David Bahn - Reflections

Jesus had tons of spiritual capital. He had wisdom, power, and authority beyond all comparison. He healed diseases. He raised the dead. He walked on water. He confounded his enemies. He had "all authority in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18). Jesus was and is the source of incredible power for us today as well. Paul prays that we know "the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believ...

We live in a very individualistic society and time. Everyone wants to define for themselves what is good or evil; what is praiseworthy or abhorrent. We climb on the latest scandal (and, Lord have mercy, there are many many lamentable things happening in the world today!). We beat up on the latest villain - too often of our own personal reasons. Somehow we've lost the more complete understanding of...

Paul here is predating Newtonian and Einsteinian thinking. Newtonian: I'm hard pressed, suffering, and agonizing for you because I want you to realize just how important this message is. Einsteinian: This message is important because only in Christ is true hope, life, salvation, knowledge, and wisdom. OK...I realize this may not be the best analogy for understanding this passage. But it is good to...

We might want to make a hero of Paul. Surely he would serve well as a hero of the faith. His life and complete dedication to spreading the gospel are heroic and emulatable. Sometimes Paul does seem to dance on the fine line of showing how important the message is and of showing how dedicated he is to delivering that message. But these words here point me toward believing that Paul is making the po...

When you hear someone preaching Jesus, urging faith in him, pointing people to God's promises anchored in Jesus' death, resurrection and final return, lean in. Listen well. Maybe that pastor isn't a rock star. Maybe he doesn't have his name on the side of a megachurch. Maybe he isn't all that great. But if he is pointing you to Jesus, listen well. And rejoice whenever anyone points beyond himself...

Thanks be to God for his mercy and grace! We do have a past. But we also have a Savior by whom we have been reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to be presented holy and blameless and above reproach before him . I don't believe we never sin after our conversion. But I do believe we must not take any sin lightly, and by so doing cheapen the grace of God. A sober reminder for me. M...

I note that God was pleased to do this. Reconciling us and all things to himself. Doing it through the cross. Coming to earth and dwelling in bodily form. Making all this happen through the cross - the death of His own son. God was pleased to do this. The Greek word, εὐδόκησεν, is an expression of God's pleasure and indicates that God was not begrudging in this act of reconciliation and salvation....

A missionary working in east Asia spoke of the many people there who do not know Jesus and are not giving him the honor he deserves. That phrase caught my attention. I want Jesus to be honored. He is my Savior and Lord. He is pure and good. My friend identified her place of missionary activity as east Asia because she is actually potentially in danger if the wrong people get wind of her work where...

Praying for other believers to know God's will, to have wisdom and understanding, and to live a life worthy of our Lord Jesus is an important prayer. We pray these things over those who have been saved, not in order that they may be saved. Once saved, however, the temptations and challenges to our faith do not magically stop. That's why we must also pray the we who bear the name Jesus will bear fr...

Paul is urging us to look to God. He's pointing us toward our heavenly hope. He's reminding us that God's plans are for blessing, good, and eternal joy. He invites us into that hope. That doesn't mean we don't mourn for the lost. It doesn't mean we don't seek to bring the message of Jesus to more and more people. Quite the contrary. We rejoice in God's work in the lives of more and more people, an...

This is the good news: Jesus Christ came to save sinners. I am one of them. And he is my Savior and Lord. That word needs to be spread to the whole world. The signs on our church marquees should read, "Sinners Welcome." This is no excuse for sinning further. This is a call to praise God for his glorious grace, and live in that grace day by day.

Paul never claimed to be alone. He constantly mentions other people who were partners in the gospel. Whether it's Timothy, Epaphras, Silas, Acquilla, or Priscilla, Paul partnered with these people. And the kingdom of God grew. Do you have a partner who is dedicated with you for the sake of the Kingdom?

Paul's claim to be an apostle was not a matter of personal aggrandizement. It was for the sake of the gospel message. It was so that he could offer grace and peace through our Lord Jesus Christ. This is my claim as well. I stand little on being a pastor as a place of authoritarian power, but much more on the basis of sharing the grace and peace that comes through faith in Jesus Christ. This is Pau...

At the end of Luke's account of Jesus' ministry he mentions two significant things. Jesus ascended in the view of the Apostles. And the Apostles return with joy and continually bless God in the Temple. Make no mistake, they're there because of what's in their hearts. But what's in their hearts is there because of God's work in the world and in their hearts. The only reason there is anything good i...

We weren't there 2000 years ago when these things happened. But we have the witness of the Scriptures. We read Isaiah's prophecies ( Isaiah 53 ). Moses records God's promise of a seed of the woman who would crush the head of the serpent ( Genesis 3:15 ). Jeremiah speaks of a New Covenant ( Jeremiah 31:31-34 ). Then Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John record Jesus' teaching, suffering, death, resurrectio...

If God's got this, should we just sit back and let someone else proclaim the word? Should we just watch God work, rather than engaging in his mission? May it never be! How could we who have heard this message want to keep it to ourselves? The message will be preached. It should be. In would be (now and in previous years). We're living proof of that. Thanks be to God. Is there someone you know who...

If we pay attention, God may be showing up and calling us to repent and believe - just like the Apostles. If we sense that, there is no better place to go than to the Scriptures. The wisdom literature offers us insights and direction about managing life itself. The Psalms give voice to deep emotions and yearnings of the soul. The letters of the New Testament reveal how the faith is to be lived day...

We give up too easily. We lose sight of God's promises. We acquiesce too quickly to the discouragement and distractions of the world. Better we lean into what God has promised. Read it, mark, learn, and meditate upon it. There we'll learn not only of God's promises - which are sure to come true - but of God's goodness, grace, justice, faithfulness, and patience.  He hasn't given up on us. Let...

Jesus asks, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?" He doesn't do that because he is ignorant of their thoughts or struggles. He does that to call them to a new place of hope and peace. So the question today is for you and me: “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?" Jesus is risen. The tomb is empty. He reigns at God's right hand. His greeting is, "P...

Jesus came to his discouraged and disappointed disciples and offered a greeting of peace. Then he gave proof of the reality of that moment…by eating fish. He comes to us as well, with a greeting of peace and grace. And he offers us proof of that when we have those moments of clarity and focus and peace that only he can give. I’m really lousy at manufacturing my own peace. But Jesus’ peace is a gra...

Jesus came to his discouraged and disappointed disciples and offered a greeting of peace. Then he gave proof of the reality of that moment...by eating fish. He comes to us as well, with a greeting of peace and grace. And he offers us proof of that when we have those moments of clarity and focus and peace that only he can give. I'm really lousy at manufacturing my own peace. But Jesus' peace is a g...

I'm not sure I really understand Jesus' bodily resurrection. I confess belief in it each Sunday. "I believe in the resurrection of the body," we say in the Apostle's Creed. That's based on Jesus' bodily resurrection which we also confess in the Creed, "the third day he rose again from the dead." How that's possible, and what it looked like remains a mystery. But just because something is a mystery...

Jesus' presence itself didn't enlighten the disciples, although surely it did help. It seems, however, that it was as Jesus broke bread with these two disciples the light went on. Maybe it was a flashback to the Upper Room that opened their eyes. Perhaps they hadn't previously recognized Jesus because his appearance was altered from what it had been before. Could be that their sadness and disappoi...

One of my great privileges as a pastor is to speak similar words to the people who gather for worship: The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord look upon you with favor and give you peace. I hope the people who hear these words are happy to hear them not only because they signal the end of the worship service, but because this heartfelt...

God had in mind the redemption of the whole world. And Jesus was committed to that vision. It cost him his life. It meant that his followers were disappointed. It wasn't his fault, but it was his burden to carry. And so as he joins them on the road, they are deep in conversation. And he begins probing. What are you talking about? Who is this one? And he will do far more. He will reveal himself to...