June 27-July 1, 2022
Reflections on Excelling in Earnestness
Amazing Grace
July 1, 2022 • Ed Green • 2 Corinthians 11:16–33, Acts 9:1–19, 1 Timothy 1:12–16, 1 Corinthians 15:10
Last Sunday, Ted Gatlin preached about “Excelling in Earnestness.” Ted reflected on several examples in Scripture of earnestness or zeal. When I think of zeal in the New Testament, I can’t help but think of the apostle Paul. There is always a danger in holding up examples to emulate, because we have a tendency to idolize them, but no one is perfect. I want not only to call attention to Paul’s zeal and eagerness to serve the Lord, but to note why he was that way. There are a few places in his letters where Paul lists what he went through because of his commitment to Jesus. Take a moment to read 2 Corinthians 11:16-33. Why in the world would anyone go through all that? Since Jesus appeared to him on that road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-19), Paul’s life had never been the same. There is a line in the show “The Chosen” spoken by Mary Magdelene: “I was one way, and now I am completely different, and the thing that happened in between was Him.” You probably remember what Paul was like before. In his own words, he was “a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and a violent man” (1 Timothy 1:12). Throughout this week we have noted the connection between God’s grace and our effort. We see that demonstrated in Paul’s life. He puts it this way: “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me” (1 Corinthians 15:10); and this: “the grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus...I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life” (1 Timothy 1:14, 16). It was God’s grace that motivated Paul to do the things he did, to work so hard, to persevere despite such suffering. Each of us are recipients of God’s great love and mercy. How are you choosing to respond to this amazing grace in your life? Don’t make the mistake of thinking only of the big things like we read about in Paul’s life, but the smaller opportunities each of us have every day.
Stuck?
June 30, 2022 • Ed Green • Romans 12:9–13
Have you ever felt “stuck” in your faith? A time or a season when you felt like your relationship with the Lord was, to put it one way, “in a funk”? I think most of us have had those times—I know I have. About twelve years ago I stepped away from vocational ministry for a while, and I found myself struggling spiritually. I felt like I was floundering, grieving the loss of friends and a sense of purpose. It was rough. I wish I could say there was a magic bullet that would always bring us out of times like this. But there are some things that helped get me through mine. Paul writes this in Romans 12:9-13, "Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality." Here was my problem: How do I NOT “be lacking in zeal, but keep my spiritual fervor” (12:11)? Looking back, I see several helpful things in the surrounding verses. Among many, here are two I would like to highlight: 1. Love and community. We had left behind friends at our former church, and we felt a sense of betrayal. It was hard. The temptation to isolate ourselves is always there, but that is a dangerous choice. We were never meant to go it alone. We had to open ourselves up again to love and be loved. We engaged this new community of believers where we could make new friends, love and encourage them, and receive those things in return. 2. Meaningful places to serve. While there needed to be time to rest and to heal, the time also came when we needed to move forward, to reach out beyond ourselves and serve. God has graciously given each of us spiritual gifts, talents, abilities, opportunities, etc. When Sally and I were ready, we began serving again, and because God is faithful, we began to see fruit from that. I want to encourage you to commit this Romans passage to memory. I guarantee that God can use its wisdom in those times when you find yourself “stuck.”
More than just a fan...
June 29, 2022 • Ed Green • Mark 3:18
What does it look like to be a “real” follower of Jesus? I’ll let you think on that for a few… . . . In Jesus’ day—obviously—there were no Christians. But he gathered around himself ordinary people to follow him as their rabbi, or their teacher. They were his disciples, learning to become like him. But when he called them to follow, they had some decisions to make, because he was calling them to a fresh allegiance—to himself and to the kingdom of his Father. We don’t know the backstory of all the disciples, but I would like to call attention to one of them: the one we know as Simon the Zealot (Mark 3:18). The Zealots were a political movement in Judea who sought to overthrow the Romans and remove them from their land. Some among the Zealots were even known as "sicarii," who were essentially terrorists. They would say it was to God, but the Zealots’ real allegiance was to The Cause. Unbridled devotion. Fanaticism. Zeal. When Jesus called Simon (we don’t know how or when it happened), we can be sure that it would not have been easy for him. Throughout his ministry Jesus was pretty up front that his kingdom was not of this world, that it did not operate like other kingdoms, relying on power and violence. But somehow, Jesus broke through. We know little, but some early church traditions suggest that Simon preached in north Africa, as well as Persia and Armenia. Jesus took the zeal that Simon was known for and redirected it for the Kingdom. Question: How zealous for the Lord are you—for his kingdom, his mission, his work in the world? Not only that, but how eager are you to do his work his way—full of grace and truth? What might that look like in your life?
Putting in the Work
June 28, 2022 • Ed Green • 2 Peter 1:3–9, 2 Corinthians 8:7, Acts 2:38
A few years ago, I joined Planet Fitness. I wanted to get in better shape, lose some weight—you know the whole deal. But then COVID hit and that all went by the wayside. But I found it difficult to be disciplined enough to do what it takes to accomplish those goals. So when I read this from Peter, it really challenges me: “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.” (2 Peter 1:5-9). This passage follows Peter’s acknowledgement that through his power, God has given us his great and precious promises (1:3). As we did yesterday, we see the overlap of God’s grace and our effort: God “has given” (grace) and we are to “add to” our faith… (effort). Now the word for “effort” in the original Greek language of 1:5 is the same word for “earnestness” in our theme verse of 2 Corinthians 8:7. God does not just “zap” us. (Sometimes I wish he did.) When we choose to follow Christ and he gives us the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38), he doesn’t transform us immediately. Yes, our sins are forgiven, but more than that, our allegiance changes, we become part of God’s family, and we are given the power to NOT sin (because of the indwelling of his Spirit). But that ability is like a muscle that needs to develop and mature and be strengthened. That’s where the effort comes in. The Spirit not only becomes our power source, but our personal trainer, if you will. He won’t do the work for us, but he will encourage, empower, and equip us to be and to do what he desires. What kind of effort are you putting in?
Grace
June 27, 2022 • Ed Green • Ephesians 2:1–10
What is it about grace? One of the most familiar passages from the apostle Paul is this from his letter to the Ephesians: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (2:8-9). It’s probably one of the first passages I ever memorized. Do you remember the Sunday School definition of “grace”? We might say this: it is “unmerited favor.” Those are words that, to be honest, probably don’t resonate with most of us. Maybe this will make it a little easier to grasp: simply put, grace at its heart is a gift that we don't deserve. When we think about salvation by grace, accepting the rescue that God offers us through Jesus, we think that there is nothing for us to do. But I think sometimes we can misunderstand grace. If we view it merely as something passive, like a substance that is poured out into our lives, then we sell grace short. Grace is more multi-dimensional than that. Teacher and author Dallas Willard often made the comment that grace is not opposed to effort, but grace IS opposed to earning. Anything we do for God is not a matter of trying to balance the scales, or making ourselves worthy, or getting God to love us more. When it comes to grace, the equation never balances out. So then, whatever we do in response to this gift, our efforts—the actions we take—are out of gratitude to our heavenly patron, our benefactor, our loving Father who has adopted us into his family. This is only right, and in some small way they are our gifts to him.