Acts 1:6-11 My Burden Is Light!

Acts 1:6-11 Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel? ”He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. ”After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”

As Jesus departs from earth, He announces that his mission of salvation should be presented to the whole world, not just to the Jews. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. The disciples were focused on the restoration of Israel, throwing off the yoke of the Romans and finally gaining the prominence among all nations that the people, chosen by God, deserved. Lord, are you at this time going to restorethe kingdom to Israel? If Jesus were to go back to his Father soon, then this rehabilitation and restoration of the Jewish nation must happen quickly. For the disciples, restoration of Israel was important. The prophets of old spoke often of the Jewish nation's spiritual health or well-being. Of course, the disciples knew Moses had delivered the children of Israel out of Egypt to establish the Jews in a blessed land, flowing with milk and honey. Now they assumed Jesus’ ministry was for the Jews’ betterment. He was healing Jews of sicknesses, infirmities, and demon possession. What other purpose would Jesus have other than restoration of the people of Israel? But we see even in the angel's announcement of the coming of Jesus, that God’s purpose for Jesus extended far beyond the nation of Israel. Jesus was to restore all people, everywhere, to God, the Creator, for all ages to come. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause GREAT JOY FOR ALL THE PEOPLE. (Luke 2:9-10) Earlier in Jesus' great commission to the disciples, He widened their mission to all people on the face of the earth. Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations (PEOPLE), baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:16-20) This was such an important mission that Jesus said He would be with them and all people who carry this assignment to the end of time. They would not be spared death or persecution, but they would have the power of the Holy Spirit with them to bolster their ministry, to empower them with the gift of healing and casting out demons. The Lord would be with them in word and deed. The disciples, as they saw Jesus depart that day, did not really understand their commission until the Holy Spirit imbued them with power on Pentecost; then they would be instruments for the glory of God. Immediately on Pentecost, we see Peter standing up, addressing a crowd of people about the Good News of Jesus Christ being crucified for all people, freeing whosoever will believe in his name from sin and death.

Jesus came to free people from the bondage of sin and death. Jesus’ life demonstrated God’s intention to deliver all people from their slavery to the devil. He did this by healing and casting out demons wherever He went. From city to city He proclaimed the redemptive message of God to all people, instructing them how to live and telling them to ask God for forgiveness of their sins. Jesus served the needy quickly wherever He journeyed. In addition, He faced down the religious leaders of his day, who possessed little love for the people; instead, aggrandizing themselves within the community of the Jews. He came as He said, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:18-19) Jesus personified the Lord’s favor. God placed him in the midst of the Jewish people. He would die by their hands. But as in the wilderness when the bronze snake was lifted up on a cursed pole to heal all those who had been bitten by a poisonous snake, Jesus would be lifted up in their midst on a cross, cursed on a tree, but salvation would come to all who looked upon the cross with faith in his works. Jesus’ death would reveal clearly God’s favor on humans that He created from dust. Jesus the Christ, God himself, would pay the penalty for the waywardness of mankind, his rebellion to God’s goodness and control. However, Jesus did not stay in the grave, but He arose in three days by God’s power, illustrating what will happen to all believers: an inheritance of eternal life has come to all. Jesus became the first fruit that passed from living on earth to the heavenly domain. As Paul says, But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. (1 Corinthians 15:20-22) As believers, we are no longer entangled in sin and death; our lives are eternal, destined to be with God forever. Jesus said, I will never leave you. He said to the disciples, I will come and get you, so we have an expectation of THE GREAT LIGHT as seen by Paul and Moses, coming to us at our demise to deliver us to the bosom of God. This understanding of the Good News was not in the disciples' minds as they watched Jesus depart. For them the restoration of Israel ended their expectations of Jesus. However, as the word of God says,“What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”— the things God has prepared for those who love him. (1 Corinthians 2:9) Jesus said, the seed must die, we must die, but what follows is beyond our imagination. Not only have sin and death been defeated, but we who are alive evermore will be in the household of God as his children, originally born of dust, but then born of the Spirit of God through the work of Jesus on the cross.

If this is the good news and it is, as the two men dressed in white said, why do you stand here looking into the sky? Jesus’ return will happen, but in the meantime, you, the people of God, have a mission to carry out. While Jesus was on earth, He was constantly in the mode of carrying out God’s purposes on earth. Jesus always did the Father’s will, so He was constantly on the move after his baptism in the river Jordan. Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Simon and his companions went to look for him,and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!” Jesus replied,“Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons. (Mark 1:35-39) The Father’s will was for him to go from community to community, ministering the good will of God. He was not sedentary, asking the people of Israel to come to him. No, He moved under the auspices of the Holy Spirit. We see this aspect of moving in all of scripture. Faith is moving, acting, performing, rather than sitting and contemplating God. Moses was sent to the Israelites in Egypt. And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them.So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.” (Exodus 3:9-10) The Lord said, So now, go. Of course, Moses was full of fear, for he had fled Egypt in the fear the Egyptians would take his life for he had killed an Egyptian for beating an Israelite. But God told him to go, so he went with much fear and trepidation. When Paul was confronted by Jesus on the road to Damascus, he was told by Jesus to get up and go into the city of Damascus. Do not lie there in fright, but get up and go. Jesus commissioned his disciples to go into all the world, but first they must wait until Pentecost for the power of God to infill them. But going is the commission to all believers everywhere. We are to get up, forsake our comfort and fear, and serve the Lord with our whole heart, mind, and strength. So many Christians today tarry in their belief, but do not go and display the work of the Lord in their lives. We abandon the word strength in Jesus’ cardinal commandment of serving God. Often our strength is used for ourselves, our comfort. But Christianity is a serving ministry. Why stand and wait for Jesus to return to your life? Why not work while it is yet day? When the disciples were arguing over who will be first in heaven, Jesus addresses their concern by saying the greatest in heaven will be the one on earth who serves everyone, who is a slave to all. A slave is always in the act of doing for the master. He, as Jesus, who said I must be going to the next city, will be looking for places to serve. How do we serve? Jesus points this out clearly, He took a little child whom he placed among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them,“Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.”(Mark 9:36-37) We serve others as a mother serves her precious child. We serve the troubled, the hurting, the wayward as a mom serves her child in her arms. We feed them the milk of kindness and love. We show Jesus to them by comforting them with our warm presence and concern. We are God’s servants, imaging God to the world. So get up, move, be as God is: loving and caring to a lost generation. Jesus said, Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-30) 

Merry Christmas!

 

  

 

 

Acts 1:1-5 Did Not Your Heart Burn?

Acts 1:1-5  In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen.  After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive.  He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.  On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.  For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

The cross and the resurrection are the Good News that has penetrated the world.  We find Luke going on with the message that the Son of God has come to deliver men from the grips of Satan and death.  Man since Adam and Eve has been in the throes of sin and the grave.  Rebellion to God’s authority has cost mankind much.  Man initially was made in God’s likeness and nature.  Made in God’s likeness, he was given the ability to choose to live in the goodness of God.  His only restrictions were not to eat of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil or the Tree of Life.  But being made in God’s likeness, Adam could choose to do so.  Satan deceived Eve by telling her to eat of the Tree of Knowledge.  Then she would be like God with no restrictions on her life.  She and Adam partook of the tree of good and evil.  Rather than being free as God is, they became servants of Satan.  Now with the whole spectrum of good and evil to be independent of God’s authority, they chose self over God and his eternal goodness.  Now their decisions in life were for their own selfish reasons and not for the glory of God.  To be totally as God, they chose a life completely free from God’s involvement.  God removed them from the Garden, for now they were a danger to him.  If they partook of the tree of eternal life, their presence would contaminate all of existence.  Outside of the Garden, Adam and Eve’s lives would be difficult and finite.  They would eventually die and return to dust.  Their line would exist until the flood.  Then God would intervene supernaturally, saving Noah and his family.  But this remnant made in his image was still contaminated by sin.  Noah’s family deteriorated into destructive behavior, allowing sin to manifest itself again after the flood.  From Noah’s time on, men carried on self-willed lives full of violence, dying with the marks of sin on their lives.  God then intervened again into mankind’s existence by coming to Abraham.  Abraham chooses to believe the words of God spoken to him about having a son through the womb of Sarah, who was beyond child birthing age. Abraham's belief in God’s words and goodness allows Abraham to be right with God.  As with Abraham, faith in God’s words becomes foundational to being right with God for all who followed him.  Abraham was also promised the land of Canaan.  God intervenes again to save mankind from destruction by sending Moses to Abraham’s descendants.  The Israelites were driven into slavery by God.  After 400 years, Moses is told by God to deliver the Israelites out of slavery and to the land God promised Abraham.  These chosen people who inhabited Canaan carried with them the Seed of God: Jesus Christ.  He would set people free from the bondage of sin and death.  He would come as the truth, the way and the life.  Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.  (John 14:6)  In our focus for today, we see Luke who chronicled the life of Jesus, now introducing us to the lives of those who would follow Jesus after the Lord’s ascension.

Jesus did not quickly disappear into heaven after his resurrection.  He made sure that his followers knew there was life after death by revealing himself in the flesh to them.  After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive.  This fact of a resurrection was surreal to them, an unbelievable reality.  Who could believe in such a thing?  When Paul tried to expose the learned men of Athens to the resurrection of Jesus, they scoffed at such an idea, shut him down with ridicule, forcing him out of their midst.  But Jesus made sure that his followers would see strong evidence that life existed beyond the tomb.  He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?  Who is it you are looking for?  Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”  Jesus said to her, “Mary.”  She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).  (John 20:15-16)  He then moved to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus.  He joined these two followers of his and asked them what they were discussing.  Of course, He knew, but he joined them with that question.  They were surprised by Jesus’ ignorance about the recent events in Jerusalem, about the good man Jesus.  They told Jesus how disappointed they were in that the authorities killed this godly man.  Then Jesus used scripture to expound about the Messiah and his predicted death.  The prophets told of this happening long ago.  In Emmaus, Jesus sits down with his two followers and breaks bread with them.  When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them.  Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight.  They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”  (Luke 24:30-32)   When Jesus breaks bread with these two men, they knew He was with them, but then He quickly disappears.  These two hurry back to Jerusalem to tell the others that Jesus is alive.  But as they are explaining this good news to the disciples, Jesus appears.  While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”  They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost.  He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds?   Look at my hands and my feet.  It is I myself!  Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.”  (Luke 24:36-39)  Jesus desired his followers to know emphatically that the resurrection has really happened.  He wanted them to understand that he was not just some spiritual being floating around in the air, but that He was a real entity like them.  An entity of flesh and bones, one who could eat as they ate.  He was bringing a reality of an afterlife into their consciousness, something unbelievable, beyond the imaginations of men and women.  People have desired to believe in an afterlife beyond the grave, but to see and feel Jesus in the flesh was extremely hard for the disciples to conceptualize.  However, Jesus showed himself in the nature of a man, so that they could accept the reality of the resurrection and subsequently, eternal life.  We observe Jesus later eating fish that He prepared for the disciples on the shore of the Sea of Galilee.  Before He sits down and eats with them, He shows his divinity by telling them to throw their net on the other side of the boat.  These experienced fishermen thought that idea was foolishness, for they had fished all night without catching any fish.  But they obeyed as Jesus commanded.  Their net becomes so full of fish that they had to drag the net to shore, for they could not haul such a quantity of fish in their boat without sinking the boat.  Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.”  So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore.  It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn.  Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.”  None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?”  They knew it was the Lord.  (John 21:10-12)  Jesus again proved that he was in the form of a man.  He ate with them, entertained them by fixing breakfast for them.  Paul’s experience widens our understanding of Jesus' revealing himself to men after his death when Jesus not only shows himself alive to his followers after his resurrection but also shows himself to Saul on the road to Damascus.   For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve.  After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.  Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.  (Romans 15:3-8)  God confirmed the reality of the resurrection by showing Jesus in the flesh to many people.  From the very beginning God’s eternal, steadfast love for humans never left his heart.  He knew men would fall.  He knew they would wrestle with a sinful desire to be free from all entanglements, to live their lives as God, to choose their own direction in life as freely as God chooses his own way in existence.  But man's lack of allegiance to God’s authority of goodness led man into a horrible state of darkness, as dark as the deepest night.  God came to the rescue of men and women in their state of hopelessness, bringing Jesus into their dark world.  He let men and women know that life has come to them in the form of Jesus Christ the Lord.  The resurrection and eternal life can be theirs too if they trust in his work and not their own.  

Now in Acts, Luke tells believers how to journey in this world without the physical presence of Jesus on earth.  Jesus’ command to his disciples to go nowhere until they received the baptism of the Holy Spirit was the critical component for living a successful life for Christ in this world.  Otherwise, without Jesus' presence, his power, his protection, they should stay in Jerusalem in a state of prayer.  “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.  For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”  This command reveals clearly they were powerless to be effective followers of Christ without the fulness of the Holy Spirit.  Of course, they had knowledge of the Holy Spirit, for Jesus had talked about not blaspheming the Holy Spirit; He also told them to receive the Holy Spirit.  But knowledge and presence are two different things.  On the day of Pentecost, they would receive the presence of the Spirit so greatly that they would speak in other tongues, moving from something they could not do naturally to something that was supernatural.  As surely as the resurrection was an unbelievable reality, now the infilling of the Spirit with evidence of speaking in tongues would be just as impactful.  This evidence of the Spirit in their being was as great as the phenomena of the resurrection.  For Christ being alive was a reality of their senses, but now the Spirit inside of them was a reality of a spiritual impact beyond their understanding.  No longer is God outside of men speaking to them through holy men, but now He is present with them, internally.  Only the prophets at times had this wonderful experience, now every man and woman could have this holy condition of Jesus Christ and his words within them.  Because of this indwelling of the Spirit, every man and woman would be sitting in the high places of God, present with him at all times.  Now, men and women would serve God without fear, for the resurrection not only happened with Christ, it is now present in their spirits.  They are born again.  Jesus told Peter to feed his sheep, to care for his sheep without reservation.  He also told Peter that doing this would cost him his life.  We who are alive in Christ, who know him as new people, servants of the Most High are also to feed and care for his sheep.  We are to proclaim the message of God without fear.  We are his earth movers, changing the landscape for Christ.  Let us be that kind of person in our lives, edifying the world for Christ the Lord.  In Acts we will see the church changing the culture of men, exposing them to eternal life.  This is the privilege of those filled with the Holy Spirit of God.  

Note: Last week the breakfast was sent out before the final editing process; therefore, it contained some errors that should have been eliminated.  Cliff had just gotten out of the hospital with blood clots in his legs and lungs, so I was a bit overwhelmed.  Everything is going better now.  We often make errors but not such obvious ones.  Blessings to you all.        

   

Ephesians 6:18-24 Grace to All!

Ephesians 6:18-24  And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.  With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.  Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains.  Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.  Tychicus, the dear brother and faithful servant in the Lord, will tell you everything, so that you also may know how I am and what I am doing. I am sending him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are, and that he may encourage you.  Peace to the brothers and sisters, and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  Grace to all who  love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love. 

As we end the book of Ephesians, Paul directs the people in Ephesus to continue in their walk as servants of the Most High.  He instructs believers to pray in the Spirit ON ALL OCASIONS WITH ALL KINDS OF PRAYERS AND REQUESTS.  They should be generous with their prayers and requests in all situations and towards all people.  In chapter 14 of the Gospel of John, we hear Jesus say, Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.  And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.  (12-14)  Paul now asks the people of Ephesus to take Jesus’ promise into their daily lives.  As servants they should do what the Master asked.  Prayer is an act of believing that the Lord is in our lives and that He is zealous to bring glory to his Father.  Prayers and asking can be befuddling to us, for sometimes we ask for very good things, and we do not see the answer here on earth.  None of us can explain why James the apostle, who was in the intimate circle of Jesus’ retinue, died early by the hands of Herod.  James, Peter, and John experienced many things such as the Mount of Transfiguration, the Garden of Gethsemane, and Jairus’ daughter being raised from the dead when the others were not present.  Jesus had great affection for these three disciples.  Yet we see a man that Jesus loved and counted on die first after Pentecost.  We also see other things that confuse us when we talk about Jesus answering prayers for the glory of God such as Stephen being stoned to death and Paul being beaten with rods and thrown in jail in chains.  We see him being stoned until his enemy thought him to be dead.  We see the church scattered by persecution, running for their lives, not standing firm and confronting the devil by standing firm in their homeland.  No, the vicissitudes of life affected them greatly, persecution affected them acutely, and the death of their loved ones through martyrdom sorrowed their lives greatly.  Even though these realities were in Paul’s mind, he tells the Ephesians to pray in all situations and everywhere make their requests known to God.  God who made the galaxies has purposes for our lives much greater than our limited understanding of our finite lives.  Before Jesus tells the disciples about their power in asking, he tells this to them, Do not let your hearts be troubled.  You believe in God; believe also in me.  My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.  (John 14:1-3)  He is telling James in his last moments before martyrdom\, do not be troubled, for I am coming back to get you.  You do not have to worry about you going to me, I am going to you to get you.  He is telling. Peter with these words, you can go to sleep in jail before the day they intend to kill you, for I am coming to get you when you pass from this finite world.  All of our calling on God are in the context that we are slaves to the Most High.  He alone determines our lives, our position in the body of Christ, and our demise.  God is life itself and we trust in that life.  Jesus said, I am THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE.  The disciples after Pentecost realized that fully, for the Spirit of God came to them to abide forever.  Yes, Jesus would get them, for He had told them that he would never abandon them, never leave them alone to face the principalities of the air.   No he would be with them always, even to the end of the earth or their lives.

We see in the conclusion of Ephesians a reiteration of our position IN Christ.  Yes, we are children of the Most High, but also we are faithful servants of God on this earth.  We are to be humble as Moses was humble.  Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.  (Numbers 12:3)  As we look at this statement about Moses being the MOST HUMBLE of all men, we might become confused, for we know that Moses was a great leader of men, and he demanded some obedience from the Israelites or else judgement would fall on them.  How could such man of power be considered humble?  But humility in God’s eyes is in the context of obedience to the authority of God.  Moses except for striking the rock for water was obedient to God at all times.  And because of his one disobedience, God did not allow him to enter the Promised Land; he could only view it.  Moses talked face to face with God under the cloud of the Holy Spirit.  Moses was a friend of God.  As with Jesus, Jesus said, do not call me Lord, Lord, if you do not do what I say.  Moses did what God desired; even though what God wanted from him was beyond his rational mind.  Therefore, because he was obedient to God’s words, he was most humble.  We see this same characteristic in King David, a great willingness to follow God in everything he did and said.  What is the opposite of humbleness in this context: pride.  Do not love the world or anything in the world.  If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them.  For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.  (1 John 2:15-16)  Pride, the unwillingness to accept God’s authority is deeply embedded in man’s spirit.  We see this contamination before the flood: all of humanity was going its own way.  All had decided to come under their own authority and not God’s authority, love and caring.  Of course in the time of Judges chaos reigned, for all were doing what was right in their own eyes.  Moses accepted God’s words, his direction, his life.  We see Paul in the book of Ephesians beseeching the people to come under that authority of God, to be submissive to others for the purposes of God.  He is telling the man to be submissive to God, the wife to be submissive to the husband, the children to be submissive to the parents, and finally to the slave be in subject to the master.  Otherwise, let all people be humble as Moses, following the will of God.  Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.  (Ephesians 5:1-2)  We in our humbleness are a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God,  As was Moses whose whole life was committed to following God.  We should walk in obedience to the words of God for his purposes are much greater than our purposes, so we allow God to control our lives as his servants.  As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.  Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.  (Ephesians 4:1-2)  

Paul request prayer for himself so that he might continue to be an ambassador for Christ, even when he is in chains.  He wanted his humbleness to be known to all men.  He was not going to pick up the nature of men who strive to develop their own lives the way they desire.  No, he wanted to remain obedient to God no matter what the cost.  Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains.  He desired only the words of Christ in his mouth.  He wanted only the purposes of God in his life.  By talking to the Ephesians in this way, he is telling them to imitate his desire and lifestyle.  Follow God with all your mind, soul and strength, pray always, and in love treat all people everywhere as you want to be treated.  If the Ephesians would carry on with this direction in their lives, they will experience the purpose of God for their lives.  And they will bring loving support to all within the church.  Paul concludes with saying, Peace to the brothers and sisters, and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  Grace to all who  love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.  The church is the embodiment of Christ himself.  The church should be a moving giant of love in the land of the dead.  God has placed in each of us a mission that we are to carry out to the world.  As the Christian Ephesians we are to have an impact on our community.  People should know us by our love.  The fruit of the Spirit should be present in us IN ABUNDANCE.  We should not be parsimoniously displaying Christ to the world.  We should be earth movers, changing the landscape around us.  But if is we are focused on winning this world, if are desirous to make our nest more comfortable, we are missing the point of living for Christ.  We saw Paul journey through many lands, not having a comfortable place to lay his head, but he was humble, doing the work of God, not living in the pride of self aggrandizement.  Paul became but a drink offering on the alter of God.  We too are to be likeminded for the glory of God.  Let us be that!!  

Ephesians 6:10-17 Be Strong and Courageous!

Ephesians 6:10-17  Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.  Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.  Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.  Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.  In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

We find in Deuteronomy at the end of Moses’ life that Joshua is told by Moses to be strong and courageous.  Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid or terrified  because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”  (Deuteronomy  31:6)  After Moses the great prophet of God has passed away, the Lord reminds Joshua now in Canaan to be strong and courageous, for I will never leave you nor forsake you.  (Joshua 1:9)  God’s promise to Joshua is the same promise that He makes with all Christians as they move through their lives.  We who are vessels of new life, people who are moving through this wilderness, are to be strong and courageous under the Spirit of God’s protection.  He will never leave us or abandon us.  Of course, we read about the children of Israel being kept in God’s hands as they journeyed through the wilderness, escaping from the bondage of slavery that they experienced in Egypt.  We too as children of God have escaped our past lives, bound by the works of the evil one, Satan.  We know the children of Israel faced many difficulties as they journeyed through the wilderness.  They feared for their physical existence and complained bitterly to Moses and Aaron for leading them to a place that had little food and water.  The Israelites now without shelter would experience the heat of the desert wind, sand whirling around them, getting into all their clothing and belongings.  They would experience the exhaustion of traversing the wilderness, the never-ending mornings, eating the same thing, doing the same things, never resting their heads in a permanent place.  They were passing through, but where were they headed and why did not Moses lead them directly to the promised land?  Why was he taking this circuitous route, allowing them to spend so much time in this alien land?  We who are Christians, are no longer bound by the tenets of sin; yet we are on a difficult journey to the promised land: heaven.  We also experience all the vicissitudes of life and often question this wilderness life and ask why our circumstances are so difficult.  But God promised Moses that He would be with him, and to verify his presence, He gave a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.  The cloud and the fire represented the abiding Spirit of God in the wilderness.  Because of the blood of Jesus, we who are Christians also have that continuous presence of God.  We do not merely have an awareness of God’s presence with us: we have his voice inside of us, a voice that says to us, I will never leave you or abandon you.  Be strong and courageous, for I am Enduring Love.  In the above focus, Paul tells the Ephesians to be comforted with the truth that God is with them, and to understand they are a select people, a people who have been freed from sin and death, but they must wear the right clothing to defeat the devil and to endure the journey successfully.  In his letter to the Romans Paul writes, put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.  Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy.  Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.  (Romans 13:12-14)  Yes, the Spirit of God is with you, in you, but you must be single in heart, living an emblematic life of the God who is inside you.  

The children of Israel often grumbled about their situation in the wilderness.  They rebelled and sought to live their lives as they had in the past under the control of Pharaoh, Satan.  Their hearts were not singularly focused on the living God; instead, they had idols in their satchels, and when circumstances seemed dire in the wilderness, they turned to their idols, forsaking the leadership of Moses and ignoring the cloud by day and the pillar by night.  They chose an awful place to be in, for it was blasphemous of the Holy Spirit’s presence, the abiding Spirit of protection.  Amazingly, they rejected the God who took care of them by giving them manna and meat every day in the wilderness.  Even their clothes did not wear out, nor did the sandals on their feet.  (See Deuteronomy 29)  God did that so they might know that He was the one who rescued them from their former lives of slavery.  But their hearts were rebellious.  Even in Canaan, an unparalleled gift to them, they sought other gods and played the harlot in God’s presence.  Similarly, Jesus said of the leaders of Israel in his time, You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires.  He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him.  When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.  (John 8:44)  The devil lied to the Israelites all through their existence.  Finally God dispersed them into different countries, for they never did solely serve the God of Abraham, Moses, Joshua and the godly prophets.  Paul understood well the history of his people and their journey through the wilderness.  He knew how easy it is for people to be tricked by the devil and search some other remedy for their lives than serving God with their whole hearts, souls, minds, and strength.  He knew if they fell back into their old patterns, they would become targets for the devil.  Therefore, Paul wanted them to clothe themselves with the belt of truth, and the breastplate of righteousness, with feet fitted for readiness of peace.  He wanted them to have the shield of faith with the helmet of salvation on their heads.  He wanted the word of God to be their sword.  With that kind of clothing and armament, they would not be deceived by the evil one and neither would they be accepting his lies.  They would stand firm in the faith if they were prepared to fight the wickedness in the world.  When Peter talks about the persecution and hand-to-hand struggle with the devil, he tells his Christian brethren to Be alert and of sober mind.  Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.  Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.  (1 Peter 5:8-9)  Do not back down in your struggle with this world and all of its troubles and persecution.  Do not be fearful of this sparse, alien land, but know that God is with you.  Therefore, clothe yourself with the fruit of the Spirit and yield yourself to righteous living, and you will be more than overcomers throughout life.

On Paul’s last missionary journey, he warns the leaders of the church in Ephesus to be aware of divisive and cultish beliefs that some will introduce.  These ideas come from wolves who desire for their own reasons to lead some away from the foundational truths of the good news.  Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers.  Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.  I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock.  Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them.  So be on your guard!  Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.  (Acts 20:28-31)  If not clothed properly, Christians will believe a lie from the father of all lies.  The devil wants to separate believers from the flock.  He wants them in a land that is unprofitable for their souls.  If he can separate some, he will then find them alone, unable to defend themselves.  Paul addresses this kind of deception when he addresses a sorcerer who is preventing the governor of Pathos from accepting the good news.  

Elymas, you are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right!  You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery.  Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord?  (Acts 13:9-10)  The devil will pervert the gospel, championing another way to be right with God.  Many young Christians are caught in this net of deception.  Cults pick off these young, immature believers, using deceit, trickery, and half truths to carry these babies in Christ to another land.  And some of them are lost forever because they become so indoctrinated in these cults that they cannot find their way out unless God gives them divine revelation of the truth.  To be clothed correctly and quickly are necessary requirements for all those who follow Christ.  Elders and leaders in the church should speak the truth in love to the believers, letting them know they need to keep the helmet of salvation in their minds by reading the Bible daily, feeding on the manna God wants them to have for their salvation.  Without that they will become as a sheep out of the fold.  But the good news is that Jesus will leave the ninety-nine who are safe in the pen and go out to search for the wayward, the lonely, the disaffirmed.  

If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off?  And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off.  In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.  (Matthew 18:12-14)  God will pursue his little ones and are we not thankful for that!  When we wander, when we fail, when we question, God is there through the Spirit’s work in us saying, I am here, come back my little one, and I will restore you to my Kingdom and place of safety.  Amen!  Rest in God’s unfailing love today, and reach out to any who might wander.  

       

    

 

       

     

   

  

 

 

Ephesians 6:1-9 To Be First, Be Last!

Ephesians 6:1-9  Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.  “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise— “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”  Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.  Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ.  Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart.  Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free.  And masters, treat your slaves in the same way.  Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.

In today's verses, Paul furthers the theme of submissiveness.  Paul is in a region controlled by the Romans, and in this Asia Minor province, only about three percent are citizens of the Roman Empire.  Paul, a member of that elite group of people, is living in Ephesus and was born a Roman citizen.  Some who are citizens of the Empire, purchased their citizenship or gained it through military exploits, but Paul inherited citizenship by birth.  Therefore, the ordinary person in Ephesus would give Paul respect because he was among the elite of the elite.  Regardless of Paul’s freedom because of his Roman citizenship, he writes to people about him being a slave to Jesus Christ, Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God.  (Romans 1:1)  The word servant in Greek is synonymous to slave.  Because of his special position in society, Paul did not have to be submissive to the ordinary people in Asia Minor.  The vast majority of the common people were not citizens and the rest were slaves—almost thirty percent of the people.  However, because of Jesus’ intervention into Paul’s life on the road to Damascus, Paul became his slave.  All of his life, he would bow to the authority of Christ even when he experienced much difficulty and pain as Christ’s servant.  In the above passage Paul asks children to “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise— “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”  He reminds them that this is a commandment from God’s own hand.  Being submissive to parents as a child has its rewards, enjoying life without a lot of conflict.  Paul instructs the fathers, who possess considerable rights in the Roman and Greek cultures to not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.  Of course the best instruction a Christian father could give a child is to emulate Jesus Christ, portraying in their lives the attributes of the Holy Spirit.  Encouraging his children to be united IN CHRIST, and for them to Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.  Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.  (Philippians 2:1-3)  A child who grows up this way will be an attribute to the kingdom of God.  Children should be submissive to their parents, and fathers should be submissive to Christ, teaching children the ways of the Kingdom.  Sons and daughters are without power in the world of the Romans.  Citizenship and power come to them with maturity.  But in the Christian world, as Joel’s prophecy reveals, Christian children will be filled with the Holy Spirit.  All children are precious in God’s sight, and Christ highly regarded the preciousness of little children who lack power in the world.  He used little children as an example of how to know God.  “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.”  He took a little child whom he placed among them.  Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.”  (Mark 9:36-37)  To know the Lord you must appreciate the insignificance of a child for the child cannot be first in life.  Therefore to be robed with the humility of a child, you will learn of Christ, for the Son of Man is a servant to all of humanity. 

We see now in the above focus, Paul moving from the powerlessness of children to the slave and his position in the culture of the Roman Empire.  Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ.  Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart.  As with children who are powerless, the Christian slave is also encouraged to submit to those who have power over them.  Children will not have their full rights until maturity, but they are encouraged to submit to their parents.  Slaves normally will never gain their full rights in the Roman Empire unless they are able to pay their way out of slavery, but still Paul asks them to submit to their overseers willingly.  They have no biological connection as children to their parents, yet Paul says, submit to them in obedience to their will.  Slaves made up almost 30 percent of the Asia Minor society and many slaves were part of the early church.  James in his lecture to the early church was angry about the preferential treatment given to the rich and elite in society.  Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?  But you have dishonored the poor.  Is it not the rich who are exploiting you?  Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court?  Are they not the ones who are blaspheming the noble name of him to whom you belong?  (James 2:5-7)  As James knew so did Paul know, the poor are the most honored in the church, for they have nothing to gain in this world, but eternal salvation.  Likewise, slaves are honored greatly in the Kingdom of God because the world will never be their home, for the world has rejected their right to be free and live where they desire to live.  Therefore, the slave’s hope is placed in a life that he or she will never experience here.  Paul, the elite of the culture, places himself in the venue of a slave.  His life demonstrated a life of dedication to his Master, Jesus Christ.  He was derided, beaten with rods, stoned with rocks, jailed, placed in chains many times.  He said he lived without adequate clothing and shelter and faced danger in and out of the cities.  He was abused by the most common of men, yet he was a member of the elite three percent where he ministered.  He served Jesus in and out of season: when fed, when hungry, when safe, when threatened, when without clothing and shelter, when without basic amenities.  Why should a citizen of the powerful Roman Empire experience a slave’s life?  Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible.  To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews.  To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law.  To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law.  For the weak I became weak, to win the weak.  I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.  I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.  (1 Corinthians 9:19:23)  Paul knew what it meant to be a free man, doing his own will, carrying on with life as he wanted.  But the road to Damascus stopped all that.  No longer would he do his own will, but he would become a slave, leaving his old life of freedom behind him.  Not only that, he would be a slave who would face much terror in his life and finally he would be killed in Rome, ending a life that was not his own but Christ’s.  Because of the way he lived his life, he had the authority to say to the slave, Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free.  

Finally, Paul talks to the masters, those who have absolute power over others.  And masters, treat your slaves in the same way.  Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.  How should they treat the slaves?  The same way the slave treats them,  Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people.  Both slave and master serve the same Lord, and both will be rewarded according to whatever good they do to others.  The conventions of the world then exist today: some are in slavery, some are powerless.  Some work daily, but do not have enough wealth to experience their share of amenities.  Some people have an excess of goods.  Their garages and storage bins are filled to the brim with worldly goods.  Others do not have any more goods of this world than what they can carry on their backs and in their hands.  Food and comfort often come to them sparingly.  The world is not just, and it never will be, for men and women do what is right in their own eyes, such as said in the days of Judges, Is there no God in the land?  In so many of our lives today there is no God in the land.  As we approach the Christmas season, how much is God in our land?  We look at Paul’s writing about slaves, and we might even criticize his words.  But Paul had God in his land.  He proved that through his pain and misery, yet he was willing to place God front and center in his life and serve only him.  When he talks about being a bond-slave, he is talking about a life where there is no way of escape.  He is talking about a Master in his life who demands obedience from his subjects.  Jesus is talking about this kind of relationship in his parable about a master entrusting his wealth to his servants.  He gave one man five bags of gold, to another two bags of gold, and to another one bag, each according to his ability.  The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more.  So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more.  But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.  (Matthew 25:16-19)  When the master returned, he rewarded the two who had doubled his investment in them.  Well done, good and faithful servant!  (21)  But to the one who failed to be a faithful servant, working hard for his master, he did not reward him for avoiding his responsibilities to his master, throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.  (Matthew 25:30)  Harsh words, strong, horrific judgment given to the unfaithful servant.  We see in the  focus of this breakfast, Paul talking about the responsibilities of those who have little power: children and slaves.  Their task in this world is rather difficult, especially for the slaves.  Not many bags of gold given to them, but still the master holds them responsible to work for him with the life they have been given.  They have an awareness of life around them through their senses.  They know they are alive because they can see, hear, feel, taste.  This is the gold they have been given.  We can grumble about them being slaves and how unfair that life is, and of course it is unfair and should not be so.  We might despair that there are so many poor among us, and true that is so unfair, but that is the world we live in, not that poverty should be tolerated by the rich and comfortable.  But Paul talks about a spiritual life, an existence that we cannot know by our physical senses.  This life and the spiritual realities of it come from  Spirit-taught words.  Not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities.   The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.  The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, for, Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?  But we have the mind of Christ.  (1 Corinthians 2:13-16)   Because of the Holy Spirit’s presence in the poor, slaves, and hurting, they have the mind of Christ.  They are able to view the world with spiritual eyes; their faith in Christ’s works gives them an anticipation of another life that will be blissful and fulfilling.  They constantly are being Spirit taught.  The Bible clearly states that all people who believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior are slaves, servants of the Most High.  God is in the land of the believer.  The manacles of this world cannot enslave the saved, for salvation has brought the title of children of God to all who have placed their trust in Jesus Christ.  A conundrum for the servants of God: free, yet slaves.  However, dear breakfast companions, being under the yoke of God will bring much reward to you as faithful servants.  Today, display the works of God through the fruit of the Spirit and you will have a fulfilling life.  You will be an obedient slave with joy in your heart.  Amen!  

   

 

  

         

   

 

 

   

 

 

Ephesians 5:21-33 Submit to One Another!

Ephesians 5:21-33  Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.  Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior.  Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.  Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing  her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church,  without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.  In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.  After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church—for we are members of his body.  “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”  This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church.  However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

Normally, people in our egalitarian society find today's passage troubling, believing life consists of interchangeable roles, hampered only by physical differences such as strength, size or dexterity.  Consequently, the focus of this passage is often skewed from the primary focus of submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.  These verses are focused on the profound mystery of the unity of Christ and the church.  People get lost in Paul’s statement of wives should submit to their husbands in everything.  These words are accentuated above the idea that all Christians should be submissive to others in the family of God.  Jesus clearly reveals the submissiveness in the Godhead and with the church.  “My prayer is not for them alone.  I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.  May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.  I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity.  Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.  (John 17:20-23)  We often see Jesus express his desire to be subject to his Father's will at all times.  At Gethsemane, before his arrest, Jesus submits to his Father’s will of the cross.  By Jesus going to the cross, human beings will be connected to God forever in the holy blanket of Jesus’ blood, shed for them.  Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.  Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed.  But if it dies, it produces many seeds.  (John 12:23-24)  In the focus verses, we see unity with God being equated with the family structure on earth.  The man is called to love his wife as Christ loves the church, and the woman in oneness with her husband is to submit to his leadership in the family.  These different levels of love or submissiveness do not mean that some in the family take lesser roles, just as Jesus does not take a lesser role in the family of God.  As the family functions on earth with different roles for the genders, we find all roles within the family as vital for unity as it is with the Godhead: no role is less or more important than another in a relationship of oneness.  We know full-well that women are on the same spiritual plane as men.  In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.  Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.  Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.  (Act 2:17-18  Paul knows women are not inferior, neither do they hold a lesser position before God.  The Spirit of God was poured out on women and men equally and perhaps more importantly on daughters and sons equally.  Without real authority on earth, in God’s economy they receive a full portion of the Holy Spirit.  In God’s gifting of the Holy Spirit, all ages and classes receive the power of God.  They are all equal in God’s domain, all called children of the living God in heaven.  As we can see, all of these people have different roles on earth, but they all are equally honored by God.  This equality before God is hard for us to appreciate because people function in the perspective of young and old, weak and strong, unlearned and learned, and the like.  We note the status of people around us, but Jesus said our perspective should be based on belief and faith.  The Spirit of God comes to all who have placed their trust in Jesus Christ regardless of earthly roles and positions.  In the family as with God, submission is paramount in unity.  The husband is to be submissive to his wife’s needs, the wife to the role of her husband, and the children obedient to the parents’ directions.  Within the human family all are honored, precious, and obedient to oneness, functioning sometimes in their individual roles, but also serving within shared roles, culminating in harmony.    

In Jesus’ teaching to the Sadducees, he points to the fact that earthly relationships will not be carried on in heaven.  They wanted to damage his teaching on God and the resurrection.  That same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question.  “Teacher,” they said, “Moses told us that if a man dies without having children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up offspring for him.  Now there were seven brothers among us.  The first one married and died, and since he had no children, he left his wife to his brother.  The same thing happened to the second and third brother, right on down to the seventh.   Finally, the woman died.  Now then, at the resurrection, whose wife will she be of the seven, since all of them were married to her?”  (Matthew 22: 23-28)  Rather than emphasize their point of marriage, Jesus goes to the heart of the issue: they will be like the angels in heaven.  (30)  Jesus' conclusion of this scenario, God’s perspective of humans is that in the divine world they will be as angels, equal in honor and position.  On earth people emphasize roles and positions, but in heaven we are God’s children, holy as the angels.  This question was given to Jesus because of Moses allocating land to the Israelites.  This land was to be theirs and their ancestors forever.  If the eldest son dies without heirs, the land will go to someone else.  So the brothers are to birth children through his wife so the land will be considered the elder brothers’ descendants’ land, even though he died without children.  Jesus did not concern himself with Moses’ stipulation of how to keep land in the possession of a family or person.  Jesus concentrated on the eternal nature of humans and the real purpose of life, not on the temporary regulations and roles of a people.  Moses’ gave the people ways to live in harmony with each other, but Jesus focused on eternal life with God the Father.  Of course society needs rules and regulations.  Without direction, people will function only in their self-willed, fleshly interests, bringing chaos to any situation.  The book of Judges mentions there was no God in the land, meaning that everyone was doing what was right in her or his eyes with little structure, direction or leadership.  This lack of God’s authority caused the Israelites to be easily conquered by other people.  Consequently, they often were subjected to the rule of others. To counter this condition of foreign rule, God intervened by lifting up individuals to drive out these Gentiles.  Chaos, lack of cohesiveness, is lethal to any people and especially to the Christian walk.  Paul addresses this need in Christians by saying, be submissive to one another, care for others as you want to be cared for, love others as you want to be loved.  This kind of life demands a dying to self.  A willingness to be obedient to Christ by giving deference to others is a way for a church to grow stronger and for a family to survive happily together.  The Christian family has great respect for all members in the household of God.  Cults and many religions besmirch women in their groups; even the boys are given special privileges over the girls.  In some ethnic societies girl babies are considered not as important as boy babies.  In some religions, girls are killed because of supposedly dishonoring the family, especially the man in the family.  Horrendous and fllhy things happen to girls all around the world.  But in Christianity, we have the blessed Holy Spirit infilling the daughters, giving them equality with all other members in the human family.  A warning is given to people that they should never blaspheme the Holy Spirit, for whom He honors is honored indeed.  What role do we see for woman in the Bible?  Mary and Elizabeth were honored by giving birth to boys who would change the world.  Miriam and Deborah were prophets who spoke the words of God.  Deborah in Judges ruled over men.  We find Jesus and Paul supported heavily by women.  After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God.  The Twelve were with him, and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others.  These women were helping to support them out of their own means.  (Luke 8:1-3)  Jesus’ mission to deliver the Jewish people out of bondage to the devil was possible because of women.  Paul ministry in Philippi was made possible by Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth, a business woman.  She kept Paul and Silas in her house as they were ministering the Good News to the Philippians.  Paul's ministry affected many women to follow Christ.  In Athen’s after Paul was hooted down by the learned men of the city because he mentioned the resurrection, a woman named Damaris was one of his converts from that session, along with others, men and women, who heard Paul’s words about Jesus and his redeeming power.  

In the family of that age, men were powerful.  A man in the Old Testament could write a bill of divorce and send his wife away, based usually on indecency on the wife’s part.   Paul tells the wife in the Christian context to be submissive to a husband who is leading a family as Christ would lead a family.  We have two equal parts in this relationship.   The formula is: husbands love your wives as Christ loves the church; secondly, wives be submissive as Christians are to Christ.  These are equal, and both sides should be held up in obedience to the Holy Spirit within them.  In the synagogue for many years prior to this teaching, women were not allowed to speak, a secondary role in the worshipping of God.   If women are equal before God’s eyes, why should they take a secondary role?  The congregation within these Greek communities had a combination of Jews and Greeks within them.  The Jews had a very standard understanding of women’s role within the synagogue.  For centuries the Jews served God by the laws and regulations of Moses.  These rules and regulations included many things such as not eating meat of strangled animals or consuming blood, and never have anything to do with idols or immoral acts.  These were important aspects of serving a holy God.  Paul went to the elders in Jerusalem to verify how far the Gentiles should go concerning Jewish customs and traditions.  The elders in Jerusalem set aside most of the customs and traditions, but for the Jews in the congregation who were bound by the Jewish way of living, they gave four recommendations for the Greek churches to follow: not consume blood, not eat food given to idols, not be sexually promiscuous, and not to eat meat of strangled animals.  If Paul could keep them from doing those things, he has done well by them.  One tradition that remained was that women should hold their tongues until they got home and then talk to their husbands about what was said in the synagogue.  As with the traditions and regulations that Paul would pass on to the mixed congregation, it was important for women to follow the Jewish tradition within the synagogue.  A quick transition away from the traditional ways might have been more than the Jewish believers in these Greek communities could accept.  We see in these nascent churches a slow movement away from following the old customs in the Jewish society.  Instead of these societal norms of the Jewish way of living, Paul introduces submission to each other as the way to follow God.  Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.  Real deference to others reveals a willingness to die to self and to display a full harvest of the fruit of the Spirit: the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  Against such things there is no law.  Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.  Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.  Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.  (Galatians 5:23-26). We are not to be conceited or envy each other dependent on our roles in life.  We can easily see that Paul was looking for a smooth transition in the churches, giving instructions that would lead to peace at home and in the church.  We too in our modern day should find ways to work well with others as we live committed completely to Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.  

Sorry about missing breakfast last week due to illness.