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Devotion.al

Tag: church

  • Living in the Gray

    Nehemiah 13:4–22, Matthew 12:1–8

    Nehemiah was “just” a layperson. He probably had no formal religious or other education. He wasn’t a “leader” of the people. He did, however, have an important position of trust with King Artaxerxes. To be the cupbearer meant that you were trusted with the king’s life and even the life of his royal guests. Nehemiah had an important place of trust and service. Since it was such a trust-based position, it is telling that King Artaxerxes valued Nehemiah enough to be willing to have another take the place of the cupbearer while Nehemiah was away.

    Nehemiah had a hard task of restoring the city of Jerusalem while politicians in the surrounding area jockeyed for position and control of Jerusalem. No doubt it was hard and trying. However, the harder task was fixing what started the mess…the hearts of the People of God. The temple became the place to stay. The Sabbath was a day like any other. The Levites were landless and in dire straits. The remnants of Israel had lost their center. They had lost their God. Nehemiah threw out the “guest” in the temple, so the Levites would have their (appropriate) space. Nehemiah restored the tithe so that the Levites could do their job. Then Nehemiah added to their tasks, making them the preservers of the Sabbath (by force of arms if needed).

    By the time of Jesus, the Sabbath was being followed religiously. The Levites were receiving their tithe. The Levites had a place to stay. If just looking at these things in the time of Jesus, one could be convinced that Nehemiah was very successful. Outward appearances can be deceiving. The rituals were all in place. The rules were all in place. Even more, were added, just to make sure. The rules, however, became oppressive. You might be aware of a phrase, “they love Jesus, but not the church.” That’s where many people were. They loved God, but they wanted nothing to do with the religious leaders.

    Between Nehemiah (rules needed) and Jesus (rules are too much), there has to be a middle-ground. The problem with the middle-ground is that it is hard and often undefined. We like our nice and neat categories. We want black and white; no gray. That is not life.

    1) Where do you see more rules being needed?

    2) Where do you see fewer rules being needed?

    3) Where do you see a balance being needed?

  • Work Assignment

    Genesis 14:17–20, Hebrews 5:1–4, Acts 13:1–3

    The calling of God is mysterious. The Levitical line produced the priests, but who would be called was something different.

    The calling of pastors is equally mysterious (including to the pastors). How and why God calls certain people to be pastors and doesn’t call other equally equipped (or equipable) and faithful people remains a mystery.

    In many respects, King Melchizedek is emblematic of the issue. He just pops into scripture as a priest of God, and then is gone again. The first person titled priest is a mystery. That is really part of the whole point. That the calling of a person to more directly and intimately interact and act (in particularly limited ways) in the place of God can often be hard to fathom.

    The author of Hebrews does provide us a boundary, which is good. “No one takes this honor on himself…” One of the blessings of the current culture is that people aren’t pursuing ministry due to its cultural respect (yes, it’s a sad thing, too). In this culture people are making not just a financial sacrifice, they are also making a cultural sacrifice. In the Middle Ages, for example, the younger son or daughter would be sent into the church, providing the family influence (some security about inheritance fights). The younger son didn’t often have a choice. That being said, many of them became great blessings to the church through their faithful service and guidance. While people angled to use the church (and their children) to gain power and influence, many of them surrendered fully to God making a big difference. While those that were sent to the church may have been sent with deceptive or unrighteous purpose, the boundary that the author of the book of Hebrews made was still fulfilled.

    While priests and pastors have a particular (maybe peculiar) call, all Christians have a call. Yours may not have been assigned. Sometimes the call can be within our work, our hobby, our friends, our neighborhood. In fact, in each of these places, we are “assigned” to work for the Kingdom. However, there are certain areas that God has more strongly called us to do the work.

    One of the biggest clues is how you are wired, and what activities you enjoy. How we are wired and what we enjoy makes our work for the kingdom more infectious and effective. There are limits, of course, to the activities. Not all activities are a blessing.

    1) What activities are you most joy-filled doing?

    2) How can those activities be used at church, family, work, other social circles, to build the Kingdom?

    3) Roles we are assigned or fill aren’t necessarily joy-filled. How can you take the activities and apply them to your roles? Be creative.

  • Harvest Days

    Genesis 8:20–22, Haggai 1:3–6, Matthew 9:35–38

    If you have been reading these devotions with any regularity, you might have noticed that I generally do not put myself into them (e.g., I, me, my). I am making an exception today.

    I was driving home, and passed a sign at an espresso stand that seeing, “The first 5 days after the weekend are the harvest.” I processed that for a moment, thinking what a cool sign.

    Then I re-read it, and changed my mind about the sign. It actually read, “the first 5 days after the weekend are the hardest.” That was depressingly pessimistic. What I initially “saw”, however, stuck with me.

    I love Sundays. I love coming/going to church. I feel “off” if I’m not there. Your temptation when you read this is I’m a pastor. My role as “pastor” doesn’t really change that. Church is often more “home” than my house. Church with all its angst, emotions, and pain (we bring it all in with us), may not be the most joyous thing for you. I feel bad if that is the case with you (though I can sympathize).

    The reality is that church should be the spiritual and emotional recharge for the next 5 days (really, the next 6). Yet, it is not supposed to be a recharge so you can “just” go back to work. Those next days are “harvest” days. We are the laborers that Jesus speaks of and there are very few of us (proportionally). We are to be recharged to do the work of the Kingdom by bringing people into it.

    I’ll be real. You may think I’m pointing a finger at you. I too struggle with being the laborer. I am far too aware that I am pointing far more fingers at myself. I want to focus on my job and get it done (including at church). I am wired that way, and you may be too. To Jesus—Our Lord and Savior—our real job is not the tasks of the job. It is the people.

    1) What excuses do (or did) you use to not be a laborer?

    2) What habits can you develop (it will take time) to focus on the goal of the harvest, saved/reconciled souls?

    3) If you are part of a small group or accountability group (i.e., “band”), add this to your agenda. When was the last you were held accountable for this? When was the last time you held others accountable?

  • Family Issues Galore

    Genesis 29:21–30:24, Genesis 35:16–20

    Jacob’s family relationships (as we read yesterday) were already a mess. His Uncle Laban did not help relational stability by setting up his own daughters to have discord in their marriage.

    The consequence is that sister wives fought over their husband. They also used their servant-women as bargaining chips. From our perspective, what occurred with Jacob’s wives, their servants, and the resultant sons is crazy. We can reasonably condemn Jacob for allowing this. At the same time, sons were the “greatest” wealth. He would do what was necessary to make sure of that. However, his wisdom is deeply in question.

    1) What do you think the relationships between the brothers would have been like? How would the relationships between the four mothers impacted the brothers’ relationships between each other and their parents?

    2) Blended families bring in the traumas of more than 2 families, and often create more trauma on top of it. What can the church do to help in that? Do you know blended families? How do you related to them?

    3) Our modern concept of the “nuclear” family would seem to be in sharp contract to Jacob’s family. What are both positive and negative lessons we can learn from these families?

  • Circumcised Relationship

    Genesis 17:1–14, Deuteronomy 10:14–22, Luke 1:59–80

    The ritual of circumcision existed before the people of Israel came into being (yes, Abraham was their forefather). This was a ritual the physically made the people of Israel different than those around them. It was (and is) the ceremony that “enters” a boy into the covenant. In the modern ceremony (which, in all likelihood, had similarities to the ceremony John went through), the parents respond with, “As this child has entered into the covenant, so may he enter into Torah, the wedding canopy, and good deeds.” This is also the time when the boy officially receives his Hebrew name.

    While we’re certain that John didn’t get married, he certainly learned (“entered”) the Torah and did “good” deeds. When we recognize the receiving of a name as part of this ceremony, we understand where the family is a bit confused regarding the name that John receives, which isn’t Hebrew. John’s name in and of itself indicates that John is set apart at the tender age of 8 days (plus the whole angel visitation) to be different. The Brit Milah is a big family occasion. What a time to make waves!

    While obeying the (Jewish) Law is good, obeying the Law for the Law’s sake is not. As we talked about a few days ago, the Law was never the point. It was a relationship with God. The event of Brit Milah was both the entering into the covenant community and recognizing the One who created that community…God.

    Often we get sidetracked by the good things: church, Bible reading, Life Groups, even prayer. As we “check-off” the list, we neglect a relationship with the One around whom all these revolve. The tasks overtake the relationship. That being said, there are far too many people who say, “I can worship God better (here) than at (church/life groups).” They might be correct…for a time. However, when we worship God in isolation, we become the only one who holds us accountable. Except in rare cases, that means the worship (let alone the relationship) fades away.

    When Moses talked about circumcising the heart, it wasn’t supposed to be a task to be “checked-off”, it was a relationship to be had.

    1) When we look at the tradition of circumcision, we can see the similarity with infant baptism. What are the similarities? What are the differences? Why do those differences matter?

    2) At the circumcision, there are 3 aspects of life that are addressed. What are they? How do they echo the Christian life?

    3) Age is no barrier to making waves; John’s parents were well advanced in years, and their son was 8 days old. What does this tell you about the age barriers in living the Christian life? What does this tell you about making a difference for God’s kingdom?

  • By Their Sin, They Are Known

    Genesis 18:16–33, Luke 13:1–5

    The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah is often used as an object lesson regarding the result of select sins. In today’s passage, we don’t address those sins, for they aren’t really the subject of today’s section in Genesis.

    What do you think of God and Abraham in this story? God debated whether to tell Abraham about the impending judgment of Sodom. God chose to inform Abraham. The reasoning probably had a lot to do with Abraham having family (Lot) in Sodom. What we should draw from this passage is that Abraham didn’t question the righteousness of God’s inquiry. In other words, Abraham knew bad stuff was happening in Sodom. Abraham did ask what the threshold was for enough righteous people needed to prevent destruction. Abraham believed that there had to be one. Note that God didn’t push back on Abraham, either. Abraham was very humble in his approach but kept asking until he was satisfied.

    There is something else to take into consideration. The gods of the area were not known for their self-control. The gods were expected to destroy anything and everything of a village, let’s say if one person offended them. In that context, Abraham gives us a picture of God that is different from the other gods that Abraham would have been familiar with.

    This same motif comes into play when Jesus talks about those who died at the Tower of Siloam. There is not some mean-hearted god who waits for a person (or people) to sin and then destroy them. That is not God at all! For some who brought this up to Jesus there were those that felt that those Galileans were the worst of sinners (for various political reasons), so deserved what they got. Jesus’ point was that everyone needs to repent, not just some people.

    1) The litany about righteous men in Sodom (or the lack thereof) can be heard in our culture, our churches, our families. How many people does it take for a family, church, or culture to be “okay” and not be condemned by those around it? How often have you condemned a group of people based on the behavior of one person?

    2) We often measure suffering. There are 2 basic measures. If the sufferer is Christian, there is a comparison of suffering to being attacked by the Adversary. If the sufferer is not Christian, there is a comparison of suffering to their lack of repentance or the amount of sin in their life. Have you done any of these comparisons? What makes either of these comparisons dangerous?

  • Faith and Tradition

    Psalm 40:1–16, John 7:21–24, Acts 15:1–21

    To this very day, churches (and thus the church) struggle with what exactly their faith means and its implications. Certain things appear to have been settled, but others haven’t. Although, perhaps it is better to say that when push comes to shove people will finally get to the point where doctrine and orthodoxy are finally separated from tradition.

    In many denominations and churches, tradition has been so wrapped into doctrine and orthodoxy that not following tradition is viewed as dangerous and even non-Christian. As the Church of the Nazarene is rooted in the Wesleyan tradition, we view tradition as a key component to understanding our faith. At the same time, we (as Wesley) are “descendants” of the Reformation, which has as a motto, “Semper Reformanda,” always reforming. In other words, while certain essentials of the faith must be predominately left alone, everything else should be worthy of dispute and conversation.

    If we re-read the passage from John and Acts in the light of the above, we see tradition and Semper Reformanda at work. In the Book of John, Jesus heals on the Sabbath, violating tradition, yet reforming the practices to be more aligned with the heart of God.

    In the Book of Acts, traditionalists (honestly believing they are doing the right thing) try to get Gentiles (non-Jews) to take on the Jewish rite of circumcision. They get into a discussion with Paul and Barnabas, and it gets sent to committee. However, unlike our committees, a decision was made and shared. The message didn’t denigrate tradition, but it reformed it.

    Local churches (i.e., Generations Community Church) often have traditions that had a time and place, but that may no longer be the case. The tradition may be 50 years, 20 years, 5 years, or even 5 months old. Regardless, it should always be viewed as whether it is still effective in sharing the Gospel and discipling believers.

    1) Comfort is the big power of tradition. If we look at how Jesus lived, why should that concern us?

    2) Tradition is neither inherently good nor bad. How do you analyze the why of a tradition? If you don’t analyze a tradition, why not?

    3) Acts 15:2 shows that discussion (even if heated) is good and healthy when it comes to tradition and even theology. Where do you see that respect of discussion happening? Where do you think it needs to happen more?

  • Dehardening Hearts

    Psalm 105:1–4, Deuteronomy 24:17–22, Acts 6:1–7

    “Solitary religion is not to be found there [inward]. “Holy solitaries” is a phrase no more consistent with the Gospel than holy adulterers. The Gospel of Christ knows of no religion, but social; no holiness, but social holiness. Faith working by love is the length and breadth and depth and height of Christian perfection. This commandment have we from CHRIST, that he who loves GOD, love his brother also; and that we manifest our love by doing good unto all men, especially to them that are of the household of faith.”

    —John Wesley

    “…no holiness, but social holiness…” has been misused over the years, being equated with social justice. John Wesley was specifically speaking about what would now call private versus public faith. For John Wesley—and the church as a whole—found that Christians were more likely to be better Christians when living within the context of a discipleship and accountability context. When our religion becomes private, we hide from ourselves and others that which needs to be brought into the light. The path of holiness can only be walked in the truth and the light with others. There are 2 “gotchas” with this. The first is the whole discipleship and accountability piece. When the world looks at us and judges us, it’s because we’re doing a pretty poor job. The other is found in our passages in Deuteronomy and Acts.

    “…we manifest our love by doing good unto all men, especially to them that are of the household of faith.” Read that again. The orphans and widows, those left alone, are our responsibility to love and care for. Is there a “reasonable” limit? Maybe, though God’s grace poured out on the cross puts a lot of doubt on that. We could be Ebeneezer Scrooge and talk about our taxes, work programs, welfare, etc., but while that may be subsistence, it isn’t True Life. We think it is hard today, because “so many” people take advantage of the system. Yet, in John Wesley’s day, there were more disadvantaged, fewer programs, and a lot less money going to it.

    As we look at our fellow human beings, we cannot allow ourselves to be deceived by those who use our hearts for their gain. This is the sad reality of politics (all parties) and the media (bad news sells). In fact, we are seeing fatigue of all sorts set in. This allows us to harden our hearts. All is never lost, however. As the world becomes fatigued, this is our opportunity to once again be the light that we are called to be. We are not called to make a big splash, nor are we all called to the same thing. We are all called to love each other.

    1) Have you found yourself becoming callous or even adversarial to others in the current political and social climate?

    2) Do you find that you identify more with a political party or social view more than Jesus? Are you allowing politics or culture to define what it means for you to follow Jesus?

    3) Why do you think social holiness (e.g., Sunday service, Life Groups, Bands) is needed for us to love one another?

  • Struggling in Unity

    John 17:20–23, Philippians 1:27–28

    E Pluribus Unum.

    If you look at US currency, most (if not all) will have this saying. In Latin, it means “Out of many, one.” While the US might be the gathering place of people of many nations, it is the church that should be living out this saying more than any entity in Creation.

    Jesus prayed that we (all the church, in all the world, in all of time) would be one, just as he (Jesus) and the Father are one. This is one of those areas of mystery and freedom for the people who make up the church. Our theology and tradition teach us that God is One. Our theology and tradition also teach us that as One, God is still (at the same time) Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In purpose and intent, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are One. However, they are also separate (the great conundrum of the Trinity), which should be kind of like us.

    United in intent and love, and individual at the same time. As we can see, it hasn’t worked so well in the United States. It certainly could be worse. It certainly could be better. Jesus doesn’t give us the excuse of, “it’s a republic.” We are to be united (a perfect single unit) so that the world knows that Jesus is the Messiah. This is not so the world knows we are Christians or good people, or we’re “saved”. Unity is the testimony that Jesus is who he says he is.
    Paul takes unity and puts it as a symbol of trusting in the Gospel. In other words, Paul is saying, “you’re preaching it, but do you believe it?”

    The church in general and even Generations Community Church has a problem with unity. Unity is hard work. Unity is never about our-self, it is about all of us…together.

    Whether you struggle with being united with an “opposing” political party, a different skin color, a different language, a different nationality, a different sexuality (or lack thereof), we are called to be united. We have seen denominations start the long and painful road to separation. Church history is filled with splits. Even positives, like the Church of the Nazarene (which united different churches), are outweighed by splits.

    It may seem abrupt to tie this in, but evangelism as a practice is in decline. Evangelism, not sharing the faith. Yes, there is a huge difference. Evangelism is often a whip. Sharing the faith isn’t. Unity is the example the world needs. Unity shows the world who Jesus is. Unity shows the world we believe what we say.

    1) Have you ever left a church for a reason other than moving? If so, why?

    2) What are you doing in this church framily to build unity?

    3) One of the biggest struggles in unity is speaking truth in love. To whom do you need to speak truth?

    4) Often the biggest struggle in unity is hearing truth spoken in love. What truths have people shared that you did (and/or do) not listen to?

  • To Grieve and Mourn

    Jeremiah 9:13–21, Job 6:14–30, Matthew 5:4

    Yesterday, when we were talking about misery loving company, we were ultimately talking about people without grace and generosity in their hearts. Today’s misery is very different.

    For today, misery needs company. We as a nation and as a culture are pretty awful at mourning. We have clinicized death, separating it from our lives, except for entertainment. The reason this is important is by separating ourselves from it, we have also lost the ability to mourn. We don’t even have the “professional” mourners and wailers that Jeremiah speaks of.

    Instead, many of us are like Job, feeling betrayed when our friends avoid or abandon us during our grief. You may be saying to yourself, “my friends haven’t done that” or “I have not done that to my friends”. If so, you and/or your friends have a ministry: to the church and the world. The church and the world avoid those feelings of loss and grief. The world and the church teach it differently, but the result is the same, “suck it up, and move on.”
    There is also a darker side to this, and that is when death occurs in an estranged relationship. Many of the same responses in an estranged relationship occur in “normal” relationships, for we are very much estranged from each other. In estranged relationships, there is often an “I don’t care” response. The problem is that if there are too many estranged relationships in one’s life, there is also a lot of emotional baggage that often doesn’t get dealt with.

    Jesus, however, promises that those who mourn will be comforted.

    1) If you are a follower of Jesus, and Jesus says that those who mourn will be comforted, what do you think that means for you?

    2) When you have grieved or mourned have you pushed people away? If so, why? If people “ran away” from you, how did that make you feel?

    3) When is and what makes grieving or mourning healthy and unhealthy?