It is clear that Christianity had a message for the whole world, and unless the message was delivered, the church would fail in her God-given duty. A big problem was that the world hated the Jews and the Jews hated the world. Clearly, one thing was necessary, a man who could somehow form a bridge […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry…
Paul’s unique privilege was to be the apostle to the Gentiles, and he was certain about his calling: The calling to be an apostle to the Greeks: But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry…
The basis for all Jewish religious ritual was the recitation of the Shema. “Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one! (Deuteronomy 6:4). Paul preaches the same: Therefore concerning the eating of things sacrificed to idols, we know that there is no such thing as an idol in the world, and […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry…
Sometimes Paul’s Gospel is preached in such a way that God and Jesus Christ are set over against each other and contrasted with each other. One thing is clear, to Paul, the whole initiative of the process of salvation lies with God. There was no separation between the love and grace of Jesus in the […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry…
The will of God is sort of a generalized idea, directed toward the world. But Paul was sure that the purpose of God was not a generalized but an individualized purpose. God calls individuals to work out that purpose. The call to salvation: For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry…
Firstly, Paul was not a systematic theologian with a vast library in his office. Paul first and foremost argued from experience. It is true to say that Paul’s interest was not in theology, but in religion. He was concerned for a well balanced faith by which men might live. Secondly, there was nothing static about […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry…
Incarnation literally means “becoming the flesh.” Paul saw this event from two sides: the side of God and the side of Jesus. The side of God: For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God [did:] sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and [as an […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry…
Foremost in the thought of Paul was the fact that Jesus Christ brought to men a knowledge of God which without Him they could never have possessed or entered into (John 14:9) For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the light […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry…
For Paul, the cross stood at the center of the Christian faith, and it had a certain self-evidencing power. It was something to show men in its stark simplicity. For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, that the cross of Christ should not be […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry…
The church focused more on the resurrection than they did on the cross. The reason might be that they were still thinking of Jesus in terms of Jewish Messiahship. The one thing which was the final guarantee that Jesus was the Messiah was the fact that He had risen from the dead. Paul stresses the […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry…
"However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace." (Acts 20:24)
"The biggest deterrent to growth in most churches is lack of confidence in God's supernatural power to grow His church. We are obsessed with our own responsibility to find resources for growth. When our natural resources seem limited, our vision shrinks and we accept mediocrity. We can't grow the church, but God can! We don't have the resources, but He does! "
(Ken Hemphill, Revitalizing the Sunday Morning Dinosaur)
Worldliness is not the trap that most endangers us as Christian workers; nor is it sin. The trap we fall into is extravagantly desiring spiritual success; that is, success measured by, and patterned after, the form set by this religious age in which we now live (Luke 10:20). Never seek after anything other than the approval of God, and always be willing to go “outside the camp, bearing His disgrace.” (Hebrews 13:12-14)
Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for April 24
You will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart (Jeremiah 29:13)
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