WHEN CHURCHES DIVIDE
The large institutional churches are losing members by the millions. The Roman Catholic church has so many buildings, so many priests and nuns but few Catholics come to mass. France has 48 million people who say they are Catholic and 6 million say they practice their faith. The Episcopal Church is losing membership rapidly, too. In the US, the Episcopal Church enrollment numbers make it resemble a small denomination. Membership in the Presbyterian churches is down 50% from decades past, and they are only typical.
Can we say something about what is happening, which might lead out of this situation?
Let's see if we can. The large institutional churches always taught their own foundational theology. If we can think of it as a house in a storm, with doors and windows locked so the storm cannot get in, we might understand the issue. Members can feel secure within the walls. The basic idea of a system of thought is that it promises, if you adhere to its' tenets--if you stay within its' walls--you will be secure. An example is, if you are good you will prosper; if you are not good you will not. This is much of the advise Job's counselors gave him. The foundational system promised security as they always were about the history of that denomination.
However, if the storm outside--the culture and society--were to ever invade the house, the system then fails. As long as the denomination taught their own religious system the people were protected, they got some relief on Sunday. But when the denomination begins to teach what the world is saying, being inside is no different than being outside in the storm. People don't feel any relief. They come into the church to get away from society and culture, but if the culture invades them on Sunday, they have no refuge.
So they no longer believe in the religious system they have been taught. The walls come down, as they did at Jericho. Once the people have been abandoned by the church, they scatter.
Now if a church cannot enable members to find Jesus, the author and finisher of faith, the people are caught between a system to which they no longer cling and a savior whom they cannot find. Nowadays so many clergy don't really believe in what their church has traditionally taught, so their ministry is the boomerang that simply flies back in their face. They end up teaching about themselves and their own opinions. Attendance falls, people are lost and scattered. So the situation is like struggling on a rope bridge between two mountains--it's as shaky to go back as it is to go on.
The system no longer protects, but they cannot find Jesus.
Now the larger churches have become like small ones in attendance and budgets and influence. Small groups break away,they gain members, they spread Christianity out across the country like blown leaves in autumn.
If these smaller churches enable people to find Jesus, they will thrive without becoming large. They won't grow because they don't do the work of evangelism. Spreading the gospel requires being in contact and fellowship with those who differ from you, those who do not believe what you believe. Remember when Jesus ate with sinners and immoral women and Pharisees and tax collectors? In small churches this mingling with the world rarely happens. The dynamic so often is, if you are not like us, you won't like us. When the gospel says, Go out into the world, we withdraw.
So it's a yo-yo dilemma. The larger churches rise up to become meaningless, the people fall away for small and private places.
This is painfully ironic because a few decades ago, large organizations like the Southern Presbyterian Church joined the northern Presbyterian affiliations through difficult compromise. If they gained anything, they lost it when faithful members went off to the PCA or the OPC or the ARP. Whatever had been gained is now lost. If budgets and programs were combined, the presence of God was lost. We tried to combine to be bigger only now to separate to be smaller.
Something like this is happening to the Episcopal Church. The EC in America once was large and thriving; now that it is liberal and no longer Christian, Episcopalians have gone to affiliations in Africa and Asia. The small Reformed Episcopal Church is gaining those members and priests; the Anglican Church in America is gaining members and buildings; churches that specialize in Anglo-Catholic tenets are growing.
In the Reformation, the Church of England had Calvinism on one side and Romanism on the other. Anglicans found their identity in the pressure from both sides resulting in a uniquely English church with an English spirituality. But in America that situation does not exist. The Episcopal church is now confronted by the same unbelieving generation, secular society and antagonistic government that every church in the US faces. The pressure is not from the sides, but from the front. The issue no longer is,Can we get along, but it is, What do we believe? The Episcopal Church in the US will have to face unbelief, the failure of liberalism, the economy and a hostile government. What this means is the EC will divide along the lines of doctrine rather than personality Some churches are returning to the creeds, the Reformation confessions, the 1662 Prayer Book, the 39 Articles and the ancient counsels.
The issue now is, how will a church perform evangelism in the society without compromising to the views of that society?
The way we've always done it in the past is through young families. Bring young couples into the church so their children will be raised where the parents attend. This doesn't always guarantee the children will follow in the parents' footsteps, but it is what most churches did.
The way God addressed this was to raise up men and women outside the denomination who reminded us all of who Jesus is. After World War II this was Peter Marshall, Billy Graham, Oral Roberts and Bishop Sheen. They reminded us of who Jesus is and therefore who we are. That put the church in opposition to the world, the flesh and the devil, it purified the church.
The bridge has to be crossed.
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Thursday, August 9, 2012
READING THE BOOK--2
I have said the Bible is not like any other book. I'd like to develop that. It has been stated by the sages that the Bible is a collection of Jewish allegories. I think, rather, that poets write allegories with some truth in them. The Holy Spirit writes truth which resembles poetry. I don't think the Holy Spirit specializes or expresses Himself in what is fanciful, but in what is true. The parables of Jesus are not untrue in order to be profound but true in order to be spiritual.
When I say something which you know is true, you will be likely to believe what I might says on a spiritual level. If I say something which you know is not actually true you won't believe any spiritual meaning I might derive from it.
The Greek word lethe means, to forget. In the Homeric hell, the river Lethe runs through it. What is meant by that is that to be forgotten is hell to the ancient Greeks. They always remember the men who died defending the city; if one died dishonorably, that soul would be forgotten.
In Greek the opposite of lethe is a-letheia, to be true. If something is not there, it will be forgotten. if you always encounter something it is true. If I say it is raining outside, you will encounter that rain wherever you go--it is true. If I say there is a mermaid in my room named Hermoine, that is false because you won't find her there.
With that in mind, let's go to the Bible. The Biblical stories are remembered because they are true; the Greek allegories are not remembered or even believed because they were never true---they are forgotten. The scholar Bruno Snell wrote a famous scholarly book, The Greek Discovery of the Mind, in which he claims the Greeks ended their belief in the Homeric gods around 700BC. Today the gods are forgotten. The Torah has been dated from 1500BC, it is remembered because it is true.
What all this means is the word of God is that by which the Spirit of God communes with our spirit. It works within. As ir radiates the spirit, it overflows until the mind recognizes it, the heart responds to it and the will obeys it (we hope!).
Let's look at how this works. An example we might look at is Romans 8--
There is now therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
How does your rational mind deal with, in Christ Jesus? How do you get into a man who died centuries ago? You cannot, however, when the spirit hears these words a resonance occurs by which your spirit communes with and receives the Spirit of God in Christ Jesus. Now He is not understood as a human frame with an outside skin and internal organs; rather He is divine love clothed with the being of God, the Spirit. Our spirit can enter His Spirit in the manner in which the wind enters an opened window.
In Matthew 2 Jesus as a child is taken by His parents from Bethlehem to Egypt. Then, with Herod dead, Jesus is brought back to Galilee, Matt. 2.19-23. Why so abrupt? Because the text is giving our spirit what it needs to believe. It is not giving our minds what will satisfy every question we might have. We don't need to know the exact route, the address in Egypt, how Mary felt or how Joseph spoke with God about all of this. We have what we need as believers.
This is how the Scriptures work--from inside out--that we would be sent out into the world with faith in our God.
I have said the Bible is not like any other book. I'd like to develop that. It has been stated by the sages that the Bible is a collection of Jewish allegories. I think, rather, that poets write allegories with some truth in them. The Holy Spirit writes truth which resembles poetry. I don't think the Holy Spirit specializes or expresses Himself in what is fanciful, but in what is true. The parables of Jesus are not untrue in order to be profound but true in order to be spiritual.
When I say something which you know is true, you will be likely to believe what I might says on a spiritual level. If I say something which you know is not actually true you won't believe any spiritual meaning I might derive from it.
The Greek word lethe means, to forget. In the Homeric hell, the river Lethe runs through it. What is meant by that is that to be forgotten is hell to the ancient Greeks. They always remember the men who died defending the city; if one died dishonorably, that soul would be forgotten.
In Greek the opposite of lethe is a-letheia, to be true. If something is not there, it will be forgotten. if you always encounter something it is true. If I say it is raining outside, you will encounter that rain wherever you go--it is true. If I say there is a mermaid in my room named Hermoine, that is false because you won't find her there.
With that in mind, let's go to the Bible. The Biblical stories are remembered because they are true; the Greek allegories are not remembered or even believed because they were never true---they are forgotten. The scholar Bruno Snell wrote a famous scholarly book, The Greek Discovery of the Mind, in which he claims the Greeks ended their belief in the Homeric gods around 700BC. Today the gods are forgotten. The Torah has been dated from 1500BC, it is remembered because it is true.
What all this means is the word of God is that by which the Spirit of God communes with our spirit. It works within. As ir radiates the spirit, it overflows until the mind recognizes it, the heart responds to it and the will obeys it (we hope!).
Let's look at how this works. An example we might look at is Romans 8--
There is now therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
How does your rational mind deal with, in Christ Jesus? How do you get into a man who died centuries ago? You cannot, however, when the spirit hears these words a resonance occurs by which your spirit communes with and receives the Spirit of God in Christ Jesus. Now He is not understood as a human frame with an outside skin and internal organs; rather He is divine love clothed with the being of God, the Spirit. Our spirit can enter His Spirit in the manner in which the wind enters an opened window.
In Matthew 2 Jesus as a child is taken by His parents from Bethlehem to Egypt. Then, with Herod dead, Jesus is brought back to Galilee, Matt. 2.19-23. Why so abrupt? Because the text is giving our spirit what it needs to believe. It is not giving our minds what will satisfy every question we might have. We don't need to know the exact route, the address in Egypt, how Mary felt or how Joseph spoke with God about all of this. We have what we need as believers.
This is how the Scriptures work--from inside out--that we would be sent out into the world with faith in our God.
Friday, August 3, 2012
READING THE BOOK--1
In a world of momentary devices and bloated pleasures, I'm glad we have the Bible. In this world where concrete cracks and the past disintegrates and souls are abandoned, I'm glad there is the Bible.
It has remained as it is for centuries, since it was written before it could be altered. As books go, it is rare.
The Bible is the only book I know of with four viewpoints--God speaking to God, God speaking to men and women, and men and women speaking to each other. It is the only book in which God reveals His presence to conceal His essence.
The best help in reading the Bible is itself, as it always has the answers for which the reader seeks. It is written in Hebrew and Greek. The only ancient languages which produced a grammar and vocabulary list are--you guessed it--Hebrew and Greek.
The perfect language to contain the thought that God is one who acts is Hebrew, since it is a language of action, not contemplation. A fine example is Psalm 127--
Unless the Lord build the house,
they labor in vain who build it...
The perfect language to convey that God is with us is Greek with its' many prepositions. For instance, in Ephesians 1--
You were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise...
If you've never read the Bible before, it is best to read about 15 minutes every day but Sunday. It is very good to take notes in a journal. The best way to understand the Bible is to begin in January, reading from Genesis to Revelation. I did this three years in a row, and I found out that the Bible si not as large as it looks. It contains the same few messages, told over and over by many people in different centuries, but the same message.
Thinking about what you're reading is better than memorizing what you read. The Bible is unique in that each time you read it, more of it is revealed to you. It is not flat like best-selling fiction; it is not for the scholar only like most philosophy; it was written by ordinary people taken into extraordinary circumstances. The Bible utilizes your imagination, your feelings, your thoughts, and your good sense of what people are like.
Let's imagine an ancient man sitting at the door of his tent, watching the stars at night. Looking up, he writes--
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
If that man were to sit there beneath the stars, the furthest circumstance of his sight and imagination would be the heavens. As if he could scribe a circle with his finger with himself as the center, the circle would be the heavens, the stars, the boundless deep purple above his head. He has circled his outward boundary--the heavens--and the center--the earth.
Genesis 1 is about filling in that circumference with stars, the sun, the planets, birds, fish and animals. That is the circumference from the sky down to the earth, culminating in a man and a woman. The universe around us, ourselves within it as the center.
Genesis 2 is about that man and woman on the earth, to take care of it and to take care of themselves.
In Genesis 3 Adam and Eve are in the middle of the earth, the Garden of God. There a serpent talks. He tells Adam and Eve a lie about God. Now the Garden has changed from bower to danger. Adam and Eve have to leave, to go down to a plain in which change can occur. Without change, Adam could never be released from the curse of disobeying God. So leaving the Garden was an act of grace by God for Adam's descendants to be released from the curse. The first Adam could become the second Adam, Jesus of Nazareth, who did not believe the serpent's lie.
All of this is told in language which is simple yet spoken in pavilions of thought.
The rest of the Bible is the story of the family of Adam, to which we relate through generation, to the family of Jesus the second Adam, to which we relate through regeneration.
Part Two will be next week...
In a world of momentary devices and bloated pleasures, I'm glad we have the Bible. In this world where concrete cracks and the past disintegrates and souls are abandoned, I'm glad there is the Bible.
It has remained as it is for centuries, since it was written before it could be altered. As books go, it is rare.
The Bible is the only book I know of with four viewpoints--God speaking to God, God speaking to men and women, and men and women speaking to each other. It is the only book in which God reveals His presence to conceal His essence.
The best help in reading the Bible is itself, as it always has the answers for which the reader seeks. It is written in Hebrew and Greek. The only ancient languages which produced a grammar and vocabulary list are--you guessed it--Hebrew and Greek.
The perfect language to contain the thought that God is one who acts is Hebrew, since it is a language of action, not contemplation. A fine example is Psalm 127--
Unless the Lord build the house,
they labor in vain who build it...
The perfect language to convey that God is with us is Greek with its' many prepositions. For instance, in Ephesians 1--
You were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise...
If you've never read the Bible before, it is best to read about 15 minutes every day but Sunday. It is very good to take notes in a journal. The best way to understand the Bible is to begin in January, reading from Genesis to Revelation. I did this three years in a row, and I found out that the Bible si not as large as it looks. It contains the same few messages, told over and over by many people in different centuries, but the same message.
Thinking about what you're reading is better than memorizing what you read. The Bible is unique in that each time you read it, more of it is revealed to you. It is not flat like best-selling fiction; it is not for the scholar only like most philosophy; it was written by ordinary people taken into extraordinary circumstances. The Bible utilizes your imagination, your feelings, your thoughts, and your good sense of what people are like.
Let's imagine an ancient man sitting at the door of his tent, watching the stars at night. Looking up, he writes--
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
If that man were to sit there beneath the stars, the furthest circumstance of his sight and imagination would be the heavens. As if he could scribe a circle with his finger with himself as the center, the circle would be the heavens, the stars, the boundless deep purple above his head. He has circled his outward boundary--the heavens--and the center--the earth.
Genesis 1 is about filling in that circumference with stars, the sun, the planets, birds, fish and animals. That is the circumference from the sky down to the earth, culminating in a man and a woman. The universe around us, ourselves within it as the center.
Genesis 2 is about that man and woman on the earth, to take care of it and to take care of themselves.
In Genesis 3 Adam and Eve are in the middle of the earth, the Garden of God. There a serpent talks. He tells Adam and Eve a lie about God. Now the Garden has changed from bower to danger. Adam and Eve have to leave, to go down to a plain in which change can occur. Without change, Adam could never be released from the curse of disobeying God. So leaving the Garden was an act of grace by God for Adam's descendants to be released from the curse. The first Adam could become the second Adam, Jesus of Nazareth, who did not believe the serpent's lie.
All of this is told in language which is simple yet spoken in pavilions of thought.
The rest of the Bible is the story of the family of Adam, to which we relate through generation, to the family of Jesus the second Adam, to which we relate through regeneration.
Part Two will be next week...
Thursday, July 26, 2012
CHRIST AND THE OTHER GUY
If we look at the picture of God in the gospel of John we see the picture of filling up. The Father has given to the Son, the Word that the Son came from the Father. The Son has given that Word to His disciples and they have believed it. So we might imagine the Father as the master wine merchant pouring new wine into a perfect wineskin. Then we might imagine the Son taking that wineskin to pour that new wind into the glass of a guest.
The picture of God is that of unselfish giving, of emptying the wineskin. In Philippians 2.8 Paul says Jesus did not try to grasp equality with God. The Son emptied Himself, He poured Himself out of His Godhead into manhood. Paul says he is poured out as a drink offering in Philippians 2.17 and 2 Timothy 4.6.
We can think of Hebrews 9.14 in which Jesus--through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God. In the OT Isaiah 8.8 has a passage in which he speaks of the Euphrates River overflowing its' banks--it will rise up over all its' channels and go over all its' banks. Then the image changes from water in the OT to wings in the NT--and the spread of its' wings will fill the breadth of your land, O Immanuel. This in Isaiah might remind us of the wings of a dove which appeared when Jesus was baptized in the waters of the Jordan, Matt. 3.16.
So we have the picture of pouring out from the Father to the Son to the believers.
But what would be the opposite of this? It might be selfishness. Paul says--Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit. Phil. 2.8. Ezekiel 28.2 describes the king of Tyre as epitomizing this selfishness--
Because your heart is lifted up
and you have said, I am a god,
I sit in the seat of gods,
in the heart of the seas...
This is the spirit of the father of lies Jesus mentions in John 8.44 as the one who--does not stand n the truth because there is no truth in him. Did you notice the connection between empty conceit and no truth? What is being conveyed here is that Satan was not the clear vessel Jesus was. He did not empty himself, pour himself out or even reflect the light of God's presence. He took the glory of God which he was reflecting as his own possession (you might say blocking the light) to cast down darkness--his kingdom became darkened, Revelation 16.10.
Satan tried to be a god without being God--he was a created being; Jesus as God the Son was 'begotten not made.' The Apostle's Creed puts it as--one being with the Father. So instead of receiving the Spirit of God as Jesus did, Satan tried to take a kingdom away from God. Jesus ascended to heaven, Satan was cast down.
We are called to be clear vessels. Peter emphasizes the clear aspect of our souls when he writes that we are to be precious stones, 1 Peter 2.6. These stones, from the crown of David to the heavenly city, are seen when light passes through them; not only is God seen when His presence is in us, but we are seen. as the precious stones upon which the church is built,we reveal His immanence while He resides in His transcendence. Jesus seems to summarize this when He says--Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven, Matt. 5.16.
How can we be what Jesus was, not what the Other Guy was? Paul seems to answer this at the end of Ephesians 3. First, Paul says he bows his knee before the Father. Certainly, Satan is not known for his humility. Second, Paul asks that we would receive--power through His spirit in the inner man, Eph. 3.16. And third, Paul says that as we are rooted and grounded in the love of God, Christ would dwell in us so that we would--be filled up to the fulness of God, Eph. 3.19.
When we humble ourselves before God, we receive His power so that Christ would dwell in our hearts in order that we become filled with God.
If we look at the picture of God in the gospel of John we see the picture of filling up. The Father has given to the Son, the Word that the Son came from the Father. The Son has given that Word to His disciples and they have believed it. So we might imagine the Father as the master wine merchant pouring new wine into a perfect wineskin. Then we might imagine the Son taking that wineskin to pour that new wind into the glass of a guest.
The picture of God is that of unselfish giving, of emptying the wineskin. In Philippians 2.8 Paul says Jesus did not try to grasp equality with God. The Son emptied Himself, He poured Himself out of His Godhead into manhood. Paul says he is poured out as a drink offering in Philippians 2.17 and 2 Timothy 4.6.
We can think of Hebrews 9.14 in which Jesus--through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God. In the OT Isaiah 8.8 has a passage in which he speaks of the Euphrates River overflowing its' banks--it will rise up over all its' channels and go over all its' banks. Then the image changes from water in the OT to wings in the NT--and the spread of its' wings will fill the breadth of your land, O Immanuel. This in Isaiah might remind us of the wings of a dove which appeared when Jesus was baptized in the waters of the Jordan, Matt. 3.16.
So we have the picture of pouring out from the Father to the Son to the believers.
But what would be the opposite of this? It might be selfishness. Paul says--Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit. Phil. 2.8. Ezekiel 28.2 describes the king of Tyre as epitomizing this selfishness--
Because your heart is lifted up
and you have said, I am a god,
I sit in the seat of gods,
in the heart of the seas...
This is the spirit of the father of lies Jesus mentions in John 8.44 as the one who--does not stand n the truth because there is no truth in him. Did you notice the connection between empty conceit and no truth? What is being conveyed here is that Satan was not the clear vessel Jesus was. He did not empty himself, pour himself out or even reflect the light of God's presence. He took the glory of God which he was reflecting as his own possession (you might say blocking the light) to cast down darkness--his kingdom became darkened, Revelation 16.10.
Satan tried to be a god without being God--he was a created being; Jesus as God the Son was 'begotten not made.' The Apostle's Creed puts it as--one being with the Father. So instead of receiving the Spirit of God as Jesus did, Satan tried to take a kingdom away from God. Jesus ascended to heaven, Satan was cast down.
We are called to be clear vessels. Peter emphasizes the clear aspect of our souls when he writes that we are to be precious stones, 1 Peter 2.6. These stones, from the crown of David to the heavenly city, are seen when light passes through them; not only is God seen when His presence is in us, but we are seen. as the precious stones upon which the church is built,we reveal His immanence while He resides in His transcendence. Jesus seems to summarize this when He says--Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven, Matt. 5.16.
How can we be what Jesus was, not what the Other Guy was? Paul seems to answer this at the end of Ephesians 3. First, Paul says he bows his knee before the Father. Certainly, Satan is not known for his humility. Second, Paul asks that we would receive--power through His spirit in the inner man, Eph. 3.16. And third, Paul says that as we are rooted and grounded in the love of God, Christ would dwell in us so that we would--be filled up to the fulness of God, Eph. 3.19.
When we humble ourselves before God, we receive His power so that Christ would dwell in our hearts in order that we become filled with God.
Friday, July 20, 2012
OPPOSITES ATTRACT
We often think that predestination and free will are enemies, like Achilles and Hector battling for the fate of Troy. However, we might want to consider what the Bible says about destiny and choice. An example might be 1 Thessalonians 5.1-11.
The city was named after Thessalonica, the sister of Alexander the Great. When Alexander's father Philip of Macedon conquered the Thessalonians, his daughter was born on that day. He named her after them. When she married Cassander, she rebuilt the city which still stands today.
The Jews had a synagogue there. The Jewish community knew the Day of the Lord was coming. But the other people of the city lived as if life goes on as usual. Paul here predicts that the Day of the Lord will come on the Thessalonians and--they will not escape, 1 Thes. 5.3
Paul says the Christians in Thessalonica know this--you yourselves know this full well, 1 Thes. 5.2. They know what is going to happen beforehand, that the Day of the Lord is predestined. And yet Paul does not say to stand still, but he calls them to action:
Let us not sleep as others do,
let us be alert..
let us be sober..1 Thes. 5.6.
Paul then says--God has not destined us for wrath but for obtaining salvation...therefore encourage one another and build up one another, as you also are doing, 1Thes. 5.11. The believers are destined for obtaining salvation but Paul does not say, Rest on your eternal security, my friends. He encourages them to use their free will to act.
Probably the reason salvation and action go together is that the world will end. At some point the times will be too late for evangelism. Salvation is not retirement to the rest home. Christians don't end the evening playing gin rummy; Christians call upon the Spirit of God to share the gospel because the time is always short for someone.
At the end of 1 Thes. 5, Paul has 18 consecutive verses of what the Thessalonians should do. Some of them are well-known--
rejoice always
pray without ceasing
in everything give thanks, for this is the will of God for you
do not quench the spirit
and there are others. What this means is that our predestination, our salvation is put to work. In Ephesians the believers are to--
walk in a manner worthy of your calling
show forbearance to one another
be renewed in the spirit of your mind
put on the new self
be kind to one another
forgiving one another
These aren't all of what Paul says to do by the dedication of your will to your calling, but they are enough to understand that Paul's concept of predestination is not void. In Romans 16 the list of what the Christian is called to do with his or her calling is even longer.
Evidently a believer's calling is the power of the Spirit to live the Christian life. We can immediately remember the woman caught in adultery of John 8. When the accusers leave, Jesus says--Go and sin no more. Would He say that if she could not do so? In Matthew 6.1 Jesus says--Beware of practicing your righteousness before men... So we see there is the practice of righteousness. After Jesus says this He mentions fasting, praying, giving alms, forgiving, laying up treasure in heaven, serving God, trusting God without anxiety, seeking the kingdom of God and His righteousness. Then in chapter 7 He says, don't judge, ask in prayer, enter the narrow gate, beware of false prophets, do the will of God, and finally, act upon His words.
Predestination is a call to action as free will is a call to the knowledge of God. The difference is the man who hears--predestination-- and the man who hears and then acts--predestination and free will. To the Ephesians Paul is praying that they would know--
What is the hope of His calling...
of the saints, Eph. 1.18. This calling is not to rest in salvation but to act upon it. So in Matt. 25 Jesus says He will come back in glory. He will put His sheep on His right hand, the goats on His left. This had been predicted by Jesus. The sheep were predestined for the kingdom of heaven, as it was--prepared for you from before the foundation of the world. They were predestined so that exercising free will to take care of the least of Jesus' brothers is what Peter calls--make certain about His calling and choosing you.. 2 Peter 1.10.
Paul says this to the Galatians--
For you have been called to freedom, brethren, only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another, Galatians 5.13.
We often think that predestination and free will are enemies, like Achilles and Hector battling for the fate of Troy. However, we might want to consider what the Bible says about destiny and choice. An example might be 1 Thessalonians 5.1-11.
The city was named after Thessalonica, the sister of Alexander the Great. When Alexander's father Philip of Macedon conquered the Thessalonians, his daughter was born on that day. He named her after them. When she married Cassander, she rebuilt the city which still stands today.
The Jews had a synagogue there. The Jewish community knew the Day of the Lord was coming. But the other people of the city lived as if life goes on as usual. Paul here predicts that the Day of the Lord will come on the Thessalonians and--they will not escape, 1 Thes. 5.3
Paul says the Christians in Thessalonica know this--you yourselves know this full well, 1 Thes. 5.2. They know what is going to happen beforehand, that the Day of the Lord is predestined. And yet Paul does not say to stand still, but he calls them to action:
Let us not sleep as others do,
let us be alert..
let us be sober..1 Thes. 5.6.
Paul then says--God has not destined us for wrath but for obtaining salvation...therefore encourage one another and build up one another, as you also are doing, 1Thes. 5.11. The believers are destined for obtaining salvation but Paul does not say, Rest on your eternal security, my friends. He encourages them to use their free will to act.
Probably the reason salvation and action go together is that the world will end. At some point the times will be too late for evangelism. Salvation is not retirement to the rest home. Christians don't end the evening playing gin rummy; Christians call upon the Spirit of God to share the gospel because the time is always short for someone.
At the end of 1 Thes. 5, Paul has 18 consecutive verses of what the Thessalonians should do. Some of them are well-known--
rejoice always
pray without ceasing
in everything give thanks, for this is the will of God for you
do not quench the spirit
and there are others. What this means is that our predestination, our salvation is put to work. In Ephesians the believers are to--
walk in a manner worthy of your calling
show forbearance to one another
be renewed in the spirit of your mind
put on the new self
be kind to one another
forgiving one another
These aren't all of what Paul says to do by the dedication of your will to your calling, but they are enough to understand that Paul's concept of predestination is not void. In Romans 16 the list of what the Christian is called to do with his or her calling is even longer.
Evidently a believer's calling is the power of the Spirit to live the Christian life. We can immediately remember the woman caught in adultery of John 8. When the accusers leave, Jesus says--Go and sin no more. Would He say that if she could not do so? In Matthew 6.1 Jesus says--Beware of practicing your righteousness before men... So we see there is the practice of righteousness. After Jesus says this He mentions fasting, praying, giving alms, forgiving, laying up treasure in heaven, serving God, trusting God without anxiety, seeking the kingdom of God and His righteousness. Then in chapter 7 He says, don't judge, ask in prayer, enter the narrow gate, beware of false prophets, do the will of God, and finally, act upon His words.
Predestination is a call to action as free will is a call to the knowledge of God. The difference is the man who hears--predestination-- and the man who hears and then acts--predestination and free will. To the Ephesians Paul is praying that they would know--
What is the hope of His calling...
of the saints, Eph. 1.18. This calling is not to rest in salvation but to act upon it. So in Matt. 25 Jesus says He will come back in glory. He will put His sheep on His right hand, the goats on His left. This had been predicted by Jesus. The sheep were predestined for the kingdom of heaven, as it was--prepared for you from before the foundation of the world. They were predestined so that exercising free will to take care of the least of Jesus' brothers is what Peter calls--make certain about His calling and choosing you.. 2 Peter 1.10.
Paul says this to the Galatians--
For you have been called to freedom, brethren, only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another, Galatians 5.13.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
HIGH SPIRITED -5
Ministers today often know more about Calvin or Wesley or Aquinas than we do Jesus, who is the shepherd and bishop of souls. These other men died, so we can forget them when we want but Jesus says, I stand at the door and knock, Rev. 3.20. Catholics prefer a pope, Protestants treat the Bible as if it were philosophy, Pentecostals seek spiritual gifts. In His day, Jews searched for a sign while Greeks sought wisdom. But who welcomes Jesus?
He was not like one of us, yet He was among us. He was tempted by Satan and demons, we are demonized by cookies. His food and drink was to do the will of the Father, ours is to have the most toys. He fasted and prayed, we want fast cars and quick answers. He spoke, we text. He knew what was in man, we know what's in our pockets. He knew who He was and where He was going, we have psychologists.
We push Him away, yet we know in an underslung way we are excavated souls. Our own emotions drive us to depression. Our ambition drives us to immorality. Our emptiness gnaws at us like worms in a grave, our drinking drenches us in dissolution, drugs scatter us senseless. If any of these things worked even once, we could put them away...but they don't.
According to John, the beginning was the Word. Then that Word was light and then that Word became flesh. That flesh showed glory, which the people of that day saw. Once John brought Jesus into the Jordan, there would be no turning back. God had come. As Jesus of Nazareth, He asks us to come and you will see, John 1.39.
The Jews saw Him first. A Jewish ruler came to Jesus at night. Nicodemus was not a religious man but he knew Jewish law. He knew there was something about Jesus. But then Jesus said something radical. He said a man had to have God in him, that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God, John 3.21. Nicodemus would not see the kingdom of heaven until God was in him.
Paul came to meet Jesus later than John. On a road Paul saw the light written about in John 1.4, he heard the voice Moses heard. By the time Paul regained his sight, he knew Jesus was the Son of God, Acts 9.4. John had written, as many as received him, He gave the right to be sons of God, even to those who believe in His name. Understanding this, Paul wrote that all who are being led by the Spirit, these are the sons of God, Romans 8.14. John said if we are sons of God, we shall be like Him because we shall see Him as He is, 1 John 3.2.
This is the soft invasion of God.
He was not like one of us, yet He was among us. He was tempted by Satan and demons, we are demonized by cookies. His food and drink was to do the will of the Father, ours is to have the most toys. He fasted and prayed, we want fast cars and quick answers. He spoke, we text. He knew what was in man, we know what's in our pockets. He knew who He was and where He was going, we have psychologists.
We push Him away, yet we know in an underslung way we are excavated souls. Our own emotions drive us to depression. Our ambition drives us to immorality. Our emptiness gnaws at us like worms in a grave, our drinking drenches us in dissolution, drugs scatter us senseless. If any of these things worked even once, we could put them away...but they don't.
According to John, the beginning was the Word. Then that Word was light and then that Word became flesh. That flesh showed glory, which the people of that day saw. Once John brought Jesus into the Jordan, there would be no turning back. God had come. As Jesus of Nazareth, He asks us to come and you will see, John 1.39.
The Jews saw Him first. A Jewish ruler came to Jesus at night. Nicodemus was not a religious man but he knew Jewish law. He knew there was something about Jesus. But then Jesus said something radical. He said a man had to have God in him, that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God, John 3.21. Nicodemus would not see the kingdom of heaven until God was in him.
Paul came to meet Jesus later than John. On a road Paul saw the light written about in John 1.4, he heard the voice Moses heard. By the time Paul regained his sight, he knew Jesus was the Son of God, Acts 9.4. John had written, as many as received him, He gave the right to be sons of God, even to those who believe in His name. Understanding this, Paul wrote that all who are being led by the Spirit, these are the sons of God, Romans 8.14. John said if we are sons of God, we shall be like Him because we shall see Him as He is, 1 John 3.2.
This is the soft invasion of God.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
HIGH SPIRITED-4
The NT often uses the expression, in Him. But who is He?
For most of us, Jesus is a foreigner. He was a Jew, probably with black eyes, black hair, sunburned olive skin. As a man of His day He probably was 5 1/2 feet tall. He could walk for miles. He was a carpenter's son from the tribe of Judah living in a small town, known by His neighbors and family. He read the Hebrew Scriptures. He had no credit card, no formal education, no car, no home or family or career as we do but He did live in the tradition of Jewish wisdom. He grew in stature with God and man, but His soul did not change as we often do. He did not leave relationships, He did not die or decay or change as the earth does, the stars, rocks, trees, birds or time itself.
His cousin John saw water drip off His face at His baptism. The lame, crippled, blind and dumb lay at His feet. A woman known as a sinner washed those feet. Children felt the touch of His hands and heard His voice. His disciples saw Him sit around a fire, teaching in a room, leaning at a table. They saw His fingerprints, His eyebrows, they heard Him laugh and tell a joke and wash His face. They saw Him eat fish, and sip soup and talk about God. The disciples lifted up their eyes to see no one but Him. Lepers felt His embrace. Religious leaders heard the accent in His voice. His friends heard Him cry. He rebuked His own mother. He took a beating without protest. He died a violent death by crucifixion, the punishment for insurrectionists and rebels. Soldiers tore at His robe, His disciples scattered, His mother went to live with a close friend.
After He ascended into heaven, some traditions had difficulty with Jesus as God so they looked for signs of His humanity long after His life. They sought a relic,a robe, a chalice, a crypt. Some traditions had difficulty with Jesus being a man, so they sought His divinity in miracles, signs, wonders, visions. He is still a stranger today.
For most of us, Jesus is a foreigner. He was a Jew, probably with black eyes, black hair, sunburned olive skin. As a man of His day He probably was 5 1/2 feet tall. He could walk for miles. He was a carpenter's son from the tribe of Judah living in a small town, known by His neighbors and family. He read the Hebrew Scriptures. He had no credit card, no formal education, no car, no home or family or career as we do but He did live in the tradition of Jewish wisdom. He grew in stature with God and man, but His soul did not change as we often do. He did not leave relationships, He did not die or decay or change as the earth does, the stars, rocks, trees, birds or time itself.
His cousin John saw water drip off His face at His baptism. The lame, crippled, blind and dumb lay at His feet. A woman known as a sinner washed those feet. Children felt the touch of His hands and heard His voice. His disciples saw Him sit around a fire, teaching in a room, leaning at a table. They saw His fingerprints, His eyebrows, they heard Him laugh and tell a joke and wash His face. They saw Him eat fish, and sip soup and talk about God. The disciples lifted up their eyes to see no one but Him. Lepers felt His embrace. Religious leaders heard the accent in His voice. His friends heard Him cry. He rebuked His own mother. He took a beating without protest. He died a violent death by crucifixion, the punishment for insurrectionists and rebels. Soldiers tore at His robe, His disciples scattered, His mother went to live with a close friend.
After He ascended into heaven, some traditions had difficulty with Jesus as God so they looked for signs of His humanity long after His life. They sought a relic,a robe, a chalice, a crypt. Some traditions had difficulty with Jesus being a man, so they sought His divinity in miracles, signs, wonders, visions. He is still a stranger today.
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