Episode328-"To Live is Christ, To Die is Gain" -Philippians1v18b-26

Yes, and I will rejoice, 19 for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, 20 as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22 If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. 23 I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. 24 But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. 25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.

We stopped the last blog in the middle of verse 18 where Paul states that he rejoices that the gospel is preached by some out of love and good intentions and by others out of selfish ambition. The latter thinks they can cause affliction to Paul. Paul knows that the LORD will use the preaching of the gospel for his glory, regardless of the motivations of the people preaching it.

Paul then repeats that he rejoices. He brings the source of that joy back to his relationship with these believers at Philippi. Earlier, he said that he has joy when he remembers them in his prayers. Now, he rejoices because they are praying for him. His joy is that their prayers and the “help (lit. supply) of the Spirit of Jesus Christ” will “turn out for my deliverance.” (v.19) What is Paul saying here? Is he saying that he believes he will be released from his incarceration? The word “deliverance” is most often translated as “salvation.” If that’s the case, does Paul believe that his future eternal state with the LORD is in question or jeopardy?

Recall that Paul said he was imprisoned “for the defense of the gospel.” (v. 16) Now, in verse 20, he says, “it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death.” Paul does not know whether he will be released from his imprisonment or be executed. So, he has not received some kind of vision assuring him that he won’t be incarcerated. Furthermore, the context doesn’t support the idea that Paul's spiritual state is in jeopardy either. It looks to me like Paul understands that the intercessory prayer of the Philippians and the presence of the Spirit of Jesus is encouraging him and helping him feel confident that whether he is released from his bonds or executed, he will be successful in the mission the LORD has given him. The LORD is not going to let him fail in this mission, even though the trial that may come will be more difficult. This explanation gets more support from his own explanation. In short, he argues there is a benefit to either his release or his death. If he’s released, he'll be able to share the gospel more. If he’s executed, he gets to be in the presence of Jesus. The latter, he says, is preferable. But he reasons that the LORD still wants to use him to minister to the Philippians. This may be why the translators chose to use “deliverance” instead of “salvation.” Maybe it was this line of reasoning of Paul to lead him to think that he wouldn’t be executed. But, the bottom line for Paul is that he is joyful for their prayers and for the provision of the Spirit who will sustain him and enable him to accomplish the mission the LORD has given to him.

What an example of faith! Concerning an application for us from this text, we might pray the LORD would grant us a similar confidence through our faith and by His Spirit to minister the gospel to others. Perhaps we could also have the sensitivity of the Philippians who were interceding in prayer for Paul. My guess is that we likely know many people who could use our intercessory prayer for whatever challenges they are facing right now. Let us rejoice in the privilege to do that.

Episode 228 - "Behold! It was very good!" - Genesis 1:27-31

Gen. 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

Gen. 1:28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

In our last episode, we reached the climax of this story of creation. Among all the living things that God created, humanity is most like God. The structure of the narrative supports this assessment. But the rest of the chapter explains what it means to be made in God’s image.

First of all, “male and female he created them” (v. 27) qualifies that both genders reflect the image of God. I take this to mean there is equality of the genders. That is not to say that the genders are the same. We’ll see evidence in a future episode that suggests differences between the genders.

In verse 28, “God blessed them” . . . and said, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it . . .” (v. 28a) As God wanted the living things in the seas and the birds of the air to multiply and fill their respective domains, mankind is also blessed by God and instructed to multiply and fill the earth. People have observed that the command to multiply has been the command of God most commonly obeyed. This will not be the last time we will hear (read) this command. Why does God want people to multiply and fill the earth? I think it’s so that they can be stewards of what God has made throughout the world. In other words, God has made humanity to be caretakers of this earth and all that it within it. (v. 28b)

Verses 29-30 reveal that God made plants to be the source of food for both humans and beasts. Aside from the diet that God had designed for animals and people, we see something significant. God is communicating his will to humanity. Once again, this God of the Bible is not an impersonal force but a cognizant being that made himself and his will known. God does not leave things to chance.

This section concludes with, “And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.” (v. 31) For each creative day, God assessed what he accomplished and saw that it was good. But when he assessed the whole creation, it was “very good.”

The God that made us created it all to be very good for us. The beginning of the grand story through the Bible tells us so much about this God. It’s important for us to think about these things. God communicates his will to mankind. God wants what is good for us. What God does reflects who God is. Let us take these things to heart as we continue through this story.

Episode 135 - "Peace be with you" - John 20:19-23

John 20:19   On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”

What a day! Their teacher and Lord had been crucified a few days earlier and his followers might wonder if the people responsible for that would be coming after them next. Then, Mary Magdalene showed up immediately after the end of the Sabbath and reported that Jesus’ tomb was empty. Peter and John ran off to investigate this and came back talking about what they saw at the tomb; the grave clothes lying there and the orderly scene. Would the Jewish leaders be coming after them accusing them that they had stolen the body? That would be a very real concern.  They locked the doors to inhibit anyone from walking in.

While they were there together, Jesus appeared in the room with them. I can only imagine the thoughts that were running through their minds. Jesus’ first words to them were “Peace be with you.” (v. 19) How they needed that message. Jesus knew exactly what was going on in their minds and was aware of their fears. He also knew they were questioning their own senses. So, he showed them his hands and side to provide evidence this body they were looking at was real and was the one on the cross and put into the tomb a few days earlier. They were not seeing a ghost or a figment of their imagination. Jesus had physically risen from the dead and yet was not prevented by locked doors and walls from being with them. Furthermore, the first thing he wanted to give them was peace. He said it again, “Peace be with you.” 

According to John’s account, Jesus did not field questions about his resurrection or anything else. Instead, he focused on the purpose he had for the disciples. They needed his peace because he had a mission for them they were to follow. He said, “As the Father has sent me, even so, I am sending you.” (v. 21) Throughout this entire book, John has reported that Jesus was neither doing nor teaching anything on his own behalf. He was only teaching and doing what was given to him by his heavenly Father. The mission of his disciples is to continue taking God’s message and doing the work that God is sending them to do. 

How would they be able to do this? They were just blue-collar workers, average people. The answer lies in what Jesus did next. He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” Jesus had been telling them this was going to happen. Back in John 16 he spoke of sending them the Advocate who is the “Spirit of truth” who will “guide you into all truth.” (John 16:13) Now is the time when Jesus is initiating this sending of the Holy Spirit to his disciples.

This passage has created no end of controversy among believers who get confused about Jesus giving the Holy Spirit here and the account of the disciples receiving the Holy Spirit in Acts 2. Personally, I don’t take this as two different acts of God giving the Holy Spirit. As I see this, God has sovereignly orchestrated this chain of events to best teach and prepare Jesus’ disciples for the ministry He has in mind for them. Jesus taught them about things to come. Yet, people don’t always fully understand what others are teaching us. This happens often between parents and their children. Parents teach the children things that the child cannot fully understand. But, if the child understands the parent loves them and looks out for their best interest, they “accept” it to a measure of belief. Later the child may experience something when that teaching is more understood and appreciated. That happens because of the context of the experience and now the child’s trust in the parent’s advice increases because they realize the wisdom that was offered to them and that the parent was looking out for them. 

In the same way, this recent trauma of experiencing Jesus’ death and now his resurrection is beginning to sink in with everything Jesus had been teaching them. Now is the perfect time to reiterate his mission for them and to give them the Holy Spirit to help them accomplish this mission according to what Jesus had already taught them. They are now more prepared to understand and accept this mission. Jesus had the authority to give them the Holy Spirit. Yet, it would be a little longer before they experienced the filling of the Holy Spirit. God’s plan was to accomplish that in its own perfect timing at Pentecost when they would boldly proclaim the Good News of Jesus and thousands would respond. 

Under the leading of the Holy Spirit, what should they do or say? What was this mission? I think that’s what verse 23 is about. Jesus added, “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.” Jesus’ death on the cross is about the forgiveness of sins. He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. (John 1:29) Jesus’ death has made it possible for the sins of mankind to be forgiven. That is truly good news! Some have argued that this statement is only for the apostles, that this is an apostolic privilege. I disagree. In teaching his disciples to pray, Jesus said to pray “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” (Luke 11:4) As followers of Jesus, we should forgive the sins of others understanding that we are simply spokespersons for the Lord. It is the Lord who forgives them. 

In summary, let us receive the peace given by Jesus, walk by means of the Holy Spirit, and communicate to others the forgiveness of sin against God available to us through the perfect sacrifice of His Son Jesus on the cross.

Episode 30 - He must increase, but I must decrease

John 3:22-30

22   After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he remained there with them and was baptizing. 23 John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there, and people were coming and being baptized 24 (for John had not yet been put in prison).

John 3:25   Now a discussion arose between some of John’s disciples and a Jew over purification. 26 And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you bore witness—look, he is baptizing, and all are going to him.” 27 John answered, “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven. 28 You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.’ 29 The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. 30 He must increase, but I must decrease.”

We have already seen the humility of John the Baptist beginning in chapter one in which he tells others that he is not worthy to even to the servant of Jesus. He even directs his own disciples to follow Jesus. 

In this text, it is apparent that some of John’s disciples still haven’t left John to follow Jesus because they apparently become jealous that more people are following Jesus. John’s response is that everything anyone of us have is a gift from heaven. This is John’s way of saying that God has given me a specific purpose and Jesus a specific purpose. He then uses the illustration of a wedding and he compares himself to the friend of the bridegroom and Jesus as the bridegroom. The friend is happy for the wedding of the bridegroom. The fullness of his own joy is that he sees this “marriage” is in process and he is completing his purpose as the friend of the bridegroom. Verse 30 gives us a simple statement from the Baptizer that we would all do well to meditate upon and desire to be the motto of our own life and purpose. “He (Jesus) must increase, but I must decrease.” As we grow in our faith, our priority should be that people see Jesus and not us.