Collaboration
Jesus prayed for His disciples and “for those who will believe in Me through their message, that all of them may be one” (John 17.20). Unity is a Christian message we hear preached primarily from within homogenous denominations and organizations—unite as Baptists, Catholics, Navigators, or nondenominationalists—and rarely from within about those outside our own “kind.” We Protestants have a difficult time accepting Catholic beliefs and they in turn can’t believe our peculiar sacramental omissions. Churches don’t understand the place of the parachurch while they may not appear to appreciate the mission of the local church. Your church is all right as long as you don’t infringe on my church’s rights.
How do we then unite when we are so different? Paul wrote, “I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong—that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith” (Rom 1.11,12). The “Coexist” or other such groups that seek to unite faiths under the banner of philanthropy have it right when they say we ought to find commonality in our religions and appreciation for the differences. As members of one body in Christ, we have differing gifts, services, and duties (1Cor 12.4) but only one goal, one mission to bind us all together. We may be firing different weapons but we all should have the same target.
“Collaboration” means more than working together. The root word is “labor,” meaning that all parties involved must be involved in the work, like two oxen yoked together, lest our collaboration be only a service by one for the benefit of another. We are united in Christ when we collaborate toward the goal using the gifts God has given us. But not everyone works…
Competition
When Paul visited Corinth, he had found that another laborer, Apollos, also had an impact on the Church’s growth. He wrote, “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow…. The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor” (1Cor 3.7,8). He wrote this because the church in Corinth was divided by their allegiance to particular leaders—be it Paul, Apollos, Cephas, or even Jesus. Now how did a Church born just a couple decades after Jesus prayed for unity become so divided?
After Paul chastises the Corinthians for their division, he warns them, “By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds” (1Cor 3.10). You see Paul wrote that “it has always been [his] ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that [he] would not be building on someone else’s foundation” (Rom 15.20). In every letter Paul writes to his friends, he warns them about wolves in sheep’s clothing and therefore made it his ambition to be the foundation builder and not the bricklayer. In his second letter he tells the Corinthians, “Our hope is that, as your faith continues to grow, our area of activity among you will greatly expand, so that we can preach the gospel in the regions beyond you. For we do not want to boast about work already done in another man’s territory (2Cor 10.15, 16). For Paul, ministry is like a race where every runner must compete as if he alone will win the prize.
Though there should “be no divisions among you… that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought” (1Cor 1.10), there “have to be differences among you to show which of you have God’s approval” (1Cor 11.18). If there is no difference between you and me then what is the point of there being you and me? Why not just be one person? If there’s no difference between your ministry or another, then why be separate? If there’s no difference between prosperity teachers like Joel Osteen, family focused ministers like James Dobson, evangelists like Billy Graham, inspired teachers like Howard Hendricks, or discipleship trainers like Walt Henrichsen, then how are we to grow as a body with many parts instead of a church with only one building? Whether we like it or not, all who labor in Christ are competing for the most precious commodity humans have to offer: time.
Contention
There are two words in the English language that appear similar and yet are quite distinct: contention and contentment. To have contentment is to be satisfied with one’s circumstances; however, to have contention is to be in contest or competition with one’s rivals. When it came to Apollos, Paul was content to lay the foundation while Apollos built up the Corinthians. But when it came to those who “masqueraded as servants of righteousness,” (2Cor 11.15) Paul was outright contentious. He even told his readers, “If anyone wants to be contentious about this, we have no other practice—nor do the churches of God” (1Cor 11.16). There is a time to be content with your place in the Body of Christ and a time to be contentious towards those who are damaging Christ’s Body. Knowing the difference is about as hard as telling wheat from a tare.
Paul had the audacity to write, “For we know, brothers loved by God, that He has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction” (1Th 1.4). How is it that Paul knew these Christians were real and not counterfeit? “You become imitators of us and of the Lord,” he wrote (1Th 1.6). Because they did as he did and he imitated Jesus. In his second letter to the Thessalonians, Paul wrote to them about their willingness to believe those who were contentious toward Paul’s teaching, “Don’t let anyone deceive you… hold to the teachings we passed on to you… keep away from every brother who is idle and does not live according to the teaching you received from us” (2Th 2.3, 15, 3.6). We ought to stray from those who lead us astray. But how do we recognize the difference between those we ought to emulate and those we ought to escape?
The reason Paul and the Thessalonians knew each other as a child would their mother or father was because he loved them so much that he shared “not only the gospel of God but [his own life] as well” (1Th 2.8). We must contend with those who under the guise of unity actually seek to divide. But we must also learn to be content with those united with us in the Body of Christ.
Contentment
I’ve only heard contentment taught in regards to money (likely because the word appears in context of financial needs) but I believe our contentment, like our treasures, extend far beyond our wallets. Paul goes so far as to tell us that contentment, like the kingdom of God itself, is a secret. “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength” (Phil 4.12, 13). If I can be content with a little money, then I will likely be faithful with it. And if I am faithful with little, then perhaps God wants to make me richer?
It is because I do not believe the God who says, “People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction” (1Tim 6.9) is actually imploring us to become rich, that I think God is more concerned with our contentment about spiritual matters. Am I content with whom God made me to be? I often wish I was more handsome because we listen to beauty more than wisdom. I often ask God to make me more joyful because we’d rather be happy than convicted. I often pray for an angelic voice because any message presented with music is a more appealing than one that is not. But alas, as Paul said after telling his friends he was content with being the least of all apostles, “But by the grace of God I am what I am” (1Cor 15.10).
Today we ask Christians to be “well-rounded” and I wonder if that’s a good idea. After all, if I’m good at talking to non-Christians why do I need an evangelist as a friend? If I can heal the sick, perform miracles, talk in tongues, preach eloquently, sing in tune, interpret the Bible into foreign tongues, reach the Muslims with the Gospel, fly a plane, win the Superbowl, memorize 10,000 verses, write the next Mere Christianity, or send my friends worthwhile devotional emails, then what need have I for the Body of Christ? If I can do it all, then why do I need you all?
Compassion
You cannot learn compassion vicariously. It, like love, can only be learned through the practice of giving and not receiving. As many times as I have been rejected by those unwilling to “be one” with me I have also been received by those compassionate enough to call me friend and brother. I have learned the principles I have shared with you as I have been rejected and have applied them as questions to measure my compassion and find contentment.
1) Collaboration. Sometimes the people we want to befriend are not beneficial to our ministry (or vice versa). The man who once housed “Legion” asked to follow Jesus after He cast the demons into pigs and our Lord told him, “Go home to your family and tell them” (Mk 5.19). Though I don’t believe individual Christians should be “well-rounded,” ministries surely ought to be. An evangelist adds numbers to a pastoral ministry, while a pastor brings care to a training ministry (prophetic), and a prophet brings edification to any ministry. But sometimes we just don’t fit in, and that’s OK.
2) Competition. When the disciples argued over who was the greatest, Jesus didn’t rebuke their pride but encouraged their passion by basically telling them to out-serve one another (Mt 20.25-28). Sometimes we run faster when we compete with one another than when we run in formation. Paul’s ministry seemed to explode after he split from Barnabas, even though neither seemed contentious. Maybe they, like us, just needed the “competition.”
3) Contention. Jesus and Paul were often charged with blasphemy by those who rejected them. Paul charged those who rejected his message with the same sort of condemnation (Gal 1.8, 9). Because I do not have the benefit of being God in human flesh or a reformed Pharisee knocked from a horse by Jesus, I have to assume that I do not always teach perfect doctrine. When I am rejected I must ask, “Is it because I am wrong?” This is one reason why I send these emails—so my friends can tell me when my mouth (or fingers) speak (or write) before my soul prays or mind thinks.
Being compassionate is like looking in the mirror before I tell someone they’re fat. When we reject others, let’s do it for the right reasons. When we are rejected, let’s not look for the reason but rather consider our response. God commands us, “As far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (Rom 12.18), and so I’ve come to learn these principles to help me obey. What do you think?
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
JESUS’ OPERATIONS ORDER
The Situation Report
Every good commander of troops presents those he leads with an operations order to ensure they know their mission and how to accomplish it. But before the mission is given the troops need to know what they are up against; so he begins by providing the situation, primarily focusing on intelligence concerning the enemy’s tactics in the commander’s area of operation. Jesus presented His disciples such an operations order in Matthew 10 a year before they set out on their mission to make disciples of all nations. He tells them, “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves…. Brother will betray brother to death …. All men will hate you because of me” (Mt 10.16-22). Not only is our enemy hunting us, these wolves we encounter dress themselves like sheep and call themselves our brothers.
Paul warned the Ephesians of this exact situation, “I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them” (Acts 20.29). The enemy isn’t only indiscernible from the friendlies, he also looks just like the soldiers fighting him. Though we are sent out like sheep among wolves, we are not sheep sent to be slaughtered. But we will be if we don’t know our enemy’s modus operandi.
The enemy is after those who are “just escaping from those who live in error” as well as those who already have “escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior” (2Pt 2.18-20). Their tactics are threefold:
1) To keep us ignorant of truth (Eph 4.14).
2) To keep us happy with what our ears want to hear (2Tim 4.3).
3) To keep us hopeful with empty promises (2Pt 2.1-20).
And if none of those tactics work, they got one left that will send chills down a disciple’s spine: persecution. The situation makes the mission evermore imperative.
The Mission Statement
A soldier without a mission is like a weapon without its ammunition—empty. Therefore, it is the duty of the commander to ensure his followers are always perpetually engaged in the unit’s mission no matter the situation at hand. A disciple’s mission is to “make disciples,” but a year before this command is commissioned, the disciples were trained to engage a specific target. “Jesus sent [them] out with the following instructions: ‘Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel’” (Mt 10.5, 6).
Because we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses who could just as easily be lost sheep as wolves in wool, our Lord issues us a command that must be obeyed lest we make disciples of wooly wolves rather than wayward sheep. His mission has become our mission (Mt 15.24) for He made disciples of those who claimed to know God, but were ignorant of His ways. Their mission was His mission because His commission would become theirs.
Paul’s mission was clear because his readers’ situation was perilous: “I am amazed that you are so quickly turning away… to a different gospel… [for] there are some who… want to change the gospel of Christ” (Gal 1.6-8). This other gospel tells us studying God’s word is optional, praise to God is our expression of love, or that following Jesus means nothing more than calling yourself by His name. These are those lost sheep that the preachers of this other gospel want to keep ignorant. These sheep are those who follow a gospel that itches their ears. These sheep are those who believe in empty promises. These sheep are the mission of those called to make disciples.
Executing His Orders
Execution orders provide the plan through which the mission is accomplished. In Jesus’ Operation Order the mission is to find the lost sheep of Israel, but who are they are and what do you do with them once they are found? Jesus tells His disciples, “When you enter a town… find out who is worthy, and stay there until you leave…. If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave” (Mt 10.11-15). The worthy are those who welcome you in like a person greeting a friend, but the unworthy are those who “love father or mother… or son or daughter more than [Jesus].” Jesus continues, “And whoever doesn’t take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me” (Mt 10.37-38). The unworthy are those unwilling to sacrifice what they love in order to love Jesus. The unworthy are plentiful; the worthy require finding.
Once Paul found worthy people who were willing to listen to him, he told them, “Walk worthy of God, [who we] constantly thank… because when you received the message about God that you heard from us, you welcomed it not as a human message, but as it truly is, the message of God, which also works effectively in you believers. For you brothers became imitators of God’s churches in Christ Jesus” (1Thes 2.11-14). They were worthy because they received God’s word taught by men as a message—a mission—from God and imitated those who did likewise. How do you know they are worthy? Well, they do as you do.
The apostle John believed so boldly in Jesus’ message, “Whoever listens to you listens to Me” (Luke 10.16), that he told those who imitated him, “Anyone who knows God listens to us; anyone who is not from God does not listen to us” (1John 4.6). You find the worthy by staying with those who will listen. You train the worthy by getting them to follow Jesus as you do.
Our Service, His Support
This paragraph of the Army operation’s order provides the Soldier the means with which he can accomplish his mission. A commander wants his followers to know who’s got their flanks covered and who’s supporting their fight. Jesus first told His disciples whom they should not depend upon: “For I came to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother… and a man’s enemy will be the members of his household” (Mt 10.35). Too often Christians depend upon their families to support their mission of making disciples not realizing that such dependence could be detrimental to their fight.
If I decided not to accomplish Jesus’ mission, my family would not disown me; they would love me as their flesh and blood anyway. If I turned from Jesus my corporeal friends and colleagues would not question my faithlessness; they would like me as a friend and colleague anyway. If our spiritual accountability derives from those whose spiritual growth does not depend upon our friendship, then our accountability will be forever bound to the temporal rather than the eternal. This is why Jesus tells us to use our worldly wealth to make eternal friends (Luke 16.9) and why our title of “friend” ought only to be bestowed upon those who obey His commands (John 15.13, 14).
Our support for our discipleship ministry should come from fellow disciples who are our collaborative partners. Jesus says, “The one who welcomes you welcomes me…. Anyone who welcomes a [disciple] because he is a [disciple] will receive a disciple’s reward” (Mt 10.40-41). Those who support our mission to seek the lost sheep of Israel will receive the same reward as those who reach these lost sheep, because without them, we could not accomplish our mission. God has given us people to serve and people to serve us; so don’t hinder their service lest your efforts only result in self-hindrance.
Chain of Command
The Army operations order ends with a reminder to the troops of who is in charge and how they are to be contacted. In the military, we learn the science of leadership through the practice of obeying orders given to us from those who serve in positions above our “pay grade.” We learn the art of leadership by giving such orders to those who serve “under us.” But we only learn the value and the true meaning of leadership when we serve those who are over us or under us despite the orders which are given us. Jesus says, “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant” (Mt 20.26), because it is only through service to your neighbor that you truly learn to fear your God.
Personally, I do not believe in altruism. Looking into the darkest recesses of my soul, reading the words of the worst of all sinners (Paul), and listening to the excuses of every Christian I’ve ever met, I cannot fathom a world in need of a savior where but one true altruistic person exists. Therefore, when it comes to doing what is right and true, there is no one person you ought to call your “leader,” because every one of them will fail. Jesus told His disciples, “Don’t fear those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul; rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Mt 10.28).
We may become involved in the mission of seeking the lost sheep because someone told us we should. But if we continue to obey because of man instead of God, we may escape the judgment of man, but we will still face the judgment of God. We obey people because they can reward us. We obey God because it is our duty and we are but unworthy servants who expect nothing but the phrase, “Well done,” in return (Luke 10.17).
Every good commander of troops presents those he leads with an operations order to ensure they know their mission and how to accomplish it. But before the mission is given the troops need to know what they are up against; so he begins by providing the situation, primarily focusing on intelligence concerning the enemy’s tactics in the commander’s area of operation. Jesus presented His disciples such an operations order in Matthew 10 a year before they set out on their mission to make disciples of all nations. He tells them, “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves…. Brother will betray brother to death …. All men will hate you because of me” (Mt 10.16-22). Not only is our enemy hunting us, these wolves we encounter dress themselves like sheep and call themselves our brothers.
Paul warned the Ephesians of this exact situation, “I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them” (Acts 20.29). The enemy isn’t only indiscernible from the friendlies, he also looks just like the soldiers fighting him. Though we are sent out like sheep among wolves, we are not sheep sent to be slaughtered. But we will be if we don’t know our enemy’s modus operandi.
The enemy is after those who are “just escaping from those who live in error” as well as those who already have “escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior” (2Pt 2.18-20). Their tactics are threefold:
1) To keep us ignorant of truth (Eph 4.14).
2) To keep us happy with what our ears want to hear (2Tim 4.3).
3) To keep us hopeful with empty promises (2Pt 2.1-20).
And if none of those tactics work, they got one left that will send chills down a disciple’s spine: persecution. The situation makes the mission evermore imperative.
The Mission Statement
A soldier without a mission is like a weapon without its ammunition—empty. Therefore, it is the duty of the commander to ensure his followers are always perpetually engaged in the unit’s mission no matter the situation at hand. A disciple’s mission is to “make disciples,” but a year before this command is commissioned, the disciples were trained to engage a specific target. “Jesus sent [them] out with the following instructions: ‘Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel’” (Mt 10.5, 6).
Because we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses who could just as easily be lost sheep as wolves in wool, our Lord issues us a command that must be obeyed lest we make disciples of wooly wolves rather than wayward sheep. His mission has become our mission (Mt 15.24) for He made disciples of those who claimed to know God, but were ignorant of His ways. Their mission was His mission because His commission would become theirs.
Paul’s mission was clear because his readers’ situation was perilous: “I am amazed that you are so quickly turning away… to a different gospel… [for] there are some who… want to change the gospel of Christ” (Gal 1.6-8). This other gospel tells us studying God’s word is optional, praise to God is our expression of love, or that following Jesus means nothing more than calling yourself by His name. These are those lost sheep that the preachers of this other gospel want to keep ignorant. These sheep are those who follow a gospel that itches their ears. These sheep are those who believe in empty promises. These sheep are the mission of those called to make disciples.
Executing His Orders
Execution orders provide the plan through which the mission is accomplished. In Jesus’ Operation Order the mission is to find the lost sheep of Israel, but who are they are and what do you do with them once they are found? Jesus tells His disciples, “When you enter a town… find out who is worthy, and stay there until you leave…. If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave” (Mt 10.11-15). The worthy are those who welcome you in like a person greeting a friend, but the unworthy are those who “love father or mother… or son or daughter more than [Jesus].” Jesus continues, “And whoever doesn’t take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me” (Mt 10.37-38). The unworthy are those unwilling to sacrifice what they love in order to love Jesus. The unworthy are plentiful; the worthy require finding.
Once Paul found worthy people who were willing to listen to him, he told them, “Walk worthy of God, [who we] constantly thank… because when you received the message about God that you heard from us, you welcomed it not as a human message, but as it truly is, the message of God, which also works effectively in you believers. For you brothers became imitators of God’s churches in Christ Jesus” (1Thes 2.11-14). They were worthy because they received God’s word taught by men as a message—a mission—from God and imitated those who did likewise. How do you know they are worthy? Well, they do as you do.
The apostle John believed so boldly in Jesus’ message, “Whoever listens to you listens to Me” (Luke 10.16), that he told those who imitated him, “Anyone who knows God listens to us; anyone who is not from God does not listen to us” (1John 4.6). You find the worthy by staying with those who will listen. You train the worthy by getting them to follow Jesus as you do.
Our Service, His Support
This paragraph of the Army operation’s order provides the Soldier the means with which he can accomplish his mission. A commander wants his followers to know who’s got their flanks covered and who’s supporting their fight. Jesus first told His disciples whom they should not depend upon: “For I came to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother… and a man’s enemy will be the members of his household” (Mt 10.35). Too often Christians depend upon their families to support their mission of making disciples not realizing that such dependence could be detrimental to their fight.
If I decided not to accomplish Jesus’ mission, my family would not disown me; they would love me as their flesh and blood anyway. If I turned from Jesus my corporeal friends and colleagues would not question my faithlessness; they would like me as a friend and colleague anyway. If our spiritual accountability derives from those whose spiritual growth does not depend upon our friendship, then our accountability will be forever bound to the temporal rather than the eternal. This is why Jesus tells us to use our worldly wealth to make eternal friends (Luke 16.9) and why our title of “friend” ought only to be bestowed upon those who obey His commands (John 15.13, 14).
Our support for our discipleship ministry should come from fellow disciples who are our collaborative partners. Jesus says, “The one who welcomes you welcomes me…. Anyone who welcomes a [disciple] because he is a [disciple] will receive a disciple’s reward” (Mt 10.40-41). Those who support our mission to seek the lost sheep of Israel will receive the same reward as those who reach these lost sheep, because without them, we could not accomplish our mission. God has given us people to serve and people to serve us; so don’t hinder their service lest your efforts only result in self-hindrance.
Chain of Command
The Army operations order ends with a reminder to the troops of who is in charge and how they are to be contacted. In the military, we learn the science of leadership through the practice of obeying orders given to us from those who serve in positions above our “pay grade.” We learn the art of leadership by giving such orders to those who serve “under us.” But we only learn the value and the true meaning of leadership when we serve those who are over us or under us despite the orders which are given us. Jesus says, “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant” (Mt 20.26), because it is only through service to your neighbor that you truly learn to fear your God.
Personally, I do not believe in altruism. Looking into the darkest recesses of my soul, reading the words of the worst of all sinners (Paul), and listening to the excuses of every Christian I’ve ever met, I cannot fathom a world in need of a savior where but one true altruistic person exists. Therefore, when it comes to doing what is right and true, there is no one person you ought to call your “leader,” because every one of them will fail. Jesus told His disciples, “Don’t fear those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul; rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Mt 10.28).
We may become involved in the mission of seeking the lost sheep because someone told us we should. But if we continue to obey because of man instead of God, we may escape the judgment of man, but we will still face the judgment of God. We obey people because they can reward us. We obey God because it is our duty and we are but unworthy servants who expect nothing but the phrase, “Well done,” in return (Luke 10.17).
Thursday, March 26, 2009
ELEMENTARY THINGS
Go on to maturity
Some of the most common questions asked about being a Christian are akin to Hebrews list of foundational teachings: “repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instructions about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment” (Heb 6.1-2). I had often wondered why these were so elementary since they seemed like important decisions that Christians must make in their walk with Christ. Do I believe in Jesus? How do I repent of sins I can’t avoid? How, when, and why should I be baptized? What happens when we die? Then it came to me: these are elementary because they are first steps and not the staircases themselves.
We usually envision these elementary practices as “acts” and not “works.” That is, they occur once and are complete (products), unlike works which are ongoing “processes.” When we think of repentance, we see ourselves committing a sin, asking forgiveness, and then pledging not to do it again (an act) rather than the gradual changing of our mind that comes from continual repetition of the process. Faith is a confession of belief and not a faithful commitment. Baptism is a ritual washing and not an immersion into a new being. And death is the end of life and not merely a part of life’s process.
Looking at three of these things—baptism, repentance, and judgment—as “works” (or processes) rather than “acts” (or products) might help us understand what it means to go on to the meat of maturity, leaving behind the milk that is the “elementary truths of God’s word.” I hope you will forgive my rudimentary look at what we so often immaturely take for granted.
Baptizing in His Name
“Make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Mt 28.19). Baptizo means “immersion” which when taken literally causes divisions in our Church—“You can’t be sprinkled!” “You’ve got to be fully immersed when you are of full age!” But what if it wasn’t the act of water dunking but rather immersion of a different sort to which Jesus was referring? John “the Baptist” even said, “I baptize you with water for repentance, but the One who is coming after me… will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Mt 3.11). Like faith, baptism is more than an act—it’s a work that must last a lifetime.
Peter writes that “baptism, which… now saves you [is] (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the pledge of a good conscience toward God” (1Pet 3.21). Just as there is a faith that professes Jesus is Lord and one which endures the test of trials, so is there the baptism by water that Jesus underwent in order to “fulfill all righteousness” (Mt 3.15) and the baptism that comes by an everlasting fire. The act of water immersion is a sign that the Spirit’s work is ongoing but it is not a substitute for it. That is, we shouldn’t think water baptism will save us without a faith through the Spirit that endures the trials of life. So how do we “go therefore and… baptize?”
Though Jesus was baptized by water and commanded His disciples to baptize others, we must realize that His words always meant more than what was actually said. Though some believed that Jesus “was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John,” the fact was that “it was not Jesus who baptized, but His disciples” (John 4.2). Since Jesus did not baptize others by water and yet commanded that His disciples be baptized, He must have meant something far more permanent than a dip in the Jordan River. Paul writes that he was “thankful that [he] did not baptize any” except two and told the Corinthians “For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel” (1Cor 1.14-17). Either both Jesus and Paul did not practice what they preached or baptism means more than we usually preach. Perhaps a look at repentance will immerse us more fully into understanding.
Baptism of Repentance
“For it is impossible to renew to repentance those who were once enlightened, who tasted the heavenly gift, become companions with the Holy Spirit, tasted God’s good word and the powers of the coming age, and who have fallen away” (Heb 6.6). If repentance is a singular act such as is stated here: “Biblical repentance, in relation to salvation, is changing your mind from rejection of Christ, to faith in Christ,” then those who fall away can never repent again (that is accept Jesus after they’ve rejected Him). If repentance is merely turning from a path of sin to our one way—Jesus—then wouldn’t that one act of receiving Him as Lord through faith coupled with a dip in holy water be enough to ensure I’ll never face the impossibility of being renewed to repentance if I fall away?
The word “repent” means to change your mind. Preachers like to add that “in the Bible, repentance results in a change in behavior,” meaning that a change of mind is not enough for salvation. We must also change the way we live. But they are quick to remind us that “repentance is not a work we do to earn salvation,” for it is God who grants us repentance (2Tim 2.25). For the average Christian sitting in a pew or reading an online devotional, repentance is a work given to them by God that allows them to change the way they live. These are likely the same Christians who believe that a clothed bath accompanied by Scripture reading can save them.
How does God change our mind? “For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us…. we have the mind of Christ” (1Cor 2.11-16). God doesn’t just “change our mind,” He gives us His! Repentance is the process whereby my mind becomes transformed by His as I discern His will by training my senses to distinguish right from wrong (Rom 12.2; Heb 5.14).
Judgment of God
What could be better than salvation? After discussing these elementary things, the writer of Hebrews adds, “We are confident of the better things connected with salvation” (Heb 6.9). If we have faith in order to be saved, are baptized to openly acknowledge our commitment, and repent by changing our mind about what is right and wrong, then what could be better than that? Most of us believe that judgment ends the day we receive Jesus Christ. God only sends those who reject Jesus to Hell, after all, right?
I’ve been explaining that baptism is a process: we immerse ourselves into His Spirit by being transformed into His way of thinking. Repentance is the process whereby this baptism occurs. But judgment isn’t a process; it’s the final act of God for all the cumulative processes that make up our lives. As Christians, we do not escape judgment. As a matter of fact, we will be judged for those “better things” that accompany our salvation. Thus Hebrews admonishes us not to “become lazy, but imitators of those who inherit the promises through faith and perseverance” (Heb 6.12). Peter, one of those we ought to imitate, tells us, “For the time has come for judgment to begin with God’s household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who disobey the gospel of God” (1Pet 4.17).
Paul tells us that the reason he fears God is “the judgment seat of Christ, [where] each may be repaid for what he has done in the body, whether good or bad” (2Cor 5.10). Most of us think that at judgment God will simply pull out a checklist and ask: “Did you say the prayer? Were you immersed in water? Are you a church member?” In reality, those who go to Hell are those who “don’t know God and… don’t obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus” (2Thes 1.8). It’s unacceptable today to not believe that my eternal life is dependent upon singular acts done for salvation, but it’s an elementary thing to figure out the truth. The mature know they will be held accountable and live each day with this knowledge motivating their obedience.
Some of the most common questions asked about being a Christian are akin to Hebrews list of foundational teachings: “repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instructions about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment” (Heb 6.1-2). I had often wondered why these were so elementary since they seemed like important decisions that Christians must make in their walk with Christ. Do I believe in Jesus? How do I repent of sins I can’t avoid? How, when, and why should I be baptized? What happens when we die? Then it came to me: these are elementary because they are first steps and not the staircases themselves.
We usually envision these elementary practices as “acts” and not “works.” That is, they occur once and are complete (products), unlike works which are ongoing “processes.” When we think of repentance, we see ourselves committing a sin, asking forgiveness, and then pledging not to do it again (an act) rather than the gradual changing of our mind that comes from continual repetition of the process. Faith is a confession of belief and not a faithful commitment. Baptism is a ritual washing and not an immersion into a new being. And death is the end of life and not merely a part of life’s process.
Looking at three of these things—baptism, repentance, and judgment—as “works” (or processes) rather than “acts” (or products) might help us understand what it means to go on to the meat of maturity, leaving behind the milk that is the “elementary truths of God’s word.” I hope you will forgive my rudimentary look at what we so often immaturely take for granted.
Baptizing in His Name
“Make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Mt 28.19). Baptizo means “immersion” which when taken literally causes divisions in our Church—“You can’t be sprinkled!” “You’ve got to be fully immersed when you are of full age!” But what if it wasn’t the act of water dunking but rather immersion of a different sort to which Jesus was referring? John “the Baptist” even said, “I baptize you with water for repentance, but the One who is coming after me… will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Mt 3.11). Like faith, baptism is more than an act—it’s a work that must last a lifetime.
Peter writes that “baptism, which… now saves you [is] (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the pledge of a good conscience toward God” (1Pet 3.21). Just as there is a faith that professes Jesus is Lord and one which endures the test of trials, so is there the baptism by water that Jesus underwent in order to “fulfill all righteousness” (Mt 3.15) and the baptism that comes by an everlasting fire. The act of water immersion is a sign that the Spirit’s work is ongoing but it is not a substitute for it. That is, we shouldn’t think water baptism will save us without a faith through the Spirit that endures the trials of life. So how do we “go therefore and… baptize?”
Though Jesus was baptized by water and commanded His disciples to baptize others, we must realize that His words always meant more than what was actually said. Though some believed that Jesus “was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John,” the fact was that “it was not Jesus who baptized, but His disciples” (John 4.2). Since Jesus did not baptize others by water and yet commanded that His disciples be baptized, He must have meant something far more permanent than a dip in the Jordan River. Paul writes that he was “thankful that [he] did not baptize any” except two and told the Corinthians “For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel” (1Cor 1.14-17). Either both Jesus and Paul did not practice what they preached or baptism means more than we usually preach. Perhaps a look at repentance will immerse us more fully into understanding.
Baptism of Repentance
“For it is impossible to renew to repentance those who were once enlightened, who tasted the heavenly gift, become companions with the Holy Spirit, tasted God’s good word and the powers of the coming age, and who have fallen away” (Heb 6.6). If repentance is a singular act such as is stated here: “Biblical repentance, in relation to salvation, is changing your mind from rejection of Christ, to faith in Christ,” then those who fall away can never repent again (that is accept Jesus after they’ve rejected Him). If repentance is merely turning from a path of sin to our one way—Jesus—then wouldn’t that one act of receiving Him as Lord through faith coupled with a dip in holy water be enough to ensure I’ll never face the impossibility of being renewed to repentance if I fall away?
The word “repent” means to change your mind. Preachers like to add that “in the Bible, repentance results in a change in behavior,” meaning that a change of mind is not enough for salvation. We must also change the way we live. But they are quick to remind us that “repentance is not a work we do to earn salvation,” for it is God who grants us repentance (2Tim 2.25). For the average Christian sitting in a pew or reading an online devotional, repentance is a work given to them by God that allows them to change the way they live. These are likely the same Christians who believe that a clothed bath accompanied by Scripture reading can save them.
How does God change our mind? “For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us…. we have the mind of Christ” (1Cor 2.11-16). God doesn’t just “change our mind,” He gives us His! Repentance is the process whereby my mind becomes transformed by His as I discern His will by training my senses to distinguish right from wrong (Rom 12.2; Heb 5.14).
Judgment of God
What could be better than salvation? After discussing these elementary things, the writer of Hebrews adds, “We are confident of the better things connected with salvation” (Heb 6.9). If we have faith in order to be saved, are baptized to openly acknowledge our commitment, and repent by changing our mind about what is right and wrong, then what could be better than that? Most of us believe that judgment ends the day we receive Jesus Christ. God only sends those who reject Jesus to Hell, after all, right?
I’ve been explaining that baptism is a process: we immerse ourselves into His Spirit by being transformed into His way of thinking. Repentance is the process whereby this baptism occurs. But judgment isn’t a process; it’s the final act of God for all the cumulative processes that make up our lives. As Christians, we do not escape judgment. As a matter of fact, we will be judged for those “better things” that accompany our salvation. Thus Hebrews admonishes us not to “become lazy, but imitators of those who inherit the promises through faith and perseverance” (Heb 6.12). Peter, one of those we ought to imitate, tells us, “For the time has come for judgment to begin with God’s household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who disobey the gospel of God” (1Pet 4.17).
Paul tells us that the reason he fears God is “the judgment seat of Christ, [where] each may be repaid for what he has done in the body, whether good or bad” (2Cor 5.10). Most of us think that at judgment God will simply pull out a checklist and ask: “Did you say the prayer? Were you immersed in water? Are you a church member?” In reality, those who go to Hell are those who “don’t know God and… don’t obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus” (2Thes 1.8). It’s unacceptable today to not believe that my eternal life is dependent upon singular acts done for salvation, but it’s an elementary thing to figure out the truth. The mature know they will be held accountable and live each day with this knowledge motivating their obedience.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
WORSHIP LIKE A DOG
Even the dogs eat crumbs
My dog, Spencer, is a mean-looking Boxer with the temperament of a hound dog. When I plop on the couch after a long day of critiquing grammatical miscues, he nuzzles his nose onto my lap and slaps my leg with his paw. I scratch his ears, and he inches more of himself onto my lap. With each pet, this seventy pound dog turns into a Chihuahua that thinks my lap is the best place for a nap. Then the thunder cracks and the lightning strikes as my wife’s voice bellows across the room like the voice of God, “Spencer, get to your home!” My dog splits. You see, to my dog I am an object of love and mercy while my wife is the epitome of fear and respect.
The English word “worship” has its roots in the Greek word proskuneo which derides from the words pros or “bow” and kuon from which we get canine or “dog.” That means to worship is a lot like a dog licking its master’s hand. No wonder the Lord marveled at the faith of the Canaanite woman who recognized the true meaning of worship as she “came… and worshipped Him, saying, Lord, help me.” Jesus replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs.” Her answer ought to humble us: “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table” (Mt 15.25-27).
Dogs respond to their masters based upon the manner in which the commands are communicated to them. Sometimes they tremble in fear scurrying to do their master’s bidding, while other times they come running with tails wagging out of love for the hand that feeds them. The same command spoken with different inflections can have alternately stirring responses. How we worship like a dog will be the object of this week’s study.
The love of Christ compels you
“Spencer,” I yell, “get back here!” The Boxer saunters further down the street, slow like a dance, his head turned around with his eyes staring over his body. He inches forward as I reach for the fallen leash. “Get over here!” He sprints ahead as I lunge and miss the leash. He turns around and barks melodiously like a singer playing a love song. I swear he’s laughing at me. My dog loves me and proves it by sitting at my feet like Mary listening to Jesus, but I’ll be doggone if he calls me “Lord” but won’t do what I say.
Christians readily know what it means to be loved by Jesus and to love Him in return. God demonstrated this love through Jesus’ death on the cross for our sins despite our propensity to continue in sin (Rom 5.8). He loves us so much that He gave His Son so that we might live: yet not just live, but to live “for the One who died for them and was raised.” “For Christ’s love compels us, since… One died for all” (2Cor 5.15, 14). We live because He loves us, but we continue to live in order to love Him. Our goal in life should not be to be loved but to live a life of love by following the example of the One who gave His life that we might live. We must live as He lived by laying down our lives for Him as He laid down His life for us.
But most of us won’t offer that sacrifice. Jesus died for me so that I can live for me! I will worship Him through praise and offerings. I will worship Him through tear-filled prayers of thankfulness. I will worship Him for what He’s done for me. But when He says, “Get over here!” I’ll just pretend like I didn’t hear. Surely my loving God will never hold me accountable for that which I am unwilling to hear.
The fear of God propels you
If “worship” truly means that we come to God like a dog licking his master’s hand, then perhaps we need to ask why dogs obey their masters. When Caesar Millan, the Dog Whisperer, was asked “What is the most common mistake people make with dogs?” He answered, “They don’t establish a leadership role. Almost all dog problems come from two things: lack of exercise and lack of leadership. Additionally, especially in America, owners tend to give affection, affection, and more affection, when what the dog really needs is exercise, discipline… and then affection.” Can we say the same is true of what people expect from God—affection and more affection and never exercise and discipline?
When Jesus was challenged to worship Satan, He answered, “For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only’” (Mt 4.10). If we read Jesus’ memory verse, we find that in Aramaic it actually says: “Fear the Lord your God, serve Him only” (Deut 6.13). To worship God is to fear God. I know we like to think that our love for Jesus ought to drive out our fear of God. After all, we should obey Him because we love Him, not because we fear Him, right? I would argue that our fear of God is the catalyst for our love to God. His love for us compels us to become like Him, but it doesn’t enforce us to obey Him. Our love for Him shown through our fear of His judgments ensures we obey His commands.
This connection between our fear of God and our obedience to Him is seen most clearly in the wise man’s conclusion of the matter found in Ecclesiastes 12.13: “Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment.” His love points us in the right direction but our fear of God’s judgment propels us in that direction.
Doesn’t “fear God” merely mean that we respect Him? Isn’t being afraid of God an Old Testament commandment and not a New Testament privilege?
Our loving Jesus tells us, “But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear Him” (Luke 12.5). Though I suspect we show signs of respect to those we fear, we don’t necessarily respect those we fear nor do we fear those we respect. Jesus’ use of the word seems to be more indicative of “fear” than it does “respect.” As a matter of fact, the Greek word phobeo is only translated as “respect” a few times. Should we respect God? Sure, but that’s no substitute for fearing Him.
Paul writes: “As you have always obeyed… continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purposes” (Phil 2.12,13). If God is working in us, then why should we fear Him? The writer of Hebrews tells us that children obey because they fear punishment (Heb 12), but John tells us that Jesus obeyed because He loved us for He had no fear of punishment. My children’s love for me must be coupled with their fear of my punishment, but my love for them has no fear because they cannot punish me. I love them no matter if they reject me, insult me, hate me, or desert me. They will always be my girls and I have no fear of that ever changing. But my love for everyone else doesn’t come with that guarantee.
If I do not fear God, then I do not love God. God has no fear of me and therefore His love for me is without blemish (1John 4). I cannot say the same of my love for Him. But that doesn’t mean I’m afraid of God. Moses told the Israelites as they trembled before the flaming mountain: “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning” (Ex 20.20). We should not fear fear itself but rather He to whom we must give account of our lives.
My dog, Spencer, is a mean-looking Boxer with the temperament of a hound dog. When I plop on the couch after a long day of critiquing grammatical miscues, he nuzzles his nose onto my lap and slaps my leg with his paw. I scratch his ears, and he inches more of himself onto my lap. With each pet, this seventy pound dog turns into a Chihuahua that thinks my lap is the best place for a nap. Then the thunder cracks and the lightning strikes as my wife’s voice bellows across the room like the voice of God, “Spencer, get to your home!” My dog splits. You see, to my dog I am an object of love and mercy while my wife is the epitome of fear and respect.
The English word “worship” has its roots in the Greek word proskuneo which derides from the words pros or “bow” and kuon from which we get canine or “dog.” That means to worship is a lot like a dog licking its master’s hand. No wonder the Lord marveled at the faith of the Canaanite woman who recognized the true meaning of worship as she “came… and worshipped Him, saying, Lord, help me.” Jesus replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs.” Her answer ought to humble us: “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table” (Mt 15.25-27).
Dogs respond to their masters based upon the manner in which the commands are communicated to them. Sometimes they tremble in fear scurrying to do their master’s bidding, while other times they come running with tails wagging out of love for the hand that feeds them. The same command spoken with different inflections can have alternately stirring responses. How we worship like a dog will be the object of this week’s study.
The love of Christ compels you
“Spencer,” I yell, “get back here!” The Boxer saunters further down the street, slow like a dance, his head turned around with his eyes staring over his body. He inches forward as I reach for the fallen leash. “Get over here!” He sprints ahead as I lunge and miss the leash. He turns around and barks melodiously like a singer playing a love song. I swear he’s laughing at me. My dog loves me and proves it by sitting at my feet like Mary listening to Jesus, but I’ll be doggone if he calls me “Lord” but won’t do what I say.
Christians readily know what it means to be loved by Jesus and to love Him in return. God demonstrated this love through Jesus’ death on the cross for our sins despite our propensity to continue in sin (Rom 5.8). He loves us so much that He gave His Son so that we might live: yet not just live, but to live “for the One who died for them and was raised.” “For Christ’s love compels us, since… One died for all” (2Cor 5.15, 14). We live because He loves us, but we continue to live in order to love Him. Our goal in life should not be to be loved but to live a life of love by following the example of the One who gave His life that we might live. We must live as He lived by laying down our lives for Him as He laid down His life for us.
But most of us won’t offer that sacrifice. Jesus died for me so that I can live for me! I will worship Him through praise and offerings. I will worship Him through tear-filled prayers of thankfulness. I will worship Him for what He’s done for me. But when He says, “Get over here!” I’ll just pretend like I didn’t hear. Surely my loving God will never hold me accountable for that which I am unwilling to hear.
The fear of God propels you
If “worship” truly means that we come to God like a dog licking his master’s hand, then perhaps we need to ask why dogs obey their masters. When Caesar Millan, the Dog Whisperer, was asked “What is the most common mistake people make with dogs?” He answered, “They don’t establish a leadership role. Almost all dog problems come from two things: lack of exercise and lack of leadership. Additionally, especially in America, owners tend to give affection, affection, and more affection, when what the dog really needs is exercise, discipline… and then affection.” Can we say the same is true of what people expect from God—affection and more affection and never exercise and discipline?
When Jesus was challenged to worship Satan, He answered, “For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only’” (Mt 4.10). If we read Jesus’ memory verse, we find that in Aramaic it actually says: “Fear the Lord your God, serve Him only” (Deut 6.13). To worship God is to fear God. I know we like to think that our love for Jesus ought to drive out our fear of God. After all, we should obey Him because we love Him, not because we fear Him, right? I would argue that our fear of God is the catalyst for our love to God. His love for us compels us to become like Him, but it doesn’t enforce us to obey Him. Our love for Him shown through our fear of His judgments ensures we obey His commands.
This connection between our fear of God and our obedience to Him is seen most clearly in the wise man’s conclusion of the matter found in Ecclesiastes 12.13: “Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment.” His love points us in the right direction but our fear of God’s judgment propels us in that direction.
Doesn’t “fear God” merely mean that we respect Him? Isn’t being afraid of God an Old Testament commandment and not a New Testament privilege?
Our loving Jesus tells us, “But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear Him” (Luke 12.5). Though I suspect we show signs of respect to those we fear, we don’t necessarily respect those we fear nor do we fear those we respect. Jesus’ use of the word seems to be more indicative of “fear” than it does “respect.” As a matter of fact, the Greek word phobeo is only translated as “respect” a few times. Should we respect God? Sure, but that’s no substitute for fearing Him.
Paul writes: “As you have always obeyed… continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purposes” (Phil 2.12,13). If God is working in us, then why should we fear Him? The writer of Hebrews tells us that children obey because they fear punishment (Heb 12), but John tells us that Jesus obeyed because He loved us for He had no fear of punishment. My children’s love for me must be coupled with their fear of my punishment, but my love for them has no fear because they cannot punish me. I love them no matter if they reject me, insult me, hate me, or desert me. They will always be my girls and I have no fear of that ever changing. But my love for everyone else doesn’t come with that guarantee.
If I do not fear God, then I do not love God. God has no fear of me and therefore His love for me is without blemish (1John 4). I cannot say the same of my love for Him. But that doesn’t mean I’m afraid of God. Moses told the Israelites as they trembled before the flaming mountain: “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning” (Ex 20.20). We should not fear fear itself but rather He to whom we must give account of our lives.
WHILE IT IS TODAY
Remember the day
Fellowshipping with my comrades-in-discipleship this past President’s day weekend provided an important lesson to me. It was to remember the day. I remember the day I walked arm-in-arm with the likes of Joseph Ebuen, Nate Bowers, Rabi Singh, Jamie Fisher, Wally Wallenfelz, Andrew Stroud and others whose faces have aged far less than mine. I remember the day I peeked over at their studies and wondered if my answers were as enlightened. Or the days I shook the hands of the guys they discipled wondering if my friends had the same potential. I remember the day I said, “Goodbye,” and went my separate way knowing always there’d be the day we’d reunite and the same questions would be asked.
“Watch out brothers, so that there won’t be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart that departs from the living God. But encourage each other daily, while it is still called today, so that none of you is hardened by sin’s deception. For we have become companions of the Messiah if we hold firmly until the end the reality that we had at the start” (Hebrews 3.12-14). That day I met my friends again was the day I was encouraged to NOT depart from our living God. It’s easy to think you are alone in a world out to “get you,” and to think that quitting is far easier than living. But knowing that I would see my old friends again and that I would give them an account of what I’ve studied and of those I’ve helped kept me going until the day I saw them peek at my study and shake my new friends’ hands.
Today is the day you prepare for tomorrow; yesterday is just history.
Hardened by Sin’s Deception
“Watch out brothers, so that there won’t be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart that departs from the living God. But encourage each other daily, while it is still called today, so that none of you is hardened by sin’s deception. For we have become companions of the Messiah if we hold firmly until the end the reality that we had at the start” (Hebrews 3.12-14). Notice that we do not become hardened by sin itself, but rather by the deception it brings along with it. We are prideful creatures who will often think that our way is better than theirs or that their way is better than mine. The sin is not in the thought, but in the hardening that accompanies such thoughts. Thinking that those who don’t follow Jesus my way are sinners is as deceiving as believing that everyone who names Christ as Lord is His disciple. How do we abstain from such hardening?
At one point in Jesus’ ministry, He tells His disciples, “Whoever is not against you is for you,” but later says, “Anyone who is not with Me is against Me, and anyone who does not gather with me scatters” (Luke 9.50, 11.23). We must be careful not to let sin deceive us by ensuring that we are companions of the Messiah as we hold firmly to the end the reality we had at the beginning. You see, Jesus says that if they aren’t against Mike Warren, then they are for Mike Warren. However, if they are against Jesus because they do not gather to His Name but rather their own, then they are against Jesus. How are we to know if those who are for us are also for Jesus or that those who are against us aren’t doing so because we aren’t for our Lord?
“God has mercy on whom He wants to have mercy, and He hardens whom He wants to harden” (Rom 9.18). If I am among those on whom God shows mercy, then following Jesus His way will be my way. If I am among the hardened, then my way will always lead back to me.
The Reality
“Watch out brothers, so that there won’t be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart that departs from the living God. But encourage each other daily, while it is still called today, so that none of you is hardened by sin’s deception. For we have become companions of the Messiah if we hold firmly until the end the reality that we had at the start” (Hebrews 3.12-14). How do you hold on to “reality?” Hupostasis (reality) is often translated as assurance, confidence, or nature and is used two other times in Hebrews. The first is to prove that Jesus is “the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature,” while the second provides the definition of faith in Jesus: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Heb 1.3; 11.1). We hold firmly to hupostasis through the assurance that comes from a life companioned with our Messiah’s.
The “reality” is that my brother or sister represents Jesus Himself. As I love him or her so I love God, our Jesus (1John 4.20.21). But the sinner’s nature living in us all reminds me that our fellowship is flawed by a shared desire to be better than each other. Reality says to compare my Bible studies to my friends’, my friends to theirs, their flaws to mine, me to them. Surely, they are not following Jesus if their reality does not match my own. The reality is that my relationship with my brothers correlates to my relationship with God.
More than likely most of us came to know Jesus because someone made Him real to us. We knew Him because they knew Him. And they knew Jesus better as they made Him known to us.
We are companions in Christ when we hold to the reality we grasped since the beginning: we cannot follow God alone but God alone must be followed.
Fellowshipping with my comrades-in-discipleship this past President’s day weekend provided an important lesson to me. It was to remember the day. I remember the day I walked arm-in-arm with the likes of Joseph Ebuen, Nate Bowers, Rabi Singh, Jamie Fisher, Wally Wallenfelz, Andrew Stroud and others whose faces have aged far less than mine. I remember the day I peeked over at their studies and wondered if my answers were as enlightened. Or the days I shook the hands of the guys they discipled wondering if my friends had the same potential. I remember the day I said, “Goodbye,” and went my separate way knowing always there’d be the day we’d reunite and the same questions would be asked.
“Watch out brothers, so that there won’t be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart that departs from the living God. But encourage each other daily, while it is still called today, so that none of you is hardened by sin’s deception. For we have become companions of the Messiah if we hold firmly until the end the reality that we had at the start” (Hebrews 3.12-14). That day I met my friends again was the day I was encouraged to NOT depart from our living God. It’s easy to think you are alone in a world out to “get you,” and to think that quitting is far easier than living. But knowing that I would see my old friends again and that I would give them an account of what I’ve studied and of those I’ve helped kept me going until the day I saw them peek at my study and shake my new friends’ hands.
Today is the day you prepare for tomorrow; yesterday is just history.
Hardened by Sin’s Deception
“Watch out brothers, so that there won’t be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart that departs from the living God. But encourage each other daily, while it is still called today, so that none of you is hardened by sin’s deception. For we have become companions of the Messiah if we hold firmly until the end the reality that we had at the start” (Hebrews 3.12-14). Notice that we do not become hardened by sin itself, but rather by the deception it brings along with it. We are prideful creatures who will often think that our way is better than theirs or that their way is better than mine. The sin is not in the thought, but in the hardening that accompanies such thoughts. Thinking that those who don’t follow Jesus my way are sinners is as deceiving as believing that everyone who names Christ as Lord is His disciple. How do we abstain from such hardening?
At one point in Jesus’ ministry, He tells His disciples, “Whoever is not against you is for you,” but later says, “Anyone who is not with Me is against Me, and anyone who does not gather with me scatters” (Luke 9.50, 11.23). We must be careful not to let sin deceive us by ensuring that we are companions of the Messiah as we hold firmly to the end the reality we had at the beginning. You see, Jesus says that if they aren’t against Mike Warren, then they are for Mike Warren. However, if they are against Jesus because they do not gather to His Name but rather their own, then they are against Jesus. How are we to know if those who are for us are also for Jesus or that those who are against us aren’t doing so because we aren’t for our Lord?
“God has mercy on whom He wants to have mercy, and He hardens whom He wants to harden” (Rom 9.18). If I am among those on whom God shows mercy, then following Jesus His way will be my way. If I am among the hardened, then my way will always lead back to me.
The Reality
“Watch out brothers, so that there won’t be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart that departs from the living God. But encourage each other daily, while it is still called today, so that none of you is hardened by sin’s deception. For we have become companions of the Messiah if we hold firmly until the end the reality that we had at the start” (Hebrews 3.12-14). How do you hold on to “reality?” Hupostasis (reality) is often translated as assurance, confidence, or nature and is used two other times in Hebrews. The first is to prove that Jesus is “the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature,” while the second provides the definition of faith in Jesus: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Heb 1.3; 11.1). We hold firmly to hupostasis through the assurance that comes from a life companioned with our Messiah’s.
The “reality” is that my brother or sister represents Jesus Himself. As I love him or her so I love God, our Jesus (1John 4.20.21). But the sinner’s nature living in us all reminds me that our fellowship is flawed by a shared desire to be better than each other. Reality says to compare my Bible studies to my friends’, my friends to theirs, their flaws to mine, me to them. Surely, they are not following Jesus if their reality does not match my own. The reality is that my relationship with my brothers correlates to my relationship with God.
More than likely most of us came to know Jesus because someone made Him real to us. We knew Him because they knew Him. And they knew Jesus better as they made Him known to us.
We are companions in Christ when we hold to the reality we grasped since the beginning: we cannot follow God alone but God alone must be followed.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
SPEAKING WITH AUTHORITY
Last week my boss, a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army, sat in and took notes during one of my literature classes. I carefully considered every word before it exited my mouth, hoped that my cadets would do the same, and agonized over how best to maximize every second of the fifty-five minutes I had to teach my students the ins and outs of Thoreau’s Walden. Fortunately, I had prepared beforehand with more notes than were necessary, enough slides to answer unsolicited questions, and with plenty or prayer to carry me through the flames of a leader’s caring critiques. But you see that day I was prepared, though that was not always the case. So I thought, “What would my teaching be like if I prepared everyday as if I had to speak with my authorities looking over my shoulder?”
Jesus told His disciples, “Either make a tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit…. I tell you that on the Day of Judgment people will have to account for every careless word they speak. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned” (Mt 12.33-37). Every word we utter is under the watchful eye of He to whom we will give account. What if I lived every day carefully considering the words that exit my mouth and taught those who listen to me to do the same? What if I agonized over how best to spend every minute of my life under the caring gaze of a judging God? What if I prepared myself to speak with authority as if my every word depended upon it?
“Be conscientious about yourself and your teaching; persevere in these things, for by doing this you will save both yourself and your hearers” (1Tim 4.16). Are you listening to what you are saying? Our God is…
Jesus told His disciples, “Either make a tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit…. I tell you that on the Day of Judgment people will have to account for every careless word they speak. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned” (Mt 12.33-37). Every word we utter is under the watchful eye of He to whom we will give account. What if I lived every day carefully considering the words that exit my mouth and taught those who listen to me to do the same? What if I agonized over how best to spend every minute of my life under the caring gaze of a judging God? What if I prepared myself to speak with authority as if my every word depended upon it?
“Be conscientious about yourself and your teaching; persevere in these things, for by doing this you will save both yourself and your hearers” (1Tim 4.16). Are you listening to what you are saying? Our God is…
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
BIG “C” CHURCH
The Covenant
On President’s Day weekend (13-16 February) West Point will be hosting the “All Army Navigator’s Conference” near Albany, New York. At this conference I will have the privilege of presenting a short workshop on “Understanding the New Covenant or Making Disciples the New Covenant Way.” My hope is to help the participants study what God’s word has to say about this often overlooked “regulation” regarding our discipleship ministry. You see, “He has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit produces life” (2Cor 3.6). A covenant (diatheke) is a pact or agreement between individuals regarding the disposition of one’s livelihood. Therefore, we are ministers of a new pact, an agreement that specifies how we are to live our lives. The question is: are we living by this new covenant or do we still practice the old, dead life of the letter?
The Church
The first time this word appears in Scripture is in Matthew 16.18, “And I tell you that you are Peter (rock), and on this rock (petra) I will build my church.” A defining cross-reference is Eph 2. 19-22, “You are… fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the chief cornerstone. In Him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in Him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit.” It doesn’t take an English instructor to recognize the connection between God’s use of the word “church” and our definition of it as building. But it is ironic to this English instructor that we still can’t build a connection between the New Covenant, discipleship, and “church.”
You see Jesus is the cornerstone of the Church, the standard by which all members must be measured. To become “a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit” we must obey His commands just as He obeyed His Father’s commands (John 15.9). He says, “If anyone loves Me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love Him, and we will come to him and make our home with him” (John 14.23). We become His home, His church, His dwelling, because we obey His commands. And what does our Lord Jesus command of us? “Therefore, go and make disciples…”
The Command
Jesus presents but one new command to His New Covenant Church, “Love one another as I have loved you” (John 13.34). How do we love His body as Jesus loved His disciples? We must build them into God’s temple. The Greek word for “build” or edify as found in Ephesians 4.16, “From Him the whole body… promotes growth of the body for building up itself in love by the proper working of each individual part,” is oikodome. This word is also found in Ephesians 2.21, “The whole building (oikodome) is being fitted together in Him and is growing into a holy sanctuary in the Lord in whom you also are being built together for God’s dwelling in the Spirit.” The command to love is the command to build God’s Church.
Peter emphasizes this concept in his epistle to those “set apart by the Spirit for obedience” (1Pt 1.2) when he wrote, “You yourselves, as living stones, are being built into a spiritual house for a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1Pt 2.4). Not only are we commanded to build the church of God, we are also called to be His priests so that we might sacrifice that which is acceptable to God. The new Church begins with a covenant, is founded on one-on-one discipleship, and is commanded to build the walls of its edifice out of disciples of Jesus Christ. But God needs “priests” to labor in his fields.
The Clergy
“What are you, some kind of minister?” I often get asked this when I attempt to share my faith with others (though not here at West Point) because the assumption is that only those who get paid to talk about Jesus will (or perhaps, should) talk about our Lord. But if the new covenant is true, that is Christians are not only the temple of God but also the priests serving in it, then maybe my answer to that question should be “yes,” rather than the “No, man, I’m just a Christian” I usually provide as a retort.
In 2Corinthians 3.6, “He has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit produces life,” the word “minister” is the Greek diakonos from which we get the English word “deacon.” It’s more consistently translated as “servant,” meaning that just as Jesus came not to be served but to “serve” (Mark 10.45) so also are we called to be ministers and not ministered to. And yet why do we set apart a select group of the religiously educated to be our “ministers” rather than accept the fact that we are all called to do what we pay them to?
“I have been called to pastor this church,” is a phrase I’ve come to respect because I understand the difference between the old and new covenant. In the new covenant, this would be like one dude saying to another, “Friend, I’ve been called to minister to you.” But we don’t minister like that today, do we? The word poimen is translated only once as “pastor” and 17 other times as shepherd (i.e. one who tends sheep) and yet it is the title we deem most appropriate for those who have taken on the priestly duty of administering our faith. Perhaps it is because we are truly all like sheep who’d rather follow in herds than lead by example.
The Commission
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations” applies only to those called to minister to the Church. If you are not called to be a minister of the new covenant, then you are free to attend religious services, sing spiritual songs, and tithe your excess to those willing to make disciples for you. It’s rather telling to note that Jesus did not give this commission until after the disciples received the Holy Spirit in Jerusalem and “traveled to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had directed them” (Mt 28.16). The Holy Spirit is, after all, the key to understanding the new covenant Big “C” church.
Jesus told the Pharisees that “no one puts new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins…. And no one, after drinking the old wine, wants new, because he says, ‘The old is better’” (Luke 5.37-39). The same is true of the covenants for the writer of Hebrews says, “When He said, ‘A new covenant,’ He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear” (Hebrews 8.13). We see signs of this every year as “home groups” replace Sunday school classes and “lay leaders” replace the archaic “deacon” or as “pastors” become “teaching elders” or “churches” become “sanctuaries.” But until the new covenant becomes our wineskin for discipleship, the old wine of Sunday preaching, service through the tithe, and love by song will inevitable taste better than the new wine of one-on-one discipleship, training disciples to teach obedience, and sacrificing our lifestyles rather than our pocket books.
The Holy Spirit teaches us everything Jesus has commanded Him. If we have Him, then He is indubitably teaching us about discipleship. How you involve yourself in the disciple-making process will reveal which wine you find most tasteful.
On President’s Day weekend (13-16 February) West Point will be hosting the “All Army Navigator’s Conference” near Albany, New York. At this conference I will have the privilege of presenting a short workshop on “Understanding the New Covenant or Making Disciples the New Covenant Way.” My hope is to help the participants study what God’s word has to say about this often overlooked “regulation” regarding our discipleship ministry. You see, “He has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit produces life” (2Cor 3.6). A covenant (diatheke) is a pact or agreement between individuals regarding the disposition of one’s livelihood. Therefore, we are ministers of a new pact, an agreement that specifies how we are to live our lives. The question is: are we living by this new covenant or do we still practice the old, dead life of the letter?
The Church
The first time this word appears in Scripture is in Matthew 16.18, “And I tell you that you are Peter (rock), and on this rock (petra) I will build my church.” A defining cross-reference is Eph 2. 19-22, “You are… fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the chief cornerstone. In Him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in Him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit.” It doesn’t take an English instructor to recognize the connection between God’s use of the word “church” and our definition of it as building. But it is ironic to this English instructor that we still can’t build a connection between the New Covenant, discipleship, and “church.”
You see Jesus is the cornerstone of the Church, the standard by which all members must be measured. To become “a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit” we must obey His commands just as He obeyed His Father’s commands (John 15.9). He says, “If anyone loves Me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love Him, and we will come to him and make our home with him” (John 14.23). We become His home, His church, His dwelling, because we obey His commands. And what does our Lord Jesus command of us? “Therefore, go and make disciples…”
The Command
Jesus presents but one new command to His New Covenant Church, “Love one another as I have loved you” (John 13.34). How do we love His body as Jesus loved His disciples? We must build them into God’s temple. The Greek word for “build” or edify as found in Ephesians 4.16, “From Him the whole body… promotes growth of the body for building up itself in love by the proper working of each individual part,” is oikodome. This word is also found in Ephesians 2.21, “The whole building (oikodome) is being fitted together in Him and is growing into a holy sanctuary in the Lord in whom you also are being built together for God’s dwelling in the Spirit.” The command to love is the command to build God’s Church.
Peter emphasizes this concept in his epistle to those “set apart by the Spirit for obedience” (1Pt 1.2) when he wrote, “You yourselves, as living stones, are being built into a spiritual house for a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1Pt 2.4). Not only are we commanded to build the church of God, we are also called to be His priests so that we might sacrifice that which is acceptable to God. The new Church begins with a covenant, is founded on one-on-one discipleship, and is commanded to build the walls of its edifice out of disciples of Jesus Christ. But God needs “priests” to labor in his fields.
The Clergy
“What are you, some kind of minister?” I often get asked this when I attempt to share my faith with others (though not here at West Point) because the assumption is that only those who get paid to talk about Jesus will (or perhaps, should) talk about our Lord. But if the new covenant is true, that is Christians are not only the temple of God but also the priests serving in it, then maybe my answer to that question should be “yes,” rather than the “No, man, I’m just a Christian” I usually provide as a retort.
In 2Corinthians 3.6, “He has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit produces life,” the word “minister” is the Greek diakonos from which we get the English word “deacon.” It’s more consistently translated as “servant,” meaning that just as Jesus came not to be served but to “serve” (Mark 10.45) so also are we called to be ministers and not ministered to. And yet why do we set apart a select group of the religiously educated to be our “ministers” rather than accept the fact that we are all called to do what we pay them to?
“I have been called to pastor this church,” is a phrase I’ve come to respect because I understand the difference between the old and new covenant. In the new covenant, this would be like one dude saying to another, “Friend, I’ve been called to minister to you.” But we don’t minister like that today, do we? The word poimen is translated only once as “pastor” and 17 other times as shepherd (i.e. one who tends sheep) and yet it is the title we deem most appropriate for those who have taken on the priestly duty of administering our faith. Perhaps it is because we are truly all like sheep who’d rather follow in herds than lead by example.
The Commission
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations” applies only to those called to minister to the Church. If you are not called to be a minister of the new covenant, then you are free to attend religious services, sing spiritual songs, and tithe your excess to those willing to make disciples for you. It’s rather telling to note that Jesus did not give this commission until after the disciples received the Holy Spirit in Jerusalem and “traveled to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had directed them” (Mt 28.16). The Holy Spirit is, after all, the key to understanding the new covenant Big “C” church.
Jesus told the Pharisees that “no one puts new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins…. And no one, after drinking the old wine, wants new, because he says, ‘The old is better’” (Luke 5.37-39). The same is true of the covenants for the writer of Hebrews says, “When He said, ‘A new covenant,’ He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear” (Hebrews 8.13). We see signs of this every year as “home groups” replace Sunday school classes and “lay leaders” replace the archaic “deacon” or as “pastors” become “teaching elders” or “churches” become “sanctuaries.” But until the new covenant becomes our wineskin for discipleship, the old wine of Sunday preaching, service through the tithe, and love by song will inevitable taste better than the new wine of one-on-one discipleship, training disciples to teach obedience, and sacrificing our lifestyles rather than our pocket books.
The Holy Spirit teaches us everything Jesus has commanded Him. If we have Him, then He is indubitably teaching us about discipleship. How you involve yourself in the disciple-making process will reveal which wine you find most tasteful.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
VERSE FOR THE YEAR
Happy 2009. I say that without the exclamation as the New Year does not feel as happy as it once did. You see the Bible tells us that “the length of our days is seventy years” or 80 if we’re strong. That means I’m on the downhill slide now and therefore instead of counting down to the joyous New Year, I’m counting down to the day I have to leave West Point, my daughters leave home, I leave the Army, and finally I take my leave of this earth. But that just means I need a change in perception, a new look on a new year, and a verse to remember throughout this year of our Lord, 2009.
Every year I select one verse as my “theme” for the following year to remind myself to stay focused on what the Lord has taught me the previous year. This year the verse is 2Corinthians 3.6, “He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” The New Covenant has been a revelation to me these past few years but 2008 was the year I started competently putting it into action in my own life. 2009 will be the year I remember what He has made me as I try to make disciples of our Lord and Savior.
“Youth is when you're allowed to stay up late on New Year's Eve. Middle age is when you're forced to.” ~Bill Vaughn
Every year I select one verse as my “theme” for the following year to remind myself to stay focused on what the Lord has taught me the previous year. This year the verse is 2Corinthians 3.6, “He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” The New Covenant has been a revelation to me these past few years but 2008 was the year I started competently putting it into action in my own life. 2009 will be the year I remember what He has made me as I try to make disciples of our Lord and Savior.
“Youth is when you're allowed to stay up late on New Year's Eve. Middle age is when you're forced to.” ~Bill Vaughn
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