Terry Storch

Writing about life, leadership, faith, and anything else I find interesting.

Now is the…

 

Now is the... 2 Corinthians 6

As you read, “now is the” what word comes next. Now is the time to clean the kitchen? Now is the time to get ready for work? Now is the time to clean the pool? 

Paul pushed the urgency to the Corinthians in chapter 6, now is the time of God’s favor; now is the day of salvation. We all have stuff to do, people to see, places to be, etc, etc...but at the same time, we must realize now is the day of salvation. How do all these go with each other, how does God’s favor, and the day of salvation go with our ordinary and mundane daily lives?

Paul answers that question here.

“We put no stumbling block in anyone’s path so that our ministry will not be discredited.” - ‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭6:3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

We are the messenger of God’s message. You can not separate the two, message and messenger. This often causes challenges in the world we live in due to hypocrisy. You see, its usually not Christ that people have a problem with; it the messenger of Christ that people have issues with. I understand this, I look around every day and struggle with the behavior and actions I see from Christians every day, and this is what nonbelievers hear the message from. I loved hearing this from pastor Kris this morning in his devotional:

“When your life doesn’t match your message, you become an obstacle. You are the excuse people use to reject Christ.”

What stumbling block are you carrying that may discredit Christ? I am asking myself that question now. Lord, give us the eyes to see what is possibly getting in the way of your message. Lord give us the strength and wisdom to release our block and deliver your message clearly and without hypocrisy. 

Paul then drives into a crucial topic; we all should pay attention too. 

“Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?” - ‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭6:14-15‬ ‭NIV‬‬

We can't be a messenger of the message if we are yoked with an unbeliever. What is yoked? Married, dating, in a business partnership, any essential and meaningful relationship where decision making is unified. The direction of our lives and the decision that we need to make will look different than the unbeliever. It is not fair or right to hold an unbeliever to the standards that we hold ourselves, os the path forward would be impossible to navigate together. Common ground will not be found, and there will be no harmony. 

Think about it this way, everywhere you go as a believer, as a Christ-follower, God is with you. What happens if you are yoked together with an unbeliever, and you head down the wrong path? One, you are taking God with you...so Christ is now in that wrong place you found yourself in. And two, you are the messenger of the message of God, so what message are you sending? 

“What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.”  - ‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭6:16‬ ‭NIV‬‬

We must learn how to love deeply and compassionately the unbeliever, but not become one of them. Be in the world, not of it. Be willing to be the messenger of the most important message of all times and deliver that with purity. This means things of this world that we can find ourselves attached to, passionate about, and taking a stand for might need to be scrapped. Will your political views damage your ability to deliver the message? Will words you say, the jokes you tell cause question? Will the clothes you wear to the gym bring glory to God or cause question? What about the parties you attend?

“Therefore, “Come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.” And, “I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.” -‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭6:17-18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The Lord Almighty is our father! Let’s circle back to the statement, “Now is the time...” As you fill in the blank and walk into your day, remember you are the messenger of God's message. Lord, we need your help today as we carry your message. Give us the wisdom, discernment, and ability that only comes from you to be a good and worthy messenger of your message. 

other writing
John 20 - The Gospel

John 20 - The Gospel

The Gospel, the Good News! Jesus, Son of God, was born of Mary, lived as the Son of Man, died, and rose to life to rescue the world and bring about a new life. The central message of the gospel. Jesus, the centerpiece! John 19 & 20 cover the brutal death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.

In this scene, I can not imagine how the disciples felt. John describes them as overjoyed...but those words just fall short of what I can imagine this moment was like.

John 19 - The Magnitude of the Cross

John 19 - The Magnitude of the Cross

The day of Jesus' crucifixion fulfilled 28 Old Testament prophecies. Scripture was fulfilled! Beyond that, trying to wrap my mind around what happened this day, on the cross, and fully grabbing the magnitude of the cross is mind-boggling.

Sure, we can dumb this down or simplify it to a place where I just don’t believe it is anywhere near accurate. We can get into penal substitution and argue over was God full of love or was God full of wrath and hate that he killed his son. To me, John 3:16 is pretty clear on the love part.

John 18 - Jesus levels an army

John 18 - Jesus levels an army

In John 18, we come to the great betrayal. Judas came with the soldiers, officials, and chief priest and Pharisees. We know the scene. But this morning, I saw something I don’t remember reading and surly don’t remember learning about.

“So Judas came to the garden, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and the Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons. Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, “Who is it you want?” “Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “I am he,” Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) When Jesus said, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground.” - ‭‭John‬ ‭18:3-6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

John 17 - The Lords Prayer

John 17 - The Lords Prayer

John 17 is Jesus looking heavenward and praying to God the Father. So much beauty and mystery in this prayer. One thing that jumps out to me is that Jesus, fully God, and fully man prayed. Jesus is God fully. Why did he need to pray, He was One with the Father, He was God...and yet he prayed. This is so powerful;

“And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.” - ‭‭John‬ ‭17:5‬ ‭NIV‬‬

John 16 - What does it take to believe?

John 16 - What does it take to believe?

By the end of John 16, Jesus had done countless miracles, preached some amazing sermons, transformed so many lives, and developed a close and personal relationship with his disciples. So, when reading these verses, I am just utterly confused on so many levels.

“I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.” Then Jesus’ disciples said, “Now you are speaking clearly and without figures of speech. Now we can see that you know all things and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions. This makes us believe that you came from God.” “Do you now believe?” Jesus replied.” - ‭‭John‬ ‭16:28-31‬ ‭NIV‬‬

John 16 - Undervaluing God in Spirit

John 16 - Undervaluing God in Spirit

Jesus’ time on earth is quickly coming to a close, and he finishes up his last sermon or teaching to his disciples as they walk to Gethsemane. This final teaching was a heavy one that no doubt left his disciples with a heavy heart. Jesus said it this way;

“...None of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ Rather, you are filled with grief because I have said these things.” - ‭‭John‬ ‭16:5-6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jesus goes on to say;

John 15 - Constant Growth

John 15 - Constant Growth

We were built for growth, constant growth. From birth, all the way until our death, we were designed by God for constant growth. The problem is, we often can find ourselves stuck in a belief, a phase, or a part of life where we stop growing.

One of the most brilliant investors embodies this understanding. Charlie Munger, at 96 years old, is still learning and growing as a person. I love this quote:

“Knowing what you don’t know is more useful than being brilliant.”
- Charlie Munger

John 14 - The Gift of Peace

John 14 - The Gift of Peace

John 14 opens with Jesus, saying, Don’t let your hearts be troubled. And the chapter closed down with Jesus saying Don’t be troubled or afraid.

A message that needs to resonate with our spirit and our inner self. This was such a good reminder, reading through John 14 over and over. This passage lifted off the screen.

“But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you. “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart…

John 14 - Troubled Hearts

John 14 - Troubled Hearts

The world today seems so volatile and chaotic. Everywhere you look, whatever we read and see on TV just seems to be troubling. Last night, I noticed my lovely wife Tweeted this;

“I can’t be the only one who watches the news and is simply embarrassed right now, right? (Dear Jesus, we tap out. Come on back.)”

I find this first humorous, but then I also find it sad. It’s true, watching the news as a Christ-follower is pretty embarrassing. In John 14, we see Jesus…

John 13 - Unselfish Concern

John 13 - Unselfish Concern

Summarizing John, chapter 13, looks like this. The Lords Supper takes place. Jesus washes the disciple's feet. Jesus calls out Judas, and Satan enters him. Night comes, Judas leaves, and Jesus says he must go, and where I am going, you can not come. To cap it all off, Jesus also calls out Simon Peter and tells him that he will deny and completely disown Jesus three times. Whoa, a really full chapter, and historical day.

Nestled in the wrap up of the day is the parting message Jesus leaves his disciples, a message Jesus is sharing with us right now.

 
thoughtsTerry Storch