doctrine

A Different Take on Colossians

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“Entering into this fullness is not something you figure out or achieve. It’s not a matter of being circumcised or keeping a long list of laws. No, you’re already in—insiders—not through some secretive initiation rite but rather through what Christ has already gone through for you, destroying the power of sin. If it’s an initiation ritual you’re after, you’ve already been through it by submitting to baptism. Going under the water was a burial of your old life; coming up out of it was a resurrection, God raising you from the dead as he did Christ. When you were stuck in your old sin-dead life, you were incapable of responding to God. God brought you alive—right along with Christ! Think of it! All sins forgiven, the slate wiped clean, that old arrest warrant canceled and nailed to Christ’s cross. He stripped all the spiritual tyrants in the universe of their sham authority at the Cross and marched them naked through the streets” (Colossians 2:11-15, The Message).

I don’t always love the Message paraphrase. Sometimes, it gets a little too loose with the text. But sometimes, it captures the nuances of the original Greek or Hebrew better than any traditional translation. I think this time Eugene Peterson got it right on the money.

Living a fulfilled life as a child of God isn’t about keeping all the rules and regulations. It’s not a matter of dotting all the i’s and crossing all your t’s in terms of having the absolute correct beliefs and doctrines about every little matter of faith. It’s about once being dead in sin and now being alive to God, all thanks to Jesus.

Elsewhere in the Bible, it says that what we could not do for ourselves in terms of fixing our brokenness and making ourselves right with God God did for us in Jesus. As I heard a pastor say, every other religion is about finding a way to get to God while Christianity is the story about how God in Jesus has come to us.

The beautiful story of the gospel is that Jesus has done for us what we could never in a million tries or in a million years do for ourselves. Jesus is 100% God, 100% man, and 100% for us. That’s the hope we have.

My Lent Readings

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So I may have gone a tad overboard with my readings for Lent. I suppose technically, some of them are specifically for Lent and some are devotionals for the entire year. Here’s what I’m reading. Hopefully it will inspire you to add these books (or others like them) to your to-read list at some point:

  1. God’s Message for Each Day – Eugene Peterson. This one is a daily devotional book from the author of the Message, more of a paraphrase than a translation of the Bible but still worth using. This little devotional has short readings for each day and has been very helpful.
  2. 365 Pocket Prayers – Ronald A. Beets. I don’t know if Ronald wrote these or compiled them, but there are 365 prayers, each with a different theme. There’s also a handy index listing the prayers by category in case you want to find a prayer for guilt or shame or anxiety or such.
  3. A Barclay Prayer Book – William Barclay. This is a prayer book that follows the Christian Year and Holy Days in the Book of Common Prayer and also has prayers for all seasons. There were a couple of phrasings in there that gave me a bit of pause, but overall, I’ve liked it enough to recommend it.
  4. It Is Finished: A 40-Day Pilgrimmage Back to the Cross – Charles Martin. This one is blowing my mind with new insights about Jesus’ journey to the cross. It’s very reverent and biblical in its retelling of the scenes of Jesus’ last week before the crucifixion. Another book I highly recommend.
  5. The Book of Common Prayer (1928 edition) – This book helps get me in the proper frame of mind for both Christmas and Easter with all the Advent and Lent readings leading up to Christmas Day and Easter Sunday. Plus, there are so many beautiful collects and other readings for all the Holy Days and other important days in the Christian calendar. It makes me want to be liturgical.

All that plus reading through the Bible in a year is a lot. So proceed with caution if you dare. Or you can recommend your own Advent and/or Lent readings that have encouraged and inspired you and maybe I’ll read them next year.

Funeral for a Friend’s Father

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“Death is not a chamber, but a passage; not an abiding-place, but a crossing over; not a state, but an act, an experience, a crossing of the bar, a going within the veil” (F. B. Meyer).

Today, I went to a celebration of the life of one of my friend’s father. He had recently passed away at 84. I can’t say that I knew him, having only met him once when he gave me and my friend a ride to the airport about 12 years ago.

Sitting at the funeral service, I came to respect him as a man of God after hearing all the testimonies and stories. One thing I took away was that he loved his God and his family, serving in his church for many years as an elder, Sunday School teacher, and greeter. He was known for his faithfulness and generosity.

I also learned of his love of cats and how he also loved to travel in his Jeep to national parks and historic sights across the country, doing thorough research beforehand to make the experience more enjoyable. As a fellow cat lover and Jeep enthusiast, I can’t very well fault his tastes.

I’m certain that a mark of a man’s wealth isn’t a bank account or a mansion but the number of people who speak well of him and can truly say that they loved him and that he loved them. A life of being faithful to serve in small ways over years is a blessed life indeed.

I can only say that I wish I could have known him better. I would have loved to hear his insights on the Bible as well as some of the current issues facing the nation. I imagine he’d have his own unique take, as I gather he was a militant individualist who blazed his own path rather than follow where others have been.

I think he would have loved that the preacher basically presented the gospel at the end of the service. He would have wanted people to have a chance to respond to the gospel that God so loved the world that he sent his one and only son so that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. He’d have wanted to know that all his friends and family could know that Jesus loves them.

It did my heart good to hear those words spoken in his honor. Though I understand that his body might have been in that casket in front of the chapel, I remember the words that Billy Graham once said: “Someday you will read or hear that Billy Graham is dead. Don’t you believe a word of it. I shall be more alive than I am now. I will just have changed my address. I will have gone into the presence of God.”

I know that he is now more alive than ever. He is more healed and whole than ever. He is standing before Jesus right now hearing the blessed words, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”


Hope Deferred

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Recently, I took my Jeep into the shop for some minor repairs. At the time, I didn’t really think it would take long, so I didn’t get everything out when I left it. That was 9 days ago. As it turns out, my Jeep won’t be ready until Monday. That makes 11 days without my car.

It’s been frustrating. I’m not overly happy with the place I took my car. I felt they could have streamlined the process and made it faster. I’m catching a glimpse of what it’s like to live under circumstances that are outside your control.

I can’t really force the people to work on my car any faster. I definitely can’t go down there and fix it myself. I can only do what the Bible says in difficult circumstances — trust and obey.

I like to think that I’m a patient person, but in times like these, I find that I’m not. I find myself getting anxious and irritated by the delay. I also look forward to getting my car back and to how much I will appreciate my Jeep after not having it for almost two weeks.

Then I remember that verse in the Proverbs that says that hope deferred makes the heart sick. I can understand that a little better now. I know people are dealing with much worse. Someone out there is facing a return of cancer. Someone is looking at a job prospect they thought was a sure thing that didn’t work out. Someone is back to square one in the dating game after finding out that special someone didn’t quite feel the same. Someone is still waiting on a prodigal to return home.

There are so many cases of people whose hearts are sick because their hope got delayed or deferred. So many barely had the strength to wait for the answer only to find that that answer is not yet. So many have been tested beyond their ability to endure or cope.

But that’s when they find that in the middle of their weakness and failing God’s strength is perfect. They find that saying that God never gives us more that we can handle isn’t quite accurate. God never gives us more than He can handle when we finally come to the point of surrender. That’s when God really shows up.

Hope deferred is not hope denied. Sometimes, it is because God has something more in store for those of us who wait that we’re not quite ready to receive. But I do believe that when it comes, the wait will have been more than worth it.

A Heavenly Perspective

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“DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)
We have faith in Jesus, blessed be your name, but oh strengthen and deepen that faith! May he be all in all to us; may we never look elsewhere for ground of rest, but abide in him with an unwavering, immutable confidence, that the Christ of God cannot fail nor be discouraged, but must forever be the salvation of his people. We trust we can say also that we love the Lord, but we long to love him more!Let this blessed flame feed on the very marrow of our bones.
Amen.
VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)
“By faith Enoch was taken away, and so he did not experience death. He was not to be found because God took him away. For before he was taken away, he was approved as one who pleased God.” (Hebrews 11:5)
It is faith that muzzles the mouth of death and takes away the power of the grave. If any man, who had not been a believer, had been translated as Enoch was, we should have been able to point to a great feat accomplished apart from faith. It has never been so.
Do not attempt to escape the pangs of death by any other way, but walk with God, and you will be able to say, “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:55).”

Almost no one was as good as Charles Spurgeon at keeping his people focused on Christ and the Cross, no matter what. May the same be said of us inside and outside of the church buildings or homes where we gather. We need to remember that God’s plan is so much bigger than us and our fears and doubts and dreams, yet He is concerned with each of us and our needs. May we also be reminded that the story isn’t over until you get to the last page, and as I read the last page of the Bible and of our story, it’s a good one.

Speak, Lord

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Right now, I’m having a random memory. I don’t know why, but the words that Chris Brooks always spoke before reading a Bible passage are coming back to me. He’d pray, “Lord, would you go before us in this text and make a way. And together we say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servants are listening.'”

Sometimes, I invite God into my Bible reading. Sometimes, I just plow right in. Sometimes, it feels like God is speaking to me as if He’s been reading my diary. Sometimes, it’s like reading words off of a page that I forget as soon as I’ve read them. Hmm, I wonder if there’s a connection.

I don’t necessarily think that there are magic words that force God to give us new insights into Scripture. There’s not an Abracadabra and then suddenly you understand everything about John 3:16 or 2 Timothy 3:16. But I think praying God’s blessing over the reading of His word helps us to understand that these are His words we’re reading more than simply being an ancient text.

There are lots of ancient texts. Especially religious ones. But none of the others are living and active. None of them can transform. In none of them can a passage you might have read hundreds of times suddenly jump out at you with new insight and application.

I’ve loved reading through the Bible again this year. Even the parts that aren’t always easy reading are divinely inspired. I know that in the more depressing moments that the meta-narrative is still leading me to Jesus. As badly as God’s people fail, that’s how much grace Jesus showed us when He arrived. More and more, I can relate to all the bone-headed decisions and choices that these people made. More and more, I see my need to preach the gospel to myself over and over because I still see my deep need of it every day.

So as we open the pages of the Bible to seek God’s face more than gain new knowledge, we invite You, Lord, to speak, for we are listening.

Do Not Be Surprised

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“Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you;

13 but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation. 1 Peter 4:12-13

3 And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance;

4 and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope;

5 and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Romans 5:3-5

Commentary:

The Purpose of Our Trials

In the midst of our struggles, we may feel overwhelmed, but God will carry us through.

September 10, 2024

1 Peter 4:12-13

Some believers like to portray their life as ideal and carefree. But in reality, being a Christian isn’t easy. In fact, sometimes we’ll experience trials that truly test our faith and ability to trust in God.

In today’s passage, Peter refers to times of testing as a ‘fiery ordeal.’ He says we shouldn’t be surprised when adversity comes. It’s important to remember that God has a purpose for our difficulties and will see us through them (Romans 5:3-5). Here are some of the goals He may have for painful experiences:

At times the Lord uses hardship to cleanse us. Trials drive us to Him. And as we focus on God, we’re increasingly able to see things from His perspective.

A difficulty in our life may be the Lord’s way of testing us. He could be trying our faith, endurance, or devotion to Him.

God uses suffering to demonstrate His power to sustain us. When He brings us through challenging times, He glorifies Himself. In turn, this encourages others, because they have witnessed God’s sustaining power in our life.

Ultimately, hardships strengthen our testimony. In the midst of our struggles, we might feel overwhelmed and discouraged. But once the storm has passed, we can often look back and see the Lord’s providential hand carrying us through” (Charles Stanley).

Staying True to the Truth

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“Jesus, the favorite Child of God, is persecuted. He who is poor, gentle, mourning; he who hungers and thirsts for uprightness; is merciful, pure of heart and a peacemaker is not welcome in this world. The Blessed One of God is a threat to the established order and a source of constant irritation to those who consider themselves the rulers of this world. Without his accusing anyone he is considered an accuser, without his condemning anyone he makes people feel guilty and ashamed, without his judging anyone those who see him feel judged. In their eyes, he cannot be tolerated and needs to be destroyed, because letting him be seems like a confession of guilt.

When we want to become like Jesus, we cannot expect always to be liked and admired. We have to be prepared to be rejected” (Henri Nouwen).

That’s it. Jesus said that if they hated Him, they would hate us. He also said woe to those of whom everyone speaks well. That’s not a good sign.

I’ve seen a trend lately where American believers want to fit in and be accepted, even at the expense of compromising away their convictions and doctrines.

What you end up with is a sort of “Be nice to each other” kind of theology that is of no use to anyone. We will have lost the very message that set us apart and got people’s attention.

I still love what Mike Glenn said about the world not hating us because we’re too different but because we’re not different enough. That’s where the Israelites screwed up by being too much like the nations around them and not nearly enough like the set apart people God called them to be.

Above being liked and being relevant, the priority of believers is still to remain faithful to Jesus and His gospel, no matter what.

 

You Are Not the God We Would Have Chosen

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Sometimes, it’s good to pray scripted prayers. Not all the time, but some times.

Sometimes, you have no words and need to borrow the words of those who have been where you are and voiced your words to God.

I think this prayer may soon qualify as one of my borrowed prayers:

We would as soon you were stable and reliable.
We would as soon you were predictable
and always the same toward us.
We would like to take the hammer of doctrine
and take the nails of piety
and nail your feet to the floor
and have you stay in one place.

And then we find you moving,
always surprising us,
always coming at us from new directions.
Always planting us
and uprooting us
and tearing all things down
and making all things new.
You are not the God we would have chosen
had we done the choosing,
but we are your people
and you have chosen us in freedom.
We pray for the great gift of freedom
that we may be free toward you
as you are in your world.
Give us that gift of freedom
that we may move in new places
in obedience and in gratitude.

Thank you for Jesus
who embodied your freedom for all of us. Amen” (Walter Brueggemann, Awed to Heaven, Rooted in Earth: Prayers by Walter Brueggemann).

Sign of the Times

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“You’re going to find that there will be times when people will have no stomach for solid teaching, but will fill up on spiritual junk food—catchy opinions that tickle their fancy. They’ll turn their backs on truth and chase mirages. But you—keep your eye on what you’re doing; accept the hard times along with the good; keep the Message alive; do a thorough job as God’s servant” (2 Timothy 4:3-5, The Message).

“because a time will come when some will no longer tolerate sound teaching. Instead, they will live by their own desires; they’ll scratch their itching ears by surrounding themselves with teachers who approve of their lifestyles and tell them what they want to hear. They will turn away from the real truth you have to offer because they prefer the sound of fables and myths. But you must stay focused and be alert at all times. Tolerate suffering. Accomplish the good work of an evangelist, and complete the ministry to which you have been called.” (2 Timothy 4:3-5, The Voice).

Here’s the thing. Lots of people are determining their theology by whether it feels right or not. If it feels good, it must be true; if it makes me uncomfortable, it must be not I but that doctrine or belief that needs to change.

I don’t claim to understand it all. I don’t claim to have all the answers. I do know this– Feelings are fickle and changeable. Feelings will (and often do) lie to you.

If I put my feelings over the Word of God, then I make myself the final judge of what is or is not true. But if I determine my feelings by what the Word of God says, then I’m submitting to God’s authority.

I really would like everything that’s true to feel good all the time. But I know that I (and the rest of us) are fallen human beings. Our emotions, our minds, our thought processes are affected by the Fall.

I trust God. I trust His Word. Even when it makes me uncomfortable.