QT 29 Jun 10

1 Cor 8:1-3, 9-13 (NIV) Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that we all possess knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. 2 The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know. 3 But the man who loves God is known by God.

...

9 Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak. 10 For if anyone with a weak conscience sees you who have this knowledge eating in an idol's temple, won't he be emboldened to eat what has been sacrificed to idols? 11 So this weak brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. 12 When you sin against your brothers in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. 13 Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall.

NOTE: It appears that the Corinthian letter, to which Paul is responding, contains a dissertation on the freedom we have in Christ, and the non-existence of idols (so-called gods). Paul starts with a gentle reminder of the danger of thinking you know it all, that you have solved all the issues by logic and wisdom. In fact, Paul then goes on to argue two points, the fact that eating food sacrificed to idols should not be an issue, but because of conscience and the weaker brother, you sin against Christ when you eat food sacrificed to idols in the weaker brother's presence. So then, the problem is not quite as easy as their letter seems to suggest it to be. Or in other words, don't be too quick to judge or to rely on human reasoning.

QT 22 Jun 10

1 Cor 7:8-16 (NIV) Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I am. 9 But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.

10 To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband. 11 But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife.

12 To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her. 13 And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him. 14 For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.

15 But if the unbeliever leaves, let him do so. A believing man or woman is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace. 16 How do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or, how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?

NOTE: Verses 15 and 16 do seem to recognize the marriage of believer and unbeliever. It could be that the person comes to believe after marriage, but it doesn't seem to exclude that possibility of prior. Verses 10 and 11 are commands from God, which basically say that we are not to divorce our believing spouse, although separation may be useful for a time. Verses 12 through 14 are clearly Paul's instructions, and not necessarily God's, which also tell the believer not to divorce, but recognize that one cannot stop the unbeliever from divorce. Clearly there are some cases where divorce is acceptable or at least separation: physical abuse, illegal activity, and sexual immorality. So, Paul's rule and Jesus command are the general rule.

QT 16 Jun 10

1 Cor 5:9-13 (NIV) I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10 not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. 11 But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.

12 What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? 13 God will judge those outside. "Expel the wicked man from among you."

NOTE: Paul refers to a previous letter, of which, we have no copy today. Apparently, the letter was not worth saving or not inspired. In the letter he tells the readers to avoid sexually immoral people, but he was not referring to the people of this world, but to those inside the church. We are to judge those inside the church, at least in a limited sense. I would not judge a person's motives or a person's convictions or behavior that does exhibit a pattern. We are to judge public sin, doctrine, and a pattern of sin. At least that are the boundaries that scripture suggests. And we are to expel the brother or sister who refuses to repent of their sin.

QT 15 Jun 10

1 Cor 5:1-5 (NIV) It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that does not occur even among pagans: A man has his father's wife. 2 And you are proud! Shouldn't you rather have been filled with grief and have put out of your fellowship the man who did this? 3 Even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. And I have already passed judgment on the one who did this, just as if I were present. 4 When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, 5 hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord.

NOTE: The Corinthian church lived in a pagan, wealthy, and highly sexual environment. Possibly, Paul is not surprised that some would struggle with immorality, but he is amazed that it would be sexual immorality which doesn't even happen among pagans. The fact that they are proud suggests that some of the teaching has to do with what is acceptable sexual mores. This is clearly against Paul's teaching and seems to reinforce the view that the leaders were preaching a message that "made people happy." The message was that "God wants you to be happy," and here is a perfect case where "we are free to do what our hearts lead us to do." This sounds much like the health and wealth gospel, as some of the discussion in chapter 4 leads one to believe. Rather than saying this good, their attitude should have been to condemn the activity, to remove the person from the body, in the hope that life outside of the body would bring the person back to the Lord.

QT 9 Jun 10

1 Cor 4:6-7 (NIV) Now, brothers, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying, "Do not go beyond what is written." Then you will not take pride in one man over against another. 7 For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?

NOTE: The saying "Do not go beyond what is written" is perplexing. I think Paul is saying that we must be careful to not develop doctrine that is not completely supported by the text of scripture. In which case, what a particular person thinks or doesn't think is not important, only what God says is true. Paul then summarizes in three questions.

"Who makes you different from anyone else?" I suppose Paul is saying that if we are different, which I am not sure we are, at least in authority of statements, then it would be God who made us different. But Paul is saying that we are not different, therefore God's word is our ultimate authority, not a person's interpretation of it.

"What do you have that you did not receive?" The answer is nothing. Everything we have, has been given by God. God has given us his word, and that is our source of truth.

"And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?" When God does give understanding, we should give him the credit. It should not be a new thought, but rather what God has clearly revealed. In other words, I don't get to create doctrine. Truth comes from God and is revealed in the scriptures.

QT 2 Jun 2010

1 Cor 1:10-17 (NIV) I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought. 11 My brothers, some from Chloe's household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. 12 What I mean is this: One of you says, "I follow Paul"; another, "I follow Apollos"; another, "I follow Cephas"; still another, "I follow Christ."

13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul? 14 I am thankful that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so no one can say that you were baptized into my name. 16 (Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don't remember if I baptized anyone else.) 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel — not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

NOTE: Two things stand out to me. The first is the importance of unity in the body of Christ. Paul appeals to the brethen to agree with one another, and to be perfectly united in mind and thought. Jesus also prayed for unity of the spirit prior to his death. There is an expectation that believers should be able to come to a common agreement about issues that commonly divide any normal group. And so this should be a priority for the body of Christ.

The second thing is that the believers were dividing themselves among famous leaders, as if the leaders taught some different message, or that there is some status in having been trained by so-and-so. First, Paul argues to their commonality, Jesus and him crucified alone. Pride is a dangerous thing, especially in the church, and can be argued was the reason for Lucifer's fall. So, why are we allowing the body to fall in Satan's trap? The message is clear, unity should be the goal, and pride is the weapon Satan uses to divide people.

QT 28 May 10

1 Cor 1:4-6 (NIV) I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. 5 For in him you have been enriched in every way — in all your speaking and in all your knowledge— 6 because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you.

NOTE: I'm not sure what comes first. Are the Corinthians enriched because of Paul's testimony? Or is Paul's ministry confirmed because of their enrichment from God? Either way, real life in Christ should show some difference. I look at my navigator friends from college, and I see so many serving God in very different and unique ways. Their work of faith confirms the testimony of those who shared Christ with them. No wonder Paul starts out by saying, "I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus." I feel the same way, so unworthy of the people I helped come to Christ or even to grow in their relationship with the Savior. Why am I? Nobody, but I hope someone that is useful to my savior.

QT 27 May 10

1 Cor 1:1 (NIV) Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes,

NOTE: It seems a remarkable coincidence that Paul should be writing a letter with Sosthenes to Corinth, when the name Sosthenes is the same as the synagogue ruler who took Paul to court, and then was later beaten by his own brethen for the failure to get Gallio to act on any of the charges, at Corinth. Maybe the beating convinced Sosthenes that he really had no true friends, and the Christians lived much different loving lives. It may be coincidence, but when it comes to the gospel, it really is not unusual at all to find those who fought so hard against it to turn to it in the end. Paul is the proto-typical example. A man determined to snuff it out, becoming the man God used to spread it over the known world.

It really is amazing that God uses imperfect and dirty lumps of clay to accomplish his glorious and majestic work. How unworthy are we to the task that we are called! But our unworthiness is no excuse to not respond to the grace that was showered upon us. Yes, we are sinners, but when God calls us to a task, we must respond. He deserves nothing less than our full attention.

QT 26 May 10

Lev 27:30-33 (NIV) "'A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord. 31 If a man redeems any of his tithe, he must add a fifth of the value to it. 32 The entire tithe of the herd and flock — every tenth animal that passes under the shepherd's rod — will be holy to the Lord. 33 He must not pick out the good from the bad or make any substitution. If he does make a substitution, both the animal and its substitute become holy and cannot be redeemed.'"

NOTE: This verse does a good job explaining the tithe. It is one-tenth of all the grain and fruit the man produces, and one-tenth of his entire flock and herd. So, it is ten percent of that year's produce, but ten percent of the entire flock. Also, there are three different tithes, which most people conveniently forget. There are two tithes given every year (or 19 percent -- 10 percent plus another ten percent (9 percent) of the remainder (90 percent)). Finally every third year there is a special tithe for the poor, so a person who tithes would give over three years, 19 percent, 19 percent, and 27.1 percent. In the end, a tithe works out to 22-23 percent a year as an average.

In the new convenant, the tithe is never repeated. Paul makes it clear that giving is regular and important but not prescribed. "God is not mocked, a man reaps what he sows." "Each one should give as he has made up his mind to, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful give."

QT 24 May 10

Lev 26:3-13 (NIV) "'If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands,

I will send you rain in its season, ....

Your threshing will continue until grape harvest and

the grape harvest will continue until planting…

"'I will grant peace in the land, and you will lie down and no one will make you afraid. …

"'I will look on you with favor and make you fruitful and increase your numbers,…

I will put my dwelling place among you, ...

I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people…

NOTE: The old covenant's blessings were works-based. Salvation was faith based, as Paul, James, and the writer of Hebrews argue when discussing Abraham's faith and the resulting righteousness. Unfortunately for Israel, they did not enjoy a lot of the blessings because they failed to follow the decrees and were not careful to obey the commands.

The new covenant's blessings are not material but spiritual. While grace is showered on the NC believer, the effects of sin and disobedience do affect the spiritual blessings. Sin separates us from God and closes the door to the spiritual blessings that God wants to shower on us.

QT 20 May 10

Lev 17:3-5 (NIV) Any Israelite who sacrifices an ox, a lamb or a goat in the camp or outside of it 4 instead of bringing it to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting to present it as an offering to the Lord in front of the tabernacle of the Lord — that man shall be considered guilty of bloodshed; he has shed blood and must be cut off from his people. 5 This is so the Israelites will bring to the Lord the sacrifices they are now making in the open fields. They must bring them to the priest, that is, to the Lord, at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and sacrifice them as fellowship offerings.

NOTE: Two issues are addressed, one is prostitution to goat idols (vs 17:7), but the other issue addresses "private worship." Even today, people avoid public worship, that is church, because their "worship is private." Heb 10:24, 25 addresses the same argument for the new covenant. Here, God makes it very clear that you must come to the tabernacle to sacrifice your offerings. And those offerings, that are not freewill offerings shall be considered fellowship offerings. In other words, fellowship is an important aspect of worship. Private worship in God's economy is an oxymoron when practiced almost exclusively. Private worship, while not wrong, can be used as an excuse to the important task of fellowship and involvement with the larger believing community, in the case of the new covenant, that would be the church.

QT 19 May 10

Lev 13:1-2 (NIV) The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 2 "When anyone has a swelling or a rash or a bright spot on his skin that may become an infectious skin disease, he must be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons who is a priest.

NOTE: Chapter 13 and 14 deal with a variety of skin diseases, mold, and mildew. They concern the investigation and cleansing required. Despite the material presented here, no cases of leprosy being healed were ever noted among the people of Israel to which this law would apply (Miriam was before the law, and Naaman was Jewish), therefore it was assumed that the healing of a leper was a Messianic miracle. One of Jesus' earliest miracles was the healing of a leper. In accordance with the law, Jesus sent the healed leper to the Priests.

Lev 14:30-31 (NIV) Then he shall sacrifice the doves or the young pigeons, which the person can afford, 31 one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering, together with the grain offering. In this way the priest will make atonement before the Lord on behalf of the one to be cleansed."

NOTE: Even though sickness, disease, and other illnesses are not directly related to sin (Job's boils being one example), all sin is indirectly a result of the fall. Therefore, a sin and burnt offering is required upon the healing of the individual, as a recognition of our rebellion from God as the ultimate reason for this world not being what God intended, that is full of evil and pain.

QT 10 May 10

Lev 1:3 (NIV) … offer a male without defect. ...

Lev 2:1 (NIV) … offering is to be of fine flour. ...

Lev 2:13 (NIV) Season all your grain offerings with salt. Do not leave the salt of the covenant of your God out of your grain offerings; add salt to all your offerings.

NOTE: All the offerings are to be quality offerings. Of course this is for the law and so we must be careful in our application. But I think here is a case where the principle would apply in the NT, our offerings to God must be first class. Jesus set the example, "he did all things well." He calls us "to be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect." Our ministry should be characterized by first class effort. The phrase "it is good enough for government work" should be anathema in the church, and in the life of any believer. "Whatever you do, do it as if serving the Lord."

Also, God gets rid of the yeast, but adds salt. The yeast symbolizes sin in the OT and NT. The salt symbolizes preservation and things that bring life. Our ministry needs to excise sin, and bring in those things which give life.

Father help me to think through how I live in these two areas. Do I do my best? Have I let sin into my ministry, or do I provide life and preservation for those involved?

QT 4 May 10

Ex 35:20-22 (NIV) Then the whole Israelite community withdrew from Moses' presence, 21 and everyone who was willing and whose heart moved him came and brought an offering to the Lord for the work on the Tent of Meeting, for all its service, and for the sacred garments. 22 All who were willing, men and women alike, came and brought gold jewelry of all kinds: brooches, earrings, rings and ornaments. They all presented their gold as a wave offering to the Lord.

NOTE: This part is different from the requirements of the OT law regarding tithe. This is a freewill offering and more akin to the NT concept of giving "each one must as he made up his mind … not reluctantly, but cheerfully." Unfortunately, we do seem to confuse the idea of the OT tithe, which is required by the law, and the NT concepts of giving, which are more akin to the freewill offering here, and not to a set amount. Why is it we feel we must reach some "percentage" to be pleasing God? Why are we not comfortable with freewill offerings in all of our giving? Maybe, we are really holding back, and as long as we hit the magic ten percent, we can do what we want. Of course, that is also a misconception, because the Israelites were required to give a tithe twice a year, and every third year, were required to give three tithes, averaging out to about 23 percent of one's income. Lord, free us from rules and man-made conceptions of serving you. Free us to truly serve you in spirit above law.

QT, 29 Apr 10

Ex 32:25 (NIV) Moses saw that the people were running wild and that Aaron had let them get out of control and so become a laughingstock to their enemies.

NOTE: Leadership bears a great responsibility in standing up for truth. The sheep need shepherds, and the shepherds must place responsibility above popularity. Leadership is a lonely job. It is guaranteed to make people unhappy. There will always be tough decisions that will infuriate some portion of the population, if that was not true, there would be no need for the leader, or for decision making, since all decisions would be self-evident. Aaron failed in his role of leading the people. That does not exclude him from God or cause him to be disciplined, but he still failed as a leader. I think teachers have the same role and responsibility today. We must not shrink back from telling people the truth of God's word, even when it is unpopular or not the common view (either of the world or the church-going crowd). Truth is defined by God alone, and not by culture or opinion.

QT 27 Apr 10

Ex 32:1-6 (NIV) When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, "Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don't know what has happened to him."

2 Aaron answered them, "Take off the gold earrings that your wives, your sons and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me." 3 So all the people took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron. 4 He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, "These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt."

5 When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of the calf and announced, "Tomorrow there will be a festival to the Lord." 6 So the next day the people rose early and sacrificed burnt offerings and presented fellowship offerings. Afterward they sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.

NOTE: Aaron is the ultimate people pleaser. I'm sure 40 days was a long time for Moses to be gone. And without a vision or a purpose, the people sought the wrong things. Also, most people whose faith is weak want something tangible to put their hat on. It is hard to believe when the object of your faith is unseen and does not answer your prayers the way you want them answered. But then, Aaron's actions get out of hand. The people indulge in revelry during their worship time. It is apparent that Aaron isn't involved, but he is the one who declares the golden calf to be the god who brought them out of Egypt. So false teaching can lead indirectly to gross sin. This is why it is so important that teachers study God's word diligently, and do not neglect the work that is required to accurately handle God's word. Father, protect me from relying on my wisdom or knowledge and not seeking your truth above all.

QT 23 Apr 10

Ex 28:1-2 (NIV) Have Aaron your brother brought to you from among the Israelites, along with his sons Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, so they may serve me as priests. 2 Make sacred garments for your brother Aaron, to give him dignity and honor.

NOTE: The garments give dignity and honor, they do not make the person better, holy, or closer to God. The garments are required to serve as Priests in the tabernacle. The garments "cover" the person in a way that God says is acceptable. In that sense, they are holy. But the person is not holy because he wears sacred garments. He has dignity and respect not because he is something special, but because he is called to a special task before God.

But in the new covenant, all believers are priests, "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy (1 Peter 2:9-10)." So, we are no different from a Priest in the OT. We should give dignity and honor to other believers, especially those who are serving the Lord well. But they are not better, they are just obedient, and example to all who call themselves by the name of Christ.

QT 22 Apr 10

Ex 21:13 (NIV) However, if he does not do it intentionally, but God lets it happen, he is to flee to a place I will designate.

NOTE: This is an interesting verse from God directly regarding his sovereignty.

Ex 25:40 (NIV) See that you make them according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.

Ex 26:30 (NIV) "Set up the tabernacle according to the plan shown you on the mountain.

NOTE: The word "pattern" is not used very often in scriptures; it shows up nine times, five referring to the tabernacle. The word "plan," while occurring often (31 times), only seems to reference the tabernacle once. Planning is a broad term, while pattern is very specific. Planning assumes that the detail or patterns may differ from one plan to another, even when the plan is the same. But pattern is something that is to be followed specifically. One case of the nine cases, Rom 5:14, refers to Adam as pattern of Jesus who was to come. The three other cases are as follows:

Rom 12:2 (NIV) Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Phil 3:17 (NIV) Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you.

2 Tim 1:13 (NIV) What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus.

NOTE: So we are not to mimic the world in our thoughts. We are to mimic those who live as Paul taught. And, we are to mimic sound teaching, as Paul did. Beyond that, there is a lot of freedom.

QT 14 Apr 10

Ex 20:18-21, 24-25 (NIV) When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance 19 and said to Moses, "Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die."

20 Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning."

21 The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.

24 "'Make an altar of earth for me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, your sheep and goats and your cattle. Wherever I cause my name to be honored, I will come to you and bless you. 25 If you make an altar of stones for me, do not build it with dressed stones, for you will defile it if you use a tool on it.

NOTE: Two things stand out. One, God does specifically say that the fear of God will keep them from sinning. I think we like to spiritualize that or mollify it by suggesting that the fear of God means respect or awe. But it is very clear from the context that the fear is physical and emotional fear. Actually, we may not like to admit it, but fear can have a very positive effect on our behavior.

Secondly, God wants the altar built out of stones, with no tools of any kind. Now, the tabernacle will have different rules for a different purpose, but I think that the point is that when we come to God, we don't come on our terms or what he have done to deserve his presence. We can't earn a meeting with God. We can't earn an answer to a prayer. We come as we are with nothing to boast about.

QT 13 Apr 10

Ex 20:2-18 "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

3 "You shall have no other gods before me.

4 "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. . . .

7 "You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, . . .

8 "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. . . .

12 "Honor your father and your mother, . . .

13 "You shall not murder.

14 "You shall not commit adultery.

15 "You shall not steal.

16 "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

17 "You shall not covet . . . anything that belongs to your neighbor."

NOTE: So much is written about the Ten Commandments that it is almost hard to make any comment. The first four commands separated Israel from all the other nations around them. They worshipped one God who is unseen and above all other ideas of God. One day was set aside to rest following the example of their creator. These four commands delineated Israel from everyone else at the time. But, the latter six are written on the hearts of every human being. They cross cultures around the world with no exceptions. We know deep down that they are the right things to do. Jesus repeated all of these commands, except the Sabbath, while he was on earth. So, even in the New Covenant which is not ruled by laws written on stone, nine of these laws still apply to us -- the Sabbath is debatable (of course, the Sabbath still stands as a wise principle -- even Jesus said it was for man not for God -- even God the Father said it was for man when he gave the manna).