1 Corinthians 16

22 If anyone won’t love the Master, throw him out. Make room for the Master!

23 Our Master Jesus has his arms wide open for you.

24 And I love all of you in the Messiah, in Jesus.

This seems like a good Friday message.  Jesus has his arms open wide for you.

BOOM! 

drop the mic

1 Corinthians 15

9 For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. 11 Whether, then, it is I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.

This portion of the chapter speaks to Paul's humble-ness, and his ability to "big-picture" think about his place.  He has a keen awareness of what his life means in total.  I think part of the reason he works so hard for Christ, is that he has so much in his past that he doesn't like.  Not that its a scorecard mentality, but a gratefulness for what Christ has done for him.
His mentality should be what we all strive for.

The other thing I REALLY like in this chapter is how he points directly at witnesses that saw Christ after his resurrection.  Then, he states how most of them are still alive.  That's HUGE!  It's really saying, "go talk to em.  they saw it for themselves.  they can give you a first-hand, eye witness account."

tp 

1 Corinthians 14

39 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. 40 But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way.

I don't have much to say about this chapter.  I've never really experienced the speaking in tongues.  It seems that Paul is giving clear direction that it shouldn't be wasted and it should be handled in a timely fashion.  Similar to how he encourages the organization of the rest of the church.  
We can't get anywhere if we are all "willy-nilly"

tp

1 Corinthians 13

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Today is an easy take.  It makes me remember my wedding.  Its a great reminder.  But, where I want to take it today is in the context of the holiday season.  I think this time of year, people really need extra love and grace.  Its busy and nutty and stressful and people feel out of control.  I think we as believers/followers are called to have a different auro about us during the season.  We need to be celebratory for the gift that was/is given to us, but we also need to be patient, kind....even non self-seeking.

tp

1 Corinthians 12

 18 But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 

So its important to know and understand my own gifts that I have been given so I can be effective as the part that God designed me to be.  No accidents, I am who I am with my gifts and where I am on this earth by his design.  

knut

1 Corinthians 11

28 Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. 29 For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. 

Don't just go through the motions but actually take time to do a little self evaluation and present before God the sins I know I have committed and truly ask for forgiveness.   Don't just chomp down the bread and slam the juice like a robot.  Sounds like doing that is worse than not even taking the elements of communion in the first place.

knut

1 Corinthians 10

31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 32 Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God— 33 even as I try to please everyone in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.

Nothing great today.  There's a lot written here about food and the purity of it having to do with idols and sacrifice.  I do like how the chapter ends.  No matter what you are doing....do it for the glory of God.  Do it in such a way as to bring the light to others, don't cause them to stumble.

tp

1 Corinthians 8-9

24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.

I've been reading these 2 chapters for a couple of days now.  In 8, to me, the jist is to be careful not to do things that will cause others to trip and fall or question right/wrong.

The verse above is from 9.  Its a pretty famous quote.  I've heard many a sermon on it, and I think the message is still great....especially in a society that values sports/athletes so much.  We spend so much time and energy on something that doesn't matter.  

Question for myself:  Am I running the race of life....to win?  By winning, I mean in the guise of what Paul is talking about.  Not in the way Charlie Sheen talks about it.

tp

1 Corinthians 7

17 And don’t be wishing you were someplace else or with someone else. Where you are right now is God’s place for you. Live and obey and love and believe right there.

Love this verse.  In the context of marriage, job, kids, whatever.  Its a great mindset to have peace and know you are exactly where God wants you.  Don't spend time worrying about what you're going to do next, or where you are going to go.  Spend time in praise about where he has you right now.

tp

1 Corinthians 6

3 Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life!

Seems strange to me, so did some checking.  People say that judge in Greek also means to rule over or govern.  So its not that we will be judging between right and wrong, God will handle that duty.  But it may indicate a higher level relationship to God than the angels.  chalk that up to something I don't get.

18 Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body. 

Sex is great but also very dangerous.  While the sin itself is no worse than any other sin (i think all are equal, right?), the risk I see is that sexually sins are a behavior that can infect and spread causing a downward spiral.  It is visible all over our society.

knut

1 Corinthians 5

Yeast, too, is a “small thing,” but it works its way through a whole batch of bread dough pretty fast. So get rid of this “yeast.”

I feel like a broken record here....but no great insights today.

I do like the verse above as it talks about bread/yeast.  It then talks about Christ paid for our sins.  The connection to the bread and wine of communion is pretty obvious.

Big picture insight.  There are 2 things that can get us "humans" off track faster than anything else.  Money and Sex.  2 great things that can be twisted quickly and take us down a bad path.

tp

1 Corinthians 4

3 It is not the most important thing to me what you or any other people think of me. Even what I think of myself does not mean much.

No great take today.  I just found the freedom that Paul is writing about here, to be attractive.  To not care about what anyone thinks about you....to the point that you don't even care about what you think of yourself, and you only get your identity through Christ.  WOW!  That's amazing.  That's all in.

tp

1 Corinthians 3

13 their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work.

What I took from today was that what we do with our life matters.  If we believe we have already been saved, so its not that we will end up in hell.  But at the same time God is asking us to use our lives and the gifts he has given us to build on the foundation of Christ that has been laid for us.  Make sure my actions are high quality additions to his foundation.  What will I do today that can be counted as a high quality add?

knut

1 Corinthians 2

  14 The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.  

The ways of the world today illustrate the collective lack of Spirit within our culture.  It seems there is little acceptance of what we are told via the Bible.  Worse than not accepting, in some cases we are considered fools.  

knut

1 Corinthians 1

10 I appeal to you, brothers and sisters,[a] in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. 

I used to struggle with division that we had within our church.  When I was on Governing Board I wondered out loud why if we all believe in Jesus and we are all seeking his will why would we have such different opinions on the vision/mission for our church?  Why would we differ on social issues like gay marriage?  God doesn't have multiple wills.  He doesn't have multiple opinions on social issues, there is a right and wrong in his mind.

But in the end all I could come up with is that we are imperfect humans.  We have differences because we are not all perfectly connected to God, we have gaps in our understanding.  I think Paul was addressing this in the early church, but its obvious that even so close to the time of Jesus humans were far from having a complete understanding.

So its not to say give up trying, but I guess just to recognize that we probably will not ever be perfectly aligned in our understanding of God until we are with him.  But don't let our differences in understanding be so black and white that we lose our direction and stop loving God and loving others.

knut

Romans 16

17 I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. 18 For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people.

I was going to talk about greetings since its mentioned 27 times in this chapter, but I wasn't sure what to say other than it must be good to say greetings to other believers.

Its apparently been true for all the time since Jesus that there are those out there that are creating division and good at it.  There seems to be a lot of it going on today and they have powerful media tools to spread their views.  

I don't feel dumb, but sometimes I'm not quick enough on my feet.   Someone may promote an idea with smooth words that just feels wrong in my gut, against God's ways but I am not able to verbalize how the idea is dangerous.  I think that is one reason why it is important to study God's word so his teachings are all throughout my brain and readily accessible to use to discern his way from evil ways.

this time in the morning is good, but really not near enough.

knut

Romans 15

2 Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up.

The theme I took away today was stop focusing on myself.  Focus on bringing glory to God by working together with others who are different than me but also built in God's image.  We should have one voice together driven by the same ultimate goal of spreading God's Word.

knut

Romans 14

22-23 Cultivate your own relationship with God, but don’t impose it on others. You’re fortunate if your behavior and your belief are coherent. But if you’re not sure, if you notice that you are acting in ways inconsistent with what you believe—some days trying to impose your opinions on others, other days just trying to please them—then you know that you’re out of line. If the way you live isn’t consistent with what you believe, then it’s wrong.

So don't be a hypocrite is the moral from this story.  Since I'm likely fail due to my sinful nature at always acting as I believe, its best I don't spend to much time trying to tell others how to behave.  I have plenty to work on without trying to fix other people in my image.

knut 

Romans 13

13 Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established.The authorities that exist have been established by God.

This one just caught my eye because it seems wrong.  Our governing authorities today it seems are working to take God out of the equation.  One of these verses that I will need some help with someday.

the easy part of the chapter is to love others, it is the crisp answer to fulfilling the 10 commandments.

that is all.
knut

Romans 12

Again, I read from the message version.  Here's how it opens.

12 1-2 So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

that is as clear of direction as I've read  That is COMPLETELY tactical.  I love it.
I think I should write this on my mirror, so I see it every morning.

I'm out in Vegas next week with SEMA.  So, I'll catch up when I get back.

tp

Romans 11

19-20 It’s certainly possible to say, “Other branches were pruned so that Icould be grafted in!” Well and good. But they were pruned because they were deadwood, no longer connected by belief and commitment to the root. The only reason you’re on the tree is because your graft “took” when you believed, and because you’re connected to that belief-nurturing root. So don’t get cocky and strut your branch. Be humbly mindful of the root that keeps you lithe and green.

Really good analogy.  Funny how the bible is full of them.  The Jewish community are the tree.  Some of the branches are dead (people have turned away from God), those branches are pruned and new ones are grafted in (that's us.  The non-jewish community)

Interesting how trees play such a prominent role in the bible.  They come up a lot.  The tree of life.  The tree of knowledge.  The trees roots being connected to a water source.  The trees not bearing fruit.  So on, and so on.

tp

Romans 10

 You’re not “doing” anything; you’re simply calling out to God, trusting him to do it for you. That’s salvation. With your whole being you embrace God setting things right, and then you say it, right out loud: “God has set everything right between him and me!”

“Everyone who calls, ‘Help, God!’ gets help.”

Read from the message again this morning.  It seems to be clearer for my pea-brain.

I'm not sure I've ever read it spelled out this clearly before.  Its not you.  Its him.  All you have to do is ask for his help.  But, the kicker here is for you to say it out loud.  I wonder why that is?  God knows what we are thinking.  Maybe its a clearer pronouncement of our intention.  To say it out loud makes it more real to us (as opposed to real to him)

tp

Romans 9

27-28  Isaiah maintained this same emphasis:

If each grain of sand on the seashore were numbered
    and the sum labeled “chosen of God,”
They’d be numbers still, not names;
    salvation comes by personal selection.
God doesn’t count us; he calls us by name.
    Arithmetic is not his focus.

I liked the Message version.  The God of the entire universe calls me by name.  I don't think I ever really let that completely sink in. Its really impossible to get my head around, from billions of people that have lived on this earth he knows who I am and what makes me tick.  He calls me to seek him out.  He has Grace for me. 

knut

Romans 8

10 But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life[d] because of righteousness.

I read this chapter multiple days but just didn't have anything to say.  This morning I'm reminded how quick our lives come and go after learning of Brian Gosden's death and visiting with his family last night.  Its hard to believe it had been over 30 years since I had spoken to them.  Memories flash through of carpools to school, football and baseball on the open lot by your house.

These experiences are a flash in the pan.  I'm thankful for the promise we have in Christ to give us eternal life.

knut

Romans 7

17-20 But I need something more! For if I know the law but still can’t keep it, and if the power of sin within me keeps sabotaging my best intentions, I obviously need help! I realize that I don’t have what it takes. I can will it, but I can’t do it. I decide to do good, but I don’t really do it; I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway. My decisions, such as they are, don’t result in actions. Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time.

Thank you Jesus, because with out you I am these verses with no way out.  Funny to me how this book written so long ago cuts right to the relevant core so easily and consistently yet today.
knut

Romans 6

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in[b] Christ Jesus our Lord.

There couldn't be a bigger or better gift from God to me and you, let's not take it for granted.

knut

Romans 5

But God put his love on the line for us by offering his Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to him.

that's a pretty powerful statement.
short and sweet today.

tp

Romans 4

20 Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21 being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. 

Being a very logical numbers kind of guy, too often I fall into the trap of analyzing things constrained by the box of human and worldly laws I know to be true.  God is not constrained by any physical laws we humans may have discovered---he created them.  So why would I ever doubt his ability to create change, in any circumstance or set of facts.  

This includes sharing my faith with someone that I would have prejudged to never be open to hearing God's message and believe  My opinion is irrelevant, God can do all things let him use me when I feel the nudge--don't just sit on my hands.

ok--not where I thought I was going when I started typing, not even sure it makes sense with this chapter but its what came out.

knut

Romans 3

27-28 So where does that leave our proud Jewish insider claims and counterclaims? Canceled? Yes, canceled. What we’ve learned is this: God does not respond to what we do; we respond to what God does. We’ve finally figured it out. Our lives get in step with God and all others by letting him set the pace, not by proudly or anxiously trying to run the parade.

I think I am running the parade.  Not proudly, but anxiously.  I am not letting him set the pace.  I am praying and asking that God help me let go of my tight grip on the direction in my life and let him set the pace.

knut

Romans 2

15 They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.)


I don't know all the theology but this says to me that every person has the chance to know God and believe even if they haven't had the opportunity to read the bible or hear a message.  We have a morale compass that is written on our hearts by God.  Its really a gift I would say, without it we would be like every other animal.

no great take, just an observation.

knut

Romans 1

26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.

I won't expound.  It says a lot here.

Acts 28

28 “You’ve had your chance. The non-Jewish outsiders are next on the list. And believe me, they’re going to receive it with open arms!”

I don't have a great take from this chapter, but just wondering when will the non-Jewish outsiders be done getting 'our chance'.  It doesn't appear collectively we are receiving the message with open arms, at least not anymore.

oh random wonderings...so how is it that people know when Paul is coming?  How does word travel faster than him, especially when he's coming by boat?  Three is used 5 times in this chapter, just sayin

kinda a weak, i know
knut

Acts 27

There's a lot to this story.  A couple of things hit me.

16 As we passed to the lee of a small island called Cauda, we were hardly able to make the lifeboat secure, 17 so the men hoisted it aboard. Then they passed ropes under the ship itself to hold it together.

I can picture the fear this is causing.  If you are trying to tie the board together, to keep it from falling apart....the has to be pretty scary.

The second thing I can sense from this story, is that Paul is in control.  Because he is so connected to his heavenly father, he is calm in the storm. (literally)  Everything looks hopeless, they are throwing things overboard...trying everything to save their own lives.  And, here is Paul.....reminding them that "I told you so," then what is happening....and how it will end.  If I was on the boat, I would be asking myself, "who is this guy?"

Paul is the man!

tp