From Rivals to Relatives

Ephesians 4:17-24

"This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, 18 having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; 19 who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. 

20 But you have not so learned Christ, 21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness."

Here at this table we put away rivalry and re-enter relationship. We surrender our hostility against God, our sins against Him. And we take up the cup of joy. We can’t hold on to our rivalry and rebellion and have fellowship with Jesus. Our hand has to hold this cup – the wine of relationship and communion. Or the cup we come with, of rivalry against God in our selfishness. Put away the sinful man Adam as you take on the new man Jesus. Peace with Jesus is not easy. Self-seeking rivalry keeps reasserting itself against Him in each of us. But it is worth pursuing, worth taking the trouble for, and that’s an understatement. Jesus Himself tells us, we will receive a hundredfold for all we have given up for Him in this life. This cup is a tiny token of that coming reward.

1/27/13

Come Prepared

When God called Abram to Canaan, praise waited for God in Zion. The first thing Abram did when he got to Canaan was set up an altar to worship and praise God. This is extremely important. Our response to God’s sovereign choosing to bless and commission us, is faith and worship. Abram puts a stake in the ground, an Ebenezer, between Bethel and Ai. Thus far God has helped us. When we come to worship God, we come prepared to confess our sins, to hear God speak, to take vows and profess our faith once again. We are children of Abram, following his faith in God, claiming God’s blessing by worshiping Him.

1/27/13

On Fellowship

Doug Wilson

"This word identification needs to be developed further. The Greek word koinonia is usually translated as fellowship, which is good enough, but over time the word has lost some of its texture and depth for us in the modern church. We moderns think that fellowship is the “coffee and donut time” after the main service, where we all chat each other up a bit, and then head out for the parking lot. But the word koinonia involves much more than just being friendly for twenty minutes once a week. The word, as it is used of Christians in the New Testament, involves communion, identification, union, reciprocity, and inter-dwelling. As Christians we are called to eat together, and talk, and give, and sacrifice, precisely because we are members of one another.

"God does not point to a bunch of people over there, and say, “See? Those people think similarly to you. Be nice and polite to them once a week.” Rather, He brings us all together so that we become one people. We indwell one another. We exchange life. We are members of one body. When one part of the body hurts, the entire body hurts."

The Point of Levitical Laws; on Food

Many Christians debate the meaning and point of the unclean food laws in Leviticus.
The Bible is clear about their purpose in Leviticus 20:24-26:

"I am the LORD your God, who has separated you from the peoples. 25 You shall therefore distinguish between clean animals and unclean, between unclean birds and clean, and you shall not make yourselves abominable by beast or by bird, or by any kind of living thing that creeps on the ground, which I have separated from you as unclean. 26 And you shall be holy to Me, for I the LORD am holy, and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be Mine."

Notice the "therefore" at the beginning of verse 25. This makes the connection explicit. God wanted Israel to distinguish clean from unclean animals because he called a people out of an unclean humanity and cleansed them.


The notion that they were given for hygienic reasons has made quite a comeback recently, but there is no biblical basis to the idea. In fact, asserting that position you'll wind up arguing against Jesus Himself, in Mark 7:18-19:

"whatever enters a man from outside cannot defile him, 19 because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and is eliminated, thus purifying all foods?”

Jesus was dealing with Pharisees who invested extra-Biblical food choices with religious and pietistic meaning. Using the same principle, I apply this to the organic and natural food craze today. Just because food is processed or preserved doesn't make it unbiblical or even unhealthy. I'm not arguing for poor nutritional choices, or saying that every "all-natural and organic" person is Pharisaical. But I am arguing against the censorious and conspiratorial attitude that people who eat processed food need to "unplug from the matrix" and start treating their body as the temple of the Spirit.

For further reading, try this.

On Love and Hate

Kevin deYoung, on loving your enemies.

Taxes; giving and receiving honor with humility

Some rather random reading notes:

One
In 1 Samuel 8:10-17, Samuel warns Israel that if they have a king, he will take their children as his servants, he will take their best produce,  "he will take the tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves."

This is one of the clearest guidelines I've seen in Scripture for a government income tax rate. A king would do the outrageous thing of taxing the people as much as GOD does - a whole TENTH of your income! It's insane! We've grown far too accustomed to confiscatory tax rates above 10%, that really result in servitude. Whatever the government can't do without that much revenue, the constitution probably doesn't enumerate as its responsibility anyway.

Two

Later, in chapter 9, Samuel gives Saul the choice piece of the sacrifice. This is not a contradiction with 8:17. We should honor the leaders that God anoints over us in ways like this. Fancy state dinners are not inappropriate, though Nehemiah was also wise not to use the huge budget he inherited (Neh 5:14-18).

Three

In 1 Samuel 12:11 Samuel puts himself on par with Gideon and Barak! He knew his place in God's story and neither exaggerated it, nor diminished it incorrectly out of a false humility.

The Nones

Great article from Imprimis.

"Obama ran a values campaign last fall that gambled that the Nones (no religious affiliation) would cast the decisive votes. For the first time in American political history, the winning party deliberately attacked religion."

Reno shows how our culture is questioning why religious liberty should win out over discrimination, as defined by the secular. Yet he is also optimistic that religion endures beyond political privilege and power. The Jews outlasted the Third Reich.

"The same holds for Christianity. The Church did not need constitutional protections in order to take root in a hostile pagan culture two thousand years ago."

Review: The Eagle of the Ninth

The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Sutcliff wrote back in the 1950's, and makes classical history come alive for young readers.

Set in early 2nd century Roman Britain, an injury forces the young centurion Marcus to retire. But he finds a calling seeking to recover a lost Roman standard Eagle from northern Celtic tribes where it was lost.

The author uses simple literary devices without being too clunky, teaching young readers how such things work. One of the themes is treating others with respect and freedom, no matter the cultural differences at play.

Recommended reading for the 12-15 age range.



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God Still Wants the Same Thing from You

Exodus 24:1-11

"Now He said to Moses, “Come up to the LORD, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship from afar. 2 And Moses alone shall come near the LORD, but they shall not come near; nor shall the people go up with him.” 

3 So Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD and all the judgments. And all the people answered with one voice and said, “All the words which the LORD has said we will do.” 4 And Moses wrote all the words of the LORD. And he rose early in the morning, and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve pillars according to the twelve tribes of Israel. 5 Then he sent young men of the children of Israel, who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the LORD. 6 And Moses took half the blood and put it in basins, and half the blood he sprinkled on the altar. 7 Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read in the hearing of the people. And they said, “All that the LORD has said we will do, and be obedient.” 8 And Moses took the blood, sprinkled it on the people, and said, “This is the blood of the covenant which the LORD has made with you according to all these words.”

9 Then Moses went up, also Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, 10 and they saw the God of Israel. And there was under His feet as it were a paved work of sapphire stone, and it was like the very heavens in its clarity. 11 But on the nobles of the children of Israel He did not lay His hand. So they saw God, and they ate and drank."

Our covenant relationship with God is similar but better than what we read here in Exodus. It is not only a select few leaders who get to approach God, but every one of us. We do not worship from afar, we are brought near. We hear God’s words and commit to do them. But we already have a sacrifice provided to make up for our failure to obey. Christ’s blood is sprinkled on us not in resolution to obey, but as protection from punishment.

Yet He is the same God of Moses. We remain in covenant with Him through blood. God still wants His people near Him, to dwell with Him. He wants us to see Him, and to eat and drink before Him. This cup is the new covenant in Christ’s blood. It accomplishes God’s purpose to save, redeem, protect, and provide for you.

1/13/13

Consider your ways

Job 31

    1“I have made a covenant with my eyes; 

          Why then should I look upon a young woman? 

    4Does He not see my ways, 

          And count all my steps?

    5      “If I have walked with falsehood, 

          Or if my foot has hastened to deceit, 

    8 Then let me sow, and another eat; 

          Yes, let my harvest be rooted out. 

    13“If I have despised the cause of my male or female servant 

          When they complained against me, 

    14      What then shall I do when God rises up? 

          When He punishes, how shall I answer Him? 

    21If I have raised my hand against the fatherless, 

          When I saw I had help in the gate; 

    22      Then let my arm fall from my shoulder, 

          Let my arm be torn from the socket. 

    24“If I have made gold my hope, 

          Or said to fine gold, ‘You are my confidence’; 

    25      If I have rejoiced because my wealth was great, 

          And because my hand had gained much; 

    29“If I have rejoiced at the destruction of him who hated me, 

          Or lifted myself up when evil found him 

    33      If I have covered my transgressions as Adam, 

          By hiding my iniquity in my bosom, 

    38      “If my land cries out against me, 

          And its furrows weep together; 

    39      If I have eaten its fruit without money, 

          Or caused its owners to lose their lives; 

    40      Then let thistles grow instead of wheat, 

          And weeds instead of barley.” 

This is Job’s last speech where he maintains his righteousness. It is quite a soul-searcher, and so excellent to consider as we confess our sins. Have you looked on a woman in lust? Spoken lies or sought to deceive? Not been fair to those you could take advantage of? Held back from the poor? Chased away those who needed love? Made your money your assurance of good to come? Been happy to see one hurt who you dislike? Wronged people in land deals? Hurt the land itself? Tried to squeeze every drop of gain from people and assets while giving them little to nothing? Hiding any of this from others and from God, like Adam did? God sees all your ways and counts all your steps and every movement of your heart, towards Him or away from Him.

1/13/13

Review: The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness

The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness by Timothy Keller

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



In a booklet barely 40 pages long, Keller explains 1 Corinthians 3:21-4:7 and tackles pride, ego, despair, self-esteem and the condemnation of others and ourselves.

The more I read Keller the more I see a standard format that I like: not A, and not B, but C. Where the world falls into one ditch or the other, he shows the Way.

Here, the two ditches are low self-esteem and high self-esteem. Traditional cultures have dealt with guilt and explained sin by pointing to pride. We think too highly of ourselves and so misbehave. Modern culture deals with guilt and explains sin by pointing to low self-esteem: we think too lowly of ourselves and so misbehave!

Keller says, looking to 1 Corinthians 3-4, neither is right. Not even our own clear conscience justifies us. Instead of looking to ourselves for a guilty or innocent verdict, we look to Jesus Christ who has already brought us a verdict of innocent.

So we are free to forget ourselves. This is the great insight of this booklet. We are free from judging ourselves all the time. Our ego is busy, always comparing us to someone else and concluding that we fall short or that we are better. This falls into the ditch either way. Instead we should look to Christ's performance for our judgment and work for him.



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Review: Every Good Endeavor: Connecting Your Work to God's Work

Every Good Endeavor: Connecting Your Work to God's Work by Timothy Keller

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Excellent book. Solid four and a half stars.

Classic Keller: translating a Reformed and Biblical worldview to communicate winsomely to the secularized person today.

Keller considers the nature of work, how sin messes up work, and how the Gospel of Jesus Christ relates to work. Here are some highlights:

The doctrine of common grace brings a great deal of freedom to our work. Christians often feel false guilt for not creating an explicitly Christian product or service in their work. Non-Christians can be genuine co-workers, because they are pursuing God-honoring work.

Vocation: Christians too often disconnect their work from God. Drawing on Luther's thoughts on vocation, our work is service to God, and His provision for our fellow man. Our work is one way we love our neighbor, providing him a product or service he needs.

Hope in our work: using Tolkien's "Leaf, by Niggle," story, we remember the incompleteness of our work, but also that God honors and completes us and our work at the last day.

I read this for a sermon on work and wealth, and was thankful to Richard for loaning it to me!



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Judges

Israel’s conquest of Canaan backfired after the first generation or two. The conquerors became the conquered. Israel’s adulterous idolatry led to weakness and being oppressed as a nation. We see it reflected in the judges who save them. Othniel and other judges had the Spirit of the Lord, but they were also a mixed bag of foolish vows (Jephthah), cowardice in going to battle (Barak and Gideon), cruel ambition (Abimelech), and selfish lust (Samson). God usually gives a people leaders who are like them.

This shows God’s grace to us. Even though we deserve conquest and annihilation as a nation and as individuals, God preserves us. It is not wrong to fight for preservation. But we too often strive for a greatness we’ve grown accustomed to, and act like we should be great again, no matter how much innocent blood we’ve shed.

This teaches us humility. God took Israel through a low time of being occupied, plundered and otherwise oppressed. But the key word is “through.” God will not abandon His people, but He may teach them humility when their ambition outstrips their obedience.

Living in Vanity Fair - Book of Judges

God had warned Israel as they entered and conquered Canaan, that they should not leave any survivors, that they should burn and destroy every vestige of pagan idols and religion. Else they would be tempted to worship those gods and leave their loyalty to their Lord.

This is exactly what happened.

Israel gave up fighting. They settled next to them, instead of driving them out and destroying their pagan altars, as God had said. So eventually they were worshiping their gods with them (Judges 1:27-2:13). God judges them with political, economic and military servitude (2:14-15). Even when He saved them from that servitude through the judges, they remained in their idolatry (2:16-3:4). Finally, the Israelites were willing to intermarry their children with the pagans (3:5-6). We live among them. We’ve become friends with them. We worship with them. Why discriminate again? Isn’t that racial prejudice? Giving up the fight against sin, growing comfort with the presence of idolatry around them had led to personal sin. Growing comfort with that personal sin then led to encouraging and endorsing their children to marry into pagan families that did not follow the Lord.

This is a picture of our spiritual warfare today. Even as God judges our ever more corrupt culture with political and economic servitude to foreigners, the church has grown complacent about the sin around and within. Have we given up fighting it? How do we live among and with unbelievers without tolerating godlessness, or implying by our silence or inaction that it is okay? How have we personally violated God’s Word to accommodate the situation? And how is that encouraging others (children, friends, etc.) to also compromise?

Let’s take the recent push for further acceptance of homosexuality in our culture.

We are unable to drive out this acceptance, at this point in our culture. (I’ll leave for another time whose responsibility that is.) This will lead to idols set before us, to which we are expected to bow the knee. There will be opportunities to compromise and sin personally, and lead our families that way. And there will be opportunities to shine the light of Christ for the lost to see.

That double edged-sword is always there where God’s people are called to live next to the ungodly. And living among unbelievers is not always a result of sinful compromise. “If only we were more faithful there would be no unbelievers!” This is not God’s plan, as the parable of the wheat and weeds reminds us. God means for us to be salt and light IN a rotting and dark world.

So take the warning: you can lose your saltiness and energy living in that world, like Israel did in Canaan.

Or you can bring others to the light.

Review: Tuesdays at the Castle

Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



A new author for me, but in the same youth fantasy genre.

An imaginative premise, with a castle that is alive and conscious.
Two sisters and one brother, caught up in castle politics, their parents assassinated, or kidnapped.

The plot line was one-dimensional, with conniving politics, which is too complex or subtle for the younger set (below 7-9 years old, maybe). There isn't much in the way of subplots to add variety. Not much character development. Dialogue writing was mediocre, I thought.

The strengths of the book are showing kids sticking together and working together, using their strengths where they are needed most, not giving up hope or courage in adversity.

A+ in moral content, but C- in quality of writing.

I have a vague speculation that the author is Mormon, based on her school and residence, and the overall moral "tameness" of the story. There is moral clarity regarding the magic present in the book, which is good.



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