Other than Christ (Christos), kyrios is the most frequently attested christological title in Paul’s Letters. He uses it over two hundred times in a variety of contexts, as we will see. He uses it alone and in combination with other titles to refer to the church’s Lord, Jesus the Messiah: David Capes
Scripture
“You will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging others is the standard by which you will be judged.”
Observation
We must not judge other people. That is up to the Lord. He will treat us the way we treat others and in the same way we judge others.
We should not judge others for a speck in their eye when we have a log in our own eye.
We should not waste holy things on people who are not holy and have no desire to be holy. Do not throw pearls to pigs.
Application
The Twitter age has turned out to be exceedingly judgemental and vindictive. People who make the greatest noise about tolerance and inclusion are themselves intolerant and hateful towards those who hold a different opinion to them.
Jesus says that we must not be like this. The way we treat others and the standard we judge others by is the way that God will judge us.
We are the forgiven ones. God gave us mercy when we did not deserve it. Therefore we should show mercy and love to those who do not deserve it from us. Yes, even those who have different opinions to us. That does not mean that we should celebrate sin or be afraid to contest ideas and ideologies. Jesus called out din and heresy when needed. But he also showed love to those who fell short.
Jesus calls us to be open hearted to those who sin, which is everybody. But we must not think that in doing this we have to condone sinful and destructive behaviours.
Prayer
Please help me, Lord, to not be judgemental to other people. Let your grace for forgiveness flow from me to others. Amen
Christians and pagans alike viewed the confession “Jesus is Lord” as a subversive act against the power of the state. David Capes
Carl Lentz & Michael Todd working together? My hope is that people use discernment when choosing to listen to these men. I know, I know… there are a lot of people who subscribe to Mike Todd and think he is cool and doctrinally sound. There are also those who used to follow Carl Lentz, who is disqualified from being a Pastor, not to mention got fired for committing (adultery).
Now he is on staff at Transformation Church with Lead Pastor Mike Todd, who may be a great speaker but preaches the prosperity gospel. I know most people like to attend a church that solely makes them ’feel good,’ but I would instead attend a church that speaks the truth of the gospel rather than make sermons about us to make us feel good. Some people can’t handle the truth of scripture, so they pick and choose what they believe applies…
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The maranatha invocation “Our Lord, come” (1 Cor. 16:22; see also Rev. 22:20; Did. 10.6) provides evidence that Aramaic-speaking Christians called Jesus “Lord” either as an invocation of his presence in worship or as a prayer-appeal for his return. That Paul does not translate this Aramaic phrase in a letter addressed to Greek-speaking Christians in Corinth indicates it was already an accepted feature of Christian liturgy and practice. David Capes
Scripture
“Seek the kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”
Observation
We should not worry about food and drink or clothes. Life is more than the physical body. The birds don’t plant or harvest, but they have enough to eat.
The wildflowers are closed more gloriously than Solomon was. They don’t work or make clothes, but God cares for them beautifully.
We should not worry about our physical needs. Instead we should seek God’s Kingdom and His righteousness as our first priority. Then God will give us everything we need.
Application
We live in live in an age of anxiety. When people try to live their own lives and strive to provide for themselves everything they need, the result is is anxiety, stress, burnout.
We were not created to be self-sufficient, but to live in partnership with our Creator. When we stand proudly on our own two feet and declare, “I can I can do it myself “, then we set ourselves up for fear and anxiety.
This also this also brings a wrong focus in our lives. Rather than living at peace with God, and our neighbour, life becomes a competitive striving for survival.
Jesus tells jus to focus on what God wants from us. That will probably involve work of some sort, but it is living in confident assurance that God will provide abundantly for us.
Prayer
Thank you Lord for this for this reminder of your goodness. Please help me to trust you for all that I need all that I need. Amen
Still, there are good reasons to conclude that Greek-speaking Jews vocalized kyrios instead of the divine name when reading Scripture in synagogue services during the late Second Temple period. This liturgical practice is reflected in the manuscript tradition. David Capes
New Life Narrabri 