against family?

To oppose your family is something that is not to be taken lightly. But there are circumstances when this might be necessary. Some are obvious, some not so obvious. An example of each.

Obviously, when a family member is physically abusing another you must take action. It must stop. Reporting them to the authorities will be part of this picture. Support for the victim is absolutely necessary.

Not so obvious are situations of faithfulness to Jesus when this stands in opposition to family harmony. Especially when you have a spouse who is not active in a faith life.

One situation would be if you have children you need to raise them Christian. You need to pass on your faith to the next generation. This is a command of God. So, many things come to mind.

Don’t marry someone who is not a seeking disciple of Jesus in the first place. As far as that goes, don’t date someone who is not a seeking disciple. There is just too much uncertainty for your future relationship and raising possible children some day to make it wise to commit your life to someone who doesn’t follow Christ. Included in this is not doing any “missionary” dating. Going out with someone and figuring you can lead them to Christ in due time isn’t helpful.

If you have become a follower of Jesus since you are married, then asking to raise the children Christian could well be a negotiation. There is so much benefit to following a Christian lifestyle that isn’t directly spiritual and a case for simple physical and emotional health can be made, if necessary. Also, being a godly spouse will have impact eventually.

working against family, church, or country?

Living in the Kingdom of God now and within the human institutions of family, church and country, the disciple has the tension of loyalty to the institutions subjugated to loyalty to Jesus. But how do you live as a disciple within this tension?

We are called to serve. We are called to work for the good will of others so that what God wants for them is more likely to be a reality. This is always done with the humility and graciousness. This is done knowing we could be wrong. Using the Bible as our guide, we serve and bring benefit for others best we see fit.

Do we ever work against family, church, and country? In extraordinary circumstances, yes. Loyalty to the way of Jesus always takes priority. A rule of thumb would be this. Work against that which forces you to commit sin. Be willing to suffer the human consequences for this. You need to be very clear from scripture that what family, church or country is forcing you to do is directly a violation of God’s ways. Again, this would always be done with much humility and honesty that you may be wrong in God’s big picture. What would be examples of this? I will give some in the next few days.

where do citizens of God's Kingdom live?

Disciples of Jesus live in God’s Kingdom now. Though it has not been fully revealed to us, there are certainly glimpses he favors us with. In 1 Peter, we are called a “kingdom of priests, God’s holy nation.” We all have access to God and are citizen’s of his kingdom forever. Then we read this.

1 Peter 2:11 (NLT)
Dear brothers and sisters, you are foreigners and aliens here. So I warn you to keep away from evil desires because they fight against your very souls.

Here lies the tension. I am a disciple of Jesus who lives in a foreign land, America. But it is more than this. I am a disciple of Jesus who lives in a foreign land, my family. I am a disciple of Jesus who lives in a foreign land, my church. Do you see what Peter is getting at?

We are God’s and wherever we attach our allegiances, we are living in his Kingdom in the midst of that attachment. Whether family, church, or country, we remain Kingdom citizens first. What is the privilege and responsibility of a disciple in God’s Kingdom while living on earth? Work with Jesus and be an influence to reach others for Christ. Be a “Kingdom recruiter,” as it were.

I have been placed in the reality of family and country. These are ordained by God as social structures to keep sin in check and to be the place where I live out my discipleship. Church is where I connect with other disciples and potential disciples to join together in our Kingdom work.

Each of these social structures is precious to me. Each is an institution where sinful human beings gather. Each is fraught with hardship and struggle. And each is a venue for my loyalty. Just as I work for the benefit of my family and church, I work for the benefit of America. Just as I give my family wide boundaries of graciousness in our life together, I give my country and my church the same. When I am being an effective witness for Jesus, I don’t “bash” my family, church, or country. I also am not so attached that I allow any of these entities to overpower my loyalty to Jesus first.

This is where a balance God’s Kingdom already come and yet not fully revealed becomes the place where I live.

heal our land?

2 Chron. 7:14 (NLT)
Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and heal their land.

The United States is a sovereign nation made up of citizens of many religions, including atheism. It is not like the nation of Israel in Old Testament time where God’s people had their own country. When the Bible is speaking of the “land,” it is speaking of the gathered community of Jews in the Holy Land.

So why is it that some Christians treat the scriptures that speak of Israel as if it means any place where people live? The verse quoted above is a good example of this. Ever since we were attacked on September 11th this scripture has been referred to as an antidote for what ails us as a nation. But is that an accurate biblical interpretation?

Oh, believe me, Christians need to prayer for America. We need a lot of help. All Christians are called to pray for the nation they reside in, as well as other nations. But where is the connection to make an equivalence of “my people” and “Americans” or “their land” and “America”? In the passage cited, is it Christians who humble themselves, pray, seek God’s face, and turn from wickedness? Then do other citizens who don’t do these things get a free pass on the forgiveness and healing? Just wondering.

Perhaps it is more likely that God’s people are called to humble themselves etc. and the influence we will have as we die to ourselves and live to benefit our neighbor will bring blessings to our country. Maybe I am just quibbling over language, but I think it is more than that. Treating America like it were Israel of old invites some fuzzy thinking. More tomorrow.

generosity

One of the most basic spiritual disciplines is generosity. No area touches home with the action that is involved quite like this. Giving money for the mission of Kingdom Work is the only investment we have that has eternal potential.

God gives the guideline of a tithe (10 % of income) as a place to start in giving back to his work what he has already given us. Generosity moves there and beyond. There is no more life-changing act than this and most Christians are reluctant to pursue it. Wouldn’t that just be the case?

The reason Christians are hesitant to tithe is simple. Insecurity. I don’t think it is selfishness. The lack of tithing and beyond is a trust issue. I can practice all other disciplines, worship on a weekly basis, and have a ministry, all marks of a disciple, but they all cost me only time. Time I would be spending on something else anyway. Christians understand this eventually.

I wonder why we don’t have the same viewpoint when it comes to money? I am moving toward a tithe and beyond. I would only be spending the money on something else anyway.

Tithing and beyond will not automatically turn someone into a strong disciple. But until you address that core issue of security/ insecurity, there will be little growth. Nothing keeps a Christian from becoming a disciple more than hoarding what’s not ours in the first place.

service

All Christians are called to service. We serve God by serving others. But this isn’t like volunteering for a local charity. Even though volunteering for a local charity can be part of a discipline of service. If this is confusing, well, welcome to my world.

When is service a discipline, when is it a Christian response, and when is it just doing good for the sake of another person, whether you are Christian or not? Let’s break these down.

Non-Christian service- God is the source of all good and so when non-Christians serve they do so within God’s realm. Human conscience alone will lift up many opportunities to serve.

Christian response- When we follow Jesus and learn from him we become the kind of people who serve others naturally as a response to the love we are given by him.

Service as a discipline- Intentional acts of service, focused areas of service, hidden acts of service (see my last “secrecy” post) are all specific ways one can expand God’s influence on one’s own life.

When someone joins the armed forces, we say they are “in the service.” When they are discharged or retired, it is called, “getting out.” Well, when we join Jesus in the greatest mission of the galaxies, to do Kingdom work with him, we are “in the service” for eternity. We never “get out.”

secrecy

The discipline of “secrecy.” Now we are getting to the core of the matter. Can we become the kind of disciples who do not seek the recognition of the growth occurring in our lives? Can we serve without at the same time looking consciously or subconsciously for affirmation? This is huge.

It is important for us to affirm and encourage others in their service, but can this happen in Christian circles without getting caught up in the recognition trap? It is a “both and” world. Both not seeking the reward of others noticing what I am doing for the Lord and encouraging my brothers and sisters of the faith with a job well done. The greater influence God trusts you with, the greater the battle for humility.

Humility is the key to Kingdom power. “Can I trust you with the power I give you?” is a haunting question from Jesus. The more he can trust us, the more influence we have. It has been said this way.

“What can Jesus accomplish through us if it doesn’t matter who gets the credit?”

All credit belongs to Jesus in the first place.

lectio divina

There is a way to bring together silence and solitude, bible reading, and prayer. It is called, Lectio Divina. This is an ancient practice that blends all of these disciplines. Here is a brief description.

Reading/ Listening
This is what St. Benedict called, “Hearing with the ear of our heart.” Take a brief passage of the Bible and read it slowly. Listen carefully as if God is speaking this word alone to you today.

Meditation
Repeat the passage, a phrase, and then a word from the passage in silence. Meditate on it. Memorize it. Connect it to other thoughts and memories you have. Spend time slowly taking it in.

Prayer
Pray the word to God. Spend time lifting it up and changing you from the inside. Give back to God what you are “hearing” from the word.

Contemplation
Different than meditation, this is a time when we just quietly rest in God without words. A clearing of the mind and enjoying God.

Lectio Divina is not a technique. It is a gift. Why not open this gift and discover what Christians have for centuries? Insight, rest, and refreshment.

bible reading

An animal that “ruminates” is one that chews on a cud. Like a cow. We use this same term when we are talking about quietly paying close attention to something. Like reading the Bible.

If the Bible is really inspired by God to reflect exactly what God wants us to know to live in his Kingdom now, then it would be wise to read it. Like a love letter, though, not a newspaper article. We want to “ruminate” on the Word, slowly taking in and savoring how it speaks to us today. God is eternal, and so somehow the meaning of his Word always applies directly to any given age. An example.

If you are really stressed out at work or at school right now, “chew” on this for a while.

And how do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul in the process? (Mark 8:36)

fasting

Like other spiritual disciplines, fasting is shared by many religions. The Christian discipline has an ample biblical witness from Moses to Jesus himself. 40 days in the wilderness being tempted by the devil is a very well known event in Jesus’ life. So, what is the purpose of fasting?

Unlike fasting for political purposes, it is not to draw attention to yourself. Quite the contrary. When Jesus spoke of fasting he said,

Matthew 6:16a
"And when you fast, don't make it obvious, as the hypocrites do…”

Fasting is to focus your mind, body, and spirit on Jesus. It isn’t meant to be difficult or painful. In fact, according to Jesus, you may be “eating” anyway (John 4:32).

Fasting can be abstaining from different items of food or drink, or a period of time without food or drink, or without food. Throughout the ages Christians have tried a variety of fasts. Sunup to sundown (like Muslim Ramadan), once a week for 24 hours, even strict fasts like twice a week, eating only.

I recommend a fast from dinner one night until dinner the next. During this time I would drink as it relieves dehydration headaches. When you fast, you might have cravings, and this is a good thing. This focuses your attention on Jesus, the reason for the fast. This can be a spiritually sharp time to tune in to God, and so take advantage of the opportunity.

silence and solitude

“Jesus went out in the desert alone.”

Lord, where did you go? We couldn’t find you.”

Before every major decision, Jesus spent time alone and prayed. Why?

Silence and solitude are related spiritual disciplines that have rich history. Spending time alone and quiet is a refreshment for your very soul. I asked one of our sons why he thought Jesus was so fond of being alone and he said, “To get away from all the sin for awhile.”

We don’t have that advantage as we bring sin with us, but that is a keen observation. Like soldiers in the time of war pausing to play a football game, it is good to get away. But with silence and solitude, we may get away from all the busyness of business, the ups and downs of our daily lives, but we actually are more “bothered” by someone else. God.

During times of being alone and quiet, God has a chance to really get our attention. In the Orthodox Church tradition before the gospel is read the priest commands the congregation with a simple word,

“Attend!”

This is what silence and solitude can do for us. Cause a pause.

prayer

“Talking with Jesus about how it is going in our life together.” Prayer is not something that takes tremendous spiritual depth. Whatever that means. We are created to connect with God. Imagio Deo. Image of God. Created in God’s image. I think that is what the image is like. When we pray, we reflect the relationship God has in mind for us.

How do you pray? What concerns you today? What is on your mind? It doesn’t make much sense to try to figure out what you ought to be praying about. What God would “like” to hear. When I speak with someone and I try to say what I think they want to hear that is called “manipulation.” Good luck trying to manipulate God. Honesty is absolutely essential in all relationships. Why would we expect less in our relationship with God?

Another thing. When you pray for people in need, pray for all people in need. At our Christian school chapel children are always praying for the homeless. Good choice. Yet, think about it. Who needs more pray than the CEO of a large corporation? A wealthy developer? A venture capitalist? Who will lift up their concerns that they would make good decisions which are going to affect the lives of millions? That they would be just in their dealings with others?

the throne

Another way to speak of Jesus taking control of our lives is to use the imagery of the throne of our lives. Sitting on the throne is the ruler. So, the goal of discipleship is to get Jesus on the throne. How does this happen?

Who is on the throne now? If you are on the throne of your life then you need to get off that throne for Jesus to get on. Discipleship happens when a throne emptied by you is filled by Jesus. Jesus will not jump up on your lap.

So the emptying (death to self) becomes the way to be filled. Filled by the Spirit who takes charge of the throne. The way God has chosen for us to die to self is the way of spiritual disciplines. We do not change directly. We do not will ourselves to be empty.

“I am a humble empty vessel ready to be filled by you, God….Right now!”

It doesn’t work that way. “Me” on the throne is not going to leave easily. The direct approach will be a lot of kicking and screaming. I have to “trick” my sinful nature that just “wants what I want, and I want it now.” This is where the spiritual disciplines come in. It is like doing an “end around” of my self. I am going to reflect on a few of these in the days ahead. These disciplines are the ones Jesus himself modeled in order to gain access to his heavenly Father.

vacancy

On the path of discipleship, our greatest desire is to have more of God in our lives. At the same time, we don’t possess the capability to demand of God more of himself. God is in charge God. We can’t orchestrate his life. What can we do?

We are in charge of choices. We have the ability to consciously choose to die more to our being in control. “Death to self” is an act of will. This is where I realize that my life isn’t going to shatter simply because I don’t get my way. We can’t force God to give us more of him, but we can give up more of ourselves, and guess who will fill in our will?

God.

It is like the “Control” Motel with a “Vacancy” sign out front. We invite God to come on in and make himself at home. Then he will “leave a light on” for us.

illusion of control

1 Peter 5:6-7 (NLT)
So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and in his good time he will honor you. [7] Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about what happens to you.

Humility is connected to emotional health in this passage. I wonder why?

Well, more than anything I think it is about control. The more control we try to have of our lives and others, the more we place ourselves in positions where anxiety is likely. When you are trying to juggle the whole world to have it “my way,” there is a price to be paid. I remember a saying by John Maxwell.

“Unless God is in control of your life; your life is out of control.”


But isn’t that just what happens in real life? One of the reasons people don’t come to trust in Jesus is because it brings a loss of control. Or at least the illusion of control because we all know there is no controlling, after all. When you say, “Yes,” to Jesus, you say, “No,” to you. It’s hard to admit you need a Savior and a Guide.

Those who do trust in Jesus have a hard time giving up their illusions of control, also. That’s why there is so much shenanigans going on when it comes to the Bible. Take your desires, your efforts to be in charge of what you want in life and then go to the Bible and try to find passages that support your point of view. Or as is more likely the case today, when the Bible universally says your desires are not healthy, just say the Bible isn’t meaningful to your context. Either way Christian or non-Christian, illusion of control is the disease and humility is the cure. When you come to Christ you die to self.

no big deal

I just finished presenting a weekend science and faith seminar for high school students and adult youth leaders. Quantum physics, dark energy, irreducible complexity and they were ready for more. What a great group of young people!

We know that America respects scientists as the most trusted profession according to the latest Harris polls. We also know that there really is no such thing as science. There are fields of sciences but certainly no unifying variable. One field generally has a limited view of the other. The speculation, uncertainly, lack of evidence, and the like in the various sciences make trust in the physical resurrection of Jesus according to historical evidence look like no big deal. And then there is the sure experience of disciples of Christ for about 2000 years. Knowledge based on the evidence of experience. Where else would I go for meaning, purpose, and hope? I have no idea.

CSI and intelligent design

All CSI, all the time. Grissom, Catherine, Warrick, Sarah, Greg, and Nick. I have no idea who they are, but I do know that this show is like the Simpsons. It’s on all the time and on every channel. I know. I haven’t watched a full episode, but my wife and daughter are fascinated. It’s on all the time. The only thing I can figure is Nancy is an expert at puzzles and Kristina’s goal is medical school and pediatrics. Also, I guess a show basically about dead bodies might be interesting to the niece, granddaughter, great granddaughter, and great-great granddaughter of funeral directors.

But, here is what I am thinking. A team of people are spending an hour examining the evidence and coming up with the best possible explanation for something that happened in the past but was not directly observed. This is called, “Forensic Science.”

Boy does this sound familiar. Examine the evidence and come up with the best possible explanation for something that occurred in the past which cannot be directly observed. Sounds a lot like intelligent design. I haven’t heard anyone talking about “Intelligent Design Science” lately. Interesting.

every night in every home

“Every night in every home.” This is the branding phrase for Faithinkubators, a leading kid and youth ministry system for congregations. Every night (or morning for that matter) parents check in with their children. Not a very revolutionary system. Just effective. Both parents and kids share in this.

Share highs and lows (“What’s the best thing that happened to you today? The worst?”)

A verse from the Bible

What does the verse have to do with your highs and lows (or life in general)

Pray for each other

Bless each other for the day

Actually talking about what’s going on in life? The wisdom of scripture? The personal connection of praying for each other?

Nah. I’ll just buy him another PS 2 game.

can I ask for forgiveness of the sins of others?

I posted yesterday that Jesus never apologized for anything. Of course, the reason he never did might have something to do with the fact that he never wronged anyone. But, there were certainly people who were offended by Jesus. He didn’t find it necessary to apologize for causing offense to be taken. And another thing Jesus didn’t do. He didn’t apologize for the “feelings” of the lepers, tax collectors, Gentiles, and all others that were ostracized by his Jewish community. He reached out to the outcasts, but he didn’t give an apology for the way they were treated. He didn’t ask for their forgiveness for the actions of his fellow Jews.

Which brings us to Christianity. It is not my place to ask for forgiveness from the work of some people in the name of Jesus. Yes, there were preachers who supported slavery, for instance. They were wrong. There is no mandate of slavery in the Bible. Slavery was an economic reality of biblical times, but it was not commanded by God. God did not condemn those who would free slaves. Ultimately, it was Christians who brought abolition of slavery into the world. As a Christian, I simply side with those abolitionists.

I am responsible for my sins. I seek forgiveness from God and those I have wronged. But, I cannot ask for forgiveness for the sins of others, only my own. Now, Jesus could ask for forgiveness for the sins of others. He did it once. “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” In fact, he did more than that. He took all sin of all people upon himself. “Father forgive them.” That’s why we call him “Savior.”

I'm sorry

I was reading Colossians 3:21 this morning to our boys, when David asked me to say that again. “Fathers, don’t aggravate your children…” I paused, knowing where he was going with the question. Last weekend he had a couple of turnovers (basketball) in a close game and I yelled (screamed, actually) at him from the sideline. I felt better, but of course, it didn’t help him.

“The Bible is talking about like the game this weekend.”

“Yep.”

“Like when you yelled at me.”

“I’m sorry I yelled, David, but you always ask me to tell you what you are doing right and what you are doing wrong.”

“But not yelling.”

“Ya, I’ll do better about not yelling.”

It dawns on me; there is no record of Jesus apologizing. He never said he was sorry for anything. No wonder it is so hard to say I am sorry. I think I am the Messiah, after all.