Terry Scheuffele

Immeasurably More than All We Ask or Imagine

Ephesians 1:15-19 For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.  17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18 I pray also that the eyes of your  heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe.

Ephesians 3:14-21 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you  with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together  with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge– that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. 20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Paul deviates from his customary introductory formula in this letter by inserting the eulogia (we spoke of this last week) before his thanksgiving and prayer for the recipients of the letter.  Ephesians 1:15-19 begins the thanksgiving and prayer and Paul concludes it in Ephesians 3:14-21.

The emphasis of the prayer is that God would fill them with the Holy Spirit so that they may know experientially (not just intellectually) Jesus, his love, their inheritance, and the power of God at  work in them. As with the eulogia, these intercessory requests are of particular import for new Christians. In discussions with our newer Christians, I have found they are particularly interested in  this experiential knowledge and are somewhat disappointed that we older Christians, do not seem to be.

I’ll say more in the lesson, Joey

This And That

What about that Olympic Opening Ceremony?!! I’m sure you’re sick of hearing about it now.  Never be surprised when pagans act like pagans. Many are now claiming that it was not their intention to parody The Last Supper; however, that seems to conflict with earlier claims.  What appears to have really happened is they intended to juxtapose images of the Festival of Dionysius with Da Vinci’s The Last Supper to emphasize a LGBTQ+ message of inclusion and now they are backtracking because of the uproar.  It is not an uncommon strategy to undermine conservative, biblical teaching that conflicts with their goals. Regardless of intent, the entire spectacle was offensive. Again, Never be surprised when pagans act like pagans.

I am surprised with some Christians.  As I have said before, I follow a lot of social media circles that deal with religious matters.  Two things have disturbed me this week: 1) How much hate and vitriol that has been poured out on these LGBTQ+ activists and 2) How many Christians have defended the message of inclusion or downplayed the Festival of Dionysius.  We are called to love our enemies, but God has never asked his people, out of love, to approve of what he, himself has declared to be an abomination. In 1 Corinthians 5:9-13, Paul commands us not to judge sinners without the church, but those within. In 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, he further explains how God will be the judge of pagans.  In chapter 10, Paul warns about pagan feasts and calls them demonic—meaning the actual worship of demons.  There is a message of inclusion in 1 Corinthians 11:17-34; however, it applies to those who have been washed and sanctified (1 Corinthians 6:9-11). The message of inclusion centers around the Lord’s Supper and God’s sanctified people.

                                                                                               Joey

To the Praise of His Glory

Ephesians 1:3-14 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him before the  creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will– 6 to the praise of  his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. 9 And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment– to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ. 11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. 13 And you also were  included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing  our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession– to the praise of his glory.

Ephesians 1:3-14 is one long rambling sentence in Greek. Scholars used to ponder why Paul used such poor Greek style in this letter. Eventually, parallels were found in other Greek writings that  identified Paul’s style as benefactor language.

The patron/client relationship was a significant element in Greco/Roman culture. The patron (a superior, financially or in status) would gift (charis, grace) the client (an inferior – person, city, or  group) with a lavish gift (money, buildings, opportunities, etc.). The client would be expected to express thanksgiving to their benefactor in some form. Often this would be a long, rambling, public  praise (eulogia, eulogy, blessing).

This is how Paul prefaces the letter to the Ephesians with blessing upon blessing for THE Benefactor that made it all possible. In return, the Ephesians were to be “to the praise of his glory.”

I’ll say more in the lesson, Joey

Harassed and Helpless

Matthew 9:35-38 Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38  Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

Jesus’ preaching ministry was characterized by preaching the “good news of the kingdom.” That good news consisted, in part, of his destroying the power of the devil. That is why his ministry also included healing sicknesses and diseases. Whether directly or indirectly, these were caused by satanic power wreaked upon a world under the dominion of sin.

In describing Jesus to Cornelius, Peter referenced the nature of Jesus’s work, Acts 10:38 He went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil….

When Jesus saw the crowds he had compassion on them because they were harassed and helpless. He was moved to help. The word compassion does not begin to show the force of the strong emotional word used here. It was an emotional gut reaction; his heart went out to them. He felt their pain in his heart!

It was not just from the direct action of the devil that they were harassed and helpless. Indirectly, his power is exercised through tragic circumstances, broken hearts, grief, destructive false  philosophy, deception, guilt, oppression and the thoughtless, selfish, or evil actions of others.

They were like sheep without a shepherd. They had no one (humanly speaking) to guide them, protect, or care for them. God uses people to help others. That’s the reason workers are needed for the harvest.

I’ll say more in my lesson, Joey

Jesus Is Enough!

John 1:11-18 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God–  13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. 14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 John testifies concerning him. He cries out, saying, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.'” 16 From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known.

Jesus possesses complete and infinite fullness of all that is good, glorious and blessed. Upon salvation, he shares this fullness and abundance with all those who believe. Jesus is enough! He gives  us everything we need. All that we might strive for in life to fill that emptiness is nothing compared to his actual provision.

However, sometimes we might not feel full. Even after salvation, we might still feel something is lacking. What can I do to enjoy the fullness of Christ?

• Check your feelings. Feelings can lie. Faith trumps feelings.
• Understand, we can’t DO anything to add more of Christ’s fullness to our lives. We are complete. We can’t earn his fullness.
• Know that to desire more of Christ’s fulness, when he has already given us everything, reveals discontentment with his provision and spiritual immaturity on our part.
• Meditate regularly on all Christ has given you and his promises.
• Thank God for his blessed provision of all things in Christ.

I’ll say more in my Lesson, Joey

Restore to Me the Joy of Your Salvation

I received a call on the church line a couple of weeks ago from a woman in New Jersey. She was distraught. She had been searching the internet for a Bible believing church that could answer her  questions. Hartford Institute estimates there are over 350,000 Christian churches in the US. Think for the moment about the odds of her reaching me in Boise, Idaho. This was a divine  appointment.

She felt lost. After an early exposure to Christianity in her youth, she was lured away by the pleasures of sin and the distractions of the world. For years she was away from Christ until she had a disturbing dream about being taken by demons. Instead of the dream leading her back to Christ, it led her to embrace occultic and new age practices. She did not elaborate, but it was a definite anti-God/Christ belief system. Finally, two years ago she was invited to a church; she repented, accepted Christ, rededicated her life to him and was immersed. I gathered from the timeline she was in her mid-sixties.

Her problem? She didn’t feel saved. She had no joy in her salvation. She had been living the Christian life for two years, but she still felt lost. Instead of questioning her feelings, she questioned her  faith. Apparently, she was in a fellowship that emphasized feelings over fact and it also seemed to be Calvinistic in its doctrine. Her question to me was if she was really a part of the “elect.” Her  question dealt with whether God had predestined her to damnation, instead of salvation.

I didn’t have the time in our 47 minute phone call to explain the fallacies of Calvinism, so I reframed her narrative (within her worldview) to show God’s prevenient grace in drawing her to himself throughout all her life out of sinfulness and back into a saving relationship with Christ. This was evidence of her election. We concluded that the same faith in Christ that brought about the fact of her salvation, was also the answer to her problem feelings. Trusting Christ is the answer when our heart condemns us.

How many of us have doubted our salvation because of guilt from our past or the fact that we don’t feel saved. Emotions are fickle. Sometimes we ride high on the waves of emotion, but sometimes we crash. Feelings DO NOT overcome fact. The fact of our salvation is anchored in the finished work of Christ.

Joey

Our Father in Heaven

Matthew 6:9-13 “This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily  bread. 12 Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’

Jesus taught his disciples to address God as “Father.” This is in contrast to the Old Testament in which the Fatherhood of God is not a central theme. The term is used mainly in the OT by way of analogy and not direct address; e.g., Deuteronomy 32:6 Is this the way you repay the LORD, O foolish and unwise people? Is he not your Father, your Creator, who made you and formed you?

The tendency in Jewish circles was to multiply titles ascribing sovereignty, lordship, glory, grace, and the like to God. To call him Father or “Abba” would be considered way too presumptuous and familiar.

This seems strange to us because this was overwhelmingly the way Jesus addressed God and the way his disciples were taught to approach him. Romans 8:15-16 For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.

Jesus emphasized the Fatherhood of God precisely because he wanted to emphasize the intimacy of the relationship. Jesus shared a special relationship with the Father as his “one of a kind” Son.  While our filial relationship differs from the unique relationship of Jesus, God invites us to call him Father as well.

We enjoy his protection and provision in a way that is not unlike our fathers in the flesh, but on an infinitely greater scale. My lesson Sunday will explore this intimate relationship with our Father in heaven.

Galatians 4:6 Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.”

I’ll say more in the lesson!

Joey 

One Another

Love One Another

“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” (John 15:12)

Honor One Another

“Outdo one another in showing honor.” (Romans 12:10b)

Greet One Another

“Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you.” (Romans 16:16)

Welcome One Another

“Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.” (Romans 15:7)

Show Hospitality to One Another

“Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.” (1 Peter 4:9)

Have Fellowship With One Another

“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7)

Agree With One Another

“…agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.” (2 Corinthians 13:11b)

Live in Harmony With One Another

“Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.” (Romans 12:16)

Be at Peace With One Another

“Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.” (Mark 9:50)

Be Kind to One Another

“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted…” (Ephesians 4:32a)

Forgive One Another

“…forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:32b)

Paul’s Pride in the Gospel

Christians are called to love everyone – even those with whom we might disagree or who have a different worldview than our own. Some might ask, “Even sinners?” Well, those are the only kind of people who exist.

There are three kinds of sinners – non-accountable sinners (children and those with diminished mental (moral) capacity), forgiven sinners (those who are committed to Christ Jesus), and  non-repentant sinners (those who have not yet committed to Christ or those who are not faithful to that commitment). That’s it. We’re all sinners in need of Christ; Christ followers are called to love all three.

There is no room in our faith to hate, belittle, ridicule, ostracize, or otherwise mistreat anyone. Our commitment is to demonstrate the love and compassion of Christ. This applies to those in the LGBTQ+ movement – whether radicalized or those just struggling with their perception of self. We love, because he first loved us (1 John 4:19).

Having said this, God has never asked his children, in the name of love, to affirm what God himself has condemned as wrong and sinful. Jesus again, is our example with the woman caught in the very act of adultery (John 8:1-11). Jesus offered her mercy and, I believe, forgiveness. However, his command to her was to “go and sin no more.” In the same way, we can accept, love, and forgive people, without affirming their sin.

My lesson Sunday is entitled, Paul’s Pride in the Gospel; it is taken from Romans 1.

Romans 1:16-18 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. 17 For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” 18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven  against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness.

I’m sure it has not been lost on any of us that June is celebrated by many as LGBTQ+ pride month. There will be parades, marketing campaigns, social media posts, and other “virtue-signaling”  affirmations to celebrate what God has unambiguously called sin. Those who do not share such “pride” – faithful children of God for one – are called homophobes, hate-mongers, and otherwise  made to feel “shame” over their lack of affirming attitudes and behavior. (This, by the way, was a part of a blueprint written by Marshal Kirk and Hunter Madsen in 1989, After the Ball: How  America will Conquer its Fear and Hatred of Gays in the ‘90s; I think the book itself is out of print but there are plenty of references to it if you just google it).

Paul, however, declares that his pride is in the Gospel of Christ because it reveals the declared righteous of God upon believers while at the same time revealing the wrath of God upon all  unrighteousness. It should not surprise us that Paul gives as his paradigmatic examples of people rejecting God, the very homosexual behaviors celebrated in today’s LGBTQ+ Pride events. These  pride events celebrate what the Scripture says should cause shame.

Children of God should share Paul’s pride in the gospel and not participate, support, or affirm those things that God says are shameful.

I’ll say more in my lesson.

— Joey

Greater Love Has No One

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you.
Now remain in my love.

If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love,
just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands
and remain in his love.

I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and
that your joy may be complete.

My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.

Greater love has no one than this,
that he lay down his life for his friends.

You are my friends if you do what I command.

I no longer call you servants,
because a servant does not know his master’s business.
Instead, I have called you friends,
for everything that I learned from my Father
I have made known to you.

You did not choose me,
but I chose you and appointed you
to go and bear fruit
— fruit that will last.
Then the Father will give you
whatever you ask in my name.

This is my command: Love each other.

John 15:9-17

Special thanks to the Honi Deaton Trio and all those who made our End of School Celebration a great success! Kudos also to Hunter Stevens for constructing this wonderful pavilion.

You can hear a sample of the performance here:  Honi Deaton Trio