Graveside Dancing

Psalm 30; Hosea 13:4–14

Yesterday was the birthday of my stepfather. He passed away years ago. For whatever reason, this year his birthday hit me kind of hard. He and I had our good moments. We had our bad moments. Just like any parent-child relationship. I was his only child.

At his burial, the priest spoke about his baptism sealing him to Jesus Christ. This was spoken pastorally to people grieving. However, scripturally it has some weaknesses. His life, and to my knowledge, and beliefs were not of Jesus Christ.

On his death bed, my wife shared the Good News of Jesus Christ. He was in a “non-responsive” state. Yet, she felt a physical response to the invitation to accept Jesus Christ as his Savior. Only in Heaven will I learn if the baptism was “sealing” as the priest said, or whether the physical response truly was an acceptance of Jesus. I can only hope and trust in God.

Why share the angst? “I cried to you for help, and you healed me.” In our pain and sorrow, God is there to “turn [our] lament in dancing”. Joy in Christ in the midst of the pains of life is the life we are called to.

In lament and pain, it is easy for our faith in God to be shaken, while at the same time relying more firmly on God will help us through the pain.

There are many kinds of loss. The verses of Hosea summarize loss. The people lost (walked away from) God. They had experienced blessing, then they lost it. The vision of loss sounds brutal. Think of it though from God’s anguished heart.

“…like a bear robbed of her cubs.” Have you seen a momma bear (or many human mothers) separated from their children, with the feeling that the kids are threatened? I’ve seen a recorded version of one and lived the other. Don’t be the one that separates momma from the cubs. Just don’t.

THAT’S GOD! Something is between momma (God) and the cubs (the children of God)! That is just not going to go well! It could be a kingdom that has the name Israel or Judah attached to it.

THAT is the concept of ransom and redemption. Death and Sheol are not going to be forgiven for taking away the Children of God. The exact mechanism (despite a whole lot of theologians arguing over it for centuries) is unknown. All we know is that heart of God wants to turn our lament into dancing and our sorrow into joy.

※Questions※

1) What’s do you think about dancing at the death of death?

2) As Christians, why does death still frighten us? If we truly believe that a fellow Christian is in Heaven, why do we grieve?

3) “Deathbed Conversions” will continue to decrease, as too many don’t know the basics of Jesus. How will you turn regular conversations into God conversations?

※Prayer※

Father, thank you for redeeming us from death through the death and resurrection of your Son. May the Holy Spirit guide our hearts to speak the words of Christ to the world. Amen.

2020 10 03
Dancing in the Streets

Luke 10:17–24; Revelation 19:6–10

One of the greatest joys a parent can have is the success of their children. This isn’t necessarily financial nor even survival. The best times are watching them succeed when they do not think they are capable.

That’s Jesus‘ joy when the 72 disciples return. They recognized that through Jesus they could now do amazing things. They went out with almost nothing. They came back changed.

In his book, Rings of Fire, Leonard Sweet says that, “Jesus celebrated, danced, prayed, and let the Spirit loose.” That’s the kind of rejoicing that Jesus did.

This is the kind of rejoicing that occurs in Heaven when the Bride and the Groom. The same kind. This is the joy that Jesus had upon the return of the 72.

In the days ahead, we will watch and experience friends, family, and much of the US population apparently lose common sense as the US Presidential election looms. No one knows what will happen this year, as both political parties have already gathered their legal forces to challenge the results.

There will be gatherings that mourn the electoral losses. There will be gatherings that celebrate the results. The political talking heads will have their day full of predicting what will happen.

No matter the result of the election, we will still be able to be rejoicing as we are part of the party in Heaven. We cannot let the ways of the world get the party down.

※Questions※

1) What’s your response when you think of Jesus dancing or leaping for joy?

2) How does Jesus’ joy for the 72 impact you? Does it matter?

3) How will you keep your “dancing” joy over the next few months with the tension and animosity that will be building?

※Prayer※

Jesus, thank you for giving us lives that rejoice. May we live in such a way that people see the joy of our hearts. Amen.

2020 10 02
Veritas

Acts 21:34–22:28

Have there ever been times in your life when you knew speaking the truth would, at best, keep things the way they were? And, at worst, make things horribly wrong? Or, have you had the experience that no matter how much you speak the truth, others only hear lies?

These scenarios might seem far-fetched, yet, that was exactly what Paul experienced.

“You speak Greek?”

“Aren’t you the Assassin leader?”

“You speak Aramaic?”

“You’re a Roman citizen?”

Yes, one the first is a literal question. The other 3 are just summarizations of other verses. Yet, the entirety is that Paul was dismissed. He wasn’t worthy.

People could share plenty of false information (that’s what started the riot, after all). Why bother to inspect the truth?

We are in a weird time. Truth is questioned. Truth is questionable.

Before you throw politics into this, understand that the Truth of our faith remains steadfast. It is the only Truth.

Paul spoke the Truth. He did not speak the truth that people wanted to hear. This is the same thing that we are seeing now. It is place (schools, homes, churches, governments) agnostic.

Many of you may have experienced those first questions when you think about spiritual/faith conversations you have had.

Who are you? A child of God

What is Truth? That God loved you so much that he sent his son to die to reconcile God’s lost Creation to himself.

No, the Truth is not comfortable to many, or even most, people. Sharing the Truth will only become harder.

※Prayer※

Father of all Truth, may we have the courage of our faith to share your Truth in love with a world that does and doesn’t want to hear it. Amen.

2020 10 01
Message Over Mammon

Luke 10:1–9; 2 Corinthians 12:1–14

There are many people who attract attention naturally. Some do it with mere charisma. Some do it with money. Others do it with the words (positive and negative).

There are others that do it out of gain. Whether it is to gain the attention of people or to feel power, or success (all still people-based, really), gaining attraction to puff oneself up isn’t Christ-like.

When Jesus sent out the 72 disciples he gave an interesting direction: don’t change houses. In other words, if you were invited into a house in a town, stay at that house until you leave the town. As they were representatives of the famous prophet, they would likely be treated well. It might even mean that people would compete for their presence.

The concern with this is that the message would lose weight as the disciples would go from house to house. What gravitas would the “Kingdom of Heaven” have if its disciples (emissaries, ambassadors) traipsed from one place to another following the food and the sandal-licking (they didn’t have boots, then). If people competed over the fame and flattery of having one of the disciples, would they really care about the message?

The next concern would be the effect upon the disciples. Being “wined and dined” could have a potentially huge negative effect on their spiritual growth and their witness. It could even lead to some of the same bullying behavior of the Jewish religious leaders. That would have been very bad.

We see how it did evolve through Paul‘s letter to the Corinthians. The “super” apostles were, it seems, spiritual abusers. They guilt-tripped people to give more money. Based on Paul’s language, the super-apostles used language that implied that the Corinthians were being spiritually blessed by giving them (the super-apostles) so much money.

When Paul apologizes that he didn’t ask for money or to be taken care of, there is a realization that the Corinthians had been hoodwinked. They had bought wholeheartedly into the swindle of the super-apostles. In so doing, they lost the vision of the Gospel.

By succumbing to the words of these super-apostles, they reattached the chains of bondage. Paul was heartbroken. The heart of the message of freedom in Christ had been lost.

2020 09 30
What’s The Matter?

Numbers 3:44–48; Numbers 18:20; Deuteronomy 10:8–9; 1 Peter 2:3–10

Inheritance wars have long been a genre of popular fiction. Whether the fights were over business or titles of nobility or who will take over the family criminal enterprise. Sometimes, battles are fought over who gets what, or who got the most. That last one may even destroy family ties as one person feels loved least or loved most.

In the agricultural world, inheritance what truly critical, as which land (or how much of it) could mean success or death, with success often being just making it to the next season.

The Levites were given cities and surrounding land, but that land and city was always within the domain of another tribe. In some respects, we can view them as embassies. Due to agreements and treaties, the land within an embassy is treated as if it belongs to the ambassadorial country.

However, the embassy being another country is a matter of treaty. It is not absolute. The perpetual tension of an embassy is that it can be revoked. In fact, “breaking off” of diplomatic relations usually went along with embassies being closed. The land of that “country” returned to the holding of the host country.

Upon the entrance to the Promised Land, the immediate response was fulfillment. In other words, there wasn’t an issue with the Levites and the allocations.

God was the inheritance of the Levites. That’s a pretty big inheritance. When the people, however, don’t respect or love God and thus don’t bring the first fruits or monetary replacement, then what?

From a modern perspective, it seems that the goal was for the Levites (certainly of the Temple service) to be sustained by the faithful sacrifice. The extended purpose of the Levitical cities was to guard against a people who forgot about God. At the Levites would have food.

Did the Levites fulfill God’s intent for them? It would seem not, but to put all (or even most) of the blame on them would deny others‘ choices.

A number of years ago, I heard a quip, “Christianity is one generation away from vanishing.” In many respects, this is a true statement. If the faith is not passed down, it will not survive outside of the work of God. The same could be said of the Levites of the Jews.

In many respects, what the Levites experienced (and continue to) is what Christians should expect, too. Now, this is not because we aren’t good enough sharing the Word of God. It’s not that we’re bad about talking about the love of God (though there are many loud people who are awful at it).

We really need help at living it out well. This is the muddle, though. We think we are. We might even be. The world, however, doesn’t see it that way.

※Questions※

1) Do you think the world is more or less correct that we Christians (as a whole) do not live out the Christian life of love?

2) Do you think the Priesthood of all Believers (1 Peter 2:3–10) is equivalent to the Levites? Why or why not? If yes, what does that mean for you?

3) Levites’ primary purpose was the work of the Temple. Families taught the faith. Today, our “priests” (pastors) seem to be expected to be the only teachers. What can the Levites’ place teach us about pastors and families in regards to faith and discipleship?

※Prayer※

Father, you called a certain people to facilitate relationship between you and your chosen people. Help us to be facilitators of your dream for the world to reconcile itself to you. Amen.

2020 09 29
See and Be Seen

Genesis 16:7–14; John 1:47–51

Have you ever been to a big event? Maybe a concert? Maybe a sports game? And then you spend anywhere from 2 to 4 hours with thousands of your closest friends.

Most of those people really aren’t your friends. Unless you are ticket holder buddies, you are unlikely to see them again.

The reality is that a church service, even when small, can often feel the same way. You gather with other like-minded (at least somewhat religiously) individuals. You sit, stand, sing, pray, sit, listen, leave.

You may not feel that way. You may feel like your church is your family. If so, that’s great! It is also as it should be.

However, there are those that don’t feel that way. They can feel separated, ignored, unknown. They can feel unseen.

Hagar was cast out. She and her son were no longer welcome in the place she called home. She and Ishmael were now in life-threatening danger. In that day and age, being alone in the wilderness does not bode well for a woman and a boy.

There are a lot of people inside and out of the “the body of Christ” that are in a place of being alone. Human survival is far more than food, shelter, and clothing. We need to be known. We need to be seen. We need to be heard.

Hagar’s story is stronger than the simple story of Nathanael. Yet, Nathanael’s heart was open to Jesus because Jesus saw him. Yes, Jesus saw him from far away. Jesus, though, identified Nathanael’s character, as well. There is more than just sight. There is knowledge of the person.

Developing those relations is important for human thriving. It is also important for the spiritual growth of the individual and the body of Christ.

We all have spiritual growth of some sort. However, what sort matters greatly. If your growth is alone, then you can be sharp, but you can also be blunt. Without others to stand beside you, and sometimes in front of you, your growth may be that of a monster not of a believer.

Only in faithful fellowship are we kept on the narrow path. Only in faithful fellowship can we really be seen by others. Only in faithful fellowship can do more than just survive.

※Questions※

1) Who are you actively walking with to disciple and be discipled by? If no one, who could you see being discipling partners with?

2) Why do you think so many people do not have healthy discipling relationships?

3) What will you do to champion healthy discipling in your church?

※Prayer※

Jesus, thank you for your example of walking for years with people as broken as me. Help me see that I still need healing just like others. Help me be your light to others and help me accept your light from others. Amen.

2020 09 28
Evangel

Evangel

28 September 2020

Luke 1:68–80; Ephesians 4:7–16

Many years ago, there was campaign against man-caused forest fires. The campaign “starred” a little bear cub that, while burned, survived a man-caused forest fire. The tagline for the campaign was, “Only YOU can prevent forest fires.”

From a strict understanding, of course, it’s not just you that can prevent forest fires. It’s you and everyone else around whose behavior contributes to the amount of man-caused forest fires. Of course, you can only prevent forest fires when you are the contributor of the originating fire.

That was the beauty of the campaign. Ultimately, it was just you that can prevent forest fires, it was you and your friends and everyone else working together to prevent man-caused forest fires.

What, you may be asking yourself, have to do with Zechariah’s Holy Spirit-driven prophetic speech over an infant John the Baptist? Re-read it, and where it says, “you, child…” say, “me, [your name]…”

Just like the campaign starring Smokey the Bear, it wasn’t just John the Baptist who was called to go before Jesus. Each and every one of us is called to “go before” Jesus in our daily lives.

How that works in each person’s life will, for most, remain a mystery. However, when we live out a faithful life that witnesses to the power, grace, and love of Jesus Christ, we go before Jesus. Once we are asked a why or how question about our lives, then we get to announce Jesus.

You probably never thought of yourself as John the Baptist. That’s probably a good thing, for none of us can be another person, nor did God call us to be that way. We are not called to be John the Baptist.

You are probably not called to eat wild locusts and honey. Nor are you probably called to wear a hairy coat. We are called to follow in the “spirit of” John the Baptist by proclaiming salvation through Jesus Christ.

When we think of evangelism, we generally think about sharing Jesus with people who don’t know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Perhaps, however, we are just as called to share Jesus with those in the Body of Christ (the church).

Paul wrote to the Ephesians about the varying roles within the body. The overarching goal is, “…unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God’s Son…” He wrote that to Christians.

Our (good) desire to reach people who don’t know Jesus may well have obscured something essential. We need to continue to evangelize (i.e., tell the Good News about Jesus) each other.

※Questions※

1) Where and how do you see yourself evangelizing those that do not yet know Jesus? How about those who already declare they know Jesus?

2) What scares you most evangelizing? Does that fear change depending on whether they are already or not yet believers?

3) What are some ways evangelizing is (or should be) performed within the body of believers?

※Prayer※

Holy Spirit, guide our hearts to always be evangelizing one another. Amen.

2020 09 27
AntiPyros

Proverbs 16:28; Philippians 2:1–13; James 3:1–13

A pyromaniac is a person who continually fails to resist the temptation to start fires, often as a sort of method to relieve tension or for instant gratification. Pyromania (the term for the condition) is an impulse control disorder. What should we call those whose tongues (or keyboard strokes) cause firestorms of angst, hatred, fear, sorrow, etcetera?

As Christians, perhaps one of the biggest acts of serving love we can do in these days is to be firefighters. This is not about “fake news”, “doctored news”, “spin”, or any other term being flung about these days to discredit those perceived to be from the so-called opposition.

It wasn’t that long ago that the entire West Coast of the US was blanketed with smoke from many wildland fires. Millions of acres burned. Some categorize the amount of acreage burned as record-breaking. If we were to estimate the number of firefighters working to knock out the fires at 350 thousand (which is probably a quite high estimate), that would be around 1/10 of 1% (0.001) of the US population.

Why do those numbers matter? A relatively small proportion of the US population put out so many fires over a large amount of acreage. That’s the way we should be.

In the context of the church, fire is a symbol of the Holy Spirit and a purifier/cleanser. However, the other side of fire is utter destruction. A purifying fire can be good, however, the church (and society, and history, and the world) has had too many instances when a purifying fire becomes corrupted, and all it does is destroy.

There are far too many people like those in Proverbs 16:28 who seek to sow discord and conflict, and others who spread gossip to tear down their intellectual opponents. The Scriptures certainly do not celebrate such individuals. Nor should we.

Gossip and conflict-starting put oneself above others. When we look to ourselves and not others, there is a huge potential to sow hatred and derision rather than the love of Christ. When we speak in love and with the intent to build others up, the fire-starting tongue becomes a blesser rather than a curser.

※Questions※

1) Where are you seeing Christian brothers and sisters being unholy fire-starters and spreaders, rather than holy firefighters?

2) What are some ways and words that you can use to help quench the unholy fires of words that are shared around you?

3) What, if any, experiences have you had where what was (or was intended to be) a purifying fire turned into a destructive one?

※Prayer※

Holy Spirit, we ask you to light us up as beacons of your grace and love. Guide us to be the ones that share holy fire and extinguish unholy fire. Amen.

2020 09 26

Graveside Dancing

Psalm 30; Hosea 13:4–14

Yesterday was the birthday of my stepfather. He passed away years ago. For whatever reason, this year his birthday hit me kind of hard. He and I had our good moments. We had our bad moments. Just like any parent-child relationship. I was his only child.

At his burial, the priest spoke about his baptism sealing him to Jesus Christ. This was spoken pastorally to people grieving. However, scripturally it has some weaknesses. His life, and to my knowledge, and beliefs were not of Jesus Christ.

On his death bed, my wife shared the Good News of Jesus Christ. He was in a “non-responsive” state. Yet, she felt a physical response to the invitation to accept Jesus Christ as his Savior. Only in Heaven will I learn if the baptism was “sealing” as the priest said, or whether the physical response truly was an acceptance of Jesus. I can only hope and trust in God.

Why share the angst? “I cried to you for help, and you healed me.” In our pain and sorrow, God is there to “turn [our] lament in dancing”. Joy in Christ in the midst of the pains of life is the life we are called to.

In lament and pain, it is easy for our faith in God to be shaken, while at the same time relying more firmly on God will help us through the pain.

There are many kinds of loss. The verses of Hosea summarize loss. The people lost (walked away from) God. They had experienced blessing, then they lost it. The vision of loss sounds brutal. Think of it though from God’s anguished heart.

“…like a bear robbed of her cubs.” Have you seen a momma bear (or many human mothers) separated from their children, with the feeling that the kids are threatened? I’ve seen a recorded version of one and lived the other. Don’t be the one that separates momma from the cubs. Just don’t.

THAT’S GOD! Something is between momma (God) and the cubs (the children of God)! That is just not going to go well! It could be a kingdom that has the name Israel or Judah attached to it.

THAT is the concept of ransom and redemption. Death and Sheol are not going to be forgiven for taking away the Children of God. The exact mechanism (despite a whole lot of theologians arguing over it for centuries) is unknown. All we know is that heart of God wants to turn our lament into dancing and our sorrow into joy.

※Questions※

1) What’s do you think about dancing at the death of death?

2) As Christians, why does death still frighten us? If we truly believe that a fellow Christian is in Heaven, why do we grieve?

3) “Deathbed Conversions” will continue to decrease, as too many don’t know the basics of Jesus. How will you turn regular conversations into God conversations?

※Prayer※

Father, thank you for redeeming us from death through the death and resurrection of your Son. May the Holy Spirit guide our hearts to speak the words of Christ to the world. Amen.