Tag Archives: Bible study

The Road Through Romans: The Gospel According To Moses

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We are currently working our way through Romans a verse (more like a word) at a time. If you have missed any of the discussion, it can be found on

THE ROAD THROUGH ROMANS PAGE.

We have been discussing the truth that the Bible is a unified text, the theme of which is Jesus, from beginning to end. Specifically we have been discussing that the Old Testament writers were used step by step to unveil God’s plan to send a Savior from among men for men. As Paul says,

“…the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures.” Romans 1:2

I suppose the question can be asked, “Why did God not just reveal the whole plan at once?”

Paul offers us some insight when he says,

We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 7No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. 8None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 1 Cor. 2:6-8

For God’s plan to work it had to be revealed in such a way that God’s enemies would not realize that they were undoing themselves by crucifying Christ. In some ways the cross was the greatest long con in history. By the time God’s plan was revealed it was too late to do anything about it. Still, the signs were there like puzzle pieces scattered across time just waiting for someone to put them all together. It strikes me that Jesus was the first one to do this on the road to Emmaus after His resurrection.

He (Jesus) said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. Luke 24: 26-27

Jesus started his explanation of the gospel with Moses. Yes Moses was given a puzzle piece to share with the world too. In Deuteronomy 18 Moses shared these thoughts with the Israelites.

TheLord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him. 16For this is what you asked of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, “Let us not hear the voice of the Lord our God nor see this great fire anymore, or we will die.”

17The Lord said to me: “What they say is good. 18I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put my words in his mouth. He will tell them everything I command him. 19I myself will call to account anyone who does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name  Deut. 18:15-19

Like so many other Messianic prophecies this one lay hidden in between verses that seem to have little to do with Messiahship. Many probably looked at these verses and considered that they could speak of any prophet in general. Yet, the very words “like me” mark a certain prophet out from the rest of the prophets that crowd the annals of Israel’s history. Moses was a prophet of a different sort. He was the vessel that carried the ten plagues that brought low Egypt. He walked softly and carried a big stick that span ocean in two. Jeremiah was great but he was no Moses. Ezekiel? He was awesome. Moses rose above him. The prophet of Deuteronomy 18 would be like Moses. He would be a game-changer.

In preaching to the leaders of Israel after healing the crippled beggar Peter reveals the name of this prophet like Moses when he says, “Now, fellow Israelites, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders. 18But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Messiah would suffer. 19Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, 20and that he may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus. 21Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets. 22For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you. 23Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from their people.”  Acts 3: 17-23

The Principle is this. The New Testament reality fulfills Old Testament Prophecy. What the Old Testament saints looked forward too we experience in full if wee believe.

How exciting is that?

The Road Through Romans: Noah’s Promise Through Abraham’s Eyes Pt. 2

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Yesterday we mentioned that the good news regarding a Savior for mankind was preached thousands of years before Christ was even born, through the stories of Noah and Abraham. If you have missed any part of our discussion in Romans you can find it on THE ROAD THROUGH ROMANS PAGE

 We left off yesterday in this way,

So let’s ask, “What was going to happen in Abram’s life that would bless the whole world?

Many years after Genesis chapter twelve God would develop the promise a bit more and the promise of Messiah would begin to be seen more clearly than ever before.”

The story of that development is written in Genesis 22 and it goes like this,

“Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!”

“Here I am,” he replied.

2 Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”

3 Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. 4 On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5 He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.”

6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, 7 Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?”

“Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.

“The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”

8 Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.

9 When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11 But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”

“Here I am,” he replied.

12 “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”

13 Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram[a] caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”

15 The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time 16 and said, “I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, 18 and through your offspring[b] all nations on earth will be blessed,[c] because you have obeyed me.”

19 Then Abraham returned to his servants, and they set off together for Beersheba. And Abraham stayed in Beersheba”

In this chapter God promises that through Abraham’s (formerly Abram) offspring all nations on Earth will be blessed.

Paul explained that verse this way to the church in Galatia.

Understand, then, that those who have faith are children of Abraham. 8 Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.”[d] 9 So those who rely on faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

10 For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.”[e] 11 Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because “the righteous will live by faith.”[f] 12 The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, it says, “The person who does these things will live by them.”[g] 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.”[h] 14 He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.

15 Brothers and sisters, let me take an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or add to a human covenant that has been duly established, so it is in this case. 16 The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,”[i] meaning one person, who is Christ.   

Galatians 3:7-16

Abraham may not have had the particulars but he taught his children that someone was coming who would fix the human race.

That was good news almost four thousand years before Christ!

The Road Through Romans: 1:2:3 Noah’s Promise Through Abram’s Eyes

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We are continuing our study verse by verse through the book of Romans. This week we are using Romans 1:2 to take a peek back through time to see that the gospel (good news) about Jesus was preached even in the Old Testament.

If you have missed any of our discussions they can be found on…

THE ROAD THROUGH ROMANS PAGE

Romans 1:2 reads,

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

From this verse we understand that Paul was not preaching a new message in preaching the gospel (good news) about Jesus. He may have been bringing some new information to the table but the message was an ancient one. Yesterday we talked about how the message was first preached by God Himself in the Garden of Eden.

Today we turn to the end of the story of Noah to see how God used the first savior of mankind to proclaim some more information about the Savior Of Mankind.

I think we probably all know the story. Even many non-Christian societies have flood epics that are written into their cultural ethos but for the sake of making sure we are all on the same page I will share a brief summary of Noah’s history.

Noah was deemed by God to be the last righteous man on the face of the Earth.

God determined that He was left with no choice but to destroy the world by flood.

God told Noah to build a boat which would save himself, his immediate family and a small number of animals from the destruction to come.

Noah built the boat.

The flood came,

The world was destroyed.

The waters receded.

Noah and the animals got out of the boat.

The world started going back to normal, which was a bad thing.

Noah, a man of the soil, proceededa to plant a vineyard. 21When he drank some of its wine, he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent. 22Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father naked and told his two brothers outside. 23But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it across their shoulders; then they walked in backward and covered their father’s naked body. Their faces were turned the other way so that they would not see their father naked.

24When Noah awoke from his wine and found out what his youngest son had done to him, 25he said,

“Cursed be Canaan!

The lowest of slaves

will he be to his brothers.”

26He also said,

“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Shem!

May Canaan be the slave of Shem.

27May God extend Japheth’sb territory;

may Japheth live in the tents of Shem,

and may Canaan be the slave of Japheth.” Genesis 9:20-27

It may seem a small thing and maybe even to the listeners this father’s curse may have seemed nothing more than a Dad getting mad, but there was something of the prophetic being uttered here.

God was singling out the line of Shem to be the dominant among the three brothers. And while the whole world and even the hosts of Heaven may have missed it, God was singling out Shem’s family to be the genetic line of Messiah. Canaan (the son of Ham) was to be totally supplanted by Shem and to become Shem’s slave and Japheth was to find his protection in the tent of Shem.

Ten generations later God is speaking to one of Shem’s great- great and so forth grandsons, Abram. God says, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.

2“I will make you into a great nation,

and I will bless you;

I will make your name great,

and you will be a blessing.a

3I will bless those who bless you,

and whoever curses you I will curse;

and all peoples on earth

will be blessed through you.”b

4So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran. 5He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Harran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there.

6Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. 7The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspringc I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to the Lord, who had appeared to him.

Did you note the words “all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” ? Did you note that Abram was being given the land that belonged to the Canaanites (the sons of Canaan the son of Ham)?

What was going to happen in Abram’s life that would bless the whole world?

Many years later God would develop the promise a bit more and the promise of Messiah would begin to be seen more clearly than ever before.

Tune in tomorrow for more of the Old Testament Gospel.

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

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We are continuing our verse by verse study through the Book of Romans.

Yesterday I stated that the Gospel Message was not “new news”, …that Jesus was preached in the Old Testament prophecies.

If you missed that discussion or any other part of our chat you can find it in its entirety on

THE ROAD THROUGH ROMANS PAGE.

We are in Romans 1:2. Paul writes:

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

The information that Jesus was the fulfillment of God’s promise was the newest piece of the gospel puzzle, but the promises had been made and reiterated for thousands of years.

SO…

Today we go back to see how Jesus was preached by the Old Testament writers. As we go back we are dealing with a topic called progressive revelation. You see, God created the plan of salvation before he made the Earth and certainly before He made men. The plan to send Jesus to die and rise again was made before the foundations of the world. It was part of plan A. It was not plan C which God put into effect because plan A didn’t work ( and that thought right there ought to blow your mind).

In spite of the fact that God made the plan in eternity before time, He did not reveal it all at once. Instead He chose to show His hand one card at a time, progressively, as the generations passed. But the first card was thrown down right in the beginning.

in Genesis 3 just after Adam and Eve had sinned, as God pronounced His judgments on everyone involved God said these words to the serpent who enticed Eve.

“Because you have done this,

“Cursed are you above all livestock
    and all wild animals!
You will crawl on your belly
    and you will eat dust
    all the days of your life.
15 And I will put enmity
    between you and the woman,
    and between your offspring[a] and hers;
he will crush[b] your head,
    and you will strike his heel.” Genesis 3:14-15

Bible scholars call this the “protoevangelion” the first mention of Messiah. It is a prophetic word that a man would arise who would be stricken by the serpent but who would in turn crush the serpent completely.

Adam and Eve could hardly have known what it meant. Even the serpent (Satan) could not know. They all probably thought this referred to Eve’s immediate children (which explains why Satan worked so hard to destroy both Cain and Abel),

Today we can look back and see that Christ fits the prophecy perfectly. Writing to the church in Corinth Paul uses these words to show that Christ is the fulfillment of the protoevangelion,”… the end will come, when he will turn the Kingdom over to God the Father, having destroyed every ruler and authority and power. 25For Christ must reign until he humbles all his enemies beneath his feet. 26And the last enemy to be destroyed is death.” 1Corinthians 15;24-26

Christ was stricken by Satan on the cross. The devil injected Him with every poison sin had created. The enemy thought he had dealt the Son of God a mortal wound. He was sure he had found Jesus’ Achilles heel, but Jesus overcame. now Jesus is crushing the Devil’s head under His nail-pierced feet!

But the good news is even bigger than that! Listen to these words of Paul at the end of the Book of Romans.

“The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. May the grace of our Lord Jesusg be with you.” Romans 16:20

The protoevangelion is about Jesus. Jesus is the Messiah. Jesus is Eve’s offspring. But so are we and the Bible teaches us that “Jesus is the first-born among many brothers” Romans 8:29.  So you see…ALL THOSE WHO BELIEVE ARE EVE’S OFFSPRING!!! ALL WHO BELIEVE NOW HAVE THE ABILITY TO CRUSH THE SERPENT’S HEAD!!! BECAUSE OF WHAT JESUS DID WE HAVE VICTORY OVER THE DEVIL!!!

Now that is good news!

More tomorrow.

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

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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

2 the 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?

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

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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: A Road Through Romans 1:1:5

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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?

Pastor Wrinkles: A Road Through Romans 1:1:4

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This is installment four of our verse by verse study through the book of Romans. At this rate I calculate we will finish the study sometime in the course of eternity. If you have missed the previous portions of our study on verse 1, they can be found on the “Road Through Romans Page”

Today we are talking about the word “apostle”

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God— Romans 1:1

We have learned quite a bit about this man named Paul in only seven words!

Today we learn that Paul is an apostle. The Greek word means Paul considers himself-a delegate, a messenger, one sent forth with orders.

The classical Christian definition of an apostle refers to the twelve apostles of Christ but in a broader sense it applied to other eminent Christian teachers such as Barnabas, Timothy or Silvanus.

There were four biblical qualifications for apostleship: (From WebBible Encyclopedia)

  1. that they should have seen the Lord, and been able to testify of him and of his resurrection from personal knowledge (John 15:27; Acts 1:21-22; 1 Cor. 9:1; Acts 22:14-15)
  2. They must have been immediately called to that office by Christ (Luke 6:13; Gal. 1:1).
  3. It was essential that they should be infallibly inspired, and thus protected against error and mistake in their public teaching, whether by word or by writing (John 14:26; 16:13; 1 Thess. 2:13).
  4. Another qualification was the power of working miracles (Mark 16:20; Acts 2:43; 1 Cor. 12:8-11). The apostles therefore could have had no successors. They are the only authoritative teachers of the Christian doctrines. The office of an apostle ceased with its first holders.
Some would argue the last point made in item number four by turning to Ephesians Chapter 4 and noting that “apostle” is listed as one of the enduring offices of the church. They would say that the office of apostle today is different from the office of the Biblical apostles. To me the point isn’t really worth arguing. The answer isn’t going to directly effect 99.999% of the church, because even if the office still exists most of us will never ever be called to it.
That said there is a part of apostleship every Christian does bear in their spiritual DNA. We might not bear the authority of the office but we do bear the authority of the message. All Christians are delegates of the Kingdom of Heaven here on Earth and we have a message to bring to the nations. Further we have been given orders that whoever we are and wherever we go we are to share the message. We are called to remember, the order to share the message is not a suggestion but a commission!

Pastor Wrinkles: A Road Through Romans 1:1:3

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We have begun our verse by verse study through the book of Romans. Today we mark our third installment of our time together. If you have missed any of our previous discussions they can be found on the Road Through Romans Page.

Now on to today’s thought

“Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God— ” Romans 1:1

Today I simply want to focus on the word “called”. Paul declared himself to be a servant, a slave of God, and the scope of that was explained in yesterday’s post, but this word “called” defines the boundaries of that slavery.

The word “called” which Paul uses here in Romans 1:1 is the word kletos. It means to be invited.

You see Paul was a slave of Christ but he was not forced into slavery. He was invited into it. God’s servants are not servants by force. They are servants by free will. I do not serve God because he has made me serve Him. I serve Him because I have chosen to do so.

Slavery to God comes with its consequences. It has its price to pay. But I don’t serve God in spite of the price. The price is not my focus. The blessings are what I set my eyes on. I serve God because of the love that serving Him releases into my life and because of the incredible blessing walking in that love creates in the present and will create in eternity.

We are invited into this slavery not forced to it. Answering the invitation may remove certain “rights” from my life but I have to say you cannot beat the benefit package. I may endure a cross now and even more so in the future but there is a joy that is set before me that makes any cross worth it all.

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

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Today we continue our study, verse by verse, through the Book of Romans. If you missed yesterday’s edition you can find it on

THE ROAD THROUGH ROMANS PAGE

Today we are working through the second phrase of Romans 1:1

“Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus.”

The first bit of identification Paul gives his readers among the Romans is that he is a “servant”. The Greek word is Dulos and its connotation is a little different from the modern definition of “servant”.

 Here is what Paul really means when he says he is a servant-

” I Paul am …a slave, a bondman, a man of servile condition.

 I Paul am…one who gives himself up to Christ… whose service is used by Christ in extending and advancing his cause among men.

I Paul am…devoted to Christ to the disregard of my own interests.

You see, Christianity is not an episode of Downton Abbey. Paul’s not talking about polishing Jesus’ silver or shining Jesus’ sandals.

Christianity is about falling so desperately in love with the Lover of our souls that we will do anything to live for Him even if that means dying.

Jim Elliot a Christian missionary and martyr wrote these fateful words shortly before his death at the hands of the very people he was ministering to. “He is no fool who gives up those things which he cannot keep to gain those things which he cannot lose.”

That in a nutshell is being a servant of Christ.

Sure it’s a lot scarier.This is the Christianity which has drawn billions to the throne of God. Come and join Paul. Be a servant of Christ. The cost is never higher than the return.

“I assure you that when the world is made newi and the Son of Manj sits upon his glorious throne, you who have been my followers will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or property, for my sake, will receive a hundred times as much in return and will inherit eternal life. 30But many who are the greatest now will be least important then, and those who seem least important now will be the greatest then. “

Matthew 19:28-30