"Shackled Glory"

Ephesians 3

There is a special level of passion in Ephesians. This town ended up to be very important in Christian history. While Tina and I visited Ephesus, we were taken to both Mary’s house (the mother of Jesus) and to the location of John’s house. You may remember that Mary was put in the care of John at the cross. It was strange to see such modest places with guards armed with machine guns at the door. Ephesus was also one of the seven churches John wrote to in the Apocalypse of Revelation.

Paul’s presentation of the gospel to the Gentiles was countered by the Jews at every turn and so this letter is written to the Ephesians from prison. He is deeply concerned that they will be discouraged upon hearing of his imprisonment, so one of the reasons for sending the letter is to encourage them. Chapter 6:21 tells that the letter was brought to them by Tychicus. He also delivers the letter to the Colossians (Col. 4:7-8).

Paul talks some more about the “mystery,” which is the inclusion of the Gentiles in the plan of God. He uses the language of privilege here in verses 11-12, for not even every Jew had “full access” to God (only the priest had that): “This was in accordance with the eternal purpose that he has carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have access to God in boldness and confidence through faith in Him.” People often say to me, “You need to pray for me, because I need somebody with better connections than I do.” I tell them, “I’m sorry to disappoint you. My connections are no better than yours.” The good news is they don’t have to be better. We all have “full access” through Christ.

Paul offers his second prayer in the letter in verses 14-21, some of the most joyous and lofty language in the entire bible. These words were read recently at the funeral of Dr. Richard Bales and they are formative for my own ministry. He prays for four related things: 1) that they will be strengthened in their inner being, 2) that Christ might dwell in their hearts through faith, and 3) that they might comprehend the breadth, length, height and depth of the love of Christ, and 4) that they might be filled with the fullness of God. He finishes with a doxology that must have turned those prison walls into a holy sanctuary. It is no accident that Paul finds such joy and companionship with the Lord in prison. He has reached out to encourage the Ephesians and has found that the Spirit of God is filling him. We write our best, sing our best, perform our best and grow the most in the crucible of trial and difficulty. It is also the time when our witness is the most powerful and effective.

Let’s look a little closer at this doxology. Paul, in the midst of limitation, experiences the awareness of the unlimited power and presence of God. We need to memorize verse 20,

“Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the Church in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”

These words set our sights properly above the daily grind, the fray of petty disputes and pesky problems, and free us to be in true partnership with Christ. Notice it is HE who accomplishes it. We just get to join in. Again, what a privilege.

These last eight verses offer another opportunity to do a meditative reading. I’m hearing a chorus in my head I learned as a child.

“Rock-a my soul in the bosom of Abraham. Rock-a my soul in the bosom of Abraham. Rock-a my soul in the bosom of Abraham. Oh, rock-a my soul. So high you can’t get over it. So low, you can’t get under it. So wide, you can’t get around it. Oh, rock-a my soul.”

How do you picture or sense the breadth, length, height and depth of the love of Christ? How is your inner being and is your inner connection with God growing deeper and stronger? How is your faith? Are letting go enough to let Christ live in your feelings, thoughts, actions and decision-making? Are you experiencing a growing fullness of God’s presence in your life? What is setting the perspective of your life – the everyday demands (‘the grind’) or the greatness of the power of God? What adjustments do you need to make so that you are led more by greatness than by the grind?
See you in church tomorrow.

"Alive Together"

Ephesians 2:1-10 - "Made Alive"

I'm thinking of the poster that said, "Wanted: Dead or Alive." Early in our class, we had each of the members share their BC/AD stories. I still treasure those moments. On Sunday, we will celebrate "All Saints Sunday." Will we be celebrating those who are dead or those who are alive? The answer is that they are dead in the body, but alive to Christ in a way that we can only imagine. But they were a "dead or alive" story long before they died, and so are you.

The death way of living is described in verses 1-3. We were dead: stuck in our "transgressions and sins", following the ways of the world and the ruler of the opposing kingdom "of the air." We were disobedient, gratifying our natural cravings, and objects of God's wrath. If only the break were that clean! I still find myself caught in worldly ways and thinking, and I still give into natural sinful cravings. As a college professor used to say, "You may be dead to sin, but sin is not necessarily dead to you," That's what the whole sanctification dimension of God's grace is about. We can get saved or converted in a moment, but character transformation takes awhile (just about a lifetime!).

What about us being "objects of wrath?" Schubert Ogden, my professor in Systematic Theology at SMU gave me some help with this one. He said, "God is holy and loving. When we come to God in cooperation, we experience grace. When we resist God and live in ways contrary to his holiness and love we experience wrath. But in both grace and wrath we are encountering the holiness and love of God. Again, I must relate this to being the parents of Tyler and Reece. Tina and I don't want to be angry and carry out punishment with our kids. We don't enjoy doing it. But our boys know when they compromise their own safety or of others, wrath will come swiftly (not because "they broke the rules" but because they are endangering themselves). There is very little grace offered in that situation. They also know that wrath arrives when they speak and act counter to who they are (as Cottons) and whose they are (constantly reminding them of whose child they really are, God's child). We give a little more grace here, but the clarification of values and why we do and say what we do will occur. Then they know wrath will occur when there is disobedience or lack of respect. Our children, even as young men, need to know the importance of "followership" and "submission to authority" if they are going to be effective leaders some day. Again, we would prefer to do none of this, but our responsibility for holy and loving parenting requires it. So it is with our relationship with God. We, of course, fall very short of the standard, but we keep on learning.

Paul has set up the contrast perfectly and in verse 4 describes the AD part of our Christian experience. Notice the difference: 1) dead in transgressions and sins (BC), now alive with Christ (AD); 2) following the ways of the world (BC), now raised with Christ to do good works (AD); objects of wrath (BC), now God's workmanship, saved and being saved by grace (AD). I invite you to do a meditative reading of Ephesians 2:4-9. The imagery is so rich and the language is so vivid that reading it several times over and taking time to picture what is written will really bring this text to life. Picture your death and resurrection. Picture your transformed behavior, attitudes and speech. Ask yourself the following, "How have I been raised with Christ and how is my life have a heavenly dimension to it?" "How does my life demonstrate 'the incomparable riches of God's grace?'"

Ephesians 2:11-22: Far and Near

The resistance of the Jews to the gospel and the receptiveness of the Gentiles to it was a total surprise to the early apostles. Christianity had always been seen by them as a Jewish reform movement. This passage and the first part of chapter 3 deal with the Jew-Gentile relationship. Paul again returns to the theme of the Gentiles being included in God's Plan for the salvation of the world. The "uncircumcised" are now "circumcised of heart through Christ." We are no longer "foreigners" but rather "fellow citizens."

But what about the "wall of hostility?" My reading of history and my experience having lived in two different areas of the United States is that God may have brought down the wall, but the people have not. In El Paso, when I led inter-faith services between Christians and Jews for the National Day of Prayer, the El Paso for Jesus movement accused us of worshipping other gods, creating their own Jesus-only National Day of Prayer service, aligned with the wife of James Dobson. I would fight for their right to worship Jesus, but I was disappointed that we could not allow the wall to come down to discover common ground for action and witness. It has been my pleasure to celebrate the Seder (Jewish Passover) feast with Jewish friends and found a richness there that has transformed and deepened my understanding of holy communion. When Rabbi Leon in El Paso came to Trinity-First United Methodist Church and chanted the 121st Psalm, I was deeply blessed and I understood the feel of the Psalms in a whole new way. I was excited to be part of a Protestant-Roman Catholic-Jewish coalition that was able to get water to 7,000 homes in the colonias in far east El Paso. It is my heart's desire that everyone find faith in Jesus Christ. But I don't believe it happens by telling everyone else they are wrong and bound for hell or communicating to people, "I have something to offer you, but you have nothing to offer me." It only builds the walls of mistrust and hate higher. I am picturing Ronald Reagan saying to Michael Gorbachev, "Mr. Gorbachev, take down this wall." When will we say that to our fellow Christians and possibly to ourselves about our anti-Semitism? Have a great day.

"I Choose You" - God

Ephesians 1 - The Power of Being Chosen

When I was young, I remember the playground games (basketball, tag, baseball, dodge ball, etc) and how the captains would choose their teams. Let's just say I was tall, very thin, clumsy and speed-challenged (the nickname "square wheels" comes to my memory). I was always either last or next to last to be chosen ("Cotton, I guess we'll take you."). Except, there was one day in about fourth grade when the popular kids decided to start a "Monkees Club". To get in you had to be able to name the four Monkees (the rock group - yes, the spelling is right). I hollered out "Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith, Davy Jones, and Peter Tork." They said, "Ok, you're in." For a brief shining moment, I was chosen. To be fair, I was chosen for spelling bees, singing ensembles, and other academic groupings, just not chosen in the way I wanted to be chosen. I think most of us grow through those kinds of in groups and out groups and know what it is like to be chosen or left out.

Notice the language of this first part of Ephesians 1. If you let these words sink in, it'll make your heart sing. Verse 4 reads, "For HE CHOSE US in him before the creation of the world to be hold and blameless in his sight." Jesus said, "You did not choose me, but I chose you." (John 15:16) The LORD said to Jeremiah, "...before you were born I set you apart." Paul writes that the Gentiles were "grafted in" (Romans 11:17ff). Consider for a moment that God has chosen you generally (along with all those who respond to his loving grace with faith and dedicated lives) and personally (giving you a unique purpose and mission), as his initiative of grace.

Verse 5 follows, "In love, HE PREDESTINED US to be adopted as his sons and daughters (the words sons is generic and all inclusive in the Greek here), in accordance with his pleasure and will..." I chose not to translate sons as "children," because it is for a step less personal than what the Greek communicates. Don Kinder, our congregational care pastor, has a way of communicating this value (both in baptism and in prayer) to people when he says "God is saying to you, my son...my daughter." I believe John Calvin had predestination very wrong when he created Geneva as a city only for the chosen. His doctrine of double predestination in which some were chosen for heaven and some were chosen for hell does not square with who Jesus was or is. God is an inclusive chooser, not an exclusive one.

Verse 9 reads, "And HE MADE KNOWN TO US the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ..." Even though we are nearly two millenia removed from those first received the mystery, there is still the sense that we are privileged to know what we know in Christ. It is the secret to life, a holy mystery, that we are invited to share with the world. I have never lost the sense of privilege it is to share God's love in Christ through the power of the Spirit with people, and I hope I never do. You have that privilege just as much as I do.

Verses 11-12 repeat the themes above and then verse 13 adds, "And YOU ALSO WERE INCLUDED in Christ, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed YOU WERE MARKED IN HIM WITH A SEAL, the promised Holy Spirit..." My experience of coming to faith in Christ was a profound sense that I was "totally loved," that in a profound way I belonged to God and God belonged to me. I was now included in God's big story of love. To be marked is to say that God has said, "This one is mine." But his marking of us is accomplished by making himself portable in us through the Holy Spirit. Parents do that with their children, for good or for ill. We mark them not just with our looks and talents (genetic), we mark them with our values, our styles of conversation, our virtues and vices, and our behavior examples. We mark them with our spirit. God has done that profoundly with you and me, all for good.

When you consider this level of grace in your life, doesn't it want to make you say thanks to God and just pray? That's what it does for Paul. He has seen this chosenness and life-changing grace operating in the people of the church of Ephesus, a place where there had been great resistance and even imprisonment for him. He prays that the Ephesian Christians will get to know God more, that they: 1) will be given a Spirit of wisdom and revelation (God is always wanting to take us further on our journey with Him, but we must have seeking and open hearts and minds), and 2)will have the "eyes of their hearts enlightened" to both the great hope that is theirs in Christ and an awareness of God's great power that is working in us (resurrection power, heavenly power,timeless power and reigning power). As you read this, I pray the same for you.

"May God fill you with wisdom and new insights. May God make you more aware then ever of the hope that is yours in Christ (no matter what is happening around you) and the power that is within you and available to you through God's Holy Spirit. Amen and Amen."

Broadening Your Witness XII - Acts 18:1-19:10 (Yesterday's Reading)

Behind again! Sufferin' Suckatash! This is the first of two articles for today.

Acts 18:1-19:10

Sometimes it's good for us to see the atmosphere in which Paul, Silas and Timothy shared their witness. Notice in 18:2 that Paul is "tentmaking." The first disciples of Jesus may have left everything to follow Jesus, but Paul made his living "tentmaking" while he was in ministry. Bi-vocational pastors like my father (fuel and water treatment company owner during the week and United Methodist Pastor on the weekends) or Larry Springer of St. Luke's (insurance and investments during the week and then as available surving the congregation in Sudan) take their cue from Paul.

We've noticed it before, but notice the time and effort involved in what they did: 1)18:11 - "So Paul stayed for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God," 2) "Paul stayed on in Corinth for some time," 3)19:8 -[In Ephesus]"Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God," and 4) 19:9b - "He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. This went on for two years..." We live in such an "instant" society that we are no longer equipped to invest long-term in people's lives, possibly for mixed results. When Bishop Whitfield was here for our 50th anniversary, he shared that the United Methodist Church in The Congo says that they do not expect people to come to faith until after five years of relationship building. Today, they are starting a church every other day. Witness involves making long-term investment in people. Are we willing to do that? If not, we have a problem, and it is with Jesus himself.

Next, notice the aforementioned mixed results in this passage: 1) 18:6 -"But when the Jews opposed Paul and became abusive, he shook out his clothes in protest and said to them, 'Your blood be on your own heads!'",2) 18:12 - "While Gallilo was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a united attack on Paul...", 3) 18:28 - "For he vigorously refuted the Jews in public debate, proving from the Scriptues that Jesus was the Christ.", and 4) 19:9a - "But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the way. So Paul left them." Sharing faith is not about being popular or well-received. The message we have to share is actually what Maurice Boyd calls "a lover's quarrel with the world," the way the it speaks, feels, and acts. The symbol of our faith is a cross, a symbol of rejection, false accusation, and brutality. Our message is inherently controversial, yet still we must speak, lest we deny Christ.

Since this passage has located us at Ephesus. I thought I would write a preparatory word for our study of Paul's letter to the Church there. On the same trip in which Tina and I went to Mars Hill in Athens, we also spent a day at historic Ephesus and contemporary Kushadasi, on the western coast of Turkey. What an amazing cosmopolitan city was there during the days of Paul. We saw the colisseum, which would easily have seated 2,000 people. The Three Tenors sang there, but beginning in 1990, they no longer have concerts with microphones and sound systems. After several high-powered rock groups performed there, damage of the ruins was noticed from the excessive volume. We saw what remained of a multi-story library, a courthouse, and several temples to the gods of the day. The most interesting site was the lavatory: a whole row of outdoor toilets with a paved circular area in front of it, where the orchestra played as the elite went to the bathroom. I know, we just pipe it in from MUSAK now, but it was interesting nevertheless. If I was to name a comparable city to Ephesus in Texas, it would be Austin. Picture Austin where the only Christian witness is a small fledgling church of probably less than 50 people. Surely, they will have no significant voice and no measurable impact. History says otherwise. Have a great day.

Broadening Your Witness XI - "The Unknown God"

Acts 17:16-34

It was my pleasure, ten years ago, to travel to Athens and climb Mars Hill. Over the 1,962 years since Paul preached there, millions have climbed it, so it is now very slick to walk on and very difficult to get down. Tina chose not make the climb, but I would not be denied, for this passage is my theme for ministry. For I understand that our primary task for ministry is to proclaim to spiritually hungry people the God they have yet to experience. The Areopagus was a gathering of philosophers, pagan religious people, leaders and educators who debated the issues of the day. There were statues of the many gods on Mars Hill at that time. But they included another statue which was to the god that they hadn’t discovered yet. Paul then claims that Jesus is the one they haven’t discovered.

You and I live at a time when people are very spiritually hungry. Sales for literature and items for New Age religion and occult practices continue to rise. Spiritual themes (often with biblical roots) are contained in a growing number of the songs and movies of our generation. At the same time, church attendance has had a decline in the USA over the past ten years (about 6%). The decline is much steeper when we consider only those under the age of 40. When Paul used the approach he did with the Athenians, he was speaking the language of their 1st century academic spiritual turf. Jesus did the same thing with the parables, speaking the language of enslaved people in agrarian and fishing lifestyles, who had little say over their own lives. What are the key ways people understand themselves today? What language and what stories to we need to use to communicate the gospel with those outside the Church? Certainly not everyone discussed the issues that were talked about at the Areopagus. It took different approaches with different people even in ancient Athens. What might be the different approaches we need to use in sharing our faith? Have a great day.

Broadening Your Witness X: The Big Picture

Acts 1:8

In this single verse, Jesus offers the scope of our witness for Him and the Kingdom of God. It begins where they are (Jerusalem), spreads to the region (Judea), moves into the neighboring multi-cultural and multi-religious area of great need (Samaria), and finally to the whole world. No generation has had the ability to fulfill this vision of Christ like ours.

But we don't make this kind of local, regional, cross-cultural, global impact on our own. It is a work of the Holy Spirit in and through us. In verses 4-5 of Acts 1, Jesus told the disciples to wait for that gift. For us, the gift is in its 20th century of being available (if Pentecost happened in 29 CE, it's been 1980 years). So there's a sense in which we don't need to wait, we just need to be the witnesses we are called to be. Yet, it has always been true, in both the Old and New Testaments, that the people of God needed to have God's "go ahead" before moving out. I find that waiting on God is still a good practice (even though painfully difficult at times), both as individuals and the Church.

What are some "wait" signals? 1) When we are not equipped or ready. The idea or vision we may be of God, but we must allow for preparation time: spiritual, skill development and often personnel and finance development. 2) When we do not have the prompting of the Spirit. When it's just our own desire to do a certain thing, we can get ahead of God, which is counter-productive most of the time. 3) When the time is not right. The Bible has this wonderful phrase, "in the fullness of time," that is applied to the birth of Christ. Sometimes we need to wait for circumstances, funding, and buy in of people involved before moving ahead. While we wait, we can do as they did in Acts. They gathered together in fellowship, worship and prayer.

What are the "move out" signals, then? First, there must be the prompting of the Spirit - our sense that "the fields are ripe for the harvest" and our spirits are unified with the sense that is time to do what God has led us to do. This trumps all others. After all, this is God's "gig" that requires our faith and trust in his power and timing. Second, we sense that we and the circumstances are ready. We understand the mission and have made the necessary preparations. The truth is, we will never be fully ready, which leaves just enough room for God to stretch us, use us and empower us. In my personal life as well as in my churches, we have both failed to wait on God at times and failed to move out (stuck in the paralysis of analysis and our own sea of doubts and accumulated busy-ness and distractions).

Acts 8:4-40

The Jerusalem phase took place in Acts 1-7. Persecution started the scattering of Christians and the expansion of their witness in the region of Judea and beyond. The opposition closed doors and God opened lots of windows (a life principle for us all). In Acts 8, Luke tells the story of the ministry of Phillip, an early example of what the spread of the gospel would look like. Verses 4-25 describe the Samaritan campaign and verses 26-40 tell his encounter with the Ethiopian eunuch.

The Samaritan campaign is wild and crazy, like Samaria itself (multi-cultural, multi-religious, socially conflicted, massively needy. The ministry there is loud and visible. If you have ever done ministry in poverty-stricken areas where there is low income, lower education and greatly responsive people, ministry is usually louder and more visible. Affluence and self-oriented thinking have not yet dulled them! The encounter with Simon the magician is just plain fun. He does his magic and finds in Jesus something greater than his magic. Then when Peter and John come and pray for the people to be filled with the Holy Spirit (with speaking in tongues and miracles), he offers to pay to get that ability (the conversion of the magician isn't totally complete yet). Then he repents. When I was on tour in the remote areas of Switzerland, there were communities of witches that came to hear our concerts. Several came to know Christ - a modern day version of the conversion of Simon the magician. But one concert we did had a very strange atmosphere. We thought the concert had been a failure. Afterwards, our German-speaking guide told us that out of that crowd of witches, more than 250 cards had been filled out wanting to know more about Jesus.

The encounter with the Ethiopian eunuch is interesting on several fronts. First, he is indeed obedient to the promptings of the Spirit. His sensitivity to the urgings and leading of God's Spirit is good. Second, the man is not the typical disciple. He is a government official from a foreign land who is also a "god-fearer," a group of people who were seeking God but not fully Jewish. Many of these formed the base of the early Christian community. Third, he meets the eunuch at the point of his questions and where he is on his spiritual journey and provides the answer in Jesus Christ. Phillip is known as one of the great early evangelists and his method still teaches us today.

Acts 16:6-10

Once the gospel met success in Asia, Paul thought he would be going back to the churches he had already established. Following a breakup in ministry with Barnabas over John Mark, Paul partners with Silas and finds a son in the faith, Timothy. Then Paul has a vision that would change the shape of the rest of his life. He would be taking the gospel further west, into Greece. We would be hard pressed to think of the New Testament without the letters to the Corinthians, the Philippians, or the Thessalonians. Paul would eventually sent his sights further west - to Spain and to Rome. Paul never made it to those places for ministry (yes he was executed in Rome, but he didn't start any churches there), but those who followed him did. Isn't it interesting that some of his most important ministry happened in places he never planned to go, with people he never planned to meet? The people he most wanted to bring to Christ were in the places where he met the most resistance. Jesus had similar results. What might that say about your ministry and mine?

Reflection Questions: What is our "Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the uttermosts parts of the earth?" What is your role in making that witness happen? Have a great day.

Broadening Your Witness IX - "The Case for Relational Evangelism"

Luke 10:1-24

If we needed a scripture mandate for our door-knocking efforts at St. Luke's Lubbock, here it is. What a powerful and feisty Jesus we have here. He challenges the seventy-two new recruits to boldly go and share their faith. But this is no hit-and-run effort. They are to stay in people's homes: eating their food, healing their sick and proclaiming God's kingdom in their midst. This is a few steps beyond what we have done. Certainly, this was a different day and time, a time when it was common to welcome and host strangers. People were on foot, housing was limited, and these were days of poverty for most Palestinian people - Jew and non-Jew alike. In poorer areas of the world, this kind of hospitality is still shared today. While the particulars may no longer apply, the principle does. They were to build significant relationships with people they didn't know very well, offer ministry to people in their need, and share the good news of God's life-changing, world-changing love in Jesus Christ. I submit that is still the job description of those who follow Jesus.

It is risky to follow such a strategy, and Jesus makes no bones about it. There will be those who are receptive and those who will be not interested or even be opposed. In the end, this is where God is leading both our campuses. The door-knocking, the fliers, the picnics, the block parties and the school partnerships are the warm-up for the main game - building significant friendships and becoming involved in our neighborhoods and community for witness and change. The response of the people is not in our control. We make the offer and if they are responsive, wonderful things will happen beyond what we would expect. If they are not responsive, you just move on. For me, it is hard to be this personal with people without taking their lack of response personally (as a rejection of me, as my failure). That fear of rejection and failure also is what keeps me from building those significant relationships in the first place.

Last night(Friday), Tina invited me to go out to dinner with her - her treat. Then we had to figure out where we would go. It just so happened that we found a flier on our door for "The Red Carpet" restaurant, located downtown at Avenue L and Main. It's only open on Friday and Saturday night. On other days, they do catering. Chef Carlos Rangel has a blast at what he does. His mother greeted us warmly, saying I reminded her of a movie star (flattery will get you everywhere!). The chef sang with the Beatles' music in the background and everyone was greeted openly and warmly. They actually acted like they wanted to get to know us. Chef Carlos says he likes to walk, so he takes fliers out every time he goes out. We were one household that responded. We will go back there and I'm telling you about our great experience. I think there is a message there somewhere. Are we just hooked on quick results or are we willing to do what it takes to build relationships with people, knowing that some will not be responsive?

The seventy-two return to Jesus and share that the "demons submitted to them in your name." They discovered the power of the message, the Savior and the kingdom they proclaimed. Jesus was thrilled to hear what they shared and cautioned them not to get caught up in the hype of their success. Not every campaign would go this well (after all, the symbol of our faith is a cross). But still Jesus is hardly able to contain himself, for his disciples are finally starting to get what he is all about. What would happen if we really understood the privilege we have to share the message and the Savior that changes the world? What would happen if we dared to build these relationships where miracles happened and the kingdom of God became real - not just something we talk about? That's the challenge to you and me. How shall I respond? How will you?

Broadening Your Witness VIII - More Agricultural Lessons

Each of these parables begins with the phrase, "And the kingdom of heaven is like..." The kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God are synonymous. Because of the reticence of people to use the name "God" (YHWH), but rather substitute "LORD" (Adonai), Matthew is careful (because his gospel is directed at a primarily Jewish audience) to substitute "heaven" in place of God when discussing the kingdom. Our first pastorate was in a farming area of Central Texas and they took special interest in these parables in Matthew 13.

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 - The Parable of the Weeds

Anyone who does gardening knows that there are some weeds that look just like desirable plants. In fact, I have grown some plants to a large size, only to hear from Tina, "Oh, honey. That's just a weed." And I had been watering it and fertilizing it on a daily basis! In Palestine, the imposter wheat is actually the bearded darnel, a pesky and damaging weed. The weed wraps itself around the wheat so that it is very difficult to remove without destroying the wheat. You may be surprised to know we have a Texas version of the same thing. One expert in grain production told me that sometimes the intermingling is so bad that they bag the mixture and eventually have it destroyed. But the assumption of this parable is that at harvest time it will be easier to separate the wheat from the weeds.

The parable is interpreted for us. We might read into it real discipleship vs. hypocrisy, but Jesus tells us this is really about disciples and non-disciples being side by side in the world. In the end, each will be held accountable for the lives they have led (wheat and weeds will be separated). From other words of Jesus as well as the writers of the epistles, this waiting period is really an opportunity for some weeds to turn into real wheat, to become followers. Just as the weeds are thrown into the fire and burned, so those who live their lives for "the evil one" will experience fire with weeping and gnashing of teeth.

As I have mentioned before, we are those who live in the gap between the first and second comings of Jesus (along with those in the twenty centuries before us). While we may long for the coming to happen quickly, the truth is each day of delay is another opportunity for us to share our faith and for someone else to become a disciple of Jesus Christ. There is both patience and urgency in this parable. The patience is that those who follow the evil one are not immediately judged. We are to also be patient with those we share so that they have room to grow to the point of responding to the grace of God. The urgency is that eternity is at stake. For me, that is not only eternity in the hereafter, but also in this life. We not only help people not be in hell in eternity, we also help them get out of the hell they're in right now. I fear that sometimes we emphasize the hell to come (something that we can do little about) to the exclusion of helping people in their present hell (something we can do much about). By making our witness and working for a different world now we help people out of their present hell and help them discover eternal life that becomes everlasting life.

Matthew 13:31-35 - Mustard and Yeast

The parable is given in a hyperbole. The mustard seed is small, but not the smallest. The mustard plant is not a tree but it can shoot up as a bush to about 6 feet high or more. As William Barclay observed, this seed is able to find its way to maturity by either going around large rocks, or if necessary, to break through them. So it makes sense that Jesus would next use the picture of yeast that gradually works its way through the whole dough. The point here is that the progress of the kingdom is assured. The kingdom is coming and is already here at the same time. In Isaiah 55:11, the prophet speaks for the LORD, "...So is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it." There is inevitability about the purposes of God. Things may be diverted or delayed, but God eventually gets it done. We are witnesses of those purposes and we actually are called to work in this life to help bring those purposes to pass. Sometimes we get to see and experience the results and sometimes it will just have to wait for someone else (again, Moses and Joshua come to mind). But one thing is sure, we will overcome as he has overcome. Victory in Christ is, well, inevitable. Have a great day.

Broadening Your Witness VII - Sowing Lessons

Matthew 13:1-23

As you share your faith, both to lead others to faith or grow in their faith and to make a difference in the real challenges of our world around us, there will be four predictable reactions of people. The Parable of the Sower by Jesus gives this very honest description. First, there are those who will be like seed sown on the path. The Biblical path would have been walked on every day and in the sun-baked times of the year would have been nearly as hard and inpenetrable as pavement. Sowing was done by tossing it out on the ground by hand. The seed would likely have hit the path because of the wind. It is then best as food for the birds. When we share our faith, some will say "That's nice. I'm glad that works for you." Or there may be know reaction at all. We're tempted to take resistant or apathetic responses to our sharing personally, but it's just part of sharing our faith in the world. Not everyone is in a posture to hear or receive it. Some research suggests that it often takes many sharings of faith by several different people for the message of the gospel breaks through. So you never know if you might be part of the "many" that's bringing a person closer to hearing. And sometimes the most resistant are actually beginning to wrestle through key issues with God. They may eventually argue themselves into the kingdom!

The second reaction are like seed sown in shallow soil. When we live in El Paso, the monsoon rains of late June through July would come and all the surrounding desert mountains would turn a lush green. When you planted seed there and watered well, grass would grow beautifully, but only for a little while. Some will respond to your sharing of faith and work for change in the world like seed sown in shallow ground - quick and warm response followed by a return to what they did before. Many altar commitments at crusades are like this. The next day comes and the person know longer feels the high of the service the night before and decides maybe it wasn't such a big deal after all. This is a hard response to accept, because the response seemed so real. Jesus had many who responded this way, who, when he didn't come up with another miracle or didn't thrill them in a bigger way than before, left and went their own way.

Some will respond like the seed sown among fertile soil that takes good root, but then the weeds and thistles choke it out. This is the most distressing of all the responses, because you see genuine faith growing or you see real change starting in situations around you. But the very positive and even fruit-bearing response is derailed. The person experiences tragedy or unjust treatment and he or she may feel or think God has betrayed him or her. Political processes may derail a very needed change for which you may have worked weeks and months on. Certainly, Judas was one who had this reaction to Jesus.

Finally, there is seed that falls in good soil and it yields 30, 60 and 100 fold. When faith is shared and it works, it REALLY works. My seventh grade Sunday School teacher shared faith with 20 teenagers. Out of that group, there are three preachers and many others who have strong faith that share Christ all throughout the United States. He didn't know that when he was sharing. My guess is that his sharing resulted in a multiplication that would be thousands-fold. The old adage is: You know how many seeds are in an apple, but you don't know how many apples are in a seed. That is also true of sharing our faith and reaching out in the name of Christ to change our world.

Jesus' honest portrayal of how people will respond to God's love as the disciples share provides important guidance for you and me. First, the responses to us will be varied. We should always improve how we share our faith, but the responses are often not in our control. Second, we never know the true soil in which we sow. That is determined by the condition of the heart of the receiver. What looks like receptivity may be a "flash in the pan". What looks like resistance could be slow germination in good soil that eventually multiplies more than we can imagine. Third, there is never a good response, if we choose not to sow the seed, either because we are afraid of rejection or because we have become disappointed in results or just become "weary in well doing." In the end, I will be very surprised at who I see in heaven who ended up responding to God's love and I had been part of it (maybe some whom I thought I failed with).

So, as you go about your day, sow the seed of God's love. You just never know where, how and in whom it will take root. After all, somebody sowed that seed in you...and look at the difference it's making!

Broadening Your Witness VI

Haggai 1-2

The small prophecy of Haggai is situated along with along with Zechariah, Daniel 6, Ezra and Nehemiah in the return from Babylonian exile. Those receiving the prophecy are "the remnant" (that minority of people who returned to help rebuild the nation of Israel). Haggai and the visions in Zecharaiah 1-8 go together. At first, I find myself reacting to the apparent selfishness of God in the passage. Because he doesn't have a house, God sends drought and misery on the people. Malachi 3:9 says similarly,

"You are under a curse - the whole nation of you - because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, there there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enought for it."

I prefer the approach of Jesus in Matthew 6:33, "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you."

On the American frontier, the first building to be constructed in the center of town, even before the courthouse, was a church (quite often in the South, a Methodist Church). It was meant as a symbol that the blessing of the LORD was needed on the community as it functioned and developed. I don't believe God is selfish. I believe God is zealous for relationship with us. For such a relationship we were created, and we just function better with our God-connection (healthier, wiser, more impact,etc). When we put God first in our day through scripture reading and prayer, the rest of the day goes better (more efficient, better decisions, less stress, etc). When we give faithfully of our resources, then what remains goes further. When we create houses of worship that call forth our sense of God's majesty and wonder, a greatness comes into our lives. Just as we find that our lives go better when God is made the priority, so our lives go poorer when we make ourselves the priority. Placing God first is not to satisfy God's selfishness, but rather to grow and deepen our relationship with God - which ends up being primarily for our benefit.

Note in 2:10-19 the call for purity. It was not only the lack of a temple that has created clamity and loss for them, it was also their sinful behavior and attitudes. Earlier we discussed sin as self-deception. Here sin is described as self-sabatoge, not just individually but as a community. So Haggai stirs two questions. First, is God first for you personally and for St. Luke's? Where do you see evidence that He is first and where do you see He is not? Second, how is your spiritual and moral life? Where might you be caught in self-deception and self-sabatoge? Let your answers to those two questions shape for prayer time for today.

Luke 5:1-32

Now seven weeks into this course, you are invited to look again at God's call on your life by bouncing your call off this passage. First, Jesus invited them to catch people instead of fish. It was a metaphor that spoke powerfully to people who fished for a living. For me, as a musician, God's call came for me to help others discover "the new song" God could put into their hearts. What is the metaphor for your own call?

Second, notice that Jesus modeled a life of ministry and invited them to join him in healing the needs of people (leprosy, disability, blindness, uncleanness, mental and emotional illness, broken relationships, etc). Where do you see brokenness and need around you? Where might God be calling you to ministry (to be the hands, feet, and words of Jesus)?

Third, the call to ministry takes us beyond our normal circles of friendship and changes our business or professional lives into arenas of witness. You are God's called minister in the professional, social, family and church arenas of your life. How will you connect with those who need the LORD through you?

See you this evening.

Broadening Your Witness V

Daniel 5 - The Handwriting on the Wall

The key moment in the story is when Belshazzar calls for their feasting and drinking to be from vessels taken from the temple in Jerusalem. They were using vessels consecrated to the LORD and then praising their own gods as they drank from them. Again, the storyteller is vivid in his portrayal of the events - the appearance of the human man, the great fear of Belshazzar, and once again, the absolute failure of the temple court to be any help at all. The promise of the King is that the interpreter of the handwriting on the wall will get the third position in the kingdom (the same position Joseph had with Pharaoh).

Daniel's interpretation tells of the imminent loss of the kingdom for
Belshazzar because he refused to humble himself. In Daniel's words, "But you did not honor the God who holds in his hand your life and all your ways." Notice the summary of Nebuchanezzar's reign in verses 18ff. This is in harmony with Romans 13:1-7, in which temporal rulers are in power by God's hand. How is that true? Did God put Nero in his position as emperor, Hitler as "Furher", and Sadaam Hussein as dictator? If so, God has become the co-sponsor of some of the most awful deeds in world history. I struggle with this. I similarly struggle with the book of Exodus when it says that "God hardened Pharaoh's heart." People put these people in power. I understand that they are accountable to God for how they rule, but I'm not so sure that God put them in power. What do you think?

Daniel 6 - In the Lion's Den

Of all the stories of Daniel, this is most well-known. The Medes consolidated power by using some of the leaders who were already there. Daniel does so well that he is about to be made number 1 in the kingdom, just below the king. Again, the displaced rulers set up a trap for Daniel, just as they had done with the 3 young men in the fiery furnace.
Daniel is caught worshipping the LORD, in violation of the decree, and by law, is thrown into a den of lions. Darius is pictured well in this story, as one of the victims of the deception. He is also pictured as vy sympathetic to Daniel's faith. Like Nebuchadnezzar he confesses belief in Daniel's God. And just as those who threw the men into the fiery furnace were killed, so those who set up the plot are also destroyed by the lions -even before their bodies hit the ground.

Again, this is a story to encourage the faith of the people in times of slavery. It is a vindication that they are God's people and that he will act on their behalf. What message do you see in this for our own day?

John 15:18-16:33

Just as Daniel experienced persecution and false accusations and entrapment, so did the disciples of Jesus. He warned them about it ahead of time. One of the great benefits of the Holy Spirit is to give them a very real sense of God's presence and even hopeful joy in the midst of persecution. One of the issues here is that, when we are persecuted, we need to examine our hearts. Sometimes we are persecuted because we deserve it and God uses those difficulties to get our attention and lead us to repentance. If we are right in our motives, then persecution often becomes a refining process that deepens our faith and strengthens our leadership. The emphasis in this passage is on the sustaining power of the Holy Spirit (added to the power to witness and the power to teach, convict of sin and guide). I hope you are seeing along with me just how practical the power of the Spirit is in our lives. Have a great evening and a victorious day tomorrow, no matter what the circumstances.

Broadening Your Witness IV

Daniel 3

When we lived in El Paso, one of the highlights was the annual Air Show. One of the features, having nothing to do with flying was "Robosaurus" a 3-story large metal robot that could crush a junk car with its jaws and then set it ablaze from the fire breathed from its mouth. There was loud music and commentary and tens of thousands of onlookers who wildly screamed and applauded. It reminded me of gladitorial contests in ancient Rome as well as this scene from Daniel on the plain of Dora. It's amazing what people will do to strengthen their sense of power among the people, either by amazing them with spectacle or paralyzing them with fear. In this case, Nebuchadnezzar does both. The statue represents the massive power of the Babylonian empire and the fire is what happens to all those who oppose that power.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego are turned in by the Chaldean astrologers,
the religious imposters of the Daniel story (they can't interpret the dreams,they follow others gods, and they are bought and paid for by the king). The story is told with wonderful artistry and detail. We can picture the flames getting hotter and higher in the furnace, as well as seeing the king's astonishment on his face, when there are four people in the furnace. Once again Nebuchadnezzar gives praise to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and gives the young men yet another promotion. And we all know what happened to those who threw the young men in the furnace!

For ministry purposes, there are great lessons here. First, following the LORD's way does not protect us from the plots and misunderstandings of others. People will feel at times threatened, competitive, jealous or even displaced. In those times of pain, we will find that there is an unanticipated companion in the flames with us...God Himself. In one of Oral Roberts' finest sermons, he asks the question, "Who is this fourth man?" He then traces the redeeming presence of God throughout the 66 books of the Bible. It was stirring to hear him do it. Most of us have learned, however, that we are not always exempt from getting burned! Second, in times of difficulty and even persecution, we are called to stand true to who and whose we are and what we are called to do. I have discovered that more witness is made in our losses and difficulties than in our victories and celebrations. Third, we can trust the hand of God to sustain us and save us, even in our most difficult times. As the letter to the Romans says, "In everything, God works for good for those who love him..."

Daniel 4

Daniel interprets another dream to Nebuchadnezzar, and this time it is more personal. The tree is the king himself and it (he) is to be toppled.
Upon restoration, the king once again gives praise to Israel's God. The supremacy of the LORD as the "true God" continues to be the drumbeat of the book of Daniel.

No doubt the stories so far gave great strength to the people as they went from exile to return. They provide the same for you and me. Take confidencem for the LORD is with you indeed!

Broadening Your Witness III

Daniel 1-2

When Moses had his first son in the land of Midian, he named him Gershom, which meant "alien" (Exodus 2:22). Throughout most of their history, the Jewish people have understood themselves in that way. In I Peter 2:11-17, Peter exhorts the Jewish Christians to live similarly, "as aliens and strangers." It's another angle on what it means to be in but not of this world. One of the astonishing insights for me in my World Religions Class was just how few Jews there are in the world - just about 14 million, with about 40% of that faith residing in the USA. Yet, there influence per adherent is much greater. Part of this is due to the Jewish connection to the Christian faith, but the greater part is Judaism's ability to be self-defined, no matter the location. Observance of the feasts and kosher foods, the learning of Hebrew in the synagogue, and the continual passing on of the faith through strong extended families have kept their identity strong. They know who and whose they are.

The book of Daniel is written from the days of the exile for the Southern Kingdom of Judah, first in Babylon and then by the Medes and Persians. The theme is clearly how God has honors His people for their faithfulness to God through keeping the Jewish identity, even if it means civil disobedience.

Daniel 1

The Jewish food laws have always had a double message. First, they established that the children of Israel were separate from their Gentile neighbors. Second, the Jewish diet is generally healthier than many others. One of the classic books on that is None of These Diseases by S. I. McMillen. Here we are introduced to Daniel and his three friends who are serving in the Babylonian court as slaves. They are given new Babylonian names, much like slaves were given in our own country. It has long been done as a way of acculturating them (at best) and reminding them that they are owned as property (at worst). The name Daniel (meaning "God is my judge") was changed to Belteshazzar (meaning "Bel’s prince"). The name Hannaniah (meaning "Beloved by the Lord") was changed to Shadrach (meaning "illumined by Sun-god"). The name Mishael (meaning "Who is like God?") was changed to Meshach (meaning "Who is like Venus?"). And the name Azariah (meaning "The Lord is my help")was changed to Abed-Nego(meaning "Servant of Nego").

Daniel in chapter 1, verse 8, asks permission to observe a diet of vegetables and water only. The Bible is clear to say that while the vegetable diet was healthy, the greater part of their health was due to their faithfulness to God. This opening story invites us to ponder a couple of questions. Are we defined more by our relationship with God or by the surrounding culture? Honesty requires that we at least admit this to be a struggle. Second, what about our food diet promotes health? If our bodies are a temple of God's Spirit, then how should we treat it? Third, what about the rest of our lifestyle - our mental, emotional, and relational nutrition demonstrates our God-connectedness?

Daniel 2

The book of Daniel describes much about his dreams and his role as an interpreter. By the end of the book, his dreams will turn wildly apocalyptic, with some of the passages being quoted in the book of Revelation in the New Testament (another book written from exile). Here he interprets the dreams of Nebuchadnezzar (the Babylonian king who invaded Jerusalem in 586 BCE). Nebuchadnezzar's dreams are not able to be interpreted by the Babylonians. Daniel after praying and worshipping the LORD is given the interpretation. Before the king, Daniel is asked to tell Nebuchadnezzar his own dream and then interpret it, but he does so saying that no man could interpret it except through God. What Daniel does is reveal to the king the dynasties that would follow the Babylonians - the Medes, the Persians and finally, the Greeks. While, these stories originate from the Babylonian exile, the language in which they are told is later. Those who would have read these stories would have already have known about these kingdoms to yet take stage.

Daniel continues in the Babylonian court, but arranges with Nebuchadnezzar for his three friends to become government officials. Just as in the story of Joseph (a slave becomes third most powerful as an interpreter of dreams), Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego are promoted to places of power. Daniel and his friends are given wisdom because of their faithfulness to God and it brings them to places of influence. So again, I offer a couple of questions: How are you seeking God for wisdom in your daily life? And how is God using you in the places of influence where you work and live?

Romans 9:30-10:17

The use of Romans at this point is important as we consider life as ministry. It really wasn't about the food they ate or even the maneuverings of Daniel to get his friends into places of power. It was their faith in God that made the difference. In exile, the Jews learned they could have faith without a temple and be Jewish no matter where they were. Their growing relationship with God is what made the difference. It is no different for us. Our religion itself can become a barrier between us and a true living faith.

Broadening Your Witness II

Joel 2:18-32

We now begin the “good news” portion of Joel. This first section prophesies the restoration of Israel. Verse 18 gives the theme: “Then the LORD will be jealous for his land and take pity on his people.” A reading through a concordance will show that the jealousy of God was a common theme for the prophets (Ezekiel, Joel, Nahum, Zechariah), but actually goes back to the early days of the desert wanderings (Exodus, Deuteronomy, Joshua). In fact, Exodus 34:14 reads, “Do not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.” The picture of God as the jilted lover is common throughout the Old Testament.

For the nation of Israel, this jealousy means abundant blessing. The land that has been so ravaged begins to respond again. My picture is of the land in The Lion King, which, under the leadership of Scar (the corrupt uncle), becomes desolate and barren. But when Simba becomes the rightful king, the land becomes green and lush again. A second picture is more true to life. The area around the Euphrates River in Iraq was once some of the richest and fertile land in the Middle East. It is now desolate, due to centuries upon centuries of conflict and misuse of the land. Could a restoration be in the future of Iraq? I think that’s part of what our young soldiers have been fighting for. The bottom line here is that while the locusts have been used by God for judgment and purification of the people, they do not win. The jealous love of God wins. So how do you feel about God’s jealousy? Is he really that way or have we just transferred that on to him because we are that way?

Verses 28-32 are preached by Peter in the first sermon of the Church at Pentecost in Acts 2. That would be a secondary fulfillment of this passage, for Joel sees it happening as the exiles return to their homeland and start over with God. The young prophesy again and the old dream new dreams again. They rediscover what they had forgotten in their time of sin and loss, that God does save His people. How might we have forgotten and what rediscovery needs to happen for us personally and as the Church?

Joel 3:1-21

Even though the invading nations were tools of God’s judgment, they were still accountable to God for what they did. Chapter 3:2-3 tells some of the things that were being done to the people in Judah. Another reading that gives more clues is Psalm 137. Every abuse of power was carried out against the men who were taken into exile: prostitution of the young men, child massacre, raping of their wives, and forced slavery of the soldiers. This raises an interesting question. The people thought that the awful things they were going through was a judgment of God against them and the prophets reinforced that concept. Was God complicit with these atrocities? Or did he just allow them? Maybe that's even worse!

A reading of the Bible as a whole becomes important here. God is just, holy and loving. But God consistently uses bad experiences for his glory and to grow us. The bad experiences are not God’s doing (though some Old Testament scriptures might question that), but he is able to take even the worst circumstances and bring good out of them. That is why it is completely just for God to hold these enemies accountable for what they did. Upon reading this prophecy, I would not want to be one of the enemies of God’s people.

Acts 2:1-21

I think we should probably read this passage about once a week for all of this year. It reminds where the power of the Church really is and where the power of our own individual ministries is. There are several insights for ministry in this passage. First, the greater part of ministry is outside the Church not within it. This is something USAmerican Christianity has had upside-down for too long. What happens inside the church walls is for refilling vessels (in worship, fellowship) that have become empty (through witness and faithful discipleship), for sharpening our knowledge of the gospel and in skills for sharing Christ (outside the walls), and for welcoming new persons who have been won for Christ. While I appreciate the Billy Graham model of emphasizing the altar as the place for evangelistic decision, I’m not sure that is the biblical design. Besides, you may have noticed that the Billy Graham crusades were not held in churches. The altar is a place of dedication and decision for greater discipleship for people who are already of faith. What do you think?

Second, the miracle of Pentecost allowed the people outside the walls to hear the good news of Jesus Christ “in their own tongue.” Are we ready to admit that our language in the church is about as foreign to people outside the church as Latin used to be in Roman Catholic services? The New Testament was written in Koine Greek, not classical Greek. Koine was the language of the common people. We are needing to rediscover how we can clearly communicate with people in our day so they hear it “in their own tongue.”

Third, Peter’s sermon was just the basic story of the gospel. It was our pleasure to hear Bruce Parks at Methodist Men this past Tuesday. What he shared was wonderful. It was the great story of our faith as shown in the hymns. There was nothing new in what he shared, except that in reality it was all new because it was presented in the power of the Spirit from his 85 years of following Christ.

Fourth, the response of the people was created by the Spirit, not by spectacular techniques. When we share Christ beyond the walls, it is not complicated. We go to where the people are and we build relationships. We speak to people in a way they can hear it and respond. We tell our story of faith in Christ as part of the great story of God’s love in Jesus. And we trust the results to the Holy Spirit. Sounds like a plan to me. How about you?

Broadening Your Witness I

What is a witness? In contemporary legal terms, a witness is someone who offers testimony to an event which they have seen personally. But the biblical word for witness is that and a whole lot more. The Greek word is marturos, a word we would better translate as "martyr." A Christian witness was one who testified of Jesus and offered up his or her own life in His service. To be a witness for Christ is to love people and, at the same time, have a lover's quarrel with the world in which we live. To be a witness is to be a living demonstration of God's Kingdom, God's alternative society built on holiness, justice and love. To be a witness is to point to God's love in Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit as the ultimate answer to what the world needs.

Such a task is daunting, actually quite impossible without the Spirit of God. Jesus said to his disciples in Acts 1:8,

"But you will receive power [dunamis, the word from which we get dynamic and dynamite] when the Holy Spirit [pneuma from which get the word pneumatic - air driven or wind-driven, consistent with the Hebrew ruach - meaning breath or wind] comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses [yes, martyrs - only one died a natural death and he died in exile (John)] in Jerusalem [where they were], Judea [the surrounding region], Samaria [to the people no one else would go to], and to the ends of the earth."

The job is huge, so big that we can never do it on our own. We must become a work of God and then carry out a work of God in partnership with Him.

Joel 1:1-2:17

Every once in a while, in West Texas, we get besieged by locusts. So it was in the days of Joel. But Joel uses the locusts as a metaphor for the growing threat of the Assyrians (who invade but do not take over) and then the Babylonians (who finish off the south where Joel prophesied - his form of witness). Verses 2-12 describe the devastation of the land of Israel after the Babylonians destroyed and took all the leadership into exile. But Joel points to an even greater invading army. We have a similar picture in the "Battle Hymn of the Republic."

"He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat. He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment seat. O be swift my soul to answer Him, be jubilant my feet. While God is marching on."

The "Day of the Lord" is a powerful image in Jewish and early church history for God's judgment in wrath on the sins of the earth, including Israel's enemies and including Israel herself if she does not repent. The same picture is a major theme in II Peter. We don't talk much about God's wrath and judgment, but the Bible is careful to show that God's holiness and love are held in tension. There is grace and mercy, but there is also judgment and consequences. It's as if Joel is saying, "If you think the Babylonians were something to fear, wait till you see the judgment army of God."
Joel
2:12-17 holds out the possibility that the disaster of God's judgment can be avoided through repentance. The prophet repeatedly urges the people to "return." He calls (the sounding of the shofar as a sign of urgency) for a time of repentance including public worship for confession (a solemn assembly), a fast (for the purification of individual hearts), and sanctification (a cleansing of the congregation). Might this passage have any bearing on the events of our own day? If so, how? What does it mean to be God's witness in days of moral compromise and self-idolatry? Are we willing to be that controversial? We may find that in our day martyrdom might be more common, right here in the USA. More personally, what do you need to turn away from so that you can re-turn to the LORD. Have a great day in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Deepening Your Christian Life XVIII - Wednesday's Reading on Thursday (lol!)

I Corinthians 12:12-30

Paul is a master of metaphor and here we have him at his finest as he describes the Church as "the body of Christ." There are other metaphors -living stones as God's living building with Jesus as the cornerstone. When we think of "church," we tend to think in terms of a building, but the body image is one in which there is something alive and functional, requiring coordination and cooperation.

The problem here is that we tend to want to try and make everybody look, think and act like us. Diversity is a popular buzzword, but the truth is that our natural inclination is still to be "birds of a feather that flock together." And it's much easier to talk diversity than to live it. From a ministry perspective, it takes the whole body to be the church, not only to be in full ministry to each other but also to be in full ministry to the world. Laughingly, I can picture the absurdity of Paul's language as "The Eyes Have It" Church, or the "Only the Nose Knows" Church. Denominations and churches still fall into the trap of thinking they are the total package of God's truth.

Speaking of being the "total package," isn't that what we all try to be - and then compete against each other to see who is the best total package? The only problem is that the total package is a myth. It's something we create. The total package is who we become in relationship with other Christians in Christ. We are wonderfully made (Psalm 139) and intentionally created to need others to be whole and have the greatest impact we can have in our world. Instead of trying to be the total package or fake people into thinking we are one, we are best when we are our very best selves in relationship with others. Paul talks about rejoicing in his weaknesses, for it is in them we learn the strength of Christ and the greatness of one another. So which part or parts of the body might you be and who do you need most to be part of your life so that you can be whole and more useful for God's purposes?

I Corinthians 13

Some of you could quote this by memory. We have made love into an emotion, and it is, to a small degree. But love is more a disposition, a posture we take toward others - a way of acting, speaking and being. We can love when we don't like, and we can love when we don't feel it. This passage is such good poetry that we may not see it's radical and idealistic character. It is a standard to which we strive, but never quite get there. So shall we give up? As a United Methodist pastor, at ordination, I was asked, "Will you be made perfect in love in this life?" The expected answer is a confident "yes." I must admit that I stuttered and still do. I cannot even picture being perfectly loving, totally free from selfishness and sin. But God can picture it and he can accomplish it. And even though we continually fall short of it, the ideal still pulls us forward (if we're open).

I have discovered that ideals that pull us forward, like love, hope, trust, integrity, honesty, joy and goodness, are absolutely crucial. Otherwise, we just sink to the lowest common denominator. And as we stretch to these ideals, we find ourselves dealing with that which is more than ourselves and something that lasts...even forever. If you haven't memorized this chapter of scripture, I invite you to do so and keep repeating it until it starts pulling you forward. But watch out...it is a radical and counter-cultural way to live.

Deepening Your Christian Life XVII

Mark 10:17-45

Let's get honest. We know who we are in this story. By the world's standards and by the standards of history we are wealthy people. As the kids were growing up, I got to enjoy the remake of "The Jungle Book" . The closing scene in "Monkey City" (the place where all the ancient treasures were stored) shows the villain running from the midst of the collapsing city with as much gold as he can carry. He falls into the water and is unable to unload the gold and is attacked by a vicious snake in the water and dies. All around the man are skulls who have fallen to the same fate in the past. With wealth is the reality of attachment: having to have the income to stay at the standard of living we have become accustomed, constant worries over maintaining that which we buy, protecting what we buy from thieves and so called "acts of God," and sorting out the value of those things in our relationships with family and friends. If we admit it, most of us are caught in the web of the wealth we have created. We can't even think of selling it all or leaving it all to follow Christ and be at his disposal. Obviously, neither could the rich man. He would have preferred the discussion to have stayed about the moral value of finding life by following the commandments. I wonder if we, too, try to substitute a moral life for a life of obedience and surrender to God's direction for our lives.

The "eye of a needle" passage (vss. 23-25) is often misunderstood. One of the gates through which people and their animals entered the city of Jerusalem was actually called "the eye of a needle." This gate was low enough that camels and other beasts of burden had to get down on their bellies to go through. For many animals, especially camels, that would also require that the camel have all of what it was carrying unloaded. People have often asked if Jesus was anti-wealth. Jesus had a clear emphasis on reaching the poor, but his disciples and other followers represented a broad income spectrum. What Jesus seemed to be against was the attachment of wealth. James wrote that "the love of money" not money itself was "the root of all evil." The preacher and fundraiser in me says Jesus could have used a better approach with this man, but the standard for Jesus is clear. He wants us to be available to follow him at any moment. To do that, we have to be unencumbered. I am not even close to such a standard, yet I know that it would be better for our whole family if we were. What steps can each of us take to be a little freer to follow Christ in our lives? I find verses 30-31 to be humorous. The disciples say, "We did all that. What's in it for us?" Jesus tells them their reward will be great in this world and in the world to come. Do you really believe that?

But right near this discussion of money is the question of power and positional authority posed by the always-competitive and status-seeking James and John. Matthew 20:20-28 even has their mom getting into the act. Again, Jesus does not see it as wrong to have power...as long as we are willing to let go of it. We must be willing to be "slave of all." What energy might we have if we weren't grabbing for power and status (including working to keep it and protect it), but instead poured ourselves into service both inside and outside the church?
Jesus has set the example. He had the wealth and gave it away. He had the power and status and, in the words of Philippians 2, "emptied himself and took the form of a servant..." Christ has only one kind of leader - a servant leader; one kind of minister - a ministering servant. Have a great day in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Deepening Your Christian Life XVI

I Kings 9-11

The story of Solomon is one of the great treasures and tragedies of the history of Israel. He is king during her greatest years. One book, Proverbs, is credited to him either as his own sayings or at least compiled by him and another two are traditionally linked to him (Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon). The temple is built during his reign and there was great prosperity. I Kings 10:23-25 describes him at his height of popularity:

"thus King Solomon excelled all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom. The whole earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put into his mind. Every one of them brought a present, objects of silver and gold garments, weaponry, spices, horses, and mules, so much year by year."

But the previous chapter sets the stage, providing both a promise and a warning. The promise is given in chapter 9, verse 4, "As for you, if you will walk before me, as David your father walked, with integrity of heart and uprightness, doing according to all that I have commanded you...then I will establish your throne forever..." The warning follows in verse 6, "If you turn aside from following me, you or your children, and do not keep my commandments and my statutes that I have set before you, but go and serve other gods and worship them, then I will cut Israel off from the land that I have given them; and the house that I have consecrated for my name I will cast out of my sight..." The truth is that what came true was the warning and not the promise and it was Solomon's behavior that made the difference. Chapter 11, verses 9-13 tell what would happen, mainly under the reign of his son, Rehoboam. His would be the last reign over a united Israel. And eventually the leaders and armies of both the North and Southern Kingdom are taken into exile in foreign lands and the temple is destroyed.

Solomon follows the ways of his foreign wives who followed other gods and the result is disaster for the nation. Some observations about ministry are worth noting. First, Solomon was obviously gifted and called of God to be King. And at first, Solomon saw his need for wisdom, which God gave him as a gift (I Kings 3). But as he grew in power and wealth, he began to become self-reliant and less God-reliant. This is the hazard of all positions of power, wealth and leadership. Second, Solomon moved from being primarily a spiritually anointed leader to becoming a political leader. Soon, he is less concerned about the holiness of the nation and the rightness of his leadership and becomes more concerned about the alliances he can make and the reputation he can establish in that part of the world. Woe to us in our ministry if we become more concerned about our strategies, tactics and bottom lines more than we are concerned about our connection to God and our God-given mission. Third, Solomon begins to believe the polls. He is sought after for his wise counsel and admired for having such a great kingdom of such opulence. People are always looking for heroes (especially rich and powerful ones)...so they can turn them into goats! Fourth, Solomon denies his vulnerability and falls into self-justification and self-deception. It's often at the top of our game, when we are "in the zone" (over-functioning), that we can be had by the smallest of temptations. Fifth, Solomon is convinced he is hurting no one with his sin, when he is actually doing great harm to everyone around him. As our ministries grow, inside and outside the church, we must be aware that the devil's greatest tool is put us in a place of compromised integrity and behavior. And of this you can be sure...all of us are vulnerable.

Deepening Your Christian Life XV

I Samuel 15

The rejection of Saul, Israel's first king, by the LORD is a disturbing and powerful story. The insistence by the LORD that the Amalekites be totally wiped out and their property totally destroyed seems excessive. As has been shared before, this "total destruction" strategy of war among the city states was common between them. The objective was not only to win the battle, but destroy the legacy of that people forever. We saw the same strategy commanded in the taking of Jericho (Joshua 6-7) and the execution of Achan because he had taken "the devoted things", those devoted to the worship of the gods of the people around them. The danger was that gradually the people would dilute their single faithfulness to the LORD by adopting the practices of the people around them.

I invite you to take a brief but broad look at the Old Testament history of Israel considering this very real hazard in their development. Remember that the objective of the LORD was to create a covenant people of His own who were to live "holy" (meaning separate, distinctively different) lives in a special "community" (a common unity of values, customs, and above all single faith in the LORD). The risk is that, as the children of Israel encounter people who follow the values, customs, and polytheistic beliefs around them, they will lose their distinctiveness and their sense of relationship and dependence on the LORD and forget who and whose they are. The journey from Egypt to life in the Promised Land (from the orgy before the Golden Calf - a celebration in honor of Ba'al, one of the fertility gods worshipped both in the Sinai Peninsula and in the Promised land - in Exodus 32 forward) was a test of the people to find the LORD as their only God. In fact, it was this issue that made the children of Israel spend 40 years going around in circles through the Sinai! Repeatedly, the people fall into syncretism (the mixing of their faith and lifestyles with the faith and lifestyles of those around them). Monday, when we read of Solomon's rise and fall, we will see a similar pattern. This is also a major theme of the prophets, which they talk about as "spiritual/cultural adultery". Most graphically, the prophet Hosea is asked to take a harlot (Gomer) as his wife as a symbol that the people have prostituted themselves and taken other lovers besides the LORD.

We can say, in response, that we are glad that we don't live by such strictness as the Church and that syncretism is no longer a problem for us. But is that true? When Jesus came, his central preaching and teaching was on "the kingdom of God," a proclamation of God's rule of a people who would "love the LORD their God with all their heart, soul, mind and strength" and "love their neighbor as themselves." Those who followed Christ would be formed into a community, a gathering of people within the larger society, a religious version of the Roman "ekklesia", the Church. I Peter 2:9-10 says of the early Christians in the Church,

"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God..."

Jesus prays in John 17 :15-19 about his disciples,

"My prayers is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them [set them apart as holy, as distinctively different for your purposes] by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself [I set myself apart] that they too may be truly sanctified."

The experiment of being a separate people of God in the midst of a society that does not share the same values, customs or beliefs is still being carried out in its next version, the Church. The difference is that we are expected to take that distinctiveness and spread it throughout the world, making disciples. The distinctiveness has not changed, but separation has become evangelism.

I believe that this is issue has huge relevance for our own day. So let me conclude by inviting you to consider these questions. First, why is it so important in both the Old and New Testaments that we be holy - set apart as distinctive to the LORD, both as individuals and as a community of people? Second, how might the problem of syncretism (the blending of our values, customs and beliefs with those in society at large) be compromising and even adulterating our faith and sense of community? Third, what does it mean to be in but not of the world? We live at a time in USAmerican history when Christianity is no longer the only major religious and cultural game in town. Can we co-exist and still keep our distinctiveness? We now live in an openly multi-religious and philosophically varied society in which many people are deeply spiritually hungry, but not necessarily wanting that spiritual food from the Christian Church. How do we present the gospel in a way that people can once again receive it? We live in a culture where the values, customs and beliefs of the Christian faith are being pushed to the margins in the biggest arenas of thinking and policy making in our society. How do we avoid total irrelevance? We live in a world where tensions with another evangelistic religion (Islam) are bringing our world to the edge of cataclysmic disaster. There are extremists on both sides (Christian and Muslim) that think the Amalekite strategy (just wipe the other out) is the way to go. What do you think is the proper strategy in light of what the Bible teaches? Your answers to these questions are crucially important, and the future of our faith and our planet are at stake.

Deepening Your Spiritual Life XIV

Exodus 17:1-7

What an interesting way to tell the story. This could have been told as another "YHWY-jireh" story, "God will provide". But instead the place is named for the testing (massah) of God and their quarreling (meribah) with Moses. I struggled to get my mind around the magnitude of this miracle. If we take the census in Numbers seriously, the water provided would have been for several hundred thousand men and their families. That's a lot of water. A few folks got knocked down by that gush! The other detail not to be overlooked is that Moses strikes the rock with his rod, the symbol of God's miraculous presence with him and the people.

Numbers 20:1-13

It is now 40 years after the Exodus. Miriam, the sister of Moses has just died. At the end of this chapter, Aaron also dies. They are at the same location as they had been so long ago. Their 40 years in the desert have brought them in a giant circle. Had they taken the straight route out of Egypt the children of Israel could have been in Canaan in six months. Sounds like our own lives sometimes, doesn't it; just going around in circles, still trying to get it right. The people grumble as before about leaving Egypt, but the language seems also to make mockery of the idea of the promised land (with all its fruitfulness). Moses loses his cool with the people and strikes the rock twice and again the people are flooded with water to drink.

So what was the problem for Moses? God had told him to speak to the rock, which Moses did not do. This moment is so human and worth our attention. We get used to a certain way that God works or at least the way things work for us. So we get stuck in routines we find familiar, rather than venture with God into unknown territory. When I look at the major changes we face in the 21st century church in the atmosphere in which we do mission (highly secularized), in the way and speed people communicate (digital phones and internet), and in new mixtures of cultures and languages (right in our back yards), I see us still striking rocks rather than speaking to them. Moses leads out of frustration and familiarity rather than by the guidance and power of the Spirit (a ministry hazard for all time for all followers). God's indictment of Moses is that Moses did not lift up the LORD as holy among the people. The punishment is that Moses will not get to enter the promised land. Am I the only one that thinks this punishment is a little (Ok, a whole lot) harsh?

Deuteronomy 34:1-10

The first verses of this chapter show Moses climbing up Mt. Nebo (mountain climbing at 120, not bad!) where he can scan the panorama of "The Promised Land." He sees it, but does not enter it. Some of you may remember that Martin Luther King Jr. preached on this passage the day before his assassination in Memphis. "I have seen the promised land...I may not go there with you. Be we are going to the Promised Land." Ruth Haley Barton, in her outstanding book, "Strengthening the Soul of your Leadership" gives two major insights from this scene. First, we never really finish what God has for us to do. We pass it on to someone else. For many years, I wanted the chance for me and Tina to do a complete piece of work in ministry. That has never happened and I have come to terms that it will never happen. The dreams God plants in our hearts and minds are bigger than we are and they take longer (involving the next generation and maybe more than that). God called me to be a renewal agent for the mainline church. I have done that in my youngest years as a preacher with my own exuberance and personality. Then I did it by helping churches gain new vision and a more relevant ministry for the generation and location in which God has planted us. Now the emphasis has shifted to developing the next generation of leaders - the Joshuas and Calebs who will take the baton from me and take the task further into completion. I believe this is true for us all. God plants dreams in our hearts that eventually must be passed along to those who follow behinds us. Our job is to be faithful for the portion of the race that we run.

Barton's second insight is that Moses is buried by the LORD and no one knows where. He and God had such a relationship that in the end their relationship as friends was all that mattered. She then mentions about how the latter parts of our lives are all about letting go and being content that you and God have had quite a life together. May that be true for you and for me. Have a great day.

Deepening Your Christian Life XIII

The passages for this week will be challenging for us to read, for they describe the demands of God on those who would follow His purposes. We begin with Abraham.

Genesis 22:1-19

The almost sacrifice of Isaac by Abraham is one of the most well-known, admired and disturbing passages of the Bible. Isaac, as we have already read in a previous week, was the "child of promise," the miracle child born to Abraham and Sarah in their old age. God commands Abraham to take his son up Mt. Moriah and sacrifice him. The Bible tells us right up front that this is a test. Still, we are caught up in the absurdity and horror of God's request. The narrator tells this story with great artistry: the description of gathering of the wood, the climbing part way up the mountain and leaving the servants and the donkey, the innocent request of Isaac about how they will have a sacrifice without a lamb, and finally the provision of a substitute.

So what is the test? Does Abraham follow God just because he gave him his heir, just for the good things he has done for him, or does he follow God no matter what? Jesus had the same problems with those who would follow him only for the miracles. I fear a similar motivation in myself and those who sit in the pew on Sunday morning. Are we there just for the goodies or do we truly love God with all our hearts, souls, minds and strength?

It is also a test of whether he is totally obedient to God. We all struggle with this part of the story, for we are sure that such a request of God is unjust. In fact, we are relieved that there is a ram in the bushes. Otherwise, we might be so offended by this portrayal of God that we would choose not to be a follower. While some admire Abraham's whole-hearted, no-protest obedience to God, others are appalled that he didn't argue with God about the matter. He was willing to argue and bargain with God over Lot and his family, but he gives no argument here. Clearly, the story is told to emphasize proper motive and willingness to obey, but the story does push us to the edge.

But as appalling as this story is, there is a substitute provided. In fact, Abraham calls the place, "YHWH Jireh" (sometimes translated "Jehovah jireh"), meaning "God will provide". Hebrews 11:17ff rescues the story a bit, saying that Abraham had great faith and believed that God would raise Isaac from the dead. The irony of the story is that Abraham says "God will provide the lamb" (a way of placating his son), which God did. For Abraham, how do you spell relief? R-A-M.

Each time I read this, I am immediately taken to Calvary where there was no substitute for the Lamb of God. God did sacrifice His own son for your redemption and mine. The substitution was his payment for sin in place of yours and mine. So this story still fascinates me. It offends me as it portrays God as pro child-sacrifice, which will be prohibited in the Old Testament Law or, at the very least, portrays God as manipulative of the feelings of Abraham and his relationship with His Son. It makes me grateful knowing that for God there was no ram in the bushes. His son dies a brutal death because of and for human sin. And it still makes me question my motives for following Christ. How about you?

It's been a long day. Continue to pray for Darrell and Beverly Rosenow (saw them in Amarillo today). Prayer and your love in Christ is all they really have right now.

PS: There is an error in your reading assignment for tomorrow. It should read Exodus 17:1-7, Numbers 20:1-13 and Deuteronomy 34:1-10.

Deepening Your Christian Life XII

II Timothy 4

We now come to the end of our week long reading and reflection of the letters of Timothy. I come to these letters often, even though few would consider me young in the ministry. The issues Paul brings to light continue to confront the church in new ways and his counsel still speaks wisely.

The first five verses are Paul’s final charge to Timothy regarding preaching. The charge is full of passion as he speaks as the proxy of the risen Christ – which, when I think about it, is what we are all called to do. One of the fun things I did with my preachers when I was a District Superintendent was read II Timothy 4:2 and led them in an exercise in “instant preaching.” It was an all-day meeting, so I broke up the day with 3-minute extemporaneous sermons on texts I had in a box. A volunteer preacher would pull the text out of the box and read it. We sang a verse of a hymn while the preacher collected his/her thoughts and then heard a sermonette. The results were surprising. The energy and levity in the room made a great atmosphere for freedom and instant creativity. I will tell you that some of the preaching was better than when I heard the same preachers in their local church (after hours of preparation). Whether we are clergy or laity, we must be ready at all times to speak a word for the Lord.

Three goals of preaching are lifted up by Paul (certainly not an exhaustive list): correction, rebuking and encouragement. The frontier name for preachers was “exhorters,” people who spurred people on in their Christian walk with preaching that was both celebrative and confronting. As United Methodist preachers, we are told that we have a free pulpit, meaning that since we are appointed by a bishop, we are free to preach whatever the Lord leads us to preach, whether it is popular with the majority or not. The truth is that Paul’s caution to preach “with great patience and careful instruction” and “speaking the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15) are important boundaries to our free preaching as well as our sharing of faith outside the pulpit or classroom. But the problem of people having “itching ears for what they want to hear” is ever present, because human beings are naturally change-resistant. Is good preaching that with which I agree or disagree? When we say our “amens” are we bearing witness to God’s Spirit speaking to us or are we just saying “I agree with that?” The Bible has the real tendency to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. As preachers, teachers and sharers of the word, faithful ministry requires that we offer both.

Verses 6-8 are often quoted at funerals. In I Timothy 1:18-19, Paul writes: “…so that you may fight the good fight, holding on to faith and a good conscience.” In I Timothy 6:11-12, we read, “But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith.” I really think from reading Paul that he was quite a boxing fan or at least he used the popularity of the sport in his day as a means of sharing the gospel. He writes in I Corinthians 9:26b-27, “I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.” Some of you may know that before his military service and his call to preach, Rev. Bruce Parks of our congregation was a Golden Gloves boxer. Now in his mid-80s, he said to me recently after his struggle with great health difficulties, “Will, I’m in my fight-back stance.” He is talking about his fight of faith and I have watched him demonstrate a faithfulness and spiritual diligence in the face of physical limitation, frustration, and even despair that is just plain remarkable. Paul writes in II Timothy 4:7,

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”

Paul’s tenacity continued through the end of his life. I have another pastor friend, Eddie Rivera at St. Paul’s, Abilene, who says “I just want to finish well.” That’s quite a motto, consider he was in his mid-30s when he told me that.

The last part of this passage I want to lift up is the fact that “the good fight” is one that, no matter what losses are incurred along the way, we ultimately win. Paul uses the ancient laurel Olympic crown that champions wore as a picture of what Christians receive for a life of faithful witness – a crown of righteousness. He then points that victory out as not only his, but for all of us. But it’s not because we earned it. It’s a gift. Our birth was a gift, our being sustained through the ups and downs of our life is a gift and eternal life is also a gift. What if we saw each day as a divine gift that eventually leads to the greatest gift of all, eternity itself? Have a great day as you “fight the good fight of faith.”

Deepening Your Christian Life XI

II Timothy 3

Each generation, including the first generation of the Church, thought it was living in "the last days" when Jesus would make his triumphant return. The loss of the first generation of leaders Peter, James, and soon, Paul, brought a great sense of crisis to the early Church. When we read the catalogue of vices in verses 2-5, it is like reading our daily paper or watching CNN. No wonder, the ministries who give particular emphasis to prophecy see this as Hal Lindsay entitled one of his books, The Terminal Generation. The truth is that each generation of the church could have made the same case. And no generation seems to mirror the excesses of the Roman empire like ours does. At the same time, we can look very religious, what Paul writes in verse 5 as having "the form of godliness but denying its power." As the church is being reformed all around us, we need to examine ourselves to be sure that we have more than "the form of godliness", that we are a genuine move of the Spirit of God.

Verses 6-9 describe the role of manipulative people in society, based on strength of personality or the latest new technique or product. Sometimes we envy them because what they do often works. Worse, we see that these manipulative people always seem to have an audience for what they do - people who are easily duped or made victims because of the difficulty or vulnerability of their present situations. Again, our own generation is a regrettable essay on how people have done this, cheating people out of billions of dollars and robbing people of livelihoods and reputations.

In verses 10-17, I want to lift up two things. First is the reality of persecution for Christians. Because of our privileged time in history and our place on the globe, we are protected in a generation when more people have been martyred for the faith than all the generations previous to it. But that safety net is eroding even here in the United States and people are beginning once again to experience negative reactions to Christian faith when it is shared. We are needing to build a new generation of Christians who are able to withstand opposition and at times persecution.

Second, Paul, in the midst of manipulative and misleading people and in persecution, we must allow Scripture to direct us in what is true and stands the test of time. In the United States the authority of scripture has become a hotly debated topic. Many of the arguments over social issues are often in reality arguments over the authority of Scripture.

WARNING! SOAPBOX ORATORY APPROACHING! LOL!

Harold Lindsell, former editor of Christianity Today, wrote a major article that gained national attention called "The Battle for the Bible." That battle has continued for the entirety of my Christian life. The polarization on both sides of the "battle" is regrettable, reflecting what I believe is a profound misunderstanding of the nature of Scripture.

For instance, denominations are splitting over whether the Bible is inerrant. The Bible never claims inerrancy for itself. The kind of scientific absolutism that requires that everything God is involved with be absolutely perfect is foreign to the Bible. The treasure of God's presence, power and wisdom is always given in "clay pots", through fallible human beings. II Timothy 3:16 says that

"All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."

God breathes into human beings and they become living souls (Genesis 2). God puts his message in the hands of writers who vary in their recollection of events, their spelling, their grammar and their style. Those who believe in biblical inerrancy assert that when we find the original autographs (the actual written originals) of scripture we will see that the Bible is perfect. Here is the problem. We're never going to know when we find the original. In fact, there are manuscripts who do claim to be the original and the only true version of the events of Christ's life - and all of them have been found to be fraudulent. In other words,if you find something that claims to be the original, run! I find it to be a form of idolatry that we should insist that the Bible be perfect according to our standards before we believe in it.

Lest I be misunderstood, I do believe the Bible is the Word of God. I believe that the Bible is authoritative and our God-given guide to truth. What's more, it has been given to us 'person to person'from writers who were real people living in a particular era with real challeges, so it is a living witness of a living faith in a living Lord. So I am not offended if parts of the Bible reflect the history and biases of when it was written or if different gospel writers remember Easter with different people arriving at the tomb! It is not primarily a source of absolutes, but rather a library of material that invites us, upon reading it, into an experience of God's love through Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. In other words, I find most of the debates about the authority of the Bible in evangelical circles to be absolutely absurd and a distraction from what the Bible was really meant to be and do in our lives. Scripture is living and active,dynamic, personal,and powerful enough to change individuals, communities and the world - should we read it, learn it and live it. Yes, I'm on my soap box, but having a living, relevant and powerful experience of God's Word is one of the great passions of my life. The surest way to kill it is to make it a mechanistic set of absolutes. I invite your response.