Map of Mailing List Respondents from Week 1 of "Phone's for You!" (1/30/2011)

This is the map of our respondents for Week 1 of "Phone's for You!" The hole on the middle is where zip code lines are weird (we are calling by zip code). Most current stats for last week are 4400+ calls made and 407 mailing list respondents.

One thing we found interesting was the relatively even distribution, geographically, socio-economically, and ethnically. 

See also the official write-up on Week 1.

1/30/2011 Devotional Thoughts from 2 John... Know and Apply God's Word

Text: The Book of 2 John (NKJV)

     The Elder, To the elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth, and not only I, but also all those who have known the truth, 2 because of the truth which abides in us and will be with us forever: 3 Grace, mercy, and peace will be with you from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.
     4 I rejoiced greatly that I have found some of your children walking in truth, as we received commandment from the Father. 5 And now I plead with you, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment to you, but that which we have had from the beginning: that we love one another. 6 This is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, that as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it.
     7 For many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. 8 Look to yourselves, that we do not lose those things we worked for, but that we may receive a full reward. 9 Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son. 10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him; 11 for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds.
     12 Having many things to write to you, I did not wish to do so with paper and ink; but I hope to come to you and speak face to face, that our joy may be full. 13 The children of your elect sister greet you. Amen.

Devotional Thoughts and Commentary:

This book is incredibly short compared to most of those in the Bible; in fact, it is the shortest in the entire New Testament. At only one chapter, it can easily be read in one setting. Despite its brevity, it has three distinct sections in its organization.

The author, the Apostle John, introduced himself here as "the Elder." The Greek presbyteros is the root from which we get Presbyterian. It is  one of the three New Testament terms (pastor/shepherd, elder, bishop/overseer) used to describe those in pastoral leadership in local churches. Emphasizing his mature leadership, John wrote this to a church congregation with whom he was very familiar with and probably even had a personal relationship with it and its members. There is much debate among scholars as to who the "elect lady and her children" were. I believe that this letter was written to an actual woman and her children that hosted a house church. In the 1st Century AD, Christian churches usually met in individual's homes. While she would not have had authority in the church, as say, a pastor, she and her children would have exercised great authority as the owners of the home. I feel that this is the most natural, normal reading of the passage, since it is addressed to a lady and her children. Many interpret this as metaphorical speech for a church and its members, which it may be, but I just don't feel this view is the one best supported by the text.

In verses 5 and 6, John plead with the family to love one another. This would have had an even stronger impact with a church meeting in their home. It is often portrayed that Christians are to show love. That is true. John tells us that here. What is not commonly understood though is what that love really is in substance. John taught quite clearly here that loving one another means to obey God's Word. Does that mean sharing what we have with those in need? Yes, the Bible teaches that. Pretty much all people recognize this as part of Christianity. However, does this also mean confronting sin in the members of a church and removing them from the fellowship of the church if it comes to that? Yes, as in Galatians 6, Matthew 18,  and 2 Corinthians 5. Though we might not often think of this as loving, it is. The expression "tough love" is quite true. Sometimes what is best for a person and organization is not always the fuzzy emotion we associate with love. Thus, if we are to love one another, we have to know the totality of what the Bible says. That takes a lifetime of study and discipline.

Verse 7 tells us that there will be those who deny that Jesus Christ came in the flesh. Without going into too much depth on historical examples, this was and still is something that groups believe today. If someone or some group denies this, you need to remove yourself from them. Furthermore in verse 9, we see that the doctrine of Christ is core to Christianity. Christians need to study Christ and know Him. If someone is in error teaching about Him, we need to separate from them. (This part of the book also leads to my understanding of the recipient of the letter as a literal woman and her children. John wanted them to use their authority as the home hosts of the church to essentially bar the doors to false teachers.)

Applications:

The applications of this passage are clear. First, show love for others. In order to do this, you must study and master God's Word. Then you must have the courage to apply what you learn to your relationships with others. Second, know the doctrine (collection of Biblical teachings) of Christ. Do not associate with those who do not teach Him properly. Yes, it is that important.

How to Study the Bible for Yourself

Let's face it- the books of the Bible were written anywhere from 2000 to 4000 years ago. In reality, we are reading translations primarily from three original languages (Classical Hebrew, Aramaic, and Koine Greek). The culture of those times is long gone, and culture greatly impacts our language. Sometimes, we have the literal definitions to every word, but a phrase doesn't make sense because it is a cultural idiom (where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts). Use this as a resource hub for unraveling the Word of God, which is both understandable and beyond what our human minds can grasp.

This is the main page for basic Bible study techniques. We will explore why personal Bible study is important, develop a glossary of common terms that you will likely see in your Bible and this blog that are not so common in everyday speech, cover resources that are great Bible study aides, and some techniques for studying the Word of God.

"Herme- what?" How to Understand the Bible
Glossary of Not-So-Common Terms
The Importance of Personal Bible Study
A Christian's Guide to Studying and Applying the Old Testament
Introduction to Studying Parables 
(links coming...)
Bible Study Aides
Bible Study Basic Techniques

1/30/2011 Devotional Thoughts from Romans... The End without Christ (Romans 2:12-16)

Text: Romans 2:12-16 (NKJV)

12 For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law 13 (for not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified; 14 for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, 15 who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them) 16 in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.

Devotional Thoughts and Commentary:

Essentially, the point in verse 12 is building toward our understanding that everyone on Earth falls short of God's glory. The Gentiles did not have the Hebrew Law to establish a relationship with Him, and the Jews failed to meet the Law. The Jews will be the focus of Paul in the next section, so this is a bridge. As can be seen in the Book of Hebrews, the Law could not pay the price for sins or provide lasting resolution to the sin problem humanity has; rather, the Law shows people their sin. Christ was the fulfillment of the Old Testament as the only thing that could solve the sin problem.

Many Jews in this time felt that they would escape judgment because they possessed the Law. Paul refutes that in this section. As I mentioned yesterday, James 2:10 teaches that the transgression of one part of the Law makes a person guilty of all of it. To be a doer of the Law in this passage, the Israelite would have had to be perfect for their entire life in respect to the Law. Not much later (Romans 3:23), Paul will point out that everyone has sinned; thus, all Jews will be judged as if they had broken the entire Law, or been like the Gentiles who were without the Law. The Old Testament sacrifices could never cleanse people from sin. The Gentiles (non-Jews) of verses 14-15 are described by one commentator as "Gentiles who manifest in their behavior an innate awareness of God's moral demands."1 The reference alludes to those who, as prescribed in chapter 1, recognize at some level the moral demands built into them by their divine creator. For example, it is pretty much universally held in human culture that murder is wrong. Many animal species kill their own with no moral objection or consequence, yet human culture universally recognizes it as wrong. Why? Because they are doing by nature what was programmed into them as they were created in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1-2).

Finally, Paul, being commanded to preach the Gospel (Romans 1:1), reminds his readers that the final judgment will not be by the Old Testament Law but by Jesus Christ.

1. Douglas J. Moo,  The Epistle to the Romans, vol. 6 of The New International Commentary on the New Testament, ed. Ned B. Stonehouse, F.F. Bruce, and Gordon D. Fee (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1996), 151.

Applications:

This passage is one of those that we will encounter in the Book of Romans where the primary application is theological. By that, I mean that the primary application is the change our mindset to agree with what this passage teaches.

For those who do not have faith in Jesus Christ for salvation from eternal death, their actions will be condemned by Him who paid for their sins. For those who have accepted Christ for salvation, they will not be judged because there will be nothing to judge. Christ has taken all of their sin on Him and given them His righteousness.

Previous Devotional Enrichment from Romans

Pardon the Clutter!

Sorry for all the clutter on my Home page here. Blogger makes you create blog posts to use as stand-alone pages if you want to use tabs for easy navigation. They should be scrolled off the front page within a day or two.

From the Pastor...

Ministry Updates Page

Now, this part of my blog is to share some thoughts from the heart of a pastor and on the roller coaster ride that is being a church planter and/or Assistant Pastor. My focus will be less on what happens externally and more on what goes on internally.

• March 3, 2011: A Pastoral Interpretation of the SCOTUS Ruling on Westboro Baptist
• February 4, 2011: The Importance of Personal Bible Study
• January 27, 2011: No Thoughts Tonight

Ministry Updates from the Olts in Round Rock, Texas

I hope to keep everyone up-to-date on what is going on with the new church here in Round Rock, Texas, as well as what is going on in my ministry as the Assistant Pastor there.

May 2, 2011: One Month Later, North Hills Baptist Church
April 10, 2011: Week 3 Service- Praising the Lord!
April 3, 2011: Week 2 Service- Will anyone come back?
April 2, 2011: Grand Opening Service and Beyond
February 21, 2011: "Phone's for You!" Completed
January 30, 2011: Map of Mailing List Respondents from Week 1 of "Phone's for You!"
January 23, 2011: Phone's for You! ...Night 1

Personal Bible Study Enrichment: Master Page

I hope to use this blog as a place to supplement the personal Bible study of those at North Hills Baptist Church, in Round Rock, Texas; however, everyone is welcome here. This blog was started in late-January 2011, so it is a work in progress.

The Importance of Personal Bible Study

How to Study the Bible for Yourself

Active Study: Genesis

New Testament

Matthew

Mark (content coming...)

Luke (content coming...)
John
Acts
Romans
1 Corinthians
2 Corinthians
Galatians
Ephesians
Philippians
Colossians
1 Thessalonians
2 Thessalonians
1 Timothy
2 Timothy
Titus
Philemon
Hebrews
James
1 Peter
2 Peter
1 John
2 John
3 John
Jude
Revelation

Old Testament

A Christian's Guide to Studying and Applying the Old Testament

Genesis
Exodus
Leviticus
Numbers
Deuteronomy
Joshua
Judges
Ruth
1 Samuel
2 Samuel
1 Kings
2 Kings
1 Chronicles
2 Chronicles
Ezra
Nehemiah
Esther
Job
Psalms
Proverbs
Ecclesiastes (content coming...)
Song of Solomon (content coming...)
Isaiah
Jeremiah
Lamentations
Ezekiel
Daniel
Hosea
Joel
Amos
Obadiah
Jonah
Micah
Nahum
Habakkuk
Zephaniah
Haggai
Zechariah
Malachi

Devotional Thoughts on Romans

• 1/24/2011 Devotional Thoughts... Romans 1:1-7
• 1/25/2011 Devotional Thoughts... Romans 1:8-15
• 1/26/2011 Devotional Thoughts... Romans 1:16-17
• 1/27/2011 Devotional Thoughts... Guilty of Ignoring God (Romans 1:28-32)
• 1/29/2011 Devotional Thoughts... The Christian and Judging (Romans 2:1-11) 
• 1/30/2011 Devotional Thoughts... The End without Christ (Romans 2:12-16)

1/29/2011 Devotional Thoughts from Romans... The Christian and Judging (Romans 2:1-11)

Text: Romans 2:1-11 (NKJV)

Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. 2 But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things. 3 And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God? 4 Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? 5 But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, 6 who “will render to each one according to his deeds”: 7 eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; 8 but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness—indignation and wrath, 9 tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek; 10 but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 11 For there is no partiality with God.

Devotional Thoughts and Commentary:

Paul began the thought here with the idea that judgment by one human being of another is sinful. That being said, let us clarify a few things regarding this thought. Here, Paul is speaking to a more inclusive audience of both the Jews and Gentiles (all non-Jews), which is all people (there is great debate among Biblical scholars as to the audiences in chapters 1&2 that I won't go into great deal here over, but this is the position I take). Last section, Paul was focusing on the Gentiles as the Jews already corporately acknowledged the true God. In speaking to an audience with this new segment within early Christianity, this makes sense. The Judaizers were a group within the early church that tried to impose the Hebrew Law (from both the Old Testament and tradition) on Gentile Christians. In essence, they were judging the Christianity of non-Judaizers as inferior to their own. That aside, this passage fits harmoniously into the tightly knit structure of this book. Paul argued that really the greatest irony of people judging each other is that it is inescapably fraught with hypocrisy. We judge when we ourselves are guilty. James 2:10 provides some context, telling us that violating one part of the law (not committing adultery, for example) makes one guilty of the entire law. I will not digress far into that right now, but this logic implies that I am really incapable of non-hypocritical judgment. One the Righteous One has the right to judge people.

Well, this argumentation has led well into the common argument against Christians is that they are too judgmental. Certainly this is true at times, but the argument is really being used to justify excesses. In this case, Christians are warned against judging in a legal sense as God does from His Throne in Heaven and will do at the end of time. Essentially, we have no right to pass judgment. However- and this is a big however, Christians do need judge things in the sense of evaluation. I will list below (by no means comprehensive) some areas where judgment is directed for Christians:

• 1 Corinthians 11:13- Inference based on principles of Scripture
• Matthew 7- Common passage on not judging, yet one must see that Christ commanded His followers to judge themselves, your brother after righting yourself, metaphorical swine and dogs, the way to eternal life (i.e. other religions and philosophies), and false prophets. In the same chapter, Christ commands men to not judge each other and to evaluate false prophets by their word and deed.
• Matthew 18- Interpersonal offenses
• 1 Corinthians 5- Sin and sinners within the church
• 2 Corinthians 6:14- Spiritual status of individuals in order to decide who to partner with

Again, this list is no where near comprehensive. Christians do have to evaluate actions, ideas, and people. What they are not supposed to do is set themselves in the judgment seat. God is the Judge by virtue of who He is. We are not to usurp this, casting ourselves as lawgivers or authorities. Our judgment (evaluation) then is based on the Word of God. Outside of that, Christians have no place to judge. Does the Bible say homosexuality is sin? Then a Christian is right in judging when I do not let someone openly homosexual serve in leadership within the local church and confront them on their sin; however, for that same Christian to take a morally superior attitude and/or pronounce condemnation on that person is actually an act of sin. Who is the Christian to judge when Romans 3 tells us that there is no one righteous (except for Christ) and all have fallen short of God's glory?

Given the length of this blog and the purpose for which it is being written (basic devotional thoughts not deep theological analysis), I just want to hit on one more thing. In verses 5-8, we see that God will render to us according to our deeds (read Isaiah 64:6 for a hint of humility then). As referenced above to Romans 3, we will see that all of us have missed the mark. Without faith in Christ for salvation, everyone falls into the self-seeking / disobedient category. That does not bode well for those without such a relationship with Christ. He alone can save from the "righteous judgment of God" that deals "tribulation and anguish" as the punishment for sin.

Applications:

I would suggest trying to change your paradigm on judgment. Evaluation based on Scripture and taking an appropriate responsive action is right, whereas casting moral superiority and setting ourselves up as an authoritative judge is not. As with most things we see in the New Testament, the heart is most often the focus and not the outside behavior (see 1 Samuel 16:7). Consider your own heart and motives before ever evaluating another person or their actions.

Seek good! What is good? Bringing glory to God. How does one do that? There are many ways, such as sharing the good news of Jesus Christ, caring for the needy, or praising Him with our words.

Looking Back:

1/27/2011 Devotional Thoughts... Guilty of Ignoring God
1/26/2011 Devotional Thoughts... Romans 1:16-17
1/25/2011 Devotional Thoughts... Romans 1:8-15
1/24/2011 Devotional Thoughts... Romans 1:1-7

No Thoughts Tonight

That title probably carries more truth than I am willing to admit. The 1-hour drive through traffic each way for work today about killed me. When I got there in the morning, my blood pressure was so high I was having chest aching (step short of chest pain in my book) and I felt dizzy with a pounding headache. Laid down with deep breathing for about 15 minutes and that helped out. Got home and had to turn-and-burn for "Phone's for You!" calling, but I was crashing hard. I left after 61 calls (1 page). I will post tomorrow night and try to get caught up with an extra devotional post for the archives. If you are reading your Bible with me, pick a passage somewhere else to read like I did (the entire Book of Obadiah which is 1 chapter, if you don't care about the thoughts but still want to read the same thing as me), and we will get back on track tomorrow.

1/27/2011 Devotional Thoughts from Romans... Guilty of Ignoring God

Text: Romans 1:18-32 (NKJV)

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.
24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, 25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. 27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.
28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, 30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; 32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.

Devotional Thoughts and Commentary:

There is a whole bunch in this passage, and I hope that you spend some time of your own meditating on it (spending time thinking it over). What I want to focus on is the guilt of all people before God for ignoring Him.

Almost since Eden, mankind has looked at nature and seen god in it. Well, there was a sun god, a moon god, a tree god, etc. There was some level of truth to that, because the one true God is everywhere. He is in the rock, but the rock is not God. Anyway, Paul tells us here that God's wrath is turned against mankind because He has revealed Himself to humans and they have ignored Him. We see God in the beauty of His creation. Certainly not His fullness, but he can be seen there. Beauty, order, and design- three things present in creation. Neither evolution nor Big Bangs are able to account for the latter two. Francis Collins, the leader of the human genome project that only a few years back successfully decoded the human genome, wrote an outstanding book on the topic. While I don't necessarily endorse him or this book without reservation (questionable theology, if it is even worthy of that term, for example), the work is important as it shows the equality of intelligent design with the evolutionary hypothesis under the microscope of science and because it provides fascinating insight into the details of God's handiwork.

In the face of the general revealing of God through His creation, one can respond two ways- A) Reject Him completely, or B) Accept the divinity present. Underneath Option B, one can ascribe divinity to nature itself as discussed earlier and in verses 22-23 or one can believe in divine design.

The latter half of the passage helps us answer a fundamental question once someone accepts the logical proposition that there is an all-powerful God- Why are there bad things (evil) on earth? I will not answer that in entirety, if it can be completely answered, but I do think this passage provides us with a basic, correct answer. Bad things happen in the world because mankind sinned by rejecting God. Almost all bad things we experience on Earth are the direct result of human sin. You say, are natural disasters the result of sin? Yes. While not quite as directly caused as, say, murder, man lived without sin in Eden and without death. As we will explore in chapter 5 of Romans, it was there that sin entered the world and death came with that sin.

Applications:

Take some time to consider God as Creator. Yes, study some science. The human eye, cells, astronomy, Alaskan mountains- think of the order, design, and beauty inherent in them. It is too easy to just walk along in our lives as if we were blind. What good is sight if we don't take the time to enjoy what we can see? Take a few minutes to praise God for His amazing creation!

Working on letting go of any bitterness that you harbor against God for bad things you have experienced in life. That statement makes it sound like that is easy to do, but we need to understand that such anger is misplaced. Bad things happen because of our sin. Goodness comes from following Jesus Christ.

Look Back:

1/26/2011 Devotional Thoughts... Romans 1:16-17
1/25/2011 Devotional Thoughts... Romans 1:8-15
1/24/2011 Devotional Thoughts... Romans 1:1-7

1/26/2011 Devotional Thoughts... Romans 1:16-17

Text: Romans 1:16-17 (NKJV)

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”

Devotional Thoughts and Commentary:

These two verses really introduce the theme for this book and some of the most doctrinally significant verses in the entire New Testament.

First, let's note that Paul was not ashamed of this Gospel. He prayed for boldness in sharing it himself  (Ephesians 6:18-19), but he also visited the idea of not being ashamed of the Gospel elsewhere. Christians in his time faced almost certain persecution. Today, Christians become ashamed of the Gospel (embarrassed about it or not sharing it appropriately) for almost no reason. We psych ourselves out of sharing this good news because we are afraid of what people would think of us. Early Christians shared the Gospel and expected physical torture or execution for it. I fear that if Paul were to come to America today and evaluate our form of Christianity, he would declare that we are all effectively ashamed of the Gospel.

We must also recognize that the Gospel is "of Christ." The good news Christianity has to share is not about doing "good" in the world or being active in our society. Those are good things that Godly Christians should do, but they are not the Gospel. 1 Corinthians 15:1-8 clarifies the exact nature of this Gospel of Christ. That is the message of the church, or at least it should be.

Here is the kicker, this Gospel (good news) is the power of God to salvation. It is what gets it done. This dynamis (dunamis), in Greek, is a common term in the New Testament and in other extant Greek literature, but here it is incredibly special. Acceptance of the Gospel is all that we need for salvation. Awesome.

Another amazing thing to see here is the openness of the Gospel. During the time of God's plan with Israel before Christ, salvation was almost exclusive to the Israelites. Yes, outsiders could become proselytes, but that was comparatively rare. Christianity is found in this idea, that salvation was first offered to the Jews but now is open to all. Galatians 3:28 further illustrates this point. It doesn't matter if you are Jewish or not, master or slave- all that matters is faith in this Gospel of Christ. The ideas of faith and belief will become essential to our understanding of the rest of the book.

Look Back:

1/25/2011 Devotional Thoughts... Romans 1:8-15 
1/24/2011 Devotional Thoughts... Romans 1:1-7

1/25/2011 Devotional Thoughts... Romans 1:8-15

Text: Romans 1:8-15 (NKJV)

8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. 9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers, 10 making request if, by some means, now at last I may find a way in the will of God to come to you. 11 For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established— 12 that is, that I may be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.
13 Now I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that I often planned to come to you (but was hindered until now), that I might have some fruit among you also, just as among the other Gentiles. 14 I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise. 15 So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also.

Devotional Thoughts and Commentary:

Paul simply had to get something off of his chest, and that was that he was thankful for the Roman Christians as expressed through his prayers for them. Oftentimes in life, we forget to praise those with whom we work. I actually don't hold to the common theory that every single person has something praiseworthy about them, but I do think that it is true in most cases. If one looks in Revelation 2-3, the way the seven churches are addressed can give additional insight. Some were very praiseworthy, most had some good and some bad, and some just didn't have anything really good to say about them. When we dole out praise where there is nothing praiseworthy, we reinforce negative behavior, cheapen the praise for things truly praiseworthy, and make ourselves out to be liars. That being said, it is unfortunate that the act of praising others is often lost. It is easy to focus on the negative and assume that others know you are appreciative of their efforts or that they are valued. Hint: rarely do people assume positive things, but in the absence of other evidence, they almost always do assume the negative.

In verse 12, we see Paul refer to a "mutual faith." This is always something that has struck me throughout my well-traveled 27 years- Christians have an immediate bond of friendship regardless of anything else. I can meet a fellow Christian for the first time and have not only something in common but a bond. Here, the Apostle Paul finds himself on equal grounds with the average Christian in Rome. Though there are different offices of service (pastor, deacon, etc.), Christians are on a level playing field. Compared to Christ, as we will see in a few chapters, none are righteous and all have fallen short. That is all that matters, well, at least until we are made equal again by sharing Christ's righteousness. If it is His righteousness that I have, than who am I too think highly of myself?

The "personal" introduction section is concluded here in verse 15. Even in these 15 verses where he is pouring out his personal thoughts and heart desires (though inspired by God) the theology is incredibly dense. The soteriology (doctrine of salvation) information was heavily seeded into yesterday's reading and today's provided insight into prayer and spiritual leadership. One must also notice the ever-present "gospel" throughout the passage. Paul was seemingly obsessed with it, but isn't that really the point? If we had the good news of a solution to America's economic woes, wouldn't we be announcing it everywhere we went?

Applications:

Take some time to praise someone in your life, someone you often neglect in such matters. Take that a step further and express your appreciation for them through prayer. Thank God for those in your life, by name, that are encouraging and accomplishing great things.

Find another Christian you don't know personally and take a few minutes to share in the joy of a "mutual faith."

Look Back:

1/24/2011 Devotional Thoughts... Romans 1:1-7

 

 

1/24/2011 Devotional Thoughts... Romans 1:1-7

Text: Romans 1:1-7 (NKJV)

1 Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God 2 which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, 3 concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, 4 and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. 5 Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name, 6 among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ;

7 To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Devotional Thoughts and Commentary:

Note in verse 1 that Paul calls himself a bondservant, or literally a slave, of Jesus Christ. This transcended the Rabbi / Follower relationship that existed while he was on Earth. Roman and Greek culture well-understood what slavery meant, and they most likely would be taken aback by such a strong assertion. A slave gave up their will for total submission and service to the master. One of the great ironies found in Christianity is that true freedom comes from entering into slavery to Christ. It is not our will that matters, but His.

Paul began this letter with a greeting passage, much like in his other letters. This introduction though was far more than just introducing himself; rather, he took the opportunity to essentially present a condensed version of the Gospel (good news).

Verse 7, as well as other such statements in Scripture, I find very intriguing. In American culture today, greetings are merely a gloss, not taken seriously. It is easy to gloss over "Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ" as some fancy schmancy way of saying "Hi." Even the Hebrew "Shalom" is overshadowed by this weighty greeting. To the Christians in Rome, Paul commended grace and peace. Soon to be the seat of persecution against Christians, what peace did he want for them? What grace did God send them? Simply put, the Gospel- the good news of salvation through Christ, how He died sinless and was buried and resurrected. God loved the world to send His only Son to die for the sin-debt of all men from all time, and that is the only avenue to true peace. Commended peace in the face of a rising tide of persecution. What a faith!

Applications:


The most important thing to glean from this passage is the Gospel. If you don't know for sure that if you were to die today and go to be with Christ in Heaven, please please please make this your top priority. Contact me or talk to a Christian you know about it. If you are a Christian, please appreciate what Christ did you on the Cross.

Christians should also understand that the same grace and peace available to the Roman Christians is available to you. Will your life be roses and gumdrops? Probably not, especially over the long haul. Still, you should have peace knowing that a God Who loves you controls the future and guards your eternal destiny.

Look Ahead:

In the near future, we will be looking at the grace of God, weighty theology, and the work of God in Israel compared to His work with the rest of the world. Romans is really one of the most (probably the most) doctrinally dense books in the Bible. Take heart, read on, and pray for wisdom!

Phone's for You! ...Night 1

Tonight was the first night of the "Phone's for You!" campaign. It went very well for a first night, with only 1 experienced person there. Some interesting responses from many of the callers, but most were kind and respectful. I personally made 140 calls and had 16 sign-ups to receive our mailers. The group as a whole made roughly 700 phone calls with 45 mailer sign-ups.

If you are interested in the program or are willing to explore serving in this way, please watch the video and contact me to let me know.

Welcome!

For those of you who have not looked at my blog before, thank you for taking the time to check in! Please understand that this is, and probably forever will be, a work in progress.

I hope to use this blog in three ways for God's glory. First, I hope to provide some enrichment for your personal Bible study. If I miss doing this for a day on the blog (which I will probably miss many), it doesn't mean that I did not study the Word that day- it just means I was too busy to blog about it. I hope that this is a useful ministry to those who join with our church plant, especially those new to studying the Bible, but it is open to all who care to take a moment to look at what the Bible says. Navigate here by clicking on the "Personal Bible Study Enrichment" tab or right here. Second, I want to use this as a hub for those going through discipleship training with North Hills. Find this by clicking the "Discipleship Bible Reading" tab or here. Last, I want this blog to be something that can update people on our ministry in Round Rock, Texas, and provide some pastoral thoughts. Clicking the "From the Pastor..." tab will take you there. Please visit our church website at www.nhbcroundrock.org if you have questions about our church.

A little about me...

I was grew up in Grand Haven, Michigan, until I joined the Army straight out of high school. I served for almost 5 years in the Army as a Chaplain's Assistant (and so much more), leaving honorably as a Sergeant. I taught Social Studies to grades 3-12 at various times and was Lead Teacher at the Program for Academically Talented Students in Pensacola, Florida. Jennifer and I have been married since 2002, and we moved to Round Rock, Texas, in July 2010 to serve the Lord in the church plant here.

Rev. Phillip A. Olt (A.A., University of Alaska Anchorage; B.A. in History, M.Ed. in Educational Leadership, University of West Florida; M.Min. in Christian Ministry, additional graduate studies, Piedmont Baptist College)