For if your gift is the ability to speak in tongues, you will be talking to God but not to people, since they won’t be able to understand you. You will be speaking by the power of the Spirit, but it will all be mysterious. But one who prophesies is helping others grow in the Lord, encouraging and comforting them. A person who speaks in tongues is strengthened personally in the Lord, but one who speaks a word of prophecy strengthens the entire church. ~ 1 Corinthians 14:2-4 Let’s say it at the start: this part of Paul’s letter to the Corinthians has been long debated in the history of the … [Read more...] about Clarity (a meditation on ‘churchspeak’)
A Dude’s Life Verse for Manly Manhood
After writing that title, I feel the need to grunt or wrestle a bear or something. Yet I also have a confession about that title: I’m not really that much into ‘life verses’. If anyone ask me what my life verse is, I’m likely to tell them Judges 3:17 and get a good laugh after they look it up. But… the other day I was rolling through the New Testament passage in the two year Bible reading plan I put together for my church, and I came across an old familiar set of verses (meaning: I had memorized them at one point, but haven’t thought about them in a while. Sad, I know)—1 Corinthians … [Read more...] about A Dude’s Life Verse for Manly Manhood
“How could God love and use me?” (a meditation on the regrets of the past and the joys of now)
9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. ~ 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 Shame. We all feel it at different times, either for a present failure or a past way of life. The past comes back … [Read more...] about “How could God love and use me?” (a meditation on the regrets of the past and the joys of now)
How to connect the generations…? (a discussion)
The other day I wrote a post on Deuteronomy and the idea that the church needs to be a place that connects the generations. We Timothys (the younger peeps) need Pauls (the older, faithful saints) to help us know, understand, and learn from the past, and to help us keep looking towards the future. Anyone who is anyone will tell you that in church life (or: anywhere else) this isn’t the easiest thing. For whatever reasons, we let style get in the way or relationship substance. Without wise leadership the older generations can feel like the younger are trying to take over the church and chuck … [Read more...] about How to connect the generations…? (a discussion)
Remembering the Past, Looking to the Future
“These are the words that Moses spoke to all Israel beyond the Jordan in the wilderness…” Deuteronomy 1:1 The book of Deuteronomy is about Moses as an old man and respected leader reminding a new generation of Israelites about their past while pointing them into the future. In Numbers 13 and 14 the people chose fear over faith. Despite all the good and powerful things God had done on their behalf up to that point, the people rejected the promises and cried out against God. Because of their sin, instead of taking possession of the land God had promised, the people had to wander the … [Read more...] about Remembering the Past, Looking to the Future
The Comparison Game (a meditation on things that divide us)
4 For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not being merely human? 5 What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. ~ 1 Corinthians 3:4-7 We live in a world of favorites. What’s your favorite color? What’s your favorite food? We can choose to follow or not follow certain people on Facebook. We can favorite Instagram pics and Twitter tweets. In some cases, … [Read more...] about The Comparison Game (a meditation on things that divide us)
‘Yes’ in a World of ‘No’
Recently my town decided to graffiti its own Main Street sidewalks with the message: no bicycles or skateboards. I’m sure the intention is safety. People walk in and out of the shops and storefronts, and you don’t want anyone young or old to be taken out by a person on a bicycle. But it made me think of two things: (1) perhaps there is a better way to state the message, like a nice looking sign that reads for the safety of others, please walk your bicycles or skateboards on these sidewalks; and (2) how swift we are to shout No! even in church, and maybe we shouldn’t be. Of course, we get no … [Read more...] about ‘Yes’ in a World of ‘No’
That all the Lord’s people were prophets (a meditation on the work of the Holy Spirit)
But Moses replied, “Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would put his Spirit upon them all!” ~ Numbers 11:29 (NLT) In Numbers 11 we find a scene where the Exodus people were complaining, some wanted to return to Egypt, and Moses felt overwhelmed as the leader. In the midst of everything else, Moses cried out to God for help, saying, “I am not able to carry all this people alone; the burden is too heavy for me” (11:14). In response God told Moses to gather seventy of Israel’s elders on whom he will put a portion of his Spirit … [Read more...] about That all the Lord’s people were prophets (a meditation on the work of the Holy Spirit)
Remembering who you are…
1What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. ~ Romans 6:1-4 In Romans 4-6, Paul keyed on the realities of salvation by grace through faith. Pointing back to both Abraham and David, Paul taught that no matter who you are, Jew or … [Read more...] about Remembering who you are…
Jesus prayed… (a meditation for Good Friday and Easter)
As we approach April, we come to the time of year that we remember and celebrate Jesus’ death and resurrection, and the hope we have in this life and for eternity because of it. In John 17, we find a prayer of Jesus just before he was arrested, tried, and crucified. As we think about this time of year, may we reflect on his prayer and how it should shape our prayers. Jesus prayed for four things in particular. First, he prayed for the glory of God (17:1-5). Specifically, he prayed that the Father would be glorified as the son would be glorified in the hour that had come. This hour was … [Read more...] about Jesus prayed… (a meditation for Good Friday and Easter)