Daily Dose of Hope

November 21, 2024

Day 5 of Week 34

Scripture: Isaiah 20-22; I Corinthians 2

Welcome to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the Bible reading plan at New Hope Church in Brandon, Florida. Today is Thursday so you will have the next two days off. This can be Sabbath or you can take this time to catch up or get ahead.

Our Old Testament reading today is Isaiah 20-22. Again, we find prophecies against Egypt, Cush, Babylon, Edom, and Arabia. As we mentioned yesterday, the Israelites had been putting their hope and trust in other nations’ protection, rather than God. God is basically saying he will bring these other nations down. Interestingly, God had Isaiah strip off his clothing and walk around naked as a way to demonstrate the shame and disgrace of God’s people for trusting in others rather than God. That definitely makes a point and even borders on crazy.

That leads to this question – is God calling you to do something crazy? I don’t think God is calling you to strip down to bring shame to Israel BUT if he can ask Isaiah to do that, what might he be asking you to do? Nothing is too out of the box.

Isaiah 22 moves to Jerusalem. It is speaking of a time in which the people have moved up to their rooftops. They are celebrating when they should really be repenting. The exact event being described is unclear. It could have been a siege by the Assyrians (around the year 700BC) or it could be the future destruction by Babylon in 586BC. It may even be speaking of both. While the rulers have taken some strategic defensive actions, the Lord is upset that the people have not sought out his help.

Our New Testament reading is I Corinthians 2. To put it mildly, Paul is frustrated with the church at Corinth. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, they have access to the mind of Christ. Paul is saying that even though they are believers who have received the Spirit, they are beginning to behave like unbelievers.

Just for some background, Corinth was very much a troubled church. They were dealing with sexuality immorality, tremendous conflict (they were suing each other in civil courts), and abuse of spiritual gifts. As we get further into the book, we will talk more about their abuse of the Eucharist, or communion. Those who were wealthy would eat and drink first, having communion together, getting full and getting drunk. When the poor came to the table, there would be nothing left. Not surprisingly, Paul found this reprehensible.

How easy it is for Christians to say yes to Jesus but then sit back and not grow. There is also the temptation to slip into comfortable, easy Christianity (an oxymoron if ever there was one). The reality is in our culture and society, a person can profess faith in Jesus, go to church, go through the motions, but never know the mind of Christ. How critical it is to unite with other believers who will encourage us to grow and challenge us to live in the Spirit. Do you have the mind of Christ? Do we have the mind of Christ as a body of believers? What will it take for us to get there?

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope

November 20, 2024

Day 4 of Week 34

Scripture: Isaiah 17-19; Psalm 62; 1 Corinthians 1

Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope. This is the devotional and podcast that goes along with our Bible reading plan at New Hope Church in Brandon, Florida. Tonight is Recharge at 6:30pm in the Garage. This is a time of worship, fellowship, prayer, and small community. I hope to see you there!

Our first passage today is Isaiah, chapters 17-19. Chapter 17 includes an oracle against the city of Damascus because of its disobedience and idolatry. It details the city’s destruction. Interestingly, Damascus was demolished by the Assyrians at the same time Assyria conquered Israel in 732B.C. What's interesting is if you look up the history of each of these nations described in the oracles, they all prove to be true!

In chapter 18, the oracle is not against a nation. Rather, it is a reassurance that God is paying attention to his world and he will eventually end the threat that the Assyrians pose. Isaiah begins by talking about Cush, most likely the ancient land of Ethiopia in the southern part of Egypt. Apparently, the kings of Ethiopia were wanting to unite all of Egypt to fight against the threat of the Assyrians. Isaiah points forward to the time of the Messiah's kingdom on earth.

Chapter 19 includes the main oracle against Egypt but also some judgements against other nations. The point here is that Isaiah is warning Judah not to put their trust in these nations. These nations are going to fall. They must focus solely and completely on the Lord. It’s only the Lord that can protect them. Of course, we know they failed to heed this advice. How often do we fail to heed it as well?

We are starting I Corinthians today! This will be a wonderful blessing and challenge. In this first chapter of I Corinthians, we immediately notice this is a letter. Paul starts by identifying himself as the author and makes it clear that the recipients are those in the church at Corinth. After a brief expression of thanksgiving, Paul wastes no time at getting to a most pressing point. There is disunity in the church. Factions have emerged over who to follow. Some say they follow Paul, others say Apollos or Cephas, and some say Christ.

We don't know the details of the disagreements, or how the factions came about. Really, I don't think the fine points are that relevant. What's more interesting to me is how Paul handles the situation. He reminds them who and whose they are. He reinforces the mission. We get so distracted by our own egos and allegiances, the mission is what suffers. The mission is sharing the Gospel, spreading the Good News of Jesus.

Let's fast forward 2000 years. How often have we as individual Christ-followers and as a church gotten off track because of disagreements with other Christians? Think about people you have personally known who have left a church because they got mad about something. Conflicts over individual personalities, music styles, bruised egos, miscommunication, or even the color of the new carpet, can totally derail a church from the true mission! What if we just had laser focus on Jesus? What if the mission trumped everything else? How might that change things?

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope

November 19, 2024

Day 3 of Week 34

Scripture: Isaiah 14-16; Matthew 28

Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Church Bible reading plan.

Today, we started our reading in Isaiah. In chapter 14, we continue an oracle against Babylon (which actually started in chapter 13). This is a prophecy about what will happen to the Israelites in the future. Yes, they will be conquered by Babylon and go into exile. But after the exile, they will be redeemed. God will once again choose them. Babylon, on the other hand, will experience God’s judgment. Chapters 15 and 16 include an oracle against Moab, a nation that had been enemy to Israel for years. This is an especially gruesome and heart-breaking prophecy. Even though we know that the Moabites were evil, it’s still hard to read.

Our New Testament reading is chapter 28 in Matthew, its final chapter. This includes both the resurrection and the Great Commission. I know there is always more to say about the resurrection, but we have (and will continue) to discuss resurrection as we read through the Gospels and the New Testament. Thus, I thought we would briefly chat about the Great Commission, which we find in Matthew 28:16-20. If you don’t recall, this is when Jesus tells his follows, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

There is a fair amount to unpack here but what I want to focus on is making disciples. Keep in mind that Jesus wasn’t merely suggesting we make disciples. It feels much more like a command here. As his followers, we are to make disciples of all nations, baptize them, and teach them the ways of Jesus. We don’t do this alone, but we rest in the promise that Jesus is with us all the time, guiding and leading us through the power of the Holy Spirit.

But here is the big question: What does it mean to be a disciple?

It’s fairly simple. A disciple is an apprentice of Jesus. It is someone who actively is working/training to become more like Jesus (to do what Jesus does). A disciple is not someone who has simply said yes to Jesus, a disciple is someone who is actively training in the ways of Jesus and training others in the ways of Jesus.

Discipleship is not simply some acts of personal devotion in the morning, some bible study, prayer, and meditation. That may be a component of discipleship but there is so much more to it! Being a disciple is not something we do at church and then set it aside as we go back into the real world. Being a disciple is about devoting our whole life to being like Christ. Our whole life. It effects every area of our life. How can it not?

Let’s think about Jesus. In every area of his life, he taught about God. He taught about God’s Kingdom, he showed people this new way of being human. There was never a time where he said, “No, now this part of my life, faith doesn’t affect this. Leave me alone and let me do my own thing.” Discipleship is intricately connected to Lordship. There is no part of our life that does not fall under God’s reign. There is no part of our life that we don’t submit to God.

But how do we make disciples? Well, first, we have to become disciples ourselves. We have to be training to be more like Jesus. There is intentionality in this. How are you training to be like Jesus? What is your plan for spiritual growth? Once you have reflected on this, then think about how you will teach and train others. This is a privilege and responsibility that every single Christ-follower has. Every one of us.

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki