Christ is the Answer

Today I will substitute teach an adult Bible class. The assigned text is Colossians. Deciphering the message of the New Testament letters is a lot like hearing one side of a telephone conversation. One can generally understand some of what may be said on the other side of the conversation, but details are lacking. This is certainly the case in Colossians.

A problem existed at Colossae that caused people to lose their focus on Christ. There were either alternative religious concepts or perhaps a temptation to syncretism so that various practices and teachings were added to the Christian message. We can identify various philosophical, Jewish, and possibly Gnostic concepts as we read Paul’s instructions. It is likely that the church at Colossae was developing a “Christ-plus” religion. The problem was religious “add-ons.” While identifying the specific nature of the problem is interesting, it is more helpful in the study of Colossians to understand how firm is Paul’s message that Christ is the answer.

A partial list of Paul’s descriptions of Christ would include at least the following: Christ is the reigning Son of God, the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation, Creator, sustainer, redeemer, our peace (reconciler), head of the church, fulness of Deity, hope within us, the message proclaimed, source of all treasures and wisdom, Lord. Christ is our life, is all and in all.

These same affirmations about Christ are the solution to the problems that surround the contemporary church. Let us be diligent to proclaim Him, to proclaim that Christ is the answer. Let us focus on Christ as God’s solution, as our hope, and as our life. Details of Christian living have their place, but the church today suffers from overanalysis of the details and underfocus on Jesus. We cannot assume Jesus in today’s secular society. Christ is the answer.

Reading the news gives one perspective

I may be a “news junkie.” I spend a lot of time checking out the news–television, online, newspapers. Reading the news provides orientation and increased awareness of what is going on around us.

On this day, many in the U.S. and around the world are concerned about the economic future. Such concerns are valid and justified. An increasing number of people in our nation are dependent on food stamps. BUT….in Somalia, 1000s of children are dying.

Reading the news gives a person perspective. Will my life today be devoted to things that matter to God? Is my life an instrument through which God can accomplish his purpose in this world today? Am I focused on the things that matter most to God?

As we think about the problems of our world through the lens of the purpose of God, we see things differently. Consider the news prayerfully. Read and listen prayerfully–through God’s eyes. Or at least add some items to your prayer list as you think about the created world in which we live.

A prayer for Jan on her birthday

Today is my wife’s birthday. Happy Birthday, Jan!

May your day be special and filled with an awareness of God’s presence and power. May your fondest hopes and desires be realized as you faithfully pray for your family and friends. May our love grow ever deeper and deeper for one another in this life and in the faith we share in Christ. May we encourage one another as we continue the journey, eagerly anticipating the ultimate eternal reward to which we have together pointed our lives. Through Jesus’ name which carries his power and authority, Amen.

It’s Sunday Again–Bonus

The local church has designated today a “Bonus Sunday.” The schedule is altered with a fellowship meal at noon, an early afternoon period of worship, and a congregational meeting to follow, after which the scheduled church activities for the day will be concluded. In addition to the altered schedule, the congregation is encouraged to give a “bonus” during the offering so that special needs can be met and the cause of Christ can be advanced more rapidly in missions and other activities.

I like the terminology–Bonus Sunday. I regret that the application is mostly to what we give or do. An equally good or better application would be to consider that on this day we can receive more than normal. We share more fellowship. We have the opportunity to discuss the work of the congregation together. We experience more family and leisure time with the more compact schedule of events. What would happen if every person involved (especially those involved publicly) made a special effort to ensure that this is indeed a “bonus Sunday”? What if the preacher spent enough time in preparation to guarantee a “bonus” sermon? What if the prayer leader spent enough time in advance to bring all of the concerns of the congregation before God’s throne? What if the person who directs the communion thoughts were so well-prepared that our hearts were touched and our lives were changed simply by experiencing anew the body and blood of Jesus? What if the focus of the day were so spiritual that even the guests would notice? That would be a Bonus Sunday!

Such ruminations lead me to one more question: What if every Sunday were a Bonus Sunday?

Talking about death–does my speech betray me?

Most have heard the phrase, “Your speech betrays you.” The phrase seems to have roots in the biblical account of Peter’s denial of Jesus since he was identified in part by his speech (Matthew 26:73). You probably know some of the contemporary applications: Christians who curse, people who say one thing and do another…. You can easily expand the examples.

Over the past month, I have had two experiences that provide background for this blog. First, this week I have heard or read a phrase several times that concerns me when I analyze it from a Christian-biblical perspective. What do we mean when we say, “That person lost a family member”? Do we mean we don’t know where the person is? Are we speaking of separation from something valuable? The word “lost” has several possible meanings. I will grant that some of those meanings may apply to the death situation, but read on.

Second, earlier this month I spent some time in a spiritual retreat with about 150 folks that for Jan and me have a special place in our hearts. One of our post-retreat observations as we drove home was that this group of our brothers and sisters in Christ has a different view of life and death. What difference does it make when our overarching attitude is that “Life is not always that good, death is a natural part of life and is not all that bad”?

From these two experiences, I raise my question about how we should talk about death. Are there better ways to describe the death experience than those we sometimes use? The person who dies in Christ experiences something better, even as Paul says that death is gain (Phil. 1:21). For Christians, those who continue to live here on earth gain the certainty that a loved one has won the victory and that the struggles are past. I started a list of “losses” and “gains”–my gains list is longer than my losses list.

I am going to try to change my speech with regard to death. To begin, I will simply speak of death and avoid the metaphors–passed on, passed, etc. I will try to incorporate more biblical terminology into my speech and conversations concerning death. Perhaps most important, I will change my attitude toward life and death by thinking about these realities in more biblical terms.

What suggestions do you have? What biblical terms do you like or prefer in describing life and death? How could we reflect a healthier, more biblical attitude toward death?

Today will be another day of blessings from God

On some days the blessings are more obvious than on others. Some days are wonderful and positive and we have easily see that we are having a “blessed day.” On other days the blessings are almost invisible. Sometimes this occurs when we do not have time or take time to notice. But sometimes the difficulties mount and focusing on the positive presence and power of God is not easy.
Today I will spend time with my grandchildren–we will talk and play and share. Those times are too few, and they easily slip by. The grandchildren are growing up quickly. It is hard to believe how much Clay at 15 months looks like a little man. Because of the heat outside, we will spend lots of time inside, but the early morning and the late evening breezes will provide some relief and allow us time outside.
God’s spiritual blessings will continue even when we are distracted or do not notice. He will be present to protect and guide. His Spirit within us will empower us, guide us, and equip us. The blessings are too numerous to count!
This is one more day reflecting God’s creative genius and wisdom. Let us rejoice and be glad!

Amazed by God

Mark’s gospel includes amazing stories. The text notes again and again that the people were amazed at the words and works of Jesus. I ask myself, Am I amazed?

Am I amazed at the words of God, the recorded events of Scripture, events that amazed those who saw and heard Jesus in the first century? Or have the Bible stories lost their impact through familiarity?
Am I amazed at the way God is present in our world? Or do I fail to see him in the glories of nature around me?
Am I amazed at the wisdom of God’s plan to redeem a unique people for his purpose and possession? Or am I among the majority who no longer reads the Bible regularly?
Am I amazed at the work God is doing among his people even today? Or am I out of touch with those spiritually vibrant people who know and experience God’s presence and power in their daily walk?

If I am not amazed, the fault may be mine rather than God’s! God has been, is, and will be at work in this world. The kingdom has come near in a world that often walks away from God. May we be among those who walk toward him and with him, faithfully listening in amazement to the stories both past and present.

[P.S. If I can be of help in prayer, counsel, sharing, or any way as you see to walk closer to the amazing God, I invite and encourage you to contact me. You can start simply with a comment on this posting.]

It’s Sunday Again: Eat the Word, Drink the Covenant

Jesus took break, broke it, and gave it to his disciples: “This is my body.”  The contemporary church has at times struggled with that concept. We have felt compelled to explain that the bread was not his literal body, or to explain how and when the statement is true. In the history of the church, we can study the development of concepts of transubstantiation, consubstantiation, etc.  Others, rejecting such concepts, have talked about the emblems or symbols, but these ideas also fail the test because the  Bible never uses such descriptions. We may describe Jesus’ words as metaphorical, but the Bible doesn’t call it a metaphor. Jesus said, “This is my body.” Listen, think, apply. By faith, the bread is the body of Jesus. The Word became flesh in the Incarnation, and in the Supper, the Word is again enfleshed as it becomes part of our flesh. We eat the message, it is ours, it is within us, and it will be our guide this week.  It will direct everything we do.  That is what we are declaring when we eat the bread. By faith, we eat the body of Christ so that he dwells in our hearts by faith and his presence within us totally changes every aspect of our lives. We eat the bread and we are changed.  We do not curse, we do not backbite or gossip, we do not get even, we dress modestly, we act appropriately, we avoid immorality.  By faith, as we eat, we are saying all of these things. Do not eat the supper if you are not saying this—this is not a matter of being worthy because of what we have or have not done, this is a matter of whether we are serious about taking Jesus’ body into our physical body. This is a matter of identifying ourselves as serious about the body of Christ, as part of that body, functioning as part of that body, connected with the church which is his body, seeking every opportunity to interact with that body—prayer for one another, fellowship, encouraging, stimulating, worship together, this evening, Wednesday night, during the week….  The body matters to us.  “This is my body, take and eat.”
God, we do not understand the wisdom and might of your ways, and how you can actually make it possible for us to take into ourselves the message, the body of Jesus, and to also be that body in the world today. Even without understanding, we are serious about that reality in our lives, and we today eat this bread which is his body by faith, declaring that we are serious about living this week the faithful message which we now eat. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Jesus took the cup, and he said, “This is my blood of the covenant.” By faith, this is Jesus’ blood.  Not emblem, symbol, metaphor, or fancy explanation. By faith! The blood of the covenant—we drink and we reaffirm the covenant. We are in covenant with God—we are living in the covenant. Only covenant people drink the covenant blood. I am in covenant with God—this week I will be his. I will keep the covenant. When I drink the covenant, I am committing myself to the covenant, I am renewing the covenant, I am saying that I will live in the covenant.  Am I not also saying that I will be here again next week because the covenant controls my life? Covenant faithfulness is not sporadic; it is not one week on and two weeks off. We assemble as God’s covenant people, and we covenant with God and with one another—we will love, we will encourage, we will care, we will be here when the body assembles, we will live out the covenant—the rest of today, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday….
God, thank you for making possible a covenant between divine God and human frailty, and thank you for declaring us clean by the covenant blood. We could not cleanse ourselves, but we can commit ourselves to the covenant in gratitude, and we do that this day as we take this fruit of the vine which is the blood of the covenant. Dear God, we will live as covenant people until we renew the covenant again next Lord’s Day. Yes, we will. The church says, yes, we will. Yes, we will. Thank you, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Part of the Family

Two weeks of travels and interactions with God’s family in various places has reminded me of how special it is to be “part of the family.” We have worshiped and prayed with brothers and sisters from about 20 states. We have experienced worship in different styles–we have listened to capable expositors of God’s word that minister in out-of-the-way places that most people have never heard of.
God’s family is a large, diverse body striving to live out the redemptive message of Jesus in today’s world. God’s family lives out the message of God taking on flesh so that we might partake of the divine nature and be changed. As God’s message lives within us and is lived out through us, the world has access to Jesus. God’s family lives in a covenant with God that motivates consistent living in worship, fellowship, ministry, and proclamation. This covenant, sealed by blood, directs our lives.
When we add the great family of God that exists around the world, both in places we are aware of through our mission efforts, and also in places we do not know, we stand in awe at the wisdom of God. Indeed, the church’s very existence declares the wisdom of God.

A Brief Break and a Prayer Request

Today is the last day of the retreat–I will be “back in the saddle” tomorrow, and my blogging will return to a more regular schedule.
This week has been a spiritual high point–great classes, teaching, worship, and the A Capella concert last night was fantastic. What a spiritual feast! Above all, the opportunity to renew friendships in Christ and make new friends among special brothers and sisters.
Much more to write–but the early morning class begins soon! May God bless you in your walk with him today, and may you know his presence in a special way.
[Please pray for Mark and Cheryl Frost. Mark and Cheryl minister with the Trenton, Michigan church and just found out that Cheryl has stage IV pancreatic cancer.]