Michael Sullivant & Radius

Our New Website is Up

2011-05-12T04:20:00.000-07:00

I have put this blogsite to sleep and have transferred a lot of new content over to the Radius website. www.radius-group.org

Join me over there!

A Personal Update

2011-05-01T04:44:00.000-07:00

We are writing to give you an update on our journey in life and ministry since our last letter in February. As you probably know, I (Michael) had the opportunity to work at Rhythm Engineering over the last 3½ years and helped to launch that company from a start up to a multi- award-winning company. The reason for its rapid penetration into the traffic engineering world is due to a brilliant breakthrough technology that changes the fundamental way that traffic signals operate, are optimized and are coordinated. It was a great learning/personal growth experience to enter the marketplace for the first time in my adult life after over 30 years of vocational ministry.

However, it became very clear at the end of February that God was calling me to make room in my schedule for more ministry and to integrate our ministry with some new kinds of business endeavors…a hybrid of ministry and marketplace…so to speak. After leaving Rhythm, Terri and I were able to go away to a beach house in TX on the Gulf for two full weeks to get re-centered and seek out our Heavenly Father’s heart and will for this next season. It was a remarkable time in our lives and many confirmations came to us, both directly and indirectly, that we were being divinely led. Our ministry opportunities both in the US and beyond are many and we are very active in serving a number of leaders and faith communities. As one of the first new steps we are taking in this season of recommissioning to ministry, we have joined a great young church in the urban center of Kansas City. The church is called Bridgeport (www.bridgeportchurch.org) and we have decided to make it our home base. Another development is my new book coming out this month via amazon.com that I am very excited about. I will tell you more about The Romance of Romans: God’s Big God-Story very soon. Also our new website will soon be developed by my company, SIS, www.radius-group.org. We’ll let you know when that is up and ready to roll. We are carefully choosing our steps as we renegotiate life and ministry in this new season, making sure the things we are doing are really in alignment with our callings.

On the heels of our retreat I had it in my heart to come home and talk to a friend who owns both a snow removal company and an internet marketing company about a possible employment opportunity. He and the CEO (another old friend) agreed to hire me to help develop the internet business and also afford me more flexibility in my schedule than I had before. They are both wonderful brothers in Christ and are creating a culture of honor in these two kingdom-minded companies. I have been on board for about a month and we’re off to a good start. Internet marketing is a growing industry as you probably know. We are experts in search engine optimization, search engine marketing and website development. It’s a very sweet and sophisticated science, friendly to driving more people to our clients’ websites so increased leads and sales result. Feel free to check out the SIS website at:www.strategicinternetsolutions.com.

Finally, another wonderful opportunity has landed in our laps that we are excited about. Some old friends contacted us about a relatively new company they are in the center of, Max International. We are convinced, after doing both personal research and personal experimentation, that it represents another genuine scientific breakthrough—only this time in the health/wellness industry. Believe it or not…it revolves around a new nutritional supplement. (We recently met the amazing and brilliant top executives of Max out west. Each of them had the same initial skepticism we did…and our friends do…given the less-than-sterling reputation of the world of food supplements and many people’s experiences with buying/using them!)

Terri and I have been doing the best we know how to seek God’s kingdom and righteousness as a priority throughout our years.(Matthew 6:33) Jesus promised us that if we do this then all things we need will be added to us according to our loving Father’s will. We believe that this nutritional supplement is one of those timely things that God has “added unto us” that we were not looking for…but were truly in need of. (After just being on one of the products for two weeks, my acid reflux has disappeared, I am not reacting to pollen, I am sleeping better and I am off all of the medications I was taking! Terri is also successfully weaning off of her prescription medications with very positive results.) We are convinced that investing in remedies that build up overall health and wellness are the way we want to go as much as we possibly can. The past 10 years have taken an enormous toll on our health for sure. These products are helping us “get our lives back". Strength is returning to enable us to “run the race with endurance” and finish the race well.

Max GXL and Max One, the two doctor-formulated products marketed by Max Int’l, may be very beneficial to your health as they have already been for us. 40% of the revenue of Max comes from people who buy, but do not distribute, the products…we like that fact. This is not a typical supplement and it is not your traditional network marketing company or some kind of get-rich scheme. Given some of the humanitarian goals of the company, we also believe it holds promise for the development of both better health and greater wealth among the sick and needy of the world via innovative micro-business models that are already being designed. We’ve posted some links below with doctor’s interviews and info regarding the products and company.

As always, we want to express our love to you and so appreciate you following our storyline through the seasons of life. God is telling a story through each of our lives and sometimes we can find something for ourselves in the stories of others. We believe that the story God is rewriting in our lives now will be the best yet. Here’s a Scripture our daughter Lisa gave us as we left for Texas, it was very much on target and inspired us to open up our hearts fully to God and each other during that time. The verses are from 2 Samuel 22:21-25 in The Message:

21 God made my life complete when I placed all the pieces before him. When I cleaned up my act, he gave me a fresh start.22 Indeed, I've kept alert to God's ways; I haven't taken God for granted.23 Every day I review the ways he works, I try not to miss a trick.24 I feel put back together, and I'm watching my step.25 God rewrote the text of my life when I opened the book of my heart to his eyes.

Please drop us a line if you’d like to connect with us more.

In the service of our beautiful Lord Jesus Christ,

Michael and Terri

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAj-3tiuGCM&feature=player_embedded - 6 minute video infomercial/interview with Dr. Robert H. Keller, creator of Max GXL, explaining glutathione's role in health and healing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WckCCcxiLro&feature=player_embedded - 15 minute video clip of Steve Scott, co-founder of Max Int'l.

http://youtu.be/w5CDBXkN_pA - 7 minute video clip of Dr. Keller speaking to medical professionals

A Dream About Carrying the Cross

2011-03-27T08:27:00.000-07:00

In a spiritual dream this morning I saw a man...a Jesus-follower...going about the normal course of his life. He was riding his bike in a town, like on a college campus, and at one point he felt compelled to ride to a certain point at the foot of a high and rocky hill. It seemed that the city was preparing for a gathering at a large meeting place on the other side of the hill. He then felt led to hoist his bike on his shoulders and hike up the hill to this gathering rather than riding around to it. As he did, his bicycle transformed into a cross like the one that Jesus carried. It was very heavy and he strained and strained to get his footing and climb the hill. The rocks were loose and he was slipping.

As he was looking down, he noticed that there was a little ledge near his right foot. Moss had grown over it but as he cleared it just a bit with his foot, he realized that it was a "foot-sized" step that had a number 1 chiseled into it. It gave him the foothold he needed and he simply placed his foot there and then looked for the second step for his left foot. Sure enough, there was a series of ancient chiseled-numbered steps that led up the hill to its top. It was still very strenuous to do so, but he managed to make it to the crest. He then intuitively understood that Jesus had somehow created and marked these steps in his wake as he ascended to the site of his execution long ago. This man was called, but also willing and desirous, to follow in his Lord's footsteps.

He approached the gathering site from the backside of the building that was built into the side of this hill. As it turned out this building was a cathedral. Some people were entering it for the gathering and others were walking past it with no intention to enter. No one would have normally approached the cathedral from the back side as this man was doing. People began to notice him and the cross he was carrying as he was walking toward the entrance in a direction that was against the flow of all the human traffic. He was a witness raised up to bring the cross of Christ back into plain view of all kinds of people...the "churched" and the "unchurched".

His presence created the social tension that always attends a move of God's Spirit. At the same time, there was a rather sneaky and compelling effect of his presence down deep inside the hearts of all the people despite their various reactions. They wondered if Jesus might be "more real" and "more alive" than they had considered before. Moves of God's Spirit always unsettle the status-quo and create a sense of urgency for people to truly come to Christ and follow him. Climbing this hill in this way and approaching the cathedral from this angle had prepared this humble servant of Christ to look beyond various the human reactions and remain at peace with both God and people in his counter-cultural mission.

A Personal Update

2011-03-20T13:48:00.000-07:00

Hello,

I'm writing today to catch up with you about some changes in our life and ministry. Three and a half years ago, I was led into the marketplace for the first time in my adult life...that was quite a surprise to me after over 30 years in vocational ministry. It turned out to be a blessing for me in many ways and I am really grateful for the experience. Helping a "start up" engineering firm come to market with a breakthrough technology, growing from 3 employees to over 40 and leading the way for the sales thrust of the company was an exciting ride! I discovered some gifts God has given me that had never before been tapped and I grew stronger both spiritually and personally. I also had the opportunity to be a witness for Jesus to my rapidly growing number of co-workers and clients around the country. Terri and I are convinced that the break from vocational ministry was part of a God-ordained plan for our lives.

Though we were able to keep Radius active doing various kinds of ministry all along the way, we had to significantly curtail our ministry activities to make room for all of the intensive work involved in my job. (I did, however, carve out the time to author my latest book...a commentary on Romans...that should be published through Amazon later this month. It’s called The Romance of Romans: God’s Big God Story. I believe it is the most important book I've written up to date.) Just about a month ago now, Terri and I suddenly began to sense that God might be calling us to take steps that would lead us to more active ministry day to day and week to week. We did some serious soul-searching and praying and came to a clear conviction that I should resign from my position. I did resign from Rhythm Engineering on February 22 with expressed admiration, moral support and gratitude from my leaders and co-workers.

As a first next step, Terri and I were able to immediately leave for a two-week time of solitude at a secluded South Texas beach house thanks to the generosity of some friends at a church in Houston where we have ministered regularly through the years. We needed a time of re-centering and rest. We dialed way down and engaged in much prayer, Scripture reading, prayer walking, journaling, deep conversation and listening. It was simply wonderful and we were greatly refreshed and renewed. We also received much confirmation that we had made the correct choice in setting this new course. Some of the unsolicited confirmations we have received have been very specific and timely. We know that we are called to work toward creating a "hybrid" of both ministry and business that will allow us and our family to bear even more fruit for the Lord Jesus and his kingdom for years to come.

I am presently pursuing business opportunities that would allow me the time and flexibility of schedule to also ramp up my work on the ministry front. Terri is also moving forward in her Life Coaching practice. Her website is worth a look! (www.fullyalive5.com) We are beginning to re-engage leaders here in Kansas City and around the country to let them know that Terri and I are now more available to serve them and their networks with our gifts. This transition is going to take a bit of time, but we are full of faith and joy in the process.

We will write again to tell you more about some specific things that we are being called to do in ministry through Radius....there are a number of possibilities and opportunities pending here at home, across the country and in other lands. We are praying these things through in a serious way. We ask for your prayers too. Our new website will be up soon with more info about what we are offering and how to contact us.

Thank you for your love and encouragement through the years. We love you back!

Michael

Radius Ministries
2800 W. 131st St.
Leawood, KS 66209
Tel:(816)-509-6709
mwsullivant@gmail.com
(tax deductible contributions can be made out to "Radius")

Happy 2011 to All Our Friends

2011-01-01T12:17:00.000-08:00

From left to right: Mike & Jeri; Lisa & James Hoskins; Terri & me; Steve in front center; Sam & Caitlin; Luke & Beka and Jonah (10 months)

Wow did we make some memories during Christmas 2010! Our whole clan gathered in Kansas City and camped out at our place for two nights and three days. Great time of reconnecting, playing games, feasting and loving on each other. This was the first Christmas shared with our great new daughter-in-law, Jeri (Mike's wife), and of course...our new grandson...Jonah, Luke and Beka's truly beautiful boy. We posed for the picture at Union Station that was snapped by our good friend, Mano Boussage. (You can see his work at www.rockonphotography.com)

Everyone in the family is working hard, loving well and continuing to develop our gifts and talents. Everyone is passionate about following Jesus and always looking for and finding ways to express his great love to the people in and around our lives.

One of the great things we experienced was for Terri and me to renew our wedding vows in front of our kids on Christmas day. Terri got a new ring for Christmas and...as a new era of life has come upon us now that we are "empty nesters"...we thought it was an opportune time to celebrate 33 years of marriage and plant our feet firmly again in the rich soil of our marriage covenant to inaugurate the coming, hopefully, golden years.

We wish all of our friend God's blessings throughout 2011.

P.S. I heard a little whisper from God's Spirit the other morning in a dream: Self-confidence is over-rated...but..."Christ-within consciousness" is a secret of true success.

The Romance of Romans-Part 129

2010-11-07T04:27:00.000-08:00

Romans Chapter 16 cont'd

My co-worker, Timothy, Lucius, Jason and Sosipater, my relative, send their greetings.
(I Tertius, to whom Paul dictated this letter, greet you in the Lord as well.) My host, Gaius, and the whole church here say hello. Erastus, the chamberlain of the city also sends his greetings, along with a brother in the Lord named Quartus.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with all of you. Let it be so, Lord!

Now we honor him who has the power to firmly establish you in this good news and in an intimate relationship with the person of Jesus Christ. This is the revelation of the mystery which was hidden from the beginning of the world, but is now manifested, and which is a fulfillment of many prophecies in scripture. And now, by the express commandment of the everlasting God, it is to be made known to all the nations of the earth, leading them into the passionate pursuit of God that flows from genuine faith.

Comments:

Some final personal greetings and a summary of what Paul has written in his letter to the Romans penned as a thanksgiving prayer brings us to the end. The doxology (Gk. glorious words) is highly reminiscent of his opening purpose statement in the first 5 verses of chapter 1:

"This is a letter from Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be a divine ambassador I was apprehended for the express purpose of spreading the good news of God that was spoken of in times past by the prophets in the holy scriptures. This message centers around his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who, in his humanity, was the Son of David. He was also proven to be "the Son of God" when he was raised from the dead through the power of the Holy Spirit. Through the same Spirit I have received this ambassadorial commission to introduce many people from many nations, for the honor of Christ, into the passionate pursuit of God that flows from genuine faith."

At long last, the penultimate focus of the Old Testament prophets and their messages to Israel and the nations, the longings and sighings of the prayerful Hebrew fathers and mothers, that which the angels long to fully comprehend (see 1 Pet 1:12) and the mysterious divine construct that would provide the previously missing cipher code for integrating into a whole all that God had done with his ancient people...God's Big God Story...was unveiled and revealed for all to see and understand. The Person of Jesus Christ and his Gospel burst...exploded...onto the scene of human history. And God is able and willing to firmly establish Christ-followers in their understanding of the points of this now-revealed secret that had been prophesied throughout the previous generations and that were preserved in OT scriptures.

Paul is boldly (audaciously) declaring his letter to the Romans captures the essential major points of this divine revelation that had been hidden from all people throughout all human history...the Jews and their rabbis, scholars and scribes, the gentiles and their philosophers and religious mystics and even the Hebrew prophets themselves who were used by God to utter his very words...had now come to pass and fulfilled in Jesus the Messiah. It required the incarnation of the Son of God and the cosmos-shifting events that followed in those 33 years to bring clearly to light a full understanding of what had been hidden. This new revelation was based on Jesus' own authoritative commentaries on the OT scriptures that he passed on directly to his apostles both before and after his resurrection...and provided the hindsight needed to unlock the mysteries of God's Big God-Story.

A major paradigm-shifting part of this Great News, that Paul expounds upon in chapters 9-11, was that the gentiles could now be freely grafted in to the ancient "olive tree" of Israel that God planted in the earth when he cut his original covenant with Abraham...if they would receive and follow Jesus as Lord and Messiah. For the "natural branches", the Jews, their long-awaited Messiah had arrived and they must personally receive him to remain in the covenant. Otherwise, they, as branches, would be pruned from the "family tree" for their blatant rejection of Jesus as Messiah. (And though many 1st century Jews...a believing "remnant"...accepted Jesus, the vast majority did not. Even so, an outstanding prophecy declares that God has not forgotten them as a people group, but that many Jews will yet come to faith in Jesus as Messiah.) They would not be "saved" and at one with God on the basis of their natural Jewish heritage, their knowledge of scripture and/or their performance of Jewish cultural and religious rites and traditions. Moreover, God had not lied or broken his word to the Jews in the revelation of the Gospel of Jesus (or the Gospel of the Kingdom of God), but many of them had, over time, forgotten, twisted and misinterpreted the nature and spiritual roots of the salvation he has promised to them (and ultimately the Gentiles) from the very beginning. The "Substance" of all that was foreshadowed had arrived and a fateful and personal life or death Moment of Decision was introduced into the planet by his coming...his intervention. It was a watershed moment in human history and nothing would, or possibly could, ever be the same again.

Eph 2:11 Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh—who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands— 12 that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, 15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, 16 and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. 17 And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. 18 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.

Jesus was and is the integrating element for the Story that is now fully declared in the light of the Day of the New Creation that dawned with his personal arrival to the earth. Those who put their faith in him, whether Jew or gentile, would become "one new man"...a new kind of humanity that possesses the very uncreated life of God in their souls...in Messiah Jesus. A new temple of God has been erected in the earth...one made "without hands" that consists of Holy Spirit indwelt human lives scattered throughout the whole earth and gathered in local relational networks. Race and religious (or irreligious and/or falsely religious) backgrounds are irrelevant in light of the coming of the Christ. The Gospel of Jesus eclipses all that human beings tend to put their trust in to pridefully distinguish themselves from other peoples. God put an exclamation point on the inauguration and dedication of his new temple in Christ, by fulfilling the tragic prophecies of Jesus recorded in the gospels concerning the utter destruction of Jerusalem and its Jewish temple in 70 A.D. by the Romans.

Through the Gospel of Jesus, a final and authoritative divine revelation is being held out to humanity by the hand of God himself that is inter-generational, international, inter-gender and inter-aeon in scope. Ever since the resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ and up to this very day, that same "Moment of Decision" is continuing to be held out of individuals and tribes and nations. Who do we say Jesus of Nazareth is? Who do you say Jesus of Nazareth is? Who do I say Jesus of Nazareth is? Will I attempt to ignore him? Will I reject him for who he says he is? Or...will I agree with who God says he is and pledge my allegiance to believe in and follow him? It is an urgent question that requires a response from every person who hears of him and his message. It is also a message that must be urgently shared with all the peoples on the face of the earth

Indeed it is worth our while to drink deeply of this inspired letter that is brimming with words of grace and truth written by this brilliant Apostle. I pray that this devotional paraphrase and my musings on the meaning and application of Paul's exquisite letter will be used by God to bring greater spiritual life, encouragement and empowerment to my readers.

The Romance of Romans-Part 128

2010-11-06T06:19:00.000-07:00

Romans Chapter 16 cont'd

The testimony of your faithfulness to God has been reported throughout the whole world and I am glad that you've been honored like this. Just make sure that you preserve your spirit of innocence- be "streetwise" in good, but not in evil! And soon, the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet. May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you. Yes, Lord, let it be!

Comments:

The "problem of evil" in this world has been pondered and debated with great angst and energy by many throughout human history. And...it has been, maybe the major, stumbling block for people accepting a belief in the all-powerful and good God that the scriptures clearly declare him to be. C. S. Lewis wrote somewhere that we may not be able to fully comprehend the "why" of evil, but we all must face the "fact" that evil exists. Moreover, we must face the fact that we ourselves are more than capable of choosing a evil course of being and/or doing...and indeed...that we have done so at times.

Why would an all-powerful and good Creator allow an enemy to even exist and mess up his creation? Apparently he has. However, the two basic philosophical alternatives to this difficult scenario are even more troubling in my estimation: 1) There is an all-powerful God, but he is not good. 2) There is no creator and we are the products of the impersonal forces of time plus chance. I won't take the time to elaborate, but there are very troubling ramifications of embracing these two alternative philosophical viewpoints that poses more difficulties than simply accepting the biblical premise that our all-powerful, holy and loving Creator has allowed evil to affect his good creation.

Here is a brief overview of what the scripture teaches about the "problem of evil":

1) Long ago, a holy archangel rebelled against God in the highest heavens and was powerful and seductive enough to lure a third of the holy angels into his ill-fated attempt to displace God. This rebellion was the genesis of sin, Satan (the accuser) and the demonic forces that are present in and around our world.

2) Rather than immediately eradicating or finally judging his "fallen" angelic enemies, God banished them from dwelling in his highest heaven. However, he allowed the devil and his hosts to continue to exist and operate within a limited realm.

3) In addition, he wisely chose...and this is where the high drama of it all takes on new dimensions...to incorporate Satan's presence and plots into a greater master plan that would mysteriously reveal his love, power, mercy and glory to the crowning touch of his creation...human beings...whom he made to reflect his own image and likeness and from there to the whole of his creation.

4) In order to prepare human beings for our eternal destiny to rule and reign with him over all other things in the ages to come, he has "used" the presence of evil and our exposure to evil spirits as a developmental "testing ground" that challenges us to face and surmount sin, Satan, demonic powers and death. This has all been a part of his loving master plan. It can even be said that love is not full and mature if it is not tested, tried and entered into with freedom of choice.

5) Our first parents succumbed to the wiles of Satan in a garden paradise which they were divinely called to rule, cultivate and, apparently, export to the rest of the planet. However, as a result of cooperating with the devil, sin, and its consequence, "death"...spiritual, social and physical...entered the human nature and human race. The aftermath has been a spreading of both sin and death to all people throughout the nations of the earth and throughout all human history. We live in a "fallen" world that is agonizing under the burdens that evil and its ripple effects have created for us all.

6) But God!...has not been distant or silent throughout the centuries...though a spiritual war has been raging and there have been many sobering casualties and tragedies. His heart of love and his powerful acts have been at work...he has been passionately involved with humanity and patiently working out his master plan...what I have called "God's Big God-Story"...to rescue and redeem his beloved creation from the grip of evil.

7) God carefully prepared the earth for this intervention through many centuries by making amazing promises to his chosen human vessels (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and others of their progeny), sending prophets to foretell the future and tell forth his will, raising up and removing regimes, performing astounding signs and wonders, providentially sustaining human life with his good gifts of food and waters in addition to many other such kindnesses. Then...at a strategic moment in human history...he visited the earth "in person" by sending his Son, who co-created all things and who dwelt with the Father and the Holy Spirit in fully divine union from eternity past, as a fully human being. He came in love to show forth the "face"...the nature...of God and to deal radically with problem of evil in both the invisible and visible realms by the reality and ramifications of his incarnation, life, ministry, death, resurrection and ascension back to highest heaven.

8) The kingdom of darkness and its principalities and powers were dealt a mortal blow through all that ensued with the first coming of Christ. Those who put their personal trust in Jesus Christ receive into their souls his eternal life here and now and enter into his victory of love over all evil...sin, demons and death. This regeneration and the empowering of the Holy Spirit in their lives equip them with the divine grace needed to progressively overcome evil just as their Lord and King overcame evil. They are living witnesses to the fact that the new creation, that will assuredly "swallow up" the old, has already been inaugurated. They are "executing the judgment that has been written" against evil as ambassadors of Jesus the Christ and his mercy, truth and justice. The conflicts continue throughout this age...temptations, hassles, persecutions, trials, disappointments, human failures, tragedies, wars, afflictions, false accusations, imperfections, physical death...but in addition to God providing many experiences that help Christ-followers to counteract and surmount these evil assaults, he is also "using" the spiritual warfare that they endure to both conform them more fully to the image of his Son Jesus and to prepare them to receive their full inheritance and walk in their destiny in the age to come.

9) On a personal level, the powers of darkness yet have the oppressive ability to whisper accusations, lies, temptations to sin and horrendous thoughts of evil into the souls and minds of people...even the followers of Jesus. Satan's main weapon is deception that leads to the committing of sins that destroy the joys of human existence. This is a suffering that we encounter and must endure during our pilgrimage in this life. However, a Christ-follower is called to be awake to these subtle schemes of the devil, expose their source and firmly resist his attempt to find a lodging place for some kind of a deception or a compromise within them. The Holy Spirit will warn them about and grant them the power to rebuke and overcome these crafty camouflaged demonic affronts and assaults. As they grow in their spiritual life they can also train others to do the same. This is the joy of partnering with the living Christ in ministry.

10) Ultimately, when Jesus Christ returns and the visible and invisible realms are fully integrated into a new heavens and new earth, God will banish Satan and his hoards to a divinely constructed "hell" from which they will never escape to again spread their evil influence amidst God's redeemed and renewed creation. They will suffer an unimaginable and, actually indescribable, eternal punishment away from all that is good. More tragically, many humans who sided with God's ancient enemy and who rejected his Son will be forever banished from God's presence as well. This alone should break our hearts for the salvation of other people through Jesus...even our greatest enemy. On that day, no fallen angel and no human being will be able to point their finger at God and accuse him of being unjust or lacking in love or wisdom (as they do now). Everything will be "right-wised", all our doubts and troubling questions will be resolved, all our tears will be wiped away, all our temptations will disappear, all weariness and heaviness will flee away and our true identity and calling will be known, seen and affirmed by all. Our innate longing for true justice, that can become so confused and twisted in this life, will actually be fulfilled. We will be perfected people living fully in a perfect place...forever and ever in the love of God.

The Romance of Romans-Part 127

2010-10-24T13:40:00.000-07:00

The Romance of Romans-Part 126

2010-10-03T07:37:00.001-07:00

Romans Chapter 16 cont'd

I urge you to take note of and avoid those people who cause divisions and offenses by embracing or promoting doctrines that are contrary to the ones you have learned. These kinds of people are not concerned with serving the Lord Jesus Christ, but with filling their unsatisfied desires. They employ good-sounding words and manipulative monologues that deceive the hearts of the undiscerning.

Comments:

Dealing with divisive and offensive people and/or groups is always difficult and can tend to distract us from a positive-oriented forward movement in life and ministry. It can also be confusing and oppressive for our minds and emotions. A number of questions rise in my thinking as I ponder this subject.

Do we forebear or confront? How can we measure if a matter is worthy of a confrontation? Do we go to someone who has offended us in private or bring a few others into the mix for counsel, prayer support and/or as witnesses? Do we warn others of spiritual danger? Do we speak out publicly on a matter and expose falsehood? Does God call some to such tasks, but not others? Do we leave a matter in the hands of God alone to deal with? Do we simply avoid a matter and even a person or a group of people? And...now that the globe is connected via mass communications...which errors do we pick to confront and/or expose, since we can research them all. Our entire lives could be swallowed up by presuming to be the universal cops of the spiritual landscape of the earth. I know it's not this last option for any of us!

Following are some of the convictions I have come to over the years of leading communities of faith that have caused practical and workable actions to present themselves.

I am convinced that these kinds of situations and our proper responses to them are always on a spectrum of severity...and usually without hard and fast dividing lines between the phases. We need more than raw principles or laws to go by in these situations...we need the real-time and direct spiritual wisdom of God to settle upon us for the proper timing and application of scriptural principles. We are called to be "peacemakers" as children of God, but this is not the same things as being a "peacekeeper". Peacemaking involves putting things in their proper places and this can often involve confrontation, righteous judgment and sanctions. Sometimes a confrontation, rebuke or fight becomes a necessary evil. However, peacemaking is always about praying and looking for minimal fallout and for the redemptive purposes of God to win the day.

Another thing is that the closer we are in relationship to a person or a matter, the more we have a right and responsibility to face them/it. Often, our designated function within a community can also inform us of our right and responsibility to deal with a difficult person or matter. Another principle is that it is good to confirm, confine, contain and rectify an error to as small a circle of people as possible. However, when a scandalous sin or a crime has been committed, it is better for the guilty to suffer than for the innocent and confession should cover the same social scope as the knowledge and damage of the offense.

One final thought on this complex issue (and so much more needs to be said)...when others "go public" with their erroneous and sometimes dangerous, beliefs and teachings, public challenge and criticism is warranted. We must be careful to not misrepresent what another is actually teaching and a personal "behind the scenes" inquiry and/or challenge might be called for, but ultimately, if one has the moxie to take his/her teachings to the public square, it is only fair to expect those who may disagree to openly say so. If one can't take the heat, then she/he needs to get out of the kitchen!

The Romance of Romans-Part 125

2010-09-25T06:10:00.001-07:00

Romans Chapter 16 cont'd

I urge you to take note of and avoid those people who cause divisions and offenses by embracing or promoting doctrines that are contrary to the ones you have learned. These kinds of people are not concerned with serving the Lord Jesus Christ, but with filling their unsatisfied desires. They employ good-sounding words and manipulative monologues that deceive the hearts of the undiscerning.

Comments:

Errors, schisms, sects, divisions and cults have plagued the Church of Jesus since her earliest days...and what a downer this is. Dealing with these matters is a challenge and a suffering that believers...and especially church leaders...have to face and struggle through. It takes a lot of guts just to read church history and it takes even more to make it in one's own generation. Our wise, great and powerful Father in heaven does not over-control the choices, beliefs, behaviors and practices of human beings...and for this we should be grateful. He doesn't immediately sort out truth from error in this world by his inscrutable judgments that will, one day, forever establish absolute truth and righteousness (justice) in the new heavens and earth.

One important point to note is the vital importance of every Christ-follower and fellowship holding to sound doctrine. Like it or not...acknowledging it or not..."what we believe" ultimately affects and informs "how we live". It's an immutable reality of human psychology. So...believing well is essential to living well. (Sometimes...and too often...people can "claim" they believe well but not actually live well. But we will never truly live well without believing well.)

However, it is overly-idealistic to think that all true Christ-followers will agree on every point of doctrine. All truth is true, but not all truths are equally important. So we are left with the sensitive task of identifying and articulating the truths of Scripture that are essential to embrace for "saving faith" to be "witnessed to" and distinguish them from secondary doctrinal matters that can be righteously debated among those who belong to Christ.

And...I must add...Jesus does have the power to save an untaught person who has yet to be exposed to...or who is even yet confused about..."essential doctrines". We must be very cautious, in our important quest to land on "essential truths", that we do not limit what the Father, Son and Holy Spirit can do for and in a human being apart from their ability to clearly reason! My conviction is that one who has been saved by the power of Jesus Christ will deeply resonate with "essential doctrine" when she/he has the opportunity to hear it taught. It will thrill one's entire being to have "words put to" what they have experientially encountered. Yes...words do matter...they always have and always will.

Fortunately, much great work has already been done throughout the history of the church to identify the "essential truths" of holding genuine faith in Christ...they are few and clear in the New Testament. An example of such follows:

3For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4that he was buried, that he was raised(I) on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 1 Cor 15:3-7

It is also my conviction that the many groups of Christ-followers in the earth, large or small...old or new, must grant themselves...and their leaders and teachers...the liberty to state with conviction their personal and corporate positions on "secondary" doctrines that help to create the "spiritual culture" of their spiritual families...this is their divinely assigned realm of responsibility. This kind of freedom and diversity of expression among the various groups of believers in this earth is probably a beautiful thing in the end...and we will all laugh together in the age to come about how limited our views actually were.

Still, "non-essential-to-salvation" doctrines must not automatically be thought of as "unimportant" for the health and growth of a body of Christ followers...though there are some that are certainly unwise to over-emphasize or require adherence to. Choosing wisely and well on how to distinguish and major on "essential truths" balanced with how to steward (and minor on) the teaching and incorporation of "non-essential-to-salvation", yet still important, truths is a spiritual art that teachers, preachers, prophets and leaders must seek to pray into and master. May Christ grant His great and beautiful Body wisdom and discernment in this regard.

The Romance of Romans-Part 124

2010-08-29T07:31:00.000-07:00

Romans Chapter 16 cont'd

I urge you to take note of and avoid those people who cause divisions and offenses by embracing or promoting doctrines that are contrary to the ones you have learned. These kinds of people are not concerned with serving the Lord Jesus Christ, but with filling their unsatisfied desires. They employ good-sounding words and manipulative monologues that deceive the hearts of the undiscerning.
The testimony of your faithfulness to God has been reported throughout the whole world and I am glad that you've been honored like this. Just make sure that you preserve your spirit of innocence- be "streetwise" in good, but not in evil! And soon, the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet. May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you. Yes, Lord, let it be!

Comments:

Romans is such a positive and powerful oriented letter and it would be nice to not have to address the issue of difficult people or the devil. But that wouldn't really do justice to the reality of living out the gospel in the community of faith. The truth is that when believers put our hearts together and commit to function as the body of Christ in our cultures, we will be assaulted by hellish forces that are pitted against our progress and fruitfulness. Believers and the leaders of their bands must be forewarned and equipped to deal well with both the evil spirits and the deceived people who will seek to infiltrate and disrupt our communities. And we must do this without being un-Christlike...in a way that embodies his compassion and respect for people and his great heart of hope and redemption.

Sadly, the seminaries have rarely taught their ministers-in-training the art of dealing with deceived people and the demonic realm. Ironically, most church leaders have a very rude awakening that one of the main slices of their jobs ends up being the need to address the hardships, setbacks and sufferings associated with spiritual warfare and inter-personal conflicts in the lives and relationships of their members.

Early on in my pastoral ministry I internalized an important passage that helped me to face and navigate in the waters of spiritual warfare and relational conflict:

"Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will." 2 Tim 2: 23-25

Through the many years this passage helped to brace me for the challenges that I would face in pastoring God's people and to create a Christ-centered culture around my own soul (and, by extention, the whole community) that empowered me to gracefully handle the presence of unstable people...their false beliefs/destructive actions...and the manipulative spiritual enemy working beyond and through them. The key to honoring Christ and accessing the Holy Spirit's power in these difficult and oftentimes, tragic, situations is to begin with finding a "way of being" that remains poised under the pressures they create. If we can invoke and remain in the Holy Spirit's presence then the best practical steps to take will emerge and present themselves.

In my early years of ministry, I found myself "tightening up" in ways that were counter-productive to solving or, at least, containing these kinds of problems. My own zeal, energy and personal power became dominant and interfered with the display of the Lord's wisdom and power in the matter. Over time, I learned how to reign in my fleshly reactions and follow the Spirit's leadings. When we do this, the outcome is not always positive (as we can see from the above passage via the word "perhaps"), but we do provide people with the best opportunity possible for a deliverance from evil and a sweet resolution.

More to come....

The Romance of Romans-Part 123

2010-08-28T05:32:00.000-07:00

The Romance of Romans-Part 122

2010-08-25T05:08:00.000-07:00

Romans Chapter 16 cont'd

Give my love to all of these people: Amplias, my dear friend in the Lord; Urbane, who has helped us in Christ; Stachys my beloved friend; Apelles, whose loyalty to Christ has been proved; the whole household of Aristobulus; Herodion, my relative; the household of Narcissus, who are all believers; Tryphena and Tryphosa, who are Christ's workers; Persis, who has worked hard for the Lord; Rufus, who is chosen by God, and his mother, who is like a mother to me also; Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermas, Patrobas, Hermes, and all the believers with them; Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, Olympas and all the believers with them.
Greet each other with a holy embrace. The churches of Christ send their greetings to you.

Comments:

The affection we feel for and express to our fellow believers can be infectious...a holy virus. I refer to fellowship or "koininia" (Gk) as an "ordinary miracle" of the Christian experience...a literal exchange of the very life of Christ between one person and another. The reality of this quality of loving and healthy relating among the followers of Jesus is maybe the most powerful witness to the genuineness of our faith in the hearts and minds of folks who have yet to come to worship Jesus.

I can't count the thousands of times that I have experienced a keen awareness of how Christ has been present and "passing between" another believer/other believers and myself as we have shared our dreams, our hopes, our fears, our failures, our food, our adventures, our victories, our songs, our love, our sufferings, our joys, our prayers, the word of God, the Lord's supper and/or the many other things of life. What a wonderful challenge it is to us all to see to it that in all our relating and working with each other in the networks of our faith communities that we ensure that we are putting our whole hearts into maintaining this quality of shared life in Jesus and not allow the weeds of dissension, unresolved conflict, jealousy, resentment, offense, competition and the like to grow up and pollute our relational gardens.

The Romance of Romans-Part 121

2010-08-22T07:23:00.001-07:00

The Romance of Romans Chapter 16

I highly recommend Phoebe to you. She is a servant of the church in Cenchrea. Receive her freely as a servant of the Lord and show her your hospitality. Assist her in her mission to you, whatever it may be, for she has helped many, including me. Give my love to Priscilla and Aquila who have assisted me in Christ Jesus. They have laid their lives on the line for me, and not only am I grateful, so are all the churches of the Gentiles. Also greet the church that gathers in their home. Say hello to my dear Epaenetus, who was the first believer in Christ in Achaia. Greet Mary, who worked hard for our sakes. Honor Andronicus and Junia, my relatives and, onetime, fellow prisoners. They were in Christ before me and they have a great reputation among all the divinely appointed ambassadors of the Church at large.

Comments:

It seems that a lot of folks have an image of Paul that he was caustic and impersonal in his style of relating to others. This is probably because he didn't live in the "fear of man" and his letters often reflect the boldness within him to confront erroneous teachings and the people behind them. However, if we dig a bit deeper into the narratives and letters we discover that the apostle was very warm and deeply connected to other people. This chapter in particular reveals how he took the time and spent the energy to encourage, affirm, remember and express gratitude to other people who had touched his heart.

Moreover, because Paul highlights some wise and basic "differences in divine design" of females and males in some of his writings, there are many folks throughout the centuries that have concluded that Paul is down on women and specifically down on women assuming leadership roles within the Church and/or churches of Jesus Christ. There is much ongoing debate surrounding this issue among Scripture-believing teachers and movements and all of the points that need to be considered are far beyond this scope of my purposes here.

However, I think it is sufficient to say that it is vital to examine the narrative sections of the gospels and epistles to help provide a context for interpreting and applying the didactic portions of the epistles when it comes to such a vital issue as and...serious danger of...potentially putting artificial, inconsistent, hypocritical and misguided limits on so many believers...a criticism I am indeed leveling against many in the fundamentalist traditions. (I would guess that there are more women in the earth who truly follow Jesus than there are men.) Here is my challenge: Those who would put limits on women filling leadership functions in the Body of Christ need to make room in their practical theology for heroic leading women like Phoebe, Priscilla and Junia...not to mention other Biblical characters and the hundreds of ladies like them, who have risked all and sacrificed so much throughout the whole history of the Church and in our own generation, to promote and live out the message Jesus Christ in this world.

The Romance of Romans-Part 120

2010-08-15T05:43:00.000-07:00

Romans Chapter 15 cont'd

Finally, I appeal to you dear friends, for Christ's sake and because of the love we share in the Spirit, that you partner with me and one another in prayer to God on my behalf. Ask God to deliver me from the unbelievers in Judea and that the believers there will be pleased with the offering I am bringing to them. And that he will send me to you with joy so that you may be refreshed. So may the God of peace be with you. Yes, Lord, let it be!

Comments:

Prayer...it's a strange and mysterious thing from a certain angle. An all-knowing, all-powerful and everywhere-present Creator-God commands us to tell him things that he already knows and has will to shape. Yet, he draws our attention in Scripture to examples of human beings, just like us, who have influenced him...to do or not do...specific things throughout history. They evoked a response from God that he would not have initiated without their offering heart-felt words to him. Though he dwells in a high and holy eternal realm, he seems to desire a genuine interactive relationship with us in "real-time". To me this communicates to us a amazing message of some aspects of God's nature...that, in spite of his penultimate self-sufficiency, he is also humble and relationally vulnerable. This is hard for us to imagine and believe and probably a couple of the main sub-conscious reasons most of us don't find it easy or natural to pray. After all, "There are so many things to do and God will do what he will do without my assistance." Right? Apparently, this is not the real picture.

From another angle, prayer makes complete sense because every genuine relationship is sustained by a mutual exchange of communication of heart and word. The Scriptures teach us that God desires to have a friendship with us human beings...despite our weaknesses...he "wants us". Moreover, he "wants to be wanted" by us. God has the longing passionate heart of a Father and/or a Lover. The heart-felt words we sing and pray to him from our innermost guts move him...they move his heart and his heart moves him to act in response to our longings, needs and wants. He longs to hear, like any lover does, the oft-repeated "I love you's" that comes from the beloved. He wants us to tell him the things about him that we have come to understand about how awesome he is...things about him that have stunned and overwhelmed us...his beauty, justice, mercy, compassion, forgiveness, miracle power, infinitude, holiness and the like.

In addition, God has always looked for willing human partners to work with and through as visible agents of his grace and truth to others who are estranged from him and who are striving to survive in a sin-burdened creation. We live in a battle zone of a noble war against evil. Our conversation with him relates not only to our worship of him, but to the co-mission we are on with him in this fallen world. It is absolutely essential to have an open line whereby many words are exchanged between us in the midst of this dramatic and sometimes, dangerous, adventure. For our own sanity, safety and success, we need to continually tell him what is on our hearts and what we need. He will regularly "draw near" to us on the mission and carry both us and our hearts if we will honor him by remembering that we are neither self-sufficient nor self-reliant. Prayer is a natural and essential outcome of such consciousness.

If we will repent from wrongly taking our lives, relationships and destinies into our own hands and make worship and mission our preoccupations, then we will see marvelous provisions appear from our conversations with the Trinity:

"You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions...Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you." James 4:2-3; 7-8

The Romance of Romans-Part 119

2010-08-13T18:17:00.000-07:00

Romans Chapter 15 cont'd

But first I have to go to Jerusalem to bring a gift to the believers there. God moved upon the hearts of the believers in Macedonia and Achaia to take a collection for the poor believers there. They were very pleased to do this because they realized that they are indebted to the Jewish believers for the spiritual heritage that they have shared with the Gentiles and they feel an obligation to serve them in a material way as a token of their gratitude. After I deliver this "spiritual fruit basket" to them, I will come by to see you on my way to Spain. And I am confident that I will come to you overflowing with the fullness of the blessing contained in the good news of Christ.

Comments:

When Paul was first converted to Christ, the apostles in Jerusalem were suspicious of him and his motivations. Along the way, he had his tensions with those leaders from Jerusalem as they were all seeking to understand what God actually required of the gentiles who were turning to faith in Jesus. They were very unlike the Jewish believers in their cultural backgrounds and there was some religious pressure on them to conform to various cultural preferences of the Jewish believers that were not essential to obeying the gospel and to pleasing God via genuine spirituality in Christ.

However, it is very interesting to note that as they hammered out their different strategic thrusts in ministry they heartily agreed on one thing from the very start:

And from those who seemed to be influential (what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality)—those, I say, who seemed influential added nothing to me. On the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel to the circumcised (for he who worked through Peter for his apostolic ministry to the circumcised worked also through me for mine to the Gentiles), and when James and Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do. Gal 2:6-10

Paul remembered his commitment to his brothers in Jerusalem and, ironically, when they found themselves many years later suffering from a poverty primarily due to a drought, Paul inspired the gentile believers across his mission fields to give generously, in a material way, to these very people.

May we also open our hearts to Christ to be eager...in light of the many things we are eager for...to help those in need...so help us God.

The Romance of Romans-Part 118

2010-08-08T07:27:00.000-07:00

Romans Chapter 15 cont'd

I am not making an empty or presumptuous boast concerning my service for God. I would not dare to talk about things the Lord has not done through me to help the Gentiles passionately obey God in word and deed. But I will testify concerning what he has done through me. I have fully preached the good news of Jesus from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum in the power of the Holy Spirit with signs and wonders confirming its reality. I have sought to be a pioneer and preach the good news in areas where Christ has never been proclaimed so that I wouldn't build the churches on another divine ambassador’s foundation. I have taken this scripture personally, "Those shall see to whom he was not spoken of, and those who have not heard will understand." This very mission is what has thus far kept me from coming to you in Rome. But now the season has changed for me and since I have wanted to come and see you for many years, I will visit when I am on my way to Spain. I hope the Lord will permit me to do this and enjoy your company for a while.

Comments:

Paul was a wonderful and rare combination of a theorist and a practitioner when it came to the worship of and service to God. His life experiences and his sacrificial lifestyle gave him the kind of intrinsic authority needed to speak/write to others a challenging and life-altering theological message with such vigor. Additionally, Paul had witnessed many miracles as a divine endorsement that confirmed the graceful and penetrating truths he was commissioned to proclaim. Of course, the greatest miracle he witnessed was how the simple news of Jesus combined with a childlike response of trust in the human heart radically overturned ingrained sin patterns and unleashed the love of God and neighbor like a torrent into the souls of the once-unbelieving "outsiders" of his day. The power of God is embedded in the gospel of Christ and when it is delivered with spiritual authority, it transforms people's lives for good.

I too have seen some miracles of healing, guidance, answered prayers and permanently transformed lives throughout my years of ministry beginning in 1973. I have been blessed to know many others who can say the same and more. God still endorses the simple gospel of Jesus with signs and wonders...especially on the front lines of sharing Christ's love with those who have no clue who he is or what he's done. I am always thrilled with the accounts of God's miraculous activity in our day.

Sadly, as in Jesus' day, people can become preoccupied with a desire to see the spectacular and miss the heart of why divine miracles happen. This eccentricity has led many people into fanaticism and being deceived by the false and counterfeit works of religious charlatans. In all of our longing prayers for God's genuine power to be displayed, it is so vital to remember that "signs" point to something beyond themselves and "wonders" occur to inspire us to wonder "Who is like God?" Miracles (unusual acts of God's power) happen to remind us that Providence (the usual acts of God's power) sustains all things. I see this truth reflected in Paul's words to the Greek philosophers in Athens in Acts 17:24-31 :

24"The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. 25And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. 26From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. 27God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 28'For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.'

29"Therefore since we are God's offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by man's design and skill. 30In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. 31For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead."

May we be in that number who have repented (a changing of the mind) and are prepared for a day of justice (that will not be deterred or escaped) because we have personally agreed with and truly accepted God's message of great grace to the entire world through Jesus Christ the Lord.

The Romance of Romans-Part 117

2010-08-07T14:15:00.000-07:00

Romans Chapter 15 cont'd

But in light of the special calling God has placed upon me, I have had the boldness to write to you this rather heavy letter. He has called me to be a servant of Jesus Christ by serving his good news. I'm like a priest offering up an acceptable sacrifice that has been consecrated by the Holy Spirit. But it's not animals that I offer, but rather, the whole Gentile world!

Comments:

Priesthood is a concept to which the evangelical wing of the Church does not generally have an emotional connection. In this, we have lost a major living truth that is all throughout the writings of the apostles of Christ. The main point of the Book of Hebrews is that we have, in Jesus, such a high priest who is interceding for us in the Father's presence in the highest heavens. (cf. Heb 8:1f.) Believers are qualified, through the regeneration of the Spirit, to function as a part of a many-membered royal priesthood in this world. I believe that the consciousness of our priesthood is a primary identity issue for us that is meant to inform and animate all of our worship and work.

In the garden, Adam and Eve were not just stewards over the earth that God gave them to share in with him, but they were "sacred stewards"...priests of the original creation...and the garden in Eden was the "holy of holies" within the cosmos. There is "temple language" surrounding their callings and duties to God and creation in the Genesis account. This sacred stewardship was restored to humanity through the life and ministry of Jesus to those who would identify with him through simple faith. Only now, it is taken to unprecedented heights in God's economy because we are royal priests of both creation and the new creation that was inaugurated by the resurrection and ascension of Jesus to the Father's right hand.

In this passage, Paul views himself as a priest who, through the agency of embodying and spreading the great news of Jesus, is envisaging the gathering up of the whole gentile world in his apostolic arms and offering their "redeemed by Christ through grace and faith" lives to the Father as a sweet smelling sacrifice...they are the reward of the sufferings of Jesus his Son. The Father promised to give the nations to Jesus the firstborn (of both "creation" and "from the dead"...see Col 1:15,18) as his inheritance in Psalm 2.

We also are called to view our entire lives and labors in this world as a sacred offering to the glorious Trinity...in our occupation of handling the created order and in our preoccupation of sharing the news of Christ with our fellow human beings whom he so dearly loves and died to save. The duty of royal priests can be summarized by saying: we gratefully receive what God has put into our charge, we add our love, labor and human creativity to those divine gifts, we offer back to God what we have cultivated for his honor and then we trust him to sanctify and crown...with salvific grace and power...what he, in response, gives back again into our hearts and hands for the good of all creation and its creatures. As one wise Orthodox priest noted, "In the Lord's supper, we don't offer to God wheat and grapes, but bread and wine." It is these elements that he graces with new life and healing power.

The Romance of Romans-Part 116

2010-07-31T07:00:00.000-07:00

Romans Chapter 15 cont'd:

I pray that the God of hope will fill you with abundant joy and peace through your belief in him, and that you will also overflow with this strong hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. I am confident that you dear friends are also full of goodness and knowledge and therefore able to effectively counsel and teach one another.

Comments:

There are over 30 "one another's" in the NT that, when combined, give us a fairly great list of how to practically live out what it looks like to "walk in love" within a community of faith. We all need a network of believing friends in Christ in which our fellowship experience is "eyeball to eyeball" and with whom we have regular and ongoing interdependent relationships. One of these relational responsibilities is to "instruct" or "admonish" one another...the meaning of the one Greek word used here (nouthesis) that I paraphrase in the second sentence above: "effectively counsel and teach".

Admonish is a word that, in our culture, has come to have negative overtones. This seems sad to me because it represents a very needed element in healthy friendships...it brings some "guts" and "risk" to the table and adds vital texture to a great friendship. Unless I am sometimes "challenged" by my friends, loved ones and co-workers by their pointing out something I am missing, neglecting, overdoing, falling short in...and/or the like...I tend to settle down into a self-satisfied "comfort zone" and not put my whole heart into something I have said I am committed to. Of course, I need to know that such friends are "for me" and that they are compelled by their love for me as they present their challenge. The love motive is actually embedded in the original meaning of this Greek word. Additionally, in the context of this passage, Paul outlines the qualifications for the person who can effective "admonish" another...they are to be filled with goodness and knowledge.
And even more than this...the context indicates that those who are equipped to teach others well are those who are filled with joyful hope by the Spirit's power.

In other words: Don't come messing in my personal business, if you haven't done your homework, don't have a track record of having some substantial goodness/kindess rooted in your soul, don't have the joy and peace of Christ humming within you, or...if you've lost all hope for me. But, if you've got all that...bring it on 'cause I want to keep growing. Do it with a song in your heart! ;-)

"Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God." Col 3:16

The Romance of Romans-Part 115

2010-07-25T12:26:00.000-07:00

Romans Chapter 15 cont'd:

I pray that the God of hope will fill you with abundant joy and peace through your belief in him, and that you will also overflow with this strong hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. I am confident that you dear friends are also full of goodness and knowledge and therefore able to effectively counsel and teach one another.

Comments:

As Paul continues his many-phased benediction of Romans, he refers here to a fabulous title for our heavenly Father..."the God of hope". He is the One who definitively holds the future of all things in his heart and in his hands...and it is a marvelous future for the entire creation that Jesus Christ came to inaugurate and secure. It is a perfect future...one filled with love, justice, beauty and ongoing adventure. God is with us now through Jesus and offers himself to be the source of the renewed hope that we so desperately need as we endure and grow through the adversities of life in this world. The apostle prays for us, his readers, to be filled with abundant joy and peace (those characteristics of being that spring up, by the Spirit's power, from God's hope over us and in us) as we hold fast to our trust in Christ Jesus. It requires the power of the Holy Spirit, a power with a source beyond this realm, to live in hope within this realm. Followers of Jesus are a "prophetic sign" on display to the entire creation of God's ultimate victory over all that is evil and broken.

As we are filled with these heavenly graces, we are equipped and empowered to offer this overflowing strength to one another in the community of faith and to those who are on their way into it. We not only need what God supplies directly to our hearts and minds, but we also will need brothers and sisters in Christ all along the journey...vessels of God's goodness and truth...who will be used by the same Spirit to convey God's loving messages and support into our lives as they are needed. The church is meant to be a network of Christ-centered friends who band together to track with each other through all the various seasons of life and help inspire one another to keep moving forward to our personal finish lines.

May you be filled afresh this day with abundant joy and peace. May you abound in hope through a power beyond your own as God allows you to see what he sees and shares his very thoughts with you. May he bless you with true and wise friends now and all throughout your life, until that great day comes when the old creation is seen to be swallowed up by, fully digested by and entirely assimilated into the new. Amen.

The Romance of Romans-Part 114

2010-07-11T07:43:00.000-07:00

Chapter 15 cont’d:

Allow me to summarize the mystery I have unveiled to you in this letter. Jesus the Messiah was sent to the Jews for the purpose of confirming the truth of the prophetic promises God gave to the Jewish patriarchs and to make a way for the Gentiles to glorify God for the extension of his mercies to them. For scripture says, "To this end I will declare your truth to the Gentiles and sing to them about your great name." And again he says, "You Gentiles, rejoice together with the Jews." And again, "Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles and exalt him all you nations." Isaiah also prophesied, "The root of Jesse will rise to reign over all the Gentiles, and they will put their trust in him."

Comments:

I believe that this is the main biblical thematic context for all that Paul has to say in the book of Romans...his inspired understanding into the meta-narrative of the big God-Story that arches from Genesis to Revelation. The "mystery" is something that was previously hidden from the understanding of God's people (even the Hebrew prophets themselves didn't always understand with the Holy Spirit was indicating through their inspired proclamations), but that has now been explained by the advent and teaching of Jesus Christ and the spiritually authoritative revelation that he imparted to his apostolic scribes.

God gave the magnificent promises of the universal and eternal good news of the Messiah to all the ethnic groups of the earth...and to the whole of creation...in "seed form"...to and through the Abrahamic patriarchs and Jewish prophets of long ago. These prophetic promises converged and coalesced in the person and work of Christ Jesus. The result is that "the chosen people of God" now includes both believing Jews and gentiles who have had the ancient and historic wall of separation between them demolished...they have come together in Jesus to make up "one new man" through their faith in him.

Paul states this clearly in Gal 3:28-29 (as well as in many other passages in his epistles):

"There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise."

Those who insist on continuing to make distinctions, in terms of personal spiritual status, between Jews and gentiles based on their ethnicity are, often unwittingly, limiting and minimizing the work that Jesus Christ finished on the cross (and in his resurrection and ascension). This is a terrible and tragic mistake that does theological violence to the gospel.

The challenging of the "racism" that was lurking in the hearts of people in the first century was a significant part of what led to the executions of both Jesus and Paul. This same kind of "racism" still lurks in the hearts of the people of our world and it is the source of much ongoing conflict, tragedy and anguish to this day...all across the world. The resurrection of Jesus represents, among many other wonderful things, the defeat of all hateful bigotry and a faithful witness to the ultimate triumph of the love of God in the human drama.

The Romance of Romans-Part 113

2010-07-06T04:55:00.001-07:00

Chapter 15 cont’d:

Now may the God of patience and comfort help you to live in deep harmony of spirit with one another so that with unified hearts and voices you may, in concert, glorify God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, accept one another just as Christ, to honor his Father, has accepted each of us.

Comments:

The remaining paragraphs of Romans 15-16 are various inspired endings to this great epistle. The above section could have been put at the very end as a benediction, but there are a few other things that Paul just has to say before the real end comes.

A part of dwelling in the “sweet society” of the community of Christ, to which I referred in my last post, revolves around a basic core value of “receiving” and “accepting” one another as spiritual kinfolk, if we name the name of Christ as our Lord. The body of Christ on earth is not yet a perfect community (nor or its many individual members) and we will certainly need the patience and comfort that our Father in heaven provides if we are to experience the kind of “harmony in concert” for which the apostle prays. (One preacher stated, “The Church is like Noah’s ark…if it weren’t for the flood outside, you couldn’t stand the smell inside”! Maybe he was a bit too jaded, but there is some realism to the joke. Eugene Peterson has cautioned us in his writings about the problems that come from “idealizing” the visible church. I fell prey to this in my early days in ministry.)

Somehow we must find ongoing grace from God to seek to live out our ideals in our communities of faith without succumbing to either relational cynicism or relational idolatry.

In John’s gospel, Jesus also prayed for this kind of glorious relational unity among those who chose and those who would, in the future, choose to follow him. And…he stated that the world would both know that we are his disciples and that the Father had truly sent him because of the quality of unity and love that characterizes our relationships as fellow believers.

The love and unity among the followers of Jesus Christ is to be like a wonderful and mysterious magnetic force that pricks the consciences of those who have yet to believe in Jesus and stir them to seek out how they also might experience the kind of “basic acceptance” and “noble purpose” they long for, but fail to find in the Christ-less institutions of this age.

One of the greatest helps to the personal faith of my children was when they witnessed the innate love and unity we all experienced with “strangers” from other cultures, who also followed Jesus, whom we visited in our travels and who often visited with us in our home. When their faith was tested in young adulthood by their exposure to the secularized higher education of our culture, they remembered and compared the quality of love they witnessed and experienced in our family…and even cross-culturally…with the lack of love they witnessed in the lives/relationships of many “educated” and “successful” people who were not following Christ. In remembering they realized that they were deeply marked by the love of God and never found it necessary to walk away from the faith in Jesus they confessed as little kids. Rather, they committed themselves to their Savior afresh…in a fully-adult way…and each one, along with his/her spouse (4 of our 5 are now married), walk closely with him today.

I must confess that my papa’s heart bursts like the apostle John’s, “I have no greater joy than…that my children walk in truth.” 3 John 4

The Romance of Romans-Part 112

2010-07-05T06:17:00.000-07:00

An Addendum on Locating and Overcoming Negative "Strongholds"

The New Testament doesn't go into a lot of explicit details about the nature of "strongholds" as they have come to be understood among many believers in our generation...the kind of embedded problems (even subconscious ones) like I have been describing in my recent posts. The passage from John's first epistle below may be the best New Testament passage to turn to in which we see how the apostles thought about nature of these stubborn "strongholds" of darkness that commonly become lodged deep in the hearts of human beings...even though John doesn't call them strongholds. I think this is one of the most profound passages in all of scripture regarding personal transformation into the image of Jesus Christ.

1 Jn 3;16-24
16By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 17But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? 18Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

19By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; 20for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. 21Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; 22and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. 23And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. 24 Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.

I will simply point out some of my observations of this passage as it relates to the "Crabbian" framework about human problems and answers I have previously written about. See if you agree.

1. vs 19: God's intention is to "reassure" our heart in the light of his grace and truth. This Greek word can also be translated "persuade"...our hearts need some persuasion to become whole.

2. vs 21: Our hearts tend to "condemn" us and this robs our "confidence before God". This is the focus of the needed "persuasion"...from condemnation to confidence.

3. vs 22: In turn, this lack of "confidence" before God in our deep heart hinders our intimate communion..our conversational relationship...with the Trinity.

4. vs 23: If, however, we gain confidence before God, our friendship with him goes to new heights, depths and breadth. We will discover a naturally/supernatural flow of prayer, obedience, discernment, faith, love for others and...

5. vs 24: ...the grace and ability to "remain present" to God ...and he to us...at all times (a good definition for "abide"). Finally, we realize how close the Holy Spirit is to us, how involved he is with us in this process and how accessible to us is his presence and power.

6. vs 16: The genesis of this transformation of heart is based in "knowing love". Firstly, the sacrificial love of Jesus for us personally. Then secondly, as a direct outcome, our sacrificial love for others.

7. vs 18: This love is authentic, genuine, divine, true, beyond rhetoric...practical and concrete.

8. vs 17: We can choose to "close our heart" to self-protect in the face of others' needs (as one example among many) which, effectively, walls us off from the "love of God". The result of the profound closing of the heart (can be sudden or gradual)...today we call it "shutting down"...is the formation of a stronghold...like the kind I have been describing.

9. vs 20: When we discover a stronghold...described by John here as a area of our life in which our heart is "condemning" us...we need not panic, they are common to us all. The self-awareness, the exposure, is a gift from God. The reality is that we do not even know the depths of our own heart. Fortunately...the "self-talk" of own heart is not the final judge of our life, for "God is greater than our heart and knows all things"! Nothing true about us can shock him, scandalize him or deter his pursuit of bringing his cleansing and healing into our hearts through Jesus the Son. We need his light to even see the precise nature of our heart's conflicts. We can fall back safely into his strong waiting arms when we are bowled over by the blows of life and our own compromises.

10. vs 19: By this...our hearts go on this journey of discovery and transformation. By what? By our ongoing experience of living in a culture in which the love in human relations goes beyond rhetoric to a more genuine and practical expression. It involves dwelling in a "sweet society"...the true Church of Jesus Christ...that understands the nature of the needs, longings, tendencies, temptations, strongholds of our hearts...and that helps create a practical pathway out of condemnation into confidence for its pilgrims. Terri and I call it a "human life refuge for the wild at heart".

However large it becomes in terms of numbers of people, the believing community must be structured/organized in such a way that it will continue to include: centrality of God himself, scripture and devotion, knowing others and being known by others on a heart level, taking genuine delight in knowing and supporting one another, freedom to be transparent without rejection, welcoming of accountability for sins (confession, restoration and restitution), generosity and compassion for the needy, family-friendliness, vocation-affirming, a sense of mission to those who have yet come to faith and a felt-reliance on the Holy Spirit's gifts and graces.

The Romance of Romans-Part 111

2010-07-03T06:30:00.000-07:00

The Romance of Romans-Part 110

2010-06-20T13:32:00.000-07:00

Romans 15 cont'd

Even the most powerful man of all, Jesus Christ, didn't use his power to create for himself a pain-free and pleasure-filled earthly life. As scripture says, "I have personally identified with and embraced the rejection they have shown you O God." All the scriptures have been written to impart knowledge, patience and comfort to us so that we can live in hope- a confident expectation of a glorious future.

Comments:

Our friend, Steve Morrison of Healing for the Nations, opens one of the teaching sessions asking, "How many of you would like to have your sense of physical pain taken away"? Of course, after a bit of thought everyone realizes that our ability to feel pain is needed to keep us from greater harm or alert us to a condition that could be fatal. C. S. Lewis wrote that "pain is God speaking through a megaphone to a world that is not listening".

We are not easily reconciled to the fact that we will experience pain in this world...even profound pain...and everyone does, though we imagine that there are these "beautiful people" who do not. It isn't true, despite the images that the media and advertising industry throw our way. God's truth in scripture teaches us over and over that we will have our share of pain, but that he still is good and that he loves us more than we can imagine. He teaches us that there is meaning and purpose for the pains we experience as we live in a fallen world. Pain is productive, though it doesn't feel like it to us when we are going through it.

Somehow we need to grasp and internalize the reality of 2 Cor 4:17-18: "For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen."

Notice the juxtapositions here: momentary...eternal; light...weight; affliction...glory. Then notice the word "produce". Finally notice that we become conscious of these very real connections of opposites only when we "look" at our situation from a particular perspective...looking with a set of eyes that sees into the invisible realm. This kind of sight is essential if we are going to move beyond being victims of life to being victors in life...without becoming obnoxiously triumphal! Pain is real. Pain is hard. Don't go looking for pain...it will find you on its own. But, pain itself is not our enemy.

I am convinced that displacing the inferior supreme goal of self-protection that gets lodged in our souls must be disrupted and displaced by the power of the Holy Spirit in order for us to be and progressively become our truest selves...the genuine persons that Jesus came to save and display to creation. This is a practical way to think of and apply our need for co-crucifixion and resurrection with Jesus. If we cooperate with this agenda of the heavenly Father for our lives, then we will be able to slough off our childish, sinful and non-integrous "strongholds" that we have patterned ourselves to hide behind. We will be able to forgive as we have been forgiven because we realize that another human being cannot thwart our goal of life...no matter what they have done or not done. (Larry Crabb expounds on this as it relates to marriage problems in his classic book, The Marriage Builder.) We will cast off our energy-draining false selves...all the lies and foolish inner vows; the overuse of our strengths; the silly ways we try to mimic others instead of being comfortable in our own skin.

As the Holy Spirit brings his timely and compassionate exposure of our childish ways of coping...especially through the Word of God and the people of God...the invisible walls (like a Star Trek force field) we've activated since our youth will gradually, and sometimes dramatically, dissolve. As we settle our controversy with our great and good Father in heaven regarding why he has given us such longings, allowed them to be thwarted, reinforced to us that only he can fully satisfy our desperate thirst, but that we will have to wait for their full satisfaction until a future time (though he strategically provides substantial tokens of the reality of this promise that makes living in sin a boring and unsatisfactory proposition)...new dimensions of our hearts will come alive to receive the Father's love, return this love back to him and then receive more of it again so that it can flow freely though us to other people of all kinds.

We will begin to "walk in love" and the guidance and faith we so often fret over to "get from God" will catch us up in its current. If we love, we know God and we do his highest will...it becomes naturally-supernatural.

Gal 5:5-7 "For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love. You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth?"

The Romance of Romans-Part 109

2010-06-18T17:25:00.000-07:00

Romans 15 cont'd

Even the most powerful man of all, Jesus Christ, didn't use his power to create for himself a pain-free and pleasure-filled earthly life. As scripture says, "I have personally identified with and embraced the rejection they have shown you O God." All the scriptures have been written to impart knowledge, patience and comfort to us so that we can live in hope- a confident expectation of a glorious future.

Comments:

So, continuing on diagnosing the pattern of how we form deeper subterranean problems and a "false self" that is beset with negative strongholds....

Why is it that it is so difficult to displace the "clenched fist in our gut" of self-protection with the "golden goal" of "vulnerably trusting God" or "getting to know God better"? Is it not simply because God is the One who gave us the longings for intimacy and impact and then placed us in the environment of a broken world in which he knew that these longings would be significantly undermined and remain unsatisfied (though not fully so)? We have a subtle and profound controversy with God that is challenging to settle on a deep heart level. It's hard for many of us to admit, because it seems so irreligious. Yet, how can we realistically trust him on a gut level when we have doubts about his goodness? We instinctively don't trust anyone we don't believe is good. This was the original temptation offered by the serpent to Eve and Adam in the garden..."God is not good...he cannot be trusted...take your destiny into your own hands."

So we are in a bind that we desperately need to address. We must somehow become reconciled to the pain of the sufferings that God has, at least, allowed to come our way in the course of life. We must make peace with the reality that no human being on earth will meet our deepest need for intimacy...not the best parent, the closest friend or the most faithful mate. We must face the fact that we live in a world in which not everything is going well and nothing is going perfectly. And...that it never will until we are in the very presence of and face to face with Christ. We must learn to navigate in cultures in which there will always be obstacles that hinder us from freely making the impact we long to make and achieving the purposes we long to fulfill.

Yes, only God himself can possibly meet our deepest yearnings for intimacy and impact...and he will...but even then, he requires us to wait for another age for their full satisfaction. (Though surely, he does provide tokens and a down payment on their reality by "being with us" here and now by his Spirit. Moreover, he uses blessed people in this world as instruments of his love in our lives. He also showers us with many simple joys and blessings of life.) Self-protection seems reasonable, but tragically, it blocks us from receiving the generous love that God has to give us (and that he desires to flow through us to others) even in this fallen world. Experiencing and passing on his love is the very reason for our existence on the planet! It is the essence of the only thing that really matters in our lives. And...unfortunately or not...it is simply incompatible with the goal of self-protection!

Somehow we must discover that the inevitable pains and sufferings of living in this age have a redemptive purpose. This is what Jesus and the apostles say to us over and over again in the gospels and epistles in so many ways. Yes, yes, yes...God is good. Do you believe it...do I? Do I...really?

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all." 2 Cor 4:16-17

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1:2-4

Life in this world can be extremely hard, but God is still good. (Thankfully, there is also much of God's beauty still to behold as it is reflected in this world...so we should drink it in whenever we can and wherever we discover it!) It's not the end of the story and the scriptures have been written to impart to us "knowledge", "patience" and "comfort", by the power of the Holy Spirit, so that we can "live in hope". This is what all those Bible stories point to...what all the letters instruct us about.

Over-zealous revivalists often lead us to think that an unprecedented move of God across the globe will negate and transcend our need for "low level" virtues like "patience" and "comfort" and "hope"...but they are badly mistaken and they always leave many well-intentioned believers disillusioned along the roadways of life after the human zeal subsides. But God is full of his own zeal and his intentions for our lives, both now and in the age to come, will not be deterred if we put our trust in him.

The Romance of Romans-Part 108

2010-06-17T04:41:00.000-07:00

The Romance of Romans-Part 107

2010-06-16T17:24:00.000-07:00

The Romance of Romans-Part 106

2010-06-14T19:04:00.000-07:00

Romans 15 cont'd

Even the most powerful man of all, Jesus Christ, didn't use his power to create for himself a pain-free and pleasure-filled earthly life. As scripture says, "I have personally identified with and embraced the rejection they have shown you O God." All the scriptures have been written to impart knowledge, patience and comfort to us so that we can live in hope- a confident expectation of a glorious future.

Comments:

The terrible pain of rejections and injustices combine and add shame to our situation. We even feel ashamed of our very longings for intimacy and impact that are at the core of our being and again, left to ourselves, we are driven to find a way to cope. Our strategies are erected upon a reactionary and firm commitment at our center to "self=protect". We aren't speaking here of a kind of reasonable self-defense from physical harm, but a putting up of "walls" that generally shut out and shut down our relational vulnerability. This kind of self-protection becomes the subterranean, and usually, subtle primary goal of our broken hearts. The scripture states in Proverbs that "there is a way that seems right to a man, but the end thereof is death." To me, such self-protection seems to fit squarely into this warning.

On a surface level, we creatively make multiple choices, normally over the course of many years, that fit neatly with our now embedded goal of self-protection. We learn to make such decisions so swiftly and deftly that we lose touch with our hidden agenda that is moving us through life and relationships. We also lose touch with the very fact that we are making choices at all. We imagine that we are just "being ourselves"...though the joy of living ebbs out from us. (I am convinced at this stage of the process, the ancient enemies of God and the human soul...satan and his demonic host...are operating overtime "in cognito" to offer us false images of God, other people, our circumstances and ourselves. If we buy into these falsehoods, then the evil one's most basic work is accomplished, for he has received our personal support for his lies.)

In reaction to our profound pain (and our felt need for comfort of any kind), we form false images, we believe lies, we make unwise inner vows, we overuse our strengths, we transfer blame to undeserving people, we develop addictions, we mimic others and we employ any number of similar coping mechanisms. All of these things have a weird way of offering us a temporary comfort...this is why they are tempting to us. A particular "way of being" emerges and a "style of relating" ensues that is far from the genuine and whole person that God intends for us to be and become. Some would call this, and I believe there is merit to this, a "false self".

Of course, many people realize along the way that they need God to forgive them for their depravity...their sins of pride, lust, greed, hatred, selfishness and the like. And faithfully, God provides this forgiveness when we turn to Jesus Christ and believe in who he is and what he has done for us in his death and resurrection. Additionally, when the Holy Spirit enters our lives, he takes up his residence in our innermost being and imparts to us a new nature...a new heart...a new creation. This reality provides the new base line for us so that God and we can partner, through both crisis and process, to dislodge the sinful and hidden goal of self-protection and successfully put off the old nature...the false self...both it's way of being and it's style of relating.

Not a small battle is inaugurated in order for this to be realized! But, we are no longer alone in the fight and One who has already conquered all sin and death is our Bodyguard.

The Romance of Romans-Part 105

2010-06-13T05:53:00.000-07:00

Romans 15 cont'd

Even the most powerful man of all, Jesus Christ, didn't use his power to create for himself a pain-free and pleasure-filled earthly life. As scripture says, "I have personally identified with and embraced the rejection they have shown you O God." All the scriptures have been written to impart knowledge, patience and comfort to us so that we can live in hope- a confident expectation of a glorious future.

Comments:

Moving more deeply into the heart of understanding how we, as "fallen image bearers" (who possess both dignity and depravity) develop, face and surmount problems, we see that human beings and relations are like icebergs...what you see on the surface of the water is much smaller than the mass of what lies below. This can complicate our lives a bit! Furthermore, we do not become easily conscious (self-aware) of what moves us at the core of our beings. We must turn to the wisdom of scripture to help us pinpoint what goes on in the depths of the human soul. (How many of the Bible's narratives...and it's instructions...are recorded to achieve this very end!) And then...we must also rely on the Holy Spirit and the feedback of wise friends to make it more personal for our own selves.

Larry Crabb summarizes the essence of our nobility as the longing for intimacy and the longing for impact. From the very beginning of life we yearn to connect with and be loved by "another" and not be rejected. We also have a core desire to use our abilities to make an impact for good on the people and world around us. Dr. Crabb emphasizes that these desires, in their essence, should be affirmed, because they are aspects of the Imago Dei...the image of God...in the human being. They cannot actually be repented of and the attempt to do so wastes our energies and damages our humanity.

The Imago Dei in a human being...according to the good doctor...consists of our being, as God is, relational, rational, volitional and emotional. I imagine there are other classic aspects of the Imago Dei, but these certainly will do for a start. These things about us, also then, are to be acknowledged, affirmed, accepted and celebrated. To do less is an insult to our Creator.

So...our genuine problems do not lie with these two embedded longings. Rather, they develop from our profound reactions to how these longings become stymied and frustrated as we live and relate in this broken world. Instead of experiencing the kind of intimacy we have been designed for, we experience an insufficient love...and even outright rejection...from the people we look to for this intimacy. No one loves us the way we long to be loved. Instead of freely making the impact we long for, we experience injustices that block and hinder our freedom to use our talents. Some people, we expect will help pave the way for us to make our contribution, become envious of or threatened by our strengths, and intentionally undermine our efforts and/or discredit our motivations.

This situation, extended over the course of some years leaves us, when left to our own resources to cope with the reality, in a terrible and tragic pain at the center of our souls. It is our very human reactions to having this kind of pain in our deep hearts that then activate our own depravity. We have been victimized by others' sins of rejection and injustice and, out of our effort to "survive", we become agents of sin ourselves. This age is weighed down by a vicious cycle of human depravity...and the evil of it runs right through our own souls.

Yet still, there is hope for transformation....

The Romance of Romans-Part 104

2010-05-16T08:44:00.000-07:00

The Romance of Romans-Part 103

2010-05-16T06:41:00.000-07:00

Romans Chapter 15 cont'd

Even the most powerful man of all, Jesus Christ, didn't use his power to create for himself a pain-free and pleasure-filled earthly life. As scripture says, "I have personally identified with and embraced the rejection they have shown you O God." All the scriptures have been written to impart knowledge, patience and comfort to us so that we can live in hope- a confident expectation of a glorious future.

Comments:

I have been very blessed through many years to learn from Dr. Larry Crabb--both through his ground-breaking books and in person. (I have had the unusual and joyful opportunity to get to know most of the authors of our generation whose books have impacted me the most.) For decades now, Larry has studied, pondered, wrestled with, prayed through, reconsidered and written about the doctrines, instructions, poetry and narratives of Scripture and applied them specifically to the conditions and situations of our individual lives and relationships with God and people. I have great admiration and respect for this dear friend in Christ and will say more about his teaching in the next few blogs.

I think of Larry's body of work when I read again the final sentence of this paragraph from my devotional paraphrase of Romans 15: "All the scriptures have been written to impart knowledge, patience and comfort to us so that we can live in hope- a confident expectation of a glorious future."--wow, what a lineup.

Let's ponder briefly the quote above.

First, God has given us the amazing gift of the holy Scriptures. They are meant to be meditated upon and applied by us throughout our whole lives and are an inexhaustible supply of reliable truths that are divinely inspired, or "God-breathed". Are we doing this kind of study in both our personal and communal lives? So much more could be said about the power of the written and spoken word of God in this world and in our lives!

Second, and I'll start at the end point, to live in an atmosphere of hope is a present tense experience whose power lies in a certainty about a marvelous future because of something absolutely revolutionary that happened in the past...the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Followers of Jesus Christ are empowered by the Holy Spirit to live as "prophetic" (i.e. future reality) witnesses to the kingdom of God that is truly here and present now, but not fully revealed or demonstrated, as it will surely be. Jesus is risen from the dead and, because of this, all the other effects of the fall of both angels and humanity into rebellion against God and it's countless negative consequences will surely be undone.

Then, the Scriptures are filled with the knowledge we need to live lives of integrity (i.e. wholeness) and true success. At one point God laments through the prophet Hosea, "...my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests...." Hos 4:6 Followers of Jesus are called to live as "royal priests" in our fallen world who embody and radiate the wisdom, beauty and knowledge of the living God to all the earth. "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." 1 Pet 2:9

Next, Paul refers to how the Scriptures inspire the cultivation of the virtue of patience in our lives. Without holding before us the perpetual example of the heroes of faith in the Bible, who loved and served God and people (and who also recovered from failing to do so!), we can easily lose heart in the saga of our struggles with injustice, rejection, abandonment, illness, material need, tragedy, seemingly unanswered prayer and personal failure...to name just a few trials of life. But again and again, the Bible provides for us divine perspectives that equip us with the kind of "shock absorbers" for our life's "vehicle" so that our hope does not bounce out of the car. One of these primary perspectives is how patience (like the kind that God possesses) can only be worked into our souls through enduring and surmounting trials...and another...that there will be a more than commensurate, but eternal, reward for the temporary sufferings we experience, if we do not give up.

Finally, there is the comfort that God gives us through our engagement with holy Scripture. I think that comfort is the most mysterious of the elements here in view. (Why do scrapes feel better when kissed by our amazing mothers?) We all long for comfort in our lives and we too often settle for false ones that do not go deep enough or last long enough to satisfy our aching hearts. So much could be said here, but it is sufficient to say that the most exquisite comfort possible comes to us by experiencing the genuine presence of the Trinity in the midst of a life in which, assuredly, not everything is going well and nothing is going perfectly. This, most often and most promisingly, happens for us as God interacts with us through his written word. The Holy Spirit...who is called "the Comforter"...who originally inspired the writings and has watched over their accurate transmission through the centuries is the very same Spirit who draws near to us, rises within us, kisses our hearts and whispers the truth we need to hear into our spirits. There is no comfort in this hurting earth greater than this.

The Romance of Romans-Part 102

2010-05-02T05:19:00.000-07:00

The Romance of Romans-Part 101

2010-04-25T08:07:00.000-07:00

Romans Chapter 15

Those who have more personal strength must use it to lift up those who are weaker, and not exploit it to their own advantage. Let each of us seek out ways to bless others and build them up. Even the most powerful man of all, Jesus Christ, didn't use his power to create for himself a pain-free and pleasure-filled earthly life. As scripture says, "I have personally identified with and embraced the rejection they have shown you O God." All the scriptures have been written to impart knowledge, patience and comfort to us so that we can live in hope- a confident expectation of a glorious future.

Comments:

I can't think of another value of the spiritual life that runs more contrary to fallen human flesh than what Paul states above. "Survival of the fittest" is one of the primary mantras of secular humanism. We witness the exploitation of the weak by the strong in our cultures every day. It, long ago, became the way of the world.

On the other hand, when we consider the natural affection that parents often exhibit toward their children, we do get a glimpse into the kind of sacrificial love that the apostle holds out to us as a way of Christ that is meant to apply to the heart of all our relations with others. Parents often heroically offer their strengths to their children without thinking of getting anything out of them. Along the way in my studies about the kingdom of God, I have come to believe that is is actually more "native" to human life than I once thought. Sin is actually a "foreign invasion" into human existence...there is something more original than sin in God's beautiful creation.

When Jesus came on the scene to reveal the kingdom of God, he was making a way for us to get back to the Garden...and then beyond it! The echoes of the goodness of our Father's original intentions for humanity resonate within our deepest heart. In the beginning, the Son was the voice of God that initiated these echoes and now today pours substance back into them. When we come to Christ we are actually "coming home".

In whatever way God has blessed us with "strengths" (abilities, opportunities, resources, experience, relational connections, etc.), we are called to walk in them with a consciousness that they are a gift from him, that he has bestowed them upon us so we can love others better and that we will ultimately answer to him for how we have stewarded them.

Father, what do I have at my disposal today and how can I use it to benefit another who might otherwise not have access to it? Continually keep me from "the boastful pride of life" that sees my strengths as "mine" alone. For Christ's sake. Amen.

The Romance of Romans-Part 100

2010-04-18T06:31:00.000-07:00

Romans Chapter 14 cont'd

Place working for and preserving unity with fellow believers and building up one another at the top of your list of life's values. Let the freedom to express your liberty in Christ in non-essentials come somewhere down the list! Don't destroy the work of God for the sake of something as boring as meat-eating. Truly, all things are pure, but not all truths are equally important. And besides, if someone believes that eating meat is wrong, it's wrong for him to eat it. It is honorable to forego any liberty, like eating meat or drinking wine, if it somehow pressures a fellow believer to violate her/his conscience.
Do you have a strong faith that can handle such liberties? Great! Enjoy them before God. Just don't project onto others the same expectation. We will be happy if we aren't self-condemned for the liberties we allow ourselves. But if you have doubts about the legitimacy of any behavior, like eating meat, and you do it anyway, your joy will evaporate because you aren't living by faith. And whatever cannot be done in faith is, by definition, sinful.

Comments:

In these last two paragraphs of Romans 14, Paul summarizes the main point of the passage on the, sometimes, delicate ethical balance between living in both liberty and brotherly love. The way of Christ is the way of the heart. God, and his word, always penetrate to the heart of matters and never content to view human life and its choices on the superficial plane. Love is to be our motive and goal and, in that context, God makes a lot of room for individual liberty based in the guidance of personal conviction and conscience.

Our faith can never be boiled down to a static set of "rules for living" because of God's deeper commitment to bring us into a personal and dynamic interactive relationship with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in real time. In one situation or time frame, love may look like one thing and in the next situation or season, it may look like the opposite: taking action or being patient; speaking up or being silent; showing mercy or applying justice; confronting or forbearing; working hard or simply trusting God to work; remaining peaceful or expressing righteous anger; resisting a trial or accepting it; expecting a miracle or leaving the matter to providence...often the way of Christ's love implies a wise blending of both.

No written code could cover all the possibilities of what "love looks like", nor could we memorize them and apply them perfectly if we had such a thing. The Scriptures tell us stories of God's love, the failures of human wisdom and foolishness and prescribe ethical boundaries...and it is vital for us to read and re-read the texts. However, the Trinity will work within us to bring these things to mind in timely ways and give us special wisdom in our hours of need for it.

The Romance of Romans-Part 99

2010-04-03T02:24:00.000-07:00

Romans Chapter 14 cont'd

For the Kingdom of God cannot be reduced to personal and cultural preferences like habits of eating and drinking, but it is defined by the transcendent realities of righteousness, peace and joy which are inseparably linked to the person and ministry of the Holy Spirit. If you will embrace these values in your service for Christ, you will have favor with and affirmation from both God and others.

Romans 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men.

Comments:

"For the kingdom of God...is in the Holy Spirit." One of the most profound theological truths in all the New Testament is embedded here in this very practical section of Romans. The Holy Spirit and the kingdom of God are inseparably linked. The kingdom of God is the "natural habitat" of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the animating life-force of the Christ's kingdom. Where the Holy Spirit is working, the atmospheric conditions of kingdom of God are present and operative. Jesus said, "But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you." Matt 12:28

It is often said that Christianity is not a religion, but a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. The same can be said about the kingdom of God...it is not about visible things like the many earthly kingdoms of this world, but it is centered in knowing...having an interactive friendship and partnership with...the Spirit of God. In the midst of this fallen creation, through Christ and the Holy Spirit...here and now...we have direct access to the powers and dynamics of the eternal and invisible kingdom of heaven. By relating to the Holy Spirit we have access to genuine and fundamental "righteousness, peace and joy"...three qualities of life that the children of this age grope and grasp for in various convoluted ways, but never truly find...until they turn to Jesus.

From the fountainhead of experiencing this divine-kind of righteousness, peace and joy...many other streams of spiritual life and power naturally flow out...love, hope, faith, prayer, healing, reconciliation, justice, deliverance from evil, spiritual gifts, creative work and arts, purpose, mission and destiny...to name just a few. We should pray to be filled with the Holy Spirit each night and day and then simply live in an attitude of open trust and shameless reliance, knowing that the Father and the Son will delight in answering such a bold request.

The Romance of Romans-Part 98

2010-02-28T05:52:00.000-08:00

Romans Chapter 14 cont'd

I know by personal revelation from the Lord Jesus, that no material thing is intrinsically evil, but to the person who views it as unholy, it really is for him. If your fellow believer's heart is grieved by observing your liberty to eat anything, then you're not doing what love would dictate. Don't crush another believer's spirit by your not sacrificing a petty liberty when Christ sacrificed his very life for him! Be concerned about even good things you do that are easily misconstrued as being improper.
For the Kingdom of God cannot be reduced to personal and cultural preferences like habits of eating and drinking, but it is defined by the transcendent realities of righteousness, peace and joy which are inseparably linked to the person and ministry of the Holy Spirit.
If you will embrace these values in your service for Christ, you will have favor with and affirmation from both God and others.

Comments:

The passage above paints a picture of the true freedom enjoyed by the children of God. We are liberated in our hearts to receive and embrace all the good gifts of our heavenly Father that he has provided for us through his creation. In fact, we are so free and our perspective is so keen, that we are able to actually "see" the crowning touch of the original creation...other human beings that are made in his image. We are so free, that We would quickly sacrifice a legitimate use of something God has made, if another still views that use as illegitimate. Children of God are so free that they are behaviorally flexible and adaptable in the various relational/cultural environments and situations of life...all for the higher purpose and priority of loving and connecting with others for the honor of Christ.

Do you find it odd that the same "behavior" in two people can either be proper or improper in the eyes of God depending on the state of the consciences...the perspectives...of those two individuals? This principle, of course, does not apply to all behaviors...but to the "non-essentials" of life...cultural preferences, as I call them. (What kinds of behaviors do you think might be on such a list?! I remember being a bit culturally challenged when our family was eating dinner with one of the most godly and humble men I have ever met. He had been imprisoned for his faith in China for over 20 years simply because he wouldn't "say" to the prison officials, "I don''t believe in Jesus." In joyful celebration of the gift of food we were enjoying, he boldly belched several times during our meal...with a big smile on his face! My grandmother would have been mortified. It wasn't quite as easy to tell my young children to "behave" themselves at dinner after that!)

I actually find this Romans 14 "way of God" intriguing and joy-inspiring. It counters the temptation for me to know and control everything in my world. It challenges my fleshly desire to precisely know, ahead of time, what the right course will be for me and/or others to take. When it comes to these kinds of matters, the "code" for living in the genuine freedom of the children of God is not written on stones, or comprehensively recorded in a book of the Bible. Rather, it is "encoded" into the renewed heart and mind of an individual child of God by the Holy Spirit himself who indwells her or him. The child of God is encouraged to continually be alive and alert to the Spirit of God who is also alive and moving within their being in real time. We grow to learn to "mind" the Holy Spirit, as children "mind" their parents. We are not actually called to live by a "code", but by "the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus". By this we discover the "mind of Christ".

It is this dynamic that will inform us...in every situation where we are placed by our Father..."What the love of Jesus looks like right here and right now?" And knowing this and living it out is true freedom!

The Romance of Romans-Part 97

2010-02-21T05:03:00.000-08:00

Romans Chapter 14 cont'd

I know by personal revelation from the Lord Jesus, that no material thing is intrinsically evil, but to the person who views it as unholy, it really is for him. If your fellow believer's heart is grieved by observing your liberty to eat anything, then you're not doing what love would dictate. Don't crush another believer's spirit by your not sacrificing a petty liberty when Christ sacrificed his very life for him! Be concerned about even good things you do that are easily misconstrued as being improper.
For the Kingdom of God cannot be reduced to personal and cultural preferences like habits of eating and drinking, but it is defined by the transcendent realities of righteousness, peace and joy which are inseparably linked to the person and ministry of the Holy Spirit.
If you will embrace these values in your service for Christ, you will have favor with and affirmation from both God and others.

Comments:

Romans 14 is the apostolic manifesto on liberty and freedom in Christ. In order for us to enjoy the liberty Christ has purchased for us, we need to have our minds renewed and our consciences strengthened regarding the nature of true spirituality.

This necessarily begins with an exposure of "dualism". Dualism is the philosophy of life based in fear-driven and man-made religion that presumes that the visible/material world is intrinsically evil, while the invisible/immaterial world is intrinsically holy. Out of this philosophical goop come all sorts of weird religious practices, rituals, sacrifices, forms or worship and, ironically, both extreme abstinences and indulgences. The goal of dualism is to find ways to either escape or ignore the visible realm in order to connect with the invisible realm and be "spiritual". Thank God, there is no hint of dualism, or the superstitions that spin off from it, in the minds of Christ and his apostles.

The spiritual disciplines of Scripture that encourage the reasonable, temporary, healthy, rhythmic and graceful denial of earthly pleasures in order to "make more room" for the pursuit of transcendent pleasures in Christ, is trampled upon and overrun by a conscious or repressed, yet guilt-driven and toxic, religious extremism. Dualism is found in many religions of the world, but it has also assaulted the Church from her earliest days. Both Paul and John fought against the insidious encroachments of dualism (specifically...gnosticism) upon the believing communities in their epistles.

True spirituality in Christ, gratefully acknowledges that all that God has made is good and that the proper use of the material world to further the goal of loving, in concrete ways, both God and neighbor is holy by nature. It acknowledges that both the visible and invisible realms have been infected by sin. It acknowledges that Jesus Christ came to purge both realms of evil through his birth, life, ministry, death on the cross, resurrection, ascension and gift of the Holy Spirit. It acknowledges that Jesus Christ has inaugurated a new creation...a new heavens wedded to a new earth...that is, mysteriously, already present, though not yet fully realized.

The blessings and pleasures that flow from the proper use...and cultivation...of God's creation are to become sources of inspiration for thanksgiving to and joy before our Creator without a fear of falling into idolization of the creation. Such "priestly" human lives become both a living witness and a sure prophecy to the entire cosmos of the reality of the renewed creation that will ultimately swallow up sin and death...in all it forms. We are called to worship the Giver and enjoy his good gifts. This honors God, our souls, our bodies and our human relations.

1 Tim 4:4
For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving....

Col 2:20-23
If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits (i.e. superstitions) of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations— "Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch" referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings? These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.

James 1:17
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

Luke 1:74-75
(God brought his Son into the world)...to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.

The Romance of Romans-Part 96

2010-02-07T04:35:00.000-08:00

Romans Chapter 14 cont'd

So how can we condemn or disregard our fellow believers? For we shall all have our individual turn before the judgment seat of Christ. The scripture says, "As surely as I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow before me, and every person will verbally acknowledge what is true to God." Every one of us will give an account of ourselves to God. So let's not get sidetracked by critically evaluating each other, but zero in on evaluating what is critical- how we can avoid causing another believer to get tripped up by any insensitive attitudes or actions on our part.
I know by personal revelation from the Lord Jesus, that no material thing is intrinsically evil, but to the person who views it as unholy, it really is for him. If your fellow believer's heart is grieved by observing your liberty to eat anything, then you're not doing what love would dictate. Don't crush another believer's spirit by your not sacrificing a petty liberty when Christ sacrificed his very life for him! Be concerned about even good things you do that are easily misconstrued as being improper.
For the Kingdom of God cannot be reduced to personal and cultural preferences like habits of eating and drinking, but it is defined by the transcendent realities of righteousness, peace and joy which are inseparably linked to the person and ministry of the Holy Spirit.

Comments:

Servants of God possess a "missional" heart and they are those who cherish perspective..."zeroing in on what is critical" in any and every situation in which the Master has placed them. Helping to connect human beings with the Trinity and establishing as healthy (truly loving) of a relationship with them as possible, are the two most important matters before them. Paul had been enculturated as a Jewish leader of a most rigorous religious sub-group in the formative years of his life. But meeting the risen Christ on the Damascus road re-formed his heart and liberated him into a new perspective about the essence of true righteousness and the kind of robust spiritual bond between people and people groups that God has provided for the whole earth through Jesus.

When we are ushered into the real presence of the kingdom of God through the Holy Spirit's ministry, the cultural preferences by which we naturally tend to measure our (and others') degree of "right-ness", pale in significance to witnessing to (and participating in) the radical transformation of human beings (whatever their cultural background) by the power of the gospel of Jesus. The advent of the presence of Christ in their lives will enlighten them to turn away from and lead them out of the intrinsically evil aspects of their culture (various local versions of pride, greed, hatred, envy, deceit and lust) which we are also called to lovingly point out in a timely manner. However, this renewed perspective of what is genuinely critical in the eyes of God will provide for us a high degree of tolerance for and patience with people and their ways of living and relating that are different than ours.

Beyond this, when we touch and are touched by a different human culture than our own, we will inevitably learn many important new things ourselves that God himself has providentially placed in that culture that will draw us even closer to him. When we find the courage to cross over the cultural barriers for the sake of Christ (and truly there are cultural barriers right in our own "neighborhoods"), we will joyfully discover that he has gone into that culture ahead of us and that he has been waiting to meet and partner with us there on that "ground". Our eyes will be opened again and again to spiritual blind spots we've suffered from and new levels of our self-righteousness will be exposed, sprinkled afresh in and washed away by the shed blood of Jesus Christ. This perspective on life gives new guts and meaning to "following Christ"!

The Romance of Romans-Part 95

2010-01-31T05:33:00.000-08:00

Romans Chapter 14 cont'd

For we ourselves aren't the central focus of our lives or our deaths, loving and worshiping the Lord is. So if we're alive, Jesus is our reference point. And if we die, we’ll be face to face with our reference point! We are owned and wanted by him, "dead or alive!" It was for this very goal that Christ died and rose again, that he might rightfully exercise his claim of lordship over both the dead and the living.

Comments:

In the midst of his essay in chapter 14 on surmounting unrighteous judgmentalism in our lives, the apostle holds out a vital key for our success. If he continues to wait to return, you and I are going to die! And...our deaths aren't that far away. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus challenged us to judge with a righteous judgment and avoid the unrighteous sort. The excellent Bible teacher, Beth Moore, has recently said, "Perspective is everything." (I'm sure many others have said it before her.) Periodically contemplating our swiftly approaching death is one of the spiritual disciplines held out to us through the centuries by the Doctors of the Church.

Our consciousness of how we will soon be face to face with Jesus is an excellent way to maintain the proper perspective on earthly life and relationships and to guard us from petty and unrighteous judgments. We seriously don't have time or energy to waste on self-justification, jealousy, envy or on being cantankerous, cranky and contentious. Each one of us will give an account to God (and very soon at that!) regarding how much of his life and love we learned to allow into our hearts and be expressed through our thoughts, words and deeds. May Christ grant us great mercy and wisdom in this focused journey into his light and into his arms. Any and all deception we suffered with and held will peel off of us when he looks into our eyes. May we seek to gaze into his eyes, even now, and shed as many of those lies as we possibly can, by the grace and power of the Holy Spirit, before that Day.

The Romance of Romans-Part 94

2010-01-23T07:28:00.000-08:00

Romans Chapter 14 cont'd

One believer regards one day as more sacred than another. Another believer views each day as equally sacred. Things like this should be seen as a matter of personal conscience that allows for individual liberty. The one who celebrates a certain day as special, does so as an expression of love for the Lord. The one who equally celebrates every day also does so as an expression of love for the Lord. Just like the one who eats freely worships the Lord in his eating, and the one who abstains from meat worships the Lord by not eating. Can't you see that the truly important issues are not the externals, but the motives of the heart- love and worship.

Comments:

It is so natural for us to pick out external-oriented preferences in life and make them the measures by which we evaluate our own spirituality and the spirituality of others. (Consider things like preferences in clothing, fashion, food, beverages, hair styles, music, forms of praying, family traditions, spending money, entertainment, sports, language idioms, "secondary" doctrines, ways of "doing church" and the like.) This very human habit is rooted in our desire to look and be "right" and externals are easy targets for us to use to "prove" our rightness to ourselves and the people whose opinions matter to us. (Someone said that "being right" is the booby prize of life!) Yet, when we read through the gospels, we are confronted again and again with how Jesus lived, ministered and worked to undermine this kind of self-righteousness...and...we love him for it! He heroically sees beyond the externals of race, religious (or non-religious) background, cultural prejudices, social standings, religious titles, economic states and man-made traditions and looks upon the "heart" of both matters and people.

Now there are obviously sinful "external" ways of living and relating that can be clearly identified and properly condemned. The NT has several contrasting lists of the kinds of attitudes and behaviors that are of the flesh or of the Spirit. (Galatians 5 comes to mind.) But the problem arises when we add to the list our own culturally/personally derived "taboos", "do's and don'ts" and "biases" and place these matters into the "essential" category. We must make room in our church cultures, without it being viewed as divisive, for fellow believers to have and hold ongoing and differing preferences and convictions regarding non-essentials. Beyond this, we must actually fight for their freedom to choose differently than we would. (When we apply this same principle to people who haven't yet come to faith in Christ, we often find ourselves tempted to "write people off" who have transgressed a true ethical essential without offering them a chance at receiving God's mercy in Christ. Maybe they've "blown it" over and over again, but their hearts could truly be crying out for freedom and they would jump at the chance of receiving forgiveness and repent for their wicked ways.)

Romans 14 is an apostolic appeal to us to live in and proclaim the freedom and liberty that Christ has modeled and purchased for us with his blood. He has come to free us to live in God's love and allow the "present-tense" love and personal leadership of the Holy Spirit to help us transcend fleshly hatred, prejudice and self-justification so that we can reach out to people who are either "coming from a different place" than we are on non-essential matters or to people who need to be touched by the good news of Jesus. May the Father help us to rise up from our insecurities and fear-based judgments to love others with his compelling, joy-filled, attractive and liberating love through Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen!

The Romance of Romans-Part 93

2010-01-16T07:52:00.000-08:00

Romans Chapter 14

Don't refuse to recognize or fellowship with believers who disagree with you over non-essential matters- even if they're unenlightened about the truth. One believer has a clear conscience about eating anything. Another, who may be hypersensitive, is a vegetarian. The one who eats freely shouldn't get down on the one who doesn't, and the one who doesn't shouldn't get down on the one who does. God has accepted them both. Who are we to condemn another's servant? Before his own master he will stand or fall. And stand he will, for God himself is holding up his own!

Let's take another issue. One believer regards one day as more sacred than another. Another believer views each day as equally sacred. Things like this should be seen as a matter of personal conscience that allows for individual liberty. The one who celebrates a certain day as special, does so as an expression of love for the Lord. The one who equally celebrates every day also does so as an expression of love for the Lord. Just like the one who eats freely worships the Lord in his eating, and the one who abstains from meat worships the Lord by not eating. Can't you see that the truly important issues are not the externals, but the motives of the heart- love and worship.

Comments:

It has become common for Jesus-followers to claim that they are "spiritual" but not "religious". I personally like the distinction and I think that the folks around us can relate to the statement too. Well...Romans 14 is the chapter that can provide the theological basis for this important contrast. It has always been one of my favorites to ponder and teach. A well-known maxim captures the heart of Paul in Romans 14--"In necessariis unitas, in non-necessariis (or, dubiis) libertas, in utrisque (or, omnibus) caritas." In English we say: "In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity." (There is no actual proof that Augustine said this.)

Of course, drawing the line between the theological essentials and non-essentials is a delicate and sweet science. Jesus chided the religious leaders of his day for "straining out gnats, while swallowing camels"...surely one of his better jokes. You'd think that we'd normally be able to distinguish camels issues from gnat issues, but we do get easily confused perspectives when our personal preferences and cultural/religious "golden calves" are potentially on the chopping block...our styles of dressing, eating, recreating, socializing; how we specifically "do church" and our strong convictions regarding secondary doctrines and temporal politics...just to name a few. It seems that Jesus is inferring that in order for us to avoid (while mysteriously maintaining our dignity in the eyes of many people) the discomforting act of consuming our mode of transportation, we are going to have to get used to the bitter taste and brief choking sensation of ingesting some little bugs along our way in life with Jesus as our leader.

I think that Jesus also had in mind that gnats and camels tend to hang out around each other! And so what's the spiritual moral of the story? If we're going to actually travel anywhere in our spiritual journey, we've got an unavoidable "dietary choice" to make. Is it going to be "camels" or "gnats"? Bad religion ironically snarfs camels while upholding its image of precision and yet getting us nowhere. Genuine spirituality chooses to choke down some bothersome "gnats" for the sake of riding, instead of eating, the "camels" that Christ provides us for his ongoing mission.

Lord Jesus, give me the grace to know the difference between these two animals and make the needed sacrifices of my preferences to actually make some progress in "loving well" our Father in heaven and...other people.

The Romance of Romans-Part 92

2010-01-10T05:36:00.000-08:00

Romans Chapter 13 cont'd

Since we all know that precious time is ticking away, we need to rise up from our spiritual slumber- the end of the age has never been closer! The sun rose some time ago leaving the night far behind. So let us cast off our old sinful "night life"- outrageous behavior, drunkenness, lustfulness, infidelity, contentiousness and envying. Rather, let us put on the shining armor of the daylight- honesty, integrity, sincerity and transparency. Constantly welcome the Lord Jesus Christ to live in you and through you and don't be on the lookout for any loopholes for the expression of your selfish desires.

Comments:

Paul was the New Testament "theologian of the new creation". The reality of the historic bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ changed the essential dynamics of the heavens, the earth and their inter-relations. The new creation was powerfully and forever inaugurated via the first coming of Jesus even though its consummation awaits his return. In light of this, Paul and the other NT writers constantly call followers of the Christ to live with a consciousness of the realism of the kingdom of God that is both mysteriously and practically unfolding all about us in the midst of earthly cultures in which, assuredly, not everything goes well and nothing goes perfectly.

The apostles teach us that responding to the Holy Spirit in the context of our daily lives, our vocations and our inter-personal relationships provides a substantial "prophetic" witness to people all about us that there is a "time coming" in which all things will be properly reintegrated (with all goodness vindicated and evil divinely judged/banished) through Jesus Christ. Our lives and loving communities of faith are to manifest that the process is significantly underway. The Dawn is already here, since Christ's resurrection and ascension...and so...High Noon (the resurrection of all others--living or dead) is sure to follow. The climactic moment of "God's Big God-Story" arrived ahead of the expected schedule, changed the fabric of everything added a shocking twist to the plot line and yet...has hardly been noticed by the "powers that be". (Yet again, and don't you find it odd, that the whole world seems to pause at Christmas Eve and ponder, with bated breath, its repressed hope that God himself humbly came to earth as a human being so long ago in Bethlehem.)

The practical apostolic advice on "how to then live here and now" simply follows: believers are not called to live as sleazy denizens and dealers of the spiritually/morally bankrupt "night" of previous ages, but as powerfully equipped citizens and agents of the spiritually/morally vibrant "day" of the new creation. Christ is risen and is expressing his resurrection life in and through those who have courageously chosen follow him.

The Romance of Romans-Part 91

2010-01-01T06:08:00.000-08:00

Romans Chapter 13 cont'd

If you learn to love, you will fulfill the essence and intent of God's moral law. Whatever specific commandment of God's you can name- "You shall not commit adultery", "You shall not murder", "You shall not steal", "You shall not give false testimony", "You shall not covet", or any of the others; they all are rooted in the concept of- "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." It is impossible for genuine love to perpetrate an injustice toward others. That's why it fulfills God’s moral law.

Comments:

Maybe a good way of summarizing the difference that Jesus has made in the world is to notice the above contrast. The Law of Moses often focused on "shall not" and the New Covenant focuses on "shall". And...the "shall" becomes more than a commandment. It takes on the form and power of a promise. In Christ and by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, we "shall" love...both God and people from our renewed hearts out to very concrete and practical specifics that then, as a naturally/supernatural by-product, keep us from sinning. This is why life in Jesus takes us far beyond a life of "sin-management".

Jn 1:17--For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

Happy New Year to all our friends!

2009-12-25T07:12:00.000-08:00

No One Knows
by Michael Sullivant
Christmas 2009

No one knows my love as I
The way she loves, giving her best
To her Lord, her clan, her friends
Grown children once held at her breast.

No one knows my love as I
The way she cries, giving her soul
To care about the trials and pain
That sometimes leave loved ones un-whole.

No one knows my love as I
The way she prays both day and night
Touching God, she intercedes
And moves His heart to show His might

No one knows my love as I
The way she lives on through the years
Straight and true she’s carried on
Surmounting all her youthful fears.

No one knows my love as I
The way she shines, a rad’ant glow
At her best and at her worst
Her amazing heart has kept its flow.

No one knows my love as I
The way she wins, giving her all
Though sorely tempted to give in…
She’s laughing loud, she’s standing tall.

The Nativity-My Christmas Repost

2009-12-23T12:07:00.000-08:00

i never knew why the birth of Jesus was called the nativity--a bit
embarrassing after all these years. i figured it had some connection
to how we talk about someone's "native land". it comes from a latin
root word that means "arisen from birth". it's the place of birthing.
john, in his gospel, is writing out of an understanding of the
incarnation of Christ being the inauguration or "the nativity" of a
"new genesis". "in the beginning"--The Father and The Word and The
Spirit, acting in a trinitarian concert of love, brooded over the
chaos and brought forth the first creation. but now there is a
astounding new development in God's plan for the earth. The Father,
The Word and The Spirit are brooding again in Jn 1:14--conspiring to
incarnate their love--within a chaotic world--filled with brokenness,
pain, tragedy, injustice, hatred, war, man-made corrupted religion,
sin, guilt and shame...the result being the "new creation" with the
prototype of a "new humanity" present on the earth's stage...Jesus of
Nazareth. Immanuel--God with us...God become like us...a commentary on
His original design for humanity, His love for and enjoyment of
humanity (and even the fallen world we inhabit that yet reflects the
beauty of His original design) and His desired destiny for humanity.

now...the Word becomes flesh--fully human as well a fully divine--
unimaginable, unheard of (except in cryptic ancient prophecies not
even fully understood by those through whom it flowed), a mystery and
miracle of the highest magnitude. the incarnation of Jesus points
profoundly to new birth, a new beginning, a new genesis, for the
inhabitants of the whole earth and ultimately for the earth
itself--"good news of great joy that will be for all the people"--as
the angels proclaimed to the shepherds.

when God sent His chosen King...the eternally begotten Son...into the
world, what was encoded in the message of it all? mary prophesied the
essence of it in her inspired poem--the magnificat--"He has shown
strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of
their hearts; he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and
exalted those of humble estate...." (Luke 1:51-52) when God personally
entered this world in Christ, He came to put it right side up,
establish His justice and shed abroad His mercy by bringing down the
proud and arrogant and exalting the humble folk of the earth.

this mission is clearly portrayed in the nativity story. the
professional priest, zechariah, responds with unbelief to Gabriel's
big news, while the simple young maiden welcomes the even more amazing
message to her with a spirit of trust and belief. the lowly shepherds
receive a divine visitation of angels proclaiming the secrets of the
kingdom of God while the "movers and shakers" of Bethlehem are left
out of the story. the elderly simeon and anna have the Spirit of God
on them with the power to discern and bless in the name of the Lord
and the religious elite are also bypassed and left out of the story.
later on, mysteriously inspired wise men from the east go on a long
and costly pilgrimage to pay tribute to the foreign and humble infant
King, while the reigning king of the jewish nation, is threatened and
murderously enraged simply by the fuzzy buzz about the birth of One
who would one day sit on David's throne by the will of God. it's a
story of unlikely heroes who were not great in their own eyes.

but the force that God exerts in bringing down the proud and exalting
the humble does not proceed from His anger, but from His amazing
kindness. He himself will model the way of humility. He will leave
behind the pristine beauties of heaven. He will enter the world
incognito. He will make Himself of no reputation. He will enter the
world as a vulnerable fetus--born to common folk--poor, oppressed,
unknown, but devout and faithful to their covenant with God. He will
come as a suffering Servant/King. God the Almighty will come to His
own creation as a humble king...and personally bear the heavy pains
afflicting His precious creation.

this reveals an amazing and compelling truth about the God of the
scriptures...the one and only true God is humble in nature. when the
logos calls us to humble ourselves, it comes out of the ethos and
pathos of His own willingness to humble Himself. and...if He can and
would do such a thing, how can we reasonably hold on to our pride--in
whatever form it shows itself. there's an amazing reality about
humility...we can choose it no matter what our situation. may we
choose it daily--even continually...for "God is opposed to the proud,
but gives grace to the humble."

The Romance of Romans-Part 90

2009-12-20T06:12:00.000-08:00

Romans Chapter 13 cont'd

Because civil authority is an instrument of God for our good, we must give to it what we owe it. Pay all your taxes and tariffs, show proper respect to officers and officials, and honor all those in authority. Don't accrue any "debt to society" by breaking your contracts and commitments, but stay free to focus on giving to others what you truly "owe" them- love. If you learn to love, you will fulfill the essence and intent of God's moral law. Whatever specific commandment of God's you can name- "You shall not commit adultery", "You shall not murder", "You shall not steal", "You shall not give false testimony", "You shall not covet", or any of the others; they all are rooted in the concept of- "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." It is impossible for genuine love to perpetrate an injustice toward others. That's why it fulfills God’s moral law.

Comments:

Paul sets forth a basic conviction that God is sovereign over the civil governments and works through them to bring order and justice to a society. In most cases, civil laws can be obeyed as disciples of Jesus navigate within our cultures by simply allowing "what does the love of Christ look like" to inform our attitudes and actions. This will lead to the conversion of some, or even many, and will also introduce a necessary spiritual tension into the cultures in which we live.

Of course, the matter of "civil disobedience" always come into view when we take seriously Paul's teaching in Romans 13 and Peter's in 1 Pet 2:13-17--"Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king."

What are, if there are any, the biblical limits to the biblical submission to civil authorities? Following is a link to an excellent article for further reading and some random quotes from some highly regarded teachers that will help set some parameters for civil disobedience from Scripture.

The Bible gives us numerous examples of civil disobedience in which God's people sought to do what is right in obedience to God in spite of violating a civil law or decree. The Hebrew midwives defy an order by Pharaoh to kill all Hebrew males at birth, covering their action with a half-truth to Pharaoh (Exodus 1:1 5ff). Rahab hides the Israelite spies and refuses to surrender them to the messenger from the king of Jericho (Josh. 2:1ff.) During several years of David's life he and his band of followers are fugitives from Saul, the civil authority of Israel (e.g. 1 Samuel 22). Daniel and his companions seek and gain permission from an official under King Nebuchadnezzar to set aside an assignment of the king to eat his delicacies and test their health with a simpler diet (Daniel 1). Later Shadrach, Meschach, and Abednego refuse to bow and worship King Nebuchadnezzar's image of gold (Daniel 3). Then under King Darius, Daniel refuses to obey the decree which prohibits prayer for 30 days to anyone except the king (Daniel 6). Likewise in the book of Esther, Mordecai refuses to kneel and pay honor to Haman, disobeying the command of King Xerxes (Esther 3). In all of these instances a supreme loyalty to God which includes his plan for his people prompts them to set aside obedience to a civil law in order to be obedient to the will of God.

http://www.epc.org/about-the-epc/pastoral-letters/civil-disobedience/

(This paper goes on to recount some examples from the New Testament and puts forth some practical applications for followers of Christ.)

"So we believe that civil disobedience is justified only when government compels us to sin, or when there is no legal recourse for fighting injustice. The reason we draw the line there is simply because all the scriptural examples of civil disobedience fall squarely into those two situations. Any other kind of activism has no precedent in the Word of God and violates the spirit of Romans 13 and 1 Peter 2." John MacArthur

[re. civil disobedience] "This can be for two main sorts of reasons: when the state commands us to do that which the Bible forbids; or when the state prohibits us from doing that which the Bible commands." D. A. Carson

"...here is 'laid down the principle of civil and ecclesiastical disobedience'. He continues, if the 'authority concerned misuses its God-given power to command what he forbids or forbid what he commands, then the Christian’s duty is to disobey the human authority in order to obey God’s'"....John Stott

"It is rarely good for a Christian to disobey even a bad law. That is why the Scripture so frequently urges Christians to obey even evil governments and laws that create trouble for them. Still, there are times when a Christian becomes thoroughly convinced that the total welfare of others would be significantly better if he disobeyed rather than obeyed a particular law. When that moment arrives he must obey God rather than man. God has commanded him to be concerned for the well-being of all human beings, and the well-being of human beings demands disobedience to that particular law at that particular time. The Christian in such a case must humbly, yet boldly, and with a prayer to God for forgiveness if he has judged wrongly, disobey the law and be willing to suffer the consequences of his disobedience." Kenneth Kantzer

The Romance of Romans-Part 89

2009-12-16T05:06:00.000-08:00

Romans Chapter 13

Every person must live in submission to the civil authorities. For civil government has been ordained by God and he has overseen the installment of rulers into their offices. Therefore whoever rebels against their authority is rebelling against something that God has established and they will suffer very severe consequences for doing so. Such authority isn't intended to intimidate good citizens, only bad ones. So if you want to live free from this fear, obey the civil authorities and they will reward your good citizenship. They are servants of God, given for the good of society. But if you are a law breaker, you need to be afraid, for these God-ordained authorities have been called to use force, even deadly force when necessary, in bringing criminals to justice. We need to obey the civil laws for both the sake of avoiding punishment and keeping our consciences clear before God.

Comments:

The apostle Paul here addresses another very practical area of daily life...the disciple's relationship to civil authority and law. It's important to remember that he wrote these injunctions to believers who were living under the rule of imperial Rome! This was a human government that could be absolutely ruthless and violent. It was the government under which Jesus had been condemned to a cruel and unjust crucifixion. When, in fact, Jesus was being judged by Pilate, he essentially said to this ruler who was flaunting his power, "You have no authority except what my Father has given to you." Jesus understood how the sovereignty of his (and our) heavenly Father works in this fallen world and modeled a belief and a pattern for all who would follow him across the many cultures of the world in every generation. Though there are a number of thorny issues that emerge in a theological consideration of how followers of the Christ relate to and navigate within the frameworks of civil authorities of various kinds, there is an essential simplicity that underlies the appropriate discussion...God is sovereign over all human governments and he will work within them and through them despite their many flaws.

The Romance of Romans-Part 88

2009-12-13T07:00:00.000-08:00

Romans Chapter 12 cont'd

Love others without any pretense. Hate what is evil and embrace what is good. Really care about your fellow believers and don't compete with one another except in the "holy competition" of honoring and promoting others instead of yourself. Don't be lazy and irresponsible, but fervently serve the Lord in every arena of life. Let the expectation of your glorious future in the presence of God be the source of joy that strengthens you to endure the pressures of this life. Fill your daily life with prayers, generously share your resources to meet the needs of fellow believers and eagerly show hospitality to others.
Don't curse those who persecute you, but bless them instead. Celebrate with those who are rejoicing and sympathize with those who are weeping. Be thoughtful toward one another. Don't value the "high and lofty" things of life that feed people's egos, but deliberately identify with "lowly" things and people. Don't consider yourself as "being above" or "too good for" such mundane and ordinary things. Save your energies- if you value lowliness, then no one can put you down! Don't return an injustice for an injustice- two wrongs don't make a right. Walk in integrity of heart before all people. As much as it is possible and within your control, live at peace with others.
Don't take personal vengeance into your own hands my dear friends. (You're not holy enough or smart enough to do it right anyway!) Leave room for God to act on your behalf according to his perfect wisdom and timetable. The scripture says, "Vengeance is mine to dispense; I will repay, says the Lord." Rather, disarm and convict your enemy by shocking them with kindness. Again the scripture says, "If your enemy is hungry, give him some food. If he is thirsty, give him a drink." Doing this is the best way of helping them get in touch with and turn away from the wrongness of what they are doing. Don't be overwhelmed by evil, but overcome evil with good. Don't curse the darkness; turn on a light!

Comments:

The fourth point of "reformation" that I see in this chapter is what I would call, A Set of Heartfelt Values. Since I was a new believer I have always been struck by the comprehensive nature of Romans 12 when it comes to "practical" or "pastoral" theology. Internalizing the spirit of the simply profound Christlike way of life recommended here is a way of becoming informed on a heart-level as to how we should navigate as spiritual people in a world (and a church world) that is dear to God, but never perfect.
Every sentence in this section of Romans 12 is loaded with meaning and exhortation for the gritty situations of our daily lives. Paul's first point is that we "love others without any pretense". You can view the rest of what's on the list as "teasing out" what that life of love looks like...how the love of Christ that genuinely courses through our beings leads us to respond to people of all kinds. It's a great passage to read over slowly, internalize and then rejoice over as the personal applications present themselves to our hearts and minds under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

The Romance of Romans-Part 87

2009-11-22T04:05:00.000-08:00

Romans Chapter 12 cont'd

By the spiritual authority that God has vested in me, I challenge every person among you, not to think more highly of yourself than you should. We all need to receive "reality checks." God has given to all of us a sphere of life and ministry in which to function for which we also have been given the corresponding necessary amount of faith. Our physical body is one and yet it has many members, each having a different function. So the body of Christ is one and we, each of us, are one of its many members. But even though we have various roles to play, we are organically joined both to him and to one...Since we have different gifts, let us excel in using what we specifically have been given: if prophecy, then prophesy within the boundaries of genuine faith; if service, then serve in a way that you can do it graciously; if teaching, then teach in the areas in which you have true authority; if exhortation, then exhort according to your spiritual passion; if giving, then give from your heart without second guessing; if leadership, then lead with excellence; if showing mercy, then do it with the joy of the Lord.

Comments:

The third "reformational point" that I see standing out in this chapter is what I would call "A More Humble Ministry". An interesting way of studying the epistles of Paul is to dig into the background of the cultures of the cities and regions to whom he wrote and notice that the errors he sought to correct in the churches were a result of the cultures "baptizing" the church communities with their embedded evils. He labored to empower the followers of Jesus to stand against the sinful elements of these cultural tides.

Our culture at large has become deeply affected and oriented around "celebrity". We are bombarded with both head on and subliminal messages from every quarter that if we are to possess and achieve real meaning, significance and value, then we must strive to become noticed by many. And...there are all kinds of powerful tools available to us to assist us in "puffing" and "projecting" and "managing" our image. Still, most of us fail to garner this kind of attention and therefore kowtow to live under a satanic lie that we are living insignificant lives. This then makes us vulnerable to finding some possible way to "hook up" with someone or some group that is "significant"...or...we simply resign ourselves to the fate that we must embrace our "boring existence". That's when we become vulnerable to the plethora of the cultural "medications" that are available to dull our aching hearts.

The apostle would challenge us to embrace a radically different view of our lives and how we are to "be" and "do" in this world. We can live truly "significant" lives without seeking or achieving "celebrity". It begins by firmly rejecting the demonic lose-lose paradigm of life described above. On one hand, we must come to a point where we don't give a rip about how many people notice us or hear our voice. We must become oriented around living for the "audience of One"...and leave the degree of our impact on others in his capable hands. Simultaneously, we must not submit to a "false modesty" about what God has called and gifted us to offer to others. Neither should we absolutely avoid utilizing the tools available to us to offer our gifts to the people and world about us.

Humility is not about looking down on ourselves or pretending that we are less gifted, capable, experienced, intelligent or discerning than we are. Humility is realism...not posing. C. S. Lewis said that humility is grounded simply in standing next to something infinitely larger and higher than we are and noticing the difference.

The Romance of Romans-Part 86

2009-11-08T08:17:00.000-08:00

The Romance of Romans-Part 85

2009-11-05T07:06:00.000-08:00

Romans Chapter 12 cont'd

God has given to all of us a sphere of life and ministry in which to function for which we also have been given the corresponding necessary amount of faith. Our physical body is one and yet it has many members, each having a different function. So the body of Christ is one and we, each of us, are one of its many members. But even though we have various roles to play, we are organically joined both to him and to one another.

Comments:

Toward A More Healthy Community

In his book, Connecting, Dr. Larry Crabb distills years of counseling experience, biblical research, intensive work of putting thoughts into words and a whole lot of life lived to help us consider the essence of healthy interpersonal relationships. He steers us away from extreme but popularized views of how people are thought to overcome their personal and relational problems and holds out to us a few simply profound and profoundly simple, yet too often overlooked, keys to this kind of health and holiness…a pattern leading to maturity in Christ.

The two extreme views are what he refers to as 1) the moralistic model and 2) the therapy model. The first focuses on challenging people (often with hardly any empathy or compassion) that they simply need to begin to make better choices by trying harder to obey God and the Bible. The second focuses on trying, in various ways, to help people uncover the dynamic (sub-conscious) pains of injustice they have suffered and reacted to. Larry acknowledges that we all certainly have made bad choices and that we have suffered injustices, but he posits the notion that most of us won’t ultimately overcome either kinds of problems unless we “connect” with others in a healthy relational circle…a community in Christ. We need to have our wills renewed by the Holy Spirit and our broken hearts healed by Christ, but do these kinds of things actually happen regularly without a vital connection to friends in Christ who can track with us through life's journey? Larry says, “No!”...through his astute observations and many years of helping people as a professional counselor.

Furthermore, he goes on to describe the three essential elements of the kind of Christ-centered interpersonal connections that we long to experience in our communities of faith. First of all, believers need connection with some others (even a few make us extremely wealthy) who genuinely delight in who they are without reference to their failures or battles. Second, we need to realize that we all have something “powerful” (the Spirit’s presence) in us that is able to speak profoundly to the “good” that is truly present (maybe hidden or buried) in a hurting or struggling friend in Christ and call that good up and out. Third, (and the order here is very important) we are called to gently and lovingly, and in a timely manner, expose the sin or the pain in one another that we may be blind to or in denial of. All three elements are essential for well-rounded friendships.

These three elements of healthy relationships create a context for spiritual growth and I am convinced that unless we seek after and find this quality of connectedness, then we will be very limited in our communities to affect the kind of personal transformation we tend to admire, but often fail to achieve. This is a normative and mighty way that the Spirit of God has always worked in and through the friends of Jesus Christ.

The Romance of Romans-Part 84

2009-10-24T05:32:00.000-07:00

Romans Chapter 12 cont'd

By the spiritual authority that God has vested in me, I challenge every person among you, not to think more highly of yourself than you should. We all need to receive "reality checks." God has given to all of us a sphere of life and ministry in which to function for which we also have been given the corresponding necessary amount of faith. Our physical body is one and yet it has many members, each having a different function. So the body of Christ is one and we, each of us, are one of its many members. But even though we have various roles to play, we are organically joined both to him and to one another.
And since we have different gifts, let us excel in using what we specifically have been given: if prophecy, then prophesy within the boundaries of genuine faith; if service, then serve in a way that you can do it graciously; if teaching, then teach in the areas in which you have true authority; if exhortation, then exhort according to your spiritual passion; if giving, then give from your heart without second guessing; if leadership, then lead with excellence; if showing mercy, then do it with the joy of the Lord.

Comments:

The second "reformational" point that I am positing for us as believers and our groups out of this chapter is about moving toward...A More Healthy Community. This involves creating a different kind of relational culture than what has been generally modeled to us in our histories within our societies at large and...usually...within our families and churches as well. Unhealthy relational styles and patterns have been stamped deeply upon our souls to the point where it is often difficult and threatening for us to even be made aware of them. In the NT, the apostles of Jesus hold out to us some high ideals of what it looks like to glorify God in our inter-personal relationships...to genuinely walk in the love of God. Their basic model revolves around gracefully navigating the tensions of individuality and interdependence...honoring diversity while maintaining an essential unity in the community of faith. In his epistles Paul utilized the image of the human body to help us intuit and picture this dynamic.

Some years ago, I was privileged to become a friend, though separated by time and space, with Dr. Larry Crabb. Still...we significantly touched hearts. His books had already been making a deep impact on my life when we met and his writings have continued to help me greatly through the years. I believe the whole Body of Christ is indebted to him for his wonderful contributions (forged in the fires of his own vulnerable journey and musings) toward understanding both the sanctification process and healthy relationships. He has helped to identify the "radical middle" between the traditional "moralistic" (You must try harder!) and "therapy" (You are a victim!) approaches to these two vital issues by gleaning truths from each polar opposite and integrating them into a more biblical context for understanding and engaging our personal human life and our relationships with others. I will write more about some critical points from his book "Connecting" in the next blog.

My Article on Prophetic Ministry from a 2004 Publication

2009-10-22T04:58:00.000-07:00

Thought you might enjoy this article from the past that is now available online:

http://www.pneumafoundation.org/article.jsp?article=/MSullivant-ProphecyInTheChurchToday.xml

The Romance of Romans-Part 83

2009-10-03T05:37:00.000-07:00

Romans Chapter 12 cont'd

In thinking about the first "reformational" point for the western church in the 21st century, A More Holistic Spirituality, I don't think we could improve upon the way that Eugene Peterson translates these first two verses in The Message. (I have already commented extensively on these verses and this first point in my previous blogs on Chapter 12.)

"So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you."

The "ordinary-ness" of most of our hours and our lives is not an automatic hindrance to engaging and enjoying a genuine interactive friendship with the holy Trinity in real time, or...true biblical spirituality The Father, Son and Spirit all promise to "be with us" and "go with us" in the full range of our being and activity. We are not called to strive to be "extra-ordinary", when it is sufficient for us to live fully human lives (with all its joys and sorrows...blessings and trials) and "let" God be his extraordinary Self to us. This kind of approach, in the end, does indeed lift us up to live lives that are supernaturally natural.

The Romance of Romans-Part 82

2009-09-27T06:53:00.000-07:00

Romans Chapter 12 cont'd

I have "camped out" in Romans 12 for many years and have become convinced that it holds out to us a very relevant message and clear challenge for the expression of our faith here in the western world in 21st century. I believe that there are seed thoughts that can lead us into a needed "rebranding" of what it means and looks like for communities of people to genuinely follow Jesus Christ...a new reformation...if you will. Romans 12 is the beginning of the practical and logical response to who Jesus is and what he has done for the cosmos and all humanity...our part of the deal...which we can, in the end, only do well by the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. This kind of divine arrangement is what will save us from self-righteousness and yet allow us to progressively walk in authentic righteousness.

These are the four main reformational points of the chapter that stand out to me as ideals we are called to passionately pursue:

* A More Holistic Spirituality (Holistic simply means well-rounded, fuller kind of spirituality).

* A More Healthy Community. God has called us to belong to a spiritual family that is wise in the matters of relationship building and community building. We need to learn the skills about what makes for healthy relationships and what makes for long-lasting friendships.

* A More Humble Ministry. It seems to me that God has been dealing with the western church for years about pride in our lives and pride in our styles of leadership. We have allowed too much of the celebrity-mentality and arrogant entrepreneurialism to dominate our church cultures.

* A More Heart-felt Set of Values. There are some vital biblical values in this great chapter that have been generally overlooked in the personal and corporate expression of our faith in too many of our faith communities. May God help us to return with our whole hearts to the ancient simple and pure devotion to Christ that the first apostles taught and lived out.

Introducing Fully Alive Life Coaching

2009-09-14T05:09:00.000-07:00

My dear wife, Terri, has put out her "shingle" as a life coach. She just created a new blog at: www.fullyalive5.blogspot.com. She's awesome! Her website will be up and running soon as well.

The Romance of Romans-Part 81

2009-09-12T09:18:00.001-07:00

Romans Chapter 12 cont'd

Don't let the value system of fallen humanity mold or dictate your life or lifestyle. Rather, cooperate with God's agenda to transform you through the spiritual renewal of your thinking, so that you may be able to discern the will of God which is truly good, always acceptable and entirely perfect.

Comments:

2 Tim 1:6-7 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit (or Spirit) of power, of love and of a sound mind.

Whenever I get the chance to preach about the Person of the Holy Spirit, I like to refer to this verse as a foundation. I believe that Paul is here referring specifically to the gift of the Holy Spirit rather than one of the gifts of the Spirit. As we survey the scriptures we indeed discover that He is a Spirit of power. He is a Spirit of love. These two aspects of the Spirit's Person and work are often referred to. And...this kind of language about him makes sense to us.

But then Paul says that the Holy Spirit is a Spirit of a sound mind, or discipline, or self-discipline...depending on the particular translation. To me, this language is strange and has inspired some further research and reflection on my part. It seems to be a neglected aspect of the Holy Spirit and yet it is as vital to a Spirit-filled human life as the first two.

It turns out that this passage is the only place in the whole Bible where this specific Greek word is used. Here is what Adam Clarke the commentator says about this word where I have also put my comments in ( ):

“Of a sound mind”, soophronismou (grk 4995), of self-possession and government, according to some. But a sound mind implies much more; it means a clear understanding, a sound judgment, a rectified will, holy passions, heavenly tempers (thoughts and feelings); in a word, the whole soul harmonized in all its powers and faculties; and completely regulated and influenced, so as to think, speak, and act aright in all things. The apostle says, God hath given the spirit of these things; they are not factitious (artificial, forced, engineered); they are not assumed for times and circumstances; they are radical powers and tempers (internal abiding realities); each produced by its proper principle (i.e. it is expressed from the inside/out).

Related ideas: discipline, self-control, sobering, safe, self-restraint, to admonish

My conviction that it is only by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that this kind of virtue can become imputed and genuinely expressed through our lives. The pathway to self-government and self-discipline and a renewed mind begins with the presence of the Person of the Holy Spirit within us. He himself is the spirit...the animating secret...of the kind of sound mind and renewed thinking that living in Christ involves.

An astounding implication of this is that the Holy Spirit doesn’t by-pass and isn’t superimposed upon our personality, but He becomes deeply joined to us in a cooperative and interactive partnership. He literally dwells within us and works through our human faculties. As a result of this reality, we become "supernaturally natural"...maybe you've heard the term before? We are not the Holy Spirit (and this clear distinction between Creator and creature must never be confused), but he enables us to become our truest selves as the faculties of our entire beings come under his divine influences. God wants us to "be ourselves" and also want us to allow him to "be himself". I'm not him and he's not me...but we make a great team! Does this bring as much peace and joy to your heart as it does to mine?

One of the most encouraging experiences we can have in life is to serve others in counsel, prayer, presence, acts of love and kindness...along with many other possible avenues...only to later discover that the Holy Spirit was quietly inspiring what we assumed were our own ideas, words and choices that were simply flowing naturally from our hearts, minds and bodies. But the feedback we receive about how those encounters met the exact needs of folks that we didn't even know they felt, convinces us that it was more than "merely us" who was working in and through us. This is what it essentially means to be "supernaturally natural"... a style of living, relating and ministering that I heartily recommend.

The Romance of Romans-Part 80

2009-09-01T05:35:00.000-07:00

The Romance of Romans-Part 79

2009-08-30T04:48:00.000-07:00

Romans Chapter 12 cont'd

Don't let the value system of fallen humanity mold or dictate your life or lifestyle. Rather, cooperate with God's agenda to transform you through the spiritual renewal of your thinking, so that you may be able to discern the will of God which is truly good, always acceptable and entirely perfect.

Comments:

The most common question(s) that has come my way as a spiritual director is: How can I know God's will?...or sometimes...How can I hear God's voice to guide me? This is a wonderful question for each of us to ponder long and hard. Deep within the renewed heart of a Christ-follower is a dominant desire to know God better, to please him and to fulfill his plan for her/his life. There are many facets to the answer to such a question. There are also a lot of misconceptions in the minds of many dedicated believers regarding their expectations about being guided into the Father's will. An implication of the above passage exposes one of these misconceptions.

First, it is important to note that being guided begins with a generalized consecration of our entire being and life under the Lordship of Jesus...before we know the specifics of what God's plans for us might be. Second, we are called to find the courage to think and live and choose "outside the boxes" that our earthly cultures have prepared to slowly squeeze us into...to use us and keep us under it's sway. Third...as this passage makes clear...we come to know the will of God...most normally...by an internalized process, rather than by input from a over-powering external source...like a robot that mechanically reacts to its user's inputs. Spiritual guidance in the disciple's life is more of an art than a science...living out an unfolding colorful drama verses receiving a computerized printout of a comprehensive blueprint...a gracious and rhythmic "dance with our Guide" in contrast to a "goose-step march" to orders barked out by a militant dictator. Spiritual guidance, most often, integrates both divine inspirations and human faculties within its processes.

A vital lesson in New Covenant spirituality is embedded in the story of Elijah's discovery that the LORD was not "in" the whirlwind, the earthquake or the fire. Instead he came to Elijah in the "still small voice"...or within...the "sound of silence".

Because there is such a thing as a genuine experience of hearing the voice of God "from beyond", many believers imagine that, if they were really spiritually mature and truly intimate with God, then this would be the "normal way" that they would be guided by him and land on his specific will for their lives. But this assumption has become the source for confusion, disillusionment, frustration, self-condemnation...and even deception...for too many disciples.

The Romance of Romans-Part 78

2009-08-19T03:32:00.000-07:00

Romans Chapter 12 cont'd

Don't let the value system of fallen humanity mold or dictate your life or lifestyle. Rather, cooperate with God's agenda to transform you through the spiritual renewal of your thinking, so that you may be able to discern the will of God which is truly good, always acceptable and entirely perfect.

Comments:

Or as the NIV says: "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." As followers of Jesus, we all yearn to become perfected people...to become like him. This longing for "metamorphosis" (the Greek root word for transformed) is a powerful motivation in our lives. (Sometimes it is exploited by religious teachers and movements that promise us powerful personal change and this is something for which we must be on guard.)

Paul here is emphasizing that the "renewal of our mind" is an important key to our personal transformation into the image of Christ. A good place to begin the discussion about this vital subject is with a parallel passage in Ephesians 4 that contrasts the old nature (self) and the condition of the mind with the new:

¹⁷Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. ¹⁸They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. ¹⁹They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. ²⁰But that is not the way you learned Christ!— ²¹assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, ²²to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, ²³and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, ²⁴and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

We can see in this passage how Paul viewed the place of the "mind" in the context of the broader fabric of our lives that includes the heart, the self, the manner of life and the desires. There is a seamless connection between the component "parts" of the human life...we are integrated beings. Additionally, in the approach to his challenge for us to put on the new self...that is already created (or "re-created") within the believer by regeneration...he refers to Christ himself and implies his real presence in the process of our spiritual development. We have "learned"...and must "learn"...Christ himself. We aren't merely taught "about" Christ, we are taught "in" Christ...we are taught by Christ, who indwells us.

There is a wonderful "assumption" that lies beneath an effective transformation in our lives, lifestyles and relationships. Christ is in us...really and truly! And explicitly, because he is, we are empowered within to respond to the challenge to put off the old and put on the new. This reality...and our awareness of it...sets the stage for us to allow and cooperate with the renewing of the spirit of our minds--the essence of our thinking.

The Romance of Romans-Part 77

2009-08-16T03:58:00.000-07:00

Romans Chapter 12 cont'd

Don't let the value system of fallen humanity [lit. "the world"] mold or dictate your life or lifestyle. Rather, cooperate with God's agenda to transform you through the spiritual renewal of your thinking, so that you may be able to discern the will of God which is truly good, always acceptable and entirely perfect.

Comments:

I believe, in that we are called to follow in the footsteps of Jesus...the Prince of Life..., we are to model his example of detachment/engagement with the broken and sin-laden cultures around us without becoming entangled by the evil one and his ancient evil ways. We can all plainly see that Satan is having his way in this world quite significantly. Jesus came, as a human being, to face this enemy...of all that is whole and right and good...head on. In his incarnation, Jesus left the perfection of highest heaven and willingly entered this fallen age that is so full of lust, pride and greed...and unbelief. He came because of love...and to bring full renewal to his Father's good (yes, his very good original creation)...to swallow it up into the New Creation that his coming inaugurated and brought to birth. All of the sin, guilt, fear, shame, hatred, injustice, racism, tragedy, brokenness, relational breakdown, despair, sickness, doubt, hardness, disappointment of this old creation are..."digestible"...in the iron stomach of the Risen Lord of the New Creation. In his resurrection, he overcame death itself...a foretaste of the final eschatological meal yet to come!

Jesus certainly wasn't into sin, but neither was he intimidated by sin. He wasn't afraid of being spiritually "polluted" by befriending and touching folks. He saw beyond the sins and weaknesses of ordinary people and loved them where and as he found them. He saw what they might become by putting their faith in him. Besides...there are no sinless people for us to love in this world! He came to rescue us all from the death that was already present and at work in our hearts. He gave us all sorts of reasons to trust in him and love him back. He was free in his spirit to be vulnerable with, make friends with, build bridges toward, show compassion and respect to, make promises to, forgive, touch and be touched by, heal, serve, affirm the good within and have parties with the people all about him...even, and maybe especially, the people of other cultures than his own. He blessed all sorts of people that the religious establishment of his day considered "unblessable" by God. This radical attitude also gave him the spiritual and moral authority to expose and stand up to the evil spirits and arrogant bullies (especially the religious ones) that were drunk on their power over people.

So also we are free in Christ to now live "incarnationally" and engage the cultures of our world in the same attitude and by the agency of the same Holy Spirit...who is also working through us. Those who have been born again can "see the kingdom of God" that is all around us and witness to it seeping and, sometimes suddenly breaking, into the imperfect cultures of our world. Though our conscious goal is not to be been "seen" as culturally relevant, we likewise must not be seen putting culturally ignorant and/or insensitive communication barriers in the way of people that automatically hinder their ability to hear and connect with the good and great news of our Lord Jesus. Rather, we should do all that we can to break down those communication barriers (obviously, without compromising the trans-cultural and eternal values and essentials of God's kingdom) so that the message can more effectively find its way into people's hearts. If people are to stumble, let it be over..."Jesus Christ and him crucified"...not our uptight, self-righteous, fear-based, religious and spiritually non-essential cultural preferences.

We must land on the things that made Jesus so winsome, compelling, appealing and attractive to ordinary folks and seek to walk as he did in relating to them. May the Holy Spirit grant us a grand measure of the "magnetic personality" of Jesus as we live in his light today and for all our days in this world.

The Romance of Romans-Part 76

2009-08-15T08:23:00.000-07:00

Romans Chapter 12 cont'd

Don't let the value system of fallen humanity [lit. "the world"] mold or dictate your life or lifestyle. Rather, cooperate with God's agenda to transform you through the spiritual renewal of your thinking, so that you may be able to discern the will of God which is truly good, always acceptable and entirely perfect.

Comments:

"The world" is a challenging phrase to properly understand in scripture...have you discovered this too? The apostle John says that "God so loved the world that he gave his only Son...." and later said to Christ-followers, "Do not love the world...." This simple juxaposition captures the essence of this challenge. How believers have handled this paradox has had huge implications for the lives and the sense of mission of many individuals and communities of faith throughout the centuries. Helpful sayings and word pictures have been used in an attempt to help believers to navigate this tension: We are not "of the world", but we are called to live "in the world". The Church is like a great ship that is in the water ("the world"), but it must not allow the water into the ship if it is to accomplish its purpose. But the application of such ideas takes some deeper thought, study, prayer and fellowship (with the Holy Spirit and our friends in Christ) to properly work out in our lives.

In the previous post I mentioned the concept of an essential "detachment" as a beginning point for a healthy understanding of biblical spirituality. This "world" (that is akin to "this age") is not the source of our life. Rather, the core of our being is vitally connected, by the Holy Spirit, to the invisible realm of highest heaven, where Christ is seated and reigning over heaven and earth at the Father's right hand. Neither do we allow the cultures of this world to define the essence of our value system or the worldview, by which we establish our bearings for living in this world. Our lives are grounded in the transcendent and eternal kingdom of God. And, there is a range of heart-beliefs and spiritual disciplines held out to us in scripture that, when embraced, continually reinforces this reality to our souls, minds and bodies.

Yet many believers and movements, usually out of a noble quest to be or become "holy" and not be "worldly", have taken this kind of "detachment from the world" to unbiblical extremes. Humorous, bizarre and tragic stories can be recounted that have emerged out of these religiously over-charged sub-cultures. Fundamentalism and, what I call "revivalism", have typically promoted a too negative view of the world (and thereby modeling an extreme "detachment") and...liberalism has typically reacted to this and denigrated any kind of "detachment" from the world in an attempt to not be "religious", like those fundamentalists. I am convinced that there is a "kingdom spirituality" that the Holy Spirit promotes (and is working in our day, as only he can do, to powerfully promote) that permits us to drop out of the traditional and boring fundamentalist/liberal "reaction-charged" debate. Reacting to human beings has never been a key to discovering true spirituality in Christ.

I have coined a phrase that I like to use to help my fellow pilgrims who long to find a kind of Christ-centered spirituality that provides a framework for holding and living out this paradox in our relationship to and view of this world. Here it is: We must be detached from this world in order to be engaged with this world without becoming entangled by this world.

As Romans 12/13 unfold, I think we'll find some practical wisdom from the apostle Paul that reflects this way of thinking, being and relating.

The Romance of Romans-Part 75

2009-08-14T04:29:00.000-07:00

Romans Chapter 12 cont'd

Don't let the value system of fallen humanity mold or dictate your life or lifestyle. Rather, cooperate with God's agenda to transform you through the spiritual renewal of your thinking, so that you may be able to discern the will of God which is truly good, always acceptable and entirely perfect.

Comments:

These sentences capture something essential about and basic to the life and lifestyle of a authentic follower of Jesus. We are called to take our cues for life on earth from the invisible realm of highest heaven where Christ's reign as King of both heaven and earth is unquestioned. We know that it is only a matter of time before the just reign of the True King is fully applied to the kingdoms and peoples of this world. He is presently reigning...but..."in the midst of his enemies" (see Ps. 110 again) and mercifully providing them with the opportunity to turn to him and be saved.

The cultures in which we live exert a powerful pressure on us to conform to images, beliefs and ways of being and relating that are in conflict with the Lordship of Jesus the Christ. There is a kind of "detachment" from this present age that is fundamental to true spirituality. The "center" of our truest self is not bound to the fallen nature of this world and so we are free to resist the pressure to conform to the animating "spirits" of earthly cultures...things like the well known "seven deadly sins":

Pride is excessive belief in one's own abilities, that interferes with the individual's recognition of the grace of God. It has been called the sin from which all others arise. Pride is also known as Vanity.

Envy is the desire for others' traits, status, abilities, or situation.

Gluttony is an inordinate desire to consume more than that which one requires.

Lust is an inordinate craving for the pleasures of the body.

Anger is manifested in the individual who spurns love and opts instead for fury. It is also known as Wrath.

Greed is the desire for material wealth or gain, ignoring the realm of the spiritual. It is also called Avarice or Covetousness.

Sloth is the avoidance of physical or spiritual work.

But as we will see, "detachment" from the fallen cultures of our world is not an end for genuine spirituality, but rather, a beginning place that properly positions us to be effective ambassadors of the Living God and his great love to the people all around us.

Get a Life...Coach

2009-07-26T15:04:00.000-07:00

My wife, Terri, is somewhat well known for her inspiring "fully-alive" teaching. So now she's taken a leap to "follow her heart" and become a life coach. I think she's going to call her effort "Fully-Alive Life Coaching" or something like that...which will also include a catchy tag line of some kind. (It will function as a sub-department of our little non-profit ministry called Radius.) We probably could have all guessed on that name for her practice anyway. She's has certainly been providing life coaching for me now for 32 years and look what I've become! Well...maybe you actually shouldn't look too closely...it might hurt her new, more deliberate, service to humanity. I don't know that I am yet "fully-alive", but I don't seem as "half-dead" as I used to be...maybe I'm up to 3/4 alive now...at least on most days. And I owe it all to her!!

What the heck is life coaching anyway? For some reason I tend to think of it as having regular time with Bobby Knight and him going berserk and yelling at me about not performing too well on the basketball court of life. Now Terri has a lot of passion, but she certainly is no irate mentor who cusses and spits out orders to people. (Actually, I have seen her spit strategically on very rare occasions..but that's the private stuff of married life!) But it is true that she has often lit a fire under my seat to get me moving forward. She thinks that people tend to get stuck living lives below their potential and that she can help them get unstuck by helping them discover how God has designed them and then help them map out a specific plan to move ahead in their life's work toward being more and more their "authentic self" under God. (But beware...rumor has it that God does sometimes whisper random insights to her about people's lives.) It all sounds good, but will it help pay the bills?!

As she has been dreaming about all of this, I have been present to point out all the times that I've seen people's plans for their life takes twists and turns that they could never have imagined. Take our lives for example! It seems to me that God doesn't often cooperate with this kind of planning. But she says her approach is different than the traditional approach somehow and she has some mysterious way of incorporating all of these surprising dynamics into her big picture of the art and craft of setting life goals. I guess we'll see about that. She certainly has been good at "mystery" through the years. I am regularly "mystified" by her to this day!

So now you know what Terri Sullivant is most recently up to. Yes...I live with a bonafide life coach. (Do you think this really is a good thing? I'm hoping and praying so.) She has a certificate and everything. She even received some personal training from the "Dave Ramsey" of life coaching on the national front. His name is Dan Miller. He and Dave live in the same city, go to church together, are actually buddies and regularly refer their followers to the other guy in his arena of expertise. Dave is around to "free" us up financially (ouch!) and, I assume, Dan is around to "free" us up in all the other stuff of life (more ouches?). Seems like a whole lot of stuff falls in Dan's bailiwick to me. (What is a bailiwick? Does anyone really know? But...my spellchecker didn't underline it, so there you go.)

I guess we all have a "life" to live and we all need some "coaching" along the way...so maybe this will be a good thing to add to the Sullivant repertoire of services to the people God sends our way. If you decide to hire her to do some life coaching for you...whether by phone, personal appointment or in one of her classes she's conspiring to host here at home (where am I going to live while all these people are meeting at my house to make plans to live?)...please let me know how it goes...I may decide to hire her myself. I may need to just to get some time with her!

So now I will really let the cat out of the bag and give you her email address just in case you might dare to give her a shot at helping you plan out...your entire future!
terrisully@gmail.com. God bless and...good luck.

Your friend,
Michael

P.S. "BAILIWICK - In general use, 'bailiwick' has come to mean your own province, particularly one in which experience or knowledge gives you special authority or freedom to act. However, it has had a very definite legal sense for centuries: the area of jurisdiction of a bailiff (sheriff's assistant). It goes back to Middle English 'bailie,' meaning 'bailiff,' and 'wick,' meaning 'village.' If you trace the origin of bailiff back to Latin, the poor chap suffers a loss in dignity since 'bailiff' is derived from 'bajalus,' the Latin word for 'porter.'" From the "Morris Dictionary of Word and Phrase Origins" by William and Mary Morris (HarperCollinsPublishers, New York, 1977).

The Romance of Romans-Part 74

2009-07-26T05:54:00.000-07:00

Romans Chapter 12 cont'd

In the light of these magnificent mercies of God, I appeal to you dear friends to offer your entire being, including your body itself, to God as a living sacrifice. This is holy and acceptable to him and actually, living a life of worship is the only reasonable response to who he is and what he has done.

Comments:

Chapter 12 is the beginning of the "application" section of Romans. It is quite common in Paul's epistles for him to first expound on "believing rightly" and then lead his readers into "living rightly" in that light. Our core beliefs truly do affect our daily choices.

As those who have been swept up into the New Creation in Christ...a new temple/priesthood/sacrificial paradigm has been inaugurated. (The Book of Hebrews elaborates on this.) The "once and for all" sacrifice of Jesus...who decisively carried away all the guilt and shame of humanity in his death on the cross...trumped the past need for a stone temple, human priests to serve as mediators and animal sacrifices. Now each believer has become a temple of God (not made with hands), a priest of God and...on the basis of Christ's death...a "living sacrifice" to God.

Human beings, redeemed by Jesus, have been transformed into literal temples of the Holy Spirit. Our entire lives (spirit, mind and body) also have become mobile fiery altars where the very presence of God intersects with the passionate and intentional consecration of all that we are, have and do.

God goes with us into all of life and we are his agents and ambassadors. In our waking and sleeping; our work, rest and play; our public and private lives (whatever that means!); our thoughts, words, prayers and songs; our eating and drinking; our dealings and inter-personal relationships...we are living a life of worship before the Living God. ("Worship" is much more than attending gatherings to sing, pray, confess, give, read scriptures and receive instruction...as vital as those things are.) No more "dead" sacrifices are needed to take away sins...just a host of "living" sacrifices whose human lives...substantially, though not perfectly...bear and reflect the restored image of God in the midst of a broken and fallen world.

The Romance of Romans-Part 73

2009-07-19T04:20:00.000-07:00

Romans Chapter 12

In the light of these magnificent mercies of God, I appeal to you dear friends to offer your entire being, including your body itself, to God as a living sacrifice. This is holy and acceptable to him and actually, living a life of worship is the only reasonable response to who he is and what he has done. Don't let the value system of fallen humanity mold or dictate your life or lifestyle. Rather, cooperate with God's agenda to transform you through the spiritual renewal of your thinking, so that you may be able to discern the will of God which is truly good, always acceptable and entirely perfect.

Comments:

Paul has completed laying out his inspired overview of the life, teaching, ministry, death, burial, resurrection and ascension of Jesus as Lord and Christ and put all this into the divinely re-contextualized kingdom construct based upon the now fulfilled Messianic Hebrew prophecies of scripture. It was no small task and its implications are revolutionary for human life on this planet. In the remaining chapters Paul begins to tease apart some of these important practical implications of "Jesus is Lord" for our lives, lifestyles and relationships.

With the coming of Christ there has been a fundamental shift in what the "temple of God" is all about. This "new temple" imagery is a major theme of the NT apostles that is woven into the fabric their writings. Through Christ, a new way of worship that is "in spirit and truth" and not focused upon ritual or confined to geography was inaugurated for the people of God. Jesus did more than hint at this in his interchange with the woman at the well in John 4.

The "tabernacle/temple" matters related to the manifest presence of God in this world and the proper way for the people of God to truly connect/commune with him in acceptable worship. On a practical level, it always revolved around divinely ordained priesthood and sacrifice. Jesus was himself the embodiment of the presence of God like no other "tabernacle" in the history of Israel. "The Word became flesh and "tabernacled" (lit.) among us (Jn 1:14)." Christ himself is...along with his body, the church, the new Temple of God. Also, he is the "high priest after the order of Melchizedek" prophesied in Ps 110 that signaled a massive shift in the nature and dynamics of the divinely ordained priesthood. Moreover, he himself became the "once and for all" substitutionary sacrifice...the Lamb of God...who took away the sins of the world in his death on the cross and his subsequent resurrection and ascension.

Here in the beginning of Romans 12, Paul dials up the image of "temple worship" and draws us into our proper role in the acceptable worship of the Living God through Jesus Christ. And...it begins on an intimately personal level.

More to come....

The Romance of Romans-Part 72

2009-07-18T05:15:00.000-07:00

Romans Chapter 11 cont'd

Do you see the balanced personality of God, both his goodness and his severity? He dispensed severity to those who were unbelieving, but he has shown you his goodness. And he will continue to do so if you persevere in your faith. Otherwise, he will also cut you off. Likewise, if the Jews repent of their unbelief, they will be grafted in again, and God is able to do it. For if God is able to graft wild unnatural branches into a domesticated olive tree, surely he can graft the natural branches back into their own olive tree.
I am laboring this point because I don't want you to be uninformed about this divine mystery and thereby fall prey to spiritual pride. So here it is again: a partial spiritual blindness has befallen the Jews, until the fully appointed number of Gentiles are saved. At that time, the Jews will turn wholesale to Messiah Jesus as it is written, "The Deliverer will come out of Zion and turn Jacob away from his ungodliness. For this is my covenant with them- I will take away their sins." So, in relation to the good news, they are presently your enemies. But in the larger prophetic picture, they are a chosen people who are favored by God because of his unconditional promises to their fathers. And God will not and cannot renege on his sovereignly given gifts and callings.
Just as you, who at one time did not believe God, have now obtained mercy through their unbelief, even so they, who do not yet believe, will receive mercy through the mercy shown to you. For God has allowed all to experience the agonizing desolation of unbelief so that he might reveal his mercy, in no uncertain terms, to all people. So in the end, unbelief in some leads to mercy for others which, in turn, leads to the mercy that finally destroys all unbelief and causes mercy to triumph over all!
O the depth of the richness of both the wisdom and knowledge of God! His judgments are inscrutable and his ways are unfathomable. "For who has known the mind of the Lord? Who has counseled him into the right way?" Or "who has met God's needs in a way that God now owes him something?" For ultimately, from him, and through him, and back to him are all things. To him be eternal honor. Yes indeed!

Comments:

The Story kind of speaks for itself above. Paul concludes this powerful chapter by again putting the questions surrounding the Jews and gentiles, and their spiritual journeys, into the context of a historic and mysterious meta-narrative that he claims has now been made clear through the coming of Jesus Christ...and how he has fulfilled the OT scriptures.

The Story is significantly about the grandeur of God himself who is the One who has been guiding human history along with his invisible hand. It's an account of his power, justice, holiness and the spiritual weakness of humanity...left to ourselves...and of his kindness and love ultimately sweeping in to rescue us in Messiah from our unbelief in his wisdom, goodness and nearness. Mercy triumphs over justice...not only in our personal lives...but in the narrative of international history.

It's a bit hard for us to air drop into the same level of thought and emotion that swirled around this thorny issue that Paul has been attempting to address in Romans. But, if we immerse ourselves deeply enough in the scriptures, we are able to come to the place that we can identify from the heart with the massive historical/theological dilemma that the apostle is unraveling and the great mystery that he is revealing through the gospel of Jesus.

I can't say it better than my friend, Michael Flowers, has recently stated it...

“From a Pauline perspective (early church), ‘Christianity’ as a new religion did not cross his mind. Paul had come to see that in Jesus the fulfillment of all the promises of God in the OT had been inaugurated in Jesus the Messiah. The walls of ethnic exclusivity had been kicked down by the power of the resurrection, announcing the invasion of the New Age of the Kingdom into the present. His Jewish Eschatology had greeted him in person, on the Damascus road. Therefore, a Christless Judaism would be viewed as a thing of the past, an expression languishing within the pages of the Old Covenant, awaiting a fulfillment that had already occurred in Jesus the Messiah.”

...or the way that Eugene Peterson translates Eph 3:4-6 in the Message:

As you read over what I have written to you, you'll be able to see for yourselves into the mystery of Christ. None of our ancestors understood this. Only in our time has it been made clear by God's Spirit through his holy apostles and prophets of this new order. The mystery is that people who have never heard of God and those who have heard of him all their lives (what I've been calling outsiders and insiders) stand on the same ground before God. They get the same offer, same help, same promises in Christ Jesus. The Message is accessible and welcoming to everyone, across the board.

And all this leads Paul, and us, to two divinely strategic responses that are captured in the final paragraph: humility and awesome worship. May we simply take our place...on our face.

Prayer Hill

2009-07-12T03:20:00.000-07:00

I have heard a story that has deeply touched my heart and wanted to capture it in writing.

She has been no stranger to some hefty relational disruption, pain, disappointments and sufferings. The challenges that come with all of this were in her face from the time she was still a child. But at around age twelve a goodness was set in motion that would inaugurate a tested and true redemptive narrative into the midst of her young life. She found Jesus. (Of course...we all know that he actually reached out through the Holy Spirit and found her!)

Her new community of faith became her extended family and throughout her teen years, she courageously chose to invest much of her time and energy into learning about knowing and following Jesus and serving the people in her life...both young and old...for the sake of her Savior.

When sorrows, fears and temptations would rise up to confront and and seek to overwhelm her, she would often retreat to a sacred space on the church property that is known as "prayer hill" to pour out her heart in conversation and communion with her heavenly Father. Up on prayer hill is a large cross that has helped the pilgrims to this place to find their center in Christ once again. It had obviously become a very special place for her and she continually grew strong in spirit and wisdom...despite a profound "alone-ness" that she would often struggle against. It was on prayer hill that she would hope and believe that she actually was not alone.

Now she is a vibrant and radiant young woman who is studying to become a family counselor at a college far away from home. A year and a half ago, she was pursued by a young man (who had already caught her eye) and they agreed to become boyfriend/girlfriend. Their friends and teachers could immediately see the good chemistry and good effects of this new relationship in both of their lives. This man had enjoyed both the favor of God and man from his youth and his heart had become full of Christ's love and passion. They were quickly falling in love in a deep way.

This summer, the young man has had the opportunity to go and work in her home town while she is doing an internship with her church's youth ministry. Some months ago, he had purchased a diamond ring that he was hoping to put on her finger sometime this summer...if she would say "yes" to making a commitment to spend their lives together and become "one flesh" in the sight of God and people. He, of course, had heard about "prayer hill" and knew the special place that it held in his lady's heart.

About three weeks ago, after he had gone to prayer hill to prepare a small table with some refreshments, he subtly suggested to the young lady that they make a trek to this sacred place during the beautiful sunset and to which she joyfully agreed. He followed her up the hill. When she saw the table, without looking back, she quietly informed him that they probably needed to leave as they were obviously disrupting someone's event. Then...as she turned to look at him...he was on his knee holding out the precious token of his love for her. The table had been set for her! It was a perfect moment in the midst of our quite imperfect world. An amazing day had dawned for them both and their lives would never be the same.

She said "yes" and they kissed. Then they prayed at the foot of the big cross and committed their love and relationship and its future to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It was on her special place on prayer hill that she would come to know and be reassured that indeed...she is not alone.

The wedding will happen at sunset May 28 next year in Phoenix AZ and guess where?...in the beautiful outdoor forum that lies beneath the shadow of...prayer hill. We are so pleased to be the parents of this wonderful young man, Mike Sullivant. And we are overjoyed to continue the journey of welcoming an inspiring and beautiful young woman, Jeri Jensen, into our family circle.

The Romance of Romans-Part 71

2009-07-03T08:54:00.000-07:00

Romans Chapter 11 cont'd

This is an unchangeable spiritual principle: If the representative token of something is holy, so is the whole. And if the root of something is holy, so are its branches. So if some of the Jewish branches have been broken off from God's spiritually rich and succulent olive tree and its holy root system, and this has made a way for some branches from the wild and uncultivated olive tree of the Gentiles to be grafted into it, then you Gentiles had better not be arrogant toward the Jews. Just remember, you're not supporting the root, it's supporting you! But you might be tempted to think, "Hey, they've been broken off to make room for us." Yes, they were broken off for their unbelief and you are secured by your faith. So don't become proud, but fear the Lord. If God didn't spare the natural branches that fell into unbelief, do you think he will do less to the unnatural branches that fall into it?

Comments:

Paul is here painting a word picture that captures the essence of God's Big God-Story. In God's economy of his historical callings and dealings with humanity...there is essentially one dominant and everlasting covenant (the rich, ancient and well-planted "olive tree") that he has made with us...though there are nuances and admittedly surprising and progressive features to its outworking over the centuries. This belief is grounded in the way that Jesus and his apostles authoritatively rehearsed, interpreted and utilized Old Testament scripture. The covenant that God cut with Abraham...a non-Jew and the father of true faith...is central to this paradigm. Certainly the Law that God gave through Moses can be viewed as another "covenant", but our understanding of its purposes must be nested into the larger "Abrahamic" meta-narrative of redemption. (Galatians 3 and 4 deal with this head on...as does Romans 4.) This also holds true for our understanding of "covenants" that God made with Adam (in the original creation mandate), Noah (in the aftermath of the flood and reaffirmation of the creation mandate) and David (in God's promise to have one of his "sons" sit on his throne forever).

The fact that the Jews of the first century (and for many centuries since) have generally rejected Jesus as the promised Messiah and have thereby been "cut off" from the historic divine covenant does not negate God's faithfulness to his word or halt his relentless forward march to spread the fame of his name and accomplish his will in the nations of the earth.

The apostle then goes on to make two main points. First, the gentile believers must be mindful to not become proud about their new status in Christ and come down wrongly on the Jews as a people. This, sadly, seems to have happened all to often throughout the history of "Christendom"...and has left an understandably bitter taste in the mouths of Jewish people regarding the gospel of Jesus. We who follow Jesus should repent for this spiritual arrogance and lament that we have not well-represented the beauty of our Lord to them. Gentiles owe the Jews a debt of gratitude and respect because we, the "unnatural branches", have been grafted by God into the covenant that they historically enjoyed with God and worked and suffered to preserve. Our faith has rich and powerful "Hebrew roots".

Second...just as Paul laments that the "natural branches" (the ethnic Jews) have been lopped off from their own olive tree because of their active unbelief in Christ...he gives a sober warning that seems to apply in our day to people groups and "gentile" nations that have enjoyed the personal, family and cultural blessings that flow down from a wide historic reception of the gospel of Jesus. If an extended family of peoples reject their faith in Jesus, they will likewise be cut off from the the divine covenant and its attending blessings that once ruled over their lives and society. To me, this appears to be happening in a wide-spread way here in western culture.

And remember...its not the end of the story for the Jews...and their ongoing part to play in God's Big God-Story. Divine jealousy yet hovers over this people for the sake of their spiritual fathers and mothers and, of course, the glory of his Son!

The Romance of Romans-Part 70

2009-07-02T04:35:00.000-07:00

Romans Chapter 11 cont'd

Then have the Jews spiritually stumbled never to rise again? No way! In fact, through their fall, a door of salvation has opened wide for the Gentiles in order to strategically provoke the Jews to jealousy. And if through their failure and loss of spiritual status, the nations of the world have been so richly blessed, what will their restoration bring to the earth?
Now I address you Gentiles, given the fact that I, as a Jew, have been specifically called to be a divine messenger to the Gentiles and therefore have special insight into this issue. I long that my work among the Gentiles might stir some of my Jewish people to a jealousy that will set them up to be saved. For if their temporary rejection has led to the reconciling of the other nations to God, their future return to God will invoke nothing less than resurrection power!

Comments:

A main point that Paul makes in Romans 11...that the Jews (generally speaking) as a people group did not receive Jesus as Messiah...and that this choice opened the doors spiritually for the gentile world to accept him and be grafted into the ancient Abrahamic covenant...only makes sense if we capture the intrigue and drama of the meta-narrative of "God's Big God-Story" that Paul has been rehearsing.

The Father originally intended for the entire Jewish nation to serve the others nations as a "kingdom of priests" and extend the gracious blessing of Abraham to the world. Yet, they institutionalized, formalized and nationalized their corporate life thereby effectively reducing and enculturating the kingdom of God in such a way that it walled off the gentile nations from coming to the living God. So, for instance, God, in response, chose only one tribe of their twelve to then embody the priesthood. He didn't ultimately put his hope on the "seeds" of Abraham to fulfill the promise, but rather progressively focused in on the "seed" of Abraham...the promised Messiah...the Faithful Israelite who was to come.

God placed his salvific stock in a second Adam, a covenant mediator greater than the angels, a prophet greater than Moses, a general greater than Joshua, a king greater than his father David and a priest greater than Aaron/Levi. His dealings with Israel would center on preparing a cultural/historic/national "womb" from which the Messiah would come forth and provide a prophetic backdrop that would provide the nations with a convincing "reason to believe" when his Day would come. God would incarnate his very Word, who co-created with him the heavens and the earth, into human flesh in order to win the day for broken and wayward humanity. The Author himself became the Lead Character of the salvation story. There was and is no other human being worthy to take the book of human history and destiny and open it's seals.

However, Paul is quick to also remind us that the story is not over yet and that powerful divine promise yet hovers over the heads of the Jewish people. There is another thrilling twist in the plot of the grace of God at work among the nations before the end of the end times. The Jewish nation...ethnically speaking...will be substantially and mysteriously stirred to a spiritually jealousy through the compelling witness of both their separated brothers and the gentiles who have become united in truly following Messiah Jesus. A remnant of ethnic Jews (that will embody the fulfillment of the divine promise to Abraham) will come to faith in God's chosen Messiah...Jesus of Nazareth...and be grafted in again to the rich and eternal covenant of God's grace. (The fact that they are still a people group at all, after having no homeland for so many centuries, is already a powerful divine sign and wonder in the earth.)

Those of us to have come to faith in Christ should take courage and heart from the fact that in our generation, more Jews have come to Jesus...along with the millions of Asians, Africans, Indians, Arabs and many indigenous people groups of the earth who have also come to him (despite the rise of post-Christian culture in the West)...than at any other time in history. The harvest fields are ripe and Christ Jesus will receive the reward of his suffering and see the ramifications of his resurrection. The Father will himself see to this (Ps 2; Ps 110).

The Romance of Romans-Part 69

2009-06-16T04:34:00.000-07:00

Romans Chapter 11 cont'd

In the same way today, there is a remnant of believing Jews who are a testimony of God's gracious choice. Now we've got to be consistent in our thinking. Salvation by grace and salvation by works are, by definition, mutually exclusive. We can't have it both ways. On this issue it's "all or none". So yes, what I am saying here is that the Jews, as a whole, have not obtained what they have been seeking, but a divinely select remnant of Jews have now obtained it through Messiah Jesus and the rest of the nation has become spiritually blinded. The prophetic scripture confirms this, "God has given them a spirit of slumber, they have eyes but cannot see, and ears but they cannot hear." David also prophesied this, "May their fellowship circle be deluded by a false security as a judgment for their hardness. Let their eyes be blinded and their ability to walk uprightly be taken from them."

Comments:

Throughout Romans, Paul has been retelling and re-framing the Big God-Story of international history and the history of Israel through the lens of hindsight provided by the Person and Work of Jesus Christ and his gospel. New realities and spiritual dynamics in both heaven and earth were inaugurated when Messiah came, bled the ground red and rose again...prophecies came to pass, paradoxes were resolved, mysteries were unveiled and choices of human hearts took on new weight. God, in Christ, had come "in person" onto the scene of the human drama to show forth a newly integrated puzzle picture that was only understood in its bits and pieces before this essential fulfillment of all that the Hebrew prophets foretold came to pass. Honestly, wouldn't we expect some new insights into the scriptures if God were to come among us and explain them himself? And so...he did.

Heb 1¹Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, ²but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.

Paul has been laying out some heavy news regarding the spiritual condition of both Jews and gentiles who are without Christ. For some, what he has been saying about Israel seemed blatantly contrary to the promises God made to their nation in the past. There is an implied generalized accusation hanging over the apostle, that if what he is saying is true, then God himself is a deceiver and this, of course, is nonsense. This categorization allowed many Jews (and gentiles) to scoff at the gospel and quickly dismiss it as an error. (Isn't it amazing how a little strategic spin on "truth" by the reorganization of "facts" can lead whole people groups astray?!)

In the passage above, Paul quotes Dt 29 and Ps 68 to defend his points biblically. Aspects of Ps 68 that refer to the sufferings of the Messiah Jesus on the cross may be cryptic in nature. But the reference to Dt 29 and the larger context of both chapters 28 and 29 go right to the main and plain heart of the covenantal contract that God initiated with Israel after he had delivered them from slavery in Egypt.

People in that culture clearly understood the sovereignty of a conquering king and his method of exercising his right to unilaterally dictate the terms of the national covenant that contained both the blessings of cooperation and the curses of non-cooperation. There is nothing cryptic about Dt 28 and 29, except in how it would actually play out in the distant future in the Big God-Story of the Messiah's coming and the implications of his gospel for all the nations of the earth. (By the way, the use of the word gospel in the NT was borrowed from the Greek world. It was used to refer to the messengers, "evangelists", who were personally sent ahead of a king to announce his soon arrival to the cities he intended to visit in person. It wasn't primarily "good" news...it was, even more essentially, "big" news.)

Dt 28: ⁶⁸And the LORD will bring you back in ships to Egypt, a journey that I promised that you should never make again; and there you shall offer yourselves for sale to your enemies as male and female slaves, but there will be no buyer."

This little sentence above hints at the danger of a future situation in which the nation would be capable of violating the will of God's heart to the point that it could appear that he was not being faithful to his promise to save the nation. This is the stern and sober warning embedded in the covenant promises outlined in the context of Dt 28-29. For Jesus, Paul and the apostles to declare that the warnings of Moses had come to pass in their generation can never be construed as anti-Semitic or unbiblical. Just read again what Moses himself prophesied.

Dt 28
¹"And if you faithfully obey the voice of the LORD your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. ²And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the LORD your God...
¹⁵"But if you will not obey the voice of the LORD your God or be careful to do all his commandments and his statutes that I command you today, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you...

Dt 29:4 But to this day the LORD has not given you a heart to understand or eyes to see or ears to hear... (When the writers of the NT quote an OT verse, it is often like a button that we might push on our computer screen that opens up a new window of text that sheds more light on the text we are presently reading. I belive that Paul's quote in Romans 11 of Dt 29:4 should obviously lead us back to the whole context of Dt 28-29. And these passages give prophetic insight into and biblical context for the main points that Paul goes on to make in Romans 11.)

²²And the next generation, your children who rise up after you, and the foreigner who comes from a far land, will say, when they see the afflictions of that land and the sicknesses with which the LORD has made it sick— ²³the whole land burned out with brimstone and salt, nothing sown and nothing growing, where no plant can sprout, an overthrow like that of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, which the LORD overthrew in his anger and wrath— ²⁴all the nations will say, 'Why has the LORD done thus to this land? What caused the heat of this great anger?' ²⁵Then people will say, 'It is because they abandoned the covenant of the LORD, the God of their fathers, which he made with them when he brought them out of the land of Egypt, ²⁶and went and served other gods and worshiped them, gods whom they had not known and whom he had not allotted to them. ²⁷Therefore the anger of the LORD was kindled against this land, bringing upon it all the curses written in this book, ²⁸and the LORD uprooted them from their land in anger and fury and great wrath, and cast them into another land, as they are this day.' ²⁹"The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.

In the time of Jesus, much of the Jewish leadership and nation put their trust in their many religious and cultural traditions, thereby becoming self-righteous...others had compromised and mixed their faith with the corrupt Roman culture...while still others had turned to violence in seeking to establish the kingdom of God. These biases blinded them to receiving God's sent One and even from understanding the prophecies or heeding the clear warnings of their own patriarchs and prophets.

But many others, both Jews and gentiles, welcomed, believed and received Jesus for who he was and is and began a revolution that was paving the way for the renewal of all creation through the salvation of God in Christ Jesus the Lord.

Bridgeport Church

2009-06-05T03:46:00.000-07:00

There's a great new church that has begun in the arts district of Kansas City founded by a young pastor, Samuel Newby, whom we have known since he was very young. His wife, Anna, and our daughter-in-law, Beka, grew up as best friends in NW Arkansas as well...life is sometimes a small circle of providential connections. Bridgeport Church is off to an amazing start and we have sensed the Lord's involvement with this new initiative in a strong way.
Last weekend, I had the chance to share a message I titled, Find Yourself, for the first time with this young congregation. I thought maybe you'd like to check it out along with some of the other messages on their simple and beautiful website.
A couple of weeks before our son, Sam, also had a chance to share a message with the Bridgeport crew.

http://www.bridgeportchurch.org/audio/01%20Michael%20Sullivant%20Teaching%201.mp3

The Romance of Romans-Part 68

2009-06-03T03:35:00.000-07:00

Romans Chapter 10/11

But did God give fair warning to the Jews about this irony of the Gentiles receiving something from God that they would reject? Actually he did! He prophesied through Moses, "I will make you jealous by blessing the outsiders, and I will make you angry by blessing those who are ignorant." Again he clearly spoke through Isaiah, "I will be discovered by those who aren't seeking me and I will reveal myself to those who didn't even ask." But about the Jews he sighed, "I have been stretching out my helping hands to a nation who just take me for granted- familiarity has bred contempt!

CHAPTER 11
So has God rejected the Jews wholesale? No way! I myself am a Jew, a natural descendant of Abraham from the tribe of Benjamin. No, God has not given up on his chosen people. Remember the lesson of Elijah who miscalculated the number of faithful Jews in his own day and complained to God in prayer, "Lord, they have killed all the prophets and torn down all your altars. I am the only faithful one left in the land and they are now trying to kill me!" But God corrected his limited view by answering, "I have reserved for myself seven thousand people who have not compromised their faith to worship Baal." In the same way today, there is a remnant of believing Jews who are a testimony of God's gracious choice.

Comments:

Here at the end of chapter 10 and throughout chapter 11, Paul comes back around to address this vital question/theme that is woven into the fabric of his entire letter: If the life and message of Jesus the Messiah implies that Jews are not automatically in a right relationship with the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob by being faithful to their religious traditions...then God must somehow be unfaithful to his own scriptural promises to the Jewish people, or an outright liar...unthinkable and unbelievable blasphemy.

Yet, throughout Romans, Paul has gone to great lengths to reframe these promises and remind his readers of very specific prophecies from the Jewish scriptures (like the two above that came through Moses and Isaiah) that warned the Jewish nation of the peril of not recognizing the Messiah when he would actually arrive on the scene. His point is that the Person and Work of Jesus confirmed and fulfilled the very scriptures that had been neglected, overlooked and edited out of the minds of the Jewish teachers and leaders...and therefore, the Jewish nation...by the time of Christ's appearance. The message of Jesus is anything but either unscriptural or anti-Jewish...he is and was the hope of Israel and thereby...every person, people group and the whole of God's creation.

True Jewish-ness or being a part of biblical "Israel", as Paul has set forth over and again in this incisive letter, is simply not about ethnicity...it is about, and was always foreseen as, a divinely sovereign and grace-based supernatural birth that results in a spiritual heart transplant for anyone who truly believes in Messiah Jesus. Besides...just to remove two more obstacles to faith...there has always been a "remnant" of enthic Jews who have believed in and followed Jesus that, by itself, ranks as a sign of God's faithfulness to his prophetic promises to the ancient patriarchs and king David. Furthermore, a powerful case can be made that there are yet-to-be fulfilled prophecies about many more ethnic Jews coming to embrace Jesus as Messiah who will, through faith in him, return to the commonwealth of Israel before the return of Jesus. Even in our own generation, many thousands of ethnic Jews all over the world have come to faith in Jesus.

The Romance of Romans-Part 67

2009-05-21T17:20:00.000-07:00

Romans Chapter 10 cont'd

But how will they be able to call on him if they don't know what to believe? And how will they know what to believe if they don't first hear the good news? How can anyone hear the good news without hearing it through a preacher? And how can anyone preach the good news without being commissioned by God to do so? But he has commissioned people to preach it, as the scripture says, "How beautiful are the messengers who bring to others the good news of peace and the joyful report of God's good gifts for people!" But not everyone who has heard it has welcomed the good news. As Isaiah laments, "Who has believed our report?"
So then, faith happens in response to truly hearing the word of God. So I ask you, has God's word really gone forth? Yes it has! As the psalmist points out, "all creation resonates with God's message to all the peoples of the earth."

Comments:

This section of Romans 10 reminds me of a book written by the brilliant historian/theologian and Anglican bishop, N. T. Wright, called Simply Christian. God is using him in a wonderful way to engage our postmodern and postChrisitan culture with the essence of true faith. He is generous, wise, engaging and compelling. The well-known author of vampire lore, Anne Rice, came back to faith in Jesus by reading his books. I even saw him recently on The Colbert Report...it was really hilarious. He is sneaking into all kinds of venues...major universities included.

In the first section of this book, the kind and erudite bishop posits that there are four basic universal longings of the human heart that anyone can identify with: relational connection, beauty, justice and spirituality. He compares these longings to an "echo" of a voice that is reverberating throughout history and creation. In the second section of the book, he presents Jesus as the original "voice" that created the echo and then, in his incarnation, puts a face to the voice. Jesus then personally bears and takes away the guilt and shame of all humanity...only to rise again to impart new life to the earth. The third section of the book is all about the people of God who have been ushered into the reality of the new creation inaugurated by Jesus...and their journey to reflect his love, beauty, justice and reality to God's broken, but beloved world.

The witness of creation testifies of its Designer through a gracious general divine revelation that the content of the gospel of Jesus more fully and specifically reveals, explains and confirms. These two witnesses are ordained by God and necessary in order for the whole world to come to know the love of God and return to him in loving friendship. There is a story told about the great American lady, Helen Keller, who was born deaf, blind and dumb and thereby totally cut off from communications with everyone and all that was around her. When she finally learned to communicate through the extreme and patient efforts of Annie Sullivan, her teacher...and she first heard about Jesus Christ...she said this: "I already know him, I just didn't know his name. Thank you for telling me his name."

What an honor it is to tell the people of the world (both the people God brings our way and also sends us to) about the love of God in Jesus. Let's unashamedly tell of his love, beauty, justice and nearness.

The Romance of Romans-Part 66

2009-05-20T04:07:00.000-07:00

Romans Chapter 10 cont'd

But the righteousness based on believing God has a different dynamic according to the scripture, "You don't need to ascend into heaven." (Neither can you make the Messiah come down from heaven.) "You don't need to descend into the grave." (Neither can you raise Messiah from the dead.) Only God could do such things. But what does it say? "God's salvation which we preach to you is within your reach- it's very near. It's in your mouth and in your heart." He has already accomplished it for you, just believe it!
If you will confess with your mouth, Jesus as your Lord, believing in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be forgiven and declared righteous by God. For it is by believing in our hearts and verbally affirming our faith in Jesus, that we receive God's free gift of salvation. Remember, the scripture says, "Whoever believes in him will not be disappointed." God is loving and generous and he is the Lord of all ethnic groups. He will respond to the penitent cry of absolutely anyone who will call on the name of Jesus Christ and save them from their sins.

Comments:

So...this is the golden nugget of the gospel of Jesus. An old righteousness (eternally old!)...God's righteousness...has now come near and become astoundingly accessible to all people groups and each individual person within them...because he has brought it to us in Person. It's the only "righteousness" that will do...ours is like filthy rags...until he clothes us with his...until his becomes personally ours by trusting Jesus from our deep heart.

It simply isn't about our power, goodness, talent, greatness, accomplishments, sensitivity, social status, wealth, religious background, race or gender. True salvation for the human being is totally tied to the Father sending his Son, Jesus, into this world. Jesus showed us the Father's nature and will in his earthly life and ministry. Jesus bore the guilt and shame of the sins of all humanity and died on the cross. The Father raised Jesus from death to life on the third day by the power of the Holy Spirit. Our essential spiritual transformation...even these many years later...is activated very simply: God did this for us in Jesus...we believe it...we openly confess it to God himself and any who might hear our voice...and the miracle occurs...God's own righteousness...God's very eternal life...is infused into our souls by the same power that raised Christ from the dead.

My dear friends...whatever heights of spiritual life you have scaled or aspire to mount...please never forget or neglect this Rock from which true spiritual life is hewn. Come back to him again and again and again...come daily...come hourly...come moment by moment by breathing out subterranean prayers as you take on the tasks, endure the trials and drink in the simple joys of life...and lean into the Righteous One who is the very source of your life.

The Romance of Romans-Part 65

2009-05-17T04:21:00.000-07:00

Romans Chapter 10

Dear brothers and sisters, I long with all my heart and pray to God for the Jews to come to faith in Jesus. I have to give them credit, they have a zeal for God, but they are unenlightened. Since they are ignorant of God's righteousness and are trying to establish their own, they have not submitted themselves to receive the truth about the righteousness of God. This good news of Christ puts a final end to people ever thinking that they have to earn God's righteousness by their efforts.
Long ago Moses described the dynamics of the kind of righteousness that is earned, "The person who tries to earn righteousness must be totally consistent." But the righteousness based on believing God has a different dynamic according to the scripture, "You don't need to ascend into heaven." (Neither can you make the Messiah come down from heaven.) "You don't need to descend into the grave." (Neither can you raise Messiah from the dead.) Only God could do such things. But what does it say? "God's salvation which we preach to you is within your reach- it's very near. It's in your mouth and in your heart." He has already accomplished it for you, just believe it!

Comments:

Self-justification is, and has always been, a powerful force in human nature...and it shows itself in many forms. It is rooted in our attempts to avoid the thoughts, emotions and consequences of both guilt and shame. These too are powerful forces in human life...and our attempts to handle them impel us to all sorts of strange gyrations.

In the insightful book by the Arbinger Institute, The Anatomy of Peace, the team of authors identify four "boxes" in which we tend to place ourselves rather than squarely facing our weaknesses or failings...the "I'm-Better-Than" box; the "I'm-Worse-Than" (ironic) box; the "I-Deserve" box and the "I-Must-Be-Seen-As" box. Climbing into (or just living within) these boxes for fear of having our failures exposed, is all about us saving our sense of pride by erecting a defensive shell to wrongly protect our fragile egos. (I personally prefer a box fort with two connecting rooms!) Oh the wars...personal ones all the way to international ones...that have been waged throughout history because of these forces.

The gospel of Jesus provides us with a simple way off of this dizzying merry-go-round of living a life of self-justification that saps so much of our energy. Here is the reality. We aren't intrinsically better or worse than anyone. We don't actually "deserve" anything except..and I say this with tears in my heart...God's judgment. And finally, only God sees us for who we really are...and that's what truly matters...because we can't ultimately control how other people may perceive us and how they do won't matter in the end.

The horrific "price" we pay for this...and I say this with my tongue clearly in my cheek...is to humble ourselves like children, agree with God and simply trust in Jesus Christ--who he is and what he has done. The miracle of God's love and peace and joy then comes upon us by the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Romance of Romans-Part 64

2009-05-10T07:10:00.000-07:00

Romans Chapter 9 cont'd

God spoke through Hosea the prophet, "I will transform rejected and unlovely people and make them my accepted and loved ones, so that where I used to say to them, 'You are not my people', now I will say to those very same ones, 'You are the children of the living God'." Isaiah also prophesied about Israel, "Although the numbers of Jews are as many as the grains of sand in the sea, only a remnant of them will truly be saved. For the Lord will fulfill his prophetic declarations concerning both his righteous judgments and his salvation in the earth, and he will do it swiftly at the appointed time." Isaiah prophetically said of this remnant: "Unless the Lord who rules creation preserves a faithful remnant of Jews, our whole nation will be swept away in judgment like Sodom and Gomorrah were."
So here's the great ironic mystery of history. The Gentiles, who were not seeking salvation from the God of Israel, stumbled upon it by simply believing in the Messiah Jesus. But the Jews, who have worked so hard to earn salvation have stumbled over God's salvation plan, and have therefore failed to find it. Why is this so? Because the Jews have gotten caught in the trap of self-righteousness and their pride has blinded them from simple faith in God which is the basis of salvation. As God prophesied through scripture, "Behold, I have strategically placed my Messiah as a rock in the path of the Jewish people which scandalizes and offends all who are religiously or ethnically proud. But whoever believes in him will not be disappointed."

Comments:

Paul uses three examples to OT prophecy (and there are others like them) to reinforce one of his main points in Romans...the Jewish scriptures themselves point to the fact that God would one day fling open the doors of his salvation far and wide to call all the nations to receive the Messiah and enter in to the covenant relationship that he has always had with his people through Abraham. Jesus and his apostles made it clear time and again the this decisive hour in the Big God-Story of human history had now arrived and all people, Jews and gentiles, were equally invited to turn around spiritually put their personal faith in Jesus the Christ. God had personally come to earth, in Jesus, to put things right...to show forth his mercy and display his justice.

All the first Jesus followers were Jews and they clearly viewed themselves as the firstfruits of the believing "remnant" prophesied about by the ancient Jewish prophets. The fact that the majority of the first century Jews did not embrace Jesus as the promised Messiah did not dissuade them in the least from this conviction. Rather, they humbly viewed the tragic unbelief of their fellow Jews (and the subsequent joyful reception of Jesus by many gentiles and their inclusion in the now fulfilled Abrahamic covenant) as a further confirmation of the prophetic warnings issued by their own prophets..."the rock that the 'builders' rejected, had indeed become the chief cornerstone" as Isaiah had foretold. Thousands of first century Jews did follow Jesus (and thousands more have come to faith in our generation alone), and so instead of thinking that God was untrue to his promises to save "Israel", there is a way of looking at and reframing this history to realize that God was, in fact, more than faithful and true to his promises.

A further irony has been created so many hundreds of years later. The people involved in "Christendom", have been and are now, perched on a similar spiritual precipice as were the Jews of the first century. The church world has been populated by many people who have experienced certain rituals and rites of initiation and embraced certain social conventions by being born into a "christian" culture. But these things alone have never been the essential basis of entering and enjoying covenant with the living God. There must also be, beneath all this, a genuine personal and heart-felt conversion to Christ that provides an individual person with a miraculous spiritual birth and a new heart for the Spirit's home, that longs and chooses to follow Jesus Christ as Lord and Master of one's whole life.

Religious self-righteousness and spiritual pride can creep and settle in over generations (or even within a few years!) to effectively cut people off from an interactive relationship with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit...people who are placing their spiritual security in the outward forms of faith, rather than in the heart of the matter. This kind of religious-ness is undoubtedly the kind of thing that Jesus, if nothing else, came to overturn.

The Romance of Romans-Part 63

2009-05-05T04:30:00.000-07:00

Romans Chapter 9 cont'd

We're dealing with the all-knowing, all-powerful, and infinite Creator of all things here! How could we, or why should we, expect to fully comprehend his infinite mysteries with our finite minds? Doesn't he have the right to withhold some secrets from us to keep us humble and worshipful? A world full of morally fallen people is bad enough, what if we all possessed omniscience too?! As part of his "job description" as God, can't he do with mankind what he thinks best for the universe?
But here are just a couple of little thoughts that help put the matter in perspective! Just maybe God's patience with rebellious and sinful humans who provoke him to anger needs to be noted, since he has always had the justifiable reasons and power to totally wipe us out at any time. Just maybe God's rich and undeserved mercy and his wisdom in choosing some people, from among both Jews and Gentiles, to receive his salvation needs to be gratefully acknowledged, rather than our always throwing up to him our impotent philosophical arguments about why he shouldn’t be the way he is or do the things he does.

Comments:

It is good for our souls to contemplate and ponder (and it is also good for our minds to be blown away!) the bigness and greatness of God. It is good for us to wrestle and struggle with the concept of God's choice being the only sure foundation for the salvation of humanity...and for our salvation. As I look back on my God-story...it is very plain to me that he took the initiative toward me and helped me to open my heart to Jesus Christ. I am convinced that I chose him, because he first chose me. How about you? No one comes to him without the divine drawing influence of the Holy Spirit upon our broken hearts. This truth of God's gospel of grace is truly a humbling one for us to receive. But our pride needs to be broken anyway...right? It is good and right that we cannot take credit for saving ourselves, though we are involved interactively with the Trinity in the process. Because we are, we sometimes are tempted to think that we had more to do with the spiritual initiation of it all than we actually did.

However, if we attempt to intellectually over-analyze the philosophical implications surrounding God's sovereignty, there is a terrible irony that can kick into gear. We can move from awe, humility, wonder and childlike receptivity to a place of spiritual paralysis. We imagine that we cannot take any initiative (that will matter) toward God by our choices. We can very easily gravitate toward spiritual passivity and wrongly sacrifice the dignity of the gift of will and choice that our Father has given us. When spiritual life is boiled down to the practical level (which needs to be done at the proper times), we must come around to highlight, to ourselves and others, the vital importance of choosing Christ and choosing to walk in the Spirit and choosing to say "no" to the dominion of our lower passions and choosing to love God and others and...etc.

It is in the choosing of the right...the choosing of the light...that we will be most often and passionately convinced that the Spirit of God has been invisibly, subtly and humbly helping us on the front end of such choices that led us (and continues to lead us) out of darkness. This is the clear implication of what Jesus said to Nicodemus at the end of their famous interchange in John 3:21..."But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly (i.e. usually afterward) that what he has done has been done through God."

The Romance of Romans-Part 62

2009-04-28T14:11:00.000-07:00

Romans Chapter 9 cont'd

Again, I can anticipate what you may be tempted to think- "God is unjust for saving people on the basis of his choice to show mercy rather than on the basis of their own efforts." Right? Wrong! God made this point clear even in Moses' day when he said, "I will have mercy and compassion on whom I choose to show mercy and compassion." Our salvation therefore does not depend on our will power or our frantic efforts to earn it, but on God's willingness to show mercy. This truth is again reinforced in scripture when God said to Egypt's Pharaoh, "I have raised you up to your office of power to reveal my superior power. This will be showdown that will make me famous among all the nations of all ages." God has the power at his command to soften or harden people's hearts for his own righteous and higher purposes.
Now your natural mind will react by suggesting, "If no one can resist God's will, then how can he justly find fault with us weak human beings?" Here's my response- It's an illegal question for any of us to ask! We must refuse to attempt to explain the mystery of the interplay between the sovereignty of God and human responsibility in a way that is totally satisfying to us. God has intentionally left this philosophical "stumbling block" in our path to keep us mindful that we are his creation, not vice-versa. We're dealing with the all-knowing, all-powerful, and infinite Creator of all things here! How could we, or why should we, expect to fully comprehend his infinite mysteries with our finite minds? Doesn't he have the right to withhold some secrets from us to keep us humble and worshipful? A world full of morally fallen people is bad enough, what if we all possessed omniscience too?! As part of his "job description" as God, can't he do with mankind what he thinks best for the universe?

Comments:

We long to personally connect with Someone who is greater, better, more powerful, wiser, more loving, more just and more intelligent than we are. God has "put eternity in our hearts". And knowing him is the essence of life. Though we can truly come to know him through Jesus Christ and the scriptures and the Holy Spirit's work within us, truly, we do not know everything about him. That will be the "stuff" of infinite ages to come. The mystery of God messes with our minds, but it fuels our hearts. This is why Father has left us truths about him and his eternal kingdom that hold great mystery and tension at their center.

For too long the Church, under the cultural pressure of modernism, has been progressively embarrassed and almost ashamed about the great mysteries of our faith. Ironically, now the Western cultural winds have shifted and people are starving to touch and be touched by...mystery. So much so...that they often open their minds so widely that their brains fall out! We owe an apology to our secularized culture for caving to the pressure in decades past to denude our faith from the greatest mysteries the world has ever known.

To bring it down to the personal level...I like to say to myself and others..."Is it alright with you if God is and does certain things that I can't fully explain in a philosophically pleasing way?" Indeed, if I (or we) could, I would be highly suspicious that I had made a god after my own image, rather than finding myself in a love relationship with the living God. So it is with this great mystery Paul touches on in Romans 9...the interplay between the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of human beings before him. Great theologians have disagreed on the details of explaining this biblical truth in tension...they always will. As best I can, I choose to take to heart in the present moment the various passages that emphasize...one side here and another there...like a little child who doesn't need to understand and explain as much as she/he needs to connect and relate. God is sovereign and we are responsible...go and deal with it. Or better said, let it deal with you!

The Romance of Romans-Part 61

2009-04-26T06:15:00.000-07:00

Romans Chapter 9 Cont'd

But just because the Jews, generally speaking, are not presently right with God, it does not mean that God's word has somehow failed. For not all ethnic Jews are the true "Israelites," neither are they automatically the children of God simply because they are the natural descendants of Abraham. Ishmael was Abraham's natural born son too, but the promise of salvation wasn't to him, it was to the "supernatural born son" Isaac and his descendants. This is a historic scenario with spiritually symbolic meaning, namely, the true children of God who are the heirs of the promise of salvation are not qualified to be so through their natural birth, but through the divine promise of a supernatural birth.
For this is the nature of God's saving promise: "At this time I will come, and Sarah (not Hagar) will have a son." This same spiritual principle was repeated in the next generation as a confirmation. God's promise was not even given to all the natural born children of Isaac, but only through his son Jacob. This was to prove the point that salvation never was, and can never be, dependent on ethnic origins or human religious performance, but on God himself and his sovereign purposes and choices. For before Isaac's twins were even born and able to perform any "works"- good or bad, God said to their mother Rebecca, "The elder shall be subservient to the younger". This fulfilled the scripture, "I have chosen Jacob and not Esau."

Comments:

Here Paul is expanding on the primary foundational point of his revelation regarding the Big God-Story of the scriptures and how the New Covenant in Jesus is a logical, though admittedly surprising, extension and fulfillment of God's promise to father Abraham. It was a new "old thought". The apostle John said it this way in 1 Jn 2:7-8, " Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message you have heard. Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining." The adding of the Law through Moses, with all its regulations and cultural distinctives, that kept the nation cemented together through the centuries and prepared her as a "womb" for the personal coming of the Messiah, did not negate the essential nature of God's election and choice of human beings for the experience of his salvation.

In chapter 2:28-29, Paul said it this way, "A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man's praise is not from men, but from God." This circumcision of heart found/finds its ultimate expression by what Jesus and the New Covenant are all about. Being, or becoming, a true "Israelite" was never about race or human blood lines...it is, and has always been, about personal and living faith in God and his word. This was, first of all proclaimed to the Jews and...then also to the gentiles...because of God's intent to spread the good news of Jesus, his Son, to the whole world and every people group within it. Abraham was called to be a "father of many nations"...and this has now become a reality by the grace of God in Christ.

The Romance of Romans-Part 60

2009-04-13T05:28:00.001-07:00

Romans Chapter 9 cont'd

They are the Israelites- God's historic "chosen people"; who were entrusted with the message of salvation, the manifest presence of God, the divine covenantal agreements, the written law, the awesome prophetic promises of God and with being God's true priests in the earth. The great spiritual patriarchs are their ancestors and, in his humanity, Jesus the Messiah (who is also fully divine), came from their lineage. He has authority over all things. He really does!

Comments:

So...we need to connect the dots between chapter 3 and chapter 9 in order to regain Paul's train of thought. Many of Paul's first century Jewish kinsmen were of the persuasion that if the message he was preaching were true, then God was, at best, unfaithful to his covenant with Abraham...and, at worst, an outright deceiver. However, Paul (and Jesus himself) challenged the traditional presuppositions beneath the popular theological paradigms of understanding the applications of God's covenantal promises to Israel and revealed (unveiled) their true essence and administration...things that had been shrouded in divine mystery throughout the centuries until the appointed time...the time of Christ's appearing. So...a refresher from two earlier blogs:

From The Romance of Romans-part 9:

Now I know that you're tempted to think: "If what he's saying is
true, then there has been no meaning to all it has cost the Jews for
being God's 'chosen people'. What's the advantage of being a Jew in
the first place?" Actually, there are many privileges- especially
that God gave them the stewardship over his message to humanity
through the prophetic scriptures. So if some Jews have been
unfaithful to their divine calling, does this negate the faithfulness
of God himself? No way! God is, and will always be, true even if all
people were to contradict him. The scripture says of him, "You are
always right in all that you say and you always prove your critics
wrong."

Comments:

In my view, this first question is the most profound and fundamental
one of them all. Yet, it is one whose profundity can easily escape
us. Let me put it in other words...If a law-keeping and God-honoring
Jewish person is not right with God and...in the larger context...if
the Jewish people are not "saved" or "safe" by being associated with
their historic/national/ethnic faith community and its beliefs,
rituals and customs...then God has lied because he has broken his part
of the ancient bargain he made with Abraham, Moses, David and the
like...since he absolutely promised that he would "save" their
children/followers throughout the generations to come. So...God is
not "righteous" if what Paul says is true.

I believe how Paul addresses this question is the main theme of the book of
Romans as it posits a new and different paradigm of how to understand and interpret the metanarrative...the overarching story...of the Bible from Genesis forward. This new and authoritative framework for understanding the "kingdom of God" and the OT prophecies was initiated by Jesus in the Gospels. And...it was the primary reason, humanly speaking, why Jesus and Paul both were executed. As followers of Jesus in our day, we need to let this sobering philosophical/doctrinal foundation of the first part of Romans sink in to our hearts and minds. It's truly radical and upsets the status quo of our spiritually complacent cultures--religious and otherwise.

And then also..."Comments" from The Romance of Romans-Part 12:

And...far from being "anti-Jewish"...for people of every race and nation
to be invited to "receive" Jesus as the promised Messiah...the
Father's free gift to all humanity...is the fulfillment of what the
Hebrew prophets heard from God, anticipated and foretold. God's
promise to Abraham that he would be the father of many nations and a
blessing to every family on the earth finds its consummation in all
that Jesus was and is about...God isn't only the God of the Jews, but
also of the gentiles. And if he is the same and only true God for all,
then he must save all by the same means- believing. So do we nullify
the value of the Mosaic law because of this? No way! In fact, its very focus
is confirmed.

The Romance of Romans-Part 59

2009-04-11T05:22:00.001-07:00

Romans Chapter 9 cont'd

I tell you as sincerely before God as I can, and the Holy Spirit moving within my conscience affirms the truth of this, that I am carrying a continual and heavy burden in my heart for my own Jewish people. I would even accept eternal rejection from Christ if somehow I could change places with them.

They are the Israelites- God's historic "chosen people"; who were entrusted with the message of salvation, the manifest presence of God, the divine covenantal agreements, the written law, the awesome prophetic promises of God and with being God's true priests in the earth. The great spiritual patriarchs are their ancestors and, in his humanity, Jesus the Messiah (who is also fully divine), came from their lineage. He has authority over all things. He really does!

Comments:

In order to reset the context for Romans chapters 9-11, around the details of which there is considerable honest debate (and, not a few, irrational and fear-based reactions) in the body of Christ, we really should digress and look again at what Paul briefly spoke about in chapter 3 and some of the selected comments I made about the passages--which we will do in the next blog.

Keep in mind that Paul viewed himself, and the other apostles, as standing in the same Spirit and...because of the "event" of Jesus Christ in their day...standing in the "bulls eye" of the trajectory line of the Hebrew prophets of previous generations. The apostles of Jesus were the new Jewish prophets on the scene of human history, chosen and sent by God, who had the distinct honor of authoritatively proclaiming the central focus and fulfillment of the ancient words of their predecessors. As you think back on the lives and ministries of the ancient Hebrew prophets...they were very often, like the apostles...resisted and persecuted by the religious and political authorities of their day for their witness and message. The irony is that Jesus pointed out on more than one occasion is that, generally speaking, the Jewish people came to venerate their own prophets only after their initial rejection of them. So...the apostles of Jesus were standing in good company and were similarly treated.

And please never forget the "tears of the heart" that continually fell within Paul's being over the tragedy of any people group or person rejecting Jesus as the Messiah and their personal Lord and Master. Hating or resenting our fellow humans (including those who may choose to reject our Lord and the gospel) in any way, is never an option for one whose heart has been captured by Jesus...who was a "friend of sinners" and laid his life down for us all. May we too embody this apostolic heart of love and mercy and patient hope of redemption.

The Romance of Romans-Part 58

2009-04-11T03:44:00.000-07:00

Romans Chapter 9

I tell you as sincerely before God as I can, and the Holy Spirit moving within my conscience affirms the truth of this, that I am carrying a continual and heavy burden in my heart for my own Jewish people. I would even accept eternal rejection from Christ if somehow I could change places with them.

Comments:

Generally speaking, Jesus and his apostles deeply upset the spiritual/political status quo of both the Jews and the Gentiles of their day...of this, there is no doubt. They both gave up their lives in violent deaths because of this fact. Paul would say in another place that the gospel is a "stumbling block" to Jewish people and "foolishness" to the Greeks. But in reality, the coming of Messiah Jesus into this world was, of course, the greatest and climactic act of divine love, mercy, reconciliation and justice the world would ever witness or come to know. Beautiful and terrible irony has always been at the dramatic heart of God's big God-Story.

Jesus and his apostles claimed to understand and were sent to "reveal" a new and divinely inspired viewpoint on the history of God with his creation, with Israel and with all the nations...through the spiritual authority entrusted to them by the Father and with the added benefit of clear prophetic hindsight. They would labor to show and teach how the groundwork for this new view was clearly established by God in the scriptures and that the gospel and the New Covenant were and are a logical extension built upon that foundation. In fact, Jesus was actually "present" in that history and was, himself, the chief cornerstone of the foundation of the "house of God" and the grand drama related to this divine family heritage that would play out in human history and destiny through his gospel.

Beginning in chapter 9, Paul elaborates on a theme that he began to speak of in chapter 3. This theme, far from being a "parenthesis" in Romans, is at the heart of this amazing epistle and we will pick this up in the next installments. But before we go there, we must pause profoundly to catch the breaking heart of the dear apostle of Christ that undergirded the strong words and challenging worldview he laid out to both the Jews and Gentiles of his day...and ours.

He states, "I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh...." This speaks for itself (if we dare to even speak it)...especially knowing how deeply Paul knew and loved Jesus from the first day he met him on the Damascus road. In our zeal to share the good news of our Lord with the people the Father puts in our lives, may his Spirit capture our hearts with the same depth of compassion, humility and self-sacrifice. It is this kind of love that will give weight to our words and claim of personally knowing God through Christ Jesus the Lord.

He is Risen!

The Romance of Romans-Part 57

2009-04-08T20:25:00.000-07:00

Romans Chapter 8 cont'd.

What can separate us from the reality of the love of Jesus? Can pressure or troubles, persecution or rejection? Can natural disasters or loss of possessions? How about dangers or even physical death? No, these are the very kinds of experiences that scripture teaches children of God to expect in this fallen world- "For your sake we are constantly handed over to death, we are like sheep headed for the slaughter house." Indeed, these are the kinds of evil events we encounter, but prevail over, because of our confidence in the goodness and love of God toward us- no matter what things look like. I am convinced that neither death or life; angels, authorities, or demons; the present or the future; life's peaks or valleys; or any created being, can isolate us from God's love which flows down richly to us through Christ Jesus our Lord.

Comments:

A final thought on this eloquent and inspiring end of the eighth chapter. I think it is very important for us to broaden our understanding of suffering for Christ in this world. There are many passages in the NT that speak of the comfort and reward and the transcendent meaning of suffering nobly and well as a follower of Jesus. Many believers tend to think that only being ridiculed or persecuted for our faith rates as a true and/or legitimate suffering for Jesus. As a counselor, I have discovered that people often do not categorize their trials in life as legitimate sufferings...and this tends to cut them off from vital biblical truths that speak profound comfort and grace to their pain.

However, this passage truly broadens the playing field of what Paul considered as legitimate sufferings for Christ...disasters, troubles, loss, dangers, setbacks, disappointments, rejections, demonic assault, approaching death...all these common experiences of life can "rate" as legitimate sufferings "for the sake of Christ"...if we will simply count them as such and continue to grow in love despite them. We can "sanctify" and "redeem" our sufferings and the brokenness that attends them if we commit our souls to our faithful heavenly Father in the midst of them and endure them for his honor. This does not mean that we should not pray fervently to him to change these situations...Jesus prayed this way in the garden of Gethsemane...and he is our model.

If we do not recognize the pains of living in a fallen world as legitimate sufferings, then we will tend to deny them in unhealthy ways and develop strange ways of coping with them. My good friend, Bob Edwards, has said that if we don't process our pain in fellowship with God, it will come out "sideways". I have learned a lot from Bob about sufferings...and joy and life and the love of God and the love of people.

The Romance of Romans-Part 56

2009-04-05T05:08:00.000-07:00

Romans Chapter 8 cont'd.

Who can now bring an accusation against those whom God has chosen to be his? He has already declared them "not guilty, but righteous". Who can now condemn them? Jesus Christ died and rose again for their sake- he is their advocate before God, and God has agreed with him up front! What can separate us from the reality of the love of Jesus? Can pressure or troubles, persecution or rejection? Can natural disasters or loss of possessions? How about dangers or even physical death? No, these are the very kinds of experiences that scripture teaches children of God to expect in this fallen world- "For your sake we are constantly handed over to death, we are like sheep headed for the slaughter house." Indeed, these are the kinds of evil events we encounter, but prevail over, because of our confidence in the goodness and love of God toward us- no matter what things look like. I am convinced that neither death nor life; angels, authorities, nor demons; the present or the future; life's peaks or valleys; nor any created being, can isolate us from God's love which flows down richly to us through Christ Jesus our Lord.

Comments:

The answers to the question, though meant to be rhetorical, about who can accuse or condemn us are...1. the devil and 2. ourselves and 3. the fallen authorities of our earthly cultures. But, then again, who really are any of these beings compared to Jesus and our heavenly Father? All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Jesus by the Father...and he is the true Judge of all. And, it just so happens that the Judge...is in love with us! The Judge took upon himself our sin and guilt and shame and resolved it forever through his death, resurrection and ascension. Case closed.

And what then can separate us from the love of Jesus? Nothing actually now...which is the apostle's point. But our doubt about his love for us...with the crap, and its stench, of living in this fallen age in our faces...can definitely do a number on our enjoyment of it. Our doubts and fears can cloud our sense of our Father's love. Paul is jealous for us to overcome this doubt and fear.

When things do not go well in this life for me, I am tempted to immediately imagine that God has changed his attitude toward me and has now decided to punish me for my failures after all. As though the gospel was some kind of a "bait and switch" political deal. This is because I know that God is all-powerful and that he intervenes, even miraculously, in this world to bless his children, answer our prayers and accomplish his will. So...when (not if!) something "bad" happens to me or mine...God must surely now be upset or angry with me. When I first came to faith, I sub-consciously imagined (and hoped) that "accepting Jesus" meant that nothing "bad" would or could happen to me.

However, these imaginations are overly-simplistic equations of spirituality and life that I worked out in my own head. And life's violation of these equations is at the root of my doubts about the goodness and love of God toward me. I crave a iron-clad code to live by as a basis for my spiritual security. I secretly and silently demand that God follow this code that I have scripted for him. (This is the subterranean fountainhead of all legalism--it is a "control issue".) A part of me does not like the fact that he is a "living" God...and that a personal relationship with him is at the heart of the faith that Jesus Christ has come to bring to the world...not a predictable and static religion. I do not like living in the tension of having a relationship with an all-powerful and loving God who does indeed care for me, hear my prayers...and who does, at times, even miraculously intervene to undo evil situations...but who also continues to allow evil events to happen all around me. I tend to equate "God" and "God's love for me" with "life in a fallen age". I do not like the basic paradox of my faith.

It is this temptation to doubt the goodness and love of God that Paul indirectly addresses in this grand passage above. I believe that overcoming the doubt of our Father's love for us...in the midst of a life in which not everything is going well and nothing is going perfectly...is the essence of "the good fight of faith". We are called to take a bold, and sometimes lonely, stand...with the adverse winds of this age blowing in our faces...and lean into it while we declare to the whole cosmos our unyielding belief in...the truth of the last paragraph of Romans 8..."God is good. God is good. God is good. God is good. Life can be hard...but God is good. And...absolutely nothing can separate me from his love for me through Jesus Christ my Lord!"

The Romance of Romans-Part 55

2009-04-02T04:31:00.000-07:00

Romans Chapter 8 cont'd

We are confident that God is weaving all things in life together, both the good and the bad, into a beautiful whole on behalf of those who love and trust him- for they have been apprehended for his transcendent purposes.

Comments:

No doubt, the first part of this paragraph of Romans 8...verse 28...is the most famous verse from the chapter...at least in our generation. "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." This verse is so full of comforting reality that it simply leads me to childlike prayer.

Heavenly Father, you are truly amazing. You are so great and good and powerful. Were you really there peering in on my life before I knew you; already purposing to redeem both the providential gifts you gave me from my mother's womb and also my foolish choices along the way? Thank you for not being intimidated by my sins. Thank you for pursuing me and seeing beyond my resistance toward you. Thank you for being so creative and resourceful. Thank you for your love and ability to "cause" good to trump evil...you make light to shine out of the darkness. Thank you for your powerful hands that work and shape the clay of this earth into vessels that you can use for your noble purposes. Allow me to be one such instrument and do my part in your grand drama.

I do love you, Father...and your Son...and your Holy Spirit. Help me to love you more and more as the years progress.

The Romance of Romans-Part 54

2009-03-29T05:12:00.000-07:00

Romans Chapter 8 cont'd

In the meantime, the Spirit helps us in our human frailty- we don't even know how to pray or what to pray for. But the Holy Spirit, living within us, prays through us with deeps sighs and longings that go beyond our ability to understand or articulate. And God, who is ever searching human hearts, picks up on the Spirit's signals because he is praying within us in perfect harmony with the Father's will.

Comments:

There is much spiritual resistance in this age to our experience of learning to pray well. First of all, there is our awareness of how small, powerless, uninformed and insecure we are compared to our Creator. (What could we really say to him that would matter in the least?) Then, there are facts like: he is invisible (which can challenge good communication!), our consciousness of our sins and the shame associated with them, the demands of our busy lives and our physical weariness. There is also the experience we've all had with seemingly unanswered prayers that can easily jade our zeal to pray again. Then, of course, there are the preemptive strikes upon us from every angle by a host of invisible evil powers who are actually threatened by the words we might speak into the heart of an all-powerful, living and responsive God.

Still, and indeed, the Scripture reveals throughout its pages that our Heavenly Father invites, commands, longs for, listens to and answers the prayers of children, women and men just like us. At times, we read about the great miracles that God performed in response to the prayers of ordinary people. We wonder if God might have us pray such prayers that evoke the display of his glorious power and might.

I take courage in that the disciples of Jesus asked him to teach them how to pray. It is an art that we must learn and there is effort and extensive practice that goes in to mastering any art. And...the beginning steps of learning an art are typically the most challenging for us. We do not know what heights we may attain in prayer (for anything is possible with God and to those who believe him), but we can definitely begin (or begin again) to pray. When I scan the Scriptures for insight on how to begin to pray, I land on two passages. This above verse, Romans 8:26, is one of them. The other is a few verses later in 8:34: "Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us."

As I consider the beginnings of prayer I think first about the two expert intercessors who have been assigned to me. This is not essentially different than Jesus inferring, in John 15:16, that he himself is our "advocate" (which John confirms in his first letter) by referring to the Holy Spirit as "another helper" or "advocate" who will be given to us. Actually, the first steps to an effective prayer life seem to be humbling myself to a point to which I am not ashamed to say that I do not know how to pray well and then receive the truth that Jesus is praying for me in heaven and the Holy Spirit is praying within me and for me here on earth. And they, I hear, pray quite well. Even my groans and sighs regarding the things within and around that weigh me down and burden my soul count as prayer, if I acknowledge the partnership I share with the Spirit of God within me.

The Romance of Romans-Part 53

2009-03-16T04:34:00.000-07:00

Romans Chapter 8 cont'd

Hope, our expectation of a heavenly future, is an essential part of God's plan for our salvation. If we had a total fulfillment of our salvation here and now, then this hope would not be necessary. But as it is, we are called to wait patiently, with hope in our hearts, for the fullness yet to come. In the meantime, the Spirit helps us in our human frailty- we don't even know how to pray or what to pray for. But the Holy Spirit, living within us, prays through us with deeps sighs and longings that go beyond our ability to understand or articulate. And God, who is ever searching human hearts, picks up on the Spirit's signals because he is praying within us in perfect harmony with the Father's will.

Comments:

There are actually three "groans" mentioned in this part of Romans 8. The first two were referred to in the last installment...creation is groaning...we ourselves are groaning and here...the Holy Spirit is also groaning. So, at least, we are in good company. With all of the reality, assurance and in-breakings of God's presence and kingdom we can know in this world, it is still far from the perfection and beauty we will one day enjoy when the new creation swallows up the old one entirely. (Yes...all the troubles, pains, failures, tragedies, setbacks, injustices, sins, disappointments, burdens, sicknesses, heartbreaks and the like...are "digestible" by Resurrection Life.)

Our heavenly Father uses the pressures and imperfections of this life as constant reminders that this world, as we know it, is not what we have been essentially designed for. "We were made for so much more"...as Switchfoot reminded us in one of their popular songs. Try as we might to think and believe and work as though it were, we always come away with our inner groan intact. There are teachings, movements, cultural trends and fads and gurus of various sorts all about us that try to entice us to imagine that if we follow them and/or their advice, then this deep and pervasive groan will be lifted from us. But it is there by our Father's design and purpose and only the return of Jesus will see it's displacement. A healthy longing and expectation for his return is essential to a vibrant and biblical spirituality here and now. This kind of strong hope does not make us "so heavenly minded that we are of no earthly good", but rather, keeps us "so heavenly minded" that we are empowered to be of earthly good...day by day by day. In the midst of this emotional and spiritual tension, there is a mysterious power that may seep into our souls that may also motivate us to "seize the day". Today the only day we have to live within.

Let us not be afraid to face and embrace the groaning within us...it will lead us to a healthier frame of heart and mind. We may even discover that we're praying more often and better than we thought.

The Romance of Romans-Part 52

2009-03-07T05:21:00.000-08:00

Romans Chapter 8 cont'd

My evaluation is that our present sufferings are not even worthy to be compared with the beauty and perfection that will ultimately be produced in us. Actually, the whole created order is unconsciously longing and inaudibly crying out for the perfection of believers. All creation was cursed through Adam's fall, but not without the God-given promise that it would one day be liberated from its bondage to fully share in the uninhibited freedom of the children of God. The various kingdoms within creation, up to this present time, are groaning and travailing with spiritual labor pains. And, in fact, even though we have the hefty down payment of perfection through the gift of the Holy Spirit, we are similarly groaning within ourselves because we still have to wait for the fullness of our salvation- the resurrection. The kingdom of God is here, but not fully.

Comment:

The gospel of Jesus Christ is all about the climactic act of God that is wondrously and mysteriously introduced into the middle of the grand drama about heaven and earth that spans the ages. This unique plot line sets his-story apart from so many of the stories we have written for ourselves. Normally, the end comes at the end. But in this case, "The End" appears in the middle of the drama and secures the hope of a perfect outcome for God's good original creation. God himself, the author of the story, becomes the central character by taking on human flesh in the divine person of his Son and enters human history to deal conclusively...through his life, death, resurrection, ascension and subsequent gift of the Spirit to his followers...with the problem of evil and all its tragic effects upon the entire creation.

The "not worthy comparison" that Paul refers to in this passage reminds me of the words of Jesus in John 16:21: "When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world." All creation and we ourselves, are pregnant with the new creation inaugurated by the first coming of Christ and there are sorrows and pains associated with the tensions of our condition. In watching my wife, Terri, go through 5 pregnancies and deliveries, there is no doubt in my mind that there are both physical and emotional paradoxes of pregnancy at every stage. This is because there is a kind of strong hope and joyful expectation with pregnancy as well...to which few things can be compared. Even beyond the pregnancy...Paul pictures us and all creation in labor. (Admittedly, 2,000 years is a long gestation!) Eugene Peterson captures this so well in his Message translation of vs. 22-25:

All around us we observe a pregnant creation. The difficult times of pain throughout the world are simply birth pangs. But it's not only around us; it's within us. The Spirit of God is arousing us within. We're also feeling the birth pangs. These sterile and barren bodies of ours are yearning for full deliverance. That is why waiting does not diminish us, any more than waiting diminishes a pregnant mother. We are enlarged in the waiting. We, of course, don't see what is enlarging us. But the longer we wait, the larger we become, and the more joyful our expectancy.

The Romance of Romans-Part 51

2009-03-04T04:40:00.000-08:00

Romans Chapter 8 cont'd

Genuine children of God are characterized by their commitment to following the leadership of the Holy Spirit. And this makes the Christian life a great adventure; not enslaving or intimidating, but an intimate association with God as a loving Papa. And it's our intimacy with the Holy Spirit that makes God's fatherhood real to us. Now if we are his children, then we have an inheritance from God; in fact, we share in the very same one that Christ has received. But don't forget of course, that we must endure our share of suffering for Christ if we expect to be exalted with Christ.

Comments:

The matter of knowing God as "Father" or "Papa" is very central to a healthy spiritual life. Most of us naturally project and transfer on to our conception and image of God aspects of the relationship we had/have (or didn't!) with our earthly fathers...kind, engaged, affectionate, wise, available, good, sensitive, firm, legalistic, tough, distracted, harsh, unjust, abusive, absent, negligent, unaffectionate...you can add to the lists. (It's a good exercise and discussion for a small group of friends.) Often, it is a combination of the good and the bad characteristics that become blended and imprinted on our souls in regard to our thoughts and feelings about "father". Dad's have great power in the lives of their kids.

Thankfully, much has been said and written over the last 25 years in the church world about how to process, pray and break through so that we can receive the good that our fathers gave us and yet not confuse, deep in our hearts, our heavenly Father's nature with that of our dads'. I find it interesting that, long ago, the writer of Hebrews was in touch with this very issue:
Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Hebrews 12:9-11

The main point that the author of Hebrews makes about God's fatherhood and our lives in this passage (and also the final sentence in the Romans 8 paragraph above) relates to how we process trials, adversities and sufferings. As a spiritual director, I have found that many of us have great difficulty holding on simultaneously to our image of God as a loving Papa and his allowance of difficulties and negative situation to intrude upon our lives. This seems to me like one of the greatest challenges in our spiritual lives that we must surmount...how well do we process legitimate sufferings in our hearts, emotions, minds and relationships? Are we able to hold on to our strong belief that God is good when life becomes a bear?

May the Holy Spirit, himself, help us all in the deep regions of our hearts to know God's loving fatherhood in the midst of our fallen world and challenging life circumstances.

The Romance of Romans-Part 50

2009-03-01T07:43:00.000-08:00

Romans Chapter 8 cont'd

Genuine children of God are characterized by their commitment to following the leadership of the Holy Spirit. And this makes the Christian life a great adventure; not enslaving or intimidating, but an intimate association with God as a loving Papa. And it's our intimacy with the Holy Spirit that makes God's fatherhood real to us. Now if we are his children, then we have an inheritance from God; in fact, we share in the very same one that Christ has received. But don't forget of course, that we must endure our share of suffering for Christ if we expect to be exalted with Christ.

Comments:

An effective appetizer is meant to stimulate our hunger, not satisfy it. This is a good analogy for the tension we experience, by God's design, between the overlap of the old creation with the new. God allows us to experience enough reality of his presence and the "powers of the age to come" here and now, that we become extremely dissatisfied with the best that this age has to offer our souls. A genuine and undeniable kinship with the Trinity and the many blessings associated with a life of passionate worship and meaningful service deeply reorients our hearts so that we can persevere through the complications and setbacks of life in this fallen age in which not everything is going well and nothing is going perfectly. It also enables us to wait joyfully and patiently...with strong anticipation and longing...for the "full meal deal" that is yet to come. (How's that for a mouthful of paradoxical thoughts and feelings?)

We have a sure promise of a full future inheritance that instills spiritual hope into our hearts and minds and we also can experience a substantial down payment of that inheritance in our earthly journey. The New Testament teaches what has been called a "realized" eschatology (the doctrine of matters regarding "the end" of this age), without teaching...as many do today...an "over-realized" eschatology that leads to an unhealthy "triumphalism" and an idealization of the Church and the Christian life. This error by emphasis also leads many into a deep disappointment over the course of a "long obedience in the same direction"...as Eugene Peterson long ago described the life of a disciple of Jesus.

An "under-realized" eschatology will certainly not do either. This opposite error by emphasis has led to a denuded spirituality in church circles that is significantly stripped of joy, power, divine presence, purpose, hope, faith, love, zeal and the like...and that has left a dutiful religious drudgery and boredom in its wake...no expected divine responses to our responses to his divine initiatives. "He'p us Jesus!"

The properly blended eschatology of Romans 8 (the premier chapter in Scripture on the subject) is a framework for a spiritual life that can provide us with a divinely designed "vehicle" outfitted for riding the bumpy and curvy roads of this life's cross-country race...a powerful and reliable engine, an aerodynamic body (mostly!), tires that hug the road in all weather conditions, great shock absorbers and...filling stations strategically placed by our wise and loving Papa along the course.

The Romance of Romans-Part 49

2009-02-27T03:43:00.000-08:00

Romans Chapter 8 cont'd

If God's Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, God will take possession of your weak and mortal body by the Spirit, and make it his living vessel. Therefore dear friends, we live with a holy indebtedness; not to live for our selfish pleasures, but for the pleasure of our gracious Master. For if after all this, we stubbornly continue to live selfishly, death, in one form or another, will encroach upon us: but if we ruthlessly put to death our old selfish tendencies and lustful habits by the Spirit's power, true life will flourish and endure.

Comments:

It's like we simply need to choose, in an ongoing way, what is going to "die" in our lives...our extreme and stubborn self-centeredness and all that flows from that basic orientation or...our experience/enjoyment of abundant life in Jesus Christ and the love, peace, joy, meaning and adventure that goes naturally with this quality of life. Either way, one way of being must "die" and the other way will automatically "live". In Christ, the Father has provided all we need to genuinely walk in the freshness of life in the Spirit. Now he is inspiring and urging us to simply cooperate by believing/trusting that it is true and subordinating our energies and powers to the Person of the Holy Spirit whose presence is dwelling in and integrated with our deepest parts, and then, outward to our very physical being. If we respond to this kind of divine initiative, the Holy Spirit will respond to our response and faithfully do his part. He will even help us to respond...he is, afterall, called The Helper!

Paul later calls this latter kind of cooperative response to God's grace and mercy: our "reasonable service of worship". Good theology makes great sense and a whole-hearted response of gratitude, love and service on our part is truly a brilliant investment. Let's do it y'all.