Obey for Joy

June's Passage: Philippians 2:12-18

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the Word of Life, so that in the Day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me. (ESV)

If you are new to this reading plan, follow the instructions on the right side of this page or click here to read the "Why Just One Letter" introduction article.

Throughout each month, we will post short articles to give some depth of understanding regarding our text (see the archive links on the lower right of this page for review). Today we will discuss...

Obey for Joy

In the previous article, we ended with the pastoral note that said that leaders in the church and in the family find solace for their hard work when they see the members of the church family growing in faithful obedience.

Our final point from this month’s passage springs from that note. Obedience gives birth to joy. 

After saying that he will be proud to see that he did not run or labor in vain when he sees the church holding fast to the Word of Life, Paul continues on to say, “Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all.”

That’s a statement that we sometimes read right past without letting it sink in. Read it again.

“Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all.” 

Just as when Jesus disregarded food in John 4 because He was so satisfied by doing the work the Father had sent him to accomplish, so to, Paul disregards the prospect of pain and persecution, because he is so overwhelmed and comforted by the treasury of faith that he sees in that young church. 

So, first, our obedience brings joy to those who disciple us. As a pastor I can say I am overjoyed sometimes to the point of tears when I see someone loosed from the slavery to a particular sin. It is so very satisfying to see God at work in that way.

Then, Paul encourages us to share in that joy. “Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me.”

So should we rejoice because our obedience brings our leaders joy? Or, should we rejoice because we have obeyed God? Yes. Both. 

But also, Paul seems to be pointing to multiplication here. We “LIKEWISE” rejoice when we rejoice for the same reason. We can only truly rejoice when we have begun to disciple others and then are able to see them obey by faith. Don’t miss that opportunity, pour into other people’s life. Give to others what you have been given.

And still more than those reasons to rejoice, go back to the beginning of the passage. “it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”

So our joy should not only come because of what we have done and for it’s positive affect it has on those who are charged to shepherd us, we can also rejoice as we think on the fact that Jesus Christ continues to give His grace to guide us in the truth of His Word and we can rejoice that He gives us the holy Spirit to empower us to do the right thing. 

Then, and here’s the beautiful thing, look at the cycle. When we get all of the above - then our joy and gratitude for Jesus gives us the fuel to obey again today, which fuels our joy and the joy of others. Then that joy fuels our obedience tomorrow. Then that obedience fuels more joy. 

IF WE CAN GRAB HOLD OF THIS MONTH’S PASSAGE (that’s a big IF), but If We Can, then we can find ourselves caught up in a joyful obedience that keeps on turning in perpetual motion. Joy leads to obedience. Obedience leads to joy. Joy leads to obedience. Obedience leads to joy…

This is where the church comes in. We help to keep one another in this groove by doing the simple things we see in the scriptures. Encourage one another, spur one another on to good works, gather with one another regularly, restore a brother or sister who has sinned, correct one who is in error, protect the flock from wolves who might turn our hearts away from the truth and away from obedience to God’s design for our lives. 

Seen in this light, all of these duties that we have to one another are not seen as burdensome items on a divine to-do list. They are spiritual tools for our Joy. 

We will end with a quote from John Piper which shows this cycle again, so we won’t forget it: 

“Faith breaks the enslaving spell of the world’s allurement. In that way, faith leads us into obedience with freedom and joy.” ~ John Piper

Obey By Holding Fast to the Word

June's Passage: Philippians 2:12-18

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the Word of Life, so that in the Day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me. (ESV)

If you are new to this reading plan, follow the instructions on the right side of this page or click here to read the "Why Just One Letter" introduction article.

Throughout each month, we will post short articles to give some depth of understanding regarding our text (see the archive links on the lower right of this page for review). Today we will discuss...

Obey By Holding Fast to the Word

There is a truth as old as humanity. To drift from the Word of God, is to fly into destruction. 

In Genesis 2:16-17, the Word of God - spoken to Adam said “you may surely eat of every tree in the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” 

And  when The Serpent attacked Adam and Eve, he didn’t do so with force - he didn’t force Eve to eat the fruit. He simply began confusing and finally flat our lying about God’s Word until Eve drifted from the Word of God and flew into destruction.

In the time leading to the exile God had given His people chance after chance to turn from our sins and to turn back to Him in faith and repentance. He had given warning after warning that their current course in life would lead to calamity. And when Satan pushed on them - he didn’t need to force them to sin, he merely led false prophets to twist and block the Word of God so that God’s people would lose their healthy fear of Him. 

For example, Jeremiah calls out the false prophets, “They have spoken falsely of the LORD and have said, ‘He will do nothing; no disaster will come upon us, nor shall we see sword or famine.’” 

And as the people of God bought the lies of the false prophets and lost a holy reverence for God, they drifted from the Word of God and flew into destruction. 

This month we have been looking at godly obedience  from different vantage points. We’ve seen the importance of obeying God with fear and trembling, obeying God without grumbling or disputing and obeying God as a way of being a good witness to a watching world. 

Today we stress the importance of obeying God by, “holding fast to the Word of Life.”

Our walk with God is just as dangerous as Adam and Eve’s against the serpent and the people of Israel’s in the midst of false prophets. We live in a world that tempts us into discontentment and discouragement and then tries to sell us false remedies for those problems. We live in a culture where so called men and women of God either ignore or twist the Word of God to fill their bank accounts on the backs of the spiritually duped. 

But God has not left us alone here to be fed to the wolves. He has given us a great number of sound Biblical teachers to help us stay on course and in the last 500 years He has made it increasingly easy for us to have His Word in our hands in printed form. Recently His Word has also been given in audio formats for people to listen to for free if they are not readers. 

But, holding fast to the Word of Life is not simply a matter of downloading information into our brains. Holding fast to the Word of Life requires us to share that Word with one another and help one another from buying into the lies against the Word that the world, the Devil and the flesh broadcast to us.  

It is not so much to KNOW truth, our Knowledge has to move us toward belief and that belief is what gives birth to the obedience that we’ve been talking about all this month. 

Jesus said, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Abide in the Word. Hold Fast to the Word. Saturate your heart in the Word like you marinate a steak, let is soak through every part of who you are. Then, obey. That’s the only way to know what obedience is. That’s the only way to save yourself from destruction.

Obey FIRST by believing that Jesus is your Savior and Lord and that God raised Him from the dead. Believe in the life death burial and resurrection. And then Obey by placing your life into the perfect design for your life that God has given you. 

To Hold fast to the Word of Life is to Fly FROM destruction. 

A short pastoral side note: Paul writes that if we Hold fast to the Word of Life then, “in the Day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.” 

Paul is saying that an extra benefit of your obedience is that Paul (this is also true for all of us who serve as pastors, elders and deacons {and godly parents}) an extra benefit of your obedience is that we will be able to look at you in the end of this age, when we stand before Jesus and think, YES! Praise Jesus! They made it! My work was fruitful! 

That’s not even close to the main reason we serve (we serve to glorify God) but, OH! It is a pleasure to see our children and our flock walking in the truth - holding fast to the Word of Life. 

Guard your heart against the drift. You are loved. God is ALWAYS right. Trust Him.

Obey in a Crooked and Twisted Generation

June's Passage: Philippians 2:12-18

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the Word of Life, so that in the Day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me. (ESV)

If you are new to this reading plan, follow the instructions on the right side of this page or click here to read the "Why Just One Letter" introduction article.

Throughout each month, we will post short articles to give some depth of understanding regarding our text (see the archive links on the lower right of this page for review). Today we will discuss...

Obey in a Crooked and Twisted Generation

Every choice to either obey Jesus or to follow our temptations into sin never ONLY affect us personally. These choices also affect our fellowship with God. And the passage today tells us, our obedience or disobedience also affects our ability to witness to the watching world.

Within a week of the time this article is being written, nine of our brothers and sisters in Christ were murdered during a prayer meeting in Charleston, South Carolina. While many politicians (on both sides), celebrities, and media outlets used the event to prostitute the painful situation for political gain and ratings and readers, a small band of Christians who were related to the victims took the opportunity to obey the commands of Jesus and the Holy Spirit inspired scriptures. 

As a twisted and crooked generation looked on, these family members decided not to seek vengeance, but to leave that to the Lord. 

They decided not to repay evil with evil, but instead they blessed and prayed for their enemy. 

They did not grieve like those without hope, instead — confident of the eternal safety of their faithful family — they instead showed concern with the state of the assassins’ soul. 

In all things, including what will likely be the most difficult time of their life, they loved God and loved others. 

Looking at the passage today, we are reminded that Paul’s first readers lived in a troubling time, survival of Christians and the church itself seemed to be at a tipping point in nearly every city where Paul had been. 

The Church was at times under threat because of racial and religious persecution. Other times the Church was facing more dangerous enemies — wolves within — who were looking for ways to prop themselves up and take what they could from the family of God. 

And through it all, in word, in thought, in deed (action and REACTION), Paul instructed them and us -  “Do all things without grumbling or disputing.” 

You can read the previous article to understand that idea a bit more and to see several God/Us relational reasons to obey without grumbling or disputing. However, Paul also talks about our obedience as a tool for outreach and evangelism. 

Do all things without grumbling or disputing so that, “you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.”

In other words, respond to the brokenness of this world with love, forgiveness and hope so that others might turn to the one who is the reason for your hope. 

But we cannot stop there. 

Unfortunately, the weight and importance of this passage also shows relevance in another story from the same week. A high profile pastor from a high profile evangelical family had to resign his position this week because of adultery. The same not-yet-believers who were speechless in the face of the forgiving compassion of the victims families now have yet another trophy on their wall of “hypocritical church people” whom they can point out with scorn and scoffing. 

But, this pastor isn’t alone, is he? Many of us have not physically committed adultery, but an honest investigation of our lives as seen by the not-yet-believer gives evidence of greed, self-righteousness, lust, selfishness, fear, gossiping, slander, sloth, gluttony and more in our lives as Christians. We are more like the struggling Christian, not the shining lights in Charleston. As this article is written I must admit more sin than Christlikeness in my own heart each day. 

Again, we want to put sin to death because of our gratitude to Jesus who died to save us from the wrath due to us for those sins. 

We want to put our sins to death in order to maintain a strong fellowship with the Holy Spirit. 

But, OH! We must be diligent about putting our sin to death and obeying Christ without grumbling or complaining so that WHEN the crooked and twisted generation looks to us, they will see the bright light of God’s glory as it burns away all of the bondage of sin that we used to be slaves to. 

Only when they see us joyfully and increasingly obeying Jesus Christ will we begin to attract them to the truth that is transforming us. 

No, we will not do this perfectly. Like too many celebrity pastors and other people we look up to, we will fall and fail and have to be restored. But the goal, every time we encounter the lost should be to shine like stars in the world. 

Let’s strive toward that goal together. Let’s admit our brokenness and restore one another when we fall. Let’s do all things without grumbling or disputing so that we can present a better picture of who we are, who we were created to be, and who we will ultimately be because of the loving-kindness of Jesus Christ and His work for us at the cross. 

Obey Without Grumbling

June's Passage: Philippians 2:12-18

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the Word of Life, so that in the Day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me. (ESV)

If you are new to this reading plan, follow the instructions on the right side of this page or click here to read the "Why Just One Letter" introduction article.

Throughout each month, we will post short articles to give some depth of understanding regarding our text (see the archive links on the lower right of this page for review). Today we will discuss...

Obey Without Grumbling

We’ve all been there. We know what we should do. We should do our chores. We should write that report. We should redo that project. We should drive the speed limit. We should love our enemies. 

We have decided that we are going to do it, we are going to obey. 

Our parent, boss, teacher, the Scriptures - they have a position of authority over us. We will submit, It’s the right thing to do, it is our duty.

But. 

We don’t like it. 

And we are going to let others know whey we shouldn’t have to obey. 

We are going to huff and puff and pout like a two year old, or growl like a bear. 

People are going to know that we are being wronged and put out by having to obey. 

It is with an understanding of this common condition that The Apostle Paul instructs us to “Do all things without grumbling or disputing…”   

You know we are in a bad state as sinners when we have to be given an instruction that is usually only reserved for toddlers. But that is Paul’s basic instruction here, “Do what you are told, Don’t whine about it. Don’t sass…” 

But how many times have we needed to be told this? Even pastors need this instruction. We may not pout, but we “dispute” when we try to jump through theological hoops to avoid something we don’t want to obey. Paul would lovingly tell us, “Knock it off.”

So how do we - as former rebels with hearts that are still at times rebellious - how do we obey and “do ALL THINGS” without grumbling or disputing?

Well, whether you are obeying a parent, a boss, a teacher, a highway speed limit, or the Bible, you can do so because in all of it you are ultimately obeying God himself (Romans 13). 

Obey God without grumbling or disputing because He is so Great and beyond your scope of understanding that He can see past this moment in time and knows how your obedience NOW is for your FUTURE betterment. 

Obey God without grumbling or disputing because He is Good enough to be trusted. Trust Him when and where He directs you because He always does what is good and right and perfect and He loves you more than you love you. Don’t kick against Him while HE works for your good. 

Obey God without grumbling or disputing because He is Glorious enough to outweigh all of the other voices from our culture and society and our own rebellious heart. If EVERYTHING else and EVERYONE else is on a scale on one side, and God is on the other side of the scale, God is still bigger, weightier and worthy of your joyful obedience.

Obey God without grumbling or disputing because He is Gracious enough to let you be a part of His winning team - a part of His loving and eternally satisfying family. While your were still raising your fist in defiance, He was pursuing you and making a way for you to be reconciled. 

Obey God without grumbling or disputing because He loves you, even when you are unlovable. 

Obey God without grumbling or disputing because He has brought you into a relationship. 

Obey God without grumbling or disputing because you are part of the bride of Christ (The Church) and Jesus is your husband.

Obey God without grumbling or disputing because He loves you self-sacrificially and deserves joyful obedience.   

Those are all reasons to obey and to do all things without grumbling or disputing because of who God is, what He has done and what He has promised us as believers. 

In the next article, we will also see how our joyful obedience helps not-yet-believers as well. Until then Obey God without grumbling or disputing because He said so. 

Obey With Faithful Fear and Trembling

June's Passage: Philippians 2:12-18

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the Word of Life, so that in the Day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me. (ESV)

If you are new to this reading plan, follow the instructions on the right side of this page or click here to read the "Why Just One Letter" introduction article.

Throughout each month, we will post short articles to give some depth of understanding regarding our text (see the archive links on the lower right of this page for review). Today we will discuss...

Obey with Faithful Fear and Trembling

As we try to unpack the idea of Godly obedience, we need to look at HOW Paul is saying to obey in this passage. Since we began our lives in rebellion against God but we were saved into His family and given the ability to submit to God’s authority, how do we do that? How do we put that new ability to obey into practice? How do we change the impulse to push back against His will? 

First, Paul says that it is not a brand new concept for the Christian. He is not asking them to do something in this letter, that they haven't been doing in some way as Christians already. 

He says, “as you have always obeyed…” meaning - we think, as you have always obeyed since your conversion to faith. 

As you obeyed the call of Jesus on your life to repent and believe; and as you obeyed to join a fellowship of believers in a local church family, and (in the Philippians context) as they have submitted to Paul’s teaching when he was in their city with them - “as you have always obeyed…” in those respects, “…so now, not only in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,…”

Paul is saying, the pattern of obedience was established when I was there planting the church. Now that I am gone and can only write to you and send others to get reports about the health of the church, don’t divert from the pattern that was set. 

Many of us know what it is like to be obedient to parents when they are in the same area as we are, yet we begin to act a fool once they are out of sight. Paul instructs the Philippians - don’t do that. 

Okay, so what about this Fear and Trembling? Are we supposed to cower like frightened dogs who have been kicked around by our master? Are we supposed to flinch in fear like a child who’s afraid of a beating? 

NO! 

We have a King who is loving and kind. What Paul seems to be saying here - which is especially necessary for us in our time - he is saying that, though God is loving, He is also all powerful, and dead serious about sin. He is not your buddy or your homeboy before He is your King. 

Jesus was meek and mild, but He says Himself that He will come back as a conquering King. 

So working out your own salvation is a call to obey God not ONLY because you are grateful to Him for saving you from the slavery of Sin, but also because you have a right-sized perspective of His glory. 

There are a couple of places in the scripture where we can look to to understand this idea. In Isaiah 6:1-5, the prophet (who was much more bible knowledgeable and obedient than most of us) was seized with a godly fear when He saw the unmatched, awesome glory of God. 

Similarly, in Luke 5:4-9, Simon Peter asked Jesus to depart from him after Peter saw the glorious power that Jesus had over creation. In Revelation 1:12-17, The Apostle John, who had already seen Jesus after the resurrection, fell down like a dead man when He saw Jesus in His complete eternal glory. 

So, it is not uncommon for the people of God to have a Holy Fear of God, or a deep reverence and respect for His might when they see Him in comparison to their (our own) sinful state. 

If not for God's grace, this Holy Fear would be unshakable terror. That is why the Day of the Lord is not to be seen as a happy day for those who refuse to put their faith in Jesus. 

But for us, the Fear of the Lord is a great gift. When we understand God’s greatness, we need never fear others disapproval, nor do we have to live to gain their approval. The only one who’s approval ultimately matters has given His approval as a gift of grace through our faith in Him. 

When we see His greatness and recognize His authority with fear and trembling, we can rightly weigh that against the passing desire to return to sin - which is open rebellion to our King. Then sin doesn’t appeal as greatly and sin's power can be overcome. The fear of the Lord is a great gift. 

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge;

fools despise wisdom and instruction. (Proverbs 1:7 ESV) 

Some have tried to balk at this kind of explanation, saying no - in fact - the fear and trembling piece means that unless you are constantly at work trying harder and harder to obey God perfectly, you should fear as to whether you are actually saved or not. 

That is bologna. And we know that is not a proper interpretation because Paul didn’t end his thought with fear and trembling. No, he continued by making it clear that, “…it is God who works in you, both to will AND to work for His good pleasure…”

Simply stated, and repeatedly stated in the scriptures, we know that Salvation is of the Lord (Jonah 2:9). We know that God saved us WHILE WE WERE DEAD in our trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:5). We know that He saves us by His grace NOT BY OUR WORKS (Ephesians 2:8-9). We know that He who began a great work in YOU, Christian, will bring it to completion (Philippians 1:6). We know that you were created for good works, WHICH GOD PREPARED BEFOREHAND, that we should walk in them (Ephesians 2:10). 

So, work out your own salvation (not someone else’s) with fear and trembling because of your great reverence and respect for your great King. But also work out your own salvation with gratitude and from a heart of peace because of your faith in the will of God to will and to work the sin out of your life for your good and His glory.

In closing, a helpful way to understand this is to see how that faithful fear and trembling looked in the real life of the early church. In Acts 9:31 we see that:

“…the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.”

Obey

June's Passage: Philippians 2:12-18

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the Word of Life, so that in the Day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me. (ESV)

If you are new to this reading plan, follow the instructions on the right side of this page or click here to read the "Why Just One Letter" introduction article.

Throughout each month, we will post short articles to give some depth of understanding regarding our text (see the archive links on the lower right of this page for review). Today we will discuss...

Obey

There are several ideas in this month’s passage that are crucial to a solid, orthodox understanding of the Christian faith. Yet, it is somewhat difficult to sift the ideas out one at a time because Paul intertwines them so tightly in these four sentences. 

So, to begin we are going to try to look at the connecting idea that joins all of the other ideas together. Then, in future articles, we will unpack those other ideas more fully.

The glue that holds this passage together is found early on in the word OBEY. 

Obedience is oftentimes scoffed at in our culture. Our society’s institutions of government, military, workplaces and even family and the Church are all fundamentally and foundationally held in place because of an idea that there is an authority structure and that we will yield to, comply with, or obey the authority that is in place unless there is a urgent and compelling requirement to disobey and rebel. 

Any and all of those institutions fall and fail (some have already begun to decline) when the dynamic is flipped and the knee-jerk reaction changes into resistance to authority — to  actively or passively disobey the authority that is in place unless there is a urgent and compelling requirement to obey. 

With all of that said, Paul is starting this month’s passage from a point of weakness as far as our current society is concerned, because we are a people (in general) who push back against authority at every chance. To simply yield and obey without first questioning and challenging is seen as weak and stupid in our society. 

This didn’t just happen. It is somewhat understandable. Governments (including ours) have been seen to have a track record of dishonesty and abuse of power (true regardless of the party in power). Employers have sometimes been rightly seen as too interested in profits at the expense of their workers. In the family, husbands and fathers have been stepping away from their obligations for more than two generations. In many (but not all) cases they have left their roles as wife-honoring, child building, leading men unfulfilled. And why? So that they can continue living in the role of immature boys - chasing trinkets, entertainment and sexual pleasure. 

Even in the Church, there has been a sad cycle of news reports of fallen church leaders who were drawn away from the mission by the cares and pleasures of this world. In the greater scheme of things, the Church has often battled within our own ranks when the authority of God has been traded for the whims of man, greed for material gain and/or desire to be thought well of by the culture. This was a major reason for the Reformation - yet it continues in many protestant denominations today. 

So the backlash against authority is not without its causes. We live in a broken world and sin has truly broken EVERYTHING. 

Yet, The Apostle Paul unflinchingly says obey and keep obeying. You may not like this passage when you read it in that light, but this month we will look at several aspects of obedience - and if you can submit to the Authority of God’s Word, this will be a very good passage for your heart and life. 

We wrote above that, “To simply yield and obey without first questioning and challenging is seen as weak and stupid in our society.” The Bible says that the way of obedience (To God) is the way of wisdom and strength. Will you base your life on society’s view of you or on the Scripture’s promise to you?

If you are a Christian, you need to get used to the idea that you will be seen as week and stupid by the not-yet-believers around you (1 Corinthians 1:18-2:16). 

Keep reading this month to find out why we should obey, how we can obey (despite the fallen nature of worldly authority), and what are the rewards of obedience.