My Summaries of Daily Bible Readings
November
"But for this book we could not know right from wrong." -Abraham Lincoln
Below you will find an audio version of my summaries of week 45 (11/5-11/11).
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November 1 (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Day 305)
We read how Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane in the Mount of Olives. In a stark contrast to when Jesus appeared to be sleeping in a very inopportune time back when the distressed disciples tried to wake Jesus as their boat was about to sink while surely thinking, "How could He sleep securely at such a time as this?" the disciples kept falling asleep as Jesus was distressed as He desperately prayed for the ability to resist temptation.
Then when Judas and a band of armed men approached their secret garden prayer spot, Peter bravely (and apparently single handedly attacked them with a sword. But instead of enabling the disciples' heroic attempt to defend their Master, Jesus stopped the conflict and healed His wounded enemy. When the disciples realized that their Champion was not going to show out with Divine Indignation, they fled in fear and dismay, doing just as Jesus had already prophesied that they would do. Jesus informed them that he could call all the help He needed for His deliverance, but that the power of darkness owned the moment. The guards led Jesus to the High Priest Caiaphas for questioning. Peter, who (I imagine) by remaining nearby Jesus, felt that he was proving himself more brave than the other absent disciples, subsequently, out of fear, no doubt, denied even knowing Jesus as he warmed himself by the fire.
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November 2 (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Day 306)
We read how Jesus was forced to stand before the council. Apparently Jesus' enemies only had a vague idea of how to carry out their diabolical plan. After they "captured" Him, even with a bountiful supply of liars, they could not establish any sustainable accusation that would justify their prejudicial condemnation of Him. Then in a rage the High Priest dishonored Jesus with a demanding challenge for Jesus to clear Himself of supposed guilt, but all they received from Him was a prophesy of a future event when He will be restored to His heavenly throne, they will surely regret this moment in a really big way. With that, they accused Him of blasphemy and condemned Him to death.
They did not announce their faulty verdict until the morning, probably to make it appear to the populous that all the proceedings were done lawfully. Probably because Jesus did not respond to the injustice with violence, Judas regretted his betrayal, declared to the priests that Jesus was innocent, and then committed suicide, but they were indifferent to his remorse and self-destruction. Peter also regretted his denials of knowing Jesus and went away weeping bitterly.
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November 3 (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Day 307)
We read about Roman governor Pilate's kangaroo court trial of Jesus. To accomplish their goal, the leading Jews needed to convince Pilate that Jesus was a threat to the Roman occupation. Superstitious Pilate tried to avoid condemning Jesus, but the Jews threatened to create a riot (the crime with which the Romans would respond most violently). Pilate was not normally in Jerusalem, but his assignment was to keep the peace during the crowded Jewish Passover Celebration. In his attempt to save Jesus' life he had Him beaten severely, hoping to win Him some sympathy, but this only added to Jesus' suffering.
Finally, Jesus (the One most worthy of all pleasure, comfort, honor, and respect) was cruelly mutilated, beaten mercilessly, humiliated, and degraded relentlessly until the torturers were too exhausted to carry on any further. Then He was turned over to the team of soldiers who were trained crucifiers. During all this abuse, Jesus never offered one word or thought of revenge.
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Plenty of irony can be found in Jesus' condemnation:
1. The Jews refused to enter (Gentile) Pilate's temporary headquarters to keep themselves "clean" for the Passover, yet they were guilty of blasphemy, the charge of which they accused Jesus.
2. Pilate's claim to have power of life and death over Jesus when it was really visa versa, and
3. Ultimately Jesus, whom the priest falsely testified to be an insurrectionist was traded for Barabbas who truly was a convicted insurrectionist and murderer.
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November 4 (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Day 308)
We read the account of Jesus' crucifixion. After Jesus was so severely beaten that He could no longer carry His cross the soldiers made a man who was unaware of the recent turn of events carry the it for Him. I can imagine that he was walking along repeatedly insisting to everyone, "Keep in mind that this is not my cross!" Jesus was nailed to the cross while the soldiers gambled for His clothing. Jesus prayed for their forgiveness and prepared for His mother's care by conscripting the Apostle John.
The religious leaders and spectators were hoping for some kind of display of power. Surely many people thought, "For someone who could do all that had been reported, God would certainly perform some tremendous rescue." The "rescue" was indeed "tremendous" because while Jesus seemed to be the One who needed rescuing He was actually the Hero who was trying to rescue His murderers (as well as rescuing all the people of all generations that put their saving faith in Him). However, the physical evidence of His royal death disappointed them. Then nature responded with darkness in the middle of the afternoon, an earthquake, the tearing apart of the Temple curtain in the Holy of Holies, and the resurrection of righteous people who walked right into Jerusalem, so that even a heathen Roman soldier declared, "Surely this was the Son of God."
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November 5 (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Day 309)
We read how the Jewish leaders, in their attempt to keep the Passover undefiled asked that those being crucified to have their death hastened by having the soldiers break their legs. But Jesus had already died more quickly than anyone had expected so none of His bones were broken, thus fulfilling prophesy of such. Two prominent Jewish leaders that had not consented to Jesus' condemnation received and buried His body in a new and borrowed tomb, also fulfilling prophesy of such.
Interestingly, it was the evil men (not His followers) that remembered when Jesus said that He would rise again in three days. In the end, this served to help validate the truth by their placement of unbelieving guards at the tomb's entrance.
On Sunday the ladies proved their superior bravery and loyalty over the male disciples by returning to the tomb as soon as the Sabbath Day's rest was complete. They found only angels present, that told them to go tell the good news to the disciples, "including Peter."
Peter and John ran to look and found their story to be true. Then they returned home, but Mary stayed. For her devotion she was blessed to be the first one to meet the resurrected Jesus.
The guards knew the truth, but were paid and promised protection from their superiors, to lie about what they saw. (I doubt that now, two millennia into their eternal damnation suffering, that they still think they made the right choice to go along with that plan).
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November 6 (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Day 310)
We read how two disappointed followers of Jesus were walking together away from the city discussing the seemingly tragic event of Jesus' death. Then they met a Stranger on the way that seemed to be unaware of the news. But after He explained how the prophets of long ago foretold about this event, they invited him into their home. While there Jesus revealed His identity to them as He broke the bread before he instantly disappeared.
The two friends quickly ran back to Jerusalem and met other disciples that had also seen Him. Then Jesus suddenly appeared in their midst. Eight days later Jesus convinced "doubting Thomas," who responded to Him in worship. Jesus accepted his worship then stated, "Blessed would be those of us that have believed without seeing." Jesus challenged Peter three times to lead His people.
Finally, Jesus enabled His followers to understand what had previously been hidden from them. He promised His disciples power from heaven if they would wait in the city for the Holy Spirit.
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November 7 (Mark, Luke, Acts, Day 311)
We read the account of Jesus' final words and His ascension. The disciples still thought that Jesus was going to free them from the Roman oppression and restore the throne of David. They replaced Judas with Matthias after Judas died a gruesome death when he botched his self imposed hanging that led to his full destruction on the rocks below.
The disciples waited and prayed as Jesus had instructed and the Holy Spirit came as promised. The Holy Spirit transformed the new believers into bold Gospel witnesses. This was most evident in Peter, who had formerly been afraid of a little girl's inquisitiveness, and is now standing to challenge the entire populous around him. As a result about three thousand souls were baptized and added to the church.
The believers willingly shared all that they had with the needy. They met daily in the Temple and were filled with joy. (Please compare this scenario with the behavior of the contemporary American church at large to measure the level of our departure from our roots.)
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November 8 (Acts, Day 312)
We read how Peter and John inadvertently stirred up a lot of trouble by healing a lame man through the name of Jesus. As the crowd grew larger Peter took the opportunity to preach the Gospel. When confronted by the religious leaders, Peter mightily proclaimed the power of the resurrected Jesus. The believers prayed for boldness and the Holy Spirit granted their request with such power that the building shook. They responded by selling their possessions to give the money to the poor. A couple seeking undeserved notoriety conspired together to lie about their supposed generosity and consequently met their untimely death.
The Apostles were arrested again for continuing their healing ministry in the name of Jesus. An angel released them from jail without opening any doors. They were subsequently arrested again and beaten. They accepted their persecution with joy. The church rapidly grew to over five thousand members.
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November 9 (Acts, Day 313)
We read about the clashing of opposing zealots. The Jewish religious leaders were zealous about maintaining their unethical use of power for personal gain, Stephen (and the other Christians) were zealous about serving God by spreading the Gospel, and Saul was fervently trying to serve God (howbeit, in error) by attempting to crush the spreading of the Gospel.
There arose a dispute in the church over perceived racial discrimination (imagine that!). In response the Apostles created a new position of leadership in the church called, "the deacon" to solve the problem. Stephen was among the first ones chosen to be a deacon. He frustrated the efforts of those who opposed the Gospel with a powerful defense of his faith. Unable to win their argument, they framed him with a lie. He was condemned and stoned to death, but not before he delivered a succinct lesson in Jewish history where he heralded Jesus as the object of the believers' hope by preaching that He was the Messiah who perfectly fulfilled all the prophecies made about Him.
Stephen's martyrdom was the very notable event that marked the beginning of the first great wave of persecution against Christians, led mostly by Saul of Tarsus, a highly educated and religiously devoted Pharisee.
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November 10 (Acts, Day 314)
We read that Saul of Tarsus' effort to destroy the Christian church caused the Gospel to spread even more. Phillip preached in Samaria. Then the Holy Spirit directed him to witness to an Ethiopian official in a moving carriage. After the Ethiopian's baptism Phillip was translated to another city where he continued to preach until Peter and John joined him.
Meanwhile, Saul received authority from the Jewish leaders to hunt down and return the Christians from the various cities to which they fled. On such a trip to Damascus Jesus in the form of a great light and with an audible voice directly confronted him. Now blinded and scared Saul waited three days, refusing food and water, until Ananias prayed for him to regain his sight.
Saul was baptized and he immediately began to preach the Gospel that he had previously been trying to destroy. He learned of a plot to kill him so he escaped to Jerusalem where Barnabas was the only one willing to accept and confirm Saul's (turned Paul's) conversion. Since his life was in danger the Apostles sent him back to his hometown of Tarsus.
Peter traveled around healing people and preaching the Gospel. He even was given the ability to raise a dead woman, causing many to believe his message.
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November 11 (Act, Day 315)
We read how God sent Peter to a Gentile family where he presented the Gospel and the Holy Spirit confirmed their acceptance into the heavenly kingdom when they believed. The Jewish Christian leaders originally criticized Peter for associating with Gentiles, (a Judean protocol), but recanted when he explained that God had accepted them in the same manner as He had accepted the Jewish converts.
Then they sent Barnabas to investigate the new ministry developing in Antioch (where the believers were first given the name "Christians.") After he encouraged them in their faith he went to retrieve Saul (Paul). A prophecy predicted a famine over all the Roman Empire, so the Christians began preparing by sending money to the believers in Judea.
Herod had James executed by the sword. (Recall that James and his brother John had previously told Jesus that they were able to bear the cup of suffering when they asked for high positions in the Kingdom-10/22 reading.) Herod also imprisoned Peter apparently with an intention to execute him as well because he realized how much this pleased the Jewish Leaders.
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Below you will find an audio version of my summaries of week 46 (11/12-11/18).
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November 12 (Acts, Day 316)
We read how Peter was miraculously delivered from a very secure prison by an angel of the Lord. Herod executed all the men guarding Peter because he figured that they let their prisoner escape. Then the Lord struck Herod with a horrible intestinal disease and he died a gruesome death soon after because he added to his many sins by accepting the people's worship as "one of the gods."
The Holy Spirit chose Barnabas and Paul to spread the Gospel outside Judea. Through their ministry many people professed their faith in Jesus. God confirmed the missionaries' message with miracles. The Jewish leaders were jealous of their popularity and were always trying to covertly create a riot to oppose the Gospel. Then with these enemies in hot pursuit Paul and Barnabus would flee to another town. Since the Jews at large rejected the Gospel, Paul began to preach to the Gentiles who were eager to be saved especially without having first to convert to Judaism. But when Paul healed a crippled man the pagans among them thought that he must be a god. They were confused as frustrated Paul tried to stop their worship. Then the Jewish zealots caught up to them and capitalized on the turmoil by having Paul stoned to death, or so they thought. But later he got up and went back into the town from where they had dragged him and left him for dead.
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November 13 (Acts, Galatians, Day 317)
We read that Paul and Barnabas returned to the various churches that they had started for the purpose of encouraging the believers to remain steadfast in their faith and to be ready to suffer hardships. They also began appointing elders in the churches as leaders. Then they returned to Antioch of Syria where their journey began, to give the believers there a report of how the Gentiles were also converting to Christianity.
Paul wrote the letter to the Galatians to remind them that their salvation came to them by faith, that it will remain with them only by faith, and that they should reject all other supposed "gospels" as fraudulent if they differ from the one he preached to them. In the letter Paul chronicled the events that led him to defend his faith even to the concerned Apostles who were struggling to accept the way that Christianity was changing their cultural paradigms.
Paul validated his ministry by stating that the Apostles found nothing that he needed to correct in his presentation of Christian doctrine. They were in favor of Paul targeting the Gentiles with the Gospel while they focused on reaching the Jews. Paul stated that the true children of Abraham are those people who believe God's word in the same way that Abraham did.
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November 14 (Galatians, Acts, Day 318)
We read Paul's letter to the Galatians, defending the doctrine of salvation through faith in Christ alone. False teachers deceived the Galatians by telling them that they needed to convert to Judaism before converting to Christianity. Paul used several analogies (the legal guardian, the orphan's (slave) caretaker, Abraham's two sons, and the institution of slavery), to express the truth of salvation through faith alone that followed centuries of people's failed attempts to attain lawful perfection.
The Antioch church was not convinced enough to accept Paul's teaching at face value, so they sent an entourage with Paul and Barnabas to Jerusalem to confirm his teaching. The Apostles agreed with Paul that circumcision did not contribute to salvation, but there were certain cultural compromises that they needed to make because their former practices were highly offensive to righteous Jews (eating food sacrificed to idols, sexual immorality, eating strangled meat, and consuming blood).
Paul taught how to properly restore a backslider and he encouraged everyone to watch their own behavior closely. Finally, Paul said, "Let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you will not be doing what your sinful nature craves." (Galatians 5:16 -NLT).
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November 15 (Acts, Day 319)
We read that the Apostles in Jerusalem wrote a letter to the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia documenting their opinion of what was required for them to be accepted into the church. Paul and Barnabas delivered the letter and stayed there to continue preaching the Gospel. While planning another missionary trip together they disputed whether or not John Mark should be brought along. Their disagreement was great enough to cause them to part ways. Paul found Timothy and they partnered to spread the Gospel while John Mark joined Barnabas.
Next, Paul and Silas went to preach in Philippi. Paul exorcised a demon possessed girl who made her masters quite a large profit with her accurate fortune telling ability. Having lost her demonic powers, her masters sought revenge against Paul for terminating their scheme. They stirred up a mob that resulted in Paul and Silas' being beaten and imprisoned. During their praise and worship session in the jail, God released them by use of an earthquake. When they denied themselves an easy escape the astonished warden asked them to lead him to salvation through faith in Jesus.
Upon their release, they traveled to Thessalonica, preaching all the way. Jealous Jews tried to capture them so they fled to Berea where they gathered more believers. The Jews from Thessalonica arrived there as well, but Paul escaped again by fleeing to Athens. He pled for Silas and Timothy to follow him.
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November 16 (Acts, 1 Thessalonians, Day 320)
We read that Paul made good use of his "free time." While waiting for Silas and Timothy he toured the various shrines to the false gods that the pagans worshiped. His Gospel presentation to the people got the attention of the city high councilmen. They were curious of his "strange message." He introduced God as the One they had been worshiping in ignorance. Paul told them that He was the One that made everything they see and even provided them with the life they were living. Everything was going well for Paul's evangelistic speech until he said that the Eternal Judge would be a man that was raised from the dead. At this, the meeting broke up, but not before several new believers joined Paul.
Paul traveled to Corinth and wrote a letter back to Thessalonica to encourage them not to lose their faith, but to live with the purpose of pleasing God. He pointed out that the proof of his authentic love for them was to be observed in the way he conducted himself while he was among them, by working beside them. Timothy caught up with Paul and cheered him with his report of how the Thessalonians were strong in the faith.
Finally, Paul instructed the Thessalonians on the events of Christ's return and the hope of the Resurrection.
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November 17 (1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, Acts, Day 321)
We read Paul's final advice in his first letter to the Thessalonians was to instruct them on how to respect their leaders and to care for the various types of members, to be sensitive to God's leading, to guard against deceivers, and to value what is good while abhorring what is evil.
In Paul's second letter to the Thessalonians he encouraged them to endure persecution knowing that Jesus will set everyone straight when He returns. He assured them that he was praying for them. He then explained that Jesus had not yet returned and that evil behaviors of the unbelievers would grow much worse before Jesus returns.
Paul encouraged them to remain patiently faithful, remembering the lessons that he taught them. He asked them to pray for his Gospel sharing efforts. He reminded them of his work ethic among them and told them not to reward lazy people.
Silas and Timothy caught up with Paul in Corinth. The Jewish leadership tried to get Paul in trouble with the governor of Achaia for his preaching of the Gospel, but they failed, because this ruler was indifferent to religious arguments. As a result, Paul was free to preach unhindered for some time. Then he headed for Syria, taking along Priscilla and Aquila, passing through the cities where he had formerly planted churches so that he could reinforce their faith.
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November 18 (Acts, 1 Corinthians, Day 322)
We read how Priscilla and Aquila instructed a gifted speaker named Apollos who was missing some important parts of the Gospel narrative in his preaching. They sent him to Achaia with their recommendation. Meanwhile Paul was traveling through the interior regions where he found believers who only knew part of the Gospel.
God gave Paul the miraculous ability to heal those that had touched one of his handkerchiefs.
Paul wrote a letter to the Corinthian Christians to encourage them to mature in their faith. In the letter Paul describes the essence of Godly wisdom. The wisdom of God is spiritual so carnally minded people cannot attain it.
Finally, Paul warned those who fantasize that freedom in Christ is a license to sin by stating, "...but on Judgment Day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person's work had any value. If the work survives God's testing, the builder will receive a reward. But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss, but not the loss of his/her soul. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames."
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Below you will find an audio version of my summaries of week 47 (11/19-11/25).
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November 19 (1 Corinthians, Day 323)
We continue reading Paul's letter to the Corinthians. He stated that, "...He [Jesus] will bring our darkest secrets to light and will reveal our private motives. Then God will give to each one whatever praise is due." Paul sarcastically acted jealous of their (imagined) prestige while admitting the injustices that he, Silas, and Timothy have had to shamefully endure as "low-lifers," while confronting their toleration of sexual immorality present among the members of the church. He promoted shunning of those that live in willful disobedience. He stated that we are not to judge the unbelievers, but that we are to judge the openly unrepentant believer who regularly attends church.
Paul stated the sober reality of the eternally serious consequences of indulging in unrepentant willful rebellion by declaring that "...none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God."
Finally, Paul encouraged single people to marry only if they were unable to remain chaste, because it would afford them more time and energy to serve the Lord. In addition, while not promoting divorce, he said that an unbelieving spouse should be allowed to leave if he/she so desires.
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November 20 (1 Corinthians, Day 324)
We read more of Paul's letter to the Corinthians concerning personal rights versus self-sacrifice to promote the Gospel and encourage spiritual harmony among believers holding various contrasting opinions about things that are not clearly defined in Scripture.
While no one can simultaneously worship God and idols, the food that was dedicated to both was really valid only with God, since idols are just vain imaginations. But for the one that had formerly placed his/her faith in idols, they are real and his/her conscience should not be violated by those who see no harm in it.
He reminded them to look at history to learn lessons that will warn against bad behavior concerning God's will. Paul urged the readers to do everything they do for the glory of God. He knows everyone's heart and He will accurately judge each individual's intentions.
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November 21 (1 Corinthians, Day 325)
We read Paul's instructions for clothing protocol in the house of worship. He closes his thought with a phrase that indicated that he was promoting prudent behavior that was drawn from within the cultural standard of his day, not necessarily as a Scriptural commandment. However, Paul gave instructions that are imperative for all generations about the people's conduct during the Lord's Supper observance.
Paul taught the proper manner for the believer's use of the Holy Spirit endowed supernatural gifts. He pointed out that God purposed for the gifts to be practiced tempered with a servant's humble attitude to meet the needs of others, rather than to promote the glory of the gifted one. He stressed the equal value of each member's contribution even if some were not as exciting or glamorous as others.
Finally, Paul declared the supreme essence of practicing love for others, over all other personal sacrifices, donations, and works.
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November 22 (1 Corinthians, Day 326)
We read Paul's instructions on worship protocol. Love should permeate every action. Speaking in other languages is not as beneficial to the congregation as prophesy if there is no interpreter. He suggested that the believer seek to possess gifts that will build up the whole church body. He would rather speak five intelligible words than many of an unknown language. The speaking of other languages is for the benefit of unbelieving foreigners (1 Corinthians 14:22). Prophecy is for the benefit of the believers. Paul taught that the worship service must maintain order because confusion is counterproductive.
Paul answered the challenge that "there would be no resurrection of the dead" by pointing out that Jesus was the preeminent One of all those raised from the dead and that if it were true that He did not rise then it is a waste of time for believers to profess faith in Him. Adam brought death to the human race, but Jesus brought life. Paul urged believers to shun those who did not believe in the resurrection. He then went on to explain about the varieties of body compositions and encouraged his readers to have hope in the second coming of Christ.
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November 23 (1 Corinthians, Acts, Romans, Day 327)
We read Paul's idea about collecting funds for the Jerusalem Church. He instructed them to practice proper Christian behavior.
In Ephesus there was nearly a riot because Paul's preaching that "idols were not gods" hurt the sales of statues. Fear of a Roman government disciplinary reprisal dispersed the crowd. After this, Paul encouraged the believers and moved on to Macedonia and Greece.
Next, we read the beginning of his letter to the believers in Rome. He taught that Jesus was God's Son, whom God raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit, had appointed Paul to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles so that they would believe, obey, and bring Him glory. He expressed his desire to be with them so that he could share the benefits of his spiritual gifts with them and see their subsequent spiritual fruit. He reminded them that salvation begins and ends with faith.
Finally, Paul exposed how the sinful behavior of unbelievers blocked their ability to see and understand God's truth, which in turn resulted in God's removal of restraint over their actions. Because of this, their sinfulness sank to shameful levels of debauchery and wickedness.
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November 24 (Romans, Day 328)
We read part of Paul's letter to the Romans where he explained that all have sinned and there is not, nor has there ever been anyone righteous in human history! He confirmed the fact by pointing out that the laws of God recorded by Moses are also in the conscience of each person in every culture. He warned about Jesus as the Judge of their secret life and that unseemly foreign believers will prove to be more righteous than the religious elite on the Day of Judgment because they obeyed what they knew was right without having the Torah.
One purpose of the Law (which is an exact representation of God's essence) is to expose just how sinful all humans are. Paul wrote that to be made right with God we must place our faith for salvation in Jesus Christ. So like Abraham, who was made right with God, believed before he was circumcised, we to can be saved without following the Law perfectly. Although a saved person will want their new essence (the Holy Spirit of God who dwells within) to have full control of their being, which will result in their progressive sanctification. So anyone who believes God and has faith in Jesus is a true child of Abraham.
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November 25 (Romans, Day 329)
We read from Paul's letter to the Christians in Rome where he said that our faith in Jesus' sacrifice will bring us joy because with forgiveness comes the indwelling of God's Holy Spirit. He compared and contrasted Adam's evil act that brought death to all that follow him through human birth (his descendants), and Jesus' righteous act that brought life to all that follow Him through spiritual birth.
He also compared and contrasted slavery and freedom. Unbelievers are slaves to sin (and even believers will always be subject to its temptations), and believers are slaves to righteousness. Sin is true slavery, but righteousness brings freedom to choose better because the believer's mind is filled with good thoughts rather than evil.
He taught that the Law was a standard that served to expose our inability to be perfect. Now believers can serve God, not by trying to earn his/her salvation, but by willingly doing what pleases the Holy Spirit of God. Paul lamented the struggle that he also suffered from sinful desires and temptations and longed for the day of his ultimate freedom.
Finally, Paul, speaking about being an heir of God's glory stated, "But if we are to share in His glory, we must also share in His suffering." (Romans 8:17 -NLT)
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Below you will find an audio version of my summaries of week 48 (11/26-12/2).
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November 26 (Romans, Day 330)
We read more of Paul's letter to the Roman Christians. Continuing his statement about sharing in the sufferings of Christ, he revealed that a reward of sharing in His glory is promised for those who are truly His (and only He knows the secret ownership of a person's soul). All creation is distressed by the corruption that Adam's sin incurred and longs to return to the perfection that it once enjoyed. Paul reminded the believers that the same love that motivated God to sacrifice His Son will remain with us forever, so that no matter what happens to us, we will arrive victoriously in heaven.
Paul taught that authentic Israelite membership is not based on the "blood line," rather it is based on the "faith line" (if you will) and that God made His choice even before the profession of such faith could be made. He acknowledged that some might cry, "Foul!", but that no one has any right to make such a judgment against Him. Rather than basing His choice on ethnicity, God is basing His choice on the believer's faith in Him.
The good news is that the family tie (of faith in Jesus' vicarious sacrifice) is available to any human, anywhere, of any language, status, culture, or generation while he/she is alive. This is truly the reality of which we ought to be most thankful.
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November 27 (Romans, Day 331)
We read how Paul encouraged the Gentile believers to be humble because God sent him to them when the Israelites (at large) rejected Jesus, and He will do the same to them in reverse if their arrogance turns their hearts away from Jesus. There is a number of Gentiles yet to be reached before God softens the hearts of the Jews for wide-scale salvation (Romans 11:25).
Paul taught that a true act of worship is in using our bodies for right living. He encouraged the believers to live in harmony with each other. He taught them to respect authority. He encouraged Christians to behave prudently as Paul believed that Jesus would return during his lifetime.
Finally, for matters of the conscience, he taught that it is better for a believer to behave cautiously rather than carelessly because for a believer to do anything that he/she knows is wrong is a sin.
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November 28 (Romans, 2 Corinthians, Day 332)
We read Paul's encouragement for believers to live in service to others because even Jesus (who deserved to expect His preferences to be obeyed without hesitation) did not demand His way. Paul sad that the Scriptures teaches, gives us hope, and encouragement so that we will continue to wait patiently for God.
Paul referenced Scripture that prophesied that the Gentiles would be included in the eternal praise of God. He shared his intended plans and greeted the believers. He taught that false teachers should be shunned.
Next, we begin reading the second letter that Paul wrote to the Corinthians. He praised God's method of sharing comfort from one person to another as believes share in the struggles of the Christian life. He informed them of the reason for his change plans.
Finally, he reminded the believers that it is God who enables us to stand firm in the faith and that His Holy Spirit who indwells us is proof that He will honor all His promises in due time.
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November 29 (2 Corinthians, Day 333)
We read Paul's pleading for the Corinthian believers to continue following him and the other spiritual leaders in the way that they demonstrated their walk with Christ as an encouragement to the saved while recognizing that they are a stench to those who do not want to hear about their coming eternal judgment.
Paul described the new covenant of the indwelling Holy Spirit as being far more glorious than the Mosaic Law. The Law brought death but the New Covenant brings life.
Unfortunately, Satan has blinded unbelievers from this truth. However, despite the hardships and abuse, Paul and the other leaders never gave up because God has and will continue to receive greater glory from every new soul saved. He reminded them that the universal goal of all believers is to please Christ, knowing that God will assess all believers' behavior. He said that God uses us as His voice to the lost, so do not abandon the calling because today is the day of salvation to those who hear and believe.
Rather than holding up a certification or degree, Paul asserted that his qualification as a leader was proved by the manner in which he lives his life as a servant of Christ.
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November 30 (2 Corinthians, Day 334)
We read more of Paul's letter to the Corinthians about not being too closely associated with nonbelievers. He commended the church for their repentance of the thing of which he had formerly chastised them. He taught that God wants believers to experience the kind of sorrow that leads toward righteous living and away from sin.
Paul expressed joy in the believers' maturity as evidenced by their generosity in giving to others. He reminded them that Jesus, who was rich became poor for their sake. Paul named several people who would ensure that the gift would be delivered as expected. He encouraged them to give willingly and in due time they would be blessed. In this way the body of believers abroad would support each other when they are in need. By giving, the recipients would glorify God and this would prove that they were obedient to the Lord (thereby adding evidence that they really were saved).
Paul defended his authority to admonish and correct them because he was the one who first brought them the Gospel and because of the authority that the Lord had given him so that the church would grow. He refused to boast in any other qualifications than those that fell within the scope of his work in their church.
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