Picking Your Battles

Picking Your Battles

Recently I’ve been having some challenging dialog with a few of my nieces and nephews over content and methods of expression on Facebook. Because most of them live far away, I like using Facebook as a means of keeping up on their lives and seeing them in their world. We have quite a large family, and even if I can just catch a glimpse of which classes are hard and which relationships are thriving (or not), it helps me feel as though I know them a little bit. 

Often I find myself looking at their lives and wondering what kind of a parent I’ll be when my son gets to be that age. What will the conversation be like when this happens? Will my son engage in this or that behavior? How will I react? But just like spending a lot of time and energy worrying about when or if Charlie’s cancer will come back, anxiety over life’s potential worst case scenarios really doesn’t ever pay off. 

In the past few days I’ve been reading and rereading the letter Jude wrote to the early churches that helped me find some perspective in my meanderings through Facebookland. The things I worry about facing in the future are not the things that should necessarily be occupying my mind. The book of Jude is very short – only one chapter with 25 passionate verses. I would encourage you to read it through from start to finish.

Jude’s letter addresses “those who have been called, who are loved by God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ” (verse 1). And he encourages them to “contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints” because “certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you” (verses 3 and 4). There are foxes in the henhouse. Heretics in the church. And Jude is promoting a zero tolerance policy for heresy. 

In the short but powerful letter Jude writes, he uses some Old Testament examples of men who have rebelled against God and suffered the consequences as well as beautiful imagery to describe the effects these kinds of men can have on the community of faith they may infiltrate. 

Here are some examples of the attitudes and actions Jude warns his readers about:

• They are godless and change the grace of God into a license for immorality. (verse 4)

• They deny Jesus as Lord. (verse 4)

• They pollute their own bodies, reject authority and slander celestial beings. (verse 8)

• They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted – twice dead. (verse 12)

• They are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage. (verse 16)

• They are divisive. (verse 19)

Jude isn’t writing about outsiders exhibiting these behaviors. These men are in the church pretending to be part of the faith community. And they are a like a virulent disease that will spread to cause potentially irreparable damage to the body of Christ. 

So what does Jude propose as an antidote to the poison that’s found its way into the community? Harsh punishment? A robust dialog to reveal bad theology? A public tongue-lashing to shame the offenders? “Yeah!” we shout. “Let ‘em have it!” We’ll make signs that say, “Heresy Free Zone” with a big red circle and a slash through it. Let’s see what Jude’s suggestion is:

“²⁰But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. ²¹Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.²²Be merciful to those who doubt; ²³snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear – hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.”

Mercy? Prayer? Rather unexpected responses to the severity of the charge Jude has just laid out, don’t you think? But how beautiful in its focus. The first verses identify the readers as those who have been called and loved by God and kept by Jesus. A firm foundation and identity, to be sure. Then lines and lines of what to look for in the offending parties – in attitude, theology and actions. And a few encouraging words at the end, referring followers of Jesus back to our identities in Christ as a means of standing firm and resisting the forces of evil. The final verses of Jude’s letter place the burden of rebuttal squarely at the foot of the cross. Take a look:

²⁴To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy – ²⁵to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.

So, is it possible that Jude is telling us to press harder into our relationship with Jesus and maintain a good relationship with other believers in order to combat those among us who threaten to divide or damage our community? I think that’s exactly what he’s suggesting! And it’s brilliant! What if we knew our foundational beliefs so thoroughly and loved each other so well that counterfeits among us were obvious but not life-threatening? What if I knew the truth that I am kept strong by Jesus’ love so deeply that I could recognize a divisive force in the family of God, but was confident enough to keep encouraging other believers, even those who may doubt or have legitimate life issues to deal with? I’m not sure what the grumblers, faultfinders and godless men and women would do with that, but the rest of us sure would be better off if we could live that way, wouldn’t we? 

There is a healthy balance between doctrinal vigilance and paranoia. And there is no substitute for knowing what we believe and the One who has loved and saved us. However, in the face of heretical opposition, we can contend for the faith by going deeper with the Author and Perfecter of our faith.

• Do you know what the Bible says about Jesus’ deity? Salvation? Sin? Relationships? God’s character? My challenge for you this week is to research any areas of your faith where you are not sure what you believe. If you find yourself in a dialog about spiritual issues, ask God to reveal truth to you – truth about the issue as well as the heart of the one you’re speaking with. Our battle is not against flesh and blood but against the spiritual powers that wage war against our God. 

The Healing Process

The Healing Process

When my son Charlie was 8 years old he was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Cancer. And the three and a half years of chemotherapy, hospital visits, and all that accompanies the healing process has absolutely reshaped us as a family and as individuals. From the day we heard the word cancer in the ER at Children’s Hospital to our most recent anniversary post-chemotherapy, God has been teaching us, shaping us and making us stronger. Most importantly, He has been with us every step of the way. 

 

Because Charlie’s cancer wasn’t a specifically located tumor (leukemia is cancer of white blood cells, which I learned in the crash course of experience), there was no surgery to remove it, and his entire circulatory system (and beyond) had to be treated. Other cancers can be removed by surgery or concentrated radiation. So we waited over the months for the results of Charlie’s medication to take effect. It did and we are praising God to be cancer-free!

Just like the physical healing when cancer presents itself, spiritual and emotional healing can be a process, too. In the gospel accounts of Jesus’ ministry, we often see Him laying hands on people and then the immediate results of changed circumstances. The dead raised to life, bleeding stopped, evil spirits cast out. But one account in the gospel of Mark sticks out to me as unique among these. Take a look:

 

            ²² They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. ²³ He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?”

            ²⁴ He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.”

            ²⁵ Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. ²⁶ Jesus sent him home, saying, “Don’t go into the village.”

 

This healing is the only one recorded in the gospels that happens in stages. What does that mean? I can tell you what it most certainly does not mean. This two-part healing does not mean that Jesus’ power wasn’t sufficient to heal the blind man. I wish to be crystal clear in stating that Jesus was God in His very essence and His power was and is complete and able to heal all our diseases.  

 

As for implications for us, this situation is chock full of them.  The fact that there is only one instance where Jesus healed in stages is significant. As we look at the miracles in the gospel accounts it is difficult to find a pattern for them. Some are personal, some are public. Some are with mud, some with spit. For certain healings, Jesus was right there with the person He healed, and for others He said the word and they were healed from a distance. But all of them, except this one, were completed instantaneously. Why the delay? We can only assume from the scriptural precedent set that Jesus was consistently perfect in His purposefulness. There were no truly unplanned encounters with Jesus as He took each and every individual into account when they experienced Him. This blind man is no different.

Here are some implications I see in this passage:

1.     The process and the timing are personal. This man, like us, had his encounter with Jesus exactly when it was meant to be and in the way it was meant to be. When we find ourselves in the aftermath of a painful life situation, God is fully aware of our circumstances. He is sovereign and intimate so His timing and His knowledge are perfect. That can be a source of comfort when it feels as if we are alone and shocked in our pain. God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. (Psalm 46:1)

2.     We learn things about God and ourselves during the healing process that we might miss if the change was spontaneous. The blind man began his encounter seeing nothing. Then he saw partially. Finally his sight was restored completely. The same is true for us as we work through difficult circumstances in our lives. When there are deep relational or personal wounds to heal, the process of growing is every bit as important as the end result. Conversations may need to happen over and over. Forgiveness may need to be offered again and again.  And when we find ourselves saying, “but I’ve already dealt with this!” it may be that God wants to ask us something new and reveal something else to us in the healing process. We should be different when it’s all over. 

3.     The most important part of being healed is being touched by Jesus. Whether your pain has been because of cancer, divorce, broken friendships, or betrayal, you can lift your head off the pillow each morning with hope if you allow yourself to be touched by Jesus in the process. This should be an encouragement, sisters. He loves us tenderly, completely, and with strength. Even in darkness, He is with us and is our comfort. 

4.     After we allow ourselves to heal completely, we will have more of God’s perspective to see clearly. When Jesus touched the blind man a second time “his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.” (verse 25) We understand God’s purposes better in hindsight. There are some life lessons we simply must experience to internalize. And God’s perspective makes us wise.

As I have walked through both physical and emotional healing in the past few years, I see great value and encouragement in this gospel story. When I wipe my tears and press into God for comfort, I sense His healing touch guiding me toward clear sight and deep breathing. The process isn’t neat. It isn’t easy. And sometimes it takes a really long time to move on. That’s okay. God’s not going anywhere until you’re completely healed. And even then, He wants to stay with us for the next challenge, loving us and shaping us more and more into His image. Thanks be to God!

• If you feel stuck emotionally or relationally, how can you lean into God, allowing Him to ask you, “do you see anything”? Sometimes just pausing to look at a situation from God’s perspective can open our eyes to how we’ve already grown and changed.

• This blind man was brought to Jesus by friends. Pray about who God may want you to bring to Him for healing in a difficult time. Look for opportunities to speak truth to them and love them toward God. Go to God in prayer, like these friends, begging Jesus to touch the one you love. 

Preparation and Anticipation

As I write this I am sitting at my friend's dining room table, looking out over her busy suburban neighborhood. Pedestrians with umbrellas and backpacks are making their way to the bus stop or the grocery store. Cars and bikes are taking residents to their morning destinations. Birds are singing and I see some spring blue sky poking through the rain-laden clouds from last night. The funny thing is I traveled from Seattle to Chicago to Frankfurt, Germany to witness this peaceful scene! My friend and I had been planning and anticipating this visit for two or three weeks and here I am!

 

Before I came I checked the weather forecast to choose an appropriate wardrobe. I did laundry to be sure my good jeans were clean. And I did some research online about Frankfurt and the surrounding area to get some ideas about what to see while I'm here. My friend and I emailed, facebooked and talked on the phone, getting more and more excited to spend time together. She always says that all you need to get on the plane is a passport and a credit card because you can buy what you need when you arrive, but both of us enjoy the preparation and anticipation that a new travel experience brings.

 

So you may be wondering if there is a spiritual implication to all this or if I'm just indulging my desire to have my own travel blog. I do have a point. Just before I left home I read the following passage from Leviticus about preparing and anticipating something big:

 

 

                On the eighth day Moses summoned Aaron and his sons and the elders of Israel. ²  He said to Aaron, "Take a bull calf for your sin offering and a ram for your burnt offering, both without defect, and present them before the LORD. ³ Then say to the Israelites: 'Take a male goat for a sin offering, a calf and a lamb - both a year old and without defect - for a burnt offering, ⁴ and an ox and a ram for a fellowship offering to sacrifice before the LORD, together with a grain offering mixed with oil. For today the LORD will appear to you.'" 

                ⁵ They took the things Moses commanded to the front of the Tent of Meeting, and the entire assembly came near and stood before the LORD. ⁶ Then Moses said, "This is what the LORD has commanded you to do, so that the glory of the LORD may appear to you."

                ⁷ Moses said to Aaron, "come to the altar and sacrifice your sin offering and your burnt offering that is for the people and make atonement for them, as the LORD has commanded."  (Leviticus 9:1-7)

 

Here's what jumped out to me: the second half of verses 4 and 6. Why are Aaron and the other leaders doing all this? Why are they finding the right animals and slaughtering them in just the right way? For today the Lord will appear to you in all His glory. And for Aaron and the others to be in the right place spiritually they needed to prepare. In this case, they needed to prepare the animals for sacrifice. In our case, Paul tells us (via the Romans a couple thousand years ago) to "offer your bodies as living sacrifices holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship" (Romans 12:1). We are the sacrifice we bring to God. Lives that reflect and respect Him.

 

There is no definite pattern or prediction to how God will choose to reveal Himself to us in all His glory. There are precedents, both scriptural and experiential, for God's glory to appear to individuals and to groups of people. For a specific purpose and for teaching people about Himself. He may overwhelm us or reveal Himself in small doses as His perfect plan dictates. That being said, I think there is something to the idea of anticipating and preparing for being in God's Presence and seeing how He will move among us. This may include preparing our hearts and minds for the day by reading a short devotional or settting aside time on Saturday night to prepare ourselves for the corporate worship experience of church on Sunday morning. The priests of the Old Testament went through elaborate rituals before they could come into the Holy Place to be in God's Presence. With our casual church services and somewhat lackadaisical approach to authority and tradition today, there can be a tendency to apply those same standards to God. We shouldn't. Our Father in Heaven is not "The Big Guy Upstairs" or "god" with a little g. He is I AM. The Alpha and Omega. Judge and Creator of all mankind and the universe. When we approach the throne of grace with confidence, we are not approaching without reverence and awe. He is our Father, but He is also the One who can pierce our souls with the conviction of His Word. He knit us together in our mother's womb, but He also causes earthquakes, hurricanes and the Northern Lights.

 

When we rush into God's Presence or fail to adequately prepare our hearts to hear or see Him move in our lives, we run the risk of missing the very specific and unique thing He may want to do in us. And we fool ourselves to think that whatever we have going on is more urgent or more important than slowing down to meet with our Savior. And how great it is to have the experience with God and share it in the community of believers. Look at the effect Aaron's preparation had on the rest of the Israelite community later in this chapter:

 

 

                    ²² Then Aaron lifted his hands toward the people and blessed them. And having sacrificed the sin offering, the burnt offering and the fellowship offering, he stepped down.

                    ²³ Moses and Aaron then went into the Tent of Meeting. When they came out, they blessed the people; and the glory of the LORD appeared to all the  people. ²⁴ Fire came down from the presence fo the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell facedown.

 

What!? How awesome does that sound?! Aaron and Moses obediently prepared to come into God's Presence, in anticipation of experiencing His glory. In response, God appeared to the whole community and sent fire to consume the sacrificial offerings they had made. And the people fell down and shouted. What else could they do?! I want that kind of experience with God, don't you? I want to be in His presence and see His glory and be completely consumed by Him in all areas of my life. Because whether we have the encounter with God individually or corporately, the community of believers benefits from each of us being connected to God. I see it in you and you see it in me. We are connected in Christ. "The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ...if one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it." (1 Corinthians 12:12, 26) 

 

Let us prepare our hearts in anticipation of God's glory being among us. And let us encourage one another with our God stories as we grow closer to Him and see more and more of His glory among us. Amen?

 

• How do you prepare to come into God's Presence? Quiet times? Sunday morning? What can you do to remind yourself to prepare differently?


• Share a God eperience with someone this week and ask to hear someone else's God experience. You may even want to share your experience on the Cuppa Joe page!


• Pray for eyes to see God's glory around you this week. And encourage those around you in the community of believers to do the same.

Learning From the Best

Learning From the Best

I have a friend I like to learn with. She will be smiling as she reads this, and laughing out loud by the end of the paragraph. Years ago, we were looking at pictures and were both convinced that my head looked bigger than everyone else’s. But how to be sure? Out came the tape measure and I was happy to learn that our heads are exactly the same size! Since that evening there have been years of measurements, looking up words in the dictionary, finding answers in atlases, and various other kinds of research to enhance our knowledge. We are so characterized by our love of acquiring facts that our motto for years has been, “when we learn, everybody wins!”

Love of learning is the root of teaching. Many teachers I know like certain aisles at the bookstore or the smell of a library. I fall into both categories. Shocking, I know. But who better to appreciate good music than a musician? Who better to appreciate good food than a chef? So I submit that a teacher appreciates learning as much as any of her students – probably more. But can appreciation turn into criticism? I think we see examples of that among the Pharisees of Jesus’ time. And then there is a refreshing exception. Look at the following passage:

          28 One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

          29 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

          32 “Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. 33 To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

          34 When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions. (Mark 12:28 -34)

A teacher debating a teacher. How much would you pay for tickets to see that? I guess the answer depends on how much you like the smell of a library. Being a teacher myself, I’d love ringside seats. But this conversation has more to it than simply an intellectual tête-à-tête between religious scholars. I get the sense, based on Jesus’ response to the man, that the distance between his head and his heart was closing and that he recognized the real authority with which Jesus taught as coming from God Himself. Why do I believe this? Consider:

1)   In verses 32 and 33, the teacher of the law doesn’t simply parrot back to Jesus what He just said. He paraphrases, in what appears to be an attempt at understanding. When the teacher said, “you are right in saying….” I don’t believe he was telling Jesus, “good job!” In fact, what he seems to be saying is, “what you just said confirms what I’ve suspected. Not only are these the most important commandments, but I’m seeing that you are the person critical to my full understanding of God.” That’s huge! This teacher of the law is beginning to emerge from the bonds of slavery to the law!

2)   In verse 34, Jesus responds to the teacher’s comment by saying, “you are not far from the kingdom of God”. This implies that comprehension and assimilation of the values of God is a process. Learning the depths of anything, especially the truths of our Creator, takes time and effort. And this teacher is making progress.

3)   Finally, Jesus saw that the teacher of the law had answered wisely. Wisdom and revelation only come from God. And there are several examples in the gospels of Jesus calling out some Pharisee for what was going on in his head or his heart – sometimes without that person even realizing himself what his motivation may have been. But here we see only affirmation in Jesus’ interaction with this learned man. No rebuke, no exclamation marks, just patient listening and teaching. Jesus saw the light of comprehension in the man and shut down all future discussion by the end of the conversation. “And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions. Bam!

So what’s the difference between this man’s encounter with Jesus and the others we read about in the gospels? (See Matthew 15:1-20, Luke 10:25-37, and Luke 11:37-54 for a few examples.) The difference is found in Paul’s wise adage written to the Corinthian Christians: Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up (1 Corinthians 8:1). What was the motivation of the Pharisees and others who asked Jesus theological questions? They were to feel or look better before others by trying to trap Jesus and prove to the people that they were still the ones with power and authority. Their motivation was self-centered.

The teacher in the passage in Mark, on the other hand, comes from a different place. The passage begins by saying that he had seen how Jesus answered some other people who were debating Him and so he decided to engage, too. He sensed wisdom and authority in Jesus that was lacking among his peers – the other teachers and religious leaders. And he wanted to learn from the best. 

That’s the question for us. Do we want to have knowledge about God that puffs us up and makes us look important and smart to the people around us? Or are we truly seeking to have an encounter with Jesus? Are we trying to puff up or build up with what we learn? 

 

• Read Luke 11:37-54. Compare Jesus’ response to this Pharisee to the teacher of the law in Mark 12. How is Jesus’ heart different toward each of them? Why? What do you think motivated each of the men to engage Jesus?

• Do you consider yourself teachable? Take note of your attitude and thoughts as you approach Scripture or sermons or any learning opportunity this week. Do you ever think you’ve already learned this and it’s boring or a waste of time? What can you do to move your heart closer to the place of the teacher who sought a real encounter with God in learning?