There's a long list of things that I don't do often enough, but one of them is to pray for the evangelists in the world. When we think of evangelists, we often think of the apostles after Jesus had ascended to heaven, and evangelism has taken a backseat in mainstream American churches. There's a litany of reasons, and I don't want to get into them now... but we don't focus much on church growth. However, around the world, the Word of God continues to be active and go out. May we join together in prayer to support and encourage those who are proclaiming the word to the non-believers. We support the Outreach Foundation, which is partnering with churches around the world who are focused on making the name of Jesus Christ known. There are countless ways to be involved, but let's start with prayer -- that the doors to hearts may be opened for the Word of God, that all may come to know Christ as Lord and King!
Monday, October 5, 2020
Sunday, October 4, 2020
Friday, October 2, 2020
Colossians 3:18-25
Colossians 3:18-25
English Standard Version
Welcome to the section of the Bible that has been taken out of context any number of times! Any of these verses, lifted and read apart from Paul's writings as a whole, might be used in a way that doesn't really fit the overarching message Paul was communicating throughout the New Testament. We have to be really careful in how we read the Bible -- if we read it looking for verses only to support what we want, we might find what we're looking for. If we read it as a whole book, as one collective witness, it'll often challenge us and force us to think and to grow. If reading the Bible doesn't challenge you, keep reading. As someone once said, if you find that God agrees with everything you think, there might be a problem somewhere!
Here's what I believe that the witness of Scripture speaks to - -that wives and husbands are to love each other with servant love, each seeking to serve the other and in so doing, reflect the selfless love of Christ to one another and the world. Children and parents are to love and serve one another, as parents hold children accountable and seek to encourage them to grow in faithfulness. I believe the entirety of Paul's writings destroy the concept of slavery, for mutual servanthood and radical equality cannot exist with the concept of slavery. In every relationship and every task, we are serving God -- may we do so with great respect and recognize the responsibility we carry into the world.
Thursday, October 1, 2020
Colossians 3:12-17
Colossians 3:12-17
English Standard Version
Jesus came into a world filled with authoritarian leaders who sought to dominate the common individuals. There was great division between rich and poor. People wanted a military leader to come and deliver them from their oppressors.
What they received, however, was different than their expectations. Jesus came to serve. He spent time with the outcasts of society. Jesus never shrank back from confronting the Pharisees, but he largely spent his time with people who needed to hear an alternative way of living.
Friends, this passage from Colossians is beautiful and inspiring. We all want to reach for compassion and kindness, to find a way to let meekness and patience rule in our hearts. We want to forgive first, to put on love and celebrate with gratitude the way we are being knit together. We long for the word of Christ to dwell in us richly.
I'll speak for myself and wonder if that is enough in the modern world. It feels small, given the volume and adversity in the surrounding world. Are meekness and patience the right answers?
One reminder is that Jesus' Kingdom is a much longer view than the current worldly one. Jesus is aiming for eternity, and directing our hearts there, too. That's what allows Jesus to ascend Golgotha and die on a cross, meekly and patiently approaching death, because Jesus knows the ferocity of love will prevail over the binding of death. Jesus goes as a lamb to the cross, because Jesus knows that the triumphant victory is inevitable, even if it travels a path the world doesn't fully understand.
May we endeavor to grasp the reality of God's Kingdom. May the Word dwell in us richly, and in doing so, may it transform our hearts to align with God's, that we may be encouraged to serve one another and to go out into the world with the confidence that comes from knowing that God's Kingdom cannot be defeated and will not be stopped. There are times it may look like the world is winning. But Easter Sunday is on the other side of Good Friday, and the God who redeems and resurrects is still at work in our hearts and the world. The crucifixions and disappointments in the world begin to lose their ultimate powers of despair when we fixate on Easter and the fulfillment of God's promises of life. When we cling with confidence to the truth of resurrection and the eternal hope that comes from God alone, we begin to see how only God can give us the peace our hearts are longing for. Only God's Kingdom lasts forever, and that is our true home.
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