CLICK HERE for a free copy of Dr. Denison's 2014 Advent Devotional (in a downloadable/printable Adobe .pdf file)
Thursday, March 13
... but by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not in vain, but I labored more abundantly than them all, yet not I but the grace of God with me. Whether therefore I or they, so we proclaim and so you believed (1 Corinthians 15:10-11)
The ruins of Ephesus are among the most spectacular on earth. They include the largest outdoor theater in the ancient world, a library that held 12,000 scrolls, and the Temple of Artemis, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. I have led several tour groups there, and marvel each time at "the glory that was Greece, and the grandeur that was Rome" (Edgar Allen Poe).
One of the most striking features of Ephesus is its numerous temples and statues lining the streets. Some were erected in tribute to various gods of the Greek and Roman pantheon, and others to the worship of the Roman emperor. They witness to the transactional religion of their culture—the people placed a sacrifi ce on the altar so the "god" would answer their prayers, bless their crops, guard them in battle, and so on.
Christianity is not a transactional religion but a transformational relationship. Jesus wants every follower to "deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me" (Luke 9:23). We are to present our bodies as "a living sacrifi ce" (Romans 12:1). If Jesus is Lord on Easter Sunday, he must be Lord on Monday.
Did you make him your King yesterday? Have you submitted to him as your Lord yet today?
What God's word means
Paul the legalist was the church's greatest adversary, but when he encountered grace he became the church's greatest apostle. His conversion came by the grace ("undeserved favor") of ("belonging to, finding its source in") God. By such grace I am what I am ("I have become what I am today"), for this grace to Paul was not in vain ("without e ect or result").
Paul labored ("worked to the point of exhaustion") more abundantly ("more excessively, harder") than them all, referring to the other apostles. He took the gospel to more people, founded more churches, wrote more books of Scripture, articulated more doctrine, and arguably faced greater persecution than the other apostles. However, this remarkable Kingdom ministry resulted not from Paul's capacities but from the grace of God with me. Elsewhere he captured this divine-human balance: "For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me" (Colossians 1:29).
The Corinthians believed (the tense indicates de finitive action in the past) what Paul and the other apostles proclaim ("announce, preach"), i.e., the gospel of the risen Christ. Rejecting his witness does not resolve the issue, for he and the other apostles preached the same resurrection message.
Why Easter matters
Paul thought he was serving God by persecuting Christians, a sect he considered to be aberrant and heretical. When he realized that their Founder was the true Messiah and Lord, he turned his zeal against the church into zeal for its cause.
However, there was a signifi cant contrast in motivation between Paul before Christ and after his conversation. Before, he worked in order to be right with God, believing as a Jewish legalist that his works could earn him standing with the Lord. Now he worked because he was right with God, knowing as a Christian saved by grace that no works can achieve righteousness before our holy Lord. Salvation "is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast" (Ephesians 2:9). Yet "we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them" (v. 10). As Augustine noted: "Paul did not labor in order to receive grace, but he received grace so that he might labor."
After his conversion, the risen Lord could order him to "enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do" (Acts 9:6), and his grateful obedience would change the world forever.
How to respond
Do you attend worship on Sunday so God will bless you on Monday? Do you give fi nancially so God will bless your finances? Do you begin your day with Bible study and prayer so God will bless your day? Or do you serve Jesus, not so he will love you but because he already does? Not so he will bless you but because he already has?
How would you complete the sentence, "My ministry is _________________________"?
Now that you have identifi ed your Kingdom assignment, consider your motivation. Why will you serve your risen King today?
No comments:
Post a Comment