Listening to the Word

Revelation 19-22   “Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.) Revelation 19:7, 8 The fine linen of righteousness is given to the bride of Christ in preparation for the wedding of the Lamb. It is Jesus who gives us these bright, clean garments; however, they are worn by those who not only receive righteousness as a gift, but also live righteous lives full of righteous acts. In preparation for this wedding and union with the Lamb, the bride has made herself ready. What blemishes and weights have been used by sin to distort our beauty? Will we ‘make every effort’ to put off sinful habits, thoughts, and attitudes in the power of the Holy Spirit? Will we fast and pray, soaking in the glorious presence of the Lord? When the wedding becomes our top priority, we change our eating and our behavior to ...

  Revelation 15-18   “’Behold, I come like a thief! Bessed is he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him, so that he will not go naked and be shamefully exposed.’” Revelation 16:15 The return of Jesus, anticipated by the Church for 2000 years, will come when we least expect him - like a thief in the middle of the night. The spiritual slumber of our lives dulls us to living in the light of Christ’s return and eternity. The clothing for the wedding banquet to which Christ invites us, is his righteousness. Living alert and spiritually awake means that we seek first Christ’s kingdom and his righteousness, and actively resist the entanglements of sin. At Christ’s arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane, one of the disciples lost his clothing and fled the scene naked. John remembered being unable to stay awake, watch, and pray with Jesus that night. He remembered how weak the body is without the power of the Holy Spirit. Are we spiritually alert, clothed with the Lord Jesus Christ...

  Revelation 10-14 “The great dragon was hurled down – that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him…For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.” Revelation 12:9-11 We are in a spiritual battle every day if we choose to know and follow Jesus Christ. Our enemy, the devil, is leading the whole world astray through addictions, false belief systems, and fear. These deceptions pull at our soul even while we follow Jesus. Any slip or stumble is followed by the accuser’s lies. Heaven is not silent. A loud voice declares they overcame him’. We are defined by Christ’s victorious, sacrificial love for us, not by the tempter’s lies. We overcome sin and temptation by the blood of the Lamb that cleanses us from...

  Revelation 5-9   “…You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth…Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!” Revelation 5:9, 10, 12 The calling and inheritance of those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and gift of righteousness is that we would reign in life through Jesus Christ, (Romans 5:17). Our authority to resist sin and temptation from the world, our sinful nature, and Satan is found in the resurrection life we have received from Jesus Christ. However, the foolishness of the Gospel is that authority comes through surrender and life comes through dying. Just as the Lamb of God was slain for the sins of the world, only to receive power, wealth, wisdom, str...

Revelation 1-4   “…To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father – to him be glory and power forever and ever! Amen.” Revelation 1:5, 6 Our experience of salvation from our sins includes freedom from the spiritual power they had to control our thoughts and behaviors. Does that describe our experience of salvation? We have not just been saved for heaven, but to be a kingdom and priests who serve God now.   If this is to be the primary focus of our lives, how is it going? Are we being made to be a kingdom? Are we responding to the authority of the King, and reflecting his ways and kingdom-will in this fallen world? Jesus taught his disciples to pray, ‘your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven’ (Matthew 6:10). This must be our daily prayer, and then our obedient response. We are also saved to serve God as priests - priests who offer sacrifices of worship and love to God, ...

  Psalms 117,119:81-176; 2 John; 3 John   “It gave me great joy to have some brothers come and tell about your faithfulness to the truth and how you continue to walk in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” 3 John 3, 4 Does the truth still matter? In an age of moral relativism and post modernity, does the concept of truth still matter? The Word of God says it does. Truth in God’s economy is not just epistemology, but a path on which we choose to walk and live. The variety of Greek and roman gods and goddesses, with their sensuality and implied license for self-indulgence, were no match for the simple truth found in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus called himself the way, the truth, and the life. Those who discover the secret to joy and a full life in knowing and walking with the living God choose to live on the path of Jesus. We walk in the truth and are faithful to this truth. The current gods of self...

1 John 1-5 “We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death. Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him.” 1 John 3:14, 15 The clearest evidence that the life of God indwells us is our new capacity to love those we formerly hated. Those who are part of the Church, and who now fall back into hatred for those who hurt them, also evidence that they are not living in the grace and love of God. Our relationships, and in particular our capacity to love regardless what happens in those relationships, give evidence that God has filled us with his eternal life. Our eternal life begins when the life of God fills us through his Holy Spirit. The evidence of that eternal life is not just that we prayed a sinner’s prayer and believed in Christ, but also that we now love others even as God loved us.   If an audit were done of all our relationships, would others consistentl...

  John 19-21 “Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilot for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jews…He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy five pounds.” John 19:38, 39 What was Nicodemus doing at the tomb of Jesus? The myrrh and aloes used in preparing Christ’s body for burial involved both cost and effort. The negotiation for the body of a convicted criminal before Pilot risked reputation and censure from the Jewish community. Yet, Nicodemus pressed on. Once again Nicodemus sought out Jesus at night, only this time Jesus was dead; yet, the effort was no less risky than at his first meeting. Perhaps motivated by guilt at not doing enough to save Jesus’ life, yet still gripped by fear, Nicodemus prepared Christ’s body for a burial that would not last long. Within a day, the disciples would witness the strips of linen and spices c...

John 15-18 “’…I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you…May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.’” John 17:20, 21, 23 This prayer of Jesus for us, his followers, reveals an essential component of fruitful witness. How we think of other Christ-followers, and how we treat them is one of the ways the world knows Jesus is God. The great commission of Jesus is a call to make disciples who love one another and in so doing point the world to God’s love for them. Jesus is praying for his Church to be one, in spirit and purpose. He is praying that we would be brought to ‘complete unity’. Before dismissing this prayer as impractical, ask Jesus what this means for us. With whom are you being invited to pursue unity, and in what ways? If we think differently, as a body, the body of Christ, we will understand that eac...

  John 12-14   “’Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!’...After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, ‘I tell you the truth, one of you is going to betray me…Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me…Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” John 12:27, 28; 13:21; 14:1, 27 Jesus was troubled as he faced the torturous death of the cross and the betrayal of one of his disciples. Yet, he called his disciples to not be troubled as they faced a future without his physical presence leading them. What is troubling our hearts today? Jesus spoke to his own troubled heart by reminding himself of God’s salvation-purposes which put the price of the cross in perspective. Jesus also recommitted to bringing glory to the Fat...

John, 9-11 “Jesus said, ‘For judgment I have come into the world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.’ Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, ‘What? Are we blind too?’ Jesus said, ‘If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.’” John 9:39-41 Jesus’ word to the Church of Laodicea was that they were unaware that they were blind. He counseled them to buy salve from him to put on their eyes so they could see. The Pharisees were similarly unaware that they were spiritually blind. Spiritual pride blinds us to our need of God. We rely on our traditions and doctrinal frameworks but lack the still, quiet voice of the Shepherd in our lives. The salve that Jesus offers us for our spiritual blindness is costly. This salve requires repenting for spiritual pride, judgmental attitudes, and fear of change. To acknowledge that we are blind requires humility and dependence on Jesus rather tha...

  John 7-8 “’He who speaks on his own does so to gain honor for himself, but he who works for the honor of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him.’” John 7:18 Motives and call matter in vocational ministry. If ministry is a career that defines our identity as a missionary or as a pastor, we will highly value and defend our image, reputation, and positions. However, when our identity is rooted in God’s love for us and he calls us to serve as his ambassadors, we are willing to die to self and live in the grace of God’s sufficiency. When our value and worth come from whose we are, rather than what we do, we give all the glory to God. We are unafraid to speak the truth because we know the truth sets us free. Flattery and manipulation grieve our spirit because we see how they feed the ego and honor man rather than bring glory to God. Are we speaking on our own, or for the glory of God? “Lord God, may you be glorified this day by my words and life.”

John 5-6 “’The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. Yet there are some of you who do not believe.’ For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him.” John 6:63, 64 Jesus believed in people even though they did not believe in him. His knowledge of who would not believe, and even who would betray him, didn’t change his acceptance of them to be on his team. Why would Jesus allow unbelievers into his inner circle? He had called only those his Father had given him. Jesus trusted that even unbelief and betrayal could somehow serve the Father’s greater purposes and will. This was not a naïve, blind faith in people, but rather, a full surrender to the will of his Father.   Where is the Father calling us to trust him - in new levels and ways, despite the cost? In what ways have we trusted in our flesh, rather than in the Word and work of the Spirit? “Lord Jesus, I, too, choo...

  John 2-4 “On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee…This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee…When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem…So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables…’…How dare you turn my Father’s house into a market!’” John 2:1, 11, 13, 15, 16 It is interesting that Jesus’ first miracle was to turn water into wine at a wedding, and then cleanse the temple. We would expect Jesus to do a miracle at the temple and drive the wine steward out of the wedding! Jesus declared his body was the temple which would be raised in three days. We, the disciples of Jesus, are his body, the temple. Do we, too, need a paradigm shift from our worship temples with budgets and staff, to an understanding that Jesus is on a mission to seek and save lost people at weddings, hospitals, and ...

2 Peter 1-3; John 1 “In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.” John 1:4, 5 The life that is in Christ is the presence of God in God. The life that indwells us through the Holy Spirit is the same presence of God. The disciples witnessed God’s glory in the life of Christ and described that as the light of the world. Jesus, speaking to his disciples, called them the light of the world as they were living and sharing the life that is truly life. Are we experiencing this life of light, or are we settling into the spiritual darkness of our world. Darkness is always overcome by light, but that light must shine. Spending time in the glory of God’s presence strengthens the light within us so we can shine in dark places and spaces with God’s glory. Lord Jesus, fill me with your glory and shine through me, for your glory.”

  1 Peter 1-5   “To God’s elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia…She, who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends her greetings, and so does my son Mark…” 1 Peter 1:1; 5:13 After the initial persecution in Acts 8, the Jerusalem Church scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. However, at the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, the Jerusalem Church leadership also fled; this time the diaspora traveled throughout the Mediterranean region. Peter referred to them as ‘strangers in this world’, yet chosen by God. Babylon was a symbol of the first exile of the Jews and also represented the spiritual principality of this world which opposes Christ’s kingdom. We now live in Babylon; yet, we, too, are God’s elect, chosen, and dearly loved. Even in the most open, tolerant, and ‘Christian’ societies, we still live in Babylon. This world is not our home. Are we clear about who we are, whose we are, and where we are? “Lord Jesu...

James 1-5   “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.” James 1:2, 3 The capacity to approach trials and tests of our faith with pure joy is only possible when we can see the transforming, sanctifying work of God in our lives through these tests. This redemptive view of persecution, hardship, loss, and pain of every kind transforms the difficulties we face in life into opportunities for growth. Followers of Jesus worldwide, who are in challenging circumstances, are responding with joy today because the presence of Jesus within reminds us that he overcame sin and death. Jesus faced the cross with joy, anticipating the power of the resurrection and the hope of Pentecost so we, too, can take up our cross with joy, anticipating new capacities to persevere, live by faith, and walk in wisdom. Our circumstances do not define our attitude; our attitude shapes how we respond to our circum...

  Hebrews 12-13; Jude “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter or our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2 This one verse captures the heart of the Gospel and our path as disciples of Christ. Jesus is both the author of our salvation and our example of faith-filled discipleship. Jesus approached his death on the cross with anticipation of the joy of Pentecost on the ‘other side’. Our capacity to follow Jesus’ way is only possible through the indwelling, empowering presence of the Holy Spirit. Christ’s joy was not just for himself, but rather, for all of us who would one day join his body, the Church. Our call is to fix our eyes on Jesus, not just for salvation, but for daily leadership as we learn to obey his Spirit in our lives. Jesus is both our example of what it means to be a disciple, and our daily coach as we walk the same path. “Lord Jesus, my eyes are fi...

Hebrews 9-11 “By faith, Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents…For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.” Hebrews 11:8-10 We, too, are called to ‘go and make disciples’ (Matthew 28:19). Our mission, like Abraham’s, is not always clear. We, too, don’t know where we are going, even as we say “yes” to the call of God. Abraham lived in tents in the promised land because even that place was not his home. Abraham was looking forward to the eternal city with foundations built by God. Are we looking far enough forward? The mission plans and purposes of God are not our end goal. They are tents we live in as we live by faith, anticipating our eternal home. Have we settled for a home here, rather than walking by faith toward our eternal hom...

  Hebrews 5-8 “Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death…” Hebrews 6:1 Foundational to maturity in our relationship with Christ is repentance - repentance from sin, not just at the time of our salvation, but as an essential discipline of sanctification. Repentance from acts that lead to death, or dead works, or useless rituals, goes beyond our personal sin-choices. The useless rituals in which believing Jews were trusting involved the sacrificial system of the Mosaic Law and its many purification rituals.   Followers of Jesus today can dismiss the temptation to trust in these old, useless rituals; but, how about the rituals in which we are trusting? Our worship services and their ritualistic nature are dead works if the Spirit of God is not refreshing our worship forms and content. Any religious activity quickly becomes ritualistic if our full confidence and hop...

  Philemon; Hebrews 1-4 “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess…Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Hebrews 4:14, 16 The annual sacrifices offered by the high priest for Israel’s sin included sacrifice for his own sin. Believing this atonement was acceptable, the high priest would enter the most holy place of the temple where the glory of God dwelt above the mercy seat. Christ’s death and resurrection, as the sinless sacrifice for our sins, qualified him as our High Priest to not just visit the throne of mercy and grace once a year, but to dwell there. Our access to God’s throne of grace through Jesus our priest is now firm and unbroken. This is our confidence in prayer to God, that Christ’s righteousness has been gifted to us, so we now have right standing with God. This access to...

  2 Timothy 1-4   “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, according to the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus…This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.” 2 Timothy 1:1, 9, 10 At the close of Paul’s life, he was celebrating the life that is truly life found in Christ Jesus. This life, which he purposed before the beginning of time, is a gift of God’s grace to us. This life in Christ destroyed death and its power as well as the fear that death brings. Paul lived and shared this Gospel. As the time approached for his martyrdom, his bold declaration of eternal life in Christ rang out to the Church. The sound of this hope-filled Gospel is bringing life in Christ around the world. Have you heard this Gospel? Are we living this Gospel? Are we sharing this Gospel? “Lord Je...

1 Timothy 5-6; Titus 1-3   “But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called…so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.” 1 Timothy 6:11, 12, 19 Salvation is by faith and grace alone. However, to daily choose the life of the kingdom of God requires that we flee temptation, pursue righteousness, and fight the good fight of the faith. We must take hold of the eternal life that is truly life, and possess it by faith. It’s one thing to win new ground, it’s another thing to hold that ground and possess it. Our world is daily bombarding us with messages that we need more things to be happy. The pursuit of happiness is a right we will fight for.   But is our state of happiness, as defined by more things, noticeable beauty, and stimulating experiences, giving us life that is truly life? The true life of the kingdom...

  1 Timothy 1-4   “He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.” 1 Timothy 3:6, 7 Leadership in the Church is the target of spiritual warfare and our enemy is not people! The devil is real and active in the world today. His traps for Church leaders are often focused on pride, lust, or greed, (power, sex, and money). Paul’s warning to Timothy included the vulnerability that recent converts had and continue to have, in all three areas, but in particular, pride. Until we find our identity and value in God’s love for us, we are vulnerable in finding our identity in vocational ministry. This identity trap feeds pride when we take (and need) credit for what God does. Paul’s warning wisely calls us to develop disciples and allow the Church to call on leaders from tested, mature, and humble disciples. While ...

Colossians 1-4   “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church;…So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness…Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.” Colossians 1:17, 18; 2:6, 7; 3:15   Peace is not based on circumstances, but rather is a reality we experience as part of Christ’s body, living under his authority. Paul wrote these words as he waited for his trial in Rome, and was chained to a Roman soldier. His circumstances were far from peaceful. However, Paul was living in the reality of Christ’s presence and his vital union in spirit with other parts of Christ’s body, the Church. Are we living in Christ, or in this world; in peace, or in fear? Our vital union with Christ and one another gives us streng...

  Philippians 1-4   “Only let us live up to what we have already attained….Their mind is on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ…” Philippians 3:16, 19, 20 Are we living up or living down? Is our discipleship walk growing in Christlikeness, purity, and surrender to the Spirit’s leading, or are we drifting away from our first love for Christ? At the close of Paul’s life, while he awaited his trial in Rome, his anticipation for heaven was growing. Paul was living up. His citizenship was in heaven. When our citizenship is in heaven, we, too, can face the authorities on earth with a clear testimony of the Gospel. However, when our mind is on earthly things, including the latest political drama of the day, we become distracted and live down to the level of those whose god is money, sex, and power. Are we living up, or are we living down? “Lord Jesus, I desire to live up to what I have already learned and a...