Saturday, June 18, 2016

Your Everyday Job

Five days a week, and six for some, it’s hit the road, go to work, do the job, and repeat it all again tomorrow. Why? It’s what we do. If you’re going to eat, . . if you’re going to feed your family and pay the bills, it’s go to work, go to work, go to work.

As followers of Jesus in this present world, we realize that we also have a job to do for him, and yet we are often a little fuzzy about what exactly that job is. Let’s let Noah help us out with an example.
Noah lived in a wicked world as a righteous man, along with his wife, three sons, and their wives. God spoke to Noah and gave him some surprising instructions. “Build an ark!” I’m not at all sure that Noah knew what an ‘ark’ was, but God gave enough details, and I assume Noah figured out the rest. What a project! Some big barge sitting in the middle of a field, with no rain, or water, in sight. And he couldn’t have even known if it would actually float.

So here was Noah, building an ark to save his family from a flood that his mind could not fathom, that would transport him to a washed-from-wickedness world that he could not imagine. And I would suggest that the job of the Christian is somewhat similar. We are to prepare now for coming judgment, and to prepare for life in a brand new world that is not presently within reach. Are we to make an ark? No. Jesus was quite clear. We are to make disciples.

How do we make disciples? Well, the verse linked above gives some specifics. In our scattering (going), we are to make disciples by baptizing and teaching. That is, we are to introduce our families and friends to Jesus with the hope of helping them identify with Him in faith and in life. And then we are use Scripture, God’s Word, to teach them the outlines of God’s plan and Christ’s character in all the ways that good teaching happens - through example; by answering questions; by asking the question that begs asking; by illustrating using object lessons; by persuading; and by listening - realizing that the success of our efforts always relies on God, just as Noah’s family trusted God with this floating barn.


Will others appreciate your efforts? No more than they did Noah’s. They thought he was a crazy fool. Maybe even dangerous. But he and his family escaped judgment. And, if you also escape judgment and embrace salvation in Christ, you’ll one day be able to compare notes on the similarities of building boats and making disciples.

Living Straight in a Crooked World

Can a ‘good Christian’ really be a Christian at all? And further: Can a person be a true Christian, and climb the ladder in politics? Can a person stay true to his faith and be a winning lawyer, or a successful businessman? Or, are there too many deals that have to be cut, corners to be rounded, and half-truths to be told? 

Think about these questions alongside the story of the ruler who came to Jesus and said, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life.” Jesus immediately turned it around and attacked his ‘loose’ use of the word ‘good.’ “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.” 

So perhaps we should put the term ‘good Christian’ to rest. True Christians are all, each and every one, sinners saved by grace. We came to Jesus, not because we were so good, but because we weren’t. He alone, as God, is good. And so we will not find Christians who are true to the Gospel going about telling how good they are. We are to be witnesses to God’s grace, not our own goodness.

Now, as for the other questions: Admittedly, we live in a world that works against Christian integrity, like rushing water eroding away sandstone. It is hard to stand for truth and mercy. It is a brutal battle, always trying to put the other person’s interest first. It requires death to self in order to love the unlovely. And, you and I are not all that good. And if you dare enter a field in which the current of this world blows directly into your face, as in politics, or law, or business - can you really expect to rise to the top? Isn’t it just selfish ambition that is going to require you to make pragmatic choices that blur the lines and blot out the light of His glory? 


Not necessarily. God, throughout history, has placed His men and women, and students, in positions of power and influence. And they succeeded (and often suffered). But we must understand that they did not succeed because they were so good. It was not due to their ladder-climbing abilities, nor their skills at slicing and dicing. It was not their highest aim to be powerful or influential or even successful, at all. It was their goal to walk with God, and to honor Him in the small things - to stick close to His Word and His Son - and then to let God chart the course and win the day. In other words, for a Christian to rise to the top in this world and retain his/ her integrity, well, it takes a miracle. Thankfully, miracles happen. 

Friday, June 10, 2016

'Good' Christians

Can a ‘good Christian’ really be a Christian at all? And further: Can a person be a true Christian, and climb the ladder in politics? Can a person stay true to his faith and be a winning lawyer, or a successful businessman? Or, are there too many deals that have to be cut, corners to be rounded, and half-truths to be told?  

Think about these questions alongside the story of the ruler who came to Jesus and said, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life.” Jesus immediately turned it around and attacked his ‘loose’ use of the word ‘good.’ “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.” 
So perhaps we should put the term ‘good Christian’ to rest. True Christians are all, each and every one, sinners saved by grace. We came to Jesus, not because we were so good, but because we weren’t. He alone, as God, is good. And so we will not find Christians who are true to the Gospel going about telling how good they are. We are to be witnesses to God’s grace, not our own goodness.

Now, as for the other questions: Admittedly, we live in a world that works against Christian integrity, like rushing water eroding away sandstone. It is hard to stand for truth and mercy. It is a brutal battle, always trying to put the other person’s interest first. It requires death to self in order to love the unlovely. And, you and I are not all that good. And if you dare enter a field in which the current of this world blows directly into your face, as in politics, or law, or business - can you really expect to rise to the top? Isn’t it just selfish ambition that is going to require you to make pragmatic choices that blur the lines and blot out the light of His glory?


Not necessarily. God, throughout history, has placed His men and women, and students, in positions of power and influence. And they succeeded (and often suffered). But we must understand that they did not succeed because they were so good. It was not due to their ladder-climbing abilities, nor their skills at slicing and dicing.  It was not their highest aim to be powerful or influential or even successful, at all. It was their goal to walk with God, and to honor Him in the small things - to stick close to His Word and His Son - and then to let God chart the course and win the day. In other words, for a Christian to rise to the top in this world and retain his/her integrity, well, it takes a miracle. Thankfully, miracles happen.

Blameless and Pure

Can a parked car avoid the yellow film of pollen as it seemingly descends from all creation upon all creation? Or can the west-facing screens of the sanctuary fail to catch floating dandelion spores as they seek their next garden? No, they can’t. It is almost as though they were designed for exactly that purpose.

And so, we may fairly ask, “Can a human person living in this dirty world stay pure?” Can we breath polluted air and not feel the effects in our lungs? Can we drink contaminated water and not retain the poisons in our system? Can we be surrounded by moral decline, and remain untouched?
But slow down. We have begun to confuse categories. You are not a polished surface, nor a wire mesh. The material parts of our bodies are not to be confused with our rational and spiritual capabilities. You are a human person, created in the image of God, designed to reflect His glory as we duplicate His character in finite ways.

And so, yes, you may breathe in pollen and suffer the affects of allergies. But you can also avert your eyes from that which would be tempting or compromising. You can turn your thoughts from an offense to a song of praise and thankfulness. You can bow your knee and confess your sin and chart a new course for the moments ahead. We are not stationary objects, nor victims. We are trained and capable disciples of Jesus who follow our hearts – those hearts that we devote to Jesus each morning, and as many times during the day as needed.

So stop with the whining and excuses. You are not an oil filter. You, by faith in Jesus, are a child of God, with His Word in your hand, and His Spirit in your heart, and you need not “let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey its lusts.”


The Old Testament saint named Job was not afflicted as a punishment for sin, but was tested, even as an upright man. He was able to say, “I am pure, without transgression; I am innocent and there is no guilt in me.” Daniel, again, not as punishment for sin, but due to persecution, was able to say from the lion’s den: “My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths and they have not harmed me, inasmuch as I was found innocent before Him; and also toward you, O king, I have committed no crime.” May we, blameless and pure, be able to say the same.

‘Excessive’ and ‘Exceeding’ are not the Same

If one eats in excess, he may well eat to the point of making himself sick. He doesn’t eat exceedingly. He eats excessively. And isn’t that our problem with so many things? We just don’t know when to stop. And so it happens with drinking, and spending, and even exercising. If a little is OK, the a lot must be better. But it’s not.

“Exceedingly” is an adverb used in older translations of the Bible. We don’t see it often in our common communication. One instance that comes to mind is in evaluations. “She exceeded expectations.” It is not A work. It is A+ work. It is over and above. But it is not too much. It is surprisingly good.

This is why we often apply the word “exceedingly” to God. He consistently surprises with exceeding goodness; exceeding grace; exceeding forgiveness. And that is difficult. Because once we experience some kind of service that “exceeds expectations,”, well, then we come to expect that kind of service in the future, and so, the same service no longer exceeds. It simply meets. But with God, there is something that we suspect about ourselves, that we do not naturally deserve such goodness, or grace, or forgiveness; and, we do not find such goodness and grace and love so consistently and extravagantly expressed from other persons – that we are constantly surprised by the surpassing goodness of God.

Again, let’s be clear. Excessive and exceeding are not the same. We would never say, “God is so good, it just makes me sick.” Just as a grown person reflecting on his childhood would never say, “I grew up in a home where love was so abundant, it just about ruined me.” No, there are some things with a bottomless depth whose value only grows and grows. We must learn to distinguish from those other things which may be permissible in moderation, but which become a monstrosity in excess.

Psalm 119:4 says, “You (God) have ordained Your precepts, that we should keep them diligently.” I think the word “diligently” is too weak for the Hebrew term that it translates. Often, we would choose the word “exceedingly.” That is, “You have established and revealed to us these slab stones, so that we would be surprising, even shocking, in the way we build our lives firmly on these truths and principles, especially when they run counter to the values of the world around us.

Monday, June 06, 2016

It’s About Time



Last week we thought about our need for both grace and truth. Not just a slice of each, or a balance - but a full measure of grace (mercy, love) and truth (faithfulness). This week, as Henry Cloud has shown in his book “Changes that Heal,” we also need time.
Al and I were talking recently about how our approach to life learning and discipleship are very classroom oriented and bookish. Now, we are not against books, and especially The Book - but God has so designed our learning that it requires a lab - a place to put the theory into practice - an arena in which we can fail, and try again, all in the context of grace and truth. I fear that we are giving out information which is not being integrated into daily life, and as a result, we are wasting valuable days - times for you to grow in the application of grace and truth tested and proven by experience.
Cloud suggests that the verse at the top of the page taken from Jesus’ parable includes all three of these elements. The failure to produce fruit on the part of the fig tree is only an illustration of our own failures and fruitlessness. His promise to “dig” corresponds to the application of truth, and his promise to “fertilize” speaks of giving grace. And then he begs for time; another year in which to properly administer grace and truth in order to bring about healing and fruitfulness. If it could help a fig tree, do you think it might help you?
If we could understand that as followers of Jesus, every day is designed by God in such a way - that every experience is a lab; every people-contact an opportunity; every inconvenience a training session or a test; every pain a sign of God’s breaking pride and stiff necks in order to bring us into conformity with His Son, who is the very image of God. We can try and run away from these experiences, Jonah-style. Or we can try to plow through life without thinking and without feeling, strong man-style.
But why would we do so? What are we afraid of? Afraid of truth? Afraid of having to admit that we are wrong, and that God is right? Or is it grace? Are you afraid of grace? Afraid to admit that you have sinned and failed; or forgotten and wandered? Afraid to be forgiven?
There may be an area of your life that is stuck in time, brittle and fruitless. It’s about time to do a little digging (truth); time for a little fertilizing (grace), so that, in God’s good time, you can be alive and bear fruit.