Intro to Mark
The Gospel of Mark is probably the Gospel I'm least familiar with. I resonate very much with Matthew because of his emphasis on the Kingdom of Heaven. I love John for its advanced and deep theology. I'm sympathetic to Luke and his understanding that the Gospel is good news to the poor and oppressed. But I haven't spent nearly as much time in Mark as I have the other Gospels. I'm looking forward to a closer look at this gospel.
Mark is said to be a reflection of the teachings of the Apostle Peter. John Mark, who was a relative of Barnabas was also very close to Peter. Early church fathers seem to indicate that the Gospel of Mark was written in Rome in the late 50's or early 60's. It is also widely believed that Mark was the first of the Gospels written and that Matthew and Luke rely, to some degree on the book of Mark as a source for the stories and teachings of Jesus. (Remember that Matthew, Mark and Luke are called the "synoptic Gospels" because of their similarities in content).
The book of Mark is short and to the point. A unique characteristic of the book is the "Messianic Secret." We'll often see in Mark that when people realize who Jesus is, He warns them not to tell anyone, which at first seems strange. On reason may be that Jesus was very careful about the timing, not wanting to bring about his execution before He had accomplished what He wanted to accomplish.
Friday, June 25, 2010
NT Journey--James 5
The Healing Power of Connection
If you know me or have read any part of my blog over the past 6 months, you'll know that I'm convinced that spiritual growth is relational. When the religious leaders asked Jesus what was most important, He simply said, "Love God and love others." Love is a relational term.
In the book of James, we've seen that the problems we have in our behavior and life in general can be fixed by "drawing near to God." Chapter 5 is no different. In fact, James even takes it a step further. Not only does he say we should draw near to God, but that we should also draw near to each other. I want to focus on verses 13-20.
Verse 13 is essentially another way of saying "go to God." If you're in trouble, go to God in prayer. If you're happy, sing songs to God that thank Him for His goodness. If you're sick, pray with the elders of the church. The first two things we might expect the Bible to say. It seems natural for us to think the answer to our problems are to pray. And it may even be natural for us to give praise to God when things are going well. But we often don't think to go to other people in those circumstances. After all, our spiritual life is our own right? It's just between me and God, right? Wrong.
As we read this section, it becomes very clear to us that other believers play a very important part in our spiritual life. If we're sick, James doesn't instruct us to just pray, but to pray together with the elders of the church. I've seen it time and again that when people get into trouble, their tendency is to only go to God, but not to other believers. When we are sick or have relationship problems or sin in our lives, our natural tendency is not to go to other people, but to isolate from them. I can't tell you how many times couples who are having marital problems, disappear from the church. Most often, people disappear when sin is involved.
Since causes a great deal of shame. We think that because we're in the church we shouldn't sin. Well, we shouldn't sin, but sometimes we do. But when we run from each other we only compound the problem. Sin is separation--from God and from other people. So when we try to hide our sin from people, sin gets its way. So in the middle of this passage we read, "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."
Now I don't know what kind of healing James is talking about here. Is it physical healing? Might be. Is it relational, emotional, or spiritual healing? Possibly. Probably all of the above. But the key is that we find healing from all these things when we don't run from God and other, but when we run toward God and others. Confession leads to healing. It's counter-intuitive, but it's true.
So why don't we do it? Why would we rather run away? In a word; shame. We all make a living projecting a certain image for other people. In fact, it's quite possible that Christians do this more than anyone. But when we do that, when we cover up our faults and fail to engage in appropriate confession, we rob ourselves of the opportunity to be healed and forgiven.
My encouragement to you out of this passage is to find someone with whom you can be completely honest. Find someone who you can trust with your deepest desires and hidden sin. Confess to each other and pray for each other. It's really the only way to find true healing. You might think that you're the only one who has the problems and sins you have. But what you'll find is that you're not alone. You're not strange. You're perfectly normal.
On the other side, be someone who can bring healing and forgiveness to others. Don't allow yourself to become so busy with your own agenda that you don't have time to invest in others. Understand and embrace the power you have to offer forgiveness and healing to others through God and use it liberally. I think when you do, you'll find that you will also receive healing and forgiveness in the process.
If you know me or have read any part of my blog over the past 6 months, you'll know that I'm convinced that spiritual growth is relational. When the religious leaders asked Jesus what was most important, He simply said, "Love God and love others." Love is a relational term.
In the book of James, we've seen that the problems we have in our behavior and life in general can be fixed by "drawing near to God." Chapter 5 is no different. In fact, James even takes it a step further. Not only does he say we should draw near to God, but that we should also draw near to each other. I want to focus on verses 13-20.
Verse 13 is essentially another way of saying "go to God." If you're in trouble, go to God in prayer. If you're happy, sing songs to God that thank Him for His goodness. If you're sick, pray with the elders of the church. The first two things we might expect the Bible to say. It seems natural for us to think the answer to our problems are to pray. And it may even be natural for us to give praise to God when things are going well. But we often don't think to go to other people in those circumstances. After all, our spiritual life is our own right? It's just between me and God, right? Wrong.
As we read this section, it becomes very clear to us that other believers play a very important part in our spiritual life. If we're sick, James doesn't instruct us to just pray, but to pray together with the elders of the church. I've seen it time and again that when people get into trouble, their tendency is to only go to God, but not to other believers. When we are sick or have relationship problems or sin in our lives, our natural tendency is not to go to other people, but to isolate from them. I can't tell you how many times couples who are having marital problems, disappear from the church. Most often, people disappear when sin is involved.
Since causes a great deal of shame. We think that because we're in the church we shouldn't sin. Well, we shouldn't sin, but sometimes we do. But when we run from each other we only compound the problem. Sin is separation--from God and from other people. So when we try to hide our sin from people, sin gets its way. So in the middle of this passage we read, "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."
Now I don't know what kind of healing James is talking about here. Is it physical healing? Might be. Is it relational, emotional, or spiritual healing? Possibly. Probably all of the above. But the key is that we find healing from all these things when we don't run from God and other, but when we run toward God and others. Confession leads to healing. It's counter-intuitive, but it's true.
So why don't we do it? Why would we rather run away? In a word; shame. We all make a living projecting a certain image for other people. In fact, it's quite possible that Christians do this more than anyone. But when we do that, when we cover up our faults and fail to engage in appropriate confession, we rob ourselves of the opportunity to be healed and forgiven.
My encouragement to you out of this passage is to find someone with whom you can be completely honest. Find someone who you can trust with your deepest desires and hidden sin. Confess to each other and pray for each other. It's really the only way to find true healing. You might think that you're the only one who has the problems and sins you have. But what you'll find is that you're not alone. You're not strange. You're perfectly normal.
On the other side, be someone who can bring healing and forgiveness to others. Don't allow yourself to become so busy with your own agenda that you don't have time to invest in others. Understand and embrace the power you have to offer forgiveness and healing to others through God and use it liberally. I think when you do, you'll find that you will also receive healing and forgiveness in the process.
NT Journey--James 4
Seeing the Connection
When we read scripture, it's very important to keep context in mind. Remember that the original writer didn't include chapters and verses when he wrote his book. So as helpful as the chapter and verses are, sometimes they can cause us to break up a thought when it shouldn't be broken up. Then we think that James is moving from one topic to another and we don't necessarily see the connection between two verses in different chapter. James 4 is a good example of this.
The editors of the NIV translation put the title, "Submit Yourselves to God" at the beginning of chapter four. I think that's certainly an appropriate title for chapter four, but the bad thing about it is that we are then tempted to think the James wrote about taming the tongue in chapter 3 and moved on to a completely different topic in chapter 4. But chapter 4 is actually a continuation of the thought in chapter 3.
Remember that chapter 3 doesn't encourage us to tame our tongue, but instead encourages us to tame our hearts. We shouldn't focus on fixing our actions, we should focus on developing our inner life. When we do that, our tongue and our actions will follow. With that in mind, chapter 4 tells us how and even gives us a good example.
James starts by referring to the fights the people are having. He's essentially saying that the reason people fight so much is because their inner life--their heart--desires selfish things. When your heart must have something, you become myopic in trying to get it. You don't think of the needs of others, you only think of your own needs. The solution is not to stop wanting things, the solution is to go to God.
I think the whole key to the book of James is in verse 7 to 10.
I think the section on slander (verses 11-12) is worthy of note as well. When we slander someone, we judge them. When we judge people, we put ourselves in the position of the Lawgiver. When we put ourselves in the position of Lawgiver, we are essentially putting ourselves in the position of God--hardly submitting to God. Such pride is opposed to submission to God. But when we put ourselves in our rightful place and put God and others in theirs--ahead of ourselves, everything comes in line and life and relationships are more peaceful and holy.
When we read scripture, it's very important to keep context in mind. Remember that the original writer didn't include chapters and verses when he wrote his book. So as helpful as the chapter and verses are, sometimes they can cause us to break up a thought when it shouldn't be broken up. Then we think that James is moving from one topic to another and we don't necessarily see the connection between two verses in different chapter. James 4 is a good example of this.
The editors of the NIV translation put the title, "Submit Yourselves to God" at the beginning of chapter four. I think that's certainly an appropriate title for chapter four, but the bad thing about it is that we are then tempted to think the James wrote about taming the tongue in chapter 3 and moved on to a completely different topic in chapter 4. But chapter 4 is actually a continuation of the thought in chapter 3.
Remember that chapter 3 doesn't encourage us to tame our tongue, but instead encourages us to tame our hearts. We shouldn't focus on fixing our actions, we should focus on developing our inner life. When we do that, our tongue and our actions will follow. With that in mind, chapter 4 tells us how and even gives us a good example.
James starts by referring to the fights the people are having. He's essentially saying that the reason people fight so much is because their inner life--their heart--desires selfish things. When your heart must have something, you become myopic in trying to get it. You don't think of the needs of others, you only think of your own needs. The solution is not to stop wanting things, the solution is to go to God.
I think the whole key to the book of James is in verse 7 to 10.
7Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.Submit to God. Come near to God. Resist the temptation of the devil to give in to the things of the world. Get rid of "double-mindedness" and seek purity of heart. All of the trials and broken relationships in life are the result of worldly desires in our hearts. But if we draw near to God and have our heart set on the things God desires, our actions, our words, and our relationships will all come into their proper place.
I think the section on slander (verses 11-12) is worthy of note as well. When we slander someone, we judge them. When we judge people, we put ourselves in the position of the Lawgiver. When we put ourselves in the position of Lawgiver, we are essentially putting ourselves in the position of God--hardly submitting to God. Such pride is opposed to submission to God. But when we put ourselves in our rightful place and put God and others in theirs--ahead of ourselves, everything comes in line and life and relationships are more peaceful and holy.
NT Journey--James 3
The Problem of the Tongue
I think James 3 is a very misunderstood chapter. When we read it at a surface level, we often come away thinking that the message of James 3 is that we should tame our tongue. However, in verse 8, James writes, "but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison." Why would James be telling us to tame our tongue when even he admits it's impossible? So if this isn't the message of James 3, what is?
The answer lies in his analogy of the springs. Our words are like the water that comes from a flowing spring. Whatever kind of water is in the spring is what comes out. If the source of the spring is salt water, salt water will flow. If the source of the spring is fresh water, fresh water will flow.
In the same way, the words that come out of our mouth are a natural outflow of what's in our hearts. It's impossible to "tame the tongue." What is possible is to tame our hearts. If your heart is full of bitterness, hatred, envy, and pride that's what will come out of your mouth. If your heart is full of love and encouragement and compassion, loving words will flow from your mouth.
So the key is to work on your heart. If your heart is duplicitous (nice word, huh?) then you'll sometimes say encouraging things and other times gossip. If your heart is pure (meaning that it wills only one thing) then your words will always be full of grace. Instead of the problem, your tongue is an indicator of your inner life. Get your inner life in order and your tongue will naturally follow.
This is why James moves on to talk about wisdom. In verses 13 to 18, James expands to other things that indicate what's in your heart. If in the first 12 verses, James says your tongue reflects what's in your heart, he expands that idea by essentially saying that your actions also reflect what's in your heart. He says that if you think you're wise, prove it by what you do.
The central message of James 3 is that it's essential to get your inner life straight. When that happens all the actions and words will follow. So the solution to continually sticking your foot in your mouth is not to try harder to hold your tongue, but to draw closer to God. When your heart reflects God's heart, your actions will reflect Jesus' actions.
I think James 3 is a very misunderstood chapter. When we read it at a surface level, we often come away thinking that the message of James 3 is that we should tame our tongue. However, in verse 8, James writes, "but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison." Why would James be telling us to tame our tongue when even he admits it's impossible? So if this isn't the message of James 3, what is?
The answer lies in his analogy of the springs. Our words are like the water that comes from a flowing spring. Whatever kind of water is in the spring is what comes out. If the source of the spring is salt water, salt water will flow. If the source of the spring is fresh water, fresh water will flow.
In the same way, the words that come out of our mouth are a natural outflow of what's in our hearts. It's impossible to "tame the tongue." What is possible is to tame our hearts. If your heart is full of bitterness, hatred, envy, and pride that's what will come out of your mouth. If your heart is full of love and encouragement and compassion, loving words will flow from your mouth.
So the key is to work on your heart. If your heart is duplicitous (nice word, huh?) then you'll sometimes say encouraging things and other times gossip. If your heart is pure (meaning that it wills only one thing) then your words will always be full of grace. Instead of the problem, your tongue is an indicator of your inner life. Get your inner life in order and your tongue will naturally follow.
This is why James moves on to talk about wisdom. In verses 13 to 18, James expands to other things that indicate what's in your heart. If in the first 12 verses, James says your tongue reflects what's in your heart, he expands that idea by essentially saying that your actions also reflect what's in your heart. He says that if you think you're wise, prove it by what you do.
The central message of James 3 is that it's essential to get your inner life straight. When that happens all the actions and words will follow. So the solution to continually sticking your foot in your mouth is not to try harder to hold your tongue, but to draw closer to God. When your heart reflects God's heart, your actions will reflect Jesus' actions.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
NT Journey--James 2
Mercy MIA
"wash and make yourselves clean.
Take your evil deeds
out of my sight!
Stop doing wrong,
learn to do right!
Seek justice,
encourage the oppressed.
Defend the cause of the fatherless,
plead the case of the widow." (Isaiah 1:16-17)
"But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' [ Hosea 6:6] For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." (Matthew 9:13)
"Let the children come to me, for the Kingdom belongs to such as these." (Matthew 19:14)
""Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former." (Matthew 23:23)
In life, some people are in power and others are not. That's just the fact of life. And sometimes people who are in power exploit people who are not. Rich get richer at the cost of the poor. The haves prey on the "have-nots." Of course, any believer should know enough that this is not proper conduct for a believer. A believer should never use his power for personal gain. But when we look at scripture and our passage today, we see that the Bible takes it even further. Not only are we to not exploit people in a less fortunate position, but whatever position we're in, we shouldn't even show favoritism toward people of higher stature.
Why is that? What's the big deal? We make judgment calls every day on the basis of small things. We give preference to good-looking people, smart people, more athletic people. The people on the top of the heap continually benefit from being on the top of the heap. So why should we care?
In a word: mercy. God is a God of mercy. What is mercy? The dictionary defines mercy as "compassionate or kindly forbearance shown toward an offender, an enemy, or other person in one's power." According to the definition of the word, you cannot show mercy to someone who has power over you. Why? Because if you do something kind for someone who has power, you might do it to receive something in return. Why are we so quick to befriend rich people? Because they might pay for our dinner. Why do we want to be around good-looking people? Because they will enhance our reputation.
When we favor people with money, power, or good-looks we have the temptation to benefit from them and ultimately we're not thinking about the other person, we're thinking only of ourselves. But mercy is showing kindness to people we cannot benefit from; people who we cannot see will ever be able to repay us. We have a God of mercy. What could He benefit from forgiving us?
Many churches are afraid of their reputation. They worry a lot about what other people will think. That's why even though we will often say everyone is welcome, we won't make "lowly" people feel very welcome. We want to have a good reputation in the community and if we become known as the church that has poor people, or homeless people, or people with mental problems, we'll lose our appearance of respectability. We want to look religious, but according the James we aren't truly religious if we try to gain from the money or power or looks of people who walk through our doors.
And James says we should work this out practically. Not only should we not welcome rich people and more (or less) warmly than poor people, but we should be active in being merciful toward people in need. If we only say nice things to them, but never try to meet their material and physical needs, what good is faith really?
At the end of this chapter, James uses the example of Rahab the prostitute. When Rahab found the Israelite spies, she had power over them. She could have ratted them out and handed them over to the king of Jericho. But instead, Rahab had mercy on the spies, hid them and gave them a way of escape. Now think about this; despite the fact that this woman made her living through sin, God declared her righteous because she showed mercy to the spies. Though Rahab deserved judgment for her life, the fact that she showed mercy to the spies, trumped God's judgment and she was declared righteous.
Think about that for a moment. In our circles, very seldom would we ever say that someone living a sinful lifestyle like a prostitute would be righteous just because they showed mercy to someone. Look also at the parable of the Good Samaritan. The Samaritan worshiped in a half-true religion, yet was seen as the righteous hero over the priest and the Levite who did everything right in their religious ritual, yet did nothing to care for people who were in need.
In the short passage above from Matthew 23, Jesus chastises the Pharisees for thinking that their religious purity was more important than "the more important matters of the law."
This is not to say that our personal purity isn't important--it most certainly is. But how often do we read Scripture and miss the emphasis it places our care and concern for powerless people.? Mercy is very much a part of what it means to follow Jesus so don't let your mercy be MIA.
"wash and make yourselves clean.
Take your evil deeds
out of my sight!
Stop doing wrong,
learn to do right!
Seek justice,
encourage the oppressed.
Defend the cause of the fatherless,
plead the case of the widow." (Isaiah 1:16-17)
"But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' [ Hosea 6:6] For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." (Matthew 9:13)
"Let the children come to me, for the Kingdom belongs to such as these." (Matthew 19:14)
""Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former." (Matthew 23:23)
In life, some people are in power and others are not. That's just the fact of life. And sometimes people who are in power exploit people who are not. Rich get richer at the cost of the poor. The haves prey on the "have-nots." Of course, any believer should know enough that this is not proper conduct for a believer. A believer should never use his power for personal gain. But when we look at scripture and our passage today, we see that the Bible takes it even further. Not only are we to not exploit people in a less fortunate position, but whatever position we're in, we shouldn't even show favoritism toward people of higher stature.
Why is that? What's the big deal? We make judgment calls every day on the basis of small things. We give preference to good-looking people, smart people, more athletic people. The people on the top of the heap continually benefit from being on the top of the heap. So why should we care?
In a word: mercy. God is a God of mercy. What is mercy? The dictionary defines mercy as "compassionate or kindly forbearance shown toward an offender, an enemy, or other person in one's power." According to the definition of the word, you cannot show mercy to someone who has power over you. Why? Because if you do something kind for someone who has power, you might do it to receive something in return. Why are we so quick to befriend rich people? Because they might pay for our dinner. Why do we want to be around good-looking people? Because they will enhance our reputation.
When we favor people with money, power, or good-looks we have the temptation to benefit from them and ultimately we're not thinking about the other person, we're thinking only of ourselves. But mercy is showing kindness to people we cannot benefit from; people who we cannot see will ever be able to repay us. We have a God of mercy. What could He benefit from forgiving us?
Many churches are afraid of their reputation. They worry a lot about what other people will think. That's why even though we will often say everyone is welcome, we won't make "lowly" people feel very welcome. We want to have a good reputation in the community and if we become known as the church that has poor people, or homeless people, or people with mental problems, we'll lose our appearance of respectability. We want to look religious, but according the James we aren't truly religious if we try to gain from the money or power or looks of people who walk through our doors.
And James says we should work this out practically. Not only should we not welcome rich people and more (or less) warmly than poor people, but we should be active in being merciful toward people in need. If we only say nice things to them, but never try to meet their material and physical needs, what good is faith really?
At the end of this chapter, James uses the example of Rahab the prostitute. When Rahab found the Israelite spies, she had power over them. She could have ratted them out and handed them over to the king of Jericho. But instead, Rahab had mercy on the spies, hid them and gave them a way of escape. Now think about this; despite the fact that this woman made her living through sin, God declared her righteous because she showed mercy to the spies. Though Rahab deserved judgment for her life, the fact that she showed mercy to the spies, trumped God's judgment and she was declared righteous.
Think about that for a moment. In our circles, very seldom would we ever say that someone living a sinful lifestyle like a prostitute would be righteous just because they showed mercy to someone. Look also at the parable of the Good Samaritan. The Samaritan worshiped in a half-true religion, yet was seen as the righteous hero over the priest and the Levite who did everything right in their religious ritual, yet did nothing to care for people who were in need.
In the short passage above from Matthew 23, Jesus chastises the Pharisees for thinking that their religious purity was more important than "the more important matters of the law."
This is not to say that our personal purity isn't important--it most certainly is. But how often do we read Scripture and miss the emphasis it places our care and concern for powerless people.? Mercy is very much a part of what it means to follow Jesus so don't let your mercy be MIA.
NT Journey--James 1
Persevering to Do Good
As you can see, I'm desperately trying to catch up with my blogging today. Many of you know that my life has become crazy between moving and helping out with camp--it's been difficult to keep up. So today, I'm blasting you with many posts and hopefully I'll catch all the way up. I'm sure this isn't the first time it'll happen, so be patient with me! Now back to the journey....
James 1 is divided into two distinct sections, both of which are pure teaching "gold." In the New Testament journey, I have often just chosen one small section to focus on, but both sections in James 1 are so valuable, they both deserve mention.
Pain: An Opportunity to Grow
In our society, we don't like pain. Well, actually no one likes pain in any society, but our society makes it a centerpiece to avoid it at all costs and we do it pretty well. One thing that helps us avoid pain is options and we have millions of them. We can buy pain relieving pills, caplets, "liquigels", and patches. We can see a doctor or chiropractor at an time to relieve back or neck pain. If someone at work is being a pain, we can transfer to another department or just find another job. Really, only our society has so much ability to run from pain.
But the problem is that the Bible teaches us that pain is not just something to run from, it's something pay attention to. When we feel pain in our bodies, it's a sign that something is wrong. If all I do is ignore the pain or numb the pain, what's causing the pain will only get worse. For instance, if I ignore chest pain or if I drug myself so heavily I can't feel it, chances are I will experience a heart-attack. If every time I get into a painful spot in a relationship, I run or anesthetize it through drugs or alcohol, the relationship will not get better, it will get worse.
This is essential what James is saying in the first half of chapter one. He even says that we should be joyful that we experience pain and trials, because we are being presented an opportunity to grow. Now the trials of the people James was writing to was most likely persecution by the religious and civic leaders. They had be displaced from their homes and in many way ostracized from society because of their faith. But James doesn't instruct them to fight the powers or defend their rights. Instead he instructs them to look at the persecution as a time to grow their faith.
In verse 4, he then instructs them to ask (pray) for wisdom. Wisdom is more than knowledge. Wisdom is the ability to see things from God's perspective. When we see things from God's perspective, we look at pain and trials differently than if we only see them from our own (modern Western) perspective that views pain as something to be avoided at all costs. James says that when we move toward pain and embrace our trials, we receive the "crown of life that God promises to all who love Him." The "crown of life" is not just talking about heaven, but it's talking about becoming who God created you to be. We experience full life when we are fully ourselves. Of course, the completion of that will happen in heaven, but we can experience more and more of it in this life. And pain isn't an obstacle to that life, but it's the path to it.
Listening and Doing
James must have listened very carefully to Jesus and His teachings, because verses 19 thought 26 sound like them come straight from Jesus' mouth. If you look closely at the teachings of Jesus (and we have when we've studied the Gospels), you'll see that Jesus makes a strong connection between faith and action. If you don't have action you don't really have faith. Remember, for instance, Matthew 7 where Jesus tells the story of the wise and the foolish builders.
We often present the story as if Jesus is saying that the wise builder builds his house on the foundation of Jesus, but the foolish builder builds on something else. But that's not really what Jesus says. Instead, Jesus says that the wise builder is the one who hears Jesus' words and does what He says. The foolish builder is the one who hears His words but does not do what He says. So the difference between wise and foolish is in the practice.
This is exactly what James says in this section. The key to a deep spiritual life--the key to growth--is in practicing what Jesus preaches. People who only have a knowledge of Scripture, but can't be bothered to live it out are not really building on the foundation of Jesus. People who constantly clamor for deeper preaching or teaching most likely aren't practicing what they hear. What they usually mean is that they want to pick apart scriptures and learn more knowledge in their head, but the reality is this doesn't make them deeper Christians. In fact, if we learned anything from Paul's letters to the Corinthians, we learned that head knowledge sometimes makes us less mature if we never allow it to grow into love for God and people. But if we only seek more knowledge without practice, we will inevitably become proud of what we know and look down on others who don't know as much. But when we put into practice what we learn, we learn to love, which is the center of God's desire for us.
At the end of chapter one, James seems to give us practical instructions for what it means to have true faith. James is warring against the idea that going to church and doing all the religious stuff is what God wants. Instead, he tells us that religion that is "pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." Here, he ties the second section in to the first. When we have pure "religion" we are more concerned about alleviating the pain of others that we are about alleviating our own pain. We should fight for justice and the rights of others, but allow God to fight for our own. The more we grow, the less we are concerned about our own pain and the more we turn our attention on the suffering of others.
That's what Jesus did. He was willing to suffer and die to we could live. He did that as an example for us to follow. When we are willing to suffer and give up our own life, that's when we will find God's life.
As you can see, I'm desperately trying to catch up with my blogging today. Many of you know that my life has become crazy between moving and helping out with camp--it's been difficult to keep up. So today, I'm blasting you with many posts and hopefully I'll catch all the way up. I'm sure this isn't the first time it'll happen, so be patient with me! Now back to the journey....
James 1 is divided into two distinct sections, both of which are pure teaching "gold." In the New Testament journey, I have often just chosen one small section to focus on, but both sections in James 1 are so valuable, they both deserve mention.
Pain: An Opportunity to Grow
In our society, we don't like pain. Well, actually no one likes pain in any society, but our society makes it a centerpiece to avoid it at all costs and we do it pretty well. One thing that helps us avoid pain is options and we have millions of them. We can buy pain relieving pills, caplets, "liquigels", and patches. We can see a doctor or chiropractor at an time to relieve back or neck pain. If someone at work is being a pain, we can transfer to another department or just find another job. Really, only our society has so much ability to run from pain.
But the problem is that the Bible teaches us that pain is not just something to run from, it's something pay attention to. When we feel pain in our bodies, it's a sign that something is wrong. If all I do is ignore the pain or numb the pain, what's causing the pain will only get worse. For instance, if I ignore chest pain or if I drug myself so heavily I can't feel it, chances are I will experience a heart-attack. If every time I get into a painful spot in a relationship, I run or anesthetize it through drugs or alcohol, the relationship will not get better, it will get worse.
This is essential what James is saying in the first half of chapter one. He even says that we should be joyful that we experience pain and trials, because we are being presented an opportunity to grow. Now the trials of the people James was writing to was most likely persecution by the religious and civic leaders. They had be displaced from their homes and in many way ostracized from society because of their faith. But James doesn't instruct them to fight the powers or defend their rights. Instead he instructs them to look at the persecution as a time to grow their faith.
In verse 4, he then instructs them to ask (pray) for wisdom. Wisdom is more than knowledge. Wisdom is the ability to see things from God's perspective. When we see things from God's perspective, we look at pain and trials differently than if we only see them from our own (modern Western) perspective that views pain as something to be avoided at all costs. James says that when we move toward pain and embrace our trials, we receive the "crown of life that God promises to all who love Him." The "crown of life" is not just talking about heaven, but it's talking about becoming who God created you to be. We experience full life when we are fully ourselves. Of course, the completion of that will happen in heaven, but we can experience more and more of it in this life. And pain isn't an obstacle to that life, but it's the path to it.
Listening and Doing
James must have listened very carefully to Jesus and His teachings, because verses 19 thought 26 sound like them come straight from Jesus' mouth. If you look closely at the teachings of Jesus (and we have when we've studied the Gospels), you'll see that Jesus makes a strong connection between faith and action. If you don't have action you don't really have faith. Remember, for instance, Matthew 7 where Jesus tells the story of the wise and the foolish builders.
We often present the story as if Jesus is saying that the wise builder builds his house on the foundation of Jesus, but the foolish builder builds on something else. But that's not really what Jesus says. Instead, Jesus says that the wise builder is the one who hears Jesus' words and does what He says. The foolish builder is the one who hears His words but does not do what He says. So the difference between wise and foolish is in the practice.
This is exactly what James says in this section. The key to a deep spiritual life--the key to growth--is in practicing what Jesus preaches. People who only have a knowledge of Scripture, but can't be bothered to live it out are not really building on the foundation of Jesus. People who constantly clamor for deeper preaching or teaching most likely aren't practicing what they hear. What they usually mean is that they want to pick apart scriptures and learn more knowledge in their head, but the reality is this doesn't make them deeper Christians. In fact, if we learned anything from Paul's letters to the Corinthians, we learned that head knowledge sometimes makes us less mature if we never allow it to grow into love for God and people. But if we only seek more knowledge without practice, we will inevitably become proud of what we know and look down on others who don't know as much. But when we put into practice what we learn, we learn to love, which is the center of God's desire for us.
At the end of chapter one, James seems to give us practical instructions for what it means to have true faith. James is warring against the idea that going to church and doing all the religious stuff is what God wants. Instead, he tells us that religion that is "pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." Here, he ties the second section in to the first. When we have pure "religion" we are more concerned about alleviating the pain of others that we are about alleviating our own pain. We should fight for justice and the rights of others, but allow God to fight for our own. The more we grow, the less we are concerned about our own pain and the more we turn our attention on the suffering of others.
That's what Jesus did. He was willing to suffer and die to we could live. He did that as an example for us to follow. When we are willing to suffer and give up our own life, that's when we will find God's life.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
NT Journey--Intro to James
Intro to James
James' letter is often one of the first books new believers are encouraged to read because it's so practical. It addresses the seeming tension between faith and works. Are we saved by faith or do works play a part in faith? Because of James' focus on works, some people try to create a false rift between he and Paul who focuses a great deal on faith. ("It is by grace you are saved through faith, not by works so that no one can boast...") But the reality is that both authors understand that "faith without works is dead."
James, the author of this book is widely believed to be the brother of Jesus. James was not a believer at first. And who could blame him? Would you believe it if your sibling claimed to be God incarnate? But eventually he came to believe and became the leader of the church in Jerusalem.
The book of James is written to "the twelve tribes scattered among the nations." This, of course, mean that it was written to Jewish Christians, who most likely had been a part of the church in Jerusalem, but because of the persecution that broke out after the martyrdom of Stephen, fled for their lives to other parts of the empire.
As mentioned earlier, James focuses a great deal of attention on living out our faith through good works. We always have that tension between receiving the gift of God as a free gift and performing acts of good. Our good works are the result of our salvation, not the other way around, but both are vital part of who we are. We see a great deal of similarity between Jesus' teachings in the Sermon on the Mount and James' teaching in this book.
James' letter is often one of the first books new believers are encouraged to read because it's so practical. It addresses the seeming tension between faith and works. Are we saved by faith or do works play a part in faith? Because of James' focus on works, some people try to create a false rift between he and Paul who focuses a great deal on faith. ("It is by grace you are saved through faith, not by works so that no one can boast...") But the reality is that both authors understand that "faith without works is dead."
James, the author of this book is widely believed to be the brother of Jesus. James was not a believer at first. And who could blame him? Would you believe it if your sibling claimed to be God incarnate? But eventually he came to believe and became the leader of the church in Jerusalem.
The book of James is written to "the twelve tribes scattered among the nations." This, of course, mean that it was written to Jewish Christians, who most likely had been a part of the church in Jerusalem, but because of the persecution that broke out after the martyrdom of Stephen, fled for their lives to other parts of the empire.
As mentioned earlier, James focuses a great deal of attention on living out our faith through good works. We always have that tension between receiving the gift of God as a free gift and performing acts of good. Our good works are the result of our salvation, not the other way around, but both are vital part of who we are. We see a great deal of similarity between Jesus' teachings in the Sermon on the Mount and James' teaching in this book.
NT Journey--2 Corinthians 13
Fearing God
In general, I like the way the gospel is presented these days. The message of the Gospel is the same through all ages--that God loves us so much that He gave His Son (Jesus) as a gift to teach us about God's way and to die for us so we could start with a clean slate and not have to worry about punishment for sin.
How this is stated is different through different ages, but the message is the same. You see the Gospel stated in different ways even in Scripture. In some places, you see it stated in legal terms--we were guilty and Jesus took the punishment we deserved. In some places you see it in monetary terms--because of sin, humans owed a debt that was paid by Jesus. In others places, you see the Gospel in relational terms--Jesus' life and death reconciled our broken relationship with God and others.
None of these ways to describe what Jesus did is wrong, they're all valid ways to explain the Gospel message. Each one has come to prominence at different times in history. At this point in history, the model that works best seems to be the relational/reconciliation model. I think the reason it works to well in our society is because of the prevalence of broken relationships. Childhood abuse and neglect runs rampant. Our mobile society leaves people without long-term, close friendships and even divides family members from each other.
My wife and I just came to the point where we have lived at least five hours from our parents longer than we lived with them. That's life today, but it leaves holes in our souls. We were created by God as relational creatures, but everything in our society works to separate us from each other and we feel the effects of it. So when we speak of the Gospel in terms of reconciliation, it truly is "good news" to people who are devoid of significant relationships.
That's why we also don't hear much about "fearing God" these days. If God wants to have a relationship with us, why should be "fear" God? Isn't it better to have a loving, mushy relationship with God? Why would we risk having people fear God if our goal is for them to have a close relationship with Him?
Well, maybe the reason is because no significant relationship can survive without a healthy does of fear. Seems strange to say, but a relationship without any fear is co-dependent. In any healthy relationship, there has to be fear of consequences for destructive behavior. If a husband could have an affair and come home and have nothing change, would that be a healthy relationship? If a girl could consistently insult and devalue a friend and have that friend keep coming back for more, what kind of relationship would that be? There are guidelines that govern every relationship, even if they're unwritten.
In 2 Corinthians 13, even though Paul is concerned about the relationship between he and the Corinthians and between the church and God, he isn't afraid to use threat of discipline against them. Even more, the threat he gives is not on his own authority, but with God's authority. He is essentially saying that when he comes, he will come with the authority of Christ Himself.
We've learned over the course of 1 and 2 Corinthians that the church's relationship with God (and with Paul) was hot and cold. Even though God desired to have relationship with them, He will not do it on their terms. God is the one who sets the terms for the relationship and rightly so. In order for the church to be in right relationship with God, there are certain guidelines for them to follow and Paul was given authority to enforce those guidelines so they could maintain right relationship with God.
Paul writes in verse 5, "Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith." This is an interesting phrase to me, but it makes sense when we look at it in terms of relationship. For all of us, there are times when we have to examine our part in any relationship, whether marriage or friendship or whatever. Relationships can ebb and flow depending on our behavior. When I take the time to spend time with my wife, our relationship is closer. When I am neglectful and do my own thing, our relationship suffers. From time to time, I have to examine my part in our relationship and own up to my part if we've drifted.
When I examine myself and find that my relationship with Christ is suffering, I have to ask myself what part I've played in relationship drift. There are consequences to how I act in relationship. God will always do His part, but I have to continually examine my part. God won't reject me, but there may be some natural drift even to the point where you could say I'm not "in the faith." If I'm married, but simply neglect to come home for a year, it's not much of a relationship--you could barely say we're married.
Chapter 13 is Paul's way of telling the Church to examine what part they're playing in their relationship with Christ and to fear the consequences of not doing their part to cultivate the relationship with God. Even though rules and expectations aren't the center or purpose, they're important for the overall health of any relationship.
In general, I like the way the gospel is presented these days. The message of the Gospel is the same through all ages--that God loves us so much that He gave His Son (Jesus) as a gift to teach us about God's way and to die for us so we could start with a clean slate and not have to worry about punishment for sin.
How this is stated is different through different ages, but the message is the same. You see the Gospel stated in different ways even in Scripture. In some places, you see it stated in legal terms--we were guilty and Jesus took the punishment we deserved. In some places you see it in monetary terms--because of sin, humans owed a debt that was paid by Jesus. In others places, you see the Gospel in relational terms--Jesus' life and death reconciled our broken relationship with God and others.
None of these ways to describe what Jesus did is wrong, they're all valid ways to explain the Gospel message. Each one has come to prominence at different times in history. At this point in history, the model that works best seems to be the relational/reconciliation model. I think the reason it works to well in our society is because of the prevalence of broken relationships. Childhood abuse and neglect runs rampant. Our mobile society leaves people without long-term, close friendships and even divides family members from each other.
My wife and I just came to the point where we have lived at least five hours from our parents longer than we lived with them. That's life today, but it leaves holes in our souls. We were created by God as relational creatures, but everything in our society works to separate us from each other and we feel the effects of it. So when we speak of the Gospel in terms of reconciliation, it truly is "good news" to people who are devoid of significant relationships.
That's why we also don't hear much about "fearing God" these days. If God wants to have a relationship with us, why should be "fear" God? Isn't it better to have a loving, mushy relationship with God? Why would we risk having people fear God if our goal is for them to have a close relationship with Him?
Well, maybe the reason is because no significant relationship can survive without a healthy does of fear. Seems strange to say, but a relationship without any fear is co-dependent. In any healthy relationship, there has to be fear of consequences for destructive behavior. If a husband could have an affair and come home and have nothing change, would that be a healthy relationship? If a girl could consistently insult and devalue a friend and have that friend keep coming back for more, what kind of relationship would that be? There are guidelines that govern every relationship, even if they're unwritten.
In 2 Corinthians 13, even though Paul is concerned about the relationship between he and the Corinthians and between the church and God, he isn't afraid to use threat of discipline against them. Even more, the threat he gives is not on his own authority, but with God's authority. He is essentially saying that when he comes, he will come with the authority of Christ Himself.
We've learned over the course of 1 and 2 Corinthians that the church's relationship with God (and with Paul) was hot and cold. Even though God desired to have relationship with them, He will not do it on their terms. God is the one who sets the terms for the relationship and rightly so. In order for the church to be in right relationship with God, there are certain guidelines for them to follow and Paul was given authority to enforce those guidelines so they could maintain right relationship with God.
Paul writes in verse 5, "Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith." This is an interesting phrase to me, but it makes sense when we look at it in terms of relationship. For all of us, there are times when we have to examine our part in any relationship, whether marriage or friendship or whatever. Relationships can ebb and flow depending on our behavior. When I take the time to spend time with my wife, our relationship is closer. When I am neglectful and do my own thing, our relationship suffers. From time to time, I have to examine my part in our relationship and own up to my part if we've drifted.
When I examine myself and find that my relationship with Christ is suffering, I have to ask myself what part I've played in relationship drift. There are consequences to how I act in relationship. God will always do His part, but I have to continually examine my part. God won't reject me, but there may be some natural drift even to the point where you could say I'm not "in the faith." If I'm married, but simply neglect to come home for a year, it's not much of a relationship--you could barely say we're married.
Chapter 13 is Paul's way of telling the Church to examine what part they're playing in their relationship with Christ and to fear the consequences of not doing their part to cultivate the relationship with God. Even though rules and expectations aren't the center or purpose, they're important for the overall health of any relationship.
NT Journey--2 Corinthians 12
The Strength in Weakness
I think 2 Corinthians 12 is very fascinating, counter-intuitive and a great attitude adjustment for us. Paul continues his boasting about how great he is from chapter 11 (although we actually find he's being facetious). From chapter 11 we understand that the things we boast about as Kingdom people are not the things we're proud of if we're Kingdom people. The reality is that it's very silly for us to brag about anything. Even the greatest human accomplishments pale in comparison to what God can and does do.
My 8-year-old son is quite an athlete. He loves sports, especially basketball and soccer. But as I play with him, I've found there are some things he has to learn. Probably the greatest lesson he needs to learn is to be realistic about his abilities. For his age, he's a good, skilled player. I have little doubt at school that he's probably one of the better soccer players at recess--maybe not the best, but I'm sure he's up there. But if you were to listen to him talk about it, he should be playing in the World Cup right now--the first 8-year-old to play for team USA.
The problem is not with his skill. The problem is that he doesn't have a realistic picture of the world. He constantly challenges me to soccer and basketball one-on-one games and actually thinks he can win. He actually thinks he could beat me in a race. (I may be getting older, but I'm not THAT old). So from time to time, I have to remind him that he has a way to go. It's not that he's deficient, it's just that because of his age (and consequently, his size) he's still pretty limited.
As I think about Duncan, I see a lot of similarities to what Paul says in 2 Corinthians 12. Paul had a great life. He grew up as a Roman citizen, but also as a prominent Jew. He followed the Law to a "T." He was educated at the finest institutions and could debate with the best in the Empire. These are all great accomplishments, but for Paul to be proud of them would be akin to Duncan thinking he could beat me in a game of one-on-one. (The difference being that some day Duncan WILL be able to beat me).
Paul's attitude is instructive for us. Paul says he was given some type of "thorn" to keep him humble. Now ultimately no one knows what this thorn was--some say it was a physical ailment like poor hearing or eyesight. Others think it may be people who continually opposed him. I've even heard one say it was his mother-in-law! We just don't know, but what we do know is that the thorn was something that limited him in some way.
Most of us lament thorns and pray--like Paul--that God will take them away. But how many of us actually come to grips with our limitations? I would dare say not many. We want everything to be fixed. We are the country of "manifest destiny" and the American dream where we can accomplish anything we set our minds to. Yet too often when we achieve something we lose sight of the fact that even our greatest accomplishment pales in comparison to God's ability. Like Duncan celebrating a 10-foot shot, when there are some people in the world who can routinely make 30-footers.
But when we have the attitude of Paul, we can actually celebrate our limitations because they make us more dependent upon God. The help us keep a realistic picture of who we are and who God is. And the great thing about that is when we rely on God, we can accomplish far more than we can by our own feeble attempts.
So what area of your have you failed to be humble? Where have you thought that your success or failure depends completely on you? In what ways have you failed to embrace your own limitations? What is your "thorn?" How can you embrace it and allow to show His strength in your life?
I think 2 Corinthians 12 is very fascinating, counter-intuitive and a great attitude adjustment for us. Paul continues his boasting about how great he is from chapter 11 (although we actually find he's being facetious). From chapter 11 we understand that the things we boast about as Kingdom people are not the things we're proud of if we're Kingdom people. The reality is that it's very silly for us to brag about anything. Even the greatest human accomplishments pale in comparison to what God can and does do.
My 8-year-old son is quite an athlete. He loves sports, especially basketball and soccer. But as I play with him, I've found there are some things he has to learn. Probably the greatest lesson he needs to learn is to be realistic about his abilities. For his age, he's a good, skilled player. I have little doubt at school that he's probably one of the better soccer players at recess--maybe not the best, but I'm sure he's up there. But if you were to listen to him talk about it, he should be playing in the World Cup right now--the first 8-year-old to play for team USA.
The problem is not with his skill. The problem is that he doesn't have a realistic picture of the world. He constantly challenges me to soccer and basketball one-on-one games and actually thinks he can win. He actually thinks he could beat me in a race. (I may be getting older, but I'm not THAT old). So from time to time, I have to remind him that he has a way to go. It's not that he's deficient, it's just that because of his age (and consequently, his size) he's still pretty limited.
As I think about Duncan, I see a lot of similarities to what Paul says in 2 Corinthians 12. Paul had a great life. He grew up as a Roman citizen, but also as a prominent Jew. He followed the Law to a "T." He was educated at the finest institutions and could debate with the best in the Empire. These are all great accomplishments, but for Paul to be proud of them would be akin to Duncan thinking he could beat me in a game of one-on-one. (The difference being that some day Duncan WILL be able to beat me).
Paul's attitude is instructive for us. Paul says he was given some type of "thorn" to keep him humble. Now ultimately no one knows what this thorn was--some say it was a physical ailment like poor hearing or eyesight. Others think it may be people who continually opposed him. I've even heard one say it was his mother-in-law! We just don't know, but what we do know is that the thorn was something that limited him in some way.
Most of us lament thorns and pray--like Paul--that God will take them away. But how many of us actually come to grips with our limitations? I would dare say not many. We want everything to be fixed. We are the country of "manifest destiny" and the American dream where we can accomplish anything we set our minds to. Yet too often when we achieve something we lose sight of the fact that even our greatest accomplishment pales in comparison to God's ability. Like Duncan celebrating a 10-foot shot, when there are some people in the world who can routinely make 30-footers.
But when we have the attitude of Paul, we can actually celebrate our limitations because they make us more dependent upon God. The help us keep a realistic picture of who we are and who God is. And the great thing about that is when we rely on God, we can accomplish far more than we can by our own feeble attempts.
So what area of your have you failed to be humble? Where have you thought that your success or failure depends completely on you? In what ways have you failed to embrace your own limitations? What is your "thorn?" How can you embrace it and allow to show His strength in your life?
Thursday, June 17, 2010
NT Journey--2 Corinthians 11
Boasting in the Kingdom
2 Corinthians 11 is a strange chapter to me. It took me a few reads through it to really understand what Paul was saying. At first glance, it looks like Paul is defending himself by “one-upping” the “super-apostles” who were apparently eloquent speakers that came in after Paul preaching a different gospel. But when we read the chapter carefully, Paul isn’t one-upping them, he is completely changing the criteria for greatness.
Many people, if they want to impress someone, will talk about their achievements—how much money they make, how many people answer to them at work, or their impressive education. Apparently, people like this were impressive to the Corinthians. But Paul sees value in something completely different. Paul is consistent with the teachings of Jesus.
Remember back to the book of Matthew or John and you’ll understand that the Kingdom Jesus preached is an upside-down kingdom, where the first is last and the last is first and the greatest is the servant. So Paul says to the Corinthians that his boasting is of a different sort.
When we take a cursory glance at all the things Paul suffered, we might think that he is being self-righteous about the things he went through for the Gospel. However, I don’t think this is the way Paul intends it. The Corinthians might not have seen Paul’s sufferings as a badge of honor. People who were of greater status weren’t flogged. People in prestigious position were not stoned. Paul would not have been very effective if he was trying to convince the Corinthians of His status as an Apostle.
Paul can boast about all the things he suffered only because that’s the nature of the Kingdom—when we are willing to suffer and die with Christ, we live consistently with the upside-down mindset.
I think Paul’s attitude is worthy to be followed as an example. Although the willingness to suffer can become a religious badge of honor, suffering really is the way of Jesus. In Luke, Jesus says, “Anyone who does not carry his cross cannot be my disciple.” When we follow Christ, we follow Him to the cross. We give up our rights. We give up our will to do His. We surrender everything we have, including our reputation.
When we remain weak, it allows us to see God at work. When we work out of our strength, we might be tempted to believe that we are powerful enough to accomplish something great. But when we understand and accept our weakness and short-comings, we also understand God’s power. When we understand that it is God who works the good in us, we understand our place and come to appreciate God’s power.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
NT Journey--2 Corinthians 10
A Different Fight
The tone of 2 Corinthians changes in chapter 10. Up to this point, Paul has been very conciliatory about his relationship with the Corinthians. Even though things were still not great, over the first 9 chapters, he takes a pretty gentle approach. As mentioned earlier and as you can see as you read this chapter, Paul's tone changes greatly here. Perhaps he receives new information after writing the rest of the letter or it's also possible that the last three chapters are the letter written in the time between 1 and 2 Corinthians. In any case, Paul says something in chapter 10 that I'd like to highlight.
Verses 3-5 say,
Because of that, "we don't wage war the way the world does." The world's weapons are geared for destruction and separation, for drawing fine lines and keep the sides in order. But the weapons we have been given do the opposite. Their intent is not to destroy people, but instead to destroy arguments and strongholds.
First arguments. Paul was a master of teaching and debating. His goal was truth. Christians should not be afraid of truth. If what we believe is true, then it should stand up to scrutiny and all the arguments formed against it. Therefore, it's actually good to be open-minded, to seriously consider ideas even if they seem contrary. We shouldn't be afraid if we believe God is real and His Truth is really true.
Second, Paul mentions destroying strongholds. Strongholds are where people hide. Whether someone is a "sinner" or a religious person, we all have these strongholds where we dig in our heels to hide from reality--the reality of our sinfulness and our brokenness. For unbelievers, their stronghold might be things like not wanting to change a lifestyle they've grown accustomed to. If they acknowledge that Jesus is Lord, it means they'll have to change the way they live. For religious people, it means having to admit their own brokenness and admitting they don't have all the answers.
God has a way of breaking our belief that we are in control. Truth is something much bigger than us and when we submit to it, we submit to God. That's why we always approach truth with humility. While the world fights with rhetoric and bravado, we "fight" with humility with Truth on our side.
The tone of 2 Corinthians changes in chapter 10. Up to this point, Paul has been very conciliatory about his relationship with the Corinthians. Even though things were still not great, over the first 9 chapters, he takes a pretty gentle approach. As mentioned earlier and as you can see as you read this chapter, Paul's tone changes greatly here. Perhaps he receives new information after writing the rest of the letter or it's also possible that the last three chapters are the letter written in the time between 1 and 2 Corinthians. In any case, Paul says something in chapter 10 that I'd like to highlight.
Verses 3-5 say,
"For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."In these verses Paul acknowledges that the way we "fight" is different than the way the world fights. For one, as Paul writes in Ephesians 6, "our struggle is not against flesh and blood." The world might see us as enemies, but we are not to look at them in that way. We are not opposed to unbelievers--we are for them. Our desire is not that they are destroyed, but instead that God will bring them life.
Because of that, "we don't wage war the way the world does." The world's weapons are geared for destruction and separation, for drawing fine lines and keep the sides in order. But the weapons we have been given do the opposite. Their intent is not to destroy people, but instead to destroy arguments and strongholds.
First arguments. Paul was a master of teaching and debating. His goal was truth. Christians should not be afraid of truth. If what we believe is true, then it should stand up to scrutiny and all the arguments formed against it. Therefore, it's actually good to be open-minded, to seriously consider ideas even if they seem contrary. We shouldn't be afraid if we believe God is real and His Truth is really true.
Second, Paul mentions destroying strongholds. Strongholds are where people hide. Whether someone is a "sinner" or a religious person, we all have these strongholds where we dig in our heels to hide from reality--the reality of our sinfulness and our brokenness. For unbelievers, their stronghold might be things like not wanting to change a lifestyle they've grown accustomed to. If they acknowledge that Jesus is Lord, it means they'll have to change the way they live. For religious people, it means having to admit their own brokenness and admitting they don't have all the answers.
God has a way of breaking our belief that we are in control. Truth is something much bigger than us and when we submit to it, we submit to God. That's why we always approach truth with humility. While the world fights with rhetoric and bravado, we "fight" with humility with Truth on our side.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
NT Journey--2 Corinthians 9
Being Epic Failures
In chapter 9, Paul continues his conversation about giving and makes a point that I think extends far beyond money. His point is that "whoever sows sparingly, reaps sparingly. But whoever sows generously will reap generously."
Do you ever wonder why you never see God work in amazing ways? Have you ever heard stories of God changing lives in powerful ways and wonder why you're never a part of those stories? Could it be that the reason you never get to reap the rewards of amazing things is because you reap what you sow.
Some people are more natural risk-takers. They can go into a room and strike up a conversation with anyone. They can make the "ask" when some of us have a hard time putting others out. They can inject themselves into another person's life, introduce them to Jesus. They always seem to get a great amount of joy when they are a part of someone's changed life. But not you. Your life seems dull and dry and you don't often get to see God work.
Have you thought that the reason this is the case is because you reap what you sow. These people, while they often get to see amazing things and great successes, they also experience a good amount of failure. People who do great things, don't ALWAYS do great things. In the case of almost everyone who does something great, there are many stories of ideas they had that were epic failures. People who study church leadership say that churches that succeed and do great things for the Kingdom try many things that fail. Whether it's a new program or initiative, over 60% of the time, the initiative fails. Effective churches are not afraid to fail.
There will be many seeds that never take root, so if you plant few seeds, chances are you'll get little fruit. How often to do take a risk to plant the seed of the Gospel in a person's heart? How often do you intentionally enter into the life of a hurting person? If you do, chances are, there are many times you'll be a great failure, but you'll also get to tell those stories we all love to hear--of God showing up in a very powerful way--and you'll get to see it first-hand. That in itself is a great reward.
In chapter 9, Paul continues his conversation about giving and makes a point that I think extends far beyond money. His point is that "whoever sows sparingly, reaps sparingly. But whoever sows generously will reap generously."
Do you ever wonder why you never see God work in amazing ways? Have you ever heard stories of God changing lives in powerful ways and wonder why you're never a part of those stories? Could it be that the reason you never get to reap the rewards of amazing things is because you reap what you sow.
Some people are more natural risk-takers. They can go into a room and strike up a conversation with anyone. They can make the "ask" when some of us have a hard time putting others out. They can inject themselves into another person's life, introduce them to Jesus. They always seem to get a great amount of joy when they are a part of someone's changed life. But not you. Your life seems dull and dry and you don't often get to see God work.
Have you thought that the reason this is the case is because you reap what you sow. These people, while they often get to see amazing things and great successes, they also experience a good amount of failure. People who do great things, don't ALWAYS do great things. In the case of almost everyone who does something great, there are many stories of ideas they had that were epic failures. People who study church leadership say that churches that succeed and do great things for the Kingdom try many things that fail. Whether it's a new program or initiative, over 60% of the time, the initiative fails. Effective churches are not afraid to fail.
There will be many seeds that never take root, so if you plant few seeds, chances are you'll get little fruit. How often to do take a risk to plant the seed of the Gospel in a person's heart? How often do you intentionally enter into the life of a hurting person? If you do, chances are, there are many times you'll be a great failure, but you'll also get to tell those stories we all love to hear--of God showing up in a very powerful way--and you'll get to see it first-hand. That in itself is a great reward.
NT Journey--2 Corinthians 8
Some Truths about Giving
In chapter 8, Paul uses the Macedonian Churches as an example of generous giving. Evidently, when Paul was taking up the collection for the poorer churches, even though the churches in Macedonia were themselves poor, they still saw fit to take up a collection and give out of their poverty.
I think this is a great example the first simple truth--generosity has nothing to do with how much you have, on the state of your heart. Stingy people are stingy whether they have money or not. Generous people are generous, no matter how little they have. Even if generous people can't give money, they will always find some way to give. It all has to do with the trajectory of the heart. If the trajectory of someone's heart is inward, the money will flow that way. If the trajectory of a person's heart is toward others, his resources will naturally move that way.
Many people say, "If I just had a lot of money, I would give so much of it away." But the truth of the matter is that no matter how much money a person has, if they're not generous with it now, no amount of money will make them generous. If a person isn't faithful with what they have now, why would we expect them to change their priorities just because they came into more money? In fact, usually more money only reveals the depth of a person's attitude.
The second truth about giving in 2 Corinthians 8 is that you can't force or command generosity. Paul says in verse 8, "I am not commanding you..." I think Paul knows that you can't force someone to be generous. But instead, what he does is to try to inspire them to be generous by giving them an example of people who are generous and how much they were blessed even in their poverty. Sincere generous giving always brings a blessing on the giver.
The third truth we see here is that if we're looking for inspiration toward generosity, we only need to look as far as God. Paul reminds them of the grace of Jesus. He didn't have to give what He did, but he showed us all a better way. Think about it--Jesus could have stayed in heaven and never experienced the sorrow and pain of life, but instead, He came as an example for us. When He came to earth, He didn't even live in luxury as a king, but lived in poverty to show us that luxury is not all it's cracked up to be.
Finally, Paul makes a pitch for justice. People who make a lot of money, should not be content hoarding it and living in luxury when others are barely surviving. With the resources in the world today, we could ensure that everyone in the world is fed. Everyone could have their basic needs met, but the distribution of wealth in the world is very unequal. Sure some people are lazy and are poor because of that, but there are many in the world who would and do work very hard each day, yet because of circumstances, barely make it by. It is the responsibility of those of us who have to care for those who don't have. It's not just a societal issue, it's a spiritual and moral issue.
When we fail to give generously, it's because the trajectory of our heart is inward. We ask ourselves first and foremost what we need and if there's something left over, we ask what others need. But as believers, we must ask the question of how we can meet the needs of others first and once we've done everything we can to take care of others' needs, we move on to our wants.
In chapter 8, Paul uses the Macedonian Churches as an example of generous giving. Evidently, when Paul was taking up the collection for the poorer churches, even though the churches in Macedonia were themselves poor, they still saw fit to take up a collection and give out of their poverty.
I think this is a great example the first simple truth--generosity has nothing to do with how much you have, on the state of your heart. Stingy people are stingy whether they have money or not. Generous people are generous, no matter how little they have. Even if generous people can't give money, they will always find some way to give. It all has to do with the trajectory of the heart. If the trajectory of someone's heart is inward, the money will flow that way. If the trajectory of a person's heart is toward others, his resources will naturally move that way.
Many people say, "If I just had a lot of money, I would give so much of it away." But the truth of the matter is that no matter how much money a person has, if they're not generous with it now, no amount of money will make them generous. If a person isn't faithful with what they have now, why would we expect them to change their priorities just because they came into more money? In fact, usually more money only reveals the depth of a person's attitude.
The second truth about giving in 2 Corinthians 8 is that you can't force or command generosity. Paul says in verse 8, "I am not commanding you..." I think Paul knows that you can't force someone to be generous. But instead, what he does is to try to inspire them to be generous by giving them an example of people who are generous and how much they were blessed even in their poverty. Sincere generous giving always brings a blessing on the giver.
The third truth we see here is that if we're looking for inspiration toward generosity, we only need to look as far as God. Paul reminds them of the grace of Jesus. He didn't have to give what He did, but he showed us all a better way. Think about it--Jesus could have stayed in heaven and never experienced the sorrow and pain of life, but instead, He came as an example for us. When He came to earth, He didn't even live in luxury as a king, but lived in poverty to show us that luxury is not all it's cracked up to be.
Finally, Paul makes a pitch for justice. People who make a lot of money, should not be content hoarding it and living in luxury when others are barely surviving. With the resources in the world today, we could ensure that everyone in the world is fed. Everyone could have their basic needs met, but the distribution of wealth in the world is very unequal. Sure some people are lazy and are poor because of that, but there are many in the world who would and do work very hard each day, yet because of circumstances, barely make it by. It is the responsibility of those of us who have to care for those who don't have. It's not just a societal issue, it's a spiritual and moral issue.
When we fail to give generously, it's because the trajectory of our heart is inward. We ask ourselves first and foremost what we need and if there's something left over, we ask what others need. But as believers, we must ask the question of how we can meet the needs of others first and once we've done everything we can to take care of others' needs, we move on to our wants.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
NT Journey--2 Corinthians 7
Applying Pain to Life
I just want to point out something very quickly from chapter 7. We all like to be comfortable. We like to be affirmed for who we are and what we do. Very seldom do we desire criticism and even less often do we ask for it. In fact, many of us have a hard time with any correction at all.
Even though we know deep down that we're not perfect, we want other people to think we are. It's natural for us to put on the facade that we are better, stronger, faster, smarter, better-looking than we really are. And even though we know we're just deceiving people, we're still hurt when people know the truth.
Some people react well when they realize they've been exposed. A good reaction is when we are able to accept the criticism with grace, take a step back from our emotions and defensiveness, and see the truth in what another is saying. Often, in order for us to accept criticism this way, it has to come from the right person.
Some people don't respond to criticism well at all. There are two poor responses to criticism that are common. The first is to be defensive. When we're defensive, we might refuse to consider that there might be some truth in what the person is saying. Or we might make excuses for why we acted or reacted the way we did in a particular situation, blaming it on someone else or on circumstances.
The second response is to be overly burdened with hurt or guilt. Hurt and guilt are very seldom good long-term motivators. They might result in some immediate change of behavior, but eventually the pain will wear off or we'll become calloused to guilt. If the sting of criticism is not handled properly the guilt might lead to despair or a sense that you're a complete failure. This type of response is not helpful.
But in chapter 7, Paul is thrilled because the Corinthians seemed to handle his criticism well. At first, he felt a little bad and thought he might have been too harsh, but when he heard that the mental and emotional anguish he caused them resulted in repentance (verse 9). The difference, Paul says is "godly sorrow" vs. "worldly sorrow." The difference is in the way the criticism is accepted.
When someone offers criticism, whether asked-for or not, it's always best to receive it with humility. It might be that their criticism isn't valid at all. But there may be truth to what they say. You cannot control the attitude in which they present the information. You can only control your own response. When you are secure in your standing with Christ, and you've bought in to the idea that the only thing that really matters is living a life that pleases God, then humility will go before you. But if you're concerned about your image and are dead-set on maintaining the squeaky-clean reputation, seldom will you be able to take criticism well. And the sad part is that when you can't deal with the emotional pain that comes with others recognizing you're not perfect, it will be impossible for you to grow.
But if you are able to accept it with humility and grace and embrace the fact that you're not fooling anyone with your perfect facade, then you won't have to wear the mask to pretend you're better than you are--you'll actually become it.
I just want to point out something very quickly from chapter 7. We all like to be comfortable. We like to be affirmed for who we are and what we do. Very seldom do we desire criticism and even less often do we ask for it. In fact, many of us have a hard time with any correction at all.
Even though we know deep down that we're not perfect, we want other people to think we are. It's natural for us to put on the facade that we are better, stronger, faster, smarter, better-looking than we really are. And even though we know we're just deceiving people, we're still hurt when people know the truth.
Some people react well when they realize they've been exposed. A good reaction is when we are able to accept the criticism with grace, take a step back from our emotions and defensiveness, and see the truth in what another is saying. Often, in order for us to accept criticism this way, it has to come from the right person.
Some people don't respond to criticism well at all. There are two poor responses to criticism that are common. The first is to be defensive. When we're defensive, we might refuse to consider that there might be some truth in what the person is saying. Or we might make excuses for why we acted or reacted the way we did in a particular situation, blaming it on someone else or on circumstances.
The second response is to be overly burdened with hurt or guilt. Hurt and guilt are very seldom good long-term motivators. They might result in some immediate change of behavior, but eventually the pain will wear off or we'll become calloused to guilt. If the sting of criticism is not handled properly the guilt might lead to despair or a sense that you're a complete failure. This type of response is not helpful.
But in chapter 7, Paul is thrilled because the Corinthians seemed to handle his criticism well. At first, he felt a little bad and thought he might have been too harsh, but when he heard that the mental and emotional anguish he caused them resulted in repentance (verse 9). The difference, Paul says is "godly sorrow" vs. "worldly sorrow." The difference is in the way the criticism is accepted.
When someone offers criticism, whether asked-for or not, it's always best to receive it with humility. It might be that their criticism isn't valid at all. But there may be truth to what they say. You cannot control the attitude in which they present the information. You can only control your own response. When you are secure in your standing with Christ, and you've bought in to the idea that the only thing that really matters is living a life that pleases God, then humility will go before you. But if you're concerned about your image and are dead-set on maintaining the squeaky-clean reputation, seldom will you be able to take criticism well. And the sad part is that when you can't deal with the emotional pain that comes with others recognizing you're not perfect, it will be impossible for you to grow.
But if you are able to accept it with humility and grace and embrace the fact that you're not fooling anyone with your perfect facade, then you won't have to wear the mask to pretend you're better than you are--you'll actually become it.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
NT Journey--2 Corinthians 6
Working with the Right Partner
At first glance, there's a confusing section in chapter 6. The confusion revolves around the phrase, "do not be yoked together with unbelievers." I've spent a lot of time on the NT Journey pointing out Jesus' love for unbelievers. Jesus' preferred group to spend time with was the "sinners." We are the body of Christ, so we carry on the mission of Christ--to seek and to save that which is lost. So it might be a little confusing when we get to 2 Corinthians 6:14ff to read about Paul telling the Corinthian people to stay away from unbelievers.
But the key here is verse one. Notice how Paul starts the chapter.
Jesus uses this term in Matthew 11 where He says, "Take my yoke upon you for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your soul, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light." What Jesus means is that we are to form a working partnership with Jesus in His mission.
So when Paul uses the same term in 6:14, he's urging the Corinthians, who live in the middle of one of the most godless and immoral cities in the ancient world, not to take on the mission of unbelievers, by yoking themselves together with them. As believers, the mission of Jesus is the mission of every believer (or it should be). But we can easily become side-tracked and distracted from what is important--the mission of Christ. Paul's advice is a warning not to take on the character or mission of the world.
This doesn't mean we should try to avoid unbelievers and make up our own Christian "club." What it means is that when we are with unbelievers we recognize, like we read in chapter 5 that worldly people are trying to satisfy spiritual longings with physical things. They think thing like money, or fame, or success will give them what they're searching for. If we are yoked to unbelievers, we begin to believe those lies as well. But when we "buy in" to Jesus' way of thinking, we yoke ourselves together with Christ and seek to bring reconciliation to the world.
2 Corinthians 6 is not saying we should wall ourselves off so we can remain pure. What Paul is saying is that we should remain pure so that when we get out with unbelievers, they see what's different about us. They see that even in times of trial; even when things don't go our way, we still have peace and joy. Our purity--our refusal to resort to inappropriate or sinful patterns to get by will allow us to continue on the mission of Jesus. We we keep our purity in the middle of the pressure and temptations of the world, we live out, just like Jesus, what it means to be children of God.
At first glance, there's a confusing section in chapter 6. The confusion revolves around the phrase, "do not be yoked together with unbelievers." I've spent a lot of time on the NT Journey pointing out Jesus' love for unbelievers. Jesus' preferred group to spend time with was the "sinners." We are the body of Christ, so we carry on the mission of Christ--to seek and to save that which is lost. So it might be a little confusing when we get to 2 Corinthians 6:14ff to read about Paul telling the Corinthian people to stay away from unbelievers.
But the key here is verse one. Notice how Paul starts the chapter.
1 As God's co-workers we urge you not to receive God's grace in vain. 2 For he says,First, I want to point out that Paul calls the Corinthians "God's co-workers." Paul and his crew were co-workers with the Church and the Church with Christ. So there's a job that has to be done. Later in verse 14, Paul uses the work "yoked." We don't have much of a frame of reference for the word yoked today, but the yoke was the apparatus that allowed two oxen to work together. The yoke meant that the two animals had one purpose. One job. One mission.
"In the time of my favor I heard you,
and in the day of salvation I helped you."
I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation.
Jesus uses this term in Matthew 11 where He says, "Take my yoke upon you for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your soul, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light." What Jesus means is that we are to form a working partnership with Jesus in His mission.
So when Paul uses the same term in 6:14, he's urging the Corinthians, who live in the middle of one of the most godless and immoral cities in the ancient world, not to take on the mission of unbelievers, by yoking themselves together with them. As believers, the mission of Jesus is the mission of every believer (or it should be). But we can easily become side-tracked and distracted from what is important--the mission of Christ. Paul's advice is a warning not to take on the character or mission of the world.
This doesn't mean we should try to avoid unbelievers and make up our own Christian "club." What it means is that when we are with unbelievers we recognize, like we read in chapter 5 that worldly people are trying to satisfy spiritual longings with physical things. They think thing like money, or fame, or success will give them what they're searching for. If we are yoked to unbelievers, we begin to believe those lies as well. But when we "buy in" to Jesus' way of thinking, we yoke ourselves together with Christ and seek to bring reconciliation to the world.
2 Corinthians 6 is not saying we should wall ourselves off so we can remain pure. What Paul is saying is that we should remain pure so that when we get out with unbelievers, they see what's different about us. They see that even in times of trial; even when things don't go our way, we still have peace and joy. Our purity--our refusal to resort to inappropriate or sinful patterns to get by will allow us to continue on the mission of Jesus. We we keep our purity in the middle of the pressure and temptations of the world, we live out, just like Jesus, what it means to be children of God.
Monday, June 7, 2010
NT Journey--2 Corinthians 5
What is Your Problem?
Doesn’t take much to figure out there’s something wrong with the world these day. Of course, the world is made of people, which means there’s something wrong with people—you included. OK, me too.
What’s amazing to me is that in a society as “advanced” as ours, there is greater psychological dysfunction than we see from other societies now and throughout history. We seem to have greater sexual dysfunction, family and general relationship dysfunction. In such an advanced and wealthy society, you would think that we would be getting better, not worse.
Now there are some things that are better. We tend to live longer. We are wealthier and more comfortable than just about any other society in history. We have great technology that solves many of our problems. Yet despite all these great things, still there’s something wrong.
Well, I think Paul in 2 Corinthians 5 pinpoints the problem. The problem is that we look at things through the wrong eyes. We look through physical eyes when we should be looking through spiritual eyes. What we tend to focus on in life tends to be the physical things rather than the spiritual. Notice that all the improvements I talked about earlier are technological and physical. But the problems with our world tend to have a spiritual component whether it’s dysfunctional relationships or psychology.
Paul begins 2 Corinthians 5 by talking about the difference between our physical state and our spiritual state. He recognizes that our physical body is not all there is to life. He says our physical bodies groan for our “heavenly body.” In other words, our very body knows there’s something more and longs for it. It’s like we’re in a society that constantly tells us that we are home, but deep down, we know it’s not true. The dysfunction comes because we’re trying to convince ourselves of something that’s just not true and our spirit wars against.
The world tells us we can find satisfaction in wealth, but when we strive for that, we feel empty. It tells us that we should just live for ourselves and gain all the pleasure we can out of life, but that too leaves us longing for more. The dysfunction we experience in life is a result of buying into the lie that this is all there is. We were made for more.
The last section (verse 16 and following) is the key for us. Paul says that as he does his ministry, he doesn’t look at people in a worldly way. People are first of all spiritual. All of the physical and material strivings are just ways people try to find fulfillment. When people try to find fulfillment in physical things, we shouldn’t be surprised when they feel empty. But instead of looking at people from a “worldly point of view” we see that they are—and the solution to what ails them is—spiritual. What people need is not more stuff, but it is to realize who they are.
So Paul’s ministry and our ministry is the “ministry of reconciliation.” Our job is to help people be reconciled to God. As people come to the realization they’ve been seeking life in the wrong things, they’ll often mistakenly believe that God holds a grudge against them because they’ve neglected Him. But we know that God doesn’t hold people’s sins against them, but is ready to forgive. Because of Christ, we are all “new creations.” When people realize they were created for more and live accordingly, not only will their life be better spiritually, but physically. So ours is the ministry of reconciliation. When people are reconciled to God, they will be reconciled to others as well.
Friday, June 4, 2010
NT Journey--2 Corinthians 4
Dying to Self
In chapter four, Paul talks about the vessels that carry the Gospel. Since we are also to carry the Gospel to our generation, Paul's example is instructive for us. In chapter three, Paul explained the glory of the Gospel--that it's something so valuable that it gives life to everyone who believes.
Even Paul finds it amazing that he is entrusted to carry such a valuable message. He uses what has become a pretty popular phrase, "but we have this treasure in jars of clay." One thing that is amazing is that fallible, weak beings like us are entrusted with this Life. But what may be even more amazing is the message itself.
Right now, we're trying to sell our house. It's a very nice house, but it's not a perfect house. No house is. So the rule that you go by when you try to sell a house is to accentuate the positive and hide or at least minimize the negative. For us, I believe that it's not too hard to accentuate the positives and there really isn't much for negatives. There's nothing glaringly wrong with the house--it's in good condition, everything works right and all. The bathroom's a little small, but you can't have everything, right?
But some houses have some pretty major deficiencies and when they do, the seller has to do a great job of marketing the house. When marketing it, they might oversell the positives and maybe even fudge on the details about the negatives. If they're really desperate to sell, they might even tell some untruths.
In 2 Corinthians 4, Paul is essentially telling the Corinthians that the Gospel doesn't need any marketing--he doesn't have to oversell anything because the truth is so great. In fact, he's so convinced that the Gospel is such good news, that he's very up-front about the "negatives." Jesus did this, too. Jesus said, essentially that we anyone wants to follow Him, he has to be willing to die--but it's worth it. This is just what Paul is saying, "We're not glamorizing the Gospel or making it look better than it is so you will buy it. There's a high price to pay, but the price is worth it." Paul endures suffering and hardships for the sake of the Gospel, but it's worth it all.
In fact, the way to access the Gospel is to die. As long as we're still striving to hold on to a certain image to impress people, we will not be carrying the Gospel. As long as it's our life's goal to avoid pain, we won't be carrying the Gospel. But when we are willing to lose all for the sake of Christ, that's when the Gospel really takes hold in our lives. And when it does, while we may look like ordinary clay jars on the outside, on the inside, we hold the most valuable thing in the universe.
In chapter four, Paul talks about the vessels that carry the Gospel. Since we are also to carry the Gospel to our generation, Paul's example is instructive for us. In chapter three, Paul explained the glory of the Gospel--that it's something so valuable that it gives life to everyone who believes.
Even Paul finds it amazing that he is entrusted to carry such a valuable message. He uses what has become a pretty popular phrase, "but we have this treasure in jars of clay." One thing that is amazing is that fallible, weak beings like us are entrusted with this Life. But what may be even more amazing is the message itself.
Right now, we're trying to sell our house. It's a very nice house, but it's not a perfect house. No house is. So the rule that you go by when you try to sell a house is to accentuate the positive and hide or at least minimize the negative. For us, I believe that it's not too hard to accentuate the positives and there really isn't much for negatives. There's nothing glaringly wrong with the house--it's in good condition, everything works right and all. The bathroom's a little small, but you can't have everything, right?
But some houses have some pretty major deficiencies and when they do, the seller has to do a great job of marketing the house. When marketing it, they might oversell the positives and maybe even fudge on the details about the negatives. If they're really desperate to sell, they might even tell some untruths.
In 2 Corinthians 4, Paul is essentially telling the Corinthians that the Gospel doesn't need any marketing--he doesn't have to oversell anything because the truth is so great. In fact, he's so convinced that the Gospel is such good news, that he's very up-front about the "negatives." Jesus did this, too. Jesus said, essentially that we anyone wants to follow Him, he has to be willing to die--but it's worth it. This is just what Paul is saying, "We're not glamorizing the Gospel or making it look better than it is so you will buy it. There's a high price to pay, but the price is worth it." Paul endures suffering and hardships for the sake of the Gospel, but it's worth it all.
In fact, the way to access the Gospel is to die. As long as we're still striving to hold on to a certain image to impress people, we will not be carrying the Gospel. As long as it's our life's goal to avoid pain, we won't be carrying the Gospel. But when we are willing to lose all for the sake of Christ, that's when the Gospel really takes hold in our lives. And when it does, while we may look like ordinary clay jars on the outside, on the inside, we hold the most valuable thing in the universe.
NT Journey-- 2 Corinthians 3
Paul's Take on Religion: Letter vs. Spirit
Paul understood that though Jesus was Jewish, Jesus brought about a new way of doing things. The God of the Jews was doing a new thing through Jesus and it changed the way all of us can live. Chapter 3 gives us a good explanation of the difference.
In verse 6, Paul writes, "He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life." When rules are the motivating force in life, it's not much of a life.
Let's say you're a parent. You want your children to grow up to be successful and well-adjusted human beings. If they can make a positive difference in the world, that would be your ideal goal. You're a smart person and so you know what they need to do in order to become just that. So you set up a list of rules: get up early, brush your teeth, go to school, study hard every day, each a well-balanced, healthy diet, etc. You give them the list and then go out of town--for their entire childhood. They have the list of rule so they should be able to grow up to be successful and all that. Would such a scenario work? Will they become productive members of society because they have the instructions for how to do it? No way.
That's sort of like the Old Covenant Paul talks about. After the kids follow the rules for so long, they will begin to get discouraged. Why? Because we weren't intended to draw life from rules or words on a page. We were created for relationship. Very seldom (probably never) has someone been successful at anything without some relationship to motivate them. Maybe it was a parent or grandparent that walk by their side as they struggled their way through school. It might have been a teacher or coach that continually drove them to practice and reach their potential. Or it might have been a friend who stuck with them through all the storms of life and gave them a reason to carry on. Rules, words, and ideas don't have that power.
But when we have a relationship with Jesus, the Spirit lives in us and we are convicted, encouraged, strengthened and supported to be what we were created to be. In verses 7 and following, Paul writes about Moses getting the Law on Mt. Sinai and how his face glowed so brightly when he came back the people couldn't look directly at him. But the reason he glowed was not because he had the Law--it was because he had just met with God. It wasn't because of the words written on the tablets. If it was, don't you think they would have glowed, too?
Moses had life from the Spirit, not from the Law. We get life from the Spirit, not from the Law. In any relationship, it's a good thing to have certain rules we follow. In my marriage, it's an unwritten rule that I don't fool around with other women. It's important that I follow that rule, but just because I follow that rule, does it make me a good husband? No. I could follow every rule to a "t" and still not be a good husband. Relationship includes rules, but it's so much more than that. But when we have those relationships, they give us life--especially a relationship with Jesus.
When we're secure in that relationship, we have the ability to become what God created us to become. That's the Spirit. Paul's last line in chapter 3 is absolutely priceless to me.
Paul understood that though Jesus was Jewish, Jesus brought about a new way of doing things. The God of the Jews was doing a new thing through Jesus and it changed the way all of us can live. Chapter 3 gives us a good explanation of the difference.
In verse 6, Paul writes, "He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life." When rules are the motivating force in life, it's not much of a life.
Let's say you're a parent. You want your children to grow up to be successful and well-adjusted human beings. If they can make a positive difference in the world, that would be your ideal goal. You're a smart person and so you know what they need to do in order to become just that. So you set up a list of rules: get up early, brush your teeth, go to school, study hard every day, each a well-balanced, healthy diet, etc. You give them the list and then go out of town--for their entire childhood. They have the list of rule so they should be able to grow up to be successful and all that. Would such a scenario work? Will they become productive members of society because they have the instructions for how to do it? No way.
That's sort of like the Old Covenant Paul talks about. After the kids follow the rules for so long, they will begin to get discouraged. Why? Because we weren't intended to draw life from rules or words on a page. We were created for relationship. Very seldom (probably never) has someone been successful at anything without some relationship to motivate them. Maybe it was a parent or grandparent that walk by their side as they struggled their way through school. It might have been a teacher or coach that continually drove them to practice and reach their potential. Or it might have been a friend who stuck with them through all the storms of life and gave them a reason to carry on. Rules, words, and ideas don't have that power.
But when we have a relationship with Jesus, the Spirit lives in us and we are convicted, encouraged, strengthened and supported to be what we were created to be. In verses 7 and following, Paul writes about Moses getting the Law on Mt. Sinai and how his face glowed so brightly when he came back the people couldn't look directly at him. But the reason he glowed was not because he had the Law--it was because he had just met with God. It wasn't because of the words written on the tablets. If it was, don't you think they would have glowed, too?
Moses had life from the Spirit, not from the Law. We get life from the Spirit, not from the Law. In any relationship, it's a good thing to have certain rules we follow. In my marriage, it's an unwritten rule that I don't fool around with other women. It's important that I follow that rule, but just because I follow that rule, does it make me a good husband? No. I could follow every rule to a "t" and still not be a good husband. Relationship includes rules, but it's so much more than that. But when we have those relationships, they give us life--especially a relationship with Jesus.
When we're secure in that relationship, we have the ability to become what God created us to become. That's the Spirit. Paul's last line in chapter 3 is absolutely priceless to me.
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.What a great goal to shoot for!
NT Journey--2 Corinthians 2
The Purpose of Discipline
Today, I want to take you on a little tangent. In the chapter today, Paul addresses a situation where the church had to discipline one of its members. It might be the "sexually immoral brother" from 1 Corinthians 5 or someone else in the church, but it's clear that Paul had told them to discipline him. If you remember from 1 Corinthians 5, in the end if he didn't receive the correction, Paul told them to expel him or "treat him as an unbeliever."
In many of our relationships, whether in the church or with our children, it's easy for us to get caught up thinking that the purpose of discipline is punishment. Someone did something wrong so he has to pay the price to make up for what he did. This may be the case in the world's economy, but not in the Kingdom.
We've seen all along that the center of spiritual growth life is love. Love is a relational term. You can't love someone you don't have a relationship with. So our goal, our mission is the mission of Christ--the ministry of reconciliation as we'll see in 2 Corinthians 5. The goal them, of discipline is not punishment, it's restoration. When Christians discipline a person, the ultimate goal HAS to be restoration--to bring them back into a state of right relationship.
When someone sins, it's always an offense against someone, whether people or God or both. Sinful behavior is ultimately sinful because it hurts relationship somewhere. When a person continues on unchecked in harmful behavior, the loving thing is to find a way to get them to think about what they're doing and ultimately stop. So for instance, drinking becomes sinful behavior when it hinders or destroys relationship. Involvement in sports becomes sinful behavior when it hinders relationship. We were created for community, so when we engage in behaviors that are detrimental to relationship, we are sinning.
What discipline does is apply "pain" to a person's life. We we experience bodily pain, we know something is wrong and we should do something to fix it. We might go to the doctor or stop doing whatever activity that's causing the pain. The ultimate goal is to restore the ability to physically do what we need to do--to restore our body to wholeness.
When we apply the pain of discipline to another's life, we also have to help provide the means of healing and restoration, and when the discipline does it's job, we must be ready and willing to accept that person back into the fellowship with grace--leaving the past behind.
This is the instruction Paul gives to the Corinthians. In verses 5-11, Paul urges the church to forgive and accept the person who was disciplined so he might understand that the discipline happened out of love and not just anger. That's great advice in all our relationships--to stop punishing people and work for restoration.
Today, I want to take you on a little tangent. In the chapter today, Paul addresses a situation where the church had to discipline one of its members. It might be the "sexually immoral brother" from 1 Corinthians 5 or someone else in the church, but it's clear that Paul had told them to discipline him. If you remember from 1 Corinthians 5, in the end if he didn't receive the correction, Paul told them to expel him or "treat him as an unbeliever."
In many of our relationships, whether in the church or with our children, it's easy for us to get caught up thinking that the purpose of discipline is punishment. Someone did something wrong so he has to pay the price to make up for what he did. This may be the case in the world's economy, but not in the Kingdom.
We've seen all along that the center of spiritual growth life is love. Love is a relational term. You can't love someone you don't have a relationship with. So our goal, our mission is the mission of Christ--the ministry of reconciliation as we'll see in 2 Corinthians 5. The goal them, of discipline is not punishment, it's restoration. When Christians discipline a person, the ultimate goal HAS to be restoration--to bring them back into a state of right relationship.
When someone sins, it's always an offense against someone, whether people or God or both. Sinful behavior is ultimately sinful because it hurts relationship somewhere. When a person continues on unchecked in harmful behavior, the loving thing is to find a way to get them to think about what they're doing and ultimately stop. So for instance, drinking becomes sinful behavior when it hinders or destroys relationship. Involvement in sports becomes sinful behavior when it hinders relationship. We were created for community, so when we engage in behaviors that are detrimental to relationship, we are sinning.
What discipline does is apply "pain" to a person's life. We we experience bodily pain, we know something is wrong and we should do something to fix it. We might go to the doctor or stop doing whatever activity that's causing the pain. The ultimate goal is to restore the ability to physically do what we need to do--to restore our body to wholeness.
When we apply the pain of discipline to another's life, we also have to help provide the means of healing and restoration, and when the discipline does it's job, we must be ready and willing to accept that person back into the fellowship with grace--leaving the past behind.
This is the instruction Paul gives to the Corinthians. In verses 5-11, Paul urges the church to forgive and accept the person who was disciplined so he might understand that the discipline happened out of love and not just anger. That's great advice in all our relationships--to stop punishing people and work for restoration.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
NT Journey--2 Corinthians 1
Why We Discipline
Paul has been very frustrated with the Corinthian church. It seems from it's inception there has been division and discord present. Paul understands that unity is probably the foundational characteristic of a good local church. Everyone needs to be headed in the same direction. If there's disunity and in-fighting in the church it cannot be an effective church.
Paul begins chapter one by giving an update on their situation. They had just been run out of Ephesus (you may remember that situation from the book of Acts) and the Corinthians had most likely received word of the riots. Paul was, of course, pleased to be able to tell them they made it out alive. He uses the opportunity to sort of defend themselves, essentially saying their willingness to suffer proves their sincerity in the Gospel.
The church that fulfills Jesus' mission on earth is the one where the whole body of believers understands their purpose and their place and each person does his or her part. That was not the case with the church at Corinth. In between 1st and 2nd Corinthians, Paul visited the church there and wrote them a harsh letter. But at the beginning of 2 Corinthians, the tone seems to be much different.
It seems at the beginning of 2 Corinthians Paul feels the need to explain himself and his harsh words for the Corinthians. What he's saying here is that the reason he's been so strong with them is because he loves them. Just a parent disciplines her child out of love, so Paul disciplined the church. Everything he did and said was for their good because he loves them and wants them to be an effective church. The reason he continues to care is because he has hope that some day they'll reach their potential.
I think the Corinthians would have reason to be concerned if Paul stopped writing them or coming to them--it would mean he had written them off. But as long as that potential is still there, he will continue to ride them to be all they can be for the Gospel. Sometimes leader have to do things that are unpopular and even seems unloving at the time, but in order for anyone or any group to reach its potential, there has to be some pushing.
Paul has been very frustrated with the Corinthian church. It seems from it's inception there has been division and discord present. Paul understands that unity is probably the foundational characteristic of a good local church. Everyone needs to be headed in the same direction. If there's disunity and in-fighting in the church it cannot be an effective church.
Paul begins chapter one by giving an update on their situation. They had just been run out of Ephesus (you may remember that situation from the book of Acts) and the Corinthians had most likely received word of the riots. Paul was, of course, pleased to be able to tell them they made it out alive. He uses the opportunity to sort of defend themselves, essentially saying their willingness to suffer proves their sincerity in the Gospel.
The church that fulfills Jesus' mission on earth is the one where the whole body of believers understands their purpose and their place and each person does his or her part. That was not the case with the church at Corinth. In between 1st and 2nd Corinthians, Paul visited the church there and wrote them a harsh letter. But at the beginning of 2 Corinthians, the tone seems to be much different.
It seems at the beginning of 2 Corinthians Paul feels the need to explain himself and his harsh words for the Corinthians. What he's saying here is that the reason he's been so strong with them is because he loves them. Just a parent disciplines her child out of love, so Paul disciplined the church. Everything he did and said was for their good because he loves them and wants them to be an effective church. The reason he continues to care is because he has hope that some day they'll reach their potential.
I think the Corinthians would have reason to be concerned if Paul stopped writing them or coming to them--it would mean he had written them off. But as long as that potential is still there, he will continue to ride them to be all they can be for the Gospel. Sometimes leader have to do things that are unpopular and even seems unloving at the time, but in order for anyone or any group to reach its potential, there has to be some pushing.
NT Journey--Intro to 2 Corinthians
The letter of 2 Corinthians is our clue that 1 Corinthians didn't do much good. It seems as though the church at Corinth was doomed from the start. It also shows how dangerous division is in the church. Scholars believe Paul wrote as many as four letters to the Corinthian church. 1 Corinthians is actually the second letter. 2 Corinthians is either the third or fourth letter.
2 Corinthians was written within a few months of the writing of 1 Corinthians and it was written because 1 Corinthians apparently went in one ear and out the other. Division still reigned in the church. There was even a new group that came into the church from the outside and attacked Paul's credibility and teaching. The dire state of the church prompted another visit from Paul to Corinth. This visit did not go well. By the time Paul wrote 2 Corinthians, he was either feeling remorseful about his anger (or the harsh letter he wrote between 1 and 2 Corinthians) or things had improved in the church.
Chapters 1 through 9 are very warm and conciliatory, but chapters in 10-13, the tone become harsh once again. Commentators have different theories. One theory is that chapters 10 through 13 are actually the "harsh letter" (or part of the harsh letter) written between 1 Corinthians and 2 Corinthians. Others think chapters 10-13 were written later, after Paul received some disturbing news. He may have tacked the last part onto the first and sent it with the messenger together.
Ultimately we don't know, but the book of 2 Corinthians highlights the frustration and ups and downs of ministry.
2 Corinthians was written within a few months of the writing of 1 Corinthians and it was written because 1 Corinthians apparently went in one ear and out the other. Division still reigned in the church. There was even a new group that came into the church from the outside and attacked Paul's credibility and teaching. The dire state of the church prompted another visit from Paul to Corinth. This visit did not go well. By the time Paul wrote 2 Corinthians, he was either feeling remorseful about his anger (or the harsh letter he wrote between 1 and 2 Corinthians) or things had improved in the church.
Chapters 1 through 9 are very warm and conciliatory, but chapters in 10-13, the tone become harsh once again. Commentators have different theories. One theory is that chapters 10 through 13 are actually the "harsh letter" (or part of the harsh letter) written between 1 Corinthians and 2 Corinthians. Others think chapters 10-13 were written later, after Paul received some disturbing news. He may have tacked the last part onto the first and sent it with the messenger together.
Ultimately we don't know, but the book of 2 Corinthians highlights the frustration and ups and downs of ministry.
NT Journey--1 Corinthians 16
Parting Thoughts
Chapter 16 is a collection of parting thoughts from Paul. He has some business to take care and some things to remind the Corinthians of before he signs off. The first order of business is to remind them that he is taking up a collection for the church in Jerusalem which is experiencing some financial and other difficulties. On thing that stands out is that Paul is very systematic about his request. He doesn't guilt them into giving an amount they aren't able to give. Instead, he simply tells them to regularly set aside what they can afford to give and have it ready when he gets it.
The second thing that stands out here is Paul's comments about Apollos. Things might have gone a little sour for Apollos in Corinth. It may be that while he was there, he didn't intend to create the division that happened in the church. It also may be that he was discouraged by the state of the church in Corinth or that the people there turned on him as well (which often happens where there's a great deal of disunity). One commentator also suggests that Apollos was still at odds with Paul and didn't want to go back to Corinth under Paul's authority. In the end, we really don't know exactly what happened with Apollos.
The book of 1 Corinthians is a lesson on division in the church. If you want your church to be fragmented, find a way to see yourself as spiritually superior to others. There are many ways to do that--through your intellectual prowess, your devotional dedication, your spiritual giftedness--there's really no end.
But there's only one way to be unified--LOVE. Love puts others ahead of us. It stops the cycle of competition that drives disunity. When we imitate Christ in love, that's when we find unity in the church. We don't know if the Corinthian church ever became unified, but in the end it really doesn't matter. The book of 1 Corinthians gives us a blueprint for how to come together as a church. If we follow that blueprint, we'll have an effective church that is very much like what God intended.
Chapter 16 is a collection of parting thoughts from Paul. He has some business to take care and some things to remind the Corinthians of before he signs off. The first order of business is to remind them that he is taking up a collection for the church in Jerusalem which is experiencing some financial and other difficulties. On thing that stands out is that Paul is very systematic about his request. He doesn't guilt them into giving an amount they aren't able to give. Instead, he simply tells them to regularly set aside what they can afford to give and have it ready when he gets it.
The second thing that stands out here is Paul's comments about Apollos. Things might have gone a little sour for Apollos in Corinth. It may be that while he was there, he didn't intend to create the division that happened in the church. It also may be that he was discouraged by the state of the church in Corinth or that the people there turned on him as well (which often happens where there's a great deal of disunity). One commentator also suggests that Apollos was still at odds with Paul and didn't want to go back to Corinth under Paul's authority. In the end, we really don't know exactly what happened with Apollos.
The book of 1 Corinthians is a lesson on division in the church. If you want your church to be fragmented, find a way to see yourself as spiritually superior to others. There are many ways to do that--through your intellectual prowess, your devotional dedication, your spiritual giftedness--there's really no end.
But there's only one way to be unified--LOVE. Love puts others ahead of us. It stops the cycle of competition that drives disunity. When we imitate Christ in love, that's when we find unity in the church. We don't know if the Corinthian church ever became unified, but in the end it really doesn't matter. The book of 1 Corinthians gives us a blueprint for how to come together as a church. If we follow that blueprint, we'll have an effective church that is very much like what God intended.
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