Live Unleavened

Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

1 Corinthians 5:7-8

The Jews ate the Passover meal on the 14th day of the month of Nisan. This meal marked the beginning of the Feast of Unleavened Bread which lasted seven days from the evening of the 14th to the evening of the 21st. Anyone who ate anything leavened during those seven days was cut off from Israel. So, it was very important that on the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Israelites removed all leaven from their homes. Historically, Jews have taken this practice very seriously. In fact, it’s traditional Jewish practice to search every corner of the home with a lit candle to ensure that no bits or crumbs of leaven remain.*

Paul draws on that background to argue that the New Testament church lives (figuratively) during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Jesus, our Passover Lamb, has already been slaughtered. His death was the Passover celebration that began the Feast in which we now live in. And this Feast of Unleavened Bread will continue until the church age ends and we eat the Marriage Supper of the Lamb when Jesus returns.

Paul argues then that we are called to “continually celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread every day—not just one week out of the year— [but all our lives] by living in a holy way.”** Paul uses leaven as an analogy for sin, and the implication is that we should search out and remove the old leaven of sin from our lives, from our homes, and from our churches. We are to be an unleavened people, kept as pure and uncontaminated by sin as we can until Jesus returns.

Make no mistake, God calls us individuals and churches to live unleavened lives. To seek out and destroy the sin that festers and grows in the corners of our lives and homes and churches.

So, I have to ask... What sin or sinful residue do you need to clean out of your life? Or out of your home? What do you need to get rid of? Purge it from your life and live unleavened, until Jesus returns.

* Jamieson, Robert, A. R. Fausset, and David Brown. Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible. Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997.

** Naselli, Andrew David. “1 Corinthians.” In Romans–Galatians, edited by Iain M. Duguid, James M. Hamilton Jr., and Jay Sklar, X:209–394. ESV Expository Commentary. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2020.

My Pastor Can Beat up Your Pastor (W.o.W. Rewind)

I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas”; still another, “I follow Christ.” Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul?

I Corinthians 1:10-13

“My dad can beat up your dad!” 

“Nuh-uh! My dad could totally beat up your dad!!!”

It wasn’t uncommon to hear exchanges like this on the playground when I was a kid. In fact, I remember taking part in arguments just like this myself. It’s funny how we can take something as wonderful as being proud of our dad and turn it into a competition that leads to division and conflict. But the Bible tells us that this can happen in our churches just as easily. Christians can associate so closely with different pastors or Christian personalities that they begin to identify with them more than with Christ Himself. Many of you have heard people say, “I go to pastor So-and-So’s church.” We love to namedrop don’t we? Like it somehow makes us more important because our preacher published a book! Have you ever noticed how many people leave a church when the pastor changes? 

In 1 Corinthians, Paul warns the church about this danger and reminds us that our worth as believers is founded on who Christ is, not on who our pastor is. In this way all believers are on equal footing. We are all in Christ and therefore all one in Him. There is no need for division or conflict over these other admirable men in the church. They're nothing more than Christ’s servants. Christ is what counts, and nothing else. 

What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. (I Cor. 3:5-8)

Paul drives his point home in verses 21-23: "So then, no more boasting about human leaders! All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God." Quit boasting about men! I might add to quit boasting about numbers and buildings and programs and budgets. These things are not the end goal of the kingdom! When we boast in these things we're like a farmer boasting that he has the most beautiful tiller in the county. The goal isn't to have the most beautiful tiller! The goal is a fruitful harvest. We should be boasting in God and in Him alone, not in our pastor and not in our accomplishments as a church. Boast in the Lord and what He is accomplishing in the lives of the people in your church and in your own heart! Christ is our joy. He is our all in all, and He is our greatest boast. 

So be careful not to get caught up in conflict over Christian personalities. Be careful not to take pride in things that matter a lot in your church but not at all in the kingdom. Instead, stay close to Christ and remind yourself daily that nothing compares to this precious truth: Christ loved you and died for you so that you might be adopted as God’s own child. May we be so dumbfounded by this truth that no other boast ever crosses our lips again.

For further reading...

• Read I Corinthians 1-4:7

Participation Trophy Christianity

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

I Corinthians 9:24-27

Participation trophies don't mean much. All they do is confirm that you were there. You took part. Whether you competed particularly well or particularly poorly doesn't matter. All you have to do to get one is show up. 

That's not how the ancient Isthmian games in Corinth worked. In Paul's day, only the Olympic Games were more prominent, so the athletes took these games very seriously. They knew that only one runner in the race received the crown which was a wreath made of foliage and placed on the victor's head. Even though this crown would wither and die, it was highly coveted. Athletes would go into strict training for the games. They would go to great lengths and employ a great amount of self-discipline to prepare their bodies not just to participate but to win.

How much better than this crown of foliage are the Christian's rewards in Heaven? This crown was perishable and of the earth in the truest sense. But our rewards last forever and are heavenly in every sense of the word. How much more then ought we to discipline ourselves and put forth maximum effort to live for God as best we can? The average Christian ought to be much more committed to living out their faith than the most dedicated Olympic athlete is to training.

Let me put it plainly. There are no participation trophies in Heaven! You aren't winning any heavenly crowns simply by showing up to church on Sunday (or even Wednesday). God isn't impressed when you give minimum effort or take part aimlessly. No. God looks on the heart, and He rewards you accordingly. So let me ask. What are you doing for Jesus? And are you doing it aimlessly or excellently?

Think about it. Your rewards depend upon it.

Powerless

But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.

Acts 2:24

I go to quite a few funerals. As a minster it's something I've grown used to. But recently, as I sat at the funeral of a dear church member, I realized that I couldn't quite make sense of what I was feeling. I knew it was something that I feel at all funerals, but what was it?

I knew it wasn't hopelessness, because I am convinced that the dead in Christ shall rise (I Thess. 4:16). I know that the Christian hope is to receive a resurrection body like Christ's and to live eternally with Him. So I knew it wasn't hopelessness. Slowly, I realized that what I was feeling was helplessness. I felt powerless in the face of death. 

To me this feeling of powerlessness hangs heavy over funerals. I see it in the eyes of the family members. They would give anything to have their loved one back healthy and happy; but they are powerless before the irrevocable certainty of the death. I feel their pain and want dearly to offer comfort, but I feel helpless to give them what they really want. I can't take the pain away. I can't bring their loved one back. So I mourn with them. I pray for them. And I celebrate the contributions their loved one made to the life of our church. 

I can only imagine that this captures something of what the disciples of Jesus must have felt during the time Jesus was in the tomb. Helpless, powerless, and at that time they probably even felt hopeless. And just as the events of Easter met those disciples right at their place of need; it meets us at ours as well. Easter reminds the believer that death is not the ultimate reality for those who are in Christ Jesus: life is! Though we stand helpless before death, God does not. He has conquered death in Christ, and one day very soon death will be no more. God is not powerless before death. Death has been conquered. It has been swallowed up in victory. 

When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory." "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?"  (1 Corinthians 15:54-55) 

Your Are Not Your Own

“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.

Luke 14:26

He was thrown in jail in 1660 for preaching without state approval. He was a non-conformist, a Puritan pastor. Although he was uneducated, John Bunyan was known to be a powerful preacher who drew large crowds to hear the gospel. The Church of England considered him (and thousands of other Puritan pastors) to be dangerous outsiders. Thousands of these pastors were forced out of their pulpits. Some were killed. John Bunyan was imprisoned. 

He would spend twelve long years in his cell during this first imprisonment. He spent that time writing to his church, praying for his captors and worrying about his family. Astoundingly, Bunyan could have secured his release at any time but did not. Had he simply agreed not to preach any longer, he could have gone on his way; but his conscience wouldn't allow it. How many of us would have done the same I wonder? His willingness to endure for twelve years would be laudable even had he been a bachelor, but Bunyan was a family man. He had a wife and six children, the oldest of which was blind. As long as he was in jail, he was unable to provide for their needs. This caused him no small amount of anguish.

"Parting with my wife and poor children has often been to me like the pulling of the flesh from my bones... I have often brought to mind the many hardships, miseries, and wants that my poor family would likely meet with should I be taken from them, especially my poor blind child, who lies nearer my heart than all besides. Oh the thoughts of the hardship I thought my blind one might go under would break my heart to pieces." (Bunyan, John. Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners. p 123 as quoted by Piper, John in The Hidden Smile of God. p.56) [I've updated the language to make it easier to read]

Yet, despite his concern for his family, John Bunyan refused to be silenced. He remained in jail until religious freedom once again broke out in England and he was freed to both be with his family and to preach. Bunyan would be imprisoned two more times during his lifetime. It was during one of these later imprisonments that he wrote the book Pilgrim's Progress for which he is still known. This book is worthy to be remembered but it's a shame that Bunyan isn't remembered more for his unyielding commitment to preach the Word and to live for Christ.

Bunyan's life illustrates a truth that I believe he understood better than most. The believer's life is not his own. If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, then your life is not yours to do with as you please. Not one second of one day of your life belongs to you. Listen to what Paul says in Galatians 2:20, "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me." Jesus said, "I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me" (John 5:30). Jesus didn't live His life as He wished but according to the will of God the Father. May those who follow Jesus and call Him Lord take the same attitude! If every Christian were gripped by this truth, much of the lostness and pain in our world could be defeated 

Who are you living for? Who would you say directs your life in the big decisions? And in all the small ones? Remember, "You are not your own, for you were bought with a price" (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Live like it!

Father, forgive me for living my life as if it were my own, selfishly assigning or witholding my time and resources based on my own preferences. Forgive me for not seeking Your will every day in the big decisions and in the small ones. Thank you for reminding me today that my very breath is a gift from You. My life is not my own, help me to spend it in service to You. Use me for your glory. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Why the Old Testament was Written

Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.

I Corinthians 10:11

When was the last time you read from the Old Testament? Did you dive into II Kings in your personal quiet time this morning? Is Lamentations your favorite book of the Bible? Probably not. But consider this, of the 66 books in the Bible, 39 or almost 60% are in the Old Testament. It covers nearly 2,000 years of God's dealings with His people while the New Testament covers less than 100. Not enough to convince you? How about this: the Old Testament is the only written Scripture that Jesus or His contemporaries had, yet we largely ignore it.

Most of us, when we do find time to pick up the Bible, tend to stay in the relatively familiar New Testament. It's less confusing and more accessible. Jesus is in it, and it's just... easier. But when we ignore the Old Testament altogether (either in our personal Bible study or in the church) we rob ourselves of an important gift God has given us.

In I Corinthians Paul reminds his readers of several Old Testament stories then tells them that these things took place as an example for us. The stories in the Old Testament are living illustrations. They show us how we ought to live and how we ought not to live. Moreover, Paul says that God saw fit to make sure these stories were written down for our instruction. We need all the help we can get to think rightly and make good decisions in this world. We simply can't afford to miss out on God's instruction for our lives. While there's no denying that the New Testament is at the heart of Christianity and that it probably even deserves to be read more than the Old Testament; when we ignore the Old Testament altogether and treat it as a lesser class of Scripture, then we doom ourselves to be ignorant of important lessons God has for us. 

So pick up your Bible and read from the Old Testament today. As you do, here are two pointers to guide your interpretation.

1. Context- Because the Old Testament covers a time span of roughly 2,000 years, it's important to have some idea of the context surrounding what you're reading. A good study Bible like the ESV Study Bible will have introductions to each book to help you out with this.
2. Literary Type- Pay attention to what type of literature you're reading. For example, books like Genesis are historical writings. In these books the authors' primary concern is recording what happened in a factual manner without commenting on the morality of specific actions. Be careful here! Just because the Bible faithfully records that something did happen, doesn't mean that God approves of the actions the men and women took in that story. Look for the times when God or the author breaks into the story to give their opinion. These asides help you to rightly understand the stories where no commentary is given.

Don't Quit

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.

I Corinthians 15:58

Do you ever feel like quitting on God? Maybe you'll keep going to church, but you're ready to throw in the towel on everything else. You're tired of sharing the gospel with that family member or friend over and over again only to be rejected. You're tired of prepping Bible study lessons for hours on end only to teach it to people who don't get it and couldn't seem to care any less. You're tired of serving behind the scenes only to have someone else take the credit. You've reached the end of yourself and you're done, ready to give up.

It isn't just church staff members and missionaries who feel this way. I work with many believers who give hours to volunteer ministry every week. They don't get paid to minister but they do it on top of their responsibilities at work, at home, and within their extended families. They get discouraged just like me. I bet that sometimes you do too.

When we are tempted to give up we should consider Paul's encouragement in today's verse. We should strive to "be steadfast and immovable" in our service to the Lord. In the original language the word 'steadfast' could mean that a person was immovable, firm, or even sitting (Blue Letter Bible). In other words, we should persevere in doing good so resolutely that we are absolutely unchanged by the challenges and discouragements that come our way.

God acknowledges that ministry is hard. The verse says that we can know our "toil" is not in vain. That word 'toil' in the original language can mean "intense labor united with trouble and toil" (Blue Letter Bible). I have to admit that some days quote captures exactly how my ministry feels, but we shouldn't give up. Why? Because we know our toil is not in vain. It isn't fruitless. How do we know this?    

Our hope in the resurrection gives us the strength to endure and even press on. You see, Paul puts this verse at the end of a long section on our hope in the resurrection. This verse is the conclusion or application that he draws from the precious truth that all believers will one day be raised in victory. 

We may feel as though we are losing every battle now, but one day we will leave all of this toil behind. One day the seemingly endless struggle will give way to truly endless victory. Then we will receive the reward for all our labor. On that day even death will be swallowed up in victory. 

We dare not give in to discouragement now for fear of missing out on any of the reward later. So if you are discouraged, if you are thinking about quitting, or have already done so; take heart. Remind yourself of the coming victory and press on in faith knowing that your toil is not in vain. One day you will reap your reward. There may be no sign of the harvest now, but it is coming. In this world or the next your reward will come.

Father, help us to press on in faithful service. Give us the strength to walk in the good works You have prepared in advance for us to do. And sanctify our efforts to your glory, to advance your kingdom. Be pleased with us. May we be a blessing to You and Your children. In Jesus' name, Amen. 

For further reading...

• I Corinthians 15- Read the passage in context.

My Pastor Can Beat Up Your Pastor

I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas”; still another, “I follow Christ.” Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul?

I Corinthians 1:10-13

“My dad can beat up your dad!” 

“Nuh-uh! My dad could totally beat up your dad!!!”

It wasn’t uncommon to hear exchanges like this on the playground when I was a kid. In fact, I remember taking part in arguments just like this myself. It’s funny how we can take something as wonderful as respect and admiration for our dads and turn it into competition that leads us to division and conflict. But the Bible tells us that this can happen in our churches just as easily. Christians can associate so closely with different pastors or Christian personalities that they begin to identify themselves more by that icon of the faith than by Christ Himself. Many of you have heard people say, “I go to pastor So-and-So’s church.” We love to namedrop don’t we? Like it somehow makes us more important because our preacher published a book! Have you ever noticed how many people leave a church when the pastor changes? 

In 1 Corinthians, Paul warns the church about this danger and reminds us that our worth as believers is founded on who Christ is, not on who our pastor is. In this way all believers are on equal footing. We are all in Christ and therefore all one in Him. There is no need for division or conflict over these other admirable men in the church. They are nothing more than Christ’s servants. Christ is what counts, and nothing else. 

What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. (I Cor. 3:5-8)

Paul drives his point home in verses 21-23: "So then, no more boasting about human leaders! All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God." Quit boasting about men! I might add to quit boasting about numbers and buildings and programs and budgets. These things are not the end all of the kingdom! When we boast in these things we are like a farmer boasting that he has the most beautiful tiller in the county. The beauty of your tiller isn’t the point. The goal is a fruitful harvest. The implication is clear: we should be boasting in God and in Him alone. Not in our pastor and not in our accomplishments as a church. Boast in the Lord and what He is accomplishing in the lives of the people in your church and in your own heart! Christ is our joy. He is our all in all, and He is our greatest boast. 

So be careful not to get caught up in conflict over Christian personalities. Be careful not to take pride in things that matter a lot in your church but none at all in the kingdom. Instead, stay close to Christ. Remind yourself daily that nothing compares to this precious truth: Christ loved you and died for you so that you might be adopted as God’s own child. May we be so dumbfounded by this truth that no other boast ever crosses our lips again.

For further reading...

• Read I Corinthians 1-4:7.

Feeling a Bit Puffy Lately?

But knowledge puffs up while love builds up. Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know. But whoever loves God is known by God.

1 Corinthians 8:2-3



 

We all like being the one who knows more, right? Even as little kids, when we knew something that our friends (or even our parents) didn't know it made us feel good. The truth is that many of us are still like this as adults and it contributes to our conflicts. We care much less about our relationships with the people who disagree with us than we do about proving that we are right...that we know more than they do. Knowledge is a good thing, but it can puff up. This is the difference between simply being smart and being a smart aleck.

 

Today's passage reminds us that no matter how smart we are, none of us know yet as we ought to know. You can be the smartest person on the planet and still be humbled by the truth that you do not yet know all that you will know one day in heaven. Nor do you know anything now in the way you will know it there. You see knowledge is always understood within a specific context, or worldview. You can know a fact, but misunderstand its importance when you are looking at it from the wrong perspective. Only once all is revealed from heaven's vantage point will we fully and finally grasp God's plan in all its glory. Only then can we see how all the little factoids we have picked up along the way fit into His grand masterpiece.

 

Yet, all of this is surpassed by something else: love. Whoever loves God is known by God. What a promise! What a blessing. How many of our problems are based on the fact that we are striving for knowledge of God or of His creation at the expense of drawing nearer to Him in love? Even knowledge of God can puff up. For that reason, it goes unnoticed from God's vantage point. But love for God puts a person on His radar. We can be sure that a man or woman or child who is deeply in love with God does not go unnoticed. In a world of ungrateful rebels, souls that are lifted up in true heartfelt affection stand out in sharp contrast. So I wonder...have you been seeking after knowledge of God more than love of Him? Has your knowledge of God or of anything else caused you to get a bit puffy in your interactions with Him or with others? If so, choose to focus on love today. Love for God and love for others. And as you do, know that you will not go unnoticed by God.

 

 

For further reading...

• John 15- Abide in Him.
• Mark 12:28-31- The two greatest commandments.