Sonshine!

What does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”  Romans 4:3 (Romans 1-4)

The Roman Empire of Paul’s day stretched from Britain to Arabia. It was wealthy and  cosmopolitan. Their engineering feats made travel safer and swifter than ever before and all those new roads lead to Rome. On the Day of Pentecost many of Rome’s citizens were in Jerusalem, heard the message of salvation and believed. They returned home and continued meeting together and growing in faith despite horrid persecution. Paul was passionate to go see and minister to these people who lived in the cesspool of man’s sin and depravity, but first he had to deliver the benevolence offering to those suffering in Jerusalem and he wasn’t sure he would escape alive. A woman named Phoebe was traveling to Rome and could deliver correspondence, so before he left Corinth he penned this letter, a complete explanation of the nature of Christ, so the churches in Rome would not be led astray or waver and could continue to grow in grace.

All men are sinners. We know this through the Law of Moses, but it is not this Law that makes us righteous. The Law is for knowing the will of God and recognizing we fall far short in our endeavors of self authority and power. Through God’s Son we are given Grace that justifies us in the perfect judgement of God. Instead of a death sentence for our transgressions, we are given Mercy and on the day when our heart and life’s practices are laid bare for all to see, God will find us righteous if we have believed and lived accordingly.

Paul reminds those who cannot reconcile the Law with Mercy and Grace and instead, look to works for their security, that Abraham was first found righteous and then chosen by God, and finally, circumcised as a means of setting apart. We are not called to change our bodies, but to live differently than the pagan world around us. There is only one way to the Kingdom of God and it is through a faith that changes us for Heaven’s glory.

Zigging When the World’s Zagging,

Gretchen

Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. II  Corinthians 8:2 (II Corinthians 8-13)

The Church in Jerusalem, the place where it all started and so many came to believe, was struggling financially. In the years that followed Pentecost, many Jewish converts were cut from their families and often lost their jobs. These believers were suffering in poverty for their faith. Paul encouraged the Gentile churches in Galatia, Macedonia and Corinth to send assistance. They did! And they left us a very detailed instruction on how we should respond to the needs of the church and those around us.

These self supporting churches soon took on benevolent causes, and sponsored missionaries. The offerings were voluntary, proportionate, systematic and above reproach in their administration. Paul commends them for their kindness and sacrificial offerings, even among the very poorest of people.

In giving, the early Christians learned the blessing of honoring the parent church in Jerusalem. Christian giving is a loving response to the example given to us in the total sacrifice of Jesus Christ.  Jesus left all the riches of Heaven to become poor and make a way for us to walk the streets of gold without ever counting the cost.

Happy Monday,

Gretchen

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. II Corinthians 4:16 (II Corinthians 1-7)

The Corinthian churches have been very critical of Paul. The message he delivered was boldly straight to the point, taking names and pointing fingers. It was met with resistance and often all out rebellion, even among those who first believed.  Some teachers from Jerusalem followed Paul, bringing into doubt his authenticity as an apostle because he wasn’t one of the original twelve disciples, reminding Christians of his previous persecutions and generally stirring dissension. In addition, these aggravators wished to force the gentiles to live according to orthodox Jewish tradition. Following news that things have gone badly with these congregations, it is believed that Paul wrote a very harsh letter that is now lost.  He agonized over their reaction and began writing the letter we know of as II Corinthians as he awaited word from Timothy and Titus.  Good news finally arrived. His is message had the hoped for result and the Corinthians were making straight their way of righteousness.

After leaving Ephesus, Paul went on to Macedonia with the intention of going to Corinth. While in route he penned this very personal correspondence we call Second Corinthians. The objective is staying connected, focused, and encouraged while adding clarity to previous teachings. Understand, this was written over several months as Paul traveled and reflected on the trials and tribulations he knew the church was experiencing. Paul talks much about his sufferings. There were numerous plots to kill him, he was often stoned and beaten, once being left for dead. Putting him in stocks for public humiliation could not silence his praise. His endurance was amazing for he sang as he suffered. He was given a vision of glory there are no words to describe, for how do you explain color to a blind man. Paul saw something of life beyond death that gave him the strength to see far beyond his mortality. 

Paul was bold, but there was too much at stake not to be. He saw man in his sinful state, but he had seen the hope and wonder of our eternal home. His passion was for all who would to be with him and His Savior when time ceased to matter any more. As his body grew weaker, his spirit soared stronger and his message reached further and further and is still reaching today. Paul would tell you in your struggle and weakness, don’t lose heart, more than you can ever imagine already has your name on it!

Love,

Gretchen

When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” I Corinthians 15:54 (I Corinthians 15-16, Acts 19:23-20:2)

Life is found only in the resurrection of Jesus The Christ. It is the singular event separating Christianity from all other religious thought and has been affirmed, validated and established by first hand witnesses. Because some early church leaders attempted to discredit this reality Paul gives the Bible’s most detailed teaching of resurrection theology. Don’t argue, debate or doubt this. Through faith you are saved and enter into the life eternal.

These thoughts are Paul’s closing comments in his first letter to the Corinthian believers. He is in Ephesus with other disciples awaiting news and declaring the promise of a living, breathing Savior, when the local silversmith guild becomes alarmed at the power of this new religious thought. It is being said that gods made by man’s hand have no power. The Ephesian economy was strongly bolstered by the presence of Diana’s temple. Taking over 200 years to build, it was a magnificent structure and is listed as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Worship of this goddess was a perpetual festival of vise, securing these craftsmen a hefty annual income. They became enraged and their ire caught on in the crowded streets creating a lengthy riot where some of Paul’s fellow laborers were beaten. A local official calmed things down, but for the good of public safety, Paul made his way to Macedonia.

Man has an instinctive need for tangible/touchable proof. We need the unexplained defined and broken into elemental increments we can comprehend and process. It is this urge that drove the early philosophers to discredit Christ’s living, breathing resurrection, but it is our only Hope and it is fact. Death has been swallowed and life remains, so live!

Love,

Gretchen

And now I will show you the most excellent way. If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. I Corinthians 12:31b-13:1 (I Corinthians 11-14)

Chapter 11 is a difficult passage to interpret and is not wholly clear.  Corinth was a very licentious city and many cultural issues were being debated as diverse people came together under one authority to be The Church. Issues of modesty, diet and basic, domestic manners were a problem as these people learned to worship and abide together. Paul’s rulings had more to do with order versus disorder in a local setting than writing universal principles. However, one thing is crystal clear, unity does not mean conformity, but must be a priority to do the work of the Gospel.

Just like the human body, The Body of Christ has many parts of a whole with no part being greater than another. In Christ’s Body, we are all of One Spirit. Sorrow and joy are shared equally in a personal way. In contrast to popular conception, diversity is vital, but there can be no allowance for division among hearts and Paul writes a picture to show us exactly……a most excellent way.

More important than any spiritual gift we may ever receive is the choice we make to have three qualities; faith, hope and love. Of these, love is the greatest and in one of the most beautiful passages in the Bible, I Corinthians 13, Paul details the real life application of love in his world and ours today……..toward every living being.

The Church has two missions: Strengthen the Body and take salvation to sinners. Gong’s and cymbals don’t do anything but irritate and cause people to turn a deaf ear without the rest of the symphony. We are called to bring this music in the key of LOVE, with some hope and faith mixed in for harmony.

Have an Excellent Thursday.

Gretchen

No Temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. I Corinthians 10:13 (I Corinthians 5-10)

It was not easy being a Christian in a city like Corinth. With Athens nearby, these residents considered themselves quite progressive and intellectual. By habit of culture they were argumentative and judgmental toward the world and each other. They had to be reminded their cleverness would always be a far cry from God’s wisdom. True knowledge was found in humbleness to the Spirit of God, which, no matter our socio-economic station, we are all slaves to.

A pitfall of the Corinthian church, as is for many others throughout the ages, was the urge to retain the immoral behaviors they practiced before repenting of their sins. In the shadow of the Temple of Venus, with public prostitutes (paid for by taxes) sexual exploitation was common and socially accepted as a right of citizenship. This congregation became proud of their freedom in Christ, which is a reality, but was sorely abused and wrongfully applied. Paul demands those who continue in depravity be delivered to Satan and excommunicated.

To the other extreme, there were those that inferred the intimacies of marriage were unacceptable for those who believed. Not so. Paul also addresses the issue of diet and payment for ministry. Finally, he admonishes all Christians to take their purity seriously. He goes back to Israel’s history to remind them of many who did not finish the journey toward the Promised Land and guides them to the evidence of God’s protection and provision for the diligent and sincere. For every trial, there is a way through. Choose to put your face toward the Throne of God and one step at a time, you will make it.

Love,

Gretchen

We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. I Corinthians 2:12 (Acts 18:12-19:22, I Corinthians 1-3)

The church in Corinth was established during Paul’s second missionary journey. This bustling city was one of the largest, richest and most important in all the Roman Empire. Here East met West with all the vices and pagan worship practices you can imagine. There were no Christian churches built until after the persecution, so believers met as small groups in homes and places of business throughout the city, all under individual leadership. They began to compete and develop conflicting understandings, theologies and liturgies. As Paul is traveling through Galatia and Phrygia on his third missionary endeavor, he became concerned for those who were previously converted. While Paul was in Ephesus, Timothy brought a least one letter from the church in Corinth, but it has been lost. What we title I Corinthians is actually Paul’s first response to their proposed questions regarding marriage, singleness, food sacrifices, idols, spiritual gifts, contributions and fellowship with pagans.

Satan’s method of operation is divide and conquer. This was evident in the rival cliques that arose among believers in this young church. They were confused by the baptism of John verses that of Jesus, and differing leadership such as Paul, Apollo and Peter. Mixed with pride and the arrogance of Greek philosophy, it is easy to understand the struggle facing Paul as he wrote to straighten things out. This was a sign of spiritual infancy and he calls this people to ‘Grow up!’ and demand maturity of themselves.

Paul begins my defining what they had in common; the Spirit of God.  The world has many spirits, all leading to wickedness, self satisfaction, gratification and personal agenda, but the Spirit of the One True Living God, freely given, creates in us one mind and heart.  There is simply no room for divisiveness when seeking to please God rather than man.

Have a Terrific Tuesday,

Gretchen

May the LORD direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance. II Thessalonians 3:12 (II Thessalonians)

Less than a year after Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonian church he pens another addressing, among other things, the clarification of Jesus’ coming again. We label this section of Paul’s letter, chapter three. It is some of the most difficult of Paul’s writings to understand. We know he was speaking to those who did understand his points of reference, but we do not, so it is better to admit we do not know rather than incorrectly speculate. The one thing that is clear, the time of Christ’s return will be a day of terror for the disobedient.

There was a spirit of the Apostate church in the earliest moments of Christendom. Apostasy is a total rejection of Christ by someone who once believed and who usurps the authority that is given only to Christ. A false church led by an imposter will be a sign of end times. Presently, the force of inexplicable wickedness is held in check, but soon, man’s ability to defeat evil will be exhausted and Christ alone will rescue and declare victory for all eternity.

The final comments of Paul’s letter addresses those who misinterpreted his meaning concerning Christ’s return. The reaction of some was to only wait, not work or labor for their own sustenance. Paul strongly reacts with the admonition to work until Jesus comes, not just for the Kingdom, but for the greater good. Leaches will not be tolerated, sponging is unacceptable, if you can work you MUST work.

The verse above is a precious prayer for each of us. May our hearts always be one with God’s and Christ’s model of perseverance be our guide in times of difficulty, despair and disappointment.  Let it be so.

Love,

Gretchen

We continually 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. I Thessalonians 1:3 (I Thessalonians)

Thessalonica was a thriving port city, the capitol of Macedonia, along the Egnatian Way. Still today it is a thriving city. The churches here were established on Paul’s second missionary journey, but he was only able to stay a short period of time before local Jews began protesting and persecuting the new converts. For the safety of all, Paul fled, but quickly became anxious for the young congregations and sent Timothy back. Through his friend’s news, Paul learned this church was persevering through its difficulties and writes his first letter, I Thessalonians, to encourage them and give guidance where there might be weakness.

Believing in a risen Savior was great reason to put aside a life of pagan indulgences. While lives were changed there was still a mystery of life after death for the faithful. This concept was new, theology primitive and teaching limited. It was Paul’s desire they understand life is eternal and uninterrupted. In his closing remarks, 5:12-24, Paul gives detailed instruction for correct living.  He points out in chapter 4 verse 8 that all sin is against God. For those who feel justified to use or abuse, remember, mans’ actions toward others are essentially an expression of his sentiments toward Jesus.

With every reason to fail, the congregations of Thessalonica succeeded and thrived. In Paul’s salutation he acknowledged their work founded in faith and love, and perseverance for the things they hope for, but have not seen. Work, sacrifice (labor for which there is no personal gain) and endurance are directly connected to Faith, Hope and Love. Science may teach that all things are made of matter, but the only thing in life that does matter are these…….Faith, Hope and Love.

Happy Weekend,

Gretchen

“The God who made the world and everything in it is the LORD of Heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. And He is not served by human hands, as if He needed anything, because He Himself gives all men life and breath and everything else.” Acts 17:24-25 (Acts 16-18)

After writing to the Galatians, Paul is compelled to visit these people, accompanied by Silas. They meet Timothy who becomes Paul’s steadfast companion and mentee. This trip is referred to as Paul’s second missionary journey and Luke, (the author) indicates he began traveling with Paul at this time. 

Paul begins revisiting the churches he previously helped begin. After a vision of a man from Macedonia, Paul went there. Women were near a river praying, so Paul spoke and a woman named Lydia was converted. Paul and company stayed in her home during their stay.

Another day as Paul and Silas were going to a place of prayer, a slave girl with an ability to foresee the future kept calling out to them. For days the men ignored her outbursts, but on this day Paul called to the spirit to leave her.  Her owners were furious over loss of income and had the men arrested. Without trial they were beaten and put in prison. Throughout their night of incarceration they sang praises while the other prisoners listened. About midnight an earthquake freed them from their chains and stocks. The prison guard was terrified for his life, but instead of leaving him in despair, Paul and Silas delivered a message of salvation and he and his family were saved.

Paul journeyed to Athens while Luke remained in Philippi and Silas and Timothy stayed in Thessalonica. In the capitol of philosophy, literacy, science and art, the hub of pagan idolatry, Paul delivered a message of the living God who needs nothing from man, but instead, gives abundantly. Soon, Paul departed for Corinth where he spent one and a half years, supporting himself as a tentmaker with Aquilla and Priscilla, Italian Jews who were forced to flee Rome’s persecution.

Paul was relentless. He was not starting a religion or cult, nor was he pounding out a new morality. He was telling a story of the most wonderful Person the world has ever known. Nothing could keep him, or others, quiet. They knew love and through this they had the key to eternal life. Who can help but share it with the world. May we all refuse to hush!

Love,

Gretchen