A Sacred Kiss

November 30, 2017

A Sacred Kiss

Greet each other with a sacred kiss. All the churches of Christ send you their greetings.

Romans 16:16

Read: Romans 16:1-16

Paul names more than two dozen individuals as he closes his letter. To the best of our knowledge, Paul did not travel to Rome until after this letter was written. In an age well before telephones, regular mail service, email, or twitter, I am left to ponder how Paul knew so many people in Rome. But before I get lost pondering the how, let me first appreciate that he did in fact know by name many of his brothers and sisters in the faith who were connected to the church in Rome. Not only did he know their names, he was also well aware of where and how they were in service to Christ and his church.

My Takeaway: In our churches today, many in the congregation are hard pressed to name twenty-four of the persons who gather with them each week for worship; much less the names of any of those who labor for Christ in other churches, either down the street or in other lands. I believe we, like Paul, will not find it hard to raise the money needed to fund our churches when we are as passionate as Paul about the people within our congregations and when we celebrate our connection to the other communities of faith supporting the work of Christ.

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

Copyright © 2017 by Alex M. Knight

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

·        Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

·        The second edition of  First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

·        Meditations on The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ has been released as an e-book on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Unanswered Prayers

November 29, 2017

Unanswered Prayers

Pray that I will be rescued from those in Judea who refuse to obey God. Pray also that the believers there will be willing to accept the donation I am taking to Jerusalem.

Romans 15:31

Read: Romans 15:25-33

Libraries are filled with books about what the authors think they know. It would take an infinite space to house an index of what we are sure we do not know. Conspicuous on that index is all they we do not know, or understand about prayer. In Paul’s brief prayer request in today’s reading, one request appears to have been answered; the other was not answered in the way we would have hoped.

Paul’s tender heart for people is revealed in the way he sought and collected offerings for the church in Jerusalem which was so beleaguered in the decades following Pentecost. The offering, which was one subject of Paul’s prayer request, was graciously accepted.

In this closing passage to chapter fifteen, Paul reveals his heart’s desire to come to Rome and enjoy fellowship with the church before he continued on to Spain in his mission to “preach the Good News where the name of Christ has never been heard” (Romans 15:20). Paul did go to Rome, but not as rest stop on his way to Spain. He went as a prisoner where he spent his last days writing his prison letters, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and Philemon.

My Takeaway: I struggle with the timing of Paul’s death. The letters he wrote from prison are pure gold; I can’t imagine the New Testament without them. But, couldn’t Paul have written them from Spain. Interestingly Paul apparently didn’t struggle with the timing as much as I do. From prison he wrote another prayer request:

“Pray for us, too, that God will give us many opportunities to speak about his mysterious plan concerning Christ. That is why I am here in chains. Pray that I will proclaim this message as clearly as I should.”

Colossians 4:3-4

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

Copyright © 2017 by Alex M. Knight

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

·        Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

·        The second edition of  First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

·        Meditations on The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ has been released as an e-book on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Where The Name Of Christ Has Never Been Heard

November 28, 2017

Where The Name Of Christ Has Never Been Heard

My ambition has always been to preach the Good News where the name of Christ has never been heard, rather than where a church has already been started by someone else.

Romans 15:20

Read: Romans 15:14-24

It has been my experience that pastoral and lay leadership of churches can be divided into three broad categories. The first is a caretaker ministry. The goal is to keep the church doors open, to continue in the form and substance that the church has practiced for generations. The second is an entrepreneurial ministry. The pastor and staff attend many seminars and conferences to discern the latest trends and techniques in ministry and bring them home to try out on their congregation. The third ministry is Christ-centered, and Christ-empowered, all for Jesus. In this ministry, the pastor casts a vision based on what Christ has revealed to the pastor when they had a holy encounter.

The Apostle Paul had a holy encounter with Christ when he was on the road to Damascus. Christ gave Paul a vision and a heart for the Gentiles, and Paul never deviated from the course Christ set for him.

My Takeaway: In my pastoral ministry, and in my ministry today, it was and now is my heart’s desire to be Christ-centered, and Christ-empowered, all for Jesus. I have not always achieved my goal, but as I read today of Paul’s passion, I renew my goal: Christ-centered, and Christ-empowered, all for Jesus.

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

Copyright © 2017 by Alex M. Knight

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

·        Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

·        The second edition of  First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

·        Meditations on The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ has been released as an e-book on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Speaking Directly From His Heart

November 27, 2017

Speaking Directly From His Heart

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:13

Read: Romans 15:7-13

I believe God used the Apostle Paul to build the three foundational pillars of the New Testament church: Jesus is God’s Messiah, Jesus is the hope of all the world, and Jesus, the immeasurable gift of God’s grace, gives to his followers all that the Father has given to him.

To establish these foundations Paul brings forward the essential teachings of the Old Testament interpreted through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Much of Paul’s writing can be quite dense, each verse as heavy as the preceding. There are, however, places where Paul seems to relax a bit and speak directly from his heart. Most often these places are his prayers for the church. Paul’s prayers are so important to me in understanding Paul’s theology that I have a separate file where I keep the prayers of St, Paul. One of those prayers was included in yesterday’s meditation and another is in today’s reading.

 

“May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus. Then all of you can join together with one voice, giving praise and glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (15: 5-6)

“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” (15:13)

My Takeaway: What do you think our communities would become if we prayed the way Paul prayed for his friends in Rome?

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

Copyright © 2017 by Alex M. Knight

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

·        Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

·        The second edition of  First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

·        Meditations on The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ has been released as an e-book on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.