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Sunday, 05 October 2008
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Happy Sunday To You
It's Sunday! Church day! Unless you're Seventh Day Adventist, then that was yesterday, sorry!
Does anyone have any prayer requests or Praises?
I made that big mostly as a reminder to myself. So often I come to God and it's whine, whine, whine! Lord, please help me with this, please help me with that. There certainly are times to pray and ask for help - don't be afraid to request prayers from your brothers and sisters, by any means!
I just need to remember to PRAISE God, too! God in Heaven, hallowed be thy name! Great and Mighty are you, Lord! Your presence fills me with joy!
Right now I am praying for this cold to leave my body. My throat hurts from coughing!
And I am praising God for my new friends on this site! Thank you all who have been sharing your beautiful and insightful thoughts! Thank you, God, for these wonderful people!
Saturday, 04 October 2008
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My Brother is the Messiah?
The Logistics:
Alright, I think I figured out how I want to do this. I will do the...what did I call it? Babbling Blog Bible Study? Yeah, that thing. I'll do that on Mondays and Fridays so it's something to think about at the beginning of the work (or school) week and the beginning of the weekend. How does that sound?
And by all means, keep going back and writing your thoughts on the old posts! I've considered updating the time stamp so people can see the new comments, but I don't want to be a pain the patookus. I don't know. What do you think? You're the ones who will be seeing it!
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The Post:
Having started a study of the book of James, I started thinking about the person, James. Did you know this book was most likely written by Jesus' brother, James? As in one of Mary and Joseph's kids. James didn't believe in Jesus at first. Can you blame him? In fact, can you imagine growing up with Jesus as your older brother? I am picturing a nine-year-old James being chastised by his mother, "Why can't you be more like your brother, Jesus?"
<cue the dramatic 9yr old groan> Oh, great. Not this again. "But Mo-om!"
"Go help your father with that chair."
And there he goes, grumbling, kicking a stone down the street as he sulks all the way to his father's workshop.
It would be hard growing up with the perfect older brother. Especially when that older brother is so special his conception and birth were announced by angels. Or so Mom and Dad say. Maybe they're a little off their rocker. Though there are some precious gifts in the house that there is no way they could have been able to afford. So that little nugget of maybe stays. I don't really believe it, but I'm not going to totally discount it, either.
When Jesus was grown, James and his other brothers still didn't believe their brother was the Messiah, even when he was teaching and performing miracles (John 7:5). Despite this, James ended up believing and becoming prominent in the early Church. He was one of the select few Christ appeared to after his resurrection (1Co 15:7). He ended up being a pretty well-known guy.
I didn't include verse one in the Bible study, so here it is: James 1:1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations: Greetings.
He's acknowledging Jesus as the Christ, and himself as Christ's servant. I don't have any Biblical basis for my portrayal of a young James. I'm going solely on human nature - siblings bicker and demand their parents' attention. It seems likely to me that James would have been annoyed with perfect Jesus while growing up and getting into trouble. But here, in this letter to other believers, he is humbly conceding Jesus is his Lord and Master. The Greek word for "servant" means both (1) a "slave," who completely belongs to his owner and has no freedom to leave, and (2) a "servant," who willingly chooses to serve his master. He has given himself completely over to the one he called brother.
Can you imagine growing up as Jesus' little brother? Can you imagine acknowledging one of your siblings as Christ, your master?
Friday, 03 October 2008
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Studying James
I really like the book of James. Even though it was written to "the twelve tribes scattered among the nations," I feel like it was written to you and me as well. It feels more personal than some of the other books of the Bible. It's also not very long, so it makes for a nice read. When I signed up at revelife I didn't have the intention of doing a Bible study. I also didn't have the intention to speak so vehemently to leaders and readers, yet my first two posts came out that way. So now, here I am, sitting at my kitchen table, hacking up a lung and having a mini-Bible study.
Come, join me.
James 1:2-18
2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.
9The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in his high position. 10But the one who is rich should take pride in his low position, because he will pass away like a wild flower. 11For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich man will fade away even while he goes about his business.
12Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
13When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. 15Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown gives birth to death.
16Don't be deceived, my dear brothers. 17Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. 18He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.
Trials suck. And James wants us to be joyful for them? What, is he nuts? He says the testing of our faith develops "perseverance." I know what perseverance means, but I looked it up anyway and was surprised to find a theological definition with it. Perseverance is defined as:1. steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., esp. in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement. 2. Theology. continuance in a state of grace to the end, leading to eternal salvation.
Oh. Well, when you put it that way...I wouldn't mind being in a state of grace forever. So, if we stay strong in our faith and keep putting our trust in the Lord through these yucky trials, we will be in God's favor. If there's anyone's favor I want to have, it's His. I'm thinking back to some trials I've been through that I'm far enough removed from to look at them clearly. I can't honestly say I was joyful as I went through them, but looking back I can see how God used those situations to be a benefit. In fact, if I hadn't gone through them, I would be in a very different place now. I have learned from them and matured, both in attitude and in faith, which is exactly what James was saying. Trials bring maturity, and for that reason alone, I am thankful I went through them. Who wants to have the maturity of a Jr. High girl? Imagine never growing out of that. People around you would go nuts. That's probably how God feels if you never learn to grow up spiritually.
Part of growing up is through experience (trials), but also through gaining knowledge and wisdom. James says that if we lack wisdom, we should just ask! Recently, I was unsure of a point of dissension in the Church (I'm capitalizing Church as I am referring to the collective community of Christians, the building down the road will just be the church) so I prayed about it. I looked at verses in the Bible, but I was still unsure. God gives us resources to use if we are curious, we just need to acknowledge them. I emailed an old pastor of mine. He was able to explain to me exactly what I wanted to know. I had faith that God would answer my question, but I did not just sit back and wait for a booming voice or a hand on the wall. I took the initiative and his answer was revealed to me.
James' description of the doubter being blown and tossed by the wind portrays the instability of the immature Christian. I know my parents loved me when I was in Jr. High, but I also know that I was a royal pain in the patoot. They did not give me everything I wanted. In fact, the more I whined and complained, the less inclined they were to give me something other than a grounding. The same could be true of God. Not only does the immature Christian likely not know what is best for her, but she probably is trying God's infinite patience. "You want to try that again with a little less attitude?" We should be humble before God. Who are we to demand things of Him?
Now, I'm all over verse nine! I'm living in my first apartment, paying BILLS. Yuck. My income is modest, to say the least. I'm pleasantly surprised every month when I actually have enough money in my account to pay all the bills AND buy food. Rock on! I am in a humble circumstance! James said I ought to take pride in my high position. Eh? A second ant just crawled across my keyboard. Not only am I poor, but now I have an ant infestation. How exactly is this a high position? The footnote of my Bible explains, "The Christian who suffers the trial of poverty is to take pride in his high position as a believer...." I guess that makes sense. By having faith and persevering through this trial I am finding favor with God. Those who find favor with kings tend to be in good positions, no? How about when that king is the cosmic creator of everything? I'm down with that. I'm proud to be on His good side.
And then he goes on to say that the rich Christian should take pride in his low position. Hold up. Low position? He's a Christian AND he's rich. How's that low? James is referring to the trials that bring him low. Even loss of wealth. He's saying to take pride in things that keep you humble. Remember how Jesus said that it's easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter Heaven? It's not impossible. That camel can do it, but it'll be a trial. And when he makes it through, he can look back and say, "Heck, yeah! I did it!" and take pride.
[tangent alert!] Regarding verse 12, I love when someone says "Blessed is the man who..." I wonder how many times I've been blessed. One of my favorite verses is when Jesus says, "...blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." (John 20:29) That's all of us who believe in Him! Jesus blessed us!
James also warns us not to blame temptation on God. I had never really thought about that. The phrase "...and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil..." (Matthew 6:13) comes to mind. I struggled with this a bit because Jesus is teaching us to ask God not to lead us in temptation, whereas James is telling us God will not lead us in temptation. I think, perhaps, what Jesus is saying is that we should ask God for help overcoming our fallen nature. He does not lead us into temptation, we lead ourselves there just fine on our own. Deliver me, God, from another stupid mistake. This brings me to another point. I've often heard, "The Devil made me do it." Maybe he did. And maybe you did it on your own. We are sinful creatures. Frankly, I imagine Satan sits back and chuckles when he sees God's children falling into sin on our own. As long as we have faith in Christ, I don't believe Satan can make us do anything. He can make our lives suck hardcore so that we might turn from God. But when the light of Christ is shining in us, I don't believe he can slip inside us and force our bodies to sin.
Finally, I had to look at the footnotes to understand "firstfruits." It says, "Just as the first sheaf of the harvest was an indication that the whole harvest would eventually follow, so the early Christians were an indication that a great number of people would eventually be born again." So it refers to those first Christians - the twelve scattered tribes. The end of this passage is a reminder to us that God does not change. I enjoy reading Greek mythology because the stories are so fascinating and full of everything imaginable, including gods and goddesses that change positions and stances, totally screwing over humans in the process. The one true God is not like that. He will never suddenly say, "You know, I'm tired of Californians, I think I'm going to abandon them for a while." No way! He is steadfast and true.
So there we have it. A babbling-blog Bible-study! Does anyone have any thoughts to share? Points you agree or disagree with? I'm just an average person trying to understand the scripture, so don't feel bad about offering corrections or suggestions!
Wednesday, 01 October 2008
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Hey You! Person I've Never Met!
I can't believe you think that. How can you call yourself a Christian?
Excuse you?
How dare I question your faith? What gives me the right? Since when have differing opinions on doctrine cast doubt on your personal relationship with Christ? And what do I know of that relationship, anyway? I don't live in your heart, feeling your pains and your joys. I've not lived your life or walked in your shoes. I know nothing about you! How dare I?
If I have a problem with you, shouldn't I discuss it calmly and lovingly with you rather than assume you are an impostor in the church? Can't I conceive of the possibility that maybe some issues are not as straightforward as they seem? They might seem straightforward to me, but maybe they don't to you? Maybe you're still trying to wrap your mind and heart around it, so stop attacking you!
I've hurt you and maybe you've offended me with your take on Christianity. You wonder why I was offended and I'm still wondering how you can think that unthinkable thought. Maybe we should call a truce and try to get to know one another first. Maybe you're not as crazy as I think. Maybe I'm not as vicious as you think. Maybe we started off on the wrong foot.
You'll respect me and I'll respect you. We are siblings in this crazy huge family of God's. We won't always agree on everything and we might not always get along, but we can still love each other.
Tuesday, 30 September 2008
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The Merciless Shepherd
I had a dream in March of 2004 that a flock of sheep escaped from their enclosure. Before going after them, the shepherds helped someone else retrieve a herd of escaped cows. By the time they got to the sheep, the sheep were in a ditch of mud and water, surrounded by barbed wire. A narrating Voice in my dream (not a common occurrence!) said that the sheep were not good anymore because their tails were wet and ruined. The shepherds drove back with one small trailer-full of sheep and left the others to the mercy of one shepherd who stayed behind. He took out a machine gun and slaughtered the remaining trapped sheep (the Voice called it a mass-execution). As sheep were dying and mud and dirt was flying, an explosion went off in the background.
I have tried for years to understand this dream, and I think I finally do. Let's break it down.Sheep: ChristiansSo there are the elements of the dream. We have sheep who have strayed as well as cows from another field. The shepherds abandon their sheep to help the "cowboys" round up their herd. Perhaps a misplacement of priorities? It may seem self-sacrificing to help others when the shepherds are having issues of their own, but in doing so they have completely neglected their sheep, ultimately sacrificing their own herd.
Psalm 100:3 Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Shepherd: A spiritual leader. Jesus is referred to as the Chief Shepherd. It could also indicate a pastor or someone else in the church leadership.
1 Peter 5:4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.
1 Peter 5:2 (To Elders) Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, serving as overseers....
Escape from enclosure: Straying from the path.
Isaiah 53:6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way....
Cows: Another form of livestock, contrasting the sheep in this case.
(I don't really have a good verse for this one)
Once realizing this, the shepherds have a choice: they can work hard to rescue the herd, bathe it and care for it...or they can abandon it as a lost cause. Here, in my dream, they rescued a few that seemed salvageable and slaughtered the rest.
Jeremiah 23:1-4 "Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture!" declares the Lord. 2Therefore this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says to the shepherds who tend my people: "Because you have scattered my flock and driven them away and have not bestowed care on them, I will bestow punishment on you for the evil you have done," declares the Lord. 3"I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and will bring them back to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and increase in number. 4I will place shepherds over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid or terrified, nor will any be missing," declares the Lord.
Elders and Pastors, do not be like these shepherds! When your flock is going astray, carry them back lovingly, one-by-one if necessary. Do not give up on the sheep that have been entrusted to you, for though you watch over them, they are not yours. When a member of your congregation is straying or when there is dissension between members, do not ignore it and hope the problem goes away! Address the issue, or you will be like the shepherds whose sheep ended up trapped in a ditch. Do not in anger, frustration, or awkwardness cast out a member from your congregation. You will be the horrific shepherd who slaughtered his trapped flock. Woe to you.
I speak as a slaughtered sheep who was rescued by the Chief Shepherd.
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An ordinary sinner serving an extraordinary Master.
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