Philemon Blog 2

I have two brothers and I know how frustrating they can be at times. We go through times where we do not get along. Even now that we are about 1,000 miles apart, we come close to arguing. However, if I let our relationship come to a point when we cannot stand to even look at each other, then how can I really love anyone? Friends are fun to hang with and love, but brothers are so much closer. The memories go back farther (in my case, they go back to the birth of my first brother) than any memory with friends do. You may have been friends with another for longer than you have been friends with a sibling, but a family tie should go deeper just because they are, well, family. This means that we must welcome our siblings the way we welcome our best friend!

Philemon Blog 1

This epistle, a letter of recommendation, was written by Paul and was addressed to Philemon about Onesimus. At the time of writing this, Paul was most likely in prison and trying to help Philemon and Onesimus come to reconciliation because they were brothers “in the flesh and in the Lord” Philemon 16. Craig S. Keener believes that Onesimus was a slave of Philemon who escaped while running an errand (Keener 643), while Allen Callahan disagrees saying that “nowhere…does the letter suggest that Onesimus ‘belongs to’ Philemon. Nowhere does Paul refer to Philemon as a ‘lord’ or ‘master’” (Callahan 2147). Whether or not Onesimus was a slave of Philemon, this letter is Paul’s way of saying that “love between those in the Lord cannot be fulfilled when love has grown cold between those who are brothers in the flesh” (Callahan 2148). Overall, some interpreters do not think that this letter takes any position on slavery, which would make even more sense if Onesimus was not owned by his brother, Philemon.

When I read the introduction from the New Interpreter’s Study Bible and then the letter to Philemon, I thought that it was very ironic that Paul said to Philemon “When I remember you in my prayers, I always think y God because I hear of your love for all the saints and your faith toward the Lord Jesus” Philemon 4. I suppose Paul is pointing out that if Philemon loves the saints of the faith, surely he loves his brother. That could win the argument for Paul without Paul even arguing. Surely Philemon as he read this letter for the first time was thinking of his brother (why not, wasn’t his brother the messenger?).

WORKS CITED

Callahan, Allan. “The Letter of Paul to Philemon.” Pages 2147-2148 in The New Interpreter’s Study Bible with the Apocrypha. Edited by Walter J. Harrelson et al. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2003.

Keener, Craig S. “Philemon,” Pages 642-646 in The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament. Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 1993.

Titus Blog 2

“Tell slaves to be submissive to their masters and to give satisfaction in every respect; they are not to talk back, not to pilfer, but to show complete and perfect fidelity, so that in everything they may be an ornament to the doctrine of God our Savior.” Titus 2: 9-10

I am not a worker who does not get paid, but when I read verses like these, I instantly think of the times that I work. When applying verses like this to myself, I read them more like “Tell workers to be submissive rot their bosses…” for bosses have authority at work. While working, a person represents the company that pays them. No glory is brought to God if a worker who follows Him dishonors his boss in some way.

Therefore, this verse is a good reminder.

“…so that [older women] may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be self-controlled, chaste, good managers of the household, kind, being submissive to their husbands, so that the word of God may not be discredited.” Titus 2: 4-5

One thing that I miss about The Crossing is the women’s group. I could listen to them for hours because they are so wise! They come together once a week and speak love over each other. They share prayer requests for members of their family. Often, they pray over Pastor John and his wife and children. They always have such beautiful things to say about the Church. My favorite question to hear them answer is “What is the Lord doing in your life?” Opinions are valued in their group and are encouraged. Everyone is seen as a gift of God. When I watch them, I see what a woman in the Lord is supposed to look like. Praise God!

Titus Blog 1

The authorship of Titus, like 1 and 2 Timothy is disputed among the scholars. Some believe that it was Paul and others do not. If Paul was the author then 1 Timothy was written around during the 60s AD (Smith 2143), however if Paul did not write it then the date of it is uncertain (Smith 2143). The pastoral epistle is addressed to Titus. According to Craig S. Keener, “the description of the opposition sounds much like what Paul addressed at Ephesus in 1 Timothy, suggesting that the error addressed there is spreading rapidly among Christian congregations. Paul’s old opponents, those of the circumcision group he encountered in Galatia, apparently continue to follow on is heels to ‘correct’ his converts” (Keener 634).

“For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passion our days in malice and envy, despicable, hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy, though the water of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. This Spirit he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” Titus 3: 3-7.

Those who have accepted Jesus have been freed, saved, reborn, and heirs. Talk about a rags to riches story! We were slaves to sin. Nothing we could do could free us. We could try good behavior. In fact, we probably did. We tried and failed. Then God stepped in and provided a way to be free. He took off the chains of our sin and told us that He loved us. Turns out His intervention had nothing to do with what we tried to do. Like Galatians says, our belief was what God saw. Even in our belief, we were not right enough for God to reward us. If God had simply freed us from our sin, that would have been more than enough, but God did not stop there. After He freed us, he saved us. After He saved us He is continuing to remain with us by His Holy Spirit.

The most beautiful Being in the entire universe who is pure love, pure holiness, and pure good (among other pureness) is with us and will remain with us forever! I love rediscovering this!


WORKS CITED

Keener, Craig S. “Titus,” Pages 634-641 in The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament. Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 1993.

Smith, Abraham. “The Letter of Paul to Titus.” Pages 2143 in The New Interpreter’s Study Bible with the Apocrypha. Edited by Walter J. Harrelson et al. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2003.

2 Timothy Blog 2

“Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David—that is my gospel, for which I suffer hardship, even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But the word of God is not chained. Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, so that they may also obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory. The saying is sure: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he will also deny us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful—for he cannot deny himself.” 2 Timothy 2: 8-13

“Indeed, all who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” 2 Timothy 3: 12

“The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you.” 2 Timothy 4:22

Jesus paid the highest price for us and expects us to be able to pay a high price to be with Him. I struggle with the idea of various levels of persecution that could come. A person may never be persecuted in the way that Paul was, but all should be willing. Let us ponder some questions. In your head answer them.

Am I willing to be made fun of for Christ?
Am I willing to be fired for Christ?
Am I willing to be humiliated for Christ?
Am I willing to be hated for Christ?
Am I willing to be hated by close friends for Christ?
Am I willing to be hated by family members for Christ?
Am I willing to be hunted by the government for Christ?
Am I willing to be jailed for Christ?
Am I willing to be physically hurt for Christ?
Am I willing to lose my life for Christ?

This blog is beginning to look similar to previous blogs. It repeats because I am still trying to be able to honestly say yes to every question that I just asked.

My life was changed as I watched a video on China’s Christians during the spring semester. I had joined a group that was based around Voice of the Martyrs. The strongest memory I have with the video on China was of a woman arrested at night and taken from her home. She was told to sign papers that would tell the government that she and some of her friends were Christians and she refused to sign it. She was burned by a lit cigarette and forced to walk back and forth down a hallway all night long. A couple hours later, she realized that the trail of blood that she was walking through was her own blood. She briefly wondered what would be so wrong if she signed the papers. Was not signing worth what she was going through? She determined that Christ was worth far more and she never signed the papers.

The worst thing that has ever happened to me because of my faith was a few remarks that were not even directed to me but to God.

2 Timothy Blog 1

The authorship of 2 Timothy, like 1 Timothy is disputed among the scholars. Some believe that it was Paul and others do not. If Paul was the author then 1 Timothy was written around 62-64 AD (Keener 607), however if Paul did not write it then the date of it is uncertain (Smith 2129). Again, if Paul is the author, then “Paul writes 2 Timothy while imprisoned in Rome, awaiting probable execution; he wants Timothy to join him before it is too late (Keener 622). 2 Timothy, a pastoral epistle, was written to an assistant who is encouraged to “an unashamed commitment to the gospels and to the potential suffering that such commitment entails” (Smith 2137).

“All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Back at the church I grew up in, the Sunday school classes went under a remodel. Instead of simply learning Bible stories, a challenge was added that would reward students who could memorize and recite Bible verses to the teacher. We were all given a Promise Club booklet that gave verses. The first student to certain areas would receive something. It was not long after that when I decided to stay in the sanctuary for church instead of attending Promise Club, which I was on the verge of outgrowing.

One boy stands out in my mind as I think about this book. He memorized with such an amazing passion. This was one of the first verses that I heard him recite. It was inspirational. The farthest that I had ever gotten in this particular verse was “All scripture is inspired by God and is useful…” sounds like Truth to me…anyway…the point is that the boy had something that probably made God smile. Memorization is a good thing as long as it is not only the words being remembered.

Right before the Midterm for my New Testament Class, I felt that God kept telling me not to make my knowledge of the Gospels head knowledge only. I remember laughing a bit, not because I thought what was being said was crazy or wrong, though. My response was, “God how is this exam anything BUT head knowledge?” After all, we were being asked questions like “which Gospel…?” and “which Gospel and chapter…?”

While I am sure that God was amused at my sense of humor, He still had a point to make. Anytime the Bible is opened (or closed if it is a closed-book exam), there is potential of learning with the heart. I closed my study guide before the midterm and let God quiz me. My favorite question was “where is ‘before Abraham was, I am’?” I was able to say “John 8:58” and at the same time I was again able to understand the significance of the words Jesus spoke there and to claim that as Truth.

No matter what, the Bible is inspired by God and useful…for teaching, reproof, correction, and training. That is why it is important to study the Word daily. It is important to have the Word written on the heart because of the truth of these two verses.


WORKS CITED

Keener, Craig S. “2 Timothy,” Pages 622-633 in The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament. Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 1993.

Smith, Abraham. “The Second Letter of Paul to Timothy.” Pages 2137-2138 in The New Interpreter’s Study Bible with the Apocrypha. Edited by Walter J. Harrelson et al. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2003.

1 Timothy Blog 2

“But as for you, man of God, shun all this; pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life, to which you were called and for which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses….keep the commandment without spot or blame until the manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he will bring about at the right time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kinds and Lord of lords. It is he alone who has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see; ho him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.” 1 Timothy 6: 11-12; 14-16

In the reading of the whole New Testament in a squished amount of time with two blogs required for each, I am more convinced than ever that works will not do anything on Judgment day. This is not to say that I did not realize this prior to this semester. No, I am just way more aware of it. Again and again it is the same. Remember Galatians where it says that anyone who tries to follow the law is under a curse? That is Galatians 3:10. Well, here is another list of things that God wants us to do. We are to pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness. Just this last Sunday at church the pastor talked about the order of the Christian faith.

1) Believe in Jesus
2) You’re saved
3) You work toward all these (because you love Jesus)

This is not allowed to go in any other order. Some churches today preach it differently, switching number two and number three. At church last Sunday the pastor explained a similar problem back during Paul’s time from the Churches of Galatia. The Judaizers believed that two and three were the other way around and that works came first before a person received salvation.

1 Timothy Blog 1

The authorship of 1 Timothy is disputed among the scholars. Some believe that it was Paul and others do not. One idea going around is that the author of Luke-Acts was either the scribe or the author of 1 Timothy (Keener 606). If Paul was the author then 1 Timothy was written around 62-64 AD (Keener 607), however is Paul did not write it then the date of it is uncertain (Smith 2129). 1 Timothy, a pastoral epistle, was written to Timothy a young pastor sent by Paul to the Church at Ephesus (1 Timothy 1:3). Paul addresses how to appoint church leadership and what is expected of men and women in the church.

“I desire, then, that in every place the men should pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or argument; also that the women should dress themselves modestly and decently in suitable clothing, not with their hair braided, or with gold, pearls, or expensive clothes, but with good works, as is proper for women who profess reverence for God.” 1 Timothy 2:8-10

I tend not to spend a really long time getting ready for the day. These verses affirm why I am the way I am as I get ready in the morning. I used to care more than I do now. I have always believed in dressing modestly, but I still wanted to know that I looked cute or what not. The day I realized God’s opinion was all that mattered must have been a very relieving day. I did believe what I heard. Now, any time I read these verses I smile. Whenever I dress up for something I make sure that it is for the right reasons.

Prayers look amazing on a Christian to God.


WORKES CITED

Keener, Craig S. “1 Timothy,” Pages 605-621 in The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament. Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 1993.


Smith, Abraham. “The First Letter of Paul to Timothy.” Pages 2129-2130 in The New Interpreter’s Study Bible with the Apocrypha. Edited by Walter J. Harrelson et al. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2003.

2 Thessalonians Blog 2

“Now we command you, beloved, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from believers who are living in idleness and not according to the tradition that they received from us. For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us; we were not idle when we were with you, and we did not eat anyone’s bread without paying for it; but with toil and labor we worked night and day, so that we might not burden any of you. This was not because we do not have that right, but in order to give you an example to imitate. For even when we were with you, we gave you this command: Anyone unwilling got work should to eat. For we hear that some of you are living in idleness, mere busybodies, not doing any work. Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living. Brothers and sisters, do not be weary in doing what is right. Take note of those who do not obey what we say in this letter; have nothing to do with them, so that they may be ashamed. Do not regard them as enemies, but warn them as believers.” 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15

I remember as I read this I thought, “In this regard, what does God think of me?” Because I could list off other people who are Christians who expect to get everything for nothing. Yet the words of Jesus ring in my mind about not removing the speck from my brother’s eye if I have a log in mine. Do not be foolish in thinking that self is greater than others.

This semester I did nothing but homework until about three weeks ago when I crashed and no homework got done except papers that were due. I refused to do homework for almost two weeks. This not doing homework made grades that reflected perfectly. I got a few sorry grades on quizzes. Paul’s advice given above worked. No surprise there. When I tried to learn, I did and it reflected in my grades.

At the same time I had been trying to make Christian friends. A week and a half ago I gave up. Trial and error made me realized that “nobody really cared.” I looked at what a “Christian is supposed to be” and did not see what I was looking for. Now, this sounds really bad, I know it does. Here this: I had friends, I have friends. Many of them are in Idaho. Yet even here at Colorado Christian University, I have found friends. There was something heavy over me that I needed to find somebody to confide in. The Lord and I had talked about this issue and He told me that I needed to trust even one person enough to share the deepest pain inside of me. I hated that that was what the Lord wanted.

In this state of having given up on Christians who were around me, I read 2 Thessalonians again. While, I continued to work hard at work representing the company that I am employed by (therefore able to eat there), I thought mostly about spiritual food. Here I was attending a church and not giving out what the Lord has given me. God did not give me a gift so that I could have a claim to it. He gave it to me to give out to others.

Thank God for others, though. Two friends did not give up on me like I had given up on them. More than two had been praying for me even though I had given up on them.

My application of this passage is that I think it needs to be constantly applied to myself because I can be just as idle as the next person you walk past.

2 Thessalonians Blog 1

Scholars tend to debate as who wrote 2 Thessalonians. Many of them believe that Paul wrote this letter. According to Raymond F. Collins, this is called the second letter simply because it is shorter than 1 Thessalonians (2123). Craig S. Keener adds that 2 Thessalonians was probably really written second (597). Keener adds that the reason for this letter may be a response to the reaction of the first letter where some hearers may have thought that the Day of the Lord had already come (598). Paul wrote 2 Thessalonians in the mid 50s (Tafoya).

One thing that is really hard to realize, that I have discovered a lot in the past year, is the fact that we are all born into this spiritual war that has been going on for a really long time. As I mature in this faith, I realize the reality of both sides. Growing up I was taught that God exists as three in one. His son, Jesus, came to die to save humanity. In order to be saved, I would have to ask Jesus into my heart and then begin a relationship with Him. I learned that the Bible is more than a good book (or even a compilation of good books). In fact, the Bible is the Living Word of God.

After a while I also learned that God is really smart. He knows me from the inside and therefore knows everything I need before I even know. I learned that God wants all of me and not just every Sunday morning. God also wants me to desire Him more and more every day.

Life is easy still up to this point. Then add the fact that the devil wants to tear up everything that God stands for. Add the reality of the force that is moving as hard as it can against God. See how so many people are blindly following that movement. Imagine what God really feels. Suddenly it gets hard because the devil would love to convince you of something, anything. Whatever he convinces you of is a lie. Now everyone needs to sort out the Truth from the lie.

From that point try to understand that God is close even when everything feels contrary. Good things happen in life and then it is easy to declare that Jesus is King. Bad things happen and it is harder to remember the God who loves us so much. The devil then tries to convince us that he is winning and God is losing. During those moments, we have to remember that now is not the greatest point of life. In faith, we have to remember and hold to the FACT that God has won and will win. We have to remember that the devil lost, and that God was and is and is to come.

2 Thessalonians 3:1-5 “Finally, brothers and sisters, pray for us, so that the word of the Lord may spread rapidly and be glorified everywhere, just as it is among you, and that we may be rescued from wicked and evil people; for not all have faith. But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one. And we have confidence in the Lord concerning you, that you are doing and will go on doing the things that at we command. May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.”

No matter what is going on, whether good or bad, the Lord is near and hears our prayers. He is mighty.

There are times this past semester that I have either forgotten or doubted that. Sometimes I wondered if my choices to follow God were correct. I wondered if He had left because the enemy felt so close and God felt so far. In reality God was closer than however close the enemy was. The Lord has been faithful and will continue to be faithful. Praise God!


WORKS CITED

Books:

Collins, Raymond F. “The Second Letter of Paul to the Thessalonians.” Pages 2123-2124 in The New Interpreter’s Study Bible with the Apocrypha. Edited by Walter J. Harrelson et al. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2003.

Keener, Craig S. “2 Thessalonians,” Pages 597-604 in The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament. Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 1993.

Lecture:

Tafoya, Stace. “2 Thessalonians,” lectured on BIB114. Colorado Christian University. 19 November, 2008.

1 Thessalonians Blog 2

“For you are all children of light and children of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness. So then let us not fall asleep as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober; for those who sleep sleep at night, and those how are drunk get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, and put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has destined us not for wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep we may live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:5-11

I am supposed to be a light to the world and look nothing like the world. Churches are supposed to be lighthouses to the world shining the hope of Christ. Churches therefore are supposed to look nothing like the world. No darkness should be found in any of us. We are supposed to keep alert. Instead of drunkenness, we are supposed to have faith and love. Our hope should always be on our salvation through Jesus.

I want to be able to show compassion while there is still time to show compassion to the hurting world. I want to love the people that nobody loves because they are too unlovable. I want the eyes of God to see who needs an encouraging word. I want the heart of God to feel the way He does about things. What makes Him happy should make me happy, and what angers Him should anger me.

I believe that God loves everyone therefore I should love everyone. God died for the person who angers me. I cannot afford to forget that because God desires that none should perish and people die everyday without knowing the hope that is in Jesus.

1 Thessalonians Blog 1

This letter, overall, is thought to have been written by Paul around 50 AD to the Church at Thessalonica. Some scholars think that 1 Thessalonians is the earliest letter of Paul. That is the idea that Raymond F. Collins takes as fact, author of the intro to 1 Thessalonians in the New Interpreter’s Study Bible. According to Craig S. Keener, “Paul had been accused of preaching another king besides Caesar” and Keener cites Acts 17:7 which says, “…They are all acting contrary to the decrees of the emperor saying that there is another king named Jesus.” The Church in Thessalonica continued to see persecution even after Paul left and 1 Thessalonians is an encouragement to them to remain faithful to Christ. Paul explains that there is a future hope even for those who have already died. This letter is a mixture of different types of letters of that time. It is a “letter of thanksgiving,” a “letter of comfort,” a “parenetic letter,” a “letter of praise,” and a “letter of friendship” (Keener 584).

1 Thessalonians 5:15-22 “See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God on Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise the words of prophets, but test everything; hold fast to what is good; abstain from every form of evil.”

I know that God is working in my life when what He says things that may frustrate me but in those words, there is nothing wrong. For example, whenever somebody has hurt me lately by judgments and the spoken word, God has said “Do for that person what they should have done for you.” Often all I wanted was support and a sister or brother in Christ to pray with me. Honestly, over half the time I do not want to pray for them because they “obviously” are doing well. However, it is not only for them that God had asked me to pray. In praying for others who have offended me in some way, I am giving into Love and forgiving them. God is glorified.

Never repay hurt for hurt and thank God for everything because keeps your mind on the things above. I think that I have heard pastors speak that over and over throughout my lifetime.

One of the many cool things about Christianity is that we can worship God anywhere and pray to God anywhere. We do not have to go through rituals to get His attention because He is never looking in another direction, forgetting about us. Praying without ceasing, then, is really not as hard as it could be. Breathe in, pray. Breathe out, pray. When you wake up, say “Good morning, Jesus!” Tell Him everything. Did you have an embarrassing moment? Let Him hear the experience in your own words and laugh with Him. I love this God who is so close!


WORKS CITED
Collins, Raymond F. “The First Letter of Paul to the Thessalonians.” Pages 2115-2116 in The New Interpreter’s Study Bible with the Apocrypha. Edited by Walter J. Harrelson et al. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2003.

Keener, Craig S. “1 Thessalonians,” Pages 583-596 in The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament. Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 1993.

Colossians Blog 2

God has used Colossians 3 for a year in my life now. It is an amazing chapter that is hard to live up to. It tells you to do things like keep our eyes set on things of heaven and to “clothe yourselves the compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves with love; which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another win all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (3: 12-17) and it tells us not to give into fleshly desire and to get rid of “all such things—anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive language from your mouth. Do not lie to one another…” (3:8-9a).

This is easier to live up to on those “good days” when everything is going well, but who has nothing but good days? On those not so good days, these are hard to remember. However, they are a very good thing to keep in mind. Mostly, this is encouraging to read because if it is the New Testament, then other people have the same problem. If other people have the same problem, then God knows how to have patience for it. Thankfully, God does! Keep striving follow what is supposed to be done. Keep setting aside things that are of the flesh. Persevere!

Colossians Blog 1

Some scholars believe that Paul wrote Colossians while others think it was written after his death. Colossians was written to Colossae, Laodicea and Hierapolis (Bullard). There was an earthquake that devastated the region in and around Colossae in 60 AD, so if this letter was written after Paul’s death, then the address to the Colossians would have not been literal (Bullard). If Paul did write Colossians, then it was probably written while he was in prison around the mid-fifties. Craig S. Keener states that the situation may have included idea that “Colossians 2 may indicate that Christians were attracted to mystical or apocalyptic elements in a Judaism thoroughly influenced by Phrygian Culture” (569). Try to imagine both Jewish and Gentile religions all mashed up together.

Colossians 1:11-14 says “May you be made strong with all the strengthen that comes from his glorious power, and my you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully giving thanks to the Father who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light.. He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

This semester I have learned about God’s faithfulness in such a deep way. Growing closer to Him daily makes the enemy angry and that is when these verses come in as a great reminder of what it means to be a Christian. Perseverance is necessary, especially when everything that you have been learning from God is being tested. You know what else? Classes don’t seem to care because they have a schedule to keep. Thankfully, God knows all of this already. These verses were refreshing, epecially when I now look back at the past month of school. God is good.

WORKS CITED

Bullard, Roger. “The Letter of Paul to the Colossians.” Pages 2107-2108 in The New Interpreter’s Study Bible with the Apocrypha. Edited by Walter J. Harrelson et al. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2003.

Keener, Craig S. “Colossians,” Pages 568-582 in The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament. Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 1993.

Philippians Blog 2

With the economy on shaky ground and my attendance to a private school, I see a new understanding with Philippians 4:13.

Over the past year I have become more away of wanting to know the context of a verse before accepting whatever whoever was saying. At first, the reason was because people would pull verses out of, say, say the Gospels and Jesus would be talking. I would say, “What prompted Jesus to say that? What had previously happened? What was about to happen?” I began to feel confused if a verse was just pulled out of “thin air.” Coming to a Christian school I am even more aware of when verses seem to show up without explanation.

Philippians 4:13 is an extremely famous verse. You can hear it in any context these days. “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” Honestly, when I hear that verse, I always take a step back and try to figure out what the message is. Everyone should do that. “I can get this promotion through Christ who strengthens me.” No. For crying out loud, read the previous verses.

“I rejoice in the Lord greatly that now at last you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned for me, but had no opportunity to show it. Now that I am referring to being in need; for I have learned to be content with whatever I have. I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. In any case, it was kind of you to share my distress.” ~Philippians 4:10-14 (NRSV)

When I first got here I had no job. I was concerned about not having one. Out of nowhere a job seemed to open up here on campus and I was so grateful! Yet, as quickly as that door opened, it closed again. Money was going to be really tight. At first I was worried. Philippians says something about that too. I was reminded of Philippians 4:6-7 which says, “Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” So I prayed that a job become available and I prayed that I be content whether or not I made any money that semester.

No matter what state the economy is in. No matter how much school loans anybody has. We can survive through Christ. If we have full bellies after a meal, we can still live for Christ. If we find no food in our cupboards, we can trust Christ. We can do this through Christ, our strength. This verse is not about what we deserve. This life is not supposed to be easy with our vending machine in the sky. Jesus’ blood is not the change we enter into God to get what we want. When that verse is put in the right context, suddenly God is recognized as being on the throne. Suddenly, I may be having some troubles, but I know that Christ is my strength no matter what.

Philippians Blog 1

Most scholars believe that Philippians was written by Paul and was possibly his last letter, written in 60 or 62 AD (Tafoya). The NISB says that it could have been written as early as 52 AD (Bassler). Philippians was probably written in Rome while Paul was in prison. This is an epistle written to the Church at Philippi. Philippians was written to “reassure them of his undiminished joy—even in those circumstances—and his confidence regarding the outcome….He also wanted to express his gratitude for their gift and their constant friendship” (Bassler). Paul wanted to encourage the Christians at Philippi to remain faithful to their faith. Craig S. Keener talks of the way the letter is divided by its three chapters. He says that chapter one addresses the commonality of the Church in Philippi and Paul (556). Chapter two shows a “model for imitation” (557). Chapter three includes a digression, which is common for that time (557). Chapter four is the thank-you portion of the letter (557).

Philippians 4:4-9 have been on my heart since reading this letter which says, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you” (NRSV). This has been the most challenging semester of my college career. I have been growing closer to the Lord on a daily basis. I have learned once again that nothing is worth more than Christ. These verses summarize what God has been telling me hourly. My level of learning has also peaked. This is not just in the spiritual sense, but also academically. I have taken information from all of my classes and applied it to my life. My two English classes have taught me a lot about writing. When it comes to my writing, through prayer and application of what I have been learning, my writing has also improved. I tried in a more conscience effort to do everything for God from reading homework in my English classes and philosophy class to my application homework in my Bible classes to what Pastor Brian has spoken on Sundays.

WORKS CITED

Books:
Bassler, Jouette. “The Letter of Paul to the Philippians.” Pages 2099-2100 in The New Interpreter’s Study Bible with the Apocrypha. Edited by Walter J. Harrelson et al. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2003.

Keener, Craig S. “Philippians,” Pages 556-567 in The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament. Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 1993.

Lecture:
Tafoya, Stace. "Philippians," lectured on BIB114. Colorado Christian University. 12 November, 2008.

Ephesians Blog 2

For about the past three times that I have read Ephesians, I always take a really close look at the Armor of God. This is Ephesians six beginning in verse ten and ending in verse 18, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our struggle is not against the enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against he authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything to stand firm. Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints.”

I know people who, at least for a while, physically would put on the armor on a daily basis. They would name the item as they put it on. “This is my belt of truth…my helmet of salvation…” and so on.

Another thing that I have learned is the importance of each item as armor. The helmet protects the head…and so on.

Through this reading I was very clearly aware of the fact that we cannot see everything that is going on around us. This semester I have learned just how much God wants to heal things that have gone wrong in my life. The enemy knows this and has done a lot to counter what God is doing. I went to Church of the Epiphany, a church that I found very wonderful from the service to the décor to the people. Finding the people wonderful was new to me. By the end of that week, I had trouble with just about everyone around me who called themselves ‘Christian’ for different reasons. Then a few weeks ago a group of Christians prayed over me. They meet every Monday and Wednesday night and I happened to attend. I saw how beautiful they were for listening to God and calling out to Him. Then they turned and prayed for me. I did not ask them to. The next week was the most difficult one I have had here at CCU. I went to another prayer meeting a couple of days ago. There were moments that I wanted to leave. I attempted at one point, but a friend blocked my path. By the end of that night people prayed over me and I think I finally let go. God was able to move and change things inside of me that were wrong.

I think my job now is to remember that the armor is for defense except the sword of the Spirit, and remember to remember that there is an unseen war going on.

Ephesians Blog 1

Scholars debate whether or not Ephesians was written by Paul for different reasons. One reason is that “approximately 90 words in the letter do no appear elsewhere in Paul’s undisputed letters” (Thurston 2089). Early Church tradition claims that Paul wrote Ephesians from prison in 60 AD (Tafoya). However, scholars who do not thing that Paul wrote this letter feel that it was probably written closer to 85-90 AD (Thurston 2089). Taking the traditional view, Paul was probably aware of his “imminent persecution and the need for the church to be a good witness in society….He is also aware of the church’s struggle with its own background in the occult practices of Asia Minor—magic…astrology and attempts to escape the astrological power or Fate” (Keener 539-540). The letter was written either to Ephesus or generally to Christians at that time. Some of the letters do not contain the word “Ephesus” in 1:1. Ephesians is an epistle that may be a sermon of Paul’s (Tafoya). The reason for this letter may have been to prepare Christians for baptism. Scholars consider this letter to be really addressed to new Christians trying to understand and obey the Way (Tafoya).

Christianity is amazing because it is an equal-opportunity following. Nobody is more or less likely to be saved. You do not have to be born rich or poor in order to be let in. God does not care how much or little pigmentation that your skin has. You could be any shape or size. You do not have to have all of your limbs and organs in perfectly working condition. It is great like that! Unfortunately, sometimes people get I the way of God’s thinking. Suddenly one person is “better than” another person simply because one had more to give or was born in a higher rank. Maybe the person is just more eager to serve others. Whatever the case is, Paul in Ephesians 2 is very clear that those distinctions are not valid. In 2:8-9 Paul says “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God—not the result of works so that no one may boast.” God does not call us “Jew” or “Gentile” as an act of discriminating. Neither one is better than the other. After all, Jew and Gentile both sin. Jesus never sinned. That puts him at the highest point. Nobody can be as high as Christ. Yes, Christianity is beautiful like that!


WORKES CITED

Books:
Keener, Craig S. “Ephesians,” Pages 538-555 in The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament. Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 1993.


Thurston, Bonnie. “The Letter of Paul to the Ephesians.” Pages 2089-2090 in The New Interpreter’s Study Bible with the Apocrypha. Edited by Walter J. Harrelson et al. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2003.

Lecture:
Tafoya, Stace. "Ephesians," lectured on BIB114. Colorado Christian University. 12 November, 2008.

Galatians Blog 2

I think that one of the hardest things that churches struggle with is the balance between keeping order in churches and allowing the Spirit to change plans. This happens both on a corporate level and on an individual level. Churches have become more about the self instead of the Lord. This does not apply to every church out there in the world. However, I feel that many churches in prosperous countries rely too much on their agenda. On an individual level success and deadlines get in the way of what God could be doing. Would I rather sleep now or pray? Would I rather get this exegesis paper done or spend some quiet time listening to the Lord?

How is the relating to Galatians? Well, at CCU there are expectations on every student. Get all of your reading done. Study hard for exams. Make sure you meet the expectations of your instructors when doing papers. You must expect hours of homework to follow a single class. Take five classes, then you have hours of homework to do times five. Do not forget to do ministry hours. Attend chapel at least twenty-five times during the semester. You signed a lifestyle covenant and you are expected to follow it to the letter. Try to get some sleep because 24 hours of no sleep to your brain is like being drunk. Make sure you keep eating. Oh yeah, don’t forget about the Lord….
Follow all of those laws and expectations with the Lord as an afterthought and you are not going to survive your experience at CCU in one piece.

A friend of mine has spent an amazingly large amount of time with the Lord this past week and she said that she was surprised that she was still able to meet the expectations of school. She still got a paper done and did well on exams and quizzes. She says that she has been lead by the Sprit and I think that she is right on. With the Spirit first, she has grown immeasurably in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self-control. She is not perfect by any means, but she has more toleration for everything that she is dealing with.

That along with the reading of Galatians and challenged me to try to follow in the same footsteps. CCU is a great place and I have learned a lot here. However, I learn more when God is guiding me through each day. I learned this the hard way first. One day I was working on homework for a class that was to start about 40 minutes later. About ten minutes in I felt like I should set the homework aside and spend time with God. Looking back, I wish I had. Instead, though, I continued to read. The words blurred together and suddenly I was incapable of doing anything. I failed a quiz. If I had spent time with the Lord, I probably still would have failed that quiz, but at least I would have had more peace.

So my first challenge failed. At the second one, I saw an improvement. I was doing my exegesis on Galatians 3:5-10 and my thoughts were jumbled. In response to my inability to write the paper, I moved away from the computer and prayed. Once I was able to say “If I get an A on this paper and have learned nothing from the Holy Spirit then the A is worth nothing.” The paper was still very challenging but no matter what happens, that does not change the fact that I learned from the Spirit.

The thing that I am not saying is that school should be blown off. CCU costs too much money to view its education in that way. Should we now go “sin boldly” now that we have been saved? NO WAY!

If we are being watered by the Spirit then the fruits of the Spirit will prosper in us. If the fruits of the Spirit are growing within us then we are probably less stressed out, and an assignment that would have taken us three hours to complete will take less time simply because we are not so concerned about it that our stress causes us to take longer to complete the task.
This goes with churches too in a way. We have seen those checklists.
Ask Jesus into heart
Confess sin
Try not to sin
Pray to God a lot
Pray some more
Read the Bible
Fast if needed
Stay away from bad things
Get baptized
Stop swearing at “bad” drivers
Be perfect and holy
Go to church ever Sunday
Tithe
Take communion
Forgive all offenses
Memorize verses of the Bible
Give extra around the holidays
Pray for people who need prayer
Pray for leaders
Pray for the unsaved
The list goes on and on and on and…ON! While these are all good points, there is a very important thing missing that is too easy to forget: Have relationship with God. Park Church has attempted to show its members that following this list just to please God is stupid. Nobody can do anything to earn God’s happiness or God’s approval.

After we recognize the relationship as the most important part the rest should fall into place. We confess our sin to God because we know that He can and will forgive us. We read our Bible because that is the Word of our precious Yahweh. We realize more often that when others make us angry that they are still loved by God and we try not to swear at them when they make a move on the road that may not have been the right move. Suddenly the checklist dissolves because we act the way God wants us to. Yeah, we still make mistakes, but there is grace deeper than our deepest mistake that we could ever make as we live for God.

Galatians Blog 1

The book of Galatians was written by Paul and nearly all scholars are in agreement on its authorship. Paul wrote Galatians around 57 AD, the NISB says that it was written closer to 55 AD (Matera 2079), to the region of Galatia from Ephesus or Macedonia. Galatians is an epistle that has some elements of apologetics, but Paul is more focused on “‘deliberative rhetoric,’ the kind of argumentation ancient speakers wand writers used to persuade people to change their behavior” (Keener 517).

The reason that Paul was prompted to write this letter was because Judaizers had come to the churches of Galatia and told them that all of the males needed to be circumcised and follow the Mosaic Law, along with belief in Jesus, in order to be saved. Craig S. Keener says this about the Judaizers, “Some Judean Christians were now arguing tha tone must become culturally Jewish to become a full Christian, fully righteous; after all, the Bible itself made this requirement for one who wished to belong to God’s people (Gen 17: 10-14)” (518). Paul is stating that if following the law was enough, then Jesus died for nothing (Gal 2:21). In chapter three, Paul states that to live by the letter of the law makes a person cursed by that law (Gal 3:10).

Paul says in Galatians that faith is the requirement. He asks in chapter three “The only thing I want to learn from you is this: Did you receive the Spirit by dong the works of the law or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? Having started with the Spirit, are you now ending with the flesh? Did you experience so much for nothing?—if it really was for nothing. Well then, does God supply you with the Spirit and work miracles among you by your doing the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard?” (3:2-5). The next few verses talks about how Abraham was justified by faith in what God said and not through the works of the law. Genesis 15:6 says “And [Abraham] believed the LORD; and the LORD reckoned it to him as rightousness.”

I have spent hours on this book this semester because the church that I am attending has gone through this book this semester. Also, I am taking the class, Interpreting the Bible and my New Testament exegesis paper was on Galatians 3:5-10. For the past two weeks I have spent hours researching and writing the paper that was turned in on November 20th, 2008. My “aha” moment(s) have come in the past three weeks.

One night I sat at Park Church listening to Pastor Brian speak on Galatians 5:1-12. As I sat in the pew, I realized things that have little to do with the purpose of this blog. One thing that does is the inclusion of the Gentiles into God’s plan. I thought that it was interesting that God was speaking along with the pastor, yet what God was saying to me was relatively different than what the pastor was saying. Both were relevant to hear that week. It was a strong message! Pastor Brian talked about how when a person begins working to keep the law s/he has alienated his/herself from the grace of God. At the same time God was saying that while I am not Jewish, He does not make that distinction as something discriminating. Rather, God makes that distinction in me only to more fully embrace who I am.

The following day my New Testament class talked about Galatians. The information presented was mostly facts about the letter. To read those, just reread the first part of this blog. However what was going on in my head was completely different. This is not to say that I was not paying attention in class. No, on the contrary, I think I was probably pondering too deeply everything that was happening around me. What does that have to do with Galatians? It has everything to do with how I had read Galatians the previous Saturday night. Chapter three had been my favorite and I could not stop thinking about verses 1-14. The Spirit was given to the region of Galatia by belief in the Gospel message. Not only was the Spirit present, but it was moving and the miraculous was being seen. What is CCU missing? Oh wait, that looks like a question for blog number two.

For the next two weeks I researched for my exegesis paper and spent hours organizing my thoughts. Combine that with my favorite documentary, Finger of God Film and suddenly there is a whole new passion for God churning inside of me!
WORKS CITED

Keener, Craig S. “Galatians,” Pages 517-537 in The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament. Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 1993.
Matera, Frank J. “The Letter of Paul to the Galatians” Pages 2079-2080 in The New Interpreter’s Study Bible with the Apocrypha. Edited by Walter J. Harrelson et al. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2003.

2 Corinthians Blog 2

I think that my favorite chapter in 2 Corinthians is chapter 3. My favorite verse is verse 17 which says, “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” That whole section is amazing though! Verses 12-16 say “Since, then, we have such a hope, we act with great boldness, not like Moses, who put a veil over his face to keep the people of Israel from gazing at the end of the glory that was being set aside. But their minds were hardened. Indeed, to this very day, when they hear the reading of the old covenant, that same veil is still there, since only in Christ is it set aside. Indeed, to this very day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their minds; but when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed.” I think Christians tend to forget that. I know I have forgotten how much freedom there is in Christ. Not simply freedom within ourselves, but freedom to share the Gospel with others; especially people in the parts of the church that are not being persecuted. What reason do we have not to preach the Gospel? Are we afraid that somebody is going to judge us? Why? Would we rather be judged by God?


Something that I would like to work on is remembering that the only opinion that I should be thinking about is God’s. However, it does not take long to realize that this is easier said than done. Opinions seem to matter. When applying to a school, the applicant gives reasons why they should be chosen. The people who accept or decline students form an opinion of them based on what they learn. The same thing goes with jobs.

This weekend I was working on an exegesis paper on Galatians and was stuck. I was having trouble putting my thoughts in order and writing the paper became impossible. Fortunately, I stepped back from the paper and did not return to it until I remembered that the paper would be worth nothing. I don’t care about what the teacher thinks of the paper. That is not my primary concern. Instead, I care about what God can teach me while I write the paper. I worked really hard on that paper after realizing that the teacher’s opinion should not carry weight. This time, I tried to stay conscious of the fact that I was reading Scripture.

Of course I would be crazy if I did not take into consideration the fact that the teacher has expectations. I still have to follow what the teacher wants in the paper. Yet even so, God still should be the primary reason that I do anything.

2 Corinthians Blog 1

Just about every scholar believes that 2 Corinthians was written by Paul. The only part that gets attention with authorship discussion is 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1. Also, 2 Corinthians 7:2 picks up where 6:13 leaves off. Discussions circulate on how many letters of Paul are contained in 2 Corinthians because some scholars believe that it is a single letter while others believe that it is several letters put together. There is also a lot of discussion about the unity of Paul’s 2 Corinthians which adds to the argument that it may be more than one letter. “One supposition is that some of part of 2 Corinthians is really that first letter” (Osiek 2061). According to Craig S. Keener, is an obvious break between chapters in 2 Corinthians between chapter eight and chapter nine (492). 2 Corinthians is thought to have been written around 57 AD.


Paul had gone to Corinth and had probably been publically humiliated (Osiek, 2061). The purpose of 2 Corinthians is Paul’s defense on being an apostle and to regain the reader’s trust and friendship with him (Keener 492). The message of 2 Corinthians seems mostly to be unity among the believers. “The small cracks in the unity of the Corinthian community there were apparent in 1 Corinthians have here widened into large fissures, and the people’s animosity seems aimed no at one another but at Paul” (Osiek, 2061). 2 Corinthians talks about “consolation, reconciliation, [and] theology of weakness” (Osiek, 2061).

There were three groups of verses that stuck out at me during this reading of 2 Corinthians and they are; 2 Corinthians 4:16-18; 5:14-15; and 5:17-21.

The first verses say “So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure, because we look not at what can be seen but what cannot be seen; for what can be seen in temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal” (NRSV). The only thing worth living for is God and He has not been seen by me and I am assuming that He has not been seen by you either. The most important thing in any Christian’s life is Christ and we live by faith in Him. Believing in Him has a cost and that is setting everything else in live aside. This semester I have learned a lot about what is worth setting aside and what I am struggling with setting aside. For example, I work hard for my grades. I have never received a C or lower on a report card or as a final grade. I have failed quizzes in the past, but not as much as I have this semester. At one point I was seriously failing two classes. At that point in time I felt that I was only going to get a good grade in one class and I held onto that with everything until I could not even focus in that one class! It was not worth it. Once I finally set my grade aside and said, “I don’t care if I get a stupid C or even a D.” I still don’t want to fail, because this school costs a lot compared to the school I transferred from. I have also been dealing with a lot of spiritual issues that have ranged from easy to hard to insanely difficult. In the past I have been quick to blame God and turn away from Him. However, that really isn’t the healthiest way to deal with problems and this semester I have been focused on not turning. Do you know what happened when I did not turn? The problems became harder to deal with. However, these verses were so refreshing because I know that in the long run, turning will end up being the worst decision of my life. I feel like God is so much a part of me that I would die if I left Him. I pray that I continue to feel that way.

The second verse segment says “For the love of Christ urges us on, because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died And he died for all, so that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised for them.” Some pretty amazing things happened this week including people simply reminding me of His love for me at the most critical moments. I had my mp3 player on ‘random’ and the right song came on followed by another right song and believe it or not another one! You may not think that this is God, but I would disagree. My mp3 player has over 18 GB of music/sermons/children’s radio programs on it that it had to be God selecting the songs for that time. At the same time that I am going through my journey of life God is also reminding me of others. I love to encourage others and I love that God has given me the desire to speak encouragement to others. The moment you remember that the person sleeping or ‘Facebooking’ during a class lecture is loved by God just as much as you are; it is a little easier to focus on the teacher again.
Lastly, the final segment says “so if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” This kind of goes back to the last part of the previous paragraph. Remembering that everyone around you is also loved by God is key. Sometimes people have problems forgiving others who have turned to Christ. While it is understandable to question whether or not they really are saved, it is not right to do so. All have been given the opportunity to be forgiven. This reminds me of a Casting Crowns song called “If we are the Body” which asks the question ‘why aren’t Christians doing what Jesus did?’ The verses of the song talk about somebody who is judged by a body of believers or receives the cold shoulder instead of a greeting upon entering a Church Building. The best part of this part of 2 Corinthians is that when people become Christians they get a ‘clean slate.’ They are not condemned for what they have done in the past.

WORKS CITED
Keener, Craig S. “2 Corinthians,” Pages 491-516 in The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament. Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 1993.

Osiek, Carolyn. “The Second Letter of Paul to the Corinthians.” Pages 2061-2062 in The New Interpreter’s Study Bible with the Apocrypha. Edited by Walter J. Harrelson et al. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2003.

1 Corinthians Blog 2

My favorite chapters in 1 Corinthians are chapters 12-14 and they have been my favorite for just over a year. Every time I read through 1 Corinthians I ponder these chapters in great depth to try to squeeze more out of them. Every time I read them I am able to squeeze more out of them!
Chapter 12 talks about the gifts of the spirit and the Body and how, when working unified, are wonderful things. The gifts of the Spirit listed here are like different parts of the body. A church (defined as a group of believers that meet together on a regular basis) that has all of these gifts within the members is a beautiful thing. The members who have gifts (I strongly believe that all members have a gift) and use them within the church contribute greatly to the Body as a whole. This makes the body complete. Each member, therefore, has something to contribute to the Body.

Later in Chapter 12, Paul talks about the body which is of God’s design and is beautiful. We have two hands, two feet, ten fingers (I am including the thumbs as fingers…), two legs, two eyes, two ears, one mouth, etc. When your body is working correctly, that is, well, good. When something is going wrong, that is not good. If a body is going wrong we go to the doctor. Sometimes there is an easy thing that needs to be changed, and sometimes it is a harder thing to do in order to cure whatever is wrong. Plus, when something is wrong with your body, sometimes you can feel it.
I think it is interesting how the church is compared to a body, the Body of Christ. Therefore, when something is off balance in the Church, there may be some sort of pain within the members. However, if you have been hurt by a body of believers, remember that when something is wrong with the Body, then Christ feels it, you are not the only one who feels pain from whatever happened. Chris understands.
Chapter 13 is the most important thing, I believe, for a Christian to remember. It is ALL about LOVE! How many people are going to come to Christ out of fear of going to hell? Not many. How many people are going to come to Christ when they are told that they are in sin and are going to hell? Not many. How many people will come to Christ when they see a Christian condemning them? None. How many people will come to Christ when they see a Christian serving them, loving them unconditionally no matter what they have done…not matter what they feel ashamed of? More than the number of people in the previous scenarios. I like chapter 13 because along with its message being love, it has a message of being love without self…selfless love.

Chapter 14:1 “Pursue love and strive for the spiritual gifts and especially that you may prophesy.” I love that verse! Pursue love. Strive to love others. Love God. Secondly, strive for the spiritual gifts. The church can function well if the members are striving and using the spiritual gifts. I have heard a sermon that talked about prophecy and in it, the speaker said that anyone can prophecy but not everyone is a prophet. He defined “prophecy” as giving the words of God to a person/the people that the words are directed at. Therefore, the speaker said that anyone can encourage another believer (or the congregation as a whole). He then broke us up into groups and we prayed over each other. We prayed for a word of knowledge for the person that we were praying over. One at a time we were encouraged by the Lord through each other.
From the time that that speaker talked to us until January (October 2007-January 2008) I pondered that. I believe it is very important to consider what you have heard before accepting it, even if it is a Christian speaking to you. January 2008 came and I embraced what I had heard. However, I did not realize at first what I had done until a few weeks later.
It was a Sunday morning and the congregation was worshiping in song and I was reading the lyrics to the song that I did not know. I was having trouble focusing. Suddenly, I wanted to pray for someone and ask God for a word for them. I determined that encouraging someone would be a good way of worshiping God. A few songs later, the pastor spoke for about 45 minutes. Then he closed the service with the words “We are not going to end in songs like we usually do. Instead, go and encourage somebody.” Talk about amazing!

1 Corinthians Blog 1

These are basic facts of 1 Corinthians. The apostle Paul wrote 1 Corinthians to the Church in Corinth most likely from Ephesus. First Corinthians was co-authored by Sosthenes who “may well have been the synagogue official mentioned in Acts 18:17” (Sampley, 2035). This book is an epistle that argues what a Christian is supposed to look like (chapters 1-4), what a community is not supposed to be doing sexually (chapters 5-7), what the proper view of meals (chapters 8-11), what the community should be doing in regard to spiritual gifts (chapters 12-14), and what the term “resurrection” means. First Corinthians was written around 53-55 AD (Sampley 2035).


At the time that 1 Corinthians was written and delivered to the church, Corinth “was one of the major urban centers of the ancient Mediterranean and one of the most culturally diverse cities in the empire” (Keener 451). It was also known for its promiscuous activities. The people of the church in Corinth were not getting along with each other. The Church in Corinth was mostly Gentiles who had previously been involved with idol worshiping.

It is thought that 1 Corinthians is actually the second letter that Paul wrote to the Church in Corinth. The topic of the “presumably lost” letter was “how to maintain holiness (5:9-11), and they had written him, asking about several issues” (Sampley 2036). Between the two letters to Corinth and the missing one, we can see how Paul has become the spiritual father to the members of the Corinthian church, even as he “uses sarcasm and irony (cf. 4:8-13) and rebuke (cf. 11:17; 15:34)” (Sampley 2036).

There are several parts in this book (and of course others) that I noticed this amazing contrast between God and humans. I think the reason that this read-through of 1 Corinthians brought this topic out into the open consciousness of my mind was partly because of the Finger of God film where one of the people being interviewed cited 1 Corinthians 1 to back what he was saying about what a human considers foolish which is 1 Corinthians 1:27a). But that whole section is full of God’s wisdom. “For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength” (1 Corinthians 1:25 NRSV) and “But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are, so that no one might boast in the presence of God. He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, in order that, as it is written, ‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:27-31). So try to wrap your mind around the awesomeness of God. Then check out 1 Corinthians 2:14-15 which says “Those who are unspiritual do not receive the gifts of God’s spirit, for they are foolishness to them, and they are unable to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. Those who are spiritual discern all things, and they are themselves subject to no one else’s scrutiny.”

Only those who are in God have true wisdom, and not nearly all true wisdom. True wisdom to humans looks foolish because it is so wise that we cannot comprehend it. God’s foolishness is still wiser than our wisdom. Therefore, if we are in God and He is in us, then we get a little wiser. In that small portion of added wisdom we all look foolish to the world. The gospel sounds foolish to those who do not accept it as Truth. A man comes and dies for everyone. He died young. He died as if He were simply a rebel who was simply a crazy radical.

So Halloween is over and Christmas is on everyone’s minds now. Well, sometimes we think of Thanksgiving, but Christmas is still right there. When I read through 1 Corinthians and picked out the previous verses about God’s wisdom, which I treasure, I was listening to music. My mp3 player was on ‘random’ and every once in a while a Christmas song will come on. This time it was “The Rebel Jesus” by Bebo Norman from his album From the Realms of Glory which came out in 2007:


All the streets are filled with laughter and light
And the music of the season
And the merchants’ windows are all bright
With the faces of the children
And the families hurrying to their homes
As the sky darkens and freezes
They'll be gathering around the hearths and tales
Giving thanks for all God's graces
And the birth of the rebel Jesus
Well they call him by the Prince of Peace
And they call him by the Savior
And they pray to him upon the seas
And in every bold endeavor
And they fill his churches with their pride and gold
As their faith in him increases
But they've turned the nature that I worshipped in
“From a temple to a robbers den”
In the words of the rebel Jesus

We guard our world with locks and guns
And we guard our fine possessions
And once a year when Christmas comes
We give to our relations
And perhaps we give a little to the poor
If the generosity should seize us
But if any one of us should interfere
In the business of why they are poor
They get the same as the rebel Jesus

But please forgive me if I seem
To take the tone of judgment
For I've no wish to come between
This day and your enjoyment
In this life of hardship and of earthly toil
There's a need for anything that frees us
So I bid you pleasure
And I bid you cheer
From a heathen and a pagan
On the side of the rebel Jesus.
(Emphasis added)

Maybe we should listen and follow the example of the rebel Jesus. Yes the world killed Him, but in God’s eyes…think about it. God is the one who can truly determine what is acceptable and what is not because He is the one who determines what is wise and what is foolish. Nothing foolish is worth doing, but you have to make sure that you are following God’s measuring stick of what is foolish and what is not.
WORKES CITED
Keener, Craig S. “1 Corinthians,” Pages 451-490 in The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament. Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 1993.
Sampley J. Paul. “The First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians.” Pages 2035-2039 in The New Interpreter’s Study Bible with the Apocrypha. Edited by Walter J. Harrelson et al. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2003.