Truth, Our Foundation

Recently my focus has been on Truth, and this morning I felt led to read from a couple of John's letters.  It has been quite a while since I last read them, so I was not very cognizant of their theme, but both 2 John and 3 John start out with John writing about the Truth.  Here are some of the verses - 2 John 1:1-6 NASB:

[1] "The elder to the chosen lady and her children, whom I love in truth; and not only I, but also all who know the truth, [2] for the sake of the truth which abides in us and will be with us forever: [3] Grace, mercy and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love." 

[4] "I was very glad to find some of your children walking in truth, just as we have received commandment to do from the Father. [5] Now I ask you, lady, not as though I were writing to you a new commandment, but the one which we have had from the beginning, that we love one another. [6] And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, that you should walk in it."

Here are the verses from 3 John 1:1-8 NASB:

[1] "The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth. "

[2] "Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers. [3] For I was very glad when brethren came and testified to your truth, that is, how you are walking in truth. [4] I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth. "

[5] Beloved, you are acting faithfully in whatever you accomplish for the brethren, and especially when they are strangers; [6] and they have testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God. [7] For they went out for the sake of the Name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. [8] Therefore we ought to support such men, so that we may be fellow workers with the truth."

As I was reading these verses a couple of things were apparent.  First, John was very focused on the truth, on people walking in the truth, believing the truth, witnessing to the truth, and the truth being in us.  He doesn't define the truth here, but it is clear he is speaking of Jesus and His teachings.  At the time John was writing these letters the truth was under attack by several heretic teachers, and John as the last living Apostle was especially vigilant in His defence of the truth.  He wrote these letters in the late 80s A.D. and was combatting Gnosticism, which was a teaching that Jesus was not fully human.  His Gospel and His letters were primarily written to expound this truth! 

Secondly, as I was reading these verses it seemed that John was not just referring to true facts and true faith, but also at times to Jesus and the Holy Spirit.  In his Gospel he writes of Jesus' teaching where Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me." ( John 14:6 NASB).  Understanding that the truth is Jesus is helpful in identifying things and ideas that are out of line with the revelation we have of Him, and f the Father through Him. The writer of Letter to the Hebrews calls Jesus "the exact representation of His nature" ( Hebrews 1:3 NASB).  

As we are bombarded with all sorts of teaching and ideas, it is so important that we know Jesus!  It is critical that we understand the foundation of His revelation for He shows us the character and nature of the Father perfectly.  We need this foundational knowledge, this relationship in our lives as guide.  John also speaks of the Holy Spirit as this guide, this helper.  

He writes in John 15:26-27 NASB:  "When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me, [27] and you will testify also, because you have been with Me from the beginning."

Again, a few chapters later he writes, John 16:13-14 NASB: "But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. [14] He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you."

We must lean into the Lord, learning from Him, looking to Him for guidance and revelation that comes from understanding what He has shown us in and through Scriptures.  We must have this foundational relationship to keep us from being "carried away by all kinds of strange teachings" (Heb 13:9). We must encourage one another onward in this relationship and encourage one another in learning and understanding, pursuing the Truth with our whole lives, that we might be witnesses to this truth with our very lives.

Oh Lord help us!

Amen!

Touched, Cleansed, Restored!

This morning, when I opened my Bible, it opened right where I was last reading, no surprise, its an e-Bible.  I was once again drawn to the story I had last read, where Jesus heals the leprous man in Mark 1:40-42 NASB:

[40] "And a leper came to Jesus, beseeching Him and falling on his knees before Him, and saying, "If You are willing, You can make me clean." 

[41] Moved with compassion, Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, "I am willing; be cleansed." [42] Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed."

I had a dream recently where I was assigned the ministry of touch and in my dream this is the story that came to mind.  In America we have very little concept of the disease of leprosy, but even in somewhat modern days, part of the island of Molokai in Hawaii was designated a leper colony (1866 is when it was established), and anyone from Hawaii who had leprosy was effectively banned to that island.  They were social outcasts, and that is my understanding of what it was like for someone with leprosy in Jesus' time.   

The Law (see Leviticus 5, 7, 11, 13 and 15 for a full understanding of the rules and requirements) had much to say about how to treat those who were unclean, and people were not to touch anything unclean or it would cause the clean person to be unclean.  They were required to keep their distance from all healthy people, warn them of their disease and even forced to live outside of town.  Couple that with the prevailing idea that sickness was caused by sin, and you can understand just some of how others looked at lepers.  They were considered at best, God forsaken.

This story is about so much more than just physical healing, for in touching the man, Jesus cut right through all the law stipulations about uncleanliness and in doing so accepted him and his "sinfulness".  We are told that Jesus was moved with compassion, and that Greek word essentially means that Jesus responded in such a way that it seemed He was "moved as to one's bowels, hence to be moved with compassion, have compassion (for the bowels were thought to be the seat of love and pity) (Thayer's Greek Dictionary).  In other words, it was obvious, from observing Jesus that he was deeply moved by this man's request.  

I am adding my take here, I don't think Jesus just reached out His hand and touched the leprous man, I think He touched his hand and they drew him into a welcoming embrace!  I just can't see Jesus doing anything but hugging the man!  We are told that the leprosy immediately left him, and that is a healing miracle in and of itself, but I think the greater miracle was the repairing of the man's inner thoughts of himself, and how God viewed him.  Many a person who has experienced significant sickness thinks they are broken irreparably, walking wounded if you will, and I believe this man walked away completely cleansed and restored, fully restored in every way possible.  This is the ministry of Jesus, restoration, redemption, salvation and healing!  

Oh Lord that we all would encounter Your touch!  Oh Lord, that we would receive Your acceptance, see You moved with compassion on our behalf!  Oh Lord, that we would experience Your warm and welcoming embrace!  Oh Lord, touch Your sons and daughters and let them know Your love!  Let them be affected by Your touch, even as this man was affected, cleansed, restored and loved!

Amen and Amen!

Humility and Answered Prayer!

This morning I am reflecting on some familiar verses from James 5:13-16 NIV:

[13]  "Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. [14] Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. [15] And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. [16] Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective."

I have read these many times before, and today while reading them the issue of humility was brought to my attention, specifically in verse 14.  In this verse, the person who is told to call the elders is the person who is sick. I guess i just never really read it that way before.

I don't know if its just a male thing, or if its our American independence, or maybe a combination of things, but I don't like asking for prayers, or asking for any help!  I don't like appearing weak, incapable, or anything that might cause people to think of me as anything other than a man of exemplary strength and faith.  I don't mind praying for others, and I don't mind if people want to pray for me, I just don't want to ask!  Just a little bit of pride there....

So this morning, the Lord is addressing humility!  What if the reason I am not seeing healing in my life over certain areas, is because I am too prideful to ask for prayer?  Now, I don't want to get into creating some religious practice and belief that says God can only heal people who ask, as we have several examples in scripture where Jesus healed someone and they didn't actually ask, as far as we are told; I am thinking of the man with the withered hand (Matt 12:10-13) and the man at the pool of Bethesda (John 5:1-9).  However, the Lord heals differently many times, and here we have James encouraging us to ask for help, asking others to pray four ourselves, and we know Jesus did heal people that came to Him and asked Him to heal them, and this is the same thing!  Again, asking the question another way, if Jesus was right here, would I go up to Him and ask Him if he would be willing to heal me?  We know the answer already and it is yes!  (See Mark 1:40-41).  So if we are all now Jesus' representatives on the earth, the literal Body of Christ, why would we act any differently?  Shouldn't we be willing to call the other members of the Body of Christ and ask for prayers?  The answer is obviously, Yes!   The only thing that gets in my way is pride, and I need that out of my life anyway!

I love the confidence that James has in the next verse, "And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well: the Lord will raise them up!"  What a great promise and expectation.  I think that James was likely writing from a place of experience and regular observation.  This is what normal life in the Body of Christ is supposed to look like!  Brothers and sisters praying for one another and seeing people healed by the Lord!!

Amen!  Lord, please help me to lay down my pride and seek help and healing from You, through the prayers of my brothers and sisters and elders in the church!!

Amen!

Rejoicing In Every When!

This morning I started reading Paul's letter to the Church in Philippi, and as always, I found myself encouraged by Paul's words.  I started in chapter 3 and then moved onto chapter 4, where I was focused on the following verses - Philippians 4:4-9 NIV:

[4] "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! [5] Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. [6] Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. [7] And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." 

[8] "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable---if anything is excellent or praiseworthy---think about such things. [9] Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me---put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you."

I am familiar enough with these verses that I am tempted to just blow through them, and not really stop and think about them in depth.  I find it most helpful to stop after each sentence and let the words resonate in my mind and heart, rolling it back and forth as if examining them carefully, trying to understand the context in which Paul wrote them, the perspective of the audience, and their situation.  All of these things bring about a richness to the word and to my understanding of it. 

Take for example verse 4,  "Rejoice in the Lord always.  I will say it AGAIN: Rejoice!" My mind immediately goes back to a song we used to sing, and also to my Dad, using this phrase to encourage us, usually when we didn't want to be encouraged.  :-)   Paul felt this encouragement was so important, and so did the Holy Spirit that he repeated it, focusing significant direction towards that simple phrase.  Why "Rejoice in the Lord, always"?

My first thought is that by rejoicing in the Lord always, we are constantly turning our mind and heart to Him. The image of two guys watching a football game together, turning towards each other and high-fiving for every good play, pops into my mind.  That is rejoicing with someone, and if we take it to the extreme that Paul writes about, we should be turning to the Lord in every circumstance.  As we do this, it gives us the ability to hear His Words, to see His expression, if you will.  This simple act reminds us who we are with, and who we are doing life with.  If we add to this the idea of the Lord having all power, all authority and working all things together for our sake, out of His goodness, we have reason to rejoice!

Secondly, the words we have translated "always" is the Greek word pantote.  Strong's definition is that this means "every when".  I like that phrase for it is just different enough to grab my attention.  Every when, rejoice in the Lord!  This is the real challenge.  When your pipes burst; when you discover you or someone you love has cancer;  when your car won't start;  when you can't pay a bill; when something you really wanted to happen doesn't; when you are tired, rejected, alone, afraid, upset!  Every when!  When confronted with these types of whens, our natural inclination is to complain rather than rejoice.  We want to lay blame, judge, all sorts of things, but the encouragement from the Lord is to rejoice!

When we turn to the Lord, we allow ourselves an opportunity to remember all the good things we have seen,  all we have been blessed with, and to put our present circumstances in their proper context.  We know whose we are, who we are doing life with, and we know the goodness of the Lord.  We remind ourselves of His faithfulness, His love, His care for us, and His invitation to press into Him.  We provide ourselves the opportunity for the Lord to encourage us, to cheer us on, to express His love for us! 

As I was writing this, I was thinking of a friend who recently has run a couple of ultra-marathons, running long distances through difficult terrain. I thought about his family cheering Him on!  I thought about how encouraging it would be to hear their voices, to see them cheering!  Now imagine he could experience that every 10 steps!  That is the image I have of rejoicing in the Lord in every when!  

When we do this simple step, we enable our mind to fix itself on the Lord, rather than on our circumstances!  When we take this step we also are given an opportunity to stand in faith, to stand on God's word and promise, to believe Him over our circumstances.  As we rejoice in every when, we are speaking life into our situation, allowing joy to replace disappointment, faith to replace fear, love to replace judgment!  Taking this radical approach is not easy, and works best in a group of like minded people, otherwise our friends and well-meaning family will try to talk us out of our rejoicing.  It is difficult to rejoice in every when if we are surrounded by "Debbie Downers".

Moving on briefly, if we look at a few of the next sentences, we see Paul expanding the encouragement, telling us to not be anxious, but to submit everything to the Lord, effectively handing Him our burdens so we can rejoice!  Paul continues on and encourages us to purposely change the way we think, focusing on  "whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable---if anything is excellent or praiseworthy"!  Taking control of our thought life, and directing our thoughts towards these positive things will certainly help us to rejoice in every when!  

This morning, I am just plain encouraged!  I see in Paul's words, a plan of attack for my thought life that will have a positive impact in my life!  I see a set of practical things I can do, if I can remember, that will help me raise my gaze and see Him!  I am encouraged to take the opportunities around me, then "Whens" and turn them into times of rejoicing!

Amen and Amen!

Truth, Our Cornerstone!

The last couple of days I have been reflecting on Truth, and the need for the church to be purveyors of the Truth.  Yesterday I was reading out of Isaiah 28 and today I felt led to read from 1 Peter 2, and sure enough, Isaiah 28 is quoted by Peter.  I would all that a confirmation of theme for sure.  Here are the verses from Isaiah 28:14-18 NIV:

[14] "Therefore hear the word of the Lord, you scoffers who rule this people in Jerusalem. 

[15] You boast, “We have entered into a covenant with death, with the realm of the dead we have made an agreement. When an overwhelming scourge sweeps by, it cannot touch us, for we have made a lie our refuge and falsehood our hiding place. ” 

[16] So this is what the Sovereign Lord says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who relies on it will never be stricken with panic. 

[17] I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the plumb line; hail will sweep away your refuge, the lie, and water will overflow your hiding place. 

[18] Your covenant with death will be annulled; your agreement with the realm of the dead will not stand. When the overwhelming scourge sweeps by, you will be beaten down by it."

I found the wording of verse 15 quite interesting - making "a lie our refuge and falsehood our hiding place."  It seems of late that it is almost impossible to get a direct read on the facts concerning many of our world issues.  We seem to have lost all connection to a standard of truth, and we have created this situation where everything is subjective, and subjected to opinion and political spirit. It seems more often than not that supposed facts are actually partial truths that are meant to build up a particular opinion, and that the truth is hidden, as if the whole truth was exposed the reality of the lies and falsehood would be revealed and the shelter they provide would be shattered.

I am encouraged that God has a response to this attitude and action of the peoples.  He lays a cornerstone of truth, and from it is able to establish a measuring line of true justice, and righteousness.  Oh Lord, we pray that You would once again expose the lies and falsehoods, and expose the whole truth, that we might once again have true justice, and see what true righteousness looks like.

Peter quotes verse 16 in light of some of the struggles that were being encountered in the early church.

And here are the verses from 1 Peter 2:1-6 NIV"

[1] "Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. [2] Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, [3] now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. 

[4] As you come to him, the living Stone---rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him--- [5] you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 

[6] For in Scripture it says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”

We must be cognizant of the fact that we are representing God, and as such there is no place for malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander.  These are the lies and falsehoods that were addressed by the Lord in Isaiah.  We must make Jesus our cornerstone of Truth for HE is the Truth (John 14:6). It is upon Him that we are being built into a spiritual house, called to be a holy priesthood!  Lies and falsehoods, partial truths and opinion must be destroyed in our lives, if we are to reestablish truth, and see true justice and righteousness restored. 

Oh Lord, I pray that You would raise up Truth, reveal the lies and the falsehoods that are present in our lives!  Reveal the covenants with death and destruction that have been made by those seeking to destroy the church, seeking to destroy nations and peoples.  Lord, reveal all that is hidden, all that is covered over!  We pray that once again Truth will reign in our land and in our hearts!  We pray specifically for the Church, for there are many voices with many messages, and there is only one Truth!  Help us to recognize the the Truth, and reject all else!  Help us to make You, the Truth, our cornerstone!

Amen and Amen!

Encouragement From The Life of David

This morning I was reading from 1 Chronicles 11, and in that chapter David solidifies His Kingship over Israel, and later captures what becomes Jerusalem, and establishes it as his city.  Reading through that got me thinking about the life of David, from His anointing by Samuel through to his last days, which I recently was reading about as well.  

David, despite being anointed as the future King by Samuel, at an early age (13ish) didn't become King until he was 30 (2 Sam 5:4-5).  Much of his time prior to becoming King, he was fleeing from the madness and jealousy of Saul, who tried to kill him a number of times.  Once he became King, it was another 7 years before He was established in Jerusalem.  Once in Jerusalem he spent about 10 years expanding His kingdom, and growing in wealth and power and then starting from the time he was 45-47, he sinned with Bathsheba, had Uriah killed (who was one of his Mighty men) and then had to deal with Absalom, and related issues for the next 15 or so years, even vacating Jerusalem under threat of death from his son.  After Absalom was killed  (David was about 62) there was the rebellion of Sheba for another couple of years (2 Sam 20).  Finally the last year of His reign, two of His sons were vying to become King, and there was contention in His family and the nation.  

My reflection is simply that being the anointed of God does not guarantee a lack of difficult times and seasons, in fact it might actually be the opposite.  The anointing of God may actually be for the strengthening of the individual so that in spite of all the battles and distractions one can maintain their faith and relationship to the Lord.  David's life clearly wasn't perfect or strife free.  He did though, in midst of his personal struggles, discover much about God's heart for him. 

At the end of His life, David said the following which is recorded in 2 Samuel 23:2-5 NIV:

[2] “The Spirit of the Lord spoke through me; his word was on my tongue. 

[3] The God of Israel spoke, the Rock of Israel said to me: 

'When one rules over people in righteousness, when he rules in the fear of God, 

[4] he is like the light of morning at sunrise on a cloudless morning, 

like the brightness after rain that brings grass from the earth.'

 [5] “If my house were not right with God, surely he would not have made with me an everlasting covenant, arranged and secured in every part; surely he would not bring to fruition my salvation and grant me my every desire."

He saw the hand of Lord on his life, and didn't abandon hope in his calling or in the word spoken over his life.  In spite of running for his life several times, in dealing with difficulties and battles, personal sin and the like, he held onto his faith and in the end was able to see the great blessing of the Lord.  

I am praying that I would have similar faith and perseverance.  Clearly my life and actions have not been perfect, and in spite of difficulties, none as serious as what David experienced, my goal is to keep on holding on, to keep on pressing into my faith and relationship with the Lord.  I desire to continue to see the Lord's hand on my life, His blessing manifested through me, and His name glorified through me.

Amen!

Reigning On Earth

This morning I felt led to read out of the Book of Revelations, chapters 4 & 5, which I always enjoy reading.  I enjoy picturing in my mind that which John describes, especially in chapters 4 & 5.  This morning as I was reading through these two chapters, I saw something that seemed to standout form all the rest and wanted to spend some time reflecting on the full meaning of what was said.  Here are the verses  - Revelation 5:9-14 NIV:

[9] "And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation. [10] You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.” 

[11] Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. [12] In a loud voice they were saying: “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!” 

[13] Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying: “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!” 

[14] The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped."

The verse that stood out or me today was all of verse ten.  Verse nine provides the definition of who verse ten is about, and calls out those that have been purchase by His Blood, which is the church, those that have been received salvation through faith in Him, in other words us!!  According to the four living creatures and twenty-four elders we have been made "to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God", and "will reign on the earth"!!!  DID YOU GET THAT??  According to that heavenly host, WE WILL REIGN ON EARTH!  

Just to make sure I wasn't reading into that statement, I looked at the original Greek, and the word that John wrote down is basileúō, and it means the following: 

1) to be king, to exercise kingly power, to reign

     a) of the governor of a province

     b) of the rule of the Messiah

     c) of the reign of Christians in the millennium

2) metaph. to exercise the highest influence, to control

Let that sink in and populate your mind and heart for a bit.  This is God's plan for us!  this is who we are already!  We are called and purchased, and released  to be kings in His Kingdom, to serve Him!  

However, to do this correctly, we must be able to exercise our authority, given to us by Him.  He is the one who made us to be a kingdom and priests, to serve Him and reign on earth!  Notice this it not heaven where we reign, but earth!  If we decide to read Revelation literally and look at the logical flow experienced by John in His vision, we would understand that verse 10 happens before the millennial reign which isn't announced until Revelations chapter 20.  In other words its now, in the time between Jesus' triumph on the cross and His second coming.  I am not saying that is how we should revelations, but it is a way we can read it, and we should press into this to understand more what God is saying and revealing!

Putting this in practical terms, when we are asked what we are going to be doing today, our answer should be serving God and reigning!  We have authority, already given to us through Jesus' Blood, poured out for us, and His mighty work of salvation!  Through this we were purchased and made to be a kingdom and priests to serve Him and to reign on the earth!  Nothing and no one has the power to take this from us, for it has been and is being proclaimed in Heaven in font of the Throne of God, and He agrees!

I am not thinking for a minute that I fully understand this, but I feel like the Lord wants me to open my eyes and my heart and hear the truth!  This IS TRUE.  Lord, help me to understand this truth to a greater extent, that I might be able to step into all that You have called us into.  Help me to open my eyes and heart to see and understand what You mean when You say that we will reign on earth!

Amen and Amen!

Pastoral Correction and Tickled Ears

This morning I am reflecting on some verses from 2 Corinthians 7:5-13 NASB:

[5] "For even when we came into Macedonia our flesh had no rest, but we were afflicted on every side: conflicts without, fears within. [6] But God, who comforts the depressed, comforted us by the coming of Titus; [7] and not only by his coming, but also by the comfort with which he was comforted in you, as he reported to us your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me; so that I rejoiced even more. [8] For though I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it; though I did regret it-for I see that that letter caused you sorrow, though only for a while- [9] I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God, so that you might not suffer loss in anything through us. [10] For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death. [11] For behold what earnestness this very thing, this godly sorrow, has produced in you: what vindication of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what avenging of wrong! In everything you demonstrated yourselves to be innocent in the matter. [12] So although I wrote to you, it was not for the sake of the offender nor for the sake of the one offended, but that your earnestness on our behalf might be made known to you in the sight of God. [13] For this reason we have been comforted." 

As I read through these verses this morning, I am reminded once again of Paul's straight-forwardness, his love for those churches he interacted with,  and his transparency.  We see Paul's heart on full display, he had sent a difficult letter, one that called out a sin, and he had been worried ever since he sent it, worried that in some way he had caused some in the church in Corinth so much pain that they had walked away from their faith.  

As I was just reflecting on this I saw a picture of a Chiropractor adjusting the  body, which at times can cause pain, ask my wife, but which ultimately is supposed to help the Body function correctly.  Misalignment, in this case in Corinth, was a cause that needed adjustment, or it would cause greater pain and possibly even division later on.  Paul, had issued the correction, but being away and only able to communicate via letter, he was concerned that instead of creating a realignment through repentance, his letter had instead resulted in greater pain.  

I see here, the heart of most of the pastors I know.  Their desire is to provide guidance and direction, teaching and encouragement that their people might see where their lives are out of alignment, and providing a path, through repentance, that enables them to come back into right relationship, or to maybe to come into alignment for the very first time.  What a blessed and difficult role.  Paul's heart is definitely for these people, he worries about them, he prays fr them, he is constantly thinking about them.  Again, this reminds me of the people I know that are pastors, for their hearts are for their people, and they  take on the struggles and concerns of their congregations.  I am sure these pastors have prayed many fervent prayers, praying for changed hearts, restored lives, healing and deliverance. I am also sure that pastors are overjoyed when they see a hunger and thirst for the Word reflected in their congregations, an aligning rightly with the Word, and Paul, on receiving the report from Titus, was overjoyed and relieved.

I think it would be wonderful if we all were hungry for help in coming into alignment with the Word of the Lord, but the truth is that many of us just want to hear, what we want to hear, things we agree with, things that don't require repentance, or changing the way we think and act. Paul writes about this in his letter to  Timothy.  He tells him to  "preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths." (2 Timothy 4:2-4 NASB).  I believe that there are many of us, these days, that prefer to have our ears tickled, rather than receive sound doctrine.  Oh Lord, help us!

Again, just reflecting on some of the recent hullabaloo around the Presidential election and inauguration,  there seems to have been in parts of the church a flow towards some words and prophecies that indicated that there would be a surprising turn-around, and one wonders if this wasn't a bit of the above mentioned tickling of ears?  Were people gathering around those "teachers" who were saying what they wanted to hear?  Were they looking at the proclamations and teachings that were being released and comparing them to the Word, and our doctrine??  I don't honestly know, as I was not engaged in conversations with any, but I am aware of some of the turmoil that was caused, and is still out there, unresolved and with potential to cause further division.  

Oh Lord help us to look to You to gain Your perspective!  Help us to align ourselves with Your Word Lord, to embrace sound doctrine, to not be swept away by fine sounding ideas that tickle our ears.  Help us to respond in love, and for love of You!  Help us to put our relationship with You before all else!

Amen and Amen!

Dealing With Arguments and Conflict

This morning I am reflecting on a few verses from Paul's second letter to Timothy.  I started reading the whole letter and was aware that Paul is writing to Timothy to encourage him to step into his calling and purpose, as if Timothy was struggling to do so.  I am so used to reading this as part of the Scripture that sometimes I forget the very personal nature of this letter.  He really was writing to Timothy, trying to encourage him forward in the faith, trying to give him perspective and guidance about how to continue in the ministry that he had been entrusted.  Anyway, here are the verses I am allowing to tumble around in my mind and heart, reading form the Passion version  2 Timothy 2:22-26 TPT:

[22] "Run as fast as you can from all the ambitions and lusts of youth; and chase after all that is pure. Whatever builds up your faith and deepens your love must become your holy pursuit. And live in peace with all those who worship our Lord Jesus with pure hearts." 

[23] "Stay away from all the foolish arguments of the immature, for these disputes will only generate more conflict. [24] For a true servant of our Lord Jesus will not be argumentative but gentle toward all and skilled in helping others see the truth, having great patience toward the immature. [25] Then with meekness you'll be able to carefully enlighten those who argue with you so they can see God's gracious gift of repentance and be brought to the truth. [26] This will cause them to rediscover themselves and escape from the snare of Satan who caught them in his trap so that they would carry out his purposes."

As I am reading through this all, it seems that Paul is cautioning Timothy away from youthful  and immature pursuits and arguments.  In Young's Literal translation these are called "foolish and uninstructed questions" and the point is that they lead to strife, opposition, division, and even a falling away from the truth.  This pathway to problems is apparently enabled by counter-arguing, and Paul urges Timothy to just stay clear of such arguing.  Earlier in verse 14 (not quoted), Paul had warned against quarreling about words, and here again Paul comes back to that point.  I am sure that Paul, as one of the great defenders of the faith, and preacher of the Gospel, must have dealt with thousands of quarreling and contentious individuals, and Paul has seen where these have ended up.  

I guess my question in reading these today is what sorts of foolish and uninstructed, actions and arguments are bubbling up in the  Body of Christ at present?  Are there controversies and issues that are causing arguments and strife in our Body?  Are there definitions and opinions that are causing division?  Are people arguing, or contentious towards one another?  

Not being on the pastoral team at my church, I don't have a full view of all the things that are bubbling up, but just viewing some of our social media and seeing Christian friend's postings, its obvious there is still much consternation and conflict within the church. Much of the noise seems to be about our present political situation and the response to the pandemic.   I have friends who are overjoyed with the recent political changes, and they are embracing the new adminstration.  I also have friends who have the exact opposite opinion and view, and they hate the recent changes.  This is a great example of arguments that lead to strife.  Neither side is going to convince the other side through the sharing of their opinions, or the most recent "news".  Pastorally, this whole situation must be really difficult, and I see why Paul  is encouraging Timothy in this way.

What path forward is there in such a situation?  Paul writes to Timothy that it will take gentleness and patience.  Quoting the NIV translation Paul says, "And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth." (2 Tim 2:24-25 NIV).  So how best to approach this whole area, especially if you are being thrust in the middle of it?  It seem to me that going to the Word is the always the first step.  We need to understand who we are as Christians, our identity in Him, and understand our role in this world.  Secondly, we need to understand what our proper response is to government and authorities, according to the Word.  Instruction, delivered gently, can provide the opportunity for us to understand where our thoughts and beliefs, our opinions and expectations might be out of line with the Word of God, and we can choose to align ourselves with His Word.  

I am definitely praying for all of my pastor friends during this time, for there is much to be concerned with, many things floating about in the Body of Christ, and many potential opportunities for strife, opposition, and even division.  I am praying for the Body of Christ in general, for our daily "struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." ( Ephesians 6:12 NIV). 

Lord, help us to hold onto Your Word!  Help us to embrace one another in love, rather that reject one another for our differing opinions.  Help us to turn to You, listening to Your Word, spoken to our hearts, directing us and guiding us to Your peace!   

We hold onto this promise in Paul's letter to the Philippians 4:7 NIV:  "And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."!

Amen and Amen!