Devotion.al

Tag: Kingdom of God

  • Wisdom Somewhere

    Proverbs 1:20–33, Proverbs 9:10, Matthew 7:7–12, James 1:5–8 (read online ⧉)

    Choose a side is the overwhelming discourse in politics and social issues these days. Without question, social media and the internet, in general, have made the ability to blare one’s opinion throughout the world. Regardless of one’s politics, newspapers (or news companies) seem to feel a need to make their opinion known on which candidate is the “best” choice. For example, the New York Times is currently working on its review of and interviews with all the current candidates from the Democrat Party, so that they can editorially endorse a particular candidate. For some reason, the New York Times (and other “news” organizations, regardless of apparent ideology) feels the need to declare its allegiance to a particular candidate speaks to a of neutrality.

    This all speaks to a long-standing culture that “leaders” or leading organizations must declare a right and wrong side. The universal (i.e., not just Generations Church) is struggling with this very thing. So, too, are many people within the church. We have become so polarized that everyone expects to have people declare their stance. This is understandable. This falls well within the right/wrong rules that we all need to have. It also fits our general behavior of who is “in” and who is “out”.

    F. Scott Fitzgerald once said, “The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function.” Regardless of “intelligence” (which is subjective in many respects), this is an uncomfortable statement. By holding contradictory ideas, it makes it harder to be put into a , which makes it harder for people to relate to us, doesn’t it? It didn’t use to be this way (or at least to this level); now we have to put ourselves in a box to make it easier for others to deal with us.

    People have been “wise” for years. True comes from God, yet (sadly) most people are more satisfied by wisdom, and therein lies the problem.

    It is not that worldly wisdom is automatically bad. It is automatically deficient, as it is human not God. The passage in Matthew and James talk about Godly wisdom insofar as asking for it. Jesus’ focus (in this passage) is more on the wisdom to see and enter the of God. James is more concerned with maintaining the walk with Jesus (arguably the same thing as Jesus’ concerns). The “problem” with Godly wisdom is that it isn’t worldly wisdom. Wordly wisdom (currently) wants us to be in worldly wisdom boxes. Godly wisdom doesn’t fit in worldly wisdom boxes.

    As we interact with the world, we will often be confronted with the obvious contrasts between worldly wisdom and Godly wisdom. However, there will be times where worldly wisdom appears to be in line with Godly wisdom. This is actually when it is the most dangerous for us as followers of Christ. When worldly wisdom appears to be in line with Godly wisdom, it becomes easier to nudge us to continue to follow worldly wisdom and away from Godly wisdom. First, it seems okay, but after a while, we can find ourselves far enough from Godly wisdom that we have to reset. When we reset ourselves, we become discouraged. That is why we must continually God for God’s wisdom. We won’t, unlike Solomon, get it all at once. It is the pursuit of it that will and form us into the people of Godly wisdom.

    1) What is wisdom? Do the verses from Proverbs help or hinder your understanding of wisdom?

    2) Why is wisdom important? How does, or does it, affect intelligence and knowledge?

    3) How does James’ “double-minded” apply to intelligence and wisdom?

  • Bridal Party

    Matthew 25:1–13 (read online ⧉)

    This is an odd parable. It makes some sense on the surface, but even then, not much. One of the surface tensions is that refers here to the of God. Jesus often refers to the Kingdom having already come, but here it is in the . Some scholars struggle with the tension of now and not yet, however, that tension is quite common in the New Testament, and it shouldn’t be any surprise here.
    Jesus immediately turns to a common tactic in such parables, dividing the subjects into wise and . This, of course, sets the stage for the unfolding of the parable. Sadly, antisemitic tendencies have often divided the foolish as Jews and the wise as Christians. That wasn’t Jesus’ intent based on the . He’s usually a little more obvious, and the writers are usually quick to tell us when he’s talking about certain people when Jesus doesn’t say it. As we don’t have that, let’s agree to not read that into this.

    This really is straightforward, right? Be , for the Day of the Lord will be coming, and you don’t know when! That’s the point, it seems, of the story. However, (you knew this was coming, didn’t you?), we seem to be missing someone.

    We have the . It’s pretty safe, based on the Scriptures, that this could be considered Jesus himself. We have the wise and foolish virgins. Now, Jesus is not having multiple wives. That isn’t it at all. The allusion is to a bridal march, where the virgin (or young unmarried women) would escort the to the groom’s home, where the ceremony would be done, and things would become official. If it happened at night, as in the parable, the bride’s escorts (i.e., bridesmaids) would the way. So, have you guessed who is missing?

    The bride. We talk so much about the bridesmaids (granted, they are the “stars” of the story) that we forget about the bride. Even as we talk about who was foolish or wise and why we missed the bride! So, who is the bride? Well, if Jesus is the groom, then the church is the bride.

    1) If the church is the bride, who are the wise and foolish bridesmaids (keeping in mind our agreement above)?

    2) If Jesus is the Groom and the Church is the Bride, where is the marriage ceremony held?

    3) If Jesus is the Groom and the Church is the Bride, who announces the approaching groom?

  • Building Myths

    Luke 17:20–37, Acts 7:44–60, Revelation 21:14–27 (read online ⧉)

    Throughout the Old Testament, there are memorial stones. The names of springs have tale-telling names. Altars were built…lots of altars. Places provide identity. The Promised Land (Israel) was one of identity. That particular land was powerful enough in its and history that there are still fights involving it among differing “tribes” and religions (and each’s myriad of sects).

    A place will often develop a mythos or multiple ones. Think of the States. There is the American Exceptionalism mythos. There is the American Colonialism mythos. There is the American Slavery/Segregation mythos. There is the American Dream mythos. There are plenty more American mythoi that aren’t listed. Some are held as (or more) firmly than religious beliefs. Some are feared for what they might represent. Regardless, they all revolve around a place.

    made a radical statement regarding the of God. The Pharisees and many other Jewish groups were looking for something tangible, which mostly revolved around the restoration (in some form) of an independent (and probably wealthy, secure, and powerful) Jewish nation, with some sort of Davidic monarchy. Jesus basically told them that they are looking in the wrong place.

    Some scholars interpret this as Jesus stating he was the Kingdom come, while look at it more along the lines of the kingdom being withing the people. We Christians often this being the church.

    Stephen, who was martyred, reminded those that were about to stone him that God does not truly live in buildings built by human hands. The building, it seems, is more for us than God. The passage in Revelation says there will be no temple. Think of that. There will be no temple, no church, no chapel, no alter. It will not be needed.

    We need to be honest with ourselves. We may say things such as, “the church is its people,” or “the people are the church.” However, when it comes right down to it, we gravitate toward needing a place. That place could be a park, a house, a (gasp) bar, a school, a cafeteria. We think this as obvious, now, but it wasn’t that long ago (truly) that people opposed holding a church service in a school. When the house church movement was reignited in the US over a decade ago, “established” churches said that house church wasn’t real church.

    The next “you can’t have church there,” argument is here. It’s actually almost past now, though people still hold onto it. It’s not possible, it is said, to have church over the , for the internet isn’t “real”. Even die-hard netizens often use IRL (in real ), so it seems even for them there is a struggle. As virtual reality goes mainstream, the concept of the internet as a rectangular screen will disappear. So, what are we to do? How will we treat those who don’t sit in our pews, but with us from 1000 miles away? Are they not the church? They don’t have a connection with us? Even those who, for various reasons, have moved or are moving away, but this is still their church home? Does someone stop being your just because you only see them on Facebook, and haven’t seen them in years?

    1) When we talk about church and place, what are the important things to consider?

    2) What makes “place” more or less real to you? How do you deal with people who have a different idea of place?

    3) What makes a place (such as a church) more “real” than the internet which is a gathering of people at a whole bunch of places? Is that a “real” difference, or is it what we are used to?

  • Pagan Response

    Ezekiel 27:1–36, Ezekiel 28:20–23, Luke 10:13–16

    To understand Jesus’ “woe” statements, one needs to understand history. While Tyre and Sidon were now (in Jesus’ time) prosperous cities, their pride, pagan behavior, and anti-Israel behavior had gotten them a lot of punishment. After Ezekiel’s , the cities weren’t washed clean, but wiped-off-the-map cleansed. Because of their geography, those locations would recover (and even retain their ), but the penalty received had been severe.

    In the time of Jesus, Tyre and Sidon were still very pagan, Las Vegas and New Orleans (during Mardi Gras) pagan. Devotion to gods or God was perfunctory at best. was the ruler. Yet…
    Jesus stated that those cities would have responded (positively) to the of God, while the so-called devoted of Judah were apathetic or antagonistic!

    We look at our culture and often sadly proclaim that if they could just see Jesus, they would convert. Or if they joined the , everything would be fine. Or (yes, foot-stomping ahead) if only prayer and the Bible would be allowed in schools again…

    The Jews had prayer. They had the . They had “the church” (i.e., the and synagogues). It was all tightly integrated into their culture and their (more foot-stomping). Look where that got them! Chided and lectured by Jesus!

    1) Truly…are we all that different now than the Jews were then?

    2) Politicians—of all stripes—are rightly pulling and poking at our religious- and -strings. They see what we aren’t good at seeing…our inconsistency. They use it to bolster their kingdom. How can you separate the religious and faith truths from the political lies? How will you do that as each political group takes some, but not all, of the Christian ideology for political talking points?

    3) If the world is like Tyre and Sidon, and we are like the Chorazin and Bethsaida (the unrepentant Jewish cities), what do they (the world) see that we don’t about Jesus and the ?

  • Denial and Grace

    Luke 23:50–24:12, John 19:38–42, Matthew 10:32–33

    Joseph of Arimathea is described differently by Luke and John. Luke describes him as good, righteous, and looking forward to the of God. John describes him as a secret disciple of Jesus. On the surface, these appear to be different. And, depending on the audience, they can be very different indeed. However, Joseph’s attitude toward Jesus was fairly clear. Joseph greatly admired Jesus. He also did (to a point) follow Jesus as “the women” from Galilee were with him, indicating that he did have a place in the larger circle of disciples.

    Joseph of Arimathea was part of the Sanhedrin. The religious and civil ruling council of the Jews is the “body” that pushed for Jesus’ crucifixion. Earlier in the Gospels, it seemed that the Sanhedrin was unanimous in its thinking. Joseph of Arimathea shows that there wasn’t unanimity in Sanhedrin. Joseph was concerned, however, with his place in the Sanhedrin. John calls it out as fear of “the Jews”. Luke doesn’t specify that, but as Luke does only note that Joseph went to Pilate, Joseph definitely did it cautiously and did try to avoid making a scene.

    John even pulls Nicodemus into the . Nicodemus is first seen at night meeting Jesus (John 3:1–21). Next Nicodemus is seen defending (in a roundabout way) Jesus. Then we see him now bringing an amount of myrrh and aloe that was excessive (culturally). Nicodemus is still not declaring anything in the name of Jesus, but his actions show a heart turned toward Jesus.

    The actions of both men could seem to be contrary to Jesus’ words in Matthew 10:32–33. In fact, many of us might well be guilty of this. It all depends on how one defines “deny”. It could be like Peter, who denied Jesus 3 times. That’s pretty blatant, yet God’s carried Peter forward to be the first of the . Peter, like Joseph and Nicodemus, was afraid.

    In the world, fear drives many of our actions. Around the world, Christians are hated and hunted. Muslims that have converted to Jesus (and often in mysterious ways) hide their conversion in fear, as they are (justifiably in many cases) afraid of being killed for the ‘s honor. In India, Hindu extremists target Christians regularly. There have been a number of bombings of churches recently. Are these Christians denying Christ by not proclaiming Jesus from the rooftops, street corners, family gatherings, their homes?

    Many preachers, who are in and are accustomed to religious and speech , have said exactly that over the years.

    1) If you are not declaring Jesus to everyone you meet, especially to every family member who is not a , why not? In of Jesus words, then, what is failing to acknowledge Jesus?

    2) What is the difference, if any, between denying Jesus, and not acknowledging Jesus?

    3) When was the last time you acted like Peter, Joseph of Arimathea, or Nicodemus out of fear?

  • Faithfully Blind Together

    Leviticus 21:16–24, Matthew 20:29–34, 1 Corinthians 1:26–29

    Even today people struggle with blindness. Granted, today those who are blind have legal protections, braille, technology, and acceptance that wasn’t part of other cultures. In the New Testament era, the only “job” the blind could get was begging. Doesn’t sound very fulfilling or enjoyable.

    Our story in Matthew takes place on ‘ last journey to Jerusalem. Whether the large crowd was only because of Jesus or also because of the approaching Days is somewhat up for discussion. Regardless, though, the blind men were probably looking to having a more successful attempt at begging, due to the emotional high that people would have had, and the affiliation of almsgiving with Holy Days.

    Instead, they Jesus is coming. They probably had already heard the stories of the miracles he performed. That Jesus would be near them would be exciting and would be -filled. They cried out, but the crowd tried to silence them. Some commentators take a symbolic view of this. The crowd is the world (and Satan) trying to drown out the coming salvation of Jesus. The blind men, like Christians, have to the world to meet Jesus. It might be taking a few too many liberties, but the reality is these men overcame the crowd.

    In all likelihood, this was not normal behavior for them. They would generally be meek so as to not be bullied. Yet, they went for it. They took the risk. Opposed the crowd. They could now see.

    The weak. desires. The despised. Yet, Jesus heard their cries and healed them. notes that the world has a different form of evaluation and valuing people than the of God.

    1) What have your thoughts been (whether now or in the past) of people who were not fully as capable ( or mental) as you?

    2) People are quick to value people based upon their physical bodies. Why do you think that is?

    3) Why do you think Paul concludes with, “…so that no one may boast in his presence…”?

  • The Church Walls

    Matthew 5:1–12, Matthew 13:1–9, Luke 4:16–21, Acts 16:11–15, Acts 16:23–34, Acts 17:22–29

    Mountain, boat, synagogue, riverside, prison, Areopagus (formal public forum)

    What do all of these have in common? Nothing.

    What happened at each of these, according to the ? Messages were delivered regarding the of God.

    Only one of those places was a formal cultural place of . And the list above doesn’t cover them all. City gates, roads, public plazas had it happen there, too.

    What we the (building) is only supposed to be a place to messages about the , not the only one. Today, church is happening at bars (even Nazarene churches), the racetrack, the truck stoop, private homes, barns, coffee shops, and these are the organized churches. This doesn’t include other places of gatherings where the message is heard. However, despite the Scriptures themselves bearing to the diversity of places to deliver the message, the church today is pretty stuck on the church building.

    So that we are all on the same page, this is not to say that the church building is bad. Quite the contrary. The issue at hand is that there is an unconscious (and conscious) thought process in the Western World that the big moving and shaking happens at the church.

    However, when missionaries talk about changing lives it is so much more than the church. So much of the work of missionaries must be outside of the church, and not even on the grounds. As we progress more and more quickly away from the so-called America, it is wise to look beyond the church walls. It is wise to look beyond the church. It is wise to look at our missionaries. They already work where we are headed.

    We talk (rightfully) about bringing the Kingdom of God. Humanity, however, needs more than a concept, it needs a place. We each need to find places where we can with people where they feel comfortable so that their hearts are more open to hearing about God.

    1) What places have you heard a church being held that bothered you? Why did it bother you? What about that place created an atmosphere of hearts being more open to God?

    2) Why do you think we focus on church buildings as the place where church occurs?

    3) Why is the church building often as dangerous to our spiritual growth as it is a barrier to those who don’t know God?

  • Open and Closed

    Jeremiah 15:19–21, Mark 2:1–12, Matthew 11:20–24

    “One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in .” Romans 10:10 (CSB)
    “For everyone who calls on the of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:13 (CSB)

    Confession and repentance resulting in salvation is a constant theme in the . As the of Israel would wander away from God, come back, wander away, and so on, there was a perceivable and constant ebb and flow in the story.

    Confession►Repentance►Salvation

    was not one to shy away from forgiving sins. Take this story of the paralytic. He seems to have deliberately chosen words that struck at the core of how confession, repentance, and salvation all tie together. Scripture does not say that the paralytic confessed and repented. However, by his friends putting him at his feet, the man was forgiven and healed. Even more interestingly, it appears it was the of the paralytic’s friends that resulted in and forgiveness.

    Yet, we come to Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum, there seems to be no grace. What happened? If the paralytic man didn’t have to follow “the recipe” why should have Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum? The additional context of Tyre and Sidon gives us an idea. They were cities that were known for their pride and arrogance. Jesus was saying that Chorazin and Bethsaida were more pride-filled and arrogant. Capernaum? Let’s see…Jesus did miracles, a number of them. Yet, Capernaum refused to even with the King of the was right there in their midst! That’s the difference, open versus closed.

    1) Can you see the difference in your between when you have been open and when you have been closed to God?

    2) What traits—other than pride and arrogance—indicate someone being closed to God?

    3) The people of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum probably viewed themselves a righteous. How can we check that we have not become like them?