Tag: new testament

Consider One Another (Hebrews 9-10)

On By pastorjonathanIn DevotionalLeave a comment

Hebrews 10:24-25 ESV And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, (25) not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

The church is the people, not the place or the programs. Sometimes the church meets in a certain place and has programs, but do not be mistaken, the church is the people. There is something special that happens when we gather together. We come in as individuals with strengths and weaknesses. We come in with different personalities, spiritual gifts and talents. Yet, as we gather together for the purpose of worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry, and evangelism we find fulfilment in the gospel and in one another. God has given us our brothers and sisters in Christ to aide in our spiritual development.

As a pastor I get a front row seat to see the congregation gathered together each Sunday. I see folks going through trials in life blessed by those who use their talents to sing and introduce a new song or hymn to the congregation. I see those who are discouraged become encouraged by the words of faithful friends. I see the formerly lonely now greeted with handshakes, hugs, and high-fives. I see individuals praying with one another through times of crisis and celebration. I see tears of sorrow made more bearable by those who silently come along side and offer comfort. I see a lot of things.

Sometimes we are tempted to think when we skip out on meeting together that the only things we are missing are the songs and the sermon, but what we really miss is the life of the church. We are told to consider one another. This text was originally written for a church that was suffering persecution. They weren’t able to meet in public places. Yet they are told not to forsake assembling together… because they needed each other. They needed to be there for their brothers/sisters and they needed their brothers/sisters there for them. We are foolish today if we don’t think that we need each other as well. We should strive to meet with our brothers and sisters in Christ whenever we can.

Father, thank you for your church. Thank you that you have given us brothers and sisters in Christ. Give us grace to know how to help, encourage, and strengthen our brothers and sisters in Christ when they need is. May they always be there for us in real and tangible ways. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

RESOURCES:

Last Year’s Post

Join us in reading though the New Testament in 90 Days! You can find the plan and previous posts here.

Motives Matter (Philemon)

On By pastorjonathanIn DevotionalLeave a comment

Philemon 1:14 ESV but I preferred to do nothing without your consent in order that your goodness might not be by compulsion but of your own accord.

Motives matter. Paul wrote this letter to Philemon about Onesimus, a slave (indentured servant) that had stolen from Philemon and ran away to Rome. While in Rome Onesimus meets Paul and becomes a Christian. He then begins to help Paul and is being discipled. It’s a great working relationship, Onesimus is growing in the Lord and Paul has an assistant. But there is a problem, Onesimus’ past can’t be left in the past. He is still unreconciled to his former boss and he legally owes him for everything he had stolen. What to do?

Paul had a choice on what to do. He could have sent a letter presuming that it was okay for Onesimus to serve as Paul’s helper in Rome. He was an apostle, the polite thing to do would be to let the matter go. If he did that, Philemon might feel like his hand was forced in the matter and be a little bitter. Onesimus also wouldn’t have an opportunity to really address his past sins and how they affected others. He wouldn’t really be reconciled to Philemon. And Philemon wouldn’t really be given an opportunity to forgive Onesimus and demonstrate grace.

So rather than opting for the practical, ends-justify-the-means, pragmatic logic, Paul goes for the uncomfortable, but right approach. He sends Onesimus back, giving Philemon an opportunity to forgive him and send him of his own free will. It gives Onesimus an opportunity to look his former employer and man he stole from, in the eye and ask for forgiveness. It gives Paul an opportunity to honestly ask for assistance in the form of a helper from Philemon’s estate known as Onesimus.

Motives really matter. Sometimes to grow in our relationship with Christ we need to embrace the difficult steps of doing the less pragmatic, but right thing. We may need to address sin in our lives that has affected others. We may need to ask help and assistance in non-manipulative ways. We may need to simply offer forgiveness and entertain the pleas of those who have hurts us. We don’t really know how the rest of this drama unfolded, but we do know that because Paul didn’t cut corners that He, Philemon and Onesimus all had an opportunity to grow in Christ because of it.

Father, thank you for the grace to address one another. Show us how to handle our past sins and seek repentance and reconciliation. Give us grace to forgive those who have sinned against us. Show us how we can honor you in how we deal with others. Thank you for how the gospel transforms every area of our live. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

RESOURCES:

Previous Post on Philemon

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Teach What Accords with Sound Doctrine? (Titus)

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Titus 2:1 ESV But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine.

Everyone needs a little help and encouragement from time to time. I’m trying to undo years of unhealthy eating habits in my life and start a lifestyle of healthier eating. I’ve known for years about how to eat healthier. My problem was that I wasn’t applying my knowledge to my choices. I was making choice based on other things that what would ultimately be best for me. Since I’ve started changing my lifestyle I’ve enlisted other to help make sure that my actions matched my profession.

What’s at stake with the gospel is infinitely more important than eating habits. Paul charges Titus to teach others not just sound doctrine, but the lifestyle that flows out of sound doctrine. It’s not enough to know the gospel, we must live out the gospel in our daily lives. We need all sorts of folks to help us with that (not just the pastor). We need the body of Christ to help us.

I was so encouraged this week as I heard from one of our members about a time in her life when she was greeted and surrounded with encouragement by several ladies in our church. It was their faithful ministry through dark days that really helped her grow. She learned not only doctrine, but practical application through the loving witness of these ladies.

Father, thank you for your Word that is Truth. Thank you that it has the incredible power to transform our lives. Thank you for the men and women you have put in our lives to help model gospel faithfulness. Give us grace to follow hard after you all of our days. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

RESOURCES:

Join us in reading though the New Testament in 90 Days! You can find the plan and previous posts here.

Train Yourself for Godliness (1 Timothy 4-6)

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1Timothy 4:7-8 ESV Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; (8) for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.

I heard a motivational speaker share one time that, “Everyone carries a weight. They will either carry the weight of discipline or regret.” What he meant was that those who got up and jogged every morning would have to carry the weight of the self-discipline of getting out of bed and jogging but they would experience the freedom that fitness afforded them. Those who chose not be self-disciplined in getting up early to jog would carry around a different weight, perhaps even a literal weight of not having the freedom and fitness afforded to someone who runs every day.

In these few verses, Paul reminds us that the self-disciple of regular exercise provides a benefit, especially in the context of getting ready for a contest such as a race. You exercise now to run farther and faster on the day of the race. Yet, the self-discipline of training yourself for godliness provides an infinitely greater benefit considering Eternal Life with Christ.

Certainly part of exercising or training for godliness involves spiritual disciplines such as reading your bible, scripture memorization, regular prayer, serving, giving, etc. These are all means which God helps us to grow closer to Him and to be more like Him (godly). The exercise or reading scripture everyday to read through the New Testament or the whole Bible helps you to become familiar with God’s Word and what He expects/ commands His followers to do. The exercise of journaling (as you see me modeling here) helps to digest/ understand and apply the Word to our lives. Then as we pray along the lines of God’s word, our hearts are stirred and we see ourselves putting it more into practice.

Now that Spring is in the air, I’m getting out and exercising more. I’m not as fit as I hope to be by the end of summer, but every day that I discipline myself to jog, the more fit I’ll be. Every time we put into practice the truths we glean from the scripture, we see ourselves getting in spiritual shape and becoming a little more like Jesus.

How is your spiritual training/ exercising going? If you aren’t already, read through the rest of the New Testament with me. Write about what sticks out to you each day. If you have questions ask a trusted bible teacher, or look at a few commentaries etc.

Father, thank you for giving us your Word. I pray that we would be exercising and training ourselves in godliness that we might honor and glorify you. Give us wisdom in where to grow. Give us encouragers and coaches along the way who will help us to discipline ourselves for Godliness. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

RESOURCES:

Last Year’s Post

Books (Disclosure*)

e-sword.net – Free Downloadable Bible Study Software

BlueLetterBible.com – Free Online Bible Study Resources

Join us in reading though the New Testament in 90 Days! You can find the plan and previous posts here.

Tough Conversations About Helping Those In Need (2 Thessalonians)

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2Thessalonians 3:13-15 ESV As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good. (14) If anyone does not obey what we say in this letter, take note of that person, and have nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed. (15) Do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother.

Sometimes we need to have tough conversations in the church. In this situation there were folks who were taking advantage of the grace and goodness of others. They were able to work, but weren’t working. Instead they were obligating others to feed them. They showed up and implied that a good Christian man or woman would look out for the needs of their neighbors. The problem in this case was that they didn’t have needs, they were able to work and earn for themselves. They were just really lazy.

I’m sure this frustrated those who had been so giving to others, to see their generosity taken for granted. Perhaps it frustrated them to the point that they didn’t want to be generous at all anymore. If people just become entitled, what’s the point? They may have used the entitlement of a few to justify not helping others at all. The problem is that there were some folks who really needed the help and were looking for a hand up and not just a hand out.

So Paul writes that we aren’t to grow weary in doing good. We should still be generous and help those who need it. Yet when we discover someone who is able to work and won’t work, we must stop enabling them. The goal of shutting someone out wasn’t to disfellowship them completely, but to restore them to fellowship. Paul reminds the Thessalonians that these folks hadn’t become enemies, but that they were still brothers. They just really needed to have a tough conversation and a little help to the understand the scripture that says, “If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat” (2 Thessalonians 3:10).

A Strong work ethic is part of Christian doctrine. I’ve written more on this blog about addressing issues of poverty, moral obligation and generosity. I’ll include the titles and links to those posts at the end of this post under resources.

Father, thank you for the radical generosity we have experience from you. We ask Lord for wisdom in mirroring that generosity to others. We want to demonstrate grace in all that we do, yet we don’t want to encourage idleness, dependency, and entitlement. Give us wisdom on how to not grow weary in doing good, but to also encourage the idle to work and help them come to maturity in Christ. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

RESOURCES:

Book Resources* on Poverty

Last Year’s Post on 2 Thessalonians

Join us in reading though the New Testament in 90 Days! You can find the plan and previous posts here.

Are You Ready? (1 Thessalonians 4-5)

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1Thessalonians 5:2-3 ESV For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. (3) While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

You’ve heard of the ancient city of Pompeii. The city was located near a volcano named Mount Vesuvius. On the day that Mount Vesuvius erupted, everyone in Pompeii was going through their daily routines. What they didn’t know was that beneath the surface pressure was building, hot molten rock was moving, and the volcano they lived near would soon erupt. Everything was normal that day, until it wasn’t. In a split second everything changed. Hot deadly ash covered the city killing everything and preserving a snapshot of ancient Roman life for future generations to discover.

Paul reminds us that the return of Christ will happen very suddenly. The world won’t be waiting or expecting His return. Many so called Christians may even be lulled to sleep by the lullaby of everyday life. They will miss the signs of His return. In an instant everything will change. There won’t be time on that day to get ready for what is happening. The only way to be ready for that day is to be ready beforehand.

The question we should as ourselves in reflection is, “are you ready?”

Father, thank you for your Word. Thank you that you tell us about the eminent return of Christ. I pray that we’d be ready. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

RESOURCES:

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Join us in reading though the New Testament in 90 Days! You can find the plan and previous posts here.

(1 Thessalonians 1-3)

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1Thessalonians 2:12 ESV we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.

My son entered a competition to show cows this year. For a while he had been out almost every afternoon at a friend’s house walking a cow. He’d learned all sorts of tricks and maneuvers to get the cow to go where it is supposed to go and do what it was supposed to do. Yet when the day of the show arrived, he got nervous and he wasn’t sure he could pull it off. I pulled him to the side and encouraged him to get in there and give it his best that every day he’d been walking and training the cow, he was also being trained on how to show a cow. Once the show got going he calmed down and did great… I wish I could have had the same talk with the cow. Someone forgot to tell her that she was a show cow and that she’d been training for this for months.

Paul reminds the Thessalonians that he was like a father to them. He was always exhorting, encouraging and charging them to glorify God in how they lived their life. They had been saved from a pagan lifestyle of idolatry. They started following Christ and put their old live in the rear view mirror. Like all of us, that didn’t stop them from having a little self doubt from time to time. There was a temptation to quit or give up, but Paul pressed them to walk worthy of God…. They needed to be reminded of who they were and whose they were.

If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, you are a new creation. You aren’t your old self anymore. You don’t have to stay in a pattern of sinful habits. You don’t need to make excuses or rationalize that you can’t change or this is just the way you are. You have been called to walk worthy of God and you are able to do that because of the work of God in your life. We all need reminded of that from time to time and we need folks in our corner exhorting, encouraging and challenging us. Who does that for you? Who do you do that for?

Father, thank you for the promise that if we are in you, we are a new creation. By your grace today, let us walk and talk as new creations. I pray that we would walk in the victory that you have provided. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

RESOURCES:

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Join us in reading though the New Testament in 90 Days! You can find the plan and previous posts here.

Praying for the Church (Colossians)

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Colossians 1:9-12 ESV And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, (10) so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; (11) being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; (12) giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.

We read a short family devotion after dinner when we eat together. Lately we’ve been reading through the events surrounding the birth of Jesus. The other night we read the account of Anna seeing Jesus in the temple (Luke 2:36-38). There was a prayer prompt at the end of the devotional encouraging us to pray to be like Anna who was devoted to seeking after the Lord. I was leading our youngest to pray and so simply restated the prayer prompt for her to repeat after me. So I said, “Lord help us to be like Anna.” and my youngest who has a name that sounds very similar but is different repeated, “Lord, help everyone to be like me.” The other kids started smirking and couldn’t contain their laughter. It was a good fun, family moment over a simple mistake.

As I ponder back and chuckle, I wonder how often we are guilty of praying like that. We hear of someone’s situation and we wouldn’t want to go through what they are facing and so we ask the Lord to simply remove the obstacle, hurt or pain, because that is what we’d want. While I think we ought to pray on this level to some degree, after all we are encouraged to love our neighbor as ourselves, prayer is intended to also go deeper than that.

When Paul shares about how he prays for the Colossians, their health, wealth, and general prosperity don’t make the list. Instead the list of things he prays for these folks is filled with things like knowing God, knowing His will, living up to their calling as believers and fruit or evidence of God’s work in their lives. When he prays for them, he doesn’t ask for their own strength to rally in weakness, but that they would experience God’s power, perhaps because he knows what it is like for God’s grace to be sufficient in his weaknesses (2 Corinthians 12:9). He prays that they might have endurance, patience, and joy. He thanks the Lord for them. Paul is always thanking God in his prayers.

Certainly there is room for us to pray behind Paul in this way for those we know and love. There are many in the wake of the pandemic who have real physical and spiritual needs. We might be tempted to pray just for health or the ability to attend church, etc. but what we also need to pray is along the lines of presenting everyone complete/mature in Christ (Colossians 1:28).

Father, thank you for your word that reveals how Paul prayed for the Colossians. My prayers are falling behind his today, as I pray in this way for my brothers and sisters in Christ. I pray that we would all know you, know your will, endure the trials we face and experience joy even in the middle of turbulent times. Thank you for the grace you’ve lavished on us all. Work in us all a fully mature faith. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

RESOURCES:

Last Year’s Post

Join us in reading though the New Testament in 90 Days! You can find the plan and previous posts here.

Weeping for Enemies of the Cross (Philippians)

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Philippians 3:17-18 ESV Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. (18) For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ.

Several years ago I was cutting the grass. When suddenly my wife came in the backyard and took a picture of me. I thought it was weird that she was in such a hurry to snap a picture until I turned around and saw my little son pushing a toy lawn mower behind me. He was walking in my footsteps. He wanted to be like his dad.

Paul reinforces and encourages the church at Philippi to imitate him and those like him. Growing in Christ often looks like taking steps behind those the Lord has put in our life as examples of godly living. It’s one thing to be told that you should have a personal quiet time every morning. It’s another to be on a retreat and have an older friend in the Lord invite you in to see how they begin their day in the scriptures.

Paul also was crying as he wrote this. He was crying because there were folks he knew that had come in and were preaching a gospel of works. They were examples to many people, some perhaps had even left the church to follow after these teachers. Paul reminds us that not everyone who has a platform is worth following. There were some false teachers who weren’t worth following. The folks at Philippi needed to be careful about whom they imitated. Yet even in sharing his sorrow, Paul demonstrates a godly reaction to those who had made themselves enemies of the cross by teaching a system of works… tears.

Father, thank you for the gospel. Thank you for mature believers in Christ who can demonstrate the practical application of your scriptures and who exhibit godly lifestyles. May there be many who walk in their footsteps towards a mature faith in Christ. I confess I haven’t wept enough for those who have made themselves enemies of the cross. Thank you for the reminder today that while they may persecute us, they are not ultimately our enemies, they have made themselves your enemies. I pray for grace that they may have a Damascus road type conversion for your glory. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

RESOURCES:

I wrote a expository devotional all the way through Philippians. You can find it on the devotional page.

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Join us in reading though the New Testament in 90 Days! You can find the plan and previous posts here.

Every Body Needs Coaching (Ephesians 4-6)

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Ephesians 4:11-16 ESV And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, (12) to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, (13) until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, (14) so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. (15) Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, (16) from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

Every good team needs coach. The coach is the one who puts all the players into perspective. He/ she evaluates players different skill sets, teaches the fundamentals, keeps the team in shape, and works the team through practicing the plays. Then on game day the coaches determine who plays, when they play, and what plays to run in a given situation. If coaches do there job well, the entire team does well.

The Lord has given us coaches within the body of Christ who are there to help us develop and coordinate our individual gifts for the sake of the whole body. The goal is to bring God’s people to maturity both individually and corporately. Pastors/ teachers are not there to simply educate or inform us, but to equip us for the work of ministry.

Sometimes a congregation can expect one or two individuals to do everything. They imagine that they pay the pastor(s) to do all the work. That would be like paying a coach to play the game while the rest of the team sits on the sidelines and criticizes him/her. That’s not a healthy team and it’s not healthy when a church operates that way. It’s healthy when you and I exercise our gifts in relation to one another for the glory of God. Some encourage, others serve, still others figure out administration, others teach, and others still offer hospitality, etc. and the pastor encourages and equips so that nothing is missing from the people of God. We are all well trained, well loved, well encouraged, and we mature and help others mature in the faith.

Father, thank you for the grace of one another. Thank you that Christianity isn’t an individual event, but that you have called us together and placed us with in the context of one another to form your church. I pray that we would know and exercise our gifts in relationship to one another in such a way that everyone is encouraged, strengthened, and growing in the Lord. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

RESOURCES:

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Join us in reading though the New Testament in 90 Days! You can find the plan and previous posts here.