Accept the Gifts of Weaker Members

Faith in Action

The Early Church Proclaims Faith in Christ

Faith to Unite

1 Corinthians 12:12-13, 21-26 Amplified Bible

12 For just as the body is one and yet has many parts, and all the parts, though many, form [only] one body, so [a]it is with Christ. 13 For by one [Holy] Spirit we were all baptized into one body, [spiritually transformed—united together] whether Jews or Greeks (Gentiles), slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one [Holy] Spirit [since the same Holy Spirit fills each life].
 21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22 But quite the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are [absolutely] necessary; 23 and as for those parts of the body which we consider less honorable, these we treat with greater honor; and our less presentable parts are treated with greater modesty, 24 while our more presentable parts do not require it. But God has combined the [whole] body, giving greater honor to that part which lacks it, 25 so that there would be no division or discord in the body [that is, lack of adaptation of the parts to each other], but that the parts may have the same concern for one another. 26 And if one member suffers, all the parts share the suffering; if one member is honored, all rejoice with it.

For Reflection

No need to get puffed up because you have been given a spiritual gift.  No need to look down on those whose spiritual contribution seems to be pedestrian in comparison to how you value your spiritual gift.  And so it is about all things spiritual.  No one talent has a higher value or a more senior function than any other spiritual attribution.  

Therefore, each is blessed equally. Each functional role in the kingdom of God is similarly valued. Perhaps, more importantly, the achievement of God's will for humankind is impossible without the unique contribution of each believer.

Pray

Pray quietly. Pray often. Pray and listen to the wisdom of the Holy Spirit.

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Participation Gifts in the Church

Faith in Action

The Early Church Proclaims Faith in Christ

Faith to Unite

1 Corinthians 12:27-31 The Message

27-31 You are Christ’s body—that’s who you are! You must never forget this. Only as you accept your part of that body does your “part” mean anything. You’re familiar with some of the parts that God has formed in his church, which is his “body”:
apostles
prophets
teachers
miracle workers
healers
helpers
organizers
those who pray in tongues.
But it’s obvious by now, isn’t it, that Christ’s church is a complete Body and not a gigantic, unidimensional Part? It’s not all Apostle, not all Prophet, not all Miracle Worker, not all Healer, not all Prayer in Tongues, not all Interpreter of Tongues. And yet some of you keep competing for so-called “important” parts.
But now I want to lay out a far better way for you.

For Reflection

Sometimes, I think a passage can be too familiar.  We all know what is meant by the body of Christ and the unity that it symbolizes.

But, at times, I think that we miss the implication that unity does not mean uniformity.  Perhaps, it is diversity that is the main driver of our maturing faith. Each of us who believe in God acts out our faith in diverse and sometimes contradictory ways. It is the process of resolving differences that encourages maturation. We have grown in Grace with the resolution of each troublesome internal conflict. We should welcome conflict. With the resolution of each difficulty, God manages to advance God's kingdom.

Pray

Pray for the advancement of faith in our age.  Pray for the peaceful resolution of differences in the style and substance of how we understand and practice our faith. Pray for the courage to confront faith challenges and to resolve them in ways that honor God and advance God's kingdom.

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Disciplined Living in Christ

Faith in Action

The Early Church Proclaims Faith in Christ

Faith to Unite

Colossians 3:1-11 The Message

He Is Your Life

3 1-2 So if you’re serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that’s where the action is. See things from his perspective.
3-4 Your old life is dead. Your new life, which is your real life—even though invisible to spectators—is with Christ in God. He is your life. When Christ (your real life, remember) shows up again on this earth, you’ll show up, too—the real you, the glorious you. Meanwhile, be content with obscurity, like Christ.
5-8 And that means killing off everything connected with that way of death: sexual promiscuity, impurity, lust, doing whatever you feel like whenever you feel like it, and grabbing whatever attracts your fancy. That’s a life shaped by things and feelings instead of by God. It’s because of this kind of thing that God is about to explode in anger. It wasn’t long ago that you were doing all that stuff and not knowing any better. But you know better now, so make sure it’s all gone for good: bad temper, irritability, meanness, profanity, dirty talk.
9-11 Don’t lie to one another. You’re done with that old life. It’s like a filthy set of ill-fitting clothes you’ve stripped off and put in the fire. Now you’re dressed in a new wardrobe. Every item of your new way of life is custom-made by the Creator, with his label on it. All the old fashions are now obsolete. Words like Jewish and non-Jewish, religious and irreligious, insider and outsider, uncivilized and uncouth, slave and free, mean nothing. From now on everyone is defined by Christ, everyone is included in Christ.

For Reflection

How disciplined are you about your Christian faith?  Do you believe in God? Do you trust God?  Do you believe in Jesus Christ? Have you studied the Scriptures? Do you look for signs of God in your everyday activity? Do you participate in your faith?  Have you taken a stand on the side of your faith when confronted by a dilemma? Have your actions expressed the love of God and God's universe? Do you forgive as God has forgiven you? Have you supported the equitable distribution of God's resources? Have you treated others justly and stood on the side of Justice?  Have you been a peacemaker? Have you found rest in your faith?

Have I? Well, let's just say I work to do better and I am comforted by the knowledge that God understands and does not hold my imperfections against me.
  

Pray

Thank God for the freedom to become what God has intended you to become.  Thank God for showing all of us what it means to act out of love and not out of self-interest alone. Thank God for the opportunities to serve God and each other.  Thank God for showing us the way through the sacrifice of God's son.  THANK GOD!


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Live as Imitators of God

Faith in Action

The Early Church Proclaims Faith in Christ

Faith to Unite

Ephesians 4:25-5:2 The Message

25 What this adds up to, then, is this: no more lies, no more pretense. Tell your neighbor the truth. In Christ’s body we’re all connected to each other, after all. When you lie to others, you end up lying to yourself.
26-27 Go ahead and be angry. You do well to be angry—but don’t use your anger as fuel for revenge. And don’t stay angry. Don’t go to bed angry. Don’t give the Devil that kind of foothold in your life.
28 Did you use to make ends meet by stealing? Well, no more! Get an honest job so that you can help others who can’t work.
29 Watch the way you talk. Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth. Say only what helps, each word a gift.
30 Don’t grieve God. Don’t break his heart. His Holy Spirit, moving and breathing in you, is the most intimate part of your life, making you fit for himself. Don’t take such a gift for granted.
31-32 Make a clean break with all cutting, backbiting, profane talk. Be gentle with one another, sensitive. Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you.

Wake Up from Your Sleep

5 1-2 Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that.

For Reflection

One of the most important messages in the Gospels is that we can be all that we were meant to be, a loving, just, and forgiving people who live in peaceful relationships with each other.  It is the meaning of the Christmas birth stories.  Look into the life of Christ.  You will find the method for achieving peace.  You can experience the peace you are intended to have.  Do you have the courage to give yourself up to the gift of Grace and Peace?

Pray

Take time in silent reflection on the possibility of peaceful life.

Live the New Life in Christ

Faith in Action

The Early Church Proclaims Faith in Christ

Faith to Unite

Ephesians 4:17-24 The Message

The Old Way Has to Go

17-19 And so I insist—and God backs me up on this—that there be no going along with the crowd, the empty-headed, mindless crowd. They’ve refused for so long to deal with God that they’ve lost touch not only with God but with reality itself. They can’t think straight anymore. Feeling no pain, they let themselves go in sexual obsession, addicted to every sort of perversion.
20-24 But that’s no life for you. You learned Christ! My assumption is that you have paid careful attention to him, been well instructed in the truth precisely as we have it in Jesus. Since, then, we do not have the excuse of ignorance, everything—and I do mean everything—connected with that old way of life has to go. It’s rotten through and through. Get rid of it! And then take on an entirely new way of life—a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately reproduces his character in you.

For Reflection

Once you have accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior, the journey begins.  Becoming an authentic Christian does not in some magic way automatically readjust your persona. Maturing in the grace or Jesus Christ is a process, transforming the essence of who you are to become, a child of God. In your mind you know Jesus. Now you must open your heart so that the Holy Spirit can displace your former self and fill your soul with a longing for righteousness.

Pray

Pray so that God can fill your soul with the desire for the blessings found in a life transformed. Pray for the wisdom and courage to mature in grace and follow the Way of Christ in partnership with God.

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Holy Family Settles in Nazareth

Faith in Action

The Early Church Proclaims Faith in Christ

Faithful Seekers of the King

Matthew 2:19-23 The Message

19-20 Later, when Herod died, God’s angel appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt: “Up, take the child and his mother and return to Israel. All those out to murder the child are dead.”
21-23 Joseph obeyed. He got up, took the child and his mother, and reentered Israel. When he heard, though, that Archelaus had succeeded his father, Herod, as king in Judea, he was afraid to go there. But then Joseph was directed in a dream to go to the hills of Galilee. On arrival, he settled in the village of Nazareth. This move was a fulfillment of the prophetic words, “He shall be called a Nazarene.”

For Reflection

God lead the holy family to safety in Egypt and now he leads them back into God's service as Nazarenes. God prepares our way and protects us as God has prepared the way and protected Jesus and his family.  We, like them, are called into a service in the Kingdom of God as witnesses to the power of God's grace and to serve each other with the love that God has for us. We are asked to go where other's fear to tread. We are asked to act on the promise of God in faith where reason and reliance on one's self alone cannot go.

Pray

Pray so that you can develop unwavering confidence in the grace of God. Pray that with trust in the Holy Spirit, you will witness to the Christmas message every day.

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Faithful to God's Plan

Faith in Action

The Early Church Proclaims Faith in Christ

Faithful Seekers of the King

Matthew 1:18-25 The Message

The Birth of Jesus

18-19 The birth of Jesus took place like this. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. Before they came to the marriage bed, Joseph discovered she was pregnant. (It was by the Holy Spirit, but he didn’t know that.) Joseph, chagrined but noble, determined to take care of things quietly so Mary would not be disgraced.
20-23 While he was trying to figure a way out, he had a dream. God’s angel spoke in the dream: “Joseph, son of David, don’t hesitate to get married. Mary’s pregnancy is Spirit-conceived. God’s Holy Spirit has made her pregnant. She will bring a son to birth, and when she does, you, Joseph, will name him Jesus—‘God saves’—because he will save his people from their sins.” This would bring the prophet’s embryonic sermon to full term:
Watch for this—a virgin will get pregnant and bear a son;
They will name him Immanuel (Hebrew for “God is with us”).
24-25 Then Joseph woke up. He did exactly what God’s angel commanded in the dream: He married Mary. But he did not consummate the marriage until she had the baby. He named the baby Jesus.

For Reflection

The story of the birth of Christ is an overture to the Gospel. It foreshadows the meaning of God's gift to humanity.  The full story is the Gospel in a nutshell. Think about the political and economic climate into which God's son is thrust. Think about Christ's linage.  Think about who responds well to the announcement of Jesus's birth. Think about why His birth is such a threat to some and hope to others.

Pray

Pray for those who hear the gospel, fear it, reject it and work to destroy it.  Pray for those who hear the gospel and ignore it.  Pray for those who hear the Gospel and drift away from its promise.  Pray for those who hear the Gospel and who, with God, work toward the establishment of the Kingdom of God.

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A Peaceful Ruler From Bethlehem

Faith in Action

The Early Church Proclaims Faith in Christ

Faithful Seekers of the King

Micah 5:1-6 The Message

The Leader Who Will Shepherd-Rule Israel

5 But for now, prepare for the worst, victim daughter!
    The siege is set against us.
They humiliate Israel’s king,
    slapping him around like a rag doll.
2-4 But you, Bethlehem, David’s country,
    the runt of the litter—
From you will come the leader
    who will shepherd-rule Israel.
He’ll be no upstart, no pretender.
    His family tree is ancient and distinguished.
Meanwhile, Israel will be in foster homes
    until the birth pangs are over and the child is born,
And the scattered brothers come back
    home to the family of Israel.
He will stand tall in his shepherd-rule by God’s strength,
    centered in the majesty of God-Revealed.
And the people will have a good and safe home,
    for the whole world will hold him in respect—
    Peacemaker of the world!
5-6 And if some bullying Assyrian shows up,
    invades and violates our land, don’t worry.
We’ll put him in his place, send him packing,
    and watch his every move.
Shepherd-rule will extend as far as needed,
    to Assyria and all other Nimrod-bullies.
Our shepherd-ruler will save us from old or new enemies,
    from anyone who invades or violates our land.

For Reflection

Mika whose name means "Who is like Yahweh," and who defends the rights of the poor against the rich and powerful here predicts the coming of the Messiah. He foretells that one from the line of David will rule with the power of God, providing a new safe sanctuary and with the wisdom of God and the compassion of a shepherd, protect them from their enemies.

Pray

Pray so that when you hear God's prophetic voice you will be ready willing and able to follow the prophets wisdom. Pray that you will keep a keen eye for God's hand in guiding the destiny of God's people.

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Escape for Family

Faith in Action

The Early Church Proclaims Faith in Christ

Faithful Seekers of the King

Matthew 2:13-18 The Message

13 After the scholars were gone, God’s angel showed up again in Joseph’s dream and commanded, “Get up. Take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt. Stay until further notice. Herod is on the hunt for this child, and wants to kill him.”
14-15 Joseph obeyed. He got up, took the child and his mother under cover of darkness. They were out of town and well on their way by daylight. They lived in Egypt until Herod’s death. This Egyptian exile fulfilled what Hosea had preached: “I called my son out of Egypt.”
16-18 Herod, when he realized that the scholars had tricked him, flew into a rage. He commanded the murder of every little boy two years old and under who lived in Bethlehem and its surrounding hills. (He determined that age from information he’d gotten from the scholars.) That’s when Jeremiah’s sermon was fulfilled:
A sound was heard in Ramah,
    weeping and much lament.
Rachel weeping for her children,
    Rachel refusing all solace,
Her children gone,
    dead and buried.

For Reflection

To what lengths will those who are threatened by the meaning of Christmas go to eradicate the truth?  Here we have played out a major theme of the Gospel. To the Roman conquerors, peace was achieved through violent control of wealth, governance and religion.  To God, the freedom to choose and non-violent compassion of one for another in the likeness of God's love and compassion for humanity was the key to peace. Whom do you choose to follow in a quest for peace?

Pray

Pray so that you will have the promise of God's peace and rest.  Pray for the eternal peace that is illustrated in the life and ministry of Christ.

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Light unto the Nations

Faith in Action

The Early Church Proclaims Faith in Christ

Faithful Seekers of the King

Isaiah 42:1-9 The Message

God’s Servant Will Set Everything Right

42 1-4 “Take a good look at my servant.
    I’m backing him to the hilt.
He’s the one I chose,
    and I couldn’t be more pleased with him.
I’ve bathed him with my Spirit, my life.
    He’ll set everything right among the nations.
He won’t call attention to what he does
    with loud speeches or gaudy parades.
He won’t brush aside the bruised and the hurt
    and he won’t disregard the small and insignificant,
    but he’ll steadily and firmly set things right.
He won’t tire out and quit. He won’t be stopped
    until he’s finished his work—to set things right on earth.
Far-flung ocean islands
    wait expectantly for his teaching.”

The God Who Makes Us Alive with His Own Life

5-9 God’s Message,
    the God who created the cosmos, stretched out the skies,
    laid out the earth and all that grows from it,
Who breathes life into earth’s people,
    makes them alive with his own life:
“I am God. I have called you to live right and well.
    I have taken responsibility for you, kept you safe.
I have set you among my people to bind them to me,
    and provided you as a lighthouse to the nations,
To make a start at bringing people into the open, into light:
    opening blind eyes,
    releasing prisoners from dungeons,
    emptying the dark prisons.
I am God. That’s my name.
    I don’t franchise my glory,
    don’t endorse the no-god idols.
Take note: The earlier predictions of judgment have been fulfilled.
    I’m announcing the new salvation work.
Before it bursts on the scene,
    I’m telling you all about it.”

For Reflection

In this season of Advent, we await the celebration of the birth of God in human form.  We await the long-promised Messiah.  We await the one who will be a guiding light to the restoration of humankind. We await the authentification of our holy selves.  We await the release from the secular slavery into spiritual freedom. We await the one in whose life there is hope, in whose death there is life, and in whose reign there is justice. In Christ the truth becomes knowable. 

Pray

Pray prayers of thanksgiving and praise for the opportunity to enter into a partnership with God for the salvation of us all. Pray so that you will have sufficient confidence in the promise of God to follow the example of Christ.

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Speaking Boldly, Forced To Flee

Faith in Action

The Early Church Proclaims Faith in Christ

Faith to Persevere

Acts 14:1-7 The Message

14 1-3 When they got to Iconium they went, as they always did, to the meeting place of the Jews and gave their message. The Message convinced both Jews and non-Jews—and not just a few, either. But the unbelieving Jews worked up a whispering campaign against Paul and Barnabas, sowing mistrust and suspicion in the minds of the people in the street. The two apostles were there a long time, speaking freely, openly, and confidently as they presented the clear evidence of God’s gifts, God corroborating their work with miracles and wonders.
4-7 But then there was a split in public opinion, some siding with the Jews, some with the apostles. One day, learning that both the Jews and non-Jews had been organized by their leaders to beat them up, they escaped as best they could to the next towns—Lyconia, Lystra, Derbe, and that neighborhood—but then were right back at it again, getting out the Message.

For Reflection

Some who hear the Gospel are moved to transform their lives into righteous obedience to God in the way of Christ.  Some, though are driven to fight as though there was a threat to their existence.  Well, to them, as to the unbelieving 1st century Jew, the Gospel was a threat to the way they lived their lives.

Not much has changed in the past two thousand years.  Those who see hope in the Gospel embrace it.  Those who see threat not only reject it but also take active steps to destroy it. The Gospel is a force too dominant to be ignored.

Pray

Pray prayers of thanksgiving and praise for God who does not leave you on your own to face the threats to your faith. Pray for Holy Comfort in times you feel oppressed for God's sake.  Pray for the courage to persevere and grow into Grace.

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Consolation when Afflicted

Faith in Action

The Early Church Proclaims Faith in Christ

Faith to Persevere

2 Corinthians 1:3-7 The Message

The Rescue

3-5 All praise to the God and Father of our Master, Jesus the Messiah! Father of all mercy! God of all healing counsel! He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us. We have plenty of hard times that come from following the Messiah, but no more so than the good times of his healing comfort—we get a full measure of that, too.
6-7 When we suffer for Jesus, it works out for your healing and salvation. If we are treated well, given a helping hand and encouraging word, that also works to your benefit, spurring you on, face forward, unflinching. Your hard times are also our hard times. When we see that you’re just as willing to endure the hard times as to enjoy the good times, we know you’re going to make it, no doubt about it.

For Reflection

In what ways have you experienced the God of all Comfort?  In my life divine comfort has arrived unexpectedly and without my asking.  Have I suffered? Yes. But, not as much as others have. Have I endured hard times? I'm not sure I ever considered the alternative! But some (including imprisoned Paul) have.

Have I suffered for Jesus? Yes, I think so.  But not because those in whose hands I was suffering persecuted me because I was Christian.  They disagreed with my action, not with my faith.  They probably didn't give a thought to my Christian motives or even perhaps define my action as Christ-like. To tell you the truth, I likely didn't see my motives as Christian either. I was just doing what I thought was right, just and kind.

There are plenty of Christians in this world that are intentionally persecuted. There are many more believers who suffer because they act in ways that are perceived by others to violate societal norms.

Pray

Pray for those whose unconventional approach to life supports justice, kindness and spiritual growth in others. Pray for those who suffer for Christ.

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Suffering so Others May Be Saved

Faith in Action

The Early Church Proclaims Faith in Christ

Faith to Persevere

2 Timothy 2:1-13 The Message

Doing Your Best for God

2 1-7 So, my son, throw yourself into this work for Christ. Pass on what you heard from me—the whole congregation saying Amen!—to reliable leaders who are competent to teach others. When the going gets rough, take it on the chin with the rest of us, the way Jesus did. A soldier on duty doesn’t get caught up in making deals at the marketplace. He concentrates on carrying out orders. An athlete who refuses to play by the rules will never get anywhere. It’s the diligent farmer who gets the produce. Think it over. God will make it all plain.
8-13 Fix this picture firmly in your mind: Jesus, descended from the line of David, raised from the dead. It’s what you’ve heard from me all along. It’s what I’m sitting in jail for right now—but God’s Word isn’t in jail! That’s why I stick it out here—so that everyone God calls will get in on the salvation of Christ in all its glory. This is a sure thing:

For Reflection

Maturing in your faith is not just about knowing scripture and believing and trusting in God. Maturing in your faith means acting upon it, never forgetting that your faith demands an evolution toward perfection. Paul shows that to grow in grace means that one pleads for justice, prays for God's intervention into lives for the salvation of all people, and prayers of praise and thanksgiving.

Pray

Pray that you will have the courage to follow Christ. Pray for the salvation of all peoples.  Pray so that the Holy Spirit will enter your soul and drive your life closer to the perfection shown in the life of Jesus.

Believing and Suffering in Christ

Faith in Action

The Early Church Proclaims Faith in Christ

Faith to Persevere

Philippians 1:25-30 The Message

22-26 As long as I’m alive in this body, there is good work for me to do. If I had to choose right now, I hardly know which I’d choose. Hard choice! The desire to break camp here and be with Christ is powerful. Some days I can think of nothing better. But most days, because of what you are going through, I am sure that it’s better for me to stick it out here. So I plan to be around awhile, companion to you as your growth and joy in this life of trusting God continues. You can start looking forward to a great reunion when I come visit you again. We’ll be praising Christ, enjoying each other.
27-30 Meanwhile, live in such a way that you are a credit to the Message of Christ. Let nothing in your conduct hang on whether I come or not. Your conduct must be the same whether I show up to see things for myself or hear of it from a distance. Stand united, singular in vision, contending for people’s trust in the Message, the good news, not flinching or dodging in the slightest before the opposition. Your courage and unity will show them what they’re up against: defeat for them, victory for you—and both because of God. There’s far more to this life than trusting in Christ. There’s also suffering for him. And the suffering is as much a gift as the trusting. You’re involved in the same kind of struggle you saw me go through, on which you are now getting an updated report in this letter.

For Reflection

We cannot underestimate the suffering Paul endured in prison.  Here, Paul seems to suggest that he entertained suicide, that being with Christ was a powerful draw.  But the divine opportunity gave hope to his terrible predicament. He calls for all believers to conduct themselves in a way that honors the Gospel.  He asks the Philippians to trust in the message and face the challenges of suffering for Christ.

How does your witness to the Gospel honor Christ?

Pray

Pray for the opportunity to suffer in witness to the Gospel.  Pray prayers of thanksgiving that in your trust in God you find rest in a suffering world.

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Rejoicing while Struggling and Suffering

Faith in Action

The Early Church Proclaims Faith in Christ

Faith to Persevere

Colossians 1:24-2:5 The Message

24-25 I want you to know how glad I am that it’s me sitting here in this jail and not you. There’s a lot of suffering to be entered into in this world—the kind of suffering Christ takes on. I welcome the chance to take my share in the church’s part of that suffering. When I became a servant in this church, I experienced this suffering as a sheer gift, God’s way of helping me serve you, laying out the whole truth.
26-29 This mystery has been kept in the dark for a long time, but now it’s out in the open. God wanted everyone, not just Jews, to know this rich and glorious secret inside and out, regardless of their background, regardless of their religious standing. The mystery in a nutshell is just this: Christ is in you, so therefore, you can look forward to sharing in God’s glory. It’s that simple. That is the substance of our Message. We preach Christ, warning people not to add to the Message. We teach in a spirit of profound common sense so that we can bring each person to maturity. To be mature is to be basic. Christ! No more, no less. That’s what I’m working so hard at day after day, year after year, doing my best with the energy God so generously gives me.
2 I want you to realize that I continue to work as hard as I know how for you, and also for the Christians over at Laodicea. Not many of you have met me face-to-face, but that doesn’t make any difference. Know that I’m on your side, right alongside you. You’re not in this alone.
2-4 I want you woven into a tapestry of love, in touch with everything there is to know of God. Then you will have minds confident and at rest, focused on Christ, God’s great mystery. All the richest treasures of wisdom and knowledge are embedded in that mystery and nowhere else. And we’ve been shown the mystery! I’m telling you this because I don’t want anyone leading you off on some wild-goose chase, after other so-called mysteries, or “the Secret.”
5 I’m a long way off, true, and you may never lay eyes on me, but believe me, I’m on your side, right beside you. I am delighted to hear of the careful and orderly ways you conduct your affairs and impressed with the solid substance of your faith in Christ.

For Reflection

Imprisoned in a WWII concentration camp, Victor Frankel suffered depersonalization, oral deformity, bitterness, and disillusionment. Yet, he survived, and in his struggle for survival, he discovered that, even in suffering, life never loses a sense of meaning.  He says, "A thought transfixed me: for the first time in my life I saw the truth as it is set into song by so many poets, proclaimed as the final wisdom by so many thinkers. The truth—that love is the ultimate and the highest goal to which man can aspire. Then I grasped the meaning of the greatest secret that human poetry and human thought and belief have to impart: The salvation of man is through love and in love."*  In his spiritual being, Frankel found hope in the most hopeless situation.
*Victor Frankel, "Man's Search for Meaning, 1948"

In God's mystery, Paul finds the truth and hope in the most basic belief in the Gospel.

Pray

Pray that you will let yourself "become woven into a tapestry of love." Pray that you will find rest and confidence in God's great mystery as shown to all in the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Christ.

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Door of Faith Opened to Gentiles

Faith in Action

The Early Church Proclaims Faith in ChristFaith in Jesus

Acts 14:21-28 The Message

Plenty of Hard Times

21-22 After proclaiming the Message in Derbe and establishing a strong core of disciples, they retraced their steps to Lystra, then Iconium, and then Antioch, putting muscle and sinew in the lives of the disciples, urging them to stick with what they had begun to believe and not quit, making it clear to them that it wouldn’t be easy: “Anyone signing up for the kingdom of God has to go through plenty of hard times.”
23-26 Paul and Barnabas handpicked leaders in each church. After praying—their prayers intensified by fasting—they presented these new leaders to the Master to whom they had entrusted their lives. Working their way back through Pisidia, they came to Pamphylia and preached in Perga. Finally, they made it to Attalia and caught a ship back to Antioch, where it had all started—launched by God’s grace and now safely home by God’s grace. A good piece of work.
27-28 On arrival, they got the church together and reported on their trip, telling in detail how God had used them to throw the door of faith wide open so people of all nations could come streaming in. Then they settled down for a long, leisurely visit with the disciples.

For Reflection

No social media for these people!  All word of mouth.  Individual testimony one-to-one.  Who do you trust more, the person who takes the time to talk face-to-face or a nameless person in a paid advertisement?

Not a fair question? Perhaps not in today's world, but it's all that mattered in the early stages of Christianity. Christ is known through you.  Not so much your words, but how you act and what others say about you.  If some are critical of you because you don't conform to their secular standards, so much the better.  If you are known for being kind, hospitable, trustworthy, and honest, and with a sense of humor and justice, building people up rather than tearing them down, strong on knowledge and weak on opinion, you may be known as a Christian.

Pray

Pray for the knowledge and wisdom that fortifies your witness to Christ and the Way.

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Paul's Strategy

Faith in Action

The Early Church Proclaims Faith in Christ

Faith in Jesus

Romans 1:8-17 The Message

8-12 I thank God through Jesus for every one of you. That’s first. People everywhere keep telling me about your lives of faith, and every time I hear them, I thank him. And God, whom I so love to worship and serve by spreading the good news of his Son—the Message!—knows that every time I think of you in my prayers, which is practically all the time, I ask him to clear the way for me to come and see you. The longer this waiting goes on, the deeper the ache. I so want to be there to deliver God’s gift in person and watch you grow stronger right before my eyes! But don’t think I’m not expecting to get something out of this, too! You have as much to give me as I do to you.

13-15 Please don’t misinterpret my failure to visit you, friends. You have no idea how many times I’ve made plans for Rome. I’ve been determined to get some personal enjoyment out of God’s work among you, as I have in so many other non-Jewish towns and communities. But something has always come up and prevented it. Everyone I meet—it matters little whether they’re mannered or rude, smart or simple—deepens my sense of interdependence and obligation. And that’s why I can’t wait to get to you in Rome, preaching this wonderful good news of God.

16-17 It’s news I’m most proud to proclaim, this extraordinary Message of God’s powerful plan to rescue everyone who trusts him, starting with Jews and then right on to everyone else! God’s way of putting people right shows up in the acts of faith, confirming what Scripture has said all along: “The person in right standing before God by trusting him really lives.”

For Reflection

The Romans were miffed. They felt Paul needed to spend time with them. Paul was conflicted.  Strengthening the faith of the newly converted Jews had taken time away from what Paul considered his most important mission, the strengthening of the gospel to all peoples.

Paul is clear, though, that the movement in Rome was exemplary. He compliments their commitment to spreading the Good News. To a Roman, it is remarkable that Paul, a poor insignificant Jew, can speak so eloquently in Greek to a Roman. God has prepared not only Paul to spread the Gospel successfully, but God had also prepared the Romans to understand, accept, and pass the Good News to all.

Pray

Give thanks to the living God who prepares the way for the establishment of God's kingdom here and now.  Like the Romans, who in the absence of Paul formed an active fellowship of believers, pray that you will have similar confidence in your faith.

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Blind Man Discerns Jesus as Prophet

Faith in Action

The Early Church Proclaims Faith in Christ

Faith in Jesus

John 9:13-17 The Message

13-15 They marched the man to the Pharisees. This day when Jesus made the paste and healed his blindness was the Sabbath. The Pharisees grilled him again on how he had come to see. He said, “He put a clay paste on my eyes, and I washed, and now I see.”
16 Some of the Pharisees said, “Obviously, this man can’t be from God. He doesn’t keep the Sabbath.”
Others countered, “How can a bad man do miraculous, God-revealing things like this?” There was a split in their ranks.
17 They came back at the blind man, “You’re the expert. He opened your eyes. What do you say about him?”
He said, “He is a prophet.”

For Reflection

Since the beginning of Christ's ministry, there were those who feared him.  Christ challenged the function of the existing religion and the political power of the religious leaders. The blind man whom Jesus had given sight was brought to the Pharisees to enrage them and to provide proof of Christ's criminal activity.

It seemed to have the opposite effect.  Those who were convinced of Christ's ill intent were separated from those who had an opposing point of view.  The evidence of the violation of the Sabbath backfired when the blind man declared Jesus was a prophet.

Those who are blinded by malicious adherence to legalism cannot see the spiritual truth in the gospel.

Pray

Pray that you are not blinded your adherence to doctrines that are not consistent with emerging truths that are a natural part of growing into Grace.  Pray about that which challenges your faith and study the scriptures so that you may mature in the manner of God's will.

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Test the Spirits

Faith in Action

The Early Church Proclaims Faith in Christ

Faith in Jesus

1 John 4:1-6 The Message 

Don’t Believe Everything You Hear

4 My dear friends, don’t believe everything you hear. Carefully weigh and examine what people tell you. Not everyone who talks about God comes from God. There are a lot of lying preachers loose in the world.
2-3 Here’s how you test for the genuine Spirit of God. Everyone who confesses openly his faith in Jesus Christ—the Son of God, who came as an actual flesh-and-blood person—comes from God and belongs to God. And everyone who refuses to confess faith in Jesus has nothing in common with God. This is the spirit of antichrist that you heard was coming. Well, here it is, sooner than we thought!
4-6 My dear children, you come from God and belong to God. You have already won a big victory over those false teachers, for the Spirit in you is far stronger than anything in the world. These people belong to the Christ-denying world. They talk the world’s language and the world eats it up. But we come from God and belong to God. Anyone who knows God understands us and listens. The person who has nothing to do with God will, of course, not listen to us. This is another test for telling the Spirit of Truth from the spirit of deception.

For Reflection

Judging the authenticity of teaching and preaching the gospel is not an easy task. Many who openly confesses faith in Jesus may not or may believe that he or she is truthful to the gospel but in reality is not. Many have difficulty with the whole idea of judging teachers and preachers.  We are warned many times in the scriptures that evil cloaks itself in good to deceive us.

Here is where it is important that Christians study the scriptures and know Christian doctrine.  The lack of knowledge makes us vulnerable to deception. One test is to compare the doctrine teachers and preachers profess with what was revealed to us through scripture; not just selections of passages which support a particular position, but which reflect the full intention of God's will.

Secondly, ask, "What are the fruits of such doctrine?" Do the teachings lead others to love forgiveness, kindness, and grace?  

Pray

Pray for those who have been deceived by false teaching.  Pray for the teachers who by intent or ignorance of the word mislead others away from God.  Pray so that you can strengthen your understanding of how to practice your faith and shield yourself from false preaching.

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God's Call to Samuel

Faith in Action

The Early Church Proclaims Faith in Christ

Faith to Discern

1 Samuel 3:1-9 The Message

“Speak, God. I’m Ready to Listen”

3 1-3 The boy Samuel was serving God under Eli’s direction. This was at a time when the revelation of God was rarely heard or seen. One night Eli was sound asleep (his eyesight was very bad—he could hardly see). It was well before dawn; the sanctuary lamp was still burning. Samuel was still in bed in the Temple of God, where the Chest of God rested.
4-5 Then God called out, “Samuel, Samuel!”
Samuel answered, “Yes? I’m here.” Then he ran to Eli saying, “I heard you call. Here I am.”
Eli said, “I didn’t call you. Go back to bed.” And so he did.
6-7 God called again, “Samuel, Samuel!”
Samuel got up and went to Eli, “I heard you call. Here I am.”
Again Eli said, “Son, I didn’t call you. Go back to bed.” (This all happened before Samuel knew God for himself. It was before the revelation of God had been given to him personally.)
8-9 God called again, “Samuel!”—the third time! Yet again Samuel got up and went to Eli, “Yes? I heard you call me. Here I am.”
That’s when it dawned on Eli that God was calling the boy. So Eli directed Samuel, “Go back and lie down. If the voice calls again, say, ‘Speak, God. I’m your servant, ready to listen.’” Samuel returned to his bed.

For Reflection

Samuel had been groomed to accept his divine destiny.  God, through Phinehas, has prepared Samuel well.  Samuel has knowledge of God and his ancestor's God Story.   With the background of a gaggle of unbridled and wicked priests, Samuel is a sharp contrast who had grown in favor of the Lord and Man.

Whom have you thought that God had prepared him or her for the task they have accepted?  How has God equipped you to be one of God's collaborators?

Pray

Pray prayers of thanksgiving and praise for the living God.  Pray often so that you can understand God's mission for your life.  Pray so that you can become God's emissary and fulfill God's will for your life.

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Crippled Beggar Requests Alms

Faith in Action

The Early Church Proclaims Faith in Christ

Faith in Jesus

Acts 3:1-10 The Message

3 1-5 One day at three o’clock in the afternoon, Peter and John were on their way into the Temple for prayer meeting. At the same time, there was a man crippled from birth being carried up. Every day he was set down at the Temple gate, the one named Beautiful, to beg from those going into the Temple. When he saw Peter and John about to enter the Temple, he asked for a handout. Peter, with John at his side, looked him straight in the eye and said, “Look here.” He looked up, expecting to get something from them.
6-8 Peter said, “I don’t have a nickel to my name, but what I do have, I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk!” He grabbed him by the right hand and pulled him up. In an instant his feet and ankles became firm. He jumped to his feet and walked.
8-10 The man went into the Temple with them, walking back and forth, dancing and praising God. Everybody there saw him walking around and praising God. They recognized him as the one who sat begging at the Temple’s Gate Beautiful and rubbed their eyes, astonished, scarcely believing what they were seeing.

For Reflection

Christ began God's work on Earth and finishes it in us. This story emphasizes that God's blessing is not for material gain. Instead, God's blessing is a spiritual matter that results in complete restoration of our humanity. To receive God's healing power all we need do is reach for God's hand as did the beggar. Our asking is a sign of our belief that God will respond--it is an act of trust that all will work for good in our lives. Paul's kindness was an act of prayer, and God healed the Beggar.

Pray

Pray that others will see in your face what the beggar saw in Paul's.  Pray that your prayers will be a conduit for the healing those in need who cross your path.

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