Category: New Testament (Page 1 of 2)

In His last commission to His disciples, Jesus said: Mt. 28:19…

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations… teaching (didaskale) them to observe everything that I have commanded you…..”

Introduction

C.S. Lewis once wrote that there are two equal and opposite errors into which we can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe and feel an unhealthy interest in them. Both these perspectives can be dangerous. But Scott Hubbard says it is important to articulate that the church of Jesus, near and far, at home and abroad, is in a global war against the gates of hell. There is a battle for Christian minds, as Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:4-6. Satan has “blinded the minds of the unbelieving” (v. 4), and he tries to put Christians in the “fog” whenever he can. I believe this fog begins to disappear significantly through our teaching when our students and their communities are transformed out of the spiritual darkness into the light of the new creation.

Contents

1. The circumstances of the Macedonian churches as background
2. Habitat for God to work
3. They become Superlative people
4. The grace of God
5. The churches of Macedonia gave themselves to God
6. In closing

2 Korintiërs 8:1-5

Broers, ons wil hê julle moet weet van die genade wat die gemeentes in Masedonië van God ontvang het.

Al was hulle swaar beproef deur verdrukking, hulle blydskap was oorvloedig;  en al was hulle baie arm [die woord wat Paulus gebruik, is “diep arm”], was hulle ryk in hulle oorvloedige vrygewigheid.

Ek verseker julle hulle het na vermoë, ja, bo vermoë, bygedra.

Uit eie beweging het hulle by ons daarop aangedring om te mag deel in die liefdeswerk van hulpverlening aan die gelowiges in Judea.

Dit was meer as wat ons verwag het, want eers het hulle hulleself aan die Here gegee en toe aan ons.  Dit is soos God dit wil.

There will always be doubt

Doubt was and will always be one of life’s challenges. Our world has never been without the temptation to doubt.

In the beginning, we find the snake’s question to Eve: “Did God really tell you not to eat fruit from any tree in the garden” (Gen 3:1). This question was intended to suggest something along the lines of: “Is God really so nasty in that He does not allow you to eat the fruit from all the trees?” With this question the Devil created the perception that God is not good and sowed doubt in her heart.

The Devil even approached Jesus to plant a seed of doubt when he tempted Him: “If you are God’s Son, order these stones to turn into bread.”   After having spent forty days and nights in the desert without food, the Devil tempted a fragile and hungry Jesus with doubt. It was a temptation to go for a shortcut and to tempt God to prove his care for his Son and his Son’s mission.

The world has never been without doubt: doubt in God’s goodness, love and His involvement in this disastrous world and in our own endangered personal lives. People usually ask many “why” questions when things go wrong and events happen which is seemingly against the belief in an almighty and loving God.

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The demands of being a pastor can be overwhelming. Even pastors, like Paul, who faithfully pray, study the Bible and avoid moral lapses are not immune to fatigue (2 Cor 11: 23-33). In verse 28 he says: “Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches”. How can you minister successfully over the long haul without burning out? We can learn certain principles from the apostle Paul:

1. Know your strengths, weaknesses and limitations
Strong leaders understand how God has put them together. In 1 Corinthians  2:3 Paul says: I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. Often leaders must experience pain, failure and crisis to fully understand their limitations. The truth is that those experiences can result in humility plus a deeper understanding of strengths and weaknesses. These leaders know how much emotional input they need and the level of ministry output they are capable of sustaining over time. That is why Paul could say his ministry was not like that of Apollos and Cephas; each had their strengths and weaknesses but ultimately they were servants of Christ (1 Cor 1:12; 3:5). He didn’t always have wisdom and the gift of persuasiveness, but he had a demonstration of the Spirit’s power.

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Passover is the most important Christian festival of the Christian year. But Christmas itself has now outstripped Passover in popular culture as the real celebration of the year – a move contrary to the New Testament’s emphasis. Jesus’ death on the cross on Passover is the fulfilment of the manger. The shadow of the cross falls over the manger and the cross was made out of the wood of Jesus’ manger. Passover is the moment when God’s new world started growing like green grass through the thick concrete of death, evil and injustice (N.T. Wright).

All languages about the future is an effort to set up signposts pointing into a foggy future. We see through a glass darkly, says Paul, as we peer towards the future. But with the first Christmas (4 BC) God came forward in Jesus in the first person, out of the fog or mist of God’s space. Jesus stepped out of the metaphysical world of God’s space to meet us and reveal God’s blueprint for His creation.