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Andy Rau
October 26, 2012

Link Roundup: Linguistic Confusion, One Thousand Gifts, and Becoming a Mess

Here are some interesting or noteworthy links that we’ve noticed recently.

Andy Rau
October 25, 2012

Give Thanks! A New Thanksgiving Devotional About Gratitude

What emotions do you feel as you contemplate the approaching holiday season? Peace, joy, and thankfulness? Or does the Thanksgiving and Christmas season mean exhausting travel, hectic schedules, and stress?

We’re all commonly encouraged to remember the true spirit of the holiday season—but those encouragements usually come once the hectic pace of the holidays is already upon us. This year, we want to help you get into the spirit of the holidays before they hit with a new devotional newsletter centered around thanksgiving! It’s called Give Thanks: Reflections on Biblical Gratitude, and it starts next week and runs through Thanksgiving (U.S.).

Give Thanks is sent out twice a week and consists of a short Bible reading centered around gratitude and thanksgiving. Reflection questions after each reading will help you to consider how you can cultivate a spirit of thankfulness in your own life. If you’re familiar with our Monday Morning Scripture series, Give Thanks follows a similar format.

So if you’re already feeling the stress of the holiday season and would like to make gratitude the defining emotion of the next few months, sign up for the Give Thanks devotional! (And by the time the Give Thanks devotional wraps up at Thanksgiving, we’ll have a selection of Advent and Christmas devotionals ready to pick up where it leaves off!)

October 24, 2012

A Primer on the Christian Calendar

Do you follow the Christian calendar?

I grew up attending churches that didn’t emphasize the Christian calendar, and thus remained largely unaware of it. But the church I currently attend does periodically focus on the Holy Days of the traditional church calendar—and it’s been a wonderful learning experience. After four years of attendance, I’ve begun to look forward to the spiritual practices that go along with each of the holidays. It provides a reflective, spiritual structure—a rhythm—for my life.

Not every church or denomination follows the Christian calendar; some emphasize certain holidays on the calendar but not others. Most Christian traditions recognize at least the most important of the holidays, Christmas and Easter. To me, the true value of such holidays is in the opportunity they provide for deep reflection. When we read the Bible today, it’s easy to read through it quickly, moving rapidly (and sometimes shallowly) through Biblical stories and events. Holidays that ask us to focus on or celebrate specific Bible events at a specific times during the year give us an opportunity to slowly and prayerfully reflect on the meaning and importance of each event.

You’re likely aware of at least two events on the Christian calendar, Christmas and Easter. But there are many more holidays of note on the calender, each related to a story in the Bible. Here are some of the major milestones that make up the Christian calendar, along with their dates in the next year:

Advent

The four-week-long season of reflection leading up to Christmas. This season acts as a daily reminder of Jesus’ birth, and a time to ponder its significance in your life. In 2012, it runs from December 2 – 24.

Christmas

The day Christians set aside each year to celebrate Jesus’ birth. Although we usually think of Christmas as a single-day holiday, traditionally this is a 12-day celebration that begins on Christmas and extends to Epiphany, the next major point on the calendar. Occurs on December 25.

Epiphany

A celebratory feast at the end of Christmas in memory of the visit of the Wise Men to Jesus, and more generally of Jesus’ appearance before a waiting world. Occurs on January 6, 2013.

The Lenten Season

The forty-day period before Easter that begins on Ash Wednesday. The forty days of Lent are meant to mirror the forty days that Jesus spent in the desert being tempted. Some Christian traditions observe the Lenten season by fasting from certain foods or refraining from certain activities. Runs from February 13 – March 30 in 2013.

Ash Wednesday

Marks the beginning of the season of Lent. Some traditions hold a special worship service on this day during which congregants mark their foreheads with ash. Occurs on February 13, 2013.

Passion Week

The final week of Lent that leads up to Easter. Also referred to as Holy Week. Throughout Passion Week, Christians read and reflect on the events that Jesus went through during the final days before his arrest and crucifixion. Runs from March 24 – 30 in 2013.

Maundy Thursday

The day before Jesus’ arrest on Good Friday. Maundy Thursday commemorates the Last Supper, when Jesus washed the disciples’ feet. Occurs on March 28, 2013.

Good Friday

The Friday of Passion Week; commemorates Jesus’ arrest, trial, and crucifixion. It’s a time for somber reflection and repentance; many churches hold solemn services on this day. Occurs on March 29, 2013.

Eastertide

The fifty-day period between Easter and Pentecost. Depending on your Christian tradition, there are various events and observances for each of the intervening weeks. Runs from March 31 – May 19 in 2013.

Easter

A joyous celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus. Occurs on March 31, 2013.

Ascension Day

Celebrates Jesus’s bodily ascent into heaven. Occurs forty days after Easter. Occurs on May 9, 2013.

Pentecost

Ten days after Ascension Day, fifty days after Easter, the Holy Spirit comes down on the apostles and imparts the “gift of tongues”. Occurs on May 19, 2013.

These are the most widely-recognized dates on the Christian calendar. Your own Christian tradition may recognize some or all of these, or it may celebrate additional observances throughout the year. Even if you don’t actively celebrate these holidays, they can serve as great reminders throughout the year of the key events in the Christian story, and a good excuse to grab your Bible and read (or re-read) those accounts. As we head into the holiday season and a new year, consider jotting a few of these holidays down on your calendar and taking time to reflect on the associated stories when they come around!

Andy Rau
October 22, 2012

Monday Morning Scripture: Acts 9:10-21

Who’s your worst enemy?

Maybe there isn’t a person in your life who you’d consider a true enemy—but you’ve certainly had to deal with difficult people. People who went out of their way to snub and embarass you, or to sabotage your work, or who just seemed to enjoy making your life a little more difficult.

Ananias was a Christian in the early church. He—and all of his fellow believers—had one particularly fierce enemy: Saul, whose zeal for arresting and persecuting Christians was legendary. But one day, Ananias received a message from God that he surely never expected: “Go find Saul. He’s joining our team.”

Acts 9:10-21

There was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias. And the Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias!”

“Here I am, Lord!” he said.

“Get up and go to the street called Straight,” the Lord said to him, “to the house of Judas, and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, since he is praying there. In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and placing his hands on him so he can regain his sight.”

“Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard from many people about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem. And he has authority here from the chief priests to arrest all who call on Your name.”

But the Lord said to him, “Go! For this man is My chosen instrument to take My name to Gentiles, kings, and the Israelites. I will show him how much he must suffer for My name!”

So Ananias left and entered the house. Then he placed his hands on him and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road you were traveling, has sent me so that you can regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”

At once something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was baptized. And after taking some food, he regained his strength.

Saul was with the disciples in Damascus for some days. Immediately he began proclaiming Jesus in the synagogues: “He is the Son of God.”

But all who heard him were astounded and said, “Isn’t this the man who, in Jerusalem, was destroying those who called on this name and then came here for the purpose of taking them as prisoners to the chief priests?” — Acts 9:10-21 (HCSB)

Questions to Consider

  • How do you think Ananias felt upon receiving this command from God?
  • What emotions and thoughts do you think Saul experienced during this encounter? Who do you most relate to in this story—Ananias or Saul?
  • Take a moment to read two other Bible stories about wicked people who were shown unexpected grace by God: the city of Ninevah and the famous prodigal son. Pay special attention to the way that the “good guys” in each story—Jonah and the prodigal son’s brother—responded to God’s grace. How does Ananias’ reaction differ from theirs?
  • Think about an “enemy” in your life. How would you react if you saw God’s grace extended to them in a surprising way? What if God asked you to be the one to extend that grace? Would you be overjoyed? Worried? Resentful?
Andy Rau
October 15, 2012

Monday Morning Scripture: 2 Timothy 2

The Christian faith has always put tremendous importance on words. Words can build up; they can tear down. They can spread wisdom and encouragement; they can encourage ignorance and despair. Jesus Christ himself is described as “the Word of Life.” And the words that come out of our mouths can reflect the state of our hearts… for good or ill.

In the passage below, we get a picture of what shoud—and shouldn’t—be heard from followers of Christ.

2 Timothy 2

… warn [your brothers and sisters] in the sight of God not to engage in battles over words that aren’t helpful and only destroy those who hear them. Make an effort to present yourself to God as a tried-and-true worker, who doesn’t need to be ashamed but is one who interprets the message of truth correctly. Avoid their godless discussions, because they will lead many people into ungodly behavior, and their ideas will spread like an infection. This includes Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have deviated from the truth by claiming that the resurrection has already happened. This has undermined some people’s faith.

God’s solid foundation is still standing with this sign: The Lord knows the people who belong to him, and Everyone who confesses the Lord’s name must avoid wickedness. In a mansion, there aren’t just gold and silver bowls but also some bowls that are made of wood and clay. Some are meant for special uses, some for garbage. So if anyone washes filth off themselves, they will be set apart as a “special bowl.” They will be useful to the owner of the mansion for every sort of good work.

Run away from adolescent cravings. Instead, pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace together with those who confess the Lord with a clean heart. Avoid foolish and thoughtless discussions, since you know that they produce conflicts. God’s slave shouldn’t be argumentative but should be kind toward all people, able to teach, patient, and should correct opponents with gentleness. Perhaps God will change their mind and give them a knowledge of the truth. They may come to their senses and escape from the devil’s trap that holds them captive to do his will. — 2 Timothy 2 (CEB)

Questions to Consider

  • What do you think these “battles over words that aren’t helpful” were? Have you witnessed, or participated in, such battles? How do you view the experience in retrospect?
  • Why do you think false teaching (such as that of Hymenaeus and Philetus mentioned above) is such a persistent danger in the church, if we have the Bible as a final authority?
  • How do “godless” and “thoughtless discussions” take root in a Bible-believing community? Does this passage provide us with a way of distinguishing useful from useless talk?
  • If somebody were to listen in on your interactions with family and friends during a typical day, would they describe your speech as kind, patient, and gentle?
Andy Rau
October 11, 2012

New Daily Devotional for Leaders: Tozer on Christian Leadership

We’ve just added a new daily email devotional to our library—one that will be especially interesting to pastors, mentors, and anyone in a leadership position. We’ve made 365 of A.W. Tozer’s most useful leadership insights available as a daily email devotional: Tozer on Christian Leadership!

A.W. Tozer was one of the most influential Christian thinkers of the 20th century.

Tozer was a pastor, preacher, and author who was a powerful presence in evangelical Christianity in the 20th century. He had a special heart for Christians called into positions of leadership.

Pastors and ministers will find Tozer’s thoughts extremely relevant—but for Tozer, leadership was something that all Christians could be called to practice. Leadership might take the form of a preaching career, academic teaching, parenthood, or a mentoring relationship with another believer. Wherever you are in life, whatever role you’ve been called to fill right now, you and your relationships can benefit from Tozer’s insights into Christian leadership!

Like all of our email newsletters, the Tozer on Christian Leadership devotional is free. To sign up, visit our newsletter signup page, check the box next to Tozer on Christian Leadership, and scroll down to the bottom of the page to provide your email address.

This is the third devotional specifically for leaders that we’ve added in the last year, alongside The Ministry Advantage and The Bible-Inspired Leader. We think you’ll find this short daily reading to be a practical and inspiring addition to your everyday routine!

Andy Rau
October 10, 2012

What is the “Unforgivable Sin”?


Adam and Eve in the Garden of EdenIn one memorable New Testament scene, Jesus’ critics accuse him of being in league with the devil himself. In answering his critics, Jesus refers to something that has troubled Christians ever since: the so-called “unforgivable sin.”

Here are Jesus’ words:

“I promise you that any of the sinful things you say or do can be forgiven, no matter how terrible those things are. But if you speak against the Holy Spirit, you can never be forgiven. That sin will be held against you forever.” — Mark 3:28-29 (CEV)

Different Bible translations word this differently; some use the phrase “eternal sin” or “unforgivable sin.” In some, the sin is to “blaspheme against” or “curse the Holy Spirit.” Whatever the wording, what troubles many readers is the suggestion that there is a type of sin that God will not forgive. Doesn’t this contradict verses like 1 John 1:9, which state that God will forgive all of our wrongdoing? What exactly is the sin that can’t be forgiven—and is it possible that you’ve committed it, even unintentionally?

These are serious questions. For an answer, I turned to author and apologist Lee Strobel’s Investigating Faith newsletter, where earlier this year he published a thoughtful reflection on a difficult Bible passage. Here’s Lee’s response to the question.

What is the unforgivable sin, and how do I know I haven’t committed it?

“If you’re worried that you may be guilty of the unforgivable sin, you almost certainly are not,” Rick Cornish aptly points out in his book Five Minute Theologian. “Concern about committing it reveals the opposite attitude of what the sin is. Those who might be guilty wouldn’t care because they have no distress or remorse over the possibility.”

Jesus talked about the unforgivable sin in Matthew 12:31-32: “And I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.”

Let’s face it – that’s a very sobering teaching! But let’s put it into context. Note that Jesus didn’t address his comments to his disciples or a mere crowd. He was talking specifically to Pharisees who had personally witnessed his miracle of completely and instantly healing a blind and mute demon-possessed man (Matthew 12:22). Rather than acknowledging the obvious fact that Jesus was exercising divine powers, the Pharisees were so spiritually depraved that they attributed his power to Satan (v. 24).

“Their problem was not blind ignorance, but willful rejection,” pointed out Cornish. “That deliberate refusal to believe, even though knowing the truth, seems to be what Jesus called the unforgivable sin.”

As the Quest Study Bible puts it, “Jesus gave the solemn warning in these verses to people whose hard-heartedness placed them on the brink of disaster. Blasphemy against the Spirit evidently is not just a one-time offense; rather, it is an ongoing attitude of rebellion – a stubborn way of life that continually resists, rejects and insults the Holy Spirit. This is what makes it, in effect, an eternal sin (Mark 3:29). Blasphemy against the Spirit is not unforgivable because of something done unintentionally in the past, but because of something being done deliberately and unrelentingly in the present.”

So if you’re an authentic Christian, don’t spend time fretting over whether you have accidentally committed this unforgivable offense. “There is no biblical evidence that a genuine Christian can commit this (unforgivable) sin,” says the Apologetics Study Bible. “Fear that one has done so is probably a good sign that one hasn’t, for full-fledged apostasy is a defiant rejection of everything Christian and lacks the tender conscience that would be worried about such an action.” — Lee Strobel

October 8, 2012

Monday Morning Scripture: James 4:1-10

Think about the last time you had a serious disagreement with somebody else—in your family, in your church, at work.

How did you behave? Were you a humble peacemaker? Or did you dig your heels in, letting your own wants and needs take priority over everybody else’s? And at the end of the day, was it worth it?

Sometimes we don’t see how trivial our battles and desires are until someone puts them in perspective—and reminds us that this behavior is actually the antithesis of acting “Christ-like.” In the epistle below, the early church leader James confronts the church with their infantile behavior.

James 4:1-10

What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us? But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:

“God opposes the proud
but shows favor to the humble.”

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. — James 4:1-10 (NIV)

Questions to Consider

  • Do you identify with the people that James is chastising? How so?
  • How would you react if someone wrote you the modern day equivalent of this letter? Could you bear the harsh criticism and the call to action? Or would you reject James’ rebuke?
  • We live in a world that lauds pride, power and money, yet God “opposes the proud.” Is it possible to adhere to God’s word and still fit within society?
  • What’s one practical way you can humble yourself this week?
Andy Rau
October 4, 2012

Link Roundup: Bad Marketing, Arguments For and Against God, & Why You Read the Bible

Here are some recent notable or interesting links that have crossed our radar lately:

Andy Rau
October 4, 2012

The Challenge of a Year in the Word – No Joke, You Will Never Be the Same

This is the tenth and final entry in a series of posts by Brian Hardin, author and founder of Daily Audio Bible. If you’ve enjoyed Brian’s insights into the importance of Scripture reading, be sure to sign up for the brand new Daily Audio Bible newsletter—each day, you’ll receive a Bible reading (and a link to hear it read by Brian) to help you get into the habit of reading God’S Word each day.

Here’s his latest essay, drawn from Brian’s book Passages: How Reading the Bible in a Year Will Change Everything for You.

There is nothing that I believe will create the change we want to see in the world more than if God’s people will read God’s Word every day and be transformed by the power contained within it. Reading the Bible has changed me, and it can do the same for you. This is a promise. If you read the Bible every day for a year, you will not be the same. Immersing yourself in the truth of God’s Word will make you different and change your life. So what are you waiting for?

Click to buy Brian Hardin’s “Passages.”

You won’t be the same after truly encountering the Bible. You won’t care about some of the things you care a lot about now. Some of the things that seem huge in life at the moment are going to simply not matter this time next year. It’s true that the stresses and distractions of life will be forced into their proper perspective, but the Bible will never offer the comfort of complacency. It will never allow stagnation. It will never allow us to depend on ourselves and create alternative plans that get things done without God anymore. That isn’t life.

The Bible is about becoming more like Christ. It constantly invites us to submit ourselves in obedience not to make us miserable but to change us from the inside out. An authentic relationship with Jesus is an all-or-nothing proposition, and this requires change. Some changes will likely come hard—it’s not easy to untangle all the kudzu that’s been growing around our hearts and minds as we’ve done our best to make life work on our own terms. It’s not particularly pleasant to allow the Holy Spirit to move into the wounded places in our lives and begin to truly heal what has been oozing bitterness and disappointment. None of this comes easily, but you don’t have to do it alone. God’s Word is the friend you have needed all along, and in cooperation with the Holy Spirit (John 16:7), you will never walk alone (Matthew 28:20).

Go look in the mirror. Look deeply into your eyes. After journeying through the Bible every day for a year, I’d love for you to return to the mirror. You’re likely to see new life twinkling from behind those eyes that isn’t there right now. Those stresses and worries that are pulling at you aren’t going to be the giants they can seem to be these days. You’re going to be different. You will have been transformed from the inside out, but you won’t likely get there by any of the roads you’ve ever traveled before. This is the beauty of being in love, and this is the adventure of traveling with one who knows where all the hidden and breathtaking vistas are.

May you find life in God’s Word, my friend, and may true life find you.
May the Lord bless you and keep you.
May he make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you.
May he lift up his countenance on you and give you peace.
May the strength of God go with you.
May the wisdom of God instruct you.
May the hand of God protect you.
May the Word of God direct you.
May you be sealed in Christ this day and forevermore.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this blog series! We’re grateful to Brian Hardin for making it available on the Bible Gateway blog. If you’ve enjoyed it, be sure to sign up for the Daily Audio Bible reading plan newsletter and check out Brian’s book Passages. You can keep up with him each day at his blog, Twitter feed, or Facebook or G+ pages.

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    The Bible Gateway Blog features the latest news, announcements, and reflections from Bible Gateway. We hope what you find here will add to your understanding of and appreciation for the Bible.