So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. – Colossians 6:6-7

Today's Scripture Reading (May 31, 2024):  Colossians 2

Okay, I admit that I like the 1991 western comedy "City Slickers." But beyond the laughs, I think there is one profound concept in the movie to which we need to pay a little more attention. It is found in an early conversation between Curley (Jack Palance) and Mitch (Billy Crystal).

Curley - You all come out here about the same age. Same problems. Spend fifty weeks a year getting knots in your rope - then you think two weeks up here will untie them for you. None of you get it. Do you know what the secret to life is?"

Mitch - No, what?

Curley - This. (Curley holds up his index finger.)

Mitch - Your finger?

Curley - One thing. Just one thing. You stick to that and everything else don't mean anything.

Mitch - That's great, but what's the one thing?

Curley - That's what you've got to figure out."

What Curley insists is true for Mitch and all the other people with "knots in your rope" is also true for the Christian Church. Paul insists that the one thing in the church is Jesus. Sometimes, it seems like other things are essential, but they are all mirages; there is only one thing (I am holding up my index finger): Jesus.

We are to live our lives rooted in Christ. If we do that, it is enough. If we lived and loved like Jesus, then this world would be a better place. However, one crucial question is how the community actually views us. Several years ago, I went to a conference, and they tried to answer that question. I don't think that anything has changed. Here are a couple of the responses.

The church is a parasite. It owns the best property, pays no taxes, and helps no one (San Francisco, California).

The church doesn't contribute anything to the community (Plano, Texas). 

What's happened? It could be that we have been living our priority of Christ in front of the nations, and they have rejected us because of that focus. And if that is the answer, I don't mind the response. But I don't believe that is the truth. I think we haven't personally lived Christ out in our own lives, and we haven't been living Christ in the community. We have lost sight of the one thing. As a result, we are failing at our mission. And rather than being filled with thankfulness, it is bitterness that the world sees. And if the church is to continue, that has to change.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Colossians 3

For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. – Colossians 1:19-20

Today's Scripture Reading (May 30, 2024):  Colossians 1

On July 18, in the year 64, a fire broke out in Rome. No one really knows how the fire began, but it appeared to start in the shops that sold flammable materials near the south end of the Circus Maximus. The fire burned in Rome for days. Popular legend says that Emperor Nero set the fire and that the Roman Emperor "fiddled while Rome burned." Of course, the fiddle would not be invented for another 1000 years, but it made a good story.

Nero was an accomplished musician; he played the lyre, a stringed instrument played in a similar manner to a modern-day guitar. Historians argue that the rumors of Nero's apathy toward the fire were greatly exaggerated. But following the fire, blame had to be leveled on someone. Nero chose the object of the blame to be a group of people who followed an eccentric leader who lived during the reign of the emperor Tiberius. Tacitus, a Roman Historian, says that the man's name was Christus, and the followers of this man were often called Christians. Christians were people haters. The problem really was that they believed in a Universal King (Christus) and a universal Kingdom. They swore no allegiance to Rome as other peoples did.

Who set the fire, we don't know. A fire in Rome was hardly an oddity. Rome would burn twice more before the end of the first century, but the peace of Rome (Pax Romana) had to be maintained. Christians were a threat to this peace, and the fire of Rome provided an excuse to rid the city of them.

In all situations, Pax Romana was kept by the threat of the cross. Anyone who threatened the Peace of Rome was risking that they would find their end hanging on a cross. After the fire, Nero, using the excuse that he was keeping the peace of Rome, killed the Christians, nailing many of them to crosses. Some historians have said that, as darkness fell on the city, these crosses were lit on fire, lighting up the night and providing a visual reminder of how Rome dealt with anyone threatening its peace. Peter, his wife, and Paul all found their end in Nero's Rome, executed during Nero's extermination of the Christians, all under the command that Rome's Peace would be kept.

These words in Colossians are part of an ancient hymn: "For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross" (Colossians 1:19-20). "By making peace through his blood, shed on a cross" is an important phrase. Pax Romana, Rome's peace, was kept by making a threat with the cross. If you violate Rome, these are the consequences you will suffer. Rome's cross also maintains Pax Christi, the Peace of Christ. Only this time, it was by God voluntarily dying on that cross, by making peace through his blood, shed on a cross. It was the same cross, but it had a different purpose.

Dear reader, my prayer for you is Pax Christi, the literal peace of Christ, bought through the blood that flowed on a Roman cross. That this peace, forgiveness, and love would flow from us to each other and to a world that needs it. All because of the Roman Cross.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Colossians 2

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! – Philippians 4:4

Today's Scripture Reading (May 29, 2024):  Philippians 4

It is the complaint of our times. How can God allow this bad thing to happen if God is good? Why did I lose my job? Or get cancer? Why did my marriage fall apart? Why would God allow me to suffer through this event? And sometimes, it just feels like God has left us or is so far away that he can't hear our cries.

The truth is that God has never left us. He hasn't left us alone to handle our messy and painful situations. Maybe we don't get it, but we trust that God has a reason for what is happening. There is a tradition among the advisors of political people in the West that they serve at the pleasure of their leader. They get it; they are there because the President, the Prime Minister, or the head of the Department wants them there. But when that is no longer true, they will be gone. So, when the leader makes a decision that they might not agree with, the appropriate response is to either leave their employment or to respond with the words "I serve at the pleasure of the [fill in the blank with the appropriate position of leadership]."

And that is the relationship that we have with our God. Our honest prayer might be, "God, I disagree with you. I'm afraid I have to disagree with what you are doing." And God's response to us is, "I get that, and yet, this is what is happening." At that moment, we have a choice. Our response is to either walk away, jump from the frying pan into the fire, or admit that we are not the final judge of what is good but that we trust God and serve at his privilege.

In the days before Israel had a King, the nation was ruled by Judges. These men and women were raised in days of severe testing and ruled over Israel for short periods by the power of the Holy Spirit.

That's the way it was in the days when the Midianites took advantage of their Israelite neighbors. They would come like locusts and camp on the fields soon after the Israelites had planted. But they would also come at harvest time and leave nothing, no grain that had been planted, no animals that had been raised. And Israel cried out to God, and God heard their cries and sent an angel to an oak tree that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite. And there, the angel found the Son of Joash, a man named Gideon. And Gideon is threshing wheat in a wine press. The idea of threshing wheat is that you throw the wheat up in the air, and the theory is that the heavy grain or seed falls to the ground while the husk and the imperfections, which are lighter, are carried away by the breeze. But threshing wheat in a winepress is almost a waste of time because the wine press protects the area from the breeze. Threshing wheat in a wine press is a good recipe for getting dirty and nothing else. But Gideon fears that the Midianites will see him and steal his grain if he threshes wheat in the open. 

At this moment, an angel of the Lord shows up and says to Gideon, "Mighty Warrior, God is with You." I can almost hear the sarcasm dripping from the angel's voice. The last thing Gideon feels like is a Mighty Warrior as he hides in the winepress.

Listen to Gideon's reply. "Pardon me, my lord," Gideon replied, "but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, 'Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?' But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian" (Judges 6:13). Does it sound familiar? I get it, Gideon; it doesn't feel like God is with you. But he is. And not only that, but he has chosen to change Israel's situation through you.

Sometimes, it doesn't feel like God is with us. But he is. Not only that, but he is calling us to be change agents in the world in which we live.

Paul is in prison. And yet he tells the Philippians to do several things. And among them is a command to rejoice. It doesn't matter what your outer situation might be; rejoice that God is with you, even if you are in prison or threshing wheat in winepress. Know that God is with you; therefore, it is appropriate to rejoice.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Colossians 1

… though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more. – Philippians 3:4

Today's Scripture Reading (May 28, 2024):  Philippians 3

How do you see people? What makes you respect them? I knew a man many years ago who felt it was his right to be called "Doctor." Yes, he had a Philosophy degree to support the request, and I agreed with him; I always used "Doctor" and his last name when I referred to him. But some people in my circle of influence disagreed with this person's desire to be called "Doctor." And while they might have used "Doctor" in his presence, they made fun of him behind his back.

A few years back, I was in discussion with someone over a church issue and was told that I sounded like someone who had an advanced theology degree. The comment was not intended as a compliment. The church is one area where education often seems to count against us. The problem is not education itself, but what we think our education gets us. A friend recently commented that he looked at some very good people in society and argued that works has to count for something.  The problem is that that is true only if you are a Pharisee. Pharisees believed that you might have entered into faith through grace, but we must maintain our faith through the law. Grace exists initially, but works and knowledge or education must preserve it. But that is not where education and works fit. And that is what Paul is trying to get at through this passage.  Listen to his description;

If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless (Philippians 3:4-6).

Paul is saying here that he had everything.  He entered into Faith in God as a Hebrew. God chose him. He lived his life perfectly if we can imagine that. Even his persecution of the church was because of his faith in God. And yet, he was wrong.  It did him no good.  Therefore, it belongs where all the other stuff in his life that doesn't work belongs: in the garbage.

I sometimes consider what my pedigree or even my wife's heritage might mean.  Our kids are so lucky. Both families have a long holiness heritage. I spent my formative years at Calgary First Church under one of the great pastors, Walter Hubbard. I have been in the church all of my life.  I know the church's traditions, but they can't save me. I can't be saved by doing things the right way.  There aren't any special words that I need to learn.  None of it works; it is all rubbish.

If I live by doing the right things, making the right friends, and engaging in the proper rituals, I will end up in hell. I am proud of my heritage and education, but heritage and education play a subservient role to faith in my life. It is all wasted effort if I want to use it to support my salvation. Everything that I could claim is wrong.  It is all senseless drivel.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Philippians 4

Personal Note: Happy Birthday to my wife, Nelda.

… rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. – Philippians 2:7

Today's Scripture Reading (May 27, 2024):  Philippians 2

The Butler Did It. The cliché's origin is often attributed to Mary Roberts Rinehart, who wrote her novel, "The Door" in 1930. The butler is revealed as the villain in the story, but Rinehart never uses the phrase "The Butler Did It." Part of the attraction to the idea of a servant being a criminal is that servants during the Victorian Era were often overworked and underpaid. As a result, it wasn't hard to imagine a servant murdering their self-centered and unconcerned superiors. Butlers had been criminals in numerous earlier works, but Mary Rinehart grabbed our attention for whatever reason.

As we read this verse, what leaps off the page for me is this: The butler did it. Jesus made himself nothing, taking on the very nature of a servant. We have expectations in life, but we don't expect much from a servant. Servanthood might have been one of the most misunderstood aspects of Jesus. In fact, it is the reason why some don't believe in the Jesus of Christianity. Islam holds that Jesus was a great prophet but that he isn't God because God would never take on the nature of the servant. We serve God; he doesn't serve us. The Pharisees didn't believe that Jesus could be the Messiah because the Messiah would never associate with the people with whom Jesus hung out. The people that Jesus chose to associate with were the ones a servant would hang out with; they were the lower strata of society.

Have you ever watched a movie about eighteenth-century European society? If it depicts the classes, you often know the character's class in an instant in how they carry themselves, laugh, or smile (which for the poor was frequently through missing or blackened teeth.) And the humor isn't quite what it should be in a refined society. The lower classes often seem to laugh a little too loudly, and when I am watching them, I am almost repulsed by their behavior. I seem to want to identify with the kings and the higher classes. But Jesus took on the nature of the servant, and he hung out with those people. And the Pharisees just couldn't figure out why.

Churches can be funny things. A few years back, a friend of mine was the pastor of a church called Zion Baptist. The church has a bit of a problem with its name, especially in a neighborhood that is becoming increasingly more Islamic because Zion is the name of the enemy. But I am convinced that the churches with a more significant problem might be the ones saddled with the name of First Church because there is an air of expectation in them. I have been told that First Churches need to be refined and solemn. At one First Church, a lady even described why the traditional service needed to be at 11 and the contemporary service needed to be earlier because extraordinary expectations were placed on a First Church. If we were Northside Church, we could do anything we wanted, but the sign outside read "First Church." First Churches have a special kind of reserve. As I was listening, not just to this lady but to others in other churches as well, there was this overwhelming feeling that what they were telling me was that servants were not welcome in their churches, and that was a problem because, according to the Bible, the butler did it. God took on the very nature of the servant. He came and stepped into our world. Maybe one of the questions we should be asking is this: would this kind of Jesus, with his friends who were tax collectors and prostitutes and people who worked with their hands and maybe had terrible teeth and laughed too loudly, would they be welcome in our churches? Would Jesus, the butler of the world, feel comfortable in our highly refined and solemn congregations? If the answer is no, we have a big problem.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Philippians 3

I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. – Philippians 1:20

Today's Scripture Reading (May 26, 2024):  Philippians 1

I don't know. There are probably many people around who are overflowing with courage. I just don't happen to be one of them. I wish I could tell you that there are two paths that we can follow in life: one for the natural-born hero and one for the rest of us. But it just doesn't work that way.

Maybe the good news for most of us is that the Bible is not about a bunch of superheroes; It is about people like us who struggle to be courageous. If you don't believe me, look at the leading characters of the story the Bible tells. Adam and Eve hid, Abraham lied, Moses ran away, David deceived, Esther was uncertain, Elijah contemplated suicide, John the Baptist doubted, Peter denied, and Judas betrayed. And we are just getting started with the people whose stories are found within the pages of the Story of God.

If you want to find examples of courage, maybe pick up a comic book. There are many examples of courage there. Personally, I am a fan of Spiderman. The primary moral in the legend of Spiderman is that those with great power also have great responsibility. The words were spoken by Peter Parker's, aka Spiderman, uncle as he lay dying in Peter's arms. Later, as Spiderman chased down the one who had killed his uncle, he found out it was the same man who had robbed a box office earlier. Peter had decided not to stop him because it "really wasn't his problem or his job." Besides, he felt that the one being robbed had robbed him of what he deserved.

As he faced down the murderer in a warehouse, he realized his own villainy. If he had only done what he should have done earlier, his Uncle Ben would still be alive. The story sets the background for everything else that Spiderman would do. But that's just a silly comic book story.

However, as you read this, I want you to know that you are a person of great power. You hold the keys of heaven and hell in your hands. I hope you have used the keys for yourself, unlocked the door of heaven, and had your name written into the Book of Life. You see, the key is not in what you have done but in a decision that you have made. God requires us to repent, to turn around, and ask for forgiveness. The miracle of the Gospel is that if we do that, Jesus comes and lives in us. He changes us.

We don't have to get cleaned up, and we don't have to do the changing; we just have to be willing to let God work in us. Maybe it is more comfortable for us to think that we have earned our way in, that the life that we lead is what opens the door to heaven, but it's not. It is nothing more than me asking and accepting Jesus. You have that power.

But it also goes beyond that decision. The Bible tells us that with great power comes great responsibility. For the Christian believer, the responsibility is to share the power. A couple of decades ago, I met with a parent of one of the teens and one thing led to another until she stood up, exasperated, and said, "Am I my brother's keeper? That's in the Bible, you know." I think she was surprised when I told her that I knew it was in the Bible, and the answer was actually yes, I am my brother's keeper. That is the point of the story of Cain and Abel. Cain asked God that question regarding his brother Abel, and God responded in the affirmative.

There is an old song sung by "Casting Crowns" that asks a question a critical question in the chorus.

If we are the body

Why aren't His arms reaching

Why aren't His hands healing

Why aren't His words teaching

      If we are the body

      Why aren't His feet going

      Why is His love not showing them there is a way?

Why? Could it be because we are scared? So, Paul writes to the people at Philippi;

I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed (or maybe scared) but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death" (Philippians 1:20).

We sometimes talk about the power of God coming on us, but it could just as easily be the courage of God that needs to be given to us. We are called to be a people marked by God's courage, people with the power to change lives.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Philippians 2

Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. – Ephesians 6:11

Today's Scripture Reading (May 25, 2024):  Ephesians 6

I was listening to Rob Bell some years ago, and he started talking about the opposition that had formed against him. It was around this time that Bell had been highly criticized for his book “Love Wins.” It wasn’t the first time that Rob had been under attack. Sometimes, he seems to bring angry Christians out of the woodwork. Bell started to tell a story about being asked to come and preach in another country. He accepted the invitation, and when the time came, he took his family with him, making the occasion a bit of a vacation. As Rob tells the story, he arrives in the city, and his wife decides to grab some food at a local grocery store. So, Mom and daughter head for the store. At the store, they found a bunch of Christian flyers because we know that the kingdom of God marches forward with its use of brochures and pamphlets. But these were unique Christian Flyers. They were anti-Rob Bell Flyers. Come and get your milk and bread, and as a bonus, read ten reasons why Rob Bell should never have come to our city. Can you imagine how this mother and daughter felt?

I don’t get it. In fact, I think it makes us look ridiculous. Let me admit something to you. I don’t like John Piper’s theology. I was required to read a book written by Piper back in seminary, and after we read the book, there was a class discussion about what Piper had written. I want you to know that I remained quiet during the conversation. At least, I did until somebody asked me a direct question. My response was, “I just don’t get John Piper. I don’t understand him, at least not emotionally, and I don’t understand what he is saying. It is like he is reading a different Bible from the one that I read.” I don’t like John Piper’s theology, but I can’t imagine protesting him. Maybe if I were a genuine Christian, I would carry anti-John Piper pamphlets wherever I went.

Is this just something we do, or is there something else involved here that is beyond us? Do we gossip because we are evil, or is there another cause of our unhealthy conversations? One of the hardest things for us to sometimes come to grips with is that Satan opposes us whenever we are about the business of God. He opposes us when we love our neighbors or try to help someone in need. And sometimes, we fall into familiar patterns because a force we don’t understand leads us there.

In his book “Setting Your Church Free," Neil Anderson talks about how churches react similarly to leadership over generations. Even when none of the same people remain in the church, the church continues to respond similarly to the events taking place in their midst. For Anderson, the only explanation is that there is something at work that we just simply don’t understand.

Part of the suffering that we experience is opposition to the Gospel and to what God wants to do in this world. There is truth to the idea that there is a power we don’t understand that opposes us when we want to do good. Our struggle is not against flesh and blood; the conflict is not between you and your neighbor or you and that person with whom you are not getting along. Your conflict is against something else.

And the first line of defense is that we recognize that opposition. We don’t need to see Satan hiding under every rock but acknowledge that there is opposition to the Gospel, which is why we need the full armor of God to protect us against the devil’s various schemes.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Philippians 1

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. – Ephesians 5:25

Today's Scripture Reading (May 24, 2024):  Ephesians 5

As a kid, I loved to watch a show called "All in the Family" about a man named Archie and his family and friends. Archie was a bigot. A lot of what "All in the Family" did was try to shock us. It wasn't just trying to shock us for shocking sake, but to shock us so we could see some of our societal problems, possibly for the first time. Even the language that the show used was rough for the day. The various races were called by offensive names. Characters were called names like Dingbat and Meathead, and Archie consistently used the phrase "Yous people" to address the minorities he met and those with whom he disagreed in his daily life. The show screamed I need you to hear this because this is so wrong.

The Bible often does the same thing; we miss it because we live in a very different culture. So, let me take you back to the day Paul wrote his letter to the Ephesian Church. It is a very male day. We aren't required to agree with that; we need to understand it. We need to be aware of this reality when we read stories within the Bible's pages. One such story is about the day Jesus taught on a hillside. It was a common place to teach because the sound would have been amplified, and a hillside provided excellent sight lines for the people to see the Rabbi. Jesus and his disciples (all male) began to teach, and the people kept on coming. It comes to the end of the day, and the people are hungry. You know the story. A young boy comes up with his lunch, but what good is that? Jesus takes and blesses it, and then the disciples begin to hand out the food. The Bible estimates that about five thousand men were present to hear Jesus. Scholars say the actual number of people was probably between ten and fifteen thousand because the women and children were not counted. Here is the shock value that we sometimes miss in the story; imagine this: the original lunch that Jesus blessed was made by a woman and possessed and donated by a child in a culture where neither would have even been counted as part of the crowd.

Paul tells the Ephesian church to submit to each other. And this is what this looks like. Women should submit to their husbands because they are the head of the house. The original readers would have read this and understood this was a fundamental life practice in a male-dominated society. It is the way things have always been. We read these words with a Western mindset and are offended, but they were written to a Near Eastern audience who lived almost two thousand years ago when Paul's statement would have been accepted as a typical feature of life. It is still that way in some places, and in the West, we struggle with their beliefs and actions.

But Paul didn't stop there because we are to submit to each other in the Christian community. So, he goes on. Husbands love your wives as Christ loved the church; remember that he gave his life and died for the church. Love your wife as you love your own body.

Now, this was new and more than a little shocking. Women were property. What do you mean love her as I love my own body? Do you mean to imply that she is as important as I am?

And Paul would probably say, I'm not implying it; I am telling you straight out. Being willing to die for her sounds an awful lot like submission. Paul's response? I told you, submit to each other.

By the way, "All in the Family" taught the same principle. It was in Edith every time she would rather take from Archie than hurt him. If it were important enough, she would stand against him, but she didn't want to cause him injury. Nobody can deny that, through the gruff exterior, Archie loved Edith. However, like so many men, he had a hard time expressing that love.

Submit to each other. Love each other. Make it more than words, more than a card and some flowers once in a while. Love her, make her more important than yourself. Maybe there is something that Edith can teach us. Want more for her or him than you do for yourself, even if that isn't returned. That is what submission looks like.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ephesians 6

 

 

So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers. – Ephesians 4:11

Today's Scripture Reading (May 23, 2024):  Ephesians 4

Many gifts are listed in the Bible, but Paul concentrates on five here. The five gifts Paul stresses here are the Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Preacher (Pastor), and Teacher. As I look at these gifts, I see a difference that is not necessarily laid out in the passage. The first three gifts are gifts of the church turned outwards, and the last two are those of the church turned inward. Both kinds of gifts are essential to the health of the Christian Church.

An Apostle is a person gifted to plant ministries to help reach the lost. These visionary people seem to see different ways of spreading the gospel. Like Paul, who continually planted churches, this person appears gifted within the church to plant outwardly focused ministries. They may or may not have the gifts to grow the ministry, but they are forever pushing the boundaries of what the church can do. An Apostle thinks in different areas than most of us.

The Prophet can see God in culture. They see how God interacts with our secular environment and beliefs. In Bible times, they often spoke with the assurance of "thus sayeth the Lord." They speak for God in the midst of our prevailing culture. Prophets can usually see the situation better than some of the rest of us and can speak to it. In the Hebrew Bible, the Prophet made people uncomfortable. King Ahab called Elijah the "troubler of Israel" because of his words. I don't think times have changed much. Prophets are still "troublers," often of the church. We sometimes think of the Prophet as one who foretells the future, but the more significant part of the Prophet's responsibility is to forth tell, to make the connection between God and Culture.

Next, we have the Evangelist. I believe that there are two kinds of evangelists in the world. One has a way of describing the things of God so that people can understand God and come to him. Some people seem to do this so easily. But there is a second kind of Evangelist. This Evangelist finds it easy to bring people into a place where they can be confronted with God's truth. Both types of evangelists are essential to the church as we become the center for change that God has intended us to be because that emerging change is of God.

The Pastor is the caring section of the church. It is one of the internal functions of the church. There are people whom God has given the gift of just caring for people and listening to their problems and their dreams. Pastors make people feel special. Pastors are often the healers of the congregation, and most are frequently seen in the roles of counselors, social workers, and nurses. 

Teachers love to explain the truth in a way that their audience can understand. They like to make the truth apparent and become excited about getting into the details of a passage. I have benefited from some great teachers over the years. None of these gifts are optional for the church.

And at various times, I feel that God has given me gifts in four of these areas. However, the trick is always the community and understanding that we need to exercise these gifts one at a time. I love how Michael Breen phrases it in his book "A Passionate Life." Mike says this;

It is easy to fall into the trap of feeling as though you need to excel in all five ministries all the time. But this leads to burnout and a failure to focus properly on your base ministry. Worse still, you will not be making room for others around you to explore their base ministries (Michael Breen, A Passionate Life).

One at a time keeps us fresh and makes room for others. And in this way, we build the church, the Body of Christ.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ephesians 5

His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms. – Ephesians 3:10

Today's Scripture Reading (May 22, 2024):  Ephesians 3

I grew up in a car family, so I know what a manifold is. Actually, there are two in a car (at least as I understand it; I grew up in a car family, but that doesn't mean I know anything about cars). A manifold, by my most common understanding, is the apparatus that receives exhaust gasses that are the output of many cylinders in an internal combustion engine. But it is also a fitting that directs the fuel to air mixture that enters the engine. There is a manifold on both ends of the internal combustion engine process. (And, yes, I am sure my Dad will correct me.)

What I can't figure out is what a manifold has to do with the wisdom of God. I think that, in context, I have always interpreted the word to mean something like great, but that is not true. It means varied, or literally "many-colored." So, let me reread this passage.

His intent was that now, through the church, the many-colored wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord (Ephesians 3:10-11).

God's many-colored wisdom. Paul often argues that the plan was for the mystery to be revealed. What was the mystery? That God was about to bring the barriers down, even the biggest of them, the one that existed between Jews and Gentiles. Our problem is that the Jew-Gentile barrier isn't significant for us, which sometimes leads us to believe that we have accomplished Paul's mystery. But God still wants to pull down barriers, the big ones for us, and not just the big ones for the Ephesians, and in the process, we will see God's many-colored wisdom revealed in a diverse and many-colored church. Wherever we find barriers between us and others, God wants us to be the ones who pull them down. His church, when it is working at its best, is varied, a mosaic or a tapestry; it is many-colored. And that is a mystery, even for us.

And I know this will sound bad, but we often leave barriers up because they are related to sins. We forget that in Paul's day, being a Gentile was a sin. For a Gentile to leave that sin, they had to become Jews; they had to follow the food laws, get circumcised, and follow the rest of the Laws of Moses. Jews didn't associate with Gentiles because the Bible said that association was not right. What Paul was preaching seemed to go against the Law of Moses. And that is hard for even us to understand. Yet, God still wants us to pull down the barriers, making us a many-colored church.

Maybe another biblical example of this kind of change would help us. Deuteronomy argues that "No one who has been emasculated by crushing or cutting may enter the assembly of the Lord" (Deuteronomy 23:1). The idea is that God has instructed us to be fruitful and multiply. Still, a castrated man cannot do that. He has disregarded the greatest gift and the first command that God gave to the human race; therefore, if you are castrated, you cannot enter the Temple or the Church. Ushers will check you as you enter the church next Sunday (just kidding).

It seems simple, right? Let me add a passage from Isaiah to this situation.

For this is what the Lord says:

To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths,
who choose what pleases me
    and hold fast to my covenant—
to them I will give within my temple and its walls
    a memorial and a name
    better than sons and daughters;
I will give them an everlasting name
    that will endure forever.

                                                            Isaiah 56:4-5

Emasculation is still wrong but softened. Isaiah isn't as harsh. There is a special memorial that is better than the sons and daughters that you didn't have because you were cut or crushed. Between Deuteronomy and Isaiah, something has changed. The barrier wasn't entirely down, but it was lowered.

And then Philip meets the Ethiopian eunuch. The eunuch asks some questions, to which Philip gives the answers.

The eunuch asked Philip, "Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?" ³⁵ Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.

As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, "Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?" 

                                                            Acts 8:34-36

I know the answer to the question. Because Deuteronomy 23 says that no one who has been cut or crushed can enter into the assembly of the Lord. You are a eunuch; that is all we need to know to exclude you.

But that isn't what happens.

And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. ³⁹ When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. 

                                                            Acts 8:38-39

This is the manifold mystery, the many-colored wisdom of God.  Barriers that we never thought could be dropped are gone in the light of God's many-colored wisdom.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ephesians 4 

Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God's people and also members of his household. – Ephesians 2:19

Today's Scripture Reading (May 21, 2024):  Ephesians 2

I love a story that Tim Green tells in his book about discipleship, "So, What Now." In the book, he tells the story of Adam, who visits a Nativity Scene at a local amusement park. He had visited the park a year earlier. Then, his dad called him and his sister up, wondering if they would be willing to go to the nativity scene for a "family night out." They had driven together to the amusement park. But when they arrived at the gates, they discovered that the admission price to enter the park and view the nativity scene was fifteen dollars.  He remembers the family being shocked at the price. They had a quick family meeting and decided that since they had made the trip all the way out to the park, they might as well see what all the fuss was about. As they went through the gate, Adam muttered to himself that this had better be good.  There were a lot of things that he could have done with his fifteen dollars.

To top it all off, as soon as they got inside the park, Adam noticed all the good rides were closed.  The only rides that seemed to be running were the little kid's rides and an antique Merry-Go-Round.

After grabbing some Hot Chocolate, the family followed the arrows that guided them to the World's Largest Nativity Scene.  They ended up at the park's mammoth performance hall.  Moving through the massive glass doors, Adam heard "The Hallelujah Chorus" playing inside the auditorium.  As they walked into the auditorium, the sight was overwhelming!  A larger-than-life Nativity Scene of plaster figurines was spread across the auditorium's massive stage.  Every member of the Christmas cast was present.  Mary and Joseph occupied center stage with Baby Jesus tucked in between them.  On the far-right stage were at least a half dozen shepherds with a couple dozen sheep.  On the opposite side of the stage were the wise men bearing their gifts.  Donkeys, cows, and camels were scattered throughout the stage area. Hanging from the ceiling were the most beautiful angels they had ever seen, with their wings extended and trumpets being held to their mouths

For a couple of minutes, the whole family just stared in amazement.  Even Adam was speechless!  A brief silence followed "The Hallelujah Chorus."  Then the same song started right back up again.  Adam looked over at his Mom, and she shrugged her shoulders. It was Adam's Dad that broke the silence. "So, do you think that's all there is?" After a few minutes, the family left the performance hall.

As they left, Adam's sister exclaimed, "I can't believe it!  It was so beautiful, but fifteen dollars to stand in front of a Nativity Scene for five minutes and look at a bunch of statues from a distance is kind of drastic. Adam had more precise words for the experience, "It wasn't drastic. It was a rip-off." The family agreed that this was the last time they would visit this attraction.

Now, only a year had passed and Adam found himself getting dressed to go right back again.  He had heard this year they had added a skating rink, and one of his friends had some two-for-one coupons, but Adam couldn't believe that he was returning to that tourist trap for the privilege of being ripped off for the second time.

As Adam and his friends entered the park, Adam decided to lead the way to the performance hall so that they could get the viewing over with and proceed to do more important things, like skating. As he entered the auditorium, he couldn't believe how much things had changed in the past year. The stage that had held the nativity scene the year before was now solid ice.  At least a couple of hundred people were down there skating.  The nativity scene was nowhere to be seen.  Although he really wanted to get down to the ice and start skating, he decided before he did, he would join his small group of friends in search of the missing Nativity Scene.

After checking out a couple of smaller auditoriums in the park, Adam and his friends stumbled onto the most fantastic sight right in the middle of the park. The characters of the Nativity were still the same, but where they stood made all the difference.  The Characters had been moved outside into the center of the park. There were no seats for the spectators. There was no stage for the figures.  The metal bar that had separated the display from the people a year ago was gone.  Adam and his friends were able to walk up to each one of the characters.  They entered right into the middle of the Nativity scene as if they were characters themselves.  First, Adam went and stood beside Mary.  Looking into Baby Jesus's face from her perspective was awesome.  Next, Adam stood beside the shepherds and felt like he was one of them.  As he crossed over to see the wise men, he walked under several angels. It was amazing what a change in perspective could do.  Last year, he stood on the balcony as a spectator.  This year, he felt like he had become a participant in the story.

Paul's message to the Ephesians is that there was a time when they were foreigners. Then, they had been outsiders watching the action from the balcony. But God had made them fellow citizens with the people of Israel. He had taken them, and us, from the balcony to the stage. We were placed at the center of the action instead of being on the outside looking in.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ephesians 3

In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will. - Ephesians 1:11

Today's Scripture Reading (May 20, 2024):  Ephesians 1

I remember the art of picking teams in grade school for some sports contest. I was one of the lucky ones. I was seldom chosen first, but I was also usually not picked last. I was picked somewhere in the middle of the pack, and I was okay with that position on the field. The worst moment for some kids came at the end of the process. At this point, someone often said something like, "I don't want them; you can have them." Sometimes, these players could be a surprise. I remember one pick-up football game (not soccer) where a girl was picked last, and she deserved her position for most of the game. She wouldn't do anything; she just stood there. Finally, the other team decided simply to ignore her. I wanted to get her involved in the game. So, I told her to stand beside me, and when the players ran out to run their routes, I was going to pass the ball to her, and I just wanted her to run downfield as far as she could until someone touched her. The first part of the plan went perfectly; all of the players on both sides ran away from us, and I tossed the ball to this girl, who had some empty space through which she could run. That is when the surprise came. This girl could run. She made her way down the field, juking one way and then the other, and no one on the other team could touch her. She ran the length of the field, scoring a touchdown,  leaving me asking why she hadn't shown some of that potential earlier in the game.

Paul tells the Ephesians that they were chosen. Not only were they selected, but they were also predestined according to His plan. God has a purpose for them. There was something that they were called to do. 

We often misunderstand what predestination means. For some, it means that we are determined to be either Christians or sinners by God's choice before we were born or even before we were conceived. But that doesn't make any sense. In the opening of his gospel, John says, "There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe" (John 1:6-7). That doesn't sound like somehow God has worked out which of us are going to heaven and who is destined for hell.

Others think that God knows which of us will accept his offer of life and who will refuse the offer, and while that may be true, I don't find that much better than destining some for heaven and others for hell. I see God here telling us that each of us is predestined according to his plan for a job that only we can do. I believe that God keeps pouring out his blessing at every stage and in all the circumstances of our lives as he continues to supply us with his predestined purpose, all of this according to his plan.

We can also stop the blessing as we continue through our lives. I think this happens more often than we realize. Whether it is a lack of faith, a lack of trust, or whether we just have a predetermined way of how God will respond in certain situations and refuse to adjust to his will in our lives, we put a stop to the blessing of God. For whatever reason, we shut ourselves off from the blessings of God while we keep doing the work we think he is asking of us. Our attitude is that we can do this in our power. And it doesn't take long for our tanks to drain.

The result is we burn out. We are still doing the work, but our passion is gone. We complain that our spiritual lives are like empty dry husks. We feel overwhelmed. We must be reminded that God has chosen us for a purpose at every stage of our life. But we also depend on his blessing to do the job he has called us to do. 

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ephesians 2

Personal Note: Happy Birthday to my wonderful daughter-in-law, Michelle. I hope you have a great day!

He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance! – Acts 28:31

Today's Scripture Reading (May 19, 2024):  Acts 28

Have you ever wanted to play an instrument? The desire to play alone will never make you a musician. You must pick up the instrument and play it at some point. As a child, I kept on changing instruments. My first instrument was the piano. I spent a few years playing it but never had a passion for the eighty-eights (a piano has eighty-eight keys). A few years later, I switched to the guitar. I loved to play the guitar, but during my teen years, I was in a band in school with four guitarists and no one to play the bass. I remember the day the teacher asked if anyone wanted to switch to bass. I thought, why not? I switched to playing the bass guitar.

For the next few years, I played bass. For a while, I played nothing. Please don't ask me to play piano; I can't. Oh, sometimes, on an afternoon when my wife isn't around, and I need to know what a song sounds like, I will sit down at a piano and plunk out the notes, but it isn't music. It seems I should be able to pick up the bass and play as I used to, but I can't. I play occasionally, but nothing comes out that is of the caliber as what I hear from our band's regular bassists. Today, I spend most of my instrumental time playing my guitar. If you want to learn the guitar or any other instrument, the best advice I can give you is never to put the instrument in its case unless you are carrying it somewhere. Leave it out where you will pick it up and play it as often as you can.

Every Gospel in the Bible ends with a rephrasing of the Great Commission, the command to go and make disciples. Too often, we make excuses about why we can't go; God hasn't gifted me in that way, or maybe I don't have time. However, the secret is never to put your Christianity away. As you go, tell the story and play the music of genuine Christianity. I love this summary of the Four Gospels versions of the Great Commission.

You can't keep the secret of the kingdom to yourselves. I am now sending you, as the Father sent me, to communicate the good news of the kingdom of God. Those who receive your message, form them into learning communities of practicing disciples so they learn to live according to my secret message, just as you are learning. You should not do this in your own power, but you must rely on the power of the Holy Spirit. And you shouldn't stop at the borders of your own culture, socio-economic status, race, language, or religion. Cross every border and boundary to share with all people everywhere the secret you've learned from me – the way, the truth, the life you've experienced walking with me.

The sad thing is that we often forget the story and lose the melody. People have to rise up and teach it to us once again. God repeatedly provides people like Paul, Martin Luther, John Wesley, C.S. Lewis, and Mother Teresa to bring us back and help us sing the melody of Jesus Christ one more time.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ephesians 1