Archive for Scripture Reflection
November 12, 2008 at 11:25 am · Filed under Scripture Reflection
I would like to recommend the article “Missional Shift or Drift” from a recent Leadership Magazine. There is a great deal of discernment needed in reading an article like this. A concern that I have in the midst of the excitement that I see about taking discipleship seriously is a loss of a sense of a clear doctrine of the church. Anytime we are discussing “change” in the church we should be shrewd as snakes.
Regarding the proclamation vs. demonstration struggle I kept thinking of Jesus’ statement at the beginning of His ministry in Mark.
“Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out. And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons. (Mark 1:38-39)
It seems that this statement continued to define His ministry as well as the ministry in which He was training His disciples (and by extension us).
His mission was proclamation, not demonstration. His mission was to preach the good news (see also: Mark 1:14-15 “Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’”). And as he went about His mission of proclamation He demonstrated the power of the good news of the kingdom by casting out demons and other acts of power. The point is not the demonstration(the miracles), and in itself the demonstration is nothing. The demonstration simply points to the power of that which is proclaimed.
Therefore, we preach (share the good news even and especially in personal relationships) the good news of eternal life (and life abundantly) in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus our Lord. As we go about this daily proclamation we also demonstrate the power that this proclamation has had in our own life by demonstrating kindness to others (especially including our love of the body of believers). We also show the power of that which we proclaim to effect a community via food pantries, divorce ministries, prayer for healing, tutoring, crisis pregnancy love and care and so many more opportunities. As we do this we proclaim, “This is the power of the gospel that we proclaim! God has changed our hearts, paid for the debt of our sin, and is destroying our pride so that we therefore demonstrate this love as we endeavor to change the lives of our community in this life and for life eternal.”
Demonstration serves proclamation.
Proclamation serves the kingdom.
The kingdom is eternal life (even life abundantly) in Christ Jesus our Lord.
June 17, 2008 at 3:47 pm · Filed under Scripture Reflection
And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ (Matthew 25:40)
I have read and wrestled with this passage for years as have many believers. I hope to reflected a good deal more here in the near future, but I have recently asked a new question of this passage that I would like to share here. I want to be clear that I am yet unsure of the answer to this question and would invite others to interact with me here.
The King speaks of the least of these, but who are these people? Are they anyone who is hungry or thirsty or in prison? The King adds one qualifier that until recently had gone unnoticed by me. The “least of these” the He is referring to are His brothers?
I put this question together with a reflection I have made in the past regarding Father’s Day and it seems that the parable changes a bit. I have heard pastors and believers celebrate on Father’s Day saying, “We honor our fathers, but we also honor the Father of all living things.” But this is not entirely accurate. God is creator of all things, but His use of the Fatherhood image He uses specifically to refer to His redeemed. Not all humans are the children of God. And the redeemed are the children of God only by virtue of being the brothers and sisters of the Father’s Son.
In the parable in Matthew 25 the King is Jesus and “the least of these” are His brothers. Believers are fellow heirs with Christ. Any reading of the Old Testament prophets must include a basic instruction to care for the poor and the oppressed within any God pleasing society. But it appears that this parable is not making a general appeal for social justice. This parable appears to be speaking of the King’s unwillingness to identify Himself with those who did not first identify with His own sons and daughters.
In the end, the sheep are being known by the King only as they were willing to identify with each other and specifically with the “least” among themselves. The goats are rejected because they were unwilling to identify themselves with the very members of the future kingdom.
Interestingly this is exactly what we see took place with the Apostle Paul. He was an enemy of Christ and a goat of goats as he was on the road to persecute the believers in Tarsus. It is on this road that He had an encounter with the King and is called to become one of “the least of these” in order to bring the gospel to those He would redeem. Read the letters of Paul and you will see one who became poor for the sake, not of a general social justice, but of the gospel, that is, the redeemed among the Gentiles.
If you have the opportunity I encourage you to read the Expositor’s Bible Commentary on this passage as it seems to indicate this sort of reading of Matthew 25. Please, I invite you to interact with me as I seek to understand this all important teaching of our Lord.
April 26, 2008 at 4:23 am · Filed under Scripture Reflection
Every believer has asked this question numerous times, “What is the Lord’s will for my life?” Many who have read The Purpose Driven Life have asked, “What is God’s purpose for me?” Who would have thought that the answer would be found in one of the shortest verses in scripture: “Pray continually.”
This verse is found surrounded by a series of instructions at the end of the letter, 1 Thessalonians. Let me give the immediate context.
Rejoice always; pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thess 5:16-18)
This is really a wonderful model of prayer, to rejoice with joy and worship, to bring petitions and promises from the word, and to express thanks every moment and in every circumstance.
But that’s a tall order. All the time? I mean, I’ve got a lot of stuff going on to be praying all the time, don’t you? Well, you asked what God’s will is and now you know. It is God’s will “for you” to “pray without ceasing”.
A while back I was reading a book about the Hebrew practices and traditions by Marvin Wilson. It mentions the biblical practice of hagah, or meditation. Two of the major divisions of the old testament, the prophets and the wisdom literature both begin with an instruction to meditate on the law of the Lord “day and night”. Here comes the part that I find the most helpful. I mean, what does it mean to meditate? Do I sit silently and simply recite over and over in my mind a scripture? Do I just sit silently and try to listen?
Well, not according to scripture. Hagah, or meditation, means “emit a sound”, “murmur”, or “speak in an undertone”. Psalm 19:14 (ESV) says, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.”
The Lord’s will for your life is that you would become a mumbler. Having opened the Word in the morning the remainder of your day you are to mumble joy and thanksgiving focused on the Word. It’s like you’ve got a song stuck in your head except it might be a psalm or proverb or parable or promise.
It was a relief to me when I discovered the Old Testament background on this idea of praying at all times. I don’t have to have formalized prayers with a clear beginning and end and specific thoughts and petitions interspersed throughout my day, though these prayers are benefitial for the believer. The idea of scripture, and the Lord’s will for my life, is that I would get His words stuck in my head.
I have just a few practical suggestions. First, find two or three favorite scriptures that are particularly worshipful. For me I mumble often, “Holy, holy, holy is our Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come,” or “Worth is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” You can’t go wrong with words like that under your breath. Second, mumble. Yeah, I mean it, open your mouth and move your lips. It’s what scripture says and it will bring an awareness of prayer or meditation to the front of your mind.
Okay, you know the Lord’s will for your life, now you just need to do it.