The struggle of the Corinthian church continues in today’s reading: 1 Corinthians 9-11. In these chapters Paul addresses issues the church was having regarding worship and communion, while continuing to argue his point about permissible food. What I love most about this section is we really get to see Paul’s heart.
Paul had a love for people. Having experienced the amazing transformative love of Christ himself, he eagerly sought to share this with others. All people. Jew, Greek, male or female. Paul was willing to eat, drink, and share the Gospel with anyone.
Paul had a love for his mission. He considered it an “opportunity” to preach the Gospel (9:18 NLT). He was strong in his convictions and took it seriously. He was purposeful (9:26).
Today, we live very different lives from Paul. We live in a very different world than the one Paul lived. Yet the things that mattered most to Paul need to be what matters most to us. Paul’s work is not yet finished. We, as the church, need to continue what he and the other Apostles started. Love each other. Love others. Most importantly, love God. In our busy world today, may we never lose sight of this. May we see each day as an opportunity to be a light in the darkness.
Reflection Questions
What opportunities to share the Gospel has God given to you? What have you done with those opportunities?
How do you show your love for God? How do you show your love for people? Is there a group of people that you have not tried loving yet? How could you love more and more?
Rather than just complaining about the darkness, or fearing the darkness, or condemning the darkness, how can we be a light in the darkness?
So many of the psalms focus on directly worshipping and declaring the goodness of God, which is good, but this psalm takes that knowledge of God and comes in with a missional view: Let God be known and praised by all the people. All the nations. Not just Israel, his covenant people, but by everyone.
The psalmist recognizes the goodness of God and what he has done for his people. In light of this fact, they want the goodness of God to be experienced by all people and for there to be abounding joy for all.
God provides sustenance for all people, the earth yields its produce. It does so because God designed it that way, so may the nations recognize that Yahweh created life and sustains it through his order.
Verse 4 talks about the nations being judged with equity. Equity here is the Hebrew word mishor, which literally means levelness or uprightness. God will not play favorites with his judgment, he will judge with prejudice, but he will judge fairly and give the same outcomes to the faithful of all tongues and tribes. In the same way, destruction comes from rejecting God, regardless of the background of the individual.
We can look at this through the lens of Jesus, but even without a clear picture, the psalmist saw a future where there was no Jew nor Greek, nor slave nor free, but a world where all could bask in and enjoy the glory of God and worship him in spirit and in truth.
Let the nations be glad.
-JJ Fletcher
Reflection Questions
Where does your joy come from?
Do you view your role as a believer to be missional? To bring others into a saving relationship with Jesus and his Father?
Do you have trouble with being equitable in your sharing? Can it be difficult to share with people from different backgrounds?
If you find great hope and strength in the gospel, shouldn’t you share it? Why are we worried about “offending people” with the gospel?
Esther 2:5 – “Now there was in the citadel of Susa a Jew of the tribe of Benjamin, named Mordecai son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish,”
The book of Esther opens up with introducing the reader to the reign of King Xerxes of Persia. His kingdom was vast and wide. His wealth was beyond measure. His wife, Queen Vashti, was one of the most beautiful women in all of the land. He seemed to have it all. Except King Xerxes didn’t have it all. He hadn’t yet conquered Greece. And his wife, well, she wasn’t keen on being paraded around objectified by men in drunken states. And for this, she was punished, dethroned, and for all intents and purposes, exiled. Now, King Xerxes didn’t have a queen.
Chapter two of Esther opens up with the phrase, “Now there was…” introducing us to a new set of characters in the story, Mordecai and Esther, who are the individuals that we should really turn our attention to. These two new characters are Hebrew exiles living in Persia under the reign of King Xerxes. And as we read through the book of Esther, we see that their presence in this kingdom is vital to the survival of Xerxes, but more significantly, the Hebrew population in Persia.
This phrase “Now there was…” has gotten me thinking about the other times it is used in Scripture. Within the NIV translation, it is used eight additional times. (Gen 12:10; 26:1; Nu 20:2; 2 Sam 9:2; 1 Kings 13:11; Luke 2:25; 23:50; and John 3:1) It’s an author’s way of transitioning to something new, maybe even something unexpected.
As we find ourselves in the middle of Advent season, I’m going to take my devotional-writer prerogative and divert slightly and transition to another, but related, idea. (We’ll come back to Esther tomorrow, I promise.)
I am thinking of key people in the narrative of Jesus’ birth that also deserve a “Now there was” introduction.
Now there was…Mary, the betrothed of Joseph, chosen by God to be the mother of the long awaited Messiah.
Now there was…Joseph, the man selected to raise the Messiah as his own.
Now there was…Gabriel, the angel who was sent to share the news of parenthood with Mary and Joseph.
Now there were…the shepherds who witnessed a great company of the heavenly hosts praising God upon the birth of Jesus.
Now there were…the Wise Men who traveled from afar to present gifts of frankincense, gold, and myrrh to the new born child.
All of these people had a role in introducing Jesus to the world, just as he was born. There are many prophets who foretold Jesus in the Old Testament. There are many apostles and disciples who continued to tell the world about Jesus through the Gospels and Epistles of the New Testament.
Who is telling the world today about Jesus?
Now there was…YOU.
We each have the privilege and responsibility to continue to share the Gospel message to those who do not know it yet.
As we celebrate the birth of Jesus with family and friends, let us not forget that there might be someone we know who needs to be introduced to the Lord and Savior of the world. They need to hear the message that they are loved, that they can be healed, that there is hope beyond what they experience today. YOU can be the difference for someone else today and give them the greatest gift of all, the Gospel message.
May God bless you and keep you as you go about your day.
-Bethany Ligon
Reflection Questions
In the first two chapters of Esther what have we learned so far about the main characters: the King of Persia, Mordecai, and Esther? How would you describe each one?
Choose a character from the events of the birth of Jesus. How would you describe him/her?
How would you like to introduce someone to Jesus? Pray about the opportunity, the words, the hearts (yours and theirs) that can make the difference.
When was the last time you regretted wearing a pair of shoes? I recently was on the hunt for a pair of gray sandals and I found some that I thought I might like from an online store. I ordered them and at first, they seemed to be very cushy and comfortable. As I wore them throughout the day, I noticed that the straps were rubbing the bottom of my ankle. It never caused a blister, thankfully, but it was just irritating.
Anyone who is on their feet all day can tell you the value of having comfortable and supportive shoes. Whether it be someone in the medical field, law enforcement, military, food service industry, or in the classroom, having a good pair of shoes is a necessity.
But what does having supportive footwear have to do with the Armor of God? A soldier’s boots (or sandals as ancient Roman soldiers would wear) are likely the one piece of their attire that they use for hours on end, every single day. They train with their weapons while wearing their boots. They go on marathon-long hikes while wearing their boots. They eat their meals while wearing their boots. And sometimes, they will even sleep while wearing their boots. If a soldier’s feet are sore or tired or have blisters, he or she becomes limited in what they can do – at least without any pain.
Our verse today talks about being “fitted with readiness”. A soldier must be ready to go at any given moment. Likewise, as believers fighting in a spiritual battle, we must be prepared to take action at any point in time.
And just what are we to take action with? The Gospel of Peace. This gospel includes the message of salvation and the Kingdom of God. As warriors in a spiritual battle, we need to remember whose army we fight for. When we are laser-focused on what we’re fighting for, we can be empowered and strengthened to fight against anyone or anything that is our opposition. So when temptation or persecution comes our way, we can make sure that we are in the ready position, set to take our Commander’s orders.
But also, the Gospel of Peace is something that we should be comfortable sharing with others who have not yet discovered it for themselves. Being ready to explain to others what we believe and why we believe it is another way to wield this piece of armor. Conversations with our friends, family, work buddies, and even random people you encounter in your day-to-day life can sometimes lead to discussions about our faith. When we are ready to share the Good News, we are showing ourselves to be prepared soldiers in the Lord’s army.
So let’s lace up our boots, and get ready to share the Good News of the Gospel of Peace!
-Bethany Ligon
Reflection Questions
The gospel is only called the “gospel of peace” here in a passage about the spiritual war we are in. How would you describe the gospel of peace and why do you think this wording was chosen for this passage?
Do you feel like you are ready to take action to follow your Commander’s orders today? What do you think could happen if you ARE ready? What could happen if you AREN’T ready for action? What could you do now to be more prepared? Do you think you have ever used an excuse of not being ready when God wanted you to do something?
How can you share the gospel of peace with others this week?
I used to own a pair of fish that my best friend gave me. I thought I was a decent fish owner. But then I went off to Australia for three weeks and when I returned, I came home to find that the slow-release food supply that I put into the tank, didn’t dissolve. My poor fish starved to death. Oops.
So your reservation to take seriously any of my mentioning of fish, fishing, or fishermen would totally be understandable.
But I ask that you hear me out, just this once, for this particular topic. After all, I did my due diligence and Googled some information.
Mark 1:17 says, “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.”
Being a fisherman was way back then and continues even today to be a daily job. Likewise, as we follow Jesus daily, our casting of nets should happen every day we are around others. If we are called to be fishers of men, all of our interactions need to be with the purpose of building relationships and showing others, verbally and nonverbally, what life with Jesus as our Lord looks like.
Peter and Andrew knew when the best time to go fishing was. According to www.takemefishing.org (I’m totally serious… ) the best time to fish is usually later on in the day. I know that there are probably a gazillion other variables that should be considered, so don’t go dismissing the bigger picture here. Later in the day, the fish are primed for feeding because their metabolism and digestion are roaring. There is a lesson for us here – in order for people to win others to Christ, they need to be primed. In God’s own timing, a person’s heart will be open to receive the Gospel. As fishers of men, we need to be praying for those opportunities to present themselves so we are able to discern what to say and when to say it.
We know from verse 16, that Simon (later called Peter) and his brother Andrew used nets for fishing. Not a pole, line and lure, but nets. They caught hundreds of fish at a time. When Jesus says that he will make us fishers of men, I think His intention is that we not just teach a few people about Jesus, but that we influence hundreds of people, over our lifetime, to consider what life as a follower of Jesus would look like.
We also know from verse 16, that fishing was not a solo effort. It demanded at least a pair to get the job done. Our faith is meant to be in a community. Yes, Jesus goes off to a solitary place in verse 35 of Chapter 1, but that doesn’t mean we live in a vacuum. Working and serving with other believers is how our faith is supposed to be carried out.
I fully admit that sharing the Gospel is not my strength. But as I read this verse, I became convicted that this is something that I need to take more seriously. That’s partly why I chose it to be the verse to memorize for the week. So even though it is a short verse and easy to commit to memory, it’s potential to change my life and the lives of those around me, is significant.
Wanna go fishin’?
-Bethany Ligon
(Originally posted for SeekGrowLove on September 11, 2017)
Reflection Questions
How have you been helped by your fishing community? How can you help them?
How committed are you to following Jesus and fishing for people? What do you find hardest about these jobs? What gets in the way?
Pray to God about how He would like to see you fishing for men/people. What does it look like? When and where will it be done? Who will your fishing partners be?
Unlike many Jewish leaders, James and the elders were not jealous of Paul’s success among the Gentiles. But they were aware that not everyone was so accepting. To head off problems, the elders asked him to pay the costs of men completing a vow. Likely a Nazirite vow, this voluntary, temporary commitment to total dedication to God required extensive sacrifices, including a female lamb, a male lamb, unleavened bread, loaves of bread, crackers, oil, and a grain and drink offering.
Paul wasn’t buying acceptance. In 1 Corinthians 9 he writes “19 Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. 20 To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. 21 To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. 23 I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.” He had one and only one goal….to win others to Christ. Let’s be as focused as Paul.
-Annette Osborn
Questions for Reflection and Discussion
If people who knew you were to guess what your main goal was, what might they guess? Would they be right?
How have you become “like others” (while remaining true to Christ’s law) in order to be able to share the good news with them?
What group(s) of people would you want to be accepted by, so that they are willing to hear from you about Jesus Christ? How can you go about this mission?
What was Paul willing to do, and willing to give up, in order to reach more people with the saving gospel? What are you willing to do, and willing to give up, for the same purpose?
Acts 8:4 – Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.
I once went on a mission trip that included an evening of street evangelism. It was one of the most overwhelming and intimidating experiences I’ve had. For some people, walking up to strangers and asking them “How’s your relationship with God?” is exciting and effortless. For me, it was incredibly awkward – I stumbled over my words, I felt panicked and I just wanted to run back to our bus.
As I read through Acts chapter eight, verse four caught my attention. My imagination runs wild with scenes of the disciples speaking with random people at the market, or attending a synagogue to share the radical gospel of Jesus Christ, or even standing at the center of the town square and preaching to anyone and everyone who passes by.
I don’t think that I would employ similar evangelism tactics as the disciples did back in the day or even as some continue today in our modern culture.
For me, it’s about building authentic relationships with others. Getting to know others and letting others get to know me. And while this is much more in my zone of comfort, I still sometimes get hung up on how much I share with others about my faith. I greatly admire people who seamlessly weave the gospel into their daily conversations with others. It’s an area of growth for me, I know. But if I genuinely care about others, I must get over my own insecurities in order to share the best news of all – the gospel of Jesus Christ and the kingdom of God!
We have been scattered into the workplace, schools, community organizations, as well as our online associations with others for a purpose. Let’s not waste the opportunity to preach the word wherever we are!
-Bethany Ligon
Questions for Reflection and Discussion
Why share the gospel? Is that just a preacher’s job?
How would you rate yourself when it comes to how often or how well you share the gospel? If you want to improve in this area, what 2-3 specific steps can you take?
Consider your circles (work, school, family, church, community & online). How can you share God’s love, what Jesus means to you and your kingdom hope in each of these circles?
There’s nothing quite like being misunderstood! Have you ever felt that way – misunderstood? It happens to all of us and usually things sort themselves out one way or another but being misunderstood really put the apostles in danger in Acts 14. Along with the gospel message that they were to share, God had given them a portion of His holy spirit to be able to work miracles in those who would believe. Innocently enough the apostles began to share the message and then a lame man was healed and made strong again in the presence of all the people. This could have resulted in many more coming to belief in Jesus but instead the miracle resulted in the people thinking that their false gods were responsible and that they were manifesting themselves in Barnabas and Paul.
Talk about misunderstanding! Barnabas and Paul were mortified that the people were attributing greatness to them and thought that their false gods had done the miracle instead of the Almighty God of heaven and Earth. It became such a terrible situation that they even dragged Paul out and stoned him! What a terrible misunderstanding.
Have we ever tried to share the gospel with someone or a group of people and it went terribly wrong – with people ending up with wrong ideas or wrong impressions of what you said or did? Just remember you are not alone – the disciples had the same experience. Thankfully in our day and age stoning has gone out of fashion but tabloid lies and rumors abound. Social media can quickly make or break people’s opinions and ideas whether they get the right idea or the wrong one! Speaking from experience I had something I said unfortunately taken in the wrong way on social media due to how I phrased my response – oh the backlash! Live and learn. We must season our lives with prayer and ask God to direct our words and actions so that they will be taken in the correct manner. My prayer is that we would always be understood clearly whenever it comes to the gospel so that the work of the Lord may abound.
-Merry Peterson
Today’s Bible reading passages can be read or listened at BibleGateway here – 2 Samuel 9-10 and Acts 14
I am continually amazed at the way God directed the steps of the apostles through the direction of His Holy Spirit in the days of the formation of the early church. The apostles had the message to share that through Jesus there was forgiveness of sin and reconciliation to the Father. They were given the opportunity to share this message in very public places and many came to believe in Jesus. Can you imagine speaking in one place and then being asked to speak again the following week and almost the whole town shows up?
We as Christians have been given the same message to share – that there is forgiveness for sin through Jesus Christ resulting in reconciliation with our heavenly Father God. This is the greatest message of hope there is. Do we share it as often as we can? Wouldn’t it be awesome if we were asked to share and a whole town full of people showed up and came to believe! We realize that the apostles were filled and empowered by the Holy Spirit to do amazing things, and make amazing inroads in the gentile world for the gospel of Christ to be shared and accepted. If we want to be successful like they were notice what they did at the very beginning of Acts chapter 13 – the men fasted and prayed for direction and it was given to them.
As we attempt to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with the world do we go about it in our own way or in God’s way. Do we remember to pray for God to lead us by His Holy Spirit to know where and when we are to share the message? Do we ask for the opportunity to share and do we ask for the correct words to say as the opportunity presents itself. The apostles were successful in their mission to share the gospel in Antioch because they had prepared the way ahead with prayer, and diligence to listen to where, and when God was directing them to speak. All of this leaves me wondering – would we be much more successful in our sharing of the Gospel if we spent more time in preparation with prayer and listening for God’s directives? Give it a try and see what happens!
-Pastor Merry Peterson
Pastor Merry Peterson lives in Ontario, Canada and pastors at Freedom In Christ Church.
Today’s Bible reading passages can be read or listened to at BibleGateway here – 2 Samuel 7-8 and Acts 13
The chapter begins by Jesus sending out seventy-two disciples with the order to spread the news of the Kingdom, and giving them specific instructions. It is noteworthy that people that heard the message and rejected will be judged more harshly than people that did not.
Later, starting in verse 25, “On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”
27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”
Those are basic concepts that we can share with others when we have an opportunity to evangelize. Add to that the knowledge and acceptance of Jesus, and then maybe sharing the Gospel doesn’t seem so hard after all. We want people to be saved. We want that because that is what God wants as well. As we follow the two tenants of loving God and loving our neighbor, we should naturally want our neighbors to be in a saving relationship with their Lord and Savior.
Not many of us are going to evangelists on the scale of Billy Graham, but we can certainly each do some small (or medium) part. If you are worried about failing, and so hesitate to get started, I am sorry to tell you that you are guaranteed failure by doing nothing. Doing SOMETHING greatly increases your odds for success. And remember, God wants you to be successful? He will help, and then you just have to hope that at least some of the seed landed in fertile areas.
Seek Grow Love 