Tag: apostle paul

Don’t Be Prejudiced (Romans 2:17-29)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year ALeave a comment

Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and boast in God; if you know his will and approve of what is superior because you are instructed by the law; if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in the dark, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of little children, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth—you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who boast in the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? As it is written: “God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”

Circumcision has value if you observe the law, but if you break the law, you have become as though you had not been circumcised. So then, if those who are not circumcised keep the law’s requirements, will they not be regarded as though they were circumcised? The one who is not circumcised physically and yet obeys the law will condemn you who, even though you have the written code and circumcision, are a lawbreaker.

A person is not a Jew who is one only outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a person’s praise is not from other people, but from God. (New International Version)

There is a reason for every letter the Apostle Paul wrote. In the case of writing to the Church at Rome, that reason was because of prejudice. The Jewish Christians were looking down their noses at the Gentile Christians as inferior believers.

I can understand why. The Jews have a rich history – filled with being God’s covenant people. Abraham, Moses, and David were their physical and spiritual descendants. It was to the ancient Israelites – the Jewish people – that God gave the Law.

The Gentiles, on the other hand, had a history of being far from God – practicing paganism – and, in some instances, embracing religious practices that were directly opposed to God’s Law. In addition, the Jews had been the victims of much Gentile oppression. Antisemitism is not a new thing; it’s been around a very long time.

With Jesus Christ, there were many Jews who embraced him as the Messiah. Even more Gentiles turned from their paganism and adopted Christianity as their religion and way of life. In Rome, they became one church, worshiping together as the one people of God.

As a result, the Jewish believers immediately began viewing their Gentile sisters and brothers with suspicion – especially when the Gentile believers did not jump on the bandwagon of becoming Jewish in order to be Christian. Circumcision, feast days, and Jewish practices were not something the Gentiles adopted.

There was tension between the two groups – which is why Paul wrote to the Roman Church. In today’s New Testament lesson, he specifically addresses the Jewish predilection for viewing the Gentiles as religiously backward and needing the Law.

Pauls’ argument is that the Gentiles already know the Law – albeit in a different way than the Jews were given it. God’s Law is written on every heart, and is hardwired into every human conscience. And, what’s more, the Jews don’t have the high ground when it comes to following and obeying the Law.

One of the unfortunate things that can happen when something becomes familiar, is that the familiarity becomes an excuse to do whatever one wants. Just because someone is outwardly circumcised, never misses a Jewish feast day, and always obeys the Sabbath, does not somehow spiritually inoculate them from being on the bad side of God.

There needs to be congruence between the inner person and the outward rituals. What the Jewish Christians left out of their history was a continual incongruence of belief and behavior. It’s why we have so many books of the prophets in the Old Testament – God calling the people back to integrity of body and soul.

When Gentiles do what is right, just, and good, they are not only demonstrating an obedience to God’s Law, but they are also showing that they are Abraham’s children, too. In arguing this way, Paul is knocking his fellow Jews down a few pegs, while lifting up the Gentiles. By doing this, the Apostle was establishing and proving that the Church is an egalitarian society. Believers in Jesus Christ are the one people of God, equal together without any rank of ethnicity, class, or gender.

Within the Galatian Church, the Gentile Galatian believers actually bought into the superior talk of the Judaizers. That’s why Paul’s words are especially harsh in his letter to the churches of Galatia. He concludes his egalitarian arguments with them by saying:

So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. (Galatians 3:26-29, NIV)

The times may have changed from two–thousand years ago; but what has not changed is that the Church, for whom Christ died, and for which then obliterated any obstacle to disunity and prejudice, remains an egalitarian society of redeemed persons.

There is room for all. Another seat at the Table can always be made.

And therefore, there is no room for any sort of prejudice in the form of favoritism, cronyism, racism, ethnocentrism, classism, ageism, sexism, spiritual terrorism, and any other “ism” that contradicts God’s Law, Christ’s new society, and the Spirit’s work of the heart in treating all humanity with the grace and love which is consistent with people carrying the name “Christian.”

Let us build bridges with others – and not build walls for which Christ has already torn down. And let us do it because we see the inherent worth in the other person, and the desire to uphold God’s Law. Furthermore, let us not promote our own cultural understandings of what we think a Christian is supposed to be, as if it were cardinal doctrine; but instead, let us uphold the actual words and ways of Jesus.

O God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, our only Savior and Prince of Peace: Give us grace to lay aside all prejudicial divisions. Take away all hatred, and whatsoever else may hinder us from godly unity and harmony.

We confess before you that there is but one Body and one Spirit, and one hope of our calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all. Help us, your people, to be of one heart and of one soul, united in one holy bond of truth and peace, faith and love; and may with one mind and one mouth enable us to glorify you, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Be Real, Not Fake (Titus 1:5-16)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Exploring Church Ministry Blog, Year ALeave a comment

The reason I left you in Crete was that you might put in order what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you. 

An elder must be blameless, faithful to his wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient.Since an overseer manages God’s household, he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. 

Rather, he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.

For there are many rebellious people, full of meaningless talk and deception, especially those of the circumcision group. They must be silenced, because they are disrupting whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach—and that for the sake of dishonest gain. One of Crete’s own prophets has said it: “Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons.” This saying is true.

Therefore rebuke them sharply, so that they will be sound in the faith and will pay no attention to Jewish myths or to the merely human commands of those who reject the truth. To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted. They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good. (New International Version)

Everything in life needs some decency and order – including the church. The bulk of the Apostle Paul’s letter to Titus gives needed instructions about structuring the life of the church, along with some warnings about those who would attempt to disrupt that good order.

One of the most important aspects of church life and organization is to appoint competent persons with good character and sound doctrine to oversee and serve the congregation. The leaders of the church are to be mature, unselfish, concerned for the common good of all the parishioners, and able to handle Holy Scripture by strengthening the faithful and rebuking the faithless.

It takes solidly worthy leaders to counter people who are opposed to doing and believing things that are inconsistent with apostolic teaching. Paul had neither the tolerance nor the patience for rebellious folk who sought to deceive the faithful. So, he told Titus to silence, rebuke, and put a stop to such persons.

Orthodox icon of St. Titus the Apostle, the first Bishop of Crete

The rebellious persons, however, were not so easy to spot for many in the church – which is why Paul instructed Titus to deal with false teachers forcefully. They were not the real article, but came across as genuine.

Sometimes, you cannot tell a fake by the external appearance. In Christianity, and within the church, a person might give a good outward performance, but actually not be the real deal because they are full of bitterness and death on the inside with a heart far from God.

A sobering reality for devoted believers in God is that the church and Christianity can have people who are religious on the outside but not really Christ followers on the inside. Claiming to know God isn’t the same as actually knowing the Lord. It’s like putting perfume in a vase – it might smell like flowers but the flowers aren’t really there.  

The Apostle was pointed about how to handle those of the “circumcision group” because they were legalists who put heavy spiritual loads on people and were unwilling to help them carry those burdens. Paul, following the example of the Lord Jesus, was always laboring and challenging people into a genuine, real righteousness from the heart that would submit to God’s kingdom. 

And, much like Jesus before him, Paul kept having the Judaizers in the church undermining him, talking behind his back, and stirring up resentment against him. 

The rebellious people of the circumcision group were not helping believers know God better through active service, but only tried to talk a good line. Paul pointed them out to Titus because such persons were not strengthening the faith of others and enabling them to live a sound spiritual life.

The Judaizers did not practice what they preached – and even what they taught was neither gentle, nor had any grace. People need one another in the church to truly live for God; but if there are double standards, then heavy loads aren’t getting carried because some individuals think they are above helping, or think too little of themselves and believe God could not use them. 

In both cases the person declares, “Someone should do something!” Someone should give, someone should pray, someone should visit, someone should tell that person about Christ, someone should help. To which Paul (and Jesus) would say that someone is you.

We may believe we are genuine and think we are being helpful when we really are not. Whenever we plaster on fake smiles, only obey and serve when others are looking, and/or pretend like everything is just peachy keen when we are dying inside, then we are in the same category as the Judaizers. We have become in need of putting aside how we look to others and ask the God of grace to have mercy on us. 

It’s possible to be so obsessed about the right thing to say that we never say what is really on the inside because we think it isn’t spiritual enough and we fear looking bad. We then put up a spiritual façade, live into a false self, thereby and eventually becoming a false teacher.

The rebellious in the church are those who seek power, status, authority, and prestige. Respect and honor from others is everything to them, so they want the positions of prominence and insist on being recognized for whatever they say or do in the church.

But facades will not work for Christianity. The church is about integrity, mission, worship, and service – and not about acting with the spectator in mind, and seeking to elicit praise and respect from others. For such persons, it does not matter what’s on the inside as long as the outside looks good. 

Instead of being a liar (one whose outward actions and inner dispositions don’t match) and an evil brute (not acting with anyone else’s needs in mind or at heart) and a lazy glutton (always receiving but never giving) instead be a servant of others with a good character, a basic understanding of Holy Scripture, and a heart to know and love God. 

If there is a job that no one wants to do, I’ll do that job.

If there’s a lonely person, I’ll be with them.

If there’s a parking space up close, I’ll park in the back of the lot.

If there’s a need is someone’s life, I’ll meet that need.

If there’s a hardship someone has to endure, I’ll help carry that hardship.

If there’s a sacrifice to be made, I’ll make that sacrifice. Amen.

Thankful for Your Faith (1 Thessalonians 1:1-10)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year ALeave a comment

Paul, Silas and Timothy,

To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:

Grace and peace to you.

We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers. We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

For we know, brothers and sisters loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake. You became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you welcomed the message in the midst of severe suffering with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia—your faith in God has become known everywhere. 

Therefore we do not need to say anything about it, for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath. (New International Version)

The Apostle Paul wrote to the Church in Thessalonica, essentially saying, “I really can’t say enough good about you!” I also echo the same about your faith. Paul had plenty of reasons to express thanks for them in his prayers. He was thoroughly convinced of God’s work in them, and acknowledged the good work of God in their spiritual transformation.

The background of Paul and the Thessalonians

Paul visited Thessalonica on his second missionary journey (Acts 17). Thessalonica was the capital of Macedonia, located on an inlet, and so, was a port city along an important trade route. Thessalonica was a very religious city, with a host of various deities that were worshiped. It was also a politically prominent city that prided themselves on embodying the ideals of the Roman Empire, including bravery, loyalty, piety, seriousness, respect and authority.

When the Thessalonians heard Paul’s message and accepted its call to worship the God of Israel exclusively, they faced rejection and possibly persecution from their polytheistic families and neighbors. To accept and worship Jesus took some solid faith, hope, and love, because to be a Christian was costly within the culture.

God loved and chose the Thessalonians

Paul could praise their faith because it lifted and upheld the gracious work of God on this earth. Before the Thessalonians chose God, God chose them. God didn’t have to do that. But the Lord was gracious, merciful, and kind, extending salvation and deliverance from an empty way of life to a group of people who didn’t deserve it. In fact, none of us do. God’s grace chooses to grant us faith and salvation. To be included amongst God’s people is an incredible privilege.

The good news of Jesus Christ came to the Thessalonians with power, assurance, and the Holy Spirit. They turned from their idols to God. Jesus redeemed and rescued them from darkness and judgment. The Thessalonian believers turned from their previous religious expressions in order to serve the living and true God. As a result, they began imitating Jesus and his apostles. And because of their Christian way of life, the Thessalonian Christians then became worthy of imitation themselves.

Because of God’s merciful intervention in their lives, Paul was grateful for the work of God for three specific elements and expressions about the Thessalonians’ Christian lives:

  1. Their work produced by faith
  2. Their labor prompted by love
  3. Their endurance inspired by hope

Indeed, for every Christian, the Christian life is lived with the essential tools of faith, hope, and love.

Endurance inspired by hope

It’s a standup quality to be characterized as people of hope. The Thessalonian believers were anticipating and waiting for the Lord’s return; they had no doubt Jesus will come again. The Christians just needed some reassurance about those who have already died without yet seeing Christ – which is why Paul wrote his letter to them. And the believers were good at encouraging each other with the hope of Christ’s return.

Labor prompted by love

Paul didn’t really even need to teach the Thessalonian Christians about loving each other because they were good students of God as their teacher. They had a reputation of hearing the Word of God, then doing it. Specifically, they learned to love, not only one another within their local church, but the whole of the family of God throughout Macedonia. So then, the Thessalonians excelled at expressing their faith through love. (Galatians 5:6)

Work produced by faith

The Thessalonian believers became well-versed and practiced in the Christian elements of hope and love. And their faith became known everywhere. Paul was thankful for their work produced by faith. Yet, as the rest of the letter bears out, along with the second letter to the Thessalonians, Paul will have much to say to them about the nature of faith.

Paul reminded the Christians of his example to them and the gospel which he proclaimed. Several times, Paul talked of the work he put into them on their behalf (1 Thessalonians 2:9; 3:5; 2 Thessalonians 3:8). On the topic of following godly examples, Paul also admonished them to respect those who have authority over them, who labor and work among them (1 Thessalonians 5:12-13).

The Apostle encouraged the Thessalonians to continue in their work, so that every need would be met within the church; and so that there would be a good witness to those outside the church (1 Thessalonians 4:11-12). Paul let them know that a very practical way they can express their love is by working with their hands so that none among them have any need.

Faith and work are not mutually exclusive. Even though the Thessalonian believers were transformed by their belief in Christ, they still needed to remember that they must carry on in their regular daily lives until Christ returns.

Imitating the faith and patience of solid believers

And we are all still responsible to be faithful, every day, no matter what the situation or circumstances are. We must carry on in our faith, hope, and love through obeying and living into the words and ways of Jesus. We do this through imitating the faith and patience of trusted Christians, like the Apostle Paul.

Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.

Hebrews 13:7, NIV

People can only experience the fullness of their humanity when they are in deep, trusting relationships with one another. Even more, relationships have more depth when experienced and centered in a relationship with Jesus Christ. Imitation then becomes an outgrowth of this strong relationship.

Far too often we seek excuses, or to find loopholes, in order to avoid the vulnerability that a close mentoring relationship demands. We may look for ways to justify not getting close, or simply distance ourselves from other believers.

Maybe we do not want to do the work — desiring to avoid being hurt. It could be that we are tired of doing the relational work necessary for closeness and walking with Christ and one another. Relationships get messy and they take lots of energy. But our spiritual growth is completely tied to relational growth. The Apostle Paul himself was vulnerable:  

Just as a nursing mother cares for her children, so we cared for you. Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well. Surely you remember, brothers and sisters, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you. (1 Thessalonians 2:7-9, NIV)

This imitative relationship is important for the advancement of the gospel. The faith is passed on from generation to generation, from disciple to disciple, in one long progression stretching all the way back to Jesus and the original twelve disciples. For our own faith, hope, and love to be effective, it requires following the example of Paul, and of committed faithful believers in your own life, through close relationships with them.

God of all faith, hope, and love, we praise and give you thanks for the resurrection of your Son, Jesus Christ. We celebrate the joy of life in you, and are grateful for the privilege and opportunity to live into the reality and power of the resurrection.

Inspire us, by your grace, to live the life of intentionally following Jesus. We surrender ourselves to the life of Jesus, who called us to be faithful servants of God. We commit to living for Christ, our Savior and Lord, in whose name we are bold to pray. Amen.

Why Not Women? (Romans 16:1-16)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Exploring Church Ministry Blog, Year ALeave a comment

I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon of the church in Cenchreae. I ask you to receive her in the Lord in a way worthy of his people and to give her any help she may need from you, for she has been the benefactor of many people, including me.

Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my co-workers in Christ Jesus. They risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them.

Greet, also, the church that meets at their house.

Greet my dear friend Epenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in the province of Asia.

Greet Mary, who worked very hard for you.

Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews who have been in prison with me. They are outstanding among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was.

Greet Ampliatus, my dear friend in the Lord.

Greet Urbanus, our co-worker in Christ, and my dear friend Stachys.

Greet Apelles, whose fidelity to Christ has stood the test.

Greet those who belong to the household of Aristobulus.

Greet Herodion, my fellow Jew.

Greet those in the household of Narcissus who are in the Lord.

Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, those women who work hard in the Lord.

Greet my dear friend Persis, another woman who has worked very hard in the Lord.

Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother, who has been a mother to me, too.

Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas and the other brothers and sisters with them.

Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas and all the Lord’s people who are with them.

Greet one another with a holy kiss.

All the churches of Christ send greetings. (Romans 16:1-16, NIV)

The reason we have the “Captain Obvious” people in our lives, is that they simply point out something that is right under our noses we might miss. I’m playing the role of Captain Obvious. In today’s New Testament lesson are a group of women. Paul names, greets, thanks, and encourages several church leaders, and they are not all men:

  1. Phoebe is a deacon. She’s actually the representative who was sent to take Paul’s letter to the church at Rome and read it to the congregation.
  2. Priscilla is co-equal with her husband Aquila. Together they co-pastored a house church. She helped teach and mentor Apollos in Corinth.
  3. Mary
  4. Junia is an apostle. Paul states that she’s outstanding amongst them, of which also he is one.
  5. Tryphena and Tryphosa
  6. Persis is a dear friend of Paul.
  7. Julia

In the earliest church, within the New Testament Scriptures, women are mentioned as serving in every sort of capacity. And yet, women are the greatest and largest untapped resource in the church today.  

You might wonder why I would say such a thing, being that more women attend church than men. However, still in this day and age – removed 2,000 years from the biblical text – the reality for many churches around the world is that only men can hold positions of authority.  

The reasoning goes something like this: “The Bible says women can’t serve over men, so women can’t hold those positions.” Really?

So, a woman can serve as a CEO of a Fortune 500 company, can be elected as governor of a state, and can manage men on a factory floor, but that same woman cannot serve as an elder in many churches? I once asked a pastor that very question, and he answered with “Yes, because the Bible says so.”

I guess he never read Romans 16.

If you are of the belief that a church office is based on gender instead of the calling and gifting of the Spirit, then, methinks, it behooves us to ask these questions of the biblical text:

  • If women are not to exercise authority over men in the church, how do we account for actual women leaders in the Bible, such as Deborah, Huldah, Philip’s daughters, Priscilla’s role in Apollos’ life, not to mention the list of women leaders in Romans 16?  If our impulse is to say that these are exceptions because there were no men to “step up,” then what does that say about our theology? Is God not big enough to find a man to put into a position of leadership?
  • If we insist that women ought not to teach and be silent based on Paul’s letter to Timothy (1 Timothy 3:11-15) then why do we ignore Paul’s instruction that women are to publicly prophecy and pray? (1 Corinthians 11:5; Acts 21:9)
  • Doesn’t the prominence of women in the ministry of Jesus and Paul suggest something different than just having women tag along to teach children?
  • Just when does a boy become too old for a woman to legitimately teach him?  If women can’t teach men, why in the world would we ever think that they are the best teachers for boys?
  • How can we apply Galatians 3:26-28 (there is no male or female in Christ)? Are women the exception?
  • Does the Reformation doctrine of the priesthood of all believers only apply to men?  Doesn’t the absence of women in church leadership go against this?
  • Isn’t it weird and confusing that women have an equal vote in congregational decisions, even when a male leader is being elected and/or disciplined, when they aren’t supposed to exercise authority?

I could go on, but I think you get the picture; the absence of women in leadership is problematic, at best. It’s a problem because there are actually women leaders in the Bible. So, here is my unabashed, dogmatic, and biblical belief:  

All individuals are equally created in God’s image, and, therefore, have equal worth, privilege, and opportunity in Christ’s Church without any limitation, including gender.

In some churches and Christian denominations today, there are far too many wonderful Christian women who are exhausted and depressed because they are trying to live up to a certain expectation of being someone they are not. They suppress their gifts and calling because they believe they must prop-up the fragile male egos around them.  

They aren’t free to serve in leadership positions; and it’s eating them from the inside-out. These women think there is something wrong with them, but the reality is that there is something wrong with the whole system of male-only authority. And, what’s more, we are missing out on the blessing of God. It is high time we value all women, even those with gifts of leadership, by allowing them to serve without limitation.

I have a wife and three daughters. All of them are more intelligent, more gifted, and better leaders than me, the lone family male. To have them using their superior talents in the church by leading and serving is the least threatening thing to me on this earth. I love it that they can outdo me; it is my joy!  

Even more than that, I believe it is Christ’s joy, as well. We must be proactive in cultivating and nurturing the gifts and calling we see in women. They don’t need to be put in their place; instead, the good-old-boy system of the church needs to be put in its place so that men are practicing a leadership that sacrifices on behalf of making women’s leadership a priority.

Lord God, bless all women who daily strive to bring peace to their communities, their homes and their hearts. Give them strength to continue to turn swords into ploughshares. We pray for all women who face prejudice, inequality and gender disparities. Help us to see and to face the discrimination against women in all the many forms it may take.

Forgive all women and men who let differences breed hate and discrimination. Let your example of valuing all of creation help us to see that we are equal partners in the stewardship of your world. Help us to see the strength and goodness in all women and men. Amen.