At the end of Numbers 9, we have a description of the way the Israelites moved through the wilderness under the direction of the Lord. The pillar of fire and cloud served as a visible sign of the presence of God with Israel. It remained over the Tabernacle, which was in the center of the Israelite encampment, and I'm sure it was visible to everyone by day and by night. (Which brings up another question: With such a visible reminder of the Lord's presence, why did Israel so frequently complain, rebel, and sin? Maybe I'll take up that question sometime later.)
The passage tells us that Israel moved when God moved. If the pillar lifter the morning after the encamped, they broke camp and moved on. If it remained for many days, they waited until it lifted to break camp. This is described in verse 20 as following the Lord's command. The travels of Israel were determined by God, and they neither moved while He remained nor stayed when He moved.
This passage triggered an interesting question in my mind. We often speak about moving where the Lord leads us. This is true both of individual Christians and of churches. Our prayers often revolve around asking God to show us where He wants us to go. The "where" may not geographical, but missional, vocational, or theological. These prayers, however, show us a preoccupation with the goal, rather than with how we arrive at that goal.
I have been part of many churches in my life. Some have been thriving, growing churches, while others struggled (and some no longer exist). Some were ministry oriented, while others were survival oriented. Almost all were concerned with what God wanted them to do. Even when God revealed a direction, however, there was often a rush to get to that point no matter what. We are an impatient people in our culture, and we want to reach the goal as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Maybe sometimes the Lord shows us where He wants us to go, but then asks us to get there by a route He chooses that defies our sense of efficiency. Even had Israel not rebelled when told to enter Canaan, it took them over a year (at least) to arrive at the Jordan after leaving Egypt. In fact, when Israel leaves Egypt, the Bible explicitly states that God did not take them by the quickest route. because of the difficulties along that route (Exodus 13:17-18). The time they spent getting to the Promised Land was crucial to their future existence as a nation and as God's chosen people.
Perhaps you face a decision today, and you're trying to figure out where God wants you to go. I would encourage you to also ask when. I firmly believe the Lord directs our lives and our churches, and He knows where He plans for us to go. But He also arranges the timing, so that when we "arrive" we will be ready for the place to which He has called us. Don't lose sight of the goal, but be ready to move when God moves, and to wait when God stays. The blessing on your "arrival" will be even greater when you leave it all in His hands.
Friday, January 31, 2014
Sunday, January 26, 2014
God-sized prayers
Our church began a 30 day prayer emphasis this morning. My pastor preached on the subject, challenging us as individual Christians, families, and as a church to renew and deepen our prayer lives for the next 30 days.
He encouraged us to pray "God-sized prayers." I think this point is well-taken in our culture. We often pray little prayers: help in some circumstance of life, meeting a specific need, changing some small aspect of our character, or divine intervention in some immediate crisis. There is absolutely nothing wrong with any of these prayers; we are encouraged in Scripture to bring everything before our Father in prayer. The problem is when that is all we pray about.
I freely admit to struggling with prayer. I am an "ADD pray-er" (probably because I am ADD). I admire, even envy, great prayer warriors like Martin Luther or George Muller. Yet, despite my best efforts, I cannot focus on a single prayer session for long. My mind wanders as various subjects flit through it, brought in sometimes by the very prayers I am praying. I have to conclude my prayers, get up, and come back later to regain that focus. And we all know what can happen when we walk away from a time with the Lord.
With someone like me, the urgent often crowds out the important. I pray for what is immediately on my mind, or for needs that are brought to my attention, but leave out the "routine" prayers for ongoing situations in our world. Maybe you are like that, too. How do we remain focused long enough on what is so critically important in our world when so much draws our attention away?
This is where "God-sized prayers" come in. When I sit down to pray, I want to pray in a way that shows I believe that God is an awesomely powerful God who cares about our world and about me, and who wants to answer prayer to show His power and His love. I want to pray not for what seems to be a manageable task for God, but for what seems from my human perspective to be impossible except for God. I want prayers that stretch the boundaries of faith.
This isn't to say I want to challenge God, to test Him and see if He's up to the challenge. No, I want to challenge myself, and see if I can at least have faith enough to believe God can do amazing things in our world today. Prayer doesn't stretch God, but it does stretch me. I believe one reason so many Christians struggle with faith is that we don't exercise it much. We say we believe in a powerful and loving God who cares about us and our world, but we pray like God is inconvenienced by listening to us and only answers prayers grudgingly. Worse, sometimes we pray like we believe God can't do what we ask.
We don't want to be presumptuous. One of the flaws in the theology of those who preach a prosperity gospel is the teaching that God must give us what we ask for, no matter what it is or what His will for our life is. Jesus reminds us to pray for the Father's will to be done in the Lord's Prayer, and we need to remember that when we pray. Prayer is not a demand session to get what we want, but a communication with our Heavenly Father. We do occasionally pray for things that would not bring Him glory, or even for things that would be destructive to us. Since He is our Father, He knows what we need, and what is best.
With that in mind, though, let's make our prayers bigger. I challenge you to use prayer to stretch yourself. What's a big need in your life? What's a big need in our world? What can't change unless God intervenes? Let those be your prayers. As you you pray, watch, and wait, you will see many prayers answered, but you will also see yourself stretching your faith and growing stronger in your confidence in the Lord.
He encouraged us to pray "God-sized prayers." I think this point is well-taken in our culture. We often pray little prayers: help in some circumstance of life, meeting a specific need, changing some small aspect of our character, or divine intervention in some immediate crisis. There is absolutely nothing wrong with any of these prayers; we are encouraged in Scripture to bring everything before our Father in prayer. The problem is when that is all we pray about.
I freely admit to struggling with prayer. I am an "ADD pray-er" (probably because I am ADD). I admire, even envy, great prayer warriors like Martin Luther or George Muller. Yet, despite my best efforts, I cannot focus on a single prayer session for long. My mind wanders as various subjects flit through it, brought in sometimes by the very prayers I am praying. I have to conclude my prayers, get up, and come back later to regain that focus. And we all know what can happen when we walk away from a time with the Lord.
With someone like me, the urgent often crowds out the important. I pray for what is immediately on my mind, or for needs that are brought to my attention, but leave out the "routine" prayers for ongoing situations in our world. Maybe you are like that, too. How do we remain focused long enough on what is so critically important in our world when so much draws our attention away?
This is where "God-sized prayers" come in. When I sit down to pray, I want to pray in a way that shows I believe that God is an awesomely powerful God who cares about our world and about me, and who wants to answer prayer to show His power and His love. I want to pray not for what seems to be a manageable task for God, but for what seems from my human perspective to be impossible except for God. I want prayers that stretch the boundaries of faith.
This isn't to say I want to challenge God, to test Him and see if He's up to the challenge. No, I want to challenge myself, and see if I can at least have faith enough to believe God can do amazing things in our world today. Prayer doesn't stretch God, but it does stretch me. I believe one reason so many Christians struggle with faith is that we don't exercise it much. We say we believe in a powerful and loving God who cares about us and our world, but we pray like God is inconvenienced by listening to us and only answers prayers grudgingly. Worse, sometimes we pray like we believe God can't do what we ask.
We don't want to be presumptuous. One of the flaws in the theology of those who preach a prosperity gospel is the teaching that God must give us what we ask for, no matter what it is or what His will for our life is. Jesus reminds us to pray for the Father's will to be done in the Lord's Prayer, and we need to remember that when we pray. Prayer is not a demand session to get what we want, but a communication with our Heavenly Father. We do occasionally pray for things that would not bring Him glory, or even for things that would be destructive to us. Since He is our Father, He knows what we need, and what is best.
With that in mind, though, let's make our prayers bigger. I challenge you to use prayer to stretch yourself. What's a big need in your life? What's a big need in our world? What can't change unless God intervenes? Let those be your prayers. As you you pray, watch, and wait, you will see many prayers answered, but you will also see yourself stretching your faith and growing stronger in your confidence in the Lord.
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Leviticus
I began reading through the Bible in a year about 30 years ago. Although there were some years I chose to pursue a different devotional approach, I think I can safely say I've read through over a dozen different translations (some, like the NIV, more than once). While I make no claims at being an expert at reading through the Bible, I think I do have some insight into the discipline it takes to read through God's Word.
When reading through on a "straight through in order" plan, such as I'm following this year, you find a few critical points at which the project may break down. The first of these is usually the book of Leviticus. Sure, there are the genealogy passages in Genesis, and the details of the Tabernacle in Exodus, but Leviticus is where the Old Testament legal system starts to become a bewildering place for many contemporary Christians. Offerings, sacrifices, dietary laws, sanitary laws-it can be a bit of a "wilderness" for us to wander through.
I just started Leviticus in this year's reading, and I must say that over the years the book has grown on me. Partly this is due to my growing love for the OT in general. But a bigger part is the desire each year to examine all of the laws, especially the sacrificial laws, with an eye to the bigger picture they paint about God and our relationship with Him. If you are reading through this book, let me make some suggestions.
First, look at how serious sin is. When an Israelite sinned, even inadvertently, it required a specific offering done in a particular way to atone for that sin. This was true even more so for the priests and leaders of the nation. When we think about the Tabernacle and later the Temple, we think of the beauty and majesty of the furnishings and decoration. Yet I'm guessing that what might have stood out to people who went to those holy places was a smell like a butcher shop, combined with the constant aroma of burnt meat. The contrast between those two sensory experiences would put our position before the Lord in perspective.
Second, look at what sin cost the sinner. The one who offended had to take one of the best animals from his flock or herd, or the best of his produce, to make an appropriate offering. Repeated sin was expensive. Perhaps it caused people to think of how much of what they had could be consumed just in trying to pay for their sins. Sin is costly, and later when Jesus paid the price once for all that piece of good news had to strike the average Israelite as unbelievably gracious.
Third, look at how carefully God's people had to live in order to remain in a condition in which they could come into His presence. While many modern scholars look at the sanitary and dietary laws as God's way of keeping His people healthy, they would indeed impose a burden on any person who wanted to remain ritually clean. Purity in God's sight wasn't easy.
All of these help us see just how radical the good news of Jesus Christ was. He truly lifted the burden off the back of people who wanted to remain right with God, and in His mercy removed all of the ritual requirements of the law while making us right with His Father.
So don't let Leviticus get you down. Look at just what we are set free from by Jesus. The narrative will resume soon enough in Numbers, and then it's pretty smooth sailing until the beginning of 1 Chronicles. (Maybe when I get there I'll post some help for that section, too.)
When reading through on a "straight through in order" plan, such as I'm following this year, you find a few critical points at which the project may break down. The first of these is usually the book of Leviticus. Sure, there are the genealogy passages in Genesis, and the details of the Tabernacle in Exodus, but Leviticus is where the Old Testament legal system starts to become a bewildering place for many contemporary Christians. Offerings, sacrifices, dietary laws, sanitary laws-it can be a bit of a "wilderness" for us to wander through.
I just started Leviticus in this year's reading, and I must say that over the years the book has grown on me. Partly this is due to my growing love for the OT in general. But a bigger part is the desire each year to examine all of the laws, especially the sacrificial laws, with an eye to the bigger picture they paint about God and our relationship with Him. If you are reading through this book, let me make some suggestions.
First, look at how serious sin is. When an Israelite sinned, even inadvertently, it required a specific offering done in a particular way to atone for that sin. This was true even more so for the priests and leaders of the nation. When we think about the Tabernacle and later the Temple, we think of the beauty and majesty of the furnishings and decoration. Yet I'm guessing that what might have stood out to people who went to those holy places was a smell like a butcher shop, combined with the constant aroma of burnt meat. The contrast between those two sensory experiences would put our position before the Lord in perspective.
Second, look at what sin cost the sinner. The one who offended had to take one of the best animals from his flock or herd, or the best of his produce, to make an appropriate offering. Repeated sin was expensive. Perhaps it caused people to think of how much of what they had could be consumed just in trying to pay for their sins. Sin is costly, and later when Jesus paid the price once for all that piece of good news had to strike the average Israelite as unbelievably gracious.
Third, look at how carefully God's people had to live in order to remain in a condition in which they could come into His presence. While many modern scholars look at the sanitary and dietary laws as God's way of keeping His people healthy, they would indeed impose a burden on any person who wanted to remain ritually clean. Purity in God's sight wasn't easy.
All of these help us see just how radical the good news of Jesus Christ was. He truly lifted the burden off the back of people who wanted to remain right with God, and in His mercy removed all of the ritual requirements of the law while making us right with His Father.
So don't let Leviticus get you down. Look at just what we are set free from by Jesus. The narrative will resume soon enough in Numbers, and then it's pretty smooth sailing until the beginning of 1 Chronicles. (Maybe when I get there I'll post some help for that section, too.)
Saturday, January 18, 2014
Being a servant
I've been preparing some deacon training materials for my church. Part of that process is going through the passages in the New Testament that discuss, directly or indirectly, the office and ministry of the deacon. Whether you see the Seven as the first deacons as is common, or believe the diaconate arose sometime later, we have clear NT evidence that the office was an integral part of church life and ministry in the early days of the church.
The role of the deacon and its definition varies considerably throughout Christendom. Denominations take a variety of views as to the position and role of the deacon. In some it is essentially a first step in ordained ministry. In others, it is a position of decisive leadership. Still others see deacons as primarily servant-ministers. There isn't even agreement as to whether a deacon should be ordained or not. My own church (and many, if not most Southern Baptist churches) do ordain deacons, but I grew up in a Baptist tradition that did not. (For the record, I am an ordained Southern Baptist deacon as well as an ordained minister.)
As I prepared for the session this week, I came across an intriguing quote from a book I was using: "There are no duties in the Scriptures specifically and exclusive assigned to the deacon." (Naylor, The Baptist Deacon, p.61) The author examined what we know deacons did in the early church, and pointed out that all those duties are assigned to the church and Christians in general.
So why have deacons? As we look at the qualifications for a deacon in the New Testament, what impresses me most is that the chief concern is for character over function. Looking at the selection of the Seven in Acts, as well as 1 Timothy 3:8-13, we see a list that largely consists of elements of personal faith and integrity. What the Spirit called for, and the church sought, was men who were sensitive to His leading, mature in their faith, and of impeccable reputations.
So why have deacons? I believe the chief purpose of the deacon is to be an example of Christian service for the church. This in no way minimizes the ministries deacons do. In whatever way the church calls its deacons to serve, they need to carry out their ministry effectively for the glory of Christ. But the Biblical picture of a deacon is someone who truly lives out the Christian life, and has done so consistently and publicly for some time.
This is contrary to the way some churches choose deacons. I've been a member of churches that look at how successful a man is in his profession, or what skills he might bring to the position. Sadly, I've seen some men elected deacons who lacked the spiritual criteria that the Bible emphasizes. Those men failed to provide solid spiritual leadership, and a few even damaged the churches they were called to serve.
Maybe this should also be a broader lesson for Christians. While it is important to serve the Lord, it is more important to live for Him. Our service should follow our spiritual growth. As we become the people God created us to be, whether we serve in any particular office or not, we will become more effective in ministry, and I believe as we do that we'll see our churches become stronger and grow.
The role of the deacon and its definition varies considerably throughout Christendom. Denominations take a variety of views as to the position and role of the deacon. In some it is essentially a first step in ordained ministry. In others, it is a position of decisive leadership. Still others see deacons as primarily servant-ministers. There isn't even agreement as to whether a deacon should be ordained or not. My own church (and many, if not most Southern Baptist churches) do ordain deacons, but I grew up in a Baptist tradition that did not. (For the record, I am an ordained Southern Baptist deacon as well as an ordained minister.)
As I prepared for the session this week, I came across an intriguing quote from a book I was using: "There are no duties in the Scriptures specifically and exclusive assigned to the deacon." (Naylor, The Baptist Deacon, p.61) The author examined what we know deacons did in the early church, and pointed out that all those duties are assigned to the church and Christians in general.
So why have deacons? As we look at the qualifications for a deacon in the New Testament, what impresses me most is that the chief concern is for character over function. Looking at the selection of the Seven in Acts, as well as 1 Timothy 3:8-13, we see a list that largely consists of elements of personal faith and integrity. What the Spirit called for, and the church sought, was men who were sensitive to His leading, mature in their faith, and of impeccable reputations.
So why have deacons? I believe the chief purpose of the deacon is to be an example of Christian service for the church. This in no way minimizes the ministries deacons do. In whatever way the church calls its deacons to serve, they need to carry out their ministry effectively for the glory of Christ. But the Biblical picture of a deacon is someone who truly lives out the Christian life, and has done so consistently and publicly for some time.
This is contrary to the way some churches choose deacons. I've been a member of churches that look at how successful a man is in his profession, or what skills he might bring to the position. Sadly, I've seen some men elected deacons who lacked the spiritual criteria that the Bible emphasizes. Those men failed to provide solid spiritual leadership, and a few even damaged the churches they were called to serve.
Maybe this should also be a broader lesson for Christians. While it is important to serve the Lord, it is more important to live for Him. Our service should follow our spiritual growth. As we become the people God created us to be, whether we serve in any particular office or not, we will become more effective in ministry, and I believe as we do that we'll see our churches become stronger and grow.
Thursday, January 9, 2014
Growing fruit
My pastor just started a study on the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) on Wednesday nights. As part of our study last night, we had table discussions covering several questions he posed. In our discussion, we wrestled with the questions of which fruit of the Spirit do each of us find the hardest to "cultivate," and how can we better grow that fruit in our lives.
My thoughts went out of the book of Galatians to the gospel of John. While seeing the fruit of the Spirit in our lives is a sign of growth as a Christian, we need to know where the fruit comes from. It obviously can't come from ourselves; Paul spends the verses just prior to verses 22-23 examining the fruit of our human nature. Our natural inclination is to grow fruit that is self-serving and self-pleasing, so what the Spirit does to grow His fruit on our lives is not the result of our own strength or effort.
I think that this passage ties into John 15. That is where Jesus speaks of Himself as the vine, and His followers as the branches. We cannot bear the fruit of the Spirit unless we are connected to Jesus and remaining in Him. All of the power needed to see these fruits blossom and grow comes from Him, through the Holy Spirit.
So how do we see the fruit of the Spirit grow in our lives? Remain in Christ. Those are simple words, but often hard to put into practice. To spend the time studying and meditating on the Word and in prayer is often hard for us. Yet when we drift away from our time with the Lord, we often find ourselves missing the love, joy, peace, and other "fruit" we want for our lives. It really comes down to a matter of making our time with Jesus our priority each day.
This is why the world fails to find love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and self-control. You can read every self-help book ever written, go to a parade of therapists, make all the resolutions you can, or even try pharmaceutical means, but none of them have the power to bring that fruit into your life. Only Jesus can give us these, and only by remaining in Him will we find them growing in our lives.
Want to see more of the fruit of the Spirit in your life? Spend time with Jesus, and you'll see it start to grow.
My thoughts went out of the book of Galatians to the gospel of John. While seeing the fruit of the Spirit in our lives is a sign of growth as a Christian, we need to know where the fruit comes from. It obviously can't come from ourselves; Paul spends the verses just prior to verses 22-23 examining the fruit of our human nature. Our natural inclination is to grow fruit that is self-serving and self-pleasing, so what the Spirit does to grow His fruit on our lives is not the result of our own strength or effort.
I think that this passage ties into John 15. That is where Jesus speaks of Himself as the vine, and His followers as the branches. We cannot bear the fruit of the Spirit unless we are connected to Jesus and remaining in Him. All of the power needed to see these fruits blossom and grow comes from Him, through the Holy Spirit.
So how do we see the fruit of the Spirit grow in our lives? Remain in Christ. Those are simple words, but often hard to put into practice. To spend the time studying and meditating on the Word and in prayer is often hard for us. Yet when we drift away from our time with the Lord, we often find ourselves missing the love, joy, peace, and other "fruit" we want for our lives. It really comes down to a matter of making our time with Jesus our priority each day.
This is why the world fails to find love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and self-control. You can read every self-help book ever written, go to a parade of therapists, make all the resolutions you can, or even try pharmaceutical means, but none of them have the power to bring that fruit into your life. Only Jesus can give us these, and only by remaining in Him will we find them growing in our lives.
Want to see more of the fruit of the Spirit in your life? Spend time with Jesus, and you'll see it start to grow.
Saturday, January 4, 2014
A New Year's Resolution-not
I normally only make one New Year's resolution a year. It's the same one every year-"I will not make any New Year's resolutions." Besides being useful and very easy to keep, I like the paradoxical form it takes. It also spares me the kind of self-examination needed to make a truly meaningful decision to effect a change in my life.
Now don't get me wrong- I'm not opposed to either self-examination or to effecting change in my life. I just don't like to do it based on the accident of the calendar turning over just after winter begins. If I wanted to make changes based on a calendar, I'd probably use the liturgical calendar instead, and make those "resolutions" during either Lent or Advent. (Good thing most Baptist don't observe Lent!) I believe the process of making commitments to change your lifestyle, beliefs, or actions needs a better reason than what time of year it is.
I firmly believe that there are many aspects of my life that could use change. I expect that I will indeed reflect on my life and will make some changes. Like most people, I will succeed at some, and fail at others. But I don't want to simply stagnate and go on pretty much as usual when I see the need for reform in my own life.
For Christians, personal change is about much more than self-fulfillment or feeling better about ourselves. It should be directed to two ends. First, we should want to grow more like Christ, and to live a life that reflects Him in the middle of our desperately needy world. Second, we should seek to find ways to extend the kingdom of Jesus Christ in that world. In 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Paul reminds the Corinthians, and through them us, that "You are not your own; you were bought at a price." (NIV) Since this is true, I ought to work to make my life one that honors the One who bought me with His own blood.
One change I do intend to make this year coincides with my beginning a new ministry opportunity. I plan to have some regular "office hours" during the week, and one of the things I plan to do is to post to this blog at least once a week. I'll probably be touching on themes I'm teaching during the week, and occasionally on my academic pursuits if I have time to actually pursue them. So I hope you will come along with me for the ride in 2014, and see what the Lord is going to do in each of our lives this year.
Now don't get me wrong- I'm not opposed to either self-examination or to effecting change in my life. I just don't like to do it based on the accident of the calendar turning over just after winter begins. If I wanted to make changes based on a calendar, I'd probably use the liturgical calendar instead, and make those "resolutions" during either Lent or Advent. (Good thing most Baptist don't observe Lent!) I believe the process of making commitments to change your lifestyle, beliefs, or actions needs a better reason than what time of year it is.
I firmly believe that there are many aspects of my life that could use change. I expect that I will indeed reflect on my life and will make some changes. Like most people, I will succeed at some, and fail at others. But I don't want to simply stagnate and go on pretty much as usual when I see the need for reform in my own life.
For Christians, personal change is about much more than self-fulfillment or feeling better about ourselves. It should be directed to two ends. First, we should want to grow more like Christ, and to live a life that reflects Him in the middle of our desperately needy world. Second, we should seek to find ways to extend the kingdom of Jesus Christ in that world. In 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Paul reminds the Corinthians, and through them us, that "You are not your own; you were bought at a price." (NIV) Since this is true, I ought to work to make my life one that honors the One who bought me with His own blood.
One change I do intend to make this year coincides with my beginning a new ministry opportunity. I plan to have some regular "office hours" during the week, and one of the things I plan to do is to post to this blog at least once a week. I'll probably be touching on themes I'm teaching during the week, and occasionally on my academic pursuits if I have time to actually pursue them. So I hope you will come along with me for the ride in 2014, and see what the Lord is going to do in each of our lives this year.
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