December 21 - Hebrews 1-6: Focus on Jesus, the Only One Worthy of Our Focus

Today’s Reading: Hebrews 1-6

The Message

English Standard Version

Thought to Guide Your Reading

Jesus is greater than all that came before Him. The writer of Hebrews wanted us to see the different things Jesus is superior to.

Summary in 100 Words or Less

God spoke through Jesus who rules next to Him forever. We must hold this Message: Jesus released us from the fear of death.
Jesus is the centerpiece of our beliefs. Listen and obey Him! That is the only way to get His ever-renewing Promise of Rest.
God chose Jesus because He humbled Himself to set everyone's relationships right.
This sounds complicated because you won't listen! Nothing can be done for a person who turns their back on God.
God made a Promise to Abraham and backed it with His unshakable Word. We hope to never let go of that Promise.

How Today’s Reading Contributes to the Gospel: God is Setting All Things Right

God spoke through Jesus.

The writer of Hebrews is contrasting Jesus with what many people replaced Him with. Today's reading looked at angels, Moses (the Law), and the high priest. God spoke through Jesus because He was greater than all of these: exalted (unlike the angels), gives rest (unlike the Law), and was perfect (unlike the high priests). Jesus deserves to be the focus of our faith because He is greater than any other focus we could have.

Jesus is in charge of setting our relationships right.

This is important for two reasons: 1) We need not look anywhere else to set our relationship right with God; and 2) we need not try to figure out who has their relationship right with God or not. The second is the most important because, as I alluded to yesterday, it frees us from having to make public proclamations of who is "saved" and who is not. If a person asks you, only answer if they are willing to do an honest self-examination.

Our biggest problem is not listening.

We are in good company, though. No entire group has ever fully listened to God—even the people God took out of Egypt eventually lost faith in Him. The writer has to repeatedly remind them that we must listen to join in the Promise. Listen to God and receive the Promises!
It is this problem that leads churches and preachers to preach the same topics over and over again. Because people do not listen, the congregation cannot get beyond the elementary doctrines. Let's not be that way! We should be people who get beyond convincing people to have faith in God to set things right and talk strategy to join Him in setting things right!

If a person experiences God's Goodness and still turns their backs to Him, there is nothing left for God to do.

This section scared me growing up. I was afraid I would be baptized, make a mistake, and God would punish me for eternity. That isn't what this means at all. If we realize that it is another example of people hearing God and rejecting Him as mentioned earlier, we understand that the reason there is no hope for this person is because God has given the person everything He has and the person rejected it. What does God have left to give? He gave Jesus! It is similar to a farmer who tills, fertilizes, and irrigates the crop on a plot of land only to have it grow weeds. We can't blame the farmer for that sorry land. He did everything he could to make it grow. We should not blame God for people tasting and seeing Jesus and rejecting Him to their own peril.

Are you ready to get beyond lessons on how to trust in God to set things right and help other Chosen People set things right?

December 17 - Philippians: The Prisoner Chooses Life to Focus on the Resurrection

Today’s Reading: Philippians

The Message

English Standard Version

Thought to Guide Your Reading

Paul doesn't care why a person preaches Christ. All that matters is that they point to Christ. God will do the rest.

Summary in 100 Words or Less

Paul and Timothy to Jesus-followers in Philippi:
I thank God because of your help. My imprisonment leads people to Jesus. Some preach for self-gain. So what? They preach Christ.
I desire a reunion with Christ but you need me more.
Just as Jesus became human for us, love each other sacrificially.
The usual: Believers live in God's Spirit. My religious credentials are rubbish. Focus on the Resurrection.
Euodia and Syntyche, get along. Syzygus, help them.
Celebrate God always! Fill your minds with good things.
I am always content. I have all I need—your help.
Receive and experience Jesus' Grace.

How Today’s Reading Contributes to the Gospel: God is Setting All Things Right

God used Paul's imprisonment to set relationships right.

In Daniel, God told Israel that they would be persecuted so the world would see an example of faithfulness. Paul is another fulfillment of that prophecy. His chains have not shaken his faith in Jesus as the Messiah ("Christ" is the Greek version of the Hebrew word "Messiah"). Because of Paul's faith, his guards know all about Jesus and Believers have had their faith assured. God uses persecution to show the world true faithfulness. If you feel persecuted and chained because of your faith, keep going. God may be showing the world how He works.

No one can preach Christ and point to themselves.

Paul's discussion of the people who preach for their own gain is interesting. He seems to think their motivations may be bad, but who cares! They preach Christ! God will have His Will done regardless of what they say. All they are doing is preventing their own reward, not the reward of people who are listening to them. No one can point to Christ and themselves at the same time. They either point to Christ and not themselves or to themselves and not Christ. Because of this Paul cheered them on. Better have more people know Jesus than bicker about someone's motivations.
Boy is this important for today! It almost seems the worst thing a preacher can be is popular and/or rich. Popular preachers get excoriated in every facet of their words, actions, lifestyles, incomes, and ministries. Rich theologians are considered an affront to the Gospel. We search for that one thing we disagree with and that blog post which becomes viral. We do such a great disservice to Christ when we discourage people from preaching the Gospel because they are afraid the platform will expose them to Christian snipers. Lighten up, people! Christ is being preached! I wonder what unchurched people think when they see Christians complain about preachers getting rich off of their teaching.
This brings me to the so-called "health and wealth gospel" I hear about. (Notice: Everything I write here will be ignorant and oversimplified. I have never sat down and listened to their programs for two reasons: 1. growing up I was indoctrinated that we do not watch other groups who teach the Bible in error—meaning anyone not "churches of Christ", and 2. I get bored easily watching sermons. Both of these are personal issues which limit my exposure to their teachings.) Unless they preach that their ministry/ministry head can save they point people to Christ. Do they have bad motives? Yes. Will they answer to God for those motives? Yes. But remember—we aren't their judge because we are not their master. Stop complaining about Christian preacher's motivations. They preach Christ!

In unity we defeat our real enemy—people who do not want to set things right.

The second reason Paul does not complain about the motivations of others is because we are to be united around Christ. We cannot defeat our enemy—this is war!—when we continue to wound each other. Paul uses Jesus as our example to emulate. He was God but died as a human to set our relationships right with God. By unifying the entire world behind His Sacrifice, He defeated our greatest enemy—death. When we are unified we can outlast our opposition. His humble obedience gave Him the Highest Seat where everyone in the world will one day bow before Him. One day, we can join Him if we humbly obey God.

Paul wants to be with Jesus but needs to stay with God's Chosen People instead.

Out of context, Paul's discussion of his want to die could sound like a person giving up. But instead it is a person who desperately wants to stay because he has more work to do. He exemplifies the Christian dilemma—living or dying are both great choices!

Real believers are those who live in God's Spirit.

Real believers are not the ones who worship God because they are God's Chosen People. Real believers are the ones who worship God because they see His Work in them and through them. It's not about baptism, church attendance, Bible memorization, or teaching ability. It's about living ability. Do you set things right? You are a real believer. Paul's religious upbringing and all he accomplished in the religious world he considered dog [censored]—the literal word used—because of Jesus. Don't hold on to the inferior brand of righteousness. Trust Christ, the embodiment of God's Righteousness!

We are citizens of Heaven waiting for God to take us home.

I love Pierre Teilhard de Chardin's famous quote, "We are not human beings having a spiritual experience; we are spiritual beings having a human experience" (The Phenomenon of Man, 1955). Our goal is not for people to have healthcare, good jobs, nice houses, a strong, healthy church, or the right beliefs on a myriad of subjects—although they are nice to have. Our goal is to help each other keep our eyes on the goal—a new body when Christ returns. We must be ready for that body when it comes.

Paul is content anywhere he is.

What gives Paul a sense of happiness is that God is still with him and that his work still gives glory to God. When we are working for God, no physical lack or physical blessing can phase our happiness.

What are your motivations for living a godly life?

December 15 - Colossians; Philemon: Religious Rules Distract from Oneness with God

Today’s Reading: Colossians; Philemon

The Message

English Standard Version

Thought to Guide Your Reading

Paul warns the Colossian Christians not to be led by people who make things off-limits.

Summary in 100 Words or Less

Colossians

Paul and Timothy to the Christians in Colosse:
We thank God for your steadfast faith. The Message never weakens or changes! We pray you won't, either.
We see in Jesus God setting everyone's relationship right. Be confident in Christ. Stay away from human traditions and spiritual superstitions. Baptism is ritual enough. If you are serious about Christ's Resurrected Life, live it! Focusing on labels misses Christ.
Set things right. Help each other live the Resurrected Life—wives, husbands, children, parents, servants, and masters alike.
Pray. Help outsiders set things right.
Many with me send greetings. Echo our greetings to Laodicea.

Philemon

Paul and Timothy to Philemon, Apphia, Archippus, and the church in your house:
I pray your faith continues.
I have a favor to ask. I realize I have God's Authority to command you to do it, but I prefer to ask. Onesimus is no longer the runaway slave you once had. I have sent him to you at a great pain to my work because it is right. Please accept him as our brother. I will pay for any damages he caused—but remember the debt you owe me!
I hope to see you again.
People with me greet you.

How Today’s Reading Contributes to the Gospel: God is Setting All Things Right

Our work is directly tied to God's Work.

In Colossians, Paul wants to make sure they realize that their focus should be on God's Work, not on religion. As they focus more and more on God's Work they will be closer and closer to God's Life. As they set things right as God sets things right they will be set free from darkness and death and live a rich life with God. Until we recognize and join God's Work, we will never have a truly righteous life. The great thing about God's Work is that the entire world fits His Way. We can understand the world by understanding God.

We preach Christ, not religion.

It is Jesus that set all things right through His Death. Humans are incapable of setting things right because we are easily distracted by physical things—either for selfish reasons or for "pious" reasons. We focus on doing or not doing things instead of God's Work. When we focus on what we should or should not do or touch or when we focus on spirits, angels, and horoscopes we add to the message we send. The Message is simple—all things are set right though Jesus!
Reading from The Message helped me realize that Paul is not mentioning some unnamed group of Gnostics who are troubling these Christians. He is talking about the Jews who are trying to get the Gentile Christians to go along with the Law of Moses. Growing up, I never put the two together. Now I realize the things I was taught were important—baptism, no musical instruments in worship, no alcohol, etc.—were simply distractions from the Message of Jesus. They are not helpful in growing intimacy with God and Christ. They are, as Paul put it, "pretentious and infantile religion" (2:20). They may sound impressive but in the end only make ourselves look important. Baptism is tolerated because it helps tie us to God. It is a ritual which is not magical, but is important because it gives us a physical tie to God—similar to circumcision for Jews.

Our old life is dead and our new Life focuses on setting things right.

As mentioned earlier, the freedom we receive in Christ is not meant to be a blank check to do whatever we wish. Paul wants God's Chosen People to remember that we have a new Life, one that does not sin. We have a life shaped by God, not by physical urges. Some may consider these comments distractions based on the previous point, but in reality our old life takes us away from God and our new Life brings us closer to Him. The exact way I pray/sing/take communion does not necessarily bring me closer or farther from God. If I lie to my brothers I am going away from God. That is why God wants to make sure we do not lie. We want God's Clothing. To do that we must take off our old, dirty clothes and put on His new, holy Clothes. We sing to help push each other to clothe ourselves in Christ.

The story of Onesimus is the story of his relationship with God being set right.

Onesimus ran away from Philemon, most likely with stolen money or property. Yet he has changed to the point that Paul does not want to send him back. Onesimus is too valuable to Paul to allow him to leave. But Paul must do what is right. What a grand transformation—from fugitive slave to essential worker for God. When God sets our relationship right, we can overcome any problem we had.

Paul tells Philemon to no longer see Onesimus as a physical being anymore but as a spiritual brother.

Paul's letter to Philemon is very interesting. In it he does not advocate for the abolition of slavery but instead Paul advocates for the abolition of seeing our brothers and sisters in Christ as physical beings. Paul reminds Philemon that he owes his spiritual life to Paul and should take that into consideration before punishing Onesimus. Onesimus deserves justice. He should receive mercy because everyone deserves justice but God gives us mercy.

Do you distract others by teaching them religion instead of how to set things right?