My
dear congregation, I, your pastor, love you in very truth. (2 John 2:1)
This
is my life work: helping people understand and respond to this Message. It came
as a sheer gift to me, a real surprise, God handling all the details. When it
came to presenting the Message to people who had no background in God's way, I
was the least qualified of any of the available Christians. God saw to it that
I was equipped, but you can be sure that it had nothing to do with my natural
abilities. (Ephesians 3:7, 8)
I'm
not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on
my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me.
Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of
this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to
Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back. (Philippians 3:12-14)
It
wasn't so long ago that we ourselves were stupid and stubborn, dupes of sin,
ordered every which way by our glands, going around with a chip on our
shoulder, hated and hating back. But when God, our kind and loving Savior God,
stepped in, he saved us from all that. It was all his doing; we had nothing to
do with it. He gave us a good bath, and we came out of it new people, washed
inside and out by the Holy Spirit. Our Savior Jesus poured out new life so
generously. God's gift has restored our relationship with him and given us back
our lives. And there's more life to come—an eternity of life! You can count on
this. I want you to put your foot down. Take a firm stand on these matters so
that those who have put their trust in God will concentrate on the essentials
that are good for everyone. Stay away from mindless, pointless quarreling over
genealogies and fine print in the law code. That gets you nowhere. Warn a
quarrelsome person once or twice, but then be done with him. It's obvious that
such a person is out of line, rebellious against God. By persisting in
divisiveness he cuts himself off. (Titus 3:3-11)
Take
a good look, friends, at who you were when you got called into this life. I
don't see many of "the brightest and the best" among you, not many
influential, not many from high-society families. Isn't it obvious that God
deliberately chose men and women that the culture overlooks and exploits and
abuses, chose these "nobodies" to expose the hollow pretensions of
the "somebodies"? That makes it quite clear that none of you can get
by with blowing your own horn before God. Everything that we have—right
thinking and right living, a clean slate and a fresh start—comes from God by
way of Jesus Christ. That's why we have the saying, "If you're going to
blow a horn, blow a trumpet for God." (1 Corinthians 1:26-31)
So
don't put up with anyone pressuring you in details of diet, worship services,
or holy days. All those things are mere shadows cast before what was to come;
the substance is Christ. Don't tolerate people who try to run your life,
ordering you to bow and scrape, insisting that you join their obsession with
angels and that you seek out visions. They're a lot of hot air, that's all they
are. They're completely out of touch with the source of life, Christ, who puts
us together in one piece, whose very breath and blood flow through us. He is
the Head and we are the body. We can grow up healthy in God only as he
nourishes us. So, then, if with Christ you've put all that pretentious and
infantile religion behind you, why do you let yourselves be bullied by it?
"Don't touch this! Don't taste that! Don't go near this!" Do you think
things that are here today and gone tomorrow are worth that kind of attention?
Such things sound impressive if said in a deep enough voice. They even give the
illusion of being pious and humble and ascetic. But they're just another way of
showing off, making yourselves look important. (Colossians 2:16-23)
If
you've gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any
difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything
to you, if you have a heart, if you care— then do me a favor: Agree with each
other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don't push your way to the
front; don't sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help
others get ahead. Don't be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget
yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand. (Philippians 2:1-4)
Don't
let yourselves get taken in by religious smooth talk. God gets furious with
people who are full of religious sales talk but want nothing to do with him.
Don't even hang around people like that. (Ephesians 5:6, 7)
Do
everything readily and cheerfully—no bickering, no second-guessing allowed! Go
out into the world uncorrupted, a breath of fresh air in this squalid and
polluted society. Provide people with a glimpse of good living and of the
living God. Carry the light-giving Message into the night so I'll have good
cause to be proud of you on the day that Christ returns. You'll be living proof
that I didn't go to all this work for nothing. (Philippians 2:14-16)
Live
creatively, friends. If someone falls into sin, forgivingly restore him, saving
your critical comments for yourself. You might be needing forgiveness before
the day's out. Stoop down and reach out to those who are oppressed. Share their
burdens, and so complete Christ's law. If you think you are too good for that,
you are badly deceived. (Galatians 6:1-3)
Make
a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then
sink yourself into that. Don't be impressed with yourself. Don't compare
yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the
creative best you can with your own life. (Galatians 6:4, 5)
Let
the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other.
None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness.
Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of
room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense.
And sing, sing your hearts out to God! Let every detail in your lives—words,
actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the
Father every step of the way. (Colossians 3:15-17)
And now, friends, we ask you to
honor those leaders who work so hard for you, who have been given the
responsibility of urging and guiding you along in your obedience. Overwhelm
them with appreciation and love! Get along among yourselves, each of you doing
your part. Our counsel is that you warn the freeloaders to get a move on.
Gently encourage the stragglers, and reach out for the exhausted, pulling them
to their feet. Be patient with each person, attentive to individual needs. And
be careful that when you get on each other's nerves you don't snap at each
other. Look for the best in each other, and always do your best to bring it
out. Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what
happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.
Don't suppress the Spirit, and don't stifle those who have a word from the
Master. On the other hand, don't be gullible. Check out everything, and keep
only what's good. Throw out anything tainted with evil. May God himself, the
God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you
together—spirit, soul, and body—and keep you fit for the coming of our Master,
Jesus Christ. The One who called you is completely dependable. If he said it,
he'll do it! (1 Thessalonians 5:12-24)
Stick
with me, friends. Keep track of those you see running this same course, headed
for this same goal. There are many out there taking other paths, choosing other
goals, and trying to get you to go along with them. I've warned you of them
many times; sadly, I'm having to do it again. All they want is easy street.
They hate Christ's Cross. But easy street is a dead-end street. Those who live
there make their bellies their gods; belches are their praise; all they can
think of is their appetites. (Philippians 3:17-19)
Here's how we can be sure that we
know God in the right way: Keep his commandments. If someone claims, "I
know him well!" but doesn't keep his commandments, he's obviously a liar.
His life doesn't match his words. But the one who keeps God's word is the
person in whom we see God's mature love. This is the only way to be sure we're
in God. Anyone who claims to be intimate with God ought to live the same kind
of life Jesus lived. My dear friends, I'm not writing anything new here. This
is the oldest commandment in the book, and you've known it from day one. It's
always been implicit in the Message you've heard. On the other hand, perhaps it
is new, freshly minted as it is in both Christ and you—the darkness on its way
out and the True Light already blazing! Anyone who claims to live in God's
light and hates a brother or sister is still in the dark. It's the person who
loves brother and sister who dwells in God's light and doesn't block the light
from others. But whoever hates is still in the dark, stumbles around in the
dark, doesn't know which end is up, blinded by the darkness. (1 John 2:2-11)
My
counsel for you is simple and straightforward: Just go ahead with what you've
been given. You received Christ Jesus, the Master; now live him. You're deeply
rooted in him. You're well constructed upon him. You know your way around the
faith. Now do what you've been taught. School's out; quit studying the subject
and start living it! And let your living spill over into thanksgiving. Watch
out for people who try to dazzle you with big words and intellectual
double-talk. They want to drag you off into endless arguments that never amount
to anything. They spread their ideas through the empty traditions of human
beings and the empty superstitions of spirit beings. But that's not the way of
Christ. Everything of God gets expressed in him, so you can see and hear him
clearly. You don't need a telescope, a microscope, or a horoscope to realize
the fullness of Christ, and the emptiness of the universe without him. When you
come to him, that fullness comes together for you, too. His power extends over
everything. (Colossians 2:6-10)
So
this is my prayer: that your love will flourish and that you will not only love
much but well. Learn to love appropriately. You need to use your head and test
your feelings so that your love is sincere and intelligent, not sentimental
gush. Live a lover's life, circumspect and exemplary, a life Jesus will be
proud of: bountiful in fruits from the soul, making Jesus Christ attractive to
all, getting everyone involved in the glory and praise of God. (Philippians
1:9-11)
Remember our history, friends, and be warned. All our ancestors were led by the providential Cloud and taken miraculously through the Sea. They went through the waters, in a baptism like ours, as Moses led them from enslaving death to salvation life. They all ate and drank identical food and drink, meals provided daily by God. They drank from the Rock, God's fountain for them that stayed with them wherever they were. And the Rock was Christ. But just experiencing God's wonder and grace didn't seem to mean much—most of them were defeated by temptation during the hard times in the desert, and God was not pleased. The same thing could happen to us. We must be on guard so that we never get caught up in wanting our own way as they did. And we must not turn our religion into a circus as they did—"First the people partied, then they threw a dance." We must not be sexually promiscuous—they paid for that, remember, with 23,000 deaths in one day! We must never try to get Christ to serve us instead of us serving him; they tried it, and God launched an epidemic of poisonous snakes. We must be careful not to stir up discontent; discontent destroyed them. These are all warning markers—danger!—in our history books, written down so that we don't repeat their mistakes. Our positions in the story are parallel—they at the beginning, we at the end—and we are just as capable of messing it up as they were. Don't be so naive and self-confident. You're not exempt. You could fall flat on your face as easily as anyone else. Forget about self-confidence; it's useless. Cultivate God-confidence. (1 Corinthians 10:1-12)
I
don't know about you, but I'm running hard for the finish line. I'm giving it
everything I've got. No sloppy living for me! I'm staying alert and in top
condition. I'm not going to get caught napping, telling everyone else all about
it and then missing out myself. (1 Corinthians 9:26, 27)
For
my part, I am going to boast about nothing but the Cross of our Master, Jesus
Christ. Because of that Cross, I have been crucified in relation to the world,
set free from the stifling atmosphere of pleasing others and fitting into the
little patterns that they dictate. Can't you see the central issue in all this?
It is not what you and I do—submit to circumcision, reject circumcision. It is
what God is doing, and he is creating something totally new, a free life! All
who walk by this standard are the true Israel of God—his chosen people. Peace
and mercy on them! (Galatians 6:14-16)
So,
my very dear friends, when you see people reducing God to something they can
use or control, get out of their company as fast as you can. (1 Corinthians
10:14)
Keep
your eyes open, hold tight to your convictions, give it all you've got, be
resolute, and love without stopping. (1 Corinthians 16:13, 14)
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. (2 Corinthians 1:3-5)
What
a God we have! And how fortunate we are to have him, this Father of our Master
Jesus! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we've been given a brand-new
life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven—and the
future starts now! God is keeping careful watch over us and the future. The Day
is coming when you'll have it all—life healed and whole. (1 Peter 1:3-5)
And
now to him who can keep you on your feet, standing tall in his bright presence,
fresh and celebrating—to our one God, our only Savior, through Jesus Christ,
our Master, be glory, majesty, strength, and rule before all time, and now, and
to the end of all time. Yes. (Jude 24)
Our
Master Jesus has his arms wide open for you. And I love all of you in the
Messiah, in Jesus. (1 Corinthians 16:23, 24)
