November 1
John
18:1-2
Mark
14:32-42
Matthew
26:36-46
Luke
22:39-46
Mark
14:43-52
Matthew
26:47-56
Luke
22:47-53
John
18:3-24
I
suppose I should feel irritated with Peter, James, and John for being unable to
stay awake, but my heart feels sad for them.
We know they had a long troubling day and night with much activity. They had just finished a large meal and hiked
across a valley, and now they are in a peaceful garden. Add to that – we are told they were exhausted
from grief. They clearly still did not
understand all that was going on. And
they fell asleep. Even after the Lord
rebuked them they could not stop their heavy eyes. The last 24 hours overwhelmed them with
fatigue. So they took a 3-hour (more or
less) nap before they were confronted with the betrayal and arrest of
Jesus. Sure, it was a failure of the
flesh, but a failure that I believe would have been made by anyone else in the
same circumstances.
It
should not be lost in all this – Jesus’ constant attention to the Scriptures as
the will of God, and His deliberate surrender to that will, even against His
own flesh. This section closes with
Jesus being struck on the face because of this commitment to truth.
November 2
Mark
14:53-65
Matthew
26:57-68
Mark
14:66-72
Matthew
26:69-75
Luke
22:54-65
John
18:25-27
Mark
15:1
Matthew
27:1-2
Luke
22:66-71
Matthew
27:3-10
I
find myself fascinated by the varied accounts.
I understand the Influencer is the Holy Spirit, but of course, He is
working through other influences, such as the personalities of the writers and
their sources who observed from different perspectives. But one of the strongest examples is the look
of Jesus at Peter as the rooster crowed.
It seems to me that was likely on an elevated spot, so virtually all the
witnesses would notice Him turning suddenly to look at someone or something,
but perhaps it didn’t register with them.
We know that Luke’s research was extensive, and he apparently interviewed
someone who saw clearly who Jesus was looking at and recalled when (the crowing
of the rooster) He looked. But most
importantly, the Holy Spirit inspired the recollection and inspired Luke to
recognize the importance and include it for us.
May we always know the eyes of Jesus are lovingly present.
November 3
Mark
15:2-5
Matthew
27:11-14
Luke
23:1-12
John
18:28-40
Mark
15:6-15
Matthew
27:15-26
Luke
23:13-25
John
19:1-16
Mark
15:16-20
Matthew
27:27-31
It
seems to me that Pilate well represents a mindset in
There
are so many people that feel certain there is something to this
November 4
Mark
15:21-24
Matthew
27:32-34
Luke
23:26-31
John
19:17
Mark
15:25-32
Matthew
27:35-44
Luke
23:32-43
John
19:18-27
Mark
15:33-41
Matthew
27:45-56
Luke
23:44-49
John
19:28-37
What
a fitting way for this section to end – with the words, “These things happened
in fulfillment of the Scriptures…” We
can’t help but feel much sorrow for everything that is going on, not to mention
that it is going on because of my sin.
But there is one other reason that all this is going on, and it is the
one thing in all of these happenings that should not make us feel sorrow, but
rather joy. And it is shown in this
Scripture I wrote above. All of this was
predicted clearly because God is in perfect control throughout everything. So while we should feel sorrow that our sin
in one sense caused this, we should feel joy that the love of God toward us
ultimately caused this, indeed ordained this.
“In this is love, not that we love God, but that He loved us, and while
we were still sinners, sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” There is nothing on earth that can so totally
break a man and so totally restore him as those words – that truth.
November 5
Mark
15:42-47
Matthew
27:57-61
Luke
23:50-56
John
19:38-42
Matthew
27:62-66
Mark
16:1-8
Matthew
28:1-7
Luke
24:1-12
Mark
16:9-13
John
20:1-18
Matthew
28:8-15
Joseph
of Arimathea provides us with such a rich lesson on
how a commitment can evolve. The truth
is - his situation is not so unusual. He
was not ashamed of Jesus. That
eventually becomes obvious to us. But he
apparently thought it best to retain his position on the Sanhedrin, even though
he was a follower of Christ. Of course,
that means he would have to be very careful to not let the others know. Now, assuming that he was like virtually all
the others, including the closest disciples, then he did not really have an
understanding about the resurrection. He
simply was traumatized by the Lord’s death and wanted to insure that His body
was treated as best as possible. And he
no longer cared whether his position was in jeopardy or not. And it appears his colleague, Nicodemus, was
in the same situation. But one thing we
can project – that they soon would become very aware that Christ has risen!
November 6
Luke
24:13-43
Mark
16:12-13
John
20:19-23
Mark
John
20:24-21:25
Matthew
28:16-20
Mark
16:15-18
Luke
24:44-49
I
have learned so much reading the NLT in a chronological form through the four
Gospels. Very
powerful. But today, I really
felt that I wanted to review a couple of other versions. Not because the NLT was weak, but just
because I found myself desiring the strongest perspective possible in a few
areas.
It
is tempting to be very critical of the disciples as if I would somehow have
been much less dull of heart and mind, but of course, that could not be more
ridiculous. Jesus visited for quite a
while with Cleopas and his companion before revealing
His true identity (Luke 24:31). And in
Luke 24:45 He (apparently for the first time) opened their minds to understand
the Scriptures – what we know as the Old Testament – that spoke of Jesus. With this in mind, perhaps we should look
at these Gospels and the conduct of the disciples in a new light. They were what they were because of dull minds,
but they became what they became only because of Jesus.
November 7
Mark
16:19-20
Luke
24:50-53
Acts
1:1-2:47
Oh
what a difference the Holy Spirit makes!
Those that went into the Upper Room were not the same in knowledge and
ability when they came out.
Peter’s
first recorded speech in Acts, to the 120 indicates that not only was he giving
himself to prayer, but he was giving himself to study. And while I’m not sure he always arrived at
correct theology, he was clear and bold, and a far cry from the clumsy,
dull-minded Peter before the Holy Spirit was given. There obviously was a great revealing of the
truths of God’s Word that had been studied by these people, because they
obviously presented the Gospel of Jesus Christ clearly and appealingly, and in
the languages that the people could understand.
It was a great miracle recognized by all and there were conversions by
the 1000’s. And so, that is what we all
need: the Word of God and the Holy Spirit with study and prayer.
November 8
Acts
3:1-5:42
That
is it. It doesn’t get any simpler. God raised Jesus from the dead after He was
crucified willingly in payment of the penalty for my sins and the sins of the
world. He is now at the right hand of
the Father as Prince and Savior. He did
this to give us all an opportunity to turn from our sins and turn to God so our
sins will be forgiven, and we will receive the Holy Spirit. This is the testimony of the eye witnesses
and we can confirm it to be so.
This
was the purpose of everything else the apostles did.
Ø When they collected funds,
they did it to preach the Gospel.
Ø When they fed the poor and
cared for the widows, they did it to demonstrate and deliver the Good News of
Jesus Christ.
Ø When they perform miracles
by faith in Jesus, they did it to use the attention it caused to preach the
Gospel of salvation through repentance and belief in the Risen Messiah, Jesus
Christ.
You
may ask, “So did they do anything from simple compassion for the suffering and
needy?” Of course! They were genuinely compassionate, but it
should never be missed that their compassion was always driven by the eternal
welfare of souls before them. May it be
our principle drive as well.
November 9
Acts
6:1-8:1a
Some
might call this trouble in
November 10
Acts
8:1b-9:43
This
is a classic example of good coming from evil.
Apparently, the Gospel was not being spread beyond Jerusalem adequately,
and so the global evangelism outreach that was needed was provoked by
persecution. Everyone but the apostles
fled Jerusalem. Even the deacons fled,
but not in silence. They began preaching
in the areas that they fled to. Philip
brought the Gospel to the Samaritans and indirectly to the Ethiopians. God allowed persecution so that those afar
off might receive the Word of Life. Dear
Lord, may I hear You clearly when You speak Your
assignments to me, lest I should require more uncomfortable means to prompt me
to obedience. It is both a sad and a
wondrous thing that it should take the martyrdom of an anointed deacon and
Gospel preacher like Stephen to ignite the fire of the Good News of Jesus
Christ – a fire that would spread even to the Gentiles in the far reaches of
Europe – a fire that would be carried by a once bitter Pharisee who had
resisted the marvelous truth with murderous stones.
November 11
Acts
10:1-12:5
It
is interesting to examine the various “scholarly” views of when and how
Cornelius was accepted by God as righteous.
There are different systems of theology that rise or fall on their
treatment of this account. Is a pagan
noticed and favored by God for the religious things he does? Perhaps it could be argued that we cannot
know for certain that he was not a Christian.
Add to that the fact that Peter recognized Cornelius clearly had heard
of Jesus and all that was said about Him.
But I think the rest of the text indicates more strongly that he was not
a convert to Christianity before Peter’s preaching. If so, this would present a significant refutation
to many systems of Christian theology.
But before we get too bold, it should be understood that God’s recognition of Cornelius was not so much
acceptance as it was simply indication that mercy was on its way to a
seeker. The Holy Spirit draws before the
Holy Spirit fills. Even after God’s
acknowledgment of Cornelius’ good conduct, it was still needed for God to send
preaching, to send His Word, and to send His Holy Spirit. Cornelius still needed the Gospel.
November 12
Acts
12:6-14:20
I
can just see Luke as he visited with John Mark about this. Surely he reviewed it while they were
journeying together with Paul. But it is
also quite possible that he actually visited with the whole gang at Mark’s
mom’s house. If so, it is not hard to
imagine the excitement as they recounted the details and it would almost seem
there was laughter, along with a little bit of poking fun. Because Luke’s detail
brings out the humor as well as the wonder, not to mention the sobriety of the
group prayer for Peter’s welfare.
It was prevailing prayer and likely tearful and earnest. But these people did not wait for disaster to
practice diligent praying. They were
quite given to the practice. Are we?
Paul’s
message to the congregation in
November 13
Acts
14:21-28
Galatians
1:1-3:23
What
excitement must have been in the hearts of Paul and Barnabus
as they wrapped up this first missionary trip!
And what anointing (and heartache) and genius delivered the message
written to the Galatians. Everyone
recognized that God had opened the “door of faith” to the Gentiles. That is an interesting phrase to me – door of
faith. Where does the door lead to? Why should one go through it? Is there any other door that will lead to the
same thing? This phrase is found in Acts
14:27. But we are not left wondering
about what is found by the one who walks through the door. That revelation is in Galatians 3:11. Through the doorway is life. And by the way, there is only one door. And lest we go off on a wild tangent about
faith, maybe we should be more specific about the Object of faith. What material is this door made of? Make no mistake; we do not have faith in
faith. Galatians 3:9 and
November 14
Galatians
3:24-6:18
Acts
15:1-21
One
of the things that stands out largely in this section (to me) and I think
represents the whole section well is the statement given after the fruit of the
Spirit is laid out in Galatians 5:22.
“Here there is no conflict with the Law.” That statement should make all the Judaizers relax some and make all the “faith-only” folks
take notice. When one is living
according to the Spirit, his life will not conflict with the Law
whatsoever. But when one is living
according to the sinful nature, the Law will conflict with everything he
does. Now, if we consider all this
loosely, we might think it good to run to the Law to see how we are doing. Big mistake. But if we consider all this carefully, we
will run to the Spirit, and live in Christ, at the cross – in love – according
to the Spirit, nailing our sinful nature to the cross, crucified with Christ -
to live no longer in the way of the flesh.
Praise be to God for the unsearchable depths of
His mercies!
November 15
Acts
Paul
is no doubt understanding the pattern of persecution
now. Of course, long before this, the
Lord showed him what things he must suffer.
But Paul (by now) has a full grasp on the process of preaching the
truth, the Holy Spirit giving success, the Judaizers
inciting the people against Paul, the fickled minds
of the people, and the inevitable beating and imprisonments. Nevertheless, Paul seems to not hesitate in
carrying out his calling. He is
compelled to preach the Gospel and any other plan is a curse to him.
It
appears that Luke joined Paul and Silas in
November 16
Acts
1
Thessalonians 1:1-5:11
Paul
was constantly around environments that were idolatrous and immoral, but he
usually had Christian companionship.
However, he did not have such companionship for a period in
November 17
1
Thessalonians 5:12-28
2
Thessalonians 1:1-3:18
Acts
18:4-23
In
both letters to the Thessalonians, Paul addresses the problem of laziness and
idleness. And he is more emphatic in the
second letter. I have heard that the
problem is the firm belief that Jesus would return at any second and so there
was considered to be no need for making money or paying bills. If this is true, then your heart goes out to
them, but their behavior still requires correction. And Paul says warn them, but be patient with
them. In the second letter, he says if
they don’t work, they shouldn’t eat, and if they refuse to heed these warnings
they should not be treated as enemies.
They should never be treated as enemies.
They should be treated as Christians (as family) who simply need to be
warned. We would all do well to learn
this unique concept of love that has the courage to correct while having the
gentleness to embrace. I get so tired of
people who think all negativity should be avoided. That’s just plain dangerous. When things are wrong, it is loving to say so (1 Thessalonians
November 18
Acts
1
Corinthians 1:1-3:23
It
is interesting that John the Baptist’s ministry had spread so broadly. This is where Apollos
comes into the picture. He came from
Speaking
of Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, he had a tough job on his hands. The church at
November 19
1
Corinthians 4:1-7:40
This
section is so rich with instruction in simple Christian living it is hard to
know what to touch on. Paul presents
some thought-provoking instructions that at times seem to be at tension with
one another. He mentions that the
incestuous person “will be saved when the Lord returns,” but then says “none
that do wrong will share in the
In
chapter 7, I think many people miss the message behind the message. Paul wants people to do right, but the most
important way to do right is to be focused on doing “whatever will help you
serve the Lord best.” And most important
of all, we should understand that “God wants His children to live in
peace.” If we remember that, we will
always adjust ourselves accordingly.
November 20
1
Corinthians 8:1-11:1
When
people read about Paul doing everything possible to not offend a weaker
Christian (or anybody for that matter), they tend to quickly assume that Paul
doesn’t really mean what he says, because we cannot possibly please everybody
all the time, and we should not try. I
even hear ministers speak this way, and I have always agreed, because it seems
like common sense. But today, I see in
the reading that Paul means exactly what he says. He says, “I try to please everyone in
everything I do. I don’t just do what I
like or what is best for me, but what is best for them, so they may be
saved.” I know people (Christians) who
would say, “That is crazy. If you tried
to do that, it would drive you crazy.”
But the person who says that is usually just thinking selfishly. Why did Paul live this way? “For the glory of God.” Why did Paul live so unselfishly? “I try to find common ground with everyone
that I might bring them to Christ.”
That’s why!
November 21
1
Corinthians 11:2-13:13
Chapter
11 gives great insight into the roll of men and women and the nature of their
relationship to one another and to God.
I think it is a dangerous chapter for the foolish readers who isolate
certain things to the exclusion of other things. Much damage has been done in the Lord’s
Church because of readers magnifying some parts and minimizing others. Perhaps the most important word regarding the
overall context is the word “custom” in verse 16. That verse leads me to believe that we should
never argue over customs or traditions.
So one should simply take from that section (16 verses) that:
In
other words: BE AT PEACE WITH ONE
ANOTHER! J
November 22
1
Corinthians 14:1-15:58
Because
of my background in the Church, chapter 14 saddens me in two ways.
Some
churches, despite the plain language of this chapter, all speak in tongues at
the same time. That seems like
inexcusable ignorance or just plain disobedience to me. And then other churches despite the plain
language of this chapter do not fast and pray in earnest desire of revelatory
prophecy. In fairness to them, many
believe such gifts became unnecessary as the recognition of the complete Canon
of Scripture was complete. Come to think
of it, if such a body of believers truly uses their assembling for, among other
things, the exposition of those Scriptures; then haven’t they demonstrated
revelatory prophecy in the most verifiable way?
I wonder if we sometimes forget that prophecy (Scripture) did not come
by the will of man, but by the Spirit of God.
November 23
1
Corinthians 16:1-24
Acts
Romans
1:1-32
This
section is tricky because I am drawn to write of what I have learned about
money collections, percentages, and weekly accumulations. I am tempted to write of Stephanus
and honoring those that serve. And then
there is the curse of 1 Corinthians 16:22.
Not to mention the fascinating account of the Ephesian
uprising and Paul’s narrow escape, as well as Aristarchus and Gaius.
But
how can I give up so little space when the first chapter of such a literary
masterpiece as Romans is in my hands.
Paul begins with small talk but not unimportant talk, because he deals
with prayer and other subjects. But the
most important subject he refers to several times in his opening is the Good
News about Christ. This is what the book
of Romans is about. And after mentioning
this more than once, Paul plunges right in and his diving board is the key
verse of the whole book (
November 24
Romans
2:1-4:25
This
section of Scripture seems so theologically intense that by the time I finished
I thought my brain circuits were shorting out!
Funny thing is, I wanted to spend more time
with it! There are so many questions
posed here and some are answered, some partially answered, and some are to be
answered later. Perhaps one of the most
significant and most obvious and most neglected truths in this section has to
do with the nature of faith. Faith is a
quality that enables belief. It is a
gift, not a work. It is not meritable. It must
be utilized to believe and that is done by choice. Abraham believed because he chose to believe
and from God’s view, this gave Abraham no basis for pride. Paul and God have clearly differentiated
between good deeds and faith. James also
made a clear distinction. Many brilliant
theologians have stumbled here. I
suppose the best way to summarize this section with one word is with a word
that is not even shown: Grace!
November 25
Romans
5:1-8:17
I
am simply blown away by chapters 6 through 8.
So many people have tripped over these chapters. Surprisingly, we begin in 5:1 with
justification by faith and finish with repentance by action. Of course, Christ always preached “repent and
believe,” in that order. Ironically, to
believe requires a change of mind that effects the employment of faith. So we see a progression of repentance by
faith that produces action (inevitably).
Paul essentially closes (
Not
to over use rowdy clichés, but I suspect we have all heard the one, “use it or
lose it.” Well, Paul’s message regarding
the Law is, “use it AND lose it!” By
that I mean, if we use the Law as our guide for doing good, the best that can
come from it is the lesson of how wretched we really are. The whole message here is “there is a
choice.” We can either use a list of
rules to live right, and fail miserably; or we can live in love with Jesus
Christ. We can be driven by a spirit-deep
love for God, instead of a flesh-deep obligation to rules. One brings life; the other death. One pleases God; the other perishes.
And
by the power of the Holy Spirit given to us, we can live holy and wholly for
Christ.
November 26
Romans
8:18-10:21
The
message here is clear. God is in charge
and He is love. And not only does He
choose whoever He wants to choose. He
shows us here that He wants to choose those who have responded in faith to the
message of the Gospel. If that upsets
your theological foundation, stay with me; it gets better. J
This
is the method He has chosen, and it is not a phony smoke screen. He loves people, not robots. He made them that way because He is sovereign
and that is what He did. Man is made in
His image. Paul uses the analogy of the Potter and the clay to
illustrate the wonder of God’s sovereignty.
He knows who will respond and who will reject. He knows, and yet He creates them anyway,
because He uses all of their choices for His glory. He is not a reactionary, because He knows
all, always. If one rejects, by choice
he becomes a vessel for trash, but even this vessel will further the plan of
God for those He loves. He is a
longsuffering Potter and He is not wasteful with His clay. It is all used for His glory. Only God can make a clay pot that can choose –
that has genuine faith to respond to (and even reject) the message of life.
November 27
Romans
11:1-14:23
The
proper understanding of God’s choice of people can be acquired with careful
reading here. We see that God allows a
few to find His favor, but others are rejected.
But we are continually reminded as well that those whom God rejects are
those who have disobeyed repeatedly and continually unto death, and those God
has chosen are those who have accepted God’s grace. May we never degrade the Good News by
suggesting that it is deliberately delivered to those who gain faith by hearing
it, and yet are then disallowed to employ that faith. Never consider the employment of faith (the
act of believing) a meritable work. All of the Bible (and especially James)
clearly differentiates.
Every
Christian, shortly after conversion, should be strongly encouraged to study
Romans 12 through 14. So many heartaches
could be avoided with a clear understanding that the
November 28
Romans
15:1-16:27
2
Corinthians 1:1-2:4
This
selection is well orchestrated in that it begins with exhortation to live for
others rather than self. Avoid offending
with any action, no matter how harmless it seems to you. As Paul opens the letter of 2 Corinthians, he
shows us how he practices what he preached in these closing remarks to the
Romans. He does this by tenderly helping
the Corinthians past the potential offense from his last letter. And between these two heart-tugging bookends
is the wonderful Romans 16, which gives us a window into the scope of Paul’s
relationships.
I
also find it notable that Paul’s amanuensis, Tertius,
sends greetings in the first person. I
have listened to some great speakers who refuse to allow that someone else may
have done the writing while another dictated (i.e., Mark for Peter in the
Gospel of Mark). This (I think) refutes
those speakers very clearly. The Holy
Spirit is not restricted (in His methods) by the minds and devices of men.
November 29
2
Corinthians 2:5-6:13
This
is the grand plea for Christ and the focus is the love of the saints for one
another. Paul begins with his
exhortation to the church to forgive the brother who had turned from his
sin. And he finishes by pleading to his
“dear Corinthian friends.” “Open your
hearts to us!” In between these
bookends, Paul shows a survey of all he and his comrades in ministry have
suffered for Christ. And throughout all
this, he is also writing the pure and complete message of the Gospel. He writes of the failure of the Old Covenant
and the triumph of the New. He writes of
the glory of the new bodies we will receive soon, and why we can be joyous when
it comes our time to lay aside our dying bodies. Paul then shows us that our hope motivates us
to be Ambassadors for Christ, spreading the message of this great hope. It is clear that all who have this hope live
to please Christ. The old life is gone –
the new has begun!
November 30
2
Corinthians 6:14-10:18
A
harsh rebuke can have value, but oh how cautious we should be. We can do more harm than good so easily. If it causes godly sorrow, it is a good
thing. If it causes rebellious feelings,
it only leads to darkness.
I
am not sure how anyone with a brain and a conscience could read 2 Corinthians 8
and 9 and still believe a message of health, wealth, and prosperity. I am only taught of love, ministry,
generosity, suffering, and sacrifice.
This text teaches me that my goal should be the glory of God and it
tells me how to reach that goal: sharing and thus meeting one another’s needs,
spiritually and physically. I have read
harsh criticisms about the early
Ó 2004 C. E. Briggs