Pastor Wrinkles: A Road Through Romans: 1:2:1

Posted on November 9, 2015 by joseph elon lillie under Pastor Wrinkles

Well we have officially finished verse 1 of the Book of Romans. I predict we may spend just as long or even longer in verse 2. I hope you are having fun.

If you have missed any of our conversations up to this point you can find them on…

THE ROAD THROUGH ROMANS PAGE

Today we begin looking at Romans chapter 1 verse 2

²the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures

We stated yesterday that Paul was set apart to be a messenger of the good news from God (the gospel). Throughout this letter to the Romans, Paul is going to share exactly what that good news is but before he gets any further into it he assures his readers that this good news is not new news. It’s old news or rather old promises that in Paul’s day had been recently fulfilled.

Paul didn’t preach a new gospel. Jesus wasn’t an unexpected twist in the road, or at least he shouldn’t have been. He was foretold by the prophets and sages thousands of years before he was born. Paul’s job wasn’t to introduce new material to the world. It was to affirm that Jesus was the old material come to life…prophecy fulfilled.

Verse 2 is important because it hails the unity of Scripture. Too often today critics and “experts” on the Bible talk as if the Good Book is nothing more than a hodge-podge of spiritual ideas held together by chicken wire and red neck stubbornness. Nothing could be further from the truth. The God of the New Testament and the Old Testament are the same God. New Testament theology is built off of Old Testament truth. Sure, there is progressive revelation but the progress is not God’s but ours.

God never has and never will change or progress because He already IS period.He cannot be added to or taken away from. If we learn something new about God it is not because there is something suddenly different about Him, but because we simply had not realized that thing in Him before.

Further, Scripture outlined the truth about the Messiah long before Jesus came on the scene. Men only denied Jesus because they did not know the Scripture or because they had neglected it and created a “Messiah of their own making” rather than a Scriptural Messiah.

Paul’s job in Romans is to dispel those wrong images of Messiah and show Jesus for who he really was and is.

I think it would be awesome to spend a little bit of time looking at the gospel from a few Old Testament references so that we can understand exactly what Paul meant in this verse.

Who is up for a little jaunt back in time?

Talking’s Easy…Being Understood Is Hard

Posted on November 8, 2015 by joseph elon lillie under Pastor Wrinkles

The Compassion Team at our church is working its way through The Relationship Principles Of Jesus, by Tom Holladay. This month we studied chapter 15 which is “Communication Isn’t Easy.”

If communicating were only about speaking words it would be easy. Unfortunately, communication is not just about speaking; it’s about hearing, and not just hearing, but hearing rightly.

I cannot tell you how many times I step into the pulpit with a carefully crafted sermon, absolutely sure of what I desire to communicate, only to have my parishioners hear something I never intended, and in my eyes I never said.

Over the years I have become keenly aware that whenever I speak, what I say is perceived through a set of filters that are built into my listeners. If I am speaking to one person then I am dealing with one set of filters. If I am speaking to ten people then I am dealing with ten sets of filters. If I am speaking to three-hundred people then….Well you get the picture.

We all have filters that we use to interpret the world around us. We understand things through: the lenses of our upbringings, the lenses of our childhood and adult experiences and the lenses of language proficiency. Even our physical condition can affect how we hear and perceive words being spoken to us.

If what I say is constantly being reinterpreted by the people around me how can I ever expect to be understood by anybody? Well, this is where God has to come into the center of our communication and help us. There are some basic principles He offers, to give us a hand in the art of communication.

The list below is not exhaustive but it’s a start.

Be slow to speak and quick to listen Jas. 1:19: Before we try to speak into a person’s life, we ought to first listen to their heart to see if we can understand how they perceive the world around them. Then we stand a better chance of communicating in a way they will understand. The better we know a person the better we understand their filters.
Be intentional and concise in speaking Ma. 12:36,37: We need to check our hearts and think about what we would say in any given situation. If our motives or thoughts are not pure we need to set those things to rights before we open our yaps. Usually the less we say the better off everyone is.
Finally, commit your words into the Holy Spirit’s hands and let Him control how they are perceived Psalm 19:14: Before I preach I always pray that the Holy Spirit would take my words and apply them where He sees fit. I may not be able to rightly communicate through all the filters people present, but the Holy Spirit can. Ultimately it is His job (according to John 16) to convict the world of sin and righteousness and judgment, not mine.

What are some tips you have learned about effective communication?

Pastor Wrinkles: A Road Through Romans 1:1:6

Posted on November 8, 2015 by joseph elon lillie under Pastor Wrinkles

Today we finish up verse 1 of chapter 1 in the Book of Romans. We are taking our time. I hope that doesn’t wrinkle your socks. I’m in a slow down frame of mind right now and the devotional I am reading is encouraging me to “take it slow and notice things.”

If you have missed any of the things I’ve noticed or if you notice anything I have missed you can catch up and comment by going to

“THE ROAD THROUGH ROMANS” PAGE

Today we are talking about the “Gospel”.

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God—

Yesterday we mentioned that Paul was set apart. He was different from other people. Today we learn what He was set apart for. Paul was set apart for the gospel of God. Paul’s purpose for living, the thing that dictated all his behavior and every boundary he lived by was the gospel of God…the good news from God.

We asserted two days ago that Paul was called (invited) and set apart to be a messenger. “The gospel of God” was his message.

What is this good news? Well let’s use some references from other places in the letter to the Romans to explain what that good news is…

For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.21But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Mosesⁱ and the prophets long ago. 22We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.

23For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. 24Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. 25For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood Romans 3:21-23

When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. 7Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. 8But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. 9And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. 10For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. 11So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God. Romans 5:6-11

If God is for us, who can ever be against us? 32Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? 33Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. 34Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.

35Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? 36(As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”^o) 37No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

38And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,^p neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:31-39

Now that is good news worth being set apart for!

Pastor Wrinkles Sunday Quips and Quotes 11-8-15

Posted on November 8, 2015 by joseph elon lillie under Pastor Wrinkles

Hey there folks! Here is a new challenge for all my Sunday readers. Every Sunday I will post one quip or quote that struck me during the week. You can join along in the quipping and quoting. Here is what to do.

Publish a post of your own using one quip or quote that grabbed you during the week. You can add a picture to it if you like or even photograph the quote from it’s source.

Link back to my post

You can include the Pastor Wrinkle’s Q& Q photo in your post if you think my mug worthy of your blog.

This week’s quote was actually part of my devotional reading from Agnus Dei

“We do battle against angels and we win.” Rev. Tim Conway

Weekly Travel Theme: Luminosity

Posted on November 7, 2015 by joseph elon lillie under Photography

Ailsa has asked us to be LUMINOUS in our displays this week.

My shining examples are below but you can check out other brighter pictorial essays by clicking the underlined link.

“Look at how a single candle can both defy and define the darkness.” ― Anne Frank

At sunrise everything is luminous but not clear. It is those we live with and love and should know who elude us. You can love completely without complete understanding. Norman Maclean

Strange to say, the luminous world is the invisible world; the luminous world is that which we do not see. Our eyes of flesh see only night. Victor Hugo

The sun glowing

Learning To Sabbath Pt. 1

Posted on November 7, 2015 by joseph elon lillie under Pastor Wrinkles

Anyone who knows me knows I do not spend a whole lot of time resting. Driven is a word used by parishoners from time to time.

Sometimes I think I am too busy but mostly I just consider myself as an aggressive pursuer of the harvest.

I also think that most of the things I am doing are in line with what God desires of me.

That said, I was asked by my District Pastor to read a book recently. The title of that book is, The Rest of God, by Mark Buchanan. It has me thinking a lot about a Sabbath mentality and how that may be lacking in my life.

Here is one of the first thoughts I meditated on as I began to read.

“Without a healthy theology of labor, we’ll have an impoverished theology of rest. We’ll find that both are hectic, sporadic chaotic. We’ll find no joy in either.” Buchanan p.18

Let me ask you…How does a person’s mindset about work affect their mindset about rest?

Pastor Wrinkles: A Road Through Romans 1:1:5

Posted on November 7, 2015 by joseph elon lillie under Pastor Wrinkles

Here we are five days into our Romans study and still on verse 1. I think we will be to verse 2 on Sunday; So just hang on.

If you have missed our previous conversations on Romans please find them on the

“Road Through Romans Page”

Today we are beginning to speak about one of the major themes in Romans. It is the idea of being “set apart”.

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God.

Right from the get-go Paul tells us he is two things. He is called, which we already said meant he was “invited”; And he is “set apart”. The Greek word Paul uses here is “aphorizo”. It means Paul is-marked off from others by boundaries, he was limited, or separated from others.

Paul starts his letter by saying, “I am different from other people. I am limited in ways other people are not limited. I have boundaries within which I live that other people don’t have.”

Once again it is important to note that these limits were not imposed by God. Paul was invited into them by God. They were necessary but they were not forced. Paul needed the boundaries because they were good for him. In fact we will learn later in this letter that those boundaries are actually part and parcel of the salvation that comes from God. Paul needed the boundaries, the limits because only inside of them could he walk in the fullness of power.

Paul helps us to understand the idea of being “set apart” or limited in his first letter to the Corinthians when he writes,

“I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive. 24No one should seek their own good, but the good of others. 1 Corinthians 10:23

Paul was set apart not just as an apostle but as a Christian. What that means is that those of us in the rank and file are really no different from the apostle in respect to being set apart. If Paul was different from others, we should be different from others. If Paul had boundaries he had to live within, we should have the same boundaries. If Paul was limited in his choice of behaviors, we should have limits. If Paul had to separate himself from the world, we have to separate ourselves from the world.

Now what in the world do you think that means?

Weekly Photo Challenge: Ornate

Posted on November 6, 2015 by joseph elon lillie under Photography

In response to The Daily Post’s weekly photo challenge: “Ornate.”

Here are some things I consider ornate.

All of these photos were part of the exhibit at the Boston Art Museum.