Why and When to Fast: Gospel of Mark (Part 4)

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Mark 2:19-20

Jesus said to them, “The wedding guests cannot fast while the groom is with them, can they? As long as they have the groom with them, they cannot fast.²⁰ But the time^[f] will come when the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast on that day.

(CSB)

In a prosperous nation like the United States, the idea of fasting can have the meaning of one either fasting due to some pending medical procedure or one living in need and unable to afford food for a meal.  However, this is not what Mark 2:19-20 means by fasting.  This passage is speaking of spiritual fasting which has a history in scripture with people fasting for various reasons.

1)      When in great need for Godly intervention (Nehemiah 1:4; Daniel 9:3) – Nehemiah fasted upon word the wall of protection around Jerusalem had broken down.  However, alarming, or bad news can cause an unhealthy loss of appetite.  It is important to note that Nehemiah combined fasting and praying meaning his fasting was to seek Godly direction and not due to grief.  Nehemiah 2 records Gods intervention that came because of Nehemiah’s prayer during his time of fasting indicating that Nehemiah’s fasting brought God’s intervention.  Daniel also prayed for Godly direction, knowing the time of Israel’s exile was coming to an end and the people needed to repent (Daniel 9:1-19)

2)      Deprivation of the flesh to seek a deeper closeness with God (Isaiah 58:5) – In Romans 12:2, scripture teaches not to conform to the world and its manner of thinking but to instead allow God’s Word to transform our minds.  In the beatitudes, Jesus taught that the poor in spirit will inherit the Kingdom of God (Matthew 5:3).  Temporary deprivation of the flesh through fasting also results in weakness of the human spirit.  With the human spirit weak, one must humbly draw closer to God, relying on His strength.  The spiritual discipline of fasting assists in this humbling process. 

3)      Prior to beginning a new phase of ministry or life (Matthew 4:2) – After Jesus baptism, he is immediately tempted by the devil after forty days of fasting.  In this extremely weakened state, Jesus had to depend totally upon His heavenly Father.  While weakening one’s physical body prior to facing a major challenge or change in one’s life may seem crazy, especially for Jesus who is about to embark on three-and-one-half years of intensive ministry, culminating on His brutal death on the cross.  The logical thing to do is spend these forty days strengthening the body, but it is not the physical body that must have the greatest strength, but the spiritual body.  Therefore, fasting to grow closer spiritually to God is necessary. 

There was no need for fasting by the Disciples of Jesus for they had God with them.  God with them through Jesus provided Godly intervention when in need such as Jesus silencing the storm (Mark 4:35-41).  There was no need for seeking closeness to God for they were with God every day.  The Disciples had not yet started their ministry and therefore had no need to fast, but after Jesus’ ascension to God, they did fast (Acts 13:2; Acts 14:23). 

Of the four spiritual disciplines of meditation, prayer, Bible study, and fasting, fasting is most likely the least practiced.  Unless there is a medical reason for which someone cannot fast, I want to urge everyone reading this to add fasting to their spiritual disciplines to draw closer to God until Jesus returns to be with us.  However, if you are reading this and have not accepted Jesus’ gift of salvation from sins, I urge you to pray with me now. 

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans 3:23) and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans 6:23).  I ask you to forgive me of my sin and cleanse me as you promise in your Word (1 John 1:9).  I believe you died, was buried, and resurrected from the dead and now declare you Lord of my life.

If you just prayed with you have complete forgiveness of your sins.  I now urge you to establish a closer relationship with God through the practice of meditation, prayer, Bible study, and fasting.  I also encourage you to find a church teaching the Bible so you can be with those believing as you do now.  May God bless everyone reading this. 

Pressing Forward Through Adversity

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Philippians 3:13b-14

Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, ¹⁴ I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly^[c] call in Christ Jesus.

(CSB)

Based upon his writings, the Apostle Paul must have been a sports fan.  In 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 he equates a runner training for a race to one training for ministry by training involving spiritual disciplines.  A runner running a race will encounter challenges such as changing terrain as well as battle fatigue.  To overcome these adversities a runner depends on his or her training. 

Unfortunately, failure to spiritually train with spiritual disciplines prior to adversity leaves us unprepared spiritually.  To become spiritually prepared for adversity we must.

1)      Meditation – Meditation goes beyond simply reading the Bible and involves taking time to contemplate what it says and more importantly how it applies to our lives.  It is something done by Isaac, Samuel, Elijah, and Jesus (Genesis 24:63; 1 Samuel 3:1-18; 1 Kings 19:9-18; Matthew 14:13).  Athletes spend time in the gym training their physical bodies for competition.  Meditation is the physical gym training a child of God for adversity when it comes. 

2)      Pray – Athletes have coaches and trainers to help them compete victoriously.  For a child of God, the coach and trainer is God but, if a child of God does not spend time communicating with their coach and trainer, they will not be prepared for adversity.  Jesus faced the greatest adversity anyone could face when he took the sins of humanity upon himself on the cross.  In preparation for this adversity, Jesus routinely rose early in the morning to speak with His Heavenly Father (Mark 1:35).  Our requests in prayer must also align with the desires of God (James 4:3). 

3)      Study of God’s Word – Children of God are to abandon conformity to the world and its manner of thinking and experience transformation in thinking through renewal of their minds (Romans 12:2).  Just as study in education transforms one’s mind to learn their trade or profession, study of the Bible transforms our mind from worldly thinking to Godly thinking.  A mind transformed from worldly thinking to godly thinking is a mind prepared to handle adversity.

4)      Fasting – In preparation for competition, athletes spend time getting away from distractions to focus on the competition ahead.  Some refer to this as an athlete putting on their game face.  This fasting from distractions allows an athlete to achieve greater focus on his or her coming competition.  Jesus fasted prior to His temptation by Satan.  This fast caused Jesus to become hungry but also stronger spiritually as evidenced by the first temptation to turn stones into bread to satisfy His hunger.  Instead of giving in to the desires of His flesh, Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 8:3 proclaiming His greater need for nourishment from the Word of God.  Overcoming adversity when it comes requires starvation of fleshly desires and regular feeding of the spiritual man with the Word of God.

I urge those reading this to dedicate themselves to a regular training regiment of meditation, prayer, study, and fasting to become spiritually strong and equipped to handle adversity.  Jesus told us that adversity would come but also that He overcame the world (John 16:33).  We too can overcome the world and adversity through the practice of spiritual disciplines. 

Calling the Unlikely and Undesirable: Gospel of Mark (Part 3)

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Mark 2:14

Then, passing by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the toll booth, and he said to him, “Follow me,” and he got up and followed him.

(CSB)

If we were to select a theme to describe the Disciples Jesus called, it would be a collection of outcasts.  This was not much different than those following David (1 Samuel 22:2).  It would appear from these two biblical examples that God uses the unlikely and outcasts to carry out His will.  We see a reason for this later in Mark 2:15-17 when the Pharisees question Jesus’ disciples about his dining with tax collectors and sinners. 

In Mark 2:17 Jesus makes an interesting statement that appears to call the Pharisees righteous and in no need of Dr. Jesus.  However, later Jesus would tell these people they have serious heart trouble even though they appear healthy on the outside.  The Pharisees are sick with self-righteousness with the following symptoms,

1)      Good works without justice, mercy, or faithfulness (Matthew 23:23-24) – The Pharisees tithe providing the appearance of good works, even making sure everyone is aware of their generous giving (Mark 12:41-44).  The widow on the other hand gives her two tiny coins sacrificially out of the goodness of her heart, a heart free of the disease of self-righteousness.  Good work for the Lord is not done to heap righteousness on the doer of the work but sacrificially out of a treasure of love for the Lord living in a believer’s heart.  Levi also demonstrated a heart free from self-righteousness by his willingness to leave the profitability of his tax collecting booth to follow the Lord. 

2)      Clean on the outside while dirty on the inside (Matthew 23:25-26) – The Pharisees would regularly cleanse themselves prior to entering the Temple and most likely make sure others saw them just as they made a show of their giving.  However, the inside of their hearts is full of greed and self-indulgence.  Their heart disease of self-righteousness has blinded them to the need for a cleansing of the inside of their heart to bring about cleansing of their exterior.  The one who could clean and heal their hearts was the one speaking to them and had they taken the time to heed Jesus’ advice experienced forgiveness of sins making sanctification or cleaning of their exterior lives possible.  Levi’s willingness to leave the greed and self-indulgence of tax collecting demonstrates a willingness to have Jesus clean up his heart so he can live a clean life. 

3)      Hearts full of hypocrisy in a beautiful tomb (Matthew 23:27-28) – These are strong words from Jesus for while a tomb may appear beautiful, it is full of dead bones.  However, Jesus’ empty tomb while beautiful does not contain dead bones for Jesus is risen.  Those with the heart disease of self-righteousness are dead from hypocrisy for no one but Jesus is righteous (Isaiah 64:6; Romans 3:23).  In contrast the beautiful tomb of Jesus that does not contain dead bones has no hypocrisy for Jesus conquered death providing healing from the disease of self-righteousness. 

4)      Covering up a heritage of sin with acts of righteousness (Matthew 23:29-32) – The Pharisees believed in works-based salvation, believing that decorating the graves of the prophets that their forefathers had murdered would somehow absolve them of sin.  However, since all our righteousness is filthy to the Lord (Isaiah 64:6), this is a waste of time.  Instead we need to accept the righteousness of the righteous one who died for our sins (Romans 10:9-10). 

Mark 2:17 is therefore not calling the Pharisees righteous but instead is showing that all humanity needs an infusion of righteousness that can only come from accepting Jesus as Savior. If you have not done so, I invite you to accept the righteousness freely offered by Jesus by praying with me now,

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans 3:23) and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans 6:23).  I ask you to forgive me of my sin and cleanse me as you promise in your Word (1 John 1:9).  I believe you died, was buried, and resurrected from the dead and now declare you Lord of my life.

Just as Levi took the important first step of following Jesus, those that just prayed with me have taken the first step of following Jesus.  Over the next three and one-half years, Levi will be with Jesus learning from His teaching.  While Levi appears an unlikely candidate for a Disciple of Messiah, his willingness to follow and obey is the only qualification necessary as it is for us today.  May God bless all those reading this. 

Righteousness Through Faith

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Philippians 3:7

But everything that was a gain to me, I have considered to be a loss because of Christ.

(CSB)

A brief scan of the news headlines demonstrates the rarity of righteousness in our world.  In fact, righteousness is the rarest commodity on earth with Jesus the only person to ever have it and maintain it for his entire life (Isaiah 64:6).  The fact that any thing we do that is righteous is like a filthy rag means humanity is in a helpless situation separated from any relationship with God.  Thankfully, the one who was righteous and walked on the earth became sin for us, allowing us to become righteous through faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:21). 

In Philippians 3:1-11, the Apostle Paul contrasts confidence in the flesh with confidence in the Spirit of grace.  In one of the other prison epistles, Paul reminds us that our salvation is not through our good works but instead a product of God’s grace (Ephesians 2:8).  However, we must not take advantage of God’s grace by using it as a ticket to continue living in our past life of sin.  Instead the Apostle Paul demonstrates the life of one transformed by God’s grace who went from the worst enemy of the Church to one tirelessly laboring to spread the message of the Gospel.  This tireless labor is why Paul is in jail and later martyred for his faith. 

The antithesis of the doctrine of grace is the doctrine of works.  As a Pharisee, the apostle Paul was fully aware of the doctrine of works.  However, after his encounter with Jesus, Paul experienced God’s grace but did not just bask in God’s grace but out of love for what God did for him, worked tirelessly to spread the doctrine of grace. 

Those believing in the doctrine of works often cite James 2:20, believing it says salvation comes through living faith by good works.  However, the many references to salvation through the finished work on the cross leads to a biblical theme of salvation by grace and not works.  James 2:20 instead represents a call to those saved by the grace of God to bring life to their faith through good works for Christ done from a heart of love. 

While righteousness does come through the finished work of the cross and the grace of God, it should motivate us to perform good works by telling others about God’s grace so they too can find salvation.  If you are reading this and have not received God’s gift of salvation through grace, I encourage you to do so now by praying with me,

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans 3:23) and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans 6:23).  I ask you to forgive me of my sin and cleanse me as you promise in your Word (1 John 1:9).  I believe you died, was buried, and resurrected from the dead and now declare you Lord of my life.

Congratulations, if you just prayed you have righteousness through faith in Jesus as your savior.  However, this is not a free pass to heaven allowing you to continue your previous life of sin.  While we will still make mistakes, God is there to forgive (1 John 1:9) but also expects us to grow through the spiritual disciplines of study of the Bible, prayer, and connecting with other believers.  We must also share God’s grace with others by telling them they too can have righteous through faith in Jesus.

Complete Healing, Body. Mind, and Soul: Gospel of Mark (Part 2)

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Mark 2:1-3

When he entered Capernaum again after some days, it was reported that he was at home. ² So many people gathered together that there was no more room, not even in the doorway, and he was speaking the word to them. ³ They came to him bringing a paralytic, carried by four of them.

(CSB)

A while back my family and I were driving home from church and passed an old Pentecostal church.  The church parking lot was full because they were having an old tent revival.  The banner in front of the tent urged people to come in for prayer for healing.  This brought back visions of watching faith healing evangelists on TV growing up.

Jesus' encounter with the paralytic in Capernaum must have appeared similar to one of these old tent revival healing services (Mark 2:1-12).  This huge crowd is probably due to the many who came to Peter’s house in Capernaum after hearing word of the healing of Peter’s mother (Mark 1:29-34).  Even without the technology of social media, Good news can travel fast.

However, there are also major differences between Jesus healing of the paralytic and faith healing tent revivals once prevalent in the church.  Some differences are,

1)      This was not a hyped scheduled event with people coming because of the hype.  Instead Jesus was returning home for some rest and once word spread that Jesus was home, the crowd started showing up.  These people were not showing up due to some slick marketing and instead showed up in expectation of either receiving or seeing a miracle from God.  So intent was the paralytic on receiving healing that he had his friends carry him and even convinced them to cut a hole in someone’s roof to get to Jesus.  This should cause each of us to pause and determine if we have an equally burning desire to get to Jesus.

2)       Seeing the faith of the paralytic, Jesus speaks.  In a healing tent revival, the minister would usually lay hands on the sick person and declare them healed as Jesus did with the woman that touched His clothing (Mark 5:25-34).  However, Jesus sensed this man needed a more complete healing of body, mind, and soul.  Instead of declaring the paralytic healed, Jesus declares his sins forgiven (Mark 2:5).  Jesus healed the sick throughout His ministry, but the greatest healing miracle Jesus performed was dying for our sins.  Jesus is interested in healing the entire person, not just their physical bodies. 

3)      Healing tent revival meetings, like Jesus healing the paralytic, meet with controversy and doubt.  In the case of the tent revival ministers, the controversy revolved around the genuine motive of the minister.   While Jesus can heal the sick today as He did when ministering on earth, many in ministry hype miracles of healing to increase giving.  Jesus, however, was not trying to hype His ministry by healing the paralytic but show the power of God to bring complete healing to someone.  Ministry for Christ must have the correct motive of bringing glory to God and not glory to self.  As the song “Only Jesus” from casting crowns reminds us, the motive of anyone in ministry must be only Jesus. 

The servant Messiah Jesus provides the perfect example of one ministering not for personal gain but to bring glory to God the father through serving the needs of humanity.  My prayer is that all of us would remember we have a ministry from God.  With that in mind, may we remember the purpose of our high calling from God is serving God and those God places in their life and not bringing glory or accolades to ourselves.  God is interested in the complete healing of fallen humanity, may we all find and carry out our role in bringing the complete healing message of the Gospel to those God places in our lives.

Link to video for “Only Jesus”  

Genuine Christianity: Teamwork

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Philippians 2:19-22

 Now I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon so that I too may be encouraged by news about you. ²⁰ For I have no one else like-minded who will genuinely care about your interests; ²¹ all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. ²² But you know his proven character, because he has served with me in the gospel ministry like a son with a father.

(CSB)

The church is referred to as the body of Christ.  This illustration teaches us that like a body, the church consists of many unique parts with different roles that when working together form a healthy functioning body (1 Corinthians 12:12-31).  The unique ability of a healthy church full of divergent parts working together is what a divided and hate filled world must see.  It is also how individuals in the church show love for one another, showing the world what it means to be a disciple of Christ (John 13:34-35). 

Paul is writing the letter to the Philippian church from prison.  Just as healthy parts of our body rally to support sick or injured parts of our body, Timothy and Epaphroditus come to the aid of the Apostle Paul.  In Philippians 2:12-18, the Apostle expressed his concern about the members of the Church working out their salvation in Paul’s absence.  Besides needing someone to deliver the letter to the Church, the Apostle Paul also needed Timothy and Epaphroditus to report back on the well-being of the church and their progress in working out their salvation. 

Besides demonstrating the need for teamwork in the body of Christ, Philippians 2:19-30  illustrates the care taken by Paul in selecting Timothy and Epaphroditus. 

1)      Timothy (Philippians 2:19-24) – Timothy is a team player who Paul sees as like-minded having a servant’s heart.  Self-absorption is nothing new for even the Apostle Paul observes that all seek their own interests.  Paul, however, praises the proven character of Timothy who served Paul selflessly.  Paul demonstrates confidence in sending Timothy to Philippi knowing that from his heart of service and loyalty to the Lord, he will provide an honest assessment of the well-being of the church.  In selecting members of a team, whether in ministry or some other purpose, it is important to select team members with character that will provide an honest assessment of things. 

2)      Epaphroditus (Philippians 2:25-30) – Epaphroditus is a faithful worker who apparently worked so hard for the sake of the gospel that he almost died.  While no one, including myself, condones working one’s self to death for the sake of Christ, his willingness to do this demonstrates commitment.  However, a leader must insure those they lead that have such extreme commitment take care of themselves and do not work themselves to death.  Every church or organization needs team members that work tirelessly due to their deep commitment to Christ or the organization. 

Genuine Christianity must have a sense of teamwork.  Every Christian leader has a need for people on his or her team like Timothy who possess a godly character and servants’ heart.  The ministry team also needs people like Epaphroditus who work tirelessly with dedication to keep the ministry going.  However, the ministry leader must insure no one becomes weary in well doing (Galatians 6:9) and look out for those working so hard they neglect their health or family. 

A divided world in chaos needs to witness genuine Christianity in action.  They live in a world led by individuals of questionable character that look out for their own interest and use people to achieve what they want.  The world is also filled with people lacking a good work ethic providing sub-standard products and services.  My prayer is that the body of Christ would rise up demonstrating a Christ-like character and work ethic for through this the world will begin to understand what it is to be a disciple of Christ. 

Servant Messiah: The Gospel of Mark (Part 1)

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Mark 1:9-10

In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized in the Jordan by John. ¹⁰ As soon as he came up out of the water, he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 

(CSB)

Unlike the gospels of Luke and Matthew, the Gospel of Mark begins with the preparation for his coming by John the Baptist, Jesus’ baptism, and Jesus’ temptation (Mark 1:1-15).  Jesus is God in the flesh (John 1:14) who came to earth to minister, serve His Father, and later die for the sins of humanity making a path to eternal life through His resurrection (John 3:16).  With such a resume one would think He would simply burst onto the scene in some glorious demonstration of power and establish Himself as King.  However, Jesus is not an ordinary king, but the promised Jewish Messiah promised in Genesis 3:15.  Genesis 3:15 speaks of the striking of Messiah in the head but also striking the heel of Satan, referring His death and resurrection. 

Instead of coming on to the scene as some majestic and powerful ruler, Jesus humbly comes to John the Baptist.  Matthew 3:13-15 records the initial reservations of John the Baptist, claiming he needs baptism more than Jesus.  John is correct for his baptism was not a baptism of purification but repentance with Jesus having no need for repentance.  Jesus, however, seeks baptism to provide a righteous example for his followers.  After coming up from the water, God allows John to see a vision of the heavens opening and the Holy Spirit descending upon Jesus.  This vision was a confirmation to John the Baptist that the one he just baptized is the one mightier than him who would baptize people with the Holy Spirit. 

While Luke and Matthew begin with the physical birth of Jesus, Mark and John begin with the birth of the ministry of Jesus.  However, this is not going to be a ministry like the prophets that preceded Him for this is going to be a ministry from the Son of God and God Himself.  Mark 1 lays the foundation for this unique ministry by,

1)      An announcement from an unexpected source (Mark 1:1-8) – The expected announcement of the Jewish Messiah would be either the High Priest or some supernatural announcement from God Himself.  While this did occur with the star and angelic announcement at Jesus’ birth, the announcement of his ministry comes from one appearing on the scene wearing a camel-hair garment, with a leather belt. 

2)      An example of obedience (Mark 1:9-11) – Jesus, the Son of God and God Himself is perfect and has nothing from which to repent but he approached John to be baptized.  Initially John fails to understand the need for him to baptize Jesus but after Jesus explains that the purpose is to obey all righteousness, he realizes Jesus is providing an example to others of the need to repent of sins (Matthew 3:13-15). 

3)      Resisting temptation  (Mark 1:12-13) – After Jesus’ baptism and the Holy Spirit’ descending upon Him, he is driven to the wilderness and tempted by the Devil.  This parallels what occurred in the Garden of Eden between Satan, Adam, and Eve.  However, this time Jesus resists the temptation to sin, paving the way to living a sinless life and becoming the spotless Lamb of God removing sin from the world.    

4)      Assembling an unusual team of disciples (Mark 1:16-20) – One who is the Messiah and Son of God could have chosen anyone on earth to become part of His team of Disciples.  However, instead of choosing from the elite religious leaders of His time, Jesus chooses a rag tag group of simple people from Galilee.  While this seems illogical, Jesus’ later encounters with these elites demonstrates the wisdom of this decision.  These young disciples had their problems as do us all, but they would later give their own lives in service to their Lord.  Jesus as God knew the hearts of people and knew these men had good hearts that He could mold into great leaders and pioneers in spreading the Gospel message.  God can and will use anyone who has a heart that loves Him, no matter what their background.

5)      Miracles and teaching (Mark 1:21-45) – Jesus wastes no time in beginning His ministry as servant Messiah by driving out a demon, healing the sick, and teaching about His Heavenly Father.  The miracles got everyone’s attention and demonstrated the power of God present in Jesus.  With their undivided attention, Jesus could now teach. 

As we progress in our study of the Gospel of Mark, we will read about many more miracles.  We will read the teaching of Jesus with a foundation of sound doctrine from God Himself in flesh through the words of Jesus.  The climax is the greatest miracle, the miracle of Jesus death and resurrection and his commission to the Church.  My prayer through this study is that everyone will gain a greater knowledge of their servant Messiah and a desire for a closer relationship with God. 

Come back next Wednesday and share the link to this posting with others wo they can join in.  May God bless everyone reading this. 

Genuine Christianity: Lights in the World

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Philippians 2:14-15

Do all things without grumbling or disputing, ¹⁵ that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,

(ESV)

The Christmas season has just passed, and I trust everyone had a joyous and merry Christmas.  After New Years Day, it is amazing how quickly the lights come down and everything returns to normal.  Normal for the secular world in which we live unfortunately means a return to the crooked and blemished sins of a fallen world.  However, the call for Christians to be lights in the world is a 24/7 365 day calling and something genuine Christians have a calling to do (Philippians 2:14-15). 

The theme of Philippians 2:12-18 is lights in the world.  The Apostle Paul is in jail and fears the light of Christ that ignited when he established the Church in Philippi would grow dim or go out completely.  Therefore, this passage begins with a call to continued obedience during Paul’s absence.  However, the second portion of Philippians 2:12 calls for believers to work out their salvation with fear and trembling.  Disputes over interpretation of this verse have caused many to believe they could lose their salvation if they sin, causing them to live in a constant state of nervousness and anxiety.  (1)  While sin does dim the light of Christ in a person’s life, living in a constant state of anxiety at losing one’s salvation hardly makes one’s light shine brighter. 

It is therefore important in the context of letting the light of Christ shine from our lives to determine what the Apostle Paul means by working out one’s salvation in fear and trembling.  Clarification of meaning comes through returning to the original text.  The Greek word translated fear in Philippians 2:12 also means reverence or respect and the word used in 2 Corinthians 7:15 in describing Titus’ reception by believers in Corinth with fear and trembling.  Titus was not coming to Corinth bringing fear and trembling through retribution making it proper to interpret Philippians 2:12 not to mean fear of retribution but fear of disappointing God through disobedience.  Additional support of this meaning comes from the context of obedience in the first portion of Philippians 2:12. 

Another light dimmer in the life of a believer is grumbling or complaining (Philippians 2:14).  While this includes believers grumbling among themselves, the passage says not to grumble or have disputes in all things.  However, genuine Christianity does not mean absence of disagreements that have the potential to result in grumbling and disputes but the desire to work out these disputes.  The crooked and twisted culture in which a believer lives has more than enough grumbling and disputes making the light of Jesus in one’s life that does not have these light dimmers shine even brighter. 

The Apostle Paul concludes this teaching on being lights in the World with encouraging believers to keep their light shining bright by adherence to biblical principles.  Jesus is the light of the world (John 8:12).  Therefore, to keep our spiritual lights shining bright, we must stay close to the source of that light Jesus Christ.  Jesus is the Word become flesh (John 1:14) making the Word of God the fuel feeding the spiritual light that shines in the life of a believer. 

The spark that ignites the light of Christ in a believer is acceptance of Jesus Christ as Savior.  While Jesus died for all sinners, we must claim the gift to ignite Jesus' light in our lives.  To claim this gift, please pray with me now and redeem the gift of salvation,

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans 3:23) and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans 6:23).  I ask you to forgive me of my sin and cleanse me as you promise in your Word (1 John 1:9).  I believe you died, was buried, and resurrected from the dead and now declare you Lord of my life.

One of the duties of the Levitical priests was tending the lamps in the temple to keep them lit.  To accomplish this the Israelites were to bring pure olive oil with the High Priest continually tending the lamps to keep them burning (Leviticus 24:1-4).  As with all the Levitical rituals, this symbolized the need in the life of all believers to feed their lives with the Light of God’s Word fueled by the oil of the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  For those that just prayed to accept Jesus as their savior, this means prayer, study of the Bible, and regular attendance at a church teaching the Bible to gain understanding of the Word of God and be with fellow believers.  May this new year be full of God’s peace, joy, and especially His grace. 

1. Got Questions. What does it mean to work out salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12)? www.gotquestions.org. [Online] Got Questions. [Cited: December 30, 2018.] https://www.gotquestions.org/fear-and-trembling.html.

Bethlehem: Two Years Later

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Matthew 2:1-2

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, wise men from the east arrived in Jerusalem, ² saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star at its rising and have come to worship him.”

(CSB)

It has been two years since the unusual events in Bethlehem.  King Herod has become paranoid at rumors of a new king threatening his kingdom and troubled at the arrival of the wisemen.  Believing they may have some insider information that will give him the inside track on proactively ending any rebellion, King Herod summons the wise men prior to their visit with Mary, Joseph, and the young boy Jesus.  However, so as not to alert the wisemen to his intentions of killing the baby king, preventing His  rise to power, Herod sends them off, telling them he only wants to worship Jesus (Matthew 2:1-8).

Biff has now arrived at the home of Mary, Joseph, and Jesus.  They are aware of their pending visit from the wisemen and working furiously to prepare for their arrival.  Biff sees Jesus, a toddler now and while he appears to be like any normal child his age, he is also a well-behaved child.  Seeing Jesus again caused Biff to flash back to that night in Bethlehem.  He remembered the star, the angels, and the shepherds and Mary and Joseph’s belief that their child was special.  The well-behaved nature of Jesus caused Biff to wonder if the toddler Jesus was indeed the promised Jewish Messiah. 

While deep in thought, a knock at the door startled Biff.  Joseph answered the door and invited the wisemen in, “Hello Gentlemen, welcome to our humble home.”

“The honor is all ours.  You must be Joseph.”

Joseph realized he had never given them his name and asked, “Its our honor but if you do not mind me asking, how do you know my name?”

“Well, it seems you, Mary, and Jesus have quite a reputation in town.  I think it has something to do with choirs of angels, a star, and some excited shepherds spreading the message.”

Joseph was amazed that he and his humble family would have such a reputation and took them to where Mary and Jesus were playing.  Upon seeing the toddler Jesus, these learned wise men bowed down in worship.  They then did something this reporter found amazing, they presented a child that is not even two years old yet with gifts of gold, myrrh, and frankincense.  My initial thought was what does a child need with these gifts.  After allowing these men to worship the child, I asked, “Hello, I’m Biff from Wolf News, you have just completed a two-year journey to visit and present gifts to this child, do you mind if I ask you a few questions?”

“Not a problem sir, I’m sure this looks unusual and as a reporter you are overflowing with curiosity.”

“Thank you, my main question is why would a group of wise and well-educated men make a long journey across the desert to present expensive gifts to a young child.” 

“That is a good question.  We spend much of our time studying ancient literature which includes the Jewish scriptures.  These scriptures mention Bethlehem as the city from which the future King of Israel will come.  However, this ruler is not a normal ruler but the promised Messiah (Micha 5:1-6).  When we saw the star in the east, we knew this was a sign that the future ruler of Israel, the Messiah had been born.”

“While I respect your wisdom and knowledge, as a reporter I can only go with facts which means we will all need to wait and see what happens with Jesus as he grows up.  Thank you for your time.”

The next morning Biff awoke early and went to the inn where the wisemen were staying to follow up with them.  He arrived at the inn to see that they were packing to go.  “Leaving already?” 

“Yes, we had a dream last night that told us to quickly leave by another route and not report to Herod about what we discovered.”  All Biff could imagine is the paranoia of Herod and what he might do.   I must go warn Mary and Joseph Biff thought for they could be in grave danger. 

Biff ran to the home of Mary and Joseph only to find them too hurriedly packing to go.  “Leaving so soon” Biff said.

“Yes, we had another angelic visitation last night warning us to leave immediately to Egypt because Herod is seeking to kill Jesus.”

“I have been following the story of his extreme paranoia for the last two years and have no doubt.  He is paranoid of anyone, including a toddler, who may represent a threat to his kingdom.  I would like to stay connected for with all that is happening around the birth of Jesus, there is little doubt he is destined for great things.”

“Once the threat from Herod is over, we will move back to Nazareth, so I recommend keeping in touch there once this threat is over.”

“Not a problem.  I will see you later.  Have a save trip.”

“Thank You”

In the meanwhile, Biff thought, I must find out more about this Jewish Messiah to determine if Jesus is indeed the one.