Tag: obedience

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How to Understand The Gospel As A Cause For Rejoicing

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The Gospel Is A Cause For Rejoicing

© 2026 by C. O. Bishop

2nd Corinthians 1:12-24 (Read it!)

Introduction:

We have examined a couple of passages in 2nd Corinthians 1, and ended with verse eleven. Now we want to progress through Paul’s explanation of his own motives in life and in teaching.

The Gospel Is A Cause For Rejoicing, Both To The Speaker And The Hearers.

12 For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation (Greek, “anastrepho”…how we live our lives) in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward.

Paul and his associates rejoiced in having a clean conscience, knowing that their testimony was consistent. He gave full credit to the Lord, as the One who made such lives possible. He and his team had “practiced what they preached.” They had not given a mixed message. They never preached one thing, as if it mattered, and then did the opposite, as if it did not matter. They preached the truth, and lived it, too! And they rejoiced for the privilege to have served!

13 For we write none other things unto you, than what ye read or acknowledge; and I trust ye shall acknowledge even to the end; 14 As also ye have acknowledged us in part, that we are your rejoicing, even as ye also are our’s in the day of the Lord Jesus.

I found this passage to be difficult to understand in the King James Version. The translators used the word “acknowledge” when the intent was “to understand.”

The New International Version Renders It This Way:

3 For we do not write you anything you cannot read or understand. And I hope that, 14 as you have understood us in part, you will come to understand fully that you can boast of us just as we will boast of you in the day of the Lord Jesus.

Our “objective” in all speech or writing is communication. But without understanding, we have not communicated. I believe that “Until learning occurs, I have not accomplished teaching.” Paul seemed to agree with this principle. He and his fellow laborers were careful, in writing. They used language they knew the recipients could read. They taught concepts they knew they could understand.

Their hope was that the understanding would continue to develop until the Corinthian believers completely understood the message of Christ. The end result of such understanding is Joy! Paul and his fellow-laborers already rejoiced to see the reality of Christ developing in the lives of the Corinthian believers. (Despite their many errors.)

They hoped the Corinthian believers, eventually, would fully rejoice to have received the message from Paul. (It was not always “fun to hear” Paul’s message. Most of the Corinthian letters are corrective teaching. In our natural selves, we don’t like to be corrected.)

What About Correction, When It Matters?

When we desperately need to be correct in some matter, and we know that the person correcting us truly does know what is correct, and that they are truly acting for our benefit, then correction is precious to us. But when we just want to think that whatever we are doing is correct, then we resent correction. It makes us unapproachable when we feel and act this way.

Personal Example:

A missionary friend told of a tense situation: He and his family had invited several couples from the remote people they were serving, to have dinner at their house. But as the meal progressed, he could see that the men looked more and more angry, and the women looked both embarrassed and flattered.

He had no idea what was happening. His daughter rescued him. She asked him to help with something in the kitchen: There, she asked, “Daddy, do you know what you are doing??” He  knew something was wrong, but did not know why. So he replied honestly, “NO! Please tell me!”

She explained that he had been trying to dislodge a piece of corn from between his molars, by probing with his tongue. “But, Daddy, in this culture, THIS…” (poking her tongue into her cheek) “means THIS! (She gave a sly, suggestive wink!)

The missionary was horrified to learn that he had been openly (though unknowingly) flirting with all the wives of the men they had invited as guests. He marched right back into the dining room, and confessed his abysmal ignorance of their culture. He explained that he had only been trying to get a piece of corn out of his teeth.

They accepted his apology, and cheered up, saying “We do it this way!” (Shoving a finger into the far reaches of their mouths, and picking with a fingernail.) The ministry in that village was saved by a young girl who was more observant of culture than the adults were, and a father who was not too proud to learn from a child.

Paul’s Original Intent

15 And in this confidence I was minded to come unto you before, that ye might have a second benefit; 16 And to pass by you into Macedonia, and to come again out of Macedonia unto you, and of you to be brought on my way toward Judaea.

Paul had intended to pass their way again, but it had not yet worked out. His intention had been to bring additional blessing through teaching, and guidance, as the Holy Spirit worked in their midst, by his presence and teaching and example.

17 When I therefore was thus minded, did I use lightness? or the things that I purpose, do I purpose according to the flesh, that with me there should be yea yea, and nay nay? 18 But as God is true, our word toward you was not yea and nay. 19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us, even by me and Silvanus and Timotheus, was not yea and nay, but in him was yea.

No Double Meanings: No Ambiguity

Jesus was not ambiguous in His teaching. Paul sought to also be ambiguous. He did not “say one thing and mean another.”  (As an example, he asked, “Do you think I was ‘just talking’ when I said I wanted to visit you?”)

He did not speak lightly to them about anything. Life is serious, even when individual things are amusing or entertaining. The overall results of life are very serious. He had wanted to visit them, and still wanted to do so.

Paul did not “pretend to agree with them and then attempt to correct them.” He was not playing games, and he was never “two-faced” about his ministry. As a God-ordained Apostle, Paul told the truth all the time, and did not try to “soft-peddle…soft-sell” anything. He told the blunt truth.

20 For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.

Paul assured them that all the promises of God were secure. There was no “hidden agenda” with them or with God. As they offered God’s Word, they did so in complete transparency.

Who Builds The Relationships Between Teachers And Their Hearers?

21 Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; 22 Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.

Remember that the One who assures us that the teaching we are hearing, and the person doing the teaching are from Jesus Christ, and not leading us astray, is God Himself. God sends the faithful shepherds, and He has sealed them in Christ (Same as He did with us!) and has indwelt them with the person of the Holy Spirit. (Again, the same as He did for us!)

And God has given us the means, in His Word, by which to ascertain their character and their trustworthiness: God tells the necessary qualifications for all the (Elders, Shepherds, Overseers,) and Deacons, in 1st Timothy 3:1-8, in Titus 1:5-9, and in 1st Peter 5:1-4.

He tells us what their task is, in both the Old and the New Testament. (In Ezekiel 34:1-10, God laid out seven tasks of the shepherds of Israel, and He condemned them for not even trying to do those things.

And, in Ephesians 4:11-16, God tells us the additional tasks of the New Testament Church leaders. In Acts 20:26-35, he gave final commands to the Elders of the Church at Ephesus. So, we all have the capacity and resources to look, and to search the scriptures, to see whether the teaching is from God, and whether the workers are doing what they are called to do.

Why Did Paul Not Visit Corinth Again, Sooner?

23 Moreover I call God for a record upon my soul, that to spare you I came not as yet unto Corinth.

Paul knew that the Church at Corinth was riddled with problems, but he did not want to come to them with a list of “all the things they were doing wrong.” He hoped to come to them only to confer a blessing, through fellowship and additional teaching: Not to “Straighten you numbskulls out!” He did not want that sort of relationship with them. Paul had led most of them to Christ, and evidently had baptized a few of them. He would rather enjoy a fatherly, loving relationship with them, rather than constantly scolding and correcting them.

Additionally, he freely confessed that their faith was not to be ruled by Paul, but by Jesus. He only hoped to add to their joy by helping them in their faith. He concluded that it was by faith alone that they stood righteous before God.

24 Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy: for by faith ye stand.

What About Here At True Hope?

We do not “dominate the faith” of anyone here. Our primary goal is to feed the Flock: To help the flock to gain a deeper understanding of God’s Word. All of us seek to help one another to experience faith, and God’s Peace, and the Joy of the Lord. We seek to build disciples who can, in turn, build others, drawing others to believe the Gospel of Christ, and to understand His Word.

The Great Commission comprises the “marching orders” for the whole Body of Christ. We want to teach one another to embrace the One Job he has given to us. We have a multitude of “tasks,” and not all of us have the same tasks, because, for one thing, our gifts also vary.

But ALL of us have only One Job: the Great Commission was given several times, and in different contexts, and in slightly different phrasing: but the central command is the same. We are His Witnesses: We are Ambassadors for Christ. That is not a matter of choice, or preference. That is our reason to exist!

Lord Jesus, awaken in our hearts the earnest desire to walk with You and to become active ambassadors of the King of Kings: representatives of the Savior, the eternal God in the Flesh. Take away our constant tendency to wander away to toys and earthly distractions. Teach us the serious central issues of life.

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How To Understand and Use God’s Plan Of Evangelism

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What Is God’s Plan Of Evangelism?

© 2026 by C. O. Bishop

2nd Corinthians 1:1, Acts 17:1-14, Acts 18:1-8, Romans 15:15-20; Acts 8:1-4

1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, unto the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints which are in all Achaia:

Introduction:

Corinth was the Roman Capitol of Achaia at the time Paul was writing. Obviously, wherever he went, Paul made a practice of going to principal cities, such as Corinth, Philippi, etc. He sought to plant churches in each place as a “start,” like planting grape cuttings. This served to introduce the Gospel of Christ, via a self-supporting, self-propagating organism. He hoped each “start” (each fledgling church) would flourish and spread to all the villages around them.

To begin with, the Church exists as a Living, self-replicating, and self-propagating organism. The Holy Spirit has planted the church in the world, much as the wind plants dandelions in your lawn. (Obviously, You did not plant the dandelions there: They simply arrived, blown by the wind.) And they blossomed where the wind planted them: They sent down tough, resilient taproots, seeking water and nourishment. Furthermore, they maintained through dry summers, cold winters, and other hazards. And, every spring, they blossom again, producing hundreds of seeds. When mature, those seeds will blow away on the wind, like tiny parachutes and start new life elsewhere.

Clearly, the World does not want us here, any more than you want the dandelions in your lawn. But, like dandelions, we blossom where God planted us. And, like dandelion seedlings, we dig deep into God’s Word, seeking Living Water and Spiritual food. We multiply, and the “Wind of God” carries our “seeds” elsewhere. They take root in other places, other cities, other countries and languages.

This is God’s Plan of Evangelism

Paul demonstrates this “plan of evangelism” in Romans 15:17-20. It says “from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.” Now the distance from Jerusalem to Illyricum, by road, is anywhere from 1,000 to 1,400 miles. (That distance depends on what cities he visited as “side-trips.”)

Paul did NOT “talk to every single person” in that area. He planted churches any where he found even a few receptive hearts. Then he allowed the natural, spiritual reproduction of the Living Spirit of Christ to spread out and “self-propagate” from each of those “starts.”

Normal Propagation

Corinth and other primary cities in Achaia had received the Gospel of Christ. God caused many small churches to thrive there, though Paul had not visited everywhere in that province…just a few chief cities and towns (We only know of Athens, Corinth, and Cenchrea, for sure.) But, he said that He extended his greeting “to all the saints which were in ALL Achaia!” The Gospel had spread, just as it is supposed to do!

Forced Propagation

Acts 8:1-8 gives us one example of a delayed, but highly productive “spread.” Persecution broke out in Jerusalem after a mob stoned Stephen to death. The persecution “broke up the party” that the believers were enjoying in Jerusalem. They had continued to increase, in and around Jerusalem, but they had made no effort to evangelize outside that area.

in Acts 1:8, Jesus gave the following assignment: “After that the Holy Ghost is come upon you, ye shall be witnesses unto Me, in Jerusalem and in all Judea and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the Earth.”

The believers at Jerusalem, (whom we see in Acts chapters 2-6) had become pretty complacent: They were “having a great time around the Table of the Lord,” but they were not venturing out “into the field,” as they had been directed. We can’t really blame them: We tend to do the same thing.

What Happened in Jerusalem?

After the stoning of Stephen in Acts 7, a persecution broke out. Acts 8:1 “And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles.”

Please remember: Many of these believers were not natives of Jerusalem. They had come to Jerusalem for Pentecost, and the Apostles introduced them to Jesus as the Messiah. They stayed, to learn and grow, and to fellowship and grow strong. When the persecution began, most of them probably just went back to wherever they had originally come from.

And we see the result in Acts 8:4, : “Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word.” (Aha! So, persecution can result in evangelism!)

But, do we have to wait for persecution to drive us to the world around us? Or can we do it for the sheer joy of responding in obedience to the Great Commission?

The Joy of Christ

If we read the rest of Acts 8, we see that Philip went straight to Samaria. It was the old capitol city of the region of Samaria. Idolatry was common there. Jews and Gentiles existed in a confusing mix. They pracitced a “mixed bag” of Judaism and a host of other religions. Paul preached the Gospel there: Specifically, it says, “He preached Christ unto Them.” (That is what we are called to do, too!)

The result? Acts 8:8 says, “There was great Joy in that city.”

The Joy of Christ has been the result wherever there has been a true reception to the Gospel. In individual lives, we see that Joy replicated, today. We see lives transformed by the Living Word of God. As a result, we see the Person and the Character of Christ beginning to appear in their lives, and the Fragrance of the Savior beginning to emanate from their lives.

We see people, young and old, lifting up their eyes from the World around them, taking their attention away from the crushing apathy, the evil desires and the gross self-centeredness of the Human Race, and seeing Jesus, the perfect human who is also the True God, in the flesh.

The Result In Our Lives

Together, we find Refuge in Him. We rejoice together in His Light, and we feed together on His Word, and we fellowship together around the Person and Work of the Risen Christ. We learn to find our Joy in Him, (Habakkuk 3:17-19) and, as Habakkuk did, to find that He “makes our feet like the feet of the ‘hind,’ a rock-climbing, mountain-loving deer: He places our feet on our high places,” so that the troubles of this life seem far below us. And even when they affect us directly, we see those troubles from the vantage point of Citizens of Heaven, not as those still enslaved to the World.

How We Choose God’s Plan

People have written scores of books about evangelism. One such book claims the title of “The Master’s Plan of Evangelism,”and it is actually a pretty good book. If one is truly going to follow “The Master’s Plan of Evangelism,” then regardless of how they see that plan, the first item on the agenda is to deliberately choose God’s plan, as opposed to our own, or a program set up by our school or by the founder of a movement, or anything else.

If we can Look to God’s Word, and see how He planned to reach the world, and deliberately choose to learn His way, and to follow His way, then we are already on the right path.

Acts 16:6-11

6 Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia, 7 After they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit suffered them not. 8 And they passing by Mysia came down to Troas.

9 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us. 10 And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavoured to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them. 11 Therefore loosing from Troas, we came with a straight course to Samothracia, and the next day to Neapolis;

When we read Acts 16:6-11, we see that Paul and his entourage did not get to just “look at a map and pick where to go next:” God forbade them to go in one direction, then another. (verses 6, 7) But a little further along, He sent a vision, directing them to Macedonia. So, off they went, going where HE directed them to go, and doing as HE directed them to do!

Being “In” The Way: (On The Path: “On Task“)

In Genesis 24:27, we see that the servant of Abraham, who was on assignment to find a wife for Isaac, stated that he was “in the right place, doing the right thing,” when he prayed and asked God for direction. He said “I being in the way, the LORD led me!” He was already choosing, day by day and step by step, to follow the assignment given to him, and the directions he had been given so far. And so it was, that, when he asked for specific direction, God responded immediately, and very specifically.

Paul and his group were in the same situation in Acts 16:6-11. They were doing their “best diligence” to follow what they knew of God’s direction. But then it came down to a need for a specific direction: They had tried two directions, and God had “closed the door.” (We are not told how: All we know is that He forbade them to go to the first two places they attempted.)

So, they continued seeking His will, and He gave them very specific direction. They obeyed that new directive immediately, and they headed for Macedonia.

What About Us?

As a Church, we were already promoting evangelism and discipleship. Our church preached the Gospel and we taught the Word, and we avoided distraction. We taught that the one assignment Jesus gave to the Church was the Great Commission. We understand that the propagation of the church occurs because of a “Spiritual chain reaction.” (One beliver shares with one unbeliever. If that person believes, and is born again, then TWO believers are now sharing with others, and so forth.)

We continually sought His direction as to how we could reach out and be a part of His plan. And we had no idea how that might work out. Then He dropped “His plan for us” into our collective laps! We responded with joy and eager obedience, and God has been blessing this little church, beyond anything we had hoped for! We have now supplied hundreds of Bibles for believers in places where they could not possibly afford to buy them.

The Results?

We can see the results in the Philippines, in Papua New Guinea, in Kenya and in Pakistan. Hundreds of hungry hearts are being fed on the Word of God. Hundreds whom we may never meet in this world are being trained up to “Blossom where they are planted, to Dig deep into God’s Word, to Press closer into Him for the Living Water of His Grace, to Bear fruit, and to multiply.” (Just like Dandelions!) And we are called to do the same!

Can there be more? Without a doubt, there can be! But what we must continually do, is to continue in obedience and to look to Him for direction, just as we have done before.

Lord Jesus, please raise our eyes to see You clearly, and to discern the path of obedience for each soul among our flock. We desire to do Your Will, and we confess that, apart from Your leading, we do not know how to do so.

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How to Understand Paul’s Missionary Letters

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A Missionary Letter From Paul

© 2026 C. O. Bishop

1st Corinthians 16:5-18

Introduction:

We sometimes receive letters from the missionaries we support. Sometimes they have a lot of information, sometimes a lot of prayer concerns, sometimes exciting reports about what the Lord is doing where they serve.

Last week we received two such letters: One simultaneously gave exciting news and let us know of a need:

Burdett Letter

Jim and Judy Burdett announced on Facebook the fulfillment of the ministry we have supported for years. The announcement said the Dom believers are delivering the Dom New Testament. They are distributing them among the people who speak that language in Papua New Guinea. We have a copy of this translation, in the foyer, under Jim and Judy Burdett’s prayer letter and card. The churches they planted began with over one thousand of these New Testaments, last year. Those thousand books are nearly gone. Many people earnestly desire to have a copy of the New Testament.

They have also distributed hundreds of copies of another book: “King of Glory.” It is written in Melanesian Pidgin, the trade language of Papua New Guinea. (It is effectively a translation of the book we often give away, here, called “The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus.” The book explains the Old Testament. It shows Jesus’s appearances throughout the Old Testament. (Jesus taught the two disciples in that way on the road to Emmaus, before they recognized Him.) They are nearly out of that book, too! So, we take that news as an invitation to help replenish their printing fund, though they did not ask for anything.

Megan Lewis Letter

We received another prayer letter, but it was the reverse. Megan Lewis, whom we support in her ministry with Ethnos 360, asked me to send her any news of our church, or needs within our church or ministries, so that she could pray for us! That is encouraging, all by itself!

Paul Sent A Few Missionary Letters, Too:

I am quoting the NLT translation today, because it allows us to see how similar his letter is to the letters we receive.

NLT Version Reads Very Much Like A Modern Prayer Letter.

Paul included these personal notes at the end of the book of 1st Corinthians. The rest of the book was mostly corrective teaching. This part includes more personal sharing, and information about Paul’s travel plans and about his fellow-laborers.

5 I am coming to visit you after I have been to Macedonia,[a] for I am planning to travel through Macedonia. 6 Perhaps I will stay awhile with you, possibly all winter, and then you can send me on my way to my next destination. 7 This time I don’t want to make just a short visit and then go right on. I want to come and stay awhile, if the Lord will let me. 8 In the meantime, I will be staying here at Ephesus until the Festival of Pentecost. 9 There is a wide-open door for a great work here, although many oppose me.

Other Leaders

10 When Timothy comes, don’t intimidate him. He is doing the Lord’s work, just as I am. 11 Don’t let anyone treat him with contempt. Send him on his way with your blessing when he returns to me. I expect him to come with the other believers.[b]

12 Now about our brother Apollos—I urged him to visit you with the other believers, but he was not willing to go right now. He will see you later when he has the opportunity.

13 Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous.[c] Be strong. 14 And do everything with love.

15 You know that Stephanas and his household were the first of the harvest of believers in Greece,[d] and they are spending their lives in service to God’s people. I urge you, dear brothers and sisters,[e] 16 to submit to them and others like them who serve with such devotion. 17 I am very glad that Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus have come here. They have been providing the help you weren’t here to give me. 18 They have been a wonderful encouragement to me, as they have been to you. You must show your appreciation to all who serve so well.

King James Version, In Contrast:

(Read it) (Notice verse 15: “Addicted to the ministry of the saints.”)

So, Where Was Paul?

Historical And Geographic Notes:

Macedonia, today, is a separate Balkan nation, north of Greece. But, at that time in history, it was under Roman rule, and it also included the northern part of what we call Greece, today.

Ephesus was also under Roman rule at that time, and though it originally was a Greek city, today it is in modern-day Turkey, on the coast, directly across the Aegean Sea from Athens.

Achaia included the northern crescent-shaped coast of Pelopónnese, the southern section of Greece, as well as a wide strip of the southernmost section of Greece, proper. It was bordered on the west by the Ionian Sea, and on the East by the Aegean Sea. It included Cenchrea, Corinth and Athens, as major cities. Corinth was the Roman capital of Achaia in Paul’s time.

Paul’s Plans

Paul shared with the believers at Corinth that he was currently in Ephesus, and planned to stay there until after the feast of Pentecost (50 days after Passover) because he had a wide open door for evangelism, although there were many who opposed the message, as well. He said he intended to pass through Macedonia on the way to Corinth.

Now, when I look at a map, I can see that Ephesus and Corinth are separated by “only” 250 miles of water. So, to my mind, a ship seems a logical choice: It might be a three- or four-day voyage, depending on where else among the various islands the ship might make stops. But ancient sea travel was dangerous, due to storms and pirates, as well as fairly expensive, compared to walking.

If all you want to do is “get there,” then, even today, a flight is the most efficient way to travel almost anywhere in the world. But: If the journey itself, and the lives of people you touch along the way are also important, then you might choose a means of travel that takes much longer, but allows stops and visits en route.

Paul evidently chose walking: He expressed his intent to travel through Macedonia en route to Corinth. We can read Acts 16 and 17 to see where in Macedonia he may have wanted to visit:  

What Cities Might He Visit In Macedonia? (See The Vision In Acts 16:9)

  • Neapolis, (Acts 16:11)
  • Philippi, (Acts 16:12-40)
  • Amphipolis, (Acts 17:1)
  • Apollonia, (Acts 17:1)
  • Thessalonica, (Acts 17:1-10)
  • Berea, (Acts 17:10-14) and
  • Nicopolis (Titus 3:12)

A walking journey through Macedonia could take some significant time. God does not reveal to us how long he may have spent at each of these places, but the walk itself (Ephesus to Corinth) is around 865 miles by land, and each visit may have added a few days, or more, to the overall journey. So, Paul lets his supporters in Corinth know where he is, and where he intended to go next, and approximately when he might arrive in Corinth.

Paul’s Priorities

When we read 1st Corinthians 16:8, 9, we see a little of “what made Paul tick.” The reason he stayed in Ephesus, was an open door to the Gospel there: He was not about to miss it!

Want to see another place where Paul states his priorities? Romans 15:20 says, “20 Yea, so have I strived to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build upon another man’s foundation:” And, even when he was in prison, for preaching the Gospel, Paul asked for prayer that he would have boldness to keep on preaching the Gospel.

Ephesians 6:18-20, says “18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; 19 And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.”

Paul’s Other Concerns

The Lives Of The Corinthian Believers

Paul said that the believers were to “13 Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous.[c] Be strong. 14 And do everything with love.”

  • They were to be watchful at all times, knowing the enemy is not going to take a day off.
  • They were to stand firm in the faith in which they walked, not allowing any distractions.
  • He said to be courageous, facing whatever persecutions might come, as they appeared.
  • They were to be strong in the Lord.
  • They were to saturate everything they did in the Agapé Love of Christ.

How The Believers Were Going To Treat The Leaders That God Sent To Them

Timothy

Timothy was one of Paul’s protégés. He was much younger, and, though he was gifted as a prophet of God, he faced some resistance because of his youth. In  1st Timothy 4:12-16, Paul warned Timothy that this could be an obstacle, and told him how to avoid it:

“12 Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, (it means “behavior”) in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. 13 Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. (Teaching) 14 Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. 15 Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all. 16 Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.”

He told Timothy that his job was to live in such a way that no one would have an excuse to be dismissive of his ministry. But, he warned the Corinthian believers, that their job was to render full respect to Timothy, and not allow anyone to intimidate or despise him.

They were to treat Timothy just as they did Paul, because he was doing the same work. His assignment was from God, just like Paul. Also, he told them to help him on his way, financially.

Paul asked Apollos to visit them, but Apollos was busy elsewhere. He said he would come when time allowed.

Stephanas, And Others Like Him

But Paul was especially concerned that they would learn to value Stephanas and his family for the work they did among the believers, there in Corinth.

He said that they had served faithfully and had been a great blessing to Paul as well as to the whole church. They had refreshed the spirits of Paul and the whole church. Therefore, Paul declared that they were to treat Stephanas and others like him, as elders: Follow their leading, and show appreciation for their work.

The Writer of Hebrews echoes this command: Hebrews 13:17 says, “17 Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.”

How Does It Apply?

This command is specifically addressed to Church leadership: Secular leaders or supervisors are not “Watching for your souls.” They may be actively attempting to destroy your faith, in fact. But Paul gives reason to follow the leaders in your assembly, and what to watch for in identifying such leadership. 1st Timothy 3:1-8; Titus 1:5-9; and 1st Peter 5:1-4 all tell us how proper elders are to behave, and what they are to accomplish. Ezekiel 34:1-10, (from a negative point of view) lists the seven tasks of the shepherds and concludes that the shepherds of Israel were seriously failing to do their collective job.

How Does It Apply to Us?

So, this “Missionary Letter” had a great deal of corrective teaching or exhortation included. It was not just a “How are things on your end?” letter. Information was given, and observations made, and exhortation given, telling them (and us) to actually live out the principles of God’s Word. It is not just “Fun Stuff to Know and Tell!” The letter is practical. It assigns the reader some responsibility and allows them (us) to see “how the writer is practicing what he preaches.”

Paul did all the things he encouraged his followers to do.

My desire is to learn to follow in Paul’s footsteps, but I seem to be progressing awfully slowly.

My hope is that all of you will join me in this endeavor. No one is saying it will be fun or easy: But we get to watch the Lord at work, not only in our own lives, but also in the World at large.

Lord Jesus, please correct the trajectory of our lives. Help us to press on toward the mark: The prize, of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. We desire to please You with our lives. We know that “it is God who works in us, both to will and to do of Your good pleasure.” Bless us to Your Service. Amen!

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How to Know From God’s Word Why Jesus Wept

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Why did Jesus Weep?

© 2022 C. O. Bishop

John 11:32-37 (Cp. Romans 12:15; Hebrews 4:15, 16)

32 Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. 33 When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled. 34 And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see.

35 Jesus wept.

36 Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him! 37 And some of them said, Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died?

Introduction

We often hear about John 11:35 being the “shortest verse in the Bible.” That is true, of course. But it doesn’t seem to have much bearing on what it means for us as believers. Who cares that it is the shortest? That fact is interesting, perhaps, but, in itself it is meaningless. The content of every verse is what we need. What does it say, and what does it mean? And, ultimately, how can I apply it to my own life?

In the context of Lazarus’ death and the grief of his family and friends, Jesus weeping means much more. Did grief overwhelm Jesus also, at having lost His friend? That seems unlikely, since He knew He was about to raise him back to normal life. It seems far more likely that Jesus wept for the grief that the others were experiencing.

Get The Whole Context!

Remember, back in verses 1-14, we saw that Jesus knew all about what was going on in Bethany. Though he was a long distance away, He knew that Lazarus was sick. He knew that it would ultimately not result in death, (v.4) but in His own glorification. Jesus waited two days after hearing the news that Lazarus was sick. Lazarus would not have “just died” when Jesus arrived. He waited that long so that no one had any doubt about his death. So that Lazarus would have been dead long enough that his body would have begun to decay!

Then He told His disciples that He was going back to Judaea. They were afraid the Rulers of the Temple might kill Him. He finally explained to them that Lazarus was dead, and that He, Jesus, was going to “awaken” him. They were still pretty anxious about going back, to a town so close to Jerusalem, but they all went along.

When Jesus initially arrived, the majority of the people he met were his friends. They told Him, “Lord, if you had been here, Lazarus would not have died.” To one another, they said, “This man could heal the blind. Couldn’t he have prevented the death of His friend?” So, we can see that many of them had at least a rudimentary faith in His ability to heal.

What about Death itself?

The issue they were all struggling with, was “Why didn’t you save his life?” But it had not yet occurred to any of them that Jesus could actually raise the dead, except Martha, who seemed to have a glimmer of an idea that Jesus could ask God to bring Lazarus back from the dead. (See verse 22: She said, “Even now, whatsoever you will ask of God, God will give it to you.”)

Can God Raise The Dead?

So, the next question is, “How far does Jesus, the Messiah’s Authority really extend? Can He raise the dead?” We know that this is not the first time God raised the dead. In 1st Kings 17:17-24, we see that the Widow’s son at Zarephath had died, and Elijah asked God to restore him. God honored the request and raised the boy back to life.

2nd Kings 4:1-37 tells of Elisha, the protégé of Elijah, and another child God raised from the dead. And, at the end of Elisha’s life, long after his death, in 2nd Kings 13:20, 21, we see some men sent out to bury the corpse of a dead man. But, because the gravediggers saw a band of raiders coming, they hurriedly let the man’s body down into the grave of Elisha.

The result must have been a shocking experience to those men: When the corpse touched the bones of Elisha, it sprang back to life. (I especially enjoy this story: I can imagine the men who attempting to do the burying, running back to the city walls to escape the raiders, and looking back to see the dead man running with them. I’ll bet they really ran, then!)

Finally, Ezekiel 37: Though it was a vision, it still spoke of God’s authority to bring back those who had long ago died. In that particular case, it referred to the resurrection of the Jews as a nation, both physically and spiritually.

But; Can Jesus Raise the Dead?

So, the concept of God raising the dead was not new. But none of them had ever seen it, and now they would see whether Jesus actually possessed the authority He claimed. That is the real question: “Does Jesus truly have the Authority He claims to have?”

We still ask that question today: “Can Jesus really take care of me and my family? Is His blood really sufficient to take away all my sins? How sure am I, really, that everything He says is really true?”

Jesus wants us to be sure. He wants us to know that we have eternal life, now. 1st John 5:11-13 says that He wants us to know that we have eternal life… not to hope, or just persuade ourselves, or something. He wants us to know it.

The Widow of Zarephath had already believed that Elijah was a man of God. She agreed to make the small cake of bread for him. He promised that her little barrel of meal and her little jar of oil would not run out until the famine was past. And it didn’t!

But then her son died. She immediately reproached Elijah, in grief and anger. But he took the dead child from her, and carried him up to the loft where he was living. He prayed for God to “return his soul to his body.” And God did so. Her response was “Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the Word of the LORD in thy mouth is Truth!”

God wants us to be that sure!

How Can We Experience Eternal Life?

We know from the Old Testament stories that God is completely capable of getting us safely home to Himself. We believe that His authority carries beyond the grave. But He wants us to be sure, not only that we already have eternal life through faith in the shed blood of Jesus: He also wants us to be secure in the knowledge that He is with us now,  and can carry us through all of the trials of life and through death itself. This is not a “pie in the sky when you die” idea. He calls us to experience that Eternal Life in the here and now!

In John 17:3, Jesus said “ And this is Eternal Life: that they may know thee, the one true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” The word translated as “know,” here, is the Greek word, “ginosko,” meaning “experiential knowledge.” It is not just “knowing a lot about a person.” It means having an ongoing, living, growing relationship with that person. If we are to experience eternal life today, then we need to be in that ongoing, experiential relationship with Jesus.

We can “have” eternal life, because we have placed our faith in His completed work at the Cross…faith in His shed blood for our sins. But to experience it in a real, everyday way, we need to be walking with Him.

Seeing the Dead Raised

We might think, “Well, why doesn’t God raise the dead today, and make everyone believe?” There were enemies who saw Jesus raise Lazarus. The experience did not persuade them to place their faith in Jesus. No! They plotted to kill him! And, in the next chapter, it occurred to them that they had better include Lazarus in the bargain: (“Gotta kill him too, or people will believe in Jesus anyway!”)

In Luke 16:19-31, we see the story of the “other Lazarus.” In it, the dead rich man argued that “if they see someone raised from the dead, they will believe!” Abraham answered, “If they will not believe Moses and the Prophets, neither will they believe, though one be raised from the dead.” This passage in John 11, and 12 is clear proof of that truth! Those who rebelled against Jesus were determined to oppose him despite having seen undeniable proof of His deity!

How does it Help Us, to Know that Jesus Wept?

Compassion should have been strong in every priest.

In the Old Testament, it is easy to see that some of the human High Priests were not very compassionate. And the High Priest at that moment, when Jesus was raising the dead, was Caiaphas. He was leading the group that wanted Jesus murdered! (How “compassionate” was that?)

In Exodus 28:29-30, God called the High Priest to carry the names of the tribes of Israel on his shoulders and on his heart. Leviticus 16:1-6 says that the High Priest had to offer a sacrifice for his own sins, before he could minister as the mediator for the people. Hebrews 5:1-3 confirms that the High Priest is supposed to “have compassion on the ignorant and on them that are ‘out of the way,’ specifically because he himself is surrounded by his own infirmity.” And that was just about the human high priests. They were flawed individuals themselves! And they were to have compassion upon others for that very reason.

Jesus Is The Perfect High Priest

And, in Hebrews 4:15, 16, we see that “We do not have a high priest who cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities.” I often point out that “our feelings are not always an accurate reflection of reality.” That is certainly true, but the fact remains that the feelings themselves are a reality that we have to deal with! And Jesus is aware of our feelings and is compassionate toward us in our frailties.

Jesus had no sin, but He suffered as though He were just like any other human. He felt the grief of the people, and “wept with those who wept,” genuinely feeling their grief, and sharing in it for their sake. He did not just say, “Chin up! This too shall pass!” Nor did He utter any other such inane platitudes: He wept with them because of their grief, even though He knew He was about to bring them indescribable Joy.

God Calls Us To Join Jesus In His Priesthood

Jesus is the True High Priest… but every believer is called to serve as a priest in the Body of Christ. We are to be His hands and feet and heart in our lifetime, here on Earth, reaching out to those around us in genuine compassion.

This is part of the unity of the church: we are all part of the Body of Christ. And when one part of the body is injured, it affects the whole body to one degree or another. Every living body exhibits this care for itself. If my back itches, for example, my body contorts itself to reach and scratch it. If a toe is injured, the whole body responds to protect that toe by limping or hobbling along, avoiding further injury. We are to care for one another at that level, spiritually and emotionally, as well as physically.

Compassion is Required in Disciples

Romans 12:15 clearly commands us to “Weep with those who weep, and rejoice with those who rejoice.” This is not a command to “pretend” grief or “pretend’ joy. It is a command to extend our hearts to the needs of those around us, to the extent that we feel their sorrow as our own and we feel their joy as our own. Ultimately, of course, that makes us pretty vulnerable to being hurt. But it also opens us up to experiencing the blessing of God flowing through us to those who are hurting, in the world around us.

If we are genuinely caring about the needs of those around us, then, as Jesus did, we will often find ourselves weeping in sympathy with those who weep, and experiencing the joy of those who rejoice.

Lord Jesus, open our hearts to be like You, caring deeply for those around us, and deeply, genuinely empathizing with them as You demonstrated in Your life. Help us to demonstrate the Agape Love so that the World will see Your face in us.

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Do You Know how the Resurrection Affects the Church?

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How Does the Fact of the Resurrection Affect the Church?

© C. O. Bishop 2018 Revised 2026

In the Context of John 14:3 “That, where I am, there ye may be also”

Ephesians 1:13, 14; 2:6; 1st Corinthians 12:13; 15:3, 4; 15:22, 15:16-19;
Romans 6:3-5; Colossians 3:1-4

Introduction:

We often hear Easter messages that either immerse us in the horror of the Cross, (Therefore, the enormity of our guilt and sin that necessitated the Cross), or in the mystery of the burial and resurrection, and the fulfilled prophecies. In addition, the messages often refute the various false myths that have sprung up from those rejecting the truth of the scriptures. Also, sometimes the messages even immerse us in the joy of the resurrection itself: They emphasize the effect that it had upon Mary Magdalene and the other disciples—Peter in particular—and on the newborn Church, at Pentecost. Those are all good things.

All these approaches are valid; all have appropriate results in the hearers, and all have reasonably good grounding in the scriptures themselves, as a rule. (Some may wander a bit, but most are pretty solidly grounded in the Word of God.)

But: What about today? What effect should the Resurrection have upon believers, today?

The Promises of Jesus the Messiah:

Jesus made an important promise in John 5:24: He said that whoever hears his word (regarding himself, and God’s redemptive plan), and believes on Him who sent Him (Places their trust in His redemptive work at the Cross), has everlasting life (present tense) and shall not (future tense) come into condemnation, but has passed over (past perfect tense) from death into life.

He also stated (John 14:3) that he was leaving Earth, to prepare a place for his followers, that where He was they should also be. He also stated (John 14:16) that the Holy Spirit, whom He was sending in place of Himself, would be with His disciples forever.                                                                 

In the light of these explicit promises, let’s examine the historical facts about the Resurrection:

The Historical Facts:

1st Corinthians 15:3, 4;

Paul stated the bare facts of the Gospel here, but he prefaced the facts with a reference to their result. To begin with, He stated the results of faith, (we have received the Gospel, and believed it, and our standing with God is dependent upon its truth.) Then he simply stated the facts, as follows:

  1. Christ died for our sins, according to (in keeping with…in fulfillment of) the scriptures.
  2. He was buried (also fulfilling prophecies), and that
  3. He rose again the third day, also in keeping with Biblical prophecies.

None of these things were “just happenstance.” All were called out, far in advance, by prophecy; some of them by a multitude of prophecies. The fact of the “three days and three nights in the tomb,” for example, was in fulfillment of two very explicit prophecies, and perhaps others not so plain. The facts of the crucifixion and resurrection, however, were in fulfillment of scores of clear prophecies and more or less clear Old Testament figures…pictures of the coming Christ.

1st Corinthians 12:13;

This one—the fact of the “baptism of the Holy Spirit”; the Act of the Holy Spirit placing each believer (us) into our respective places in the Body of Christ— is only dependent upon us being believers: When any sinner sees his own need for the Savior, and trusts in Jesus’s finished work at the Cross—Jesus’s shed blood—being full payment for his sins, the Holy Spirit immediately places him permanently into the Body of Christ. We remain there forever. Jesus said that, of all the souls given to Him, He will lose not one, but shall raise them up at the last day (John 6:39).

Ephesians 1:13, 14;

This one, too, is only dependent upon a person’s one time choice, to believe in Jesus as their only Savior and only Hope. It says that those who heard the Word of truth, the Gospel of our salvation (and who trusted in it), after they trusted in Him, were immediately sealed in Christ by the Holy Spirit of Promise who is the Earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession. Several important points are made, here, for us to cling to.

  • Obviously, this promise reiterates the promise of Jesus: that those who heard the Gospel and believed, have eternal life now: (Not waiting to see if they were “among the chosen.”)
  • Another is that we are “…sealed in Christ”: It says “in Whom, after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of Promise”
  • Finally, it says that we are sealed in Him “until the redemption of the purchased possession to the Praise of His Glory.” We will not be lost. We have been sealed in Christ by the Holy Spirit…how long? Until the redemption of the purchased possession (the Church) unto the praise of His Glory. We are secure in Him.

This is a stated fact: not just a promise of things to come. All of it is stated as a “done deal”—past tense fact—not dependent upon events still to come. Nothing is hanging in the balance.

Ephesians 2:6

Here’s another “historical fact” which we can’t see, but which God says is already a done deal, as well: Paul says, here, that the believers have already been raised up (resurrected) together with Christ, and have already ascended with Him, and are already seated with Him in Heaven! (This is absolutely beyond my comprehension, but it is clearly stated as a “past-tense fact.”

The Personal, Current Facts: (On the basis of the Historical facts)

Romans 6:2-5; Three things:

  1. We are Dead with Him. (v. 2, 3)
  2. We are Risen with Him. (v. 4, 5)
  3. We are Ascended with Him. (implied, in v.4; stated in Ephesians 2:6)

We have been baptized (not by water baptism, but by the real baptism; the Holy Spirit having placed us into the body of Christ); we have been baptized into his death and his resurrection, and (Ephesians 2:6) we are currently seated with Him in the heavenlies. These are each stated as being current realities, not future possibilities.

God does not exhort me to “Die to sin;” He says I am already dead to sin.
God does not encourage me to “be risen with Christ:” He says that I am already risen with Him.
He does not command me to “seat myself in the heavenlies:” He says that I am already there.

What Incredible Statements!

How can God say that I am “already dead with Christ?” Well…the fact is, it is true! In the Scriptures, Death always has to do with “separation” of some sort: Adam was separated from fellowship with God the moment he ate the forbidden fruit. He was spiritually dead, instantly. 930 years later, he died physically, when his spirit and soul were separated from his body.

As a result of Adam’s sin, every human is born spiritually separated from God. Any person who is still spiritually separated from God, never having been reconciled to Him, and who dies physically, is then permanently separated from God. (God calls this the “second death,” in Revelation 20:14.)

So How am I “Dead to Sin?”

My old sin nature (the only nature I had before re-birth) was and is entirely committed to self, committed to sin. God says that it cannot be repaired, cleansed or redeemed. It cannot become subject to God’s righteousness. (Romans 8:7; Ephesians 4:22)

The only way God could save me was to give me a new nature: One that was in harmony with Him. Ephesians 4:24 says that my new nature is created, after God (in His likeness) in righteousness and true holiness. That, too, is a “done deal!”

I have been separated from my old sin nature to the extent that I am no longer enslaved to it, and I have a choice: I can obey God, with a clean heart, because I have a new nature. God never proposed to “fix” my old nature: as far as He is concerned it is dead…it is irretrievably corrupt. God sees the new “Me” separated from that old sin nature. He says I am dead to sin. I do not have to submit to its desires any more.

Romans 6:2-5 says that we are also risen with Christ: His death, burial and resurrection became ours. For Eternity, God now sees us only in the person of Christ. Ephesians 2:6 says that His ascension is also ours. We are already safely at home with Him, in God’s eyes: All we are doing, here, in our earthly lives, is living out that reality. Both by word and deed, we are supposed to be demonstrating to the lost world around us, the truth of the Good News of Christ. Our lives are a living Gospel Sermon!

How Should The Resurrection Affect the way we Think?

Since these things are true, and if we are willing to accept them as fact (the Gospel and all God says about it); how should it affect our thinking and our response toward the people and circumstances with which we live?

Can I genuinely exhibit the Love of Christ, because He lives in me, and not be offended by the petty offenses people or circumstances may bring? They truly are petty, compared to the absolutely criminal abuse that was heaped upon Jesus, by the Human Race.

(And, yes, we are ALL guilty: Our sins made it necessary for Him to go there.) Consider the abuse that he endured, both on the way to the Cross, and in the Crucifixion itself: Is there anything in our experience that is worth losing sight of the Promises and Peace of the Savior?

Can we see our tormentors as precious souls, for whom Jesus died? Can we grieve for their lostness, and pray for their salvation? Can’t we choose to be a blessing to them, in hopes of turning them away from eternal condemnation? Or must we secretly feel satisfaction, that “Well, they will surely pay for that!” What an incredibly selfish response! I am equally guilty before God, and His Grace was extended to me, a completely lost sinner: Can’t I extend my feeble grace and forgiveness to them, as an act of Worship to the God who first loved me?

How Should those facts affect the way we live?

Can I stop acting as if everything revolves around “how I feel about things?” Can I literally put others first, as Jesus did? Or will I continue to concern myself primarily with my own comfort, my own safety and my own future security?

God calls us to offer our bodies a living sacrifice to Him, so that our lives will be lived out in a manner that honors Him. He calls this our “reasonable service” of worship. (Romans 12:1) That offer has to be renewed often: The problem with being “living sacrifices” is that we keep crawling off the altar! We don’t just “die, and get it over with.”

We are called to “die to self:” to “take up your cross, daily, and follow” Him. Notice that we are not called to “die to sin”…that has already been accomplished. We are called to continually renew the conscious setting aside of sin, and to live in the newness of life:

  • To live out the resurrected Life of Christ, not just continue in our own self-centered way.
  • He calls us to become the living “Love of Christ” in the unloving world around us:
  • To become the living “Light of Christ,” in this dark world in which we live.
  • He calls us to become a clean source of the Living Water, to any soul who is thirsty.
  • To become a clean source of the Bread of Life, to any soul who is hungry.

Live as Those Risen From the Dead

Colossians 3:1-4  (Read it!) calls us, as those risen from the dead, to set our affections on things above: He says to change our priorities. He says, since we are seated with Him above, to see things from His perspective, and count His priorities to be our own. God reiterates that we are dead, and that our lives are “hid in Christ.” God only sees us there: In Christ. He concludes that, when Christ Himself appears, we shall appear with Him, in Glory. It will be worth it all, when we see Jesus!

We are Ambassadors of the Risen Christ. That is the confidence that we have in Him: it is the assignment that we have in Him, and it is the direct result of the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus.

Lord Jesus, we thank you for the clear news of your death, and burial and, especially, your resurrection. Please use these truths to shape us into your likeness, and to transform our lives into your own image. Make us profitable servants of God.

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How to Know the Desired Result of the Resurrection

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What Should be the Result of the Resurrection?

© 3/19/26 by C. O. Bishop

1st Corinthians 15:50-58

“50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. 51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

 57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”

Introduction:

We have talked several times about the Importance of the Resurrection, and the Hope of the Resurrection, and how it applies to us, as believers. We need to examine how the Resurrection of Jesus, and the sure hope of our own resurrection should affect our lives as believers.

The Necessity of the Resurrection

For the vast majority of believers, the general rule given in Hebrews 9:27 holds true: “…it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” Thus, for all practical purposes, we all die, as Paul confirms in Romans 5:12. And yet, he confides to us the mystery of the Rapture in 1st Corinthians 15:50-53, and in the process, he shares the necessity of the resurrection.

God simply does not permit our natural, flesh-and-blood bodies to enter there. (That does raise a good question as to where Elijah and Enoch are currently existing, since neither of them died….) I cannot give you a solid answer to that question, but I can say, authoritatively, that at least as a general rule, “Flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God.”

So, one way or another, we have to “get past death” to arrive before the throne. And, as a general rule, all of us achieve that, as believers, simply by physically dying. Death separates our immaterial parts, (soul and spirit) from our material part…our physical, mortal body: the vehicle in which we travel Planet Earth.

But, here in this passage, Paul unveils a “mystery:” something that God previously had hidden, but which He is now allowing Paul to reveal.

We Shall Not All Die, but We Shall All be Changed!

The necessity of taking on immortality is the real hurdle. Usually, we do that, as believers, by dying, and inheriting immortality as a direct result of our position “In Christ.” But at the end of the Church Age, (which is simply a “parenthesis” between the 69th and 70th “weeks” of Daniel’s prophecy: See Daniel 9:23-27) something unusual occurs. God has chosen to remove all His followers at once: All those in Christ, both the living and the dead. We have read about that, recently, in 1st Thessalonians 4:13-18. I encouraged you all to memorize that passage.

Why is this Transformation so Important?

This is the way that God is able to defeat the strength of Death. God said in Isaiah 25:8 “He shall swallow up Death in Victory…” And the Holy Spirit, speaking through Paul, said, “54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

On that day, we will see God’s victory over death, in our own lives. But, if we look back and read 1st Corinthians 15:26, we can see that Death will be the last enemy destroyed. And God will bring about that final victory at the Great White Throne judgment, when He will cast Death and Hell into the Lake of Fire. (Revelation 20:14)

The Sting of Death is Sin

Hebrews 2:15 points out that the fear of death has enslaved us all (to one degree or another) all our lives. An unbeliever might argue, saying, “But that is just the natural instinct for self-preservation! Even animals feel this!” And that may be true, but humans can choose to deny their instinct for self-preservation, and sacrifice themselves to save another, or they may commit suicide, because they are more fearful of life than of death.

But we humans have a problem, which the animals do not share. It is the awareness that we are guilty sinners. God has condemned the entire Human Race to eternal judgment. Unless we have received God’s only provision for redemption, that fear underlies all other fears. We recognize that God is the Eternal, Righteous Judge, and that we do not measure up to His Righteousness. Romans 3:23 confirms this truth, saying “For ALL have sinned and come short of the Glory of God.” (That is why Adam and Eve fled from the voice of the LORD, as He was walking in the Garden in the cool of the day. They knew they were guilty.

How Did God Remove The Sting of Death?

But God says that in securing our salvation, and guaranteeing our resurrection, He has removed the “sting of Death,” and removed the “strength of Sin,” by fulfilling the Law on our behalf.  Galatians 2:19 says, “I, through the Law am dead to the Law, that I might live unto God.”

Jesus completely fulfilled the righteous judgment of God on our behalf, by dying as our representative. The moment you trusted in Jesus as your Savior, the Holy Spirit placed you into the Body of Christ. And by doing so, He permanently identified you with Jesus in His perfect life, His death, His burial, His resurrection, and His ascension. (Romans 6:1-5; Ephesians 2:6) In fact, He says we are already seated in the throne with Jesus. (Wow!)

So, What Effect Ought That Truth to Have in Our Daily Lives?

The first effect it truly ought to have, in 1st Corinthians 15:57,is that we should be able to give fervent thanks to God for the victory that He brought about and which He gives to us, through Jesus! If you want to see how that victory is applied to your life, read 1st John 5:4, 5. He says He has applied His victory to us through faith. And by that faith, He says that we have overcome the world. Does that mean that I will always “FEEL” victorious? No, it does not!

Feelings are not a reliable reflection or indication of Reality! Paul said (2nd Corinthians 1:8) that during some of the trials he and his entourage went through, they “…despaired of life itself.” That does not sound like “feeling victorious!” But the reality… Thesimple fact, is that Jesus has already secured the Victory at the Cross! And our victory over sin and death is secure…in Him!

How Should We Then Live?

To begin with, as verse 57 pointed out, the giving of thanks should characterize our lives. We should be the most grateful people on Earth, regardless of our other circumstances, as we have already received Eternal Life.

Together, we recently read in 1st John 5:11-13, that we not only already have eternal life, but God wants us to know that we already have eternal life. We are not “waiting to find out” whether we “made the team.” Ephesians 2:6 says we are already seated in the Throne in Heaven with Him.

And Verse 58 Says What The Result Should Be:

58 Therefore, (as a direct result of the Resurrection) my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”

  • Steadfast: Firm, not wavering in Mind or action.
  • Unmoveable: Not affected by the actions or arguments of the World around us.
  • Always abounding in the Work of the Lord: Our lives belong to Him, so it makes sense that our primary objectives should match His primary objectives.

Jesus’s Example

In John 4:34, Jesus said, “My food is to do the Will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His Work.” This is a clear picture of “what motivated Jesus.” This was the focus of His life. It makes sense that if we are His disciples, our focus should be the same as His.

Give this some thought: A baby can’t be a disciple: he or she has not learned to walk, yet, or at least not reliably. Discipleship is what we are supposed to grow into, and not dawdle around about it. Ephesians 4:11-17 says we are to grow up into Him and not be tossed around by every new thing we hear, but rather, to be stable in our walk with Him. Think about the following:

  • A baby cannot walk securely: Babies are very wobbly and unstable…they fall easily.
  • Babies cannot talk clearly, and have very limited understanding to draw upon in talking.
  • Babies cannot dress themselves: They need someone else to clothe them.
  • A Baby cannot clean himself up when he has made a mess of any kind.
  • Babies have not learned enough about the world they live in to be able to make good decisions and stay safe.

What is the Problem, Here?

There is nothing “wrong” with any of the above things, when the person in question is a baby: But babies are not supposed to remain babies. We are called to grow up:

  • We are called to learn to walk with Jesus.
  • As we learn the Word of God, we learn to talk: to speak His words clearly.
  • As we grow, we learn to clothe ourselves in the armor of God. (Babies can’t use armor.)
  • We go to 1st John 1:9 and we confess our sins, so that God can cleanse us.
  • We learn the principles of Life and Godliness, and we make decisions guided by God.

All of these “parallels” to normal human children are also realities in the Normal Christian Life. If a human child fails to learn the things we just listed, we are concerned because they are not progressing in a healthy way. We take them to a physician to find out why they are not developing at a normal pace. But, we should be even more concerned that believers are not learning to function as disciples. When a believer has no hunger for God’s Word, or for fellowship with other believers, there is something amiss.

Make it Personal!

We can examine our own lives and ask ourselves where we fit in: Am I walking with Jesus? Am I able to share the Grace of God coherently with others? Can I put on the Armor of God, (and do I know how to use it?) Do I quickly recognize sin in my life and immediately confess it to the Lord, so as to restore fellowship? (Or do I usually “wallow in it” for a while?) Finally, how do I make decisions? Have I learned the principles of God’s values well enough that they guide my thoughts and plans and His Word guides what I do and the choices I make?

All of these things result from Jesus’s Resurrection, but they also directly result from the reality Jesus accomplished at the Cross, and of your identification with Him.

Give these things some thought. God asks all of us to take it seriously.

Lord Jesus, raise us up to walk with You as Your true Disciples. Help us to set aside the traps and deceptive treasures of babyhood and seize upon the freedom and the true treasures and rewards of Discipleship.

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How To Understand the True Priorities of God

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How To Understand the Priorities of God

© 2026 C. O. Bishop (Haggai 1:2-11; Mark 6:36-44, etc.)

What are God’s Priorities? How do Mine Compare?

Introduction:

To Unbelievers:

Before we begin the main message I have prepared, I would like to caution anyone and everyone, that IF you have not been born again, literally—if there has never been a time that you recognized yourself as a lost, hell-bound sinner, and placed your trust in Jesus’ shed blood as your only hope—then this message is not for you.

Your only priority should be to find your way to the foot of the Cross, and throw yourself on the mercy of God: He will not reject you, and He will receive every repentant sinner who comes to him. Jesus said, ‘…he that cometh unto Me, I will in no wise cast out.” Jesus said that is His first priorityfor you…He says, ”Come unto Me, all ye…” Matthew 11:28

If you don’t know for sure you are saved, I would like to talk with you. Essentially it comes down to one question: “Has there ever been a time in my life when I placed my full trust in Jesus’ shed blood as full payment for my sins?” If the answer is “Yes,” then you are saved; But you still may need to learn to walk. If you are not sure, then you can make that decision at this moment, if you are willing. There is no time better than the present.

For Believers

For those of you who have been born into the family of God, there is a constant pulling at your heart to grow into the likeness of Christ, and choose His priorities. Whether or not you always recognize the cause, there is always going to be an emptiness, frustration, and unfulfillment, until you are in agreement with your Savior, and walking with Him.

In Amos 3:3 God asked, “Can two walk together except they be agreed?” The answer is “NO!” If we disagree with God, we cannot have fellowship with Him: We will always be at cross-purposes with Him. Our timing will always be off, and our lives in disarray, at one level or another. The most serious result, besides the lack of fellowship itself, is the lack of fruit. Let’s read in the book of Haggai—three books before Matthew.

Haggai 1:2-4

God said, “This people say the time is not come, the time that the Lord’s house should be built. Then came the word of the Lord by Haggai the prophet, saying, Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your ceiled houses, and this house lie waste?

The historical context: the 70-year captivity was over. The people were trickling back into Jerusalem. Under Ezra and Nehemiah, the work had progressed: the wall was rebuilt; the city was becoming livable—all these were good things. The Persian king Cyrus had sent them to rebuild the Temple! King Ahasuerus had said to rebuild the city: rebuild the walls, hang new city gates; Make it a real city again. (Read the books of Ezra and Nehemiah!)  

But the people have leftthe group effort of rebuilding the city, including the temple. Everyone has turned to building his own house. That’s OK, right? The walls were up, the gate was hung, the municipal buildings were usable—they had fulfilled the king’s orders.

What is the Problem?

But something was going wrong—while they had been building, they had been farming, too, and things were not going well. Look at verses 5-11 (read them aloud)—God told them to look around, and ask themselves whether God was blessing their work. The answer was a clear “NO!”—He said they had been denied the harvest because of their wrong priorities.

They partially fulfilled an earthly king’s command, and had seen the Lord’s hand protecting and guiding them day by day. But now they were not seeing His blessing. They had failed to honor Him above themselves. He had no objection to them having pleasant homes. But they had neglected His house. They had ignored the temple.

Remember that in that time, The Lord had specifically said He would dwell in the temple. That is incredible in itself, that the God who created every atom, and all the inhabitants of the world…that He should “camp out” in a building made by a tribe of refugees here on Earth. But He did say it, and He kept His promise too, just as He had done at the tabernacle.

The people were rebuilding the city, and their own homes, but His house was still a ruin—and He was quietly asking, “What about Me? Doesn’t my house count for anything?”

That Was Then:

But today, God says he does not desire to live in a box, be it a tabernacle, a temple, an Ark of the Covenant, or any other man-made thing. He is building a temple of human lives, each chosen by Himself, redeemed from the destruction of sin, and gloriously reborn. He has gifted every individual person who is part of that building, so as to function and propagate the life that is now within them, and see the whole temple grow together, through the effectual working of every part. How do we know this?

Look at Ephesians 4:16 —

“From whom the WHOLE body, fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body, unto the edifying of itself in love.”

While we are there, look back at Ephesians 2:19-22:

“Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;  And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone; In whom all the building, fitly framed together, groweth into an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.”

One Temple

The Church—the Body of Christ—is the Temple.

This assembly is a local expression of the temple of God.  Don’t jump to a wrong conclusion, and think that this building is a parallel with the temple in the Old Testament: it definitely is not. This is not God’s house—the CHURCH is. This building is only a church building: You are the church—we are the church.

So… If I want to apply the teaching of Haggai 1 to my life, where do I begin? It doesn’t simply to give more money, although there may be some who should—I am not here to squeeze anyone. That is between you and God—if you have been short-changing the Lord, I am confident that He has been speaking to you about it, and you are probably feeling a little uncomfortable right now. That’s good… but that is not what I want to address.

One Priority

Throughout the scripture, the single central theme is God’s redemptive work toward the fallen race of Man. What was the priority of God in the book of Haggai? He specifically says it was the need to build His temple, right? He said if they would adopt His priority, He would meet their other needs.

Today, the temple is constructed of souls, and He still says that is His priority: They are all people for whom He died. He says that is first on His list. Nothing has changed: when the disciples tried to get Jesus to take a break, and eat, He said, “My FOOD is to do the will of Him who sent me, and to finish HIS WORK” John 4:34

Jesus’s Priorities

Jesus also said, “I will build my church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it.” In Ephesians we see that the reason he gave the office gifts (Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastor/teachers) is to equip the church for the work of the ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ.

In Mark 6:36-44,The disciples wanted to send the people away to buy food. Jesus said, “YOU give them something to eat.” The disciples thought they had nothing to offer, but Jesus asked them what they did have, and He multiplied the little they had, to feed a crowd. We can expect no less, provided we respond the same: submit our little to His greatness, and allow Him to multiply it to His own glory. But Jesus says, “Feed my sheep.”

How Can We Do His Will?

We are not helpless—the Lord indwells us personally. He empowers us to do the work of the ministry. (I don’t mean just the leaders—I mean you.) God has called us to feed the flock—He has made us ambassadors, reconciling the world unto Himself. And He says, “YOU give them something to eat.” None of us is helpless to serve, if we allow Jesus to serve through us. Jesus said “…apart from Me ye can you nothing.” That is the literal truth.

But, in Him, there isn’t one of us who can’t arm himself or herself with God’s Word, practice with another believer, and learn to share his or her faith. There isn’t one of us who is “too busy” to pray for the souls of the people we know. We each have 168 hours per week: it’s only a matter of how we choose to use that time, and on whom we choose to spend it. Yes, God cares where you spend your money, your time, and your efforts. He owns you, body and soul, and He has the right to claim and oversee it all.

One Hope to Offer

God says, “YOU give them something to eat!” What do you feed a dying world? What do we have to offer? Jesus said to offer them the “Living Bread:” His flesh, via the crucifixion. He said the Preaching of the Cross would seem foolishness to some, and an offense to others, but by that means, and none other, He has chosen to save those who believe.

We preach Christ crucified: That is the only message of real Hope. If his death on the Cross is not full and final payment for my sins, then I have no hope. So, the true message of Hope is the message of the Cross! It is the good news that Jesus died for my sins and yours, fulfilling the scriptures, that he was buried, that He rose again the third day: He is alive forever, and coming again. It is the good news that Jesus Saves! We have no other hope.

One Job; Many Tasks

We have only one assignment—God only gave one job to the church: He outlined it in Matthew 28:18-20. He reiterated it several times in other passages. We must not allow ourselves to be sidetracked by the affairs of life, to be snared by sin, or to be intimidated by the enemy. Increasingly, we must make God’s priority our own, and ask Him how to implement it in our daily lives. We all may have different tasks within that one job, but we only have one job.

One Calling; Many Gifts

Just like a diet, this requires re-committing oneself daily. You can’t just “get pumped up” today, and make a decision to live for God, and expect that to last the rest of your life. Chances are, it won’t last the rest of the week, let alone your whole life. So, daily, in prayer, we seek His face, and ask that He make us useable, and place us into His service.

Can we do that much? Can we daily Seek the Face of God, in prayer, and in His Word? Can’t we daily confess our sins, and ask Him to make us useable in His hand? Can we ask Him to prepare souls before us, and give us wisdom and discernment to meet the challenge?

If we can’t, then we can’t ask for God’s blessing. If we are willing to try, and keep trying, and praying for His direction, and keep studying to know His will and His wisdom, then, as God offered His blessing in Haggai’s day, He offers it to us as well. We will see the joy of a harvest of souls—not grain. A building made of people praising and serving the living God.

In Jeremiah 5:24, 25, God says that our sins are what keeps us from the harvest. That passage was specifically to Israel, and it was regarding a harvest of food. But the Harvest of Souls is all around us, and far more important. If we are not seeking to win souls, perhaps our priorities are wrong. God says, “…he that winneth souls is wise.” (Proverbs 11:30)

So, What Can I Do? 

I can:

  • Pray for specific people whom God lays on my heart.
  • Pray for opportunities to be used by God, in non-specific ways. And in either case, I then can watch for those opportunities.
  • Prepare myself for those opportunities, by Bible study and prayer.
  • Prepare by seeking the teaching I need, to share the Gospel with people such that if they are interested, they can actually choose to receive the Lord Jesus.
  • Practice giving my testimony. I can work on it, until I can clearly tell how I became a Christian…and why.
  • Set aside money for Bibles to give away, as I find hungry people to feed.
  • Support missionaries.
  • Pray for the ministries in the Church. And support them, by giving of my time and money, and in any way I can, to be a servant to God, and to his people.
  • Learn my gifts, through practice, and how to use them to edify the church.

Conclusion:

I’d like to encourage all of you to embark on a deliberate journey of faith, with the goal being to become useable in God’s hand. It’s a goal you have to personally choose, and keep on choosing. If there is any way I can be a help to you, I want to do so. But ultimately, each of you has to make a personal choice what kind of disciple you will be. Jesus said “You shall be my witnesses—“ He didn’t say whether we’d be good ones or bad. It’s your call.

Lord Jesus, quicken our hearts to love You and to desire to serve You with what time we have left in this world. Change our priorities and teach us to walk as Your disciples.

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Did You Know Jan Marie Larsen? Eulogy and Final Message

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Jan Larsen’s Graduation

© 2026 C. O. Bishop

1st Thessalonians 5:16-19; 1st Corinthians 15:22; Numbers 21:5-9; John 5:24, etc.

Introduction:

Unquestionably, today all of us are missing Jan Larsen, our precious sister. She encouraged all of us with her joyful approach to life and faith. Jan finished her course in this life, and she graduated into God’s presence. She was the living embodiment of Paul’s commands, in 1st Thessalonians 5:16-19 “16 Rejoice evermore. 17 Pray without ceasing. 18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. 19 Quench not the Spirit.”

Rejoice Evermore

To begin with, Jan found the joy of the Lord in all of her life. As a result, she was an encourager to others to do the same. She sat people down and told them exactly what she so much appreciated in them.

Unsurprisingly, her last words to me, when she was lying in a bed, struggling to breathe, were “You are awesome!” (Obviously, that could have just been the meds talking, I will concede, but it is just the kind of thing she would say.)

Moreover, Jan blessed the Lord with all of her heart, and spoke her blessings aloud, not just thinking about Him quietly. She blessed all of us with that abundance of Joy, as well.

Pray Without Ceasing

Jan and Rick prayed together and they studied scripture together every day of their married life. Jan was an eager student of God’s Word, and fervent in prayer. She studied God’s Word as a whole. She knew that the Old Testament comprises nearly 80% of the Bible. And, she knew that the Holy Spirit authored the entire Written Word of God. So, she chose to read it her desire to be the best that she could be at whatever service The Lord assigned to her.

In Every Thing Give Thanks

Jan and Rick gave thanks together for God’s provision in their lives, whether it was the stream of tiny bird visitors they saw outside their apartment, or the people around them in church every week. Even in her sickness, she thought of ways to honor the Lord in the giving of thanks.

Finally, when Brandy Pedigo visited Rick, after Jan died, she brought him eggs and fresh-baked bread. He was thrilled with her kindness and care. But she was thrilled at seeing the Peace of God glowing in Rick’s face and in seeing his Joyful demeanor. That is the effect that Jan had on many people. She encouraged us to focus on Jesus and to learn Joy and Peace.

For This is the Will of God, in Christ Jesus, Concerning You!

Let’s make this a little more personal: Jan took this passage personally, and she went out of her way to communicate it with those around her. She knew that this passage was God’s Will for her life as a believer, because she was in Christ Jesus! She wants YOU to know it, too!

Jan also knew how it is that God invites a person to move from his or her natural position (where they have been from birth,) to a new, eternal position, in Christ.

1st Corinthians 15:22 tells us that there are only two positions, or locations in which a human can be: “…in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” We are either still in Adam, via our natural birth, or we are permanently in Christ, by means of the New Birth.

Jesus Explained It

Beginning in John 3, Jesus explained this concept to Nicodemus, first emphasizing (v. 3) that without that new birth, no one can enter the Kingdom of God. Nicodemus found the idea of being born again very confusing. So, Jesus spent some time explaining.

Next, in verses 14-16, He said that, just as the people in Numbers 21:5-9 were invited to look away from their own devices and efforts and look to God’s solution for their sins (in their case a bronze serpent high on a pole) even so, today, God invites us to Look Away from our own philosophies and self-made piety, and moral posturing, and recognize that we are lost sinners. He invites us to turn our eyes upon Jesus, as the full payment for our sins, and thereby to gain eternal life.

Finally, Jesus told Nicodemus “Just as Moses lifted up the bronze serpent in the wilderness,” (As God’s provision for those punished for sin by snakebite)  “…even so must the Son of Man be lifted up” (In the crucifixion: As God’s solution for the Sin of the Human Race.) “…that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Then He reiterated, by stating it clearly, “For God so loved the World that He gave His Only Begotten Son, that whosoever (that means you and me) believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

Jesus’s Promise

In John chapter 5, Jesus said we can have eternal life now and not wait until we die to find out whether we have been accepted by God: John 5:24 says, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life [present tense], and shall not come into condemnation [future tense]; but is passed from death unto life.” [past-perfect tense: it can’t be undone!]

In Ephesians 1:6, God says to those who have trusted in Him, that they have already been “made accepted in the beloved.”

In Acts 16:30, 31, the Philippian Jailer asked Paul and Silas “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They replied, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved!”

Our Sister Jan knew all these things: She loved the Lord with all her heart, and she sought to “pass along” that eternal life and supernatural joy to anyone willing to listen.

Quench not the Spirit

The last verse in this passage (verse 19) is easy to overlook: It says, “Quench not the Spirit.”

Jan Larsen never put a “damper” on joy. She did not dwell on the wreckage of the world around her, nor the political posturing and false “virtue signaling,” of evil people. She saw the people of the World as the souls for whom Jesus died, and she cared for them as such. But, she did not allow them to take her focus away from the Lord Himself. He came first, though she grieved for the lost, and prayed for their salvation. He came first!

Jan remained focused on Jesus and on the various assignments she had from Him. She allowed Him to handle the World and all of its threats. She just kept her eyes on Him: the One who bought her with His Blood at the Cross!

And she would encourage each of us to do the same!

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How to Understand the Hope of the Resurrection (Part 2)

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The Hope and Truth of the Resurrection

© 2026 C. O. Bishop

1st Corinthians 15:8-28

8 And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.

10 But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. 11 Therefore whether it were I or they, so we preach, and so ye believed.

12 Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen:

14 And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.

15 Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. 16 For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: 17 And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. 18 Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. 19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.

20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. 21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.

24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. 25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

27 For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. 28 And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.

Introduction:

We began studying the truths and the Eternal Hope of the Resurrection, and we at least saw how vital that hope is to the entire Christian faith. We skipped through 1st Corinthians 15, hoping to come back the next time and fill in the blank spots.

What Would Be the Results if the Resurrection Never Happened?

Paul builds a sort of “legal case outline,” here. He points out several connected ideas:

  • He himself was the last of the Eyewitnesses. Not because he was good…quite the opposite. And he underscores the fact that he is not worthy to be called an apostle, since he had viciously persecuted the Church.
  • Whatever the case, “it is what it is:” He says, “I am what I am.” He had to accept what he was, and start there, just as we do.
  • And Paul testifies that by the Grace of God, he had accomplished more than the others, but not on his own: God did the work. However, regardless of which apostle did the preaching, the people had received the Gospel and believed it.
  • But, now some among them were denying that the Resurrection was a reality. He said:
    • If that is true, then Jesus is still dead.
    • If Jesus is still dead, then the Gospel (which is dependent upon the truth of the Resurrection) is not true!
    • Those who trusted in Him have a vain hope.
    • All those who preached salvation by Jesus are liars and false witnesses.
    • Those who believed in Him are still dead in their sins.
    • Those who died, believing in Him, are in Hell, and lost forever. (Wow!)
  • He concluded that, if the Hope we have in Christ is only valid for this earthly life, we are of all men most to be pitied.

BUT! Christ IS Raised from the Dead!

Paul refuted all the connected side-effects (of the resurrection hypothetically being a lie,) with the single statement: “He is Risen!” The Gospel is true!

  • Jesus is the firstfruits of the believing dead who will be raised to be with Him. He says:
    • Death came by Man (Adam,) thus the Resurrection also came by Man (Jesus.)
    • All in Adam die: All in Christ shall be made alive. (Resurrected.)
    • All will occur in proper order: Jesus first, afterward, all the rest of us.
  • The Resurrection will culminate in final victory for Jesus,
    • Jesus will reign until He supersedes all other kingdoms and authority.
    • All enemies will be under His feet.
    • The final enemy to be destroyed is Death.
    • The Final Kingdom and all glory will return to God the Father.

So, What Do We Do With All That Information?

Point One

The first thing we perhaps ought to notice is that only Paul lays hold of these three claims:

  • I am not worthy to be called an apostle. (1st Corinthians 15:9)
  • I’m less than the least of all saints. (Ephesians 3:8)
  • I am the chief of sinners. (1st Timothy 1:15)

If others had made similar claims, we might simply consider it a mark of humility. If Peter had said it, I might have assumed it was self-condemnation, for his having denied Jesus. But only Paul said these three things: So, I have to conclude that, because the Holy Spirit chose the words, and He chose they would only come from Paul, then there must be some sense in which all are true, and only true of Paul, since all are exclusive statements.

Why is this important? Because it means if these were literally true of Paul, they cannot be true of me or of you, even if we “feel” they are true. Feelings are not reliable reflections of reality. If God could use Paul, He can use anyone.

And, just as Paul was forced to do, we have to start where we are, and choose to obey Jesus, and submit our lives to Him, if we hope for God to accomplish anything through us. This is not a “Do-it Yourself” project! Jesus said, “…apart from Me ye can do nothing!” (John 15:5)

Point Two

The Truth of the Resurrection, and the Hope of the Resurrection are central to the Truth of the Gospel. In John 11:25, Jesus said, “I am the Resurrection and the Life: he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:” If Jesus did not literally, physically rise immortal, from the dead, then all the rest of the Gospel falls apart.

If He is still dead, then the whole Bible is a lie! The Central Theme of the entire Bible is the Redemptive Plan of God, foreshadowed in Genesis and repeatedly confirmed, in stronger and stronger terms, throughout all of the Word of God. Thus, if the Central Theme is negated, the entire structure is fatally flawed.

The “Gospel” would not be “good news.” All who believed it would have made a fatally bad decision, trusting a false messiah, and they would be just as fully lost as if they had no savior… because they truly would not have one.

Paul concludes that if our faith in Jesus has only temporal results, then it is no different than all the “world religions.” If we have been following a false messiah, then we are pitiable, miserable wretches, and still headed for destruction. But!

Point Three

Jesus is Alive! All of the above questions and speculation about the “result of a false messiah” are pointless, in the face of the eternal fact of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Paul went on to teach the logic of the resurrection, showing that it was entirely fitting that a man (Jesus) should undo the damage done by the first man, Adam. Although He doesn’t elaborate, here, this fits the requirements of the Kinsman Redeemer from the Old Testament:

  • The Redeemer had to be a near relative (which is why Jesus became a man.)
  • He had to be free, Himself (Jesus was sinless and free from the taint of sin.)
  • The Redeemer must have the price of Redemption (a sinless body, with untainted blood.)
  • He had to be Willing.

Two Positions, Two Heads of a Race

Adam sold out the entire Human Race: Jesus bought back the entire Human race, but He left it up to the individual to choose whether to trust in His completed work at the Cross. All who choose to remain in Adam simply remain spiritually dead; separated from God. All who choose to believe God, and trust His plan of salvation, are placed into (literally “baptized into… immersed into”) the Body of Christ by the Holy Spirit, and we are permanently bound to Him by His Grace and Love.

Why will we be resurrected? Because He bought our salvation at the Cross. All we did was to believe His Word, and receive Him. He has already been resurrected, but God said that from His perspective, if you have trusted Jesus as your Savior, then, in Him, you are already resurrected, too! Ephesians 2:6 says you are already seated with Him on the throne in Heaven!

Point Four

Because He is already the Victor, (and we have joined Him in that victory,) we will see His ultimate victory over the entire world, as well as over all the unseen evil beings. We will see Him triumph over all His enemies, including Death! Revelation 20:14 says “Death and Hell will be cast into the Lake of fire.” After that, He will deliver the eternal Kingdom to the Father, with the Glory that goes with it.

How Does All This Truth Affect Us?

Does it make a difference in our lives, knowing that the Resurrection of Jesus The Messiah is a fact, and that we are already resurrected with Jesus? It truly ought to make a difference! Pat James used to conclude, regarding this sort of truth, “We’re bullet proof!” meaning that we simply cannot fail to end up with God for eternity, as we are already there, and Jesus promised, “He that cometh unto Me, I will in no wise cast out!” (John 6:37)

How much more confident would we feel in daily life, if we truly grasped how completely He has redeemed us, and how fully He has made us His own?

Romans 6:2-6 explains that through our being baptized into Christ, by the Holy Spirit, we are now fully identified with Him in His death, burial, resurrection and eternal life. He says we are dead with Him. He says we have been buried with Him, and that we shall be like Him in the resurrection. Ephesians 2:5, 6 makes it more explicit, saying that we have been (past tense) brought to life in Him, and raised up (ascended) with Him, and seated with Him in the heavenlies. It’s a done deal!

That truth should set us free to serve without fear and without holding back. I do not claim to have fully grasped this, because, like most people, I sometimes suffer doubts and fears. But I do know this truth, and I believe that it is fully applicable today.

Lord Jesus, please bring the truth and the hope of the resurrection to life in our minds and hearts, and use it to set us free from our fears, our doubts, and our besetting sins. Teach us to walk in the newness of life.

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How do the Other Gifts Compare to the Foundation of Agapé?

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Other Gifts, Compared to the Foundation of Agapé

© 2026 by C. O. Bishop

1st Corinthians 13:1-3, 8-13

1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.

3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.

9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.

10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.

11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

Introduction

We spoke about the supremacy of Agapé love in God’s valuation. We saw that Jesus’s “New Commandment” was specifically that we practice that care for one another. Finally, we saw the 15-point outline of the character of Agapé in 1st Corinthians 13:4-8.

Now, we will back up and look at two questions:

  1. How much value do the gifts have without Love (Agapé) and
  2. How long will the other gifts last as compared to Agapé?

Value of the Gifts, without God’s Love

Paul lays out a very clear, and rather curt dismissal of all the gifts absent the core value of Agapé:

1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

[Only verse in the Bible that suggests (or reveals) that angelic language may be different than human languages. We are given no further information on this subject, so I am going to let it rest as stated.] The real issue? If the “gift of tongues” is there, but agapé love is not, then it is just “noise.” Maybe a thrilling noise, like a gong or cymbals or the rattle of a tambourine, but it is still just noise.

2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.

Aren’t those Gifts Important?

Prophecy seems pretty important! Speaking for God is an honor and a terrific responsibility.  Supernatural Wisdom that “sees through” all mysterious puzzles is also a wonderfully valuable gift. Supernatural Knowledge seems to be able to answer all questions. That seems pretty powerful as well. And supernatural Faith that can (perhaps) move mountains…. They all seem great!

But Paul says all these things amount to nothing of value, unless the Love of God is both empowering them and motivating their application. More specifically, he says that a person manifesting the gifts, but not the Love, is nothing!

3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

He says that generous, heavy giving and personal sacrifice, too, (even including martyrdom,) are valueless without the Agapé love. The person who lives this way is investing their time and effort and money and life itself in something that has no eternal value.

The Gifts Themselves are Not Eternal

Paul lists some of the gifts and points out their limitations:

8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.

These three gifts, specifically, he says, will cease. He goes on to give us some hints about when they will cease. People argue endlessly about the time-line, but verse 12 pretty much clears up the controversy.

9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.

“Partial” as compared to “completion” is the issue. The Greek word translated as “perfect” is “teleios,” and it always means “complete” or “ripe” or “mature,” not “without flaw.” But usually it means complete. So, Paul contrasted our partial knowledge against complete knowledge. Prophecy has always told only part of the whole story. The fulfillment virtually always includes some sort of irony, or a twist in the tale, so to speak.

A Biblical Example: The prophet informed a rich, political official that although he would see plentiful food, the next day, he would not get to eat any of it. He undoubtedly thought, “Oh yes I will!” But when they A Biblical Example: The prophet informed a rich, political official that although he would see plentiful food, the next day, he would not get to eat any of it. He undoubtedly thought, “Oh yes I will!” But when they opened the city gates, the starving people pressed through. In their frenzy to reach the food outside the gates, they trampled that rich, arrogant man to death in the gate!

The prophecy only told the truth. It did not tell how it would be fulfilled.

What Is the “Perfect” that Shall Come?

This is a passage over which there has been a fair amount of controversy. One fairly standard reply to the question is that the “perfect” (or “complete”) here is the completion of the Bible, specifically, the completion of the New Testament.

Yet another is the completion of the Body of Christ, the Church.

Another is the second coming of Christ, Himself.

Whatever it is, we have to agree that when that “perfect” comes, there will be no more of those three gifts, at least. (Perhaps it actually applies to all the miraculous gifts.)

10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.

He doesn’t leave much room for argument on that issue. So, the main question left is “What is the “Perfect” that he predicted?”

“Growing Up” Issues

11 When I was a child, (Greek, “nepios”…a baby who can’t talk yet.) I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, (Greek “aner” …a man, or in some cases, a husband) I put away childish things.

Paul uses the example of a child growing up to maturity. He demonstrated that some things will be best left behind as one matures to adulthood. So, let us compare this passage to the passage in Ephesians 4:11-16, where God tells us to “grow up into Christ,” and see what He means.

Ephesians 4:13-15 says “grow up into Christ.” Paul begins by saying that all the gifts listed in Ephesians 4:11-12 will continue until the events in verses 13-15 have been completed.

He then goes on and tells us to grow up into the measure of Christ Himself, to a perfect man. If the “perfect” in 1st Corinthians 13 is the completion of the New Testament, then the passage in Ephesians is wrong, as the office gifts in Ephesians 4:11 have not produced the Church as a completed man, in the stature of Christ. Sorry, the Church at large is far from complete, and its members are, on average, far from mature!

“New Testament Completion” Problems

If I say that the “perfect” is the completion of the New Testament, then I have to face verse 12, and ask myself, “Do I truly see Jesus, face to face? Do I know God as well as He knows me?”

12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

If my answer to that is, “No!” then there are only two possible things I can say:

  1. Either I have failed to know the written Word well enough to allow me to see the Living Word, face to face (Can that even be done?) And I must have failed to apply His Word diligently enough that I know God as well as He knows me (That sounds somewhat blasphemous, to me!)
  2. Or, I have to admit that the completion of the New Testament is not the “Perfect” to which Paul is referring.

Church Completion problems

As we noted, the Church is neither complete nor mature, and the gifts will not be needed, by the Church, once the Church is completed and raptured. We will be with the Lord face to face! We will “know him as we are known,” etc. It all seems to fit! But the rest of the world will not know him, nor will the tribulation saints: those who come to faith during the Tribulation.

Forty years ago, someone told me that the word translated as “Perfect,” in verse ten was a feminine word. So I reasoned that it could not refer to either the Written Word of God, or to the Second Coming of the Living Word of God, as both are about Jesus, and He is fully masculine.

But they were wrong! And, as a result, I taught it wrong! I recently looked up the word for “perfect,” in the interlinear, and it is the Greek word, “teleion.” This is not to be confused with the word “teleios.” (What’s the difference?) “Teleion,” the word used in 1st Corinthians 13:10, is masculine, NOT feminine! It cannot refer to the Church, which is the Bride of Christ.

Combine that with the dreams and visions that Israel will experience during the Tribulation, after the Church is gone, and the prophetic judgments that will be laid upon the world during that time, and we have to concede that the “perfect” cannot be the completion of the Church.

“Second Coming” Answer

The Return Of the King obviously seems a great option, simply because Jesus certainly is “perfect,” both in the sense of being flawless, Holy, etc., and in the sense of “completed.”

Also, we realize that after His return, there will be no more need for prophecy or tongues or special gifts of knowledge, because every living human will have seen Him face to face, and “The knowledge of the LORD will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea.” (Isaiah 11:9)

And, yes, the entire Body of Christ will be “All Grown Up!”

Combine that truth with the fact that the noun translated as “Perfect” in verse ten is masculine, and we can see that the Personal Return of Jesus, to reign in Jerusalem as the immortal King, is what the “perfect” has to be.

So, What will Remain?

Some things will remain, even after the Return of Christ:

13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

Faith, Hope and Love will remain after the Kingdom begins. There will still be people born who will reject faith, and secretly hate the Lord. They will be revealed at the end of the Kingdom age. But believers will still be saved by faith, and they will hope in the final fulfillment of God’s Word. They will Love the Lord with agapé love, and love those around them in the same manner.

But Evangelism will no longer happen. The knowledge of the Lord will be complete. People will still have to decide whether they will enter into a faith relationship with Him, but they will all know who He is.

So, What Should We Do With This Information?

To begin with, I think the principle in Matthew 6:33 applies. “But, seek ye first the kingdom of God and His Righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.” I entered into a permanent relationship with Him by His Grace, through faith. That placed me into His kingdom, and into His body, the Church, but it also implanted in me His righteousness. Not “something I do,” but rather, “all that He did!” 2nd Corinthians 5:21 says that “He (who knew no sin) became sin for us, that we might be made the Righteousness of God in Him.”

Philippians 3:9 says that we need to be found “in Him,” “…not having my own righteousness,” which is by the Law (by our works,) “but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.”

We need to learn to walk with Jesus in such a way that our works conform to His, by Faith and by Love. This gives us great assurance of Hope, knowing that we are aligned with His Love.

Lord Jesus, Please free us from our slavery to sin, and pride, and public opinion. Lift us up, every day, to continue walking with You.

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