Each authentic work of art interprets the reality beyond sensory perception. It is born of silence, admiration, or the protest of an honest heart. It tries to bring closer the mystery of reality. So what constitutes the essence of art is found deep within each person. It is there where the aspiration to give meaning to one's life is accompanied by the fleeting sense of beauty and the mysterious union of things. Authentic and humble artists are perfectly well aware, no matter what kind of beauty characterizes their handiwork, that their paintings, sculptures, or creations are nothing else but the reflection of God's Beauty. No matter how strong the charm of their music and words, they know that their works are only a distant echo of God's Word.
From Pope John Paul II at the Mass for Artists in Brussels on May 20, 1985.
Watch out for the potholes.
Merry Christmas
I've been a bad poster this month due to work. Christmas is not a relaxing time for our family.
Despite that, we are having fun.
Merry Christmas everyone.
And I'll post more in the coming year.
Watch out for the potholes.
Despite that, we are having fun.
Merry Christmas everyone.
And I'll post more in the coming year.
Watch out for the potholes.
Discussion concerning the Kingdom being the "Good News"
My post on the "Good News being the Kingdom" received a reply.
Here was my reply (with some additions since I replied):
I say, "Great!" I am full of joy that he came to serve and be a ransom. Sounds like a great model for people that are in his kingdom to live up to once they have accepted his redemption and placed themselves under his lordship.
I would also cite the context. One must read it in the context of all of the other passages about the "kingdom" in the book of Matthew that precede it. And one must make careful notice of the passage's immediate context. That answer came as a result of a request made about positions of power in the kingdom. Here is section of Scripture:
Notice that He didn't say that there wasn't a kingdom, nor that there weren't positions in the kingdom. He pointed out the upside-down nature of his kingdom. His kingdom isn't an authoritarian top-down heirarchy that we see throughout the world. His kingdom is one in which the least will be the greatest. It is one in which the leaders are to be servants like he set an example of. I think that is the point of the verse you cited, not a proclamation of the individualization of the gospel message.
I don't think that verse trumps Luke 4:43: “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God…because that is why I was sent”. Also, the book of Matthew also mentions earlier, "Preach this message: ‘the kingdom of heaven is near’" (Matthew 10:7).
The topic of the article was "What is really the good news taught by Jesus?" I think Scripture says that the good news was the kingdom. We have changed that message and now say the good news is personal salvation or something else.
Now, there were other tasks that Jesus came to complete. The verse you cited points out that he came to be a ransom and to serve. Those are great things that Jesus did, but those things were not the gospel or the "good news" that Jesus taught. Nor were they quoted by Luke as the reason that Jesus stated he was sent nor were they what Jesus commanded his followers to preach. They were an example of how his kingdom would work in a different manner than the kingdoms that seem to prevail, albeit temporarily, in this world.
I think we should teach the gospel that Jesus taught and find joy that His kingdom is different than the corrupt kingdoms of this world.
Watch out for the potholes
How do you deal with Mt. 20:28.
"...the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
Pretty specific of why he came; to serve and give his life as a ransom. No mention of kingdom. Not a single one of your scriptures says specifically, "Jesus came to establish His kingdom."
How do you explain that?
Here was my reply (with some additions since I replied):
I say, "Great!" I am full of joy that he came to serve and be a ransom. Sounds like a great model for people that are in his kingdom to live up to once they have accepted his redemption and placed themselves under his lordship.
I would also cite the context. One must read it in the context of all of the other passages about the "kingdom" in the book of Matthew that precede it. And one must make careful notice of the passage's immediate context. That answer came as a result of a request made about positions of power in the kingdom. Here is section of Scripture:
Matthew20:20 Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him with her sons, and kneeling before him she asked him for something. 21 And he said to her, What do you want? She said to him, Say that these two sons of mine are to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom. 22 Jesus answered, You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink? They said to him, We are able. 23 He said to them, You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father. 24 And when the ten heard it, they were indignant at the two brothers. 25 But Jesus called them to him and said, You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 26 It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, 28 even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.
Notice that He didn't say that there wasn't a kingdom, nor that there weren't positions in the kingdom. He pointed out the upside-down nature of his kingdom. His kingdom isn't an authoritarian top-down heirarchy that we see throughout the world. His kingdom is one in which the least will be the greatest. It is one in which the leaders are to be servants like he set an example of. I think that is the point of the verse you cited, not a proclamation of the individualization of the gospel message.
I don't think that verse trumps Luke 4:43: “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God…because that is why I was sent”. Also, the book of Matthew also mentions earlier, "Preach this message: ‘the kingdom of heaven is near’" (Matthew 10:7).
The topic of the article was "What is really the good news taught by Jesus?" I think Scripture says that the good news was the kingdom. We have changed that message and now say the good news is personal salvation or something else.
Now, there were other tasks that Jesus came to complete. The verse you cited points out that he came to be a ransom and to serve. Those are great things that Jesus did, but those things were not the gospel or the "good news" that Jesus taught. Nor were they quoted by Luke as the reason that Jesus stated he was sent nor were they what Jesus commanded his followers to preach. They were an example of how his kingdom would work in a different manner than the kingdoms that seem to prevail, albeit temporarily, in this world.
I think we should teach the gospel that Jesus taught and find joy that His kingdom is different than the corrupt kingdoms of this world.
Watch out for the potholes
More on the word "kyriakos" concerning the Lord' Day
Shannon shared:
Below is information from the Theological Dictionary of the New Testament. I have taken the liberty of omitting as much Greek as possible.
I don't think any of my thoughts from my first post have changed.
Watch out for the potholes.
From the Expositor's Bible Commentary -New Testament (Zondervan):
At least the first vision--if not the whole Book of Revelation--was revealed on "the Lord's Day" (kyriake hemera). Since this is the only place in the NT where this expression is used, its identification is difficult. Paul uses kyriake as an adjective in 1 Corinthians 11:20 in reference to the "Lord's supper" (kyriakon deipnon)."
It has more on why that change in terms may be. But I thought I'd give you the facts and save the opinion part unless you really wanted it. I for one did not find the opinions very helpful. Good work on the Greek.
Below is information from the Theological Dictionary of the New Testament. I have taken the liberty of omitting as much Greek as possible.
It occurs twice in the NT: 1 Corinthians 11:20 (Lord's Supper) and Revelation 1:10 (Lord's Day). The adjective as thus applied arose on Greek soil, for there is no corresponding adjective in Semitic. A genitive "of the Lord" might have been used instead of the adjective that was used. But the choice of this adjective based on "Lord" is not surprising, since of the Greek adjectives formed from the customary terms for Christ this was the only one which could denote the relation of a thing to Christ; "Christian" was used of people and "bringing salvation" had acquired a differnt sense from "belonging to the savior". If it is asked, then, why the two words, "supper" and "day", are combined with the adjective instead of the genitive "of the Lord", the answer is that this is an indirect relation to the Lord. Examples that us "of the Lord" are "word of the Lord" and "coming of the Lord".
The Lord's Day takes its signifcance from the resurrection of Christ. The "Lord's Day" soon became the day when the congregations assembled. John's Gospel emphasizes that Jesus rose on the first day of the week (John 20:1,19,26) while the reference to the "Lord's Day" in Reveleation 1:10 does not mention its importance as a day of assembly. The custom of not working on the Lord's Day was naturally impossible both for Jewish Christian congregations, which still kept the Sabbath, and for Gentile Christian congregations, which included slaves among their members and which were implicated in many different ways in the everyday life of paganism. The day could be distinguished only by coming together, although in 1 Corinthians 16:2 Paul writes that something for the Jerusalem collection should be laid aside on this day (the actual experession does not occur). Whether this is connected withy payday, as suggested by some, is not certain. Perhaps Paul takes the day when the congregation was assembling and when its thoughts would thus be occupied with church affairs. There is no proof, of course, that the Pauline churches assembled every Lord's Day, or only on the Lord's Day. But the first day of the week already enjoyed a certain prominence in Judaism, since it was the day when creation of the world began. For Christianity the resurrection of Jesus was the beginning of a new age. The fasts on the fourth and sixth days were also connected with the story of Jesus, since they were the days when counsel was taken to destroy Him (Mark 14:1) and when He was crucified.
I don't think any of my thoughts from my first post have changed.
Watch out for the potholes.
The Sabbath, the Lord's Day, Saturday or Sunday, and fasting on the Lord's Day
A friend asked me the question: "When is the Lord's Day?"
This is the result of the research I did to answer that friend. Below are all of the relevant verses and references from the early church (3rd century or earlier) that I found. There could be some significant verses out there that I didn't find.
Here are my conclusions:
1. The phrase "day of the Lord" refers to the future day of the Lord's judgment.
2. The phrase "Lord's Day" refers to Sunday or the eighth day of the week.
3. The early church felt it was extremely important to meet on the first day of the week (the Lord's Day) to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus.
4. It appears that calling the first day of the week the Lord's Day was a later development that occurred prior to John's writing of Revelation but after the rest of the writing of the rest of the New Testament.
5. Referring to the Lord's day as the eighth day of the week like many of the church fathers did hearkens back to the creation account. On the seventh day God rested. On the eighth he brought about his work of redemption.
One stream of thought ran through many of the church fathers was that we should not fast or kneel on the Lord's Day. I found this extremely interesting. This stream of thought seems to stem from Matthew 9:14-17
Matthew 9:14 Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?" 15 And Jesus said to them, "The wedding guests cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. 16 No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old cloak, for the patch pulls away from the cloak, and a worse tear is made. 17 Neither is new wine put into old wineskins; otherwise, the skins burst, and the wine is spilled, and the skins are destroyed; but new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved."
The early church believed that Jesus was present during the Lord's Supper, which was the centerpiece of the gathering on the Lord's Day. With Jesus being present there was no reason to fast or kneel. The church was to celebrate the resurrection of our king.
"day of the Lord" references
Isaiah 58:13
Isaiah 61:2
Lamentations 2:22
Ezekiel 7:19
Zep 1:8
Zep 1:18
Zep 2:2
Zep 2:3
Ac 2:20
1Co 1:8
1Co 5:5
2Co 1:13-15
2Pe 3:10
1Th 5:2
the only "Lord's day" references
Re 1:10
"first day of the week" references
Mt 28:1
Mr 16:2
Mr 16:9
Lu 24:1
Joh 20:1
Joh 20:19
Ac 20:7
1Co 16:2
writings from the early church
From the epistle of Ignatius to the Magnesians:
From the epistle of Ignatius to the Trallians:
From the epistle of Ignatius to the Phillipians:
from the fragments of the lost writings of Iraneus:
from Clement of Alexandria's The Instructor:
from Clement of Alexandria's Stromata:
From Tertullian:
from Origen against Celsus:
from the Epistles of Cyprian:
from the the Canonical Epistle of Peter:
Watch out for the potholes.
This is the result of the research I did to answer that friend. Below are all of the relevant verses and references from the early church (3rd century or earlier) that I found. There could be some significant verses out there that I didn't find.
Here are my conclusions:
1. The phrase "day of the Lord" refers to the future day of the Lord's judgment.
2. The phrase "Lord's Day" refers to Sunday or the eighth day of the week.
3. The early church felt it was extremely important to meet on the first day of the week (the Lord's Day) to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus.
4. It appears that calling the first day of the week the Lord's Day was a later development that occurred prior to John's writing of Revelation but after the rest of the writing of the rest of the New Testament.
5. Referring to the Lord's day as the eighth day of the week like many of the church fathers did hearkens back to the creation account. On the seventh day God rested. On the eighth he brought about his work of redemption.
One stream of thought ran through many of the church fathers was that we should not fast or kneel on the Lord's Day. I found this extremely interesting. This stream of thought seems to stem from Matthew 9:14-17
Matthew 9:14 Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?" 15 And Jesus said to them, "The wedding guests cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. 16 No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old cloak, for the patch pulls away from the cloak, and a worse tear is made. 17 Neither is new wine put into old wineskins; otherwise, the skins burst, and the wine is spilled, and the skins are destroyed; but new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved."
The early church believed that Jesus was present during the Lord's Supper, which was the centerpiece of the gathering on the Lord's Day. With Jesus being present there was no reason to fast or kneel. The church was to celebrate the resurrection of our king.
"day of the Lord" references
Isaiah 58:13
If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the Lord's holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words.
Isaiah 61:2
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn.
Lamentations 2:22
"As you summon to a feast day, so you summoned against me terrors on every side. In the day of the Lord's anger no one escaped or survived; those I cared for and reared, my enemy has destroyed."
Ezekiel 7:19
They will throw their silver into the streets, and their gold will be an unclean thing. Their silver and gold will not be able to save them in the day of the Lord's wrath. They will not satisfy their hunger or fill their stomachs with it, for it has made them stumble into sin.
Zep 1:8
On the day of the Lord's sacrifice I will punish the princes and the king's sons and all those clad in foreign clothes.
Zep 1:18
Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to save them on the day of the Lord's wrath. In the fire of his jealousy the whole world will be consumed, for he will make a sudden end of all who live in the earth."
Zep 2:2
before the appointed time arrives and that day sweeps on like chaff, before the fierce anger of the Lord comes upon you, before the day of the Lord's wrath comes upon you.
Zep 2:3
Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land, you who do what he commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of the Lord's anger.
Ac 2:20
The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.
1Co 1:8
who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1Co 5:5
deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
2Co 1:13-15
For we are not writing any other things to you than what you read or understand. Now I trust you will understand, even to the end (as also you have understood us in part), that we are your boast as you also are ours, in the day of the Lord Jesus.
2Pe 3:10
But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.
1Th 5:2
For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.
the only "Lord's day" references
Re 1:10
On the Lord's Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet.
"first day of the week" references
Mt 28:1
After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.
Mr 16:2
Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb.
Mr 16:9
When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons.
Lu 24:1
On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb.
Joh 20:1
Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.
Joh 20:19
On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, Peace be with you!"
Ac 20:7
On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight.
1Co 16:2
On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made. And here are the early church references to the phrase "Lord's Day"
writings from the early church
From the epistle of Ignatius to the Magnesians:
If, therefore, those who were brought up in the ancient order of things have come to the possession of a new hope, no longer observing the Sabbath, but living in the observance of the Lord’s Day, on which also our life has sprung up again by Him and by His death — whom some deny, by which mystery we have obtained faith, and therefore endure, that we may be found the disciples of Jesus Christ, our only Master — how shall we be able to live apart from Him, whose disciples the prophets themselves in the Spirit did wait for Him as their Teacher? And after the observance of the Sabbath, let every friend of Christ keep the Lord’s Day as a festival, the resurrection-day, the queen and chief of all the days [of the week]. Looking forward to this, the prophet declared, “To the end, for the eighth day,” on which our life both sprang up again, and the victory over death was obtained in Christ, whom the children of perdition, the enemies of the Savior, deny, “whose God is their belly, who mind earthly things,” who are “lovers of pleasure, and not lovers of God, having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.”
From the epistle of Ignatius to the Trallians:
At the dawning of the Lord’s day He arose from the dead, according to what was spoken by Himself, “As Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly, so shall the Son of man also be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” The day of the preparation, then, comprises the passion; the Sabbath embraces the burial; the Lord’s Day contains the resurrection.
From the epistle of Ignatius to the Phillipians:
If any one fasts on the Lord’s Day or on the Sabbath, except on the paschal Sabbath only, he is a murderer of Christ.
from the fragments of the lost writings of Iraneus:
This [custom], of not bending the knee upon Sunday, is a symbol of the resurrection, through which we have been set free, by the grace of Christ, from sins, and from death, which has been put to death under Him. Now this custom took its rise from apostolic times, as the blessed Irenaeus, the martyr and bishop of Lyons, declares in his treatise On Easter, in which he makes mention of Pentecost also; upon which [feast] we do not bend the knee, because it is of equal significance with the Lord’s day, for the reason already alleged concerning it.
from Clement of Alexandria's The Instructor:
He states that the "the Christian Passover and the weekly Lord’s Day" are one of the areas that Christians are different for Jews.
from Clement of Alexandria's Stromata:
He, in fulfillment of the precept, according to the Gospel, keeps the Lord’s day, when he abandons an evil disposition, and assumes that of the Gnostic, glorifying the Lord’s resurrection in himself.
From Tertullian:
"We count fasting or kneeling in worship on the Lord’s day to be unlawful. We rejoice in the same privilege also from Easter to Whitsunday."
"We kneel at other times, but on the Lord’s day, and from the
Paschal Feast to Pentecost we stand in prayer, nor do we count it lawful to fast on Sundays."
from Origen against Celsus:
"If it be objected to us on this subject that we ourselves are accustomed to observe certain days, as for example the Lord’s day, the Preparation, the Passover, or Pentecost, I have to answer, that to the perfect Christian, who is ever in his thoughts, words, and deeds serving his natural Lord, God the Word, all his days are the Lord’s, and he is always keeping the
Lord’s day."
from the Epistles of Cyprian:
"For because the eighth day, that
is, the first day after the Sabbath, was to be that on which the Lord should rise again, and should quicken us, and give us circumcision of the spirit, the eighth day, that is, the first day after the Sabbath, and the Lord’s day, went before in the figure; which figure ceased when by and by the truth came, and spiritual circumcision was given to us."
from the the Canonical Epistle of Peter:
"No one shall find fault with us for observing the fourth day of the week, and the preparation, on which it is reasonably enjoined us to fast according to the tradition. On the fourth day, indeed, because on it the Jews took counsel for the betrayal of the Lord; and on the sixth, because on it He himself suffered for us. But the Lord’s day we celebrate as a day of joy, because on it He rose again, on which day we have received it for a custom not even to bow the knee...But on the Lord’s day we ought not to fast, for it is a day of joy for the resurrection of the Lord, and on it, says he, we have received that we ought not even to bow the knee."
Watch out for the potholes.
the Myth of a Christian nation, our American Citizenship, and our Citizenship in the Kingdom of God
Troy replied to my post on America diplomacy and our status as a "Christian" nation:
I am in complete agreement with you on our status as a "Christian" nation. We are not one, nor do I ever think that we were one. The sooner the church recognizes that, the healthier the church will be. Unfortunately, it seems that we aren't close to throwing off our attempt at making the American nation a Christian nation or separating the church from our American nation.
The November 2006 Restoration Herald (not available online except through a subscription fee) had an article that focused on that. Here is a relevant excerpt:
Once the war in Iraq began, it seems that most churches began praying for "the world's leaders" and our troops. We still hear those prayers in church today. What those prayers usually mean is that we pray that our troops are victorious (see my post on Mark Twain’s War Prayer) and that George Bush has wisdom. The practice of praying for our nation and world leaders is healthy; it's our implementation of it that seems rather unhealthy.
When we pray for the world's leaders, we need to also pray for the leaders who do not share our stance in the world. I have yet to hear a prayer for Kim Jong-Il or Osama Bin Laden in church. We have a tendency to pray only for those people we like and not pray for those who disagree with us. If we do pray for those we dislike, it is usually to heap condemnation on them.
We need to take seriously the calling to be a people of God without national borders. Our fellow citizens reside in Iraq, Iran, North Korea, Russia, and all around the world. God's kingdom is our nation of primary citizenship. We are aliens in this world no matter what nation with borders we are born in because our true citizenship resides in God’s kingdom.
Before residing in the Promised Land, the Israelites were aliens in Egypt:
Paul used similar language in his letter to describe the status of Christian citizenship when he wrote to the church in Ephesus.
We are aliens visiting the nations of this world. We have no borders to defend with missiles and guns. Our citizenship is in heaven and shared with people throughout the world. We defend this nation with love.
We have a common citizenship with others, but no land to call our home. Fellow citizenship is one of the glorious aspects of the kingdom that is a reality now. However, we are still waiting for the perfect earth that will be ours to inhabit in the future.
Nowhere in Scripture is it written that we are to be superpatriotic. A lot of the times the following verse seems to be misinterpreted to say that.
The key word is "subject". We would not have to be in subjection if we were in agreement. Subjection implies we do not like what is going on. Here is a good essay I read on the subject of subject.
I want to leave with a story. When I was a youth pastor in Alma, there was an American flag that stood on the stage in the front of the church. I was disgusted by it. Not because of a hatred of America but because America - the land of abortions, annihilation of the Indians, and many other acts that are a disgrace to associate with the will of God - doesn't deserve a place in the church. God’s kingdom is a much greater nation than America. The minister agreed with me. One Saturday night we moved the flag from the sanctuary up to the storage closet. It stayed there for around six months. During that time, the minister that helped me in the secret mission left and a new minister who was an armed forces veteran was hired. It became a semi-big stir after another veteran brought up that he missed the flag. I was asked if I knew where it was. I told them the story of the secret mission in the dark of night and reluctantly revealed its new top-secret location. The flag was returned to the sanctuary where it stands (as of my last visit there) proudly to this day.
Disclaimer: I like America. I like that I can go to a house of worship without the risk of getting arrested. True, some psychotic lunatic could walk in with a toothpick, pocket knife, machete, or an automatic weapon and do us in, but we do not have the government to worry about. I like some of the overplayed patriotic country songs and even songs like America, the Beautiful. I admire some of the Presidents we have had. I like apple pie, but I try not to eat much wheat because I'm sensitive to it. I like baseball, but I threw my arm out somewhere along the road and can no longer play. I like fields of grain except during allergy season. I like sunny skies except when I get too much sun and have a sun burn that itches like the poison ivy. Poison ivy grows out of American dirt, but I don’t hold that against America. Overall, I like America and my life here.
On the flip side, I believe that God still punishes people based upon their nation and its faithfulness to God. We are linked to the blessings or curses on the groups of people we are part of. There are many changes that need to be done if this nation wants to be pleasing to God.
Watch out for the potholes.
I understand the point of your post, but how can we even claim to be a "Christian" nation when we've played our part in murdering 50 million babies through abortion; quite legally I might add. That's enough human lives to repopulate Ft. Wayne close to 170 times. It looks as if gay marriage will be accepted sooner as opposed to later. They're already getting marriage treatment from some employers. I'm not trying to be cynical. Just wondering when we'll stop claiming to be something we're not. And I do agree that diplomacy should always be the first attempt to resolve an issue.
I am in complete agreement with you on our status as a "Christian" nation. We are not one, nor do I ever think that we were one. The sooner the church recognizes that, the healthier the church will be. Unfortunately, it seems that we aren't close to throwing off our attempt at making the American nation a Christian nation or separating the church from our American nation.
The November 2006 Restoration Herald (not available online except through a subscription fee) had an article that focused on that. Here is a relevant excerpt:
Today's religious syncretism is the blending of nationalism and partisan politics with religion. It seems to have begun after WWI in the revival sermons of Billy Sunday who would often say, "Christianity and patriotism are synonymous terms" and, when the spirit moved him, would jump up on a pulpit and wave an American flag at the end of a revivalist sermon...You now see this kind of religion wherever you go. On any given Sunday worship service or educational hour one is as apt to hear references to the ranting of a radio or cable television political commentator as one is apt to hear a reference to scripture. The American flag proudly waves in the breeze on the church flagpole atop the smaller, more humble, Christian flag. The minister stands behind a pulpit that is strategically placed so as to highlight the American flag which is usually seen over the preacher's right shoulder. Political preachers quote the constitution as holy writ while they view its Bill of Rights as license and declare cultural war on the judicial institution the document created to interpret its laws. In some churches, the worship of God includes a pledge of allegiance to the American flag where people, regardless of their nationality or citizenship, must stand and declare their allegiance to an earthly country instead of the heavenly one for which the writer of Hebrews tells us the faithful should be looking. In many churches the Boy Scouts march the flag up the aisle on Memorial Day. The few of us in the congregation who have actually served in the military during war are asked to stand to the enthusiastic applause of the patriotic multitude...War is glorified and one is generally left with the impression that any American who killed and died in war has been rewarded with a free pass to heaven. In many churches, your credentials as a Christian are judged every bit as much by which political party and issues you support as by your devotion to the philosophy of Christ.I wanted to write, "We should encourage our nation to adhere to Christian standards as much as possible." Then I wondered, what is the purpose of making people that aren't Christians live up to Christian standards. It seems rather pointless. We should not lose the focus of our mission of establishing Christ's kingdom here on earth. If we succeed in our mission, then our nation will adhere to Christian principles.
Once the war in Iraq began, it seems that most churches began praying for "the world's leaders" and our troops. We still hear those prayers in church today. What those prayers usually mean is that we pray that our troops are victorious (see my post on Mark Twain’s War Prayer) and that George Bush has wisdom. The practice of praying for our nation and world leaders is healthy; it's our implementation of it that seems rather unhealthy.
When we pray for the world's leaders, we need to also pray for the leaders who do not share our stance in the world. I have yet to hear a prayer for Kim Jong-Il or Osama Bin Laden in church. We have a tendency to pray only for those people we like and not pray for those who disagree with us. If we do pray for those we dislike, it is usually to heap condemnation on them.
We need to take seriously the calling to be a people of God without national borders. Our fellow citizens reside in Iraq, Iran, North Korea, Russia, and all around the world. God's kingdom is our nation of primary citizenship. We are aliens in this world no matter what nation with borders we are born in because our true citizenship resides in God’s kingdom.
Before residing in the Promised Land, the Israelites were aliens in Egypt:
And God spoke in these terms, that his descendants would be resident aliens in a country belonging to others, who would enslave them and mistreat them during four hundred years. "But I will judge the nation that they serve,' said God, "and after that they shall come out and worship me in this place (Acts 7:6-7).
Paul used similar language in his letter to describe the status of Christian citizenship when he wrote to the church in Ephesus.
So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God (Ephesians 2:19-22).
We are aliens visiting the nations of this world. We have no borders to defend with missiles and guns. Our citizenship is in heaven and shared with people throughout the world. We defend this nation with love.
We have a common citizenship with others, but no land to call our home. Fellow citizenship is one of the glorious aspects of the kingdom that is a reality now. However, we are still waiting for the perfect earth that will be ours to inhabit in the future.
Nowhere in Scripture is it written that we are to be superpatriotic. A lot of the times the following verse seems to be misinterpreted to say that.
Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience. For the same reason you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing (Romans 13:1-6).
The key word is "subject". We would not have to be in subjection if we were in agreement. Subjection implies we do not like what is going on. Here is a good essay I read on the subject of subject.
I want to leave with a story. When I was a youth pastor in Alma, there was an American flag that stood on the stage in the front of the church. I was disgusted by it. Not because of a hatred of America but because America - the land of abortions, annihilation of the Indians, and many other acts that are a disgrace to associate with the will of God - doesn't deserve a place in the church. God’s kingdom is a much greater nation than America. The minister agreed with me. One Saturday night we moved the flag from the sanctuary up to the storage closet. It stayed there for around six months. During that time, the minister that helped me in the secret mission left and a new minister who was an armed forces veteran was hired. It became a semi-big stir after another veteran brought up that he missed the flag. I was asked if I knew where it was. I told them the story of the secret mission in the dark of night and reluctantly revealed its new top-secret location. The flag was returned to the sanctuary where it stands (as of my last visit there) proudly to this day.
Disclaimer: I like America. I like that I can go to a house of worship without the risk of getting arrested. True, some psychotic lunatic could walk in with a toothpick, pocket knife, machete, or an automatic weapon and do us in, but we do not have the government to worry about. I like some of the overplayed patriotic country songs and even songs like America, the Beautiful. I admire some of the Presidents we have had. I like apple pie, but I try not to eat much wheat because I'm sensitive to it. I like baseball, but I threw my arm out somewhere along the road and can no longer play. I like fields of grain except during allergy season. I like sunny skies except when I get too much sun and have a sun burn that itches like the poison ivy. Poison ivy grows out of American dirt, but I don’t hold that against America. Overall, I like America and my life here.
On the flip side, I believe that God still punishes people based upon their nation and its faithfulness to God. We are linked to the blessings or curses on the groups of people we are part of. There are many changes that need to be done if this nation wants to be pleasing to God.
Watch out for the potholes.
What Is Really The Good News Taught By Jesus? - The Gospel Is The Kingdom
What is the good news of the New Testament? That is a question I always thought had a simple answer: "Jesus died on the cross for our sins, so that we might have a proper relationship with him." Although, that statement is true, it is not the good news as it is described in the New Testament. I have compiled the relevant Scriptures here so you can decide for yourself. If I'm wrong, let me know because I like to know the truth.
I will post a verse and then follow that up with some commentary when I feel the need. The asterix marks more "relevant" verses.
Early in his ministry Jesus started talking about the coming kingdom. This kingdom had been what people throughout the Old Testament had been waiting for. This kingdom would be a blessing to the world. It would finally be the fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3: "Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your father's house, To the land which I will show you; and I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing; and I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." The kingdom that would bless the whole world was near! The people of Israel were expecting this, and Jesus’ proclamation that it was near was good news.
Jesus' message could have so easily been the message of his death and the forgiveness of sins, but that isn't what he focused on. He focused on the good news of the kingdom.
Our striving needs to be for things of the kingdom, not for selfish spiritual things or our own enjoyment. Our lives should not be about us but about God’s kingdom.
Did Jesus go around preaching grace? Maybe. Did he go around preaching faith? At times. But what does this section of Scripture show that he preached - "the good news of the kingdom." Up until four years ago I had never heard, or at least consciously acknowledged hearing, the message of the kingdom of God. The gospel focused on Jesus giving us the forgiveness of sins and entry into heaven. However, that is not what the living and breathing Jesus taught. We seem to (maybe subconsciously) think we have better messages than the one Jesus taught, ones that might be more relevant or palatable to the souls of those around us. We need to get back to discovering the message of the kingdom that Jesus preached and start living it and proclaiming it from the rooftops, soapboxes, and pulpits.
Jesus has the twelve and he is getting ready to send them out for the first time. It was like the moment before the big game where the coach would make or break his legacy by giving his team a motivational speech and instructions for the game ahead. During the pregame locker room speech Jesus recapped the important stuff for their first journey out. His mission on earth rested in the hands of those twelve that he was talking to. What did he tell them to preach? He tells them to preach the message of the kingdom of heaven. Maybe, we should follow suit and preach that same message.
This verse used to be one of those verses that made absolutely no sense to me. Jesus told people that the kingdom of God will come before some of those people standing in that crowd tasted death. If it hasn’t appeared yet, then some in that crowd would have to still be alive or Jesus was a liar.
However, Jesus is not a liar. The kingdom has come. Jesus brought the kingdom of God to earth when he established his Church. The Church and anywhere that God’s will breaks through into our reality is where the kingdom of God resides. We are part of the kingdom when we surrender to Jesus’ kingship and become active members in bringing His will into reality.
The event everyone in the Old Testament was waiting for has happened. We are so blessed to be part of it. Some of those people that Jesus talked to saw the kingdom of God come with power, and it is still here.
Here we have a list of some of the elements of God's kingdom. In God's kingdom the poor will hear the good news. The blind will receive sight and the oppressed will be freed. Sometimes we think that we do not see these events happening here on earth as they should in God's kingdom. That is true. God’s kingdom is not fully here, yet it is breaking through. A day will come when God's kingdom will arrive in its complete fullness. Until then, we are left with God's kingdom being one of many kingdoms on earth. We need to bring God’s will and His kingdom into our reality as much as possible. We need to preach the good news to the poor. We need to help the blind see. We need to help free those who are oppressed. We are the people on the ground to bring about God's kingdom.
Jesus stated that the reason he was sent here was to preach the good news of the kingdom. We are often taught that the reason he was sent was to die on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins; however, that isn't what he said. He said that he came to preach the good news of the kingdom. His death on the cross is part of that bigger framework, not the goal. We should not make his death and resurrection the framework or else we miss the larger picture. The death and resurrection are glorious things indeed, but they are not why Jesus was sent. Jesus was sent to preach and bring about the kingdom.
Another example of Jesus telling another person to go and proclaim the kingdom of God.
Being part of the kingdom of God is the goal. That is what people were worried about being part of.
The kingdom of God, the kingdom we are citizens of, is "not coming with things that can be observed." This physical, yet invisible kingdom is not what the Israelites were expecting when the Messiah would come. If I was a Pharisee, I would’ve replied to Jesus, "You mean to tell me that you're going to start a kingdom but that kingdom isn't going to be visible. That is not a kingdom. You say it is already here? I see Roman soldiers just down the street. How can you say the kingdom is here among us when I see the Roman kingdom all around me?"
God does not always do what is viewed as "rational". He had Gideon lower his army from 32,000 to 500 before invading another nation. He had Joshua march around Jericho blowing trumpets in order to defeat them. He saved the world by having Jesus die on a cross. In hindsight his acts are glorious, just like his kingdom. But at the time, they seem to be a little off.
The kingdom of God was there among them and is here among us. Although I live in America, my true citizenship is in another kingdom. All of us who profess to follow Christ need to realize that we are part of a kingdom that is among us. Our nationality belongs to God, not to any of the kingdoms of this world. Jesus’ kingdom might not have physical borders or a common language, but it is a kingdom nonetheless, a kingdom unlike any other.
People will do things for the sake of the kingdom of God. By this point I'm sure that you are realizing that the kingdom of God is a message of importance to Jesus.
Jesus raises from the dead and spends time teaching his disciples. This is really the final huddle. It's the last play in the Super Bowl. The quarterback has only a short time to motivate his players before they have to break and run the play that will decide the fate of the game. Their whole season depends on it. The quarterback reminds them of the most important thing. What did Jesus remind them of in a similar case? It wasn't the theological significance of his death on the cross. It wasn't his miracles. It wasn't his resurrection. Those things all fit in the context of the message of the kingdom of God. One last moment with the people he placed the future of his mission to, and the Bible records that he spoke about the kingdom of God.
The message of the kingdom begins to be preached by those who are the early Christ followers.
Paul preached about the kingdom of God.
We see more examples that Paul preached the kingdom of God. That was the goal of all the stories of Jesus' life. That is the good news that Jesus himself preached, and Paul continued to preach it.
It's at the time when the kingdom is handed over to the Father that the kingdom will be fully and completely here. Until then, we will live in a kingdom that has no boundaries, a kingdom that is just a foretaste of the greater kingdom to come, yet it is still the kingdom.
We are priests in this kingdom. There are no soldiers, no union workers, no corporate executives, no janitors, no policemen, just priests.
I will post a verse and then follow that up with some commentary when I feel the need. The asterix marks more "relevant" verses.
Matt 4:17 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near”
Early in his ministry Jesus started talking about the coming kingdom. This kingdom had been what people throughout the Old Testament had been waiting for. This kingdom would be a blessing to the world. It would finally be the fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3: "Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your father's house, To the land which I will show you; and I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing; and I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." The kingdom that would bless the whole world was near! The people of Israel were expecting this, and Jesus’ proclamation that it was near was good news.
Matt 4:23 “Jesus went…preaching the good news of the kingdom”
Jesus' message could have so easily been the message of his death and the forgiveness of sins, but that isn't what he focused on. He focused on the good news of the kingdom.
*Matt 6:33 “But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well”
Our striving needs to be for things of the kingdom, not for selfish spiritual things or our own enjoyment. Our lives should not be about us but about God’s kingdom.
Matt 9:35 “Jesus went…preaching the good news of the kingdom”
Did Jesus go around preaching grace? Maybe. Did he go around preaching faith? At times. But what does this section of Scripture show that he preached - "the good news of the kingdom." Up until four years ago I had never heard, or at least consciously acknowledged hearing, the message of the kingdom of God. The gospel focused on Jesus giving us the forgiveness of sins and entry into heaven. However, that is not what the living and breathing Jesus taught. We seem to (maybe subconsciously) think we have better messages than the one Jesus taught, ones that might be more relevant or palatable to the souls of those around us. We need to get back to discovering the message of the kingdom that Jesus preached and start living it and proclaiming it from the rooftops, soapboxes, and pulpits.
*Matt 10:7 “Preach this message: ‘the kingdom of heaven is near’”
Jesus has the twelve and he is getting ready to send them out for the first time. It was like the moment before the big game where the coach would make or break his legacy by giving his team a motivational speech and instructions for the game ahead. During the pregame locker room speech Jesus recapped the important stuff for their first journey out. His mission on earth rested in the hands of those twelve that he was talking to. What did he tell them to preach? He tells them to preach the message of the kingdom of heaven. Maybe, we should follow suit and preach that same message.
Mark 1:14-15 “Jesus went…proclaiming the good news of God. ‘The time has come…The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news.’”
*Mark 9:1 “There are some standing here who will not taste death until they see that the kingdom of God has come with power.”
This verse used to be one of those verses that made absolutely no sense to me. Jesus told people that the kingdom of God will come before some of those people standing in that crowd tasted death. If it hasn’t appeared yet, then some in that crowd would have to still be alive or Jesus was a liar.
However, Jesus is not a liar. The kingdom has come. Jesus brought the kingdom of God to earth when he established his Church. The Church and anywhere that God’s will breaks through into our reality is where the kingdom of God resides. We are part of the kingdom when we surrender to Jesus’ kingship and become active members in bringing His will into reality.
The event everyone in the Old Testament was waiting for has happened. We are so blessed to be part of it. Some of those people that Jesus talked to saw the kingdom of God come with power, and it is still here.
Mark 11:10 “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David”
*Luke 4:18-19 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.
Here we have a list of some of the elements of God's kingdom. In God's kingdom the poor will hear the good news. The blind will receive sight and the oppressed will be freed. Sometimes we think that we do not see these events happening here on earth as they should in God's kingdom. That is true. God’s kingdom is not fully here, yet it is breaking through. A day will come when God's kingdom will arrive in its complete fullness. Until then, we are left with God's kingdom being one of many kingdoms on earth. We need to bring God’s will and His kingdom into our reality as much as possible. We need to preach the good news to the poor. We need to help the blind see. We need to help free those who are oppressed. We are the people on the ground to bring about God's kingdom.
*Luke 4:43 “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God…because that is why I was sent”
Jesus stated that the reason he was sent here was to preach the good news of the kingdom. We are often taught that the reason he was sent was to die on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins; however, that isn't what he said. He said that he came to preach the good news of the kingdom. His death on the cross is part of that bigger framework, not the goal. We should not make his death and resurrection the framework or else we miss the larger picture. The death and resurrection are glorious things indeed, but they are not why Jesus was sent. Jesus was sent to preach and bring about the kingdom.
Luke 8:1 “Jesus traveled…proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God”
Luke 9:11 “He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God”
Luke 9:60 “Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
Another example of Jesus telling another person to go and proclaim the kingdom of God.
Luke 9:62 “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
Being part of the kingdom of God is the goal. That is what people were worried about being part of.
Luke 10:9 “Tell them, ‘The kingdom of God is near you.’”
Luke 10:11 “The kingdom of God is near”
Luke 16:16 “The good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it.”
*Luke 17:20-21 “Jesus was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming, and he answered, ‘The kingdom of God is not coming with things that can be observed; nor will they say, ‘Look here it is!’ or ‘There it is!’ For, in fact the kingdom of God is among you.”
The kingdom of God, the kingdom we are citizens of, is "not coming with things that can be observed." This physical, yet invisible kingdom is not what the Israelites were expecting when the Messiah would come. If I was a Pharisee, I would’ve replied to Jesus, "You mean to tell me that you're going to start a kingdom but that kingdom isn't going to be visible. That is not a kingdom. You say it is already here? I see Roman soldiers just down the street. How can you say the kingdom is here among us when I see the Roman kingdom all around me?"
God does not always do what is viewed as "rational". He had Gideon lower his army from 32,000 to 500 before invading another nation. He had Joshua march around Jericho blowing trumpets in order to defeat them. He saved the world by having Jesus die on a cross. In hindsight his acts are glorious, just like his kingdom. But at the time, they seem to be a little off.
The kingdom of God was there among them and is here among us. Although I live in America, my true citizenship is in another kingdom. All of us who profess to follow Christ need to realize that we are part of a kingdom that is among us. Our nationality belongs to God, not to any of the kingdoms of this world. Jesus’ kingdom might not have physical borders or a common language, but it is a kingdom nonetheless, a kingdom unlike any other.
Luke 18:28-30 “I tell you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not get back very much more in this age, and in the age to come eternal life.”
People will do things for the sake of the kingdom of God. By this point I'm sure that you are realizing that the kingdom of God is a message of importance to Jesus.
*Acts 1:3 “He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.”
Jesus raises from the dead and spends time teaching his disciples. This is really the final huddle. It's the last play in the Super Bowl. The quarterback has only a short time to motivate his players before they have to break and run the play that will decide the fate of the game. Their whole season depends on it. The quarterback reminds them of the most important thing. What did Jesus remind them of in a similar case? It wasn't the theological significance of his death on the cross. It wasn't his miracles. It wasn't his resurrection. Those things all fit in the context of the message of the kingdom of God. One last moment with the people he placed the future of his mission to, and the Bible records that he spoke about the kingdom of God.
Acts 8:12 “He (Philip) preached the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus.”
The message of the kingdom begins to be preached by those who are the early Christ followers.
Acts 19:8 “Paul…arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God.”
Paul preached about the kingdom of God.
Acts 28:23 “From morning until evening he explained the matter to them, testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus both from the law of Moses and from the prophets.”
Acts 28:30-31 "And he stayed two full years in his own rented quarters and was welcoming all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God and teaching concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with all openness, unhindered."
We see more examples that Paul preached the kingdom of God. That was the goal of all the stories of Jesus' life. That is the good news that Jesus himself preached, and Paul continued to preach it.
Rom 14:17 “For the kingdom of God is not food and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
*I Cor 15:24-25 “Then comes the end, when he (Christ) hands over the kingdom to God the Father, after he has destroyed every ruler and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put al l his enemies under his feet.”
It's at the time when the kingdom is handed over to the Father that the kingdom will be fully and completely here. Until then, we will live in a kingdom that has no boundaries, a kingdom that is just a foretaste of the greater kingdom to come, yet it is still the kingdom.
*Rev 1:5-6 “To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father.”
We are priests in this kingdom. There are no soldiers, no union workers, no corporate executives, no janitors, no policemen, just priests.
What a glorious day that will be!
Rev 11:15 “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign forever and ever.”
A Novel Idea - Powell Suggests that America and Bush Should talk to Iran
The news headline reads:
Powell says U.S. should talk to Iran, not attack
It's about time.
I find it sadly ironic that we try to act like we are a "Christian" nation with a "Christian" leader when we treat our enemies the way we do. We need a lot of work in the international arena if we are to consider the way we operate as a nation to be "Christian".
Watch out for the potholes.
Powell says U.S. should talk to Iran, not attack
Luke 6
27 But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. 29 To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. 30 Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. 31 And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them. 32 If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. 35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. 36 Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.
It's about time.
I find it sadly ironic that we try to act like we are a "Christian" nation with a "Christian" leader when we treat our enemies the way we do. We need a lot of work in the international arena if we are to consider the way we operate as a nation to be "Christian".
Watch out for the potholes.
The Gathering Is Central to the Life of a Church
The gathering of Christians is central to the life of a church. That should be a given. But in our culture of individualism, we begin to individualize church so much that we sometimes think we don't have to be part of a local body of believers and yet are part of the Church.
The church needs to be a community that disciples are bringing new believers into. Conversion isn't just bringing a person into proper behavior and thought processes but showing them God's community and teaching them how to join. The community must be healthy in order for God's light to shine.
In the OT, God designed his will to spread through the world through the kingdom of Israel. When Israel failed, he then moved to using an altered kingdom, which is primarily manifested in the Church but can be seen anywhere God's will is being brought about. His kingdom come, His will be done. His will seems to have always been the same, a community of followers who bless the world as a result of God blessing them. He just wants a faithful people that will exhibit the characteristics He desires in his kingdom.
The gathering is the center of the church's life. It is during this time that we act in such a way together that we remind one another what is important. Through doing what is important, we either show the world the glory of God or a god that is long dead.
The Lord's Supper should be the center of the service since it seems to have played a primary role in the early church gatherings and has throughout church history until recent times.
I also think there should be room for fellowship (not just incidental fellowship that happens before and after the gathering), prayer, and teaching from Scripture. I do not know how we can have prayer needs shared and genuine fellowship in a larger setting. But I'm not in a position currently where I have to struggle with that, but I do think that is important for a healthy body and greater people than me will have to struggle through that.
I also believe that the gathering should be all-encompassing (or at least as close as it can be). It shouldn't be something that we think is just one part of all of the parts that are necessary to be included in the local body. "We do this Sunday morning worship service but you should also be plugged into a small group and a ministry team at other times during the week." Ministries should flow out of the gathering and fellowship should happen there like it does in small groups.
The gathering should be interactive. Not just between the people in the pews and God, but with the people in the pews with one another and the people leading.
If we do not have fellowship, prayer, the Lord's Supper, and the Scriptural teaching, then what we are doing is not church.
A book
I read said:
You can feel free to skip (like you need my permission for that), but I thought I would include another lengthier section.
Through all of this, I am amazed at how God uses all of our convictions to further his kingdom. People who do church in ways that I think are inappropriate are still being used by God to bring about His will and bring more people into His fold. However, I do wonder if we did things more deliberately the way that God seemed to have intended them if God might be even more glorified.
Watch out for the potholes.
The church needs to be a community that disciples are bringing new believers into. Conversion isn't just bringing a person into proper behavior and thought processes but showing them God's community and teaching them how to join. The community must be healthy in order for God's light to shine.
In the OT, God designed his will to spread through the world through the kingdom of Israel. When Israel failed, he then moved to using an altered kingdom, which is primarily manifested in the Church but can be seen anywhere God's will is being brought about. His kingdom come, His will be done. His will seems to have always been the same, a community of followers who bless the world as a result of God blessing them. He just wants a faithful people that will exhibit the characteristics He desires in his kingdom.
The gathering is the center of the church's life. It is during this time that we act in such a way together that we remind one another what is important. Through doing what is important, we either show the world the glory of God or a god that is long dead.
The Lord's Supper should be the center of the service since it seems to have played a primary role in the early church gatherings and has throughout church history until recent times.
I also think there should be room for fellowship (not just incidental fellowship that happens before and after the gathering), prayer, and teaching from Scripture. I do not know how we can have prayer needs shared and genuine fellowship in a larger setting. But I'm not in a position currently where I have to struggle with that, but I do think that is important for a healthy body and greater people than me will have to struggle through that.
I also believe that the gathering should be all-encompassing (or at least as close as it can be). It shouldn't be something that we think is just one part of all of the parts that are necessary to be included in the local body. "We do this Sunday morning worship service but you should also be plugged into a small group and a ministry team at other times during the week." Ministries should flow out of the gathering and fellowship should happen there like it does in small groups.
The gathering should be interactive. Not just between the people in the pews and God, but with the people in the pews with one another and the people leading.
If we do not have fellowship, prayer, the Lord's Supper, and the Scriptural teaching, then what we are doing is not church.
A book
I read said:If you've ever felt lonely and unimportant in church, there's a good reason: You are alone and unimportant.
From 11 to 12 Sunday, you're just another pretty face in the crowd.
Though surrounded by others, you're cut off. Custom walls you off in your own space and silences your voice--except for song or responsive reading.
Surrounded by an audience of trainee mutes, you can find it lonely as a solo trek across Antarctica. After you've eaten all the sled dogs.
The service would be exactly the same without you. You know that. Your impact on it is like an extra gallon of water going over Niagara Falls.
You can feel free to skip (like you need my permission for that), but I thought I would include another lengthier section.
The heart of your church is the Sunday service, where the typical communication pattern is about as useful as a jello telephone.
No matter what you have on your heart--the greatest joy or deepest sorrow--you are not allowed to share it during the service. Ever.
Fellowship is confined to the foyer afterward, please. (Unless you've figured a way to fellowship with the back of someone else's head.) Try to talk, and the ushers will ush you out. Post hastily.
This, my friend, is not Biblical. Saint Peter would have wept.
In fact, many of the early churches almost demanded you share something every week. They even expected you to sing for them (aaugh!) Even solos!
But now you can't say anything longer than, "Hallelujah!"--if that. As a result, you're often more of a spectator than a participant.
How did we ever get into such a fix? Well, around A.D. 300, the church made the worst blunder in her history. We voluntarily decided to give up the three key freedoms that powered the early church to success: Open worship (praising God), open sharing (building up each other), and open ministry (serving others in the church and in the world.
Throughout Christendom in the Fourth Century, we professionalized the local church and turned over our Sunday service to the pros, leaving them to do almost everything while we sat and watched..
Lay men found themselves stripped of initiative and power, like newly-captured slaves. Lay women were quietly relieved of what little responsibility and leadership they had. (By about 450, even the congregational singing faded to zip, as we turned over the music to professional choirs of men and boys.)
All the laity suddenly found Sunday worship to be more distant from their personal lives and daily concerns. They fell into Spectator Christianity, where loneliness doesn't end at church--it starts there.
Through all of this, I am amazed at how God uses all of our convictions to further his kingdom. People who do church in ways that I think are inappropriate are still being used by God to bring about His will and bring more people into His fold. However, I do wonder if we did things more deliberately the way that God seemed to have intended them if God might be even more glorified.
Watch out for the potholes.
Hiring a Minister for this and that
Often churches hire ministers to do those things that the body doesn't have the desire or the talents to do. We see this often in the case of evangelism, youth, or discipleship. I think in the case of desire, it is wrong for a church to hire a minister to do that which a church should already be doing. It will just lead to a minister getting burnt out and a body of believers not growing. The body needs to change and have the desire to the things which the body of Christ should be doing.
In the case of talents, I think the case can be better made to hire a minister. We see this in the case of preaching and music leading. I just wonder if we value those roles too much, and that they aren't as necessary as our church culture has made them out to be.
Watch out for the potholes
In the case of talents, I think the case can be better made to hire a minister. We see this in the case of preaching and music leading. I just wonder if we value those roles too much, and that they aren't as necessary as our church culture has made them out to be.
Watch out for the potholes
What about the children? Age and Family Requirement of Elders
A friend of mine turned down being an elder due to the fact that his children weren't of an age yet to believe on their own.
I told him what I just wrote in the previous post. We also delved deeper into the two passages that deal with the issue at hand.
Titus 1:6b
1 Timothy 3:4-5
In Titus, it appears that the children must be older, be believers, not known for debauchery or insubordination. This is the verse that seems to be used to say that an elder needs to be an older individual.
In Timothy, we see something different. It appears that the children are still in the household and are living in submission to their father. This would seem to imply that the father is one that has younger children, which could allow for a younger man to be an elder.
If you have children slanted towards debauchery, you should probably not be an elder in the church. We could hypothesize all day on why that is, but I don't think that would be fruitful. The point is that Paul considered the state of a child a reflection of the state of the father. He made the children's state a requirement for eldership. If you have a wayward son, then eldership is probably not the place in the church for you.
I think there would be exceptions for those who didn't become a Christian until later in life or in cases where everyone feels that the individual did everything they could to raise a godly child. The overriding principle in choosing elders is to choose those who can insure the church has proper doctrine and proper direction, not to have a legal checklist that needs to be fulfilled.
One word of particular interest in the discussion is the word "submissive" from the 1 Timothy passage. This word is the same word that is used in 3 other places in the New Testament. Feel free to open up your own Bibles to get the larger context.
1 Corinthians 9:12 For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints, but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God. 13 By their approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission flowing from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others, 14 while they long for you and pray for you, because of the surpassing grace of God upon you.
1 Timothy 2:11 Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. 12 I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet.
Galatians 2:4 Yet because of false brothers secretly brought in--who slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us into slavery-- 5 to them we did not yield in submission even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you.
The word emphasizes a release of one's will to the will of another. Submission is doing that which we might not want to do because it is the will of another, yet we do it any way because of the authority of the other's will. If you desire to be an elder and you have children that are not of age, then you need to insure that they are submitting to your will and that your will is one that is worthy of submitting to.
I think we can conclude that Paul allowed younger men to be elders in Ephesus.
Raising godly children is a careful balance of giving them just enough rope that they don't hang themselves, yet not keeping them too close that they will just fall when they don't have us there helping with the rope. An elder of the church should know how much rope to give people. The way his children act will reveal whether he knows how to do that or not.
Watch out for the potholes.
I told him what I just wrote in the previous post. We also delved deeper into the two passages that deal with the issue at hand.
Titus 1:6b
"His children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination."
1 Timothy 3:4-5
"4 He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, 5 for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God's church?"
In Titus, it appears that the children must be older, be believers, not known for debauchery or insubordination. This is the verse that seems to be used to say that an elder needs to be an older individual.
In Timothy, we see something different. It appears that the children are still in the household and are living in submission to their father. This would seem to imply that the father is one that has younger children, which could allow for a younger man to be an elder.
If you have children slanted towards debauchery, you should probably not be an elder in the church. We could hypothesize all day on why that is, but I don't think that would be fruitful. The point is that Paul considered the state of a child a reflection of the state of the father. He made the children's state a requirement for eldership. If you have a wayward son, then eldership is probably not the place in the church for you.
I think there would be exceptions for those who didn't become a Christian until later in life or in cases where everyone feels that the individual did everything they could to raise a godly child. The overriding principle in choosing elders is to choose those who can insure the church has proper doctrine and proper direction, not to have a legal checklist that needs to be fulfilled.
One word of particular interest in the discussion is the word "submissive" from the 1 Timothy passage. This word is the same word that is used in 3 other places in the New Testament. Feel free to open up your own Bibles to get the larger context.
1 Corinthians 9:12 For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints, but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God. 13 By their approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission flowing from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others, 14 while they long for you and pray for you, because of the surpassing grace of God upon you.
1 Timothy 2:11 Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. 12 I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet.
Galatians 2:4 Yet because of false brothers secretly brought in--who slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us into slavery-- 5 to them we did not yield in submission even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you.
The word emphasizes a release of one's will to the will of another. Submission is doing that which we might not want to do because it is the will of another, yet we do it any way because of the authority of the other's will. If you desire to be an elder and you have children that are not of age, then you need to insure that they are submitting to your will and that your will is one that is worthy of submitting to.
I think we can conclude that Paul allowed younger men to be elders in Ephesus.
Raising godly children is a careful balance of giving them just enough rope that they don't hang themselves, yet not keeping them too close that they will just fall when they don't have us there helping with the rope. An elder of the church should know how much rope to give people. The way his children act will reveal whether he knows how to do that or not.
Watch out for the potholes.
The Biblical Requirements of Elders
1 Timothy 3:1-7
The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife,sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God's church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.
Titus 1:5-9
This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you--if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. For an overseer,as God's steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.
Here is a list I made that combines the two lists in Timothy and Titus:
- Be above reproach (Titus & Timothy)
- Husband of one wife (Titus & Timothy)
- Self-Controlled (Titus & Timothy)
- Hospitable (Titus & Timothy)
- Not a drunkard (Titus & Timothy)
- Not violent (Titus)
- Not violent but gentle (Timothy)
- Sober-minded (Timothy)
- Upright (Titus)
- Respectable (Timothy)
- Able to teach (Timothy)
- Not quarrelsome (Timothy)
- Not greedy for gain (Titus)
- Not a lover of money (Timothy)
- His children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination (Titus)
- Manages his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive (Timothy)
- Not a recent convert (Timothy)
- Must be well thought of by outsiders (Timothy)
- Not arrogant (Titus)
- Not quick tempered (Titus)
- A lover of good (Titus)
- Holy (Titus)
- Disciplined (Titus)
- Holds firm to the trustworthy word (Titus)
The requirements that Paul expressed to Timothy were somewhat different than the list that he sent to Titus. If you look at any modern denomination, you would see written lists (or paragraphs) that express the specific requirements for elders in the local church. These lists do not waver from church to church; they are set in stone for a church in Topeka, Kansas, USA, to a church in Baghdad, Iraq to a church in the middle of Siberia. We do not see such set in stone requirements in Scripture for elders.
Through the lists in the Titus and Timothy we can get a glimpse at the fact that God works locally. What was needed to insure good elders in Ephesus appears to have been different than what was emphasized to insure good elders in Crete. Certain things were the same. Others were different. All depended upon the church and culture at hand.
The lists are good at showing us what is expected in an elder; however, we go too far if we make them a legal list that has to be completely fulfilled in order to allow someone to be an elder. The heart of the matter is that God desires local churches to have godly men to insure proper teaching and proper direction of His body.
A Response from Knight-McDowell Labs on Airborne
I received a reply back from Knight-McDowell Labs.
"Thank you for your comments. Our product contains a very small amount of sucralose. Sucralose was chosen because it provides for a much more pleasant tasting product. It is a very common sweetener and has a well documented safety profile. We take your comments and suggestions very seriously and I will pass them on to the labs as we are constantly striving to improve the formula.
Thank you for your taking the time to send us feedback on our product. Have a great day and stay healthy!"
It was a very quick reply. I felt like responding to ask about the "well documented safety profile" but I'm not feeling feisty today.
I'm going to go take some Airborne now.
Watch out for the potholes.
"Thank you for your comments. Our product contains a very small amount of sucralose. Sucralose was chosen because it provides for a much more pleasant tasting product. It is a very common sweetener and has a well documented safety profile. We take your comments and suggestions very seriously and I will pass them on to the labs as we are constantly striving to improve the formula.
Thank you for your taking the time to send us feedback on our product. Have a great day and stay healthy!"
It was a very quick reply. I felt like responding to ask about the "well documented safety profile" but I'm not feeling feisty today.
I'm going to go take some Airborne now.
Watch out for the potholes.
Sucralose (Splenda) and Airborne - a letter to Knight-McDowell labs
I wrote a letter to Knight-McDowell labs today. Knight-McDowell is the manufacturer of Airborne. It pretty much tells the whole store, so I won't repeat it. Here's the letter:
Now, I might just be crazy, but here is a link on sucralose. We seem to always be fine with new artificial sweeteners. Then we find out their danger, and they disappear from society.
Donald Rumsfeld introduced us to Nutra Sweet. NutraSweet was not approved by the FDA for 16 years until Donald Rumsfeld took over the company and worked his political tricks to get it approved. Here is a link to an organization that fights against NutraSweet. And here is a link to a page that has some links to articles on the subject. My father also suffered from aspartame poisoning, but is doing better now after having to cleanse himself from it for a year or so.
Watch out for the potholes, aspartame, and sucralose.
Hi.
I have been using Airborne off and on now for about a month and a half. I work in a mall and am always catching a cold. However, I have not caught a cold during this time despite co-workers getting them. Airborne has been the only change that I have made during this time. Thanks.
However, I am writing to ask that you make an Airborne without sucralose. I try to avoid alternative sugars and sucralose is not something that I or many nutritionists consider to be healthy. You could use natural cane sugar, stevia, or zylotol if you feel that it needs sweetening.
I hope that you seriously consider making an Airborne with a different sweetener, for I love your product but don't want to expose myself to sucralose in a long-term manner. I might just be paranoid, but I know there are many of us out here that have the same view.
Sincerely,
Regan [last name omitted]
Now, I might just be crazy, but here is a link on sucralose. We seem to always be fine with new artificial sweeteners. Then we find out their danger, and they disappear from society.
Donald Rumsfeld introduced us to Nutra Sweet. NutraSweet was not approved by the FDA for 16 years until Donald Rumsfeld took over the company and worked his political tricks to get it approved. Here is a link to an organization that fights against NutraSweet. And here is a link to a page that has some links to articles on the subject. My father also suffered from aspartame poisoning, but is doing better now after having to cleanse himself from it for a year or so.
Watch out for the potholes, aspartame, and sucralose.
How to properly dispose of a Bible
I ran across a Bible that I had that had been decimated at some forgotten point in the past. It almost seems like a dog dug into it and ripped it apart. But I am left with a destroyed Bible that I need to get rid of and I wasn't comfortable just tossing it in the trash.
I must give a disclaimer first. We have the liberty to just throw away an old Bible. There is no biblical teaching on the subject. I just wasn't comfortable doing that.
So I did a search on the internet to see what I could find.
Here is what Dear Abby had to say when she was asked the question:
Here is a struggle a librarian had with disposing of religious books such as the Bible and the book of Mormon. I found the comments to be particularly insightful.
The Lutheran says to just throw it away.
Ask Moses, a Jewish site, deals with disposing of the Torah (our first five books of the Old Testament). They say the Torah must be buried to dispose of it.
Through this I concluded to take my family on a trip into our yard (although Lindsay has already opted out because of the cold) and dig a hole to bury the Bible. We will say a prayer concerning the Bible being written on our hearts. We will also sing the kid's song, "The B-I-B-L-E". We will literally be able to "stand alone on the word of God". I hope that this will help to emphasize to my children that the words in this book are precious and different than the words in any other book that we have.
I understand that I could just throw it away, but I feel that I would be missing a teachable moment to myself and to my children. Most ceremonies or rituals are instruments of teaching. The problem that happens with them a lot of the time is that they lose their meaning yet the practice of them carries on. There is nothing worse than an empty ritual. I think we as a Christian culture could use a lot more of deliberate, thought out, Christian rituals that are instruments of training ourselves and our children.
Watch out for the potholes.
I must give a disclaimer first. We have the liberty to just throw away an old Bible. There is no biblical teaching on the subject. I just wasn't comfortable doing that.
So I did a search on the internet to see what I could find.
Here is what Dear Abby had to say when she was asked the question:
DEAR ABBY: Here's another one for your "never thought I'd be writing to Dear Abby" collection.
I've been reading your column for ages, but I don't recall having seen this topic addressed. I have an old Bible that has seen better days. The pages are tearing and beginning to fall out. I have purchased a new Bible, but I am not sure what to do
with the old one. I don't feel right just throwing it into the garbage.
Is there a proper way to dispose of an old Bible? -- MIKE IN TEXAS
DEAR MIKE: Yes. I consulted the Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, Calif., and was told: Protestants can dispose of an old Bible by giving it to someone or throwing it away if they are comfortable doing so -- the paper and ink are not "holy." However, if the individual is not comfortable with that, it can be given to a Bible bookstore or Bible Book Society for refurbishing or disposal.
Father Joe Moniz at St. Joseph's Church in Torrance, Calif., advised that Catholics can either burn or bury old Bibles.
Persons of other religions should consult their religious authority concerning an accepted manner of disposing of holy books.
Here is a struggle a librarian had with disposing of religious books such as the Bible and the book of Mormon. I found the comments to be particularly insightful.
The Lutheran says to just throw it away.
Ask Moses, a Jewish site, deals with disposing of the Torah (our first five books of the Old Testament). They say the Torah must be buried to dispose of it.
Through this I concluded to take my family on a trip into our yard (although Lindsay has already opted out because of the cold) and dig a hole to bury the Bible. We will say a prayer concerning the Bible being written on our hearts. We will also sing the kid's song, "The B-I-B-L-E". We will literally be able to "stand alone on the word of God". I hope that this will help to emphasize to my children that the words in this book are precious and different than the words in any other book that we have.
I understand that I could just throw it away, but I feel that I would be missing a teachable moment to myself and to my children. Most ceremonies or rituals are instruments of teaching. The problem that happens with them a lot of the time is that they lose their meaning yet the practice of them carries on. There is nothing worse than an empty ritual. I think we as a Christian culture could use a lot more of deliberate, thought out, Christian rituals that are instruments of training ourselves and our children.
Watch out for the potholes.
Chaos in the church - Our children and bad experiences
We had a bad experience with our children at church last night. Church itself wasn't bad, just our experience with our children. I guess it was bound to happen.
We strategically chose to sit in the back near the doors out of the sanctuary in order to allow an easy escape for Lindsay when Aria would start acting up. However, It wasn't Aria that started acting up; it was Eli. I got up and picked him up to take him out and put an end to his acting up. I had to squeeze by Lindsay who was sitting on the outside of the pew. I successfully squeezed by but unbeknown to me, my foot got wrapped in our diaper bag. Then I took another step in which the diaper bag became stuck at the end of the pew. I toppled face forward. This would have only been funny and embarassing to me except for the fact that I was carrying Eli. His fall was stopped by the corner of the door frame. He started wailing. I felt so bad and my knee also hurt. Thankfully, Eli didn't seem to get a concussion. He was his regular old self after the service.
Then it was time to participate in the Lord's Supper. Eli was still a little shaken up from the fall. Participating in the the Lord's Supper every week is a new experience for our boys because we had been going to a church that didn't take it except for once a month, and for some stretches before the new pastor it wasn't even that frequent. Lindsay was holding Eli at this time and Eli loudly pleaded as she took the bread and the cup: "I WANT A COOKIE AND JUICE!" The he cried because he couldn't have them.
Our fun experiences were not over yet. Due to the accident, we gave up on trying to make Eli behave, so Lindsay took Aria and him to the nursery where she could watch them without worrying about them making too much noise. I was left in the pew with Isaac. We have been trying to stop Isaac from going to the bathroom during church, but that only works when I make sure that he goes in between Sunday school and church. I forgot to do that last night. So when he asked me to go the bathroom, I allowed him. Since we were sitting near the bathroom, I decided to allow him to go alone. I went back to listening to the sermon. About a minute and a half later the sermon was interrupted by the voice of Isaac yelling through the bathroom door, "Daddy! Daddy!" I jumped up to go see what was going on. I made sure not to trip on the diaper bag (actually, I think it was in the nursery). As I neared the bathroom door, Isaac opened it and yelled: "DADDY! THERE IS SOMETHING ALL OVER THE FLOOR!" That something was water. I ran into the bathroom. The urinal was spilling all over the floor. I figured that Isaac might've stuffed something in the urinal since he was in the bathroom without my supervision, so I reached my arm into the urinal to see if I could unplug it. Nothing was there except for water to make my shirt sleeve all wet. The urinal continued to pour water all over the floor. It decided to stop all on its own. My lack of plumbing experience conclusion was that for some freaky reason the water pressure insanely pumped too much water into the urinal. It just had to happen on the time I let my boy go to the bathroom alone.
The church was very loving, kind, and encouraging throughout this whole ordeal.
Watch out for the potholes, diaper bags, and insane urinals.
We strategically chose to sit in the back near the doors out of the sanctuary in order to allow an easy escape for Lindsay when Aria would start acting up. However, It wasn't Aria that started acting up; it was Eli. I got up and picked him up to take him out and put an end to his acting up. I had to squeeze by Lindsay who was sitting on the outside of the pew. I successfully squeezed by but unbeknown to me, my foot got wrapped in our diaper bag. Then I took another step in which the diaper bag became stuck at the end of the pew. I toppled face forward. This would have only been funny and embarassing to me except for the fact that I was carrying Eli. His fall was stopped by the corner of the door frame. He started wailing. I felt so bad and my knee also hurt. Thankfully, Eli didn't seem to get a concussion. He was his regular old self after the service.
Then it was time to participate in the Lord's Supper. Eli was still a little shaken up from the fall. Participating in the the Lord's Supper every week is a new experience for our boys because we had been going to a church that didn't take it except for once a month, and for some stretches before the new pastor it wasn't even that frequent. Lindsay was holding Eli at this time and Eli loudly pleaded as she took the bread and the cup: "I WANT A COOKIE AND JUICE!" The he cried because he couldn't have them.
Our fun experiences were not over yet. Due to the accident, we gave up on trying to make Eli behave, so Lindsay took Aria and him to the nursery where she could watch them without worrying about them making too much noise. I was left in the pew with Isaac. We have been trying to stop Isaac from going to the bathroom during church, but that only works when I make sure that he goes in between Sunday school and church. I forgot to do that last night. So when he asked me to go the bathroom, I allowed him. Since we were sitting near the bathroom, I decided to allow him to go alone. I went back to listening to the sermon. About a minute and a half later the sermon was interrupted by the voice of Isaac yelling through the bathroom door, "Daddy! Daddy!" I jumped up to go see what was going on. I made sure not to trip on the diaper bag (actually, I think it was in the nursery). As I neared the bathroom door, Isaac opened it and yelled: "DADDY! THERE IS SOMETHING ALL OVER THE FLOOR!" That something was water. I ran into the bathroom. The urinal was spilling all over the floor. I figured that Isaac might've stuffed something in the urinal since he was in the bathroom without my supervision, so I reached my arm into the urinal to see if I could unplug it. Nothing was there except for water to make my shirt sleeve all wet. The urinal continued to pour water all over the floor. It decided to stop all on its own. My lack of plumbing experience conclusion was that for some freaky reason the water pressure insanely pumped too much water into the urinal. It just had to happen on the time I let my boy go to the bathroom alone.
The church was very loving, kind, and encouraging throughout this whole ordeal.
Watch out for the potholes, diaper bags, and insane urinals.
A funny story about chicken and dog love
Neil Young wrote in the song From Hank to Hendrix: "The same thing that makes you live can kill you in the end."
This story of betrayed love seems to illustrate that story in a twisted sort of way.
Watch out for the potholes.
This story of betrayed love seems to illustrate that story in a twisted sort of way.
Watch out for the potholes.
Is God's Will Always Done
Is God's will ever evil? If not, then his will is not always done because evil is always done. Was it God's will for our twins to die (People can substitute most any tragedy in their lives here). I don't think so. Did he allow it? Obviously, he did. Just because he allowed it, doesn't mean that he willed it.
Just because I allow my child to do something doesn't mean that it is my will that he does it. I might be waiting for him to make that mistake in my presence so that I can correct him. My goal is that he wouldn't make that mistake ever but always choose to do what is right. I want my child to grow up and make the right decisions. In order to do that, I need to allow him the opportunity to make the wrong decisions.
God made us in the same way. He could have made puppets that always did his will. For some reason, that isn't what he made. He made people that can choose what to do. He would prefer for us to make the right choice; He could even force us to always make the right choice. But he chooses not to. That doesn't mean that when we make the wrong choice and bad things happen that His will is being done. It means the exact opposite. It means that we made the wrong choice.
Not only do we suffer from the consequences of our own wrong decisions. We live in a world that has consequences abounding from people's wrong choices. Not only do we suffer for the wrong decisions of those around us now, but we also suffer for the wrong decisions people have made in the past.
A world without suffering and doing wrong would be a world void of free will. For some reason God chose free will to be the priority.
Because of His decision to give free will, God is left with the same role that we have as parents. We could force our children to do what is right, but that really wouldn't matter in the long run. What really matters is training them to choose to do His will all of the time. That is what God desires.
I think in discussing this we morph various questions that should be dealt with separately.
"Is God's will always done?" I would argue absolutely "no".
The other question is: "When God wants to force His will on humanity can it be thwarted?" And I would argue absolutely "no". His forced will is irresistible.
Is God accountable for not intervening when He doesn't force His will? I would say that He is, but as He explained to Job, we don't really see the big picture and realize totally what He is trying to accomplish. But that doesn't mean that when He doesn't force His will that His will is being done.
He gave us free will but it is not His will that we make the wrong decisions.
Just because I allow my child to do something doesn't mean that it is my will that he does it. I might be waiting for him to make that mistake in my presence so that I can correct him. My goal is that he wouldn't make that mistake ever but always choose to do what is right. I want my child to grow up and make the right decisions. In order to do that, I need to allow him the opportunity to make the wrong decisions.
God made us in the same way. He could have made puppets that always did his will. For some reason, that isn't what he made. He made people that can choose what to do. He would prefer for us to make the right choice; He could even force us to always make the right choice. But he chooses not to. That doesn't mean that when we make the wrong choice and bad things happen that His will is being done. It means the exact opposite. It means that we made the wrong choice.
Not only do we suffer from the consequences of our own wrong decisions. We live in a world that has consequences abounding from people's wrong choices. Not only do we suffer for the wrong decisions of those around us now, but we also suffer for the wrong decisions people have made in the past.
A world without suffering and doing wrong would be a world void of free will. For some reason God chose free will to be the priority.
Because of His decision to give free will, God is left with the same role that we have as parents. We could force our children to do what is right, but that really wouldn't matter in the long run. What really matters is training them to choose to do His will all of the time. That is what God desires.
I think in discussing this we morph various questions that should be dealt with separately.
"Is God's will always done?" I would argue absolutely "no".
The other question is: "When God wants to force His will on humanity can it be thwarted?" And I would argue absolutely "no". His forced will is irresistible.
Is God accountable for not intervening when He doesn't force His will? I would say that He is, but as He explained to Job, we don't really see the big picture and realize totally what He is trying to accomplish. But that doesn't mean that when He doesn't force His will that His will is being done.
He gave us free will but it is not His will that we make the wrong decisions.
A reply from a Jehovah Witness on non-violence
A Jehovah Witness replied to my post on receiving a vist from them.
I debated on deleting it and preventing my site from funneling people to the Watchtower website. However, I refrained from doing that. Instead I will write this post and put a link to this post in the comments of that original post.
I agree with the Jehovah Witnesses approach on non-violence (as expressed in the reply) and liked their approach to evolution (as expressed in the original post). However, that does not mean they are right in other areas.
The logic that "we are right on a few areas, so trust in the questionable areas" just doesn't fly with me.
I also share my view on non-violence with many non-Christians around the world. That doesn't make those people right on how we are to follow God.
And I disagree with many Christians on how to approach creation and evolution, that doesn't mean that they are wrong on the important issues on what is the right approach to follow God.
Here is a website by ex-Jehovah Witnesses.
And from that website here is a nice article by Jerry Bergman about his journey through the Jehovah Witnesses: My Journey From a Jehovah's Witness to a Christian:
A College Professors Story and Why it Matters
Watch out for the potholes.
I debated on deleting it and preventing my site from funneling people to the Watchtower website. However, I refrained from doing that. Instead I will write this post and put a link to this post in the comments of that original post.
I agree with the Jehovah Witnesses approach on non-violence (as expressed in the reply) and liked their approach to evolution (as expressed in the original post). However, that does not mean they are right in other areas.
The logic that "we are right on a few areas, so trust in the questionable areas" just doesn't fly with me.
I also share my view on non-violence with many non-Christians around the world. That doesn't make those people right on how we are to follow God.
And I disagree with many Christians on how to approach creation and evolution, that doesn't mean that they are wrong on the important issues on what is the right approach to follow God.
Here is a website by ex-Jehovah Witnesses.
And from that website here is a nice article by Jerry Bergman about his journey through the Jehovah Witnesses: My Journey From a Jehovah's Witness to a Christian:
A College Professors Story and Why it Matters
Watch out for the potholes.
Christian Community - The Impact It Would Have On Our World
The Bible uses various language to express the community aspect of the Christianity, from kingdom to body of Christ to the family of God. The Bible doesn't really get into a whole lot of individualistic language (like personal relationship). However, having the right language doesn't mean that we are doing it just like having the wrong language wouldn't mean we are not doing it. I like this quote from Alexander Campbell that I shared the other day: "The Bible alone in the lips, and the creed in the head and in the heart, will not save the church from strife, emulation, and schism. There is no moral, ecclesiastical, or political law, that can effect any moral, ecclesiastical or political good, by simply acknowledging it in word. It must be obeyed...The Bible alone is the Bible only, in word and deed, in profession and practice; and this alone can reform the world and save the church." The concept being lived out is more important than the words being used.
Most churches teach the right concept in some form or other. Living it out is another issue. When we visited all of the churches we visited, only 3 were very friendly at greeting. If you aren't friendly at getting to know the visitors, I can almost guarantee that you aren't living out the community aspect of church. The love should be overflowing.
I think the Bible deals with what are some of the elements of community. Sharing meals together. Praying together. Encouraging one another. Confessing our sins one to another. Meeting one another's needs (that would entail knowing those needs). Loving one another. Being patient with one another. Being at peace with one another. Having fellowship with one another. Many of the biblical teachings, along with the biblical concepts, focus on healthy community. I'm sure this list isn't all inclusive.
Maybe the church is healthier than most of my experience leads me to believe. I sure hope so. Take a year off and visit church after church and see what you see. Just kidding. I don't wish that on anyone - especially someone with kids.
I think I always see the room for improvement rather than say well done. (That might be the polite way of saying I'm overly critical). That is what I've been trained to do in retail. Every day I try to come up with ideas on how to improve things. I encourage our workers to notice the flaws in the way we do things so that we can improve. If their is a better way to do things that doesn't cost money, we change in a heartbeat. Every week I'm tweaking something.
Another thing we are taught in retailing is to look at our store as if we are seeing it for the first time. What impression does it give off? Does that match with the impression we want it to give? We need to do the same exercise with our church. In examining what impression we give off, we are more than likely really seeing what we are rather than what we think we are.
So when it comes to being the church, we will only be perfect for short periods of time. We are like a window to the world that allows the light of Christ to shine through. All windows seem to get dirty, especially when dirty things are going on around the window. When the farmers harvest the crops around here, the windows get filthy. Sometimes we get a sideways wind mixed with rain that sticks leaves and items to our windows. With the church, a lot of people and events are messing up the window. Some are sticking their faces on it to look goofy. Others write messages in the dew that don't need to be there but leave a lasting impression. Some of the dirt is the natural dirt of harvesting. All sorts of activities get the window dirty. We need to always be cleaning the window to allow the light of Christ to shine through in all its glory. That light will change us and the people around us.
Watch out for the potholes.
Most churches teach the right concept in some form or other. Living it out is another issue. When we visited all of the churches we visited, only 3 were very friendly at greeting. If you aren't friendly at getting to know the visitors, I can almost guarantee that you aren't living out the community aspect of church. The love should be overflowing.
I think the Bible deals with what are some of the elements of community. Sharing meals together. Praying together. Encouraging one another. Confessing our sins one to another. Meeting one another's needs (that would entail knowing those needs). Loving one another. Being patient with one another. Being at peace with one another. Having fellowship with one another. Many of the biblical teachings, along with the biblical concepts, focus on healthy community. I'm sure this list isn't all inclusive.
Maybe the church is healthier than most of my experience leads me to believe. I sure hope so. Take a year off and visit church after church and see what you see. Just kidding. I don't wish that on anyone - especially someone with kids.
I think I always see the room for improvement rather than say well done. (That might be the polite way of saying I'm overly critical). That is what I've been trained to do in retail. Every day I try to come up with ideas on how to improve things. I encourage our workers to notice the flaws in the way we do things so that we can improve. If their is a better way to do things that doesn't cost money, we change in a heartbeat. Every week I'm tweaking something.
Another thing we are taught in retailing is to look at our store as if we are seeing it for the first time. What impression does it give off? Does that match with the impression we want it to give? We need to do the same exercise with our church. In examining what impression we give off, we are more than likely really seeing what we are rather than what we think we are.
So when it comes to being the church, we will only be perfect for short periods of time. We are like a window to the world that allows the light of Christ to shine through. All windows seem to get dirty, especially when dirty things are going on around the window. When the farmers harvest the crops around here, the windows get filthy. Sometimes we get a sideways wind mixed with rain that sticks leaves and items to our windows. With the church, a lot of people and events are messing up the window. Some are sticking their faces on it to look goofy. Others write messages in the dew that don't need to be there but leave a lasting impression. Some of the dirt is the natural dirt of harvesting. All sorts of activities get the window dirty. We need to always be cleaning the window to allow the light of Christ to shine through in all its glory. That light will change us and the people around us.
Watch out for the potholes.
a question about personal Bible study
I had a question concerning personal Bible study. It wasn't until the printing press that personal Bible study was even an option for most people. If they wanted to hear the word of God, they would have to go down to the church and have it read out loud to them or read it out loud to others. Even Bible study in that time was a corporate event. We now have this whole issue of how to work out individual Bible study (which I think should be done) with community. Does anyone know any good studies, books, or articles out there on the transformation of Bible reading from a community-centered activity to a private and personal activity? Or maybe we started incorporating personal Bible study into our spiritual lives just because printed books were a new technology and hadn't really thought the concept through. I know I have thoroughly enjoyed the times when I have just gotten together with people to read Scripture. Any thoughts?
edited to add: A friend of mine recommended reading Dissident Discipleship to deal with this question.
Watch out for the potholes.
edited to add: A friend of mine recommended reading Dissident Discipleship
to deal with this question. Watch out for the potholes.
Physical Unity, Creeds, and Truth
I'm revisiting my church of Christ/Christian church church roots due to our visiting the Antwerp Church of Christ and conversations with friends.
God works personally. Everyday I am faced with situations in which I make decisions on what actions to make. Many of these are made without a direct commandment of Scripture telling me what is the right course of action. How we discern that right course of action by the grace of God through the Holy Spirit, studying scripture, filtering it through church history and our brothers and sisters in Christ, is still a method of discovering truth. Just because a truth is localized to our specific situation and circumstances doesn't mean that it isn't an important truth. Any truth reveals to us more of who God is. If we did not believe that there was a right course of action for us, then we would not be concerned about doing the right thing in areas where the Bible is silent. The fact that we are concerned about doing the right thing where the Bible is silent means that we believe their is truth outside of Scripture.
But I think that "We as Christians..." or "thus saith the Lord" statements should be used minimally and only in the instances where they are clear. Just because something is true in my circumstances and situation, does not mean that it would always be the right course of action for everyone to make. I think we need to avoid the common pitfall of only believing that there are clear truths when it comes to mental beliefs. Those mental beliefs without actions that stem from them are meaningless.
I've recently picked up my copy of Alexander Campbell's Christianity Restored. I've had it on my shelf since college. This apparently isn't in print any longer. My copy is from 1959.
Thomas Campbell and his peers came up with the Declaration and Address in 1809. In it they wrote:
They even left room for a "thus saith the Lord" by approved precedent rather than direct teaching of Scripture. Maybe they will explain later what an "approved precedent" consists of, but it seems to me to be something that Christians have practiced through church history. The founders of the church of Christ/Christian church seem to exalt time as being a filter for truth. They even thought their original conclusion on unity was wrong except for what time showed them. (However, I do wonder what time now reveals about their teaching with the resultant schisms in their own movement.)
It is interesting that the founders of the church of Christ focused on establishing physical unity. We seem to be a people content with disunity when it comes to our physical state of Christianity. It is refreshing to read the writings of someone who cares about the church being one, as Jesus prayed it would, here on earth. They were discontent with us just being one spiritually like so many in the church currently emphasize.
Here is another good chunk from that book. Then I'll be done for the time being.
Watch out for the potholes.
God works personally. Everyday I am faced with situations in which I make decisions on what actions to make. Many of these are made without a direct commandment of Scripture telling me what is the right course of action. How we discern that right course of action by the grace of God through the Holy Spirit, studying scripture, filtering it through church history and our brothers and sisters in Christ, is still a method of discovering truth. Just because a truth is localized to our specific situation and circumstances doesn't mean that it isn't an important truth. Any truth reveals to us more of who God is. If we did not believe that there was a right course of action for us, then we would not be concerned about doing the right thing in areas where the Bible is silent. The fact that we are concerned about doing the right thing where the Bible is silent means that we believe their is truth outside of Scripture.
But I think that "We as Christians..." or "thus saith the Lord" statements should be used minimally and only in the instances where they are clear. Just because something is true in my circumstances and situation, does not mean that it would always be the right course of action for everyone to make. I think we need to avoid the common pitfall of only believing that there are clear truths when it comes to mental beliefs. Those mental beliefs without actions that stem from them are meaningless.
I've recently picked up my copy of Alexander Campbell's Christianity Restored. I've had it on my shelf since college. This apparently isn't in print any longer. My copy is from 1959.
Thomas Campbell and his peers came up with the Declaration and Address in 1809. In it they wrote:
"That this society formed, formed for the sole purpose of promoting simple evangelical christianity, shall, to the utmost of its power, countenance and support such ministers, and such only, as exhibit a manifest conformity to the Original Standard, in conversation and doctrine, in zeal and diligence;-- only such as reduce to practice the simple original form of christianity, expressly exhibited upon the sacred page, without attempting to inculcate any thing of human authority, of private opinion, or inventions of men, as having any place in the constitution, faith, or worship of the christian church;-- or any thing as matter of christian faith or duty, for which there cannot be produced a 'thus saith the Lord' either in express terms, or by approved precedent."
They even left room for a "thus saith the Lord" by approved precedent rather than direct teaching of Scripture. Maybe they will explain later what an "approved precedent" consists of, but it seems to me to be something that Christians have practiced through church history. The founders of the church of Christ/Christian church seem to exalt time as being a filter for truth. They even thought their original conclusion on unity was wrong except for what time showed them. (However, I do wonder what time now reveals about their teaching with the resultant schisms in their own movement.)
"The application of the principle already stated trimmed us so naked, that we strongly inclined to suspect its fallacy, and had well nigh abandoned it as a deceitful speculation. Time, however, that great teacher, and Experience, that great critic, have fully assured us that the principle is a salutary one; and that although we seemingly lose much by its application, our loss consists only of barren opinions, fruitless speculations, and useless traditions, that only cumber the ground and check the word, so that it is in a good measure unfruitful."
It is interesting that the founders of the church of Christ focused on establishing physical unity. We seem to be a people content with disunity when it comes to our physical state of Christianity. It is refreshing to read the writings of someone who cares about the church being one, as Jesus prayed it would, here on earth. They were discontent with us just being one spiritually like so many in the church currently emphasize.
"Tired of new creeds and new parties in religion, and of the numerous abortive efforts to reform the reformation; convinced form the Holy Scriptures, from observation and experience, that the union of the disciples of Christ is essential to the conversion of the world, and that the correction and improvement of no creed, or partizan establishment in christendom, could ever become the basis of such an union, communion, and co-operation, as would restore peace to a church militant against itself, or triumph to the common salvation,--a few individuals, about the commencement of the present century, began to reflect upon the ways and means to restore primitive christianity."
Here is another good chunk from that book. Then I'll be done for the time being.
"On examination of history of all the platforms and constitutions of all these sects, it appeared evident as mathematical demonstration itself, that neither the Augsburg articles of faith and opinion, nor the Westminster, nor the Wesleyan, nor those of any state creed or dissenting establishment, could ever improve the condition of things, restore union to the church, peace to the world, or success to the gospel of Christ.
As the Bible alone was said and constantly affirmed to be the religion of protestants, it was for some time a mysterious problem;--why the Bible alone, confessed and acknowledged, should work no happier results than the strifes, divisions and retaliatory excommunications of rival protestant sects. It appeared, however, in this case, after a more intimate acquaintance with the details of the inner temple of sectarian christianity, as in many similar cases that it is not the acknowledgment of a good rule, but the walking by it, that secures the happiness of society. The Bible alone in the lips, and the creed in the head and in the heart, will not save the church from strife, emulation, and schism. There is no moral, ecclesiastical, or political law, that can effect any moral, ecclesiastical or political good, by simply acknowledging it in word. It must be obeyed...The Bible alone is the Bible only, in word and deed, in profession and practice; and this alone can reform the world and save the church
We found it an arduous task, and one of twenty years labor, to correct our diction and purify our speech according to the Bible alone. And even yet, we have not wholly practically repudiated the language of Ashdod. We only profess to work and walk by the rules which will inevitably issue in a pure speech, and in right conceptions of that pure, and holy, and celestial thing, called Christianity---in faith, in sentiment, and in practice.
A deep and an abiding impression that the power, the consolations and joys---the holiness and happiness of Christ's religion were lost in the forms and ceremonies, in the speculations and conjectures, in the feuds and bickerings of sects and schisms, originated a project many years ago for uniting the sects, or rather the christians in all the sects, upon a clear and scriptural bond of union; upon having a "thus saith the Lord" either in express terms, or in approved precedent, "for every article of faith, and items of religious practice."
Watch out for the potholes.
Give Us Our King, Presidents, Chairmen and Pastors - The Leadership Crisis Around Us - The thoughts Ted Haggard caused me to ponder
A lot of Bible verses today. This was also something that I felt I needed to research. I think I will be putting the things that I research on my blog more often so expect more of this. The recent crisis with the leader of the National Evangelical Association made me wonder about this. Why do we appoint leaders that we put on a pedestal? We do this not just on a national scale but in our local churches and our denomenations.
1. Be sure to appoint the king God chooses for you.
2. Make sure the king is one of your brothers.
3. The king was to not acquire a large military might. That is what the horses represented.
4. He must not take many wives.
5. He must not accumulate wealth.
6. He was supposed to make his own copy of the law, read it all the days of his life, and follow carefully all the laws and the decrees.
7. He is to revere the Lord.
8. He is not to consider himself better than others. The laws that apply to others should also apply to him.
As with most of the commandments of God, this one ends with a blessing. If the king would do this, then he and his descendants would reign a long time over the kingdom of Israel.
These principles of leadership seem to be very wise. All of them seem applicable today.
If only the people of Israel had remained faithful in serving the Lord, they would've avoided their desire to have an earthly king. Too often we make our major decisions when we are in the wrong place on the cycle. Many of our decisions, as was the nation of Israel's, are made when we are in sin and idolatry. The key to making wise decisions is to get out of this terrible cycle and keep God the king of our lives and make our major decision when we are faithfully serving the Lord.
Israel desired a king for what appears like three reasons. The judges that followed Samuel were corrupt and they wanted someone to rule over them rightly, all the other nations had one, and they wanted someone to fight their battles.
I think those are some of the same reasons we want formal leadership in our religious organizations. We get sick of the wrong decisions being made and feel that if we appoint a leader, then right decisions will be made. We feel that we need to look like all of the other organizations in our culture that are respected. And we don't want to struggle and do things on our own. We want our leaders to make our role as Christians easier to carry.
The thing is that God is willing to do those things for us already. God is at work in our midst without formal leaders. History has shown that having formal leaders brings about just as many -maybe even more - problems than not having them brought. Our structure will not be what gains us respect by those around us. It is faithfulness to God that should do that. If that doesn't gain respect, then respect really isn't something that we should care about. And God is willing to make our burden just what we can carry. He is there to take care of that burden when it becomes too much.
God submitted his actions to the will of his people despite that will being wrong. That is an amazing and disturbing thing about God. When His people will something, He will let them attain what they will. I think it is because He hopes that through attaining their wrong desires people's hearts will be transformed into desiring that which God really wants for them.
The people wanted a king. God did not want the people to have any other king besides Himself. In the end, God gave the people the king they wanted. I think the same has happened with the church in America. God has given us all of the wrong things we have desired in the hope that in the end we will desire what God wants us to desire. We are to be God's people under His leadership. We need no middlemen. We need no mammoth organizations that requires us to have the leadership structures necessary to run them. We need to be a collection of people fully committed to being the people of God, bringing His will into our reality, and shedding His redeeming light to everyone around us. When we are the people of God all other things will line up into proper perspective.
Once we have placed leadership over us, our wellness is not just dependent upon our serving the Lord. It is now also dependent upon our leader serving the Lord. It is only when we are faithful serving the Lord and when our leader is also faithful in serving the Lord that all will be well. When we place ourselves under formal leadership, our blessings and curses seem to be linked to those that the leadership will receive.
Asking for a king was a great wickedness. But even in the people of Israel committing this great wickedness, God was still going to use them to bring about His will for His name's sake. God was still linked to His people despite their great wickedness. People's image of God would be based upon the actions of His people. God commands them to do not be afraid of this evil act they have committed, continue to serve the Lord with all of their heart, and to not chase after empty things.
I think we find ourselves in the same situation. We have made "kings" all around us. We might call them presidents, chairmen, pastors, or ministers. These people are any that we place in a position between us and Him. But we need not lose hope. Just as Samuel vowed to continue to pray for those who had made the great wicked mistake of choosing a king, we should continue to pray for our brothers and sisters. And all the while we need to focus on fearing the Lord and serving Him faithfully with all of our heart.
Watch out for the potholes.
Deuteronomy 17:14-20Just because the law contains what to do when his people have a king doesn't mean that God desired for his people to have a king. We'll read more about that later. There are many laws that deal with things that are wrong. God knew the human tendency to have a king over them, so he made some regulations that the people and the king were to follow.
14 When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, "Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us," 15 be sure to appoint over you the king the Lord your God chooses. He must be from among your own brothers. Do not place a foreigner over you, one who is not a brother Israelite. 16 The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the Lord has told you, "You are not to go back that way again." 17 He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold. 18 When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the priests, who are Levites. 19 It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the Lord his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees 20 and not consider himself better than his brothers and turn from the law to the right or to the left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel.
1. Be sure to appoint the king God chooses for you.
2. Make sure the king is one of your brothers.
3. The king was to not acquire a large military might. That is what the horses represented.
4. He must not take many wives.
5. He must not accumulate wealth.
6. He was supposed to make his own copy of the law, read it all the days of his life, and follow carefully all the laws and the decrees.
7. He is to revere the Lord.
8. He is not to consider himself better than others. The laws that apply to others should also apply to him.
As with most of the commandments of God, this one ends with a blessing. If the king would do this, then he and his descendants would reign a long time over the kingdom of Israel.
These principles of leadership seem to be very wise. All of them seem applicable today.
Judges 17:6The people of Israel had "no king", but the problem was that they had the best king yet refused to acknowledge and obey Him. In practice they had no king. But the unseen reality was that God was their king. The rejection of him caused all sorts of strife. We see a cycle throughout the book of Judges. Israel serves the Lord --> Israel falls into sin and idolatry --> Israel is enslaved --> Israel cries out to the Lord --> God raises up a judge --> Israel is delivered --> and the cycle starts all over again.
In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
Judges 18:1
In those days there was no king in Israel. And in those days the tribe of the people of Dan was seeking for itself an inheritance to dwell in, for until then no inheritance among the tribes of Israel had fallen to them.
Judges 19:1
In those days, when there was no king in Israel, a certain Levite was sojourning in the remote parts of the hill country of Ephraim, who took to himself a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah.
Judges 21:25
In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
If only the people of Israel had remained faithful in serving the Lord, they would've avoided their desire to have an earthly king. Too often we make our major decisions when we are in the wrong place on the cycle. Many of our decisions, as was the nation of Israel's, are made when we are in sin and idolatry. The key to making wise decisions is to get out of this terrible cycle and keep God the king of our lives and make our major decision when we are faithfully serving the Lord.
1 Samuel 18Here we see that God did not desire a king for Israel. Despite the regulations in Deuteronomy, setting apart an earthly king was not God's will. God points out to Samuel that the desire for a king was not a rejection of Samuel but a rejection of Himself. God was their king, yet they were blind to seeing it. They were living outside of His kingship. The people had become the people of themselves rather than the people of God.
1 When Samuel became old, he made his sons judges over Israel. 2 The name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba. 3 Yet his sons did not walk in his ways but turned aside after gain. They took bribes and perverted justice.
4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah 5 and said to him, Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations. 6 But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed to the Lord. 7 And the Lord said to Samuel, Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. 8 According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you. 9 Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them. 10 So Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking for a king from him. 11 He said, These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen and to run before his chariots. 12 And he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his servants. 15 He will take the tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and to his servants. 16 He will take your male servants and female servants and the best of your young men and your donkeys, and put them to his work. 17 He will take the tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves. 18 And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the Lord will not answer you in that day. 19 But the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel. And they said, No! But there shall be a king over us, 20 that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles. 21 And when Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the ears of the Lord. 22 And the Lord said to Samuel, Obey their voice and make them a king. Samuel then said to the men of Israel, Go every man to his city.
Israel desired a king for what appears like three reasons. The judges that followed Samuel were corrupt and they wanted someone to rule over them rightly, all the other nations had one, and they wanted someone to fight their battles.
I think those are some of the same reasons we want formal leadership in our religious organizations. We get sick of the wrong decisions being made and feel that if we appoint a leader, then right decisions will be made. We feel that we need to look like all of the other organizations in our culture that are respected. And we don't want to struggle and do things on our own. We want our leaders to make our role as Christians easier to carry.
The thing is that God is willing to do those things for us already. God is at work in our midst without formal leaders. History has shown that having formal leaders brings about just as many -maybe even more - problems than not having them brought. Our structure will not be what gains us respect by those around us. It is faithfulness to God that should do that. If that doesn't gain respect, then respect really isn't something that we should care about. And God is willing to make our burden just what we can carry. He is there to take care of that burden when it becomes too much.
God submitted his actions to the will of his people despite that will being wrong. That is an amazing and disturbing thing about God. When His people will something, He will let them attain what they will. I think it is because He hopes that through attaining their wrong desires people's hearts will be transformed into desiring that which God really wants for them.
The people wanted a king. God did not want the people to have any other king besides Himself. In the end, God gave the people the king they wanted. I think the same has happened with the church in America. God has given us all of the wrong things we have desired in the hope that in the end we will desire what God wants us to desire. We are to be God's people under His leadership. We need no middlemen. We need no mammoth organizations that requires us to have the leadership structures necessary to run them. We need to be a collection of people fully committed to being the people of God, bringing His will into our reality, and shedding His redeeming light to everyone around us. When we are the people of God all other things will line up into proper perspective.
1 Samuel 12:11-25Verse 14 contains the scariest scenario about setting up leaders above us: "If you will fear the Lord and serve him and obey his voice and not rebel against the commandment of the Lord, and if both you and the king who reigns over you will follow the Lord your God, it will be well."
11 And the Lord sent Jerubbaal and Barakand Jephthah and Samuel and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side, and you lived in safety. 12 And when you saw that Nahash the king of the Ammonites came against you, you said to me, No, but a king shall reign over us,when the Lord your God was your king. 13 And now behold the king whom you have chosen, for whom you have asked; behold, the Lord has set a king over you. 14 If you will fear the Lord and serve him and obey his voice and not rebel against the commandment of the Lord, and if both you and the king who reigns over you will follow the Lord your God, it will be well. 15 But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then the hand of the Lord will be against you and your king.
16 Now therefore stand still and see this great thing that the Lord will do before your eyes. 17 Is it not wheat harvest today? I will call upon the Lord, that he may send thunder and rain. And you shall know and see that your wickedness is great, which you have done in the sight of the Lord, in asking for yourselves a king. 18 So Samuel called upon the Lord, and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day, and all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel. 19 And all the people said to Samuel, Pray for your servants to the Lord your God, that we may not die, for we have added to all our sins this evil, to ask for ourselves a king. 20 And Samuel said to the people, Do not be afraid; you have done all this evil. Yet do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. 21 And do not turn aside after empty things that cannot profit or deliver, for they are empty. 22 For the Lord will not forsake his people, for his great name's sake, because it has pleased the Lord to make you a people for himself. 23 Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you, and I will instruct you in the good and the right way. 24 Only fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things he has done for you. 25 But if you still do wickedly, you shall be swept away, both you and your king.
Once we have placed leadership over us, our wellness is not just dependent upon our serving the Lord. It is now also dependent upon our leader serving the Lord. It is only when we are faithful serving the Lord and when our leader is also faithful in serving the Lord that all will be well. When we place ourselves under formal leadership, our blessings and curses seem to be linked to those that the leadership will receive.
Asking for a king was a great wickedness. But even in the people of Israel committing this great wickedness, God was still going to use them to bring about His will for His name's sake. God was still linked to His people despite their great wickedness. People's image of God would be based upon the actions of His people. God commands them to do not be afraid of this evil act they have committed, continue to serve the Lord with all of their heart, and to not chase after empty things.
I think we find ourselves in the same situation. We have made "kings" all around us. We might call them presidents, chairmen, pastors, or ministers. These people are any that we place in a position between us and Him. But we need not lose hope. Just as Samuel vowed to continue to pray for those who had made the great wicked mistake of choosing a king, we should continue to pray for our brothers and sisters. And all the while we need to focus on fearing the Lord and serving Him faithfully with all of our heart.
Watch out for the potholes.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)