PRISON EPISTLES

Today is Friday.  I teach at Hyles Anderson College and then I have lunch and head for the airport.  It will be a busy day.  I'm looking forward to seeing my wife.  I have had a great time, but I've missed the greatest people on earth, my family, and my church family.  Here are some thoughts for today from II Corinthians through Colossians:  (Galatians through Colossians is called the prison epistles since there were written by Paul in prison.) 1) FORGIVE ME THIS WRONG-  This is what Paul said in II Cor. 12:13, but what wrong?  The wrong was that he was not a burden to the church.  He knew he had the right according to the scriptures to be supported by the church he was ministering to, but he paid his own way by working as a tent maker.  Now he says "forgive me this wrong".  It seemed that the more he loved and sacrificed for them, the less he was loved and appreciated.  Dear Christian, please take care of your pastor and church, and God will take care of you!!   2) NOT AFTER MAN- Gal. 1:11 says the Gospel Paul preached is "not after man".  That means that it is not what man wants to hear!!  Man is depraved and full of sin, and that is not what he wants to hear.  He wants to hear that he is good enough to go to Heaven, but "there is none good, no not one".  That is Bible!!    3) NAMING NAMES!!  Well, you didn't have to wonder what Paul was thinking.... he told us!  In Gal. chapter two, he names names and confronts those that walk not uprightly EVEN if they are apostles as well!!  He names Peter and Barnabas and the men from James as being two faced.  Eating one way with the Gentiles, and when men from Jerusalem come to Antioch, Peter eats like a Jew and so does Barnabas!!  Paul calls them out.  Here is the principle:  Right is right and Wrong is wrong!!   4) WALK WORTHY-  Eph. 4:1 says that we walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called.  He is not talking about our livelihood, but about our faith.  We are called to be Christ's and we should walk worthy of that calling!   5) THE BOOK OF LIFE- After Paul mentions his co laborers in Phil. 4:3, he concludes the verse with:  "whose names are in the book of life."  When it is all said and done, that is what we rejoice about.... our names are written in the book of life!!  Praise God... on that basis we see verse four reads: "Rejoice in the LORD always: and again I say, Rejoice."  We have no worries.... we are Heaven bound!!   6) SEEK, SET, AND MORTIFY- In Col. 3:1, it says that if we are saved we should "seek those things which are above".  verse 2 says to "Set your affection on things above".  Again, each of these verse tell us to be Heavenly Minded!!  Keep our focus on Heaven and the things above: God, Christ, Holy Spirit, Heaven, Rewards, Eternity, ....;  But, in verse 5, we are told to "Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; "  and then it names a few.  Mortify means to "put to death".  Now we are not to take our lives, but we are to "put to death" the passions of this body which would pull us into sin and disobedience!! Hope you have a blessed day!  Pastor Mike Mutchler