September 3, 2009

The Temple of the Holy Hurricane Part: VI

Posted by Faith, Worship & Life under Ephesians 4, Genesis 01, Genesis 03, John 17 | Tags: , , |
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We are still focusing on the Holy Spirit and his ministry within his Temple, the Church. Increasingly, this teaching has been becoming more intense, honing on our eagerness for his work of transformation in our own hearts. We are eager for his transformation in the hearts of others. Yet, how eager are we for his transformation in our own hearts?

This teaching will focus on the Holy Spirit’s work in refashioning in us, as the “one” body of Christ, the image of God who is “one.” Let us begin with the basic Judeo-Christian confession found in Deuteronomy 6:4:

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one (ESV).

Some may object to this being the basic confession of Christianity. What about the cross? What about God’s free offer of grace? What about God’s love? What about God’s justice?

And perhaps one more objection … why does a statement that merely emphasizes that we have “one” God become so formative for Christian discipleship? Is it possible that even within Judaism that there are more layers to this understanding of the “oneness” of God than the mere/basic understanding that we only have 1 God?

I will ask us to be patient as we take a significant trek through the whole of the revealed will of God, his Scriptures. God is “one” will make more sense for us as we progress. Let us, for the present moment, turn to John 17:1:

When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.

“I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything you have given me is from you. For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one” (John 17:1-11; ESV; underlining mine).

This is known as Jesus’s “High Priestly Prayer.” Do we know that Jesus functions very well as our High Priest? At any rate the whole of John 17 is Jesus’s prayer for his own, and those who would become his own. I want you all to notice that in the midst of all of this talk about glory, glorifying, and persevering comes this firm request of Jesus that his apostles would become “one” as Jesus and the Father are “one.”

If we remember from our first passage, God is “one,” is the basic confession of Judaism. What Jesus asks for and confesses could be rendered blasphemy. Ultimately, this forms part of the basis for Jewish fatal opposition to Jesus. God is certainly “one,” and only God is “one.” To say that one is “one” with God is in effect to confess some form of divinity, which is certainly blasphemy. To pray to the God who is “one” that he makes the Apostles, a group of plain, ordinary men, “one” as Jesus and God are “one” is over the top.

Such is part of the Jewish mind of Jesus’s day.

However, let us consider briefly what it means, according to the revelation of the Apostles, for God to be “one.” He is “one” God who is three Persons; three Persons who are in perfect relationship with one another; three Persons who love perfectly. Jesus prayed that the Apostles would “one” as God is “one.”

Let’s continue with Jesus’s High Priestly prayer, by picking up in John 17:12:

“While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.

“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and love them even as you loved me. Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have give me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them” (John 17:12-26; ESV; underlining mine).

You’ll of course notice that I have a few words and phrases underlined. They all relate to “one.” Like in the first part of this passage, dealt with earlier, Jesus prays that for all of “those who will believe in me through their word,” that they would all be “one”; “perfectly one” even. Now, notice in the first of these two paragraphs that both Judas and Satan are also each called “one.” Is there are message in this? Is it possible that if we are not in “sanctified in truth” that we will become “one” with Satan and his schemes? What is Satan’s goal but to bring division, destruction, and ultimately death not only to God and his people but also to the whole earth?

We can certainly see this played out in the Creation accounts and in the first family. Let’s turn to Genesis 1:26-31:

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.

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.” And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding see that is on the face of the earth, and every tree with see in its fruit. You shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day (ESV).

This is the place in the first Creation account where God has made man. How many of “man” did he make? Well, he made Adam and Eve, but he call them together “man.” How similar is this to our Trinitarian concept of God? One “man” with more than one person? Yes, in fact this is what God says in 1:27. In the second Creation account, the more which offers more detail to the creation of man God makes Adam and then sometime later makes Eve. He commands they be “one;” one with more than one person.

I also want you to notice that in making man “one” God gave man, as “one,” one job to do: be the caretaker of earth under the charge of God. He charged them to be one and gave them a job to do as one. Jesus prays that his Apostles and those who would believe in him through them would be “one.” Before he ascends to the Father, he charges with going into all nations and, as “one” to make disciples of them.

How are we doing on both fronts?: Making disciples of all nations & doing so as “one?”

Now let’s fast forward a bit. Satan has entered the picture, bring with him his schemes. Man bought in. Let’s focus on a seemingly obscure aspect of the curse given to Eve:

Your desire shall be for your husband,
and he shall rule over you (Genesis 3:16; ESV).

Normally many folks like to translate this into sexual verbiage: You shall “want” (wink, wink) your husband. However, I don’t think this is the gist of the curse at all. To better understand this word, let’s take a look at the next story in line: Cain and Able. If we remember correctly, Cain gets jealous of Able and eventually murders him. Notice what God says to Cain in warning him against Sin:

The LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it” (Genesis 4:6 & 7; ESV).

God told Cain that Sin desired Cain. The connotation here is not sexual, but rather one of overpowering. God told Cain that he must rule over it. This is exactly the same formula given to Eve:  

Your desire shall be for your husband,
and he shall rule over you (Genesis 3:16; ESV).

In other words this part of the curse of Eve would be a lust for power, for Adam’s power, and Adam would rule over, or master, Eve. This is the torrential power struggle that rages even today among husbands and wives. The first family was perfectly one … until Sin entered in. Now this family who is called to be perfectly one in carrying out the charge of God is bent towards Sin and lusts for power over the other. The first story of this family outside of the Garden is one of jealousy and murder.

Now, let’s finish up by turning to Ephesians 4:1-16. I want you to notice Paul’s teaching on the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the Church. He is to refashion us into his unity, which is what we had prior to the Fall. This ability to pursue godly unity is the high mark of Scriptural holiness. The Holy Spirit has equipped certain folks for the task of aiding the people of God to become “one” and carry out the “one” mission of God. Let’s read:

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit–just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call–one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore it says,

“When he ascended on high he led a
host of captives,
and he gave gifts to me.”

(In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he has also descended into the lower regions, the earth? he who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.) And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, make the body grow so that it builds itself up in love (ESV).

 

August 31, 2009

The Temple of the Holy Hurricane: Part V

Posted by Faith, Worship & Life under I Corinthians 12, I Corinthians 13 | Tags: , , , |
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Life gets chaotic at times, does it not? Whether it is in dealing with kids, bosses, kids that try to be the boss, or bosses that act like kids, life can be chaotic. Life in the church is no different. Are there times when we see “good Christians” acting like the devil? Are there times when churches die and the Lord of Life seems to have been totally distant?

We are in the middle of a series on the Holy Spirit and his ministry within the church. This is a part of a much larger series on the Apostles’ Creed, in which we have arrived at the last third. I’ve entitled this sub-series “The Temple of the Holy Hurricane.” Much of the Spirit’s way is to enter into our chaos to bring God’s order; to enter into our sickness to bring God’s health; to enter into our way of death to bring God’s life. We have become so accustomed to our way that the Spirit’s way seems chaotic, sickly, and deathly-destructive. He is the Holy Hurricane.

Let’s begin by entering the world of a group of people that were the least of all of the prospects for becoming a healthy church, much less a vibrant one. By all accounts Corinth should have been the last place a church could have sprouted and began to blossom. Yet, they did, and passionately so. The Corinthians church was a vibrant group who were passionate about the things of God. They were passionate about learning to move in the giftings of the Spirit. Unfortunately, all was not well on the home front. With equal passion of pursuing the giftings of the Spirit, they also pursued a way of disunity. Let’s begin by turning to I Corinthians 1:10-17:

I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. What I mean is that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.” Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name. (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power (ESV).

Even with this simply taste of Corinthian church life we can see that while these people pursued a very powerful spirituality, they did not pursue the true life of Christ. It is easy to misread Paul to be condemning the use of spiritual gifts and all things mystic. Yet, I think it is a more faithful reading of the whole of I Corinthians to understand Paul to say that THE greatest mark of spirituality is not individuality. Rather the greatest mark of spirituality is the ability to love well, which includes the ability to navigate conflict with an eye towards unity. Yes, Paul does emphasize unity, but not uniformity.

As we shall see, spiritual giftings are meant to be tools towards the end of growing the whole body. Is it possible that we in the conservative (fundamentalist even) traditions, who do not necessarily emphasize spiritual giftings, make the same fundamental mistakes as those early believers in Corinth? Essentially those believers pursued their own egos at the expense of the life of other believers and at the expense of the whole body. They merely clothed their wolfy pursuit in the sheep’s garment of spiritual gifts. When someone is in sin, how do we treat them? When a strong church member falls, how do we treat them? When someone out in town and from a different church holds a different point of view, how do we treat them? When someone in our own fellowship holds a different point of view, how do we treat them? Bible “truth” I fear has become to us what spiritual gifts and giftings became to those early believers.

Let’s turn now to I Corinthians 12:

Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed. You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led. Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit (I Corinthians 12:1-3; ESV; underlining mine).

To begin with we must understand that the word gifts, which I have underlined, is not in the original Greek. However, most English translations (perhaps all) insert the word here, for Paul does speak of spiritual gifts throughout chapters 12-14. I think there may be a deeper purpose for Paul leaving this word out. If left out, the sentence reads something like: “now concerning spiritual brothers” or “now concerning the spiritual realm” or “now concerning the realm of the Spirit.” At any rate we in the mechanical and scientific West separate the spiritual from the physical. Paul does not.

Paul is perhaps referring to two different groups in this passage: those who say “Jesus is accursed!” and those who say “Jesus is Lord.” The first group would have been Jewish people who rejected Jesus as a failed, messianic pretender who rightly died under God’s curse on the cross. The second group would have been those Gentile converts who emphasize their allegiance to Jesus over Caesar, for to say that Jesus is Kyrios or Lord was to say that Caesar is not. With verse two speaking about being led by idols (Paul referred to this practice as demonic in chapter 8), Paul seems to be emphasizing that spirituality, even in the church, is not necessarily “in the Holy Spirit” and may even be demonic. Thus, by our lives we demonstrate who we are truly worshiping. By our engagement with the larger body we emphasize who we are truly worshiping. Let us return to our passage in Verse 4:

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophesy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills (12:4-11; ESV).

This of course is merely one of the several lists of spiritual gifts found within the New Testament. Let us not make the mistake of assuming this and the other lists are the only legitimate gifts in the Church. After all many of us refuse to recognize tongues, and even a few of us believe that the gifts disappeared with the death of the last Apostle. Let us not make these mistakes.

Paul is emphasizing that within the plurality of gifts there is ONE gift-giver. Verse 7 gives a great working definition of a spiritual gift that avoids the dry, cold, and stale understanding so commonly lived out. “To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” “My” gift or gifts are not given to me for me. They are given to me for the “common good” of the whole body. Or put a different way, the Spirit shows up in my life to make me his gift to the whole body.

And … for those of us who are “up” on spiritual gifts and moving in them, we may not like the following implication. If spiritual gifts are manifestations of the Holy Spirit and doled out “as he wills,” then is it possible that at least with some of the gifts that I do not “possess” them consistently or perpetually? Rather is it possible that I become “gifted” simply when the Spirit of God shows up for that moment?

I cannot count the amount of times I have heard “seasoned” Christians say that they cannot do such and such within the church. God has not called them; God has not gifted them; God has not … God has not … God has not. I am afraid that this understanding of spiritual gifts is a crutch to avoid taking responsibility for certain needs at hand.

For example: “Hey, Walter, would you mind attempting to fix the toilet in the ladies’ bathroom?” Walter replies, “I’m sorry, Bob, but I have not been called (gifted) to do such things.”

The basic question is this: are we submitting ourselves continually to the sovereignty of the Spirit of God? If the answer is yes, this will “manifest” itself in propelling us to open ourselves up to whatever the Spirit might have in store for us. Thus, instead of thinking in terms of what have I been “gifted” to do, as the hub of “my” spirituality, such an understanding would propel us to think in terms of seeking the sovereignty of the Spirit, while ministering to the needs of others, as the hub of “our” spirituality.

You see this passage is not so much about the details and mechanics of spiritual gifts, as it is about my living under the sovereignty of the Spirit in the lives of others in the whole of the body. It is in this vein, I believe, that Paul uses the metaphor of the one human body with many “members.” Consider Verses 12 & 13:

For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body–Jews or Greeks, slaves or free–and all were made to drink of one Spirit (ESV).

As a very good Jewish theologian, the bedrock of Paul’s theology is that God is one. Throughout the whole of I Corinthians and specifically here Paul is emphasizing that we are to be one as God is one. As our one God is three distinct persons, we are to be one body with distinct members. Let’s skip down to 12:27:

Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? But earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you still a more excellent way (12:27-31; ESV).

Following the beautiful metaphor of the one body with many members, Paul emphasizes just that: one body of Christ with individual members. He also emphasizes the importance of spiritual gifts: “And God has appointed …. But earnestly desire the higher gifts.” The last verse of our current passage underscores the one message of Paul: there is a more excellent way than the way of serving the individual needs of the individual ego. Let’s pick back up with I Corinthians 13, known far and wide as “The Love Chapter.” I will begin, however, with the last verse of chapter 12.

And I will show you a still more excellent way.

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things (12:31-13:7; ESV).

Paul’s “one” message, his “more excellent way” is the way of love among the individual members for the purpose of building up the whole, the one body. One way to especially drive this home concerns verses 4-7. These are the “Love is” verses. Wherever you see the word “love,” simply insert your name. Now read this out loud with some measure of sincerity.

Go ahead … do it … I’m being serious.

Now that you’ve done this, what effect did this have on you? The effect this little exercise upon you perhaps determines the quality of your relationship with the Spirit of God and your relationships with the members of your one fellowship. After all the quality of your relationships with the members of your one fellowship is a fairly good indicator of your relationship with the Spirit of God.

 

August 10, 2009

The Temple of the Holy Hurricane: Part IV

Posted by Faith, Worship & Life under Titus 01, Titus 02, Titus 03 | Tags: , , , |
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This is yet one more teaching in a series on the Holy Spirit and his ministry. This is a sub-series within our larger study on the Apostles’ Creed.

Driving up and down I-95 in North and South Carolina, you see gazillions of billboards advertising a place called, “South of the Boarder.” A couple of billboards have cars on them. Each one is truly creative and unique. With all of the effort paid in establishing all of these really unique billboards you can’t help but to believe there must be something going on at South of the Border.

However, what is there? Ask anyone this, and they’re liable to simply smile, shake their heads, and mumble, “Nothing.” It is simply one gigantic souvenir shop, offering tee-shirts and bumper stickers that let folks know you’ve been to South of the Border.

When we make such a fuss and effort with folks about coming to church, are we offering them anything more than simply a tee-shirt that says they’ve been to our church? Is our church merely a souvenir stand? Or is church meant to be something more?

In writing to Titus, Paul presents a vision of church that is dramatically more than that of a souvenir stand. Titus lived on the island of Crete and was in charge of other church leaders there. The blessing and curse of Titus’s ministry was Cretan culture. The blessing was that Cretan folks were being converted to Christianity and becoming an active part of the movement. The curse was that they were bringing their culture of physical and moral laziness into the church.

Let’s begin in Titus 1:5:

This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you–if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination (Titus 1:5-6; ESV).

As Paul is beginning, he is listed some character traits that are to flow from both the church leadership and their families. Given the background of Crete, Paul is essentially instructing Titus to ensure that church leaders are to be different in their heart character from the common culture of Crete. There is a subtly that screams. Crete was known for moral and physical laziness. The standard of character Paul is setting requires actively taking charge of the direction of one’s heart and life. Throughout the rest of chapter one, we will notice this pattern.

Titus 1:7:

For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, (ESV).

Again, I illustrate this pattern of being different from the culture in the inner heart character. Cretan culture was one of physical and moral laziness. The verse above (1:7) is not the whole of verse 7. I purposefully stopped in the middle. This first part emphasizes what the Cretan church leadership is to avoid. This, we shall see, is an apt description of Cretan culture. Now let’s finish verse 7 and carry through to verse 9.

… but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it (ESV).

The first part of verse 7 is what Cretan church leadership was to avoid. This later part, the counter-balance, is what Cretan church leadership is to actively embrace and practice. Again Cretan culture was one of physical and moral laziness. Paul is expecting active excellence from his people. It should also be mentioned at this point, that Paul is not addressing the wider Cretan world (i.e. the pagans). Rather he is firmly addressing his own Christian people.

Let’s now pick up with Verse 10:

For there are many who are insubordinate, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision party. They must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for shameful gain what they ought not to teach. One of the Cretans, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, not devoting themselves to Jewish myths and the commands of people who turn away from the truth. To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled. They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work (Titus 1:10-16; ESV).

Here again, we get a flavor of the culture in which Titus lived and ministered. Again Paul was not speaking against the culture of the wider world for its own sake. Paul’s main concern is the church leadership under Titus. “They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work,” is the description of the wider world. The church leadership was to be different.

Here we begin to see one flavor of the vision of church that Paul has. The church is the place where people can be saved from their devastating culture. Notice the pattern here. Cretan culture is moral and physical laziness. The church in Crete was to facilitate transformation in people, making them into a disciplined holy army of effective good works in the redemptive name of Jesus with pin-point accuracy.

(Allow me to say a brief word about “the circumcision party.” These people were largely Gentile/Greek converts to Judaism, who have now converted to Christianity. They taught that all wishing to convert to Christianity must first be circumcised. Paul taught that Gentiles may convert directly into Christianity instead of having to go through Judaism first. To my knowledge very few of these people were ethnically Jewish. It is these people that Paul calls “Judaisers.”)

Let’s continue with 2:11:

For the grace of God has appeared, brining salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works (Titus 2:11-14; ESV).

Again, we see this pattern: from a culture of moral and physical laziness to the kingdom culture of moral integrity and physical discipline and readiness; from lawlessness to a disciplined holy army for good works in the redemptive name of Jesus. The holy mediation here is Salvation of two related types: Deliverance-salvation & Transformation-salvation.

Let’s pick up with 3:1:

Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness… (Titus 3:1-5; ESV).

I want you to notice that humor of Paul here. Paul says that we were not saved “because of works done by us in righteousness.” It is true that we were saved by Grace, but I Paul is doing something different here from teaching on systematic theology. He emphasizes to one who works within a culture of moral and physical laziness that we are not saved because of works done in righteousness. Paul is using humor to jab at their culture. “We are not saved by works … after all we Cretans don’t work, and if we did, we certain don’t work good deeds!” I hope you see the same genius-humor there that I do.

Anyway, moving on along, let’s pick back up in 3:4:

But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his graced we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people (Titus 3:4-8; ESV).

Now here in this selection of verses we see Paul specifically mention the Deliverer and Transformer: God, the Holy Spirit. The word picture used is that of a bath or shower. The Holy Spirit is “poured out on us.” I firmly believe this is to be a continual happening. If we remember our previous teaching from Ephesians 5, Paul instructs us to essentially keep on keeping on being filled with the Spirit.

No, he is not saying we must be initially saved or born again over and over. We all know people who have had dramatic first-time encounters with God. Yet, how many people do we know whom God has completely made perfect in that first encounter with him? Rather, we all need a life-time in which to change. We need a life-long continual bath in the Holy Spirit.

Once we are being cleansed of the world, how many of us in our own strength can live as God would have us to live? Very few of us for very long. Not only does the Holy Spirit deliver, cleanse, and transform us, he empowers us to live the new life in God in the world. And this Holy Spirit bath is made more powerful to the degree I involve myself in the lives of my fellow Christians … and in doing good works in the world.

No, Paul is not teaching a gospel of work-righteousness. Consider briefly the home. How many dads in our country consider the home to merely be a place to eat and sleep? Is not home supposed to be so much more? You betcha! Home becomes a richer experience to the degree the members involve themselves in the lives of one another: Parents with children, parents with one another, parents with their parents, grandparents with their grandchildren, the nuclear family with the extended family, and of course adult children with their elderly parents. Well … the same holds true for the household of the family of God. Church is a richer Holy Spirit bath to the degree that we involve ourselves in the lives of one another … and involve ourselves in the world.

We can have this vision of church: as a mere souvenir stand, wherein we merely acquire a tee-shirt that says we’ve been to church; as a home where we only and merely eat and sleep.

or …

… as a Temple of the Holy Spirit, wherein we are really and truly actively transformed from the nastiness of the world to the righteous image of God; as a home, wherein we experience being bathed in the Holy Spirit continually and wherein we deeply & redemptively involve ourselves in the lives of one another.

 

August 4, 2009

The Temple of the Holy Hurricane: Part III

Posted by Faith, Worship & Life under Ephesians 5 | Tags: , |
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This is the third in a sub-series on the Holy Spirit, entitled, “The Temple of the Holy Hurricane.” We have arrived at the last third of the Apostles’ Creed, which deals with the Holy Spirit’s ministry in the church. In this teaching we’ll discuss the notion of being filled with the Spirit of God as a continual need, event, and process.

Let’s turn to Ephesians 5:18:

And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit … (ESV).

At first glance this verse might attract very little curiosity. After all it is common Christian ethos to eschew drunkenness, if not all alcohol out right.  However, Paul is not teaching a Temperance message here. Rather Paul is giving us, in classical-Hebrew-word-picture fashion a very powerful understanding of the Spirit-filled life.

Before proceeding, we must understand something of comparisons in literature. If I were to attempt a writing campaign to curb littering on rural roads, I could make the following statement:

Keep our country roads clean.

We would all understand this message, would we not? But how effective would it be in securing a “beachhead” in the minds of country-road travelers?

However, consider the following statement:

Stop turning our roads into sewers. Transform them into wild-flowered avenues of paradisiacal beauty.

This statement carries more weight! It lodges in the mind and won’t go to bed. The reason is that two images of equally-drastic potency are contrasted. No, “sewers” and “paradisiacal beauty” are not equal in content, but they are equal in potency.

This is what is occurring in our verse at hand. No, debauchery and the Spirit-filled life are certainly not equal in content, but they are equal in potency. This is especially true when you understand that Greek behind the English of this verse. Paul quite literally instructs the Ephesians (and us by proxy) to keep on being filled with the Spirit. In other words, just like drunkenness for the debauched alcoholic is not a onetime event, being filled with the Spirit is an event that should occur continually, repeatedly, again and again and again.

Let’s do some further compare/contrast plays with debauchery and the Spirit-filled life.

In order to get drunk, does my fancy glass fill itself up all on its own? No, of course it does not. I must physically return to the bar and lift the glass up to the bar-tender and pay the money. Similarly, being filled with the Spirit is not automatic. It requires constant and consistent initiative on my part. Oh, yes, I was filled with the Spirit at my conversion experience, but I get empty! Paul instructs us to keep on keeping on being filled with the Spirit.

In drunkenness the chemical substance takes over my mind and body. It quite literally overpowers me. Well, with the Spirit-filled life the Spirit of God overpowers me. He is in total control … and I am impassioned with his desires. Returning to our previous compare/contrast play, this is all the more reason why I need to plead with God every day to fill me up to overflowing with his Spirit. I have influences in my life that vie for my support and allegiances, from the devil, himself, to things in the world, to my own former nature, to the people in my life who are uncomfortable with the changes God is making in my life. I must take up my cross daily. I must offer God complete control over my life daily. I must seek to be filled with his Spirit daily.  

My buddies in the service called beer, “Liquid Courage.” Several of the people I worked with at a former restaurant job swore up and down that they simply could not cook up to their potential without first having a few beers. Yet, the reality is that drunkenness takes away from our ability to perform and produce, does it not? On the other hand, being continually filled with the Spirit enhances and empowers my service for God. Drunkenness reduces me to an animal. Being continually filled with the Spirit makes me more fully human; restores in me a more focused and brighter image of God. 

It is indeed interesting that verses 19-21, which follows our verse at hand, reads as such:

And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ (ESV).

Do we remember “The Andy Griffith Show?” Otis was always a welcome easy laugh. He was the town drunk. We all would laugh at the silly songs and melodies he would “create” in his jail cell, waiting out his drunken stupor. Following our current compare/contrast task, I believe that verses 19-21 are a contrasting element in our drunkenness/Spirit-filled word picture. Like in Otis’s life, drunkenness takes away from our ability to produce anything but silliness (at best) or despair and destruction (at worst) in the lives of others. By contrast, continually being filled with the Spirit enables us to produce blessings in the lives of others of symphony orchestra quality. Drunkenness causes discord in the lives of others through me. Being continually filled with the Spirit produces harmonic life in others through me. Have you ever participated in a community of some sorts where everyone “submitt(ed) to one another out of reverence for Christ?” Have you ever seen a community of some sorts do that with true joy? That is the result of the continual Spirit-filled life.

Now, here is your homework. Read Ephesians 4:17–6:9 (preferably in a translation you can understand).

Now that you’re finished, simply ask yourself, “How in the world can I possibly do all of that?” (Let alone do it with joy?) The answer is you can’t, not in your own strength. Let’s face it, folks. Even the largest of the Spiritual Giants among us get tired and weary. How many of us could work one week in the dusty fields on one large Sunday afternoon banquet? Not many of us. We must continually be filled with food and recharged with energy. The same is true for the Christian life. Very few of us are successful at living a productive & victorious Christian life on our mere Salvation experience. We must continually be filled with the Spirit of God.

 

August 4, 2009

The Temple of the Holy Hurricane: Part II

Posted by Faith, Worship & Life under Acts 01, Acts 02, Exodus 03, Exodus 19, Exodus 40 | Tags: , |
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This is the second in a sub-series entitled, “The Temple of the Holy Hurricane.” We have arrived at the last third of our journey through the Apostles’ Creed, and it concerns the church being the Temple of the Holy Hurricane, aka the Holy Spirit. In this teaching we will compare the fire of God in Exodus with the fire of God in Acts.

Question: Is our church rooted in the fire of God?

Exodus 3:1-5:

Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led hi flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed.

And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.”

When the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!”

And he said, “Here I am.”

Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.

And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” (ESV).

So, Moses meets God. He meets God on the very spot that he will later receive Torah from him. God appears to him in the flames that burn a bush, but do not consume the bush. God intends to commission Moses for his service, but Moses is afraid he is insufficient. In a way Moses is afraid he will be consumed in the process of serving God. Yet the bush foretells Moses’s life. He will be burn for God, but he will not be consumed. In fact he will become more alive than he had ever been before.

Let’s continue our trek through Exodus by turning to Exodus 19:

On the third new moon after the people of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that day they came into the wilderness of Sinai. They set out from Rephidim and came into the wilderness. There Israel encamped before the mountain, while Moses went up to God. The LORD called to him out of the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel: You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel” (19:1-6; ESV).

So God and Moses have delivered the people of Israel out of Egypt. Moses has assembled them at the base of the same mountain on which he first met God. God is about to ask Israel to marry him and offers terms for their covenant together. He saved them when they could not save themselves and delivered them to himself (verse 4). He offers them to be his treasured possession among all peoples on earth … if they keep covenant (verse 5). They will be holy. That is they will be set apart as one people, a whole nation of priests (verse 6). If they are a whole nation of priests, then to who are they to minister? I suggest the nations of the earth. They were delivered … not just for themselves … but for God and the nations.

Question: Are they ready for that?

Let’s pick up in Exodus 19:16-20:

On the morning of the third day there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled. Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they took their stand at the foot of the mountain. Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the LORD had descended on it in fire. The smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled greatly. And as the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him in thunder. The LORD came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain. And the LORD called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up (ESV).

There they are at the same place Moses meet God. They will meet God too. Just as Moses met God in fire; so these people will meet God in fire. Moses ascends to God, and tradition has it that during his stay on Mt. Sinai, God gave him the whole of Torah to give the people.

So, let’s recap Exodus 19. The people marry God on the terms of being set apart unto him for ministering him to the nations. They meet God in fire and receive his revelation, his word, his Torah.

Let’s jump to the end at Exodus 40:34-38:

Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. Throughout all their journeys, whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the people would set out. But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out till the day that it was taken up. For the cloud of the LORD was on the tabernacle by day, and fire was in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel throughout all their journeys (ESV).

Here we have at the end of Exodus that wherever the people went the presence of God led them as cloud by day and fire by night. Thus throughout Exodus God is in fire with his people. With his people.

Do we truly understand what separated this people from all other peoples on the face of the earth? It was not rules. Other peoples had rules. It was not their being necessarily religious. Other peoples were religious too. Rather what separated this people from all other peoples on the face of the earth was the presence of God. They were to be holy or set apart unto him. They do not simply happen upon his Torah. He descends to Mount Sinai to marry his people and give it to them.

Let’s move over to Acts. Now with this backdrop, perhaps we can better appreciate the depth of the ministry of the Spirit of God.

Acts 1:1-7:

In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom had chosen. He presented himself to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.

And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which he said, “you heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”

He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (ESV).

Jesus is about to be taken up from them. He promises something very remarkable: the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and they want to know when Jesus is going to restore the political fortunes of the state of Israel! His response to them is that they will be empowered to be his witnesses to all nations on earth. Is some of this beginning to sound familiar? He was taken up in a cloud. We are waiting on the fire.

Let’s turn now to Acts 2:1-13:

When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language.

And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopatamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pampylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians–we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.”

And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?”

But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine” (ESV).

So the fire of God fell with the result that all nations heard of the mighty works of God in their own tongues. This is certainly a picture of the word of God settling so deep into the church, that each individual person was empowered to tell of the works of God among the nations. The fire of God fell at Sinai for the whole congregation of Israel. The fire of God fell at Jerusalem for the Church on each individual person. The congregation of Israel was brought to God for a marriage covenant. The church is the bride of Christ. The congregation of Israel was set apart (holy) unto God for him and for the nations. The church at Jerusalem at Pentecost was empowered for their being set apart for Jesus and for the nations. What separated the people of Israel from all other peoples was the presence of God. What should separate us from all other peoples is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

Pentecost is the day the Jews celebrate the giving of Torah at Mt. Sinai by God in fire for God and for the nations. Pentecost is the day that the Church was baptized in fire by the Holy Spirit for God and for the nations.

 

August 3, 2009

The Temple of the Holy Hurricane: Part I

Posted by Faith, Worship & Life under Ezekiel 36, Ezekiel 37, John 03 | Tags: , , , |
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We have arrived at the final third of our teaching study in the Apostles’ Creed. Consider the final third:

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic church,
the communion of the saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting.
Amen.
(from Alister McGrath’s “I Believe”: Exploring the Apostles’ Creed; p. 7)

Every aspect or teaching point of the Creed is livable, but this section in particular is more than simply one more fact to put into our brains. I have a question for us: Does this resemble the churches in which we attend? For example, do we our churches have regular experiences with the Spirit of God, which enables us to commune with other churches and with one another in peace and life-producing harmony? In sum, this question is the whole of this section of the Creed. If our churches are not living examples of this last third of the Creed, then it is doubtful we are truly practicing what Scripture and Tradition call “church.”

We will begin this section by a sub-series teaching on the Holy Spirit. We will be our present teaching by turning to John 3:16:

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life (ESV).

If I were to ask most people in our common church culture what the gist or main point of this verse is, by and far the most popular answers would be:

  • We can go to heaven
  • Jesus came to die so we could go to heaven.
  • The Christian life is simply a matter of mere belief in Jesus, and not a matter of works.

Yet, if we consider this verse in its own scriptural context, then we must admit that our 3 popular answers are only dimly related, if at all! In order to consider our verse of choice for banners at ball games, in order to better arrive at its heart, we must consider the Old Testament fountain out of which this chapter flows. Let us turn to Ezekiel 36 & 37:

The word of the LORD came to me: “Son of man, when the house of Israel lived in their own land, they defiled it by their ways and their deeds. Their ways before me were life the uncleanness of a woman in her menstrual impurity. So I poured out my wreath upon them for the blood that they had shed in the land, for the idols with which they had defiled it. I scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed through the countries. In accordance with their ways and their deeds I judged them. But when they came to the nations, wherever they came, they profaned my holy name, in that people said of them, ‘These are the people of the LORD, and yet they had to go out of his land.’ but I had concern for my holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations to which they came” (Ezek. 36:16-21; ESV).

Ezekiel lived and prophesied during the Exile of Judah. Here at the beginning of our passage at hand, we are getting a flavor of God’s heart. The people were sent into exile for making lifestyles out of profaning the Name of God, and their practice has continued even after being sent into exile. Let’s pick up again with verse 22:

“Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord GOD: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations to which you came. And I will vindicate the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them. And the nations will know that I am the LORD, declares the Lord GOD, when through you I vindicate my holiness before their eyes” (Ezek. 36:22-23; ESV).

At this point we can see that God is a bit upset. He actually sounds like a gentleman of yesteryear challenging someone to a duel for tarnishing his “honnah” (honor–in a classical high society Southern accent). Yet, this is not the direction God takes with his people. He does promise to do something to them for tarnishing his honor among the nations, but it is not what we would expect at this point. Let us continue reading at verse 24:

“I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules (or “just decrees”). You shall dwell in the land that I gave your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God. And I will deliver you from all your uncleanness. And I will summon the grain and make it abundant and lay no famine upon you. I will make the fruit of the tree and the increase of the field abundant, that you may never again suffer the disgrace of famine among the nations. Then you will remember your evil ways, and your deeds that were not good, and you will loathe yourselves for your iniquities and your abominations. It is not for your sake that I will act, declares the Lord GOD; let that be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your ways, O house of Israel.

“Thus says the Lord GOD: On the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will cause the cities to be inhabited, and the waste places shall be rebuilt. And the land that was desolate shall be tilled, instead of being the desolation that it was in the sight of all who passed by. And they will say, ‘this land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden, and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are now fortified and inhabited.’ Then the nations that are left all around you shall know that I am the LORD; I have rebuilt the ruined places and replanted that which was desolate. I am the LORD; I have spoken, and I will do it.

“Thus says the Lord GOD: This also I will let the house of Israel ask me to do for them: to increase their people life a flock. Like the flock for sacrifices, like the flock at Jerusalem during her appointed feasts, so shall the waste cities be filled with flocks of people. then they will know that I am the LORD” (Ezek. 36:25-38; ESV).

God’s honor has been severely tarnished in Israel (and Judah) and among the nations by his own people. God is going after his people. Yet, he is going after them not for destruction but for complete transformation. He promises this group of people, who can do nothing but tarnish his holy Name, that he will give them a new spirit and new heart. He will put his Spirit within them. He will bring them back to the land and will replenish the land. When all of this was to happen, then the nations (and his own people) would know, “I am the LORD.”

This teaching/promise is followed up by a very dramatic vision experienced by Ezekiel. Keep in mind that the following vision is the “visual” for the previous teaching/promise.

Ezekiel 36:1-14:

The hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the LORD and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry.

And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”

And I answered, “O Lord GOD, you know.”

Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the LORD.”

So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them. But there was no breath in them. Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord GOD: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.

Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off.’ Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the LORD; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the LORD” (ESV).

In this dramatic vision Ezekiel is taken to what is essentially a mass grave of very old bones, “they were very dry.” God tells Ezekiel to prophesy over the bones, which he does. The bones reconnect and take on living flesh. Yet the bodies are not living.  Ezekiel prophesies to “the breath,” and the windy breath rushes into the bodies. Immediately, these bodies are driven to their feet and become “an exceedingly great army.”

It may be instructive that the Hebrew word for breath is the same for wind and Spirit. The word picture, the vision, is clear: God is promising to put his Spirit into his people (each one of them), and in so doing they will be transformed from the living dead into “an exceedingly great (spiritual) army” for God.

What is instructive is this vision is for the “whole house of Israel,” not just Judah. In order to reconnect the whole of the people of God into “one” a great work of the Spirit of God would need to take place. In fact the remaining verses of chapter 37 teach this very point. The icing on the cake of Israel is that David would return to be king over all his people.

Now that we’ve got a bit of Scriptural background, let’s return to John 3. Remember, Ezekiel 36 and 37 is the fount out of which Jesus’s teaching in John 3 flows, the tunnel through which John 3 blows.

John 3:1-3:

Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.”

Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” (ESV).

This chapter is very famous. It is normally taught that good ole Nicodemus was simply a blockhead. Jesus was teaching, but he wasn’t getting it. Let me suggest this before moving on: Nicodemus fully understood what Jesus was saying, but was instead not completely buying into it.

You see Jewish theology of the time taught that all Jews were born into the people of God through the waters of the Red Sea and the Spirit of God leading them in the fire by night. At the time of Jesus converts to Judaism were baptized (immersed) in water for new life in Judaism. They were completely leaving their old life behind.

The boo-boo moment comes when John the Baptist appears on the scene baptizing fellow Jews who were fully repenting of their old lives of sin and hard-heartedness to God. The Pharisees sent inquisitors to John demanding to know the meaning of all of this. Baptism is for Gentiles, not Jews. John’s message was clear: simply being born does not make one member of the house of God. You must be born again.

Here Nicodemus sits, trying to absorb the full meaning of all of this. He was sympathetic, but unsure. Let us pick up Jesus’s response to Nicodemus in verse 5:

Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of flesh is flesh, and that which is born of Spirit is spirit. The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit” (John 3:5-8; ESV).

Again, Jesus is simply repeating good Pharisaic Jewish theology. All Jews were born into the people of God at the Red Sea through the waters and the pillar of fire (water and the Spirit). Jesus adds a caveate: that which is born of flesh is flesh, and that which is born of Spirit is spirit. Jesus is defending this concept of being born again. Here we see the backdrop of our Ezekiel passage. If we remember, even though the bones had been reconnected and covered with living flesh, they were not living. The Spirit of God had to blow into each of them (corporately and individually). Simply being born does not make one a member of God’s family. One must be born again, filled with the Holy Spirit.

Remember that in Ezekiel 36, God promises to radically change the inner heart of hearts of each of his people, so that they could keep the ways of God and together as one people bring honor to the Name of God among the nations. As the holy wind blew over this valley of dry bones in Ezekiel 37, they were recreated into fleshy bodies. As the holy wind blew into the fleshy bodies, they were brought to full life and became “an exceedingly great army.” The wind is a picture for the Spirit of God, and this vision hearkens back to Creation. As God was speaking things into existence, the Spirit of God was hovering over the creation, creating. In our Ezekiel passage the Spirit of God hovers over the dead creation for the purpose of re-creation.

With all of this as our backdrop, does our reading of John 3:15 & 16 change at all?

 … that whoever believes in him (Jesus as the Son of Man) may have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life (ESV).

This is not a treatise on going to heaven (though heaven is certainly in the distant–very distant–background). Receiving eternal life from Jesus, through being “born again,” means that we have become a part of this “exceedingly great army” for God, by being born again through being filled with the Spirit of God. Being filled with the Spirit of God, means that we have this holy hurricane living in us, hovering over our souls to re-create us, to transform us into soldiers for that “exceedingly great army” for God. This passage is very much for the here-and-now. Heaven is only and merely a distant relation.

 

June 15, 2009

The Judgment of Jesus Part VII: Help that Truly Helps, Not Hurts

Posted by Faith, Worship & Life under Deuteronomy 17, James 1, Psalm 021 | Tags: , , , |
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We have been camping out over the concept of Jesus bringing final judgment, as found in the Apostles’ Creed. Jesus will return to bring final judgment on all. Granted our judgment as believers is not one that concerns our destination. Yet, we as believers will be judged for what we have done with the eternal life Jesus has given to us. So the question we’ve been looking at for the past several weeks is:

What have we done with what we’ve been given?

What God is looking for us in can been summarized in the cutesy acronym: The ABC’s of Christianity:

A–attachment to the heart of God
B–behavioral submission to the heart of God and his ways
C–community attachment, engagement & participation (in the church and the world) for Jesus

I feel like that one last loose end needs to be tied up before moving on. I make no bones about doing good works in the world as an absolute necessity for living the Christian life. (NO, WE DON’T EARN OUR SALVATION.) However, I want to make very clear that what I’m emphasizing is not the Social Gospel. Nor am I saying that all we need to do is dump tracks off on people and run. Rather, I want to emphasize the need to walk with the people to whom we’re reaching. AND we guide them to Jesus in conversion and discipleship that transforms their inner character.

I was working on my bicycle this past weekend, getting it ready for my biking season. The tires were flat, as they tend to become over time without use. Yet, I could not pump them up. I thought, perhaps the tires are bad and need to be taken to the bike shop. A couple of months prior, I attempted to pump up our jogging stroller tires … to no avail. I took them to the bike shop and wound up paying $65.00 for 6 jogging stroller tires to be up to snuff. I thought I was going to have to do the same for these bike tires.

We made the decision to go to Wal-Mart and buy a new pump. If that worked, then paying $10.00 would be much better than paying so much more to have the bike tires replaced. As I began looking at the various pumps, I noticed something … the same thing … in all of the pumps. In ALL of the new pumps the apparatus that attaches to the tire, itself, contained a spike inside. The head on my current pump did not. As it turns out that spike inside the apparatus that attaches itself to the spout on the tire press on something in the tire spout, which allows air to enter the tire. My pump had evidently lost this spike quite a while ago.

We could have continued taking our tires to the bike shop to have them “repaired.” Yet, no matter how much money we would have continued to throw at this problem, the problem would have not been solved. This is akin to the point I’m making about targeting heart change in the people to whom we’re attempting to reach.

Let’s turn to Psalm 21.

O LORD, in your strength the king
     rejoices,
     and in your salvation how greatly he
          exults!
You have given him his heart’s desire
     and have not withheld the request of
          his lips.
For you meet him with rich blessings;
     you set a crown of fine gold upon his
          head.
He asked life of you; you gave it to him,
     length of days forever and ever.
His glory is great through your salvation;
     splendor and majesty you bestow on
          him.
For you make him most blessed forever;
     you make him glad with the joy of
          your presence.
For the king trusts in the LORD,
     and through the steadfast love of the
          Most High he shall not be moved.
Your hand will find out all your enemies;
     your right hand will find out those
          who hate you.
You will make them as a blazing oven
     when you appear.
The LORD will swallow them up in his
          wrath,
     and fire will consume them.
You will destroy their descendants from
          the earth,
     and their offspring from among the
          children of man.
Though they plan evil against you,
     though they devise mischief, they will
          not succeed.
For you will put them to flight;
     you will aim at their faces with your
          bows.
Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength!
     We will sing and praise your power (ESV).

For those of us who are used to non-confrontational, genteel, polished language, this psalm is abrasive. It makes us wonder if it truly should be in the Bible or not. However, I’m going to ask you to suspend judgment for just a bit and allow David to be David; allow David to live in his own times; and allow David to be the warrior he is.

If we consider the first and last verses:

O LORD, in your strength the king rejoices, and in your salvation how greatly he exults! (Verse 1; ESV)

Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength! We will sing and praise your power. (Verse 13; ESV)

Taken together, we see this psalm is not so much about David or God being drunk with blood. Rather it is the earthly king praising the High King of Heaven for his strength.

Yes, David was king. Yet who was the real king, but the Lord? David was merely his representative. In fact in the covenant, David, as king, was considered to be God’s son. NO, David was nor did become a god. That was just the nature of his relationship with God, as king. If David is God’s son, who is God to David, but Father? As his son, David’s pleas and requests had special access to the heart of God the Father. In this psalm David praises God for delivering. Most likely this psalm refers to David in a particular battle or David as a warrior-king in general. Nonetheless, God shows up.

Verse 7 is the lynch-pin of the entire psalm:

For the king trusts in the LORD, and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved (ESV).

David is in need, and God is not just trustworthy. God is absolutely trust-worthy. The “steadfast love” of God is absolutely sure. Yet, here is the teaching question for this psalm:

It is certainly true that God is trustworthy and sure, but can God trust in David?

You see, it is easy for us in 21st Century America with our snot-nosed, entitlement mentality that relationship with God is totally one way. After all doesn’t our government teach that all we need to do is simply vote for them and we’ll receive all manner of largesse?  Yet, 21st Century American “sophisticate” is not the mind of “covenant” in the Bible. Yes, God loved David; yes, God showed up for David; yes, God provided for David. Yet, according to covenant mentality, David has some obligations to faithfully fulfill, as king. Let’s turn to Deuteronomy 17:14-20:

“When you come to the land that the LORD your God is giving you, and you possess it and dwell in it and then say, ‘I will set a king over me, like all the nations that are around me,’ you may indeed set a king over you whom the LORD your God will choose, One from among your brothers you shall set as king over you. You may not put a foreigner over you, who is not your brother. Only he must not acquire many horses for himself or cause the people to return to Egypt in order to acquire many horses, since the LORD has said to you, ‘You shall never return that way again.’ And he shall not acquire many wives for himself, lest his heart turn away, nor shall he acquire for himself excessive silver and gold.

“And when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law, approved by the Levitical priests. And it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes, and doing them, that his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers, and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, either to the right hand or to the left, so that he may continue long in his kingdom, he and his children, in Israel” (ESV).

I’m sure Moses lived before David … correct? David would have known that he needed to practically live in God’s Torah, if he was serious about loving God. This way of life of “learning to fear the LORD his God” would have shaped David’s character.

Let’s return to our psalm. Verses 8-12 are written in a very strange manner. Who is the “you” in these verses? It is not so easily discernible as our knee-jerk, sloppy theology would have us think. Is it possible that this psalm was taken as used in the liturgy of the later-built First Temple … where the people are speaking verses 8-12 to the king … not to God? The king was charged with the defense of his people … no? His job would then be to defeat “his enemies.” In reality God and the king “blend” and “blur” in these verse on purpose. I believe David is illustrating that the king was God’s representative on earth. David, the king of Israel, stood in the place of God, the high king of heaven, as his representative. Thus, as David acted, it was as if God were acting. As David, so it is with God.

This need not sound all that strange. After all if we want to know what Jesus is like, to whom are we supposed to be able to turn? That’s right … his ambassadors … the church. As we are … so Jesus is and does … or so goes the desire of Jesus.

Now, having said this, how important was it for David, since he stood in the place of God as king for his people, how important was it for David to faithfully embrace and follow Torah? Considered in this light, how serious does David’s abuse of his authority against Bathsheba and Uriah now become? Deathly serious. Once confronted, David returns in full repentance to his Covenant relationship with God. He doesn’t merely apologize for breaking rules, he returns through repentance to a right relationship with God. He also helps to make it right for his people.

Given this idea of covenant: when we pray for God to answer us, do we have the character trained by the Holy Spirit in the Word to properly hold that which God blesses us? God is certainly faithful, but can he trust us to be faithful to him?

David was a man of solid character, who messed up. Consider now Solomon. He began well. God was ready to bless Solomon with his every heart’s desire. Yet, Solomon desired wisdom to govern his people well. However, over time Solomon multiplied horses and wives for himself. He raised his heart above his people to such an extent that he enslaved them. God blessed Solomon immensely, but Solomon did not possess the type of character required to properly hold the blessings God gave. Character is important.

As Christians, God has been truly faithful to us. Can God trust us to be faithful to him? Now is not the time for ridiculous “piety” that says, “Oh I’m merely a sinner saved by grace. Oh woe is me.” The New Testament won’t allow such buffoonery. The heart of Salvation is being transformed into people who have the character of God … or people with godly character. If God cannot trust us, then our place is repentance, not wallowing in pseudo-piety. God is fully trustworthy, but can he trust us to seek to know him? God is fully trustworthy, but can he trust us to seek heart transformation? God is fully trustworthy, but can us to seek his ways? God is fully trustworthy, but can he trust us with the people of his eye … the people he bled and died for … “the Nations?”

Let’s turn to James 1:2-27:

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.

Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it is fully grown brings forth death.

Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.

Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

But be doers of the word, and not hears only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world (ESV).

James is dealing with two sets of people. In the Jerusalem of his day there was a very small middle class. Most of the people were in dire poverty. Some were extremely wealthy. Both came to Salvation and into the church. Those in dire poverty looked at their wealthy counterparts and said, “If only I had that … then all of my problems could be solved.” The wealthy sent out warm sentiments, “Be warm and well fed,” but did very little in a physical way about it.

James’s main thought through this passage is that every good gift is from God, one of which is suffering. In it our character is trained by God. The flipside that begs to be asked is this: is it possible that our many creature-comforts are gifts from the Father of lights? Is it possible that our wealth … for those of us who possess it … are given opportunities to use to bless those in true need? In this vein we “suffer” while blessing those around us … and in such are blessed with transformation into godly character.

James is not castigating wealth. He is castigating rich and poor alike who want the easy road of physical needs being met without character change into the image of God. We are supposed to be a flaming city on a hill resembling to the world our Father of lights. The easy way simply receives and simply gives. The tougher way is to walk with people in suffering (vs. 27).

I think that often times it is easier to vote for a welfare state than it is to actually take the needs of our cities and towns upon ourselves. It’s easier for us, because we, personally, don’t have to deal with them nasty folks. It’s easier for them, because they don’t have to deal with the character change required by following God’s ways. Yet, this is our calling. We are called to be faithful to God and his ways, one of which is reaching out to a world in need. We are called to BOTH call people to Jesus and to meet their physical needs. Yet we are also called to make disciples of them, people who are committed to learning and following the ways of God and developing his character in their lives. Throwing more and more money after problems doesn’t matter near as much as godly Character development matters.

 

June 11, 2009

The Judgment of Jesus Part V: Producing

Posted by Faith, Worship & Life under James 1, Matthew 25 | Tags: , , |
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We are currently in the midst of a series dealing with the Final Judgment of Jesus. We have previously considered that now is the time to receive God’s gracious offer of Salvation from condemnation, judgment, and wrath. When Jesus appeared first that is what he came bringing. When he appears again, he will bring condemnation, judgment, and wrath.

We have also previously considered that believers will also be judged. No, it will not be a judgment determining heaven or hell. It will be a judgment on what we have done with the life we’ve been given. In closing out this series we’re considering what exactly we do with the life we’ve been given. In this last sermon we looked at the concept of heart attachment to God. In this sermon we’ll consider producing fruit with the life we’ve been given. We’ve received eternal life (that begins now). Let’s be channels of that life to others: God and neighbor.

However, before we begin, we should consider the concept of risk in producing with the life Jesus has given us. Let’s turn to Matthew 25:14-30:

“For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at one and traded with them, and he made five talents more. So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money.

“Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here I have made five talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here I have made two talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.

“He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? Then you out to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was mine with interest. So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth’” (ESV).

This highly disturbing parable finds itself in the context of the Final Judgment Jesus will bring. So “it” in the first verse is speaking of the Final Judgment. Now in this parable three people receive pieces of money (unfortunately labeled talents) and are commanded to produce with them.

Which of these three servants was not faced with the concept of risk? Not a one. Risk was a major factor in all three servants’ endeavors. And all three took risks … well … sort of. The first two risked all they had in the open market and doubled their master’s money. The first two could have lost all of their master’s money. Yet they took risks. They became vulnerable. They were called the good and faithful servants.

The third servant also took a sort-of risk. No, he did not relinquish that to which he was entrusted. His risk came in deciding against following his master’s command. He did nothing with what he was given and is called “wicked and slothful.” This servant even calls his master “Master.” This is respect, right? Wrong. Why call him “Master” if he is only going to do what he personally wants to do anyway? The master calls this servant “wicked and slothful.”

Did the master celebrate the fact each of his three servants were given something by him? Well, mostly no. He did entrust each servant with his property according to each servant’s judged ability. So in one minor sense he did celebrate he servant in receiving from him, as master. Yet, he was in reality, by entrusting to each according to his ability, celebrating past performances with his property. Upon returning the master celebrates not that each was necessarily given something. Rather he celebrated what each of the first two did with what they had.

Since each was given his master’s property according each one’s ability, it is likely that each of the servants had made past mistakes in producing with his master’s property. Yet, notice that the master is not angry over this. In his wisdom he deals with each where he is at. He is not angry so much over past mistakes as he is over the one with the one talent doing nothing with that one talent. He is called slothful. Is it possible the reason the one with two is not called slothful, though is not able to handle five like the first, is because he is learning and growing in his ability to handle his master’s property?

We as Christians and we as groups of Christians, known as churches, have been entrusted with our Master’s property to produce with it for him. Are we willing to risk loss and vulnerability in producing for Jesus? Remember, mistakes are going to be made. What Jesus is concerned about, according to the flow of this parable is not so much the mistakes we make. Rather he is concerned about us getting “out there” and taking risks with his property to produce life for him in others. He is more concerned about us learning and growing in the grace of using his grace to produce life in others than he is about our never making mistakes.

When Jesus returned and found the one with one simply hiding what he had been given, he said that at the very least he should have put it with bankers. These bankers would have paid interest on the money. How many of us in the traditional church seek to hire the “professionals” to do the hard work of church for us? While this may seem noble and right, remember Jesus told that wicked servant this was the “least” he could have done. The bare minimum. Jesus expects far more from us as his people entrusted with his life.

With this parable and exposition as a backdrop, let’s turn over to James 1:

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing (James 1:2-4; ESV).

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world (James 1:27; ESV).

While I want to hone in on the second quote from James, which ends chapter 2, I am using the first paragraph of James 1 as a backdrop from which to consider James’s understanding of “pure religion.”

James says that pure religion is that which produces; that which produces a clean moral life and that which walks with the needy, “the least of these,” in their affliction. Such a prospect is not fun. It can be terribly troubling at times.  We, especially in the deep South, do not like to openly deal with messy stuff. The soap operas are for Hollywood. Not only do we intensely dislike being involved in the affliction of others, we especially intensely disdain having to go through it ourselves. Yet, if we consider the flow of James’s first chapter, we’ll find that suffering can be a gift from God through which he trains us for being effective producers of his life.

So, what exactly do we do with the eternal life we’ve been given by Jesus? We attach ourselves to the heart of God. We engage ourselves in ministering to people in need. We submit ourselves to his ways; we are people of his ways. And his way is not simply and merely and only spending our time celebrating the fact we’re going to heaven.

 

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