Christians and the Muslim Fast of Ramadan

There are some interesting posts floating around the blog-o-sphere related to the recent Christianity Today article on whether Christians should celebrate the Muslim Fast of Ramadan. People seem clearly divided on the issue, however, I am most aligned with McDermott's response. He says,

"Christians may fast alongside Muslim friends, either as a gesture of friendship or in order to open dialogue, but not as part of Ramadan itself. Christian fasting is fundamentally different from Muslim fasting. Christians must make clear that their view of God, God's approach to us, and therefore fasting as part of our relationship to God, are each different from Muslim views." - Gerald McDermott, Jordan-Trexler Professor of Religion, Roanoke College

Unlike Wilson who believes it is an expression of serving a false god or engaging in false worship, I would argue it is a point of connection, however like Joel Hunter, a point of connection is not a spiritual discipline, rather it is a social contact. If engaging in the fast opens up social contact that allows the truth of the gospel to be shared, then by all means do it. That said, I have some reservations that I am still working out in my own mind, based on my time as a missionary in Africa.

Many of the Mbunda people we worked with rose early each morning and prayed circling a tree, dropping flour as they walked. Over time I came to learn that this act was a ritual which left an offering for the spirits and the ancestor to whom they were praying. Would it then be appropriate to engage in this act from a desire to make social connection? Would I truly be able to share the gospel truth with my Mbunda brothers and sisters, or would I be setting the stage for a severe form of syncretism? These are the deeper questions that must be wrestled with and each individual believer must seek God's leading in the Word and in the Spirit.

I personally do not see a problem with engaging in the Fast, as part of making the connections, Jesus calls us to fast, but he doesn't call us to walk around trees and sprinkle meal offerings for spirits. Others may disagree, and I respect their conviction. Yet all must be sure that the gospel which is preached is the pure Gospel of God's complete forgiveness of sin and acceptance as his children apart from any spiritual discipline we engage or fail to engage. I think what is being hinted at in all the answers and posts is the deeper question of "What will Christianity look like in a Muslim culture?" of maybe better "Is arabic culture different from islamic religion?" These two questions are huge and there is alot of scholarly work out there on these problems. We would do well to wrestle with a corollary in our context "How much has american culture become associated with christian religion?"

The Tragedy of Syncretism - 2 Kings 17

I have been reflecting on 2 Kings 17 for about a week or two, and their are two verses that continue to jump out at me. The first is the final half of verse 15, "They imitated the nations around them although the Lord had ordered them, "Do not do as they do," and they did the things the Lord had forbidden them to." The second is the concluding verse of the chapter, "To this day their children and grandchildren continue to do as their fathers did."

These two verses, though seperated by the exiling of Israel and the Assyrian policy of resettling conquered lands are connected more deeply than we might care to believe. These verses expound the tragedy of syncretism, the tragedy of individuals, families and cultures that refuse to submit to God's ways, and ultimately God's Son. Everyone of us is hopelessly syncretistic, we try to meld the worship of God Almighty, Creator of the heavens and the earth, with our worship of the gods of the land: money, power, sex, beauty, success, violence, death...

National Healthcare - a different view

Many of us are eagerly following the healthcare reform play out on Capitol Hill.  Here is one piece articulating opposition based not on economic argument but on the oath of office to uphold the constitution.  I found it interesting, for Brad Green argues that in supporting the nationalization of healthcare, proponents are
"calling for their elected federal officials to violate the law of the land, and to violate their oath of office, by clearly and unabashedly taking one more step in the destruction of the very Constitution they have sworn to uphold."

The very statement charges that support of the measure is an encouragement to sin and violate Jesus teaching on honesty and truth. Whether or not you agree with his logic, or argument, I encourage you to read the piece. It is a distinctly different approach than I have seen on either side of the issue to date.

Brad Green teaches theology at Union University in Jackson. He is a co-founder of Augustine School in Jackson

Read the original article

A Short Course in Praying for Spiritual Maturity - 2 Thes 3:1-5

We have been looking at Paul's prayer life for 10 weeks now and today we get to ask the question, what did Paul need prayer for?  What did the great missionary apostle ask others to pray for in his life?  There are three requests that Paul specifically made of the Thessalonians, followed by 2 prayers he prayed for them and one overarching motivational reason for all this prayer.  I couldn't have planned it better if I had tried, 3-2-1.  This is like a basic short course in prayer.

 

So what are the 3 requests for prayer that Paul asks?  First, he wants them to pray that the message of the Lord runs in our life and the life of others.  Those words, spread rapidly, are the words of the Olympic races.  They are the words used of athletes running in the stadium before the crowd for the prize.  Paul needs, wants and desires their prayer for his and his companions' Christian marathon.  Let us speed onward to Christ-likeness.  Pray that we run as though running a 100m dash, giving everything we have and allowing the gospel to spread throughout our lives and the lives of those we minister too.  Pray that the Gospel is extraordinarily successful.

 

In fact this continues to be Paul's prayer and instruction up to the end of his life.  In Acts as he is headed towards Rome, he says,

 

Acts 20:24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me — the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.

 

The author of Hebrews instructs us all to let the message to spread rapidly in our life

 

Heb. 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

 

And it is not until the end of his life, when the verdict is clear and death is imminent that Paul changes his request to a statement that I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith (2Tim. 4:7).

 

So our first prayer request of others, if we are to learn from Paul would be to ask others to pray that the gospel takes us over like a racer bearing down on the finish line or a semi bearing down on your bumper.  And then ask them to pray that it overtakes you so that it overtakes others.  Ask for men and women and children to pray for the Gospel to spread rapidly.

 

Secondly, Paul requests that the Gospel be honored.  He asks for others to pray that the message of Christ may spread and be worshipped or glorified.  In fact, glorified would be a better translation of the word in our present day usage because honor is a word we use for showing esteem towards someone or something but we generally don't use it in the sense of exalting something, or lifting it up to the highest position.  But that is exactly what Paul is asking, pray that the message not only spreads in my life and the lives of others, but that as it spreads, it is also lifted up and exalted, that it is worshipped as good news.  Not only does Paul need prayers to hear the message and speak it but he also asks for prayers to receive it and have it received favorably. 

 

Paul had already thanked God for the Thessalonians acceptance of the message in his first letter to them:

"And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe." (1 Thessalonians 2:13).  Not only had the gospel truth spread to them, but also they had honored it by properly receiving it as God's truth to humanity.  He wants this reality to continue in his own life and the life of those to whom he will minister. 

 

Thirdly, Paul requests prayers for deliverance from those who would hinder the rapid spread of the gospel.  Paul recognized that there is a war going on around the gospel.  That is why he uses a military term, deliverance.  Princes delivered cities under siege or in bondage.  It is the story of God's people and his revelation to be under siege.  Recall Daniel and the Lion's den, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, Remember the Exodus, Noah and Lot – all men under attack for the Word of God, and all men in need of deliverance. 

 

This is a battle we are living.  There are those with faith and those without, Paul makes it clear and those without are opposed to the rapid spread and honoring of the gospel.  It is clear, there is no middle ground in the Scriptural world, and we are either for Christ or against.  And those against us, we need to pray for deliverance from their evil plans.  And that necessarily means we need to pray for their deliverance, for we were once opponents of the Gospel too – intent on doing life our own way and refusing to see the message honored and exalted in our lives.  In fact, some of us may still have such tendencies.  Seek men and women to pray for you, ask them to pray these three requests of Paul: 1) for the gospel to take over your life, 2)for the gospel to be exalted and glorified in your life and 3)for any area of your life that is under siege, whether internally or externally, to be delivered.

 

I want to make an observation about reformed church-persons, our tradition tells us that we can approach God directly through Christ and therefore we have no need of sharing our personal lives with others, especially not in prayer.  But that is false, sure my prayer is no more effective than yours, his prayer no more effective than hers, we all approach Christ equally and evenly, but there is necessity to share our lives with one another and seek God's control over every area of our lives corporately, one for another.  When I am weak in prayer, I need others praying for me and when you are weak in prayer you need others praying for you too.  If Paul needed prayer for the Gospel to race in his life and his ministry and to be honored, If Paul needed prayer for deliverance from the evil forces coming against him, then you and I need the same kind of prayers and we need to ask for them and pray them for others.

 

So we have seen the 3 requests of Paul: Gospel to spread rapidly, Message to be received appropriately and for the deliverance of those obstacles standing in the way of the first two.  Now we can turn our attention to the 2 prayers Paul pray for his brothers and sisters.  First he prays for the Lord to direct their hearts into God's love, and Secondly for the Lord to direct their hearts into Christ's perseverance.  The first is a prayer for their internal life to be directed to "whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things" (Philippians 4:8). 

 

If the heart, if the inside of a person is directed to the true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable and praiseworthy things, then they are directed to love for God and his created world and everything in it.  This is a large overarching prayer for those same things he has asked for himself and his traveling troupe.  But he takes it a step further and also asks for their heart to be directed to Christ's perseverance, not just perseverance but Christ's perseverance.  A perseverance, which goes to the bitter end and completes all that the Father requires.  A perseverance that never sways, or gives up, a perseverance that accomplishes all that the gospel demands – total, unconditional surrender to the victorious King. 

 

Why would Paul pray this for the Church of Thessalonica?  The gospel demands a radical break with all idolatry and sinful action in society.  This would mean stopping worshipping in the temples of Zeus, Apollo and Aphrodite in the cities, it would mean avoiding the cultic sacrifices of the trade unions, it would mean integrity in sexuality, very uncommon in the Roman period.  But that gospel also demands that believers testify to the Lord Jesus Christ in life and deed, and live a life of dependence upon the Father caring for family and friends, and the outcasts of society.  But in Thessalonica, the people have been persecuted and the natural human proclivity is to flee persecution and seek the easier life of compromise and luke-warm Christianity.  We wouldn't know anything about that in our society would we? 

 

But Paul prays for them to persevere amidst the hardship, persevere and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away (1Pet. 5:4); that is how Peter puts it.  James says it another way, Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him (James 1:12).  Paul recognizes the dangers inherent in their context and life and he prays for their ability to sustain the trials and tribulations of life, so that the Gospel will have spread rapidly and been honored fully in their life.

 

3 requests, 2 prayers echoing those requests, and finally, 1 reason for all of them The Lord is faithful.  The Lord is faithful – he strengthens his people, he protects his people, he delivers his people.  He is faithful never to abandon his people or forsake them. Jesus promises in John 14:18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 

 

In fact this is a promise God has been making to his people since the beginning of the Scriptures.  In Gen. 28:15 He tells Jacob, "I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you."

 

God is faithful,

1Cor. 1:9 God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.

1Cor. 10:13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

 

And what has he promised us?  He has promised to deliver us from sin and death, he has promised to make us his brothers and sisters in Christ.  He has promised to feed us and clothe us and provide for us.  He has promised us eternal life, to dwell in a city without sin, tears and opposition to the rule of God.  He has promised us forgiveness in Christ.  He has promised to sustain us under trial and give us words to speak during persecution.  In short God has promised us everything – just listen

 

 "And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus."

(Philippians 4:19 NIV-G/K)

 

And it gets even better, when we are obedient to the words of God – to care for the poor and distressed, then  "then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail." (Isaiah 58:10-11 NIV-G/K)

 

""If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the LORD's holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, then you will find your joy in the Lord, and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob." The mouth of the Lord has spoken." (Isaiah 58:13-14 NIV-G/K)

 

People of God, the Lord is faithful, he has provided all we need in Christ – from obedience to the Law to acceptance before the throne to the giving of the holy Spirit to empower us to obedience in this present life, that is why we pray to him for all we need and for all he desires:  The overpowering of the Gospel in this world.  So let us stand and pray as a corporate body for the 3-2-1's of Paul's prayer life:

 

Requests

1. God Runs in our life and the life of others
2. Gospel is received and accepted and exalted
3. Deliverance from all which seeks to stop 1 and 2 above

 

Pray

1. God to direct our hearts in love
2. God to direct our hearts in perseverance

 

Thank God

1. God is faithful
1. Strengthens his people
2. Protects his people

 

BENEDICTION

 

"May the Lord bless you and keep you, may his face shine upon you and be gracious to you, may the Lord turn his face towards you and give you peace…

 

"…at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you."  (2 Thessalonians 3:16 NIV-G/K)

Jesus our Great Intercessor - 2 Chronicles 30:1-27

This passage presents such a beautiful picture of the life and
ministry of Jesus Christ. Hezekiah calls out to a people who have
long forgotten how to worship God properly and appropriately. In
fact his father, Ahaz, had actually closed the temple doors,
effectively preventing the right worship of God from being taught or
practiced. Yet upon ascending the throne, Hezekiah calls to the
people of Israel and Judah to return to the Lord. Specifically, he
invites them to return to Jerusalem and worship the Lord through the
Celebration of the Passover. Many refuse, as do many today, but many
also respond by arriving in Jerusalem. But there is one problem,
they are unprepared. The Word says they were "not consecrated" and
"had not purified themselves". In fact they aren't even able to kill
their own sacrifices and the priests are insufficient in number to do
the task either. Furthermore, they fail to eat the meal in the
prescribed manner. To you or I, that may sound ludicrous, you are
apostate, you return to the temple and you still don't do it right.
(Isn't this why your forefathers were carried into exile?) Yet
Hezekiah realizes something profound - the heart is more important
than the liturgical action being performed properly. We see it in
his prayer, "Although most of the many people who came from Ephraim,
Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun had not purified themselves, yet they
ate the Passover, contrary to what was written. But Hezekiah prayed
for them, saying, "May the Lord, who is good, pardon everyone who
sets his heart on seeking God — the Lord, the God of his fathers —
even if he is not clean according to the rules of the sanctuary."" (2
Chronicles 30:18–19 NIV)

Such is the ministry of Christ on our behalf, we are summoned by the
King Almighty to come and worship. The edict goes out through the
ministry of the Word and He sends His Spirit into the world to
convict us and some respond, though not all. However, like these rag-
tag worshippers, we too arrive unsanctified, unclean and ill-
prepared. In fact, we are sinners but like Hezekiah, Jesus
intercedes for us and calls upon God to see our hearts, new hearts of
flesh which have been indwelt by His Holy Spirit. Jesus calls on God
to overlook our inabilities and to allow himself to not only perform
the sacrifice, but also to be our Paschal Lamb. And just as God
responds favorably to Hezekiah's intercession - "And the Lord heard
Hezekiah and healed the people."(2 Chronicles 30:20 NIV)-, so too he
responds favorably to us. And it is because of this that we can join
in the worship and rejoice in the presence of the King, for Jesus is
the door that reopens worship in the heavenly temple. Jesus is our
priest, and our kingly intercessor, He brings mercy and compassion,
provision and sustenance. Jesus is the way, and the truth and the
Life and no one enters God's temple, except through him.

May you be greatly encouraged at this picture of Jesus in the life of
Hezekiah.

My prayer retreat

I have returned to my normal life - work, children, house needing repair, to it all.  But I return with a sense of peace in my soul.  Silence, solitude and prayer are the best way for me to reorient life to God and to understand what is really worth worrying about and what isn't.  Frequently, I go into a retreat stressed, with many questions and barely holding on.  This trip was no different.

Praying for a Holy Life - 2 Corinthians 13:7-14

Caesarius of Arles, a 6^th century bishop in Gaul, wrote "Pious souls of the Lord, what the Lord admonishes us is not to be considered merely in passing, for he says, "Be holy because I am holy." This is a staggering statement, this is a call to action. "For agios is the Greek for "holy," … (SERMON 1.19.25)" while qadosh is the Hebrew.  But both have the understanding of devotion, dedication and setting aside for worship.  If we are not to merely consider this in passing, but are to take it actively into our minds, "What is holiness?  How are we going to be holy?  Can we make ourselves holy?"  No, but, we can pray for God to make us holy!

 

In answer to the first question, "What is holiness?" we need to look to God's Word.  The very first thing in Scripture to be declared holy is the Sabbath in Gen 2:3 where "And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy…"  In fact it is this idea, which has to be taken very seriously, God determines what is holy and what is not.  Throughout Scripture, it is God who marks things out as holy, who marks people out as holy, who sets aside those created things and people for devotion and acts of worship. "Regard them [priests] as holy, because they offer up the food of your God. Consider them holy, because I the Lord am holy — I who make you holy" (Leviticus 21:8).  Holiness is not an inherent quality some things possess and others don't, it is something God determines and instills, it is something he bestows on parts of his creation.

 

And holy people, specifically, are to act holy; there is a way of life that God expects in response to his designation of the holy person.  For instance, the women of the priesthood were only to marry other priests; they were to perform certain functions for society, to abstain from certain kinds of behavior and to model a life of dependence on God. "Do not profane my holy name. I must be acknowledged as holy by the Israelites. I am the Lord, who makes you holy" (Leviticus 22:32).  God very clearly articulates this to Moses when punishing him for striking the rock instead of calling forth water.  Listen to these words of the Lord, "But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them" (Numbers 20:12).

 

Trust, obedience, right actions are the required actions of the holy people. In short, holiness for the created order means being set apart by God for acts of worship; it doesn't matter whether it is the silver bowl, the bronze stake, the wooden post or the sea cow hide of the tabernacle, the ox, lamb or goat of the sacrifice, the incense for the smoke, the clothes of the priest, the priest himself or the people, each thing, each person, each article is set apart for worshipping the Lord.  Each is holy.

 

Paul, repeatedly declared the Christian believer as one who is holy - "To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 1:7).  The very word saints, literally is holy ones.  But Paul also declares that believers are to be holy:

• 1Cor. 1:2 To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ — their Lord and ours:
• Eph. 1:4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love
• Heb. 12:14 Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.

 

You are holy.  I am holy.  We are holy because God has declared us holy.  He has imputed to his people by nature of his electing grace the inherent quality of holiness.  From this, he then calls them, us, to exercise, or work out this holiness in the world through appropriate actions of worship.  So to answer the 2^nd question, How are we going to be holy? We are going to pray for a holy life.  We are going to pray for a life consistent with his declaration.  But what does this mean as far as a prayer goes?

 

That is where our prayer from Paul sheds the first insight for us today.  Paul is praying that the Corinthians "will not do anything wrong."  To pray for holiness in our lives or the lives of others, is first and foremost to pray that we will not do what is wrong, or sinful.  To pray for holiness is first to pray that we will abstain from what is evil.  But secondly, to pray for holiness would be to go beyond merely praying that we avoid evil behavior, and would begin asking God that we adopt good behavior, behavior consistent with the life of Christ.  Actions of godliness.  holiness, after being declared by God, must usher forth in a lifestyle commensurate with worship, both avoiding the negative and engaging the positive, in order to not bringing profanity upon the name of the Lord, but instead to glorify God.  Remember that 3^rd commandment not to misuse the name of the Lord, literally not to "hold it up to nothingness," not to say one thing and do another.  To pray for holiness is to pray for the 3^rd commandment to be made real in someone's life.

 

Now why is Paul praying this prayer?  Why is he praying for the Corinthians in this way?  From a strictly external perspective, it just makes good sense that God's people would pray for God' people to be holy and right in their actions in the world.  So I offer up that motive. But the text presents another motive: Paul is praying this so that they may do what is right.  So that they may be acceptable and blameless sacrifices (1 Pt 2:1-5) as they are created to be in Christ. 

 

Paul desires their perfection according to verse 9.  But perfection must be understood here not as ultimate salvation, total glorification, that would have been a different word. What Paul is praying for here is more akin to restoration. In math, the Greeks used the term, perfection, to describe what it straight, right or even, as in balanced while in medicine it is the term used of setting a broken bone, restoring it to right health.  Thus Paul is praying for their brokenness to be restored to health, for their broken relationship with God due to unrepentant sin – for it to be healed; for their broken relationship with him due to a failure to accept his authority, for it to be healed; for their broken relationship with one another to be healed as well.  He is praying for that which is hindering their maturity to be removed.

 

Restore them God; build them up into your body.  Equip them again, for as he wrote to the Ephesians, "It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up" (Ephesians 4:11-12).  Paul's desire is for a house of Christ to exist, for the body of Christ to exist.

 

How many of our prayers are so poignant to the point of even telling people that we are praying for their obedience in the faith, for their holiness? Our appeal is to God for their restoration, for their unity, for their peaceful coexistence, for the Love of God and devotion to him to permeate the church, and their lives, so that holiness is the norm and not the exception.

 

Do you know why we can pray such a prayer?  We can pray it because it is the same kind of prayer that Jesus himself prayed and is praying when he says, Sanctify them by the truth…May they be in us (John 17:17, 21).  Jesus is praying for our holiness, he is praying for our complete restoration to the Father and he desires that our lives match the atoning work he performed on the cross for you and I.  So we pray for holiness because he prays for our holiness. 

 

In conclusion, holiness is the declaration of God that as his people, we are set apart for a life of worshipful adoration of the King Almighty.  And since we are unable to make ourselves holy and conform our lives to His holy decrees, we pray that he will both strengthen us to avoid evil behaviors but will also empower us to perform those actions and think those thoughts consistent with our restored relationship with the Father.  And finally we can pray this because our Lord Jesus Christ himself is praying for our sanctification (holiness) and union with the Father as well. So let me close by saying, "May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all" (2 Corinthians 13:14), for this God is the key to living a holy life.

Update for this week

The week of October 19-22 I will be spending my days in prayer as
part of trying to retrieve a quarterly time of silence and reflection
on ministry. Because of this, I will be cutting myself off from all
technology in order to focus on God and God alone. If you have any
needs, please contact your elder, or the church office. Thought I
would let you know.

Interceding for Spiritual Growth - Ephesians 1:17-19

Interceding for Spiritual Growth

Eph 1:17-21, Col 1:9-11, Phil 1:9-11, Col 4:12

Now that we have a foundation on what the majority of our prayer life could be if we modeled our prayers upon the prayers of Paul.  What one word would summarize Paul’s idea of the Christian call to prayer?  Thanksgiving!  That is right, Christians are called to thank our Heavenly Father for his gracious provisions for his children – their salvation, their growth in salvation, their ministry partners, their opportunities to share the gospel.  They are to be thankful when others accept the gospel.  We are to be a people of thanks.

We have seen one request we are to pray a few weeks ago from Ephesians 6.  Can anyone remember what the first prayer request of Paul was?  For the opportunity to share the gospel – for God to bridle his tongue and control it in the proclamation of the good news of Jesus Christ. “Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should” (Ephesians 6:19-20).

A Theology of the Thorn - Praying for Health instead of Healing

Last month I was in a conversation with some older men who are mentoring me in prayer and one of them mentioned that there is a difference between praying for health and praying for healing.  That was quickly followed up with a reference to Paul's thorn in the flesh.  Let me quote the text from 2 Corinthians 12:7-10:

“To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (NIV).

There is no scholarly consensus on exactly what this "thorn" was, and the possibilities are almost as endless as the number of theologians.  Eye disease, epilepsy, poor speech, opposition and numerous other things have all been suggested.  I do not have any new contributions to make on this front.  What I would like to do is shift the focus from the problem, to the prayer Paul prayed and the answer he received.

Christianity-New Age dialogue #2

On Sept 24, 2009, Josh wrote:

Scott,

Sure you can use this dialogue in your blog, you don’t have to make me anonymous if you don’t want to. I believe that God is literally everything that exists and the nothingness, God is the only thing that exists and there is nothing else. God created us in his own image, making us creators with body, mind, and spirit. The mind being a microcosm of the father, the soul being the microcosm of the holy ghost, and the body being a microcosm of the body of god (or the son). I think that God created everything through a process of evolution. I also believe in reincarnation. I’m not really familiar with what the new age ‘doctrine’ is if there even is a doctrine. I’m just an honest seeker of God.

Christianity-New Age dialogue #1

A few months ago, i entered into a dialogue with a friend who was questioning classic Christianity. Currently, I am engaged in a discussion with a former student from when I was on staff with InterVarsity. He has agreed to allow me to post our discussion. His name will be Josh for these postings.

On Sep 8, 2009, Josh wrote:

Hey man! How are things going? I hope well. Still having those moments with God when you wonder off by yourself to be silent? That was some good stuff. I'm not sure if I ever thanked you, but I would like to now.

Thank you for being one of my spiritual mentors. You taught me a lot (I think so anyway) at a time when I thought I knew it all. You showed me patience, wisdom, understanding, humility, friendship, a greater knowing of God, and I like to think much more. For that I will always be grateful.

New age is the closest thing that comes to describing my belief system currently, but I don't resonate with some of the things I have heard they teach.

Concluding thoughts on the Federalist Papers and Constitutional Government

Last night I finished all 85 essays in the Federalist Papers.  After nearly 2 months, I have learned a ton about our government and its foundational theory, but at the same time I have struggled to understand what has happened.  Anyway, here are a few of my concluding thoughts/questions:

From the 45th paper: Madison believed that the federal government would have less influence on the typical citizen because they would employ fewer people in comparison to the state and local governments.

40 Stewardship Questions

I just finished reading Randy Alcorn's book - Money, Possessions and Eternity. This is bar none, the best book on Christian stewardship which I have read for the practical, down to earth, rubber meets the road questions we have about handling our money and possessions. Filled with grace and offering no easy answers, Randy Alcorn provides wonderful exegetical insight into passages. He refuses to ignore the texts that don't fit into our nice theologies of give it all away or keep it as a blessing. Rather he asks plenty of questions calling us to evaluate our motives and our practical positions on a number of things like retirement, insurance, inheritance...

Here is an example of some of this insightful questions:

If my children would resent my giving money to your kingdom instead of leaving it for them, does that indicate they're not qualified to receive it? If so, why would I give them your money? If my investment manager died, what would I think if he left my money to his children? Does the fact that you entrusted your money to me, not others, indicate that you want me, during my lifetime, to invest it in eternity? Will you, in turn, provide my children with the money you expect them to manage?

His full list of FORTY QUESTIONS TO ASK GOD ABOUT YOUR GIVING follows:

William Morris' Thoughts on Education - 19th century

I ran across this vignette while reading Nature's Unruly Mob by Paul Gilk.  I thought I would share this story, from page 65: The Educator’s Engine

"In News from Nowhere, a late nineteenth-century novel by William Morris, there is an interesting dialogue I will shortly quote. But first a little background, News from Nowhere is eutopian.

As News from Nowhere opens, the author, as first person character, has fallen asleep in his bed (in Hammersmith, a London suburb, in 1980) and awakens in the twenty-first century.  He finds himself in the same location, except that everything, including the building in which he went to sleep, is new and different.  After an episode of discovery and introduction—an experience as puzzling to the author as to his amused hosts and hostesses—he gets a guide by the name of Dick Hammond; and as they are traveling the following day (by horse and carriage!), our author sees many strange and transformed sights.  A group of children, tenting in meadows near the edge of the forest, sets the following scene:

Christmas and churches

Genevan Opposition

At times during the sixteenth century, ecclesiastical holidays caused agitation in the city of Geneva. It seems to have been a difficult matter for a resolution, since any official action taken would stir up some element of the population.

The Register of Ministers in Geneva (1546) records a list of "faults which contravene the Reformation." Among the directives regarding "Superstitions" is the following: "Those who observe Romish festivals or fasts shall only be reprimanded, unless they remain obstinately rebellious. "[9]

On Sunday, 16 November 1550, an edict was issued concerning holidays; it was a decree "respecting the abrogation of all festivals, with the exception of Sundays, which God had ordained. "[10] This ban on festival days (including Christmas) caused an uproar in certain quarters, and Calvin was reproached as the instigator of the action.

Calvin's personal writings about holidays, in this instance, are somewhat ambiguous. He says he was not directly involved in the decision. In personal correspondence with John Haller (pastor in Berne), Calvin writes, "Before I ever entered the city, there were no festivals but the Lord's day." He added, "If I had got my choice, I should not have decided in favor of what has now been agreed upon."[11]

It seems that Calvin was initially uneasy about the edict to ban the festivals, because he feared that the "sudden change" might provoke tumult which could impede the course of the Reformation. Nevertheless, in the same letter to Haller, Calvin says, "Although I have neither been the mover nor instigator to it, yet, since it has so happened, I am not sorry for it."[12] ...

Thus, Calvin's writings on worship clearly enunciate the concept which has subsequently been called the regulative principle of worship: all modes of worship must be expressly sanctioned by God's word, if they are to be considered legitimate. Since Christmas observances, and other ecclesiastical festivals, are not commanded in the scriptures, they fail to meet divine approval, even if there were no additional objections to them.

Further, we should note Calvin's own pastoral practice as indicative of his convictions. The Reformer preached consecutively through books of the Bible, without regard to the ecclesiastical year. Surely if Calvin had adopted the attitude of modern Christmas-keepers, he would have felt constrained to abandon this systematic instruction of the scriptures, and deliver annual discourses from the birth narratives during the month of December. The fact that he did not comply with contemporary expectations speaks volumes.[16]

You can read Kevin Reed's full article here ...Read more

Praising God for the Gospel - Ephesians 1:3-14

Today we continue our journey into Paul’s prayer life as we explore his Praise of God for the Gospel.  You may be surprised that Ephesians 1:3-14 is included in a series on Paul’s prayers but really, it makes perfect sense.  As we have seen over the past many weeks, Paul and his compatriots spent a lot of time thanking God for the good things God had done.  And that is how Ephesians begins, albeit with some slightly different words.

Instead of saying, “We give thanks to God always for you all” as he does in 1Thessalonians 1:2; Paul begins with the words “Praise be to the God…who has blessed us…”  Praise, exaltation, uplifting, extolling.  Aren’t these the very concepts we have seen in Paul’s prayer life so far?  Paul is enthralled at God’s work and so he expresses his gratitude to the Lord for his actions.  The same is here, God has blessed us, how can we not, Praise him.  This is a foundation of the life of prayer, recognizing all the good things that come from the hand of God and expressing our gratitude to God for them.  This is the Jewish idea of worship being born out in Paul’s prayer life, God blesses us, and so we turn around and praise or bless God.

Single Parenting

This year, more than any year in the past, has found me playing the role of single parent. A little less than 2 years ago we moved to Washington State to pastor. My mother in law moved with us, however she didn't have the luck of selling her home as quickly and so my first shot at the single dad gig happened when Jen and Nana flew back to moved the house stuff out. Again this week, they are in Colorado moving another set of things this way, with the possibility of a third trip. That is the context. Now on to the meat.

Up early, up late, some days only 2 meals because that's i misjudged the time it took to prepare them and breakfast went on at 10:30 a.m. and dinner at 7 p.m. I tried to keep up with the homeschooling thing to find that I could accomplish exactly half of what my wife does, as I was still responsible to work, albeit, I have the option to work from home. We did have a great week, we watched a movie each evening as a partial family, we searched for mushrooms yesterday and even went swimming, but I have a greater respect for the single parent as well as for my wife.

First for the single parent, I now understand why TV is such a part of their life. I was plum tuckered out by evening time and TV provided an oasis. I could be with my kids but essentially unresponsible for them. They got to cuddle and I got to rest. Their job never stops, but continues on and while I had many people offer to help, I never quite knew what help to ask for. These two insights bring me to my observation concerning the church. Churches need to do a better job of helping the single parent, we need to see their needs and provide for them, not just offer but actually do something tangible for them - a night off, set up alternate parent mentors for their kids, get them some meals, etc... These would go a long way to caring for some of the tangible needs. Even simply providing childcare at every event would be a great gift to many single parents.

Now for my wife. Taking the venue to give her kudos, she is awesome. I couldn't live without her, and frankly I forget to tell her this often enough. As spouses, we need to speak our appreciation in concrete ways to them. We need to understand how much they do to keep life moving and be gracious for every bit of it. Tonight I will thank my wife with a gift of flowers. How will you thank your spouse? ...Read more

Public Morality and Religious Belief

While reading the periodical Liberty, I ran across this quotation:

"In a pluralistic society a fundamental assumption of public policy is the recognition that everything immoral need not be declared illegal. The public morality that is expressed in law reflects a consensus derived from public debate...Social realities as well as religious principles must be taken into account in judging the wisdom of any legislation. Citizens who come to different conclusions are not necessarily immoral or unchristian. The tendency to so brand one's political opponents suggests a kind of moral fascism." -from an editorial in America dated 9/13/1980.

These sentences reflect a profound understanding of the Constitution's freedom of religion clause. Too often many religious and non-religious people have forgotten these truths. We live in a nation where every worldview is acceptable. The humanist, the Christian, the scientific, Buddhist, Hindu, Islamic, atheist, etc. All of these worldviews are essentially religious for each of them posit a claim to the manner in which Truth can be known. To some it is the teaching of a leader, to another it is the a person himself, and to still another a method of inquiry, but all of them are religious, for even to deny religion is a religious belief in itself which is as dogmatic as any faith commitment.

The struggle then becomes allowing each person to pursue their conscience freely and in a manner which doesn't force any other person to violate their conscience. This is where the rubber meets the road. Take for instance gay marriage. Personally I am opposed to it, but to deny another the ability to "marry" is to force my beliefs upon them. That said, to dictate that I must marry them and accept their marriage is to force their beliefs upon me. I am not opposed to gay marriage as much as I am opposed to telling an employer they are required to provide benefits to same sex marriages when those marriages violate their consciences. Or telling me that to speak in opposition of gay marriage is somehow a hate crime. It isn't, it is a matter of conscience. The road must go both ways, and that is a lesson many religious and non-religious folks forget. And regardless of the issue, the right and left inside the Church often forget it about one another.

The question then becomes - When can one person's religious liberty be forced upon another? When can one's beliefs become the norm by which all other beliefs must conform? The answer comes from Christ - "Love your neighbor as yourself." Only when you are willing to allow their beliefs to become your absolute, can you lobby for your beliefs to become their absolute. This simple lesson, if remembered would curb many of the political fights that exist today.

If you want to be able to deny someone benefits because of some choice they are making, then they have every right to deny you benefits because of some choice you are making (the number of children you have, for instance). If you want to fire someone, or hire them based upon their religious persuasion (you could also read political, environmental, socio-economic, etc.), then you must grant them the opportunity to do the same thing. Then and only then will we find out the true nature of our actions and the true motivations of our politics.

Under this schema, St. Paul's statement, taken out of context I realize, has some bearing. "All things are permissible, but not all are beneficial." When we grant liberty broadly, individuals will find out very quickly which choices are permissible and which are beneficial, then their "issues of conscience" will be shown for what they are religious freedom or religious fascism. For if they are willing to live with the consequences of their choice(s) and not impinge upon another's freedom, I would submit they are truly issues of conscience. However, if they are unwilling to live with the consequences and instead are willing to override another's conscience in order to have their own ways, then fascism, whether of the right or the left, is at play.

...Read more