Paul’s letter in 2 Corinthians was focused on verification, on recognizing that which is authentic. Corinth at that time had many false apostles, charmers whose charisma enchanted the people. But the truth was they only “peddled the word of God for profit” for their own selfish gain.

Paul’s goal was for the people to mature in their knowledge of Christ. He needed them to understand that his ministry was genuine - it was only about the glory of God, not about his own needs. In 2 Corinthians 6:3 he said, “we put no stumbling block in anyone’s path so that our ministry will not be discredited. Rather as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way…” in spite of the suffering he would endure.

In 2 Corinthians 6:14, Paul nearly pleads with the people to turn away from the false apostles, saying, “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? What fellowship can light have with darkness?” He is afraid the people will continue to be taken in even deeper by trickery and lies. As he explains in 2 Corin.11:13-14: “For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.”

Paul wants the people to recognize an authentic message when they hear it and not to simply be swayed by a glitzy show. As Josh put it, they needed to recognize the difference between a predator and a producer. A predator seizes and destroys for selfish gain. A producer gives and gives, expecting little to nothing in return. The ministry of a producer will live and breathe love, patience, joy and peace. And the people around them will grow as they come to faith.

Who do we yoke ourselves to? Givers or takers? Hopefully, most of us by now can recognize a genuine leader who is worth following. But I think there's another layer to it.

We are ALL faith leaders. So let's ask ourselves: Do I live my life as a giver or a taker? Am I a producer? Do I live my life with peace, faithfulness, kindness, and love? Do I encourage others with hope and share the word of God with love?

In other words, am I a leader worth following?

Paul’s letter in 1 Corinthians was addressed to those believers who, while they did believe, were not living their lives in Christ. They were weak, quarrelsome, and arrogant. They judged sinners, forgetting that God is the one who will deal with sinners. They considered themselves wise but, as Paul said (1 Corin. 3:19): “The wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight… He catches the wise in their craftiness.”

Our body is not ours; we are Christ’s slaves. Paul said your body matters - not for you, but for the Lord. Our human bodies are mere flesh and blood; they are not eternal. Paul’s message to the people was to unite together, adding all their separate skills together, to create the body of the church: 1 Corin. 12:12, “Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ.”

Our church body is complete when we are united, working together to share the glory of God’s word. Let us embrace the glorious body of the church!

There will always be some things in life that we simply aren’t good at. I am not a runner. I will never win a foot race against Usain Bolt - no matter how badly I might want to. If we’re having a dark day, we might even worry that we’re not good enough for God. We might then “try harder” to be worthy of Him.

In the Book of Romans, Paul explains the path to God to new believers. He made two major points:

1. Salvation and forgiveness is for everyone.

2. Righteousness is obtained ONLY by FAITH.

Maybe we concentrate hard on doing good and being good, so that we can be saved. But Romans 2:29 says that “a person is a Jew who is one inwardly… by the Spirit”, not just outwardly by deeds. Belief has to come first - then action. When Abraham took his son to the mountaintop to sacrifice him, he believed God first, then he acted. Romans 4:3, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”

So how do we become righteous? Josh told us:

1. Righteousness is NOT attained by trying hard to be good.

2. Righteousness is by FAITH in Jesus ONLY - and it’s a gift!

So, the short answer is YES, we are good enough for God -- but it is our faith that will save us, not just our actions. Our faith will bring us to the water’s edge and through the waters. Do we think that our sheer will can take us to His side? Of course not. Our faith in Jesus Christ will deliver us. Then, as Paul said in Romans 8:38, “... neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons... nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord”. Glory be!

As Josh taught us on Sunday, the core message and the root of Acts’ ultimate message is unity. We all know, though, that talking about unity and practicing it are two very different things. When the Gentiles were trying to assimilate, they were told (Acts 15:1) ”...unless you are circumcised… you cannot be saved.” Later, when the apostles and elders discussed it, Peter said that God, who knew their hearts, had accepted the Gentiles (Acts 15:9-11): “God did not discriminate… why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear?” And further, (Acts 15:19) “...we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God.”

In today’s times, it’s easy for us to focus on man-made differences between people and hold that others’ religious doctrines are “wrong”. The harder thing is to let go of our egos and focus on what we have in common: Scripture. When Jesus prayed in John 17:22-23, it wasn’t for perfect doctrine - it was for UNITY: “I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one - I in them and you in me - so that they may be brought to complete unity.”

Josh said that “Unity is messy and necessary” and he gave us four points about navigating disagreement in the Church:

1. Lead with grace.

2. Sharpen iron with iron.

3. Practice humility.

4. Always build up: never tear down.

Let’s remember that God’s gift of the Holy Spirit was not given just to specific individuals - it was given to all. In our daily dealings with others, let us lead with grace and humility, keeping in mind the goal that Jesus himself prayed for - unity.

The message on Sunday was about the Pentecost celebration and how anyone can receive the Holy Spirit - men or women, Jews or Gentiles, native citizens or foreigners - ANYONE. In our modern-day world, it’s all too common for people to divide up onto different sides, from politics to personal computers, each side thinking the other side is wrong, deficient, maybe even irredeemable. Fortunately, our Heavenly Father, who made us in His image, does not think that way.

Peter reminds us in Acts 2:17-18 about what the prophet Joel said: “‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.”

In Acts, 10:28 when Peter was in Cornelius’ house, he said to them: “...it is against our law for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile. But God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean.”

So, if anyone can receive the Holy Spirit (no matter how bad things look) and if God says not to call anyone unclean, how can we continue to take sides and judge others? Of course, some will never choose to accept His word, but those who do WILL receive the Holy Spirit -- regardless of our fallible human opinions on the matter. As Josh told us, “Forgiveness is for everyone!” and therein lies the glory.

On Sunday, Josh gave us an atypical lesson, a whirlwind taking us from Genesis through to the crucified and risen Christ. Messages abound through that much scripture but some messages do repeat.

There were times when God did what He said He would do -- IF the people were faithful. But oftentimes, they were not. Like in Isaiah 53:6, “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way”. They did not believe that “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6).

The truth was:

Jesus was everything the Law had said he would be.

Jesus was everything the Prophets had said he would be.

Jesus did everything he said he would do.

Remembering our recent review of Luke, do we SEE all that? Or are we bound by our sins that keep us from seeing the light, that lead us astray, sins that hold us captive? Is it anger, pride, gluttony, resentment, being judgmental? Josh asked us to reflect on that question: “What has held me captive?”

Let us break free! We need to lose our life to find it, to receive God’s spirit within us but if we know that the resurrection is true, we have nothing to fear!

In the 11th chapter of Luke, we read about a man who had been mute and how Jesus drove the demon out of him and he could speak again. Some, who saw this miracle, were amazed. Some were accusatory. Others who saw it were skeptical and wanted more signs.

This angered Jesus and in Luke 11:29-30 he said, “This is a wicked generation. It asks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.” (Matt. 12:40-41, “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now something greater than Jonah is here.”)

Yes, something greater than Jonah was there. The skeptics saw what Jesus had done for the mute man but still doubted. Maybe the problem wasn’t with Jesus’ work but with their eyes:

Luke 12:33-35, “No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden...they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light. Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy, your body also is full of darkness. See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness.”

Jesus wasn’t hiding his work. More signs would never be the answer for the skeptics. Their eyes simply would not see. What about our own eyes? If Jesus were here now, would our eyes see him? No matter how many prayers are answered, we will sometimes argue or deny God’s way. Instead, let us be filled up with the Good News, stand in awe of Jesus, and believe that anything is possible.

Maybe it’s our eyes. Ask and it will be given, Seek and ye shall find, Knock and the door will be opened. Have you asked/seeked/knocked recently? Let’s keep our eyes open to the wonder of Jesus.

We learn three things in John 11: (1) That suffering can serve a purpose, (2) that believing is seeing, and (3) that Jesus is the only source of life.

In John 11:1-7, Jesus learns that Lazarus is deathly ill, but he waits two days before going to him. Jesus told his disciples (John 11:15) “For your sake I am glad I was not there so that you may believe.” (His way of saying “wait til you see this!”) When Jesus arrives and hears that Lazarus is indeed dead, he talks to Lazarus’ sister, Martha, and tells her Lazarus will rise again. Jesus says (John 11:25) “...The one who believes in me will live, even though they die.” However, she, like us, believed that death is permanent. She didn’t realize yet that Jesus was saying that Lazarus will live again, now.

Martha tells Jesus that, yes, she believes he is the Messiah, the Son of God, and yet we sense that she’s saying this by rote. She’s grieving her brother’s death after his grave illness. Despite her faith, she can see no hope. Jesus asks her (John 11:40) “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” She did believe, but in her grief, she could not SEE (until she did).

Constant bad news (like a world-wide pandemic) can overwhelm and desensitize us. But know this: There are signs all around us that point to God's glory being revealed. While we wait for a burning bush or for water to be turned into wine, let’s see God’s glory in the here and now: the joy of a newborn child, a brilliant sunset, the call of songbirds in a colorful garden, the sound of joyful voices raised in song, and too many other wonders to list. How can we look upon all that and not see God’s glory?

Jesus asked his disciples to “come follow me and I will make you fishers of men”. That sounds kind of nice, doesn’t it? Turns out we need to make sacrifices to follow Jesus.

Does following Jesus mean going to church every Sunday? Does it mean reading the Bible and learning a lot of the “right answers” about Scripture? Knowledge is only a fraction of our faith. How do we use our knowledge to follow Jesus?

We must be clear-eyed to see, and understand, what it will take to live our lives as true followers of Jesus Christ. Jesus said that his followers must (1) Deny themselves, (2) Take up their cross, and (3) Give up their life. No sugar-coating there.

So we know from the get-go that it’s not an easy path. Still, Peter said, (1 Peter 4:12-13), “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come upon you … But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.”

In Mark 8:36, Jesus asks: “What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” Let’s consider this week just what we have gained in this world -- and then decide if we are willing to give it all up to be “overjoyed” in the glory of Jesus Christ.

Michael Rankins’ lesson on Sunday was from Matthew 19:16 where a rich, young man asked Jesus, “...what good thing must I do to get eternal life?” Jesus’ suggestion - to sell his possessions and give to the poor - was not what the fellow wanted to hear, and he went away sad.

But he was asking the wrong question. His expectation was that there was “one thing” that he hadn’t done yet. He already followed the commandments, so what was he missing? Much like an impatient child during a long drive, he was asking, “Am I there yet?” As Michael said, “Completion is a journey, not a destination.”

This young man was failing to grow in faith. He didn’t recognize that the path to eternal life is a journey, one that he must always strive to improve upon. 2 Peter 1:5-9, details it well: “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.”

Now, can any one of us say that we’ve completed that list? That we have all of those qualities down pat? Of course not. And our Father in Heaven knows full well what we lack, but He knows that we are on the journey. When we stray off the path, we may become disappointed in ourselves, but we’re forgetting that God loves us anyway. God isn’t expecting us to be perfect. He just wants us to try!

So what do we still lack? Plenty, if we’re honest! That list in 2 Peter is intimidating, so let’s pick just one thing we can work on this week to move forward on our path towards eternal life. Enjoy your journey!