Category: Bible Studies

In churches, I’ve noticed there are Youth Ministries, Young Adult Ministries, conferences for Young Parents, Marriage Enrichment Seminars, and on and on and on. The culture of youth is very much alive in the church. When it comes to ministry for those of us with silver hair, we are shuffled off with euphemisms: “Senior Saints,” “Young at Heart,” and so forth. We no longer believe “Gray hair is a crown of splendor;” (Proverbs 16:31). It seems when someone retires from business, they also retire from service!

This is entirely wrong, and the 92nd Psalm illustrates this.

The righteous will flourish like a palm tree,
they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon;
planted in the house of the Lord,
they will flourish in the courts of our God.
They will still bear fruit in old age,
they will stay fresh and green,
proclaiming, “The Lord is upright;
he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him” (Psalm 92:11 – 15 NIV).

Consider palm trees and cedars for a moment. They are contrasted with the grass in verse 7: “the wicked spring up like grass.” In the Bible, a cedar tree is the symbol of strength and prosperity. People line their closets with cedar planks. Doesn’t it smell wonderful? Likewise, palm trees bear clusters of fruit that can weigh over 300 pounds! The Psalmist declares, “They still bear fruit in old age; they will stay fresh and green.”

How is that possible? For those of us with silver hair (it’s not grey – it’s silver!), when we look in the mirror, we may not feel entirely “fresh and green.” The person staring back is hardly the person staring out! Inside, I am still young and alive, even though my outsides tell a different story.

Think about the story of Caleb. As a young man, he was one of the twelve spies sent to scope out the land of Canaan. Caleb and Joshua were the only two who brought a favorable report. After wandering in the wilderness for forty years and fighting a war of conquest for another six years, it was time to receive for the Israelites to receive their inheritance. No one wanted to live in the mountains. The land was harsh and still largely unconquered.

Caleb was to receive his inheritance first. He was 85 years old. Surely, he should have a quiet little place beside the lake, but listen to his speech:

Lo, I am this day fourscore and five years old. As yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me: as my strength was then, even so is my strength now, for war, both to go out, and to come in. Now therefore give me this mountain! (Joshua 14:10 – 12 KJV)

How is this possible? Where does this strength come from in our old age? The Psalmist tells us. By “proclaiming, ‘The Lord is upright; He is my Rock!’” (Psalm 92:15) Don’t focus on the wrinkles. Focus on the strength of the Lord! Moses was 80 years old when he led the Exodus (Exodus 7:7). Daniel served 70 years! (Daniel 1:21) Zechariah and Elizabeth “were well advanced in years” when they raised John the Baptist. The best is yet to come!

Helen was a wonderful, loving, second wife to my grandfather, but she had a problem. She couldn’t let go of things, and by the time Papa died, they had three houses full of stuff. You could barely navigate through the home they lived in because it was packed with books, papers, knickknacks, and who knows what else.

Papa loved horses and always wanted to visit the bluegrass country of Kentucky. Helen loved him and decided they would drive there to fulfill Papa’s dream. When they looked at a map, Helen realized they would have to cross the Mississippi River, so she bought an eight-man rubber raft and stowed it in the trunk, “Just in case the bridge is out.” I’ve had many laughs imagining the two of them arriving at the Mississippi only to discover their worst fear had been realized. The river was above flood stage, and the bridge had been washed away. Everyone else was turned back, but Papa and Helen pumped up their raft and began rowing across the raging river. People look on with wonder as the two eighty-year-olds, paddles pumping furiously, cross to the other side and walk on to Kentucky.

Before I begin judging Helen, I need to look at my own life. Do I own my things, or do my things own me? Are your closets bursting with clothes because someday, “I’ll fit back into them!” Why are you hanging on to those eight-tracks, 8-inch floppy disks, magazines, and newspapers? It reminds me of the old question following the funeral, “How much did he leave behind?”

“All of it.”

A Baptist minister, Gene Wilks, asked the pointed question, “Are we a ‘warehouse church’ or a ‘factory church’?” Warehouse churches are in the business of seeking out ready-made Christians, while factory churches take the raw material of unbelievers and make disciples.

While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” (Matthew 4:18, 19)

Peter, Andrew, James, and John had a successful fishing business. Galilee was famous for bottling a highly prized fish sauce that probably was exported to Jerusalem and the palace of the high priest (John 18:15). Their successful operation employed many men (Mark 1:20), so what compelled the apostles to leave it all behind and follow Jesus?

Perhaps it was selfish ambition. They knew Jesus was the Messiah, and they wanted places in his kingdom. 

Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him with her sons, and kneeling before him she asked him for something. And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Say that these two sons of mine are to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.” (Matthew 20:21, 22)

On another occasion: 

Then Peter said in reply, “See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. (Matthew 19:27, 28)

I don’t believe selfish ambition is the answer. As Christians, we derive so much from our occupations. “I’m an engineer!” “I’m a businessman.” “I’m a doctor!” A great job is one we would gladly do even if we weren’t paid to do it, but to become a fisher of men means we have become agents of God. The Lord has called us. 

Notice the process. “Follow me.” First, we must surrender our will, and then Jesus will empower us. Do you remember the story of Simon Peter standing waist-deep in fish?

Jesus had been teaching the crowd from the bow of Peter’s boat while the fishermen cleaned their nets. Afterward, Jesus invited Peter to go fishing. The big man must have smiled skeptically and replied, “We toiled all night and took nothing!” In other words, “You’re a pretty good preacher, and I like what you have to say, but I’m a professional fisherman, and now is not the time to fish.”

Jesus didn’t argue, but those eyes – can you see Jesus’ eyes? Peter continued, “But at your word, I will let down the nets.” You know the rest of the story. “And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats so that they began to sink.” Follow the story through Peter’s eyes. There is nothing as exciting for a fisherman than “Fish on!” Can you see the water boiling with fish as they haul in the nets? Can you feel the excitement as the fish pour into the boat? Now the boat is about to sink! It’s so full of wiggling, leaping, wet flopping fish, Peter shouts for his partners to launch their boats and help.

Where is Jesus in all this? I picture him still sitting in the bow, watching and smiling, surrounded by silver fish. Then their eyes meet – those amazing eyes again – and Peter’s world changes. His heart is laid bare. “He fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, ‘Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.’”

It was the flash of understanding. Jesus is Immanuel – “God is with us.” That is the calling! God is real, and he invites us to become his agents: fishers of men. It begins when we, like Peter, realize we are in the presence of God.

And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him. (Luke 5:10, 11)

In October 2017, a fire destroyed several buildings in Santa Rosa, but left the Carl’s Junior fast food restaurant unscathed. In gratitude, the employees began making 165 Super Star double hamburgers with cheese for the firemen, but the heat from the overworked grill caught the restaurant on fire. Fortunately, the six employees were uninjured. The same cannot be said about the building or the burgers.

Have you ever had a day when it seemed like you just couldn’t win? Everything you do goes wrong. It seems like the universe is conspiring against you, and sometimes we mistakenly lay the blame on the Lord. James wrote:

Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one” (James 1:13).

People often try to comfort the grieving by explaining, “The Lord took your son (or daughter, or mother, or father, or friend),” but that’s wrong. James explained:

Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change (James 1:16, 17).

So, where does all the pain and evil in this world come from? We can trace it back to the Garden of Eden – to the Fall. Thorns and weeds, sickness and death – even flaming hamburger joints – came as a result of rebellion. All of the disorder, disease, and despair are a result of a world out of harmony with God. 

Now do you understand why Jesus taught us to pray “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done”?

“If Only” is the name of a specter that has haunted each of us. “If only I would have stayed in school.” “If only I studied a little harder.” “If only … if only … if only.” Abel Kiviat set the world record for 1500 meters three times in fifteen days in 1912. In Norway, at the finals for the 1500 meters later that summer, Kiviat was one of seven Americans in the final event. He was the favorite and led in the homestretch. Kiviat roared across the finish line, but not before a lone Englishman came out of nowhere to beat him by one-tenth of a second. For the first time in history, the race was so close it had to be decided by reviewing a photograph.

Psychologists call the If Onlys “Contra Factuals.” They come in two flavors. Downward Contra Factuals often result in feelings of gratitude (“I’m sorry the car was destroyed, but it could have been worse! Thank God I was wearing my seatbelt.”) Upward Contra Factuals are haunted by regrets: If Only.

Consider again the Olympics of 1912. Three medals were awarded in the 1500-meter race. Think about how each competitor felt. It’s easy to imagine the joy Arnold Jackson felt. He was the winner of what sportswriters call “the greatest race ever.” Jackson had no reason to think he had a chance. He wasn’t even a representative of his country. (Private citizens were allowed to compete in those days.) For training, Jackson walked and played golf! His win was fantastic. Jackson went on to become one of the greatest generals of the First World War. Sadly, after being wounded three times, he could never run again, but no one could take away his Olympic medal. He was a winner!

What about the third-place competitor – the winner of the bronze medal? Norman Tabor was grateful to receive any medal at the Olympics (Downward Contra Factuals). The competition was that fierce. Later, in 1915, Tabor went on to break the twenty-year-old world record for running the mile.

What about Abel Kiviat, who won the silver medal, but lost the gold medal by only one-tenth of a second? In 1995 he was interviewed by the Los Angeles Times 83 years after the event. He laughed and admitted, “I wake up sometimes and say, ‘What the heck happened to me?’ It’s like a nightmare.” He was haunted by the If Only demon until his dying days.

We all have failures and disappointments. Re-read the story of Jesus, on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, making breakfast for Peter and the other disciples after the resurrection (John 21). Do you remember Peter denying Jesus with an oath at the time Jesus needed the big fisherman most? Don’t you know Peter was haunted by If Only? Jesus ended that pity party with the words “Feed my sheep!” and “Tend my lambs.”Part of the glory of Christ is our freedom from If Only. Christians can march boldly into the future because we have been freed from the tyranny of the past.

Are you having a bad day? The Apostle Paul has a surprising announcement for us:

“For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong”(2 Corinthians 12:10 ESV).

Frankly, that sounds a bit masochistic! How can illness, insult, distress, persecution, and trouble be occasions for celebration? Because Paul has realized when we rely on ourselves – our cleverness, power, intelligence, and resources – the result is desperation: weakness. We come up short. It’s easy to be overpowered.

Life is not fair. Bad things happen to good people. Like my grandmother used to say, “Where there is light, there are bugs.” In other words, when we live as Christians should, when we let our light shine, not everyone is going to be pleased! It is going to attract trouble, but what kinds of trouble can we expect? Look at the words Paul uses to describe what we will be up against:

Weakness (astheneia, ἀσθένεια) This word describes debilitating illness or feelings of inadequacy. It is the opposite of power (dynamis, δύναμις).

“Lord, I just don’t think I can do this anymore!”

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16).

“For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18).

“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses so that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Insults (hybris, ὕβρις) Can you imagine how seasick you would be after enduring two weeks on a storm-tossed sea? The word Paul chooses; next, hybris is found only three times in the New Testament: here and twice in Acts 27:10, 21 where it is translated “injury” and probably means debilitating seasickness. If that’s true, then the sickness we encounter in 2 Corinthians 12:10 could be called “insult sickness.” Taunts and ridicule can weigh us down and, if we worry about what other people are saying, it can destroy our confidence and joy. The NIV Reader’s Version translates hybris “when people say mean things about me.”

“Father, have you heard what they are saying about me?”

“If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you” (1 Peter 4:14).

“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:11, 12). 

Distress (anagke, ἀνάγκη) This word describes great trouble, such as will occur in the last days (Luke 21:23). It can even mean torture! Most often, the term refers to overwhelming pressure and distress. Pressure can even come from good things, but it can still overpower us. The key to survival, Paul says, is patient endurance.

“Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. We put no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance,” (2 Corinthians 6:2-4).

I love optimist/pessimist jokes. The optimist believes this is the best of all possible worlds … and the pessimist is afraid he’s right! It’s hard to be optimistic and upbeat when it seems like everything (and everyone) is working against you! The Apostle Paul has an important message for us when we are down:

“For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10 ESV).

“When I am weak, then I am strong.” That doesn’t sound very realistic, but consider what the apostle was up against:

Persecution (diogmos, διωγμός) Sometimes, our opposition is systematic. If so, you are in good company!

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:10).

“Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them” (Romans 12:14).

“Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12).

Trouble (stenochoria, στενοχωρία) Do you ever feel like you are out of options? Do you feel like it is all closing in on you? This next word describes a set of stressful circumstances, distress, difficulty, anguish, trouble.

“Lord, I have nowhere to turn!”

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, 

“For your sake, we are being killed all the day long; 

we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” 

“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord,” (Romans 8:35-39).

When I am weak, then I am strong

So, in this one remarkable passage, the apostle tells us that we need to embrace our weakness rather than worry about the challenges we face.

Once my wife Jan was swimming in the Sea of Cortez in Mexico. Jan is a good swimmer, but suddenly she found herself being carried out to sea by a riptide. She was helpless. No matter how hard Jan tried, she couldn’t fight against the tide. She feared she was being swept out to sea. Then she turned onto her back and prayed. It was a prayer of despair. She quit trusting in her strength and asked God to show her the way back. Then it came to her. Instead of swimming against the current, she swam across the current and escaped the tide.

As Christians, we don’t need to rely on ourselves, but we need to rely on the Lord. Give your troubles to God. He specializes in the impossible! Paul observed, “When I am weak, then I am strong!”

Every day, on my way to the study, I pass a pasture full of horses. Of course, I am a master rider of stick horses thanks to Saturday morning TV. I can stay on Silver as he rears, and I can ride Trigger with Roy Rogers as we chase the bad guys, but I have to say my experience with big horses with four legs is limited to the pony rides at the carnival. I don’t honestly know anything about horses except they are big and beautiful, and they seem to care for each other.

In August, thanks to the feedlots, Kansas is home to about two billion, gazillion flies. My duty, aided by my trusty flycatcher, Joey, the cat, is to hunt them down and rid the house of these pests. It can be maddening!

However, I’ve noticed something special about the horses in the pasture next to the church building. They line up, side-by-side, head to tail. “I’ll swish my tail to keep the flies away from your face, and you do the same for me.” Can you imagine a solitary horse trying to flick the flies away from its face? What a sight that would be!

On the other hand, without opposable thumbs or flyswatters, the paired-up horses make life bearable for one another, and there is our lesson for today. Let’s care for one another! Yes, the world is full of pests, but we can make this place a better pasture for all of us.

It was the darkest night I could remember. I pulled off a dirt road into a lonely field. For a long time, I had been trying to take a picture of the Milky Way. This seemed the perfect place. I sat in the car fiddling with my camera, and the darkness pressed in. When I turned off the doom light, it was if blackness seeped through the windows and threatened to suffocate me. I opened the door and set my tripod up by feel. As I did, my eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness.

Pinpricks of light began to shine in the sky above. Old friends – the Big Dipper and Cassiopeia – came into view. Red-tinged Mars, Saturn, and Jupiter marched above the horizon. Then I saw it. The billowing cloud of stars – the Milky Way – stretched from the edge of the earth to a point above my head. The longer I watched, the more I began to see, until, at last, I could see my feet by the light of the heavenly host. I took my pictures, but I didn’t want to leave. It was easy to pray and sense the presence of God.

Sensing the presence of God seems something rare these days. There are too many competing voices, too many distractions. It takes effort. The apostle told the Athenians:

And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us (Acts 17:26, 27).

If God “is actually not far from each one of us,” why don’t we sense His presence? Perhaps because we aren’t looking. Do you remember the lesson of Elijah in the cave (1 Kings ch. 19)? God wasn’t in the earthquake or the gale or the fire. God speaks in whispers. Tonight, take time to look up into the heavens and feel the presence of the Lord!

Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind (1 Peter 3:8 ESV).
 
When my father died, we discovered some treasurers in his dresser drawer. No, there was nothing like a bag of uncut diamonds or gold doubloons. These were only precious to a grandfather. Here were hand-scrawled notes with backward letters and misspellings, but they were precious to dad because they came from his grandchildren. Among the papers were a pair of his glasses that were carefully wrapped and set aside. What made those glasses so valuable? The tiny fingerprints that smudged them!
 
You are special! Just like no one else has the same fingerprints as you do, you are a unique creation, and our differences make it almost impossible for us to agree on anything – especially in church. Just think about our music. Some people like the old stately hymns. Some like “hot acapella” with impressive solos and vocal sound effects. Some prefer chanting, while others love four-part harmony. Pity the congregation that is looking for a new minister! He should be young with forty-years of experience. Tall, short, thin, “jolly,” prophetic, a counselor, liberal, conservative, and the list is endless.
 
So how can the Apostle Peter tell us to “have unity of mind”? He uses a very rare word. It is only found here in the New Testament. It describes not only having the same goal but having the same feelings about it!
 
“Peter, that sounds impossible in my experience!” and so Peter wisely gives us the path to unity in the words that follow. First, we need to cultivate “sympathy.” That means learning to see the world through other people’s eyes.
 
I once worked with a congregation that was coming apart at the seams. The young people wanted to make changes to make the church more appealing to a new generation. The older members wanted to go back in time and do things the way they were done in the 60s “when we were the fastest-growing church in America!” It was nearly war until people began to see through each other’s eyes. They both wanted the same thing: for the church to grow.
 
“Brotherly love” describes friendship. We like each other. In order to become friends, we need to spend time with one another. That’s why hospitality is so important.
 
A “tender heart” opens the door to understanding, and finally, a “humble mind” is focused on others’ well-being. When we put these virtues together, suddenly unity and harmony don’t seem so impossible!

Be a Blessing,

Word Study
I know Greek word studies leave many people cold, but there are some of you who would like to know more. For you, I include the following:

The first term, which is translated “unity of mind,” is only found here in the New Testament. It is a compound word combining homos (ὁμός – think of the English word “homo-genized”) and phren, (φρήν – in English, like in Greek, the stem phren– refers to “the seat of the intellect, feelings, and will; the mind”). When we join them together using Peter’s special word, homophron, we have the meaning “like-minded, united in spirit, harmonious.” A quick look at the various translations reveals: “be ye all of one mind” (KJV). The Complete Jewish Bible takes it further: “be one in mind and feeling.” Many English Bibles stress the idea of Christians being in harmony with one another (NASB, LEB, NET). Of course, that is only possible if we cultivate the last virtue, humility, into our thinking.

March. In March, our world was turned upside down by Covid-19. We began wearing masks. We started social distancing, and we began hiding in our homes. The news was bad, and now it seems to come in waves. In my hometown, St. John, Kansas, we’ve gone from one case to seven (including our first fatality). Now the county health department is mandating everyone must wear a mask in public, and groups larger than 30 people are prohibited from meeting. If we reach ten people sick with the virus, that number drops to groups no larger than 15.

On top of that, school is getting ready to begin, and that raises a whole host of other issues. It’s dark. People are worried. Couples trapped at home together are having trouble. The news is bad.

But I like the words of Charlie Chaplin, “You’ll never see the rainbow if you don’t look up.” Isn’t there something to celebrate? (Do we really need a reason to throw a party?) I like the website https://nationaldaycalendar.com/. They keep records of all the celebrations. Today (Monday, August 17) is “National I Love My Feet Day.” Are you a fan of “Taco Tuesday”? Well, this week, it’s National Fajita Day. The 19th is “National Soft Ice Cream Day,” and Friday is “National Spumoni Day.”

The Bible talks about “fasting,” “feasting,” and “our daily bread.” Previously, we’ve spoken about fasting as a spiritual discipline, and how we should be satisfied with “our daily bread,” but let’s think about having a feast.

 When Jesus invited Matthew to become one of his disciples, Matthew/Levi called all of his friends together for a grand celebration:

And Levi made him a great feast in his house, and there was a large company of tax collectors and others reclining at table with them. And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:29 – 32).

While we may not be able to invite “a large company” of our friends together, why not have a celebration tonight? It may only be baloney sandwiches, but get dressed up. Set out the good china. Pick a sunflower or two, and put them on the table. Then celebrate! God is good – even in the days of the pandemic.