This is kind of a non-blog post but it's to say that I'm going to be stopping the blog for a couple of days. It started off as a help to make sure I not only did my daily Bible readings but also thought about them. The problem is that over the last few days I have gone to pick up my Bible and thought, "Oh know, I've got to think about something to write about his!"
So perversely enough what started out as a help has turned into a hindrance. I do enjoy this blog a lot so I'll be back to it after a couple of days but for now I think I need a short Sabbath from it.
Friday 19 November 2010
Tuesday 16 November 2010
The scary job of leadership
Ezekiel 33:1-34:31
Hebrews 13:1-25
Psalm 115:1-18
Proverbs 27:21-22
It's one of those days when the one year Bible joins up. Ezekiel has been talking about getting rid of Israel's bad shepherds and providing the people with a new Good Shepherd while Hebrews talks about Jesus the Good Shepherd of God's flock.
This passage in Ezekiel however haunts me every time I read it. A well meaning elder once showed me Ezekiel 33 and told me that this was how God judged Christian leaders. I think he was trying to reassure me about the place of human freedom in God's plan of predestination but what he actually did was spook me hugely about the responsibility I would have as a minister to speak the direct truth to people about God's judgement and God's grace.
The duty of being a watchman for any size of community is a huge responsibility and not one I particularly enjoy. I love to open up God's word, to proclaim God's grace and to speak of all that Jesus accomplished for us on the cross. I don't like the bit about warning and rebuking people.
But then I ask myself another question, "What if I did enjoy it?" What sort of person would that make me?
Monday 15 November 2010
Genre and Reading the Bible on its own terms
Ezekiel 31:1-32:32
Hebrews 12:14-29
Psalm 113:1-114:8
Proverbs 27:18-20
Words can sometimes get confusingly misused and misunderstood and in Christian circles one of those words is "literal." This word is often confused with the word "accurate" but the two are far from being the same. Let me give you two examples outside of the Bible. If someone from France were to point outside and say to you, "il pleut des cordes" he would not be telling you that there was a freak shower of ropes occurring but a literal translation of what he said was "It's raining ropes." Raining ropes might be a literal word for word translation but it's definitely not an accurate one.
Secondly we all know the Irish Blessing that starts with "May the road rise to meet you" and I'm sure you have wondered what on earth that means, it sounds like a description of falling and that does not sound like the start of a blessing, "may you be thumped by the tarmac!" What it actually means is "may you be prosperous." Road in Irish doubles up as a metaphor for business / prosperity and the rising part is a metaphor for increasing and prospering. Hence may your money / wealth / happiness rise. It sounds a lot less poetic when you put it like that.
Literal does not equal accurate and in the two cases above literal translation can mean downright inaccurate translation. So why, oh why have so many Christians got themselves into a huge rut about reading everything in the Bible literally? Why have we painted ourselves in to theological corners over creation and the end times and so many other parts of scripture that have important and life changing truths to tell the world because we have insisted on taking them literally?
What brought on this rant? It's all Ezekiel's fault. Ezekiel happily plays about with the idea of Eden as a metaphor in chapter 31. He describes Assyria and Egypt as trees in the Garden of Eden. He treats Eden no more literally than the person who wrote Psalm 114 talks about the mountains skipping like lambs in a literal fashion. We have to start taking the Bible on its own terms. Some of it is poetry, some history, some legal code, some parable, some a very odd genre called apocalyptic, some is song, some proverbs or wise says and on and on we could go. The Bible is not tied to one genre and we have to use our brains when we read it and not tie ourselves or the text into a literalistic straight-jacket.
If it does not demand a literal reading then why should we try to force one on it. By doing so we can totally lose the meaning.
Hebrews 12:14-29
Psalm 113:1-114:8
Proverbs 27:18-20
Words can sometimes get confusingly misused and misunderstood and in Christian circles one of those words is "literal." This word is often confused with the word "accurate" but the two are far from being the same. Let me give you two examples outside of the Bible. If someone from France were to point outside and say to you, "il pleut des cordes" he would not be telling you that there was a freak shower of ropes occurring but a literal translation of what he said was "It's raining ropes." Raining ropes might be a literal word for word translation but it's definitely not an accurate one.
Secondly we all know the Irish Blessing that starts with "May the road rise to meet you" and I'm sure you have wondered what on earth that means, it sounds like a description of falling and that does not sound like the start of a blessing, "may you be thumped by the tarmac!" What it actually means is "may you be prosperous." Road in Irish doubles up as a metaphor for business / prosperity and the rising part is a metaphor for increasing and prospering. Hence may your money / wealth / happiness rise. It sounds a lot less poetic when you put it like that.
Literal does not equal accurate and in the two cases above literal translation can mean downright inaccurate translation. So why, oh why have so many Christians got themselves into a huge rut about reading everything in the Bible literally? Why have we painted ourselves in to theological corners over creation and the end times and so many other parts of scripture that have important and life changing truths to tell the world because we have insisted on taking them literally?
What brought on this rant? It's all Ezekiel's fault. Ezekiel happily plays about with the idea of Eden as a metaphor in chapter 31. He describes Assyria and Egypt as trees in the Garden of Eden. He treats Eden no more literally than the person who wrote Psalm 114 talks about the mountains skipping like lambs in a literal fashion. We have to start taking the Bible on its own terms. Some of it is poetry, some history, some legal code, some parable, some a very odd genre called apocalyptic, some is song, some proverbs or wise says and on and on we could go. The Bible is not tied to one genre and we have to use our brains when we read it and not tie ourselves or the text into a literalistic straight-jacket.
If it does not demand a literal reading then why should we try to force one on it. By doing so we can totally lose the meaning.
Sunday 14 November 2010
The cheering crowd
Ezekiel 29:1-30:26
Hebrews 11:32-12:13
Psalm 112:1-10
Proverbs 27:17
We've been looking at the book of 1 Samuel in church these last few Sundays and one of the recurring themes of that book is how the sons of great men don't often become great men themselves. The pressure of having a famous or successful family must be horrible. No worries there for me thankfully...
This makes what is said (and how it is said) in today's passage from Hebrews so special. The writer of this letter could so easily have listed the saints of the Old Testament and the inter-testamental period and then gone on to say, "That's the standard, they're watching you closely to see if you match up!"
Instead he or she states that this great crowd of saints is gathered around us cheering us on. This great crowd of witnesses are the people who are shouting your name from heaven, urging you on as a follower of Jesus.
They do not look down on you accusingly, wondering whether you are up to scratch or not, instead they shout you on and wave your team colours for you.
Listen up, can you hear them chanting your name?
Saturday 13 November 2010
The fall of Tyre - The lessons we never learn
Ezekiel 27:1-28:26
Hebrews 11:17-31
Psalm 111:1-10
Proverbs 27:15-16
RTE are reporting that the Irish Government are definitely not in talks with the EU about a bailout of our once bubbling economy. Every other news agency in the world is saying that they are. A few years ago property in Tullamore was more expensive than property in Manhattan. These days the houses on some estates are being sold at a third of the price they were going for in 2007.
In reading Ezekiel's words against Tyre you can't help but see the parallels between her fall and Ireland's fall. Thankfully in our case it has not been a violent collapse (so far) but the pain has been every bit as real for people. Tyre's success is written about first. All of the places she traded with are listed. As I type this I look round the room at a television made in Korea, I am typing on a laptop from a Japanese company, sitting on a Swedish sofa made in Poland, sipping New Zealand wine from a glass made in France, and everything else in the room was probably made in China.
But after listing the success of Tyre's trading relationships (and the Bible talks about international trade as a good thing as long as it is done fairly) and describing in overflowing language of how Tyre was a protective angel and partner for Israel it goes on to say, "Your rich commerce led you to violence, and you sinned. So I banished you in disgrace." At one point Ireland had the largest per capita income of any EU country and if you lived here with your eyes open you would have found that an incredibly embarrassing fact as cheek by jowl with immense wealth there was unbelievable poverty and disadvantage hardwired into Irish society. The wealth of our society had been built on the backs of the poor who had worked hard for those whose lifestyles eventually derailed the whole economy.
The violence in the Irish situation was not the physical violence of the army and navy of Tyre but instead the economic violence perpetrated against the poorest in Irish society. I can't help but think that if the driving force of the economy had been put to good social use improving the lot of the working poor in our society with free healthcare, free education and improving the living conditions of those who generated most of the country's wealth with their labour then when the inevitable property collapse hit we would still have people with some spending power who could have helped the country buy their way out of this mess.
Tyre didn't learn. It became so fascinated with its wealth that its King considered himself a God. I'm sure our Taoiseach does not think so highly of himself but even these many centuries later with Tyre's example written out for us in black and white we still do not learn. Let's hope that we not be singing these words about Ireland in the not-too-distant future -
33 The merchandise you traded
satisfied the desires of many nations.
Kings at the ends of the earth
were enriched by your trade.
34 Now you are a wrecked ship,
broken at the bottom of the sea.
All your merchandise and crew
have gone down with you.
35 All who live along the coastlands
are appalled at your terrible fate.
Their kings are filled with horror
and look on with twisted faces.
36 The merchants among the nations
shake their heads at the sight of you,
for you have come to a horrible end
and will exist no more.
Ezekiel 27:33-36
Hebrews 11:17-31
Psalm 111:1-10
Proverbs 27:15-16
RTE are reporting that the Irish Government are definitely not in talks with the EU about a bailout of our once bubbling economy. Every other news agency in the world is saying that they are. A few years ago property in Tullamore was more expensive than property in Manhattan. These days the houses on some estates are being sold at a third of the price they were going for in 2007.
In reading Ezekiel's words against Tyre you can't help but see the parallels between her fall and Ireland's fall. Thankfully in our case it has not been a violent collapse (so far) but the pain has been every bit as real for people. Tyre's success is written about first. All of the places she traded with are listed. As I type this I look round the room at a television made in Korea, I am typing on a laptop from a Japanese company, sitting on a Swedish sofa made in Poland, sipping New Zealand wine from a glass made in France, and everything else in the room was probably made in China.
But after listing the success of Tyre's trading relationships (and the Bible talks about international trade as a good thing as long as it is done fairly) and describing in overflowing language of how Tyre was a protective angel and partner for Israel it goes on to say, "Your rich commerce led you to violence, and you sinned. So I banished you in disgrace." At one point Ireland had the largest per capita income of any EU country and if you lived here with your eyes open you would have found that an incredibly embarrassing fact as cheek by jowl with immense wealth there was unbelievable poverty and disadvantage hardwired into Irish society. The wealth of our society had been built on the backs of the poor who had worked hard for those whose lifestyles eventually derailed the whole economy.
The violence in the Irish situation was not the physical violence of the army and navy of Tyre but instead the economic violence perpetrated against the poorest in Irish society. I can't help but think that if the driving force of the economy had been put to good social use improving the lot of the working poor in our society with free healthcare, free education and improving the living conditions of those who generated most of the country's wealth with their labour then when the inevitable property collapse hit we would still have people with some spending power who could have helped the country buy their way out of this mess.
Tyre didn't learn. It became so fascinated with its wealth that its King considered himself a God. I'm sure our Taoiseach does not think so highly of himself but even these many centuries later with Tyre's example written out for us in black and white we still do not learn. Let's hope that we not be singing these words about Ireland in the not-too-distant future -
33 The merchandise you traded
satisfied the desires of many nations.
Kings at the ends of the earth
were enriched by your trade.
34 Now you are a wrecked ship,
broken at the bottom of the sea.
All your merchandise and crew
have gone down with you.
35 All who live along the coastlands
are appalled at your terrible fate.
Their kings are filled with horror
and look on with twisted faces.
36 The merchants among the nations
shake their heads at the sight of you,
for you have come to a horrible end
and will exist no more.
Ezekiel 27:33-36
Faith means never having to say "I Know"
Ezekiel 24:1-26:21
Hebrews 11:1-16
Psalm 110:1-7
Proverbs 27:14
"Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen." So says Hebrews 11 verse 1 before going on to illustrate this with examples of "saints" from the Old Testament who trusted God. The thing about faith is it is the admission that we simply do not know for certain.
We do not know. But we trust.
If levels of belief are drawn on a scale and knowing is put at the top at 100% and utter indifference is at the bottom at 0 then where does faith come in. Is it at 90% - so close to knowing for certain that there is no obvious difference? Is it at 80, 70, a good A grade or a poor B?
Possibly closer to a low grade F...
Jesus speaks about faith in a strange way, he talks about it being a tiny thing, a near invisible thing and yet its effects are amazing, beyond all proportion to its size. He tells parables comparing faith, the life of faith and the effect of faith as being like yeast, tiny seeds and other near invisible things that despite their smallness have amazing effects.
There is something incredibly liberating about being told that its not about knowing beyond all doubt but instead it is about having a tiny, mustard seed, yeast cell sized, piece of faith. We don't know but we do believe and that somehow in the weird and profound logic of God is much, much more powerful.
Hebrews 11:1-16
Psalm 110:1-7
Proverbs 27:14
"Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen." So says Hebrews 11 verse 1 before going on to illustrate this with examples of "saints" from the Old Testament who trusted God. The thing about faith is it is the admission that we simply do not know for certain.
We do not know. But we trust.
If levels of belief are drawn on a scale and knowing is put at the top at 100% and utter indifference is at the bottom at 0 then where does faith come in. Is it at 90% - so close to knowing for certain that there is no obvious difference? Is it at 80, 70, a good A grade or a poor B?
Possibly closer to a low grade F...
Jesus speaks about faith in a strange way, he talks about it being a tiny thing, a near invisible thing and yet its effects are amazing, beyond all proportion to its size. He tells parables comparing faith, the life of faith and the effect of faith as being like yeast, tiny seeds and other near invisible things that despite their smallness have amazing effects.
There is something incredibly liberating about being told that its not about knowing beyond all doubt but instead it is about having a tiny, mustard seed, yeast cell sized, piece of faith. We don't know but we do believe and that somehow in the weird and profound logic of God is much, much more powerful.
Friday 12 November 2010
Impressionistic Use of the Bible
Ezekiel 23:1-49
Hebrews 10:18-39
Psalm 109:1-31
Proverbs 27:13
This one is only really half thought out tonight (possibly because it is written so late after being out at an Alpha Course in the pub chatting until late) but also because it is a tricky idea for me to get my head round.
Reading through Psalm 109 I got to verse 8 and thought, "hang on, that's familiar." It turns out that it is used in Acts 1 verse 20 by Peter when he is talking about Judas and finding a replacement for him. In the New Living Translation it says, "let someone else take his position."
Taken like that, totally out of context, then you could think of it as being a prophecy about Judas. It possibly matches but it really does require a bit of imagination. Then you go back and read the whole Psalm and you realise that these words, "let someone else take his position" are on the lips of the accusers of an innocent man and all of a sudden the whole thing gets very confusing.
It seems that Peter and others (especially Matthew) seem to use the Bible in a very impressionistic way, especially when it comes to saying, "The Bible says..." It's odd because this approach to the Bible would get most preachers laughed out of church these days. Is Peter right to use the Bible in this seemingly random way?
I don't know. But what it does make me think of is that rather disgusting proverb, "There is more than one way to skin a cat." As a complete digression I have to ask at this point how many there are and who on earth thought of them...
As well as there being more than one way to part a feline from its fur there are also many different ways of reading the Bible. You can go in depth into a passage, pulling it apart and looking at the history, language, etc. You can Meditate on it as it is and let the passage soak into you like a marinade. You can sing it and adapt it to music. You can read it out together as a congregation or Bible study group.
Or you can us it impressionistically just like Peter did, taking parts of sentences out of context and quoting them to people as, "The Bible says..." It must be a valid way of reading if Acts 20 is anything to go by but in the end it leaves me feeling a little cold.
What do you think?
Hebrews 10:18-39
Psalm 109:1-31
Proverbs 27:13
This one is only really half thought out tonight (possibly because it is written so late after being out at an Alpha Course in the pub chatting until late) but also because it is a tricky idea for me to get my head round.
Reading through Psalm 109 I got to verse 8 and thought, "hang on, that's familiar." It turns out that it is used in Acts 1 verse 20 by Peter when he is talking about Judas and finding a replacement for him. In the New Living Translation it says, "let someone else take his position."
Taken like that, totally out of context, then you could think of it as being a prophecy about Judas. It possibly matches but it really does require a bit of imagination. Then you go back and read the whole Psalm and you realise that these words, "let someone else take his position" are on the lips of the accusers of an innocent man and all of a sudden the whole thing gets very confusing.
It seems that Peter and others (especially Matthew) seem to use the Bible in a very impressionistic way, especially when it comes to saying, "The Bible says..." It's odd because this approach to the Bible would get most preachers laughed out of church these days. Is Peter right to use the Bible in this seemingly random way?
I don't know. But what it does make me think of is that rather disgusting proverb, "There is more than one way to skin a cat." As a complete digression I have to ask at this point how many there are and who on earth thought of them...
As well as there being more than one way to part a feline from its fur there are also many different ways of reading the Bible. You can go in depth into a passage, pulling it apart and looking at the history, language, etc. You can Meditate on it as it is and let the passage soak into you like a marinade. You can sing it and adapt it to music. You can read it out together as a congregation or Bible study group.
Or you can us it impressionistically just like Peter did, taking parts of sentences out of context and quoting them to people as, "The Bible says..." It must be a valid way of reading if Acts 20 is anything to go by but in the end it leaves me feeling a little cold.
What do you think?
Wednesday 10 November 2010
Don't Forget the Good News
Ezekiel 20:1-49
Hebrews 9:11-28
Psalm 107:1-43
Proverbs 27:11
I've become increasingly worried over the last while at how churches seem to be polarising over methods of reaching out to people and ways to grow the Kingdom of God. On the one hand some churches seem to want to water absolutely everything down so that just about every aspect of Christian faith is up for grabs. If we have to look exactly like the culture around us in it's greed and it's celebration of all things youthful and successful then so be it, off we go, let's look more and more like the world so that we can bring more people in.
The flip side of that comes in the form of movements such as Way of the Master that seem to see the problem not in the look of the church or in what we should adopt to attract the world but in a wholesale redesign of the story of Jesus so that what he does is come to tell the world the bad news of how much God can't stand who they are and is really, really itching to send them to hell for stealing cookies from the cookie jar or pens from the office.
In contrast to both of these approaches the Bible emphasises this weird and wonderful idea that it calls the "Good News." That phrase has become so over used and hackneyed that it pays to go back to the Bible every once in a while to read what it means. I would encourage you to use something like www.biblegateway.com and search under each use of that phrase "Good News" to rediscover what way the Bible uses it and then compare it to how your church or community use it.
In Psalm 107 the idea of telling the Good News is broken down to its simplest form, "1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. 2 Has the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out! Tell others he has redeemed you from your enemies. 3 For he has gathered the exiles from many lands, from east and west, from north and south."
"Has the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out!" The word redeemed here is a word used when talking about buying someone out of debt slavery or marrying someone who has been left destitute. Has God changed your life and lifted you out of the mess you were in? Go on, tell people about it! There are enough people out there in the church fixated on convincing people of the "Bad News" first before they will let them know the Good News but this psalm tells us repeatedly to let people know what God has done for us. Tell them the Good News and tell them it again and again and again.
Hebrews 9:11-28
Psalm 107:1-43
Proverbs 27:11
I've become increasingly worried over the last while at how churches seem to be polarising over methods of reaching out to people and ways to grow the Kingdom of God. On the one hand some churches seem to want to water absolutely everything down so that just about every aspect of Christian faith is up for grabs. If we have to look exactly like the culture around us in it's greed and it's celebration of all things youthful and successful then so be it, off we go, let's look more and more like the world so that we can bring more people in.
The flip side of that comes in the form of movements such as Way of the Master that seem to see the problem not in the look of the church or in what we should adopt to attract the world but in a wholesale redesign of the story of Jesus so that what he does is come to tell the world the bad news of how much God can't stand who they are and is really, really itching to send them to hell for stealing cookies from the cookie jar or pens from the office.
In contrast to both of these approaches the Bible emphasises this weird and wonderful idea that it calls the "Good News." That phrase has become so over used and hackneyed that it pays to go back to the Bible every once in a while to read what it means. I would encourage you to use something like www.biblegateway.com and search under each use of that phrase "Good News" to rediscover what way the Bible uses it and then compare it to how your church or community use it.
In Psalm 107 the idea of telling the Good News is broken down to its simplest form, "1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. 2 Has the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out! Tell others he has redeemed you from your enemies. 3 For he has gathered the exiles from many lands, from east and west, from north and south."
"Has the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out!" The word redeemed here is a word used when talking about buying someone out of debt slavery or marrying someone who has been left destitute. Has God changed your life and lifted you out of the mess you were in? Go on, tell people about it! There are enough people out there in the church fixated on convincing people of the "Bad News" first before they will let them know the Good News but this psalm tells us repeatedly to let people know what God has done for us. Tell them the Good News and tell them it again and again and again.
Monday 8 November 2010
Justice, Jubilee and Generational Poverty
Ezekiel 18:1-19:14
Hebrews 9:1-10
Psalm 106:32-48
Proverbs 27:10
It can be so easy to read the passage in Ezekiel 18 these days and just nod and agree or maybe even shake our heads and wonder at the barbarity of ancient Israelite culture that demanded that whole families be repaid for the crimes or sins of a child or a father. The principle was summed up in a proverb, " The parents have eaten sour grapes, but their children’s mouths pucker at the taste."
The problem is we operate the same principle in our own culture but largely in an economic sense, although also partly in a judicial sense.
What do I mean?
I mean that when a parent messes up their lives financially or morally by wasting their family's money on drink, drugs, gambling, reckless spending or whatever, then we do very little as a society to financially repair families that are left in this mess. The mess is the fault of the parent but the results are felt by the children and even debts can be handed down from generation to generation (as happened with a friend of men who was left with a sizeable debt after the death of his father) meaning that children can be caught in a downward spiral of generational poverty.
In the book of Leviticus (chapter 25 and following) God prescribes a cure for generational poverty in the form of the Jubilee principle. When the tribes first conquered the Promised Land the territory was divided up equally between the tribes and within the tribes it was divided up evenly between clans and families. Land could be sold but only for a set period of time. Every 50 years the land reverted to the original owners. This meant that if I, for example, squandered my property and ended up sold as a slave in poverty then by the time the next Year of Jubilee came round my family would have some chance of getting themselves back on their feet as they would get the land back in a set period of time.
It's not known if Jubilee was fully put into practice in ancient Israel at all but it finally broke down around the time of a king called Ahab in the mid 800s BC. If it ever did work then it was a brilliant device for breaking the cycle of generational poverty. Now we live in a very different society and the link between wealth and land is not as strong as it once was but how could we mirror that Jubilee principle in our own society and so remove our own barbaric practice of enforcing generational poverty on innocent children whose father's sour grapes have forced their mouths to pucker?
Hebrews 9:1-10
Psalm 106:32-48
Proverbs 27:10
It can be so easy to read the passage in Ezekiel 18 these days and just nod and agree or maybe even shake our heads and wonder at the barbarity of ancient Israelite culture that demanded that whole families be repaid for the crimes or sins of a child or a father. The principle was summed up in a proverb, " The parents have eaten sour grapes, but their children’s mouths pucker at the taste."
The problem is we operate the same principle in our own culture but largely in an economic sense, although also partly in a judicial sense.
What do I mean?
I mean that when a parent messes up their lives financially or morally by wasting their family's money on drink, drugs, gambling, reckless spending or whatever, then we do very little as a society to financially repair families that are left in this mess. The mess is the fault of the parent but the results are felt by the children and even debts can be handed down from generation to generation (as happened with a friend of men who was left with a sizeable debt after the death of his father) meaning that children can be caught in a downward spiral of generational poverty.
In the book of Leviticus (chapter 25 and following) God prescribes a cure for generational poverty in the form of the Jubilee principle. When the tribes first conquered the Promised Land the territory was divided up equally between the tribes and within the tribes it was divided up evenly between clans and families. Land could be sold but only for a set period of time. Every 50 years the land reverted to the original owners. This meant that if I, for example, squandered my property and ended up sold as a slave in poverty then by the time the next Year of Jubilee came round my family would have some chance of getting themselves back on their feet as they would get the land back in a set period of time.
It's not known if Jubilee was fully put into practice in ancient Israel at all but it finally broke down around the time of a king called Ahab in the mid 800s BC. If it ever did work then it was a brilliant device for breaking the cycle of generational poverty. Now we live in a very different society and the link between wealth and land is not as strong as it once was but how could we mirror that Jubilee principle in our own society and so remove our own barbaric practice of enforcing generational poverty on innocent children whose father's sour grapes have forced their mouths to pucker?
Sunday 7 November 2010
Save Ireland from Sodomy!
Ezekiel 16:42-17:24
Hebrews 8:1-13
Psalm 106:13-31
Proverbs 27:7-9
Ian Paisley and his fellow Free Presbyterians used to wear T-shirts and carry banners with the rather catchy slogan, "Save Ulster from Sodomy" and they would display them in front of anywhere there might possibly be a whiff of homosexuality in Northern Ireland. Some enterprising gays even brought out a line of opposing T-shirts that read "Save Sodomy from Ulster" but what neither side in this sartorially driven argument seemed to ask was this, "What was so bad about the city of Sodom that God destroyed it?"
The answer is given in Ezekiel 16 "Sodom’s sins were pride, gluttony, and laziness, while the poor and needy suffered outside her door." If that is the Bible's definition of "Sodomy" then I think we need a new line of T-shirts made because that sounds very like the evils of modern day capitalist Ireland.
Save Ireland from Sodomy!
Saturday 6 November 2010
It's not what you know...
Ezekiel 14:12-16:41
Hebrews 7:18-28
Psalm 106:1-12
Proverbs 27:4-6
Jesus is pretty much free to do whatever he wants. I would go so far as to say he is the most free being in all of the universe and whatever else there might be beside that. So what does the most free being in the universe choose to do with his time and eternity?
The Hebrews passage today tells us. "He is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf."
That's how he spends his days. Talking to the Father on your behalf and mine.
Now, how special does that make you feel?
Hebrews 7:18-28
Psalm 106:1-12
Proverbs 27:4-6
Jesus is pretty much free to do whatever he wants. I would go so far as to say he is the most free being in all of the universe and whatever else there might be beside that. So what does the most free being in the universe choose to do with his time and eternity?
The Hebrews passage today tells us. "He is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf."
That's how he spends his days. Talking to the Father on your behalf and mine.
Now, how special does that make you feel?
Friday 5 November 2010
Don't Think Pink!
Ezekiel 12:1-14:11
Hebrews 7:1-17
Psalm 105:37-45
Proverbs 27:3
The Proverbs verse for today is particularly timely for us.
James doesn't normally talk too much about the things that he does at school. Being a typical boy he simply goes "Uh, we did pig painting. It was brown and yucky. It wasn't a live pig though..." But this morning he talked forever about a boy in his class who has informed him recently that he is "a girl." The reason for this moment of gender confusion on the part of his classmate is that when asked what his favourite colours were the other day, James said, "Green, Blue, Orange and Pink."
Green, Blue and Orange were all perfectly acceptable colours for a boy to like but pink, according to the boy at his table, was not. So now James has had to put up with days of "You're a girl!" Now asides from the fact that it is very odd for anyone to use the word "girl" as an insult it is also a pretty good example of the truth of Proverbs 27:3 "A stone is heavy and sand is weighty, but the resentment caused by a fool is even heavier."
The effect of this other boys foolish words were pretty heavy on James this morning. Hopefully he'll get over it pretty soon and I'm sure he'll dole out his own fair share of foolish words. In the meantime we'll get to showing him videos of Stade Francais thrashing lesser rugby teams and assure him that he most certainly is a boy.
Hebrews 7:1-17
Psalm 105:37-45
Proverbs 27:3
The Proverbs verse for today is particularly timely for us.
James doesn't normally talk too much about the things that he does at school. Being a typical boy he simply goes "Uh, we did pig painting. It was brown and yucky. It wasn't a live pig though..." But this morning he talked forever about a boy in his class who has informed him recently that he is "a girl." The reason for this moment of gender confusion on the part of his classmate is that when asked what his favourite colours were the other day, James said, "Green, Blue, Orange and Pink."
Green, Blue and Orange were all perfectly acceptable colours for a boy to like but pink, according to the boy at his table, was not. So now James has had to put up with days of "You're a girl!" Now asides from the fact that it is very odd for anyone to use the word "girl" as an insult it is also a pretty good example of the truth of Proverbs 27:3 "A stone is heavy and sand is weighty, but the resentment caused by a fool is even heavier."
The effect of this other boys foolish words were pretty heavy on James this morning. Hopefully he'll get over it pretty soon and I'm sure he'll dole out his own fair share of foolish words. In the meantime we'll get to showing him videos of Stade Francais thrashing lesser rugby teams and assure him that he most certainly is a boy.
We're Doomed!
We are all going to die!
Normally the kind of phrase reserved for dodgy Hollywood disaster movies or the fat red-faced guy in a super hero film who is just about to be crushed by a flying car thrown by the bad guy / monster / evil opposite of the hero from a parallel universe.
But the bizarre thing is that its true. We are all going to die. All of us. Or as the Blues Brothers would put it, "You, me, everybody" we're all going to die. It's the last big taboo in a society in which we have gotten rid of just about every other taboo you can think of. Want to go on Jeremy Kyle or Jerry Springer and talk about your lesbian affair with your dad's sex-change best friend? OK, go ahead! Want to talk about death? No! Don't talk about that.
The Proverbs passage today is pretty blunt and to the point. Don't boast about tomorrow, you don't know if you're going to have one.
Being aware that you are going to die can be both a liberator and a motivator for people. I've been reading and listening to a lot of biographies over the last few months and some of the greatest figures in the 20th Century managed to achieve the things they did because they were convinced early on that they didn't have very long to live and so set out to seize life in both hands and do something with it, sometimes for good and sometimes for ill.
So, to quote a famous 20th Century Philosopher, "Life's short and there's no return and no deposit." Get on with it. If you have questions you want to ask, ask them. If there is something you want to achieve, get working. If there are things you want to find out, go looking. If there are sorrys that need said or relationships that need fixed then go do your best to do it. Never think, "I'll think about this later, I'll do this later, I'll say sorry later, I'll get right with God later..."
You might not have a later to do it.
And while we are on the subject of death...
Normally the kind of phrase reserved for dodgy Hollywood disaster movies or the fat red-faced guy in a super hero film who is just about to be crushed by a flying car thrown by the bad guy / monster / evil opposite of the hero from a parallel universe.
But the bizarre thing is that its true. We are all going to die. All of us. Or as the Blues Brothers would put it, "You, me, everybody" we're all going to die. It's the last big taboo in a society in which we have gotten rid of just about every other taboo you can think of. Want to go on Jeremy Kyle or Jerry Springer and talk about your lesbian affair with your dad's sex-change best friend? OK, go ahead! Want to talk about death? No! Don't talk about that.
The Proverbs passage today is pretty blunt and to the point. Don't boast about tomorrow, you don't know if you're going to have one.
Being aware that you are going to die can be both a liberator and a motivator for people. I've been reading and listening to a lot of biographies over the last few months and some of the greatest figures in the 20th Century managed to achieve the things they did because they were convinced early on that they didn't have very long to live and so set out to seize life in both hands and do something with it, sometimes for good and sometimes for ill.
So, to quote a famous 20th Century Philosopher, "Life's short and there's no return and no deposit." Get on with it. If you have questions you want to ask, ask them. If there is something you want to achieve, get working. If there are things you want to find out, go looking. If there are sorrys that need said or relationships that need fixed then go do your best to do it. Never think, "I'll think about this later, I'll do this later, I'll say sorry later, I'll get right with God later..."
You might not have a later to do it.
And while we are on the subject of death...
Wednesday 3 November 2010
A Sinful Leader is a Good Leader
Ezekiel 7:1-9:11
Hebrews 5:1-14
Psalm 105:1-15
Proverbs 26:28
It's interesting to compare the description of what a High Priest should be like with the description of Caiaphas (the high priest who tried Jesus) in the Gospels. He does not come across as someone who is "able to deal gently with ignorant and wayward people because he himself is subject to the same weaknesses." Instead of dealing gently with Jesus he is harsh, violent and intolerant of him. We see in these two images of a high priest two very different visions of what it means to be a leader.
For many people being a leader is about harshly directing from the front, being the person who sets a perfect example and shows that he or she is leader by virtue of being better than everyone else. And if they are not better then the only thing to do is go and find a new leader who lives up to such exacting standards.
The Bible takes a much more realistic view of human leadership. Every High Priest in the Old Testament was directed to offer sacrifice for their own sin as well as for the sins of the people. What this act presumes is that the High Priest will be a man who sins and gets things wrong. Hebrews actually goes so far as to tell us that this then becomes a positive quality in the High Priest because he can then deal gently with people who go astray because he is prone to the same sins and weaknesses as they are.
We all have to fight against sin and no sin is ever a "good sin" but having an awareness that you are a sinner should generate in you an ability to not only tolerate the sins of others but to be able to deal gently with them. In the Calvinist branch of the church that I come from there is a much misunderstood doctrine called "Total Depravity" which doesn't mean that everyone is a depraved mindless beast but instead tells us that everyone is broken in sin. Everyone sins and everyone is so burdened with sin that they themselves can do nothing about it but throw themselves on God's mercy.
I find it very freeing to know that everyone is broken and that even the most pious person you can meet has their own sins that they wrestle with. It's freeing because it lets me know that I'm not alone but also it is freeing in that when they do something to really annoy or hurt me I can find comfort in the fact that they do this because they, like me, are broken. I can't fix them but one day God will.
Hebrews 5:1-14
Psalm 105:1-15
Proverbs 26:28
It's interesting to compare the description of what a High Priest should be like with the description of Caiaphas (the high priest who tried Jesus) in the Gospels. He does not come across as someone who is "able to deal gently with ignorant and wayward people because he himself is subject to the same weaknesses." Instead of dealing gently with Jesus he is harsh, violent and intolerant of him. We see in these two images of a high priest two very different visions of what it means to be a leader.
For many people being a leader is about harshly directing from the front, being the person who sets a perfect example and shows that he or she is leader by virtue of being better than everyone else. And if they are not better then the only thing to do is go and find a new leader who lives up to such exacting standards.
The Bible takes a much more realistic view of human leadership. Every High Priest in the Old Testament was directed to offer sacrifice for their own sin as well as for the sins of the people. What this act presumes is that the High Priest will be a man who sins and gets things wrong. Hebrews actually goes so far as to tell us that this then becomes a positive quality in the High Priest because he can then deal gently with people who go astray because he is prone to the same sins and weaknesses as they are.
We all have to fight against sin and no sin is ever a "good sin" but having an awareness that you are a sinner should generate in you an ability to not only tolerate the sins of others but to be able to deal gently with them. In the Calvinist branch of the church that I come from there is a much misunderstood doctrine called "Total Depravity" which doesn't mean that everyone is a depraved mindless beast but instead tells us that everyone is broken in sin. Everyone sins and everyone is so burdened with sin that they themselves can do nothing about it but throw themselves on God's mercy.
I find it very freeing to know that everyone is broken and that even the most pious person you can meet has their own sins that they wrestle with. It's freeing because it lets me know that I'm not alone but also it is freeing in that when they do something to really annoy or hurt me I can find comfort in the fact that they do this because they, like me, are broken. I can't fix them but one day God will.
Tuesday 2 November 2010
Positively Unashamed
Ezekiel 3:16-6:14
Hebrews 4:1-16
Psalm 104:24-35
Proverbs 26:27
Psalm 104 is as upbeat as an early Beatles song or a piece of Europop but don't let that fool you. This is not the Macarena of the Bible, simple cheery audio chewing gum for the soul. This positive expression of the joys of this world is a great antidote to the temptation within Christianity to become world-despisers.
In To Kill a Mockingbird Miss Maudie is told by some fundamentalists that she and her flowers will go to hell. She should, apparently, have been spending more time indoors reading the Bible than outdoors tending her flowers. But had she gone inside and read psalm 104 she would then have found herself encouraged by God's Word to get back out into the great outdoors and enjoy nature's worship of its creator, possibly even with a glass of wine to "make her glad."
The world that God made is still a beautiful and wonderful place. Enjoy it, and don't forget to say thank you to the one who made it.
Monday 1 November 2010
Ezekiel the Psychedelic Prophet
Ezekiel 1:1-3:15
Hebrews 3:1-19
Psalm 104:1-23
Proverbs 26:24-26
It still comes as a bit of a shock to the system every time I read the start of Ezekiel. After going through Isaiah with his visions of all nature in harmony in a renewed Eden, Jeremiah's blood curdling but all too realistic (and eventually realised) threats to Judah, and then the heartbreaking descriptions of loss in Lamentations, Ezekiel can read like some mad Saturday morning cartoon show.
Wheels within wheels all covered in eyes. Lightning blasts moving within and among creatures with multiple heads, a glowing being on a sapphire throne. It really does sound as though someone spiked Ezekiel's water with LSD.
Why does God speak to Ezekiel using this style of vision?
I can think of 2 possible reasons, neither which are mutually exclusive. If you think of any others let me know!
The first is because Ezekiel and his people have been through a massive national and personal trauma that probably had them doubting God's existence, God's power or God's interest in them at all. With all that Ezekiel had seen then angels in the smoke of the temple (Isaiah's call) or pots boiling over out of doors (Jeremiah's call) just won't do it. Ezekiel's consciousness has been battered by the brutality of war. To get through to him God employs his own "Shock and Awe" approach.
In doing so he gives Ezekiel a vision of himself as God of all the earth, not some local deity, wholly other, wholly different, wholly free and all-powerful. Jerusalem is ruined but God is above and beyond human temples and constraints.
The second reason is much more simple and prosaic. Maybe Ezekiel is just that kind of guy. God respects our personalities and more often than not works through them rather than against them. Maybe Ezekiel sees visions like this because he is God's psychedelic prophet rather than God's boring mundane one.
What do you think?
Sunday 31 October 2010
God thinks people were one of his better ideas (and that's saying something!)
Lamentations 4:1-5:22
Hebrews 2:1-18
Psalm 103:1-22
Proverbs 26:23
I love Psalm 103. It is one of my favourite parts in the Bible because it gives us a picture of God as someone who is wholeheartedly in favour of people.
In this poem you get at one and the same time -
i) the greatness of God, "The Lord has made the heavens his throne; from there he rules over everything"
ii) the frailty of humanity, "we are only dust. 15 Our days on earth are like grass; like wildflowers, we bloom and die. 16 The wind blows, and we are gone — as though we had never been here"
and then
iii) God's attitude towards us, "his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. 12 He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. 13 The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him."
So if you ever have a down day and think that you are terrible and useless, if you think that you are sin ridden and worthless then have a read of Psalm 103 and find out what God really thinks of you.
Hebrews 2:1-18
Psalm 103:1-22
Proverbs 26:23
I love Psalm 103. It is one of my favourite parts in the Bible because it gives us a picture of God as someone who is wholeheartedly in favour of people.
In this poem you get at one and the same time -
i) the greatness of God, "The Lord has made the heavens his throne; from there he rules over everything"
ii) the frailty of humanity, "we are only dust. 15 Our days on earth are like grass; like wildflowers, we bloom and die. 16 The wind blows, and we are gone — as though we had never been here"
and then
iii) God's attitude towards us, "his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. 12 He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. 13 The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him."
So if you ever have a down day and think that you are terrible and useless, if you think that you are sin ridden and worthless then have a read of Psalm 103 and find out what God really thinks of you.
Monday 25 October 2010
Weakness and forgiveness
Jeremiah 48:1-49:22
2 Timothy 4:1-22
Psalm 95:1-96:13
Proverbs 26:9-12
2 Timothy 4:1-22
Psalm 95:1-96:13
Proverbs 26:9-12
In the 2 Timothy passage we see Paul in a moment of moving weakness and humility. I don’t know if I would have liked Paul had I met him personally. He seems to have had one of those abrupt sort of personalities that told things as they are and was not afraid to lose friends in doing so. We see this by how he faces down Peter in front of the church over eating with people who are not Jews (Paul, like Jesus, was for, Peter, unlike Jesus, was against). There is another telling incident in Acts 15 when Paul hastily judges Mark (later to become the writer of Mark’s Gospel) because he failed them and ran away from them on a previous missionary journey.
He falls out with Barnabus on this one. Barnabus takes Mark away with him and Paul storms off on his own. The work of both men seems to have been blessed by God as they went their separate ways but how much more productive would it have been had they worked together? Paul, just like Barnabus it seems, was a stubborn and pig-headed man. But here we see him toward the end of his life. He is an old man and in need. He could be railing against the world and everyone who has failed him in the past but instead there are one or two beautiful moments in this letter. He writes this to Timothy...
9Do your best to come to me quickly, 10for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia. 11Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry. 12I sent Tychicus to Ephesus. 13When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, and my scrolls, especially the parchments.
Who does he ask for? Mark, “Because he is helpful to me in my ministry.” We don’t know when the healing happened or who said sorry to who but far from holding a grudge Paul now calls for help from a man that previously he wouldn’t even go on mission work with. How long do we hold grudges for? All too often in life people hold them until the grave. Jesus gave us a very stern warning about that kind of thing in his teaching about prayer, he said, “14 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” Matthew 6:14-15
Sunday 24 October 2010
The amazing disappearing blog!
Jeremiah 44:24-47:7
2 Timothy 2:22-3:17
Psalm 94:1-23
Proverbs 26:6-8
There have been no blog posts for the last few days as we have been travelling through Scotland and have had fairly erratic internet access. The flat we are now staying in is probably the only internet dead-zone in the whole of Leslie.
"Pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts.
23 Again I say, don’t get involved in foolish, ignorant arguments that only start fights. 24 A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people."
This advice from Paul seems so obvious that it barely seems to be worth saying. But what he is speaking about is the effect that being a Christian, dedicating your life to being a follower of Jesus should have on you. You should change and become a much nicer person.
Jesus said the same sort of thing, "by their fruit will you know them." I read a passage like the one in 2 Timothy and think, how much has all this changed me? Does it continue to change me? A faith that didn't change people from the inside out wouldn't be worth following.
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This post took forever to put together on my phone so expect few enough posts over the next week and then come Monday normal service should resume.
Wednesday 20 October 2010
Dear Paul - Part 5
Following hot on the heals of part 4 here is part 5 -
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9No widow may be put on the list of widows unless she is over sixty, has been faithful to her husband,[a] 10and is well known for her good deeds, such as bringing up children, showing hospitality, washing the feet of the saints, helping those in trouble and devoting herself to all kinds of good deeds.
11As for younger widows, do not put them on such a list. For when their sensual desires overcome their dedication to Christ, they want to marry. 12Thus they bring judgment on themselves, because they have broken their first pledge. 13Besides, they get into the habit of being idle and going about from house to house. And not only do they become idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying things they ought not to. 14So I counsel younger widows to marry, to have children, to manage their homes and to give the enemy no opportunity for slander. 15Some have in fact already turned away to follow Satan.
16If any woman who is a believer has widows in her family, she should help them and not let the church be burdened with them, so that the church can help those widows who are really in need.
17The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.18For the Scripture says, "Do not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the grain,"[b] and "The worker deserves his wages."[c] 19Do not entertain an accusation against an elder unless it is brought by two or three witnesses. 20Those who sin are to be rebuked publicly, so that the others may take warning.
21I charge you, in the sight of God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels, to keep these instructions without partiality, and to do nothing out of favoritism.
22Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, and do not share in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure.
23Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses.
24The sins of some men are obvious, reaching the place of judgment ahead of them; the sins of others trail behind them. 25In the same way, good deeds are obvious, and even those that are not cannot be hidden.
How should I deal with these differences in age in the church? When I first came here I was not conscious of this at all for you had always treated me with respect despite the difference in age between us. Here in Ephesus however things are different, I feel self conscious in the houses with young women (it feels like their fathers are always trying to marry them off to me!) and I feel a new self consciousness amongst the older men after some of the comments that have been made about my age. Should I be bolder in my teaching and rebuking of them? Would that earn me better respect?
While we are on the subject of older people I feel that I need some advice about our work scheme for the widows. It has been going well here but with the recent plagues and the high death rate among the men it is becoming a little unmanageable. We followed the example of the Antioch church and recruited older widows to look after people in the congregation in return for a small pension and a vow that they would dedicate themselves purely to the work of the church in prayer and service.
Until the recent spate of deaths that has worked well but now we have so many younger widows among us this current way of doing things seems unsustainable. How should we treat these younger widows? How should we decide who to give money to and who is genuinely in need?
We have little enough money as it is, although people do give generously, it breaks my heart sometimes to see the slaves give a tenth of what little they have for the work of the church. What money we have goes toward helping those who are poor, those who are sick and the refugees. We are also considering setting aside some of our elders from their everyday work and paying them so that they might do pastoral and preaching work full time. What do you think of this? Also should these men be more accountable to the other elders as they are taking money from the church in the way the widows are?
To help us afford this I have been living as simply as possible and taking as little money from the church as I can. I am abstaining even from wine and other alcoholic drinks, some of the older men here disapprove of them anyway and it keeps them quiet, but the local water does not seem to agree with me. Maybe a bit more physical training will help this weak constitution of mine!
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1 Timothy 5
Advice About Widows, Elders and Slaves
1Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, 2older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity. 3Give proper recognition to those widows who are really in need. 4But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God. 5The widow who is really in need and left all alone puts her hope in God and continues night and day to pray and to ask God for help. 6But the widow who lives for pleasure is dead even while she lives. 7Give the people these instructions, too, so that no one may be open to blame. 8If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.9No widow may be put on the list of widows unless she is over sixty, has been faithful to her husband,[a] 10and is well known for her good deeds, such as bringing up children, showing hospitality, washing the feet of the saints, helping those in trouble and devoting herself to all kinds of good deeds.
11As for younger widows, do not put them on such a list. For when their sensual desires overcome their dedication to Christ, they want to marry. 12Thus they bring judgment on themselves, because they have broken their first pledge. 13Besides, they get into the habit of being idle and going about from house to house. And not only do they become idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying things they ought not to. 14So I counsel younger widows to marry, to have children, to manage their homes and to give the enemy no opportunity for slander. 15Some have in fact already turned away to follow Satan.
16If any woman who is a believer has widows in her family, she should help them and not let the church be burdened with them, so that the church can help those widows who are really in need.
17The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.18For the Scripture says, "Do not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the grain,"[b] and "The worker deserves his wages."[c] 19Do not entertain an accusation against an elder unless it is brought by two or three witnesses. 20Those who sin are to be rebuked publicly, so that the others may take warning.
21I charge you, in the sight of God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels, to keep these instructions without partiality, and to do nothing out of favoritism.
22Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, and do not share in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure.
23Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses.
24The sins of some men are obvious, reaching the place of judgment ahead of them; the sins of others trail behind them. 25In the same way, good deeds are obvious, and even those that are not cannot be hidden.
Footnotes:
- 1 Timothy 5:9 Or has had but one husband
- 1 Timothy 5:18 Deut. 25:4
- 1 Timothy 5:18 Luke 10:7
Dear Paul - Part 4
This is going up a day that as I was on the move or in meetings for 13 straight hours yesterday. It's been great to slow down today and read up on Sunday's sermon and be in the one place for more than an hour. Here's part 4 -
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I have written to you before about what I see as a worrying trend among some of the Christians here toward separating themselves off from the outside world. Despite the large Jewish community in Ephesus it can be almost impossible to buy meat here that hasn’t been offered up in a temple of some sort or killed in a ritualistic way. This is less of a problem for those who live outside of the city or the very rich who can keep their own animals but for the trading classes and the few slaves who have the money to eat meat this can be a big issue.
I know that your teaching is clear on this that “to the pure all things are pure” and that our role is to be in the world as our Lord Jesus was but I find it almost impossible to argue against this trend. Those who tell all Christians to stay separate from the outside world and away from people who are not Christians in their day to day dealings and social life do what they do to help people remain holy. I want my people to be holy but does that mean we have to stay apart from the non-Christian people we live and work alongside?
I think I could stand up against their arguments better if I did not feel so much like a child before them. One of the louder advocates for Christians keeping to themselves even said to my face that he would not accept teaching from his own infant child and so he would not accept teaching from a boy like me! It hurt. It feels sometimes as though they are looking down on me because of how my young appearance.
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1 Timothy chapter 4 for comparison. Thanks for those who have emailed comments. Feel free to post them on the blog as they have all been worth general reading.
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1The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. 2Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. 3They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. 4For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, 5because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.
6If you point these things out to the brothers, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, brought up in the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed. 7Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. 8For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.9This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance 10(and for this we labor and strive), that we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe.
11Command and teach these things. 12Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. 13Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. 14Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you.
15Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. 16Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.
Monday 18 October 2010
Dear Paul Part 3
Jeremiah 31:27-32:44
1 Timothy 3:1-16
Psalm 88:1-18
Proverbs 25:20-22
If you are wondering what on earth the following letter is all about then please click here
Some chapters like the one in 1 Timothy here will present a little bit of a challenge for a commentary of this sort in that it is blindingly obvious what Paul is being asked about here and so any kind of long-winded question is going to look false. But here goes for part 3
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As you have said before, people in churches complain less about their leaders and those in authority when they are close to them and come from their own fellowship and so I want to try to revitalise the local leadership here and take the burden of responsibility off my own shoulders a little. What types of leadership would you propose for us here in Ephesus? I remember you telling me that in the Jerusalem church and in your own church in Antioch they had elders who looked after the pastoral and preaching work of the congregation and deacons who looked after the practical and charitable work of the church. Should we employ that model here?
Have you any guidelines that would help about who should be an elder or a deacon? Quite often there are gifted speakers and gifted organisers within the community here but their own moral life does not live up to their gifting. Should I appoint such flawed men and women as leaders in the hope that their moral life will improve with the responsibilities of leadership? Also some people here appear to be gifted but are extremely busy. I have one businessman who seems run ragged with the demands of keeping his three wives and their unnumbered children fed and clothed. No doubt he has the organisational skills needed but is it worth appointing a person who simply will not have the time? Finally (in this section) is there any specific advice you would give for appointing female deacons?
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As usual 1 Timothy 3 for comparision
8 In the same way, deacons must be well respected and have integrity. They must not be heavy drinkers or dishonest with money. 9 They must be committed to the mystery of the faith now revealed and must live with a clear conscience. 10 Before they are appointed as deacons, let them be closely examined. If they pass the test, then let them serve as deacons.
11 In the same way, their wives[e] must be respected and must not slander others. They must exercise self-control and be faithful in everything they do.
12 A deacon must be faithful to his wife, and he must manage his children and household well. 13 Those who do well as deacons will be rewarded with respect from others and will have increased confidence in their faith in Christ Jesus.
Christ[g] was revealed in a human body
and vindicated by the Spirit.[h]
He was seen by angels
and announced to the nations.
He was believed in throughout the world
and taken to heaven in glory.
1 Timothy 3:1-16
Psalm 88:1-18
Proverbs 25:20-22
If you are wondering what on earth the following letter is all about then please click here
Some chapters like the one in 1 Timothy here will present a little bit of a challenge for a commentary of this sort in that it is blindingly obvious what Paul is being asked about here and so any kind of long-winded question is going to look false. But here goes for part 3
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As you have said before, people in churches complain less about their leaders and those in authority when they are close to them and come from their own fellowship and so I want to try to revitalise the local leadership here and take the burden of responsibility off my own shoulders a little. What types of leadership would you propose for us here in Ephesus? I remember you telling me that in the Jerusalem church and in your own church in Antioch they had elders who looked after the pastoral and preaching work of the congregation and deacons who looked after the practical and charitable work of the church. Should we employ that model here?
Have you any guidelines that would help about who should be an elder or a deacon? Quite often there are gifted speakers and gifted organisers within the community here but their own moral life does not live up to their gifting. Should I appoint such flawed men and women as leaders in the hope that their moral life will improve with the responsibilities of leadership? Also some people here appear to be gifted but are extremely busy. I have one businessman who seems run ragged with the demands of keeping his three wives and their unnumbered children fed and clothed. No doubt he has the organisational skills needed but is it worth appointing a person who simply will not have the time? Finally (in this section) is there any specific advice you would give for appointing female deacons?
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As usual 1 Timothy 3 for comparision
1 Timothy 3
Leaders in the Church
1 This is a trustworthy saying: “If someone aspires to be an elder,[a] he desires an honorable position.” 2 So an elder must be a man whose life is above reproach. He must be faithful to his wife.[b] He must exercise self-control, live wisely, and have a good reputation. He must enjoy having guests in his home, and he must be able to teach. 3 He must not be a heavy drinker[c] or be violent. He must be gentle, not quarrelsome, and not love money. 4 He must manage his own family well, having children who respect and obey him. 5 For if a man cannot manage his own household, how can he take care of God’s church? 6 An elder must not be a new believer, because he might become proud, and the devil would cause him to fall.[d] 7 Also, people outside the church must speak well of him so that he will not be disgraced and fall into the devil’s trap.8 In the same way, deacons must be well respected and have integrity. They must not be heavy drinkers or dishonest with money. 9 They must be committed to the mystery of the faith now revealed and must live with a clear conscience. 10 Before they are appointed as deacons, let them be closely examined. If they pass the test, then let them serve as deacons.
11 In the same way, their wives[e] must be respected and must not slander others. They must exercise self-control and be faithful in everything they do.
12 A deacon must be faithful to his wife, and he must manage his children and household well. 13 Those who do well as deacons will be rewarded with respect from others and will have increased confidence in their faith in Christ Jesus.
The Truths of Our Faith
14 I am writing these things to you now, even though I hope to be with you soon, 15 so that if I am delayed, you will know how people must conduct themselves in the household of God. This is the church of the living God, which is the pillar and foundation of the truth. 16 Without question, this is the great mystery of our faith[f]:Christ[g] was revealed in a human body
and vindicated by the Spirit.[h]
He was seen by angels
and announced to the nations.
He was believed in throughout the world
and taken to heaven in glory.
Footnotes:
- 1 Timothy 3:1 Or an overseer, or a bishop; also in 3:2, 6.
- 1 Timothy 3:2 Or must have only one wife, or must be married only once; Greek reads must be the husband of one wife; also in 3:12.
- 1 Timothy 3:3 Greek must not drink too much wine; similarly in 3:8.
- 1 Timothy 3:6 Or he might fall into the same judgment as the devil.
- 1 Timothy 3:11 Or the women deacons. The Greek word can be translated women or wives.
- 1 Timothy 3:16 Or of godliness.
- 1 Timothy 3:16 Greek He who; other manuscripts read God.
- 1 Timothy 3:16 Or in his spirit.
Sunday 17 October 2010
Dear Paul part 2
Jeremiah 30:1-31:26
1 Timothy 2:1-15
Psalm 87:1-7
Proverbs 25:18-19
1 Timothy 2:1-15
Psalm 87:1-7
Proverbs 25:18-19
OK, here's the Dear Paul commentary on 1 Timothy Chapter 2
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I think my personal concerns about my own authority and my right to be the pastor of these people has been reflected in a general lack of respect for authority within the congregation itself. Once or twice when someone has prayed for the Roman Governor or the Emperor in our meetings there have been unhelpful remarks made by people to the effect that there is no point in praying for someone so obviously lost in sin as they are.
Not only is this personally worrying (it wouldn't be the first time that we have had Imperial spies in our midst reporting on what we are doing) but it also seems to weaken the power of the Gospel to change anyone, even Caesar himself. What advice would you give for how to pray for our leaders in our meetings and is it right to pray for men who are as obviously sinful as the Governor?
By the way, the presence of the Governor's palace in our city is having it's effect in more ways than one. As you well know we are a very mixed church with some noble gentile women worshipping alongside traders and slaves of every nationality. This harmony has been a little stretched of late, especially by the fashions of the noble women. Some of our people have barely enough to eat while a few of our women arrive with ten years wages of gold in their hair. Some arrive in clothes that barely cover their nakedness because of poverty while some do the same because of the latest Roman fashions!
To be fair almost all of these women come to our meetings to learn but a few seem unable to do anything else but gossip at the back. One particular woman is the main ringleader in this and she talks while at the same time plaguing her husband (and therefore everyone else!) with questions about things she has missed. Have you ever encountered this and what do you do in this regard? I do feel very sorry for her however, she is in the middle of a very difficult and troublesome pregnancy, please pray for her that she would be kept safe in the coming months.
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Chapter 2 for comparison
Instructions on Worship
1I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— 2for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 5For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6who gave himself as a ransom for all men—the testimony given in its proper time. 7And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle—I am telling the truth, I am not lying—and a teacher of the true faith to the Gentiles. 8I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing.9I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, 10but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God.
11A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. 12I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent. 13For Adam was formed first, then Eve. 14And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner. 15But women[a] will be saved[b] through childbearing—if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety.
Footnotes:
- 1 Timothy 2:15 Greek she
- 1 Timothy 2:15 Or restored
This has been a difficult chapter because verses 11-15 are so controversial and the translation of then varies so widely with the more "conservative" versions of the Bible in English being the least literal. (How ironic is that!) Taking the chapter as a whole it seems to be about authority and how it should operate within the church and between the church and wider society. Taken literally 11-15 seem to be about one particular woman in Timothy's church rather than women in general. I think some kind of footnote would be required to show that there is disagreement over this passage.
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