Devotion.al

Tag: questions

  • The Rot of Forgot

    2 Chronicles 30:13-27, Nehemiah 8:7-12, Jeremiah 15:16

    The world is supposedly becoming Post-Christian. The thought behind the term is that the “Christian Era” was when Christianity was dominant throughout the world as if Emperor Constantine’s edict of Christianity as the official of the Roman Empire made Christianity instantly accessible, understandable, and pervasive.

    The sad part is there is a superficial truth to that. What did happen is that Western Europe and then by extension North America became the dominant influencers for generations. The church ignorantly (or stupidly) allowed governments to drape themselves in religious imagery and language. The rot finally came to a culmination point, and the church and the governments are dividing. Many in the church (and many politicians who derived from the people in the church) are decrying the loss. Yet, acknowledging the rot we collectively allowed to set in will be a good step moving .

    The real rot is ignorance. The church itself has allowed ignorance of its own beliefs to set it. It would avoid the the world asked, then stick its head into the sand, as if that would somehow fix everything.

    In 2 Chronicles, the people were ignorant of how to celebrate Passover. Think of it as forgetting how to celebrate Christmas, Good Friday, , and Pentecost all at once. They were afflicted as a result of their ignorance, but in the end, poured out and true was expressed.

    We are at the point that the Jews were at in the passages we read today. The passage in Nehemiah displays the ignorance of the Jews regarding their own history and religious practices. The disconnect between what they knew and the Truth caused many to mourn. Despite their ignorance, they were there in body, heart, soul, and mind. That is what mattered. Joy poured out of them!

    Jeremiah’s words apply not just to the passages that we read in the Old Testament, they apply to us today! Ignorance is not a good excuse! God can and will use anyone who responds. Sometimes, though, we have to where we went wrong. Then we can see where God moved us and proclaimed us his children of the inheritance. Then joy will pour out of us, too.

    1) Why are people ignorant of the underpinnings of the Christian ? What is one thing you can do (while speaking the Truth in ) to help that?

    2) Why might an understanding of God’s grace lead to true joy?

    3) If grace leads to true joy, what can you do to extend grace to others to demonstrate God’s grace?

  • The Mission Vocation

    Matthew 10:5–15, 1 Corinthians 15:1–8, Ephesians 3:8–14

    What is your ? What is your calling?

    In the world, these can be powerful questions. If we let ourselves get wrapped up in them, they can bring us down. However, if we don’t see, or choose not to see that we have a calling, then we have a different issue. There are two words that are almost used interchangeably: vocation and calling.

    Merriam-Webster defines them as:
    vocation: (1) a summons or strong inclination to a particular state or course of , especially a divine to the religious life; (2) the work in which a person is employed [occupation]
    calling: (1) a strong inner impulse toward a particular course of action especially when accompanied by conviction of divine influence; (2) the vocation or profession in which one customarily engages

    We can see that dividing them, by definition, is difficult. Part of it is, oddly, religious . will say that one receives (or discerns) a calling and then joins as a vocation.
    Perhaps (not to confuse the issue), we should think of the calling as God’s nudge in our life with certain parameters. Then vocation becomes the occupation by which we fulfill the calling. Defining vocation and calling this way allows us to recognize our giftings, while not (necessarily) defining how we use them.

    The 11 original Apostles were called. Some became religious/organization leaders (vocation), while others were…actually, we don’t know. The starting point of their vocation was to reach the descendants of Israel. They were not to go to the Gentiles. It seemed, on the outset, that this was exclusionary.

    had a calling to teach and lead. His initial vocation was to harass the young . Then he had a transforming encounter with Christ, and his vocation was transformed. The call was the same.
    We are all called to be children of God. We are all called to be bearers of the into the world of . The vocation is ours to live the call out.

    1) We often confuse vocation with career. Why do you think that is?

    2) What do you think the difference is between career and vocation?

    3) Why is it important to separate call from vocation?

    4) Paul’s story shows that vocations can change. Is it time for you to find or change your vocation?

  • Questions, Questions

    We have all heard an instructor, teacher, professor, or lecturer say, “there is no such thing as a dumb question.” The intent is to make the students or hearers more comfortable to questions. While that statement is often made, on the other hand, when students are graded on participation, their questions are evaluated on how they contributed to the understanding (i.e., the education) of the topic. In other words, yes, there really are dumb questions. That being said, what are usually considered dumb questions are really ignorant, , or purposefully disruptive (to the purpose of the venue).
    Solomon asked for . Was that really a question in the context of the verse? Yes and no. In English, no, it isn’t a question. In context, however, it is. “Is it possible, God, that you would me the wisdom and discernment to lead your people?” That really is the question. God answers in the affirmative. As we follow Solomon’s , we do see that he stopped asking wise questions when it came to his wives and worship practices. In fact, it seems in that area he stopped asking questions at all.
    Nebuchadnezzar asks some questions out of anger, pride, and offense (people in his immediate circle did not obey his law). We look at his questions and think they’re dumb. Think about it from his . He made a gold statue to worship (no in-depth theology on this new god). Everyone will now suddenly worship it. In many respects, this sounds more like a civil than true religion. Nebuchadnezzar didn’t seem to really believe in the god he’d made nor the God of the Jews. In the midst of his anger, he was probably pretty confused.
    Then we have the Sadducees. Really, the question they asked could have easily been asked of the Pharisees. In fact, this exact question was indeed probably asked of the Pharisees during theological discussions. Jesus gave a brilliant answer to their question, but their question wasn’t dumb. For people concerned with fulfilling the law correctly, this would be a matter that needed an answer. The consistency of their logic was sound.
    Questions need answers, and we often judge our answers by what we perceive is the brilliance of others. Sometimes though, people just need their questions to be heard. They may not need an answer, but they may need a sounding board.
    1) What can you do to show others that you are open to their questions, especially regarding ?
    2) What will you do to train yourself to not always see questions in black or white, right or wrong? What causes you to think answers must be formed in that way?
    3) What do you think the better question that Nebuchadnezzar and the Sadducees could have asked, in the context of these ?

  • God’s Broken People

    2 Samuel 13:11–39, Ephesians 4:13–19

    Parenting is hard. Parents struggle with their own failures personally and with their children. For the deeply afflicted parent (and child), parenting is not just brutal, but it is unending . For a parent, having children is a and one of the hardest jobs ever (there is a harder one, but that is for another time).

    David—the so-called man after God’s own heart—was actually a pretty bad at times, maybe even a lot of the times. This story is actually heartbreaking. Quite heartbreaking. Disgusting, nauseating, and so on. It is also another example that the Scriptures don’t hide the brutal failure of humanity to live up to its potential.

    What was David thinking to just things remain? Why did he do nothing? Doing nothing may have been David’s greatest fault. Maybe. That his children, less Solomon, had gotten to the states they were in says much about the guidance he provided to the next generation. If there had been one “bad apple”, perhaps there wouldn’t such a disastrous tale. On the other hand, we cannot pin the sins of the sons on the father. They chose their path.

    It is hard as a parent to not blame oneself for the resulting lives of one’s children. Parents may try to harden their hearts as their children make life-altering decisions, but the hardened heart is only on the outside as their hearts ache on the inside. It’s not that David’s heart didn’t ache. As we look at his story, how would we have behaved?

    Would Paul’s “speaking the in ” made a difference here? How about building each other up? ? Promoting the growth for building up in love? These are all questions that the —you—needs to wrestle with. The reality is that the world is full of broken people. Lots of them. In fact, there are probably a few such broken people in our framily. There might be some in your family. You might be broken. It’s not whether you know, meet, interact with people who are broken…it’s how many.

    1) Brokenness equals hurt. We are all hurting. Thinking about Paul, what can we do help our fellow broken human beings?

    2) We evaluate people and their stories by our story. How can that help us help them? How can it keep us from helping them?

    3) Paul’s words about building up are especially true when talking about our hurts and the hurts of . What do Paul’s words teach about walking with others in the midst of their (and our) brokenness?

  • Failing In Grace and Faith

    2 August 2019
    Genesis 6:5–8, Romans 7:15–20, Galatians 5:16-26

    depravity is nothing new. The cleansing of the Earth by the flood made that abundantly clear. Yet, to this day, one of the common questions of humanity is why is there so much bad? We’re not talking about . We’re just talking about the basic undeniable reality that humanity needs some improvement.

    Depravity really is a loaded concept in theology. Depending on one’s theological framework, its meaning changes. A basic way to think of is that state of humanity both embodied and moral that is on a different path than God. There is an additional tone from the Scriptures that hint at decay. As decay is an ongoing process, it fits well into the appearance that humanity, on many levels, is getting worse. In certain theological traditions, depravity goes along with the concept that humanity is completely incapable of doing anything positive (i.e., God-oriented). Sounds pretty depressing, doesn’t it?

    However, that is not our . While we do agree that there is a strong human tendency (both morally and embodied) away from God, we believe that God went before and poured (and pours) grace into our lives. We this Prevenient Grace (i.e., grace that goes before us). There is also another key piece to our understanding. God provides prevenient grace to everyone, not just a few.

    When we read ‘s passage in Romans we can sympathize with Paul. We get it. However, we could also despair. Paul understands that without God’s grace that when he fails there could be no . Especially now that the Law (that he once lived by) is no longer.

    When Paul writes that he walks by the , he still falls by the flesh. None of will not fall. The grace of God continues to pick us up.

    1) Do you beat yourself up when you fail/fall? How do Paul’s words to that?

    2) Paul’s story in the poster for God’s grace that goes before. Where in your have you seen God’s grace go before you?

    3) The fruits of the Spirit are the opposite of the “depravity” of the flesh. Where do you see them “fighting” in your life?

  • Faithful Asking

    Genesis 18:17–33, Colossians 2:6–19

    There are two different amazing streams of thought in this vignette of Abraham and God. The first is Abraham’s audaciousness. That a person is free to ask God for clarification is beautiful. This shows us that when we are faithful toward and trustful of God, it’s okay to not understand, and to ask clarifying . There has long been an undercurrent in some traditions that any sort of questioning is wrong and even sinful. This is not the case.

    The other stream is God’s toward Abraham. God could have hidden things from Abraham and chose not to. God seems to think that while God is God, Abraham is an important piece and has a place in this story. It is almost as if God wants Abraham to have a place in the story for Abraham’s development.

    Questioning authority is fraught with perils. Abraham questioned THE authority. There is a place for it. It is important to understand the point of questioning in our faith: to understand, to clarify, to see our place in the big picture (to some degree).

    There are those who struggle with “question authority”. There is a reason why it is healthy. In his letter to the Colossians, Paul is having to unwind rules and regulations. There are Jewish and Romans and local pagan customs that all need to be unwound from the . Paul alludes to Jesus questioning the religious authorities. His questions “disarmed” their control over “proper” God-honoring .

    What’s interesting here is that Paul is not just talking about food. He is also talking about ascetic (think monks) practices, worship practices, sacrificial practices. As a holiness denomination with its own “peculiarities”, the Church of the Nazarene is showing signs of growing out of the same tendencies that Paul opposed. It’s not to say that the holiness path is out of date or wrong, quite the contrary. It’s that the Church is re-learning the lessons that Jesus and Paul taught.

    What’s interesting here is that Paul is not just talking about food. He is also talking about ascetic (think monks) practices, worship practices, sacrificial practices. As a holiness denomination with its own “peculiarities”, the Church of the Nazarene is showing signs of growing out of the same tendencies that Paul opposed. It’s not to say that the holiness path is out of date or wrong, quite the contrary. It’s that the Church is re-learning the lessons that Jesus and Paul taught.

    The Church of the Nazarene has had people condemn because their lifestyle did not their standards, just as those causing trouble in Colossi. Some of these practices have been held in a tighter embrace than those -oriented practices that are in the . No denomination has been spared. Both the Roman Catholic and Orthodox have long held the ascetics very high. Any good practice used to diminish others is no longer a good practice.

    1) Have you ever questioned someone’s maturity of faith because they don’t do a practice that you think is better?

    2) Have you ever questioned someone’s maturity of faith because they have a practice that you think is pointless or lifeless?

    3) When was the last time you looked at the Scriptures to add a new or revitalize an old practice for your spiritual growth?

  • Beyond A Name

    Isaiah 43:1–4, 1 Peter 1:13–23

    Do you know somebody’s name? Of course, you do. You know yours. You know the names of ones. You know the names of friends. You probably know the names of people that are not that close. We sometimes dismiss the importance of names. If we thought about it, though, if someone doesn’t address us by name, we wonder if they really know who we are. We wonder if they care.

    God’s words to Isaiah tell us that God knows our name. God calls us by name. The Creator knows you by name. There is a there. Once we acknowledge the relationship, then what?

    Peter reminds us what is fully responsive and reciprocating relationship with God is. Sober-minded. Some immediately attached to this. It really is about being firmly rooted in Christ, and not inclined to bounce around. Peter explains it as in God’s complete and utter grace.

    God doesn’t just call us by name. God calls us into a of . The 5 questions below are a modified version of John Wesley’s questions for bands. They are good for self- and are best in a small trusted group of the same gender.

    1. How is it with your soul?
    2. What are your struggles and successes?
    3. Any to confess?
    4. Anything you want to keep secret?
    5. How might the Holy be speaking and moving in your life?

    You are called to a life of holiness. You can live it when surrendered to Christ.

  • Grace for the Askers

    Luke 24:36–49, Matthew 28:16–20, James 1:2–18, Jude 20–25

    So, this guy you’ve been hanging out with for three years dies a brutal death. A few days later, he’s alive. He was dead and buried, and now alive. Must be a ghost…except they could touch the wounds and he ate. They doubted. After some more time, they on a mountain. They worshipped Jesus, yet they still doubted.

    We all have doubts. Sadly, however, when verses such as James 1:6 are badly used, we can question our faith. Some even go so far as to lose their faith. People take such passages and twist them so that a person cannot question or be perceived to doubt. James’ warning is sound in so far as being about requesting things (such as ) from God, but false expectations of God. In other words, don’t be surprised when God doesn’t answer your prayer and walk away from the faith.

    The grave danger is that if we take James’ words without a large measure of grace and , people will truly walk away. Jude’s words are to be gentle with doubters. Imagine a person who suffers with depression, and in the depths of depression doubts. Would you cast them out? What about a person in the midst of who is crying out to God? Will you shame them for doubt in the midst of their pain?

    What about the person who was raised as a non-believer and/or strict secular scientist? If they struggle with believing as it conflicts with their growing up, will you them and tell them they are unbelievers and should disappear?

    In our world, we should actually be encouraging doubt, or perhaps a better phrasing would be questioning. The world as it is needs a lot more questions asked. There may not be , but often when we questions aloud, the doubt and despair that can go with them loses much of its .

    Last, but not least, often those that seek to silence the doubt and questions of others are those who have the deepest fears. When those fears remain buried, faith, love, and hope can easily be lost in a flash.

    1) Do you ever doubt or question your faith? Do you feel ashamed? Why?

    2) What can other Christians do to support you when you question? What can you do when Christians their own doubts?

    3) Jesus asked his followers about the why of their doubts but did not seem to diminish them because of it. Why does it appear that James does? How do you balance that with Jude?