Rejection

Most people have experienced rejection, usually many times in their lives. Someone said we were stupid, or kids did not want to play with us, or we did not make the team or get the part in the play that we wanted. Perhaps someone else got the job we wanted or into the school that we applied too. Sometimes a potential spouse said no way to our hope of marriage. Sometimes an actual spouse said no more.
What has our response been to rejection? Anger? Unforgiveness? Isolating ourselves? Developing a hard outer persona? While praying last night with some brothers the Holy Spirit illuminated something for me in a far clearer and deeper way than ever before. God was and is being rejected every day. He created us in His image, unlike any other part of His creation. A completely self-sufficient Being created us in order to love us and adopt us into His family and the vast majority of people live their whole lives rejecting Him. Not in a passive way either. We are hostile to God and His ways and reject those who try to show His love and truth to us.
Jesus experienced this during His time on earth. His precious Name is used as a curse. Yet what was his response? 1 Peter 2:21b says "Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that we should follow in His steps: (v. 23) who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth, (v.24) who, when he was reviled did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; (v.24) who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree..." (NKJV) The next time we feel rejected, let us remember that God was rejected too, and He continues to extend grace to a rebellious world.

9-9-9

Sorry, this post is not about Herman Cain's tax plan, but rather refers to Ezra chapter 9, Nehemiah 9 & Daniel 9, all chapters with long recorded prayers. Supposedly the Bible records about six hundred prayers in all. Intercession, or praying for one another, has formed the primary topic of discussion in our group the past two Sundays. We are attempting to equip the saints ( Ephesians 4:12)for the work of ministry as we transition to a monthly outreach gathering. Last week Matt and I tag teamed with me explaining what intercession is, and how we add our prayers to those of the Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit who intercede for us before the throne of God, and Matt showing examples of compassion in the life of Jesus as a key element of intercession.
This week we looked at actual examples of prayer. God gave me 1 Chronicles 29: 10-19. We saw a pattern in which David first acknowledged who God is to Him and to those people listening to his prayer before switching to thankfulness (verse 13) and expressing humility (verses 14-17). Finally in verses 18 & 19 he prays first for Israel and then for his son Solomon. We tend to focus on what we want and neglect the rest. The Lord gave Matt Acts 4, where the actual prayer begins in verse 24. Again we saw the saints acknowledged God, this time as the Creator, then praying Scripture from the second psalm, and finally in verse 29 asking for boldness.
Prayer for boldness in speaking about Jesus would not seem to be something that Paul the apostle would need as we look at his ministry as recorded in Acts and the rest of the NT yet we see him asking the Ephesians ( 6:19) to pray for this very thing. If he needed it how much more do we.
We were very blessed with visitors today including our brother Jim from Milwaukee, a young woman from Brazil, and Shaw & Julie, parents of one of the sisters. May God give us many more.

"My Father! My Father!"

Taken from Elisha's cry upon the departure of Elijah in a whirlwind to heaven, "My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and its horsemen!" (2 Kings 2:12 NKJV), "My Father! My Father! is a compelling examination of the significance of the divine relationship between God the Father and God the Son written by a brother named Sam Soleyn.
Disclaimer: Although several people whom I know and trust in the Lord have interacted with this brother, I have not.
While i will leave the question of whether God, as Spirit ( John 4:24) actually has gender to the theologians, it is undeniable that He consistently refers to Himself as Father (the first Person of the Trinity) or Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. (The Holy Spirit does not seem to be referenced in a gender specific way.)
From my human perspective, it is both fascinating and mysterious that the central divine relationship should be father and son as opposed to husband and wife or something else. Soleyn uses this relationship as the foundation for a Scripture saturated presentation of God's eternal purpose for establishing human sons to represent Him. He mentions but does not delve into two themes dear to my heart: our brotherhood in Christ, and relational unity but does not seem to place any emphasis on God's glorifying Himself as central to His purpose.
In any event, I recognize that another reading is required to pull out more of the thought behind Soleyn's writing. I think that a worthwhile endeavor.

Authority

Walking down the rural road near my abode today, my thoughts turned to the ever present problem of authority. While I doubt the wisdom of blogging on a subject that causes more problems than just about anything else in contemporary Christianity, I will give it a whirl. Matthew 28:18 makes clear that "all authority has been given to me ( Jesus) in heaven and earth. It also seems clear that He has delegated at least some of that authority to humans. Believers in Christ have authority over principalities and powers. Children are to obey parents, and wives respect and yield to husbands ( Now I'm really in trouble), and elders are to provide oversight for local groups of believers. So I do not question the delegation of authority to people in various roles. The concern that I have is the way in which that authority is used.
Are elders walking in humility ( Acts 20:19, 1 Peter 5; 5-6) or lording it over the flock? ( 1 Peter 5:3) Are husbands loving their wives or being bitter towards them? (Colossians 3:19 NKJV) Are fathers bringing up their children in the "training and admonition of the Lord or provoking them to wrath? ( Ephesians 6:4)
Do we acknowledge the priesthood of all believers? ( 1 Peter 2: 5,9 Revelation 1:6, 20:6) Do we understand the incalculable price paid equally for every child of God, the life and blood of the Lord Jesus Christ? Do we walk in the reality of our brotherhood in Christ, mentioned over 200 times in the New Testament?
Sadly, what I have seen repeatedly is insecure people in leadership roles commanding rather than appealing, coercing rather than persuading, wounding rather than loving, and I have done this myself. May we humble ourselves and remember that Jesus is the only Lord, and that we must give account to Him. ( Hebrews 13:17)

UnMarried Christians- - 2nd class Citizens?

While i think I have written posts closely related to the topic for today, I do not recall looking at this specific theme. Marriage was instituted by God Himself, and He provides at least four Biblical reasons for people to marry.
A. Companionship- Genesis 2:18 "The Lord God said, It is not good for man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him." (NKJV)
B. Godly Offspring- Malachi 2:15 "Has not the Lord made them one? In flesh and spirit they are his. And why one? Because he was seeking godly offspring."
C. Sexual Fulfillment- "The wife's body does not belong to her alone but also to her husband. In the same way, the husband's body does not belong to him alone but also to his wife." ( 1 Corinthians 7:4)
D. To provide a divinely ordained illustration of the relationship between Christ and the Church. Ephesians 5:22-33 especially verse. 32. "This is a profound mystery- but I am talking about Christ and the Church.
In addition virtually all who teach in the Body are married, usually for a long period of time, so it is inevitable that they would extol the married state. Where does this leave those who are unmarried? Some are waiting to be married for the first time. Some are older and have never been married. Some are divorced and some have lost their spouse through death. But all are swimming in the culture of the world promoting the powerful romantic fantasy that if we only find the right person then all will be roses and wonderful.
But does the idea that one has to be married to have fulfillment and happiness accord with the Kingdom of God? As with everything else one should start with the example of Jesus who was single during His entire life on this earth. Someone will say that He is God and came to fulfill a specific purpose. True, yet he was able to do that in an unmarried state. But what of Paul? He also lived as an unmarried man and had a amazing walk with God.
An examination of 1 Corinthians 7 ( a portion of the Holy Spirit inspired Word of God) yields the following. "It is good for a man not to marry." ( verse 1) "I wish that all men were as I am. ( unmarried) But each man his his own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that." (Verse 7 NIV) "Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I am. ( V.8) "But those who marry will face many troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this." (V.28b NIV) "I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord's affairs- how he can please the Lord. But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world- how he can please his wife- and his interests are divided. An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord's affairs. Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world- how she can please her husband." Verse 32-34.
Please understand that I am not in any way opposed to or think of as second class life-long God honoring marriage. I simply wish, as someone who has lived for almost thirty years as a unmarried man in Christ, to show the balance on the other side, and testify that it is possible to live a fulfilling godly life as a single person.

Quick Thoughts on Applying the Old Testament

Thought I would offer a couple of musings on the subject above. Whether measured by chapters or verses, the Old Testament comprises over three-quarters of the entire Bible, and as 2 Timothy 3:16 tells us, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God ( or God breathed as some English versions have it)and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness." On the other hand those who have put their trust in Christ for salvation are in a New Covenant as attested by 2 Corinthians 3: 4-18 especially verse 6, Galatians 4:21-31 especially v. 24, and Hebrews 8:8-13 esp. v. 13. The old covenant has become "obsolete." (NKJV) On the one hand "every word of God is pure..." ( Prov. 30:5a); on the other we are no longer under the law. The concept of progressive revelation helps in some cases as in changing instruction about food that can be eaten. In other instances the only revelation that we have about a topic is in the O. T.
One example is that of tattoos. While there may be general themes that might potentially apply, the only specific instruction that I am aware of is found in Leviticus 19:28, which states "You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor tattoo any marks on you: I am the Lord." (NKJV) This is part of the Law of Moses written as a command. So does it apply to us today or not? In previous generations typically tattooing was confined to groups like sailors or outlaw bikers. Now it has become mainstream. One recourse is to apply to the scholars. For example the ESV Study Bible notes that "These are all practices of the Canaanites. Holiness requires Israel not to act like pagans in any area of life." This does not resolve the question for moderns who would not regard themselves as Canaanites.
One solution is to regard this as a Romans 14 question in which "each one should be fully persuaded in his own mind," (v. 5) under the Lordship of Christ." (V.9)Obviously having a lurid or blasphemous tattoo would disregard His Lordship; having a cross might not. Each one needs to seek the Lord and submit to Him. For the record I would not tattoo myself based on Lev. 19:28 and the sense that if it were a pagan practice at the time, it remains a pagan practice today.
Leaving the specific question of tattoos and returning to how to apply the OT, we must be careful not to think we are sanctified by keeping the Law but rather by the Holy Spirit and by belief in the truth. ( 2 Thessalonians 2:13)

Testimonies

The life blood of a participatory gathering or one on one interaction is giving testimony to what God is doing in our lives. Other things like prayer, praise, the teaching of the Word and celebration of the Lord's Supper are all important and vital but testimony encourages us, builds our faith and excites our souls. In the last several days several brethren have encouraged me. Something I refer to as connecting the dots- the Holy Spirit enabled connecting of verses or passages of Scripture where we are reading or studying something, and other related verses or passages come spontaneously to mind- is a real testimony to the working of the Spirit and our minds together. Our brother Gary has grown in this over time. This week it was seeing the link between Ephesians 1:4 "that we should be holy and without blame before Him," with Ephesians 5:27 "that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish." This ability presupposes regular reading and study of the Word and, sadly, is something many Christians cannot do.
Another glorious testimony is the continuing growth of our brother Josh, who by his own confession is passive and prefers not to take on responsibility. Yet God is working powerfully in Him, transforming him into a worship facilitator, someone with a growing capacity to share the Word (his presentation on the Name of Jesus last Sunday was excellent- clear, well received, without rabbit trails) and someone with growing wisdom. God inspired him with something yesterday that lifted us out of five months of thrashing around, and probably a future five. Thank you, Jesus.

Passing On

This week i learned of the death of a brother named Tony whom I knew from the Jesus People days of the 1970's, and whom I had last seen and spoken to in October of 2009. He was almost exactly fourteen years older than I. Now he is in a far better place than this where he can see Jesus face to face. "Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known." ( 1 Corinthians 13:12 NIV)
One of the greatest opportunities and blessings that we have in this life is to begin knowing Jesus. As Paul writes in Philippians 3, "What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things." ( Phil 3:8 NIV) Knowing in this way expresses relationship as brothers, friends, and servants of Christ. But it goes beyond that to the relationship between the Bride and the Bridegroom. Yet how easy it is to have our hearts grow cold towards Him. Our outward appearance and behavior can reflect Christ yet we are drifting away. "We must pay more careful attention , therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away." (Hebrews 2:1 NIV) O God, may we return to you and yearn to know You as You know us.

Canada

Although I have lived close to the Canadian border most of my life, I never knew anyone that lived there until recently. Friday I had the opportunity to trek north with Marcelo and his family. He drove, which i greatly appreciate. Due to winter early darkness I did not get to see much either on the way or on the return. Getting into Canada was relatively easy. We showed the young border official our passports, he asked a few questions, and we were in. We stayed at the home of Wellington and Suzel, whom I had met previously on several occasions. As always with Brazilian Christians, their hospitality, and that of everyone else I met, was extraordinary.
I didn't get to see much of Canada itself, as we were in meetings, eating or, in my case, sleeping most of the time. Montreal is more of a French speaking area with most signs, both highway and stores, in French. Fortunately I can still read most French although I could never speak it. ( It is the same with Portuguese.)Wellington lives in a French speaking suburb and his children go to French speaking schools.
Saturday we went to an Ice Palace. I had never seen this before. Comprised of several acres of what appeared to be machine sculptured ice/snow buildings the size of a motel, they had restaurants, and places that sold beverages inside, complete with lights, electricity and about a hundred smaller rooms that had beds, and sometimes chairs, made of ice. The children really enjoyed running in and out of these little rooms. We also saw horse driven sleighs in a different section of the park.

Saturday evening, after a buffet meal, we gathered together. Although the core group consists of about five families, they know a number of other people who will come to special meetings although not usually on Sundays. Marcelo taught on both the Kingdom of God and the church, drawing from the Old Testament and the New to show the contrast, and making the foundational point that the church is not a building or an organization. My friend Reuel was a hardworking and faithful translator. I am picking out more words but the gist eludes me much of the time.
As I experienced in Brazil, the Christians are joyful, love to talk and eat, and are amazingly hospitable and generous, treating me like visiting royalty. They do their best to understand my halting, ungrammatical Portuguese.
Two families now live in Ottawa and I hope to visit them later this year.
The return was more difficult as the American border official could not understand why an old non-Brazilian American would be traveling with a young Brazilian family. I suppose it is their job to be suspicious.
I was deeply blessed by my fellowship with Marcelo on a number of themes and interaction with his family. It was good practice for being a grandpa some day.

Council of Elders

1 Timothy 4:14 refers to a council or body of elders laying hands on Timothy. By the grace of God, He is establishing such a group in our region. God initiated this through our brother John, who in turn invited me to partner with him when I returned from my year long travels through the U.S. in the summer of 2010. Since then we have had a series of quarterly meetings, a weekend retreat and a social evening to which we invited the wives plus growing interaction between individuals and groups at other times. Each of these brothers functions as a shepherd in the group with whom they are associated. We are also establishing a similar group in the Boston area, over an hour to the east.
Last night's time together was the best yet. The brothers listened to, and respected one another. One sign of maturity is when a person has something of value to say but is not compelled to override another person to say it. Each one had an opportunity to give testimony of what God is doing in their life and in the different fellowships. We are preparing for another weekend retreat.
Another good sign is when people voluntarily stay afterwards to encourage one another. This says a need is being met. One of the best testimonies was from a brother named Paul, who after our last retreat, experienced a lot of adversity in his job, his house, and his health. He was greatly encouraged by the different brothers reaching out to him in this time.