Let's suppose that you are an astronaut that has gone on a mission into deep space to study a newly discovered planet. Scientists have studied the planet from afar via telescope for weeks now and are speculating that there is a good probability that life could flourish on this planet.
So, you land on the planet and discover that the scientists' speculations are true...incredibly true. You discover that there is not only life on the planet, but hospitable and intelligent life. They not only greet upon your arrival but they welcome you into the life of their community and give you free range to study all that you desire to study.
Over time, you develop a suitable means to communicate with them. The aliens have developed a sophisticated way of life, not too dissimilar from our own. Before too long, though, you slowly begin to realize that something is drastically wrong. You have discovered that the intelligent alien race has some sort of disease that is killing them off one by one. There is not an alien that is not infected. All are ill.
The aliens know that they are infected, but, have no idea how to cure themselves. Some seem to think that if they can become smart enough to avoid all of the wrong things, they can somehow dodge infection. Others seem to think that the answer is in being happy...that, if they can keep their spirits upbeat and not get depressed, they may still die from the infection, but a happy heart will help them to live longer...to be more resilient to the disease. Lastly, there are those aliens who just don't care. They know that their time is short, so they live it up however they want, seeking to get the most pleasure out of life before they pass.
You know the truth, though, and are actually shocked that the alien species has not developed a serious medicinal combatant to the awful disease. You know that the cure doesn't lie in any of their methods but they refuse to listen to you.
All of their efforts are meaningless, a chasing after the wind. No matter what they do, they will not be able to avoid the inevitable by living the way that they do. They are infected and they will all die. All of their toil will result in nothing until a cure is revealed.
The "Disease" and Our Methods of Coping:
In this study, we will be shifting further into Solomon's train of thought. Here, we will find that Solomon actually breaks down categorically his different endeavors to fulfill this longing that he has to find "meaning" in this life. Again, we have already seen that he started the book off by saying that "everything is utterly meaningless"....so yeah, you can probably already anticipate what his outcome will be.
We will focus on 1:12-2:26, where Solomon tells us about 4 different things that he thought, once acquired, he might find some sort of true satisfaction in...some true meaning....a cure for all the meaninglessness.
Wisdom:
Solomon was a very wise person and King; arguably one of the best that the world has ever seen. He had enough self awareness to know that because God had gifted him so, he had become one of the wisest people that Jerusalem had ever known. There are 2 things that are really incredible about Solomon and his wisdom (interesting side-note):
1) He asked God for wisdom and God gave it to him (1 Kings 3:5-15).
2) He worked for wisdom. In other words, he put the gift that God had given him into practice (Ecclesiastes 1:13).
There are important lessons to be learned from both of those points: that, we are to understand our utter need for God's grace before we can carry out the tasks that He has laid out before us and that we are not to just think that we can sit idly by while the Lord does all the work for us. We are given gifts in order to put them into practice. But, we must ask for them first.
Solomon learned from his pursuit of wisdom that the more he learned, the more bummed out he got! He says in v. 18:
"For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief."
In other words, "ignorance is bliss!" Hear what he is saying here...that, the more he applied his mind to learning, the more he saw the fallacy and meaninglessness that exists in the world. As his knowledge grew, so did his sorrow. Instead of escaping meaninglessness, he further realized that all of life is submerged in meaninglessness.
Pleasures:
After Solomon came to the shocking realization that the gaining of wisdom would not overcome the meaninglessness of life (even though God had given it to him!), he then turned to the comforts of this world thinking that he would find some gain in them, some sort of true satisfaction through them. This to, "proved" to be meaningless he tells us.
Here is what Solomon sought in order to comfort and pleasure himself:
1) Wine
2) The building of houses
3) the planting of vineyards
4) the planting of lush gardens
5) the making of elaborate parks and ponds
6) the buying of slaves
7) owning more livestock than anyone else around
8) A tremendous amount of silver, gold and other riches
9) formed bands of men and women singers to listen whenever he wanted
10) he had hundreds of women as wives and concubines
11) He became the greatest man by far in all of Jerusalem
12) Oh, yeah, he was also King
I hesitate to say that Solomon was like a rock star, because Solomon probably would put every rock start that I have ever heard of to shame. This guy had it all...he had whatever he wanted. He says:
"I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure." (2:10)
He literally had a limitless supply of methods to satisfy his lust, ego, and esteem, yet, he still came to the conclusion that all of those things did not overcome the meaninglessness of this life, that "nothing was gained under the sun."
Stupidity:
In 2:12-2:26, Solomon takes a fascinating and haunting turn. He tells us that he basically sought to be an idiot to see how that way of life compared to a life filled with wisdom. He says that, in one way wisdom is better than folly/stupidity but, in another way, it is not different at all. In the end, Solomon tells us that stupidity is no different than wisdom because both the wise person and the foolish person will wind up in the grave. He says:
"The fate of the fool will overtake me also. What then do I gain by being wise?"
Here is where a sobering reality again awaits us....that we will die and not be remembered. Solomon takes another massively depressing step forward, though:
No matter what you do in your life, good or bad, wise or foolish...you will be utterly forgotten and all that you have gained will be lost. The "difference" that you make in this life is of no significance at all in reality. Sure, you may make and impact on the world where people remember the impact that you made; what you stood for and what you started but they won't remember you; your character, your laughter, your heartache, you in your truest essence. You, like everyone else, will be utterly and totally forgotten at some point.
Solomon is saying, "Sure, you can pursue money, fame, the perfect home and amazing sex but, in the end, it will make no difference. You will die and will be forgotten by all. You could acquire all things but in the end, you will die just like the most foolish of people. Your end will be no different than that of a fool's."
Work:
The last pursuit that Solomon tells us that he turned to for comfort and meaning is "toil" or work. Actually, all that he has spoken of so far is essentially included in this category. That wisdom, pleasure and folly are all encompassed under what Solomon calls "toil."
In this part, we can really sense Solomon's frustration with the system of things. He worked for wisdom but he gained nothing. He worked to satisfy all pleasure, but he gained nothing. He even worked at being an idiot only to discover that he could gain nothing from that as well! All this work for no gain!
So, he "hated life" because nothing could be gained from it; something of a real essence, something that would truly bring satisfaction to his soul, something that would complete his life's endeavor. He acknowledges the fact that all of his hard work, all that he has gained, will eventually end up in the hands of others. He will lose all that he has worked for in the end....
"For people may labor with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then they must leave all they own to others who have not worked for it. This to is meaningless..." (2:21)
This is the point where Solomon's thoughts can be summed up in this way:
You can gain nothing in this life. All of your gain is truly no gain at all. It is all utterly meaningless.
If you have not noticed yet, an important Old Testament theme is beginning to surface a bit. It is like standing on a pier next to the ocean and seeing a fin parting the water off in the distance. Is it a shark? A dolphin? Maybe a whale? You don't really know at this point. All that you know is that there is some sort of fish/mammal swimming around out there.
What is Surfacing; The Origin of "Toil":
To Adam He said, "Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, 'You must not eat of it,'
"Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return." -(Genesis 3:17-19)
If you haven't already, take the time to observe how Solomon starts off the portion of Scripture that we have examined in this study. In verse 1:13, he echoes the curse of the garden by saying, "What a heavy burden God has laid on the human race!"
According to Solomon, God has laid a burden on the human race. However, according to Genesis, at one point, there was no burden in being a human. In other words, it wasn't always this way. That, the burden found its origin in human sinfulness and God's curse upon it.
God cursed mankind. God "laid this burden" on our shoulders not as a cruel joke...but to teach us about heartache. Yes, the curse does teach us about our own heartache as a result of our sinfulness. Mankind toils painfully and suffers endlessly during his time on earth because of the curse.
However, the curse teaches us, mainly, not about our own heartache, but God's. All of this work, all of this toil, all of this time and energy and, in the end, what does it produce? Heartache. The curse is a sign that points us not to human suffering, but to God's, by causing us to suffer in a similar way as He has. There is suffering in our labor because we have produced suffering in God's. Just as the creation of our hands seem to turn on us, so has God's creation. Our work produces thorns...we are the creation that has turned thorny in God's hands. Our work is a painful burden because we became a painful burden to God.
The curse, the toil, shows us more about God's relationship to us than anything. That, despite the fact that His work has produced thorns, He has yet to give up on it.
More on this in a later study....
What, then, is the conclusion of the matter?:
For the first time so far, Solomon begins to take somewhat of a pseudo positive mood in verses 2:24-26.
Even though this is not the ultimate conclusion of the matter, as we will see in a later study, Solomon gives us a little tidbit of how we are to live in a meaningless world.
He tells us that, "People can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their toil. This too, I see is from the hand of God, for without Him, who can eat or find enjoyment?"
Note that Solomon's issue with meaninglessness is not at all resolved here by any means. The problem has not been fixed and the infection has not yet been cured and there is nothing we can do about it in the meantime. So...live.
In essence, he is saying: "Even though it is meaningless...it is good to try to find some sort of satisfaction in what you do during your time on earth. Even though your satisfaction will only be temporary, enjoy it while it lasts because this is a gift from God."
The Ultimate Conclusion of the Matter is Yet to Come:
Again, as we end this study, bear in mind that Solomon wrote this during a certain time in history. A time during which history had yet to reach it's climax. Since Solomon's time, history has now reached it's recapitulation in the "2nd Adam," in the "new creation."
There is now something better for man to do than simply accept the meaninglessness of all of our toil...no longer is everything meaningless under the sun and a chasing after the wind.
Mankind is now called to understand that, through one man, all has been made meaningful once again and the burden that once was placed on mankind has now been lifted. Instead of bearing thorns, humanity can now bear fruit.
In other words, even though Solomon was in all his wisdom truly great, and even though he had tremendous insight into the ways of the world, "now One greater than Solomon is here." -(Matthew 12:42)
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Solomon Answers "What is the Meaning of Life?" in Ecclesiastes-Part One
Before we begin this study of Ecclesiastes and Solomon's answer to "What is the meaning of life?":
1) Grab a Bible because you will need it to make any headway in this journey.
2) Listen to this quote from Tom Wolfe, a notable journalist and author:
“For of all I have ever seen or learned, this book (Ecclesiastes) seems to me the noblest, the wisest, and the most powerful expression of man’s life upon this earth – and also the highest flower of poetry, eloquence, and truth. I am not given to dogmatic judgments in the matter of literary creation, but if I had to make one I could say that Ecclesiastes is the greatest single piece of writing I have ever known, and the wisdom expressed in it the most lasting and profound.”
1) Grab a Bible because you will need it to make any headway in this journey.
2) Listen to this quote from Tom Wolfe, a notable journalist and author:
“For of all I have ever seen or learned, this book (Ecclesiastes) seems to me the noblest, the wisest, and the most powerful expression of man’s life upon this earth – and also the highest flower of poetry, eloquence, and truth. I am not given to dogmatic judgments in the matter of literary creation, but if I had to make one I could say that Ecclesiastes is the greatest single piece of writing I have ever known, and the wisdom expressed in it the most lasting and profound.”
Tom Wolfe was not a pastor or theologian. He was a writer and somewhat of a political figure who has been utterly awe-filled by Ecclesiastes' grip on him and the incredible ingenuity found within the contents of its pages.
"The Teacher":
There is little debate over the authorship of this book. The author himself claims that he is the "Teacher" and the "son of David, king in Jerusalem." Most have attributed authorship to King Solomon, and there is no valid reason to suppose otherwise at this point.
As we begin our study of the text I am going to again suggest that this entire book is Solomon's response to the question "What is the meaning of life?" or, "What are we here for?" With that in mind, envision Solomon as addressing this question head on right off of the bat.
Solomon begins the first 11 verses with the phrase, and his initial answer to that question, with:
"Meaningless! Meaningless! Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless!"
He shouldn't have any trouble grabbing peoples' attention with an introduction like that, don't you agree? Let's not hop over this too quickly here, though, because even though it initially seems as though Solomon is saying the exact same thing over and over again, he is actually saying 3 things:
1) There is some sort of "meaningless" that exists...
2) How meaningless is this meaninglessness? "Utterly meaningless," he says...
3) What is utterly meaningless? "Everything is utterly meaningless" he says...
So, he is not just saying that there is some meaninglessness out there, but that everything is meaningless...or, utterly meaningless is everything. In other words, he is saying that there is no meaning in all that he sets his eyes upon...no meaning in all that he has experienced so far. To him, there seems to be some sort of cosmic emptiness going on in all that can be seen. And, guess what, that is actually what he says over the course of the next several chapters....that even though the material world exists, that there is "life" and "reality", it is somehow void of some sort of essence that Solomon is clearly longing for and the whole created realm has not yet found a way to escape that void-ness, emptiness, or meaninglessness and acquire something essential.
Depressed at all yet? Just wait, it gets much worse!
For this study, we are just going to focus in on the first 11 verses in chapter 1. The Teacher begins by telling us that everything that is apparent is utterly meaningless. He, then, immediately begins to tell us why this is the case, the climax of which, for chapter one, is found in verses 9 and 10:
"What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which one can say, 'Look, This is something new?' It was already here already, long ago; it was here before our time."
So, let's back track to frame all of this correctly...allow me to paraphrase what is being said here
Us: "Solomon, what is the meaning of life?"
Solomon: "There is none, everything is utterly meaningless."
Us: "Everything? How can this be? Why is everything meaningless?"
Solomon: "Because humankind and all of creation cannot escape the viscous cycle that it finds itself in. No one can shake the cosmos out of their funk. There is nothing to fix the fact that humanity labors and toils on this earth, but in the end they will lose the very little that they have gained whenever they die. The earth and life go on as usual as the millions die throughout the the ages. They live short lives filled with pain and suffering, endless labor and little fruitfulness, only to die and never be remembered or thought of again. Furthermore, humankind never has his fill...the eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear enough of hearing and nothing on this earth can change that fact. We are a people who work and work in order to find some sort of satisfaction which, once felt, only slips right through our fingers just like sand. We never have been, nor will we ever be satisfied in essence until something new comes along and changes the system; in other words, does the impossible."
How are you doing so far with the fact that Solomon, the Teacher, is telling you that your life is utterly meaningless? That, you will never get your "fill" even though you will spend the entirety of your few years on this planet desperately trying to gain something that is fulfilling. Furthermore, all that you have worked for will come to an utter standstill once you die and you will be forgotten by all...that, even your face will fade from the memory of loved ones, and once they have passed as well, you will never again be remembered on this earth. That, in the end, all that you are and all that you have worked for will fade away, never to be thought of or cared for again.
Why is it this way? Solomon tells us "because, that is the way it has always been."
I ask again: Depression sinking in yet? If so, good. If not, you've utterly missed the point.
Here is where I want to take a moment to pause and reflect on something extremely important before we finish our first study. Allow this text, this book to do its job....let it in and let it break you. Whether or not you are a Christian/believer or not, that doesn't matter at this point (and yes, Solomon addresses this believer/non-believer tension in later chapters). No matter where you are at on your faith journey, I know one thing beyond a doubt to be true of you; if you have taken the time to truly examine these verses, you not only know them to be true but you also feel them to be true. Ecclesiastes is a common ground for all because it speaks a truth so deep about us all...a truth that none can deny.
Feel the weight here. Let the wound bleed. Embrace the tension; don't run from it or ignore it or, before long, you will realize that you are running from reality itself.
"It hurts" you say, "The thought is too depressing; too much to bear."
Well, yes, I am fairly certain that is what Solomon was hoping you would experience in reading his words.
A lesson that too few people learn is that there is tremendous value in learning how to mourn over things that need to be mourned over. We live in an age and within a culture that is incredibly cowardly towards true mourning. We desensitize ourselves to true pain, preferring numbness over true awakening, drunkenness over sobriety. There are some truths that require pain in order to be learned. Listen to Solomon's warning in Ecclesiastes 7:2:
"It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of everyone; the living should take this to heart. Frustration is better than laughter, because a sad face is good for the heart. The heart of the wise is in the house of the mourning, but the heart of fools in the house of pleasure."
He also says in my favorite Proverb that:
"Blows and wounds cleanse away evil and beatings purge the inmost being." -Proverbs 20:30
Those who have mourned, deeply and truly, understand what this verse is saying. Those who have resisted pain, seeking to cower and run from it, have no idea what this verse means. Furthermore, I think that Solomon is using metaphor here, because I don't recall ever reading about him receiving beatings. Not that literal-physical beating is excluded from what he is saying here, but the essence is found in the fact that the human soul prospers under unjust suffering in this life. That, pain brings about the essence of the human spirit as heat brings about the the flavor in tea.
We don't get too far into Ecclesiastes before we realize that Solomon's desire is for us to mourn over the situation that not only we, but the entire created realm finds itself in. That, there is something going on here that we need to mourn over and that we have no way of digging ourselves out of our own finiteness, impotence and mortality.
Before we end, (just in case you get too depressed!) you need to think of something of tremendous significance if it has yet to cross your mind. Solomon wrote this during a certain time within history. This book doesn't necessarily cover the entirety of reality as we know it today. Granted, everything that was occurring during his day, everything that he mourned over and called "meaningless" is very much so still in effect today. However, something new has happened since Solomon's time...that new thing that would come and interrupt the system that Solomon was longing for has now appeared and is in the process of turning the world on end. Where all of creation at one time was under the headship of one man, it is now under the headship of the 2nd man...the one they have called "anointed one," "God with us," "savior," and "Lord." He is the very one through whom the early Church preached that the "New Creation" has now been set in motion because this new man escaped the meaninglessness of the old way through His resurrection. He is the very One who Paul says is the recapitulation of all things (Ephesians 1:10).
If Solomon lived during our day, he wouldn't say to us:
"What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which one can say, 'Look, This is something new?' It was already here already, long ago; it was here before our time."
But, he would tell us that that "something new" has indeed come and something new has been done under the sun.
The Christ has come and all things are being made new. There is no longer utter meaninglessness in everything, but He has brought meaning to everything.
In the Christ's own words, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted."
How? Find out in the following weeks.
TJ
Solomon Answers "What is the Meaning of Life?" in Ecclesiastes-Intro
Some of life's questions are simply too big to be answered in a clear cut, straight forward way. For example, "Why do people like bologna?" How about, "Why is bologna spelled the way that it is?" Furthermore, "How come the St. Louis Blues can be absolutely awful one day, and spectacular the next?" Lastly, "Why do they call it Reality TV when its obviously not real?"
Ok, those are some of the gut wrenching, earth shattering questions that I ponder about on a regular basis. How about you?
On a more serious note, there are some questions that have a tendency to grip us....refusing to leave us alone, to simply refuse to allow us to shrug them away and say, "Ah, whatever. I don't need to worry about that."
A few weeks ago, one of the students in my youth group asked me, "What is the meaning of life? I mean, why are we here?" This student had gotten sick and tired of the traditional Sunday school answers and the aimless ways that our culture seeks to answer that question. Seemingly being the epitome of all questions, I am sure that this student had grown tired of all the shallow answers to it. I am sympathize with this student. We have the tendency not to give that question its proper respect and truly examine it (or, better yet, allow it to examine us).
Personally, I am not a big fan of the "traditional Sunday school" answers either because they tend to be the equivalent of fishing in shallow waters. You may get something out of it, but its not going to be that big.
The truth is, I, in all honesty, would not be a Christian or a pastor today if I didn't believe that I had truly come to discover and continually rediscover what the answer to that great question is...or, more importantly, "who" the answer to that question is. But we, as Christians, have settled for the shallow waters for far too long. We love the Scriptures in the Bible that make us feel warm and fuzzy inside while we neglect the ones that challenge, convict or even scare us. We settle for premeditated and rehearsed answers in our answers to our skeptics instead of resolving to always ponder things in new ways.
In response to my student's question, I told them to read the very last chapter of the book of Ecclesiastes (in the Old Testament), especially the last few verses, because the writer addresses that question square on. He tells us what the meaning of life is and what we are here for. However, over the passed several weeks, I have come to realize that I was a bit off in my assessment. Yes, he does answer the question there. However, I neglected to see that the entire book is his response to that great question, "What is the meaning of life?" To neglect all of his work up to that point would truly miss the meaning of the answer that he finally feels resolved to give.
Over the next few weeks, I will be uploading all of the notes from the study that our youth group will be going through. If you can't join us on Sunday mornings, we welcome you to wrestle with us over this tough question. Furthermore, we invite you to examine Solomon's shocking, somewhat horrible, but utterly brilliant answer to that great question.
For now, a video teaser....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7U8m5QR-1xw
Ok, those are some of the gut wrenching, earth shattering questions that I ponder about on a regular basis. How about you?
On a more serious note, there are some questions that have a tendency to grip us....refusing to leave us alone, to simply refuse to allow us to shrug them away and say, "Ah, whatever. I don't need to worry about that."
A few weeks ago, one of the students in my youth group asked me, "What is the meaning of life? I mean, why are we here?" This student had gotten sick and tired of the traditional Sunday school answers and the aimless ways that our culture seeks to answer that question. Seemingly being the epitome of all questions, I am sure that this student had grown tired of all the shallow answers to it. I am sympathize with this student. We have the tendency not to give that question its proper respect and truly examine it (or, better yet, allow it to examine us).
Personally, I am not a big fan of the "traditional Sunday school" answers either because they tend to be the equivalent of fishing in shallow waters. You may get something out of it, but its not going to be that big.
The truth is, I, in all honesty, would not be a Christian or a pastor today if I didn't believe that I had truly come to discover and continually rediscover what the answer to that great question is...or, more importantly, "who" the answer to that question is. But we, as Christians, have settled for the shallow waters for far too long. We love the Scriptures in the Bible that make us feel warm and fuzzy inside while we neglect the ones that challenge, convict or even scare us. We settle for premeditated and rehearsed answers in our answers to our skeptics instead of resolving to always ponder things in new ways.
In response to my student's question, I told them to read the very last chapter of the book of Ecclesiastes (in the Old Testament), especially the last few verses, because the writer addresses that question square on. He tells us what the meaning of life is and what we are here for. However, over the passed several weeks, I have come to realize that I was a bit off in my assessment. Yes, he does answer the question there. However, I neglected to see that the entire book is his response to that great question, "What is the meaning of life?" To neglect all of his work up to that point would truly miss the meaning of the answer that he finally feels resolved to give.
Over the next few weeks, I will be uploading all of the notes from the study that our youth group will be going through. If you can't join us on Sunday mornings, we welcome you to wrestle with us over this tough question. Furthermore, we invite you to examine Solomon's shocking, somewhat horrible, but utterly brilliant answer to that great question.
For now, a video teaser....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7U8m5QR-1xw
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
3 John: "Nourished by Jupiter" or Jesus?
Even though 3 John is the shortest book in the Bible, it makes for a fascinating read! Many people overlook it due to it's length. However, if we simply take the time to examine its contents, there is a lot we can take away from what John has written to his dear friend.
John wrote this letter to someone who was obviously a dear friend of his, named Gaius. It seems as though Gaius was at one time a disciple of John's, since John refers to him as one of his children that is now walking in the truth (v.4).
John is taking the time to commend his dear friend by letting him know that he has heard of Gaius' continued faithfulness to Christ. Gaius doesn't simply talk the talk, he walks the walk.
There is not very much substance that pertains to us until we get to verse 9. From here, John tells Gaius about a man named Diotrephes, who is also apparently a part of Gaius' church. It is clear from the text that Diotrephes has some major authority issues. He has placed himself in charge of the church and is forbidding outside Christians from visiting. John even tells us that Diptrephes wanted nothing to do with him even!
We don't really know what the deal Diotrephes deal is...we just know that John doesn't like it. John even encourages his friend Gaius not to imitate what is evil as he is referring to Gaius.
We can't really know what Diotrephes issue is for sure, but I think we can make a pretty good guess. It seems as though Diotrephes was overly afraid of outside influences infiltrating the church....so much so that he doesn't even want anything to do with John. It seems as thought Diotrephes has taken it upon himself to safeguard the Christian community. In the process, though, he has built barriers up between himself and everyone else. He has become judgmental and cold.
What we can take away:
It is interesting to me that Diotrephes never changed his name after he became a Christian. His name literally means, "Nourished by Jupiter," or "Fed by Jupiter." Jupiter, of course was the equivalent of Zeus in Roman theology. He was the King of the gods to the Romans.
There is a very, very strong chance that Diotrephes came from a family of wealth and popularity. No poor family would name their son, "Fed by Jupiter." It wouldn't make sense! It is also very likely, if his family truly is rich, that he would come from a long line of leaders. Most likely, his father was a leader and his father's father...and so on.
All of this to say that, Diotrephes is used to being in charge. He is most likely used to having his way. If that is the case, it is obvious that this is a part of his old self that has not died off yet now that he is in Christ. Now, he wants to rule this church and keep others out...a very tragic thing.
Again, John encourages Gaius not to imitate what is evil (what Diotrephes is doing) but to imitate what is good. He goes from there to say (v.11) that anyone who does what is good is from God and that anyone who does what is evil has not seen God.
And, here is where I would like to end. Those who do good, according to John, are from God...meaning that they have their origin in Him, that they are oriented around Him, that they belong to Him. Those who continue to do evil, though, have not seen God.
Why? Because those who have seen God understand how necessary it is to re-orient their entire lives around Him. John uses the Greek word "oraho" for "see." This has something to do with much more than just seeing with the eyes. It means, "seeing with the mind," or "experiencing." It is the type of seeing that Jesus is talking about in Matt. 6:22-23:
"The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But, if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness."
The Point: God is not just some doctrine to be believed. God is not just an idea...a thought. He is a being that we need to "see" and yearn to experience. That, union with Him should be our ultimate good. For, if we don't see Him, all we know is darkness and all we can do is evil.
John wrote this letter to someone who was obviously a dear friend of his, named Gaius. It seems as though Gaius was at one time a disciple of John's, since John refers to him as one of his children that is now walking in the truth (v.4).
John is taking the time to commend his dear friend by letting him know that he has heard of Gaius' continued faithfulness to Christ. Gaius doesn't simply talk the talk, he walks the walk.
There is not very much substance that pertains to us until we get to verse 9. From here, John tells Gaius about a man named Diotrephes, who is also apparently a part of Gaius' church. It is clear from the text that Diotrephes has some major authority issues. He has placed himself in charge of the church and is forbidding outside Christians from visiting. John even tells us that Diptrephes wanted nothing to do with him even!
We don't really know what the deal Diotrephes deal is...we just know that John doesn't like it. John even encourages his friend Gaius not to imitate what is evil as he is referring to Gaius.
We can't really know what Diotrephes issue is for sure, but I think we can make a pretty good guess. It seems as though Diotrephes was overly afraid of outside influences infiltrating the church....so much so that he doesn't even want anything to do with John. It seems as thought Diotrephes has taken it upon himself to safeguard the Christian community. In the process, though, he has built barriers up between himself and everyone else. He has become judgmental and cold.
What we can take away:
It is interesting to me that Diotrephes never changed his name after he became a Christian. His name literally means, "Nourished by Jupiter," or "Fed by Jupiter." Jupiter, of course was the equivalent of Zeus in Roman theology. He was the King of the gods to the Romans.
There is a very, very strong chance that Diotrephes came from a family of wealth and popularity. No poor family would name their son, "Fed by Jupiter." It wouldn't make sense! It is also very likely, if his family truly is rich, that he would come from a long line of leaders. Most likely, his father was a leader and his father's father...and so on.
All of this to say that, Diotrephes is used to being in charge. He is most likely used to having his way. If that is the case, it is obvious that this is a part of his old self that has not died off yet now that he is in Christ. Now, he wants to rule this church and keep others out...a very tragic thing.
Again, John encourages Gaius not to imitate what is evil (what Diotrephes is doing) but to imitate what is good. He goes from there to say (v.11) that anyone who does what is good is from God and that anyone who does what is evil has not seen God.
And, here is where I would like to end. Those who do good, according to John, are from God...meaning that they have their origin in Him, that they are oriented around Him, that they belong to Him. Those who continue to do evil, though, have not seen God.
Why? Because those who have seen God understand how necessary it is to re-orient their entire lives around Him. John uses the Greek word "oraho" for "see." This has something to do with much more than just seeing with the eyes. It means, "seeing with the mind," or "experiencing." It is the type of seeing that Jesus is talking about in Matt. 6:22-23:
"The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But, if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness."
The Point: God is not just some doctrine to be believed. God is not just an idea...a thought. He is a being that we need to "see" and yearn to experience. That, union with Him should be our ultimate good. For, if we don't see Him, all we know is darkness and all we can do is evil.
Friday, November 18, 2011
2 John: A Woman of Power
2 John is a book that is often overly neglected due to the fact that it is so short, and that it seems so similar to 1 John. Most people don't ever really take a second look at it.
However, whenever you really take the time and put forth the effort to really dive into what is being said, it doesn't take long to see that this letter is riddled with mystery. Before we dive into all of that, though, let's take a look at some of the glaringly obvious things in the letter.
First off, take a note of how incredibly similar the message is in this letter to the message in the letter of 1 John. It seems as though John is simply summarizing what he said in 1 John in 2 John. So much so that, if you want to know what 1 John is all about overall, all you need to do is read 2 John. Its almost like reading the Cliff Notes for 1 John.
With that said, take the time to notice the differences between 1 and 2 John:
-In 1 John, John is writing to an entire church (the Ephesians) whereas in 2 John he is writing to a smaller group of Christians, one woman and her "children" in particular.
-Notice, also, how John never mentions his name in 1 John and how he calls himself "the elder" in 2 John.
-Lastly, notice how in 3 John, which is incredibly similar in structure to 2 John, John addresses the person he is writing to by name..."Gaius." In 2 John, he just refers to the person that he is writing to as "the lady."
At the beginning of this article, I told you that 2 John is riddled with mystery. I say this because of "the lady." We read over this without ever really raising any other questions about her but we simply come to the conclusion, "Cool, John is writing to some lady," without ever really taking the time to ask of who she is. And really, we can't understand much about her without knowing a little bit of New Testament Greek.
Here is something that may intrigue you:
-The Greek word for "the lady" is Kuria. Before I define it for you, take a look at another Greek word that is the masculine version of Kuria. That word is Kurios.
So, you are asking to yourself, "So what? Where are you going with this?"
The word Kurios means "Lord." It is the word that replaced the Hebrew word "Yahweh." It is the very word that is used every time we call Jesus "Lord." Now, come back to Kuria. Kuria is simply the feminine version of Kurios "Lord." This means that she is some type of female "Lord" or "Master." Now, John is by no means saying that this woman is a god, or equivalent to Jesus our Lord, but that he is simply recognizing her position of power and authority. She is significant to John and we must recognize that.
What can we learn from this woman that is obvious from the letter? A few things:
1) Again, she is in a position of authority, so much so that John even refers to her as Master.
2) In verse 1, he tells her that all who know the Truth will love her and her children as he does. What does this mean? That she is going to be very well known and loved by, what it seems, by several Christians if not all of them. "the lady....whom I love in the truth-and not only I, but also all who know the truth."
3) She has children, verse 4.
4) She has been working with John for a long period of time apparently. "Watch out that you do not lose what we have worked for..." He is warning her to be alert so that they do not lose all that they have gained.
5) She has a sister. Now, this could mean either a blood relative or a sister in the Lord.
Now, truth be told, no one can know who this "lady" is for sure. We can only speculate.
I want to throw an interesting thought your way. Now, I readily admit that there is a good chance that I am incorrect. However, I think that what I am about to say will make a lot of sense.
I think that there is a fairly high chance that the lady that John is writing to is Mary, the mother of Jesus. Here is why I say this:
-Jesus, while he was dying on the cross, commissioned John to take care of Mary. "Woman, here is your son, and to the disciple (John), here is your mother." It says in John 19:27 that John took care of her and she lived with him from that point on.
-Church history tells us that several years after the Resurrection of Jesus, John took Mary to Ephesus where John became the leader of the the Ephesian church after Timothy.
-Ephesus had always been a place of great persecution towards Christians. The Ephesians stirred up riots against Christians. Ephesus was the very place that Paul was put on trial. It was also the place that John was exiled from to the island of Patmos, where he wrote the book of Revelation and, arguably, some of his other letters.
-Now, with all of the turmoil, John was a busy man. I am sure that he still continued to travel around even after he arrived in Ephesus. Which means, there is a fairly high probability that he could have written a letter to Mary, warning her of the sudden outbreak of false teachers in Ephesus.
Why I think this letter could be addressed to Mary:
1) Mary was well known inside of and outside of the church. We actually know very little about Mary after the time of Jesus other than the fact that she lived with John in Ephesus for a time. I think we know so little about her not because she had little influence on the church at the time, but because the church was trying to protect her and keep her safe. They wanted to protect her from falling into the hands of those who were persecuting Christianity.
With that said, notice that John doesn't address her by name. He is protecting her identity, in case the letter were to fall into the wrong hands. So, she is significant enough that she needs to be protected.
2) John says, again, that all who know the truth will come to love her and her children as he has loved her, verse 1. Now, he seems to be talking about Christians throughout the ages, because he is talking about knowing the truth, loving in truth, and that truth lasting forever, verses 1 and 2.
3) Mary did have other sons who apparently didn't come to faith until after Jesus' resurrection. This could be why John is so excited that some of her children are now walking in the truth, verse 4. Also, the children in verse 4 could be referring to Christians.
4) Lastly, he calls her "Master." This is by no means insignificant. Again, this is the apostle John, the one whom Jesus loved...the one who was one of the greatest influences of all time...he calls her Master? Now, we need to ask the important question; "What woman does John view as significant enough to be called Master?"
I have said all of this because it is intriguing to think about, isn't it?
Again, I very well could be wrong here. I readily admit that.
However, whoever this lady is, we must never forget that she is a person of prominence and respect within the early church and especially in the apostle John's mind.
However, whenever you really take the time and put forth the effort to really dive into what is being said, it doesn't take long to see that this letter is riddled with mystery. Before we dive into all of that, though, let's take a look at some of the glaringly obvious things in the letter.
First off, take a note of how incredibly similar the message is in this letter to the message in the letter of 1 John. It seems as though John is simply summarizing what he said in 1 John in 2 John. So much so that, if you want to know what 1 John is all about overall, all you need to do is read 2 John. Its almost like reading the Cliff Notes for 1 John.
With that said, take the time to notice the differences between 1 and 2 John:
-In 1 John, John is writing to an entire church (the Ephesians) whereas in 2 John he is writing to a smaller group of Christians, one woman and her "children" in particular.
-Notice, also, how John never mentions his name in 1 John and how he calls himself "the elder" in 2 John.
-Lastly, notice how in 3 John, which is incredibly similar in structure to 2 John, John addresses the person he is writing to by name..."Gaius." In 2 John, he just refers to the person that he is writing to as "the lady."
At the beginning of this article, I told you that 2 John is riddled with mystery. I say this because of "the lady." We read over this without ever really raising any other questions about her but we simply come to the conclusion, "Cool, John is writing to some lady," without ever really taking the time to ask of who she is. And really, we can't understand much about her without knowing a little bit of New Testament Greek.
Here is something that may intrigue you:
-The Greek word for "the lady" is Kuria. Before I define it for you, take a look at another Greek word that is the masculine version of Kuria. That word is Kurios.
So, you are asking to yourself, "So what? Where are you going with this?"
The word Kurios means "Lord." It is the word that replaced the Hebrew word "Yahweh." It is the very word that is used every time we call Jesus "Lord." Now, come back to Kuria. Kuria is simply the feminine version of Kurios "Lord." This means that she is some type of female "Lord" or "Master." Now, John is by no means saying that this woman is a god, or equivalent to Jesus our Lord, but that he is simply recognizing her position of power and authority. She is significant to John and we must recognize that.
What can we learn from this woman that is obvious from the letter? A few things:
1) Again, she is in a position of authority, so much so that John even refers to her as Master.
2) In verse 1, he tells her that all who know the Truth will love her and her children as he does. What does this mean? That she is going to be very well known and loved by, what it seems, by several Christians if not all of them. "the lady....whom I love in the truth-and not only I, but also all who know the truth."
3) She has children, verse 4.
4) She has been working with John for a long period of time apparently. "Watch out that you do not lose what we have worked for..." He is warning her to be alert so that they do not lose all that they have gained.
5) She has a sister. Now, this could mean either a blood relative or a sister in the Lord.
Now, truth be told, no one can know who this "lady" is for sure. We can only speculate.
I want to throw an interesting thought your way. Now, I readily admit that there is a good chance that I am incorrect. However, I think that what I am about to say will make a lot of sense.
I think that there is a fairly high chance that the lady that John is writing to is Mary, the mother of Jesus. Here is why I say this:
-Jesus, while he was dying on the cross, commissioned John to take care of Mary. "Woman, here is your son, and to the disciple (John), here is your mother." It says in John 19:27 that John took care of her and she lived with him from that point on.
-Church history tells us that several years after the Resurrection of Jesus, John took Mary to Ephesus where John became the leader of the the Ephesian church after Timothy.
-Ephesus had always been a place of great persecution towards Christians. The Ephesians stirred up riots against Christians. Ephesus was the very place that Paul was put on trial. It was also the place that John was exiled from to the island of Patmos, where he wrote the book of Revelation and, arguably, some of his other letters.
-Now, with all of the turmoil, John was a busy man. I am sure that he still continued to travel around even after he arrived in Ephesus. Which means, there is a fairly high probability that he could have written a letter to Mary, warning her of the sudden outbreak of false teachers in Ephesus.
Why I think this letter could be addressed to Mary:
1) Mary was well known inside of and outside of the church. We actually know very little about Mary after the time of Jesus other than the fact that she lived with John in Ephesus for a time. I think we know so little about her not because she had little influence on the church at the time, but because the church was trying to protect her and keep her safe. They wanted to protect her from falling into the hands of those who were persecuting Christianity.
With that said, notice that John doesn't address her by name. He is protecting her identity, in case the letter were to fall into the wrong hands. So, she is significant enough that she needs to be protected.
2) John says, again, that all who know the truth will come to love her and her children as he has loved her, verse 1. Now, he seems to be talking about Christians throughout the ages, because he is talking about knowing the truth, loving in truth, and that truth lasting forever, verses 1 and 2.
3) Mary did have other sons who apparently didn't come to faith until after Jesus' resurrection. This could be why John is so excited that some of her children are now walking in the truth, verse 4. Also, the children in verse 4 could be referring to Christians.
4) Lastly, he calls her "Master." This is by no means insignificant. Again, this is the apostle John, the one whom Jesus loved...the one who was one of the greatest influences of all time...he calls her Master? Now, we need to ask the important question; "What woman does John view as significant enough to be called Master?"
I have said all of this because it is intriguing to think about, isn't it?
Again, I very well could be wrong here. I readily admit that.
However, whoever this lady is, we must never forget that she is a person of prominence and respect within the early church and especially in the apostle John's mind.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
1 John 5
Eternal life is God. Jesus doesn't just lead us to salvation, but He is salvation. Obtaining salvation is obtaining God.
John explains it this way, "And we are in Him who is true by being in His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life." -1 John 5:20
That is why worshiping idols is so utterly devastating to us. Whenever we seek to worship idols, whatever they may be (money, sex, popularity, comfort...etc.) we are actually seeking to be united to that idol more than God. Whenever we seek whatever it is that we think we are gaining from idols, we are actually seeking to reject God's nearness to us and the life that is given to us as God frees us.
No wonder John ends the letter with, "Dear children, keep yourselves from idols." This is serious stuff.
With all of that said, I think that we can now make sense of a passage that is quite confusing and intriguing; 1 John 5:16-17:
"16 If you see any brother or sister commit a sin that does not lead to death, you should pray and God will give them life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that you should pray about that. 17 All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death"
A lot of people come to that passage, including myself, and ask, "what on earth does this mean?"
I think, in short, becoming fixated on idols is what leads us to death. I am talking about more than just the occasional slip up here and there, but about someone allowing an idol to become his/her lord. That, they enslave themselves to an idol.
This seems to be what has happened with the Ephesian church that John is writing to. Throughout the entire letter, John has been making arguments about how Jesus truly has come in the flesh, that God has really stepped into our world. John spends a lot of time in this letter reminding the people of who Jesus is as if there are some out there who are contesting the fact that Jesus is God.
He talks about people in chapter 2 who were once a part of the church, but have now left. He calls them the "antichrists." Furthermore, Paul in the book of Acts tells the Ephesian pastors to guard themselves and the church because people will come seeking to confuse and deceive those in the church. He also goes onto say that he knows that some people will rise up from within the church and lead people astray.
There is also a place in the Gospels where Jesus tells the Pharisees that the only unforgivable sin is blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. I believe that this is one and the same thing...that blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is the other side of the idolatry coin that John is talking about.
Putting it all together: Why is blasphemy of the Spirit unforgivable? And, why do idols lead us to death? The 2 go together because we reject the Spirit in order to worship idols and if we worship idols, it means that we are rejecting the Spirit. Furthermore, people blaspheme the Spirit whenever they recognize that the Spirit is at work, but they reject Him thinking that he is bad, evil, or inadequate....therefore they turn to idols.
In other words, the sin that leads to death is this: Understanding that the Holy Spirit is at work but choosing to consciously reject Him anyways in order to make some other idol the Lord of your life.
To finish up, John wrote this letter to the Ephesians because there are people who once were a part of the church that have now left and are trying to pull others away from the church and away from Christ as well. John spends the majority of the letter reminding the Ephesians that Jesus is truly the Messiah, that he has come in a physical way, and that Jesus truly is God. Furthermore, he tells them what it means to be true Christians, that those who are children of God love one another. He tells them this so that they can guard themselves against those who are trying to tell them to live differently. Lastly, he reminds them that there is a sin that leads to death, which is the option that those who have left the church have chosen. He concludes the letter by both warning and encouraging them.
To paraphrase, "Keep yourselves from idols so that you to may not be led astray. However, I am writing these things to you to remind you that you are in Christ, that you have eternal life, and if you see a brother or sister committing a sin that does not lead them to abandon the church, don't freak out about it....but pray for them so that they can be restored."
John explains it this way, "And we are in Him who is true by being in His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life." -1 John 5:20
That is why worshiping idols is so utterly devastating to us. Whenever we seek to worship idols, whatever they may be (money, sex, popularity, comfort...etc.) we are actually seeking to be united to that idol more than God. Whenever we seek whatever it is that we think we are gaining from idols, we are actually seeking to reject God's nearness to us and the life that is given to us as God frees us.
No wonder John ends the letter with, "Dear children, keep yourselves from idols." This is serious stuff.
With all of that said, I think that we can now make sense of a passage that is quite confusing and intriguing; 1 John 5:16-17:
"16 If you see any brother or sister commit a sin that does not lead to death, you should pray and God will give them life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that you should pray about that. 17 All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death"
A lot of people come to that passage, including myself, and ask, "what on earth does this mean?"
I think, in short, becoming fixated on idols is what leads us to death. I am talking about more than just the occasional slip up here and there, but about someone allowing an idol to become his/her lord. That, they enslave themselves to an idol.
This seems to be what has happened with the Ephesian church that John is writing to. Throughout the entire letter, John has been making arguments about how Jesus truly has come in the flesh, that God has really stepped into our world. John spends a lot of time in this letter reminding the people of who Jesus is as if there are some out there who are contesting the fact that Jesus is God.
He talks about people in chapter 2 who were once a part of the church, but have now left. He calls them the "antichrists." Furthermore, Paul in the book of Acts tells the Ephesian pastors to guard themselves and the church because people will come seeking to confuse and deceive those in the church. He also goes onto say that he knows that some people will rise up from within the church and lead people astray.
There is also a place in the Gospels where Jesus tells the Pharisees that the only unforgivable sin is blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. I believe that this is one and the same thing...that blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is the other side of the idolatry coin that John is talking about.
Putting it all together: Why is blasphemy of the Spirit unforgivable? And, why do idols lead us to death? The 2 go together because we reject the Spirit in order to worship idols and if we worship idols, it means that we are rejecting the Spirit. Furthermore, people blaspheme the Spirit whenever they recognize that the Spirit is at work, but they reject Him thinking that he is bad, evil, or inadequate....therefore they turn to idols.
In other words, the sin that leads to death is this: Understanding that the Holy Spirit is at work but choosing to consciously reject Him anyways in order to make some other idol the Lord of your life.
To finish up, John wrote this letter to the Ephesians because there are people who once were a part of the church that have now left and are trying to pull others away from the church and away from Christ as well. John spends the majority of the letter reminding the Ephesians that Jesus is truly the Messiah, that he has come in a physical way, and that Jesus truly is God. Furthermore, he tells them what it means to be true Christians, that those who are children of God love one another. He tells them this so that they can guard themselves against those who are trying to tell them to live differently. Lastly, he reminds them that there is a sin that leads to death, which is the option that those who have left the church have chosen. He concludes the letter by both warning and encouraging them.
To paraphrase, "Keep yourselves from idols so that you to may not be led astray. However, I am writing these things to you to remind you that you are in Christ, that you have eternal life, and if you see a brother or sister committing a sin that does not lead them to abandon the church, don't freak out about it....but pray for them so that they can be restored."
Prayer
Prayer is war. Prayer is a fight, and nothing less than that. So many of us struggle from day to day, week to week, even year to year with prayer because we simply don't think of prayer at all in this way.
We tend to forget that there is an enemy...and enemy who desires to keep us distracted...an enemy who whispers accusations against us in our ears making us feel as though we are too guilty to come before our Lord in prayer, so we don't even attempt it.
I was reading a paper a few weeks ago where the author talked about a monastery during the times of the early church. There are several recorded conversations from those who lived there, but one conversation stuck out to me particularly.
There was an elderly man who had been a monk all of his life who was once questioned by some travelers to the monastery, "What do you find the hardest Christian virtue is?" In other words, they were asking, "what do you find to be the hardest thing for Christians to do?"
His answer was simple and to the point; "prayer." He went on from there to explain that the devil, above all else, desires to keep us from prayer. That, if Satan could stop us from doing anything, he would interrupt our prayer life and he will distract us in any way that he can.
I find it fascinating that this man, whose life was entirely centered around prayer as a monk, found that the most difficult thing to do was pray.
I am sharing all of this with you because, if we properly understand how the devil is seeking to thwart us, we can better understand our stance on prayer. That, we don't need to be as passive about it as many of us are, but that we need to show up eager for the challenge, always remembering that God is on our side and that if "God is for us, who can be against us?"
It's no wonder that Paul used images such as running a race and fighting a battle whenever he tried to describe the kind of life that Christians are up against.
So, finally, take Paul's words as encouragement as you pray:
"For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds....and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."
We tend to forget that there is an enemy...and enemy who desires to keep us distracted...an enemy who whispers accusations against us in our ears making us feel as though we are too guilty to come before our Lord in prayer, so we don't even attempt it.
I was reading a paper a few weeks ago where the author talked about a monastery during the times of the early church. There are several recorded conversations from those who lived there, but one conversation stuck out to me particularly.
There was an elderly man who had been a monk all of his life who was once questioned by some travelers to the monastery, "What do you find the hardest Christian virtue is?" In other words, they were asking, "what do you find to be the hardest thing for Christians to do?"
His answer was simple and to the point; "prayer." He went on from there to explain that the devil, above all else, desires to keep us from prayer. That, if Satan could stop us from doing anything, he would interrupt our prayer life and he will distract us in any way that he can.
I find it fascinating that this man, whose life was entirely centered around prayer as a monk, found that the most difficult thing to do was pray.
I am sharing all of this with you because, if we properly understand how the devil is seeking to thwart us, we can better understand our stance on prayer. That, we don't need to be as passive about it as many of us are, but that we need to show up eager for the challenge, always remembering that God is on our side and that if "God is for us, who can be against us?"
It's no wonder that Paul used images such as running a race and fighting a battle whenever he tried to describe the kind of life that Christians are up against.
So, finally, take Paul's words as encouragement as you pray:
"For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds....and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
With a new year in mind...
How will this school year be different than last year and the years before? Will you follow hard after God into this new year? Will you seek to become more of the person that God has called you to be this year? Will you make more friendships, work harder at your school work, and seek to grow closer to your family?
Will this be one of those years where you can look back and see how it has impacted your life because you allowed it to do so?
The same goes for youth group. Will this be a year where you seek to build others up in selfless service? Will you come to youth group seeking to be served or seeking to serve? Will you seek to understand the gifts that God has given you so that you can give them away to others?
Will your time in the Word shape how you respond to all of these questions?
The truth of the matter is that there are many things in this life that you cannot control. For example, you can't control how much homework you get. Another, you can't control the actions of others.
However, you can control how you respond and what you do. Even though you can't control how much homework you get, you can control your attitude about it. Even though you can't control a bully's actions, you can control how you respond to them.
How? You ask:
By getting into the Word and applying it to your lifestyle.
"All Scripture is breathed out by God and useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the person of God may be competent, equipped for every good work." -2 Tim. 3:16-17
Why does God give us the Scripture? The short answer is this: That you would be equipped for every good work. That you would know how to live wisely and in a way that pleases God and builds up others.
Last question: Will you seek more from the Bible than just head knowledge this year...or, will allow the Scriptures to guide the Way that you life you life?
Will this be one of those years where you can look back and see how it has impacted your life because you allowed it to do so?
The same goes for youth group. Will this be a year where you seek to build others up in selfless service? Will you come to youth group seeking to be served or seeking to serve? Will you seek to understand the gifts that God has given you so that you can give them away to others?
Will your time in the Word shape how you respond to all of these questions?
The truth of the matter is that there are many things in this life that you cannot control. For example, you can't control how much homework you get. Another, you can't control the actions of others.
However, you can control how you respond and what you do. Even though you can't control how much homework you get, you can control your attitude about it. Even though you can't control a bully's actions, you can control how you respond to them.
How? You ask:
By getting into the Word and applying it to your lifestyle.
"All Scripture is breathed out by God and useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the person of God may be competent, equipped for every good work." -2 Tim. 3:16-17
Why does God give us the Scripture? The short answer is this: That you would be equipped for every good work. That you would know how to live wisely and in a way that pleases God and builds up others.
Last question: Will you seek more from the Bible than just head knowledge this year...or, will allow the Scriptures to guide the Way that you life you life?
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Galatians 1:1-10
This is the first of many weeks that we are going to be spending in the book of Galatians. Galatians is such a relevant book to the issues that many of us face in our day to day lives; peer pressure, bullying, self-worth, finding our true identity, love, friendship, conflict...etc.
Paul starts off in 1:1-1:2 talking about how he wasn't sent by any human being, or any human group, such as a church. No, Paul tells the Galatians that he was sent by Jesus Himself. He is a preacher and church planter because he has recognized the calling that God has placed on his life.
He then goes on to tell us in his greeting that Jesus gave Himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age. To clarify, he is saying that it is God's will that we be rescued right here and now and not just in the afterlife. In other words, salvation starts here and now and not just after we die.
It is also important to notice how Paul doesn't mention heaven or hell here, but that God's intent is to rescue us from this evil age. It doesn't mean that heaven and hell aren't significant. Paul tends not to focus on them in his writings. He is always more concerned our response to God in this age.
Starting in verse 6 Paul calls out the Galatians because they are turning away from the Gospel because some people are confusing the Galatians with un-biblical teaching.
Notice in verses 8 and 9 how seriously Paul takes this. He repeats himself in saying that those who preach a false Gospel are under God's curse. To Paul, the Gospel is not something to mess with...it needs to be upheld and taught appropriately. So far, in this letter, he doesn't tell us what the Gospel is. He just calls the Galatians out for deserting it.
Lastly, Paul is getting ready to appeal to the church in Galatia as their brother in Christ and apostle. He tells them that he is not trying to win human approval. Not that he doesn't care what people think of him. After all, he is a human being. However, as a servant of Christ, Paul acknowledges the fact that he is going to cut against the grain. He is not seeking human approval above God's. He knows that his identity isn't found in what people think of him, but in what God thinks of him.
How can we apply this text to our own lives?
1) We need to take very seriously whether or not we are following the words of the true Gospel or a false gospel.
2) We need to understand that God intends to rescue us here and now, and not just in the afterlife. God intends to bless His people in this life so that they can be a blessing to others and the world.
3) Even though we all want acceptance from others, we need to have the attitude that Paul has. Do we want to please people? Of course! However, our ultimate aim is to please God, not people. As servants of Christ we seek to please God first because He is the one who has rescued us from this evil age and given us the freedom that can only come in Christ. Plus, we can't truly be a blessing to others unto we have received God's blessing.
Paul starts off in 1:1-1:2 talking about how he wasn't sent by any human being, or any human group, such as a church. No, Paul tells the Galatians that he was sent by Jesus Himself. He is a preacher and church planter because he has recognized the calling that God has placed on his life.
He then goes on to tell us in his greeting that Jesus gave Himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age. To clarify, he is saying that it is God's will that we be rescued right here and now and not just in the afterlife. In other words, salvation starts here and now and not just after we die.
It is also important to notice how Paul doesn't mention heaven or hell here, but that God's intent is to rescue us from this evil age. It doesn't mean that heaven and hell aren't significant. Paul tends not to focus on them in his writings. He is always more concerned our response to God in this age.
Starting in verse 6 Paul calls out the Galatians because they are turning away from the Gospel because some people are confusing the Galatians with un-biblical teaching.
Notice in verses 8 and 9 how seriously Paul takes this. He repeats himself in saying that those who preach a false Gospel are under God's curse. To Paul, the Gospel is not something to mess with...it needs to be upheld and taught appropriately. So far, in this letter, he doesn't tell us what the Gospel is. He just calls the Galatians out for deserting it.
Lastly, Paul is getting ready to appeal to the church in Galatia as their brother in Christ and apostle. He tells them that he is not trying to win human approval. Not that he doesn't care what people think of him. After all, he is a human being. However, as a servant of Christ, Paul acknowledges the fact that he is going to cut against the grain. He is not seeking human approval above God's. He knows that his identity isn't found in what people think of him, but in what God thinks of him.
How can we apply this text to our own lives?
1) We need to take very seriously whether or not we are following the words of the true Gospel or a false gospel.
2) We need to understand that God intends to rescue us here and now, and not just in the afterlife. God intends to bless His people in this life so that they can be a blessing to others and the world.
3) Even though we all want acceptance from others, we need to have the attitude that Paul has. Do we want to please people? Of course! However, our ultimate aim is to please God, not people. As servants of Christ we seek to please God first because He is the one who has rescued us from this evil age and given us the freedom that can only come in Christ. Plus, we can't truly be a blessing to others unto we have received God's blessing.
Friday, April 1, 2011
Made in God's Image: Part 3
In the Beginning...
After Adam and Eve took a bite of the apple that God had commanded them not to eat of, they realized that they were naked. Now, you can do an in depth study about what the original language means by the word "naked," but there is no use for that at this point. The thing that we need to grasp, though, is that Adam and Eve realized that they were naked. Now, according to Genesis, Adam and Eve had been naked the whole time and felt no shame over that fact. However, after the apple, things changed.
Where they had been clothed before, they now realized that they weren't clothed any longer. Something vanished after the apple, leaving Adam and Eve conscience of their own exposure.
I have argued elsewhere, and will do so here again that what vanished was God's Spirit. In other words, humanity was designed to be cloaked in very presence of God, saturated by His Holy Spirit.
When they took the bite, they lost nearness to God. Once nearness to God is lost, learning how to live in His image becomes rather difficult because humanity no longer has direct exposure to Him, at least not in the Way that Adam and Eve did. Of course there is much more that can be added here, such as the nature of sin and the total depravity of humanity, but those things flow out of what I have already previously stated.
The most important thing to note is that, where heaven and earth were once interlocking and directly connected, where humanity once dwelled in the fullness of God's presence...all of that was lost with the apple....with once bite of counterfeit servitude.
Mankind could no longer live in the presence of God and live to talk about it. Remember what God told Moses; "no one can see my face and live."
From the apple, humanity thought it best to stray as far from the image of God as possible:
A brother kills a brother; instead of fostering life, humanity decides to take it away.
Even though God commanded Noah's descendants to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth, they congregate in one city and fortify it against God, directly rejecting God's initial purpose for humanity.
God's people ask for a king, directly rejecting God's Kingship.
Even though God warned them of this, the King that the people chose started a chain reaction of oppressive kings.
Like Adam of Eve in the garden, humanity sought to please God by their own merit and religious rites.
war, murder, rape, incest, lies, abuse....all because of one bite...one notion that I can do this thing better on my own by my own effort.
Where heaven once ruled, hell now reigned.
"You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them. Not so with you." -Jesus in Mark 10
In the End: Thy Kingdom Come, They will be Done.
"In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people." -Peter quoting the ancient prophet Joel in Acts 2:17.
What has been broken will be fixed. What was lost will be found.
Where there was nakedness before, God has decided to cloak yet again. "I will pour out my Spirit."
The world is currently in the midst of a 2nd Genesis. We don't know what day were are on, where God is at exactly in His creation project. We just know that the 7th day is yet to come, the day when everything is finished...when creation is renewed and restored, when God fully and finally decides to allow His presence to "rest" on His good creation again. Sin will be eliminated, death will die fully and finally, satan will be vanquished, every tear will be wiped away as we see the King face to face.
Isa. 26:19
Job 19:25
Heaven on earth.
The Image of God: Jesus of Nazareth
What does it mean to be made in the image of God?
To live as Jesus did.
"You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them. Not so with you. Instead whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be a slave to all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many."
Just as God called Adam and Eve to fill the earth and subdue it...to reign with Him...
Jesus calls His disciples to fill the earth and subdue it...to reign with Him.
Where the authority to reign with God had previously been lost, Jesus tells His disciples in Matthew 28 that, "all authority has been given to me."
After Adam and Eve took a bite of the apple that God had commanded them not to eat of, they realized that they were naked. Now, you can do an in depth study about what the original language means by the word "naked," but there is no use for that at this point. The thing that we need to grasp, though, is that Adam and Eve realized that they were naked. Now, according to Genesis, Adam and Eve had been naked the whole time and felt no shame over that fact. However, after the apple, things changed.
Where they had been clothed before, they now realized that they weren't clothed any longer. Something vanished after the apple, leaving Adam and Eve conscience of their own exposure.
I have argued elsewhere, and will do so here again that what vanished was God's Spirit. In other words, humanity was designed to be cloaked in very presence of God, saturated by His Holy Spirit.
When they took the bite, they lost nearness to God. Once nearness to God is lost, learning how to live in His image becomes rather difficult because humanity no longer has direct exposure to Him, at least not in the Way that Adam and Eve did. Of course there is much more that can be added here, such as the nature of sin and the total depravity of humanity, but those things flow out of what I have already previously stated.
The most important thing to note is that, where heaven and earth were once interlocking and directly connected, where humanity once dwelled in the fullness of God's presence...all of that was lost with the apple....with once bite of counterfeit servitude.
Mankind could no longer live in the presence of God and live to talk about it. Remember what God told Moses; "no one can see my face and live."
From the apple, humanity thought it best to stray as far from the image of God as possible:
A brother kills a brother; instead of fostering life, humanity decides to take it away.
Even though God commanded Noah's descendants to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth, they congregate in one city and fortify it against God, directly rejecting God's initial purpose for humanity.
God's people ask for a king, directly rejecting God's Kingship.
Even though God warned them of this, the King that the people chose started a chain reaction of oppressive kings.
Like Adam of Eve in the garden, humanity sought to please God by their own merit and religious rites.
war, murder, rape, incest, lies, abuse....all because of one bite...one notion that I can do this thing better on my own by my own effort.
Where heaven once ruled, hell now reigned.
"You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them. Not so with you." -Jesus in Mark 10
In the End: Thy Kingdom Come, They will be Done.
"In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people." -Peter quoting the ancient prophet Joel in Acts 2:17.
What has been broken will be fixed. What was lost will be found.
Where there was nakedness before, God has decided to cloak yet again. "I will pour out my Spirit."
The world is currently in the midst of a 2nd Genesis. We don't know what day were are on, where God is at exactly in His creation project. We just know that the 7th day is yet to come, the day when everything is finished...when creation is renewed and restored, when God fully and finally decides to allow His presence to "rest" on His good creation again. Sin will be eliminated, death will die fully and finally, satan will be vanquished, every tear will be wiped away as we see the King face to face.
Isa. 26:19
Job 19:25
Heaven on earth.
The Image of God: Jesus of Nazareth
What does it mean to be made in the image of God?
To live as Jesus did.
"You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them. Not so with you. Instead whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be a slave to all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many."
Just as God called Adam and Eve to fill the earth and subdue it...to reign with Him...
Jesus calls His disciples to fill the earth and subdue it...to reign with Him.
Where the authority to reign with God had previously been lost, Jesus tells His disciples in Matthew 28 that, "all authority has been given to me."
Made in God's Image: Part 2
Whenever Eve was eyeballing the fruit that God had commanded her not to eat, I think that there was something different going on in her mind than what most people think. First, we must note that Adam was with her the whole time (Gen. 3:6).
Second, remember that God had made humanity to reign with Him over His creation.
In other words, Adam and Eve had the perfect life. For one, they saw God face to face all of the time. Second, there was no sin or evil in the world at all at this point. And third, the God who created them desired to share His rule over creation with them. He hadn't just made them to be slaves, but to be a people who reign with Him over the earth.
Now, if that was you...if you were in their shoes and someone told you that you could have the same knowledge that God had over good and evil....what would be your motivation to take the bite?
It can only be one of 2 things:
1) Adam and Eve wanted to be exactly like God, knowing all things and never dying. But, that doesn't make much sense because Adam and Eve had never harbored any bitter feelings towards God because they were sinless. This means that they were never jealous of Him...ever.
If they would have been jealous of God before they took the apple, sin would have entered the world at that point. In other words, sin would have started with their jealousy, not the apple.
2) No, I think that there is a better explanation. Again, Adam and Eve already had everything that they could ever ask for...face to face relationship with God, peace on earth, and authority over creation. I don't think that Adam and Eve took a bite of the apple just for the sake of rebelling against God. No, I think that they did it because they wanted to please God by their own merit. Eve saw that the apple would help her gain "wisdom." Why would she want more wisdom? To be a better steward over what God had given her. She wanted to reign with God better. Why know just a little bit about the reality of creation when you can know the whole thing?
I think that Adam and Eve wanted to go above and beyond what God had called them to do, and they wanted to do it by their own works. "If we reign this well with limited knowledge, how much better could we rule if our knowledge was unlimited? If we know what God knows?"
Thus, sin entered the world through a people who desired to please God in an unpleasing way.
The very essence of religiousity. God wanted them to please Him with their relationship to Him and their trust in His Word. They wanted to please Him by their own means, their own religion.
They decided not to trust in His Word (don't eat the fruit), the very Word that brought all of creation into being (and God said "let there be..."), but to trust in their own capabilities and works.
Whenever Adam and Eve took the bite of the apple, they forfeited the essence of what it means to be made in the image of God by not seeking to rely on God's Word but on their own wisdom and religiousity.
Part 3 coming soon.
Second, remember that God had made humanity to reign with Him over His creation.
In other words, Adam and Eve had the perfect life. For one, they saw God face to face all of the time. Second, there was no sin or evil in the world at all at this point. And third, the God who created them desired to share His rule over creation with them. He hadn't just made them to be slaves, but to be a people who reign with Him over the earth.
Now, if that was you...if you were in their shoes and someone told you that you could have the same knowledge that God had over good and evil....what would be your motivation to take the bite?
It can only be one of 2 things:
1) Adam and Eve wanted to be exactly like God, knowing all things and never dying. But, that doesn't make much sense because Adam and Eve had never harbored any bitter feelings towards God because they were sinless. This means that they were never jealous of Him...ever.
If they would have been jealous of God before they took the apple, sin would have entered the world at that point. In other words, sin would have started with their jealousy, not the apple.
2) No, I think that there is a better explanation. Again, Adam and Eve already had everything that they could ever ask for...face to face relationship with God, peace on earth, and authority over creation. I don't think that Adam and Eve took a bite of the apple just for the sake of rebelling against God. No, I think that they did it because they wanted to please God by their own merit. Eve saw that the apple would help her gain "wisdom." Why would she want more wisdom? To be a better steward over what God had given her. She wanted to reign with God better. Why know just a little bit about the reality of creation when you can know the whole thing?
I think that Adam and Eve wanted to go above and beyond what God had called them to do, and they wanted to do it by their own works. "If we reign this well with limited knowledge, how much better could we rule if our knowledge was unlimited? If we know what God knows?"
Thus, sin entered the world through a people who desired to please God in an unpleasing way.
The very essence of religiousity. God wanted them to please Him with their relationship to Him and their trust in His Word. They wanted to please Him by their own means, their own religion.
They decided not to trust in His Word (don't eat the fruit), the very Word that brought all of creation into being (and God said "let there be..."), but to trust in their own capabilities and works.
Whenever Adam and Eve took the bite of the apple, they forfeited the essence of what it means to be made in the image of God by not seeking to rely on God's Word but on their own wisdom and religiousity.
Part 3 coming soon.
Made in God's Image: Part 1
What does it mean to be made in God's image? I am glad you asked!
It seems to me that we know that we are made in God's image, but whenever it comes down to it a lot of Christians have a hard time figuring out what that really means. My question to you is how do you answer that question? Do you use Scripture? Do you come up with an answer on your own?
Most importantly, do you go to Genesis 1 and 2 for the answer? It's there. It's easy to see it but we tend to never connect the dots unfortunately.
Let me start off, though, with a definition from a real smart guy named J. Richard Middleton. You wanna know how I know that he is smart? Whenever he graduated from high school, he decided to go to a college in Jamaica. I mean, who thinks of that? As I look back on my college experience I really wish I would have thought of that! Not that I have anything against St. louis, but I could have done my homework everyday on the beach! In my opinion, this guy is a genius.
Anyways, this is how he defines what it means to be made in the "image of God."
"the royal office or function of human beings as God's representatives and agents in the world, given authorized power to share in God's rule over the earth's resources and creatures."
At creation, God tells mankind to 1) be fruitful and multiply (fill the earth) and to 2) subdue creation. In other words, he tells humanity to reign with Him over His creation that He has made to take care of it and it's inhabitants. To love it as He loves it. It's like the kings in the middle ages who appointed lords to help them rule over the different districts in their kingdom. Now, that by no means made humanity equal with God, just as lords weren't equal to the kings in the middle ages. But, it is important to note that God didn't just create us to enslave us. No, He wants to share His reign over creation with humanity and was doing so until Adam and Eve chose to rebel against God (more on that in part 2).
This may be new for some people...to hear things worded this way. Some people have difficulty understanding the "reigning with God" aspect. Even though I will come back to this in Part 3, please note that God uses the word "rule" in Genesis 1:28.
We must also remind ourselves that God's definition of "ruling" isn't the same as ours. Again, humanity fell into sin...our view of what it means to be a ruler is messed up.
Jesus told His disciples in the Gospel that Mark wrote that:
"You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you." (10:42-43)
What's Jesus saying?
Even though they are regarded as rulers, they are oppressive.
They exercise authority over humanity in a way that God hasn't even done (more on that later)
You, the follower of Jesus of Nazareth, aren't to reign the way that they do.
For those who have ears to hear, let them hear.
It seems to me that we know that we are made in God's image, but whenever it comes down to it a lot of Christians have a hard time figuring out what that really means. My question to you is how do you answer that question? Do you use Scripture? Do you come up with an answer on your own?
Most importantly, do you go to Genesis 1 and 2 for the answer? It's there. It's easy to see it but we tend to never connect the dots unfortunately.
Let me start off, though, with a definition from a real smart guy named J. Richard Middleton. You wanna know how I know that he is smart? Whenever he graduated from high school, he decided to go to a college in Jamaica. I mean, who thinks of that? As I look back on my college experience I really wish I would have thought of that! Not that I have anything against St. louis, but I could have done my homework everyday on the beach! In my opinion, this guy is a genius.
Anyways, this is how he defines what it means to be made in the "image of God."
"the royal office or function of human beings as God's representatives and agents in the world, given authorized power to share in God's rule over the earth's resources and creatures."
At creation, God tells mankind to 1) be fruitful and multiply (fill the earth) and to 2) subdue creation. In other words, he tells humanity to reign with Him over His creation that He has made to take care of it and it's inhabitants. To love it as He loves it. It's like the kings in the middle ages who appointed lords to help them rule over the different districts in their kingdom. Now, that by no means made humanity equal with God, just as lords weren't equal to the kings in the middle ages. But, it is important to note that God didn't just create us to enslave us. No, He wants to share His reign over creation with humanity and was doing so until Adam and Eve chose to rebel against God (more on that in part 2).
This may be new for some people...to hear things worded this way. Some people have difficulty understanding the "reigning with God" aspect. Even though I will come back to this in Part 3, please note that God uses the word "rule" in Genesis 1:28.
We must also remind ourselves that God's definition of "ruling" isn't the same as ours. Again, humanity fell into sin...our view of what it means to be a ruler is messed up.
Jesus told His disciples in the Gospel that Mark wrote that:
"You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you." (10:42-43)
What's Jesus saying?
Even though they are regarded as rulers, they are oppressive.
They exercise authority over humanity in a way that God hasn't even done (more on that later)
You, the follower of Jesus of Nazareth, aren't to reign the way that they do.
For those who have ears to hear, let them hear.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
The Image of God
What does it mean to be made in the image of God? Most of us know that we are made in God's image, but what exactly does that mean? What does it mean that humanity, distinct from all other creatures, is made in the image of the invisible God?
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Feb. 20-Creation
Last week we studied the Creation chapter in our Doctrine book.
Instead of focusing in on the whole evolution/ creation debate, which most of the chapter does, I wanted to focus more on one that in particular.
Why is it that we only think of the past whenever we think of God as creator? Obviously, at one point in time God created all of the things in the universe. But for some reason, we forget that God is still in the business of creating, and some of the most important creations are yet to come.
For example, several places in the Old Testament and New Testament talk about the "New Heavens and New Earth," as if God is going to completely redo the previous ones or, at the very least, give heaven and earth a huge makeover one day.
The Bible is also very clear that one day we will be given new bodies at the resurrection, bodies that are not just spiritual or material, but are both spiritual and material, just like Jesus' was after he rose from the tomb.
So, we find ourselves stuck in between the old creation (earth and the heavens) and the new creation (new heavens, new earth, new bodies.) What about right now, though? Is there anything that God seeks to create right now in 2011?
David would have said, "Sure there is!" Let's read Psalm 51:10
"Create in me a pure heart, oh God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me."
In light of the coming New Creation, God desires to begin the New Creation project in us here and now!
So, we don't just have to wait around until after we die to experience the eternal life that is in Jesus, but we are blessed enough to experience it here and now.
It's also important to note that David only believes that a pure heart can be gotten through the work of God. In other words, there is no other way to get a pure heart...God has to give it to us. If you read on in the Psalm, David also says that joy can't be found in anything or anyone else than God.
Basically, David is telling us that the only way to feel whole, complete, joyful, peaceful, and pure is by asking God to give us those things. David asks, "Give me a pure heart...renew a steadfast spirit within me...restore to me joy...grant me a willing spirit." He know that he'll never get those things on his own and that the only way to feel "whole" as a person is if God builds peace, purity, joy and wholeness into him.
So, what does God want to create today? You, from the inside out.
Instead of focusing in on the whole evolution/ creation debate, which most of the chapter does, I wanted to focus more on one that in particular.
Why is it that we only think of the past whenever we think of God as creator? Obviously, at one point in time God created all of the things in the universe. But for some reason, we forget that God is still in the business of creating, and some of the most important creations are yet to come.
For example, several places in the Old Testament and New Testament talk about the "New Heavens and New Earth," as if God is going to completely redo the previous ones or, at the very least, give heaven and earth a huge makeover one day.
The Bible is also very clear that one day we will be given new bodies at the resurrection, bodies that are not just spiritual or material, but are both spiritual and material, just like Jesus' was after he rose from the tomb.
So, we find ourselves stuck in between the old creation (earth and the heavens) and the new creation (new heavens, new earth, new bodies.) What about right now, though? Is there anything that God seeks to create right now in 2011?
David would have said, "Sure there is!" Let's read Psalm 51:10
"Create in me a pure heart, oh God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me."
In light of the coming New Creation, God desires to begin the New Creation project in us here and now!
So, we don't just have to wait around until after we die to experience the eternal life that is in Jesus, but we are blessed enough to experience it here and now.
It's also important to note that David only believes that a pure heart can be gotten through the work of God. In other words, there is no other way to get a pure heart...God has to give it to us. If you read on in the Psalm, David also says that joy can't be found in anything or anyone else than God.
Basically, David is telling us that the only way to feel whole, complete, joyful, peaceful, and pure is by asking God to give us those things. David asks, "Give me a pure heart...renew a steadfast spirit within me...restore to me joy...grant me a willing spirit." He know that he'll never get those things on his own and that the only way to feel "whole" as a person is if God builds peace, purity, joy and wholeness into him.
So, what does God want to create today? You, from the inside out.
Friday, February 18, 2011
High School: Doctrine: The Bible
We actually spent two weeks in chapter 2 of our Doctrine book, which focuses in on how God reveals Himself to humanity, particularly through the books of the Bible.
I am going to do something a little different this week. I am going to post a youtube video of a really, really smart guy buy the name of Ravi Zacharias talking about why we should believe in the Bible. Here is how he explained it to a bunch of college students, most of which, were probably not Christians.
He says some very deep stuff, here. Post some comments...start a conversation...ask questions.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHRP0I2SrVs&feature=related
I am going to do something a little different this week. I am going to post a youtube video of a really, really smart guy buy the name of Ravi Zacharias talking about why we should believe in the Bible. Here is how he explained it to a bunch of college students, most of which, were probably not Christians.
He says some very deep stuff, here. Post some comments...start a conversation...ask questions.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHRP0I2SrVs&feature=related
Sunday, January 23, 2011
High School: The Trinity
Hey everyone,
I am getting ready to go out of town for a conference and do not have much time to write a lot about this morning's teaching. However, I think this video by Mark Driscoll is fantastic.
A lot of practical application:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddlH7FRSP0I&feature=channel
TJ
I am getting ready to go out of town for a conference and do not have much time to write a lot about this morning's teaching. However, I think this video by Mark Driscoll is fantastic.
A lot of practical application:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddlH7FRSP0I&feature=channel
TJ
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Middle School: How's Your Worship?
John 4:23 " But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way"
Worship.. what a "sensitive" subject. Seems like everyone has an idea of how worship should be conducted (as shown in our Middle School survey). Indeed, if you search today you may find every type of "worship style" from very traditional and liturgical to extreme contemporary laser light shows. But is this how we should be evaluating the effectiveness of our worship? Can you measure how well you worship? Is it how many times you attended, participated in prayer, heard the Bible, or well you sing?
From the passage above we are told that the Father seeks worshipers. Some times (all times?) God actually initiates the worship as when the prophet Isaiah was called to worship in Isaiah chapter 6. For Isaiah this was a "significant spiritual / emotional event". Similar to Saul on the road to Damascus there is no doubt he experienced our Lord's presence. We read in John 4 that true worship does not depend on your location, position, our church arrangement, but your spiritual relationship. John also tells us It also requires listening to Truth. And how do we measure truth? By God's Word of course.. the only source of truth.
So how do you measure your worship? When listening to the truth, be it scripture read or a sermon spoken, Ask yourself "What am I learning about God"? Next, ask yourself "What is He asking me to do?" In the Isaiah passage he immediately volunteered for service. "Here I am Lord.. Send Me". This only occured after he had done something else. He Confessed his Sins. Effective worship will most always result in a realization of how great and Holy God is compared to our sinful lives. God calls us to confess our sins and draws us close to him in relationship. Following this you want to tell him of your love, either through prayer or song.
So How's Your worship? How are your experiencing God's presence? Are your experiencing God's Truth.. Is His Word Alive? Do you feel the call to Praise Him? Confess your Sins? Do you feel the need to serve others?
Tim
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
High School: Everyone is a Theologian
Scripture: Romans 12:2 and Jeremiah 17:9
Last year I had the opportunity to hear Tony Campolo, an old Baptist preacher, teach. During his message, he was sharing the story of a time when he was preaching on loving people the way that Christ loves people. During that time he elaborated on a lot of the issues facing the Church today and he made the comment that Christians should spend more time loving homosexuals than condemning them. After the service, he told us, a man angrily came up to him and said, "Your preaching is heresy!" Dr. Campolo replied, "How is the love of Christ heresy?" Feeling stumped, the man blurted out, "Well, you're no theologian!"
At that point, Dr. Campolo responded, "Sure I am because everyone is a theologian. Everyone has views on God."
I couldn't agree with him more. Theology is the study of God, and everyone has a belief about God. Everyone at one point in time has to face what they truly believe about Him. Some go on to think very deeply about Him, others only just scratch the surface...but, the truth remains that everyone is a theologian of some sort.
Here is the question that I want to focus on before we start our series:
Why study theology? Because you're going to do it anyway.
There are certain points in life that force you to ask the hard questions about God...so studying theology is unavoidable. With that said, Christians have passed on 2000 years of theological understanding to us. Who are we to ignore what they have worked so hard on?
As Christians, we should be compelled to study theology because of our desire to know God more closely. Christian theology takes us beyond just beliefs and ideas about God, and actually helps to grow closer to God Himself. It is not just about KNOWING ABOUT God, but it is more about KNOWING God.
Lastly, we should study theology because we know that transformation only comes through the "renewing of our minds," and that the, "heart is deceptive above all else." We live in an age where people are encourage to follow their hearts. The problem with this is obvious...Jeremiah says that our hearts are deceptive. It is not that we should say, "forget the heart then." No, we just lead our hearts with our heads. For example, a person will not ever FEEL compelled to love an enemy, but, because of our theology we seek to love them.
So, as we begin the study in, "Doctrine," take time to ask yourself some important questions.
"Do I see myself as a theologian?"
"Do I have a passion for studying God? Why or why not?"
"What are some things about God that I would really like to know about?"
Here is a video clip of Tim Keller on the importance of theology:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xG1XNrDQGM
Last year I had the opportunity to hear Tony Campolo, an old Baptist preacher, teach. During his message, he was sharing the story of a time when he was preaching on loving people the way that Christ loves people. During that time he elaborated on a lot of the issues facing the Church today and he made the comment that Christians should spend more time loving homosexuals than condemning them. After the service, he told us, a man angrily came up to him and said, "Your preaching is heresy!" Dr. Campolo replied, "How is the love of Christ heresy?" Feeling stumped, the man blurted out, "Well, you're no theologian!"
At that point, Dr. Campolo responded, "Sure I am because everyone is a theologian. Everyone has views on God."
I couldn't agree with him more. Theology is the study of God, and everyone has a belief about God. Everyone at one point in time has to face what they truly believe about Him. Some go on to think very deeply about Him, others only just scratch the surface...but, the truth remains that everyone is a theologian of some sort.
Here is the question that I want to focus on before we start our series:
Why study theology? Because you're going to do it anyway.
There are certain points in life that force you to ask the hard questions about God...so studying theology is unavoidable. With that said, Christians have passed on 2000 years of theological understanding to us. Who are we to ignore what they have worked so hard on?
As Christians, we should be compelled to study theology because of our desire to know God more closely. Christian theology takes us beyond just beliefs and ideas about God, and actually helps to grow closer to God Himself. It is not just about KNOWING ABOUT God, but it is more about KNOWING God.
Lastly, we should study theology because we know that transformation only comes through the "renewing of our minds," and that the, "heart is deceptive above all else." We live in an age where people are encourage to follow their hearts. The problem with this is obvious...Jeremiah says that our hearts are deceptive. It is not that we should say, "forget the heart then." No, we just lead our hearts with our heads. For example, a person will not ever FEEL compelled to love an enemy, but, because of our theology we seek to love them.
So, as we begin the study in, "Doctrine," take time to ask yourself some important questions.
"Do I see myself as a theologian?"
"Do I have a passion for studying God? Why or why not?"
"What are some things about God that I would really like to know about?"
Here is a video clip of Tim Keller on the importance of theology:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xG1XNrDQGM
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