Be With Me: 7 Minutes of Biblical Wonder

A great question to ask is: Who is the spiritual boss of me?  There are two ways we can get this wrong. 

One is to say that my primary allegiance is to a HUMAN, and not to God Himself.  "I follow Paul, I follow Apollos or I follow _____________" Do not "empty the Cross of its power" by putting any human above God. If you do so you risk separating yourself from God, and separating yourself from other believers.

But there is a MOST CURIOUS line in this passage.  There is also a person who says only, "I follow Christ." Though it might sound like heresy, let me say that this can also be a way to get the spiritual walk WRONG.  God has put leadership in the church for a reason.  We should be availing ourselves of its benefits.  One can be saying here "I am not subject to anybody; I am not submissive to anyone; I am my own spiritual island." This is also a great risk.  This is a person who is at risk of falling away and of being hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

Following Christ means to not put any leader in front of Him.  Following Christ also means following the leaders, shepherds, overseers, elders and teachers He has graciously given to the church.  Please visit bewithme.us and leave an email so this podcast can come to you tomorrow if the Lord gives us another day.

As we drive down the road of life we want answers to two big questions:

• Do I have what I need to do what God asks of me TODAY?
• Do I have what I need to make it all the way to the END?

Paul addresses both concerns in his opening salvo of thanksgiving for the people of Corinth.  He thanks God for starters that He's chosen to even get in the car with them; that He called them into fellowship and gave them the grace of a relationship.

Then Paul addresses the first question in thanking God for the quantity of resources that He gives for today.  He causes us to have an ABUNDANCE and enriches us where it counts: our heads, words and in His gifting for the church. Do I have enough for today?  YES.

So how about for the big journey?  How about making it all the way to the end? Is this car going to make it all the way to the destination? Does it have enough gas to go all the way? YES.  He will SUSTAIN you to the END. Check out bewithme.us and sign up for a daily email.

You know the moment when someone holds out a telephone to you and says, "You have a CALL?" You want to know two things: who is it and what does he want?  Then there is a decision to make: should I answer the call?

We join Paul as he writes ahead to the Corinthian church while he's on the third missionary journey. He reminds the Corinthians: You have a CALL. I have a CALL. We are called to God HIMSELF primarily.  We are called to a local people.  We are called to a people universal. We are called to a role and to our gifts in the church.

He is holding out the phone.  God is on the line. The Corinthians want to know who is it and what does he want?  The hope for them, and now us 2000 years later, is to ANSWER THE CALL.  You can do so by coming back tomorrow to walk this book in 7 minute segments. Do so by subscribing at bewithme.us or write at [email protected]. Find this as a 7 minute daily podcast on Apple, google, Spotify and all the other podcast directories. See you tomorrow.

Paul loves the Thessalonians.  I do too.  I am going to miss them tomorrow morning.  But before we go geographically down the Macedonian peninsula and chronologically to the Corinthians, we best REMEMBER and summarize.

He loves their increasing love and their growing faith.  This is amidst the real life trouble that they had and we have. He loves their intent to be on the forever bus.  He warns about those who finally get what they have been asking for: to be AWAY from the PRESENCE of the LORD.

You know that big scary anti-Christ Man of lawlessness guy that some will think is a god? The Lord is going to destroy him "with the breath of His mouth." Poof. This is the God that chooses us. So don't refuse to love the truth; dis-believe and revel in unrighteousness.

We are chosen, and best affix ourselves firmly to the actions and comfort of God.  Then we can fly high and fly hard.  Finally, do not grow WEARY.  Bewithme.us or write bewithme.us@gmail and I'll email you daily with any podcasts the Lord allows me to give.

Why might a group of believers use the power of DIS-association? Why go to DEFCON 4? It is because other powers for good have not been heeded, and a BROTHER has continued with an ongoing pattern of DISOBEDIENCE to his detriment.  

So as a BLESSING to him, this congregation of love, PUTS HIM OUT, so that one day after his repentance, this congregation can PUT HIM BACK IN. When God calls people to Himself, He always calls them INTO fellowship...

• Except for those who are SENT OUT to try and bring others into the family of God and Except for those who are PUT OUT to aim to RESTORE that person.

Ironically, you WANT to be in a group of people that occasionally puts people OUT.  It is how the group can use its' ultimate power to protect the people that are IN, and to steer the person who THINKS they are IN back into true community. bewithme.us or [email protected]

Step #1 is to NOTICE. Specifically today, notice WEARINESS in the brothers and sisters around you.  This may help: think of the prisoner, the old, the grieving, the sick, those in relational crisis, those crushed by their task, the young, those in trial or testing. This may even be in yourself.

Step #2 is to BE CURIOUS. Stand with. Help. Acknowledge.

The Bible is full of awareness of the weary and fainthearted.  If that is you today, you have come to the right place. If you are strong today, then find a weary one and share your strength.  Join me daily by subscribing at bewithme.us or on Spotify.

If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.  This concept effects two groups of people.

First is the unwilling non-worker.  The risk here is that they fall into idleness and then into busybodiness.  This moves from slack HANDS to busy TONGUES.  It is Opinions without Output; Concerns without Contributions; Views with the Value-added.  The charge for this group is to be busy at work, eat bread that you worked for and do your activities quietly.  Fix your hand problem and then your tongue problem.

The second group is the believing community.  Their charge is to allow the natural consequences to the unwilling non-worker busybody.  No sharing bread earned by others. Maybe let some hunger happen. If necessary, use the power of fellowship to help them.  At risk here is both the integrity of community and the soul of the unwilling.

Be busy at work today.  But, before you go, subscribe at bewithme.us and google podcasts. Please come back to listen and read  and wonder tomorrow.

Every penny used for personal use, governmental us, or ministry use ultimately came from one thing: WORK.  Join me as we honor work, love work, example work and even expect work.

Work is good for everybody from the worker himself to the economy that gets the production. It is godly, good, and one of our great common-grace blessings upon the world.

Yet, there are those who are idle not because of ability, but because of the UNWILLINGNESS. This has ramifications to their view of God, their view of themselves, and to the good of the world.  The caution today: Don't be one unwilling to work.  

Having the ability paired with UNWILLINGNESS = a BusyBody.  It is a funny word that means busy in all the wrong things.  It means having opinions without the gravitas of contributions. 

Do the work of subscribing at bewithme.us for a little more Bible wisdom tomorrow or subscribe at Apple Podcasts, etc.

If you are human, you know our hearts have a tendency to wander a bit.  A big challenge of life is to steer them in the right direction and then keep them on the path you desire.

This is exactly the writers of 2 Thessalonians purpose in charging them to DIRECT your hearts in  a certain direction.  

So today, if you face some challenge, DIRECT your heart. If you are wrestling with your heart, DIRECT your heart to the love of God.  If you are wondering about your actions to come, DIRECT your heart to the steadfastness of Christ.  

After you have steered your heart in the right direction, then mosey on over to bewithme.us and subscribe for a podcast a day, as the Lord gives the days. 

Timothy asks for PRAYER that the Word of God SPEED AHEAD. He requests that by the fundamental spiritual reality of conversation with God, that another fundamental spiritual process will thrive.

By the Word of God, he means the Old Testament and the book of 1 Thessalonians, which was the sum total of the Bible at the time.  Moreso, he means the active preaching/teaching/sharing the truths of God by faithful men and women believers being joined by the Spirit of God.  He wishes that people are compelled and convicted and that they come to belief.  He uses a unique term for this:  that the Word may be HONORED. 

May the Lord's WORK and His WORD SPEED AHEAD.  It was a great prayer then, It is a great prayer NOW. Subscribe at Bewithme.us or Chromecast, iVoox, Pandora, Podcast Addict, or Pocket Casts.  It is a 7 minute listen.  You have 7 minutes.