Week of 14 Pentecost - Even - 09/14 - 20/14

Week of 14 Pentecost - Even

This Bible Study was originally published at:

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It is based on the Lutheran Book of Worship two-year Daily Lectionary for personal devotions p.179-192, Augsburg Publishing House, Minneapolis, 1978.
 
The daily readings are according to a Calendar  based on the Church Year, which begins on the first Sunday of Advent, usually sometime at the end of November in the year preceding the secular calendar year.

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Podcast Download: Week of 14 Pentecost - Even 
Sunday 14 Pentecost - Even 
First posted 09/04/04;
Podcast: Sunday 14 Pentecost - Even

Judges 16:15-31  -  Death of Samson;
2 Corinthians 13:1-11  -  Concluding appeal;
Mark 5:25-34  -  Hemorrhagic woman healed;

Judges Paraphrase:

Delilah had tried three times unsuccessfully to wheedle the secret of Samson’s strength out of him, and she had tested him each time and found that he had lied. She kept pestering Samson day after day until finally he was so irritated by her pestering that he told her the truth; that he was a Nazirite to God, his hair had never been cut, and that if he was shaved, his strength would leave him. When Delilah knew he had revealed his secret, she sent word to the Philistines, and they came to her and brought her the money she had been promised.

She made Samson sleep on her knees, and while he slept, she had a man shave off Samson’s hair. Then she woke Samson, crying that the Philistines were upon him, as she had done to test him before. Samson awoke and thought he would break free as at the other times, but he did not know that the Lord had left him. The Philistines captured him and gouged out his eyes, and shackled him with bronze shackles and forced him to turn the millstone at the prison mill. But Samson’s hair started to grow out again.

The Philistines held a great sacrifice to Dagon, their god, to celebrate the capture of Samson. They brought Samson out to mock and humiliate him and made him stand between two pillars in the temple of Dagon. The temple was full of all the officials and of the Philistines and leading citizens; in all there were about three thousand people.

Samson asked the boy who had been assigned to lead him by the hand to let Samson feel the pillars with his hands. Then Samson called to the Lord to strengthen him one more time, so that he might be avenged against the Philistines. Then Samson grasped the two middle pillars of the temple and leaned his weight into them and the temple collapsed upon the people and killed them. Samson had killed more people at his death than he had killed during his life. His family came and took his body and buried it between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of Manoah, his father. Samson had judged Israel for twenty years.

2 Corinthians Paraphrase:

Paul was planning to visit Corinth for a third time. There had been dissention in the Corinthian congregation, and Paul would assert his apostolic authority, which is Christ’s authority administered through Paul, to deal with wrongdoers. Evidently some of the congregation had challenged Paul’s authority. Paul recognized that all power belongs to God. Paul exhorts believers to examine themselves to see whether they are holding to their faith; to test themselves. Jesus Christ is within each believer, unless they fail the test of faith.

Paul hopes believers will realize that Paul has not failed the test of faith; that Christ is in Paul and speaking through Paul. But what other people think about Paul isn’t important to Paul. Paul’s concern is that believers will do what is right, not to vindicate Paul, but that they might have the reward of true faith and the indwelling and empowerment of Christ within them.

Paul’s only motive is truth. Paul is not trying to build up his own prestige; his motive is to build up the believers’ faith. Paul’s hope is that the congregation will discipline itself, so that Paul will not need to exert his authority, which the Lord has given him for strengthening the church rather than weakening it. Paul asks the congregation to obey Paul’s commands, to mend their ways, to agree with one another, and to live in peace with one another.

Mark Paraphrase:

Jesus was on his way to heal a sick girl (Jairus’ daughter), and a crowd was following him. Among the crowd was a woman who had suffered from a hemorrhage for twelve years. She had sought treatment from many physicians and had spent all her savings, but her condition only worsened. She had been attracted to Jesus by reports of his healing power, and she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment, believing that if she just touched his garment she would be made well. As she touched his garment “the hemorrhage ceased and she felt in her body that she was healed” (Mark 5:29).

Jesus also perceived within himself “that power had gone forth from him” (Mark 5:30). Jesus turned and asked who had touched him. His disciples thought it was a ridiculous question, because they were all being jostled by the throng of people around them. The woman knew that she had been healed, and she came fearfully and fell down before Jesus and told him “the whole truth” (Mark 5:33). Jesus told her that her faith had made her well; to go in peace, and to be healed of her malady.

Commentary:

Samson had allowed his covenant with the Lord to be compromised by worldly temptations; societal pressure, and his own moral weakness. He gave in to temptation and broke the covenant. He didn’t even realize that the Spirit of the Lord had left him; he just wasn’t effective anymore. But when he repented and returned to obedience to the covenant his strength returned. Does our behavior glorify the Gospel of Jesus Christ, or cause it to be mocked by the people of the world?

There was sin and dissention within the Corinthian congregation (see 1 Corinthians 1:11; 5:1-2). Paul exhorted the congregation and each individual member to examine themselves to see whether they were holding to their faith. Jesus Christ is within each believer through the indwelling Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ within him does not belong to Christ (Romans 8:9b). The Lord gives his Holy Spirit to his disciples who trust and obey him (John 14:15-17; Isaiah 42:5e).

The dissention in the Corinthian church was caused by people who wanted to have their own way rather than conforming to the Lord’s way. Individual believers and congregations lose strength and effectiveness when they depart from obedience to God’s Word. It is possible for the Spirit of the Lord to depart from individual members and congregations, without them even being aware of his absence.

When Paul called the congregation to agree and live in peace with one another, he was not telling them to tolerate sin in their midst; he was telling them to conform to God’s Word or get out. Paul was anointed with the Holy Spirit and that should have been obvious to the Corinthian Christians. They must choose whether to follow Paul who truly had apostolic authority, or to follow those who contradicted Paul. The congregation could not be Spirit-filled, strong and effective as long as it tolerated sin in its midst.

The hemorrhagic woman knew that she was sick. [According to Jewish Law, her flow of blood made her ritually unclean (Leviticus 15:25-30), and prevented her from participating in congregational worship, and also from fellowship with other Jews; it was a spiritual malady as well as physical]. She believed that Jesus could heal her if she reached out and touched his garment. She acted on her faith; she reached out to Jesus and touched his garment. She knew within her body that the healing had taken place; she felt it. Jesus also sensed within himself that healing power had gone forth from him.

The woman came to Jesus and confessed that she had been healed. Jesus calmed her fears, commended her faith, and blessed her healing. We don’t need to be afraid to confess our need for healing to the Lord; we need to fear not confessing.

Many nominal “Christians” and many congregations today are “sick” and in need of spiritual healing. We need to examine ourselves to see whether we are holding to the true apostolic (as taught by the apostles), scriptural (as recorded in the Bible) faith. We can know whether we are filled with the Holy Spirit the same way the woman felt Jesus' healing power within her, and the same way Jesus knew that healing power had gone forth from him.

If we are honest in examining ourselves and in acknowledging our need for healing, the Lord will heal us and restore us to strength and effectiveness. The Lord has promised to return with authority to judge the earth (Matthew 25:31-46).  The Lord recommends that we examine ourselves; that we become obedient to his Word, amend our ways, and live in harmony and peace with one another, so that when he comes he will not have to be severe in the use of his authority.

Is Jesus your Lord (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 6:46)? Are you Jesus' disciple (John 8:31)? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus (John 14:21)? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?

Monday 14 Pentecost - Even 
First posted 09/05/04;
Podcast: Monday 14 Pentecost - Even

Judges 17:1-13  -  Micah and the Levite;
Acts 7:44-8:1a  -  The stoning of Stephen;
John 5:19-29  -   Jesus’ relation to God; 

Judges Paraphrase:

A man named Micah, an Ephraimite, had stolen eleven hundred pieces of silver from his mother, and later he confessed and returned the money to her. In order to absolve him of his sin, she gave two hundred pieces of silver to a silversmith for him to make into a graven and molten image. Micah kept it in his house, where he created a shrine. He made an ephod and teraphim (cult objects used for divination) and he installed one of his sons as a priest.

“In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 17:6). A Levite (temple servant) of the clan of Judah who had been living in Bethlehem left and traveled to the vicinity of Micah’s house intending to stay wherever he found lodging. Micah asked him where he was from, and then invited the Levite to stay with him, to be a father and priest to him, and he agreed to pay him ten pieces of silver a year, in addition to clothing, feeding and shelter. The Levite became like Micah’s father, and Micah installed him as his priest. Micah thought that the Lord would surely prosper him since he had his own personal Levite priest. 

Acts Paraphrase:

Stephen, one of the first seven deacons, was arrested and tried before the Sanhedrin for preaching the Gospel. This gave Stephen an opportunity to testify to the Gospel before the leaders of Israel. He began by recounting the history of Israel. Stephen went on to describe how God directed Moses to build a tabernacle (a portable tent as a place of worship). It was David who first proposed building a house for God’s dwelling, and it was his son Solomon who eventually built the Temple. But God does not need a house in which to dwell.

Then Stephen began to upbraid the Jews as arrogant, unfaithful and disobedient to God’s Holy Spirit. They were just like their forefathers, persecuting and killing the prophets who announced the coming of the Messiah, and ultimately killing the Messiah himself. They had received God’s law as delivered by angels, and yet hadn’t kept it.

When the members of the Council heard this they were enraged, but Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, saw a vision of heaven and the glory of God, with Jesus at the right hand of God. He described what he had seen, but they stopped their ears so they would not hear, rushed upon him, dragged him out of the city and stoned Stephen to death. The witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of Saul (who later became the Apostle Paul). Before Stephen died he prayed to the Lord not to hold this sin against the perpetrators. Saul approved of Stephen’s execution.

John Paraphrase:

Jesus had been criticized by the Jewish religious leaders for making himself equal with God (John 5:18). Jesus told them that he was acting in accordance with God the Father’s will. God the Father loves his Son, Jesus, and reveals his will to Jesus. Jesus will do greater works than the healing of the lame man which had stirred this criticism (John 5:1-18). God raises the dead and gives them life; so does the Son give life to whom he will.

The Father has given all authority to judge to Jesus, so that all may honor the Son as they honor God. No one who does not honor Jesus honors God who has sent Jesus. Those who hear Jesus’ word and believe God who sent Jesus have eternal life; they will not come under judgment; they have passed from death to life.

The time is coming when all the dead will hear Jesus’ voice and will be raised from the dead. As God has the power to give life, so also Jesus has the power to give life. God has given the authority to execute judgment to Jesus because Jesus is the “Son of man.” “Do not marvel at this, for the hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come forth, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation” (John 5:28-29).

Commentary:

This text describes a period of time in Israel’s history when “there was no king in Israel, and every man did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 17:6). God alone was the rightful king of Israel, but the people wanted to be their own “kings” and “judges”

A man named Micah had stolen a large sum of eleven-hundred pieces of silver from his mother. Later he returned it to her. She had cursed the thief, and now she blessed him to reverse her curse. She also gave two hundred pieces of silver (about 18% of the total) to be made into idols so that Micah could set up a household shrine. This was totally contrary to God’s Word, which forbids worship of images or any god other the Lord God of Israel.

Micah made an ephod (probably a covering for an idol; compare Judges 8:27) and teraphim (idolatrous representations of ancestors; compare 2 Kings 23:24) and he installed one of his sons as his priest. A Levite had left his home in Bethlehem and had come to the vicinity of Micah’s house, intending to find a place to live wherever he could. Originally, the Levites had ordained themselves by their passionate loyalty to the Lord when the Israelites had made the molten calf at Mount Sinai (Exodus 32:1-24) and the Levites had stepped forward to exact punishment for this sin without regard to social or family relationships (Exodus 32:25-29).

This Levite was not passionately loyal to the Lord, or he would not have agreed to serve as priest of such idolatry. For this Levite, priesthood was merely a means of making a living. Micah invited the Levite to stay with him and become his personal priest and father-figure, and agreed to support him. Micah expected God to bless and prosper him because he had hired his own Levite priest.

The Jews had built their religion to suit their own agendas, instead of following God’s plan. The ultimate proof of this was their rejection and crucifixion of the Messiah, God’s anointed eternal king and heir to the throne of David. God was to be king of Israel but they had insisted on establishing a Monarchy. God had given them plans for a tabernacle (portable shrine) as a place of worship, but they had insisted on building a temple. They had received the Law from the Angel of the Lord, but hadn’t kept the Law.

Their forefathers had stoned the prophets, and these Jews proved that they shared the same nature by stoning Stephen for preaching God’s Word. The fact that Saul (who became the Apostle Paul) assented to Stephen’s execution says a lot about the power of transformation accomplished by the Spirit of the risen Jesus within Paul. As Stephen was about to be stoned, Stephen, “full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God; and he said, ‘Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of man standing at the right hand of God'” (Acts 7:55-56)

Jesus is God in human flesh (Colossians 2:8-9, John 20:28). Jesus shares the same nature with God the Father. Jesus told his disciples that those who have seen Jesus have seen the Father (John 14:9b, c). God the Father has given Jesus authority to judge the world because Jesus is the “Son of man” [fully human, yet sinless; and also the fulfillment of the prophecy of Daniel, and of Revelation, of the vision of the glorified Christ, the king and righteous judge of the universe (Daniel 7:13-14; Revelation 1:13; 14:14].

Jesus is going to return as the eternal king of the universe, and as the righteous judge of the earth. Jesus has the power and authority to give eternal life to those who have trusted and obeyed him, and to condemn to eternal death and destruction those who have refused to trust and obey him. We are all eternal; we must choose where we will spend eternity.

Micah didn’t accept God’s Word as the absolute standard of morality. He did whatever he thought was right. He thought he could mold religion to suit his own agenda. He wasn’t interested in doing it God’s way. He thought he could make God serve him by building God’s house, and installing his own personal priest, without regard to whether the priest was filled with God’s Spirit.

The religious leaders in Jesus’ day were doing the same thing. They thought they were in charge. They had built the Temple; they thought that by keeping the Law, God was obligated to bless them. They weren’t interested in doing God’s will; they wanted God to do their own will.

Our situation today seems very similar. We don’t seem to acknowledge God as the head of our government. We seem to think we can ignore God’s Word and do whatever seems right to us. We think we can mold our churches and our spirituality to suit our own agendas. We seem to think there’s more than one way to have fellowship with God. Are we willing to put up with spiritual leaders who are not Spirit-filled; for whom ministry is merely a career choice? Are we selecting preachers who faithfully and accurately proclaim God’s Word, or preachers who preach what we want to hear (2 Timothy 4:3-4)?

Is Jesus your Lord (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 6:46)? Are you Jesus' disciple (John 8:31)? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus (John 14:21)? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?

Tuesday 14 Pentecost - Even 
First posted 09/06/04;
Podcast: Tuesday 14 Pentecost - Even 

Judges 18:1-15  -  Migration of the tribe of Dan;

Acts 8:1-13  -  Spread of the Gospel to Samaria;
John 5:30-47  -  Jesus’ relation to God;

Judges Paraphrase:

In the days of the Migration of the tribe of Dan there was no king in Israel [“and every man did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 17:6)]. The Danites had not been able to secure territory for themselves. [They had been dwelling in the southwest (Joshua 19:40-46; Judges 1:34; 13:1)]. So they sent five scouts from Zorah and Eshtaol (west of Jerusalem) to scout out land favorable for settlement by the Danites.

They happened to come to Micah’s house and lodged there. While staying there they recognized the Levite who was serving there, as someone they knew, and they asked him how he had come to be there. The Levite told them that Micah had hired him to be his priest. So the scouts asked the Levite to inquire of God whether the scouts’ journey would be successful, and the Levite told them to go in peace; that their journey was in the care of the Lord.

The Scouts went on to Laish (about 25 miles north of the Sea of Galilee). The scouts found that the people of the region dwelt in peace and prosperity, and had no enemies, so they returned to Eshtaol and reported that the Danites should drive out the people of Laish and occupy their land. An army of six hundred Danites assembled at Kiriath-jearim (just slightly northeast of Zorah) and from there they marched to the house of Micah.

Acts Paraphrase:

On the day of Stephen’s stoning, great persecution arose in Jerusalem against Christians, and believers, with the exception of the apostles, were forced to scatter throughout the region. Stephen was buried and mourned by believers, but Saul led the persecution, seeking, arresting and imprisoning believers. Those who were scattered continued to proclaim the Gospel so that it spread as the believers were scattered. Philip (“the evangelist, one of the seven deacons, appointed with Stephen) went to a city of Samaria, preaching Christ, and many believed when they heard what he said and witnessed healings done through him.

There was a man named Simon who had practiced magic in that city. He had a reputation as a great magician throughout Samaria. But when the people who had formerly followed Simon heard Philip proclaim the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and Jesus Christ, they believed what Philip preached and were baptized. Simon himself believed and was baptized, and he was amazed at the miracles which were being done through Philip.

John Paraphrase:

Jesus does not act on his own authority; Jesus’ judgment is fair and impartial because he is completely obedient to God’s will. If testimony to the authenticity of Jesus were from Jesus only, it would not be credible, but God himself has borne witness to Jesus. Jesus does not need the witness of mankind to authenticate him; God has testified to Jesus’ authenticity through John the Baptizer (John 5:33-35), through Jesus’ works (John 5:36), and through scriptures (John 5:37-40).

Commentary:

Knowing scripture does not save us; only a personal relationship with Jesus can save us. We cannot know and believe either God or scripture if we do not believe in Jesus. Jesus’ authority is not dependent upon mankind’s opinion of him. Human judgment is flawed because it is based on human pride. Humans seek and receive glory from one another, but don’t recognize or acknowledge the glory of God.

The Jews who rejected Jesus won’t have to be condemned by Jesus; they have been condemned by Moses, in whom they relied, because they did not believe Moses’ testimony to Jesus in the scriptures. If they haven’t believed Moses’ words, how can they believe Jesus’ words?

It was a time of spiritual weakness in Israel. God was the real king of Israel, but the people didn’t recognize and appreciate this fact. It was a time of moral relativism; everyone did what was right in his own eyes, rather than seeking to do what was right in God’s eyes. The tribe of Danites “was seeking for itself an inheritance” (Judges 18:1 RSV). Actually they had received the region around Zorah and Eshtaol as their inheritance Joshua 19:40), but they weren’t content with that because they were under pressure from the Philistines who were occupying the region (Judges 1:34).

The reason the Danites were having trouble with the Philistines was because they were not obedient to the Lord (Judges 13:1). They decided to scout out an easier land (Judges 18:7) in the north to claim as their inheritance. On the way they stayed at the home of Micah, and they recognized Micah’s priest as someone they knew.

Micah’s priest had a reputation among them as a Levite. They asked the Levite how he had come to be with Micah, and the Levite told them that Micah had hired him to be Micah’s priest. The scouts therefore asked the Levite to obtain an oracle from God for them so they might know whether their journey would be successful, and the Levite blessed them and assured them that the Lord would prosper their endeavor.

This is a “priest for hire” who works for those who pay him, who dispenses God’s "blessing" for money to those who can afford to pay for it; a priest who serves a sanctuary which practices blatant idolatry and doctrines which are clearly contrary to God’s Word (see Judges 17:4-6). The scouts weren’t seeking God’s will; they were seeking to have God bless their will. They weren’t interested in securing the inheritance God wanted them to have. They were interested in obtaining their own inheritance; something easier than God’s plan required.

Having received the “blessing,” the Danite scouts went north to Laish and found a people who were peaceful and rich, who had no enemies, in an area where the living was easy. So the scouts returned to their people, formed an army and set out to claim their own inheritance in Laish.

Simon, the magician, had created a great reputation for himself in Samaria, until Philip came and preached Jesus Christ. Simon’s magic couldn’t compare with the true Gospel of Jesus. Even Simon could see the difference in the power at work through Philip compared to his own power.

The Lord knew that his followers would be persecuted for the Gospel and his name's sake. He had told them to stay in Jerusalem until they had received the Holy Spirit, and that then they would spread out from Jerusalem to “all Judea, and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

The Lord used persecution to accomplish his plan. His disciples didn’t let persecution keep them from carrying out their mission to preach the Gospel and to make disciples (Matthew 28:18-20). They weren’t abandoning their mission in order to pursue their own comfort. They were seeking their spiritual direction from the Lord through his indwelling Holy Spirit, not through a “rent-a-priest.” (Note that they had been fully discipled first, and had waited until they had been filled with the Holy Spirit).

God’s Word and God’s Spirit authenticate Jesus. Jesus is Lord, whether we acknowledge him or not. Jesus is God’s only plan for our salvation (Acts 4:12). There is no other way to reconciliation, fellowship and eternal life with God except through Jesus (John 14:6). Human opinion and human perceptions of reputation are flawed because they’re based on human pride. The Bible is the only solid foundation on which to build; no one who rejects Jesus can truly claim to know the scriptures or God the Father. Jesus is God’s anointed King of the Universe, whether we acknowledge him or not. Jesus is God’s only plan for our eternal inheritance; we can either accept him, or choose to pursue our own plan of salvation.

Today is also a time of spiritual weakness and moral relativism, in America and throughout the world. We can either seek and obey God’s will, or we can seek those who are willing to pronounce God’s blessing on our agendas. We can be guided by God’s Word and his Holy Spirit, or we can choose to follow false christs and false prophets. We can carry out the commission to make disciples of Jesus Christ and teach them to obey all that Jesus commands, or we can seek our own comfort and worldly success.

Is Jesus your Lord (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 6:46)? Are you Jesus' disciple (John 8:31)? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus (John 14:21)? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?

Wednesday 14 Pentecost - Even 
First posted 09/07/04;
Podcast: Wednesday 14 Pentecost - Even 

Judges 18:16-31  -  Danites conquer Laish;
Acts 8:14-25  -  Simon the Magician;
John 6:1-15  -  Feeding the five thousand;

Judges Paraphrase:

The Danites had set out from the hill country of Ephraim (west of Jerusalem) to attack Laish (north of the Sea of Galilee). On the way they passed the house of Micah, and the five scouts told the Danites about the idols which Micah had there, so they stopped at the house of the Levite at Micah’s home.

While the Levite was talking with the Danites at the gate, the scouts entered Micah’s house and stole his idols. The Levite protested, but the Danites were armed for war, and they told the Levite to keep quiet. The Danites asked the Levite if it was better to be the priest of one man or of a tribe and family in Israel. It pleased the Levite, and he took the idols and accompanied the Danites.

As they departed the Danites put their women, children and livestock in front (to protect them from pursuers). Micah had recruited his neighbors to pursue the Danites and they caught up with them some distance away, and shouted at them. The Danites turned around and asked Micah’s people what ailed them to come after them.

Micah accused them of taking his gods and his priest, leaving him with nothing. The Danites replied that Micah should be quiet, or they would kill him and his household. Then the Danites turned and went their way. Micah saw that they were too strong for him, so he returned to his home.

The Danites came to Laish. The people of Laish were quiet and unsuspecting and the Danites slaughtered them and burned their city. The people of Laish had no one to deliver them because they had no dealings with surrounding people and were far from their homeland.

The Danites renamed the city Dan after their forefather. They set up the idols for themselves and Jonathan the son of Gershom, son of Moses and his sons were priests to the tribe until the Northern Kingdom went into captivity.

Acts Paraphrase: 

In the persecution of Christians which arose after the stoning of Stephen, believers were scattered from Jerusalem throughout the surrounding region. Philip, one of the deacons appointed with Stephen, went to Samaria, where he preached the Gospel and numerous Samaritans were converted. When the apostles at Jerusalem heard, they sent Peter and John, who came and prayed with the converts and laid their hands on them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit; the converts had been baptized (water baptism) but had not yet been filled with the Holy Spirit.

When Simon, the magician, saw that the Spirit was given through the laying-on of hands, he offered the apostles money to obtain for himself that power to confer the Spirit upon others. But Peter harshly rebuked Simon for thinking he could obtain the gift of God with money. Peter declared that Simon had no participation in this gift because his heart was not right with God.

Peter told Simon to repent so that Simon might be forgiven for his wicked intent, since Simon’s actions revealed that he was in bondage to sin. Simon asked Peter to pray for Simon so that none of the bad things that Peter had said would befall Simon. Then Peter and John returned to Jerusalem, preaching the Gospel to many villages on their way.

John Paraphrase:

Jesus took his disciples across the Sea of Galilee to a remote spot, but a great multitude followed him because of the healing miracles Jesus had done. Jesus had gone up into the hills and sat down with his disciples. When he looked up he saw the crowd coming, and he asked Philip, to test Philip’s faith, how they could obtain enough bread to feed all these people.

Philip replied that it would take a lot of money to buy enough bread to give each of them even a small portion. Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter said that there was a boy with them who had five loaves and two fish, but that couldn’t be expected to begin to feed so many.

Jesus told the disciples to have the crowd of about five thousand people to sit down. The place was grassy so they sat on the grass. Jesus took the loaves and when he had prayed in thanksgiving, he distributed the bread and fish to the crowd, as much as they wanted. When they had eaten their fill, Jesus told the disciples to gather up the “left-overs,” which filled twelve baskets.

When the people realized what had happened they declared that Jesus was the anticipated prophet who had been foretold in scripture. Realizing that the people were about to force Jesus to become their king, he withdrew from them into the hills.

Commentary:

Micah had set up an idolatrous and heretical religion with the proceeds of his wickedness. (Micah had stolen money from his mother. She had made the idols to expiate his sin. Micah had installed a morally and spiritually corrupt priest; see Judges 17:1-13). The Danite scouts had obtained a “blessing” from Micah’s corrupt priest upon their plan to claim their own inheritance, contrary to God’s Word, but they weren’t satisfied. They wanted to be in complete control; they stole Micah’s idols and “recruited” his corrupt priest.

They slaughtered the peaceful people of Laish and established a house of worship which became one of the two great shrines of the Northern Kingdom. It lasted until the Northern Kingdom was carried off into captivity (by the Assyrians).

Because of the Assyrian policy of relocating conquered people to other lands, the Northern Kingdom effectively ceased to exist. [The Samaritans are considered to be the result of intermarriage with the few remaining Israelites of the Northern Kingdom by the people brought in by the Assyrians to replace the deported Israelites.]

The people who had carried off the “gods” of this world wound up being carried off by them into destruction. The history of the Northern Kingdom is a parable and warning to us not to take up the gods of this world, lest we be carried off by them into eternal death and destruction.

Simon the magician had converted to Christianity and had been baptized because he saw that it had a power greater than his own. He was attracted to power, and he wanted to be able to control and dispense it. But that power belongs to God. It’s freely available to those who trust and obey the Lord, but it cannot be bought or obtained by deception or force.

I am convinced from scripture and personal experience that water baptism is a covenant containing the promise of the gift of the Holy Spirit, but it does not automatically confer that gift. One receives the fulfillment of that promise as one fulfills one’s baptismal covenant to trust and obey the Lord.

Sometimes people of both clergy and laity (church members) think, from this text, for example (Acts 8:17), that the clergy have the power to confer the gift of the Holy Spirit by the laying on of hands. I believe that the clergy have the responsibility to see that the newly baptized Christians are discipled until they have received the gift of the Holy Spirit (which the Lord alone confers).

The Lord’s gifts are limitless and free to all who will trust and obey him. The boy gave what he had; the disciples and the people did as Jesus told them. They all were fed and satisfied, and there was a lot left over. The people thought free bread was a pretty good idea. They wanted to force Jesus to be their King so that they could continue to get free bread.

Human nature wants to control God’s power. We want to create our own gods, instead of obeying the true God. We want to build sanctuaries to contain God so that he will be available to us, instead of making ourselves available to him. We want to hire priests who will confer God’s blessings on our plans, instead of following God’s plans. We want God to provide whatever we think we need or want, instead of seeking to know and do what God wants.

Jesus is God’s only plan for our salvation (Acts 4:12; John 14:6). Jesus is the only one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit (John 1:32-34).

Is Jesus your Lord (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 6:46)? Are you Jesus' disciple (John 8:31)? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus (John 14:21)? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?

Thursday 14 Pentecost - Even 
First posted 09/08/04;
Podcast: Thursday 14 Pentecost - Even 

Job 1:1-22  -  Calamity befalls Job;

Acts 8:26-40  -  Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch;
John 6:16-27  -  Jesus walks on water;

Job Paraphrase:

Job was a man of Uz (probably Edom, or perhaps in northern Transjordan), who was righteous and God-fearing. He was very successful; he had seven sons and three daughters, and he had large herds and many servants. He was the richest man of the region. On their birthdays, each son would hold a feast for his brothers and sisters in his house. After the days of the feast were ended Job would get up early in the morning and offer a sacrifice to God on their behalf, in case his children had sinned against God.

One day the heavenly court was convened before the Lord God, and Satan (here thought of as a prosecutor who accuses man of sin before the Lord). The Lord regarded Job as an exemplary righteous person, but Satan suggested that Job was righteous merely because it was to his personal advantage. Satan suggested that if the Lord removed his blessings from Job, that Job would turn from God and curse God. So the Lord gave Satan power to afflict but not destroy Job.

On a day when his children were celebrating their eldest brother’s birthday at his house, a messenger came to Job reporting that all his herd of draft animals and their herdsmen had been destroyed by a marauding band of Sabeans (Arabs), and that the messenger was the sole survivor. While he was still speaking, a second messenger reported that the fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the entire herd of sheep and their shepherds. Another messenger came to Job and reported that Job’s entire herd of camels and their keepers had been wiped out by Chaldeans. The third messenger hadn’t finished speaking when another messenger came to report that a great wind had destroyed the eldest son’s house and killed all of Job’s children, who had been feasting together.

Then Job tore his robe and shaved his head (ritual acts of mourning) and prostrated himself and worshiped the Lord. Job had lost virtually all his possessions in one day, but he acknowledged that he was born with nothing and would leave everything behind when he died. He acknowledged that the Lord gives us everything we possess and that the Lord controls how long we live and therefore possess these gifts. Job blessed the name of the Lord. In this entire calamity, Job did not sin or accuse God of doing wrong.

Acts Paraphrase:

Philip, one of the seven original deacons appointed with Stephen (Acts 6:1-6), had fled to Samaria because of the persecution of Christians which arose after the stoning of Stephen. Philip had preached the Gospel in Samaria, and there had been many conversions (Acts 8:4-13). But an angel of the Lord (Holy Spirit; manifestation of the Lord’s presence) told Philip to leave and walk south on the isolated road that went from Jerusalem to Gaza.

Philip got up and did as he had been told, and as he traveled, he encountered an Ethiopian (Nubian,) minister of the court of Candace, queen of Ethiopia (Nubia; now Sudan). The Ethiopian was a Jewish proselyte (convert to Judaism) who had come to worship in Jerusalem, and was returning to his home. The Ethiopian was seated in his chariot and was reading (aloud, as was the ancient custom) Isaiah, from the scriptures. The Spirit urged Philip to run up and join the chariot, so Philip ran to him and asked the Ethiopian if he understood what he was reading.

The Ethiopian invited Philip to join him in his chariot and explain the text he was reading. The passage the Ethiopian was reading was from Isaiah 53:7-8, regarding the servant of the Lord: “As a sheep led to the slaughter, or a lamb before its shearer is dumb (mute) so he opens not his mouth. In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation for his life is taken up from the earth” (Compare Matthew 27:12-14). The Ethiopian asked who this text referred to, and Philip had a great opportunity to share the good news of Jesus Christ.

As they traveled, they passed some water, and the Ethiopian asked if there were any reason he could not be baptized. So they stopped and Philip baptized the Ethiopian, and when they came up out of the water, Philip was taken up by the Spirit and vanished from the Ethiopian’s sight. The Ethiopian continued on his way, rejoicing, but Philip was found at Azotus, where he continued on, preaching the gospel until he arrived at Caesarea.  

John Paraphrase:

After the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand, Jesus had withdrawn into the hills by himself, because the people wanted to take him forcefully and make him their king. At nightfall, the disciples got into the boat and left for home without Jesus.

A strong wind arose. They had rowed about three or four miles when they saw Jesus coming to them walking on the sea. The disciples were terrified, but Jesus identified himself and told them not to be afraid. Then they were happy to take him onboard, and immediately they were at their destination. 

The next morning the people who had remained there realized that Jesus’ disciples had left without him and that there had been only one boat; but since other boats often came nearby they went to Capernaum seeking Jesus. When they found him they asked him when he had come. Jesus replied that they sought Jesus because of the food he had provided, not because of the spiritual implication of Jesus’ miracle.

Jesus told them not to labor for physical food, which doesn’t satisfy for long, and which doesn’t give eternal life. Rather, they should labor for the spiritual food which only Jesus can supply, which truly satisfies our spiritual hunger, and which sustains us unto eternal life. [God has authenticated Jesus at Jesus’ baptism, by the Holy Spirit (John 6:27 RSV; compare John 1:32-34).]

Commentary:

Job had been the most successful and wealthy man of his region but in one day he lost all his worldly possessions. Job’s true wealth was the Lord. Unlike Micah (Judges 18:24; see entry for yesterday, Wednesday, 14 Pentecost, even year, above), who had made material things his “gods,” and having had them stolen from him, felt he had nothing left, Job still had faith in God and hope because of God’s, goodness, faithfulness and providence.

Philip had just been elected to church office when persecution arose and drove him out of Jerusalem, the headquarters of the Christian Church, and into Samaria, which was regarded by Jews as spiritually “mongrelized”, because of the intermingling of Jews with pagans brought in by the Assyrian conquest and deportation. Philip began having great success as an evangelist in Samaria, but the Lord asked him to leave that ministry and go by himself down the lonely road toward Gaza. Philip got up and did as the Lord directed.

As a result Philip encountered the Ethiopian government official and had the opportunity to convert and baptize him into Jesus Christ. Through this seemingly insignificant event the Gospel was brought to the African continent, resulting ultimately in the Coptic Orthodox Church. It was a fulfillment of the prophecy and command of the Lord to his disciples in Acts 1:8 to be witnesses to the Gospel beginning in Jerusalem and moving outward from Jerusalem into Judea, then outward into Samaria, and ultimately to the ends of the earth.

Jesus had fed the five thousand, and they sought him because they believed he could supply their physical, material needs. They didn’t recognize their spiritual needs. They didn’t realize that only Jesus could satisfy their spiritual needs, which are eternal.

Jesus’ disciples felt alone in the boat, rowing against the wind and waves. They were frightened by the storm and the darkness and their sense of aloneness. But Jesus did not abandon them. What seemed a separation impossible to bridge in human terms did not keep Jesus from coming to his disciples in the midst of their storm, calming the storm and bringing them to their destination.

Those who make material things their “gods” will ultimately lose everything. At their physical death they will leave all that behind. Those who trust in the Lord have treasure for all eternity which cannot be taken from them. Worldly success and material wealth are not a “seal” of God’s approval.

Believers will face persecution, storms, loneliness and seeming insignificance. The Holy Spirit is the “seal” of God’s approval, the “down-payment” and the “guarantee” of eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16). Those who do not have the Spirit of Christ do not belong to him (Romans 8:9b).

Believers are not called to be successful according to worldly standards; believers are called to be faithful and obedient to Jesus. Is Jesus your Lord (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 6:46)? Are you Jesus' disciple (John 8:31)? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus (John 14:21)? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?

Friday 14 Pentecost - Even 
First posted 09/09/04;
Podcast: Friday 14 Pentecost - Even 

Job 2:1-13  -  Job’s affliction;
Acts 9:1-9 -  Paul’s conversion;
John 6:27-40  -  Bread of Life;

Job Paraphrase:

Job had lost his children and all his possessions in one day, but he had not turned from faith in the Lord (Job 1:1-22). Again the heavenly court convened, and Satan, the accuser, came before the Lord. Again the Lord commended Job as an exemplary righteous person, and noted that Job had continued to trust in the Lord although bad things had befallen Job. Satan replied that a person’s first loyalty is to one's own skin; threaten that and Job would curse the Lord.

The Lord gave Satan all power over Job, except that Satan must spare Job’s life. So Satan went forth and afflicted Job with a terrible skin disease; Job was covered with sores from head to toe. Job took a potsherd with which to scrape himself and sat on an ash heap.

His wife taunted him for holding on to his faith in God. She suggested that Job “curse God and die” (Job 2:9), but Job told her she was being foolish. Job asked her if it was right to accept only good from God, and refuse to accept any bad. Job did not say anything bad against the Lord.

Job’s three friends made an appointment and came to comfort Job and commiserate with him. When they saw Job they could hardly recognize him, and they tore their robes, sprinkled themselves with dust (acts of ritual mourning) and sat with him on the ground for seven days and nights, because they saw that Job was suffering greatly. 

Acts Paraphrase:

Saul (Paul) was so zealous for Judaism that he wanted to imprison and kill Christians, and he got a letter of authority from the high priest to the synagogues in Damascus authorizing Saul to arrest and bring believers of what was then called “the Way,” to Jerusalem for trial.

On the road to Damascus, Saul was struck by a blinding light, and fell to the ground. A voice said “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me" (Acts 9:4)? Saul asked who was speaking to him and the voice identified himself as Jesus, whom Saul was persecuting. Jesus told Saul to rise and go into Damascus and await further instructions.

The men with Saul had also heard the voice, but saw no one. Saul got up, but his eyes were blinded, so Saul had to be led by the hand into Damascus. For three days he stayed there unable to see and he did not eat or drink. 

John Paraphrase:

Jesus had fed a crowd of five thousand people. These people wanted to make Jesus their king so that they could always have free bread, but Jesus warned them not to work for physical food which perishes and doesn’t satisfy, but to work for spiritual food which doesn’t perish, which satisfies and gives life eternally. So they asked Jesus what work they needed to do to be doing God’s work. Jesus told them that the work of God is for them to believe in the one God has sent.

So they asked Jesus what sign (work) Jesus would do in order for them to believe him. They suggested that Moses had given the Israelites bread from heaven to eat in the wilderness (manna; Exodus 16:4, 15). Jesus answered that it was not Moses who gives bread from heaven, but God. The true “bread" of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world” (John 6:33). The people said, “Lord, give us this bread always” (John 6:34). Jesus replied that he is the bread of life. Those who come to Jesus will never hunger and those who believe in Jesus will never thirst. But Jesus pointed out that there were those who had seen Jesus and yet did not believe.

All who come to Jesus, God will give him; none who come to him will be rejected by Jesus. Jesus came to do God’s will rather than his own will. It is God’s will to save all who come to Jesus. Every one who sees Jesus and believes in him will have eternal life, and Jesus promises to raise each believer to eternal life. 

Commentary:

It is human nature to want God to give us what we think we want and need, and to blame God when bad things happen. God commends Job as a righteous person, but faith cannot be determined without testing. It’s easy to trust God when we’re rich and in good health; it’s much harder to trust him when we are sick or when we don’t know where we will get our next meal.  Only when we come to the end of our own resources can we recognize our need for the Lord. Only then can the Lord show us what he can do, so that we can come to know that he is trustworthy and able to take care of us.

Saul was zealous for God, but his zeal was misguided. Saul was spiritually blind, but didn’t know it. The best thing that ever happened to Saul was to be struck (physically) blind on the road to Damascus. As a result, Saul came to a personal experience of the risen Jesus and to spiritual insight. Saul had good intentions but he had been heading in the wrong direction.

Good intentions won’t save us; only a personal relationship with Jesus Christ will save us. Saul could have become angry and bitter at God. He could have argued that he was serving God with all that he had and that God had wronged him by allowing something terrible to happen to Saul. He could have cursed God; he could have abandoned his faith. Instead, he was willing to accept correction from the Lord. Saul found out from personal experience that the Lord was able to restore him physically and spiritually.

The people wanted free bread so they wouldn’t have to work for it. Spiritual sustenance is more important than physical food. We should be seeking spiritual nurture more than we try to satisfy physical hunger. God has already done the work of our salvation; all we have to do is receive it.

Faith is not our accomplishment; it’s what God accomplishes in us as we trust and obey him. The people didn’t even want to do that much work; they wanted Jesus to do some miracle so that they could believe without having to trust and obey him.

They wanted Jesus to work for them; not the other way around. They suggested that Jesus could prove himself by giving them free bread, like Moses had. God had given the manna in the wilderness, not Moses. Manna was not the true bread from heaven, it was only physical sustenance, and it didn’t keep (Exodus 16:20). Jesus is the bread of life, the true bread from heaven which came down from heaven and gives (eternal) life. Jesus didn’t rot in the grave; he rose to eternal life (Acts 2:27-32), and he promises to raise those who trust and obey him.

Are we pursuing the right things? Are we feeding and exercising our physical bodies while neglecting our eternal souls? Are we working for the Lord or do we expect him to work for us? Are we following Jesus or are we merely following a “religion?”

Is Jesus your Lord (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 6:46)? Are you Jesus' disciple (John 8:31)? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus (John 14:21)? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?

Saturday 14 Pentecost - Even 
First posted 09/10/04;
Podcast: Saturday 14 Pentecost - Even 

Job 3:1-26  -   Job laments his birth;

Acts 9:10-19a  -  Ananias sent to Saul;
John 6:41-51  -  Jesus is the "Living Bread;"

Job Paraphrase:

Job had lost his children and all his wealth in one day. Then he lost his health; he was afflicted with a terrible skin disease from head to toe. He sat on an ash heap and his three friends came to comfort and mourn with him. Job cursed the day of his birth as a day of darkness. Job wished that he had died at birth.

Job visualizes death as rest from his suffering. Why is life prolonged for those who are miserable; those who long for death which doesn’t come? Sighing and groaning have become his bread and water. “The thing that I fear comes upon me, and what I dread befalls me. I am not at ease, nor am I quiet; I have no rest, but trouble comes.” (Job 3:25-26)

Acts Paraphrase:

Ananias was a disciple of Jesus who lived in Damascus. The Lord called him in a vision, and gave him specific directions to go to Straight Street to the house of a man named Judas and ask for Saul of Tarsus (who became the apostle Paul), who was staying there. The Lord said that Saul was praying and had seen a man named Ananias come to him and lay his hands on Saul, so that Saul might regain his sight.

Ananias replied that he had heard much about Saul as a persecutor of Christians, and that Saul had come to Damascus to arrest Christians. But the Lord told Ananias to go to Saul, because the Lord had chosen Saul to be an evangelist to the Gentiles, and that Saul would suffer much for the name of Jesus.

So Ananias went as he had been told, and he entered the house and laid his hands on Saul and told him that the Lord Jesus who had appeared to Saul on the road to Damascus had sent Ananias to Saul, so that he might regain his sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit. Immediately something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes and he regained his sight. He got up and was baptized, and then he ate and was strengthened.

John Paraphrase:

Jesus had returned to Capernaum after feeding the five thousand. The crowd had come to Capernaum seeking Jesus so that they could have more free bread. Jesus had told them not to seek physical bread but spiritual bread. Jesus told them that he was the bread of heaven which comes down and gives life. The Jewish religious authorities questioned among themselves how Jesus could claim to have come down from heaven. They thought they knew who Jesus’ parents were.

Jesus knew their thoughts, and told them that no one can come to Jesus unless the Father draws them to Jesus, and those who are drawn to him, Jesus will raise to eternal life. Jesus quoted Isaiah 54:13: “And they shall all be taught by God.” So everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Jesus. We can hear and learn from the Father to come to Jesus, but we cannot know or come to the Father except through Jesus.

Those who trust and obey Jesus have eternal life. Jesus is the bread of life. The patriarchs ate manna in the wilderness but they died nevertheless; Jesus is the bread from heaven that those who eat may never die. Jesus is the living bread which came down from heaven; those who eat this bread will live forever; and the bread Jesus gives for the life of the world is his flesh.

Commentary:

Job had lost almost everything. Life had become agony for him, and he thought death was his only hope of relief. Job’s concept of death at this point in his spiritual development was of eternal sleep and lack of consciousness, but that is contrary to what God has since revealed in his Word.

According to God’s Word, we are all eternal (John 5:28-29). We have a choice of where we will spend eternity. Those who trust and obey Jesus will receive eternal life in Heaven with the Lord; those who refuse to trust and obey Jesus will spend eternity in Hell with Satan and all evil (Matthew 25:31-46). Physical death apart from faith in Jesus is not the end of torment but the beginning of eternal torment. Job was miserable, but as long as he was still living and hadn’t rejected God his situation wasn’t hopeless.

Saul (who became the apostle Paul) had suffered a great personal crisis. His career had been interrupted; everything he had believed in had been challenged and he had discovered that he was spiritually and physically blind. He was miserable, but he was repentant and had not rejected God. He was still praying, and the Lord was able to heal him spiritually and physically.

His life was going to be different; instead of worldly glory moving toward eternal punishment and death, he would have worldly persecution moving toward eternal reward and life. But with the worldly persecution he had the presence of the Holy Spirit to comfort, encourage and strengthen him. He had the joy of the presence of the Lord and the unfailing promise of eternal life.

Jesus is the bread of life. Jesus is the only one who can give unfailing hope. The world offers false hope: hope that we can earn enough, save enough, live long enough to be happy and secure. In a moment worldly hope is gone. The hope Jesus offers is unfailing hope. Jesus speaks the Word of God, and God’s Word never fails. The scriptures repeatedly show that God’s Word is absolutely dependable.

The religious leaders questioned Jesus’ saying that he came down from heaven. They thought they knew better because they thought they knew that Joseph was Jesus’ father. They didn’t know that Jesus was conceived of a virgin by the Holy Spirit, and that Joseph had no sexual relations with Mary prior to Jesus’ birth (Matthew 1:18-25).

Jesus is God’s only provision for our salvation and reconciliation with God (Acts 4:12). Anyone who claims to believe and know God will come to Jesus. No one can know and come to God apart from Jesus. Jesus is the only way to God, truth and life (John 14:6).

Faith is not “wishing on a star.” We cannot make our wishes come true by believing them. Faith is trusting, and acting in obedience to that trust. Jesus is the only one who is trustworthy. God’s Word says that it has been appointed for mankind to die once and then comes judgment (Hebrews 9:27), not “nothingness;” not reincarnation!

Jesus said he would rise from the dead (Matthew 16:21; 17:22-23; 20:17-19; John 2:19-22), and scripture records over five hundred eyewitnesses to his resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:3-8). Jesus demonstrated that he can raise us from death, by raising Lazarus (John 11:1-44), Jairus’ daughter (Mark 5:35-42), and the son of the widow of Nain (Luke 7:11-16).

Do you believe Jesus? Is Jesus your Lord (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 6:46)? Are you Jesus' disciple (John 8:31)? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus (John 14:21)? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?