As we finish our study of the Book of Ephesians I would like to encourage you to study it again! What we have done is just an introduction to the book. Yet, we have done some important introductory work.
Quiz yourself and see what you got out of the book. Can you think your way through it? What is in each chapter? Where are Paul's two prayers? What is the chapter division between the "spiritual" and the "practical"? What are the spiritual blessings Paul talks about? What is the character of the Christian walk? Those are the overarching ideas of the book.
Looking back through my composition book I see an early note from Jensen's New Testament survey book... We looked at the history of the church in Ephesus in Acts. But when Paul wrote to the church it was the mission center toward the other European and Asian churches. [Remember in the beginning Jerusalem was the hub, then the church in Antioch was the "home church" for Paul and his teams. By now that "home church" was Ephesus. That makes a lot of sense out of the story of Paul calling the elders to the seaport on last recorded trip to Jerusalem in the book of Acts..... I'll have to read that again...] John himself settled there as one of the elders.That position of prominence adds weight to the message of the book.
How to summarize the message of the book.. that IS what I was trying to do here.
His blessings have been bestowed according to His will. Bigger blessings than we can express in exalted spiritual language: read them often. And always connect them to the fact that the came to you through His will, His love, His grace, His plan for you and for the world. Pray them for the church as Paul does in this letter.
"At the center of all this, Christ rules the Church. The Church, you see, is not peripheral to the world; the world is peripheral to the Church. The Church is Christ's body, in which he speaks and acts, by which he fills everything with his presence." Message; Ephesians 1:22-23
And that church....what should it look like? That's spelled out for us in detail also, just as the blessings were. The Church is Christians living out the truth of our blessings. The Christian walk is a tangible thing. It looks different from the world because we are different from the world. Not that we have a facade which appears spiritual. We are different. We are like Christ.
I don't think I could summarize the book of Ephesians any better than Stott's idea of the Imperative and the Indicative. "The indicative refers to what we are and the imperative is what we are called to do or be. Scritpture tells us the imperative is grounded in the indicative. That is, we are not commanded to be something before God says that we are that something. The indicative comes first---because we are something God calls us to be that something. We are becoming what we already are."
That is an amazing and important truth, relevant to the entire New Testament. Whatever God has called us to be, he has given us that. In the big ideas and in the details, God has given us all that we need to be who he wants us to be and to do as he wants us to do.
I want to close with a last word, again from the Message [6:13-18] summarizing the illustration we call the Armor of God. "Truth, righteousness, peace, faith and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them."
Monday, December 4, 2017
Monday, November 27, 2017
Finally, sisters, be Strong in the Lord
Paul has said what he needs to say to the church at Ephesus. He's told them the amazing spiritual truths of chapters 1-3. He's told them in chapters 4-6 the expectations placed upon them by the God who has blessed them so largely.
Now he says, "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power." He prayed for that strength and power in both of his prayers recorded in this book. He summarized the first section of the book by saying a Doxology (!) "Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us...."
I think in this summary illustration of the armor Paul wants to communicate integrity of thought and action. The truth affects the way we live our lives. We looked at this idea earlier using the words, "Indicative" which refers to who we are, and "Imperative" which refers to who we are called to be.
This picture of the Roman soldiers' armor unites the indicative and the imperative. In this illustration the truth of who we are in Christ makes us who God wants us to be. Righteousness protects us. The gospel, our faith, our salvation changes us. The word of God is a real and living transforming power. These spiritual truths don't exist in some spiritual vacuum somewhere.... they exist in the hear and now. They empower us to live the lives we're commanded to live.
Kristen is going to teach through this passage tomorrow so I won't steal any of her hard work by going into the details of the passage. I just want to remind you again this very familiar passage does not stand alone. It's part of the letter to the church, a letter that challenges us to live our lives in a manner that is worthy of all God has done for us.
One other key idea for you to think about as we finish our time together is the concept of spiritual warfare. Who is the battle against? Who are the warriors? Where does the battle take place? We need to read the program and know who the players are.
Paul is not talking about culture wars. Paul is not talking about political wars. The enemies are not Democrats or Republicans, lgbt men and women, illegal aliens, even Russians or North Koreans. The enemy is not flesh and blood at all, Paul says in verse 12. People are not the enemies.
We collectively are the people of God. "Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace." [2:3] There is one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father....... and one mission which we cannot fulfill as long as we view any people, [especially other believers!] as our enemy. The enemy is a spiritual one, one against which we are fully equipped to stand firm.
Be strong, sisters. The battle honestly is the Lord's, and He has already won.
Now he says, "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power." He prayed for that strength and power in both of his prayers recorded in this book. He summarized the first section of the book by saying a Doxology (!) "Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us...."
I think in this summary illustration of the armor Paul wants to communicate integrity of thought and action. The truth affects the way we live our lives. We looked at this idea earlier using the words, "Indicative" which refers to who we are, and "Imperative" which refers to who we are called to be.
This picture of the Roman soldiers' armor unites the indicative and the imperative. In this illustration the truth of who we are in Christ makes us who God wants us to be. Righteousness protects us. The gospel, our faith, our salvation changes us. The word of God is a real and living transforming power. These spiritual truths don't exist in some spiritual vacuum somewhere.... they exist in the hear and now. They empower us to live the lives we're commanded to live.
Kristen is going to teach through this passage tomorrow so I won't steal any of her hard work by going into the details of the passage. I just want to remind you again this very familiar passage does not stand alone. It's part of the letter to the church, a letter that challenges us to live our lives in a manner that is worthy of all God has done for us.
One other key idea for you to think about as we finish our time together is the concept of spiritual warfare. Who is the battle against? Who are the warriors? Where does the battle take place? We need to read the program and know who the players are.
Paul is not talking about culture wars. Paul is not talking about political wars. The enemies are not Democrats or Republicans, lgbt men and women, illegal aliens, even Russians or North Koreans. The enemy is not flesh and blood at all, Paul says in verse 12. People are not the enemies.
We collectively are the people of God. "Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace." [2:3] There is one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father....... and one mission which we cannot fulfill as long as we view any people, [especially other believers!] as our enemy. The enemy is a spiritual one, one against which we are fully equipped to stand firm.
Be strong, sisters. The battle honestly is the Lord's, and He has already won.
Saturday, November 18, 2017
Submitting to Authority
I have a note scribbled in the margin of my notebook that says, "Surely when this was written it was the men who were shocked by it. Women, children and slaves addressed as equals? Husbands, fathers and masters instructed to value them, even love them as Christ loved the church? Absolutely unheard of in the culture of that era."
Yet in our culture, women are shocked to think they should be under someones authority. We can even deal with the universal command submit to one another much easier than we can think of submission in terms of authority within the family.
I still love the umbrella illustration best of all. God is the top umbrella, protecting all that is under him. Christ is under God. Why? I certainly don't know. He is in every way equal to God. He actually IS God. Yet he chooses to submit in everything to God, his father. He is our example in all things. He is the person we are most trying to be like. Submission was the way he lived his life. Not to Religion. Not to culture. Not to worldly ideas about how he should run his ministry. Submission to God and his will.
So when we see our husband's taking their place under the authority of God and Christ, we can see, even if we can't see why, that our place is in submission to those three protectors. It is not in any way an inferior position or an unequal role. But it is the order God has chosen.
As well as benefiting from their protection, those under the authority of another also have the opportunity to benefit from the vision of their leader. Once again Jesus was the example; everything he did was to accomplish God's purpose with his life. Blessed are we if we have husbands submitting in that same way to Christ's leading in their life. And blessed are they if they can see that Christ-likeness in us.
We as 21st century women are of course the most fortunate of all who have come before us in the freedom we have and the opportunities open to us. It makes us feel like we should be able to do whatever we want. But who really gets to live that way? Nobody.
I love hearing many of you talking about being a team with your husbands. Two heads are better than one, (and a cord of three strands, which braids in God, can't be broken!) Yet even the team that works like a charm together surely sometimes runs up against a difference of opinion. Then finally we will have to come to terms with submitting to authority.
Remember, no Bible Study next week. I've gotten my schedule together and Tuesday I will be baking pumpkin bread and rolled out gingerbread turkey cookies, and of course cleaning floors after that.... Hope you have a blessed holiday, with too much food, just enough family, and the opportunity to reflect on the amazing gift of life God has given us. We have so much more than we need. Thanks be to God.
Yet in our culture, women are shocked to think they should be under someones authority. We can even deal with the universal command submit to one another much easier than we can think of submission in terms of authority within the family.
I still love the umbrella illustration best of all. God is the top umbrella, protecting all that is under him. Christ is under God. Why? I certainly don't know. He is in every way equal to God. He actually IS God. Yet he chooses to submit in everything to God, his father. He is our example in all things. He is the person we are most trying to be like. Submission was the way he lived his life. Not to Religion. Not to culture. Not to worldly ideas about how he should run his ministry. Submission to God and his will.
So when we see our husband's taking their place under the authority of God and Christ, we can see, even if we can't see why, that our place is in submission to those three protectors. It is not in any way an inferior position or an unequal role. But it is the order God has chosen.
As well as benefiting from their protection, those under the authority of another also have the opportunity to benefit from the vision of their leader. Once again Jesus was the example; everything he did was to accomplish God's purpose with his life. Blessed are we if we have husbands submitting in that same way to Christ's leading in their life. And blessed are they if they can see that Christ-likeness in us.
We as 21st century women are of course the most fortunate of all who have come before us in the freedom we have and the opportunities open to us. It makes us feel like we should be able to do whatever we want. But who really gets to live that way? Nobody.
I love hearing many of you talking about being a team with your husbands. Two heads are better than one, (and a cord of three strands, which braids in God, can't be broken!) Yet even the team that works like a charm together surely sometimes runs up against a difference of opinion. Then finally we will have to come to terms with submitting to authority.
Remember, no Bible Study next week. I've gotten my schedule together and Tuesday I will be baking pumpkin bread and rolled out gingerbread turkey cookies, and of course cleaning floors after that.... Hope you have a blessed holiday, with too much food, just enough family, and the opportunity to reflect on the amazing gift of life God has given us. We have so much more than we need. Thanks be to God.
Saturday, November 11, 2017
Thinking Rightly as the Basis for Change
We had an awesome study on Tuesday, and dug into the idea of being proactive in changing the way we think about things before the big test comes. If you're a thief you have a certain mindset. You think your needs are more important than others, that there's no way to get the things you want without stealing them. God certainly isn't in the picture; He isn't doing anything for you.
As a former thief who has become a believer, that mindset has to be different before you can move into obedience to Paul's command: work with your hands so you have to share with those who are in need. You now need to put others above yourself. You now need to believe God will provide. You need to see the value of work.
What we didn't talk about, and I believe I was shortsighted to not talk about it, is how to change our thinking.
In a general sense, Paul has been teaching about changing our thinking the entire book. As Gentiles before Christ, our thinking was futile. [4:17-19] We were darkened in our understanding, which is not surprising since we were separated from God, the source of all wisdom and understanding. But we are no longer separated from Him. In fact through the Spirit we are united with Him: He is in us.
Paul has twice encouraged us to be like Christ. He described us in 1:23 as the church, his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way. His prayer in 3:19 also concludes that we should be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
So how do we get to the place that we are thinking like Christ? The transforming work of the Spirit takes place in cooperation with the transforming Word of God. Romans 12:2 says "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." Paul writes to remind Timothy that from childhood he has known the "sacred writings which are able to give you wisdom..."The writer of Hebrews calls the Word is alive: it's active and effective and produces results. It's a two-edged sword, "it judges [evaluates] the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." [4:12]
And here in Ephesians 4 Paul writes that instead of living as we used to live we are to be "made new in the attitude of your minds, to put on the new self, created to be like God..." That renewing of our minds takes place as the Word of God soaks into us, as the Spirit enlightens us and even as we try to live it out with various degrees of success. The renewing of our mind starts with reading... What does God thinks? How does He view things? What are His ideas and goals? How would we know except for what is revealed in His word?
We recently studied Isaiah 55: 8-11 for growth group. As part of that study we were to think about specifics times the word changed us. I have often shared from my own life that during a time when I was considering throwing in the towel on the Christian life I spent months in Hebrews 10:19-12:13; the call to persevere [10] the hall of faith [11] and right thinking about discipline. [12] I didn't understand it. I read it as a pep talk. I would read it and say, "Ok, I won't quit today." ["To whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life." John 6:68]
But now as I read that passage, the amazing and unlimited access to God, the commitment to the church, the faith.. not in having the life you thought you would have but in having a God who gives you His life, the promise.....which you might not even see fulfilled in your lifetime..... All those things define who I am! That's the way I think! And I didn't even know it was happening... the Word transformed my thinking what it said.
I hope all of you can focus again on the changes you have seen in your own life and believe in the power of the transforming Word of God to touch every corner of your heart and thought and life. Colossians 3:16 says, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly." The Word dwelling in our hearts and minds, living there, taking up residence there, making it's home within us.... That Word changes how we think and ultimately how we live.
As a former thief who has become a believer, that mindset has to be different before you can move into obedience to Paul's command: work with your hands so you have to share with those who are in need. You now need to put others above yourself. You now need to believe God will provide. You need to see the value of work.
What we didn't talk about, and I believe I was shortsighted to not talk about it, is how to change our thinking.
In a general sense, Paul has been teaching about changing our thinking the entire book. As Gentiles before Christ, our thinking was futile. [4:17-19] We were darkened in our understanding, which is not surprising since we were separated from God, the source of all wisdom and understanding. But we are no longer separated from Him. In fact through the Spirit we are united with Him: He is in us.
Paul has twice encouraged us to be like Christ. He described us in 1:23 as the church, his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way. His prayer in 3:19 also concludes that we should be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
So how do we get to the place that we are thinking like Christ? The transforming work of the Spirit takes place in cooperation with the transforming Word of God. Romans 12:2 says "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." Paul writes to remind Timothy that from childhood he has known the "sacred writings which are able to give you wisdom..."The writer of Hebrews calls the Word is alive: it's active and effective and produces results. It's a two-edged sword, "it judges [evaluates] the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." [4:12]
And here in Ephesians 4 Paul writes that instead of living as we used to live we are to be "made new in the attitude of your minds, to put on the new self, created to be like God..." That renewing of our minds takes place as the Word of God soaks into us, as the Spirit enlightens us and even as we try to live it out with various degrees of success. The renewing of our mind starts with reading... What does God thinks? How does He view things? What are His ideas and goals? How would we know except for what is revealed in His word?
We recently studied Isaiah 55: 8-11 for growth group. As part of that study we were to think about specifics times the word changed us. I have often shared from my own life that during a time when I was considering throwing in the towel on the Christian life I spent months in Hebrews 10:19-12:13; the call to persevere [10] the hall of faith [11] and right thinking about discipline. [12] I didn't understand it. I read it as a pep talk. I would read it and say, "Ok, I won't quit today." ["To whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life." John 6:68]
But now as I read that passage, the amazing and unlimited access to God, the commitment to the church, the faith.. not in having the life you thought you would have but in having a God who gives you His life, the promise.....which you might not even see fulfilled in your lifetime..... All those things define who I am! That's the way I think! And I didn't even know it was happening... the Word transformed my thinking what it said.
I hope all of you can focus again on the changes you have seen in your own life and believe in the power of the transforming Word of God to touch every corner of your heart and thought and life. Colossians 3:16 says, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly." The Word dwelling in our hearts and minds, living there, taking up residence there, making it's home within us.... That Word changes how we think and ultimately how we live.
Friday, October 27, 2017
Seeing the Wisdom of God in the Church
I have been thinking alot about keeping the truths of chapters 1-3 in my head while we move on into the book of Ephesians. The context of the rest of the book is living a life worthy of the amazing blessings God has given to us, Gentiles after all, by making us part of his family and plan.
But the even harder idea to keep afloat is that he is writing to us as a church, not as individuals. The living Bible says in 3:10 and 11: "His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known....."
I wish we would have spent more time looking at the story of the Queen of Sheba during our study Tuesday, because the more I think of it the more I see it illustrate the principle of seeing God's wisdom through people.
Solomon's story begins in 1 Kings:3. At the beginning of his reign King Solomon went to God and offered 1000 burnt offerings on the alter. After that show of devotion God appeared to Solomon in a dream night and said, "Ask me for whatever you want me to give you."
Solomon's reply was the essence of Wisdom already, but wisdom is what he asked God for. "I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?"
God was so pleased with this answer that he granted Solomon discernment and more. "I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for--both riches and honor--so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings."
And there was truly no one like Solomon. I'm going to skip over the next few chapters but you should read them. Solomon was amazing. Like so many Bible hero's he's remembered for his mistakes rather than for all he did right. So read over 4-9 if you're interested in the story, but I'm going to skip it here.
In chapter 10, the Queen of Sheba came. Now she was no schmoo herself. Head of a vast empire in Africa, she traveled many many miles to find him. She brought a caravan of camels with spices, large quantities of gold, and precious stones. She also was a great ruler. But she came "to test him with hard questions" 10:1 says, and "talked with him about all that she had on her heart."
10:3 says he answered all her questions: nothing was too hard for him. But verse 4 is the one I'm trying to get to. "When the queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon and the place he had built, the food on his table, the seating of his officials, the attending servants in their robes, his cupbearers, and the burnt offerings he made at the temple of the Lord, she was overwhelmed."
She said, "The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true. But I did not believe these things until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half was told me; in wisdom and wealth you have far exceeded the report I heard. How happy your men must be. How happy your officials who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom!"
Solomon made known the wisdom of God to the world. It was in his rule. It was in the management of his household and the food on his table. It was in his ability to answer tough questions about life. And it was so apparent to the world that a woman who lived thousands of miles away had to see it for herself. When she saw it she declared, "Praise to the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on the throne of Israel." God is here! She could see him. He was made manifest.
During the Exodus, the Cloud by day and the Pillar of Fire by night were the manifestation of God. They could literally see He was still there. Here in I Kings Solomon is the manifestation of God. People could see that God was there. Today, the church is to be that in the world...the way people can see God, and as was true in Solomon's kingdom, it isn't a place, it's a people.
As we continue through the second part of Ephesians, the "practical" chapters, we need to have that thought in our heads. Maybe we won't even understand all the directions Paul has for the church. Maybe we'll understand perfectly but wonder why, or want to say, No.
We have to take it by faith, at some point, that the things God commands us to do as believers living supernaturally together are important because they allow people to see Him in our midst.
The Queen of Sheba heard God was living in Israel and came to meet him. How wonderful if the people of Polk City would hear it said of Lakeside, "God is there!" and would come to meet him.
That is the plan of God.
But the even harder idea to keep afloat is that he is writing to us as a church, not as individuals. The living Bible says in 3:10 and 11: "His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known....."
I wish we would have spent more time looking at the story of the Queen of Sheba during our study Tuesday, because the more I think of it the more I see it illustrate the principle of seeing God's wisdom through people.
Solomon's story begins in 1 Kings:3. At the beginning of his reign King Solomon went to God and offered 1000 burnt offerings on the alter. After that show of devotion God appeared to Solomon in a dream night and said, "Ask me for whatever you want me to give you."
Solomon's reply was the essence of Wisdom already, but wisdom is what he asked God for. "I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?"
God was so pleased with this answer that he granted Solomon discernment and more. "I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for--both riches and honor--so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings."
And there was truly no one like Solomon. I'm going to skip over the next few chapters but you should read them. Solomon was amazing. Like so many Bible hero's he's remembered for his mistakes rather than for all he did right. So read over 4-9 if you're interested in the story, but I'm going to skip it here.
In chapter 10, the Queen of Sheba came. Now she was no schmoo herself. Head of a vast empire in Africa, she traveled many many miles to find him. She brought a caravan of camels with spices, large quantities of gold, and precious stones. She also was a great ruler. But she came "to test him with hard questions" 10:1 says, and "talked with him about all that she had on her heart."
10:3 says he answered all her questions: nothing was too hard for him. But verse 4 is the one I'm trying to get to. "When the queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon and the place he had built, the food on his table, the seating of his officials, the attending servants in their robes, his cupbearers, and the burnt offerings he made at the temple of the Lord, she was overwhelmed."
She said, "The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true. But I did not believe these things until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half was told me; in wisdom and wealth you have far exceeded the report I heard. How happy your men must be. How happy your officials who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom!"
Solomon made known the wisdom of God to the world. It was in his rule. It was in the management of his household and the food on his table. It was in his ability to answer tough questions about life. And it was so apparent to the world that a woman who lived thousands of miles away had to see it for herself. When she saw it she declared, "Praise to the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on the throne of Israel." God is here! She could see him. He was made manifest.
During the Exodus, the Cloud by day and the Pillar of Fire by night were the manifestation of God. They could literally see He was still there. Here in I Kings Solomon is the manifestation of God. People could see that God was there. Today, the church is to be that in the world...the way people can see God, and as was true in Solomon's kingdom, it isn't a place, it's a people.
As we continue through the second part of Ephesians, the "practical" chapters, we need to have that thought in our heads. Maybe we won't even understand all the directions Paul has for the church. Maybe we'll understand perfectly but wonder why, or want to say, No.
We have to take it by faith, at some point, that the things God commands us to do as believers living supernaturally together are important because they allow people to see Him in our midst.
The Queen of Sheba heard God was living in Israel and came to meet him. How wonderful if the people of Polk City would hear it said of Lakeside, "God is there!" and would come to meet him.
That is the plan of God.
Monday, October 23, 2017
Living a life worthy of the calling
I dropped the ball in blogging about Paul's amazing prayer in 3:14-21 but I'm going to move on because you did a great job word searching the key words in the prayer at our study last Tuesday, and because tomorrow we're looking at another amazing passage.
As Paul transitions from Doctrine to Practice he urges us to live a life worthy of the calling we have received. Walk in a manner worthy. That word translated either walk, or live, or conduct your life... is one of the key words in Ephesians. Try to find all the times it is used!
Our walk, or the practice of our faith especially in the context of the church, grows out of our doctrine. Do we believe God called us? Do we believe we have an inheritance and a hope? Do we believe we have a mission? All of those things and more from chapters 1-3 become the reason we live as Paul describes and encourages us to live in 4-6.They are related.
So Paul offers this exhortation to us, reminding us HE is someone who is content to be in prison for the sake of the glorious gospel of Christ, to live our a life worthy of the calling. Worthy: equivalent, balancing the scales. The challenge, and not just in this passage but in the rest of the book, is to look at the calling, then look at our lives. Do they balance?
Stott focuses on the unity of the church in chapter 7, and unity is a big deal. Look at John 17:20-26 if you don't believe it. But we will probably focus more on the gifts and the stated purpose of the gifts in 11-16. What does it mean to become mature? What does it mean to attain the whole measure of the fullness of Christ....one of the things he prayed for us in chapter 3:19, by the way. And why is maturity in the body of Christ and in our own personal lives so important? And why does the mission require each of us? Why can't some Superchristian do the work? Why..... and here we are back in chapter's 1-3 again.... why did he chose us?
As Paul transitions from Doctrine to Practice he urges us to live a life worthy of the calling we have received. Walk in a manner worthy. That word translated either walk, or live, or conduct your life... is one of the key words in Ephesians. Try to find all the times it is used!
Our walk, or the practice of our faith especially in the context of the church, grows out of our doctrine. Do we believe God called us? Do we believe we have an inheritance and a hope? Do we believe we have a mission? All of those things and more from chapters 1-3 become the reason we live as Paul describes and encourages us to live in 4-6.They are related.
So Paul offers this exhortation to us, reminding us HE is someone who is content to be in prison for the sake of the glorious gospel of Christ, to live our a life worthy of the calling. Worthy: equivalent, balancing the scales. The challenge, and not just in this passage but in the rest of the book, is to look at the calling, then look at our lives. Do they balance?
Stott focuses on the unity of the church in chapter 7, and unity is a big deal. Look at John 17:20-26 if you don't believe it. But we will probably focus more on the gifts and the stated purpose of the gifts in 11-16. What does it mean to become mature? What does it mean to attain the whole measure of the fullness of Christ....one of the things he prayed for us in chapter 3:19, by the way. And why is maturity in the body of Christ and in our own personal lives so important? And why does the mission require each of us? Why can't some Superchristian do the work? Why..... and here we are back in chapter's 1-3 again.... why did he chose us?
Friday, October 13, 2017
The Big Ideas
We reviewed the first three chapters of Ephesians on Tuesday, remembering all the big ideas that Paul has bombarded us with here at the beginning of this letter. I especially wanted to see the thread of the Church running through the discourse.
In chapter 1 we learn that everything had been placed under Christs' authority and he was appointed head of the church--which is his body.
In Chapter 2 Paul gets into our personal history; "as for you." You were dead in your trespasses and sin. You used to live the same way. You are God's workmanship.... But still we have to remind yourselves this letter is to the Church at Ephesus. [More on that next week, right Kristen?] We collectively were sinners and have, individually it's true, been called to a collective good work within his body, the church. Paul makes it abundantly clear he had a supernatural calling to a revolutionary work given to him by direct revelation! How wild is that!
Chapter 3 begins with the big one; Jews and Gentiles following God together, neither as Jews or Gentiles but as Christians. What a break with the past! When you read the book of Acts it is hard to imagine how those early believers were going to be able to do it, yet they were obedient to God and established churches throughout the Roman world.
Stott says "The major lesson taught by this first half of Ephesians 3 is the centrality of the church. Some people construct a Christianity which consists entirely of a personal relationship to Jesus Christ.... but we need to beware lest we despise the church of God and are blind to his work in history." pg 30
There are so many big truths in Ephesians 1-3 and I was really encouraged by the sharing each of you did about those ideas impacting your own lives. In this next lesson, the second prayer, we are all going to be blown away again, this time by the Love of God. We all know God loves us. But Paul prays that we would be able to grasp the dimensions of it. I hope all of you get the chance to really look at the words Paul uses to describe God's love in this prayer and to enlarge your understanding of it. Even as he encourages us to know it, Paul acknowledges that it surpasses knowledge.
The Love of God is as big an idea as we can have, and hugely transforming as we continue to know and live by it.
In chapter 1 we learn that everything had been placed under Christs' authority and he was appointed head of the church--which is his body.
In Chapter 2 Paul gets into our personal history; "as for you." You were dead in your trespasses and sin. You used to live the same way. You are God's workmanship.... But still we have to remind yourselves this letter is to the Church at Ephesus. [More on that next week, right Kristen?] We collectively were sinners and have, individually it's true, been called to a collective good work within his body, the church. Paul makes it abundantly clear he had a supernatural calling to a revolutionary work given to him by direct revelation! How wild is that!
Chapter 3 begins with the big one; Jews and Gentiles following God together, neither as Jews or Gentiles but as Christians. What a break with the past! When you read the book of Acts it is hard to imagine how those early believers were going to be able to do it, yet they were obedient to God and established churches throughout the Roman world.
Stott says "The major lesson taught by this first half of Ephesians 3 is the centrality of the church. Some people construct a Christianity which consists entirely of a personal relationship to Jesus Christ.... but we need to beware lest we despise the church of God and are blind to his work in history." pg 30
There are so many big truths in Ephesians 1-3 and I was really encouraged by the sharing each of you did about those ideas impacting your own lives. In this next lesson, the second prayer, we are all going to be blown away again, this time by the Love of God. We all know God loves us. But Paul prays that we would be able to grasp the dimensions of it. I hope all of you get the chance to really look at the words Paul uses to describe God's love in this prayer and to enlarge your understanding of it. Even as he encourages us to know it, Paul acknowledges that it surpasses knowledge.
The Love of God is as big an idea as we can have, and hugely transforming as we continue to know and live by it.
Thursday, September 28, 2017
After the new birth, then what
I wasn't really planning to blog this week since we have a break, but Bill had a conversation I want to relate to you. He has coffee every week with the guy who lead him to belief in Christ after VietNam, during college. This week they were joined by the man who lead their campus group those very many years ago.
Hal Miller is like a storybook hero in the annuls of Campus Bible Fellowship and for good reason. His giftedness in evangelism and commitment to ministry are inspiring. Since his very late retirement, he has settled in Colorado and is involved in Prison Ministry there. [Bill turned 70 last week....this guy has to be close to 90. He's in great shape but his legs are shot from so many years on the basketball court connecting with college guys. His mind is still way sharper than yours or mine.]
He was talking about the prison ministry and lamenting the common occurance of people who come to the Lord through some program specifically evangelistic and eventually go back to the life they were living before. It's a very large factor IN THE PRISON CULTURE THAT HE MINISTERS IN, he said. Many, many had salvation experiences when they were young. Many had conversions when they first started getting into trouble. But they went back to living, as Ephesians 2 says, "according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience."
Bill had to ask, because these guys are straight edged Baptists, if Hal thought they were truly saved. "There's no question about their salvation," Hal replied. "But there's no discipleship out there."
This is a big piece of the answer to the can of worms Sarah opened on Tuesday. It doesn't explain all. It doesn't cover people like Jenny's friend. It isn't scripture.
But as we learn about the church through the book of Ephesians, we have to notice that the goal is mature Christians. The job... is mature Christians. I think we will see that clearly as we work our way through the book.
So I'm going to recommend going back, over this break in our study, to that hard to understand, seemingly nebulous chapter 1 so that we all in our own lives have a heart understanding of the amazing blessing of being chosen by God. That our whole being is enlightened and we know God; know the hope of His calling, the riches of His inheritance and the surpassing greatness of His power.
Look at chapter 2 again and begin to understand the impact of being taken off that futile Thomas the train track and raised up into the Heavenlies with Christ. Make sure you know your salvation is not of yourselves. And begin to wonder what work God has planned for you, his precious masterpiece, to accomplish for Him in the Church.
Hal Miller is like a storybook hero in the annuls of Campus Bible Fellowship and for good reason. His giftedness in evangelism and commitment to ministry are inspiring. Since his very late retirement, he has settled in Colorado and is involved in Prison Ministry there. [Bill turned 70 last week....this guy has to be close to 90. He's in great shape but his legs are shot from so many years on the basketball court connecting with college guys. His mind is still way sharper than yours or mine.]
He was talking about the prison ministry and lamenting the common occurance of people who come to the Lord through some program specifically evangelistic and eventually go back to the life they were living before. It's a very large factor IN THE PRISON CULTURE THAT HE MINISTERS IN, he said. Many, many had salvation experiences when they were young. Many had conversions when they first started getting into trouble. But they went back to living, as Ephesians 2 says, "according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience."
Bill had to ask, because these guys are straight edged Baptists, if Hal thought they were truly saved. "There's no question about their salvation," Hal replied. "But there's no discipleship out there."
This is a big piece of the answer to the can of worms Sarah opened on Tuesday. It doesn't explain all. It doesn't cover people like Jenny's friend. It isn't scripture.
But as we learn about the church through the book of Ephesians, we have to notice that the goal is mature Christians. The job... is mature Christians. I think we will see that clearly as we work our way through the book.
So I'm going to recommend going back, over this break in our study, to that hard to understand, seemingly nebulous chapter 1 so that we all in our own lives have a heart understanding of the amazing blessing of being chosen by God. That our whole being is enlightened and we know God; know the hope of His calling, the riches of His inheritance and the surpassing greatness of His power.
Look at chapter 2 again and begin to understand the impact of being taken off that futile Thomas the train track and raised up into the Heavenlies with Christ. Make sure you know your salvation is not of yourselves. And begin to wonder what work God has planned for you, his precious masterpiece, to accomplish for Him in the Church.
Wednesday, September 20, 2017
Redo prayer #1
I apologize that I failed to ask the right questions to get us to the heart of the matter in Paul's prayer for the Ephesian church yesterday. Paul has a very clear idea of what God has done for us and what He wants for us. You could almost look at Ephesians chapter one in those very terms; our first lesson was what God has done for us, our second lesson what He wants for us.
So what does He want? We can see the big ideas [the details come later in the book] in what Paul prays for them. He is asking God to reveal to the readers of the letter the very most important things that they need to know.
First, God wants us to know Him. Paul wants first and foremost for us to know God. 1:17 says "so that you might grow in your knowledge of God." At any point of our Christian life we can say we know God. What a blessing to know Him! But there is always more to know. Paul's first prayer for this church is that they will have the spiritual wisdom and insight to know Him more. In fact, that spiritual wisdom and insight, any revelation of who He is, is a gift from God so Paul is praying that God would give them the wisdom and understanding to know Him.
Verses 18 and 19 list three other important things for us to know, and Paul again asks God for insight and illumination in the people he's writing to, for the Spirit to reveal these things to them.
1) understanding of our hope for the future, and I would say two things about that. The hope is certain and the future begins now. The Christians hope, as Sharon said yesterday, is not like hoping I can get a new car. Christian hope is the most sure thing in the universe. Hebrews 6:18 and 19 say, "So God has given us both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can take new courage, for we can hold on to his promise with confidence. This confidence is like a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls."
2) realization of the richness of our inheritance. Remember we talked about this last week in 1:14, that the Holy Spirit in our lives is the pledge or guarantee of our inheritance. It's just a taste. The experience of the Holy Spirit in our lives now gives us a tiny glimpse of what living with Him for all eternity will be like. Kristen shared 1 Peter 1:4 with us yesterday. "For God has reserved a priceless inheritance for his children. It's kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay."
3) understanding the incredible greatness of His power, and not just that He is powerful, but that He makes that resurrection power available to us. Paul explains that power in great detail in the following verses.
Those are transformational truths. I hope you'll spend the time looking a these verses or at other verses that make our hope, our inheritance, and His power in us clear to you. It will change your life. Paul is going to ask us to grow and change in the rest of the book of Ephesians. He's going to ask us as people and he's going to ask us as churches. We will be able to change not because we are spiritual people, or good people or strong people; not because we will try very hard. We will be able to change as we understand and believe what God has done in us and what he is doing in the world. That's why Paul takes the entire first chapter of Ephesians to communicate these big truths. It's worth our time to make sure that we know them.
So what does He want? We can see the big ideas [the details come later in the book] in what Paul prays for them. He is asking God to reveal to the readers of the letter the very most important things that they need to know.
First, God wants us to know Him. Paul wants first and foremost for us to know God. 1:17 says "so that you might grow in your knowledge of God." At any point of our Christian life we can say we know God. What a blessing to know Him! But there is always more to know. Paul's first prayer for this church is that they will have the spiritual wisdom and insight to know Him more. In fact, that spiritual wisdom and insight, any revelation of who He is, is a gift from God so Paul is praying that God would give them the wisdom and understanding to know Him.
Verses 18 and 19 list three other important things for us to know, and Paul again asks God for insight and illumination in the people he's writing to, for the Spirit to reveal these things to them.
1) understanding of our hope for the future, and I would say two things about that. The hope is certain and the future begins now. The Christians hope, as Sharon said yesterday, is not like hoping I can get a new car. Christian hope is the most sure thing in the universe. Hebrews 6:18 and 19 say, "So God has given us both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can take new courage, for we can hold on to his promise with confidence. This confidence is like a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls."
2) realization of the richness of our inheritance. Remember we talked about this last week in 1:14, that the Holy Spirit in our lives is the pledge or guarantee of our inheritance. It's just a taste. The experience of the Holy Spirit in our lives now gives us a tiny glimpse of what living with Him for all eternity will be like. Kristen shared 1 Peter 1:4 with us yesterday. "For God has reserved a priceless inheritance for his children. It's kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay."
3) understanding the incredible greatness of His power, and not just that He is powerful, but that He makes that resurrection power available to us. Paul explains that power in great detail in the following verses.
Those are transformational truths. I hope you'll spend the time looking a these verses or at other verses that make our hope, our inheritance, and His power in us clear to you. It will change your life. Paul is going to ask us to grow and change in the rest of the book of Ephesians. He's going to ask us as people and he's going to ask us as churches. We will be able to change not because we are spiritual people, or good people or strong people; not because we will try very hard. We will be able to change as we understand and believe what God has done in us and what he is doing in the world. That's why Paul takes the entire first chapter of Ephesians to communicate these big truths. It's worth our time to make sure that we know them.
Monday, September 18, 2017
Prayer #1; to know Him
Verses 15 and 16 of chapter 1 have some interesting ideas about Paul's prayer life. I wonder if Paul had actually achieved that amazing expectation: pray without ceasing. These verses give me a sense that as Paul was hanging out with God, conversing with him, he (Paul) remembered to mention the church at Ephesus or reminded God about the church. He also never stopped giving thanks for them. He remembered them to God. It would be pretty interesting sometime to study Paul's prayer life.
But this week, we're studying Paul's prayer, in fact the first of his two prayers for the Ephesian church that are recorded in the book of Ephesians. It seems like anything Paul prayed about would be pretty significant. So most of our focus this week will be what he prayed for and if we have time we'll try to understand why he thought whatever he was asking for was so important.
Paul prays for two things. Remember my English teacher way of reading the Bible. There are two ideas.
1) I keep asking....that you may know Him better.
2) I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened.
Those are the two requests.
Request number two has some clarification. Paul says he is praying for the eyes of your heart to be enlightened so that you will know these three things and he spells them out.
1) the hope to which He has called you
2) the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints
3) the incomparably great power for us who believe
The rest of verse 19 to the end of the chapter talks about that great power, which is pretty exciting too.
Do we know what Paul is asking God for? Do we know what Paul thinks is crucial for the church to grasp? And if we can make those requests concrete ideas in our minds, can we think through why these specific things were so significant in Paul's mind?
That's what we'll be trying to think through tomorrow. We will need to put our heads together!!
But this week, we're studying Paul's prayer, in fact the first of his two prayers for the Ephesian church that are recorded in the book of Ephesians. It seems like anything Paul prayed about would be pretty significant. So most of our focus this week will be what he prayed for and if we have time we'll try to understand why he thought whatever he was asking for was so important.
Paul prays for two things. Remember my English teacher way of reading the Bible. There are two ideas.
1) I keep asking....that you may know Him better.
2) I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened.
Those are the two requests.
Request number two has some clarification. Paul says he is praying for the eyes of your heart to be enlightened so that you will know these three things and he spells them out.
1) the hope to which He has called you
2) the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints
3) the incomparably great power for us who believe
The rest of verse 19 to the end of the chapter talks about that great power, which is pretty exciting too.
Do we know what Paul is asking God for? Do we know what Paul thinks is crucial for the church to grasp? And if we can make those requests concrete ideas in our minds, can we think through why these specific things were so significant in Paul's mind?
That's what we'll be trying to think through tomorrow. We will need to put our heads together!!
Thursday, September 14, 2017
New year, new women, new Book
September is always exciting. After Labor Day, our Women's Bible Study starts up again. I can't even remember how long this has been anchoring the rhythm of my life, but anchor it does. I love women's Bible studies. And this year, as always, I have a group of really bright women who are going to keep me on my toes; seeing things I didn't see, asking things I don't know, experiencing God in their own intimate way that I can learn from.
So Ephesians! I've been anxious to teach Ephesians this fall. I know it will help us all to grow.
The story of my early attempts at Christian growth has been shared many times. I'm a "How" and "Why" person who grew up in a just do as your told church. I'm not a good pretender. Every struggle in my young life was answered with read the Bible more and pray more. Good advice as far as it goes. If I still pursued help [I can hardly believe that I did!] I was encouraged to rededicate my life to Christ. I may be the most re-dedicated person around.
I often compare it with those soccer games where kids on the field... you know, the cute ones with t-shirts hanging past their knee pads... are running their little hearts out. But they don't know what to do. We used to call it "swarm soccer" as they players would converge and swell like bees. Sweaty faces, gasping for air; all they knew was to try to get to the ball.
And on the sidelines the coach, sweaty and red faced as the players, persistently yells throughout the game; "try harder!"
I felt like those kids so many times. I was trying as hard as I could, but I didn't know what to do!
Ephesians gets us well started on what to do. But it starts out, in chapters 1-3 with why we do it. Specifically in the verses we introduced the book with, 1:1-14 it starts out with what God has done. And the way Paul writes these introductory verses we are able to see the all encompassing plan of God being accomplished. All that has happened in the spiritual realm has been according to His will; His plan from beginning to end.
The most amazing thing about this plan of His is that He has adopted us into it. Imagine! He made us His children, His friends and His instruments to accomplish the rest of the plan.
This passage reminds me so much of Jesus' last discourse to the disciples in John 15. "I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made know to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit--fruit that will last." [vs. 15-16]
God has entrusted His plan for eternity to us...not individually but as His church. In Ephesians Paul is spelling out that plan to us; those chosen to carry it out. He was given the unveiling of the mystery of the church. He will go on to tell us how Jews and Gentiles are one in this undertaking. It certainly took a revelation from God before anyone saw that one coming. He will tell us what we should know about God. He'll tell us how we should live. What a relief to know those things!
The most beautiful outline I've ever seen of Ephesians was taught by a Chinese believer,
Watchman Nee, and printed in a book called Sit, Walk, Stand. First Paul wants us to see ourselves seated in the heavens with Christ, because that is where we are. The things accomplished in the spiritual realm are reality we can live by on earth. When we see what God has done and who we are, we're to walk in a manner worthy of those amazing truths. Then the final illustration of Ephesians exhorts of to be strong! To stand and stand firm! And we can do that living in the truth of chapters 1-3 according to the skills taught us in 4-6.
I'm excited to study Ephesians. It is a book that can take us from where we are, no matter where on some imaginary spiritual slide rule we believe that to be, to higher. "For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight." [Ephesians 1:4]
So Ephesians! I've been anxious to teach Ephesians this fall. I know it will help us all to grow.
The story of my early attempts at Christian growth has been shared many times. I'm a "How" and "Why" person who grew up in a just do as your told church. I'm not a good pretender. Every struggle in my young life was answered with read the Bible more and pray more. Good advice as far as it goes. If I still pursued help [I can hardly believe that I did!] I was encouraged to rededicate my life to Christ. I may be the most re-dedicated person around.
I often compare it with those soccer games where kids on the field... you know, the cute ones with t-shirts hanging past their knee pads... are running their little hearts out. But they don't know what to do. We used to call it "swarm soccer" as they players would converge and swell like bees. Sweaty faces, gasping for air; all they knew was to try to get to the ball.
And on the sidelines the coach, sweaty and red faced as the players, persistently yells throughout the game; "try harder!"
I felt like those kids so many times. I was trying as hard as I could, but I didn't know what to do!
Ephesians gets us well started on what to do. But it starts out, in chapters 1-3 with why we do it. Specifically in the verses we introduced the book with, 1:1-14 it starts out with what God has done. And the way Paul writes these introductory verses we are able to see the all encompassing plan of God being accomplished. All that has happened in the spiritual realm has been according to His will; His plan from beginning to end.
The most amazing thing about this plan of His is that He has adopted us into it. Imagine! He made us His children, His friends and His instruments to accomplish the rest of the plan.
This passage reminds me so much of Jesus' last discourse to the disciples in John 15. "I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made know to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit--fruit that will last." [vs. 15-16]
God has entrusted His plan for eternity to us...not individually but as His church. In Ephesians Paul is spelling out that plan to us; those chosen to carry it out. He was given the unveiling of the mystery of the church. He will go on to tell us how Jews and Gentiles are one in this undertaking. It certainly took a revelation from God before anyone saw that one coming. He will tell us what we should know about God. He'll tell us how we should live. What a relief to know those things!
The most beautiful outline I've ever seen of Ephesians was taught by a Chinese believer,
Watchman Nee, and printed in a book called Sit, Walk, Stand. First Paul wants us to see ourselves seated in the heavens with Christ, because that is where we are. The things accomplished in the spiritual realm are reality we can live by on earth. When we see what God has done and who we are, we're to walk in a manner worthy of those amazing truths. Then the final illustration of Ephesians exhorts of to be strong! To stand and stand firm! And we can do that living in the truth of chapters 1-3 according to the skills taught us in 4-6.
I'm excited to study Ephesians. It is a book that can take us from where we are, no matter where on some imaginary spiritual slide rule we believe that to be, to higher. "For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight." [Ephesians 1:4]
Monday, June 5, 2017
Live Life at a Higher Elevation
An article in this months Real Simple began, "After reading my work, people often tell me I am fearless and assume I have a lot of confidence. In truth, I'm just a writer. On the page, I am opinionated and more than willing to share my perspectives. I'll even share my life and make myself vulnerable if the work demands it. I am firm in my convictions, and I take risks. But without words, I wouldn't be that way." [Roxane Gay, "Laura, my leader" June 2017 Real Simple]
I gasped internally as I read it. I had been found out! James mentions that teachers will be held to a higher standard and I've always read that as a veiled threat.... not even really veiled! But he does soften the blow... everyone sins with their words, or else they would be perfect.
So I keep teaching. I'm under compulsion: if I tried to hold it in, I would explode! I hope my jokey "Am I there Yet?" title communicates that I certainly don't think I've arrived. And I have progressed enough in walking that walk to silence [mostly] that inner accusation: if they really knew you they wouldn't like you. I can live on that teeter-totter balancing what I teach and the way I live.
But I've been studying Colossians with one of the girls, and I've been challenged to try for a higher level. Challenge isn't the right idea, though. Let's see.... I'm hopeful I can make more progress. Challenge is always present; hope, not so much. But right now I'm hopeful.
How do you really change? That's the question. And in recommending to someone else that they back off making application from scripture and focus instead on proactively changing their thinking through scripture.... I said to myself... huh... that is true.
Colossians 3 is all about change. Things to put off; anger, wrath, malice, slander, abusive speech, lying, evil practices. Things to put on; compassion, kindness, humility gentleness, patience, forbearance, forgiveness, love. So how do we focus on making those changes? How do we put them off/on? Making a list and taping it to the refrigerator? Memory verse cards? Verse for the day in our inbox? Those activities might easily fall under the heading of "matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence." [Col 3:23]
James made a BIG DEAL about the difference between earthly wisdom and heavenly wisdom, and it's shocking to me how many of our methods of spiritual growth turn into earthly wisdom in our application. Is spiritual growth like taking a spelling test? Is understanding scripture like using Cliff Notes to pass a test? Is our motivation wanting to be like someone else, wanting to be happy, wanting to be looked up to in the church? Those all smack of self and earthly wisdom.
Heavenly wisdom, as Betty pointed her finger, tilted her head and reminded us 💘, is first of all pure. First of all, the place we start, is pure devotion to God, not double-minded but seeking only His face.
Colossions 3 says the same thing. I was hit by the symmetry of the NIV:
"Since then you have been raised with Christ
set your heart on things above
where Christ is seated at the right hand of God
set your mind on things above
not on earthly things"
Only NIV uses that phrasing; set your heart and set your mind.
We use "to set your heart on something" colloquially. She had her heart set on the red shoes. He had his heart set on reaching the finals. She had her heart set on a PHD. He had his heart set on a black Hummer. It's more than wanting something. It's wanting it more than anything; wanting it to the point that your heart is going to be broken if you don't get it. So setting your heart on things above has to do with your desire for those things.
Is that where our hearts are set? Or is it really the red shoes. The bigger house. The perfect family. Acceptance, respect, adulation, looking "good", sounding spiritual... Oh my....Those desires, even the "spiritual" ones, reek of self and earthly things.
Set your mind, also, on things above. So what's the difference? Why the parallel thoughts? I had to look in my little red book... Setting your heart has to do with the pursuit.... if your heart is set on those shoes you're going to find a way to get the money for them. [Good luck with the money for the Hummer!] You're going to do the extra practices to get to the finals; put your life on hold while you keep going through school. You're going to sacrifice everything else for that bigger house.
Setting your mind [because of the parallel construction, the mind is also to be set on things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God] has to do with the inner disposition, according to the red book. Where is your inner life? Verse 3 says your life is now hidden with Christ in God. Again from the red book, three things the idea of being hidden in God suggests:
1) "a secret life where the believer's life is nurtured by secret springs"
2) "safety, 'with Christ in God' marks a double protection"
3) "identity, the believer is identified with the risen Lord"
It looks like the setting of your mind on things above is allowing God's TRUTH to settle in.
So how does that effect the putting off/ putting on of the rest of the chapter? Greatly, because Paul begins with truth. Verse 5, put to death whatever belongs to your earthly nature, because that earthly nature IS dead, circumcised from our bodies, buried with Christ. [2:11-12] Verse 12, cloth yourself with all this Godly character because God has made you alive with Christ. [2:13]
Change begins with believing the truth; letting it permeate every crevice of our mind, transforming the earthly wisdom we have been living by. Change begins with pursuing God with our whole heart; a pure undivided heart that wants only Him.
When we were in Montana last summer I got a shirt. It has mountains on it and says, "live life at a higher elevation." That had a spiritual meaning to me. It's exactly the truth of Colossians 3. Live life out of that elevated place where you are in Christ with God. That's a hopeful place.
Wednesday, May 24, 2017
Once again, Self
I thought I got it that James says we're living for our self. Or rather, I guess I thought he was saying YOU'RE living for your self. It took me another time through the book to see that he was saying I am living for MY self.
And even though I asked the question, "Is there a different between selfish and self?" I did not understand it. If I want something and you want something, and I do what I want instead, that's selfish, right? But somehow that doesn't seem reasonable. If I do what you want, doesn't that make you selfish? And why should you always get what you want? It's easy to see WHY James isn't going that direction with his teaching.
He sets self in opposition to God! If I want something, but God wants something.... well of course what He wants should happen. Getting that less than perfect and often annoying middle man out of the picture makes it much more clear.
This is an entirely different thing than being selfish. The question is whether you are living for self. I KNOW I said that when we were studying chapter 4 but I didn't get it.
God's been after me though. Fighting and quarreling come from wanting your own way, James says. Well, I've done enough fighting and quarreling that I finally started to consider whether having things my way was really that important to me. Maybe not. Maybe a lot of stuff I thought was important wasn't. Maybe I was just in the habit of living for my Self.
James says we are can't be both friend of God and friend of the world, logos, the world system. John tells us what that is; we talked about it before. John 2:15.. "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world-the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life--comes not from the Father but from the world."
James agrees with John. Worldly wisdom is characterized by envy and selfish ambition. It is in direct contrast to heavenly wisdom, which is FIRST OF ALL PURE.... undivided in it's submission to God. Then, after that focus is determined, the character that flows out of the "fountain" is peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.
You know, I think I'd rather live that life than the fighting and quarreling one.
I had a chance to share some of this with someone yesterday and I was well aware my husband was listening while I was speaking. It's easy to talk about it. He lives with me. I had to ask him if he could see that I was getting it.
He said he could see a difference. "Night and Day" he said. 😢
And even though I asked the question, "Is there a different between selfish and self?" I did not understand it. If I want something and you want something, and I do what I want instead, that's selfish, right? But somehow that doesn't seem reasonable. If I do what you want, doesn't that make you selfish? And why should you always get what you want? It's easy to see WHY James isn't going that direction with his teaching.
He sets self in opposition to God! If I want something, but God wants something.... well of course what He wants should happen. Getting that less than perfect and often annoying middle man out of the picture makes it much more clear.
This is an entirely different thing than being selfish. The question is whether you are living for self. I KNOW I said that when we were studying chapter 4 but I didn't get it.
God's been after me though. Fighting and quarreling come from wanting your own way, James says. Well, I've done enough fighting and quarreling that I finally started to consider whether having things my way was really that important to me. Maybe not. Maybe a lot of stuff I thought was important wasn't. Maybe I was just in the habit of living for my Self.
James says we are can't be both friend of God and friend of the world, logos, the world system. John tells us what that is; we talked about it before. John 2:15.. "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world-the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life--comes not from the Father but from the world."
James agrees with John. Worldly wisdom is characterized by envy and selfish ambition. It is in direct contrast to heavenly wisdom, which is FIRST OF ALL PURE.... undivided in it's submission to God. Then, after that focus is determined, the character that flows out of the "fountain" is peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.
You know, I think I'd rather live that life than the fighting and quarreling one.
I had a chance to share some of this with someone yesterday and I was well aware my husband was listening while I was speaking. It's easy to talk about it. He lives with me. I had to ask him if he could see that I was getting it.
He said he could see a difference. "Night and Day" he said. 😢
Friday, May 19, 2017
Theme: submission to the will of God
I'll only write about one more theme that clearly runs through the book of James. We saw it come to a head in chapter four with the clear command, submit to God. Yet the very essence of the book might be submission to the will of God.
The very first reference is in 1:4. "Let perseverance finish it's work." We focus on the end of that verse as part of the joy of going through a trial; an eye on the prize type of thing. Yet we need to submit to it. We need to let God do the work in us. This becomes a strong theme throughout the book. Verses 5,6 say ask God for wisdom... isn't that [when done rightly] asking to see his will?
1:21 says in humility [submission to the will of God] receive the Word, and the next verse says to do what it says.
Chapter 2:12 says speak and act as those who will be judged by the law of liberty... giving God the right to judge. Later 4:12 will remind us there is only one judge; not us.
3:13 and 17 speaks of deeds done in humility that comes from wisdom, wisdom that only comes from heaven. Submission to the superior knowledge and plan of God.
4:4-6 makes us chose between the world and God: which path will we take? Doesn't that involve submission to Him. In fact 4:7 [again] says it right out. "Submit yourselves, then, to God."
Continuing in chapter 4:10, humble yourself. 4:15, instead we should say, if it's the Lord's will....
Chapter 5: 7,8 wait. What does wait mean if not to let God do what He is going to do? In fact, it says wait until the Lord's coming. He IS doing something. He's coming to make it right. The examples James gives are the epitome of submission. The prophets; submitting to God's will in seemingly ridiculous ways: laying on one side for so many days then the other side so many days.. marrying an unreformed prostitute, buying a field days before the destruction of Jerusalem. God said: they did.
The other example is Job. "The Lord gives. The Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord." Again, the perfect example of someone who was willing to let God do whatever He wanted.
I wonder how much peace there would be in that? A perfect belief that whatever God is doing is perfect. A wholehearted trust His will is best. Wouldn't that be the perfect attitude to have in this context, especially, of going through trials. It would be the perfect attitude to have every day! Wow. This requires some examination.
The very first reference is in 1:4. "Let perseverance finish it's work." We focus on the end of that verse as part of the joy of going through a trial; an eye on the prize type of thing. Yet we need to submit to it. We need to let God do the work in us. This becomes a strong theme throughout the book. Verses 5,6 say ask God for wisdom... isn't that [when done rightly] asking to see his will?
1:21 says in humility [submission to the will of God] receive the Word, and the next verse says to do what it says.
Chapter 2:12 says speak and act as those who will be judged by the law of liberty... giving God the right to judge. Later 4:12 will remind us there is only one judge; not us.
3:13 and 17 speaks of deeds done in humility that comes from wisdom, wisdom that only comes from heaven. Submission to the superior knowledge and plan of God.
4:4-6 makes us chose between the world and God: which path will we take? Doesn't that involve submission to Him. In fact 4:7 [again] says it right out. "Submit yourselves, then, to God."
Continuing in chapter 4:10, humble yourself. 4:15, instead we should say, if it's the Lord's will....
Chapter 5: 7,8 wait. What does wait mean if not to let God do what He is going to do? In fact, it says wait until the Lord's coming. He IS doing something. He's coming to make it right. The examples James gives are the epitome of submission. The prophets; submitting to God's will in seemingly ridiculous ways: laying on one side for so many days then the other side so many days.. marrying an unreformed prostitute, buying a field days before the destruction of Jerusalem. God said: they did.
The other example is Job. "The Lord gives. The Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord." Again, the perfect example of someone who was willing to let God do whatever He wanted.
I wonder how much peace there would be in that? A perfect belief that whatever God is doing is perfect. A wholehearted trust His will is best. Wouldn't that be the perfect attitude to have in this context, especially, of going through trials. It would be the perfect attitude to have every day! Wow. This requires some examination.
So what IS the solution? [Clean that fountain at it's source.]
I left us hanging at the end of chapter 3, promising more discussion of self and a solution in chapter 4..... then I never wrote about it. Yet chapter 4 is clearly where the book of James comes to its climax.
Reviewing chapter three, we bemoaned the fact that clearly blessing and cursing CAN both come out of our mouths. James says it can't, but we know all too well....... James' illustrations lead us to consider the source, our unbridled mouth being just a symptom of a polluted source.
It becomes clear where he's going immediately in verse 1 of chapter 4. "What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you?" What is the source? The answer he gives is, your desires. What you want is off kilter.
But what you want is also so important that you fight and quarrel [and kill!] to get it. And it took me lots of rereading the passage to understand it isn't the thing that you want James is talking about, it's the self focus of wanting what you want.
Verse 3, speaking of prayer, says even when you ask God you ask with the wrong motives. Motives isn't quite the right word and it narrows our thinking a little too finely. We examine our motives. We think about why we are asking. Not wrong, but not quite right. The verse actually just says we ask wrongly, defined by "we ask for ourselves" or "to secure their own enjoyment ". [linguistic key]
What actually makes that clear is verse 4. "You adulterous people!" James exclaims. We are so used to thinking we have a right to what we want. Our society is based on pursuing what we want. James draws a line in the sand. What you want/what God wants: which will it be. He reinforces the idea with the next line; "anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God." Line in the sand. Verse five brings it home. Why do you think scripture refers to God as a jealous God?
"But he gives us more grace." [verse 6] Whew. That was a little frightening. Keep that idea of the line in the sand as you read the beautiful poetry of verses 6-10.
God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.
Submit yourselves then to God.
Resist the Devil and he will flee from you.
Come near to God and He will come near to you.
Wash your hands, you sinners.
Purify your hearts, you double-minded.
Grieve
Mourn
Wail.
Change your laughter to mourning.
Change your joy to gloom.
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up.
Surely that is a poem or saying that was familiar to James' readers. It is written with too much symmetry to be anything else. And in this context it is the perfect poem to reach for. The scriptural use of the word humble always has to do with agenda. It asks, whose agenda are you following? Pride is following your own agenda. Humility is following God's agenda. Think about the famous Philippians 2 passage about Jesus' humility. He was obedient, even to death. His only passion was the will of God. That's what James calls pure, not double-minded. He would call that faithful, not adulterous. He calls it humble, not proud.
So going back to why we don't get what we want when we pray... we ask wrongly, for ourselves and our own enjoyment. Wow. That makes you back up and tackle the whole issue of prayer again doesn't it? Surely effective prayer at this point will begin with a lot of repentance.
Reviewing chapter three, we bemoaned the fact that clearly blessing and cursing CAN both come out of our mouths. James says it can't, but we know all too well....... James' illustrations lead us to consider the source, our unbridled mouth being just a symptom of a polluted source.
It becomes clear where he's going immediately in verse 1 of chapter 4. "What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you?" What is the source? The answer he gives is, your desires. What you want is off kilter.
But what you want is also so important that you fight and quarrel [and kill!] to get it. And it took me lots of rereading the passage to understand it isn't the thing that you want James is talking about, it's the self focus of wanting what you want.
Verse 3, speaking of prayer, says even when you ask God you ask with the wrong motives. Motives isn't quite the right word and it narrows our thinking a little too finely. We examine our motives. We think about why we are asking. Not wrong, but not quite right. The verse actually just says we ask wrongly, defined by "we ask for ourselves" or "to secure their own enjoyment ". [linguistic key]
What actually makes that clear is verse 4. "You adulterous people!" James exclaims. We are so used to thinking we have a right to what we want. Our society is based on pursuing what we want. James draws a line in the sand. What you want/what God wants: which will it be. He reinforces the idea with the next line; "anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God." Line in the sand. Verse five brings it home. Why do you think scripture refers to God as a jealous God?
"But he gives us more grace." [verse 6] Whew. That was a little frightening. Keep that idea of the line in the sand as you read the beautiful poetry of verses 6-10.
God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.
Submit yourselves then to God.
Resist the Devil and he will flee from you.
Come near to God and He will come near to you.
Wash your hands, you sinners.
Purify your hearts, you double-minded.
Grieve
Mourn
Wail.
Change your laughter to mourning.
Change your joy to gloom.
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up.
Surely that is a poem or saying that was familiar to James' readers. It is written with too much symmetry to be anything else. And in this context it is the perfect poem to reach for. The scriptural use of the word humble always has to do with agenda. It asks, whose agenda are you following? Pride is following your own agenda. Humility is following God's agenda. Think about the famous Philippians 2 passage about Jesus' humility. He was obedient, even to death. His only passion was the will of God. That's what James calls pure, not double-minded. He would call that faithful, not adulterous. He calls it humble, not proud.
So going back to why we don't get what we want when we pray... we ask wrongly, for ourselves and our own enjoyment. Wow. That makes you back up and tackle the whole issue of prayer again doesn't it? Surely effective prayer at this point will begin with a lot of repentance.
Wednesday, May 17, 2017
Theme: Double-minded
One of
our key words in the book of James was clearly “double-minded”. We saw it many
times. In fact, when I made a list, not just of the word but the idea, I was
astounded. I’m not going to write about it but just give you references. It’s
worth another run through the book to look at them specific to defining what
James means when he talks about it.
I’ve,
tragically, switched to NASB in the last two weeks which makes a mess of my NIV
notations, but the first use of the word in 1:6 means divided; to be at
variance with one’s self. NASB uses the word doubt which didn't convey that
idea to me nearly as well as "double-minded". Its opposite is often “pure” or the idea
of single mindedness. James may illustrate it by opposites that can’t co-exist,
e.g. earthly wisdom, heavenly wisdom, or by apparent integration, as in faith
and works agreeing.
Here’s
a list if you want to study it for yourself.
1:6,
1:8, 1:22, 1:25, 1:27
2:10,
2:22
3:10,
3:11, 3:12, 3:13, 3:15, 3:17,
4:3,
4:5, 4:6, 4:7-10, 4:11
5:10,
5:11, 5:15
It took
me one and a half times through the book to get it clear in my own mind. That’s
why I made this list, in order to try to get what was so important. And it
surely is one of the most important ideas in the book. The biggest idea,
submission to God, cannot be practiced from a place of double mindedness.
Chapter 5 Theme: Honesty
Although the last two paragraphs of James are often taught
as detailed info about prayer, I think that, as valid as that info is, the real
value in the passage is to back up and look at the big picture. I think James
is talking about living honestly in community.
Is anyone
suffering? Let him pray.
Is anyone
cheerful? Let him sing praises.
Now there are
passages, our opening one in James for example, that exhort us to sing joyfully
while suffering. This passage does not. It is straightforward. Suffering…pray.
Cheerful…praise. Be honest about where you are, first of all with God. In your
communication with God, if you’re suffering, tell Him. If you’re cheerful, tell
Him. No matter where you are in your relationship with God, communicate from
that place. Be real.
We have actually
had this theme of honesty throughout the book.
1:22; But prove yourselves doers of
the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.
1:26; If anyone
thinks himself to be religious and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives
his own heart; this man’s religion is worthless.
2:14;
What use is it, my brethren, if a man says he has faith but he has no
works? [The man is making a claim to faith; it may be true or it may be false.
Without the works to prove it, the claim remains unsubstantiated. Maybe this is
not quite the same as deceit, but functionally it is very close.]
3:14;
But if you have bitter jealousy and
selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the
truth.
4:14; [Even though you have made detailed plans for
your life, ] you don’t even know what your life will be like tomorrow. [This is
the perfect example of selfish ambition lying against the truth.]
This
deceit shows up in our claim to faith when we only practice religion. It is our
profession of obedience to the word when we don’t look at the Bible closely
enough to see what it says. It is the appearance of heavenly wisdom when we
live by earthly wisdom. It is a fake submission to God while we continue to promote
self. James is dead against it. Yet, he understands. We are easily deceived!
Earthly wisdom is natural and demonic. It is exactly the way any human acts
left to his own devices, especially when Satan still has influence in our
lives. But it will destroy us.
So I
believe this final emphasis in the book is begging us in short, sweet, right to
the point sentences… be honest when you come to God. And be honest when you
come together.
If
you’re sick, call for the elders to pray over you. Don’t pretend all is well.
Don’t believe you can deal with it on your own. What if there is a sin issue?
Confess your sins to one another. Pray for one another. This is a condition of
our survival. This is what endurance looks like. Honest dependence on God.
Honest dependence on each other.
When we’ve messed up, we
want to hide. We experienced this conflict when we learned Aaron was going to
have a baby. We were distressed. We were embarrassed. We were unsure of the
future. And we just blurted it all out. We cried. We apologized. We worried. We
needed the church to come around us. This was not a time to be proud. This was
a time to be honest with both God and the brethren.
There
was another family in the church that just disappeared. No one ever saw them
again. No one knew if they changed churches or what they did. Later we found
out their daughter had become pregnant. They didn’t want anyone to know. I can
understand that! But I wonder how they survived that stressful time on their
own. I wonder IF they survived. I seriously didn’t ever see them again.
So
James finishes the book with an exhortation to honesty and an encouragement for
us to follow in his example. “My brethren”… James is so direct and so straight
forward and so black and white, but how often he has softened the blow with
this endearment…”My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth, and one
turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his
way will save his soul from death, and will cover a multitude of sins.”
I’ve debated
for 6 months now whether this might be the purpose statement for the book of
James. I guess I don’t really believe that it is. If you remember the
distinction we made reason the book was written and the purpose; the thing the
author wanted to say.
James
is clearly worried these dear, dear brothers are straying from the truth. He’s
desperate to turn them back. As Angela said during the winter bible study,
maybe he’s even “ticked!” He knows the errors in their thinking will risk their
souls, subject them to defeat in sin and maybe even result in their death. They
have to grasp the truth and hold it honestly in the forefront of their life and
relationships. Nero is coming.
That
may be the reason James wrote the book. But the thing he wants to say, his
purpose, is to patiently spell out those ways of thinking that they need to
survive. Right thinking honestly applied will allow them and us to encounter
any trial, various trials… a lifetime of trials because we know we aren’t in
heaven yet…. With joy…….
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