Last week I asked if we shine the light of Jesus more through what we say and do, or through who we are? I also said I had my own ideas about that, but before I shared them I wanted to know your thoughts. So what do you think?
In my humble opinion, I believe it is more important that we shine the light of Jesus through who we are than by what we say and do. Of course, who we are will shape what we say and do, and I think that is why I believe who we are is more important.
For example, Paul says in I Corinthians 13:1-3, "If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal ... If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing." So what we say and what we do mean little if our motivation is anything other than love; true, self-giving love.
And that kind of love comes from a character that is being formed by the Holy Spirit so that we look more and more like every Jesus every day along the way ....
Monday, March 11, 2013
Monday, March 4, 2013
Thoughts for the week of March 3, 2013
In our journey along the way ... we are called to shine the light of Jesus in this world. He is the light of the world, and by His Holy Spirit at work in us so are we. (See Matthew 5:14-16)
So my question is this? How do we shine that light? Do we shine it most clearly by what we say and do, or by who we are? Or is there a combination of these? What are your thoughts? I have my opinion, but I will reserve it for later this week. For now, let's discuss, as we journey together along the way ....
So my question is this? How do we shine that light? Do we shine it most clearly by what we say and do, or by who we are? Or is there a combination of these? What are your thoughts? I have my opinion, but I will reserve it for later this week. For now, let's discuss, as we journey together along the way ....
Monday, February 25, 2013
The Right Companion
Yesterday we saw that Jesus is the "bread of life" (John 6:35 and 48). He is all we need, all sufficient, to receive God's blessings, and we receive them by faith. I will remain continually struck by the simplicity of it. Jesus says, "The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent." (John 6:29)
Believing God is really all that is needed, but it is believing God via the ONE He has sent. It is all about Jesus!
You see on this journey of life it is all important that we choose the right companion. Those who believe in the ONE (Jesus) that God has sent receive God's promises and all of them are "yes" in Him!
(see also 2 Corinthians 1:20) It is simple, yet so very profound! Believing in the ONE God has sent has implications for every aspect of life.
Believing God's promise fulfilled in Jesus affects every choice we make because believing is also "listening". Remember Deuteronomy 18:15, "The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you ... you must listen to Him!" Believing is about listening, and listening is about obeying; doing what God says in His word - the words of Spirit and Life (John 6:63) - spoken by Jesus "the Prophet" (see also John 6:14).
What other aspects of believing God's promise in Jesus can you think of that make this statement, simple as it is, also so very profound?
Believing God is really all that is needed, but it is believing God via the ONE He has sent. It is all about Jesus!
You see on this journey of life it is all important that we choose the right companion. Those who believe in the ONE (Jesus) that God has sent receive God's promises and all of them are "yes" in Him!
(see also 2 Corinthians 1:20) It is simple, yet so very profound! Believing in the ONE God has sent has implications for every aspect of life.
Believing God's promise fulfilled in Jesus affects every choice we make because believing is also "listening". Remember Deuteronomy 18:15, "The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you ... you must listen to Him!" Believing is about listening, and listening is about obeying; doing what God says in His word - the words of Spirit and Life (John 6:63) - spoken by Jesus "the Prophet" (see also John 6:14).
What other aspects of believing God's promise in Jesus can you think of that make this statement, simple as it is, also so very profound?
Monday, February 18, 2013
Feeling inadequate?
My blog is getting a makeover. Rather than looking at specific scriptures for "Going Deeper", I want to encourage more interaction and dialogue. Therefore, I am going to use questions related to the sermon I preach each week to offer opportunities for dialogue. Don't worry. If you did not hear the sermon, I will provide a small summary to keep you in the loop. So let's discuss, let's talk, let's share, pray, and offer support as we walk with Christ together ... Along the Way.
Yesterday I spoke about God's call to join Him in His mission (Exodus 2:23-3:15), and our feelings of inadequacy in answering that call. The mission is God's (Exodus 3:7-8), yet He calls us to accomplish it (Exodus 3:10). So how do we deal with our feelings of inadequacy (feeling "Who am I?") when God calls?
Moses dealt with it by being honest. He was honest about his feelings of inadequacy. He laid it out right before God, and God answered him by showing that only God is adequate because He is "I AM".
So what about you? How do you deal with feelings of inadequacy? Is there something God is calling you to do, yet you feel inadequate? That's okay. I believe that our inadequacy is our only qualification to answer God's call because in our weakness God displays His own strength. So how do you feel inadequate, and how might we be able to pray that God will show you that He will give you what you need to do what He asks?
Let's discuss, let's talk, let's share, pray, and offer support as we walk with Christ together ... Along the Way.
Yesterday I spoke about God's call to join Him in His mission (Exodus 2:23-3:15), and our feelings of inadequacy in answering that call. The mission is God's (Exodus 3:7-8), yet He calls us to accomplish it (Exodus 3:10). So how do we deal with our feelings of inadequacy (feeling "Who am I?") when God calls?
Moses dealt with it by being honest. He was honest about his feelings of inadequacy. He laid it out right before God, and God answered him by showing that only God is adequate because He is "I AM".
So what about you? How do you deal with feelings of inadequacy? Is there something God is calling you to do, yet you feel inadequate? That's okay. I believe that our inadequacy is our only qualification to answer God's call because in our weakness God displays His own strength. So how do you feel inadequate, and how might we be able to pray that God will show you that He will give you what you need to do what He asks?
Let's discuss, let's talk, let's share, pray, and offer support as we walk with Christ together ... Along the Way.
Monday, January 7, 2013
Going Deeper for the week of January 6, 2013
The question: "Why are there so many churches?" is the "real" question we will consider for this week.
This is a very real question in the hearts of lots of people. This weekend I saw a vehicle with a bumper sticker that said, "Jesus Saves; Church Enslaves". I don't know what is behind that sentiment, but I imagine it involves a perception that church tries to control people by regulating beliefs and practices in line with personal preferences rather than in obedience to God's word. And I have to admit that is part of the reason why there are so many churches because churches are made up of sinful human beings.
(Read I Corinthians 1:10-13 and I Corinthians 3:1-23)
The key issue in my mind as relates to this question, is that Christ is not divided. Human beings make false distinctions within the one body of Jesus, which is made up of ALL those who have placed true faith in Jesus and have been united to His person through the work of the Holy Spirit by that same faith.
So as Paul says here and reiterates in I Corinthians 3, since Christ is not divided we must not overemphasize the divisions we make in the body of Christ. (see especially I Corinthians 3:21-23)
Yet I am aware of how this sounds coming from someone like me. I am an ordained minister of the Word in the Christian Reformed Church in North America; a denomination with roots in the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century in Europe. So if this is how I feel about church divisions, then why am I a minister in a particular denomination?
Good question. I chose to be a minister of the Word in the CRCNA because first of all it is the church fellowship in which I was raised. It is my spiritual "mother" and I want to serve the church as a way of saying "thank you" as to my mother. I also chose to be a minister of the Word in the CRCNA because I appreciate the theological heritage; a conversation passed down over several centuries into which I have been invited to join. The basic biblical truths confessed in the Ecumenical creeds and confessions of the CRCNA give me a good foundation from which to continue the conversation in light of God's word and the voice of the Holy Spirit.
Nevertheless, although I am thankful to be able to serve as a minister of the Word in the CRCNA, I do not believe everyone needs to think or even believe the same way as I do in order to be "in Christ". The body of Christ is richly diverse (culturally and theologically) and yet we find our common ground in the person of Jesus Christ; the eternal Word who became flesh so that we might gain the right to become children of God by faith. I appreciate the richness of the diversity of Jesus' one body and I enjoy the beautiful dialogue we can share as brothers and sisters in Christ about God and the wonderful gift of His Son and the relationship we can have with Him through the Holy Spirit.
So what about you? What do you like or dislike about the multiplicity of "churches" within the one body of Jesus Christ?
This is a very real question in the hearts of lots of people. This weekend I saw a vehicle with a bumper sticker that said, "Jesus Saves; Church Enslaves". I don't know what is behind that sentiment, but I imagine it involves a perception that church tries to control people by regulating beliefs and practices in line with personal preferences rather than in obedience to God's word. And I have to admit that is part of the reason why there are so many churches because churches are made up of sinful human beings.
(Read I Corinthians 1:10-13 and I Corinthians 3:1-23)
The key issue in my mind as relates to this question, is that Christ is not divided. Human beings make false distinctions within the one body of Jesus, which is made up of ALL those who have placed true faith in Jesus and have been united to His person through the work of the Holy Spirit by that same faith.
So as Paul says here and reiterates in I Corinthians 3, since Christ is not divided we must not overemphasize the divisions we make in the body of Christ. (see especially I Corinthians 3:21-23)
Yet I am aware of how this sounds coming from someone like me. I am an ordained minister of the Word in the Christian Reformed Church in North America; a denomination with roots in the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century in Europe. So if this is how I feel about church divisions, then why am I a minister in a particular denomination?
Good question. I chose to be a minister of the Word in the CRCNA because first of all it is the church fellowship in which I was raised. It is my spiritual "mother" and I want to serve the church as a way of saying "thank you" as to my mother. I also chose to be a minister of the Word in the CRCNA because I appreciate the theological heritage; a conversation passed down over several centuries into which I have been invited to join. The basic biblical truths confessed in the Ecumenical creeds and confessions of the CRCNA give me a good foundation from which to continue the conversation in light of God's word and the voice of the Holy Spirit.
Nevertheless, although I am thankful to be able to serve as a minister of the Word in the CRCNA, I do not believe everyone needs to think or even believe the same way as I do in order to be "in Christ". The body of Christ is richly diverse (culturally and theologically) and yet we find our common ground in the person of Jesus Christ; the eternal Word who became flesh so that we might gain the right to become children of God by faith. I appreciate the richness of the diversity of Jesus' one body and I enjoy the beautiful dialogue we can share as brothers and sisters in Christ about God and the wonderful gift of His Son and the relationship we can have with Him through the Holy Spirit.
So what about you? What do you like or dislike about the multiplicity of "churches" within the one body of Jesus Christ?
Monday, December 17, 2012
Going Deeper for December 16, 2012
This week's question is timely. "Why is it taking so long for Jesus to return?"
I am sure in the wake of the events of this past Friday in Newtown, CT more of us are asking that same question today. During advent we traditionally look backward and forward. We look back to imagine what it was like for God's people to await the coming of the Messiah, and we look forward as we realize that we too are waiting for Jesus to come back and make all things new. So this is a particularly good question during advent.
In order to explore the dimensions of this question, I invite you to read 2 Peter 3:1-18.
(Read 2 Peter 3:1-18)
The first thing we notice as we read through this chapter is that our question is not new. Even Peter's contemporaries (who lived within 50 years after Jesus died, rose, and ascended) were wondering the same thing. So this question is an important one, and it comes out of the existential experiences of real life.
Peter's contemporaries were persecuted, and their friends mocked them because of their hope for Jesus' return (see verses 3-4), and I imagine they felt the same way we often do. So what should we do?
The Bible tells us two things in particular about the timing of the end of all things. First, "It is not for you to know the times or the dates the Father has set by His own authority." (Acts 1:7) Second, "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come." (Matthew 24:14)
Now these might be less than satisfactory as answers, but it is all we can say because it is all God has said. Therefore, the question we must ask is this: "If it is not for us to know when, then what is it for us to know?"
Well, Acts 1:8 answers Acts 1:7 by telling us: "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you and you will be My witnesses from Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
So our first response is to obey Jesus' call for us to be His witnesses.
And this is in line with Jesus' words in Matthew 24: "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world ... and then the end will come."
This does not mean we can force God's hand, and move up the timeline by working for these things to happen, but it does mean these things (preaching the gospel of the kingdom to all nations) should be our priority.
But how? How do we obey Jesus' call to be witnesses?
Peter answers that for us in 2 Peter 3. While he talks about the end, and the Lord's patience (see verses 8-9), and a day being like a thousand years to God and a thousand years like a day, he also offers instruction on how we should live as Christ's followers as we wait for His return.
"I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking." (2 Peter 3:1)
"Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live wholesome and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming." (11-12)
"So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless, and at peace with Him." (verse 14)
"Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and forever! Amen." (verses 17-18)
So you can see that Peter urges us to live godly and seek more of Jesus as we await His return, and as we do that, we will also see God transforming us into Jesus' likeness by the Holy Spirit's power so that we can become true witnesses in obedience to Jesus' call.
So what about you? Do you have anything to add? Please feel free to share your comments. I know this is a significant question, and it certainly deserves our time and attention as together we listen for God's voice in the midst of the noise that so often surrounds us. Thank you.
I am sure in the wake of the events of this past Friday in Newtown, CT more of us are asking that same question today. During advent we traditionally look backward and forward. We look back to imagine what it was like for God's people to await the coming of the Messiah, and we look forward as we realize that we too are waiting for Jesus to come back and make all things new. So this is a particularly good question during advent.
In order to explore the dimensions of this question, I invite you to read 2 Peter 3:1-18.
(Read 2 Peter 3:1-18)
The first thing we notice as we read through this chapter is that our question is not new. Even Peter's contemporaries (who lived within 50 years after Jesus died, rose, and ascended) were wondering the same thing. So this question is an important one, and it comes out of the existential experiences of real life.
Peter's contemporaries were persecuted, and their friends mocked them because of their hope for Jesus' return (see verses 3-4), and I imagine they felt the same way we often do. So what should we do?
The Bible tells us two things in particular about the timing of the end of all things. First, "It is not for you to know the times or the dates the Father has set by His own authority." (Acts 1:7) Second, "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come." (Matthew 24:14)
Now these might be less than satisfactory as answers, but it is all we can say because it is all God has said. Therefore, the question we must ask is this: "If it is not for us to know when, then what is it for us to know?"
Well, Acts 1:8 answers Acts 1:7 by telling us: "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you and you will be My witnesses from Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
So our first response is to obey Jesus' call for us to be His witnesses.
And this is in line with Jesus' words in Matthew 24: "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world ... and then the end will come."
This does not mean we can force God's hand, and move up the timeline by working for these things to happen, but it does mean these things (preaching the gospel of the kingdom to all nations) should be our priority.
But how? How do we obey Jesus' call to be witnesses?
Peter answers that for us in 2 Peter 3. While he talks about the end, and the Lord's patience (see verses 8-9), and a day being like a thousand years to God and a thousand years like a day, he also offers instruction on how we should live as Christ's followers as we wait for His return.
"I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking." (2 Peter 3:1)
"Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live wholesome and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming." (11-12)
"So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless, and at peace with Him." (verse 14)
"Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and forever! Amen." (verses 17-18)
So you can see that Peter urges us to live godly and seek more of Jesus as we await His return, and as we do that, we will also see God transforming us into Jesus' likeness by the Holy Spirit's power so that we can become true witnesses in obedience to Jesus' call.
So what about you? Do you have anything to add? Please feel free to share your comments. I know this is a significant question, and it certainly deserves our time and attention as together we listen for God's voice in the midst of the noise that so often surrounds us. Thank you.
Monday, December 3, 2012
December 3, 2012 - Real Questions People Ask
In a document called "The Heidelberg Catechism" in Question and Answer 21, true faith is defined as: "not only a knowledge and conviction that everything God reveals in His word is true, it is also a deep-rooted assurance, created in me by the Holy Spirit through the gospel, that, out of sheer grace earned for us by Christ, not only others but I too have had my sins forgiven, have been made forever right with God, and have been granted salvation."
And the question I have, especially when it comes to today's topic, is what does it mean to have "a knowledge and conviction that everything God reveals in His word is true"? It seems the authors of the Heidelberg Catechism assume that definition of faith and move onto develop it into the source by which we receive God's salvation in Christ. But what they assume, I think we need to carefully consider.
Today's topic is a real question referred to me. "If the Bible's account of the creation of all things is true, then what do we do with dinosaurs and cavemen?"
In order to answer this question, we will have to deal carefully with what "God reveals" in His word.
(Read Genesis 1:1-2:3)
The first question we have to ask is: "What is God revealing in His word?"
Clearly God is revealing, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." This is the indisputable fact revealed in Genesis 1. Everything else is less clear. In other words, the "Who" is very clear, the "When" is less so (In the beginning), and the "How" is framed in the language of poetry (e.g. Light is created on the first day, but the lesser light and greater light not until the 4th day).
So we need to think carefully about what exactly God is revealing and why, so that we do not speak beyond what God Himself has revealed to us.
What God is revealing is not framed in the language of science (i.e. "what about dinosaurs and cavemen?") In Genesis 1, God does not tell us precisely "how" He created all things. Yet science is concerned with learning "how", and so science studies God's creation to discover what God is revealing in and through His creation (what we call "general revelation"). This is appropriate and fitting to the nature of scientific discovery, and we should applaud these efforts because science discovers what God is revealing through His creation.
However, since "what" God is revealing in Genesis 1 is not framed in the language of science, (i.e. dinosaurs and cavemen) then we should not expect Genesis 1 to offer scientific answers. After all it is not God's intention to do so.
So what exactly IS God revealing in Genesis 1, and why?
As I said previously, God reveals that "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth". So now the question we must ask is "why" does God choose to reveal that truth in Genesis 1? This is not now the language of science, but the language of theology (a study of what we call "special revelation" which is what God reveals about Himself and His operations in the world in the Bible)
In theology, we see that Genesis 1 has a context. It speaks of "the beginning" but it does so to people who are many years removed from that significant creation event. Therefore, we must ask: "What did those people (the ones addressed many years after the creation event) need to know?"
They needed to know "why" they should worship their God, and not the gods of other nations. They needed to know that their God was greater, higher, and more powerful than all other so-called gods. Thus, in the language of poetry, the writer communicates the truth of the supremacy of God to the people who are called to worship Him and Him alone.
Other nations worship things (sun, moon, and stars for example), but God's people are called to worship God and God alone. The sun and moon had names (for example, chemosh was the name of the sun god in the Ancient Near East), and the nations around God's people worshiped them by name. In the Hebrew language "shemesh" is the name given to the sun. Yet in the creation account in Genesis 1, the author does not name the sun and moon, instead he calls them the "greater light" and "lesser light" (see verse 16). Why? It was because the author of Genesis 1, inspired by the Holy Spirit, wants God's people to know that the gods of the nations are nothing more than creations of the one true Almighty God; their God: Yahweh.
So in conclusion, we must be careful to think clearly about "what" God is revealing in His word and "why" so that we can best understand exactly what He wants us to know about Him and His operations in this world as He reveals them.
Hopefully this makes things a little clearer. I am sure there are objections and questions you want to share, so please do. Let's continue this conversation as we seek truth in the service of God and the advancement of Christ's reign here on earth.
And the question I have, especially when it comes to today's topic, is what does it mean to have "a knowledge and conviction that everything God reveals in His word is true"? It seems the authors of the Heidelberg Catechism assume that definition of faith and move onto develop it into the source by which we receive God's salvation in Christ. But what they assume, I think we need to carefully consider.
Today's topic is a real question referred to me. "If the Bible's account of the creation of all things is true, then what do we do with dinosaurs and cavemen?"
In order to answer this question, we will have to deal carefully with what "God reveals" in His word.
(Read Genesis 1:1-2:3)
The first question we have to ask is: "What is God revealing in His word?"
Clearly God is revealing, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." This is the indisputable fact revealed in Genesis 1. Everything else is less clear. In other words, the "Who" is very clear, the "When" is less so (In the beginning), and the "How" is framed in the language of poetry (e.g. Light is created on the first day, but the lesser light and greater light not until the 4th day).
So we need to think carefully about what exactly God is revealing and why, so that we do not speak beyond what God Himself has revealed to us.
What God is revealing is not framed in the language of science (i.e. "what about dinosaurs and cavemen?") In Genesis 1, God does not tell us precisely "how" He created all things. Yet science is concerned with learning "how", and so science studies God's creation to discover what God is revealing in and through His creation (what we call "general revelation"). This is appropriate and fitting to the nature of scientific discovery, and we should applaud these efforts because science discovers what God is revealing through His creation.
However, since "what" God is revealing in Genesis 1 is not framed in the language of science, (i.e. dinosaurs and cavemen) then we should not expect Genesis 1 to offer scientific answers. After all it is not God's intention to do so.
So what exactly IS God revealing in Genesis 1, and why?
As I said previously, God reveals that "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth". So now the question we must ask is "why" does God choose to reveal that truth in Genesis 1? This is not now the language of science, but the language of theology (a study of what we call "special revelation" which is what God reveals about Himself and His operations in the world in the Bible)
In theology, we see that Genesis 1 has a context. It speaks of "the beginning" but it does so to people who are many years removed from that significant creation event. Therefore, we must ask: "What did those people (the ones addressed many years after the creation event) need to know?"
They needed to know "why" they should worship their God, and not the gods of other nations. They needed to know that their God was greater, higher, and more powerful than all other so-called gods. Thus, in the language of poetry, the writer communicates the truth of the supremacy of God to the people who are called to worship Him and Him alone.
Other nations worship things (sun, moon, and stars for example), but God's people are called to worship God and God alone. The sun and moon had names (for example, chemosh was the name of the sun god in the Ancient Near East), and the nations around God's people worshiped them by name. In the Hebrew language "shemesh" is the name given to the sun. Yet in the creation account in Genesis 1, the author does not name the sun and moon, instead he calls them the "greater light" and "lesser light" (see verse 16). Why? It was because the author of Genesis 1, inspired by the Holy Spirit, wants God's people to know that the gods of the nations are nothing more than creations of the one true Almighty God; their God: Yahweh.
So in conclusion, we must be careful to think clearly about "what" God is revealing in His word and "why" so that we can best understand exactly what He wants us to know about Him and His operations in this world as He reveals them.
Hopefully this makes things a little clearer. I am sure there are objections and questions you want to share, so please do. Let's continue this conversation as we seek truth in the service of God and the advancement of Christ's reign here on earth.
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