Philippians 2:15

Hi Everyone! Since we are talking about being "lights" this week, here are two cartoons I found...hehehe...
					This week we are going to look at Philippians 2:15 and finish our theme from the last post ~ "Whine or Shine"... Are you a Whiner or a Shiner? "...so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe..." (New International Version) Or, you can pull it up the verse yourself and have it handy-dandy to look at by clicking on one of my Bible links on the left sidebar. :O) "Pure and blameless..." ~ seems impossible, doesn't it? In the commentary at http://www.preceptaustin.org (See the link I have for commentary on the left sidebar) they say that "blameless and innocent" concerns the intrinsic character of a person. I like saying that word..."intrinsic" ~ kinda rolls off of your tongue... The first time I ever really was aware of this word was when I starting teaching a parenting class. They talked a lot about intrinsic vs extrinsic. Intrinsic means "inwardly" and extrinsic... you got it...means "outwardly"... Paul's desire for the Philippians is that there be no intrinsic characteristics found in them that would find them guilty on Judgment Day. (See the next verse, 16.) This is a good explanation ~ He wants them to observe the Commandments and requirements of the Lord in such a way that they were blameless...AND THAT THEY were quick to deal with the sin in their lives. This is not synonymous with sinless, for that is only seen in Christ! I think that this reminds me of King David. I think that this is why God called him a man after His own heart ~ David was quick to deal with the sin in his life. Sometimes, it had to be pointed out to him that God saw what he did and he was not hiding anything... "in a crooked and depraved generation..." Oh.my.goodness..... What would Paul think if he could come back to earth and witness first-hand our generation's moral (cough cough) "fiber" today? Oh.my.goodness..... Crooked = "skolios" I don't know about you, but when I first read that word, I immediately thought of "scoliosis" or curvature of the spine.... very painful.... very unnatural.... very not-in-the-original-plans for our bodies. "Skolios" in the Greek means the nature of those who do not walk in the straightness and uprightness that God commands but walk in a cramped and crooked way that merits punishment. (Kittel, G., Friedrich, G., & Bromiley, G. W. Theological Dictionary of the New Testament. Eerdmans) very painful... very unnatural... very not-in-the-plans for our life... ...in which you shine like stars in the universe... Zowee...where do we start with this beautiful part of the 15th verse? "As someone has said we are not searchlights or spotlights but lights in the fog. Fog lights prevent tragic shipwreck and eternal loss! Searchlights blind our eyes." I remember when I was in Junior High...my brother Don was my Principal...yep..that's right!! But he took good care of me! Anyway...I was staying with Don and Rowena, my sister-in-law, the last few months of my 8th grade. My mom and dad had moved to another city and I needed to finish out my schooling in the 8th grade. Anyway...my brother would wake me up in the morning by pulling me out of bed, making me walk into the bathroom with ALL of the lights on... talk about a spotlight, I felt as though I was looking straight in to one of those store spotlights that shine in the sky to announce a grand opening... That hurts!!...but did I mention that they did take good care of me... I like this word picture the best: "The picture is that of a procession at night, in a crooked and distorted age, in which torchbearers are going and holding high the blazing torches, so that those following can see how to walk in this sin-darkened world." (Dobson,E G, Charles Feinberg, E Hindson, Woodrow Kroll, H L. Wilmington: KJV Bible Commentary: Nelson) We are to be lights powered by heaven, or the Holy Spirit... not spotlights that hurt people's feelings and turn them off. "The darker the night, the brighter the light appears. Christians are lights or light-bearers. They cannot create any light, but they can reflect the glory of the Lord so that others may see Jesus in them." I also think of the candlestick glowing in the fragrant darkness of the Holy of Holy in the Tabernacle in the Wilderness. You came in from the bright light of the desert sun, into this area that had to be dark with all of the coverings making up the "tent". But...there in the midst of the darkness was this beautiful pure (pure and blameless) gold candlestick or lampstand, (Exodus 25:31-40) filled with oil which represents the Holy Spirit... comforting, guiding, making clear the way to walk. Oh how we need to always make sure our candlesticks are full of the oil of the Holy Spirit, lighting the area around us as we sit in His Presence and "soak up" His radiance. Amen. Until next week, may God keep you in the hollow of His hands, Debbie G.

Philippians 2:13-15...Whine or Shine!

Hello Everyone!

I am enjoying the title to this post!! It says verse 14 and 15 in a nutshell! ...all zipped up!!

New International Version:

13.) ..."for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose. 14.) Do everything without complaining or arguing, 15.) so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe.."

Verse 13 follows VERSE 12

which said that we are to

work out our salvation with fear and trembling.

Verse 13 says that it is GOD that works in us

(not ourselves working it out) to bring

out our full potential, our purpose.

How can we fulfill our purpose in life by our

own works, when we did not make us and

we do not know what the original intention for us

was???

Just like when we make a cake...

we KNOW what kind of cake

it is supposed to be...

a birthday cake,

a cake to take to a new neighbor,

a chocolate mayonnaise cake to a chocolate lover,

(See my mom's recipe for chocolate mayonnaise cake at my "P. S." below)

a cake to take to a potluck that everyone is asking for,

(anyone out there read Jan Karon's books and know about

the orange marmalade cake?)



a wedding cake...you get the picture.

God has an original purpose for our lives.

A plan He had BEFORE we were born!!

Mindboggling.

(Psalm 139:16)

Sometimes we use our "cake" for other purposes than what it was intended for.

It would be like taking a wedding cake to someone's birthday party.

Or a birthday cake to a funeral dinner!!

How do we prevent that?

Read the recipe from the MAKER of the

recipe! The Bible will guide your footsteps and sitting in God's

Presence and allowing the Holy Spirit to guide you,

will allow you to use your

"cake" for the right purpose and in the right place.


Verses 14...Now we come to our 2nd out of 3 life principles from

verses 12-15 that all truly appreciative Christians should embrace:

(The #1 was "work out their ((your)) salvation with fear and trembling".

See last post.)

#2 ~ "Without grumbling or complaining".....

Ouch, double ouch....

Our most vivid example in the Bible are the Israelites

in the Old Testament, who mumbled and grumbled

after God had rescued them from slavery in Egypt.

Numbers 14:28 "So tell them, 'As sure as I live, declares

the Lord, I will do to you the very things I heard you say.'"

In verse 22 of the same chapter, the Lord says that they

had disobeyed Him 10 times!!

This is the part where He banishes them to walk in the

wilderness for 40 years...40 years ~ one year for each

day they explored the Land of Canaan and came back

with a murmuring and grumbling report!! (same chapter, verse 34)

What this says to me is be careful what you complain about!!

God may just say, after His mercy and grace has been depleted,

"Ok...if that is how you feel, then that is what you will get!"

Z.O.W.E.E.

They did not like the new wonderful place God had miraculously

brought them too...welllll Okkkk then...they would not get to enjoy it!!

Yikes.

EXCEPT for the ones that did NOT murmur and grumble ~ Caleb and

Joshua and the people who were under 20 years old.

A quote from Mark Adams' article "Whine or Shine" ~

found on the commentary website at www.preceptaustin.org ~

(I have a link for it now on my sidebar.)

"Negativism steals joy...the joy that our world so desperately needs and it also spreads...and grows like a snow ball rolling down a hill."

Ahhhh....there is that word again...JOY...

Check yourself this week and see how many times you catch yourself

murmuring or grumbling.

When you do, and you will, STOP and find something...anything...

to thank the Lord for. Even if it is your next breath.

Disclaimer: You have to, at times, protect yourself and stand up and

tell the truth in love, Ephesians 4:15. The type of complaining in verse 14 is a

constant undertow of murmuring and "harping" about the same thing

ad nauseam. There is a big difference!

We will talk about verse 15 next week!!

Until next week,

Debbie G.

P. S. My Mom's Recipe For "Salad Dressing Cake"
or a.k.a "Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake"...
1 C. Sugar, 4 Tablespoons Cocoa, 2 C. Flour, 1 C. Miracle Whip, 1 C. Warm Water, 2 Teaspoons Baking Soda, 1 Teaspoons vanilla. Sift the sugar, flour, cocoa together. Mix the salad dressing, warm water, in which the soda has been dissolved, together. Combine ingredients, add vanilla. Pour into a greased 8x8 baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes at 375 degrees. If you are making this into cupcakes, it will make 30-32.

Philippians 2:12

Hello Everyone!!

How has your week been?

Mine has been laden with a stress mine field and...

I stepped on a couple of them this week!
So, let's start off with some laughter,

which God has given us to relieve that volcano-erupting-feeling inside.

I promised some more of my favorite comedian,

Chonda Pierce, so may I present Chonda in "Weird Things Happen to Me"...

(plz excuse the "fuzziness")



No...nothing weird like that has happened to me...what about you?

Okayyyyy...now that we have laughed and are stress free, (?)

let's keep digging in our glorious treasure mine of God's Word.

Let's use our "pick" and dig out a precious nugget

this week, that will:

comfort us,

strengthen us

and give us wisdom. Amen.

Philippians 2:12 (New International Version)

(12) "Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling..."

≈≈Therefore≈≈in other words,

• because Jesus gave His life for us

• because He humbled Himself

• because He became a Servant
  

• because He became obedient to death (previous posts ~ verses 5-11)...

here is how you should live...

With Integrity...!

"Integrity in the faith is something that is revealed in the hidden times more than in the public times. Bill Hybels had a great title for one of his books, "Who You Are When No One's Looking".

It is the reminder that who we are when no one is looking is who we really are. We can all maintain a certain image when we are in church. But the real test of faith is when we are outside of the church. The goal of the Christian is to live consistently. Will Rogers perhaps summed it up well, "Live in such a way that you would not be ashamed to sell your parrot to the town gossip." (Bruce Goettsche)

I have been in situations before and thank the good Lord

that I had the presence of mind to ask myself...

"How would you act if you knew a camera was recording

your every move and spoken word ~

and could be REPLAYED back to the person you were talking about? "

Not always...

but more and more the Holy Spirit is prompting me

with this thought.

A good description of "integrity" is:

"The state of being whole and undivided."

Paul goes on to describe exactly what he means,

by listing 3 life principles that all truly appreciative Christians should embrace,

starting with verses 12-18.

For today's post, we will discuss the first principle:

"...continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling..."

WORK OUT not WORK FOR...

Many have misinterpreted this Scripture to mean that you have to work FOR

your salvation. Paul was talking to Christians here in Philippians...

(Chapters 1:1 & 3:20)

Martyn Lloyd Jones writes that

"Working out what God has worked in...is the practical exhortation of the New Testament gospel to us today. I must now perfect this thing which has been given to me. The seed has been planted; I have been given it in embryo. My business is to allow and to encourage this gift to grow and develop, until it comes to its final perfection and full maturity. I have got the gift: I need not be worried lest God is not present and not with me. God is working in me and I must develop it all I can."

J. Vernon McGee writes:

"Salvation needs to be worked in before it can be worked out.

After you are saved, God will talk to you about works."


Let's look at the exact meaning of the words, "work out"

and you'll see what Paul is getting at.

This little word is translated from the Greek word "katergazesthe"...

and it was the same word the Roman historian STRABO,

The Greek historian and geographer Strabo in a 16th century engraving.

used when he gave an account of the once-famous silver mines of Spain.

Strabo wrote of WORKING OUT these mines,

meaning that the owners were to operate the mines

in a manner that would gather the utmost value from them.

Understand-the mine's owners already had the mines in their possession.

But now they were to derive the full benefit of their ownership by WORKING OUT

all the ore from the various shafts and tunnels.

(Seems like we are talking a lot about mines this time!)

Question: How are practical ways we "work out" our salvation today?

"Fear and trembling..."

The fear of the Lord is ~ reverential trust.

Trembling here expresses profound reverence and respect.

Do you worship God for His attributes?

Don't know them?...look in the back of your Bible

and see if you have a "Subject Index" or "Subject by Topics".

Or you may own a Topical Bible ~ same thing.

(This is not a Concordance which is an alphabetical list of words in the Bible.)

Search for "God" and look under the sub-title of "attributes".

Don't have one? Email me and I will be happy to help you.

Do you trust God with your life, or have reverential trust, no matter what?...

No matter what the doctor says,

No matter what your parents may have said or not said about you,

No matter what your spouse says or doesn't say about you,

No matter that you are having trouble with your children or grandchildren,

No matter that your life has not been the "dream" you thought it would be,

No matter that you are worried about your finances,

No matter that you are worried about your future,

...Do you trust God with your life, no matter what???

Until next week,

Go with God and He will go with you,

Debbie G.


(Resources used: http://www.preceptaustin.org/
blueletterbible.org/commentaries)

What does the town of Philippi look like now?

Welcome back to our Bible Study Blog. Thank you for all that have contacted me and encouraged me. I appreciate your kindness.

Since I love history, I thought that it would be interesting to do a little background/sidebar study on the history of Philippi before we start with Chapter One. What does the town of Philippi look like now? Paul was writing this letter from jail or house arrest in Rome to the Philippians who had been so kind to him when he ministered in their town.


My research has told me that the ancient town of Philippi was near the town of Kavala, Greece. That would be at the North Eastern top of the map of Greece, right below Bulgaria. http://www.lonelyplanet.com/maps/europe/greece

Here are some pictures of what the "town" looks like today:

(1 of 18)
Greece: Philippi: Acropolis (1 of 18)

(3 of 18)
Greece: Philippi: Bascilica B (3 of 18) (Bascilica means a large oblong building used for a court of law, public assemblies or a church.)

(14 of 18)
Traditional site of the prison at Philippi

Greece: Philippi: Via Egnatia (17 of 18) (A road which stretched for 696 miles through Roman provinces. It was named after Gnaeus Egnatius ((Gesundheit!)), the governor of Macedonia.)

Map of the Via Egnatia: (The red line is the Via Egnatia.)

Top 4 pictures from http://www.padfield.com/greece/philippi/

Map from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Via_Egnatia

http://www.bibleplaces.com/philippi.htm

Toilets!! Public bathrooms were not uncommon in ancient Roman cities, such as these in Philippi. http://www.bibleplaces.com/philippi.htm Facts about Philippi: Founded in the 4th century B.C. and renamed after King Philip of Macedon, Philippi was an important outpost on the Via Egnatia. The Via Egnatia was built beginning in 145 B.C. This route was Rome's primary artery to the east and Philippi was an important outpost along the road. The Egnatian Way made it easier for Rome to move troops throughout the empire and it was the route that Paul traveled on from Neapolis to Philippi, Amphipolis, Apollonia and Thessalonica. Philippi means "Fountains" and is located near the head of the Aegean Sea and at the foot of Mt. Orbelos. Paul preached for the first time on European soil in Philippi (Acts 16:12-40) and baptized a woman named Lydia, a purple dye merchant in a river to the west of the city. In 49 or 50 A.D., Paul was imprisoned with Silas in the Philippian jail. An earthquake caused their prison to be opened. (Acts 16:16-24) Paul visited the city on two other occasions in 56 and 57 A.D. The Book of Philippians dates from around 61 and 62 A.D. I liked what wikipedia.org had to say about the Book of Philippians: "The Philippians had sent Epaphroditus, their messenger, with contributions to meet the needs of Paul; and on his return Paul sent this letter with him. With this precious communication, Epaphroditus sets out on his homeward journey. The joy caused by his return, and the effect of this wonderful letter when first read in the church of Philippi, are hidden from us. And we may almost say that with this letter the church itself passes from our view. Today, in silent meadows, quiet cattle browse among the ruins which mark the site of what was once the flourishing Roman colony of Philippi, the home of the most attractive church of the apostolic age. But the name and fame and spiritual influence of that church will never pass. To myriads of men and women in every age and nation the letter written in while he was under house arrest in Rome, and carried along the Via Egnatia by an obscure Christian messenger, has been a light divine and a cheerful guide along the most rugged paths of life." So...in answer to the title of this post...nothing but ruins. But we have the Book of Philippians. God's Word will never pass away.. "Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away." Luke 21:3 Please join me next week, when we will start in on the first chapter of Philippians and see how far we get... In His Service, Debbie Gerstenberger www.crossgenerations.org

The Book of Philippians

God has been taking me over and over to the Scripture in Philippians 4:11b ~

• "...for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content." (King James Version)
  
• "...for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances." (New International Version)
  
• "...Actually, I don't have a sense of needing anything personally. I've learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances. I'm just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I've found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am." (The Message Bible verses 11b-13)

I added different versions because, the KJV is the one that is precious to me, because that is the one that I learned growing up. The other two are very good, also.

I could go and buy or look in our closet for all of the Bible Study books that have been written on the Book of Philippians. Instead, I am being encouraged by the Holy Spirit to listen to Him and to listen to you. I love Bible Study, because I am richly blessed by hearing all of the different angles that each person brings to the table from his or her own personal life or spiritual experiences.

So, let's pretend that we are sitting around my kitchen table with our Bibles open, note books opened to a blank page, our pens raised, our coffee or tea simmering in our cup or cooling with our ice cubes, the fragrance of cinnamon and sugar is coming from our coffee cake up to our nose and we are excited to see what God is going to show us today in His Word. "Today in His Word"...a book that was written 2,000 years ago and it can touch us and break us and form us today in 2008!!

Will you join me? Will you enter in? Will you read and ask God to show you (and me) what He needs to teach us for our lives today?

In His Service,

Debbie Gerstenberger