This verse is awesome, just plain awesome. This verse calls you out to be a warrior. A lean mean devil slaying warrior machine. The word that is used here for weapon (hoplon) is usually translated instrument in most translations, but in all other instances of this word in the Bible, it is translated weapon or armour (think 2 Cor 6:7). I think weapon the better translation. Instrument is ok if you think in terms of warfare, though. Anyway, this verse tells us that we can either be weapons for fighting for unrighteousness or weapons for fighting for righteousness. That means you are not passive you are active. Weapons in warfare are not decorative they are for battle, you are not to be passive you are for battling. Your job is to fight for the kingdom. So rise up and fight. Now before you get carried away and storm the city know how and who to fight. Ephesians 6:10-18 tell us exactly what we need to know.
Our battle is not against flesh and blood but against spiritual forces. That means it is not about this guy or that gal but against evil itself. We are not awaiting a political messiah to fix our problem. We don’t need to look to Washington to solve everything we need to look to the Cross and the Empty tomb. We already have a Messiah and His name is Jesus! So let’s fight the battle He said to fight. So we now know who we are fighting but how do we fight?
With Truth (belt), with righteousness (chest plate), with the Gospel of peace (shoes), with faith (shield), with calming our salvation (helmet), and with the Word of God (Spirit Sword). Those are our weapons. Those are our tools of battle. If you are fighting and you are not using those weapons, then you are fighting with the wrong weapons and I can’t guarantee victory. You see these are the weapons our Commander has issued us. These are the tools He expects us to take up. This is how we defeat the spiritual forces that are trying to take us down.
So you are a weapon for righteousness. I suggest you fight.
I have been chewing over these verses for a few days now. I keep thinking about how horrible crucifixion was, and what those reading this letter from Paul must have thought when he wrote these words. They lived with a real and tangible understanding of what crucifixion was. I like the way the Wikipedia article explains it “Crucifixion was usually intended to provide a death that was particularly slow, painful …, gruesome, humiliating, and public[.]” It was not just a horrible way to die it was designed to be horrible. It was created to be completely and totally barbaric. There are no modern western examples to point to (in our justice system). We can’t even say it was like the electric chair because that does not come close. It was just horrible (I think I have already said that). But that’s not even what I want to talk about.
I want to talk about who received this horrible death sentence. Again to Wikipedia “Crucifixion was used to punish slaves, pirates, and enemies of the state.” In other words the lowest of the low. The most worthless members of society were crucified. Those who either had no value or who were an enemy of the state. It was not allowed for citizens unless they committed treason in which case they were an enemy of the state now. This form of punishment was so severe and gruesome that only those who were already considered useless could receive it. Paul knew his audience would know this, this was all understood information to them and now to you and me.
Now that we have some background we can look at these verses and see what he is saying. He is saying that your flesh, the thing that desires sin is as useful to you as the Romans considered slaves and enemies of the state to them. It has no value to offer you. It has nothing of benefit to give and should not be looked at as something useful (see verse 21). It will not get you anything, instead, it will cause you problems. It will disrupt you from pushing towards your goal. So consider it dead!
Don’t think that this means you need to actual mutilate (harm) yourself, though. That will never work. You can never beat yourself into submission because the flesh is not the body but the mindset of self-fulfillment. People often think that the body itself is the problem, no, the problem is the fleshly mindset that desires to gratify (please) the body. So what it the answer then? Paul tells us back in 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Jesus already did the work. He took a literal crucifixion and you get to reap the benefits of that. We died with Christ and now we live in Christ (see Colossians 3:3).
Paul is not saying here that we need to harm ourselves but that we need to remember that Jesus died and as Christians we died as well. We are a new creation and in that we no longer have the fleshly mindset controlling us but can live under the power and influence of the Holy Spirit. I say can because you must yield (submit) to the Holy Spirit. We allow Him to lead and guide our lives. We allow Him to determine our desires and in that we continually remind ourselves that we have been crucified because our flesh had no benefit to us.
Have you ever heard the expression “Just take my word for it?” I am sure you have or, at least, one of its forms. It comes from this idea that I know because of such and such an experience or knowledge so I am enough of an expert to give advice. Sometimes the advice is good and sometimes it is bad. Whenever anyone says that you should ask yourself one simple question “is their word on this topic worth taking?” Another way to think about it this “are they a reliable source in this instance?” This topic or this instance are the keys here.
I am pretty good at cooking a steak but a horrible baker. If I gave you baking instructions based on my skill in grilling a steak it would not be worth taking. My skill or knowledge in one area does not automatically translate to another just because they are both in the same category of things. In the same way, you should not take my word when it comes to physics just because I have watched a few episodes of Big Bang Theory or Googled a view physics for dummies videos. I might be able to express a few rudimentary thoughts but you should not base your understanding of on my lack of information. I think that all makes sense?
So my question is why do we do that with the Bible? We take someone’s word on the internet, on TV, or even a friend but never stop to ask “are they a reliable source in this instance?” People say all sorts of things about the Bible and a lot of it is wrong, half true, and sometimes just foolish. But they said it so we roll with it. Why is that when we have the book right here? If you don’t own a copy you can read it online. But we just roll with it like it’s no big deal. Worst than that we repeat what we have heard as if we actually knew this and perpetuate the cycle of madness. Crazy!
To be clear, I am calling out both sides on this too. Christians and non-Christians do it all the time. I see Christians post things like “the Bible says the Lord helps those who help themselves.” NO NO it does not say that. In fact, it says the opposite. It says you are helpless. Non-Christians say things Jesus never claimed to be God. YES YES, he did. In fact, when asked He said Yes I am (I am writing a paper on this now should be ready in a few months. See Luke 22:70). It is not one group that does it and another group that doesn’t but we all do it at different times. Stop it. We don’t have to guess what the Bible says or what it means. We have the book and it happens to have been studied so much there are volumes of things written about it, how it came to be, what the original text says, and so on.
We should always ask when someone starts telling us what the Bible says “are they a reliable source in this instance?” If not then let it go in one ear and out the other. Just because someone has an opinion or thought on the Bible does not mean they are an expert on the subject. I am not saying that everyone who gives bad advice on the Bible is being malicious. Some, of course, are but largely they are just missing the whole picture of Scripture. So do yourself a favor and pick it up for yourself and see if it really says what you think. Take my word for it, you’ll be glad you did.
What is the confession of your hope? For me, it is not in material things or a promise of an easy life because goodness knows that is fleeting. It is not that everything will go right either. No, the confession of my hope is that I trust in Jesus. I trust in Jesus to be there when all hope seems lost. I trust in Jesus to comfort me when I morn. I trust in Jesus to make all things work together for good because I know I have been called by Him. I trust that when I said “Lord you can have my life if you want it” He said yes. I trust in Jesus to not only be Savior but also Lord of my life. I trust Jesus loves me, that He has a plan and calling for my life. I trust Jesus to lead. I trust that the Jesus knows I am not perfect and takes me anyway. That is the confession of my hope and I am confident that He will keep His promises!
As a Christian I am familiar with verses like Hebrews 4:16 that says we should boldly approach the throne of God or Matthew 17:20 that says if we have faith the size of a mustard seed we can move mountains. I also know that Romans 4 tells me I have peace with God and access to Him. I know these things and believe them. I believe that I have been grafted in and that God is pleased with me through Christ. The problem I struggle with is not that I do not believe these things it is I get confused when I pray and seek Him only to find that something did not come about. That was until the other day.
Right now I am going for something and it is big maybe even huge. Probably one of the biggest things I have tried for and if I told you then your own comfort zone might get shaken and you would tell me to stop. It is something that would be an amazing opportunity and I quite possibly have no right (according to some) to try for it. Because it is so big, and because it is so beyond me I feel this constant pull to not go for it. I am reminded of all the other big things that I have tried for and some that have failed. Maybe I should just stop and realize that it is too big for me. I should look back at other similar things and simmer down. If I ask God for something big and it does not come about then either God failed (which cannot happen) or my faith was weak. Right?
Well, the other day I felt like God reminded me of something I knew but forgot. The results are not for me to determine. It is for God to decide and it is for me to petition. Philippians 4:6 says I am to bring all my needs and request to God and be thankful. So I do not rest in the results but in God. I am thankful that I have access to God Almighty. Maker of Heaven and Earth. The One who spoke the world into existence hears me and that is amazing. It is for God to determine what is best and for me to ask.
Two people in the Bible helped me with this. Hannah prayed for a child in 1 Sam 1:10. The Lord heard her prayer and gave her a child. Now I am sure she prayed many other times and it was not granted but in this instance, she prayed from her innermost parts a God-honoring prayer, and a prayer that was heartfelt. God answered. From that prayer we get the Samuel books, we get Samuel who heard God and anointed David to be king. We get so many things because God answered Hannah’s prayer. The other person I thought about was David. David prayed that his son would not die in 2 Sam 12:16 but in the end, the child died. After the child died David got up and moved on in His relationship with God. He knew it was his job to petition and God’s job to decide. Now I know you could say that is because God said the child would die but there instances in the Old Testament where God did not execute the punishment He said He would. So my point stands. I am also aware that most would say only use positive stories but the truth of the matter is sometimes God gives us our desires and sometimes He does not. Our job is to petition.
I have heard people say that they are storming the gates of Heaven with prayer. That they will go and pound on the walls until they are heard, but I think that is a bit absurd. I am a child of God. I have been adopted by the King and don’t need to storm any gates I have permission to come right inside. So I am going to do just that. I am going to go in and ask my Father for this thing that is big and beyond me because I know it is not beyond Him. What will you do with your problems?
So I wanted to do something a little different today. I was looking around my office and noticed I have a few books. To be honest, I have more than a few books and I keep adding more. This is partly because of classes and partly because of sales. To be honest though the start of my collection was given to me from my father in law Gil. He started the habit so I guess he’s to blame. The reason I bring this up is because when I am reading my Bible a lot of times I turn to these commentaries or studies if I am stuck or want to see what others think about the same passage. Sometimes I agree, sometimes I disagree, and sometimes I learn. I realized though that a good portion of people does not have the same type of library so I thought I would offer some ideas and thoughts. I’ll break down some basic categories below, but please keep in mind this is just a high-level overview not an in-depth look at all possible options. This is just meant to get you going.
Commentaries:
Commentaries are great but to be honest, most people are not ever going to pick one up or read one. I love them but even I don’t read them front to back. I skim through to find what I need. I might read chunks but not a front to back kind of book. There are two-three categories of commentaries but I doubt you care. The most popular in a non-academic setting is a devotional commentary. This is going to go through a book of the Bible and give you thoughts on it. Very good for going deep in a single book.
*It is important to note that there are commentaries that cover a single book like Luther’s Commentary on Romans, commentaries that cover a few books like Alter’s commentary on the Wisdom books, and whole Bible commentaries like MacDonald’s Believer’s Bible Commentary.
Bible Handbook:
Bible Handbooks are like commentaries but smaller and for the books of the Bible. They usually have a few pages dedicated to a book and offer background and highlights. Some are bigger than others but they are great to have because it can fill in some needed information about the book, author, and other relevant background info. Halley’s a good one because it does some chapter breakdown, but the Holman Illustrated is good as well because it is smaller.
Software:
Software is in its own category because there are so many options and ways to customize. If you watch the video then you can see the one I use. There are some free/cheap options like Word Search or E-Sword and I have used both. Word Search is nice and is free and then you buy books to add to it (some are free). I have used Logos in the past because a friend of mine has it and it is great but you need some money to invest in that one. Accordance is another but I have never used it. It is supposed to be as good as Logos. For websites, you can use them to get some help but be weary there are a lot of fruitcakes out there.
Study Bible:
I saved Study Bibles for last because this one of those things you should get. A study Bible is like having a commentary in the Bible. There are hundreds to choose from depending on what you are looking for. There are application study Bibles that tell you what to do with a Scripture, women’s Bibles, men’s Bibles, military Bible’s, children’s Bibles, apologetic Bibles, and just about anything else you can think of. They are great to have and I used one for years as my daily reader. They provide just a little info or help on almost every verse and are a great resource.
Why?
Why get any of these things, though? I mean can’t you just read the Bible and go from there? Sure you can. The Holy Spirit is more than capable of teaching you what the Word says if you are listening. But adding extra things into your Bible study is not about hearing or not hearing from the Holy Spirit. Instead, it is about going deeper. It is about digging deeper and adding to your faith knowledge. How do you know though if what you think the Holy Spirit is telling you is true? Maybe you are reading your own bias into the text. What if you pick up a study note that says there is no mention of three kings just three types of gifts would that change the way you read the section? What about reading and finding out that Isaac was not a little boy during the testing of Abraham. He was a young man somewhere between 18-30. That kind of changes things doesn’t it. We add in these things because we don’t know everything. We should never assume we do. That is arrogance. So grab your Bible, study notes, highlighter, or tablet and dig deep.
As these things happen I was thinking about Revelation 12:11 and I thought I would share.
They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.
I understand the people being addressed in this verse are those in Heaven who have been martyred for their faith. I also understand that by and large most of us will not have to die for our faith but the question I was thinking about was “what is the power of our testimony?” According to Revelation 12:11 those who were martyred understood that the blood of the lamb and their testimony had the power to triumph over the devil. You could think that maybe they did not triumph because they died but those who die in Christ are not harmed by the second death so all that was accomplished by the devil was the children of God went home. So what is the power of your testimony?
The power of your testimony is inherently linked to the power of the Gospel because it is a testimony that the Gospel is true. The power in your testimony comes not from your ability to save yourself but confessing that God saved you. Some might argue that Jesus did not exist, that God is a myth or anything else they want but what is hard to argue is how your life has been changed by the message and power of the Gospel. That is something that cannot be taken away, and you are the only one who has your testimony. You should embrace your testimony and the Gospel because Paul says in Romans 1:16 that it is power.
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is God’s power for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek.
Which brings me to my other point; don’t negate the power of your testimony. Your testimony whatever it might be is how God has worked in your life. If you were a crack addict, a murder, a cheat, a porn star, a self-hating self-abuser, or a faithful child of God who has not wandered far off the path that is your testimony of how God has called or kept you. Don’t think for a second that a testimony that is ripe with love towards God and how you have not ever had to deal with a lot of horrible things is a bad testimony. That is just as wonderful as the story of a drug addict who saw Jesus as they overdosed. It means you listened and obeyed which more people should. My prayer for our youngest child is that she will have that kind of testimony. That she would always walk with Him and not have to come running home to Him. I don’t want her to live the same life I lived before seeing Him as good, great, and loving. So share that testimony of faith.
We each have a story to tell about Jesus. Some are G, PG, R, and some X but that is your story. Share it proudly because it testifies of how good God is that He kept you or saved you from a life of misery. If people cannot accept your testimony about how God saved you after a failed marriage, drug use, self-injury, and attempted suicide then don’t worry about them. They might need to check their testimony.
When I first got saved I couldn’t stop myself from telling people about it. I wanted them to experience the same joy, life, and love I now had. My boss on the construction site used to call me a holy roller. I had no idea what that meant but he knew I loved Jesus, and that I wanted him to love Jesus. He could see the power of the Gospel in my life. I was a mess before Christ. I was on drugs, cutting, and tried to kill myself. My story is a little different than most but that is because it is my story. You have yours and sharing it should be done because you want others to feel the same awesome feeling you have. I’ll end with this thought. Jesus is worth it. Whatever it is…He is worth it.
Jesus the Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Originator of God’s creation tells the church in Laodicea that He knows their works. They are neither hot nor cold and, therefore, useless. They think they are rich but in reality, they are wretched, pitiful, poor, and naked. If they really want to be well off then they should buy the gold He has. He is telling them this because he loves them. They need to repent and He will dine with them. He will give the victor the right to sit down with Him on His throne.
I know I say this each time but it is true there is just so much here. Knowing where to go on this one is a little hard for me because I love to explain the history of things and two parts of this letter have been abused or misused so often. Let’s deal with one real quick. The mentioning of hot, cold and lukewarm is not about being hot for Jesus or cold for Jesus. Instead, it was a reference the Laodiceans would understand. They had their water brought in via aqueducts so by the time it reached them it was not cold which is good for refreshment, or hot which is good for things hot water is good for. However, it was lukewarm which has no value.
What are we supposed to do with this letter? Well, this letter like Sardis does not have an “atta boy” instead, it is a letter of rebuke. Rebuke just means correction or disapproval; Jesus was correcting them because they thought themselves something they were not. The church thought it was all that and a bag of chips because they could afford all that and a bag of chips. They thought because they had money they were doing all right but the truth is they were in bad shape. Jesus does not rebuke them because they had money. He rebukes them because they lacked spiritual truth.
In general, we should not use our physical standing to judge our spiritual health. Just because you have money does not mean you are following God’s will, and just because you are broke does not mean you are being punished. This comes from a misunderstanding of the Deuteronomic formula which is the same problem Job’s friends had. They assumed that because Job suffered he was being punished but we need to get rid of that thinking. Maybe you have money because you are good with money, maybe you are poor because you make bad choices. Maybe society is just trying to keep you down I don’t know and I don’t really care. I want to make sure you are spiritually healthy.
Material possessions are fine. I have some, and I would like more but want I really want is Jesus. I want more Jesus in my life. I know I have access to all of Him but I still want more of Him. The closer I get to Him the more I want. The more I see Him for who He is the more I want. He is Lord, Saviour, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace and I want more of Him in my life. Whether I have a lot so I am blessed in the physical and can bless others or am in need I want more Jesus. There is no greater treasure than Him, and that is what He is saying to the church in Laodicea and that is what He is saying to you; “You have stuff that’s fine but you need Me” get that and understand that. I have lived without Him, and I will never go back. Jesus is not a fad or a thing that is in style or out of style. He has been around since the beginning you and is not going anywhere. So get some good water and live a rich, full, and abundant life in Christ.
Jesus the one whose eye are like fire and has feet like bronze tells the church in Thyatira that He knows their works. That they have love, faithfulness, service, and endurance. More than that the works they do now are more than when they started. However, they are tolerating or allowing Jezebel to teach their people and she is leading them astray into sexual immorality and idol worship. He is giving her a chance to repent but she will not. He also knows that not all are following her and commends them for this.
There is again a lot going on here. The church in Thyatira is like the reverse of the church in Ephesus. Instead of being tight in theology and lacking in love they are big on love and lacking theology. They are devoted to love and serving those in need. The church is feeding the homeless, giving backpacks to kids for school, teaching skills to the underprivileged, and doing many other acts of love in Jesus name. Not only that they are doing more than they have ever done before. These people understood what it was to love like Jesus. They were committed to the cause of Christ. But there is a problem; they were severely lacking in doctrine.
The church in Thyatira for as good as they were had let in Jezebel and allowed her to lead them astray into sexual immorality and idol worship. If you have read the Bible at all then you might go oh no, and if you haven’t then you might not see the big deal. Jezebel is synonymous with total debauchery, corruption, or depravity. If you call someone a Jezebel then it is a high insult. That is the person the church had let in and was allowing to teach. Jesus said you get the love and that is great but I will not let you go on with this teaching.
We should really look at Thyatira and Ephesus together. We have some churches that are all about truth and some churches that are all about love. Jesus says you need both because I am both. Jesus says in John 8:32 you will know the truth and the truth will set you free. 1 John 4:8 says God is love. Romans 8:29 says we are to be transformed into the image of His (God’s) Son. God is truth, God is love, and God wants us to be like Jesus. That means being truth and love. We cannot be so dogmatic that we place demands on people that God never placed on them, but we cannot let people think it is OK to go on sinning and living like they are not saved. It is a balance just like raising children.
Some say, “people should be allowed to do what they feel is right.” Well no that is not true, and in fact, that is just flat out wrong. If that was the case we would not have laws. Like I said with children it is a balance. My daughter will have a much better relationship with her mother if she is respectful. They will laugh and play and have a grand ole time. However, if she is being disrespectful then they will have conflict so my part of my job is to make sure she is respectful so she can have joy in the relationship. That means boundaries and rules because I love her and want her to enjoy the fullness.
I bet if Ephesus and Thyatira got together they would have a dynamite church but they were too busy thinking their thing was the most important thing. Maybe we should listen to the Spirit and be the most loving caring people out there who are wise enough to know what is true and what is false regardless of personal preference but are careful to love everyone just like Jesus does.
Jesus the one with a double-edged sword says He knows where they live. He knows the people are holding firm to His name and that one of them has already paid the ultimate price for following Him. But He also knows that they have let in and tolerate people who are trying to lead the astray. They need to repent and turn back to Christ. He says if they will then He will give them hidden manna and white stone with a new name.
There is really just so much here. If you have read the Old Testament and specifically the account of the Exodus and the wandering in the wilderness then you can see the connections here. I am going to have to work hard here to keep this brief.
This is another some good some bad letter (like Ephesus). Here Jesus tells them that He knows where they live, and that is important to note because Pergamum was the center of emperor worship. They worshiped the emperor like a god, and one of their own had already paid the price for not conforming.
OK, we’ve got that and as much as I would like to talk about that I really want to talk about Balaam. You might remember his story because he was the one who’s donkey spoke, but there is a lot more to the story. Balaam was hired by a fellow by the name of Balak to curse the Israelites but when he tried he found he could not. He makes a fantastic statement in Numbers 23:19 which was actually the first verse I ever learned.
God is not a man who lies, or a son of man who changes His mind. Does He speak and not act, or promise and not fulfill?
Basically, what it means is if God has determined something then no one and nothing can come against it. So the problem was Balaam could not curse what God what God had blessed; however, the people could go astray from what God had called them to. Balaam figured that if the people broke God’s commandments then He could not bless them while they were being disobedient. But what do we do with that? As Christians, we are not bound to the Mosaic law but under grace. Well, that is true but we can still be disobedient to God. God cannot bless you if you are being willfully disobedient to Him, and that is what is going on here. As an example think about 1 Peter 3:7 where Peter tells the men to love and respect their wives so that their prayers are not hindered.
The people in Pergamum had let in people that were trying to get them away from following God’s truth. You might have heard the expression “exchanging the truth of God for a lie” and that is part of what this means. They were letting people in the church teach them things that lead them away from God. We can do this in our own lives. We can let TV, music, friends, work, or really just about anything come into our lives and take over our values, morals, and ideals. We have to get rid of those things. It is not easy, but it is necessary. I used to go through a purge every couple of years where I would find everything I thought was causing me to stumble and dump it. Then, of course, I would add stuff back in and then purge again. This cycle kept on until I started to realize what I needed to stop and not allow in my life that did not belong there. It can be different for everyone so you need to watch your own steps.
For example, I was a huge grunge fan growing up. I had the look, the attitude, and the music memorized. The whole scene summed up what I thought about life. I was also a bad kid. I mean I was nasty, mean, and usually on something. So now while I still love me some grunge music I can’t listen to it now. It brings me somewhere I can’t go. So I don’t let that thing in my life that has the ability to make me stumble. Everyone has their own thing. We all have areas like that. Areas that we need to guard against and protect. We can’t let someone or something into our lives that takes us to a place that Jesus said we should not go and expect Him to bless us there.
Freedom in Truth 