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
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