Devotionary

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Ep 272 – 1 Corinthians 4 Sep 18, 2017

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Today's episode deals with chapter four of 1 Corinthians, where Paul makes a seemingly boastful claim that the Corinthians should imitate his behavior. That's why I've entitled this episode, "Do As I Say and Do." Paul isn't an arrogant ego-maniac with an inflated sense of self-worth. He is a follower of Christ who is honestly attempting to live his life in keeping with the precepts taught by Jesus Himself. He is a Christ-follower, so, he has no problem telling the Corinthians to get in line behind him. As long as he is walking after Christ, they can't go wrong by following in his footsteps. And shouldn't that be true of each and every one of us? But the problem is that we too easily find ourselves wandering off into the weeds of life and blazing our own trail, leaving the way of Jesus somewhere in our rearview mirror. Paul wasn't claiming to BE Christ. He wasn't inferring that his life was on the same par as that of Christ. But he had no qualms inviting other believers to not only do as he said, but do as he did. His was a life worth emulating. Not perfect, but in the process of being perfected, by the power of the Holy Spirit. Our world could stand a few more lives worth imitating. There are far too many vain, self-absorbed, immoral and ungodly examples out there. And while we can't be Christ for anyone, we can certainly mirror His life and live out His teachings as we submit to the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.

Ep 271 – 1 Corinthians 3 Sep 17, 2017

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Today, we move into chapter three of 1 Corinthians. This episode is entitled "Worldly Wise" and deals with a problem facing the Corinthians that is common to all of us as believers. It has to do with the constant temptation to live as citizens of this world rather than as citizens of the Kingdom of God. Paul accused the Corinthians of living as if they belonged to the world. Their lifestyle and behavior was not in keeping with the ways outlined by Paul and modeled by Jesus Christ Himself. Worldliness rather than godliness. It's a constant reality for the Christian. Why? Because we live in the world and are constantly pressured to fit in rather than stand out. We have been called to live lives that are set apart to God. But when we do, it makes the world uncomfortable. Our godliness makes those around us feel guilty about the way they live their lives. So, they attempt to get us to abandon God's ways for the world's ways. They pressure us to take a different path, the one Jesus said leads to destruction. "For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many" (Matthew 7:13 ESV). Being worldly wise too often leads to compromise. When we start listening to the world and choosing to take its advice, our distinctiveness as Christians gets lost. Our uniqueness becomes blurred. Instead of modeling spiritual maturity, our lives become characterized by infantile attempts to blend in rather than stand out. And the church suffers as a result.

Ep 270 – 1 Corinthians 2 Sep 16, 2017

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In today's episode, we'll be taking a look at 1 Corinthians chapter 2. It's entitled "The Mind of Christ" and will deal with the believer's ability to comprehend the ways of God, including the offer of salvation made available through His Son and the wisdom of His Word made understandable by His Spirit. The entire life of the believer, from salvation to sanctification, is the work of God. Even our ultimate glorification, when we will be finally and completely transformed into the likeness of Christ is His doing. The Father, Son and the Holy Spirit, the three persons of the Trinity, each play a part in the life-transforming reality of the gospel. And Paul wants the Corinthians to understand that this divine re-creation, has nothing to do with the efforts or insights of men. While Paul, Apollos and Peter were used by God to spread the message of His grace and goodness expressed through the gift of His Son, their words did not save anyone. Their powers of persuasion convinced no one to believe. It was the Spirit of God, speaking through them on behalf of God, and empowering the lost to accept the free gift of the Son of God that did it all. Salvation is a spiritual process, from beginning to end. And we have no reason to boast about playing a part in it.

Ep 269 – 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 Sep 15, 2017

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Today's episode is based on 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 and is entitled "The Work of God." In it, we'll see Paul dealing with the division that arisen in the local church in Corinth. It seems that the people within the congregation were giving unnecessary and undeserved credit to Paul, Apollos and Peter for the roles they had played in their conversions. They were taking sides and arguing over which of these men were the most significant in terms of leadership. But Paul wasn't going to put up with it. As far as he was concerned, the only one worthy of any credit for the salvation of the believers in Corinth was God Himself. It had all been His idea and totally the work of His power. Paul, Peter and Apollos didn't save anybody. They had simply pointed people to the source of salvation: Jesus Christ, the Son of God and the God-appointed, grace-provided Savior. As soon as the people started arguing about men, they were getting their eyes off of Christ, "the founder and perfecter of our faith" as the author of Hebrews calls Him. The Corinthians had no business boasting in their role in their own salvation and they had right to make much of the part Peter, Paul or Apollos may have played. It was Jesus who made them pure and holy. It was Jesus who had freed them from sin. And no one else.

Ep 268 – 1 Corinthians 1:10-17 Sep 14, 2017

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In today's episode based on 1 Corinthians 1:10-17, we'll be looking at a problem Paul was forced to deal with in the church at Corinth. It's a common issue that every church body has had to wrestle with. The danger of division. Paul had gotten wind of an internal debate going on within the church that revolved around leadership. Some within the church were claiming Paul as their leader, while others were siding with Apollos. Still others took the side of Peter. And the result was infighting and a spirit of unrighteousness. For Paul, this was unacceptable and he dealt with it immediately in his letter. He wasn't going to allow the Corinthians to destroy their unity over personal preferences and leadership styles. Disunity is deadly. Division is dangerous. Jesus said so Himself. One day, when he was accused by the Pharisees of casting out demons by the power of Satan, Jesus provided a response that revealed the absurdity of their accusation. "If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand" (Mark 3:24-25 ESV). Unity is essential for stability and healthy spirituality.

Ep 266 – 1 Corirnthians Introduction Sep 13, 2017

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This episode begins a new series on the book of 1 Corinthians. Written by the apostle Paul to the believers in the city of Corinth, this letter is one of the pastoral epistles, penned by Paul to an early first-century church whose congregation was struggling with a variety of issues. While a Greek city, Corinth was heavily influenced by the culture of its Roman overlords. It was a city of extremes, with people from all walks of life, nationalities, and every imaginable economic strata. Predominantly pagan, it had a strong Jewish contingent and, the relatively new sect known as The Way was beginning to grow in size and popularity among the city's populace. Corinth was a bustling commercial crossroads, that had benefited greatly from trade between east and west. It was also a manufacturing hub, producing everything from pottery and lamps to roof tiles and sculptures. Idolatry was a major component of the religious life of Corinth. You could find shrines and temples dedicated to a plethora of gods, including Aphrodite, Isis, Dionysus, Zeus, Hermes, Athena, Apollo and even the mystery god. Paul had helped start the church in Corinth and this letter was written two years after his departure, with the intent of dealing with what appears to be their growing accommodation to the world. Rather than influencing the culture around them with their faith, they were being diluted and distracted by the things of the world. To put it bluntly, Paul was writing in order to address what he considered non-Christian behavior among the people of God. As a result, there is much in his letter that will resonate with the church in 21st-Century culture. I want to encourage you to read each day's passage in order to get the most out of this study. Now, let's dig into the book of 1 Corinthians.

Ep 267 – 1 Corinthians 1:1-9 Sep 13, 2017

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This episode is called "The Beauty of the Body of Christ" and covers the first 9 verses of chapter one of 1st Corinthians. One of the first things Paul is going to tackle is an issue regarding spiritual gifts in the church located in Corinth. After a brief introduction and a few words of thanksgiving to God for the congregation there, Paul gets straight to his first point: The spiritual gifts found in the church and their proper use of them. There were already divisions popping up within the congregation and some them were directly tied to a misunderstanding about and misuse of spiritual gifts. What God had intended for the corporate good of the body of Christ had been used for selfish and self-centered means. And this was not going to cut it with the apostle. One of his key themes in virtually every one of his letters was the need for unity among the people of God. There was no room for a me-centered attitude or a pride-filled approach to life within the body. Humility was key. Love was essential. And ungodly behavior was unacceptable. But as we know today, thoughts about self come naturally to all of us. We are by nature, self-absorbed. But the body of Christ is about selflessness and togetherness. As the psalmist said, "How good and pleasant it is when God's people live together in unity!"

Ep 265 – Judges 20-21 Sep 12, 2017

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This is it. The final episode in our study in the book of Judges. We'll wrap up this series with a look at chapters 20-21 in a lesson I've entitled, "Doing What Is Right In Our Own Eyes". As we will see, the book of Judges doesn't end particularly well. In fact, it doesn't end well at all. The cycle of sin that permeates the book ends in a spiral of moral decay and a deadly civil war. The people of God end up killing one another. There is no king. There is no moral standard. There is no sense of right or wrong. Right has become whatever anyone deems it to be – for themselves. Moral relativism rules the day. And the people of God have refused to allow God to rule their lives. They are self-obsessed. And in the long run, they are self-destructive. There are so many lessons we can learn from the book of Judges. It is anything but ancient history, because what we see the people of Israel doing, as described on its pages, we see the church doing today. We run the same risk of doing what is right in our own eyes. We can become autonomous and the kings of our own domains, just they had done. We can remove God from the throne of our lives and try and occupy the seat of power and authority. But just as we see with Israel, it will never end well.

Ep 264 – Judges 19 Sep 11, 2017

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This is episode thirteen on the book of Judges and covers chapters 19. It's entitled, "Without God as King, Sin Reigns". Amazingly, things in Israel during the period of the judges, go from bad to worse. Their repeated deliverance by God from their well-deserved punishment never seems to get their attention. They sin. God sends a pagan nation to mete out His judgment. They call out to God. He sends a deliverer and rescues them. And the cycle repeats itself. Ad nauseam. And in chapter 19, we see yet another example of just how bad things had gotten in the land of Israel. And this particular story is graphic in nature and sickening in its portrayal of just how decadent and immoral the nation had become. It was a moral free-for-all. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes. Self-gratification was the code of the day. If it felt good, they did it. If it seemed like something they wanted to do, they pursued it. With no regard to God. With no remorse or sense of shame. There was no king in Israel. And that includes the sad fact that God Almighty was no longer recognized as the reigning sovereign over the nation of Israel. They had turned their back on Him long ago. And now, they were suffering the consequences.

Ep 263 – Judges 17-18 Sep 10, 2017

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This is our twelfth episode on the book of Judges and covers chapters 17-18. It's entitled, "A Spiritual free-for-all" and deals with yet another less-than-stellar story involving the people of Israel and their almost inconceivable propensity to sin against God. In chapter 17, we read these extremely insightful and disturbing words: "In those days there was no king in Israel. And everyone did what was right in his own eyes" (Judges 17:6 ESV). This was the period of the judges. The people had rejected God as their king and had yet to reach the point where they would demand a human king. The various tribes had spread throughout the land of Canaan, settling in their respective territories and trying to make the most of their situation. But everybody was doing their own thing, not God's. Rather than seek the will of God, they were giving in to their own self-centered desires, seeking false gods and making forbidden alliances with the nations that occupied the land. And in the middle of all this we are introduced to a character named Micah, who will provide us with a real-life example of just how bad things had gotten in Israel. It was every man for himself. The 12 tribes of Israel were all living in varying degrees of disobedience to God. And Micah will provide us with an up-close-and-personal look into the spiritual free-for-all that was taking place in the land.

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