Build Up Each Other!
Note from Jesus Dear Beloved, I love those times when you lose yourself in worshipful praise as you are filled with the Holy Spirit. To see your heart moved in love to praise the Father for what I have done to save you is precious. You can worship Me and praise Me anywhere you are. You can be in your car, at a park, on a hike, at a coffee shop, in town walking, or at home getting ready to begin or end the day. Because of the Holy Spirit within you, you can always have access to the Father. Because of the Holy Spirit’s presence, you can passionately worship Me in any place or at any time. Because of the Holy Spirit’s dwelling within you, you can be blessed personally by your time of worship no matter where you are. However, I want you to hear Paul’s warning about being so focused on your own fulfillment in worship that you forget an essential purpose of coming together with other “believers” in shared worship. There are things you can do in your personal worship that bless you and connect you to Me that you should not do when assembled with others. Something the Spirit may lead you to do in personal worship may not bless others because they don’t understand it. Remember, you are assembling with “believers,” “unbelievers,” and “inquirers” who are all together in the worship gathering with different needs to know Me. They need to understand the Father’s grace and see you display My character and compassion in the way you treat them in that assembly and also in how you live your lives each day. In today’s verses, Paul makes clear that one of the primary purposes of “believers” gathering together in worship is to “build up” other “believers.” Notice “edify,” “strengthen,” and “build up” are keywords used in the translation below. In addition, what you do should lead non-believers to understand the message of truth and fall down with you in reverent worship offered to the Father. Notice these two statements of Paul in the verses below: Since you are eager for gifts of the Spirit, try to excel in those that build up the church. … But if an unbeliever or an inquirer comes in while everyone is prophesying, they are convicted of sin and are brought under judgment by all, as the secrets of their hearts are laid bare. So they will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, “God is really among you!” The Corinthian Christians had become so focused on speaking in tongues that their worship gatherings had become chaotic. Each person focused on his or her private experience and forgot about other worshipers and their needs. Paul twice emphasized that God is a God of order, and things must be done in an orderly way. Seven times Paul emphasized the need to “build up” and “edify” each other as disciples come together in worship. (See the words in bold in the verses below.) Paul even made a special point to emphasize objectives that are related to three different groups of people and that need to be considered in these worship gatherings: He reminds the Corinthians that “believers” should be built up. He emphasizes that “inquirers” should be able to understand what is said. He says that even “unbelievers” should be able to hear, understand, and be convicted so that they can join in the worship. Paul then gave several key guidelines for them to use. These guidelines are equally relevant today: Strive to do what is not only filled with the Spirit but also understandable and intelligible to others. If folks can’t understand what you are doing, then you should enjoy that kind of worship in private between you and Us — Father, Son, and Spirit — or do so privately and to yourself in your worship gatherings. Focus on the needs of others when you are gathered together as “believers” and there are “unbelievers” and “inquirers” present. Help those who are present and worshiping with you to understand the good news found in Me, to turn their lives around and worship Me, and to be blessed and built up to live for Me. Eagerly desire spiritual gifts, but recognize that your gifts should be used to build up all who are present or should be practiced privately and celebrated between you and Us. Remember the most important principle of all. As Paul said it: “Follow the way of love…” Verses to Live Before focusing on Paul’s words to the Corinthians, I wanted to share a special passage that reminds you of an essential focus of the Christian assembly: considering others and inspiring each other to love and good deeds! Let us consider how to inspire each other to greater love and to righteous deeds, not forgetting to gather as a community, as some have forgotten, but encouraging each other, especially as the day of His return approaches. (Hebrews 10:24-25) Paul’s words to the Corinthians provide a great example of applying these principles: Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy. For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to people but to God. Indeed, no one understands them; they utter mysteries by the Spirit. But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort. Anyone who speaks in a tongue edifies themselves, but the one who prophesies edifies the church. I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be edified. Now, brothers and sisters, if I come to you and speak in tongues, what good will I be to you, unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or word of instruction? Even in the case of lifeless things that make sounds, such as the
A More Excellent Way!
Note from Jesus Dear Precious One, Some words are simply more important than others. In the human vocabulary that We — Father, Son, and Spirit — use, one word stands above all others: love. Our nature is love — as John beautifully stated: [A]nyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love. God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love — not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us. (1 John 4:8-12 NLT) I came to earth to walk among you and share your mortality because of Our love. We came to your world to save you from what is broken and dying so we can redeem both you and your world (John 3:16-17; 1 John 3:16-18; Romans 8:22-25). While I lived among you, I taught you that the whole law could be summed up in two love commands: Love God with all that you are and love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:36-40). I demonstrated love with what I did in My life (John 13:1-5) and in My death (Romans 5:6-11; 1 John 3:16). I called on you, again and again, to love each other showing the fruit of the Father’s loving grace in your own dealings with each other (John 15:9-13). Our example of love is the basis of what the apostle Paul told new Christians in Thessalonica: Now about your love for one another we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. And in fact, you do love all of God’s family… Yet we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more,… (1 Thessalonians 4:9-10 NIV) The last verses below from the apostle Paul — chapter 13 of 1 Corinthians — are some of his most famous and celebrated words. Many people call these words the love chapter of the Bible. However, I want you to realize that these words were written to a church where spiritual gifts were being misused because of pride and rivalry. Notice the words Paul uses to set up his teaching, which he points out is “a more excellent way” and leads to “the greater gifts”: Are all members gifted as emissaries [apostles]? Are all gifted with prophetic utterance? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Or are all gifted in healing arts? Do all speak or interpret unknown languages? Of course not. Pursue the greater gifts, and let me tell you of a more excellent way — love. (1 Corinthians 12:29-31) Paul is making clear that no matter how talented, rich, smart, generous, spiritual, or gifted in other ways you are, without doing what you do in love, your giftedness means nothing. People fuss, fight, and divide My body, the church, over things that are temporary. And the result is they end up neglecting the things that really matter — faith, hope, and love — and especially the one thing that matters most: LOVE! Verses to Live What Paul says here is not only true, but it also is essential for you as My disciple. You must be loving. But also remember that you cannot love others fully and sacrificially on your own power. Loving others must be your commitment, but you can also turn to Us and ask for Our help to live this way of love. We will supply you with the power to love! So I give you this promise, through the words of Paul: When our characters are refined, we learn what it means to hope and anticipate God’s goodness. And hope will never fail to satisfy our deepest need because the Holy Spirit that was given to us has flooded our hearts with God’s love. (Romans 5:4-5) Now carefully read, consider, and commit to applying this beautiful teaching from the apostle Paul! What if I speak in the most elegant languages of people or in the exotic languages of the heavenly messengers, but I live without love? Well then, anything I say is like the clanging of brass or a crashing cymbal. What if I have the gift of prophecy, am blessed with knowledge and insight to all the mysteries, or what if my faith is strong enough to scoop a mountain from its bedrock, yet I live without love? If so, I am nothing. I could give all that I have to feed the poor, I could surrender my body to be burned as a martyr, but if I do not live in love, I gain nothing by my selfless acts. Love is patient; love is kind. Love isn’t envious, doesn’t boast, brag, or strut about. There’s no arrogance in love; it’s never rude, crude, or indecent — it’s not self-absorbed. Love isn’t easily upset. Love doesn’t tally wrongs or celebrate injustice; but truth — yes, truth — is love’s delight! Love puts up with anything and everything that comes along; it trusts, hopes, and endures no matter what. Love will never become obsolete. Now as for the prophetic gifts, they will not last; unknown languages will become silent, and the gift of knowledge will no longer be needed. Gifts of knowledge and prophecy are partial at best, at least for now, but when the perfection and fullness of God’s kingdom arrive, all the parts will end. When I was a child, I spoke, thought, and reasoned in childlike ways as we all do. But when I became a man, I left my childish ways behind. For now, we can only see a dim and blurry picture of
Gifted by the Spirit
Note from Jesus Dear Precious Believer, You became a child of the Father when you turned your heart and life to follow Me, called on Me in faith to be your Savior, confessed Me as your Lord, and shared in My death, burial, and resurrection through baptism (Romans 10:9-13; Acts 2:21; Acts 2:36-41; Acts 16:25-34; Galatians 3:26-29). I poured out the Holy Spirit upon you as you were born into a new life with Me — a life filled and led by the Spirit (Acts 2:38-39; Titus 3:3-7; Romans 8:9-10). As a beloved child of your Father in heaven, you are a gifted child. The Holy Spirit is alive in you. We — Father, Son, and Spirit — have given you spiritual gifts to use to bless other believers, to touch the lost and needy, and to bring Us glory. Today, your verses come from 1 Corinthians where Paul talks to the Corinthians about their spiritual gifts. So I wanted to share several insights with you about spiritual gifts and what the New Testament teaches you about these gifts. Numerous passages in your New Testament talk about your having received these gifts. Each passage has a little bit of a different emphasis: Each of you is given gifts to use as part of My body, so use them without arrogance and with gracious commitment (Romans 12:3-8) Each of you has at least one spiritual gift, but don’t use your gift pridefully. Instead, recognize that each gift is important to the function of My body, the church, so use your gift in love to build up the church and to bless others. If your gift is to be used in your worship assemblies, use it in an orderly way to build up and bless others (1 Corinthians 12:1-30; 1 Corinthians 14:1-40). I gave gifts to help the church function as My bodily presence, so use your gifts — use equipping gifts to help others minister and use serving gifts to bring My grace to others. When you each use your gifts appropriately, then My church is matured more and more into My likeness to bring My grace to those around you (Ephesians 4:7-16). There are speaking gifts and serving gifts. Use your speaking gifts to speak My message and use your serving gifts and the strength that I supply to bless others as I would bless them (1 Peter 4:10-11). Doctor Luke, Paul’s sometimes companion, wrote two books in your New Testament, Luke’s gospel and Acts. His gospel emphasized how the Holy Spirit was at work in My earthly ministry so that you can see the connection between My ministry and your ministry — both are empowered by the Holy Spirit. Before I ascended into clouds and returned to the Father, I made this promise: [Y]ou [the apostles] will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere — in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. (Acts 1:8 NLT) In Peter’s sermon on Pentecost, a similar promise was made to all disciples: Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away — all who have been called by the Lord our God.” (Acts 2:38-39 NLT) Throughout the book of Acts, Luke emphasized how the Holy Spirit helped My disciples take My good news to all the world, beginning from Jerusalem, going throughout Judea, reaching out to Samaria, and then reaching to the ends of the earth. Not only did the Holy Spirit empower My disciples to share My story, but the Spirit also confirmed that different groups had been accepted into My family. The Spirit’s presence demonstrated that these different groups should be included in the fellowship of My disciples. This imparting of the Spirit happened first with Jews at Pentecost when the Spirit came to the apostles in a very demonstrable way. The Spirit’s coming also showed that I was alive from the dead and had authorized what occurred that day. The apostles’ preaching promised that forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit were available to everyone who answered My call to believe that I AM both Lord and Christ and to be baptized in My name (Acts 2:32-41). My disciples were a little slow to realize that when I commissioned them to go to all nations (Matthew 28:16-20), I meant it. At first, they were taking My message just to Jewish people. So I sent a disciple named Philip to Samaria to go to people that Jews didn’t appreciate: Samaritans (Acts 8:4-8). However, when these precious Samaritans were baptized, they didn’t receive the Spirit until a group of apostles came from Jerusalem and laid hands on them. Then, I sent the Holy Spirit in a clearly recognizable way to these Samaritan believers to show My apostles, along with the rest of My Jewish disciples, that Samaritan believers must be included in My family of grace. The Spirit’s coming showed the Jewish disciples that they must accept these Samaritan believers as brothers and sisters (Acts 8:14-17; Acts 8:25). Still, most of the world, especially the non-Jewish world, had not heard My message and had not been included in My family. To help My apostles and the Jewish people in Jerusalem realize that all people should be included in My Family, I sent a vision to the apostle Peter to show him that he should share My grace with Gentiles (Acts 10:1-43). To show Peter that these Gentile believers should be included in My family by faith and that he must baptize them, I sent the Holy Spirit to the household of Cornelius in a way that Peter recognized — Cornelius and his household received the Spirit
Vital!
Note from Jesus Dear Member of My Body, At the beginning of the 12th chapter of 1 Corinthians, the apostle Paul is about to address the chaos that had resulted from the Corinthians’ selfish approach to using their spiritual gifts: Now let me turn to some issues about spiritual gifts, brothers and sisters. There’s much you need to learn. (1 Corinthians 12:1) He makes sure his readers know what he is about to say is corrective as well as informative. He wants them to know that while they thought they excelled in knowledge, they really didn’t understand the most important principles about spiritual gifts. Paul wants all the believers in Corinth to understand that, just as a human body has many parts that function together as one body, the same is true in My church. Each person has spiritual gifts to use, but each person should use them as part of My body to bless the rest of the body. The Corinthian disciples needed to realize that none of them should try to appear, feel, or act as more important than other persons who are also vital parts of My body. God the Father is the One Who gives each part of My body its functions. He gives each person the gifts He wants each one to have with specific tasks that each part of the body is to perform. Each part needs the rest of the body to exist and function properly, so there should be no talk about which person or gift is most important. There should be no pride or arrogance exhibited by anyone. Each person is given gifts by God, by grace, not based on her or his own merit. Each is given what she or he is given to be a blessing to the rest of the body, not to bring glory to herself or himself. In a physical body, when one part of the body is hurt or ill, then the rest of the body is impacted. This effect should also be true in My body, the church. When one part of My body is suffering, other parts of the body should suffer with the ailing part. All parts of My body should work together to help, heal, and bless the ailing part. Rather than one part exalting itself, each body part should show greater concern for other parts. The goal is that all parts of the body will work together, empowered by the Holy Spirit, to do My work in the world. So before tomorrow when you will begin Paul’s discussion about spiritual gifts and the need for unity and love, I want you to carefully read these verses below. Notice Paul’s emphasis on unity, grace, interconnectedness, devotion, and care. Any practice of spiritual gifts that leads to personal exaltation or leaves out these principles is going to bring chaos, conflict, and division. Verses to Live A human body is comprised of many parts, and so is My body, the church. Each part of the body — each person in My church — is vital and precious. Each should bless other body parts, lead others to Me, and help My body, the church, share My grace with the lost world. Concerning gifts that are given by the Spirit, Paul said: Now to each one [each believer] the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. (1 Corinthians 12:7 NIV) Just as a body is one whole made up of many different parts, and all the different parts comprise the one body, so it is with the Anointed One. We were all… washed through baptism together into one body by one Spirit. No matter our heritage — Jew or Greek, insider or outsider — no matter our status — oppressed or free — we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Here’s what I mean: the body is not made of one large part but of many different parts. Would it seem right for the foot to cry, “I am not a hand, so I couldn’t be part of this body”? Even if it did, it wouldn’t be any less joined to the body. And what about an ear? If an ear started to whine, “I am not an eye; I shouldn’t be attached to this body,” in all its pouting, it is still part of the body. Imagine the entire body as an eye. How would a giant eye be able to hear? And if the entire body were an ear, how would an ear be able to smell? This is where God comes in. God has meticulously put this body together; He placed each part in the exact place to perform the exact function He wanted. If all members were a single part, where would the body be? So now, many members function within the one body. The eye cannot wail at the hand, “I have no need for you,” nor could the head bellow at the feet, “I won’t go one more step with you.” It’s actually the opposite. The members who seem to have the weaker functions are necessary to keep the body moving; the body parts that seem less important we treat as some of the most valuable; and those unfit, untamed, unpresentable members we treat with an even greater modesty. That’s something the more presentable members don’t need. But God designed the body in such a way that greater significance is given to the seemingly insignificant part. That way there should be no division in the body; instead, all the parts mutually depend on and care for one another. If one part is suffering, then all the members suffer alongside it. If one member is honored, then all the members celebrate alongside it. You are the body of the Anointed, the Liberating King; each and every one of you is a vital member. (1 Corinthians 12:12-27) Because of the grace allotted to me, I can respectfully tell you not to think of yourselves as
Wait for Each Other at My Table!
Note from Jesus Dear Precious Disciple, Few things have been more important to My disciples through the centuries than My Supper. The Eucharist, the Lord‘s Supper, Communion, and Holy Communion are all terms that have been used to speak of My Supper. These names are based on things said in the Scriptures about sharing in this special meal of remembrance and anticipation. I shared in the seder meal as part of Passover with My disciples before My betrayal, trials, and crucifixion. My disciples have called this the Last Supper over the years. That meal was a precious time with My disciples for many reasons. I wanted to show My love, to warn them of coming trials, and to plant seeds of hope beyond My crucifixion. In the verses below, the apostle Paul makes clear one of the key reasons this meal was so important: I passed on to you the tradition the Lord gave to me: On the same night the Lord Jesus was betrayed, He took the bread in His hands; and after giving thanks to God, He broke it and said, “This is My body, broken for you. Keep doing this so that you and all who come after will have a vivid reminder of Me.” My Supper with the disciples on that night provides you with a great foundation for your participation in Communion. Paul points to several truths that he wants the disciples to get out of this time of communion together — or as he calls it in the verses below, “the Lord‘s Supper.” If you compare his points in his letter to the Corinthians with Luke’s emphasis in the book of Acts on “breaking bread” and you look back at the passion accounts in each of the four gospels, you can develop a much richer and broader emphasis for the celebration of My Supper in your day. What Paul says in the verses below is focused on correcting the awful abuses of the Corinthians. There was a division between rich and poor (the “haves” and the “have-nots”) that included drunkenness on the part of some and being left out on the part of others. This breaking down of fellowship destroyed so much of the original intent and practice of My Supper. I shared this meal with My disciples in very close fellowship before My death. I shared honest words with them. I demonstrated love and service by washing their feet. I gave them sharp warnings about their unfaithfulness before the night would end. I also gave them reassuring teaching about the future, the sending of the Holy Spirit, and My ultimate victory. This meal was a time of intimate fellowship. However, in the Corinthians’ lust for a spiritual high, some of them had made My Supper into something they treated as almost magical (see yesterday’s devotional). From their warped and selfish perspective, they thought that the more they ate and drank, the more they honored Me and the better the celebration for them personally. For them, the concept of sharing this meal in close communion with others was forgotten. So Paul warned the Corinthians very clearly: They had to recognize two meanings of My body to celebrate My Supper correctly. He wanted them to remember Me and the price I paid on the cross with My body and My blood. In addition, he also wanted them to remember that they were My bodily presence as My church in the world. You need to recognize both meanings also! When you forget either understanding, something holy and precious is lost in My Supper! In fact, Paul made the point that, because they had lost one of these emphases on My body in My Supper, they were actually drinking damnation upon themselves. Their disregard for My body, My people, was causing some in their community to be “sick and weak” and causing some of the spiritual problems they were dealing with in their house churches in Corinth. Verses to Live I want you to pay close attention to the things that Paul teaches in these verses. Don’t forget Me and the price I paid for you in My body and with My blood. The bread and wine you take should be viewed by you as precious, as My body and blood. And, as you take the bread together, don’t forget that all who take that bread are My bodily presence in the world and what happens to one part of My body impacts all the others. So as you remember My death, also show loving care to My ongoing life in My body, the church with whom you share My meal! When we give thanks and share the cup of blessing, are we not sharing in the blood of the Anointed One? When we give thanks and break bread, are we not sharing in His body? Because there is one bread, we, though many, are also one body since we all share one bread. (1 Corinthians 10:16-17) On this next matter, I wish I could applaud you; but I can’t because your gatherings have become counterproductive, making things worse for the community rather than better. Let me start with this: I hear that your gatherings are polarizing the community; and to be honest, this doesn’t surprise me. I’ve accepted the fact that factions are sometimes useful and even necessary so that those who are authentic and those who are counterfeit may be recognized. This distinction is obvious when you come together because it is not the Lord’s Supper you are eating at all. When it’s time to eat, some hastily dig right in; but look — some have more than others: over there someone is hungry, and over here someone is drunk! What is going on? If a self-centered meal is what you want, can’t you eat and drink at home? Do you have so little respect for God’s people and this community that you shame the poor at the Lord’s table? I don’t even know
Beyond Magic: Supernatural!
Note from Jesus Dear Beloved, On the night I was betrayed, I shared in what you call The Last Supper. I gathered with My closest disciples around a table to share the Passover meal. And I used this setting as the background to institute a regular meal for disciples to use to remember Me and to be joined together as My body. This meal became a centerpiece of early Christian gatherings on the first day of the week (Acts 20:7). This special meal is known to you by several names — The Supper, The Lord‘s Supper, Communion, Holy Communion, The Eucharist, and The Feast. No matter what you call this meal, it has been practiced by Christians from the beginning of My church. From the beginning, My followers had a tendency to drift from My original intentions. I wanted them to share together in loving unity, to proclaim My story, to examine their hearts, to remember My death, to celebrate My resurrection, to give thanks for the gift I gave them, and to anticipate My return. Some looked at taking the bread and wine as almost magical. Some felt if they could just eat the bread and drink the wine in this special feast, then some supernatural power was at work in them to make them holy. I warned about this misconception when I taught the crowds after I had fed the 5,000 and walked on the water to My disciples (see the second set of verses below). More than just eating My body and drinking My blood metaphorically in communion, they needed to eat Me — My “flesh.” They needed to take My teaching, lifestyle, and love for others into their lives and let Me sustain them. I wanted My early disciples, and you today as My disciple, to realize that The Supper is not magical but transforming. I am present in The Supper to give you life through the sacrifice of My life. You must commit to taking Me in and letting Me reign over all your heart as your example, teacher, and Lord. Paul (in the first set of verses) warns the Corinthians that there was nothing magical in communion. Instead, the meaning and significance of communion come from a disciple’s faith to receive Me and his or her commitment to follow Me. The Israelites shared in spiritual food and drink in the wilderness, but that supernatural food did not keep them from sinning or from being judged: They [the Israelites] were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. (1 Corinthians 10:2-5 NIV) The goal of My Supper is not to see who can eat the most magical food and drink the most supernatural drink! On the other hand, those who come to My Table committed to live for Me will find supernatural sustenance in My holy meal. So Paul warns the Corinthians not to think of The Supper as magical. My Supper is to be a supernatural meal that sustains those who seek to avoid idolatry, who care for each other in My church, who recognize My Supper as a recommitment to live for Me, and who not only give thanks for the Father’s grace in sending Me but also share that grace with others. Verses to Live My resurrection from the dead has great power, yet simply taking the Lord’s Supper won’t do things for you. You must live by My wisdom and truth. I [Paul] wouldn’t want you to be ignorant of our history, brothers and sisters. Our ancestors [the Israelites] were once safeguarded under a miraculous cloud in the wilderness and brought safely through the sea. Enveloped in water by cloud and by sea, they were, you might say, ritually cleansed into Moses through baptism. Together they were sustained supernaturally: they all ate the same spiritual food, manna; and they all drank the same spiritual water, flowing from a spiritual rock that was always with them, for the rock was the Anointed One, our Liberating King. Despite all of this, they were punished in the wilderness because God was unhappy with most of them. Look at what happened to them as an example; it’s right there in the Scriptures so that we won’t make the same mistakes and hunger after evil as they did. So here’s my advice: don’t degrade yourselves by worshiping anything less than the living God as some of them did. Remember it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and then rose up in dance and play.” We must be careful not to engage in sexual sins as some of them did. In one day, 23,000 died because of sin. None of us must test the limits of the Lord’s patience. Some of the Israelites did, and serpents bit them and killed them. You need to stop your groaning and whining. Remember the story. Some of them complained, and the messenger of death came for them and destroyed them. All these things happened for a reason: to sound a warning. They were written down and passed down to us to teach us. They were meant especially for us because the beginning of the end is happening in our time. So let even the most confident believers remember their examples and be very careful not to fall as some of them did. Any temptation you face will be nothing new. But God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can handle. But He always provides a way of escape so that you will be able to endure and keep moving forward. So then, my beloved friends, run from idolatry in any form. As wise as I know you are, understand clearly what
To Win Some
Note from Jesus Dear Disciple, Disciple-makers live to do one thing: they live to make other disciples! I gave the Great Commission to My original disciples, and I also told them to teach all the new disciples to obey the same commission. My primary command in this commission was to “make disciples of all the nations.” My disciples are to do it by going to people of all nations, baptizing them in Our name, and teaching these new believers to obey what I had commanded My original disciples to obey. Few have done the going-to-all-nations part of My Great Commission as passionately as Paul. He realized the importance and urgency of this call: This urgency, this necessity has been laid on me. … God chose me and entrusted me with this mission. Paul’s passion didn’t involve just going to other places, people, and cultures. Paul realized that going to other cultures included giving up his rights as he entered into that culture, shared in that culture, and spoke to people in the context of that culture. He made himself a “slave” to the people of the culture he was trying to reach. Here is how he expressed this truth: And, even though no one (except Jesus) owns me, I have become a slave by my own free will to everyone in hopes that I would gather more believers. … I’m flexible, adaptable, and able to do and be whatever is needed for all kinds of people so that in the end I can use every means at my disposal to offer them salvation. What Paul did could be called incarnational ministry — entering into the world and culture of the people you are trying to reach, living authentically in that cultural world, and learning to speak My truth in the language and lifestyle of that cultural world. Incarnational ministry is what I lived when I came to earth (John 1:9-14), and Paul followed My example. This entering into the cultural world of others is what I am calling you to do as well. Love people enough to live with them and know their world. Grow to understand their hopes, their dreams, their fears, and their brokenness. As one who has entered their world, you then have the opportunity to speak My truth, share My love, and invite them to know My grace. This process is costly, but as Paul makes clear, it is more than worth the effort: I do it all for the gospel and for the hope that I may participate with everyone who is blessed by the proclamation of the good news. Entering into and adapting to other people’s world to share My grace with them can apply to your neighbors, co-workers, fellow students, etc. as well as people in other countries and other regions. Verses to Live Far from trying to force someone to accept your culture as you proclaim My good news, please learn from My example and learn from the words Paul shares in the second set of verses below. All authentic ministry is incarnational ministry. That means it is costly, yet it is worth every sacrifice! As I promised immediately after I gave you the Great Commission, I will be with you always. Then the eleven disciples left for Galilee, going to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him — but some of them doubted! Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:16-20 NLT) Despite what I’ve said here, I [Paul] have never staked a claim for such things [that is, financial support from the Corinthian church], and I have no intention to start now; that’s not why I’m writing. I would rather die than have anyone (including me) invalidate my right to boast. You see, if I preach the good news, it’s nothing to brag about. This urgency, this necessity has been laid on me. In fact, if I were to stop sharing this good news, I’d be in big trouble. You see, my story is different. I didn’t volunteer for this. Had I volunteered to preach the good news, then I would deserve a wage, a reward, or something. But I didn’t choose this. God chose me and entrusted me with this mission. You’re looking for the catch. I know you’re wondering, “What reward is he talking about?” My reward, besides being with you and knowing you, is sharing the good news of the Anointed One with you free and clear. That means I don’t insist on all my rights for support in the good news; that also means that I am free of obligations to all people. And, even though no one (except Jesus) owns me, I have become a slave by my own free will to everyone in hopes that I would gather more believers. When around Jews, I emphasize my Jewishness in order to win them over. When around those who live strictly under the law, I live by its regulations — even though I have a different perspective on the law now — in order to win them over. In the same way, I’ve made a life outside the law to gather those who live outside the law (although I personally abide by and live under the Anointed One’s law). I’ve been broken, lost, depressed, oppressed, and weak that I might find favor and gain the weak. I’m flexible, adaptable, and able to do and be whatever is needed for all kinds of people so that in the end I can use every means at my disposal to offer them salvation. I
Supporting Those Who Serve
Note from Jesus Dear Friend, The support of those who work for Me as their calling and vocation has always been a touchy issue among some of My people. Paul ran into one of the most unusual of these controversies about his financial support: When he didn’t take financial support from the Corinthians, they felt his ministry was not very important. In fact, some were offended that he didn’t ask for support. In reality, Paul had the right to ask the Corinthians to help him financially. That’s what today’s verses are really discussing. However, he recognized early in his ministry with them that he should not ask for their support. He was wise to make this decision. With the Corinthian believers’ rivalries and arrogance, those who supported him could have used their support as a claim of superiority or favor. Instead of creating another excuse for division, Paul supported himself, and sometimes his whole little mission team, with his own trade of leatherwork and tent-making. However, as he says in the verses below: Is it too much to ask that we would be compensated materially for planting life- and world-changing spiritual realities? … So it shouldn’t be a stretch that the Lord has arranged for preachers of the gospel to make a living by those who have embraced and been liberated by the gospel. Paul did allow some people in other places to help support his ministry financially (Philippians 1:4-7; Philippians 4:14-16). But, he was always careful not to be a burden or to cause division or false impressions by taking financial support (1 Thessalonians 2:6-12; 2 Thessalonians 3:6-10). The bottom line of all these considerations is a responsibility I want you to fulfill. Make sure you honor, affirm, support, encourage, and bless those who labor faithfully with you (1 Thessalonians 2:9-12) and are working hard among you in kingdom matters (1 Thessalonians 5:12). Yes, just like there was a Judas in My original 12 apostles (John 12:4-6), you are also going to find some leaders in My Church who are unscrupulous, lazy, and even greedy. But remember, there are far more who are sacrificial servants and who give of themselves unselfishly than there are who are selfish, irresponsible, or lazy. Many of these sacrificial servants over the centuries have served without remuneration and even given their lives to serve My people and the lost. So whether the way you honor My ministering servants is by paying them for their work or by showing honor with your words and actions or by being obedient to their leadership, please honor your leaders. Honor them for what they do for you and what they do to honor Me. Here are some additional scriptures in conjunction with the verses below. These scriptures emphasize what I want you both to know and to do: Brothers and sisters, we ask you to show appreciation to those who are working hard among you and those who are your leaders as they guide and instruct you in the Lord — they are priceless. When you think about them, let it be with great love in your heart because of all the work they have done. Let peace live and reign among you. Brothers and sisters, we strongly advise you to scold the rebels who devote their lives to wreaking havoc, to encourage the downcast, to help the sick and weak, and to be patient with all of them. Make sure no one returns evil for evil, but always pursue what is good as it affects one another in the church but also all people. (1 Thessalonians 5:12-15) Elders who are leading well should be admired and valued. Double up on the honor shown them; care for them well — especially those constantly and consistently teaching the word and preaching. For the Scripture agrees, “Don’t muzzle the ox while it is treading out your grain,” and, “The worker deserves his wages.” (1 Timothy 5:17-18) Listen to your leaders, who have spoken God’s word to you. Notice the fruits of their lives and mirror their faith. Jesus the Anointed One is always the same: yesterday, today, and forever. (Hebrews 13:7-8) Listen to your leaders and submit to their authority over the community, for they are on constant watch to protect your souls and someday they must give account. Give them reason to be joyful and not to regret their duty, for that will be of no good to you. (Hebrews 13:17) You who are younger in the faith: do as your elders and leaders ask. All of you should treat each other with humility, for as it says in Proverbs, God opposes the proud but offers grace to the humble. So bow down under God’s strong hand; then when the time comes, God will lift you up. (1 Peter 5:5-6) Verses to Live Many of My greatest servants, people who have given themselves to serve Me and My kingdom sacrificially, will never have their names honored, or their work noticed unless you affirm and thank them. So please, honor those who lead you and honor Me! Am I not truly free? Am I not an emissary of the Liberating King? Have I not personally encountered Jesus our Lord? Are you not my work, my mission in the Lord? Even if others don’t recognize that I am His emissary, at least you do because you are the seal, the living proof that the Lord commissioned me to be His representative. Let me speak in my own defense against those keeping themselves busy picking me apart. Have we lost the right to eat and drink? Have we lost the right to bring along our wives, our sisters in Jesus? Other emissaries travel with their wives, and so do the brothers of our Lord, not to mention Cephas. Is it just Barnabas and I who have lost the right to earn a living? Is a soldier in combat required to pay his own salary? Who would plant a vineyard and not
Not Causing to Stumble
Note from Jesus Dear Disciple, Some issues were hard for new Christians to understand. One question for these new believers in Corinth was this: “Should we avoid food sacrificed to idols?” They didn’t want to be polluted by things associated with idols, yet meat that was not sacrificed to idols was hard to find unless they went to kosher Jewish butchers if they could find one. Paul had taught them to stay away from any kind of immorality. For some Corinthians, this principle seemed to indicate that they should have nothing to do with meat or any other thing associated with idols because doing so could associate them with idol worship, including the rampant practice of prostitution in the false religions that permeated their culture. They were also confused by some questions associated with other truths about their faith: Weren’t they free from law-keeping as the way to be justified? Didn’t their freedom allow them to eat this meat as long as they didn’t participate in the worship of idols? Weren’t idols just inanimate objects and not gods at all? Aren’t all things permitted for believers if the object or activity is offered to God to glorify Him? Paul established several clear principles to help the Christians navigate these difficult problems. He offered them several very good principles to help work through this issue while taking responsibility for their choices and their influence on others. Those principles can be seen in the answers to these core questions — answers that come from Christian love for and support of your brothers and sisters: Is the activity or behavior helping you love your brothers and sisters, or is it a source of personal pride and a sense of importance? Eating food or avoiding food doesn’t move you closer to or farther away from God. So is it worth making what you eat a significant issue in the life of another believer, especially if that believer is a new Christian? Why would you eat, drink, or do anything that would cause brothers or sisters to fall away from God and into their old lives of sin? Does participating or not participating build up and encourage your brothers and sisters? Are you doing or refusing to do something based on glorifying God, or is there another reason? Does doing this activity or eating this food or drinking this drink offend an ethnic or social group within the body of Christ? Remember, you not only are in relationship with Me as your Lord and Savior, but you are also connected to every other believer, especially those in your fellowship. You should not be living to please yourself, but Me. You should not be living to bless yourself, but others whom you influence. Follow Paul’s example and take the time to learn the needs, the vulnerabilities, and the struggles of your Christian brothers and sisters. Then adjust your use of your freedom as My disciple to bless and build up these other believers in the best possible way. Verses to Live While this discussion appears to be from long ago and far away because of the whole issue of idolatry, think of other situations where you can apply these principles. Ask yourself the core questions above (the six numbered questions) to help you examine your own motives and your brothers’ and sisters’ needs. As to the concern of eating food dedicated to idols: we know that all of us have knowledge, but knowledge can be risky. Knowledge promotes overconfidence and worse arrogance, but charity of the heart (love, that is) looks to build up others. Just because a person presumes to have some bit of knowledge, that person doesn’t necessarily have the right kind of knowledge. But if someone loves God, it is certain that God has already known that one. So to address your concerns about eating food offered to idols, let me start with what we know. An idol is essentially nothing, as there is no other God but the One. And even if the majority believes there are many so-called gods in heaven and on earth (certainly many worship such “gods” and “lords”), this is not our view. For us, there is one God, the Father Who is the ultimate source of all things and the goal of our lives. And there is one Lord — Jesus the Anointed, the Liberating King; through Him all things were created, and by Him we are redeemed. But this knowledge is not in everyone. Up until now, some have been so familiar with idols and what goes on in the temples that when they eat meat that has been offered first to some idol, their weak consciences are polluted. This is the issue. Again, here’s what we know: what we eat will not bring us closer to God — we gain nothing in feasting and lose nothing by fasting. Now let me warn you: don’t let your newfound liberty cause those who don’t know this to fall face-first. Let’s say a person (someone who knows of Jesus) sees you eating in the temple of an idol; and because the person with a weaker conscience is still unsure of things, he becomes confident, follows your lead, and eats idol food. Now, because of your knowledge on display in your conduct, the weaker brother or sister — for whom the Anointed One died — is destroyed! Ruined! What’s more, by living according to your knowledge, you have sinned against these brothers and sisters and wounded their weak consciences — and because you sinned against them, you have sinned against the Anointed One, the Liberating King. So if any type of food is an issue that causes my brothers and sisters to fall away from God, then God forbid I should ever eat it again so that I would never be the crack, the rise, or the rock on the road that causes them to stumble. (1 Corinthians 8:1-13) So what does all this mean? I’m not suggesting
What About Sexual Intimacy and Marriage?
Note from Jesus Dear Beloved, Today’s set of verses is long. In these verses, Paul spoke about the issue of sexual intimacy and marriage. He was applying what I taught in My ministry to a variety of life circumstances being faced by the Corinthians. I am not going to comment on all that Paul said in these verses. I want you to read the entire passage. Pray about what you read. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you apply Paul’s teaching to your life’s circumstances. However, I do want to speak about a few specific truths Paul taught in the verses below. The Corinthian Christians tended to take things to extremes. These extremes existed in both their involvement in sexual immorality as well as their avoidance of it — even to the point of not sharing in sexual intimacy in marriage. Some said that since it is important to be holy in their sexual practices by not participating in sexual immorality (yesterday’s devotional), then it would be even more holy to not have sex at all, even in marriage. Paul spoke plainly to this issue when he said, “I disagree.” His rationale for disagreement is very important. He used significant and detailed teaching about appropriate sexual intimacy from a number of important angles and circumstances. Please take what Paul said here seriously. Especially notice the following truths that he taught the Corinthians. First, Paul emphasized that if a believer can remain single and stay pure, then he or she should do so, especially in view of the difficulties that the Corinthians would be facing. Remaining single allows such a believer to serve Us — Father, Son, and Spirit — without distraction. Some of Our most dedicated servants through the ages have been holy and single. For example, remember that I was single as were John the Baptist and the apostle Paul. Do not look down on singles as being less complete. Appreciate their whole-hearted devotion to Me and to the kingdom. However, this single and celibate lifestyle is not for most people. It is only for those to whom the gift of fulfilled singleness is given (Matthew 19:10-11). Most people are not gifted to live single and chaste, so they should marry. Also, notice the teaching Paul gave to different groups about this issue. (See the underlined words in the verses below to help you recognize these different groups.) Second, you can glorify Us with your sexuality. When sexual intimacy is shared appropriately with your spouse in marriage, it is a good and glorious gift given to you by Us. Your sexual life in marriage is not something dirty or anything negative. It is a holy way to honor and glorify Us in your body as you fulfill and bless your spouse in your marriage (1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Romans 12:1-2; Ephesians 5:21). Third, when We created humanity, We made people male and female. Both men and women are created in Our image. We blessed a man and a woman to enjoy the one-flesh union of sexual intimacy and We declared this to be “very good” (Genesis 1:27-31; Genesis 2:24-25; Matthew 19:4-6). The principles of love, care, faithfulness, pleasure, fulfillment, and blessing need to be applied equally to both the husband and the wife. In most cultures in Paul’s day, the wife was viewed as little more than property. Notice the care Paul takes in all of his instructions to apply the truths he teaches equally to both husband and wife. Paul’s teaching was not only against the cultural standards of his day, but against most religious teaching in his time — it was transformational and revolutionary. However, Paul’s teaching is what We had intended from creation. Both husband and wife are created in Our image. Each, and the pleasure and joy and fulfillment of each, are important to Us. As you read the verses below, notice the words in bold that will help you see how Paul took such great care to emphasize this principle We built into creation. Fourth, responsibly procreating as good stewards of creation is one purpose of sexual intimacy (Genesis 1:28), but it is far from the only reason we blessed you with this intimacy. Sexual intimacy can help you relieve your sense of being alone and needing a partner in the world (Genesis 2:18-25). Sexual intimacy is a gift We gave you as a way to enjoy, serve, and fulfill each other (Proverbs 5:15-19). Finding joy in sexually pleasing, blessing, and fulfilling your spouse is a great way to guard against the pull and lust of sexual immorality as well as a way to show your love for your spouse. Notice what Paul said: Because of our tendency to embrace immoralities, each man should feel free to join together in sexual intimacy with his own wife, and each woman should join with her own husband. Pleasing, blessing, and fulfilling your spouse is a responsibility you have to your spouse. Again, notice what Paul said: Each husband has the responsibility to meet his wife’s sexual desires, and each wife should do the same for her husband. In marriage neither the husband nor the wife should act as if his or her body is private property — your bodies now belong to one another, and together they are whole. So do not withhold sex from one another, unless both of you have agreed to devote a certain period of time to prayer. When the agreed time is over, come together again so that Satan will not tempt you when you are short on self-control. Be certain that you do not misunderstand or wrongly apply Paul’s teaching that “your bodies now belong to one another.” This instruction definitely is not license to take advantage of your spouse. The relationship between spouses is to be based on love, respect, and voluntary submission to each other (Ephesians 5:21-30; 1 Peter 3:8). Paul wanted the Corinthians to understand that sexual intimacy is a very important part of honoring and glorifying