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The Death and Resurrection Pathway

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Judges 19-21; 2 Corinthians 4 “We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body…because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence.” 2 Corinthians 4:10, 14 Without death there is no resurrection. The resurrection-life of Jesus within us requires us first to die with Christ to our sinful nature. Our false self, or sinful nature, is continually asserting itself through religious performance, self-promotion, self-protection, and fear. This sinful nature was challenged by sacrificial love and defeated by Christ on the cross. It was cruciform love which moved Christ to the cross and it is cruciform love which moves us to deny ourselves (our sinful nature), take up our cross, and follow Jesus. The degree to which we choose to daily live this way, allows us to experience the resurrection life of Jesus flowing in us and through us, through the...
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Freedom in the Spirit

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Judges 17-18; Psalms 89; 2 Corinthians 3   “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect on the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” 2 Corinthians 3:17, 18 Paul pointed to the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the lives of disciples of Christ as the key to ongoing transformation into the image of Christ. Why? …because it is the Lord Jesus who is the Spirit. These two members of the Godhead function together in unity. To be filled with the Spirit is to be filled with the Spirit of Jesus. The freedom within which leads to the freedom without comes by yielding to and obeying the Holy Spirit. As the presence of Jesus becomes evident in our lives we both reflect and contemplate the glory of the Lord. This ministry of God’s presence within us leads to great joy and freedom in his ministry through us to others. Are we en...
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Schemes of Unforgiveness

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Judges 13-16; 2 Corinthians 2   “If you forgive anyone, I also forgive him. And what I have forgiven – if there was anything to forgive – I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.” 2 Corinthians 2:10, 11 Relational conflict, and the case of Paul’s context in writing to Corinth following church discipline, provides an opportunity for Satan to gain a foothold in our lives. Unforgiveness is a common strategy of Satan to put disciples of Christ ‘offside’ with the Lord. There are many schemes of Satan to distract, discredit, and destroy God’s people. Few are as effective as unforgiveness. We can rationalize unforgiveness as being justified for any number of reasons; but we ourselves then become bound by it. To outwit someone, is to use deception to defeat them. As those who have been forgiven by Christ, we are called to forgive others, regardless of the offense. What schemes have the enemy plotte...
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Comfort

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Judges 11-12; Psalms 50; 2 Corinthians 1   “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-5 The word comfort comes from the root word “fort” which means strength. To comfort others or to receive comfort ourselves is to receive new strength. The sufferings of Christ which Paul shared abundantly and which he understood the Corinthian Church to also be experiencing are different from our suffering because of sin. The sufferings of Christ are shared because we have chosen to covenant with Christ and resist sin and the ways of this world. We can’t engage this suffering alone. We need the comfort and presence of the Holy Spirit, the promises of God’s Word, and the p...
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Open Doors

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Judges 9-10; Psalms 49; 1 Corinthians 16 “But I will stay on at Ephesus until Pentecost, because a great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me.” 1 Corinthians 16:8, 9 With the opening of a great door for effective ministry, there is often significant spiritual warfare and opposition. This is why the Lord in his mercy does not open doors for us until we are ready for the spiritual battle and conflict that will come. In Ephesus, Paul fought “wild beasts” in spiritual battle, even as he called people to follow the “way of love” (1 Corinthians 15:32). Prominent members of the Ephesian society became Christ-followers including Erastus, the city’s director of public works. Alexander, the metal worker, led the guilds to riot in opposition to the message of the gospel in Ephesus. His opposition continued even as Paul left the city. However, Paul was clear that “we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against spiritual forces of evil who work through peop...
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Of First Importance

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Judges 8; Psalms 42; 1 Corinthians 15   “By this gospel you are saved…as of first importance that Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living…” 1 Corinthians 15:2-6 At the heart of the gospel is the death of Christ for our sins and his resurrection from the dead. The importance of this resurrection being witnessed by the Twelve, the five hundred, and then many apostles, including Paul, is essential to the integrity of the gospel. However, Paul missed an essential part of the gospel in this letter. The first person to see the resurrected Christ was Mary Magdalene. For Paul, the order of Christ’s resurrection revelation is important. Before Peter, we have Mary. What does this resurrection revelation order mean for Christ’s a...
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Go in the Strength You Have

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Judges 6-7; Psalms 52; 1 Corinthians 14   “The Lord turned to him and said, ‘Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?’” Judges 6:14 Gideon’s acknowledged weakness and fear were not barriers to God using him. If Gideon had denied that he was weak and afraid, that would have presented a greater problem. The angel’s simple command to Gideon was to go in the strength that he had, and the Lord was with him. In our weakness, God’s strength and sufficiency are made perfect (2 Corinthians 12:9). God’s grace is enough for us. When Jesus says, “Go and make disciples of all nations”, he also says, “and I will be with you, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:19, 20). Later, Gideon, being filled with the Holy Spirit, blew a trumpet mobilizing the tribes of Israel. Yet too many Israelites responded to the mobilization call and the Lord had to reduce their numbers.   Why? …because pride is our greatest enemy, even greater than fear. It was i...
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