Tag: God

Digging in Deeper: Romans 16:3-16

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“Give my greetings to Prisca and Aquila, my coworkers in Christ Jesus, who risked their own necks for my life. Not only do I thank them, but so do all the Gentile churches. Greet also the church that meets in their home. Greet my dear friend Epaenetus, who is the first convert to Christ from Asia. Greet Mary, who has worked very hard for you. Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews and fellow prisoners. They are noteworthy in the eyes of the apostles, and they were also in Christ before me. Greet Ampliatus, my dear friend in the Lord. Greet Urbanus, our coworker in Christ, and my dear friend Stachys. Greet Apelles, who is approved in Christ. Greet those who belong to the household of Aristobulus. Greet Herodion, my fellow Jew. Greet those who belong to the household of Narcissus who are in the Lord. Greet Tryphaena and Tryphosa, who have worked hard in the Lord. Greet my dear friend Persis, who has worked very hard in the Lord. Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord; also his mother—and mine. Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers and sisters who are with them. Greet Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ send you greetings.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

Every year I attend the annual meeting of my State Baptist Convention. Once there, I attend various meetings and breakout sessions. There are times of worship and lots of preaching. Sometimes, if I’m feeling especially brave, I’ll make a tour through the actual convention hall. I’m sufficiently introverted I only do that once. Introverted or not, though, over the years I’ve met various other pastors and ministry leaders, several of whom I have kept up with. Some of them have played a role in my ministry and vice versa. Ministry isn’t something that happens in isolation. Paul’s long list of greetings here at the end of the letter is a good reminder of that. Let’s explore who some of his ministry partners are.

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Digging in Deeper: Mark 15:6-13

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“At the festival Pilate used to release for the people a prisoner whom they requested. There was one named Barabbas, who was in prison with rebels who had committed murder during the rebellion. The crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to do for them as was his custom. Pilate answered them, ‘Do you want me to release the king of the Jews for you?’ For he knew it was because of envy that the chief priests had handed him over. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd so that he would release Barabbas to them instead. Pilate asked them again, ‘Then what do you want me to do with the one you call the king of the Jews?’ Again they shouted, ‘Crucify him!'” (CSB – Read the chapter)

Sometimes a single story in the Bible can have multiple different angles of interpretation, all of which are correct. Which one rises to the top in a particular season depends on the needs of the season. The author of Hebrews describes God’s word as living and active. The words themselves are not alive, but God’s Spirit is present in and around us, and He uses the words to reveal truth to us. Because they are His words first, He can use them to reveal different aspects of the truth to us at different times depending on our need and the particular growth He is working to draw out of us. One such story is the story of the release of Barabbas on the cusp of Jesus’ crucifixion. We’re here this morning because I had a conversation with one of my boys last night about what I was going to write about today, and this was his suggestion. It was a good one, so here we are.

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Digging in Deeper: Romans 15:22-29

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“That is why I have been prevented many times from coming to you. But now I no longer have any work to do in these regions, and I have strongly desired for many years to come to you whenever I travel to Spain. For I hope to see you when I pass through and to be assisted by you for my journey there, once I have first enjoyed your company for a while. Right now I am traveling to Jerusalem to serve the saints, because Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem. Yes, they were pleased, and indeed are indebted to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual benefits, then they are obligated to minister to them in material needs. So when I have finished this and safely delivered the funds to them, I will visit you on the way to Spain. I know that when I come to you, I will come in the fullness of the blessing  of Christ.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

The Scriptures are often inspirational. They’re occasionally confusing. Sometimes they’re admittedly boring. Occasionally they’re unnerving. Every now and then, though, they’re just practical. Here as we draw near the end of Paul’s letter to the Roman church, he offers up a review of his travel plans. This is the kind of material we often just skip over because it doesn’t seem to have much practical relevance. But if every word of the Scriptures is God-breathed and intended to shape us to look more like Him, then this is too. Let’s take a look at what’s here to see what we can see.

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A Case for God’s True Justice and a Call to Mission

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Something a little different today since I didn’t preach yesterday morning (our choir presented their excellent Christmas cantata instead). I recently heard about a small kerfuffle happening in the world of evangelical culture and theology. I was first alerted to it by a Facebook post from a church member. I don’t often pay very much attention to news stories I hear about on Facebook, though, so at first, I didn’t pay it any attention. But then, listening to a couple of different news podcasts from Christian sources I trust, I heard about it again and in more detail. Apparently, in a recent podcast episode with his son, Kirk Cameron espoused a heterodox theological view that has a fairly long historical pedigree called annihilationism. The basic thrust of the position is that one day God will annihilate—that is, blink out of existence—all of those who are in Hell. This view is framed as a better picture of the justice and mercy of God. Rather than making people suffer in Hell for eternity, God will mercifully end their suffering one day. They will simply cease to exist. When a seminary professor or anonymous pastor spouts off something like that, the world mostly ignores it. When a leading figure in the world of evangelical culture espouses it on a popular podcast, a great many more people pay attention. I don’t normally respond to things like this, but I actually wrote a paper on the subject explaining the whole debate as well as defending the historically orthodox position. This doesn’t have very much to do with the Advent season except that this is the fate Jesus came to save us from, but because the debate is hot, I thought I’d chip in my two cents. The paper is almost 20 years old, but my position hasn’t changed any in that time. This may not be for everybody, but some may find it either helpful or interesting or both. Because it is longer than usual, I’ve gone the extra mile and recorded the audio, so you can just listen to the paper if you would prefer. In any event, here you go, complete with a bibliography in case you really want to track down any of my sources.

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Songs of the Season

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“When the time came to completion, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

Our culture doesn’t like to wait. We have become an instant society. Everywhere we go and in almost everything we do we are finding ways all the time to get or experience what we want faster than we already do. We could easily point to things like microwaves, of course, but how about shipping on packages? Have you experienced yet ordering something and having it delivered to your house in under 24 hours? Grocery shopping used to be a chore. Now you can sit on your couch (or at your desk), order everything you want, and on your way home pull into the pick up spot, hit a few buttons on your phone, and be driving home in a few minutes with what would have taken you an hour to pick up on your own. It’s almost like we don’t really believe anything is worth waiting for anymore. But there are some things we have to wait for. Life doesn’t cooperate otherwise. God doesn’t cooperate otherwise. And today’s song of the season is a reminder that some things are worth the wait.

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