FALAITE ‘AKOSI 23

GOD IS BIG ENOUGH

‘OKU LAHI ‘ANOA HOTAU ‘OTUA

ACTS 17:22-23

"Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: 'Men of Athens... [what] you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you."

NGAUE 17:22-23

22 Pea kuo tu‘u ‘a Paula ‘i he loto ‘Aleopeiko, pea ne pehē, ‘A matāpule ‘Ātenisi, ‘oku hā kiate au ‘i he me‘a kehekehe ‘oku ou sio ki ai, tā ko e kakai kimoutolu ‘oku matamata hulu atu ‘i he tauhi fa‘ahikehe. 23 He lolotonga ‘eku ‘alu fano, ‘o u tokanga‘i ‘a e ngaahi me‘a ‘oku mou lotu ki ai, ne u ‘ilo foki ha ‘ōlita ‘a ia na‘e tohi ai ‘a e lea ni, MO‘O HA ‘OTUA TE‘EKI ‘ILOA. Pea ko e Me‘a ‘oku mou lotu ta‘e‘ilo ki ai, ko eni ia ‘oku ou fakahā ni kiate kimoutolu.

We cannot declare the gospel of Jesus without understanding the doctrine of God. As J.B. Phillips writes in his book Your God Is Too Small, "Many men and women today are living, often with an inner dissatisfaction, without any faith in God at all... They have not found with their adult minds a God big enough to account for life." We must spare no fitting word, then, when we speak of God's character, of His grandeur, and of His glory made known.

When Paul shared the gospel, he went to the religious, the commoners, and the intelligentsia alike, because he recognized that the good news of God was all-encompassing and sufficient for each of their concerns (Acts 17:24-31). We can learn from his approach, which was one that introduced listeners to God by identifying five key aspects of His nature:

*God is the Creator. He made the world, while He Himself is uncreated, standing distinct from His creation and outside of time. He is not a force - not even the greatest force of all - nor can He be contained or manipulated into a form of our own design.

*God is the Sustainer. He is the one who gives life and breath. The Sustainer of life is not served by human hands, nor does He have need of sustenance. 

*God is the Ruler. He commands the nations. History, geography, governments - the whole universe! are under His control. No event takes our God by surprise; He sweeps into His purposes even the sinful acts of man. Furthermore, as Ruler, He has put everybody in a certain place, in a moment in history, that we might seek Him, find Him, and praise His holy name.

*God is the Father. Men and women are His "offspring" (Acts 17:28) and, in the sense that He has given life to each human, starting with Adam, He is every human's Father (Luke 3:38). He has created each of us in His image. We are moral beings, made with a sense of right and wrong, and we are able truly to flourish only in relationship with Him.

*God is the Judge. He has authority over all the earth. There will be a judgment day that is fair and final, when every injustice will be dealt with and all wrongs be put right. Indeed, God has already intervened in His Son Jesus, and in Jesus' resurrection He has declared Jesus' divine appointment as Judge. It is God's kindness and forbearance that announces judgment so that before then we might repent and find forgiveness from Him.

God is big enough for - indeed, far bigger than - anyone's interest in mere religion. He's big enough for you and me, for all our cares and our sorrows. He's big enough to satisfy every intellectual quest and big enough to deal with  emotional longing - and ultimately, big enough to live for. To the extent that you know God as He truly is, so will you live in glad obedience to Him and speak with joyful confidence about Him.

ISAIAH 44:6-8

Bible Through The Year: Psalms 113-115; 2 Corinthians 2

 TU‘APULELULU ‘AKOSI 22

FINDING GOD AT ROCK BOTTOM

FE‘ILOAKI MO E ‘OTUA ‘I HE TAKELE ‘O E MO‘UI 

GENESIS 39:20-21

"Joseph's master took him and put him into the prison. But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison" 

SENESI 39:20-21

20 Pea na‘e puke ‘a Siosifa ‘e hono ‘eiki ‘o ne tuku ia ki he pilīsone, ‘a e potu na‘e nofo pōpula ai ‘a e kau pōpula ‘a e Tu‘i: pea na‘a ne nofo ‘i he pilīsone. 21 Ka na‘e kau ‘a Sihova mo Siosifa, pea ne o‘i ha manava‘ofa ki ai, pea ne tuku ke ne ‘ofeina ‘i he pule ‘o e pilīsone.

After Potiphar's wife falsely accused him. Joseph hit rock bottom... again. Once more he found himself condemned - not to a pit this time but to a dungeon. The bottom had dropped out of his world.

And yet, as a man of God - as a man of principle - Joseph displayed enduring patience. He had fled the seductive temptation from Potiphar's wife on the strength of his convictions, making his decision on the basis of purity and rightness. Clearly, Joseph feared God more than he feared a dungeon. He would not sleep with Potiphar's wife because to do so would have been to sin against God. For Joseph, that was the end of any internal discussion, and it was sufficient basis for his decision.

Such a view will keep us, too, on the narrow way. True faithfulness comes not from pragmatism but from principle. It is the forming of decisions in the quiet place, without all of life's fanfare distracting us. It is obeying despite the consequences. It is being so resolved to be a man or woman of God that when the pressure to sin is greatest or when everything comes crashing down on us, we know how to respond.

As Joseph endured wrongful suffering, God demonstrated His love by granting him favor with his jailer. There is nothing in the narrative to suggest that Joseph tried to manipulate the circumstances to his own end - and even if Joseph had been looking around for a friend or ally, he never would have anticipated that the prison warden would fill that role! But God had other ideas. The Lord's presence remains with His people even in the most extreme circumstances.

From time to time, we all feel as if we are in the dungeon a new low in our lives - and are confined by chilling isolation. Maybe that's you today. Maybe you, like Joseph, have been the victim of false accusations or are counting the cost of your determination to obey your Lord, or maybe something entirely different is weighing down your weary soul. No matter what, the Lord knows. He has never been taken by surprise, and He loves you with an everlasting love. His love is steadfast and is not changed by circumstances. He loves you enough to have walked through the dungeon of death and the terror of hell in order that you need never do so. Take comfort in knowing that, as the prophet Zechariah declared, "he who touches you touches the apple of [God's] eye" (Zechariah 2:8).

LUKE 8:22-39

Bible Through The Year: Psalms 110-112; 2 Corinthians 1

 PULELULU ‘AKOSI 21

NOW AND THEN

KO ‘ENI MO E KAHA‘U

PHILIPPIANS 1:21-24

"To me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account." 

FILIPAI 1:21-24

21 He ko e me‘a kia kita, ko ‘ete mo‘ui ko Kalaisi ‘atā, pea ko ‘ete pekia ko e ‘āsili hoto fakakoloa. 22 Ka ‘o kapau ko ‘eku mo‘ui atu ‘i he kakano, kapau ko e me‘a ia ‘oku tu‘u ai ‘eku ma‘u fua he ngāue, pea tā ‘oku ‘ikai te u ‘ilo pe ko e hā te u fili ki ai. 23 Ka ‘oku fetohoaki au ‘e he me‘a ko ia ‘e ua; ‘oku hu‘u hoku loto ke tuku folau atu, ‘o nonofo mo Kalaisi; he ‘oku lelei lahi hake noa pē ia: 24 ka ko e nofo pē ‘i he sino ‘oku mamafa ange kiate au koe‘uhi ko kimoutolu.

Do you remember visiting family when you were a child? Perhaps some visits were met with dread because the person you were visiting wasn't someone you felt close to or warmed to. But then there were the special visits with those you really loved. Maybe you were greeted at their door with a hug or the smell of freshly baked cookies. You couldn't wait to see them! They were precious to you, and you looked forward to being in their presence.

For the apostle Paul, Jesus was such a person. Paul was joyful, even while imprisoned, because of what Christ meant to him. He looked forward to the prospect of being ushered into His presence. Jesus was his all in all.

Can you and I say the same about Jesus? Or is our joy earthly, fixed on temporal matters like our marriages, children, livelihoods, or influence? If all that thrills your soul and all that forms your identity is wrapped up in worldly matters, then being with Jesus loses its allure. So we would be wise to remember that our identity is found in Him, because one day everything else will be left behind.

You may have heard of someone being so heavenly-minded that they're no earthly use. Well, we can also be so earthly-minded that we're no heavenly use. Sometimes, we are tempted to want things like perfect health, an end to sorrow, and life without any uncertainty right now. The reality is that we are going to lose loved ones, receive dreadful hospital reports, or face disappointment and disaster. But that is all part of the now. Paul's dilemma in this letter was balancing the now with the next. Although he desired to depart, it was not so that he could escape his current circumstances. He certainly endured many difficult trials, but for him, heaven was not simply relief from earthly suffering. He was not shuffling off life to embrace death; he longed to be with Jesus because he knew it would be fantastic.

Living faithfully in the present while anticipating the reality of being with Jesus is something we all have to work out. Paul recognized that while he still drew breath, he was to continue steadfastly in his earthly ministry until Christ called him home to heaven. So spend some moments considering Christ in all His loving perfections. Then spend some time enjoying the great truth that one day you will see Him as He welcomes you into His glory. Then reflect on the truth that the doorway to that moment is death. This is your future. One day, it will be your present. And until then, you can do what Paul did and live all in for Christ, knowing that death will be only gain.

2 TIMOTHY 4:6-18

Bible Through The Year: Psalms 107-109; Galatians 6

 TUSITE ‘AKOSI 20

THE MOMENT OF CHOICE

KO E FILI NA‘A NE FAI

HEBREWS 11:24-25

"By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin." 

HEPELU 11:24-25

24 Ko tui na‘e fakatale‘i ai ‘e Mōsese ‘i he‘ene tangata hono lau ko e tama ‘a e ‘ōfefine ‘o Felo; 25 he‘ene fili mu‘a ke kaungā ngaohikovia mo e kakai ‘a e ‘Otua, ‘i ha‘ane ma‘u fakataimi pē ha mālie tu‘u he angahala;

We cannot be friends with the world and friends with God at the same time (James 4:4). Those who attempt to walk that middle course discover sooner or later how empty and futile it really is: that it makes us, in the words of Kris Kristofferson, "a walking Contradiction."

As the adopted son of Pharaoh's daughter, Moses enjoyed social status, physical comfort, and material wealth. As an Israelite, outside the precincts of Pharaoh's establishment there was for him only obscurity, impoverishment, and slavery. Moses knew that remaining in Pharaoh's courts would make his life far better in every single worldly way. He could have reasoned that it would also enable him to exercise an influence on behalf of God's people that would never be possible if he went and joined himself to them.

But Moses didn't stay in Pharaoh's family. Instead, he renounced the privileges of Egyptian citizenship and identified with a lowly, despised, oppressed group of people who had no political rights. Why? Why would someone give up so much to embrace so little?

The answer is that Moses realized he couldn't identify himself with God's people and the Egyptians simultaneously. He realized that he was either a slave with his people or a compromiser in Pharaoh's court. He couldn't say that he was an Israelite who believed in the God of his ancestors and also live as an Egyptian.

Moses chose ill treatment and disgrace, we're told, "for the sake of Christ" (Hebrews 11:26, NIV) - for the sake of the one from Eve's offspring and Abraham's family who would fulfill all God's promises to them (Genesis 3:16; 12:1-3). His calculation was the same as was made over a millennium later by the apostle Paul, who had exactly the "right" kind of background the education, the sophistication, the heritage - yet said, "I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord" (Philippians 3:8).

Moses made a radical decision - the kind of radical decision that some of us may need to make. Perhaps your background is relatively similar to that of Moses; you grew up with all your material needs being met and with great prospects in the world. Whoever we are and wherever we have come from, though, we all face the moment of choice that Moses did. Will we live as friends of the world or of God? There is no middle way. Today, are you going to live by the world's standards, laugh at the world's jokes, employ the world's methodologies, and adopt the world's priorities? Or are you going to take your stand with Jesus Christ, go absolutely against the flow, nail your colors to the mast, and confess by word and by deed that He is Lord? Perhaps today is the day when for the first time, or for the first time in a long time, you need to live "by faith" and make that radical decision.

LUKE 18:18-30

Bible Through The Year: Psalms 105-106; Galatians 5

 MONITE ‘AKOSI 19

THE TRUE KING

KO E TU‘I MO‘ONI

LUKE 22:20

"This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood." 

LUKE 22:20

Na‘a ne to‘o pehē foki ‘a e ipu, hili ‘a e ‘ohomohe, ‘o ne pehē, Ko e ipu ni ko e fuakava fo‘ou ia ‘oku fai‘aki hoku toto, ‘a ia ‘oku lilingi koe‘uhi ko kimoutolu.

Jesus fulfills God's promises and dispenses His every blessing. He has ushered in the new covenant and assumed His long-anticipated role as the true King. From Jesus, every blessing flows. Through Him, every promise is kept. To Him, all the glory is given.

Christians acknowledge these truths at the Communion table when we take the cup and remember that Jesus poured out His blood, the blood of the new covenant, for the forgiveness of our sins. On the cross, Jesus died to take the penalty that we deserve so that sinners, who do not deserve His mercy and grace, may enjoy the blessings of forgiveness.

This means that when we place our faith in Jesus, we may be sure that He has taken our sin and its judgment and given all His righteousness to us in exchange. Jesus died the death we deserve. He lived the perfect life we could not live. God has wrapped us up in the blanket of His forgiveness through the provision of His Son. We should never fail to be amazed that these things are true, by faith, of us.

The Old Testament prophets were clear: there was going to come a King who would be a descendant of David, and He would fulfill God's promises. He would establish God's rule, introduce a new age, and deal with the effects of evil. Jesus may not have looked much like a king as He hung on the cross, but it was His moment of greatest victory. And when Jesus strode out from the tomb, His resurrection declared that He was not simply the son of David but also the Son of God, able to conquer even the Grave.

All authority rests with Him, and through Him flows an unending stream of grace and mercy. Only the one who is the source of such power can transform a heart and prove worthy of our souls' affections.

Jesus right now rules and reigns at the right hand of the Father, but He also reigns in the hearts of those who trust Him. There is no better day than today for the lost to give up their arms of rebellion, humbly bow before this worthy King, admit that He is the very Savior they so desperately need, and ask Him to reign on the throne of their lives. Is Christ your King? Then as His subject, worship and praise Him, and as His ambassador, go let others know about this hope you have found.

I CORINTHIANS 15:12-28

Bible Through The Year: Psalms 103-104; Galatians 4

 SAPATE ‘AKOSI 18

A MATTER OF CONCERN

KO E ME ‘A TOTONU KE HU‘U KI AI E TOKANGA

JONAH 4:10-11

"You pity the plans, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night and perished in a night. And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?" 

SIONA 4:10-11

10 Pea folofola ‘a Sihova, Na‘a ke mamae koe ki he lepo, ‘a ia na‘e ‘ikai te ke ongosia ai, pea na‘e ‘ikai te ke fakafu‘ulahi, ‘a ia na‘e tupu ia ‘i ha fo‘i pō, pea mole ‘i ha fo‘i pō. 11 Pea ‘ikai ā te u mamae koā ‘e au ki Ninive, ‘a e fu‘u kolo ni; ‘a ia ‘oku ‘i ai ha kakai ‘e taha kilu mā ua mano tupu, ‘a e fa‘ahinga ‘oku ‘ikai te nau ‘ilo honau nima to‘omata‘u mo e to‘ohema, mo e fu‘u fanga manu foki?

Jonah considered himself a victim. He was convinced that he was right in believing that Nineveh should receive judgment and that God was wrong to have rescued the city. He was also convinced that God was wrong in allowing the shade-bearing plant to shrivel, leaving him to suffer in the heat.

In response, God did not engage with the prophet according to his sorrowful objection but instead raised an important question: "Do you do well to be angry for the plant?" (Jonah 4:9). God was arguing from the lesser to the greater: if Jonah could be so phenomenally concerned about a plant that had come and gone in the space of 24 hours, didn't He, the living God, have a right to be concerned about the people of Nineveh? God was calling Jonah to review his scale of priorities.

God's question to Jonah is a question for us as well. Is there anything in our lives that we are more concerned about than seeing unbelieving people become committed followers of Jesus Christ? If we're alert to our own hearts, we may realize that in regard to our time, finances, gifts, and freedoms, "Is there anything?" quickly becomes "How many things?" Those who observe us may think we're far more concerned about matters of our own comfort than we are about the many souls who have never heard the gospel.

What was Jonah's response to God's question? We don't know. The book of Jonah finishes with this divine question. But the most important question is not about how Jonah responded. The emphasis of the entire book is upon the compassion of God Himself. The most important question is this: How do we, the readers of the book, perceive God's grace? Will His example establish in us a pattern of concern for others that longs for them to turn from sin and trust in Him? Will our hearts be more like Jonah's or like the Lord's?

It is time to stop setting any worldly concerns ahead of reaching the lost souls in our communities for Christ. We have the joy of knowing God's compassion in our lives through Jesus. And the only fitting response to this great privilege is to give of ourselves so that others would come to know Him as well. What do you most care about? asks God. Your home? Your possessions? Your tech gadgets? Or the people in your street who do not know Jesus?

MATTHEW 28:16-20

Bible Through The Year: Psalms 100-102; Galatians 30

 TOKONAKI ‘AKOSI 17

MYSTERIOUS PROVIDENCE

MISITELI FAKA-PALOVETINISI

 JONAH 4-6-7

"The LORD God appointed a plant and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort. So Jonah was exceedingly glad because of the plant. But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the plant, so that it withered." 

SIONA 4:6-7

6 Pea tokonaki ‘e Sihova ‘Elohimi ha fu‘u lepo, ‘o ne fakakaka hake mei ‘olunga kia Siona, ke fakamalumalu ki hono ‘ulu, ke fakalelulelu ki he‘ene mamahi. 7 Pea fiefia lahi ‘a Siona ‘i he lepo, Ka ka tokonaki ‘e he ‘Otua ha ‘unufe ‘i he ma‘a ‘a e ‘aho ‘apongipongi, pea ne keina ‘a e lepo, pea mae.

When Jonah left Nineveh, the city had been saved, but the prophet was sulking. I knew You'd forgive them despite all the evil they've done, he said to the Lord. Now I'd rather be dead than have to see my enemies forgiven (Jonah 4:2-3).

Jonah made a little shelter for himself (v 5), presumably out of stones or mud bricks; the heat of the sun would have made it very uncomfortable for him to sit out in the open air. Picture him as he sat in his little hut, wishing that he were dead, and then realizing that a wonderful plant was growing around him. Suddenly the heat of the day was eased by this plant's shadow - and Jonah was very, very happy.

But his gladness was short-lived. The same God who provided the plant to make Jonah happy also provided the worm that brought about its destruction. The plant shriveled up not in some unnatural way but as a result of normal processes taking place under God's divine control.

God the Creator is sovereign over all that He has made. In His mysterious providence, He was continuing to work with His servant according to the purpose of His will. There is a recurring phrase in the book of Jonah: "God appointed." He appointed a great fish, a plant, a worm, and a scorching east wind, all as an expression of His love and concern for His servant (Jonah 1:17; 4:8). Whether through a gigantic fish or a small worm, God was at work - as He still is-directing everything to its appointed end.

We see this doctrine of providence addressed in Question 27 of the Heidelberg Catechism: "What do you understand by the providence of God?" The answer comes: "God's providence is His almighty and ever present power, whereby, as with His hand, He still upholds heaven and earth and all creatures, and so governs them that leaf and blade, rain and drought, fruitful and barren years, food and drink, health and sickness, riches and poverty, indeed, all things, come not by chance but by His fatherly hand."

Throughout life's journey, as you encounter both "plants" that make you comfortable and happy and "worms" that remove comfort or company from your life, you can find encouragement in knowing that you're not held in the grip of some blind, fatalistic force. Rather, your heavenly Father, who holds you with a loving embrace, is ordering everything that He might achieve His ultimate purpose in your life: to make you more like His Son and bring you home to His side. So consider your life. Where are the plants? Where are the worms? And will you seek to give thanks for both, secure in the knowledge that both are given by a loving Father for your eternal good?

JAMES 1:9-18

Bible Through The Year: Psalms 97-99; Galatians 2