Monday, March 22, 2010

The Grace of God in Which We Stand

By Silvanus, our faithful brother as I consider him, I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God in which you stand.

She who is in Babylon, elect together with you, greets you; and so does Mark my son. Greet one another with a kiss of love.

Peace to you all who are in Christ Jesus. Amen. (1 Peter 5:12-14)
Peter ends his letter with a few personal notes, but even so, he is still bringing his message. Here is Silvanus, also known as Silas, the same one who served and suffered with Paul (Acts 15-18) and emerged with a strong faith. In Peter’s mind, he has proven himself to be a faithful brother and, therefore, a worthy example of exactly what Peter was exhorting believers to do. Silas served as Peter’s scribe or secretary for this letter, recording his message to the churches.

Here also is Mark. This is John Mark, who was Barnabas’ nephew or cousin (Colossians 4:10). He went out with Paul and Barnabas on a missionary journey (Acts 12:25) but soon turned back for home and failed to complete his work (Acts 13:13). Later, when Barnabas wanted to bring Mark on another mission, Paul refused for that reason. The disagreement between Paul and Barnabas was so sharp that they split up, Barnabas taking Mark and Paul taking Silas (Acts 15:37-40). However, though he was initially intimidated by the difficulties of the Christian mission, Mark turned out to be a faithful brother after all, as Paul eventually realized (Colossians 4:10; 2 Timothy 4:11). He also became a very important part of Peter’s ministry. According to early Church history, the Gospel of Mark represents the preaching of Peter. Peter calls him, “my son.”

“Babylon” is a reference to Rome. As Babylon was a place of exile for Israel, Rome symbolized a place of exile for the Church. “She” is the Church at Rome, which was not separate from the other churches scattered throughout the provinces but one with them, chosen together with them by God.

Peter sums up why he has written this letter: to exhort and testify. The Greek word for “exhort” is parakaleo. Literally, it speaks of one calling out to another and by usage means to exhort or encourage. The churches to whom Peter wrote, scattered and exiled as they were, could certainly use encouragement as they faced continued harassment from unbelievers. His exhortations were also very practical, about the transformative power of love in serving others. He hits this a final lick with, “Greet one another with a kiss of love,” once again bringing together the words “one another” and “love” (see 1 Peter 1:22, The Gospel of Fervent Love).

Peter also “testified” to them and this was what they needed to hear the most. In difficult times, it can be very easy to waver or doubt: Is Jesus really God’s promised Messiah who came to repair the world and rescue the people of God? Has the kingdom of God really come into the world and is Jesus really Lord over all? Peter’s testimony is a resounding Yes!: “This is the true grace of God in which you stand.” Yes, the resurrection of Jesus the Messiah from the dead gives us a living hope and an incorruptible inheritance. Yes, it is being preserved for us in heaven, kept by the power of God. And yes, it will be fully revealed on the earth in the “last time,” God’s great kairos moment when heaven and earth will be brought together into one, the will of God being done on earth exactly as it is in heaven.

This is the grace of God in which everyone who receives Jesus as Messiah and Lord now stands, the truth in which we live and abide. Because it is true, Peter is able to give this final benediction, “Peace to you all who are in Christ Jesus. Amen.” Again, Peter would be thinking of the Hebrew shalom, the peace and wholeness that comes from God and belongs to all who belong to His Messiah King.



Keeping the Faith When Things Get Tough
Keeping the Faith When Things Get Tough
Peter’s Letter to Jesus Believers Scattered Everywhere
Bite-Sized Studies Through First Peter
by Jeff Doles

Preview with Amazon’s “Look Inside.”

Available in paperback and Kindle (Amazon), epub (Google and iTunes) and PDF.

Sunday, March 21, 2010

The Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation


In Ephesians, the apostle Paul prayed for believers, asking that the Father would give them the “Spirit of wisdom and revelation” — that is, wisdom and revelation by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:17). Paul was an adept theologian and teacher who could be quite eloquent, and his teaching and letters were inspired by the Spirit of God. But that was only part of the equation. As he knew very well, the illuminating work of the Holy Spirit was required on the part of those who heard that teaching and read those epistles. Paul’s words went only so far; the Spirit of God would have to carry them through all the way.
Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. (1 Corinthians 2:12-14)
So Paul prayed that God would reveal by His Spirit the things Paul himself never could. The purpose was that these believers might know God more and more and, specifically, that they would know understand these three things:
  1. What is the hope of His calling. In both the Old and New Testaments, the words for “hope” speak of a confident expectation, a joyful anticipation. God has called us, set us apart for His own special purposes, not just for the life to come but for this present life as well. It is a life-changing, world-changing destiny, and every believer should live with the joyful expectation of fulfilling that divine purpose.
  2. What are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints. Toward the fulfillment of this calling, God has placed an inheritance in each one who has received His Son, King Jesus the Messiah. Paul tells us elsewhere that we are joint heirs with Him (Romans 8:17). It is the richness of His own glory that He wants to reveal in and through us.
  3. What is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe. This is the same divine power that raised Jesus from the dead and seated Him at the right hand of the Father, “far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come” (Ephesians 1:21). It is the same power by which God is able to doing exceeding abundantly above all we can ask or imagine, the power that is now at work in us.
Paul prayed that God would release wisdom and revelation by the Holy Spirit to His people, and that is my prayer for you. Do you suppose that anyone could ever receive that holy wisdom and divine revelation and not be changed by it?

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Standing Firm Against the Adversary

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. (1 Peter 5:8-11)
To the churches scattered throughout the Roman provinces in Asia Minor, who were experiencing persecution, Peter identifies the real enemy. Not Rome, not even Nero, but “your adversary the devil.” He was well aware that this was a spiritual warfare. As Paul said, “We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12).

The Greek word for “adversary” is antidikos, made up of two words: anti, which means “against,” and dikos, which speaks of what is right and just. Literally, it refers to an opponent in a lawsuit. The name satan means “adversary” and he is called the “accuser of the brethren” (Revelation 12:10). The Greek word for “devil,” means “slanderer.” He comes making accusation against us, slandering us before God, before others and even before ourselves. He seeks to turn the world against us and is the source behind all persecution.

The devil is like a roaring lion look for someone to destroy. Though speaking figuratively, Peter may also have had in mind the Christians at Rome who were literally being thrown to the lions. “Resist him,” Peter says. The Greek word, antihistemi, means to take a stand against. When the devil comes against us with lies and persecutions, we are to stand against him by staying firm in the faith. Notice the definite article, “the faith.” The focus is on the object of our faith, King Jesus the Messiah. The apostle James put it this way: “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). First, we submit ourselves to God, taking our stand in Him. Then we will be well positioned to stand against the devil.

The attack of the adversary was not against these scattered churches alone, nor would they be alone in standing against him. There were many other believers also experiencing the same persecution — and faithfully resisting the devil. Again, Peter may have had in mind the tribulation believers faced at Rome. They also had something much more powerful going for them, which Peter brings out by way of his closing benediction. The “God of all grace” would be with them and the adversary is no match for that. God has called us to eternal glory by Jesus the Messiah, Peter says, bringing us around again to the abundant mercy, living hope and incorruptible inheritance we have in Jesus, with which he opened this letter. The brief times — the word for “a while” actually means “a little” — of persecution do not compare to the rich and eternal inheritance we have in Him.

The grace of God is here to “perfect, establish, strengthen and settle” us. The word for “perfect” has a range of meaning, any of which would be encouraging for those facing difficult times: to prepare, repair, restore, equip, make whole. To “establish” means to stabilize, make firm or constant. “Strengthen” means to make strong in body or soul; here, with the strength that comes from God. “Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might,” Paul said (Ephesians 6:10). To “settle” means to set on a firm foundation.

Peter finishes with a doxology, a praise to the God of all grace for this eternal glory: “To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.” It is His glory and His dominion that will endure long after every persecution and difficulty has passed away.



Keeping the Faith When Things Get Tough
Keeping the Faith When Things Get Tough
Peter’s Letter to Jesus Believers Scattered Everywhere
Bite-Sized Studies Through First Peter
by Jeff Doles

Preview with Amazon’s “Look Inside.”

Available in paperback and Kindle (Amazon), epub (Google and iTunes) and PDF.

Friday, March 19, 2010

Under the Mighty Hand of God

Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for
“God resists the proud,
But gives grace to the humble.”
Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. (1 Peter 5:5-7)
Peter teaches us that we are to be clothed with humility and serve one another. He quotes Proverbs 3:34 (from the Septuagint version, the Greek translation of the Hebrew text).

God “resists” the proud. The Greek word is antitassomai, from the same root as hypotasso, the word for “submit.” The verb stem, tasso, means to arrange or set. The prefix hypo means to be under something. When we are submissive, we are arranged or set under whatever it is we are submitted to. The prefix anti means to be against. The word antitassomai is set in the middle voice, which means that God arranges Himself the proud. The point is clear: If we are not willing to be submissive to one another, God will set Himself in opposition against us. On the other hand, if we will learn to serve each other with a spirit of humility, God will pour out His grace upon us. The grace of God is His favor, His willingness to release all the power and authority of heaven on our behalf. The contrast could not be sharper: God is ready to arrange Himself for us or against us, depending on our willingness to serve and submit to one another.

The answer, of course, is that we should allow ourselves to be humbled under the mighty hand of God. The Greek word for “humble yourselves,” is actually in the passive voice, “allow yourselves to be humbled.” Whenever the mighty hand of God is revealed, it is always for the benefit of His friends but against His foes. If we are humble and willing, the mighty hand of God is not against us but for us, and He is gracious to get us where we need to be. He will teach and empower us for His way of loving, giving and serving. Then when the “due time” (Greek, kairos, the poignant or proper moment) comes, He will exalt us, even as He exalted Jesus.

Loving and serving one another are all the more important in times of trouble or persecution, when it can be so easy for us to focus on our own needs to the neglect of each other. But Peter assures us that we are in good hands. When we allow God to teach us humility, we can “cast our cares” over onto Him, because He cares for us. The Greek word for “cast” means to fling or toss, to hurl in a sudden motion. There are two different Greek words for “care” used here. The first one (“cast your care”) refers to the distractions and anxieties of life that so often eat away at us, sapping our strength and destroying our peace of mind. These are the cares we are to quickly heave over onto Him. The second word (“He cares for you”) speaks of the interest or concern God has for us. He will take care of everything we need, freeing us to care for each other. (See also How to Cast Your Cares.)



Keeping the Faith When Things Get Tough
Keeping the Faith When Things Get Tough
Peter’s Letter to Jesus Believers Scattered Everywhere
Bite-Sized Studies Through First Peter
by Jeff Doles

Preview with Amazon’s “Look Inside.”

Available in paperback and Kindle (Amazon), epub (Google and iTunes) and PDF.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Clothing Yourself with Greatness

Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility. (1 Peter 5:5)
of these scattered churches to “shepherd the flock of God,” willingly and eagerly, leading not as lords but as examples. Next, he turns to those younger in the faith, who are under the spiritual care of these shepherds: “Likewise … submit yourselves to your elders.” He directs them to respond to the elders in the same way he directs the elders to lead them: willingly, eagerly, following their example.
The word for “submit” is hypotasso, the same word Peter used numerous times in chapter 2, of obeying governing authorities and honoring all people, of servants obeying their masters, of wives serving their husbands — and by submitting to all, exercising the true freedom we have in King Jesus the Messiah.

Now, he broadens his exhortation to include both elders and younger: “Yes, all of you, be submissive to one another.” The elders are to be just as submissive to the younger as the younger are to be to the elders. Submission is never a question about who is the boss; it is always about who is the servant, for those who are greatest in the kingdom of God are those who serve (Matthew 20:25-28).

This is really quite a radical thing Peter is telling them, for he adds, “… and be clothed with humility.” This is the heart of one who serves. The Greek word for “clothed” used here is egkomboomai; from komboo, the word for “knot” or “buckle.” It refers to tying on or fastening together garments such as aprons, the clothes of a servant. It is cast in the middle voice, which means we must clothe ourselves, taking upon ourselves the humble attitude of a servant.

Peter knew exactly what this looked like. On the night of the Last Supper, he saw Jesus do exactly that, how He “rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded” (John 13:4-5). At first, Peter did not understand and was embarrassed for Jesus to wash his feet. Jesus answered, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this” (v. 7). When He finished washing all their feet, He sat down and said,
Do you know what I have done to you? You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.” (John 13:12-17)
Jesus clothed Himself with servant humility from the beginning. I call it the “algebra of love”: God is love (1 John 4:8). Love gives and serves (John 3:16; Mark 10:45). Even now, Jesus makes intercession for us at the right hand of God (Romans 8:34). If He has become the servant of all, should not we, then, also serve each other? Paul said,
Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name. (Philippians 2:5-9)
It is in clothing ourselves with humility and serving one another that we clothe ourselves with greatness in the kingdom of God.



Keeping the Faith When Things Get Tough
Keeping the Faith When Things Get Tough
Peter’s Letter to Jesus Believers Scattered Everywhere
Bite-Sized Studies Through First Peter
by Jeff Doles

Preview with Amazon’s “Look Inside.”

Available in paperback and Kindle (Amazon), epub (Google and iTunes) and PDF.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Wearing the Victor’s Crown

So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. (1 Peter 5:1-4)

Everything Peter has said up to this point has been for believers in general. Now he has a few words for the elders, leaders in the churches to whom the people would naturally look, especially in times of crisis. “Shepherd the flock of God,” he tells them. This is the same charge Jesus gave to Peter in John 21:16, “Tend My sheep.” It is the charge Paul gave to the elders at Ephesus: “Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood” (Acts 20:28). It is the pastoral function — the Greek word for “shepherd” is also same word translated “pastor.”

The role of shepherds is simple, though not always easy even in the best of times. They see that the flock is fed, keep it from straying, and protect it from wolves, snares and other dangers. They “exercise oversight.” The Greek word is episkopeo, which means to watch over, look after and care for the flock, being alert to danger or problems. The author of Hebrews uses this same term in a way that emphasizes its diligent nature: “Looking carefully [episkopeo] lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright” (Hebrews 12:15-16).

To be a good shepherd and properly exercise oversight requires the motivation of a pure heart. Peter breaks this down by way of three contrasts:

  • Not under compulsion, but willingly. No shepherd should feel pressured into this work but should be able to serve with a willing heart, for it can be a very difficult and risky business in perilous times.
  • Not for shameful gain, but eagerly. Elders who rule well are worthy of double honor (1 Timothy 5:17) and those who are taught in the Word should share with their teachers (Galatians 6:6), but this is not to be the motivation for elders and teachers. They are not to be lovers of money, as were some of the Pharisees (Luke 16:14). They are not to be eager for gain, calculating a return, but eager to serve out of love and devotion. True shepherds lay down their lives for the sheep, but hirelings run away when trouble comes (John 10:11-13).
  • Not domineering, but being an example. Shepherds are not to act as lords over an allotment, or masters over a possession. Their job is not to overcome, subjugate, subdue or force the flock into submission. Rather, they are to lead the flock God has entrusted to them by the example of their own faithful lives.
As shepherds, elders are accountable to the Chief Shepherd, and when He comes again, those who have served faithfully will receive the “unfading crown of glory.” This is the victor’s crown, the wreath given to those who have won their race. Paul spoke similarly as he came to the end of his own apostolic career: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing” (1 Timothy 4:7-8). It is an unfading crown, like the incorruptible inheritance God has reserved for all who trust in Him (1 Peter 1:4).



Keeping the Faith When Things Get Tough
Keeping the Faith When Things Get Tough
Peter’s Letter to Jesus Believers Scattered Everywhere
Bite-Sized Studies Through First Peter
by Jeff Doles

Preview with Amazon’s “Look Inside.”

Available in paperback and Kindle (Amazon), epub (Google and iTunes) and PDF.

Friday, March 12, 2010

When the Spirit Takes Hold of Prayer

Yesterday, I talked about taking hold of answered prayer. Today, I want to talk about when the Holy Spirit takes hold of prayer.
Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. (Romans 8:26)
In Romans 8, Paul talks about a number of things that “work together for good” for those who love God and are called according to His purpose (v. 28). Now he comes to how the Holy Spirit “helps” us in prayer. It is because we have a weakness: We do not know what or how to pray. So the Spirit of God comes to “help” us in exactly where we need it most.

This word, “help,” is very interesting and is what I want to talk about today. The Greek word for it here is synantilambano. It is made up of three components:
  1. syn, a prefix which means “together with.”
  2. anti, which means “over against” or “opposite.”
  3. lambano, the word we talked about yesterday and means “to take hold of.” In the middle or passive voice, which is how it is found here, lambano means “to take hold of in turn.”
Taken all together in the middle or passive voice, it is a picture of one taking upon himself the burden of another in order to share it with him. Like two men carrying a timber, one at one end and one at the other, or two people rowing together in a boat, either across from each other at an oar. That is what the Holy Spirit does with us in prayer. He doesn’t do it for us but with us. He takes hold of prayer and “pulls” with us because, otherwise, we would not know how to do it.

How does He help us, then? Paul says He makes intercession for us. While we are praying, He is praying with us and for us, praying on our behalf what we do not know how to pray. Paul describes it as “groanings which cannot be uttered.” Groanings or sighs “too deep for words,” is how the NASB puts it. The Greek text can mean either that they are unutterable (cannot be uttered) or simply that they are unuttered, which is how the HCSB has it: The Spirit intercedes for us with “unuttered groanings.” The point is that the Holy Spirit is doing this in us as we pray whether or not we have any other awareness of it. Although, sometimes it may manifest as a deep burden or travail we feel inside, or as a profusion of tears, or as the heaving of sighs, or perhaps even as speaking in tongues, words that have no particular meaning to our understanding but arise from the Spirit praying in us.

Now, let me ask you. Whenever the Holy Spirit prays, do you think that the Father hears and answers His prayers? Of course, He does. How could it be otherwise? In verse 27, Paul says, “Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.” The Holy Spirit is always praying for us according to the will of God. The Father certainly knows what the mind of His Spirit at work in us is, and the Spirit knows exactly what is in the heart and mind of the Father (1 Corinthians 2:11). God will always respond to what He Himself is doing in us and answer the prayers that He Himself produces in us.

We never enter into prayer alone. The Spirit of God is always there with us, taking hold of prayer with us. He always knows what He is doing, so we should be attentive and always follow His lead. Paul says we should always be praying with all kinds of prayers in the Spirit (Ephesians 6:18). The Holy Spirit bears the burden with us and knows how to get the job done. Our part is to pray in faith, knowing that our prayer, along with His, works together for our good, because we love God and are called according to His purpose.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Taking Hold of Answered Prayer

Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. (Mark 11:24 ESV)

“Therefore” is there for a reason. Jesus was teaching the disciples something very important about faith and doubt and moving mountains.

Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, “Be taken up and thrown into the sea,” and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. (Mark 11:22-23)
The truth here is that we can have what we say when we believe what we say and do not doubt it in our hearts. Now Jesus applies this to prayer:
  • Whatever you ask in prayer. The Greek words that make up “whatever” here mean just that: whatever. There is no request too big for God to handle nor too small for God to care about. The word for “ask” is about what you desire, request, crave or call for. The word for “prayer” is a form of the verb proseuchomai. It is pressing in toward God with your request.
  • Believe that you have received it. Notice carefully here that Jesus does not say, “Believe that God can answer it.” There is an often-quoted saying: “Faith is not believing that God can; it is knowing that God will.” Jesus puts it even finer edge on it here. What are we to believe when we make our request to God in prayer? Not that we will receive it (future tense) but that we have received it (aorist tense, signifying completed action).
  • And it will be yours. What we have secured by praying and believing we have received will eventually show up. “Faith is the substance [underlying reality] of things hoped for [anticipated, expected]” (Hebrews 11:1). We can expect it to come.
Now for the word of the day. I want to talk about “received.” The Greek verb is lambano. It is not a passive word, as we often tend to think about receiving something. It is active. It means to “take hold of.” Whatever we desire or ask when we pray, we are to believe that we have taken hold of it. In Hebrews 11:1, the Greek word for “substance,” hypostasis, was often used to refer to the title-deed for a piece of land. If you held the title-deed to a property, it was the proof that that property was yours.

In prayer, we are to believe, that is, exercise faith, that we have “taken possession” of whatever we have asked. We are to count it as a “done deal.” Even the word we often close our prayers with shows this. When we say, “Amen,” it is not a polite, religious way of saying “Over and out,” or “See You later, God.” It is a powerful word that expresses faith. It is akin to the Hebrew word aman, which is about believing. It is a word of assurance, as when Jesus would often say, “Truly;” in the Greek text the word is amen (actually an Aramaic term). When you say “Amen” at the end of your prayers, let it be a word of faith that what you have just asked God for in prayer, and believed you have taken hold of, is truly yours and will come to pass. That is the assurance Jesus gives.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Deliverance in Difficult Times

For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? Now
“If the righteous one is scarcely saved,
Where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?”
Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator. (1 Peter 4:17-19)
Peter speaks of a judgment that is at hand. The Greek word for “time” here is kairos, a pregnant and propitious moment of significant fulfillment. Notice, he does not say that the time for judgment will come but that it has come.

This judgment begins at the “house of God.” Peter is alluding to a couple of prophetic passages from the Old Testament (Jeremiah 25:15-9; Ezekiel 9:6) that speak of God’s judgment on His disobedient people. However, Peter uses it quite differently here. Judgment begins at the house, or household, of God. “With us,” he says. Not the judgment of God on His disobedient people but the judgment exercised by the world on God’s faithful ones. Those who believe the gospel of about King Jesus the Messiah are being judged and persecuted by the world. But there is coming a time in which God will judge those who do not believe. The persecution believers may experience now cannot compare to the judgment that awaits those who do not obey the gospel, that is, those who reject Jesus.

Peter may also have had in mind the coming destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, which was foretold by Jesus in Matthew 24 and fulfilled in AD 70, just a few years after this letter. It was a time of great tribulation and bloodshed for the Jews, but those who believed in Jesus, having been warned by Him of this terrible holocaust, were for the most part able to escape desolation.

Peter quotes Proverbs 11:31, “If the righteous one is scarcely saved, where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?” This is not how it renders from the Hebrew text but from the Septuagint, an early Greek translation, which better serves his purpose. The use of “saved” here does not speak of eternal salvation of the soul but of deliverance in the time of trouble. The word “scarcely” means “with difficulty,” and indeed that was the case for these scattered believers. It was a very rough time.

“Therefore,” Peter says, as he introduces the response such a time of persecution calls for, “let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.” The will of God here is not what He prescribed but what He permitted. God allows persecutions to come on His people — indeed, Jesus promised us there would be persecutions (Mark 10:30) — but He does not abandon us to them. He is faithful and we can trust Him to see us through every trial and circumstance.

Notice in this verse that the words “to him” are in italics. There is no textual basis for this, but translators supplied it in an attempt to help make the text more understandable. It leads us in the proper direction; we are to commit ourselves to God our creator. But leave out those italicized words and we discover how we are to do just that. We trust ourselves to Him by “doing good.” Here again is that word agathapoios, which we saw in 1 Peter 2:15 and 20, the giving of self that blesses others.

God has created us — Paul says that those who are in the Messiah are a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17) — and He will continue to take care of us no matter what. The way we commit ourselves to His faithful care is by continuing to do good to others, no matter what. That is how we live in the freedom we now have in Jesus.



Keeping the Faith When Things Get Tough
Keeping the Faith When Things Get Tough
Peter’s Letter to Jesus Believers Scattered Everywhere
Bite-Sized Studies Through First Peter
by Jeff Doles

Preview with Amazon’s “Look Inside.”

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Friday, March 5, 2010

An Unexpected Cause for Rejoicing

Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people’s matters. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter. (1 Peter 4:12-16)

“Do not think it strange,” Peter says to those being persecuted for their faith in Jesus, “as though some strange thing happened to you.” It probably did seem strange to them, and to us, too. Are not believers in Jesus a new kind of people — a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own special people (1 Peter 2:9)? Does not King Jesus the Messiah, in whom we believe, now rule and reign at the right hand of God (1 Peter 3:22) and does not all glory and dominion belong to Him now and forever (1 Peter 4:11)? How is it, then, that believers must endure such harsh treatment from the world?

“Fiery trials” will come. Literally, the Greek word refers to smelting, the process of extracting useful metals from useless ore by the application of extreme heat. It is like the refining process Peter referred to in 1 Peter 1:7, where the end result is a faith “more precious than gold.” What he may have had in mind here were the Christian martyrs in Rome who were being burned alive as torches in Nero’s gardens, giving a new and terrible reality to “fiery trial.”

To “try” something means to test or prove it. The enemy tests us because he wants to see us fail and fall away from the faith; God allows it because He wants us to succeed and move forward in faith. The enemy wants us to suffer and be full of fear; God wants to reveal His glory in us and fill us with joy. The enemy intends for it to destroy us; God allows it to refine us. (It is important to understand that the real enemy here is not those who persecute us but the evil one who motivates them.)

The outcome for us is assured — God will bring us through — so there is no reason for us to fear persecution. Indeed, Peter finds in it reason for “exceeding joy.” This is the third time he has used the word agalliao, which signifies exuberant rejoicing (see 1 Peter 1:6-8 and A Joy Words Cannot Contain). However, it is not in suffering itself that Peter rejoices, but in what it signifies, for both now and in the future.

  • It shows that when King Jesus returns at the end of the age and His glory is revealed, we shall share in it with Him. The apostle Paul, likewise, speaks of suffering and being glorified together with Jesus. “And if children, then heirs — heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together” (Romans 8:17). Suffering persecution for Jesus’ sake is also a sign that we are heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ.
  • It shows that the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon us. This is the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, but He is also called here the Spirit of Glory. The word “rests” means that He abides with us. He does not come and go, He stays with us. Notice the present tense; not rested or will rest, but the Spirit of Glory rests on us — just as He rested on Jesus. When we are reproached because of our faith in Jesus, it is actually the Holy Spirit who is being dishonored by those who persecute us, while He is honored by our faith and honors us with His presence. He is not just with us but upon us, which means that it becomes evident to us and to others.
There is no glory in suffering for being a murderer, a thief, an evildoer or a meddler. These are usually scorned by society, as they were in those days, and rightly so. For the Gentiles, however, believers in Jesus belonged in the same category and were called “Christians” as a term of derision. But what the world treats shamefully, Peter takes as honor: When you are reproached for the name of Christ and called “Christian,” do not take that as a badge of disgrace but as an opportunity to give thanks to God.

This was not just theory for Peter. He lived it. When he and some of the other apostles were brought before the Sanhedrin and admonished for preaching Jesus, Peter answered, “We ought to obey God rather then men.” On advice from Gamaliel that this movement would probably come to nothing, the council released Peter and the apostles. “So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name. And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ” (Acts 5:41-42).



Keeping the Faith When Things Get Tough
Keeping the Faith When Things Get Tough
Peter’s Letter to Jesus Believers Scattered Everywhere
Bite-Sized Studies Through First Peter
by Jeff Doles

Preview with Amazon’s “Look Inside.”

Available in paperback and Kindle (Amazon), epub (Google and iTunes) and PDF.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

The Algebra of Authority in Heaven and Earth

Before He ascended to His throne at the right hand of the Father in heaven, King Jesus said, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth” (Matthew 28:18).

Paul said, “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs — heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ” (Romans 8:16-17).

If all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Jesus, and we are joint heirs with Him, then all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to us.

Call it the “Algebra of Authority in Heaven and Earth.”

What are you doing with the authority you have received in Jesus the Messiah?

(See also The Authority of Heaven on Earth and Divine Algebra)

Friday, February 26, 2010

Manifesting the Glory and Dominion of Jesus

But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers. And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.” Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. (1 Peter 4:7-11)

The age of God’s kingdom has come into the world, bringing to a close this “present evil age,” as Paul calls it (Galatians 1:4). “The darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining,” is how John put it (1 John 2:8). The kingdom has come but it has not yet arrived in all its fullness. We are living in the in-between time, and that requires certain things of us:

  • Self-control and a clear head, so we can attend to the work of effective prayer.
  • Devoted, focused love for one another. There is no room for carrying grudges and holding on to unforgiveness.
  • Cheerful hospitality, welcoming each other with an open heart, an open house, an open hand.
Every believer in Jesus the Messiah has received a charisma, a grace-gift from God. These are given for the benefit of all so that we may minister the multi-faceted grace of God to each other. Paul calls these spirituals and manifestations of the Holy Spirit, and goes into much detail about how they operate (1 Corinthians 12-14). Peter keeps it simple.
  • Paul spoke of revelatory gifts (word of knowledge, word of wisdom and discerning of spirits) and spent much time on the operation the gifts of divine speech (prophecy, tongues and interpretation of tongues). For Peter, those with speaking gifts should be careful to give God’s words, not their own.
  • Paul talked about manifestations of power (faith, gifts of healings and workings of miracles), and in Romans 12:6-8, mentioned gifts of service (serving, giving, leading, showing mercy). For Peter, in addition to gives of speaking, there are gifts of doing, or ministering, or serving. Those who serve are to do so, not depending on their own natural ability, but with the ability that God supplies.
The function of all these gifts is to serve one another and build each other up, but the purpose is that God may be glorified in Jesus the Messiah, because it is His dominion that makes it possible for us to live and serve in these ways. They manifest the reality of His kingdom and demonstrate that the age of darkness is passing away and the true light of God’s kingdom is already shining.



Keeping the Faith When Things Get Tough
Keeping the Faith When Things Get Tough
Peter’s Letter to Jesus Believers Scattered Everywhere
Bite-Sized Studies Through First Peter
by Jeff Doles

Preview with Amazon’s “Look Inside.”

Available in paperback and Kindle (Amazon), epub (Google and iTunes) and PDF.

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

The End is Here?

But the end of all things is at hand. (1 Peter 4:7)

At the end of chapter 3, Peter referred to the events and circumstances of Genesis 6, namely, the disobedient spirits, the flood and the ark. It seems that he still has that in mind when he says, “The end of all things is at hand because it echoes God’s words to Noah in Genesis 6:13, “The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth.” There, it meant that the time had come to put an end to all the violence and corruption that was rife in Noah’s day. The world was no less corrupt in Peter’s day. Was he expecting a judgment that never came? Was he mistaken about the end of all things being at hand?

In the New Testament, to say that something is “at hand” means that it is very near, within reach, and often, that it has actually arrived and is now present. Jesus came preaching that the kingdom of God was “at hand,” and (Matthew 3:2; 4:17) and sent His disciples out to announce the same thing (Matthew 10:7). It was not far off, it was not almost there; it was now present. When asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom would come, Jesus answered, “The kingdom of God is among you” (Luke 17:21).

The kingdom of God has come into the world and has been expanding ever since. Jesus said, “From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it” (Matthew 11:12 NIV). Before Jesus ascended to the throne of heaven, the disciples asked if He was restoring the kingdom to Israel at that time. He neither affirmed nor denied. They were asking about times and seasons, the when of the kingdom, but Jesus answered in regard to the how: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). It is through the power of the Holy Spirit and the apostolic witness that all the nations of the earth are discipled and baptized and instructed in everything Jesus taught the first disciples (Matthew 28:19-20). For all authority in heaven and on earth has now been given to Him (Matthew 28:18). In other words, the kingdom of God has come into the world and King Jesus now reigns over all.

But what is the end? In Matthew 24, after Jesus spoke to Peter and the other disciples of the coming desolation of the temple in Jerusalem, they asked, “When will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age (v. 3). Jesus answered in terms of the destruction of Jerusalem, saying that it would happen in their generation (vv. 4-34). This was fulfilled in August of AD 70, with the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, only a few years after Peter wrote this letter. For the Jews, this was the end of the age. (I deal more extensively with all this in The Kingdom of Heaven on Earth: Keys to the Kingdom of God in the Gospel of Matthew.)

The coming of God’s kingdom into the world is the end of all other kingdoms. It must increase, as the nations believe the good news of the gospel and yield to King Jesus. The kingdom of darkness must give way to the kingdom of light. As the apostle John said, “The darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining” (1 John 2:8). The commission Jesus gave the disciples in Matthew 28 will not fail but succeed, for it comes with all the authority that was given to Jesus in heaven and on earth.

Peter was not mistaken. With the beginning of God’s kingdom age, the end of all things is at hand — now here — and has been ever since Jesus first announced it.



Keeping the Faith When Things Get Tough
Keeping the Faith When Things Get Tough
Peter’s Letter to Jesus Believers Scattered Everywhere
Bite-Sized Studies Through First Peter
by Jeff Doles

Preview with Amazon’s “Look Inside.”

Available in paperback and Kindle (Amazon), epub (Google and iTunes) and PDF.

Monday, February 22, 2010

Armed with the Attitude of Jesus

Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles — when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries. In regard to these, they think it strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation, speaking evil of you. They will give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. For this reason the gospel was preached also to those who are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit. (1Peter 4:1-6)

Jesus the Messiah was put to death in the flesh for our sake, because of our sin. He conquered death through resurrection from the dead by the Holy Spirit and has been exalted by God to the right hand of the Father, where He rules and reigns over all. The dominion of sin has been broken; the dominion of Messiah has begun.

Because Jesus has suffered the cross in our place, He has won for us our freedom. Just as He has been raised from the dead, we also are given new life in Him. Once we were spiritually dead and under the sentence of physical death, but no more. That is what the sign of baptism is about in the previous section. Paul put it very similarly:

Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin. (Romans 6:4-7)
We are to “arm” ourselves with the same “mind” Jesus showed. There is a militancy in the word “arm.” It does not speak of passivity but of preparedness, even aggressiveness. The Greek word for “mind” speaks of intent, resolve, attitude. We are to prepare ourselves with the same attitude that Jesus has: He suffered under our sin at the cross, but now He is done with it — He has dominion over it! As Paul put it, “He who has died has been freed from sin.” That is to be our attitude: We are freed from sin. “He who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God,” Peter says. He and Paul track very closely on this.
Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not have dominion over you. (Romans 6:11-14)
This is the attitude we are to arm ourselves with: We are to reckon ourselves dead to sin but alive to God in King Jesus the Messiah. No longer living according to the lusts of the flesh, the former way of life we used to know before we were set free. Peter gives a brief description here, and the list is pretty self-explanatory. Paul gives a similar list in Galatians 5:19-21 under the name “works of the flesh.” They are all things that tear down families, destroy communities and break apart the world. There is no life at all to them; they stink of death. The world has seen more than enough of them. It is time for true life and freedom to be revealed, the life and freedom that are found in King Jesus the Messiah and empowered by the Holy Spirit. Opposite the “works of the flesh,” Paul details the “fruit of the Spirit” in Galatians 5:22-23: Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.

Now, ironically, those who are still caught in the “works of the flesh” find this threatening. Old friends with whom we once carried on in the ways of the world may be confused that we no longer behave in those old ways. In Peter’s day, those who believed in Jesus were being persecuted because of their faith and their way of life, and that has remained so even to this day. But those who persist in their unbelief and persecute those who do believe will have to give account to King Jesus when He comes to set things right among the living and the dead. Even those who are physically dead, if they have believed the good news about Jesus the Messiah, will be made alive again by the Spirit of God, and those who have been martyred in the flesh will be vindicated in the Spirit, just as Jesus was.



Keeping the Faith When Things Get Tough
Keeping the Faith When Things Get Tough
Peter’s Letter to Jesus Believers Scattered Everywhere
Bite-Sized Studies Through First Peter
by Jeff Doles

Preview with Amazon’s “Look Inside.”

Available in paperback and Kindle (Amazon), epub (Google and iTunes) and PDF.

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Suffering Messiah, Reigning King

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water. There is also an antitype which now saves us — baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him. (1 Peter 3:18-22)

Once again, Peter draws on the example of Jesus the Messiah to demonstrate his point that it is better to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. Jesus was just, yet He suffered for the sins of the unjust. He did that for a purpose — that He might bring us to God!

Jesus was put to death in the flesh, His body nailed to a cross until He died. But He was made alive by the Spirit of God, resurrected in a spiritual body. Not spiritual as opposed to physical. It is still a body after all, but one empowered by the Holy Spirit. Paul describes this in 1 Corinthians 15, as he relates how the bodily resurrection of Jesus from the dead is the guarantee of resurrection for those who believe in Him: The same body that is sown in corruption is raised up incorruptible. The same body that is sown in dishonor is raised up in glory. The same body that is sown in weakness is raised up in power. The same body that is sown in mortality is raised up in immortality. The same body that is sown as a natural body is raised up as a spiritual body.

It is in this spiritual, resurrection body that Jesus went and “preached” to the “spirits in prison.” The word for “preached” refers to an authoritative proclamation, which can mean the announcement of good news or of triumph and judgment. But who are these “spirits in prison” to whom Jesus makes proclamation? This is a difficult passage, but Peter does give us important clues:

  • They were those from an earlier time who had been disobedient.
  • They were from the time of Noah.
  • They were from a time when God was patiently waiting.
Some commentators think they are the spirits of men who did not believe God and live obediently before Him. In this view, the proclamation Jesus made to them was actually done through the preaching of Noah, by the Spirit, in that earlier time.

Others commentators think Peter is drawing on a common Jewish belief of the Second Temple era concerning the identity of the “sons of God” in Genesis 6 who took wives from among the “daughters of men.” They were thought to have been fallen angels. Flavius Josephus, Jewish historian from the first century AD, held this view. The book of 1Enoch, written in the first century BC, describes them as fallen angels who were now in prison, and tells of judgment being proclaimed on them. This apocryphal book was known to the early Church and was well regarded by it; the New Testament letter of Jude refers to it.

These “spirits” were from the days of Noah. God was waiting out a certain amount of time — “Divine longsuffering,” Peter calls it. God said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years” (Genesis 6:3). He was not establishing the length of a man’s life at 120 years; He was giving all men only 120 more years before He brought judgment, because He saw that “the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (v. 5). Then we are introduced to Noah with the words, “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD” (v. 8).

Peter nests the example of Noah right in the middle of talking about Jesus’ suffering. Think of the abuse Noah must have endured for the sake of faith and living rightly before God. Yet, even though he suffered, Noah and his family were the only ones delivered from destruction. Then Peter uses the figure of salvation through water as a type for baptism that saves us today. However, he carefully notes that baptism does not put away the “filth of the flesh,” the sins that are committed in the body. Rather, it is the “answer of a good conscience toward God.” The Greek word for “answer” speaks of a pledge, a commitment, a declaration.

In the previous section, Peter spoke about giving an answer to those who persecute us about the reason for our hope, with a ready heart, a gentle response and a “good conscience,” because our faith is in God. Now he returns to the matter of a good conscience. It is the obedience of faith, corresponding to the faithful obedience of Noah and in contrast to the disobedience of the “spirits in prison.” The “answer of a good conscience” refers to the confession of faith given in response to questions asked at baptism, answered in good conscience as a true reflection of faith.

Baptism is a sign of faith in Jesus the Messiah, for it is through His resurrection, Peter tells us, that we are saved. Further, Jesus has now “gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him.” Though He suffered for doing good, He has not only brought about salvation for all who believe in Him, but now reigns as Lord over all, and every offending angel, authority and power are subject to Him. Just as the world in Noah’s day faced the judgment of God I the flood, while only Noah and his family were saved, and just as the disobedient “spirits in prison” were judged by the cross and resurrection of Jesus from the dead by the Spirit of God, so there is coming a day in which everyone who persecutes believers will have to face the judgment of King Jesus.



Keeping the Faith When Things Get Tough
Keeping the Faith When Things Get Tough
Peter’s Letter to Jesus Believers Scattered Everywhere
Bite-Sized Studies Through First Peter
by Jeff Doles

Preview with Amazon’s “Look Inside.”

Available in paperback and Kindle (Amazon), epub (Google and iTunes) and PDF.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

God the Rewarder

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6)
Notice that faith does not just require that we believe that God exists but also that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. We are to seek Him, believing that it is in our best interest to do so, that as we diligently seek Him, we receive something in return. However we might describe the nature of this reward, it is, after all, still reward. So, in this relationship of faith that we have with God, there is God-interest, but that is also self-interest. And this self-interest is not merely incidental, it is required — those who come to God must believe that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

God has often promised blessings and benefits to those who seek Him, trust in Him, listen to His voice and walk in His ways. See, for example, Deuteronomy 28:1-14, where God promises wonderful blessing for those who “diligently obey” His voice and “observe carefully” His commandments (v. 1). In Psalm 103:2-5, David reminds himself of the many benefits of the LORD:
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:
Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases,
Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
In Malachi 3:10-12, God invites His people to test Him concerning the tithe and promises great reward for doing so:
Bring all the tithes into the storehouse,
That there may be food in My house,
And try Me now in this,”
Says the LORD of hosts,
“If I will not open for you the windows of heaven
And pour out for you such blessing
That there will not be room enough to receive it.
And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes,
So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground,
Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,”
Says the LORD of hosts;
“And all nations will call you blessed,
For you will be a delightful land,”
Says the LORD of hosts.
In the New Testament, Jesus promises the reward of hundredfold return to those who leave all for Him:
Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time — houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions — and in the age to come, eternal life. (Mark 10:29-30)
Paul, encouraging the believers at Corinth to be diligent in the grace of giving, gives this promise:
But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. (2 Corinthians 9:6-8)
There are many other examples we could look at, but I didn’t mean to post a long article today, and this one has already gone on longer than I intended.

Now, some will insist that we should not seek reward from God, that it somehow makes our faith and our motives impure. “Seek His face, not His hand,” they say. But, to follow that analogy, if you are like me, your hand is not far from your face, and the same is true of God. And the author of Hebrews teaches us something different: We must diligently seek God for who He is, but we must also believe that He rewards those who do so, that His hand is not far from His face. Without that kind of faith, it is impossible to please God.

Saturday, February 13, 2010

A Ready Heart and a Gentle Response

And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed. “And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.” But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. (1 Peter 3:13-17)
In the previous section, Peter spoke about loving one another and doing good to all, even to those who do us evil. If we return evil for evil, we become part of the problem. God knows how to reward those who do good and deal with those who do evil, so we can leave it in His hands.

Peter now asks the rhetorical question, “And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good?” The word “and” shows that he is continuing the discussion he introduced in verses 8-12. People naturally tend to respond in kind, good for good, evil for evil. When we repay evil for evil, we only escalate the situation and increase the likelihood of coming to harm. If one suffers for doing evil, justice has been done; but if one suffers for doing good, the justice of God will set things right. If we return good for evil and blessing for cursing, we break the old cycle and establish a new one.

When we respond with good, it becomes harder for those who formerly did us evil to continue doing that. Harder, but not impossible. Though most people respond well to kindness and respect, there are still those who are bent on evil toward those they fear or with whom they disagree. Even so, we will still come out all right because we are blessed by God. Once again, Peter echoes Jesus’ teaching on the mount:
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 5:11-12)
This puts us in very good company. Who, then, can harm us?
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? … Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:31-39)
Therefore, do not be afraid, Peter says. He has Isaiah 8:12-14 in mind:
Do not say, “A conspiracy,”
Concerning all that this people call a conspiracy,
Nor be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.
The Lord of hosts, Him you shall hallow;
Let Him be your fear,
And let Him be your dread.
He will be as a sanctuary,
But a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.
He quoted verse 14 earlier, in 1 Peter 2:8, concerning the cornerstone that became a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense for those refused to believe. Now he draws from verse 12, “Do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.” And he makes allusion to verses 13 and 14, about hallowing the Lord and taking Him as a sanctuary: “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts.” The HSCB translates it as “But set apart the Messiah as Lord,” reflecting the earliest copies of Peter’s letter. Paul said,
If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” (Romans 10:9-11)
When we confess Jesus as Lord and take our refuge in Him, we do not need to back down or fear anything man may do. This frees us to give a defense when people ask us about the hope we have, the joyful expectation of faith that is in us. The Greek word for “defense,” apologia, refers to a reasoned statement in response to charges or questioning, whether in a court of law or informal conversation.

With our faith in God, we can present our case with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience. Then we will not be put to shame, even when we are called evildoers; our good conduct will prove otherwise, and perhaps cause our accusers to back down.



Keeping the Faith When Things Get Tough
Keeping the Faith When Things Get Tough
Peter’s Letter to Jesus Believers Scattered Everywhere
Bite-Sized Studies Through First Peter
by Jeff Doles

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Available in paperback and Kindle (Amazon), epub (Google and iTunes) and PDF.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

The Towardness of Prayer

The Greek word use most commonly for “pray” in the New Testament is proseuchomai. It is made up of two words. One is euchomai, which means to petition or request and is the expression of a wish or desire. It used only a couple of times in the New Testament as “pray.” In the surrounding cultures, it was used as a word for petitioning deity. It came to be modified by the prefix pros and by the time of the early Church, this new form prevailed.

The second part of proseuchomai, and the one I want to focus on here in regard to prayer, is the prefix, pros. It is a preposition indicating directionality, with the force or sense of “toward.” I am especially captured by it when I think of John 1:1 and how this little word, pros, is used in that context: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

Here it is translated as “with.” In the beginning, Jesus (the Word) was with God. But pros indicates something more than that. Jesus was not merely with God, as if they were just sitting side by side. No, Jesus was positioned toward God. There was a purpose, an intent, a focus — they were face to face! Indeed, the Greek word for “face” in Scripture is prosopon, the prefix pros, with the word ops, which comes from a word that means to look at or behold. The phrase “face to face” in 1 Corinthians 13:12, “For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face,” is prosopon pros prosopon, face toward face.

In the beginning, Jesus and the Father were with each other face to face, is as if they were discussing something, conceiving something, planning something. This plan is bound up in the term by which Jesus is referred to here: the Word. A word is something that is spoken. The Greek is logos, from lego, “I say.” What happens a few verses later, John 1:14, is the result of this speaking, this towardness between Jesus and the Father: “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”

Jesus was toward the Father, in intimate fellowship with God, and out of that communion rose the plan for restoring mankind and reconciling all things to Himself, so that one day we, too, will see God prosopon pros prosopon, face to face. It is not that we have no fellowship with God now — we do, with the Father and the Son in the Holy Spirit. It is rich and wonderful and full of great joy. But one day we shall experience Him in a much greater way.

In the meantime, we have the “towardness” of prayer, proseuchomai. We are with Him, toward Him, pressing into His presence and into His purposes, bringing our requests, our desires, our dreams before His face. He is also with us, toward us, and in that communion, something is conceived, given life. Then, just as the Word was with God and the Word became flesh, when we direct ourselves toward God and share our dream and desire with Him, and He shapes it, mingling with it His own dream and desire for us, there is a word that comes forth into the world. It is an answer, a fulfillment, a manifestation of what has been conceived in that towardness between us and God.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Directing God in Prayer?

The question came up our Tuesday a.m. Bible study this morning (after our prayer time and before we got into our study of 1Peter — actually, we ended up discussing this instead of studying 1 Peter) as to whether we direct God in prayer. During our discussion, I was reminded of a couple of things. One was Isaiah 45:11.
Thus says the LORD,
The Holy One of Israel, and his Maker;
“Ask Me of things to come concerning My sons;
And concerning the work of My hands; you command me.”
I’ve blogged about this verse a few times in recent years:
An interesting passage in Genesis 2 also came to mind. It is after God formed man from the ground and puffed the breath of life from His own lips into Adam’s nostrils, and man became a “living being.” The Targum Onkelos, an ancient translation/commentary of the Hebrew Scriptures into Aramaic, renders this as “speaking spirit.” Just as God breathed out words, man was likewise created with that same capacity (see What Are You Naming Things?)

What interests me here is what happens next, when God brings the animals to Adam.
Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name. (Genesis 2:19)
Notice carefully: God did not tell Adam what to name the animals. Instead, He brought them to him to see what he would name them. This was no small thing. Names are very important in the Bible. They impart identity and speak of destiny.

God authorized man from the beginning to be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, subdue it and have dominion over all creation. So it is significant that God did not micromanage Adam, telling him what to call the animals, but gave him room to operate in that larger mandate.

This speaks to me of personal relationship, with all of its give and take. Adam understood who he was in God and who God was in him and he operated freely in that understanding. God’s purpose was big in his heart (at least at that point) and he lived, not as a slave but as a son.

That is how I think of prayer, as a personal relationship with all of its give and take. God is not my slave, nor am I his — both of those ideas are faulty, ditches on either side of the road. Rather, He is my Father and I am His son. Prayer is about understanding who He is and what is His glory, learning who He is in me and who I am in Him, letting His purposes get big in my heart, then operating in that understanding. We plot, we plan, we strategize together. We talk about things that could be done, things that should be done and things that must be done. He gives me wisdom, guidance, direction; I claim the promises He has made and lay hold of the provisions He has given. It is a partnership we share together in the world, to see the will of God done on earth as it is in heaven. All this goes on in prayer with God, with King Jesus interceding by His blood (Hebrews 7:25) and the Holy Spirit laying hold and pulling together with me (Romans 8:26).