Doing What?

I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. (Acts 26:9 KJV)

Unlike Paul, most of us do not persecute Christians. We don’t set out to make their lives miserable in an attempt to return them to their previous state, unbelievers in Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior.

At least I don’t think my readers do.

There are some in this world who do. The reactions range from those who deny saving grace to those who behead Christians simply for their belief. Christians are often laughed at, ignored or filed suit against, but in some places there are laws limiting their abilities to meet and speak.

It has been this way since our Savior died on the cross.

Those are the extreme reactions to Christians. What about within the Christian community itself? A quick glance among those who call themselves Christian find them doing many things contrary to the name of Jesus.

No, I’m not thinking only of recent, or even past, scandals within differing denominations. Nor am I thinking of evangelical ministers of large congregations who hit headlines with sins consequences. I’m thinking of the every day family members who fit Paul’s description of himself.

For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. (Romans 7:19 KJV)

Sins of omission, sins of commission. We all do them. When recognizing this in ourselves, we agree again with Paul.

O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? (Romans 7:24 KJV)

There are people I love dearly, for whom I fear. There are some I know slightly, and pray for them just as strongly as I do my loved ones, for they are not looking for delivery. Yet we have hope – for them and for ourselves.

For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. (Romans 8:24-25 KJV)

That hope is faith. It accepts God’s grace.

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: (Ephesians 2:8 KJV)

It is written that Christ said it first to a sinful woman who washed His feet.

And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace. (Luke 7:50 KJV)

Do you pray He will say it to others in your life?

Romans 13

The fourteen verses of Romans 13 are incomplete when it comes to the gospel story, but Paul appears to assume we know it. Here he offers us instruction in our daily lives.

Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. (Romans 13:1 KJV)

We are here for God’s purpose. He will allow, and use, those who deny and/or ignore Him.

Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour. (Romans 13:7 KJV)

Shakespeare borrowed from the following verse to advocate being neither a borrower nor lender.

Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. (Romans 13:8 KJV)

We fulfill the second greatest commandment in this verse.

Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. (Romans 13:10 KJV)

I enjoyed finding the source of one of my grandmother’s comments. So often she would say, “It’s high time that …”

And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. (Romans 13:11 KJV)

Are we ready for the light? Do we really consider that today may be the Day of the Lord? As Christians we’ve talked about it for so long that perhaps we’ve forgotten He could return soon. We look back centuries where He did not and calculate centuries ahead that He will not. Yet we’re told:

The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. (Romans 13:12 KJV)

Jesus told us that He was the light of the world.

As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. (John 9:5 KJV)

And, the light of heaven.

And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. (Revelation 21:23 KJV)

It is up to us to be His light in the world

Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. (Matthew 5:14 KJV)

The chapter fittingly ends by telling us how to be that light.

But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof. (Romans 13:14 KJV)

Saint Paul Writing His Epistles. Artist either Valentin de Boulogne or Nicolas Tournier, 16th century. Part of the Blaffer Foundation Collection, Houston, Texas (Wiki Commons)

Following

A few years ago I wrote a series of posts that were written as letters from a follower of Jesus to his parents. The series began on Palm Sunday, when the letter writer was telling of the grand entry into Jerusalem, when so many of His followers felt the culmination of their dreams. They just knew the overthrow of the Roman government was at hand. His kingdom would have to be established to do so. Soon they would achieve what had been foretold by prophets.

Instead, they were faced with betrayal and trials. Even keeping to the fringe, they were faced with denial of Him and what He stood for. Crucifixion for Him, confusion for them. Can you imagine the recriminations? Did Nathaniel blame Philip for bringing him to Christ? Peter had already denied him thrice, did he blame Andrew for bringing him to Christ?

The first day of the week, the day we come to worship Him today, the world turned upside down again. Resurrection. He had preached it to them during His ministry. As most of us do, they ignored what they didn’t understand (or didn’t want to hear) and chose that which most fit their needs. Resurrection changed all of that.

How many times have you heard pastors preach on the following week? Except for the Great Commission, we have a tendency to skip from Resurrection to Pentecost.

Why skip the wonder and awe the apostles felt at His appearance. Is it because we do not feel that same wonder and take for granted what an awesome time it must have been? Can we not imagine being in the upper room and watching Thomas proclaim the truth?

We simply ignore the mundane walk along the road to Emmaus. There’s such a great lesson there. Even today we walk through our days without recognizing Christ. He places people in our paths to display His worth and His will, yet we do not recognize Him or them. Our eyes are just as blind.

Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. (Luke 24:25-27 KJV)

Those same scriptures endure today. They are available in every congregation that calls upon His name as promise of God’s salvation. There is no other religion that requires such a belief as ours. No other religion offers the grace of God by faith.

And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight. And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures? (Luke 24:31-32 KJV)

What does it take to open eyes? What does it take to have our hearts burn within us when we hear scriptures? Would we return along our path to tell those important in our lives what we’ve experienced?

It is now the week following Easter. Celebrations and gatherings are over. We go back to our daily routines. We know we’ll be headed for church upon the first day of each of the following weeks, but do we truly have no more time than right now to gather for life eternal.

Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together. (John 4:35-36 KJV)

Le repas d'Emmaüs, Trophîme Bigot, 17th Century (Wiki Commons)

He Is Risen! Indeed!

For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: (1 Corinthians 15:3-4 KJV)

He is risen!! According to the scriptures. And, the preceding verse is the result of His resurrection.

By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. (1 Corinthians 15:2 KJV)

The presentation Paul makes in this chapter is the very center of Christianity, yet we seldom pay attention to it.

And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. (1 Corinthians 15:14 KJV)

Resurrection is not a myth. Christ died in front of witnesses. He was buried by witnesses. The empty tomb was seen by witnesses. But that is not sufficient evidence. Romans were ready to swear that the body had been taken by His followers.

So, we needed more witnesses.

And that he was seen of Cephas,
then of the twelve:
After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.
After that, he was seen of James;
then of all the apostles.
And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.
(1 Corinthians 15:5-8 KJV)

Paul was calling upon the Corinthians to believe the report of men they could speak to, men who visited their church, who had walked with and talked with Christ after His resurrection. His rhetorical question rings with truth:

O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? (1 Corinthians 15:55 KJV)

From Matthew to Revelation, His story is told over and over again by men in an effort to reach men. Yet mankind has problems accepting that we are …:

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:2 KJV)

I stand before men today making Thomas’ statement and I will stand before Him then, saying the same.

And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. (John 20:28 KJV)

He's Done It All

When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost. (John 19:30 KJV)

Walked upon the golden strand
Held our souls safe in hand
Obeyed his own strait command
He's done it all

Born a man, as you and me
Felt our pain, it had to be
To bear our sin on Calvary
He's done it all

Walked the shores of Galilee
Gave His all so I am free
Bore my cross to Calvary
He's done it all

With His blood, my sin's atoned
I will never stand alone.
He did melt my heart of stone
He's done it all

We must tell this earth below
What we've seen, how we know
God has always loved us so.
He’s done it all

One day kneeling at His throne
In faith to hear "You are my own.
Come with me. You're not alone."
We'll have done it all.

I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. (Revelation 1:8 KJV)

The "F" Words

Food, fun fellowship. Some of my best memories are wrapped around those three words. This week brought us several examples of such.

First, my Beloved Husband’s brother and his wife are staying with us for a few days. This is the full brother found after 37 years of separation, and we’ve been so grateful to God for their place in our lives. The family was reunited in 1987, and it’s been a blessed 23 years.

As we went over our plans, we realized our evenings had all been taken with activities put on the calendar before we knew when they would be here.

They arrived Wednesday, when we were previously scheduled to provide treats for our AWANA children. So they came into a house filled with aroma of baking cupcakes, then carried off to watch the children participate in Easter egg hunts and play time.

Thursday nights are our regular 42 nights. These began with a couple from our church providing a home cooked meal for a widower and a gentle man (space intended) whose wife is in a nursing home. They would eat and play the domino game 42. It has flexed and grown into three tables of four players of senior adults from our church. Our guests fit right in.

Friday night is a Family Game Night, which we set up for every six to eight weeks as family members are available – this one happen to fall with they were here. Our three children, one grandchild, guests and spouses will gather for potluck dinner and game tables.

Saturday night the Rochester Family will present a concert at our church, followed by a BBQ sandwich dinner and Beloved Husband will be taking a sheet cake for dessert.

Sunday is the annual celebration of that which we celebrate each and every first day of the week – the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Our guests will join in that celebration (and another opportunity to hear the Rochesters sing) then we’re off to First Daughter’s house for Easter dinner, another bring-a-dish.

So, why is all this activity listed in my Bible reading blog? Because of the “F” words -- food, fun, fellowship, friends and family – that flow through our Christian life.

It has been thus since examples were given.

And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. (Acts 2:42 KJV)

In the midst of storms, Paul gave an example of how to handle them in our lives today.

And when he had thus spoken, he took bread, and gave thanks to God in presence of them all: and when he had broken it, he began to eat. Then were they all of good cheer, and they also took some meat. (Acts 27:35-36 KJV)

Each and every one of the listed activities included prayer. We pray not only that the food prepared would serve as nourishment to our bodies, but also for answered prayers, prayers for specific requests and thanks giving for God’s mercy and grace in our lives, in Jesus name.

For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. (Matthew 18:20 KJV)

May God offer you the same opportunities to enjoy His world with His people.

And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? for we have forsaken thy commandments, (Ezra 9:10 KJV)

Ezra was speaking to a captive people. He had been astonished that day hearing transgressions of God’s chosen people. At the evening sacrifice, he spoke to God

And said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens. (Ezra 9:6 KJV)

There are times what I see in this world today does cause me to blush in shame, too. God’s word has been shown to us and we’ve treated it the same way it has been treated since Eve plucked the fruit in the Garden.

To disbelieve the sinfulness nature of man is to ignore what mankind has done, and is doing still.

Philosophers today write of man’s ability to produce good works without religion. Twice in the past year I’ve read articles written by professes philosophers extolling how far mankind has come, lifting up man’s ability to do good to all. To do so denies a central truth that we’ve experienced, was recognized early in the scriptures and repeated by Paul:

As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: (Romans 3:10 KJV)

That’s the message Jesus spoke when answering Pharisees.

But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. (Matthew 9:12-13 KJV)

Don’t make the mistake of thinking the Pharisees righteous, though.

But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. (Matthew 23:13 KJV)

Which brings us back to Ezra 9:10. What do we say to God after all we’ve done? We could give thought to the people’s response to Ezra.

Then all the congregation answered and said with a loud voice, As thou hast said, so must we do. (Ezra 10:12 KJV)

They had been told to rid themselves of the sinful lifestyle that included unbelieving wives. No – we’re not advocating divorce. That is not what God has spoken for His people today. Christ’s message asked more.

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. (Matthew 22:37-40 KJV)

Just a few chapters before, Jesus had told the young rich young man to sell his goods (Matthew 19:16-26). I believe it was because that hindered him from complying with the two commandments. What hinders us?

Ezra (Esdras) Published by Guillaume Rouille (1518?-1589) (Wiki Commons)