I Peter 5:5-6

"Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders.  Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for "God resists the proud.  But gives grace to the humble."  Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time."  I Peter 5:5-6

Those with humility submit.  Their dealing with other people are very restrained.

It is interesting that Peter says "be clothed with humility," which in Greek literally means "put on the apron of humility."  An apron is a symbol of service.  He is likely thinking back to the last Passover with Jesus, where He "took a towel and girded Himself."  Then what did He do?  He served.  This leads to what humility produces next:  The humble choose to serve.  They do not fight - they serve.  They do not judge - they serve.

The Bible shows quite a number of men who did not look humble on the outside but were in reality - in the eyes of God - humble.  Moses and David were both warriors and powerful political figures.  In what way were they humble?  Regardless of what they were - judge, king, prophet - they submitted to God.  Regardless of what it cost them, they submitted to God, and sometimes they had to give orders or do things that we would consider to be quite difficult to do, like going to war or executing transgressors.

For a person to be humble in the biblical sense, he must know what is true and right, have a good grasp of reality, and submit to it.  Ephesians 5:21 and Philippians 2:3 both show in broad principle what humility tends to do to a person.  They are restrained, but at the same time they are constrained to serve and to submit.  Conversely, those who destroy unity are those who exalt themselves against God, men, doctrines, and right traditions (II Thessalonians 2:15; 3:6).

James 4:1-3

"Where do wars and fights come from among you?  Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members?  You lust and do not have.  You murder and covet and cannot obtain.  You fight and ware.  Yet you do not have because you do not ask.  You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spent it on pleasures."  James 4:1-3

This is vital because we find ourselves living a culture that is coming apart at the seams because each individual wants to execute his desires.  James tells us what happens when individuals begin to do this.

His basic question to Christians is, "Are we going to submit to God or to our desires for pleasure?"  Pleasure here does not mean "fun," as when one goes to an amusement park.  James is talking about the desire that normally arises within an individual, who must make the choice of whether or not he is going to follow through and gratify himself by fulfilling that desire.  So pleasure here means "that which gratifies."

He is saying to us that, if we seek our desires, then we had better understand that life will be filled with conflict.  Why?  Because everybody else is doing the same thing.  Their desires are likely different from ours, and so our desires runs headlong into their desires, producing arguments, struggle, strife, and ware over whose desire is going to be fulfilled.  When people do what is right in their own eyes, rather than submit to the central authority, desires will crash into each other, creating conflict.  It does not matter whether that central authority is the family, the culture, or God's Word.

This is happening constantly, but God has a solution.  It is not easy.  The solution is that each son of God bear the responsibility to govern himself, by faith, within the framework of His laws, His principles, His traditions, and the examples that He gives in His Word.  We have to submit to these things.

John 8:32 declares that the truth sets us free, but it will never set anyone free unless it is submitted to.  Truth is good only as it is used, so a person must submit to it.  Inevitably, differences will arise on what things should be done or how they should be done.  But God has a way of resolving these problems if we will submit and not succumb to impatience - if we do not force our will and thus force conflict.

Leviticus 1:14

"And if the burnt sacrifice of his offering to the LORD is of birds, then he shall bring his offering of turtledoves or young pigeons."  Leviticus 1:14

The turtledove and pigeon represent mourning, innocence, powerlessness, meekness, and humility.  No labor is symbolized here, nor is uncomplaining submission, but rather harmlessness, a proclivity to make peace, and even sadness.  In Matthew 10:16, as Christ prepares to send the apostles out to represent Him, He instructs them:  "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves.  Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves."  Later, the apostle Paul instructs the much-beloved Philippian congregation to "Do all things without murmuring and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless..." (Philippians 2:14-16).

Isaiah draws on a turtledove's characteristic to describe Israel's social situation:

"We all growl like bears, and moan sadly like doves; we look for justice, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far from us.  For our transgressing are multiplied  before You, and our sins testify against us; and as for our iniquities, we know them:  In transgressing and lying against the Lord, and departing from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood.  Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands afar off; for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter.  So truth fails, and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey."  (Isaiah 59:11-15)

Overall, the turtledove's imagery is of humility mixed with sadness caused by the overwhelming accumulation of the effects of sin and repentant sorrow because we have been so much trouble to God. This quality is rewarding, as Psalm 147:3 comforts, "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds."  Psalm 34:17-19 adds, "The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles.  The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit.  Many are afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all."

Matthew 13:48-50

"which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered into vessels, but threw the bad away.  So it will be at the end of the age.  The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, and cast them into the furnace of fire.  There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth."  Matthew 13:48-50

Jesus tells us that the bad fish are thrown into the fire.  John the Baptist says this in a slightly different way in Matthew 3:12: "[Jesus] will burn the chaff with unquenchable fire."  This principle appears somewhat differently in the Parable of the Sheep and Goats (Matthew 25:31-46): Christ is Judge, and He sets the sheep on His right hand and the goats on His left.  He judges that the sheep can enter eternal life, while the goats receive the destructive judgment of fire.

Although a final judgment is coming for the world, the church is now under God's judgment (I Peter 4:17; Revelation 11:1-2).  Not only is the sentence coming, but our conduct and growth are also currently being judged - Christ is evaluating whether we meet His high standards.  Ultimately, everyone is judged the same way, according to the same standard, by the same criteria.  The "bad fish" among us are not ours to judge, but Jesus, the righteous Judge, has promised to judge with equity (Psalm 98:9).

Matthew 13:50 says they are thrown "into the furnace of fire."  A similar thing occurs in the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares: At the end of the age, the tares will be gathered and thrown into the furnace (verses 30, 41-42).  The emphasis in the Parable of the Tares is on the wicked and their evil works and their subsequent judgment.  However, in the Parable of the Dragnet, instead of highlighting the wickedness, Jesus focuses on the process of judgment, not necessarily on condemning evildoers.  Some people are condemned for doing wicked things, but others are saved and rewarded for doing the good works assigned to them.  God's calling is first impartial, and then His judgment is absolutely fair.  The wicked will get only what they deserve.

 God's "catch" is the church, a chosen cross-section of the entire world; He cast a wide net.  However, once those He calls accept Jesus Christ, God does show Himself partial to the "good fish" - those who love Him, obey Him, serve others, grow, and produce spiritual fruit.  In the process of salvation, God judges whether we are good, useable fish or substandard fish fit only for the fire.  He judges us according to how we measure up against His standard of righteousness, "the perfect man, ...the measure of stature of the fullness of Christ" (Ephesians 4:13).  God throws His net into the world and drags us in, and if we are unwilling to comply with His holy standard, our eternal judgment will be to be discarded in the fire.

Presently, the church's function is not judicial but declarative.  On the one hand, the church is responsible to warn sinners of the dire consequences of sin and of the time of God's judgment coming upon all humanity.  On the other hand, we are to witness of God's way of life, as well as to proclaim Christ's return and the establishment of God's wonderful, benevolent government here on earth.  This is good news!

Revelation 10:9-10

"So I went to the angel and said to him, "Give me the little book."  And he said, to me, "Take and eat it; and it will make your stomach bitter, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth."  Then I took the book out of the angel's hand and ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth.  But when I had eaten it, my stomach became bitter."  Revelation 10:9-10

The little book was very pleasing to John's taste.  Such is the way we all approach the Bible.  We love to study it and find new things (Jeremiah 15:16).  It is very pleasing, even thrilling, going down, but the consequences of eating it are sometimes quite unsettling once we understand what it is telling us to do.  It can be even sickening in the way that it turns our world upside-down.

This "tasting good" can also be like our first love - when we are all zealous for God's truth.  Then, as we come to understand what it really means and how it affects our live, it becomes less and less sweet and more and more bitter.  It makes us do things that are wrenching to our lives.  This is where the bitterness comes in.  Our human nature often does not want to do the things that it tells us to do, which causes upset, pain, even personal calamity.  Sometimes we have to go against a family member who is perhaps staunchly religious but of a different belief, who does not like what we are doing.  It might cause the disruption of a family, the loss of a job, even persecution and death.  That is how bitter following the Word of God can be.  How is bitter is death?

It is likely that this phrase - his stomach became bitter - means that it did not just become queasy.  John threw up.  He fell to the ground and threw up everything he ate.  A little later, it says that the angel tells him, "John, get up.  Rise."  It is in the record to show us the normal reaction to God's Word, especially to the prophet or apostle who is commissioned to preach it.  God is working with symbols, behaviors, and starkly contrasting things.  The phraseology suggest a suddenness:  John loved it as it wen down, but it hit his stomach and came right back up again.  As in Ezekiel (there are a number of parallels between John's experience in Revelation and the prophet's in Ezekiel), God worked with a man's behavior.  God want us to see how wrenching taking God's Word into us is to a person's life.  WE come out of a world that is totally opposite of His way.  And when these two ways of life meet - like vinegar and soda - it cause a sometimes violent reaction.

Overall, the illustration shows that there is a great deal in God's way of life that is upsetting, especially when it comes in contact with our worldly way of be life before conversion.

Then the Angel tells John, "You have to speak about this."  The result of what has taken place is that now he has the inspiration, the information, and the strength to prophesy, or to preach, again.  Even though it caused this great queasiness, this upset, the unsettling, sickening, painful feeling, it still filled him and gave him the strength and energy to do the work that he was being given.

Ecclesiastes 7:20-22

"For there is not a just man on earth who does good and does not sin.  Also do not take to heart everything people say, lest you hear your servant cursing you.  For many times, also, your own heart has known that even you have crushed others." Ecclesiastes 7:20-22

"Others" here is referring to another person; it could even refer to a stranger.  What Solomon is giving us in this section (verses 15-29) is counsel for balanced living.

Verse 20 shows that no one on earth does what is right all the time, never making a mistake.  It is the character of a just man to do good, but that is not what always happens.

Then verse 21 begins with the word "also," which means "in addition," "likewise," "too," "in like manner," and "furthermore," suggesting that verses 21-22 continue the thought of verse 20.  In just about every situation, sin is involved.  Either we have sinned or others have sinned against us - or both.

Solomon advisers us not to pay attention to or take to heart everything people say, even if we hear an employee or someone under our authority insulting us - because we know that we have insulted other people many times.

Understanding the word "curse" is important here.  It does not mean "to invoke or bring evil or misfortune upon" or "to damn."  It is the Hebrew word qalal, which means "to make light, trifling, bring into contempt, abate."  One English word abate means "to make less,"  to reduce in quantity, value, degree, or intensity," "to beat down," and even "to deprive."

These verses do not give specific examples of what might have been said.  Perhaps it was a defaming remark, an unwarranted comment, and angry threat, a joke at another's expense, or deliberate untruths.  What was said is ultimately unimportant.

Commentator John Gill (1697-1771) writes in his Exposition of the Old Testament on verse 21:

"Seeing so it is, that imperfection attends the best of men, no man is wise at all times, foolish words and unguarded expressions will sometimes drop from him, which it is better to take no notice of; they should not be strictly attended to, and closely examined, since they will not bear it.  A man should not listen to everything that is said of himself or others; he should not curiously inquire what men say of him; and what he himself hears he should take no notice of; it is often best to let it pass, and not call it over again; to feign the hearing of a thing, or make as if you did not hear it; for oftentimes, by rehearsing a matter, or taking up word spoken, a deal of trouble and mischief follows."

In the face of provocation, the true quality of self-restraint is displayed in our ability to take it patiently with forbearance and longsuffering.  A person who is longsuffering is not quick to retaliate or promptly punish someone who has insulted, offended, or harmed him.

 

Ephesians 6:1

"Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. "Honor your father and mother," which is the first commandment with promise:  "that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth."  And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord."  Ephesians 6:1

The context obviously addresses children and parents.  Paul makes it clear that children have a responsibility before God and that keeping the commandment has benefits for them to anticipate receiving.  This is in agreement with Deuteronomy 4:39-40.

One of the benefits he mentions is the prospect of long life, which also contains an implication of prosperity.  Not the least of the additional benefits is the gradual development of understanding and wisdom garnered from the parents, which themselves help to produce long life and prosperity.  Thus, in an overall sense, he is reminding children that obedience to truth has its rewards.

Is there an age at which or a circumstance under which the child's responsibility to honor his parents undergoes a change?  The answer is both "Yes" and "No," which is why Paul qualifies his charges to children.  His qualification is contained within the phrase "in the Lord."  It connotes what is within the boundaries of the Lord's way.  In all cases, the responsibility to honor one's parents diminishes when a child marries, and his or her first attention must be given to the spouse.  Cleaving to the spouse trumps the honoring of parents.  Paul qualifies this a step further by implying that, if the parents demand submission beyond the bonds of Christian conduct, that is, not "in the Lord" - such as commanding a child to lie in their behalf, steal for them, bow down to an idol, etc.. - in such cases the child's choice should be to submit to Christ rather than to his or her parents.  Submitting to God's commands trumps submitting to parent's  commands that are beyond what God commands us to do in order to stay "in the Lord."

II Samuel 15:13-14

"Now a messenger came to David, saying, "The hearts of the men of Israel are with Absalom."  So David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, "Arise, and let us flee, or we shall not escape from Absalom.  Make haste to depart, lest he overtake us suddenly and bring disaster upon us, and strike the city with the edge of the sword."  II Samuel 15:13-14

The background of these verses is David's flight from Absalom.  Absalom was determined to become king, so he began undermining David through deceitful and worldly-wise ways: by using psychology, by giving favorable judgments to garner support.  In so doing, he began to persuade people to follow him.  It took him four years of undermining of his father to get a large enough following to mover to overthrow him.  He was successful to a point.

Proverbs 28:1 says that the wicked flee when no one pursues.  God would certainly not call David a wicked man.  He went through periods when he was far from God.  Here, he fled for his life into the wilderness east of Jordan.  Why did he flee?  Wisdom dictated that David was in no position to defend the city:  He was outnumbered and "outgunned."  Absalom, by his strategy, had gained the upper hand, so David decided that it was better to have freedom of movement in an open place than it was to be trapped in a city, where he would be subject to siege.

So he - like Jesus later on - decided that discretion is the better part of valor.  Was David a coward?  He was a mighty man of valor, a great man in the eyes of God, and a winner of many military victories.  It was a proverb in Israel that "David [has slain] his ten thousands" (I Samuel 18:7; 21:11; 29:5).  None would dare call David a coward.  At the time, flight was the wisest move; his action was guided by wisdom, not cowardice.  Beyond this, David, who usually had his spiritual wits about him, did not presume to discount God's authority to do as He pleased as the real Sovereign of Israel.

Revelation 6:5-6

"When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, "Come and see."  So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand.  And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, "A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quartes of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine."  Revelation 6:5-6

Clearly, this third seal pictures famine stalking the land (see Matthew 24:7; Luke 21:11).  Biblically, the color black - unlike our modern conception of it as the color of evil, as opposed to white - signifies mourning and ill health as a result of scarcity (see Jeremiah 14:2, Lamentations 5:10, Nahum 2:10; all of which, in Hebrew, describe people's expressions, skins, or faces as "black" due to want).  This in keeping with another use of black or darkness in Scripture:  as a sign of God's judgment for sin (Zephaniah 1:15; Joel 2:2).

The pair of scales, of course, suggest similar things, adding an economic element, as grains or other foods would often be weighed for sale.  Scales could also be used, as is likely intended in the third seal, to ration food during a time of scarcity.  In the vision, a denarius represents a laborer's daily wage, and a quart of grain equals a person's daily nutritional requirement.  The third horseman, then, portrays a scenario of hunger and suffering, when the powers that be tightly control the meting out of staple food at highly inflated prices.

Finally, there is the curious phrase, "do not harm the oil and the wine."  Commentators have been debating the meaning of this command for centuries.  It is clearly spoken by God, sitting among the four living creatures, and just as He sets the famine prices of grain, He also decrees that oil and wine be spared any harm.  How are we to understand this?

Olive oil and wine are not luxury items, as many take them to be; in the Mediterranean world, they are important supporting elements of the common diet (see Deuteronomy 7:13; Haggai 1:11; etc..).  However, while they provide supplementary nutrition, people cannot subsist on them alone.  Thus, they are secondary food items, and in the prophecy, they remain plentiful.  This leads to two possible conclusions:

1.God is limiting the severity of famines, as the "the end is not yet" (Matthew 24:66) and "these are the beginning of sorrows" (verse 8); or more likely,

2. He is indicating a measure of disparity and irregularity in these famines.  Some food will be scare, while others are abundant.  Some people will be sorely affected, while others will hardly suffer.  Some areas will be hit hard, while others feel little impact.

This second conclusion suggests human involvement, a wild card in every circumstance, which would fit well with the first two seals.  Unlike simple natural disasters, religious deceptions and wars require the decisions and actions of people to bring them about.  God hints at a human element in all these disasters, including famine, that occur down through the centuries to remind us of our culpability in them.  When man governs without the guidance of God, catastrophe and destruction are not far behind.

I Corinthians 9:16 & II Corinthians 11:27-28

"For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!"  I Corinthians 9:16

"in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fasting often, in cold and nakedness - besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches."  II Corinthians 11:27-28

Paul says, "Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel."  But on the other hand, "the care of the churches" was also on him constantly.

Considering what Paul says in I Corinthians 9:16 and II Corinthians 11:27-28, and comparing how much time he must have spent preaching the gospel in relation to how much that he spent on feeding the flock in his daily care of the churches, it appears that the great preponderance of his time and energy were spent in "feeding the flock," not in preaching the gospel to the world.

A pastor has a unique point of view on this because he knows how demanding the pastoring of a congregation is in terms of time, energy, and effort.  In comparing what a normal pastor does with what the apostle Paul has to do with a Mediterranean-wide area to cover on foot or boat, he had to spend most of his time on his congregation, no on the world.

In the long run, what kind of picture does the overt emphasis on preaching to the world give a person of God and His purpose?  Is God so limited in creativity that He can only think of one thing for His children to do?  Are lives and relationships always so stable that nothing ever arises that creates a necessity for something different to be done?

Is there only on thing that we have to be trained for, so we just keep doing the same thing over and over again?  Is there nothing else in God's mind for us that requires analysis, strategy, concern, and the effort of sacrifice and living by faith to produce growth, create solutions, and to overcome?  Is our Father in heaven so one-dimensional that all He thinks about in regard to His children and His purpose is that we preach the gospel to the world?  Of course not.

Ephesians 4:14

"that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,"  Ephesians 4:14

It is common for people to take the easy way, the path of least resistance.  They allow themselves to be blown along with the prevailing cultural wind, whether in fashion, sports, art, music, politics or sadly ethics and morals.  Taking no thoughts to their course or direction, they follow along with the current trends because it is easier to "go with the flow."

When bad things happen or when they realize that they have ended up somewhere that they never imagined they would be, instead of deeply considering the course of their lives, many merely shrug their shoulders and call it "fate" or "circumstances."  In doing this, they show that they are ruled by the swirling winds of society around them.  Rather than exercising control over their lives, they allow those trends to direct their journeys through life.  They simply refuse to set a course, man the tiller, and make for a set destination.

At one time or another, we, too, have been affected by what is happening in the world.  We have allowed ourselves to be driven by the prevailing winds of this society and its standards.  Whether we admit or not, we have been affected by our culture's television, movies, fashions, politics and even religion.

We have been called to come out of this world (Revelation 18:4).  God wants us to find a course contrary to the prevailing and normal way of life that seems right to those in the world.  As proverbs 14:12 tells us, "There is a way which seems right to a man and appears straight before him, but at the end of it is the way of death" (The Amplified Bible).  History is strewn with examples of human ideas that did not end well.

The prevailing winds of this Satan-inspired world (II Corinthians 4:4) sweep millions along in its intense velocity.  It is beating against us all the time, and the struggle to resist is wearying.  Out of sheer exhaustion, some give in to those winds and conform to their whispered suggestions.  It is especially easy to succumb to them when surrounded by peers, employers, friends, and neighbors who want us to follow them and their way of thinking.  It is just far less stressful to go along.

However, we are not to conform to the course that the world takes (Romans 12:2).  Instead, we are to set our sails to the follow a different line, obeying God and rejecting the popular trends of this world when they disregard His way of life.  This means that we must take the time to consider and decide where we want to end up.  What is our destination?   Where is our home port?  Then, we have to learn to make right choices so that we will one day arrive there.

The force that is in the world - dominant, popular, and widespread - is contrary to God.  If we desire to obey God, we must face it and overcome it, having enough strength to endure its ceaseless, insistent pressure to return to its easy lifestyle.

Hebrews 5:13-14

"For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe.  But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil."  Hebrews 5:13-14

The Hebrews had to be reminded in the strongest terms that the just shall live by faith, and that God was not please with those who turned and ran in the day of battle.  We do not want to allow ourselves to get in that fix.  Nor do we want to become discouraged, thinking we will never measure up to what God requires of us and think, "This task is too hard."

Jesus, indeed, warned that the way is narrowed and difficult, but it is not impossible because God has promised never to give us something that is too hard for us.  God plays the game, as it were, according to the abilities of each individual.  Though there is a standard against which everyone is judged, everyone is judged fairly - according to their natural ability and according to the gifts that God has given to them.  Also, "to whom much is given, from him much will be required" (Luke 12:48).

So no one can look at his neighbor and compare himself with him, because no one knows exactly where the other person stands.  There has to be some tolerance of and patience with one another.  We must have an attitude of forgiveness, even of encouragement.  We have to do whatever we can that might help the other person make it into the Kingdom of God.  That is part of our responsibility.

Besides the fact that we know those things, there is also the "great cloud of witnesses" that is mentioned in Hebrews 12:1.  That is, those who have gone before and are witnesses to us that God is faithful.  How are they witnesses?  They finished the race, and are awaiting the resurrection.  God has given us witness of their lives, and how and why they made it.  This witness illustrates His involvement in their lives.

He recorded those things so that we can understand that God will deal with us in a merciful way.  He has not called us to lose us but to save us.  He is able to do what He sets His hand to do.  We are in good hands - the best!  We are in the most secure position that we could possibly be.  That "great cloud of witnesses" witnesses to us that, if they did it, we can do it too.

So there is no need to get discouraged, even though the way for each of us is just as hard, just as difficult, as it has to be.  He tells us in His Word that He will do far more - over and above what we can even begin to think that He is capable of doing - to ensure that we will be saved.

II Corinthians 10:13-16

"We, however, will not boast beyond measure, but within the limits of the sphere which God appointed us - a sphere which especially includes you.  For we are not not overextending ourselves (as though our authority did not extend to you), for it was to you that we came with the gospel of Christ; not boasting of things beyond measure, that is, in other men's labors, but having hope, that as your faith is increased, we shall be greatly enlarged by you in our sphere, to preach the gospel in the regions beyond you, and not to boast in another man's sphere of accomplishment."  II Corinthians 10:13-16

Paul was the apostle to the Gentiles.  It was his province, his area of authority, his area of influence.  Paul says that he lived within it and worked within it.  He did not go into other men's areas to extend his influence beyond what was given to him.  Peter was made preeminent over them all, and than as the work grew, God divided it up, saying in effect, "Paul, concentrate on this.  Peter, concentrate on that."  They had leadership in those areas, and it was almost as though the two shall never meet.

The picture that appears from all of this is that, not only did Paul adhere to the sphere of influence that God had given him, but so did the other twelve apostles.  They divided up the world, went to their areas, and conducted their spiritual and governmental responsibilities only within their regions.  That is the only way God could keep order over a worldwide work at the time.

The people who responded to the teaching of those men in those areas were not confused by other voices speaking to them.  Each stayed within his own sphere of influence, the one that had been given by God.  In that area, he was the top authority, as far as the doctrines that were to be followed, and in this way, God could keep order.  Quite likely, the apostles were all speaking the same thing, yet by this method, confusion in terms of government was kept to a minimum.  The people were not confused about whom they were to look to in their region for authority in matters pertaining to their relationship with God.  It is a wonderful system.

God is not the author of confusion (I Corinthians 14:33).  Doctrine was put into the church as the work expanded in the way that He has always done it - as He did through Moses, through whom He gave the first five books; as He did through Samuel, who may very well have been the author or main editor of all the books from Joshua to II Samuel; then through others whom God used to add to the scriptures so that we might have the complete Bible today.

So, it is God who put doctrine into His church by the men He chooses to be His ambassadors, His representatives to those who have been called.  That keep matters in order.  Our job is to have faith in God's decision and in the pattern that He reveals in His Word.  That will keep us on track if we choose to make the right choices.

Acts 20:24 & 32

"So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified."  Acts 20:32

" But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of grace of God."  Acts 20:24

The "word of His grace" in this context is most specifically the whole gospel.  Notice especially that Paul says he is committing us to the word of His grace which is able to build us up, to edify us.  We could think of it edifying us in terms of building a muscle or of erecting a structure.  To it another way, the word of grace matures us.  We usually think of maturity, which is a building of personality and character, as growth from childhood and all its weaknesses to a stable adult.  Another way of putting it would be, "The word of grace enables us to go on to perfection."

What is beginning to open up here is something very beautiful.  Grace does not end when God forgives us.  The grace of God continues to add to what was originally given, because if He stopped giving thins with the forgiveness of sin, that would be end of growth; it would stop right there.  Forgiveness is only the beginning portion of a process, for God keeps giving us grace to enable us to mature, to grow in grace and knowledge (II Peter 3:18), to grow to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ (Ephesians 4:13).  We would never get there unless God continued to pour out His grace on us.

The apostle Paul shows grace to something that is dynamic and active.  Remember Jesus said, "The words that I speak to you [the word of grace] are spirit and they are life."  There is power in them!

What is the gospel?  It is words.  It is good news, but it is composed of words of power.  This word confers a blessing that is unique, that enables us to mature spiritually.  Words - any words - have the power to build or to destroy, to encourage or discourage.  They can either be true or they can be lies.  They can inspire or they can sadden and depress.  It all depends on how they are used, the attitude in which they are used, and how they are arranged.

The gospel is an arrangement of true words that fill us with purpose for living and show us how that purpose can be obtained.  It comes completely as a gift; we are favored.  The word of grace brings delight and salvation - an arrangement of words given a loving attitude by a loving God.