Pastor Don Stubbs, from The Branch Church in New Philadelphia/Baltic Ohio joins us, and walks us through 2 Corinthians 5. What starts with walking by faith and not by sight, becomes "we try to persuade people", "for the love of Christ compels us."
Paul says that we are ministers of a New Covenant, which isn't written on stones, but on human hearts – not by the letter of the law, but by the Spirit of the living God.
Paul uses the analogy of familiar scene called a Roman Triumph, which includes a very familiar fragrance, and says that’s what disciples of Jesus are like – we are like a fragrance that to some people means life, and to others means death.
How would you live your life if you knew Jesus was going to return in 5 years? What kind of urgency would you have? Paul is nearing the end of his life, and he is finishing well, making the most of every opportunity. Always on mission. Never off duty.
As Paul says goodbye to the Ephesian elders, he leaves them with much encouragement and even a few warnings about what they can expect once he has moved on.
We've all been in situations where we needed rescued. Maybe your situation was dire, maybe it wasn't all that life-threatening. But either way, we know the thrill of deliverance; the joy of rescue. Psalm 40 celebrates the deliverance of God, even though the battle isn't yet won.
David observes that it is the fool who lives as if there is no God, and yet he also observes that 100% of us live that way. Yet, there is a group of people God calls "his own," a group he calls "righteous." So the question becomes, who are those people, why has God chosen them, and how do you move from "all have sinned" to "and are justified freely"?
Sometimes the things we "know" in our heads isn't how we see things actually work out in reality. And sometimes the Truth we read in the Bible isn't what we see (yet) in our reality. Psalm 9 and 10 are perfect Psalms to help us process through this.
Stephen is recognized publicly in the church as a man full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom. He is put in a position of leadership, but becomes known more for the great wonders and signs he was doing among the people. He ends up on trial in front of the Sanhedrin, and this time they can't handle the truth, and he becomes the first Christian martyr.
Peter and the other apostles find themselves back in front of the Sanhedrin, this time as a full group, and they are in danger. The Sanhedrin has decided to kill all 12 of them because they continue to preach in Jesus’ name, even though they were told not to. The only thing that keeps them alive is a Pharisee named Gamaliel who has a better idea… do nothing.