Well Done Paul!

It's hard to believe that our study series in The Story is almost over.  I personally wish we would have spent more time on both Jesus' and Paul's life and ministry. However, we will have lot's of time to get to know them better in the days ahead as we read the Word, study it and meditate on it over and over again. There will also be other studies (I am sure) that we can do as small groups that will allow us to go deeper into their lives and teaching, so that we can become more like Christ.

Our desire is to be like Christ .. act like him, talk like him, love like him, work like him, serve like him. You know what I mean!  Paul's desire was obviously that too!  Look at his life ... look at his actions ... look at his dedication ... his perseverance ... his love for one another ... his commitment ... his teaching ... everything about Paul exemplifies Jesus. He imitated Christ completely. He even said to us "imitate me as I imitate Christ"! He fought the fight, he finished the race. He knew he was going to suffer and die for what he believed and taught but he also said, "For to me, living means living for Christ and dying is even better." Philippians 2:21

I hope that I am becoming more and more like Paul, more and more like Jesus. I hope that we can all have this attitude and desire and that the Holy Spirit would continue to place that desire in us and teach us and transform us into his likeness.

Jesus said "Abide in me". Paul said yes to that command. He said, "My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." Galatians 2:20. Paul was completely dependent on God. He walked in the spirit and was lead by the spirit and he exhorts us to do the same. His life was difficult and included much suffering like Christ, but his life produced much fruit and still does today.

During his life (after his encounter with Jesus), his mission was to do what Jesus commissioned him to do. "Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to the kings, as well as to the people of Israel. And I will show him how much he must suffer for my name's sake." Acts 9:15,16  ... and we can see from his letters that he spent day and night, tirelessly, accomplishing this mission in the power and anointing of the Holy Spirit.

In the process of serving Jesus, his personal goal was to know Jesus intimately. He says in Philippians 3:10, "I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead." Wow! Do you see his heart? Does this reflect what you desire? I believe Paul accomplished his goal and indeed he will be resurrected from the dead as all believers will ... this is our assured hope!

Yes Paul died. We are told he was beheaded. He died, however, full of joy and peace and satisfaction that he did God's will and that he would be with Jesus forever.

Before he died, like Jesus, he gave Timothy (and us) work to finish, aligned with Jesus' great commission of course! He said, " your name here, my dear son / daughter, be strong through the grace that God gives you in Christ Jesus. You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others." Paul said this to Timothy (and us), but doesn't this just sound like something Jesus would say to us. Of course it does!

Jesus was in Paul and Paul was in Jesus. Jesus, too is in us, and we ought to be in and remain in him. If we do, we too will leave this world a tremendous legacy of much fruit and be a blessing to countless as we live a selfless life in Jesus Christ.


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Paul' Mission and Attitude - Not Unlike A Typical Mother

One of my favourite characters in the Bible is Paul.  Perhaps it is because he was inspired to write much of the New Testament and actually lived what he taught and he kept doing what he was commissioned by Jesus to do until, like Jesus, he was killed.  Even though he suffered greatly, he kept on sharing the gospel (good news). He never seemed to be discouraged despite the hard work of breaking new ground and getting the message out to the Jews and the Gentiles.  In fact he seemed to rejoice when he was beaten or stoned or thrown into jail.  It was a privilege to be counted worthy to suffer for Christ.  Lord, I hope and pray that I might have this same attitude, especially if / when faced with opposition as I share God's message with others.

Once Paul knew what he was called to do and after he was filled with the Holy Spirit, he fervently, boldly and unashamedly began to preach the good news about the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and salvation through Him every where He went.  The Bible says He went to the Synagogue each Sabbath day (since he was Jewish) and there he had a built-in audience of people to hear the good news when ever he was given the chance to speak. Often someone was healed by him or signs and wonders occurred which attracted many others to be interested in hearing his message. This made the religious leaders angry and jealous. They saw how they would lose control over the people and ultimately their power and position if everyone began to follow Paul's teaching and become part of The Way.  Paul taught truth about who Jesus was and why He had to die for our sins and from the letters he wrote to the churches we learn how to live by faith in Christ Jesus.  Many responded to Paul's teaching and house churches or small groups were established everywhere he went.  It's amazing what Paul accomplished for the kingdom of God.

Paul had many followers who wanted to be with him and help him in his work and also support him. I know that if I was living during that time period and in that region and became a believer back then, I also would want to follow and work with a man like Paul. I say that because I see the fruit of his ministry over an entire life time and ope that someday my life will bear much fruit like his did and that I also will hear the words, "Well done my good and faithful servant" when we meet Jesus face to face. Thankfully, today we also have many Godly examples around us that we can also learn from and follow their example.

We see in Paul's life the fruit of the Holy Spirit - love, joy, peace patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control -Galatians 5:22. You can also see how he loved and cared for people and encouraged others to live a life of love. He taught us how to live IN Christ and reckon ourselves dead so that others would see Christ in us. He puts in us a desire to pursue Christ and know Him intimately because that was his desire and goal - to know Him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death. (Philippians 3:10,11) Paul accomplished his goal and he discipled many who also were encouraged to disciple many others. We are followers today because of what Paul did back almost 2000 years ago.

There is so much to say about Paul and learn from Paul! You must read about his life in Acts and read his many letters to the church and individuals like Timothy and Titus. Imagine being personally discipled by Paul like Timothy, Silas, Barnabas, and hundreds of others (see Romans 16 for a short list). And yet we can also be discipled and learn from Paul's teachings by reading, studying and meditating on His Word and putting it into practice.

Sometimes we may get discouraged because we think we could never be like Paul or Peter or some other "spiritual giant"... but we can become what God wants us to be in Christ. We are all called to serve Him and grow in Him. I am encouraged by the many around me who I see living for Christ and being the hands and feet of Christ as they serve their families, give of themselves sacrificially (both time and resources) to ministry, serving and helping others, praying for one another, loving one another, showing hospitality, leading and teaching others, and the list goes on.  We have many great examples of godly lives being lived out before us.

Being Mother's Day this weekend, I also want to give thanks and praise to God for all the mothers who sacrificially serve and care for and love their families 24 / 7! I know as a Dad, I have tended to be more selfish (I know selfishness is sin!) with my time and less sacrificial than my wife and other mothers. I know most dads can't do all the things that moms do and continue to do for our families. Thankfully, all Dads are not that way and thankfully I am personally doing a little bit better at being a grand dad! Thank you Moms for your Christ-likeness in the area of mothering, managing the home and for all you do sacrificially.  You are amazing! I don't know how you do all that you do! Even Paul would have learned a few things from mothers - come to think of it, he probably did.  May God bless you and reward you for the blessing you are to your family and others.  Well done!  

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 11:1 "Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ." Jesus says, "Follow me." Let's all follow and remain in Him, obtaining what we need from God as we obey His Spirit and Word and continue to love one another ... as the greatest gift that we have is love.

The Promised Gift of God To Us (All)

This week we are looking at the Early Church and reading Acts 1-10,12.  I started this blog entry while away on vacation but realized I shouldn't really send it out until now, otherwise I would be ahead of where we are in our sermon series.  While away I had a chance to read through the recommended chapters of Acts twice and since being home I've also read the same passages again in "The Story" Bible which many have a copy of. Each time I read these passages I get excited! The promised Holy Spirit was poured out on Jesus' followers! My prayer is that we see this same Holy Spirit power operating within in our lives and our church body.

I make the practice of underlining key words and phrases that begin to pop out as I read the Bible.  I also underline promises and commands and those things we can expect to happen when we believe and / or obey the word.  Consequently my Bible has lots of marks on it, especially in the book of Acts after reading it again several times! Underlining also helps me to remember His Word and find things more easily.  

The early church started and continued to grow as a result of the promised "gift" - the gift of His Holy Spirit. Jesus gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.  For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit".  Acts 1:4,5

Jesus also said, "... But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth." Acts 1:8

When Jesus ascended, the disciples (120 followers in all) gathered together and prayed and waited for the promised gift. On the day of Pentecost (10 days after Jesus ascended to heaven), the place shook and "They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them."  Acts 2:3,4  They were declaring the wonders of God as prophesied.  "In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people..." Acts 2:17

Peter preaches his first sermon ... the resurrection of the Christ who died for our sins.  "God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact.  Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what what you now see and hear." Acts 2:32,33 ... keep reading ... Peter says ... "Repent and be baptized, everyone of you, in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off  (you and I too! ) - for all whom the Lord our God will call"  Acts 2:28,39 They accepted Peter's good news message and 3000 get added to the church that day! Acts 2:41

Peter heals a cripple in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. A crowd gathers and Peter gets to preach again proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead.  "Many who heard the message believed and the number of men grew to about 5000." Acts 4:4

When Peter was questioned by the high priest who asked him "By what power or what name did you do this? (i.e. heal the cripple?)  Peter, recognized as an unschooled, ordinary man by those who knew him, but now, filled with the Holy Spirit and courage, He responds and again shares the gospel, ...  "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." Acts 4:13.  

Peter and John were told by the chief priest not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.  They responded, "we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard." Acts 4:20. Everyone was praising the Lord and they gathered and prayed and the place where they were meeting was shaken.  And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly."  Acts 4:31

Miraculous signs and wonders were performed among the people.  Crowds gathered, the sick were brought and all of them were healed.  They are persecuted.  They are put in jail.  An angel of the Lord gets them out and they are told to keep telling the people the full message of this new life (in Christ). "The God of our fathers raised Jesus from the dead whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree.  God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Saviour that he might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel.  We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him." Acts 5:32

"They never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ."  Acts 5:42  So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith." Acts 6:7

Now we read the story of Stephen, the first martyr who was stoned to death.  Notice he was actually an ordinary, committed follower like you and I but filled with the Holy Spirit, like you and I can be.  He is described as a man full of God's grace and power, and one who did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people. Acts 6:8 His opposition, the high priests of the Sanhedrin could not stand up against his wisdom or the Spirit by which Stephen spoke.  Acts 6:10

Philip was another follower like you and I, who was filled with Holy Spirit and did miraculous signs and healings and we see how he was obedient to the Spirit's leading and how he effectively shares the gospel with someone who was seeking God.

We then learn about Sauls' conversion how Jesus appears to him and confronts him on the road to Dasmacus and choses him to be his apostle to carry his name to the Gentiles and their kings. Paul was also filled with the Holy Spirit.  After spending several days with the disciples in Damascus he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. 

The next scene we see, in Acts 10, is that Peter is called to minister to a Gentile named Cornelius. Peter shares the gospel with him (see Acts 10:34 - 43) and while he was still speaking the Holy Spirit is poured out on all who were hearing the message. Gentiles also receive the Holy Spirit!  Finally! Yeh!

Do you get the picture?  As a believer in Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord we have also been given the promised gift of the Holy Spirit.  When we are obedient to Him and desire to share the good news with others, he gives us wisdom and boldness and courage so that what we can share with power.  People will be added to the kingdom of God.  People will repent and believe and also be filled with the Holy Spirit.  The message will continue to go forth and many will be saved. When others see our love, they will want what we have.  We need to be prepared to share your testimony and the good news of the gospel with others who are seeking.  

Let's be filled with the Holy Spirit.  Let's receive him in all his fullness by faith.  God has promised us the gift of His Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit equips us with power, courage, boldness and wisdom to share the good news with others. Let's use the gift(s) He has given us. Let's not fear. As we go, in His name and authority, let's love one another, serve one another, love and serve our neighbours, and be prepared to tell our story of how we came to know Jesus as our Lord and Saviour and why Jesus means so much to us.

Let's let Jesus live his life in us by His Holy Spirit and as we abide in Him we too will see much fruit. Remember that Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever and he has provided us with His power and authority and says that he will be with us always as we serve Him and demonstrate His love for others. He has given us the same Holy Spirit as was given to the 120 that were baptized with fire on the day of Pentecost!  Let's serve Him boldly! 

David - Learning to Love God with All Our Heart

There are 3 men in he Bible (besides Jesus) that really stand out for me: Joseph, David, and Paul.  I guess I see so much Christ-likeness in these men.  Joseph was almost perfect!  Paul, after his encounter with the Lord became pretty close to being perfect and teaches us how to live for Christ. David simply lived to glorify God and you can see how he loved God with all his heart, soul and mind.  I must admit I am forgetting, at this point, the sins that David committed.  But once he was convicted and after confessing his sin, God continues to love David and forgives him of his sin, as He does for us. Amazing how God can forgive and forget!  Paul says he was the worst of sinners, yet God also forgives him.  There really is room at the cross for all of us.  Thank you Lord for your so great salvation!  How I praise and worship You, O Lord!

It's easy to praise the Lord for what He has done for us ... isn't it?  How great Thou Art, O Lord God Almighty!  You, O Lord, are my Rock, my Fortress, my Strength. Without You I can do nothing.  With You, nothing is impossible.  Thank You Lord. Have your way in my life, I pray. Fill me with your Holy Spirit, that I might serve You and live for You and glorify your name. Hallelujah Lord Jesus!  We certainly can learn how to praise and worship and cry out to the Lord from the Psalms that David wrote for us.

David is an example for all of us on how to:
Praise the Lord, Pray to the Lord, Glorify the Lord, Receive our strength from the Lord, Wait on the Lord, Rest in the Lord, Trust in the Lord, Minister to the Lord, Sing to the Lord, Dance unto the Lord, Serve the Lord, Be friends with the Lord, Fight for the Lord, Cry out to the Lord, Fear the Lord, Bless the Lord, Thank the Lord, Honor the Lord and His anointed, and the list goes on!

You can see why David is considered a man after God's own heart.  (Almost) everything he did, say, and think about was done for Lord and to glorify the Lord.

That's a life well lived.  He was a forgiven sinner who lived for God, desired to do His will, rejoicing in the Lord, praising Him, giving Him thanks and talking to Him in prayer regularly (if not always).  I sense from reading Paul's epistles, Paul also learned much from David's life and character just as we can.

Let's all have hearts that are bent towards God and that are becoming like God's heart, full of love for others!

Saul - A Carnal King

There is something about Saul I don't really like.  Actually there is much about King Saul I don't like.  I hope I am not being carnal by saying that!  I know for sure I never want to be Saul-like!  Now if we were talking about Saul in the New Testament whose name was changed to Paul ... he is someone that I am confident we would all like to imitate ... Paul even encourages us to do that.  I think we can all agree that he is a good example of Christ-likeness!

 
But as far as King Saul is concerned, there is nothing in his character that I would want any of us as shepherd-leaders to become like.  If you see something I am not seeing, please let me know!

Sure he was tall (very tall), dark and handsome!  But who cares about these physical characteristics.  What kind of man was he on the inside?  God gave him his Spirit and empowered him to perform the role of king and even allowed him to rule as the first man-king of Israel for 40 years but he sure messed up ... by not walking and being led by the spirit and at least waiting for Samuel to seek direction from the Lord and obeying what he was told to do by God.  I can see how easy it would be for Saul to fall into this trap.  We need to learn from King Saul's mistakes.

Last week we looked at the story of Ruth and Boaz and when we examine their character, we couldn't find anything that we didn't like about these two.  They lived what we would call a Christ-like life and we hope that their character qualities will show up in all our lives as we are transformed into His likeness by the Word and His Holy Spirit.

We need to learn to be filled by the Spirit and walk in the Spirit as Paul instructs us and not do the works of the flesh which are sins of our old nature.  Let's look briefly at some of the the characteristics of King Saul who I consider to be quite carnal (operating in the flesh), even though he had God's spirit at least for a while.  Unfortunately, as believers and followers of Christ we can slip and become carnal if we are not careful. Paul addresses this in 1 Corinthians 3 and Galatians 5 and a few other places.

Here are a few negative Saul-like character qualities that stood out for me as I read King Saul's story. He seemed very insecure right from the beginning.  He wasn't strong and courageous.  He was foolish and disobedient and impulsive or impetuous and impatient (just couldn't wait!),... etc.  He consequently did things his way rather than God's way which got him into trouble and in my opinion tarnished his character. We know as we read the rest of his story that he becomes very jealous of David, angry and even bitter to the extent that he tried to murder David several times.

I am surprised at how well King Saul's son, Jonathan turns out, considering he was such a bad example for his kids to follow.  Jonathan was very much the opposite of his dad and became a true, faithful friend to David.  You can definitely learn some great things when you examine Jonathan's character more closely.    

I am sorry to have to say (again) that Saul is obviously, to me, someone I hope none of us become like regardless of our role and position in life!

Grumbling, Complaining ... never a good thing!

Imagine living with the Israelites and being in Moses shoes having to lead them out of Egypt and slavery to the promised land. No wonder Moses was frustrated and literally wanted to die.  He was fed up with God's people.  God was also getting pretty angry with them too but kept His "cool - sort of) and we see Him disciplining His "kids" a number of times in their wanderings ... a journey that should have taken only a few short months to do.

Imagine having to put up with people grumbling, complaining and rebelling all the time.  This happened over and over again.  This type of "cancer" even spread to Aaron and Miriam as they began to question Moses' position and authority resulting in Miriam being punished and becoming leprous for 7 days and forced to live outside the camp.

Moses even grumbled (under his breath) when He didn't follow God's instruction for providing water and angrily stuck the rock.  This act of disobedience was punished by God not letting him enter the promised land!

Later when Moses sends out 12 spies to check out the land, 10 of them bring back a report saying that the people are too big and we could never beat them and take their land.  But Caleb and Joshua had a different report ... with God on our side there was no problem entering into the land of promise.  The people believed the majority and they grumbled and complained again about their situation and they end up paying for their mistake.  They get to wander around for 40 years until everyone under the age of 20 dies off and they never stepped foot into the promised land. Only Caleb and Joshua and the young folk would get to enter.

Grumbling and complaining do not allow you to receive God's blessing.  He hates this type of attitude from his children.  It shows that you don't trust Him and that you have a rebellious heart.

So what should we do and what characteristics or attitudes should we be incorporating into our lives to please God?  Paul could have been a grumbler and complainer based on the situations he found himself in but he wasn't because he wanted to be like Christ.  He gives the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi and us some great practical instruction.  If you have the time, I would encourage you to read the entire book of Philippians slowly.  Here are a just a few things that counteract grumbling, complaining, and a rebellious heart.

1. Rejoice in the Lord, be anxious for nothing, pray about everything with thanksgiving, ... Philippians 4: 4-9






2. Learn to be content  in whatever circumstances you are in (like Paul was)  Philippians 4:11



3. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus ... He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on the cross. Phillipians 2:2-13



4. Do all things without grumbling and disputing. Philippians 2:14


Paul says "practice these things" (Philippians 4:9).
This is excellent advice for shepherds who want to be good examples to their flocks who are watching and following and learning from them.

So ... don't be a grumbler and complainer as the consequences are terrible!  Be like Paul and Christ Jesus.  The reward is out of this world.