the word of Christ

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.            Colossians 3:16

 

 

In our family we are taking on a challenge this summer. We’re going to memorize all of John 17. This is a big task for us, but one we’re looking forward to and actually enjoying already.

 

Our church is promoting something this summer called Summer Stories. The idea is to be challenged to do five different things over the course of the summer: pray specifically for five people who don’t know Christ, memorize John 17, throw a block party to meet your neighbors, invite some people to a church gathering and find a place to serve the in city one night a week. The point is to create some stories this summer. To intentionally do some things that will push us in our own walk with Christ as well as make us mindful of those around us who don’t yet know the gospel of Jesus. The belief is that as we do these things boldly and intentionally we will look back on this summer with some great stories of what God has done in our lives and in others. As the summer progresses we’ll be sharing our individual stories with the whole church community and celebrate together what God is doing in our lives.

 

So our family has started with the memorization of John 17. We’ll look to pursue some of the other challenges this summer as well, but this is where we started. It has been an interesting week and a definite blessing to work on this as a family. Our kids are taking it so seriously and really are making great headway so far!

 

As we’ve begun I have been reminded frequently of Paul’s challenge to the Colossian church. “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly…” Paul recognized our desperate need for a rich indwelling of God’s Word. He knew that in order to meet the needs of one another we will need a deep store of God’s truth in our hearts. I can’t help but wonder if this unmet reality is at the source of so much difficulty that the church seems to have getting along with itself.

 

Down through the ages there are stories upon stories of church division and backbiting; stories of gossip, arguments that never resolve, politics in the church body, and power struggles. The one unified Body of Christ has often been anything but a diverse group of members working for the glory of Christ as a blessing to one another and the world. Could it be in large part because the members have not been investing in a deep store of the word of Christ in their own hearts? Could it be because so much of the Body has allowed a Sunday morning feeding on the Word to be all they get for the week?

 

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, in his book Life Together says this:

 

“It is not our heart that determines our course, but God’s Word. But who in this day has any proper understanding of the need for scriptural proof? How often we hear innumerable arguments “from life” and “from experience” put forward as the basis for our most crucial decisions, but the argument of Scripture is missing.” 

 

When the Word of God does not dwell in us richly, our life easily becomes guided by other things: by outside influences, self diagnosis, and popular opinion. We need the word of Christ, not merely to be heard by us on a regular basis, but to dwell in us richly. And so we are memorizing.

 

I can’t help but realize that teaching our children to memorize Scripture is teaching them a culture of how to live life. It’s so much more than just a summer project and I pray we’ll have the perseverance and consistency necessary to make it a new rhythm of our family’s life. We pray together, we read the Bible together, but we have not done much intentional hiding of God’s Word in our hearts as a family. This is a great beginning for us. There is great joy to be found in the time we are spending as a family working through John 17, not to mention the joy we receive as parents to find our children so enthusiastic and committed to this memorization. And we are preparing our children now for the day we will watch them set out on their own. What a gift to see them set out with a rich store of the word of Christ dwelling within their hearts. This is a goal worth investing in.

 

trees

I’m thinking that Fridays are a good day for a Psalm. Or maybe it’s just that today felt like the right day for one. The Psalms are just such a rich store of the real human struggle for life with God. They are a rollercoaster ride of emotions. There is wisdom and insight and truth upon truth. They feel very real and very raw. I can relate to them and I am constantly challenged by them. The Psalms often seem to sing my story and shed my tears. The shout my frustrations and voice my wonder in ways I never could. I love the Psalms so I’m making space for them here each week.

 

Oh, the joys of those who do not
  follow the advice of the wicked,
  or stand around with sinners,
  or join in with mockers.
 But they delight in the law of the Lord ,
  meditating on it day and night.
 They are like trees planted along the riverbank,
  bearing fruit each season.
Their leaves never wither,
  and they prosper in all they do.

 But not the wicked!
  They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind.
 They will be condemned at the time of judgment.
  Sinners will have no place among the godly.
 For the Lord watches over the path of the godly,
  but the path of the wicked leads to destruction.

                                                             Psalm 1

  

Psalm 1 is a great call to those who would follow God well. The very second line struck me as I read this morning. How often do I follow the advice of the wicked? How often do I allow the wisdom of the world or the perspective of this culture shape my goals and influence my decisions? This is not as it should be, even though it often is the way of things.

 

Instead the Psalmist says we are to be like trees along the river that bear fruit in each and very season. This also gives me pause. Just two days ago I was explaining to my wife how there are ups and downs to things spiritual and probably always will be. We’ll do well and then we’ll struggle and then it will begin again—a cycle of ups and downs. The thing is, I’m probably right, but should I be settling for that? I’m supposed to be always bearing fruit, not explaining why sometimes I don’t.

 

And then there is the contrast of the godly and the wicked…they take different paths. If their paths are so different why is it that sometimes and in some places the paths come so near one another that it is easy to step from one to the other? Proof yet again that we must stay planted. We must stay by the riverbank where the living water flows. This water—it is God, his words, his truth, his law. It’s why the Psalmist speaks of loving the law of the Lord and meditating on it day and night. It brings life. It keeps us on the path.

 

Oh Lord, may we be as the trees: planted by your living water, drinking deep of your stores. May we remain on your path and bear your fruit. May we be these trees.

 

different kind of gospel

I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God, who called you to himself through the loving mercy of Christ. You are following a different way that pretends to be the Good News but is not the Good News at all. You are being fooled by those who deliberately twist the truth concerning Christ. Let God’s curse fall on anyone, including us or even an angel from heaven, who preaches a different kind of Good News than the one we preached to you. I say again what we have said before: If anyone preaches any other Good News than the one you welcomed, let that person be cursed. Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.        Galatians 1:6-10

 

I keep reading and re-reading these words and considering what I would say about them. What do they say to me? I don’t like these words. They are troubling and speak of the dangers that are very real for those who follow Christ.

 

The danger of turning away.

 

Not necessarily turning away from Christ altogether—I don’t think that’s what Paul is talking about here. But the danger of being fooled by something that sounds like the truth. No one wants to be fooled. No one wants to be wrong. We certainly don’t want to allow something that sounds like the truth to infiltrate the truth we live by.

 

The danger of speaking a different kind of gospel.

 

Paul is talking here about people who do this purposefully. He says, “those who deliberately twist the truth..” But he also includes himself in the warning turned curse: Let God’s curse fall on anyone, including us or even an angel from heaven, who preaches a different kind of Good News than the one we preached to you.

 

Anyone of us could do it. Maybe without knowing, maybe because we’ve lost sight of priorities, maybe because we desire to be accepted or push our own agenda. I don’t think most of us would intentionally plot it out. But let’s face it, we are sinners saved by grace. We still must struggle against that sinful nature.

 

We must be vigilant. We must be cautious. We must always be praying with the Psalmist, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.” (Ps. 139:23-24)

 

The key to it all probably comes at the end. The hardest part. I am not trying to win the approval of people, but of God.

 

Our first reaction is to deny this; to confirm for ourselves that we don’t do this. How often do we tell ourselves, “I just don’t care what other people think” while our behavior is constantly seeking their approval? We do care. That’s what makes this so hard. We want to be accepted, admired, respected, appreciated. We want approval from others. It’s our nature. And it’s our downfall in regard to the gospel and the dangers of turning to something that sounds like the truth.

 

We don’t start out thinking: I’ll just change this little piece of the gospel so it fits better with what I want to do. We don’t consciously think while listening to someone who has made the gospel about something other than Christ that even though it’s not quite right, it’s close enough. But our need for approval, our need for “fitting in”, our desire to connect in meaningful ways with people can easily cloud our judgment and twist our perception of the truth. If it weren’t true, Paul wouldn’t be talking about it. The Spirit wouldn’t have led him to write it out.

 

“If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.”

 

A servant of Christ—slave to him. At the risk of approval, at the risk of acceptance, at the risk of everything except him. It’s easier to be a pleaser. It’s easier to just bend a little; to just ignore this or gloss over that. It’s easier to just turn a way—just a little. The moment we think otherwise; the moment we consider these things not a danger for us; the moment that we think we are beyond this…we may have turned to another gospel already.

 

Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.       Matthew 24:12-13

 

May Jesus guard our hearts this day. May we be vigilant about embracing the truth and faithful to proclaiming only Christ.

 

 

his words

I love the rain. I love the heavy, hard rain that is accompanied by thunder and lightening. I love the way it smells, I love the way it sounds, I love to just watch the wind and rain blow. And I love the green that seems to follow, especially in spring. A good rain just seems to make all the green even more green. So as I sat watching the rain this morning I began to think about its effects on the earth and it reminded me of this place in Isaiah that compares the rain to the effects of God and his Word.

As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

Isaiah 55:10-11

 

I wonder how often I actually open and read God’s Word with this much expectancy. I wonder how often I actually anticipate that as I read it is like the rain pouring down and making green.

 

I see the words, I hear them. They are God’s words and as they enter my heart and mind they are accomplishing his purpose. They are, in a sense, making green and bringing growth.

 

Just like the rains to the earth God’s words may not bring instant growth. It may take time. But as I read I should remember the promise, “[My Word] will not return to me empty, but will accomplish…and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”

 

What’s the purpose today? What’s the purpose of what I’m reading? What does God desire it to accomplish?

 

So I will read, and anticipate. I will be open and listen. And I will watch—maybe not today—but in the days to come, I will watch God’s purposes take root and grow and make green where only dryness now exists.

 

Will you look at his words today? Will you read as if they really are his words from his mouth? Will you believe that even if it doesn’t stir you in the moment, even if it does ring with clarity and hope today, will you believe that those very words will accomplish something in you? That they will achieve a purpose?

the Bible is not enough

The Bible is not enough.

 

Wait, what?! Is that a typo? That can’t be what I meant to type was it? I mean, that sounds like heresy doesn’t it? It feels like I’m being a bad Christian just by typing it. And yet…it’s true. The Bible is not enough for our lives.

 

Before you click away and curse me as being from the devil, perhaps I should offer a little context. And also point out that I’m only saying this because Jesus said it. I promise you, this isn’t my idea. Jesus once had a conversation with the Pharisees and essentially what he told them was that the Scriptures weren’t enough. See for yourself.

The Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent. You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you possess eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.        John 5:37-40

Jesus says they don’t know the Father.  Yes they do study the Scriptures. Yes they do know what the words of God are. But no, they don’t know the Father. They don’t hear his voice. God’s word does not dwell in them. Because they think that eternal life, God kind of Life, is found in the Scriptures. But it’s not. Life comes from Jesus. The Scriptures—the Bible—a part from Jesus just aren’t enough.

 

I think sometimes in our Christian cultures we tend to forget this. It’s not that we don’t believe in Jesus or look to him. But sometimes I think we can forget that just putting in our time everyday reading our Bible is a dead practice if we aren’t living our lives with Jesus. It’s just not enough to spend time reading the Word if we aren’t learning to live in relationship with Jesus.

 

The Bible is powerful and life changing because Jesus is the one changing our hearts and making us new. The Bible has wisdom we can discern because the Spirit of Jesus is within us teaching and reminding, leading and correcting.

 

If we aren’t drawn to read Scripture, or we find it an unfulfilling and empty process perhaps the problem is not the Bible. Maybe it’s our relationship with Jesus. If we are not daily coming to him to have life we may find the Bible somewhat lifeless.

 

May we come today, not just to the Bible, but to the one the Bible testifies about. May we remember that Jesus is the one who gives life, and that the Bible simply turns us back to him. The Bible is wonderful and invaluable, but really only has power within Jesus. He is the one who has life. Without him, the Bible is just words about life, not the life itself.

not a command

I’m a big believer in the authority of Scripture. I believe the Bible is God’s Word, and that it’s been revealed to his people by his Spirit. I also believe that it’s without error and should be recognized as the authority for our lives. Some people agree, some don’t. I’m not really looking to debate that or defend that today. But I am curious about something.

 

I’m preparing to speak tomorrow at our church. The pastor has been working his way through 1 Corinthians in a series called “Unsanitized Christianity” and so far it’s been great. Right now we’re in the midst of chapters 6 and 7. As I am preparing to bring the teaching tomorrow I couldn’t help but consider again an old thought that has come to my mind from time to time. I have my own ideas about it, but am continuing to consider and contemplate it. And it’s always interesting to hear from others.

 

If we are trying to live with the Bible as the authority for our lives, then places that give commands and directive or texts that reveal God’s expectations in clear and concise language are easy. Maybe not easy to follow, but easy to at least know what’s expected!

 

But does having the Bible as our authority for life just mean following a list of rules it lays out? I have a sneaking suspicion there is more to it!

 

Consider this…

 

In 1 Corinthians Paul makes a couple of statements that don’t exactly sound clear or certain. He doesn’t even seem sure if they are from god or just from himself. Let me show you. The two I’m considering (and I think there are more) come from Paul’s letter to the Corinthian church. He’s talking about marriage and singleness. First he preps a statement about how they should live with these words:

I say this as a concession, not as a command.  1 Corinthians 7:6

 

So, what do we do with that? Is this something we should follow? Something we can choose to take or to leave? Or is there another way to look at it? Again, I have my own thoughts, but I’m wondering what you think. I feel like in some ways considering what to do with passages that don’t lay out a clear and complete explanation of exactly what to do are critical to understanding what it truly means to honor the Scriptures as the authority for life. Let’s face it, there are more places that are ambiguous or open to some interpretation than there are lists of do’s and don’ts. And this is good I think! We just need to consider what we do with these. How do we handle them?

 

Here’s another example, just a few verses later:

 

To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her.    1 Corinthians 7:12

 

“To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord)…”

 

Paul is making a clear distinction between some things that the Lord is commanding and the things he is saying. So what do we do with that? How do we handle that? What kind of authority do we give those types of passages?

Again I say that I believe that how we handle passages like these has far reaching effects for what it really means for us to acknowledge the Bible as the authority for our lives. The Bible doesn’t cover directly and in list form every issue we will ever face in life. How do we let it be the authority for our lives in these cases? I think considering how we handle places like the two I’ve mentioned above will get us on the right track.

 

What do you think? Please share your thoughts or add your own questions.

killing scripture

“Woe to you, because you build tombs for the prophets, and it was your ancestors who killed them. So you testify that you approve of what your ancestors did; they killed the prophets, and you build their tombs. Because of this, God in his wisdom said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and others they will persecute.’ Therefore this generation will be held responsible for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the beginning of the world, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, this generation will be held responsible for it all.      Luke 11:47-51

The ancestors of the Pharisees had killed the prophets who brought God’s words. These religious people of Jesus’ day acted like they would have listened—like they would have been different. They honor the martyred prophets by building tombs and memorials for them.

But they aren’t listening to the Word God has now sent. They aren’t listening to Jesus. They are pretending to be spiritually open and receptive, but they are no different than their predecessors.

“…this generation will be held responsible for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the beginning of the world, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah…”

Abel was the first person murdered in the Bible. Zechariah was the last one murdered or martyred. (In the Hebrew Bible of the time 2 Chronicles was the last book and it holds the record of Zechariah’s death. 2 Chronicles 24;20-22)

Using his typical expressive and imaginative way of speaking, Jesus is essentially saying, you pretend to embrace all the Scriptures and all that God has to say, but just as your forefathers rejected and killed the prophets you have rejected and killed the Scriptures they brought—from Abel (the first) to Zechariah (the last). Jesus is saying from the beginning to the end you’ve rejected and killed Scripture; you don’t receive it or embrace it as your guide for life.

Instead they tried to pick and choose what they applied to life. They tried to control how it affected them by adding rules and regulations. And they were always working to interpret it in ways most advantageous to themselves. Sound familiar? Uncomfortably so…at least to me.

In what ways do I “kill” the Scriptures today? In what ways do I reject, or try to manipulate the ways God’s words affect me?

The Pharisees had this bad habit of looking down on their ancestors who had killed the prophets that brought God’s words, all the while rejecting and eventually killing God’s Word that was brought to them. I tend to do the same—looking down on the Pharisees and their rejection of God’s Word. But do I equally reject or “kill” God’s word in my life? Do I make excuses for the parts of it I don’t follow well or at all? Do I ignore the painful or tough parts of it because I don’t want to do what it calls me to?

Am I truly and without condition open to receiving God’s Word, the Scriptures, regardless of what it says or how hard it hits my soul?

why read?

Why should we read the Bible? Why is it so important to read regularly? Is it really so important? Or is it just some hoop we jump through to make God happy? Does it make us “better” Christians? Whose idea was this anyway? Did Jesus talk to the disciples about their daily devotions? Somehow I doubt it.

So why should we read the Bible regularly? What are we hoping to gain?

 

Look at what Samuel discovered about God’s word:

“The Lord continued to appear at Shiloh, and there he revealed himself to Samuel through his word.”           1 Samuel 3:21

That’s why we read! God reveals himself through his word! It’s not about clocking your time to get your merit points. It’s not about who is a better or a worse Christian based on how much time they spend reading (or praying – but that’s another discussion). It’s about opening God’s Word with the anticipation of how he will reveal himself through the words on the page.

These words are God’s, given by his own direction, written by his own people who saw him and heard him. And through these words he shows himself to us…as we read.

What expectation do I come with when I open the Bible? What is my hope? My anticipation?

Certainly every time I read God will not miraculously manifest himself in some life-altering way. That’s not how it works. But I think it should be the expectation that as I read, as I consistently return to these words of God, he will begin to reveal himself to me through the words I am taking in; his words.

It comes with a completely different feel if I open my Bible to read with the understanding that God is showing himself to me. It’s much better than the perception that I have to read or God will be disappointed in me.

Reading the Bible is dangerous though. God often reveals himself to us by revealing us to us. See, I’ve learned that reading the Bible regularly helps me see God more clearly because it shows me myself with brutal honesty. The more clearly I see me, the more open I am to seeing God.

Truth leads to truth.

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.            Hebrews 4:12

how do you read it?

The weekend offers a little extra time to consider, to perhaps dive a bit deeper into the Scriptures. Schedules can slow down a bit and offer more opportunities to think. So here is a topic and several scriptures to consider. Please share your own thoughts or comments.

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Jesus is always asking really probing questions and it pays to take the time to consider what He’s asking.

On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

 ”What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”             Luke 10:25-26

 

“How do you read it?” What a great question to consider. The man asks Jesus what the Bible says about something and Jesus’ response is to ask how the man reads the Scriptures.

Typically, as Jesus followers we tend to focus on on this question, but with a little twist. We give importance to the question “Do you read it?” and “How often do you read it?” But Jesus takes us to a whole new level of spiritual exploration when he phrases the question “How do you read it?”

 

Perhaps we haven’t thought that much about it but when we open the Bible to read it we all do so with preconceived notions or expectations. We all have a certain amount of baggage that we carry to the reading.

 

What do we bring with us when we read the Bible?

Whatever it is, it will effect the way we perceive what’s written there. It will—positively or negatively—have an impact on how we respond to what we are reading. Sometimes when I read the Bible I just know what it is going to say. Sometimes I’m angry or worried. Sometimes I’m open. Sometimes not.

My mood has some affect on how I read it. But my values, my world view, my agendas and goals…now these really impact how I read it. What do I want out of reading the Bible? Answers? Comfort? Guidance? To be rid of guilty feelings? What I’ve realized is that I’m always looking for something when I read the Bible.

And it’s not wrong to be looking, expecting, wanting certain things when I read, but how does that affect my ability to receive whatever the Spirit might be saying? How does my personal agenda enhance or detract from what God is saying in his Word?

 

When we open the Bible, how do we read it? Or maybe a better question is how should we read it?

Here are some other Scriptures to consider:

For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.    Hebrews 4:12-13

 

Oh, how I love your law!
       I meditate on it all day long.

Your commands make me wiser than my enemies,
       for they are ever with me.

I have more insight than all my teachers,
       for I meditate on your statutes.

I have more understanding than the elders,
       for I obey your precepts.

I have kept my feet from every evil path
       so that I might obey your word.

I have not departed from your laws,
       for you yourself have taught me.

How sweet are your words to my taste,
       sweeter than honey to my mouth!

I gain understanding from your precepts;
       therefore I hate every wrong path.

Psalm 119:97-104

 

Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.    Joshua 1:8

 

So…how do you read it? How should we read it?

 

Please share your thoughts!