Creation & The Fall

I started a new Chronological Bible reading plan. Through the main story arc of the Bible in something like 60 days-ish. Hitherto are the results. S – Genesis 3:6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.          O – At it’s core, sin is a selfish impulse to ignore God and satisfy personal desires. As the serpent is tempting Eve with the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, Eve has surely seen the tree before. She already knows that the fruit on it looks appetizing, and that the tree itself is beautiful. The temptation of Satan wasn’t to satisfy the desire of the eyes, the temptation was to disobey God and gain something for themselves—wisdom. I think, as time went on, God would have revealed his wisdom to them and made them wiser than they already were, but it would have been in his own timing and in his own way. Adam and Eve took a shortcut. A – Adam and Eve disregarded the punishment of God when they sinned. Either they believed that they wouldn’t die, or that once they “became like God,” they would have different consequences. Basically they didn’t fear what God promised would happen. Now it makes sense why Proverbs consistently says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,” (Proverbs 1:7) because if Adam and Eve had just feared the Lord, they would not have sinned. The consequence of sin wasn’t important to them anymore; they simply wanted something they thought they didn’t have—wisdom; but they really had it all along in their relationship with God. For me, I see lots of things that are good for me and a delight to my eyes, and naturally, the temptation is to have them right away. Put things on credit, take out of savings. I remember a few times being tempted to just steal some stuff. Those impulses aren’t just driven by eye-candy; there’s a deeper thing in me that says, “It doesn’t matter how you get this, you simply need it because without it, you’re missing something; you’re life is lacking, because you don’t have what you want.” I think the company Apple is the king of making people feel like this. They release a new, heavily upgraded product every year, and every time you watch the release videos you feel like you can’t live without the new iPhone or iPad or MacBook or whatever. They could sell me anything. They could convince me that I absolutely need to wear pink dresses because it’s more intuitive than pants. But the one thing that has that “Forbidden Fruit” appeal for me lately has been guitars. I always feel like I don’t have what I need. Even younger, less experienced players have better gear or more expensive guitars than me. It’s actually really hard for me to admit that that’s simply not true. Even writing that sentence is honestly difficult. But here are some questions to ask myself anytime I have the forbidden fruit urge: o   Is this pleasing to God? o   Can I live without it? o   Does God actually want me to have this? o   Can I have it if I wait? P – Lord, I thank you for leading me to that Don’t Waste Your Life photo I saw yesterday. You are clearly telling me to treasure you above all things here on earth. When I am tempted to sin, my heart’s desire is to stay face to face with you, not to turn my back on you and hope you don’t see what I’m really trying to do (remember how Lion turns his back to you?). I want to cooperate with the desire of my heart. Help me Lord!

Be Still

Psalm 46:10
"Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!"

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I've heard the first sentence of this verse so many times, yet had no idea about the following sentence.
Too often, when I think of this verse, I think that the purpose of being still and knowing that he is God is so that he can speak to me and give me guidance and purpose to my life. Yet, it's clear that this verse is much more about God and his purpose than it is about me and my meditation.

God wants me to know my purpose, but even beyond that, he's reminding me through this poem that he alone will be exalted in all of the earth, and that's his will. That was his will before I was born. And if that's his will, part of my being still needs to understand that I will be used to that end, if I am still enough to hear it.
I think I tend to sit still, or go on quiet walks, or pray on my own, and expect God to just give me guidance for my personal life. But God has a global perspective in mind.

This is what makes "being still" different from something like Eastern meditation. When I used to meditate (influenced by Taoism, Buddhism, martial arts, and New Age thought), the purpose was always to understand my self in greater depth. It was to realize that I was somehow at the center of something. But being still has a different purpose: to know that God is at the center of all things, and that his ultimate purpose is to be exalted among every nation, to be exalted in all the earth.

So, it's not wrong to seek God's will for my life, but I need to make sure that my purpose is tied to God's great purpose of being exalted in the earth. If I can't do this, then in my stillness I have not known that he is God. If I can't do this, then in my stillness I have proven that in my own world, I am God.

When I am still because I need to slow down and refocus my life on the things that are important, do I realize that God is also saying, "I will be exalted in your life"? When I am still and thinking about God and the unique plan he has for me, do I realize that God is also saying, "my plan for you is to use you to exalt my name"?

Lord, help me to fix my thoughts on this higher perspective in my times of stillness. I thank you that you care for me on a deeply personal level, and that you are there for me in even the small things of life; but help me to keep at the forefront of my mind that your greatness, your glory, and your exaltation has always been your plan. May I be faithful in pursuing this and coming alongside your great purpose, rather than trying to craft my own purpose and asking for your blessing.

1 Timothy 1:3-5
3 As I urged you upon my departure for Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus so that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines, 4 nor to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which give rise to mere speculation rather than furthering the administration of God which is by faith. 5 But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.
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Timothy is urged here to walk in his spiritual gifting and fulfill the role God has given him. As a teacher, he is first instructed to teach on a small level (one on few), rather than focusing on weekly sermons. The purpose is to instruct other teachers not to teach other doctrines, and to avoid being caught up in the meaningless discussions of myths and genealogies. Meaning, there is value in those things, but the speculation of them does not further God’s administration. It’s fruitless discussion (v.6).
Then Paul says that the goal of teaching, of being a teacher in God’s administration by faith, is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and sincere faith. This shows me that the goal of being a teacher in God’s kingdom is to transform yourself. It’s not merely passing off information for the spiritual transformation of others, but the very goal is to become more loving yourself, to act out this love from a pure heart, with a good and clean conscience, coming from a sincere faith in and of yourself.
It reminds me of Jesus’ words to care for the log in my own eye, rather than pointing out the speck in other’s eyes. This hits me today because too often, including today, I find myself teaching with everyone else in mind. Yet God is clear, teach to transform yourself first. Then teach others in a smaller setting. Then teach to the crowds.
I find all of these things justified in Jesus, who himself was a rabbi. In his life (and in who he is), he kept his focus on his relationship with God the Father and kept himself from sin and darkness. Because of this, he was qualified to teach the truth of God. This is why Paul says that he is not qualified to teach on his own, but because Jesus has considered him faithful (v.12), and Jesus has “qualified” him (Colossians 1:12). Any teacher of God’s Word is qualified to do so only because Jesus alone is qualified, and he selects whom he will.
Jesus also taught his own disciples more often than he taught the crowds. He took advantage of ordinary moments and used them to teach his disciples, and to teach his closest three: Peter, James, and John. When Jesus did teach the crowds, it usually came from lessons he taught his disciples; and he would reveal deeper meaning to his disciples after teaching the crowds.
So it leads me to ask myself: who do I teach more, the crowds or disciples? As I prepare sermons, even today, I’m confronted with the fact that I tend to have the “everyone else” attitude. Jesus, thank you for revealing this, and please forgive my pride. I remember the early days of my faith, where my own growth and knowledge and learning was above everything else, and my opportunities to teach were coming out of my life being genuinely changed and transformed.
Lord, please guide me back to that place, that I may rid myself of this fog I am in, where I qualify myself as a teacher and disciple. It’s all in you. It’s only in you that I have eternal meaning. I want to walk forward as a disciple, as a white belt with the right attitude, rather than a black belt with an entitled heart.

The Family Business

Colossians 1:9-14
we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
        
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Observations:

• being filled with knowledge of God’s will, spiritual wisdom, and understanding, all have a specific purpose: to live in a way that is worthy of Jesus Christ, to be wholly pleasing to him, to bear fruit by doing the good works he has planned for us. Not only this, but also to increase in this knowledge. There are purposes to increase in spiritual wisdom. It is a dangerous, and unbiblical thing, to gain more wisdom, more biblical knowledge, take more Bible college courses, join more study groups, listen to more sermons, if there is no output. Soaking up information and wisdom without applying it and turning it into good works that glorify God and transform our hearts is nothing more than information gluttony.
• This requires us to be strengthened with power, which comes from God himself for he is mighty. This strength is not just outward strength, but allows us to be patient and enduring with a divine joy; which in turn causes us to be a thankful people to God the Father.
• All of this so far (growing in spiritual wisdom, good works, being patient, joyful, and thankful), is still not the full measure of being a Christian. We aren’t just to be wise, patient, joyful, and thankful. Paul says that we have been qualified to share in an inheritance. What is this inheritance?
• All of us were once slaves in “the domain of darkness” where we didn’t know how offensive our sin was to others and to a holy God. In Jesus, we have redemption, and the forgiveness of our sins, but that’s not all we have. Paul makes it clear that we have been delivered and transferred. Jesus doesn’t just give me a pardon for my sins and the proverbial “ticket to heaven.” He qualifies me for something I was previously unqualified for. I am transferred to a new reality, a new life, a completely new assignment. I am transferred to the kingdom of Jesus Christ.
• With this transfer, I have a certain purpose and assignment. It’s not just to be a good citizen and stay out of trouble. The inheritance is a holy kingdom. In our world, no one would join a kingdom of priests (Exodus 19:6) without some sense of a certain duty or calling. This is exactly what we are transferred to; it’s who we’ve become. There’s no way around it. To be “delivered” means to be moved from one destination to another. To be transferred means to exchange one thing for another. We give up the domain of darkness to join the kingdom of God. And this kingdom is an inheritance.
• The inheritance God gives his saints is not wealth or money or possessions or land; it’s a share in heaven. But it’s not just citizenship. When a son inherits the family business, the responsibility of operating that business falls on his shoulders. He needs to decide how he’s going to do that. Is he going to let others do the work for him while he sits idly by and enjoys the riches he now has, avoiding his responsibility; or is he going to take ownership and fulfill the role that only he can fulfill as the heir of the inheritance?
• This is our role: we are the heirs of God’s inheritance; his kingdom; his “family business.” Will I sit by and be Billy Madison, enjoying the luxuries of my father and ignoring my responsibilities; or will I be active and involved, as Jesus did the work of his Father? Isn’t this what Jesus modeled for us? Not to just live a good life that is marked by faith, prayer, and compassion, but to work as Jesus worked?

Action Steps:

• My new friend and fellow soldier in Christ, Kaleo Del Sol, opened my eyes to the “family business” viewpoint of God’s kingdom. I’ll be forever grateful for this, as it has opened up a fresh zeal in me to live in a manner worthy of the Lord.


• I need to lead my family (first and foremost) in being active as heirs of this inheritance. Are we a family that is worthy of the Lord? Are we pouring out heart-transforming good works, and increasing in the knowledge of God?


• I feel led to look at the mind map of my life and gauge which areas of my life are being lived in light of my inheritance. Any areas that are dead or lacking need to be enlivened.


• I need to communicate this to my church and my ministries I have been entrusted to oversee. After that, we need to discuss how we’re going to live in light of this, and what changes need to be made.

Am I Wearing The Right Clothes?

Psalm 132:8-9
Arise, O LORD, and go to your resting place, you and the ark of your might.
Let your priests be clothed with righteousness, and let your saints shout for joy.

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This is one of the Psalms of Ascent, a song that pilgrims would sing as they traveled up to Jerusalem for feasts or pilgrimage. I think it’s such a beautiful idea, that as one of God’s children approach his “house” or his “resting place” from afar, they sing of his goodness and his covenant with David and Israel. For me, going on walks is something that fills me up. If I were to talk as I walk, people might think I’m crazy; like I’m either talking to myself or an imaginary person. But if I were to sing as I walk, it’s much more acceptable. There’s a sense of my heart expressing something in a way that’s not strange; singing is something that people naturally accept as a way of connecting with ourselves and with something higher.

As I was looking into the commentaries on this particular psalm, one of them mentioned that the phrase in verse 8 “Arise, Yahweh,” was a saying that emerged in Israel when the Ark was being moved into Jerusalem and then into the Temple. And the people shouted, danced, and rejoiced in this act because it was their king coming in all his splendor to sit and rest in this city he had chosen for himself. It’s the image of rejoicing because their king has risen and is on the move.

I think it’s what we need to understand in the church today also; that we rejoice because we understand that God is “arisen” and is on the move. He’s not just sitting around receiving praise, but he’s a mobile king, moving about in the real world; on the streets, in the slums, at feasts and banquets, with the poor and the influential. He’s on the move through his body, which is the church.

So it’s a two-pronged thing. God is on the move, but only if his church (his body) is on the move. Only if his priests are clothed with righteousness and his saints are shouting for joy. So, God will arise and the people will shout for joy when his priests are upright and ministering faithfully. And the priests will be encouraged in righteousness as the people shout and praise with joy. In his commentary, Matthew Henry says of this psalm, “A faithful ministry is the joy of the saints.”

If, as a worship leader, I want to see the people shout for joy and rejoice in God, I need to look at myself first and ask, “Am I wearing the right clothes?” Can I stand before God and men and say that I am walking in righteousness?

One thing I think is so cool about Old Testament priests is that they cared for the Temple, taught Scripture, and led public worship. Today, we’ve split the role of the traditional priest. Most priests just teach the Bible. But what about the duty to not just teach the Word of God, but also to lead the people in the praise of God? And what about the maintenance of his house?

Got lots to chew and meditate on for today!

Grace - Contentment - Works

And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all contentment in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.
-2 Corinthians 9:8

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Paul is talking about a monetary collection for the church. He’s saying that giving has to come out of contentment, not begrudgingly or out of some sense of obligation. But the way he puts it here opens my eyes to something.

There’s a certain order he lays out. He says that first, God’s grace comes into my life in an abundant way. If I accept it and try to live by it, I will have contentment (or, sufficiency) in all things, always. But only living in God’s grace can bring this contentment. His grace drives contentment in all my situations and empowers me to be joyful with whatever I have, or don’t have. And this sense of contentment, in turn, enables me to abound in the good works of God.

If I’m not content, which comes through grace, I won’t be able to focus on the good works that have been prepared for me. Grace - contentment - good works. All of these things are promised to be abundant in my life, if I start by understanding and receiving his grace first. Once I do that, contentment will pave the way for me to walk in God’s plan, which abounds in good works - the work of God’s kingdom.

The Cunning Lie of Procrastination

But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.
For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough.
2 Corinthians 11:3-4

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Paul makes some things clear about the deception of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden here: that the serpent used “cunning” (literally: duplicity) to lead her thoughts away from a sincere and pure devotion to God. Paul then goes on to explain that the Corinthian church has been open to new definitions of Christ and the gospel, rather than resting on what they have known to be true and experienced through Paul and the ministry of the apostles. So Paul is talking specifically about lies that lead our minds away from a singular devotion to Jesus and his gospel.

But a principle can be extracted here, and it is speaking into a certain area of my life - that my thoughts determine my devotion to Christ. My mind is so important. And the biggest weapons against my mind are distractions and lies; this is the cunning that Satan uses not just to lead me astray so I will do bad things and be a naughty person, it’s to get me to pull away from a dependence on God. This was Satan’s tactic with Adam and Eve. It was the same tactic he used against Jesus in the wilderness temptation. It’s the same tactic he uses with every Christian, and every person on the planet. It’s done in our thoughts.

I met with a friend and mentor today who really helped me to see how important it is to control the procrastinator in me. It’s not just a matter of recognizing that laziness and procrastination is bad, it’s understanding how this part of me will be destructive to my entire life (ministry, family, finances, joy, etc.) if I fail to understand that this is a part of me that Satan is happy to control because it’s so closely tied to how I depend on God.

I’ve got to be more than aware of this cunning plan. I’ve to be active in getting it under a control. It’s not just me. I suspect my entire generation has been so successfully lied to by Satan that procrastination is an acceptable way to live in our culture. So many of my generation lives by putting things off until the last minute and then cramming everything to get it done, and we still get rewarded for the results. For instance, I hardly ever studied for tests, but after one night of cramming, I would get good grades. Or, I would never wear my retainer until the night before my orthodontist appointment and he would say I was doing great. As long as we get the result we’re hoping for, we can put as little amount of effort and stress into it and we’ll be okay with it because we now have so much time for “other stuff.”

The problem with this is, God is a God of order and planning. From the beginning of creation we see that God’s answer to chaos is bringing order (separating darkness and light, dividing the skies and the waters, seasons and cycles, and then creating a steward to take care of it all in an orderly fashion). Also, now that I have more responsibilities in life, I’m starting to see that this lie that has dominated my life is one of the major blocks to me experiencing life to the fullest. I can only recognize this through the renewing of my mind by the Holy Spirit, and I can only change this by the same power. May Satan lose his grip on this area of my life, and may God be praised by a new life I live, and by not passing this off to my children.

Know My Limits

• 2 Corinthians 10:13-18

        [13] But we will not boast beyond limits, but will boast only with regard to the area of influence God assigned to us, to reach even to you. [14] For we are not overextending ourselves, as though we did not reach you. For we were the first to come all the way to you with the gospel of Christ. [15] We do not boast beyond limit in the labors of others. But our hope is that as your faith increases, our area of influence among you may be greatly enlarged, [16] so that we may preach the gospel in lands beyond you, without boasting of work already done in another's area of influence. [17] “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” [18] For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.

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Here Paul talks about other self-proclaimed “apostles” who have been teaching others about Christ, but were not actual apostles in the same sense as Paul, Peter, John, etc. Really, this is a passage about the danger of boasting, especially if you are boasting about something that you have no right to claim credit for, or if you are assuming a position of authority that has not been given to you by God himself.

Although the context is in boasting, I am drawn today to the “limits” that Paul speaks about. Even the apostles had limits in their authority. They didn’t see themselves as supreme authorities on anything, they were servants of a higher master - Jesus Christ. They had the authority to go into the world and proclaim the gospel of Christ, build his church, teach the word, reconcile fallen man to God (this is by no means an exhaustive list). Beyond that, they knew their place, and Paul defends this by stating that he wouldn’t go beyond what was commanded of him by Christ.

When it comes to “boasting in the Lord” it means to understand the difference between what you are able to accomplish on your own, and what is accomplished only because the Lord has empowered you to accomplish something. To understand this means to understand that there are things God has called me and empowered me to do, and things he has not called me to do, even if I am able to do them on my own. How do I go about discerning the difference?

For one, taking a cue from Paul here, the Lord needs to commend what I am doing. That will come through a number of things:

• Am I open with others about his calling? Do I give permission for others to affirm God’s commendation in my life?
• Are there people who are under the authority and influence God has given me? Are they receiving everything they need from what God is doing through me? Are they affirming God’s calling on my life?
• Do I achieve most of my work outside of prayer? When something is done and accomplished, do I have certainty that I trusted my steps to God, or did I take the reins?

I need to know my limits. I need to know that I can’t boast about anything if God did not guide me through it. I need to be in prayer more and rely on the Lord to empower me to achieve, and rely on the help he provides through his Spirit and through other people.

My Sufficiency

2 Corinthians 3:5-6
[5] Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, [6] who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

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Here Paul is transitioning between thoughts. He says that he (and the apostles) don’t need any commendation from others about the legitimacy of their ministry and their positions as apostles. There are some preachers in the area who are “peddling” (2:17) God’s word; these men “minister” for pay and for show, rather than in spirit and truth. Paul is now moving to talk about the supremacy of the gospel message in comparison to the Law of Moses, because it is a ministry of the Holy Spirit, rather than a ministry of a written code. But before he fully starts on this topic he makes one last statement about the position of the apostles and their role in God’s kingdom.

Certain men in that time and area would be great orators, great public speakers who could stir the crowds and win devotion. Rather than giving all the glory to God, they would relish in all the attention and make it as if their own giftings and hard work have gotten them attention, status, and wealth. But Paul says that he and the apostles can’t claim any of their position or status based on any of their gifts, talents, or credentials; all that they have has been given to them by the Spirit of God. One of the key words in these verses is the word “sufficient.”

The first use in verse 5 means to be “just above” an acceptable level. Paul is saying that whatever “sufficiency” they have was given to them by God to put them at a level “just above” acceptable. It’s like passing school with a minimum GPA of 2.0, which I know pretty well. But then in verse 6, the literal meaning of the word “sufficient” means “to make adequate; to make competent; to qualify one for a specific task.”

He’s saying that on his own credentials, he’s at best just barely adequate to be given a position as an apostle, but because this is given by God, the Holy Spirit has not just made him “barely” an apostle, but he has fully qualified Paul and the others as true apostles of God’s new covenant; the everlasting covenant of his Kingdom.

When I look at my own life and consider where I’m at, I wouldn’t hesitate to say that it’s all from God. I graduated high school with a 2.something GPA, dropped out of college, never held a job for more than a year, never had any real artistic success, unable to man up and keep a stable relationship, my lack of qualifications goes on and on. But here I am today, 30 years old with a solid job, a wife, a young child with another on the way, able to rent a place to live without scrambling together the rent every month, I get to artistically reach over 1,000 people weekly through music and creative speaking, I have people looking up to me and desperately wanting me to succeed. I haven’t earned any of this by worldly standards! Are you kidding me?!

All that I have, including my position, has been graciously gifted to me by the Lord. The way he has unfolded the last 5 years of my life has been nothing short of miraculous. I’m reminded to look back today and be exceedingly grateful for where I am today, all because the Lord has chosen to put me on this path and I haven’t earned it with a single ounce of my sufficiency; but God has made me adequate, competent, qualified to be a minister in his Kingdom. What an honor. What a privilege. I am inspired to live well today, for the glory of the one who has given me all my adequacy, through his surpassing excellence, by his unbelievable grace.

Head Glory

1 Corinthians 11:3
But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.

The apostle Paul comments here on the natural authority that he has established between God and a married couple. It’s worth noting that this section of 1 Corinthians is directed towards husbands and wives, not men and women in general. From the beginning of chapter 11 through to verse 16 he is only referring to husbands and wives; so it wouldn’t be wise to apply this passage to all men and women in general.

He says that the “head” of every man is Christ, meaning Jesus Christ is the authority over a married man. Jesus ranks above him, as a head is above the rest of the body.
Then, in marriage, the husband has authority over the wife. Even Jesus Christ has someone in authority over him, God the Father. But before we dismiss this whole notion as absurdly authoritarian and closed-minded, let’s recognize that Jesus is equal to God in deity (John 1:1), but not in the roles they play. Jesus affirmed over and over again that God the Father had authority over him, yet he claimed that they were “one” (John 10:30), that they shared some kind of equality and their relationship was fair and filled with joy. Paul mentions the Son and the Father to draw a picture of this kind of authority, where there is equality, but also a certain order of authority.

The contention with this verse and with this idea shouldn’t be that it is unnatural or bad, but that men and women have been unsuccessful in making it work the way it was intended to. If husbands exercised the authority they have over their wives in the way God the Father exercises his authority over his Son, Jesus, marriages across the world would be fair and filled with joy, and we would all glorify God through the beautiful picture of marriage. Sadly, this just doesn’t happen. We’re fallen. No matter how hard we try, we wrong one another and use authority improperly.

Let’s touch on head coverings for a moment. In Paul’s day, Roman custom had married women wear a sort of covering on their heads. Whether it was some kind of veil, or scarf, or shawl, or hair design, or a fancy hat, I’m not sure. What I know is that Paul is talking about the cultural practice that shows the marital status of women. This is not the same practice that we have in 21st century America to publicly display marital status. If Paul were writing this letter to a church in North America, 2012 (which, in a way, he certainly did; but anyway…) he probably wouldn’t talk about head coverings, but would instead say that if a woman chooses not to wear her wedding ring in public she disgraces her husband and scorns the authority he has over her. The principle of male leadership in marriage remains, but the cultural expressions of how we identify married couples will vary and change across cultures and time.

Paul continues to unpack this argument, saying in verse 7 that “a man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God, but woman is the glory of man.” This term “glory” is better understood as “one who shows the excellence of” (ESV Study Bible). So verse 7 is best understood by saying, “(man) is the image of God and shows the excellence of God, but woman shows the excellence of man.” Paul is not denying that women are also made in the image of God, and he’s not saying that women don’t reflect God’s glory; again, let’s keep it in the context of marriage. Basically, if a marriage is operating the way it was designed to, people will see the wife and in her God-honoring lifestyle she will show the world that her husband has an excellence (or glory) to him that she respects and loves. Then, people should look to the husband and by the way he fairly leads his wife and worships God, he will show the world that God is excellent and glorious through the way he leads them both in marriage.

It really gets me looking at my own life and asking myself, “What am I doing with the authority God has given me as a husband?”, “Do I put Christ in his rightful place as the authority over me and my life?”, “Is my wife happy to speak well of me and bring me honor because of the way I lead her?”

Tough, challenging questions!

Lord, give me the eyes to see my life honestly and to adjust it courageously, not defending my flaws and weaknesses or covering up my sins. Show me what must change, and may I be found faithful to your word.

Hitting God

Numbers 27:13-14
When you have seen it, you also shall be gathered to your people, as your brother Aaron was, because you rebelled against my word in the wilderness of Zin when the congregation quarreled, failing to uphold me as holy at the waters before their eyes.”

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When I think about sin, I usually think about the obvious things: stealing, lying, cheating, murder, rebellion against God. But “failing to uphold God as holy in the sight of the people” doesn’t usually make it onto that list. Moses rebelled against God by rebelling against the word of God. God gave him specific instructions about speaking to a rock so that water would come out of it; but instead he struck the rock in anger.

Why was this a big deal? The first time water came from that rock to give water for the people, God told Moses to strike the rock. But he also told Moses that he himself would be standing on that rock (Exodus 17:6). This is to show that God didn’t just make water come out of a rock, but that because he “stood” on that rock, he was the source of the water. This gives validity to what the apostle Paul mentioned when he said that this very rock was Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 10:4).

So the first time Israel drank from the rock, there was a sense of God taking a hit for the people. Even though the people grumbled against Moses and tested God, God in a sense took all that grumbling upon himself and produced something life-giving. There’s an element of sacrifice on God’s part, for his sinful and disrespectful people.

So with this in mind, the second time God tells Moses that water is going to come from the rock, he tells Moses not to strike the rock, but to speak to the rock. I presume that the Lord would once again be standing there on the rock as he was before, expecting Moses to speak, but instead gets hit twice.
Just FYI, if God tells you to open your mouth and talk to him, but instead you hit him, twice, that’s probably a sin.

Moses’ sin was disobedience to God’s command, but also, he treated God with great disrespect. He didn’t give him the due honor or reverence that God deserves, because he is holy.

So today, I’m left in a nervous discontent. I wonder, as someone who gets up on Sundays and teaches people about God, if I truly treat God as holy. Especially in youth ministry, where there’s a desire to be relevant, cool, and humorous, it can be hard to get the message across that God is a holy God; and you don’t treat him as anything but holy.

I’m left challenged by this. What needs to change in how I operate on Sundays? And what needs to change in my daily life as I try to show the world around me that I not only believe in God, but treat him as holy?

For Glory and Beauty

Exodus 28:2-3
And you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty. You shall speak to all the skillful, whom I have filled with a spirit of skill, that they make Aaron's garments to consecrate him for my priesthood.

Exodus 29:35
“Thus you shall do to Aaron and to his sons, according to all that I have commanded you. Through seven days shall you ordain them,”
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Even though God had led his people into the wilderness, into barren desert land, when it came time for Israel to build a center of worship, God instructed them to do so in a specific way. Everything was to be made skillfully and beautifully. When it came to the garments of the priests, God says that they are to be holy garments “for glory and for beauty.”
As Israel travels through the wilderness, at the center of their camp would stand the Tabernacle, essentially - the throne room of God himself. All the beautifully crafted tents and ornaments are meant to display to Israel and all other nations that a King dwells in their midst. This was also common among other nations. Palaces were the most finely decorated buildings in any city, where the king lived. When other nations would travel abroad with their king, they had finely constructed tents and structures for the king to travel in. So Israel wasn’t doing anything out of the ordinary in constructing all these things, but what was uncommon was that there was no mortal king sitting on the throne; the king Israel traveled with was the God of all things, personally dwelling with them.
It’s not wonder that God commands them to build fine and beautiful things for him to travel in. And it’s not about ego. He says that all these things are to be built for glory and beauty. Glory, that all people will see how holy he is. Beauty, that all people will see that the God of all things is not a temperamental, destructive god, but that he is full of mercy and lovingkindness.
God is worthy of being displayed as the most glorious and beautiful of all beings. This was part of Israel’s responsibility, to display God properly to all the nations. In the church, there’s no specific command to build ornate buildings or that God’s people should be finely dressed. But this certainly doesn’t imply that we don’t do anything to honor God with beautifully, skillfully made things. God is still just as worthy of his people displaying him as glorious and beautiful.
It’s a tragic thing that many people’s conception of churches is a beautiful chapel-type building, but with 20th century overhead projectors using transparencies and out of tune organs played by an elderly, deaf woman. God’s people should make it a priority to give their best in displaying him as a glorious king in the midst of their community. Now, to be fair, in some churches, all they can afford is an overhead transparency projector and an organ; that’s fine. God is not looking for a specific type of decor, but he certainly deserves the best efforts of those who are calling the community to come and worship the King of all kings. Yes, it is about the hearts with which we worship God, but there should also be a sense that everyone is doing their best to create a beautiful environment for all people to come to.
In Israel’s case, where did all that beautiful material come from to construct the Tabernacle? It all came from Egypt. They used material from another nation, an idolatrous nation, to construct the house of God and the instruments for the priests. There’s a lot of disagreement in the church in how much we allow the outside world to influence our church services. Some people don’t think that loud drums, electric guitars, concert lights, blue jeans, ornate sets, or iPads belong in a church. I understand their opinion (sort of), but from the beginning of Israel as a holy kingdom God has always used things of the world, from other cultures, and adopted and modified them for his people to use.
But one key we find in Exodus is truly important that maybe some modern churches will overlook. In Exodus 29:35 we see that the ordination process of the priests and their work took one whole week. They needed to be made holy and purified before they began ministering before the Lord. So in some regard, all the modern touches of church shouldn’t be implemented (such as lights, electric guitars, etc.) until the people understand that they are taking something from modern culture and devoting it’s use to be holy unto God. But if indeed hearts are pure, and the intention is to display God’s glory and beauty, I say bring on the lights and crank the distortion. It’s not about being modern or letting the culture dictate the church, it’s using the best the culture has to offer, but setting it apart as holy for the beautiful display of a holy God.

God's Gift and Greatest Tool

Acts 1: 6-8
So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Exodus 12: 35-36
The people of Israel had also done as Moses told them, for they had asked the Egyptians for silver and gold jewelry and for clothing. And the LORD had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have what they asked. Thus they plundered the Egyptians.

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John the Baptizer recognized that Jesus was “the Lamb of God” who takes away the sin of the world. This was a reference to the Exodus where God’s final plague against the Egyptians was the death of all the firstborn in the land, but for all the people of Israel who sacrificed a male lamb (one year old, without blemish) and smeared it’s blood above their doors, God passed over that household and the Feast of Passover was instituted.

The tenth plague and the Passover was a crucial point in Israel’s history, but it was also an extremely significant moment in world history. God had declared that day to a broken creation, fallen in sin and unable to reconcile itself back to him, that he promise of restoration had just taken a huge leap forward: he was graciously forming a people who would be his royal ambassadors on earth.

When it says that the Israelites plundered the Egyptians, it wasn’t just for plundering’s sake. God later commanded them to use most of these valuables in constructing holy items, such as the Tabernacle, ornaments for priests, lamp stands, etc. After Israel was freed from the bondage of Egypt, they were given tools and authority to carry out their unique role in the earth.

But the Passover also pointed toward the day when God would send his own Son to be the sacrificial lamb for all people on the earth. Just as it was important that God provide Israel with material needs to survive a journey to the promised land, and tools to carry out their responsibility as God’s people, Jesus likewise promised his apostles that they would receive something that would empower them to carry out their roles as his followers. This was the promise of the Holy Spirit.

Once Israel was in the wilderness they weren’t just freed from the empire of Egypt, they were then free to serve God and take up a divine calling, one that was unique to them out of all the people of the world. It would require them to set themselves apart from all other nations, for the sake of displaying God’s glory and goodness to the rest of the world. Likewise, once we come to faith in Jesus, we go on our own process of embracing a new responsibility, a new lifestyle. This is the life of following Christ. It’s being equipped and empowered by the Holy Spirit to be the unique people of God.

Today, this is a helpful reminder that each day I live, it’s not just a routine, day-in-day-out, “normal” kind of day. Each day is filled with the question, “How will I represent Jesus Christ today in all I think, say, and do?” I don’t have to worry much about the particulars, for God has given the tools and equipment - the Holy Spirit.

The Prime of Life

Joseph was 30 years old when he entered Pharaoh’s service (Genesis 41:46). In one day, he went from a prison to a palace. In one day, he went from rags to riches. In one day, all of his past and unfavorable circumstances gained a reason, and for the next seven years he would use all the skills and experience gained over his lifetime to begin his greatest work in life. This work would be the saving of many lives, and it would also play a direct part in fulfilling God’s promise to Abraham: that a nation would come from his offspring, and this nation would be a blessing to the world.

From age 30 to 37, Joseph had it made. He had a meaningful job and purpose in life, God blessed him in all he did, he was married and had children, he didn’t have to worry about finances, he was the second most powerful man in all of Egypt. He had it made. That’s the kind of life most men dream about.

To get to that point however, God had to lead Joseph through 30 years of hardship. Because in the hardship Joseph learned integrity and trust in God. Those 30 years prepared him for his great purpose in history. Then, after 7 years of blessing, God had another hardship for Joseph to go through.

With a famine throughout the world, Joseph, although he had made provisions for Egypt to have enough food, was faced with a famine in his own life: the starved relationships with his own family; and this was a famine he hadn’t prepared for.

My guess is that the seven years of abundance and blessings also gave Joseph some pride. When he first sees his brothers, his first reaction is not forgiveness and joy, but bitterness and pride. Genesis 42:7 says that his first reaction was that he “treated them like strangers and spoke roughly to them.” Then in verse 9 it says that he “remembered the dreams that he had dreamed of them.” What ran through his mind at that point, I think, was that he was going to force those dreams on his brothers by his own authority.

This is how I imagine his thoughts: “Now that I’m the main man in Egypt, my older brothers have to bow down to me. Those dreams I had were true after all! Thank you, God, that you have brought sweet justice on their heads and for allowing me to taste this sweet revenge.”

But as the events unfold, it becomes clearer, at least to us, that God didn’t just give Joseph those dreams because he was somehow better than his brothers, and he didn’t just give Joseph those dreams so that he would be avenged from the injustice of his brothers.

Those dreams of his youth pointed to a day when his brothers would come to him out of a life or death need, and the reaction that God wanted from Joseph was not pride or revenge, but mercy, forgiveness, and reconciliation. Joseph eventually gets to this point, but it did take him some time, and a lot of tears and inner battling.

Even though Joseph’s life was blessed vocationally, he had a lot of inner pain to fight through in the area of his family. And God brought this to light in the middle of Joseph’s most blessed years. Even though we may be riding on God’s blessings in life, we have to also accept that during these blessed times, God will probably also address hurt and pain that comes from our past. That’s not necessarily what these chapters of Genesis suggest, but it certainly is wise to assume that God will also deal with us in a similar manner.

This is especially important in our American culture, because we are so driven by our jobs, our occupation, what we do for a living. We wrap our identities around it. We schedule our lives around it. Our relationships, especially with our family, tends to take a back seat; and when we begin to realize that family is important after all, it’s often too late to reconcile or make amends. Through Joseph’s life, it seems pretty clear that God is not only concerned about what we do in life, our occupation and achievements, but he cares about our relationships very much. Even though Joseph had it all, God still wanted to address the gaping hole in his family relationships, and God chose to bring this to light during Joseph’s prime years (and at the same time he was doing this deeply personal work in Joseph’s life, God advanced his plan of salvation for the entire world).

So this New Year, as I look at my resolutions and goals, I see that I need to pay particular attention to my relationships, especially with my family. My prime years of vocation will also be peppered with the screaming need to reconcile old relationships, and to keep current ones well tended.

If I Ruled the World

1 Corinthians 6: 1-3

1 When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints?

2 Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases?

3 Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life!

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The Corinthians had a hard time settling their own disputes with one another in the church. They'd been going to court with each other over trivial matters. I can understand this because I get easily angered over small things and can freely speak my mind. It's easy to be entangled in the blame game, so convinced that I'm right and someone else is wrong, but Paul points to a shocking truth to put this in perspective.

He says that in the end, the saints - those who have been bought by Jesus and have trusted him in faith to live by following him - these men and women will judge the entire world. What does he mean by this?

I don't think it means that we will all be courthouse judges in heaven, that just doesn't fit right with any description of eternal life with God. To understand what Paul means by this, it's necessary to go back to what man was created for in the first place.

Genesis 1:26

November 9, 2011 8:40 AM Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."

This is important because God had a clear purpose for making people. It's not an accident, or a coincidence that we are the way we are. There's a reason we have our cognitive abilities, our physical attributes, our soulful yearnings; there is a design to all of that. And things are designed for a purpose, not just haphazardly.

God created Adam to be someone who had rulership and authority over the entire creation (this is what it means to "have dominion"). Eve was created to be a helper and equal partner in this task. Man was made to rule the world. But not in a militaristic and corrupt sense. He was made to rule as a steward (or "house servant") under God's supreme kingship. When Paul says that the saints are to be judges of the world, he has to be pointing back to man's original design and purpose: to have dominion over the world; to judge the world under God's supreme rulership.

And so, if this is our ultimate destination, Paul's comment makes sense. We're not just going to get to heaven and do nothing all day for eternity but sing songs to God. There's no indication in all of Scripture that God has some other purpose for man after sin entered the world. The created purpose remained the same throughout history, we just haven't been able to fulfill it. But we sure are still trying.

With all the APEC business going on today, it's clear that people are involved in ruling and governing and stewarding the world. Everyone has their political opinions, even if they don't have a political stance. People talk about it at lunch, at Starbucks, on Twitter, on blogs, on YouTube, at work, in their dreams - we all have a sense that our ideas could make the world a better place; that shows a glimpse of our divine purpose, to be judges of the world.

And so Paul points this out because if we are unable to settle minor disputes among each other within the church, how will we expect to be prepared to judge the world when our time comes?

Of course, when Jesus returns, it's all going to work out - but only because Jesus is going to put everyone in their place, according to how they've lived their lives in this one lifetime. To those who have been faithful, he will put them over much in his kingdom (Matthew 25:21).

For me, this passage in 1 Corinthians is a huge wake-up call. If I am not able to settle minor disputes in my life, what does that say about the focus of my life? If my focus is on eternal things, and what my life will be like when this life is over, I should be working towards something. I should be pushing myself to prepare for a life much better than this one. This extends beyond just how I settle disputes. If my life in God's kingdom is to be one of rulership and stewardship, how do I rule and steward the areas of my life that I am responsible for?

How do I manage my money? How do I lead my wife and children? How do I perform my job? How do I manage the ministries I am involved in? How am I a part of my church? How do I steward my relationships with family and friends? What do I do to help the needy? How do I stand up for injustice? How do I deal with temptation? What is my response when I sin? What values do I live by? How faithful am I to my promises and commitments?

All these areas and more reflect what kind of steward I expect to be after I die and then live forever in God's kingdom. How am I measuring up?

The Simply Complicated Truth

1 Corinthians 1:10
I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.

v.26-29: For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.
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In this letter to a young church, Paul begins by addressing the report he has heard of disunity within the church. People have had leadership arguments, that they are followers of Paul, or Peter, or Apollos, or Jesus. Paul sets the record straight that Jesus Christ is the one Shepherd to follow, and he points back to the cross to illustrate why we follow Christ alone.

What unifies a church is that everyone agrees on who Jesus Christ is, and that there is no disagreement or disunity on that. Paul then talks about the power of the gospel message, and the wisdom in it’s truth. And then Paul asks the church to remind themselves that not many of them were of any significant stature before their activity in the church. The reason for this is similar to the cross, that God wants to use what is low and simple to show the world how wonderful he is.

The reason is simple: when humans chase after wisdom they complicate the truth.

As people, we are always in search of more. We are convinced that there is always something more, that there is a need to go beyond. This was the mission laid out in Star Trek (although, I’m by no means a Trekkie, or even a fan, so I may not know what I’m talking about. If that’s the case, I’m okay with it, because at least I’m not a Trekkie); the mission to push the frontier, to discover new worlds and create a better humanity through diversity.

I think there’s something noble to be said of this goal, but there’s also a great danger. Because God, who is ultimate truth, has ordained the simplest, weakest, even foolish things in the world to be the wisest things in the world. Specifically, Paul is speaking of the cross, but surely this applies on a larger scale as well.

It’s not necessarily that God chose this method for no reason. It’s because of sin and fallen humanity. In our fallen nature, it’s within us to depart from God and continue to move away from him throughout life. The beauty of God’s grace is that he has set simple things to bring us back to him. We don’t need to go out and seek and acquire loads of knowledge to arrive back at God’s feet. That’s what religion does.

But God has made it so that everyone and anyone can come back to him. It’s almost too simple and too good to be true; but would you really want it to be more complicated than that?

And so today I realize that this truth needs to be embraced in all areas of my life. I can be convinced that there’s more to God I need to know and seek out more “advanced” knowledge and education. This is good and healthy, but my sinful nature will eventually lead me to go beyond what is necessary. There are some core, simple truths God wants me to know about him and make them a central part of my life. When I go beyond that, things get complicated and I get confused and frustrated, and it’s not God’s fault; I stepped past the simplicity of what he wanted me to grasp.

I can do this in all areas of my life. I can overcomplicate my schedule, my priorities, my work, my responsibilities as a husband and father, my finances, my relationships with family and friends, my Facebook profile, etc.

In all these areas, there are things to learn and areas to grow in, but I won’t ever arrive at perfection. There are some core, simple truths that will help all these areas of my life thrive, and if I go beyond them, it was because I was somehow convinced that I had to.

The temptation is always to move away from God. The solution is to find the truth in simplicity and look to Christ. This isn’t to say that there’s hard work and serious thinking that needs to go into life. It is, in fact, hard work to arrive at this viewpoint. I’ve spent over 29 years figuring this out, and I’m still learning a ton. Somehow, even simplicity has become complicated in my world today. But I must find all truth in Jesus, for only in him are all the complex mysteries of God made fully manifest, coherent, and simple enough for a guy like me to understand.

Fully Trained

Mark 9:28-29

And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, "Why could we not cast it out?" And he said to them, "This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer."

Mark 9:38-40

John said to him, "Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us."

But Jesus said, "Do not stop him, for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. For the one who is not against us is for us.

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It's so easy to read the gospels and put all the focus on Jesus (which of course, we should do), but I've been trying lately to really dig into the viewpoints of the supporting characters. It stands out to me today that the disciples have already had a lot of experience in ministering with Jesus. Back in chapter 6, they've been sent out in pairs to heal the sick and cast out demons. In the same chapter, they played a part in feeding 5,000 people with a few loaves of bread and a few fish. The same thing happens in chapter 8 with 4,000 people. They've all seen Jesus walk on water, and they saw Peter walk on water briefly. Peter, James, and John have just seen Jesus transfigured on a mountain, and they've even seen Moses and Elijah!

When they come down from the mountain a big crowd is there, along with some scribes who are arguing with the disciples. It doesn't say what they're arguing about, but it must have something to do with casting out demons, as the disciples have been trying to cast out a demon from a young boy, but they haven't been successful. "What's wrong?" they must be wondering. "We've done this before, without Jesus helping us, why can't we do it now? Did we lose our authority?" Jesus walks into this picture and heals the boy. The disciples want to know why they couldn't do it. Jesus cites a lack of faith, not only on the disciples part, but also on the father's part, even the crowd and the scribes (v.19); but then he says that certain spirits cannot be cast out by anything but prayer. But what kind of prayer? Surely as the disciples were trying to cast out the demon they must have been praying. And when Jesus casts out the demon he doesn't pray; he just commands it to come out.

He must be talking about a consistent prayer; a life of prayer. He's just come down from the mountain, where he took his inner three disciples with him to pray. I assume this because it was his custom to go to mountains and pray (Mark 6:46). The disciples thought they were fully trained, that they knew all they needed to be exorcists. But here they learn a lesson, they don't know everything yet.

I feel that ring so true for myself today. Even though I might assume that I'm more trained in ministry than some people, I'm still growing, and by no means do I know everything about being a minister or teacher or worshiper or leader or team builder, etc. Like the disciples, I can often find myself in situations where things aren't working like they have in the past and wonder, "What's wrong? I'm doing everything I normally do. I do all the things I've been taught. Why am I failing? Why isn't it working the way I expected?"

Just a few verses after this event, again the disciples display this attitude. They say that they saw a man casting out demons in Jesus' name, and he wasn't a disciple, he wasn't part of their group. So they tried to stop him, thinking it the right thing to do. After all, this guy wasn't trained by Jesus. He wasn't commissioned by Jesus. He wasn't an apostle. He didn't spend time with Jesus. And yet Jesus tells them they did the wrong thing by discouraging this man.

Not only do the disciples feel they're fully trained warriors, they feel like they're the only ones who have this privilege. Jesus shows them that they're not yet fully trained, and also that they're not the only ones fighting the fight.

Why is it so easy to have this mentality the disciples had? Even though there are hundreds of churches on Oahu, why does it sometimes feel like it's all up to us at New Hope Windward? That attitude basically says that the other churches aren't worthy to share the same task as me. And why do I walk into situations feeling like I'm fully prepared to handle anything?

(I definitely think I should walk into situations confident that the Lord is with me and that whatever happens, I'm ready for it as long as my trust is set on him; but the difference is that subconscious tendency to feel like I can handle it on my own)

I'm reminded today that I'm a drop in the bucket. It's so important for the followers of Jesus to know that we're all in the same boat, we're all in it together. I am part of a global family; one body to bring the restoration of God's will on earth, as it is in heaven. I need to play my part humbly, with teamwork. I must always know that I am still in need of lots of learning, and that there are others who labor with me. It doesn't matter whether they work at a church or at Starbucks; there is only one body, one Lord, one Spirit, one Gospel, one reason to live.

I am a work in progress, dependent on others, who also need me. It's the greatest way to live this life.

What's Wrong With Doing Nothing? Everything.

Mark 3:1-6

Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there with a withered hand. And they watched Jesus, to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him. And he said to the man with the withered hand, “Come here.” And he said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent. And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.

        

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The Scribes and Pharisees have set their minds to destroy Jesus. On a few occasions, they are there watching him on Sabbath days to see if he is going to break the Mosaic Law by “working” on a day that God commands rest. While this is expressed in the fourth commandment (Exodus 20), Jesus intentionally poses this question to the group of legalists: “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?” The question invokes an obvious response; it is part of God’s law to love your neighbor, and to do good on all days. But rather than giving any answer, they remain silent, because they don’t want to admit he’s right. They want their ways and manmade laws to be correct (after all, they are educated, elite spiritual men; they can’t be wrong).

But this silence, invokes anger and grief in Jesus. It hurts God when people know what they need to do, yet choose to do nothing or say nothing. In Hawaii, this business of ‘saying nothing’ is a deep part of our culture. We’re not very confrontational people. We tend to keep our noses out of other people’s business. If something harsh needs to be said, we don’t want to be the ones to say it. There’s a time and a place for this, but more often than not this cultural practice tip-toes the line of grieving God, even angering him.

Specifically, Jesus’ opponents have hardened hearts. They seek to be upright, religious men, but they neglect the very heart of God’s Law: to be gracious and loving. They took the easy way of religion and kept all the outer layers of righteousness, but denied the core of what it means to be God’s people. To them, they weren’t doing anything wrong, it was Jesus who was doing all the wrongdoing. I notice that it’s always easier to point out from the sidelines what others are doing wrong. When I have that critical eye, I somehow remove myself from the equation as I focus all the wrongdoing and error on others. Too much of this, without keeping it in check, hardens my heart because it makes me feel like I’m somehow more right than others.

We tend to identify wrongdoing with actions. The thought goes something like this, “as long as I don’t do anything, I’m not doing anything wrong.” But sometimes, doing nothing or saying nothing is the worst thing to do, because when we choose to do nothing, we’re not choosing what God would choose. God is one of action, and one of gracious and good action. Today, I’m challenged to fight against my natural upbringing and cultural surroundings and be a person who acts and speaks for righteousness at all times.

Following Christ: Stoms, Snakes, and You Might Die

Acts 27:23-25

“This very night there stood before me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship, and he said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you.’ So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told.”

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Paul is on the sea as a prisoner, headed to Rome to appeal his case before Caesar, caught in a very bad storm with 275 other people.

I was thinking how bold of a statement it is to say that not a single person will lose their lives. In the middle of a storm, with no idea where they are, any number of people could have passed out and fallen off board, or decided to kill themselves rather than endure, yet Paul says to a few hundred people that God has spoken and made sure that no one will lose their lives.

The primary reason for this is that Paul must appear before Caesar as a witness to the kingdom of God. God wanted people along the way to know that Paul was a man sent by him. He wanted sailors, soldiers, prisoners, and native islanders (on Malta) to know that God is real and that he speaks and acts through men.

Paul also proclaims to have faith in God that he will stand before Caesar, and nothing will hinder this mission. What he doesn’t know (although I’m sure he is not unaware of) is that it will eventually be a Roman Caesar (Nero) who will falsely accuse Christians and Paul for a fire in Rome and put him to death.

Even though Paul is sent to Caesar, it doesn’t mean that Caesar will accept the gospel or turn to God (although, that does happen later with Constantine). Too often, we say God has a good plan for each of our lives, but we wouldn’t consider false accusation and death a “good plan.” Yet, that was God’s will for Paul, and nearly all of the apostles. In Acts 1:8, the thematic statement for the entire book of Acts, Jesus says that his disciples will be “witnesses” in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the end of the earth. The literal word for “witness” is the Greek word “martures” where we get the word “martyr.”

The book of Acts begins with the kingdom of God exploding with power in Jerusalem, then the book tells how it expands to the surrounding areas of Judea and Samaria, and even further. The book closes with Paul taking the message of the kingdom to Rome, to the very ends of the earth and the heart of the Roman empire. Just as Jesus had said that the kingdom of God is like a mustard seed that begins small but grows into the largest of garden plants, it went from the small city of Jerusalem and invaded the entire Roman kingdom. And that didn’t happen without men and women sacrificing and losing their lives. They didn’t live comfortably or happily-ever-after; they gave their lives fully for Jesus and his kingdom.

And that’s what we’re called to do as well. We’re called to be witnesses, martyrs even, for Jesus Christ. We can’t just be people who believe in God and try to make this life the most convenient and comfortable for ourselves as we possibly can. When Paul and the other 275 people run ashore on the island of Malta, the native islanders greet them and start a fire for them. Paul helps out and gathers firewood, and it says this:

“When Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and put them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened on his hand. When the native people saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, ‘No doubt this man is a murderer. Though he has escaped from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live.’ He, however, shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm. They were waiting for him to swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But when they had waited a long time and saw no misfortune come to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god.” (Acts 28:3-6)

These people knew nothing about Paul or his God. To them, he was a despised person because they believed him to have done something that deserved divine justice. After the snake bite had no effect on him, it says that the people “changed their minds.” That’s what our lives should look like too. Not that we should expect people to think that we’re gods, but for people to have this drastic change in their thinking.

After this event, Paul heals many people of sickness and disease. No doubt he makes it clear that the healing comes from God and lets them know that the kingdom of God has come near to them. So even though they thought he was a god, Paul most definitely made it clear that he was no god, but served the One true God.

Father, just as you spoke to me yesterday to not shy away from talking about the resurrection, it’s clear today that part of your good will for my life may include my persecution and unjust death. Give me a heart to not expect anything greater; to not live with a sense that I am somehow exempt and entitled to a different life. Create in me a clean and bold heart, that I may be found faithful in your sight.

Don't Not Talk About Jesus

Acts 24: 24-26

24 After some days Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, and he sent for Paul and heard him speak about faith in Christ Jesus.

25 And as he reasoned about righteousness and self-control and the coming judgment, Felix was alarmed and said, "Go away for the present. When I get an opportunity I will summon you."

26 At the same time he hoped that money would be given him by Paul. So he sent for him often and conversed with him.

Acts 25:18-19

18 When the accusers stood up, they brought no charge in his case of such evils as I supposed.

19 Rather they had certain points of dispute with him about their own religion and about a certain Jesus, who was dead, but whom Paul asserted to be alive.

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There's no doubt about it; Paul is the man.

Acts, chapters 24-26 retell Paul's trials before Felix, Festus, and Agrippa, before he is sent off to Rome to appeal to Caesar. While Paul's words during his trials are full of boldness and clear truth, I'm drawn to his words and actions outside of his trials today.

While he is being detained, Felix comes with his wife to hear Paul speak about faith in Jesus. The entire time, Felix is hoping that Paul will give him some money as a bribe, but Paul uses these opportunities to evangelize this Roman official. Paul doesn't hold back. He talks about righteousness (Felix is greedy and has unrighteous motives), self-control (the historian, Josephus, records that Drusilla was the daughter of Herod Agrippa and the sister of Agrippa II, the same Agrippa who makes his appearance at Paul's trial in Acts 25. Felix needed to hear about self-control because he had taken Drusilla as wife by crafting a divorce between her and her first husband), and the coming judgment (because he needs to know that he will answer to God for his life one day).

This goes on for two whole years and it doesn't say that Felix was converted or changed his behavior. It shows that there are some people, no matter who talks to them and no matter what is said to them, they won't accept the gospel; they won't follow Jesus. Still, Paul doesn't fall into discouragement, he presses on with his calling, just as he wrote to the Philippians in Philippians 3:13-14. Paul never wavers from speaking about faith in Christ. He specifically preaches Jesus Christ as the risen Lord.

We know that Paul always spoke about Jesus and the resurrection, because when Felix was succeeded by Festus, it was Festus who told Agrippa what Paul had been saying. Acts 25:19 shows that out of all the disputes of the Jewish religion, he knew at the very least that Paul spoke about someone named Jesus, and claimed that he was alive, though thought dead.

The resurrection was a huge part of Paul's message, as it was also central to the other apostles. Today, we speak of Jesus as one who is God and Lord and working in our lives, but it seems like we sometimes fail to mention that he actually died and rose again and is in fact, alive right now. Talking about Jesus is something that anyone can do. Even historians talk about Jesus. But saying that he died and was raised again to life, and that this was all made clear by the Law and Prophets in the Old Testament, and he ascended into heaven and sits on the throne of God and works through the universal body of the church....that changes the message quite a bit.

The resurrection is everything. Unless that's made clear by his followers, we're not talking about Christianity; we're just talking about a nice way of living and a cozy belief system.

I find myself very guilty of this. Even though I talk about God and Jesus to others, I rarely mention the resurrection.

Father, please seal this into my mind so that I may share it with others.