Posts by reachchurch
Not Human
Read This Week: 1 Corinthians 2
We speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words. – 1 Corinthians 2:6-7, 13 NIV
Decisions and choices build on each other. One bad decision usually leads to another, just as a good decision can establish a pattern of other sound choices. A decision can have a domino effect and put us on a course and trajectory for better or worse.
Throughout our lifetime, the decisions we make begin to set a direction that determines the content and quality of our lives. These choices cascade and lead to predictable developments and outcomes. Therefore, wise decisions often lead to good outcomes; poor decisions lead to bad ones.
In 1 Corinthians chapter 2, Paul emphasizes the importance of getting wisdom from God. He wants to distinguish it as superior to human knowledge while recognizing that the wisdom gained from the world is not always bad, it just simply pails in comparison to the power and effectiveness of the wisdom that comes from the Holy Spirit.
Paul writes in verses 6 and 7, “We speak a message of wisdom, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began.” The Bible makes it clear that Christian wisdom is not human. It comes from the Holy Spirit and not from man’s discovery. It is divine and centered in God’s redemptive plan for humanity, not the corruptible schemes of the world. It has an eternal view and purpose. It is unfailing and draws from an unlimited source of power.
Essentially, God is saying to us through this passage, that our best life and our best choices will not come from our own understanding. They will come from the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit (v.10). The course and trajectory of our lives will be filled with good decisions and positive choices if we seek the wisdom of God. Our relationships, marriages, business and even how we choose to spend our free time will lead to affirmative and successful outcomes if God’s wisdom is sought and applied above all else.
For those who love and pursue God, every day can be a good day underwritten with wise decisions. It may not always feel like a good day, but when we follow God and His plan, we can be confident of the best outcomes. It is when we try to do it on our own and forsake God’s way that life begins to take on a more negative tone. But, if we walk in God’s not human wisdom, we will enjoy His blessings beyond anything the world can offer.
Uncommon Sense
Read This Week: 1 Corinthians 1
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God. Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God, the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength. – 1 Corinthians 1:18, 20-21, 25 NIV
We live in a world of incredible access to knowledge and information. If we want to know what the capital of North Dakota is, we can immediately find the answer. If we want to know where Kanye West is from or the back story of our favorite athlete, it is simply a click away. However, this unprecedented access hasn’t made us wiser. It has given us a false sense of understanding that has led to arrogance and the proud belief that we’re all knowledgeable experts on a variety of topics.
The Apostle Paul addresses this same issue and mindset among the people and church of Corinth in the book of 1st Corinthians. The church there was falling apart because of sin, division, and people trading God’s wisdom for faulty human knowledge. As in modern society, when you have a bunch of proud people depending solely on their reason and intellect, there are going to be problems in every walk of life.
In the first chapter, Paul gets right to the heart of the issue. He makes it clear that their disregard for God is the reason for all of their turmoil and problems. The keyword in this opening part of his letter is wisdom. He uses various iterations of wisdom 13 times to create a contrast between God’s wisdom and the knowledge of men.
The revealed wisdom of God through Christ is far superior to anything a person thinks they know or could come up with. Verse 25 says, “For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.”
God is always seeking to make himself and his wisdom known. He uses several ways to show us who He is and what we should do. God reveals himself through the Bible, through nature, through the conscience, through events and circumstances, through other people, and through the person and teachings of Jesus Christ. There is no excuse for us to not know God, to not access His wisdom and apply His knowledge to every situation and circumstance in our lives.
We cannot know God and his ways through our means and knowledge alone. Verse 21 states that “the world through its wisdom did not know God” meaning that we cannot access God’s truth and power on our terms. But if we humble ourselves in light of the cross and walk away from the arrogant reliance on our reason, intellect, and technology, we could have the uncommon sense and supernatural wisdom we need to succeed in life and to glorify God.
If we truly seek the Lord, our decision-making, business dealings, relationships and everything we attempt can be underwritten by the clarity, foresight, judgment, and acumen that comes from God’s perfect wisdom. There is no limit to what we can accomplish. There is no boundary to the health of our relationships. There is no obstacle or sin we can’t overcome and there is no cap on what we can do for God when we exchange our common knowledge for the uncommon sense of God’s wisdom.
Paul summed it up this way in verse 18, “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God.”
It’s Personal
Read This Week: Galatians 6
But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way, you will fulfill the law of Christ. If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have the opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. See what large letters I use as I write to you with my hand! – Galatians 6:1-3, 9-11 NIV
Anytime someone says, “It’s not personal,” you can be sure that it is, in fact, very personal. That statement as a whole is a myth. Everything is personal to somebody, whether it be in a marriage, friendship, in business and certainly when it comes to having a relationship with God. Consequently, the vast majority of what is undertaken or attempted in life, cannot help but be personal.
The Apostle Paul certainly had a deep, personal connection to his calling, his work and the gospel of Jesus Christ. He was emotionally and spiritually invested in the mission and people, therefore, he took what he said and taught in his letters very seriously and personally. His passion and personal investment in the work of the Lord is evident in the last chapter of Galatians.
Paul usually dictated the content of his letters to a scribe but would write a short farewell. However, in Galatians 6, he decides to write the entire closing paragraph himself. He was intent on making one more stand for the true Gospel and one more reiteration of how we should live as followers of Jesus. He says in verse 9, See what large letters I use as I write to you with my hand! He wrote in bigger letters than normal for emphasis as if to say, “Don’t miss this!”
For Paul, the Christian life was serious and personal and he didn’t want us to miss some final teachings and encouragement about grace, freedom and our responsibility to each other and the world. He took it personally to warn us against the traps of temptation and the importance of avoiding religion and its oppressive teachings. He wants us to have the opposite attitude and desire of the religious and look out for one another in humility and bear each other’s burdens.
Paul didn’t want the Galatian church nor does he want us to give up or stop doing good things just because we face some challenges. He passionately tells us to take our walk with God personally while not making it about ourselves. He writes in verse 14, “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” From this, we see that it is far better to live in persecution for Jesus than to die in popularity without Him.
Lastly, Galatians 6 teaches that we should always take grace personally. The final thing Paul writes to the believers is for the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ to be with their spirits. He closes the letter the same way that he began it, with an emphasis on the power of God’s grace in the life of the Christian. His overall message is that a healthy, grace-filled individual depends on Christ’s life in them to be enough. It is personal, powerful and all anyone needs.
License to Love
Read This Week: Galatians 5
You were running a good race. Who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth? That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” – Galatians 5:7-8, 13-14 NIV
One of the most common misunderstandings about the grace of God that we receive through salvation in Christ is that it gives individuals a license to do whatever they want. That we can do anything because we know it is covered by God’s grace and will be okay in the end.
Paul seeks to combat this negative way of thinking about grace in Galatians 5 and even says that this truth and persuasion does not come from the one who calls you but from people who are trying to knock you off course in life. People that want you to abandon true spirituality for legalism. People that want to control you.
This passage makes it clear that God’s grace is not something that supports our sin nature but instead makes us more like Christ. His grace doesn’t provide us with a license to sin, but with a license to love the way that Jesus did. It gives us the ability to bring glory to God by expressing His love in a way that we are incapable of apart from Him.
Grace also doesn’t make us free to live how we want at the expense of others. Rather, the grace received through the cross gives us the freedom to love others as God wants. He writes in verse 13, “You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.”
Love takes the place of the law and sin. We see in this passage that the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. Grace doesn’t permit sin or provide a chance to break all rules, it allows us to love and serve. If we love people, we won’t take advantage of them, mistreat, or abuse them. If we see grace as a license to love, we won’t steal from people, lie about them, envy what they have or intentionally harm them in any way.
Love in the heart of man is God’s substitute for legalism. Even when laws are present, people still mistreat one another, but when God’s spirit takes over our hearts, we are free to love others no matter what. Grace is the license to love. We should use it freely.
All In The Family
Read This Week: Galatians 4
But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir. – Galatians 4:4-7
The Bible contains a familial theme. Families are the center point of so many stories throughout the Scriptures, and through a family, God established His covenant. The language of the family is also common, and there is not a more beautiful picture of this than God as our Father. It is comforting, securing and affirming to know that we are loved by our Heavenly Father, even if we don’t have an earthly one.
Paul reinforces this truth about our relationship with God in Galatians 4. He uses the analogy of adoption and states that because God’s Spirit saved us, we are adopted sons and daughters that are given absolute privileges in the family of God and equal status as heirs. This is an incredible blessing that we are given through salvation and it is a demonstration of God’s grace and true love for us.
We can imagine someone helping or even saving another person, but not going so far as to make them a part of their family. Every human being is a child of God in the sense of being His offspring and made in His image. But not every person is a child of God in the sense of this close, adoptive relationship that we enjoy through Jesus Christ. Yet, this is what God has done for us. He gives us the distinction of being his sons and daughters.
Pastor and Author, John Piper once wrote, “God does not leave us in the condition of aliens when he adopts us. He does not leave us with no feelings of acceptance and love. Rather, he pours his Spirit into our hearts to give us the experience of being embraced in the family.”
The Lord is our Abba Father as Paul tells us in this passage. He is our Daddy who withholds nothing from His children. Through faith, and because God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship, we are all in the family of God.
Reborn Free
Read This Week: Galatians 3
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
To be free is an innate cry of the human heart. The very idea of being born free has inspired poems, songs, movies, and passionate speeches. Every person wants to live in a world where freedom is a way of life. It is every bit the desired experience as it is a romantic thought.
Unfortunately, not everyone has been or is born free. Some have entered into situations of oppression and captivity; a life where personal and collective freedom is not realized by law. They live under societal or religious regulations that suppress liberty and restrict autonomy.
But Galatians 3 and many other passages in the Bible, teach us that no matter where we happen to come into the world, we are not born through the law, but are brought up under the law. The law does not give us life; it regulates it. It can deny or facilitate the experience of freedom, but it can’t make one free. The law does not allow us to be born free, it incites in us a longing for freedom. The law can govern and provide a valuable society for people, but it cannot bring intrinsic value to their lives.
In this chapter, Paul continues his teaching and maintains this idea by repeating over again that it is faith in Christ and not one’s adherence to a set of laws that makes them free and a recipient of God’s promises. He says, “Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law.”
Only God can bring life, freedom, and righteousness and he did it, once and for all, through the person of Jesus Christ. And because of what He offers to us through salvation, it doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from, you can have life, experience freedom, and share in all the promises of God.
Paul writes in verses 28-29, “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.” We are all children of God and free people through faith.
Be encouraged today, that in spite of your circumstances that are enslaving you or the things that make you feel like a captive, you are free. The truth of the gospel declares over your life that even if you are in prison or living in an oppressed state, you have all the freedom you need in Christ. Nothing can stop His power in your life. You are reborn free.
Grace Wins
Read This Week: Galatians 2
For through the law, I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing! – Galatians 2:19-21 NIV
In 1966, a man by the name of Sonny Curtis wrote a song entitled I Fought the Law in his living room in West Texas. Curtis had never been in trouble with authorities nor had he ever been to jail. He just had an idea for a catchy tune and wrote it down. The song would eventually become world-famous and recorded by multiple legendary artists like Hank Williams Jr. and The Clash.
One of the lines in the song says, “I guess my race is run. I fought the law, and the law won.” In the first century, the Apostle Paul had his mind on running the race and the law too. But he was less interested in fighting the law as he was in making sure people knew the fulfillment of it. He wanted the church of Galatia and the world to know that when it comes to their salvation and winning the race of life, keeping the law wasn’t necessary anymore in light of God’s grace.
Paul is passionate and serious about this topic in Galatians 2. He makes it clear that keeping the Mosaic Law was good for what it was intended, but faith in Christ by his grace is all that is required now to have a relationship with God. This passage tells us that we don’t have to go back to the law anymore. We don’t have to do things or keep rules to be saved or acceptable to the Lord. Returning to the checkboxes of religion for salvation is unnecessary and denies the grace that God extended to us through Jesus.
Verse 20 says, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” This means our lives are completely interconnected with Christ through faith in His finished work on the cross. We have a new life because we believe Jesus died for us and rose again, not because we’re good at following religious orders. We don’t need the law to fulfill God’s requirements. Jesus did that for us.
The law of religion creates a space between us and God. And every time we sin or do something wrong, it is easy to see just how far we are from Him and His standard. But faith in Jesus bridges the gap that we could never cross on our own. It not only allows us complete access to God but supplies a real, lasting relationship with Him.
A new life of intimacy with God is what only grace can give. It moves us from the pressure of following and keeping the law to the peace and joy of a loving relationship. That’s what grace does for us. Grace fought the law and won. Grace wins.
Free to Live
Read This Week: Galatians 1
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory forever and ever. – Galatians 1:3-5 NIV
In 1974, Norio Suzuki found him. Twenty-nine years after the second world war ended, Japanese soldier Hiroo Onoda had been hiding out in the jungles of the Philipines; still fighting a battle that was long complete. The team dispatched to rescue Onoda and bring him back to his homeland had to convince him that he didn’t need to run, fight or be afraid anymore, the war was over. He was free.
The story of Hiroo Onoda may be hard to believe and even a little crazy, but he is not unlike many Christians. God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, but yet we continue to fight a battle that He has already won. The free and unconditional reality of God’s grace and love is too good to be true; we feel compelled to keep trying to earn them.
We hide out in the jungles of our own lives, struggling in a conflict that has been resolved, oppressed by human standards of what it takes to be free. But the gospel is clear that grace is not something that we earn. God’s love is unconditional, and salvation is a gift that can only be received by faith and responded to with love. Yet, in a similar fashion to Onoda, this truth about our freedom is still hard to accept.
In the book of Galatians, the Apostle Paul is writing to correct the teachings of a certain group. This group is telling the Christians in Galatia that they have to believe in Jesus and practice religious laws and traditions to be right with God. So he intervenes and says that people are throwing them into confusion and trying to pervert the true gospel of Christ. Paul wants them to know that the good news is free without the necessity of man’s performance. He warns them not to believe the false teaching of some that salvation and God’s acceptance comes through human effort.
True salvation is dependent on God’s grace and is free of works. Once we accept this truth through faith and allow it to penetrate our hearts, we are free to live. We begin to experience real freedom in Christ. We live in freedom from the fear of not measuring up; freedom from the fear of uncertainty; freedom from guilt and shame of the past. Freedom from the urge to perform so God and people will love us more.
God’s gift of grace makes us free from fighting a losing battle. It gives us the freedom to love. Freedom to love Jesus with all of our heart, soul, and mind. Freedom to love others as ourselves. Freedom to please the Lord and not man. Freedom to bring glory to God with the lives He alone has set us free to live.
Suit Up
Read This Week: Ephesians 6
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground. – Ephesians 6:10-11, 13 NIV
Under Armour, the sportswear company and distributor has a name for the gameday uniforms they supply to sponsored teams. They call it Battle Armor. When these teams put on the battle armor, it is supposed to signify that they are ready to lay it all on the line, compete at the highest level, and win. The uniform lets the opponent and spectator know that they are suited up and ready to do battle in the arena.
In the descriptive last chapter of Ephesians 6, Paul illustrates the Christian as a soldier being outfitted for battle against their sinful nature, Satan, and the forces of evil that come against them in the world. He calls this spiritual uniform, “the whole armor of God.” It is the total offensive and defensive equipment of the Christ-follower.
Paul lists these items of equipment in the order they are to be put on and identifies the spiritual quality and power that each represents. He makes it clear that the enemy is more than human and that we need supernatural strength to effectively fight off spiritual attacks and be victorious. The Apostle writes in verse 11 that with the complete armor supplied by the Holy Spirit, we can stand against the schemes of the devil.
When we suit up every day with the whole armor of God, the Spirit enables us, by faith, to experience Christ’s victory for ourselves. The belt of truth gives us sincerity and integrity of character. The breastplate of righteousness guards our hearts allowing us to be obedient to God in our attitudes and actions.
The helmet of salvation covers and cares for our minds with the assurance of eternal life so we can be fearless in our walk with God and our service to other people. The shoes of the gospel of peace empower us to bring the good news of Jesus to a suffering world and inject hope into situations that seem desperate.
The shield of faith protects our entire life giving us complete confidence in God’s power no matter the circumstances we face. And the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, is an offensive weapon that is powerful to attack the lies of the enemy, the confusion of our culture, and the sinful nature that corrupts our lives. God’s word, whether spoken or written, is our greatest weapon.
Sooner or later, every believer sees that the Christian life is a battle, not playtime. We face a versatile enemy who is much stronger than us apart from God. Therefore, we must access the power to withstand vicious attacks and to navigate the life we’ve been given successfully. We have to suit up with the battle armor of God every day without exception. It gives us all we need to stand, fight and win.
Copycats
Read This Week: Ephesians 5
Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth). – Ephesians 5:1-2, 8-9 NIV
If someone is dressing, acting, or talking like another person, they are referred to as a “copycat.” A copycat is a person that imitates, mimics, or follows the same things as someone else. And depending on what is being copied, this behavior can either be a good thing or a bad thing.
In Ephesians 5, Paul writes that our lives are to mimic that of Jesus’ life. That we should follow God’s example of love and integrity in our behavior, relationships, dealings with others, and our marriages. Some translations of verse 1 say that followers of Christ should be imitators of God. We are to be His copycats.
This passage of Scripture makes it clear that if we are children of God, then we should imitate our Father. Our identity sets the tone for our responsibility. People who are made in the image of God and restored to relationship with Him through Christ, are to be the living expressions of who he is. Our lives and their movements should reflect the attributes of Christ and be a visible template of his nature.
God is love; therefore we are to be loving people. When Paul asks us to walk in love, he’s not talking about something completely foreign to the Christian life. In our new identity, we are to express ourselves in love. Practically speaking, when we love others in the right way, we imitate God who is the author of love and who initiated that love for us.
God is forgiveness; therefore we are to be forgiving people. God forgave and made peace with sinners as an example of what our lives should emulate. When we forgive each other, we reflect God who forgave us in Christ Jesus. When we have grace for one another, it expresses the undeserved favor of God that was realized in Jesus’ death and resurrection.
God is light; therefore we should live in the light and have nothing to do with the dark nature of sin. God is set apart and His followers are called to be the same as we live in the world. A Christian should not participate in the things of darkness as Paul specifically lays out in verses 3-7. He says that our identity as God’s holy people compels us into the light to reveal His goodness, character, and conduct.
Verse 15 says, “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise.” God is wisdom; therefore we should make wise decisions as we seek to do the Lord’s will. When we exercise wisdom in our lives with forethought and good intention, it often leads to the right choices. These right choices then put God’s prudence and understanding on full display in a world of self-gratification and hedonism.
It has been said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and that copying someone is a great way to compliment them. But for the follower of God, imitation is the highest form of obedience. Doing as Christ did is the best way to honor the Lord with our lives and bless other people. Copycats of Jesus are what we should strive to be.