Strengthened With All Power

Colossians 1:9-14

This passage contains Paul's prayer requests for the church at Colossae. The idea of continually praying, without stopping is key to this passage. I see it in the verb tense that Paul uses as well. He is informing the Colossians that he has been, still is and will not stop praying for them.
This passage is immediately connected to the previous paragraphs. Paul indicates that there is a reason that he is praying for them: because of the reports he has heard about their faith, the spread of the gospel in their community and their love.
The structure of Paul's prayer is a bit confusing:
Main Request: God would fill them with the knowledge of his will
Sub requests: live a life worthy of the Lord, bear fruit, grow in knowledge of God, be strengthened by his glorious might (with the result of having great endurance and patience) and give thanks to the Father.
The main request is clear - that they would know what God wants them to do and they would be obedient to that knowledge. Everything else, including being strengthened, flows from being obedient to what they know of God's will.
So, for me going down to LA, I need to pray this same prayer: God, make it clear to me what you want me to do and then let me be obedient to do that. In other places in Scripture this is referred to as faithfulness and it is the greatest and highest compliment Christ will bestow on his servants: "Well done, good and faithful servant." May I be found faithful to the will of God.

He Will Protect You

Psalm 91

Is this true? This all sounds really nice and I really like some of the language of this psalm but I wonder if this is really true. Will God really protect us always? If disaster happens or someone gets hurt on our trip, does that mean that we didn't really make God our shelter, that we didn't really trust him to protect us? There seems to be a definite cause/effect relationship in this psalm: verse 9 - "If you say, 'The Lord is my refuge.' and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you..." and verse 14 - "'Because they love me,' says the Lord, 'I will rescue them.'" If something bad happens, the obvious conclusion is that I/we don't love God and/or did not make him our dwelling. It also leads to tokenism: if I say 'The Lord is my refuge' like a mantra or a lucky charm God will protect me.
So, what is this psalm saying? It is saying that I can and need to trust God because he is good, he is in control and he loves me very much. I know that even if something happens to me or on the trip, God doesn't change - he is still good, he is still in control and he still loves me very much.

Please, Pray For Me

Ephesians 6:19-20

The key words in this passage are pray and the idea of speaking/declaring the gospel. Paul is asking the Ephesian church to pray for him while he is in jail. His specific prayer is that he would be able to declare the gospel without fear or shame.
This is a good prayer for me as well. I would rather serve someone than verbally proclaim the gospel to them. I hate confrontation. So... I would covet everyone's prayers that I would speak when I should and that I would speak well, with all truth and all love. This means speaking truth in love to my team members and truth in love to the people I meet in LA as well.

Declare His Glofy

1 Chronicles 16:23-33

I love these verses! The context is that the ark of the covenant, which was the symbol of God's presence, has just been brought into Jerusalem - the capital city. This was very symbollically significant. It signified that the presence of God was at the very center of the nation. This was certainly a cause for celebration and this hymn of praise would remind the people that God is worthy of all praise.
I love the words and imagery that David wrote and Asaph sang. I particularly like the phrases, "Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples. For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise..." I could live on those words for a very long time. Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise.
I need to be reminded again and again of the joy of knowing God and knowing God is with me. His presence is a the very center of my life. In some mysterious way he dwells in me and I in him. My faith is dull or dreary. My faith and my life are full of joy because I am filled by God. I don't live in the experience of that enough.

blessed to be a blessing

Genesis 12:1-3

The key word in this passage is blessing. Once Abraham left his homeland, this blessing was unconditional - it didn't depend at all on Abraham's performance, faithfulness or character. It depended only on God's character and faithfulness. It is a completely one-sided covenant. This speaks very much of God's grace. Any covenant that would have depended on Abraham would have ultimately failed because Abraham, being a fallen human, would have messed it up somehow. God, knowing this, provides a covenant that doesn't depend on humans at all.
It seems that the children of Abraham have focused mostly on the fact that God will bless the descendants of Abraham and have mostly missed the reason they were blessed: to display God's glory in such a way that others would be attracted to God, adopted as children of Abraham and recipients of God's blessing.
So, this means that all I have been given is supposed to be used in some way that allows others to clearly see the glory of God. When I go to LA, I must remember that I am there to be a blessing to others, not just to receive a blessing from others (i.e. to have a good experience). And, when I come home, I must remember that I was blessed by going to LA in order that I can be a blessing to those who didn't get to go, allowing them to enter into and share my experience.

Alive In Christ

2 Corinthians 4:5-12

The key words in this passage are: light, death and life. The main idea is that Paul and his companions are serve others in order to display the glory of God. His glory is displayed in "jars of clay" so that the glory is even bigger in contrast to the drab, glory-less container it is carried in. This is like what jewelers will often do: display a diamond against non-flashy backdrop so that the glory of the diamond stands out even more. Paul's words here echoe the words of John the Baptist regarding Jesus: "I must decrease and he must increase." Paul takes it even further: "I am dying so that Christ may come alive in you."
I have a hard time identifying with the section about being hard pressed, perplexed, persecuted and struck down. I don't think I've ever really experienced this in my life. Even on mission trips and even when facing some hardships, I don't know if I would ever describe my life in these terms. However, I can receive comfort from the sentiment knowing that if I ever do face a situation similar to Paul's that I will never be crushed, abandoned or destroyed.
As I prepare for LA, I must remember that the glory of Christ is paramount. Even if it means injury or death to me, as long as Christ is glorified, my mission is accomplished. Even if it means that I must serve and take the low position, as long as Christ is glorified, my mission is accomplished. Even if it means that no one notices or encourages me, as long as Christ is glorified, my mission is accomplished. The glory of Christ is my sole purpose.

Prepare Your Mind

1 Peter 1:13-16

There are several key words and significant statements in these four verses: minds, alert, sober, hope, grace, obedient children, do not conform, be holy. Peter contrasts what we are now (obedient children who have alert and sober minds) to what we were then (living in ignorance). He contrasts following Jesus (be holy) with conforming to "evil desires" (which echoes Paul's language in Romans 12:2 - "Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed..."). The two main commands are 1) set your hope on grace and 2) be holy.
This section starts with "therefore" which means that the argument Peter makes in this section is based on the truth of the previous section. Looking back, I think Peter is saying "Because the good news message of grace that Jesus revealed to this world is so great and valuable, you should set your hope on that grace and be holy."
From this passage I am reminded that God is holy. He is completely different than anything in creation. Yes, humans are made in his image (not physical image for God is Spirit and has no body) and therefore we reflect some of the characteristics of God: creativity, love, justice, mercy, grace, patience, etc. But we are such poor reflections. God is holy - he is in a league all by himself. There is nothing that compares to him. Too often I make God according to my image. I diminish his glory by making him smaller or less than he really is. God is indescribable. Words fail to properly display how great, how perfect, how pure, how different, how holy he is.
I am called to be holy. Often I take this to mean that I am called to be pure and strive for a standard of perfection. This is only part of the picture. I am called to be different, to stand out and to be set apart. I have been sanctified which means that my sole purpose is to serve God. Let me not waste my breath, my energy, my focus or my time on anything that does not bring God glory.
How does this prepare me for L.A.? The truth is that L.A. act like a small picture of all of life. I will only have limited time to spend in L.A. so I don't want to waste it. I want to take advantage of every opportunity to learn, to serve, to grow and to glorify Christ. The same goes for my life. I only have limited time. Let me not waste it!

A Purpose Driven Life

Ephesians 2:10

This verse shows the role of works in my salvation. It is in the context of a great paragraph from Paul about how I was once dead in my sins but God has made me alive in Christ and raised me up in Christ to a heavenly position. He did this, not really for my good but so that I might be a trophy of his grace. So that people and spirits would look at me - more accurately, look at the Church - and have their jaws hit the floor in awe of God's amazing grace. I, Paul continues, was not saved by works but by the incredible gift of God in Christ so that I could do good works that God has prepared for me to do even before the beginning of time. Wow! The point Paul is making is that works doesn't result in salvation; salvation results in works.
I think there are is a problem with the way I usually read this verse. I usually read the "you" in this verse as singular. In the first person it would read, "I am God's masterpiece or handiwork." However, Paul is writing to a church in this letter and in the context, it is clear that Paul is talking in the plural. This means that in the first person it would read, "We are God's masterpiece." God's glory is displayed in a much greater way in the Church than in the individual. While it was certainly part of God's plan to save me, the greatness of his plan, his grace and his glory is seen in the big plan to save the Church.
So what does this mean for me? Well, first of all it gives me a great picture of God. His plan is amazing. His grace is astounding. When I step back from my individualistic view of faith and see the bigger agenda that God has, I simply have to stand in awe of him. Second, it means that the good works that God has prepared in advance for us is really the whole agenda he has for the Church through out history all around the world. This means that as I go to L.A., which is big from my perspective, that I am a part of something even bigger. It also means that God has something for me and the rest of the team to do in L.A. that is vital to his mission being accomplished in this world by the Church.

Should I Not Be Concerned?

Jonah 4:1-11

This takes place after Jonah has gone to Nineveh and warned them that God's judgement was going to fall on them. The population responded by repenting and mourning and God had mercy on the city and did not bring his judgement on it. Jonah gets all pouty. He tells God, "I knew that's what you were going to do!" He makes it clear that he really wanted Nineveh to be destroyed - in fact that's the reason he didn't want to go in the first place. Most preachers I've heard say that Jonah didn't want to go to Nineveh because he was scared: it was a violent city and had a reputation for doing nasty things to people who where from Israel and claimed to speak on behalf of God. The reality is, Jonah didn't want to go to Nineveh because he didn't want them to repent and experience God's mercy. Which is sort of ironic since Jonah had just been shown incredible mercy himself.
This reminds me of some of the preaching and talk I've heard from Christians. Particularly in regards to Hollywood (which is especially relevant since that's where I'm headed this summer), it seems that they are gleefully waiting for God to pour out his judgement on the people there. God makes it clear to Jonah and to the rest of us that he is very concerned for the people who live in Nineveh and in Hollywood and in Ottawa and anywhere else that judgement junkies like to turn their attention. If God is so concerned about the great cities and the people who live there, then, as his child, I think I should be as well.
Father, please give me your heart of compassion for the people - even those who are directly opposed to your message, standard and kingdom. Remind me often of how much I have been forgiven and let me extend that same grace, forgiveness and mercy to others in your name.

The Nations

* I am taking a little break from doing my journey through Matthew to do devo's with my mission team. I'll pick Matthew back up towards the end of July.

Isaiah 49:1-6
There is a double meaning to what is written here. The first meaning is pretty surface: Isaiah is writing as the nation of Israel personified. The second meaning is only made clear in looking back through history, particularly through the cross. When I do that, it seems like all these things that are being said of Israel could be said of the Messiah. In fact, in some cases, it fits better as pointing to the Messiah. For example, in verse 6 where God says that it is too small thing a for his servant to restore Israel alone - God has bigger plans for his servant. He will be a light to the Gentiles and bring salvation to them as well.
First, I am struck by God's concern for the whole world. In the Old Testament, I too often limit his focus and concern to Israel but even there I can see God's plan for the whole world: Israel was supposed to be such an example to the other nations of what it was like to live only under the rule of God that the other nations would want to submit to God and be a part of his kingdom as well. Obviously God's concern for all the nations continues today. As I prepare to go to L.A., I pray that I will have God's heart for the people. He wants all people to know and respond to his glory. I can play a part in making his glory known.
Secondly, I am struck by the sovreignty of God. Before Israel was a nation, God already called it and had a purpose for it. Before Jesus was born on earth, God already had a plan. The same goes for me. God has a plan for my life and has had this plan from before I was even born. Part of his plan apparently involves me going to L.A. this summer. I wonder what he has waiting for me there.

rejecting the humble ones

Matthew 19:13-15

The disciples seem to have forgotten the lesson about children and being humble. I'm not sure how much real time there was between this incident and Jesus' teaching about being humble. In the book, these two are not even separated by a chapter. It seems a bit odd - Jesus calls a child over to him to make his point but when people bring their children unsolicited, the disciples jump in to chase them away.
However, before I get too carried away about the thickness of the disciples' skulls, I must examine my own life. I know there have been times that I have read the Scripture, even blogged it and then closed the book and immediately forgotten what I've studied. I know that in those moments, just as in this incident in Matthew, that Jesus rebukes me but he does it with such love and grace. I pray that the Spirit would increase the capacity of my spiritual memory. I pray that I would not shy away from confronting others when necessary but that I would do it with incredible love and grace.

better not to get married?

Matthew 19:1-12

Here Jesus addresses the whole issue of divorce. The Pharisees actually raise the question and the historical context is a debate that was taking place about divorce: can a man divorce his wife for just any reason or is divorce reserved only for cases of sexual immorality. Jesus clearly comes down on the morally conservative side of the question, reminding his audience that a man and woman who have joined themselves sexually are one flesh. God has put them together and humans must not separate that which is put together by God. The Divine design for marriage is one man and one woman for life. However, the Law made provision for divorce because of the sinfulness of the human heart.
We must keep in mind the culture in which Jesus was speaking. In this culture, women were treated like property. The father transferred ownership of the woman to the husband in the marriage ceremony, often for an agreed upon price. Jesus' teaching here provides protection for the woman and raises the level of respect demanded for her.
There are a couple observations I would like to make:
1) I don't think that it is a coincidence that this section on marriage follows right after Jesus' teaching on forgiveness. I default to applying this to students, congregants, etc. and don't often consider the implications of Jesus' teaching for my wife and my family. I think I need to be better at asking for forgiveness and not just assuming that I have been or will be forgiven. I think I need to be better at offering forgiveness. I need to be more gracious in my family.
2) I have to wonder about the state of the nation when, immediately after Jesus says that God's will is that no one should get divorced except for reasons of sexual immorality, the disciples say, "Well, if that's the case, it's probably better not to get married at all." Really!! In essence they are saying that they only want to get married if they can get rid of their wives whenever is convenient. Wow! And I thought things were bad now.

forgive... or else

Matthew 18:21-35

The key word and theme in this passage is forgive. It begins with Peter asking a question about how many times he should forgive. Jesus tells a parable to demonstrate the importance of forgiveness. The subject of this passage is: why should I offer infinite forgiveness to others? The complement is: because God, in Christ, has offered infinite forgiveness to me.
This passage continues the flow of thought from Jesus' teaching in the previous sections: don't cause a humble one to stumble because they are very important to God. If a brother or sister causes the stumbling or is stumbling themselves, go and try to restore them. Then Peter wants to know how often he has to forgive his brother or sister for causing him to stumble. Jesus tells him that his forgiveness must be infinite.
Jesus uses some word/number play to make his point. First, in response to Peter's generous offer to forgive his brother seven times, Jesus tells him he must forgive him seventy-seven times. Obviously this is not meant to be a literal number. Probably Jesus is saying to Peter that he must forgive many more times. For those that attach meaning to numbers, it could mean a double completion since seven often represents completion in Scripture.
The second significant use of numbers is the contrast between the two debts in the story. The servant goes after a fellow-servant who owes him 100 days' wages. This is not an insignificant amount. However, it pales in comparison to the 10 000 bags of gold that he owed his master. The point is that no matter how great the offense that I am faced with, it pales in comparison to my offense against God.
This picture of God causes me to bow before him in worship. What forgiveness! What mercy! I, who owed so much more than I could ever repay in a thousand eternities, have been forgiven by God. My debt has been entirely canceled. My trespass has been forgiven. It leaves me speechless. My responsibility is to extend the same mercy and forgiveness to the people around me. I am terrible for keeping record of debts or wrongs. How much more free would I be if I could just let that all go?

what we do on earth echoes in eternity

Matthew 18:18-20

There is a key comparison between what happens on earth and what happens in heaven. Jesus is making it clear that he has given a large amount of authourity to his disciples. The question is, does this apply to the whole church, to just the leaders of the church or to just the apostles? The previous verses would apply to the whole church and there is no indication that Jesus has changed the focus of his words so it would seem that Jesus has given authourity to the Church (and the local expression of it, as seen by verse 20) to act and speak on his behalf.
This is a huge responsibility! I think these verses make a good argument for membership in a local church. I know that anyone who has put their faith in Christ is a member of the Church but most local churches have adopted membership as a mechanism for recognizing those who have truly put their faith in Christ. I know that there is a pragmatic side to this as well since a membership process is necessary to be recognized as a non-profit organization by the government. I also know that membership is not really mentioned in the Bible, at least in terms of how we define it in the local church today. However, I don't think membership processes are necessarily ruled out. These verses provide all the authourity for the church to organize itself as long as that organization does not end up being anti-biblical. Through out history, even in the New Testament, we see the church organizing itself in pragmatic ways to meet the challenges of the times in ways that were not explicitly mentioned previously in Scripture or in the recorded words of Jesus. For example, deacons, elders, councils, etc.
So, since this church has chosen to organize itself around a formalized membership process, the members of this church are the ones with authourity to act and speak on behalf of the local church and therefore members are the ones who are given the authourity that Jesus speaks of in these verses. The members of this local church have delegated some of their authourity to elders and pastors. This means that the members hold the authourity to recognize these gifts in individuals and affirm them in ministry. This means that the members not only act on behalf of the church but they act on behalf of Christ. The decisions they make in regards to the church are affirmed in heaven.

restoration process

Matthew 18:15-17

The key word in this passage is listen. It is repeated three times. Jesus is teaching his disciples what to do when another disciple sins. In the immediate context it is likely that Jesus is specifically referencing the sin of individualism and causing a humbled one to stumble. This is reinforced by the assumed response of the offender - they don't listen.
The process Jesus lays out is for one person who notices the sin to point out the fault to the other disciple in private. If the offending disciple does not listen, the one who noticed the sin should take one or two others along. If the offending disciple still does not listen, the one who noticed the sin should inform the faith community. If the offending disciple still does not listen, the church is to treat them like a pagan or tax collector.
There are two things that convict me. The first is that I skip the first step in the process entirely. I am too much of a politician and I want to know that people will back me up if I go and confront someone so I reveal the offense to a few others before I go to the offender. This is gossip! I must stop doing this! I must grow a pair and stop being afraid of confrontation that I know is, for the most part, motivated by love. Most of the time I truly want the best for the person I need to confront.
Second is how the church is supposed to treat the unrepentant offender. I think I've read this so long as, "Cast that person out and have nothing to do with them." I think what Jesus is saying is, "If they do not listen to the church, they are likely not truly my disciple. You must speak the truth in love to them in the same way that you would speak truth in love to anyone who is not yet my disciple. You must pursue them like the shepherd pursues the lost sheep. You must lead them to repentance and to true faith." In the context of the shepherd of 100 sheep who loses one, this reading makes the most sense. This is why I love doing devo's this way - I am more consistent which allows me to see things in context better which gives me a better and fuller understanding of the Word. Thanks for doing this with me!

one vs. ninety-nine

Matthew 18:10-14

Jesus comes full circle here. He started by talking about taking the position of a little child in regards to humility. He promised that he would look after those who took that position, taking action against those who caused his humble ones to stumble. He warned his disciples to make sure that it was not their own hand, foot or eye that was causing the stumbling in their own life or in someone else. Now he sums it all up by saying, "Make sure that you do not look down on one of my humble ones." Again, I have to think that the argument the disciples were having about who was the greatest in the kingdom would be ringing in their ears at this point. By taking the position as the most important, they were looking down on their fellow disciples and causing them to stumble.
Jesus drives the point home with a parable about a shepherd who has one hundred sheep but loses one. The shepherd leaves the ninety-nine to fend for themselves and goes after the one who is lost. Jesus is teaching his disciples that the humble ones are that important to the Father. He will leave the proud, the self-sufficient, the crowd to fend for themselves while he goes after the humble one who is lost. This parallels Jesus' teaching in other places: the first will be last and the last will be first. The proud will become low and the humble will be exalted.
So, if I am to have the heart of Jesus in this matter I must first become humble and then I must serve the humble ones. Finally, I must leave the place of comfort and safety and pursue other humble ones, wherever they may be lost... even in jr. high youth ministry.

stumbling blocks or stepping stones

Matthew 18:6-9

The key words in this section are stumble, woe, hand, foot, eye, fire. Jesus uses repetition to help emphasize his point: "if your hand/foot/eye causes you to stumble, cut it off/gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled/maimed/with one eye than to be whole and be thrown into fire."
Jesus is continuing his thought from v. 5 where he says that whoever welcomes someone who has become like a little child, welcomes Jesus. Here, he gives the reverse: it would be better for someone to go and drown themselves than to cause someone to stumble. The disciples must have really liked these words. They must have received a lot of confidence from them. But then Jesus turns the question on them: you or a part of your body may be the source of the stumbling. I think that the disciples must have thought back to their argument about who was the greatest in the kingdom. I think Jesus is helping them to realize that by making that argument, not only are they not becoming like a little child, they are causing those who are becoming like little children to stumble by stirring up with in them pride, ambition, frustration and discord.
I find it interesting that Jesus tells his disciples to fight against causing stumbling (whether to themselves or to someone else) with the same intensity that he told his audience to fight against lust. So, the question for me is am I being a stepping stone, leading people to Jesus, or am I being a stumbling block? I can be a stumbling block by doing things that I know are wrong and leading others to do the same but I can also be a stumbling block by flaunting my liberty. When I do things that are not sinful but that cause others to stumble, I am guilty of the sin of pride and individualism. I am guilty of being a stumbling block. The truth is that, if I lived in isolation, I could do some of these things without any worry or guilty conscience but I do not live in isolation. I live in community. I am responsible for the well-being of my brothers and sisters; not just for my own personal well-being.

like a child

Matthew 18:1-5

The key words in this passage are: kingdom of heaven and child. The disciples bring up an old topic of conversation: who is the greatest in the kingdom? Jesus responds with a living illustration. He calls a young child and sets him down among the disciples. He tells them that unless they become like this child, they won't even get into the kingdom. The greatest in the kingdom of heaven is the one who humbles himself like a child.
Anticipating the objection that becoming like a child will open them up to all kinds of abuse and persecution, Jesus assures them that whoever welcomes one of his child-like followers is welcoming Jesus and implies that whoever rejects one of his child-like followers is rejecting Jesus and will face all the consequences that go along with that rejection. Jesus will expand on this in the next section.
Obviously Jesus is not advocating childishness or immaturity but child-likeness. In this passage, Jesus is specifically referring to humility. Humility is something that I definitely struggle with. I am constantly thinking of myself and comparing myself with others which is the opposite of humility. Humility is recognizing that my only hope for entering the kingdom is Jesus.

tax paying fish

Matthew 17:24-27

It must have been terrible trying to keep things hidden from Jesus. Peter has a private conversation and comes into the house and Jesus already knows all about it! If it was anyone but Jesus it would be too much power for someone to have.
In this case, someone asks Peter if Jesus pays the temple tax. Peter replies that Jesus does pay it but upon entering the house, discovers that was the wrong answer. However, Jesus tells Peter to go fishing and the first fish he catches will have enough in its mouth to pay the tax for both Peter and Jesus. I find it interesting that Jesus says, "that we may not cause offense". when it came to other religious traditions, Jesus had no problem causing offense. At this point in his ministry, his claim to be the Messiah was public and the religious leaders had already rejected him as being empowered by Satan so Jesus really had nothing to lose by offending the tax collectors. I think that he was allowing Peter to save face here. I think we see the tender, compassionate side of Jesus in these verses. He recognizes how embarrassing it would have been for Peter to have to go back out and tell the tax collectors that he was mistaken and so he provides a way for Peter to save face.
What an amazing God I serve! The God who, when it doesn't compromise his character or diminish his glory, allows his people to save face! I pray that the Spirit would produce this same compassion for people and awareness of a person's dignity in me.