The cultures and religions surrounding the stories and writers of the Bible fascinate me. Just a basic, working knowledge of that stuff can really open up your eyes to why writers wrote the way they wrote, taking truths God inspired them with and writing them out in ways God's people, and the people around them, could grasp. Like any great preacher or author today, they just knew how to do it.
John, the disciple Jesus loved, is a pretty cool example of this. He wrote about things that Jews would understand from their history in order to explain present reality--such as all the sanctuary imagery you find in The Revelation of Jesus Christ (I try and use the whole title there so as not to forget what the intention of the book was). But he did pretty well at capturing the imagery of the surrounding cultures and religions outside Judaism as well. John 1 is a good example of this. In brief, as I've been studying it this week, here's how I am seeing this. I admit that Wikipedia has helped out with this some, so it bears noting that it's a good idea to look into this for yourself and broaden the research a bit, but here goes...
Stoic philosophy was something that developed in Athens in the 3rd century, BC. Stoicism taught the errors in judgment led to destructive emotions. A person of moral and intellectual perfection (or a "sage") would not put up with such destructive emotions. They were very concerned with the relationship between "cosmic determination" (fate) and human behavior. They were one in a long line of philosophies that placed a lot of emphasis on "logos.." This is a word that is literally translated as "word," or "knowledge." They defined it a step further as "reason." So, logos had to do with the reasons why people do what they do, and how it relates to "cosmic fate" (sort of).
The Stoics had this thing called "logos spermatikos," which was to them the generative principle of the universe (the creative reason that generated matter and life). This would one day heavily influence Neoplatonism, which taught that God is "supra rational," and could only be reached through ecstasy (not a drug) and perfection. He is the primeval source of being, the formless One, the cosmic force from which life and being flows.
The philosophies of the age also taught that darkness was but the absence of light, and that darkness, in and of itself, did not exist.
Sounds to me like George Lucas borrowed a bit of material for "Star Wars, but that's just my opinion. Of course, the "dark side" of the force was in opposition to the good side of the force, but I digress...
You might say that John knew something about this stuff too, but His departure from other philosophies was pretty dramatic.
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it." (John 1:1-5)
John was great at this. His "son of thunder" reputation came out sometimes in his writings too. What he does here is say, to the Jews and to the prevailing and developing philosophies of his day, "JESUS IS WAY BETTER than that rot!"
"There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.
"He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." (John 1:6-13)
You philosophers who know so much, you people who founded this Stoic movement or Platonism (or Neoplatonism)... there was this guy who preached in the desert and ate honey and tree-beans ("locusts" probably doesn't actually refer to bugs) and wore camel-skin clothes... he knew something you didn't even conceive of!
"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." (John 1:14)
Greek philosophies didn't teach about the "life-generating force" becoming a human being. They didn't talk about God coming down. They didn't believe in the "supra rational" taking on a visible form! All they could think of was a formless God-force emanating life (might as well have been the "big bang" if you're going to buy that) and human beings working toward ecstasy and perfection to reach Him (or it... or whatever).
Jews taught of a the One true God. They knew of a coming Messiah. But they could but conceive of a savior that returned to them their earthly rule and riches, not the One that would bring peace between created people and a mysterious and perfect God.
Considering all he was surrounded by in his life, and his experience with Jesus, I can only come to the conclusion that John was writing something radical here. He knew the ancient Jewish teachings and the philosophies of pagans that were taking hold in his days. Rather than shouting them down, he showed how Jesus was greater.
Greater than the force. Greater than any other created human being. Greater than an earthly king. Greater than ecstasy and "achieved" perfection.
And get this... if you are to believe John, they actually were eyewitnesses of all of it... "we beheld His glory..."
Know that when you experience Jesus, you experience the greatest thing there ever was. Creator. Personal (not just a force). Fully God. The reason for existence.
Jesus. ALL.
Have you experienced Jesus in any of these ways?
I don't believe any of it changes the fundamental truths about God and His plan, but just how the writers approached communicating inspired truth. However, is there any other insight (new or corrective) you have on the relationship of culture, religion, history, and philosophy, and how it impacted the way Bible writers wrote?
Thursday, February 13, 2014
Friday, December 13, 2013
Injustice and How to React
I hate injustice. If I am guilty of it, I can beat myself up pretty badly. If I witness it, I feel like putting up the dukes. If I am victimized by it, I rage inside.
So, as I read today about Jesus' suffering of injustice during His trial, I was struck by His reaction to it. Silence. As a lamb led to slaughter. Ellen White writes really well of His dignity, His regal demeanor, His compassion for His abusers. His reaction to the abuse meted on Him--greater than any abuse any other individual has ever endured--is a such a rebuke.
But don't downplay His reaction to the abuse meted out on others. He busted out a whip once and laid the smack down on some unscrupulous guys in the temple once. He sent demons packing all over the place. He embarrassed Pharisees and religious types when they tried to trap Him, argue with Him, or when they used other people as pawns in their hateful agenda.
It seems that He acted when others faced injustice and oppression. But He took it when He was challenged to compromised. You see, He had to face this as a human being. If He were to ever expect you and I to stand up for our faith, He had to set the example.
That's tough. I can't say that I'd show the same qualities if it were me. This is one of those ways in which Jesus is going to have to do some work on me! I get offended too easily. I am too sensitive. I want to go and hide or run into a fight when someone's unfairly treating me.
I think the difference is ego, quite frankly. If I take myself too seriously, I am more likely to fight back. If it's about me, I focus on my hurt feelings. But if it's really about Jesus, I keep my eyes focused on Him, stick with principal, and don't worry about what happens to me.
Ego is not worth compromising Jesus over. Here is a man who came to be my neighbor. His ego meant nothing to Him, considering how much He gave up to move into the human neighborhood. My ego has to become less. Until then, He'll never become more.
How can you take yourself less seriously, so that when you are challenged to compromise faith or face pain or loss, you'll stand with Jesus?
What strengthens your faith the most, so that you know that standing for Jesus is an honor worth any abuse?
So, as I read today about Jesus' suffering of injustice during His trial, I was struck by His reaction to it. Silence. As a lamb led to slaughter. Ellen White writes really well of His dignity, His regal demeanor, His compassion for His abusers. His reaction to the abuse meted on Him--greater than any abuse any other individual has ever endured--is a such a rebuke.
But don't downplay His reaction to the abuse meted out on others. He busted out a whip once and laid the smack down on some unscrupulous guys in the temple once. He sent demons packing all over the place. He embarrassed Pharisees and religious types when they tried to trap Him, argue with Him, or when they used other people as pawns in their hateful agenda.
It seems that He acted when others faced injustice and oppression. But He took it when He was challenged to compromised. You see, He had to face this as a human being. If He were to ever expect you and I to stand up for our faith, He had to set the example.
That's tough. I can't say that I'd show the same qualities if it were me. This is one of those ways in which Jesus is going to have to do some work on me! I get offended too easily. I am too sensitive. I want to go and hide or run into a fight when someone's unfairly treating me.
I think the difference is ego, quite frankly. If I take myself too seriously, I am more likely to fight back. If it's about me, I focus on my hurt feelings. But if it's really about Jesus, I keep my eyes focused on Him, stick with principal, and don't worry about what happens to me.
Ego is not worth compromising Jesus over. Here is a man who came to be my neighbor. His ego meant nothing to Him, considering how much He gave up to move into the human neighborhood. My ego has to become less. Until then, He'll never become more.
How can you take yourself less seriously, so that when you are challenged to compromise faith or face pain or loss, you'll stand with Jesus?
What strengthens your faith the most, so that you know that standing for Jesus is an honor worth any abuse?
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Thinking Too Highly of Self
We like to think that we are important, powerful, and wise. It's interesting to see so many of the arguments on Facebook these days. A body cannot post something about a cute kitten anymore without someone else flaming them with a diatribe about it being fake or pointless. We call those people "trolls." Either they really think they are that smart and entitled to share their smartness with you, or they're just jerks.
I saw a saying once: "All I want is a constant and exaggerated sense of my own importance." Isn't that the truth? None of us want to believe that we're worthless, stupid, unimportant, and unwanted. If we aren't made to feel important by others, we often do things to make ourselves feel more important. Left unchecked, this can get dangerous. We get puffed up, big-headed, and to others, insufferable.
It's the guy in your church who's always telling everyone what the church should be doing, or what it should not be doing, and why the leaders are terrible and should be ousted. It's they person who seems to have ordained herself as the spiritual policewoman of the church, and she has a litany of quotations and texts to back up her ideas (the ultimate expert in what is called isogeses: I have an idea or belief, and I go to the Bible to back it up, rather than allowing the Bible to teach me what I should believe and do, which is called exegesis).
Such people can be pretty annoying. But as I read this story in John 13 about how Jesus handled Judas (and the supplementary materials from The Desire of Ages, Chapter 75), I see this perfect man who handles a truly obnoxious situation in a way that I would struggle with mightily. Jesus does not out Judas directly. He does not put up a fight against him. Rather, He allows Judas to betray Him for the price of a slave. Jesus doesn't argue. He takes it! And even when Judas makes a plea for Jesus to be saved, Jesus says, "It's for this reason I came!"
Even Jesus' betrayer was, without even knowing it, accomplishing God's will.
There are always going to be annoying, obnoxious, know-it-alls in your life that have a high opinion of themselves. To look at Jesus is to see a man who suffered such people, called them out if necessary, and simply proved Himself to be Who He was without trying to argue them down.
People will eventually show themselves for who they are. There is no point in behaving any differently than Jesus did. Show kindness and love. Correct only as the Holy Spirit leads, and with great humility. Keep your eyes on Jesus and do what He's called you to do to make disciples. The rest is His to handle.
I saw a saying once: "All I want is a constant and exaggerated sense of my own importance." Isn't that the truth? None of us want to believe that we're worthless, stupid, unimportant, and unwanted. If we aren't made to feel important by others, we often do things to make ourselves feel more important. Left unchecked, this can get dangerous. We get puffed up, big-headed, and to others, insufferable.
It's the guy in your church who's always telling everyone what the church should be doing, or what it should not be doing, and why the leaders are terrible and should be ousted. It's they person who seems to have ordained herself as the spiritual policewoman of the church, and she has a litany of quotations and texts to back up her ideas (the ultimate expert in what is called isogeses: I have an idea or belief, and I go to the Bible to back it up, rather than allowing the Bible to teach me what I should believe and do, which is called exegesis).
Such people can be pretty annoying. But as I read this story in John 13 about how Jesus handled Judas (and the supplementary materials from The Desire of Ages, Chapter 75), I see this perfect man who handles a truly obnoxious situation in a way that I would struggle with mightily. Jesus does not out Judas directly. He does not put up a fight against him. Rather, He allows Judas to betray Him for the price of a slave. Jesus doesn't argue. He takes it! And even when Judas makes a plea for Jesus to be saved, Jesus says, "It's for this reason I came!"
Even Jesus' betrayer was, without even knowing it, accomplishing God's will.
There are always going to be annoying, obnoxious, know-it-alls in your life that have a high opinion of themselves. To look at Jesus is to see a man who suffered such people, called them out if necessary, and simply proved Himself to be Who He was without trying to argue them down.
People will eventually show themselves for who they are. There is no point in behaving any differently than Jesus did. Show kindness and love. Correct only as the Holy Spirit leads, and with great humility. Keep your eyes on Jesus and do what He's called you to do to make disciples. The rest is His to handle.
Thursday, November 7, 2013
Ramped Up
"Don't get mad. Get even!"
Popular words for the one who cannot really take a hit. Really, a lot of people aren't satisfied with getting even. They really want to get a "leg-up" on someone else and make sure they're in the dominant position when it's all over with.
The cycle continues. Enemies ramp each other up.
I've been reading Bill O'Reilly's book, Killing Kennedy. I just finished his take on the Cuban Missile Crisis of October, 1962, thirteen days of intense worrying by many in the United States (including Kennedy himself) that a nuclear holocaust was imminent. Today, most of us probably have no concept of how close how close we came to not having a United States by Christmas of that year. Or a USSR. Within minutes, millions of people in this country (and in another thousands of miles away) could have been killed if either Kennedy or Kruschev had given the go-ahead.
What strikes me about this is the rhetoric that was going back and forth. It was forceful and scary. And behind all of it was an unstated thing, it seems--neither wanted to look like the fool in the eyes of their respective nations or in the eyes of the rest of the world. Neither wanted the other to have the upper hand. "Don't get mad... get better!" may have wiped out whole nations.
The ways of Jesus just don't go with the ways of this world. Before the Sanhedrin, as they spat at him, beat him, and falsely accused him, hardly a word passed his lips, save that which acknowledged him as the Son of God, the Christ.
He didn't get mad! That's the thing that amazes me. The most abused man in history did not get mad. He did not retaliate or even hint at retaliation. He could have initiated something much more powerful than a nuke. But he just stood there and took it, the "Lamb led to slaughter" that Isaiah had written about centuries before.
If ever there was One who will not ramp up the rhetoric, incite a mob himself, or strike back at persecutors, it is Jesus. I have to wonder what the world would be like if we truly did the same. That's tough! This nation, "under God," has retaliated swiftly and decisively against those who have done us harm. I get it. "What are we supposed to do, just roll over and expose our belly? Should not those who do unjust things get what's coming? What of the abusers? The child-molestors? The terrorists? Rapists?"
Scripture doesn't tell us that those who do others harm should just be allowed to continue doing harm. Consequences for actions are inevitable. That's not what I'm talking about. The vulnerable deserve to be protected.
But what if we, on individual levels, chose to react differently to those who persecute us? Wrongly accuse us? What if we stopped trying to "get even" or "get ahead"? What if our response to wrong was kindness and prayer, as opposed to lashing back out?
Not that I'm any good at it myself. I have plenty of Walter Mitty conversations where I'm lashing out (in my head) at someone I'm not happy with. I cannot tell anyone to change how they react without asking God to change how I react. This isn't just some global, peacenik rant. It's personal. It's individual. Unless we choose to react differently on an individual level, nothing on a grander scale will ever change.
Lord, help me to respond to attackers, abusers, and those bent on injustice with Your love, Your calmness, and Your dignity. I cannot do it without You.
Jesus. ALL.
Popular words for the one who cannot really take a hit. Really, a lot of people aren't satisfied with getting even. They really want to get a "leg-up" on someone else and make sure they're in the dominant position when it's all over with.
The cycle continues. Enemies ramp each other up.
I've been reading Bill O'Reilly's book, Killing Kennedy. I just finished his take on the Cuban Missile Crisis of October, 1962, thirteen days of intense worrying by many in the United States (including Kennedy himself) that a nuclear holocaust was imminent. Today, most of us probably have no concept of how close how close we came to not having a United States by Christmas of that year. Or a USSR. Within minutes, millions of people in this country (and in another thousands of miles away) could have been killed if either Kennedy or Kruschev had given the go-ahead.
What strikes me about this is the rhetoric that was going back and forth. It was forceful and scary. And behind all of it was an unstated thing, it seems--neither wanted to look like the fool in the eyes of their respective nations or in the eyes of the rest of the world. Neither wanted the other to have the upper hand. "Don't get mad... get better!" may have wiped out whole nations.
The ways of Jesus just don't go with the ways of this world. Before the Sanhedrin, as they spat at him, beat him, and falsely accused him, hardly a word passed his lips, save that which acknowledged him as the Son of God, the Christ.
He didn't get mad! That's the thing that amazes me. The most abused man in history did not get mad. He did not retaliate or even hint at retaliation. He could have initiated something much more powerful than a nuke. But he just stood there and took it, the "Lamb led to slaughter" that Isaiah had written about centuries before.
If ever there was One who will not ramp up the rhetoric, incite a mob himself, or strike back at persecutors, it is Jesus. I have to wonder what the world would be like if we truly did the same. That's tough! This nation, "under God," has retaliated swiftly and decisively against those who have done us harm. I get it. "What are we supposed to do, just roll over and expose our belly? Should not those who do unjust things get what's coming? What of the abusers? The child-molestors? The terrorists? Rapists?"
Scripture doesn't tell us that those who do others harm should just be allowed to continue doing harm. Consequences for actions are inevitable. That's not what I'm talking about. The vulnerable deserve to be protected.
But what if we, on individual levels, chose to react differently to those who persecute us? Wrongly accuse us? What if we stopped trying to "get even" or "get ahead"? What if our response to wrong was kindness and prayer, as opposed to lashing back out?
Not that I'm any good at it myself. I have plenty of Walter Mitty conversations where I'm lashing out (in my head) at someone I'm not happy with. I cannot tell anyone to change how they react without asking God to change how I react. This isn't just some global, peacenik rant. It's personal. It's individual. Unless we choose to react differently on an individual level, nothing on a grander scale will ever change.
Lord, help me to respond to attackers, abusers, and those bent on injustice with Your love, Your calmness, and Your dignity. I cannot do it without You.
Jesus. ALL.
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Crisis
We have all faced crisis. You can minimize it if you'd like, but it causes stress and anxiety on some level with just about anyone. There are some people who face a huge crisis and seem to be able to shrug off the stress. Visiting cancer patients in the hospital last fall, there was a woman who was there almost the entire time I rounded (4 months or so), but she always seemed to be pretty much at ease with things.
At the same time, there are those who blow their stacks at the smallest things. And, no, they aren't all 13 year-old drama magnets (the other one is 15... just kidding). They seem to learn how to handle life's issues by watching the latest Fox sitcom.
In thinking about the crises I've faced in my life, I cannot really pin down how I react. There have been times I have "turtled"... pulled the covers over my head and hoped it would just go away. There have been times when I've dug in and stood my ground. There have been a few notable times when I got hot and lost my temper. I'm not sure which (the first or the last reaction) I'm less proud of, actually. Escapism and avoidance of a problem (one of my weaknesses) is often doing to yourself what you would otherwise do to someone else.
None of us faced a bigger crisis than Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. Sorry, I don't care how big your issue is, the fate of the universe does not hinge on it as it did with Jesus.
In Luke 22:42, Jesus prayed "... not my will, but yours be done." So, facing the biggest crisis ever, what was the Son of God doing here? Turtling avoidance? I don't think so. If he was a turtle, why come to earth in the first place?
Was he being weak in confessing his desire not to do this? I've heard that before and frankly cannot fathom why the thought even occurs to someone. With the weight of all sin pressing upon him, under direct attack from the essence of evil, it is understandable and (I feel) a sign of strength even to express yourself like this. Considering how terrible he felt, to even be willing to continue is far more than heroic.
I do not see a man bitterly resigned to fate. His prayer while with the disciples before he arrived here (found in John) should make that plain.
Here was a man trusting in his Father's love to pull him through. Here was a man who could not see the outcome of all of this but trusted that Father would come through on THE plan of plans.
I want to pray like that. When I pray, "Your will be done," I don't think my motives are that pure. Sometimes I have prayed such prayers and add that phrase to the end of the statement as a means to excuse my own selfish requests. Extreme example: "Help me to win the lottery, but if not, Your will be done (of course)." I actually think such a phrase so badly used should show us how far off the mark we are and how much we need His mercy. It should expose my motives, especially if you think about what the Father actually wills: salvation... renewal... restoration... transformation...
What does it actually mean when we tell someone, "See you this weekend, Lord willing!" As if He doesn't will that we see each other? I suppose that if my seeing you is going to detract from His desire for our lives (salvation, renewal, restoration, transformation, etc.), then I can accept that. But, again, I find myself uncomfortable with the phrase as something just added on to the end of a conversation.
Look... what do I know, really? I don't know my own heart well enough, much less another's when we pray, "Your will be done." But I do know a little about Jesus. I know He loves me. I know He died for me, going through with the drinking of the cup that I deserved to gulp from. I know He wants me with Him forever. I know He wants me to be a changed man. I know He's doing more than His part for this to happen.
I know that much about His will. So I can say with confidence now (after taking you through the thought process to get here)... "Your will be done. Not mine."
At the same time, there are those who blow their stacks at the smallest things. And, no, they aren't all 13 year-old drama magnets (the other one is 15... just kidding). They seem to learn how to handle life's issues by watching the latest Fox sitcom.
In thinking about the crises I've faced in my life, I cannot really pin down how I react. There have been times I have "turtled"... pulled the covers over my head and hoped it would just go away. There have been times when I've dug in and stood my ground. There have been a few notable times when I got hot and lost my temper. I'm not sure which (the first or the last reaction) I'm less proud of, actually. Escapism and avoidance of a problem (one of my weaknesses) is often doing to yourself what you would otherwise do to someone else.
None of us faced a bigger crisis than Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. Sorry, I don't care how big your issue is, the fate of the universe does not hinge on it as it did with Jesus.
In Luke 22:42, Jesus prayed "... not my will, but yours be done." So, facing the biggest crisis ever, what was the Son of God doing here? Turtling avoidance? I don't think so. If he was a turtle, why come to earth in the first place?
Was he being weak in confessing his desire not to do this? I've heard that before and frankly cannot fathom why the thought even occurs to someone. With the weight of all sin pressing upon him, under direct attack from the essence of evil, it is understandable and (I feel) a sign of strength even to express yourself like this. Considering how terrible he felt, to even be willing to continue is far more than heroic.
I do not see a man bitterly resigned to fate. His prayer while with the disciples before he arrived here (found in John) should make that plain.
Here was a man trusting in his Father's love to pull him through. Here was a man who could not see the outcome of all of this but trusted that Father would come through on THE plan of plans.
I want to pray like that. When I pray, "Your will be done," I don't think my motives are that pure. Sometimes I have prayed such prayers and add that phrase to the end of the statement as a means to excuse my own selfish requests. Extreme example: "Help me to win the lottery, but if not, Your will be done (of course)." I actually think such a phrase so badly used should show us how far off the mark we are and how much we need His mercy. It should expose my motives, especially if you think about what the Father actually wills: salvation... renewal... restoration... transformation...
What does it actually mean when we tell someone, "See you this weekend, Lord willing!" As if He doesn't will that we see each other? I suppose that if my seeing you is going to detract from His desire for our lives (salvation, renewal, restoration, transformation, etc.), then I can accept that. But, again, I find myself uncomfortable with the phrase as something just added on to the end of a conversation.
Look... what do I know, really? I don't know my own heart well enough, much less another's when we pray, "Your will be done." But I do know a little about Jesus. I know He loves me. I know He died for me, going through with the drinking of the cup that I deserved to gulp from. I know He wants me with Him forever. I know He wants me to be a changed man. I know He's doing more than His part for this to happen.
I know that much about His will. So I can say with confidence now (after taking you through the thought process to get here)... "Your will be done. Not mine."
Thursday, October 17, 2013
Recognizing Father
Tomorrow brings another big day in our lives. I, my wife, and my mother all will be officially one year older. I'll be 39, one year shy of 4-0. I'm not sure why exactly, but that seems to be a defining year for most people. It's kind of that magic number that you get to in life that says, "You can no longer call yourself a young anything. The word 'middle-aged' is now what you're supposed to call yourself."
I have to say, however, that while there are signs there of getting older, for the most part I still feel like my regular self, for better and worse. One of those things that seems to evolve is how I recognize God in my life. One thing I liked when I was younger was how I could seem to get excited about recognizing God in the moment. If I heard a really good speaker, or a great concert, or participated in serving people, I could get that really awesome feeling in the moment. These days, it's not always as instantly apparent. I know He's there and doing things in my life, but I often don't recognize it until it's already happened.
I think for many it's easier to recognize the movement of God in the moment. I was a youth pastor for a long time, something I still miss doing. I think that part of the reason I loved doing that was the ability to see them recognize God in the moment. They weren't jaded by age, experience, skepticism, or whatever. They just seemed to get it!
One young person on a mission trip was in tears after we served several people in a remote village who had need of basic life necessities... clothing and medicine. In the moment, I was concerned about having enough and keeping the traffic flowing through the room so we could serve more people. This young person was getting it in the moment, while it took me a few hours to really see it for what it was (in hindsight)... God at work in powerful ways!
Even as I write this, I have to remember something of critical importance... God is always at work in powerful ways. Just because my senses are often too dull to notice it doesn't mean He isn't there and working supernatural stuff. Just the fact that I can stand here a forgiven man means something is happening and has happened.
In John 14:8-14, Jesus and Philip have an interesting conversation. Philip says to Jesus, "Lord, show us the Father..." Jesus: "Don't you know me, Philip,...? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father..."
OK, then Jesus promises the disciples the Holy Spirit Who was to come in Jesus' Name. He even tells them they're better off if He leaves so that this would be possible. As it turns out, the Holy Spirit in them was the evidence of God living in them, being more intimate with them than at any time since the Garden.
That's amazing stuff! Consider it... if you have ever noticed the presence of God in you, working with you, doing things through you, serving people, performing a miracle, giving you an "aha!" moment as you read Scripture, whatever... that's the Holy Spirit living in and through you. When you see another person doing something that glorifies God, you have seen the Father! That's the gift of Jesus. That is experiencing God in ways that go even beyond getting a visual.
It seems to me we esteem this too lightly. At any moment, if I believe I am in His presence, it is an opportunity to glorify and experience Him. It doesn't matter if I'm alone or in the company of friends or with strangers. He is there. I have to believe I "have seen the Father," that I know what He is like. And if this is true, every moment can be filled with awe and wonder and amazement and worship.
If you're someone who just serves people and loves others, someone who breathes God's love without having to say anything, someone who can be filled with His joy in suffering or triumph... thank you! You have shown me the Father! I hope I am showing Him to you!
I have to say, however, that while there are signs there of getting older, for the most part I still feel like my regular self, for better and worse. One of those things that seems to evolve is how I recognize God in my life. One thing I liked when I was younger was how I could seem to get excited about recognizing God in the moment. If I heard a really good speaker, or a great concert, or participated in serving people, I could get that really awesome feeling in the moment. These days, it's not always as instantly apparent. I know He's there and doing things in my life, but I often don't recognize it until it's already happened.
I think for many it's easier to recognize the movement of God in the moment. I was a youth pastor for a long time, something I still miss doing. I think that part of the reason I loved doing that was the ability to see them recognize God in the moment. They weren't jaded by age, experience, skepticism, or whatever. They just seemed to get it!
One young person on a mission trip was in tears after we served several people in a remote village who had need of basic life necessities... clothing and medicine. In the moment, I was concerned about having enough and keeping the traffic flowing through the room so we could serve more people. This young person was getting it in the moment, while it took me a few hours to really see it for what it was (in hindsight)... God at work in powerful ways!
Even as I write this, I have to remember something of critical importance... God is always at work in powerful ways. Just because my senses are often too dull to notice it doesn't mean He isn't there and working supernatural stuff. Just the fact that I can stand here a forgiven man means something is happening and has happened.
In John 14:8-14, Jesus and Philip have an interesting conversation. Philip says to Jesus, "Lord, show us the Father..." Jesus: "Don't you know me, Philip,...? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father..."
OK, then Jesus promises the disciples the Holy Spirit Who was to come in Jesus' Name. He even tells them they're better off if He leaves so that this would be possible. As it turns out, the Holy Spirit in them was the evidence of God living in them, being more intimate with them than at any time since the Garden.
That's amazing stuff! Consider it... if you have ever noticed the presence of God in you, working with you, doing things through you, serving people, performing a miracle, giving you an "aha!" moment as you read Scripture, whatever... that's the Holy Spirit living in and through you. When you see another person doing something that glorifies God, you have seen the Father! That's the gift of Jesus. That is experiencing God in ways that go even beyond getting a visual.
It seems to me we esteem this too lightly. At any moment, if I believe I am in His presence, it is an opportunity to glorify and experience Him. It doesn't matter if I'm alone or in the company of friends or with strangers. He is there. I have to believe I "have seen the Father," that I know what He is like. And if this is true, every moment can be filled with awe and wonder and amazement and worship.
If you're someone who just serves people and loves others, someone who breathes God's love without having to say anything, someone who can be filled with His joy in suffering or triumph... thank you! You have shown me the Father! I hope I am showing Him to you!
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Unnoticable
Confession time... I have very little patience for braggarts and blowhards. It takes me about 30 seconds before I'm looking for a way out of the meeting or the conversation. Yeah, I know that people need to be heard, that some feel the need to cover for their inadequacies with their verbiage and that I could be a better listener and cut through the words to the real story being told. But I'm lousy at that.
There's a principle of service found in the Bible, John 13:1-17 to be exact. It states that to be great, be a servant. To be like Christ, embrace being degraded (in human estimation) for the benefit of others. For this reason I admire those who are generous without being noticed, who serve without being asked. I love it when I realize well after the fact that someone served and no one knew about it.
It should be happening in the everyday stuff as well. Thinking over the first paragraph of this little essay, how is this principle applied in just the way we speak with people? The opposite of the principle of service is self-seeking, the desire to be served. That means I put myself in a position so that you will see me as better than you, higher than you, more worthy of adulation and service than you. The sneakiest part of this, in my view at least, is when I speak to you as one deserving of your admiration. When I get full of myself and my vision and my position and my importance and... you get the picture.
I tire of leaders who won't let someone else get a word in edgewise, as if they have to hear themselves talk to convince themselves they are visionary or right (they say they're trying to convince you, but I think they're really trying to convince themselves). Bombastic talk is cheap. I think to be a servant, to have a servant's heart and be a servant leader, means that I am humble enough to listen first. I should allow for the opinions of others (and harbor a healthy amount of self-distrust). I will take the towel to serve, not only physically but intellectually, emotionally, spiritually. I think the whole person is a servant if the whole person is not to be servant-compromised.
So, in short, to be a servant-leader, maybe a good place to start is to be silent. Listen, and subdue the urge to correct or add to someone's thoughts your own visionary brilliance. Chances are, you're not that brilliant anyway (no offense--neither am I). Frankly, I'd rather be known as a person who validates another because I could keep my mouth shut and listen than to be the on who keeps trying to build myself up on my own words. I would also solicit prayers for this... as one who struggles to listen well at times, I don't want to air my thoughts on servant-listening unless I improve on it myself!
There's a principle of service found in the Bible, John 13:1-17 to be exact. It states that to be great, be a servant. To be like Christ, embrace being degraded (in human estimation) for the benefit of others. For this reason I admire those who are generous without being noticed, who serve without being asked. I love it when I realize well after the fact that someone served and no one knew about it.
It should be happening in the everyday stuff as well. Thinking over the first paragraph of this little essay, how is this principle applied in just the way we speak with people? The opposite of the principle of service is self-seeking, the desire to be served. That means I put myself in a position so that you will see me as better than you, higher than you, more worthy of adulation and service than you. The sneakiest part of this, in my view at least, is when I speak to you as one deserving of your admiration. When I get full of myself and my vision and my position and my importance and... you get the picture.
I tire of leaders who won't let someone else get a word in edgewise, as if they have to hear themselves talk to convince themselves they are visionary or right (they say they're trying to convince you, but I think they're really trying to convince themselves). Bombastic talk is cheap. I think to be a servant, to have a servant's heart and be a servant leader, means that I am humble enough to listen first. I should allow for the opinions of others (and harbor a healthy amount of self-distrust). I will take the towel to serve, not only physically but intellectually, emotionally, spiritually. I think the whole person is a servant if the whole person is not to be servant-compromised.
So, in short, to be a servant-leader, maybe a good place to start is to be silent. Listen, and subdue the urge to correct or add to someone's thoughts your own visionary brilliance. Chances are, you're not that brilliant anyway (no offense--neither am I). Frankly, I'd rather be known as a person who validates another because I could keep my mouth shut and listen than to be the on who keeps trying to build myself up on my own words. I would also solicit prayers for this... as one who struggles to listen well at times, I don't want to air my thoughts on servant-listening unless I improve on it myself!
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