Author: Aaron Hufty

Aaron Hufty is the Associate Pastor for Worship and Music at FBCSA.

Worth

Re:Verse passage – Romans 3:21-31 (day two)

Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith. v. 27

Have you ever been in a group where a leader asks a question and someone almost trips over themselves to answer? It becomes less about knowing the answer and more about showing off. There is a natural tendency in most of us to demonstrate a kind of superiority over others by virtue of experience or knowledge. Often our hope is that this will curry favor with the leader, or somehow raise our worth in the eyes of the others in the group. The efficacy of this trait is debatable, but scripture leaves no room for doubt about this characteristic in our faith walk.

We bring nothing worthy of righteousness. If we did, it would nullify the work of Christ and make his death meaningless. Even the ‘best’ of us must come to the realization that without the gift of God’s grace, we completely fall short. This in no way should discourage you. The exhausting path you are on to try and prove your worth can be set aside for the all-sufficient love of Christ on the cross. Your value is in and through Jesus, not in addition to him. Stop trying to measure up. Surrender and be filled with the measure of grace.

Focus

Re:Verse passage – Romans 2:5-16
(day two) 

to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; 8 but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation. v. 7-8

This isn’t a passage about your works and earning your salvation; rather it is about your focus. Those who have allowed the gospel to penetrate their hearts have evidence of Christ in everything they do. It doesn’t make them perfect, but the work of the gospel begins to re-focus how we live. To those who refuse to allow this message to change them, it is also evident. Our focus determines our path. When we fix our eyes on Jesus, our lives should calibrate towards his. Those things which cause turmoil, struggle, or hurt should be laid at his feet and viewed in the light of the cross. Even if they are not removed from your path, how you deal with them is changed.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in his wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of his glory and grace.

Share

Re:Verse passage – Romans 1:14–17 (day two) 

I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. v. 14

The first chapter of Romans seems a perfect segue from our summer study of discipleship. As we have spent the past three months tackling what it means to be a disciple, Paul thrusts us into work of sharing the gospel. Cultivating our relationship with the Lord and training in our understanding of what it means to follow him should inexorably lead us to the position of sharing with others. Paul states in this passage that he is not ashamed of the gospel. Are we? If the good news has moved us from a place of death to life, why do we hesitate to share? This message is for all, and if we don’t share it, who will?

Cosmic Timing

Re:Verse passage – Matthew 4:18-19; 1 Corinthians 3:6-9; Galatians 4:4–7 (day two)
But when the fullness of the time came…v. 4a

I have loved this text for years, and each time I re-read it I marvel at God’s great design. There is a cosmic orchestration that has been playing out since creation to fulfill a grand design that we can only guess at. Jesus’ incarnation was the pivotal moment in human history, and the timing was not by chance. All of the world was primed to receive, and all of the world was changed. Your role as an heir in this orchestration is also beautifully rendered in the tapestry of time. As believers who are seeking to honor the Lord with our lives, we should take these words as a sign that God is fully aware of circumstances, forces, situations, and struggles. As such, we must trust his timing as perfect. Trust the timing even if it feels too long. He got it right with Jesus; he will get it right with you, too.

Find Your Why

Re:Verse passage –Mark 1:1-4; Luke 4:42-44; Acts 5:42; 11:19-21 (day two)

 But He said to them, “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, for I was sent for this purpose.” Luke 4:43

Have you ever been so clear-minded about a task or direction that nothing would dissuade your focus? Jesus understood this very well. He was a man who knew his why. He knew why he was sent, and this was the time for him to act on that why. Jesus’ whole life was spent in preparation for this, and he could clearly articulate his purpose before now; but this was the time that the disciples needed to hear it from his mouth.

God has been preparing you for a task. As we have studied the aspects of discipleship this summer, every discipline is helping to build a stronger testimony and grounding in your belief. One of the things that you are being prepared for is to give an account of God’s work in your life. All of us have a story to tell; how prepared are you to tell it? It is not about education or vocation. It is all about our trust in the call to go and tell. If you struggle finding your why, consider using the FBCSA Mission Statement as a good place to start. “Our mission is to follow our Lord Jesus Christ, and to lead all others to a joyful life with him” (bonus points if you just sang those words!)

Harvest

Re:Verse passage – Luke 6:12–16; 8:1; 9:1–6; 10:1–17 (day two) 

And He was saying to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. 10:2

Many years ago, I was attending a revival at the church I was serving in college. The evangelists were a husband and wife team who both sang and preached. He was a former division one football player, and had quite a large presence behind the pulpit. He also had an amazing voice. One particular evening, as he was preaching, he began to sing a cappella “it’s harvest time…it’s harvest time…the fields are white, the grain is ripe, it’s harvest time.” His voice filled the small sanctuary, and although it was just one part of his sermon, it has lived with me for over 30 years.

We have only to step outside our door to understand this passage. There are so many people hurting, longing, seeking, and desperate for someone to help guide them. That person is you. Our passages this week help remind us that through the Holy Spirit, we have everything we need. Our responsibility is to be obedient.

This week during worship the choir will sing a setting of “Come, Ye Thankful People, Come.” It is a hymn that we traditionally sing around Thanksgiving. The language has a lot of agrarian references, but in context of this scripture, I find it very appropriate.

Growth

Re:Verse passage – 2 Thessalonians 2:13–17; Hebrews 5:11–13; Romans 16:17–18 (day two)

 …because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth. 2 Thess. 2:13b

So many prepositions in this half of a verse show the incredible thread and process of God’s great work (from, for, through, by). It gives me this grand sense of cosmic purpose in everything that God has designed. The idea that God has created a process, called sanctification, whereby we grow in knowledge and wisdom is also an incredible thought. He is aware of our limited understanding; and it is his design that as we journey in faith, we should grow into a more complete understanding of his purpose and plan. And in so doing, we will become more and more like him. As a disciple who invests in others, we can point to this process to help others understand growth. The Spirit of God is investing in your growth as you devote your time to becoming a disciple. It is an investment that will only yield benefits.

Five Minutes

Re:Verse passage – John 15:6–10; Hebrews 12:10; Acts 13:2–3; Colossians 4:2–4 (day two)

Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving; Colossians 4:2

Just yesterday I was scrolling on my phone and saw a video of a young man about running. He was from Kenya, and he said they have a sort of discipline for people who wake up and don’t feel like running that day. The idea is to commit to run for five minutes, after which, you can stop. All you have to commit to is five minutes, but something happens in those five minutes. Your body begins to loosen up, your muscles aren’t so tight, your brain begins to unfog, and the endorphins begin to do their work. Soon, you decide that you will keep on running beyond the five minutes. This is a training discipline.

There will undoubtedly be times when you don’t “feel” like reading, or praying, or sharing, or whatever it is you are called to do as a faithful follower of Jesus. Our call is to be obedient. If you will remember to earnestly pray for just a few moments, you will find the Spirit helping you to find the strength and energy to continue.

Family

Re:Verse passage – Ephesians 5:21–6:4; Matthew 12:46–50; 19:27–30 (day two)

 But Jesus answered the one who was telling Him and said, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” Matthew 12:48

It can be very easy to look at this text and think that Jesus was being dismissive of his family. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Jesus actually wants to elevate each one of us that put our trust in him. Jews and Gentiles had a distinct separation between them; there were even separations between the Jewish leadership and the people. This statement was one of many that clear away any distinction other than the one that declares our love of Jesus. This grafting of family helps us understand the relationship that Jesus wants to have with each of us.

Encourage

Re:Verse passage – Colossians 1:9–11, 28B–29; 4:2–4; Ephesians 4:11–16; James 1:2–4 (day two)

 For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you …9a

For the past several weeks we have had several small passages of scripture to help illustrate the topic of the week. May I encourage you to zoom out on these texts and put them in a broader context? Our first passage this week comes from Paul’s letter to the church at Colosse. He is giving a spiritual report card to the believers there and wants his check-up to be one of encouragement and renewal. He was aware of their faithfulness to the work of the gospel, and was affirming their commitment to it.

As we study discipleship this summer, we must remember that we are both discipling and being discipled. Regarding the former, take time to affirm new believers. Encourage their walk, find ways where God is truly using their new found faith, and give them that blessed “well done.” Can you imagine what a letter from Paul meant to these people and the church? Your words of encouragement could carry the same impact in the life of someone young in the faith.