Last week’s article discussed 2 Peter 3:10 and how the earth is not going to be “burned up” or destroyed, but rather “found.” The world will only be destroyed insomuch as it is purified from sin and corruption, much like the flood In Gen 6–10. In this way it is a “new (or renewed) heavens and new earth in which righteousness dwells” (2 Pet 3:13). We are not bound for some ethereal existence in another realm but will live in God’s kingdom that he established on this earth in Acts 2. But what about what Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 4:17? It says, “Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord” (NASB). Doesn’t this suggest that Jesus will take us out of this world to dwell with him up in that heavenly place that he prepared for us (John 14:3)?

A part of the difficulty is that Paul simply stops his narration of the second coming short of the whole story. He neither says that Christ will take us further up to heaven nor that Christ will come back down. Nevertheless, there is a clue in our passage as to which of the two aforementioned alternatives Paul has in mind. This clue lies in the word “meet” (Gr. apantēsis). When we read “meet,” we automatically assume that we are meeting up with the Lord in the clouds in order for him to take us
further upward to Heaven. However, this Greek word is a technical term “for a civic custom of antiquity whereby a public welcome was accorded by a city to important visitors” (TDNT). To give a further explanation, people in the ancient world, even up to medieval times, would go out of the city to greet the king and welcome him into the city with fanfare. Paul is using that same imagery here to talk about us meeting our King in the air in order to welcome him back. Therefore, this passage does not teach that Jesus will take us to Heaven, but rather implies that we will escort Christ to the earth where he established his kingdom.

Hebrews 10:22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

Saturday night at Lehman Avenue church of Christ in Bowling Green, Melvin Otey shared some tremendous thoughts on worship.  I will try to highlight some of his key points.

True worship is a balance of our hands, or actions, and our heart.  Worship includes the actions we take, the serving and doing, the acts of worship, the works of our hands. However, worship starts with the heart.  It doesn’t matter if all of our steps are right if our heart isn’t right. I Corinthians 14:25, “he will fall on his face and worship God, declaring that God is certainly among you.”

Our lives, as a whole, should be an offering to God.  Romans 12:1, “present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” This requires our complete submission, our consistent service.

We also have an act of corporate worship, a group of individuals coming together to worship.  We have people to coordinate the acts of worship.  But, every individual is responsible for their part. To be effective worship, we must all prepare ourselves for the presence of God: spiritually, mentally, and physically.

Spiritual preparation requires us to examine ourselves to be in the faith.  Proverbs 15:8 says, “the sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but the prayer of the upright is acceptable to Him.” Matthew 5:23-24, “if you are offering your gift at the alter and remember your brother has something against you…first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” We must take a look at ourselves spiritually.

Mental preparation requires us to be mentally prepared when we enter our time of worship.  Focus our minds and our hearts.  Take a look at the bulletin.  Review the lesson outline and the songs to be sung.  Read the topic scripture. 

We must be prepared physically for worship, as well.  We should not approach our thrice holy God (Isaiah 6:3) haphazardly.  We must prepare ourselves physically: get enough rest, eat and drink beforehand, use the restroom, silence our phones.  Our physical preparation allows us to focus mentally and spiritually.

Corporate worship is more dynamic than most people think.  It is a balance of the condition of our heart and activities of our hands.  We all must make sure we are prepared to worship in spirit and truth (John 4:24).

Melissa and I had the good fortune to hear this lesson in person. Melvin’s lesson is available on YouTube at the Lehman Avenue channel if you would like to go and listen.

A common African Tourist question is, “what are the big five”? And the answer would always include lion, buffalo, leopard, elephant, and rhino. But, if I were to ask you “what are the big three” spiritual attributes to building a strong family, what would you say?

According to Ephesians 4:32 they are “Be KIND to one another, TENDERHEARTED, FORGIVING one another, as God in Christ forgave you” (ESV).

Kindness is the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate towards another. When I am kind towards another, I use my time, talent, and treasure to better the lives of others. Through my genuine act of love, compassion, and generosity, I improve the world.

When I am tenderhearted, I am known to have a sentimental or sympathetic nature. I find I am easily moved by another’s joy or distress and therefore “weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice” (Rom.12:15). In Genesis 43:30 we see Joseph hurrying out because of his tender feelings toward his brothers and he sought a private place to weep.

And when I am forgiving, I stop feeling anger or resentful toward someone for an offense, flaw, or mistake.

Dear church, how are you doing with the “big three” will determine whether you are building up or tearing down THE BODY OF CHRIST.

In 2 Peter 3:10, Peter writes about the second coming of Jesus, “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up” (NKJV). This verse explicitly states that the cosmos will be destroyed when Jesus comes again. People then read this in conjunction with 1 Thess. 4:17 that “we…will be caught up together with [the resurrected Christians] in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.” The assumption is that when Jesus comes again, all the Christians will be taken out of the world and Christ will set it ablaze and take us with him to the heavenly realm.

However, this interpretation may not be the correct one. First, the 1 Thess. 4:17 passage does not have to be understood that way (see next week’s article). Secondly, 2 Pet 3:10 has a textual variant, in other words, the manuscripts have different words. The majority of manuscripts have “will be burned up,” which is reflected in the KJV, NKJV, and NASB. The oldest manuscripts have “will be found” (ESV, cf. NRSV), which does not appear to make much sense in this context. It is most likely that the latter reading’s difficulty is what caused later scribes to change it. Thus, it is more likely that the more difficult reading, “will be found,” is what Peter wrote.

How do we make sense of the earth being “found” after it is set ablaze? Many have proposed that Peter is using purification imagery. For example, Peter uses the same word, “found,” in 1 Pet 1:7 when talking about the purification of Christians, “so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (NASB). A similar word and image are used in the early Christian work Epistle of Barnabas (2^nd century). Therefore, Peter is most likely saying that God will purify the earth rather than destroy it. Just as God purified the earth with water in Genesis for Noah and his family, so also, he will purify the earth by fire for us (see the flood analogy earlier in 2 Pet 3). This purification will essentially be a “new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells” (2 Pet 3:13).

I love that old Gospel Song, It’s me it’s me O Lord Standing in the need of prayer … Not my brother not my sister … Not the preacher not the deacon … Not my father not my mother … But it is me O Lord standing in the need of prayer.

It is so easy to project onto someone else and not to take ownership of my sin. During the Great Smoky Mountains Marriage Retreat I was exposed to an enlightening statement on what happens when I don’t own my bad choices:

An act contrary to what I feel I should do for another is called an act of self-betrayal. When I betray myself, I begin to see the world in a way that justifies myself betrayal. When I see the world in a self-justifying way, my view of reality becomes distorted (*Arbinger institute).

A good illustration of this is Mary and Martha. Mary is sitting at the feet of Jesus enjoying a spiritual feast from “The Word”. Martha is in the kitchen serving. But she gets distracted because of stinking thinking. Maybe she thought: “Why, that lazy sister of mine, is so selfish. She never considers me. She always takes advantage of me.” It is so easy to slip into feeling like the victim. But it is self-deception that leads to bitterness.

Friend, stop confessing other people’s sins (blaming and playing the victim). Instead, go to God in prayer and tell Him, “It’s me it’s me O Lord Standing in the need of prayer”.  *t.ly/rwOw

Lately we’ve had some sad things and mishaps occurring one after another. I know this happens to everyone sooner or later, but when it happens to me, I tend to feel sorry for myself. I start to question why. Is it something I’ve done or not done? When I mentioned this to my sister, she said she looked at it as a testing of our faith. I told her, in that case, I was failing. Instead of looking at the blessings I have, or how these trials would make my faith stronger, I find myself whining about my problems. Even though I thank God every day for my blessings, I wonder if I’m really thankful or they’re just empty words. But when I stop and think about what we have going on it seems very small compared to what others are facing. I should be praying about it, praising God, and thanking him for everything- not just the good things.

James 1:2-3, “Consider it pure joy my brothers and sisters whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance…”

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances for this is God’s will for you in Christ  Jesus.”

Why do we say “amen” at the end of a prayer? Or, better, why do we usually not say “amen” at the end of a public prayer? What does this word even mean? I’ve thought a lot about these questions the past several months and it has led me to certain convictions for why I say “amen” and how public prayer works.

The English word “amen” comes from the Latin amen which comes from the Greek amēn (ἀμήν) which comes from the Hebrew amen (אָמֵן). The Hebrew word was used as a declaration meaning “surely!” or “let it be so!” or “it is trustworthy!” It was spoken by the Israelites after Moses pronounced the curses on those who broke God’s commandments in Deut. 27. Here, to say “amen” is like signing your name on a document written up by another person. It shows that you agree with the terms of what was said and acknowledge them as your own. This is why doxologies (i.e., praises of God; e.g., Jude 25) always end in “amen.” Additionally, whenever someone spoke in a Christian assembly, the listeners would say “amen” in agreement with what was said (see 1 Cor 14:6).

I used to think that when I listen to a prayer lead by another, that I was supposed to say my own prayer in my head and follow along with the contents of what the person was praying. However, as my understanding of what “amen” changed, so did my prayer life. For in our public prayers, we ought to say “amen” when we agree with what was prayed. By saying “amen,” we metaphorically sign our name to the prayer as though we ourselves said it. Thus, we all – men, women, and children – ought to say “amen” at the end of a public prayer, given that we agree with what was prayed. We also should not be afraid to say “amen” during a sermon when we agree with the lesson. This is what the early church did. We should practice it all the same.

Psalm 25:2 “In you I trust, O my God,

Do not let me be put to shame,

nor let my enemies triumph over me.”

Countless Psalms speak about enemies. Enemies are those who oppose not only us, but also God’s way of living. While David was primarily referring to actual people, enemies can come in many different forms. We can view temptations such as, drugs and alcohol, money, success, lust, as our enemies.

David prayed to God to ask for God’s help to keep his enemies from overcoming him, not only because they opposed what God stood for, but also, because he did not want his enemies’ success to be an obstacle to the faith of others.

Psalm 25:3 “No one whose hope is in you

will ever be put to shame,

but they will be put to shame,

who are treacherous without excuse.”

If his enemies succeeded, David feared that many would think that living for God was futile. David did not question his own faith; he knew that God would triumph.

Psalm 25:4 “Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths.”

David now prays to express his desire for God’s guidance. How do we receive God’s guidance today? The first step is to want to be guided and to realize that God’s primary guidance system is in His Word. By reading the Bible and constantly learning from it, we will gain the wisdom to perceive God’s direction for our lives.

When we face enemies or struggles in our lives, we may be tempted to demand answers from God, but David prayed and asked for God’s help, for God’s direction, and for God’s guidance. When we are willing to seek God wholeheartedly, to learn from his Word, and to obey His commands, then will we receive His specific guidance.

Psalms 37:39-40 “The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord;

He is their stronghold in time of trouble.

⁴⁰The Lord helps them and delivers them;

He delivers them from the wicked and saves them,

because they take refuge in Him.”

For the last two days I have been leading discussions on the importance of “contending for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3).

It seems we live in a day when the world is influencing Christians more than Christians are influencing the world. The main reason seems to be that, through a relentless desensitization program, Christians have become acceptable of evil. For instance, how many of you have seen “Christians” using “OMG” in their social media posts. Friend, when you use the Lord’s name irreverently you are violating a commandment: “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain” (Exodus 20:7).

I believe the solution is to stand up for God. Be His voice in the face of opposition. If, however, we are ashamed of Christ (Rom.1:16), not willing to acknowledge Him before men, then He will also deny us before His Father who is in heaven (Mt.10:32f).