Tag: Bible

The Church’s Foundation

On By BrianIn PASSION ReflectionsLeave a comment

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.
(Ephesians 2:19-21, ESV)

The apostles and New Testament prophets are the foundation of church. They were led by the Holy Spirit to communicate the New Testament truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Now the church is being built on that foundation. We don’t need apostles or prophets anymore. The foundational work has already been done. The church is being built on the truth of the gospel recorded for us in the New Testament.

So when Paul writes to Timothy, he spends 10 chapters in two books hammering home again and again the priority of teaching and preaching God’s given Word. This is what we need. This is how the church grows.

So we must prioritize the Bible. It is through the public teaching and preaching of God’s Word, as well as personal exhortation and encouragement from the Word, as well as personal study and meditation in the Word that the church is built up.

The Bible is the measure by which we must evaluate every practice in our church and in our lives, and so we must prioritize the Bible in our church and in our lives.

The Bible’s message of the gospel is the foundation of the church. Take up and read!

Fear and Great Joy

On By BrianIn PASSION Reflections

So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples.
(Matthw 28:8, ESV)

How should we respond to the resurrection of Jesus? The women who first visited the tomb suggest two ways:

First, fear! The woman departed quickly with fear. The soldiers earlier trembled with fear and became as dead men (v4). Fear was a common response to events of resurrection of Jesus. Here indeed is a fearful thing! An angel moves the stone to show an empty tomb and announces the resurrection. This is not the way the guards or the women expected that morning to go. It was just another assignment for the guards, just a visit to the tomb for the women, and suddenly it all goes sideways. Like if you went to a funeral, and the person in the casket suddenly got up and said “hello” and walked out. You would be afraid! Fear was a natural response to a fearful event. Our problem is that it is not our response. We don’t fear. The angel and Jesus both tell the women not to be afraid (v5, 10), but we do not need those words because we are not afraid. It has all become so familiar that we have lost sight of how earth-shattering, mind-boggling, crazy this is. The awesome power of God beyond anything we can imagine on display as He raised Jesus from dead naturally leads to fear!

Second, rejoice! The women departed with great joy! This Jesus whom they had followed, whom they had seen crucified and buried, was alive again! Imagine a beloved parent or child or sibling who has passed away suddenly alive again, and you begin to understand some of their joy. Do you love Jesus? Then His resurrection should bring you great joy! On top of that are the ramifications of His resurrection. Our sins defeated – the punishment paid, our shame and guilt removed. And death defeated – the hope of our own resurrection and the resurrection of those who have died in Christ. Here are reasons for great joy – so rejoice!

False Desires

On By BrianIn PASSION Reflections

In Christ, we become new creations, called and able to reject false desires. 

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.  The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
(II Corinthians 5:17)

In Christ, God has made you new.  Your old sinful way of life is gone.  You have a new life in Christ, so you don’t have to follow false and deceptive desires.  His Holy Spirit enables you to reject fleshly desires (Galatians 5:16).  His grace trains you to reject worldly passions and live a self-controlled, upright, and godly life (Titus 2:11-12).  In Christ, you can overcome.

Indeed, He calls and enables all of us to reject deceptive desires like lust, coveting, greed, gluttony, and selfishness.  He calls and enables all of us to reject false feelings of hopelessness, despair, and worry.  He calls and enables all of us to reject wrong self-perceptions of superiority, self-righteousness, and worthlessness. 

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
(Romans 12:2)

Instead of conforming to the false desires of our world, we are to renew our minds with God’s truth that we might discern what is good and follow that. 

Rejecting false desires isn’t easy.  God never said it would be.  Indeed He tells us that it is a war:

Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.
(I Peter 2:11)

These false desires are at war with you to destroy you.  We must fight.  But God not only calls us, but also enables us, to reject false desires.  May we live in His strength!

Introducing OT Journey 2.0

On By BrianIn OT Journey 2.0

I am excited to introduce you to OT Journey 2.0 this summer. Bible Journey studies and reflections have been on this site for quite a while. This summer I am launching OT Journey 2.0 which is a reworking and revising of that earlier material. It is designed to help you take a group through the entire Old Testament (except Psalms) chapter by chapter in three years (150 lessons). You can find all the details for this new study (as well as the older one) on the Bible Journey page here. I plan to start posting studies next week. It would make a great study to start this Fall with your Sunday School class or small group Bible study.

Sermon Songs: Hebrews 4:12-14

On By BrianIn Hebrews Hymns1 Comment

Dear Christian, hear the Word of the Lord
Living and active to transform you
Sharper than any two edg-ed sword
Piercing to the very core of you

Chorus
Fast, Fast, Hold fast
Hold fast to Jesus the Better One
Near, Near, Draw Near
Draw near to God through His only Son

The Word discerns what is in your heart
Reveals your sin – on your own you’re lost
Points to your hope, from Him ne’er depart
For you He paid the horrible cost
(Repeat Chorus)

© 2022 Brian J. Mikul

(Sing to tune of “Grace Greater Than Our Sin”)

Our Declaration

On By BrianIn PASSION Reflections

In the LORD I take refuge.
– Psalm 11:1a

David knows where to turn in his trial.  He turns to the LORD. 

This isn’t a prayer; it is a declaration. 

David declares what we should declare: 
In the LORD I take refuge.

What about us? 

When faced with trials, suffering, struggles, do you declare?
In the LORD I take refuge.

When you have struggles with your health, do you declare?
In the LORD I take refuge.

When there are struggles in your family, do you declare?
In the LORD I take refuge.

When there are problems at work, do you declare?
In the LORD I take refuge.

When you read or watch the news and see mess our world is in, do you declare?
In the LORD I take refuge.

When you are afraid, anxious, or worried about something, do you declare?
In the LORD I take refuge.

When you are weary, exhausted, feeling overwhelmed, do you declare?
In the LORD I take refuge.

Whatever the trial, whatever the trouble that springs up in our lives, let us boldly declare with David:
In the LORD I take refuge.

Psalms Feed 26-30

On By BrianIn Psalms Feed

Psalms1

Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the Lord. – Psalm 27:14

Your face, Lord, do I seek. – Psalm 27:8c

This psalm gives three very relevant instructions for us today:

First, wait for the Lord.  There are things want to do.  Place we want to go. People we want to see.  But we can’t.  Wait on the Lord.  Don’t be impatient.  Don’t be anxious.  Don’t grumble and complain.  Just wait on the Lord.  Wait on his timing.  Wait on his plan. Wait on his goodness.  Wait on the Lord.

Second, be strong and courageous. There is a virus out there and financial concerns and questions about the future. Be strong and courageous.  Do not fear.  Do not worry.  Do not freak out.  Just be strong and courageous.  He is our stronghold. He is our shelter. He is our salvation. Be strong and courageous.

Third, seek his face.  There are distractions aplenty.  Lots of things we could do.  Lots of online media to engage.  Seek his face.  Don’t waste your time.  Don’t live for something else.  Don’t place your trust somewhere else. Just seek his face.  He is gracious.  He is beautiful.  He is trustworthy.  Seek his face.

Wait for the Lord. Be strong and courageous. Seek his face.