Devotion.al

Tag: light

  • Faith and Tradition

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

    To this very day, churches (and thus the ) struggle with what exactly their means and its implications. Certain things appear to have been settled, but 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 .

    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-. 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 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, 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 and discipling believers.

    1) 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 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 than holy adulterers. The Gospel of Christ knows of no religion, but social; no , but social holiness. working by love is the length and breadth and depth and height of 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 as a whole—found that Christians were more likely to be better Christians when living within the context of a discipleship and 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 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 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 beings, we cannot allow ourselves to be deceived by those who use our hearts for their . 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?

  • Three Essentials

    John 16:12–15, 1 Peter 1:1–12

    The Trinity has long been a struggle. As the began to mature, there were many struggles, discussions, and arguments over what exactly they believed. Out of those many discussions, creeds were formed seeking to unify the church in understanding. Many have tried (and continue to try) to dismiss creeds as “The Victor’s spoils,” meaning that because the creeds were what “won”, they are invalid. The argument being that there wasn’t a consensus, and those that did not agree were tossed out of the church, argue that the creeds were then just a source of power, control, and bullying. The reality is that the creeds defining the Trinity are essential to understanding who Jesus is.

    Jesus himself makes clear that there is definite relationship between Father, , and . Jesus conveys unified ownership (What is the Father’s is mine; what is mine is the Holy Spirit’s.). There is also the often ignored, but almost essential statement, “…you can’t bear them now.” The Greek implies an inability (i.e., immaturity) to be able to understand what Jesus means.

    Peter’s triune greeting shows us that while there is not an explicit understanding of the relationship of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, there is an understanding that the relationship is essential to the church and the . Why is this important? Why does it matter? As we in the world, an incomplete understanding can be an issue, and can often lead to doubt or attack. While the Trinity is beyond the scope of a devotional, knowing what you believe, and why you believe it, gives you the firm foundation to walk as a Christian.

    1) When we read Jesus’ words in the of our , there is a strong mutuality of ownership. How do you see mutuality in your relationships with ? Do you see it in your church relationship?

    2) When it comes to hard-to-understand things in and faith, how do you approach things?

    3) Peter’s words with service. How are you serving others in the faith, whether younger or older?

  • Blessing of Enemies

    Psalm 3, Genesis 14:17–24, Exodus 23:20–33, John 16:1–11

    Enemies are a thing. Sometimes the enemies are more in our head than outside in the world. Sometimes enemies are those that do us harm when they are supposed to be striving for our good. Other times, and currently the most seen, the enemies are those not like us. In , they are not our enemies, they are just different, and difference can be perceived as dangerous.

    Abraham’s victory over those who kidnapped his was attributed to God by Melchizedek. The enemies of Abraham may not have even known they were the until Abraham came to Lot. For Abraham’s sake, God gave them to Abraham, who was to God.

    As the Israelites have left Egypt and are headed to the Promised Land, they are told that there are enemies. These are the enemies they will have to defeat to recover the Promised Land. God promises them victory over their enemies…as long as they follow his ways. And there is the rub. They didn’t do a very good job of that. Under only a few leaders, and only for a limited time, did Israel actually follow God’s ways. However, the of the time God allowed their enemies to be victorious, and it is directly tied to their orientation toward God.

    So, if things were to continue, one could reasonably draw the conclusion that once we have a heart and reconciliation with Christ that our enemies would be . Yet, Jesus says the opposite. “You’re mine, and the world hates you because of it. Therefore you are surrounded by enemies.”

    Granted, the enemies that surround us are actually those that have often put themselves against God (whether they are aware of it or not). It still doesn’t make it sound much better.

    1) If indeed we are now surrounded by enemies, how is that the Good Life?

    2) There are many kinds of enemies: national, religious, political, general life. Think of those that you know that fall under each of these categories, and what can you do to shine the of Christ into their lives?

    3) Thinking of others as enemies can be a beneficial starting point because then you can more easily see the barriers that need to be worked on prior to sharing Christ with them. Why is it important to recognize the barriers that ? What should we do with those barriers?

  • Household of Promise

    Psalm 127, Ruth 4:9–17, Hebrews 3:1–6

    If we were to judge by Psalm 127, it would seem that God does everything, yet we know that it isn’t the case. “Unless God builds the house” is more along the lines of God building up or establishing, sustaining and encouraging, not God literally building the house. It seems obvious, but for many, it isn’t. There is also the reality that sometimes God allows a “bad” house (or ) to survive (think of the majority of David’s descendants) because of a made.

    In fact, this promise is prefigured through Ruth’s and Boaz’s to God and the Law. Through them the people of Israel received David. Through that same line (a promise made by God to David that his line would continue) was born. In fact, the ceremonial words spoken at the gates to Boaz were in a way that was unimaginable to those speaking them. God established (built) a house.

    The author of Hebrews alludes to the promise. He also talks about us being a household: the Household of Jesus Christ. There are requirements to being part of that household: hold on to our confidence and our .

    1) When you dig deep into your , is it really based on hope? If so, on what hope is it based?

    2) If your worldview is not based upon hope, how would consider yourself a member of the Household of Jesus Christ in of the words of the author of Hebrews?

    3) How to the words of Psalm 127 tie into the words in Hebrews? How do the hope and confidence in Hebrews apply to Psalm 127 and Ruth?

  • Onto Waiting

    Psalm 25, Isaiah 26:1–21, Acts 16:16–34

    Imagine being the only person at a 4-way traffic light with no one else on the road. The light for you is red. And it’s still red. Most of us will a little bit. Some might rev their engine a little. might back up and then go . Both have the intent to trigger the coil system that “flips” the lights. However, what if that doesn’t work? How long will you wait?

    Most of us would start to get a bit antsy.

    Waiting for God to is commonplace in the Bible, or should we say that waiting is scriptural, but not always about. Both in Psalm 25 and in Isaiah 26 we read about waiting. The way Scripture is written a lot of the waiting is not written about, as it happens between the action points that we read.
    Sometimes, however, waiting would seem to be the opposite thing to do! Paul and Silas are in prison. God moves, their chains fall off, and all the doors to the prison open. In such a situation (such as Acts 12), it would seem to be the wise thing to run and escape. Yet, Paul and Silas waited. From a purely , it would seem that only the could have prompted them to stay there for whatever the next act was. Stay in jail? Yes, until the right moment.

    1) Have you ever had a answered, and then wondered if you should actually accept it? What was it? What decision did you make, and why?

    2) We often talk about waiting on God to act, but in Paul and Silas’ case God acted, and yet they still waited. What does this tell you about waiting for God?

    3) How do you test when to wait and when to move?

  • Monday after Easter

    John 1:19–23, Acts 2:22–32

    Not it! That what John says, at least. Yet, his behavior causes people to into question what his purpose is. If we look at this part of John’s story through the lens of today’s media and internet world, someone saying, “not it,” is not quite what is expected. Many people, especially in tech and seem to paint themselves in a Messianic . They want people to emotionally believe that the person in question will them. Both the person wanting it and the people giving it understand that the person in question is no Messiah. However, there still seems to be this need.

    We can see it in people who claim to know , too. They attach themselves to politicians and leaders in an almost Messianic way. It’s actually pretty sad. Jesus should be their Messiah. Actually, Jesus is their Messiah, but they’ve forgotten in their hearts. Christians have no excuse to look at others being their savior. They have already claimed to know that Jesus is the one and only savior (i.e., Messiah).

    John wants nothing to do with the Messianic bit. He’s more than satisfied pointing to the true Messiah. For John, pointing to the Messiah and getting people started in the right direction is for him the very good . John’s lifestyle doesn’t really call to people. There really aren’t a lot of people saying, “I want to live in the desert, wearing a fur coat, drinking only water, and eating bugs.” As strange as the life he lived out was to people, he still drew people. He didn’t say, “live just like me.” He did say, “.” His lifestyle wasn’t the goal. Jesus was the goal.

    When Peter preaches to the people of Jerusalem he uses the recent story of Jesus’ life and death. He then uses what they know (scripture) to drive home the point. Then, instead of beating on them for their collective part in the death of Christ, he announces the . ? What? No guilt trip? Nope. Just some random guy pointing to Jesus. Some guy whose life was dramatically changed. Pointing the way to Christ. That is what Peter did.

    When it comes to the very good life, the greatest joy may be pointing someone to Jesus. Why? Jesus is the key to the very good life, the key is free, and the number is unlimited.

    1) What is the very good life to you?

    2) Both John and Peter point to Jesus. Why is pointing to Jesus part of the very good life?

  • Surrender the Pain

    Isaiah 52:13-53:11, Luke 22:39–23:56

    You might wear a cross. You might have one on a wall in your home. You probably have one on your bible. Today the cross has lost much of its brutality and disgrace. Movies like the “ of the Christ” attempt to convey the brutality, but it is so very hard to convey and understand the disgrace of the cross. Especially on this day, you need to see the cross not as what it became, but see it as the people of 2000 years ago saw it. The day they saw it on Good Friday. It was disgraceful. It was ugly. It was the ruling powers’ symbol of might, conquest, and oppression. There was nothing, absolutely nothing that could be remotely good or positive about, and there could be nothing good or positive about the one on it. We are often tempted to diminish the cross, lightly saying we have a cross to bear. The cross is no burden.

    The disciples had a light burden. Accompany Jesus to the garden. And the succumbed to temptation. The world is full of temptation. There are many things which seem good, and are, but become bad, as we follow them away from God. Especially in the United States, we have a, “I can do it myself” mentality. There is also the ladder, of ever-increasing hours spent working. There are all the things that we are told we just have to have. Sometimes the temptation is to simply sleep, when God has told us to be praying, as what happened here with the disciples. Jesus wasn’t chiding the disciples for falling asleep, but for not praying when he asked. Temptation takes on many guises. Judas and Peter were tempted.

    Judas Iscariot will forever be known as the traitor. Peter will be ever known as one of Jesus’ closest followers. Yet, Peter denied Jesus to . One of the biggest differences between Judas Iscariot and Peter is not their respective betrayal, for they both betrayed Christ, but that Peter’s heart was open to correction. Judas Iscariot took things, including his self-condemnation, without grace. Peter understood and accepted the unmerited grace of Jesus, but Judas Iscariot did not believe it applied to him. Instead of being forever the traitor, he could have repented, and been redeemed. Betrayal is not just turning Jesus over, or denying Jesus, but saying that Jesus offer of unmerited grace does not apply to you or others. Grace is the key to healing the world and reconciling it to God. However, the fallen heart turns to violence instead.

    Violence is a cruel part of this world. Wars, robbery, school violence, abuse, bullying, anger, disrespect are all acts of violence. When we the word violence, we generally think of physical acts. However, Jesus tells us that violence is as much against the soul and well-being of the individual (both the perpetrator and the recipient), as it is the body. In fact, much, if not all of the violence that is physical done, at the root, is caused by the violence done to the soul and mind.

    Jesus spoke while on the cross, in the midst of pain, and the climax of abuse, “Father, forgive them. They know not what they do.” The victim of violence, while being violated, asked for them to be forgiven.

    We hold our griefs, our pains, our anguish often so close to our hearts that God doesn’t come near. Not because God can’t, for nothing is impossible for God, but because God doesn’t want to be violent toward us. When we release these things, God steps in, joyfully, desiring to help us the pain that we hold onto keeping God away from us.

    1) What are your temptations that pull you away from God and God’s mission of ? Can you be honest with yourself and God that those temptations have been nailed to the cross, and that you will leave them there?

    2) Who has shown you grace? If you can’t think of anyone, then you have work to do. At some point in your , someone gave you a lot of grace. What does God’s grace mean to you? What could God’s grace lived out in the world actually do?

    3) What pain keeps your heart from being fully yielded to God, and being God’s willing aide? Will you look at the nails of the cross, and leave that pain nailed there?

    May Jesus Christ, who for our sake became obedient unto , even death on a cross, keep you and strengthen you, now and forever.