The first missionary journey of Paul and Barnabas is described in Acts 13.4-14.26.  They went out from Antioch, preached the good news of Jesus Christ in synagogues and other places, established groups of believers, and moved on.  Then on the way back, they stopped to see their church plants and do the following follow-up activities (Acts 14.22-26):

• Strengthened the souls of the disciples
• Encouraged them to continue in the faith
• Let them know that through many tribulations they must enter the kingdom of God
• Appointed elders in every church
• Prayed and Fasted with them
• Committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed

God is angry with the Israelites in Isaiah chapter 1.  In verse 15, He says through the prophet, “When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood.”  Here is what he tells them to do in verses 16-17:

• Wash yourselves
• Make yourselves clean
• Remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes
• Cease to do evil
• Learn to do good
• Seek justice
• Correct oppression
• Bring justice to the fatherless
• Plead the widow’s cause

Sounds like good advice for individuals, churches, and governments.

Paul wrote to his friend Titus about appointing elders for the churches they had planted. Titus 1.6-9 lists the qualities to look for:

• Above reproach
• Husband of one wife
• Children are believers
• Children are not open to charge of debauchery
• Children are not open to charge of insubordination
• Not be arrogant
• Not be quick-tempered
• Not be a drunkard
• Not be violent
• Not be greedy for gain
• Be hospitable
• Be a lover of good
• Be self-controlled
• Be upright
• Be holy
• Be disciplined
• Hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught
• Be able to give instruction in sound doctrine
• Be able to rebuke those who contradict sound doctrine

This is a lonnnggg list.  Prospective good elders will invariably say they cannot possible meet the standards; the bar is too high.  It is only by the grace of God that we can try and sometimes succeed.

 

Psalm 119, the longest chapter in the Bible, is all about praising the way God set things up and how he makes his plan known. It is heavy on the WORD – God’s self-revelation to us.  The following synonyms for WORD are used throughout the 176 verses:

• Law  (used 25 times)
• Testimonies (24 times, always plural)
• Ways ( 8 )
• Precepts ( 21 )
• Statutes ( 22 )
• Commandments  ( 20 )
• Rules  ( 17 )

 And WORD is used 24 times.

The first stanza of 8 verses shows the love of the psalmist:

Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the LORD!

Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart, who also do no wrong, but walk in his ways!

You have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently.

Oh that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes!

Then I shall not be put to shame, having my eyes fixed on all your commandments.

I will praise you with an upright heart, when I learn your righteous rules.

I will keep your statues; do not utterly forsake me!

 

Things You Shall Do

God speaks to his people through the prophet Zechariah, telling them the good HE is going to bring to Judah and Jerusalem.  In chapter 14, verses 16-17, He also reminds them of the attitudes and actions He expects of them, by saying ‘These are the things that you shall do:

–          Speak the truth to one another

–          Render in your gates judgments that are true and make for peace

–          Do not devise evil in your hearts against one another

–          Love no false oath

God makes it clear that He hates lying, injustice, wickedness, and cheating.

1 Peter 3.8-9, right after specific instructions for servants, wives, then husbands, gives good guidelines for having right relationships with everyone.

Have:

–          Unity of mind

–          Sympathy

–          Brotherly love

–          A tender heart

–          A humble mind

Do not repay evil for evil

Do not repay reviling for reviling

But bless, that you may obtain a blessing.

In Deuteronomy 10.12-13, Moses lists what the LORD your God requires of you.  It is an exhortation with the same question as Micah 6.8 and sounds like an expansion of the First Great Commandment:

–          Fear the LORD your God

–          Walk in all his ways

–          Love him

–          Serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul

–          Keep the commandments and statutes of the LORD

The blessing at the end states that the commandments and statutes are given “for your good.”  It will be a benefit to keep these laws.

Hebrews 4.12 gives a remarkable list of characteristics of God’s utterances.  The word of God is

–          Living

–          Active

–          Sharper than any two-edged sword

–          Piercing to the division of soul and spirit

–          Piercing to the division of joints and of marrow

–          Discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart

All these present participles say that this work is ongoing.  Keep reading and hearing the Word of God, and it will keep working in you.

After the Hall of Faith listing (see yesterday’s post), there is an impressive, unattributed list of faithful actions in Hebrews 11.33-38, taken by those who believed in God and sought Him.   Through faith, they:

                Conquered kingdoms

                Enforced justice

                Obtained promises

                Stopped the mouths of lions

                Quenched the power of fire

                Escaped the edge of the sword

                Were made strong out of weakness

                Became mighty in war

                Put foreign armies to flight

                Received back their dead by resurrection

                Were tortured, refusing to accept release

                Suffered mocking and flogging

                Suffered chains and imprisonment

                Were stoned

                Were sawn in two

                Were killed with the sword

                Went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated

                Wandered about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth

All these unnamed people were commended for their faith (Hebrews 11.39).  And none of these heroes received what we have – the sure historical truth of the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God, Messiah.

 

Hebrews 11 is famous for proclaiming the great acts of faithful people through the Old Testament.  Each of the following is mentioned by name, and most have a brief description of their God-honoring acts:

                Abel (verse 4)

                Enoch (5)

                Noah (7)

                Abraham (8, 17)

                Sarah (11)

                Isaac (20)

                Jacob (21)

                Joseph (22)

                Moses’ parents (23)

                Moses (24, 28)

                Israelites (29)

                Rahab (31)

                Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, the prophets (32)

It is well worth reading the brief descriptions in Hebrews and then delving into the rest of the story in the historical books. You will find that each person had their foibles, but each “believed that God exists and that He rewards those who seek Him”  (Hebrews 11.6).