The picture on the second watering-can is of Snoopy dancing in the rain. In the "Peanuts" comic strip, Snoopy belongs to Charlie Brown and is his owner's attitudinal opposite, being optimistic and energetic where Charlie Brown is melancholic and lethargic. In various comic strips Snoopy will cheer up an angry Lucy with a kiss, lift Linus' spirits by dancing in the rain and make Charlie Brown feel loved and valued even when things go wrong. They say that attitude determines altitude and that attitude is about not being defined by the weather. In Colossians 3, a chapter that talks of a life of worship, Paul indicates that those who walk near to God can bring their own weather with them: Today our media has brought us bad news. Our leaders have taken bad decisions that hammer our economy, further corruption and create a climate of fear, anger and doubt. It will be easy to be dominated by attitudes of pessimism, scepticism and negativity... Lent Worship Lifestyle 2/5 (Attitude)
We come to our second watering-can to nurture a life of worship which is the desired outcome for Lent. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. (Colossians3:15-16)
Let us apply Paul's challenges:
Though Satan may buffet, if trials should come,
Let this blessed assurance control
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate
And has shed His own blood for my soul
It is well, it is well, it is well with my soul!
Friday, March 31, 2017
EmmDev 2017-03-31 [Lent2017] Lent Worship Lifestyle 2/5 (Attitude)
Wednesday, March 29, 2017
EmmDev 2017-03-29 [Lent2017] Lent Worship Lifestyle 1/5 (Ritual)
Lent Worship Lifestyle 1/5 (Ritual)
| For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. (1Timothy4:8) |
If you think about Adam and Eve's failure, they ate the fruit of the tree "to be like God." This is the opposite of worship.
In stark contrast, the forty days Jesus spent in the wilderness culminated in Him resisting the temptations of Satan which were to act like God (turn stones into bread), to make God serve Him (make the angels catch Him if He jumped from the temple roof) and to enthrone someone else as God (bow and worship Satan rather than obey God and go to the cross). In Matthew's Gospel the temptations end with Jesus stating: "Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only."
Lent is all about worshipping God and God alone.
On Sunday we introduced 5 watering cans that "water" a life of worship. I'm going to deal with these over the next five days.
The first of the watering cans is ritual. Rituals (or habits) are a powerful tool to prime our hearts and minds to focus on God. There are the well-known rituals of daily times of prayer, regular Bible-reading, and going to church.
But there are other things we can do... John Ortberg, who suffered from the rush and burnout I wrote about yesterday, adopted a ritual of picking the longest line at the grocery story. Doing this reminded him that he was not so uber-important (I'm not God - I can wait). He would use the time to pray for people around him and make kind conversation with those around him. It was an antidote to the rush-addiction of his soul and placed God firmly on the throne.
Another friend added watering his garden in the cool of the day as a ritual and it became a place of de-stressing and a place of prayer.
Rituals, become habits and habits can transform our thinking. Paul likens the discipline of physical training to the practice of godliness. The word he uses for godliness implies a lifestyle and mindset. It involves a set of behaviours and practices along with a way of thinking. This includes positive rituals and habits.
What simple thing, if your did it regularly for three weeks could powerfully impact your head and heart and point them to God???
It is easy to get side-tracked and make Lent about our fasting and our doing - we can make the rituals an end in themselves instead of being a means to worship. But at the end of the day it is not about us and what we do, but about Him.
Tuesday, March 28, 2017
EmmDev 2017-03-28 [Lent2017] Fourth Reflection - still the same passage!
Fourth Reflection - still the same passage!
| This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: "In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it...." (Isaiah30:15) |
"You.... must.... relentlessly... eliminate... rush!"
What a thought!
Rush overwhelms us - it crowds our hearts and our minds. It bullies us and infects us and we, when afflicted with rush, very often infect and bully others.
I remember being part of a fellowship group of "Yuppies" (Young Up and coming Executive types) who in a very candid moment admitted that they had been calling each other after work hours to compare notes on who was working the longest hours and working the most overtime. In their thinking the one working the hardest was the coolest. One guy, tired of all the one-upmanship and the stress decided to stop working late and when his friends phoned him, he would say "I'm next to my pool enjoying some time with my family." It was not that he was lazy and didn't work hard - he was known to pull an all nighter when there was a crisis - he just refused to get sucked into a cycle where his worth and value was determined by the standards of the rat-race.
There are solid facts available about burnout - the longer hours we work over a long period of time, the less productive we become. Steven Covey says that the lumberjack has to stop to sharpen the saw. If he doesn't, all he will get for his labour is sweat and a very hot saw.
We must learn to rest.
Rush and Rat-Race is just another way of saying:
"Only I can do it. It all depends on me and if I don't do it then things are going to fall apart."
Have you found yourself guilty of these thoughts or attitudes?
Be very careful! It is an insidious form of self-idolatry.
Every time we close our eyes to sleep it is a profound act of faith and trust.
It's admitting that we're handing it over to God.
And we should do more of this!
A preacher by the name of Jeff Henderson said "Sometimes the most spiritual thing we can do is take a nap."
EmmDev 2017-03-28 [Lent2017] Fourth Reflection - still the same passage!
Fourth Reflection - still the same passage!
| This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: "In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it...." (Isaiah30:15) |
"You.... must.... relentlessly... eliminate... rush!"
What a thought!
Rush overwhelms us - it crowds our hearts and our minds. It bullies us and infects us and we, when afflicted with rush, very often infect and bully others.
I remember being part of a fellowship group of "Yuppies" (Young Up and coming Executive types) who in a very candid moment admitted that they had been calling each other after work hours to compare notes on who was working the longest hours and working the most overtime. In their thinking the one working the hardest was the coolest. One guy, tired of all the one-upmanship and the stress decided to stop working late and when his friends phoned him, he would say "I'm next to my pool enjoying some time with my family." It was not that he was lazy and didn't work hard - he was known to pull an all nighter when there was a crisis - he just refused to get sucked into a cycle where his worth and value was determined by the standards of the rat-race.
There are solid facts available about burnout - the longer hours we work over a long period of time, the less productive we become. Steven Covey says that the lumberjack has to stop to sharpen the saw. If he doesn't, all he will get for his labour is sweat and a very hot saw.
We must learn to rest.
Rush and Rat-Race is just another way of saying:
"Only I can do it. It all depends on me and if I don't do it then things are going to fall apart."
Have you found yourself guilty of these thoughts or attitudes?
Be very careful! It is an insidious form of self-idolatry.
Every time we close our eyes to sleep it is a profound act of faith and trust.
It's admitting that we're handing it over to God.
And we should do more of this!
A preacher by the name of Jeff Henderson said "Sometimes the most spiritual thing we can do is take a nap."
EmmDev 2017-03-28 [Lent2017] Fourth Reflection - still the same passage!
Fourth Reflection - still the same passage!
| This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: "In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it...." (Isaiah30:15) |
"You.... must.... relentlessly... eliminate... rush!"
What a thought!
Rush overwhelms us - it crowds our hearts and our minds. It bullies us and infects us and we, when afflicted with rush, very often infect and bully others.
I remember being part of a fellowship group of "Yuppies" (Young Up and coming Executive types) who in a very candid moment admitted that they had been calling each other after work hours to compare notes on who was working the longest hours and working the most overtime. In their thinking the one working the hardest was the coolest. One guy, tired of all the one-upmanship and the stress decided to stop working late and when his friends phoned him, he would say "I'm next to my pool enjoying some time with my family." It was not that he was lazy and didn't work hard - he was known to pull an all nighter when there was a crisis - he just refused to get sucked into a cycle where his worth and value was determined by the standards of the rat-race.
There are solid facts available about burnout - the longer hours we work over a long period of time, the less productive we become. Steven Covey says that the lumberjack has to stop to sharpen the saw. If he doesn't, all he will get for his labour is sweat and a very hot saw.
We must learn to rest.
Rush and Rat-Race is just another way of saying:
"Only I can do it. It all depends on me and if I don't do it then things are going to fall apart."
Have you found yourself guilty of these thoughts or attitudes?
Be very careful! It is an insidious form of self-idolatry.
Every time we close our eyes to sleep it is a profound act of faith and trust.
It's admitting that we're handing it over to God.
And we should do more of this!
A preacher by the name of Jeff Henderson said "Sometimes the most spiritual thing we can do is take a nap."
Friday, March 24, 2017
EmmDev 2017-03-24 [Lent2017] Three reflections - one passage #3
Three reflections - one passage #3
| This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: "In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it. 16 You said, 'No, we will flee on horses.' Therefore you will flee! You said, 'We will ride off on swift horses.' Therefore your pursuers will be swift! 17 A thousand will flee at the threat of one; at the threat of five you will all flee away, till you are left like a flagstaff on a mountaintop, like a banner on a hill." 18 Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him! 19 O people of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. How gracious he will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears, he will answer you. 20 Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them. 21 Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it." (Isaiah30:15-21) |
Do you remember the "Karate Kid" movie series?
It was all about a young teen named Daniel who was always getting into scrapes and disasters and then Mr Meaggi, who teaches him karate, but also is his life-coach and mentor, bails him out.
Karate Kid Daniel always reminds me of Israel in the first part of this passage: They're planning to make a deal with Egypt to protect them from the Assyrians but Isaiah is calling them to put their trust in God. They're coming up with their own schemes and plans, but Isaiah warns them that everything will blow up in their faces.
That's how it happens in all the Karate Kid movies... Daniel tries this, that and the next thing - everything except asking Mr Meaggi's advice - and it blows up in his face. But Mr Meaggi remains faithful and devoted to Daniel, even when Daniel hurts him and shuns him. Mr Meaggi gives Daniel the space he needs and when Daniel gets to the end of his tether then Mr Meaggi steps in to counsel and guide.
I think the dynamic of Daniel and Mr Meaggi is a good illustration of something bigger, deeper and even more wonderful: The coming of the Holy Spirit as the Paraclete (The ONE called to be beside us).
When Jesus introduced the Holy Spirit as Counsellor, Comforter, Guide and Helper it fulfilled the promise articulated in our reading: "Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, 'This is the way; walk in it.'"
I hope I can be less like Daniel today and be quick to listen to the prompting of the Spirit who loves me and longs to show me compassion.
Thursday, March 23, 2017
EmmDev 2017-03-23 [Lent2017] Three reflections - one passage #2
Three reflections - one passage #2
| This is what the sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel says: "In repentance and rest is your salvation in quietness and trust is your strength but you would have none of it. You said 'No, we will flee on horses.' Therefore you will flee! You said 'We will ride off on swift horses!' Therefore your pursuers will be swift!" (Isaiah30:15-16) |
I love the Afrikaans name for a bagpipes - "Doedelsak" = "doedel" (tune or ditty) + "sak" (bag). It is so onomatopoeic.
Henry Drummond described the soul as the "chamber with elastic and contractile walls, which can be expanded with God as its guest, illimitably but which without God shrinks and shrivels until every vestige of the Divine is gone and God's image is left without God's Spirit."
We have the choice between being vuvuzelas or bagpipes. The key difference is not only in the mono-tone of the one compared to the variety of the other, but in the bag, which, when filled, allows the piper to play a much longer note than the human lung can blow the vuvuzela!
Isaiah records God's Word to those who think they can keep going in their own strength. The bottom line? In the Rat Race the rats win. They're like vuvuzelas - mono tone and short of note.
In repentance, rest, quietness and trust is salvation and strength.
Soul-care means we fill the "sak" (our souls) with the "doedel" (the music and breath of God's Spirit and presence) and we can play a whole tune instead of a single blaring note!
The old hymn says it best:
Breathe on me, breath of God,
Fill me with life anew,
That I may love what Thou dost love,
And do what Thou wouldst do.
Breathe on me, breath of God,
Until my heart is pure,
Until with Thee I will one will,
To do and to endure.
Breathe on me, breath of God,
Blend all my soul with Thine,
Until this earthly part of me
Glows with Thy fire divine.
Breathe on me, breath of God,
So shall I never die,
But live with Thee the perfect life
Of Thine eternity.
(Edwin Hatch 1878)
Wednesday, March 22, 2017
EmmDev 2017-03-22 [Lent2017] Three reflections - one passage #1
Three reflections - one passage #1
| This is what the sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel says: "In repentance and rest is your salvation in quietness and trust is your strength but you would have none of it. You said 'No, we will flee on horses.' Therefore you will flee! You said 'We will ride off on swift horses!' Therefore your pursuers will be swift!" (Isaiah30:15-16) |
Isaiah 30:15-16 is a passage that has grabbed my heart often - especially during Lent. Over the next three days I'm going to share three reflections on this passage - they were written in 2002, 2010 and 2014....
[From 2002]
When someone is given as full and formal introduction as Isaiah gives the Lord here, it is a signal that the message about to be heard is a very urgent and serious one. Isaiah is warning the people that returning to God is the only antidote to the political chaos of their time. Military strength or clever maneuvering will not do it. There is only one thing that will work: They need to return to God in quiet surrender.
This is tough medicine for us to swallow. We'd rather read another self-help book or master another time-management technique, but the Bible is adamant: The more we try to escape our circumstances by our own ingenuity, the more stubborn and effective our pursuers will become!
In order to obtain peace, we need to look at the four words Isaiah brings to us:
- Repentance: Humbling ourselves, forsaking Godless ways, and accepting God's forgiveness
- Rest: Not just sleep, but recreating rest.
- Quietness: Making time to be with God and let Him talk to me.
- Trust: Not trying to do everything by myself, but relying on Him to help us.
What does this mean practically?
- Close the door, switch off the phone, and take regular time to listen to God.
- Be aware that God wants to give us strength and help and trust Him.
Otherwise those pursuers will catch you!
Friday, March 17, 2017
EmmDev 2017-03-17 [Lent2017] The tale of two sets of whiskers
The tale of two sets of whiskers
| I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. (John15:5 ) |
Those who know me well, know that I like big challenges and will often bite off more than I can chew easily...
And so it was with Lent 2017... I sat down with my journal and identified various goals and objectives that I wanted to achieve. These included getting up early, doing extra exercise, reading a number of books (I made a list!) and making a difference for others.
Then 3 foster kittens arrived...
Back-story: We are part of Catz R Us which is an organisation that fosters homeless cats and kittens, sterilizes them and finds homes for them. Over the last 18 months we have fostered and homed 22 kittens and helped some adult cats as well.
These three kittens were very sickly and needed lots of TLC.
Then the tummy bug arrived...
Brenda got hit with it first and I caught too. (It would last for a week and require two sets of anti-biotics to sort out.)
Needless to say my lent intentions flew out of the window! There was no getting up early when you've been up through the night and no doing exercise with tummy cramps and caring for kittens and everything else that was going on chewed up the things I wanted to achieve.
I felt like a failure...
But God's grace was way ahead and in His providence I have found another way... The Sunday after Ash Wednesday was the CANSSA shaveathon and I opted to shave my head as I usually do as a sign of solidarity for those with cancer. On the Sunday morning I decided not to shave my beard - as my head was going to be stubbly, my face may as well be too!! And then on Monday I didn't shave my beard as it was my day off and on Tuesday I decided to have the shaved head for CANSSA and the un-shaven beard for Lent.
The un-shaven beard has been remarkably effective - It is itchy and scratchy and I still get a fright when I see myself in the mirror or absent-mindedly touch my face... When the hairs start growing out they are hard and stiff and grow in their own direction. Then they get a bit longer and start lying flat alongside their neighbours, but the itching gets worse as they resist the bending! (In desperation I have even tried shampoo and conditioner and found that it works!!!)
So here's the lessons I have learned:
- Sometimes we can try too hard. I don't have to impress God with lists of things I have done. Lent isn't about what we have done, but what Jesus did for us!!! "While we were still sinners (failures) Christ died for us!" (Rom5:8)
- Being is more important than doing. I can't make my beard grow, I can only let it happen. When I touch or see my beard or when it itches I remember why I am doing it and I take a moment to remember God and think about what Jesus did on the cross.
- The kittens (the other set of whiskers) are now 5 (two more have been added) They've needed our help in the sense of food, medical care and shelter, but what makes them thrive is love and companionship and we're seeing that starting to happen as they grow in confidence and trust. Lent is also a time in which we give love to others.
- What's happening to the whiskers on my face needs to happen to my heart: I need it to soften, and lie flat and find its place among the others. Lent is a time of softening and enjoying God's presence. Reading His Word and spending quality time with other Christians can be the shampoo and conditioner that helps the softening...
I had a plan to impress God, but two sets of whiskers (the ones on my face and the fluff-balls mewing in our spare room) have reminded me that Jesus is the vine and I am just a branch and I just need to hold on to Him.
Thursday, March 16, 2017
EmmDev 2017-03-16 [Lent2017] The need for Lent
The need for Lent
| What the locust swarm has left the great locusts have eaten; what the great locusts have left the young locusts have eaten; what the young locusts have left other locusts have eaten. (Joel1:4) |
There was absolute devastation through the land and the prophet suggests that what has happened on the agricultural landscape was true on the moral and spiritual landscape too.
When I look at the rat race that is life in Gauteng, I can identify some locusts:
- The constant bombardment of bad news from the media
- The current multiple failures of multiple leaders in government
- The poor performance of the economy combined with rising costs
- The manic busy-ness we're all sucked into and that we wear like medals.
When I look at my own life I see locusts too:
- I'm tired: Physically, Emotionally, Spiritually and Mentally.
- I'm too busy: Not only with work, but with media, with clutter, with multi-tasking and information overload.
- I'm too insecure: I'm scared to say "no" because I fear that my life is measured by the boxes I tick.
- My relationships are being pushed toward the superficial and I am becoming lonely in a super-connected plastic-being-touted-as-reality world.
God's answer to this is rest, retreat and repentance.
The purpose of Lent is to bring our "horses" to the "water" in the hope that we will drink...
Listen to some of God's calls to us:
- Isaiah 30:15: This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says:
"In repentance and rest is your salvation,
in quietness and trust is your strength..." - Psalm 46:10 "Be still, and know that I am God"
- Joel 2:13 Rend your heart and not your garments.
Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and abounding in love,
and he relents from sending calamity. - Mark 6:31 Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest."
We don't need to do Lent, but we need what Lent offers us:
Rest, Retreat and Repentance.
My Lent 2017 started as a list of things to do. But circumstances have stepped in and things have changed. I think I'm on a better track - but I'll tell that story tomorrow...
Can you hear God's call?
He's calling us to rest, retreat and repentance.
We'll unpack this over the next little while...
Wednesday, March 15, 2017
EmmDev 2017-03-15 [Treasure in Clay Pots (2Cor)] Trinitarian Blessing
Trinitarian Blessing
| Greet one another with a holy kiss. 13 All the saints send their greetings. 14 May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. (2Corinthians13:12-14) |
CK Barrett suggests that the letter would have been read aloud to the congregation and that, at this point, the congregation would have responded by greeting one another. (The "holy kiss" was probably a variation of the both-cheeks kiss we see in the Mediterranean cultures today.)
Paul, after dragging them through some very tough issues, ends on a note of "normality". Although he has to stretch and reprimand them, he still ends with the standard exchanging of greetings and urges them to to do the same. This is both a sign of love and hope. It is love in the sense that Paul is saying "No matter how much I have to discipline you, my love remains unchanged." It is also a sign of hope "I'm passing my greetings and asking you to exchange greetings because I am hopeful that things will get better."
Then Paul concludes with the benediction that has now become part of the liturgies of the Church worldwide - a Trinitarian blessing that seeks to impart the grace, love and fellowship of Jesus, the Father and the Spirit on the congregation.
The blessing starts with the Son who reveals the Father and who by His death opened God's grace to us. It moves to the Father who is the source of pure love ("He gave His only Son") and ends with the Spirit who is at work in us and this is what His "fellowship" implies.
Paul leaves them in the best hands possible - he knows that he has done what he can, and now he must leave them in the hands of God. And God is able to do more than we can even think or imagine!!!
-------------------------------------------------
This brings us to the end of 2Corinthians.
I hope the journey (although gruelling at times) has been helpful to you. (We started in May last year!)
We have learned:
- that God is the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort
- about conflicts and how to deal with them.
- about treasure in clay pots and how our lives can shine with God's glory
- that we can become new creations and about being ambassadors
- that generosity is important
- about false teachers and false teaching
- about celebrating weakness that allows God's strength to shine
- about Paul who cared so for His flock
- that love is important and the Triune God watches over us.
For the next little while I'll be reflecting on Lent.
Tuesday, March 14, 2017
EmmDev 2017-03-14 [Treasure in Clay Pots (2Cor)] Parting shots (part 2)!
Parting shots (part 2)!
| Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Be fully restored, be encouragers, agree with one another, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you. (2Corinthians13:11) |
These last two verbs are not in the passive voice as the previous two were and I think we can safely say that these are our active responses to what God is already doing inside us.
As we experience God's restoration and encouragement working powerfully in us, we must strive to agree with our fellow-believers and live in peace.
This was particularly pertinent in the case of the Corinthians. There had been lots of damaging behaviour: bad-mouthing, criticism, lawsuits, arguments and division.
God is able to restore and God is able to give hope again.
I love the promise in Joel 2:25:
"I will restore the years the locusts have eaten."
When God does this - when He restores and encourages us - we need to respond - we need to seek agreement (live for the same goals - not following Paul or Apollos (as they were), but God) and live in peace (overcoming the hurts and divisions).
This raises the tough subject of forgiveness:
Living in peace means that we are people who forgive. Forgiveness is hard until we understand what God has done for us. Experiencing God's restoration and encouragement/comfort/renewal is the best first step on the road to forgiving others. When we do this we experience presence of the God of love and peace. When we hold on to grudges, hurts and differences we cannot forgive ourselves and we cannot experience all that He has for us.
So, let's put it all together:
"Finally" (In other words, this is the conclusion of the book)
"brothers and sisters" (we're family: you choose friends but not family)
"rejoice" (God has done much for us)
"be fully restored" (this is done for us by God when we come to Him)
"be encouragers/encouraged" (Again, as God comforts us, we comfort others)
"agree with one another" (focus on the things of God)
"live in peace" (this means forgiveness and other-centredness)
"and the God of love and peace" will be with us and help us.
Friday, March 10, 2017
EmmDev 2017-03-10 [Treasure in Clay Pots (2Cor)] Parting shots!
Parting shots!
| Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Be fully restored, be encouragers, agree with one another, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you. (2Corinthians13:11) |
The problem is that the original Greek is shorter and more compact - phrases like "strive for full restoration" are caught up in single complex verbs that Paul spits out like a machine gun.
Let's look at his three of his verbs:
- The verb Paul uses for 'rejoice' can also be translated as 'farewell' but in this context, the verb is in an imperative form and so most modern translations choose 'rejoice'. And I think there is good reason to rejoice - Paul's letter to the Corinthians has reminded them that they may be clay pots, but the light of Christ has shone in their hearts and they have treasure within. (Remember ch.3,4,5?) They can also rejoice that when we are weak, Christ in us is strong and His grace is sufficient for us! (Remember 12:7-10?)
- The verb Paul uses for "strive for full restoration" is used in various contexts in the New Testament where it means 'prepare', 'create', 'mend', or 'restore' (but the overall sense is restoration). My favourite instance of its use is in the gospels when the Jesus finds the disciples mending/restoring their nets. What's interesting is that the verb's form in this passage is a passive imperative, in other words they are the object and not the subject of the restoration, and so it is better to translate "be restored/mended". Furthermore, in the Hebrew culture from which Paul came, the passive voice was often used to imply the work of God without having to use His name which they held in such high regard. Paul is really saying "let God restore you." In the light of the great difficulties the congregation was facing it was clear that they would need God's help to be healed. Paul lays the foundation for this in chapter 1: "For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ... Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come."
- The verb for "encourage/comfort one another" is the same one as we find in 1:3 - "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God." And again, the verb is in the passive voice, indicating that God is the one who initiates this in us.
We'll look at the rest of the verbs next week....
Rejoice! Be restored! Be comforted comforters!
Because there are good reasons to do this - because God is at work in you. This is good news!!!
Thursday, March 9, 2017
EmmDev 2017-03-09 [Treasure in Clay Pots (2Cor)] Paul's ultimate focus
Paul's ultimate focus
| For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. 9 We are glad whenever we are weak but you are strong; and our prayer is for your perfection. 10 This is why I write these things when I am absent, that when I come I may not have to be harsh in my use of authority--the authority the Lord gave me for building you up, not for tearing you down. (2Corinthians13:8-10) |
He offers the following arguments:
- For Paul, the truth is all important. For him it is inconceivable that he could ever do anything against the truth. The truth motivates and drives him, the truth is his focus and his passion. The Corinthians can rest assured that Paul will always be for the truth and as such, even as he has confronted them and "boasted" about himself he has been truthful.
- Paul prefers weakness for himself and strength in them. This claim is backed by Paul's extensive "boasting" about the things that made him weak. Paul has repeatedly paid the price for the church to grow. The church has always been his first priority.
- His devotion in prayer for them is another of the ways that Paul is a worthy spiritual father to the congregation. He prays for their growth and development into perfection - any parent who prays for their child will identify with this prayer.
- He tries to deal with the problems prior to his visiting with them - he makes it clear that he dislikes conflict and doesn't enjoy throwing his authority around.
- But they should not doubt his authority. But they should understand what the authority is for - it is for building the them up.
I think this is a beautiful unpacking of Christian authority and leadership which should always be:
- truth-based and truth-centered;
- people oriented and sacrificially striving to see people grow;
- prayerful;
- using authority only when needed
- building up the body of Christ.
May we be the same!
Wednesday, March 8, 2017
EmmDev 2017-03-08 [Treasure in Clay Pots (2Cor)] The Ultimate Test
The Ultimate Test
| Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you--unless, of course, you fail the test? 6 And I trust that you will discover that we have not failed the test. 7 Now we pray to God that you will not do anything wrong. Not that people will see that we have stood the test but that you will do what is right even though we may seem to have failed. (2Corinthians13:5-7) |
The important backdrop here is that Paul led the Corinthians to Christ. Their faith, salvation and redemption had its roots in the gospel that Paul preached to them and their early nurture and training to be disciples came through Paul's stay with them.
And so Paul challenges them: Do a self-examination - test yourselves - Is Christ in you and are you in the faith? Failing the test is rhetorical in this situation - Paul knows the conclusion they will have to come to is that they are standing in the faith and that Christ is in their hearts.
And if they look at their lives and find Christ there, then they will have to acknowledge the validity of Paul's ministry because He is the one who introduced them to Christ. Their self-examination and test is therefore also Paul's test. And so Paul rather cheekily says: "And I trust that you will discover that we (Paul and co) have not failed the test"!
But lest we should think that Paul is arrogant, vs.7 balances things out - Paul prays that they will be delivered from evil - not so that Paul will look good, but so that they will stand.
(Throughout this passage the idea of Christ in us is paralleled to standing in the faith. The idea of standing in the faith was a public dimension whereas Christ-in-us has a private dimension.)
Paul's final thought is tongue-in-cheek. His prayer is that they will "do what is right even though we may seem to have failed." Paul argues that if he was as bad as the super-apostles claimed, the Corinthians would not be standing. But they are standing and so Paul's apparent failure is actually not failure.
At the end of the day it doesn't matter how many sermons we preach or rands that we give out in charity - what matters is the lives we have touched and influenced for Christ.
Tuesday, March 7, 2017
EmmDev 2017-03-07 [Treasure in Clay Pots (2Cor)] 2Co13:1-4
2Co13:1-4
| This will be my third visit to you. "Every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses." 2 I already gave you a warning when I was with you the second time. I now repeat it while absent: On my return I will not spare those who sinned earlier or any of the others, 3 since you are demanding proof that Christ is speaking through me. He is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful among you. 4 For to be sure, he was crucified in weakness, yet he lives by God's power. Likewise, we are weak in him, yet by God's power we will live with him to serve you. (2Corinthians13:1-4) |
When people are in the wrong are given constructive criticism or rebuke, they will often respond with the defiant question "Who gives you the right to judge?"
Paul anticipates this question and answers it in a beautiful way. He argues that Christ is speaking in a powerful way through himself to the Corinthians and then he invokes the now familiar paradigm of weakness and strength to explain how Christ is speaking to them:
Just as Christ seemed weak in the crucifixion and was revealed as strong in the resurrection, so Paul, through his boasting, showed that he was weak, but that Christ was strong. It is Paul's track-record of spreading the gospel and planting churches in spite of his weakness that proves that Christ is strong and that Christ is with him.
This is the ultimate aim of Paul's boasting - Paul would say "I'm not a super-apostle, but I have a super-God!"
So, our passage today makes two things clear:
- Bad behaviour should only be tolerated up to a point. When there has been sufficient evidence that things are not going to improve then there is a time to deal decisively with bad behaviour.
- If we're trying to be super-apostles or are overly taken with super-apostles we're going to land up in trouble. It is always better to look to our super-God. Unerringly Paul points us toward Him.
Friday, March 3, 2017
EmmDev 2017-03-03 [Treasure in Clay Pots (2Cor)] Paul's Fears
Paul's Fears
| Have you been thinking all along that we have been defending ourselves to you? We have been speaking in the sight of God as those in Christ; and everything we do, dear friends, is for your strengthening. 20 For I am afraid that when I come I may not find you as I want you to be, and you may not find me as you want me to be. I fear that there may be quarrelling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, factions, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder. 21 I am afraid that when I come again my God will humble me before you, and I will be grieved over many who have sinned earlier and have not repented of the impurity, sexual sin and debauchery in which they have indulged. (2Corinthians12:19-21) |
Paul is clear:
- He isn't defending himself - he wants to strengthen the Corinthians.
- He is genuinely afraid that they will have been alienated from each other ("I may not find you as you want me to be..." (and vice versa)).
- He is fearful that a visit, in the current state of relationship, will result in the worst being brought out in everyone.
- He is afraid that he will be disappointed by the depths to which they have sunk.
The last point needs clarification. The "super-apostles" came with a false-teaching the scholars identify as an early form of Gnosticism. Gnosticism placed an emphasis on the philosophical aspects of Christianity arguing that, as long as you possessed "knowledge"(gnosis in Greek), you were saved and that your body was simply a vehicle or cage for the soul. You could therefore do whatever you wanted with your body and, as long as you have the philosophical framework and "secrets" that the super-apostles had, you were OK. This led to rampant sexual sin within the church and this is one of Paul's deep fears.
Paul's fears tell us a lot about him and his relationship with the Corinthians.
- He really cared about their growth and progress. He was willing to "protest" (by ridiculous boasting) to get their attention.
- He valued their relationship deeply and didn't want to be alienated from them.
- He didn't enjoy conflict and the mudslinging that goes with it.
- He cared so much about them that he knew he would "break down" if he discovered that they had fallen into rampant sexual sin.
This is a very vulnerable Paul, and his fears tell us the kind of man he is.
Thursday, March 2, 2017
EmmDev 2017-03-02 [Treasure in Clay Pots (2Cor)] Paul's Consistency
So sorry this one is so late!
Paul's Consistency
| Now I am ready to visit you for the third time, and I will not be a burden to you, because what I want is not your possessions but you. After all, children should not have to save up for their parents, but parents for their children. 15 So I will very gladly spend for you everything I have and expend myself as well. If I love you more, will you love me less? 16 Be that as it may, I have not been a burden to you. Yet, crafty fellow that I am, I caught you by trickery! 17 Did I exploit you through any of the men I sent you? 18 I urged Titus to go to you and I sent our brother with him. Titus did not exploit you, did he? Did we not act in the same spirit and follow the same course? (2Corinthians12:14-18) |
Paul intends to visit the Corinthians again - it seems his plan is to sort out their infatuation with the "super apostles" for once and for all - and he feels he wants to do it face to face.
But he makes his motives and intentions clear - He is not going to place any financial burden on them. He uses the beautifully generous analogy of a parent paying for the children and not vice versa because "what I want is not your possessions but you."
Paul reinforces this point in a number of ways:
- He fully intends being self-supporting while he is with them again: "I will gladly expend myself..."
- He makes it clear that he will continue to expend himself for them and even commits himself to loving them more even if they "love him less"!
- Although some accused Paul of offering his services without cost so that he could send his "henchmen" (Titus, Timothy and others) to "collect", it didn't take long for them to discover that Paul's "people" had the same honesty and integrity that Paul did.
From all of this it is clear that the "super-apostles" had leveraged their influence over the Corinthians to profit from them. They had brought a teaching that tickled itching ears, they had discredited Paul and they had placed a financial burden on the congregation.
And bizarrely, the congregation still took them seriously!
Paul has to point out that he has not done this, that he wasn't going to do this, that his team didn't do this and if others are doing this, they should be regarded with suspicion.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
This doesn't mean that congregations can't employ ministers and other staff members. This is an arrangement entered into where everyone understands the terms and conditions beforehand.
The difference in the Corinthian situation was that it was a developing congregation and Paul had decided not to burden them. The super-apostles came uninvited and used undue influence destabilise them and to place huge pressure on them for selfish gain.
Wednesday, March 1, 2017
EmmDev 2017-03-01 [Treasure Cupboard] Righteousness and Peace Kissing
Psalm 85 is a beautiful prayer that is very appropriate for our country and for the start of Lent. Lent is a period set aside for repentance and for drawing near to God. (You can read more about it HERE.) Psalm 85 is a passionate plea for revival and restoration. The Psalm starts with remembering how God had been with the people of Israel in the past: But the Psalm writer recognises that that the people have fallen far from God. They have earned His displeasure and anger. Most significantly, they have reached the point that they cannot save themselves: And so we need to draw near to God whose salvation is nearer than we realise and who promises peace: And so we hang on to and live out the promises of God:Righteousness and Peace Kissing
(I'm interrupting our Corinthians series for an Ash Wednesday Devotion...) Will you not revive us again,
that your people may rejoice in you?
7 Show us your unfailing love, O LORD,
and grant us your salvation. (Psalms85:1-13)
1 You showed favour to your land, O LORD;
you restored the fortunes of Jacob.
2 You forgave the iniquity of your people
and covered all their sins. Selah
3 You set aside all your wrath
and turned from your fierce anger.
4 Restore us again, O God our Saviour,
and put away your displeasure toward us.
5 Will you be angry with us forever?
Will you prolong your anger through all generations?
6 Will you not revive us again,
that your people may rejoice in you?
7 Show us your unfailing love, O LORD,
and grant us your salvation.
8 I will listen to what God the LORD will say;
he promises peace to his people, his saints--
but let them not return to folly.
9 Surely his salvation is near those who fear him,
that his glory may dwell in our land.
On Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent, we resolve not to "return to folly" and we set our hearts to "listen to what God the LORD will say." We discover (through confession and forgiveness) that "His salvation is near those who fear Him."
10 Love and faithfulness meet together;
righteousness and peace kiss each other.
11 Faithfulness springs forth from the earth,
and righteousness looks down from heaven.
12 The LORD will indeed give what is good,
and our land will yield its harvest.
13 Righteousness goes before him
and prepares the way for his steps.
On this Ash Wednesday let us re-discover the joy of forgiveness and experience the meeting of love and faithfulness (we are unfaithful but Easter proves God's loving faithfulness to us). Let us remember that righteousness can only kiss with peace because of the cross. Let us then resolve to "let God's kingdom come on earth as in heaven" through being agents of God's faithfulness to the world. Let us work toward a harvest of righteousness and peace.