E. Stanley Jones Quotes

Don’t know him?  Let’s start at Wikipedia:

Eli Stanley Jones (1884–1973) was a 20th century Methodist Christian missionary and theologian. He is remembered chiefly for his interreligious lectures to the educated classes in India, thousands of which were held across the Indian subcontinent during the first decades of the 20th century. According to his and other contemporary reports, his friendship for the cause of Indian self-determination allowed him to become friends with leaders of the up-and-coming Indian National Congress party. He spent much time with Mahatma Gandhi, and the Nehru family. Gandhi challenged Jones and, through Jones’ writing, the thousands of Western missionaries working there during the last decades of the British Raj, to include greater respect for the mindset and strengths of the Indian character in their work.

This effort to contextualize Christianity for India was the subject of his seminal work, The Christ of the Indian Road, which sold more than 1 million copies worldwide after its publication in 1925.

He is sometimes considered the “Billy Graham of India”.

…continue reading the Wikipedia entry here…

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“When we say we begin with God, we begin with our idea of God, and our idea of God is not God. Instead, we ought to begin with God’s idea of God, and God’s idea of God is Christ”

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“God, to redeem us at the deepest portion of our nature – the urge to love and be loved – must reveal His nature in an incredible and impossible way. He must reveal it at a cross.”

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“We are personalities in the making, limited, and grappling with things too high for us. Obviously we, at very best, will make many mistakes, but these mistakes need not be sins.”

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“Some have said that the power of a Redeemer would depend upon two things: first, upon the richness of the self that was given; and second, upon the depths of the giving. Friend and foe alike are agreed on the question of the character of Jesus Christ.”

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“At the cross God wrapped his heart in flesh and blood and let it be nailed to the cross for our redemption.”

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“A Rattlesnake, if Cornered will become so angry it will bite itself. That is exactly what the harboring of hate and resentment against others is – a biting of oneself. We think we are harming others in holding these spites and hates, but the deeper harm is to ourselves.”

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“If the Holy Spirit can take over the subconscious with our consent and cooperation, then we have almighty Power working at the basis of our lives, then we can do anything we ought to do, go anywhere we ought to go, and be anything we ought to be.”

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“Many live in dread of what is coming. Why should we? The unknown puts adventure into life. … The unexpected around the corner gives a sense of anticipation and surprise. Thank God for the unknown future.”

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“The opponent strikes you on your cheek, and you strike him on the heart by your amazing spiritual audacity in turning the other cheek. You wrest the offensive from him by refusing to take his weapons, by keeping your own, and by striking him in his conscience from a higher level. He hits you physically, and you hit him spiritually.”

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Sources: Search Quotes,  Good Reads, Inspirational Stories, Finest Quotes, Quote Summit.

Living the Red Letters

For the past few nights our family has been working its way through The Red Letters a 6-part DVD series produced by World Vision Canada, in preparation for my reviewing it at Thinking Out Loud. The video features outspoken author and speaker Tony Campolo being interviewed by Colin McCartney, director of Urban Promise in Toronto, and author of Red Letter Revolution. If you know Tony, and you noted the title of Colin’s book, the combination of Campolo and McCartney on the subject of Jesus’ teachings is going to produce a thought-provoking video curriculum.

But last night I decided to venture into some of the recommended websites and discovered Colin McCartney’s blog at RedLetterInfo.com including this post from a few days ago:

Last night I had the privilege to worship with a group of young believers at a house church in Anaheim, California. It was a refreshing time for me being with these vibrant Christians and hearing them share about their journey with Jesus all within such a caring environment. The majority of the believers in this simple house church are from total unchurched backgrounds so to worship with them was a real treat. I was especially impressed by the fact that every one of them worshipped and shared from their hearts. The honesty and intimacy present within the living room of this house church was contagious. Grace permeated throughout the room and it was obvious to me that this was a safe place to come and meet Jesus no matter who you are or what you have done.

 Jesus said, “Where two or three are gathered in my name there I will be among you.”  (Matthew 18:20) Jesus was among us in that house last night. That’s one of the things I like the best about Jesus – he loves to be with his people and especially those who hurt. He does not restrict himself  to the mantras of professional clergy nor does he limit himself to only making appearances in sacred church buildings.  He is not into religious posturing or rituals. No, he is present in the simplicity of the poor (“Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” – Matthew 25:40) and the gathering of two or three or more of us meeting together in a living room of a house in Anaheim, California.

 While we worshipped there was no “proper” worship protocol that is present in so many of our church services today. There was no evident “order of service”, no special musical arrangements with guest singers and there was no passing of the gold coloured offering plates for our tithes and offerings (though we did pass a baseball cap around that was a little sweaty and dirty as it came from the head of one of the folks attending the house church). Needless to say what happened last night was raw, rootsy and real. People shared how their week had went and I was amazed how many of these people talked about the times they shared their faith and cared for others especially the poor. People spoke about loved ones who were now homeless. Youth asked for prayer for their freinds who are cutting themselves with razors. Best of all were the groanings that rose from the mouths of everyone in that room when they prayed for God’s intercession in their lives and in the lives of those they know.  When it came time for me to share the Word I had a captive audience hungry, willing and thirsting to learn from the Scriptures. Now that is a church!

 I loved last night because this is what I always dream and pray about – to see a movement of Christians in love with Jesus, embodying his “red letters” in word and deed, just simply living out their faith. This sounds like the New Testament church to me and it is to this form of missional movement that I have committed myself to.  I seek to work with churches who are committed to activate their people to this kind of “red letter” missional lifestyle where they challenge their people to “go”!  I also dream of church plants being birthed naturally and organically in homes, community centers, prisons, bars and wherever else “Red Letter” Christians do mission. It’s that simple yet it is so rare!  All it takes for this to happen is for us to go! So, what is holding us back? 

Since Colin ended with a question, here again is the link where you can post your response.

Lent Begins

Growing up in an Evangelical environment, I had little consciousness of the liturgical calendar beyond Christmas and Easter. There was also Thanksgiving, but then, how seriously could that be taken when it was observed more than six weeks apart in Canada and the United States?

To be Roman Catholic, Orthodox, or Mainline Protestant however is to be aware of the ever changing liturgical season; it is more than the passing of time, rather, each cycle is complete retelling of the New Testament gospel story. I’ve come to believe that Evangelicals are somewhat shortchanged in this area, though non-Evangelicals are also missing out on other ministry and worship opportunities because they are slave to the calendar. Balance is found somewhere in the middle.

Part of the reason both sides miss out is due to a lack of understanding of how things came to be. With lent — which begins this year as of tomorrow morning with Ash Wednesday — while I’ll admit that Wikipedia is not always the ideal source for theological information, this article is very comprehensive.

Lent (Latin: Quadragesima, “fortieth”^[1]) is the Christian observance of the liturgical year from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday.

The traditional purpose of Lent is the penitential preparation of the believer—through prayer, penance, repentance, almsgiving, and self-denial. Its institutional purpose is heightened in the annual commemoration of Holy Week, marking the Death and Resurrection of Jesus, which recalls the events of the Passion of Christ on Good Friday, which then culminates in the celebration on Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

During Lent, many of the faithful commit to fasting or giving up certain types of luxury as a form of penitence. The Stations of the Cross, a devotional commemoration of Christ’s carrying the Cross and of his execution, are often observed. Many Roman Catholic and some Protestant churches bare their altars of candles, flowers, and other devotional offerings, while crucifixes, religious statues, and other elaborate religious paraphernalia are often veiled in violet fabrics in observance of this event. In certain pious Catholic countries, grand processions and cultural customs are observed, and the faithful attempt to visit seven churches during Holy Week in honor of Jesus Christ heading to Mount Calvary.

According to the Synoptic gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, Jesus spent forty days fasting in the desert before the beginning of his public ministry, where he endured temptation by Satan.^[2][3] Thus, Lent is described as being forty days long, though different denominations calculate the forty days differently. In many of the Christian churches, Lent is regarded as being forty days long, but the Sundays between Shrove Tuesday and Easter Sunday are not typically regarded as being part of Lent; thus, the date of Shrove Tuesday will typically be slightly more than forty days before Easter Sunday.

This event, along with its pious customs are observed by Roman Catholics, Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians, Anglicans and some Baptists.^[4][4][5][5] Lent is increasingly being observed by other denominations as well, even such groups that have historically ignored Lent, such as some Baptists and Mennonites^[6]

One of the things I don’t see so much in literature is a comparison between the season of Advent and the time of Lent. While Advent anticipates, foreshadows and prefigures the coming of the Messiah, Lent anticipates, foreshadows and prefigures Christ’s suffering, death and resurrection.

Both represent a long run-up to an event that we already know is to take place. There is a tension of wondering what happens next, even though we know the story. That tension is partly due to looking to see what happens next inside us. The anticipating of Christ’s coming is preparing our hearts to welcome Him and recognize Him as Divine. The anticipating of Christ’s suffering and death is preparing our hearts to receive what He is, in the narrative, about to do for us and has in fact already done. It is placing ourselves under the covering of His atoning sacrifice.

For those of Evangelical background like myself, the Wikipedia article includes significant dates falling within the next 40 days:

• Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent in Western Christianity
• Clean Monday (or “Ash Monday”) is the first day in Eastern Orthodox Christianity
• The fourth Lenten Sunday, which marks the halfway point between Ash Wednesday and Easter, is sometimes referred to as Laetare Sunday, particularly by Roman Catholics, and Mothering Sunday, which has become synonymous with Mother’s Day in the United Kingdom. However, its origin is a sixteenth century celebration of the Mother Church. On Laetare Sunday, the priest has the option of wearing vestments of rose (pink) instead of violet.
• The fifth Lenten Sunday, also known as Passion Sunday (however, that term is also applied to Palm Sunday) marks the beginning of Passiontide
• The sixth Lenten Sunday, commonly called Palm Sunday, marks the beginning of Holy Week, the final week of Lent immediately preceding Easter
• Wednesday of Holy Week is known as Spy Wednesday to commemorate the days on which Judas spied on Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane before betraying him
• Thursday is known as Maundy Thursday, or Holy Thursday, and is a day Christians commemorate the Last Supper shared by Christ with his disciples
• Good Friday follows the next day, on which Christians remember Jesus’ crucifixion and burial

I encourage you to read the whole article. The more Evangelical your background — especially if you are very Charismatic or Pentecostal, or very much part of a seeker-sensitive church — this will all seem rather foreign. But these traditions and forms had their origins in a church that was more vibrant than its descendant denominations today, and we do well not to toss out too much Church history.

Open Source Christianity

Did God give me what I’m writing right now or am I making it up on my own strength?

That’s a question it’s fair to ask in all areas of Christian endeavor.  Am I doing this ‘on my own’ or under God’s power? What about the idea that ‘all things come from God?’ Do I really ‘own’ the concepts and insights shown here.

As we closed in on having 700 posts here last week, for the first time we had a writer who objected to having his content used here. While blog etiquette dictates that you link back to writers’ original pages, statistics bear out the idea that people read the teaser paragraph but don’t click to continue reading. So this blog was created as a showcase — and a bit of a potpourri — of devotional and Bible study writing; much of it from obscure blogs that nobody has heard of, whose writers are thrilled to have an additional audience for their thoughts.

For several months, a music and book distributor for whom I was I was doing contract work assigned me to help out in royalty administration and distribution. I appreciate that those who have given themselves full-time to writing for major publishers derive their income from sales. I would never dream of photocopying an author’s work and I have strong views about churches which project song lyrics on a screen at weekend services for which they haven’t paid the appropriate license fees.

But a blog? Seriously?

When the attribution is clear, and the readers are given two separate opportunities — and sometimes additional inducements — to click to the original source page, I feel there is a legitimization of one-time use; though a few writers have been featured here on two or three different occasions.

(Cartoonists however, seem to be another subject entirely. Despite having the largest treasure trove of Christian cartoons online, one denominational website had so many copyright warnings we decided they could just keep their comics to themselves, and stopped using them at Thinking out Loud.)

The article in question had no copyright indicia, and no page dealing with reprints and permissions.

I would like to think that when God gives us an idea, he gives it to us not only to share, but to see disseminated as widely as possible.  Someone once said,

There is no limit on what can be done for God as long as it doesn’t matter who is getting the earthly credit.

Attribution’s greatest value is that the people can go back to the same source for more insights.  If I enjoy what “X” has to say today on this topic, then I may want to read what “X” has to say tomorrow about some other subject.  In fact, I’ve had a handful of off-the-blog comments from people who are now regular readers of writers they heard about here at C201 and at Thinking out Loud.

In giving instructions to his disciples, Jesus said,

“And as you go,  preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven  is at hand.’ “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give.  (Matt 10:7-8 NASB)

I’ve had content used (and misused) on other blogs, and at the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter much. What does matter is how I respond to the “borrowings” at other websites. Do I say, “It’s all good;” or do I fight for increasing my personal empire here at this website?

The writer in question also accused me of changing his content. I could see how that would be serious. But in fact, I had removed links to an online bookseller which left him, in one sentence, referring to “this book” with no remaining hint as to what that book might be; so I took the time to insert the title where the words “this book” had been.

I think it was with the objection to that change that the author really betrayed their true motives. Referrer fees from online sales can be fairly significant for a blogger at the end of the month; and I believe it can really cloud a writer’s motives.

I simply won’t do that here. I’m not trying to sell you anything. I’m not making money from this, and in fact I don’t draw a salary from my “day job,” so I have a different attitude toward the need to see everything I do as a line on a profit-and-loss balance sheet.

I wonder what the early church would think of what we’ve come to; a world where royalty administrators and agents hash out mechanical royalties and performance royalties and you buy a license in order to share the words to the latest worship songs. I wonder if the Apostle Paul were alive today if he would put a little copyright symbol at the end of each epistle? Would Matthew be expecting dividends from the sales of the Visual Bible DVD that bears his name?

Freely we have received. Freely we give.

All that we have and are is a gift from God.

And we should keep it open source.

~Paul Wilkinson

• Ironically, trying to find a nice stylized copyright symbol to illustrate this article was a challenge since nearly half of them were, in fact, copyrighted. This one is from an article that also looks at this issue from a balanced Christian perspective, the author reminding us that we are “blessed to be a blessing.”

Church Year in Review

The church annual business meeting is a both longstanding tradition, and requirement

Over the next few weeks, several churches in my part of the world are holding their annual meeting.  Though required by law, it’s also a good opportunity for churches to step back and see the ‘big picture’ of church life, consider what God is doing through their efforts, thank God for His provision and look forward to the future.

The danger of course is to reduce meetings like this to statistics; to pie-chart and bar-graph church life to extremes. I doubt the first century church did this kind of record-keeping, and the Apostle Paul — who had a great mind when it came to understanding justification and atonement — was somewhat fuzzy on if or when he had baptized people.

Ohio pastor Paul Clark at the blog Vision Meets Reality doesn’t post very often, but back in December he linked to his church’s annual report which begins with 13 measures of a healthy church:

1. People are coming to saving faith in Jesus Christ.
2. Our missions program is expanding locally, nationally and globally.
3. People are making public professions of faith through baptism.
4. Attendance in worship services is increasing.
5. The worship experience is vibrant, enthusiastic and intergenerational.
6. There is broad participation in serving throughout the ministries.
7. New ministries are beginning as God imparts vision.
8. Guests are being connected to church life.
9. Covenant membership is increasing.
10. Our budgetary needs are being met.
11. Leaders are being developed and placed in ministry roles.
12. Scripture is central to our message.
13. Staff relationships are healthy.

That’s the kind of church I want to be a part of; though I think the eleven hour round trip would take its toll after a few Sundays. Although he pastors a larger church, I believe these goals are viable at some level for churches of all shapes and sizes.

What else does a healthy church look like?  Here’s how The Message translates two familiar passages:

^{Acts 2:38-39}Peter said, “Change your life. Turn to God and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, so your sins are forgiven. Receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is targeted to you and your children, but also to all who are far away—whomever, in fact, our Master God invites.”

 ⁴⁰He went on in this vein for a long time, urging them over and over, “Get out while you can; get out of this sick and stupid culture!”

 ^41-42That day about three thousand took him at his word, were baptized and were signed up. They committed themselves to the teaching of the apostles, the life together, the common meal, and the prayers.

 ^43-45Everyone around was in awe—all those wonders and signs done through the apostles! And all the believers lived in a wonderful harmony, holding everything in common. They sold whatever they owned and pooled their resources so that each person’s need was met.

 ^46-47They followed a daily discipline of worship in the Temple followed by meals at home, every meal a celebration, exuberant and joyful, as they praised God. People in general liked what they saw. Every day their number grew as God added those who were saved.

…

^{Acts 4:31}While they were praying, the place where they were meeting trembled and shook. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak God’s Word with fearless confidence.

 ^32-33The whole congregation of believers was united as one—one heart, one mind! They didn’t even claim ownership of their own possessions. No one said, “That’s mine; you can’t have it.” They shared everything. The apostles gave powerful witness to the resurrection of the Master Jesus, and grace was on all of them.

 ^34-35And so it turned out that not a person among them was needy. Those who owned fields or houses sold them and brought the price of the sale to the apostles and made an offering of it. The apostles then distributed it according to each person’s need.

Sowing Seeds of Doubt

The enemy of our faith is described as a wildcat on the prowl; not out of hunger, but bent on destruction:

Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.  Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. (I Peter 5:8-9a NLT)

So what do you think his number one tactic might be?  Here are some suggestions:

• consumerism, materialism
• corruption of moral standards through media, internet, etc.
• challenges to belief from other faith groups or intellectual skepticism

But while those are definitely important — and may be a factor in your own experience — we have to remember that the enemy is subtle and sometimes even works from within the body of Christ.

The reason I wrote you was to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in everything. If you forgive anyone, I also forgive him. And what I have forgiven — if there was anything to forgive — I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes. (II Cor 2:9-11 NIV)

This passage paints a picture of a situation where an unforgiving spirit would give the enemy an opportunity.  The Message translates verse eleven as “…After all, we don’t want to unwittingly give Satan an opening for yet more mischief—we’re not oblivious to his sly ways!”

So which of the enemy’s devices should be wise to? 

There’s one which is recurring with increasing frequency in the Christian blogosphere, as well as on the internet in general:

• modern scholarship calling the authorship of Bible books into question

Now, there will be people reading this who will say that this is nothing compared to the materialistic culture or the corruption of morals and values through new media.  However, I am very concerned that calling the authorship into question — and it doesn’t really matter at that point how the debate ends — is enough to plant the seeds of doubt in the minds and hearts of people less secure and established in their faith and their relationship with Jesus.

Furthermore, to adopt this tactic, you don’t need to dispute the doctrine or theology.  Just challenge the source and you’ve challenged the content.  Just question the historic understanding of a given book’s origins and you’ve started down the road of questioning the doctrine.

Did Isaiah write both halves of the book which bears his name?  What’s the connection between Moses and the first five books of the OT?  Did Paul write all the epistles that bear his name? 

Honestly, I don’t know.  Furthermore, I do, on one level have a great deal of respect for some of the Bible teachers who advance these discussions, but on another level I wish they would keep their speculation to themselves.

Matthew, Mark and Luke (or whoever wrote those books!!) all tell us a story of Jesus teaching:

^{Luke 171} Jesus said to his disciples: “Things that cause people to sin are bound to come, but woe to that person through whom they come. ² It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. ³a So watch yourselves.  (NIV)

It is very difficult when dealing with new believers — ‘little children’ in the faith — when they have suddenly been confronted with devotees of higher criticism and want to know why they have been ‘tricked’ into thinking that Mark wrote Mark and that John wrote John.

I’m not saying there isn’t a place for higher criticism; I’m just saying that it is becoming rampant; and that nothing undermines faith like suggesting that we’ve been misinformed as to the original author.

I’d rather take what some are going to call the simplistic approach that I know who wrote the books of Moses, Isaiah, the gospels and the epistles:  God did.

Beyond that, intellectualism runs the risk of serving the purposes of skepticism more than it serves Christian academic study.

 

 

For Thy Pleasure They Were Created

 

Back in the day, there was a worship song, Thou Art Worthy, which used the King James text of Revelation 4:11 –

Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

The newer versions indicate a different meaning from “for thy pleasure” than the one we take away today which infers the stars and planets were created for God’s enjoyment; unanimously preferring to translate that along the lines of by Thy will.

But I couldn’t help but think of the song as I read this devotional post by Michael Belote.  Be sure to click through to see the picture that goes with the story. (We used a different one here.)

As I was flying home from Denmark last week, I found myself between two layers of clouds at sunset. I found myself stunned by the beauty of the sight. Out of the window, all I could see were endless fields of cottony clouds, with the sun making a striking red-orange glow behind it.

And what struck me was: this has always been this way. Ever since creation, this view has existed. But with the exception of perhaps a few brave mountain climbers, no one in history saw this sight until the 20th century. For tens of thousands of years, humans saw the clouds only from below; now and only now can we begin to appreciate the beauty from above.

Think that through for a minute. God created the beauty long before someone else was around to view it. For well more than 99% of all sunsets in history, no man’s eye has seen the stunning sight. The same is true for the entire universe: God has created galaxies of stunning beauty, black holes of immense power, supernovas of amazing light…which will never be seen by human eyes. He created beauty in corners far from our reach.

It is entirely possible within the realm of physics that, at this very moment, on some distant planet, dual suns may be setting behind a gorgeous diamond mountain. And no one will ever see it but God. He didn’t make it for us, but for Him.

So often, we humans put ourselves as the center of the Gospel story. We see ourselves as the culmination of God’s creation and the center of His universe. We imagine that we are all that matters to Him, when in reality more matters to Him than we can imagine.

He is the center of the universe; never forget that. He created beauty because it was beautiful, and because He is a Creator–not for our glory or enjoyment, but for His. He created those stunning heavenly sunsets knowing full well that very few men in history would ever set eyes upon it; He created immense beauty in the universe knowing well that it would remain a total mystery to us forever.

Remember who the center of this universe is. Remember why He created it. For just a moment, let yourself step back and realize that even mankind as a whole is not the central character of the Gospel, much less you: the center of the Gospel is about God, and who He is, and how He loves.

Remember that He makes beauty because He is beautiful–whether we are capable of seeing His hidden sunsets or not.

~Michael Belote

Scars and Struggles on the Way

^{II Cor 4:8(NLT)} We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. ⁹ We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. ¹⁰ Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.

^{II Cor 4:16} That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. ¹⁷ For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! ¹⁸ So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

 ^{II Cor 5:1(NLT)} For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. ² We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. ³ For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies. ⁴ While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life. ⁵God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit.

 ^{II Cor 5: 6 (NLT)} So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord. ⁷ For we live by believing and not by seeing. 

Never once did we ever walk alone
Never once did you leave us on our own
God, You are faithful…
~Matt Redman

Tim Chester: Communities of Performance versus Communities of Grace

Tucked away in the November, 2008 archives of Timothy Chester’s blog is a fascinating distinction between two types of Christian community. He writes:

In performance-oriented churches people pretend to be okay because their standing within the church depends on it. A ‘sorted’ person is seen as the standard or the norm, and anyone who is struggling is seen as sub-standard or sub-Christian. In this kind of environment to acknowledge that you’re struggling with sin is difficult and distressing.But this is the opposite of grace. Grace acknowledges that we are all sinners, we are all messed up people, all struggling, all doubting at a functional level. But grace also affirms that in Christ we all belong, all make the grade, all are welcome, all are Christians (there are no lesser Christians).

Imagine such a church for a moment:

• Here is Andrew: he sometimes uses po rn because he struggles to find refuge in God.
• Here’s Pauline: she sometimes has panic attacks because she struggles to believe in the care of her heavenly Father.
• Here’s Abdul: he sometimes looses his temper because he struggles to believe that God is in control.
• Here’s Georgina: she sometimes has bouts of depression because she struggles to believe God’s grace.

Communities of Performance	Communities of Grace
*the leaders appear sorted	*the leaders are vulnerable
*the community appears respectable	*the community is messy
*meetings must be a polished performance	*meetings are just one part of community life
*identity is found in ministry	*identity is found in Christ
*failure is devastating	*failure is disappointing, but not devastating
*actions are driven by duty	*actions are driven by joy
*conflict is suppressed or ignored	*conflict is addressed in the open
*the focus is on orthodoxy and behaviour (allowing people to think they’re sorted)	*the focus is on the affections of the heart (with a strong view of sin and grace)

When they [Abdul, Paulina, Georgina and Andrew]  come together they accept one another and celebrate God’s grace towards each other. They rejoice that they are all children of God through the work of Christ. And they remind one another of the truths each of them needs to keep going and to change. It’s a community of grace, a community of hope, a community of change.

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In a later post, Chester noted that communities of performance impede mission; that is to say they prevent real ministry from taking place:

Communities of Performance	Communities of Grace
*talk about grace, but communicate legalism	*people can see grace in action
*unbelievers can’t imagine themselves as Christians	*unbelievers feel like they can belong
*don’t attract broken people	*attract broken people
*the world is seen as threatening and ‘other’	*people are loved as fellow-sinners in need of grace
*conversion is superficial (people are called to respectable behaviour)	*conversion is radical (people are called to transformed affections)
*people are secretly hurting	*people are open about their problems
*people see faith and repentance as actions that took place at conversion	*people see faith and repentance as daily activities
*the gospel is for unbelievers	*the gospel is for both unbelievers and believers

Commandment Counting

I’m not sure if Arizona pastor Josh Reich at the blog My World plans on covering all ten, but I appreciate his insights into ‘the big ten’ in two different posts last week:

On the commandments in general:

…the 10 commandments are God’s design for how his followers, specifically in the nation of Israel in Exodus and Deuteromony will live with other and with God. As slaves in Egypt in the book of Exodus, they were told how to live, when to eat, when to rest. They didn’t know how to do this on their own. God gives them guidelines on how to do this.

Many think the 10 commandments are more slavery, in fact, the nation of Israel falls into sin so often they seem to think God was trying to bring them back into bondage and that they knew better. This plays out a lot in our lives as well. Every time we take matters into our own hands, go our way, it usually leads to disaster because it starts with what we want instead of what God wants…

On the Sabbath commandment:

…[F]or a few reasons, it is the hardest one to keep. It is the one that takes the most faith because it requires us to give up control. When we sleep, when we rest, we stop doing things. The things we stop doing are often the things we find our identity from…

Click the headings to read each post.

 

If I Were the Devil…

A short item from The Morning Drive,  the blog of Scott McCown, pastor of Parrish Church of Christ in Parrish, Alabama.

This year we began a series on Wednesday evenings on Resisting the Devil.  We are learning that we can resist the devil and he will run from us.  We are learning about temptation and his methodology.  We are learning to say,”No, get behind me, Satan.”  This class is empowering us to draw nearer to God as we resist our adversary.  While preparing for class this week, I came across an old bulletin article entitled, “If I Were the Devil . . .” from Hopewell Church of Christ in Washington, WV.  The date on the bulletin is August 9, 1995.  Here is a slightly altered version of that article:

If I were the devil . . .

• I would not go after nations like the United States or China.  I would first subvert the churches.
• I would tell them that God wants them to be happy, so do as you please.
• I would tell the young that the Bible is a myth and that man invented God as a means of controlling them.
• I would teach adults to look to government for security and not to God.
• I would convince writers that freedom of speech includes writing about things of a sensual nature.
• I would place televisions and computers in every home and in every hand and fill the content with desires and passions of the flesh, eye, and pride.
• I would convince churches to offer psychology instead of theology.
• I would convince states and nations that gambling was the way to raise revenue.
• I would convince God’s people to be not only in the world but of the world.
• I would break homes with immorality or better yet, with easy access to divorce.
• I would convince people that marriage is just a piece of paper and that sharing a house and a bed if you are “in love” is the same thing.
• I would convince men and women that God made them the way they are and therefore there is nothing wrong with homosexuality.

Maybe the devil is already doing these things . . .

Read another article by Scott based on Hebrews 12:1 — What Weighs You Down

Does a Christian Wife Always Follow Her Husband’s Leadership?

To read all of today’s Bible study, you need to click the link at the end of the portion showing.

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I really appreciate it when an online article forces me to think, especially when two seemingly diametrically opposed schools of thought converge in the pages of the Bible.  Andy Naselli re-introduces us to the story of Abagail and Nabal.  You’re encouraged to click the link to this Bible study on Andy’s blog.

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I emailed this to a friend earlier this week:

I was just reflecting on the story of Nabal and Abigail in 1 Samuel 25. This nicely illustrates a difference between authoritarianism and complementarianism.

• Authoritarianism would say that Abigail sinned by not “submitting” to Nabal since she sent David and his men a lavish gift without telling Nabal, who had expressly refused to give David and his men anything.
• Complementarianism would commend Abigail for wisely not following her wicked husband and for shrewdly saving her household in a way that honored the Lord.

Are you aware of any books or articles making this connection? It’s an important one, I think, especially re how alleged complementarians (who are really authoritarians) encourage women to endure sinful abuse of various kinds in the name of submission.

The next day another friend of mine posted this from Nancy Wilson’s Building Her House: Commonsensical Wisdom for Christian Women:

The commands of submission and obedience are only difficult when we disagree with our husbands. If we agree with them and do what they say, it can hardly be called submission. Submission comes into play when we differ with them over an issue, but we defer to them and willingly give way.

But what about when the husband is in sin? This is a very important issue. What if the husband has adopted a wrong attitude and is heading in the wrong direction? Is a wife obligated to go along? It all depends.

I have often been saddened that we don’t see more Abigails in the church today. She was not afraid to call her husband a fool and make arrangements behind his back without his permission [1 Sam. 25]. God blessed her abundantly for intervening in this way. She did not stay home and wait for David to attack her household while calling herself a submissive wife. She recognized…

[...continue reading this excellent article here...]

Cartoon image — not part of original article — was sourced at a related article by Rebecca Trotter (click image).

Let This Mind Be In You

I promised on Thursday there would be two posts from the blog Reign of Faith, but we inadvertently took a break yesterday.  This one is also from the Breakthrough series where it appeared under the title Adopting the Mind of Christ.

Renewing your mind in God’s Word is vital to the season we, as Believers, are in. In order to fully utilize the faith God has given us, we must have the mind of Christ (Philippians 2:5).

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. (Philippians 2:5-8 NKJV)

One of the key words in the above scripture is: obedience.

Christ’s obedience not only led Him to death, but death by the cross. The significance of the element of the cross is in the fact that the Bible says in Deuteronomy 21:23 and Galatians 3:13 that he who hangs on a tree is cursed. Therefore, Jesus obeyed God to the extent that he temporarily forfeited his godly form in order to become a curse so that we would not have to live under the curse.

Just as Christ knew God’s Word and operated accordingly, we must renew our minds in order to do the same. As stated in an earlier post (Be Ye Transformed), renewing your mind has to do with changing yourself inwardly, more specifically, what you feel and think. Just as Jesus submitted His thoughts and feelings to the Word of God and His actions followed suit, we must and are expected to do the same. In order for this to occur and for us to experience and walk in the fullness of God, we must be reading His Word and seeking His perfect will for our lives so what we feel and think will be grounded in Him. Feelings such as fear (See 1 Kings 19:1-4), doubt (Matthew 14:22-33), anxiety (Philippians 4:6,7), shame (Romans 10:11) etc. cause thoughts that are not pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous, amd/or praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8).

Just as faith fuels our obedience, feelings fuel our thoughts and thoughts fuel our actions. Therefore, if we stay in God’s Word and apply It to our feelings, our thoughts and actions will thereby be influenced, allowing us to operate in obedience as well.

How exactly is this applicable to your life today?

You must have an understanding of the specific purpose God has for your life as well as a grasp on His Word and you must live accordingly. The enemy wants you to remain in ignorance of these two factors that are really vital to living a life of peace (fullness, wholeness, completeness). If he keeps you in ignorance, he is able to get in your ear and speak to you (Genesis 3:1-5). Jesus knew that He was to come on the earth and at an appointed time, suffer persecution, humiliation and crucifixion. However, He was not only aware of His purpose but He was also aware of who He was. This allowed him to withstand attacks from the enemy.

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’” Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him. (Matthew 4:1,2,8-11 NKJV)

Satan offers the world to Jesus. The thing is, He is the Son of God (God in human form). Nothing that Satan offered Him could ever come close to what He already had. Jesus already ruled and reigned and He knew that; so, when Satan offered a false sense of authority, He denied it and continued to live in obedience.

Satan does the same thing through the serpent within the garden. He says,

For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:5 NKJV)

Satan offers Eve what she already had.

God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. (Genesis 1:27 NKJV)

In conclusion:

Adopting the mind of Christ involves several factors. You must first

1. Gain an understanding of God’s Word through reading the Bible (Romans 10:17; John 17:17; Psalm 119:9-11)

2. Develop a personal relationship with God in order to receive specific instructions for your life (Genesis 12;1-4)

3. Accept your position as an heir of God and joint heir with Christ (Galatians 4:7; Romans 8:17; Ephesians 3:6).

4. Act in obedience (Deuteronomy 7:12; 1 John 5:3; John 14:15).

5. Resist the devil (James 4:7; 1 Peter 5:8,9).

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Scripture portions quoted at Christianity 201 are always in green because the Scriptures have LIFE!

Comfort Praying

Today’s thoughts were jointly posted in abridged form at Thinking Out Loud under the title,

Praying Out of Habit, Not Belief

I’m currently 50 pages into Called to Controversy, a biography of Moishe Rosen, the founder of a high profile U.S.-based ministry to those of Jewish background or ancestry.* I’ll review the book in detail later on, but I was struck by a story of an interaction between Moise and his father, Ben.

Busy as he was, Ben [Moishe's father] set aside an hour or so each evening to teach his sons his philosophy of life. Moishe recalled this as, “a combination of the Jewish sense of culture and achievement and his own brand of homey diligence.” He said, “Dad periodically made sure we could recite our Hebrew prayers and he stressed business principles that, had we written them down, would have made a valuable course in any business school. He taught us how to deal with people, how to determine the value of an item, and how to buy and sell.”

Regarding the prayers, Ben never hid the fact that he did not think much of religion in general. Moishe knew that if his father believed in God at all, it was not the God of the Jewish religion. At one point he asked, “Dad, why do we say these prayers if you don’t believe God is listening?”

“Sonny boy;” his father replied, “We say the pledge of allegiance to the flag because we are Americans. I don’t think the flag can hear us, do you? We say the prayers because we are Jews. If we don’t do these things, how else will people know we are Jews?”

And so Moishe learned from his father that the Jewish religion, though not necessarily to be believed in, was to be respected and practiced because it was part of what made people to be Jews.

(pp. 20-21)

This got me wondering if there are those within the fold of Christianity whose attendance at worship, or the recitation of perfunctory (because the children are watching) prayers is no different.

• “Of course we go to Church on Sunday. How else will people know we are Christians?”
  

• “Your great grandparents helped build that church, we will always have a part in it.”
  

• “No, I’m not sure God is listening to my prayer, but hey, I say the Pledge of Allegiance don’t I?”

• “Of course we’re Christian. Our family has always been Christians. But that identifies us socially and culturally, it doesn’t mean we believe the Bible.”

There’s probably more of this posturing going on in local churches than anyone of us would like to believe or care to admit. But those caught up in this may not be intending outright deception. They are probably simply enjoying what I would call “comfort” praying and “comfort” church attending and “comfort” Christian identifying. It feels good. It fits like an old, comfortable shoe. But it lacks authenticity.

^{II Timothy 3:5 (NLT)} They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!

The full context of the verse is that this trend increases as “the last days” get closer. But the passage isn’t about predicting a trend.  Although prophetic in nature, the passage is a warning! Why “steer clear” (The Message translation) of such people?

^{The Message – I Tim 3:6-9}These are the kind of people who smooth-talk themselves into the homes of unstable and needy women and take advantage of them; women who, depressed by their sinfulness, take up with every new religious fad that calls itself “truth.” They get exploited every time and never really learn.

In other words, the passage seems to be saying that for anyone But that’s the opposite of how we view things.

We view the people who are nominal Christians or apostate Christians or social Christians as somewhat innocuous; non-threatening. To be sure they need to be restored to the faith, but their presence — while it weakens a local church overall — isn’t exactly detrimental. They are simply disappointing to the rest of the local church congregation, right?

But the Bible calls such people dangerous.

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God I Need Patience, and I Need It in a Hurry

Late last year the blog Reign of Faith began a series of articles under the series title Breakthrough.  We’re going to use one here today and another tomorrow.  This one appeared mid-January under the title Breakthrough: Patience.

The element of patience, spoken of in a prior post, is vital to, and on, your journey towards breakthrough. You may feel as though your journey is taking a long time. Maybe you are questioning if you will ever see the promise fulfilled. These feelings and thoughts are from the enemy. He hopes to cause a spiritual abortion within you through your feelings, thoughts, words and actions. Remember, the enemy cannot harm, curse or disable you, but he can get you to harm, curse, or disable yourself.

Maybe you have been waiting months, or even years, for manifestation. I understand how frustration can begin to surface; however, you must rebuke your flesh and subject it to the power of your spirit.

For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, saying, surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you. And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. (Hebrews 6:13-15 NKJV)

Your breakthrough is going to come after your patience has been tested {probably multiple times}. Things are going to seem like they are “going your way” and then take a so-called “turn for the worst”. People around you may begin to place pressure on you, treat you unfairly. Many things can and will happen and they are designed to test and perfect your patience.

Even Jesus, the Son of God, endured a test of His patience, steadfastness, endurance, and conviction.

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. (Matthew 4:1, 2 NKJV)

Take note. When did the enemy show up? He began His attacks right after Jesus spent 40 days fasting. The enemy is not going to attack you when you are already headed down the path of destruction or when you are already off course. His attacks will come when you are seeking after God, pressing towards the mark, praying, fasting and getting new revelation. Also notice that verse 2 emphasizes the fact that He was hungry. Satan knows the points of weakness in your flesh {not to be confused with your spirit}. On your journey, before your breakthrough, when you are about to receive, he will send something your way that he knows would have typically bothered you. If worry concerning your finances is something you have done in the past, then he may throw something your way which requires you to pay money you did not feel comfortable giving up. If you are not subjecting your flesh to your spirit, then this may get you in a frenzy.

Learn to recognize areas where you previously struggled. When the enemy attacks those areas, you will be able to recognize those attacks and cast them down. Remain patient throughout every test and trial. Your patience will help propel you forward just like your faith and obedience.

Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him. (Matthew 4:11 NKJV)

Jesus withstood all attacks from the enemy. He was not drawn away by the lust of the flesh (1 John 2:6) nor did He grow weary in well doing (Galatians 6:9). He continued resisting the devil, whom had no choice but to flee (James 4:7; 1 Peter 5:8,9).

You will reach the point that God has promised you. Remain faithful, obedient, and patient!

Mission Statement: Christianity 201 is a melting-pot of devotional and Bible study content from across the widest range of the Christian blogosphere.  An individual article may be posted even if some or all readers might not agree with other things posted at the same blog, and two posts may follow on consecutive days by authors with very different doctrinal perspectives.  The Kingdom of God is so much bigger than the small portion of it we can see from our personal vantage point, and one of the purposes of C201 is to allow readers a ‘macro’ view of the many ministries and individual voices available for reading.