The first chapter of the book of James might be one of the most challenging portions of the New Testament. Here is a simple outline of the chapter with a few (my wife says I don’t have the ability to keep it short) comments!

1. Greetings and trials. Vs 1-4 James the. brother of Jesus is the author. He was not a believer in Jesus until after the resurrected Jesus appeared to him. He was a pillar in the church in Jerusalem. His letter is full of condemning a lot of the sins that Christians commit. He was writing to Jewish Christians scattered over the Roman Empire. His first topic was trials that many of them were suffering through at the hands of their non Christian Jewish brethren and the Roman pagan society. Eventually Rome started severely persecuting Christians under Nero in the 60’s. James tell them to consider it joy when they have these trials. How so? He says that trials can produce patience and tested, prove spiritual completeness and maturity. You might go through a lot of pain as you undergo a very serious surgery and recovery, but you can actually rejoice that you are having the surgery b/c it will make you whole and well again. It’s the same with trials. You have to be able to look at the light at the end of the tunnel.
2. Wisdom and doubt. Vs 5-8 James says that God will give us wisdom to handle difficult trials and persecution. “Understanding why the trial is happening (growth, testing, discipline) and its source (God, self, enemy). Believing God is in control and good, even when things are difficult, and asking Him for help without doubting. Staying steadfast and not giving up, recognizing that growth comes through hardship. Choosing courses of action that remain honorable and pleasing to God, even when it’s hard. Using God’s wisdom to make wise choices, speak wisely, and serve others better. Find wise, godly advice to help navigate difficult decisions.” (AI) But we must ask God in faith, believing that He will give us that wisdom. Look for answers to your prayer for wisdom.
3. Humility and riches. Vs 9-11 James tells the poor Christians to glory in their exalted spiritual position as the children of God, rich spiritually even if destitute physically. No doubt many had lost property as a result of persectution as Hebrews 10:34 says (“you accepted joyfully the seizure of your property”). He tells the rich Christians to glory in that he should realize that there are no social classes among believers and that he should not trust in his riches but instead share them, especially with persecuted brethren. It is humbling for a rich Christian to realize that his riches will not last.
4. Temptation and God’s goodness. Vs 12-18 James tells them that they will receive the crown of life if they persevere under their trials and not give up their faith. But he warns them to accept accountability for failing to persevere. Some might blame God when they give in to their trials and sin when tempted. But God does not “tempt” us. That is actually the same Greek word that can simply mean “test”. peirázō (from peíra, “test, trial”) – “originally to test, to try which was its usual meaning in the ancient Greek and in the LXX” (WP, 1, 30). “The word means either test or tempt” (WP, 1, 348). Context alone determines which sense is intended, or if both apply simultaneously.” (Biblehub.com) God does test us. He tested Abraham when he told him to offer his son. Abraham could have been tempted to disobey God and fail the test, but he didn’t. James’ point is that, while God does test us with trials, God does not create the inner temptation to sin when we are tested. James says that comes from our lusts, so don’t blame God if you sin when under trials. God doesn’t force anyone to make wrong, sinful decisions. He may allow us to have a trial, or even give us a trial or testing, but how we handle it is up to us. God only gives good things or gifts, even if that is disguised in a difficult trial, since a trial can make us better.
5. Hearing and doing. Vs 19-25 James gives great but harsh advice: Be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger. There might be times for “righteous anger” but most of our anger is just when we lose our patience with our circumstances or when we just don’t get our way. Selfish anger will not bring about God’s righteousness. We must clear our hearts of the weeds (sinful thoughts and desires) before we plant the word of God in our hearts. We must be “not just hearers of the word but doers of the word”. The “hearer only” Christian is like a person who gets up in the morning, looks in the mirror and sees his hair all tangled up, but then goes off to work without combing his hair. It is the same when we read or hear the word read to us that exposes our faults but then we do nothing to correct those faults. But when we look into the “law of freedom” we not only see our spiritual faults but the grace of God that covers our faults. That encourages us to try to correct those faults and be “an active doer and not a forgetful hearer” and we will be blessed.
6. Pure and undefiled religion. Vs 26-27 James says that one’s “religion” is worthless if he can’t bridle his tongue. Apparently James considers the tongue to be the main source of many sins. Chapter 3 is totally devoted to sins of the tongue and bridling the tongue. The one who doesn’t bridle his tongue might be “religious” but God does not accept his religion, it is worthless in the eyes of God (thréskeia: Religion, Worship). He is deceiving himself if he thinks that external religious acts or rituals make his religion acceptable to God. “Thrēskos was used in Hellenistic Greek for a person devoted to cultic practice, emphasizing outward religious observance—rituals, ceremonies, and visible acts of worship. Classical writers applied it to followers who scrupulously fulfilled the requirements of their gods, while Hellenistic Jews employed it for those meticulous about temple or synagogue duties.” (Biblehub.com) Most religions do come from worship fales gods or the one true God, and “pure religion” might involved rituals like taking the Lord’s Supper or baptism. But James says that “pure religious worship” of God must go a lot further than that and must involve two things: 1) taking care of widows and orphans in their distress. God has always had a special place in his heart for the widows, fatherless, and strangers. Psalm 68:5 A father of the fatherless and a judge for the widows, Is God in His holy dwelling. ⁶ God makes a home for the lonely; He leads out the prisoners into prosperity.” Isaiah 1:17: God commands Israel to “learn to do good; Seek justice, Reprove the ruthless, defend the orphan, plead for the widow”. Deuteronomy 10:18: States God “defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner”. Many widows have good income in the U.S. (my mom did not need money donations in her old age) but they still need Christians to visit and show love to them. Many Christians foster or even adopt children (my daughter adopted 3 children and my son adopted 2 children). The greatest needs for widows and orphans might be in foreign lands. Many charitable organizations provide medical, food, and education for children in 3rd world poverty stricken areas and could use any contributions. They also take care of the elderly and widows who are often neglected, just as they were in the Roman society in the first century when James wrote his letter. Of course, Paul goes into much greater detail about the church caring for widows “indeed” in 1 Timothy 5. 2) The other thing James says we must have for pure and undefiled religion is to keep oneself unstained by the sinful world around us. The Greek for “pure” is katharos: Clean, pure, clear: “clean” (pure) because unmixed (without undesirable elements); (figuratively) spiritually clean because purged (purified by God), i.e. free from the contaminating (soiling) influences of sin.” Jesus said “Blessed are the pure in heart” (Matthew 5:8). Many religious people have sinful hearts and insincere motives in their religious pursuit. The Greek for “undefiled” is amiantos: Unstained, undefiled, pure. Jesus gives us new white suits and dresses (spiritually) and getting too close and involved with the worldly sins stains our Christian garment. Too many religious church going Christians’ lives are dominated by the worries, riches, and pleasures of this world. Many church members watch porn. Too many churches spend almost all of their money collected on themselves (buildings and staff, about 75% of the budget) and very little on taking care of the poor, the widows, the orphans, persecuted Christians, etc. Even our assemblies become more about attracting new members with bands and great speakers rather than focusing on repentance and pure, undefiled lives in the members.

That’s a lot but I thought it was a neat way to study James 1.

Paul planted, Apollos watered, and God gave the increase. Sunday, December 28, 2025 was a special day for my wife and me. A church in Siparia, Trinidad, West Indies had their 50th anniversary. My wife and I helped plant, along with a couple of other missionaries, that church when it first began 50 years ago during the 3rd year of our work in Trinidad. We moved to Siparia and lived there that 3rd year before moving eventually to Colombia, South America. We began the church by having a “crusade” (gospel meeting) in the community center in Siparia. We baptized only a few but one of those was a lady who had several younger children. She has been a faithful rock of that church for 50 years. Her children have become strong Christians with Christian families. They all helped the church grow in Siparia.

To be honest, I actually was pretty discouraged after that year in Siparia. The church was not growing as it had in several of our other church plantings in Trinidad. I did not have an optimistic view of the future of the church after we left. The church continued after we left, survived, and over the years grew. They started meeting in a member’s house with 30 or so members. They eventually received a plot of land and built a building. I’m not sure how many members they have now, but they had over 100 people at the 50th anniversary Sunday. I was able to zoom and we could see each other and I spoke for a few minutes. My wife spoke and talked about our first child who was born during that last year that we were in Siparia.

Well the members were all thanking me for helping plant the church in Siparia, but the whole time I’m thinking, “I really had almost given up on that church after working with it for that year. So I should get very little credit. Instead, others watered. A few men from the School of Preaching that our 4 missionaries started and worked with preached for and worked with the church over the past 50 years. Christians from other congregations helped the church attain stability over the years. But God gave the increase. God gets all the credit and glory.”

What’s the point? Sunday was a great day for me and my wife. Paul said that his converts were his joy and crown. 1 Thessalonians 2:¹⁹ For who is our hope, or joy or crown of pride, in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming? Or is it not indeed you? ²⁰ For you are our glory and joy.” Those whom we directly or indirectly converted to faith in Jesus are our joy and crown. As I look back over my 76 years, what really matters? What can I look back and really take great joy and pride in? My savings accounts, my house, my cars (I love my Prius), my career as a teacher and principal? Not really. The only thing that really matters is how many people I can lead to Jesus. The only memories that I will cherish as I die are memories made with my family and memories of those we helped lead to Jesus.

Are you seizing upon the opportunities God gives you to reach souls for Jesus? I’m so glad that we went to Trinidad. I can’t imagine what our life would have been like if I had just continued to work with my engineering degree at Alabama Power instead of going to a school of preaching in Louisiana which led to us going to Trinidad. There are other converts and congregations we worked within Trinidad. I have memories of working with them. I will have this memory of the 50th anniversary celebration Sunday in Siparia. I can’t imagine not having these memories which would be the case if we had never gone to Trinidad. Again, God gets the credit and glory. I believe that He had a plan to get us to Trinidad to do what we did in our 3 years there.

God will give you opportunities if you will look for them. There is someone that you will see today that perhaps God wants to use you to help them to come to know Jesus or to grow closer to Jesus. Don’t be shy and timid. “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7, KJV) Share your faith with anyone that you can.

Maybe you can’t do mission work and convert others in foreign countries as we did. Then find an organization or some missionaries that are evangelizing and planting churches in foreign countries and support them financially. My wife and I support EEM (Eastern European Missions): they print and distribute Bibles in over 30 different languages in 30 countries. We send some support for a couple of our graduates of the school that we have taught in as they work in Muslim countries in Asia and Africa. A long time friend of ours is working with Baja Missions to plant churches over that long strip of Baja, Mexico next to the Pacific Ocean, and we send support there. That’s not bragging. If anything, I am ashamed that I didn’t continue to work as a foreign missionary these past 50 years. I might have had many more memories like the one we enjoyed this past Sunday. Of course, God has a plan. He gave us other opportunities here in the U.S. and maybe we seized upon some of them and have converts here also. Some of my students over the years are my joy and crown also.

But this is not about me. This is a challenge to you. Maybe God has you are where you are right now for a reason. Mordecai told Queen Esther about Haman’s plot to annihilate all the Jews and told her to go to the king and plead for saving the Jews. Esther was fearful and not willing to do so at first. Even the queen didn’t approach the king without being invited. But Mordecai told her, “who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14) She found the courage to go to the king and eventually saved the Jews and foiled Haman’s plot. So maybe God has you where you are for a reason. Looking for that reason gives excitement to the daily work grind. It gives you a reason to reach out to the less fortunate, to reach out to strangers at church. You have financial resources. Enjoy them, but also maybe God has given you financial resources that allow you to support missionaries and help the poor worldwide instead of just buying things for yourself that you don’t really “need”.

Give it some thought!

I have never looked at my McDonald’s App to see how many points I have. We checked it this morning and I had 27,000 points! I have never used any points in the past. They expire periodically and I had lost thousands that I had never used. Of course it takes 5,000 points to get a Egg McMuffin, so it’s not like I lost a lot of money from unused points, but I’m cheap and it still irritated me to find out all that!

So, what’s the cute little blog spiritual comparison to this? Probably not much, but I’ll give it a go. A saved believer in Jesus can know that he is saved. He can go to McDonald’s (church) and pay for his breakfast (give money, maybe even tithe) and kinda “earn” his way to heaven by going to church and doing good works. But he can miss out on the extra “free” blessings that come with the “abundant life”. John 10:10 “I came so that they would have life, and have it abundantly.”

So how can we describe this abundant life? AI: “An abundant life in Christ, from John 10:10, means a spiritually rich, full life, not necessarily material wealth, characterized by God’s love, joy, peace, purpose, and fellowship, found through a restored relationship with Jesus, daily reliance on the Holy Spirit, obedience, prayer, and living to glorify God, even amidst life’s trials. It’s a life “beyond measure,” filled with divine blessings, not worldly possessions.” So how many Christians, even church going Christians, punch the clock but don’t have the joy, peace, love, prayer life, Spirit led life, or “purpose driven life” (Rick Warren’s book)? In other words, they have all those extra spiritual points that they never use. And if you don’t use them, you lose them. Past missed opportunities expire and you can’t get them back.

Probably a stretch with the McDonald’s points comparison but I gave it a try. BTW I’m going to use some of those 27,000 points at my next visit to McDonald’s before they expire! Maybe I will use my spiritual points to enjoy the abundant life in Jesus more!

The Gospel of Philip says that Jesus loved Mary Magdelene more than the other disciples and that Mary was a “companion” of Jesus and that he kissed her on the (and the rest is missing from the text). The word “companion” does not necessariy mean “spouse” but even if it did, why would we believe that the Gospel of Phiilip was an authentic inspired gospel just like our 4 gospel (Mt, Mk, Lk, Jn)? The Gospel of Mary Magdelene also says that Jesus loved Mary more than the others, but was it an authentic inspired gospel? When were these 2 gospels (Philip and Mary) written? Most scholars think they were written in the laste 2nd century. The Gospel of Philip was in the Coptic Nag Hammadi books found in Egyypt in 1945 and the Gospel of Mary was also found in Egypt in the late 19th century.

They probably were around in the late 2nd century because the church father Irenaeus “fiercely condemned them, along with other Gnostic writings, in his work Against Heresies, arguing they were heretical, illegitimate, and contrary to the four canonical Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John), which he championed as the only true witnesses to Jesus, established by apostolic tradition and reflecting creation’s order. He saw these Gnostic books as undermining the true Church’s faith, promoting secret knowledge, and challenging the apostolic succession, viewing them as dangerous fabrications.” Irenaeus lived in the 2nd century AD.

Now we can’t trust everything Irenaeus said. He believed in chiliasm (that Jesus was going to come set up an earthly kingdom), which I disagree with. Jesus said that his kingdom was not of this world (John 13:36) and that some of those he was speaking to would be alive to see Him coming back in His kingdom (Matthew 16:27-28). He also said that Jesus’ ministry lasted 20 years and that he died at age 50. But his comments about the gospels are compelling: “In his central work, Adversus Haereses Irenaeus denounced various Christian groups that used only one gospel…as well as groups that embraced the texts of new revelations.…Irenaeus declared that the four he espoused were the four pillars of the Church: ‘it is not possible that there can be either more or fewer than four’ he stated, presenting as logic the analogy of the four corners of the earth and the four winds (1.11.8).”  

So was this an isolated opinion of just one of the early church fathers? No. The following chart shows how many times the early church father (2nd-4th centuries AD) quoted or cited the gospels (and the rest of the New Testament).

Justin Martyr lived from 100-165 AD; Clement was 150-215 AD; Irenaeus was 125-202 AD; Origen was 185-254 AD; Tertullian was 155-220 AD; and Eusebius was 260-339 AD. So we have almost 19,000 quotes of the 4 gospels by the early church fathers by the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD. So around the 2nd century AD (about 100 years after the original gospel were written) we have all the church fathers quoting the 4 gospels as inspired writings of the apostles. I believe that these early church fathers living in the 2nd century knew very well which gospels that had been passed down by the church were authentic inspired writings.

In contrast to that, the early church fathers never quotred from the gospels of Philip, Mary, or Thomas (the gospel of Thomas was another gospel found in the Nag Hammadi books. Irenaeus’ comment about the gospels of Philip and Mary shows that those books were around by the late 2nd century but that they were clearly considered to be uninspired, heretical gospels. Therefore, it doesn’t matter if the gospel of Philip suggested that Jesus was married (his “companion”) to Mary or not. It wasn’t an inspired gospel so it just doesn’t matter what it says. The Dan Brown Da Vinci Code book and movie throws in a comment that the gospel of Philip said that Mary was the wife of Jesus, but, again, that is taken from an uninspired gospel that the early church rejected. A great movie with Tom Hanks, but entirely fiction.

Maybe this article is more about the trustworthiness of the 4 gospels (Mt, Mk, Lk, Jn) that we do have in our Bibles than it is about the gospels of Philip and Mary. The early church father quotes should give us confidence that we can trust the 4 gospels as being written early and written by those 4 men. If we can’t trust our 4 gospels, then we can’t trust the miracles and resurrection of Jesus that they record.

AI: “Bart Ehrman says the four Gospels (Mark, Matthew, Luke, John) were written anonymously, with names added later, but generally dates them as: Mark (c. 70 CE), Matthew & Luke (c. 80-85 CE), and John (c. 90-95 CE), acknowledging the consensus among critical scholars that they weren’t eyewitness accounts but emerged decades after Jesus, long after the apostles’ deaths, to gain authority.” I believe that all the gospels were written before 70 AD. How do we know that? Because all 4 gospels quote Jesus predicting the destruction of Jerusalem that he said would happen within the generation of those he was speaking to (Matthew 24:34) and yet none of the 4 state that the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD had already happened at the time of writing. What if we found an old, old book about persecution of the Jews in history but we didn’t know when it was written? What if that book told about many events where the Jews were persecuted but stopped without mentioning the holocaust? When would you say that book was written, before or after the holocaust? It was written before the holocaust. It is the same with the 4 gospels and the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. If that event had already happened at the time of writing the gospels then the gospel writers would surely have used that fulfilled prediction to show that Jesus was truly a Prophet. If the gospels were written before 70 AD, then early Chrisitans would have been able to verify that the writers really were Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Also, if the gospels were written before 70 AD, then that would be within about 30 years of the resurrection of Jesus and people could be able to check out the veracity of the gospel claims. If someone claimed a resurrection from a local cemetary 30 years ago, then we are living close enough in time to check out that claim. The early church rejected many spurious gospels and other books, so they knew which books were authentic that had been passed down to the early church.

I hope this article has been beneficial.

My last blog laid the groundwork for the special collection for the poor saints in Jerusalem that Paul was taking up from the mainly Gentile churches on his 3rd missionary journey, so please read that before you get into this blog. I intended to send this tomorrow but couldn’t wait.

I want to summarize what he told the church in Corinth about that special collection. AI: “Paul wrote 2 Corinthians around AD 55-57, most likely from Macedonia, possibly Philippi or Thessalonica, during his third missionary journey, shortly after a difficult visit to Corinth that prompted a more painful, lost letter before the 2 Corinthian letter which expresses relief and defends his apostolic authority.” Paul had been in Ephesus for 3 years, from where he made that difficult visit and from where he wrote 1 Corinthians. “After the 3 years he left Ephesus for Troas, grew anxious waiting for Titus (who was bringing news from Corinth and was supposed to meet him in Troas but was late), and then traveled to Macedonia where he finally met Titus, receiving good news about the Corinthian church’s repentance after receiving Paul’s letters (the severe lost letter and the 1 Corinthians letter).” Titus probably delivered both these letters to the Corinthians, but for sure he delivered the 1 Corinthians letter.

2 Cor 8:¹⁶ But thanks be to God who puts the same earnestness in your behalf in the heart of Titus. ¹⁷ For he not only accepted our appeal, but being himself very earnest, he has gone to you of his own accord. ¹⁸ We have sent along with him the brother (some early church fathers thought that this “brother” was Luke but we really don’t know who it was),whose fame in the things of the gospel has spread through all the churches; ¹⁹ and not only that, but he has also been appointed by the churches to travel with us in this gracious work, which is being administered by us for the glory of the Lord Himself, and to show our readiness, ²⁰ taking precaution so that no one will discredit us in our administration of this generous gift; ²¹ for we have regard for what is honorable, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of other people. ²² We have sent with them our brother (some think this was a 2nd unnamed brother; Trophimus has been mentioned as a possibility) whom we have often tested and found diligent in many things, but now even more diligent because of his great confidence in you. ²³ As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker among you; as for our brothers, they are messengers of the churches, a glory to Christ.” What a great compliment to Titus. We know that Timothy was Paul’s special “child in the faith” but Titus is highly praised by Paul here. Later Paul will trust Titus as an evangelist to stay in Crete and correct false teachers there and to teach sound doctrine.

There are so many lessons about giving in 2 Cor 8 and 9. I really enjoyed re-studying those 2 chapters.

1) The Macedonian churches had already given liberally out of their poverty, according to their ability and beyond their ability, toward this special collection. They gave voluntarily and begged Paul for the favor of participating in this collection. Reminds you of the widow’s 2 mites, doesn’t it? They even first “gave of themselves” before they gave their contributions. I imagine there a lot of church goers that still give out of guilt without giving themselves to the Lord.

2) Paul encouraged the Corinthians to fulfill their pledge they had made toward this special collection one year earlier. They were the first to make such a pledge and now they needed to finish what they pledged. Titus had apparently helped them make that pledge a year earlier and he would take this 2 Corinthian letter to Corinth (while Paul was still in Macedonia waiting to go visit Corinth one last time) to make sure the Corinthians fulfilled their pledge. Paul said that their pledge should be a proof of the sincerity of their love and according to their ability.

3) Paul had boasted about the Corinthian pledge to the Macedonian churches (Philippi, etc.) and about the Corinthian zeal from a year earlier that had stirred up the Macedonian churches to give liberally (which they did). So he sent Titus and 2 other brothers to make sure that the Corinthians fulfilled their pledge lest his boasting be in vain. He sent them from Macedonia ahead of his last visit to Corinth to arrange for the Corinthian collection to be ready for him to pick up when he would visit (1 Corinthians 16:1-4). But Paul is quick to point out that he did not want this generous gift they had pledged to be reluctant or under compulsion (one made by a greedy person but who feels compels to make the contribution under force almost or out of guilt or even to grudgingly fulfill their pledge). He wants them to be cheerful givers. It is interesting to note that Paul used the example of the churches in Galatia giving toward this collection to motivate the church in Corinth (1 Cor 16:1-4), and then he used the Corinthian generosity to motivate the churches in Macedonia. The power of the example of sacrificial giving. Quite often I read of someone basically donating all his/her assets to a great work of the Lord somewhere, usually in some poor country overseas. That inspires me to look at my assets and make generous donations. Still working on that!

4) Paul then gave a great principle on giving. God will supply “seed for the sower” is he/she gives liberally, generously, and cheerfully. He will supply more “seed money” for the one who gives like that. God will multiply your seed money for sowing. If you sow sparingly, you will reap sparingly, but if you sow generously, you will reap generously. God will be glorified by generous, cheerful giving. I don’t believe this giving has to be to a church budget fund. Churches spend about 75% of the money they collect on buildings and staff. I like the giving habits of the early church. The only collections they took up were for benevolence and the spreading of the gospel. They did not have buildings to pay for and staff salaries, etc. They met in house churches. Acts 2:⁴⁴ And all the believers were together and had all things in common; ⁴⁵ and they would sell their property and possessions and share them with all, to the extent that anyone had need. Acts 4:³⁴ For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales ³⁵ and lay them at the apostles’ feet, and they would be distributed to each to the extent that any had need.” AI: “Justin Martyr, in his First Apology (c. 155 AD), describes 2nd-century Christian communities collecting voluntary offerings during Sunday meetings, managed by the church president (bishop) for communal welfare, specifically helping orphans, widows, the sick, imprisoned, and needy strangers, showing a system of communal care funded by voluntary, generous giving from the wealthy and willing.” Why are churches not using all that money they collect to feed the poor, drill clean water wells, and print Bibles to spread the gospel?

4) Paul says that the motivation for all our giving is what God has given us by sending His Son to die and save us from our sins. 2 Cor 8:⁹ For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich (i.e. rich spiritually). There is no “prosperity gospel” that if you give liberally you will be blessed materially for your own selfish use although it is true that you might be blessed with more money to share with others if you give liberally but there is not guarantee of even that. 2 Cor 9:¹⁵ Thanks be to God for His indescribable (anekdiégétos: Indescribable, inexpressible: properly, inexpressible (beyond words); indescribable (inexplicable), impossible to estimate (used only in 2 Cor 9:15) ) gift!”  

One of my favorite movies is “The Ultimate Gift”. Great movie. Jason, the protagonist, is a spoiled young adult who never had to work. HIs grandad, whom he resents, dies and gives him a list of gifts which are actually chores and lessons for him to learn in order to get finally “the ultimate gift” and he has no clue what that ultimate gift. I won’t spoil the movie for you if you haven’t seen it, but in the end he truly receives the ultimate gift. God blesses us with so many physcial blessings and spiritual blessings every day. It is my 76th today and I sat with my 3 grown children (no spouses or grandchildren present) at my favorite breakfast place, McDonalds for my usual egg McMuffin and Sr Coffee and I sat as they laughed and laughed and made fun of each other and told stories about their kids and some of our trips. For about 45 minutes, non stop laughing and fun and memories. I thought, I could not get a better material present on my birthday than that! Thank you Lord. That will be a memory I cherish till the day that I die. I wish many such happy memories for you.

Every day thank God his His indescribable, inexpressible, words that cannot express gift in sending His Son to die for us. Imagine a situation where someone in on death row and you are told that if you swap your son to die instead that the death row inmate can go free. Could you give such a gift?

I don’t know what troubles you will face today, but that gift makes it all bearable as you wait for the day when you can leave this trouble filled life and start enjoying eternal life with Jesus, and hopefully with your loved ones someday.

A very important part of Paul’s 3rd missionary journey was collecting money from the churches to take to the poor saints in Jerusalem. He said that this was a way for the mainly Gentile churches that he had established (Corinth, Philippi, Galatia, etc.) to show their appreciation for the role of the Jerusalem church in spreading the gospel to the Gentiles. Paul’s base of operation for his 3 missionary journeys was Antioch of Syria, but that church in Antioch was started by Jewish Christians fleeing persecution in Jerusalem (Acts 11:19-26). The persecution of Christians in Jerusalem first started in Acts 8:1-3 and they spread through Judea and Samaria, but in Acts 11 they had spread north to Antioch, establishing a mainly Gentile church there. Acts 11:¹⁹ So then those who were scattered because of the persecution that occurred in connection with Stephen made their way to Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except to Jews alone. ²⁰ But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who came to Antioch and began speaking to the Greeks as well, preaching the good news of the Lord Jesus. ²¹ And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord. ²² The ^[q]news about them reached the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas off ^[s]to Antioch. ²³ Then when he arrived and witnessed the grace of God, he rejoiced and began to encourage them all with resolute heart to remain true to the Lord; ²⁴ for he was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and faith. And considerable numbers were added to the Lord. ²⁵ And he left for Tarsus to look for Saul; ²⁶ and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. And for an entire year they ^[w]met with the church and taught considerable numbers of people; and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.” So the Jewish Jerusalem church was considered the “mother church” of the Gentile churches.

Paul, in his Romans letter written from Corinth during his 3rd journey, comments on this 3rd journey collection in Romans 15:²² For this reason I have often been prevented from coming to you (i.e. to the Christians in Rome); ²³ but now, with no further place for me in these regions, and since I have had for many years a longing to come to you ²⁴ whenever I go to Spain—(tradition and the Muratorian Canon said that he did make a visit to Spain after his release from 2 years of house arrest in Acts 28) for I hope to see you in passing (he did get to go to Rome but as a prisoner Acts 27-28), and to be helped on my way there by you, when I have first enjoyed your company for a while— ²⁵ but now, I am going to Jerusalem, serving the saints. ²⁶ For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem. ²⁷ For they were pleased to do so, and they are indebted to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual things, they are indebted to do them a service also in material things. ²⁸ Therefore, when I have finished this, and have put my seal on this fruit of theirs, I will go on by way of you to Spain. ²⁹ I know that when I come to you, I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ.” Perhaps the Jewish saints in Jerusalem were still suffering from an earlier famine, predicted by the prophet Agabus, in the reign of Claudius for which the church in Antioch had taken up a collection and sent it via Paul and Barnabas (Acts 11:27-30).

Paul, in his first letter to the Corinthians written during his 3 year stay in Ephesus while on his 3rd journey, spoke of this collection: 1 Corinthians 16:1 Now concerning the collection for the saints (i.e. the poor saints in Jerusalem), as I directed the churches of Galatia (no actual record of this in his letter to the Galatians), so you are to do as well. ² On the first day of every week, each of you is to put aside and save as he may prosper, so that no collections need to be made when I come. ³ When I arrive, whomever you approve, I will send them with letters to take your gift to Jerusalem; ⁴ and if it is appropriate for me to go also, they will go with me.” There were several delegates from the different churches who traveled with Paul toward the end of his 3rd journey all the way to Jerusalem carrying the contributions from their respective churches. AI: “When Paul traveled to Jerusalem with church contributions (the “collection”) for the poor saints, he was accompanied by several delegates representing the Gentile churches, including Luke, Sopater (son of Pyrrhus) of Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus (both from Thessalonica), Gaius (from Derbe), Timothy, Tychicus, and Trophimus (from Asia/Ephesus). These men served as witnesses to ensure the funds from churches in Macedonia, Achaia (Greece), and Asia were delivered faithfully, building unity and preventing suspicion.”

AI: “The early church in Corinth, like many New Testament churches, met in various homes (house churches) but had a regular, collective assembly on the first day of the week (Sunday), primarily for worship, fellowship, and to take collections for the needy in Jerusalem, as described in Paul’s letters, particularly 1 Corinthians. This Sunday gathering was a significant, unified event for the whole congregation, even as daily fellowship occurred in smaller home groups, emphasizing both intimate community and broader unity. Evidence suggests that early Christians, including those in the Corinthian era, met on Sunday mornings before dawn specifically because Sunday was a regular work day in the Roman world. Sunday became a non-work day in the Roman world on March 7, 321 AD, when Emperor Constantine issued a civil law decreeing that all judges, city dwellers, and craftsmen should rest on “the venerable day of the sun,” though agricultural labor was still permitted. This decree, reflecting both Christian and pagan sun-worship influences (like Mithraism), marked the first national legal recognition of Sunday as a day of rest, establishing it as a public holiday alongside existing festival days. Seventh-day Adventists (SDAs) teach that Sunday worship originated from pagan sun worship and was later adopted by the Catholic Church, eventually becoming the standard Christian practice, which they see as a deviation from the biblical Saturday Sabbath. They argue that early Christians, influenced by Roman culture and the “apostate” church, shifted worship from Saturday (the biblical Sabbath) to Sunday (the pagan “Lord’s Day” or “Sun’s Day”), a change solidified by Roman Emperor Constantine in 321 AD.”

A couple of points here. It is obvious from 1 Corinthians 16:1 and Acts 20:7 that the early Christians had already (by around 55 AD) had begun to have their main assembly on Sundays, the first day of the week. No doubt the Jewish Christians, during the transition period from AD 30 to AD 70, still observed the Sabbath and gathered in their synagogues for Saturday worship and instruction. But the Gentile Christians were never commanded to keep the Sabbath. The Sabbath keeping was a special sign and command for the Jewish (Exodus 31:16-17) and Gentiles were never commanded to observe the Sabbath. Some protestants taught that “Sunday was the Christian sabbath” but that is not true. The Sabbath was and still is Saturday, but Gentile Christians do not have to “remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy” as commanded in the 10 commandments. So saying that Sunday is the Christian Sabbath in order to say that one is keeping the 4th commandment (of the 10) is not accurate.

In the 2nd century, “historical accounts, particularly from Pliny the Younger (c. 110 AD) and writings from early Church Fathers, confirm that 2nd-century Christians regularly met on the first day of the week (Sunday) before dawn to worship Christ, sing hymns, and share a meal, celebrating Jesus’ resurrection and new creation, even as some continued Jewish practices while shifting focus to this “Lord’s Day”. The Didache (Early 2nd Century): An early Christian manual that speaks of gathering to break bread on the Lord’s Day. Justin Martyr (Mid-2nd Century): Described Christians meeting on Sunday (the “Lord’s Day”) for worship, scripture, and the Eucharist, noting the shift from the Jewish Sabbath.” (AI)

BTW, the church I was raised in used 1 Cor 16:1-4 as the basis for a command for Christians today to give every Sunday as part of the “5 acts of acceptable worship” but that it obviously a misuse of Scripture. The command in 1 Cor 16 was a special contribution that would end when Paul made his visit to Corinth and took the money from them to carry to Jerusalem. How can that be a command for us today? Of course it’s permissible to give when we assembe on Sundays, but not a command taken from 1 Cor 16.

I have digressed from the 3rd journey collection for the poor saints in Jerusalem, but I find the AI research on the early Christian assemblies to be interesting, accurate, and helpful. I know that AI is copying from articles and I can’t give their sources b/c they don’t give them, but I usually find the AI info to be great. In my next blog I want to go into Paul’s comments on this collection in 2 Corinthians 8,9.

Until tomorrow, Lord willing.

I teach Bible to Gen Z’s every day. Most say Gen Z’s were born 1997 to 2012, making them 13 to 28 as of 2025. I teach 15-17 year old Gen Z’s. AI: “Gen Z’s biggest concerns revolve around ** economic, financial insecurity (cost of living, job security, housing, home ownership), climate change, and mental health (stress, loneliness, anxiety from tech/future uncertainty), alongside significant worries about social justice, gun violence, and AI’s impact on jobs, showing deep engagement with global and personal futures. Generation Z is often cited as the most stressed generation, reporting higher rates of mental health concerns like anxiety and depression. This is linked to growing up with constant exposure to social media, academic and economic pressures, and global uncertainties like climate change and political turmoil.” About 25% of Gen Z identify as LGBQT. About 70% of Gen Z approve of homosexuality.  Gen z make up about 20% of the population.

Having stated all those alarming stats (i.e. alarming if you believe the Bible to be the word of God), about 38% of Gen Z identify as Christians. 48% are religiously unaffiliated (which could mean atheist, agnostic, or “no religion in particular”. Gen z is the most secular generation yet and is the first generation ever to have a higher non Christian percentage than Christian. There is hope with all the TPUSA rallies on Christian campuses. What this means, though, is that the moral gap among younger Christians is wider than ever. If 70% of Gen Z approve of homosexuality, that only leaves 30% of Gen Z who might possibly believe that the Bible is the word of God and that the Bible clearly condemns homosexuality. That is a wide gulf that is hard to cross. The Christian rallies on college campuses are wonderful, but probably involve a relatively small % of Gen Z.

So what’s the point? Just concern. How can we convince that 70% (i.e. those who accept homosexuality) that the writings of the apostle Paul are the word of God and that his condemnation of homosexuality is from God and not from some homophobic whose opinions mean nothing? We can only keep sowing the seed of the word of God, but the liberal trends are very concerning for the future of the U.S. in my opinion. There are many minor doctrines that Christians can disagree on, but the homosexual issue is the litmus test for whether someone accepts the Bible as the word of God or not.

Where do we start to try to change this trend? I think we need to go back to the same method that Paul used in his letters to defend his apostleship. Paul’s enemies tried to convince his followers that he was not an apostle equal to the other apostles. They said that his teaching of not circumcising of Gentile converts was wrong and that they must be circumcised. Paul defended his apostleship often, showing that his teachings were the word of God. He said the “distinguishing marks of a true apostle” were signs, wonders and miracles that they did, and then said that he did those same miraculous proofs showing that he was a true apostle, equal in authority to the other apostles (2 Corinthians 12:¹¹ I have become foolish; you yourselves compelled me. Actually I should have been commended by you, since I was in no respect inferior to the most eminent apostles, even though I am a nobody. ¹² The distinguishing marks of a true apostle were performed among you with all perseverance, by signs, wonders, and miracles).”

In the Galatian letter, he wrote: Galatians 1:¹¹ For I would have you know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel which was preached by me is not of human invention. ¹² For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.” He is thus claiming that his teachings were directly from Jesus Himself. His enemies were claiming that he got his teachings from the other apostles but that he didn’t get it correctly on the issues of circumcision of Gentiles.

After giving instructions on how to use miraculous gifts to the church at Corinth, Paul said this: 1 Corinthians 14:³⁷ If anyone thinks that he is a prophet or spiritual, let him recognize that the things which I write to you are the Lord’s commandment. ³⁸ But if anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized.” He is claiming that his teachings are the commands of the Lord.

He had already told the Corinthians that his words were from the Spirit of God. 1 Corinthians 2:¹² Now we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God. ¹³ We also speak these things, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.”

Paul said this to the Thessalonians that he converted to Jesus: 1 Thessalonians 2:¹³ For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of mere men, but as what it really is, the word of God, which also is at work in you who believe.” That’s a bold claim that the words he spoke to them were the words of God and not mere men.

Then there is the account of Paul’s conversion to Christianity. He had been persecuting, torturing, imprisoning, even killing Christians (he was known as Saul at that time) until the risen Jesus appeared to him on road to Damascus where he was going to persecute more believers. That changed him to become a witness of the resurrection, later being beheaded for his testimony. One of the qualifications for being an apostle was that the person had to have seen the risen Jesus, so this was essential for Paul becoming an apostle. He made that point in 1 Corinthians 9:1 Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? ” He obviously is referring to seeing the risen Jesus on the road to Damascus. In 1 Corinthians 15:8 he claimed that Jesus appeared to him as He did to the other apostles (and to many others). What could have changed this enemy of Christianity to become a martyr for Jesus? He lost power, fame, and money to become a Christian. His conversion is a great proof of the resurrection of Jssus.

Now if this is not enough to convince someone that Paul’s teachings against homosexuality are the words of God, then I don’t know what to show them. The belief that Paul was an apostle and that his teaching was the word of God is not just some brainwashing that some Christian parents gave their children. This belief is backed by the conversion story of Paul himself.

Just some somber thoughts about Gen Z and the future of America. In the meantime, I will continue to sow the seed of the word of God. Please pray for Gen Z (and all generations) and for America!

I was listening to “You’ve lost that lovin’ feelin”, “Unchained melody”, and “(You’re My) Soul and inspiration” by The Righteous Brothers. Maybe my favorite songs of the 60’s as I was in high school (graduated in 67). So many other great songs in the 60’s.

But then I saw a video of the 12 “rebellion songs” of the 60’s, like Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the wind”, Barry McGuire’s “Eve of destruction”, and the Beatles “Revolution”. These songs were often banned by radio stations but very popular among youth. The 60’s were troublesome times in the United States.

AI: “Yes, the 1960s were incredibly turbulent in the U.S., marked by intense social upheaval, political violence, and cultural clashes (Woodstock), driven by the Civil Rights Movement, the divisive Vietnam War, countercultural shifts challenging sexual norms (hippies, free love), drug use of LSD, marijuana, and others, “duck and cover nuclear drills”, and shocking political assassinations (JFK, MLK Jr., RFK), all against a backdrop of Cold War fear and growing generational divides.” There were a lot of good things in the 60’s (color TV sets introduced to homes; the Civil Rights Act of 1964; Beatlemania (their early songs like “I want to hold your hand” were great); Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, “one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind); Motown Magic with the Supremes and the Temptations; drive-in movie theaters. But the troubles of the 60’s overshadowed the good for the most part.

It was a weird time for religious movements to begin in the 60’s (we would expect nothing less). AI: “The 1960s in America sparked diverse religious movements, including the countercultural Jesus Movement (evangelical Christian response to hippies), the rise of Eastern traditions (Hare Krishna, Buddhism, Transendental Meditation), the emergence of the New Age Movement (yoga, astrology, spiritual transformation), and new spiritual paths like Satanism (Church of Satan and Anton LaVey),  and Wicca. Supreme Court rulings in the early ’60s ended mandatory prayer and Bible reading in public schools. Billy Graham crusades thrived, and new evangelical institutions formed, though debates over theology (Calvinism vs. Arminianism) continued.

So what do we have today? The cultural clashes are at a new heighth (or depth). Gay marriage and the LGBQT movement, and the steep rise of the nones, those who say they have no religious affiliation, are probably the two main cultural shifts that affect and have split religious fundamentalists and denominations.

There is hope. AI: “Gen Z Is Hungry for Spiritual Growth. A staggering 74% of Gen Z seeks to deepen their spiritual lives. This isn’t merely about religion; it’s about genuine encounters with Jesus. Campus revivals are Igniting all over. Students are leading worship nights, prayer gatherings, and baptisms worldwide, and they are making a tremendous impact.” Many non-profit organizations are feeding and providing medical care for the poor worldwide, drilling clean water wells in Africa, providing disaster relief, and supporting persecuted Christians.

So, might we have a nationwide revival like the 1st and 2nd Great Awakenings, or the “prayer revival” of the 1850’s in major U.S. cities? Maybe. But to do so we wll need to get back to the belief that the Bible is the inspired word of God and that homosexuality is condemned by God in the Bible. The homosexual issue is perhaps the “litmus test” for fundamentalists today. We can disagree over many Christian issues and minor doctrines, but there are some basic doctrines that fundamentalist Christians cannot reject, like the Deity of Jesus Christ, salvation by grace through faith in Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, and not “practicing sin” that God defines as damnable (like the LGBQT doctrines). AI: “About 64% of U.S. adults in 2023/2024 considered same-sex relations morally acceptable (Gallup). 67% of Americans support same-sex marriage (PRRI, 2024).” What’s even more disturbing is that Pew Research shows broad acceptance of homosexuality of 59% among religious people in 2023-24). “In 2015, 51% of Millennial evangelicals felt homosexuality should be accepted by society, a significant shift from older generations.”

The bottom line is that you can’t have a revival if you disagree on what sin is. People are not going to repent of sin if they don’t even think it is sin that needs to be repented of. What can we do? We can pray for our nation. Pray that God will do whatever it takes to humble us back to a full belief in the inspiration of Scriptures. We must defend the apostleship of Pau just as he had to defend his apostleship in the New Testament. After all, it is the inspired writings of Paul that condemn homosexuality (Romans 1:26-27; 1 Corinthians 6:9; 1 Timothy 1:10). Many want to accept the teachings of Jesus but not the teachings of Paul, but we can’t do that. The apostle Peter, whom almost every Christian would accept as an inspired apostle, said that Paul’s writings were on the same level of inspiration and authority as those of the Old Testament Scriptures (2 Peter 3:15-16).

Again, pray and preach. 2 Timothy 4:² preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and exhort, with great patience and instruction. ³ For the time will come when they will not tolerate sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance with their own desires, ⁴ and they will turn their ears away from the truth and will turn aside to myths.”

Thanks for reading.