Spiritual Battle

This morning we started working through 2 Corinthians 10 in our morning study.  The chapter is packed.

Focus for a moment on 3 – 6.  Note the way Paul leverages the criticism that is aimed at him into a strong argument.  He is essentially being accused of ministering out of the flesh.  He acknowledges that he is still walking, read living,, in his fleshly body, but he is not warring in the arena.

His battleground is for the hearts and minds of those to whom he was called to serve by Christ.  Note that he does not use fleshly arguments but he sees this as a spiritual battle that requires spiritual or divine weaponry.  He has referred to this battle before in 2 Corinthians 4:3 – 4, those who cannot understand him are blinded by the enemy.

Daily we are to be engaged in this battle.  Not only to fight to walk with our Lord in integrity but also to share that light with those around us.  They are blinded.  They are being deceived by the world which is under the dominion, now, of the enemy of the Lord.  The only way that we can walk with Him and serve them is through daily warring with divine weapons.  Those divine weapons Paul outlines in Ephesians 6:10 – 20.

Last Stuck Thought

I've been stuck on Jeremiah 6:10:21 for the past three days.  This is the last post on this passage, I think.

We hear a lot about the relevance of the Gospel.  I have been approached by people who wanted to change the way the Bible stated things because different groups of people found the language offensive.  I have read books that claim to be Biblical that suggest things to “more effectively” reach people groups that are anything but Biblical.  Elements of the Church are continually succumbing to pressure from the culture to change its position on one issue or another be it abortion, homosexuality, ordination of women, marriage and divorce, and a myriad of other pressures.  We are told that certain age groups have to be approached in ways that they can hear or we will lose them.  OK.

Look at Jeremiah 6:16.  First of all let me say that I agree that we have to work to communicate the truth in a way that those who are not in the faith can understand it.  That being said when people are in the faith, there are some basics that regardless of their age, cultural background, whatever label one wishes to use to filter them, are essential.  Those are the ancient ways about which Jeremiah is talking.  Obedience to the Word of God is one.  That assumes one knows the Word.  Prayer is another.  Being engaged with a community of believers in another.  Being a verbal and behavioral testimony to those around you who do not believe is another.

Israel refused.  As Paul says in Romans 15:4, that is recorded for our instruction.

Stuck Some More...But Looking...

Still working through Jeremiah 6:10 – 21.  Focus today on verse 14.  One of the things we need to avoid in Bible Study is looking at verses in isolation.  We do that a lot.  We will take a favorite passage and quote it endlessly without consciously thinking about where the verse fits into the book in which it is found.  With the exception of perhaps Proverbs, there is a continuity of thought that runs through all of the books.  The chapter and verse divisions were added centuries later so we could find our place quickly.  So each passage connects in thought and structure to those around it and serves to move the argument of the author forward.

So verse 14.  With that in mind, what is the connection between verse 13 and verse 14?  From the post “Looking for…3” we see that the first word “and” indicates that the thought from 13 is continued in 14.  What questions can we ask then?  Perhaps:

• What is the connection between dealing falsely and superficial ministry?
• What is the connection between leader’s greed and superficial ministry?
• Why would leaders dealing falsely from greed declare peace?  What purpose does it serve them?

We have said that better Bible students are those who see more and see it more quickly.  A corollary to that is that they will ask better questions.  The answers to these questions may seem obvious.  But I would suggest that the answers are not obvious to everyone.