7/12/13

7/12/13

'God promised this Good News long ago through his prophets in the holy Scriptures. The Good News is about his Son. In his earthly life he was born into King David's family line, and he was shown to be the Son of God when he was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. He is Jesus Christ our Lord. Through Christ, God has given us the privilege and authority as apostles to tell Gentiles everywhere what God has done for them, so that they will believe and obey him, bringing glory to his name.....For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile. This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, "It is through faith that a righteous person has life."' (Romans 1:2-5, 16, 17 NLT)

I love the book of Romans. When I was growing up, I was involved in a group called AWANA. In this group, I was strategically taught God's word by memorizing scripture. It was an amazing thing. One of the verses that I can still quote you today comes from this passage. "For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation for everyone that believeth." - Romans 1:16 KJV. Anyway, on to why I love Romans. Paul wrote Romans in such a way that he didn't write any other book. Probably the second and third most well-known verses in the Bible (3:23 and 6:23) are in the book of Romans. But Paul gets down and dirty with Romans. Check out 5:8 - "But God demonstrates His love for us in this: that when we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Paul is more strait forward in this book than any other. We are sinners, and fall short, and Christ died and we are made free through his blood. That is the long and short of it. Christ died for my sin. He did it so that all who are lost and bound in the chains of their sin can be set free. He did it for you and for me. I love the simplicity in which Paul is able to paint a picture of something so complex. He sums up the plan of a creator that set these actions into motion before he created time in this: God loves us, and sent His Son to take the penalty for our sin. That's it. Point blank. Point made. The question is: is the point taken? Do we really get how simple it is? Not that the Christ-follower's life is simple or easy, because it is not. But redemption is simple. Christ did it all. We don't have to do anything. We don't need to carry our sin. We can be free. But do we really believe that? Why do we still carry the weight of our sin when we claim that We have given it to Him? Could it perhaps be pride? Could it be the need for control? Do we hold onto our sin because we feel like we need to have control of something? Why can't we just accept this free gift?



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Thursday, July 11

THURSDAY, JULY 11, 2013

1 Chronicles 11:1–12:18

Acts 28:1–31

Psalm 9:1–12

Proverbs 19:1–3

 

 

“‘Therefore I want you to know that God’s salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!’…  For two whole years, Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him.  Boldly and without hindrance, he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ.”  (Acts 28:28–31)

 

These verses form the capstone to the Book of Acts.  Please think back to Chapter 1 of Acts, in which we found a fairly terrified bunch of disciples in Jerusalem.  The Lord Jesus Christ had promised them in Acts 1:8 that “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”  Despite facing murderous threats from Saul and potential divisions over the Gentiles’ inclusion in the Gospel, the early church had flourished by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Indeed, His presence provided the power source for the advance of the Kingdom.

 

As Pastor Scott frequently points out, this band of 120 disciples in 30 AD would become millions by 312 AD, at which point the Roman emperor Constantine would establish Christianity as the legal faith for the Empire.  During this nearly 300-year period, Christ-followers would face heavy, sometimes systematic, persecution.  Yet, the Gospel would continue to spread, often watered by the blood of martyrs.  As Elton Trueblood summarized in The Incendiary Fellowship, the early church lived and breathed for the Kingdom’s advance:  “All the early Christians were missionaries.  They did not leave the evangelistic task to professional                 evangelists or to pastors to whom they paid salaries, for these did not exist…  The early Church did not have a missionary arm; it was a missionary movement.”

 

Indeed, the apostles anticipated and embraced suffering as a natural outcome of their active witness:  “The apostles left the Sanhedrin [after a flogging], rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name.” (Acts 5:41)  Jesus had foretold of the strife they would face:  “Then he said to them all:  ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.’” (Luke 9:23) 

 

In Acts, we also witness a geographic spread of the Gospel:  from the Jewish capital of Jerusalem to the Empire’s capital, Rome.  Paul would have occasion to write, in Romans 15:17–19, of the widespread track of his ministry:  “Therefore I glory in Christ Jesus in my service to God.  I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done – by the power of signs and wonders, through the power of the Spirit of God.  So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ.”  Translated into an American figure of speech, we might render his phrase “from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum” as “from sea to shining sea.”

 

Furthermore, the Gospel spread across ethnic, class, and gender lines:  “Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.” (Colossians 3:11)  Acts records how the early Jewish Christians to proclaim the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles.  Paul’s greetings, particularly in Romans, highlight the importance of and honor given to women in the early church.  In Philippi, Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth, opened the city to the Gospel.  As with her case, the Gospel would spread through entire households, touching both the wealthy and their servants alike. 

 

While Acts 28:28–31 provides a coda to Acts, its tone suggests an ongoing, living story.  Many commentators suggest that Luke may have authored the Book of Acts for the purpose of serving as a court testimony to the ministry both specifically of the imprisoned Paul and more broadly of the early church.  The character and integrity of Paul and his brothers would provide the best evidence against the shoddy accusations that he had faced.

 

In brief, the age of the church would usher in a broader covenant.  In Acts, we see the apostles’ extension of Jesus’s teaching that the Gentiles would become interwoven into God’s chosen people as a result of their acceptance of the Gospel.  Through the ministry of the Holy Spirit and wholehearted commitment of the early Christians, the Gospel had indeed reached the Gentiles.  And the church, here represented in the person of Paul, had presented this testimony openly and boldly.

 

In terms of takeaways, it appears that we may glean the following:

 

1.       The Gospel message will always remain relevant.  Since each person has sinned and fallen short of God’s glory, we stand rightly condemned.  We have broken God’s law and commands and deserve punishment.  Yet, the Lord Jesus Christ loved us so deeply as to take on the penalty that we should have received.  By trusting in Him and His promise, we receive eternal life through His forgiveness and lovingkindness.  This wonderful message has the same impact and relevance in Stamford, Dubai, Beijing, or Sydney and for folks of any skin color, age, economic situation, or cultural background.  The Book of Acts and the living witness of the 21st-century church demonstrate these truths.

 

2.       We should intently listen to follow where God leads.  In Acts 16, Paul responded to the call of the Macedonian man, while, more broadly, the early believers radiated from Jerusalem to the fields into which God wished to place them.  As with Jesus’s instructions to His disciples in Luke 10, the apostles would encountered resistance or apathy and may have needed to report:  “‘Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you.  Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God has come near.’”

 

3.       There are no wasted days in God’s economy.  Sometimes, we may be tempted to think of certain periods as “boring” or “uneventful.”  In waiting to hear God’s voice, find another job, or meet that special someone, we may feel “tuned out.”  As Paul’s jail-time ministry shows, God may use the most challenging circumstances for His glory.  Let us submit our daily lives to God, asking:  “How would You like me to serve today, Father?”

 

 

Father God, thank You for allowing us to hear the Gospel and understand its relevance.  Give us Your Spirit, that we might honor You above all else and have boldness to proclaim the Truth of Your Word as boldly as Paul and his cohorts.  We are grateful that “salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”  Give us eyes of faith to appreciate Your lovingkindness and to see where You are working today.  In Jesus’s Name, Amen.

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July 9

1 Chronicles 7, 8

Acts 27:1-20

Psalm 7

Proverbs 18:22

"The man who finds a wife finds a treasure, and he receives favor from the Lord."

Proverbs 18:22

I was pleasantly surprised when I read today's Proverb because yesterday was our 13th wedding anniversary. Travis and I were only 20 years old when we got married and had no idea what we were in for or what our future was to bring. But one thing I know for sure is that God has been there, protecting us and holding us together every step of the way. It has not always been easy. We've struggled through financial difficulty, misunderstandings, disagreements, disconnectedness. But despite all this, I can confidently say that I have been greatly blessed by God through Travis. With this Proverb, I definitely believe that same goes the other way around as well: A woman who finds a husband finds a treasure as well. 

I started to think about real-life love stories of couples who have been blessed by God through their marriages:

- Travis' parents Jim and Terry, who got married 3 months after meeting, celebrated their 39th anniversary last week. They have kept God at the center of their marriage and God has held them together.

- Urban Steinmetz (Travis' grandfather) was studying to become a priest. His plan was to devote his life to the church... until he met a woman named Jeanette Hockers who changed his mind. They married, had 6 children, and devoted the later part of their lives to helping others build Christ-centered marriages.

- Mary and Dave Hagen (my parents) who have been married for 37 years. I can clearly see how the trials in their lives have done nothing make their faith in God and in each other stronger.

- Loren Etka (my grandfather) who takes care of my grandmother Armelene day in and day out. She has Alzheimer's disease and can't do anything for herself, so he does it all for her. 

I thank God for my husband and for the example of other Godly marriages in our lives. 

 

Monday BlogPost - 7/8/13

Monday, July 8, 2013 [Life or Death]

 

The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences. (Proverbs 18:21, NLT)

The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit. (Proverbs 18:21, NIV)

 

Words have power – they can bring death (curses) or life (blessings).  The person that loves to speak curses will eat of the fruit of those curses.  The person that loves to speak blessings will eat of the fruit of those blessings.  How we use our words is a choice that we need not take lightly.

I was with a group of friends recently when the conversation between us became really sarcastic.  Noticing the change in the tone we paused and looked up the history (etymology) of the word sarcasm.  It comes from a word that literally means "to strip off the flesh."  This gave us a picture, that whenever we are sarcastic with one another it's like we are stripping the flesh off of one another.  That was pretty sobering.  The sarcasm among us was not blessing us – it was tearing us apart.

 

Who doesn't need a word of encouragement or a word of blessing?  No one likes to be discouraged.  So why not bless people?

What is the heart of God concerning blessings and curses? 

 

Here are a few observations from Bill Ligon…

1. God's first act after creating Adam and Eve was to speak a blessing over them (Genesis 1:27-28, "…male and female he created them.  God blessed them…").  The priority that God gives the blessing is an indicator of its importance
2. God blesses so that we can be blessings (Genesis 12:2, "I will bless you…you will be a blessing.")
3. Blessing is a part of breaking the curse that actually shows us to be children of God, when we do it (Matthew 5:44-45, "…bless those who curse you…that you may be sons of your Father in heaven…").
4. Blessing is a calling of God (1 Peter 3:9, "Don't repay evil for evil. Don't retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will bless you for it.")

 

"Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers" (Ephesians 4:29, NKJV). 

For every word that is spoken, one person to another, there are at least two people that hear it – the person being spoken to and the person doing the speaking.  Corrupt words corrupt the hearer and the speaker.  But, gracious words minister grace to them both.  I confess that I have failed at consistently speaking words of blessing.  However, in every situation every day we have to choose our words – whether they be of life or of death.  Each day is a clean slate.  Lord, help us to choose carefully and to speak blessings.

--

"The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace" (Numbers 6:24-26)

Kenny Sullivan

(201) 218-0751

שלום

July 6 - The Man in the Mirror

1 Chronicles 2:18-4:4

Acts 24:1-27

Psalm 4:1-8

Proverbs 18:116-18

I saw myself in the New Testament reading today - not once, but twice.  I wish I could say that, both times, I saw myself in Paul, but no.  I saw myself first in Ananias, and then in Felix.  

Ananias must not have liked having to plead his case before a higher authority; he was, after all, the high priest, and he must have grown accustomed to the Jews heeding his every word, particularly in matters pertaining to their religion.  And yet here he was, forced to make a case for a course of action he might even really believed was essential for Judaism, maybe even important for him, for maintaining his authority, as well.  So what does he do?  "Listen, Felix - really sorry to have to bother you with this small matter, not really worth the attention of someone so great as you, who's work has led to such good times for us..." - lies (he was trying to get someone killed - no small matter that!) and flattery, to get his way.

Paul, on the other hand, simply responded with the truth, plainly spoken. Felix may or may not have recognized it for what it was, but God understood Paul was choosing to depend upon Him alone, and not on any sort of machination or manipulation.  And God, who purposed for Paul to be there in the first place, protected him.  I cannot help but think back to the many times I wanted something and, rather than trust in God, I saw fit to apply the same strategy of falsehood, flattery and manipulation.  

So Paul spoke the truth to Felix, and he came back for more.  Did Felix hear it?  Sadly, it appears he didn't.  When the talk turned to the need to live a life different from the one he enjoyed, "Felix was afraid" and ordered Paul to stop.  To make matters worse, instead of receiving the great gift Paul was offering, Felix was hoping for a paltry bribe.  For two years, Felix had the opportunity to hear about our Lord, and to develop a relationship with Him under Paul's tutelage.  And he blew it, as I have, so many times in the past.  

The psalmist said it well: "How long will you people turn my glory into shame?  How long will you love delusions and seek false gods?" I pray that, in my life, and in the life of my family, that stops today.  

Fwd: 7/5/13

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Begin forwarded message:

From: Travis <steinmetz.travis@gmail.com>
Date: July 5, 2013 1:55:33 PM EDT
To: Scott Taylor <staylor251@hotmail.com>, Chuck Goulart <chuckanytime@gmail.com>, Apryl Steinmetz <apryl.steinmetz@yahoo.com>
Subject: 7/5/13

I am fascinated by Ancestors. Every time I think about it, I get excited! In the last year, I have started to create my family tree, and I found out a lot through it. It started about 2 years ago, when Apryl's dad started working on their family history. It's kinda cool, he was able to trace their line crack to something around 500AD! Through this search, he was able to discover that their family is directly related to the famous pastor, Jonathan Edwards, one of the pillar between the great awakening in America, probably the largest revival in our history. (note: this also makes her related to Steve Edwards) She is also directly descended from William Brewster, who was one of the Pilgrims that came to this country in 1620 to seek out religious freedom. He was their minister. There is a lot of other interesting things in her line, including several kings and queens of England, but I will not get into that. So that is was got me started. I began searching out my family line, and found out that my great, great, great, etc uncle is President John Adams, that one of my direct family lines were from Connecticut, that my ancestors, the Laroux's were British officers in the revolutionary war, and that they fled this country for fear of imprisonment, and moved to Canada, where, because of their allegiance to the King, they were given 100 acres of land. They eventually moved west, back into America, which is how they came to Michigan. Lots of awesomeness. My dad's family were from Luxumburg, with a stop in Holland on their way to Wisconsin, although Steinmetz is a Bavarian name, so i'm sure my origins go back to Bavaria. My great, great, great grandfather fought in the Civil war. This list goes on and on...
The thing that is awesome about our reading today, to me, is that the people mentioned in the first couple chapters of Chronicles, are all branches of a family tree., and they kept so good records! I have had to dig and dig to find my history even a few hundred years back, but this list is thousands upon thousands of years! I am amazed by this.

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Wed blog

2 Kings 22:3-23:30, Acts 21:37-22:16, Psalm 1, Proverbs 18:11-12

 

"Pride comes before the fall" is a very common phrase in the Butler home (my family.)  I've heard it form my dad, my mom, and my brother and I have even said to each other.  I usually hear it when I don't wanna hear it, and I'm told it when I need to be told.  Pride is one of my greatest struggles and faults.  My mom blames it on my blood and she says it comes from her side of the family and that is just the way we are.  My dad, so you know, is one of the greatest and most humble guys I know (unless we are talking about golf and he will gladly show you his golf ball collection J It is pretty awesome!)  We have read many proverbs over the last six months (half way there!) and I admit that when I conclude my reading, those last two proverbs are just skimmed.  I almost did the same today, but I nodded my head with an "Ohhhhhhh,'   and smiled after the root of one of the Butler family sayings.  As we read, "Before his downfall a man's heart is proud, but humility comes before honor." (Proverbs 18:12)  It made even more sense as I tied it back to the OT reading we had in Kings.  They go hand in hand. 

 

In C.J. Mahaney's book Humility, True Greatness, he asks the question, "Why does God hate pride so passionately?  Here's why: Pride is when sinful human beings aspire to the status and position of God and refuse to acknowledge their dependence upon him."   The kings of Judah and Israel had prideful hearts, hearts that had turned away from God and refused dependence on Him.  They fell.  Their kingdoms fell.  Their land suffered and they felt God's anger and wrath; "I will bring disaster on this place and its people, according to everything written in the book the king of Judah has read.  Because they have forsaken me…" (II Kings 22:16-17)  The good thing in this story was King Josiah did turn back to God and the people did as well, but it was only temporary.  The next generation fell to Babylon. 

 

When I read this passage I kept thinking of our country, especially during this holiday week.  I get emotional 90% of the time I hear the Star Spangled Banner, and I do love my country and am proud to be an American.  However, I see a country moving farther and farther from God.  Our pride – of our leaders, our cities, and our own hearts are growing more and more away from God.  His anger is on our land and we see it in the news, in the droughts and fires in the southwest, and in our schools.  Revival happened in the OT by "renew[ing] the covenant in the presence of the Lord and keep[ing] his commands." Our pride, or lack of dependence on God, is causing our fall, but like the proverb said, if we are humble, we will have honor.  Keeping praying for our land, but make your prayer that of humility this week.