Back Again :)

OK, so it has been a long time since I've done any posts.  Try to get back on the band wagon.
We had a great discussion last night at Georgia Tech.  We were discussing the History of Christianity in America.  Here is a link to a presentation that we used Brief History of Christianity in America.
Also we referenced some great material by Dave Barton America's Godly Heritage Pt1

We are reading in Exodus now.  I'm always struck by God's amazing works and Moses' humility.
I just read about God meeting with Moses and the people on Mount Sinai.
God said that he was going to speak to Moses and the people and the people will hear God speaking so that they will always put their trust in Moses (Ex 19:9).  That reminded me that God had done that for Moses several times before:

1. When God brought water from the rock after Moses struck the rock (Ex 17:6)
2. When God brought the Israelites through the Red Sea and drowned Pharaoh's army (Ex 14:31)

What things has God been speaking to you?

Hebrews 5

Verses 7 and 8 caught my attention today: "During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. 8Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered 9and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him."

Jesus was one who prayed a lot.  He would remove himself from the group and would pray on a regular basis.  Certainly his prayers in the garden of Gethsemane are quite notable and remembered as loud cries and tears.  What caught my eye was just that phrase of "with loud cries and tears" as if this was a more frequent occurance - a good model of prayer.  Certainly also the "reverent submission" is a call to us to submit ourselves to God - similar to "thy kingdom come, thy will be done". 

Lord Jesus I submit my will to you and choose to follow you.  Help me to obey you and put you first in all my thoughts and decisions.

Hebrews 4

Hebrews 4 has several items that really stood out to me.
First of all this whole discussion on the "rest" of God and entering into that rest.  That rest is a blessing to have because those who were disobedient were prevented from entering that rest.  If it weren't something great, then this prevention wouldn't be a bad thing.  The writer of Hebrews compares this rest to Joshua bringing God's people into the promised land but says that this wasn't the rest being spoken of.  The fact that some would compare to the promised land gives a hint about what the "rest" may be like.  A place of blessing, a new home, a place free from war, a place.  Normally I wouldn't think of "rest" referring to a place, but is isn't just the place but the fact that it is "our" place, free from worry, full of God's provision.  This makes the "rest" sound a lot like heaven.  He ends the discussion with an exhortation in verse 11: "Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience."  There is effort that needs to me made, but the reward is great and the reward is rest.

Verses 12-13 are ones worth memorizing:  "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account."  So the first question is: What is the "word of God" being spoken about?  Is it 1) the scripture 2) Jesus 3) The Holy Spirit?  In Ephesians 6 Paul talks about the sword of the spirit which is the word of God.  This is certainly partially scripture as we see Jesus using scripture as a sword in Matthew 4 when he is being tempted by the devil.  You could say in that example that it is scripture being properly used by the Spirit to defend, expose and uncover since Satan used scripture as well but wrongly.  In this context the "living and active" could be applied to scripture in this active context, but it seems that there is the necessary active role of the Holy Spirit because of the "nothing...hidden from God's sight".  While Jesus is described as the "word" in John 1 and elsewhere, here the context "sharper than any double-edged sword" would more describe Jesus' words used by the Spirit than Jesus himself.  In Revelation 19:15 Jesus is described as having a double-edged sword coming out of his mouth.  So here again this wouldn't be a reference to Jesus, but to his powerful words (Heb 1:3) being empowered by his Spirit.

Finally verses 15 and 16 are very powerful: "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."  Again the focus is on Christ, our high priest, who can sympathize with us.  He was tempted in every way we are - an amazing thought!  Yet was without sin.  This is a powerful testification to his perfect life, and it also tells us that to be tempted is not to sin.  Sin comes when we join with and go along with the temptation.  This is important to know for our consciences.
Also then knowing that we have the priveledge to approach God's throne, but note 1) it is a throne of grace - that is kindness, mercy and forgiveness 2) we can approach boldly, not with head and shoulders weighed down in guilt but with head raised, knowing that Jesus loves us, is our high priest and that he is working on our behalf.  This bold approach to the throne gains us mercy and grace.  If we hold back and don't go to the throne of grace, we can miss out because it says "let us approach...so that we may receive..."
Wow!  There is a lot here!  Help me Lord Jesus to know your love and mercy and approach you boldly since you call me to come.  I want to come; help me to come daily to you!

Hebrews 2 and 3

In these beginning chapters of Hebrews, the initial verses are the ones that are really grabbing me.
The structure seems to be that the author of Hebrews makes a powerful statement and then the following verses are the evidence that supports that statement.
So in Hebrews 2 I was caught by the initial verse: "We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away."  There is a strong command or hortative statement for us to pay careful attention to the gospel - the good news of Jesus Christ.  We are urged to do so lest we "drift away".  This drift is ever so subtle and reminds me of the Casting Crowns song "Slow Fade".  We usually don't have dramatic immediate departures from God, but there is this slowly drifting that can occur that robs our joy, zeal, hope and love.  Then, using the drifting metaphore, we have to paddle hard to get back to where we want to be in Christ.  This is a reminder and a confirmative call to what I've felt God speaking to me and our church recently.  We need to press in to God and not be swept away by the drifting currents.

In Hebrews 3,  verse 1 also stood out to me: "Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess."  This reminds me of Hebrews 12 where we are called to fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith.  The book of Hebrews is really calling us back to the supremacy of Christ Jesus and our need to focus on him and not get our focus on other things around us that can distract and discourage us.  For instance, we are not to focus on other people and what they are doing or saying but rather on Jesus.  We are not to focus on problems or worries that can choke out our life in Christ.  This reminds me of Peter when he got out of the boat with Jesus.  While he kept his eyes on Jesus, he was fine and walked on the water.  When he looked at the waves and water, he began to give way to fear and doubt and began to sink.  It also reminds me of the book "Good To Great in God's Eyes" by Chip Ingram where he is talking about our thoughts and how important it is to guard our thought life.  This verse says "fix your thoughts on Jesus".  We should keep our minds focused on our source and saviour for from him comes life and hope and peace.  Help me Lord Jesus to keep my thoughts and actions centered around you and your kingdom!

Hebrews 1

In this beginning of Hebrews, Verses 2 and 3 really stood out to me highlighting the majesty, glory, honor and power of Jesus Christ.
"...his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. 3The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven."

Two phrases, "the exact representation of his being" and "sustaining all things by his powerful word" tell me this: 1) Jesus is exactly equal to God, not lesser in any way or even different for that matter, but exactly the same 2) Jesus not only created all of creation but still, by his power, holds it all together.

Perhaps even the very forces of nature that we observe that hold things together (gravity, strong and weak nuclear forces) are simply the working of Jesus' powerful word - that same word that called all of creation into existance.

Jesus is amazing!!

Philippians 3

Wow!  I got really behind in publishing these notes, but the reading has been GOOD!
Philippians 3 is a great passage.  Paul begins with comments similar to what we saw at the end of 2 Corinthians and Galatians where he is speaking against the circumcision group and speaking of the natural physical reasons that he could have confidence in his flesh.  He then turns the argument and says that what confidence he could have in the flesh, he counts as rubbish-garbage for the sake of Christ (v7).  He says that compared to Christ and knowing him, all else is worth nothing so he wants none of it except to know Christ and fellowship with him.  True righteousness comes not from ourselves, but from God by faith in Christ Jesus (v 9).

He then continues and says that he is not at the end of the race but that he forgets what is behind him and looks only forward, straining toward the goal and the prize of the call of God (v 13-14).  He also notes that this goal was not based on his own accomplishments but rather it is the goal for which Christ took hold of him.  The fact is that our pursuit of God only comes by his working in our lives and taking hold of us.

He then says that we should pattern our lives after his example and of others who live according to the scripture.  This is a good note in relation to discipleship! :)

He also warns that not all follow Christ and indeed some are even enemies.  Unfortunately such persons are even within those who call themselves followers of Christ.  But rather than focus on them, we need to focus on and eagerly await our Saviour, the one who is rescuing us.  He is the one who will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body! (v21)

Let us keep running the race with all endurance!  This reminds me of Hebrews 12:1 and the hope and confidence that we have in Philippians 1:6 that he who began a good work in us will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.  Amen and thank you Lord Jesus!!

Philippians 2

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Philippians 1

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Ephesians 6

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Ephesians 5

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Ephesians 4

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Ephesians 3

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Ephesians 2

The opening sentence of chapter 2 is quite interesting and full of key information about sin and Satan.
1) We were once dead because of sin
2) Sin is the way of the world that we used to follow
3) The ruler of the kingdom of the air (Satan) is behind the ways of the world
4) Satan is at work in those who are disobedient

In verse 3 we see that we were "by nature" objects of wrath - persons destined only for God's judgement by our very nature.  And that sinful nature we used to live in such a way as to please its every desire and craving.

But thanks be to God for his love and kindness who
1) made us alive with Christ (v5)
2) saved us by grace - his gift, not our work or deserving (v 5,8,9)
3) seated us with Christ in the heavenly realms (v 6)
4) He made us to do good works, which he prepared in advance for us do (v10)

Not only that, but he made us who didn't belong to him, to belong to him, to be part of his chosen, holy nation - the people of God.  By the cross, Jesus both destroyed the separation between Jews and Gentiles so that they could be one in Christ, and he reconciled us to God and made peace between God and us.  Jesus is our peace!

That is an amazing love and kindness that he has shown to us!  He didn't do these things because we deserved them or because we were righteous, but because he loved us and wanted us to know him and to belong to him and be a part of his kingdom!

Thank you Lord Jesus for changing my nature so I am not an object of wrath, but now belong to you!

Galatians 3-4

Paul gets into full swing in his argument here.  His main point is to sway the Galatian believers back away from following the false teaching of the "circumcision group" who says that to be a true Christian, you must be circumcised (5:2), follow the Jewish holidays (4:10) and follow the rest of the law of Moses.
Paul is saying that they began with the Spirit (3:3), that is by believing what they heard and trusting Christ Jesus for salvation (v2), that they are now being led astray to think that human effort is required to make them "true Christians".

He says that the Law of Moses was like guardian or a schoolmaster that was put in place to guide and supervise people while they were still young (3:25).  But then we were set free once faith came and that now we are heirs and not servants or schoolchildren (3:29).

Another point of interest that is harder to see in the NIV is the term "basic principles of the world" (4:3) and "weak and miserable principles" (4:9).  These terms actually refer to what spiritual powers would have previously held these gentile believers captive.  When read in that light, terms like "slavery" (4:3,9) make sense in a slightly different way.

The final point that I found quite interesting is Paul's description of Hagar versus Sarah and physical Jerusalem versus spiritual Jerusalem.  This Jerusalem that is "above" reminds me of Revelation 12:1, the picture of spiritual Israel or Jerusalem.

The key points here are not to be pulled into a belief that we can/need to earn our way into a relationship with Christ by bein perfect or following all the rules.  In chapter 5 Paul comes full circle and describes how we must not use the freedom that we have to sin but that we must still obey the law of Christ.  This is crucially important to understand this distinction because this really gives the foundation for how a Christian is to relate to the law of the Old Testament - what applies and what doesn't.  More on that later :).

Ephesians 1

Wow!  The letter to the Ephesians is quite different in tone and content from the Corinthian letters and the letter to the Galatian churches.  Paul is laying out a more broad theological construct as opposed to responding to specific issues that have arisen in the churches.

A few things that caught my attention:
The mystery of his will - to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment (not yet) - "to bring all things in hearven and on earth together under one head, even Christ" (v9-10).  This is speaking of things to come and God's eternal plans that are being revealed to us.

"Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's posession" (v 13-14).  When we believed, we are given the Holy Spirit, who is a deposit of the good things that are to come.  Obviously the Holy Spirit is much more than that, being the very God himself.  It is an amazing thing that God has done by coming to live in our hearts and lives through the Holy Spirit!  That does call for a round of "praise of his glory"! (v 14).

These are some powerful and amazing prayers that Paul prays for these believers:
1) God the Father would give them the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.  He has acknowledged that they have the Holy Spirit, but Paul is praying for more so that they may know God better, that the Spirit would guide them in how to live (wisdom) and show them more about God (revelation).
2) That the eyes of your heart may be enlightened (versus the eyes of our mind or our physical eyes- that we would know God from the central core of our being) that you may know a) the hope to which he has called you b) the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints c) incomparably great power for us who believe.

Again, this is some powerful stuff!  God please open my spiritual eyes to see and know more of you and give me your Spirit to live and know you more!

Galatians 2

In this chapter Paul continues with events from his history but givfes specific examples of things that happened in his past that were similar to the problem that the Galatian believers are facing now.
Namely, Paul faced situations where even the leaders of the church, Peter, Barnabas and others were led astray to follow the idea or teaching that to be right with God they needed to follow Jewish traditions and the law of Moses.  Specifically Paul notes that Peter and Barnabas who had at first been eating with Gentile believers, drew back and separated themselves from Gentiles because of fear of the "circumcision group".

Circumcison is the sign that God gave first to Abraham (Gen 17:10) and then further codified as part of the law of Moses (Leviticus 12:3) whereby all males where to be circumcised - have their foreskins cut off - when they were eight days old.  Paul references that Titus while in Jerusalem was not compelled to be circumcised.

The "circumcision group" was a group of persons who believed that to have a relationship with God, one must obey all of the Mosaic law, especially that they should be circumcised.  And this went for all Gentile believers.  So Jewish tradition then restricted Jews from eating with or going to the house of Gentiles who were not circumcised.  This is what Peter and Barnabas began to do and Paul stood up to them and said that they were wrong.  Additional details of this incident are found in Acts 15.

Paul's main two points that follow are this:
1) We are not justified before God (declared righteous and have sin and guilt removed) because we observe the law of Moses (v 15-16)
2) That doesn't mean that we can go on sinning either.  We need to fulfill the moral commands of the law while recognizing that the law and its requirements do not save us.

These are important to know and observe.  Over the years the application of this has lead some to go to far to one side or the other.  Some become "anti-nomian" - against the law - and so fully emphasize the grace of God and reject the law alltogether, that they say that no law is needed; Christians do not have to live righteously and that they shouldn't try but rather that they can sin and go on sinning and that they are and always will be forgiven.  This error is what Paul addresses in verse 17.  The other side is that some become so fully focused on fulfilling the moral law that it becomes a strict legalism and their lives are bound up by rules and regulations and the observance of them.  This becomes a law that they feel they must follow.  This is the problem that Paul is addressing in this whole chapter.

The proper course is between the extremes.  We have freedom and grace in Christ Jesus.  We cannot earn our salvation nor do anything to deserve it.  On the other hand we are bound by the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2) and if we love Jesus we will obey him (John 14:21).  We must recognize that at all times we are not capable of obeying or following Christ by ourselves, but must rely on God's help and strength and by his grace we will stand.

Lord Jesus help us to follow you in the right way and avoid extremes but to be led by your spirit in truth and holiness.

Galatians 1

The letter to the Galatians is probably the most singly-focused letter on correcting problems in a church that Paul wrote.  2 Corinthians is close, but Galatians is more narrowly focused.

Paul begins by stating that it is from him, an apostle.  An apostle is someone who is sent - an ambassador or a messenger.  In general an apostle can be sent from any person or persons such as a king or a city or a church.  Paul makes it very clear though that he wasn't sent by or from men, but from Jesus Christ and God the Father.  He is wanting his hearers to know that the message that he is sending is not merely man's words, but a message from God.

He then says that this is addressed to the "churches in Galatia" meaning that there are multiple churches that he is writing to.  Galatia is a region, as opposed to a specific city.  Evidently the problems that he is going to address in this letter are existing in the various churches in the region.

He then opens with his usual blessing of grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ and adds in some additional information about what Jesus did to rescue us from our sins and then gives glory to Christ.  He is focusing his attention on Christ Jesus and God the Father again because he is going to be contrasting that with the focus on man's teachings later.

He then quickly gets to his point that he is "astonished" that they are so quickly turning to a "different gospel" or different message of good news.  There are evidently some who are going around in that region teaching a different message and throwing the people into confusion (v 7).  He even goes to the point that if someone is teaching a different gospel than what Paul had preached that they should be eternally condemned!  He says that even if he or an angel did such a thing they and he should be eternally condemned! (v 8).  This is pretty strong language.  Again he is wanting people to know that his message is not from men but from God.  God's message of good news hasn't changed - it is the message of what Jesus Christ did for us to save us from our sins - so if there is a changed message it is not from God!

Paul then spends some time telling about his history.  His message wasn't from man nor made up by man but came as a direct revelation from Jesus Christ.  He wasn't always a beliver in God's good news.  In fact he once fought against it.

All of this is building a foundation and a case for his later repudiation of the "perverted" gospel that he talks about in verse 7.

2 Corinthians 13

As Paul finishes up this letter to the Corinthian church, he warns them that if he has to be stern with them when he arrives he will, but that his desire is to build them up, not tear them down (v 2, 10).

He also gives them a simple instruction that is useful for all of us: "Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves." (v 5).  Not that we should live a live of constant introspection, sitting on a mountain top somewhere, staring at our navel, but the call here is to live a life that is not simply lived at random, hoping for the best, but rather to live a life worthy of Christ.  And since such a life doesn't happen by accident - it takes God's grace and work in our lives, combined with our effort and obedience.  Paul says in Philippians 2:12 to "work out your salvation with fear and trembling" and Peter says in 2 Peter 1:5 to "make every effort" in growing in spiritual character.  So what we also must do is make realistic assessments of where we are in Christ so that we can see where we fall short and where we need to grow.  Then with God's grace, direction and help, we can grow and be changed into his image.

As Paul finishes off the letter he says to them and to us, "Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal, be of one mind, live in peace.  And the God of love and peach will be with you."

Amen!  Lord Jesus please shape us and help us to follow you daily!  We thank you for your grace and mercy in our lives.  Please help us to follow you with all of our strength, soul, strength and mind!

2 Corinthians 12

In this chapter we see Paul still defending himself to the Corinthian church.  There appears to have been some in the church who were speaking bad of Paul and saying that some "super-apostles" were better (v 11).  Paul doesn't like that he has to do this, but as a spiritual parent, he is still concerned about his children and wants the best for them and as such wants to be able to speak into their lives to send them in the right direction (v 20-21).

Paul begins by discussing a person who he describes in the third person as one who was caught up to paradise and saw amazing revelations about heaven.  In verse 7 he gives away the fact that he is in fact the person because he says that he received a "thorn in my flesh" (v 7) in order to keep him humble because of the "surpassingly great revelations".  The key that he learned from God after he requested to be released was "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness" (v 9).  This is an interesting and powerful statement because from here we learn a way of God that he chooses to use our weakness because it more powerfully shows his strength.  It also goes back to God wanting us and others to recognize that He is the source of the power and the accomplishments and not us.

It is often wondered and discussed what the "thorn in my flesh" could be.  Some believe that it is a suffering with Paul's eyes because we see comments about his eyes (Galatians 4:15) and large writing (Galatians 6:11).  Others believe that it is just the physical struggles such as the beating and shipwrecks etc. that he has gone through that he described in 2 Cor 11.  I think that it may be the eyes but certainly the other struggles would fit as well.

He then finishes the chapter with his main concern for the church which is that he believes that they are not behaving correctly (v 20) and that if he does visit, he'll have to be correcting and reproving the wrongdoing instead of being able to have joy in the growth in Christ that is shown in their lives.  It is never pleasant for a parent to bring correction or discipline to children, but they know that it is necessary and important.  Again he has described his great love for them (v 15) and is asking that they respond to him in love as well.

What stands out to me in this is God's power being made perfect in our weakness.  This can come in various forms but smacks against our desire to be great and wonderful and loved by all.  We need to be willing to be weak in man's eyes and from that place, let God's power show and work through us.  It is not something that we can do or create, because this is only something that comes by God's working in our lives.  But we need to see each circumstance in life, especially difficult ones, as opportunities to grow in Christ and rather than get angry or bitter about them, ask Jesus to work in us and shape us and form us through them.  That is not to say that we shouldn't ask to be freed from suffering or difficulty such as sickness etc - Paul asked 3 times.  Even Jesus asked to be released from the suffering of the cross in Gathsemene, but in the end our response must be like Jesus who said, not my will but yours be done.

Lord Jesus help us to follow you and live as you lived.  Help us to have the right attitudes and actions in suffering and difficulties that you bring.

2 Corinthians 11

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2 Corinthians 10

2 Corinthians 9

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2 Corinthians 8

In this chapter, Paul is urging the Corinthian church to complete the gift of giving that he referred to in the previous letter.  He makes some important points about generosity and giving within the body of Christ:

1. The gift (grace) of giving is rooted in the example of Christ who, though he was rich, became poor for our sakes (v 9).
2. When we have been given extra by God, the purpose is to be able to help others who are in need (v 13-14)
3. It is not about the amount that we give, but more about the willingness to give (v 12) and give as we are able
4. There is a giving that can go beyond what we are able that should flow from joy and willingness, not from compulsion or actions to look good or be accepted by others (v 3)

Paul will continue this theme in the next chapter as well.  It may seem to some that a large amout of time is being spent talking about money, and that is true.  Jesus talked about money (see Matthew 6 and others) and the use of it many times.  It is an area where we often feel that it is "ours" and no one has the right to tell us what to do with it.  The issue and question though is are we willing to obey God with our money?  The real issue is to recognize that when we are followers of Jesus, it is not "our" money, it is God's!  If we really have given every part of our lives to Jesus, that will include our time and our money.  If we are his servants, then we will follow him and listen to how he wants us to use the money that he has entrusted us with.

It also has to do with trust.  We are called to trust and honor God by giving him a tithe (10% of our income - Malachi 3:7-12).  If we say that we know that God will provide for our needs and that he has provided us with our jobs and with our health, the evidence of that trust is in how we use the money.  Do we tithe and give God his portion first?  Do we go beyond the tithe, which is just the beginning point, and look to see how we can bless others and use the money that God has given us to grow his kingdom and bless others.  If we trust God to take care of us, we needn't horde our money and worry about losing it, because we know that He will take care of us. 

Now this doesn't call for a foolish use of our money either.  Some have taken this to mean that they should give away all their money to follow Jesus.  That is not the point, unless Jesus asks you specifically to do that.  Otherwise, we are just following our own good ideas and some who have done this then are not able to take care of their families.  The key here is that we need to be servants of Christ, listening and following the voice of his Holy Spirit, honoring him in our time, our money, our lives, our conversation and with all that we have.  Jesus has promised that if we seek first the kingdom of heaven, that he will provide for us all that we need for food, clothing and shelter - all of our needs (Matthew 6:25-33).

Certainly as well, money has been an area of great sin and temptation for churches.  Some pastors and church workers have used God's money to make themselves rich.  Paul warned of such men to Timothy that some "men of corrupt mind...think that godliness is a means to financial gain." (1 Timothy 6:5). This is not God's goal or aim, but rather, that God's money be used for his people in need and be used to expand his kingdom.

There is much more to be said about money, and by God's grace we will do so at another time.  Please Lord Jesus, help us to trust you and follow you with our money, with all that we have and with every part of our being.

2 Corinthians 7

Paul begins the chapter with a implication or conclusion of the call of God to come out from the world and be separate unto God and that he would be our Father and that we would be his sons and daughters.  The chapter begins with "Since we have these promises" which links back to chapter 6 and then tells us what we must then do in response: "purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit perfecting holiness out of reverence for God."
This call has serious implications about what kind of movies we watch and own, what kind of music we listen to, what kind of activites we engage in, what kind of conversations we have.  It reaches to both physical (contaminates body) and spiritual (and spirit).
The purity is not so much about having clean clothes and a clean house, though that can be included, it is more speaking to a moral impurity or mixture.  The term "purify" relates to removing mixture.  We cannot be mixed in our actions or words.  This is similar to what James says about our speech that it should not both "praise our Lord and Father" and "curse men" (James 3:9-12) and then that "friendship with the world is hatred toward God" (James 4:4).  There cannot exist a mixture and think that it is pleasing to God.
We cannot worship God on Sundays and at Bible Study and then at other times during the week be hating others, or speaking evil of others, or watching movies with sexual immorality, or getting drunk etc.
Paul calls for a radical holiness.  In the last chapter we saw the statement "touch no unclean thing".  This ties back to some Old Testament concepts such as things devoted to destruction (Joshua 6:18-7:26).  Items such as those used in witchcraft or false religions as items of worship or practice, or items that a person has sinned with, these are physical items that should be destroyed or gotten rid of.

It should be noted that ultimately we cannot perfect ourselves and if we set about to perfect ourselves, we will ultimately fail, just like the pharisees.  We need to recognize our weakness and call out to God to help us, to change us and set us free.  We need to work diligently, but it will fail if we work in our own strength, because then we will just become proud of our accomplishments, as opposed to humbling ourselves, recognizing our sinfulness and weakness, and crying out to God to rescue and change us.  On the other hand, there are certain physical steps we can take, as Paul points out above, that when we know the good we ought to do, we need to do it.

Paul then begins a section where he describes being very happy about a message that he received from Titus about the church in Corinth.  He was worried about them since his previous letter where he had to correct them sharply, but now he sees that his letter, though it hurt for a while "your sorrow led to your repentance" (v 9).  He then goes into a discussion about "godly sorrow" vs "worldly sorrow" (v 10).  This is an important concept to know about as well.  When we sin, and we will all sin (1 John 1:8), we need to know what to do and how to resolve and handle it.  1 John 1:9 says that we need to confess our sin and that God will cleanse us of all unrighteousness.  Here Paul says that "godly sorrow leads to repentance" (v 10) and that is because God, by his Holy Spirit, convicts us of sin (John 14) but doesn't condemn (John 3:17).  In practical terms, when we feel guilty about sin, it should lead us to repent and turn from the sin.  If so, that is "godly sorrow".  The devil on the otherhand wants to condemn us - make us so discouraged, weighed down, feel like we are a failure and can never do right, that God will never use us, can never use us etc.  All those feelings are condemnation which lead to death which is "worldly sorrow" (v 10).  We need to say "no" to the condemnation, because that is not from God, but say "yes" to conviction that leads us to repent and turn.  We need to show "earnestness, eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done." (v 11).

This kind of repentance causes joy in the heart of God as is brought Paul joy and it brings us joy as well as we find freedom and forgiveness from God.

Let us strive to perfect 'holiness out of reverence for God" and learn how to repent, confess our sins and keep running the race in Christ Jesus.  He is faithful to pick us up when we humble ourselves (James 4:10) and change us into his image.

2 Corinthians 6

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2 Corinthians 5

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2 Corinthians 4

In this chapter, Paul is discussing the fragility and commonness of our bodies and yet the amazing ministry and calling that God has given to us.  Paul uses an interesting metaphore of having this "treasure in jars of clay" (v 7).  If you think about it, we normally would put a treasure in a gloriously beautiful container - perhaps a gold and jewel encrusted case.  Or perhaps we would put a treasure in a strong safe to greatly protect it from theft or harm.  But to put a great treasure in a fragile, plain, somewhat rough or dirty container is quite odd.  But that is what God has done.  The clay is a reference back to Genesis 2 where God forms Adam out of the clay (or dust) of the earth (Genesis 2:7).  Jesus and the rest of scripture also testify that our bodies are fragile (Matthew 26:41; 1 Peter 1:24).

But God in his wisdom has put his Spirit in our bodies, and caused his light to shine out from us (v 6) in our fragile, plain selves.  The greatness of this is that it then is obvious to others (and hopefully to us as well :) ) that "this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us." (v 7).

Paul describes the struggles that he has gone through as well - hard pressed, perplexed, persecuted and struck down - but that in all of this, God was with him to give strength so that he is not crushed, not dispairing but hopeful, not abandoned but with Christ, not destroyed but protected.  Remember that Paul wrote 1 Corinthians from Ephesus (1 Cor 16:8) where he spent much time (three years - Acts 20:31) but faced much opposition (Acts 20:19) and riots (Acts 19:23-41).  Prior to that he had been beaten and imprisoned in Phillipi (Acts 16:16-40).  In the Phillipian jail, after having been "severly flogged" (Acts 16:23), Paul and Silas were still able to be singing songs to Jesus and praying at midnight while locked in jail (Acts 16:25).  This is an example of what he is saying.  In the middle of being severely mistreated and beaten for the sake of Christ, Paul didn't give up, but instead knew that Jesus was with him and could sing to him.  Lord help us to keep our eyes on you in our struggles and difficulties so that we do not give up, nor do we get angry or bitter at God, but rather that we can continue to trust in Jesus, knowing that he is with us, guiding us, providing for us and that he has promised never to leave nor forsake us (Dt 31:6, Heb 13:5) and always be with us (Matt 28:20).

Another important thing that Paul mentioned in the middle of this is that the "The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." (v 4).  This is important to understand.  1st we see that Satan is actively working to blind people so that they cannot see the good news about Jesus.  2nd we see that Satan is referred to the "god of this age" because God has given him a time to be working on earth now - though God is still God and completely in control, Satan has some control of people at this point.  3rd we see that Satan has power over the minds of "unbelievers".  This is interesting because it indicates that when we give in to unbelief, we are then vulnerable to the blinding and control of Satan.  Lord I do believe! Help me overcome my unbelief! (Mark 9:24).

Paul ends with an encouragement for us to keep our eyes focused on Christ and the future that awaits us.  Don't look at the current circumstances that seem hard or impossible at times, but focus our eyes on the glory that is to come, that though unseen now, is eternal and the hope that we have in Christ.  He is always with us to help us in our difficulties.  At times in our lives things will not always work out the way that we want and things may seem unfair, but Paul is reminding us that all these things in our lives now are just temporary!  They are going to pass away!  But life in Christ is eternal.  The blessings of God are forever and being with him in heaven is a certainty and an excellence that will last forever and outweigh all of our temporary discomforts.

Lord Jesus, help us to have an eternal perspective in our lives, especially when things are difficult and hard to understand.  Help us to remember your love and your promises that never fail!

2 Corinthians 3

Paul begins this chapter finishing up his previous discussion and again emphasizing his humble view on life and ministry.  He recognizes that his competence is not from himself but his and our competence comes from God (v 5). 
This leads him into a disucssion about a comparison between the old and new covenants.  The old covenant he refers to as a "ministry that brought death" (v7), "ministry that condemns" (v9), and "was fading away" (v11).  He speaks this way because the law brought through Moses was such that it pointed out sin.

He uses a great image of Moses from when he came down from the mountain and when he went into God's presence and afterwards his face was glowing (Ex 34:29-35).  ... to be continued 

2 Corinthians 2

Paul begins Chapter 2 finishing the idea he had begun in Chapter 1, namely the reason that he didn't visit the Corinthian church when he had last planned to.  He says that instead of the visit he wrote the letter, 1 Corinthians.  He says that he had to write a letter that was grieving and distressing because as we saw in 1 Corinthians, he had to correct the church on many points.  He wants them to know though that the letter was not to grieve them, but that it was written in love and with tears.

That is always a hard thing to communicate as a parent to children that discipline is done out of love.  A parent does not normally enjoy disciplining a child, but does so because he/she knows that ultimately it is best for the child and he/she loves the child and wants what is best for them, even when it hurts for a short while.  As Hebrews 12:11 says "No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful.  Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it."

One of the items that he addressed in the first letter was a particular individual who was in sexual sin in an open an unrepentant way.  Paul said to "expel the wicked man from among you" (1 Cor 5:13) and to "hand him over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord" (1 Cor 5:5).  In this letter he says that "the punishment inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient for him.  Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he is not overwhelmed by excessive sorrow." (v 6-7).  So apparantly the person had indeed repented and turned so now Paul was telling the people to welcome him back and forgive him.

This topic of church discipline is one that is rarely addressed in churches today.  Often when there is open, unrepentant sin in the church, it goes on unaddressed by the leadership.  This is not the instructions given to the church and it causes harm.  As in this case, discipline is for good, though it is often seen as evil.  When we do things God's way, it turns out best, as opposed to allowing our fears and current cultural thoughts and trends to dictate how we live and act.

Paul ends the chapter with a discussion of his travels and says that we (believers) are the "aroma of Christ among those who are saved and who are perishing" (v 15).  This has always been an interesting metaphore to me.  I've always taken this to mean that as we are around believers, we smell to them like the fragrance of life (v 16), and around unbelievers we smell to them like the fragrance of death (v. 16).   This may be a correct understanding as it is saying that among believers we are to be a reminder of God's life and salvation through Jesus Christ, by way of encouragement, words and actions, and that to unbelievers, there is a reminder of judgement to come and death, thus causing and giving an urging to turn to Christ for life.  The one thing that caught my eye as I read though is that it says "we are to God the aroma of Christ".  So another way to read this is that as God smells the people of the world, we both good and bad, we provide the fragrance or "perfume" of Christ, presumably to make things smell better.  This reading though doesn't follow though with the second part of being "to the one the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life".  This goes back to being a smell to the individual.  Perhaps even both of them are in play.

One thing that strikes me is that Paul is very humble in his approach: "who is equal to such a task?" (v 16).  He doesn't lord things over others, but always comes back to a humility recognizing that God is the powerful and great one and not him.  He has no inherant power nor ability, so when God has chosen to use us in some way, our response should not be one where we expect that this should happen and that we are worthy, but we should emulate Paul, who viewed himself in humility.

Lord help me to not view myself more highly than I ought!
He gives

2 Corinthians 1

Paul opens this letter to the Corinthians indicating that it is from he and Timothy.  In 1 Corinthians 16:10 he told the Corinthian churches about Timothy's potential visit.  He also mentions that this letter is for the church in Corinth and for all the saints throughout Achaia, so this letter was meant to be passed around.

I begins with a blessing to the reader of the grace and peace of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

He then enters into a discussion about the comfort of God, "the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort".  The church is undergoing sufferings (v 7) but Paul wants them to know that God has not deserted them, but that he provides comfort, works in us patient endurance (v 6), uses the difficulty to teach us to rely on him (v 10), and uses the situation to teach us that God answers prayers, comforts us and then praise goes back to God.  In our lives we often try to avoid difficulty and hardship, but the reality is that these are very important for our growth and God knows this and lovingly allows and brings difficulties into our lives to grow us, but doing so with comfort and kindness.

Paul tells them that he had planned to visit but it didn't work out.  He says that he wasn't making half-hearted plans but that it was really for their benefit that he didn't visit at that time (v23).  He wants them to know that he is following God's direction and that they can trust God because he is not a shifting shadow or changing his mind from "yes" to "no" but actually all of God's promises are "yes" in Christ.  Not only that, but God has put on us a seal of ownership, that is he has marked us as belonging to God.  This would be similar to a wax seal that was used in those days to seal a document with a special marking so that the recipient could be certain that the message wasn't changed and that the message was from the person who owned the seal.  In today's computer age, it is similar to private key encryption :).  The point here is that we know and be certain that it was God who selected us and put his stamp of belonging on us.  Also he says that he has put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.  So not only does he seal us, but he gives us a deposit, a proof, something that we have that we know that guarantees our belonging and acceptance from God.  This is actually quite an amazing thought!  When we in our lives have uncertainty and doubts about our salvation or God's work in our lives, we can go back to the guarantee that we have of the Spirit that he has put in our hearts as a deposit.

Let us thank God for his kindness, comfort, wisdom and great love for us!

1 Corinthians 16

In the final chapter of this letter, Paul begins with a note about a collection for God's people in Jerusalem.  As you may remember, Paul, while he was still Saul, had helped to initiate intense persecution against Christians in Jerusalem (Acts 8.1) and most of the believers were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria except for the apostles and a few others.  People were put in prison and sometimes killed.  This left the church there in a desparate position - with widows and families who couldn't work because of imprisonment (in those days you also still had to provide your own food and clothes in prison).  So Paul and others were collecting monies to send to the church there.  He was encouraging them to set aside money so that when he or others come to collect the money, it would be all ready to go.  He speaks more on this in 2 Corinthians 8.

Paul then describes his desire and plans to visit.  We learn that he is writing this from Ephesus (v 8).  He also gives instructions about Timothy's coming.  Timothy is a younger man who is a strong believer who Paul has sent out to help the churches.  Paul writes separate letters to Timothy (1 and 2 Timothy) where he is given instructions about his personal life and the tasks that he has been given in the churches.  He addresses Apollos, and based on the comments, it may be that the Corinthians asked that Apollos could visit.  Apollos was a well know and strong debator and defender of the faith who they were familiar with (1 Cor 1:12).
Paul also gives instructions for the church to submit themselves to the local leaders of the church (v 16) and he thanks them for sending messengers to tell how things are going in Corinth.  This is the likely source of the questions that Paul is writing the letter to address (v 17).

Paul then ends the letters with greetings to the church from himself and others and expresses his love to them all.  Paul was a spiritual leader, a servant and one who deeply loved those he was leading in Christ.

We will all do well to follow Paul's encouragement to the church: "Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong.  Do everything in love." (v 13-14).  We have spiritual enemies that fight against us so we need to be on our guard.  We must not let difficulties nor struggles dissuade us, but we must stand firm with courage and strength from God.  And finally, let us not be selfish in our actions, but do everything in love, looking out for the needs of others.

May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with you!

1 Corinthians 15

In this chapter Paul is evidently answering some people who are saying that Jesus didn't actually rise from the dead.  This is actually an important point and even one that people wrestle with today.  In some liberal supposedly Christian churches they even say that Jesus didn't rise from the dead but that it wasn't important.  They say that what is important are the good moral teachings that he left behind.  Clearly this is false and Paul argues against this view and says why it is true that Jesus rose from the dead and why it is important.

Paul's proof lies on the fact of so many eye-witnesses who saw the risen Christ along with the many eye-witnesses who saw him crucified and buried for three days.  There are many powerful aspects of the argument that he gives including the fact of appearing to over 500 witnesses at the same time - who are now mostly still alive.

Some interesting things that we learn as he has the discussion: 1) our resurrection bodies are different from our current physical bodies 2) Paul was evidently thrown to the lions in Ephesus (v 32) 3) Some Christians will be alive at Christ's return and their bodies will be changed instantly on his return (v 52) 4) Those who have died in Christ will preceed those who are still alive (v 52) 5) Death will be defeated forever when Christ returns.

Another point that Paul throws in as a warning: "Do not be misled: 'Bad company corrupts good character'." (v 33).  This is an important reminder for us that we need to be careful of who we spend time with and how we spend that time.  If we are around people who are speaking falsely about God and his ways, especially if they claim to be Christians, then we will become corrupted.  We need to answer false claims as Paul is doing and not just go along with them lest we be corrupted.

1 Corinthians 14

Paul is continuing with the theme of spiritual gifts and proper use of them.  Still his tone is mostly corrective in nature as he is dealing with problems that exist in the church. 
He begins by describing that prophecy is better in the church than speaking in tongues unless there is interpretation or translation of the tongues.  This is because it edifies the whole church and not just the speaker.
Previously Paul painted a picture of what was happening in the celebration of the Lord's Supper where some are getting drunk and gorging themselves and others get none.  Here we can picture a scene where there are many people speaking in tongues and all at the same time.   No one would be able to understand what is going on.  Furthermore, it was the practice at that time to have the women sit on one side of the meeting and the men sit on the other.  Thus when wives would be asking their husbands a question, whether about the service or something at home (what are we going to have for dinner, who should we invite over), there is a shouting across the congregation.  You add these together and you get quite a chaotic scene.
That is why Paul then lays down some practical rules about peace and order in worship: 1) one person speaking at a time 2) no publically spoken tongues unless there is interpretation 3) at most three prophecies spoken, one at a time 4) women should wait untill after gathering to ask questions of husband.
Again it seems that at that church people were just wanting to jump up to speak, either in a tongue or prophecy, not for the edification of others, but perhaps more to let people know that God is speaking to them (more of a competition with others) or perhaps just being so caught up in things that they are ignoring what is going on around them (spirits of prophets are subject to the control of the prophet - v32) .

I think that it is helpful to clarify also what the rules are not saying.  Rule 1 is not saying that the whole congregation cannot sing or pray together at the same time.  The main context of the first rule is for an instructional word and the inability for others to know what is being said.  When singing together, all know the song, or most are singing the same so that people can both hear and understand and join in.
Rule 2 is not saying that there isn't a place for speaking in tongues in the congregation without interpretation, it just should not be done as a message for the church, but between God and the individual (v28; and do not forbid speaking in tongues v 39).  There can also be a time of worship when all are speaking in tongues to God (v 15) when orderly directed by leaders, but better yet a time of prophecy (v 24-25).  Rule 3 isn't limiting all situations to only 3 prophecies, but rather to those prophecies coming from "everyone" (v26) in the congregation that would otherwise be interrupting and preventing the leaders from directing the service.  It may be that the leadership is wanting to present or discuss a number of propecies as part of the service and these are not an interruption, but rather the direction that God is leading.  Again the correction is to avoid disorder.  Rule 3 is not saying that there isn't a place for women to speak at all in the church.  First of all, a woman may prophecy.  Also, if there is a time when questions are being taken from the leadership as part of the service, then women are free to participate in that as well.  What is being avoided are the discussions that interrupt the service and create disorder so that the church cannot be edified.

Amid the corrections, Paul gives instructions to eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy (v 1).  The interesting point is that we can desire, and thus ask for, specific spiritual gifts.  The proper motivation though is for the edification of the church and not for personal exaltation or comparisons to others. 
May we all be filled with the Spirit and mutually edify one another and advance the kingdom of God.

1 Corinthians 13

In the letter to the Corinthians, Paul is addressing various problems that exist in the church in Corinth. The problems that they faced are ones that are common for us today - uncorrected sin, divisions, fightings, selfishness. Paul brings the discussion to a high point where he discusses the solution to the problems: Love.

He had been spending time on each topic saying to stop wrong behaviour and give instructions on proper behaviour. In this chapter Paul lays out the overarching theme, solution and proper behaviour guidelines - God's love working in and through us.

He begins by talking about how all the gifts, services and even martyrdom are nothing without love. It is going to the motive of why we are doing what we do. If we are driven by selfish desires or wrong motives, the things that we do are worthless in God's kingdom (I gain nothing v 3).

Paul's discussion of Love defines Love both by what it is (patient, kind) and what it isn't (proud, rude, self-seeking, easily angered), how it behaves (rejoices with the truth, protects, trusts, hopes, perseveres) and how it doesn't behave (envy, boast, keeps no record of wrong, does not delight in evil).

Let us seek to live in God's love, motivated by his kindness and love that he has shown us, and showing that love back to others.

1 Corinthians 12

These chapters all have so much to say and so much to discuss!
In this chapter, Paul is discussing spiritual gifts with the church in Corinth. On of his main points that he is making is that the gifts of the Spirit should not cause divisions or separations in the church because they all come from the same Spirit (v 4). Paul says that different people in the body of Christ are given different gifts but they are all given for the good of all, not just the for the good of the person receiving the gift (v 7).
An interesting point is that Paul says that there are different kinds of gifts, service and workings. This reminds me that God's working in our lives and thus our spiritual work includes not just spiritual gifts, but also service (to God and others) as well as other types of work. We see this echoed in the end of the chapter where he lists offices or callings (such as apostles, prophets, teachers) as well as gifts (healing) along with gifts of helping others and gifts of administration (v 28). So when we look at the overall plans that God has for our lives, he has equipped us with what we may think of as natural gifts and spiritual gifts. Both of them are from God and a part of how he made us to accomplish his purposes in the body of Christ.

Often we think of spiritual gifts much like a child thinks about presents at Christmas time. We excitedly ask "What did I get?". And when we receive the gift we treat it selfishly - "This is mine" and "Think about how great this will make me look to others". Instead Paul is wanting us to keep our focus and recognize that while it is great to be excited, and in fact we should even eagerly desire the greater gifts (v 31), we need to always recognize that our perspective should be "How can I use this gift to help others and build the body of Christ?" The answer to that of course comes as we ask God to direct us and obey his leading.

Sometimes we may feel like we don't fit into a body (church) that God has put us into, but in fact as Paul points out, the differences that exist don't mean that we don't belong to the body (v 15). Rather it is the differences that strengthen the body IF each different part keeps doing its part.

Wherever we are at, let us pray that God will help us to see what our gifts are and what our place is in his body and in his kingdom, and may we work to use our gifts and abilities to the benefit of others and the body of Christ!

I Corinthians 11

There is much to be said about this chapter. First of all it should be noticed that Paul is responding in this letter to another letter that had been sent to him. We don't have that letter but we can see some of the issues that were being asked about. Also it should be noted that this is a corrective letter. That is, that Paul is writing to address problems that are happening in the church and telling how to fix them.

In chapter 11 at the beginning (verses 2-16), Paul is discussing the need for women to have their head covered when praying or prophesying. Because prophesying is giving a message from God to others, the praying in this context is also related to praying for others. This is something that we do in our church as well. When a woman is praying for another person, then they put a covering on their heads.
Paul describes at the beginning that this has to do with authority: the head of every man is Christ and the head of every woman is man and the head of Christ is God. So Paul says that because of this authority relationship, as a way of displaying this submission on the part of the woman (to her husband or father), she is to wear a covering on her head. He says that this is also "because of the angels"(v10), indicating the spiritual battles that are taking place that we cannot always see. In this case it is again a protection for the woman from demonic attack when she puts the covering on her head indicating that she is submitted to her spiritual authority.

Then in 17-34 he goes on to discuss the problems in the church around the Lord's Supper or communion. In this case it is likely that there was a larger meal involved but there was at least the bread and the wine. In Luke 22 we read about Jesus celebrating the Passover with his disciples and in that meal Jesus takes the cup and the bread and tells them to "do this in remembrance of me" (Luke 22:19).
Paul's points here reflect the importance and power of the observance that goes beyond mere remembrance. Paul warns that some have been judged for doing this in an "unworthy manner" (1 Cor 11:27) and that the judgement includes sickness and physical death (v 30). With such a large judgement, comes an equally large blessing for those who participate in the observance in a proper way - the very life and blessing of Jesus Christ. The main problem that the people were having in their observance appears to be that they were not considering others and that some were taking too much and leaving others with nothing. This celebration is meant to be a communal experience for all in the body to enjoy together and God is not pleased when some exclude others by their selfishness. There is also the call to "examine" yourself (v 28) before taking the bread and cup. This examination would include making sure that we are in a right relationship with others and treating them properly, (see Matthew 5:24 where Jesus tells us to "leave our gift at the altar" and be reconciled with our brother before bringing a gift to God). This examination would also include the examination described in 2 Corinthians 13:5 where we are to examine ourself in regard to our relationship with God.

Both of these topics are as important today as they were in the time of the Corinthians.Key things for us to recognize here is that in the Kingdom of God there are two key commands: Love God with all your heart, soul and mind; Love your neighbor as yourself. These issues that Paul is dealing with above are some of the practical issues that come out of these commands.

God wants us to follow him and submit to his ways and live the way that he instructs instead of doing things our own ways. That is how we love him and that the key point of the head coverings.

God wants us to love and care for others as we follow him. We are to look out for the needs of others and that is how we love our neighbor as ourself and that is the key point of the second topic.

Let us pray for God's help to love him completely and to love each other with His love.

First Posting - Welcome

The idea behind this blog is to have a daily devotional or daily Bible study. As a church we are currently reading through the New Testament together and are currently in the book of 1 Corinthians. Even though we are in the middle of the book, I'm going to get started here. The first posting will be from yesterday's reading and then I'll also add an entry for today.

I pray that the postings are helpful to you as you read. I would encourage you to read along with us. I would recommend that you read the chapter in the Bible first before reading the discussion. And before reading the Bible chapter, I would also recommend that you pray and ask Jesus Christ to open up your eyes to see and ask him to speak to you.

I have found this adventure through the Bible to be quite beneficial, encouraging and enlightening. It is even better when there is discussions between people as to what spoke to them so we can mutually encourage one another. So I encourage you to add comments to the posts about what things spoke to you in the chapter.

Thank you and happy reading!!