November 30

1 Corinthians 1-4
Throughout the years, as I have worked with different congregations, it has always been a challenge to direct those I teach to focus on Jesus, not me.  Those who labor in the Lord have a tremendous amount of influence, and we aren’t careful we will produce a group of our own followers.  Paul said it right when he says, “My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.”  No matter how fine the preacher, how righteous his life, how uplifting his message, our faith should always rest on God.  We are mere men, prone to error, simply being used as tools by the Lord.  Even though we should honor and respect those who devote themselves to teaching, we must never exalt them to a place equal with the Lord.

November 29

Acts 18-19
The saying, “Follow the money” comes into play in our reading today.  Those making money with the sale of idols had their business threatened with the preaching of the gospel.  So, they devised a plan to get rid of Paul and his associates.  It’s amazing that such a strong church was established in Ephesus.  Greater is He who is in us, than he who is in the world.  Ephesus is a good demonstration of the Lord’s power over evil.  My wife and I have often commented on how much smut we find in Houston.  Alongside the smut, we find an abundance of churches.  Satan keeps the attack going where he finds his biggest threat.  On a smaller scale, we can know that if we are living our lives in the way of the Lord, there is a good chance we will be attacked by Satan.  However, we are in good company when we are thus attacked.

November 28

1 Thessalonians 1-5; 2 Thessalonians 1-3
What do you write to a church that is already doing all that you’ve taught, living above and beyond the instruction given?  Well, Paul uses the opportunity to encourage them, while reminding them of some of his teachings.  The students I found the most difficult were those who were extremely intelligent.  These challenged me, because I had to look for ways to help them improve what was already excellent work.  This is what the apostle was doing with the Thessalonians.  One of his teachings near the end of these two letters bears repeating:  For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “Anyone who is unwilling to work shall not eat.”  In our present condition we find many able-bodied people who are perfectly happy to live off the welfare system.  While we have an obligation to help those who cannot help themselves, we should be encouraging the others to earn their living.  Even so, we should be taking a lesson from Paul’s play book, seeking to encourage all.

November 27

Acts 17
Paul found himself among the intellectuals of his day and he ceased the opportunity to present the gospel in a way that would appeal to them.  Being people who sought out learning, they were a willing audience.  Even though they didn’t all accept the good news, they all welcomed the presentation.  My wife and I enjoy a small group study on Sunday evenings with a group of older, mostly retired people, most of whom just happen to be either former or current educators.  Studying the scripture with such a group as this presents some interesting challenges, as well as many enlightening moments.  Being highly educated, these folks don’t automatically go with traditional teachings with which many grew up.  They are constantly pushing the envelope.  The end result is a deeper faith in God, a greater appreciation for His word, and a richer relationship with the Lord.

November 26

Galatians 4-6
There have always been those who would impose as set of rules upon believers, leading them to believe that their salvation is based upon those rules.  There must be, of necessity, laws to guide mankind, to keep us from harming one another in a civil society.  However, in the church, Paul says, “The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.”  Those things that are wrong to do are obvious, so we avoid them because to do otherwise would not be an expression of our faith through love.  As followers of Christ, we do that which is good and right, not because those things earn our salvation, rather, we grow in the fruit of the spirit because our faith is demonstrating itself through love.  Anything less is hypocrisy, and just as harmful as legalism.  Because we love as the Lord loves, we do not need a law to guide us.  Love is the guiding principle.  God’s Spirit is the means by which we are able to put that principle into practice.

November 25

Galatians 1-3
A fundamental teaching of Paul, if followed, would do much to restore order to the church, as well as, honor in the sight of man and God: “So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”  This basic teaching removes all prejudices, promoting the freedom Christ died so that we might receive in Him.  It is in this freedom that unity can be had through harmonious fellowship with saints of all stripes.  Through this, we would no longer make harmful distinctions by elevating one above another.  Pride would take a backseat to humility as we would allow the Spirit to guide us into all righteousness through the love of Christ.

November 24

Acts 15-16
It has been said that truth is stranger than fiction. We live in a world that is fascinated with action heroes. Blockbuster movies are made filled with the exploits of real and fictional characters. Today's reading could easily be the basis for such a film. Paul and Silas' missionary journey has all the makings of an action packed, larger than life, adventure movie. I can picture a strong leading man playing the part of Paul, with his faithful companions, Silas, and Luke, the recorder of events, being directed and empowered supernaturally by the Spirit of God. This would truly be an edge-of-your-seat, nail-biter, movie! Perhaps we could get Peter Jackson or Steven Spielberg to direct it. What do you think?