Love God, love neighbor, make disciples. doug@pastordougolson.com
We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. (2 Corinthians 5:20) Christ’s ambassadors – what a glorious and humble calling! Jesus loves us, and trusts us enough to carry on His ministry here on earth. We are His partners …
So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! (2 Corinthians 5:17) Christ came to make us all new, washed clean from sin and called to a life of faith and love in Him. Through His sacrifice our past deeds are forgotten; our …
In Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us.(2 Corinthians 5:19) God forgives our sins through the sacrifice Christ made for us, and calls us to be part of His saving work. What an amazing thing! How can we ever hope …
All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18) God could have separated from us long ago citing “irreconcilable differences” due to our sinful nature. Instead, as Paul writes, He “reconciled us to himself through Christ”, taking action to bring us …
From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way. (2 Corinthians 5:16) God wants us to see His love for creation in each one of us. Everyone we meet is …
And all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ. (1 Corinthians 10:3-4) Paul teaches that Christ was with the children of Israel in the desert, providing for them. God has been constant in His love and …
We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did, and were destroyed by serpents. And do not complain as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer. (1 Corinthians …
Do not become idolaters as some of them did; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and they rose up to play.”(1 Corinthians 10:7) Paul tells the Corinthians they are in danger, as were the children Moses led – they are putting things other than God first in their lives. …
Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them, and they were struck down in the wilderness. (1 Corinthians 10:5) This is a difficult verse to read by itself, and I encourage you to read the entire lectionary passage for this week – 1 Corinthians 10:1-13. However, Paul faithfully and painfully recounts the sin of …
So those who think they are standing need to watch out or else they may fall. (1 Corinthians 10:12) Paul writes a lot of straight talk to the church, but this verse is a warning we all need to heed – even those of us who consider ourselves upright need to watch out. As humans, …