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Would You "Friend" the Apostle Paul?

Would You "Friend" the Apostle Paul? 
by Mike Pohlman

May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains, but when he arrived in Rome he searched for me earnestly and found me...
2 Timothy 1:16-17

In the church today we need more people like Onesiphorus. He's one of those biblical characters that can be easily overlooked as we tend to focus on the "giants" of Scripture (i.e., Abraham, Moses, David, Peter, Paul, etc.).

Consider, for example, what we learn of Onesiphorus in 2 Timothy 1:15-18:

You are aware that all who are in Asia turned away from me, among whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes. May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains, but when he arrived in Rome he searched for me earnestly and found me--may the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord on that Day!--and you well know all the service he rendered at Ephesus.

Three things in particular about Onesiphorus stand out:

1. When everyone else abandoned Paul, Onesiphorus went to him. Onesiphorus was not one to just "go along with the crowd." He risked ridicule, mockery and scorn to actually go against the prevailing tide of popular opinion regarding Paul.

2. Onesiphorus was not dissuaded by initial difficulties. So many of us have great idealism--until it gets hard. Then, we turn away. Not Onesiphorus. When he arrived in Rome and could not find Paul, the apostle commends Onesiphorus's perseverance: "when he arrived in Rome he searched for me earnestly and found me." Beautiful. What a friend!

3. Onesiphorus was not ashamed of Paul. This is far greater than simply saying "Onesiphorus refreshed me." If that's all Paul had said we might wonder if Onesiphorus did it quietly--perhaps at night when no one could see. Did he sneak over to Paul's cell when no one was looking because he was embarrased by his association with Paul? Not this friend. Paul, with perhaps the same tears I have welling up in my eyes as I type, wrote that Onesiphorus "was not ashamed of my chains." Onesiphorus did not care what people uttered or murmered--he was proud of Paul's determination to suffer for the sake of Christ.

What enabled Onesiphorus to act like this? What makes someone this counter-cultural, this counter-human? I can only conclude that Onesiphorus was so overwhelmed by his love for Jesus that he was now free from the approval of people; free from the fear of scorn; free from the allure of the world; free from indifference. Onesiphorus, by the power of the Gospel, was free to love.

What I see in Onesiphorus is the embodiment of Galatians 5:6, namely, "faith working through love." Onesiphorus's faith had an impulse--and that impulse was love. And this love was not weak or afraid or self-conscious in any way. 

God help me to love like this.  

Intersecting Faith & Life:

What things might I do this week to demonstrate my love for a dear friend, family member or stranger? How can I practically show my faith working through love this week?

The Sword of the Spirit, By Greg Laurie

The Sword of the Spirit
By Greg Laurie

The one piece of armor that is both offensive and defensive is the sword.  When I go into battle, I don’t beat my enemy with my shield or try to defeat him with my belt or chase him down with my sandal or throw my helmet at him.  I pull my sword out of the sheath and I use it.

Ephesians 6:17 tells us to take up the sword of the Spirit. When we are tempted, the most effective weapon that God has given to us as believers is the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.

Jesus modeled this so beautifully during His temptation in the wilderness. When the devil tried temptation after temptation against Him, Jesus used the sword of the Spirit (see Luke 4:1–13). The devil said, “Why don’t you turn a rock into a piece of bread. I know you are hungry.”

Jesus said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes out of the mouth of God.’ ”

Then the devil said, “Why don’t you worship me right now?”

Jesus responded, “It is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord God only. Him only you shall serve.’ ”

“Why don’t you cast yourself off of here, and the angels will catch you,” Satan said, quoting Scripture out of context.

Jesus responded, bringing the Scripture back into context, “It has been said, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’ ”

The sword of the Spirit works. So draw your sword, Christian.

Heavenly Father, arm us with your Word and with your Holy inspiration. Teach us to stand our ground against the enemy while helping those in distress, and give us the wisdom to know the difference between the two. Amen.

A Prayer to Stop the Rush and Let Go of the Stress This Christmas

A Prayer to Stop the Rush and Let Go of the Stress This Christmas
By Debbie McDaniel

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

It’s just days before Christmas.

And if you've found yourself struggling with the stress of making it all happen, of making Christmas ultra- special, magical, or perfect in every way - deep breath. It's OK, it's not all up to us.

We may start to carry that pressure, especially during these holiday weeks, though often unintentionally. We long to make wonderful, lasting memories for our kids, we want to have the best Christmas ever, we want everyone to be happy and just get along. There's this pressure all around to see what others are doing, or to buy more, or to busy ourselves more, and we somehow step right into that crazy cycle of spinning…

The most wonderful time of the year can leave many feeling defeated, depleted, and completely overwhelmed by about this time.

But we don't have to stay stuck there. We can move forward out of that trap. And let go of the striving in it all.

So, whether or not the shopping got finished yet, or the Christmas cards were sent out in a timely manner, or the lights were ever hung this year, it doesn't really matter.

Because real life doesn't usually look like a Norman Rockwell painting. It just looks like "us." Ordinary. Kind of messy. Not quite polished and maybe a few steps behind.

And Jesus came. For us. Just common, real, ordinary people.

He chose to enter the world through young Mary, simple, ordinary, unknown to others. His earthly father was Joseph, a quiet, honest, hard-working man who didn't have a lot of money. The first announcement of His birth came to shepherds in the fields. Real, simple, ordinary, maybe kind of smelly, night shift workers.

He's the One who brought the "special moment" to Christmas, that one night years ago.

Miracle wrapped up in a tiny baby.

It's all about Him.

And still today, that truth remains the same. In whatever we get done, and whatever we don't, through the holiday madness or the simple moments that often mean the most, Jesus came, offering peace. Giving grace. Bringing hope. It's what matters most, at Christmas, and all year through. He's the Only One who makes it all amazing and special.

Dear God,

Thank you for the gift of Jesus, the One who alone can save us and give us lasting joy. Thank you that your yoke is easy and your burden is light. Thank you that you promise to give the worried, the hurried, the pressured, and stressed out - rest and peace for our souls - if we'll just come before you. Thank you for your reminder that we don't have to carry it all. Forgive us for the times we try to, for not taking time to rest. Thank you for the refreshing that comes from your Spirit, filling us again with joy, covering us with a shield of favor and blessing, leading us forward with hope.  Equip us to be those who notice the lonely, the hurting. Help us to slow down, to take time, to point others to you, and to remember most of all, what this season is all about.

In Jesus' Name,

Amen

Hail the Incarnate Deity

Hail the Incarnate Deity

By Chuck Swindoll

On that still winter's night, something was up... something extraordinary... something supernatural. The shepherds raced to the City of David and found their Savior, just as the angel had said... swaddled and lying in a feeding trough. This was the Promised One, the Messiah! God had finally come to dwell with His people, but in such an unexpected way.

Just who was this holy Child the shepherds gazed upon? Make no mistake: He was incarnate deity. The newborn Jesus existed in eternity past as God the Son. He was coequal, coeternal, and coexistent with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. However, Jesus relinquished the privileges and the pleasures of His existence in heaven when He took upon Himself the limitations of humanity (Philippians 2:6-7). In emptying Himself, Jesus voluntarily set aside the prerogatives and prerequisites of life as He had known it, an existence He had enjoyed; He released His right to that kind of life, saying to the Father, "I will go."

Go where? To Bethlehem. He took "the form of a bond-servant, and [was] made in the likeness of men." Allow yourself to picture what the shepherds saw. There He is, the baby. Do you see His ten fingers and ten toes? His button nose? Can you hear the cries? There's humanity. In this holy infant is the beginning of an earthly life. Look deep into His eyes and see the beginning of life itself.

Later, this divine man, completely unique in His nature and in the perfect life that He lived, "humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." Isn't that amazing? Of all ways to die, He died on a cross—the most humiliating and painful kind of death.

God the Son lowered Himself. He took on the flesh of an infant. He died a humiliating death. As a result, God the Father "highly exalted Him." One day, all will bow in worship of the risen Lord, "to the glory of God the Father."

It's all about His glory. What a plan. What an execution. What a perfect, awesome wrapping! The God-man. Jesus is undiminished deity and true humanity, two distinct natures in one person, forever. That's the baby in the manger!

See Isaiah 7:14 and Philippians 2:5-11.

The baby in the manger is undiminished deity and true humanity, two distinct natures in one person, forever.