kingdom citizens - recent discussions

God’s Covenants, Humanity’s Interference

2011-10-09T13:53:00.010-05:00

October 9, 2011
Genesis 15-17

Class discussion was great, helping several of us think about God’s work in our lives. And then the message during the worship service reinforced what we’d been talking about. “God can do all things; no plan of His can be thwarted.”

Genesis 15-17 show God dealing with Abram and his household.

We were reminded that “a personal God” was not common in this time period. Many “gods” were worshiped, but they were separate from humanity. Worship tended to be a means of attracting a god’s attention, not a celebration of a relationship. So God speaking to Abram was amazing.

These are some of the points brought out in our discussions:

Abram was honest with God. “You’ve promised a child. How do I know this will really happen?”
Believing God meant that God considered Abram righteous.
Belief is more than an intellectual understanding. Trust is involved, putting the belief into action. If we say we trust a doctor, teacher, or God, but then pay no attention to their instructions, our “trust” can be questioned. (James 2 deals with this.)
Grace is God being good to us, though we do not deserve it. And even when we start behaving in ways that please God, we aren’t earning His blessing. We change because His grace is working within us, not only to invite us to heaven but to make us better here.
We sometimes slip into thinking that God is interested in us obeying rules. He is really interested in building a relationship with us. As we come to know Him better, we do live differently. But that’s because He already loves us and is helping us to become more like Him.

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NOTE: The 10/9/2011 a.m. message, "God Can Do All Things", by Missionary Dan Hopkins speaks to today's topic.

The Tower of Babel

2011-08-28T21:16:00.016-05:00

August 28, 2011
Genesis 11

Genesis 11:1-9 is the story of the Tower of Babel. (We tended to pronounce it with a long A, as in Babe-L; but short A is also common.)

Perhaps this can be understood as a search for security. The class noted that the passage has “let’s stay together,” “let’s make a name for ourselves,” and a strong sense of “let’s build something for ourselves.” While exclusivity is not specifically mentioned, it is a reasonable assumption that the people wanted to set themselves apart from others.

What are our common sources of security? Good grades, paid-off loans, money so that we won’t be caught off-guard by circumstances, normalcy, food, and relationships were all mentioned.

Security may be defined as a lack of worry. As life progresses, the items we worry about change, but the underlying search for security continues. We are more secure when we know what to expect and can be prepared. (In side discussion, it was noted that some people carefully consider the bad things that can happen; do they also consider the good that could come?)

There is a spiritual dimension to security. In some cases, security lessens our awareness of God’s help. [Not noted in class, but Deuteronomy 6:10-12 foresees this possibility.] Increased education and wider experiences can cause us to reconsider what constitutes security for us. And the various phases of life involve changes to our perceived security.

Why did the people in Genesis 11 built the Tower for security? “Don’t mess with Texas” may be a similar attitude. There might have been a military component to the Tower; certainly such structures in that time had many purposes, and military was one. The people wanted to be significant, certainly in their own era and perhaps historically. If they could build it themselves, they’d feel secure, based upon being able to do it themselves.

Today, if we are in control, we tend to feel more secure. But God is the true security. Sometimes we seem to have more fear of other people than to have a (properly understood) fear of God.

Insights and applications:

A focus on security is a focus on a nebulous future. It removes the emphasis from today. Matthew 6:28-34 applies.

Normalcy, while helping with a feeling of security, is not necessarily good. Some things that are normal are actually bad. (Abusive situations were cited as examples.)

Our world has several ways to focus on security, but they have positive and negative sides. Medical advances are wonderful for us, but they can lead us to rely too much on “wonder drugs” (and maybe on “access to care”) rather than on common sense or alternative methods of taking care of our bodies. Technology allows us to be much better informed, but may be discouraging actual face-to-face encounters.

Security itself is not an evil. But it is possible to seek security in illegitimate ways.

There is a theological concept called “eternal security.” We didn’t get into this in detail, but one comment was made by a class member that this world doesn’t offer such a thing in any other aspect of life.

Next week, we will focus on pride itself. In Mere Christianity¸ C. S. Lewis has a chapter on pride, titled “The Greatest Sin.” We will pick up with these five statements:

Pride is the complete anti-God state of mind.
Pride is essentially competitive.
Pride is the chief cause of misery in every nation and every family since the world began.
As long as you are proud, you cannot know God.
Pride is spiritual cancer: it eats up the very possibility of love, or contentment, or even common sense.

The Flood (week 2)

2011-08-21T22:56:00.038-05:00

August 21, 2011
Genesis 6-9
Handout: Genealogy: Noah & Abraham

Last week, the basic applications we found in the Biblical account of the Flood were these: Sin is serious; God rewards faithfulness.

But there are other topics covered, and the class was invited to raise its own questions. Dale shared an Illustration from his early days as a Christian. While speaking of his own conversion experience to other young adults who had known him in high school, Isaiah 53 was mentioned (along with Jesus Christ: Superstar, The Passover Plot, and The Late, Great Planet Earth. One of his friends questioned the dating of Isaiah, since some scholars thought it wasn’t pulled together as a book until maybe 150 B.C. rather than 500-600 B.C. when Isaiah lived. While even 150 years can count as prophetic (Isaiah 53 describes Christ’s role in the crucifixion), it is sometimes awkward to be hit with biblical questions that have never been discussed with other Christians.

So, even though some passing references in the Bible aren’t worth struggling with as applications to our lives today, it might be helpful to at least mention them in passing.

The questions that were raised:

Time frames/ages of people
Sons of God married daughters of men
The Nephilim
How widespread was the flood?
And, related to this, where did the “other people” come from that Cain was worried about?
God was grieved

When?

A common time frame for the Flood, by those who take biblical years at face value, is in the neighborhood of 2500 BC. However, the term translated “begat” in the King James and “became the father of” in the NIV does not necessarily mean “had a child named this.” A timeline of post-Flood ages was distributed. According to today’s Hebrew text, Noah would have still been alive when Abraham was an adult. However, closer study of older texts (and even cross-references within the rest of the Bible) shows that at least once “became the father of” meant “became a father, and eventually that child had a descendant named.” This would be like saying Melvin Jones was 22 and became the father of Mark Jones, even though when Melvin was 22 Dale was born, and Mark wasn’t born for another 26 years. But dating Mark’s age in reference to Melvin’s would omit 26 years of history.

So that understanding of “became the father of” is necessary if we want to date anything before the time of Abraham. And what it means is that at least that many years elapsed, and maybe hundreds or thousands more.

Where?

Archaeogical evidence for the flood in the Middle East does exist, but it seems to have occurred much earlier than 2500 B.C., anywhere from 500 to 5,000 years before.

While there are flood tales in many cultures, even in the Americas, there is less archaeological evidence for such a flood. Geology shows that most land areas have been underwater, but other theories are given for this, such as plate tectonics and drifting continents. In the Book of Acts, Jews from “every nation under heaven” were at Pentecost. But no mention is made of China (which was a distant trading partner of Rome at the time) and certainly the Americas were not included. So a “known world” theory of the flood is acceptable for many Christians.

Who?

The marriages between “sons of God” and “daughters of men” were mentioned in Genesis 6 as one reason for the flood.

One theory is that angels (fallen or otherwise) intermarried with humans. This seems unlikely to some of us, based partly on Jesus explaining that angels “do not marry nor are they given in marriage.” But it has been a theory that some have put forth.

Another theory is that Seth’s line was regarded as godly and Cain’s was not. As Seth’s descendants intermarried with Cain’s, the godly influence was lost. This is defensible, but still a guess.

Others point out that kings were often regarded as divine, and perhaps this was a way of condemning the practice of kings having harems. Possible, but again not certain.

[Not pursued much in class:] One other possibility, alluded to in one theory of the Fall, is that Adam and Eve were the representatives of a human race that already existed. This seems to contradict language about Adam being first and Eve the mother of all living, but it does explain why there were others that Cain was worried about. In that case, their descendants would have been considered godly (despite the Fall) and the other humans would not.

In any case, the Nephilim were the children of these mixed marriages. While the word means “heroes,” it is taken from the Hebrew for “fallen ones.” The “giants in the land” in Numbers are said to be descendants of the Nephilim. Goliath is considered part of that group, for instance.

Essentially, we mentioned these various theories without endorsing any of them. Most of the positions are held by various Christians, and all of the positions are problematic. If God thought those details were important for us today, perhaps the meaning behind some of those phrases would not have been lost during the intervening millennia.

How can God grieve?

There is another phrase that gives some skeptics, and some Christians, difficulty: God was grieved. That is, He was sorry that He’d created. How can an all-knowing, never-changing, all-wise God do something that He would later regret?

When our definitions of God are contradicted by Scripture, our definitions may not yet be perfect.

There is good reason for describing God as all-knowing and absolutely good. But apparently He is also capable of doing something that later causes Him regret, or at least that’s how He has it described in the Bible. We need to guard against letting our definitions limit Him, and we need to keep from thinking we can describe Him adequately.

Covenant

A covenant is not exactly a contract. There were three types of covenant common in the Middle East, according to scholars of the time.

Some were Parity Covenants. These were between equals, much like a standard contract today. “You do this and I’ll do that.”

Some were Suzerainty-Vassal Covenants, similar to Feudal arrangements in medieval Europe. The King granted certain privileges to his dukes and earls, and they swore to support the king. The same was then done between the earls and the knights, and on down to the serfs. The person with the stronger position set the terms, but was generous (at least in theory) with the person in the weaker position.

Finally, there were Grants. Usually for services rendered, the king would turn over certain lands to someone else. The grant was permanent, so that the persons receiving it could leave it to their children. But it was understood that the one receiving, along with any descendants, would remain loyal to the king granting the property.

The covenant with Noah was of the Grant variety. God was not settling a contract with Noah, nor was He setting up requirements for this to be in place. There were commands, but no expectation that Noah was to affirm his side of the bargain.

This was not the first time God had given instructions to humans. In the Garden, the Covenant might have been phrased, “This is yours. Take care of it.” In that sense, it might have been the Feudal type.

Once Adam and Eve had disobeyed, the new agreement could be seen as a grant. “Here is the way your life will be.”

Even Cain got a sort of grant from God, though it is not usually considered a separate covenant. “I’ll commit Myself to protecting you.” Later on, Cain’s descendant Lamech decreed his own understanding of God’s agreement; but God never ratified it.

In Genesis 8 and 9, God’s covenant with Noah is primarily, “This is what I’m doing for you.” It does include some instructions, but there are no particular consequences listed. Some of the instructions, such as not eating blood, sound like a fore-runner (precursor, from today’s sermon) of the Law.

(Since eating meat is particularly mentioned here, some people have thought that humans were vegetarians to this point. The phrasing doesn’t really address this, and most people have not interpreted it that way. But that is one of the “side issues” that might be brought up.)

Back to the main point: Being faithful

Gen 7:16: God shut the door of the ark. This was not something that Noah was charged with. God determined when it was time to shut out those who were perishing. 1 Peter 3:20 suggests that there was opportunity for others to be saved during the time the ark was being built. Hebrews 11:7 says that Noah’s faithfulness condemned the world. In fact, it was the world’s behavior that condemned it. God pronounced judgment on the world, but found one family that was willing to follow Him.

But Noah’s righteousness did not mean that he was perfect. He became drunk after the flood receded. Some have suggested that this was the first time the grape juice had fermented, or at least that no one had tried drinking it before. But the drunkenness itself is not the problem so much as Noah’s behavior the next day. One of his sons apparently made fun of Noah in his drunken state, and Noah’s response was to issue a curse upon him and his descendants. This cannot be the sign of a truly righteous person. We would normally consider this spite and meanness. But somehow, Noah was regarded as a God-follower and is listed as an example of faithfulness for us today.

Apparently the faithfulness God prizes is not marked by perfect living. Abraham, David, and Noah all had lapses of judgment. But they remained aware of God and stayed focused on His plans for their lives. At one point, the discussion suggested that they “kept coming back” to God after they sinned. Perhaps better is “they remained close to God despite their inadequacies.” God was not someone who invited them to His store for a new supply of grace; He was a friend with whom they lived and from whom they drew the support they constantly needed.

Discussion pointed out that obedience to God involves listening for His promptings. We stressed that Christians have the privilege of learning directly from God. We strengthen our obedience by practice.

Attitude of Christ-followers

2011-03-31T08:26:00.002-05:00

March 27, 2011 Matthew 6:19-34 You cannot serve God and money This week we wrapped up the discussion of Matthew 6:19-34. Previous discussions were summarized. 19-21: The value of the Christ-follower is to acquire treasures in heaven. This does not ban or demonize possessions in this life, or even monetary savings for the future. But Christ-followers do not define life by material goods. 22-23: The focus of the Christ-follower is an outward purpose, rather than an inward. This corresponds to Christ's mindset. We began today's study with verse 24. Like everyone else, Christ's followers can only serve one master. In this case, we are challenged to put God ahead of money. How does one become a slave to money? Borrowing; working at the cost of daily devotions or family relationships; allowing too much exposure to advertising's influence; not being satisfied with what we have. We can dedicate our lives to wealth, or to possessions, leading to debt (loss of flexibility is a symptom). Further checks on our priorities: What do we spend our money on? When the Spirit leads, can we follow without fear? (This second question is most obvious when we are led to give money.) How can we avoid becoming a slave to money? Self-discipline can indicate how strong our ties are to any thing, even money. Deliberate "fasting" of possessions (or spending habits) can train us to keep God first. God's Word and God's messengers can help us intentionally re-focus upon God. We need to recognize the difference between "want" and "need." We need to remember that God knows what is best for us. Putting ourselves under His leadership is NOT like serving a harsh taskmaster. Beginning in verse 25, the topic of worry is addressed. The "therefore" indicates that having the attitude described in 19-24 can combat worry. Worry reveals a lack of trust in God. The unknown bothers us. We fear loss, especially loss of control. While we usually agree that God can, we worry when we are not certain that God will. And we're not certain that He will do something how and when we want. God is attentive to babies (new Christians). Next, He works on teaching us to trust. By remembering what God has done, we can recall His faithfulness. We can "set up stones," based on the experience of the ancient Jews, by deliberately reminding ourselves of His help. [Setting up stones implies visible reminders. "I purchased this plaque when God helped me through that tough situation," or "We planted that bush to remind us of how God answered that prayer."] We can also let others point out God's faithfulness to us. The rest of the passage contrasts pagans and Christ-followers. Pagans have an inordinate worry for the necessities of life. Christ-followers, with their values, focus, and following of the Spirit, train themselves to say "Lord, lead me in this. Help me to make right decisions." This is not automatic, and requires us to learn to trust Him. How do we seek the Kingdom of God and His righteousness? Moment-by-moment prayer. Surrender to God. Surrender of our own image (by admitting our needs to others). Staying in God's Word. Understanding the ultimate goal, to let God transform us. ("Being" is more central than "doing," though both are transformed.) Understanding our identity in God. 1. Godly values and perspectives are not automatic. The Holy Spirit becomes a shaping influence on those who are serious about following. 2. Make the Kingdom of God the organizing principle around which life is lived. This requires intentionality. 3. "Kingdom-first living" frees a person from a life of worry and despair.

Fasting, Part One

2011-02-14T07:18:00.003-06:00

February 13, 2011
Matthew 6:16-18
When you fast . . .

David began the session with a quick review of the Sermon on the Mount to this point. Chapter 5 was largely composed of "You have heard that it was said" followed by "But my followers will do this instead." These were focused on ethical issues. In Chapter 6, Jesus has described some religious practices. Some people use their charitable giving to attract attention to themselves. Jesus gave His followers new instructions. Then He described how some religious people handled prayer. Again, He gave new instructions, including what we call the Lord's Prayer.

Today's section describes how some people fast. But His followers are to do it differently.

How do some people fast?

They attract attention to themselves.
They try to impress others, and maybe try to impress God.

Their reward is acclaim from individuals, and that is all that their fasting will provide for them.

What is fasting?

Giving up food
Discipline of abstinence
Hard!

Is is spiritual? Or can we call it fasting if we're trying to lose weight? And if we are aware that it might help us lose weight, does it lose its spiritual significance? And that raises the whole issue of what spiritual purpose is behind fasting.

We can also fast other valued things. For instance, some people have been advised by their doctors that they must eat on a regular schedule. Fasting may be particular food items instead of completely not eating, or it may be giving up something non-food related as many people do for Lent.

"When you fast" is not exactly a command, but it is an assumption that Jesus' followers will fast. In Luke 5, verses 33-35, Jesus pointed out that His followers were not going to fast so long as He was with them.

Fasting is a focus. When we miss something, we should spend time in prayer. Essentially, forgoing a meal should give us that time for prayer instead.

Fasting is counter-cultural, especially in America. We are encouraged to believe that if we can indulge ourselves, we should.

Fasting develops new spiritual muscles.

It can become a meaningless ritual. The example of meatless Lent for some groups was given; many participants do give up meat, but don't focus on God.

Types of Fasts

Absolute: Neither food nor water. This should not be done for more than a day or two at a time; the body must have water much sooner than it needs food.
Partial fast: Restriction of the diet.
Group fasts: In the Old Testament, Esther asked others to fast before she risked her life
Regular fasts: Judaism encouraged Monday and Thursday fasts, and John Wesley chose Wednesdays and Fridays for fasting (the actual days for Wesley may be uncertain, but these were what the class recalled)
Fasting habits or practices, such as media fasts during Lent

Fasting can reveal what controls us. Even good things can have too much control over us. "Choosing better sometimes means saying 'no' to good."

Lord's Prayer Summary

2011-02-13T08:00:00.002-06:00

February 6, 2011
Matthew 6:9-15
Review of the Lord's Prayer

David provided a handout on the Lord's prayer. We went through the handout, and we added a few more thoughts. The sections and numbers below refer to those pages.

Introductory Thoughts

1. The Lord's prayer is not a good-luck medallion.

3. Praise and adoration are often overlooked in our prayers. We also tend to omit any acknowledgement of God's authority. It is hard to mean, "Whatever you do will be okay," but that is the thrust of "Thy will be done." We may also skim over confession; if we harbor resentment then we haven't truly understood forgiveness. We don't need to fear confession; because of Jesus, we are welcome in God's presence. Pride and self-sufficiency may keep us from God.

From the Prayer

1. The promise inherent in "Father" is hugely helpful to many with troubled pasts. Intimacy issues that people have tend to be mirrored in our relationship with God (and vice-versa).

3. The goal is to move into a trust relationship.

5. God can forget. Continual remorse (over the same offence) may be false guilt. We may have continuing consequences from our past. Not forgiving ourselves is arrogant.

6. The point of forgiving others is to release us as well. "How can God forgive that person?" does occur to us sometimes; is that righteous anger? We may be called to hate what the person did, but we must allow God to forgive and then join Him in that forgiveness. Avoid sitting in judgment on people We need God's guidance, the Spirit of truth, to reach that point. It is challenging to love onew who is doing or who has done wrong. Matthew 18 may indicate that there are different procedures for Christians and non-Christians, though the goal of forgiveness is for both.

Give God the Praise

2011-02-04T08:02:00.004-06:00

January 30, 2010
Matthew 6:13
"For thine is the kingdom . . ."

Apparently, the ending phrase to the Lord's prayer was not in the earliest versions of Matthew's gospel. Nowadays, it is found in footnotes in most Bible translations. However, it is always included when groups pray the Lord's prayer together, as in our church each week.

These lines are referred to as the Doxology of the prayer. Doxa is the Greek word for glory, and this part of the prayer focuses on that aspect of God. 1 Chronicles 29:11 is regarded as the basis for this passage.

There are three motifs in this Doxology.

Kingdom - Everything belongs to God. The kingdom is yet to come; it will go on forever. This second mention of the kingdom emphasizes the central message of Jesus' ministry. Saying "Thine is the kingdom" expresses confidence that God has the final say-so.

Power - Control. This ascribes ultimate power to God. There is a cosmic struggle for control. This power is based on love. Jesus came to redeem and to restore. The resurrection is often considered the greatest expression of power in the universe.

Creation also demonstrated God's power. Resurrection, coming later in time, may be considered even greater since its power broke the second law of thermodynamics. (The second law, in plain English, says the universe is running down.)

God's power is also shown by reversing the human tendency to be drawn into brokenness.

Glory - Recognition of a claim. This expression of reverence is associated with light in scripture. Stories of Moses, writings of Paul, and the book of Revelation all make statements along the lines of "His face was like the sun . . ."

The Doxology states our expectation that God will hear and answer.

Give G

2011-02-04T08:02:00.001-06:00

Lead Us, Deliver Us

2011-01-28T07:12:00.002-06:00

January 23, 2011
Matthew 6:12-13
God's leadership

We began with a few "leftover comments" from last week's discussion on forgiveness.

People who are working with non-Christians don't always see the results of their efforts. But God uses whatever we do to help them.
Our sins put us in debt to God's justice. Forgiveness puts us in debt to God's mercy. In any case, we are indebted to God.
When we forgive others, we express compassion for them. We can see ourselves in their brokenness.
Do we wait until someone asks for forgiveness? No. The purpose of forgiveness is to free our own heart, not theirs.
Forgiveness is not reconciliation. The other person may not even know that you've taken this step.
Forgiveness puts the issue back in God's hands, so it does help the other person.
Non-forgiveness may be an issue of pride.

Lead us not into temptation - And do not lead us into the place of testing where a solicitation to do evil would tempt us to sin (Expanded New Testament)

Temptations are from within. See James 1:13-15. Sin starts with a thought, moves to imagination, then delight in that imagination, and finally consent to the idea. This demonstrates the power of initial decisions.
"Be not a baker if your head be made of butter." Don't deliberately put yourself in places where you know you will be tempted.
Hebrew thought: If God permits it, He does it. We (and New Testament writers) tend to think that "God permits" is different from "God does."

Deliver us from evil - A Jewish teaching says "Let it be thy good pleasure to deliver us from impudent men, and from impudence: from an evil man and an evil chance; from an evil affection, and evil companion, and an evil neighbour: from Satan the destroyer, from a hard judgment, and a hard adversary." (Today, impudent mostly means "offensively bold;" it used to mean "immodest," not ashamed of itself.)

"From evil" is actually the same phrase as in Matthew 13:19, 38. There, it definitely refers to "the evil one," as more modern translations put it in 6:13.

2 Peter 5:8 begins the passage where we are warned to resist the devil.
Much of the North American church treats our spiritual life as separate from the rest of life. [Note from Dale: This year's missionary book on Africa showed that this is also true in much of that continent.] Everything we do is interconnected with our spiritual life.

All our discussions seemed to bring us back to God's grace. It calls us into a new life, and then empowers us to live it.

As We Forgive Our Debtors

2011-01-21T06:55:00.002-06:00

January 16, 2011
Matthew 6:12
Forgiveness

We are to forgive others. What sorts of things might we have to forgive?

Words that are bitter, mean-spirited, or sarcastic
Deception
Exploitation
False witness
Gossip (spreading unkind stories, whether true or not)
Oppression (the example of children was given; they have no voice in what happens to them)
Neglect (reminding us that some sins are what has been undone rather than what was deliberately done)
Betrayal
Intent (even if what actually happened wasn't so bad, the intent to harm needs to be forgiven)

The parable of the unforgiving servant was shared from Matthew 18:23-35.

Keep forgiving
You've been forgiven so much
Cascading of forgiveness
Don't keep track

We have been forgiven as a gift from God. Doesn't telling us we have to forgive make it sound like we have to earn our salvation?

Forgiveness is an attitude of the heart. The heart must be changed. Penitence (including humility) is simply an evidence of the new attitude we've received.
We can live with or without grace. But that grace works in both directions. If we've received forgiveness, we will be forgiving.
Willingness to forgive others demonstrates God's grace at work in our lives.
Sinners who recognize their own need of grace become forgiving.
Do we have the faith of a servant or the faith of a child?

Before we forgive someone else, should they first ask for forgiveness? (We raised the question, but did discuss this.)

Does forgiveness mean you stay around for more abuse?

We are to use the sense and wisdom that God has given us.
Forgiveness is not reconciliation; the Bible gives instructions on how to confront those who need to be confronted.
Forgiveness is not condoning, nor forgetting. But we should no longer feel (or cherish) the sting. We are not asked to become doormats; we are still challenged to create justice. And we are not to remain a victim.
We need divine assistance to forgive.
Forgiveness does not mean you go back completely to where the relationship was before.

Authentic repentance (on both sides of the issue) may restore a relationship.

David shared a fable from Lewis Smedes' Forgive and Forget. "Magic eyes" are needed to see how to forgive. Those eyes are a description of seeing the world from God's perspective.

Lack of forgiveness leaves us in bondage. Forgiveness, like faith, may need constant renewal.

A final example was given from a book by Morris Weigelt and Dee Freeborn, Living the Lord's Prayer. A couple was able to forgive the murderer of the wife's brother. The forgiveness made them able to adopt the murderer's child, accepting the child as their own.

Repent and Believe

2010-12-10T15:42:00.003-06:00

December 5, 2010
Matthew 6:9-13
Your Kingdom Come

Where is the kingdom of God? People often think of it as in heaven. In Matthew, there are many references to the kingdom of heaven. In Luke, similar passages refer to the kingdom of God instead. Some of the Psalms mention God's throne in heaven, and the everlasting kingdom. This is why we often think of His kingdom as "up there." But there are clear passages in the Bible that say God's kingdom is on earth, too. Jesus announced the coming of the kingdom in Mark 1:14-15, saying it was "near."

When Jesus announced the kingdom, why did He tell people to "repent and believe"? The kingdom is to be within us. This happens through repentance and belief. Repentance means turning away from one thing and turning to another. In this case, it means turning from ways that are opposed to God's plan and turning toward Him. As we believe more strongly (by learning what God has done and what He offers), we are more likely to repent. And repentance is ultimately all or nothing.

Did Jesus tell us to repent in order to bring in the kingdom, or so that we could join the kingdom? Matthew 13 gives several parables that begin with "the kingdom is like." Most of them describe gathering and winnowing. In farming, winnowing is the process of removing the non-nutritious parts of the harvest and leaving just the good grain. The Greek word for repent is metanoia, related to our own metamorphosis. We are changed, and our actions are changed, as Christ's righteousness (goodness) is actually given to us ("imparted" is the term theologians use). This suggests that we are invited more to join the kingdom than to create it.

"I'm going to teach you some things. Turn away from your old ways and follow me . . .," Jesus seems to be saying.

The kingdom is often described as a gathering to a specific place. But we are nearer to the kingdom than that would imply. We can join it without waiting for the final gathering. Jesus said that the kingdom was "near." It is all around, but not yet recognized. And it can be described as being in enemy territory, since this world is often opposed to God's intentions.

"Near" may indicate a time frame as well as physical closeness. When Jesus announced that the kingdom was near, He could have meant both. "Look! Here I am! The promised kingdom is arriving now!" as well as "Change your ways and join me as I establish the kingdom in people around you." As people are transformed by God, they have an impact on the world around them. In fact, people have an impact (influence, help, hinder) on others all the time; followers of Jesus should have a positive impact.

When we become Christians, it is almost like finding a secret society. The church, when it is persecuted, flourishes. Ignoring the church is a more effective strategy if one wants to limit its effectiveness.

Jesus is the embodiment of the kingdom. It was made available through his death and resurrection.

If being a follower of Jesus Christ doesn't define you, you aren't a follower of Jesus Christ. David shared an introduction someone once made of herself: "I am Dianne Jones, a follower of Jesus Christ brilliantly disguised as a bank teller." Each of us is invited to become as close a follower as that.

The kingdom has a past, when it was begun by Jesus. The kingdom has a present, when any believer opens her or his life to allow God to work. The kingdom has a future, when Christ returns and all is placed under Him (meaning there will be no more enemy territory).

When we pray "your kingdom come," what are we praying for? We mentioned the expansion of the kingdom, justice in our world, removal of difficulties (especially those caused by evil), and holiness. When we deliberately pray for the kingdom corporately (as a group, knowing that we are joining with others to pray for the same reasons), we are asking God to bring about His plan and purpose for our universe. This prayer helps us to gain God's perspective for the world. And we hope to become messengers of the kingdom.

There are competing kingdoms. The kingdom of God is different from the kingdom of the world. We certainly want to identify ourselves with God's kingdom, but too much separation can keep us from connecting with those who are in the world's kingdom. Besides competion with the world's kingdom, the kingdom of God also has competition with our own lives. This part of the Lord's prayer asks Him to help us shift from selfishness to God's designs. This expresses our willingness to let God win, defeating our personal kingdoms.

Summation of the first part of the Lord's prayer:

Recognition and adoration of God comes first (He is in heaven)
There is intimacy and mystery in prayer (our Father has a hallowed name)
God is not confined to a place (kingdom is everywhere)
We can be resigned to God's will or cooperative

In the morning worship service, Pastor Brad emphasized many of the same points we'd discussed. Especially, some of us noted his declaration, "When we repent, we agree with God that the past will not have power over our future."

What's Missing in the Lord's Prayer

2010-12-03T07:18:00.002-06:00

November 28, 2010
Matthew 6:9-13
More word studies from the Lord's Prayer

What's missing?

Jesus gave His disciples a prayer to help them (and us) connect more closely to God. The disciples already had several models of prayer from the Psalms and from traditions. The class listed several items that are sometimes included in prayers but which are not specifically mentioned in the Lord's prayer.

"In Jesus' name" from John 14:13-14
Holy Spirit
Doctrines
Vengeance, as in many of the Psalms
"Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever" was not in the earliest forms of the prayer
Health or safety, yet many of our public prayers concentrate almost exclusively on hospital lists
Telling God what's going on
"Teach me your word, teach me your way"
Preaching or making announcements (sometimes a temptation when someone forgot to cover things earlier in the service!)

Of course, not having the words doesn't mean the ideas weren't covered. The prayer has been prayed in public settings for nearly two thousand years, and it was probably intended as a public prayer. But it has served as a model for private prayer just as long.

The phrases "Your kingdom come, your will be done" are perhaps another way of saying "In Jesus' name," and probably inspired "Thine is the kingdom, power, and glory." And of course, the words of the prayer are Jesus' words, so that praying them may indeed be considered "in Jesus' name."

Asking God for what is needed today is easily expanded to cover more than daily food, so may include teaching or health.

Vengeance may actually be forbidden by the prayer, though asking for God's will may be seeking His justice.

And preaching, teaching (even doctrine), and making announcements are focused on communicating with each other, not with God.

Last week, the class looked at "Our Father." We continued looking at specific phrases.

In heaven: Where is God? The Old Testament often focuses on God's presence in Jerusalem, and in the temple (Psalms 48, 123), though it also shows that God is not localized anywhere (Psalm 122, Isaiah 66).

In Roman times, there were different gods promoted, with a resulting fear among many that they may not be worshiping their own gods properly. This phrase, "in heaven," might have been a subtle declaration that Jesus' followers were acknowledging the one, true God. The God Jesus leads us to is not a localized deity, only in charge of the temple or city where He is honored. Heaven suggests overarching authority.

We reminded ourselves that God is not limited to a heaven "out there somewhere." We need to balance between "God is not the same as us; He is holy, and He is in charge" and "God is closer than a brother."

We talked about some of the ways we try to keep that balance. Some of us have pictured God sitting in a chair near us in prayer groups, to illustrate His nearness. Some have heard worship leaders who describe God as watching our involvement in the service and challenging us to be demonstrative to show God how much we care about Him. Both these can be helpful, but both have drawbacks. God is more than just another participant in the prayer session, and He is certainly more involved in our worship than as a spectator.

Hallowed be your name: Hallowed means holy, set apart, and sacred. Name becomes a description of who a person really is, including title, authority, and power. We were reminded that the Jewish people have been very cautious about misusing the name of God, refusing even to pronounce it carelessly. For Christians, to take God's name in vain is to live in contradiction to His holiness.

Do our own lives demonstrate the holiness and power of the Christ we are following?

Ancient Hebrew thought suggested that there was power in knowing someone's name. The attitude of Treebeard, in Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, was mentioned: He found the hobbits a bit hasty when they gave him their names right away, and was reluctant to do the same. (As Dale began to address a new topic, Elliott simply said "Dale," stopping the discussion for a moment and causing Dale to look at him. This was a deliberate demonstration of the power inherent in using a name to attract attention and to change what was going on.)

Thy will, debts and trespasses: Our discussions took us ahead to other parts of the prayer, without going into great detail.

When we are thinking of living holy lives, the phrase "thy will be done" can be a challenge to us. How completely do we mean that prayer? All of our life is to be centered upon God.

The class continues to wonder whether "debts" or "trespasses" is the better description of what Jesus was teaching us to forgive. The Greek phrase usually translated "debts" implies moral debts. The word "trespass" suggests crossing boundaries, whether known or unknown. And straightforward financial debts were a burden to many, if not most, people in first century Palestine.

Intimacy and Mystery: The Lord's Prayer

2010-11-24T07:37:00.003-06:00

November 21, 2010
Matthew 6:9-13
Word studies in the Lord's Prayer

The Lord's prayer is used in many settings. Many sports teams pray it before their games. Our church says it together weekly, and has done so for years in the former Word and Table service. At least some Alcoholics Anonymous meetings use the Lord's prayer as part of recognizing a higher power.

The Lord's prayer has a wealth of meaning for disciples. But it is possible for anyone, even Christ-followers, to pray the words without thinking of the meaning. In that case, we could be accused of "babbling," as Jesus said the pagans did: reciting the words like a good-luck charm, without recognizing their meaning or allowing them to affect us.

This prayer is intended for disciples--those who've committed themselves to Jesus. Naturally, we need to know what we're saying. This knowledge grows through the years as we continue to follow. Luke chapter 11 describes another time when Jesus taught this prayer. It was when the disciples became aware that their own prayers were not as effective as they could be.

The class mentioned some of the notable elements in the Lord's prayer:

"Give us our daily bread"--Trust God regularly and constantly. The burden is not ours alone; we can trust.
"Reveal who you are"--The Message uses that phrase to capture the meaning behind "Hallowed be thy name"
"Forgive as we forgive"--These go together. In case anyone missed it from the prayer itself, Jesus made it very plain in the next two verses.
"Trespasses" or "Debts"--Both deal with shortcomings. Some of us prefer the concept behind debts. Trespasses may suggest deliberate offenses, while debts are debts whether we recognize what we've done or not. God offers to forgive all our offenses, and we need to do the same for those who've done wrong to us.
"If God wills"--We discussed this concept earlier, and find it in the Lord's prayer as "Thy will" in "Thy kingdom"
"Lead us not into temptation"--Would God ever lead us into temptation? Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where He was tempted. But this is different from God actually tempting us. God does not tempt us (James 1:13-15), but we are drawn away by our own desires. The Message puts this as "Keep us safe from ourselves and the devil."
"Our Father"--We are to be part of a community.
There is no "In the name of Jesus" at the end of this prayer.

Overview

We looked at the order of thoughts in the prayer, and David mentioned the order of words in the Greek language. In Greek, the first word is "Father." The way to get the same sense in English is awkward: "Father of ours." The word Father recognizes a relationship between us and God, an intimate relationship.

"Hallowed by your name" suggests mystery. There is a balance to be struck between intimacy and mystery. "If I can explain God in all things, I don't need Him." A similar truth is found in other relationships. Total equality among human family members undermines parental responsibility and authority. In marriage, couples keep dating who recognize that there are still things they don't know about their partners. ("There's no mystery any more" is not usually a good description of a growing marriage.)

"Thy kingdom . . . Thy will" is an invitation for God to function as God in this world. This is more our recognition of who God really is, rather than an urging to a reluctant God to come down here and help us. God's concerns are top priority. When He is given proper place, we can move on to our requests and needs. (Speaking of "our needs" led us to recognize that US Christians are discussing issues the rest of the world doesn't have the luxury of worrying about. Most of the world is worried about survival. We often try to explain God completely.)

When evil circumstances hit us, we wonder if we're being hit by God. The mystery of God is not supposed to be fear-filled. It should be positive expectation, "What will God do next?" Parents try to help their children grow, which involves allowing the child to experience reality. That can be painful. But the parents still want the best for their children. Of course, this is idealized: Human parents are not perfect, and some are not the examples they should have been.

Father

The Old Testament compared God to a parent fourteen times. Some of these passages are Isaiah 49:15, 63:16; Jeremiah 3:4-5, 31:20. Jesus used "Father" to indicate love and trust. Disciples who find this intimacy in their God-relationship describe new freedom in their lives.

Our

The second word in Greek is "Our." The Lord's prayer is a community prayer, to be prayed by groups of disciples. It becomes a model for private prayers, and the "our" reminds us that we belong to a community. And the "our" includes Jesus, who prays with us, since we are His body. Sin isolates people. Trusting in Christ gives us a place of belonging.

Is "Thy Will Be Done" a Prayer of Faith?

2010-11-19T14:58:00.003-06:00

November 14, 2010

Two weeks ago, someone asked if some of us use "Thy will be done" as a way of hedging our requests to God. Rather than really asking for something, perhaps we are just making suggestions.

We opened this week's look at prayer by considering this question.

First, we have to acknowledge that we humans may be misdirected in our prayers. We have limited understanding. "Thy will be done" can simply be an attempt to align ourselves with God. The attitude of the person who is praying determines whether the phrase is faith or humility--or doubt.

Sometimes, we find ourselves praying "This is what I want, so please approve it." By recalling "Thy will be done," we can keep ourselves from becoming so arrogant.

Prayer doesn't change God, but it changes us. "Lord willing" (the phrase used in James's letter to emphasize God's authority) can signal our openness to participate in God's image.

It was suggested that some things, such as healing, are always in God's will. But there are circumstances when His will is not carried out. The Bible (2 Corinthians 12) specifically mentions a healing that did not take place. Only God knows the future, so when we're praying we try to be aware that God's larger purposes may not include what we're now praying for.

Some people report being checked when trying to pray for something. At that time, we are again changed. Our attitude becomes, "Not what I want, but what God says is best." Trusting God completely, releasing everything to Him, sometimes allows God to answer the whole prayer. (Brandon gave us an example in his life, when his mother had to stop praying as though his healing were more important than trusting God. Once she released Brandon completely to God, trusting Him to do what was best, Brandon was in fact healed.)

Ruth Haley Barton's book, Sacred Rhythms, was mentioned. She shared the image of a pansy that has become rootbound. When the pansy is removed from the little pot, its roots are extending out, reaching for nutrients. In the same way, we need to be at least open to, even reaching out for, new approaches to God. "We long for something more."

Prayer should not be so much "so I can be forgiven and avoid Hell," but more "make me like You." Our prayers need to evolve as we mature in God's Kingdom. "Thy will be done" is a key part of such growth. We need to learn to trust God and to submit to His wisdom.

While Matthew gives us the Lord's prayer as part of a larger sermon, Luke's account (chapter 11) puts it in the context of the disciples asking for instruction. They weren't satisfied with the way that they had been praying. The Lord's prayer is the answer.

1) Why do we pray?

We want to communicate with our Creator, building a relationship (sometimes called communion). We reach the point where we want the time with God to be more than a "laundry list" of requests for God to fill. Some shared that as they have drawn closer to God, the time they spend in prayer has expanded naturally.

2) What is the purpose of prayer?

We want to be transformed into God's likeness. We want to tap into intimacy with God. (An example was given by a couple who have learned to be comfortable in each other's presence. They don't have to talk constantly, but they do enjoy being together.) Psalm 131:1-2 was given as an example of such a prayer.

Jesus taught His disciples how to experience intimacy with God. It is risky, because we need to expose ourselves. In our early prayers, we may have been seeking a way to control our lives ("Here's what I need today, Lord"). We need to move to surrender ("God, I trust that your way is best for me") instead of control.

Patterns of intimacy with others will affect our ability to be intimate with God. "Our Father" should open up such channels: relationship, intimacy, surrender. Of course, the word "Father" creates hangups for some people. We were reminded of Romans 8:26--the Spirit helps us in our weakness. When the imagery is inadequate, when our thoughts are not clear, the Spirit intervenes. "Thy will be done" reminds us to get back to God's meaning and purposes.

Next week, we will begin looking at other specific words found in the Lord's prayer. As an example, Jesus used the word "our" in front of Father. While it is certainly acceptable to pray in private (part of the passage even encourages this), we must remind ourselves that we are part of the Kingdom and that God is not just "mine."

Unwanted Answers to Prayer

2010-11-12T07:26:00.002-06:00

November 7, 2010

Rather than focus on a specific scripture passage, the class worked through the concept of unanswered prayer. Actually, all prayers are answered, so we are really dealing with answers we don't want. To keep the perspective clear, two families were mentioned. Each family had lost a twenty-eight-year-0ld young adult in the past week or two. How do we reconcile such events with a God who invites us to ask largely, and who is known as a God of love?

The class discussions ranged widely, with many perspectives offered.

God is unpredictable, but not unreliable. Still, God's unpredictability raises questions. Those questions often do not have answers, at least in this world.

Christianity is a relationship theology, not an answer theology. That is, we are encouraged to become children of God, to talk with Him, to respond to His Spirit. We are not promised that we will understand everything that happens. We are to depend on God's presence, not His explanations.

Spirituality for the Road, by David J. Bosch, examines this topic, and David Wilson recommends it. Bosch calls some people "hawkers." They sell a "happy-ending" religion, which answers all our questions and solves all difficulties. But "a god who provides all the answers becomes an explicable god, but ceases to be God."

Too often, in their zeal to encourage people to trust Jesus, some Christians have suggested that God will answer all life's questions. The book of Job, as one example, clearly teaches otherwise.

Albert Schweitzer [a German doctor/theologian of the twentieth century who was a "Mother Teresa" in Africa] pointed out that "Christianity does not explain everything."

A note was found in the Jewish ghetto of Warsaw following the second world war. "I believe in you," wrote a Jewish man to God, "even if you've tried to dissuade me." He could not understand (any better than we can) why God allowed the persecution. But he did understand that God was not supporting the persecutors, and that God was still to be followed.

Augustine [a Christian at the time of the Roman Empire's collapse] wrote to God, "Better to find You and leave the questions unanswered than to find the answers without finding You."

A search for answers may be a search for control. When we understand something, or at least when we can explain it, we effectively put limits on it. We cannot put limits on God, so we might have guessed that we would not always understand Him or His actions.

At the same time, troubles shake any relationship. Can we trust that God really wants our best when we are in the middle of suffering? This depends somewhat on how close the relationship was before the difficulties arose.

Because we have a relationship with God, we know that He doesn't make bad things happen. We also know that He is troubled by things that are wrong. He is not impotent, but He doesn't always act.

We can be honest with God. [We might as well be; He already knows how we feel!] Even if we are angry, we can still trust that God is at work. God is not looking for passive partners; the Psalms, or Jeremiah 20, give us examples of people who do not like what is happening in their lives, but still believe that God is God. Even among humans, hiding our negative feelings does not build a stronger relationship; being honest may be the essence of communication.

Discussion with Pastor Brad

2010-11-12T07:06:00.003-06:00

Pastor Brad Estep met with the class on November 7. He had sent us a discussion guide with four topics, and he invited comments on anything else of interest. The focus was on preparing the church for its next decade of service.

Mission/Outreach

Kathy Jones: In the past, the church specifically prayed that families with children would make Kansas City First their church home. We need to do this again.

Bill Schwarz: The church could host a vibrant scouting group. This has been a good community outreach method for other churches.

Margie Schwarz: Wednesday night programming, especially for the kids, should incorporate service activities. Focusing on helping others would be good discipleship.

Church Building and Grounds

Shane Chamberlin: The parking lot needs repair.

Pastor Brad: Many of the large-cost repairs are being done with legacy gifts, not out of current operating funds.

Financial/Debt/Endowments

David Wilson: It is one thing to ask for people to faithfully tithe. It is a different thing to teach good stewardship of the remaining 90%. We could help people learn to manage their finances, which would include the concept of legacy gifts.

Marlin Lutes: The church could offer short-term training sessions, such as Dave Ramsey's program. [Brandon Peterson is already a trained leader of Financial Peace University.]

Dale Jones: Some mainline congregations rely on endowments so that they do not have to respond to the wishes of the current congregation. This doesn't seem like a good thing for churches.

Pastor Brad: Endowments should be targeted for specific ministries or projects, rather than funding the normal, day-to-day operations of the church.

Ministerial Staff/Personnel

None of the class members had comments on this topic.

Other

Bill Schwarz: For 2020, we need to change expectations. At church, we think low expectations are acceptable, or even preferable. As one example, adults could be expected to serve one year as Sunday School teachers after spending five years learning.

Pastor Brad: Membership classes do include "expected commitments" for First Church members, but the expectations could be more widely shared.

When You Pray

2010-10-28T07:20:00.002-05:00

October 24, 2010
Matthew 6:5-15
This is how you should pray . . .

We began with a review of Jesus' conflict with the religious leaders. He called them hypocrites. They were all about show, appearing to be good, without the substance. Their motivation was wrong. They wanted praise from others, not honor for God.

Today, we often think of hypocrites as doing what they say others should not do. Perhaps the definition has changed. The Greek term is often explained as stressing "play acting" rather than "not walking the talk." Not walking the talk is part of the definition even in Greek, however.

Jesus was saying, "My disciples do not pray for show."

When Jesus mentioned a "reward in full" for those whose prayers were meant to attract attention, what did He mean? Perhaps they sought affirmation from others. But that isn't praise worth having. Spiritually discerning people aren't fooled by such prayers.

What is the reward offered from the Father? The class mentioned such possibilities as the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) and having one's prayers answered. But the major reward seems to be a stronger relationship to God Himself. We can receive the "Praise of heaven" rather than "praise of other people."

Jesus' warned about babbling like pagans, sometimes explained as "vain repetition." If God already knows about the situation, our prayer isn't intended to get His attention. We shouldn't measure spirituality by the number of words in someone's prayer. Perhaps "embellishment" is a good term for what some prayers add. Such additions reminded us of the prayers of Baal's prophets in their struggle with Elijah (1 Kings 18).

If God already knows what we want and need, why do we ask Him? Prayer enables the relationship. We are acknowledging our dependence upon God. In Luke 18, Jesus gives the illustration of the persistent widow. Of course, we don't need to badger God. But we recalled Dr. Middendorf's abduction and the prayer offered by someone half a world away. (The podcast for his 10/17/10 messaage is available here.) Prayer is a faith-strengthener for one called to pray. Our involvement is desired by God, and it is expressed through prayer.

The Lord's prayer (verses 9-13) doesn't have a place to "insert requests here." Rather, "your will be done" is included. By mentioning specific needs and wants to God, we are acknowledging His power, whether the result is what I originally wanted or not.

David quoted Myron Augsberger about prayer: "Prayer is not overcoming God's reluctance, it is being willing to accept His will in our lives. Prayer moves the hand of God by giving Him the moral freedom to do in our lives what He has been wanting to do. God, in His sovereign practice, does not impose His will upon us."

But God's will isn't always done here. Meanwhile, a reward of prayer is our being faithful.

John Wesley was cited as saying "God only acts in response to our prayers." Several of us thought that was a bit extreme; after all, He created without anyone praying. [The more full quotation is "God does nothing except by prayer, and everything with it."]

We had questions about a picture of the universe with God saying, "I wish someone would pray so that I could rescue Jess Middendorf." But Daniel 10:12-14 suggests that our prayers actually make a difference in God's ability to act.

While requests aren't specifically mentioned in the Lord's prayer, they are demonstrated in other parts of Jesus' teaching. When we do ask for something, do we weaken the request by adding "but your will be done"? Isn't that sort of giving God an escape clause? That way, if the request is denied, we can convince ourselves that God was responding to the second part of the prayer rather than the first. Time was running short, so David wanted to move that discussion to the next session on October 31.

Prayer

2010-10-21T07:13:00.002-05:00

October 17, 2010
Matthew 6:5-15
When you pray . . .

The first three topics in chapter 6 (giving to the poor, praying, fasting) all mention "they have their reward in full." Apparently our real goals determine where our success will lie. If our underlying reason for an act is to have publicity, then that's what we can expect to receive. In the business world, we are told that companies achieve what they really think is important (barring outside intervention). Perhaps our "religious exercises" also achieve their real goals. Some are aiming for public honor, and they can get it. Others are looking for closeness to God, and fortunately that is also attainable. But you don't get that closeness if your real goal is the publicity.

In addition to this passage, the Bible has other descriptions of prayer, some of which expand our understanding of appropriate prayer. Acts 1:14 and 4:23-31 were specifically mentioned as encouraging corporate prayer, which today's main passage doesn't mention at all.

This week's topic, prayer, had three main discussion points, as suggested in Jesus' comments.

Praying for show: Publicity

The purpose of prayer is to communicate with God. Sometimes this can and should be done in a public setting. But the public part ought to be incidental to the prayer, not the reason for the prayer. We have a desire to speak with God, and it just happens that we are surrounded by other people.

Public prayers may be thinly disguised efforts to evangelize ("We're going to have prayer at our table in this restaurant, and we invite all the rest of you here to join us") or to make announcements in church ("And Lord, we pray for Brother Jones there in Room 324 of the hospital"). We need to remember that we're talking to God in prayer, not preaching or teaching.

On the subject of prayer in restaurants, one restaurant worker pointed out that pray-ers are noted for being lousy tippers. If prayer before a meal is a legitimate form of witness (and this passage doesn't quite address the topic), then the rest of our witness needs to include proper respect for the servers, which includes appropriate payment for their service. (And 10% isn't adequate in today's restaurant market.)

Praying publicly is often a part of family training, and may be appropriate to help enforce the idea that God is present everywhere and deserves to be recognized. This led to a discussion on why so many Christians feel compelled to pray before each meal. We seemed agreed that this can be a reminder that God is the source of all blessings, including food. But there was also awareness that saying religious words before a meal (or before going to bed) may not be actual praying.

Praying for length: Repetition

Jesus' instruction about "not babbling" is best judged by us about ourselves. Trying to determine when someone else is babbling is dangerous. We do not know their mindset, or their ability to put their thoughts into words. Repeating phrases ("Father God do this, and Father God do that") could be laziness of thought; but it could also be deliberate emphasis on an aspect of God's character that the person praying needs to be reminded of. And those of us with better vocabularies and who are more comfortable may be able to babble without ever using the same words ("Lord, we thank you for the beauty of this day, and Father, your glory is obvious in today's sunrise").

Most of us feel that our prayers communicate better if we speak naturally. We try to avoid special prayer vocabulary (thee, thou) or a special prayer voice (suddenly deeper, or a different accent). But for others, these may be signs of special respect for God and recognition that He is not just anybody.

[We tried to impress upon our own children that you could speak to God as to a friend, but were pretty stunned when one child began a mealtime prayer with, "How's it going, God?"]

The caution about babbling, thinking we'll be heard because of how many words we say or how we say them, is more a caution for us as individuals, not a way to judge other people's communication with God.

Praying for informing God: He already knows

This has been a question many of us have struggled with: Why do we tell God anything? He already knows what's happened and what we need.

We recognize that prayer is communication, and communication is two-way. By bringing our concerns to God, we can become attuned to His perspectives. Many of us have had the experience of having our thoughts re-directed as we are praying. The Holy Spirit uses our openness to guide us.

By mentioning those things that concern us in prayer, whether they are praises, requests, or challenges, we are acknowledging that we want God involved in each situation. We also recognize that He is in charge.

And the Bible gives examples of God changing His mind because of prayers. Theologically, we have questions about how an all-knowing God can be persuaded to alter anything He has planned. But the Bible used that language to describe Moses' encounter with God. Other examples may not be as clear (Abraham and the destruction of Sodom, David and the census), but it still appears that our willingness to "argue the case" is one factor in God's actions.

Finally, we came back to the idea that God wants us in relationship with Him. A relationship requires communication, and prayer is our communication with God. We have been invited to participate in talks with God, not to manipulate Him but to get to know Him and to reveal ourselves (consciously) to Him.

Things that help us to pray better

We shared some things that have helped us in our own prayer lives.

Keep the prayers genuine. Don't put on a special "religious mask" before God. It hinders relationship.
Obedience. If God has given us instructions (directly from the Spirit, or through the Bible or a sermon), we need to follow those instructions. Failure to do so blocks the communication we're trying to have.
Nature is inspirational. Getting away from all the man-made surroundings can remind us of God's goodness.
Lectio divina. This is a method of prayer that involves scripture reading and application. The linked article is from Wikipedia for a broad definition, but there are other sites with a more devotional theme. Our own Nazarene Publishing House has some publications to help apply this method to specific Bible books.
ACTS: Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication. This outline has helped several people broaden their prayer life.
Visualize. Move the prayer time from just mental processes. Journaling, speaking aloud, or looking around can engage more of our mind and help to keep us focused on God.
Use real language.
Group prayer was an easy introduction for some into private prayer later.
Conversational. We need to learn that we can come to God at any time. Emphazising conversational prayer (perhaps assuming that God is in the chair next to you and addressing Him there) can help us realize this.
Take it to the cross. Creating a visual image helps some of us pray better.

Doing Good Privately

2010-10-15T08:18:00.002-05:00

October 10, 2010
Matthew 6:1-4
When you give to the needy . . .

In the time of Jesus, righteous acts were seen as obligating God to give you a reward. This is similar to how many people view "being good" today. "With enough good actions, I'll be let into heaven." This isn't our understanding of God's promises, but it is a real mindset.

Responding to that mindset, Jesus said that many people were doing good things to enhance their reputations, not to glorify God. If the real reward we are seeking is praise from other people, then that's the only reward we'll get.

Immediately, the question came up about rewards in general. Does anybody ever do something without expecting some sort of reward? Is God, in fact, offering us heaven if we'll do good things?

There are rewards that are appropriate to a given action and those that aren't. If the goal of teaching is to pass information on to others, then it is legitimate to feel good when that informatin is transferred. That good feeling is an appropriate reward for teaching. If our real goal is a paycheck, and teaching is just a way to get someone to give us money, we will still get the money, but we won't have the same satisfaction in a job well done as we see the students learning.

The reward we want also affects how we do the job at hand. If the goal of a general is to win a battle in order to achieve security or to thwart attackers, that will involve a different strategy than if the goal is to set oneself up for later political office.

And God does offer us rewards, and they turn out to be very appropriate to what He wants from us.

Many of us can point to some amazing answers to prayer. Some observers believe that God does these things to help us learn to trust Him. But His goal is to get us to trust Him even without the amazing answers. That is why miracles seem more common when God is reaching new people, whether an individual or a nation. (Many reports of Christians raising the dead recently seem to come from Indonesia, for instance.)

An example was given of promising a child a bike if the child would just learn to read. The child couldn't see the value in acquiring a reading skill, but was very interested in a bicycle. The parent would have preferred seeing the child learn to read just because it was a good thing to do; but that wasn't happening. So, the reward was offered, the child got the bike, and now the grown child has a world of books for learning and enjoyment.

In that case, is God being tricky? Is this a classic case of "bait and switch"?

No, because the child in the example, or the new Christ-follower, learns to value the real rewards of the action, whether it is reading or doing good deeds. Until we've actually learned the correct behavior, we may not understand just how valuable it is in itself. Like a very good parent, God understands what we need and helps us to attain it.

A thought that came as I typed this up: I suppose the over-promises some TV preachers seem to make ("Follow God and you'll be rich beyond your wildest dreams", "Real Christians never have to suffer") may be bait and switch.

The "trumpets" that Jesus mentioned may have been literal trumpets. However, the alms boxes also had a trumpet-like opening so that it was easy to put money in but difficult to get it out. If these "box trumpets" were what Jesus referred to, then it might have been equivalent to saying, "Don't jingle the offering plate so people can see how much you give."

If the trumpets were literal, the rationale was likely, "Let's make a noise so that the poor will know that they can get something from me." But Jesus looked beyond the rationale to true motives. Selflessness will involve a struggle between sharing and bragging. The example was given of folks who adopt a family at Christmas and then are disappointed because there is no "thank you" afterwards. (Of course, that doesn't justify an ungrateful attitude on the part of the recipient; but the giver's motive should not be gratitude.)

How do we reconcile these instructions with the earlier words of Jesus, "Let your light shine"? One possibility is, "Let your deeds speak, not your devotional acts." That is, your changed life should involve honesty, compassion, putting others first, and many other counter-cultural actions. These should be obvious. But "acting religious" isn't necessarily as persuasive, and our motives may be suspect. If the goal is to be admired by others, we have the wrong motivation. God knows our heart's intent, and He has given us the Holy Spirit to help us know as well.

John 3 says "I must decrease so that Jesus can increase." This implies that we have done something that raises us up a bit in the sight of others, as in letting our light shine. But the focus must then be put back on Jesus, not ourselves. But unless we are actually doing something, how can Jesus be given credit?

We even asked, "Why are rewards mentioned at all? Why not just surprise us at the end of life? That would make it easier to do things for the right reasons."

The Old Testament barely mentions an after-life at all. Knowing what we do about the Resurrection and the promises of Jesus, we often recognize hints about heaven in the Psalms or prophetic writings. But one major branch of Judaism didn't even think there was an afterlife at all, and most of the hints we see (only in the Old Testament; the New is very clear) can be interpreted as "good life here for my family, if not for me."

It was suggested that when Jesus walked on earth, being fully human, He recognized that humans need motivation, so that the rewards were made specific. The fact that Jesus is fully human would include that He understands our needs. But some promises were already there. "Taste and see that the Lord is good," "Eternal pleasures at His right hand," "I have never seen the righteous forsaken" are all from the Old Testament.

Another note: And the theologians would point out that the pre-Bethlehem Jesus already was fully human, if not yet visible. But that doesn't change the fact that the fully human Jesus, as part of the Trinity, would have known what we needed.

Finally, one person suggested that part of our reward in heaven is getting to see the influence we had on earth.

Be Perfect - Love Your Enemies

2010-10-08T07:14:00.002-05:00

October 3, 2010
Matthew 5:43-48
Love your enemies . . . Be perfect

David and I were in a training session last weekend, and we discussed the passage ourselves. One insight we shared was about being perfect. The context does not necessarily demand perfect actions. Instead, it is focused on perfect love.

With no notes from last week's session, I can't be certain what major points were made in the class itself. At the beginning of the October 10 session, I'll ask for the take-aways from this passage. I'll add a comment to this post that mentions the points that the class recalls.

Getting Even - Not an Option

2010-10-01T05:25:00.002-05:00

September 26, 2010

Matthew 5:38-42

Since I left class early last week, I wasn't there for a lot of the discussion. However, David provided his notes for the class, and I post them here. [My own additions are in brackets.]

These verse represent the most difficult of the six "you have heard it said" statements.

What Jesus asks of His disciples goes against natural inclinations. When we are hit, we want to hit back. When we are verbally attacked, the tendency is to strike back. When someone hurts us, we want to hurt them.
It's one of the consequences of the Fall. We are curved inward and are ready to fight if threatened. But, according to Jesus, His followers respond differently.

How reasonable is this teaching? Why do you think Jesus would ask this of His disciples?

Let's look at the Old Testament Law for the specific instruction from which this teaching comes.

Several references: Exodus 21:24; Leviticus 24:20; but specifically Deuteronomy 1916-21 gives the most complete insight into the instruction of the Law. ["Purge the evil from the land."]

What was the purpose of the Law?

The Law of Moses established a code of conduct for the Israelites that would not only please God, it would also give order to their society, in distinctively different ways.

What would happen when an offense occurred and there was no legal recourse for the offended party?

People take the law into their own hands and often respond excessively, the original offender responds, and chaos ensues.

The main intent of the Law of Moses: To lay a foundation for justice. To control the excesses; in particular anger, violence, and desire for revenge.
The Law provided the principle of "exact retribution" - compensation for an offense was limited to the exact equivalent and no more.
And so, the law was designed to define justice, restrain revenge.

What is distinctive about how the Law is stated in Deuteronomy 19?

These were guidelines for judges, not for individuals. This is where the problem started. [The judges were to make a thorough examination first, being certain that they understood the entire situation before any action was taken.]

Scribes and Pharisees interpreted personally what was meant for judges to use in providing justice. Furthermore, they insisted on being able to respond to an offense - "It's my right!"

What happens when people take it upon themselves to "even a score"?

Do you think Jesus was speaking literally or hyperbolically when He said, "Turn the other cheek" or "Give them your cloak" or "Go the second mile"?

How do we interpret this lesson?

Jesus was not prohibiting justice. He was addressing the problem of a vengeful spirit; of getting even with someone who has offended or hurt us; dealing with taking the law into our own hands; of eliminating retaliation.

He also addressed the "spirit of animosity."

A crucial point to remember: Romans 12:19. God is the only one who can see the whole picture and how retribution can be fairly administered.

Jesus wanted His disciples to respond with a spirit of mercy, not a spirit of justice.

As followers of Christ, we not only do not seek to even the score, we seek the best for the offender. We do not rejoice if misfortune befalls them.

The Importance of Marriage, and Being (not just sounding) Honest

2010-09-24T07:37:00.002-05:00

September 19, 2010
Matthew 5:31-37

In the late 1700s, two Americans had lived through the Revolution and seen the new country established. One of them, Thomas Jefferson, concluded that God may have set the universe in motion, but any good effects in the current world were the result of human action, not God's intervention. The other American, George Washington, understood that God had worked in the battles and in the creation of the new government. He interrupted his inaugural address with testimony that God deserved the credit and prayer that God would continue to guide.

The first attitude seems to have prevailed in Jesus' time. God created the world and gave Moses some good instructions, but now it was up to people themselves to live as well as they could. Jesus came with the news that there was more to life than carefully interpreting and following rules. God Himself wants to be involved in our lives, making us into good people who think about pleasing Him, not about following rules.

Because God wants to be part of our lives, the teachings of Jesus cover a wide variety of topics. In this class session, we looked at two of them: Marriage and Honesty.

Importance of Marriage

The marriage relationship is part of God's plan for social structure. Marriage is not required of each person; singleness is an option. But there is a definite purpose for marriage. The family unit is based upon a man and a woman committing themselves to each other. This commitment is described as "becoming one flesh," essentially creating a new life. And those who have experienced divorce agree that ending a marriage is very much like ending a life.

Marriage is best understood as a covenant, not a contract. In a contract, two people agree to the terms and conditions of further involvement. Each person is essentially saying, "My rights are as important as yours, and I will cooperate as long as you respect that."

In a covenant, a person commits to an action without an escape clause. God's commitment to Israel was a covenant. Israel could abandon God, but God would continue to offer His protection and guidance. The Old Testament book of Hosea was offered as an example. Both partners in a marriage covenant have committed themselves to the survival of the marriage. Rather than a 50-50 partnership, each person in a balanced marriage is ready to give 90 percent or more. Discussion suggested that both partners in a marriage often feel that they contribute far more than the other person.

Discussion about God's purpose for marriage brought out several interesting points:

The influence of a marriage lasts for generations. So does the influence of a broken marriage.
Our bodies are not separate from our spirits. Our actions in marriage, as in all of life, have an impact on our spiritual development.
The power of our initial decision will influence how well that decision will be carried out. This is why it is important to understand the difference between God's view of marriage (intended to last a lifetime) and the view of many Americans (so long as it's easy).
Our brains seem designed to create a marriage union as God designed it. We didn't have any trained psychologists in class to help us with the terminology, but it was understood that the brain functions best when a sexual union is permanent.

In a related passage, Jesus was asked about Moses' commands about divorce. Jesus re-phrased the question. Moses permitted divorce; he didn't command it. God intended for marriage to be a permanent covenant. However, if the covenant is broken, there is provision for recognizing this in the legal system. Jesus only mentioned adultery as evidence of the broken covenant. Many Christians today might expand that definition to include abuse, for instance. But the principle behind divorce is a broken covenant, not "incompatibility."

A book was found helpful by some in the class: The Best Year of a Groom's Life/The Best Year of a Bride's Life. (I may have the title wrong; I didn't find it by Googling.)

Being Honest

In Matthew 5:33-37, Jesus reacted to the hair-splitting about what constitued a true oath. In Matthew 23:16-22, some of the fine distinctions are listed. If you swore by the gift on the altar, your statement had to be true; if you swore by the altar, it didn't. Apparently people were looking for ways of sounding honest without actually being honest.

Jesus threw that whole system out. His followers are to be known as honest. Period. Speak honestly, keep your word, and nothing more is needed.

Of course, in a society where everything is measured by how carefully a legal contract is phrased, Christ-followers are expected to sign contracts, take legal oaths, and so on. But Christ-followers are not to play legal games. They don't look for clever ways to deceive or take advantage.

There are some passages (Psalm 15:1-4, Deuteronomy 23:21-23) that emphasize how seriously God takes our promises to Him. Of course, broken promises are no worse (but also no better) than adultery or stealing, and God's grace can bring restoration. But disciples are offered a life of honesty, as God's Spirit works within us.

At the end of class, the topic of foolish oaths was touched on. Jepthah was mentioned, and his story is in Judges 11, with the oath in verses 30-39.

Jesus Elevates Marriage

2010-09-17T07:20:00.002-05:00

September 12, 2010
Matthew 5:31-32
It has been said, Anyone who divorces his wife . . .

David gave us three goals for the discussion on marriage and divorce:

No condemnation: The point of the passage is to view the importance of marriage, not to criticize those who have been divorced.
God's values: The larger passage helps us see God's perspective on life, which certainly includes the marriage relationship.
How to avoid divorce: As a pastor, David gleaned some insights from scripture and experience.

Why did Jesus teach about divorce?

In this section, Jesus has been clarifying what has gone wrong with the law's interpretation. The disciples needed tools to help others (and themselves; some were married) live godly lives. He gave specific applications for His followers. The previous topic was sexual immorality, and the meaning of marriage would be a logical progression. And, as in all the related passages, Jesus is raising the bar for His followers in order to change the world.

What is Jesus trying to communicate?

His followers are not to blend in with society. Exploitation of women is particularly condemned in this passage (and others). Jesus acknowledges the law, but then adds His interpretation. He wasn't correcting the law, but taking it back to its meaning.

His own authority is sufficient to establish a teaching. He doesn't brag about His authority, but simply assumes it. Gradually, His hearers began to realize who He must be.

Obeying the law

The religious system was devised to make it possible to obey the law. Obedience was thought to be the road to God, so loopholes were included (often designed by humans) for some of the difficult standards. Jesus was stressing the meaning behind the religious system. Jesus was pointing to a much higher standard, but He was also offering forgiveness and restoration, and He offers the Holy Spirit to help us live by the higher standard.

Deuteronomy 24:1-4 gave some additional instructions about how divorce was to work in Jewish society. It required legal action, even back then, rather than just the whim of a man. But divorce was not the intention for people. Genesis 2:24 mentions "leave, cleave, and become" as the goal. In Matthew 19:18, Jesus says that human stubbornness and waywardness was the reason divorce procedures were given to the Jews.

God values marriage. He allows divorce.

Why is God opposed to divorce?

Divorce was a symbol of Israels' unfaithfulness, as described in the book of Hosea in the Old Testament. Marriage is a metaphor for our own relationship to God. The human pain and suffering in each divorce is symbolic of what God experiences in human rejection of Him. The descriptive phrase "one flesh" goes beyond the sexual union.

Some insights from David's pastoral experience

The three greatest causes of divorce: Money, sex, in-laws.

To singles: Make a good first choice. When you first sense a bond developing, talk about how you see your lives progressing. Take your time to be certain.

To couples: Something drew you together - keep the fire going. "Becoming one" is a process. To come to the end of life as "one flesh" is worth it.

Disciples should lop off body parts?

2010-09-10T12:35:00.002-05:00

September 5, 2010
Matthew 5:27-30

Jesus offers forgiveness to all of us who have sinned, but that doesn't mean He regards sin as of no consequence. He allowed Himself to be killed so that we could have peace with God. Now that He is alive again and leading His disciples, He calls us to understand how important it is to live like His followers.

The passage includes instructions to pluck out our eyes if they cause us to sin, or cut off our hands if they lead us away from God. We do NOT think this is a literal instruction. But it must mean something or He wouldn't have said it. Jesus was emphasizing that His followers should be focused on Him and on His Kingdom. If friendships, hobbies, or habits separate us from God's ways, then we need to give them up. We are to have pure motives and desires as we follow Jesus. Anything that pollutes that purity is to be surrendered.

Jesus makes it quite clear that He is not very concerned about the external appearances. He is very concerned about our inner attitudes and motives. Avoiding technical adultery (the act) is admirable, but far more important is not dwelling on the possibilities in our minds. To "look at the menu without ordering," in one class member's phrase, is not acceptable sexual behavior for the devoted Christian.

We re-drew the circle that David used a few weeks ago. Jesus calls us to live in the center of that "Kingdom Circle," as close to God as possible. Trying to find the boundaries of the circle, and living as close to the edge as possible, is not Kingdom living as God plans it. Instead, that's what the "outward God-followers" were doing in Jesus' time and in ours. "So long as I don't actually DO anything, why should anyone care?" is the wrong attitude. Instead, we should understand that "God loves me, Jesus died for me, and I want to live all my life as close to their plan as the Spirit leads."

Class discussion also pointed out that sex is not the central focus of the Kingdom. Jesus acknowledged sexual sins and even expanded their definition. Paul mentions them in his letters to early church members. But they are not at all the center of Christian behavior. Pride, jealousy, and hatred are mentioned far more than sexual sins. But Jesus wants our entire lives centered upon God, and the sexual impulse needs to be under the Spirit's control as well.

When it comes to our behavior in this area, Jesus' words about cutting off hands and plucking out eyes may be similar to an admonition another class member shared, "Be not a baker if your head be made of butter."

Class discussion noted that these passages were originally given in a time when women were practically considered as property. The fact that Jesus places responsibility on men to control their thoughts is a major step in the recognition of women as equal citizens in the Kingdom. It took a long time for this principle to work through the Christ-movement, but Jesus' followers led the fight for women's rights, at least in Britain and the United States.

As we wrapped up our discussion, the following points were noted:

The business of cutting off hands applies to much more of life than just to the sexual impulse. And maybe giving up music or the computer would be more effective in leading a God-focused life than gouging out an eye.
A husband and wife can (but shouldn't) look outside the marriage for more than adultery. That is, it is possible to lust after other things than sex.
Adultery is closely related to coveting. When we focus on things that are not ours, and that are not supposed to be ours, then we live outside God's best for us.

Reconciliation: It's up to me?

2010-09-03T08:10:00.002-05:00

August 29, 2010
Matthew 5:23-26

Part of this passage seemed very reasonable. It's hard to focus on God when we're mad at another human. Before we can worship, we need to reconcile with those who've angered us.

Ephesians 4:26-27 says that our anger can give the devil a foothold. While none of us gave examples of the devil working in our lives, we did agree that anger and resentment interfere with our Christian life.

In this case, reconciliation is different than what Jesus offers us. We are to be reconciled with God through Jesus' death and resurrection. This means that we stop rebelling against God and His ways. We admit that we've been wrong, and that God knows best. We agree to let Him lead. Reconciliation with God means that we totally agree with Him.

But in this passage, a different form of the word is used. Instead of one side giving in completely, an agreement is to be reached by both parties, involving compromise and understanding. Obviously, this requires both parties to be involved. Matthew 18:15-20 gives an approach for dealing with those who have made us angry.

Another part of this week's passage really challenges us. Not only are we to make things right with those who've upset us, but we're also to make the first move if somebody else is mad at us.

We didn't mention it in class, but I suppose that one part of this is easier. If we know our actions have upset someone else, we do need to apologize and admit our error. But the passage goes way beyond our own actions. No matter what their problem with us is, if we recognize that there's a problem, we're supposed to try to solve it.

This way of looking at disagreements is very hard. The other person may be mistaken, may be selfish, may even be hateful. But we are to be as worried about their resentment as we are about our own. If our own resentment interferes with worship, so does theirs. And we have a responsibility to help them get over it.

The class pointed out that this carries out the theme from the earlier verses. We don't speak evilly of other people because they are valuable in God's sight. By calling them "fool" or "worthless," we devalue them. Helping them to get past their anger demonstrates that we value them as people, and that we want to help them live in close relationship to God.

This focus on other people's resentment can also help us get past our own self-justification, allowing God to give us a broader view of our actions and their consequences.

But reconciling with another human is a two-way street. The other person must be willing to take part in the process. We are not told to surrender to the other person. We read Romans 12:18 as well, where Paul basically says, "Do your best, but it does take two to agree."

We went back to the Matthew 18 passage for a little clarification. If we can't reach agreement one-on-one, we can involve another person in resolving the dispute. But if we aren't to speak evil of the person we've got problems with (Matthew 5:22), how are we to tell somebody else that we're even upset?

As we live by Jesus' principles, we become better at recognizing our own motives. This is one more case where making up a set of rules won't work. We have to rely upon the Holy Spirit to teach us whether we're really trying to resolve the situation or just complaining and criticizing.

This week's take-aways:

We are to fight resentment within us, and also to help those who resent us. This reaching out to others expands our responsibilities quite a bit.
Reconciliation with others is different from reconciliation with God. We are to reach a mutual agreement with other people. We are to surrender to God.
When we speak of our frustrations to others, we should be really interested in reconciliation. We must avoid mere gossiping, or even revenge.
The basic principle seems to be: Don't allow anger to build up or fester. Allow God to change you. And we have special obligations to help those who are angry with us.

Murder: Don't commit it; don't provoke it!

2010-08-26T22:41:00.002-05:00

Matthew 5:21-26
You have heard that it was said . . . "Do not murder"

First, Jesus expands the definition of murder to include anger. A hateful attitude is not part of a Christ-follower's life.

Then, he adds a story that suggests we need to care about people's attitudes toward us as well.

These are great points to explore, but I wasn't in class last week. I have no idea what ideas were shared in class. So if you want to expand on these or other discussion points, or if you want to add your own insights, feel free to add comments to this blog.

Better than a Pharisee?

2010-08-15T13:42:00.002-05:00

August 15, 2010
Matthew 5:17-20
. . . unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees . . . you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus began this section by saying that He had come to fulfill "the Law and the prophets." This is a phrase that describes the Old Testament scriptures.

According to the common interpretation of Jesus' time (and ours?), the way to know God was to obey the law. But in Jesus' time (and ours?), adherence to God's law is not the same thing as adhering to human traditions built up around that law. Jesus was often accused of being a lawbreaker. He did not believe the human interpretation of keeping the Sabbath was in line with God's law of love and compassion. He did not make His disciples keep the hand-washing tradition that was simply a ceremony. And He allowed His disciples to eat on the Sabbath, even though it meant violating a human definition of "harvesting" and "threshing."

Essentially, the religious leaders encouraged people to DO the law out of obligation. Jesus made the law a heart issue, emphasizing the meaning of the law and not its human interpretations. And in a very obvious sense, the atonement that the law provided for (covering human sin by regular blood sacrifice) was truly fulfilled by His death on the cross.

The Pharisees were among the most prominent religious leaders who opposed Jesus. Their movement had an honorable beginning. During the time when Jerusalem was overrun by enemies and the Jewish leaders were deported, some of those leaders agreed to honor God no matter the pressures from the conquerors. The stories of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (not eating unclean food, refusing to bow to an idol, refusing to pray to a human emperor) could serve as illustrations for how the Pharisees intended to live godly lives.

However, by focusing so much on their own good actions, they kept defining and re-defining what actions would be considered good, and what exceptions might be appropriate. (It was suggested that America's legal system may have some similarities today, as legal regulations change and loopholes are found.) By that focus on their interpretations of the law, they tended to lose the emphasis on being "like God." Instead, they were seen as self-righteous, mean-spirited, showy, and prideful, and could be described as religious bullies.

People who emphasize rules over relationships soon find themselves in a trap of their own design, which is not attractive to others. And when the "trap" is described as "God's will," then God Himself seems unattractive, too. Some of the consequences of living only by the rules were described in class:

Conscientious people feel like they're walking on eggshells, too timid to act for fear of accidentally becoming impure.
People fail to emphasize relationships and instead stress trivial rules.
People live in a labyrinth of restrictions and avoidances.
Separatists are tempted to act as judges and juries to those around them.
Such lives do not attract others to God.
People under tight rules start looking for loopholes.
Eventually, people are led either to despair ("I am not good enough to live by all these rules") or pride ("I must be pretty good to be able to follow all these rules").

The Jehovah's Witnesses were mentioned as a modern example of folks who mean well but have become bound in rules. The Pharisees certainly meant well originally, but eventually their attention left God and landed on their own traditions. Perhaps Jesus' description of a freer way to live troubled some of their hearts; maybe they already had a sense of needing something more but were afraid to give up the traditions they'd lived by for so long. (Paul may have been such a person.)

When a person first learns of Jesus and is drawn to Him, the person has a great interest in becoming more like God. But "let's find some ways to become more like Jesus" is vastly preferable to "now follow these rules" as a discipleship method.

We did list some of the advantages to scriptural law (as opposed to human traditions):

The law itself was intended to give us a guide to fulfill our inner draw towards joy.
The law outlines consequences, helping to protect us.
The law shows us what sin is.
As we mature, rules are replaced by a relationship with God.

Jesus liberates us from the law to a new life in the Spirit.

When we enter the kingdom, the Spirit comes to live within us. The rule-keeping religion of the Pharisees lacked relationship. When Paul became a Christian, he used the example of Moses meeting God personally to describe how all Christians now have direct access to God through the Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:16-18).

Our motivation now is to please Christ, not to keep laws. Jesus sent His Spirit to guide us from within, revealing Himself to us. Discussion stressed that hearing the Spirit's voice is not the same as listening to our conscience. David mentioned some new Christians he'd worked with whose lives changed as they recognized God's internal leadings. Joy mentioned their daughter who, as an elementary-age child, sensed the Spirit's voice within.

When Jesus said that our righteousness had to exceed that of the Pharisees, this is what He meant. Not that we could follow rules better, but that we would respond to the Spirit within us. Even in this passage, when Jesus warned against misleading others, He was not trying to give us yet another rule to worry about, but to guide us into a direct relationship with God through the Spirit.

David concluded by drawing a circle on the board. In the center, he put a dot to represent closeness to God. His experiences as a pastor led him to believe that when people were asking for "rules for living," they often meant, "How far can I get from God and still be in that circle?" Instead, we should be asking, "How close can I get to God?" Then we don't care about the rules at all. We just want to be like Jesus.

David did suggest one good response for those who legitimately want "rules" to guide them closer to God. He cited a definition that I found on-line under Susanna Wesley (mother of John the preacher and Charles the songwriter):

Whatever weakens your reason, impairs the tenderness of your conscience, obscures your sense of God, takes off your relish for spiritual things, whatever increases the authority of the body over the mind, that thing is sin to you, however innocent it may seem in itself.

How salty can we be?

2010-08-15T13:37:00.002-05:00

August 8, 2010
Matthew 5:13-16
Salt . . . Light

I wasn't present this week, so I only can report on the questions that the class was going to start with:

What frightens you about being salt and light in the world?

How far should we go to engage the world?

And, How can Christ-followers have influence in an age where evangelism is often considered harassment?

Those who were present are especially welcome to post their recollections of the discussions. Of course, anyone may give answers to the questions now whether the points were made in class or not.

Being salty

2010-08-15T12:42:00.004-05:00

August 1, 2010
Matthew 5:13-16
You are the salt of the earth . . . light of the earth . . .

The beatitudes (Blessed are those who . . .) speak to the essential character of the Christ-followers. The rest of Matthew 5, 6, and 7 (the Sermon on the Mount) deals with functioning as Christ-followers. We can regard the first 12 verses as an instruction list, followed by examples and applications.

The Sermon on the Mount has alway challenged those who want to follow Jesus. We come to God expecting Him to look at the world the same way we do. In these chapters, we discover that His view is much broader. Perhaps many older American Christians expect God to join them in emphasizing ethical purity. The current generation of Christians expects God to challenge them to change the world. These passages actually emphasize both, along with other dimensions (trust, contentment, focus) that we might otherwise overlook. By taking our time with these verses, we can get God's perspectives instead of just seeing what we already know.

Salt and light describe influence. These verses mark the transition from describing a Christ-follower to applying the Christ-life to our everday lives. In this sense, they definitely take the side of those who expect Christ-followers to affect the world around them.

The world that ignores God is dark and bitter, bland, and out of control. Many good things still happen in this world, even when it ignores God. But it is still decaying, and it is powerless to stop this process itself. Christ-followers can be salt and act as a preservative for a dying, decaying world.

Inevitably, the world without Christ takes good things and perverts them. The internet, so useful for communication and information, is a good example of a tool that can easily be used for bad purposes. Pornography was mentioned in class, but social bullying, misinformation, and identity theft all come to mind quickly as well. The world is dark, and it cannot generate its own light. Those who follow Jesus are expected to bring such light.

Salt has its own flavor, but it's primary purpose in cooking is to bring out the flavor in other foods. Those who follow Jesus can help to bring out the best in all their relationships. Their influence can help others see what God really intends. These followers can also be an inspiration to others to aim higher than they would have.

Salt also preserves. We who follow Christ are tobe stewards of the world. This involves helping the world ecologically, of course, but also socially and politically and ethically. By living with Kingdom standards, we can build and maintain relationships, remind others of God's purposes, and slow the decaying process.

Salt purifies. God made the world good. There is still good within most things, even if they are not obviously "Christian." A tendency toward bashing things we disagree with usually alienates. We might have more influence by standing for the good elements we see, rather than attacking the bad. (We were reminded that we are called to self-control, not other-control.) Our standards of integrity and morality should have a positive influence for Jesus.

When Jesus changed the description to light, He was making it clear that we are not to be "secret disciples." We are to be visible, illuminating the darkness around us. Light can provide guidance. By reminding others of truth, we can provide warning without resorting to bashing. The condition of the world is not positive. It needs a moral compass.

Christ-followers are to be different from the world around them. Jesus does say that it is possible to lose our saltiness. "Holy huddles" were mentioned as a way to lose our influence. By sticking with like-minded people only, we give up our ability to help others. The Pharisees who opposed Jesus started off with a good motive: Let's keep our lives aligned with God's ways. But by isolating themselves from others, they soon became self-righteous, exclusive, and opinionated, with a fortress mentality. The Church of the Nazarene emphasizes living a holy life, and has fought the temptation to become a fortress rather than a rescue station.

A final thought about salt: Salt on an exposed nerve causes pain: "The truth hurts."

Rejoice in Persecution - What?!

2010-07-30T06:50:00.002-05:00

July 25, 2010
Matthew 5:10-12
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness . . .

David began the discussion by pointing out "These concluding words are disturbing words." Class members recalled stories of persecution, from biblical accounts (Acts 5, Acts 16) to more current episodes where missionaries were buried alive. Class members were aware that we currently face little more than mocking for being Christian.

These verses call us to rejoice when others cause us to suffer. Persecution can be aggressive, including physical pain, imprisonment, or other obvious and intentional bad treatment. Passive persecution can involve isolation, or exclusion, and may be the result of ignorance more than opposition.

Perhaps open opposition is easier to handle. It certainly seems less effective in hindering Christian action. In Bangladesh, the Nazarene leader is among the top targets of Al-Qaeda, but in only 16 years the work there has grown to over 1,600 churches, with 193 ministers ordained just last year.

Persecution is inevitable. Christ-following is not popular. "Syncretism" is the blending of additional elements into Christianity, making it more acceptable and therefore less effective. Raw Christ-following challenges the world's values with such concepts as these: forgiveness, humitliy, putting others first, the value of human life, and mercy. Essentially, followers of Jesus see a bigger story than "What can this person do for me?"

David recommended the movie Les Miserables for a portrayal of Christ-values in opposition to "normal" values.

Verses 11 and 12 elaborate on persecution, adding lies and verbal insults to the list of methods. Sometimes the attacks come from within the religious community as well. Christ-followers who live by different standards are sometimes accused of cramming their beliefs down the throats of others. Such faithfulness to Jesus' teachings can result in resistance or opposition, perhaps as a reaction to the voice of conscience. Persecution can be a sign that others recognize God's power. Madelyn Murray O'Hair, known as an atheist in the mid-1900s, was probably more a God-hater than a God-doesn't-exist-er.

We did remind ourselves that being persecuted for righteousness or for the cause of Christ is not the same as being persecuted because of foolishness or sin.

The verses mention persecution coming. They do not say "Flee from it," but they don't say "Seek it" either.

Verses 11 and 12 address the appropriate responses to persecution. We are not to display anger, or whine, or look for ways to retaliate. Nor are we to retreat, become litigious (arguing or even taking to court), or capitulate (give in).

Rejoicing, being glad, is vastly different from such "natural" reactions. The word "rejoice" is based on words meaning "leap exceedingly."

The Spirit within us allows rejoicing in our hearts.

Persecution allows us to identify with Christ in His sufferings. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German Christian who died in a concentration camp, wrote "Suffering then is the true badge of discipleship."
When you suffer, it can be a proof that you are who you say you are. Jesus said that the servant is not greater than his master. Since Jesus suffered, His followers will suffer.
Persecution is a symbol of our destiny. "Great is your reward in heaven." This life is not all there is.

David shared an illustration drawn from American life. A young man, knowing nothing of the world except the farm he grew up on and the neighboring small town, learns about the big city. At first, he won't leave the comforts of home. Eventually, he journeys to the big city. Despite the dangers and differences, he recognizes that he now has opportunities he'd never had before. In heaven, we will wonder why we held so tightly to this world.

Jesus also mentioned that persecution puts us on the same path the prophets took. The book of Jeremiah tells how the prophet of that name was beaten and put in stocks (chapter 20), threatened with death (chapter 26), and left to die at the bottom of a muddy cistern (chapter 38).

Polycarp, an early church leader, was told to renounce Jesus or he would be burned at the stake. His response was, "Eighty-six years I have served Christ, and He never did me any wrong. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me?"

As we wrapped up our class time, we were reminded that we won't really understand what Jesus was telling us until we experience persecution ourselves.

Persecution - The Next Step for Jesus Followers?

2010-07-23T07:21:00.003-05:00

July 18, 2010
Matthew 5:10-12
Blessed are those who are persecuted . . .

The beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12) can be seen as a sequence. The Beatitude Staircase was presented, based on an idea shown on the web. If a person were to apply the beatitudes in order, perhaps the final step in the sequence is verses 5:10-12, being persecuted. That is, as a person becomes more and more like Jesus, she or he becomes more and more at odds with the world. Since the world is not properly aligned with God and with the kingdom Jesus wants to build, the world will resist efforts to change it. This can result in actual persecution.

The ancient Greek writer Plato, with probably no influence from Hebrew thought and centuries before Jesus lived, discussed the idea of righteousness in his Republic. He cites Socrates, who pointed out that true virtue is good even without rewards. In fact, a truly righteous man would continue to live properly even if the world were to kill him.

But just what is persecution? It is more than just being inconvenienced. We hear of places where Christians are arrested, their families attacked, their jobs lost. In comparison, our occasional troubles with getting permits or having to live by secular laws are only nuisances, not persecution. Persecution seems to be a deliberate attempt to irritate, attack, or destroy a person. The class emphasized that motivation is key. The pressure or testing must be done on purpose.

A natural discussion point might be "When was the last time I was persecuted?" After all, persecution is at least partially defined by the one who suffers it. (One person did point out that people with paranoia will feel persecuted too easily; but even paranoids do face opposition.) During class, someone instead asked us to consider the other side of the question. "When was the last time I persecuted?"

Further defining persecution, the class noted that some persecution may be unintentional. There are power and control issues tied up with the difficulties we face. When we address issues of human rights, we may be especially likely to run counter to those in authority.

1 Peter 2:19-21 points out that not all troubles are "persecution for righteousness' sake." Our own unrighteous actions can create difficulties. We might face opposition for self-satisfaction rather than for our virtue. The beatitude promises blessings to those who suffer because they are living as Jesus wants them to.

This brought us to verse 11. Jesus moved from "behave in a righteous manner" to "for my sake." And the consequences were the same. God will be pleased, we will receive a reward, we will face a hostile world, whether our aim is "being good" or "being like Jesus." This is a pretty bold statement for one human to make to another. We are all used to Jesus saying things like this, because we've heard them for many years. But statements like these are why the early church decided that Jesus must actually be God. Otherwise, Jesus was taking too much authority upon Himself.

The gospel of John (chapter 6) records an incident where some people did get offended by such statements of Jesus. Even then, some remained with Him. They recognized that Jesus was speaking on God's behalf. They decided that the troubling statements ("living for me is the same as being good," "I am spiritual food for you") must have validity as well.

As we ended the session, these were the identified take-aways:

The blessing talks about being persecuted for Jesus, not persecuted for doing wrong.
All hard times and disagreements are not persecution.
We Christians are sometimes accused of being hypocrites; this could be a reason for some of our difficulties.
Persecution can be instructional.
Persecution has a negative tone, but we are to be joyful.
Persecution can stem from misunderstanding. There is a challenge to live above the misunderstanding.

2010-07-16T08:34:00.002-05:00

July 11, 2010
Matthew 5:9
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

Our initial discussions covered several topics at once this week.

Creating peace: Christians may not actually create peace, but we can lead others into peace. This can be done on a personal level as well as a social level. That is, individuals need peace within, and we can help them find it. Also, we can try to advance peace between neighbors, co-workers, and family members. James 3:18 says there are those who "sow in peace." This is from a passage that describes people who are at peace with themselves and the world.

Fallen world: This world is broken, so peace cannot be completely achieved. On an international scale, the peace that England achieved in 1938 came at the cost of Czech independence. We need to examine the consequences of any peaceful solutions we accept. As followers of Jesus, we cannot look only to our own happiness while ignoring the effects on other people.

Non-Christian peace: There are ways to create peace that are not truly peaceful. During much of the twentieth century, Mutually Assured Destruction was the key to such international peace as was achieved. The threat of atomic response does not appear to be a Christian method. Again, an apparent international peace can come as the result of conquest, but imposing our will on others by force doesn't appear to be Jesus' method of bringing peace.

Real peace: Peace is more than "absence of conflict." If we are still worried about a situation after conflict is removed, this may not be the peace that God intended. We don't believe Jesus meant, "Just find a way to get along." We are to have more than a facade of peace, more than just an appearance. Jesus constantly stresses how important it is to have our inner selves aligned with God's purposes. If the outer "peace" creates inner turmoil in ourselves or others, then we have not shared God's peace after all.

Peace, truth, justice: The Bible stresses the importance of truth and justice as much as it stresses peace. In this fallen world, these are not easy to balance. Real justice requires correcting those who are wrong, and not allowing them to hurt others. This is not necessarily peaceful. And truth includes honest recognition of our lives, which again is not peaceful for everyone. In our personal lives, God's peace includes forgiveness for our unjust actions and help with recognizing our true natures. This undeserved help is called "grace," and we need to include it in our own efforts to build God's Kingdom. With this larger goal in mind, that of building God's Kingdom, some conflict may be appropriate in order to build a lasting peace.

Last week, we mentioned that peacemakers have real respect for those around them. With our own inner peace, this respect for others gives us a foundation for building peace around us. Our conversations can lead to mutually helpful solutions, creating peace.

The phrase "Children of God" is similar to the phrase Jesus used for James and John, "Sons of Thunder." Those disciples didn't literally have thunder as a father, but there was an obvious connection between their own lives and the noisy, blustery nature of thunder. In the same way, we cannot be "children of God" in quite the same way Jesus is, but there should be a strong connection between our natures and that of God. We might even hope to be seen as "about our Father's business" in this world, as our lives become more like Jesus.

But Jesus says here not that we would BE children of God, though that is mentioned elsewhere (see John 1:12), but that we would be CALLED children of God. Apparently this peacemaking business helps others to recognize God at work in our lives.

There are certainly other ways to recognize God's work, but peacemaking is perhaps one of the surest. Maybe peacemaking is so rare in this world that its presence is a much clearer indication that God is working.

This led to a discussion of being recognized. Later in this sermon, Jesus criticizes those who do good just so that others will praise them. This makes Christ-followers reluctant to receive public recognition for what they do for God. However, in this same sermon Jesus says that others are to see our good works so that they can praise God.

Apparently, it is important that others know that God is present and is working through us. But the importance is for their benefit, not ours. They need to know that a transformed life of peace is possible in this world. We do not need their praise or admiration, but they need to see something worth praising or admiring.

Once again, Jesus brings us back to motives. Are we doing our good deeds for the sake of the Kingdom, so that God's will can be done here on earth? Then let the recognition come as He finds appropriate.

The class mentioned the following points that stood out to them this week:

Anyone who is a peacemaker can be recognized by the world, whether they are Christ-followers or not.
Truth and justice are sometimes not the priority of peacemaking. [We didn't have time to discuss this further. Maybe we need to watch out for "peace" that just hides problems.]
Mercy may trump justice, when we are making peace.

Defining Peace

2010-07-08T07:09:00.003-05:00

July 4, 2010
Matthew 5:9
Blessed are the peacemakers . . .

Before moving on to verse 9, we looked at Isaiah 32:17-18. This passage says that righteousness leads to peace. This was written hundreds of years before Jesus talked about pure hearts (righteousness) and then encouraged us to make peace.

The class defined peace as absence of fear, as reconciliation, as being content and calm. Rather than "making" peace, it was suggested that Jesus's followers might be an influence for peace, or that they accept the peace of God rather than create the peace of God. The peace can be within each of us, or can describe our relationship with those around us, or can be offered to those who need it.

What specific steps can be taken to bring about peace?

We can bite our tongues, holding back from stirring up more trouble.
We can intervene when others are fighting. This may involve risk, humility, or sacrifice. And it may ask for compromise somewhere.
We can generate dialog, either with those who oppose us or among those who disagree with each other.
We can look for the "other side," trying to see the reasons behind others' actions.
We can understand our own motives better.
We can admit we're wrong and apologize for our own contributions to the dispute.
We can look for "mutual purposes." Usually both sides have some commonalities. If these are stressed, then it may be possible to find ways to cooperate rather than to fight.
We can be the first to look for reconciliation when there is conflict.
We can treat others with respect, even if the differences seem "irreconcilable."
We can help others to find peace within their own hearts as we share the good news, how God wants to transform each of us and to give us inner peace.

Peace should be more than just the absence of conflict. And an "uneasy peace" isn't really peace at all.

How responsible are we for the actions of others? We raised the issue of fair labor practices. If we buy from a company that is operating sweat shops, for instance, are we taking sides against those who are oppressed? Further discussion did point out that we may not have all the facts in many such cases. Finding the real source of conflict can help to make peace.

We left the discussion with a few more points that we can pursue next week:

As important as peace is, Jesus Himself did point out (Matthew 10:34) that His primary purpose was not to "bring peace, but a sword." Perhaps there are some limits to how much peace can be attained in this fallen world.
Can we actually make peace, in the sense of creating it?
How many areas of life can be peaceful at once?
Are there ways to make peace that aren't Christian?

Seeing God

2010-07-01T07:21:00.003-05:00

Matthew 5:8
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

David assured us that this verse was well worth several weeks of study. Matthew 5:8 is the core of the message the Church of the Nazarene communicates. The heart, the center of our will and motives and personality and thoughts, is to be pure, clean and without sin and with an undivided focus on God and on His kingdom. This purity of heart is a prerequisite to seeing God.

So, what does it mean to "see God"?

This can refer to our eternal destiny. When we die, we will go to heaven and "see God" there.
This can refer to recognizing God at work in the world today. We can "see God" in events around us.
This can refer to understanding God's will. We can "see God" as we discern His plan for us.

The class engaged in a bit of speculation. Will we actually see God even in heaven? We all expect to be aware of Him, but will He still be as unseeable as He was for Moses? Maybe we will have different sensory input altogether, rather than continuing with just earth's abilities. The resurrection promise includes a physical body, but it should be more than just what we are now. We have to admit that we don't really know much about this.

In the New Testament, there were several words available for the word "see." When recalling what Jesus said, Matthew could have used BLEPO or HORAO. BLEPO would have described eye function: The pure in heart will have eyes that detect God. Instead, he used HORAO: The pure in heart will be able to perceive God. This HORAO involves the concept of an "Aha!" moment.

When people HORAO, they understand each other's lives. Purity is the lens through which we understand or relate to God, building the relationship.

Seeing in this sense has to do with clear access to God. Absence of purity creates a dividing wall in our relationship. We still have access to God, but it is harder to recognize Him. There is an impediment to the close relationship He wants us to have with Him.

In the human realm, perhaps this is like a relationship between a parent and a child. Both sides can put up roadblocks. In a relationship with God, we think that only one side would put up such a roadblock. However, there is a warning in Romans 1:28. When people refuse the offer of God's relationship, He does let them have their own way. He "gave them over to a depraved mind." Our sinful actions have consequences, and result in distance from God.

We discussed how God offers access to those who have not heard of Jesus. Is there any opportunity for those people to come to God? The same passage that mentioned "depraved mind" also stressed that God reveals Himself in some way to each individual. The grace of God does touch each person. The Bible itself is written to those who have heard of Jesus; it barely mentions what God offers to other people. Those of us who know God are held to a higher standard (and those who are teachers even more so!).

Isaiah 6:1-7 and Hebrews 12:14 are passages showing that holiness qualifies us to see God, to perceive His plans and actions. This holiness includes ethical purity, keeping our own lives free from rebellion. Another dimension of holiness is "works of mercy," mentioned in Micah 6:8; our holiness needs to bless those around us. And Jesus, in Matthew 5-7, really stressed that holiness has to include the motivations and intentions of the heart, not just outward actions.

In order to live as God calls us and as we really want,

we need the empowerment of God's Spirit.
We need a clean, undivided heart.

Holiness gives us clear access to God, with joy in His presence.

Pure in Heart - Filled with the Spirit

2010-06-24T06:07:00.002-05:00

Matthew 5:8
Blessed are the pure in heart, . . .

We began with a quick summary of previous discussions on this verse. Having a pure heart is well-described as being single-minded in seeking the Kingdom of God. True satisfaction in life comes from such an attitude. We should stop trying to straddle the fence between God's plans and our own desires. When they are in conflict, we know that His plans are actually better for us.

Heart purity, single-mindedness, is the result of entire sanctification. David asked us whether this is a one-time, forever experience.

Having our hearts purified by faith can be a once-for-all step. We commit ourselves to choosing God's way over our own way. Biblically speaking, people continue to grow as Christians. That is, as we walk with God, He points out additional areas that need to be worked on. That initial commitment makes it much easier to keep saying "Yes" to His directions. Some in the class called this "being indwelt by the Spirit."

But we are also continually responding to God. We don't initiate this contact. He invites us to respond, thus deepening the relationship. A pure heart, devoted to God, can come in an instant. A mature character takes a lifetime of growth. Even after having our hearts purified, we can be distracted. It's not that we deliberately choose our own way over God's; we just lose sight of God's perspective and need our spiritual eyes opened wide again.

Being indwelt is different from being infilled. There are times when God's presence in our lives is overwhelming. Very often, we re-gain the awareness of God's role in our lives or respond to a new challenge for a closer relationship with Him. Many of those times, we feel like we've been filled with the Spirit all over again. This is the infilling that the Bible describes as happening over and over again in a Christian's life.

Acts 4:31 describes an early prayer meeting where a group of purified Christians were filled with God's Spirit again. Ephesians 5:18 says that Christians are to keep on being filled with Spirit. We all have times when we need a fresh touch of God.

All of us are called to accept Jesus's forgiveness. This makes us true citizens of God's Kingdom, as God adopts us as His children and gives us a new, spiritual life.
Then, we are challenged by His Spirit to commit ourselves single-mindedly to Him. Recognizing that we have many paths before us, we deliberately choose to follow His ways. We are far more alert to His Spirit's leadings when we've been entirely sanctified.
After that, we remain open to the new directions God gives us. We are regularly refreshed by His Spirit as we follow Him.

God's leadership comes in different ways. Some of us are given specific career instructions. We sense God telling us to become ministers, leading others to know more about Him. Others are given a sense that their current jobs will be blessed as God works through them in the office, factory, garage, school, or wherever.

We had a very moving testimony that reminded us that the "Yes" to God isn't always immediately followed by a sense of God's special blessing. Sometimes we know that God wants us to do something, such as a career change or a cross-country move. We obey, but God's reasons aren't clear. There is a sense that we're where God wants us, but we find we have to remind ourselves of God's directions. We know that this experience is strengthening our faith, but it is not the same as in Acts 4:31, where God's Spirit immediately filled the Christians with a sense of joy and peace. This testimony was a great reminder that God deals with each of us in different ways at different times.

The class discussion brought out the importance of regular devotional periods. These are times when we read the Bible, praise God, pray, and listen for His Spirit to give us direction. David warned us about trying too hard. Sometimes Christians try to commit themselves to a devotional level that other Christians took years to reach. John Wesley, for instance, reportedly spent hours in prayer each morning, rising at 4 or earlier.

Instead, we should aim for something we know we can actually do. Perhaps fifteen minutes would be a better goal in the beginning. As we spend this short time with God regularly, we will find it easier and easier to sense God's Spirit leading us. And the time will naturally expand, not because we feel guilty about the time others spend, but because we are enjoying God's presence and just want to increase the time.

The discussion was centered on giving God time to speak to us. The amount of time, or when it is scheduled, is far less important than being sure we have time focused on God. We need to nurture the life of the Spirit within us.

Questions of Purity

2010-06-11T06:53:00.002-05:00

June 6, 2010
Matthew 5:8
Blessed are the pure in heart . . .

David began the class session with a question about the class purpose, followed by three statements about Matthew 5:8.

What difference is this study making in our lives? The point of studying the Bible is allowing God to change us. More head knowledge isn't nearly as important as transformed lives.

Three statements about this particular verse:

The heart is the main concern of Jesus's teachings. Throughout the Bible, the heart is described as the center of our will and motives. It is much easier to act good than to be good. Mark 7:1-8 gives just one example of how Jesus stressed the importance of having a clean inner life. The outer life should flow from the inner motivation of pleasing God.
Purity indicates being clean. Jesus indicates that this leads to being single-minded in purpose. Until our hearts are cleansed from known sin, we simply cannot have a single focus on God. David quoted the fourth verse of an old hymn to demonstrate his point: "Now rest my long-divided heart, Fixed on this blissful center, rest. Here have I found a nobler part; Here heavenly pleasures fill my breast." (O Happy Day, but be aware that this link also starts the music.) Being single-minded also means being the same person in public and in private. Sincerity and integrity, which is another word for single-minded, are the cure for hypocrisy.
Jesus wants us to be single-minded in seeking God's will both in our lives and in the world. The opposite of this is trying to keep a foot in both worlds. This would make us double-minded, which is described as a weakness for followers of Jesus.

Sometimes God asks us to do things without knowing the outcome. We don't get (or need) reasons for all instructions.

How can a person become pure in heart?

Romans 12:1 says we should offer ourselves as living sacrifices, committed to God's ways. The problem of the divided heart occurs when God is present in our lives but not Lord of our lives. That is, we have begun the journey toward God but haven't totally committed ourselves to His ways. This single-mindedness does not mean that we ignore the impure motives and impulses, but that we admit they exist and ask God to help us. If we don't acknowledge our real desires, then we're not offering our entire selves to God after all.

There is a "witness of the Spirit." God affirms that we are on target with Him. God intends for us to know that our lives are acceptable to Him. This business of living in God's Kingdom is not supposed to be based on "think so." God assures us that we are forgiven and that we are being transformed.

Can a person with a pure heart experience growth?

If honesty with one's self is part of heart purity, then there's hope for God's continuing work. As we submit ourselves to God, looking for His purposes in our daily lives, we become more and more like Jesus in our outlook and actions.

God doesn't accuse us when we are on the wrong track. He does reveal the problem areas we need to work on, and He offers to help us.

Can God trust us with His power if our hearts are not pure?

God uses many people who are not following Him. Biblical examples were cited (Pharaoh in Moses's time, most notably).

Power can be defined as "God's resources available to us in the new birth." Obviously, at least some of His resources are available even before we become His followers. Although the resources are available earlier, they aren't used well. And even without a pure heart, every believer has God's fruit developing within. But along with the developing fruit (see Galatians 5:22-23 for a description), the law of the harvest is still in effect: If we are also sowing to the sinful nature, we will reap sin's consequences.

God's power is not actually limited by our shortcomings. The Kingdom is much larger than us. And we were reminded that Pharaoh and other pagan kings were used by God, but it didn't do them any good.

This was not actually phrased in class (time was running out), but the thrust of the discussion seemd to lead toward this answer: A pure heart should allow God's power to work more efficiently through us and in us. But God's love for us means that He offers us His resources long before we are "qualified" for them.

Pure in Heart

2010-06-04T07:15:00.003-05:00

May 30, 2010
Matthew 5:8
Blessed are the pure in heart . . .

When Jesus gave a blessing to those with pure hearts, He revealed God's highest will for each of us. It is not enough to do good deeds. We are to have clean motives as well.

Every Christian group acknowledges the verses we've been studying, but the Church of the Nazarene makes this verse one of its key emphases. Our Articles of Faith include a statement on sanctification (Article X). We stress that sanctification transforms the believer into the likeness of Jesus. Entire sanctification is being entirely devoted to God, and is characterized by a pure heart. This is also described as an infilling or baptism by the Spirit of God. Of course, there is a difference between a pure heart and a mature character.

We looked at the biblical significance of the heart. We are to guard our hearts. Out of the overflow of the heart a person speaks. As a man thinks in his heart, so he is. Today, we might more often use the term "mind" to describe this center of decision-making.

This verse counters "external religion." Jesus wants us to get our motivation right. To hear God, we need pure hearts (minds). We are to worship God in Spirit and in truth. The Bible speaks of God's Spirit living within us (especially in John, chapters 14 through 16). This is the foundation of our relationship with God. Impurities in our motives are impediments to building that relationship.

As David led the class, he shared verses throughout the Bible that stress God's call for pure hearts: Luke 16:15, Deuteronomy 11:18, 1 Kings 8:61, Jeremiah 31:33, 1 Peter 1:22, Matthew 12:34, Romans 10:10, Ephesians 6:6. The heart reveals to whom we are devoted.

Titus 2:11-14 describes those who have been made pure as "eager to do what is right." This is a clear description of how God changes us. This purity is to occur in our lives here on earth.

Popular religion stresses God's love and forgiveness. These are essential truths of Christianity, but they are not the only truths. This verse (Matthew 5:8) focuses us on another important truth. God is holy, and what he touches - including us! - is to be holy as well.

As time was running out, David gave some quick definitions of purity: clean, unspoiled, and winnowed (as grain without the chaff); an army purged of cowardliness and discontent; a single-minded, undivided heart. And he reminded us again that becoming mature is a life-long process.

Mercy and Purity and Seeing God

2010-05-28T06:49:00.003-05:00

May 23, 2010
Matthew 5:7, 8
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Does mercy mean "get taken advantage of"?

Before leaving the topic of mercy, we talked again about being taken advantage of. A common attitude is "Once or twice is okay, but not all the time from the same person!"

Discernment is the ability to sense underlying causes and motivations. God's Spirit helps us to discern what is best, and He can help us know what the correct response is to each plea for mercy.

Giving people exactly what they ask for may not be the most merciful thing in every situation. Perhaps people need help in getting their lives changed, so that they don't keep making the same mistakes that call for mercy again and again.

As followers of Jesus, we are called to show mercy just as God has shown us mercy. As one example, this may not mean giving money to a brother-in-law every time he's in financial trouble. But it does mean trying to help that brother-in-law learn how to manage money better.

Mercy demands our involvement, but does not mean that we subject ourselves to the specific demands of other people. It means that we treat people as they need to be treated, just as Jesus has done for us.

Purity

Purity brings up images of being free of corruption, or of being innocent. Spiritually, our hearts and minds should be longing for God's ways. This takes us right back to God's mercy. We are no longer innocent, and we have allowed ourselves to be corrupted. God offers not only to forgive us, but to clean us up.

Jesus promises that we can become single-minded toward God. Our actions may still be misunderstood. They may even be misguided, since our judgment is not perfect. But our motivation can still be pure. That is, we really can act with the best of intentions. Those intentions must be focused on doing what God wants us to do.

Purity of heart is to will one thing, said the Danish theologian, Soren Kierkegaard .

Seeing God

This verse offers an astounding promise: It is possible to see God.

The promise may refer to heaven someday in the future. That fits with promises elsewhere in the Bible. But we believe it also refers to our present lives. Followers of Jesus claim to sense God directly.

By sensing God, people describe understanding His will, knowing what He wants us to do, and seeing the world from His perspective. The class discussion stressed that this is more than "I think God wants me to do this." Class members have actually experienced times when they were certain that God had communicated directly with them. And, in contrast, there are also times when we realize that we have not sensed God recently. This is often a reminder that our focus is no longer just on God.

Discussion also pointed out that recognizing God around us can lead to a deeper desire for purity. And purity is not a one-time thing. We talked about our regular need for God's work in our hearts.

This verse may describe a cycle of Kingdom living. We believe Jesus's words and ask God to forgive us and to give us pure motives. As our hearts are made innocent, we are better able to sense God at work in our lives and in the world around us. And then that sense of God's presence makes us eager to stay pure, focused on Him.

There are more aspects of "pure hearts" and "seeing God" that we can explore, so our time together on the 30th will address this same verse. David is back in town, and is looking forward to leading the session.

Mercy

2010-05-21T07:58:00.002-05:00

May 16, 2010
Matthew 5:7
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

This verse requires a definition of mercy. Initially, we listed forgiveness, compassion, and kindness as good descriptions of mercy. Then we added a key concept: undeserved.

We reflected on God's mercy to us. In our earliest days of following Jesus, some of us didn't really think we'd been that sinful to start with. Often, we make excuses for bad behavior. Rather than asking for forgiveness, we want God and others to understand that we had a reason for doing what we shouldn't have done. Or, we explain that we didn't really think it was wrong. Until we understand that we have actually done bad things, it is hard to understand what God's mercy is.

Some of us then shared about times when we realized how wrong we'd been. Sometimes, as we begin to see our lives from God's perspective, we begin to see how wrong our past lives have been. Other times, even with God's help available, we choose to ignore His help and deliberately do what we shouldn't. At such times, we are aware of how far away we are from real goodness. When we know that we have sinned, and we agree that we have no excuse, then we are in a position to recognize the mercy that God offers.

God offers us complete forgiveness. He doesn't excuse our actions by saying, "You couldn't help it" or "You didn't know better." He knows that we made bad choices, that we deliberately turned our back on what was good and right, and that we knew what we were doing. Even so, He says, "Let's start over. I won't hold it against you. Let me help you to become the good person I intended for you to be."

That is mercy.

And that is what we are supposed to offer to those around us.

Our mercy to others involves forgiveness, compassion, and kindness. And it needs to be put into practice. It isn't mercy if we just think about it. We need to act on these feelings in order for it to become mercy.

And if we become merciful, we need to come to grips with being taken advantage of. The nature of mercy is that it is undeserved. When we recognize how merciful God is to us, it will be easier to extend that mercy to others.

When we recognize how out-of-step we are with God, we have to ask for and accept the mercy God extends to us. Then we need to open our eyes to the need for mercy all around us. If we don't, we can become self-righteous. That would mean that we are pleased with what God is doing for us, but we've forgotten that we don't get the credit for the changes.

The previous verse in Matthew suggested that we can be filled with righteousness. This week's verse reminds us that the righteousness is a gift from God. There is no point congratulating ourselves on how good we've become. Our own goodness is because of God's mercy. He has forgiven us and loved us when we didn't deserve it at all. With this verse, we have the cure for self-righteousness. Any righteousness we have doesn't come from ourselves at all.

A writer suggested that this verse about mercy may be related to the earlier verse about "poor in spirit." Both verses deal with recognizing our own inadequacy. Discussion brought out how hard it is for the rich to enter heaven. The riches may not be material. Self-satisfaction can blind us to our own need for mercy.

We closed the session with hints that this verse may be more than just a promise. The Lord's prayer in Matthew 6:9-13 is immediately followed by a warning: We are to forgive others in order to be forgiven. And the parable of the unforgiving servant, Matthew 18:23-34, is immediately followed by the same warning: If we don't forgive others, we will not be forgiven.

As citizens of God's new kingdom, we are certainly supposed to work for God's will to be done. We have been offered the chance to see our own lives from God's perspective. We can even catch glimpses of the way the world ought to be. In those times, we know that we cannot live as God wants unless we accept the help He offers us. And we don't deserve that help.

In the same way, as citizens of God's new kingdom, we are to offer undeserved help to those around us.

We Can Be Righteous - Aligned with God

2010-05-13T21:11:00.002-05:00

Matthew 5:6
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.

After coming to grips (at least a little) with the concept of unanswered prayer last week, we moved on to the second part of the blessing Jesus gave. Here, He promises that if we really want to, we can be filled with righteousness.

First, we worked on defining righteousness. It involves being made right in God's sight. We used the phrase "aligned with God" as perhaps a good description of how we can be changed. Galatians 5:22-23 describes a life that is Spirit-led. Such things as love, joy, peace, and patience should be the natural result of the Spirit at work within us.

This righteousness is based on God's work within us. We can't earn it, and we don't deserve it. But if it's what we hunger and thirst for, it can be ours.

So we then concentrated on what it is like to hunger and thirst for God and His direction.

We thought of times when we'd especially longed to be good, to be more like Christ. Some described deep longings that they couldn't put words to, reminding us that the Spirit helps us pray when we don't know how. We also considered that some of our desires may be poorly focused. What we think we want doesn't turn out to satisfy after all. Isaiah 55 opens with a description of such misplaced efforts: Why spend money on what isn't food? And your labor on what doesn't satisfy?

We were reminded that "hungering and thirsting" are not once-for-all in our natural lives. In the same way, we can get to the point where being close to God is as important on a regular basis as eating or drinking. Perhaps one benefit of fasting (going without food for a while, in order to focus on God) may be to show us what hunger for God can be like.

In addition to fasting, there are other ways to help us focus on our relationship to God.

One person journals her thoughts and prayers. In this way, she can focus her attention on a specific characteristic of righteousness for an extended time period.

Disciplines such as Bible reading, praying, fasting, or journaling can become habits. We do need to make even our good habits intentional, or our "hunger and thirst for God" may become "settle for this much of God."

Discussion also brought out a few more points worth keeping in mind:

Personal righteousness is internal, not for show. We need the fruit of the Spirit, not just the peelings.
Righteousness extends to the larger world. As we become more like Jesus, we see that the world around us is not the way it should be. We become concerned about un-right (un-God-like) conditions in our workplaces, our communities, and globally.
We need to keep our edge. Rather than being content with what we've already gained, we have to focus on becoming more and more like Jesus.
Circumstances are not a reflection of our righteousness. Bad things still happen. Other people still have free will. This world is still opposed to God. Our best efforts may not improve the situation. But God's promise for this time is that we can be aligned with Him and His purposes. Eventually, the entire universe will be transformed; but not yet.

The class did

Unanswered Prayer

2010-05-05T06:31:00.002-05:00

May 2, 2010
Matthew 5:6
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst . . .

Class members shared some of their hopes, not all of which seemed to be happening for them. We looked at some other Bible verses that suggested we could have whatever we want.

John 14:13-14 says "I will do whatever you ask in my name."
Mark 11:23-24 says "Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have it, and it will be yours."
Psalm 37:4 says God "will give you the desires of your heart."

So why don't we get what we really, really want?

Each of the promise verses we looked at had a condition attached, or an alternate explanation. Jesus was not promising us "magic wand prayers," where we just need the right incantation to make things happen. He was describing a relationship. "Join my Father and me in this new life, and you will discover power you never dreamed of." "One side benefit of following me is that you will sometimes be given assurance of what you can accomplish." "As you become part of the new kingdom, God will change your deepest desires to reflect the world as it should be."

Prayer is not supposed to be a shopping list that we drop off at God's door each day, expecting Him to do what we think best. Instead, it is a conversation between friends (or family members), where we are free to express our desires and He is free to suggest alternatives.

We all agree that some prayers should not be answered the way we originally wanted. We don't see the big picture. We don't have enough information. Our motives aren't as pure as we sometimes think.

And of course, Jesus, who told us we could have whatever we ask for (at least conditionally), didn't pray that way in Gethsemane. The night He was going to be betrayed, He asked to be released from the plan. But He didn't "ask without doubting." Instead He prayed "But whatever you decide, I'll go along with."

We all seemed comfortable with understanding prayer as communication, not magic. Naturally God won't release His power to us just because we really want that job, that award, that relationship. The world would indeed be horrible if misguided people could not only punch each others' noses but also wield supernatural power against each other. Of course each of our requests needs to have God's approval before being implemented.

So why does the Bible seem to offer outlandish answers to prayer?

Perhaps we need the reminder that nothing is impossible for God. Paul wrote to the Ephesians that God could do "immeasurably more than we ask or imagine." Our expectations need to be high. It is too easy for us to settle for the easy, for what we can do on our own. We need to be reminded that God has more for us, and He invites us to dream big. And that means even bigger than ourselves.

Sometimes our big dreams are not quite what He deems best. His primary goal is not our individual happiness. He has established a new kingdom, and He wants us to be part of it. We are part of His plan to reconcile the world to Himself. Our happiness is a byproduct of the new world He is creating. He has huge plans for us, far beyond our immediate happiness. We need to be open to the possibilities He sees for us.

So we are encouraged to bring our outlandish requests to God, understanding that He may redirect us. And we can trust that He really does know what's best.

Can the meek confront?

2010-04-30T09:43:00.002-05:00

Matthew 5:5

In previous discussion, we decided that meek people see themselves from God's perspective. This does not mean that they see themselves as worthless. Meek should not mean "putting yourself down all the time," or "letting others walk all over you."

With that in mind, it is easy to believe that meek people will sometimes be called upon to stand up for what's right. If this means opposing someone who is doing what's wrong, then meek people will sometimes have to confront.

But class discussion definitely challenged our normal ideas of confrontation.

God's people are not called to be "busybodies." Jesus is capable of dealing with others just as He has dealt with us. We can trust Him to give them their own insights on how to live.
We have to be Spirit-led. Prayer was mentioned often. Also, we will discover that our motivation is love for the other person, not a desire to "fix them" or to make them more like us.
Relationships are key. As friends (or sometimes as teachers or parents), we must have a relationship with the person we are working with. Just being noisy about our beliefs is not an example of Christ-like meekness. Confrontation has the goal of helping the other person.
When meekness is part of the confrontation, we will be open to correction as well. Our self-evaluation has to include recognizing that we are not yet perfect. Even if we have some good insights to share, the other person may be able to help us as well.

One side note was also covered:

This is an election year. Christians certainly ought to base their politics on God's principles. We were reminded that the Bible gives us insights about God's ultimate goals. It also tells us which political methods are ethical. But politics is about which methods are effective, and devout Christians reach different conclusions about that. The class will try to avoid taking specific political viewpoints. God wants Communists, Democrats, Libertarians, Republicans, Socialists, and Tea Partiers to live transformed lives. If we as a class let our political viewpoints overshadow our discipleship, we will cut ourselves off from possible ministry to people Jesus died for.

Meekness, Part Two

2010-04-22T06:36:00.002-05:00

April 18, 2010

Last week's discussion of meekness left a few questions in our minds, so we took up where we'd left off.

Is meekness really just a role to be played?

Romans considered meekness an act. They were apparently so convinced that everyone was pushing his or her own agenda that any sign of humility had to be false.

Instead, Jesus told His followers to stop promoting themselves. We should give up self-control of our lives in favor of Spirit-control. By trusting God to lead us, we no longer have to defend our positions in the world. This kind of meekness is not false humility.

However, in the Christ-like life, as in any other part of life, it is sometimes appropriate to "act a part" as we're beginning a new phase. But our motivation has to be that this role is our true aim. For example, some of us deliberately smile when someone cuts us off in traffic. It is a deliberate pretense, because we are not really pleased. But we know that this is not the end of the world, and that we are called to forgive even traffic offenses against us. By the act of smiling, we are reminded that we shouldn't let someone else's carelessness ruin our day. Pretty soon, the pretense has become reality; we really have forgiven the offender and decided not to dwell on it any more.

Does meekness mean that we should have no self-confidence?

Actually, Christians are called to have a "right estimate of themselves." As we learn to see ourselves more honestly, that is, from God's perspective, we are going to become meek. Knowing that we are acting as God wants us to really leads to a much deeper self-assurance.

A related question is whether we can be "proud" of any accomplishments. The Bible itself promises all sorts of rewards to those who follow God's ways, so there must be some legitimate way of receiving God's commendation. We need to distinguish between "I must be a wonderful person to have done this" and "I am glad to have been used by God to do this."

We suggested that meekness is what's left over when pride and selfish ambition have been dropped. Meekness may be a matter of putting "first things first." When God's priorities become our goal, meekness is the natural result.

C. S. Lewis, in Mere Christianity, put it this way:

Do not imagine that if you meet a really humble man he will be what most people call "humble" nowadays: he will not be a sort of greasy, smarmy person, who is always telling you that, of course, he is nobody. Probably all you will think about him is that he seemed a cheerful, intelligent chap who took a real interest in what you said to him. If you do dislike him it will be because you feel a little envious of anyone who seems to enjoy life so easily. He will not be thinking about humility: he will not be thinking about himself at all.

Finally, What does it mean to "inherit the earth"?

Our answers centered on freedom. We are not under bondage to be or to do anything.

[Dale's thoughts as he was writing the blog: This freedom is hard to explain to those who think that Christianity is a new set of rules to follow. But those who follow the Spirit know that Jesus was right: His yoke is easy, His burden is light. When we get past "I need to be good" and start living "I like pleasing God," the bondage disappears.]

Further, the possibilities for our life start opening up. If we think in terms of influence, it becomes limitless. We have been blessed so that we can bless others. God shows us places for service that we hadn't suspected before. The example of Mother Teresa was given. By focusing on the task God gave her, she became an example to the entire world.

At the end of the class, another good question was raised: How do meek people confront others?

We asked about the motivation for confronting. Do we want to encourage dialog, or to incite? Are we approaching the situation from a position of power, of weakness, or of equality? Are we focused on relationships or on rights?

But there wasn't enough time to follow this through, so we'll pick it up next class session.

2010 Apr 11 - Meekness (Mt 5:5)

2010-04-12T21:11:00.004-05:00

"Spiritually prosperous are those who are meek, because they themselves shall inherit the earth."

We began with a quick review of previous weeks to put the discussion in context. (We hadn't met for two weeks, since the church had double services on Easter.) The opening verses of the Sermon on the Mount are called the Beatitudes. They each begin with "Blessed are," not "Thou shalt." This goes along with Jesus's method of describing His followers rather than giving them a new set of orders to follow. Frankly, it is not possible to live according to this new description without God's help. We'll discuss that even more in the weeks ahead.

Meekness, the focus of this week's discussion, was actually considered a vice by the society of Jesus's time. Meekness was a mark of servility. We didn't discuss that term, but I believe it is like "smarmy," or the stereotypical used-car salesmen, buttering us up to take advantage of us. (Please understand, the only used-car salesmen I've ever known were very good Christians, and I don't want to insult them at all. But thanks to TV and movies, we probably get the picture of why the Romans disliked meekness.)

Jesus came to a group of people, the Jews, who were very proud of their heritage. They had no standing in the Roman world, but at least they knew their own importance. When Jesus declared that meekness was a virtue, they found that incredible. Class discussion suggested that Jesus could have lost a lot of listeners with talk like this.

We contrasted this meekness with the superiority that the Romans demonstrated and the Jews felt. The opposite of meekness would included bragging on ourselves, being assertive of our rights. We thought this attitude often leads to false bravado. Further, much of our "building ourself up" comes at the cost of "putting others down." In this light, meekness may be more attractive than the Romans and Jews first thought.

David suggested a book by Donald Kraybill, The Upside-Down Kingdom. This book stresses how different the Jesus-following life is from anything that seems normal in our society. While it is a very challenging book, it does have insights that we might benefit from.

Meekness is demonstrated in relationships. It is easy to yield to the world's processes, emphasizing our importance, making sure others know how capable we are. But a Jesus-follower learns to praise others. Even in the cut-throat world that business is supposed to be, companies have learned that sharing the credit appropriately makes the organization stronger.

Meekness requires honest self-assessment. This will include learning to control ourselves, rather than trying to control others.

David pointed out that the Greek word used for meek is praus - this is also used to indicate a tamed animal. A tamed horse yields to another's intellect, and it accepts outside discipline that makes it more effective than any wild horse could be.

* * *

We did not exhaust the possibilities in this verse. We will take up some additional issues as we come together on the 18th.

Were the Romans right? Is meekness just a front? Or can it come from the heart?
Can meek people demonstrate self-assurance? Can they stand up for their rights?
How do the meek inherit the earth? What exactly are they inheriting?

2010 Mar 28 - Those Who Mourn (Mt 5:4)

2010-03-28T14:00:00.004-05:00

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

"The earth is the Lord's," so all of us belong to God. But citizenship in the kingdom depends on recognizing that Jesus is Lord. The passage we've begun studying, Matthew 5-7, describes how people in that kingdom live. We may not be completely there yet, but these verses are more than just a goal for some far-distant time.

"Blessed" is the key word for this section of the Bible, Matthew 5:3-12. Last week, we used "spiritually prosperous" as a good description of "blessed." This week, we added some more thoughts. Blessings are an extension of God's grace. We don't deserve them, but we are given them anyway. "Fortunate" and "well-off" are other possible synonyms.

For this verse, it is important to know what "mourn" indicates. We thought people who mourn are people are grieving a loss. The loss might be something we used to have and now miss, or it might be awareness of something we never had but now wish to have experienced.

When we mourn, we acknowledge our loss. If we don't admit that we are suffering, we hinder the healing (comforting) process.

By honestly mourning, when it is appropriate, we allow others to see our reactions.

Mourning is a sign of our involvement in the world around us. Our mourning may not be just for personal loss. We can also mourn over the condition fo the world around us.

You have to care about something in order to mourn its loss. If we are completely satisfied with our current status, we will not mourn. And if we are apathetic, not caring what happens, we will not mourn.

Some people have interpreted this verse to suggest that we should act sad all the time. This interpretation overlooks Jesus' comments about rejoicing, ignores the calls to enjoy the world about us, and denies the joy Christians are to experience.

Mourning is also involved when we recognize what we've lost by living in a fallen world. And when we realize that our own actions and attitudes have helped to separate us from God, we really should experience sorrow. And that mourning can also be relieved (we can be comforted) when we recognize that God has provided salvation even though we don't deserve it.

Mourning can be for what we've lost and want back, for what we've never had and wish we'd had, and even for what we could but don't yet have.

Even when we don't get restoration, we can have comfort.

We shold mourn when we geel God's convicting touch. Comfort, or satisfaction, comes when God changes us.

2010 Mar 21 - Blessed Are the Poor In Spirit (Mt 5:3)

2010-03-27T19:27:00.004-05:00

Blessed means "spiritually prosperous." "The poor in spirit" probably means "Those whose spirits are humble." Luke 6 and Psalm 51 give different parallel meanings; we lean toward Psalm 51. The kingdom of heaven is the same as the kingdom of God, and it is a gift. The blessings are not earned.

Side Points
Other blessings in the passage are "socially good." That is, it is obvious that being merciful should bring a blessing. This one doesn't show so much. Perhaps we can say that it encourages us to move away from pride. This passage (Matthew 5:3-12) is the New Testament version of the Ten Commandments, a description of how God's people live rather than a set of laws. (Even the commandments are written "you will" rather than "you must.")

2010 Mar 14 - Intro to the Sermon on the Mount (Mt 5 - 7)

2010-03-15T19:11:00.002-05:00

We began by reviewing our class purpose: We are citizens of two kingdoms, this earthly world and the kingdom of heaven. Schools, parents, the media, and various cultural traditions all help us to live productive lives in this earthly world. The purpose of our class is to help us become better citizens of the kingdom of heaven. Essentially, being Kingdom Citizens means to imitate Jesus Christ and adhere to His teachings.

This past week, we were encouraged to read the gospel of Matthew and find the passages where Jesus’ teachings are concentrated.

Chapters 5-7 describe the lifestyle of Christ followers.
Chapter 10 commissioned the disciples of Jesus.
Chapter 13 contains parables, stories that illustrate Jesus’ kingdom.
Chapter 18 contains more parables, focusing on the character and values of Christ followers.
Chapters 23-25 describe the seriousness of God’s judgment.

Chapters 5-7 are known as the Sermon on the Mount. This sermon is not a new system of rules. Instead, they add an ethical dimension to the Old Testament law that the Jews of that time followed. The mistake the Jews of that time made, and the mistake too many people today make, is thinking that God cares about the laws themselves. God is interested in the heart. If we learned to love properly, the rules would be fulfilled. Not necessarily every interpretation of the law, but the intent of the laws.

Jesus described the proper mindset for His followers. With that new mindset, new actions will follow.

In class, we were warned that following the new mindset will be costly. The world around us won’t understand why we adopt such a radical lifestyle. This sermon gives us a model to follow. Jesus does not tell us to set up rules to be sure we adhere to everything in this sermon. Instead, he mentions some rules and then illustrates how to let love interpret them.

This new mindset, new attitude, new interpretation cannot be adopted on our own. God’s Spirit in our lives helps us. We must learn to listen to Him. We looked at the work of God’s Spirit, the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit brings order.
The Holy Spirit teaches us, reminding us of what Jesus said.
The Holy Spirit comforts us.
The Holy Spirit empowers us, enabling us in some things we can’t do on our own.

With the Holy Spirit guiding us, we go beyond following rules. Following rules is often called “living by the letter of the law.” Jesus began many teachings with “You have heard that it was said,” and then gave a rule. Immediately afterwards, He showed how people might obey the rule, but miss the point of why the rule existed. Living a life where we remember why the rules are in place is called “living by the spirit of the law.”

We should remember that the law was given by the Spirit of God. If we understand why the law was given, we’ll understand how to live lives fit for the kingdom.

For instance, Jesus mentioned adultery. He reminded His listeners that it is wrong to violate the marriage vows. But He pointed out that the law has become “I didn’t actually sleep with the other person” instead of “I have made a commitment to my marriage that includes my imagination as well as my body.” In just about every law, it is possible to live according to the letter of the law and yet violate the spirit of the law.

Kingdom Citizens are called to live their lives in harmony with God’s Spirit. This Sermon on the Mount will help to open our eyes to God’s principles. But if we stop with just what’s written here, we’ll miss the greater truth. God’s Spirit is ready to transform us completely. We are not left on our own to stumble through this life. God gives us everything we need to live this life more fully, and to be prepared for the life to come.

2010 Mar 7 - Philippians 4 & Intro to Sermon on the Mount

2010-03-08T17:09:00.008-06:00

March 7
Philippians 4
Intro to Sermon on the Mount

Philippians wrap-up
We'd already discussed many points found in chapter 4. Still, we found new topics and went back to a couple others.

Book of life
Paul, Jesus, and John all mentioned that there are names written in heaven. In Revelation, two books are mentioned: One records all our deeds, and will apparently be made public eventually. The other is the book of life, and that is the one that determines our destiny. This brings us right back to the idea that the new life is a gift, not something we earn by being good.

Peace of God or God of peace
Paul promises his readers (and us) that God's peace will guard us as we depend on God. But later in the passage, he tells us that God Himself will be with us. This reminded some of us that God promises us a relationship. He's more interested in being with us than giving us good things. We need to remember to look beyond the gifts to the Giver Himself.

What you've seen in me, put into practice
We were reminded that there are people in our lives who make us stand a little taller. These people inspire us to be better than we might otherwise be. It is good to have people like that who are examples to us. We need to think about their lives, but we also need to live our own lives imitating them properly.

God will meet all your needs
Is it right to expect rewards for doing right? Jesus told about servants who get no special reward for doing what's expected of them. And yet throughout the Bible we get lavish promises of rewards for following God's way.

But if God isn't providing, does that mean that we don't need what we are hoping for? In many cases, that's certainly true. However, Jesus said that some things, both good and bad, happen to everyone. We do need to learn to be content in every situation. But we also need to know that we live in a fallen world, and even Christians die. God's perspective is bigger than just our own needs. And Paul certainly expected his share of suffering in this world.

Sermon on the Mount
Three chapters in Matthew (5-7) contain the Sermon on the Mount. This message from Jesus outlines the life of a Christ-follower. David is looking forward to our discussions during the coming weeks.

We do need to keep in mind, from our Philippians discussions, that God understands that none of us is following perfectly. But God does expect us to draw closer and closer to Him during our lives, and the Sermon on the Mount has some pretty great ideas on what that closer-and-closer life will look like.

David encouraged us to read all of Matthew's gospel this week. He suggested we each find someone to discuss it with as well. (If you don't blog here, you can join our Facebook discussion.)

He left us with three questions, posted on the class website.

2010 Feb 28 - Philippians Wrap-Up

2010-03-03T06:44:00.003-06:00

February 28, 2010
Philippians Wrap-up

We made it through three chapters of Philippians this week. As we went through the letter, we stopped for questions and discussion. We'll finish up chapter 4 this Sunday, with time left to begin the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5, 6 and 7).

Some of this week's discussion points:

"Saints." The term means "those set apart for God," and includes all of us who have made a commitment to join the Kingdom. For many of us, the word was applied to the old folks in church, the ones who led out in prayer and who seemed to have no problem following God. But all of us who have accepted God's gift of new life are already saints. We may not yet be "great saints," but the transformation has begun.

"He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion." Here is the promise that God intends to make us into those "great saints" we talked about. We also talked about when God began working in our lives. We mentioned the time we asked for forgiveness, because that's when we gave Him permission to change us. But we quickly realized that He'd begun the work even sooner. Long before we cooperated with Him, He was calling to us and encouraging us to respond.

"Pure and blameless." This is the aim of God's work in our lives: To make us like Him. Each of us is to be pure, and what we do is to be blameless. That's more than most of us expected when we first turned to Him, but that's what His intention is for everyone.

"Sufficient courage." Courage may be essential for any other virtue. It's pretty easy to be "good" when there's no opposition, but real goodness requires courage to stand for what's right even when it's not popular.

"Whatever happens." Paul uses this phrase right after some very confident statements about the future. "I know I'll see you again." "I know that I will be released." But then he acknowledges that no one knows the future for certain. More importantly, Paul's trust in God is not dependent on Paul knowing his own future.

"You will be saved." We talked about being saved. This includes being saved out of particular difficulties, although it isn't a guarantee that all of this life will work out just the way we'd like.

"To will and to act." This theme comes up a couple of times in Philippians. It is not enough to think about following God. We need to act on these decisions.

"Hope in the Lord Jesus." Paul also mentions being "confident in the Lord." Sometimes our hope and confidence isn't based on God's plans. We need to stay focused on the Kingdom so that more and more of our life relies on what God wants. As we become more "pure and blameless," we will discover that our hopes are more in line with God's intentions.

"Becoming like Him in His death." This is part of Paul's list of what it means to be like Jesus. He wants to know the power of the resurrection in his life. He can't have a resurrection without a death. We are called to be like Jesus, and that includes sharing in His sufferings. When a person lives according to God's principles in a world that doesn't live that way, the person is bound to face opposition to some degree. (This principle was recognized by the ancient Greeks as well as by Christians.)

"Let us live up to what we have already attained." Paul emphasizes that he is not yet perfect in this life. God has more for him, just as God has more for each of us. But Paul has made some progress already, and so have we. It is important that we live up to the level God has already brought us to.

With all this discussion, it's no wonder we didn't make it through the entire letter! We'll get into chapter 4 this Sunday, and we should have enough time for a good introduction to the Sermon on the Mount from David.

If you remember more points or have further discussion, or if some of this needs better clarification, feel free to respond to this post.

2010 Feb 21 - Overview of the Life of Jesus

2010-02-21T15:35:00.003-06:00

Handouts on the Life of Jesus:

Sunday, we postponed the Philippians wrap-up and concentrated on the life of Jesus, with handouts. Those handouts can be downloaded with the above links. We'll do the wrap-up this coming Sunday, weather permitting. (The forecast currenly looks good.)

Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are the primary sources for the events in Jesus' life. They differ in details and in sequence, and each of them has some items that are unique.

Mark was probably written first. It is an action book, with most passages beginning with "and then." Because it is focused on action, it may be the book with the best clue to the order of events. Many think that it was strongly influenced by Peter's memories of his time with Jesus.

The early years are barely mentioned after his birth and dedication in the temple.
Jesus' early ministry begins just after His baptism and the temptations.
His ministry emphasis shifts when he sends out the twelve on their preaching ministry.
When He and the disciples head north, His final ministry begins. In this phase, He starts preparing the disciples for His death and resurrection.
Palm Sunday to Easter are well-documented in each gospel.
The resurrection, appearances to various disciples, and ascension conclude each of the gospels.

Matthew adds a lot of teaching material. He groups the teaching into extended passages, so that it is hard to get a feel for time sequences. But using what Mark has written allows us to estimate when the new material in Matthew takes place. Since Matthew was one of the original disciples, He is probably relying on his own memory for this gospel.

Luke's introduction says that he's put everything in proper order. He adds more teachings and more events, but his order sometimes disagrees with both Matthew and Mark. Luke was a close companion of Paul, so his gospel probably reflects Paul's understanding of the life of Jesus. Since Paul was not one of the original disciples, Luke's introduction explains that additional research had to be done.

John's gospel was probably written last, and he adds a lot of personal interaction that the others missed. John was part of the inner circle, so he may have seen some of these interactions, such as the encounter with Nicodemus, that are mentioned nowhere else.

The different accounts of the gospels would be troubling if we thought God had actually dictated every word of these four books. We actually believe that God guided the writers, helping them to select the stories that best told the life and message of Jesus. Everything we need to be Christ-followers is in the Bible, but the Bible is filled with poetic license (Your Word is a lamp), with plays (Song of Solomon, Job), and with first- and second-hand accounts that differ as much as they ever have.
The gospels were not written as history books. By the time they were written, there were churches over at least half the Roman Empire. Many of the original Christians had already died, and the gospel writers wanted to tell the story of what they knew about Jesus.
While details vary between some of the accounts, the message of all the gospels is the same: A Jewish teacher told people to trust Him, demonstrated His closeness to God as He performed miracles, insisted that God loves people and wants them to be part of His Kingdom, ran afoul of the authorities and was eventually killed, and then rose from the dead.

It was also suggested in class that having four different viewpoints helps us to get a more complete picture of just who this Jesus is.

2010 Feb 14 - Contentment (Phil 4:10-13)

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Philippians 4:10-13
Contentment

Paul's letter used the contrast between poor and rich to describe contentment. Those are relative terms, of course. But Paul's point was focused on heart attitude. No matter how we define our circumstances, can we be content in them?

We described contentment as being full, happy, satisfied, thankful, calm, uncomplicated, peaceful: basking in the moment. Being content should be active, not passive. Some contentment is mere laziness, we thought. It should be more than being too disinterested to care about what's going on in our lives. We should actually be at ease with ourselves and with our circumstances.

Why do people experience discontent? A lack of being full, happy, or calm would lead to discontent. But a lack of faith is a more serious problem. We sometimes try to satisfy our needs without God. We can be distracted from what's really important. Fear may play a part. And contentment may be affected by our goals for ourselves. It is also hard to be content when our aim is to keep up with others, a common form of coveting. The more complicated our lives, the more difficult it is to be content.

False contentment can stem from a passive approach to life. Low goals and low expectations can pass for being content. This may be more of an issue of laziness or lack of motivation. Discussion pointed out that this lack may be because of our background, and not necessarily because we deliberately chose such an attitude.
False contentment can stem from fatalism, a blind acceptance of anything that happens. The example of careless driving was given, for instance: "I don't need to watch out for hazards. I'll be okay until it's my time to go."
True contentment stems from trust. "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength."

We should recognize, no matter the circumstances, that God has plans for us and a purpose. God has a will for us in every situation. This is not necessarily a detailed map ("spend three weeks without a job") but more of a goal ("learn to depend upon me and my resources"). Psalm 55:2, Isaiah 29:11, Romans 8:28, 1 Thessalonians 4:17, and Revelation 21:4 have been helpful to various class members. Carmen's The Champion has also been an inspiration. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1ogO4tW2ck)

Discontent causes us to lose the joy of the moment. "I can't wait" is a potential joy-killer. Even looking forward to the end of a major project can help us miss what God has for us during the project. One example was given of learning to pray for today, insteade of just for tomorrow's challenges.

Discontent also hurts relationships.

One cynic has noted two tragedies: Not getting what you want, and Getting what you want. The point is that we should trust that God is on our side, aiming for our best.

Contentment is an attitude of the heart. We can choose not to dwell on the downside of the situation. We can be intentional in what we focus on. Richard Foster's Freedom of Simplicity book can help us with un-complicating our lives. Contentment removes competition and keeps us from chasing the unattainable. We will discover that we have fewer needs as we learn to distinguish them from our wants. We will have less stress, better priorities, and fewer demands on our time and energy.

How do we learn to be satisfied with less? Not just by trying harder. We have to learn to trust. Trusting God does involve practice, which means there will also be some errors. We won't get it right all the time. But improvement comes. Our choices should be prayer-directed, not want-based.

And we can always take the advice of an old song. When you recognize restlessness and discontent within yourself, analyze the source. And then, you can Count Your Blessings.

2010 Feb 7 - Paul's Cure for Anxiety (Phil 4:4-9)

2010-02-09T07:35:00.005-06:00

To live as a victorious citizen of God's Kingdom, we've got to let go of our anxiety. This week, someone defined anxiety as "Living in a state of 'What if?'"

When we're focused on all the things that might happen, and when all those possibilities seem negative, we lose focus on God and what He's actually doing. Paul gives several insights into how to keep life centered on Jesus.

First, Paul says to rejoice. Second, Paul says to rejoice. Apparently we need to focus on the good that's happening, and to recognize God's work in our lives.

Then, Paul says to be "gentle" or to exhibit "moderation." This includes being reasonable under pressure. And it includes being satisfied with less than our due. Perhaps one of the causes of anxiety is the need to "get what's coming to us." If we make up our minds in advance that God may ask us for sacrifices of our own "rights," maybe we'll be less worried about how to maintain those rights.

Before going on, Paul reminds the readers that "The Lord is near."

This probably refers to Jesus' eventual return. It also reminds us that, with the presence of the Holy Spirit in a believer, Jesus is always close to us.

Rather than worry, Paul suggests we pray. There should be an element of worship in our prayers, recognizing God's presence. Then, we are encouraged to make our requests known to God. This suggests that giving up anxiety does not mean pretending everything is perfect in life. But rather than seeing the bad and wondering "What if?", we should be seeing the bad and taking it to God. And we are to be thankful, which puts us back in the "rejoice" mindset.

When we let God handle the problems, we can expect His peace to guard our hearts and minds. The word for "guard" is a military term, as in a sentry at his post. But it also gave us the image of God keeping our heart whole.

The class discussion included the example of defensive driving. We are expected to be aware of our surroundings, taking appropriate action when it is required, but not living in a constant state of tension for everything that might go wrong.

We also distinguished between trusting God and being oblivious. One way to be carefree is to pay no attention to what's going on around us. That appears to be irresponsibility, not God-centered faith.

We noted that Jesus told His followers not to worry about tomorrow, but He also had the disciples gather up twelve baskets of leftovers, presumably for future use. There is an appropriate element of planning ahead, but the future is not to rob us of the pleasures God offers today.

Next, Paul gives us a list to take us beyond ourselves. We can focus on positive, inspiring thoughts, reminding ourselves what we love about life. Looking for things that are "true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable" will take us beyond our narrow concerns to God's larger world.

Finally, Paul tells the Philippians to use him as their example. Perhaps we would do well to find our own examples to follow. We need to remember that any human being has flaws. We must be careful not to offer any person the total trust and admiration that belongs only to God. But we also need to look beyond ourselves to the good that others display.

The class mentioned two takeaways this week:

When confronted by anxiety, we need to pray and give it to God. And then, we need to remember that it has been given to Him.

Anxiety is us trying to solve problems on our own.

2010 Jan 31 - Getting Along (Phil. 4:2-3)

2010-02-01T07:31:00.006-06:00

Paul mentions a problem in the Philippian church. Two women are in disagreement, and Paul asks the church to help settle the difficulty.

Paul doesn't go into any detail on the disagreement, so it is easier to make application to our own lives. The class noted that women must have had a much more prominent role in the church than in the general society. In those days, women were not important enough for their disagreements to be noted officially. Paul's mention of their argument is actually an acknowledgment that women were considered leaders, even co-workers, in the Kingdom.

One thing the class stressed repeatedly: Both these women were recognized as Christians, as Christ-followers. Their names were both written in the book of life. Christians must fight the temptation to de-Christianize their opponents in Kingdom work. Two devout women were on opposite sides of some issue. That can still happen today. Even though we take positions that we believe are consistent with God's work, we mustn't assume that opponents are not in God's will.

Conflict is not only possible in the Kingdom, it is to be expected.

Differing personalities react differently. That's what differences are. Our backgrounds differ, our discipleship paths differ, and our priorities differ.

The influence of the church is harmed when members cannot resolve their differences, however. When the differences are emphasized, we are stressing the human side of the church, not the spiritual. There certainly is a human side to the Kingdom. God invites a bunch of fallen people into the Kingdom. While the goal is transformation into people fit for heaven, the transformation isn't complete in this life.

During the transformation, our humanity is still evident.

But when we focus our attention on our human differences, we lose sight of the fantastic spiritual opportunities that are ours in the Kingdom.

Also, so long as the church is focused on the problem areas, it is distracted from its central mission of making disciples.

We all have a personal responsibilty to control our responses to disagreements. With God's help, the following steps may be useful.

Talk TO others, not ABOUT others.
Keep a forgiving spirit.
Find something good to say about the other side, and say it. (Second-hand compliments are very effective.)
Stay open-minded.
Matthew 18 outlines several steps, including keeping the disagreement as private as possible.
Gossip makes it worse, even if what is said is true.
Refuse to be a lightning rod. (Don't attract disagreements.)

Finally, the class agreed that it we need to get to know the person we disagree with. We need to really listen to them in order to understand their motives.

2010 Jan 17 - How to live in preparation for Heaven (Phil. 3:17-4:1)

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Philippians 3:17-4:1 addresses how to live in preparation for heaven.

Regrets

Before beginning the new passage, we reviewed some of the “regret” discussion from the previous week. In addition to regretting some things in the past, we also need to make a clean break from some of our old actions. When we agree that what we did was actually wrong, and then determine not to repeat those actions, this is what we call “repentance.” The word implies a real change, much as a caterpillar becomes a butterfly.

Not all changes are actually 180 degrees, however. God has already been at work in each of our lives, so we are getting some things right. Repentance means that we are ready to get even closer to God, agreeing with Him that it’s time to make some more changes.

Enemies of the Cross

Paul, the author of Philippians, starts the new passage off with negative examples: How some people live as enemies of the Cross. He gives three tests for us to consider.

Their god is their stomach

These people are controlled by their immediate desires, whether for food, material goods, or fun. The goal is immediate, momentary satisfaction. The term “shopping therapy” came up in discussion, as did addictions, pornography, and even too much television.

The class talked about how everyone has a God-shaped hole in life. When we try to fill it with anything else, we are never satisfied.

Their glory is their shame

This is a lack of restraint. People are proud of things they should actually be ashamed of. College students who brag about how trashed they were over the weekend have fallen into this trap. Many of our celebrities seem to enjoy flouting any standards that the rest of the world has lived by.

As a Christ-follower, there are places I should not go, sights I should not see, and relationships that aren’t worth building. Of course, this is not to say “abandon anyone who sins.” But if we are going to these places or looking for these sights for the wrong reasons (to shock others, or to defy God), then we are in danger of living as enemies of the Cross. Being a Christian is not about following a set of rules, but about being sure our motives are pure.

Their mind is on earthly things

We are certainly part of this world. But we need to remember that our main loyalty is to God and His Kingdom, not to this world. Probably the point of Paul’s remark is that we shouldn’t focus ONLY on earthly things. Some suggested that it would be good to remind ourselves that Jesus is next to us, wherever we are and whatever we’re doing. This should help us see beyond our immediate circumstances to what is eternally important.

Destruction

Paul was not holding up the enemies of the Cross to ridicule or judgment. He was brought to tears by the realization that these people were separating themselves from God and each other. If our chief aim is to make ourselves happy, then we will naturally alienate others. And if we refuse to acknowledge God’s leadership, we will do our best to avoid Him, too.

And separation from everyone else is the destruction Paul describes. It is not that God is against those who reject Him. It’s that the rejecters won’t accept His love.

Next week, we’ll look at how Paul says we should live instead.

2010 Jan 3 - Faith heros; and getting in shape (Heb. 12:1-3)

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David took a holiday break and led us in a study of Hebrews 12:1-3 this week.

Chapter 12 begins by referring to the “cloud of witnesses” who encourage us. Hebrews 11 listed many biblical examples of faith heroes who are among that cloud.

Who are our faith heroes?

People mentioned family members who had inspired their spiritual lives. Others who were not raised in Christ-centered homes could also recall people who had inspired them.

David mentioned several ways that this passage encouraged us to get in shape.

We need to analyze our lives in order to recognize any hindrances. We may not consider the hindrances actual sin, but if they lead us away from God’s best, we need to take action. TV can be an influence for less than our best. Relationships can guide us away from God. Material possessions are a hindrance for many of us. Even hobby time, innocent in moderation, can keep us away from better things.

“Take this rule: whatever weakens your reason, impairs the tenderness of your conscience, obscures your sense of God, or takes off your relish of spiritual things; in short, whatever increases the strength and authority of your body over your mind, that thing is sin to you, however innocent it may be in itself.”
Susanna Wesley (Letter, June 8, 1725)

And getting in shape is more than avoiding some things. We need to understand their
attraction and deal with those issues.
The spiritual disciplines (prayer, Bible reading, fasting) help us keep our eyes on the
goal, which is being like Jesus.

Perseverance is needed. Being part of the Kingdom is a long-term commitment (even longer than a lifetime), and we need to resolve that we will persevere.

Perhaps the best news is that we are not in this by ourselves. In addition to the encouragement of godly examples, God has put us in a community that would like to help
us on our way.

David then reminded us that the Christian life is joyful. If we find ourselves worrying about rules or failures, we should get back to the joy of following Jesus.

TAKEAWAYS

Focus again on the priorities, set aside the distractions.
The promise of blessing to the 3rd and 4th generations: We have the responsibility of passing on a godly heritage.
Run with joy.

2009 Dec 27 - How do you define success? (Phil. 3:1-16)

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How do we define success?

In class, our definitions of success centered around being successful parents and family members. We recognized that may define success in material terms. Paul defined success as being part of Christ’s kingdom, aligned with him in life, in suffering, in death, and ultimately in resurrection.

How do get ourselves back on track when we are off-course?

Those of us in class have every intention of aligning our lives with Jesus, being good citizens of the kingdom. But we acknowledge that we sometimes wander. When we do, what practices help us put Christ’s kingdom back in front?

Prayer
Scriptures
Sermons
Hearing the Spirit of God speak to our hearts
“A good, swift kick in the pants”
Encouragement, help from others (see the video: http://video.yahoo.com/network/100000089?v=5017561&l=100022574)

While that kick in the pants has come to several of us (per testimonies in the class), not every bad thing that happens is the result of our disobedience. Bad things really do happen to good people. But bad things are catapults to good things, whether they were intended as a “kick in the pants” or not.

TAKEAWAYS

Righteousness can come as an inner transformation or an outer set of laws. Most people find the laws easier to live by (or at easier to pretend to live by). When I act, am I following a law or following my heart?
Ebenezer: We may not yet be perfect, but we have reached a level of maturity. We should rejoice in how far God has already brought us, but recognize that God has more for us to achieve as well.

2009 Dec 13 - Reputation (Phil. 3:1-11)

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Should we care about our reputations?

The end of chapter two had Paul praising Epaphroditus. One explanation is that Paul was being certain that the Philippians understood that Epaphroditus had carried out his assignment well before becoming sick. That is, Paul was rebuilding the man’s reputation.

Last week, we said that one good reason for caring about a reputation was so that we might not hurt our witness for Christ. This week, we added another reason for maintaining a good reputation. It gives us legitimacy when we speak or persuade. Of course, when one makes reputation the highest goal, one can fall victim to pride or to legalism.

Paul called some people “mutilators of the flesh.”

The people Paul criticized as “dogs” and “mutilators” weren’t pagans. They were Christians who insisted that one had to follow Jewish laws in order to be Christian. Of course, that included circumcision for the men. Paul insisted that following Christ was not a matter of following certain rules. Christianity just means allowing the life of Jesus to be formed in us.

How do we become part of the Kingdom?

Paul listed a lot of rules that he had followed. Then he said that they were absolutely worthless to his new life in Christ. The only thing that counted was being made new, trusting Jesus to transform him.

Many of us first look at God as a school teacher. He is giving us a test with all those rules, and we need to get a passing grade in order to get to heaven. But the only “passing grade” is perfection, and none of us can get that grade. In that sense, God doesn’t just grade on our actions, but our attitudes.

The great news is that this isn’t how God’s plan works. Instead, because of what Jesus has done, God simply asks: Do you want to be part of my Kingdom? When we answer “Yes,” He welcomes us in. There is no test at all.

Sharing in Christ’s life: It’s not all fun and games!

When Paul describes the life he now shares with Jesus, he starts off with “suffering.” Apparently part of Kingdom life is putting up with the evil around us. Then he mentions “death.” In one sense, every time we allow God to direct us, we are “killing off” the part of life that God guides us away from. Of course, some Christians are literally killed. But Paul also says that he shares in Christ’s resurrection. Not only will we enjoy heaven someday, but Christians discover that the new life has already begun here on earth. And it is a life that includes peace and joy. (Discussion didn’t bring this out, but Galatians 5:22- 23 also describes this new life as including love, self-control, and many other good things.)

But aren’t there some rules in the Kingdom?

The point of following Jesus is that His Spirit guides us. As we learn to recognize His voice, we are guided into proper actions.

In order to be sure we’re hearing His voice, there are some lists of typical Kingdom actions. We mentioned the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17) and the two great commandments (Luke 10:27). We discussed the Jewish ritual laws as well, wondering if they might have some role in a Christian’s life. (We may come back to that topic later.)

Takeaways

The essential “rules” are the Ten Commandments. The real question is not which rules
we’re keeping, but “Are you living as Jesus wants you to?”
A reputation should be guarded, but it isn’t everything. We can’t control other people’s perceptions. But what is God’s view of our reputation?
Yes, our reputation can help us tell others about Jesus. It establishes a basis for others to pay attention to us.
No, our reputation in a fallen world is bound to suffer. As we stand for what is right (led by the Spirit, not a set of rules), we are going to offend those who are on the side of what’s wrong.

For our next time together, Paul gave us a new definition of “profit and loss.” How do we define “success”?

2009 Dec 6 - What do true Christ-followers look like? (Phil. 2:19-30)

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Paul uses this passage to show what true Christ-followers look like in real life. Paul has challenged the Philippians to allow God to carry out His transforming work in their lives. The first part of chapter 2 helped focus attention on the God-directed life of Jesus. Now, Paul mentions two people that the Philippians have known, and he stresses how their lives are devoted to God’s service.

We should let God’s work be obvious in our lives, but as He directs, not as others pressure us.

Timothy and Epaphroditus both lived out their faith, but in very different ways. Timothy worked closely with Paul for many years. Epaphroditus was a one-time visitor who brought a gift to Paul. Timothy was commended for caring about the Philippians. Epaphroditus was praised for faithfully carrying a message for the Philippians.

This should remind us that God uses us in many different ways. We are not to judge others by the assignments God has given us. And we should not try to live up to other people’s ideas of godliness ourselves. Instead, we really need to learn to listen to God’s direction for our own lives. Of course, that raises another question:

How do we know when God is speaking?

Having raised the question, we didn’t spend much time on finding an answer, We did mention that we need to be spurred by genuine love and goodwill, rather than just “somebody ought to do this.” God’s specific directions resonate within us, rather than feel like an obligation.

Timothy’s obedience to God meant assisting Paul for many years. He showed respect and honor to Paul, as well as trust in Paul and vulnerability to his leadership. David read a passage from My Lady of the Chimney Corner, by Alexander Irvine. This emphasized God’s ability to use each person in His plans.

Epaphroditus delivered a gift to Paul on behalf of the Philippians. The reason Paul mentions him is that Epaphroditus became sick, and the Philippians were worried about him. Paul not only assured them of his returning health, but that he had faithfully carried out the task that he had been given.

The final question is very appropriate to Jesus-followers today, especially those who are just beginning careers, families, and relationships:

Should we care about our reputations? Why or why not? To what extent, if any?

Discussion just began, with mention of “Yes and No: Yes, so as not to belittle Christ. No, because if we do His will we can leave the results to Him.

We will take up with this question as we begin chapter three, where Paul dismisses his own reputation as “worthless.”

2009 Nov 29 - God's good purpose (Phil. 2:13-18)

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We continued our study of Philippians 2:13-18, starting with David’s ending statement last week:

We can’t transform our lives any more than we can save ourselves.

Of course, we all know folks who have made changes in their lives by will power or as the result of changing circumstances. But changes in action are not the same as transformation. This was compared to the difference between physical change and heart change. Life in Christ offers us a new kind of life, going way beyond just new behavior. And that is only possible through God’s work in our lives.

Why would anyone resist God’s good purpose?

Paul tells the Philippians that God has a “good purpose” in mind for them, and for us. Why do we not all accept that and allow Him to work in our lives? The class mentioned several reasons: Selfishness; fear of change or embarrassment; and ignorance.

God offers step-at-a-time coaching rather than the whole game plan, meaning that we have to trust Him in order to follow Him. We also recognized that knowing His plan would make us less likely to focus on Him. When bad things happen to us, they do not mean that we have missed God’s plan. Even so, most of us are more likely to touch base with Him when life is not going easily.

We are to shine as stars in the universe.

Somehow, God intends to use us as examples of what following Jesus can mean. Even the feeblest attempt to follow God sets us apart. Just as a single farm light can be seen for miles in a dark countryside, any Christlikeness makes a positive contrast with our fallen world.

Even so, the thought that our lives are to be beacons in a dark world is intimidating. We are reminded that we cannot do this ourselves. At most, we can cooperate as God makes us into such “stars.”

Complaining and arguing interfere with God’s good purpose.

Generally, complaining and arguing are inspired by our own wishes, or by envy. There are times we do need to stand up for what is right. (After-class discussion suggested the terms “confronting and debating” as more appropriate for Christians who are challenged by the world’s system.) But such “righteous argument” is marked by peace and purity. It also involves trust in God. We reminded ourselves that once again, attitude is key.

When is it right to brag?

Paul expects to brag about the Philippians. Discussion pointed out the similarity between Paul’s attitude and that of parents. We thought that “deep satisfaction” might be a better term than “pride,” which is so often mixed up with self-promotion in many of its uses. You can be proud (“deeply satisfied”) when your actions have increased God’s presence on earth. Our perspective should include having been “just an instrument” in God’s hands.

2009 Nov 22 - Working out your own salvation (Phil. 2:14)

2010-01-19T14:19:00.003-06:00

We made it to Philippians 2:14 this week with quite a bit of discussion.

David summarized the opening verses of chapter 2 again, setting the stage for today’s passage. When we got to “work out your own salvation,” the discussion began with this thought:

We can tell God “no” on our own. We can only say “Yes” with God’s help.

Like any other relationship, both parties have to agree. In the case of God, He has already said “Yes” to us. That’s the reason we have the power to say either “Yes” or “No” ourselves. In that sense, even the power to say “No” is because God has been at work.

Not only has God issued an open invitation to us, but He is persistent. The Hound of Heaven (http://poetry.elcore.net/HoundOfHeavenInRtT.html) by Francis Thompson was mentioned.

How did God invite us to join His kingdom?

We talked about how God’s invitation appeared to each of us. Several mentioned that they were raised in Christian homes and can’t remember a time of open rebellion against God. We mentioned Paul’s experience (Acts 9), which was probably affected by his watching Stephen’s martyrdom (Acts 7). Seeing Christianity in action does have a strong influence. Others described the invitation as coming through “just thinking” about the meaning of life and realizing God could make a difference. Still others mentioned life changes, such as becoming parents, and wanting God to be involved from that point on.

Many of us began with the faith of a servant, but we now have the faith of a child.

The faith of a servant means that we keep checking to see if we’ve pleased our master. This faith recognizes God as being in charge. But it is centered on “Am I doing everything right?” There is a lot of uncertainty, if not downright fear, in this faith.

The faith of a child means that we relax in knowing that God loves us and is on our side. This is the faith John mentions (John 20:31) when he says that “by believing you may have life.” This includes an assurance that we are saved.

We need to believe in God’s power enough so that we allow Him to change our lives.

We got back to the idea of “fear and trembling.” It does not mean that we are to live in
constant fear that God is about to cut us off. But the following points came out in
discussion:

We should think carefully about what Christianity means, deliberately and thoughtfully.
Being a Christian is serious business. We are part of God’s purpose for the world.
We do need to be aware of the consequences of our choices. This is a healthy “fear.”
Lukewarm Christians do more damage than unbelievers.
We are not to compare ourselves to other Christians, though their lives may encourage us to do better.
God wants to help us avoid sin.

We will begin next week where this discussion left off:

We can’t transform our lives any more than we can save ourselves.

2009 Nov 15 - Working out your own salvation (Phil. 5:12)

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“Working out” our salvation is very much like “working on” any relationship.We only advanced one verse (Philippians 5:12) this week, but the discussion was VERY helpful for at least some of us.

We began with a review of the first part of Philippians 2. David added this thought to previous discussions: Perhaps a good paraphrase is “Don’t be preoccupied with your own interests.” In light of last week’s discussion, this seemed a good addition.

If we are to help others with their problems, then it is important that each of us be willing to ask others for help when we need it.

Since Philippians 2:5-11 is the basis for the “therefore” in Philippians 5:12, David asked us to describe Jesus’ attitude. We identified servanthood, humility, and obedience.

Paul uses the phrase, “work out your salvation.” This seemed to fly in the face of the rest of scripture. We are reminded by Jesus and Paul that this new life is a gift, not earned at all. David used the term “synergistic” to describe how people and God work together.

“Working out” our salvation means accepting God’s free gift and making it operable, or getting it into “working order” in our lives.

“Working out” our salvation is very much like “working on” any relationship.

We discussed “prevenient grace.” Even before any of us responded to God’s gift, we recognize that He was already working in our lives to prepare us for what He is offering.

This gift of God involves three things: He makes us right with Him (called “justifying” us); He gives us a brand new life, letting us start all over (“regeneration”); and He makes us His children (“adoption”).

“Working out” our salvation is NOT following another set of rules. Sometimes new Christians are given guidelines based on a “collective Christian conscience,” because some things are just plain helpful and others harmful to the Christian walk. But the goal is to have mature Christians who listen to the Spirit of God directly.

This reminded class members of other images: Rules are essential for children, but we expect our children to grow beyond following rules and to become responsible citizens. God’s new life is compared (2 Corinthians 3:3) to having rules written on our hearts instead of on stone tablets. And the “Thinking Man” becomes a picture of our own Christian lives: We are not to follow a rulebook, but to think through how God wants us to live.

As God matures each of us, we need to understand that we are all treated differently. We must allow Him to work in others’ lives without us judging them. He knows their needs, their circumstances, far better than we can, and we can trust Him to guide them just as He guides us.

2009 Nov 8 - Whose interests? (Phil. 2:5-11)

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Mark Tran shared with us about how God’s leadership brought him to Kansas City.

Are we supposed to consider our own priorities after all?

In reviewing last week’s class, it was mentioned that Greek does not have the word “only” in “each one should look not ONLY to his own interests” (Philippians 2:4). Maybe this means we aren’t to consider our own interests? Most translators do have the word “only,” but that may be wrong. Dale promised to check this out when he got home.

Sure enough, there is not any “only” in the first part of the verse. But the second half begins, “rather also,” so that the “only” is strongly implied, even in the Greek. One way of putting it literally would be “not consulting his own interests, instead also the interests of others.” That “also” seems to justify the more common “not only” phrase in English.

Therefore, last week’s conclusion still seems to have biblical support: God has given each of us priorities that we are to follow, and we are right to consider those priorities and where they rank compared to others’ needs.

This week’s discussion points:

We looked at Philippians 2:5-11. We are essentially told to be like Jesus, who emptied Himself of His rights, and who was then rewarded for His obedience.

We are to help people with their boulders, not with their knapsacks. This is a modification of Galatians 6, and relates to Christians “setting boundaries” as they are asked to consider others as well as themselves.
Attitude affects everything. The sooner we get it set properly, the better our actions will be. That applies literally to each day, as well as to our lives overall.
In this passage, “attitude” might be considered “approach to life” rather than “current feelings about circumstances.”
One of the class members shared that she has developed her personal mission statement. This keeps her focused on what’s really important in life, allowing her to check her actions by comparing them to her “attitude/approach to life.”
Paul tells us what our attitude “should be.” This strongly suggests that we are to be involved. At the very least, we ought to strive for such an attitude. Paul may also be saying, “This is what God will help you to achieve as you follow Him.” There doesn’t seem to be room for any “That’s just the way I am” excuses.
Rewards are a legitimate part of God’s plans. Of course, as Jesus said repeatedly in Matthew 5-7, some of those rewards may not be received until we are in heaven. But God does have rewards for those who follow, even in this matter of “attitude adjustment.”

2009 Nov 1 - Kingdom Family (Philippians 2:1-4)

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This week, we only got through the first four verses of Philippians 2. (And may I express publicly my gratitude to Reggie Phillips for his insights into the passage a couple Wednesdays ago.)

Among a lot of notes, I find the following "Take-aways" this week:

If prayers were more "we-focused" rather than "me-focused," unity in the Kingdom would be easier to achieve. (This reminds me of the discussion a couple weeks ago when we recognized that we are offered the mind of Christ, but often settle for our own perspective as sufficient.)
We need to trust that God is at work in those people we disagree with. Unity doesn't mean uniformity. We are all part of the same body, and God expects us and even commands us to use our differences to help each other.
One of God's commands is for us to keep our own priorities straight. Paul tells us to look to the interests of others AS WELL AS to our own interests. We do need to take care of ourselves, too.
Unselfishness may be the beginning of putting others first, but it is not enough. We need to get beyond the negative ("Don't be selfish") to the positive ("Do what's good for others"). This reminded us of Jesus' story of the house that was swept clean but left empty. We need to fill our lives with positive, not just fight the negatives.

This coming Sunday (Nov 8), we'll pick up where we left off: Philippians 2:5-11.

Unless someone wants to go back and revisit any of the prior issues, of course. (David would like that. He really was looking forward to leading this passage's discussion.)

See you Sunday, if you're not serving elsewhere!

Dale

2009 Oct 11 – God’s Perspective (Phil. 1:19-26)

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Veronica Kruse gave us a glimpse into her Kingdom journey.

Prayer is effective, but answers depend on His time in His way. Others’ obedience may also have an impact, raising the question of whether we’re helping to answer prayers that others offer.

Paul never looked at death as an escape. Death means a closer walk with Jesus.

Many of us are too focused on our personal interests, rather than on God’s view of the world and its needs.

When we received Kingdom citizenship, we were given the mind of Christ as well.

2009 Oct 4 – Good Coming from Evil (Phil. 1:12-18)

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Brandon Peterson gave his story of healing and protection.

We are all guilty of atrocious motives, but God blesses us and our attempts at Kingdom living. We need to recognize God works in other lives as graciously.

Whatever happens can serve to advance the gospel.

2009 Sept 27 – Developing Discernment about What is Best (Phil 1:3-11)

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Melissa Lidzy and Jennifer Blades told us a little of their lives.

We are works in progress. Others can affirm our progress as Kingdom citizens.

Our choices are not just between evil and right, but often between good and best.

The closer you get to Jesus, the more you know that you could still be closer.

We compare ourselves to others too much.

2009 Sept 20 – A Common Bond (Phil. 1:3-11)

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Dale Jones explained a little of his and Kathy’s Kingdom adventures.

We should express our appreciation to someone who’s been a Barnabas to us.

God cannot be thwarted. Even after a false start, God can and will bless.

What kind of faith helps you to sing when you’re beaten up? “Full surrender faith,” “No matter what, I trust Him.”

2009 Sept 13 – Becoming Kingdom Citizens (Luke 4:43)

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David Wilson introduced himself to the class, sharing about his Kingdom journey.

The Kingdom of God is made up of servants; this world is made up of people struggling for supremacy.

Citizens of the Kingdom of God show mercy. Their positive attitude attracts others to become Christfollowers.

Citizenship may be conferred in a moment of time (in this world and in God’s Kingdom), but it is implemented over time. This means both before and after the moment of becoming citizens.