circularthoughts

an old fashioned foot-washing...

I preached on foot-washing from John 13:1-20 yesterday. This is the passage where Jesus washed the feet of his disciples. I focused on three main points (don’t all preachers make three main points?) from the 20 verses.

1. Jesus washed Judas’ feet knowing that he would be the betrayer. I told the story of how I had someone betray me once and while I was working through my forgiveness of this person I read what Jesus did with Judas in this passage. It was a major push in helping me reach a point of being willing to forgive this person.
2. Peter’s shenanigans in verses 6-9 was evidence that the disciples still did not understand the nature of the kingdom that Jesus was initiating. They were still thinking of a kingdom from an earthly perspective, i.e., it is only the servants who wash feet. To have Jesus, as their leader and teacher, stoop to wash their feet was outside the paradigm of power they were living under. I love Peter’s response! If that’s the way it is, then wash all of me! What a great picture of repentance (turning or changing of mind) in how Peter responded.
3. I then concluded by talking about how there seems to be two main paths that the church has taken in response to Jesus’ suggestion of how we ought to follow his example (verses 14-15). One group, the larger of the two, has symbolized this act and emphasized Jesus’ modeling of servant leadership. By following Jesus’ example in this way we are following the oughtness of his suggestion. The other group has taken Jesus literal and incorporated washing feet into their regular form of worship. I suggested that somehow there was an synthesis between these two extremes. Yes, Jesus was modeling servant leadership. But, the act of washing someone’s feet is an incredible picture of the reversal of structure and hierarchy of the kingdom of God. It is something that we all need to experience.

What do you think? Have you ever taken part in a foot-washing service? If not, why not?

a short trip to Mexico...

We returned yesterday from a week in Mexico. Yes, we went to Mexico, to Monterrey, supposedly one of the most dangerous places in the world because of the drug cartel killings. Well, we didn’t see or even sense any danger. It was nice.

We went so I could teach for Oasis HGM, a partner ministry of Heart of God Ministries, for which I am Mission Director. Oasis HGM trains Latin believers how to be good missionaries. I taught Wednesday afternoon and Thursday on disciple making focused church planting. On Friday I met with each of the current 8 students to hear their stories, to dream with them and see if there was a way I can help them to thrive after they go to the field. I know that I will be visiting some of these students on the mission field in the next year or so.

On Saturday the students graduated. The training program lasts ten months. I was able to share briefly with the students at the graduation ceremony. 

I told them that the book of Acts is probably my favorite book. I talked about how Luke wrote it to his friend Theophilus as a follow up to Luke. I talked about how Acts seems to end fairly abruptly in chapter 28 with Paul in Rome sharing the gospel of the kingdom daily. I said that it was almost as if Luke intended to write more but didn’t have the time.

I then suggested that the book of Acts is still being written. Not literally of course, but through the stories we write as we go out to love others through making disciples of Jesus. I suggested that as they went out they would be writing chapters 4,658 of Acts, or 5,386 and so forth. It was a lot of fun!

Please pray with me as these students finish up their support raising so they can go to the fields of Turkey, China, Mali, Bangladesh and Mozambique to write their chapter of Acts.

Alleviating poverty, one loan at a time...

Have you heard about Kiva? This non-profit organization is one of my favorite ways to give. 

Kiva’s mission is “to connect people through lending to alleviate poverty.”

Kiva lets you join in micro lending to some of the world’s poorest people. The minimum loan that you make is $25.00. Your loan gets combined with those of other folks and the combined amount is used to fund a micro loan for an individual or a group of individuals in numerous places around the world. It is a great setup, easy to do and the results have been phenomenal. 

From the Kiva website, since Kiva was founded in 2005:

596,151 people have made loans through Kiva

$224 million in loans have been funded

98.79% repayment rate on these loans

As a former banker, I can say that the repayment rate is amazing!

May family has made 78 loans over the years. We chose to loan only to women. This is one of the ways we have chosen to flesh out our love for our neighbor.

Check it out here. This is my official invitation to you to join Kiva.

If you want to know more about micro lending and the work to alleviate poverty I would suggest the following books:

UnPoverty: Rich Lessons from the Working Poor

When Helping Hurts: Alleviating Poverty Without Hurting the Poor. . .and Yourself

Bonhoeffer on Christian formation...

In his book Ethics, Bonhoeffer discusses the concept of Jesus being the true human being, the ultimate and only true example of what a human being is. Therefore, for right Christian formation to happen we must begin with a proper understanding of Jesus.

Bonhoeffer refers to Jesus as Ecce homo – the man. This is taken, of course, from Pilate’s words in the gospels as he presents the beaten and ready to be crucified Jesus to the crowds. What Pilate surely meant as sarcasm is meant as reality for Bonhoeffer. In the crucified and resurrected Jesus, Bonhoeffer sees the true human, made new and presented as the one through whom humanity is measured and revealed.

Christian formation, for Bonhoeffer, is the process of being conformed to Christ. This is possible because of the humanity of Jesus, because he is the true and ultimate human and in his life and death and resurrection we have the ability to experience such. Christian formation, in this case, is not so much a path or even a set of beliefs and behaviors to be mastered. Instead, it is the process of Jesus taking form in us, which is really a matter of faith. The work has been done in the life of Jesus. We must now walk forward in faith in the reality of such.

 

Conversion: Fast Food or Fine Dining?

My current course at Fuller is called The Art of Evangelism. The first book we are reading is called Conversion in the New Testament: Paul and the Twelve, by Richard V. Peace, who just so happens to be the course Professor. In this book, Peace compares the dramatic, single-point-in-time conversion of Paul to the slow, progressive and even fuzzy (when it comes to when it happened) conversion of the Twelve. In doing such he is asking the question of which one is the norm. 

In Western Evangelicalism, the norm seems to have always been that of Paul. I was taught that I needed to be able to identify the specific point in time that I prayed to receive (trust) Christ. Failure to be able to do this was seen as a potential weakness in my own testimony that might cause doubts as to my actual salvation at some point in the future. Thus, our western evangelism is designed to fit this paradigm, in that we push for a decision.

Peace suggests that the conversion experience of the Twelve was more like a pilgrimage. It was a progressive revelation in which they first saw Jesus as a Teacher, followed by a Prophet, on to Messiah and then to God incarnate. In other words, he argues that the Twelve would have been hard pressed to pick out the specific point in time when the actually trusted Christ, but, their conversion was just as valid as that of Paul’s.

I’m intrigued with this idea of progressive revelation and progressive trust. I think that this “both/and” understanding of conversion might open the door to a more gentle, less confrontational/polemical form of evangelism, which would be a good thing, especially for those on the receiving end.

Bonhoeffer on cheap grace...

For Bonhoeffer, “cheap grace means grace as doctrine, as principle, as system” (Discipleship, 43). Cheap grace is that which requires no true repentance or change. It is grace without transformation. It is grace without discipleship. Costly grace, on the other hand, is that which causes us to be transformed, discipled and to follow Jesus. It is a grace that costs us our lives. It is a grace that was also costly for God because of his incarnation and his death.

Discipleship is commitment to Jesus Christ. It is not the study of any system or doctrine or way of belief. It is, instead, the following of the God-human and the life he lived and will live in us. It is more than an increasing of head knowledge; it is instead an increasing in heart knowledge, an obedience that comes from belief and a praxis that reflects the life of Jesus Christ.

The root and foundation of discipleship is found in the Sermon on the Mount. At the center of the Sermon is, of course, Jesus. However, love is the summation of the entire Sermon. Disciples are those who are allowing Jesus to mold in them his way of undivided love, the love that was reflected in the cross and the love that is reflected in the sending of rain on both the righteous and unrighteous.

Quotation taken from this book...

Homebrewed Bishop...

I have been slowly reading through N.T. Wright's latest book, After You Believe: Why Christian Character Matters for several weeks now.  I received a free copy with the condition that I write a blog post within a month of receiving the book.  Well, I was doing just great and then came down with my first case of malaria.  This set me back a bit and I'm still trying to catch up.

Today, I received an email that provided a way to take me off of the hook on posting a review of the book.  I decided to jump on the offer.

There is a new interview of Bishop Wright on Homebrewed Christianity that was posted a few days ago.  Take a listen and see what you think.  You can find the post here.

By the way, the book has been one of my favorites that Bishop Wright has written.  I would suggest you pick it up.

the karma police...

I’ve been taking a course on Hinduism this term.  What a fascinating study.  Hinduism is virtually impossible to define because there are so many different branches and streams and lines of thinking.  I’ve been saying, since starting the course, that Hinduism is post modernism on steroids.  In other words, literally anything goes.

One of the main streams of Hinduism is the concept of karma.  I’ve talked about karma before.  Karma is that belief system centered in the concepts of “reaping what you sow” and “what goes around comes around.”  The more I think about karma the more I am convinced that most of the world is under the control of this way of thinking.

I saw this even today as I read my Bible.  I was reading in Genesis, chapters 42 and 43, the story of Joseph’s brothers traveling to Egypt to get food for the family.  If you haven’t read the Joseph story (Genesis 37-50) in a while you should go read through it as it is full of some amazing stuff.

So, where did I see karma in this story?  Look at Genesis 42:21...

Then they said to one another, “In truth we are guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he begged us and we did not listen.  That is why this distress has come upon us.”

The distress they were talking about was that Joseph was requiring them to return home to their father and bring back their youngest brother, Benjamin.  They had no idea that Joseph was their long, lost brother.  In other words, they saw their current predicament as payback for what they had done to Joseph when they threw him down a well and then sold him into slavery.  Karma had found them and payback was coming.

Joseph, who had every reason to take advantage of his political power to exact some karmic revenge on his brothers, chose a different path.  He chose the path of grace.  Before his brothers left to go get Benjamin, Joseph arranged to have the money they had used to purchase food placed back in their traveling sacks.  When the brothers discovered this it only added to their distress.  When they returned with Benjamin they told Joseph about the money and his response was one of grace.  His actions and his response show that he had broken free of the karmic stronghold.  We see Joseph’s response in Genesis 43:23...

He replied, “Peace to you, do not be afraid.  Your God and the God of your father has put treasure in your sacks for you.  I received your money.”

Do you see it?  Joseph’s brothers were living a life of fear, one in which karma (can God be thought of as a form of karma?) punishes when we do bad things and rewards when we do good things.  Joseph was living a life of freedom from this kind of fear.  He was walking outside of karma.  He had broken free.  This meant he was able to show grace to his brothers.

What happens when we seek to follow God but do so through a karmic lens?  Do we not end up with a God who punishes us when we do bad things and blesses us only when we do good things?  Do we not end up with a performance based religion that is driven by fear?  I’m not saying that there aren’t consequences in life.  Clearly there are.  However, consequences and punishment are not always the same thing.

Jesus broke the karmic cycle.  His path is one that walks outside of karma.  That’s the path I want to be on.  What about you?

Donkey Heads for Dinner...

I once heard an incredible sermon by my friend John Willis Zumwalt, who is the founder of Heart of God Ministries.  Zumwalt used the 6th and 7th chapters of 2 Kings to present an incredible allegory of the current relationship between the church in America and the unreached peoples of the world.  What follows is my meager attempt to share a little of what Zumwalt shared.

The setting is Samaria, which was the capital of the Kingdom of Israel.  The Arameans had laid siege to Samaria.  This is where the story begins.

Some time later, Ben-Hadad king of Aram mobilized his entire army and marched up and laid siege to Samaria.  There was a great famine in the city; the siege lasted so long that a donkey’s head sold for eighty shekels of silver, and a quarter of a cab of seed pods for five shekels.  2 Kings 6:24-25

These two verses describe a very desperate situation.  Have you ever had an urge to eat a donkey’s head?  I have eaten donkey before and I would not suggest it as a regular part of one’s daily diet.  I can’t imagine what donkey head tastes like.  It gets worse.  Do you know what the “quarter of a cab of seed pods” was?  Try dove’s dung.  These folks were hungry.  They were in bad shape.  The siege had lasted so long that donkey’s head and dove’s dung is all that was left to eat.

Do you see the allegory here?  Just as the people of Samaria were suffering from lack of good food due to a siege on their city, the unreached peoples of today are suffering from a lack of good spiritual food because they are under spiritual siege.  The Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus and Animists of the world today are being fed spiritual garbage.  It is all they have because they do not have access to good spiritual food, the Truth of Jesus Christ.  There is a spiritual famine.  They are hungry and they are eating all they have access to.

Let me stop here to talk a little about the difference between the unreached peoples of the world and lost people in the United States.  The difference is access.  Access is defined as follows:  the ability or right to approach, enter, exit, communicate with, or make use of.  The key word in this definition is ability. People in the United States have the ability to find out about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, either by seeking it themselves or by others approaching them.  When I drive to the post office every day, which is less than two miles from my house, I pass by no less than six churches.  The unreached peoples of the world do not have this kind of access.  The level of access between the two groups is as different as black and white; as night and day.  Of course, this doesn’t excuse us from sharing with every person we know and encounter on a daily basis.  However, they do have the ability to seek out and find the Truth and the ability to make choices to seek it out or not to do so.  The unreached peoples of the world do not have such a luxury.  The only choice they have is bad spiritual food. 

The story of what happened in Samaria gets worse as you read on in chapter 6.  I will spare you the gruesome details of what happened next, but know that desperate people do desperate things.  The same is true of the unreached peoples today.  They are seeking to fill their spiritual hunger in the only way they know how and through the only spiritual food they have access to.  It is truly a desperate situation.  I can say this because I have seen it.

I have seen hundreds of Hindus going from idol to idol and temple to temple in Durbar Square in Kathmandu, Nepal and all over India.  I have seen Buddhist worshipers kowtowing to various representations of the Buddha in China and Thailand.  I have seen thousands of Muslims making their way to daily prayer in countless mosques in China, Indonesia, Pakistan, Kashmir, Palestine, Turkey, India, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Eritrea, Tunisia, Bangladesh and the Maldives.  I have only seen a small picture of how desperate the situation truly is.  However, I have seen enough to know that the situation is desperate.  But does it have to be?  Let’s read on and see what happened in chapter 7.

Now there were four men with leprosy at the entrance of the city gate.  They said to each other, “Why stay here until we die?  If we say, ‘We’ll go into the city’ – the famine is there, and we will die.  And if we stay here, we will die.  So let’s go over to the camp of the Arameans and surrender.  If they spare us, we live; if they kill us, then we die.”  At dusk they got up and went to the camp of the Arameans.  When they reached the edge of the camp, not a man was there, for the Lord had caused the Arameans to hear the sound of chariots and horses and a great army, so that they said to one another, “Look, the king of Israel has hired the Hittite and Egyptian kings to attack us!”  So they got up and fled in the dusk and abandoned their tents and their horses and donkeys.  They left the camp as it was and ran for their lives.  The men who had leprosy reached the edge of the camp and entered one of the tents.  They ate and drank, and carried away silver, gold and clothes, and went off and hid them.  They returned and entered another tent and took some things from it and hid them also.  Then they said to each other, “We’re not doing right.  This is a day of good news and we are keeping it to ourselves.  If we wait until daylight, punishment will overtake us.  Let’s go at once and report this to the royal palace.”  2 Kings 7:3-9

The four lepers, outsiders, were sitting at the city gate.  At some point they began to realize that there was a choice to be made.  They could stay where they were and die, they could go into the city and die or they could approach the enemy camp and either die or be spared.  They decided to approach the camp.  What they discovered was that the Lord had confused the enemy and the camp was empty.  There was food in the camp.  They had access to food, good food!  Do you see the connection between the four lepers and the church in the United States?  We have access to good spiritual food.  Spiritual food in abundance and free.  And yet, what are the vast majorities of us doing with what we have?  Are we not reacting just as the four lepers did?  Do you remember what they did?

“They ate and drank, and carried away silver, gold and clothes, and went off and hid them.  They returned and entered another tent and took some things from it and hid them also.”

Is the American church guilty of this?  Are we hoarding all of the food for ourselves?  How many Bible studies do we do?  How many concerts do we have?  How many inward focused ministries do we have?  How much of what we do is for ourselves?  Not that any of these things are bad or wrong, but do you see what I mean?  Is God pleased with the American church’s use of the resources He has blessed us with?  Are we doing enough with the much we have been given?  If not, is it too late? 

The lepers came to their senses.  They realized what they were doing.  They understood that they were not doing right and that there would be great punishment for withholding what they had access to.  The four lepers made the decision to report back to Samaria with the good news.  The siege was over!  Food was available!  God had done it!  All the four lepers had to do was take the good news to those who didn’t know about it.

Friends, there are over 2 billion people in the world today who have absolutely no access to the Truth of Jesus Christ.  Their situation is desperate!  We have the Good News!  We must take it to them!  We must take it to them now!  Not to do so is just possibly one of the greatest sins we will have to answer for when we meet our Creator.  Let’s take the banquet God has blessed us with to those who are eating donkey’s heads for dinner!

Until ALL Have Heard,

Eric

Christianity with power?

I was having lunch with one of my mentors earlier this week.  The topic of healing and the supernatural came up.  I asked him why he thought we did not see these types of things in western culture.  We came to the conclusion that is was primarily a worldview issue.

My mentor spent time as a missionary in Venezuela.  He said he saw things there, things that can only be explained as the work of God.  I have seen similar things in India and other places.  When this first started to happen, I was not sure what to think.  I was seeing things that challenged my deep understanding and prior experiences.  I could not deny, however, what I was experiencing and that took me to the Bible.

My denominational heritage was influenced by cessationist dispensationalism, meaning I had been taught that the charismatic gifts of the Spirit, such as healing, tongues and prophecy, had either stopped with the death of the original disciples of Jesus or were only seen in places where the gospel has not been heard.  This is the deep understanding that was being challenged by what I was now experiencing in India and other places.   

As I went to the  Bible I could find no evidence that God had stopped working in these ways.  I saw Paul teaching the early church to have orderly worship and how he expected all of these things to be a part of the body (1 Corinthians 14:39-40).  I saw James teaching that when someone was sick, we should call the elders and pray for healing (James 5:14-15).  These references are just two of many I could share.  I just could not find any evidence that God would cease working in the supernatural.

I received an email from a blog reader last November.  She asked these questions:

If we serve the God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob and He is the same God why don't we see more of His awesome power in our lives and those who call themselves by Christian?  Is He a great God or not?  Got an answer?

I never answered her questions.   I did not know what to say.

After my conversation with my mentor earlier this week, I remembered having purchased a book last summer.  I had never read it and had to look for it on my bookshelf.  I found it:  Christianity with Power: Your Worldview and Your Experience of the Supernatural, by Charles H. Kraft.  Kraft is Sun-Hee Kwak Professor of Anthropology and Intercultural Communication at Fuller Theological Seminary.  I am a Fuller student.  I have not had a class with Dr. Kraft, but hope to in the future.

I have decided to blog through this book.  I will read a chapter and post my thoughts and questions.  As I post, perhaps we can all learn and have our worldview stretched.  I want all that is available to me as a follower of Jesus.  If my worldview is keeping me from something, then I want that worldview to be shattered.  What about you?

Jesus in the Psalms…

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  John 1:1

Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.  Matthew 5:17

I love to read and meditate, or camp out, in the Psalms.  I typically read five chapters in the Psalms every day.  This takes me through the Psalms every month.  I have done this for many years.  I love the Psalms.

Knowing Jesus as the Word of God and as the one who came to fulfill the Law or the Prophets has deepened my appreciation of the Psalms.  Let me explain.

This is one of my favorites:

Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.

He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.

Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.

Psalm 1

What a beautiful picture.  Watch what happens when I read this Psalm through the lens of John 1:1 and Matthew 5:17:

Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in Jesus,
and on Jesus he meditates day and night…

Here is another one…

Jesus is a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path.
I have sworn an oath and confirmed it,
to follow Jesus.
I am severely afflicted;
give me life, O Lord, according to Jesus!
Accept my freewill offerings of praise, O Lord,
and teach me of Jesus.
I hold my life in my hand continually,
but I do not forget Jesus.
The wicked have laid a snare for me,
but I do not stray from Jesus.
Jesus is my heritage forever,
for he is the joy of my heart.
I incline my heart to follow Jesus
forever, to the end.

Psalm 119:105-112

Meditating on the Psalms through this lens has really helped to increase my love and understanding of Jesus.  Maybe it will help you too…

Taking the Lord's name in vain...

I hate it when a director feels the need to fill their movie with the disrespectful and profane use of God's name.  That particular combination of words makes me cringe, probably more than any other.   I once had a boss who used this phrase in almost every other sentence.  It was so hard to be around that guy. 

You shall not take the name of the LORD you God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.  Exodus 20:7

The third commandment; right behind no other gods and carved images.  Given that context, surely God had more in mind than the Hebrew people's use of salty language.  Surely this is more than just a command to watch my mouth.

My good friend, John Willis Zumwalt, in his book, Passion for the Heart of God: Making His Heart Completely Yours, puts it like this:

"Don't cuss...it's vulgar, and besides you shouldn't take the Lord's name in vain," a thousand mothers have screamed...and then threatened a bar of soap.  If that were all there was to it, then we would have already mastered this original member of the Ten Commandments.

As a Christian (which really means a "little Christ" or a "little anointed one"), this becomes a troubling issue.  Much like marriage, the two are becoming one: Jesus and me.  When people see me, they see all they know of Christ.  I am the human representative of Christ, much like an ambassador.  But more than that, He lives in me, and I am His body - His hands and His feet.

Rev. Hal Perkins, my friend and former pastor, explained it to me this way; "The Lord's Name is His nature and character.  When we take His Name, we take His nature, His character, as our identity."  It is not so much that we need to put on a show for the world, but that the world will honor or despise the Name of Jesus because of our lives.  If we claim to know Him, yet persist in sin and self-rule, Christ is shamed, and we have taken the Name of the Lord in vain.  However, if we walk in the Spirit and live a life of His love and His holiness, then His Name is known and honored everywhere. (page 4)

I think John has it right.  The key words in the third commandment are take, name and vain.  Take, in this verse, means to lift up, to bear or carry, to support or sustain.  I think carry and sustain fit best, in this context.  Name means reputation, fame and glory.  I like all of those meanings.  Vain means emptiness, nothingness or worthlessness.  Again, all of those fit this context very well.  So, we could say that the third commandment means something like this:

Do not carry or sustain the reputation, fame and glory of God in emptiness, nothingness or worthlessness...

In other words, who we are is just as important, if not more so, than who we say we are.

Have you ever noticed the last half of the third commandment?  I think we would rather ignore this part.

...for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.

Reminds me of Jesus' words in the sermon on the mount:

Not everyone who says to me, "Lord, Lord," will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?" And then will I declare to them, "I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness."  Matthew 7:21-23

What we do with our confession of Jesus is very important.  We are his ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20).  Who we are, not just who we say we are, has eternal implications.  Is it enough to make the claim that Jesus is Lord, but never live as if he is?  Is it enough to give mental ascent to the right doctrine?  Is it enough to take a stand for what is right?  Is it enough to give lip service to the mandate to make disciples of all nations but then never actively do anything to do so?

These are questions we all need to ask.  I do not recall ever having said the type of words referred to in the opening paragraph of this post.  I am quite sure, however, that this does not exempt me from the warning at the end of the third commandment and in the sermon on the mount. 

Father, help me to know and to do your will...

Standing in the gap...

Would you be willing to give up your salvation so that an entire people group could be made right with God?  I am not suggesting that this is theologically possible, but I do think it is a question we all need to ask.

I have been reading in Exodus.  This week I came to the story of the golden calf, in Exodus 32.  You remember the story.  Moses had gone up Mount Sinai to meet with God, but had not come down as quickly as the Hebrews thought he should.  They went to Aaron and requested that he make them gods that they could follow.  Aaron gathered up all of their golden earrings.  He threw all of the earrings into a fire and, poof, out popped a golden calf.  The Hebrews started worshiping the idol and they had a big party.  God told Moses what was going on and then said that he was going to destroy the Hebrews and start over with a great nation from Moses.  Moses stood in the gap for his people:

But Moses implored the Lord his God and said, “O Lord, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians say, ‘With evil intent did he bring them out, to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your burning anger and relent from this disaster against your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your offspring, and they shall inherit it forever.’” And the Lord relented from the disaster that he had spoken of bringing on his people.  Exodus 32:11-14

I have read this story many times and have always been intrigued by the fact that Moses changed God's mind.  I have not explored the theological implications of this, but it is truly amazing and it does speak to the impact our fervent prayers must have on God. 

I have read the rest of chapter 32 many times over the course of my life.  This week, however, I noticed something I haven't noticed before:

The next day Moses said to the people, "You have sinned a great sin.  And now I will go up to the LORD; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin."  So Moses returned to the LORD and said, "Alas, this people have sinned a great sin.  They have made for themselves gods of gold.  But now, if you will forgive their sin - but if not, please blot me out of your book that you have written."  Exodus 32:30-32

Did you get that?  Moses not only stood in the gap for his people, he also offered his own salvation in their place.  I immediately underlined this passage and wrote a note out in the margin:

Would I be willing to do this for Muslims, or Hindus, or Buddhists, or...?

The Holy Spirit then reminded me that Moses was not the only example of this kind of sacrificial prayer.  I remembered that Paul prayed a similar prayer.  It took me a day or two to find it, but Paul prayed this about his own people:

I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh.  Romans 9:1-3

I know what most of you are thinking, because I thought it too.  I mean, this is Moses and Paul and, well, these guys were spiritual superheroes and we can't be expected to live up to their standards, can we?  Oh, the slippery slope of dualistic thinking...

Father, help me to walk in this way.  Help me to love my neighbor as I love myself.  Here am I, send me.  Do your work among all Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and ALL who have yet to hear of your great love.  Do your work in me until my heart breaks with great sorrow and unceasing anguish for the unreached.  Father, forgive them, but if not, please blot me out of the book you have written...

Go here for a good place to begin praying for the unreached...

Lost in translation...

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Matthew 6:33

Have you ever noticed how Jesus seemed to exhort us to chase after two things?  We are to pursue both the kingdom of God and the righteousness of God.  Are these two separate things, a restatement of the same or a prescription of how one comes about?

My understanding of the kingdom of God starts with Jesus' teaching on prayer:

Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.  Matthew 6:10

The kingdom of God is God's will being done, both in heaven and on earth.  To chase after the kingdom of God requires us to chase after God's will being done here on earth.   In other words, the kingdom of God looks like heaven on earth. N. T. Wright suggests that this prayer is a longing "for the kingdom of God to become fully present: not for God's people to be snatched away from earth to heaven, but for the glory and beauty of heaven to be turned into earthly reality as well" (Matthew for Everyone: Part One, page 59).

How do we do this?  How do we chase after God's will being done here on earth?  We pursue righteousness.  But what does that look like?

Righteousness is defined by W. E. Vine as "the character or quality of being right or just" (Vine's Concise Dictionary of the Bible, page 320).  Dictionary.com defines righteousness similarly, with the emphasis being on morality and right behavior.  My understanding of righteousness had always been comparable.  To chase after the kingdom of God had always meant to pursue my own morality and to teach others to do the same.  Unfortunately, this path often led me to judge those whose level of morality was not up to what I thought it should be. 

My study of the kingdom of God in recent years has challenged this understanding of righteousness.  If our understanding of the kingdom of God is limited to a future heaven, then our understanding of righteousness will most likely be limited to a pursuit of individual behavior that results in our being qualified for entrance into that future heaven.  If our understanding of the kingdom of God also includes the here and now, then our understanding of righteousness must be deeper than a pursuit of personal morality.  I say this because our pursuit of personal morality typically results in a judgmental spirit, which is certainly not God's will.

My journey took me to the original language.  I learned that the Greek word dikaiosynē can be translated into English as either righteousness or justice.  In other words, when the Bible translators come to dikaiosynē they have to make a choice because there is not a word in English that fully covers the meaning of dikaiosynē.

The justice of dikaiosynē carries a meaning of restoration and liberation.  This justice is the act of making things right; according to God's will.  It is the holistic return to what God intended in creation. 

We find the justice of dikaiosynē in feeding the hungry, in giving to the poor and in rescuing the oppressed.    We find this justice in loving the orphan and the widow.  We find this justice when we fight against human trafficking.  We find this justice when we peacefully stand in the way of violence and war.

This relatively new understanding has transformed my thinking about the here and now.  When I read or hear news stories about injustice I now listen through a kingdom of God perspective.  I now ask myself how the kingdom of God needs to come in this circumstance and how can I chase after it.  Sometimes I am simply led to pray for the will of God to be done; for God's justice to be known by those who are suffering.  Sometimes I am led to get involved through more than my prayers; by going, giving or taking action to seek justice.

My reading of scripture has also changed.  This understanding of the interconnectedness of righteousness and justice has caused me to replace the word righteousness with righteousness/justice. For example:

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness/justice, and all these things will be added to you.  Matthew 6:33

and

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness/justice, for they shall be satisfied.  Matthew 5:6

and

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness/justice, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Matthew 5:10

My prayer is that you will join me in chasing after the kingdom of God by chasing after the righteousness/justice of God; always in a spirit of mercy and grace. 

Tribal Leader Joe...

I have another question from a good friend.  She asked this question:

This is completely "out of the blue", I know, but I seem to be working in that fashion lately...  I have this question that I am trying to answer about what I believe...it is...what if someone dies who has NEVER had the opportunity to hear the name of Jesus?  This is sad...but I have not given that much thought really until recently.  I know we are to go unto all the earth...I get that...but what if between now and then...Tribal Leader Joe out in the middle of nowhere land who has never heard the name of Jesus dies?  I am not sure what I think about this?  Part of me knows that everyone in some way has the opportunity to know God...whether through seeing creation and such...but how do they hear about Jesus...dreams...yes???  Okay...I know you all have a million things going on so just when you have a chance to share your thoughts.  Thanks! 

The following is my quickly drafted reply as I was on my way to China the next day.  Let me know your thoughts on my answer...

I think the first thing I think when asked this question is something like this:

"Hey, where is Tribal Leader Joe?  Let's go find him and tell him!"

I guess that is just the missionary in me.  But, it is a real question and one that most of us have wrestled with.  So, here is my take.

First, I think the Bible is very clear that Jesus is the only way to the Father:

Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me."  John 14:6

And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. Acts 4:12

Even for the folks in the Old Testament, faith in Jesus was the only way to the Father:

Just as Abraham "believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness." Galatians 3:6  (see the rest of chapter 3 for Paul's discussion on what Abraham's faith was in; the promised seed of Genesis 12:3)

Faith that leads to righteousness has always been in and though Jesus.

So, what about those who have never heard?

Well, some would suggest that a positive move toward a supreme being is enough.  This might be called general revelation.

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.  For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.  For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world in the things that have been made... Romans 1:18-20

God has revealed who he is to all of creation.  Yet, verse 20 concludes like this: 

So they are without excuse. Romans 1:20 

And, verses 21-23 go on as follows: 

For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.  Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.

So, general revelation is not enough.  Everyone knows there is an eternal, all-powerful God, even if they won't admit it or deny it.  Because we have ALL denied it, God is justified in his eternal wrath.

OK, what about some other way besides having Jesus preached to the man in the jungle?  This might be called special revelation.  A definition of special revelation would be:

God's communication of himself at specific times in specific ways with specific truths in order to reconcile specific individuals and communities with himself. (The Revelation of God Among the Unevangelized: by Christopher Little - page 47 - I would suggest you purchase book if you want to dig a little deeper.)

Some examples of God revealing himself in a special way, for the sake of salvation, are:  Eve - Genesis 3:15; Abraham - Genesis 12:1-3; Paul - Acts 9:1-9; and I'm sure there are others, but probably not very many.  I have met Muslims who have had dreams in which Jesus appeared to them and said to follow him, not Muhammad.  However, most of these Muslims end up hearing the gospel from someone else before they come to faith in Jesus. 

Let me sum up this rapidly written and disorganized answer.  I think that God can do whatever he wants.  If God wants to reveal Jesus to the man in the jungle, he can do it.  This is mysterious, sure, but God is God and he can do what he wants.  However, this mystery does not excuse us from what we know we are to do.

What we do know for sure is that we have been given the opportunity to join in God's work of revealing Jesus as the way, the truth and the life.  I also believe that we will be held accountable for what we do with this knowledge. 

Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter.  If you say, "Behold, we did not know this," does not he who weighs the heart perceive it?  Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it, and will he not repay man according to his work?  Proverbs 24:11-12

Finally, a couple of my favorite quotes on this subject are as follows:

No one has the right to hear the gospel twice, while there remains someone who has not heard it once. -- Oswald J. Smith

Someone asked, "Will the heathen who have never heard the Gospel be saved?"  It is more a question with me whether we, who have the Gospel and fail to give it to those who have not, can be saved. -- Charles Spurgeon

Hope this helps.  Keep asking these kinds of questions.  It is good and wise.

Until ALL Have Heard,

Eric

A question from a friend...

I recently received an email from a good friend.  She asked this question: 

Hi Eric,

Hope this email finds you well.  I have a question I've wanted to ask for some time now.  I'm intrigued by the reports of demons being driven out of some of the folks being ministered to through the people you've trained. Like it's been mentioned before, it's right out of Acts and the gospels!  What does it look like in person?  How would one know that another is possessed by a demon...let alone how to drive out the demon (except through mimicking the methods mentioned in the Bible!)?  Each time I read about it, I'm curious...so finally I'm asking!  Thanks in advance for your answer.

I have thought about the best way to answer this because my experience is fairly limited.  I have decided to share a couple of stories, basically the only two that I have, and I will conclude with some additional thoughts.

The first time I saw someone delivered from a demon was in India.  We had just concluded a training session and people were coming forward for prayer.  A young girl, probably in her late teens or early twenties, came forward and requested prayer.  She was a beautiful young girl; very attractive and very confident of her appearance.  She requested prayer and immediately she was surrounded by several folks.  The fervent prayer began.   They were praying in Hindi, which I do not speak, so my understanding of what was going on was very limited.  I stood in the midst of them and prayed as well; asking for God to bless this young girl.  As the prayer continued I knew from the little Hindi I did understand that the words in Jesus' name were being repeated over and over.  As this went on, the girl's body began to writhe and her facial expression looked as if she was in great pain.  This went on for maybe a minute or two and then her countenance changed to one of joy and peace and the prayer shifted from in Jesus' name to thank you Jesus.  When the prayer time was complete, the girl left the building and I looked at my Indian partners and asked what had just happened.  They told me that the girl had been tormented by a spirit of sensuality for some time and she had asked to be delivered.  I didn't ask for any further explanation.  It was just too real to question.

The second time I saw someone delivered from a demon was here in the US.  A friend of mine had been fighting a drug addiction.  I was visiting with him one afternoon in his house and he began to tell me about his friends.  He told me he had several friends and that they constantly tormented him.  I asked him if he had ever seen them and he said he had seen their reflection in the TV screen, but only when the TV was turned off.  I could sense through the Holy Spirit that this was real and I asked him if his friends had ever told him their names.  He said no.  I told him that I knew their names and through the power of the Spirit and in the name of Jesus I could command them to leave him.  He thought about it and said maybe later and I did nothing.  This was truly one of those moments where the Spirit took over and I did not know what I was saying.  I was simply being a vessel through which the Spirit could work.  My friend called me about two weeks later and asked me to meet him at a park.  He was very low that day.  We were sitting across a picnic table from each other and he was looking down at the ground.   The Spirit took over again and I began to speak to  my friend.  I began to call out the names of his friends and commanded them, in the name of Jesus, to leave.  As I spoke, my friend's head jerked up and he looked at me with an intensity I will never forget.  I was not afraid, but I knew I was not speaking to my friend; rather I was speaking to his friends.  The first name I called was the spirit of mind control followed by the spirit of self hatred.  There were others, but I honestly do not remember how many or the names.  I calmly, but boldly, told them that in the name of Jesus they did not have any authority over my friend and they were no longer welcome and they had to leave him alone.  My friend continued to stare at me the entire time I was praying, but, there was no contortion of his face or body or anything crazy that you might imagine.  When I finished praying my friend looked at me and thanked me.  I could tell I was talking with him then.  We went our separate ways.  His pregnant (8 months) wife called me later that night and told me that he had gone back to the crack house and she asked me to go and get him out.  I called another friend and we started driving toward where we had been told the crack house was when his wife called and said to just come to the house because she had gone to get him.  We drove to his house and spent a couple of hours talking and praying.  He thanked me for what I had done earlier that day but suggested that it did not work since he had given in to temptation and gone back to the crack house.  I went home feeling defeated and even foolish.  Two weeks later my friend called me and asked me to pray for him.  He said he wanted to give his life to Jesus but he was afraid.  I began to pray and asked the Holy Spirit to overwhelm him.  As I prayed, my friend began to pray.  I stopped and listened as my friend confessed his need for forgiveness and his need for Jesus.  For the first time, my friend was in his right mind.  That night, over the phone, he became a Jesus follower.  He has been clean from drugs for six months now and is doing very well.  In spite of my earlier feelings of failure and foolishness I am now convinced that my friend was delivered from demons that day at the park.

That's it.  That is the sum total of my experience with demon deliverance, not counting the times I have cast the devil out of my computer or TV or any other complex piece of machinery that was vexing me at the time.

The context of my spiritual upbringing was one in which anything that could be labeled charismatic was viewed with skepticism.  There seemed to have been a fear of excess and the answer was, I now think, to go too far the other way.  The result, for me at least, was both doubt about the genuineness of these types of things combined with no telling how many lost opportunities to help people find true peace and restoration.  However, my experiences overseas shattered my paradigm, so I am now seeking a balance between the fear of all things charismatic and the excess I have seen in some of the televangelists and other places.  This journey has changed the way I read the Bible.

Now, when I read that Jesus told his disciples to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers and cast out demons (Matthew 10:7-8) I see that he was instructing us as well.  I see that we have been sent out under the authority of Jesus (Matthew 28:18-20) and that this authority includes the same authority Jesus gave the twelve when he sent them out to minister (Luke 9:1-2).  I also see a warning to us regarding a need to be balanced and not to become obsessed or too dramatic:

The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!"  And he said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.  Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.  Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven."  Luke 10:17-20

Balance is my goal when it comes to these kinds of things.  I do not believe in magical formulas or power encounters.  I also do not believe we need to go looking for demons to cast out.  I do believe that people are walking in captivity and need to be set free.  I also believe that we have been given the authority to set them free, but the focus must always be on Jesus, because he is the one who has made it all possible.

I want to close with a quote from Grace, who has written about these things here:

When we understand that God is on our side, that He came up with the plan for us to be free, and that, more than anything, He wants us to be free; we come to a place of trusting Him and of accepting His help and power to become free.  In my experience as a charismatic, I have seen some pretty bizarre things in the area of deliverance. However, in the midst of the messiness and hype, I also saw people experience genuine healing and freedom.  I would like to see inner healing and deliverance removed from the realm of the weird and wacky and brought to a place of normal transformational experience in the life of believers.  There is a supernatural experience of healing and deliverance available to all of us. The end result of our healing and deliverance is shalom - the wholeness and completeness that God desires for us, and Sabbath - a place of rest from our striving.

This shalom and Sabbath is what I saw in the face of the young girl in India.  It is what I see every time I see my friend who had the friends.  This shalom and Sabbath is available and we have been given the authority to walk in it and to help others to do the same.  This shalom and Sabbath is part of what we are asking for when we ask, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10). 

I believe; help my unbelief!

Eric

The hope that is in you...

I am almost finished with the final paper for my Biblical Foundations of Mission class.  One of my sources is the book New Testament and Mission: Historical and Hermeneutical Perspectives, by Johannes Nissen.  You can see my review of this book here.  While doing my research I ran across this quote that I had highlighted:

The usual way of perceiving evangelism is the Christians - especially those gifted for preaching - go out and tell the non-Christians about the good news.  In 1 Pet. 3:15, however, it is the non-Christians who begin the conversation.  The readers are told that they will be questioned and challenged by their non-Christian neighbours and that they have to give account of their hope.

The hope of the early Christians was that Christ is Lord and that his cause would win.  This hope became visible in their daily life.  Their priorities obviously differed from those of the people surrounding them.  They were even ready to suffer and die for that hope.  Such a visible hope astonished or irritated their neighbours and colleagues.  So questions arose, not only friendly questions, but also accusations.  Christians were summoned before the judge.

In the early church mission was thus not only an organized activity by especially gifted persons such as Paul.  It was much more the spontaneous and non-aggressive "gossiping of the gospel" by ordinary Christians in the course of their daily life.  And the secret of it all was the hope which had become visible in the life of the Christians (page 153).

I recently started reading unChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks About Christianity... and Why It Matters, by David Kinnaman.  This book is the latest research by The Barna Group.  Kinnaman has identified six broad themes (pages 29-30) that are present among the sixteen- to twenty-nine-year-olds in our culture.  These are as follows:

Christians are hypocritical.

Christians are too focused on getting converts.

Christians are antihomosexual.

Christians are sheltered.

Christians are too political.

Christians are judgmental.

Kinnaman says we have become famous for what we oppose, rather than who we are for (page 26). 

Looks like we are not doing a very good job of giving a reason for the hope that is in us...

Perhaps our hope has been placed in the wrong things...

Until ALL Have Heard,

Eric

Dreams and visions...

I am writing the final paper for my Biblical Foundations of Mission class.  It is due next Friday, December 7.  My thesis statement is as follows:

The thesis of this paper is that God uses both dreams and visions to expand his kingdom; therefore, the people of God should both expect and ask for dreams and visions as we participate in the missio Dei.

I will be looking at four stories as I defend my thesis.  These are the story of Jacob from Genesis 28:10-17, the story of Nebuchadnezzar from Daniel 2-4, the story of Peter and Cornelius from Acts 10-11, and the story of Paul and the Macedonian call from Acts 16:6-10.  When you read these stories, what do you see?

Eric
 

Bearing one's cross...

I have been reading The Politics of Jesus, by John Howard Yoder.  Chapter 6 is a wonderful discussion of discipleship and walking in the way of Jesus.  Yoder makes the following comments on the topic of what it means to bear one's cross:

The cross of Christ was not an inexplicable or chance event, which happened to strike him, like illness or accident.  To accept the cross as his destiny, to move toward it and even to provoke it, when he could well have done otherwise, was Jesus' constantly reiterated free choice.  He warns his disciples lest their embarking on the same path be less conscious of its costs (Luke 14:25-33).  The cross of Calvary was not a difficult family situation, not a frustration of visions of personal fulfillment, a crushing debt, or a nagging in-law; it was the political, legally-to-be-expected result of a moral clash with the powers ruling his society.  Already the early Christians had to be warned against claiming merit for any and all suffering; only if their suffering be innocent, and a result of the evil will of their adversaries, may it be understood as meaningful before God (1 Peter 2:18-21; 3:14-18; 4:1, 13-16; 5:9; James 4:10). (Page 129)

Yoder is essentially saying that the cross we bear is our identification with the suffering of Jesus.  It is our willingness to engage the powers and authorities in a way that results in our suffering, even to the point of death.  Yoder is not arguing that this engagement of the powers and authorities ever take the form of the world, meaning violence and deception.  He suggests that "servanthood replaces dominion, forgiveness absorbs hostility." (Page 131)

So, what do you think?  Have you ever used the phrase "bearing one's cross" in such a way?  Can it mean something more than suffering in the way of Christ for the sake of his kingdom or have we "trivialized" it over the years?  What does bearing one's cross mean to you?

Until ALL Have Heard,

jeg

Daniel 1-5

The story of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, as recorded in Daniel 1-5, reveals the work of God to make His name known among many pagan nations.  Daniel and his friends had been selected from among the Hebrews in Babylonian captivity to receive special training in the "literature and language of the Chaldeans" (Daniel 1:4).  They had prospered in their training and the king found them to be "ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his kingdom" (Daniel 1:20).  The king had a troubling dream and Daniel is given the opportunity to interpret the dream.  As Daniel stands before the king he proclaims that there is a God above all gods who reveals mysteries and has revealed the meaning of the king's dream.  Daniel goes on to interpret the dream, revealing that God will one day establish a kingdom that will never pass away. (Daniel 2:44)  The king's response is to worship God by acknowledging that God is the "God of gods and Lord of kings" (Daniel 2:47).  The king then apparently changes his mind and erects a large golden image, commanding all in his kingdom to bow down and worship it. (Daniel 3:1-7)  Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refuse to do so and the resulting punishment is death by fiery furnace.  When the king sees that God is not going to allow the three young men to be killed, he issues a decree "to all peoples, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth" (Daniel 4:1) proclaiming that the kingdom of God "is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion endures from generation to generation" (Daniel 4:3).  We see in these two stories how God worked to reveal himself even when the Hebrews had failed to be the light to the nations God had called them to be.   

Until ALL Have Heard,

jeg

Psalms 96-100

The author of Psalms 96-100 is unknown; however, they truly had a heart that lined up with the missio Dei. From the beginning the reader is encouraged to worship the Lord among the nations. (Psalm 96:3, 7-9; 97:7, 9, 12; 98:1, 4-6; 99:3, 5, 9; 100:1-5) We see the declaration of the reign of God as King of all the earth. (Psalm 96:10, 97:1-5, 99:1-5) We also see that the righteousness, justice and salvation of God have been revealed "in the sight of the nations" (Psalm 96:2, 13; 97:2, 6; 98:2-3, 9; 99:4). This group of Psalms has twenty-three references to the nations. (Psalm 96:1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 10, 11, 13; 97:1, 4, 5, 6, 9; 98:2, 3, 4, 7, 9; 99:1, 2, 3; 100:1, 5) Clearly, these Psalms were written to both call and remind the People of God of their responsibility and privilege to be a light to the nations. The reading of these Psalms, and many others, should both instill and increase one's desire to see God worshiped by all peoples. As our worship deepens, so will our desire to see the nations worship God.

Until ALL Have Heard,

jeg

Zechariah 6-10

Zechariah compels the children of Abraham to return to their God. (Zechariah 1:3) He rebukes them for having turned from following the Lord, especially when it came to their treatment of the weak and outsiders. (Zechariah 7:8-14) But, Zechariah prophecies that there will be a remnant that will come from the east and the west and they will be brought to live in Jerusalem and they will be God’s people and he will be their God. (Zechariah 8:7-8) Even though the people had become “a byword of cursing among the nations” (Zechariah 8:13), God will save them and they will be a blessing. Zechariah then reveals the promise of a coming king who will “speak peace to the nations” (Zechariah 9:10). The coming king will rule “from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth” (Zechariah 9:10). God will have compassion on his people and it will be as if he had not rejected them. (Zechariah 10:6) God will gather them from the nations and they will be as many as they were before. (Zechariah 10:8-9) This passage is a beautiful picture of God’s grace and mercy with his people, in spite of their rejection of his call to be a blessing to the nations. God will have his people and they will be a blessing to the nations. He will send his king and the kingdom will be filled with his people from the east and the west. He is patient with us and he greatly desires to have us join him in his work to bless the nations.

Until ALL Have Heard,

jeg

John 13-17

Jesus models the missional praxis of love for his apostles in John 13-17. He begins by washing their feet, an act of both love and humility, and then suggests that they do the same. (John 13:12-16) He then gives them a new commandment; love. They are to love one another, just as he had loved them. The reason for this is so that all people will know that they are his disciples. (John 13:34-35) He then tells them how he is going to provide for their future ministry by sending them “the Helper, the Holy Spirit” (John 14:26). The Holy Spirit will teach them all things and help them remember all that Jesus had said.  John continues the discussion of the missional praxis of love by encouraging his apostles to abide in him and to bear much fruit, all in love. (John 15:4-17) Jesus concludes his training in these chapters by offering a prayer for his apostles and those who would follow them. (John 17) His prayer for unity, powered by the Holy Spirit, is an additional model of the love he expected his followers to walk in. Throughout these chapters Jesus referred to the world knowing him through the example of his apostles and those who would come after them. He was giving his apostles his missional praxis of love, so that the world (the nations) would be drawn to him. We are to serve others. We are to abide in Jesus. We are to bear much fruit. We are to follow the Holy Spirit. We are to do this in love, so that the world will know. In my opinion, this is one of the most missional statements that Jesus made.

Until ALL Have Heard,

jeg

Luke 9-13

In Luke 9, we see Jesus authorizing and sending the twelve out “to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal.” (Luke 9:2)  He told them to go in great need (Luke 9:3), and to stay where welcomed (Luke 9:4).  He also taught them that the costs of following him are high. (Luke 9:23-26, 57-62)  In Luke 10, Jesus sends out an even larger group with similar instructions.  They were sent in pairs, in great need and told to stay where they were welcomed. (Luke 10:1-8)  The parable of the good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) taught the disciples of Jesus that they were to expect the compassion of God to be like that of the Samaritan and that they should model this as they announced the kingdom of God.  In Luke 12, we see Jesus giving additional instructions of how to walk in his kingdom mission by telling his disciples not to fear (Luke 12:4-7), not to be anxious (Luke 12:22-34) and to always be ready (Luke 12:35-48).  Finally, in Luke 13:22-30 we see the inclusive nature of God’s kingdom, in that it is who you know and not where you come from that determines your position in the kingdom.  Jesus tells his disciples that the kingdom is much more inclusive than expected as “people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at table in the kingdom of God.” (Luke 13:29)  As we go walk out our mission, may we learn to go in need, to stay where welcomed, to walk in the compassion of God and to expect God to be working in ways the world would not expect and among those the world has rejected.

Until ALL Have Heard,

jeg

Romans 1-5

The first five chapters of Romans are rich with description of God’s universal activity.  In Chapter 1, we see Paul discuss God’s general revelation to all peoples; a general revelation that is enough to reveal who God is yet leaves us without excuse because of our rejection of his glory. (Romans 1:18-32)  Chapter 2 reveals the impartiality of God (Romans 2:11) and that the law of God has been both revealed to the Jews and written on the hearts of the Gentiles and that circumcision of the heart is what makes one truly a Jew. (Romans 2:12-29)  In Chapter 3, Paul makes the argument that the righteousness of God is available to both Jew and Gentile, but only through faith. (Romans 3:27-31)  Chapter 4 is Paul’s discussion of the faith of Abraham.  Abraham’s faith was in the promise of God and it came before his circumcision.  His faith was counted as righteousness.  He was the father of many nations and his faith was the example for us to follow.  When we place our faith in the promise we, too, are counted as righteous.  (Romans 4:9-25)  Finally, in Chapter 5 Paul discusses “Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come” (Romans 5:14).  In Adam, sin was passed on to all.  In Christ, justification and life was given to all, and many will, by faith, be made righteous. (Romans 5:18-19)  In these chapters, Paul makes it very clear that God has always been at work to restore a right relationship with those who bear his image.  This teaching is at the core of what drives Paul’s eagerness to preach the gospel to the Greeks and non-Greeks in Rome. (Romans 1:14-15)

Until ALL Have Heard,

jeg

Revelation 4-8

Revelation has always been a difficult book for me to read.  Is John talking about things to come?  Is he talking about the here and now?  Or, is it some mysterious mixture of both?  Is it truly as simple as the writers of the Left Behind series make it seem?  Probably not.  However, Chapters 4-8 do seem to give two very clear pictures of God’s intentions in the incarnation.  Chapter 4 reveals that all things were willed and created by God. (Revelation 4:11)  In Chapter 5, we are given a picture of the purpose behind the incarnation; that the blood of the Lamb “ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation” (Revelation 5:9), thereby making them a kingdom of priests to reign on the earth. (Revelation 5:10)  Notice that they are to reign on earth, not in heaven.  This seems to fit with Jesus’ prayer for God’s kingdom to come and his will to be done, both on earth and in heaven. (Matthew 6:10)  In Chapter 7, we see a similar picture of “a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb” (Revelation 7:9).  We are told that this great multitude is serving God before his throne in his temple (Revelation 7:15), suggesting that they are in a place different than this earth.  In these two passages, we have a clear picture that God came to earth to reconcile and call out a people; a people who would reign for him and be used by him to restore his creation and ultimately worship him for eternity.  We also see how this occurs in both the now and then.  We are to be a kingdom of priests in the here and now; a contrast society that models God’s reign and rule for the world to see, always seeking justice and righteousness.  One day, when the full number of those who have been chosen to die for their witness of God have been killed, the end will come and we will stand before his throne in his temple and worship him forever. (Revelation 6:9-11)  The blood of the Lamb was spilled for more than a future hope of heaven.  His blood also results in the hope that we can live now as priests in a kingdom seeking the justice and righteousness of God in a world that has no hope.  We must get beyond a one-dimensional view of Revelation and see that through Jesus, God has revealed his will for both now and then.

Until ALL Have Heard,

jeg

Acts 8-12

Jesus had left instructions to make disciples of all nations, yet just a short time after his ascension the church in Jerusalem had not moved out in obedience.  God helped the church by sending a great persecution.  (Acts 8:1)  We see in Chapter 8 the ministry of Phillip in Samaria, where many were healed, delivered from unclean spirits and received the Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands. (Acts 8:7, 17)  This is all followed by God’s work to expand the gospel further into the lands of the gentiles when Phillip is asked to leave a “successful” ministry and head south toward Gaza. (Acts 8:26)  Phillip obeyed and met a top Ethiopian government official, who is already reading from the scriptures.  Phillip met the man where he was and explained the Scripture he was reading, telling him the good news about Jesus. (Acts 8:35)  Chapter 9 brings God’s radical conversion of Saul of Tarsus, the Pharisee’s most committed “jihadist.”  This move of God was so unexpected that the disciples in Jerusalem feared Saul, “for they did not believe that he was a disciple” (Acts 9:26).  God follows this by sending a vision to a Roman centurion and God fearer named Cornelius. (Acts 10:1-2)  In this vision, Cornelius is asked to send for Peter. (Acts 10:5)  God also sends a vision to Peter.  This vision is a challenge to Peter’s cultural food practices as God tells him to eat that which has always been thought to be unclean. (Acts 10:9-16)  God is at work in this vision to break down cultural barriers to taking the gospel to the gentiles.  When Peter’s vision is over, he hears from the Holy Spirit that he should go with the men who are coming to seek him. (Acts 10:19-20)  He does, and is willing to enter table fellowship with a gentile, all due to the vision God has sent him.  The table fellowship results in Peter being able to share the gospel with Cornelius and his household and close friends.  As Peter shared, God did something amazing and poured out the Holy Spirit on all who were listening. (Acts 10:44)  Those who had come with Peter were amazed that the Gentiles were receiving the Holy Spirit. (Acts 10:45)  There were some in Jerusalem, however, who criticized Peter and doubted what God had done.  Peter defended himself and shared the story and they believed and glorified God that he had included even the Gentiles in his work of redemption. (Acts 11:1-18)  We see from God’s activity in these chapters that he often does the unexpected in order to advance his purpose.  This should teach us to expect the unexpected and to not be surprised when we see God working in ways beyond what we had previously imagined.  After all, it is his work and his kingdom and he can and will advance it as he pleases, whether we agree or not.

Until ALL Have Heard,

jeg

Multiplication...

Part of my Bible reading today was Genesis 9.  Look at this...

And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth."  Genesis 9:1

Sounds a lot like this...

And God blessed them.  And God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth"  Genesis 1:28

What was God telling Noah and his sons?  What was God telling Adam and Eve?  Does the fact that this blessing of God is followed by a command to "fill the earth" mean anything for us today? 

Adam and Eve were created "in the image of God" (Genesis 1:27).  God commanded them to fill the earth with people who were just like them; made in God's image.  Being made in the image of God is a blessing.  God then asked them to multiply the blessing they had been given by filling the earth with others just like them. 

Then this happened...

So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.  Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked.  And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.  Genesis 3:6-7

The rebellion of Adam and Eve ultimately led to this...

Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight, and the earth was filled with violence.  And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.  And God said to Noah, "I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them.  Behold, I will destroy them with the earth."  Genesis 6:11-13

God had chosen Noah, from all of humanity, to bless.  He had chosen Noah because...

Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation.  Noah walked with God.  Genesis 6:9

The flood waters receded and Noah and his family got out of the boat and God started all over.  He blessed them and told them to fill the earth.

If we look at God's choice of Noah and his family as a form of divine election and the flood as a form of baptism, could we then make the conclusion that God's blessing meant that Noah and his family, having been found righteous, had been reborn in God's image?

Do you see the connection?  The ultimate blessing is to be made in the image of God.  With Adam and Eve the blessing came through creation.  With Noah and his family it came through the flood.  With us, it comes through the completed work of Jesus Christ.

Adam and Eve were blessed and then told to fill the earth.  Noah and his family were blessed and told to fill the earth.  What about us?  We, too, have been blessed.  Have we also been told to fill the earth?

And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.  And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."  Matthew 28:18-20

I believe we have.  In fact, I think a very strong case can be made that God's plan is the same today as it was with Adam and Eve and Noah and his family.  We have been blessed and we have been commanded to fill the earth with others like us.  This is God's desire.  It has been this way from the beginning.  It has never changed.  The only question is, do we fully understand the magnitude of God's desire to be worshiped by all peoples.  If so, we will join in the ultimate privilege those of us who have been blessed by God have, to make disciples of every nation, every tribe, every people and every language.  If not...

 

Psalm 15 Revisited

The beloved one sings:

Oh, Existing One, who of us is able to be a nomad with You and live in Your tent? Who of us is able to settle down with You and live in the hill country that You have set apart for Yourself?

I will tell you who; those of us who walk in Your complete and straight path and who seek Your justice and do what is right; those of us who speak Your unchanging truth from our souls; those of us who do not go around destroying others with hurtful words; those of us who do no evil to our friends and who do not disrespect those who are near to us; those of us who reject those who have rejected You but honor the person who fears and is seeking You; those of us who make a promise to a friend and keep it, even when it hurts us to do so; those of us who do not use our money to make more by charging others interest; and those of us who do not sell out the innocent. 

Those of us who do these things will never, ever be shaken. 

The Sheep and the Goats?

I preached this past Sunday at Little Rock Chinese Christian Church.  I fill in there as preacher when I am in town and if they need me.  I love those guys because they let me preach, even though I am not a preacher.  Anyway, I preached on  Matthew 25:31-46, or what is known as the story of the sheep and the goats.

I have always been intrigued by this story.  As I got ready for Sunday morning I began to focus on the word brother in verse 40.  What does this word mean?  I saw that understanding this was one of the keys to understanding this teaching of Jesus.

Believe it or not, I found at least three different ways to interpret this word:

1.  When Jesus used the word brother here He was referring to the saints.  He was talking about those of us in the family.  Of course, this interpretation means that Jesus will make a distinction between the sheep and the goats based on the way they treated the saints. 

2.  Another possibility is that Jesus was referring to all of humanity when He used the word brother.  Those who take this position say that all men are children of God because He is our creator.  Since all men are children of God, all men are a brother of Jesus, the Son of Man.  This interpretation implies that the sheep and the goats will be judged based on their treatment of all mankind.

3.  The third possibility I found suggested that Jesus was referring to the 144,000 from every tribe of the sons of Israel, as found in Revelation 7:4.   Apparently, the 144,000 will be standing behind Jesus at the time of the separation of the sheep and the goats; never mind that this is not mentioned in the story.  Jesus will be judging all mankind on their treatment of the 144,000 during the tribulation.  I kid you not.  I actually found this interpretation.

It did not take me long to determine that possibility number 3 was a path I could not walk.  It was just too much of a stretch, obviously created to justify a certain eschatological position.  So, I began to think about possibility number 1.

The more I thought about possibility number 1, it really offended me.  This just seemed too easy.  I thought about the teaching of Jesus in Matthew 5:46-47 and Luke 6:32-35.  I could not reconcile how the final judgment of all mankind could be based only on how we treated the saints. 

I thought about the Church.  We like this teaching, I think, because it frees us of the responsibility to love those who hate us.  It frees us of the responsibility to love those who are hard to love.  It keeps us from having to get our hands dirty.  This is why I could not get comfortable with this possibility.  I think it takes us off of the hook and I do not think that is what Jesus was intending to do.

So, that left me with possibility number 2.  This was the hardest of the 3 possibilities I had found.  It was the hardest because it calls us to die to ourselves.  It requires us to look and act like Jesus taught us to act, not just to those who are like us, but also to those who are not.  It requires us to love our enemies.  It requires us to go the extra mile.  It requires us to give our oppressor our cloak, even though he has already taken our tunic.  This is hard, but it is what Jesus taught.  And so, this is what I taught this past Sunday.  Jesus is going to judge us at the final judgment based on how we treated all of mankind, not just the saints. 

What do you think?  Who was Jesus talking about when He used the word brother in verse 40?  Will your understanding of what Jesus meant by this word change the way you live life?

Until ALL Have Heard,

EG