Epaphroditus? Who is Epaphroditus? Well, he's a fellow-worker and buddy of Paul's from Philippi who brought him supplies to help with his ministry. He's a hero. My mind can't help but think of all those who work behind the scenes to make things happen. The ones we take for granted, and let's be honest, lack appreciation for. I've been on both sides of the fence, and I'll admit it's nice to receive the praise and accolades when your in the spot-light. But now I see how selfish that can be. Is that really the best place to be?
When I played basketball I dreamed a getting that slam-dunk, the crowd going wild, and watching it on films the next day hearing my teammates go, wowwww, can he get up. Does that sound funny or familiar? What's funny is that now I could care less about seeing a dunk on TV, they are so common, but a great pass gets me excited. I understand now that without that assist the slam wouldn't be possible. Isn't it funny how different any game is when you understand what's really going on behind the scenes?
Paul understood the game; he says, "Receive him therefore in the Lord with all gladness, and hold such men in esteem; because for the work of Christ he came close to death, not regarding his life, to supply what was lacking in your service toward me". (Phil 2:29-30) Epaphroditus delivered a great assist. Paul said "here's a hero".
Let's be careful who we hold in high-esteem. There are some who really deserve heroic status, and they're the ones who are putting their lives on the line for our freedom and for "the work of Christ". Honor these above all others.
Grace, MB
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Philippians 2:12-15 Are you happy with your job?
"...work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both (to will and to do) for His good pleasure. Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation,..." Philippians 2:12b-15a
What's all this have to do with being happy at your job? Think about it, if it's God who is working in you both "to will and to do", the position you find yourself in is no accident. Not any desire you mustered up, but God's desire placed on your heart. Actually He may have placed you there contrary to your will at this moment. It's OK! Would you want to be anywhere outside His will? Of course not. You will never be happy working for yourself. You will only be happy, or I should say joyful, when you are working for God and His good pleasure. If the thing created is something other than what his Creator created it to be there is confusion and chaos. Do you feel confused? Is your life chaotic? Tell God the Father to take over your confused and chaotic life, and the pieces of the puzzle will begin to fall into place.
Grace, MB
What's all this have to do with being happy at your job? Think about it, if it's God who is working in you both "to will and to do", the position you find yourself in is no accident. Not any desire you mustered up, but God's desire placed on your heart. Actually He may have placed you there contrary to your will at this moment. It's OK! Would you want to be anywhere outside His will? Of course not. You will never be happy working for yourself. You will only be happy, or I should say joyful, when you are working for God and His good pleasure. If the thing created is something other than what his Creator created it to be there is confusion and chaos. Do you feel confused? Is your life chaotic? Tell God the Father to take over your confused and chaotic life, and the pieces of the puzzle will begin to fall into place.
Grace, MB
Philippians 2:5-8 Must turn mind on before reading!
"Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, Who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death on the cross." Philippians 2:5-8
The Concordant Literal New Testament adds a word with great significance to verse 6. It reads "Who, being 'inherently' in the form of God..." This word means the same as belong, and comes from the Greek word - (h)up arch' o, which means to "originate" under.
Form is another important word to this text, meaning to take the visible shape of, coming from the Greek word - morph e' How can Jesus take the shape of God who has no shape? Think about that.
"Philippians 2:5-8 is one of the strongest assertions in the NT of the Deity of Jesus Christ." (Scofield's Commentary) It also gives us clues as to who Jesus really was and what was His relationship to the Father? We must not however take this passage out of context with the rest of scripture (i.e. John 1:1-2 In the beginning was the Word, ...and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. How can these two thoughts exist together? ) Scripture has not made the relationship between God and Jesus very clear to our minds, our understanding not able to wrap itself around this concept of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Does that make it any less truthful? Have we done an injustice by describing it as the Trinity? Are we locking into this 3 in 1 idea and consequently blinding ourselves to a better understanding? Are we limiting what God can do, being a spirit being? Consider these three passages: Ephesians 4:5-6 "one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in all." 1 Corinthians 11:12 "...but all things are from God." Genesis 1:26 "Then God said, 'Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness;" I believe it is absolutely possible to put God on the cross without putting God on the cross. Confused? You're not alone.
If God is spirit, can we really limit what He is capable of doing and being, by putting Him in a Trinitarian box? I'm curious to hear some of your comments about God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, and how they relate to each other.
Grace, MB
The Concordant Literal New Testament adds a word with great significance to verse 6. It reads "Who, being 'inherently' in the form of God..." This word means the same as belong, and comes from the Greek word - (h)up arch' o, which means to "originate" under.
Form is another important word to this text, meaning to take the visible shape of, coming from the Greek word - morph e' How can Jesus take the shape of God who has no shape? Think about that.
"Philippians 2:5-8 is one of the strongest assertions in the NT of the Deity of Jesus Christ." (Scofield's Commentary) It also gives us clues as to who Jesus really was and what was His relationship to the Father? We must not however take this passage out of context with the rest of scripture (i.e. John 1:1-2 In the beginning was the Word, ...and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. How can these two thoughts exist together? ) Scripture has not made the relationship between God and Jesus very clear to our minds, our understanding not able to wrap itself around this concept of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Does that make it any less truthful? Have we done an injustice by describing it as the Trinity? Are we locking into this 3 in 1 idea and consequently blinding ourselves to a better understanding? Are we limiting what God can do, being a spirit being? Consider these three passages: Ephesians 4:5-6 "one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in all." 1 Corinthians 11:12 "...but all things are from God." Genesis 1:26 "Then God said, 'Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness;" I believe it is absolutely possible to put God on the cross without putting God on the cross. Confused? You're not alone.
If God is spirit, can we really limit what He is capable of doing and being, by putting Him in a Trinitarian box? I'm curious to hear some of your comments about God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, and how they relate to each other.
Grace, MB
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Philippians 2:2-4 Close-minded?
Today we have a new president, and to be honest, I voted for McCain and Palin. I'm obviously discouraged but I believe a nation divided against itself is a nation that can not stand for long. So I choose this day to support President Obama and Vice Biden. I could be close-minded about this but I want to be open or like-minded with our government which follows the United States Constitution and the One True God who holds it all together.
To many times I think everyone needs to believe exactly like I do, and if they don't, well, they don't count. But after reading Philippians 2:2-4 over and over I find Paul was against division in the church from close-mindedness.
v 2-4 "fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Paul doesn't say be open-minded, but like-minded, better translated mutually disposed, or having a bent or inclination toward something. This is not to say, "it's my way or the highway", it's moving in the same direction (Christ), but possibly disagreeing on the minor issues. The next verses support this thought, "Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests but also for the interests of others."
It's ok to agree to disagree sometimes. We don't all think alike, in fact our beliefs should be changing if we are honestly searching for the truth. How many of you believe the same way today that you believed 5 years ago? Don't get me wrong, some things are unchanging and we may have to take sides. Jesus Christ is "the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father but by Me". John 14:6 There is no other way, contrary to Opra.
Grace, MB
To many times I think everyone needs to believe exactly like I do, and if they don't, well, they don't count. But after reading Philippians 2:2-4 over and over I find Paul was against division in the church from close-mindedness.
v 2-4 "fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Paul doesn't say be open-minded, but like-minded, better translated mutually disposed, or having a bent or inclination toward something. This is not to say, "it's my way or the highway", it's moving in the same direction (Christ), but possibly disagreeing on the minor issues. The next verses support this thought, "Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests but also for the interests of others."
It's ok to agree to disagree sometimes. We don't all think alike, in fact our beliefs should be changing if we are honestly searching for the truth. How many of you believe the same way today that you believed 5 years ago? Don't get me wrong, some things are unchanging and we may have to take sides. Jesus Christ is "the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father but by Me". John 14:6 There is no other way, contrary to Opra.
Grace, MB
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Philippians 1:1-30 Guaranteed to suffer?
I learned something over the weekend at a bible conference that actually worked. One of the speakers said to clip and paste scripture from biblegateway.com so that there are no chapters and verses to a passage. This morning I read Philippians 1:1-30 without verses, like a letter. What a difference. Go ahead and do that now, see what jumps out at you.
Philippians 1:12 ..."that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel." (NKJV)
I was first struck by the love Paul had for this church. Must of been a cool place and I'm sure he was close to many. (see 2 Cor 8:1-6) Secondly verse 12 jumped out at me because bad things happen to good people, and deep down I truly believe they happen for a reason, that reason being to further the gospel, to help others come into relationship with Jesus Christ. I know Satan is real, and that he causes many bad things to happen, to draw us away from God. However, I believe God is using him like a puppet, a rag doll sounds better for some reason, and that God is accomplishing His purposes through the good and bad, no matter what rabbit trail we take in life. And get this, "For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake,..." (verse 29) Ya, we're gonna suffer for Jesus Christ. I wanna make sure my suffering is for the furtherance of the gospel, not for the hindrance. Guaranteed!
Grace, MB
Philippians 1:12 ..."that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel." (NKJV)
I was first struck by the love Paul had for this church. Must of been a cool place and I'm sure he was close to many. (see 2 Cor 8:1-6) Secondly verse 12 jumped out at me because bad things happen to good people, and deep down I truly believe they happen for a reason, that reason being to further the gospel, to help others come into relationship with Jesus Christ. I know Satan is real, and that he causes many bad things to happen, to draw us away from God. However, I believe God is using him like a puppet, a rag doll sounds better for some reason, and that God is accomplishing His purposes through the good and bad, no matter what rabbit trail we take in life. And get this, "For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake,..." (verse 29) Ya, we're gonna suffer for Jesus Christ. I wanna make sure my suffering is for the furtherance of the gospel, not for the hindrance. Guaranteed!
Grace, MB
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Ephesians 6:11-12 Whose the enemy?
Ephesians 6:11-12 "Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places."
Who is our real enemy here? Supernatural forces, demons, and evil spirits, sounds like a haunted hayride doesn't it? We really lose sight of this fact. Our enemies are not the people around us, but the spirits controlling those people. There are good spirits and there are bad spirits. The closer we walk in fellowship with God, the better able we are to discern those spirits and to know whether they are good or bad.
Make no mistake though, God has defeated the evil general-Satan and his forces. Colossians 2:15 says "Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it." Here's the final outcome: the beast and the false prophet are cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 19:20), the devil, who deceived the nations during the final years of the earths existence, is cast into the lake of fire with the beast and false prophet (Revelation 20:10), and the last enemy "death"- God will destroy (1Corinthians 15:26). And in the end of all ages, "...God will be all in all." (1 Corinthians 15:28) You see the bible tells us the whole story, we know in the end God will have the final victory and death will be defeated. Sweet!
For now Satan has been given the title "prince of the power of the air" or ruler of this world. He's the deceiver of men who have chosen not to follow Christ. If your not following Christ your are following and being deceived by "the prince of this world", and he wants to take with him as many as he can, to steal our inheritance and our reward. When Christ comes to take His own at the rapture, which by the way could happen at any moment (1 Thess 4:13-5:2), will you be ready? Don't give Satan the satisfaction. Ask Jesus Christ into your heart today, thank Him for forgiving all your sins, and make Him your master. Only then can you see who the real enemy is.
In His Grace, MB
Who is our real enemy here? Supernatural forces, demons, and evil spirits, sounds like a haunted hayride doesn't it? We really lose sight of this fact. Our enemies are not the people around us, but the spirits controlling those people. There are good spirits and there are bad spirits. The closer we walk in fellowship with God, the better able we are to discern those spirits and to know whether they are good or bad.
Make no mistake though, God has defeated the evil general-Satan and his forces. Colossians 2:15 says "Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it." Here's the final outcome: the beast and the false prophet are cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 19:20), the devil, who deceived the nations during the final years of the earths existence, is cast into the lake of fire with the beast and false prophet (Revelation 20:10), and the last enemy "death"- God will destroy (1Corinthians 15:26). And in the end of all ages, "...God will be all in all." (1 Corinthians 15:28) You see the bible tells us the whole story, we know in the end God will have the final victory and death will be defeated. Sweet!
For now Satan has been given the title "prince of the power of the air" or ruler of this world. He's the deceiver of men who have chosen not to follow Christ. If your not following Christ your are following and being deceived by "the prince of this world", and he wants to take with him as many as he can, to steal our inheritance and our reward. When Christ comes to take His own at the rapture, which by the way could happen at any moment (1 Thess 4:13-5:2), will you be ready? Don't give Satan the satisfaction. Ask Jesus Christ into your heart today, thank Him for forgiving all your sins, and make Him your master. Only then can you see who the real enemy is.
In His Grace, MB
Ephesians 6:5-8 Are You a Bondservant?
Ephesians 6:5-8 is addressed to bondservants. In the past I've always skimmed through these 3 verses, not giving much attention to them because they were written for slaves. Not the kind of slaves we think of, held against their will, but the bondservants of old who volunteered to work under different circumstances. As I read it today the thought occurred to me, "What if we saw ourselves as bondservants all the time?"
How do you see yourself, humbly or proud? Do you see yourself as better than or less than or equal to those around you? Is there jealousy? Are you angry with anyone now because they are succeeding and you are struggling? Are you mad at your boss? Ticked off at Bush? Wishing McCain was MIA or Obama was exposed for who he is? These kinds of thoughts were most likely the very thoughts bondservants of old had toward their masters. These thoughts manifest on a daily basis with us if we're honest with ourselves. What would the world be like if people listened to God's advice for the bondservant?
"Be obedient to your masters(those in authority over you), with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ; not with eyeservice, as brown nosers, but like Christ were your master, doing what He wants you to do from your heart, with goodwill, like you were doing it for God, not for a man or woman. Knowing that whatever good you do for someone else, it will be returned to you from God."
Grace, MB
How do you see yourself, humbly or proud? Do you see yourself as better than or less than or equal to those around you? Is there jealousy? Are you angry with anyone now because they are succeeding and you are struggling? Are you mad at your boss? Ticked off at Bush? Wishing McCain was MIA or Obama was exposed for who he is? These kinds of thoughts were most likely the very thoughts bondservants of old had toward their masters. These thoughts manifest on a daily basis with us if we're honest with ourselves. What would the world be like if people listened to God's advice for the bondservant?
"Be obedient to your masters(those in authority over you), with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ; not with eyeservice, as brown nosers, but like Christ were your master, doing what He wants you to do from your heart, with goodwill, like you were doing it for God, not for a man or woman. Knowing that whatever good you do for someone else, it will be returned to you from God."
Grace, MB
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