Week 41, Day 3
October 12, 2022 Scripture: 1 Peter 3 “In that state he went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits— to those who were disobedient long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand—with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.” (1 Peter 3:19–22) Yesterday, a friend of mine shared that a family left the church he serves because of the church’s stance on baptism. They probably used the words like “essential”, “salvation” and “baptism” in the same sentence! Is baptism essential for salvation? Was the Ark essential for Noah and his family during the flood? Was crossing the Red Sea essential for Israel fleeing Egypt? Was crossing the Jordan essential for Israel to enter the Promised land? The way God moved his people, into new life, was through water. Peter draws on the Ark and Noah as a way of talking about baptism. It washes us, not on the outside, but it is the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. We parse the scriptures to say what is essential and what isn’t for salvation. People leave churches or never join them because of strong stances on baptism. Part of the reason why churches take such a strong stance is this verse: It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand—with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.” (1 Peter 3:22) Jesus is essential for salvation. The way I declare that commitment, the way I declare and make a pledge of my devotion to God is through baptism. Can someone be saved outside of baptism? That’s God’s call, not mine. Above my paygrade. But if you were to ask me, “how do I have a clear conscience?” or “How do I declare my love for God?” One significant part of that is baptism as a response of faith in Jesus. I enter the story of God’s people in baptism (the reason I think Jesus is baptized in Matthew 3). I receive the Spirit of God at baptism (Acts 2:37-42). I enter God’s mission (Matthew 28:19-20). I enter new life. I join Jesus in the life-saving resurrection (Colossians 2:12). I join with Jesus in his death, so that I may have new life (Romans 6). I join the body of believers and form a new people. (1 Corinthians 12:13). Could I have this without baptism? To a degree. But it would be without the prescribed form of declaration of commitment to Christ. Throughout the story of Israel, it is God and his powerful activity that are essential for salvation. Without God’s miraculous power and presence, we would not be saved. Jesus is why we are saved. Baptism is a response to the saving act of God. The Israelites drown in the Red Sea, or turn and are enslaved by Egypt once again if they don’t go into the sea. Without the parting of the waters of the Jordan, the Israelites stay wandering in the wilderness. Without the powerful work of God to save, we are all destined for death. Without repentance and turning towards God, responding to his gracious love, we are not saved. Jesus is essential for salvation. The work is done, how will I respond to his grace? My response to the faithfulness of Jesus is to declare to Jesus my Lord and Savior. I say to him, “I love you and want my life to be lived in you.” Part of how I declare Jesus as my Lord, Savior, and King, is to enter into water baptism as he instructs us to in the Great Commission. I enter the water to have new life in Christ. Baptism has unfortunately become a source of contention for people. A reason people leave one church for another. I won’t resolve that with one devotional thought, that’s not the aim here. It is to ask a question, will you be baptized? Will you join the mission of God? Will you walk with God in new life? How will you respond to the wonderful grace of Jesus?
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Week 41, Day 2
October 11, 2022 Scripture: 1 Peter 2 “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” (1 Peter 2:9–10) Peter connects the Christian to the Old Testament promise of Abraham. We are a called-out people, set apart from the world to be a kingdom of priests. That is, we are blessed by God to be his children and are now a blessing to the world. It is important for us to consider ourselves priests in the world. We represent God to others and we also go to God on their behalf in prayer. There is an ongoing $100 million dollar ad campaign called, “He gets us.” The aim of the campaign is to change the narrative about Jesus. We have a marketing problem, the church has not represented Christ well, and the campaign is looking to brand Jesus better than the church has represented him over the years. I understand the concerns of those who have contributed to the campaign to circumvent the problem of a poor view of Jesus because of the churches less than stellar example. I appreciate the effort to change the narrative. But what we need, I think, is right here in the text. It’s the reminder and challenge that we are God’s representatives in the world. Priests played a vital role in the community of Israel. They offered the sacrifices for the forgiveness of sins, they mediated conflict, they cared for the hurting, cleansed those who were sick, they ministered to the community. They prayed on the people’s behalf. Provided sanctuary in cities of refuge. Their roles were to represent God in the world. They were called to live lightly, so they might be free to minister well to their communities. We are set apart now, to declare praises. We are called to be a light in the darkness. We have a branding problem of the church, for sure. But an ad campaign, no matter how much is spent on it, will move the l needle slightly. We need to adjust our attitudes towards ministry and calling. We are all called to be priests in the kingdom of God. Each of us are witnesses and share the good news of Jesus. You are blessed to be a blessing. Go be a priest today, love someone and give God praise. Week 41, Day 1
October 10, 2022 Scripture: 1 Peter 1 “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” (1 Peter 1:8–9) We believe because the Word of God and news about him has made its way to us through the faithful servants of God. Though we have not seen God, we know him and love him. Let us help others see him and know of his love as well. Week 40, Day 5
October 7, 2022 Scripture: 3 John “I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will have nothing to do with us. So when I come, I will call attention to what he is doing, spreading malicious nonsense about us. Not satisfied with that, he refuses to welcome other believers. He also stops those who want to do so and puts them out of the church. Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God.” (3 John 9–11) Hospitality is the hallmark of a healthy church. Today’s encouragement is to look within ourselves and see if there is any of the spirit of Diotrephes in us. He loves to be first. Spreads nonsense. Refuses to welcome other believers into the church. That’s a hard word and look inward, but we must do it. I’ve seen Diotrephes in churches over the years. I’ve looked him in the face, and I have looked at him in the mirror. There are times that I have been less than welcoming, loving and caring for others. There are times when I don’t want the church to change, especially by adding people that aren’t just how I want them to be and think. It can be difficult. I want things my way, I want to be first. I want it my way. We’ve all felt that a time or two, I’m sure. John counsels us, “Do not imitate what is evil but what is good.” Hospitality seeks to have an open heart and welcoming spirit in the body of believers. Helping people know that when they are welcomed in the church they can know that they are welcomed by God. We have an important role and function in sharing the Good News about Jesus. Let us imitate what is good, not evil. The world separates and denigrates. We, the church, unite and lift-up. People are loved by God and Jesus welcomes them. That’s the message and the mission. Hospitality does not look to our own interest, but to the interest of others. Let us tear out the Diotrephes in us, the selfish, me-first mindset, and imitate the a heart of Christ. Week 40, day 4
October 6, 2022 Scripture: 2 John “It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father commanded us. And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another. And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love. Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist.” (2 John 4–7) “Who do you say I am?” “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Who do you say Jesus is? I believe him to be fully man and fully God. He is God’s beloved Son, who lived, died, was raised to life and is now seated at the right hand of God. He was with God in the beginning, and he was the firstborn over all creation. These statements may be true for you as well. But there are increasingly people who question the divinity and humanity of Jesus. He was both. While my brain doesn’t fully comprehend it, I believe this is what the Bible teaches us about Jesus, so I trust that it is true. To think that Jesus did not come in the flesh is to be deceived and to teach that to others is to be a deceiver, and the equivalent of the antichrist. That’s a pretty serious accusation, one we ought not to take lightly. It is really important that we get Jesus right. It is also incredibly important for us to walk with God in obedience to his commands. To love is to walk in obedience to the God’s commands. It is worthwhile to consider how God’s commands are loving. Caring for the poor, loving your neighbors, not lying, cheating, stealing… all the commands are love. Either a love for neighbor or a way to express love for God. Putting it all together, may we walk in obedience to God. Trusting in him and his ways. Jesus walked with the Lord, he was God in the flesh, divine. May we walk with the Lord and trust in Him. Week 40, Day 3
October 5, 2022 Scripture: 1 John 5 “Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.” (1 John 5:21) 1 John’s ending is bizarre. No ending, no blessing, no prayer, no “see you later.” It’s also a bit strange that there are no mentions of idols, at all in the letter, until here at the very end. Perhaps there’s a piece of the letter missing. Both the other letters have a better ending postscripts. “Peace to you” and “Send our greetings.” Not the warmest, fuzziest of endings, but the ending of 1 John really is strange, right? I imagine we are missing part of the letter, and we shouldn’t make too much of the ending as it is. But let’s just take what we have, and infer this: The whole life of the Christian is about the love of God and devotion to the one true God, Jesus Christ. Keeping ourselves from idols is the whole of Christianity and following Jesus. As we reflected yesterday on having right doctrine and proper love, keeping ourselves from idols will do just that. The Ten Commandments have much to say about devotion and honor to God. It begins with worshiping God only, and keeping ourselves from idols. Idolatry takes a lot of different shapes in today’s world. I’ve appreciated Tim Keller’s approach, “an idol is a good thing, often made the most important thing.” Money is a good thing, made most important, it’s an idol. Status in society can be a good thing, when it’s the most important part of your life, it’s an idol. Family is a good thing, made most important and it’s an idol. Nationality is a good thing, made most important, it’s an idol. How have you seen this play out in society and in your life? Have you made any of these areas in your life the most important over God? Keep yourselves from making good things the most important things, above a love for God. Worship the one true God, our Lord Jesus Christ. Live your life in Him! Put him at the center, make Christ the priority of your life. Week 40, Day 2
October 4, 2022 Scripture: 1 John 4 “This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.” (1 John 4:9–12) It all comes down to love. John is dealing with false teachers and prophets. His counsel for the church is to look at two areas in their lives. One is, who do they say Jesus is? Do they confess him to be God’s Son, truly human, in the flesh? If they don’t recognize the humanity of Jesus as well as his divinity, well, they are false prophets. Secondly, they are to look at their lives, do they love others? It is important for us to balance this in our own lives as well. Right doctrine (who Jesus is) ought to reflect the right action (how Jesus loves). If we claim to have the right theology but have not love, then we are as Paul would call a clanging cymbal. I am nothing, without love. I’m just a loud teacher who has it all figured out but have nothing to show for it. We can have all the wisdom in the world, but gain nothing, if we do not have love. Paul and John are in great agreement here. Since God loved us, we love one another. God lives in us and his love is made complete. Love as Christ loved us. Week 40, Day 1
October 3, 2022 Scripture: 1 John 3 “Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him. And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. Those who keep his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.” (1 John 3:21–24) The command of God is to believe in the name of Jesus Christ, God’s Son. Every day is an opportunity for us to affirm and reaffirm the divinity (God’s Son) and sovereignty (Lord/King) of Jesus Christ. When we consider the aim of discipleship, the affirmation of the Lordship and divinity of Jesus is critical. Affirming and confessing the Lordship of Jesus is a covenant of mind, heart and spirit. When we confess Christ Jesus our Lord, it has its way of working through the whole person. There is no partial commitment to God. Discipleship is the daily confession of Jesus as Lord. When we affirm this truth, we respond by also loving our neighbors. We love one another because we love God and affirm Jesus as our king. This is how we live our lives in him. Discipleship is confessing Christ Jesus as the Son of God and caring for one another.. Who can you love and care for today because you love and confess Jesus as Lord? Week 39, Day 5
September 30, 2022 Scripture: 1 John 2 “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If you love the world, love for the Father is not in you. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful people, the lust of their eyes and their boasting about what they have and do—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.” (1 John 2:15–17) There is eternal life for those who are in Christ. We are called to remain in Him and seek to obey the will of God. This is one of those prescriptive moments in the Bible where we are told what is good and beneficial, but the execution and carrying out the prescription is often lacking. I’m not so good with the prescriptive scriptures of the Bible. “Do not love the world…” often becomes a greater temptation to love the world! Have you noticed that in your own life? Someone tells you that you can’t have something, and all the sudden you want it more. You can’t have the cake, don’t eat it! Well, then I want cake, and I want to eat it too! So how do we heed the counsel of God’s Word? In our own power, it doesn’t go so well. John here points us to the anointing we’ve received to belong to God, and have his help for us. He keeps teaching us and forming us. We remain in him. His guidance, his forgiveness his love…it keeps working and shaping us. “Do not love the world” becomes less prescriptive and more instructive for me as I keep praying and reflecting on the text. I’m guided to love God and remain in the Father. I’m drawn to him as I’m drawn away from the world. As I look to God, the less pursuit of the world and love for it I have. Reflect on the love of God and be drawn to Him. And go eat some cake! Week 39, Day 4
September 29, 2022 Scripture: 1 John 1 “This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:5–9) We are called to be a people of the light. Part of stepping into the way of God is to come out of darkness and repent of the way of sin, death and darkness that has pervaded our lives. We have community by coming out of the darkness and walking in the light of God. To do this, there must be confession of sins. We cannot have the genuine community we are called to if we are not honest about ourselves and the situations we find ourselves in. To ignore our sin, to gloss over it, is to diminish the work of God that’s on display in Jesus. There is freedom in Christ to confess him as Lord and confess our sins as well. He is faithful and just, and forgives us. His mercies are new every morning. May we find unity in the healing forgiving love of Jesus Christ. |
AuthorJordan Ickes, Minister of Etna Green Church of Christ. Archives
December 2022
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