Sunday, April 29, 2007

What to do with a "yikes" scripture

1 Timothy 2:9-12
9
I 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.

Not every passage in the Bible is crystal clear. Many times we argue over the unclear and ignore the crystal clear. And sometimes we get so angry at people who are anti-God or anti-us that we would rather wipe them out than win them over. It's hard to follow God if you are at war with the universe.

Here's a great text to keep this danger in check: "As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, (but rather that they turn from their ways and live.)" Ezekiel 33:11, NIV

Also, when considering the writings of Paul (and their high "yikes" factor), it's good to recall that even Paul's contemporaries knew that Paul was often hard to hear and understand: "[Paul's] letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction." 2 Peter 3:16 NIV

Three things to keep in mind when dealing with a "Yikes" text:

1. Scripture is best understood as a whole piece of fabric; not every thread can equally represent the whole. People love, of course, to pull out specific verses that they can use to "prove" or "disprove" things, but the best way to use it is as a whole, with an emphasis on the life and ministry of Jesus.

2. Scripture is best interpreted within a community of faith. The community of God's people provides accountability and support when discerning the truth of a particular interpretation of the Bible.

3. The power inherent in Scripture can best be identified by it's fruits (Matthew 7:16). Are people's lives transformed more into the image of Christ's by a particular understanding of scripture? Is God honored by the way a particular scripture is understood? Are people inspired to come to Jesus?

What to do if there is disagreement over a "Yikes" text:

1. If it’s a TIGER issue, and it's black and white and crystal clear – divide over it.
Tiger questions are those which lead directly to or away from one's salvation. They are about foundational issues of faith. Some examples are: Is Jesus the son of God? Does God love all creation? Is the Holy Spirit a real and active power? Is there such a thing as sin?

2. If it’s not a Tiger, and it isn't clear, unity is more important than uniformity.
"Avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless. 10Warn a divisive person once, and then warn him a second time. After that, have nothing to do with him. 11You may be sure that such a man is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned." 1Titus 3:9-10

Loving one another, and jealously guarding the unity of the church can be a much more difficult task than deciding whether women should speak in church. Consider the witness of 1 Corinthians 13: "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal."

It is a great and noble task to love one another, and that's something worth staking your faith, your salvation, and your life on.

Sunday, April 15, 2007

Three great quotes from today's worship

"There is no point in getting into an argument about this notion of loving. It is what Christianity is all about -- take it or leave it. Christianity is not about ritual and moral living except insofar as these two express the love that causes both of them. We must at least pray for the grace to become love." - Brennan Manning, "A Glimpse of Jesus," quoted by Matt Brown in his teaching today.

"Love is so boring to people who crave controversy." - Matt Brown

"Easter was our Independence Day from sin and death." - Matt Brown (who added, over lunch, "We should have fireworks on Easter!")

Saturday, April 14, 2007

The Ingredients for a Miracle

INGREDIENT ONE: A Big Mess
If you are going to have a really big miracle in your life, the first ingredient is usually a big mess (everybody wants a miracle, but nobody wants the mess!). Luke 23 shows us a man rejected by his people, betrayed, tortured, and executed. The lives of Jesus' followers have turned tragic. It doesn't get worse than a dead savior.

INGREDIENT TWO: A Tiny Bit of Faith
The second thing you need for a miracle is NOT a solid, powerful, expansive faith! A tiny thread of faith is all we see in Luke 24; that's what God works with. Here are some of the "threads":

1. When the women can't find Jesus' body at the tomb, "they were puzzled, wondering what to make of this," (the Message, vs 4).

2. When the two men remind them of Jesus' own words that he would be raised after three days, they remember and run to tell the others BUT, "the apostles didn't believe a word of it," (the Message, vs 11).

3. Peter (who gets it right about half the time) runs to the tomb, sees the grave clothes, and walks away, "puzzled, shaking his head." (the Message, vs 12).

Don't forget: the promise of the resurrection was so clear that even Jesus' enemies were aware of it. In one of the other gospels, Jesus' enemies make sure there are guards and seals on the tomb so that no one steals the body and makes the claim of resurrection.

4. The same day two followers encounter the risen Jesus on the road "but they were not able to recognize who he was." (the Message, vs 16).

5. When they finally did recognize Jesus, they ran back to tell the others. Suddenly Jesus appeared among them (same guy they had just been talking about!) and "they thought they were seeing a ghost and were scared half to death," (the Message, vs 40-41).

INGREDIENT THREE: A Big God
The third thing you need for a miracle is a really big God. The power of God is not based on our faith. The power of God is based on how big God is. (You could have HUGE faith in a bogus god. There's no power in faith itself; the power is in the God.)

FOUR THINGS WE CAN TAKE FROM AN EMPTY TOMB
a. Nothing is too messed up for God.
b. God is usually at work long before we notice.
c. God shows up even when we've given up.
d. God's solutions are often far different than we expect.

Tuesday, April 3, 2007

what to expect from a king

Have you ever had a time in your journey where you thought Jesus and God were just not what you expected?

It's Sunday morning, we want to have our parade and move on to Easter. But first consider Mark 11:1-11.

When the text occurs, the Jewish people are celebrating God's having delivered them from slavery in Egypt. Now they are under Roman control. They are hopeful about the freedom from oppression that God can bring.

Jesus should not move publicly among the Jews, because the chief priests and Pharisees are looking to arrest and kill him. They also want to kill Lazarus, whom Jesus has just raised from the dead. There is talk of a dead girl raised, of a man who can walk on water. There's a reward offered for information leading to Jesus' death, money to be made for a bounty hunter.

There are at least two main issues in the text.

I. Obedience Issues
Obedience precedes blessings in God’s kingdom. I know the donkey sounds silly. But the donkey is a means of transportation and a way for people to make a living. You might think of it today as taking a car. What amazing obedience to a clear and simple command from God these two disciples showed.

If things aren't going in your life like you thought they would, maybe God expects some obedience from you on some very clear, very simple things, and you are hesitating.

II. Expectation Issues
The King will hear our expectations, but not necessarily give in to them. The disciples have brought Jesus the colt, and his many followers surround him. Their chants indicate that they want a warrior to save them, to overthrow the Romans, and to reinstate the power and glory the Jewish nation knew in the days of King David.

Jesus had told them he was going to Jerusalem, where he would die. He's giving them symbols: I'm coming in on a donkey, not a war stallion. I'm coming in peace, not battle. I'm coming to give myself over, not fight. There's a bounty on him, and he's going in very publicly. Either he's clueless, or this is one of the most calculated acts in history. He is calling the shots.

If you are going to invite Jesus to be your King, you have to know that he is often not going to do things your way. God may have a different picture for your life than you have for your life. Usually, it's because God's desire for us is bigger, more powerful, and world-shaking.

Things to Consider:
1. Is there an area in your life where God may be asking you to “untie a colt” and obey Him?
2. Remember that God is in charge. He's calling the shots. For our good, and the good of the world.

May Jesus' confidence become a gift to you in the mist of trying times. And as you walk this Easter road, may you find blessing.