IN the Pasta, but not OF the Pasta...

There is one theme that is sticking in my mind from 2 Corinthians 6 as we reach the halfway point of the week... and it is something that we did not discuss on Sunday.

But first...

What we DID do on Sunday was to put verses 1-7 under the microscope.  We talked about this "great endurance" Paul mentioned, and how it remains intact through all of Paul's challenges.  We took the words in 4-7 and visited each one briefly.  These are words that describe the forces at work against Paul and his ministry.  Words like troubles, hardships,  distresses, beatings, riots, imprisonments, sleepless nights, riots, hunger... quite a list.  But then there are also the words that tell the story about how Paul is able to endure all of these things.  Words like purity, understanding, patience, kindness, Holy Spirit, sincere love, truthful speech, power of God, and weapons of righteousness.  It is easy to read right through those and speed on by without much thought.  On Sunday, we tried to take a bit of a look at the deeper meaning of each of those and think for a moment about just what Paul did for the sake of the ministry of reconciliation, and how he was able to keep going.

But the thing that is on my mind this morning involves some verses we did not really talk about on Sunday, verses 8-10.  To help this post along, here are the verses:

⁸ through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; ⁹ known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; ¹⁰ sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything. 

You see, verses 4-10 make up one of Paul's classic "run-on" sentences.  He was notorious for that.  In 4-7 he has spelled out all of these challenges to his ministry and the qualities that made him able to endure.  But now in verses 8-10, all a part of the same sentence,  he launches into another one of his "contrast" segments.

He has done this contrast thing before- and not very long ago at that!  Remember chapter 4? 

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. ⁸ We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; ⁹ persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. ¹⁰

It has occurred to me this morning that what Paul is really describing in chapter 4 and again here in chapter 6 is the "in the world but not of the world" concept that we hear about fairly often in Christian teaching circles. It is his way of saying that when the world works against him, it will not have any lasting effect.  The world can take away what the world has to give, but it cannot take away that which belongs to God.  

Here, in these verses, Paul lays out this whole series of things that sound "bad" to us- "dishonor", "bad report", "impostors", "unknown", "dying", "beaten"... those all sound pretty bad!  But none of those things have any effect on Paul's "real" status.  And the same is true for us.

I know that I get so frustrated when things don't go the way I am expecting or the way I think they should.  Sometimes my frustration builds to the point where it influences my energy level, my attitude, and even how I receive other people.  (Hard to believe, I know.)  But Paul's words here do a great deal to give me the perspective needed to "start over"- to continue- to remember my dual citizenship and that I am valuable to God.

I hope that Paul's words do the same for you.  I know these thoughts are nothing really new.  I have not uncovered some spiritual truth that previous generations have missed.  It is just the idea that even when the world does its worst to you, there is peace in knowing that the world cannot take what belongs to God- the world cannot take away the fact that we are known to God.  The world cannot take away the treasures we have stored up in heaven.  The world cannot take away our real life.  Those things do not belong to the world, and so the world has no jurisdiction here.

At any rate, perhaps this quick look the scripture will provide some encouragement and strength.  That is my hope and prayer.

Just Keep Swimming...

Jon

 

Slow Developing Pasta...

This week's post is certainly coming later in the week compared to other recent posts.  I am feeling the specter of school lurking over me... saying things like, "its almost over.... your flexible days are almost over... and then once again you will belong to meeeee... and you will have to work to get a paycheck like everyone else in the world...."  You have to kind of imagine all of that being spoken in kind of a soft eerie voice or it just loses all dramatic value.

I do have just a couple of things that are still floating around in my mind from Sunday.  In case you were not able to be there, the quick bullet is this- we covered most of 2 Corinthians 5 and talked about a couple of things.  One was that Paul does what he can in verses 1-10 to help us develop a proper balance toward our time on this earth.  We know that we would rather be "at home with the Lord", as Paul put it, but we also know that we do not know when that will happen.  Paul's words in 1-10 help us strike that proper balance between that forward looking desire to be with Jesus and living in the here and now.

We also discussed the concept of what it is to "fear the Lord."  In 11-19, Paul writes about how his life is different because he knows what it means to fear the Lord.  A proper and healthy "fear" of the Lord should make a difference in our lives as well.  In Paul's case, he even says, "If we are out of our mind, it is for the sake of God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you." (v. 13)  Our final bit of discussion on Sunday centered around the idea that any true enthusiast- about anything- will look a little crazy to the "lukewarm".  That is certainly the case with Jesus Christ.  People who are sold out to Christ look crazy to those who are lukewarm.  But Paul explains that it is Christ's love that compels him.  Now there is something for me to work on- getting to the point where I am so immersed in thinking about Christ's love for others that it compels me to action.  This is another great word choice- I wish I knew the original language on this one.  "Compels" says to me that there is no choice- that Paul was so immersed in the love of God that he cannot act apart from it.  

Later in verses 18-20, Paul speaks of the ministry we have been given.  (Remember back a couple of chapters- our confidence comes from God who has made us competent ministers of the new covenant.)  Now Paul reminds us that the ministry we have been given is a ministry of reconciliation.  Here is the text:

(verse 19)

"...that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation."

The thing that I thought of when I read this is that a great deal of the problems that arise in conjunction with our faith and the church and "Christianity" occur because people get this very concept backwards.  Here is what I mean.

The scripture says that this ministry is about reconciling man to God.  It is all about bringing sinful man back into a restored relationship with the Creator.  Many people, organizations, churches, and sometimes, (gasp!), even I, get it backwards.  We get the idea that what we have to do is reconcile God to man- that is "adjust" who God is so man can handle it.  Sadly there are churches that do just that!  Rather than approach the gap between man and God with the idea that man is the one who must change his ways, they try to create an environment where man is "just fine how he is", and it is God who must adapt.

This is not new.  It is just another manifestation of man living a man-centered life.  The man-centered mind says, "What can God do for me?"  The Christ-centered mind says, "What can I do for God?"  (Starting to sound a little "John F. Kennedy" here...)

The other thought that remains in my mind from this chapter is the role we play as ambassadors.  Paul finishes the chapter like this:

²⁰ We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. ²¹ God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

When I read that I got to thinking about what if must be like to be an ambassador.  I think it would be a very challenging thing.  You certainly represent your home country, but in doing so, you would have great responsibility, (...resisting the obvious movie reference here...)  As a representative of your home government you would have to be very well versed in the policies of your country.  You would have to know policy inside and out and be ready to discuss it at the drop of a hat.  You would have to be able to use good judgement in the conversations and negotiations in which you engaged- the things you say would have to represent the official position of your country and you cannot just go off on a tangent and make things up.  Your job would be to "liaise" (another word I always wanted to use in a sentence), between your home country and those with whom you were talking.  You would have to find ways to bridge communication gaps and cultural gaps without compromising the values and policies of your home country.  As an official representative of the home country, you would be under constant scrutiny and your actions would reflect on the character and nature of your country.

Is this starting to sound an awful lot like our role here on earth?  Oh my goodness!  This is exactly what we are called to do for God!  We have to know the "policy".  We have to be prepared to discuss it.  We dare not wander away from the official position of the "home country".  We have to bridge gaps and find ways to gain trust without compromising the values of the one who sent us!

It is easy to get overwhelmed when we read scriptures like this one.  But we are promised the assistance of the Holy Spirit.  And we have the confidence we have already discussed.  We are up to the task.  We are competent.  And Christ's love compels us.

Just Keep Swimming...

Jon

Inspiring Pasta...

Let's be clear- it is not my words that prompted the title of this post.  The source of the title is the content of 2 Corinthians 4.

When I think about new testament books that are just full of verses that I find inspiring and motivating, 2 Corinthians is not at the top of the list.  The gospels, Hebrews, Romans, 1 John... those are books that leap to mind when I think about great sources of pithy scripture that you just want to commit to memory as soon as you read it.  And perhaps not all of 2 Corinthians is like chapter 4.  But wow.  Paul was hitting on all cylinders when he wrote 2 Corinthians 4.  (I do not mean to say that some scriptures are more valuable than others- I hope you are catching my meaning here.  I just mean that sometimes you find verses that say just exactly what you need and say it well.)

Here in 2 Corinthians 4 we find an oasis of "life verses" and "highlightable" scripture.  Let's take a quick look back at some.

Jars of Clay (4:7)

We had a great discussion of that one on Sunday.  This verse just fascinates me.  It is another one of those "backward logic" things that God does so often.  If we have something we consider valuable, we put it in a protective container.  We want there to be a buffer between that valuable thing and the outside world.  But God does just the opposite.  He takes the most valuable treasure in all of creation- the truth of Jesus Christ- and places it inside these weak, frail, breakable containers...us.  You and me.  From a human point of view, the logic is backwards!  And that is what I love so much about God's logic- its not human.

The treasure is greater than the container- that is certain.  Paul says that it is so in order that we might know that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from ourselves.  This all connects back to what Paul has been saying about his confidence in proclaiming the gospel.  We are weak and flawed vessels, but God has placed this treasure inside of us.  And because of what we carry inside of us, the "container" might just prove to be a little more resilient than what you might think!  Consider verses 8-9...

⁸ We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; ⁹ persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 

Here we arrive at another "memory-worthy" idea in 2 Corinthians 4.  Because of God's all-surpassing power, (v. 7), these jars of clay might just be a little tougher than what you might expect!  This treasure we carry inside has a sustaining quality to it that goes beyond our circumstances!  We are "hard pressed", "perplexed", "persecuted", "struck down"... but none of that has any permanent effect!  None of that destroys the jar of clay! 

Perhaps we need to approach our day that way.  Perhaps we need to think, "I may be a jar of clay, but because of what is inside of me, I am one tough jar of clay!"   Those who carry Christ inside themselves are not like the rest of the world.  We do not fall apart when there is pressure or difficulty.  I don't mean to say we are unaffected- we are.  But looked at the scripture... "hard pressed but not crushed", "perplexed but not in despair", "persecuted but not abandoned",  "struck down but not destroyed."  If a jar of clay can go through all of that and come out in one piece, then there is something special about that jar of clay.  And that is exactly Paul's point!  There is something special about these jars of clay!  The contents!  The truth of the gospel!  The all-surpassing power of God!

Whew.  Got excited there.

You know, there is more in my mind that I could write, but I don't want this to turn into the Iliad.  There is the whole concept of carrying in our body the death of Jesus, (v. 10).  There is "I believed therefore I have spoken", (v. 13).  There is all of 16-18.  Wow.  

So here is the deal.  I am going to wrap this up for now with the thought, but not the promise, that there could be a SECOND BLOG POST THIS WEEK!!!!  TWO IN ONE WEEK!!! GASP!!!!

So lets leave today's post with this thought- let's hit the day thinking, "I might be a jar of clay, but I am one tough jar of clay... because of the all-surpassing power of God."

Just Keep Swimming...

Jon

Competent Pasta...

Greetings all...


While you are doing your best to hydrate or just to stay inside and duck the heat, let's take a few minutes to revisit some thoughts about 2 Corinthians 3.


At the beginning of the chapter, Paul is talking with some pretty big words- talking about how "he don't need no stinking letter of recommendation..." (loose... very loose reference to "Sierra Madre" and "Blazing Saddles")  The point is, he spoke with great confidence saying that he did not need any letter of recommendation to represent his work in service of the gospel because the very lives of the Corinthian believers were evidence of his work.  Wow.  The more I think about it, the more I think it is like Tracy said in class- those are some pretty big claims and it is the sign of someone who was sold out to doing whatever it took to be sure those people had a proper understanding of Jesus Christ and His New Covenant.


But then he follows those words with a reminder of where the confidence comes from, and this is probably the thing that has stuck with me more than anything else as the week is getting started- Paul, (and we as well), could have confidence because:

1. The confidence came/comes from God...
2. and this confidence makes Paul/us "competent"...
3. as ministers/servants...
4. of this New Covenant

Grab on to what that means!  All of the excuses that I like to make about how this or that is not really in my "skill set", or how I am just "not gifted" in this way or that- all of that kind of talk is nonsense.  GOD has made ME a COMPETENT MINISTER of the NEW COVENANT.


We talked a bit on Sunday about that word, "competent".  (Some translations say "adequate".)  I mentioned how we tend to have a connotation that is attached to words like that.  Competent and adequate bring to our minds the picture of something that is "OK but not great".  I still think that is true, but I have been thinking about this whole idea since Sunday...


Sometimes I think we are hesitant to evaluate anything that has to do with God as "adequate".  I mean, come on, it sounds like we are giving some kind of "nominal" job performance review, right?  We want everything about God to be over the top- stellar- outstanding!


But let's think about it for a minute.  When the nation of Israel was wandering through the desert and needed food, God provided it... and it was "adequate".  It was manna- nothing fancy- not lobster bisque- not Filet Mignon- just manna.  It was sufficient.  It was adequate.


I would NEVER want to minimize what God does with His people, but I think that sometimes He just makes us "adequate" for the task.  Not stellar.  Not a superstar.  Just competent.  Enough to get the job done.  And it is in His wisdom that He does so!  Here is a personal example.


I believe that I am a competent Sunday School teacher.  Nothing stellar; nothing really remarkable; but solid- "up to the task".   And God knows that is how it needs to be.  If He made me some kind of superstar speaker, I don't think I would handle it very well.  I would begin to believe that I am pretty hot stuff and that they should move our class to a bigger room because, after all, people are going to be flocking to hear what "I" have to say!


But that is not how it works.  I say this with all of my heart: any good my teaching does for anyone is because of God and not because of me.  I believe that God has made me adequate and competent for the task.  And the same is true for any believer when it comes to the administration of the gospel.  We need not shrink back and doubt.  We can be bold and move forward with confidence because God has made us adequate.  We may not be "superstars", but we don't have to be.  There may be others around us who seem to have more "ability" than we do, but that is OK.  We can let God handle gifts and talents as He will, and just move forward with confidence- knowing that He makes us competent to do the work.


To do what work?  Well, that goes back to the rest of the list of 4 items above.  He makes us competent as ministers (or servants) of this New Covenant.


Paul had to deal with the momentum of the "Book of Moses"- basically the Old Testament.  We know that there were lots of people still living by the Law of Moses and not by the new pattern laid down by Jesus Christ.  And let's face it, the New Covenant was still a new thing then.  And when we compare the old and the new, it was quite a shift in thinking.  We have studied this pretty extensively, but lets think about this for a minute.


Here is a little table that compares some aspects of the old and new covenants:

	Old Covenant	New Covenant
Based On...	Written Law	Living Spirit
Locus of control	External	Internal
Emphasis	Avoid death!	Live life!
Quality	Good	Best
Strength	A Strength "Sapper"	A Strength "Provider"
Relationship with God	Judge / Defendant	Father / Son
Glory Level	Good	Best

We have been over this- the Old Covenant was good- the new is better, (in fact, "best")  This table helps to illustrate some reasons why.  I want to go a bit further with a few, (not all), of the items in the table.  Think about...


Locus of Control:


Under the old covenant this thing that kept you "right with God" was a document- an "external source". It would have even been possible to do your best to follow the law even if you didn't want to.  Under the new covenant, the locus or "center" of control shifts to the internal.  We follow God's word because we want to and we choose to- in fact, that is what makes the difference.  If we do all of the "right things" but have an insincere heart, God knows it.  And, when we fail, God knows and see our hearts.  He knows our intentions.  And that makes all of the difference.


Strength:


Keeping the commands of the old covenant would have been exhausting.  I would not have lasted a week.  And it was all up to the person to live according to the law.  There was no provision in the law for "help".  It would have been a real strength "sapper".  It would have worn me out.  In contrast, under the new covenant, we are promised help and strength in the form of God's Holy Spirit.  The responsibilities are great, but we are promised the kind of help that never fails!  Strength is provided as a part of the covenant!  It is one of the provisions!


The Challenge of the New vs. the Old: (not in the table above)


I can see why Paul had his work cut out for him.  The new covenant was pretty much new thing.  But what about now?  We don't have to deal with that "Old vs. New" issue, right?  Well... yes.  In some cases, it is still a matter of helping people understand the role of the old covenant and how the new has superseded the old.  There are plenty of people who do not understand that.


But here is the other thing... even when we are not talking about Old and New Testament, there are still "old vs. new" issues.  We have to be very careful that we do not get so comfortable with our routines or our manner of worship that we reject anything "new" that comes along.  We must always be seeking God's wisdom and guidance to see where He wants us to go next, because He never really holds still, (He is a lot like Jolie in that respect... or maybe Jolie is like Him).


There are plenty of churches that will not consider anything "new" because "its just not the way we do things around here", or because, "we have never done it that way before", or even, "its NEVER been done that way before.


When it was first proposed, the idea of anesthesia was considered, "of the devil" because nothing like that had ever been done.  Groundbreaking classical composers, like Wagner, were rejected and ridiculed at first because their style was different than anything that had come before.  It is a part of human nature to be wary of or to reject the "new".


And here we, Plainfield Christian Church, sit on the verge of a church plant.  Something new.  Something that, for us, has never been done before.  I hope I am wrong, but I can just about anticipate that there will be people who will shake their heads and say, "Boy, Plainfield Christian really went downhill after they split up", or "That church was never the same again after that..."  Well, they would be right about one thing- I think we will not be the same.  And I can't wait to see what it looks like.


I pray that I never fall victim to the kind of thinking that looks at the advance of God's kingdom and says, "well, that's just not how we do things".  That is what Paul was referring to in 2 Cor. 3: 12-18 when he spoke of the "veil".  Those people who insisted on giving their allegiance to the law of Moses would never be able to see the truth of Jesus Christ.  "But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away." (2 Cor. 3:16)  And unveiled faces can reflect the glory of the Lord.


A lot to think about.


Just Keep Swimming...


Jon

Triumphant Pasta...

I want to return once again to the image of the "triumphal procession" that Paul conjures in 2 Corinthians 2.  There are so many phrases that bring mental images to my mind in the passage (2:12-17), and there is some historical background that makes Paul's words come to life even more.

In the passage we encounter phrases like, "triumphal procession", "the fragrance of the knowledge of him", "the aroma of Christ", "the smell of death", and "the fragrance of life".  Pretty sensory stuff.  You can almost see the "parade".  You can think of things that, to you, smell full of life- or even things that, to you, smell like death.  These words invite us to engage our senses in the reading.

But there is  bit of historical context that makes this passage even more vibrant.  When Paul wrote these words it is very likely that he was calling to the reader's mind the image of a "Roman Triumphal".  A Roman Triumphal, although not all that common of an occurrence, would have been a well known thing to most everyone at the time.

A Triumphal was an honor afforded to a victorious general in the Roman army.  It was a huge event and was a real celebration.  But there were certain criteria to earning a Triumphal, and there were certain components that connect here very nicely.

A general could not be honored with a Triumphal unless he had served in the field of battle.  No "remote command" here.  The general had to have fought in battle.  The campaign which the general commanded had to be complete.  No Triumphal for winning a battle- it had to be the war.  In order to earn a Triumphal, the campaign conducted by the general had to have gained new territory.  No parade for successfully defending a stronghold or for "re-taking" lost ground.  There had to be positive gain.  The victory had to be won against a foreign foe- no prize for winning in a civil war.  

The spoils of war were paraded through the streets in a Triumphal, along with captured enemy soldiers and leaders who were on their way to prison and execution.  And priests marched along swinging censers filled with incense- so much so that the aroma of the victory parade permeated the city.

Well, there is more, but need we go any further?  Wow.  Do we see the Conquering Savior here?  The campaign complete, (death defeated), the "general" serving in the field, (He came and walked among us...), positive gain bringing new "territory", (victory over death for the Jew and the Gentile)... oh my.  What a victorious procession!

And imagine the whole scene with the captives and the incense... That smell- the aroma of the incense- would have smelled wonderful to those who were on the side of the victor.  It would have literally been the smell of victory.  But to those who were captured and were marching to their execution... the smell would have just reminded them of their defeat and their destiny- the smell of death.

To those who accept the Son of God, the aroma of the triumphal procession that Paul speaks of is wonderful.  It is like walking into my Grandmother's house and smelling her homemade noodles in progress.  It is like the smell of bread baking.  It is like the smell of a hardware store. (Not that I am good with any of the things you would find in a hardware store- but I DO like the smell...)  It is inviting- it is comforting- it is appetizing.

But to those who choose not to retain the things of God- to those who reject His son, it is like working with sulfur in chemistry lab.  It is like not just passing the skunk but actually hitting the skunk, (for you, Ed)  It is like the diaper pail at the end of the week.  It is repulsive- it is sickening- and it is dreadful.

I just know which side I want to be on.

Just Keep Swimming...

Jon

Pasta on Twitter?

Just a short note today- more to come soon, (I hope!)

You can now get extra bites of pasta on Twitter.  If you have a Twitter account, you can follow @thepastamaker and get occasional additional small helpings (140 characters or less) of Closer Walk pasta throughout the week.

I would not want anyone to misunderstand the "twittername" I chose for this account.  I do not "make the truth".  This is God's truth and I do my best to handle it carefully.  I just whip up my own dishes and do my best to serve it.

If you are new or have forgotten, the whole "pasta" thing is explained here.

So, if you have a twitter account, jump in!  If you do not have one, this would be the perfect time!

That's the news for now!

Just Keep Swimming...

Jon

Thuffering Pathta...

Perhaps I should explain that title... It is inspired by Sylvester the Cat of Looney Tunes fame.  For those not familiar, Sylvester had a lisp and always said "Suffering Succotash", which, with his lisp, came out "Thuffering Thuccotashth"  This week's lesson was about suffering, and so my brain immediately went to Sylvester.  But I had to type the title with a lisp to make the connection authentic.  Now, aren't you glad you asked?  What?  You didn't ask?  Oops.  I am just glad this is a blog and not Twitter- I would have burned my 140 character limit just explaining the title.

Ok, if you are still here...

There are a few thoughts still rolling around in my head from yesterday's study/discussion, (which I thoroughly enjoyed). 

For those unable to attend, the passage under discussion is 2 Corinthians 1:1-11.  In the passage, Paul greets the Corinthian church in his usual style, and proceeds to write about how he and his companions have suffered.  Now, when we first hear that, our minds want to go straight to "Oh great, here we go... we are going to hear all about how bad Paul has had it.  Well, you want to know about bad?  I'll tell you about bad!"  For me, Jerry Seinfeld's dad just pops into my head.

But here is the thing- although Paul does try to express the extent of his suffering, it is not anything like Seinfeld's dad.  In fact, when you read those 11 verses, there are two things that stand out- at least for me.

One is that, yes, Paul did suffer greatly.  He used phrases like, "far beyond our ability to endure", and "we despaired even of life" and "our hearts felt the sentence of death".  Sometimes it is hard for us to catch the intensity of the scripture when it is black letters on a white page, (or iPad, or Kindle...)  But this is one time when we really need to try to understand the depth of Paul's suffering in order to catch the significance of this passage.  I think that what Paul is trying to get across is that there have been times in his ministry when he was sure he was going to die.  There was absolutely nothing he could do to save himself and he was to the point of thinking, "This is it.  It is over."

I have been through some difficult things and I am sure you have too, but I have never been to a point in my life when I was sure I was going to die.  But it happened to Paul on more than one occasion.  And it came from every angle.  Some of his suffering was physical, some emotional, some from rejection and hatred- much more than I have ever endured.

So, one thing that we must grasp here is the depth of Paul's suffering.  It was bad.  And it does not hurt to note that most of this suffering is happening BECAUSE Paul has chosen to carry the gospel to the world.  But that leads us to the second thing that you cannot help but notice when you read this passage- and that is the undeniable tone of worship in his words!  Look at the phrasing... 

"...the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles..." (v. 4),  

"On Him we have set our hope that He will continue to deliver us" (v. 10)  

These are not the words of Seinfeld's dad!  These words are not bitter or resentful or indignant.  These words are grateful and respectful and full of worship!

And so we come to the "tension" or the challenge of the passage:  How can one who has suffered so deeply continue to praise God even more deeply?

That is one of the challenges of the Christian life, and everyone, in their "inner-selves" is at a different place with the issue.  For some it is not hard to understand, but for others the question of suffering is really hard to resolve.  But I think we do see one important key in this passage, and it has to do with Paul's mindset toward suffering.

When you read his words, you get the idea that all the suffering he has endured has been for the good of others.  He doesn't see it as "bad things have happened to me", he sees it as "I have endured these difficulties for the sake of others".  Look at his phrasing:

"...so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God" (v. 4)

"If we are distressed it is for your comfort and salvation..." (v. 6)

"...our hope for you is firm because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort." (v. 7)

There is no other conclusion except to say that Paul has an outwardly focused view of his own suffering.  Now, that is one that I have not mastered.  Not even close.

At the end of yesterday's class I shared a list of five things about suffering that I think are good for helping us to build the kind of mindset we see in Paul.  I want to offer them again here- mostly for those who could not be with us yesterday.

1. Suffering is Divine

It is not that God causes suffering, but suffering does occur within God's context.  He has it contained in his hand.  It is not a separate event in our lives that has no connection with God.  In that respect, suffering is divine

2. Suffering Brings Expanded and Expressed Faith

We are human.  And although we are thankful always, it is not our testimony when things are fine that impacts the world.  It is the times when we are stretched that show the true depth of our faith and belief.  Our suffering lets the world see God at His best- if they have eyes to see.

3. Suffering Brings About Closer Communion with God

Again, we are human.  We always appreciate what God does for us, but lets face it, when things are easy, we don't draw as close to God as we do when things are difficult.  Suffering reduces that amount of "me" and increases the amount of "Him" in the equation of our lives.

4. Suffering Equips Us

Things fall in our laps.  We don't ask for them.  They are not "fair".  But there they are.  However, after it is all over, you suddenly find yourself with some understanding and some, (shall I say it this way?) some skills that you did not have before.  By skills I mean the ability to understand and talk to someone on a level that you previously could not.

5. Suffering is a Bonding Element in the Church

It sure helps to know that you are not the only one fighting the battle.  It sure helps to know that you are not the only one who struggles.  It helps to know that when you fall, someone will come pick you up and say, "Come on- no one quits here- lets keep going."  Anyone who is an athlete and has endured rigorous conditioning knows that one of the things that gets you through is that your teammates are doing it too and you have each other and you need each other.  The same is true for the church.

So there you have it.  Some recap and some thought on the latest episode of Closer Walk.  By no means is this an exhaustive discussion.  We have not even touched on the idea that "the value of the cause is greater than the price of the effort", but more about that later.  Comments and discussion are always welcome.  I hope your week is a good one.

Just Keep Swimming...

Jon

Choose Your Pasta...

I wanted to get some additional thoughts about the 24th chapter of Joshua out while they were still fairly fresh in my mind and before we turn our attention more directly to 2nd Corinthians.

Joshua kind of "threw it down" to the people of Israel in the final chapter of the book.  He knew his days on earth were numbered, and I guess that when the curtain is about to come down, you tend to "just say it."  Joshua was very direct in chapter 24 and he did some of those things we have seen throughout the book to try and make his words stick- things like re-write parts of the covenant in the Book of the Law of God, (v. 26) and setting a large stone out as a "witness" to all that had been said that day, (v. 26-27).  Both are very "Joshua-like" things to do.

As we leave this book, there are some things I think are worth considering about this challenge that Joshua issued in chapter 24.  Here they are in list form... sort of:

1. The Integrity of the Mediator

Joshua was not perfect, but he was certainly a man of God.  At the end of the chapter he is referred to as "Joshua, son of Nun, servant of the Lord"  That title, "servant of the Lord", had only been used in conjunction with Moses up to this point.  My point here is this- this challenge placed before the people came from someone of great integrity and faith.   The source of the challenge is important here.  This is not just bible Joe Schmoe talking.  If Joshua says these things, the people would do well to listen.

It is not any different for us.  In fact, the challenge we have as "modern day Christians" was / is issued from the Author of Salvation- from the very epitome of integrity- from Jesus Christ Himself.  We dare not pass off the challenge of living a Godly life, if for no other reason, than just for the fact that it was/is Jesus Himself who issues the challenge.

2. The Matter of Choice:

We talked about it.  Pure allegiance to God can only be by personal choice.  Of course He is powerful enough to MAKE us love Him, but what kind of love would that be?  When my children, (Christian and Sarah), were small there were two ways I could get a hug from them.  I could MAKE them do it.  I was bigger, stronger, faster... I could force them to hug me.  And it would mean nothing.  The only hugs that really meant anything were the ones that were voluntary.  "...choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve..."  Choice makes all the difference.

3. The Necessity of Choice

In speaking about the matter of accepting Christ, I heard someone say once, "Not to decide is to decide."  This whole issue of what we do with God in our lives is not something that can be "tabled for later consideration".  For the people of Israel, to put off the decision was to choose against God.  We live in an age of grace, (and its a good thing we do!), and there is such thing as deferred judgement and there are "second chances", but still, not to decide is to decide.  We, and the world, either choose God or we don't.  We don't get to "sit this one out."

4. The Extent of the Conditions

Joshua told the people to get rid of all false gods several times in chapter 24.  This choice he laid out before the people had to be an all-enveloping choice.  There could be no remnant of foreign gods.  Those gods were designed by man to "rule" over specific circumstances at specific times.  With the God we know there is none of that.  God is not different for the young or the old.  God is not different for the wealthy or the poor.  God is not different for the man or the woman or the desperate or the "secure".  He is God.  To every extent.  In every circumstance.  There is no need for anyone or anything else.  And this complete devotion is what God desires.

5. The Peril of Engagement

If we humans are fallible and fickle, and God demands and desires such complete devotion, would it not be better for us not to enter this "arrangement"?  Because, after all, we know we are going to fail!  Well, that is a pickle isn't it.?  Or it would be were it not for the blood of Christ and the Grace of God.  I think we all would join our voices together to say "Praise God for the gift of forgiveness and salvation!"  But there is still this truth- especially pertinent any new convert to Christ or anyone contemplating that initial "leap of faith"-  the stakes are high.  To the new Christian, entering into this arrangement with God  seems to place much at risk- our very soul.  But as we live with God we learn that any risk or cost extended by us is guaranteed countless times over by the Creator of the universe.

6. The Serious Nature of Acceptance

Closely related to the previous item, when one enters a covenant with God, it is different than any other agreement that we will ever make and it should be treated as so.  It is alarming to see how many treat their own promises.  It seems we often say whatever is functional at the time with no real thought to the "follow through" that is required.  We dare not treat our discourse with God in this manner.  When we speak with God and we pronounce our intention to be faithful, we must not casually pass off our words at a later time.

7. The Nearness of Consequence

Time seems to drag on and on to us.  Because we do not reap the consequence for sin "immediately" we begin to think there will be no consequence.  We do it on many levels.  We do it as individuals, we do it as communities, and we certainly do it as a nation.  We tend to forget that it is what we do this day that makes the biggest difference.  To paraphrase a C.S. Lewis quote, the present is that part of time that comes the closest to touching eternity.  The past cannot be changed, the future has not come, so it is what we do now that makes the most difference.

Well there it is.  Ideas and thoughts that I stumbled upon as I prepared our discussion of Joshua 24.  Hope you find them thought provoking and encouraging!

Just Keep Swimming...

Jon

Promised Land Pasta...

Last Sunday we discussed an overall view of the book of Joshua with an emphasis on thinking about the symbolism of the book.  Joshua obviously tells the "next chapter" in the history of God's people, but it stands for much more than that.  We see God's character continually revealed as we study the scripture, and in this case we see the fulfillment of God's promise to deliver His people to the promised land.  We see in this particular book that God finished what he started so many years ago by safely delivering His people into the land of Canaan.

Some say that the whole idea of crossing the Jordan and moving on to the promised land represents heaven and our own crossing at the end of our lives.  I can see why they say that and I don't have any big objection to that kind of analogy.  But I see some other applications of the book as well.

As Christians, we are called to a different kind of life.  A life with God.  We could go on and on about exactly what that means- "a life with God"- but for now let us just say that it is a calling to a higher standard than the world and it is a calling to be set apart.  In a very real sense, the crossing of the Jordan, I think, represents making that choice- the choice to pursue that life with God with your whole heart.  As the Israelites came through the waters of the Jordan in order to live in the place God intended, so we come through the waters of baptism to live in a spiritual "promised land" with God.

After the Joshua and the people crossed into the promised land, the work was not done.  There was opposition on all sides and there was difficulty and war and conquest and struggle...  it was not like the "retiring to live the good life" picture that we sometimes get in our minds.  There was still work to do and there were still opposing forces to deal with and the people could not let their guard down, lest they be influenced by other cultures that were not God-fearing.  The same is true for us.  When we make the choice to align ourselves with God we live in the wonderful reassurance of our salvation.  But the work is not done and we are not immune to the influence of this world.  It is our task to live in this "promised land", given by God, in obedience to His word.

When you read through Joshua 3 and 4, there are a few things that stand out:

The first words of Joshua 3 are "Early in the morning..."  I don't know if this is what God intended for use to get from little things like Joshua 3:1, but I cannot help but think that leaders have to do the extra work.  Joshua was committed to being "God's man" and wanted to lead the people- not for his own glory, but for God's glory.  I think that anyone who aspires to that kind of leadership has to realize that extra work is a part of it.  It means getting up early.  It means staying up late.  It means pouring out extra effort for the sake of God's kingdom.  The good news here is that we strive with all of "His" energy toward that end, (Col. 1:29)

Note that the passing from the west bank of the Jordan to the east bank was a daunting thing.  You have to think that very few, if any of the people who saw the parting of the Red Sea were still alive.  This was a new generation, and although I am sure they had heard the story, there were not there to see God roll back the waters of the Red Sea.  Now, here they were at the edge of the Jordan river, (at flood stage), and they had to get across.  Millions of people had to get across.  That was God's plan.  Go.  Cross.  So you know they had to be thinking, "How are we gonna pull this off?"  I think it is safe to say that it was a challenge to their faith.  So what do we learn from all of this?  If nothing else, there is this: the path of obedience often leads through challenge.  Now that thought is probably not news to most of us, but it is good for us to see that it has always been that way- God leads His people through challenge.

This is certainly not the only time, but in Joshua we see God's tendency to have His people establish a system of remembrance.  Joshua was instructed to build an alter in order to remind future generations of what God did in that place.  We do well when we do the same for our families and our descendants now.  When we develop our own "God-based" traditions in our own families, we build "altars" that serve as a reminder of God's faithfulness.

Well, there are a few thoughts about Joshua 3 and 4.  Now its time to move on!  Joshua 5 and 6 coming this Sunday!


Just Keep Swimming.....

Jon

Hard Pasta...

The thoughts of our discussion this morning (1/16) are fresh in my mind and so I felt the need and the desire to write some things down right now. Hebrews 6:4-8 is indeed a hard passage, but I do not want it to be one that causes us to doubt or to be afraid- I do not think that is the author's intention or the Author's intention.

First I would like to re-emphasize this, (I think we mentioned it somewhere in the course of our discussion); when the NIV uses the phrase "fallen away" in verse 6, it is referring to apostasy. Just so we are clear, let me pass along the words of bible commentator Matthew Henry:

"But the falling away here mentioned, is an open and avowed renouncing of Christ, from enmity of heart against him, his cause, and people, by men approving in their minds the deeds of his murderers, and all this after they have received the knowledge of the truth, and tasted some of its comforts."

So, we see that the falling away mentioned in Hebrews 6 is a willful, knowing rejection of the person and the ministry of Jesus Christ. It does not refer to our human failings and our temporary digressions from the "straight and narrow". The book of 1 John stresses the habitual pattern of our lives and reassures us that the temporary diversions into sin that are a result of our weakness do not cost us our salvation. Rather it is the what we intend in our lives that is critical. We must assess what it is that we are trying to do with our lives. If we strive to live our lives as an appropriate response to the saving grace of Jesus Christ, then we can live with every confidence.

And speaking of confidence...

One of the things that we must do with any difficult passage is examine it in the context of the whole of scripture. We have to look at over-arching biblical truths and themes and interpret a given passage within that kind of context. Now it is easy to look at Heb. 6:4-8 and conclude that our salvation is "not sure". But that is in contradiction with what we know is a firm biblical truth, the assurance of our salvation. Consider...

2 Tim. 1: 12

¹² That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet this is no cause for shame, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day.


Heb. 10:22

²² let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.

1 John 3:19-20

¹⁹ This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence: ²⁰ If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.

Eph. 1:13-14

¹³ And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, ¹⁴ who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.


The scripture teaches that our salvation is secured through the work of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. So, any interpretation of Hebrews 6 has to take that truth into consideration. We cannot and should not live our lives constantly worrying about whether we have "crossed the line". (That kind of outlook is not consistent with scripture either since scripture teaches us to strain toward what is ahead- Phil. 3:13)

Having said that, it sure seems that if we "apostatize", then we are in danger.

There are some who say that this passage, (Heb. 6), is not about salvation at all. Rather the thought is that what is at stake is reward and earthly discipline. If we "fall away" after coming to Christ then we lose reward we might have had.

There are some who say that anyone who falls away could never have been a true believer in the first place, and so salvation is very much at stake.

Some even say that the argument is hypothetical. That is, they say "If a believer were to fall away in this manner, then they would be in trouble, but it can't happen, so it's on we go."

And I should mention this- there is a school of thought that says that this scripture was prompted by the problem of people in this "church" sliding back into Old Testament, Traditional Jewish, Law of Moses rituals. They say that there must have been converted Jews who came to a belief in Jesus Christ, but as time marched on, they began to slip back into their old ways- rituals, sacrifices etc. Now remember, "righteousness" in the old testament was obtained through sacrifice, (bulls, calves, doves...). The thought here is that the Hebrew writer meant that if a believer has slipped back into those "old ways", then those "old sacrifices" are powerless to restore the errant believer.

I don't know that we can ever presume to say that we know exactly what God intended with this scripture. But there are a few things I fall back on.

I fall back on the fact that God will not make a wrong decision- ever. We can be assured all eternal rewards will be appropriately dispensed.

I fall back on 1 John, which tells me that what I need to pay attention to is the habitual pattern of my life and that I need to be concerned with the intention of my life. My lapses do not make me happy, but neither do they cost me my salvation.

I fall back on the teaching of the scripture that tells me that my salvation is sure. Jesus has done everything necessary to secure my salvation, and apart from a willful, intentional rejection and renouncing of Jesus, I cannot lose it.

There are many more things that come to my mind as I think about this passage, but I do not want this to turn into a thesis. But I do have this one final thought. We do not like to think of there being a "point of no return". That is an uncomfortable idea for us. And I do not know if there is or is not. (This scripture kind of makes it sound like there is...) But if there is a point of no return, I know this- I am going to stay the heck away from it. In the end, as much as I love many people, I can only be responsible for myself. And I can make choices. And I can stay as far away as possible from anything that looks like apostasy- which is what is in question here.

Pasta for thought...

Just Keep Swiming....

Jon