The Mind of Christ
Today’s Passage – Philippians 1 – 4
I apologize for not posting on Friday. I was “down for the count” with a bad tooth from Thursday until last night. Praise the Lord, I am much better today.
“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:” (Philippians 2:5)
“For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 2:16)
I just want to jot down a quick thought from the Scriptures this morning that, I hope, will be a blessing to you. Jesu is God. As God, He is equal with the Father in everything. Jesus is omniscient, meaning that there is nothing that He does not know. There is nothing that escapes His mind, unless He chooses to not remember it. But here in our text, the Bible is not referring to omniscience, but rather it is referring to Christ’s attitude. He had the mind of a servant; not the knowledge of a servant, but the humility of a servant. As God, He could have demanded that all of humanity bow the knee to Him. He also could have demanded that every creature in the universe should serve His every desire. But that is not what He did, is it?
It is funny how little, sinful man who is a servant, and has no right to boast at all, is always trying to magnify himself; trying to make himself look better in the eyes of other men. Yet Jesus, who deserves all of the glory, humbled Himself, even unto death. Why, because He loves us. If He demonstrated His love through a form of humility, ought not we do the same thing. We are so full of ourselves. God tells us here that we should have the same mind; the same humble attitude that Christ demonstrated when He came to this earth to be born of a woman; to live a selfless life of service to men; and finally to die a horrible death on the cross in order to atone for your sins and mine.
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The Saturday Morning Post by Pastor Ted Stahl
Today’s Reading: Ephesians 4-6.
Ephesians 6:10-20: Pray For Me
Good morning. Are you ready to take on the world today? It’s a battle we face every day. Our war starts with the flesh. Our flesh is either too tired, or it’s too cold and wants to stay warm under the covers. Eventually your body does drag itself out of bed, takes a shower, gets dressed, and has breakfast. Now it’s ready to face the world, right?
Wrong!
Take a look at the passage in Ephesians 6 about putting on the whole armour of God. If I had a favorite punctuation mark it would the colon found at the end of verse 17. This little colon is going add explanation to putting on God’s armour. What was missing from the scenario above? Prayer. Ephesians 6:18 says, “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints…”
We should always start the day with prayer. Would you go to work naked? Could you drive to the store without a car? How do you think you can face the world without prayer? You can’t, and neither can I. You need your prayer, all the saints need your prayer, and I need your prayer. Start your battle with the world today (and every day) in prayer.
Then pray for me. Pray for me what Paul requested: “And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.” (Ephesians 6:19-20)
This is how we all ought to speak. Will you join me? Please pray for me this morning while you are putting on the whole armor of God.
Peace. (Ephesians 6:23)
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Today’s Passage – Ephesians 1 – 3
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We’re Almost There
Today’s Passage Galatians 4 – 6
This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. (Galatians 5:16)
And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. (Galatians 6:9)
As a child I was very impatient. I would tire of things very easily. Sometimes my family would pack up the car and travel up to Cornwall, New York to visit my Aunt Francis. The ride was really only a little over two hours, but for me it seemed like it took forever to get there. My mom and dad would always try to encourage me by saying, “we’re almost there”. As I grew, some of that impatience stayed with me. I get bored easily. I am always looking for something new to do, and often have a difficult time simply finishing some of the projects that I have started. Paul encourages this church in Galatia to keep going also. When the church was new, they were doing great; but somewhere along the line they became influenced by those who attempted to put them back under the law again. Paul reminds them in this letter that they were no longer to live according to the traditions and ceremonies of the law; but instead were to live by faith, following the leadership of the indwelling Holy Ghost of God. He encourages them to not be weary in well doing, meaning that they were not to get tired of doing right. They were on the right path, and they needed to stay on it.
Sometimes it is not easy to live a life of faith, especially in this world that we live in. The world around us does not understand that we who belong to Christ have a Person in us and with us Who desires to guide us and teach us to walk in a way that glorifies God, and points others to Christ. This life of faith is an abundant, fruitful, and fulfilling life; but it oftentimes goes against what our flesh wants to do. I must confess there have been many times when I have yielded to the desires of my “old man” rather than choosing to “walk in the Spirit”. God has always managed to get me back on track, but I have always had the feeling of regret when I have yielded to my will instead of God’s.
So my advice to you is to keep going, we’re almost there. Don’t be weary in well doing. Don’t give up trusting the direction of your life to the will of God. Don’t be weary in loving people. Don’t be weary in shining the light of the Lord to the world around you. Don’t be weary in serving in your local church. Stay with it! Don’t quit! Keep going! Keep running the race until you have reached the finish line. We will all (Christians) be out of here soon, and I do not think that we will be weary when we get to Heaven.
Posted in Devotions, Thoughts From Galatians by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
We Are Free
Today’s Passage – Galatians 1 – 3
“Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.” Galatians 2:16
The letter to the Galatians was one of the earliest of the epistles written by the Apostle Paul through the inspiration of the God. In the very early church, there was evidently a problem with legalism. Legalism is the attempt to put people who are saved by faith back under the law. I need to explain here exactly what I mean by “under the law”. In Old Testament days the people of God (the Jews) lived according to the law of Moses which contained three different types of laws: civil law (government), which helped them live in a peaceful society; moral law, which taught them what was right and wrong morally speaking; and ceremonial law, which were the particular laws that had to do with their system of worship. These ceremonial laws legislated their holy days, their assemblies, and their feasts, etc. The Jews created a system of rules that was impossible for anybody to keep perfectly. That’s why Paul says later in this letter to the Galatians that the law was our “schoolmaster”, in that it taught us that we were sinners in need of mercy. Christ is the only man who fulfilled all of the law, meaning He never was guilty of violating any command of God in any of the three categories.
Now when God says in the New Testament that we are no longer “under the law”, and that we have been freed from the bondage of the law, He is not saying that we are free to commit moral sin; or that we are free to break the laws that government creates in order to keep the peace, unless, of course, those man-made rules disagree with God’s rules. We are, however, free from all of the ceremonial laws that the Jews lived by, and there were a whole lot of them. By the way, not being “under the law” also means that we have been freed (saved) from the penalty of not keeping the law. The people of Galatia were “bewitched” into attempting to combine the doctrine of salvation through faith alone with the keeping of the Jewish law. By doing so, they just frustrated the concept of grace. Christ fulfilled the law, and He died for us who could not keep the law. We are free! Free from the penalty of sin; free from the bondage of a myriad of rules and regulations that are impossible to live by anyway; and free to love and serve God according to the dictates of our own consciences and understanding of God.
I feel compelled to make one final comment here. The term “legalism” has often been used in reference to standards and convictions. I am not a “legalist” if I have a personal standard in my life that I believe God is pleased with. Having some Biblically based guidelines in my life to live by does not make me a legalist, unless I believe that adhering to these rules somehow saves me. I am not saved by how I live my life, but I do try to live a life that glorifies God because I am saved.
Posted in Devotions, Thoughts From Galatians by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
Examine Yourself
Today’s Passage – 2 Corinthians 11 – 13
“Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? ” (2 Corinthians 13:5)
The Apostle Paul loved the people of Corinth. He had travelled to Corinth on his second missionary journey and had stayed with them for eighteen months preaching the Word of God. As a result, many were saved and a new church was established. However, after Paul’s departure the Church at Corinth began to have a lot of problems. As we have read through these two letters to the Corinthian Church we have learned what some of these problems were. This church was a very carnal church. They had problems with morality and idolatry, which Paul rebukes sharply in these letters; but we also discover that this church had a problem receiving preachers and teachers who were false prophets, so much so, that many of the people of Corinth were turning against Paul. Now this puts a preacher in a difficult position. No spiritual man likes to defend himself because in doing so he feels like he is lifting himself up in a prideful way. Paul very carefully reminds this church of his credentials, and he also reminds them of what he has already done for these people.
By the end of 2 Corinthians, Paul makes the statement which seems to explain the root of all of the problems that existed in Corinth. He tells them to examine themselves to see whether they were really saved. I believe many of the people in Corinth were in fact genuine in their faith, but there must also have been many that were perhaps sown in by the devil to cause trouble. By admonishing them this way, he is causing them to carefully look into their lives to see whether or not the Holy Ghost of God is really in them. The bottom line is that the only thing that clearly explains the trouble with the Corinthian Church is that there were many unconverted people in the church, as well as many carnal believers.
How about you? Would you pass the examination? Are you really saved? I will list here a simple three question quiz that you can give yourself in order to verify that you are in fact a child of God:
1 Do you have a testimony? Can you point back to a specific time and place where you remember acknowledging your sin to God and accepting the payment of God’s Son on the cross for it? Is there a time in your life when you asked the Lord to save you? Nobody was born saved. You may have been born to a good home with a godly influence, but there has to be a time in your life when you personally receive the Lord Jesus as your Savior.
2 Has there been a transformation? You may remember a couple of days ago I shared some thought on the subject “What’s New” from 2 Corinthians 5:17. Are you a new creature since you have been saved? Has anything in your life changed? I trusted Christ as my Savior twenty years ago, and my life has never been the same since; and it is still changing, transforming into the image of Christ. Don’t misunderstand, I still have my struggles and flaws, but Christ is chipping away at them as I grow in Him.
3 Can you pass the Bible tests? Here are some of them:
Do you have a better understanding of the Bible? (1 Corinthians 2:14) Now none of us understands everything about the Bible. I am learning new things every day from passages that I have read dozens of times before. God gives me the truths that I need in my life today; but He is teaching me.
Do you have a love for the brethren? The Bible says that people will be able to see that we are disciples by the love we have for each other. (1 John 3:14)
Do you have a desire to obey God’s commandments? (1 John 2:3 – 5) None of us will be perfect, and I suppose we all have particular areas where we really struggle; but how do you feel when you sin. If you can sin without feeling any conviction at all from within, something is seriously wrong. If you are God’s child the indwelling Holy Spirit of God should be constantly reminding you when you do wrong.
I am not trying to get anybody to doubt there salvation, but I am concerned that there may be many people within our churches that profess to know God, but have not truly been born again. How did you do on the test? Did you pass? Do you have full assurance of your salvation? If not, go to the “Are You Saved?” page on this site, and find out how you can be gloriously saved.
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
Without Wax
Today’s Passage – 2 Corinthians 6 – 10
I speak not by commandment, but by occasion of the forwardness of others, and to prove the sincerity of your love. (2 Corinthians 8:8)
Wherefore shew ye to them, and before the churches, the proof of your love, and of our boasting on your behalf. (2 Corinthians 8:24)
Tradition states that back in the days of the Roman Empire there were unscrupulous stoneworkers who crafted sculptures, but would sometimes cover the flaws and cracks in their work with wax. However, when the hot sun would beat upon their products, it would melt the wax and ruin the appearance of the sculpture. Potters also were guilty of sealing cracked and even broken wares with wax in order to sell them at the market, but when the unsuspecting buyer returned home and put something hot in the the pot, plate, or cup, it would also melt the wax. Eventually, men of character who traded these goods would stamp their wares “sine cera” meaning without wax. These two words eventually evolved into meaning “genuine” or “honest”.
In our text Paul states very candidly that we prove the sincerity or the genuineness of our love through the grace of giving. If you love someone you will give to them. If you love God, you will give back to Him. You may have heard this old saying that bears repeating here: “You can give without loving, but you can’t love without giving.” Do you genuinely and honestly love the Lord, then give to Him. You may say, how do I do that? Well for starters I would strongly recommend that you give to work of His local church. God has chosen the local church as the vehicle for the fulfillment of the Great Commission. But then beyond that, you may want to give to some things that you believe in. At our church, we are always taking up special offerings for various causes and people that have a need. Learn to give. God is a giver, not a taker. People who are yielded to God will be like Him and will also have a giving spirit about them.
Giving not only proves the genuineness of your love, but it also demonstrates the sincerity of your faith. If you say that you believe God, than believe what He says about giving:
“Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.” (Luke 6:38)
“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:33)
“Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.” (Malachi 3:10)
God promises to bless those who give back to Him. Notice that I said “give back”, because everything we have was given to us by Him in the first place. You can trust God with your money. Don’t get greedy. God loves to bless His children, but He cannot bless a child that doesn’t listen to Him.
Posted in Devotions, Thoughts from 2 Corinthians by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
What’s New About You?
Today’s Passage – 2 Corinthians 1 – 5
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
I just want to share some quick thoughts from the Word this morning, as we are busy preparing for the Lord’s Day.
The verse above expresses one of the most fundamental truths of the Christian life. I have heard all of the arguments on both sides regarding whether a person is truly saved. Many Christians believe that God has called them to be fruit inspectors; examining the lives of their brothers and sisters in Christ to see whether they have genuine faith or not. I don’t believe God has called me to be a fruit inspector as much as He has called me to be a sower of seed (the Word of God). However, we must never forget that anyone who has the Holy Spirit of God indwelling them is a new creature. He is not the same as we was before salvation. Now he might not be as spiritual as we may think he ought to be, but he is different.
I believe the difference can be seen in these three areas.
1 There will be a desire to saturate in things of God. I can’t speak necessarily for everyone, but I know what happened to me when I trusted Christ as my Saviour. I had a craving for God’s Word, God’s People, and God’s House which was never a part of my life before.
2 There will be a desire to separate from the things of this world. Now this will increase as the believer matures, but even as a babe in Christ there will be a new understanding that the Holy Spirit within is in conflict with the world system and philosophy without.
3 There will also be a desire to share Christ with others. A little further along in our text, the Bible says that we are ambassadors for Christ; we are His representatives here on the earth.
Let us examine ourselves (not others). Are these three ingredients part of your life. I am not trying to get you to doubt your salvation, and I know that we all struggle and fall short in all of these areas; but is the desire in you in these three areas. God has cataclysmically transformed my life since I have been saved; and He is still transforming me. He renews me day by day, molding me into His image. If you are His child, He is also doing the same to you.
Posted in Thoughts from 2 Corinthians by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
The Saturday Morning Post by Pastor Ted Stahl
Today’s Passage: 1Corinthians 15 & 16.
The Victory Is No Mystery – 1Cor. 15:51-58
Good morning. Another week has passed. Black Friday, Small Store Saturday, and Cyber Monday are all behind us. Did you get all your Christmas shopping done? Good! You had a victory. That’s what today’s blog is about: VICTORY! We already have the victory, but we don’t realize it. When we don’t realize it, we lose.
I was reminded of an Abbott and Costello skit. They go into an illegal gambling establishment to bet on the horses. This was where they got the idea for off-track betting. Just remember that legal gambling is just as bad as illegal gambling – only someone else gets to keep your money! Costello places the bet, and a voice comes over the radio…
“And they’re off…”
“The race is over…”
“You lose!”
That was a comedy, so you already knew that Costello was going to lose. Do you know you already have the victory: you are not a loser? 1Corinthians 15 tells us…
“So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of deathis sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (vs 54-57)
We have the victory! It was given to us by God through our Lord Jesus Christ! Death has no more sting: death cannot hurt us. Death is swallowed up in victory!
How can we know this victory now?
Well, you could… die. And at the rapture of the church, when your corruptible has put on incorruption, and your mortal has put on immortality, you will be with Jesus. That’s victory!
Or (and I prefer this way better) by faith. 1John 5:4 says, “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.”
Verse 58 of 1Corinthians 15 tells us the result of this victory through faith: “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”
We will be stedfast. Immovable, standing firm in our faith. God said it; that settles it.
We will be unmoveable. Nothing, and nobody in this world, or any situation for that matter should shake and shatter our faith. We have the victory and greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.
And we will be always abounding in the work of the Lord. Soul winning, tithing (supporting our pastor, the church, and it’s ministries), and what ever the Lord has asked us as individuals to do (teach, edify, be a friend), are some of the works we should be abounding in.
And at the end of verse 58 there is victory: “…forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”
That’s victory. Keep on going for the Lord.
Peace (John 14:47).
Posted in Devotions, Guest Posts, Thoughts from 1 Corinthians by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
True Love
Today’s Passage – 1 Corinthians 13 – 14
“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.” (1 Corinthians 13:1)
“And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.” (1 Corinthians 13:13)
“But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;” (Matthew 5:44)
“And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.” (1 John 3:23)
“This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:12 & 13)
The Bible speaks much about love. In our passage today the word “charity” is used, which is the same word that is translated “love” many other places in the Bible. It means to love unconditionally; to have a deep abiding love that goes far beyond mere affection. This is the kind of love that God has for us. It was what He demonstrated (commendeth – Romans 5:12) when He died for us sinners. Why God loves us I do not know, but the Bible tells us He does.
This kind of Bible love spoken of here in our text and some of these other passages as well is something people often claim to have for others, especially in word. In other words, we often say that we love certain individuals or people in general. However, in practicality, I don’t think that we are being entirely truthful. Love is clearly more than just words, and it is even more than just feelings. Love is action. Love can be seen in the things that we do as well as say. In vv 4 – 7 of 1 Corinthians 13 there are listed practical examples of how love is put into action. Let me list them for you here:
Charity:
suffereth long, (patience)
and is kind;
charity envieth not;
charity vaunteth not itself, (does not boast)
is not puffed up,
Doth not behave itself unseemly, (inappropriately)
seeketh not her own,
is not easily provoked,
thinketh no evil;
Rejoiceth not in iniquity,
but rejoiceth in the truth;
Beareth all things,
believeth all things,
hopeth all things,
endureth all things. (is able to survive anything, unconditional)
There are 15 practical applications of real love in those four verses. Take a good look at each one of them individually. Now ask yourself honestly: Do these demonstrations of love show up in my love for others? Or am I falling short? I think we both know the answer to that question. We all fall short, don’t we. I am not trying to make you feel bad, but I am trying to get you to realize how much needs to be done in our lives in order for us to truly represent Christ as His ambassadors. Remember, the Bible is clear that people will only see Jesus in us as we demonstrate love before them and to them. Now, here is the exciting part: You can’t love people in the flesh. It is not something that you can do on your own. You see, God is love; and you can only love people if the Holy Spirit of God is in you and is not being quenched (hindered from working in and through you). We must yield to the indwelling Holy Spirit of God inside of us. We must allow Him to love people through us. We must somehow get ourselves: our feelings, our hurts, our desires, etc. out of the way.
Do you want to love people as Jesus loves people? The world has love, but it is a conditional love. Some people are easy to love, but most people are not. Jesus died for a bunch of unloveable people. We must take our love up another notch if we are truly going to be His disciples.
Posted in Devotions, Thoughts from 1 Corinthians by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.