ripple effect: vacaville

I’ve been sick for the past week or so, and I’ve also been working on something that our entire congregation can use this summer. So…please check out the New Testament Summer Message Challenge. I will try to finish this yearly blog. But, right now, I am overwhelmed with other things. Sorry. I hope you all understand. But, I’m definitely telling you that you can get your Bible fix on that other blog. So, ch-ch-ch-check it out!

Read 2 Corinthians 4:1-18.

1. OK, so we’re moving on to 2 Corinthians. This is a cool passage…
2. Whenever you are thinking about losing heart in doing good for God, think about the fact that it is by God’s grace that even get to represent Him in this world. Don’t lose heart.
3. If you speak for God (as Paul does), they do have to not keep secrets and have skeletons in their closets. And they definitely also should not deceive people. Isn’t it kind of sad that we can probably think of a ton of situations in recent memory where people who “spoke for God” had secrets, shameful ways, and deception?
4. Another important thing to NOT do is distort God’s word. I think a lot of that goes on when people just take one verse and use it to justify a random opinion that might not reflect God’s heart.
5. Paul basically says that it is a much better strategy to simply tell the truth. Then it’s no longer “on” him; it’s “on” his listeners’ consciences.
6. Paul says that the only reason that gospel is “veiled” or hard to understand is because those people aren’t MEANT to understand it. Why would God blind unbelievers, so that they can’t accept the gospel? Does that seem cruel that God controls who does and who doesn’t accept the truth (and thus get saved)?
7. Paul wants everyone to know that it is not about him; it’s all about Jesus. They’re just assigned to serve these people.
8. Paul is comparing himself (and anyone who preaches the gospel) to “jars of clay.” These are ordinary vessels. Things that are basically just “tupperware” to this ancient culture. The crazy thing about the message is not who’s delivering it…it’s the fact that this message is coming out of ordinary household items (or ordinary people). No one would have stored treasure in a clay jar. It’s too important. But, God, allows His message to be spread through “ordinary” people. Cool!
9. Sounds like the words to “Trading My Sorrows.” Yeah, Paul wasn’t kidding when he was talking about being “pressed,” “perplexed,” “persecuted,” and “struck down.” Does anyone else wonder the irony of a bunch of Americans who live in a free country singing these lines? I know we struggle, but I don’t think we struggle like Paul did.
10. How would you carry the death of Jesus? What would that look like?
11. How is the life of Jesus revealed in our bodies?
12. Paul says it only makes sense to speak if you believe.
13. What do you think Paul means when he says that he is “being renewed day by day”?
14. Paul keeps drawing that contrast between the natural (dying) world and the spiritual (neverending) world. No wonder he focuses on that invisible world.

Read 1 Corinthians 15:42-58. (Yeah, I messed up on the book mark. Sorry.)

1. So our body dies. But it is raised immortal. Sweet.
2. Our bodies die in dishonor. But they are raised on glory. Sweeter.
3. Our bodies are naturally weak. But they are raised with power. Super sweet.
4. Our body is natural. But is raised spiritual. There’s a lot of cool stuff going on because of the resurrection from the dead!
5. This first Adam, last Adam business can be confusing. Adam (of Garden of Eden fame) was the father of all natural man. Since he brought in sin, we all share in his legacy. This “last Adam,” though (Jesus, the firstborn of RESURRECTED man), brings us life in the Spirit; and we all get to share in that!
6. We look “rather mannish” because we are related to Adam. But, as much as we are related to him, we are also going to start bearing the likeness of Jesus (the man from heaven).
7. It’s not our natural bodies (what we got from Adam) that inherits the kingdom of God. It’s the spiritual part of us!
8. Oooh…what’s Paul’s mystery? We will not all sleep (that means DIE). We will all be changed. We will go from being natural to spiritual or “imperishable” in a BLINK.
9. If we want in on the good stuff, we (being natural) need to “clothe” ourselves with the spiritual. When we are clothed in this, then death has no power over us. No power. Can you imagine what that would be like? For death to mean nothing? Isaiah and Hosea preached about it; but, wow, this is going to be real!
10. Death might be able to say to us, “Oh, no you don’t! You are a sinner. You are bound to follow the law; and, by that law, you have SINNED! I’ve got you!” But, Jesus gives us that victory through His death on the cross. And death is going to be left looking stupid for even trying.
11. Why would you not stand firm if you knew this? This is definitely going to pay off in the end, so why not live for God with all you’ve got?

Read 1 Corinthians 15:1-20.

1. Paul wants to remind all his listeners about the gospel. People can’t forget what Jesus did. And Paul knows that, so that’s why he is always reminding his audience. For the Corinthians, it was more than just head knowledge. They had taken a stand. They had accepted salvation. Paul tells them, though, that if they do not keep holding on, that there temporary belief is for nothing.
2. If Paul says something is of “first importance,” I’m going to go ahead and assume that it’s pretty important! We need to know that Jesus died for our sins (just like the Old Testament said He would). He was buried, yet raised from the dead on the third day (again…this was all foretold).
3. He doesn’t want people to say that this is all made up or some kind of spin job. So, oh, by the way, He appeared to Peter. Yeah, the Peter who lives in Jerusalem. The Peter who Paul has spent time with. That Peter! And not just him, but all the other disciples as well.
4. He even appeared to 500 people at the same time. Although that story doesn’t seem to be recorded in Acts or the Gospels, Paul is pretty adamant about it. He’s almost daring his listeners to go behind him and check the sources. He’s telling them that they are almost all still alive. It would be hard to get some verification.
5. He also appeared to James and the apostles, and He appeared the Paul (on the road to Damascus). Is that enough proof?
6. Then Paul reminds the Corinthians about where he’s coming from. He can’t believe that God appeared to him because of what he did when he persecuted the early Christians. He doesn’t dwell on it too much, though, it’s almost as if this grace that God has extended to him has caused him to work harder and harder to share Christ’s love with the world. How do you see yourself in all of this? Do you think it’s crazy, unexpected, or strange that Jesus would allow you to be a follower of Him? Do you think it would be odd if God chose to use you like He did Paul?

7. Still, this whole issue of someone raising from the dead seems to be a stumbling block for a lot of people. Justifiably so. But, Paul says that this is the lynchpin to the whole dead– there HAS to be a resurrection from the dead in order for this all to make some kind of sense.
8. “If Christ has not been raised, [Paul and all the apostles'] preaching is useless, and so is [the Corinthians'] faith.” I mean, could Paul be any more blunt about it?
9. He goes further. He tells them that, if there is no resurrection, then he and all his fellow preachers are all “false witnesses about God.” That would stink.
10. Also, if there is no resurrection, let’s not beat around the bush– you are still stuck in your sin. This whole Jesus dying on the cross thing would mean nothing if Jesus didn’t ALSO raise from the dead. And Paul doesn’t want anyone to be confused about that.
11. He amps it up just a little bit more. Also, if there is no resurrection (and no justification before God), then all those people who already died for their faith (like Stephen and James)…well…um…they not only died for NOTHING, but they are also still separated from God. Whoah!
12. Paul basically says that Jesus is about a whole lot more than just THIS life. If, by some chance, Jesus was only for THIS life, then we would be pitiful for believing in Him. Wow.
13. But Paul then slams it home– “Christ has indeed been raised from the dead.” So…BOO YA!

Read 1 Corinthians 13:1-13.

[1 Corinthians and 2 Corinthians are commonly believed to be a collection of three letters that Paul wrote to the Corinthian church while he was in prison...]

1. In the words of Mr. T, Paul reminds us that talking without love is just “jibber jabber.”
2. Paul also reminds that being a prophet or super-knowledgeable when it comes to the Bible, or even having super-faith means nothing if there is no love. Come to think of it, how can you have faith without love?
3. Even people who are super-generous or are willing to die would do so in vain if they didn’t really have love in their lives.
4. So, in the words of the Haddaway song, made famous in “A Night at the Roxbury”: what is love?
5. Love is patient. So…all these kids who are dating mustn’t confuse their desire to get into each other’s pants as a symptom (or proof) of their love. It’s actually just a symptom of selfishness because who really wants to rob a guy or girl’s future spouse of being able to have a pure mate?
6. Love is kind falls in the “duh” department for me.
7. When you love, you don’t want what others have. Interesting.
8. When you love, you don’t do things to build yourself up.
9. Love isn’t “in your face,” which is really just another term for rude. So no more PDA, teenagers!
10. Love isn’t about getting what you want out of relationships. So…be careful about all the, “I love her because she makes me feel ______” conversations. You just proved that you don’t know what love is.
11. The whole “I’m going to beat you because I love you too much” thing doesn’t really fly.
12. People who love each other learn how to let go of the past. No grudges.
13. It’s almost as if Paul is saying that evil is the opposite of the truth. So, love won’t lie.
14. Think about what love protects…if you are dating that could mean, purity, reputation, growth, self-esteeem…so much. Do you have a proper enough view of love to really protect a significant other from yourself?
15. Love trusts.
16. Love hopes.
17. Love never gives up. So I don’t know what that “It’s Too Late to Apologize” song is about.
18. Love wins all the time. Love is undefeated.
19. One day, when Jesus comes back, there will be no more need for prophecy or speaking in tongues. Everything that can be known will be known.
20. I’m not quite sure what all this talk about “thinking like a man” is about? Any help?
21. We don’t see God for all He is right now, but we will!
22. So think about it. When Jesus returns, you won’t need faith. Faith in what? He’s here. When Jesus comes you will no longer need to hope. Hope for what? He’s here. But when Jesus returns, you will be all about some love. That’s why love is the greatest!

Read Romans 12:1-21.

1. Hooray, it’s my favorite passage in the Bible. I love this chapter…
2. Paul says that our motivation for being a “living sacrifice” is because of “God’s mercy.” Let’s not be so rule-obsessed that we forget about WHY we follow God– God’s mercy. Jesus died for us!
3. What do you think a “living sacrifice” looks like?
4. It’s one thing to be holy, but imagine how cool it was be to be “pleasing” to God.
5. If being a “living sacrifice” is something that we should all do, then that means that we can all be “worship” leaders because that’s what real worship looks like. It goes way beyond singing.
6. Do you feel like you are conformed (or becoming like) patterns in this world? I know a lot of people who take their cues from the world instead of from the Bible. It’s kind of sad because I know that the truth of the Bible creates a so much better life than a life following the world.
7. Any guesses on how you become transformed by the renewing of your mind?
8. If our minds were transformed, we would be able to know what God wants for us. It’s almost as if Paul is saying, until you submit to God’s ways, you are not really going to understand God’s ways. No wonder so many people who are trying to figure out God never do– they are waiting for God’s will to be known to them without being that “living sacrifice.”
9. Paul reminds us to stay humble. It appears that we do this through faith.
10. Ah yes, the body of Christ. I love this analogy. Did you notice that it says that we belong to each other? Wow. How do you think that would look in our lives?
11. God gives us gifts. Some people can prophesy (give people a direct word from God). If they can, it needs to be done in a way that is “in proportion to his faith.” Hmm…I wonder what that means…
12. People have the gift of service. Notice that Paul doesn’t place limitations on that!
13. Teachers should teach. OK.
14. Encouragers should encourage.
15. Givers should give generously.
16. Leaders should lead without giving up.
17. Mercy-givers should give mercy in a cheerful way.
18. Do you see any of these gifts in your life?

19. In order to love good you have to hate evil. A good thing is to love each other.
20. Paul also says to keep your zeal (or passion!) while serving God. Don’t get beat down!
21. When you hope, do it joyfully.
22. When you are afflicted, be patient.
23. Pray all the time.
24. Share with people who are in need.
25. Be hospitable.
26. Do you see yourself in any of those gifts?

27. How hard is it to bless people who persecute you! I know it’s hard for me.
28. Be happy for people when they are happy (don’t let envy creep into your hearts).
29. Take the time to mourn when people are in mourning (don’t be selfish or preoccupied).
30. Try not to fight all the time.
31. Don’t think you’re too cool to hang out with the people that no one wants to hang out with.
32. Pop your big head because being conceited stinks.
33. How hard is it to not repay evil for evil? I struggle with that everyday. Just because one person plays by a dirty set of rules doesn’t mean that you should.
34. Care about your reputation, and try to make peace with everyone. (Man, that’s hard when people are clueless.)
35. Whoah, before you take revenge, think to yourself, “What is bigger, my wrath or God’s wrath?” Let God be God.
36. God really wants us to be nice to our enemies. What do you think this whole “heap[ing] burning coals” thing is about?
37. That’s a lot of “good-trying.” Christians really need to stay on their toes!

Read Romans 8:19-39.

1. Dude, what does that even look like? The creation waiting for the “sons of God to be revealed.” Wow…I can’t even imagine. The world is waiting for me to be revealed? Cool. And you, too, if you are a follower of Christ. The world is waiting…wow.
2. It appears as if “creation” has been “frustrated” because the world has been jacked up. But, with all these children of God will come “freedom” for creation. What do you think that will look like?
3. This reminds me of a Charlie Hall song called “Salvation.” It says, “Let all the prodigals come home. All of creation waits and groans.” Wow. That makes sense, now. The world is waiting. The world is groaning like a woman giving birth. The world is in pain for believers.
4. It even says that we, the followers of Jesus, also “groan” (or are in childbirth pain!) in our insides because we can’t wait for this. Maybe that’s why people seem to have all these things in their heart that can’t be filled. They can’t be filled! We are supposed to not supposed to not be satisfied. Something’s coming, and we can smell it! Our bodies will be made right.
5. We are saved through hoping that something better is coming. Paul even says that if we “knew” exactly what it was (or “had” it) it wouldn’t be hope, now, would it? We are to wait patiently.
6. Isn’t it interesting that Paul claims that “we do not know what we ought to pray for.” I believe that. The Spirit steps up and groans towards God for us. Some people call that “speaking in tongues,” I call is just as inaudible as the other “groaning” that’s taking place. This all occurs on a spiritual level– God communicates to Himself through the Spirit in us. Figure that one out…
7. Paul claims that if God searched a believer’s heart, He would see the mind of the Holy Spirit because the Holy Spirit steps in for our thoughts. Does that make sense? If God sees the Holy Spirit, when He searches my heart, I’m all for that.

8. When did this verse about “God work[ing] for the good” all things all of a sudden become about everyone all the time? Paul clearly says that it is “for the good of those who love Him.” I would hate to be in that outside category. That could simply mean that things are might be a little more meaningless if you are not “in” a relationship with God. But there is hope even if bad things happen if you are “in.”
9. God knew (way back in the way back time) that we would become more like Jesus. No one can rival Jesus amongst the children of God, but we at least can be a brother to Him. That’s amazing in and of itself.
10. I know that some people have a hard time understanding “predestination.” But, just because I don’t understand something doesn’t mean that it’s not real. God chose me to be called by Him. God chose me to be justified (in right standing with God). God chooses me to participate in this present and future glory. Whoah. It almost doesn’t seem fair (like, what did I do?); but that’s the point, it’s about what GOD does, not what I do.
11. Yeah, if God did all this for me, I can’t imagine that there is anything that could put a damper on that. God loves me extravagantly. It doesn’t make sense, but He does. He gave up Jesus for us. So why would He neglect us in other areas of need? Paul’s saying this as an encouragement, and I take it as an encouragement.
12. I’d like to see someone step to the work that God as done, to step up to the work that He’s doing in us. Paul is triple dog daring anyone.
13. There is a picture that Paul gives of Jesus literally being right beside God and “interceding” for us. Jesus is right there, loving us in the presence of God.
14. It’s almost silly to think that something like hard times or trouble or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or the sword (even though those things are all serious) or ANYTHING could separate us from the love of Jesus. It’s been preordained, and it doesn’t change with the seasons.
15. Paul quotes a Psalm that speaks about how these people are as good as dead (based on their current circumstances). He’s alluding to the fact that is human nature to doubt in times of hardships. But, he says that we are “more than conquerors.” That makes me think that we’re not just “winners”; we’re above this “game.” It’s not about winning or losing based on circumstances. It’s about the fact that we are already secure, already safe, already God’s. There is no “losing” here because we are “more than winners.”
16. Nothing can separate us from God’s love. We are safe. We have made it to “home base.” There is no need to freak out. Death can’t do it. Life can’t do it. Angels and demons can’t do it. Time can’t do it. No power can do it. Natural laws of science can’t do it. NOTHING can separate us from God’s love in Christ Jesus.

…can you tell why Paul was willing to die?

Read Romans 8:8-18.

1. Remember, Paul is still writing a letter (from prison) to the believers in Rome.
2. If you are “in” Jesus, you cannot be condemned to death (separation from God). Are you in?
3. Being “in” Jesus means that you are now under a new jurisdiction: you went from the law of sin and death to the law of “the Spirit of life.” Sounds good to me. Now what are the rules?
4. The “law of sin and death” couldn’t bring people life because it was an endless cycle. “Here are the rules. If you break them, you are in trouble.” The sinful nature of man made it near impossible for us to comply. It’s like going down the china aisle with a wobbly shopping cart.
5. Jesus was a “sin offering.” This was all part of the wobbly cart system. If you sinned (which was inevitable), something had to die. In this case, though, it was Jesus, the once and for all sacrifice.
6. It’s not like God hit the reset button on the old rules. In fact, He satisfied the old rules of the game by allowing Jesus to die as the supreme sacrifice. So, now, we are on to a new law “according to the Spirit.” That old dynamic no longer applies because it has been satisfied. There is a new one.
7. So…if we are “liv[ing] in accordance with the Spirit” (WE ARE), then we should really be living for what the Spirit desires. These are the “new rules.” Life and peace sound a whole lot better than death. Submitting to God’s ways sounds a whole lot better than being hostile to God and not pleasing God.
8. So…we are no longer in this hostile mindset, though. We are controlled by “the Spirit”, the Holy Spirit, God Himself! So why do we still act dumb?
9. No Spirit equals no Christ. God that. Do you think the average Christian is afraid to talk about the Holy Spirit? Why, if it’s supposed to be what controls us?
10. Dead body. Alive spirit. That definitely makes sense to me. Sometimes my body feels zombie-like. But Paul is saying that if God can raise Jesus from the dead, he can also raise our “dead” bodies from the dead. I am not a zombie. I want God’s breath to be my life blood. I don’t want to act like I’m dead when I’m not!
11. We are OBLIGATED. In other words, “we have to.” We have to what? We are obligated to live “by the Spirit” and put to death all this dead man stuff, this sinful stuff. It’s not even like we “have to” because we are God’s slaves. It says that we are His “sons.” Whoah!
12. We can call God, “Daddy.” That’s what “Abba” means. Think about how close that must mean we are!
13. Here’s a perk of being God’s kid. You are an heir. You get an inheritance. We share the “family sufferings,” but we also get the family “glory.” We are the same family. This is just how it works.

14. Paul wants everyone to understand that this suffering (the suffering that God’s family experiences) is NOTHING compared to the future glory that we will have as sons and daughters of God. Pretty amazing. Paul is laying it down.

Read Romans 5:1-11.

[There's no way that I can summarize the chapters of Paul's letters that I won't be covering. Just keep in mind that Romans was written by Paul to the Romans. The timing and all of that stuff is important, but I really hope to cover that stuff more in depth in year #2 of the Bible Blog.]

1. Just want to make sure Paul’s words here. Being “justified” or “justification” means that we are now in right standing with God. Our faith in Jesus’ work on the cross puts us in a place of “justification” because we no longer have to fear payment (which would have been BAD) for our sin. Jesus died for that. If you try to “justify” yourself, usually you’re going to end up guilty because even if we did everything right, most of the time our motives aren’t pure. So…for Jesus’ death to justify us is way better than us trying to justify ourselves.
2. Make no mistake about this “peace with God.” If we now have peace, it kind of makes you wonder what we had. There’s a lot of language in the Bible to suggest that we were, in fact, “enemies” of God when we were in sin. So…to have peace with God is an amazing thing!
3. Jesus gives us “access” to the “grace” of God. We are now able to enjoy blessings from God that we don’t even deserve. Amen.
4. Why wouldn’t we rejoice in God’s glory being made known to the world? We get to be a part of that! We already are a part of that. Our own situation testifies to how awesome God is.
5. So, so far, you can tell that Paul is really thick on the theology. But, then, we get this part of the Bible that people don’t really like to sew onto doilies. This is tough teaching, but it’s real…
6. Paul rejoices in his sufferings. Why? Suffering toughens you up (giving you perseverance). A person who quits doesn’t persevere. God doesn’t value followers who quit in the face of tough circumstances. Do you ever look at your sufferings as a good thing?
7. If you persevere, that would produce character. You’d be strong to not quit all the time.
8. If you have character in your life, it produces hope. Hope for what? Hope for you? Hope, in spite of your circumstances?
9. God says that this hope that we would get would be rooted in what we know about God. We know that God loves us. So, in the end, that’s why we hold on. That’s why, in the midst of tough situations, we can still hope in this loving God. It’s kind of circular, but it makes sense.
10. You want to talk about desperate circumstances, how about when we couldn’t do anything for ourselves? If we were going to stand before God, what could we say? “Um…sorry, I’ll try harder next time”??? No…we couldn’t do that. God could quite flatly ask, “Why did you not trust in Me enough to do better the first time?” Then what would we have said. The point is, that we were in a bad place. As far as bad places go, that IS the worst. And, yet, Jesus saved the day by saving us. Dying for us. Us, the ungodly. The godly dies for the ungodly. Whoah!
11. Who would you die for? Really? What would the qualifications be in order for you to say, “Yeah, I’ll die for him (or her)”?
12. I guarantee your answer to #11 wasn’t: “He should be my enemy. Then I’ll die for him.” Well, that’s why what Christ did was so unique! So amazing. So un-manly. So GOD-ly.
13. We are now justified. So…even though some people don’t like to talk about the wrath of God, we need to understand that it is VERY REAL, but we are VERY JUSTIFIED through faith. And, for that, I am VERY GLAD.
14. It doesn’t end with being “saved.” Paul alludes to this. We aren’t just saved from God’s wrath or hell. We are saved from a life that is meaningless. God can save us through Jesus resurrection. Because He did not die, we can rely on Him in this life. We can grow to be more like God (that’s called SANCTIFICATION) in this life. If God had just died for us and stayed dead, we wouldn’t be able to experience His life like that. But He DID raise from the dead, so now we can be “dead to sin” yet “alive in Christ.”
15. RECONCILIATION means when two parties get back together. Because of what Jesus did, we are WITH God again. We are no longer AGAINST Him. This is what Jesus’ work on the cross means in our lives. I can see why Paul would talk about this for years and years. His life was all about this message. And, so was his death…

Read Acts 28:15-31.

1. The brothers who lived in Rome were stoked that Paul had arrived. Imagine how long they must have been waiting for this. I bet Paul was pretty pumped himself. How could you not be?
2. He was basically allowed to live on house arrest until Caesar wanted to talk to him. Not bad for a guy who was about to be killed by an angry mob in Jerusalem.

3. Paul explains what happened to the Jewish leaders in Rome. He reminds everyone that he is in chains because he believes in the “hope of Israel.” That “hope” was Jesus.
4. For some reason, the Jerusalem Jews didn’t send any letters to the Roman Jews, warning them about the dangers of listening to Paul. So…they were actually very open-minded about listening to him. And Paul took that opportunity and ran with it, explaining how the Old Testament Scriptures correlate with what happened with Jesus. (He did win some converts.)
5. People left when Paul quoted Isaiah, explaining that people simply weren’t going to “get” the Truth because of their hard hearts and closed minds. The people who left were the exact people that Isaiah was prophesying about.
6. Paul rubbed a little salt into these Jews when he said that the Gentiles “got it” before some of them did. But, hey, it was true!
7. How cool is it that Paul was able to preach to anyone who wanted to listen to him about Jesus! Amazing.

8. Now here’s what’s crazy. That’s it. Acts ends. The story of Paul ends here. All the letters that he writes took place while he was in prison. Historically, people believe that Paul was finally killed in Rome. He was put to death. In one of his letters, he talked about how he wanted to take the gospel even into Spain. But, I don’t think he ever made it there. But, who can say that Paul’s life was a waste?