Tag: Devotional

Celebrating the Gospel

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HIGHLIGHT

Colossians 1:5–6 (ESV): Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, 6which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth,

EXPLAIN

It has now been roughly 30 years since Christ’s death and resurrection and Pentecost (see Introduction: Timeline). The gospel has indeed spread from Jerusalem into Syria, Asia Minor, Greece, Italy, and likely into Egypt, North Africa, and Persia as well.

(Colossians 1:6, ESV Study Bible)

The gospel arrived to the Colossians through Epaphras, not Paul, who never visited that city. Thus, this church is evidence of Paul’s strategy of reaching key cities, from whom the gospel then spread to the surrounding countryside and smaller cities, towns, and villages.

APPLY

As Paul celebrated the growth of the Gospel, so we should also celebrate the spread and power of the Good News in our world. Our text suggests three reasons Paul celebrated the Good News in regard to Colossae Church.

First, Paul celebrated the fact that “the gospel … has come to you.” As the apostle to the Gentiles, Paul was keenly aware of the fact that the Gospel first came to the Jews, then the Gentiles. The Gentile believers were grafted into God’s chosen people. The Gentile Christians were once not a people, but now had become a holy nation, a “peculiar” people, saints of God.

This truth may seem less important to the 21st century believer as the Church for many generations has been made up more by Gentiles than Jews, who as a whole rejected Christ as their Messiah. But this should not be so. Rather, we should be astounded by the fact that God’s grace reached us. Yes, even those of us who grew up in the church and joke about attending church before we were born should recognize the great privilege – the great grace – we have been afforded that the Gospel came to us.

Especially when we see a world darkened by sin where the Gospel has not yet come with its liberating light of freedom like it has for us, or has been rejected and the people suffer under increasingly oppressive darkness, we should rejoice that the Good News has come to us – we who were truly unworthy, but favored by God’s grace.

Furthermore, we should remember Paul’s warning in Romans 11:

18 do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. … 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. 22 Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness.

Second, Paul celebrated that “the gospel… in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing” (Colossians 1:5–6). A danger we face is having a narrow perspective of God’s work in our world. Even in our postmodern world in which information gushes out like water from a fire hose, a world that is glocal, having nearly immediate awareness of events halfway around the world, yet approaching such a world from one’s local concerns, sometimes we may not recognize the onward advance of the Good News. Or, we may despair the darkness of sin that we experience so keenly in some areas of the world that we forget or discount the power of God’s Truth.

Yes, we are discouraged when fellow believers fail us through hypocrisy, when high-profile leaders reject their faith or are found to have fallen from grace, and when our own struggle against sin becomes extra difficult. But we must not discount the truth of Christ’s words, “… I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18).

The Gospel is increasing in the world and bearing fruit. The Church is expanding. Sinners are being saved, believers are being sanctified, God is not dead, and Jesus is coming soon!

Third, Paul celebrated that “the gospel, … is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth” (Colossians 1:5–6). God is at work in you and me!

The children’s song, “He’s Still Working on Me”, comes to mind. Yes, God created the universe in six days, but God’s process of making saints out of sinners like you and me is an ongoing process. We are saved by grace through faith when we commit to trust in Jesus and God redeems us from sin, regenerates us – making us a new creation, adopts us into his family, and sanctifies us – making us righteous in his sight.

But there is much growth in grace that remains. We need cleansing from inbred sin and to be fully filled by the Holy Spirit. And… even after that second work of grace, there is still much growth in grace needed as the Holy Spirit sanctifies us, conforming us to the will of God, producing in us his fruit. We truly must, as Paul wrote Philippi Church, “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12).

Thus, we should celebrate the fact, the hope, and the promise that the Gospel is still at work in us, bearing fruit and increasing our faith in Jesus, our love for all the saints, and our hope in heaven. Our struggle against the enemy of our souls may be stiff, but God is at work in us. God’s grace still provides, and we can live confident of victory in Jesus!

RESPOND

Heavenly Father, I celebrate your Good News that came to me, is still expanding across this globe, and is at work in me. Thank you for the Gospel and its power to change lives. Continue to mold and make me according to your will. Amen.

What Makes a Christian?

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HIGHLIGHT

Colossians 1:3–5 (ESV): 3We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, 5because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel,

EXPLAIN

Paul had never gone to Colossae. While he had met (and presumably converted) Epaphras and may have also met some others from this city and church, Paul had never personally visited the church. Yet Paul prayed for them regularly, thanking God for the great reports he had heard of these believers.

APPLY

What makes a believer of Jesus? How can you know when you have met a Christian?

The answer to this could vary greatly, depending on whether the person answering wanted to focus on lifestyle, outward appearance, attitude and more. Some may even answer this question sarcastically, listing characteristics that should not be true of Christians.

Paul in this passage identifies three key marks of a follower of God: this person has faith in Christ Jesus, a love for all the saints, and assurance of hope laid up for him or her in heaven. The good news – the Gospel – speaks to these three identifying marks of a Christian.

The Christian has faith in Christ Jesus. Our faith is more than about Jesus. It is faith in Jesus. It is a trust, a reliance, in Christ. This faith is much more than head knowledge or belief that Jesus exists or even is the Son of God. It is a reliance, a commitment of oneself, to him as Lord and Savior. Notice that Paul wrote “Christ Jesus”. Christ – Messiah, King, Lord. Jesus – Savior, Rescuer. Paul emphasizes the lordship of Christ to whom the believer has surrendered one’s life in the title he gives our Lord.

The Christian loves all the saints. Our belonging to the family of God is marked by our love for the family of God. Love does not mean agreement with others on all their beliefs, opinions, or ideas, but love does mean a commitment to them because of our love for God.

Indeed, our love for all the saints, the family of God, is given to us by God who changes our heart from one of self-love and even hatred for others to one of sacrificial love. We love because he loved us, and take as our example Christ’s sacrificial death on the Cross.

In both our natural and spiritual families, there is sometimes hurt, disagreement, misunderstanding, and much imperfection. But Christians are family, and so our growing love for one another should be evident.

The Christian has an assurance of the hope laid up for him or her in heaven. This world is not all there is for the believer. In fact, our main identity should not be found in the things of this world, but in the Kingdom of God, which is here now in the hearts of all believers of Jesus but will be fully realized in the future when Christ returns.

And so the Christian should be noted for their joy despite current circumstances, their peace in the midst of trouble and suffering, their hope in the world beyond this world. The Christian lives with confidence and perseveres. The Christian lives free of worldly entanglements. The Christian lives to please the eternal King.

Sometimes, there is a tendency to emphasize certain scriptures, which support rules and regulations, as a method to identify the “true” believer in Jesus. Unfortunately, this reliance on certain scriptures, while often ignoring others, is used to force others into one’s mold of “Christianity.” The result can easily become legalistic hypocrisy.

God expects holy living of his people, but true holiness is the result of radical trust in Christ, a life filled with love for God and others, anchored in the sure hope of living for eternity in the very presence of God.

RESPOND

Heavenly Father, thank you for your grace that changes us dramatically from sinners to saints. May I live as a person with faith in Jesus, love for all, and a settled hope in heaven. May I always welcome and join others of like faith, love, and hope and together may we witness to a lost and dying world the change they may experience through the amazing grace of Christ Jesus. Amen.

Called by God

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HIGHLIGHT

Colossians 1:1–2 (ESV): 1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, 2 To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father.

EXPLAIN

It is believed that Paul never visited Colossae, but that during his ministry to Ephesus from AD 52-55, a Colossian named Epaphras was converted in Ephesus and went back home sharing the gospel. When this letter was written, Epaphras had come to Paul in Rome and shared the news that a dangerous teaching was threatening the church.

Over the years, what scholars believe this heresy was has changed. It was once considered to be early forms of Gnosticism, but it had many distinctively Jewish elements. Most likely, the false teaching was a mixture of local Jewish and pagan folk beliefs.

Probably the best understanding is that a “a shaman-like figure within the church had attracted a following and was presenting himself as something of a Christian spiritual guide” (ESV Study Bible). Paul now wrote the church to emphasize the supremacy of Christ over all and remind the believers of their new identity in Christ.

APPLY

Paul was an apostle by the will of God. Paul was called to ministry by God, not by men. He was not elected or appointed by popular vote of the people. Neither did he assume his call due to his own initiative and determination. Similarly, in other places Paul wrote that the gospel he preached did not come from man nor did he preach by the okay of men. He did go to visit elders of the church at one point for reassurance, but even then Paul wrote that he did not back down from the gospel he preached, of which the acceptance of Gentiles into God’s plan of salvation featured prominently.

As a minister of the gospel, similarly, my call did not come from men or even myself, but from God. A formative experience happened to me the summer before I became a high school senior when I went to Mexico on a short-term missions trip. Up to that point, my dreams were of the Air Force and aerospace engineering. That experience pointed me toward ministry as I pledged “Make a Servant” in the commissioning service before we set out on the trip. Yet I still did not feel God’s call to ministry.

During my senior year, I gradually exchanged my dreams of the Air Force for a country gospel guitar-singing ministry. I entered college as a music major.

But God arranged various chapel services and General Camp messages at the end of the school year to awaken in me a call to ministry. I accepted that call from God one summer day of 1995 in Antioch Park.

I later applied for a minister’s license with the Church of God (Holiness) and was granted one as a recognition of God’s call on my life and my preparation to serve in ministry. Then in 2018 after nearly 20 years in ministry, I was ordained by the Church of God (Holiness), again as a recognition of God’s call on my life as a minister.

After eight years in the pastorate, I served for two years as a teacher in Bible college, during which time I married the love of my life. We then served a church in Missouri for five years, before going overseas for six and a half years as missionary pastors. Returning a year ago to the U.S., Zenia is working on her master’s degree in education and I am supporting her. But my calling to ministry remains, and I have been serving various churches in supporting roles – camp meeting, fill-in preaching, teaching Sunday School, and leading worship songs.

These principles guide me: I have been called by God, not by men nor by my own imagination and I serve God, not for men’s applause nor for personal success. I am an ambassador of Christ, entreating all I can to be reconciled with God, changed forever by the grace of Jesus Christ.

RESPOND

Heavenly Father, thank you for your call upon my life. May I live and serve you faithfully in whatever role you have for me. I pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Glory Followers

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HIGHLIGHT

Exodus 40:36–37 (ESV): 36 Throughout all their journeys, whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out. 37 But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out till the day that it was taken up.

EXPLAIN

God’s presence was manifested to the Israelites during their wilderness journey as a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. Before they crossed the Red Sea, the cloud went between the people and Pharaoh‘s murderous army set on revenge against Israel. When the Tabernacle was dedicated to God, the cloud enveloped the tent in such a way so that even Moses with his shining face could not enter.

Now Moses explains that if God’s presence lifted from the tent, it was a sign for the people to pack up and go. If God’s presence remained, they stayed put.

APPLY

Our lives as Christ’s followers should be marked by a similar attention to God’s glory. If God’s glory goes before us, we should keep up. If his glory remains, we should not take off on some adventure of our own.

RESPOND

Heavenly Father, may my life be marked by a passionate pursuit of your glory. Amen.

Mountain-moving Faith

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HIGHLIGHT

Matthew 17:19–20 (ESV): 19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” 20 He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”

EXPLAIN

The disciples had seen Jesus perform many mighty miracles. The disciples themselves had performed many great miracles. But now, they could not cast a demon out of a boy.

The ESV notes that some of the ancient manuscripts insert a verse 21, that caveats such exorcist faith with prayer and fasting. Regardless of the arguments that may be made to keep or remove that verse, we should understand the necessity of prayer and fasting for such mountain-moving faith.

The reason why one can exercise such great faith largely depends on one’s vital communion with the Father.

APPLY

How many mountains do we allow to block our path because we simply don’t believe there is “a way”? How many miracles and blessings do we forfeit because we cannot see, we cannot believe, a better future?

It is truly intimidating to consider a life in which, “nothing will be impossible for you” (Matthew 5:20), but what if we began to live with that mentality?

Obviously, we must not set out on such a voyage of faith without the anchors of prayer and fasting – submission to the will of God.

But what if we truly believed nothing is impossible for the follower of Jesus?

RESPOND

Heavenly Father, give me a mountain-moving faith? Help me not to doubt, but to truly believe that everything, anything, you set before me is possible through the Spirit’s enabling power. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Don’t You Feel Like Traveling?

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HIGHLIGHT

Genesis 13:17 (ESV): 17 Arise, walk through the length and the breadth of the land, for I will give it to you.”

EXPLAIN

God had told Abraham some time before to leave his homeland and travel to a land that he would show him. God promised to make him a great nation.

Abraham had obeyed, and when Abraham arrived in Canaan God revealed this land would belong to his descendants. But this did not occur immediately. Due to famine, Abraham traveled on south to Egypt.

Now, Abraham was back. He and Lot had to separate due to their great flocks of sheep. Abraham let Lot choose the better land. But God revealed to Abraham that all of the land would one day belong to him and his descendants.

APPLY

The promise God made to Abraham was amazing. We have had promises made and broken; maybe we would be less willing to believe such a promise.

But God made this promise! Of course, Abraham lived the nomadic life, traveling from one area to another seeking pasture for his herds and flocks.

Yet… with such a promise from God, wouldn’t you feel like walking, traveling, journeying all throughout the land?

RESPOND

Heavenly Father, thank you for the wonderful promises you give us in your Word. Help me, like Abraham, to believe you implicitly. May my faith be large, not doubting, but fully embracing your will and both the present and the future you have designed. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

The Path of Faith

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HIGHLIGHT

Genesis 12:11–13 (ESV): 11 When he was about to enter Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife, “I know that you are a woman beautiful in appearance, 12 and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me, but they will let you live. 13 Say you are my sister, that it may go well with me because of you, and that my life may be spared for your sake.”

EXPLAIN

Abraham was a mighty man of faith – the father of our faith. But he got into trouble when he allowed fear to override his faith. This is evident in both instances in which Abraham lied about Sarah, as well as their attempt to help God out by having a son through Sarah’s servant.

In contrast to these terrible decisions, we remember his great acts of faith, such as leaving his homeland and family to travel to an unknown land and offering his son of the promise, Isaac, on the altar in obedience to God.

APPLY

Following God faithfully requires immediate, complete, radical faith in Christ.

Following God is a day by day decision. Abraham made an initial decision to follow God, but also many continuing decisions to serve God.

Occasionally, he made missteps, but God corrected him and Abraham continued the path of faith.

RESPOND

Heavenly Father, may my life always be characterized by immediate, complete, radical, positive faith in you. Guard my steps so that I do not walk out of your will. May I choose each day to continue to follow the path the Great Trailblazer, Jesus Christ, set out for me. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

God Remembered

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HIGHLIGHT

Genesis 8:1 (ESV): 8 But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the livestock that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind blow over the earth, and the waters subsided.

EXPLAIN

Can you imagine how terrifying it must have been on the ark as God sent the great Flood in judgment for humanity’s sins?

Noah and his family were warned to go into the ark seven days before the Flood came. One week later, God shut Noah and his family in the boat and then began to wreak destruction upon his wonderful creation.

Can you imagine how lonely those eight people must have felt in the boat, with hundreds, thousands, millions, even billions perishing outside?

Can you imagine how noisy and terrifying it was inside the ark, as well, as animals barked, screeched, howled, bleated, mooed, and cawed in terror?

Does not this make the words of our highlighted text even more powerful: “But God remembered Noah”?

APPLY

Sometimes, we may feel lonely, shut up, abandoned, terrified, uncertain for what God allows to happen in our lives and in our world. But we can also take heart that God remembers.

As followers of Jesus, we can especially find comfort in these words. While God may allow the consequences of sin to go unchecked at times, or in other situations bring judgment, we can rest confident that in his covenant, in his will, we will safely go through the storm.

RESPOND

Heavenly Father, thank you for remembering Noah and his family. Thank you also for remembering me. Help me to rest confident in your grace, love, and mercy. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

The First Day

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HIGHLIGHT

Genesis 1:1–2 (ESV): 1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

EXPLAIN

What a grand statement is this… in the beginning, God created. At once, this assertion makes several claims, among which are the following: 1) God is eternal having always existed and, it can easily be presumed, will always exist; 2) God is beyond us, above us, greater than us; 3) God designed our world on purpose, thus giving us purpose, and 4) We are obligated to honor our Creator and seek to fulfill his purpose for us.

APPLY

As we begin a new year, we often make commitments, goals, and promises for change. Even though December 31st to January 1st is just another revolution around the sun, psychologically we view it as a time for new beginnings. And, that can be a good thing.

Yet when we reflect on the first day of the first year of human history… wow!

What were God’s “goals” for humanity? What did God hope to accomplish?

Consider God’s plan from before creation due to his foreknowledge!

While our sin marred God’s perfect plan for his Creation, as recreations of God’s grace, how can we cooperate to see God’s purpose go forward?

RESPOND

Heavenly Father, as I begin a new year, help me to live in the center of your will at all times, furthering your purpose in this world. Thank you for a wonderful year just finished. Thank you for your presence and help in times of difficulty, in times of joy, and in times of change. May I continue to grow this year to be more like Christ. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

The Refiner’s Fire

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HIGHLIGHT

Malachi 3:2 (ESV): 2 But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap.

EXPLAIN

The last book in the Old Testament, Malachi brings complaints from God against his people, and they respond with protests of feigned innocence. God’s complaints especially seem aimed at the priests and Levites.

Malachi looked forward to the day when God would come. But as this highlight verse notes, who can stand when God shows up. God’s holiness, righteousness and truth will burn away all pretense of religion and goodness. When God arrives, Truth prevails.

APPLY

In our postmodern culture, we like to argue for “our truth”. We talk about what seems right to us. We suggest that truth can be variable, when we are in different settings, crowds, or cultures.

But God is Truth. When we measure ourselves by his standard of holiness, everything becomes strikingly, if not embarrassingly, clear.

Thank God for his grace by which we can find forgiveness and cleansing of all sin and unrighteousness! May we be prudent to take advantage of his grace while we can.

RESPOND

Heavenly Father, thank you that you are holy, righteous, and true. Search my heart; cleanse me of any sin. May I live holy before you, blameless by your empowering grace. In Jesus’ name, Amen.