24 Nov (Phil 1-2)

Paul wrote this book to the people of Philippi while in prison in Rome. If you remember, in Acts 16, Paul and Silas were jailed in Philippi and sang songs of praise while in prison. They were saved by God and converted the jailer and his household because of it.

Paul is in prison once again, but in Rome, and he's writing this last letter to the people of Phillipi to thank them for their prayers and love.

Chuck Smith summarizes this book best in his Bible Commentary:

Philippians is a special book that shows us how to live above the present circumstances, rising above adversity not just by surviving, but by thriving in the joy of the LORD.

Philippians 1

(v.9) We grow in Christ by learning His Word and gaining His wisdom and discernment.

(v.12) We don't always understand why God allows hard times in our lives. Here is another great example for us to see...it took Paul being in prison to write these wonderful epistles to the churches. If Paul wasn't in prison, he would have kept going from church to church, and speaking to them in person. We would not have had the historical documentation of what he wrote unless he was forced to sit still.

God has His purposes!!!

(v.21) What a life it is to be a Christian! If we live on earth, we have the opportunity to serve Him by loving and serving others. If we die, then we are with Him! We know that we will end up with Him someday, so make the most of the opportunities He gives us today!

(v.27) If you put people together that are walking with the LORD, there will be harmony. For our template and instruction manual is the same...the Bible. If we put others' needs before our own, then we will live more joyful and productive lives.

Philippians 2

(v.3) If we put the word, OTHERS, as the focus of our lives, then we will be serving the LORD!

(v.6) We can't fully understand the Trinity, but I try to give my kids something to grasp:

God the Father ~ the mind/brain

God the Son ~ the body

God the Spirit ~ the spirit/soul

As it says in Gen 1:27 that God created us in His own image, having a mind, body and soul. All parts of these are still us, just as the parts of the Trinity are One God.

(v.10) All of us, individually, will bow before Christ and give account for our lives. If we are saved by our faith, then we will have rewards for the works of God that we did. But if we are not saved, then our sins will be judged by the Law, and we will be sent to hell. Start with yourself, and make sure you are saved by a true faith in Christ, then work on witnessing to others.

Some cults try to say that this verse shows that Jesus isn't God, but they fail to see all the many verses throughout the Bible that declare the deity of Jesus. Plus, here it just says that our worship of Jesus is glorifying the Father...that makes sense, since the Father sent His Son to save us!

23 Nov (Eph 5-6)

Ephesians 5

(v.1) Those of us who have children, we see that they imitate us. Whether it be acting like they're on the phone, talking in a certain way (hopefully not badly) or any other imitation. They are watching us, and we need to remember that. Paul here is using that model to have us imitate Christ.

(v.3) Paul lists many sins that we have done over our lifetimes, and the purpose is for us to not be in a habit of these things. We will always be sinners on this earth, but we will sin less with the Holy Spirit working in us. If He is working in us, sinning won't be as fun or as enticing.

(v.7) We as parents need to keep track of who our kids play and hang out with. The ideal is for our kids to be friends with other believing children.

(v.8) I always like to use this illustration of what Paul is saying here, by telling my kids that the sun is the light source, and the moon reflects that light in the darkness. God is the sun, and we are the moon...reflecting God's light in the darkness!

(v.11) So many people say, Don't judge me! This is a self-preservation ploy to take the light off their sin. We are to rebuke our family and friends of their sins, but only God judges. But as Paul says here, we are free to identify and expose bad actions and words for what they are...bad. God wants us to be discerning and act accordingly.

(v.16) Redeeming the time...this is like Carpe Diem, the Latin into English, means Seize the day!

We are here at this time in history for a purpose. We have to make the most of what God puts in our paths. That may be just loving and serving our family and friends, or all the way to doing missionary work abroad. Figure out what God has for us to do, and do it!

(v.17) The more we pray and read the Bible, the more we will know what God's will for us is.

(v.22) This is always a sore subject with women, but if they really understand what God is saying here, it makes sense. Jesus is the Groom, and we are the Bride of Christ. We submit to Him, so God has made that template here in marriage. The wives are vital and equal partners in the marriage, but they are to submit to the authority of the husband...like the Church does with Christ.

(v.25) In order for wives to submit, they need to have a husband who is godly. A godly husband will give up his self interests, and love and serve his wife like Christ did for His Bride.

So what we have here, is a reciprocating order, where the Husband gives His life for the Bride, and the Bride loves and submits to the Husband...both are being loved and served at the same time!

(v.32) Back in the Old Testament times, the Church was not seen by the prophets. They wrote of these things, not knowing fully what it meant. God was laying down the Word to show us that He planned to save the whole world...not just the Jews...from sin.

Ephesians 6

(v.1) My kids laugh and smile when I read this to them! They know that they are to obey their parents, but like us parents, we don't always obey our Heavenly Father either! The key is to keep trying and focusing on obedience. When we are walking with God, we have freedom that we never believed was possible!

(v.4) An abusive or domineering father is evil. We are to be firm with our kids, but loving at the same time. Our kids need to see both sides of us.

(v.11) We are at war...the instruments being fought for by God and the devil. In order for us to stay in step with God, we need to do the following:

Gird your waste with truth ~ Know what the Truth is and focus on it

Put on the breastplate of righteousness ~ We have righteousness in our faith in Christ

Shod your feet with the Gospel ~ We are to witness to others the Good News of Christ's work
Take the shield of faith ~ Our faith wards off the devil's attempts to take us away

Take the helmet of salvation ~ We are saved, and we protect ourselves in Christ's work

The Sword of the Spirit ~ The Word of God is a double edged sword, convicting the soul

Praying always ~ It's near impossible to sin when we are praying

If we are going into battle, we need to do these things daily, BEFORE we enter the battle!

11 Nov (Rom 5-7)

Romans 5

(v.3) Do we look forward to problems in our lives? Of course not, but when they come, we should look at them as opportunities to be used by God. We have the honor to be be molded by Him to be more like Christ. And if we look back at our problems we had, and when we let God use us and guide us through them, we are better for it! James 1:2

(v.7) Is there someone you would die for? Probably your kids, your family, and some friends you know. Would you die for a person you just met? Or even someone you never met?

Jesus died for all mankind...that is love! He died for all, but in the end, it will be only the ones who understood that and were grateful for that love, that will it benefit. When we are His, He calls us His friends. John 15:15

Jesus died for His friends...John 15:13

(v.19) This verse summarizes the Bible completely...Since Adam and Eve sinned, mankind was born with a sinful nature. We were doomed to hell in our sins, since none could be holy enough to abide with God in heaven. But that's the reason that God had to provide us the way back to Him...and He did it with Himself...the person named Jesus. By His act of obedience to the Law and the holiness of God, He died sinless, and took on our sin for us. Therefore, we who believe and live in faith with that, are deemed sinless as well by the cleansing blood of His Son.

Romans 6

(v.3) Water baptism does not save us. Baptizing a baby is only a ceremony...it doesn't save that child. All children are saved until they reach an age of accountability...roughly in their early teens. So when we do water baptism, it is a public display of our death to sin, and rebirth in Spirit. The baptism of the Spirit is what counts...and that can only happen when we are older and can readily accept what it means.

(v.7) We who have accepted Christ as our Lord and Savior, have died to sin. We no longer are controlled by sin. Because we have God's Spirit in us, we are able to overcome sin and temptation.

(v.12) Men have the hardest time with this one...we are attracted to things with our eyes. For the most part, women love a man who can communicate and tell them his love and share his life with them in discussion.

(v.14) By the grace of God, we have His Spirit working in us, and we can overcome sin!

(v.18) This is why Paul talked so directly in the first chapter of this book...homosexuals live a lifestyle and life of sin. We all sin, but homosexuals live under the power of sin. Of course, heterosexuals do as well, if we let money or fame have control over us. Any lifestyle or passion that is put above the love for God is sin.

(v.23) Repeat this verse to yourself and your kids...it summarizes this whole chapter!

Romans 7

(v.7) We don't know good unless we know bad first. We can't know if something tastes good, unless we are used to eating bad things. That is why God allowed evil to enter the world...to show us what we don't want, and for us to go to Him to have good.

(v.23) Our flesh keeps fighting our spirit that is trying to be more Christ-like. It is a constant battle that will endure until we are with Jesus in heaven. After we are justified to the Father by the faith in His Son, we go through the rest of our lives being sanctified, or molded, to be more like Christ. This process is an ebb and flow, but it must be a constant one-way journey. If we are born again, then we won't take time out and sin like we did for a season. Sure, we will slip and fall on occasion, but our path must be forward. Matt 7:13-14

6 Nov (2 Cor 3-5)

2 Corinthians 3

(v.6) I like to take notice that Paul mentions the new covenant, and how the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. This is a direct distinction between the Law and the Gospel. Jesus made a new covenant with mankind, where faith brings life. Matt 26:28 The Law, in itself, shows us our doom to death since we can't keep it perfectly. However, the beauty of the Gospel, is that by faith, we are saved.

(v.14) The veil here has a double meaning...typology is being used again. In Matt 27:51 as Jesus died on the cross, the veil was torn in two, from top to bottom. That veil was the partition that separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the Temple. Only the High Priest was allowed to go in there, and only once a year, to act as intercession for the people. Jesus wiped that all away, by dying in our place, and removing the barrier between us and the Father. Now, we don't need a pastor, or priest, to pray and intercede for us...we can pray and talk directly with the Father ourselves!

2 Corinthians 4

(v.6) This is a great point to make with our kids...God created light out from the darkness, and so are we when we are born again. We believers are light in a dark world. Gen 1:2-3

(v.14) This is another reference to the Rapture.

(v.16) Even though our bodies are dying, our spirits are growing when we walk with the LORD. God is preparing us for eternity with Him!!!

2 Corinthians 5

(v.1) I explain to my kids again, that God will use our DNA to create our heavenly bodies. The body we have today is cursed with sin, and is dying. But the one He creates for us in heaven will be done by His hands, and without sin and death!

(v.8) This verse is often cited at funerals, and rightly so. If a loved one who is a believer dies, they are immediately in heaven with Jesus! That is reason to celebrate and be happy for them. But since we are still here on earth, and we will miss that loved one until we join him/her in heaven, we are sad. We must try to focus on the positive, and realize that to be in heaven is our goal, and our joyful destination!

(v.10) The judgment seat of Christ is called, in Greek, the Bema Seat. This is what we see in the Olympics when the medals are handed out...the athletes stand on this and receive their rewards. We will have the same moment with Christ. He will view our whole life, and the things that weren't done for His glory will burn, but the things we did for His glory, they will be rewarded with crowns. 1 Cor 9:25

(v.20) Our kids (and us adults) need to remember that if we proclaim to be believers and followers of Christ, then we are His ambassadors of His on earth. This comes with great responsibility. I believe this is what the Third Commandment is all about...if we take the name of our King, then we need to represent Him purely and righteously to others! Exo 20:7

4 Nov (1 Cor 15-16)

1 Corinthians 15

(v.3) In case you don't know, or wish to have your kids understand the Gospel in definition, Paul gives it to us plainly:

1. Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures...I stress that Christ fulfilled prophecy since the Jews of that day and many throughout history don't see that Christ was spoken about in detail all through the Old Testament.

2. ...and that He was buried...Christ actually died and was buried. He didn't get revived in the grave, but was dead and God brought Him back to life.

3. ...and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures. Jesus told the disciples many times He would be killed and rise again in three days. Also, He gave the Pharisees notice that like Jonah, He would die and be alive again in three days. Matt 12:39, 16:4

Verses 5-8 show us that there were eye witnesses, and not just a few, but hundreds...this shows us that this wasn't made up. For if there was any falsehood in these statements, there were people still alive that could refute it...but none did.

(v.12) We often focus on the death of Christ, but not the resurrection. They are both important. Jesus' death on the cross justified us back to the Father. But without His resurrection, we would be lost in death. We needed our Savior to live again so we can follow Him and live again!

(v.22) Adam's sin cursed all of us to be sentenced to hell. But Christ's death and resurrection washes away that curse, and we are alive in Him by faith.

(v.36) Paul uses an illustration that makes sense to the people of that time...farming. A seed is not alive...it is dead. When it is buried in the ground, it will become alive again and bear fruit. Does this sound familiar? When we are born again, we are truly alive, and we bear fruit by our faith and works.

(v.44) Once again, we see why the disciples didn't recognize Jesus after the Resurrection...He was in His heavenly body. God will take one piece of our DNA and make our corruptible bodies into incorruptible. If this is hard to believe, then ask yourself why it's so hard for us to believe that God spoke the universe into existence, and we can't believe He can recreate our bodies?

(v.47) Paul makes a great comparison here...we are born of the earth, since Adam was born of the dust. But when we have a spiritual rebirth, we are born of the Spirit, which is not mortal.

(v.52) Paul gives us a clear and simple picture of the Rapture:

1. Christ will meet all believers in the clouds

2. Those that have already died in faith, will have their DNA raised and given new immortal bodies

3. Those believers who are still on earth, will be lifted up in a twinkling of an eye...that is fast!

(v.58) Memorize this verse...it should motivate us daily!

1 Corinthians 16

Paul gives orders and encouragement to the Church in Corinth, and leaves them with wishes of love and grace!

11 Oct (Acts 2)

Acts 2

(v.4) God had the disciples speak in different languages because Jews from all over the globe were in Jerusalem for the celebration of Pentecost. In order for the Church to be born, the people needed to be in one place, and hear the Word of God in the language they understand.

(v.16) Here we see one of the many workings of the Holy Spirit...Peter goes from a man who acts and speaks before he thinks, to a man who is wise and knows Scripture like a Pharisee! From this point on, Peter speaks with authority, as all the disciples do, because they have God's Spirit working in them. This same power is available to us, if we read His Word and speak out to the lost.

(v.42) A church that is powerful for the LORD has these four things:

Doctrine ~ We need to be reading the Word, verse by verse, chapter by chapter, book by book in order to get the whole counsel of God...not just soundbites.

Fellowship ~ We need to lift up and encourage one another. It's not easy being a Christian. We need to be around other believers so we can learn from and strengthen one another. I have learned a very important lesson about church...I am not to go so I get something out of it, rather, I am to go to love and serve my fellow Brethren.

Communion ~ This is touchy with many denominations. Some insist on doing communion every Sunday, and others do it once a month. I feel it is important to have communion with other believers, but we need to be free of hate and anger when we do it, and we need to know WHY we do it.

Some faiths say that the bread and wine actually turn into the flesh and blood of Jesus during communion. This would be cannibalism. Jesus chose bread and wine since in those days, those were staples of every dinner. He wants us to pray and remember Him when we sit down to eat at least once a day.

Prayer ~ We need to pray privately, but also with other believers. Jesus said in Matt 18:20 that He is amongst those that pray together. He loves it when we gather and worship Him in song and prayer!

(v.47) These early Christians were good citizens, and they were looked upon by the Romans as nice and orderly people. It wasn't until the Pharisees and the Jewish leaders persecuted them, that uprisings and riots occurred. Only then did the Romans come to hate the Christians since the Jews blamed them for all the troubles.

Getting back to the point of this verse...we are to be good people, who follow the laws of the land, and show love and service to our fellow man. We need to act out the Gospel instead of just proclaiming it by mouth.

Think and pray about the church you attend...is it doing ALL these things?