Sunday, October 30, 2022

We're not promised a friendly surrounding culture.

I've made comments like this on Facebook many times, so I thought it would be good to post it here.


We're not promised a friendly culture surrounding us. The scriptural norm is more like 'those who wish to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted'.  I think part of our problem in western culture is that the church (in various forms) has taken having a surrounding culture that is friendly to us for granted, and regarded it as a right.

The only part of the New Testament that seems to me to even hint at having a friendly surrounding culture is 1 Tim 2:1-8(in the sense of 'so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity'), and there it is only implied that it might come as a result of us praying for all people (and not just praying for those in authority, as we sometimes pull out of it). I sometimes wonder if we're losing the 'culture war' because we've been trying to recover a friendly-to-us surrounding culture without having laid a foundation of praying for all people, including those who would oppose and persecute us. We've tried to battle a 'culture war' without laying the foundation needed to have the outcome we want. It's not exactly surprising that, in the world outside the church, we're losing. And we're seeing that world infiltrate the church.


Wednesday, July 20, 2022

On why we go to church

 Just came up to 1 Cor 14 in my reading, and I have the following note attached to the chapter: 


Just read I Cor 14 in my regular Bible reading, and it struck me that underlying the whole chapter is the assumption that in coming to church, you should not be coming for what you can be getting spiritually, but for what you can be giving spiritually.

The person who comes to church and just sits there speaking in tongues, Paul indicates, is contributing to his own spiritual life well enough, but is not contributing to the spiritual life of the rest of the church in any way that couldn't be accomplished just as well by himself.  But that's not what church is for.  We come together to build up each other, not just to get ourselves built up.

And it strikes me that this is in some ways opposite to the way we often think about church.  The idea is often that each of us comes in order to get his spiritual tank "filled up"for the week - we come to get something for ourselves to help us make it.  The picture Paul gives here, though, is that we should come to build up the spiritual life of the rest of the church with whatever of the diverse spiritual gifts the Holy Spirit has given us.

This difference in our motivation for gathering as a church seems to me to be at least worth trying to wrap our heads around.

Monday, January 06, 2020

Cloud of Witnesses

Part of the sermon this morning quoted from Heb 12:1: "Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us".  Pastor Ron didn't get into that part, but I know I have often heard people talk as though this crowd of witnesses is watching us.  I don't think that's quite the picture we're supposed to get.

A witness basically does 2 things:  1.  Observe or experience something; 2.  Tell others about what was observed or experienced.  Different uses can emphasize one or the other.  The witnesses in a wedding, for example, are primarily there to observe the wedding taking place (presumably so that if questions come up, they can testify that it happened).  The witnesses in a court proceeding are primarily there to tell what they have observed or experienced.  When Jesus says in Acts 1:8 that "you shall be My witnesses", he seems to primarily have in mind telling what you've seen and experienced in Him.

In Heb 12:1, some seem to assume that the cloud of witnesses is in "observing" mode - they're watching us.  But in context, I don't think so.  This is preceded by Heb 11, giving us testimony after testimony of what God's people have done through faith in God.  *These* are the cloud of witnesses,  testifying to what God does though faith.  They're in "testimony" mode, not "observing" mode.  And it's in view of their testimony that we're supposed to "lay aside every encumbrance and the sin that so easily entangles us".  We're to do this, not because there's this big crowd watching us, but in view of their testimony of what God does in a life through faith.

Wednesday, January 30, 2019

Broken hearts

Tonight, at a very good Bible study time at church, a discussion was raised regarding broken hearts.  My own impression at the time was that some of the differences expressed were due to using the phrase 'a broken heart' from different perspectives.  It wasn't until I got home that I realized that that one little phrase 'a broken heart' could have (at least) 3 different meanings, depending on context:

1.  A heart broken by the hurts, pains and harmful things that are endemic in this sin-wracked world.  This is essentially a damaged heart.  This broken heart is the effect of sin by one person (or persons) against another.  This heart needs healing in Jesus, and you wouldn't ask to have your heart re-damaged,

2.  A heart broken in repentance.  This is the heart that looks at it's own sin, and is broken by how it has disappointed and grieved God.  An example of this usage is in Ps 51:17: "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;  A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise".  This heart needs forgiveness and restoration.  If you are intent on growing in Christ, you might very well ask for the discernment of your own sin that would bring rise to it, so that your own hindrences to growth can be dealt with.

3.  A heart broken by compassion.  This is the heart that sees the sin in the world, and its effects, and is moved to bring healing, restoration, and the Gospel to those under sin's thrall.  This is what I believe is referred to by the line "Break my heart for what breaks yours" in the Hillsong United song "Hosanna".  This is not a request to damage my own heart, but to bring me to the same compassion that God has for the world.

This is rather the nature of human language (or at least, the way human language is used - I really don't want to get into the Prescriptivism/Descriptivism wrangle here).  Words don't always carry a precise, technical meaning.  This is why, for example, you may find multiple definitions for a single word in a dictionary - different meanings apply in different contexts (and I'll parenthetically note that it can be dangerous to look at list of meanings and choose one that matches what you want or would like for a sentence to say.  You have to examine a sentence to discern which meaning was originally intended).  Phrases, even more so.



Monday, July 10, 2017

Old Christian music grump

I got saved in the spring of 1973, and largely grew up spiritually with the Jesus Music of the '70s and '80s.  It's not like I didn't appreciate at least *some* of the hymns (I went to Asbury College, a decent Christian college with roots back into the Holiness movement, with professors who encouraged us to read hymn lyrics (pretty good advice, actually)).  Of course, back then there were those who objected to Jesus Music, saying that the hymns were good enough.

As I approach my 60's, I'm finding the the temptation is definitely there to become one of those 'the old music is good enough' old grumps, except that in my case the 'old music' is my 60's/70's Jesus music compared to modern CCM (rather than comparing 'the old hymns' to the new music).  I'm tempted to grump about the superiority of the old CCM versus the current CCM.

I've tried to look at why this comes up and not just succumb to the temptation.  So far, this is what I've come up with:
  1. I'm not really comparing apples to apples.  Anytime you compare 'old music' to 'new music' (particularly when the old music is something you remember from your much younger years(for those of us who have much younger years)), you're not really comparing equivalent music.  In any period of time, you're got schlock music, and good music, and everything in between.  In remembering the old music, you by and large don't remember the schlock music from back then.  It was forgettable, so you forgot it.  But when dealing with the current music, you don't have much choice but to face it all.  You're comparing the best of the old stuff with the entirety of the range of quality of the new.  It's not surprising that in that comparison, the new stuff comes up short.
  2. I've got years of emotional investment in the old music that I can't possibly have invested in the new.  I've been a Christian over 40 years.  Over the years, Christian music (both hymns and CCM) has comforted and instructed me, and helped me hang on.  It's unlikely that the new stuff is going to have the same emotional impact as my old familiar music, and expecting it to do so would be unreasonable.  Nor would it be reasonable to expect younger Christians (to whom my 'old music' may very well be new) to react as I do to my old, familiar music - they simply can't have the same time of emotional impact as I've had.  I'll have to admit, this latter part is something I struggle with.
  3. Overidentifying with music, and taking it personally when people don't share your tastes. - Would John have included the 'lust of the ear' in his catalog of worldly characteristics (see 1 John 2:16) if music had been as much a part of the world then as it is now?  Note that  in the world, it's not unusual to find that people react negatively when you put down their music.  Dis their music, and you'll get a reaction (even if they  don't use that terminology).  Though taste in music is primarily subjective, we like to regard our own musical likes and dislikes as though they are fairly objective truth.  I like it, so liking it must be  right, right?  There are reasons I like my music, so other people should accept those reasons and like it, ,too.  At one point, I realized  that I  tended to refer to the Jesus Music of the '70s and '80s as "My Music".  I no longer think that that's necessarily healthy.  Having personal likes and dislkes is fine - you're going to have them.  Over-identifying with them isn't.  It means that you're going to become proud of and over-protective of those preferences - like the world, reacting to dislike your preferences in music very negatively.  There is value in the old hymns and the older music - be willing to share the  value you  see in them, but avoid acting like those who don't see the same value, and who prefer other music must be missng it.

Saturday, July 08, 2017

BAM! arguments, or gentle correction?

Surprise!  I've actually made a post without waiting over a year!

I've long thought that 2 Tim 2:24-25a ("And the Lordʼs slave must not engage in heated disputes but be kind toward all, an apt teacher, patient, correcting opponents with gentleness.") should govern our discussions a lot more than it typcally does.  Even in Christian discussions, "heated disputes" often characterizes our disagreements rather than "correcting with gentleness".

But lately, the followup verses (2 Tim 2:25b-26  "Perhaps God will grant them repentance and then knowledge of the truth and they will come to their senses and escape the devilʼs trap where they are held captive to do his will.") have gotten my attention.  We often offer an argument expecting that that argument will effectly stop our opponents in their tracks, that they'll find themselves so  thoroughly refuted that they shut up (there's a reason that a common form of click-bait headline is effectively "X's response  DESTROYS opponent Ys argument" (of course, if you click through, you  typically find that it doesn't really destroy the opponent's argument).  We *want* our side to be that "victorious".  If inflates our pride in being on the  "right side").  But this passage from Paul doesn't seem to engender that expectation.  It's more like you leave the effectiveness  of your gentle correction up to God, with the result dependent on whether God gives them the grace, repentance and recognition of the truth necessary to escape the error they're in (of course, this assumes that  our gentle correction (or heated argument) was correct in the first place, which if we're honest, is regrettably not always the case).  The attitude is what gets my attention.  It's not "superior", or prideful, or arrogant (all of which  are attitudes that often turn off those we're trying to reach).  It's a gentle presentation of the truth, leaving the results up  to the Father's grace.  Are we doing this?

Sunday, April 23, 2017

Out to look right, or to do right?

A few years ago, I posted a "proverb" of mine:

The wise man wants to act righteously, and and welcomes correction as an aid to doing it. He will defend his reputation against unfair attacks, but only after examining the criticism to see if there is anything to learn from it. For him, doing right trumps looking right.

The fool wants to look righteous and regards correction as an obstacle to that goal. Defending his reputation is the first priority, and only after he once again feels his reputation is secure will he, possibly, examine the criticism for validity. For him, looking right trumps doing right.
It's derived from Ps 15:4c, Pr 12:1,15, and 2 Cor 13:7, with a generous dose of C. S. Lewis's principle of First and Second Things..  As usual with my  insights, it's pointing to some aspect of humility.  But when reading through Matthew recently, I realized that it could also be derived from Mat 6:1-18. Jesus warns against practicing your righteousness in front of people, in order to be seen, and gives 3 examples.  He even says "be careful not to"(HCSB, CSB, NET, NIV) or "Beware of "(NASB, ESV), doing this, which implies that it's something easy to slip into if you're not careful.  If you're only focused on "doing good", it's going to be easy to slip into doing it for the wrong reasons - for building up your own reputation, for making yourself look good to other people.  You have to be wary of, to be careful of, slipping into this.

Rather than doing your deeds before people, Jesus advocates just the opposite: do  your giving anonymously, pray in private rather than making a spectacle of public prayer, when fasting, do your ordinary grooming so people can't see you're fasting.

Does this mean  everything has to be done anonymously?  I don't think so;  Jesus also says in Mat 5:16: "let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven"".  People will see your good works, but your light should shine in such a way that they glorify your heavenly Father, not glorify you.

Attitude makes the difference.  Are you out to advertise yourself, or are you out to do what Father wants, regardless of how you look?  Are you the wise man, wanting to  do what 's right, even if you end up looking wrong, or are you the fool for whom looks and perception are everything?

Friday, January 06, 2017

A note on I Cor 8:1

Recently, I went over the notes I've made on the Olive Tree software I use to read the Bible, and ran across this note I made on I Cor 8:1, which seems share-worthy:

"Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up".  Knowledge tends to point to itself and gets all wrapped up in the fact that it knows what it knows. This is very head-puffing.  Love takes that same knowledge, and constructs.  Note that 'edify', though very much a "religious" word, tends to because of that become vague almost to the point of uselessness.  'Build up' is heading the same way.  To get the idea across in our culture, I'd use the term "construct", or maybe just "build" by itself.  Knowledge on its own inflates the head of its owner to the point where it is empty and flimsy.  Love takes that same knowledge, and builds something solid in the lives of others, whether or not the others realize that that person knows what he does.  Love isn't interested in showing off its knowledge.  Love is interested in making that knowledge productive in other's lives.

Thursday, April 23, 2015

Gathering Together

In a home fellowship I attend, today Mat 18:20 came up: "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, I am there among them".  It hit me that there is no corresponding verse for the 'lone ranger' among us, saying "For where you sit by yourself in my name, I am there".  This, of course, doesn't mean that there's a problem with private prayer - Jesus practiced it, and encouraged it in us (Mat 6:6), - but it implies that failing to gather together with other Christians in Jesus name will mean that we miss something of Jesus' presence.

You may find some of those with whom you gather together irritating, or see them as hypocrites.  You may not like the worship style or other aspects of the service.  But letting that keep you away will mean that you will miss something of Jesus' presence that you can get no other way than gathering together with your flawed brothers and sisters in Christ, in His name.

Thursday, May 17, 2012

A short quote from John Newton (writer of "Amazing Grace")

"Whatever it be that makes us trust in ourselves that we are comparatively wise or good, so as to treat those with contempt who do not subscribe to our doctrines, or follow our party, is a proof and fruit of a self-righteous spirit. Self righteousness can feed upon doctrines, as well as upon works; and a man may have the heart of a Pharisee, while his head is stored with orthodox notions of the unworthiness of the creature and the riches of free grace. Yea, I would add, the best of men are not wholly free from this leaven; and therefore are too apt to be pleased with such representations as hold up our adversaries to ridicule, and by consequence flatter our own superior judgments. Controversies, for the most part, are so managed as to indulge rather than to repress this wrong disposition; and therefore, generally speaking, they are productive of little good. They provoke those whom they should convince, and puff up those whom they should edify."

I  had not realized that they had blogging in John Newtons time.