In God's Service: December 2018

The Perfect Church

Does the sinlessly perfect church exist? If not, are there some ingredients which make even a very imperfect church the perfect church to be in? Let’s look at Paul’s God-inspired recommendations in Colossians 3:12-17.

Colossians 3:12 “So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” The elect or favorites (eklectoi) are chosen because of their faith. Faith saves but we must also grow in goodness as evidence of faith.

Colossians 3:13 “bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.” Verses 13-14 are the key verses in the whole passage. No church will ever be perfect and so forbearing and forgiving must exist.

Colossians 3:14 “Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.” This is the source of forbearing and forgiving, love. We are not unified in our preferences, but love unifies and overcomes all differences. The “perfect” church is not ornate or talent-filled but loving.

Colossians 3:15 “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.” The peace from Christ rules in our hearts, as the kingdom of God rules our lives. Let’s have gratitude for each other, rather than bellyaching ingratitude.

Colossians 3:16 “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” - three types of church music. The word richly dwells in those who know their Bibles.

Colossians 3:17 “Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.” What are the consequences of our words and deeds? Is our intent in all we say and do, to honor and thank God?

Are Jesus’ commands to go three times when someone sins against us normal everyday practice? Imagine being confronted over every picky infraction, constantly walking nervously on eggshells. It would not be a pleasant church. Going to a brother alone is for major offenses. For everyday offenses, Paul tells us to forbear and forgive.

A sinlessly perfect church does not exist and is not the perfect church for spiritual growth. An im-perfect church helps us learn two aspects of the love of God, forbearing and forgiving. It is God’s Plan and therefore the most Perfect Church for spiritual growth, the place to be.

Colossians 3:12-17

The Ode of Mary

What do mercy, helping the poor and feeding the hungry have to do with celebrating the birth of Jesus? Let’s discuss the Ode of Mary, the Latin Magificat, the Greek Megalynalion in Luke 1:39-55.

Luke includes three canticles or songs, written like Psalms, Mary’s Song, Zechariah’s Song, and Simeon’s Song. In Latin: the Magnificat (“magnifies”, often sung at Vespers or evening prayer), the Benedictus (“blessed”, often sung at Lauds or morning prayer), and the Nunc Dimittis (“now you dismiss”, often sung right after Communion).

Elizabeth

Luke 1:39-41 “Now at this time Mary arose and went in a hurry to the hill country, to a city of Judah, and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.”

Biblical descriptions of evidence of being spirit-filled varies. Elizabeth prophesied in her own language (Luke 1:39-56). Others were given craftsmanship skills (Exodus 31:3; 35:31), or leapt in a mother’s womb (Luke 1:15), uttered a prophecy (Luke 1:67-68), were led into the wilderness (Luke 4:1).

Others spoke in known tongues (Acts 2:4), received wisdom (Acts 6:3-5), saw visions (Acts 7:55), had healing (Acts 9:17-20), did missionary feats (Acts 11:24), experienced insight (Acts 13:9-10) and joy (Acts 13:52). Non-Christian religions experience tongues. It’s not always evidence of being spirit-filled.

Luke 1:42-43 And she cried out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And how has it happened to me, that the mother of my Lord would come to me?”

Mary’s long journey to Elizabeth in the hill country was dangerous for a bride-to-be. Once there, John the Baptist filled with the Holy Spirit before birth leaped in his mother’s womb, and Elizabeth filled with the Holy Spirit prophesied. Elizabeth the older of them, humbly addressing Mary in deferential terms.

Elizabeth’s husband, Zechariah the high priest, doubted Gabriel and was speechless until his son, John the Baptist was born. Mary believed Gabriel about Christ’s birth. She said, let it be according to your word. She believed and was blessed. The message of Christmas includes mercy, humility and feeding the hungry.

Mary

Luke 1:44-48 “For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her by the Lord. And Mary said: ‘My soul exalts the Lord, And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. For He has had regard for the humble state of His bondslave; For behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed.’”

Although Luke says nothing about Mary speaking this by the Holy Spirit, almost everything she said was from the Scriptures. It is heartfelt public praise to “the Lord”, a common Greek Septuagint translation of the Hebrew word for God, YHWH. In this context, soul and spirit mean the same thing.

Mary’s outrageous faith dares to believe that the poor will be saved, a message of hope in continuing oppression by the world’s powerful. Riches are empty but humility brings us good things. Our Savior born in a stable to poor people continually reminds us that God turns things upside down.

Luke 1:49-51 “For the Mighty One has done great things for me; And holy is His name. And His mercy is upon generation after generation Toward those who fear Him. He has done mighty deeds with His arm; He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their heart.”

The immaculate deception presumes Mary was born without sin. The truth is God did great things through an ordinary human being. Only one human being has ever been described in the Bible as sinless (Ecclesiastes 7:20; Romans 3:23; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:22; 1 John 3:5), Jesus.

Luke 1:52-55 “He has brought down rulers from their thrones, And has exalted those who were humble. He has filled the hungry with good things; And sent away the rich empty-handed. He has given help to Israel His servant, In remembrance of His mercy, As He spoke to our fathers, To Abraham and his descendants forever.”

There is a hunger that physical food cannot satisfy, but Jesus can. There is a wealth that Christmas commercialism cannot satisfy, but God can. Let’s go against the culture and teach our children the excitement of giving, not just getting. Let’s not teach our children to become spiritually empty materialists.

Jesus was not born among the wealthy and powerful but in humble circumstances. Mary was not a celebrity, but a modest peasant girl. Mary’s ode praises God for his acts of mercy, lifting up the humble and filling the hungry with good things. This is a real theme of Christmas.

Luke 1:39-55; Luke 1:39-56; Exodus 31:3; 35:31; Luke 1:15; Luke 1:67-68; Luke 4:1; Acts 2:4; Acts 6:3-5; Acts 7:55; Acts 9:17-20; Acts 11:24; Acts 13:9-10; Acts 13:52; Ecclesiastes 7:20; Romans 3:23; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:22; 1 John 3:5

New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation

Change for the Better

Amidst commercial hype, do we forget the meaning of Christmas? What are some of the most important things that a human being can do at Christmas, things we don’t want to neglect? Let’s look at Luke 3:7-18 and see what profound changes John expected with preparation for Christ’s coming.

Luke 3:7 “So he began saying to the crowds who were going out to be baptized by him, ‘You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?’” Was John unconcerned about being liked? Do John and Jesus show that public correction is sometimes warranted?

When a preacher gets cranked up and preaches what we call hellfire and brimstone, why are we offended? Is God trying to tell us something? Is such a preacher’s correction God’s love? Is religious dedication without repentance worthless? Such strong preaching was not Jesus’ everyday mode, but it was occasionally.

Luke 3:8 “Therefore bear fruits in keeping with repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father,’ for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham.” What fruits might evidence repentance (Matthew 5:16)?

Luke 3:9 “Indeed the axe is already laid at the root of the trees; so every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” Like apostolic succession, is physical descent from Abraham irrelevant to the fruit of repentance? Can God use stones?

Luke 3:10-11 And the crowds were questioning him, saying, “Then what shall we do?” And he would answer and say to them, “The man who has two tunics is to share with him who has none; and he who has food is to do likewise.” A fruit, good deeds?

Luke 3:12-13 And some tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Collect no more than what you have been ordered to.” Do nothing, just have faith? Do we prove our repentance by good deeds?

Luke 3:14 “Some soldiers were questioning him, saying, ‘And what about us, what shall we do?’ And he said to them, ‘Do not take money from anyone by force, or accuse anyone falsely, and be content with your wages.’” Is fruit or evidence of repentance doing good deeds, works?

Luke 3:15 “Now while the people were in a state of expectation and all were wondering in their hearts about John, as to whether he was the Christ” Christ means literally, the anointed One, the Messiah, anointed with oil, chosen by God for a special purpose, usually a king.

Luke 3:16 “John answered and said to them all, “As for me, I baptize you with water; but One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the thong of His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”

Luke 3:17 His winnowing fork is in His hand to thoroughly clear His threshing floor, and to gather the wheat into His barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” Winnowing is the process of separating a grain from its hulls or chaff using moving air.

Preaching is like winnowing. Some repent. Some will burn. Do we share our clothing and food? Do we collect more than is honest? Do we take money by force, with false accusations? Are we content with our wages? On judgment day, will we be among the wheat or the chaff?

Luke 3:18 “So with many other exhortations he preached the gospel to the people.” Preaching calls us near to hear. How do we react to the appeals made in our churches? Do we dismiss the urging? Is the most important instruction on the planet, the Bible, boring to us?

Are we lost in commercial glitz, forgetting what’s really important? Does remembering the coming of the Christ lead us to repentance? Do we share? Are we honest? Do we forcefully take? Do we falsely accuse? Are we content? Are we among wheat or chaff? Christmas is about Jesus the Christ.

New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation

Preparation

What does building a highway have to do with preparation for celebrating Christ’s first coming? What does it have to do with preparing for Christ’s Second Coming? Let’s understand the preparation Christ expects. Let’s discuss preparing the way for Christ in Luke 3:1-6.

Caesar

Luke 3:1 “Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip was tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene.” This is the historical setting.

The 15th year of Tiberius Caesar’s reign was around 29 AD. A tetrarch is like a monarch, but one of four joint rulers. Judea was around Jerusalem, Galilee in the north, Iturea and Trachonitis in the northeast, and Abilene north of that around Damascus. These were Roman provinces under Caesar.

Wilderness

Luke 3:2 “in the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John, the son of Zacharias, in the wilderness.” Tiberius was cruel and depraved. Annas and Caiaphas were puppet high priests appointed by Roman authority. Unlike great and corrupt politics, God’s work seems insignificant.

Do not despise the day of small things (Zechariah 4:9-10), because God’s great works often begin small yet are of far greater significance than what’s currently in the news headlines. John’s ministry began in the wilderness, picturing a new Exodus and a new beginning preparing the way for Christ.

Repentance

Luke 3:3 “And he came into all the district around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” John the Baptist traveled the wilderness region both sides of the Jordan with a message containing essentially the same two concepts that Jesus preached, repentance and forgiveness.

John’s baptism was a repentance-baptism, connecting physical Old Testament ritual washings with the spiritual idea of repentance. Repentance presupposes that we lack something and need to change, to turn to God. Human sins cause great harm around the world, but God’s forgiveness provides healing and restores unity in the community.

Human sins bring so much heartache. John prepared the way for true the Savior of the world. Many things crowd out the Christmas message like incompetent politics and incessant commercialism. The message of Christ’s coming is far more important. It was announced with a baptism of repentance in a wilderness.

Luke 3:4 “as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make ready the way of the Lord, Make His paths straight.” Is an announcement in the barren spiritual waste of modern society a hopeless message?

Luke 3:5 “Every ravine will be filled, And every mountain and hill will be brought low; The crooked will become straight, And the rough roads smooth; And all flesh will see the salvation of God.” This message is not a waste. It is preparing the way for Christ’s coming.

John fulfilled Isaiah 40:3-5. Basic principles of highway construction are making things straight, level and smooth. Paved streets dating back before Abraham have been found in Ur. The Roman Empire built roads covering almost 80,000 kilometers (50,000 miles). The world now copies the great German-American freeway system.

To create a modern highway, surveyors calculate the best route, civil engineers design and regional authorities give approval, land is purchased, rock and earth are removed, depressions are filled, and embankments, bridges and tunnels must be constructed. Drainage and water courses are integrated. Prescribed maximum gradients help improve fuel efficiency.

All this preparation takes place before the first level of road bed is put down. Road layers may consist of subgrade, sub base, base, intermediate and surface layers. The thickness of these layers varies widely around the world. John’s use of Isaiah’s road building metaphor pictures preparation to receive Christ.

Luke 3:6 “And all flesh will see the salvation of God.” Preparation for Christ’s coming is in turning to God with a changed heart. Jesus died rejected by the world. He comes to a people prepared to receive him. Straight, level and smooth describes lives prepared to receive Jesus.

God is often involved in small things, far away from the power and wealth that this world seeks, in an insignificant wilderness. The big things of this world are really insignificant. The seemingly small things of God are more important than all the power, wealth and celebrity of the world.

Do Christ’s teachings find a fast freeway into our hearts, or rocky access? We are preparing for an observance of the Incarnation, the Word made flesh. As our season of joy approaches, let us remember that most important preparation is turning stoney hearts into smooth roads to welcome Christ’s coming.

New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation

The Second Coming

How do we react to signs of the end of the age? How would Jesus encourage us to proceed. Let’s examine Jesus’ prophecy in Luke 21:25-36.

Lift

Luke 21:25 “There will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves” Only figuratively, partially fulfilled in the Destruction of Jerusalem, this will be completely fulfilled at Jesus Christ’s Second Coming.

Luke 21:26 “men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.” Ancient prophecies foretold Christ’s Second Coming. Darkness (Isaiah 13:9-10) under cloud (Ezekiel 32:7-8), blood, fire and smoke (Joel 2:30-31).

Luke 21:27 “Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.” This refers to His Second Coming (Daniel 7:13). He will return as He went (Acts 1:9-11; Matthew 26:64), and every eye will see Him (Revelation 1:7).

Luke 21:28 “But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” Redemption from Jewish persecution in 70 AD was partial fulfillment of the redemption that Christians will experience at Christ’s return. Look up! He is coming soon!

Behold

Luke 21:29-31 “Then He told them a parable: “Behold the fig tree and all the trees; as soon as they put forth leaves, you see it and know for yourselves that summer is now near. So you also, when you see these things happening, recognize that the kingdom of God is near.”

Deciduous trees sprout leaves indicating an upcoming change of seasons. So too will world events will indicate that “these things BEGIN to take place.” These things? What things? Signs in the sky way beyond normal, and people fainting in fear, precede what? Look up! He is coming in the clouds!

Luke 21:32 “Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all things take place.” This generation applies two ways. That generation did not pass until partial fulfilment of this prophecy in Jerusalem. But “all things” can take place within a single generation before Christ returns.

Luke 21:33 “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.” Prophecies confirms that there will be a new heaven and earth (Isaiah 65:17; Isaiah 66:22; 2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:1), and the word of God stands forever (Isaiah 40:8).

Pray

Luke 21:34-35 “Be on guard, so that your hearts will not be weighted down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life, and that day will not come on you suddenly like a trap; for it will come upon all those who dwell on the face of all the earth.”

The Greek for “dissipation” or “surfeiting” is literally a drunk headache, and implies debauchery. Faith in God’s care displaces worry. The snare or trap suddenly springs, picturing the speed of these events unfolding. If our focus is constantly on the things of God, we will be ready for His return.

Luke 21:36 “But keep on the alert at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.” As faith wins against worry, prayer wins the escape and we stand before Christ.

As these things begin to take place, let’s straighten up and lift up our heads looking to the clouds. The kingdom of God is near. Be on guard! Let’s not be weighed down with excess and worry. Let’s stay alert! Pray for strength to escape, and to stand before our coming king.

Luke 21:25-36; Isaiah 13:9-10; Ezekiel 32:7-8; Joel 2:30-31; Daniel 7:13; Acts 1:9-11; Matthew 26:64; Revelation 1:7; Isaiah 65:17; Isaiah 66:22; 2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:1; Isaiah 40:8

New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation