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1 Peter 5:10 – Temporary Suffering

Posted on March 8, 2017 by Will

Now the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, will perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.

Truth to Learn

God will use our suffering to make us complete in Him.

Behind the Words

The word translated “all” is pas, which as we saw in verse seven means “all” or “the whole.”

“Perfect” is from the Greek katartidzō, meaning “to complete or repair thoroughly.”

The word translated “establish” is stēridzō, which means “to set securely” or “to turn resolutely in a certain direction.”

The word “strengthen” is from the Greek sthenoō, which means “to give bodily vigor or strength to.”

And the word, “settle” is from the Greek themelioō, which means “to place firmly on a foundation.”

Meaning Explained

Now Peter gives us a few more words of encouragement lest we think that we are fighting this battle alone. He tells us that even in the midst of our suffering, the God of all grace will do something for us. He is not simply a gracious God (the God of grace) but the God of all grace. The implication is that there is no grace which does not come from God.

Peter goes on to tell us that not only does He bestow favor on us that we don’t deserve, but he also invites us to approach His eternal glory. Approaching this glory is only possible for us because of the shed blood of Jesus Christ. This is the glory that James, John, and Peter got a glimpse of at the transfiguration:

And after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and brought them up into a high mountain apart, and was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. (Matthew 17:1,2)

God has invited us (called us) to come and see His glory! According to Peter, this same God will complete, securely set, strengthen, and firmly place us after we have suffered a little.”

God will not stop His work until He has absolutely completed what He wants to accomplish in us. God will establish our position in Christ, firmly and securely. God will make us spiritually strong. Our position in Christ will be built “on Christ” as we are used by God to build his church of which Christ is the chief cornerstone.

All of this will be done to us when? Peter says, after you have suffered a while. The word translated “a while” is oligon, which literally means “puny in degree or duration.” That is to say, our suffering here under God’s divine providence will be insignificant when compared with what is promised us in eternity.

Application

Though the suffering that you may be undergoing right now seems to be almost more than you can stand, God will use the suffering to bring you to a more Christ-like condition, and He will use it to bring glory to Himself. And … when we reach heaven, we will look back on the suffering and say, “Now, that wasn’t so bad after all!”

In God's service, for His glory,

James 3:2 – Perfectly Bridled

Posted on April 14, 2015 by Will

For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body.

Truth to Learn

One sign of a mature Christian is the words he or she uses.

Behind the Words

“Stumble” is translated from ptaiō, which is a form of piptō, meaning “to fall.” This word, which we have looked at before, refers to an accidental stumbling, or tripping, as we traverse the pathway of life. In other words, James is referring to someone committing unintentional sin.

The Greek word translated “perfect” is also one we have looked at before. It is teleios, which means “complete” in terms of labor, growth, or moral character. James’ statement is in reference to a fully mature Christian. A more descriptive and less misleading translation of this word might be “mature.”

The word translated “bridle” is a very descriptive word in Greek. It is chalinagōgeō, which is made up of chalinos, which refers to “a bridle worn by an animal,” and a form of ago, which means “to lead or direct.” Hence, this word literally means “to lead by use of a bridle.” And, just like a person who controls a horse by leading it around by a bridle, this person is able to control his or her entire body.

Meaning Explained

James now introduces the first of five real world examples of what the tongue is like (a horse that is controlled by a small bridle; a large ship controlled by a small rudder; a small fire which can quickly spread to a flaming inferno; a wild, untamable creature; and a spring of water which brings forth both fresh and brackish water). With these five examples James will show how powerful and unruly the tongue can be.

He starts out the current verse with a reminder that we are all sinners and that we trip, or stumble many times. This is in complete agreement with what the Apostle Paul says:

As it is written, No one is righteous, not even one: There is no one who understands, there is no one seeking after God. (Romans 3:10,11)

None of us is perfect, we all stumble (even when we become a mature Christian). One of the ways we stumble in our Christian walk is with the words we use. In fact, it is often not so much the words, but the attitude behind the words we use. James tells us that if we don’t trip-up with our words, it is a sign that we are a completely mature Christian and are able to control our entire body.

Teaching is only mentioned in the first verse of this chapter. Yet, it is with our words that we teach, whether spoken or written. Words properly used can be a powerful force in building up the body of Christ, but they can also be the cause of great pain and contention within the body if used carelessly.

Application

Whether we have been called to teach or not, we are all called to be a witness for Christ, to be a servant of God, and to build up the body. Whatever service of ministry we have within the body, or to the world around us, we must be careful regarding the words we use.

In God's service, for His glory,

1 Thessalonians 3:10 – Improve Your Prayer Life

Posted on June 21, 2012 by Will

night and day praying exceedingly that we may see your face and perfect what is lacking in your faith?

Truth to Learn

All Christians should work on improving their prayer lives. We need to thank God more and pray more for others.

Behind the Words

“Praying” is translated from deomai, meaning “to ask, plead, or beg.” Between this word and huperekperissou, Paul could hardly have used a stronger or more extreme expression of how often and how much he pleaded with God regarding his desire to see the Thessalonians in person.

The word “exceedingly” is from the Greek word huperekperissou. This is a double compound word made up of huper (or hyper) meaning “above” or “over,” ek, meaning “out of” but used here as an intensifier, and perissoteros, meaning “excessively.” This word means “exceeding all bounds” or “more than excessively.”

Katartidzō is the Greek verb translated “perfect.” It means “to put a thing in its appropriate condition,” that is “to bring something to completeness or perfection.” It is used in Matthew 4:21 of fishermen mending (putting back to completeness and full usefulness) their nets.

The word “lacking” is translated from husterema, which is based on the verb hystereō, meaning “to lack” or “to fall behind.” The basic meaning of husterema is “that which is lacking or missing.”

Meaning Explained

We noted in yesterday’s verse that the Apostle Paul was a prayer warrior, praying incessantly for all Christians, especially for those to whom he ministered. Here we get another sense of how often he prayed. He says that he prayed “night and day.” To Paul, prayer was such a necessity in the Christian life that he did it at all times. He didn’t simply “throw a prayer God’s direction” when he first got up in the morning. He didn’t just give God thanks when he sat down to eat. He didn’t just think of others and pray for them when he was about to lay his head down at night. Paul prayed to God throughout the entire day.

We get a picture of the Apostle to the Gentiles communicating with and communing with God whenever he was not actively engaged in any other activity. If fact, he was probably talking with God even while engaged in other activities. To him it was sort of like breathing. No matter what he was or wasn’t doing, Paul was praying.

But notice that even the prayers of Paul were not always answered in the affirmative. One of his frequent prayer requests was that he might be able to be in the presence of the Thessalonian Christians, to see their faces. As far as we know, this never happened throughout the remainder of Paul’s life. And this was not a selfish prayer; he wanted to see them so that he could continue their Christian education, to personally instruct them in the maturing of their faith.

Application

If you are like me, you feel woefully inadequate in your prayer life compared to Paul. But this is not cause to give up and quit trying. It should inspire each of us to redouble our efforts to pray more frequently and consistently. Give thanks and praise to our God continually and let Him use you for His glory.

In God's service, for His glory,

Ephesians 4:13 – Gifts For Unity

Posted on December 4, 2011 by Will

till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;

Truth to Learn

Christians should all be working for each other.

Behind the Words

“Come to” is the translation of the Greek word katantaō, meaning “to arrive somewhere” or “to attain something.”

The word translated “knowledge” is the Greek word epignosis, which means more than simply knowing something. It means “to recognize and understand something,” that is, “to have complete, in-depth knowledge of someone or something.”

“Perfect man” is from the Greek words andra teleion. Andra, a form of anēr refers to “a man,” although as it is used here, it refers to “a person.” Teleion, a form of teleios, means “complete” or “of full age.” Thus, together these two words refer to “a fully grown person.”

The word “measure” is translated from metron, meaning “a measure of length or capacity.”

“Stature” is from hēlikia, meaning “maturity, in age or size.”

Meaning Explained

In today’s verse, Paul tells us some of the reasons that God gave us spiritual gifts. In the opening verses of this chapter, he told us that we are to be humbly and patiently bearing with each other, being diligent to keep the unity of the Spirit, being bound to one another by peace. In the following verses he talked about why unity is a defining characteristic of the Christian faith. He also told us how Christ came to present gifts to each one of us when He arrived home after His victory over Satan and death. As we learned in yesterday’s verse, these spiritual gifts are given to every believer, and we are to use our gifts to minister to members of the church and, thereby, to build-up the body of Christ.

One of the objectives of our ministering to each other and building up each other is a two-fold objective. It is to reach that unity Paul talked about in verse three, and it is so that each of us might come to a full knowledge of the Son of God. Here he calls that unity “the unity of the faith.” Even though there have been splits in the Christian church throughout the centuries, and it sometimes seems that every church is going off in its own direction, there are two unifying factors. One is our common faith in what Jesus Christ has done for us. The other is the complete in-depth, experiential knowledge of who Jesus is.

Another objective of our using our spiritual gifts within the church is so that we might become fully grown Christians. And, in using our spiritual gifts in the church, we help each other mature in our relationship with God. This is why the writer of Hebrews said:

And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:24-25)

Application

It is quite apparent that we are in the last days and that Christ could return any day now. Instead of living for ourselves in these last days, let us use our gifts to strengthen each other and to prepare ourselves for our heavenly reunion with the Savior.

In God's service, for His glory,