Difficult Passages

Sometimes it's not the obscure or difficult to comprehend passages of Scripture that disturb me.  No, it's usually those that are pretty plain that I just don't like, passages that are difficult.  This week, I'm spending my mornings in 2 Thessalonians and I ran across one of those passages.  Paul writes in 1:6-9: "For it is indeed just of God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to give relief to the afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.  These will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, separated from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might..." (NRSV).  Now I love the part of this passage that says that God will give relief to the afflicted.  That sounds like Good News.  It's easy for me to swallow.  But, if I'm honest, I don't like the part about eternal destruction of those who don't know God.  I confess...I'm a wannabee universalist.  I would love nothing more than for everyone to be able to spend eternity with God.  I can't imagine anyone wishing eternal destruction or separation from God.  Yet, as much as I'd like to, I can't gloss over these words and pretend they don't exist or that they aren't real.  Instead as I type I am in awe once again that God is God and I am not.  As much as I don't like difficult passages, this is God's Word, God's story, God's universe not mine.  And so my prayer this morning is that difficult passages would move me to prayer, would move me to love, would move me to live my life in such a way that people would see Jesus and the life he is inviting us into. 

Shared Life

Community is one of those words that is used so often it tends to lose its meaning and wonder.  Reading through 1 Thessalonians again this morning, I think I got another glimpse into the window of possibility for community, namely the shared life.  1 Thessalonians 2:5-8 says, "You know we never used flatter, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed-God is our witness.  We were not looking for praise from any human being...Instead, we were like young children among you.  Just as a nursing mother cares for her children so we cared for you.  Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well" (TNIV).  I love the picture of sharing not only the gospel of God but sharing our lives.  Unfortunately, in the church, I think we tend to boil this idea of the shared life down to an hour or two of bible study together.  It's safe.  Yet, as I reflect on the folks who have really impacted my life deeply, it has been those who have shared their life with me.  Not just their thoughts on God, but their ideas, their time, their dreams, etc...  My heart beats for this kind of community.  And yet as I type, I must admit that I am skeptical that I can experience this in our busy, fragmented, consumer-oriented, private lives that we tend to live.  God, help free me of my skepticism and give us all glimpses of the kind of shared life you want us to have. 

Faith...Love...Hope

So, I didn't blog at all last week.  It seemed to be an out of rhythm week for me.  In any case, I'm spending this week in the Book of Thessalonians.  Every time I read this book I find myself more and more inspired by Paul's introduction and commendation.  It's just an amazing picture of a people transformed by God.  Paul writes in 1 Thes. 1:6,7: "And you became imitators of us and the Lord, for in spite of persecution you received the word with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia" (NRSV).  He then tells them that people have been reporting how they had turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God.  What a great story of people receiving God's gift of salvation.  Not simply reciting some words that get them a ticket out of hell and into heaven.  But, RECEIVING God's good news of Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit and being transformed into people who are turning from their idols and imitating Jesus Christ with Joy.  This is about realignment with the living God and His Kingdom!  Jesus is returning (see verse 1:10), but that is only good news for when we die.  There is Good News while we live.  Paul writes in verse 3 that they remember the Thessalonians in their prayers for their "work of faith and labor of love and steadfast hope in our Lord Jesus Christ" (NRSV).  That is the gift God wants to give us:  a transformed realigned heart and life reflected in our living by faith, being motivated by love, and being inspired by hope in Jesus! 

Imitating my Son

It's Friday and my final day this week with Philippians.  Chapter 3, verse 17 says, "Brothers and sisters, join in imitating me, and observing those who live according to the example you have in us" (NRSV).  I was reminded of this yesterday in an incident with my son Caleb.  We were at the church building, and Caleb & Leah were playing, while I was trying to get a little work done.  This women came in and was sharing about her current circumstances and how she was trusting God to help her.  As she was sharing, I could see Caleb walking around collecting something.  He walked over to us and gave her a welcome card, a postcard with info about our church, and a new visitor card, then proceeded to tell her that we have church here.  I think he made her day.  I couldn't have been more proud of him at that moment.  My hope is that as we live as Christ followers, that we will live with and in front of others in ways that we can learn and imitate each other, becoming more and more like Christ.  As I watch my son's boldness, I learned that not only do I want him to imitate me, but there are times when I need to imitate him!    

Mixed Motives

Continuing through my reading of Philippians this week, Paul seems to have a lot to say about motives.  More importantly mixed or even selfish motives.  In chapter one he writes about some preaching Christ out of love, while others preach Christ out of selfish ambition.  Then in chapter 2, where Paul is sending Timothy to them he writes, "I have no one like him who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare.  All of them are seeking their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.  But Timothy's worth you know..." (NRSV)."  In our consumer driven society, it's easy for followers of Jesus to look at other churches around them and question their motives.  As a church planter I find myself wrestling with this.  I've wondered whether we're really about the mission of Christ or if we're just about becoming a BIG church with lots of people showing up on Sunday.  It's easy to judge others, especially larger churches.  If I'm honest, I'm sure I drift back and forth in my own motivation and it's tough to know if that "something" that is moving me is from God or from my own selfish ambition.  Paul writes, "What does it matter?  Just this, that Christ is proclaimed in every way, whether out of false motives or true; and in that I rejoice" (Philippians 1:18 NRSV).  So when it comes to the motivation other churches, it really shouldn't matter to me.  I should rejoice.  Christ is proclaimed.  I'm sure God will use this to teach me more what it means to love.  When it comes to my own heart.  I need to keep it in check to make sure that with all my heart my motives are pure.    

Following Sense or God

This morning I was reading in Philippians about Paul encouraging the believers by telling then that his imprisonment has actually helped to spread the gospel and helped others speak even more boldly about Jesus (Phil. 1:12-14).  I'll be the first to admit that God doesn't always make sense to me.  If I were Paul, I would be wondering to myself, how can I fulfill my role as an apostle when I'm imprisoned?  It wouldn't have made sense to me.  Yet Paul says that his circumstances actually helped spread the Gospel.  I wonder how often I close the door on what God might be up to or miss opportunities to see the Gospel spread because I don't see how it possibly makes sense.  Do I always take the path that makes sense or am I open to allowing God to work through me in all different kinds of circumstances?  I suppose I typically go the way that makes sense because it's comfortable or familiar.  God help me to choose you over sense.    

Knowledge Coupled with Love

Paul writes to the Christ-followers in Philippi, And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight to help you determine what is best, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God (NRSV).  I must confess, I love knowledge.  I love learning new things.  I love finding out obscure meanings of different bible passages.  It is exciting for me to discover new insight into something I'm reading or learning about.  So at first glance, I read this passage and I'm there.  "More and more knowledge and full insight" sounds great to me.  But, as I really reflect on this, more knowledge is not the point.  Paul is inviting the Philippians to reimagine their lives in the day of Christ where they will be pure and blameless, having produced a harvest of righteousness all through Christ and for the glory of God.  He seems to be saying that to get there, your love must overflow with knowledge and insight so that you can choose to do the things that lead to being pure and blameless, and producing fruit.  Knowledge doesn't necessarily guarantee anything.  I "know" how I can lose 20lbs over the next 2 months.  That surely doesn't mean I'll do anything to actually lose those 20lbs.  But love coupled with knowledge and insight can help us determine what is best, which help us take action which shapes "who we are" and "what we do."      

Redeemed from "The Good Life"

I've been reading Jesus in the Margins, by Rick McKinley.   In it, he writes, When we step back and recognize that we have defined "the good life" as something we can obtain by ourselves for ourselves, we begin to see the absurdity of redemption.  Jesus came to redeem us from something we don't think is a problem.  Why should he die on the cross for me?  I'm living the good life.  I found this really convicting as I read these words from Ephesians 2:1-2; 4-6,  You were dead through the trespasses and sins in which you once lived, following the course of this world...But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ - by grace you have been saved - and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. (NRSV).  It's really difficult to imagine what life in Christ is like when we don't recognize our need to be redeemed from what we imagine is "the good life."  Poor people need redemption, broken people need redemption, but not us.  The problem is we don't see that the "good life" is broken.  It will never bring fulfillment because it's simply we that are living.  Paul writes, we were really "dead" in this way of life we lived.  But God, by grace, made us alive together with Christ.  Life is only found "together with Christ" or "in Christ."  As we reflect on the cross approaching and the resurrection, let's consider what Christ died to redeem us from and let us reimagine what life together with Him can look like. 

Amazingly Adopted

Reading through Ephesians this week, and came across this powerful idea in chapter 1: He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.  In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace that he lavished on us (1:5-8 NRSV).  The idea of being adopted by God blows my mind.  I suppose a lot of were born to parents that decided that they'd like to have a baby, others maybe it was not as planned.  But, God destined us for adoption.  He chose us to be his children.  Invited us into to be part of his family.  Not because of anything we did or didn't do.  Not because we were good kids.  We were broken, and totally in need of a Savior.  Yet he chooses us, lavishes his grace on us, redeems us through his blood, and calls us His children.  I'm reminded of waiting in a line in gym class waiting to be picked by one of the captains for the team.  You all know the drill.  You know you don't want to be chosen last.  It's a horrible feeling to feel like no one wants to choose us.  This, to me, is the amazing thing about God.  He comes to the sidelines, comes to the margins, chooses the weakest first, no one is left out that wants to play.  He has chosen us.  Amazing!   

Gospel as Gift

After calling the Galatians "foolish" Paul writes, The only thing I want to learn from you is this: Did you receive the Spirit by doing the works of the law or by believing what you heard?  Are you so foolish?  Having started with the Spirit are you now ending with the flesh?  Did you experience so much for nothing?  - if it really was for nothing.  Well then, does God supply you with the Spirit and work miracles among you by your doing the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard? (Galatians 3:1-5 NRSV)  The Gospel comes to us as "gift."  The interesting thing about a gift is that if it is truly a gift, you can't do anything to earn it; you can only receive it.   Otherwise, it's compensation or pay for my work or something I have done.  However, a gift, in order to be enjoyed or utilized, must be received.  Often I find myself subconsciously thinking I have to prove myself a worthy follower of Christ to God.  But, the only thing I can do is receive God's gift of Spirit and allow Him to work through me.  The active part for me is to receive, and allow the life of Christ to live through me.  I have been crucified with Christ and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me (Galatians 2:19,20 NRSV).