A few excerpts from Pastor Bob’s personal notes on the first chapter of Colossians:

Click here to download Pastor Bob’s notes on Colossians 1.

This is a letter written by Paul when he was imprisoned in Rome in or around AD 60. He wrote it out of concern that the faith of those in Colossae was being eroded by false doctrine. Specifically, Apostolic teaching was being co-mingled with the religious and philosophical thinking of the region and with Judaism. The result was that the doctrine of Christ was being compromised. Paul wanted to bring clarity to this situation and anchor the faith of the Colossians in a right understanding of the person of Christ and His work that the gospel proclaimed. This understanding would help order their lives.

1:5—“Because of the hope laid up for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel.”
Hope is the great motivator. Where there is hope, there is a dynamic atmosphere. Where there is no hope there is stagnancy and where there is stagnancy there is soon both atrophy and entropy. Paul names hope as that which had inspired the faith and love in the Colossians spoken of in verse four.

1:15—“And He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.”
He makes two important statements about Jesus here that will be followed in the ensuing verses by a number more. He states first that Jesus is the image of the invisible God, which is somewhat of an oxymoron. In this case the invisible God chose to make Himself visible, becoming a man. As such He was fully Divine and fully human and named Jesus. And so for a period of time there was the experience of seeing God occurring on earth.

A few excerpts from Pastor Bob’s personal notes on the first chapter of Romans:

1:3—“concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh,”

Having spoken of the gospel, Paul now turns to make some statements about its central figure, Jesus Christ. He calls Jesus here a descendant of David. This is important because the prophecies of the Old Testament are very definitive about this, that the Messiah was to be a descendant of David.

Clearly, Joseph, who was from the lineage of David (Matthew 1:1-17, Luke 2:4). Now we believe that Jesus was conceived miraculously apart from Joseph (Luke 1:34-35; Matthew 1:18-25). But Joseph was the one who occupied that role of earthly father. It appears that Mary was likely a descendant of David as well. The genealogy given by Luke (Luke 3:23-38), name Joseph as a son of Eli, whereas Matthew names him as a son of Jacob. We suspect that Eli was Joseph’s father-in-law, Mary’s father.

If that is true then both Mary and Joseph were descendants of David. The two family trees separated after David. Joseph came through David’s son Solomon, Mary through David’s son Nathan (2 Samuel 5:14). Both Solomon and Nathan were born to David by Bathsheba (1 Chronicles 3:5). Jesus being a descendant of David seems to be clear by all accounts.

1:22—“Professing to be wise, they became fools,”

Such as have darkened hearts become truth searchers, but not truth finders. Those who respond to what truth they know, however elementary, are those who are entrusted with more truth from God. So these profess to be wise and are impressive from a human standpoint. They are quite often lettered and of keen intellect. But they are fools because they cannot set aside the natural bias humanity has against the idea of a God.

Whenever we go against the truth we become fools. We cannot change truth by not believing it. It is the ultimate futility to think that truth can be altered. Yet there is always an air of wisdom about those who stand against truth….

1:29—“being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips,”

This verse makes two distinctive descriptive statements, then introduces a third which is continued in the verses that follow. The first descriptive statement is a verbal idea expressed by a verbal adjective in the perfect tense. It describes action that has gone on that results in a certain state. It is rendered in the NASB by the phrase “being filled.” The idea is likely that this is the moral direction they have allowed themselves to travel, resulting in these things being in full bloom in their character.

The second descriptive idea is introduced by an adjective, rendered in the NASB “full of.” This introduces five examples of thoughts/actions that have come about as a result of the character defects that are in full bloom. These five terms, all in the genitive case describe particular things that can be seen in individuals who suppress the truth. Those who are filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, and evil, are found to be full of these specific things; envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice.

The third descriptive phrase is introduced by the last word in this verse and it extends through verse 31. This phrase is a string of nouns and adjectives in the accusative case. They could be viewed as the NASB rendering conveys, as delineating a state of being. These describe what they have become because of who they are. When we suppress truth, it eventually shapes who we are and the results are destructive to all that is good in us. So in this verse we have what they have chosen to be filled with instead of being filled with the truth and with God Himself. Then we see what they are full of, courses of action that come with such compromise. Then we see a string of realities that describe what they are, the identity that is theirs.

Click here to download Pastor Bob’s notes on Romans 1.

A few excerpts from Pastor Bob’s personal notes on Paul’s letter to the Philiippians:

1:6—“For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ.”

One of the high impact principles of Christian thought is set down in this verse. The principle is that God is doing a work within the Christian community that He will continue to move toward completion until the time of Christ’s return, the coming of the perfect One. It is not just a series of tasks that he repeatedly orchestrates, like worship, or teaching, or outreach. It is a spiritual work in our spirits with a specific end in view, a movement toward maturity and completeness. It is not so much ministry done by us, though that is the by-product. It is a work He does within each individual and so also one that shapes our collective spirit….

2:13–”For it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”

Paul continues to build on the idea that we need to apply diligent effort to the ongoing work of God’s salvation in us. This is not primarily because we will benefit from it, though we will. It is not just because of the disasters our sinfulness is still able to work in our lives, though these are significant. The primary reason we should give ourselves to this is because it is God who is doing it.

In our present culture we have largely lost the significance of the innate right of God, or that that matter even that of any earthly ruler. The privilege of democracy has purged this from us. Our leaders and rulers work for us and are charged with representing our will within legal boundaries. In the case of imperfect, fallen men who rule us, this accountability is appropriate. In the cased of our Creator it is neither necessary nor are we remotely capable of it. His power is absolute, His integrity impeccable, His will perfectly just, and His motives pure. He has the right as Creator to will certain things in terms of our lives that please Him and he does….

3:12—“Not that I have already obtained it, or have already become perfect, but I press on in order that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.”

This verse clearly shows that Paul is speaking of a level of spiritual experience of Christ in this present life when he speaks of resurrection out from among the dead. He describes it here as becoming perfect. We would understand that as becoming mature or complete. He did not regard himself as having arrived at that point yet. He was pressing on, continuing what he had started years earlier, anxious to arrive at more of what he had already experienced. He was not yet complete.

It is of significance to ponder Paul’s words regarding why Christ had laid hold of him. We know that Paul was called to be an apostle to the Gentiles (Romans 15:15-16; Ephesians 3:1-7)….

4:6—“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

“Anxiety in a heart,” Solomon said, “Weighs it down” (Proverbs 12:25). It alters who we are and what we are to become and accomplish. Whenever it is present within us we should examine ourselves for sin (Psa. 38:18). Anxiety can be a by-product of our being out of fellowship with Yahweh (Ezekiel 12:18-19). It is also true that without specific sin on our part anxiety is present in us, a consequence of our fallenness and separation from our Maker. Intimacy with Him provides consolation (Psalm 94:19; 1 Peter 5:7).

These is no anxiety which renewed confidence in God will not ease. Whether it is anxiety over a decision, over bodily needs, over financial or spiritual need, He is sufficient. His power directed by His faithfulness, goodness, and kindness, reminds us that He is capable, willing, and eager to involve Himself in the matters that concern us.

Click here to download Pastor Bob’s notes on Philippians.

This is one of the questions we have received since many of you began the READ the BIBLE in One Year. We thought we would post it along with an answer from one of our staff.

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I have been meaning to ask this for the past week or so. I was wondering what the Biblical Community feels about Pangaea and the idea that a single land mass over time became the 7 continents that we see today.

This is being taught to my kids (and I am sure others) and I was curious how that might be explained through God’s creation and the disbursement of population with different languages throughout the world as explained in Genesis.

Any references would be greatly appreciated.

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There are a number of different views on Pangaea from a Christian perspective, but most are just speculation and theories. There are arguments that Pangaea could have existed, then been divided during the flood, which would have caused enormous continental shifts.

Genesis 1:9-10 reveals that God gathered and separated water and land from each other, suggesting also that the land and water were in one place together. (And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.)

The verse in Genesis 10:25 about the earth being divided in Peleg’s day has been debated as well (it could refer to continental shift or perhaps the Tower of Babel event in Genesis 11). Christians believing in an old earth, i.e., the earth is millions, if not billions, of years old, likely don’t have an issue with the concept. Christians believing in a young earth, i.e., the earth is a few thousand years old, will have some issues and explanations to explain continental shifts.

Here are a few websites I found that could be helpful and provide a variety of explanations:

• http://www.gotquestions.org/pangea-theory.html
• http://www.creationscience.com/onlinebook/FAQ216.html#wp2930663
• http://creationontheweb.com/images/pdfs/cabook/chapter11.pdf

Personally, I can see how the existence of Pangaea can be coherent with the truths taught in Scripture, but I am definitely not an expert on the subject.

In Christ,

Joel Mayward
Director of Junior High

Pastor Carlyle Naylor

I recently answered this question via email and I thought I would post it for all to read.

The reason we don’t observe Communion on Sunday mornings is two-fold.

The first reason has to do with who is supposed to take Communion ― believers in Christ as the means for their salvation. On any given Sunday morning, we expect (and do receive) visitors ― not just to our church, but to Jesus. What I mean is that people come on Sunday morning who are seeking God ― or Christ and may not be “saved” yet.

They may not have come to a point in their faith where they have acknowledged their need for Christ as the Savior of their soul and life. Scripture is clear that Communion is an act of worship for believers (1 Corinthians 11:28-29). We don’t want to put anyone in a position to take Communion when they may not be clear about what they are observing/participating in or they may feel a little awkward for not knowing and feel some pressure to participate anyway.

The other reason is that taking Communion should be a deliberate act of worship and not routine. We try to make Communion more deliberate and not an add-on to the Sunday morning worship experience ― since the goal of Sunday morning is different. We pay particular attention to Communion by having a dedicated service where we are ushered into a more intimate time of worship with Christ as we focus more intently on His sacrifice for us and what that can mean for how we live our lives now.

I hope this helps. We have Communion the first Sunday might of each month ― unless that day falls on a holiday (or Superbowl Sunday ― because few attend).

Pastor Carlyle Naylor
Communion, September 7, 2008

I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me–so that they may be one as we are one. ― John 17:11

That is our focus at communion tonight; the power of His Name and the oneness of relationship with Him. We will consider two words; the word “name” and the word “One”. They come together in one idea ― the notion of “oneness”.

Click here for the full text of Pastor Carlyle’s message.

Pastor Carlyle Naylor
Communion, August 3, 2008

Last Sunday after my wife and I left church, we rendezvoused at home to combine our efforts into one vehicle. We left for Costco to pick up a few things that we forgot the last time we were there—day earlier. As we found the things we forgot, and then some, we divided efforts again and Tina went to the food court line as I sought out a table close to the aisle so our cart was close and secure.

Within a few minutes, Tina came to our table with a polish sausage for me and hotdog for her. We tagged-teamed again so one person could guard our purchases while the other one accessorized our mystery meat with condiments. As we both landed on our seat, I prayed a quick prayer of thanksgiving for the quick meal.

As we began to eat, I remembered what day it was. We had acknowledged the day earlier, but I amusingly realized how romantic it was that we were eating hot dogs at Costco on the day of our wedding anniversary. I pointed out to my beautiful bride how I had gone all out for a romantic dinner right there in the exit aisle of Costco. We both knew that we had a real dinner planned for later in the evening. She joined in the jesting as she reminisced about how we started our marriage similarly 23 years earlier. We would go to a local convenience store where we could get refillable mugs refilled for 25 cents and 2 hotdogs for one dollar. And we loved it.

We loved that we were being frugal—not healthy—but frugal none-the-less. We were making the most of what we had at the time—both from the aspect of our budget and from the aspect of the best place to eat for the least amount. We were travelling together—learning how to live together within the circumstances we found ourselves.

That reminded me of a verse in John 17. All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. This phrase from Jesus comes in the prayer discourse Jesus made for His disciples—or for His “learners by any means.” Each sentence of this verse struck me:

• Why did Jesus mention mutual ownership here?
• Why did glory come in here?
• How exactly did his disciples become glory-agents for Him?

The word glory comes from the word Doxo—like Doxology—the song that starts “praise God from whom all blessings flow.” The word Jesus uses for glory has a unique meaning—unique in that it is different in Jesus vocabulary than in ours. The word Jesus uses does not mean to bring glory to BUT to reveal the glory of. This means to bring attention to something that already attention worthy. We are not the ones causing the glory—the glory is already caused. Whether we acknowledge it or not, it is already acknowledged. Glory is not contingent on something we do; it is based on something already done. In light of whom God is whether or not we acknowledge Him or not, he already is—and that is glory-worthy.

Up to this point in Jesus’ ministry, when he mentioned glory, He only wanted glory to come to His Father. This is the second time Jesus speaks of His own glory—The first is in the previous chapter (John 16:14) when He predicts the coming of the Holy Spirit—who will bring glory to Jesus by revealing things to us. The second time he share in the same glory due His Father, He does this right after He speaks to His mutual ownership of all things. Jesus is speaking of his divinity here—even of his pre-existent glory. Jesus may even be speaking of Yahweh as Trinity here. He is foreshadowing the arrival and the work and the Holy Spirit.

• What about the “glory” thing?
• How were the disciples bringing glory to Jesus?
• What were they doing?
• What had they been doing just before this prayer?

I think the hint to this is in Chapter 16, verses 29-31. Jesus was telling His opportunistic learners about his eminent departure and the eminent arrival of the Holy Spirit. In verse 25, he says that He has been speaking figuratively to them, but that a time was coming when he would speak plainly to them. He also told them the Father loved them because they believed in Him.

And then we get to verse 29 through 31: Then Jesus’ disciples said, “Now you are speaking clearly and without figures of speech. Now we can see that you know all things and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions. This makes us believe that you came from God. You believe at last!” Jesus answered. I think Jesus had a sparkle in His eyes when he said this. Any teacher knows what I mean, when you keep teaching something and finally your students get it.

The disciples were seeing more clearly now. They were excited that Jesus was speaking plainly. But if you look at what he said, it is still pretty big and pretty deep—but yet they understood. But bigger and deeper than that, they believed. Jesus did not acknowledge them for their understanding; he acknowledged them for their belief.

So the glory that was coming to Jesus was coming because they now believed that He was who He had been saying He was. They believed that He was from God—that He was the Son of God and that He was God.

So Jesus’ disciples brought glory to Jesus by believing.

When we take communion we are proclaiming our belief that Jesus is qualified to die for us. We are proclaiming that we believe that Jesus was the only one who could do that for us. We are proclaiming that tonight we see clearly enough to express our faith in Him and in that act we bring glory to Him—and like His disciples—we are His glory-agents!

In John 16:31-33, Jesus is letting his disciples know that the nature of their relationship will be changing soon. He will die soon. But just as the Father has been with Jesus all along—but they couldn’t see the Father—so will He (Jesus) be with them—although be it not physical.

Jesus then tells them (and us) that in this world we will become isolated from each other and even from Him. And He let His learners (you and I) know that in the midst of peace, we will have trouble. We will have tribulation—we will experience “pressure” in the world—the world that Jesus has overcome.

The first way we glorify Christ is by believing in Him. The second way we glorify Christ by walking with the Spirit.

That takes me back to Costco. As I sat there enjoying my anniversary hotdog with my bride of 23 years—I was sorting through the files of our life together. I was admiring the woman she has become; I was thinking of that 19 year old girl that walked the aisle—committing herself to a dreamer—not knowing how it would go but committing to me just the same.

Boy-0-boy did we experience pressure. When she married me, I had just closed my own small business days before and after our honeymoon we were moving into the shelter home to be the resident mangers. But she still did it. She still committed to journey through life with me. Committing herself to not knowing but trusting—to not fully understanding, but believing in me.

Let’s remember when we “walked the aisle” to Jesus. Let’s remember how much we have discovered about Him—how much we have discovered about ourselves because of Him. Let’s remember because we believe, we are committed to discovering more about Him—that we desire to grow in our ability to understand Him—just like the disciples did. And we can picture Jesus getting excited that we get it—with a twinkle in His eye.

Let’s remember that each day we can grow in the depth of our relationship with Him—not knowing how it will all turn out—but trusting Him anyway. Not understanding all there is to understand about Him, but believing anyway.

Let’s pause, know and remember our belief in Jesus as our Savior and our commitment to following Him in the Spirit.

by Joel Mayward, Director of Junior High Ministries

It’s already nearly halfway through summer vacation! Our three months of vacation and relaxation are quickly disappearing. For those of us who are out of school, summer can hardly feel like a “vacation” or a “break.” We still have our jobs and all the responsibilities of every life, with the addition of 110+ degree heat. Even our vacations can sometimes be more stressful than restful.

I’ve been reflecting about this concept of rest lately. In such a driven and work-oriented culture, we often can equate “rest” with “laziness.”  And no one wants to be accused of being lazy. There’s always something to do, some project we can work on, something we can fix. Our times of rest are generally not very restful.

God seems to have a radical view on rest. He actually takes it quite seriously. From the beginning, God rests on the seventh day of Creation. Now, we know that God doesn’t need to take a break; you won’t find God taking naps during the day or needing a latte to stay awake. But He chooses to rest in order to enjoy His creation and marvel at what He has done.

Later on in Scripture, God institutes the Sabbath rest, calling His people to take a day off from work. In fact, in Exodus 31, God says that anyone breaking the Sabbath will be “cut off from their people” and put to death. We’re not under the same law as believers in Christ; we aren’t going to be banished from the nation if we don’t take a Sabbath. But isn’t it true that if we never take a day off work, our relationships suffer? Don’t we become “cut off from our people” when we choose to work 60 hour weeks?  How does workaholism affect our marriages? Our children? Our friends and neighbors? If this pattern of restlessness continues, it generally leads to broken relationships, health issues, and eventually death (both spiritual and physical).

If we look at Jesus, who models perfection in every way, we see multiple examples of Him choosing to rest. Scripture says that He would often go to lonely places to pray and be renewed. Many of the settings in the Gospels are at dinner parties or times of leisure with friends. I love the story of Mary and Martha (Luke 10). Martha is busy busy busy around the house, trying to make everything right for Jesus. She has good intentions—she wants to serve Jesus well—but her busy actions actually distract her from Him. On the other hand, Mary spends her time resting at Jesus’ feet, listening to Him. Martha is doing things for Jesus; Mary has embraced a spirituality of being with Jesus.

Jesus doesn’t invite us into a spirituality of busyness and stress; instead He calls all those who are weary and burdened to come to Him for rest (Matt. 11:28). Jesus is never being lazy; He recognizes that we need to be renewed and refreshed in the Lord in order to be fully alive and fulfill the mission He has given us.

So in the middle of this all-too-busy summer vacation, I am learning to rest. I am putting aside the inner voice that accuses me of laziness, instead embracing a spirituality of resting with Jesus. I am trying to take intentional moments out of the day to simply sit and be still, to pray silently and listen for God’s voice, to reflect and marvel on what God has done in my life.

How can you take steps toward a spirituality of rest? Take five minutes today to be still and reflect on what God has done in your life this past week.

review by Lee Stephenson

Recently I finished reading C.S. Lewis’ A Grief Observed. This book has been on my reading list for a few years and finally I had the nerve and the motivation to get through it. I say the nerve because it deals with the dark and painful side of human life; death. More than just dealing with death, it is a raw look at the pain, grief, and emptiness felt by those that are left living at the loss of a loved one.

This book is different than other writings from Lewis. It is honest, visceral, and even disturbing at times; unlike most of his other work that is logical, intellectual, and well manicured in its argument. This makes sense when you understand that Lewis never intended to publish this work. Rather, it was a notebook of honest thoughts and questions concerning life, God, and death; following the death of his wife.

As you journey with Lewis through his grief you can’t help but feel his love for his wife and for his maker. Overall, it is incredibly thought provoking and yet, healing. It is a classic gem and will not disappoint!

Baptism is an outward expression of an inward commitment made to Christ. It is a public testimony of a person’s faith in Christ and a commitment to Him.

People who have become disciples or followers of Jesus Christ are baptized. They are baptized following Jesus’ example, obeying His command, showing others that they are Christ’s followers, and as a living testimony to the world.

At RMCC we perform baptism by immersion. Baptism by immersion or being submerged briefly under water follows the example set by Christ in Matthew 3:16, “As soon as Jesus was baptized, He went up out of the water.” The imagery of baptism represents our Old self (standing in the water) dying (going under the water) and being replaced by our New self (emerging out of the water). This imagery represents Christ’s death, burial and resurrection.

Baptism is a one-time public declaration of a person’s reliance on Jesus for salvation of their soul. This ordinance from Jesus links the community of Christ together as they celebrate the active and present life of Christ in individuals and in the church community.

If you would like to speak with someone about becoming baptized or would like additional information, please contact Pastor Carlyle Naylor at 480-807-5868 x109.