#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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#Romans16 - Romans! What? 16! What?

photo taken at Ingham Okoboji Lutheran Bible Camps

Romans 16: 

1. What stood out to me from this chapter?

At our camp we sing a song almost every week/weekend called "Romans 16:19." So I can't help but think of the song which is based on both verses 19b-20a. Yet I still am amazed as I read this chapter that it is almost solely dedicated to personal greetings. One entire chapter of the whole Bible is dedicated to personal greetings. I have to ask the question: Why would God and the early church decide that it was worth an entire chapter of the Bible talking about people? The answer is clear, even in the asking of the question. It's because people matter that much to God. Since they matter that much to God they matter that much to Paul. The Bible is not just a book about theology. Nor is it just a book about guidelines for living. For some crazy reason, God has chosen to use people to accomplish his will in the world, and almost all of the Bible records how people reveal God, receive God, resist God, and reject God.

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

At the end of most of his letters, Paul includes a few personal greetings. It's a good reminder that he's not just writing a book to make the best-seller list, he is writing a letter to real people that he often spent a lot of time with. It makes his loaded chapter even more weighty since he knows the people he's writing to.

Another specific verse though that popped into my mind is all the way back in Genesis. After Adam and Eve eat the fruit and condemn all of mankind to be prisoners of sin until Jesus comes (no biggie), God shares the gospel message. It's a glimmer of hope. in Genesis 3:15 God says to the serpent, "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." (NIV, emphasis added) Romans 16:20 again states the promise that the God of peace will soon crush Satan. I like those verses.

3. So what does this mean for my life?

When I think about ministry, it is SOOO easy for it to become about tasks, or numbers, or theological superiority. But this chapter was a good wake up call for me to put all that aside and remember that ministry is about people. Life is about people. God loves people. I struggle sometimes when ministry is happening to pause and talk with people and listen to people. It's easier to get caught up in a task that "has to get done."

4. What questions do I have about this chapter?

I seriously wonder who all these people are. I know just a small few of the names from the stories in Acts. But who was this Tertius who wrote down the letter to the Romans? How did Epenetus (the first convert to Christ in Asia) come to know Jesus? What role did all these women have in the church (It's cool to see that Christianity was one of the first "religions" to lift up women and give them more value and dignity.) No big theological question today. I just can't wait to see these people in heaven.

Tomorrow I'm gonna take a leap back in time from Paul's era about 500-600 years and land in the book of Daniel. It's my namesake, so I figure I'll give it another read. Get ready for lions and eagles and fires - OH MY! :)

In Christ,
Dan

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