they had to do with sexual immorality and how it relates to marriage, circumcision versus uncircumcision, and eating food that was sacrificed to idols. Interestingly enough, these would not have been questions for Jews under the old covenant law of Moses. It was clear: DON'T DO THOSE THINGS! But Paul is saying a few things in these chapters. Jesus came to fulfill the law of Moses and the old covenant because we couldn't. In doing so he also brought about the new covenant, which didn't totally do away with the law. Rather we are now freed from the demands of the law, so that eating food sacrificed to idols is now nothing, and circumcision and uncircumcision mean nothing. The important thing is that we are preaching the gospel of Jesus and putting as few stumbling blocks in the way of our brothers and sisters as possible. Paul compares this to a race and says that we should "run in such a way to win the prize."

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

In Jesus' famous "Sermon on the Mount" which is found in Matthew 5-7, we hear something very familiar concerning the law and the new covenant. Jesus says, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them." (Matthew 5:17) He is essentially telling us that we are no longer bound by the old law, although the law is still there to guide us. Throughout the new testament we see passages that help us see in many ways which parts of the old testament laws are not important anymore. Colossians 2, for example, lists several examples of the kinds of laws that no longer bind us - circumcision, rules regarding eating and drinking, rules regarding specific religious festivals or Sabbath days (think of Jesus healing on the Sabbath), and rules about what is okay to touch (ceremonial uncleanness). From Hebrews we read that the old covenant system of priests and sacrifices were basically fulfilled and no longer binding, since Jesus is our eternal high priest and our perfect sacrifice. However, that doesn't mean that all old testament laws don't still have authority over us. Many of the laws were more about morality and God's design for life, including worship of God alone, sexual purity in marriage between man and woman, stealing, murder, lying, envy, etc. These laws are all re-emphasized in the new testament by Jesus, Paul, and others as being important guidelines that are forever in place by God.

3. What does this mean for my life?

I was personally moved by Paul's desire to share the gospel to all people. 1 Cor. 9:22-23 summed it up, "I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings." Paul relates to people, doesn't consider himself worth more than others, and find ways to make the gospel personally relevant to different audiences. His hopes is that some (many) would believe in Jesus and be saved. I especially noted how Paul used to word "all" three times to describe his efforts and then the word "some" to describe the response of his listeners. He knew not everyone would receive the gospel message of Jesus Christ, but he spent his entire life towards that goal regardless. I want that to be true of me too.

4. What questions do I have about this passage?

In two different sections of chapter 7, Paul advises people not to be married. He suggests it is better for most that they remain single, unless they can't control themselves sexually (then it's better to be married). What is he really saying and what are his motivations for saying it? Was he addressing this specific congregation and the issues of sexual immorality? Would he say the same thing today? It seems that part of it was a belief that Jesus would come back any day, literally, and that because time was so short we should all dedicate our energy 100% to the work of the gospel. However this presents a problem if every Christian remained single. As that generation died off, there would only be unbelievers left marrying and having kids. If he understood that it would be at least 2,000 years, would he have spoken differently?

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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#Colossians2 - Rooted in Christ

Colossians 2:

1. What stood out to you from this chapter?

As I came to verses 6-7 in this chapter, the language of being rooted and built up in Christ cast an image of a tree into my mind. Just as a tree draws its nourishment through its roots from the soil and water around it, so we too draw our life and nourishment from Christ. We do so when we let our roots go down deep. It's much like the title of my blog - namely that we would dig down deep into our relationship with God in Christ Jesus, rather than being like a plant with shallow roots that withers, scorches, and blows over in the wind. Not only do we find life in Christ, we find "all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (v.3), "all the fullness of the Deity" (v.9), resurrection from the dead (v.11-12), forgiveness of sins (v.13), freedom (v.16-23). But all of these promises are only made true through Jesus. Notice how many times the words "in Christ" or "with Christ" or "in him" appear in this passage. They are connected to almost every one of these promises. I thought that was interesting.

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

Verse 6-7 sparked an image of my life as a tree, but there are other images of trees in the Bible that stand out in my memory. One of the most similar is from Psalm 1. The whole book of Psalms (which is a worship songbook) begins with an image of a tree. It states that those who love and follow God and his commands are like trees planted by streams of water who yield fruit and don't wither. It's another reminder to let our roots run down deep in God.

3. So what does this mean for my life?

I think this metaphor of a tree can have all kinds of practical applications. We talk about our roots running deep, but what does that mean. I think there are several ways to stay connected to God, the life-giving Father. They may seem elementary, but they are good, and we often dismiss the elementary and end up stuck in spiritual pre-school.

• Prayer - Since Jesus is our great high priest, he will mediate our conversation with God. We can talk to God ANYTIME, ANYWHERE, about ANYTHING. We don't even have to fold our hands and bow our heads. It doesn't matter "how far gone" you think you are, God is a patient loving father who is dying to hear from you. And while you're praying, don't forget to listen too. :)
• Read the Bible - You want to get to know God and Jesus better? Read the Bible. It contains a wellspring of wisdom, truth, and insight into God's character. It will change your life if you let it. That's what this blog is all about, to create an accountability system that works for me and gets me digging into Scripture daily.
• GO TO CHURCH - We live in a day where we feel like we can just do faith and life by ourselves. Who needs church when I can just stream it live and don't actually have to encounter other living people? I can read the Bible and pray by myself, why should I go to church? Because YOU DON'T KNOW EVERYTHING! 
• Share your faith -  "What? Talk about Jesus to someone other than my church friends or small group?" This puts almost every one of us outside of our comfort zone. We don't always know what we're doing. We rarely have time to plan it out let alone practice it. So we don't know what's going to happen. It requires...well...faith. It's weird to think that by sharing our faith we can grow in our own.

4. What questions do I have about this passage?

Verses 16-23 talk about not worrying anymore about some of the Jewish rules and customs and finding freedom in Christ. Specifically it mentions rules about eating (and not eating) certain things, as well as observing specific festivals and calendar days. My question is, "What rules from the old testament do and don't apply anymore?

That's all folks. :) Tomorrow (Christmas Eve) I'll do Colossians 3-4, and take Christmas off.

In Christ,

Dan