Jets Beat Patriots!

As the game recap mentions, this is the first time my New York Jets have been alone atop the division since 2001. That is way too long for the evil empire otherwise known as the New England Patriots to be in control. The revolution has begun and it is being televised!

"The Gospel of Reconciliation" Colossians 1:21-23

In Col 1:21-23 Paul applies more specifically the themes of Col 1:15-23, in particularly the theme of reconciliation between God and man. He starts off emphasizing the great separation between humanity is from God. All of us start off as enemies of God. In our mindset, choices, and actions we show ourselves to be alienated from God and hostile towards him (Col 1:21). We were originally created to be closely connected to God, to live in his presence. But today, humanity is disconnected from God, living life outside of his presence and making a mess of things.

However in Jesus a different possibility emerges. God sent Jesus so that people could be restored to a relationship with him. Jesus brings reconciliation between man and God. When we put Jesus at the center of our lives we find ourselves able to be back in God's presence because in Jesus we are made "holy and blameless and above reproach" (Col 1:22).

All of this was made possible through the death of Jesus. It took a bloody death on a cross to bridge the chasm that existed between us and God. You could say that Jesus' death on the cross was like someone jumping into a burning building in order to save someone else, and in the process of saving this person the rescuer willingly gives up his or her life. This is pretty much what Jesus did for us, and it's all the more amazing when we consider the fact that the "fire" he rescues us from was started by us and was continuing to devour everything around us because we kept providing fuel for the fire.

Thus, our reconciliation to God is something 100% initiated by God and 100% carried out by Jesus. It is not something we helped out in or earned in any way. We can only humbly receive it by faith. However, our reconciled status is not something we should take for granted. Being reconciled to God is a status that the Christian must now actively maintain.

God by his grace protects and preserves every true believing Christian. But at the same time every true believing Christian should heed Paul's warning and see themselves as responsible to "continue in the faith" by being grounded in the gospel (Col 1:23). The gospel is the solid foundation that we now build our lives upon. For anyone who builds their life upon the "rock" of the gospel will always stand firm, no matter what (cf Matt 7:24-27). The gospel is the only message that leads us to be reconciled to God and gives us the hope and confidence that in the end of time we will be accepted by God.

Can you say that you have staked your life on the gospel? Have you put the full weight of your life upon it? Can you give examples of some choices or decisions that were made because you are established on "the hope of the gospel" (Col 1:23)?

If your life is staked on the gospel you will be able to continue in the faith, to even take "risks" of faith for the sake of Christ - although can we even consider anything to be a "risk" for us if we are established on the solid rock of the gospel? What kind of "risks" of faith do you think we should be taking in light of our being established on the gospel?

"Jesus Christ Superstar" Colossians 1:15-20

In this possibly early Christian hymn we are told unequivocally that Jesus is supreme over all things. First of all, Jesus is the superstar of creation (Col 1:15-17). He is the 100% visible expression of the invisible God and the one by and through whom all things were created. Creation only continues to be viable because Jesus sustains it. All things began with Jesus and all things are ultimately meant to glorify Jesus.

Secondly, Jesus is the superstar of the new creation (Col 1:18-20). Creation has become horribly flawed because of man's sin. But through Christ God has effected a new creation. Christ died on the cross and then rose from the dead, which opened the door to a new era whereby creation could be freed from sin and its consequences. The church is the first expression of this new creation. She is a community of people who once were apart from God but now have been reconciled back to him. And eventually, all things will be reconciled back to God. All things will be at peace with God. And all of this will happen because of "the blood of the cross" (Col 1:20).

Jesus is coming back one day, riding on a warhorse with an iron rod in his hand and a tattoo on his leg that says "King of Kings and Lord of Lords," and he will once and for all bring all things under submission to its rightful Lord and God.

What are some things that strike you as you read this passage? If Christ is truly supreme over all things, how will this impact what our church does, how we carry out our jobs, how our city should look like, how our time and money should be spent?

"A Full-Bodied Prayer" Colossians 1:9-14

Paul regularly prays what I've called a "full-bodied" prayer for the Colossian Christians. The basic outline of the prayer is: two requests, followed by four characteristics that will develop if those requests are met, ending with a final statement about God and the redemption he accomplished in Jesus that should encourage to see that God can and will answer prayers like this.

The prayer begins first with a request that these Christians would know God's will. How will this happen? Through God growing them in wisdom and understanding. Of course, the way in which God does this is through his Word. Thus, regular reading and meditation upon the word of God is the means by which we can expect God to impart the knowledge of his will to us.

Following from this is a request that their knowledge of God's will will lead to them living out God's will. Or, as Paul puts it, that they would live a life worthy of Jesus, fully pleasing to him (Colossians 1:10). Such a life will have the following characteristics (Colossians 1:10-12):

1. Do lots of good and 2. Know God more and more
Note that these are tied together. As we do good, we will know God more. And knowing God more must lead to doing more good.

3. Be empowered by God
God empowers the life that is worthy of Jesus with ALL his power, so that the Christian can have endurance and patience in facing every type of situation.

4. Be joyfully thankful
A life worthy of Jesus is always joyfully thankful to God the Father. And what sparks this joy and thankfulness is the fact that God has accomplished everything that's needed so that people from all over can share together in an eternal inheritance.

The prayer ends in v.13-14 with the final reminder and encouragement that God has rescued believers out of their dominion of darkness and transferred them to the kingdom of Jesus, in whom we are forgiven and thus set free from the power of sin and evil.

I love meditating on prayers like this because I find them to be a great guide to me in how I should pray and what I should pray for. What parts of this "full-bodied" prayer especially stick out to you? How are you trying to develop the things mentioned in this prayer in your own life (even as you pray that God would help you develop them)?

"The Gospel at Work" Colossians 1:3-8

The new teaching that had come into the Colossian church was causing some of the Colossian Christians to stray away from the gospel. And so, right from the start of his letter Paul takes time to remind the Colossians about the gospel message they've received and in which they've believed.

This gospel message is essentially "the grace of God in truth" (Colossians 1:6). It is the good news of how God in his grace commits himself to sinful human beings by sending Jesus Christ to die on the cross for their sins. When the gospel is heard and understood, it produces a community full of faith, hope and love (Colossians 1:4-5). In fact, wherever the gospel is truly planted, it will naturally produce growth (Colossians 1:5-6). Thus, it is vitally crucial for Christians today to rightly and fully teach the gospel to others so that they might rightly hear and fully understand the gospel, which will result in these people now going out and teaching the gospel to still more people!

I think many people today really don't believe in the gospel. Many have very wrong ideas about what the gospel actually is. Others have a very superficial understanding of the gospel (in contrast to the Colossian Christians, who we are told "understood" the gospel, which means that they became thoroughly competent in it). Others don't think the gospel is quite enough to change lives and so they look to other sources or engage in other initiatives to do "ministry", with the proclamation of the gospel message being an optional add-on.

What do you think are the major obstacles to people really hearing and understanding the gospel? What are you doing to promote the true planting and authentic transformational growth of the gospel within our community?

ESV Study Bible's Finally Out!

Check out these beautiful pictures:
http://spurgeon.wordpress.com/2008/10/15/esv-study-bible-2/

I have to admit, I've bought into some of the hype. I can't wait to have this as a resource. I think it will be a great help, especially to people overseas who can't afford to buy a lot of commentaries or reference books.

"Christ Rules: An Introduction to Paul's Letter to the Church at Colossae" Col 1:1-2

Paul writes this letter to the church at Colossae, a church which started off of the ministry of Epaphras and a church that he had never personally visited. Nevertheless, Paul had a great love for Colossian church. He was also very concerned about this church because some people within the church were being drawn away into a "new" teaching. This teaching seems to have been a blend of local folk beliefs and Jewish practices. We could describe this teaching as "Jesus plus." Sure, the Colossian Christians had Jesus, but what this new teaching suggested was that they needed to do a little bit extra, in the form of following special religious rules or appeasing certain supernatural spirits, if they really wanted to have a "full" life.

It's not entirely surprising that this kind of teaching was attractive. All of us battle fear, anxiety, and insecurity. We search for meaning in the face of great, merciless forces - things like unexpected illness, loss of a job, or outright evil powers. We cope and try to find control over all these things in lot of different ways. Some do it through filling their life with lots of religion. Others do it by trying to strip their life of any religion. Many do it through the pursuit of money, or through sex, or through drugs or alcohol.

So what's the answer to all this? It comes through affirming one indisuputable face - that Jesus Christ rules. This fact is at the heart of this letter to the Colossian church. At various point in this letter Paul describes Jesus as the image of the invisible God, the creator of all things, the head of the church, the firstborn from the dead, the reconciler of all the things, the Savior through his death on the cross, the source of all wisdom and knowledge, the conqueror of sin and Satan. In short, Christ rules! And because he rules, everything is under his power and control.

This has significant implications for us. It means that the person who is under the rule of Christ doesn't need to fear anything. Every evil and demonic spirit has fallen falt on their faces before King Jesus. The Christian believer then has real power over every demonic enemy they face.

In adddition, the person who is under the rule of Jesus has everything they need in order to live a true, authentic, full life. For in Christ, the believer possess the fullness of God (Colossians 2:9-10). This means then that we don't have to be ruled by so many useless, frustrating, dehumanizing "earthly" things. We don't have to be ruled by sex, by evil desires, by anger, by that addiction, by that chronic illness, by that relationship, by that bank account, by those legalistic religion rules. Instead, we can be ruled by things like compassion, kindness, humility, love, and peace(Colossians 3:12-15).

All of this is possible because through the death and resurrection of Jesus God put the sleeper hold on every sin and every evil and dark power in our world. He pinned them down and has forced them to submit to him in total defeat, so that now, in Christ, we also can claim victory over all sin and evil (Colossians 2:13-15).

Christ rules, and this has direct practical relevance for every Christian life. The rule of Christ is the answer to every basic spiritual need or want. It's the ultimate answer to every social ill and problem. It's the rallying cry that conquers every demon that torments the human soul.

So, what does the rule of Christ mean to you? What are things that you've seen rule people's lives, or may even rule your life, and how might the rule of Christ help free you from these things?

"Repentance and Restoration" Hosea 14:1-9

In this last chapter of Hosea the people of God are once again encouraged to repent. They must admit the full reality of their sin so that God might fully cleanse and restore them into a right relationship with him. How can Israel be sure that God will do this? It's because God is a God of mercy (Hosea 14:3). Israel does not deserve any mercy from God. But God freely chooses to show mercy and love towards them (Hosea 14:4). He will be like a tree constantly giving them refreshing, life sustaining fruit.

We find similar themes and wording in the New Testament. Peter describes how through the death of Jesus our sins are taken away, we are healed, and we are restored to God (1 Peter 2:24-25). So we see that God is in the business of not just restoring sinful Israel but a sinful world. He sent Jesus to die on the cross so that this might be possible. Anyone who repents from their sin and turns to God by believing in Jesus will be fully restored and renewed.

Repentance and restoration. What do those words mean to you? How has Jesus and his death on the cross brought about both repentance and restoration in your own life? And what are your final thoughts on the book of Hosea?

"A History of Rebellion and the Pain of Future Judgment" Hosea 11:12-13:16

Sorry, I've gotten a bit behind updating this blog. I'll start first with recapping this past Sunday and hopefully later this week I'll recap the previous Sunday.

In our passage this Sunday we reviewed again the details of Israel's rebellion, were confronted with the harsh reality of God's judgment as an inevitable consequence because of Israel's rebellion, and then found hope in the form of some questions and reminders.

Israel was a people who constantly "strove with God" (Hosea 12:3). God had been been extremely generous and gracious to them throughout their history. They however became complacent, taking for granted God's blessings (cf Hosea 13:4-6). This complacency led to pride, which led to them forgetting about God and worshiping idols.

Israel's rejection of God would bring on them devastating consequences. This section of Hosea contains some of the harshest descriptions of what God's judgment on Israel will entail. God says that he will be like a wild predator against them (Hosea 13:7-9). The nation will become as nothing, they will disappear (Hosea 13:3). Their sin will have a disastrous effect on their society, affecting the most vulnerable people in their community (Hosea 13:16).

In the midst of all this however we get the questions posed in Hosea 13:14, which seems to suggest that perhaps God will save his people from the death that awaits them. How will this happen? By way of Hosea 12:6. There we are reminded how we can get right with God. We must return to God, something that is only possible by God's help. We must maintain steadfast love and justice in our lives and in our community. And we must wait continually, with eager anticipation, for God, which doesn't mean being passive but coming near to God, "leaning forward" towards God. Fortunately, we do these things knowing already how God will respond. He has responded to us with Christ. In Christ the questions of Hosea 13:14 become definitive answers. In Christ God has saved us from the power of death and the judgment we all deserve for our sin against him (cf 1 Cor 15:54-56).

How do the truths contained in this passage resonate with you? Was it difficult for any of you to read this passage, especially the severe and harsh descriptions of what will happen to Israel? (Note: God's judgment did eventually come on Israel; you can read the account of it in 2 Kings 16-17.) How can we avoid become "full" prideful Christians who forget God(cf Hosea 13:5-6) and instead be Christians who are always thankful to God for Christ, "leaning forward" towards him?

"An Uncommon Love" Hosea 11:1-11

Hosea 11 starts off telling us how God first loved the nation of Israel. He called Israel out of Egypt and adopted Israel as his son. He then loved him in the way a good parent - he fed him, protected him, guided him. Israel responded by rejecting God. They become the stereotypical punk kid - completely ungrateful to their Father and self-absorbed.

Rightfully Israel should face the full consequences of their rebellion and be completely wiped out. But God decides that he won't do this, for his heart still burns with compassion for his wayward kid (Hosea 11:8). How could this be possible? It's because God is "God and not a man" (Hosea 11:9). He is the "Holy One" (v.9). This means that God alone is God. There is no other like him. He is separate, unique, distinct, above us and beyond us, infinite, perfect, pure.

God chooses to show holy love towards Israel as opposed to the holy wrath they should have gotten from him. He does this not because of anything they have done; he does this entirely based on who he is - a holy God who can do as he wants so that ultimately he gets the praise and glory.

How then will the sin of Israel be dealt with so that God, the Holy One, can still be who is and yet also be in relationship with such a sinful people. We find out several centuries later, in person of the one true Son of God, Jesus. Unlike the adopted son Israel, Jesus remains perfectly faithful and obedient to God. He obeys the Father to the point of giving up his life on the cross. And it is on the cross that sin is dealt with and holy wrath and justice are satisfied. It is now through Jesus that the way is opened up so that all sinners can be brought into relationship with the Father.

For really, all humanity is like Israel in that we all have acted like punks towards God. We depend on our religious spirituality (acting like the punk kid who says to his dad, "I can make it on my own I don't need you"). Or we depend on excuses for why we sin or why our sin really isn't sin (acting like the punk kid who always says, "I'm a victim, it's not my fault").

The audacity of the gospel is that God still graciously chooses to love us in spite of "punkish" ourselves (Eph 1:4-6). Because of God's love towards us in Jesus, we can now, through faith in Jesus, experience God's grace and compassion. We are forgiven of our sins, made new, and adopted as full sons and daughters of God. We now live in this love, which God calls us to display to the rest of our world so that others might also believe in Jesus and know God's love in their lives (cf 1 Thess 3:11-13).

Let's think further about this holy uncommon love of God. What does it mean to you personally that God is a holy God, and then that he graciously choose to show love towards you in Jesus Christ? What are some practical ways each of us in the coming weeks can display this holy uncommon love to those around us who have yet to personally experience it? What are some practical ways we as a church community can display this holy uncommon love to our city?