All posts by Luella Campbell

2 BY THE WAY…IN THE BEGINNING

Bible Study, ,

The story of God and people is a circle…beginning, in Genesis 1, first with a mess, 

“The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.”

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭1‬:‭2‬ ‭NLT

…then with a garden…and  fruit trees… 

“Then the Lord God planted a garden in Eden in the east, and there he placed the man he had made. The Lord God made all sorts of trees grow up from the ground—trees that were beautiful and that produced delicious fruit. In the middle of the garden he placed the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. A river flowed from the land of Eden, watering the garden and then dividing into four branches.”

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭2‬:‭8‬-‭10‬ ‭NLT‬‬

…and, after millennia of sorting out the mess…concluding, in Revelation 22, where Genesis began, with a city and a river…and fruit trees!

“Then the angel showed me a river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. It flowed down the center of the main street. On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with a fresh crop each month. The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations.”

‭‭Revelation‬ ‭22‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

However, Genesis 1 is not the record of creation. It’s the story of restoration…and preparation. It breaks into something that was already there…a planet, strangely sinister in its description…shapeless…desolate…empty…ruined…dark. The Hebrew words describe a place of destruction and death. 

Why was this planet, which was obviously a part of God’s creation, since only God can make a planet, in such a ruined state? Was it still in the process of being formed or was it created perfect but ruined by an opposing force in the universe? It’s not for us to know. 

We know one thing…God had a very special plan for this piece of useless matter floating in a sea of nothingness. So, He set the clock going from zero…day one… and got to work. 

The Hebrew words chosen to describe what God did say less about the process and more about His purpose…to replace chaos with order…to prepare a perfect place for His forever family…to fill it up with everything necessary for human life. 

What the translators tell us about what God “created” is actually describing how God “filled” the earth with every form of life. The word “bara” (create) has another meaning…and one that seems more appropriate than “create” or “made” in this context.  It can also mean “to make fat”. 

Consider this verse…God speaking to Eli…the old priest in Israel…

“Why do you scorn my sacrifice and offering that I prescribed for my dwelling? Why do you honor your sons more than me by fattening yourselves (the Hebrew word is “bara”) on the choice parts of every offering made by my people Israel?’”

‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭2‬:‭29‬ ‭NIV‬‬

God judged Eli and his sons because the sons dishonoured Him by becoming fat on the choice parts of the sacrifices belonging to God.   

Is it possible, then, that Genesis 1 describes, not what God made…since the earth, in its original form, already existed…but what the earth became when He lit it up with Himself and filled it up with vegetation and creatures as the perfect place for His children?

Whatever caused the darkness and chaos was replaced with light, order, and a physical creation filled up with what pleased Him. When His work complete, it was a perfect planet in harmonious coexistence with a functional universe, fully prepared and awaiting the formation of His masterpiece. This “Adam”, this man made of dust, would be a reflection of Himself…fashioned to manage…to work with Him and for Him on this perfect, beautiful ball in space. 

The man God planned was not merely spoken into existence as were the plants and creatures of the land, water, and air. He was put together, piece by piece, according to the blueprint of the Son of God Himself. We know that creation was the work of God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Put Genesis 1 and John 1 together, and we have the Master Craftsmen at work to fashion this crown of God’s handiwork. 

The first man was fashioned from dust…from the elements of the earth…a clay model of Jesus in His earthly form. He was inextricably joined to God by the breath of God that gave him life. He became a living being, both Hebrew words for “image” and “likeness” conveying the idea of a shadow resembling God, not the real thing but a being who resembled God in a limited way. 

The implications are clear. Man was not God but…his resemblance to God, first, separated him from the rest of creation. He was not the pinnacle of animal flesh, nor did he morph upward from animals.  He was separate, different, unique! 

Second, he could do what no animal could do. He could commune with his Creator. He could have fellowship with his Creator… listen, talk, and understand, through language, his mind, his thoughts, his ability to reason, the thoughts of God. Infinite as His Creator was and finite as the man was, they were connected because God’s life (“ruach”… breath…Spirit) was in him. 

The distance between man and animals is clearly illustrated by Adam’s aloneness despite the creatures around him. 

“The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” …So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals. But for Adam no suitable helper was found…Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. “The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.”

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭2‬:‭18‬, ‭20‬, ‭22‬-23NIV‬‬

This is the beautiful story of God’s intention…God’s intervention…the blueprint for His perfect creation…to share His world, His love, and His life…with beings who could love Him freely in return, and co-exist with Him in perfect harmony under His benevolent rule…until…

…one of His own creation…a heavenly being…interfered with God’s plan, re-introduced the mess…and set the scene for millennia of struggle between Himself and His own chosen people…

…until…His own Son came to earth, born of the human race, clothed in the same flesh He created in the beginning, lived the perfect life He intended for His human offspring, and died the death God never intended for His children. 

Jesus closed the circle, set the plan back on track, and finished what He started…a new race…a renewed family…redeemed from slavery to sin…transferred from Satan’s dominion to His own kingdom of peace, justice, and truth…and in the process of being restored to His image. 

That’s the story of creation, and re-creation…the story of the Bible…your story…my story…and God’s story…a story of mercy, grace, and power which continues and will continue until the circle is finally closed. 

1 BY THE WAY…MESSENGERS AND MESSAGE

Christian Life, ,

Philippians is done. In the interim, while I wait for the next series to take shape, there are some random thoughts that have captured my attention as we have meandered through Paul’s letter to the Philippians. Following Paul’s unwitting disclosure of his own life and character in his writings, I have gleaned some valuable insights into this life of faith and obedience to which we have also been called.

Did you know that everyone is s messenger? 

There can be absolutely no doubt that we belong to Jesus. We are bound to Him by faith. He has received us. We are forever His and joined to Him for now, in this life, and in the life to come. Whatever we face and experience in this life, Jesus has accepted full responsibility for every detail of who we are, what we need, and why we are here. We are unconditionally loved and treasured, far beyond what we can fully understand or appreciate. 

This close and unbreakable union with Jesus has some spinoffs for us. One that I am recognising with increasing understanding is that we are His messengers and His message. 

 What do I mean? 

Whether we like it or not, whether we are aware of it or not, in every circumstance or situation we face, we are unwittingly saying something to those around us. Yes, we testify to Jesus by our words but…what we don’t say…or what we say by implication…often says much more than our words convey. 

I am realising that I am a walking message about the one in whom I believe. This means that my union by faith in Jesus has moment-by-moment evidence in the nitty-gritty of my life…whether my faith in Jesus translates into a character being transformed or whether my witness is only cosmetic. 

Jesus spoke some sobering words to those who pretended to follow Him. 

“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭6‬:‭46‬ ‭NIV‬‬

This question has no answer except in the conscience of those who want to get what they can get from Jesus without the intimacy and fruit of true union with Him. 

Jesus spoke of fruit that identifies the nature of the tree. 

“By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭7‬:‭16‬-‭17‬ ‭NIV‬‬

So, I ask myself as I journey through each day, “What message am I passing on to the people I meet? Does the way I conduct my life…what I say and how I say it, what I do when I’m alone or in company, meet someone I consider beneath or above me…speak of Jesus or of myself…I, me, and mine? 

Being a witness to Jesus is so much more than preaching to an unbeliever. Being a witness means being both a messenger and the message…every moment of every hour of every day…being aware that Jesus and I are one. 

LIFE LESSONS FROM PAUL’S HAPPY LETTER – 18b

Christian life, ,

Somehow, I’m reluctant to leave Paul’s letter to the Philippians without drawing some life lessons from this great old saint’s story… whose personal life shines through all of its pages. 

Against the backdrop of a servant of Jesus…old and worn out from years of travel, hardship, and sacrifice…we see a spirit honed and shaped by fellowship with the Master. We read the life story of a man whose passion for the gospel…the message of life, salvation, and a glorious future…and his obedience to his calling…beckoned him past and through every hardship towards a goal and a prize greater that anything he ever imagined or anticipated in this life. 

i think that the first great lesson we can learn from Paul is that he learned! He was not stubborn or resistant. His heart was never closed to the meaning and purpose of the trials he endured. He yielded to the lessons God intended for him to learn…like pliable clay in the Potter’s hands. 

Paul’s whole letter was full of the lessons he learned…like a student sitting at the feet of the great Teacher…both absorbing and  passing on to his fellow students the deep truths that would prepare him for the final exam. The day would come when he would be called on willingly to lay down his life on the altar of sacrifice for the sake of the One who had saved him and called him to a life of suffering. 

“But the Lord said, “Go, for Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel. And I will show him how much he must suffer for my name’s sake.”

‭‭Acts of the Apostles‬ ‭9‬:‭15‬-‭16‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Paul made clear his reason for endurance…

“That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭4‬:‭16‬-‭18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The second lesson I glean from Paul’s letter is his perspective of life. Like a golden thread running through this tapestry of truth and experience, Paul viewed all of life from its destiny. This present life, for him, was going somewhere. There was a goal and a reward so compelling that anything he was called to endure was trivial and transient compared with what was to come, though he could not see clearly what it was. 

With his eyes on the reward, Paul was willing to trust God, to anchor his soul to His promises, and to keep going through the darkest of days because of his hope. One of his many favourite expressions was “we know”. 

Let’s look, for example, at…

“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭28‬ ‭NLT‬‬

How did Paul know that God was painting every circumstance in his life into a picture that would be beautiful, perfect, and of infinite benefit to him? Imprisonment? Want? Persecution? Shipwreck? Beatings? Conflict? All of this and much more…

Yes! Paul walked through every detail of his suffering, reliving it from God’s perspective, and came out convinced that every bit was beneficial for him. Why? His heavenly perspective focused on the goal…to be recreated into the image of Jesus. If Jesus learned obedience through suffering, so should he. 

“Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered. In this way, God qualified him as a perfect High Priest, and he became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey him.”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭5‬:‭8‬-‭9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The third great lesson I learn from Paul is that Paul was not a “Lone Ranger”. He conducted his ministry in partnership with many others. He commended and honoured those who worked with him. He relied on others to help him, to go where and when he could not go. He journeyed with a partner or a team across the Roman Empire, preaching the gospel, establishing churches, and training and leaving spiritual leaders who would nurture the infant believers towards maturity. 

When Paul finally departed, lifeless at the hands of Roman executioners…he left behind a network of churches, connected through his tireless efforts to keep them in touch.  They, God’s people, in turn, travelled and visited…knew each other by name…recognised and acknowledged their leaders…and exchanged letters full of teaching and exhortation…a vast family of people who needed each other against a backdrop of hostility and persecution. 

There is much more we could glean from this one letter from the greatest of the apostles but…let’s take to heart these three observations as of infinite value in our walk with Jesus. These lessons alone can transform our lives from mundane to sharp and useful in the Master’s hands.  

PAUL’S HAPPY LETTER…OVER AND OUT – 18a

Bible Study, ,

“Give my greetings…(“salute”, ie, embrace, wrap in your arms)… to each of God’s holy people—all who belong to Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me send you their greetings. And all the rest of God’s people send you greetings, too, especially those in Caesar’s household. May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭21‬-‭23‬ NLT

Finally…after the finally’s that were, in the end, not incidental postscripts after all, Paul has to end his letter.  Despite his great love for the Philippians, his gratitude for their partnership, his confidence in their faithfulness…and the snippets of counsel, encouragement, and teaching he passed on to them, he had to say goodbye and, possibly, for the last time. He knew that his days on earth were coming to an end in Nero’s clutches. 

In true Pauline fashion, he sent greetings from far and wide…not only from him to them, not only from those with him to them, but also from and to everyone he classified as “God’s holy people”. Everyone under the banner of “believer in Jesus”, whether the Philippians knew them or not, was “with him”. 

Paul sent to each of them, all included, not just a friendly “hello“ but a warm embrace, enfolding each one as totally loved and accepted…and he asked them to do the same. 

Why is this important for us to know as well? “God’s holy people”is a bold classification. Everyone who has been born of the Spirit…transferred into the kingdom of God…washed in the blood of the lamb…and become a citizen of the “age to come”…belongs to the unique, worldwide group of people Paul called “Gods holy people”. 

This special category of men and women stretches around the world and across every generation from the beginning of time…a supernaturally chosen, redeemed, and perfected family of God…recreated in the image of Jesus…saved by grace… separated from sin to God…highly favoured…deeply loved…and eternally blessed. 

No matter what the world thought of them…no matter how the Roman government treated them…no matter how much the  religious Jews hated them, persecuted them, cancelled them…they belonged to God. In those three little words, “God’s holy people”, Paul encapsulated their status and standing before God, their eternal security despite temporary peril, their destiny in Christ, and all the resources of heaven at their disposal to reach their heavenly goal. 

Paul’s greetings to and from the whole family of God was like the wrapping paper around a very valuable gift. Within the parcel was God’s treasure…His people…the ones in whom He had invested His very best…His own Son. These are the ones He delights in, watches over, cares for, protects ands provides for…and shapes through careful discipline…for an eternity with Him. 

They were God’s children. Paul loved them, prayed for them, taught them, carried them on his heart…and wrapped them in a parcel of greetings to be received by those to whom he wrote. Now he entreats them to do the same. “Greet them…wrap them all up in your love and acceptance.”

Paul’s final prayer…

“May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.”

…is more than a general wish. It’s a world of prayer in itself. “Grace”…all that we are and will ever be…all that we ever receive from God…all the promises we ever hope for…all our dreams and desires…flows from one source…God’s grace that comes to us through Jesus…His unmerited, undeserved, unearned, without a cause, “just because He is who He is” favour. 

…and so, we join with those who gladly received Paul’s ministry by reading, believing, and following his instructions with teachable and obedient hearts. 

Thank you, Paul, for the legacy  you left for us as well. 

To be concluded

PAUL’S HAPPY LETTER…SECOND CONDITION – 17e

Bible Study, ,

“I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Now, here’s another promise that has a condition attached. Taken out of context, it looks like another “blank cheque” from God to be cashed in at any time and in any circumstances but…this is far from the truth. 

Jesus made clear, on more than one occasion, that there is a condition attached to freedom,  fruit-bearing, answered prayer…and, yes…even the “all things”, good or bad, pleasant or unpleasant, in which He works for our good, and that make up life. 

“Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

‭‭John‬ ‭8‬:‭31‬-‭32‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.”

‭‭John‬ ‭15‬:‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted!”

‭‭John‬ ‭15‬:‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

…and this one…

“I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭11‬-‭12‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Paul learned to be contented in all his circumstances, whether he had little or plenty, enough or not enough…without flinching…quietly trusting God…because it was from God’s hand that everything came to him. 

The context is all-important to understand what Paul meant…not victory, success, prosperity, applause…or any of the things that are attached to name, frame, or self-effort. Paul’s affirmation goes much deeper than that…right to the trust in God that refuses to celebrate only good fortune and chooses to complain about adversity. 

This contentment of which Paul testifies is a deep, God-empowered trust in and satisfaction with every situation he found himself in. He was convinced that his entire life was orchestrated and controlled by God, motivated by His love, and designed for one purpose. Of course, it was that purpose towards which he was striving…the goal of his existence…and the prize he was determined to win…becoming a replica of Jesus in his character and behaviour. 

“In the Bible, contentment is an inner peace and satisfaction with God’s provision. It does not depend on having an easy life or lots of money. Instead, it comes from trusting that God is in control and that Christ is enough for every need.” (Google AI)

That’s it, in a nutshell. 

Can you see that Paul’s contentment was not dependent on his outward circumstances but it was about his inner attitude and demeanour. His contentment was a settled inward condition of the heart, based on his trust in God and unmoved by adversity. 

How could Paul be so happy in his circumstances? How could he be so contented…chained day and night to a Roman soldier in a cold, dirty prison cell? How could he rejoice in such suffering? The answer was not in his effort…not even in his decision…but by the power of Jesus in him. 

For Paul, his ability to take the good and bad in his stride came from the roots of his life which grew in the soil of God’s love and drew its life from “Christ in me!”

So, he could testify…

“My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

‭‭Galatians‬ ‭2‬:‭20‬ ‭NLT‬‬

For Paul, this meant…not only his salvation but also his daily dying  to himself and…his settled standing in God’s grace. He didn’t dip in and out of contentment depending on his circumstances. Contentment was his home address…where he lived…in sunshine or rain, calm  days or stormy weather…

…ands he shared his secret…

“Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.”

‭‭Colossians‬ ‭2‬:‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Where do you live?

To be continued