Ann H LeFevre
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Corinthians: The "Soap Opera" Church

9/25/2015

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            The American “Soap Opera” has been a staple of television since the early 1950’s.  Wikipedia defines soap operas (a. k. a. soaps or soapies) as “serial dramas that are produced on television or radio which feature story lines about the lives of multiple characters.  Stories usually focus on emotional relationships to the point of melodrama” (which is why they are referred to as operas).  In the early days of the genre laundry soap manufacturers were the primary sponsors of these shows, hence the reference to soap in their identification as well.  A crucial element of the soap opera is the open-ended nature of their story lines which span several episodes and usually end with the classic line, “to be continued”.  The first day-time soap opera appeared in 1949 (These Are My Children).  The longest running soap opera was Guiding Light which began on radio in 1937, relocated to TV in 1952, and broadcast its final episode in 2009.  Although daytime TV no longer carries the amount of soap operas that once dominated the airwaves, the genre has somewhat been resurrected in today’s reality shows.

            If there ever was an early church which could have been a soap opera, the Corinthian church was that church!  The two letters we have in Scripture which Paul wrote to this struggling church are actually only a portion of the on-going correspondence he had with the believers there.  In each letter Paul addresses a number of issues.  In the first letter several of these issues have been reported to Paul by some of the believers from Corinth (1 Cor. 1:11) while the remainder are Paul’s response to a letter sent to him by the Corinthians beginning in 1 Cor. 7:1 with the question concerning celibacy (7:1-40) and continuing with food sacrificed to idols and Christian liberty (8:1-10:33), authority in regards to Christian liberty (11:1-34), spiritual gifts (12:1-13:40), the foundation of the Gospel and the importance of remaining steadfast in belief (15:1-58), a collection being taken for the persecuted believers in Jerusalem (16:1-11), and finally the disposition of Apollos and a charge to the Corinthians to love the Lord and one another (16:12-24).  In the second letter (which scholars have determined is not actually successive to the first as there is a “lost” letter in-between the two), four concerns are prominent.  First, Paul has had a change of plans regarding a visit to Corinth (2 Cor. 1:12-2:13, 7:5-16); Second, the issue of the collection is revisited (2 Cor. 8:1-9:15); Third, Paul defends his position as apostle and minister of the New Covenant (2 Cor. 2:14-7:4); and fourth, a defense of Paul’s behavior toward the Corinthian believers and an attack against false apostles (2 Cor. 10:1-13:14) who have accused him of being the same.  In both letters Paul’s love and concern for the purity of this church is overwhelmingly evident.  His dissatisfaction over their compromised faith and protectiveness over their seduction by false teachers is as fierce as a mother bear protecting her cubs.

            I remember reading through First and Second Corinthians in my teen and college years thinking that it was impossible that a church could be that “messed up” or dysfunctional as we might say today.  Now, I’m not surprised at all!  In fact, I have seen way too much compromise in the lives of people I know truly believe all that the Bible teaches.  I have also seen Christians close to me incorporate New Age teachings into their faith as well and dismiss any Biblical truth I might point out to them when I recognize the deception of the practice of these things.  It is a scary prospect to me that I know more Christians who are reading the latest best seller (Christian or otherwise) more often than they are reading the Bible.  And in my own life I have had to keep a vigil on myself in order to remain true to what God’s Word tells me.  It’s not easy to remain unstained and untainted by compromise or deception, but it is what we are commanded to do (1 Cor. 16:13; 2 Cor. 7:1).  Like a health regiment that we hate doing, but know we must in order to stay healthy, the lessons of the Corinthian letters are worth remembering.

            What are those lessons?  In First Corinthians it is a reminder that God’s salvation story continues in us.  Although the cross may seem like folly because it led to death, in the end the Lord has overcome it through the resurrection.  He now calls us to live a transformed life through the power of that resurrection (1 Cor. 15:50-58).  In Second Corinthians Paul’s zealous passion for his struggling brethren mirrors the Lord’s passion for us in our struggles.  But the Corinthians were not helpless and neither are we.  Paul emphatically demonstrates that our weaknesses are exactly the conduit for God’s grace and power to go to work, bringing us victory and glorifying God (2 Cor. 4:7-18) and it should now be our desire to live a life that is pleasing to Him (2 Cor. 5:1-10).  I cannot in all honesty say that I’ve mastered these lessons- but I keep trying because I know it’s worth it (2 Cor. 9:15)!  How about you?

Ann H. LeFevre, M. Div.                                                                                                      
Week of 9/27/2015


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A New Look At Romans

9/18/2015

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             The news is out and excitement is building.  After a 17 year hiatus (34 if you go all the way back to the “original” and not the remake), the Muppets are returning to Primetime.  But if you’re expecting the family-friendly variety show of the Muppet Show and its revival Muppets Tonight, you will be disappointed.  The new show boasts that it is “a contemporary documentary-style show which explores the Muppets’ personal lives and relationships”.  Gone are the back-stage antics, happy-go-lucky jokes and fun of the former hit.  In its place are broken relationships, inter-species dating issues, and psychologically dysfunctional animals.  Remakes of beloved TV shows and movies are a tenuous affair.  Nonetheless, producers and directors continue to attempt them and like all things in life, some are successful and some are not.   As for this production, I’m not sure it will fly, but it’s an airplane.

            The Book of Romans is the most lengthy and eloquent of Paul’s writings.  It not only contains some personal notes to those he knows in Rome, it covers some of the greatest theological and doctrinal arguments in all of Scripture: salvation, justification, sanctification and righteousness to name a few.  Reading Romans can be a daunting task for some.  Lawrence Richards suggests “One should read Romans thoughtfully, guided by an outline with a reading and study guide”.  In our “quick-fix” and “instant breakfast” culture this is reason enough for many to jump over the book and move on to Paul’s shorter letters.  If you are inclined to do this, you are depriving yourself of some of Scripture’s greatest gems (Rom. 1:16-17, 20; 4:22-25; 5:1-2, 6-11; 6:8-11; 8:1, 28-38; 11: 22, 33-36; 12:1-2, 14-21; 16:25).

            The following was a “fun” attempt to “remake” Romans which I wrote several years ago.  I must qualify this by saying that I did not intend to replace the divinely inspired writings of Paul.  And I do not endorse contemporary versions of God’s Word which have “dummied-down” Scripture in order to make it “more fun” to read.  God gave us a mind to use and if we are truly meditating on His word as we are admonished to do, we are “chewing” on it so that while we ingest its meaning we are growing as it nourishes our spirit (Jos. 1:8; Ps. 119:15, 27, 48, 78, 148; 143:5).  This poetic version is meant to present a concise collection of some of the great themes in Romans.  And for that reason I thought I’d depart from the usual format of Ready for the Road Ahead and share it with you.

The Book of Romans

Hello to my friends who are living in Rome (Romans 1:7),
I decided to write since I don’t have a phone.
I’d like to come see you and share in some fun (Romans 1: 13-15),
But my work with the Gospel isn’t quite done.                                                  

I must tell you plainly, so plainly you’ll see,
The Gospel is precious, quite precious to me.
I’m not ashamed to proclaim it; to issue its call (Romans 1:16),
Its power is timeless and given to all.                                

The Gospel was spoken by prophets of old,
But now through God’s Son its message is told (Romans 1: 2-4).
By faith we receive it, by faith we must live it,
And if we have no faith, then we can’t perceive it (Romans 1:17).

But those who have chosen to not live this way,
Will stand in God’s judgment on one final day.
God’s given them chances to trust in His name,
So if they reject it, they must take the blame (Romans 1:18-32).

He showed them His glory in all that He made,
The sunrise, the mountains, the oceans with waves,
The seasons and stars, the clouds in the sky,
But men chose to ignore Him and followed a lie (Romans 1:25).

So God made a promise to one faithful man,
Not Horton or Marvin, just old Abraham.
He made Abe a promise, a promise He made,
And God has been faithful, and faithful He’s stayed (Romans 4:3, 9, 13, 16).

From Abraham grew a family of God;
A nation of people which He alone called.
God then picked this nation to represent Him,
But even these people stumbled in sin (Romans 3:2).  

To Israel He gave His most holy Law,

And oh how I wish they had learned from it all.
The rest of the nations could see Him revealed,
In all that surrounds them; both forest and field (Romans 2:19-20).
 
But not one was faithful; all of them strayed (Romans3:9-12, 23).
Each owed a debt that had to be paid.
And we are no different; we’re all in His debt,
But never lose hope, no don’t give up yet!

Because God made a promise to one faithful man (Romans 9:25),
Not Horton or Marvin, just old Abraham.
He made Abe a promise, a promise He made,
And God has been faithful and faithful He’s stayed.

Through Israel God brought His plan for salvation (Romans 5:19).

Through Adam came sin; through Christ restoration.
And when we believe God as Abraham did,
We’re rescued, redeemed and freed from our sin.

Although we will struggle with the ways of our flesh (Romans 7:14-25).
And the Law will convince us that we deserve death (Romans 5:20);
Our faith helps us stand upon holy ground,
So should we go on sinning that grace may abound (Romans 6:1-2)?

NO WAY! My dear Romans, don’t take that advice,
Turn from it, flee from it; don’t even think twice.
Offer your life as a spiritual gift,
Holy, devoted and not set adrift (Romans 12:1-2).

For God made a promise to one faithful man (Romans 9:25),

Not Horton or Marvin, just old Abraham.
He made Abe a promise, a promise He made,
And God has been faithful and faithful He’s stayed.  

So God is now working through His body the Church.

But what about Israel, are they left in the lurch (Romans 9-11)?
Yes, what shall we say then of Israel’ plight?
Has God sent them packing?  Are they gone from His sight (Romans11:1)?  

Oh no, not by far, though they’ve missed their great call,
They zealously follow the words of His Law (Romans 10:1-3).
And yet they have missed what those words were to teach,
So God must correct them and to them I must preach.

If it was my choice, why I’d take their place (Romans 9:1-4);

I wish none of them had to suffer this fate.
But God in His wisdom has widened His arms;
Gives Gentiles new blessings, allows Israel some harm (Romans 11:26).

Their future looks bleak, I know this is true,
But don’t be surprised at what God will do.
Just when you think Israel’s faith is done in,
All of His nation will call upon Him (Romans 11: 25-27)!

God made a promise to one faithful man.
And one day their faith will be like Abraham’s.
He made Abe a promise, a promise He made.
And God is SO faithful that faithful He’ll stay.

So now I must close, it’s time to get busy (Romans 16);
I send all my greetings to the saints in your city.
I close with this blessing to all called by His Name,
Praise God; give Him glory, forever, Amen (Romans 11:36; 16:25)!

Ann H. LeFevre, M. Div. 
Week of 
9/20/2015


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The Writings of John

9/12/2015

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            A doctor, a printer, 24 lawyers, 15 merchants, 13 plantation owners, 2 ministers, 2 scientists, 1 musician, a septuagenarian, fathers, immigrants and a military officer.  The list is as varied as the personalities that signed the Declaration of Independence.  Sometimes I wish I could go back and watch the proceedings which shaped that important document.  Jefferson is credited with penning the final version, but each one of the 56 men who helped to formulate its wording had some contributing factor in it and it would be interesting to see where and how those factors show up.

            The men Jesus chose to be His disciples also represented a wide range of personality and interests.  One of the most notable of them was John.  He came from a prosperous fishing family based in Capernaum (Mt. 4:21-23; Mk. 1:19-21).  He and his brother James were partners with Peter and Andrew (Lk. 5:1-11).  The four partners heard Jesus’ call and followed Him at the same time (Mt. 4:18-22; Mk. 1:14-20).  John, his brother James, and Peter comprised what scholars call Jesus’ “inner circle”.  He was an eyewitness to several special events during Jesus’ earthly ministry: the Transfiguration (Mt. 17:1-8; Mk. 9:2-13), the raising of the synagogue leader’s daughter (Mk. 5:35-43; Lk. 18:49-56), and Jesus’ ordeal in Gethsemane (Mt. 26:36-56; Mk. 14:32-42).

            In the Scriptures we learn that John had a fiery temper (Lk. 9:51-56).  He initially expected Jesus to have an earthly kingdom and along with his mother asked for a position of authority in it (Mk. 10:35-45; Mt. 20:20-28).  He was also fiercely loyal to Jesus and was given the responsibility of taking care of Mary (Jn. 18:15-16, 19:25-27) after Jesus’ death and resurrection.  While his temper may have gotten the best of him in his younger years, a transformation took place in his heart.  In the Book of Acts John is recognized as a leader along with Peter (Acts 1:13, 3:1-26, 4:1-22, 8:14-15), although it is often Peter who does the speaking.  In Galatians 2:9 Paul calls him a “pillar of the church”.  After his ministry in Jerusalem, he settled in Ephesus where he wrote his Gospel and letters.  He was exiled to the island of Patmos under the emperor Domitian and wrote the Book of Revelation there.  Tradition also holds that as John was surrounded by those he loved and about to die, he repeatedly admonished them, “Little children, love one another” a sentiment which echoed the words of His Master and was repeated throughout his writings (Jn. 13:34-35, 15:12-17; 1 Jn. 3:11; 1 Jn. 4:7, 11; 2 Jn. 1:5).

            While Matthew, Mark, and Luke present the life, ministry and resurrection of Jesus in a similar fashion (focusing more on Jesus’ ministry in Galilee and what led up to Passion Week in Jerusalem), John’s Gospel presents Jesus in a very different manner.  Gone are the parables and birth narratives.   John instead builds his Gospel account around 7 “I Am” (Ex. 3:13-15) statements and the miracles that attest to the truth of them (Jn. 6:35, 8:12, 10:7, 10:11, 11:25, 14:6, 15:1).  Instead of the short pithy sayings which characterize Jesus’ message in the first three Gospels, when Jesus speaks in the Gospel of John, it is in lengthy discourses that explain Who He is, why He came and what He desires for His followers.  It might be tempting to say that this is due to John’s unique personality, however within his Gospel and throughout his letters, John is addressing a specific heresy called Gnosticism, which had begun to make inroads into the growing church.  John’s passion for the truth and Jesus as the ultimate expression of Truth fuels John to record some of the most beautiful analogies and illustrations that Jesus applies to Himself (Jn. 3:1-21, 4:4-26, 5:19-47, 6:26-59, 8:12-59, 10:22-38, 12:20-50, 13:31-14:31, 15:1-16:33, 17:1-26).

            Gnosticism claimed that the material world was intrinsically bad and the immaterial or spiritual world was good.  The way to escape the material world and free the soul from it was either to punish one’s body until some special knowledge was received or to live in complete sensuality with the thought that anything you did outwardly would not have an effect on the immaterial good that was within.  In response to this John makes it quite clear that Jesus was both human and divine (Jn. 1:1-14), salvation is only possible through Him (Jn. 14:6), and that a “special knowledge” of God is available to all who hear John’s account and believe (Jn. 20:31) in Jesus.  John also emphasizes that life should be lived in obedience to the Lord’s commands as this demonstrates one’s love for Him (Jn. 14:5, 21, 15:10; 1 Jn. 1:4-6, 4:21).  Heresy insipidly creeping into the life of believers has not subsided.  Even today we encounter other religious tenets being mixed into the Christian faith or lives being lived in contradiction to basic Scriptural principles so that “grace may abound” (Rom. 6:1-2).  What John has recorded for us then becomes all the more important.  John’s writings are a measuring stick to discern what Jesus truly desires from us and for us to discern whether or not what we are hearing as “Truth”, really is THE TURTH.

Ann H. LeFevre, M. Div.
Week of  9/13/2015


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the gospel relationship (Luke & Acts)

9/6/2015

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Has there ever been an event in your life which you have received word about it through several sources?  Maybe it was the accomplishment of a sibling or relative as in a graduation.  Maybe it was the birth of a child.  Maybe it concerned a promotion, a good prognosis after surgery or any of a number of things which would be considered good news.  The Gospels are like that.  Although there are four of them, and each author has his own distinct purpose, writing style and method, they all proclaim the same joyful message of “Good News!”

            Luke's introduction is unique in the first three Gospels because it is the only place where the author steps out upon the stage and uses the pronoun "I".  Luke's Greek is among the best in the New Testament.  His introduction is done in the same literary style of his fellow historians Herodotus of Halicarnassus, "These are the researches of Herodotus of Halicarnassus" and Dionysius of Halicarnassus, "Before beginning to write I gathered information, partly from the lips of the most learned men with whom I came into contact, and partly from histories written by Romans of whom they spoke with praise".   William Barclay said it this way, "So Luke, as he began his story in the most sonorous Greek, followed the highest models he could find."  But Luke did not stop at the Great Commission.  He saw a continuation of Jesus’ work within the faith community and he wrote a second volume to record it; the Book of Acts.

            The openings of Luke (1:1-4) and Acts (1:1-2) make clear that the two books are to be regarded as a single work in two volumes.  Neither uses the specific name of its author, but the "we" sections of Acts (Acts 16:10-17; 20:5-21:18; 27:1-28:16), in comparison with what can be known from Paul's letters about who was with him at various points in his ministry, point to Luke as the author of both.  Several of the early church leaders (such as Justin Martyr) as well as ancient church writings (the Bodmer Papyrus XIV) attribute Luke/Acts to one of Paul’s most loyal companions (Col. 4:14; 2 Tim. 4:11; Phile. 1:24).  It is uncertain how they met, but it appears that they met during Paul's second missionary trip where Luke includes himself in the word "we" for the first time (Acts 16:7-9).   While we do not know all the details of Luke’s life, we do know that he was a doctor by trade (Col. 4:14) and this is shown in his writing as he pays much attention to those with medical issues (Lk. 4:38, 5:12, 8:43).  Many times doctors and those who held similar professions, were slaves who had been educated to service wealthy families.  After earning their freedom they continued to service the medical needs of these wealthy families.  But we do not know if that was the case with Luke.  However, it could indicate a tie-in with the person who was the recipient of these two wonderful books.  Some have thought Theophilus commissioned their writing.

            We know some things about Luke, but we know less about Theophilus whose name literally means “lover of God”.  Luke’s Gospel begins with an address to him (1:3) and many have speculated that he was possibly a non-Christian or a newly Christian Roman official.  The only thing that is clear in Luke’s greeting is that he is a person of high position and wealth (“most excellent”).  Luke's Gospel is the most comprehensive of the Gospels and was written first to help Theophilus to know the "exact truth" (NAS) concerning what he had been taught and then to strengthen the faith of all believers.  Luke’s careful research, orderly compilation and eye-witness accounts attest to the accuracy of his work.  He was not only a believer and fellow evangelist with Paul, he was an historian par excellence.

            The relationship between Luke and Theophilus is fascinating.  We could speculate all day as to how they met, how close they were, and whether or not they had a lasting friendship.  But to get caught up in those reveries would be missing the greatest aspect of their relationship and that is, they had one!  How is the Gospel spread?  How is it heard?  It is both spread and heard through the relationships you have and the contact you make with the people around you.  Every day there are opportunities both spoken and unspoken to proclaim Jesus is the answer to the questions people are asking.  Every time you interact with another person, whether it is your neighbor, a boss, a fellow employee, or someone in your family, keep in mind that like Luke, you are making an account of what Jesus has done in your life so that they might know the exact truth about Him (1 Pet. 3:15).  Take note of how both the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts end (Lk. 24:45-53; Acts 28:30-31) as they show the Gospel is a never-ending story.  You are a part of that story!

Ann H. LeFevre, M. Div.
Week of 
9/6/2015


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    Faith & Seeing

    Ready for the Road Ahead began as a bulletin insert in 2010 and has since grown into a weekly on-line Bible lesson.  I love to teach and have taught in both church and school settings.  I hope these articles will both encourage and equip you as you follow Christ.

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