God and Cultural Diversity

I’ve been away from blogging for awhile because I have again enrolled in Seminary, now I am at Corban University, School of Ministry. I just finished my first semester, and it appears I fared okay. Anyway, one of the assignments in my Ministering Cross-Culturally class was to speak about our impressions of a passage in Revelation 5.

⁹ And they sang a new song:

“You are worthy to take the scroll

and to open its seals,

because you were slain,

and with your blood you purchased men for God

from every tribe and language and people and nation.

¹⁰ You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God,

and they will reign on the earth.” ^(NIV)

All From Everywhere

While I don’t want to be trite I can’t help but invoke the tune “I Can Only Imagine” by MercyMe. The gathering described in this section is beyond imagination and instills in me a deep sense of awe and worship. As I think that one day I will be able to worship the Lamb is staggering; what’s more, is thinking about how I will be worshipping with my fellow brothers and sisters in the Lord—astounding! Perhaps this is the core message of the genuine value of cultural diversity, that not only are we all made in the image of God, but that He wills that we are all saved and come unto the knowledge of the truth (1 Tim. 2:4). While not all will be saved, the picture is that God desires that they all be saved, and by “they” I mean all from everywhere, no respecter of persons, no hand-picking, no discrimination, no socioeconomic assessment and on and on….

An inclusive God is patiently waiting to have His family gathered at His throne, what are we (what am I) doing to facilitate that awesome and glorious gathering? And right now, even today, I may very well be the conduit of the Lord that draws another into the family to be at that great and glorious gathering. What, if anything, is standing in the way of me being that conduit? If there is anything standing in the way, eradicate it so one more soul can sing alongside me, “Worthy is the Lamb!”

Obedience--Pursuing God, Part 2

Obedience.  Oh, how we seem to hate this word. For some reason, we have fallen into the trap of thinking that obedience somehow means we lose our identity; that we somehow become less of an individual, and thereby lose our significance.  Hogwash!

 

Consider this:

 

‘Yet He (Jesus) learned obedience by the things which He suffered’ (Hebrews 5:8, NKJV).

‘He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross’ (Philippians 2:8).

 

Jesus, the great I AM, embraced obedience to a degree you and I never will. So if the Savior of all mankind was obedient, then we ought to follow His example and rid our thinking of all the nonsense that obedience is bad. And while last week we explored two key elements in pursuing God—prayer and Scripture—this is the third key to pursuing God—obedience. 

 

‘Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him. By this we know that we love the children of God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome’ (1 John 5:1-3).

Interestingly, the above reference calls us to obedience while also stating that being obedient is not burdensome. In other words, God’s commandments are not heavy or weighty. This truth is much to the contrary of what the enemy wants us to think.  So much of faithless religion is based solely on works; the more we work then the more favor we have with God. Yet here God is saying that His commandments are not burdensome; man’s commandments may be, but God’s commandments are not. 

But is this true? Let’s look at a couple of examples.

 

Let’s begin with Jesus Himself by looking at the Mark 12, where a scribe poses a question to Jesus:

 

“Which is the first commandment of all?”

Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:28b-31).

Hmm. I can just imagine this exchange. The Scribe, probably in some sort of robe, wanted to trap Jesus by asking Him a question that seemed impossible to answer (see also Matthew 22:34-40 and Luke 10:25-28). But Jesus, leveling His gaze in a way that looked right through the man, had no hesitation in His answer. Not only that, Jesus gave two commandments back at the man, not just one (you can’t put Jesus in a box).  He didn’t throw out a bunch of rules and regulations; instead, he spoke of love.

 

The Apostle Paul spoke to this as well by way of an admonition.

 

“We should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the conning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ” (Ephesians 4:14-15).

Again, the exercise of obedience from 1 John 5 as further defined in Ephesians is speaking the truth; but it isn’t speaking it hatefully or as a verbal weapon. Instead, truth is to be spoken in love.

 

So a third key in pursuing God is obedience. Obedience to God is not burdensome because it is to be bathed in and motivated by love.  So as we allow the Holy Spirit to work in our souls by intentionally pursuing God in prayer and Scripture with the desire to be obedient, He will empower us to also love with the love by which He first loved us (see Galatians 5:22 and 1 John 4:19).  

God and Football

I have mixed feelings today. My alma mater’s football team, the University of Oregon Ducks, won its third consecutive conference title last night. This is quite exciting for a life-long Duck fan.  You see, my Dad took one degree from Oregon in 1958 and a second one in 1960.  I was born in 1962 and so was raised on all things Duck.  Plus, I graduated from Oregon in 1984.  So rooting for the Ducks has just been weaved into the fabric of my life, so much so that I find myself yelling or cheering at the TV.

But the mixed feelings come to play as I compare being a sports fan with being a Christ-follower.  Do I get as excited about the things of God as I do about the Ducks being in the top 10 and going to a Rose Bowl?  What happens if the Ducks lose (so far, that’s their modus operandi in big bowl games)? There’s a very great danger in being an ardent fan if your outlook of life is shaded by whether your team wins or loses. Thankfully, I figured this out years ago; if the Ducks lose, my day doesn’t come to a crashing halt. 

Still, is my life as obvious for Christ as it is for being a Duck fan? I realize team colors and logos make for easy display. In fact, since Oregon has won so much lately, I’m surprised by how many people are all of the sudden Duck fans?  Where were they in the 70’s and 80’s when the Ducks could hardly score a touchdown? (Boy, Autzen stadium was sure empty in those days, now you can hardly get a ticket!) This tells me being a sports fan is often fickle, root for the team when they’re winning, but when they start to lose, well, just switch allegiances; but what about the Christ-follower?  Oh sure, it’s easy to proclaim Christ when life is all bright and shiny, but when the dark clouds roll in, do allegiances change?

True sports fans and genuine Christ-followers have in common sticking with their allegiance regardless of what is happening.  But I return to my first question.  Does my life reflect my allegiance to Christ as much or more than it does being a Duck fan?

“But seek first the kingdom of God…” (Jesus, Matthew 6:33a, emphasis mine).

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Jesus, Matthew 5:16, emphasis mine). 

God and the Ocean

I love being at the beach.  I love to hear it, see it, smell it, and even taste it via the salty air.  The ocean never ceases to amaze me and to fill me with awe.  Nothing in nature reminds me more of God than the ocean.  Even mountain ranges, as beautiful as they are, still don’t evoke the same sense of awe as the ocean.  I guess because there are so many metaphoric and symbolic connections between the ocean and God.

For instance, we can turn our back and leave the ocean, but it’s still always there.  The same is true of God, while we may turn our back on Him, He is always there.  Another thought is the expansiveness of the ocean; standing on the shore the ocean seemingly goes on forever.  God, of course, does indeed go on forever—He is the always was, always is, and always will be God.  The ocean is deep, and God is deeper still.  The ocean is powerful, and, obviously, so is God. 

There’s other symbolism reminding me of God.  Consider Jesus calming the stormy seas of Galilee (Mt. 8:23ff).  The disciples were terrified and fearful of capsizing and drowning right there and then.  Periodically, squalls would come up on unsuspecting fisherman, engulfing them in raging storms, often claiming the lives of all on board the small fishing vessels.  Matthew 8 is just such a squall. 

Adding even more intrigue to this record is the fact that Jesus is sleeping through it all.  When He was awakened by His panicked disciples, He replied, “You of little faith, why are you afraid?”  Then He did the unthinkable, He calmed the storm, a jaw-dropping experiencing for the disciples to say the least! 

Keeping this record in mind, another element of the beach, at least on this current trip, is the wind.  In fact, I ran yesterday on the beach in winds gusting up to near 60 mph, that’s some heavy wind.  And yet it was exhilarating (perhaps only runners can understand this)!  Wind is a great reminder of the Holy Spirit (see John 3:1-21).  Jesus referred to people being filled with the Holy Spirit as being similar to the wind and in Acts 2:2 the entre of the church is ushered in by an outpouring of the Holy Spirit and is documented as being like a rushing wind.  Imagine the power of the Holy Spirit. 

This same Holy Spirit, with this same power, can calm the seas between our ears; so as the storms of life assail us, may we remember that just as Jesus calmed the physical storm, the indwelling Holy Spirit can calm the stormy seas in our souls. 

Peace, Prayer and Community

“Don’t worry over anything whatever; whenever you pray tell God every detail of your needs in thankful prayer, and the peace of God, which surpasses human understanding, will keep constant guard over your hearts and minds as they rest in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7, Phillips).

Could peace and identity be key ingredients for genuine community?  Could prayer be a prime catalyst for ushering in peace and identity?  Comments from my last post got me thinking about these things (thanks to you who commented). 

Christ-followers will have the best impact on culture if the Christian community itself offers something different.  But do we offer something different?  The more personal question is do I offer something different?  Too often the answer is, no, I don’t.

This realization hit home early this morning as I grimaced in pain due to the tension I’m carrying in my neck and shoulders.  Tension coming from child behavioral issues, job ambiguity, and taxes (oh my, taxes are a grind!).  All these thoughts began coalescing into a cacophony of concern causing me to reach for the Ibuprofen (and a cup of coffee).  But another result of the tension was being snappy with my wife and five year old son (whose birthday is today, by the way).  So is being snappy with my wife and family offering the culture anything different?  Is being snappy, also called “grumpy,” drawing people to what’s inside me?  Of course not, I’m being just like everyone else—worried and joyless.  If all my other Christian friends are the same way, then we have a community of nothing different than anyone else; we have a community that no one really wants to be a part of, even me.

So what is the antidote to this worried joylessness?  The simple answer is prayer, but there’s more to it.  Another rendering of Philippians 4:6-7 is: 

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.  Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand.  His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus” (NLT).

The word “peace” is hard to define, but it includes the sense of quietness and rest.  God is inviting us to allow Him to quiet our minds so that we can truly be at rest.  We can’t truly rest when we’re worried about stuff we have little to no control of. 

The phrase “live in Christ Jesus” implies we are to deeply identify with Christ Jesus Himself.  This is not a mere acknowledgement of Christ, but a deepened understanding of what He has done for us and what being indwelt by the Holy Spirit means to our lives. 

All of this is catalyzed, or initiated, by prayer.  God is inviting us to enter into this rest and deepened identity, but notice that He doesn’t barge in or force it on us; instead, He lovingly invites us in if we choose to accept His invitation.  Granted, along with prayer we also need to read and understand His Word, but perhaps establishing genuine community begins with each individual bowing in prayer.  In doing this, we then experience that quietness and rest in our own souls which will emanate to others we have contact with; and this will be attractive to the larger community.

So pray on, dear friend, pray on!

Totally Surrendered?

What does it mean to be totally surrendered to God?  I know I’m not the only person who’s ever wrestled with this. Still, every time we sing a worship song in church with lyrics to this affect, I always ask myself, “Am I totally surrendered to God?”  I’m raising my hands in praise to God but I’m still asking God just what does a totally surrendered life look like.

Perhaps my image of being totally surrendered is too monk-like. You know, a really surrendered life is cloistered away in isolation with nothing on the “to-do” list but pray, read Scripture, and maybe chant.  While this might be fun for a day or two, I don’t think it is a definition of being totally surrendered to God.  In fact, we see Jesus in what’s known as the Great Commission sending His disciples out into the world (see Matthew 28:18-20).  Notice He isn’t sending them away from the world.

So being totally surrendered involves some, well, involvement.  A totally surrendered person is not holed up somewhere, isolated away from the world.  Rather, he is a participant in the world; he is actively engaged in the turbulent sea of humanity.  So then an aspect of a surrendered life is one that, while engaged in human activity and interaction, still reflects Christ.  A surrendered life has evidence of the Holy Spirit being active in it (see Galatians 5:22-23).  Such a life will be continually reflecting joy, peace, and love.  What’s more, this life will also reflect integrity by speaking and living truthfully (see Ephesians 4:15 and 1 John 3:18). 

Another major ingredient in a surrendered life is obedience—obedience to God and His commandments (see 1 John 5:1-5).  If we profess being a Christ-follower and yet disobey God by lying or cheating or speaking evil of someone, then we know we are not totally surrendered, or worse.    

Recognizing that this obviously isn’t an exhaustive list, it at least has some check points:

1. Are we somehow actively engaged in humanity?
2. Are we reflecting evidence of the Holy Spirit being active in our lives?
3. Are we living with integrity?
4. Are we obedient to God?

As we compare our lives to this list, we must remember that our God is a gracious God and does not expect perfection, He does, however, expect faithfulness (see Hebrews 11:6 and James 1:6).   

Unbelievers and Gardens

“I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase” (1 Corinthians 3:6, NKJV). 

All the theology I’ve read about this verse indicates that it is God Who gives the increase; God draws unbelievers to Himself.  I often have to remind myself of this as I sit with other church leaders in discussions about reaching the community for Christ. 

But what is the motivation of reaching the community?  Perhaps our limited result in reaching others for Christ has been because our motivation has been wrong.  Maybe we’ve put too much pressure on ourselves in thinking that we draw people to God.  For example, I find myself getting easily angry at people for posting critical comments about Christianity on their Facebook page, but who am I to question them?  I don’t know their backgrounds or who has hurt them in the name of Jesus.  And what does that anger accomplish in the first place—nothing but driving a deeper wedge between me and them. 

So instead of trying to figure out some blistering response to their postings, perhaps I should instead pray for wisdom by asking God how to respond, if I need to respond at all.  The Book of James states “if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him” (1:5).  If I’m getting angry at someone for a comment, then I ought to interpret the anger as a signal that I’m lacking wisdom in that situation; because responding out of anger will only make things worse.  My job is asking God how I can plant or water rather than thinking I need to somehow talk them out of their animosity toward Christianity and convince them to convert. 

I don’t force a garden to grow, but I do water it and cultivate the soil.  How similar is the soil of a garden to the soul of a person?  Both need nurture and encouragement.  We don’t stomp through our garden as it’s beginning to grow, why would we want to stomp through the soul of a person? 

How does this apply to reaching a broader community for Christ?  All I can suggest is leaning deeper into God’s wisdom for planting and watering and then getting out of the way as God gives the increase. 

God's Sovereignty and Faith

Lately I’ve been struggling with concerns over my children.  As a parent, as with most parents, I want the best for my children; but when they suffer from some illness or other malady my heart understandably becomes concerned.  Within this concern are medical practitioner appointments, various treatments, and much prayer.  All this is done with a view toward health being restored—but what happens when health isn’t restored?  Do I shake my fist at God, blaming Him for not accommodating my heartfelt requests?  Do I stop praying or practicing my other spiritual disciplines?  In all honesty, sometimes I am tempted to chuck the whole faith thing when I see my children suffering.

Thankfully, though, I never fully succumb to such an extreme; I do, however, vent my frustration to my wife (thank God she’s an understanding sort).  Even so, I admit that within these circumstances I sometimes struggle with grasping the sovereignty of God. But I think this struggle is natural and to be expected. In fact, I think this struggle is part of our personal journey of deepening our trust in God; in essence, it’s a spiritual workout for our faith muscles. 

Sovereignty “means principal, chief, supreme. It speaks first of position (God is the chief Being in the universe), then of power (God is supreme in power in the universe)” (Charles Ryrie, Basic Theology, p. 48).  If we truly believe that God is sovereign, we’re saying that we believe He is all-powerful, what we would term as “omnipotent.”  Being omnipotent means God could change the situation, but for whatever reason, He doesn’t. 

Now we have another problem, and that is why aren’t the circumstances changing to our desires?  This is where trust comes in with the question of:  Do we believe that God knows what’s best for me and for my children?  Scripture says that He does (see Jeremiah 29:11, Romans 8:37, and Philippians 4:13).  A.W. Tozer wrote, “God knows instantly and effortlessly all matter and all matters, all mind and every mind…all being and every being” (The Knowledge of the Holy, pp. 62-62). Now our challenge is do we believe this? 

Most of us, if we’re honest, will have to say, “I do believe this, mostly.”   Being this honest with each other and with God opens the door for God, via the Holy Spirit, to bring us along with our doubt and with our faith. 

We see ample examples of this in the Psalms where the writer struggles with doubts but eventually surrenders to God.  Most, if not all of these psalms, can be viewed as prayers, a hurting heart crying out in all the rawness of humanity to an omnipotent God.  And God’s reaction isn’t rejection, it is a loving enveloping as a father with his children after they fall and scrape their knees.  God knows this stuff hurts, but He will still comfort us and our children as we continue in our struggle of deepening our faith.  A major key in all of this is internally confronting our unbelief and confessing it to our Heavenly Father in heartfelt prayer.  It is in this openness that we will begin seeing the fruit of joy and peace being cultivated as we persevere and help others to persevere as well.