Bring to light
Day 584, Wednesday, Mar. 18
1 Corinthians 4:1-7
Paul wants to make it clear how the church should look at teachers like himself and Apollos. They are not gods but servants—servants who have been given a message to share. “This, then, is how you ought to regard us: as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the mysteries God has revealed.”
When he speaks of the mysteries God has revealed, he is talking about mysteries like resurrection, forgiveness and the gift of the Holy Spirit; he is not suggesting that he or Apollos have secret wisdom that only they can share. In fact, he warns, “Do not go beyond what is written.”
One of the first heresies faced by the early church was called Gnosticism, which taught that there was secret knowledge that went beyond the words of scripture and that was only available to a select few.
Teachings like that continue. In our day with the conflict in the Middle East we hear many teachers who claim to have special knowledge about the war’s significance or outcome that has been revealed to them after being hidden from other Christians for centuries.
Paul is quick to say that anyone who claims to teach in the name of Jesus (himself included) takes on a burden to keep to the truth. “He [God] will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart.”
-Rev. Mark Fleming
Wednesday meditation
Psalms 98:1-9
Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things; his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him. The Lord has made his salvation known and revealed his righteousness to the nations. He has remembered his love and his faithfulness to Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music; make music to the Lord with the harp, with the harp and the sound of singing, with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn—shout for joy before the Lord, the King.
Let the sea resound, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it. Let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing together for joy; let them sing before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples with equity.
Prayer focus
Thank you, Lord, for making your salvation known and revealing your righteousness to the nations.