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We had a little fun with today’s video. Enjoy!

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This is a video post, for my e-mail subscribers who can’t see the video, click here.

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For my e-mail subscribers who can’t see the video, click here.

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For my e-mail subscribers who can’t see the video, click here.

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Today’s reading is Ephesians 3:1-4:32.

Ephesians 3:10 caught my attention today. It says, “So that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.” 

Sadly, in times past, people have placed so much emphasis on “the church” that hierarchies and denominational error became the mainstay because “the church” was the key. Thus we have some who believe that “the church” is without error and is the deciding factor on every key issue. Of course, that usually means through its elected or representative bodies (something which the New Testament knows nothing). The church is the deciding factor for what is right and wrong for those with this view. 

Gratefully, many have come past that. They recognize that the New Testament is far more a book telling us how to live as individual Christians and members of the church than telling us simply about the church as a whole. However, it seems folks easily ride the pendulum to far the other way. When the mantra becomes preach the Christ not the church, we are missing something. Ephesians 3:10 says the church should be preached. It is not just through Christ but also through the church that the manifold wisdom of God is demonstrated to all, including the rulers and authorities in heavenly places. Don’t water this down. This isn’t speaking about the individual lives of the individual church members. No, it is through the collective that God’s wisdom is demonstrated.

The point is we need to understand balance. We don’t need to so emphasize the church that it becomes some iconic organization and goes beyond what Scripture establishes. At the same time, we must not so degrade the church as if it make it nothing more than a necessary evil way of describing the group of individual Christians. 

The church is important. As Ephesians 5:25-33 will demonstrate in tomorrow’s reading, Jesus did die for Christians as individuals. He died for His church. He redeems His church. He washes His church. He will present His church as holy and blameless to God. We need to be in His church.

***Question: Why do you think so many are getting fed up with the concept of “the church” that they are making Christianity such an individualistic religion? Or are they? Am I missing it on this?

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

Today’s reading is Acts 25:1-26:32.

Christianity began on Pentecost. That is, in Acts 2, when the Spirit came upon the apostles and they preached entrance into Christ’s kingdom via repentance and baptism, the church began. The first Christians came to be on that day.

However, we need to understand that Christianity was not a new thing in the mind of God on that day. In Acts 26:6-7, Paul said, “And now I stand here on trial because of my hope in the promise made by God to our fathers, to which our twelve tribes hope to attain, as they earnestly worship night and day. And for this hope I am accused by Jews, O king!”

God promised Abraham that a blessing would come through the Jews upon all nations. Jesus was the fulfillment of that promise. Carrying the message of blessing to all nations to all the nations was the natural response. How could Jesus be a blessing to all nations if no one ever told the other nations. But Paul was on trial for taking those promises at their word. The Jews liked the promises insofar as they promised blessing to the Jews. But these blessings go so much farther. And I’m thankful that they do, because that means they include me.

***Question: In what promises from God do you take comfort? Why?

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

Today’s reading is Acts 17:1-18:28.

The Thessalonian Jews made an interesting accusation against the Christians in Acts 17:7. They claimed the Jews were rebelling against Caesar because they believed there was another king, Jesus. On the one hand this was true. The Christians did believe Jesus was their king. They did give their allegiance to Jesus over Caesar. However, we all know this charge is bogus because the Christians were not rebelling against Caesar. In fact, their king had claimed they should render to Caesar what was his due. 

The Christians were not fighting against Rome, rebelling against Rome, or even encouraging folks to break the laws of Rome. This accusation was pointless. The Christians were not taking up arms against Rome. They were not trying to overthrow Caesar. They were not even working to change the laws of Rome, at all. The most they did to impact their government was to pray (cf. I Timothy 2:1-2).

Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not trying to say that individual Christians are not allowed to participate in the political process. I encourage you to vote. I encourage you, if you have a heart’s desire for it, to be political. But please, recognize that Christian is not a political party. God did not establish Christianity to impact national politics. Jesus did not die so nations could become Christian. Jesus died so we could carry the gospel message to one more person and let them be forgiven.

Can this message change the social and political world? Sure it can. As we get the message out to more and more people and more people become God’s children, that will impact what happens at every level of our government. But please, please recognize this very simple point. Voting is not your Christian duty. God does not have a candidate in any election. God does not have a side on any law. He wants us to surrender to Him no matter what our government does. He is not asking us to bring our government in line with Him.

Sadly, the world could probably bring an accusation against Christians and churches today that they are trying to change the political structure of nations. Let’s give that up and just get back to surrendering ourselves to God and carrying God’s message to others.

***Question: Why is it so easy for Christ’s church to lose sight of its real mission and get distracted with things like politics?

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

Paul was about to be flogged. However, at the seeming last possible moments, he uttered the magic words. “Um, guys, are  you sure you want to do this? I’m a Roman citizen.”

This piqued the tribune’s curiosity. “How much did you pay to get in?”

Okay, so I’m taking a little poetic license here. What I really want to hone in on is the fact that the tribune paid his way into the Roman kingdom. That makes me think of Matthew 5:3–”Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” 

Suddenly, that statement means a good bit more to me. And I see it as an even greater shock. The people to whom Jesus spoke lived in a kingdom that took money to enter. They could all become Romans and throw off the yoke of their slave status if they just paid money to get in like the tribune.

That, however, is not how the kingdom of God works. God’s kingdom doesn’t go to those who can pay enough money. God’s kingdom goes to those who are humble enough to admit their poverty in spirit and quit trying to pay their way in. Only those who recognize how little they have to offer and simply come to Jesus asking for mercy knowing that is their only way in get Jesus’ kingdom.

Paul was able to say he was born into the Roman kingdom. But the only way into Christ’s kingdom is to be reborn by humbly submitting to Jesus (John 3:3, 5; Mark 16:16).

Keep the faith today and keep reading.

ELC