Month: June 2026

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Paul’s Ask.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“Finally, dear brothers and sisters, we ask you to pray for us. Pray that the Lord’s message will spread rapidly and be honored wherever it goes, just as when it came to you. Pray, too, that we will be rescued from wicked and evil people, for not everyone is a believer. But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one.” ‭‭2 Thessalonians‬ ‭3‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Pray for us! The Apostle Paul starts out strong and confident in his calling and writings to churches he started. For those who questioned his authority, he boldly told the story of how Jesus revealed Himself and called him to be the lead apostle to the gentiles. Paul is a major force in the New Testament! Paul is the author of 13 epistles. Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, and Philemon. (almost 50% of the New Testament, and 62% of the letters written!). He’s assertive about his apostleship. He received direct revelation from Jesus. And, after receiving this calling, he didn’t rush out to consult anyone about it. His authority was independent from Jerusalem’s approval, and that was recognized by Peter, James, and John. He went to Jerusalem to get to know Peter and later wrote about confronting Peter about his hypocrisy (Peter was sneaking around eating with gentiles, but later pretended that it was wrong to do so when the Jewish brothers showed up). Yet after many beatings, jail time, church launches and multiple confrontations with fake teachers, I believe it took a toll on Paul’s fiery core. Look at the difference at how Paul refers to himself over thirty years.

● ​Bold Authority (AD 48-49) – AD 49, Galatians 1:1 — “an apostle, not from men, nor through man.” Fierce independence.
● Pray for us (AD 50-51) – 2 Thessalonians 3:1 Relational dependency
● Least of the Apostles (AD 55-56) – 1 Corinthians 15:9
● Least of All God’s people (AD 60-61) – Ephesians 3:8
● Chief of Sinners (AD 62-64) – 1 Timothy 1:15
● Martyrdom (AD 64-68)

​We get a chance to see this amazing diminishment, this arc from hubris to humility. Not just tracking what Paul said, but where he was in life when and where he said it. The contrast with his earliest letters to his latter ones is striking. It can be noted that this request for prayer may have been the beginning of Paul’s realization that he needs others (which Paul always led thanking those around him). He goes from fierce independence, which caused some real heartache with young John Mark. Luke said there was a sharp contention between Paul and Barnabas. Enough for him and Barnabas (the peacekeeper) to part ways for a while. As Paul reached the end of his life and ministry, his tones and behaviors were far from hubris. Instead a beautiful humility emerged because of life, ministry, suffering and Christ’s mature agape love became the explanation point of his writings. Just read the boldness at the start in his thirties to the tenderness in his final letter to Timothy when he was sixty. Near the end of his life from a Roman prison, he tells Timothy: “Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry.” Tender reconciliation from the now Chief of Sinners.

Prayer

Dad,
I was never super bold or brash as a young man, even though after surrendering my life to you in my teens I was not afraid to ask hard questions. But after almost fifty years of being a pastor in ministry, I just generally feel less smart, less wise and not so dogmatic about several things. I’m no Paul, but life, church-folk and church-systems, along with many, many emotionally hard deaths of friends and in families, I absolutely feel like the least of these. I am daily humbled by your amazing grace and mercy, where pure gratitude fills my mind as I sleep each night. I feel far more soft and squishy and far less judgmental about how people have lived, loved and suffered over the years. As I write, I could honestly and eagerly ask people to pray for me as well,

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The man who defied God.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“So the people of Israel did just as the Lord had commanded through Moses and Aaron. And that night at midnight, the Lord struck down all the firstborn sons in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sat on his throne, to the firstborn son of the prisoner in the dungeon. Even the firstborn of their livestock were killed. Pharaoh and all his officials and all the people of Egypt woke up during the night, and loud wailing was heard throughout the land of Egypt. There was not a single house where someone had not died.” Exodus‬ ‭12‬:‭28‬-‭30‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Pharaoh had withstood the devastation of multiple disasters over a period of six and a half months. The first plague began in late September and the last plague occurred around April. The 9 plagues would have substantially undermined Egypt’s economic productivity and fiscal base, strained social networks, increased poverty and displacement, and weakened political and religious legitimacy—together producing significant short-term disruption and potential long-term instability. All of this not because of Pharaoh’s political or economic aspirations. It was pure pride, believing he was a god that did not need to submit to THE God. His will would defy God’s will – so he thought.

How many leaders throughout history tried to defy God but lost? King Saul (Israel), Nebuchadnezzar II (Babylon), Roman emperors (Nero, Julian), Henry VIII (England), Louis XVI (France), Tsar Nicholas II (Russia), Kaiser Wilhelm II (Germany), Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (Iran), Saddam Hussein (Iraq), and Muammar Gaddafi (Libya). Every one of these men believed they could rise above all their opponents- including God! Amenhotep II, as the Pharaoh, responsible for the destruction of his own country and the deaths of every Egyptian first born, appears to be far and beyond the scope of other world leaders. His personal punishment vs. systemic consequences were enormous.

What has been on my mind for several years now, is what people do with power? What happens when a person or a group understands that they have a sway, a control over other humans? The phrase, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely, by John Acton, penned in 1887,” stated the obvious truth. It not only corrupts, it becomes self consuming. I think about so many movements throughout history, that have seen a successful grab for power. But instead of spending that control, that magnanimous influence to help others, lifting them out societal struggles, they end up spending that capital on promoting and protecting themselves. All that effort towards aiding the disparity in the disenfranchised, or solving some of society’s worst problems, it became nothing more than stockpiling that power to pursue even more!

One of the powerful truths out of the gospels, is that Jesus knew that power had been given to him, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth” (Matthew 28:18). John tells us what Jesus did with it! “Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God. So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him” (John 13:3-5). All power, all authority… and Jesus picks up a towel to serve!

God will not share His glory, but He will share His power to serve His purposes! And God’s purpose is the reclaiming, restoring and redeeming human dignity and destiny. Pharaoh defied God because he wanted and believed he had rights to authority and power over God. Through 9 devastating warnings, God gave him a chance to relent, and he would not. What do we do with whatever power we may have over others? Do we yield it or try to wield it? Do we consume it for ourselves or turn and serve others?

Prayer

​Dad,
Seeing the power patterns and dynamics in the Bible, it helps me see areas in my own life where I struggle with trying to wield what little power I have or yield it to you by serving others. Also, seeing how leaders use or abuse power, I have observed power cycles in our churches, but also in other areas in our culture. Places like politics, business, education, health care and safety. I see similar missteps that are like those in the Bible. I am so thankful that You are God and I and others are NOT!