Meteorological Mayhem

        “Recently, I was talking with a group of church staff sharing how in our pursuit of God we can become so focused upon going upward toward God, our hearts directed in a heavenly, spiritual direction, that we fail to come down from the clouds to approach each other, here on earth, in loving and gracious ways. As the old gospel song says, we become so heavenly minded we are no earthly good. Even worse, we can become self-righteous and judgmental. In our spiritual pride we can hurt people.
        “Anyway, in trying to share this idea, this image came to mind and I shared it off the cuff: "We become so focused upon heaven we get pulled higher and higher, so high in the clouds we freeze, so we fall to earth not as refreshing rain but as damaging hail."
I think that's a great way to think of the contrast between Jesus and the Pharisees in the gospels. Jesus fell upon the earth as a gentle rain, where the Pharisees, in their pursuit of spiritual/heavenly purity, fell upon people as damaging hail”” (Richard Beck*)
  Beck’s comparison between Jesus and the Pharisees is right on target.  For all of their well-intentioned efforts to draw near to God, many of these Jewish leaders shamelessly abused those around them.  In Matthew 23, Jesus calls them out for using their pretentious “godliness” as a cloak to take advantage of others.  The Lord pronounces woe after woe upon them for hurting others while claiming to be men of God.
  Our pursuit of God should never lead us to be damaging to others. “If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.  And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also” (1 John 4:20–21).  Let’s endeavor to rain that refreshes rather than hail that shreds.

God loves you!
Mike
*https://experimentaltheology.blogspot.com/2019/11/are-you-rain-or-hail.html

Name-Calling

“But she came and began to bow down before Him, saying, “Lord, help me!”And He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs”” (Matthew 15:25–26).

The reactions to the words of Jesus in this encounter with a Gentile woman are varied.  There are skeptics who use them to claim that Jesus was just another racist bigot who shared in the sinful prejudices of His fellow Jews.  But even some who have faith in Christ struggle to understand why Jesus would refer to anyone as a “dog.”  It seems so out of character for the Savior revealed in other parts of the Bible.  What is going on here?  While a definitive answer may be elusive, let me offer some thoughts that may help.

First, technically speaking, Jesus didn’t directly call her a “dog.”  The “dog” was part of His illustration about the priority of His mission to the Jewish nation (cf. v.24).  Yes, there was likely a veiled reference to the ongoing Jew\Gentile tension of the day (and the words used by some to describe that tension), but there is nothing in the text to indicate that Jesus even remotely supported such attitudes.  Jesus DIDN’T say: “You Gentile dog, get away from me and don’t bother me with your insignificant problems!”

Second, the woman seems to receive the illustration in the spirit in which it was offered.  Rather than a racially-motivated slur, it appears to be an effort on the part of Jesus to reveal the heart of the woman -- a test of faith if you will.  There is no indication that the woman perceived the words of Jesus as being unkind or cruel.  In fact, her faith leads her to humble herself to the point of being willing to accept the crumbs of Jesus’ ministry if that is all she can have.  And her response prompts Jesus to grant her request and praise her for the greatness of her faith.

As always, read carefully and consider the context when seeking to understand the attitudes and actions of Jesus.

God loves you!

Mike

Post-Christendom

In a recent interview about his new book Resilient Faith: How The Early Christian “Third Way” Changed The World,” Gerald Sittser referred to the impact that the early Christians had on the world around them.  Here is what he said:

“It is easy for us to forget how new and unique this movement was, and still is. Rome had never seen the likes of it before. It introduced a new kind of belief, worship, identity, authority, community, and way of life. The movement was new because Jesus was new. Rome had never seen the likes of Jesus before either. Consequently, the movement grew out of the uniqueness of Jesus. As Luke proclaims in the Acts of the Apostles, this movement “turned the world upside down,” and did so long before Constantine assumed the throne and laid the groundwork for the Christian empire and the emergence of Christendom.

“In our increasingly post-Christendom setting, we have much to learn from a movement that flourished in a pre-Christendom setting. Mere survival would have been impressive enough. But they did far more than survive. They flourished without state establishment and cultural privilege. They had no big church buildings and budgets, no favored political candidates they could vote into office, no conservative (or liberal) supreme court judges, no large-scale non-profits, no big publishing companies, no celebrity preachers, no internet, podcasts, blogs, Instagram, and Twitter. Yet they surpassed all expectations and succeeded against all odds. Perhaps we have something to learn from these early Christians!”*

As the influence of Christianity wanes in our increasingly secular world, perhaps we would do well to consider this history lesson.  “Post-Christendom” will likely require us to re-think some methods of engagement that have been near and dear to us.  Christ and the gospel will never change but the world around us is rapidly changing.  Will we re-focus and refine our approach where necessary or will we become increasingly irrelevant?  Food for thought...

God loves you!

Mike

*https://www.patheos.com/blogs/jesuscreed/2019/10/19/resilient-faith/

Success Vs. Faithfulness

            “In the book Second Calling, Dale Bourke writes that years ago, she attended a conference. When it was over, her friend Bruce offered her a ride to the airport. As they were about to leave, another man asked if he could join them. As they drove away from the hotel, she and Bruce asked the man where he worked, and he mentioned a Christian organization. Bruce said, “I have fond memories of that group, because I attended a retreat of theirs one time, and that’s where I became a Christian. It was in 1972 in New Hampshire.” Bruce went on to explain that eventually his whole family became Christians and went into Christian work. His sister was a Wycliffe missionary and Bruce himself became publisher of a major Christian publishing house, which brought many significant Christian books to the public. Bruce finished the story with a flourish saying that the retreat had had a worldwide impact when you think about it.

“The man was silent. Dale and Bruce thought that maybe they were boring him. Then the stranger quietly said, “I led that retreat. It was my first time as a conference leader, and I felt like a total failure. Until this moment, I have always believed it was one of the biggest failures of my life.” Dale Bourke wrote, “What had seemed like the simple act of offering a ride to a stranger had turned into a powerful reminder that God uses our efforts whether we realize it or not. I may spend the rest of my life doing things that don’t seem at all successful. Yet only God knows the purpose. I am called simply to be faithful””*

            We live in a success-driven culture where we tend to rate ourselves in comparison to the accomplishments of others.  The rise of social media has just made things worse.  How would things change if you truly believed that God didn’t judge you like others judged you (or like you judge yourself)?  Remember: God calls us to faithfulness, not success.

God loves you!

Mike

*https://therocketcompany.com/10-new-preaching-stories/

Got Power?

“In a seminary missions class, Herbert Jackson told how, as a new missionary, he was assigned a car that would not start without a push. After pondering his problem, he devised a plan. He went to the school near his home, got permission to take some children out of class, and had them push his car to start it. As he made his rounds, he would either park on a hill or leave the engine running. He used this ingenious procedure for two years.

“Ill health forced the Jackson family to leave, and a new missionary came to that station. When Jackson proudly began to explain his arrangement for getting the car started, the new man began looking under the hood. Before the explanation was complete, the new missionary interrupted, "Why, Dr. Jackson, I believe the only trouble is this loose cable." He gave the cable a twist, stepped into the car, pushed the switch, and to Jackson's astonishment, the engine roared to life. For two years needless trouble had become routine. The power was there all the time. Only a loose connection kept Jackson from putting that power to work.”

As people of God, are we accessing the power God makes available to us or are we relying on our own strength and ingenuity?  While we may get by with our own resources, imagine what could be done by allowing God to work through us.  Saul of Tarsus was very familiar with the use of human power and initiative.  But as the apostle Paul, he learned to depend on a greater power source.  “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen” (Ephesians 3:20–21).

Could it be time to quit pushing the car and check the connection to the Power Source?

God loves you!

Mike

*http://www.sermonillustrations.com/a-z/p/power.htm

Unrepentant

            “The fourth angel poured out his bowl upon the sun, and it was given to it to scorch men with fire.  Men were scorched with fierce heat; and they blasphemed the name of God who has the power over these plagues, and they did not repent so as to give Him glory.  Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom became darkened; and they gnawed their tongues because of pain, and they blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores; and they did not repent of their deeds” (Revelation 16:8–11).

            Painful times in life often become periods of reassessment for many who experience them.  How often have you witnessed a renewed interest in spiritual matters in people following a tragedy, either individually or collectively?  A loved one dies or a relationship is destroyed and, often, a person is driven to their knees in prayer to a God they have ignored for a long time.  Or a national tragedy occurs and, suddenly, attendance at church services swells.  Sadly, once the crisis passes and the pain subsides, things return to “normal.”  Once again, there is little time for spiritual things and God’s name is only invoked as part of a curse.  I’m not here to sit in judgment over the sincerity of the repentance of anyone in these kinds of situations.  My point is that pain and suffering drives many people toward God instead of away from Him.

            That is what makes the text above from Revelation 16 stand out in such stark contrast.  God’s righteous judgment was being poured out on those who were living in rebellion to Him.  The persecutors were getting a taste of their own medicine.  One would expect such pain and suffering to drive the rebels to their knees before the God of heaven.  But they were so hardened in their sin that they stubbornly refused to repent.  Rather than give God their glory He deserves, they blasphemed Him (cf. Jeremiah 5:1-3; 6.27-30).

            How incredibly sad!

God loves you!

Mike

"Where Is God?"

“A couple had two little boys, ages 8 and 10, who were mischievous. They were always getting into trouble, and their parents knew that if any mischief occurred in their town, their sons were probably involved.  The boys' mother heard that a Pastor in town had been successful in disciplining children, so she asked if he would speak with her boys. The pastor agreed, but asked to see them individually. So the mother sent her 8-year-old in to see him the following morning, intending to send the older boy in the afternoon.

“The Pastor was a large man with a booming voice, he sat the younger boy down and sternly asked, "Where is God?" The boy's mouth dropped open, but he made no response. The Pastor repeated the question in an even sterner tone, "Where is God!!?" Again the boy made no attempt to answer. The Pastor got to his feet. Shaking his finger in the boy's face, he bellowed, "WHERE IS GOD!?"

“The boy screamed and bolted from the room. He ran directly home and dove into his closet, slamming the door behind him. When his older brother found him a few minutes later, he asked, "What happened?" The younger brother, gasping for breath, replied, "We're in BIG trouble! God is missing—and they think we did it!"” (sermoncentral.com).

Throughout history, unbelievers have claimed that God is dead or that He is just a figment of our imagination.  In times of pain or struggle, the atheist taunts: “Where is this God you say is so interested in us?”  The answer?  He is where He has always been -- running the universe and intimately involved in the lives of His children (Psalm 139).  He knows us inside and out (vv. 1-6).  We can’t outrun His reach (vv. 7-12).  He was there at the very beginning (vv. 13-16).

It is the world that has gone AWOL, not God.  It is sin that separates the human race from the God Who loves them.  If God appears to be missing or absent, it is because we have distanced ourselves from Him.

God loves you!

Mike