September 13th, 2008
We begin with Philippians, chapter one. Paul writes this letter with Timothy, which indicates that it is either from the second missionary journey, during an undocumented Ephesian captivity hinted at in 1 Corinthians 15:32, or during his Roman incarceration, where Acts leaves him. The place is a matter of debate. That he is in prison at the time it is written is not. And what does Paul say about his time in jail? “Now I want you to know, brothers, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel, so that my imprisonment in Christ has become well-known throughout the whole Praetorian Guard, and to everyone else.” (1:12+13) Paul is in jail. He sees it as an opportunity to tell his jailers about Jesus. And some believe! Philippians 4:22 says, “All the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar’s household.” “Caesar’s household” is another term for the Praetorian Guard, pledged to serve and protect the emperor.
What are your circumstances today? Do you consider them good or bad? Regardless, do you consider them an opportunity to be a witness to Jesus Christ to those around you? Paul did. As I have told my church, Christians and non-Christians celebrate good times pretty much the same. It’s in the hard times Christians can display a faith and hope that goes beyond anything the world can understand, though it so desperately needs.
* * * * *
September 20, 2008
As we continue in our study of Philippians, we pick up the first chapter at the 21st verse. Here Paul turns from his current circumstances, jailed for preaching the gospel, to the future. Either he will live or he will die. At the time Paul it writing, empire-wide persecution against Christians has yet to break out. Martyrdom, such as what Steven faced, is still a rare thing. However, the seeds of the carnage which will come and continue for the next three centuries have been planted.
The Romans will come to see Christians as dangerous. While we might laugh at such a thought (though, honestly, the comparisons of fundamentalist Christianity with Islamic terrorism? in recent years are disconcerting), rumor, misunderstanding, and opportunism will lead to an attempt to exterminate the faith. Of course, Nero will blame the Christians for setting the fire which burns much of the city of Rome. They're just the type who would do it, from a Roman point-of-view. They worship a crucified criminal, officially executed for insurrection: he claimed to be another king. They will not say the Roman pledge of allegiance, Caesar is Lord. Many of them are slaves. They do not have a temple. And they are scattered throughout the empire, made up of different ethnic groups, unlike the regional religions of Rome, Greece, or Egypt. Put all this evidence together, and the Romans came to believe that Christians were atheistic anarchist conspirators out to undermine society itself. They deserved to die!
For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. Paul's affirmation from jail has been a source of inspiration and comfort for countless Christians ever since it was penned. Some have been martyrs for the faith, willingly giving up their lives and their own desires for the sake of the kingdom of Jesus. (You don't always literally have to die to be a martyr, either!) Some Christians have been comforted by these words as they reconsider the priorities of their lives and change direction from what they had been doing to what they now believe God would have them do. And anyone who has stood beside the deathbed of a friend or family member can receive reassurance from Paul's words, inspired by the Holy Spirit.
What are you living for? What are you willing to die for? Martin Luther King, Jr., said that until a person has found something he's willing to die for, he isn't fit to live. And yet our culture avoids thoughts and implications of death like politicians avoid protesters! Death is unavoidable. What does life mean to you? And death? When Jesus is our Lord, He changes both for the better.
|
September 26, 2008
As we continue our study of Philippians, Paul has just told the church that he is in jail and ready to die for Jesus if that’s what is required of him. However, he is pretty sure that he will be released because he has more work to do. Either way, he is ready. In the meantime, he writes, “Conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.” (Philippians 1:27a)
“When the cat’s away, the mice will play.” You know this expression. It means that when the person who is supposed to be in charge is gone, those who work under him or her are less likely to do what they are supposed to be doing. In American life, no time has the potential to be more “catless” than the college years. Your parents aren’t there. Most of the people who have known you before aren’t either. So how will you behave? Many choose poorly. According to Romans, chapter one, the worst punishment God can give us in this life is the withdrawal of His presence, of leaving us alone with our worst desires, which lead to despair and destruction. Now, in your years without parental supervision, it will become apparent to all, even to you, whether you truly believe in Him, or just give mental assent to a set of dry doctrines that you actually do not believe.
Conversion is not a matter of the emotions. It is not a matter of the mind. It IS a matter of the will. How do you know if you really believe? It is whether or not you submit your will to God’s revealed will in scripture. Belief always precedes behavior. As you believe, so you will do. As you do not believe, so you will not do. I’m not talking about the occasional slip-ups, or the moral struggles we all face. (Those struggles are some of the suffering Paul talks about in verses 29 and 30.) I’m talking about the regular pattern of your behavior. Have you submitted your life to Jesus, surrendering to Him as your king? Or are you obeying somebody or something else? Whose slave are you? As Bob Dylan sang, you’re going to serve somebody! Choose wisely!
It’s the difference between King Saul and King David. Saul was not a murderer; David was. Saul was not a slacker in his military duty; sometimes David was. But God rejected Saul and created an eternal dynasty for David, whom He called “a man after My own heart.” What was the difference? When it came to obeying God or doing what was expedient, Saul always went with expedience. When David was confronted with his sin, he truly repented, returned to the Lord, and trusted in God’s forgiveness. Are you conducting yourself in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ? If not, return to Him while you can, before real problems start hitting home. He will forgive and strengthen you.
|
October 5, 2008
Now that we have reached the second chapter of Philippians, we have come to my very favorite section of this letter, with theological meat and immediate practical application. You will recall that Paul is writing the church in Philippi, not because of some crisis going on there, but mainly as an update on his ministry and a thank-you note for their support. However, by the beginning of chapter two, he has touched on his own suffering for the gospel, and said that the same thing will be experienced by his readers.
That being the case, he urges them to be united as a congregation. And how can a congregation be united? I have read that getting Presbyterians to move together is like herding cats! I guess it depends on the congregation. But the remedy for scattering is given right here in Philippians. Be humble with each other. Serve each other.
After all, Paul writes, this is what Jesus did for you! He did not consider equality with God as something to be grasped*, but emptied Himself of His godly power by being born, humbling Himself to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place, so that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord. Jesus set the example. We are to follow. This is what Paul means in verses 12 and 13, work out your faith with fear and trembling, for God is at work in you! You do the work, knowing that it’s really God who is guiding and empowering you, not so much to great things as to being a servant, like Jesus. For a practical application, Paul says don’t grumble! Before this section on Jesus, he says treat other Christians as if they were more important than you are. If all believers practiced this, we would be united. If only some do it, the others will themselves be humbled, and their hearts softened.
I have been a pastor for 20 years now. I cannot tell you the many times enemies have become friends simply because I treated them better than they first treated me, was willing to forget insults real or imagined (and sometimes it’s hard to tell) and was willing to say a kind word or do something that showed my commitment to them. Humility is the secret strength of any Christian leader, of any Christian at all.
There are two basic attitudes Christians must cultivate in our lives: 1) thankfulness to God, and 2) humility before other Christians. This is the law of love, the fulfillment of either table of the Ten Commandments. It is not sentimental, it is very practical and real. It does not depend on how you feel, it is shown by what you do. It requires faith in Jesus Christ, who died for your sins and rose to proclaim this salvation.
Are we there yet?
* Footnote: I didn’t want to interrupt the flow of the devotional to say it, but I want to make this observation, especially for Religious Studies students. While in school you will be exposed to the theory that the gospels were written in this order: Mark, Matthew and Luke, and John. It’s a good theory, which I happen to believe. But then it may be suggested that, following this theory, one can see how Christology changed through the first century. In Mark Jesus is “adopted” as the Son of God at His baptism. In Matthew and Luke He becomes the Son of God at His conception. And only in John, the last of the gospels, written at the end of the first century, does the Church believe that Jesus was the pre-existent Son of God “in the beginning”. Nothing could be further from the truth, and Philippians 2 drops a smart bomb on the suggestion of progressive Christology. Philippians was written before any of the gospels - on this, all the scholars agree. Not only does Paul understand Jesus as the pre-existent Son of God some 20 years before Mark wrote his gospel, but he is actually quoting a hymn the early Church sang about Jesus. That’s why in most modern Bibles verses 6-11 are presented in poetic verse style, not prose. So the Christian understanding of Jesus as God even predates the letter to the Philippians. This should not surprise us, since Jesus Himself claimed to be God many times, according to the gospels. It is not a later teaching invented by overzealous disciples, which developed decades after Jesus’ earthly ministry.
And if Jesus taught that He Himself was God, that means He cannot simply be “a great moral teacher.” Either He was a liar, a lunatic, or telling the truth. He must either be completely rejected as dangerous, or completely received as Lord. If He was God, He deserves our worship. He deserves to be the prophet, priest, and king of you and me. Will we receive Him as such?
|
October 12, 2008
Philippians 2:19-30 - Trustworthy friends
Having reached the theological height of this letter in the previous verses, Paul now turns to some nuts and bolts issues regarding two good friends, Timothy and Epaphroditus. One he regards as his spiritual son, and the other is a son of Philippi. Both have aided his ministry, and are continuing to do so.
The first time we meet Timothy is in Acts 16:1, at the beginning of the second missionary journey. That time out Barnabas was no longer traveling with Paul, but Silas had taken his place. John Mark, Barnabas’ cousin, and the young man who had abandoned the work on the first missionary journey, had joined Barnabas on his leg of the second missionary journey. It was the argument over John Mark’s involvement this time that caused Paul and Barnabas to go their separate ways.
Having been burned once through the inclusion of a young believer, perhaps in his late teens, it would have been understandable for Paul not to allow another young man to take his place. But to his credit, Paul does not write off the entire age group. (Neither does he write off John Mark - by the time of Paul’s death, he writes that John Mark has become very helpful to him.) Instead, at the first stop on the second missionary journey, he and Silas accept young Timothy as a fellow missionary. By the time Paul writes Philippians he is planning to send Timothy as soon as possible, as a substitute for imprisoned Paul.
This raises a good question for us. Once someone has disappointed us, do we assume others who remind us of that person will do the same? Or, once someone has disappointed us, do we never forgive him or her? This is not Paul’s example, or that of Jesus. As we put our ultimate hope in the Lord, it saves us from being crushed and vindictive in disappointment.
Turning to Epaphroditus, we don’t know much about him. He brought a financial gift to Paul while he was in jail (Philippians 4:18), and may very well be the courier bringing this letter back to the church. In the meantime, he has remained with Paul to help him with his work. But his attempt to help has not gone the way he expected; instead, he has gotten so sick that he has almost died, and in all probability, Paul and those with him have been taking care of Epaphroditus. But his effort has not been in vain. Sometimes we serve God’s plan by allowing others to serve us, just as Peter had to allow Jesus to wash his feet. It’s hard to accept help from others sometimes. Can we do that with grace, as Epaphroditus did?
Finally, in these two young friends Paul finds great comfort and encouragement. That’s what a church is supposed to do, you know, encourage its members as they walk with Jesus. Do you have friends like this? Are you this kind of a friend?
October 19, 2008
Philippians 3:1-11
If you’re paying attention to Philippians, you will notice there is a break between verses 1 and 2 of the third chapter. Verse one would have been a great place to stop the letter. Up to this point it has been very personal, focusing on Paul’s situation (in jail), what the Philippians need to do when they suffer (be like Jesus, be humble with one another), and then stuff about Timothy and Epaphroditus. Then, verse one, “Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord…” Verse two veers off in another direction, “Beware of those dogs…”, and Paul launches into an attack against the people modern scholars call “the Judaisers”. These were Jewish Christians who insisted that Gentile Christians also become Jews, being circumcised and performing all the Jewish ceremonial rituals. I’ll discuss them more in our look at Galatians, the second half of this year’s Bible study.
Nobody knows exactly why Paul does this here. There is nothing to indicate that there are Judaisers troubling the church in Philippi. Some have guessed that this might be a second letter tacked on to the first. (The Corinthian correspondence, especially 2 Corinthians, make more sense overall when understood as a collection of four letters copied together, longest to shortest.) My seminary professor, Paul Achtemeier, had a simpler explanation for the break. Paul was dictating, and after 3:1 the scribe said, “Hey, Paul, we have a lot of parchment left here, and it’s not cheap! Got anything else you want to say?” This works for me.
And so Paul launches into a warning against those who would add something extra to what Jesus has done on the cross. His argument is very convincing. If being a Jew helped being a Christian, Paul should know. He is as Jewish as they come. In fact, Paul writes, compared to knowing Christ, all that stuff that others think is so important is, well, rubbish. That’s how modern English versions translate the key word of verse 8.
In fact, the power of the word Paul chooses to make his point is lost in most translations. The word in Greek is “skubala”. I cannot give you the direct English translation because, well, it would offend some readers, and I don’t talk or write like that. This is the kind of word which would be scrawled on stall doors in bathrooms; when first read in Philippi, the ladies blushed and covered the ears of the children. We do have the equivalent in English. It comes from Anglo-Saxon, where most of our profanity originates. You know it. It means poop. Excrement in Latin.
Paul’s point is very simple. Compared to knowing Jesus, all the best things the world has to offer, all the stuff which commands respect in this world, is poop. Even worse. Now think about that for a second. What’s the best stuff you can imagine? Being valedictorian? Having at Bachelor’s Degree? A Master’s? A Doctorate? Being rich? Being President of the United States? Marrying your dream mate? Writing a best-selling novel, song, film, which receives critical accolades? Having a Corvette? I digress to the ridiculous. But seriously, what’s the best thing you can imagine? Compared to knowing Jesus, that’s poop. It’s not take those things are bad. It’s just that Jesus is so much better!
Do you believe that? Do you live in that belief? If not, how would your life change if you did?
October 26, 2008
Philippians 3:12-21 - Winners And Losers In The Race
It’s impossible for me to read the first verses of our text this morning without also thinking of 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, where Paul explores the image of the Christian walk as being part of a race, requiring discipline and perseverance on the part of the runner. In both he talks the prize he has yet to receive, and a mindset which does not look back (a sure losing strategy, if gym class relay race memories serve), but which presses forward. In the 1 Corinthians text, Paul says only one wins the prize, a true statement for a race. But in the Christian life, everyone who competes wins depending on one thing - do you finish the course? This is Paul’s proclamation in his final letter, 2 Timothy, when he writes, “The time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:6b+7) And he speaks of the crown Jesus will give to him, not a royal crown, but a winning crown, as athletes received.
Run the race. Do not give up. How do you and I do this in the 21st century? We do it the same way athletes always have done it. We press on. We look to those running ahead of us and try to keep up. And we set the pace for those behind us. Paul urges the Philippians to follow his example in verse 17. Think about that. What kind of example are you setting for Christians who look up to you? Think about the children in your church who think you are so cool, such a strong young Christian. Are you taking your position as a role model for them seriously? Every Christian must. Will you fail? Absolutely. I do. Ultimately every Christian must hope in Jesus. But often Jesus puts other Christians around us for inspiration and fellowship. Are you doing your part in the relay? Are you moving past your failures to victory in Jesus?
Unlike most races, Christians run in groups, ordinarily congregations. Our obligation to Jesus includes obligations to the people with whom we run. While that includes your home church, when you’re in college it also means Christians with whom you regularly gather. Are you pressing forward, and encouraging them as you do so?
Finally Paul talks about those who used to walk with us (maybe this is a walking race?!!!), but now have become enemies of the cross of Christ. Some of you reading this believe a person can stop being a Christian. Others believe those who abandon Christ never became Christians in the first place. Regardless of where you are on the question, you will agree that, for faith to be genuine, one must persevere to the end. True Christians stay in the race. We may stumble, we may fall. But then we, like Paul “forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,” stand by His grace and move forward.
Forgive the mixing of the metaphors, but I’m reminded of an old folks song my grandfather used to sing that went like this. “Life is like a mountain railroad with an engineer that’s brave/ You must make the run successful from the cradle to the grave/ Always mindful of obstruction, do your duty, never fail/ Keep your hand upon the throttle and your eye upon the rail.” Press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Jesus Christ!
|
November 2, 2008
Philippians 4:1-3 - The Lessons Of Euodia and Syntyche
It is not uncommon for modern scholars to label scripture misogynistic and patriarchal. While there are passages which might lend themselves to such an interpretation (though they don’t have to be read that way - do you really think God hates women?), the overarching spirit of the biblical text, as well as the actual words, are quite liberating to women, as well as men. As my old preaching professor, Elizabeth Achtemeier, used to say, “The words of scripture give me my freedom as a woman! When you start messing with those words, you start messing with my freedom!”
Euodia and Syntyche are a case in point. Here are two leaders in the Philippian church, old friends and coworkers with Paul, who nonetheless are having difficulties with each other. Put any two smart, strong-willed people together, and this can happen. How can they move past the impasse? Well, heeding Paul’s earlier command for each to treat the other as more important will help. But Paul acknowledges that a human mediator might be needed as well. That’s why he asks a third party (or maybe his name really is Syzygus, the literal rendering of “true yokefellow”; then again, this could be a nickname, like Barnabas, which means “son of encouragement”) to help them. Paul has such high regard for these two women that he places them in a sentence with Clement, who, according to tradition, became the bishop of Rome in the 90s, wrote letters which bear his name (but didn’t make it into the New Testament), and was martyred by being tied to an anchor and thrown into the sea.
What are the lessons of these women? First, no human is above needing help. No mere human, even the finest Christian, is beyond the effects of sin. We need help from the Lord, and He often makes it available through other Christians. Where are you in your walk with Jesus? Are you trying to do it on your own? Stop being so foolish! If Euodia and Syntyche needed other Christians, so do you. College is a time when many young Christians walk away from the faith, and it doesn’t need to be that way. You still need the Church, if not in a typical congregation, at least in a group of believers with whom you gather to read the Bible, discuss it, pray, and worship together. You might say, “But so-and-so is there, and he/she is a jerk!” Might Euodia have said the same thing about Synteche? That’s the point! It’s easy to love in general, to love in principle. Real love, in a family, in a church, in the world, is a commitment to people and individuals which sometimes are jerks and worse. This is God’s system. Church will help tremendously, even if, no, especially if some of those Christians are jerks.
Then you must know that this passage and others are the reason some Christian churches in the 20th century began, once again, to allow women into places of authority, just as it had been done in the 1st century Church. My denomination’s motto, translated from Latin, is “Reformed, Always Being Reformed”, not by whim and culture, but by the words of the Bible. When women pushed to be allowed as pastors and elders in the 1950s and 1960s, careful study of scripture, reading these texts and the texts which seem to forbid women to have leadership in churches, led Presbyterians to lift the centuries’ old ban as sloppy reading of what is actually being said. We should be open to new things that the Spirit is leading us to consider. At the same time, we must be open to the possibility that the spirit we hear whispering in our ear might not be holy at all; the Holy Spirit’s voice will always be in harmony with what He has already said in the Bible. As we understand Him better there, we will understand Him better here and now.
Have you learned the lessons of Euodia and Syntyche? Are you putting them into practice?
November 23rd, 2008
Philippians 4:8+9 - The good stuff, and a good example
As we continue our study of Philippians we come to two verses which have two distinct and important points. The first one is verse 8, where Paul urges his readers to have their minds dwelling on good things. Please note that Paul does not say specifically “religious” things. There is a school of dualist thought which comes to us from the ancient Greeks; in it, spiritual things are good, and physical things are bad. They believed that the physical world was inherently evil, and that human beings were miserable because we are good souls trapped in evil bodies. (This is why the resurrection was such a hard concept at Mars Hill in Acts 17; getting to go to heaven was the reward, but coming back to life would be punishment, they believed.) The Bible knows of no such dualism. Yes, the creation has been enslaved to sin, but creation itself is good, as God created it. And He will redeem it when Jesus returns, says the New Testament over and over again. Christians should be wary of being materialists, thinking that the physical world is all that matters, but the other extreme, just as dangerous, is to dismiss the good that is in creation even now.
Sex is one of those terribly abused realities of the physical world. On one hand, we have those who obsess about it, who believe that if you are a healthy adult and not having sex with somebody, something is wrong with you. On the other hand, there are those who think sex is always dirty, at best something to be tolerated because of weakness and the need to procreate. The biblical model is quite different. Apparently the sex drive does need special reigning in, since it is the only appetite in humans which gets its very own commandment, #7, You shall not commit adultery. At the same time, when used in the way God intended, between husband and wife in marriage, it is a beautiful thing. Think about it like this. That other person is also created in the image of God. If you can’t wait until you’re married, or are cheating on your spouse, aren’t you using that person as a commodity, for your own pleasure, and nothing more? Another observation - nothing that God created is in and of itself bad. Sin urges us to use the creation for our own pleasure in ways that God never intended. When we act as the Lord intends, we can joyfully receive all the pleasures of this life, with the assurances of life beyond the grave.
So, think about the good stuff, whatever is honorable, right, pure, lovely, etc. Bible study and prayer are good, and essential, but there are other good things out there too.
Then consider verse 9. Here Paul advises the Philippians to do the stuff they have seen him doing. This is a repeat of what he wrote in 3:17, but emphasizes this important lesson for Christians through the centuries. Someone is looking up to you. Are you setting a good example? There is an old cliche which, like most cliches, has a grain of truth. “You may be the only Bible some people read.”
Consider the good stuff. And show that to those around you.
|
December 14, 2008
Philippians 4:8+9 - Grace in the Secular
When we come to verses 8 and 9 of the fourth chapter of Philippians, Paul says something that might surprise many modern Christians, as well as many Greek converts in the first century. Basically, he tells his readers to think about good things in this life, but not specifically “religious” things. The ancient Greeks were culturally trained to be dualists, where the spiritual plane was good and the physical plane was evil. The fatalistic Stoics were particularly noted for their emphasis on spirituality and neglect of physical pleasures in this life. Sadly, in the centuries since and even today, many people have come to think that the more spiritual a person is, the less he will care about the things of this life, especially for himself. In part this is a reaction to the completely secular mind championed by Marx and popularized in song by Madonna (we are living in a material world, and I am a material girl!); many people do seem only to care about the physical world. But the biblical worldview knows no division between the physical and spiritual realms. The Lord has a place in all areas of our lives, in the music we enjoy, the food we eat, the friends we make, the promises we keep.
I think the key to integrating spirituality into all parts of our lives is to receive all things with thankfulness, praying and watching for God’s hand active in our daily circumstances. We can’t detect God with our physical senses. We believe that He speaks to us through His Word authoritatively, but also through the sermon preached, through other believers, and through events in our lives. But we can only detect Him, even through these means of communication, if we are spiritually attuned and receptive. Perception is so important. When I listen to a heavy metal song, I hear power and passion and beauty. My dad hears noise. What do you hear when God speaks to you?
After encouraging his readers to think about good things in life, not necessarily religious things all the time, but good things(heads up, goth folks!), Paul gives the Philippians another concrete way of living as a Christian. As he said in 3:17, follow my example. Who are Christians you admire? What do they do on a day to day basis that fills them with the grace you see? What about when things don’t go their way? What do you admire about these people? Be thankful for that grace, but, of course, don’t mistake the grace for the One who gave it. Finally, what example are you setting for those who look up to you?
“Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things.” No time for hatred. No time for plotting vengeance. No time for doing bad things. All the time in the world to be thankful!
|
2009
January 11, 2009
Philippians 4:10-23 The Secret Of Contentment
In these final verses of Philippians Paul once again thanks the church for the support they have given him in his mission work, but financial, spiritual, and with the person of Epaphroditus. Though they are not a big church, they do what they can as often as they can; when Paul was in Thessalonica, definitely one of the low points in his ministry (see Acts 17:1-15), the Philippian Christians send help more than once. I think this challenges Christians everywhere not to worry about what we don’t have to offer the Lord in the way of time, talent, and resources, and instead focus on what we can do to his glory. I have tithed since I was in college. It’s never been a lot. But it has been something that I have given to help others throughout the years. What about you?
The verses which really leap off the page at me, though, are 4:12+13. Paul claims that he is content whether he has a little or a lot. Sometimes Paul’s accommodations were impressive. In Philippians he, Silas, and Timothy stayed in the home of Lydia, a wealthy woman who dealt in purple cloth. At other times, like when he is writing this letter, he is in jail. So he knows about riches and poverty. Still he is content. He confides, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” And he can bear all circumstances in that same strength.
Have you ever found yourself in a situation that seemed intolerable? What did you do? When I was college age, my first inclination was simply to run away, not to deal with the problem or face it. Sometimes it was people. Sometimes it was jobs or classes or other circumstances. Now I have learned to wait for the Lord, to trust that, in whatever lot I receive, He will redeem it and work it to my good. (See Romans 8:28) How else can a person be a pastor in small congregations for 20 years?
I think the key to contentment is to avoid the sin of idolatry, which is placing one’s hope in anything but the Lord. It is the chief sin, from which all others flow. (See the Ten Commandments and Romans, chapter 1.) When I find myself restless and dissatisfied, I stop and consider my hope. How do I want this to resolve and why? Often the problem is less with the situation and more with where I have placed my hope. And that’s when I need to repent and bring it back to Christ, focusing on His glory.
I’m 46 years old now. Flea, the bass player for The Red Hot Chili Peppers, and I were born on the same day. Sometimes I look and see what he and others have accomplished in their lives, and I catch myself wondering if I have missed out on something along the way. What if I had pursued music, or a wealth building career? And then I remember the joy of what I do have. A loving wife of 25 years. Great kids and grandkid. A congregation of people who love and appreciate me. I consider the lives of people I have improved, and remember that if I had not gone this way, I never would have met them. And I remember that all this other stuff is dust that blows away; only what is done for the glory of Jesus remains forever. That was the key to my decision to pursue ministry: I did not want to waste my life chasing wind. Not everyone is called to be a pastor. So long as it isn’t illegal or immoral, any job or situation can be a ministry, depending upon your gifts and interests. How do you plan on avoiding a wasted life?
Like the hymn says, “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and (Jesus’) righteousness.” Where is your hope? May we all find our genuine contentment!
January 25, 2009
Crisis in Galatia
Having concluded our study of Philippians, as promised at the beginning of the school year, we now move on to Galatians. Back in September I mentioned the fact that these two churches are polar opposites. Paul has nothing bad to say about the Philippians; the letter simply begins as a thank you note to a group of people who have supported him and his ministry without fail, even when nobody else would. But when we get to Galatians, we find a church with so many problems, deep theological problems, not merely ethical ones, that Paul does not mention giving thanks for them in his prayers. The depth of the rift is clear when one considers that Paul does mention giving thanks for the Corinthians, a church that required many more pages of letters from Paul than any other in the New Testament, and in which all sorts of embarrassing breaches of Christian conduct were taking place.
The problems in Galatia are theological, not ethical; they are about what one should believe, not so much about what one should do. In the mid 20th century there was a heretical theology which gained popularity called “orthopraxy”, instead of orthodoxy. It meant DOING the right thing without worrying so much about BELIEVING the right thing. The problem with the idea, though, is that it misunderstands the nature of belief and practice. As we actually believe, so we do. (This is distinct from what we CLAIM to believe, which might be quite different from what we do!) The challenge of Galatians to us is that we examine what we really believe, to see if it is in line with what the Bible really says, and then to conform our lives to scripture instead of our own desires and what we think might be right.
One word I’ll be using that you will need to understand is Judaisers (Ju’-day-i-zerz) . The Judaisers were a group of Christians in the first century which believed that, in order for a person to be a good Christian, he or she also had to become a Jew. The Council of Jerusalem, found in Acts 15, lays out their position in the words of converted Pharisees, “It is necessary to circumcise them, and to direct them to observe the Law of Moses.” (Acts 15:5) The Council did not agree, but, as often is the case, the ruling of the court did not settle the matter. The Judaisers would continue to clash with those who, like Paul, insisted that belief in Jesus alone was sufficient for salvation, and to add Judaism as a requirement for Gentile converts would be to negate the gospel itself. Finally most Jews stopped converting to this religion which maintained their theological heritage, but not their cultural heritage. Thus the argument became moot. One evidence of the shift can be noted thusly: except for Luke, all of the New Testament authors are Jewish, writing in the first century. But by the second century, all Christian authors whose writings have been preserved are Gentiles.
From the outside, the Judaisers have a point. Jesus is the Messiah, the King in the line of David promised in the Old Testament. The Old Testament is also the Word of God. (There were Gentile Christian heretics in the first century who denied the Old Testament, known today as Gnostics.) The Law of Moses is a good thing. (Anti-nomians denied this.) It is impossible to understand the atoning sacrifice of Jesus on the cross apart from the didactic temple sacrifices of atonement. And I could go on. But at the heart of the matter is this: Did Jesus do enough? Is there anything human beings can do to enhance our salvation, or must we completely reply upon Jesus alone as the author, finisher, and object of our faith? If the answer is the latter, it cannot ever be the former. Christ alone!
March 22, 2009
Galatians 1:1-10 - No Other Gospel
If you like drama, Galatians is the book for you! Argument, conflict, sarcasm, cajoling; it’s all in here! Paul doesn’t waste any time attacking his opponents. Like a mother dog guarding her pups, he sets out after the false teachers who have threatened the souls of people he loves, grabs them, and never lets go. Paul is angry with the Galatians as well. How can they have been so duped by these new teachers, the ones who are telling the young Christians in Galatia that, if they want to REALLY follow Jesus, they must become Jews as well? And in order to get this message across, they have resorted to smearing Paul, the founder of the church. Their character assassination is three-fold. 1) Paul was not an original apostle, so he doesn’t really know what Jesus taught. 2) Paul says Gentile Christians do not have to become Jews because he is trying to please people instead of God. 3) Paul has received his message second-hand, from other Christians, and he is confused as to what is true. Paul hits back hard, addressing the first two in our lesson today, and the third one immediately afterward in the rest of chapter 1, and chapter 2.
Paul begins by affirming his authority as an apostle, as he writes, “Not sent from men, nor through the agency of man, but through Jesus Christ…”. Though there are groups of Christians today who claim apostolic office, where leaders will be called “apostles”, in the New Testament there are only 13 people who are given this designation, or 14 if you count Barnabas, who Luke calls an apostle once, in Acts 14:14. They are the twelve original disciples, minus Judas, plus Matthias (voted in in Acts 1), and Paul. The significance of apostleship is very important when it comes to the authority of scripture. We believe the witness of the apostles as it is preserved in the New Testament documents; almost every book of the New Testament was either written by an apostle, or someone closely associated with an apostle, ie., Mark and Luke. Christians believe that Jesus commissioned them to preach, spread the gospel, and write the New Testament; we believe that their words, inspired by the Holy Spirit, are God’s words. As such, we should not ignore what they have written. We might not always understand what they mean, but, honestly, understanding isn’t really as much of a problem for us as obeying, is it?
Paul goes on to say that if they or an angel from heaven should preach a different gospel from what was originally taught to the Galatians, let that person be eternally cursed, that is, damned forever. Very serious stuff here. Our culture, lately, has come to value feelings over facts. People honestly believe that there is no such thing as eternal truth, that truth is objective, that what is true for me might not be true for you. This way of thinking is very foreign to the Bible. Jesus claims to be THE Truth, not just for some, but for everyone. When people of other religions, or no religion, try to relegate Jesus to merely one of many teachers, one of many ways to heaven, they may sincerely believe it, but their point of view has no basis in the actual biblical text. Think about it like this. The first Christians lived in a world of multiple religions. They could have simply fit in as one of many. Instead, they insisted on Christ alone, even to the point of death. Were they merely deluded? If so, Jesus and the apostles are responsible for thousands of deaths throughout the centuries. Not exactly what we expect from great teachers! But Jesus is not content to simply be your teacher. He wants to be, and deserves to be, your ruler.
And so Paul writes in verse 10, do you think I’m trying to please people now, or God? In modern America, it pleases people for Christians to simply be a moral force in society. Instead, we are called to be witnesses to Jesus Christ as the only way, truth, and life by which anyone can be saved. It is a message that cannot please those who do not believe.
Do you believe the witness of the Bible? Are you aware that some teaching in the world, in the university, is false, antithetical to the biblical witness? Are you willing to allow the Bible to shape your beliefs, or will you let the world do it?
|
|
