brett’s morning blend (15may12)

The question of the day is this:  Why do so many people write “Mother’s Day” instead of “Mothers’ Day?”  

The apostrophe seems to be in the wrong place at least 90% of the time.  I suppose I would understand if one were giving his mom a card that belongs only to her; then it could (accurately) be Mother’s Day.  But when we’re talking about the holiday itself, or when people are using it in advertisements and the like… that clearly should be Mothers’ Day.  Am I right?

And now the links:

God d—it! doing stuff in vain

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in vain:  producing no result; ineffectual; useless

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It’s long troubled me that we’ve understood “taking the Lord’s name in vain” as giving God a last name that rhymes with gamut.*  Not that I’m in favor of using God’s name as an obscenity (or of frequently asking him to damn things**).  It’s just that there’s so much more to the third commandment than a forbiddance to use the big GD — or his little brother, gosh.

contextualization and paul in athens

Are we under-contextualizing the gospel?  Or are we over-contextualizing it?

The second half of Acts 17 is a beautiful picture of Paul presenting the good news in a meeting of the Areopagus in Athens.  It is contextualization at its best.  But what is contextualization, some might ask?  

spiritual potty-training and christian unity

Are our churches made up of infants?  

Unity is of utmost important in Christianity.  We miss that sometimes.  Which, perhaps, is not all that surprising when we look at Christianity as a prescribed set of doctrines to which we must adhere.  Alter the interpretation of one passage, and a fence must be built — to separate us from those heathens on the other side.  Or we overlook sin and immorality within our own tribe, because it is proper belief that demonstrates salvation — and not righteousness.  I’m afraid we’ve placed too great of importance on knowledge and right belief, and too little on loving one another and being obedient to God.

Paul would call us a bunch of babies.  No wait… Paul DOES call us a bunch of babies.  In Ephesians 4.

In this chapter Paul encourages the church at Ephesus to seek unity.  Unity is described as a function of the Holy Spirit, and it is realized as the body of Christ matures.  Let me repeat that, because it’s worth repeating:

Unity in the church is the work of the Holy Spirit.  And it is one of the most obvious and unambiguous indications that a group has reached maturity in Christ.

And we rarely exhibit it.

Perhaps I’ve got it all wrong.  Maybe I’m being too critical.  I certainly do want to join in with others in celebrating the unity we already possess — or at least toward which we’re making strides.  And I’ve experienced incredible unity in some congregations; I thank God for those churches.  But it seems to me these are the exceptions, rather than the rule.  And look at the discord between congregations.  Or worse yet, between denominations.  What’s a Christian seeking unity to do?

Paul happens to offer some very practical advice in Ephesians 4.  If you’ll allow me, I’d suggest the keys to allowing the Spirit to bring unity are:

1.  Individuals should live as followers of Christ ought to:

• Be humble, gentle, and patient.
• Have a soft heart.  Be open to hearing from your brothers and sisters.
• Don’t follow your sinful and selfish desires (especially lying, anger, greed, and sexual impurity).
• Be honest, work hard, and share.
• Give yourself for others.
• Imitate God.

2.  Within the body, we should love one another.  This means:

• Play the role assigned you by God.  Your gift is needed to bring maturity (and unity) to the church.
• Speak the truth to one another — but always in love.
• Forgive one another.  [And I don’t see any exceptions.]
• Be a people of compassion and kindness.  Only speak what is beneficial.
• Share with one another.  Your things are not your own.

Some won’t like that I’ve written as if knowledge always stands in conflict with the above behaviors.  They want it to be both/and –not either/or.  And they’re right to desire such; I’m there with them.  Knowledge does not always stand in opposition to love and obedience.  Godly knowledge never does.  And this knowledge from God is desperately needed for us to reach unity.  Paul indeed says as much in Ephesians 4.  

My argument today, though, is simply that our knowledge is too often not a Godly knowledge — despite the fact that we come to it by means of Bible study.  I learn from Paul (in Ephesians 4) that if ours is a knowledge which does not build the church up to maturity AND together in unity, then it is not a Godly knowledge.  It is the knowledge of man — counted as trickery, deceitful scheming, and mere winds of doctrine.

I don’t wish us to do away with knowledge.  But no amount of Bible study alone is going to make us into the people Paul describes in Ephesians 4.  Nope, that will take 1) the Holy Spirit at work in us and 2) our willingness to be obedient to the teachings of Jesus.  Too often this is an unpopular answer.  But it’s the right one.

Spiritual potty-training.  That’s what we need.

brett’s morning blend (12apr11)

Very busy day; got lots of work done.  Amazing amounts, in fact.  Maybe a record for the most productive day ever in Geita (…by anyone).  Christie and I also are entertaining our first overnight Tanzanian guest.  I want to publish this post before he gets out of the shower, so today’s morning blend contains no commentary. I guess you’ll link to look, if linking liking move.*

A Recently Discovered Letter of Critique Written to the Apostle Paul

Our Journey Toward Women in Leadership

PETA Upset with the Bible for Calling Animals “It”

Why Do Women Find Funny Men Attractive?

I Had No Idea Mountain Goats Could Climb Walls Like These!

Bilinguals See the World in a Different Way

Infographic Ranking the Difficulty of Learning Different Languages (for English Speakers)

Top Ten Movie Misquotes — Darth Vader is Number One

A Flowchart to Help You Determine Where You Should Pee

* Anybody?

a contract with God

Forgive me the liberties I’ve taken with the text (I aspire to be the next Eugene Peterson, only without the trite and cheesy* colloquialisms):

Don’t fool yourselves or turn up your noses at God’s contract.  It’s a simple kingdom truth that wages are determined by performance.   If a man works selfishly and for his own good, he’ll receive death.  But if he works in order to please God, his salary will be true life — and he’ll enjoy that life forever.

So don’t entertain thoughts of starting your own private businesses.  And don’t give up doing good and working for God.  Because God’s salary and benefits package is far better than anything you could arrange for yourselves.  [His retirement plan's not bad, either.]  Take advantage of every opportunity that arises; if you’re able to assist someone, do.  And you should especially lend a hand to other employees in God’s kingdom.

— Galatians 6:7-10 (my own very loose translation)

judged by our works

A lot of Christianity frowns on talk of good works being rewarded. “Eternal life is a free gift, and you can’t earn it,” they say.  I’m not suggesting salvation can be earned.  But we can’t deny that the Bible says a great deal concerning our being judged by works and reaping what we sow. This is a kingdom principle. The truth of the matter is that a true Christian shouldn’t be concerned by this, as faith manifests itself in love for God and love for others.  And these are necessarily demonstrated by good works.

the fruits of selfishness

While living selfishly seems to bring us great pleasure, Paul is clear that, in reality, it results only in death.  We would do well to consider the future implications of our behavior today.  Pray that God will help us to see well in advance the fruits of those things we do in the present.

transformed thinking necessary

“As we have opportunity, let us do good…”  Pray that God will help us to notice the opportunities we have to do good. I’m afraid I often miss these occasions — not because of a reluctance to help others, but rather because of a failure to be conscious of their needs.  This seems to be at the root of the problem. If my thinking is selfish, then my actions will necessarily be so. In order to take advantage of opportunities to help others, I must be thinking of others. A self-centered attitude yields service to self.  While an others-based view of the world produces compassion and kindness.

responsibility to help other christians first

Christians are called first to help one another.  We often ignore this principle (which is found throughout scripture) because we think of it as selfish.  We prefer to give to the poor in rural Tanzania or to the homeless in New Orleans because (my guess) it makes us feel good.  But proper kingdom giving begins with giving IN the kingdom. It may not be as sexy as feeding the poor in Haiti or providing water for a village in Sudan, but it’s a kingdom principle.

We’re meant to demonstrate to the world how the family of God functions.  [You could call it a missionary principle.] I’d argue this is God’s form of attractional ministry: that Christians love one another and take care of one another. [Not that we have a great praise band and let visitors park near our front doors.]  For a little more on the subject, see giving: the seventh year and debts.

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May God empower us to take every opportunity to do good works.  May he make us a less selfish people, and may he be glorified in our willingness to serve others.

 

* You know, it’s sad that the word “cheesy” is in and of itself cheesy.  I generally don’t use it, but the irony struck me as humorous today.  It is, however, slightly better than “corny.”

3 principles for training our minds

What you think about is important.

Lately I’ve been reading from Paul’s letters.  And I can’t get over how much significance he gives to our thoughts and our minds.  What we think about, and the way in which we consider it, greatly affects our lives — especially those of us who aspire to be like Christ. Here are three principles I’ve taken from Philippians 4:4-9 and Colossians 3:1-11.  The passages themselves are well worth a read.  But today I’ll leave you with only the principles.

Preface: The way I understand (and experience) it, there are three things on which I can meditate:  evil, the anxieties and concerns associated with the future, or that which is good. And Paul addresses how we should deal with our thoughts in each of these situations.

I Will Control My Thoughts

1. I will put to death all evil thoughts. Any temptation will be immediately dismissed from my mind.  When a bad attitude comes to my attention, I will deal with it both severely and with immediacy.  Sin will not be further entertained or regarded as having any value.
2. I will turn my anxieties into prayer requests. I will not meditate on my worries or concerns, but instead will offer them to God.  He is both able and willing to give me peace.
3. I will think on what is good and right and pure and lovely. I am to direct my mind and my heart to dwell on the things of God.

What’s On My Mind

• We (or I at least) have a tendency to believe we are not sinning unless we perform evil acts.  Whether it be lust, rage, greed, or some other sin, we convince ourselves it’s okay to think about it (consider it, even) — provided we don’t act on our thoughts.  [This despite Jesus' words in the Sermon on the Mount.]  I’m convinced Christians entertain far too many* sexual thoughts about women (or romantic ones about men) to whom they’re not married.  We hold anger tightly in our hearts as if it were meant to be there.  We spend much of our free time meditating on what we could do if only we had a little more cash.  We’ve become accomplished at keeping our hands clean — while our minds remain filthy.
• Some of us may have a tendency to tell others they shouldn’t worry.  I am sometimes extremely guilty of this.  I read Jesus’ words in Matthew 6 and don’t understand why some people worry so much.  ”Just don’t do it,” I think.  But that’s not Paul’s solution to ridding our lives of anxiety.  He doesn’t say to put these worrisome thoughts to death (as he says of sinful thoughts); instead he suggests we turn them into prayers to God.  We give our anxieties to God, and he exchanges them for peace.
• We think of “meditation” as a good thing (I think) — but it can only be as good as those subjects on which we meditate. Meditation on evil is sin.  Meditation on tomorrow is worry.  Meditation on that which is of God, though, is both healthy and beneficial.
• Thinking on those things which are good does not limit our thoughts to scripture, cuddly angels, and service to old people.  I’d argue it has more to do with recognizing God at work in the world, and doing away with this false dichotomy of spiritual versus physical.  God is present in all, and when we meditate on what is good and true, we see our relationships and daily activities in the light of a God-filled existence. That is good — seeing kingdom principles at work in the “mundane.”

A Few Practical Ideas

• Becoming a Christian isn’t a magical charm by which our thoughts are transformed overnight, or Paul wouldn’t have had to write these things. If we’re not actively working to train ourselves to think better, we won’t. We need a plan of action.  You need to develop one.
• When evil enters my mind, I say aloud, “Get away from me, satan.  I’m a child of God, and you have no power over me.” Or something like that at least.  And then I pray that God will help me to cast these sinful thoughts out of my mind.  [Many of us are open to the prayer part, but shy away from the speaking aloud bit. But I know for me...]  Opposing the devil out loud with words seems to be more helpful than prayer alone.  I believe there is much power in our words. [And it doesn't hurt that we're calling something sin out loud, and will therefore hear it called that as well.]
• I don’t worry a great deal.  Very rarely, actually.  I suppose it is a gift that God has given me; and I’m thankful for it.  But my best practical advice in this area, then, is not for those of us who worry, but for those of us who don’t.  We should have patience with those who do struggle with anxiety and worry.  Encourage them to hand every worry over to God.  Help them to turn those anxieties into prayers.  Don’t oversimplify it and discount their feelings by saying, “Just don’t worry.  It’s a sin.”
• I’m currently trying to think of ways to train myself to meditate on that which is good.  My best idea so far is to wear a bracelet (I don’t normally wear a watch or anything on my wrist).  For at least a time, then, I’ll not be able to forget I have something on my wrist.  And every time I notice it there, I will take a moment to think on God’s goodness in my life and to say a short prayer of thanksgiving.

Do you guys have some other thoughts on the subject — or better yet practical ideas for training our minds?

* Not that even one is appropriate.

marriage to an unbeliever (and sanctification the result)

image courtesy of free-extras.com

 

Yesterday I wrote about marriage being both a partnership AND a hierarchy.  That post has generated some good discussion and I especially appreciate Tisha’s comments and questions (nothing against the rest of yours).  I penned a reply in the comments section, but decided it might itself be worth publishing as a post.  NOT because it’s a brilliant answer, but because I’d like to invite further discussion on the matter. I’m unsure of my conclusions regarding Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 7, and welcome any input you guys have.

The Questions

Here are Tisha’s words (with portions edited out):

[Brett said:] “A wife who is in submission to Christ cannot conceivably offer full submission to a husband who is not. No man — or woman — can serve two masters.”

I was wondering if a woman is truly unable to fully submit to her husband if he is not in submission to Christ, as long as he is not asking her to contradict her responsibilites as a follower of Christ. Couldn’t him being sanctified through his wife, or being won by her conduct be partly due to her benevolent submission to him?

I was thinking those verses about serving two masters were in regard to serving God vs money. Do you believe they can be applied in the context of marriage as well?

Tisha raises some excellent (and difficult) points. I want to float my reasons for making the statements as I have, and then welcome your thoughts:

Two Masters

First, though, let me clarify that I was not offering the husband in the above scenario as one of the “two masters.”  Rather, I was meaning to imply (and probably was unclear) that a man who is NOT in Christ is necessarily serving the world.  And a man who IS in Christ is serving Christ. So a Christian woman, it seems, could only submit to the latter, as in doing so (if he loves her as Christ loves the church) she would be submitting to both husband and Christ in one fell swoop. So my two masters here are the same as in Matthew 6 — God versus the things of this world.

Trading Roles

In 1 Cor 7:12-14, Paul urges the Christian woman not to divorce her unbelieving husband IF “he is willing to live with her.” In this situation it sounds to me like the non-believer husband is being forced to choose between 3 options:

• submit to his Christian wife and her Christian ways,
• have her divorce him, or
• leave (and i’m not sure this one is really any different than the one before it).

The Christian woman in this situation has firmly decided to serve the Lord, and if her husband wants to live under that kind of roof with that kind of wife and kids, let him; she shouldn’t divorce him. It seems the roles have now been switched.  The wife in this situation is called to love her husband as Christ loves the church, while the husband is choosing to be in willing submission to her — and therefore even to Christ.

Sanctification of the Unbelieving Spouse

I believe this is how “the unbelieving husband will be sanctified through his wife.”  So I would suggest it’s not a wife’s willing submission to her husband that convinces him to accept Christ or makes him holy.  Rather it is his willing submission to Christ THROUGH HER that sanctifies him. This is exactly the opposite of what I’ve been taught.  But it seems to me to make more sense of the text.  Also, it’s interesting to note it works the same way for a believing man with an unbelieving wife — though in that situation the roles would not be switched.

[If you think about it, loving an unbelieving husband despite his unbelief is incredibly similar to Christ loving the church.  Being submissive to him, though, would not at all be.]

The Christian woman, we’re also told, is not bound to a husband who doesn’t want to live with her (and her faith). If he leaves, she is to let him; and she’s in no way required to chase. This section seems to further support the above ideas. Marriage between a believer and an unbeliever is not what was intended, but if the non-Christian submits to Christ through his/her spouse, it will work.  It will not, though, be successful any other way.

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So in the situation Tisha mentions — where the husband “is not asking [the wife] to contradict her responsibilites as a follower of Christ” — I would say there are three ways that could happen:

1. She is leading, and he is submitting — which will work fine. Great, even.  And he will be sanctified in the process.  But she is not in submission to him in this case.
2. They are agreeing to live their lives as if they weren’t married (Christian marriage anyway), with neither in submission to the other. This may make for a peaceful coexistence, but it’s not what marriage was intended to be.  And still she’s certainly not in submission to her husband. She may let him make some decisions, but she’s not following him as he follows his ideals and worships his gods. Because his god is necessarily going to be money, power, or even something good like family. But for her to submit to him (and his god) would be to submit to a second master.
3. She doesn’t think she’s being asked to contradict her service to God, but in actuality she is. She is attempting to serve two masters without realizing it. [I’d argue this is probably even where most Christian marriages are — not because the husband is an unbeliever, but because it seems most Christians today are “3rd soil christians.”

What do you guys think?

Next post in this marriage series: marriage as a (misunderstood) play

finishing marathons and winning football games in the name of Christ

image courtesy of printfection.com

I am not a contented person by nature. I’m always wanting more.

I spent three days in a Tanzanian village earlier this week and realized how very discontented I am.  I didn’t miss (for those three days) running water or electricity.  Taking a bath out of a bowl of water isn’t so bad, and the absence of electricity only meant the night sky would be absolutely stunning.

But I can’t express to you how much I missed soft chairs, beds, and couches.*  The cushiest thing I sat on during my stay in the village was a rock; and I thanked God for it’s anatomically-contoured curves.  But still I was not content.  I secretly longed to go read my Bible while sitting comfortably in the truck that was parked just a few meters away.

Nor was I content with the food I was served. I ate what was placed before me and enjoyed the company,** but I sure missed having some variation in my diet.  In my mind, a guy can only eat so much rice or ugali — and dipping it in the same accompanying sauce at every meal is not my forte.  Boredom sets in quickly with tasteless starches dunked in tomato-flavored boiled water.

I am not by nature a content person.  And neither are you. Contentment is not inherent in fallen man. And don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

What I Learned On My Summer Mission Trip

Every short-term-mission-trip-goer is an expert on contentment.  Because they’ve witnessed firsthand Haitians living in huts and Hondurans living off beans and rice.  These Christians return to the states with a renewed appreciation for what they have and a strong desire to be as content as the completely satisfied Latin Americans.

To hear these mission trip goers, you’d think selfishness and materialism is a North American disease, one to which the rest of the world is immune.  Not true.

The African living under a thatch roof desperately wants one made of tin.  The Haitian family sleeping together in one bedroom lusts after their neighbors’ two-bedroom home.  Godly contentment is not something the third-world has a firm grasp on.  If you’ve witnessed true contentedness, it’s likely due to the Holy Spirit and not the absence of wealth.***

Paul Says…

“…I’ve learned to be happy no matter what the situation.  On one hand I’ve experienced not having anything at all, but on the other I’ve at times had more than I could ever possibly need or use.  But most importantly, I have learned the secret of being content in all circumstances, whether hungry or full, whether lounging on a rock or a leather couch, and whether or not I own the newest Iproduct.  I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength.”  – Philippians 4:11-13

A(n extremely) Common Misuse of Scripture

It’s odd that we’ve interpreted this last verse to mean nearly the exact opposite of what Paul intended. When I see a high school football team with Philippians 4:13 printed on the back of their state championship shirts, or a group of marathon runners who believe this verse means they can, and should, complete 26.2 miles to display Jesus’ power in them, I am saddened.

This verse would be more appropriately demonstrated by the little crippled boy who will never run a step in his life, but is happy just to be in the crowd.  Or the football players who can’t play a lick and lose all their games, but enjoy the season and its accompanying camaraderie all the same.  The family who has just lost a child in a car accident, but still believes — and acts as if — God is good.  Or the Christian couple who desperately desire to have children but are unable and, so, volunteer their time at the local Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs.

While I’m certainly not against accomplishing great feats of athleticism — and am myself a runner and triathlete (though not one with any great feats to his name) — we can’t forget that “doing all things” to Paul meant being content no matter how horrible the situation.

[I would argue that the expression of joy during times of success is not nearly the witness of Christ as is the demonstration of contentment during defeat, poverty, or hard times.]

And Christ’s strength in us is the secret of that inextinguishable joy.

That is the meaning of Philippians 4:13 and the big secret Paul had learned — that Christ enables us to be content in any and every situation.  Whether we’re marathon finishers or cassava farmers in Bilyahilu village, whether we’ve just received a raise or a pink slip, whether we live in an air-conditioned home or under a thatch-roof, we can have joy and Godly contentment because of Christ in us.

* I suppose this was made worse by my sore bottom due to arriving by bicycle.

** Well, all but the beans — God’s worst invention.

*** Though I’ll give you that the absence of wealth may give you a head start on contentment.  Seems like Jesus may have touched on that with the whole camel-going-through-the-eye-of-a-needle thing.

obedience by magical charm

The Holy Spirit’s not a magic charm.  And the grace of God’s not spiritual voodoo.

If you’ve been reading the blog for long, you know I’m promoting a shift from knowledge-based Bible study to an obedience-based approach.  I’ve received a bit of pushback at times (not necessarily on the blog) concerning these ideas.  Many would suggest that God changes our lives and we shouldn’t be dependent on ourselves for bringing about this transformation.  And a fair number of these Christians would then say the answer is for us simply to “work on our relationships with God” — and the Holy Spirit will reshape our lives as a result.

I’m certainly not against having a good relationship with God, but I don’t buy the premise that “I-need-to-work-on-my-relationship-with-God” can be accomplished with Bible study and prayer alone.  A Christlike life is not fashioned from minutes spent in the word and a bowing of the head aimed towards a deeper friendship with the Father.  There must be practice.  Now, I’d never suggest the potential is within me to bring about transformation in my life — except that the Holy Spirit in me does provide such a power.  But I am convinced this power will only manifest itself in a changed life when there has been present intentional training.  I must rehearse my obedience to God.  I must practice living in the kingdom.

Paul writes in (the first chapter of) his letter to Titus:

They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him.  They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.

He then goes on (in chapter two) to describe this obedience that is lacking as something that can be taught.  I find it interesting the the word “self-control” is used four times in the chapter to describe how Christians should behave.  Controlling one’s self sounds more like hard work than supernatural voodoo.  No question, though, the catalyst for learning obedience is indeed the grace of God:

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.  It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age…

But, still, the grace of God is not some magical charm that, once believed, makes us obedient little Christs.  There must be a commitment to change; there must be a training for obedience.  Check out these words from Paul (from 3:8):

And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good.

So the next time one of us finds ourselves thinking “I should work on my relationship with God,” perhaps we should consider doing so by practicing a little more than reading.  Maybe 10 minutes of reading about loving my neighbor and 50 minutes of cutting that neighbor’s grass.  Or 20 minutes of prayer, asking God to give me the courage and the stomach to hug smelly old ladies in the nursing home — and a couple of hours of actually doing so.