Luke 13:1-30

Some notes:

The first few verses are a great reminder that kharma isn't real. Romans 3:23 says we are all sinners and fall short of the glory of God.

The next few versesreminds us that after we take root as Christians, we have to start bearing fruit or we aren't really what we think we are. Powerful stuff. What fruit am I bearing?

Working on the Sabbath. This is a tough one. It is so easy to go all legalistic like the pharisees and wind up with a special oven that has a Sabbath Mode so you don't have to push a button to eat. (But I guess that opening the oven isn't "work"). This is the mindset that turned the pharisees from helping people on the sabbath. On the flip-side, how often do I pay attention to the 4th commandment? We have system Sunday at work, but I'm not a typical participant. However, do I tend to my property and my home - yes, fairly often. I need to think about this and work on it.

The mustard sees and yeast analogy are pretty awesome when it really comes down to it. The kindom of God - the maker of the heavens and earth is this tiny little thing that can permeate everything and change its very nature. Wow.

The narrow door is a great way to refocus and remind you of fear of the Lord. I'm a Christian and am assured of my salvation, but gosh, sometimes I feel like I'll be banging on the closed doors screaming, "Moses, Jesus, pu-leeeease let me in!"

Memory verses:

Luke 16:13
John 3:16
John 1:1-3
John 16:4
Matthew 28:19-20
Romans 3:23
Ephesians 2:8-9

Luke 12:49-59

In reading these two sections a few things struck out at me. The first was a reminder that we really need to be careful to exegete when we read scripture. I have a feeling that a great many people have used Luke 12:59 to justify a concept of purgatory. Its worrysome whenever people overfocus on a single verse out of context - and it happens a lot.

The second thing that struck me was the "not peace, but division" section (Luke 12:49-53). Its a point worth dwelling on. While jesus saves, he does not create a cum-bi-yah circle of hapiness for everyone. He creates conflict between those who believe and those who don't.

Application: This is a great reminder that no matter how close I am with someone, I should never let them get in the way of my relationship with Christ, even if it means conflict.

Memory verses for today (building on previous list)

Matthew 28:19-20
Romans 3:23
Ephesians 2:8-9

Luke 12:35-48

This is the call to faithful stewardship. And a faithful steward I have not been. It's been close to two months since my last entry. I've been in a trough in the past few months, but the fog is lifting and I'm starting to get back on track.

When JB died, my great friend Ryan reminded me of a saying he heard from Blake at Watermark, "Know your theology before you go in." It was basically saying that we can't wait for the emergency to learn what we need to say at that moment. We nned to know what to say so that when the tragedy hits, we have a response. This is so true is is laughably simple. Get into the Word while your life is calm so that when it isn't you are armed.

Today, I will get armed.

Today, I've been memorizing the following verses:

John 3:16
John 1:1-3
John 16:4

1 Corinthians 7:1-16

I fell off the wagon. It's been about a month since I've done any real studying. That being said, I haven't been completely out of the Word. Nightly bible reading with my son, occasional verse look-ups for discussions or encouragement, etc.

The theme of this section is equality in marriage. The awesome part of this is how radical this was. This was the original feminism. One husband, one wife - the end of polygamy. Man fulfils his duty, woman hers. Husband's body doesn't belong only to himself. Likewise with her. Men (gender neutral) now were equals, regardless of gender, and especially in marriage.

It also highlighted the importance of believers holding to the standard even when the other partner is not a believer. Gosh, that worked well for Caren :)

1 Corinthians 6

You are somewhere on that list.

Sexually immoral, idolator, adulterer, male prostitute, homosexual, theives, greedy, drunkard, slanderer, swindler.

Yup, we are all sinners and fall short of the glory of God. This list is a good reminder that while we may not be all of them, we are at least one of them and that makes us no better than anyone else that is something else on the list.

The Good News is that "You were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God."

I don't want to fluff over 6:12-20. My body is a Holy Temple. That is powerful stuff and my goal this week is to keep it at the front of my brain.

1 Corinthians 5

Context, Context, Context.

1 Conrinthians 5 strikes me as a passage that could be easily abused and misused. Most people tend to extract the "a little yeast" nugget from this chapter. However, I think there is a much bigger thing going on. Verse 9 says "I have written to you to not associate with sexually immoral people, not meaning...[usual sinners, or everybody]" Verse 11 takes it to another level: "But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who...[does a longer list]"

Two observations about this:

1. Sexual sin takes a very unique position. God obviously views it as holy and something to be very careful with. I don't think this is because he is a prude. It is because he loves us and knows that our most base animal instincts, those parts of our makeup that are least human, are where we can get into the most trouble.

2. Paul is making a strong point here. If you can't handle the simple, easy instruction, don't back down - make it an even higher standard. That way, when you fall short (and you will) you will arrive at the lower, required standard. In other words set yourself up for success. Realize your sinful nature - don't give in to it, but be aware enough to know that you won't conquer it (but by the power of Christ).

1 Corinthians 4

Well, I fell off the wagon. Here's to starting up again. Romans 7:18 states "I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature.[a] For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out."

Lets just say that I knew this blog was good, but I just couldn't bring myself to it. Now, back to Corinthians.

"Indeed, I do not even judge myself" What a powerful, compact, downright liberating thing to be able to say! In that one little sentence, you can shed off low self-esteem, guilt, anxiety, and fear. Not only does relationship with Christ compel us to not judge others, we don't even get to judge ourself. In essence, combining this with Romans 7:18 shows that we can't even perform well enough for ourselves, much less God, but that is a good thing, not something to fear.

1 Corinthians 3

Am I ready for solid foods? Am I giving solid foods to those only ready for milk?

I'm not the best person to answer the first question, but I need to think more about the second question. I love getting into deep theology, thought provoking questions that while mildly important, are not nearly as important as the simplicity of the Gospel. That is the milk and the only thing I need to feed to those not ready for the food of theology and biblical exegesis.

This is also a great passage about not conforming to culture.

1 Corinthians 2

This is another great Corinthians passage. It is about true wisdom. Paul comes not with eloquence or wisdom, but with Christ crucified. He also keenly points out that even with the knowledge of Christ crucified, one cannot discern wisdom without receiving and relying on the Holy Spirit.

I come too often with eloquence and keen words and to infrequently with Jesus Christ and him crucified. This will be an important thing for me to remember as I come into Explorer Group season.

1 Corinthians 1

I'm moving on from Romans into Corinthians. i guess I'm going to work through the Epistles. If they aren't sparking my interest, I might take a left or a right along the way.

I LOVE verses 18-25. As Caren's step father says, "You cant fix stupid." Online I have conversations with quite a few atheists. They equate the message of the cross to fairy tales, but one that is both dangerous and cruel. That is heart wrenchingly sad, but it shown that when they are exposed to truth - real truth, not the best ideas of man - that they have not received God's grace.

I thank God daily that he gave me Grace. That while I was a sinning atheist, confident in my own brilliance, that he saved me. That he allowed me to see that I had no wisdom and my rock was sitting on the sand.

Memory verse: 1 Corinthians 1:18

Romans 16:17-27

Two parts of this section jump out at me. The first is 17-19. This, to me, is both a reminder that I need to keep an eye out for that which is introducing divisiveness and obstacles in my life. It is also, even more importantly so, a reminder to not be the one putting obstacles or causing strife.

The second part of this section that jumps out at me is the raw power that is verse 20:

"The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you."

Wow. Power and grace all balled together. Satan not just defeated, but crushed. under MY feet. All of this while the grace of Jesus is with me.

Methinks I will have a great ride home.

Romans 16:1-16

This is one of those bible passages that is easy to gloss over. Not that I haven't, but it seems to be a great reminder to not just help and move on, but keep people in your prayers, adding to the list over time. Discipleship is not a FIFO proposition.

I am pitiful about following up with those whom I let into my life. I need to get better.

Romans 15:23-33

Great difficulty. Its hard to imagine how difficult it must have been for Paul to travel to Spain and back 2000 years ago. The travel itself was almost a suicide mission. But for him it wasn't even an after thought. His faith compelled him. What is my faith compelling me to do? I know that my approach to most things is radically different that before I was a believer, but I don't know if I feel compelled right now about anything. Another thing to reflect on.

Romans 15:14-22

The people who you bring to Christ are your offering. (Romans 15:16)
Find your own mission field (Romans 15:20)

Once again, this is a reminder of the great commission. Go forth and make disciples. It is also an illustration that we aren't to stay in our Christian bubble. IE Don't preach to the converted. I'll have to think about the implications of that for me.

I've got a headache, so I'm going home.

Romans 15:1-13

The spirit of unity. The end of chapter 14 is continued here at the beginning of chapter 15.

What a tough job Paul must have had. He not only needed to convince the hard-line Jews that their messiah had already come, but he had to convince the gentiles that they needed the Lord. He not only needed to brave this challenge, he also needed to get these two groups together and commingle them in peace. Now THAT is some serious mediation skills. (of course, he wasn't doing it but the Lord through him.)

Now, fast forward and see how we've broken down. Catholics can't get along with baptists, this denomination can't get along with that, it is pretty sad. We all believe that Christ is Lord. It really should be that simple. Stop judging doctrine and start loving one another in Christ. Don't throw the baby out with the bath water comes to mind.

Romans 14:9-23

Get out of the way, God will do the judging. Our role is to take away people's obstacles and leave the rest to God. Actually, scratch that. Our role is to not add stumbling blocks to others that are in Christ or seeking.

This is also a great passage about the whole alcohol debate. This passage is speaking about eating the wrong things around other believers. In context, it would have been hard for Paul to convince a devout jew that Christ was the messiah if he was eating a pork chop. The central message it to not distract others from Christ by giving them a distraction of form. The same can be said of the drink. If you are around Christians who think the bible prohibits drink, don't drink. Easy. You don't have to convince them they are wrong. That isn't your role. Simple.

Romans 14:1-8

We are all brothers in Christ.

These verses are another reminder that the bible is full of great wisdom. It would behoove every Christian to read these 8 verses. Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, non-denominational, whatever. We are all brothers in Christ. If we think some have it wrong we should love them ad spur them on and encourage them to exegesis of the word. We shouldn't tell them what they've got wrong and "fix" them.

Remembering this will help me greatly on the apologetics team.

Romans 13:8-14

Love as debt. That's pretty interesting and something I haven't really much considered. Paul writes: "Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law."

The continuing debt means that it is never-ending. What exactly is debt. It is required repayment (usually with interest - or an increased amount) of something given to you. That means that people are constantly filling me with love, even if I'm not aware of it or choose to think what they are doing is the converse of love.

This makes sense in the context of the depravity of man. Were it not for God I would spiral into the most base and visceral of states. Same with others. But even the biggest @ss has the capacity for, and uses love.

Turn the other cheek is way more than just taking the high road. It is repaying in kind, with interest, the love your enemy has shown you in ways that they aren't even aware.

Romans 13:1-7

I love this passage and refer to it a lot. It reminds me the God is not a Republican. Or a democrat. Or even a proponent of democracy for that matter. God is for a benevolent king, himself.

Man chose to have a government instead of God. God told them they didn't need a king, but they chose on instead.

Context is important. Romans 13 was written from the perspective of Rome, with its Caesars and all that entailed.

Romans 13 is another reminder that everything is as God intends, even if it seems wrong to us. It opens up a big heaping can of "predestination/free will" trouble. But that is a topic for another day.

As much as America has jumped the shark and is on its downward spiral (IMO), God is still in control and this is the government that he has established. This isn't to say that a Christian should lie back and accept the state of our laws. God has also established a Government where we have a voice and a say and we should say what is biblical. Civil disobedience has its place, but no matter how right you are, you are still subject to the consequences of the law.

Oh, and pay your taxes (Romans 13:6-7) - AND do it without complaining and arguing (Philippians 2:14).