EmmDev 2016-08-11 [Treasure in Clay Pots (2Cor)] Life and Death

Life and Death

For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. 12 So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.      (2Corinthians4:11-12)

Yesterday I alluded to the fact that the early church saw suffering as a privilege. They believed that to suffer or die for the faith was to join Jesus on the cross - to share in His suffering. They believed that they shared a special fellowship with Jesus when they suffered because they were experiencing just a little of the suffering that He experienced for us.

But there was another dimension to Paul's understanding of the frailty and death of our "mortal bodies"... The Greek word that Paul uses for "mortal bodies" is more commonly translated as "flesh" and, in Paul's theological framework, the "flesh" is our sinful human nature which has to die so that Christ's resurrected life can be revealed in us.

This is a powerful victory - our bodies may be frail and suffering may be real, but in the midst of suffering and struggle we realise that flesh is not our be-all and end-all and we begin to recognise that there is LIFE - full, beautiful and ever-lasting LIFE - Life that is found in Christ alone.

So death is at work in Paul (and the Corinthians) and life is at work in the Corinthians (and Paul).

Why is there brokenness and heartache in the world?
The answer is actually very simple:
We are broken and dying.
The world is broken because we are broken.
And we have no-one to blame but ourselves.

BUT... in... Christ... we... can... come... alive!
Our old self can die away and we can become more like Jesus.
And death becomes life
and brokenness becomes wholeness
and despair becomes hope.

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EmmDev 2016-08-10 [Treasure in Clay Pots (2Cor)] Still Standing

Still Standing

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 We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.      (2Corinthians4:8-9)

Johannesburg's "94.7FM" radio station ran an advert in cinemas for a while. It featured a Parktown Prawn (imagine a cross between a cockroach and a T-Rex!) to the accompaniment of a mother's scream and then various attempts to vanquish him - shoes, doom, a shotgun, a flame-thrower, etc until at last he emerges from his hidey hole whiskers twitching and Elton John's "I'm still standing" playing in the background.

This is what Paul is driving at when he talks about his life as a follower of Christ: No absence of trouble and plenty of examples of grace.

In our modern day middle-to-upper class context we are quite attracted to the "prosperity gospel" that suggests that if we "come to Jesus, all our troubles will be over." Paul's theological framework is the antithesis of that. His framework is that when we follow Jesus, we should not be surprised if we are hard-pressed, perplexed, persecuted, struck down and susceptible to death. But we should also not be surprised to discover that, in spite of all of these things, we are not crushed, we don't despair, we are not abandoned and we are not destroyed - in fact, we will discover that life - actually the LIFE of Jesus (in all its unconquerable beauty) - will be revealed in us.

We'll still be standing!

Sometimes trouble comes and we are caught up in the "why me Lord?" cycle of self-pity. Paul offers us comfort, understanding and hope:

• The comfort lies in the image of the cracked clay pot and the light that shines from the Treasure within. Our pots may be cracked but the LIFE of Jesus can shine through us.
• The understanding comes from putting trouble in context. When we experience trouble, God isn't "picking on" us - Jesus had trouble, Paul had trouble, the Corinthians had trouble and so why should we be the exception?
• The hope comes from this:
  - With God, hard-pressing doesn't crush us.
  - With God's help perplexity doesn't end in despair.
  - God's unstoppable presence sustains the persecuted.
  - And God's healing restores those who are struck down.

Trouble, in Paul's book, is just a little bit of Jesus' death. The early Christians considered it a privilege to suffer along with Jesus. For no suffering can be compared to the death He died for us.

May it be that Christ's LIFE shines in you even as you carry some of His death in your life-backpack.

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EmmDev 2016-08-05 [Treasure in Clay Pots (2Cor)] Cracking up???

Cracking up???

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.      (2Corinthians4:7)

Clay was the easiest and cheapest way to make jars. If you were in a hurry, a rough and ready jar could be made, if you had time and creativity you could make a beautiful one. But, at the end of the day, most jars were more functional than beautiful. It was the grain, salt, oil, spice, lentils, beans etc that were in the jars that mattered.

Come with me to middle eastern mama's kitchen and look at her pots... The tall thin one (the one that's slightly lopsided) has the lentils. The short stubby one has the flour. The one with a bit of a lip has the oil.

Clay is malleable but once it is fired fragile.
Jars are practical and about purpose.

God's light that shines in our hearts is like a treasure in a clay pot...
My friend Robin Jacobson once said:
When the jar is cracked the light can shine through...

There have been times in my life when I have felt like I am "cracking up" - and yet, in those times God has often done amazing things in spite of my brokenness. Because, ultimately, this all-surpassing power is from God, and not from us.

The picture below says it all...

Have a blessed weekend!
With love from your crackpot edev scribbler!

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EmmDev 2016-08-02 [Treasure in Clay Pots (2Cor)] Sun vs Moon

Sun vs Moon

For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.      (2Corinthians4:6)

What's the difference between the sun and the moon?
You might say that the sun lights up the day and the moon lights up the night.
But the difference is more fundamental: The moon does not "shine" of its own accord - it reflects the light of the sun.

Paul is saying something similar about us. He draws an awesome parallel between Creation and Re-Creation (Salvation):
When the universe came into being, it began with those momentous words: "Let there be light!" This light was the foundation and pre-cursor of life as we know it. Without light there was no creation. Without light there was no life.

When it comes to the human soul, light (spiritual light - truth and love - the knowledge of God's glory ) is needed. God is light and in Him is no darkness at all (1Jn.1) But our hearts have been darkened (veiled) by our brokenness and failure. We have no light of our own.

But God shines His light into the world. Jesus is that light. Listen to His words in John 8: When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

And He shines this light into our hearts - and what is that light?

Jesus is that Light.
Paul says that we see the glory of God in the face of Jesus!
Jesus:
- friend of sinners
- protector of the weak
- healer of the sick
- bread of life
- the Lamb of God
- the Way, the Truth and the Life
- the Son of God who willingly became the Son of Man
- the comforter of the broken
- the shepherd finding the sheep
- the One who calms the storm
- the One who forgives sins
- the One who died on a cruel Roman cross
- the One who rose again - pulverising the power of death
- the One who sends His Holy Spirit
- the One who is coming again!

This Light shines in our hearts...
.
..
... and we can reflect it!

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EmmDev 2016-07-29 [Treasure in Clay Pots (2Cor)] Servants

This one is a bit late today - I wrestled with it - I'm speaking to myself as much as to anyone else.....

Servants

For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake.      (2Corinthians4:5)

Although we looked at this verse as part of yesterday's passage, it bears re-visiting.

Unfortunately some people are eager to preach for the wrong reasons:

• They like to be the centre of attention.
• They like to call it "their ministry".
• They like to tell endless stories about themselves and what they are doing for God.
• They rely on their charismatic personalities to "hold" the crowd.

But Paul defines preaching very clearly:

• It is about Jesus, through Jesus and for Jesus' sake.
• And we have to have the heart of a servant.

Let's look at these more clearly:

Firstly, faithful preachers point towards Jesus and portray Him not only as Saviour and "God of the Gaps" but as LORD. This means tackling uncomfortable issues and being willing to push comfort zones and confront hypocrisy, idolatry and sin. It also means that God's gracious love is celebrated and lifted up. They will do what they can to help people see Jesus. This doesn't mean that they never use a personal illustration - people relate to personal illustrations - it is just about focus. Where does the spotlight land?

Tony Campolo tells the story of a man in London man who, after hearing one of the other great Christian orators of the day, was overheard saying to a friend, "What a preacher! What a preacher!" The following week, this same man, having heard Charles Spurgeon, was overheard to say "What a Saviour! What a Saviour!"

Secondly, faithful preachers are also willing to serve. They're willing to help with behind-the-scene tasks and they don't compete for the spotlight. They don't have a "speaker's fee" (which doesn't mean that we shouldn't look after those who faithfully and diligently preach God's Word.) Their lives demonstrate that Jesus has the first priority and that they love the people they serve.

Bill Hybels talks about his dad who faithfully ministered to a group of handicapped women on a regular basis - although he was a very competent businessman who could have spoken to big and sophisticated audiences Bill's Dad was content to share with these women who he loved and served over a long period of time. As a young boy Bill felt awkward and embarrassed about these women who would come and speak to his dad who showered them with care and affection but was later inspired by his father's selfless love for them.

Not all of us are involved in preaching.

• But we can encourage those preachers who point us to Jesus. There is a difference between constructive feedback and ego-feeding compliments and flattery. If a preacher helped you see Jesus more clearly - you could say to them "God used you today - I saw Jesus more clearly."
• We can also be careful not to put people on pedestals. Some churches publish the preaching roster and attendance waxes or wanes depending on who the preacher is - this shouldn't happen. We should do our best to hear the message in spite of the messenger.
• We should pray for our preachers regularly.

Why not pray for Sunday's preachers right now?

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EmmDev 2016-07-28 [Treasure in Clay Pots (2Cor)] Veiled minds

Veiled minds

And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake.      (2Corinthians4:3-5)

As Paul has been reflecting on the privilege of ministry, he returns to his image of the veil as he considers those who resist the gospel. Throughout his various missionary outreaches there had been those who resisted the gospel - Paul is quite pragmatic about this: They were not resisting him because he was not preaching himself, but Christ.

As we proclaim and preach the gospel there will be those who don't "get" it. They just can't see the glory of the cross and the resurrection of Jesus the Son of God.

Why is this?

Paul explains that their minds have been veiled by the "god of this age" who is none other than Satan, who, by leading Adam and Eve into sin, plunged this world into chaos and spiritual darkness and became, for this present age, the "prince of this world."

As the prince of this world, Satan causes us to be obsessed with the things of this world: materialism, pleasure and power. God is always inviting us to know Him - The beauty of the sunrise, the bounty of His provision and those nudges in our hearts are His constant invitations to us to know Him better. When we resist the invitations of God in our lives, our minds become "veilable" and the evil one throws a veil over our hearts so that we cannot see the glory of God's grace. And the saying becomes true - "there are none so blind as those who will not see."

The Good News, as we saw in ch.3 is that if we turn to Christ the veil can be taken away. So, Paul's conclusion is very simple: Let's be absolutely sure that we are preaching Christ and not ourselves.

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EmmDev 2016-07-27 [Treasure in Clay Pots (2Cor)] The keys to ministry

The keys to ministry

Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. 2 Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.      (2Corinthians4:1-2)

All of us have a ministry. God calls us to share His love and goodness with the world so that His Kingdom can come on earth as it is in heaven. It's not only ministers and church leaders who have a ministry - all of us have a ministry. Making a difference in your family, your workplace, and your community is a ministry.

But how do we execute and act on this ministry?

Firstly we must understand what ministry is. The Greek word that Paul uses is diakonia (from which we get "deacon") and it means to serve. Ministry is not a title or a status. Ministry is about serving. It is about doing what the Master wishes for those He loves.

Secondly we don't possess this ministry - we haven't earned or deserved it. It's a gift that comes from the mercy of God. I really worry when I hear people cling to ministry as a status. We can never really say "MY ministry is xyz..." Paul uses the participle form of "have". One should really translate "therefore since through God's mercy we are ones having this ministry..." This puts "having" in the weakest possible sense. Ministry is much more about the God who gives ministry to us than about us who "have" it. God could use the angels to make this world a better place or He could do it all by His great power, but He chooses to share this work with us.

Thirdly, because this ministry is His and not ours, we don't lose heart. We do our best and leave the results to Him. We don't take too much ownership of success or failure. We just do what He asks.

Fourthly, when we are secure in the fact that this is God's ministry and not ours we are less tempted to try and get things done by "hook or by crook." Secrets, shameful ways, deception and distortion are not God's tools of the trade.

Fifthly, it is not our status or position that needs to be put on display, but our lives that are lived in line with the Scriptures that people - whether they agree with us or not - will see God's Word lived out in our lives.

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EmmDev 2016-07-26 [Treasure in Clay Pots (2Cor)] No fading!

After a long winter break EmmDevs resume...

No fading!

Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. 13 We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away. 14 But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. 15 Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. 16 But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.      (2Corinthians3:12-18)

At the end of last term we started considering a powerful analogy that Paul uses to describe the lasting hope and impact of the gospel on our lives. He uses the Old Testament story of how Moses' face would shine with radiance of God's glory. This would happen because Moses had spent time with God.

The Israelites were filled with awe (at first they were too afraid to come near him) and Moses had to reassure them. But this glory faded and to save face (if you'll pardon the awful pun) Moses would wear a veil so that the people wouldn't see the glory fading. When next he spent time with God, His face would glow again.

This veil, partly for fear and partly for pride, is still on people's hearts today. The sad thing is that this veil not only prevents the wearer from being seen, it also prevents the wearer from seeing.

When we turn to God and receive His gift of salvation, the veil can be taken away and two beautiful things happen:

Firstly, we don't have to be ashamed of fading glory - brokenness and failures are not what it's about - we're not perfect, but our Saviour is. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. He is at work in us and we will be transformed into the likeness of Jesus: I don't have to be ashamed - He's the One who shines in me and He's at work.

Secondly, we can see clearly. The tragedy of Moses' story is that he didn't realise that instead of wearing a veil, he could have acknowledged that the glory wasn't his and that by being in God's presence he would shine again. When the veil is taken away we realise that He is all we need. Max Lucado's beautiful story about Punchinello portrays this so clearly. www.youtube.com/watch?v=DI-kS4q8VB8

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EmmDev 2016-06-24 [Treasure in Clay Pots (2Cor)] Glorious Hope

Glorious Hope

Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, fading though it was, 8 will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? 9 If the ministry that condemns men is glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness! 10 For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory. 11 And if what was fading away came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts!      (2Corinthians3:7-11)

The "Letter of the Law" got Paul digressing...
His thoughts go to the Old Testament account where Moses went up Mount Sinai to receive the Law (including the Ten Commandments) in the presence of the Lord. When he came down has face shone with the glorious holy presence of the Lord although it faded over time.

Moses' "glow of glory" ("Shekinah" in Hebrew) got Paul thinking: If this was how glorious the giving of the Law was, then how glorious is the news of God's salvation in Christ and the coming of the Spirit into our hearts?

Technically speaking, the law brought death and condemnation because, although it revealed the glorious nature of our holy God, it also revealed our utter lack of holiness and righteousness. The law, by its very goodness, revealed our complete brokenness. The law, though good in the sense that it revealed God and could regulate and guide society, couldn't save us.

The gospel doesn't only show us what righteousness is, but imputes it to us. The coming of the gospel was therefore much more glorious than the coming of the law.

Paul picks up a nice image - Moses face glowed with the glory of the Lord - people could not look at it steadily because it revealed the holiness and righteousness of God. But this glory faded from Moses' face over time, (according to Ex.34 Moses would go into the "Holy of Holies" and his face would once again shine). It faded because hearing the law and seeing God's glory couldn't change the fact of Moses' basic sinfulness, eventually his brokenness would drive the glow of divine glory from his face.

But with the gospel we are pronounced forgiven!
Furthermore, the Holy Spirit takes away our heart of stone and gives us flesh hearts - we can shine "like a city on a hill" because Jesus-in-us is the "Light of the world." This light doesn't have to fade because it doesn't depend on us.

It's a glorious hope!!!

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I'll be taking a break from writing the EmmDevs over the holidays and will resume at the start of term 3.
Hope you've found them helpful!
God bless!
Theo

EmmDev 2016-06-23 [Treasure in Clay Pots (2Cor)] (In)Competent

(In)Competent

Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God. 5 Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. 6 He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant--not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.      (2Corinthians3:4-6)

The church in Corinth had been inundated with itinerant preachers - each bearing letters of recommendation and claiming their competence against Paul's alleged incompetence.

Paul's argument started with his assertion that he needed no letter of recommendation because the results of his ministry (the founding of the Corinth congregation) spoke for itself. But now he goes even further by trashing the idea of competence completely....

Our competence, according to Paul's argument, is found in our relationship with Jesus. Our own competence is not relevant - and if you want to explore that idea further, go to Philippians 3 where Paul makes an extensive list of his achievements and qualifications and then declares that they are "a pile of smelly refuse" (to properly render the Greek word) in comparison to knowing Christ.

The secret to competence is not found in the "letter" (and here Paul is jumping from "letters of reference" to the "letter of the law"...) but in the powerful working of the Spirit.

We are incompetent when it comes to the things of God, but with the Holy Spirit working in us we have competence. So we are (in)competent - competent when we let the Spirit work in us.

When we face difficult circumstances where we didn't think we would get through - but we do - it is because we have been (in)competent!

Paul said a similar thing in Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

I am (in)competent!
It's a very cool thought and a very great comfort.

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