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May 27

 

I Corinthians 7-9

We are in the Church Stream today reading from the New International Version.

 

Commentary by Dr. Drake Travis

7 – The Corinthians had questions about marriage. It was a racy town with an ungodly heritage, and sexual matters in the region of Corinth were anything but healthy and resolved.  The Christians needed to know how to handle issues within this realm and Paul set things straight right here.  In the matter of sex – if you are to leave it alone (because you are single) then leave it alone. If engaged, get it going and marry and don’t play games or defraud or be cruel but be availed and surrendered to each other within the “bedroom”.  Separating and divorcing is not OK. In other words, don’t be playing “musical spouses”. Paul’s advice is just smart, healthy and best.  The most important aspect of one’s life is that they live like a Believer; because we are!  Slave/Free, circumcised/or not, it’s all immaterial. We are Christ’s!  And about the married, the virgins, Paul has very good advice and we best listen to all of it.  Some groups have created marriage rules and forbidden marriage to certain people unless there is approval from a church committee. This is not a good thing. Some forbid marriage altogether based upon occupation or calling. There are pros and cons regarding this and the discussion is still open. It’s best to listen to the Lord and do what the Spirit tells each person in any circumstance.

 
8 – the issue with the meat sacrificed to idols (and remember, in the Greek, “idol” means “a nothing”) it is most important that we not be offensive or ebullient toward anyone else. We are to build eachother up and not be trying to “teach it to others” or, as the phrase goes, “stick to the other”    as if we were touting that we’ve gotten over the past but “youuuuu” are still hung up or reacting to what others used to be or used to be doing.  It’s nothing to be ugly or judgmental about. Drop these peripheral matters as quickly as possible and be peaceable and promote Church unity and encouragement.
 
9 – Paul was paid for his ministry in Philippi. Here in Corinth, however, as in Ephesus and in Thessalonica, he was not, but supported himself through other means of a trade that he had learned prior.  Paul wanted to be doing more that was asked of him and not to be demanding or even needing to ask for support. He also did not want to set an example that may be abused later by the slovenly or even false teachers who might even remotely think, “I’ll give you faith, but you’re going to pay me for it.”  Are ministers worthy of their hire? absolutely. But Paul is just laying this principle out so to make certain that there is not a hint of greed or selfishness that goes along with serving the Lord.
-Paul asserts that we are free in Christ and are to use that freedom to promote Christ and never to abuse the concept of freedom in that the exercise thereof may jeopardize others finding freedom in Christ also.  He also reminds us that this faith, this discipleship we live requires discipline.
 
The Thread through the Streams

In Exodus we read of the details details details required for the altar, the courtyard, the oil, the garments and the priests and more. This all pertained to God’s house. They give attention to all this and God says, “Then I will dwell among the Israelites and be their God.”  These details mattered!

 -In II Sam. there was a matter that needed to be dealt with cc. the Gibeonites from something that happened long ago.  David had some final words, this is vital! He built an altar and there was a detail that best be deleted when he took a census against better judgment and theological wisdom.  These details matter.

-David was fastidious to list his woes to God in these Psalms. These are confessions. We need to do the same and lay our concerns before God; EACH one and let him handle the details v.s. us living in neurotic denial and reactionary behaviors that are detrimental to our faith.
–Jeremiah opens with “cursed are those who do not obey the terms of the covenant.” Each part mattered and they had long become sloppy in Jerusalem. And refusal to mind the details let to rampant sin that only became worse and worse.
–Hosea basically itemizes the sins of Israel.  The riot act is being read to them and they have no argument
-in Mark, Jesus was asked four distinct questions and Jesus answered them line by line and decoded the true / ill intent of their hearts.  He then turned and warned the crowd against following the teaching of the leaders in Jerusalem during that time.  Not only were the rules these false teachers laying out extremely detailed and burdensome, they were just plain wrong.
–I Cor. 7-9 gave a goldmine list of details for marriage, status, freedom, attitudes, tenants for moving from a pagan world to the Christian world and how to manage the many phases that people found themselves in, payment to minsters, personal freedoms and more.  Hey, thank God for Paul and God using him so distinctively.
Posted on

May 26

 

Mark 12-13

We are in the Christ Stream and reading from the New International Version this week.

 

Commentary by Dr. Drake Travis

Lord Jesus, just as you ARE the revelation of God, your words are revelation to us. You just simply tell us what we need to know.  As you told your disciples in John, “i call you friends”, we are assured that there is no truer friend than you.  We are grateful.  Amen.
 

12 – The parable of the vineyard, wherein the tenants who were entrusted to care for it, figures prominently since Matthew/Mark/Luke all include this parable. When the Son comes on behalf of the owner and they kill Him too, it’s a “dead” giveaway that Jesus is talking about the leaders of Jerusalem who have been entrusted to be the ones to spiritually care for Israel and her people. For the Israeli Nation were the Light to the Gentiles. This “vineyard” figures in religious history to heal and refresh the nations. The leaders are in charge and they are derelict and they know it and this story hits them in the heart; “ka-zing!” and they don’t like it.  If it was false, they wouldn’t care, but since it’s true, they want Him arrested. Notice that they don’t arrest Him however because, like Saul 1000 years ago, they care about public opinion – and this is their chief concern.

-Know that the question about paying taxes to Caesar is coming from people who detest Caesar. Again, it was another trick question.  They forget who they are fooling with, don’t they? He throws it right back at them and they at least have the courtesy to be amazed with everyone else.  A subtle hint that reflects to today in a not so gentle manner is the clear insinuation that the government is not to be making dictates about religion, religious activity, or the religious convictions of people.
-The “Marriage at the Resurrection” question serves a few purposes in Jesus’ bloc of teaching here. There are a few “faiths gone awry” in this world that have man made ideas about family on earth and what family in heaven is and they project the lust-driven opinions of earth onto what life in heaven is going to be.  This is wrong.  When Jesus replies that we will be like the angels in heaven, it is a comment that eternally echoes both forward and backward in time.  The Sadducees asked this question about marriage in the resurrection when they flatly did not believe in the resurrection!!  The construction of the question is absurd to begin with: A widow marrying the next brother and then the next brother working through a whole family of seven brothers … come on guys, eeeesh! They needed to get their act together and try following Jesus instead of trying to frustrate Jesus. They were in GREAT error.
-Just a tip here: when someone asks “which commandment is the greatest?” it’s a clear clue that they likely aren’t obeying the commandments nor do they care to. Though this particular inquisitor may have asked with a clear conscience.  But in general, it’s as dumb as asking which holes in the boat should we patch before we launch? the ones in the front or the rear?…or portside? which?  Either ALL the holes are patched or the boat is going to the ocean floor, ding-bat!  What kind of question is this?  Jesus constructed a rather cordial and pertinent reply and after that –> no one  d a r e d  ask him any more questions. Their plans were revealing their bleak hearts and not getting Jesus in any trouble like they had hoped.
-the remainder of ch. 12 was further revelation of the teachers of the law and their dubious agenda, their hypocrisy, their arrogance, selfishness, crime and cruelty. Jesus nailed them. And He was telling this to the whole crowd.  Pretty gutsy of Jesus.
 
13 – Jesus gave signs and told us what was going to happen: imminently in Jerusalem and eschatalogically [End Times matters] for the earth and in history.  Jesus warns of deceivers, false messiahs,  wars, earthquakes, famines, persecution, worldwide evangelism along with family strife, distress like the world has never known, there will be signs in the skies, and the Return of Christ Jesus will be a giant event.  Amid all the cataclysmic events, know that the Word of the Lord will stand fast and hold true.    And finally be reminded that no one knows or even can know the day or hour that Christ will return.  So pay attention. And like the occupation of a watchman whose job is to WATCH. We too must watch for the Return of Christ.   Come Lord Jesus.
Posted on

May 25

 

Hosea 13-14

Today we finish the book of Hosea in the Exile Stream. We are reading from the New International Version this week.

 

Commentary by Dr. Drake Travis

Lord we hear your heart today in this – Hosea’s finale~  You so long to bless and heal and be with and shower good upon your own.  May we be a people who hear and obey and let you touch our lives.  Amen.
We finished the words of Hosea today.  He began his ministry around 760 B.C. and prophesied to the northern Kingdom until it’s final end in 722 B.C.   He lived in the north and, by God’s command, lived in and among the Israelites; a nation turned completely pagan.  Hosea knew the pain that this paganism was causing God. The adultery hit home even for him as his wife was committed to adultery as a lifestyle.  He had seen seven kings come and go. All were wretched.

13 – The people of the north had been so regal (until rebelling). Ephraim was a noteworthy place – once upon a time it was noteworthy for a good reason – now it is noteworthy for a bad reason. The Kingdom splitting was the occasion for calf worship to be instituted. [This was ca. 160 years before Hosea showed up.]  Jeroboam wanted all loyalty to be up north and away from the Temple. <–[This was the late 900’s B.C.] About two generations later, King Ahab added Baal worship to the calf worship. The calf worship started the spiritual bleeding whereas with the Baal worship, an artery had been “nicked”.  The story of Ahab doing this is told in I Kings 16:30-33. Ahab had been gone for just over a century now and Israel was about to bleed out and be a lifeless place. The death of a nation is at hand. And this is what Hosea is speaking to to begin the reading today.  They will be pounced as if by a wild animal, the wells will go dry, even the babies will draw no compassion from the hoards that will pour in to kill everything they see.

14 – It has been a terrible 200 years for Israel.  “The curtain” is about to be drawn. Not much good at all if any has come out of a land that has dedicated itself to being rebellious to the Lord, to the south, to the Temple and all else that God stands for. The Assyrians are coming. Israel will be decimated. This is where rebellion ends up 100% of the time when God is being rebelled against.  Does that make God mean? Not at all. Listen to the beauty of what God wants to do with His people. Were His people to repent, all would be forgiven. And He still beckons them to repent!  Their gracious God would heal them and their wayward hearts. They would be loved and know love.  Wow, were they to listen to God -the wonders and rejuvenation, the communication with God, the fruitfulness – good heavens what can happen at the hands of a loving God!  God wants them to walk again; walk with Him. This invitation stands for all of us.