Pondering the Passages: Philippians 1:20-26

Posted on by Shay Reyner

This Week’s Passage and Memory Verse (in red): 20 I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! 23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; 24 but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. 25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me.

(I am posting today instead of Thursday because of our travel schedule)

So this will be my last post of the year. You will not hear from me until 2012 because I will be visiting my daughter and son in law in India over Christmas. I chose this passage as my last passage to ponder for the year because it contains, for lack of a better term, my “life verses”. Some of you may remember that I preached on this passage about 3 years ago – it was the message that started off with me saying that I was going to die.

My dad died when he was 42. Both of my granddads died in their mid 50’s. Men die early in my family. When I was 30 I began praying that God would allow to live to be 50 so that I could influence my kids  at least until they were out of high school. Now that I am 53 I feel a bit greedy wanting to hang around to influence my kid’s kids. So why does God keep me around? That is the question that this passage answers for me.

Paul is ready to die because he knows it means that he will be with the Lord. But he also knows that God may not be finished with him yet. That is where I find myself. I love the last 2 verses of this passage. It details Paul’s mission for the rest of his life. Essentially he says that as long as God leaves him here on this earth that his job will be to help others make progress in their faith and to find joy in knowing Christ. I think that is also why God allows me to linger among the living. Perhaps He wants to use me to help  others in the same way.

That is one of the reasons that I started blogging a little more than a year ago. Not only did I know that I needed the discipline of pondering these passages and intentionally thinking them through, but I was also hoping this discipline might benefit others as well. I have found through my years of ministry that most folks have great intentions when it comes to regularly spending time in God’s Word but that more often than not those good intentions don’t go anywhere. So if you are still reading at this point I hope this exercise in pondering passages has helped you at least a little bit to make progress in your faith and has fueled your joy in knowing our Savior.

I’d love to hear from you if this year of pondering has been helpful. My plan is to take these next 2-3 weeks off and then start back in early January. In the meantime I hope you have an incredible Christmas as we celebrate the incarnation and that your joy in our Lord grows deeper and deeper as you ponder the staggering news that in Christ the Word became flesh and appeared among us.

I’m just sayin!’

Grace and Peace to you!

Pondering the Passages: 1 Peter 5:6-11

Posted on by Shay Reyner

This Weeks Passage and Memory Verse (in red):  6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. 10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 11 To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.

So the most intriguing phrase in this passage to me is found in verse 10 where Peter says “after you have suffered a little while.”  It sounds to me that God could pull the plug, so to speak, on the suffering we go through at any time BUT He is waiting a little while to do so. Why?

It would seem that God has a purpose for suffering. Now this doesn’t much make sense to us because we despise it so much. But to God it is all a part of the big picture. This passage does not so much address the why of suffering as it does the what to do while you are suffering. It  assumes that we understand why suffering takes place because of what Peter has said in chapter 1 of this epistle. So what to do while we are going through times of suffering:

Humble yourselves – The best way to do this he says is by “casting all your cares upon Him.” v 7. Suffering has a way of bringing us to our knees, of driving us to complete dependence upon God. We realize that when we are going through trials and difficulties that we cannot fix things on our own. And lets face it – we like to fix things. We like to fix our messes. We like to think that we are in control and so we like to take control of our own lives and prove to ourselves that we can handle anything. But the fact of the matter is that we CANNOT. We need God. Suffering has a way of reminding us of this. And when we are willing to lay aside our pride and acknowledge that God is in control (and that we are not) by throwing everything in His lap and essentially saying ” God You fix this mess, I realize that I can’t”, then God can begin to shape us mold us for His purposes.

Be alert – Suffering is the perfect time for the evil one to try to wedge his way into our lives. It is a time when he says to us ” Look, this God you say you serve doesn’t really care about you. If He did He wouldn’t let you go through what you are going through.” So especially during suffering we need to be reminded that we are in a war. And the only way to survive the war is to rely on our commanding officer. So do not be at all surprised if you feel under attack when times are tough – because you are. So…

Resist the enemy – How? Run to the Word and not away from it. Cling to the cross gratefully. Rally the troops around you and let them help protect you. Just as you need God you also need your comrades to stand with you and to help sustain you. Again our tendency is to try to get through things without anyone else’s help, but one reason that God designed the church is so that we can fight together the fight of faith.

Rest in God’s grace – Never forget that the God who rescued you from sin and raised you from life to death also has a future in store for you that is literally “out of this world.” What you are going through is temporary; what He has in mind for you is eternal. What you go through during times of suffering reveals your weakness; He wants to use these times to empower you with His strength. So rest in His amazing grace. Rest in the joy of your salvation. Rest in the comfort that God IS in control even when things seem out of control. Rest in the hope that one day all will be made right.

I’m just sayin’!

Next Week’s Passage: Philippians 1:20-26
Next Week’s Memory Verse: Philippians 1:21

The Greatest Missions Text in Scripture: John 1:14

Posted on by Shay Reyner

** As I mentioned during my message this morning here is the full version of my notes and all the questions that I did not get to. You will note that there are some variations from the actual presentation – but they are minor.

The Greatest Mission’s Text in Scripture

Intro

This is a deeply theological text but ALSO a deeply practical text. Practice should always be rooted in theology. In other words what you do should be determined by what you believe. I’m worried that this isn’t the case so much in our Christian culture. There seems to be a huge disconnect btw what we say we believe and how we behave – how we conduct out lives. And for that reason the church is in danger of being irrelevant. With that being said I hope you hear what God wants to say to you today.

John 1:14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Packer, J. I.  “The divine Son became a Jew; the Almighty appeared on earth as a helpless human baby, unable to do more than lie and stare and wriggle and make noises, needed to be fed and changed and taught to talk like any other child… The more you think about it, the more staggering it gets.”

Q#1: Why is the doctrine of the incarnation vital to the Christian faith?

Where men stand on the doctrine of the incarnation often defines the dividing line between orthodoxy and heresy, between true Christianity and the cults:

There is an inseparable relationship btw the incarnation of Christ and the atonement – can be seen at the communion table. In our church we observe the Lord’s ordinance of communion weekly. Here, we are reminded that our salvation has been obtained through the shed blood of Christ on the cross of Calvary. What two elements are used to represent the work of Christ on man’s behalf? They are the bread and the wine. Both these elements are evidence of the necessity of the incarnation. The bread is a symbol of the body–the human body of our Lord which was given for man’s salvation. The unleavened bread reminds us that His body was without sin, which was also a result of the incarnation of our Lord. And the cup symbolizes the blood of our Lord which was shed for the forgiveness of our sins. Blood could not have been shed apart from a human body. Thus, the atonement which our Lord accomplished for us was dependent upon the incarnation. To put in more directly, “apart from the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins” (Heb. 9:22), and apart from a human body, there could be no shedding of blood (cf. Heb. 10:5-10).

In Christ alone! who took on flesh
Fulness of God in helpless babe!
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones he came to save:
Till on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied –
For every sin on Him was laid;
Here in the death of Christ I live.

Q#2: Who was Athanasius?

In the fourth century, during the time of Constantine, the church was rocked by a controversy started by Arius, a deacon of the influential church of Alexandria in Egypt. Arius denied that Christ was truly and fully God, arguing from the Bible that only the Father was truly God, and the Son was the firstborn of creation.

Athanasius was his arch-enemy – and a deacon in the same church. His main disagreement with Arius concerned salvation: we are saved because in Christ God himself became a human being and died a human death. the immortal became mortal to raise mortals to immortality. No mere creature could achieve this but only the very Word of God.

The Incarnation of the Word is Athanasius’ most famous writing, and his most celebrated statement of his case against the Arians. His theology was recognized by the Council of Nicea as being the true Gospel of Christ, and as such it has been passed down the centuries.

Q#3: Why does John refer to Jesus as “the Word”?

A practical logical explanation….  Words communicate. A talkie movie is better than a silent movie. A good book is so much better than the movie. Words have the power to teach us truth, to move us emotionally, to bring healing, to empower us… to hurt us, to destroy us.

“Sticks and stones…” Bull. Words are POWERFUL.

A hermeneutical explanantion…

Answer: The answer to this question is found by first understanding the reason why John wrote his gospel. We find his purpose clearly stated in John 20:30-31.

“Many other signs therefore Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these have been written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.”

Once we understand that John’s purpose was to introduce the readers of his gospel to Jesus Christ, establishing Who Jesus is (God in the flesh) and what He did, all with the sole aim of leading them to embrace the saving work of Christ in faith, we will be better able to understand why John introduces Jesus as “The Word” in John 1:1.

By starting out his gospel stating, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God,” John is introducing Jesus with a word or a term that both his Jewish and Gentile readers would have been familiar with.

The Greek word translated “Word” in this passage is Logos, and it was common in both Greek philosophy and Jewish thought of that day. For example, in the Old Testament the “word” of God is often personified as an instrument for the execution of God’s will (Psalm 33:6; 107:20; 119:89; 147:15-18). So, for his Jewish readers, by introducing Jesus as the “Word,” John is in a sense pointing them back to the Old Testament where the Logos or “Word” of God is associated with the personification of God’s revelation.

PS 107:20             Hesent out his word andhealed them, anddelivered them from their destruction.

For his Greek readers the use of the term Logos would have likely brought forth the idea of a mediating principle between God and the world.

So, essentially, what John is doing by introducing Jesus as the Logos is drawing upon a familiar word and concept that both Jews and Gentiles of his day would have been familiar with and using that as the starting point from which He introduces them to Jesus Christ.

John1:1-18 is known as the Prologue. It is designed to stay in the mind and heart throughout the subsequent story. Never again in the Gospel of John is Jesus referred to as “the Word,” but we are meant to look at each scene—the call of the first disciples, the changing of water into wine, the confrontation with Pilate, the Crucifixion, and the Resurrection—and think to ourselves: This is what it looks like when the Word becomes flesh. This is God Incarnate.

Q#4: Why was it necessary for the Word to “become flesh”? or, why was it necessary for God to become a man)

Plain and simple… we just didn’t get it. God had given His people the Law to explain our need for an atoning sacrifice but His people didn’t get it. He sent the prophets, but they didn’t get it. So He sent His Son, hoping to win again the hearts of the people He created and loves but who betrayed and turned away from Him.

Perhaps you’ve heard this story:

A man did not believe in all that incarnation stuff that the Churches proclaim at Christmas time, so he stayed home while his family went to church on Christmas Eve. Shortly after the family drove away in the car, snow began to fall. He went to the window to watch the flurries getting heavier and heavier, then went back to his fireside chair and began to read his newspaper.

Minutes later he was startled by a thudding sound. Then another and another. At first he thought someone must be throwing snowballs against his living room window. Well, when he went to the front door, he found a flock of birds huddled miserably in the snow. They had been caught in the storm and in a desperate search for shelter they had tried to fly through his large landscape window.

Well, he couldn’t let the poor creatures lie there and freeze. He remembered the barn where his children stabled their pony. That would provide a warm shelter — if he could direct the birds to it. He quickly put on his coat and galoshes, trampled through the deepening snow to the barn, opened the door wide, and turned on a light. But the birds did not come in. He figured food would entice them in and he hurried back to the house, fetched bread crumbs, sprinkled them on the snow making a trail to the yellow lighted wide open doorway of the stable, but to his dismay the birds ignored the bread crumbs, and continued to flap around helplessly in the snow. He tried catching them, he tried shooing them into the barn by walking around them waving his arms — instead they scattered in every direction except into the warm lighted barn.

Then he realized they were afraid of him. To them, he reasoned, I am a strange and terrifying creature, if only I could think of some way to let them know they can trust me. That I’m not trying to hurt them, but to help them. How? Any move he made tended to frighten them, confuse them. They just would not follow. They would not be led or shooed because they feared him. If only be a bird myself he thought. If only I could be a bird and mingle with them and speak their language, and tell them not to be afraid, and show them the way to the safe, warm barn. But I’d have to be one of them, so they could see and hear and understand. At that moment the church bells began to ring. The sound reached his ears above the sound of the wind. He stood there listening to the bells. “Adeste Fideles.” Listening to the bells pealing the glad tidings of Christmas. And he sank to his knees in the snow.

So why did He come?
To reveal God to men – Jn 1:17-18, Jn 14:9
To provide a sacrifice for sin – Lk 19:10, Heb 10:1-10
To destroy the work of the devil – 1 Jn 3:8
To set an example for believers – 1 Jn 2:6 

Incarnational Ministry – our job is to “flesh out” Jesus to the world. Q. What do people learn about the Savior both by listening to you speak and watching the way that you live?

Q#5: What is the Old Testament allusion that is inferred in this verse?

Don’t see the allusion??? To me its probably the most interesting thing about this great verse.

And the Word became flesh, and made His dwelliing among us…” John 1:14

Botswana. Camping.

The Greek word skenoo used in John 1:14 literally means “to pitch a tent.” In Greek, the word for tent is skene —

This word skene (tent) is the very word used in the New Testament to refer to the tabernacle of God used by Israel in their early worship of God.

If you remember, the tabernacle was a wooden structure with a tent pitched over the top. (In the Greek New Testament therefore, the word translated “tabernacle” is skene — “the tent” (Acts 7:44; Hebrews 8:2, 5, and chapter 9). Hence, when the glory of God descended to the earth to take up residence in the midst of Israel as described in Exodus 40:34-38, it could be said that God “pitched His tent” among men. The glory of God went camping with Israel as Israel wandered in the wilderness.

Years later when the temple of God was about to be destroyed by the Babylonians, Ezekiel described how the glory of God left the earth and went back to heaven (Ezek. 10:4, 18-19; 11:22-25). Six hundred years later, the apostle John wrote that the glory of God had come back—this time in a new tent — in the body of Jesus Christ. “…and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father…” (John 1:14).

John is saying, “He’s back! God is pitching His tent among us once again. Jesus Christ, who is the Word, DWELT [skenoo] among us.”

This is how John describes the birth of Jesus Christ . Then, as the tabernacle of old, John takes us to the brazen altar to behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).

You see, the tabernacle of the OT was a foreshadowing of the Son Incarnate:

The “tabernacle” was a temporary structure
Outwardly the “tabernacle” was humble, and unattractive in appearance
The “tabernacle” was God’s dwelling place
The “tabernacle” was, therefore, the place where God met with men. It was termed “the tent of meeting.”
The “tabernacle” was the center of Israel’s camp
The “tabernacle” was the place where sacrifice was made. In its outer court stood the brazen altar, to which the animals were brought, and on which they were slain. There it was that blood was shed and atonement was made for sin.

Q#6: What does “we have seen his glory” refer to?

 We walked with him everday for over 3 years believe me when I say he is the glorious One. John details a few specific stories:

-Jn 2:11 Water to wine. “This is the first of the miraculous signs Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed His glory, and His disciples put their faith in Him.”

And then there was that time up on the mountain… The transfiguration. 

Q#7: Why did John add the phrase “the glory of the one and only”?

The glory that belongs to the one and only Jesus. We have a tendency to ascribe glory to those things that don’t deserve it and fail to give glory to the only one who does.  You know what the Bible calls that? Idol Worship!

And we often done flippantly – “Praise God the devils pulled out another one.” Listen to what John is saying…

Q#8: What is meant by ‘one and only”, i.e. “only begotten”?

Unique – one of a kind:
He is the ONLY way to heaven – Jn 14:6
He is the ONLY one to be tempted and yet be without sin
He is the ONLY one that can satisfy the cravings of the human heart

Q#9: What are the implications of the phrase “full of grace and truth”?

Jesus came full of grace AND full of truth – just as He was fully God and fully man. He was a man of GRACE. He gave to us when we did not deserve anything but judgement and wrath and condemnation.

But he also boldly tells the TRUTH. Sermon on the Mount, Word to Pharisees (Mt 23)

We must do the same.

The Grace and Truth Paradox – Randy Alcorn

Truth-oriented Christians love studying Scripture and theology. But sometimes they’re quick to judge and slow to forgive. They’re strong on truth, weak on grace. Grace-oriented Christians love forgiveness and freedom. But sometimes they neglect Bible study and see moral standards as “legalism.” They’re strong on grace, weak on truth.

Countless mistakes in marriage, parenting, ministry, and other relationships are failures to balance grace and truth. Sometimes we neglect both. Often we choose one over the other. (p. 17)

*****
If we minimize grace, the world sees no hope for salvation. If we minimize truth, the world sees no need for salvation. To show the world Jesus, we must offer unabridged grace and truth, emphasizing both, apologizing for neither.

Truth is quick to post warning signs and guardrails at the top of the cliff. Yet it fails to empower people to drive safely–and neglects to help them when they crash.
Grace is quick to post ambulances and paramedics at the bottom of the cliff. But without truth, it fails to post warning signs and build guardrails. In so doing, it encourages the very self-destruction it attempts to heal. (p. 87-88)

Q#10: What does this passage have to do with missions?

EVERYTHING!

-God sent His Son who made himself nothing, taking on the appearance of a man, humbled himself and became  obedient  to death – even death on a cross.

-He pitched His tent right in the middle of a culture that for the most part wanted nothing to do with Him.

-He revealed God to them by reflecting His glory, by showing them what grace was AND by telling the Truth.

How do you respond to a message like this:

  • Incarnate the Incarnation
  • GO – just as Jesus was willing to go and leave behind…
  • Demonstrate grace. Speak Truth.

Don’t let your faith be an irrelevant part of your life.

Pondering the Passages: John 1:14-18

Posted on by Shay Reyner

This Week’s Passage and Memory Verse (in red):  14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

15 John testifies concerning him. He cries out, saying, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’” 16 From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known.

Today I am going to pose a bunch of questions based on verse 14 only. No answers. No thoughts. Just questions. Why? Because it would seem that I am preaching this Sunday at Ridgecrest and this will be my text. Think of these questions as the trailer before the full version is released. Hopefully they will get you thinking ahead of time and anticipating the preached word. The title of my message on Sunday is “The Greatest Mission’s Text in Scripture”. Here are the questions:

Why does John refer to Jesus as “the Word”?

Why was it necessary for the Word to “become flesh”?

What is the Old Testament allusion that is inferred in this verse?

What does “we have seen his glory” refer to?

Why did John add the phrase “the glory of the one and only”?

What is meant by ‘one and only”, i.e. “only begotten”?

What are the implications of the phrase “full of grace and truth”?

Why is the doctrine of the incarnation vital to the Christian faith?

Who was Athanasius?

What does this passage have to do with missions?

Perhaps these are some of the same questions that came to your mind as you pondered this week (maybe not the next to last one). What an incredible verse (and passage)! I’ll post answers to all these after I preach on Sunday. Hope you can be there.

I’m just sayin’!

Next Week’s Passage: 1 Peter 5:6-11
Next Week’s Memory Verse: 1 Peter 5:7

Pondering the Passages: Philippians 4:4-9

Posted on by Shay Reyner

This Week’s Passage and Memory Verse (in red): 4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

If I were to outline this passage I would have 2 main points: 1) How to know the peace of God (vs 4-7) and 2) How to know the God of peace vs 8-9). Let’s look at each of these.

1) How to know the peace of God: We tend to find joy in a lot of things that have nothing to do with God. Our favorite sports team. Food. Another person. Our children. A good book or movie. Nothing wrong with these at all. And it is evident by the way that we talk about these things that they bring us much joy. The problem is that all of these things are temporal and most of them at one time or another will seriously disappoint us which will wreck any sense of peace that we might have concerning them.

That is why Paul stresses that our joy is to be first and foremost IN THE LORD! He will never disappoint us. This is a great starting point for experiencing the peace of God. Make sure that He is your joy above all other things. And then never ever forget that “the Lord is near.” Sometimes the pressure and the pain of life makes us feel like God is nowhere to be found when in fact He is as close as a prayer.

Prayer is not supposed to be a last resort that we utilize to get rid of our worries and anxieties. Our prayer life should be such that we have been praying about EVERYTHING, thanking God for EVERYTHING. And by so doing we are building up a fortress of protection around our lives so that when the difficult days come our hearts are safeguarded against the evil one who wants to destroy our peace.

2) How to know the God of peace: Thesis – We will never know the peace of God until we know the God of peace! Paul makes an incredibly bold statement that few of us would ever make. He basically says “If you want to know God then watch what I do, listen to what I say, and you do the same.”

Here’s my take on what he means by this. Paul was a man who lived, breathed, and ultimately died for the gospel. He was passionate about knowing Christ (see Phil 3:8-11) and equally passionate about making Christ known (see Phil 3: 12-18).

So Paul is saying in effect that if you want to know the God of peace then consume yourself with the gospel. Consume yourself with the life, crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection, and exaltation of Christ. If you live the gospel the gospel will live in you and you WILL know the God of peace – and then as a bonus you will know the peace of God.

I’m just sayin’!

(Happy Thanksgiving! I’m grateful to all of you who take the time to read my ponderings and have encouraged me along the way to keep it up. It has been a very good exercise and discipline for me.)

Next Week’s Passage: John 1:14-18
Next Week’s Memory Verse: John 1:14

Pondering the Passages: Ephesians 5:15-20

Posted on by Shay Reyner

This Week’s Passage and Memory Verse (in red):  15 Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. 19 Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Great passage. Lots to ponder. Here’s what jumped out at me. First a few words…

v.15  “very” – It’s as if Paul knows something that we haven’t quite grasped yet. If he had said “be careful” it would be like me telling my son not to get too close to the fire – something that should be obvious. “Be very careful” is more like stay  far far away from the fire because of the the poisonous gases that are being emitted – something not obvious to the naked eye. It sounds like a plea to the Ephesian believers because Paul has watched so many fall by the spiritual wayside because they were not careful enough.

v.15 “then” – This is one of those words that is looking backwards. Backwards to what? Back to verses 13-14. Paul is reminding us that all our dark and dirty secrets are one day going to be exposed by the Light. If that were to happen TODAY what would be exposed in your life? Would there be shame? Would there be regret? Or do you have nothing to hide. Paul wants us to live with nothing to hide because one day nothing will be hidden. So “be very careful how you live.”

v.16 “every” – I get the feeling here that Paul has witnessed countless wasted opportunities. He wants the church, God’s people, to recognize that God is placing people right in front of their eyes every day – people who are needy, and discouraged, and harassed, and confused. People who need people who have the Lord. That’s you and me. We don’t need to go looking for opportunities; rather we need to take advantage of the opportunities that we already have.

And now one phrase that caught my attention…

v.17 “understand what the Lord’s will is” – Paul doesn’t leave us hanging here. We tend to spend a lot of time trying to figure out what God’s will is when He has spelled much of it out to us very clearly. The subsequent verses (all the way to the end of the book) are a case in point.

These verses explain that God’s will for believers include: being filled with His Spirit, being thankful, submitting to one another, being loving husbands, being obedient children, being fathers who train up their children, being obedient slaves, being non-threatening masters, being prepared for spiritual battle, and praying for the advance of the gospel. The point is that God’s will is not hard to discern if we are willing to read and obey God’s Word.

Funny story: A middle-aged farmer who had been desiring for years to be an evangelist was out working in the field one day when he decided to rest under a tree. As he looked into the sky he saw that the clouds seemed to form into the letters P and C. Immediately he hopped up, sold his farm, and went out to P-reach C-hrist, which he felt was God’s leading. Unfortunately, he was a horrible preacher. After one of his sermons a neighbor came forward and whispered in his ear, “Are you sure God wasn’t just trying to tell you to P-lant C-orn.”

God’s will is written in the Word – not in the sky or in the stars. (And yes, that is a hint about what I think about astrology).

So read the Word. Ponder the Word. Obey the Word. And you will be right dab in the middle of God’s will.

I’m just sayin’!

Next Week’s Passage: Philippians 4:4-8
Next Week’s Memory Verse: Philippians 4:6

Pondering the Passages: 1 Peter 2:9-12

Posted on by Shay Reyner

This Week’s Passage and Memory Verse (in red):  9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 11 Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. 12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

This week I want to make a few brief comments about our passage, share a famous quote with you, and then wrap it up.

There are a lot of graphic phrases in this passage which describe believers that merit pondering. The one that most captures my attention is “royal priesthood.” It seems to be a mixing of two metaphors – political and religious. But in doing so it gives a succinct portrayal of who we are in Christ.

1) We are royalty – We are heirs of the King. The King of Kings is our Dad. As such, we have a special place reserved for us in Heaven. We have wealth beyond compare. We have an angelic army fighting on our behalf. We have been elevated not just from dead to alive but from peasants to prince/princesses.

2) We are priests – We are not royal despots we are royal servants. It is part of our responsibility to mediate between God and man. We are ambassadors of reconciliation. We have been given a royal position so that we can help others to know God by displaying His glory as we serve the needy and supply hope for the helpless.

The other phrase that sticks out to me is “which war against your soul.” I am being continually reminded these days that we are at war. As I was thinking about this the following WWII story popped into my mind. It is one of Sir Winston Churchill’s most famous speeches and has as many spiritual implications for today as it did 70 years ago for the war…

Upon his very first entrance into the House of Commons as Britain’s new Prime Minister on Monday, May 13, 1940, Winston Churchill only received a lukewarm reception from the assembly, while at his side, outgoing Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain was heartily cheered. Churchill then made this brief statement, which has become one of the finest call-to-arms yet uttered. It came at the beginning of World War II when the armies of Adolf Hitler were roaring across Europe, seemingly unstoppable, conquering country after country for Nazi Germany, and when the survival of Great Britain itself appeared rather uncertain.

“…We have before us an ordeal of the most grievous kind. We have before us many, many long months of struggle and of suffering. You ask, what is our policy? I will say: It is to wage war, by sea, land and air, with all our might and with all the strength that God can give us; to wage war against a monstrous tyranny, never surpassed in the dark and lamentable catalogue of human crime. That is our policy. You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word: victory; victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory, however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival….”

These indeed are perilous times for believers and for the Church. We are being assaulted and assailed. Damaged and derailed. And yet we march on because we have the sure confidence that victory will be ours. It has already been won for us at the cross. D-Day has come. The enemy is doomed and defeated – he just doesn’t know it yet. So the war continues to rage around us and within us until V-Day – until the great and glorious day of our Savior’s appearing and the  victory is complete.

So never forget that we are at war – the battle is for your soul and the glory of God is at stake.

I’m just sayin’!

Next Week’s Passage: Ephesians 5:15-20
Next Week’s Memory Verse: Ephesians 5:15-16

Pondering the Passages: 1 John 2:15-17

Posted on by Shay Reyner

This Week’s Passage and Memory Verse (in red): 15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. 17 The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.

The first question that comes to my mind is this: What does loving the world look like in real life? In other words, how can I tell if I love the world – especially in the culture in which we live where materialism is prized so much more that spirituality and a relationship with God.

I’m having a difficult time with this question. It would be easy for me to come up with a nice answer that sounds spiritual and that justifies my lifestyle. Our lifestyle. I mean let’s face it – I love the world that I live in. I love the fact that I was born in America and not in Haiti. I love my house with all its bedrooms, it’s garage, and big yard. I love my big screen TV. I love the fact that at the push of a button I have electricity and running water. I love air conditioning. I love my comfy bed and my refrigerator which is full of food that I can get to any time that I want. I have a smart phone, an ipod, 2 computers, and a kindle. I am amazingly wealthy – probably among the top 1% of the world’s population. Do I love the world? Of course I love the world. Would I care if I lost it all? Of course I would care.

So here are the questions that I am left to grapple with:

Do I CRAVE worldly things? (v 16)

Do I LUST for more stuff? (v 16)

Do I BOAST in my possessions? (v 16)

Does all the stuff hinder me from doing the will of God? (v 17)

It is that last question that stumps me. If I did not have all that I have would I GO overseas and take the gospel to an unreached people. Would I be willing to GO and live in Haiti among the poorest of the poor to serve among “the least of these?” Instead of finding security and safety by everything that I own am I actually being crippled by it.

I’m not sure that there is a right answer across the board for all of us who are as rich as we are. I mean let’s face it, if you are reading this then you also are one of the wealthiest people in the world. So much of the answer has to do with attitude and desires of the heart. And I can’t speak for you. I can only speak for me.

I do love how the Apostle John does not mince words – especially as he closes out his letter at the end of chapter 5. Instead of saying “Hope to see you soon,” or “May God be with you,” or some other nice way to close out his letter – he simply says… “Keep yourself from idols!”

As I continue to ponder this passage this seems like a good place to start and a great way to begin praying.

“Father, would you root out the idols of my heart that cause me to love the things of this world more than I love you. And would you plant in their place a passion for the glory of Your Name and a hunger for your great and astonishing Word”

I’m just sayin’!

Next Week’s Passage: 1 Peter 2:9-12
Next Week’s Memory Verse: 1 Peter 2:9

Pondering the Passages: Ephesians 3:14-21

Posted on by Shay Reyner

This Week’s Passage and Memory Verse (in red):  14 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.  20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

This passage has always been one of my favorite passages in the NT. It has weeks of ponderable stuff in it. For the sake of this post I’m going to focus on verse 16. This is one of about ten “3:16” verses that has beau coup truth in it. Some thoughts…

Praying for his friends to experience power was at the top of Paul’s prayer list – When I read here (and elsewhere in Paul’s epistles) what and how Paul prayed for his friends I am challenged to overhaul my pitiful prayer life. I readily admit I am a terrible prayer. I do not pray often enough. I do not pray bold enough. I do not pray tenacious enough. And when I do pray it is mostly puny, unbelieving prayers. I often wonder do I even believe in the power of prayer. The answer of course is “yes”. And the answer of course is also “no’. To quote my son (who tweeted this last week): “I wish I believed what I believe!”. Paul believed in prayer and he believed that his praying would make a significant difference in the people he prayed for. He saw a church filled with anemic, weak-kneed Christians and decided to something about it – so he prayed!

Power comes from God – The passage says that power for believers comes “out of (God’s) glorious riches.” Worldly power comes from status. From fame. From wealth. Spiritual power comes from God and manifests itself quite differently. It shows up in the form of faith (v17) and love (v18).

Power comes through God’s Spirit – Every believer has the Spirit of the Living God dwelling inside them. And yet how many of us are living spirit led lives? We like to be in charge. It is very difficult for us to relinquish control. But if power is going to be unleashed through us then we must be willing to submit to God’s authority and surrender to His supremacy.

Enough commentary on my part. I think I’ll close out this post by writing out a prayer. If you have never written out your prayers it is a great exercise to pursue because it makes you really think through what you are praying and not just go through the motions of prayer – which is something most of us do all too often.

Father,

I want to acknowledge that You alone are God. And I want to acknowledge that more often than not I live my life on my terms and not Yours. I confess that I like to be control and I have difficulty living a surrendered life. I confess also that I am weak kneed and anemic in my faith and I do not have the strength of Your power fueling me and filling me to live a Christ exalting life. As Paul prayed for his Ephesian friends I also want to ask that out of Your glorious riches that you would empower me so that I can I live by faith; that I would expect great things from you and attempt great things for you. That I would grasp the magnanimous love of Christ and display this love to people who feel helpless, hopeless, and unworthy of Your love.

And I pray for my church. That together, with contrite hearts, we would quit trying to find favor in Your eyes by doing a lot of religious stuff, and instead call upon Your grace and mercy and compassion to rescue us through the power of the gospel and empower us  to be agents of reconciliation in our community and around the world. That the gospel would magnificently triumph through us as we courageously take Your Word to our schools and workplaces and neighborhoods. That we would not expect people to come to us but that we would go to them. That Your Spirit would revive  a city that is morally decayed and spiritually decrepit as the saints of Ridgecrest  jubilantly advance the gospel for the sake of Your great and matchless Name.

Amen and Amen!

I’m just sayin!

Next Week’s Passage: 1 John 2:15-17
Next Week’s Memory Verse: 1 John 2:17

Pondering the Passages: 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

Posted on by Shay Reyner

This Week’s Passage and Memory Verse (in red): 24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26 Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. 27 No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

I’m gonna go ahead and admit it – I am not in very good shape right now. I’m not in bad shape. but I’m not in good shape. It hasn’t been all that long thought since I was in very good shape. Not too long ago I competed in a Sprint Triathlon. I was biking 12-20 miles a week, swimming about 2 miles a week, and running several miles a week. That was 2007. Then in 2008 I completed a rigorous 3 month fitness program called P90X. I was pretty studly for a 50 year old guy if I do say so myself. As I think back I’m pretty amazed that I did both of those. And as I think back there are a couple of reasons why I was able to do so.

1) I had a goal in front of me that provided motivation –  There was an end date and there was a reward for seeing both fitness programs through to the end. The same can be said for our faith. There is an end date and a reward. We know that Jesus is going to return. We know that there will be rewards in heaven. What we don’t know is how far away the end is. I think this negates the motivation factor for many of us. We need a tangible, attainable goal to keep in front of us. So I would suggest creating some tangible, attainable goals that will get you a little bit closer to the big goal. Here are a couple of mine that I presently have: a) Ponder one passage a week for a year and blog about it (this one you are familiar with); b) Memorize Ephesians 1 by June of 2012. I have several others that I’m hoping to add that have to do with developing a healthier prayer life and reading great books – just not implemented yet.

2) I had a team of guys that I trained alongside to encourage me – in both instances there were often times when I just did not feel like training but because I was expected to be at the park for a bike ride or expected to be in The Loft for a workout I showed up. The same is true spiritually. We need the accountability and encouragement of our faith comrades to keep pursuing the goals that we have set for ourselves. Otherwise, more often than not they will often fall by the wayside. This is certainly true for the 2 I mentioned for me above. In the case of “a”, knowing that I have a blog audience (however small it may be) has kept me pondering now for 10 months. And the encouragement I get along the way certainly helps. This past Sunday, a friend mentioned how much they enjoyed my post on Mark 12 last week. A little bit of encouragement goes a long way to motivate me to keep pressing forward. For “b”, the fact that a number of others in our student ministry are also memorizing Ephesians 1 keeps me working on the verses each week. I know that at any time they may ask me to say the verses that I am also holding them accountable for.

So I guess it’s time to get in shape. Both physically and spiritually – lest I run like a man running aimlessly. And I’ll admit too that I would like one of them thar prizes that Paul talks about.

So how is your training going? If you want, let me know what you are doing to stay fit and i will try to encourage you along the way to keep at it. And you can do the same for me.

I’m just sayin’!

Next Week’s Passage: Ephesians 3:14-21
Next Week’s Memory Verse: Ephesians 3:20-21