“Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.” (ESV – Read the chapter)
Paul has in various other places had some pretty tough words for folks in the church who fall into sin and refuse to get unstuck. They range from giving them tough love to kicking them out of the community entirely until they are truly interested in getting themselves back together. Read the rest…
“Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (ESV – Read the chapter)
There has been much attention given to the armor of God Paul describes here. I don’t need to try and re-say any of that. What I do want to point out, though, is an observation I have only ever heard once (although it has no doubt been made many more times). As you look at the various pieces of armor, there is not anything to protect our backsides. Our role in the kingdom is to push constantly forward for its advancement. There are not opportunities to turn back and move the other way. If we try, we are guaranteed to take a shot in the back. These will hurt a great deal more than anything we might face in front of us.
When it comes to our relationship with Jesus, things only move in one direction: Forward. What’s more, Jesus is always on the move. If we stand still, He will leave us behind. There are times for rest and He will provide that, but our way is always forward. This armor will do us no good if we don’t use it.
This past Sunday we kicked off a brand new teaching series called, The Big Story. Over the next few weeks we are going to look at the story of Scripture. We often spend a lot of time studying the details of the Bible, and that’s not a bad thing. But if we don’t know the much bigger context in which those details are situated, we run the risk of misunderstanding them. The goal of this series is to help us understand the big story of Scripture more so we can better understand and know the God who is writing it.
A Good Start
Around parts like these where most everybody’s a “from here,” when folks meet someone new there are two primary questions they ask. Anybody know what these are? Where are you from and who’s your daddy? The first question will tell them important things like whether or not you’re a Yankee. It lets them know whether you’re a Tar Heel, a Blue Devil, or some other strange species…like a Jayhawk. It gives them a sense of what kind of culture you bring to the area with you. The second question—especially if you’re not a “come here”—gives them more of a sense of who you are. If your daddy was well-respected in the community, you’ll probably be given the benefit of the doubt in a lot of things. If your daddy was generally considered a scoundrel, though, you’re going to be treated with at least a bit of suspicion whether you deserve it or not. Read the rest…
“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (ESV – Read the chapter)
Does it feel like it is more and more of a battle to be a follower of Jesus in the U.S. these days? Welcome to life for most of the rest of your brothers and sisters in Christ around the world and throughout history. Jesus followers have always tended to be more of a persecuted group than not. This really shouldn’t be much of a surprise either. Jesus Himself guaranteed it would happen. Read the rest…
Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. (ESV – Read the chapter)
Paul’s focus here is on our words which is pretty important. Most of us have a tough time staying out of trouble there. James makes a convincing case for this in his letter (read it here). We are able in most cases to whip up a mean batch of foot stew at a moment’s notice. Read the rest…
The Nexus 