SAPATE SUNE 30, 2024

OVERCOMING EVIL

KO HONO IKUNA‘I ‘O E KOVI

ROMANS 12:21

"Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." 

LOMA 12:21

‘Ē, ‘oua na‘a tuku ke ikuna koe ‘e he kovi, ka ke ikuna ‘a e kovi ‘aki ‘a e lelei.

While studying at Cambridge University in the 1940s, a young woman became the Secretary of the Communist Party. The winter of 1946-47 was phenomenally severe, causing water pipes to partially freeze and therefore resulting in a water shortage. The female students were limited to one bath each week, and as they waited in the long line, there was a lot of grumbling and jockeying for position - including on the part of the Communist Party Secretary.

One of the girls who had the most direct access to the bathroom was a Christian. The Communist student noticed over time that this girl never asserted her rights and responded gently to the selfishness of others. The Christian was practicing and living what the young Communist claimed to believe but did not do. That observation led to a conversation, a conversion--and, eventually, a new missionary in the Far East.

Whenever we try to defeat evil by our own evil words and deeds, we are consumed. Evil cannot be overcome by a similarly evil force. Evil is doubled rather than negated. If we lose control of ourselves as we engage with an enemy, then we have been defeated not by that person but by the Evil One. We are the ones who have been overcome and have lost the opportunity to do what is right in God's eyes.

Overcoming evil is a popular notion in our culture. We hear it in songs and motivational slogans. Often the idea is that if we can just "stand together," we will succeed in defeating the ills that plague us. It's a noble idea, but it lacks the necessary power. We can't overcome evil on our own; it simply won't work. We are "more than conquerors" only "through him who loved us" (Romans 8:37). The power of God by His Spirit and His word gives us both the impetus and the strength we need to triumph.

This is the path that Jesus took. He did not take vengeance into His own hands but entrusted Himself to the hands of the Father. Christ went to the cross, where love triumphed over evil. As we choose to be gentle, do good, and walk the way of the cross, we will experience God's power at work in us to overcome evil with the goodness of His love.

The hymn writer Charles Tindley reminded us of this truth when he wrote:

With God's Word a sword of mine,

I'll overcome some day.

if Jesus will my leader be,

I'll overcome some day.

By His grace, you will overcome all the challenges and injustices of this world someday. And as you meet wrong with right, slights with kindness, and negativity with blessing, by His grace you will overcome evil with good today.

1 PETER 3:8-14a

Bible Through The Year: Deuteronomy 10-12; Acts 3

 TOKONAKI SUNE 29, 2024

LOVE IN ACTION

KO E NGAUE ‘A E ‘OFA

ROMANS 12:19-20

"Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, Vengeance is mine, I will repay says the Lord." To the contrary, if your enemy is hungry, feed him, if he is thirsty, give him something to drink: for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head." 

LOMA 12:19-20

19 Si‘oku ‘ofa‘anga, ‘oua te mou sauni ho‘omou ngaahi me‘a, kae tuku ia ki he Houhau: he kuo tohi, ‘Oku ‘a‘aku ‘a e sauni; ko au te u ‘atu hono tuha–ko e folofola ē ‘a e ‘Eiki. 20 Ka ko koe, kapau ‘oku fiekaia ho fili ke ke fafanga ia; kapau ‘oku ne fie inua, ‘ange hano inu: he ko ho‘o fai pehē te ke fokotu‘u ai ‘a e ngaahi malala‘i afi ki hono ‘ulu.

The "burning coals" in this passage are not a metaphor for revenge or pain. Rather, they signify the shame and remorse that individuals feel when, instead of giving them the retribution we think they deserve, we show them kindness and generosity. It is the effect caused when Christians treat those who have wronged them in a way that is entirely without malice or vengefulness, and is therefore foundationally supernatural. When that happens, John Calvin observes, the mind of the enemy may well be "torn in one of two ways. Either our enemy will be softened by kindness, or ... he will be stung and tormented by the testimony of his conscience." 

These coals, therefore, are not to ultimately bring hurt but healing. Our generous actions are to encourage reconciliation, drawing the individual to us, not pushing them from us. It's just like the mercy we received from God when we were still His enemies (Romans 2:4; 5:8).

If we are honest, though, those are not really the kind of coals we are looking for when we are wronged and hurt. Many of us would be quite happy to find out that coals actually would land on our enemies' heads, burning and scarring them. After all, it's nothing less than they deserve! But this reflects our fallenness and not our faith. This doesn't look or sound like Jesus. That is what makes these verses so incredibly challenging.

Notice that God's word calls us not merely not to react in vengefulness but to be proactive in blessing. When we manage not to retaliate, we have not yet fully obeyed. As disciples of Jesus, we're not only to refrain from doing our enemies evil; we're actually to do them good. It is easy to convince ourselves that ignoring our foes will take care of the problem or is the most we can realistically be expected to do; but here we discover that we're actually supposed to show them hospitality! Our role is to respond to wrongdoing with a spirit of generosity, trusting that God will always judge justly and therefore we do not need to judge, and indeed must not do so (1 Peter 2:23).

Even as members of Christ's body, many of us still seek to justify our disobedient, retributive actions or thoughts. Yet while our enemies' minds may be able to cope with our arguments and their spirits will be strong enough to stand against our threats, love in action might bring them to repentance.

How does your heart need to be transformed or your actions affected by these verses? Do not duck the challenge of them. Part of growing in Christlikeness is to look for ways to do good to your enemies, acting out of the overflow of God's radical kindness and generosity.

LUKE 22:47-53

Bible Through The Year: Deuteronomy 7-9; Acts 2:22-47

 FALAITE SUNE 28, 2024

PEACE THAT IS POSSIBLE

KO E MELINO ‘OKU ALA LAVA

ROMANS 12:18-19

"If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all." 

LOMA 12:18-19

8 Mou nofo melino pē mo e kakai kotoa pē, ‘o kapau ‘e ala lava: kehe pē ke ‘ata‘atā meiate kimoutolu. 19 Si‘oku ‘ofa‘anga, ‘oua te mou sauni ho‘omou ngaahi me‘a, kae tuku ia ki he Houhau: he kuo tohi, ‘Oku ‘a‘aku ‘a e sauni; ko au te u ‘atu hono tuha–ko e folofola ē ‘a e ‘Eiki.

The Bible is a wonderfully practical book. Its wisdom is both rich and realistic, and the longer we live, the more meaningfully we hear it speaking to our every situation. As we age, many of us realize that our parents were often correct in their warnings and wisdom; and as we walk by the light of God's word, so it will be proven right in time, every time.

Paul displays this timeless, realistic wisdom here. On one hand, this sounds simplistic: just try to be at peace with everyone. It's not difficult to understand. But that is not all he's saying. The instruction is preceded by two qualifications: "if possible" and "so far as it depends on you." The implication is that it may not always be possible!

Paul is not providing a loophole here. He's not telling us to be at peace so long as we can control our temper or emotions, but otherwise we're free to harbor bitterness. His call to us is to ensure that any ongoing conflict in our lives is in spite of us, not because of us. The responsibility for ongoing animosity must never be traceable to reluctance for reconciliation on our part.

But even if we've done our part, there are two situations in which peace may not be possible. One is when the other party is unwilling to be at peace with us. We may be dealing with someone intent on harming us and with no interest in resolving the conflict. In that situation, it may not be possible to change that person or prevent their cruelty - but it will be possible for us not to fight back. When we ensure that we are not contributing to the conflict, we are pursuing peace "so far as it depends on" us.

The other obstacle arises when the terms of peace are incompatible with principles of holiness, truth, and righteousness. The writer of Hebrews had such a situation in mind when he instructed his readers, "Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord" (Hebrews 12:14). These are not two disjointed instructions; our striving for peace and for holiness must not take us in separate directions. The pursuit of peace is not to become the pursuit of peace at any price. Some of us need to take care that our distaste for conflict and confrontation does not lead us to pursue peace at the cost of righteousness.

You cannot change a heart; that is the Lord's business. You must not compromise your integrity; that is the Lord's chief concern. But God is giving you an imperative, as much as it is up to you, that you pursue peace. Do you need to be prompted by this command to temper your words, change your behavior, or make the first step toward repairing a conflict, today?

DANIEL 6

Bible Through The Year: Deuteronomy 4-6; Acts 2:1-21

 TU‘APULELULU SUNE 27, 2024

AT HOME IN CHRIST

TAU‘ATAINA ‘I HOTO ‘API, KOE’UHI KO KALAISI

ROMANS 12:16

"Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly." 

LOMA 12:16

Ke fakatangata tatau ho‘omou fetokanga‘aki. ‘Oua na‘a hu‘u ho‘omou tokanga ki he ngaahi me‘a mā‘olunga, kae tuku kimoutolu ke ‘auhia mo mā‘ulalo. ‘Oua te mou hoko ko e kau poto fakaekimoutolu.

A home can be a wonderful thing. For many of us, home is where we can be honest, where we're with our family, and where all things - even the flaws - feel familiar. Perhaps most importantly, though, a true home is where we can be ourselves, in genuine humility. Such ought to be our experience in the fellowship of God's people.

Paul's call for Christians to "not be haughty, but associate with the lowly" is a way of calling us to treat one another like family in the household of God. Another way to translate the command "Associate with the lowly" is to say "Be willing to do menial work." Both translations are helpful; we shouldn't be so proud that there are either people with whom we won't associate or jobs we refuse to do.

In the secular world, respectability is measured by status, significance, influence, wealth, intellect, and so on. This must not be the case among Christian men and women. Indeed, one of the distinguishing features of God's people should be that characteristics such as materialism, pride, and slander, which mark the wider community, are no longer prevalent.

How could we dare give in to the broader culture's influence when our Lord described Himself as having "nowhere to lay his head" and as being "gentle and lowly in heart" (Matthew 8:20; 11:29)? He came not to save those who are well but those who are sick (Mark 2:17). He continues to call the weak of the world to shame the strong (1 Corinthians 1:27). Even the apostle Paul, that eminently qualified teacher of the law, deemed his entire resumé rubbish in order to gain Christ (Philippians 3:8).

Jesus is building a church, and the church He's building is the family of God. Our Father is in heaven, our elder Brother is reigning, and our brothers and sisters are worshiping with us. Next time you're with your church family, take a step out of your comfort zone and get to know a member of the family you don't normally interact with. Next time you're asked to do a job or take on a role that you would not naturally be drawn to, ask yourself if this is an opportunity to be humble and not haughty. After all, our elder Brother did not consider a cross beneath Him, and He died there to raise up lowly sinners like you and me. The ground is level beneath His cross. And so His family is to be marked by humble love.

MARK 1:40 - 2:17

Bible Through The Year: Deuteronomy 1-3; Acts 10

 PULELULU SUNE 26, 2024

LIVE IN HARMONY

NOFO FE‘OFO‘OFANI

ROMANS 12:16

"Live in harmony with one another." 

LOMA 12:16

Ke fakatangata tatau ho‘omou fetokanga‘aki. ‘Oua na‘a hu‘u ho‘omou tokanga ki he ngaahi me‘a mā‘olunga, kae tuku kimoutolu ke ‘auhia mo mā‘ulalo. ‘Oua te mou hoko ko e kau poto fakaekimoutolu.

It requires skill and godliness to disagree graciously. It's easy to get along with people with whom we share everything in common, where there is no concern about disagreement. But to live in harmony with people who look different and live differently than we do - that is a true sign of Christian maturity. So the expectation of the apostle Paul is that as Christians we will make the effort to do just that.

Paul's call toward harmony is not a call toward a type of uniformity, where we all dress the same, act the same, vote the same, and talk the same. Indeed, the church in Rome was certainly a varied group of people, diverse in background and in gifting. Paul emphasized that these differences were not to become a source of division or shame.

As the King James Version renders this verse, Paul wanted the Roman church to "be of the same mind one toward another." In just the same way, he appealed to the Corinthians, "by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment" (1 Corinthians 1:10).

The gospel does not erase our distinctions or our disagreements. In fact, the unity that God's people share in the main things - the gospel of Christ and the truth of His word - frees us to acknowledge our distinctions and disagreements on secondary matters. Christian unity does not lie ultimately in our politics, our social status, or what color we think the carpet should be, but in the one whom we know to be "the way, and the truth, and the life" (John 14:6).

Sadly, churches can be distracted by their disagreements, and Christians can elevate their personal concerns and preferences too highly. Some of us make every issue into one to divide over, and so we become legalists, splitting hairs and never happy until we are in a church of one. Some of us find it hard to make any issue one we will stand on and not compromise over, and so we become theological liberals, letting central gospel truths become negotiable. The harmony Paul calls us to contend for is gospel harmony. We need to know ourselves well enough to discern whether we are prone to be legalists or liberals. We need to ask God to grant us clarity of mind and charity of heart toward our brothers and sisters in Christ. And then we need to take a moment to examine our hearts to see if there is anyone with whom we are not in accord and take steps to promote, and not corrode, the gospel harmony that Christ died to bring us into.

PSALM 133

Bible Through The Year: Joel; Philippians 4

 TUSITE SUNE 25, 2024

REJOICING WITH OTHERS

FIEFIA MO KINAUTOLU ‘OKU FIEFIA

ROMANS 12:15

"Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 

LOMA 12:15

Fiefia mo kinautolu ‘oku fiefia; tangi mo kinautolu ‘oku tangi.

Shared joy is a great expression of sympathy. We typically use the word sympathy to describe a shared grief - but it applies to joy too. 

We understand sympathy when we use it in a sentence, but the word itself can be difficult to define. So consider its opposite: apathy. If apathy is akin to saying. "I couldn't care less," sympathy is akin to saying, "I couldn't care more." Sympathy is an identification with the experience of another person.

Many of us find it natural to "weep with those who weep." It is instinctive for us to enter into the disappointment and pain of those we love and to cry at the sight or thought of their sadness. This is a good thing, for to "bear one another's burdens" is to "fulfill the law of Christ" (Galatians 6:2). To enter into the joy and success of others, however, is often the greater challenge because it requires us to work against the grain of the fallenness of our human nature, which is prone to resentment and bitterness. Instead of someone's success serving as an occasion for us to bless God and thank Him, it so easily becomes an occasion for envy.

Most of us know how to avoid expressing envy. But there is a massive difference between not expressing envy and not feeling envy. We can modify our behavior enough to keep from showing it, but it requires spiritual transformation to get us to the point of not feeling it. This transformation begins with a right understanding of our identity as members of Christ's body. Paul says that "we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another" (Romans 12:5). To be in Christ means we are members of Him and of one another.

To put this another way: if we are in Christ, we are all on the same team. When we grasp this, it will be as natural for us to enter into another's joy as it is for a soccer player to rejoice at their teammate's game - winning goal in just the same way as if they had scored it themselves. As God's people, we win and lose - we enjoy and we grieve - together.

God's word calls you to "let love be genuine" (Romans 12:9) and genuine, Christlike love conforms your feelings so that jealousy gives way to joy and apathy to true sympathy. Is there anyone who you are standing aloof from in some way, either in their joy or their sadness? Have you considered whom you could encourage today? There is almost certainly someone who needs you to reach out and let them know that you are with them, praying for them and there for them as they walk a deep valley. Likewise, there will be someone whose joy you can share, and you can simply let them know that you praise God for His favor on their life. Be someone of whom it can increasingly be said, "They couldn't care more." Ask the God of all compassion and comfort to work in you by His Spirit to mold you into that person today.

2 CORINTHIANS 1:2-7

Bible Through The Year: Jeremiah 51-52; Philippians 3

 MONITE SUNE 24, 2024

DIVINE ENTHUSIASM

KO E VEKEVEKE FAKA-’OTUA

ROMANS 12.11

"Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord." 

LOMA 12.11

‘i he mamahi‘i ‘o e Ngāue, ‘oua te mou fakapikopiko; ‘i homou laumālie, mou loto māfana; ‘i he fai ki he ‘Eiki, mou tauhi fakatamaio‘eiki ki ai;

Picture a kitchen in an old British farmhouse, in which sits a pan on the stove, full of water bubbling away. That is the image Paul provides here regarding spiritual commitment. He essentially says that in Christ we are to keep the spiritual pot boiling. We're not to go hot and then cold - we're not to be enthusiastic at one moment and lose steam the next.

Once God's grace has laid hold of us and we have been transformed by Christ and received His righteousness by faith, we must apply that righteousness to our living. Part of this applied righteousness is to do the work of Jesus with a certain divinely inspired, divinely commanded enthusiasm.

It is easy, though, to be prone to laziness and to lapse into a spiritual half-heartedness. The book of Proverbs has much to say, often with a tinge of humor, about the dangers and the results of a lazy life. One proverb describes a man who is so lazy that having put his spoon into the bowl from which he's eating, he can't bring himself to lift it back out (Proverbs 19:24; 26:15). Another describes laziness in a man burying himself under his blankets and staying there: "As a door turns on its hinges, so does a sluggard on his bed" (v 14).

By contrast, the ultimate goal of Spirit - empowered zeal is to serve the Lord. How important it is for us to keep that goal in mind! When we do so, we recognize how even the most trivial activity - greeting a client, cleaning up a mess at home, loading or unloading the dishwasher, teaching each other, taking notes, giving an injection, speaking to our children, anything can become a spiritual act of worship. Even the most routine part of our day can reflect our divine enthusiasm.

What brings your spiritual zeal to the boiling point these days? Serving Christ in worship? Sharing your faith with a colleague or stranger? Caring for your aging parents? Supporting the work of Christ across the world? Whatever it is, don't let up on your zeal. Keep the water boiling by serving the Lord in every moment of every day in response to the grace that He pours out on you every moment of the day. Come to Him each morning and ask Him to ensure that you will not grow weary. Then in all things His name will be proclaimed, and He will be glorified.

GALATIANS 6:1-10

Bible Through The Year: Jeremiah 50; Philippians 2

 SAPATE SUNE 23, 2024

BROTHERLY LOVE

‘OFA HANGE HA KAINGA MO‘ONI (faka-tokoua)

ROMANS 12:10

"Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor."

LOMA 12:10

I ho‘omou ‘ofa ki he kāinga lotu, fai ‘o hangē ko ha kāinga mo‘oni; ‘i he faka‘apa‘apa mou tāimu‘a kimoutolu;

Young siblings are inclined to elbow and nudge each other and to complain about each other. If we are honest, sometimes our idea of "brotherly affection in the church is marked more by that kind of thinking and conduct than it is by love and gratitude. When we look around at one another, instead of singing that “we're glad we're part of the family of God," we can often think deep down, "I'm surprised you're part of the family of God."

Paul calls us to a better way.

In this verse, love is described using family words. Philostorgoi, translated here as "love,” comes from the Greek word storge, which refers to the devoted love of parent for child. Philadelphia, translated here as "with brotherly affection," is the word used for the love between siblings (as in the name of the city of Philadelphia, the "City of Brotherly Love"). Back in Romans 8, Paul has already reminded his readers that they're together as members of one family by God's grace (Romans 8:12-17). Now, because they have each been brought into the family on the same basis - namely, in Jesus they have every reason to be devoted to one another.

This kind of love requires not only genuine affection but also humility. The NIV translates the second sentence in this verse as "Honor one another above yourselves." This resembles what we see in Philippians 2, where Paul writes, "In humility count others more significant than yourselves" (Philippians 2:3). Scripture calls us to put others first. We are to learn to play second fiddle without complaining or perversely seeking to be commended for doing so. The only competitive element among a church family should be that of seeing who can raise up and do good to others the most.

Thinking of this kind of loving brotherly affection brings us back to Jesus, who loves to call us His brothers and sisters (Hebrews 2:11-15). For Jesus, "though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant" (Philippians 2:6-7). It is Jesus who shows what true brotherly affection is; it is Jesus who loves His family perfectly in this way, outdoing all others in showing honor; it is Jesus whom we are called to be like, and whom we are living like each time we choose to love with Christlike brotherly affection. Today, then, love like Him.

1 SAMUEL 20

Bible Through The Year: Jeremiah 48-49; Philippians 1

 TOKONAKI SUNE 22, 2024

NO NEUTRALITY

‘IKAI HA VEIVEIUA

ROMANS 12.9b

"Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good." 

LOMA 12.9b

Fehi‘a‘ia ki he kovi; pīkitai ki he lelei

Any patient who has undergone a bone marrow transplant knows the importance of being isolated from any possibility of infection. Because their immune system is so depleted, they are far more susceptible to disease than the average person. If a visitor arrives coughing and spluttering, excusing it as "no big deal" would be abhorrent to the patient and to their doctors. Any sickness is to be resisted like a plague because its consequences are potentially fatal.

Christian love should reflect this kind of radical mentality when it comes to evil. We cannot say that we genuinely love others if we cherish, or even only tolerate, evil in our hearts and distance ourselves from good. We cannot toy with wickedness, seeking to establish some laissez-faire approach to particular sins. "Abhor" is as strong a word as it is possible for Paul to use. He has no notion of neutrality when it comes to purity.

At the start of this verse, Paul has already instructed his readers to "let love be genuine." Isn't it interesting, then, that Paul immediately follows "love" with a word that essentially means "hate"? We often think that if we love, we shouldn't hate anything or  anyone - but that's just sentimentality. Paul makes it clear that love "does not rejoice at wrongdoing" (1 Corinthians 13:6). If you love your spouse with a passionate purity, you hate everything which would rob you of that relationship; otherwise, your love is not love. The same applies to our love for the things of God. We cannot love holiness without hating its opposite.

As Paul continues, he turns from the negative to the positive, using the same phrase, "hold fast," that Jesus uses to describe a husband and wife's relationship (see Matthew 19:5). Paul doesn't use this phrase arbitrarily. Marriage is the closest human union possible - psychologically, intellectually, and spiritually. So Paul is saying here that Christian love should have a "superglue" commitment to goodness.

We must be careful not to fall into the world's trap of calling "evil good and good evil" or being those "who put darkness for light and light for darkness" (Isaiah 5:20). God's people understand that there is a time for love and a time for hate (Ecclesiastes 3:8). So how would you describe your attitude to evil especially those sins that are most attractive to you or most celebrated by those who live around you? What would change if you abhorred them? Today, rely on God's Spirit to enable you to love properly by hating what God does, echoing the prayer of John Baillie: "O God, give me the power to follow after that which is good. Now as I pray, let there be no secret purpose of evil formed in our minds, that waits for an opportunity of fulfillment."

MARK 9:42-50

Bible Through The Year: Jeremiah 46-47; Matthew 28