Week of 4 Epiphany - C - 01/31 - 02/06/2016

Week of 4 Epiphany - C

This is a Three-Year Lectionary based on the Lutheran Book of Worship 3-year Lectionary (for public worship), "Prayers of the Day..." (Propers), p. 13-41, Augsburg Publishing House, Minneapolis, 1978. It is based, with only minor variations, on the Revised Common Lectionary, used by many denominations, including the Episcopal, Lutheran, Presbyterian, and Methodist churches:

http://www.commontexts.org/

and:

http://www.commontexts.org/rcl/usage.html

The daily readings are the Propers (Lections) for the following Sunday, so that the daily devotions can prepare us for worship. Additional Lections are from Common Service Book of the Lutheran Church, "Scripture lessons for Matins and Vespers," United Lutheran Church of America, General Rubrics VIII. Scripture lessons for Matins and Vespers, p. 299 - 304, Philadelphia, 1918.

The previous 2- year Bible Study based on the Lutheran Book of Worship, Daily Lectionary for personal devotions p.179-192, Augsburg Publishing House, Minneapolis, 1978, is available at:

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Podcast: Week of 4 Epiphany C

4 Epiphany - Sunday - C
First Posted January 31, 2010
Podcast: 4 Epiphany Sunday C

Jeremiah 1:4-10 – Jeremiah's Call;
Psalm 71:1-6, 15-17 – Rock of Refuge;
1 Corinthians 12:27-13:13 – The Way of Love;
Luke 4:21-32 – Rejected in Nazareth;

Jeremiah:

The Word of the Lord came to Jeremiah; the Lord God knew Jeremiah before God formed him in his mother's womb, and consecrated Jeremiah before Jeremiah was born, and appointed him to be a prophet to the nations (Gentiles). Jeremiah replied that he was too young and not an orator. The Lord told Jeremiah that his youth didn't matter; God would show Jeremiah where to go and give him the message God wanted him to proclaim. Jeremiah was not to be afraid, because God promised to be with him and deliver him.

Then the Lord touched Jeremiah's mouth and told him, “Behold, I have put my words in your mouth. See I have set you this day over nations, and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant” (Jeremiah 1:9b-10).

Psalm:

I take refuge in you O Lord; I will never be put to shame. You, in your righteousness, will rescue and save me. You, O Lord, are a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me; you are my rock and my fortress. O Lord, my God, rescue me from the power of the wicked; from those who are unjust and cruel.

O Lord, you have been my hope in whom I have trusted from my youth. I have depended on you from my birth. It is you who delivered me from my mother's womb. So I will always praise you!

I will declare your righteous acts, O Lord, your deeds of salvation all day long. They are numerous beyond counting. In your strength I will go and proclaim your righteousness, yours alone!

You have taught me from my youth, and I still proclaim your wonderful works.

1 Corinthians:

Paul used an analogy of the members of a human body to describe the relationship of members to the Church. Christians are individually members of Christ's body. God has appointed first apostles (messengers; of the Gospel), then prophets, teachers, miracle-workers, healers, helpers (deacons) and administrators (bishops), speakers of tongues. Not all are apostles, not all are prophets, or teachers, or miracle-workers, or healers. Not all speak in tongues, nor are all able to interpret tongues. But we should earnestly seek the higher gifts.

Paul was teaching them the more excellent way (of love). Without love, a speaker of tongues of human or spiritual language is no more useful than a gong or cymbal making noise. If one possesses all prophetic power, full insight into all mysteries, all knowledge and all faith that can move mountains, but lacks love, one gains nothing.

“Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it doesn't rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7).

Love will never pass away. Prophecies will pass away, as will tongues and knowledge, because our knowledge and prophecies are imperfect. Perfect prophecy and knowledge will replace the imperfect. When we are children, we speak, think, and reason like children But when we grow up, we outgrow childish ways. Now we see imperfectly as in a mirror of polished metal, but in eternity we will see as face-to-face. Now our understanding is partial; in the age to come we will have perfect understanding, like the understanding God has of us now. Faith, hope and love are the only things which will remain in eternity, and love is the most important.

Luke:

Jesus had gone to the synagogue in Nazareth as was his custom, and was asked to read from the Book (scroll) of Isaiah. He read the passage in Isaiah 61:1-2 describing the Messiah, the Lord's anointed (Messiah and Christ each mean anointed in Hebrew and Greek respectively; Luke 4:18-19).

Jesus gave the scroll back to the attendant and sat back down, and every eye was focused on Jesus. Jesus declared that they had just witnessed the fulfillment of that passage. At first the people thought Jesus was a good speaker, whose words were gracious, and they wondered how the son of Joseph, whom they knew, had acquired his ability. Jesus said that they would recall the old proverb that the physician should heal himself. They expected him to do the miracles in his own hometown that he had done in Capernaum.

Jesus said that prophets are not accepted in their own country. Jesus pointed out that when there was a three and a half year drought and famine in Israel, there were many hungry widows in Israel, but God sent Elisha only to Zarepath in Sidon (in Phoenicia; north of Galilee; 1 Kings 17:1, 8-16; 1 Kings 18:1). There were many lepers in Israel, when Elisha was a prophet, but only Naaman, a Syrian (Gentile; non-Jew), was healed (2 Kings 5:1-14). At this statement, the everyone in the synagogue was enraged. They took Jesus out of the synagogue and to the cliff of the hill on which Nazareth was built, intending to through him off the cliff, but Jesus passed through the crowd and went away.

Commentary:

The Lord knows all about each one of us from conception, and there is a call upon us to be disciples of Jesus. Jesus came to make it possible for us to be spiritually cleansed, so that we could each be temples of the indwelling Holy Spirit within us (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). This lifetime is our opportunity to seek God and come to know and have fellowship with him (Acts 17:26-27) through the indwelling Holy Spirit.

This lifetime is our only opportunity to be “born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8) spiritually by the indwelling Holy Spirit so we can have eternal life in God's kingdom in Heaven. Only Jesus gives the “baptism” (“anointing;” “gift;” “infilling;” John 1:31-34), only to his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17). The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee that one is in Christ and has eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16). The “baptism” of the indwelling Holy Spirit a personally discernible ongoing event. It is impossible to be “born-again” without being aware of the presence of the Holy Spirit (Acts 19:2).

The Lord wants us to be filled with his Holy Spirit so that we can know, by the indwelling Holy Spirit, the Word he wants us to teach, where he wants us to teach it, and the resources and supernatural empowerment to accomplish his call. The Holy Spirit gives his disciples what to say at the moment it is needed (Mark 13:11; Luke 12:11-12). He teaches his disciples all things and recalls to our memory all Jesus' teachings (John 14:26).

The Gospel message is not going to be any more welcome by worldly people than it was to the people of Nazareth who knew Jesus from boyhood. It wasn't the way that he said it; Jesus spoke it gently and graciously in love. The Bible contains both wonderful promises and ominous warnings. The warnings are intended, in love, to help us avoid the consequences of failing to heed the warnings. It isn't loving to preach only the parts of the Bible that make us feel good.

Jesus gave his disciples the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) to go into the world and make disciples of Jesus Christ, teaching them to obey all Jesus' teachings. But note that they were to carry out this command only after they had been filled with the indwelling Holy Spirit (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-5, 8), and Jesus promised to be with them, by the indwelling Holy Spirit, until the end of this age; the end of time. We can't accomplish the mission of Christ in our own human strength. "Not by (human) power, or by might, but by my Spirit, says the Lord" (Zechariah 4:6).

Through the indwelling Holy Spirit we experience the love of God, and we receive the gift of God's love to be spread through us to others (Romans 5:5). When we truly want to know God's will for us with the commitment of doing it, he will reveal it to us. Instead of trying to discern our spiritual gifts, we should seek his will and pray it back to make sure we've understood. Then the Lord will supply the gift, resources and empowerment we need to carry out his call. (Remember that God will never tell us to do anything contrary to God's Word, the Bible, or to do any harm to ourselves or others.) Discipleship is a spiritual growth process. As we begin to trust and obey the Lord on a daily basis, with Scripture, meditation and prayer, we will grow in faith over time as we learn that his Word is completely true and trustworthy.

Paul was discipling the Roman believers. There are two forms of speaking in tongues. The kind which was manifested on the Day of Pentecost is the reversal of the confusion of the language at the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1-9). It was the useful ability to declare the Gospel in the languages of the people who witnessed the event. The other kind is an ecstatic utterance.

Paul didn't want to forbid the ecstatic utterance if it were prompted by the Holy Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:19), but Paul didn't want it disrupting orderly worship. He regarded the ecstatic gift of tongues at the bottom of the list of spiritual gifts, and wanted it accompanied by an interpreter. Paul also argued that the gift of ecstatic tongues was a sign not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is not for unbelievers but for believers (1 Corinthians 14:1-33; note vv. 21-22).

Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah 61:1-2. Lord's “anointed” prophet, priest and king. Prophecy is proclaiming God's Word by the indwelling Holy Spirit. It is not like foretelling the future. But God's Word is always fulfilled, and in fact is the test of prophecy (Deuteronomy 18:21-22). Jesus is the fulfillment, embodiment, and example of God's Word, lived in human flesh in this world (John 1:1-5, 14). Jesus' word is the Word of God, (John 14:10, 24) with the creative force of God's Word (Mark 4:39-41; Genesis 1:9).

Jesus was speaking the truth in love to his fellow Nazarenes, when he characterized their problem as the same as that of a prophet in his own town. The Nazarene's couldn't accept Jesus as Messiah because they thought they knew that Jesus was the son of Joseph. The Nazarenes wanted Jesus to do miracles for his home town, but without faith (obedient trust) in Jesus (Matthew 13:54-58).

Jesus is the descendant of David the shepherd-king. The Jews were heirs of the promise of God but they didn't inherit them because of lack of faith. God had planned from the very beginning of Creation that salvation was not just for the Jews, but through them to come to all people who would receive Jesus by faith.

The widow of Zarepath was a Gentile (non-Jew), but she survived the drought and famine because she believed the Word of God spoken by Elisha (1 Kings 17:11-12). Naaman was a Gentile; but he believed the testimony of a Jewish slave-girl (2 Kings 5:2-3), and went to Elisha the prophet of the Northern Kingdom of the ten tribes of the divided monarchy at Samaria, the Capital.

The little Jewish slave-girl had known there was a prophet in Israel (2 Kings 5:3), although the king apparently didn't (2 Kings 5:6-9). Naaman almost missed his healing because he was told to wash in the Jordan seven times. Naaman had expected to speak to the prophet but Elisha sent his servant Gehazi with the message. Naaman thought he could have bathed in rivers in Syria with a lot less trouble, but his servants talked him into doing as the prophet had said. Not only had Naaman found a prophet in Israel, but the God who alone is God. As a result Naaman was healed, and converted to the God of Israel. (2 Kings 5:9-19).

The Nazarenes wanted to kill Jesus, but had no power over him because it was not God's will. Jesus was only crucified in God's perfect timing according to his eternal purpose.

Is Jesus your Lord? Are you Jesus' disciple? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus? 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)?

4 Epiphany - Monday - C
First Posted February 1, 2010
Podcast: 4 Epiphany Monday C

Psalm 85:8-13 – Oracle of Assurance;

Listen to what the Lord will speak; to his people, his saints (those who are consecrated to serve God; believers in Jesus Christ), to those who turn to the Lord with their whole hearts, the Lord will speak peace. For those who fear (have appropriate awe and respect for the power and authority of) God, their salvation is at hand, that glory (honor, dignity; the perfect righteousness of God) may fill our land.

“Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; righteousness and peace will kiss each other; Faithfulness will spring up from the ground and righteousness will look down from the sky” (Psalm 85:10-11). The Lord will bless us with every good thing and our land will yield an abundant harvest. He will lead us in righteousness.

Commentary:

God has given us his Word in the Bible, and in Jesus Christ, the “living Word,” the fulfillment, embodiment, and example of God's Word lived in this world in human flesh (John 1:1-5, 14). The Bible is intended to guide us to faith (obedient trust) in Jesus.

God has always intended to establish an eternal kingdom of his people who willingly choose to trust and obey God. This Creation and our lifetimes are our opportunity to seek and find God (Acts 17:26-27), and to learn to live according to his Word. This lifetime is our opportunity to be “born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8) to eternal life by the “baptism” of the Holy Spirit, which only Jesus gives (John 1:31-34), only to his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17). The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee that one is in Christ and has eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16).

Jesus has been designed into Creation from the very beginning. Jesus is God's one and only plan to give us peace and eternal life in God's heavenly kingdom. Jesus is the only way to know divine eternal truth, the only way to be forgiven and restored to fellowship with God which was broken by sin (disobedience of God's Word) and the only way to have true eternal life (Acts 4:12; John 14:6; see God's Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right).

Those who are consecrated (dedicated to the Lord's service), by “baptism” of water and the Holy Spirit), have peace with God (Romans 5:1) and with our brethren in Christ, which cannot be taken from us (John 14:27). Jesus' resurrection has overcome our fear of physical death (Hebrews 2:14-15), so that we can have peace even in the midst of worldly turmoil (John 16:33).

The ultimate goal is God's eternal kingdom, the new Creation, filled with the righteousness, peace and faithfulness of God. The Lord will lead us in righteousness by the gift (“baptism”) of the indwelling Holy Spirit.

Is Jesus your Lord? Are you Jesus' disciple? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus? 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)?

4 Epiphany - Tuesday - C
First Posted February 2, 2010
Podcast: 4 Epiphany Tuesday C

Isaiah 6:1-8 (9-13) – Isaiah's Call;

In 742 B.C., the year of the death of King Uzziah of the Southern Kingdom, Judah, of the Divided Monarchy, Isaiah had a vision of God on his throne in heaven. The throne was high above the floor, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Seraphim (“fiery ones;” angels in human form, except for their wings), each having six wings: two covered the eyes, two covered the feet, and they flew with two (compare Ezekiel 1:3-8; 1 Kings 22:19). One of the Seraphim called to another, saying, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts (a large army); the whole earth is full of his glory” (Isaiah 6:3).

The foundations were shaken at the voice of the Seraphim, and the palace was filled with smoke. Isaiah was frightened, and confessed that his lips were unclean, and that he came from people with unclean lips, because he realized that he had seen the King, the Lord of hosts.

One of the Seraphim flew to him bringing a burning coal taken with tongs from the altar. The Seraph touched Isaiah's mouth with the coal and declared that, with the touch of the coal on his lips, Isaiah's guilt had been taken away, and his sin forgiven. Then Isaiah heard the Lord asking whom should he send; who was willing to go for them? And Isaiah said, “Here am I! Send me” (Isaiah 6:8b).

The Lord told Isaiah to tell God's people to hear without understanding. Might their hearts be fat (and lazy), their ears heavy and their eyes shut; otherwise their eyes might see, their ears might hear and their hearts might understand and turn to be healed.

Isaiah asked the Lord, “How long?” And the Lord said, “Until the cities are in ruins and uninhabited; the houses unoccupied, and the land utterly desolate. Until the Lord removes the inhabitants far away and the land be forsaken. “'And though a tenth remain in it, it will be burned again, like a terebinth or an oak, whose stump remains standing when it is felled.' The seed is its stump” (Isaiah 6:13).

Commentary:

The word “Seraphim” is used elsewhere (in Numbers 21:6, 8; Deuteronomy 8:15; compare Isaiah 14:29, 30:6) as fiery (winged) serpents (poisonous snakes) sent by God to execute God's judgment on sin (Matthew 13:39-41).

The train of the robe of God on his throne symbolizes his glory that fills the throne room. I have personally experienced times in worship, a few times, not nearly often enough, when the presence and glory of the Lord was manifested in radiant light and glory filling the sanctuary to the point that the windows seemed to rattle in their frames!

Isaiah realized his unrighteousness; without God's help we cannot stand in his presence. Only by the Holy Spirit, the “tongue of fire” (Acts 2:3), are we purified from sin and consecrated to God's use, so that we are able to serve the Lord.

The Lord has called us to carry on the mission of Christ to the world. This world is spiritually lost and dying. Only the Gospel of Jesus Christ can save us. Only by the grace (unmerited favor) of God can we hear and understand the Gospel of Jesus Christ, see that Jesus is God's one and only provision for our forgiveness and salvation, and accept in our hearts, Jesus as our Lord.

Isaiah asked, “How long?” Isaiah was the prophet to Jerusalem and Judah, the Southern Kingdom of the Divided Monarchy, between 742 and 687 B.C.. The Northern Kingdom, Israel, was conquered and effectively ceased to exist with the fall of Samaria to the Assyrians in 721 B.C.. The Southern Kingdom failed to learn the lesson of the Northern Kingdom and so was conquered by Nebuchadnezzar in 587 B.C and exiled to Babylon for seventy years, until 517 B.C., as prophesied by Jeremiah (25:11-12).

God's Word was fulfilled. The cities of Judah were in ruins and uninhabited, the land desolate. But a remnant (of Israel) remained and returned and became the stump of Jesse (the father of David) from whom Jesus came forth (Isaiah 11:10; 53:1-2; Matthew 1:1, 5-6, 20; 21:9, 15).

This world has been designed by God for a particular purpose. God has always intended to establish an eternal kingdom of his people who willingly choose to trust and obey God's Word. This world has been designed to allow us freedom to disobey God's Word, but God is not willing to allow rebellion and disobedience forever, or at all in his eternal kingdom, so this world and we ourselves are limited by time. This lifetime is our opportunity to seek and find God, to learn to trust and obey God's Word by trial and error, and to be spiritually “born-again” to eternal life by the “baptism” of the Holy Spirit, which only Jesus gives (John 1:31-34), only to his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17).

We will choose for ourselves whether to pursue our own will or to live according to God's will. Is Jesus your Lord? Are you Jesus' disciple? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus? 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)?

4 Epiphany - Wednesday - C
First Posted February 3, 2010
Podcast: 4 Epiphany Wednesday C

I Corinthians 14:12b-20 – Up-building the Church;

New believers should seek spiritual gifts that up-build the Church. Those who speak in ecstatic tongues should seek the gift of interpretation. Unless the speaker can interpret the tongues, he may feel ecstatic, but his mind is unfruitful. Meaningful worship, prayer and singing, must engage the mind. If one gives thanks to God, others cannot affirm him if they are unable to understand what he is saying. His hearers are not up-built.

Paul said that he spoke in ecstatic tongues more than anyone, but he would rather speak five intelligible words, to instruct others than ten thousand words in ecstatic tongues which were unintelligible to anyone. Let us not be immature in our thinking. In evil, let us be as innocent as babies, but in our thinking, let us be mature.

Commentary:

The Lord wants us to worship him in spirit and in truth (John 4:23). When we go to worship, it isn't spectator sport. We're not there to be “entertained.” The pastor or worship leader isn't there to be a “cheerleader” in the sense of coercing responses (1 Corinthians 12:2 RSV). Our responses should be spontaneous coming from our conscious participation. We should prepare our hearts to worship the Lord with prayer and meditation, recalling the events of the past week.

It is so easy to fall into a pattern of participation by rote. This is true in both liturgical (formal rites of worship) and non-liturgical Churches. It takes some conscious effort to focus on the the words we are saying or singing. That is why I feel that “saying the rosary” is particularly counter-productive.

I find that I can be easily distracted, so I try to keep my eyes focused on the projection screen, hymnal, or sermon notes. I try to use the time before the service begins to pray and meditate.

There are two different types of speaking in tongues. The one given the Church on the day of Pentecost was a reversal of the confusion of language at the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11:9). It was a useful gift which allowed the disciples to communicate the Gospel to people in the peoples' own language (Acts 2:1-13).

The other form of speaking in tongues is the ecstatic expression of unintelligible spiritual language. That form of “tongues” is not useful in up-building the Church; it is a sign, not for believers, but for unbelievers (1 Corinthians 14:21-22).

Some want to make “tongues” the “litmus test” of spiritual rebirth. Paul did not want to quench the Holy Spirit by forbidding the speaking in tongues, but he didn't want it to disrupt worship.

Christians are “born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8) disciples of Jesus Christ (Acts 11:26). The Church is the heir to the ministry of John the Baptizer, to call people to repent and be baptized with water for forgiveness and spiritual cleansing, to prepare us to receive Jesus Christ through the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus did not baptize anyone with water; only his disciples did (John 4:2). Only Jesus baptizes with the Holy Spirit (John 1:31-34), only his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17). The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee that one is in Christ and has eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16).

It takes “born-again” disciples to make “born-again” disciples. The Church is to disciple believers until they are “born-again.” Spiritual rebirth is not the end but the beginning of spiritual growth to spiritual maturity.

In many instances the nominal Church today is failing to make “born-again” disciples. In some denominations churches are not only not helping their members but are actually discouraging them from seeking baptism of the Holy Spirit, by teaching them that they have automatically received baptism of the Holy Spirit by water baptism (see False Teachings, “Spiritual Rebirth,” sidebar, top right.

Is Jesus your Lord? Are you Jesus' disciple? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus? 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)?

4 Epiphany - Thursday - C
First Posted February 4, 2010
Podcast: 4 Epiphany Thursday C

Luke 5:1-11 - The Unexpected Catch


Jesus was on the shore of the lake of Gennesaret (the Sea of Galilee) and a great crowd had surrounded him. Two boats had been beached and the fishermen were cleaning their nets nearby. One of the boats was Simon's (who Jesus named Peter; Matthew 16:16-18). Jesus asked Peter to take him just offshore, and Jesus sat down and taught the crowd from the boat.

When he finished speaking, he asked Peter to take the boat into deep water and let down his net for a catch. Peter replied that they had fished all night and had caught nothing, but would do as Jesus had said. When the net was let out it enclosed a great shoal (school) of fish, so big that their nets began to break. They called their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and both boats were loaded so full with fish that they were at the point of sinking.

When Peter saw what was happening, he fell down before Jesus and acknowledged that he was a sinful person (unworthy to be in Jesus' presence). Peter and his fishing partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee and their crews, were amazed at the catch of fish. Jesus told them not to be afraid, and declared that from then on they would be catching people. When they landed the boats, Peter, James and John) left everything and followed Jesus.

Commentary:

Peter, James and John had spent their lives fishing in these waters. They had spent all night and had caught nothing. They were tired, but Peter was willing to do as Jesus told him, and he made the greatest catch these fishermen had ever seen. Instead of thinking of the money they could make selling these fish, they left everything, the boats, the nets, the catch, their father and families, and followed Jesus.

They recognized that Jesus, a carpenter, possessed supernatural knowledge and power. They didn't try to exploit Jesus' power so they could continue to have great catches. They chose to accept his call to learn to fish for and catch people.

We are all sinners unworthy of being in Jesus' presence. When we acknowledge our sin he will cleanse us by baptism with water for repentance and forgiveness, and give us the “baptism” of the Holy Spirit to empower us to live according to God's Word (Romans 8:1-16). My understanding of the Bible and my personal experience testify that the Church is the heir to the ministry of the water baptism of John, for repentance and spiritual cleansing, and that the “baptism” of the Holy Spirit is a personally discernible, daily, ongoing event, as we begin to live in obedient trust in Jesus' teaching.

Jesus described the kingdom of heaven as a process like fishing with a net. The Gospel of Jesus is the net. All sorts of fish are gathered by the net. When full the net is hauled ashore and the fishermen sort through the fish, saving the good, and throwing the bad away (Matthew 13:47-50).

This present, temporal world is like a net full of all kinds of fish. At the end of this age, Jesus is going to return to judge the the good from the bad, the “living (“quickened”) and dead” (in both the physical and spiritual senses; 1 Peter 4:5).

This lifetime is our opportunity to seek and find God and to be spiritually “born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8) by the “baptism” of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Jesus is only way to come to know God (Matthew 11:27; John 14:6-7). Jesus is the only way to be restored to fellowship with God which was broken by sin (Acts 4:12; see God's Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right). Jesus is the only way to be “born-again” to eternal life by the “baptism” of the indwelling Holy Spirit, which only Jesus gives (John 1:31-34), only to his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17).

Christians are “born-again” disciples of Jesus Christ (Acts 11:26). Disciples must be “born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8) before going into the world with the “net” of the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Luke 24:49, Acts 1, 4-5, 8). We cast the net, and then the angels of the Lord will haul it ashore and separate the good from the evil, the living from the dead, at the Day of Judgment at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

On the Day of Judgment everyone who has ever lived will be accountable to Jesus, the Righteous Judge, for what we have done in this lifetime with the Gospel of Jesus. Those who have accepted Jesus as Lord and have trusted and obeyed Jesus' teachings will have been spiritually “born-again.” The will have had a personal daily relationship with Jesus during this lifetime, and Jesus will acknowledge them as his disciples. They will enter God's eternal kingdom restored to paradise in heaven.

Those who have rejected Jesus as Lord, who have refused or failed to trust and obey Jesus, will be denied by Jesus. Jesus will declare that he never knew them (Matthew 7:21-23), and the angels will cast them into eternal destruction in hell with all evil Mathew 25:31-46; 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10).

We all have a choice to make. We are all in boats, in darkness, fishing for meaning and purpose. Jesus is calling us to follow him and try a new kind of fishing. Will we continue to stay in darkness trying to accomplish what is ultimately unproductive, or will we trust and obey Jesus and find what is eternally precious?

Is Jesus your Lord? Are you Jesus' disciple? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus? 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)?

4 Epiphany - Friday - C
First Posted February 5, 2010
Podcast: 4 Epiphany Friday C

Colossians 3:12-17 – Christian Life;

As holy and beloved chosen ones of God, practice kindness, compassion, lowliness, meekness and patience, forbearing and forgiving one another. We must forgive one another as the Lord has forgiven us. Above all these, we must be loving, because by love all things are bound together in perfect harmony. Let the peace of Christ Jesus reign in our hearts in the one body (the Church) to which we have been called. Remember to be thankful. Let us be filled with the word of Christ, so that we can teach and advise one another with wisdom, and as we sing to the Lord in thanksgiving. Let everything we do, in word or deed, be done in the name of the Lord Jesus, in thanksgiving to God the Father through him.

Commentary:

In love, God has chosen us in Christ, before the world was created (John 1:1-5, 14), so that we could be blameless and holy in God's judgment (Ephesians 1:4). This creation was designed by God in his love for us. God designed an eternal savior, Jesus Christ, into creation so that, through faith (obedient trust) in him, we could be blameless of sin (disobedience of God's Word), and holy (purified; consecrated to God's service). By the blood of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross we are forgiven and made holy, if we are willing to receive it by faith (obedient trust) in Jesus.

This Creation is designed by God for a specific purpose. God has always intended to establish an eternal kingdom of his people who willingly choose to trust and obey God's Word. This world has been designed to allow us freedom to choose whether to trust and obey God's Word or not, and to learn by trial-and-error that God's will is our best interest. Disobedience of God's Word is the definition of sin. God is not willing to tolerate rebellion and disobedience forever, or at all in his eternal heavenly kingdom, or it wouldn't be heaven!

This lifetime is our opportunity to seek and find God (Acts 17:26-27), to learn to trust and obey God's Word, and to be “reborn” (John 3:3, 5-8) to eternal life. These goals are only possible through Jesus Christ because Jesus is God's one and only provision for our forgiveness of sin and our salvation from eternal death and destruction in hell (Acts 4:12; see God's Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right). Jesus is the only way to know divine eternal truth, to be restored to fellowship with God that was broken by sin, and the only way to have eternal life (John 14:6).

We are all born into this world physically alive but spiritually “unborn.” God offers us eternal life in paradise restored in heaven, if we are willing to receive it by faith (obedient trust) in Jesus Christ. Only Jesus “baptizes” with (gives the gift of) the Holy Spirit (John 1:31-34), only his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17). We are “reborn” to eternal life by the indwelling Holy Spirit within us. The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee that one is in Christ and has eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16).

By the indwelling Holy Spirit we experience God's love for us personally, and we are enabled to live according to God's Word, as we allow the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ, to reign in us and guide us (Romans 8:1-9). By the indwelling Holy Spirit we are able to advise and teach one another (Mark 13:11; Luke 12:11-12). Only by the indwelling Holy Spirit are we able to truly sing in thanksgiving and praise to the Lord (Romans 8:15-16).

Jesus is the “living Word,” the Word of God fulfilled, embodied and exemplified in human flesh, in this world (John 1:1-5, 14). Christians are “born-again” disciples of Jesus Christ (Acts 11:26). We must be “born-again,” filled with the Holy Spirit (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-5, 6), before we can proclaim the Gospel, advise and teach others.

In this letter, Paul was making disciples of new believers at Colossae, in fulfillment of the “Great Commission” which Jesus gave to his disciples (Matthew 28:19-20), teaching them to trust and obey all that Jesus teaches, so that they would be “born-again,” filled by the word of Christ, the indwelling Holy Spirit. Jesus' word is the Word of God with the creative force of God's Word (John 14:10, 24; Mark 4:39-41; Genesis 1:9).

I'm convinced that Paul is the disciple God intended to replace Judas Iscariot, Jesus' betrayer; not Matthias, as chosen by the original eleven by chance while they were supposed to be waiting for the “baptism” of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:15-26). Matthias is never mentioned again, but after Paul's conversion, most of the rest of the New Testament is written by or about Paul. Paul is the prototype “modern,” “post-resurrection,” “born-again” disciple (student) and apostle (messenger; of the Gospel) of Jesus Christ, and the example that all of us can and should be.

Is Jesus your Lord? Are you Jesus' disciple? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus? 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)?

4 Epiphany - Saturday - C
First Posted February 6, 2010
Podcast: 4 Epiphany Saturday C

Matthew 13:24-30 – Weeds Among Wheat;

Jesus used “parables,” stories of common earthly experiences, to teach spiritual truth. In one, Jesus said that the kingdom of heaven is like a farmer who sowed good wheat seed in his field, but during the night while he and his servants were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weed seed in the field. When the wheat sprouted, so did the weeds. The servants reported this to the farmer, asking if the seed had been faulty. The farmer said that the weeds had been sown by his enemy. The servants asked if they should pull the weeds, but the farmer told them to wait until the harvest, so that the wheat would not be damaged. At harvest the reapers would pull the weeds first and burn them. Then the wheat could be gathered into the farmer's barn.

Commentary:

This Creation is God's “wheat field.” The purpose of this life is to create a harvest of “wheat” for God's “barn,” his kingdom in heaven. The Gospel is the good seed that will produce wheat. The wheat are those who trust and obey God's Word. Satan is the enemy who sows weeds among the wheat. The weeds are those who refuse or fail to trust and obey God's Word.

In the beginning we are all “weeds,” sinners (disobedient of God's Word) who fall short of God's righteousness (Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:8-10), and the penalty for sin is eternal death (Romans 6:23). God loves us and doesn't want any of us to perish eternally (Romans 5:8; John 3:16-17). This lifetime is our opportunity to become “wheat” in God's harvest. The Gospel of faith (obedient trust) in Jesus is the only way (Acts 4:21; John 14:6; see God's Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right).

God allows the weeds to grow among the wheat until the “harvest,” which is the Second Coming, the Day of Judgment at the end of this age. The end of the age will occur within our individual lifetimes at the moment of our death, and no one can be sure that we'll live until tomorrow.

At the moment of our physical death our eternal destiny will be fixed and unalterable. Those who have accepted Jesus as Lord, who have learned to trust and obey Jesus, will have been “born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8) during this lifetime, and will enter God's eternal kingdom in heaven. Those who have rejected Jesus, who have refused or failed to trust and obey Jesus, will be cast into eternal fire in hell with all evil. (Matthew 25:31-46; 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10).

Is Jesus your Lord? Are you Jesus' disciple? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus? 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)?