Author: Rob Woodrum

I serve as a pastor among the people of Eastgate Christian Fellowship in Panama City Beach, Florida. I'm not very good at it, but it's what God has called me to do...so I do.

Trust Him

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How easy is it for you to trust someone? We may consider ourselves to be “trusting souls”, but the reality is we often find it difficult to place our trust in someone else. A lot of factors go into that – past experiences, our own sense of frailty when it comes to trustworthiness, and a host of other reasons go into our tentative approach to giving away our trust. It’s hard to trust others…and those are people we can SEE and examine and evaluate on a regular basis.  What about a God who hides himself (Isaiah 45:15)?

Still, that’s the whole thing when it comes to Scripture. We are continually called on to trust God – and in the New Testament, to trust God through Christ Jesus.

Last week we explored a solomn and sort of heavy section of Matthew which reminded us that following Jesus does not insulate us from the troubles that life can throw our way. But in case we were tempted to become fatalistic and slump in our chairs thinking that there’s just no hope no matter what…we have this weeks section.

We’ll be reading chapter 8:23 through chapter 9:8 this Sunday as we journey through the gospel of Matthew. The chapter break really shouldn’t be there, because this whole section belongs in a single grouping. Three areas where Jesus demonstrates his authority to encourage our trust in him, even as we follow him into potential hardships.

In chapter 8:23-27 we have the famous account of Jesus calming the storm. Whey do you think Jesus was sleeping? Have you ever felt like Jesus was sleeping while you were in dire straights? What does he ask his disciples? In our own storms of life, how can asking ourselves the question “why are you afraid?” help to orient our thinking and perspective?

In v28-34 Jesus heals two men who were demon possessed. How comfortable are you with the idea that there are demons on the loose in this world, taking possession of people sometimes? Our western culture mostly dismisses that notion as primitivism – but I thought this was an interesting article.

Jesus demonstrates his authority over evil. How does that develop our understanding of his words in the Lord’s Prayer “deliver us from evil” – and in what way can that inspire our trust? What should our response to evil be, in light of his authority over it?

Chapter 9:1-8 tells the story of Jesus healing the paralyzed man. Before he heals him, he forgives his sin. Then he demonstrates his authority to forgive sins by healing the man’s physical body. What does his authority to forgive sins inspire you to trust Him with? What did the paralyzed man do to deserve that declaration of forgiveness?

Troubles from without, in the natural world and the spiritual one, and troubles from within in the form of our own failures – Jesus has authority over them all. What will you trust Him with?

Hope to see you this Sunday!

The Costly Subversion

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“I didn’t go to religion to make me happy. I always knew a bottle of Port would do that. If you want a religion to make you feel really comfortable, I certainly don’t recommend Christianity.” ~ C.S. Lewis

 

Old Lewis certainly had a strange way of trying to sell something. Then again, maybe he wasn’t interested in trying to sell something. Maybe he was trying to be sincerely honest about the faith he embraced and the journey it entails. Far too often we are presented with a gospel that obfuscates the reality that Lewis was trying to expose: Following Jesus is a costly endeavor. Jesus is often offered to a consumer culture as the ultimate solution to rid us of those problem stains. “Come to Jesus and he will make all your troubles go away”, while not overtly stated that way, is the gist of the message.

Contrast that with the passage we’ll be reading this Sunday in our study of the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 8:18-22.

Jesus sure has a warped sense of how to achieve church-growth, doesn’t he? I love how v18 reads in the Message: “When Jesus saw that a curious crowd was growing by the minute, he told his disciples to get him out of there to the other side of the lake.” Suddenly his ministry is becoming popular and attracting attention, and his response is to bail immediately. What do you believe is behind this strange move?

So far in Matthew’s gospel we’ve seen the subversive nature of the Kingdom of God. Jesus is turning expectations on their heads by challenging the very systems that were expecting his arrival. Everything he does and teaches seems to carry the intent of creating an upheaval of the status quo. This little section is no different.

When faced with sudden popularity, Jesus doesn’t begin the process of working the crowd and taking polls to see what will generate a greater favorability. He doesn’t try to drum up as many supporters as he can by offering give-aways or doing his best to present himself as culturally hip. Nope. He does his best to evade the masses who have only a surfaced curiosity, and when some do seek to commit themselves to him, he does his best to dissuade them!

Jesus was clearly not reading all the email articles that get sent to me. He’s doing it all wrong, at least according to the experts. And they are experts – they’ve grown gigantic, massive and wealthy churches.

v19-20 – Why do you think Jesus responds the way he does to the scribe who offers to commit himself to the cause? Jesus had places to sleep – he stayed with Lazarus in Bethany, he stayed at Peter’s house in Capernaum…and Peter had a house to stay at. There is some hyperbole in this, but there is a sharp, deeply cutting message in it, especially to 21st Century American Christians. What message do you get?

V21-22 – On a scale of 1-10, with 1 being “not at all” and 11 being “this goes to 11”, how harsh does Jesus’ response to the man who wants to bury his father seem to you? Why do you think Jesus would say that? What do you think the phrase “let the dead bury their dead” means?

By the way….my name is Rob, and I’ll be teaching this Sunday at Eastgate. What a happy passage to come back to, huh? Actually, I’m hoping you find it a refreshingly bold challenge, like I do. Hope to see you then!

Deeper Than the Skin

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Do you remember playing “opposite day” when you were a kid? It could be sort of fun at first, but it always devolved into an annoying game of contradictions. There would usually be one kid who would take it too far and drive everyone around him to the brink of violence. I really should apologize for that.

Anyway, we’re going to be continuing our study in Matthew’s account of the Sermon on the Mount this Sunday – we’ll be reading chapter 5:17-48. So far, Jesus has been turning popular concepts on their heads, and it could be tempting to think that he’s just doing his own version of “opposite day”, until we get to this section.

Jesus is trying to make it clear that he’s not starting some new religion, and he’s not just trying to contradict the Old Testament Law, but his intention is to fulfill it. His coming on the scene is a continuation of the story that was developed in the Old Testament and he is the fulfillment of the promises made to Abraham and David.

While he intends to fulfill the law, he also warns that our righteousness has to exceed that of the Pharisees. What do you believe he means by that? How do we apply that in our present world and time? If adhering to a moral code doesn’t produce righteousness, what do you think will?

Jesus has something else he wants to make clear: the deeper intention behind the Law of Moses. So from v21-48 he presents what have become known as the antitheses’ of the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus reveals a contrast by putting two different ideas side by side. It will be in the form of “You’ve heard it said…but I say to you”.

He will cover themes of murder, lust, adultery, oaths and how to treat our enemies. What is the common thread that you notice to all these themes? Jesus is describing real righteousness that is more than the outward expression of the Pharisees – so how do you think real righteousness expressed based on the themes Jesus presents?

When Jesus tells us to present the other side of our face when struck on one side, do you believe he’s telling an abused wife somewhere to just take it? If not, then what would be a good way to understand the nature of Christ’s instructions here? What difference do you think there is between self-defense and retaliation and revenge?

What Jesus is describing is certainly no way to get ahead in this world. We know the rules of this world. If getting ahead in this world isn’t on Jesus’ agenda, what benefit do you think living out this kind of righteousness provides?

This is going to be a challenging study – Hope to see you Sunday…if you dare. 🙂

God’s Rule in Action

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I remember once when my wife and I were going to turn an enclosed porch area on the back of our house into an extra bedroom for our boys. We planned and considered how this could be accomplished and what it would take. We drew a lot of diagrams on napkins and contemplated this task – and then realized it was too big for us and had to be hired out. A friend from church did construction jobs like this agreed to take on our project. What I still remember was the great sense of satisfaction and even surprise when he set out to tear sections out and rebuild others, because there was a big difference between this project in theory and seeing it in action. It turned out much better than we had imagined.

That’s a lot like what’s happening in our study in Matthew. We’ll be reading the last part of Matthew chapter 4 this Sunday and we’ll finally see the start of Jesus’ ministry.

In v15-16, Matthew identifies Jesus’ work as a fulfillment of a prophecy given by Isaiah, 600 years earlier. Light dawning on people living in darkness is how the action of the kingdom of God is described. What is your impression of this metaphor? What do you think it means, and how does that inform your understanding of God’s purposes for humanity?

We then read about Jesus’ first disciples. We’ll be unpacking the dynamic of rabbis and talmidim (disciples) on Sunday morning – but succinctly put: if these guys were working in the family business, it was because they didn’t measure up for normal rabbinical activities. Yet Jesus chooses these fishermen to be his close associates who will set out to imitate him. What does that tell us about God’s rule in action? Who is it open to, and what action does he call his disciples to (v19)?

V23-25 provide a summary of the excitement that was building around Jesus. What is it that he is becoming famous and sought out for? What is this revealing about God’s rule in action – what is intended? In all three of these examples, what is it about this that makes it good news?

Looking forward to this study! Happy Father’s day in advance – and don’t forget it’s Surf-N-Grill this Sunday, and if you want to be baptized, follow this link to sign up online: sign up!

See yez’ Sunday!

Tempted to Evade

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If you’ve ever dieted, either to shed a few pounds or because of health reasons, what is the main thing you think about whilst denying yourself of some type of food? I can’t speak for you, but I know that most of the time all I see are visions of corn-dogs dancing in a chorus line singing “We taste great with MUSTARD!”. That’s a fascinating thing about the human experience: we have strong urges and desires for whatever it is that is that is generally not good for us.

In a theological framework we talk about sin, but sin is simply the determination to do what we want instead of what God intends. It is the evasion of God’s rule over our lives and we are tempted to evade God on a regular basis.

We’re coming back to our study in the gospel of Matthew, reading chapter 4:1-11 this Sunday. In stepping into the human experience, Jesus faces temptation to evade God’s rule as well. In fact, the account of his temptation in the desert is a sweeping overview of the nature of our temptations. Do you ever feel bad for being tempted by things you feel you should be beyond in your Christian walk? Remember this: Jesus was tempted too. What does that tell us about how we should understand our own temptations? There’s an old saying that we’re not responsible for the birds that fly overhead, only the one’s we allow to nest in our hair.

The first temptation that is presented to Jesus is found in v1-4. It wasn’t wrong or evil for Jesus to be hungry. He certainly was given power to do miraculous things with bread – he’ll supernaturally provide enough bread to feed thousands of people out in the desert later on in this story. Why was this suggestion to make bread from stones a temptation to sin? How do you think this would this be evading God’s rule? What clue does v4 provide for us?

Next Jesus is tempted to jump from the highest point in the temple (v5-7). Again, this is similar to something Jesus will do later on – he won’t walk on air, but he’ll walk on water, defying the laws of physics. The devil quotes scripture to back up the suggestion. That’s something to ponder for a while. When people say “God said it, I believe it, that settles it” – why would that not apply in a situation like this? Why would it matter who is speaking God’s word? What is the temptation to sin in this suggestion of stepping out in faith that God will rescue him? What clue do we get from Jesus’ response in v7?

The final temptation recorded in this account is in v8-11. Once again we have the contrast of human kingdoms with God’s kingdom. Worship me, the devil says, and you will be King of kings. Interesting, since that is ultimately what Jesus is called – and the last book of the Bible says in Revelation 11:15 that the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of our Lord. Why is this a sin if it’s the fulfillment of his destiny anyway? What happens before Jesus ascends to the right hand of the Father? What does Jesus have to go through in order to be exalted? Who’s will is he serving before he can be King of kings and Lord of lords?

In each of these temptations there is a forecast of something Jesus will ultimately do. The difference is by whom it is fulfilled. Where do we look for our fulfillment as human beings? A lot of things in this world promise fulfillment and wholeness – but Who holds the true source of wholeness? What has your experience been in looking for fulfillment in the things we can grasp for in this broken world? How can that instruct us?

Whelp – it will be an intense study, but comforting all in all. Hope to see you then!

People Get Ready

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It looks like our current hurricane season is going to be a tad more active than in the last 10 years. We’re already getting advisories about having our emergency supplies and evacuation procedures in place. There are a lot of things that take us by surprise in life, but hurricanes are not usually one of them. We have as much as a week to prepare in many cases. Meterologists give us the heads up; “Storm’s a comin’!” and it’s up to us whether we heed that forecast or not.

As we continue our study in Matthew this week we’ll be reading chapter 3.  We’re going to be introduced to a forecaster – John the Baptist, who will be announcing the arrival of the Messiah and the launch of God’s kingdom invasion.

As you read John’s message, what does his major theme seem to be? What is he calling people to do? What do you think his instructions meant to a Jewish person living in the first century? What does that mean to us, as 21st Century Americans? What sort of radical changes have taken place in your life as a result of embracing the Good News of Jesus?

The Pharisees and Sadducees show up too, and John doesn’t give them the greeting they are accustomed to. What does he seem to highlight as the problem with these religious leaders? Why does he call them snakes? What do you think it means to “bear fruit in keeping with repentance”?

John warns us that it wont all be rainbows and cupcakes when Messiah comes on the scene. He warns of an ax cutting the roots of a tree and of an unquenchable fire. Who was he talking to when using these metaphors? What warning would we personally take from his words?

When Jesus shows up he does something that surprises everyone, including John. He gets in line for his turn to be baptized. John is nonplussed. “You’re the Messiah, come to save us from sin…I need to be baptized by you…what do YOU need to repent of?” It’s a puzzling scene to this day. Jesus said he needed to do it to fulfill all righteousness. In other words – the righteousness, the setting things right that God intends comes through a Messiah who stands in the river with humanity, indentifying with them in their state; Taking their baptism onto himself. What other ways does Messiah identify with humanity to save us?

Hope to see you Sunday!

Kingdom Come – the Gospel of Matthew

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matt FB web

This Sunday we’ll be starting a new study in the gospel of Matthew! We’ll be reading all of chapter one. I’m pretty stoked about this as it’s my second time through this gospel. I know it can be a disappointing shock when you begin to read this story and realize it begins with a long genealogy. Not the exciting start we’d hoped for, but an important one for establishing Jesus’ claim as Messiah. The expected Messiah was most certainly supposed to be Jewish, and from the family line of King David. The list of names that Matthew provides establishes just that.

Now, pay attention to the names of the characters in this list. Look up Tamar and Judah. Do some research on Rahab and her occupation; Ruth and her origins. What event launched David and the mother of Solomon in thier relationship? Explore the lives of all those descendants of Solomon and look at the epitaph that they left behind, including Solomon himself. Does this look like a squeaky clean list of characters? Do you spy, with your little eye, any skeletons in Messiah’s closet? What does that tell us about God’s kingdom and who it chooses to work through? How can that combat any shameful past we may have?

V 21 and v23 give us names that declare mission and the nature of the mission of Messiah. What do those names mean to you personally?

Hey – the Bible Project has done a set of WONDERFUL introduction videos that lay out and explain the structure and emphasis of Matthew’s gospel. Please take the time to look at them in preparation for this study! Hope to see you Sunday!

An Unsettling Grace

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Whoops! Got invited to go fishing and forgot to update Wonderwhat. Sorry about that. This Sunday we will be doing our final study in the book of Jonah. What a fun ride this has been! We’ll be reading all of Jonah 4.

Does a movie with really happy ending ever cause you to be furious enough to want to die? I’m going to suppose not. At least I hope not. That would be attitudinal behavior that would warrant some professional intervention, wouldn’t it? Yet that’s very much like what we’ll read about our prophet in this final installment of our study.

What reason does Jonah give for being so mad in v2? Why do you think God’s grace and mercy are  so upsetting to Jonah? Have you ever struggled with the idea that God really, really loves that person who did something terrible to you, and would forgive them if they repented? What ways do you find to reconcile God’s justice and mercy?

What does the vine God appointed represent to you? If Jonah built a shelter to get shade from the sun – why do you think God provided the plant? What does v6 say that God gave him the plant to save him from? The Hebrew word that’s translated “discomfort” in the ESV is “re’eh”. It appears 306 times in the bible and 112 times it’s translated at a different word. Follow the previous link to find out what it’s translated as 112 times. Does that change your idea about why God provided the plant?

If you were to summarize what God is trying to get across to Jonah as a stand in for all of  God’s people, what would that message be?

I hope you’ve like this study as much as I did! Hope to see you on Sunday!

 

Beginning Again, Again

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This Sunday we’ll be continuing our study of the little book of Jonah – reading chapter 3.

Have you ever felt like you’ve messed up too many times and it feels almost insincere to start asking God to forgive and set you a new path. I hope you haven’t, because I can tell you from my own extensive experience with those feelings that it’s not at all a fun place to be. The encouraging thing is, the Bible is filled with people who have experienced just that – people who mess up over and over again and yet God is quick and ready to turn their story around. Abraham, Moses, David, Jeremiah, Peter (and all the other disciples for that matter), Saul/Paul…and the list extends out from them to include a lot of the heroes of church history.

Jonah is a stand-out in that crowd. Jonah gets a chance at beginning again – again and again. If we’re right in reading this story as a satire and Jonah is a stand in for God’s people – there is something really comforting about chapter 3.V1-2 of chapter 3 are almost identical to v1-2 of chapter 1. They both start the same way – except the words “second time” are thrown into the mix. V3 of chapter 3 is where the real departure occurs – Jonah doesn’t run but instead obeys. If we started reading Jonah’s story in chapter 3, would we even know that Jonah had disobeyed the first time around? What is the tone of this opening? What does that tell us about God’s attitude toward our past failures? How often do you still hang on to past regrets that God has clearly no interest in reminding you of? What steps can we take to live with new beginnings in view?

V4-9 are funny and intentionally astonishing. How long does it say it took to walk Nineveh end to end? How long did Jonah walk? What does that indicate about him to you? What is missing from his message, in your opinion? It’s five words long in the Hebrew – and yet it gets results like nothing else ever recorded in scripture, or Israel’s own history…or even Jesus’ ministry for that matter. Jonah didn’t go far or say much – why do you think that was? If he was only half committed – how do we explain the powerful results? What does that tell us about the source of our ministry’s effectiveness?

V10 is supposed to read like a record scratch ending. God did WHAT? But…but, the Assyrians did so much evil and violence before…yet when they leave that and set out to sync up with God’s values, their future changes. Who is it that we consider beyond redemption? How does this verse challenge our understanding of God’s willingness to redeem?

I sure am enjoying the story of Jonah – hope you are too! See yez’ Sunday!

 

 

The Cost of Running

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I fled Him, down the nights and down the days;

I fled Him, down the arches of the years;

I fled Him, down the labyrinthine ways

Of my own mind; and in the mist of tears

I hid from Him, and under running laughter.

…From those strong Feet that followed, followed after.

But with unhurrying chase, 

And unperturbed pace,

Deliberate speed, majestic instancy,

They beat – and a Voice beat

More instant than the Feet –

‘All things betray thee, who betrayest Me.’

~The Hound of Heaven by Francis Thompson

This Sunday we’ll be continuing in our study of Jonah and we’ll be covering all of chapter one. Jonah has four main acts or movements. The first is in chapter one, where Jonah runs from God. In this part of the story we see Jonah’s determination to go as far away from God’s calling on his life as he can, and the cost of making that run. As the character from Thompson’s poem realizes – when we run from God, all the things we chase after for fulfillment will betray us. God won’t let them satisfy us. That’s not meanness on his part – it’s mercy.

In v 4-6 we see a contrast of actions. What are the pagan sailors doing? What is Jonah doing? Who is it that reminds Jonah what he should be doing? Compare the words of the ship’s captain to God’s original command to Jonah. What significance do you find there?

Jonah gets exposed as the epicenter of the storm in v7-10. When Jonah explains that his “occupation”, or job, is to fear (revere and serve) Yahweh we see a clear contradiction between his job description and his present way of life. The sailors catch it too. “You’re supposed to serve the God who made the sea, but instead you’re running from Him…….on OUR BOAT!?” When our culture tells us that what we do privately is our own business and has no bearing on others – do you believe that? Do you really believe that what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas? What sort of ways can you imagine that our resistance to God’s way of life affects those around us?

In v11-16 scholars are divided about what’s happening with Jonah. Some believe he’s coming to his senses and repenting because he feels bad for the sailors he’s brought into this. Others see this as just another move away from God’s original calling, to go to Nineveh. What do you think – is he repenting or not, and why? Have you ever made a move to fix an immediate crisis without really dealing with the root problem? How well did that work for you?

In v 14 we have the first prayer offered to God. Who does it come from? What seems significant about that to you?

Finally, in v17 we get to the big fish! What do you think – is the fish a judgment or a mercy…or both? Remember the Hound of Heaven – “All things betray thee, who betrayest Me”.

Hope you’re liking this study – I’m really enjoying it! See you Sunday!