Noel

 

What does noel mean? In the Christmas story, what purpose does the word serve? Is it in the Bible? These and more questions arise about the word noel as I sing the Christmas carol called The First Noel. You know the first verse:

The first noel, the angels did say, was to certain poor shepherds in fields where they lay. In fields where they lay keeping their sheep on a cold winter’s night that was so deep. Noel. Noel. Noel. Noel. Born is the King of Israel.

This carol gives us a first hint of what noel is. First, let's examine the word's etymology.

Noel comes from the Old Latin word (natus) meaning to be born. The Church carried natas forward into Church Latin (natalis) referring to the birthday of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. As time passed, the word became noel, a variant of the Old French nael, came to mean the feast of the nativity. Middle English translated noel nowel, a shout of joy or a Christmas song. Considering each of the translations through history, noel is a shout of joy by verbal proclamation, including songs, of the birth, the nativity (natus), of the Christ child, Jesus the Messiah.

Is the word noel in the Bible? The word noel is not stated explicitly in the Bible. Noel defines the activity of the angels. Luke 2:9-14 is not the first noel of the Bible. The angel proclaimed the Messiah’s birth to Mary in Luke 1:26-28. He spoke to Joseph, Mary’s betrothed, in Matthew 1:20-25. Before the New Testament, God foretold many prophets Himself and through His messengers about the Messiah’s birth in Isaiah 7:14 and 9:6. Micah writes of God’s foretelling of the Messiah in Micah 5:2. These are all prophecies foretelling the birth of Jesus Christ, the Messiah. They are a proclamation of great joy. The proclamations of good news for the Hebrews and all people of the birth of the One God promised. None who heard the proclamations foretelling Jesus’ birth remained unchanged. Each knew they had encountered God. These people carried God’s promise in their hearts and waited expectantly for the Christ child.

When Mary’s birth pains ceased and Jesus was born, the angels proclaimed that good news. Luke 2:9-14 records their proclamation of God’s fulfillment of His promises. The angel of the Lord (a messenger from God) stood before the lowly shepherds in the field with their sheep. These men “were terrified.” The shepherds recognized they saw a messenger from God. How did they know this? The “glory of the Lord shone around them.” The Jews understood this phenomenon. Their shared history evoked images of Moses embodying the glory of the Lord, having spent time with Him on the mountain and in the tabernacle. The Israelites asked Moses to cover his face because they feared being struck dead by God because of looking directly at God’s glory. This fear carried over to the worship in the tabernacle and, later, the temple. God told the Levites to tie a rope around the chief priest’s waist to pull him out of the Holy of Holies should he not return from offering what was required of him. If the chief priest entered into God’s presence (the Holy of Holies) without having ritually cleansed himself, he would die.

The Hebrews recognized the presence of God, so when the shepherds of Luke 2 saw the angel of the Lord, they absolutely were terrified. The shepherds recognized they saw the glory of God in His messenger and feared they would die because of being in the presence of God’s glory. Instead, the angel surprised the shepherds by telling them not to be afraid, but aware and joyous. The angel said in Luke 2:10-11, “Do not be afraid! For behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people: Today in the city of David, a Savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord.” The shepherds had no reason to fear when the glory of the Lord rested upon the angels. The angels brought the good news of great joy that the Savior, of whom prophets and angels foretold for millennia, was just born. They heralded the proclamation, the good news of the birthday of the Christ. These describe what the word noel means. Proclamation in word of the good news of the Messiah’s birth.

Now, consider again the song, The First Noel.

The first Noel the angel did say

Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay;

in fields where they lay keeping their sheep,

on a cold winter’s night that was so deep.

Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel,

Born is the King of Israel

 

They looked up and saw a star

shining in the east, beyond them far;

and to the earth it gave great light,

and so it continued both day and night.

Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel,

Born is the King of Israel.

Even to this day, the proclamation of the Messiah’s birth continues to ring from one people group to another and from one nation to another. The foretelling of Jesus’ ex birth is no longer. Instead, the punctuation of His birth is an exclamation. It proclaims the salvation He gives to any person who believes in Him as the Messiah, the Savior from sin and death. Jesus’ birth was not an afterthought. From before creation, God planned to save His creation—people made in His image—because of His great love for us. Paul explains this in Ephesians 1:3-5 when he wrote to the church at Ephesus. He wrote,

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms. For He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in His presence. In love, He predestined us for adoption as His sons through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of His will. (Berean Study Bible)

God’s love for His creation began before He created people. He heralded His love by His messengers—prophets and angels—in the Old Testament. He proclaimed the birth of His Son, Jesus, with angels. God does not mean for the proclamation to end since Jesus already was born and later crucified, risen to back to life, ascended to heaven, and now sitting at the Father’s right hand. No, the proclamation days have not ended. Jesus instructed His disciples (any person who has believed in Him and been saved) about this in Matthew 28:18-20. He said,

All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

Any person who has ever believed in Jesus for salvation is His disciple. To each of them, to us, He issues this commission. Christian disciples must herald the good news of Jesus' birth and the salvation He offers by their teaching, preaching, singing, and any other means possible. Love came down that day and continues to come from God. He wants all people to know of His great love and the salvation belief in Jesus as God’s Son gives.

Be the Herald. Sing Noel!

Feet of Faith

“We hope that your faith will grow so that the boundaries of our work among you will be extended. Then we will be able to go and preach the Good News in other places far beyond you, where no one else is working.” (2 Corinthians 10:15b-16a [NLT])

In 2 Corinthians 10, Paul taught about false teachers who sought followers. One way these teachers gave for people to consider them worthy to heed was by declaring how many followers they had. Paul countered this by saying in verse eighteen, “When people commend themselves, it doesn’t count for much. The important thing is for the Lord to commend them.”

In this chapter, Paul told the Corinthians his hope was for their faith to grow so he could go out farther in the mission field to tell other people the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This statement leads us to consider a few things. Paul cared enough for the Corinthians that he wanted to make sure they had a firmly established faith before he left them. He did not want to leave too early and then these new Christians succumb to the deceptions of Satan through false teachers. Paul wanted to make sure the Corinthians understood their salvation by faith in Jesus Christ through God’s grace is enough. He cared that they stood strong in the faith even when other teachers tried to convince them of their own greatness and “prove” their legitimacy. Paul wanted to make sure the Corinthians could stand firm in their faith.

With verses fifteen and sixteen, Paul showed he desired for other people along with the Corinthians to know about Jesus so they, too, might believe in Him and receive salvation from sin and death. He did not sit back, pat himself on the back, and decide he had completed his task from God. Paul did not consider rest his goal but taking the Gospel to each unbelieving person. His goal was to be a bondservant to Christ, experience His mighty power, suffer with Him, share in His death, and experience the resurrection from the dead (Philippians 3:10-11 [NLT]). Paul’s job as a servant and redeemed child of God was to tell everyone the Gospel, not just the Corinthians. He desired to go as far as Rome and then onward. Paul said further in Philippians 3:12, his goal was to “press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me.” He only stopped preaching and teaching when he died. The only commendation Paul sought was from the Lord. God’s commendation of him was the important thing (2 Corinthians 10:18).

How does this relate to us? Why are these verses important for us today? We need to consider if we have grown in our faith or if we have stagnated. Have we listened to the Gospel, believed in Jesus Christ, heard God tell us His task for us, and obediently begun doing as He told us? Being obedient to God requires our continued growth in knowledge of and relationship with Him. It requires daily communing with and obeying Him. This growth was so important that Paul did not want to leave the Corinthians and go further abroad without ensuring they could withstand the fiery darts and arrows of the evil one (Ephesians 6:16). How is your faith? Is it growing? Stagnating? Non-existent?

The other thing important for us to understand in these verses is, like Paul, obeying God in one task does not mean we completed His commission of us. Paul heard Jesus tell him He sent him to the Gentiles. Gentiles, plural. Gentiles are all non-Jews. Every city, village, or town outside Israel that was Gentile. Paul’s task was to keep on proclaiming the Gospel to the Gentiles and anyone who would listen. Like Paul, when God tells us to tell other people the Gospel, we have not completed the task the moment we speak the last word of our Gospel testimony to one person or group of people. We do not get to erase that task from our mental whiteboard. Jesus sent His disciples to the world to share the Gospel, make disciples, baptize them, and teach them to obey everything He commanded them (Matthew 28:16-20). Only upon the death of a disciple is his or her job on earth done. Are you eagerly training the newest converts and growing them to share the Gospel so you can go out further and share the Gospel with more people, too?

In this brief passage, we see Paul’s heart. He cared for the new believers enough not to leave them inadequately prepared to stand against false teachers. Paul taught them until they had a firm foundation in Christ. He desired to continue carrying out Jesus’ commission to him, too. Paul eagerly desired to tell more people about the salvation Jesus Christ gives to anyone who would believe in Him and who would confess and repent of his or her sins. He loved God with his whole being. Paul loved people because of the love Jesus put into his heart. He did not want anyone to die without knowing Jesus Christ as his or her Savior.

Paul got it right; he loved God and loved his neighbor, even if that neighbor lived a two-week boat journey away. He acted upon the love Jesus put in his heart. Paul obeyed the commission Jesus gave him. His obedience to Him showed his love for Him and the people Jesus loved. What does your life show? Does it show your love for God? Are you obeying the commission God has for you? Do you love other people enough to care about their eternal salvation? Have you considered what others would say of your faith when you die? Would they say, “He/she must have hated those people a lot because he/she did not tell them about Jesus, and they were his/her neighbors?”  

Now is the time to look earnestly at your heart, spirit, and mind to decide how deeply you love God.  Are you mature enough to stand on your feet of faith so your own teacher can tell other people about Jesus? Are you mature enough in your faith so you can begin fulfilling the great commission of Jesus with your life because of your love for Him? Do you love your neighbors enough to tell them the Gospel?

“When people commend themselves, it doesn’t count for much. The important thing is for the Lord to commend them.” (2 Corinthians 10:18 [NLT])

Thanksgiving in Colossians

In the second Bible study in this series on the Letter to the Colossians, titled Identification, we studied Paul’s introduction of himself and Timothy and his greeting to the church at Colossae. This greeting of Paul’s identified him as an apostle, a sent out one, of Christ by the will of God. Paul identified himself as a Christian and one who goes out to proclaim the Gospel. By this, the church of Colossae could recognize he was one to whom they should listen. Paul had credentials. Next in the greeting, Paul called Timothy “our brother.” With these two words, he identified to the Colossian believers that Timothy, too, was a believer and one who traveled with and learned daily from Paul. He was one they should consider highly, too. The people of Asia Minor, which included Colossae, knew of Timothy as one of their own since he grew up in their part of the world. The Colossians identified with Timothy as a man of Asia Minor. Paul, being from Tarsus, of Asia Minor, identified as one of their own, too. Between Paul and Timothy, their backgrounds covered people from Asia Minor who had Greek and/or Jewish backgrounds, just as the Colossian church comprised people from Greek and Jewish backgrounds. With the words of Paul’s introduction and greeting, he led the people to identify with him and Timothy and prepared them to listen and heed what he wrote to them in this letter.

With verses three through eight, Paul prayed about the Colossian brethren. This prayer was a thanksgiving to God for the faith of the Colossian Christians, love toward their brethren, and hope for their final reward. Notice, this prayer speaks of a multidimensional Christianity-upward to God, outward to other believers, and forward to eternity - shown by three words, faith, love, and hope.

Thanksgiving

To God

“We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, always praying for you…” (Colossians 1:3 [NASB])

Paul, as Jesus’ sent out one, who identified with Christ and the Colossian Christians, offered a prayer of thanks to God. The word “thanks” comes from the same Greek work from which eucharist comes. The Greek word is eucharisteo. It means to give thanks acknowledging God’s grace works well for our eternal gain and His glory. For God’s grace, Paul thanked Him. Each time a Christian partakes of communion/eucharist/Lord’s Supper, he or she gives thanks for the grace God gave him or her through Jesus Christ. The Lord’s Supper is a time of remembrance of what Jesus did for believers and thanks for His grace He gave through it. Paul said the same thing in this opening of his prayer. He remembered with and for the Colossae Christians what Jesus did for them with His life, death, and resurrection, and he thanked God for the grace He gave them, which they accepted as His gift of love.

With the phrase “to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,” Paul began reminding them of who Jesus is. He alluded to the theme of this letter - Jesus, the Son of God, fully divine. Paul prayed to God, the Father of Jesus Christ, the Son who died and rose from death to give grace, mercy, and salvation. To this One, the One in whom Paul, Timothy, and the Colossian church had faith, he interacted. In this prayer, Paul pointed anew to the supreme deity of God. Because of God’s grace works in and for the Colossian saints, Paul thanked Him. He acknowledged grace and faith come only from God. Paul prayed in faith, praying in the way the Father desires, according to the Father’s heart, that the Colossian church would be persuaded completely and be full of faith in Him. He said he prayed always for the Colossian Christians. Paul prayed according to God’s will continually and in the way He moved him to pray for them. He was connected intimately with God and, through Him, intimately connected with the Colossian believers. He identified with God as His saved and sent out one. Paul identified with the Colossian Christians, too, as one who was a sinner saved by God’s grace through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.

Faith and Love

“…since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love, which you have for all the saints…” (Col. 1:4 [NASB])

Paul had heard of the faith and love of the Christians in Colossae. He would have heard it from the man he discipled who was from their region, Epaphras. Because Paul spent lengthy periods of time in Asia Minor on his second and third missionary journeys, he could have learned about the believers in Colossae at those times or from the people who wrote to him. What Paul heard is for what Paul thanked God. He noted their faith, pistis, in Jesus Christ. Notice, this belief is not in one’s self to do things, such as good works, or be things. This belief is in Jesus, the One who saves people from their sins and makes them righteous. Pistis means belief and true faith in Jesus as a gift from God. This faith gift from God is what persuaded them of the truth of Jesus Christ. As they acted on this faith, it produced more faith, so they grew in their relationship with God and in their service to Him. As any believer applies what they know, hear, and receive from God, more faith grows in them. They mature and bear fruit.

This faith and its growth in a believer leads to agape love. Agape love can only come from being identified with Jesus Christ. People cannot manufacture it. This love that is true and devoted; it is pure. Nothing changes it. This love is not hot one day and cold another. Agape love is the pure love from Jesus Christ. Each characteristic of God - Father, Son, and Spirit - comes from this pure love. The agape love Paul said the Colossians showed was love “for all the saints.” These saints of which Paul wrote were other people whom Jesus made holy through the redemption He gives. The Colossian believers enacted their faith in Jesus with pure love for other believers in Jesus Christ. They showed the love of God to other Christians. This shows the Colossian believers’ identification with God. Their faith in Christ led to love of Christ pouring out from them towards the saints. They identified with Jesus and with other believers. These Colossian Christians grew in their faith and showed Christ’s love to others. They had a vertical relationship with God and a horizontal relationship with people that was Christlike, from agape love. For their faith acted upon as agape love lived out among other saints, Paul thanked God.

Hope

“…because of the hope laid up for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel…” (Col. 1:5 [NASB])

Paul began this next section talking of the third aspect of believers, hope. The first two were faith and love. Paul said in verse five, “...because of the hope…” Hope motivated the believers in Colossae. Hope without substance isn’t hope. Without substance, this describes just possibility. Hope that has a basis, a foundation, such as the Christian hope in Jesus that leads to an eternal reward, is something onto which they could be sure. The Colossian believers could trust and put their confidence in this reward, not because people told them about heaven, but because they believed unto faith in Jesus Christ and received salvation by His grace given because of His shed blood. That truth is the basis for Christian hope. Jesus never fails or lies. He is victorious over sin and death as the fully divine Son of God. The believers in Colossae held onto this hope laid up for them in heaven, which they gained when they heard and trusted in the truth, the Gospel. They lived out their faith with God’s agape love toward other believers because of the hope they had in Christ. The Colossian Christians’ faith, as God gave to them, was genuine as acknowledged by their actions of faith and because they looked toward the future of their completed salvation and acted in the present.

 

Word of Truth’s Sufficiency

“…which has come to you, just as in all the world, also, it is constantly bearing fruit and increasing even as it has been doing in you since the day you heard of it and understood the grace of God in truth…” (Col. 1:6 [NASB])

Paul is famous for his unending and complicated sentence structure. This phrase begins with the last words in verse five. It speaks of the Gospel. The word “Gospel” comes from the Greek word euaggelion, meaning the truth of the good news of the Messiah. Paul stated the Colossians faith, love, and hope came from the Gospel, the good news of the Messiah. This Gospel that came to them and which they heeded was the word of truth. Remember, God is the definition of truth, the source of truth. His character is truth. So, if something comes from Him, it is the absolute truth. Understanding this was important for the Colossian believers because they lived in a city and region bombarded by Greco-Roman gods, Babylonian gods, Greek philosophical thought, and Jewish legalism. This combination of influences with bits and pieces of ideas taken from Christianity led to the beginnings of Gnosticism. The truth from God of the good news, the Gospel, is absolute. Paul inferred no other philosophical thought or faith system is truth if it differs from God’s truth.

Paul continued explaining how they could know for sure this word of truth they received is the truth. He said a faith in the word of truth constantly bears fruit and increases. He said this word of truth is the same as what had been and was being presented in the entire world. The increase is the number of people from different tribes, nations, and tongues who believed in the truth of God. Know by its increase, its fruit. Just as it bore fruit in the Lycus River valley with actions of godly character and conduct, it was effective beyond there and bore fruit elsewhere, too. This fruit of the Gospel in believers’ lives didn’t just bud then die away, but word came of its growth and maturity. It increased and spread. So, too, did the faith of the Colossians grow richer and deeper. It matured in them. God’s truth didn’t need supplementation by other thoughts or religions. People need nothing else for the Gospel to save them when they believed in Jesus Christ. This word of truth, the Gospel, as the believers in Colossae listened to and understood it from Epaphras, is the grace of God. The Gospel preached to them, which they believed with the faith God gave them and the faith that grew and matured, is God’s truth and is sufficient for salvation from sins and receipt of eternal life with Him. Paul said no person needs to add anything to what they received from God’s sent ones to give them salvation and eternal life. Writing this in his thanksgiving to God foreshadowed what Paul's purpose was for this letter. Jesus’ sacrifice was sufficient.

Faithful to Christ

“…just as you learned it from Epaphras, our bellowed fellow bond-servant, who is a faithful servant of Christ on our behalf…” (Col. 1:7 [NASB])

Paul identified he knew from whom the believers in Colossae heard the Gospel. The verb Paul used is a prolonged verb. What they learned began at a point in time and they kept learning, so it became a part of their lifestyle, continuing to learn from experience as they walked with Christ each day. Paul acknowledged the believers in Colossae not only believed, but they kept on believing and grew in their faith. They matured and increased, as he said in verse six. They learned and kept on learning by living with Jesus every day. Paul mentioned Epaphras because he trusted what he taught and preached to them since he personally discipled him. He knew Epaphras taught the truth of God. Additionally, by mentioning Epaphras, Paul reminded the believers of Colossae to remember and hold on to the truth Epaphras told them. Don’t let anyone water it down with other philosophical thoughts or faith systems.

Paul called Epaphras a “beloved fellow bond-servant.” This phrasing meant Epaphras was one of them; they followed Christ together. Both Paul and Epaphras identified with Christ. He called him a bond-servant. A bond-servant is someone who voluntarily submits to another person. It doesn’t occur by force, authority, or monetary debt. Epaphras, like Paul and Timothy, accepted the truth of the word, the Gospel, and voluntarily submitted to Christ as His Lord and Savior. Wherever God told Him to go and to whoever God told him to speak, Epaphras would obey. God controlled his life because he gave it to Him. By this, Epaphras was a bond-servant of Christ. Besides being a beloved, fellow bond-servant, Paul said Epaphras was faithful. This word comes from the same root word as the word “faith” in verse four, pistos. Epaphras did not begrudgingly obey God. He did not say, “I’ll do anything, except not that, God.” He was a faithful servant. Epaphras, fully persuaded of the truth of the Gospel about Jesus Christ, lived a life of growing and maturing faith upon which he obeyed God. Inspired by Jesus, he carried out His plans for each person to hear the Gospel. Epaphras lived and breathed to tell the Gospel. He became a teacher of the Christian faith as a beloved and faithful bond-servant of Christ. Epaphras’ cause, his purpose for telling others about Jesus, was three-fold. He acted because of the call Christ had on his life. Epaphras identified with Christ. He, too, acted with other men and women to make sure each person heard the Gospel. Epaphras identified with other sent out ones. Finally, he acted out of agape love for other people. He did not want any person to die without knowing the grace, salvation, and eternal life that faith in Jesus gives. He identified with unsaved people because he had been an unbeliever. Because of Epaphras’ faithfulness to Christ, the Colossian Christians could trust completely in the truth Epaphras taught them. They didn’t need new teachers or to add other things to what Epaphras taught them. Epaphras’ faithfulness to God and to the people of Colossae shows pure love, agape love. Epaphras’ and Paul’s faith, hope, and love, resulted in proclaiming the word of truth and being faithful to Christ.

By the Spirit

“…and he also informed us of your love in the Spirit.” (Col. 1:8 [NASB])

In verse three, Paul said he and Timothy had heard of the faith in Christ of the Colossian believers. He did not state from whom he gained that information. In verse eight, Paul wrote that Epaphras told them of Colossians’ faith. A young pastor reported to his mentor/discipler what was happening in the church he planted in Colossae. He wanted Paul to know what was happening in the Lycus River valley. Epaphras excitedly told what was happening in Colossae and the growth he saw in the believers. The first sign of belief in Jesus in a Christian’s life is the love that flows in and through him or her, outward to people and upward to God. Epaphras told Paul of their love. He didn’t tell them of philia love, deep friendship, but of agape love, a love for everyone that has its source in God. The Colossian believers, according to Epaphras, identified with Christ and identified with other believers. He said they did it in the Spirit. Identification with Christ and other believers is not recognizing them, but more than that. Identification is recognizing and loving them without considering their worth. Just as God loves each person. The Colossian Christians’ identification with Jesus and other believers came from love. The Colossian Christians did not love from their own capacity, but with the capacity and unselfish love of God. Epaphras told Paul of the Colossian believers’ maturing faith, Paul wrote.

Thoughts to Consider

Have you understood everything Paul said in this six-verse passage of Scripture? Paul was very precise in what he said. He packed much into his sentences with many dependent clauses. Paul, like any good teachers and mentors, began this letter and his thanksgiving to God for the Colossae church with the good news of the growth of these children of God in love, faith, and hope, the three aspects, or as R.E. O. White says, “the dimensions,” of Christian experience. He thanked God for the people of Colossae who had become Christians because of their faith, which manifested itself through the love and hope that comes from God. Paul recognized these co-heirs in Christ identified with God and with other believers. Paul briefly reminded these believers that Jesus is fully divine, and His sacrifice is sufficient for salvation. They did not need to add another philosophical thought or faith system to Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection to receive salvation and an eternal inheritance in heaven. Paul encouraged the Colossian believers further by telling them what they had heard from Epaphras came from a fellow beloved bond-servant of Christ, just as he himself is an apostle of Jesus Christ by God’s will.

Consider these questions as you process today’s Bible study.

• Has your faith in Jesus shown in love for other believers?
• Have you lived out your faith by telling someone the word of truth?
• Do you look with expectation to receive the hope God laid up for you in heaven?
• Does your faith keep you strong and steadfast in your faith in Christ?
• Have you mixed anything else into your belief in Christ because it seemed like the right thing to do, things like ancestor worship, idol worship, sacrificing animals when you sin?
• When people look at you, do they see a faith in Christ that bears fruit and mature constantly by your heart, words, and actions?
• Are you continuing to learn and grow in your faith and relationship with Jesus?
•  If you are not a believer in Jesus Christ, what keeps you from believing in Him as your Savior?

Paul wrote to the Colossian Christians to do more than boost their morale with his thanksgiving to God. He foreshadowed of the theme for this letter in his prayer we studied today. Jesus is fully divine, and His sacrifice is sufficient for the salvation of every person who repents and believes in Him as the Son of God. As always, Paul’s love for other people caused him to teach and correct them so Satan’s deceptions would not lead them astray.

Paul would later pray for these believers to have the knowledge of God’s will with spiritual wisdom and understanding, to live a life worthy of God, bearing fruit, increasing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with God’s might and power, ensuring and being patient with joy, and giving thanks to God, the One who qualified them to share in the inheritance of the saints. (Colossians 1:9-12)

For us today, we must ask ourselves if we are persuaded fully of the truth of the Gospel about Jesus Christ. Does it impel us to live a life of growing and maturing faith shown by obeying God? We should ask ourselves if we live a life worthy of God. Paul, Epaphras, and Timothy did. Where do you stand with Jesus now?

For next week, re-read Colossians 1:9-12.

If you want to talk about this Bible study or want to know about Jesus so you can receive the salvation from sins He offers, contact me through the contact form on my website. I will write back to you.

“[I] am giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light.” (Colossians 1:12 [NASB])

God-focused: Beginning with Thanks

“First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken throughout the whole world.” Romans 1:8

Paul told the Roman Christians he was thankful for them. He spoke about a people he had never met. Paul expressed thanks for the future-theirs, and his with them.

Paul was thankful the world knew of the Romans’ faith. People heard Roman emperors expelled the Jews from Rome. Since the Roman Christians worshiped in Jewish temples at first, they experienced similar persecution without expulsion.

Paul desired to be with the Roman believers. He was thankful in advance he could enjoy their companionship. Paul anticipated giving them further knowledge of the gospel. He wanted western believers to be able to stand firm in their faith.

Still, Paul didn’t expect only they would benefit from his visit. He wanted to be encouraged by/with them. Surely Paul’s faith was greater than that of the Roman Christians. Yet, Paul said together they would be encouraged mutually. For this, Paul was thankful.

Paul’s travels created home bases for him in the east. He’d never been to the west. Paul needed a home base in Rome. Often growth in faith comes from standing with other believers supporting each other. Christianity is a faith in community. We meet to pray, study the Bible, worship, encourage, and grow stronger in knowledge and faith to proclaim the Gospel. Paul understood he needed a home base for encouragement and growth in faith.

Paul began his letter to the Romans with thanks for them-past, present, and future. We must begin our day thanking God for who will enter our lives-Christians for growth and encouragement or unbelievers to hear the Gospel.

Lord, help us recognize the importance of being in a community of believers and seeking unbelievers with whom to share Your Gospel

Are You Listening? (redux)

           

             John, in his gospel, wrote many things. He wrote the whole book with the sole purpose being “that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.” (John 20:31 [NASB]) John showed throughout this book ways we, as hearers and readers, can know Jesus is the Son of God. He gave us his personal testimony. He told the testimony of the Gospel through Jesus’ signs and miracles, through the Spirit, and through the Word (God’s inspired Word). Yet, there is something we – Christians and ministers - must do. Paul stated in Romans 10:14-15a, “How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are sent” [NASB]? Unless we who know God personally tell others about Jesus, the salvation of the world, people will not come to know Jesus the Christ.

            In John 13:15, Jesus used the word “example.” He used this word only once when He taught His disciples. Before the Feast of the Passover, after being with the disciples for almost three years teaching them by word and action, He washed the disciples’ feet. Jesus took His tunic off and wrapped a towel around Himself as a servant would. He gave this example to His disciples; they were to be servants to each other. Jesus reinforced this "example" He showed and spoke to them. Later in chapter 13, He told the disciples in verses thirty-four and thirty-five, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:34-35, [NASB]) Earlier Jesus said He was the fulfillment of the Law, but stated they must follow the Shema. The Shema is a Jewish Law combining Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18, “You shall love the LORD your God withyou’re your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” (Luke 10:27 [NASB]). The first Jesus called the greatest commandment. The latter is the second greatest commandment. At the end of His time on earth with His disciples, Jesus added another. In John 13:34-35, He taught them to love each other so that all people would know they were His disciples. These commands cover love of God, love of others (outside the faith), and love among disciples (Christians).

            How are people to know Jesus? They come to know Jesus by Christians coming to know them. John, in his Gospel, stated many times Jesus knew what people thought, what their past was, if they grumbled or complained, and if certain people needed a miracle or sign so they could believe. Jesus knew and knows all people. He spoke into their lives at the point of their need. Consider Mary and Martha. Jesus could have gone to their home in Bethany before Lazarus died, but He knew them and He wanted God to receive glory. Mary and Martha believed Jesus is God’s Son and believed there would be a resurrection on the last day. They did not know that Jesus had power over life and death. By waiting until Lazarus was truly dead (four days after his death), people believed Jesus had power over life and death, God received the glory, and the faith of Mary and Martha grew. You can look at other miracles in the book of John and see this occur often– Jesus’ power over that part of life would be revealed, God would receive glory, and the faith of people would increase or occur for the first time. Jesus knows people and what they need. He meets people at the point of their need - when they are at the end of their understanding and knowledge - so that God’s power is the explanation for any good/miracle that occurred. The question remains: how are people to know Jesus?

            More often than not, people come to know Jesus through His disciples speaking truth into their lives. Let me say it again, “People come to meet and know Jesus through Christians getting to know them.” By getting to know people,

·         We hear them tell us about themselves, their families, their interests, and their religious experiences.

•  We Christians – paid and unpaid - listen intently and hear where people express hurt.
• We hear and realize they are human, too.
• We believers hear with our ears and with the heart that Jesus regenerated in us through His love.
• We hear their physical and spiritual needs.

In the process of listening to them,

•  We Christians earn that person’s trust.
• We remember where Jesus met our need, physically and spiritually.
• We remember where Jesus came to us, met us, healed us, and forgave us, and where we gave our lives to Him.

Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 6:26. The birds of the air wear beautiful plumage, have their food needs met, and are sheltered in God’s beautiful trees and bushes. The birds did nothing; God provided for their needs. God will provide more so for the needs of His created people. Jesus stated that in Matthew 6. God provides for spiritual needs as well as temporal needs. Jesus built relationships or strengthened them at the point of a person’s need. He wants to be the provider of everything each person needs. We must build relationships, too, and through building these new relationships and listening, the people give us the opportunity to speak about Jesus - show how He changed our lives, met our needs - physical and spiritual, and how He can be the fulfillment of their own needs now and for eternity.

            Consider the “I AM” statements in John’s gospel. Jesus said seven things that John recorded. Jesus said,

•   “I AM the Bread of Life.”
•  “I AM the Light of the world.”
•   “I AM the gate for the sheep.”
•   “I AM the good Shepherd.”
•   “I AM the resurrection and the Life.””
•  I AM the True Vine.”

Each of these has a temporal and spiritual element to it. Jesus came to be everything a person ever needs –bread, light, shelter, guidance, life and hope, and eternal sustenance/salvation. Jesus is the fulfillment of all our needs before we ever know we have the need for them.

• God provided manna in the wilderness for the Israelites to feed them for a day. Jesus became the Bread that would feed our spiritual need forever.
• God gave a pillar of fire before the troops of Israelites as they found their way to the Promised Land. Jesus is the Light to lead us to eternal life in God’s Kingdom.
• God provided a gate by which to keep out the wolves. Jesus is the gate that keeps the devil and his demons out when we have given our lives to Him.
• God provides shepherds for the sheep who protect them, such as David was for the actual sheep of his father and for God’s people Israel. Jesus is the Shepherd who will not run away, but will fight the wolves to keep us protected in His hands. He protects those who are His own.

·         No one before Jesus had ever beaten death and come back to life. Jesus died to be victorious over death so His children would receive resurrection from the grave at the end of the time. Death does not have any hold on those who call themselves His disciples. Jesus gives eternal life to His disciples.

            God provides sustenance and guidance now to His children. He also provides eternal life forever. God, through His indwelling Holy Spirit, provides the eternal guidance and remembrance of all He taught us through our lives and the ones who went before us. He gives us hope and guidance as the True Vine. We are His, adopted by Him, and grafted into His vine so nothing can separate us from Him. Jesus gives us what He stated in the seven I AM statements now and for eternity.

            We must get to know people as Jesus knows people. We must hear them express themselves, their life, and their beliefs. Only by listening will we gain their trust to speak into their lives. Only by listening will we be able to contextualize the message of Jesus’ salvation for that particular person at that specific moment in their lives. This is relationship. Our telling the Gospel to them after listening is contextualizing the Gospel for them. That is how FIRE helps us. FIRE is Family, Interests, Religious experiences, and Evangelism. FIRE makes us intentional in getting to know Jesus better each day, to have a growing relationship with Him. We must have a daily relationship with Jesus so we are learning more through His Word and through prayer with Him. Without this daily relationship, we may not know a passage of Scripture a person needs to hear as he or she speaks to us. FIRE lets us know a person’s thoughts on their needs so we can share with him or her how Jesus can fill his or her needs here and eternally. FIRE is how Jesus met us through others and it is how He will meet other people more often than not. (See “How to Tell the World: F.I.R.E.)

            The questions now to consider include the following.

•  How is your relationship with God? Are you close to Him or has it been a while since you read His Word or prayed to Him?
• How are your listening skills? Are you a keen listener and often hear a word from God? Are you a devoted listener of other people or do you hear some of what they say and then begin thinking about what you will say?

            We must be in an active vertical relationship with God. We must also know how to have a horizontal relationship with other people. Jesus did this well. He was very relational and showed by example how to be in a relationship with God and with one another. Jesus died on the cross because of these relationships - with the Father and with humanity.

Look at it this way. (See picture below.)

Each of us has to make a decision:

Are we willing to get to know people like Jesus knows each of us so we can tell them the great news of Jesus Christ?

Philippians 1:12-14 & 29-30 A Devotion

12 Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. 

13 As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. 

14 Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly.

29 For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him, 

30 since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.

Paul began this letter with thanks and joy for Philippian Christians. Even from prison, he encouraged and praised them. Paul recognized that he could die and that would be all right with him, but to live was better for these people and others so they could hear the Gospel of Christ and mature in it, bearing the fruits of the Spirit.

Paul explained that his imprisonment turned out for the good. Many of the Roman guards then had the opportunity to hear the Gospel, which might not have occurred if he was not imprisoned. So when he said he was in chains for Christ, it was not a lament, but a joy and praise that God used him there even if he had to endure the hardships of prison.

Paul continued this passage by adding another benefit to his being in prison. He said that his imprisonment in chains encouraged others of his brothers and sisters in Christ to tell the Gospel without fear and with boldness. Because in Paul’s imprisonment Christians saw the grace God gave him and the boldness of his proclamation that led many to become followers of Christ, this gave courage to others to increase their proclamation of the Gospel without fear.

At the end of this chapter, Paul told them because of their great faith, people came to see them as strong Christians worthy of receiving persecution. His brothers and sisters in Christ should be proud they were counted as one of Jesus’ followers. They stood strong and bold for Christ and were seen as His followers. Not only did this mean they endured suffering because of their faith, but they could know for sure the hope of Christ Jesus – His promise of strength now and eternal life for the future. In addition to this, they could have the hope of making it through the earthly suffering because Paul expressed his joy and assurance that God was not finished with him yet. If Paul could do it, they thought, they could go through persecution and suffering, too.

Paul’s endurance in prison by God’s grace and his continued proclamation because of his hope and faith encouraged other Christians not to let the threat of imprisonment stop them from proclaiming the Gospel. It increased their desire to tell the Good News boldly and fearlessly. Do we feel this when we hear of fellow brothers and sisters in Christ being persecuted by intimidation, imprisonment, and death? Do we react to their persecution to be more determined to share the Gospel?

Another thing we need to ask ourselves is, if we were imprisoned, would our testimony in prison cause our guards to become Christians? Would it cause those who hear about us to be encouraged and emboldened to share the Gospel more, in the face of fear and possible persecution?

Paul was an evangelist, apostle, teacher, encourager, and model to the people of his time. He continues to be these now. We can be encouraged to be bold in the face of persecution. We can continue to stand strong and proclaim our faith knowing that when we proclaim the Gospel of it will be heard and more people will know about Him. Our standing strong and continuing to proclaim can encourage others to be and do the same. We can become "Pauls" for someone else so that more people hear the Gospel.

Are you bold and fearless in proclaiming the Gospel? Do you speak no matter what? Do you hold on to the joy and hope of your salvation no matter your circumstances? Can people look up to your life and model themselves after you because of your boldness and fearlessness in telling the Good News? If you are a Christian, then you have the hope only Christ can give – life and strength while on the earth and eternal life with God the Father and the Son. Nothing can separate us from the love of God. What will it take for you to have this boldness and fearlessness so others will hear the Good News and so other Christians are encouraged and emboldened?

(ad)Ventures in a "New Thing"

Isaiah 43:6b-9a, 18-21 [AMP]:

“Bring My sons from afar and My daughters from the ends of the earth – 7 Even everyone who is called by My name, whom I have created for My glory, whom I have formed, whom I have made. 8 Bring forth the blind people who have eyes and the deaf who have ears. 9Let all the nations be gathered together and let the peoples be assembled…18 Do not remember the former things; neither consider the things of old. 19 Behold, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs forth; do you not perceive and know it and will you not give heed to it? I will even make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. 20 The beasts of the field honor Me, the jackals and the ostriches, because I give waters in the wilderness and rivers in the desert, to give drink to My people, My chosen,  21 the people I formed for Myself, that they may set forth My praise and they shall do it.” 

Revelation 3:7-13 [AMP]:

^“7 And to the angel (messenger) of the assembly (church) in Philadelphia write: These are the words of the Holy One, the True One, He Who has the key of David, Who opens and no one shall shut, Who shuts and no one shall open:  ⁸ I know your record of works and what you are doing. See! I have set before you a door wide open, which no one is able to shut; I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept My Word and guarded My message and have not renounced or denied My name. ⁹ Take note! I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say they are Jews and are not, but lie—behold, I will make them come and bow down before your feet and learn and acknowledge that I have loved you. ¹⁰ Because you have guarded and kept My word of patient endurance [have held fast the lesson of My patience with the expectant endurance that I give you], I also will keep you safe from the hour of trial (testing) which is coming on the whole world to try those who dwell upon the earth. ¹¹ I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, so that no one may rob you and deprive you of your crown. ¹² He who overcomes is victorious. I will make him a pillar in the sanctuary of My God; he shall never be put out of it or go out of it, and I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which descends from My God out of heaven, and My own new name. ¹³He who can hear, let him listen to and heed what the Spirit says to the assemblies (churches).” 

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Through the prophet Isaiah, God often reminded people He called them to Himself. In this passage of Isaiah, He did that again but He add a few things. God told them He made them for His glory. The Father told them He would do a "new thing," too.   

As relayed by mouth, the people of God told each generation - from father to child - God created humankind. Maybe at one time that meant much to them; yet, we as readers of Israelite history see they often forgot that one point. We note they started on a journey with Abraham. They stacked stones, we read, as a remembrance of where God met them and what He did. We notice they became impatient waiting for God to “show” Himself to their blind eyes. They danced and lived with people who bowed to other gods. In addition, we witness their repenting and returning to God. They repeated this cycle through the generations. As God’s people, their lives were a journey of faithfulness and unfaithfulness, of peaks and valleys of faith. God gave them food and drink and protected them from their enemies and themselves. As a protective Father, He slew their enemies from other nations. The Father provided a sacrifice for the enemy - death, which came through sin. This sacrifice is Jesus. 

In another episode of Israelite life, God said He created them for a purpose. Imagine the experience of a child when he learns he lives because his parents wanted and loved him before his birth. Now, imagine the Father when He was speaking to the Israelites. He called them His sons and daughters and said He had a purpose for them. The Israelites were not just an after-thought. God’s purpose was for them to be in a familial relationship with Him and to bring Him glory. Would this not make a child more apt to want to make the parents proud, knowing the parents wanted him or her before his or her birth? I imagine this loving relationship brought a response of love. It might have brought a response of regret when the child did not bring glory to the family name, just as a person feels in his or her relationship with the Father when he or she brings dishonor to God. God did not stop loving and providing because of the Israelites’ sin and regret. He could have left the Israelites sensing shame and remorse always, but that was not His plan. God’s plan is for His children to be in a relationship with Him. Yahweh states, “Behold, I am doing a new thing!” (Is 43:19a [AMP]) The Father desired their familial love, and they turned away. He would do a new thing. God provided a better way. It was a promise, a new covenant. 

Those of us who are in a relationship with God understand this “new thing,” the better way. We who have walked away from a close relationship to the Father know of His better way, too. For those who do not know and have not heard, the better way is through admitting Jesus is the Messiah, believing He died for each of our sins, and confessing wrong doings/sins. This is the simplest way to become a part of the family of God. Confession is not the easiest thing to do and we will not always be obedient to give ourselves to God’s ways. We are willful, strong-minded, and want our own ways and desires. This stubbornness on our part creates a wall between the Father and us; yet, He does not hold that against us and break off further relationship with us. The Father loves each of us and calls us His children.

Consider the first six verses of Revelation 3, the Spirit, through John, spoke to the church in Sardis who strayed from the lessons they learned. The Holy Spirit stated they must return to what they learned. Not everyone in Sardis, though, had strayed. To those whose names God wrote in His book, He calls them His children. Further in the chapter, we see the church at Laodicea vacillating between being workers for God and being lazy. The Father wants them to choose which they want to be – followers or not - because being both does not glorify Him nor give them a good reputation. God through the Holy Spirit reminded them they could do nothing for themselves; they would be poor and blind without Him. The church at Philadelphia working for the Lord, contrasts with the churches at Sardis and Laodicea. They did not shut the door the Father opened. The Philadelphians guarded His message, proclaimed it, and not denounced Him. In Revelations 3, John said God would make those who served themselves and Satan bow before the church at Philadelphia. That was the reward for the Philadelphian church’s faithfulness and obedience. He further promised to keep the congregation at Philadelphia safe from the trials and tribulations that will come and test the whole world. God makes His point at the end of Revelation 3. He rebukes, corrects, convicts, and convinces people of their wrong, not to castigate them, but because He loves them. He is the God of love. 

God loves us so much He did a new thing; He sent His Son, Jesus, to die because of the sin of humanity. The judgment for sin is death. The Father showed His power over death by resurrecting Jesus from the dead three days after His mortal death. God showed He has power over everything. That is the “new thing” alluded to in Isaiah and which the churches at Sardis, Laodicea, and Philadelphia learned.  

The Father asks you to be “enthusiastic and earnest and burning with zeal.” (Rev. 3:19b [Amplified Bible]) He does not want us to be sleepers or fence-straddlers as the people of Sardis and Laodicea were. God calls us to be as the church of Philadelphia, to be guards of His message, holding fast with patience and endurance (Rev. 3:8-10). He wants us to venture everything we have in total abandon with Him, with endurance. Remember, He who faced sin and died was powerful enough to defeat sin and death and live again. Jesus gives this power to you and me. His power makes our perseverance happen. This perseverance, because of our relationship with Him, because of our faithfulness in telling the Gospel, is what brings Him glory. Our being in a relationship with God is our purpose and brings the Father glory. “He who is able to hear let him listen to and heed what the Holy Spirit says to the churches” (Rev. 3:22 [AMP]).