Tag: word of god

Consider Carefully How You Listen (Luke 8:16-21)

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

“No one lights a lamp and hides it in a clay jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, they put it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light. For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open. Therefore consider carefully how you listen. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they think they have will be taken from them.”

Now Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see him, but they were not able to get near him because of the crowd. Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you.”

He replied, “My mother and brothers are those who hear God’s word and put it into practice.” (New International Version)

In this chapter of Luke’s Gospel, Jesus had just finished offering his parable of the sower. Central to that parable is the message of true hearing. To really hear the word of God is to believe it, and put it into practice.

The verses for today are arranged by the Evangelist Luke to emphasize this very important need for listening well, and integrating the Word of God into every facet of our daily lives.

Listening and the Light

Christ communicated to his disciples that persons with a noble and good heart are the ones who truly hear the Word of God, retain it, and persevere in following through and doing what they have heard. This is how one produces a spiritual harvest of righteousness and peace.

The good listeners who receive the Word are the ones who have the Light of the World in their daily life. They allow their own little light within them to be seen. The Light is meant to bring illumination for others.

Jesus exhorts his disciples to share the light of revelation given to them – because the world needs to continually hear and see that God’s benevolent and gracious kingdom is breaking into their communities and neighborhoods, into their institutions and their families.

For the sake of the church’s life, individual believers, and even the life of the world, it is imperative that we continually hear that God’s victorious reign of justice, goodness, and righteousness is truly and presently entering this realm we inhabit.

Therefore, it is quite needful that we learn to listen well. To hear the Word of God, respond obediently to it, and then openly proclaim what we have heard and seen, is how the mighty works of God are spread across the world.

Throughout the history of Christianity, whenever the church devoted themselves to hearing the Word, it resulted in doing things which bring light to the world. Here are just a few examples of how believers have let their light shine into the darkest times of history:

  • Taking-in and adopting unwanted children who would otherwise be victims of infanticide, even though the believers own resources were limited
  • Moving toward the sick and dying and ministering to them during periods of plague and disease, while the rest moved away in order to avoid becoming sick themselves
  • Caring for prisoners who had no family to provide them with necessary food and clothing, as if those persons were their own kin
  • Giving benevolence and kindness to the poor – especially to immigrants, widows, and orphans

Listening and the Family

Jesus states that those who hear and do the Word of God are his family – a new family oriented around the spiritual, and not just biological bloodlines.

Many people today are uprooted from one’s family of origin. And there are a great many older persons who either live alone as widows or widowers, or are not geographically (nor relationally) close to their own biological children and/or grandchildren.

For a host of reasons, millions of persons around the world are estranged from family members.

Sometimes, religious beliefs and spiritual commitments lie at the heart of family estrangement. This is one significant reason why the church is important; it serves as the community of the redeemed, a group of people with like-minded values who support one another, much like a family is supposed to do.

One of the many metaphors of the church in the New Testament is of “the family of God.”

Now about your love for one another we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. And in fact, you do love all of God’s family…. Yet we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more…

1 Thessalonians 4:9-10, NIV

The church is made up of a conglomeration of families who are meant to strengthen one another in faith, and are present with each other in times of change and loss.

We must continually keep in mind (and heart) that the church is not designed to be a mere collection of individuals or families; but rather to be a new family, brought together by the providence of God; to be a community of redeemed persons, living and loving Jesus together through supporting each other’s faith, and practicing love one to another.

The church is indeed the family of God.

And within any family – whether spiritual or biological – listening must be at the heart of relational dynamics with each other as members. Without truly hearing what each person is saying, as well as what the Word of God is saying to us collectively, it is difficult to experience unity, harmony, and love.

We listen, and then we act on what we hear – for the benefit of the family – both biological and spiritual. So, consider carefully how you listen and hear.

Generous and loving God, I come to you in thanksgiving, knowing that all I am and all that I have is a gift from you.

In faith and love, help me to do your good and benevolent will. Speak Lord, for I am listening. Let me hear your words in the depth of my soul, and let me hear them clearly.

I offer to you today every aspect of my life – no matter what is, or where I am. I seek to be patient, merciful, generous, and holy in all I say and do. Give me wisdom and insight to understand your will, and the energy to carry out my good intentions.

I offer to you my time, abilities, possessions – and even the lack thereof of them – to you as a true act of faith, to reflect my love for you and for my neighbor. Help me to reach out to others as you have reached out to me; through Jesus Christ my Lord, in the strength of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Spiritual Growth (2 Peter 3:14-18)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year B1 Comment

So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this [a new heaven and a new earth] make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.

Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen. (New International Version)

When it comes to Christianity – the Christian life and church ministry – the value and necessity of spiritual growth within individual believers and local churches is of vital importance. 

We were created by God, who made us in the divine image and likeness. That is, we were formed as spiritual people. Every one of us carries within ourselves a God-given spirit; it is a vital part of who we are.

Therefore, we must recognize that the area of our greatest value, potential, fruitfulness, and life fulfillment will be in the realm of the spiritual. 

If we deny our inherent spirituality, whether in thought or in practice, we will inevitably become confused. This then, sets us up for failure, because our basic nature is one of being spiritual persons.

Nothing is more valuable for us than spiritual growth, and the provision God has made for us to experience this growth.

There is a verse tucked away at the end of Peter’s second epistle that states for us to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Grace and knowledge are important words that both point to Jesus. 

“Grace” refers to all the benefits of redemption for us through the person and work of Christ.

“Knowledge” denotes all the benefits of God’s revelation to us in Jesus Christ.

Here is a simple, yet profound, observation of the text: The word “grow” is a command; it is not optional. It’s not something to maybe think about doing when we get around to it. God insists that we spiritually grow.

God has made every provision for our spiritual growth. What’s more, we have been given the ability as a redeemed believer, and as a redeemed community, to grow spiritually. 

So then, each and every believer in Jesus Christ, as well as every local church, must face their own personal responsibility to obey this scriptural exhortation. To do otherwise is to live outside of God’s will.

Sticking with the Apostle Peter’s words, here is another verse of importance which relates to our spiritual growth: 

Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation. (1 Peter 2:2, NIV) 

We are to seek the Word of God with the same kind of intensity that a newly born baby will seek for food. As babies, my kids were barracudas when it came to feeding time; they took their eating seriously, and with a lot of gusto. That same desire for feeding must be present with us as Christians and churches. When the command of Peter is obeyed, and made a priority in our life, then we will grow.

Like any good thing in our lives, there are potential problems, along with the benefits. A significant downside, when pursuing spiritual growth, is that we all have a disease-like force in our lives. There exists within us a destructive tendency of lethargy and passivity toward spiritual things.

It’s rather ironic that people who confess Jesus as Lord, and are convinced about their Christianity, can be so doggone nit-picky about trivial matters which don’t really contribute much of anything to their spiritual growth.

And the trivial things only distract us from feeding upon the Word of God, and consuming the Bread of Life. We cannot – we must not – go on living like this and expect to be successful in the Christian life.

If we are going to grow spiritually, we must be about the business of speaking the truth in love – which results in us growing up into people who embody the words and ways of Jesus. (Ephesians 4:15) 

We are to have an aggressive application of the truth in our speech and our actions, which then impacts our daily faith walk with Jesus. 

The way we grow up spiritually, whether personally or corporately, is through practicing the truth of Holy Scripture – which requires reading it, learning it, and knowing it better than we know our own back door.

Our priorities, goals, and values need to reflect a solid commitment to fulfill scriptural truth in daily life. In that vein, let us ask ourselves some penetrating questions:

  • Have we humbled ourselves before God and confessed the things we have done, and the things we have left undone, when it comes to God’s revealed will?
  • Have we humbled ourselves before one another as believers, and in the church, asking for prayer?
  • Have we read the Bible on the subject of spiritual growth, and followed its teachings, so that we can know the joy and love God has for us?
  • Would we be lethargic and passive about treating a physical cancer in our lives?

God the Father and God the Son have conspired together to give believers God the Holy Spirit for our spiritual growth. The blessed Holy Trinity – the God whom Christians serve – has gifted us the Spirit, so that we might come into close fellowship with the Lord Jesus. 

Once we begin to obey the Scripture in this area of practicing biblical truth, we will experience spiritual growth and the joy of the Lord. 

However, if we allow ourselves to remain lethargic and apathetic concerning spirituality, we will not become our true selves. We must choose to make a biblical response to God, to one another, and to ourself. 

Spiritual growth is not a matter of personal willpower that can be achieved by our own efforts. Instead, we must face our spiritual condition, and seek help within the community of the redeemed, the church. Then, spiritual growth will become a reality.

Gracious heavenly Father, the God of all mercy, thank you for adding another day to my life. I dedicate both my soul and my body to serving you with a right spirit and a holy life. Strengthen me in this life, so that I may grow in grace, and in the knowledge of your Son, my Savior, Jesus Christ, who with you and the Holy Spirit are one God, now and forever. Amen.

Jesus Prays For Us (John 17:6-19)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
Word of Life, by Millard Sheets

“I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything you have given me is from you, for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you, and they have believed that you sent me.

“I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I have been glorified in them. And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you.

“Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one. While I was with them, I protected them in your name that you have given me. I guarded them, and not one of them was lost except the one destined to be lost, so that the scripture might be fulfilled. 

But now I am coming to you, and I speak these things in the world so that they may have my joy made complete in themselves. I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. 

“I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from the evil one. They do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, so that they also may be sanctified in truth. (New Revised Standard Version)

It seems to me only fitting that Jesus concluded his time with the disciples in the Upper Room before his betrayal, crucifixion, and death with prayer. It also seems to me that if you really want to know the heart of a person, listen to them pray.

The prayer of Jesus was thoroughly oriented toward the spiritual needs of his followers – even potential believers who will follow him in the future. And it was a prayer completely devoted toward honoring the heavenly Father through praying consistent with God’s will for this world.

Without the physical presence of Jesus – which would soon be gone – his followers would have to rely on prayer. And Christ was intent on instilling within his disciples the confidence and hope they needed for a solid life of prayer.

For post-resurrection Christians living in an ever-expanding world of oppression, greed, and indifference, we can be encouraged not to settle into despair or loneliness. Why? Because believers can have a solid hope and an abiding trust in the continuing presence of Jesus by means of the Holy Spirit.

God Gives

God gives. Jesus gives. Both the Father and the Son are givers. This is a major reason and motivation for prayer because God is not a reluctant giver. In the act of giving, the Father and the Son are fully on the same page; God is ready and willing to give. The Holy Trinity – Father, Son, and Spirit – are in complete unity, and act as One, in giving to us what we need.

“Those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.” (John 4:14, NRSV)

“Do not work for the food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.” (John 6:27, NRSV)

“I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand.” (John 10:28, NRSV)

We Belong

Through giving we are included. Believers and followers of Jesus – having been given the grace of faith – know that they belong to God. Christians are in union with Christ. The redemption which Jesus has secured is a million billion times stronger, and bonds us closer, than any sort of Gorilla glue. And, what’s more, once we belong, we are never forgotten, but always remembered by God.

“The Father knows me, and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.” (John 10:15-16, NRSV)

Christ the King, statue in Swiebodzin, Poland

The Name of Jesus

Because we belong, we know God’s name. The divine name stands for all that God is and all that God has done. It’s all focused in Christ. In the name of Jesus, through the person and work of Jesus Christ, we have everlasting life, spiritual power, and eternal security.

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples that are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name. (John 20:30-31, NRSV)

We Have the Word

The Word became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14). Jesus has given to his disciples only those words which he first received from the Father. Those who accept the enfleshed Word and his words have been given power to become God’s children (John 1:12). Because believers belong to God, they know the truth and that truth has set them free.

It is the Christian’s mission to live into the words and ways of Jesus, to follow Christ in thought, word, and deed. The very glory of Jesus in his cross and resurrection is focused within the believing community, who is in union with Christ and belongs to God.

In his prayer, Jesus claimed an intimate oneness in the sharing of concern for people who are the objects of the Father’s gracious giving of love through the Son. All who belong to Christ belong to God, and vice versa. All the love that went into the cross was poured out upon us.

Those who believe in the name of Jesus Christ are the very glory of Jesus, and thus, the glory of God.

Sent Into the World

Because of the Father’s name—because of who the Father is and what the Father has given in love to the Son—we are set apart for truth; the words of God are truth.

Since we belong to God and bear the name of Christ, we don’t belong to the world’s systems of guilt, shame, injustice, and evil. And yet, we are separated from the world for precisely the reason of immersing ourselves in the world. In other words, Christianity is meant for the life of the world, and not as a religion that’s only concerned for itself.

To reach the world, we must be different from it. To reach the world, we need to have boots-on-the-ground in it. To reach the world, Christians are to be both far from the world, and near to the world.

As the Father sent the Son, so the Son sends us into the world – not to be like the world, but to embody the words and ways of Jesus to and for the world.

Just as the world rejected Jesus in his suffering and death, so the world, too, will reject his followers. Which means we will need to pray, a lot! And there is no better scriptural prayer to emulate than the very words of the Lord Jesus, who loved us and gave himself for us.

Holy Father, guard our hearts and minds in Jesus, as we pursue this Christian life which you gave as a gift through Christ, so that we can be united, just as the Father and the Son are one. Although we long for heaven, don’t take us out of the world until we have fulfilled our sacred mission to carry the words and ways of our Lord to the world. Make us holy, and give us everything we need for life in this present evil age; through Jesus Christ your Son, our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit are one God, now and forever. Amen.

Speak the Good Word (2 Timothy 4:1-5)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
St. Paul the Apostle, Unknown artist

I’m giving you this commission in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is coming to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearance and his kingdom. Preach the word. Be ready to do it whether it is convenient or inconvenient. Correct, confront, and encourage with patience and instruction. 

There will come a time when people will not tolerate sound teaching. They will collect teachers who say what they want to hear because they are self-centered. They will turn their back on the truth and turn to myths. But you must keep control of yourself in all circumstances. Endure suffering, do the work of a preacher of the good news, and carry out your service fully. (Common English Bible)

This letter from the Apostle Paul to Pastor Timothy was the last writing he ever crafted. Soon after sending this, according to historical tradition, Paul was martyred for his faith in the city of Rome, having been imprisoned there for two years. The letter contains some final words the Apostle wanted his young protégé to know that were important to him.

Paul left Timothy with a sacred charge to proclaim the gracious message of God – no matter the time nor circumstance – with all the divine patience and spiritual exhortation that the Lord gives.

A Word of Christ

The simple commission of Paul was to preach the word, proclaim the message, spread the good news. Paul called on Timothy to speak the word that God has spoken – the word passed on to him, first through his devout mother, then from his mentor, and finally from all the apostles. It’s a unified message of sound teaching concerning the person and work of Jesus Christ – God-breathed and committed to all God’s people who respond to the message in faith.

The responsibility is to not only hear the message, obey it, and guard it’s truth; the charge is to speak, to lift one’s voice and proclaim the message with confidence and without fear – because it is always open season on the proclamation of the gospel.

I don’t know what sort of picture this evokes for you to “preach the word.” Maybe you envision a preacher behind a pulpit in a church; or a guy with a bullhorn on a street corner; or an obnoxious coworker who takes any opportunity to puke the gospel onto another person; or some other picture which may be foreign to you.

Paul preaches in Athens, Unknown artist, 19th century

Please let me assure you that the Apostle Paul was not talking about any of those sorts of scenarios. The image is one of letting out something which is already inside of you, burning to come out and be heard.

It is to be so full of the life of Christ, that the words which come out of you are filled with that very life – a message of grace, redemption, hope, forgiveness, and love. And communicated in a way that also reflects the person of Jesus – an affect, gestures, posture, and tone of voice that resonates with another and is winsome, not annoying.

A Relevant Word

The person who proclaims the message of Christ does so in order to convince, encourage, rebuke, inform, and love. The messenger tells what another needs to hear, and not necessarily what they want to hear. This is a word that speaks to anyone in any situation within any sort of context or culture.

To speak with relevance in no way waters down the message of Christ. Rather, it means that the speaker takes great pains to talk in such a way as to help another in their own circumstance. Utilizing the mind and emotions, as well as the spirit, the preacher presents ideas, ethics, and feelings in order to announce good news.

And we are to always be patient with others. One must never resort to pressurized sales tactics to force another into the kingdom of God. The Word of God is a gracious message that provides life; and is not a big thick Bible that is used to smack somebody upside the head with condemnation.

Our responsibility is to be faithful in handling the message and proclaiming it with mercy. It is the Holy Spirit’s job to woo people to Jesus and purify them.

Don’t throw all over somebody a bucket of judgment, as if you are acting for God. Impatience, impertinence, impoliteness, and being impetuous, all belong to the devil’s imps, and have nothing to do with announcing good news of great joy for all the people.

An Uncompromising Word

Timothy lived in a society that was difficult in proclaiming the message of Jesus Christ. He lived in a city that had a grand temple to the goddess Artemis. He walked around seeing unethical practices and dubious living. Any of us would likely understand if Timothy shrunk back from having a bold proclamation of Christianity.

Paul speaking in the synagogue, a 12th century Byzantine mosaic

But the Apostle Paul was calling Timothy to preach good news without shrinking or shirking the message. One might be tempted to simply tell others what they’d like to hear and not stir the pot and cause any sort of conflict. Not everyone wants to hear the truth. For everyone who genuinely responds to a truthful and merciful message, there are four more persons who want none of it. They want what they want, and if someone says different, they’ll make their life hell.

These are the conspiracy theorists who would rather entertain spicy nuggets of opinion and speculation, than listen to evidence-based research and professionally peer reviewed material. They ground their ideas according to subjective taste and forsake objective documentation and witness.

Paul did not want Timothy coddling such persons or giving into them in any form whatsoever, because they have a severe hearing problem. People who won’t listen, constantly interrupt others, and believe they are always right, need a good dose of the uncompromising word of Christ.

In the face of those who refuse to listen and use their ears for good, Timothy was exhorted by Paul to be a steady teacher who keeps presenting the truth in intellectually and emotionally responsible ways. Timothy may have to endure suffering and put up with a bunch of simpletons giving him a hard time, but he was never to back down from sound and solid apostolic teaching.

It’s important that we all maintain a sense of emotional calm and intellectual soundness amidst all the crud within a given society. The believer is to avoid a discouragement that leads to abject silence.

Let us not be deterred from saying and doing what is right, just, and good. And let’s make sure that in the words we say and the behavior we display, there is the very life of Jesus Christ oozing out of us.

There are more than enough bad words being spoken every day; let’s instead speak the good word, full of grace and truth.

Soli Deo Gloria