• Read Luke 8:1-3 here.
• If you missed Sunday’s sermon (February 7) you can listen to it here soon.

Coincidentally, the sermon topic scheduled for this week complements the topic we’ve been discussing on Wednesday night.  Any basic introduction or overview of the Gospel of Luke will mention two themes that Luke gives special attention compared to the writers of the other Gospels: the poor, and women.

Luke doesn’t do this by including lengthy diatribes on the status of women in Jesus eyes, but by simply including them in his accounts.  Like the other Gospels, Luke still focuses on the ministry of Jesus and the Twelve, but he’s more deliberate in mentioning the presence and work of women.

My sermon focused on Joanna.  She’s an easy person to miss since we’re not told very much about her, but since her husband managed Herod’s household (v3), she must have had a significant degree of social standing.  She was apparently willing to risk her social reputation in and around Herod’s court by leaving that behind and following Jesus as he traveled from village to village.  Jesus had rescued her from illness or demon possession and in return she committed her life to His ministry.

The Herod mentioned in this verse is probably Herod Antipas (since the events take place in Galilee).  This is the same Herod who imprisoned and executed John the Baptiser.  He also interviewed and mocked Jesus prior to his crucifixion (Lk 23:5-12).    The father of Antipas, Herod the Great, had earlier killed all the infant males in Bethlehem in an effort eradicate the threat he believed Jesus posed to his position as king.

Joanna would have known Herod’s fear/hatred of Jesus and the fate of John the Baptiser, yet she took the risk and accompanied Jesus on his travels.  Her acceptance of Jesus’ call is no less dramatic than that of any of the apostles (Lk 51-11; 27-31).  She not only left the social circle of the royal court to follow Jesus, but also supported his ministry financially.  And despite these sacrifices, she receives only the briefest of mentions, while the men are treated as heroes.

One of the lessons we can learn from Joanna, is her commitment to following Jesus, despite her lack of public recognition.  Luke also mentions her presence at the tomb of Jesus as one of the women who discovered his resurrection.  Despite any obstacles she encountered during the intervening period she remained faithful to her Saviour.  She demonstrates endurance and persistence.

We all face the temptation of becoming demoralised when we persistently work at something and receive no recognition for our efforts.  We can easily find ourselves considering the gifts God gives us and seeking a bigger stage on which to exercise them.  Paul’s words in Galatians 1:10 provide an important reminder for us, “Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.“

When we find ourselves limited, because of our gender, or location, or some other reason, we face the choice of whether to focus on the limitation, or the opportunities available to us within that limitation.

It was recently pointed out to me that the first step in the serpent’s temptation of Eve was to remove her attention from the innumerable blessings God had given her to instead focus upon the single restriction.  I believe this continues to be a strategy of Satan that women have to resolve as they serve God within the church.

But Satan uses this strategy on all of us.  I could sit around lamenting that I’m not working for a larger church, or in a bigger city, or closer to Christian college that would give me more opportunities to share my “incredible wisdom” and “awesome speaking skills” God’s given me.  Or I can work in my current situation to share God’s love and Good News with everyone with whom I come in contact.

Joanna reminds us that we can work just as effectively for God away from the limelight as we can in the limelight.  While many people want to deepen their pockets by raising their profile in the Lord’s work, Joanna supported the ministry of Jesus out of her own pocket.  The crucial point in this whole story is that Jesus called her… and she followed, and served. Although I believe the NT does place some restrictions on the roles of women in the church (see here) it’s crucial that we recognise that Jesus called women as well as men.  Jesus relied on the support of women, as well as men.  The church needs to equally equip, commission, and acknowledge the work of women in God’s service.

Joanna may not have a book of the Bible named after her, but she was rewarded on that Sunday morning as the angel, in person, declared to her and the other women the Good News of a risen Saviour.

• While some people struggle with the urge to lead the church, others struggle to develop the willingness to serve.  To what extent do you think this is a gender issue?
• Do you think I’m making too big a deal over the couple of things we’re told about Joanna, or is this a reasonable application?
• Have you experienced Satan directing your attention from opportunities to limitations?  What are some other limitations he uses in addition to gender & location?
  

Read Part 1 here.

As I grew up in the church I often heard about the importance of reading a verse in context.  I came to understand this to mean that we need to read the verses immediately before and after the verse we’re studying to get a bigger picture, but that was about as far as we went.  Maybe we sometimes considered the paragraph as a whole, or the section between the headings.

I’ve now appreciate that often we need to step back even further to truly see the big picture and the context of a particular verse.

In the case of 1 Timothy, Paul begins the letter by stating his purpose in writing.  He writes to refute false teaching and to promote faith (vs3-4) because,

The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. (1 Tim 1:5)

Somehow, the church has managed to make 1 Timothy one of the most divisive books, rather than one that produces love.  We accomplish this by focusing on individual issues and verses rather than considering the message of the book as a whole.

The false teaching at Ephesus clearly concerns Paul and he warns against it regularly.  The letter also bursts with spontaneous praise to God.  Consider,

• 1:12-17
• 3:16
• 4:10
• 6:13

In these verses Paul’s not content just to say “God” he has to keep going and describe the “God who…”.  He encourages faith and love by continually reminding us of the hope and forgiveness that God has given us through the sacrifice of Christ.  It’s the antidote for false teaching.

In their NT Introduction, Carson, Moo & Morris note that the letter is a protest against needless controversies and the emphasis is on character and conduct. (1992, 376)

How ironic then that chapters 2 and 3 have been some of the mostly debated and divisive passages in the whole Bible.  In our quest to get every detail “right” we’ve missed the central message of the letter.  We define “love” in some quirky way that allows us to treat our brothers and sisters badly.  We focus on the verse and lose the context.

I’m not suggesting that 1:5 etc. presents a reason to simply ignore chapters 2 and 3 because they’re controversial.  We have to continue to work at understanding and applying them in our cultural context.  But when chapters 2 & 3 are used to oppress people, accumulate power, or are the basis of bitter arguments, perhaps there are some higher priorities we should study and discuss before returning to study these chapters.

• How important do you think it is for Christians to have a grasp of the overall message of Bible books?  (of course we could extend that to the overall message of the whole Bible, which I guess is the ultimate context.)
• What have you found helpful as ways to teach, learn or remember the themes of particular books?
• How does the theme of 1 Timothy influence your understanding of 2:11-15?
  

• Read Luke 5:27-32 here.
• If you missed Sunday’s sermon (January 31) you can listen to it here.

In the short story told in this passage, the religious leaders of Jesus’ day express shock that Jesus would eat with sinners and tax collectors.  According to Everett Ferguson (Backgrounds, 88) the tax collectors were no less honest than other businessmen, but were despised due to their liaison with the Romans.  Whatever the nuances, Luke clearly demonstrates that social conventions dictated that religious leaders, such as Jesus, should not fellowship with these unsavory characters.

In addition to vs 31-32, I came across a quote that contrasts the attitudes of Jesus and the Pharisees towards these people.  “For Jesus, recovery is the issue, not quarantine.” (Bock, Vol 1, 496)  Jesus accepted the hospitality of Levi and got to know his friends.  He did this so that he could provide healing, while the Pharisees quarantined themselves from these people who might infect them.

Churches and individual Christians still struggle with this dilemma.  We’re like cops in movies who go undercover.  How far under can we go before we become one of them?  Often the risks convince us we’re better off staying in the safe quarantine zone rather than involving ourselves in the lives of people outside the church.  We call people to repentance by standing on the outside with a megaphone pointing at the areas of life that need changing.  Jesus went into the house, ate and drank with the community then called them to follow him.

To prevent this posting getting too long, I’ll make several short points and you can discuss them further with me by leaving a comment.

• Jesus didn’t enter this situation alone, his disciples were with him.  He didn’t have a group of “righteous” friends and “sinful” friends that he flitted between.  He made sure his two worlds collided.  What do we learn from that?
• In my sermon I suggested that the Pharisees expected Jesus to be hanging with the “righteous” people at the synagogue rather than eating with sinners.  If Jesus came to our towns, where would he spend his time?  Are our churches more Godly than the Jews’ synagogues?
• We often have separate groups of church and non-church friends.  What are some ways you’ve found or seen to bring the two groups together?
• What can churches do to better mingle with the unchurched “sinners” in the surrounding community?  What are some effective missional approaches you’ve seen or heard of?

I’ve taken a couple of weeks away from the blog as I’ve been celebrating the birth of my daughter, Sophia Grace.  Perhaps it’s appropriate that my “baby-cation” interrupted a discussion in our Wednesday night Bible class on the role of women in the church as taught in 1 Timothy.  What opportunities for church involvement and service will my daughter have?  (Of course that’s a relevant question for my wife, sisters and all other women out there too.)  As she grows what gifts should I encourage her to develop and how can she use them in God’s service?

The topic of the “Role of Women in the Church” could obviously carry on for months and still not reach a conclusion that pleases everyone.  We could look at different passages in the Old and New Testaments.  I’m only raising this topic because you can’t teach 1 Timothy without addressing it, not because I’m trying to initiate a debate.  I expect to post 3 or 4 blogs on this topic.

My final precursor is to let you know that after a lot of study and thought, I generally adopt what has been described as the complementarian view of gender roles in the church.  Which basically holds that men and women have equal value in God’s eyes, but different roles within the church and family.  [You can read a brief description here, or a book on the topic here.]  So I’m not wanting to debate the merits of that view.

In 1 Timothy 2 the key restrictions placed upon women are found in v12, “I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be quiet.“  I find that churches often muddy the discussion by using the term leadership rather than the biblical terms teach and have authority over.

Perhaps at first glance we might say that the meaning of these terms is obvious, but church life provides so many opportunities for people to involve themselves, that it’s not always clear where these restrictions should apply.

I’ve composed a list of different teaching and leading scenarios for women.  Please read through the list and consider how many are NOT RESTRICTED by the terms “teach and have authority”. PLEASE do not comment on every single item.  I’m interested in seeing how easy it is to understand these terms and how much our understandings differ, so all you need to do is give a total number and some general comments.

In future posts I’ll explore more the methods of how we come to these conclusions.

Possible Areas of “Teaching & Authority”

1. Teaching a ladies Bible Class
2. Teaching a children’s Bible Class
3. Teaching a children’s Bible Class with baptized boys in it
4. Teaching a teen Bible Class
5. Asking a question in Bible Class
6. Answering a question in Bible Class (offering an interpretation of a verse)
7. Co-teaching (with a man) a Bible Class on Christian parenting
8. Teaching an adult Bible Class on serving people with addictions.
9. Teaching an adult Bible Class on the book of Ezekiel.
10. Writing a book on God’s grace, that may be read by men
11. Writing songs
12. Singing songs
13. Leading congregational singing
14. Sharing in Bible Class how God has worked in her life
15. Reading Scripture in Bible Class
16. Reading Scripture in a worship service
17. Participating in a congregational reading in a worship service.
18. Saying “Amen” and “That’s the truth” in a worship service.
19. Making an announcement during a worship service
20. Preparing powerpoint slides for a worship service
21. Running the powerpoint slides for a worship service
22. Managing the audio/visual system for a worship service
23. Passing communion trays during a worship service
24. Serving as an usher at a worship service
25. Saying a prayer during a worship service
26. Presenting thoughts prior to the Lord’s Supper
27. Preaching at a worship service
28. Serving as a ministry leader for church fellowship meals
29. Serving as a ministry leader for children’s education
30. Serving as a ministry leader for missions or benevolence
31. Participating on ministry committees
32. Standing before the congregation to report on a mission trip

Can you think of some more situations that are difficult to define?  Leave a comment and add them to the list.

BONUS: Interestingly, David Lipscomb, an early american Church of Christ pioneer, had no problem with women teaching men in Sunday Bible Classes.  You can read one of his quotes on the topic at this blog… just scroll down the page a little bit.

READ Part 2 here.

• Read Luke 3:1-20 here.
• If you missed Sunday’s sermon (January 10) you can listen to it here.

When I think of the ministry of John the Baptist, I generally think of a wild guy wearing animal skin clothes and eating bugs (Matt 3:4).  But Luke leaves this description out.  He chooses to focus on John’s message rather than his appearance.

Discussing the ministry of John inevitably raises questions concerning the nature and purpose of his baptism:

• What was he doing in the wilderness?  Did he know the Essenes (writers of the Dead Sea Scrolls) since they had a commune near there.
• Where’d he get the idea of baptism from?  It’s not in the Old Testament.
• Did his baptism actually give people forgiveness of sins (Lk 3:3), or just move them in the right direction to receive forgiveness?
• How was it different/similar to Jesus baptism or different/similar to Christian baptism?
• How does the story of Apollos in Acts 18 play into this discussion?

But somehow we seem to lose John’s message as all these questions overwhelm us.  Perhaps that’s why Luke spends so much time laying out the content of John’s preaching.

In verses 4-6 Luke quotes Isaiah 40 and clearly presents John as the prophet-herald preparing for the return of God.  A survey of Isaiah 40-66 demonstrates that when God returned he would create a new people and bring permanent salvation to His people.  (This differs from the cyclical salvation Israel had previously experienced as foreign powers had periodically oppressed them.)

John announces the imminent return of God.  What’s fascinating is that he prepares the way for God by preaching repentance.  He challenges people to make life changes.  But not in the way we usually think of repentance.

John doesn’t ask for Pharisees to become Sadducees, or for Gentiles to convert to Judaism.  John doesn’t ask for people to affirm particular doctrinal beliefs.  John challenges these people who sought the return of God to prepare by changing their lives, and their priorities.  I find it interesting that all three of his specific instructions concern personal finances.  1. Give to the poor.  2. Don’t be greedy, but be honest in carrying out your job.  That’s what repentance meant to John.

Repentance involves more than saying “Sorry” or changing our thoughts.  Repentance means changing the way we view and treat those around us.  John expects us to display true repentance through “fruits of repentance” (3:8).   In summary, we might say, “We love God, by loving others”.  And loving others means respecting and caring for the physical needs of those around us, as well as their spiritual needs.  When we do this, we join John in preparing the way for the LORD to return.

• What’s the first thing you think of when you read about John the Baptiser?
• “Repentance” is a word we don’t use much outside of church.  Can you suggest some other words and phrases that have the same message but might be more easily understood?
• In the Church of Christ we, rightly, teach repentance as an essential part of the process of salvation.  Yet John preached to God’s pious people the need for repentance, so shouldn’t this be a message we continue to preach within our churches? Do you think it’s difficult for Christians to regularly acknowledge their need to repent?
• If we regularly preached John’s message, wouldn’t we just have churches full of guilty feeling people?  But re-read v3 which says that repentance is for forgiveness of sins.  Can we preach John’s message and feel forgiven, not guilty?

Okay, I recognise that I seem to have asked more questions than I’ve answered here.  There are obviously a lot of things to talk about here, so why don’t you throw some of your answers as well as  few questions at me and maybe we can discuss some of these issues further.

Since our Sunday service was canceled due to cold (9F/-13C) and a foot or so of snow, I don’t really have a sermon to discuss this week.  So I thought I’d just take a moment to direct you to a handy little introduction to the Gospel of Luke that provides lots of background information.  You can read it HERE.

Mark Driscoll wrote this introduction.  He’s the author of several recent books and a leader among emergent churches.  He is also the founding minister of Mars Hill Church, a megachurch with a Reformed theology, in Seattle, Washington.

Mars Hill recently began a 3 year sermon series on the Gospel of Luke.  This is a radical departure from generally accepted methodology of mega churches.  Most seeker centered, megachurches preach series of 4-6 weeks that each have a catchy title and lots of practical application. Taking the time to prepare a study guide on backgrounds and going through a book verse-by-verse is almost unheard of at a church like this.  If you’re curious, audio of Driscoll’s sermons is available here.

My sermon series on Luke will run closer to to 3 months than 3 years, and only be 30 minutes each, not 60.  So I thought some of Driscoll’s material might interest to you.  If you’re looking for some other resources on Luke’s Gospel I suggest a few commentaries at my Amazon store here.

• If you know of some other good web resources on the Gospel of Luke, I’d love for you to share them.  Just click “comment”, below.

The Lawson Road Church of Christ, with whom I minister, has spent many years saving and dreaming of improving the church’s facilities.  It finally looks as though we can build something in 2010, which is cause for much excitement.  However, we will still require generosity on the part of members and former members.

The process of fundraising entails justifying every detail of the building plan so that contributors can be confident that their donations will not be wasted.  The difficulty with this is that building decisions are not only based upon practical considerations, such as how snow will interact with a skylight, but also upon ministry philosophy and theological considerations.

I’m not sure whether church facilities should influence ministry emphases or whether ministry needs drive church building programs.  It might depend on the life stage of the church.  There are some basic facilities that will inhibit ministry options if they’re not present.  Once basic facilities are in place then perhaps further additions should be based upon the needs of particular ministries.

So everything above was really introductory to this point.  I hope you’ll take the time to read THIS ARTICLE over at LeadershipJournal.net.  It describes how three churches have different attitudes towards their church facilities and how each building interacts with the ministries of the church.

Particularly interesting to me was the 2nd church in the article.  Not that long ago Garnett Church of Christ was one of the largest, most vibrant churches in the brotherhood.  The article describes the journey of the church in recent years and how their facilities have been both a curse, and a blessing.

If you took the time to read the article…

• What do you think of the emphasis on Christian hospitality?  Is that a new idea?  Do you like it, or think they’re giving it too much importance?
• Have you ever visited a church with outstanding hospitality?  What did they do to impress you?
  
• What are some ways you’ve seen church buildings used between services, in addition to the common schools and day care centers?

• Read Luke 1-2 here.
• If you missed Sunday’s sermon (December 27) you can listen to it here.

Sermon audio refers to this picture.

I must confess that I found this week’s sermon preparation academically exciting.  I only hope the church members also experienced some spiritual excitement from the message.

I was fascinated by the similarities in the praise of Zechariah (Lk 1:67-79) and the angels (2:10-14) which I’ll lay out below.

Zechariah: [God] has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David… to rescue us from the hand of our enemies… (1:69, 74b)

Angel: Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you. (2:11)

While Zechariah clearly anticipates an earthly Davidic king and rescue from the oppression of the Romans, the angel doesn’t shy away from that expectation.  In fact, the angel emphasises Jesus’ Davidic heritage by referring to the “town of David”, rather than to Bethlehem.

However, we sell Zechariah short if we think his understanding of God’s salvation was limited to political deliverance.  Zechariah understood the connection between political peace for God’s people and their holiness.  He knew from studying the prophets that Israel had lost its freedom because of their sinful neglect of their covenant with God.  That’s why in v77 he summarises John’s mission as being to give his people the knowledge of salvation throug the forgiveness of theirs sins. Which is certainly consistent with the Christian understanding of Jesus as Saviour.

Zechariah: the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death. (1:78b-79b)

Angel: Do not be afraid.  I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. (2:10)

Zechariah and the angel both see God working through Jesus to replace fear and darkness with joy and peace.  While the reference to Jesus as “the rising sun” is unusual, the imagery of Jesus bringing light to a dark world is frequently used in the NT.  Eg. John 1:4-5

Paul uses similar language in an interesting way in Ephesians 5:8b-10 where he calls upon Christians to “Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord.“  Not only is Jesus the “rising sun”, but Christians are “children of light”.  And while Jesus bring joy and peace, Christians are to reflect our Saviour by first “finding out what pleases the Lord” and then living it.

Zechariah: …to guide our feet into the path of peace. (1:79c)

Angels: …on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests. (2:14b)

Both Zechariah and the angels expected the Messiah to bring peace, but the both regard the peace as conditional.  Zechariah has already connected it with the forgiveness of sins, and here implies that while Jesus guides our feet, we still have to walk down the path.  Jesus isn’t dragging anyone down the path of peace.

Likewise, while the angels declared “joy to the world”, the peace is limited to those “on whom his favor rests”.  Without going into a lengthy explanation, I understand that phrase to reference those who accept Jesus as Saviour, Messiah, and Lord.  They are the ones who receive God’s favour.  Jesus comes for all, but not everyone benefits from his coming!

So maybe you’re not jumping out of your skin with excitement right now, but I find the comparison fascinating.  We find Luke repeating the same message, but quoting different people saying the same thing in different ways.

FINALLY:  An interesting point about 2:11 is that this is the only place in Scripture that all three of these titles for Jesus are used together:  Saviour, Messiah (Christ), and Lord.  Also, if you’re looking for some indication in look about the deity of Christ… there’s that whole Son of God thing in 1:35 & 3:37, but additionally, in 1:46-47 Mary refers to God as her Lord and Saviour, titles that the angels also bestow upon Jesus in 2:11!

I know I didn’t really discuss the nature of the promised peace, so maybe you can help me out?

• Do you think the angels are only speaking of spiritual peace / forgiveness of sins?  or are they speaking more broadly than that?
  
• How have you experienced God’s peace in your life?
• Should Christians expect peaceful families, or peaceful societies?
  
• Surely churches should at least be peaceful places?  If so, then doesn’t that mean Christians carry a peace that goes beyond spiritual reconciliation?
  

• Read Luke 1 here.
• If you missed Sunday’s sermon (December 20) you can listen to it here.

Since this is my last post before Christmas, let me wish everyone a very HAPPY CHRISTMAS!!

I’m beginning a new sermon series on the Gospel of Luke.  Since most movies and story books tend to tell a unified story of Christ’s birth, I thought I’d use this post to highlight how each Gospel tells the story in different ways, highlighting different events.

MARK:

• Doesn’t mention the birth of Jesus at all.  The book begins with the ministry of John the Baptizer, then the baptism, temptation, and ministry of Jesus.

JOHN:

• In his first 18 verses John presents the deity and incarnation of Jesus.  He makes it very clear that Jesus was divinely present at creation, but “became flesh and lived among us“.  But John never mentions Bethlehem, or gives details of Jesus birth.

MATTHEW:

• Begins with a genealogy linking Jesus with David and Abraham.
• We’re simply told that “His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.“
• An angel appears to Joseph, reassuring him of Mary’s fidelity.
• The birth of Jesus is never described.  Chapter 2 begins after the birth of Jesus with the visit of the Magi.
• Only Matthew tells of Jesus’ flight to Egypt and Herod’s execution of Bethlehem’s baby boys.

LUKE:

• Begins with the promise of a son to Zechariah & Elizabeth.
• An angel visits Mary predicting she would bear a miraculous son, even though she’s a virgin.
• Mary’s song.
• Birth of John the Baptizer.
• Zechariah’s song.
• Joseph & Mary travel to Bethlehem where Jesus is born.
• Singing angels appear to shepherds and announce the birth of a Saviour, a Messiah.
• 8 days after his birth Jesus is presented at the temple where Simeon and Anna prophesy over him.
• Luke tells the only account of Jesus childhood when in 2:41-51 he describes Jesus’ visit to the temple at Passover when he was 12 years old.

I appreciate the efforts people make to consolidate these four accounts into one story.  I think that having one story makes it simpler to remember all the facts.  But generally, I’m cautious of efforts to harmonise the Gospels.

It seems to me that when we attempt to consolidate the Gospel stories we’re saying that the four writers made mistakes, or overlooked information.  While harmonisation may simplify the story, we do ourselves a disservice as Bible students in the process.

• Did Luke really not know that Jesus’ family spent time in Egypt?
• Was Matthew completely unaware of the angels singing to the shepherds?
• Did Mark not know how or where Jesus was born?
• Did John forget important arguments to support his statement that “The Word became flesh.”?

Each of the Gospel writers told the story differently because they were writing to different audiences with slightly different emphases.  While Matthew highlights fulfilled prophesy, Luke fills the pages with people rejoicing at the birth of a Saviour.  The two Gospels  present two perspectives of the same event and we can dwell on each perspective and benefit from it.  We lose something important when we merge the separate accounts into one generic story.

• Have you considered the role each of the Gospels have in telling of Jesus birth?
• Do you have a favorite one? As I said in my sermon, I relate to John who gets straight to the point and doesn’t require me to interpret his story.
• Since only two Gospels describe the birth of Christ, does this mean it’s unimportant?  Where does his birth rank in importance compared to other events in Jesus’ life?
  

For those who are interested…  I’ve copied below a summary of my Exodus sermon series.  Yes, it stops at chapter 20. We’ll be covering the rest of the book in a Wednesday night Bible class.

If I was a really clever preacher, I expect I’d have some fancy acronym, or 6 Steps, or an intricate diagram of how Exodus demonstrates the process of Becoming People of God.  I just have a list of observations and applications.  If you want to make some suggestions on how this list could be simplified, I’m all ears (and eyes).

I really enjoyed this series and hope others find it beneficial also.  If you can’t figure out how I reached a particular conclusion from that text, First, look at the relevant post on the blog; Second, leave a question on this post and I’ll respond.

EXODUS: Becoming People of God

Ex. 6:6-8 – Exodus tells us of a God who’s very involved in the lives of His people.  This is our God!

Ex. 1 & 2 – The beginning of Exodus tells us that God’s working, even when we don’t see Him.

Ex. 2:11-22 – Like Moses, we need to stand up for God.  Then we need to fall before God, relying on Him.

Ex. 3:5-6; Rom. 8:9-11 – The ground wherever we go is Holy, because we bring the presence of God with us in a special, tangible way.

Ex. 3:12 – The guarantee of God’s presence is not in the way we feel, but in the results we witness and in the lives of the people we worship with.

Ex. 5:22-6:1 – Moses didn’t let Pharaoh defeat him.  Don’t let reality wear you down.  Keep the dream.  Keep the wonder of the message of God salvation.

Ex. 9:34-35 – BEWARE. If we get to a point where we know all the answers, or if we’re unwilling to make any more changes in our lives, then, like Pharaoh, we’ve stopped listening to God, our hearts have hardened.

Ex. 6:28-7:7 Moses learned to let God be God and look at the results.  Moses didn’t have to get busier, or try harder.  He just had to deliver God’s message to Pharaoh and let God do the rest.

Ex. 12:11-14 – Jesus is coming for his people and we have faith in his promises.  We eat today as though God’s promises have already taken place.  That’s faith.

Ex. 12:3-4 - As God formed his new nation He emphasized stewardship, and community.  Sounds like church!

Ex. 13:17-18 – We often think of baptism as the end of the journey, not the beginning.  If temptation was part of Jesus’ life from the moment of baptism, we shouldn’t expect any less.

Ex. 12:29-30; Gen. 15:18-21 – The Exodus reveals a God who values justice, but pairs it with patience because He loves His enemies and gives them opportunity to repent.

Ex. 14:13-15 – Can we imitate the Israelites at the Red Sea?  Can we stand still at the foot of the cross and accept God’s grace and forgiveness? or do we need to find our own solutions?

Ex. 15 – In Moses’ song, God’s actions and Moses worship intersected.  We also need to ensure that our worship reflects the events of our lives.

Ex 19:3-8 – God seeks relationship with us before He demands obedience.  How’s your relationship with God?

Ex 20 – We can’t ignore God’s laws.  Notice the similarity between the first 4 and last 6 commandments and the 2 greatest commands in the NT (Mt 22:34-40).  Loving God involves keeping His laws.