August 14

ACTS 5

²⁵ And someone came and told them, “Look! The men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people.” ²⁶ Then the captain with the officers went and brought them, but not by force, for they were afraid of being stoned by the people.²⁷ And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest questioned them, ²⁸ saying, “We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.” ²⁹ But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. ³⁰ The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. ³¹ God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. ³² And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”³³ When they heard this, they were enraged and wanted to kill them. ³⁴ But a Pharisee in the council named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in honor by all the people, stood up and gave orders to put the men outside for a little while. ³⁵ And he said to them, “Men of Israel, take care what you are about to do with these men.

                                                                                        – Acts 5:25-35

ACTS 5 OBEY GOD RATHER THAN MEN

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

As a servant of God, your allegiance is not in your own or any other men

Your Creator is your Master and he requires his creatures to be obedient

God is the maker of all things and he is sovereign and knows what’s right

Humans are only his creation and does not have a clue about his life

God gave us laws so we can be protected from evil and give him all the glory

The true believers obey God rather than men; their Lord is their priority.

In this account, we hear of the power struggle of the high priest and those religious officials. Even though they have already succeeded in killing Jesus, they wanted to make sure that there will be no talk of him or teachings propagated by anyone who were followers of Jesus. In verse 28, they were very clear about the prohibition of Jesus’ teaching because they felt that if they do so, they are insinuating that they were responsible for Jesus’ death. Power is something that these men were so hungry for. It was their fear of losing the honor that they get from having their positions and knowledge. They were so threatened by the way Jesus taught because there’s so much wisdom and authority in his words. The religious leaders were so full of themselves claiming that they know the laws and the prophets and yet they didn’t believe Jesus was the Son of God. Peter’s response in verse 29-30 was bold and true. He couldn’t have said these words if the Spirit of the Lord wasn’t with him. He courageously told these power-hungry religious leaders that they will obey God and not stop teaching what Jesus had taught them. He even stated outright that they killed Jesus and hung him on a tree. Of course, this angered them because they were denying that they were responsible for Jesus’ death for fear of losing the respect they so clamor for. The apostles will not follow their order because they will obey God rather than men.

REFLECTION

·       Show instances when submission to authority from leaders could pose a disobedience to God and which one should the believer follow?

August 12

ISAIAH 66

Thus says the Lord: “Heaven is my throne and the earth is my footstool;
what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest?
² All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be,
declares the Lord. But this is the one to whom I will look:
he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.

³ “He who slaughters an ox is like one who kills a man;
 he who sacrifices a lamb, like one who breaks a dog’s neck;
he who presents a grain offering, like one who offers pig’s blood;
 he who makes a memorial offering of frankincense, like one who blesses an idol.
These have chosen their own ways,  and their soul delights in their abominations;
⁴ I also will choose harsh treatment for them and bring their fears upon them,
because when I called, no one answered, when I spoke, they did not listen;
but they did what was evil in my eyes   and chose that in which I did not delight.”

                                                                                        – Isaiah 66:1-4

ISAIAH 66 TREMBLE & SUBMIT TO GOD’S WORD

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

Those who love and serve the Lord humble themselves to his word

They do not defy truth but succumb to every word it says

They fear the Lord so they tremble at God’s sovereignty

They do not question or resist truth but follow them instead

To submit to God is to obey his word and resist the world

It is the only way that one can prove their love for the Lord.

This chapter in the book of Isaiah is a rebuke on the religious rituals that the Israelites practiced in terms of their worship of the one true God. Through his prophet Isaiah, God confronts the people of their empty rituals that do not actually worship him but are influenced by other pagan idolatry. God also reminds them that he created all things and that they can never build a house for him that would please him since they are all his possession. This marks the transition from physical worship in a structure using the Levitical practices into the spiritual worship that God required. In John 4:23-24, Jesus explains to the woman in the well that there’ll come a time when true worship transcends physical locations. So, the book of Isaiah was prophetically speaking about Jesus’ salvation work. When Jesus resurrected, the Holy Spirit indwelled those who believed in him. Since the Holy Spirit is living inside them, it is their whole being that is now the temple of God.

The Lord says through Isaiah that the true worshipers are those who are contrite in spirit and tremble at his word. What does it mean to have a contrite spirit? It is a spirit that hears the correction of God through his word, repent and submit to his word and laws.

REFLECTION

• What does it look like to tremble at God’s word and submit to it in a believer’s life?

August 10

ROMANS 6

⁵ What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! ¹⁶ Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? ¹⁷ But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, ¹⁸ and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. ¹⁹ I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.²⁰ For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. ²¹ But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. ²² But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. ²³ For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.  – Romans 6:5-23

ROMANS 6 BE SLAVES OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

Before you believed in Jesus Christ, you were a slave of sin

Without the sacrifice of his blood, you will not be free

It is by God’s grace that you were chosen to be one of his own

You are now slaves of righteousness and sin no longer own you

The new life in Christ cuts off your tendency to habitually rebel

You can now see the way that you are being tricked by the devil

You no longer habitually sin but choose what’s true and what’s right

You no longer live for pleasuring yourself but prioritize obeying Christ.

Many people in our world today have no concept of slavery and Paul explains in this account that to be a slave is to submit to someone’s control or rule. Slavery in the bible is not as bad as we think it is because to be a slave of someone meant that you were part of their household. You were clothed, fed and your masters paid your taxes. They were expected to serve their masters faithfully. Although we don’t have masters in our modern world today, we have employers that we work for who pay our wages so we can provide for our families.

Paul talks about a kind of slavery that is spiritual. He is referring to “slavery to sin.” Before we were believers, we catered to our flesh. We chase what we want and fulfill our own longings. Paul explains in this account that when Christ died for us, we are no longer slaves to anything or anyone but slaves to righteousness. We are transformed by the Holy Spirit to pursue what pleases God and not what pleases us or other men. Paul also explains that as a Christian, we are no longer bound by the law but by his grace. It means that our tendencies to seek pleasures for ourselves are changed to seek pleasing God.

REFLECTION

·       How do you know if someone is a slave of righteousness or a slave of sinfulness?

August 9

1 CORINTHIANS 11

Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.² Now I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I delivered them to you. ³ But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wifeis her husband, and the head of Christ is God. ⁴ Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head, ⁵ but every wifewho prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, since it is the same as if her head were shaven. ⁶ For if a wife will not cover her head, then she should cut her hair short. But since it is disgraceful for a wife to cut off her hair or shave her head, let her cover her head. ⁷ For a man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God, but woman is the glory of man. ⁸ For man was not made from woman, but woman from man. ⁹ Neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. ¹⁰ That is why a wife ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels. ¹¹ Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man nor man of woman; ¹² for as woman was made from man, so man is now born of woman. And all things are from God. – 1 Corinthians 11:1-11

1 CORINTHIANS 11 HEADSHIP & SUBMISSION

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

When the Lord created man and woman, he had a plan

The husband is the head and the wife is to submit to the man

Therefore, the wife has to be subject to her husband who is the head

Since the husband heads her, he has to honor his wife and protect her

As the man fulfills his vow to cherish his wife, he is submitting to Christ

And as he submits to his Lord Jesus, he also fulfills God’s plan in his life.

In our world today, there is a very vague distinction about the roles of men and women and of leaders and their subjects. Satan has distorted the order that God had originally designed for humankind. After all, the original sin is about questioning authority and insubordination. Because of the effect of the sin of our first parents, we have also allowed those distortions of our roles and responsibilities in life. With the rise of homosexuality and various genders, Satan has propagated such confusion of the hierarchy and order that God has required for humans.

In this letter, Paul spells out the distinctions very clearly and clarifies who the head is and who the subject is who is supposed to submit to his head.  He says that men are subject to Jesus while Christ is subject to God himself. Since the woman is taken out of the man’s ribs, she is to submit to her own husband to honor the clear requirement stipulated by God to his people. So, how come, there are still many Christians who are clueless about how headships and submission to the head are applied in their daily lives. No wonder there is so much confusion in the roles of men and women today. Control is one of the curses that we have inherited from Adam and Eve. We like to take control instead of submitting to the heads that have been designated to us.

REFLECTION

• What does it mean when you do not have yourself covered by your head according to Paul?

August 7

1 CORINTHIANS 14

 ²⁹ Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said. ³⁰ If a revelation is made to another sitting there, let the first be silent. ³¹ For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged, ³² and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets. ³³ For God is not a God of confusion but of peace. As in all the churches of the saints, ³⁴ the women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says. ³⁵ If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church.³⁶ Or was it from you that the word of God came? Or are you the only ones it has reached? ³⁷ If anyone thinks that he is a prophet, or spiritual, he should acknowledge that the things I am writing to you are a command of the Lord. ³⁸ If anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized. ³⁹ So, my brothers, earnestly desire to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. ⁴⁰ But all things should be done decently and in order. – 1 Corinthians 14:29-40

1 CORINTHIANS 14 ORDERLY WORSHIP IS SUBMISSION TO GOD

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

When serving the Lord your God, you need to succumb to direction

God has a purpose when he designed all things in his creation

In his plan, there is always order and designation of tasks and duties

When you are under an authority, you ought to submit to them fully

To be insubordinate to your leaders would signify a form of defiance

Orderly worship is what God requires and expects from his children

So, do your role with a servant’s heart and love for your Lord

Do not create division and do not conform to the standards of the world.

There are so many churches today that do not have the orderly worship that God requires of his people. Our world is plagued by many false prophets, teachers, preachers who do not submit under the authority of the word of God. According to data compiled by the Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Cornwell Theological Seminary, there are an estimated 45,000-47,000 Christian denominations globally and this number continues to grow as new independent and regional churches form. How many of these churches follow and submit to the authority of Scripture? How many Christians truly come under the command and instructions of the Lord? Is the Lord the focus of church service or is it their work to perform the best sermons and to entice many other people into their church? Sadly, there are only a few churches who truly apply the word of God. In the book of James, we are told that we need to do the word of God and not just hear it. I’ve had enough of my share of tasting these few false churches that claim to be Christian but do not have orderly worship that God requires. It is more focused on the preachers or the performers trying to sing songs that seemed to be about God but mostly about how they feel about God. The focus is on their “work” not on the requirements and direction of God. In true worship, God is the focus not the people as Paul stipulates in these following verses.

REFLECTION

• How is having false worship a sign of defiance against the Lord?

August 6

ROMANS 13

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. ² Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. ³ For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, ⁴ for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. ⁵ Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. ⁶ For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. ⁷ Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.

                                                                                        – Romans 13:1-7

ROMANS 13 TO RESIST AUTHORITY IS TO DEFY GOD

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

Where envy thrives, disobedience and conflicts follow

Those who live for their flesh eventually gets in trouble

Because there is obsession for power, they resist authority

They are jealous of those placed by God for them to submit to

They don’t understand that when they resist authorities

They are also defying God since he placed them to watch over them.

The world system has twisted the meaning of authority because many leaders, rulers and heads have corrupted their positions. They have used their roles to abuse their power over their subordinates which were supposed to be the people they needed to serve. Instead, they used such positions to cater to wealth accumulation or in controlling others. Because they do not know God, it would be impossible for them to understand that their positions were given to them so they could serve and take care of the flock or people assigned under their responsibility. They were supposed to be accountable for their leadership positions to meet their people’s needs and keep them safe under their rule or headship.

Paul emphasizes the importance of submitting to all governing authorities that were placed by God to each believer. God is sovereign, so he knows the flaws and strengths of each ruler, head or leader that he has placed over a certain people or nation. He appointed these authorities and chose them so, when we defy or disobey them, we are actually resisting and rebelling against God’s choice and decision. In verse 3, he explains that if we obey and do good, there is no reason for us to be afraid of these rulers because their responsibility is to punish those doing evil. In verse 4, they were cautioned to be warned if they do what is evil since they will be judged and punished for it.  Because they are servants of God, they will execute what is needed to keep the peace in their own territories.

REFLECTION

• How have these verses changed your attitude towards authorities?

August 5

1 PETER 2

¹³ Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperoras supreme, ¹⁴ or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. ¹⁵ For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. ¹⁶ Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. ¹⁷ Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.¹⁸ Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. ¹⁹ For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly.

                                                                                        – 1 Peter 2:14-19

1 PETER 2 BE SUBJECT FOR THE LORD’S SAKE

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

Servants of the Lord Jesus Christ follow God’s will

They do not defy authorities placed over them

Allowing those people to lead you is honoring to God

He chose them to represent his own authority in this world

Be subject for the Lord’s sake and do not resist your leaders

God’s will for you is to respect and honor authorities given to you.

So many people who do not know God’s sovereignty have a hard time understanding how to obey the law or to be subjected under the authority of leaders and rulers. It is not uncommon to hear people complain and whine about their employers or anyone who has authority over them. You’ll also hear citizens who says things against their prime minister, king or president without truly understanding the authority that was given to them by God. I used to do this too when I was faced with corrupt government officials back in my country of origin. In fact, one of the reasons why I migrated to Canada was my disgust over the corruption of these leaders who probably do not also have an idea that their positions were not to be abused but to be used to serve the country and the people. They have no clue that God has placed them there for God’s own purpose. Not until I became a reformed Christian did I understand that when I say things against the authorities placed over me, I am doing it to God himself and questioning God’s sovereignty and choice of leaders.

In this account, Peter exhorts the believers about the importance of obedience to those whom God has placed over them. Notice that Peter didn’t say to be subject to authorities who are good to you. In fact, in verse 18, it says that we succumb to not only the good but the unjust masters. In other words, what God wants us to do is to honor everyone. Why? This is the perfect manifestation of the love that he wants for us to give one another: unconditional, accepting, enduring and sacrificial love. Peter lays down the reason why we need to do this as believers. It is for the sake of God. If we are servants of the Lord Jesus Christ, he is the top priority in our life. He is the one that we need to obey and please.

REFLECTION

·       Why should believers refrain from criticizing politicians and leaders of our nations?