Last Christmas I received a book called Deep Rooted in Christ: The Way of Transformation by Joshua Choonmin Kang. I was excited to read it after Richard Foster recommended it so heartily. Upon opening the book, I noticed that it had 52 chapters, so I decided to read a chapter a week and just kind of "live" with the book for a year. I started out reading the same chapter each day for seven days so the words could really sink into my soul. And they did. I didn't maintain that dedication (especially during December), but I have soaked in the book somewhat and been blessed.
In this entry, I'm going to post quotes that capture the essence of each chapter. For me, it's just kind of a way to end the year by looking back at what I learned from this Korean pastor.
BEGINNING
1) For the sake of eternal blessings, we must give up earthly things.
2) True ministry begins not with giving but with receiving. We need to be filled up before we have anyting to give to others.
3) Emptying and filling, that was the rhythm of Jesus' life, and so it should be ours. In a very real sense the Christian life is like a pitcher; it's not something in which to store blessings up; it's a vessel out of which to pour blessings from.
BECOMING ROOTED IN JESUS
4) Life's problems are best solved at the root level; that's where we care for our souls; that's where the medicine is spiritual discipline.
5) Spiritual formation isn't like a quickly spreading fire; it's like a tree with deeply descending roots, establishing a foundation for future growth and fruitfulness.
6) Jesus is our foundation in the Christian life.
Seeking spiritual formation is like taking hold of the eternal foundation, seeing everything in the light of eternity.
Where we begin is vital. It's better to build correctly than to build quickly.
We must invest time and energy to build a solid foundation for living.
7) In short, spiritual formation is about cultivating the inner world...cultivating the heart.
Without it we cannot present pure hearts to God.
8) A deep well is untouched by changes of climate.
When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, our inner world is stable in spite of the shifting world outside.
GROWING IN GRACE
9)Deep people are those who practice spiritual disciplines in depth.
What brings us into depth and maturity?
1. the Word
2. the Holy Spirit
Unless we abide in the Word and under the power of the Holy Spirit, we can't know the depths that God intends for us.
10) Apart from the grace of God spiritual growth is simply impossible.
11) The understanding and insight to distinguish good from evil come through meditating on the Word.
When our eyes are fixed on the Lord Jesus and we trust in his Word, we will be steadfast and mature.
12) We can experience God only to the degree to which he makes himself known to us. He reveals himself through his Word and by his Holy Spirit. We'll experience and know God when we read the Word under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
13) Before we can obey God's Word, we have to understand it.
14) Competitive athletes must train their physical bodies; serious Christian thinkers must rigorously train their minds.
For disciplined training of our thoughts, constant study and reading are our greatest tools.
15) Before God, we need to be like lambs. In our relationship to other believers, we must act with sacrificial love. But against sin, the world and Satan, we have to be like valiant lions.
16) God not only implants the desire for transformation into our lives but also supplies the strength to make transformation a reality.
In reality, we can't separate grace and disciplines; they're deeply intertwined.
Followers of Jesus Christ are supposed to be disciplined people. They're supposed to discipline themselves under the grace of God.
WILDERNESS--A PREPARATION
17) A man or woman of God isn't made in palaces, in comfortable classes or quiet dormitories.
Men and women of God get their spiritual training in the wilderness.
18) One way we are trained in the desert is by waiting.
While a servant of God waits, he or she has a chance to anticipate and look forward to what God has planned.
19) Every spiritual leader needs discernment about God's time...one of the fruits of desert education.
An impatient person is unwilling to wait upon God.
20) We need to make time to be alone with God.
God seeks those who like to be alone with him.
21) Servants of God aren't controlled by what they hear from fellow human beings; they are controlled by the voice of God.
To be a servant of God we must sharpen our hearing.
22) ...prayer time is never wasted time.
Before trying to move the hearts of other people, we should try to move the heart of God.
23) God won't consider using someone who trusts only in himself.
Our own meager strength isn't enough to do the work God wants. The great tasks are possible only through his power.
24) The power of God becomes a reality in our lives when we deny our nature; this is a basic principle of ministry.
25) It was the good shepherd who knew the value of each member of his flock.
26) Those who uphold the kingdom of God have to become servants.
27) Those who are especially chosen by God have one common experience, a special anointing by the Holy Spirit.
SOUL CARING
28) The most important task for true servants of God is to take time off to look at one's inner life, to care for one's own soul.
Taking a step back, spending some time together with our Creator, is a small but critical move.
29) To keep in top spiritual condition, our souls need daily devotional time.
Early morning devotions help us tune our will to God.
30) The discipline of silence can still the noise of the world.
Silence is a friend of God.
31) In the garden of our hearts, we want splendid fruit-bearing trees.
Meditate and pray, plant the Word, and there will be good and beautiful fruit.
32) Spiritual disciplines will make us more like Jesus; they'll make our lips and heart become one. Being like Jesus, avoiding hypocrisy, is all about taking care of our souls.
WAYS TO FRUITFULNESS
33) God didn't tell us to become beautiful flowers. Instead, he commanded us to bear fruit.
34) Can we come down from our own high places to serve others? Only then will we really be following our Lord Jesus. And we'll bear splendid fruit when we do.
35) Let God do the publicizing.
Self-promotion isn't what pleases God.
36) When our walls of self are shattered, this life in us pours out.
How can we let the let the life of God flow free? One way is to deny ourselves.
37) God...wants a close friendship.
Without a close friendship with Jesus, our ministries won't count. Working hard is only the half of it. Friendship is the other half.
RIGHTEOUSNESS HAS A HEART
38) What kind of person does God work through? Not a person who boasts about his or her own competence. Instead, God looks for someone who maintains power inwardly.
39) God sets a great value on those who endure great trials. He purifies his servants through suffering and readies them for his ministries.
40) Holiness is having a heart for God.
What's the secret of having such a heart for God?
We must decide to please God only.
41) God is looking for just one person who hates sin, fears God and is willing to lay his or her life aside to fulfill God's mission.
Because of one righteous person, a blessing will come to our own place and time.
God wants to find those who aren't seeking popularity and fame but are looking for genuine holiness, and we are the ones.
42) Righteous influence can be corrupted by sin.
Those who long for righteousness imitate Jesus.
43) Is righteousness a gift, or must we cultivate it? Righteousness comes as part of the gift of faith--when we first believe in Jesus. But to complete that righteousness is a lifetime process. God did not give us a short cut.
44) Understand our true identities...our ugly side...our splendid, unlimited potential.
Those with deep spirituality have a strong conviction about their sinful natures.
Sometimes, as we grow in grace, we get the feeling that we're growing in sin.
45) Patience is the essence of love.
Let's have patience. Let's think about Jesus and endure.
46) Self-control is the height of spiritual discipline.
First, it comes through the Holy Spirit.
Second, self-control comes about through all the spiritual disciplines.
47) Jesus possessed the word power to move human souls.
His words spoke to the people. His words revealed his own spirituality.
Once we are filled with the Holy Spirit our language will change.
48) What distinguishes mature servants of God? They're content with what they have.
Believers don't have to look far for happiness; they find it in Jesus who makes his home right here with us. Let's gaze on him, the source of all satisfaction.
49) How do true servants of God behave?
For the sake of the gospel, they embrace everyone; they open their hearts to receive one and all.
50) The heart of Jesus is gentle and humble.
It embraces everyone.
51) The abundant life Jesus was talking about is the happy life.
It's the life filled with spiritual meaning and worthwhile tasks.
An uncomfortable life isn't necessarily a miserable life. On the other hand, a comfortable life doesn't guarantee a happy life.
The abundant life comes when we live a life of mission (Acts 20:24); a life that serves others has meaning and purpose.
52) What then is the prescription for maintaining exceptional spirituality?
1. We must learn to walk the straight path.
2. We must abide in Jesus always.
3. We must have a Sprit-filled life.
4. To follow Jesus we must deny ourselves daily.
5. To do battle against Satan, we must try to be always awake and on guard.
6. Our love of God in Jesus compels us to serve others.
7. Our ministry calls for a balance in spirituality and the Word.
Because human character is so limited, we must always trust and lean on the working of the Holy Spirit, the blood of Jesus and his righteousness. We must attend to the work of the ministry in the power and authority of Jesus' name.
The life of a Christlike person...sets a goal and imitates Jesus in a lifelong process by and in the grace of God.
If anyone has actually read all of this, you are obviously concerned about spiritual transformation and should buy the book!
Happy New Year everybody!
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Stefanovden
(This entry was obviously started on the day after Christmas...)
December 26th, Saint Stephen's Day.
Also, my Grandmother's birthday.
It has always been overshadowed by Christmas...an afterthought of sorts.
Saint Stephen's day gets overlooked, too.
Obviously, the first Christian martyr is not on par with the incarnation, but Stephen's death did set major events in motion. "The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church," after all.
My friend Joseph reminds me that martyrdom is not a thing of the ancient past. Members of his Coptic Orthodox Church in Egypt are still being persecuted and killed today. In muslim Egypt, Joseph explains, Christian parents are told that their child has "converted to Islam," and they never see the child again. In actuality, the child has more likely been abducted and sold into slavery (as was St. Patrick).
Such persecution has increased in recent years in Egypt, and Joseph tells me that believers there have recently been comforted and encouraged by appearances from the Virgin Mary, seen worshiping before the cross.
Another Josef was also born on Saint Stephen's Day, 2007. He was born prematurely, but the Lord has brought him through many ordeals. His family is preparing to go to Ethiopia to serve homeless and oppressed children. Ethiopia is another nation in conflict. So please pray for the Gross family, for Ethiopia, for Egypt, and for all who are persecuted for the sake of Christ Jesus.
And let us also live up to these words from 2 Corinthians 4 (a very appropriate Stefanovden meditation):
New Living Translation
December 26th, Saint Stephen's Day.
Also, my Grandmother's birthday.
It has always been overshadowed by Christmas...an afterthought of sorts.
Saint Stephen's day gets overlooked, too.
Obviously, the first Christian martyr is not on par with the incarnation, but Stephen's death did set major events in motion. "The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church," after all.
My friend Joseph reminds me that martyrdom is not a thing of the ancient past. Members of his Coptic Orthodox Church in Egypt are still being persecuted and killed today. In muslim Egypt, Joseph explains, Christian parents are told that their child has "converted to Islam," and they never see the child again. In actuality, the child has more likely been abducted and sold into slavery (as was St. Patrick).
Such persecution has increased in recent years in Egypt, and Joseph tells me that believers there have recently been comforted and encouraged by appearances from the Virgin Mary, seen worshiping before the cross.
Another Josef was also born on Saint Stephen's Day, 2007. He was born prematurely, but the Lord has brought him through many ordeals. His family is preparing to go to Ethiopia to serve homeless and oppressed children. Ethiopia is another nation in conflict. So please pray for the Gross family, for Ethiopia, for Egypt, and for all who are persecuted for the sake of Christ Jesus.
And let us also live up to these words from 2 Corinthians 4 (a very appropriate Stefanovden meditation):
8 We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. 9 We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. 10 Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.
11 Yes, we live under constant danger of death because we serve Jesus, so that the life of Jesus will be evident in our dying bodies. 12 So we live in the face of death, but this has resulted in eternal life for you.
13 But we continue to preach because we have the same kind of faith the psalmist had when he said, “I believed in God, so I spoke.” 14 We know that God, who raised the Lord Jesus, will also raise us with Jesus and present us to himself together with you. 15 All of this is for your benefit. And as God’s grace reaches more and more people, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory.
16 That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. 17 For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! 18 So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.
New Living Translation
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Flesh and Bone
In college, I sang in a quartet. One of the songs we sang was a Michael Card song called Flesh of His Flesh. The chorus goes like this:
The song combines elements of Romans 12:5 and Genesis 2:23.
I was reading some commentary a few days ago on Genesis 2:23 and I discovered something interesting. This phrase "bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh" may mean more than one thinks. Victor Hamilton suggests that "flesh" often symbolizes weakness in the Old Testament. "Bone," on the other hand, may be seen as a symbol of strength. The phrase "my/your bone and flesh" also connotes relationship. Walter Brueggemann argues that this phrase is used as a covenental formula--a pledge of mutual loyalty.
So, in this first instance of direct human discourse, Adam may be stating much more than the fact that he and the woman are made of the same stuff. It could very well be a statement of commitment.
Wow, can you believe this may have been Adam & Eve's way of marrying, becoming "one flesh" with her? Makes sense in context...
I read this on my anniversary. Darina is my bone and my flesh. We share in each others' strengths and weaknesses, and the Lord is there with us through it all.
What a nice anniversary present. Thank you, Lord.
--Brueggemann, Walter, "Of the Same Flesh and Bone (GN 2,23a)," CBQ 32 (1970) 532-42
--Hamilton, Victor P., The Book of Genesis: Chapters 1-17, The New International Commentary on the New Testament
We are flesh of His flesh
Bone of His bone
His Spirit has brought us
Together as one
Though we may be separate
We're one perfect whole
For we are His body
And He is our soul
The song combines elements of Romans 12:5 and Genesis 2:23.
I was reading some commentary a few days ago on Genesis 2:23 and I discovered something interesting. This phrase "bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh" may mean more than one thinks. Victor Hamilton suggests that "flesh" often symbolizes weakness in the Old Testament. "Bone," on the other hand, may be seen as a symbol of strength. The phrase "my/your bone and flesh" also connotes relationship. Walter Brueggemann argues that this phrase is used as a covenental formula--a pledge of mutual loyalty.
So, in this first instance of direct human discourse, Adam may be stating much more than the fact that he and the woman are made of the same stuff. It could very well be a statement of commitment.
Thus it would serve as the biblical counterpart to the modern marriage ceremony, "in weakness [i.e., flesh] and in strength [i.e., bone]."
Wow, can you believe this may have been Adam & Eve's way of marrying, becoming "one flesh" with her? Makes sense in context...
I read this on my anniversary. Darina is my bone and my flesh. We share in each others' strengths and weaknesses, and the Lord is there with us through it all.
What a nice anniversary present. Thank you, Lord.
--Brueggemann, Walter, "Of the Same Flesh and Bone (GN 2,23a)," CBQ 32 (1970) 532-42
--Hamilton, Victor P., The Book of Genesis: Chapters 1-17, The New International Commentary on the New Testament
Thursday, December 24, 2009
The Brothers Karamazov
This classic work is being offered as a free audiobook download until the end of 2009.
If you haven't read The Brothers Karamazov (or listened to it), you really should.
I think it's my all-time favorite novel!
Friday, December 11, 2009
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Ramblings of Discontent (The Search Goes On...)
Yesterday we were in Dallas renewing Darina's Bulgarian passport. On the way back to Lubbock, we had lots of time to talk about our future. For a couple of years, I've been searching for exactly what I should do professionally. While searching & asking, thinking & waiting, there have been times when I've gotten discouraged.
Recently, I finished reading The Idiot, by Dostoevsky. Surprisingly, I didn't like it very much. There was a particular passage that hit me though.
The narrator is discussing different types of people--those who think they are clever and those who truly are. He muses that clever people are sometimes truly honest and good, but unsuccessful.
It's not that I think I'm terribly clever or gifted. But I do feel unfulfilled. I don't think it's just pride that causes me to feel that I should be doing more. I know that God can use me for something great. I just lack faith that He will use me. Yet Satan does use this discontent to make me discount my here and now.
I've heard much about being content lately. I trust that God will use me as He chooses. (Self-contradictory much? Yes, I know.) Another passage from The Idiot may also have something to say to my situation:
(Of course this speech was delivered by a scoundrel who was contemplating suicide, but still...)
I certainly don't want this blog to lapse into a self-reflective journal. That's not my intent. I'm sure there are others who feel unfulfilled and are seeking direction as well. Perhaps I would feel better about my situation (and become more productive) if I would just spend less time watching TV and playing computer games. Who knows?
Lord, have mercy...
Recently, I finished reading The Idiot, by Dostoevsky. Surprisingly, I didn't like it very much. There was a particular passage that hit me though.
The narrator is discussing different types of people--those who think they are clever and those who truly are. He muses that clever people are sometimes truly honest and good, but unsuccessful.
One of these luckless men...is the guardian angel of his family, maintains by his labour outsiders as well as his own kindred, and yet can never be at rest all of his life! The thought that he has so well fulfilled his duties is no comfort or consolation to him; on the contrary, it irritates him. 'This is what I've wasted all my life on,' he says; 'this is what has fettered me, hand and foot; this is what has hindered me from doing something great! Had it not been for this, I should certainly have discovered -- gunpowder or America, I don't know precisely what, but I would certainly have discovered it!' What is most characteristic of these gentlemen is that they can never find out for certain what it is they are destined to discover and what they are within an ace of discovering. But their sufferings, their longings for what was to be discovered, would have sufficed for a Columbus or a Galileo.(Part IV, Chapter 1, page 433 in my version, emphasis mine)
It's not that I think I'm terribly clever or gifted. But I do feel unfulfilled. I don't think it's just pride that causes me to feel that I should be doing more. I know that God can use me for something great. I just lack faith that He will use me. Yet Satan does use this discontent to make me discount my here and now.
I've heard much about being content lately. I trust that God will use me as He chooses. (Self-contradictory much? Yes, I know.) Another passage from The Idiot may also have something to say to my situation:
You know it's a matter of a whole lifetime, an infinite multitude of ramifications hidden from us. The most skillful chess-player, the cleverest of them, can only look a few moves ahead; a French player who could reckon out ten moves ahead was written about as a marvel. How many moves there are in this, and how much that is unknown to us! In scattering the seed, scattering your 'charity,' your kind deeds, you are giving away, in one form or another, part of your personality, and taking into yourself part of another; you are in mutual communion with one another, a little more attention and you will be rewarded with the knowledge of the most unexpected discoveries...All your thoughts, all the seeds scattered by you, perhaps forgotten by you, will grow up and take form. He who has received them from you will hand them on to another. And how can you tell what part you may have in the future determination of the destinies of humanity?(Part III, Chapter 6, p. 378)
(Of course this speech was delivered by a scoundrel who was contemplating suicide, but still...)
I certainly don't want this blog to lapse into a self-reflective journal. That's not my intent. I'm sure there are others who feel unfulfilled and are seeking direction as well. Perhaps I would feel better about my situation (and become more productive) if I would just spend less time watching TV and playing computer games. Who knows?
Lord, have mercy...
Thursday, November 5, 2009
The Net
Jesus has many parables, sayings in which he throws a spiritual concept out alongside a more familiar circumstance. He often leaves us to draw the connections. Many times people didn't get the point he was trying to make. They heard with their ears but did not understand. I have often been in their shoes.
But that somewhat cryptic (or at least obscure) quality of the parables is part of what makes them special. We have to keep coming back to them and looking at them afresh. Our job is not just to say, "I got that one" and move on. We get to repeatedly explore the comparisons that Jesus made. I think that's one reason He spoke in this manner.
Recently I heard my favorite teacher, Roger Forster, interpret the parable of the net. Before I share his interpretation, here's the parable:
The Parable of the Net
Matthew 13
47"Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. 48When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. 49This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous 50and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
51"Have you understood all these things?" Jesus asked.
"Yes," they replied.
I had always just kind of taken this parable at face value. There will be a judgment, a harvest, an end. It happens when the net is full. There are all kinds of fish. Just because you're in the net doesn't mean you're a keeper! The bad fish will be thrown away (burned). No catch and release here.
But Forster focuses on the composition of the net. He supposes that the individual knots of the net are church congregations and the ropes that connect the knots are the Holy Spirit. That really struck me. This is how people come to the Lord--through the Lord's Body, the Church. And what does that say about church unity? We are bound to one another more than we realize. We're not just separate gatherings or denominations functioning independently of one another (or, worse, competing or even judging one another). There is a unity in the Spirit that is a vital part of our role in the harvest. Jesus prayed that we would be one so that the world may believe in Him (John 17:20-21).
If the Church's unity is threatened, the net's structural integrity is damaged. Thankfully, not only are we "fishers of men," but we have a great Fisher of Men, the Lord Jesus. What were several of the disciples doing when they were called? They were "mending their nets." Perhaps this is not just a throw-away detail. Could it possibly be a picture of what Jesus is doing even now--preserving the unity of His Church...mending His Net?
I don't know that Forster's take on this parable is the right one, but it sure is thought provoking. It makes tons of sense to me, too. I'll keep that image of the Fisherman caring for His Church by mending the net, along with the Gardener pruning the Vine and the Builder building His house. In my mind, it's a good one.
But that somewhat cryptic (or at least obscure) quality of the parables is part of what makes them special. We have to keep coming back to them and looking at them afresh. Our job is not just to say, "I got that one" and move on. We get to repeatedly explore the comparisons that Jesus made. I think that's one reason He spoke in this manner.
Recently I heard my favorite teacher, Roger Forster, interpret the parable of the net. Before I share his interpretation, here's the parable:
The Parable of the Net
Matthew 13
47"Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. 48When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. 49This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous 50and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
51"Have you understood all these things?" Jesus asked.
"Yes," they replied.
I had always just kind of taken this parable at face value. There will be a judgment, a harvest, an end. It happens when the net is full. There are all kinds of fish. Just because you're in the net doesn't mean you're a keeper! The bad fish will be thrown away (burned). No catch and release here.
But Forster focuses on the composition of the net. He supposes that the individual knots of the net are church congregations and the ropes that connect the knots are the Holy Spirit. That really struck me. This is how people come to the Lord--through the Lord's Body, the Church. And what does that say about church unity? We are bound to one another more than we realize. We're not just separate gatherings or denominations functioning independently of one another (or, worse, competing or even judging one another). There is a unity in the Spirit that is a vital part of our role in the harvest. Jesus prayed that we would be one so that the world may believe in Him (John 17:20-21).
If the Church's unity is threatened, the net's structural integrity is damaged. Thankfully, not only are we "fishers of men," but we have a great Fisher of Men, the Lord Jesus. What were several of the disciples doing when they were called? They were "mending their nets." Perhaps this is not just a throw-away detail. Could it possibly be a picture of what Jesus is doing even now--preserving the unity of His Church...mending His Net?
I don't know that Forster's take on this parable is the right one, but it sure is thought provoking. It makes tons of sense to me, too. I'll keep that image of the Fisherman caring for His Church by mending the net, along with the Gardener pruning the Vine and the Builder building His house. In my mind, it's a good one.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
A King's Copy
Once again, this blog is on life support. Can't skip a month...
Actually, I've had lots of thoughts to blog about--just no discipline to sit and write.
Earlier in October, I was reading a passage from Deuteronomy that struck me. The passage is Deuteronomy 17:14-20. It's a section of the law advising Israel about choosing a king. It also gives direction to future kings.
Verses 18-20 are the ones that impressed me:
I've read this before, but I guess I never really noticed it. At the very beginning of his reign, the king was required to re-copy the entire law! He didn't have a servant do it for him; he was to do it himself. Can you imagine how much time that might have taken? Plus, I'm sure it was somewhat expensive. Papyrus wasn't cheap. But the king's knowledge of the law was a priority. It was worth the time, effort, and expense.
After making himself a copy, he was required to keep it with him. He couldn't just forget about it. I wonder if he kept it with him when he met with foreign dignitaries. What about when he went to war?
He was to read it "all the days of his life." It remained a priority. Reminds me of the parable of the sower. So many people today make a good start in the Christian life, but then, when trouble comes, they "stop believing and turn away from God" (Luke 8:13) or "they let the worries, riches, and pleasures of this life stop them from growing. So they never make good fruit" (Luke 8:14). If we don't make meditation on the Word a priority, life will displace God's ways with its own substitutes.
Also, the king read with a purpose. His reading was to teach him:
1) to revere the Lord
2) to obey the Word faithfully
3) to remain humble
His reading was not just to gain knowledge (informative). It was to shape his heart and his will (formative). I think this requires pondering the word. It means that the king took the law with him spiritually as well as physically. He kept it in his mind, letting it penetrate into his spirit through rumination. Do we do this?
I urge you to make the Bible a priority. Take up the Word. Read it all the days of your life. If we are to reign with Christ, shouldn't we too practice keeping His law with us at all times?
What would recopying a book of the Bible by hand teach us?
I think I may try it.
Actually, I've had lots of thoughts to blog about--just no discipline to sit and write.
Earlier in October, I was reading a passage from Deuteronomy that struck me. The passage is Deuteronomy 17:14-20. It's a section of the law advising Israel about choosing a king. It also gives direction to future kings.
Verses 18-20 are the ones that impressed me:
When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the priests, who are Levites. It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the Lord his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees and not consider himself better than his brothers and turn from the law to the right or to the left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel.
I've read this before, but I guess I never really noticed it. At the very beginning of his reign, the king was required to re-copy the entire law! He didn't have a servant do it for him; he was to do it himself. Can you imagine how much time that might have taken? Plus, I'm sure it was somewhat expensive. Papyrus wasn't cheap. But the king's knowledge of the law was a priority. It was worth the time, effort, and expense.
After making himself a copy, he was required to keep it with him. He couldn't just forget about it. I wonder if he kept it with him when he met with foreign dignitaries. What about when he went to war?
He was to read it "all the days of his life." It remained a priority. Reminds me of the parable of the sower. So many people today make a good start in the Christian life, but then, when trouble comes, they "stop believing and turn away from God" (Luke 8:13) or "they let the worries, riches, and pleasures of this life stop them from growing. So they never make good fruit" (Luke 8:14). If we don't make meditation on the Word a priority, life will displace God's ways with its own substitutes.
Also, the king read with a purpose. His reading was to teach him:
1) to revere the Lord
2) to obey the Word faithfully
3) to remain humble
His reading was not just to gain knowledge (informative). It was to shape his heart and his will (formative). I think this requires pondering the word. It means that the king took the law with him spiritually as well as physically. He kept it in his mind, letting it penetrate into his spirit through rumination. Do we do this?
I urge you to make the Bible a priority. Take up the Word. Read it all the days of your life. If we are to reign with Christ, shouldn't we too practice keeping His law with us at all times?
What would recopying a book of the Bible by hand teach us?
I think I may try it.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Fun Times
I loved watching this video. It's of a group of guys (good ol' Texas boys) just having a blast. It's quite impressive, too. What fun!
Also, the more views this video gets, the more money gets raised for Compassion International.
They call themselves "Dude Perfect"
Check it out!
Also, the more views this video gets, the more money gets raised for Compassion International.
They call themselves "Dude Perfect"
Check it out!
Sunday, August 30, 2009
The Wisdom of Owen Meany
It's been a busy month for me. We've moved into a new house (with all that entails), kept 4 kids entertained (our 2 and 2 others), and I've started a new job (with all that entails). All of these things are a real blessing, and I'm super thankful for all of them. But I haven't had much time for the computer...and the poor little "Island" blog has suffered. (I also discovered Facebook this summer. Though it was a big timesuck at first, I haven't even checked in there for three weeks or so!)
One thing I did do for myself was to reread A Prayer for Owen Meany. I first read this book in Bulgaria, and I loved it. It's my favorite of the John Irving books I've read. It's also one of the tamest.
I enjoyed reading it again, but it was raunchier than I remember. Owen Meany is a great character, though. He's also an interesting example of faith. I have pulled out several of his quotes that I'd like to share. (Once again, the blog entry isn't original, but since "St. Cuthbert's" is on life support...)
I hope you enjoy the words of Owen Meany:
(Owen's larynx is immobile, so his voice is a "permanent scream." Thus, he speaks in all-caps.)
(While practicing "the shot" and trying to do it in record time...)
Pretty good stuff, if you ask me.
One thing I did do for myself was to reread A Prayer for Owen Meany. I first read this book in Bulgaria, and I loved it. It's my favorite of the John Irving books I've read. It's also one of the tamest.
I enjoyed reading it again, but it was raunchier than I remember. Owen Meany is a great character, though. He's also an interesting example of faith. I have pulled out several of his quotes that I'd like to share. (Once again, the blog entry isn't original, but since "St. Cuthbert's" is on life support...)
I hope you enjoy the words of Owen Meany:
"IT'S BAD ENOUGH THAT THEY CRUCIFIED HIM," Owen said, "BUT THEY MADE FUN OF HIM, TOO!"p. 250
(Owen's larynx is immobile, so his voice is a "permanent scream." Thus, he speaks in all-caps.)
"IF YOU DON'T BELIEVE IN EASTER," Owen Meany said, "DON'T KID YOURSELF--DON'T CALL YOURSELF A CHRISTIAN."p. 251
EASTER MEANS WHAT IT SAYS.p. 253
"JUST BECAUSE A BUNCH OF ATHEISTS ARE BETTER WRITERS THAN THE GUYS WHO WROTE THE BIBLE DOESN'T NECESSARILY MAKE THEM RIGHT!" he said crossly. "LOOK AT THOSE WEIRDO TV MIRACLE-WORKERS--THEY'RE TRYING TO GET PEOPLE TO BELIEVE IN MAGIC! BUT THE REAL MIRACLES AREN'T ANYTHING YOU CAN SEE--THEY'RE THINGS YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE WITHOUT SEEING. IF SOME PREACHER'S A [JERK], THAT'S NOT PROOF THAT GOD DOESN'T EXIST!"p. 277 [profane--my substitution]
IT'S TRUE THAT THE DISCIPLES ARE STUPID--THEY NEVER UNDERSTAND WHAT JESUS MEANS, THEY'RE A BUNCH OF BUNGLERS, THEY DON'T BELIEVE IN GOD AS MUCH AS MUCH AS THEY WANT TO BELIEVE, AND THEY EVEN BETRAY JESUS. THE POINT IS, GOD DOESN'T LOVE US BECAUSE WE'RE SMART OR BECAUSE WE'RE GOOD. WE'RE STUPID AND WE'RE BAD AND GOD LOVES US ANYWAY...p. 277
(While practicing "the shot" and trying to do it in record time...)
"IF WE CAN DO IT IN UNDER FOUR SECONDS, WE CAN DO IT IN UNDER THREE," he said. "IT JUST TAKES A LITTLE MORE FAITH."p. 304
"It takes more practice," I told him irritably.
"FAITH TAKES PRACTICE," said Owen Meany.
NOW YOU HAVE A CHOICE: EITHER YOU USE GOD'S GIFT OR YOU WASTE IT. I THINK A LITTLE EFFORT FROM YOU IS REQUIRED.p. 322
"FAITH AND PRAYER," he said. "FAITH AND PRAYER--THEY WORK, THEY REALLY DO."p. 350, p. 357
THERE IS NO PURGATORY--THAT'S A CATHOLIC INVENTION. THERE'S LIFE ON EARTH, THERE'S HEAVEN--AND THERE'S HELL.p. 370
When it was so dark at the St. Michael's playground that we couldn't see the basket, we couldn't see Mary Magdalene, either. What Owen liked best was to practice the shot until we lost Mary Magdalene in the darkness. Then he would stand under the basket with me and say, "CAN YOU SEE HER?"pp. 399-400
"Not anymore," I'd say.
"YOU CAN'T SEE HER, BUT YOU KNOW SHE'S STILL THERE--RIGHT?" he would say.
"Of course she's still there!" I'd say.
"YOU'RE SURE?" he'd ask me.
"Of course I'm sure!" I'd say.
"BUT YOU CAN'T SEE HER," he'd say--very teasingly. "HOW DO YOU KNOW SHE'S STILL THERE IF YOU CAN'T ACTUALLY SEE HER?"
"Because I know she's still there--because I know she couldn't have gone anywhere--because I just know!" I would say.
And one cold, late-fall day--it was November or even early December[...]I was especially exasperated by this game he played about not seeing Mary Magdalene but still knowing she was there.
"YOU HAVE NO DOUBT SHE'S THERE?" he nagged at me.
"Of course I have no doubt!" I said.
"BUT YOU CAN'T SEE HER--YOU COULD BE WRONG," he said.
"No, I'm not wrong--she's there, I know she's there!" I yelled at him.
"YOU ABSOLUTELY KNOW SHE'S THERE--EVEN THOUGH YOU CAN'T SEE HER?" he asked me.
"Yes!" I screamed.
"WELL, NOW YOU KNOW HOW I FEEL ABOUT GOD," said Owen Meany. "I CAN'T SEE HIM--BUT I ABSOLUTELY KNOW HE IS THERE!"
"Owen, this is so childish," I said. "You can't believe that everything that pops into your head means something! You can't have a dream and believe that you 'know' what you're supposed to do!"p. 418
"THAT ISN'T EXACTLY WHAT FAITH IS," he said, turning his attention to the tomato sauce. "I DON'T BELIEVE EVERYTHING THAT POPS INTO MY HEAD--FAITH IS A LITTLE MORE SELECTIVE THAN THAT."
Pretty good stuff, if you ask me.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Soul Enrichment
I've been reading through Joshua Choonmin Kim's Deep-Rooted in Christ: The Way of Transformation this year. Yesterday I read about the value of silence. Since it tied in so well with the previous post, I thought I'd share it. (After all, why blog your own thoughts when you can just report someone else's?!)
Chapter 30 -- Soul Enrichment
Be still and know...
Chapter 30 -- Soul Enrichment
One of the obstacles to our spiritual growth is noise. Beware of noise from the outer world. Also guard against the noise that builds up within.
Where does this inner noise come from? Inner noise stems from worry about worldly things. Worldly things produce what is contrary to God (Romans 8:5-6).
The discipline of silence can still the noise of the world. It can turn us from worldly matters to spiritual ones. It is really a form of repentance.
How do our souls grow? Our souls thrive on silence. When does our spirituality build a deeper root system? When we make space for silence. Our souls are enriched by silence; in the quiet they revel and grow.
Take a look at the natural world and you'll see silence at work. Living things grow silently. Trees put down deeper roots without a sound. Trees bear fruit without the slightest noise. In the ocean deep, hardly a sound is heard.
Silence is mystical. Silence teaches us. A child in the mother's womb can't make sounds but grows in silence. Early in the morning when we wake to hear nature in silence, we grasp the deeper meaning of our lives.
Silence is a time to dump the garbage from our souls. Oh yes, it's there! And silence helps us admit our sins, encourages us to get rid of them.
Quietly, we confess our sins to God. As Proverbs says, "No one who conceals transgressions will prosper, / but one who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy" (Proverbs 28:13).
Silence nourishes meditation on the Word. Our souls grow by digesting the Word. As Matthew says in his Gospel, "One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4).
Reading the Word is vital to spiritual growth. When we taste the Word, we feed our souls. But for the souls to grow we must digest God's Word. It is the life blood of our souls. It reaches our souls through the discipline of silence.
In silence the Word takes hold in our hearts. It soaks into our hearts through prayer. Then we understand. As spiritual writer Thomas Moore has said in his book Caring for the Soul, "Through the discipline of silence, we understand and come near the truth."
Understanding links all things together. It connects God and self. It links the past and the present, the present and the future, the present and the eternal until we come to see everything from an eternal vantage point.
Silence is a friend of God. Silence is God's gift to deepen our love and friendship. When we talk a lot, love seems to be absent. But when we come together face to face, we sense a mystical feeling of love.
Be still and know...
Friday, July 24, 2009
St. Cuthbert's Island
Today's reading in Celtic Daily Prayer (the devotional book I've been using for the past 2 & 1/2 years) is entitled "St. Cuthbert's Island." I thought I'd share it, for somewhat obvious reasons!
I like that...
Thank You, Lord, for the trysting places.
Aidan Readings: July 23
ST CUTHBERT'S ISLAND
St Cuthbert's Island adjoining the shore of Lindisfarne is a wonderful parable of quiet, for it is always in sight of the main island, and yet for hours and hours at a time it is completely cut off. It seems designed especially to experience a day of solitude, long enough to limit your freedom, but not as inaccessible as the life of the true hermit.
Here Cuthbert, and almost certainly Aidan before him, escaped from the pressures of community and of missions and turned their face towards God.
Thank you, Lord, that you have set aside places,
special trysting places where we can meet with You.
Alistair Eberst
How wonderful it is to talk with God
when cares sweep o'er my spirit like a flood;
how wonderful it is to hear His voice,
for when He speaks the desert lands rejoice.
Theodore H. Kitching
We've all got little cells in our hearts, little hermitages that God wants to fill. For some there's a physical place of silence. It's hard to be silent. It's hard to stop. To know God in the quiet is worth a lot -- it's there we'll get our vision and our peace to come through whatever hits us.
I like that...
Thank You, Lord, for the trysting places.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
God's Mercy Does Not Excuse Our Complacency
There is no such thing as a casual Christian.
Christianity takes too much effort.
(Luke 13:24-28; Hebrews 4:11; Hebrews 12:14; 2 Peter 3:14)
It requires too much focus and devotion.
"Purity of heart is to will one thing."
"May my heart's one aim be to fear His Name."
I heard a great quote today from Mark Powell:
"The mission of the Church is to love Jesus. Every thing else is just strategy."
I've realized this week that I'm doing a poor job of this.
I've been negative, short-tempered, selfish, gossipy, and ungrateful.
I don't want the Lord's mecy to be an excuse for spiritual complacency.
Thank God for His mercy:
"Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior, have mercy on me, a sinner."
And He does!
Listen to this verse from 2 John.
Amen, and amen.
But not only am I not "making every effort," I'm hardly making any effort.
And I fear I'm not alone...
"My brother and sisters, this should not be so."
Christianity takes too much effort.
(Luke 13:24-28; Hebrews 4:11; Hebrews 12:14; 2 Peter 3:14)
It requires too much focus and devotion.
"Purity of heart is to will one thing."
"May my heart's one aim be to fear His Name."
I heard a great quote today from Mark Powell:
"The mission of the Church is to love Jesus. Every thing else is just strategy."
I've realized this week that I'm doing a poor job of this.
I've been negative, short-tempered, selfish, gossipy, and ungrateful.
I don't want the Lord's mecy to be an excuse for spiritual complacency.
Thank God for His mercy:
"Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior, have mercy on me, a sinner."
And He does!
Listen to this verse from 2 John.
Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father's Son, will be with us in truth and love.
Amen, and amen.
But not only am I not "making every effort," I'm hardly making any effort.
And I fear I'm not alone...
"My brother and sisters, this should not be so."
Monday, June 1, 2009
Download This Book!
Christian Audio is offering a GREAT free download this month: Eugene Peterson's Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places.
I have another audiobook from his spiritual theology series, Eat This Book, and it was profound. Listening to it was like taking a seminary course. I have wanted to read the whole series, and here it is!
Until the end of June, the other books in Peterson's spiritual theology series--The Jesus Way, Eat This Book, and Tell It Slant--are on sale for $5 each until the end of the month. That's a heck of a lot of deep teaching for only $15!!
It's not an easy read (or listen), but it's worth the investment. If you're willing to put in the time to listen in your car on on your MP3 player, I guarantee you'll be blessed. Personally, I can't wait to listen!
Sunday, May 31, 2009
The Smell of Victory
I'm going to try writing this the way it happened--
sort of stream-of-consciousness style.
Bear with me. I think there's a beautiful truth at the end.
This morning, while singing a song called "Overcome," I was struck by something. Somehow the song reminded me of an old hymn that describes Jesus's resurrection as His bursting forth from the "spice-laden tomb."
Yeah, I thought, that's right. There were about 75 pounds of myrrh, aloes, and spices that He had been wrapped up in when they buried him (John 19:39-40).
That must have smelled really good.
But what about Lazarus? I remember when Jesus was asking for his grave to be opened. Martha protested, "Lord, by this time he stinketh." (Had to use the King James for this verse--it's classic...right up there with Gen. 22:3 and the like.)
Why did Lazarus stink? Because his body was decomposing. (There's a special word in Bulgarian for dead stuff that's rotting--mursha. In English I think it's "carrion," but my dictionaries are already packed for our move. Regardless, it's a horrid smell.)
Jesus's body, however, didn't decompose. Psalm 16:10, a clear prophesy about Jesus (see Acts 2:23-28), says: "You will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let Your Holy One see decay."
Now I'm a smell person. I think it's my strongest sense. Smells transport me back to certain times and places. VW bugs, my daughter's hair, acacias in bloom, barbecue...they all move me in their own way.
Evidently God is a smell person, too. When Noah landed after the flood, he sacrificed animals as a burnt offering to the Lord. Genesis 8:21 says, "The LORD smelled the pleasing aroma..."
If He liked that smell, how must He have rejoiced at the scent of His Son coming forth from the tomb in victory? What fragrance must have met the angels who rolled back the stone of his grave? Not the smell of death or defeat, but the wonderful smell of life and victory. Surely this smell, the scent of the risen Christ, was the greatest smell ever.
I would have loved to have smelled that smell. Talk about an aroma that is pleasing to God...
But wait. Isn't there another verse that talks about the fragrance of Christ?
How cool is that? Imagine the all-time greatest smell in the history of the world--Jesus bursting forth victoriously from the spice-laden tomb.
That's how we smell to God.
Next time you're self-conscious about your breath or your wife tells you that you need a shower...just remember how you smell to Him!!
sort of stream-of-consciousness style.
Bear with me. I think there's a beautiful truth at the end.
This morning, while singing a song called "Overcome," I was struck by something. Somehow the song reminded me of an old hymn that describes Jesus's resurrection as His bursting forth from the "spice-laden tomb."
Yeah, I thought, that's right. There were about 75 pounds of myrrh, aloes, and spices that He had been wrapped up in when they buried him (John 19:39-40).
That must have smelled really good.
But what about Lazarus? I remember when Jesus was asking for his grave to be opened. Martha protested, "Lord, by this time he stinketh." (Had to use the King James for this verse--it's classic...right up there with Gen. 22:3 and the like.)
Why did Lazarus stink? Because his body was decomposing. (There's a special word in Bulgarian for dead stuff that's rotting--mursha. In English I think it's "carrion," but my dictionaries are already packed for our move. Regardless, it's a horrid smell.)
Jesus's body, however, didn't decompose. Psalm 16:10, a clear prophesy about Jesus (see Acts 2:23-28), says: "You will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let Your Holy One see decay."
Now I'm a smell person. I think it's my strongest sense. Smells transport me back to certain times and places. VW bugs, my daughter's hair, acacias in bloom, barbecue...they all move me in their own way.
Evidently God is a smell person, too. When Noah landed after the flood, he sacrificed animals as a burnt offering to the Lord. Genesis 8:21 says, "The LORD smelled the pleasing aroma..."
If He liked that smell, how must He have rejoiced at the scent of His Son coming forth from the tomb in victory? What fragrance must have met the angels who rolled back the stone of his grave? Not the smell of death or defeat, but the wonderful smell of life and victory. Surely this smell, the scent of the risen Christ, was the greatest smell ever.
I would have loved to have smelled that smell. Talk about an aroma that is pleasing to God...
But wait. Isn't there another verse that talks about the fragrance of Christ?
But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.
For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.
--2 Corinthians 2:14-15
How cool is that? Imagine the all-time greatest smell in the history of the world--Jesus bursting forth victoriously from the spice-laden tomb.
That's how we smell to God.
Next time you're self-conscious about your breath or your wife tells you that you need a shower...just remember how you smell to Him!!
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Loving With Our Ears
"The first duty of love is to listen." -- Paul Tillich
I am a multi-tasker. While it's true that I am fairly capable of doing more than one thing at a time, for me this term more often than not has another meaning. It means that while I'm doing something I should be doing, I'm also doing something I want to be doing.
Lately, as we're getting ready to move to Texas, my down time has been on the computer or watching TV. Darina's way of relaxing is more relational. So, I've been "listening" while I play.
I haven't loved my wife well at all lately, and a couple of nights ago she let me know it. I also realized that I haven't loved the Lord well lately either. Isn't it funny how when we need to "relax" or be "recharged" we often just waste time with stuff that neither relaxes nor recharges?!
Oh well, thank God for grace & for committed, forgiving wives.
This quote hit the spot for me.
When I read it, I was convicted (in a very good way).
May we love with our ears today (...& eyes..& minds--I hear real listening involves all 3 of these...who'da thunk it?).
Listeners make better lovers!
I am a multi-tasker. While it's true that I am fairly capable of doing more than one thing at a time, for me this term more often than not has another meaning. It means that while I'm doing something I should be doing, I'm also doing something I want to be doing.
Lately, as we're getting ready to move to Texas, my down time has been on the computer or watching TV. Darina's way of relaxing is more relational. So, I've been "listening" while I play.
I haven't loved my wife well at all lately, and a couple of nights ago she let me know it. I also realized that I haven't loved the Lord well lately either. Isn't it funny how when we need to "relax" or be "recharged" we often just waste time with stuff that neither relaxes nor recharges?!
Oh well, thank God for grace & for committed, forgiving wives.
This quote hit the spot for me.
When I read it, I was convicted (in a very good way).
May we love with our ears today (...& eyes..& minds--I hear real listening involves all 3 of these...who'da thunk it?).
Listeners make better lovers!
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Tony Campolo Talk
I love Veritas Forum.
This ministry brings gifted speakers to various university campuses to inspire and challenge students with the Christian message. Their website states:
The lectures & presentations are really good.
Just recently I listened to one that I have to recommend. It was a 1999 Tony Campolo speech. If you've never heard Tony Campolo, you're in for a treat. He is such a gifted speaker!
This talk is super inspiring. It's filled with passion and a deep wisdom that comes from years of following Jesus.
Please give it a listen. Download it and put it on your MP3 player.
You'll be challenged.
You'll be moved.
It's a beautiful talk.
If anyone else listens to it, I'd love to hear your comments.
This ministry brings gifted speakers to various university campuses to inspire and challenge students with the Christian message. Their website states:
Veritas Forums are university events that engage students and faculty in discussions about life's hardest questions and the relevance of Jesus Christ to all of life.
The lectures & presentations are really good.
Just recently I listened to one that I have to recommend. It was a 1999 Tony Campolo speech. If you've never heard Tony Campolo, you're in for a treat. He is such a gifted speaker!
This talk is super inspiring. It's filled with passion and a deep wisdom that comes from years of following Jesus.
Please give it a listen. Download it and put it on your MP3 player.
You'll be challenged.
You'll be moved.
It's a beautiful talk.
If anyone else listens to it, I'd love to hear your comments.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
A Dialogue on the Problem of Evil
Well, I just realized this is my 100th post.
I felt compelled to post a blog for April, because it seemed that the blog might be "dead" if I didn't. (Shouldn't you blog at least monthly to keep your blog alive?) It was already on life support.
I was going to post another Psalm of Ascents blog, but I can't find my notes or my Hebrew translation! (I'm sure I will eventually.) So, for the second time in a row, I'm resorting to posting some old material.
This is a little imaginary scene I wrote back in 2005. It could use some editing, but I think there are some good thoughts there.
Arthur: Whom are you here visiting?
Bernard: My daughter. She died three years ago today. What about you?
Arthur: I came to remember my son. He was killed just over a year ago…He was driving home from college when some lady fell asleep at the wheel, crossed over into his lane, and hit him head on. I’ll never get over it.
Bernard: I’m very sorry to hear that.
Arthur: Yeah, I’m sorry, too. What about your daughter?
Bernard: She died of leukemia after a long, hard battle with the disease.
Arthur: So, would you mind telling me how it is that you can pray? I don’t understand how anyone can believe in a God that would let something like that happen. I mean, God’s supposed to be so good, right? And He’s supposed to have unlimited power, right? So how could He just stand by with all that goodness and power and let our babies die? I can’t fathom a god like that, yet you’re here praying to Him.
Bernard: Well, I believe that in spite of the suffering and the tragedy that goes on in this world, God is still good and powerful, and He is worthy of our worship.
Arthur: Sounds like they’ve got you brainwashed. Why would your God let this happen if He could stop it? Why does He allow any evil at all?
Bernard: It’s pretty complicated, but I’d be happy to explain it as best I can. It sounds like you’re asking two separate questions. I’ll try to answer the second one first if that’s OK. God is completely good and so cannot create anything evil. However, because He created us for the purpose of having a loving relationship with us, He endowed us with free will. The fact that we have freedom to make bad choices or good ones has serious consequences. We may choose to obey God or to rebel against Him. When we rebel against Him and freely choose evil, people suffer. Both the person who committed the evil and the person or entity against whom the evil is committed will suffer. The man who commits the evil will suffer as his relationship to God deteriorates. The victim will suffer because of the other man’s transgression.
Arthur: Exactly. That’s just not fair! Why would a good God give us such power to hurt one another?
Bernard: We are given freedom to choose because true love can only be chosen freely. If I am coerced to love, I do not truly love. God wants us to freely choose Him and to freely choose to do good. In fact, He calls obeying Him (or doing what is good) the same thing as loving Him! Because we were created to love God and love each other, God had to give us genuine freedom to love. That means we had to be able not to love Him as well—not to obey, not to do good.
Arthur: So God allows all this suffering just because He wants to be loved? That sounds really selfish and egotistical.
Bernard: Yeah, I admit that it does. But you’ve got to remember that God is the one who created us all. He knows exactly how we work. He knows what’s best for us. He knows what life is all about. And from our perspective it may seem cruel or meaningless, but God has His reasons. Evidently, love is so important that He was willing to risk all of this evil to let us choose to love. It must be that love is intricately tied in to the meaning of life! Without love, there is no life.
Arthur: I loved my son. And now he’s gone. What was the point? My son wasn’t killed by someone who made an evil choice—just a senseless one. Where’s the meaning in that? And what about your daughter? Who’s to blame for her suffering?
Bernard: Earlier you asked why God would allow any evil at all if He had the power to stop it. When He gave us freedom, He also created a world with natural laws…physics, chemistry, etc. Our actions have consequences, and God doesn’t suspend those consequences every time we make a mistake. If He did, we would never develop any sense of moral responsibility. We could do just anything we pleased, knowing that God would bail us out. Like a spoiled child running through a china shop, we could take the attitude of “No big deal. Daddy will clean up and pay for this mess.” Because we were created to have fellowship with Him, we must become like Him. That means we have to forsake sin. And the natural law helps us to realize that our actions have consequences. Real change has to happen in our character.
Arthur: But I’m not talking about character, dang it! I’m talking about the death of our innocent children! Why did they have to die? How can you believe in a God who values character formation more than the life of an incredible young man like my son?
Bernard: I know your pain. I was devastated when Hannah died. I miss her terribly. She was the most beautiful girl in the world, and nothing can replace her. But I have hope, you see? The story is not over. I’m going to see her again. God didn’t cause her death. He allowed her to die, just as all of us will die. But I’ll spend eternity with her. There is no more pain where she is. No more chemotherapy. No more weakness or tears. And God has given me that hope. Where would I be without it?
Arthur: But why would He allow sickness in this world?
Bernard: I used to believe that the sins of men affected the very fabric of the world and caused everything to be “out of whack.” I thought that was why we have natural disasters, suffering, sickness, and so on. Beyond all of that, I knew that there were spiritual forces of evil—angels who had rebelled against God and seek to harm creation in any way they are able, driving a wedge between us and God. I still think these things to be true, but I have realized that regardless of the explanation behind all of this suffering, God allows it. Even if He doesn’t cause it directly, He lets it happen. He must have a reason for this. I don’t pretend to know the mind of God or to understand His purposes. I can’t even tell you how a microwave works, much less the universe! But I believe that God has a plan. Our suffering is very real in this life, but compared with the backdrop of eternity it is very temporary. And through the pain we learn to trust, to endure, to hope, to have empathy and compassion, to give, to be a faithful friend, and to forgive. All of these traits make us more like Jesus. And that’s the goal—to learn to love like God so that we can spend eternity with Him and in fellowship with others that have responded to His love. Heather will be resurrected. So will your son. Doesn’t that give you some hope for the future?
Arthur: It’s all “Pie in the Sky” B.S. How does that help me now? I have to live the rest of my life without Danny. Nothing can change that.
Bernard: You’re right. We will never again be able to hold our children in this lifetime. If this life is all there is, there is no consolation. But your outrage itself is a clue that something is amiss. Just as physical pain tells us that something is wrong and that we need to take action to prevent further harm, so spiritual anguish alerts us to seek a remedy. If our hand is burning, the pain tells us to move it away from the flame. If we have a fever, our immune system goes into action. Sometimes we need to take medicine. Other times we may need surgery. When we suffer in our souls, we need to seek a spiritual remedy. I’m talking about more than counseling to help us deal with emotional issues. I’m talking about finding a way to make sense of the pain. For me, the only way it makes sense is if God can redeem it. Only if God is all good and all-powerful can He make it right someday. If He doesn’t exist, then what hope do we have?
Arthur: So you’re telling me that the best thing I can do is to embrace the God that let this happen to my son? What kind of guarantee do I have that I’m not just playing the fool, letting myself be anesthetized by the “opium of the masses?”
Bernard: The best guarantee you have is Jesus. God loved us so much that He sent His own Son to lead us to life. In Him we may receive forgiveness, the gift of His Spirit, and the hope of eternal life. God is not a disinterested observer who sits idly by and watches us suffer. He knows what it is like to lose a Son. He knows what it is like to suffer pain and suffer loss. He too was innocent, yet He entered into our suffering. He tasted death. Have you seen the movie The Passion? Do you recall the scene that showed a view of the cross from the sky above? Looking down onto the dead body of Jesus, we see a single teardrop fall. God knows your pain. He cares. But that was not the end of the story. Jesus rose again! He is alive and will never die again. The best guarantee you have is the empty grave! Your story and your son’s story are not over either. God is still good. He is still powerful despite the way things look now. When Jesus died, no one had hope, either. Everyone close to Him was crushed. They despaired. But everything changed on the other side of resurrection. It will change for us as well if we allow God to have His way in us. And in coming to know God, there is a love and a peace His Spirit gives that cannot be explained. Please don’t write God off because of your hurt. Let Him bring healing and hope as you come to know Him. The story is not over. God loves you. He can still write a beautiful ending for you and your family if you will let Him.
I felt compelled to post a blog for April, because it seemed that the blog might be "dead" if I didn't. (Shouldn't you blog at least monthly to keep your blog alive?) It was already on life support.
I was going to post another Psalm of Ascents blog, but I can't find my notes or my Hebrew translation! (I'm sure I will eventually.) So, for the second time in a row, I'm resorting to posting some old material.
This is a little imaginary scene I wrote back in 2005. It could use some editing, but I think there are some good thoughts there.
Setting—Two men are visiting gravesites in a local cemetery. One man, Arthur, notices the other, Bernard, praying as he kneels before a headstone. He is just intrigued (or perturbed) enough to approach Bernard.
Arthur: Whom are you here visiting?
Bernard: My daughter. She died three years ago today. What about you?
Arthur: I came to remember my son. He was killed just over a year ago…He was driving home from college when some lady fell asleep at the wheel, crossed over into his lane, and hit him head on. I’ll never get over it.
Bernard: I’m very sorry to hear that.
Arthur: Yeah, I’m sorry, too. What about your daughter?
Bernard: She died of leukemia after a long, hard battle with the disease.
Arthur: So, would you mind telling me how it is that you can pray? I don’t understand how anyone can believe in a God that would let something like that happen. I mean, God’s supposed to be so good, right? And He’s supposed to have unlimited power, right? So how could He just stand by with all that goodness and power and let our babies die? I can’t fathom a god like that, yet you’re here praying to Him.
Bernard: Well, I believe that in spite of the suffering and the tragedy that goes on in this world, God is still good and powerful, and He is worthy of our worship.
Arthur: Sounds like they’ve got you brainwashed. Why would your God let this happen if He could stop it? Why does He allow any evil at all?
Bernard: It’s pretty complicated, but I’d be happy to explain it as best I can. It sounds like you’re asking two separate questions. I’ll try to answer the second one first if that’s OK. God is completely good and so cannot create anything evil. However, because He created us for the purpose of having a loving relationship with us, He endowed us with free will. The fact that we have freedom to make bad choices or good ones has serious consequences. We may choose to obey God or to rebel against Him. When we rebel against Him and freely choose evil, people suffer. Both the person who committed the evil and the person or entity against whom the evil is committed will suffer. The man who commits the evil will suffer as his relationship to God deteriorates. The victim will suffer because of the other man’s transgression.
Arthur: Exactly. That’s just not fair! Why would a good God give us such power to hurt one another?
Bernard: We are given freedom to choose because true love can only be chosen freely. If I am coerced to love, I do not truly love. God wants us to freely choose Him and to freely choose to do good. In fact, He calls obeying Him (or doing what is good) the same thing as loving Him! Because we were created to love God and love each other, God had to give us genuine freedom to love. That means we had to be able not to love Him as well—not to obey, not to do good.
Arthur: So God allows all this suffering just because He wants to be loved? That sounds really selfish and egotistical.
Bernard: Yeah, I admit that it does. But you’ve got to remember that God is the one who created us all. He knows exactly how we work. He knows what’s best for us. He knows what life is all about. And from our perspective it may seem cruel or meaningless, but God has His reasons. Evidently, love is so important that He was willing to risk all of this evil to let us choose to love. It must be that love is intricately tied in to the meaning of life! Without love, there is no life.
Arthur: I loved my son. And now he’s gone. What was the point? My son wasn’t killed by someone who made an evil choice—just a senseless one. Where’s the meaning in that? And what about your daughter? Who’s to blame for her suffering?
Bernard: Earlier you asked why God would allow any evil at all if He had the power to stop it. When He gave us freedom, He also created a world with natural laws…physics, chemistry, etc. Our actions have consequences, and God doesn’t suspend those consequences every time we make a mistake. If He did, we would never develop any sense of moral responsibility. We could do just anything we pleased, knowing that God would bail us out. Like a spoiled child running through a china shop, we could take the attitude of “No big deal. Daddy will clean up and pay for this mess.” Because we were created to have fellowship with Him, we must become like Him. That means we have to forsake sin. And the natural law helps us to realize that our actions have consequences. Real change has to happen in our character.
Arthur: But I’m not talking about character, dang it! I’m talking about the death of our innocent children! Why did they have to die? How can you believe in a God who values character formation more than the life of an incredible young man like my son?
Bernard: I know your pain. I was devastated when Hannah died. I miss her terribly. She was the most beautiful girl in the world, and nothing can replace her. But I have hope, you see? The story is not over. I’m going to see her again. God didn’t cause her death. He allowed her to die, just as all of us will die. But I’ll spend eternity with her. There is no more pain where she is. No more chemotherapy. No more weakness or tears. And God has given me that hope. Where would I be without it?
Arthur: But why would He allow sickness in this world?
Bernard: I used to believe that the sins of men affected the very fabric of the world and caused everything to be “out of whack.” I thought that was why we have natural disasters, suffering, sickness, and so on. Beyond all of that, I knew that there were spiritual forces of evil—angels who had rebelled against God and seek to harm creation in any way they are able, driving a wedge between us and God. I still think these things to be true, but I have realized that regardless of the explanation behind all of this suffering, God allows it. Even if He doesn’t cause it directly, He lets it happen. He must have a reason for this. I don’t pretend to know the mind of God or to understand His purposes. I can’t even tell you how a microwave works, much less the universe! But I believe that God has a plan. Our suffering is very real in this life, but compared with the backdrop of eternity it is very temporary. And through the pain we learn to trust, to endure, to hope, to have empathy and compassion, to give, to be a faithful friend, and to forgive. All of these traits make us more like Jesus. And that’s the goal—to learn to love like God so that we can spend eternity with Him and in fellowship with others that have responded to His love. Heather will be resurrected. So will your son. Doesn’t that give you some hope for the future?
Arthur: It’s all “Pie in the Sky” B.S. How does that help me now? I have to live the rest of my life without Danny. Nothing can change that.
Bernard: You’re right. We will never again be able to hold our children in this lifetime. If this life is all there is, there is no consolation. But your outrage itself is a clue that something is amiss. Just as physical pain tells us that something is wrong and that we need to take action to prevent further harm, so spiritual anguish alerts us to seek a remedy. If our hand is burning, the pain tells us to move it away from the flame. If we have a fever, our immune system goes into action. Sometimes we need to take medicine. Other times we may need surgery. When we suffer in our souls, we need to seek a spiritual remedy. I’m talking about more than counseling to help us deal with emotional issues. I’m talking about finding a way to make sense of the pain. For me, the only way it makes sense is if God can redeem it. Only if God is all good and all-powerful can He make it right someday. If He doesn’t exist, then what hope do we have?
Arthur: So you’re telling me that the best thing I can do is to embrace the God that let this happen to my son? What kind of guarantee do I have that I’m not just playing the fool, letting myself be anesthetized by the “opium of the masses?”
Bernard: The best guarantee you have is Jesus. God loved us so much that He sent His own Son to lead us to life. In Him we may receive forgiveness, the gift of His Spirit, and the hope of eternal life. God is not a disinterested observer who sits idly by and watches us suffer. He knows what it is like to lose a Son. He knows what it is like to suffer pain and suffer loss. He too was innocent, yet He entered into our suffering. He tasted death. Have you seen the movie The Passion? Do you recall the scene that showed a view of the cross from the sky above? Looking down onto the dead body of Jesus, we see a single teardrop fall. God knows your pain. He cares. But that was not the end of the story. Jesus rose again! He is alive and will never die again. The best guarantee you have is the empty grave! Your story and your son’s story are not over either. God is still good. He is still powerful despite the way things look now. When Jesus died, no one had hope, either. Everyone close to Him was crushed. They despaired. But everything changed on the other side of resurrection. It will change for us as well if we allow God to have His way in us. And in coming to know God, there is a love and a peace His Spirit gives that cannot be explained. Please don’t write God off because of your hurt. Let Him bring healing and hope as you come to know Him. The story is not over. God loves you. He can still write a beautiful ending for you and your family if you will let Him.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Honor, Patronage, Kinship & Purity (a book review)
Recently I taught a Sunday school lesson based on David deSilva's book Honor, Patronage, Kinship & Purity: Unlocking New Testament Culture. People seemed very interested in learning more about the culture of the New Testament world, and I remember finding this book fascinating. I gained insights from it that helped me appreciate the New Testament, as well as the beauty of God's love, at a deeper level. That can never be a bad thing.
While in seminary, I wrote a review of deSilva's book. If you're interested in learning more about New Testament culture, read the book. But for a quick synopsis (and review), here's this (written 2006):
Clay Brackeen. Review of David A. deSilva, Honor, Patronage, Kinship & Purity: Unlocking New Testament Culture (Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 2000).
Modern readers of the New Testament tend to collapse the cultural and historical distance between themselves and the text by approaching it as if it were written with their specific context in mind. In Honor, Patronage, Kinship and Purity, David A. deSilva attempts to alert the modern reader as to how much she is missing if this tact is taken. He explores four important aspects of first century Jewish and Greco-Roman culture and then demonstrates how understanding the cultural context sheds much needed light on the meaning of New Testament passages. DeSilva argues that without an understanding of the views that were held concerning honor, patronage, kinship, and purity, one cannot fully appreciate the New Testament’s Christian witness. He goes on to show how Christians can appropriate these concepts in today’s context.
The book’s title provides a blueprint of deSilva’s treatment of four key cultural elements. He first examines the way that first century Jewish and Greco-Roman culture viewed honor. Honor and shame, explains deSilva, provided a touchstone for all of society’s values. Honor was both ascribed at birth due to one’s lineage and conferred by society through acting in a way deemed noble. The approval of others was thus greatly desired and served to keep people in line. At times, however, various groups espoused competing values, and a minority culture would promote an alternate “court of reputation” (40) from which its members were to seek approval.
Christians, one such counter-cultural minority group, encouraged the seeking of honor from a source other than the culture-at-large. In the face of being shamed by the “upside-down mentality of the society” (53), New Testament authors urged the faithful to seek the lasting honor that God alone could bestow. They pointed to Jesus and to Old Testament examples who endured hostility from ignorant outsiders who were often committed to wickedness. Rather than losing heart in the face of such opposition, Christians should rejoice and use the opportunity to display their loyalty to God. God’s approval, reinforced by the community of faith and the testimony of Scripture, was to be enough. As God’s people, Christians were to honor and care for one another. The community of faith promoted right behavior by using honor and shame, refusing to tolerate sin but confronting and restoring the wayward with love and gentleness. The church of today, says deSilva, needs to define itself as a counter-cultural movement, seeking honor through God’s approval rather than via status symbols such as wealth, education, possessions, and achievements. Modern Christians also need to recover a healthy sense of shame, allowing one another to be held accountable by being a community of honesty and openness and by confronting one another in love.
DeSilva next examines the first century concept of patronage. Although western society values self-sufficiency, New Testament culture valued the “giving and receiving of favors” as a normal and useful practice. In society, one often used relationships to obtain money, appointments, or access to influential individuals. The person in need, called the client, would seek out a patron and enter into a binding reciprocal relationship of give and take. The patron would provide the needed goods or service and would be owed a debt of gratitude in return. Ideally, the patron would give generously with no thought of return. Thus, it was an act of grace. The client, on the other hand, would show his or her gratitude by promoting the reputation of the patron, remaining loyal to the patron through thick and thin, and returning favors to the patron whenever possible. In short, the client was to demonstrate a “desire and commitment to return grace for grace” (118).
New Testament authors made use of this fundamental relationship to show what God had done for humanity through Jesus Christ. As the patron par excellence, God chose enemies to be the beneficiaries of His grace. Not only does He give life to all, but in Jesus He purchases salvation for all who will become His clients. Jesus, then, is seen as a mediator to God’s favor. He died voluntarily for our benefit, nobly giving His all, and thus we seek God in Jesus’ name. The Christian response to such generosity includes thanksgiving, a willingness to promote God’s honor by testifying to what He has done, a life of good works, loyalty, trust, obedience, and generous service to others.
A third element of first century culture that deSilva explores is that of kinship. In a very real way, one’s family of origin defined a person. Blood relatives worked together and promoted the common good of all. They could trust one another. They shared ideals and possessions, hid each other’s shame, and readily forgave one another. Cultural roles within the household were well defined, and the family unit was committed to loving and helping one another.
In the New Testament, deSilva explains, kinship was defined as being part of the “household of God” and the ethos of kinship was the “standard for interpersonal relations” in the church (199). Christians are described as being adopted by God Himself, born of the Spirit into the family of God. Although the world does not recognize the honor that has been given to believers, the New Testament reassures that the world failed to recognize Jesus as God’s Son as well. Jesus is “the critical link in the construction of this family” (200). Christians must trust the witness of the Spirit that they are God’s children and trust that their true identity will be made manifest to all at Christ’s second coming. In the meantime, they are to treat one another as sons and daughters of the King and as kin. The mutual love required of any family should show itself in the way Christians share their resources, maintain their unity, and honor one another. In their commitment to a separate ethos, they maintain a clear division from the world. At the same time however, they reach out to outsiders in love and remain open to receiving new converts. One point of Christian kinship that deSilva urges modern believers to take to heart is this: “to honor Christ by saying his blood is more important than our own in determining who shall be our family” (238). The “fictive” kinship of God’s family takes precedence even over the “natural” kinship of physical relatedness.
Purity is the final cultural norm that deSilva introduces in his book. The first century saw certain places, people, and times as being holy—set apart from the everyday and filled with power. Purity had to do with how people ordered the world. It was thought that one did not approach God blithely, for the holy was filled with power that contained a “combination of potential danger and potential blessing” (247). Various rituals provided the means by which one could become pure and whole and thus approach the holy without fear of reprisal.
DeSilva states that the New Testament presents Jesus as redefining purity codes. Jesus Himself provided the ultimate sacrifice that cleansed His people from impurity once and for all. He clarified that what truly makes a person unclean was not external pollutants but rather internal impurity that springs from one’s heart and mind. He taught that true holiness entails love and mercy and that “acts of compassion are never out of season” (290). Jesus’ body replaces the temple as sacred space, and the Church as Christ’s body becomes sacred as well. Christians are to treat the assembly of believers and their own individual physical bodies with reverence because the Spirit of Christ now dwells there. The Church is now set apart from the ordinary, sanctified for God’s service, and must extend God’s love to the world while remaining distinct and holy.
In my estimation, deSilva succeeds in capturing and conveying four important elements of first century New Testament culture. He paints a clear picture of the role that honor, patronage, kinship and purity played in that society. He then makes logical connections to the ways that New Testament authors incorporated such cultural understandings. The insights that deSilva provides are much more than interesting tidbits. They are essential for gaining a true appreciation of what New Testament authors are trying to convey when they use terms like honor, grace, gratitude, family, sacrifice, and purity. The book’s format—that of presenting a chapter on a sociocultural category’s larger cultural context followed by a chapter on its treatment in the New Testament—is very effective. DeSilva’s modern day application’s for the Church are right on target as well.
In summary, Honor, Patronage, Kinship & Purity: Unlocking New Testament Culture is a good example of how an appreciation of cultural context unlocks a deeper understanding of the New Testament message. DeSilva summarizes several important aspects of Greco-Roman and Jewish culture with which the original writers assume their audience is familiar. This book guards against the modern reader’s natural tendency to superimpose his own worldview onto the text. DeSilva bridges the cultural gap and provides the understandings that are needed to more fully and correctly grasp the New Testament authors’ intent.
While in seminary, I wrote a review of deSilva's book. If you're interested in learning more about New Testament culture, read the book. But for a quick synopsis (and review), here's this (written 2006):
Clay Brackeen. Review of David A. deSilva, Honor, Patronage, Kinship & Purity: Unlocking New Testament Culture (Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 2000).
Modern readers of the New Testament tend to collapse the cultural and historical distance between themselves and the text by approaching it as if it were written with their specific context in mind. In Honor, Patronage, Kinship and Purity, David A. deSilva attempts to alert the modern reader as to how much she is missing if this tact is taken. He explores four important aspects of first century Jewish and Greco-Roman culture and then demonstrates how understanding the cultural context sheds much needed light on the meaning of New Testament passages. DeSilva argues that without an understanding of the views that were held concerning honor, patronage, kinship, and purity, one cannot fully appreciate the New Testament’s Christian witness. He goes on to show how Christians can appropriate these concepts in today’s context.
The book’s title provides a blueprint of deSilva’s treatment of four key cultural elements. He first examines the way that first century Jewish and Greco-Roman culture viewed honor. Honor and shame, explains deSilva, provided a touchstone for all of society’s values. Honor was both ascribed at birth due to one’s lineage and conferred by society through acting in a way deemed noble. The approval of others was thus greatly desired and served to keep people in line. At times, however, various groups espoused competing values, and a minority culture would promote an alternate “court of reputation” (40) from which its members were to seek approval.
Christians, one such counter-cultural minority group, encouraged the seeking of honor from a source other than the culture-at-large. In the face of being shamed by the “upside-down mentality of the society” (53), New Testament authors urged the faithful to seek the lasting honor that God alone could bestow. They pointed to Jesus and to Old Testament examples who endured hostility from ignorant outsiders who were often committed to wickedness. Rather than losing heart in the face of such opposition, Christians should rejoice and use the opportunity to display their loyalty to God. God’s approval, reinforced by the community of faith and the testimony of Scripture, was to be enough. As God’s people, Christians were to honor and care for one another. The community of faith promoted right behavior by using honor and shame, refusing to tolerate sin but confronting and restoring the wayward with love and gentleness. The church of today, says deSilva, needs to define itself as a counter-cultural movement, seeking honor through God’s approval rather than via status symbols such as wealth, education, possessions, and achievements. Modern Christians also need to recover a healthy sense of shame, allowing one another to be held accountable by being a community of honesty and openness and by confronting one another in love.
DeSilva next examines the first century concept of patronage. Although western society values self-sufficiency, New Testament culture valued the “giving and receiving of favors” as a normal and useful practice. In society, one often used relationships to obtain money, appointments, or access to influential individuals. The person in need, called the client, would seek out a patron and enter into a binding reciprocal relationship of give and take. The patron would provide the needed goods or service and would be owed a debt of gratitude in return. Ideally, the patron would give generously with no thought of return. Thus, it was an act of grace. The client, on the other hand, would show his or her gratitude by promoting the reputation of the patron, remaining loyal to the patron through thick and thin, and returning favors to the patron whenever possible. In short, the client was to demonstrate a “desire and commitment to return grace for grace” (118).
New Testament authors made use of this fundamental relationship to show what God had done for humanity through Jesus Christ. As the patron par excellence, God chose enemies to be the beneficiaries of His grace. Not only does He give life to all, but in Jesus He purchases salvation for all who will become His clients. Jesus, then, is seen as a mediator to God’s favor. He died voluntarily for our benefit, nobly giving His all, and thus we seek God in Jesus’ name. The Christian response to such generosity includes thanksgiving, a willingness to promote God’s honor by testifying to what He has done, a life of good works, loyalty, trust, obedience, and generous service to others.
A third element of first century culture that deSilva explores is that of kinship. In a very real way, one’s family of origin defined a person. Blood relatives worked together and promoted the common good of all. They could trust one another. They shared ideals and possessions, hid each other’s shame, and readily forgave one another. Cultural roles within the household were well defined, and the family unit was committed to loving and helping one another.
In the New Testament, deSilva explains, kinship was defined as being part of the “household of God” and the ethos of kinship was the “standard for interpersonal relations” in the church (199). Christians are described as being adopted by God Himself, born of the Spirit into the family of God. Although the world does not recognize the honor that has been given to believers, the New Testament reassures that the world failed to recognize Jesus as God’s Son as well. Jesus is “the critical link in the construction of this family” (200). Christians must trust the witness of the Spirit that they are God’s children and trust that their true identity will be made manifest to all at Christ’s second coming. In the meantime, they are to treat one another as sons and daughters of the King and as kin. The mutual love required of any family should show itself in the way Christians share their resources, maintain their unity, and honor one another. In their commitment to a separate ethos, they maintain a clear division from the world. At the same time however, they reach out to outsiders in love and remain open to receiving new converts. One point of Christian kinship that deSilva urges modern believers to take to heart is this: “to honor Christ by saying his blood is more important than our own in determining who shall be our family” (238). The “fictive” kinship of God’s family takes precedence even over the “natural” kinship of physical relatedness.
Purity is the final cultural norm that deSilva introduces in his book. The first century saw certain places, people, and times as being holy—set apart from the everyday and filled with power. Purity had to do with how people ordered the world. It was thought that one did not approach God blithely, for the holy was filled with power that contained a “combination of potential danger and potential blessing” (247). Various rituals provided the means by which one could become pure and whole and thus approach the holy without fear of reprisal.
DeSilva states that the New Testament presents Jesus as redefining purity codes. Jesus Himself provided the ultimate sacrifice that cleansed His people from impurity once and for all. He clarified that what truly makes a person unclean was not external pollutants but rather internal impurity that springs from one’s heart and mind. He taught that true holiness entails love and mercy and that “acts of compassion are never out of season” (290). Jesus’ body replaces the temple as sacred space, and the Church as Christ’s body becomes sacred as well. Christians are to treat the assembly of believers and their own individual physical bodies with reverence because the Spirit of Christ now dwells there. The Church is now set apart from the ordinary, sanctified for God’s service, and must extend God’s love to the world while remaining distinct and holy.
In my estimation, deSilva succeeds in capturing and conveying four important elements of first century New Testament culture. He paints a clear picture of the role that honor, patronage, kinship and purity played in that society. He then makes logical connections to the ways that New Testament authors incorporated such cultural understandings. The insights that deSilva provides are much more than interesting tidbits. They are essential for gaining a true appreciation of what New Testament authors are trying to convey when they use terms like honor, grace, gratitude, family, sacrifice, and purity. The book’s format—that of presenting a chapter on a sociocultural category’s larger cultural context followed by a chapter on its treatment in the New Testament—is very effective. DeSilva’s modern day application’s for the Church are right on target as well.
In summary, Honor, Patronage, Kinship & Purity: Unlocking New Testament Culture is a good example of how an appreciation of cultural context unlocks a deeper understanding of the New Testament message. DeSilva summarizes several important aspects of Greco-Roman and Jewish culture with which the original writers assume their audience is familiar. This book guards against the modern reader’s natural tendency to superimpose his own worldview onto the text. DeSilva bridges the cultural gap and provides the understandings that are needed to more fully and correctly grasp the New Testament authors’ intent.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Catherine Doherty's Island
Years ago I read a wonderful and challenging book called The Gospel Without Compromise. Its author, Catherine de Hueck Doherty, was a Russian lady who emigrated to Canada. Her writings brought the orthodox practice of poustinia to light for many western readers. "Poustinia" is the Russian (and Bulgarian!) word for desert, but it also recalls the place where the Desert Fathers went to be alone with God, seeking Him in solitude, silence, and prayer. We can practice spending time with God in our own poustinias.
I ran across a quote today in which Catherine Doherty refers to her poustinia (her hermitage) as "my island." It just seemed to fit in with the theme of my blog too well not to share. I pray that it rings true with my island (and yours too!).
From I Live on an Island by Catherine de Hueck Doherty (emphasis mine)
I found the quote on p. 342 of Celtic Daily Prayer.
If you have a chance to read some of Mrs. Doherty's writings at the above website (the link on her name), I'm sure you won't regret it.
I ran across a quote today in which Catherine Doherty refers to her poustinia (her hermitage) as "my island." It just seemed to fit in with the theme of my blog too well not to share. I pray that it rings true with my island (and yours too!).
My island teaches me new truths, or deepens the truths I already know. Like life, the island is never the same. Who of us has not known those 'naked days' when we feel the world is against us, that its prying eyes strip us naked and leave us crucified: days when we feel we could give anything for a little privacy; days of sorrow and pain when we want to hide and have no place to hide?
But if one reads the Scriptures and comes across its lovely poetic words about 'a garden enclosed', a 'fountain sealed', and wonders about it all then my island will reveal the secret of those holy words, and it will lead gently to contemplation, which is the key to that garden. Someday, unseen and unheard, the Bridegroom will come to such a garden. Then one will understand what it is to be all His.
From I Live on an Island by Catherine de Hueck Doherty (emphasis mine)
I found the quote on p. 342 of Celtic Daily Prayer.
If you have a chance to read some of Mrs. Doherty's writings at the above website (the link on her name), I'm sure you won't regret it.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Learning from Our Brothers in Christ
I haven't posted in a while, but tonight I was checking to see what some of my favorite blogs had to say.
I was blessed by Joseph's words about ambition, moved by the beautiful poetry at Wild Grace, encouraged by words of wisdom at Ben Witherington's blog, and I remembered.
I remembered why these blogs are my favorites. I have something in common with all of these folks. I am inspired to see the faith of people expressed in this format. So many of them I have never even seen, and yet I have a kinship with them. The truth of what they believe resonates with my spirit.
I wanted to recommend a post to you from Michael Spencer's blog. Liturgical Gangstas 6: Unappreciated Strengths and Overlooked Weaknesses In this post, Spencer asks Christian pastors of various denominations to assess certain "underappreciated strengths" and "overlooked weaknesses" of their tradition. The answers were pretty cool. I especially liked the Orthodox priest's comments, Joseph. I, like him, find that a practical agnositicism has crept into Christian culture, especially in the sphere of education. I am often told that any talk of faith would be "inappropriate" at school. Even Christians espouse this thinking. Tonight I read from Acts 4:18-20.
I was convicted that I too have been more concerned with being politically correct than with speaking about "what I have seen and heard."
Anyway, I hope you read the post I've linked to. It's a good one.
I was blessed by Joseph's words about ambition, moved by the beautiful poetry at Wild Grace, encouraged by words of wisdom at Ben Witherington's blog, and I remembered.
I remembered why these blogs are my favorites. I have something in common with all of these folks. I am inspired to see the faith of people expressed in this format. So many of them I have never even seen, and yet I have a kinship with them. The truth of what they believe resonates with my spirit.
I wanted to recommend a post to you from Michael Spencer's blog. Liturgical Gangstas 6: Unappreciated Strengths and Overlooked Weaknesses In this post, Spencer asks Christian pastors of various denominations to assess certain "underappreciated strengths" and "overlooked weaknesses" of their tradition. The answers were pretty cool. I especially liked the Orthodox priest's comments, Joseph. I, like him, find that a practical agnositicism has crept into Christian culture, especially in the sphere of education. I am often told that any talk of faith would be "inappropriate" at school. Even Christians espouse this thinking. Tonight I read from Acts 4:18-20.
18Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19But Peter and John replied, "Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God. 20For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard."
I was convicted that I too have been more concerned with being politically correct than with speaking about "what I have seen and heard."
Anyway, I hope you read the post I've linked to. It's a good one.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Abbey of Gethsemani
Last weekend I went on a spiritual retreat. I spent the weekend in silence with God at the Abbey of Gethsemani, a Trappist monastery outside of Bardstown, Kentucky. It was great. I'd been wanting to do this for a long time, but I finally made the arrangements and did it.
I had first read about this monastery when I discovered Thomas Merton and read about his story. Merton is a great Christian thinker, and I was blessed by his writings. When I first drove out to Asbury to visit, I remember passing near the Abbey of Gethsemani and recalling that this is where Merton was a monk. I thought it would be great to visit someday.
It was only 75 miles away. I made reservations months in advance, and I drove down Friday after school let out. My goals were just to spend time with the Lord, reconnecting. I felt as if my prayer life was really weak, and I just needed to rekindle my relationship with God. As I drove down to the monastery, I felt giddy.
The monks pray 7 times a day: Vigils (3:15 AM), Lauds (5:45 AM--Communion follows), Terce (7:30 AM), Sext (12:15 PM), None (2:15 PM), Vespers (5:30 PM), and Compline (7:30 PM). The only time we spoke was to pray. When we weren't praying (by we I mean the other retreatants and I), we were free to do whatever we wanted. I read a lot, rested a bit, walked the surrounding grounds, sat and thought, and prayed. The silence wasn't uncomfortable at all. It became like a friend, and the unspoken friendship between the retreatants grew perceptibly as the hours passed. Gestures, looks, and smiles spoke volumes. We knew that we were there for a common purpose: to seek the LORD.
I loved the times of prayer. The phrase that is repeated most often is "Praise the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit, both now and forever, the God who was, who is, and who is to come at the end of the ages." Repeat that 60 times in a weekend and it really sinks down into your heart. That's what these monks do. For over 160 years they have been praying and singing praises to God. Each night, while we sleep, they continue to pour forth adoration to God with steadfastness and faithfulness. I respected monks before. Now I know what a great service they perform for the world.
The time that meant the most to me was Saturday night after Vespers. I remained in the chapel, prostrate in the quiet darkness, and turned my heart toward the Lord. It was so sweet. The time flew. I felt as if I could have stayed forever. Such peace.
I hadn't connected like that with God in years. And it wasn't some big spiritual experience that happened. If you had asked me Saturday morning, I would say nothing had happened. But by Saturday afternoon, I realized that I had been with God the whole time. It was just the act of purposefully spending time together that did it. I loved Him, and He loved me.
I haven't blogged in a long time, and I hope to share more about what I learned on this trip. For now, though, it's just good to be writing again.
Praise the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit, both now and forever...
I had first read about this monastery when I discovered Thomas Merton and read about his story. Merton is a great Christian thinker, and I was blessed by his writings. When I first drove out to Asbury to visit, I remember passing near the Abbey of Gethsemani and recalling that this is where Merton was a monk. I thought it would be great to visit someday.
It was only 75 miles away. I made reservations months in advance, and I drove down Friday after school let out. My goals were just to spend time with the Lord, reconnecting. I felt as if my prayer life was really weak, and I just needed to rekindle my relationship with God. As I drove down to the monastery, I felt giddy.
The monks pray 7 times a day: Vigils (3:15 AM), Lauds (5:45 AM--Communion follows), Terce (7:30 AM), Sext (12:15 PM), None (2:15 PM), Vespers (5:30 PM), and Compline (7:30 PM). The only time we spoke was to pray. When we weren't praying (by we I mean the other retreatants and I), we were free to do whatever we wanted. I read a lot, rested a bit, walked the surrounding grounds, sat and thought, and prayed. The silence wasn't uncomfortable at all. It became like a friend, and the unspoken friendship between the retreatants grew perceptibly as the hours passed. Gestures, looks, and smiles spoke volumes. We knew that we were there for a common purpose: to seek the LORD.
I loved the times of prayer. The phrase that is repeated most often is "Praise the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit, both now and forever, the God who was, who is, and who is to come at the end of the ages." Repeat that 60 times in a weekend and it really sinks down into your heart. That's what these monks do. For over 160 years they have been praying and singing praises to God. Each night, while we sleep, they continue to pour forth adoration to God with steadfastness and faithfulness. I respected monks before. Now I know what a great service they perform for the world.
The time that meant the most to me was Saturday night after Vespers. I remained in the chapel, prostrate in the quiet darkness, and turned my heart toward the Lord. It was so sweet. The time flew. I felt as if I could have stayed forever. Such peace.
I hadn't connected like that with God in years. And it wasn't some big spiritual experience that happened. If you had asked me Saturday morning, I would say nothing had happened. But by Saturday afternoon, I realized that I had been with God the whole time. It was just the act of purposefully spending time together that did it. I loved Him, and He loved me.
I haven't blogged in a long time, and I hope to share more about what I learned on this trip. For now, though, it's just good to be writing again.
Praise the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit, both now and forever...
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