Various troubles within the church prompted me to look into 1 Timothy for the last several days.
I was impressed with the first chapter. Things that may explain a stagnant church are found. Such a church has people that pay attention to myths, man-made thought patterns, that lead to various "what ifs", "potentials". The useful church bypasses these conversations altogether and settles directly on the work of God for the moment - those things that lead to the concrete advancement of God's program for our day. Things done only by faith. (v4) There is more in the chapter of course.
Most impressive to me is the autobiographical section by Paul (12-16). This is a pastoral epistle. It is addressed to Timothy as the leading man in Ephesus during that day. Needless to say his plate was full. His was a plate with sweet and rich foods but also sour and foul foods. How can Timothy deal with all of the varied people and problems in the church? To address these troubles, Timothy would need a healthy dose of perspective. This is what Paul gives - perspective. Paul lets Timothy know how a pastor can be so effective for God. It is because there is something in his heart. God has placed the experiential knowledge of His own mercy there. He has experienced God's mercy . . himself! The deep well of knowing and experiencing God's One-on-one mercy beat in Paul's heart. God had mercy on sinner Paul. (Verse 13 says that he was shown it and verse 16 says he found it. These are two sides of the same coin.)
Early in this epistle, Paul reminds Timothy (and himself!) of just how much mercy he received before he shepherds his dear son in the faith. We should all start there. We should first remember the mercy shown to us. The person that has remembered the mercy that God has shown him can now shepherd His people effectively. What is on your plate?
Friday, December 4, 2009
Friday, November 20, 2009
One Sent
John 5 provides us with insight into the relationship between the Son and the Father. It is strong on declaring Jesus to be very God Himself. Sometimes I have searched the Scripture looking for a verse where Jesus says, "I am God." In this chapter, we find something much more compelling.
Jesus claims to be God by saying that He does things in like manner to His Father (5:19), His Father shows all things to Him (v20), He has death-reversing power (21), He is judge as decreed by His Father (22), He is to receive equal honor as His Father (23), He brings conversion words (24), He speaks resurrecting words (25), He has self-existent life (26), and He is judge (27). Then there are witnesses to corroborate these claims - many witnesses - all sorts of witnesses. First, Jesus Himself (31), John the Baptist (33), Jesus's works (36), the Father (37), the Scriptures (39), and Moses (46).
One key to unlocking this chapter is the word "sent". In battle, when the commanding officer has a message to send to his troops, he sends a messenger. The one who receives the message considers it as if spoken by the commander himself. You see, the one sent speaks ever and only those things that the commander would want spoken. In God's case, Jesus ever and only speaks those things that He hears from His Father. Further He only does those things He sees the Father doing (5:19).
The beauty of this Father/Son relationship is that there is a one-to-one correspondence with what the Father says/does and what the Son says/does. The sent One is actually the present reality of the Sender's heart - of His will, plan, purpose and character. Often in this chapter we read the Father sent the Son (5:23, 24, 30, 36, 37, 38). With each reference, we are confronted with the complete identification of the Son with the Father. Truly as He says to Philip (14:9), "He who has seen Me has seen the Father."
"Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, . . ?"
Jesus claims to be God by saying that He does things in like manner to His Father (5:19), His Father shows all things to Him (v20), He has death-reversing power (21), He is judge as decreed by His Father (22), He is to receive equal honor as His Father (23), He brings conversion words (24), He speaks resurrecting words (25), He has self-existent life (26), and He is judge (27). Then there are witnesses to corroborate these claims - many witnesses - all sorts of witnesses. First, Jesus Himself (31), John the Baptist (33), Jesus's works (36), the Father (37), the Scriptures (39), and Moses (46).
One key to unlocking this chapter is the word "sent". In battle, when the commanding officer has a message to send to his troops, he sends a messenger. The one who receives the message considers it as if spoken by the commander himself. You see, the one sent speaks ever and only those things that the commander would want spoken. In God's case, Jesus ever and only speaks those things that He hears from His Father. Further He only does those things He sees the Father doing (5:19).
The beauty of this Father/Son relationship is that there is a one-to-one correspondence with what the Father says/does and what the Son says/does. The sent One is actually the present reality of the Sender's heart - of His will, plan, purpose and character. Often in this chapter we read the Father sent the Son (5:23, 24, 30, 36, 37, 38). With each reference, we are confronted with the complete identification of the Son with the Father. Truly as He says to Philip (14:9), "He who has seen Me has seen the Father."
"Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, . . ?"
Saturday, November 14, 2009
He Is At Work
This morning, my 6yr old son joined me while I was reading on the bed. We took a diversion and landed in Ruth. He counted how many times he heard the name Boaz.
She was in a strange land, Naomi was - Moab. She had left her homeland 10 years prior. She was coming back now. It had been a hard life there. Not much blessing - if any. How did she come back? "Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full, but the Lord has brought me back empty . . "
"The Almighty has afflicted me"
Lord, so often we do not see what is going on. We go through time - years of unwanted experiences. Losses occur, pains hurt, weaknesses increase, dry times dominate. It has the same flavor, we would expect, of a life gone wrong, of a life under judgment - and maybe it is. But we so quickly attach diminishing hope to it. Why shouldn't hope increase? Well, because it would seem that things are not going in the "increasing-hope" direction.
God, the Almighty, positions for blessing. Yes, He positions us for blessing. We may not even want His kind of blessing or the timing of His giving it, but He wants to give it nonetheless. And in the end we are so glad that He does.
Naomi had lost everything and everyone she went to Moab with. Why not be bitter? Because there is no place for that among God's people. Remember . . . she now had Ruth!!! We cannot be too hard on Naomi, but we can rejoice with her.
You are not as empty as you think.
She was in a strange land, Naomi was - Moab. She had left her homeland 10 years prior. She was coming back now. It had been a hard life there. Not much blessing - if any. How did she come back? "Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full, but the Lord has brought me back empty . . "
"The Almighty has afflicted me"
Lord, so often we do not see what is going on. We go through time - years of unwanted experiences. Losses occur, pains hurt, weaknesses increase, dry times dominate. It has the same flavor, we would expect, of a life gone wrong, of a life under judgment - and maybe it is. But we so quickly attach diminishing hope to it. Why shouldn't hope increase? Well, because it would seem that things are not going in the "increasing-hope" direction.
God, the Almighty, positions for blessing. Yes, He positions us for blessing. We may not even want His kind of blessing or the timing of His giving it, but He wants to give it nonetheless. And in the end we are so glad that He does.
Naomi had lost everything and everyone she went to Moab with. Why not be bitter? Because there is no place for that among God's people. Remember . . . she now had Ruth!!! We cannot be too hard on Naomi, but we can rejoice with her.
You are not as empty as you think.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
I Heard That
John 5:1-15
The ill man daily sat next to the water hoping, but never knowing, when or if he'll make it.
Maybe today, he thinks. Maybe today will be my lucky day.
There is a small measure - very small - of hope in this situation. Years will go by - 38 of them. Nothing has changed - he's still the same. Maybe tomorrow.
There is just enough hope to say, "maybe tomorrow." To keep you going or staying close to that source of possible fulfillment. Always at least a small measure of anxiety though.
I hope I get there first. I hope it will happen to me. All will be well THEN.
Maybe tomorrow.
Enter Jesus. There comes a time when Jesus speaks into your life. "Do you wish to get well?"
It seems like a useless question on the surface. Everything in the story suggests that the man would wish to get well. But the question challenges the aging man's perception of where health actually comes from.
The man, at the beginning, cannot move out of his thought rut. You see, he has thought the same thing for years. That same thought. . . "get in the water." It's hard to break out of that. Yes, it is hard to see beyond what you see.
Jesus loves him.
Jesus filled with compassion upon this man - he, being in this a so weak and humiliating and despicable situation - simply and abruptly moves him in a bigger way,
"Get up . ."
The ill man daily sat next to the water hoping, but never knowing, when or if he'll make it.
Maybe today, he thinks. Maybe today will be my lucky day.
There is a small measure - very small - of hope in this situation. Years will go by - 38 of them. Nothing has changed - he's still the same. Maybe tomorrow.
There is just enough hope to say, "maybe tomorrow." To keep you going or staying close to that source of possible fulfillment. Always at least a small measure of anxiety though.
I hope I get there first. I hope it will happen to me. All will be well THEN.
Maybe tomorrow.
Enter Jesus. There comes a time when Jesus speaks into your life. "Do you wish to get well?"
It seems like a useless question on the surface. Everything in the story suggests that the man would wish to get well. But the question challenges the aging man's perception of where health actually comes from.
The man, at the beginning, cannot move out of his thought rut. You see, he has thought the same thing for years. That same thought. . . "get in the water." It's hard to break out of that. Yes, it is hard to see beyond what you see.
Jesus loves him.
Jesus filled with compassion upon this man - he, being in this a so weak and humiliating and despicable situation - simply and abruptly moves him in a bigger way,
"Get up . ."
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