"What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?"
Introduction
James continues the general theme he has been hammering home since the end of chapter one. Faith is not just about what you think. What you do is also an essential part.
Engage
James points out a fundamental contradiction between those who might say they love others and yet do nothing to show it, especially when the needs are obvious. It is similar to Jesus in the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats. Jesus sends a group off to eternal punishment who are surprised at their verdict. Because they did not clothe the naked, feed the sick, or give drink to the thirsty, they are not saved. Similarly, James says that faith that does not demonstrate itself in the concrete love of others is not sufficient to save a person from God’s judgment. It is a “no good” faith, in James’ estimation. We are our brother’s keeper as Christians.
Examine
Poverty was fairly straightforward in James’ day. There were people who needed food and clothing and had no means whatsoever to get it. Family was the primary back-up plan, but an orphan or a widow might not have any. There were no jobs you could apply for, like today. There was no government welfare program like today. Either someone found it in his or her heart to give you something or you were lost. The situation is a little more complex today. What does it mean to help someone today? Certainly it still means not to let someone starve. But some people need help to find a job. A person can also become unnecessarily dependent on others. It calls for great discernment.
Explore
You have probably heard the saying, “Give a person a fish and he or she has a fish today. Teach them to fish and they will have fish for the rest of their lives.” Certainly a believer will not let someone starve or freeze to death if it is at all within our power to stop it. But even more important is helping others become self-sufficient so that they do not need help the next time. What is difficult is that some people do not want to fish, the causes of which are complex and do not let us off the hook from helping. To love others means to try to help others concretely in all three ways—immediately, by equipping, and by changing mindsets.
Prayer
Jesus, keep us from becoming callous to the needs of others. Make us excellent teachers of fishing.
Quote
“You have not lived today until you have done something for someone who can never repay you.” John Bunyan
Showing posts with label devotionals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label devotionals. Show all posts
Saturday, September 06, 2014
Wednesday, September 03, 2014
Don't Blame God (James 1:13-15)
"When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death" (Jas. 1:13-15)
Introduction
In these verses, James quickly corrects anyone who would say that God, let alone the Devil, made you do something wrong. God is not in the business of trying to get us to fail. The responsibility lies with us.
Engage
James 1:13 is a very important verse in the Bible. It tells us that God is not in the business of tempting people. God doesn’t try to get us to fail, and he doesn’t get a certain fiendish delight when we do. God wants us to succeed when we face trials and are tempted to find the wrong way out. There are certainly stories in the Old Testament that sound like God was tempting someone (e.g., Abraham and Isaac in Genesis 22). But the New Testament gives us the fullest understanding of how it works. Satan may tempt us (e.g., 1 Chron. 21:1). But while God allows us to be tempted, he does not tempt us himself.
Examine
James 1:14-15 also makes an important distinction between temptation and sin. It is not sin to be tempted to do wrong. It is sinful to act on that temptation, to make a choice for that temptation. Of course, one can make a choice of this sort with our minds, not only with our bodies. But this is not a matter of a passing thought. We can’t keep thoughts from running through our heads, and it would be foolish to try too hard to stop them. Then we only end up having more and more thoughts about them. The key is not to let them give birth to choices and intentions. That is when sin is conceived, and we are on our way toward death.
Explore
It is human nature to make excuses. Psychologists call it rationalization. We are uncomfortable with the consequences of our actions, so we try to explain them away. These verses reek of the kinds of excuses a person might make. The Devil made me do it. Still worse, someone might suggest that God was testing them, so it’s his fault. But James lays the blame squarely on us. It was your evil desire that led to this sin, he says. You let it seduce you rather than running away. Not only that, but you let it give birth to sin. I am to blame, he says, not someone else, not my circumstances, upbringing, or environment. The blame stops here.
Prayer
Father, help us to take responsibility for the wrongs we do. Only when we accept our guilt can we get forgiveness.
Quote
“No evil dooms us hopelessly except the evil we love, and desire to continue in, and make no effort to escape from.” George Eliot
Introduction
In these verses, James quickly corrects anyone who would say that God, let alone the Devil, made you do something wrong. God is not in the business of trying to get us to fail. The responsibility lies with us.
Engage
James 1:13 is a very important verse in the Bible. It tells us that God is not in the business of tempting people. God doesn’t try to get us to fail, and he doesn’t get a certain fiendish delight when we do. God wants us to succeed when we face trials and are tempted to find the wrong way out. There are certainly stories in the Old Testament that sound like God was tempting someone (e.g., Abraham and Isaac in Genesis 22). But the New Testament gives us the fullest understanding of how it works. Satan may tempt us (e.g., 1 Chron. 21:1). But while God allows us to be tempted, he does not tempt us himself.
Examine
James 1:14-15 also makes an important distinction between temptation and sin. It is not sin to be tempted to do wrong. It is sinful to act on that temptation, to make a choice for that temptation. Of course, one can make a choice of this sort with our minds, not only with our bodies. But this is not a matter of a passing thought. We can’t keep thoughts from running through our heads, and it would be foolish to try too hard to stop them. Then we only end up having more and more thoughts about them. The key is not to let them give birth to choices and intentions. That is when sin is conceived, and we are on our way toward death.
Explore
It is human nature to make excuses. Psychologists call it rationalization. We are uncomfortable with the consequences of our actions, so we try to explain them away. These verses reek of the kinds of excuses a person might make. The Devil made me do it. Still worse, someone might suggest that God was testing them, so it’s his fault. But James lays the blame squarely on us. It was your evil desire that led to this sin, he says. You let it seduce you rather than running away. Not only that, but you let it give birth to sin. I am to blame, he says, not someone else, not my circumstances, upbringing, or environment. The blame stops here.
Prayer
Father, help us to take responsibility for the wrongs we do. Only when we accept our guilt can we get forgiveness.
Quote
“No evil dooms us hopelessly except the evil we love, and desire to continue in, and make no effort to escape from.” George Eliot
Saturday, October 12, 2013
Reading the Bible Devotionally
I've noticed something awkward that can happen when someone is leading devotions and a Steve Lennox or Bud Bence is in the room. Frankly, it happens a lot when a pastor is in the room. The person leading the devotions can be uncomfortable to share out of fear that they'll get some interpretation wrong.
Here's the big secret. God does not primarily speak through Scripture by way of the "expert" meaning, I don't think. Rather, the Spirit can trigger wisdom and spiritual insight through the text whether it has anything to do with what the text meant originally or not. Like I said the other day, there are experts on the Bible and it takes years of intense study to truly become one. But you don't have to be an expert for God to speak to you through Scripture. Otherwise we'd all be sunk.
I heard a devotional the other day. It was a great devotional that urged us on to healthy lives that took time for God and for rest in our lives. The author of the biblical text in question might not have recognized much of anything in the devotional. But it doesn't matter because God used the devotional to speak truth to us that fit with the big truths of Scripture.
I venture to say that the majority of stuff preached from the pulpits of the world every Sunday goes well beyond anything the sermon texts and their authors ever imagined. Some of it is probably way off in one respect... and yet way true in another. That's the way the Spirit works, I think, more often than not. Half the time we think we're getting a truth from the Bible we're actually getting a truth from the Spirit, triggered through the words of the Bible. It's a dance we do with the Spirit and the text.
By the way, I would even put a lot of the insights of a Dennis Kinlaw in this category. Sure, he knows Hebrew. He knows the history of interpretation of the Old Testament. He knows the history of the ancient near east like nobody's business. But his preaching insights? I don't actually think Moses or David or Isaiah would recognize half of it. But the Spirit has given Kinlaw massive spiritual insight and wisdom in his lifelong dancing with the biblical texts.
So boldly lead your devotionals from the Bible without worrying about whether your wisdom is exactly what the text meant originally. Boldly preach that sermon God has laid on your heart whether you know Greek or not. Wisdom and insight is not limited to the original meaning. Frankly, the experts often disagree on what the original meaning was in the first place.
If you have the Spirit of Christ--and thus read the Bible with the eyes of faith, hope, and love--the Spirit will steer you and your community of faith in the right direction.
Here's the big secret. God does not primarily speak through Scripture by way of the "expert" meaning, I don't think. Rather, the Spirit can trigger wisdom and spiritual insight through the text whether it has anything to do with what the text meant originally or not. Like I said the other day, there are experts on the Bible and it takes years of intense study to truly become one. But you don't have to be an expert for God to speak to you through Scripture. Otherwise we'd all be sunk.
I heard a devotional the other day. It was a great devotional that urged us on to healthy lives that took time for God and for rest in our lives. The author of the biblical text in question might not have recognized much of anything in the devotional. But it doesn't matter because God used the devotional to speak truth to us that fit with the big truths of Scripture.
I venture to say that the majority of stuff preached from the pulpits of the world every Sunday goes well beyond anything the sermon texts and their authors ever imagined. Some of it is probably way off in one respect... and yet way true in another. That's the way the Spirit works, I think, more often than not. Half the time we think we're getting a truth from the Bible we're actually getting a truth from the Spirit, triggered through the words of the Bible. It's a dance we do with the Spirit and the text.
By the way, I would even put a lot of the insights of a Dennis Kinlaw in this category. Sure, he knows Hebrew. He knows the history of interpretation of the Old Testament. He knows the history of the ancient near east like nobody's business. But his preaching insights? I don't actually think Moses or David or Isaiah would recognize half of it. But the Spirit has given Kinlaw massive spiritual insight and wisdom in his lifelong dancing with the biblical texts.
So boldly lead your devotionals from the Bible without worrying about whether your wisdom is exactly what the text meant originally. Boldly preach that sermon God has laid on your heart whether you know Greek or not. Wisdom and insight is not limited to the original meaning. Frankly, the experts often disagree on what the original meaning was in the first place.
If you have the Spirit of Christ--and thus read the Bible with the eyes of faith, hope, and love--the Spirit will steer you and your community of faith in the right direction.
Tuesday, September 03, 2013
Devotional: The Coming Church (John 17:13-23)
My devotional on the "symbols of John" is finally done. It will be some time before it comes out, but I've enjoyed walking through most of John in the process.
______________________________
Introduction
John 17 is Christ’s, “high priestly prayer,” in which he intercedes not only for his disciples but for those like us who would later come to believe in him. He prays especially for the unity of the church to come.
Engage
In his prayer for us, Jesus does not pray that the Father would take believers out of the world. On the one hand, taking us out of the world would be more enjoyable for us. In the world, we will be hated. In the world, we face opposition from the evil one. But Jesus does not pray that God whisk us away. And how could we continue to spread the good news to those who have not believed if we are not here? Instead, Jesus prays for our protection from the evil one. He does not pray for our protection from those who hate us. We may very well face persecution, hardship, and suffering. Even then we are a witness to those who hate us.
Examine
We are in the world but we are not “of” the world. The world does not follow God. The world continues to do wrong. The world does not love one another. None of these descriptions should be true of us. Jesus asks the Father to “sanctify” us through the truth of the word. Jesus Christ is the Word of God (John 1:14). To sanctify is to “make holy,” to set apart as belonging to God. It requires purification of the item and then a recognition that it is no longer common. It is special because it is God’s. So within a world sullied by evil and hatred, we are love and righteousness. We do not live the same as those around us.
Explore
Jesus prays for the unity of those who would later believe on him, like us. This prayer would have been particularly meaningful to John’s audience, for their community had undergone a split of some kind (cf. 1 John 2:19). His community knew all too well that there were other Christian folds out there, other sheep following Jesus who were not part of their community (cf. John 10:16). Jesus prays that they be one in spirit. The church today has of course failed miserably at this task. It is not so much that we disagree as that we fight among ourselves and are fractious in our spirit. One group splits from another and so on. May we see instead a movement of coming together.
Prayer
Father, make your church one in spirit even when we disagree with each other about what we should think or do in this world.
Sidebar
“One hundred worshipers met together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be, were they to become ‘unity’ conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship.” A. W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God
______________________________
Introduction
John 17 is Christ’s, “high priestly prayer,” in which he intercedes not only for his disciples but for those like us who would later come to believe in him. He prays especially for the unity of the church to come.
Engage
In his prayer for us, Jesus does not pray that the Father would take believers out of the world. On the one hand, taking us out of the world would be more enjoyable for us. In the world, we will be hated. In the world, we face opposition from the evil one. But Jesus does not pray that God whisk us away. And how could we continue to spread the good news to those who have not believed if we are not here? Instead, Jesus prays for our protection from the evil one. He does not pray for our protection from those who hate us. We may very well face persecution, hardship, and suffering. Even then we are a witness to those who hate us.
Examine
We are in the world but we are not “of” the world. The world does not follow God. The world continues to do wrong. The world does not love one another. None of these descriptions should be true of us. Jesus asks the Father to “sanctify” us through the truth of the word. Jesus Christ is the Word of God (John 1:14). To sanctify is to “make holy,” to set apart as belonging to God. It requires purification of the item and then a recognition that it is no longer common. It is special because it is God’s. So within a world sullied by evil and hatred, we are love and righteousness. We do not live the same as those around us.
Explore
Jesus prays for the unity of those who would later believe on him, like us. This prayer would have been particularly meaningful to John’s audience, for their community had undergone a split of some kind (cf. 1 John 2:19). His community knew all too well that there were other Christian folds out there, other sheep following Jesus who were not part of their community (cf. John 10:16). Jesus prays that they be one in spirit. The church today has of course failed miserably at this task. It is not so much that we disagree as that we fight among ourselves and are fractious in our spirit. One group splits from another and so on. May we see instead a movement of coming together.
Prayer
Father, make your church one in spirit even when we disagree with each other about what we should think or do in this world.
Sidebar
“One hundred worshipers met together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be, were they to become ‘unity’ conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship.” A. W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God
Sunday, September 01, 2013
Missing the Point (John 9:13-25)
Devotional excerpt for today:
Introduction
We are not surprised to find Jesus in conflict with religious leaders after performing an amazing miracle. They used to call it the “evil eye” of jealousy, where you view the success of others as a threat and you strike out to bring them down a notch.
Engage
The Pharisees in this story are symbolic of anyone in leadership who is intimidated by “lessers” or outsiders. Their protest that Jesus has broken the Sabbath is weak—one that no Pharisee with any depth would have made sincerely at the time. The complaint seems more like a petty individual looking for an excuse—and a poor one at that. Jesus has done something they cannot do. They are supposed to be the ones with a connection to God. Who does this nobody think he is? By contrast, Christian love rejoices with those who rejoice. When something genuinely good happens to someone else, the Christ-like thing is to be happy for them, even if we wish it had happened to us instead.
Examine
It is not at all likely that there was a universal policy at the time of Christ that believers were to be kicked out of synagogues for believing in Jesus. It did happen from time to time after Jesus rose from the dead to be sure. It happened with Greek-speaking Jewish believers in Jerusalem around the time of Stephen. It happened in Rome in AD49 when Claudius kicked believing Jews out of Rome. Oppression is always close at hand in a small community where a few bullies can wield inappropriate power. We can be sure that this sort of thing was happening at the time John was written. Its audience did face the choice of serving Christ or continuing to be part of the synagogue.
Explore
How often do we miss the point because of some personal preoccupation or defense mechanism? Perhaps Jesus is doing something spectacular in front of us and we cannot bring ourselves to participate because it somehow makes us feel small or exposes our deficiencies. “Is Jesus a sinner?” “I’m not sure, but did you know I had been blind all my life?” So a new person comes to your church seeking God. What a great thing! Then we criticize the way she is dressed or the way he talks. Someone does a good thing that everyone can see. “Ah, but is their heart that we cannot see really good?” We should be pleased when good is done, even when it is done by someone we do not like.
Prayer
Father, heal us of our petty jealousies. Make us bigger people than we are, people who rejoice when good is done.
Sidebar
“Never make excuses. Your friends don't need them and your foes won’t believe them.” John Wooden, in Wooden
Introduction
We are not surprised to find Jesus in conflict with religious leaders after performing an amazing miracle. They used to call it the “evil eye” of jealousy, where you view the success of others as a threat and you strike out to bring them down a notch.
Engage
The Pharisees in this story are symbolic of anyone in leadership who is intimidated by “lessers” or outsiders. Their protest that Jesus has broken the Sabbath is weak—one that no Pharisee with any depth would have made sincerely at the time. The complaint seems more like a petty individual looking for an excuse—and a poor one at that. Jesus has done something they cannot do. They are supposed to be the ones with a connection to God. Who does this nobody think he is? By contrast, Christian love rejoices with those who rejoice. When something genuinely good happens to someone else, the Christ-like thing is to be happy for them, even if we wish it had happened to us instead.
Examine
It is not at all likely that there was a universal policy at the time of Christ that believers were to be kicked out of synagogues for believing in Jesus. It did happen from time to time after Jesus rose from the dead to be sure. It happened with Greek-speaking Jewish believers in Jerusalem around the time of Stephen. It happened in Rome in AD49 when Claudius kicked believing Jews out of Rome. Oppression is always close at hand in a small community where a few bullies can wield inappropriate power. We can be sure that this sort of thing was happening at the time John was written. Its audience did face the choice of serving Christ or continuing to be part of the synagogue.
Explore
How often do we miss the point because of some personal preoccupation or defense mechanism? Perhaps Jesus is doing something spectacular in front of us and we cannot bring ourselves to participate because it somehow makes us feel small or exposes our deficiencies. “Is Jesus a sinner?” “I’m not sure, but did you know I had been blind all my life?” So a new person comes to your church seeking God. What a great thing! Then we criticize the way she is dressed or the way he talks. Someone does a good thing that everyone can see. “Ah, but is their heart that we cannot see really good?” We should be pleased when good is done, even when it is done by someone we do not like.
Prayer
Father, heal us of our petty jealousies. Make us bigger people than we are, people who rejoice when good is done.
Sidebar
“Never make excuses. Your friends don't need them and your foes won’t believe them.” John Wooden, in Wooden
Thursday, August 29, 2013
The Truth Sets Free (John 8:31-36)
Introduction
In the context of these verses, Jesus has just talked about how his opponents will know he is from God after they crucify him, after they "have lifted up the Son of Man." In John 3:14, Jesus is lifted up like the snake Moses lifted up in the desert to heal Israel.
Engage
To be freed implies that you were not free before, and Jesus’ opponents resist his teaching that he will free them. They are the children of Abraham. They have never been slaves. Of course this claim in itself is not really true. Israel had repeatedly been enslaved over the centuries to various foreign powers, and they were under the thumb of the Romans at the time of Jesus. By the time of John they had destroyed Jerusalem—an irony that would not have escaped John’s audience. But the slavery Jesus has in mind is not physical slavery, but a slavery to sin, which is a failure to love one another (1 John 4:7-8). A slave is not yet a son.
Examine
The truth about Jesus sets people free. What is that truth? Certainly trusting in Jesus as Messiah brings eternal life (John 3:16; 20:31) and includes his atoning death, the bread and wine that gives life. Another truth is that Jesus authentically represented God the Father. To be a follower of Jesus is to follow his teaching, which is to follow the teaching of God the Father. But what is that teaching? What does it mean to be free from sin? Surely at least in part it means to be freed to love each other, to show love to each other. How hard it is to love others in our own power. How much freer the world would be if everyone showed love to each other.
Explore
Truth sets a person free to be sure. Such freedom is not always as comfortable as we dreamt it would be. Sometimes it is more comfortable to have the decisions made for us or not to know other possibilities. We may not want to know truths that are inconvenient to our current way of life. Truth can bring conflict, and truth can force change. We may not want to know about the person near us who needs help, because then we need to do something. We may not want to know whether we have cancer or whether our current way of living will likely lead toward future crises—including eternal judgment. But the truth now makes it more likely that we will avert future catastrophes.
Prayer
Father, as hard as the truth and the right may be, give us an unswerving commitment to it and to obey you no matter how uncomfortable the immediate consequences.
Quote
"I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant." Martin Luther King Jr.
In the context of these verses, Jesus has just talked about how his opponents will know he is from God after they crucify him, after they "have lifted up the Son of Man." In John 3:14, Jesus is lifted up like the snake Moses lifted up in the desert to heal Israel.
Engage
To be freed implies that you were not free before, and Jesus’ opponents resist his teaching that he will free them. They are the children of Abraham. They have never been slaves. Of course this claim in itself is not really true. Israel had repeatedly been enslaved over the centuries to various foreign powers, and they were under the thumb of the Romans at the time of Jesus. By the time of John they had destroyed Jerusalem—an irony that would not have escaped John’s audience. But the slavery Jesus has in mind is not physical slavery, but a slavery to sin, which is a failure to love one another (1 John 4:7-8). A slave is not yet a son.
Examine
The truth about Jesus sets people free. What is that truth? Certainly trusting in Jesus as Messiah brings eternal life (John 3:16; 20:31) and includes his atoning death, the bread and wine that gives life. Another truth is that Jesus authentically represented God the Father. To be a follower of Jesus is to follow his teaching, which is to follow the teaching of God the Father. But what is that teaching? What does it mean to be free from sin? Surely at least in part it means to be freed to love each other, to show love to each other. How hard it is to love others in our own power. How much freer the world would be if everyone showed love to each other.
Explore
Truth sets a person free to be sure. Such freedom is not always as comfortable as we dreamt it would be. Sometimes it is more comfortable to have the decisions made for us or not to know other possibilities. We may not want to know truths that are inconvenient to our current way of life. Truth can bring conflict, and truth can force change. We may not want to know about the person near us who needs help, because then we need to do something. We may not want to know whether we have cancer or whether our current way of living will likely lead toward future crises—including eternal judgment. But the truth now makes it more likely that we will avert future catastrophes.
Prayer
Father, as hard as the truth and the right may be, give us an unswerving commitment to it and to obey you no matter how uncomfortable the immediate consequences.
Quote
"I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant." Martin Luther King Jr.
Saturday, August 24, 2013
Devotion for Day (Time for Decision)
More from my devotional on the symbols of John, the week on Jesus as the bread of life.
Scripture: John 6:60-71
Introduction
After Jesus has told the crowds that he is the bread of life, many of those following him turn away. The idea of eating his flesh and blood—availing oneself of his death—was apparently something they would not believe.
Engage
Matthew and Mark have a turning point where Jesus’ ministry goes from a more public phase to a phase where Jesus is more isolated with his disciples. This change happens after Peter confesses that Jesus is the Messiah. If John has such a turning point, it is here, when many of those following him turn away. The sticking point seems to be eating Jesus’ flesh and drinking his blood, perhaps a symbolic allusion to his atoning death. What will they then do with his resurrection, especially when they are confronted with its reality in judgment? John uses the language of God’s will to express this mystery. He “has given” ultimate faith to some.
Examine
In its symbolism, it is possible that much of the imagery in John is meant to mirror the current situation of John’s community. On a previous day, we saw that John’s community (probably at Ephesus) had experienced a split (1 John 2:19). The group that left was probably Docetist, the group mentioned in yesterday’s devotional (see 1 John 4:2). And if Jesus did not come in the flesh, then he did not die for sins, which might explain some of 1 John’s comments on those who deny the need for cleansing (e.g., 1:8, 10). This incident in John 6 may allude to what happened in John’s own community, with some leaving because they could not accept Jesus in the flesh.
Explore
At some point, we may face a crisis that will either draw us closer to God or reveal that we do not have the faith to follow him fully. Especially in Christian leaning countries, it is easy to be a Christian. We may like to think we are picked on, but we have no idea what it really means to be persecuted for our faith. In fact, sometimes Christians can bring on conflict because they themselves are unnecessarily provocative. But crises often reveal our true hearts. Those who abandon God in a crisis are often simply revealing how their heart had always been. Others respond like Jesus’ core followers: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68).
Prayer
Father, give us faith to follow you not only in the easy times but in the hard times as well.
Sidebar
“God our Savior… wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” 1 Timothy 2:3-4
______________________
Sidenotes--I have been increasingly impressed at how much John uses predestination and election language throughout. Arminians like myself take this as "after the fact" language. It is not language used to predict but to explain why so many do not believe. Such language becomes harmful when it is used to exclude potential believers.
So as I've said before, we have to live like anyone can be saved, even if you are someone whose theology, like John Calvin, believes that God has mysteriously decreed who will be saved. But this is also a reminder that the Wesleyan-Arminian tradition is not by nature a fundamentalist tradition that feels compelled to take this language literally, just as we don't take OT passages literally when they say God sent evil spirit on people (e.g., 1 Samuel 16:14-23; 18:10; 19:9; 24:1). We would say more precisely that God allowed it to happen (e.g., 1 Chron. 21:1; James 1:13).
Scripture: John 6:60-71
Introduction
After Jesus has told the crowds that he is the bread of life, many of those following him turn away. The idea of eating his flesh and blood—availing oneself of his death—was apparently something they would not believe.
Engage
Matthew and Mark have a turning point where Jesus’ ministry goes from a more public phase to a phase where Jesus is more isolated with his disciples. This change happens after Peter confesses that Jesus is the Messiah. If John has such a turning point, it is here, when many of those following him turn away. The sticking point seems to be eating Jesus’ flesh and drinking his blood, perhaps a symbolic allusion to his atoning death. What will they then do with his resurrection, especially when they are confronted with its reality in judgment? John uses the language of God’s will to express this mystery. He “has given” ultimate faith to some.
Examine
In its symbolism, it is possible that much of the imagery in John is meant to mirror the current situation of John’s community. On a previous day, we saw that John’s community (probably at Ephesus) had experienced a split (1 John 2:19). The group that left was probably Docetist, the group mentioned in yesterday’s devotional (see 1 John 4:2). And if Jesus did not come in the flesh, then he did not die for sins, which might explain some of 1 John’s comments on those who deny the need for cleansing (e.g., 1:8, 10). This incident in John 6 may allude to what happened in John’s own community, with some leaving because they could not accept Jesus in the flesh.
Explore
At some point, we may face a crisis that will either draw us closer to God or reveal that we do not have the faith to follow him fully. Especially in Christian leaning countries, it is easy to be a Christian. We may like to think we are picked on, but we have no idea what it really means to be persecuted for our faith. In fact, sometimes Christians can bring on conflict because they themselves are unnecessarily provocative. But crises often reveal our true hearts. Those who abandon God in a crisis are often simply revealing how their heart had always been. Others respond like Jesus’ core followers: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68).
Prayer
Father, give us faith to follow you not only in the easy times but in the hard times as well.
Sidebar
“God our Savior… wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” 1 Timothy 2:3-4
______________________
Sidenotes--I have been increasingly impressed at how much John uses predestination and election language throughout. Arminians like myself take this as "after the fact" language. It is not language used to predict but to explain why so many do not believe. Such language becomes harmful when it is used to exclude potential believers.
So as I've said before, we have to live like anyone can be saved, even if you are someone whose theology, like John Calvin, believes that God has mysteriously decreed who will be saved. But this is also a reminder that the Wesleyan-Arminian tradition is not by nature a fundamentalist tradition that feels compelled to take this language literally, just as we don't take OT passages literally when they say God sent evil spirit on people (e.g., 1 Samuel 16:14-23; 18:10; 19:9; 24:1). We would say more precisely that God allowed it to happen (e.g., 1 Chron. 21:1; James 1:13).
Friday, August 23, 2013
Devotion for Day (The Bread of Life)
Passage: John 6:41-59
Introduction
The initial reaction to Jesus’ announcement that he is the bread of life is grumbling. “You’re not so special, and what you’re saying doesn’t make sense to us.” Jesus does not seem worried whether they accept him or not.
Engage
Some struggled with how Jesus could have come down from heaven. Wasn’t he born to Mary and Joseph? Others in John’s late first century context struggled with the idea that he had truly become human at all. The Gospel of John walks this middle path between the two extremes. Yes, Jesus was “born of water” like all other human beings. He really had flesh and blood like the rest of us. Yet he also came down from above. He shared the glory of our Father in heaven before the world began (17:5). Christians believe both affirmations are essential. Jesus has the same substance as us, yet Jesus also shares the same substance with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit.
Examine:
Some in the Roman Catholic tradition have read these verses as an allusion to the elements of communion literally becoming the body and blood of Jesus in some way—“unless you eat the flesh… and drink his blood” (6:53). Jesus’ death probably was in view, but the vividness may have been directed at an early false teaching called Docetism. Docetists believed that Jesus only seemed to be human, that he was really a spirit being that had disguised himself to look like us. They thought matter was evil and thus that Jesus could not have been sinless if he had flesh. John consistently undermines this way of thinking (e.g., 1:14). Our bodies may be weak but they are not inevitably sinful in themselves.
Explore
It is hard to watch someone whom you once thought was an equal grow to prominence. “Isn’t this Joseph’s boy? I remember him when he was running around playing with sticks.” None of us will ever see any of our childhood friends grow up to be the Son of God, but we may very well have friends who go on to experience a prominence greater than our own. It is easy to get jealous—which we often mask by criticism or grumbling. Of course, the rising star can also get arrogant, which is just as inappropriate. In all these things it is important to recognize that our praiseworthiness depends on what we do with what God has given us, not on what we have.
Prayer
Father, free us from jealousy toward those with greater status than we have or who are more gifted at something than we are.
Sidebar
“There should be no division in the body, but… its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.” 1 Cor. 12:25-26
Introduction
The initial reaction to Jesus’ announcement that he is the bread of life is grumbling. “You’re not so special, and what you’re saying doesn’t make sense to us.” Jesus does not seem worried whether they accept him or not.
Engage
Some struggled with how Jesus could have come down from heaven. Wasn’t he born to Mary and Joseph? Others in John’s late first century context struggled with the idea that he had truly become human at all. The Gospel of John walks this middle path between the two extremes. Yes, Jesus was “born of water” like all other human beings. He really had flesh and blood like the rest of us. Yet he also came down from above. He shared the glory of our Father in heaven before the world began (17:5). Christians believe both affirmations are essential. Jesus has the same substance as us, yet Jesus also shares the same substance with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit.
Examine:
Some in the Roman Catholic tradition have read these verses as an allusion to the elements of communion literally becoming the body and blood of Jesus in some way—“unless you eat the flesh… and drink his blood” (6:53). Jesus’ death probably was in view, but the vividness may have been directed at an early false teaching called Docetism. Docetists believed that Jesus only seemed to be human, that he was really a spirit being that had disguised himself to look like us. They thought matter was evil and thus that Jesus could not have been sinless if he had flesh. John consistently undermines this way of thinking (e.g., 1:14). Our bodies may be weak but they are not inevitably sinful in themselves.
Explore
It is hard to watch someone whom you once thought was an equal grow to prominence. “Isn’t this Joseph’s boy? I remember him when he was running around playing with sticks.” None of us will ever see any of our childhood friends grow up to be the Son of God, but we may very well have friends who go on to experience a prominence greater than our own. It is easy to get jealous—which we often mask by criticism or grumbling. Of course, the rising star can also get arrogant, which is just as inappropriate. In all these things it is important to recognize that our praiseworthiness depends on what we do with what God has given us, not on what we have.
Prayer
Father, free us from jealousy toward those with greater status than we have or who are more gifted at something than we are.
Sidebar
“There should be no division in the body, but… its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.” 1 Cor. 12:25-26
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
The Work of God (John 6:25-29)
A morning devotional
_____________
Introduction
Most of John 6 relates to the theme of the spiritual food that Jesus has provided. After feeding the five thousand, Jesus first withdraws, then walks on water to join his disciples on their way across the Sea of Galilee. Soon the crowds follow them all to Capernaum.
Engage
After searching around, the crowd who ate the loaves and fish find Jesus. They are seeking more earthly food, like Jesus gave them before. But Jesus wants to give them eternal food. Like he offered the Samaritan woman at the well, Jesus has a better water to give them than earthly water. He has a better food than earthly food. They should work to get this food. How do you work for this food? You do not work in the normal sense for it, like you would at a job to get wages. You work for this food by believing that Jesus is the Christ.
Examine
The question of whether we get right with God by faith or by works is a question that has surfaced and resurfaced throughout Christian history. On the one hand, it is always questionable to read one person's thoughts into another person's words. For example, even if you do not know about Martin Luther, there’s a good chance his arguments with the Roman Catholic Church over faith and works has influenced what you think about the topic, if you have any prior conception about the subject at all. But Jesus in John is saying something much more basic--eternal life is not something you have to work hard to get. All you need is to put your trust in Christ.
Explore
The crowds in John are not seeking Jesus for the right reasons. They are looking to get their fill of earthly food. Jesus has a much more significant food to give and they are completely blind to it. How many of us do religious things for superficial reasons? How many people go to church to keep up appearances? Some may go for the business contacts. Still others try to keep up the appearance of looking like a good person so that others will praise them or to help them succeed at getting the things they really want. God wants us to look beyond the surface to the things that truly last, to trust in the permanent rather than the temporary.
Prayer
Jesus, drive us to look for nourishment that is deeper and more lasting than anything we can see with our eyes, spiritual nourishment that truly fills.
Sidebar
“Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:33
_____________
Introduction
Most of John 6 relates to the theme of the spiritual food that Jesus has provided. After feeding the five thousand, Jesus first withdraws, then walks on water to join his disciples on their way across the Sea of Galilee. Soon the crowds follow them all to Capernaum.
Engage
After searching around, the crowd who ate the loaves and fish find Jesus. They are seeking more earthly food, like Jesus gave them before. But Jesus wants to give them eternal food. Like he offered the Samaritan woman at the well, Jesus has a better water to give them than earthly water. He has a better food than earthly food. They should work to get this food. How do you work for this food? You do not work in the normal sense for it, like you would at a job to get wages. You work for this food by believing that Jesus is the Christ.
Examine
The question of whether we get right with God by faith or by works is a question that has surfaced and resurfaced throughout Christian history. On the one hand, it is always questionable to read one person's thoughts into another person's words. For example, even if you do not know about Martin Luther, there’s a good chance his arguments with the Roman Catholic Church over faith and works has influenced what you think about the topic, if you have any prior conception about the subject at all. But Jesus in John is saying something much more basic--eternal life is not something you have to work hard to get. All you need is to put your trust in Christ.
Explore
The crowds in John are not seeking Jesus for the right reasons. They are looking to get their fill of earthly food. Jesus has a much more significant food to give and they are completely blind to it. How many of us do religious things for superficial reasons? How many people go to church to keep up appearances? Some may go for the business contacts. Still others try to keep up the appearance of looking like a good person so that others will praise them or to help them succeed at getting the things they really want. God wants us to look beyond the surface to the things that truly last, to trust in the permanent rather than the temporary.
Prayer
Jesus, drive us to look for nourishment that is deeper and more lasting than anything we can see with our eyes, spiritual nourishment that truly fills.
Sidebar
“Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:33
Saturday, August 17, 2013
Spirit Birth (Devotional Entry)
A day from a devotional on "The Symbols of John" I'm trying to finish. It's like the other six devotionals I've written down on the right (with 3 more already written and in the shoot on the Sermon on the Mount, Mark's Passion, and Jesus' parables).
________________________
Scripture Passage: John 3:1-8
Introduction
As the wine replaced the water, so Spirit birth is a more important birth than birth of water. We are born of water when we are born to our mothers. But we are born from above when we are born from the Spirit.
Engage
Jesus compares the person who has trusted in him to someone who has been born a second time with a spiritual birth. You will not gain eternal life, John is telling his audience, simply to be born an Israelite. As a teacher of Israel, Nicodemus should have known that. Since God is a Spirit, his true children are born of the Spirit. So also John’s audience needs to be born of the Spirit. If they believe that Jesus is the Christ, they can have eternal life (3:16). If they receive God’s Word come from above, God will give them the right to become the children of God (1:12). If they believe in the power of his name, they can have life in his name (20:31).
Examine
John may have a double meaning to his phrase, “born again,” a double entendre that we cannot translate very well into English. The word anōthen in Greek can mean “again,” but it can also mean “from above.” To be born of the Spirit is indeed to be born a second time, so it makes good sense to think Jesus is saying that Nicodemus needs to be born again. Yet at the same time, spirit is the stuff of heaven, where God dwells. God is a Spirit, as we will see in John 4. So to be born of the Spirit is to be born from above. John has put Jesus’ words in a way that would help his audience see both meanings.
Explore
The Spirit blows where he wants. In natural birth, it is easy to see who the parent is. You knew a child was an Israelite child because you knew the parents. Spirit-birth is not like that. "God has no grandchildren," in that respect. It is those who believe who experience birth from above, and earthly parentage is no certain indicator. Repeatedly, John urges us to believe that Jesus is God come to earth. John urges us to drink the wine of his blood and be born again. Where does the Spirit want to blow? He wants to blow into our lives. He wants to make us his children. He wants to give birth to a life in us that will never end.
Prayer
Spirit, blow into our lives today, whether to give us birth for the first time or to give us strength to face another day.
Sidebar
"Prevenient grace brings the first desire to please God, the first dawning of light about his will, and the first slight and passing conviction that we have sinned against him."
Paraphrase of John Wesley, "On Working out Our Salvation"
________________________
Scripture Passage: John 3:1-8
Introduction
As the wine replaced the water, so Spirit birth is a more important birth than birth of water. We are born of water when we are born to our mothers. But we are born from above when we are born from the Spirit.
Engage
Jesus compares the person who has trusted in him to someone who has been born a second time with a spiritual birth. You will not gain eternal life, John is telling his audience, simply to be born an Israelite. As a teacher of Israel, Nicodemus should have known that. Since God is a Spirit, his true children are born of the Spirit. So also John’s audience needs to be born of the Spirit. If they believe that Jesus is the Christ, they can have eternal life (3:16). If they receive God’s Word come from above, God will give them the right to become the children of God (1:12). If they believe in the power of his name, they can have life in his name (20:31).
Examine
John may have a double meaning to his phrase, “born again,” a double entendre that we cannot translate very well into English. The word anōthen in Greek can mean “again,” but it can also mean “from above.” To be born of the Spirit is indeed to be born a second time, so it makes good sense to think Jesus is saying that Nicodemus needs to be born again. Yet at the same time, spirit is the stuff of heaven, where God dwells. God is a Spirit, as we will see in John 4. So to be born of the Spirit is to be born from above. John has put Jesus’ words in a way that would help his audience see both meanings.
Explore
The Spirit blows where he wants. In natural birth, it is easy to see who the parent is. You knew a child was an Israelite child because you knew the parents. Spirit-birth is not like that. "God has no grandchildren," in that respect. It is those who believe who experience birth from above, and earthly parentage is no certain indicator. Repeatedly, John urges us to believe that Jesus is God come to earth. John urges us to drink the wine of his blood and be born again. Where does the Spirit want to blow? He wants to blow into our lives. He wants to make us his children. He wants to give birth to a life in us that will never end.
Prayer
Spirit, blow into our lives today, whether to give us birth for the first time or to give us strength to face another day.
Sidebar
"Prevenient grace brings the first desire to please God, the first dawning of light about his will, and the first slight and passing conviction that we have sinned against him."
Paraphrase of John Wesley, "On Working out Our Salvation"
Saturday, December 01, 2012
Jesus' Priorities
A sample day's devotional from the one I'm working on relating to Passion Week in Mark. The previous 6 devotional books I've written are down to the right .
___________
Scripture Passage: Mark 12:35-44
Introduction:
After all of Jesus’ debate partners have had a shot, now it is Jesus’ turn. He asks them a question that none of them can answer. Then he criticizes their pretenses to godliness, instead praising a widow who gives to God the little she has.
Engage:
At the end of these three paragraphs, Jesus praises a widow for having the right attitude. In comparison to many others, she gives very little—just two small coins. But she gives just about everything she has, even digging into the money she lives on. She is the one God commends. God is no doubt happy with the fact that the wealthy give, but they are hardly worthy of great honor when their giving is at no sacrifice to them, even if they give what seem like large amounts to the rest of us. And God certainly doesn’t commend those trying to impress others with their smarts or religiosity. God commends this widow whom no one might even have noticed if Jesus hadn’t pointed her out.
Examine:
The challenges of Jesus’ opponents in Mark 12 have come from almost every major Jewish group. They’ve asked him about doctrine, about ethics, about leadership. He’s bested them every time. Now it’s his turn. Who is David talking about in Psalm 110:1? Maybe they’ve been grumbling that he can’t be the Messiah because he’s not a descendant of David (not knowing that he actually was). Maybe he just wants them to know they don’t know as much as they think they do. But they have no answer for his question and are left silenced. No doubt most of us could use some silencing from time to time, especially when we think we have all the answers.
Explore:
Mark gives us a hint of Jesus’ teaching about hypocrisy, which Matthew 6 gives us more fully. The teachers of the law in Jerusalem were apparently more interested in being admired by other people than by God. They dressed nicely. They took the best seats on public occasions. Meanwhile, they in effect robbed the homes of the weak and defenseless. How easy it is for us to follow this pattern of hypocrisy today, even with such clear examples before us. Jesus hints that we are not as likely to see godliness when we go to the “shiny object” that our eyes are drawn to but with what is going on in the less noticeable, often despised places.
Prayer:
Father, in the moment we are most tempted to think we have arrived spiritually, remind us of the widow who put those two copper coins in the treasury.
Sidebar:
“It is in giving that we receive… It is in dying to ourselves that we are born to eternal life.”
St. Augustine
___________
Scripture Passage: Mark 12:35-44
Introduction:
After all of Jesus’ debate partners have had a shot, now it is Jesus’ turn. He asks them a question that none of them can answer. Then he criticizes their pretenses to godliness, instead praising a widow who gives to God the little she has.
Engage:
At the end of these three paragraphs, Jesus praises a widow for having the right attitude. In comparison to many others, she gives very little—just two small coins. But she gives just about everything she has, even digging into the money she lives on. She is the one God commends. God is no doubt happy with the fact that the wealthy give, but they are hardly worthy of great honor when their giving is at no sacrifice to them, even if they give what seem like large amounts to the rest of us. And God certainly doesn’t commend those trying to impress others with their smarts or religiosity. God commends this widow whom no one might even have noticed if Jesus hadn’t pointed her out.
Examine:
The challenges of Jesus’ opponents in Mark 12 have come from almost every major Jewish group. They’ve asked him about doctrine, about ethics, about leadership. He’s bested them every time. Now it’s his turn. Who is David talking about in Psalm 110:1? Maybe they’ve been grumbling that he can’t be the Messiah because he’s not a descendant of David (not knowing that he actually was). Maybe he just wants them to know they don’t know as much as they think they do. But they have no answer for his question and are left silenced. No doubt most of us could use some silencing from time to time, especially when we think we have all the answers.
Explore:
Mark gives us a hint of Jesus’ teaching about hypocrisy, which Matthew 6 gives us more fully. The teachers of the law in Jerusalem were apparently more interested in being admired by other people than by God. They dressed nicely. They took the best seats on public occasions. Meanwhile, they in effect robbed the homes of the weak and defenseless. How easy it is for us to follow this pattern of hypocrisy today, even with such clear examples before us. Jesus hints that we are not as likely to see godliness when we go to the “shiny object” that our eyes are drawn to but with what is going on in the less noticeable, often despised places.
Prayer:
Father, in the moment we are most tempted to think we have arrived spiritually, remind us of the widow who put those two copper coins in the treasury.
Sidebar:
“It is in giving that we receive… It is in dying to ourselves that we are born to eternal life.”
St. Augustine
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