Trial: blogging from my iPhone ...

Bible Commentary Published - A Work in Progress

I just published my commentary on the Book of Acts. You can view my entire commentary - A Work in Progress - here. I am nearing completion of the New Testament, with only Peter's 2 epistles, Hebrews, James, Revelation, and the synoptic gospels, which I would like to do as a harmony, still to go...

A New Year... A Resolution Worth Keeping

The King will say to those on His right, "Come, you who are blessed by My Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited Me in, I needed clothes and you clothed Me, I was sick and you looked after Me, I was in prison and you came to visit Me." Then the righteous will answer Him, "Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You something to drink? When did we see You a stranger and invite You in, or needing clothes and clothe You? When did we see You sick or in prison and go to visit You?" The King will reply, "Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of Mine, you did for Me." Then He will say to those on his left, "Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave Me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite Me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe Me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after Me." They also will answer, "Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help You?" He will reply, "Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me." Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life (Matthew 25:34-46).

Just one of the least of these. Have you ever thought about sponsoring a child through an organization like Compassion International? My family - because we have four children - sponsors four children, two from Honduras, one from Ethiopia, and one from India. And I could tell you how exciting it is to exchange letters - and prayers - with these children. But I'd rather tell you about sponsorship. See, Proverbs 31:8-9 says, "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy." I haven't been speaking up. In my own sponsorship efforts, I'm playing a part, filling a gap, helping out, or whatever you want to call it. Sometimes I would even say that I fulfill that role in a sacrificial way; after all, at $38 per month per child, it's a commitment of $1824 per year, not counting additional birthday, Christmas, and family gifts throughout the year. But I'm not saying this to boast; if anything, I'm ashamed, because I haven't been speaking up.

And that's my resolution - to speak up for those who can't speak for themselves, to encourage others - maybe you - to show care for just one of the least of these. And I want to explain why you should do that through the ministry of Compassion International.

It's simple. Compassion has a 4-C focus: It is Christ-centered. Compassion doesn't work where the gospel isn't shared. You can be sure that Jesus' name is spoken often where Compassion children are spoken. WIthout coercion, the life-changing gospel is taught to every child in a culturally-relevant way. It is Child-focused. Compassion directly engages children as complete persons. It is Church-based. Compassion partners with locals church, allowing relationships to form and grow naturally, as the local church partners with parents and the local communities. Finally, it is Committed to Integrity. Compasion is not among the highest-rated fiscally responsible ministries out there, but it also focuses on excellence in providing whatever support is to sponsored children through the local church.

Compassion has a wholistic approach to caring for children; in other words, with your sponsorship dollars, your child is given physical care, educational care, social care, and most importantly (but it doesn't work if the others aren't also present), spiritual care.

There are a lot of places you could put your hard-earned money. There are a lot of places you could spend your surely limited time. And with a new year, we often charge ahead, aiming high, thinking big, and gathering resources for the needs we perceive in our own lives. But make a resolution: aim lower - at the least of these; think smaller - children across the world need compassion and the gospel; and give up - test God in this; see if you can outgive Him. Would you sponsor a child through Compassion International? Click the link below to learn more.

Sponsor a child through Compassion International

Church Leadership

A primary Greek word used in the Bible to talk about church leaders is "episkope." Broken down, epi-scope, has the root, "scope," as in telescope, microscope, stethoscope, etc... You think of an instrument designed for getting a good look at something. And the prefix, "epi," means "on, upon, at, by, near, over, on top of, toward, against, and among." You might think of the word, "epicenter," which describes not only the center of a focal point, or the crux of an issue, but actually being there to gain first person, experiential knowledge of the same.

Combining the prefix and the root, the Greek word "episkope," which is where we get our English word, "Episcopal," and which is often translated as "bishop," "elder," "overseer," or even "visitation," describes an investigator and his task, one who visits closely in order to look deeply into something or someone, which is exactly what a church leader should spend his time doing - looking deeply into the people and circumstances of his flock. In fact, when the word is used of an authority figure, even of God Himself, it means, "that act of looking into and searching out the ways, deeds character, of men, in order to judge them and their lot accordingly, whether joyous or sad."

How are your church leaders doing at this primary task of theirs? Are they loaded with other chores and tasks that prevent them from engaging in their primary role? How do you think they should best perform this task? By preaching the word of God, of course, which is "living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates, even to dividing sould and spirit, joints and marrow. It judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12). If you are a church leader, then "watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers" (1 Timothy 4:16).