Ephesians 5:21-33
21 Be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ. 22 Wives, be subject to your husbands as you are to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife just as Christ is the head of the church, the body of which he is the Savior. 24 Just as the church is subject to Christ, so also wives ought to be, in everything, to their husbands. 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 in order to make her holy by cleansing her with the washing of water by the word, 27 so as to present the church to himself in splendor, without a spot or wrinkle or anything of the kind-yes, so that she may be holy and without blemish. 28 In the same way, husbands should love their wives as they do their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hates his own body, but he nourishes and tenderly cares for it, just as Christ does for the church, 30 because we are members of his body. 31 "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh." 32 This is a great mystery, and I am applying it to Christ and the church. 33 Each of you, however, should love his wife as himself, and a wife should respect her husband.
This text has led to all sorts of debate about the relationship between a wife and husband. As I was preparing a message on this text, I came across the following helpful notes. I thought you might find them helpful, too.
The following are taken from Klyne Snodgrass’s commentary on Ephesians in the NIV Application Commentary Series unless noted.
Live a life worthy of the calling you have received (Eph. 4:1)
“Be careful then how you live” (5:15)
- not as unwise but as wise (16)
- not as foolish, but understanding the Lord’s will (17)
- not drunk, but filled with the Spirit (18)
(286)
Submission is the essential mark of being filled with God’s Spirit.
- address to wives and husbands is only an example of mutual submission (287)
- relation of Christ and church provides a model for a husband’s conduct toward his wife. (288)
- life in the Spirit is characterized by giving thanks - seen in our lives not just words (291)
- Greek hypotasso (submit) means “arrange under” (292)
all Christians are to submit to Christ and to one another
- submission describes the self-giving love, humility, and willingness to die that are demanded of all Christians (292)
- submission is a strong and free act of the will based on real love of the other person. Submission is nothing more than a decision about the relative worth of another person, a manner of dying and rising with Christ, and a way to respect and love other people. (293)
- a wife submits to her husband because of her relationship to the Lord
Its focus is not on the privilege and dominance of the husband, and Paul never intended to suggest that wives were servants, compelled to follow any and every desire of the husband. It does not tell wives to obey their husband or give license to a husband to force submission. (294)
- Be filled with the Spirit by union with Christ.
“Head” suggests “responsibility for” not authority. The husband has a leadership role, but not to boss his wife or use this position as a privilege. Paul redefines being head as having responsibility to love, to give oneself, and to nurture. A priority is placed on the husband, but, contrary to ancient society, it is for the benefit of the wife. The activity of both wife and husband is based on their relation to Christ and in his giving himself for the church. (295)
In the ancient world husbands had relatively few obligations beyond providing food and shelter. They were free to do as they pleased, whereas wives were obligated to do domestic chores and to do what their husbands required. Paul’s words change the picture dramatically. Rather than being guided by the self-interests, the husband is asked to place the well-being of his wife first and to give himself to caring for her. (296)
This love is not merely the natural love of a man for a woman. As wonderful as such love is, it is insufficient for the marriage relationship. Such love is not confined to feelings and attitudes; it involves a series of choices that expresses discipleship to Jesus Christ. The love required of husbands is Christologically defined. Christ’s love motivated him to give himself for the good of the church. Husbands must follow the same pattern and love enough to give themselves for their wives. (297)
Women were viewed differently in modern Western Civilization than in ancient Judaism and the Graeco-Roman world. . . What information we have about women and attitudes toward them paints an absolutely awful picture. For example, one writer said women were the worst plague Zeus made. Another said, “The two best days in a woman’s life are when someone marries her and when he carries her dead body to the grave.” In Judaism women were not counted in the quorum needed for a synagogue and were ritually unclean during menstruation. One rabbi advised, “Do not talk much with a woman.” Another added, “Not even with one’s wife.”
By and large, women were viewed as inferior and were given relatively little freedom. . . In most places, however, IF they were allowed to live at birth, women were minimally educated, could not be witnesses in a court of law, could not adopt children or make a contract, could not own property or inherit, and were viewed, as both Aristotle and Josephus said, in all respects inferior to a man. They were seen as less intelligent, less moral, the source of sin, and a continual temptation. (302-303)
This text is not intended to grant husbands a position of privilege or to teach that women are inferior. Its intent is to avoid offense to outsiders by encouraging mutual submission – a submission on the part of the wife and a self-giving on the part of the husband – with both partners having their lives determined and motivated by Christ’s own self-giving love. Still, a priority is placed on the husband, a priority that gives him a greater responsibility to care for his wife. (305)
Our society emphasizes equality, but mutual submission is a much stronger idea. With equality, you still have a battle of rights. Equality can exist without love, but it will not create a Christian community. With mutual submission, we give up rights and support each other. Mutual submission is love in action. It brings equal valuing and is the power by which a Christian community establishes itself.
Mutual submission will not allow us to promote ourselves and our own interests. . . (311)
Mutual submission is to mark the relations of all Christians. This does not mean people will always agree, for they will not, just as Paul and Barnabas did not agree about Mark (Acts 15:36-41). Certainly it will not mean giving in to error, for there are times when one must not submit. Note Paul’s refusal to submit to his opponents (Gal. 2:5) when the character of the gospel was at stake. But if the issue is not error, the gospel calls for the sacrifice of self-centeredness and the valuing and promoting of other people. As we have noted, greater responsibility belongs on the person enjoying privilege. Consequently, mutual submission of rich and poor places added pressure on the rich, but with the realization that each makes a contribution to the other. In the end submission is nothing other than humility and the self giving love of Christ. (312)
The real head of the marriage is always Christ, and both partners are to live in mutual submission to each other, seek to promote each other within the purposes of Christ, and live out the oneness of their relationship. (315)
Also from William Webb’s book, Slaves, Women & Homosexuals . . .
In our modern culture it is the wife side of the New Testament household codes that is so striking and “out of step.” But this was not the case in their original setting. For the first-century audience it was not the wife material that was radical or strange; it was the husband material. As with slavery, Paul modifies the “top end” of the hierarchical structure. He pushes the cultural expectations primarily on the husband side of the hierarchy. His words to husbands soften the hierarchy compared to the broader sociological setting. Aside from reading Ephesians 5:22-33 against the backdrop of its original setting, one evidence for softening the top end of the hierarchy is seen in the imbalance between the actual imperatives (commands) found in the passage. Paul commands wives to “submit.” Correspondingly, he does not command husbands to “rule” or “lead” (reciprocal imperative to submit) but to “love.” The husband’s rule or authority is assumed in the discussion, but softened considerably through Paul’s altered focus and the use of sacrificial imagery. In this way, Paul assumes the status quo for women; however, he pushes the boundaries for men with the direction of his command. (80)
Scripture instructs wives to “obey/submit to” their husbands (e.g., Eph 5:22; Col 3:18; I Pet 3:1, 6). There are several reasons why this command made sense in the original culture:
- lack of knowledge/education
- lack of social exposure/experience
- lack of physical strength: greater reliance upon male strength in an agricultural society
- economic dependence: most of the economy and earning potential dependent upon males
- marital differential: young girls (ages 12-14) marrying older males
Each of these factors in the original setting built a natural or understandable hierarchy between men and women, whether or not Scripture had anything to say on the matter. The differential between men and women in knowledge, social experience, strength, economics and age as marriage “partners” created its own hierarchy. With one exception (strength differential) all of these factors are culture-based pragmatics. (213-214)
Also from I. Howard Marshall’s article "Mutual Love and Submission in Marriage" in Discovering Biblical Equality, edited by Ronald Pierce and Rebecca Groothuis . . .
What Paul is doing is to indicate the way wives should be submissive within a society where such submission was expected, just as he can also tell slaves how they are to be obedient in the slave-master relationship; in both cases he bases it in the relationship to Christ.
The injunction to husbands is not that they exercise their proper authority; rather it has a quite extraordinary emphasis on the total love and devotion that the husband must show to the wife. . .
. . . Not only is this instruction to husbands to love their wives unusual and unconventional in the world of the New Testament, but the sheer intensity of the love demanded is extraordinary. (199)
“To have fulfilled one’s role and carried out one’s duties under the guidelines of mutual submission, and as a wife to have subordinated oneself voluntarily to a husband who cherishes one with a self-sacrificial love, would have been to experience a very different reality than that suggested by the traditional discussions of household management.” There is thus something distinctly new in the Christian understanding of marriage, even though Paul’s teaching here assumes a patriarchal structure of marriage. Does it, however, require this structure? (200)
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Dangers of Corporate Worship
Dangers? How can there be danger in corporate worship? Trust me, there are. There is usually no greater potential for conflict in the life of the church than in worship.
It makes sense. Corporate worship is the one activity we participate in together. Almost everyone is there, and we all have our preferences and opinions which we bring with us. I’ve been here four years, and that is the area which breeds the most negative feedback (and also positive as well – but even the positive can be a subtle way to express an opinion/preference).
A potential danger: Corporate worship becomes an idol. I worship the “experience” not God. I worship how I feel or “getting what I want” and when that doesn’t take place, it is frustrating. Someone else is to blame for ‘tainting’ my worship experience. Often this happens because the style of music is not what I like or we sing songs I don’t know (or don’t like) or the preacher talks too much or yells. I didn’t feel the way I wanted. I didn’t like ‘it.’ I wish ‘it’ were different. ‘It’ is my experience – positive or negative.
Worship is meant to be all about God. It is an opportunity for us to praise Him, honor Him, remember Him, love Him, glorify Him. It is all about Him.
Here is where I believe a great misconception lies. You may not think this misconception pertains to you, but when I see such strong emotion (especially negative) behind people’s “experience” in worship, I wonder if that frustration is because they believe this is their one chance at worship. “Worship only happens once a week and if it is not what I want it to be, if I don’t experience what I hoped for, than I have to wait until next week. My entire week is tainted because I didn’t really ‘worship.’”
I looked up all the places in the New Testament where worship is used. I don’t believe any of them pertain to a 1/week corporate (together) worship experience. Over and over, the use of the term worship refers to all of our life. It’s interesting isn’t it, that you find little at all in the New Testament talking about the specifics of the corporate worship experience. There is almost no emphasis on a once a week worship experience, because the NT and OT make clear that worship is what we are called to all the time.
Please don’t hear me wrong. I believe worshipping together with other believers is extremely important, but it is not important because I get what I want out of it. (I don’t know about you, but so often getting what I want in my life is not what I need.) It is important to join together in remembering who God is, giving Him praise, and seeking together to grow in our relationship and understanding of Him. We need help and doing this together reminds us that we are all in the same boat. Plus it is one hour a week out of approximately 112 waking hours the rest of the week.
The Church does not exist to cater to anyone’s preferences or wants. In fact, I cringe inside when I begin to feel like I’m expected to be the head of customer service.
My hope is that our corporate worship time encourages you in your faith, draws you into the presence of God with other believers, helps you to fall more in love with Him, and inspires you to continue in worship in all that you say and do throughout the week ahead. But only one person is responsible for you and your worship. Only one person determines what happens in those 113 hours a week of your ‘awake’ time.
Finally, please don’t hear this as an attempt to shut down feedback. Feedback, both positive and negative, is important for all of us to grow. But I hope our feedback will stay focused on how our corporate worship time encourages you (or not) to grow in your faith, draws you into the presence of God (or not), helps you fall more in love (or not) with Him, and inspires you (or not) to continue in worship in all that you say and do throughout the week ahead. And I hope we can look past just our own experience and recognize that we are a diverse body of believers with a vast array of preferences and wants. We need to love God and one another; this in and of itself in an important aspect of our worship.
It makes sense. Corporate worship is the one activity we participate in together. Almost everyone is there, and we all have our preferences and opinions which we bring with us. I’ve been here four years, and that is the area which breeds the most negative feedback (and also positive as well – but even the positive can be a subtle way to express an opinion/preference).
A potential danger: Corporate worship becomes an idol. I worship the “experience” not God. I worship how I feel or “getting what I want” and when that doesn’t take place, it is frustrating. Someone else is to blame for ‘tainting’ my worship experience. Often this happens because the style of music is not what I like or we sing songs I don’t know (or don’t like) or the preacher talks too much or yells. I didn’t feel the way I wanted. I didn’t like ‘it.’ I wish ‘it’ were different. ‘It’ is my experience – positive or negative.
Worship is meant to be all about God. It is an opportunity for us to praise Him, honor Him, remember Him, love Him, glorify Him. It is all about Him.
Here is where I believe a great misconception lies. You may not think this misconception pertains to you, but when I see such strong emotion (especially negative) behind people’s “experience” in worship, I wonder if that frustration is because they believe this is their one chance at worship. “Worship only happens once a week and if it is not what I want it to be, if I don’t experience what I hoped for, than I have to wait until next week. My entire week is tainted because I didn’t really ‘worship.’”
I looked up all the places in the New Testament where worship is used. I don’t believe any of them pertain to a 1/week corporate (together) worship experience. Over and over, the use of the term worship refers to all of our life. It’s interesting isn’t it, that you find little at all in the New Testament talking about the specifics of the corporate worship experience. There is almost no emphasis on a once a week worship experience, because the NT and OT make clear that worship is what we are called to all the time.
Please don’t hear me wrong. I believe worshipping together with other believers is extremely important, but it is not important because I get what I want out of it. (I don’t know about you, but so often getting what I want in my life is not what I need.) It is important to join together in remembering who God is, giving Him praise, and seeking together to grow in our relationship and understanding of Him. We need help and doing this together reminds us that we are all in the same boat. Plus it is one hour a week out of approximately 112 waking hours the rest of the week.
The Church does not exist to cater to anyone’s preferences or wants. In fact, I cringe inside when I begin to feel like I’m expected to be the head of customer service.
My hope is that our corporate worship time encourages you in your faith, draws you into the presence of God with other believers, helps you to fall more in love with Him, and inspires you to continue in worship in all that you say and do throughout the week ahead. But only one person is responsible for you and your worship. Only one person determines what happens in those 113 hours a week of your ‘awake’ time.
Finally, please don’t hear this as an attempt to shut down feedback. Feedback, both positive and negative, is important for all of us to grow. But I hope our feedback will stay focused on how our corporate worship time encourages you (or not) to grow in your faith, draws you into the presence of God (or not), helps you fall more in love (or not) with Him, and inspires you (or not) to continue in worship in all that you say and do throughout the week ahead. And I hope we can look past just our own experience and recognize that we are a diverse body of believers with a vast array of preferences and wants. We need to love God and one another; this in and of itself in an important aspect of our worship.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
To Have and to Hold
I’m pretty intrigued by Matchbox and Hot Wheels cars. John has a bunch of them, and I can spend lots of time, while he’s vroooming them around, just looking at the detail, comparing the different styles, and wondering which of these I would most like to drive. I line them up by size, style, color, and even value. But there always seems to be one feeling that comes most strongly when I’m doing this – I want more. I start thinking about collecting them. I want them all. I start thinking about all the different makes and models I don’t have. I then notice the flaws in the cars we have. This one has a wheel bent. This one’s paint is starting to chip. I start thinking that I should keep them in their original boxes or just not let John play with them. . . . . . . . . .
Whoaaaaaaaaa. What happened? How did I move from playing cars with my son to this growing urge to get more and not let John play with them?
I have a desire to have. It’s strong. It often leads me to Ebay or Amazon to browse what’s out there and wish I could have more.
Am I lacking? NO. Does John need more cars? NO. Do I need unopened Matchbox or Hot Wheels cars being stored in a Rubbermaid just so I HAVE them? NO.
Then what’s the deal? Why does there seem to be so much influence based on what I don’t have – what I want?
False hope.
I place upon these items hope - a hope that they will make me more happy by filling the void I feel because I don’t have them. I actually believe they will increase my happiness. And guess what? They do. For a brief moment, I am more happy because I acquired something I didn’t have, then the feeling is gone and all I have is the realization that I now have this new item but still am lacking. Well, then, I need another. I need to find something else. Well, there are plenty of other items I want, so it’s not hard to find another item to focus on and place my hope in.
I become a “momentary good feeling” junkie. I like how it makes me feel to get something I want, so I keep doing it. I keep placing my hope in what is fleeting. I’m happy, for a moment, but then I’m off to look for something else to get.
A matchbox car is just that – a matchbox car. A shirt is a shirt. A car is a car. They are not sources of hope. They are not things to acquire to find meaning. It’s just a matchbox car, a shirt, a car, etc.
Here’s my problem. I falsely put my hope in them to fill the void(s) I feel. It’s like dying of thirst and receiving a drop in my empty glass. At least it’s a drop, but I then have to keep looking for another drop. I’m still dying of thirst. The pursuit of these drops is fruitless and will never fill my cup, but I keep looking in the wrong places to fill my cup.
Where is hope found? Hope is found in the river of life, where my cup cannot contain the waters which fill it. My hope must be found in Jesus Christ.
My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus' blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus' name.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.
(My Hope Is Built - Edward Mote)
There is absolutely nothing wrong with Matchbox or Hot Wheels cars. There is nothing wrong with a new shirt or car. But when I put my hope in those things, then I am expecting from them what they can never give.
Whoaaaaaaaaa. What happened? How did I move from playing cars with my son to this growing urge to get more and not let John play with them?
I have a desire to have. It’s strong. It often leads me to Ebay or Amazon to browse what’s out there and wish I could have more.
Am I lacking? NO. Does John need more cars? NO. Do I need unopened Matchbox or Hot Wheels cars being stored in a Rubbermaid just so I HAVE them? NO.
Then what’s the deal? Why does there seem to be so much influence based on what I don’t have – what I want?
False hope.
I place upon these items hope - a hope that they will make me more happy by filling the void I feel because I don’t have them. I actually believe they will increase my happiness. And guess what? They do. For a brief moment, I am more happy because I acquired something I didn’t have, then the feeling is gone and all I have is the realization that I now have this new item but still am lacking. Well, then, I need another. I need to find something else. Well, there are plenty of other items I want, so it’s not hard to find another item to focus on and place my hope in.
I become a “momentary good feeling” junkie. I like how it makes me feel to get something I want, so I keep doing it. I keep placing my hope in what is fleeting. I’m happy, for a moment, but then I’m off to look for something else to get.
A matchbox car is just that – a matchbox car. A shirt is a shirt. A car is a car. They are not sources of hope. They are not things to acquire to find meaning. It’s just a matchbox car, a shirt, a car, etc.
Here’s my problem. I falsely put my hope in them to fill the void(s) I feel. It’s like dying of thirst and receiving a drop in my empty glass. At least it’s a drop, but I then have to keep looking for another drop. I’m still dying of thirst. The pursuit of these drops is fruitless and will never fill my cup, but I keep looking in the wrong places to fill my cup.
Where is hope found? Hope is found in the river of life, where my cup cannot contain the waters which fill it. My hope must be found in Jesus Christ.
My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus' blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus' name.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.
(My Hope Is Built - Edward Mote)
There is absolutely nothing wrong with Matchbox or Hot Wheels cars. There is nothing wrong with a new shirt or car. But when I put my hope in those things, then I am expecting from them what they can never give.
Jesus Wants to Save Christians - Bell & Golden
I just finished Rob Bell and Don Golden’s book, Jesus Wants to Save Christians and found it to be very helpful and challenging. Here are a few excerpts from their book:
The writer, or writers, of Genesis keeps returning to (an) eastward metaphor, insisting that something has gone terribly wrong with humanity, and that from the very beginning humans are moving in the wrong direction. (13)
At the height of their power, Israel misconstrued God’s blessing as favoritism and entitlement. They became indifferent to God and to their priestly calling to bring liberation to others.
There’s a word for this. A word for what happens when you still have the power and the wealth and the influence, and yet in some profound way you’ve blown it because you’ve forgotten why you were given it in the first place.
The word is exile.
Exile is when you forget your story.
Exile isn’t just about location; exile is about the state of your soul.
Exile is when you fail to convert your blessing into blessings for others.
Exile is when you find yourself a stranger to the purposes of God. (45)
The descendants of Solomon find themselves enslaved in Babylon. They once had the palace and the temple and slaves and the thriving economy and the massive military.
And then, exile.
They used to be on top. They used to have power. They used to rule. But then, nothing. They blew it.
And they weep. They cry out. In Babylon.
And what happens when people cry out? In Egypt, the cry kick-started redemption. In Egypt they cried out in their slavery, and God heard their cry and did something about it.
When the system works for us, when we have the power and choice, when we’re ruling Jerusalem, when we have no needs to speak of, who needs to cry out?
Crying reminds us of our dependence on God
Weeping leads us to reconnect with God. (52-53)
The writer, or writers, of Genesis keeps returning to (an) eastward metaphor, insisting that something has gone terribly wrong with humanity, and that from the very beginning humans are moving in the wrong direction. (13)
At the height of their power, Israel misconstrued God’s blessing as favoritism and entitlement. They became indifferent to God and to their priestly calling to bring liberation to others.
There’s a word for this. A word for what happens when you still have the power and the wealth and the influence, and yet in some profound way you’ve blown it because you’ve forgotten why you were given it in the first place.
The word is exile.
Exile is when you forget your story.
Exile isn’t just about location; exile is about the state of your soul.
Exile is when you fail to convert your blessing into blessings for others.
Exile is when you find yourself a stranger to the purposes of God. (45)
The descendants of Solomon find themselves enslaved in Babylon. They once had the palace and the temple and slaves and the thriving economy and the massive military.
And then, exile.
They used to be on top. They used to have power. They used to rule. But then, nothing. They blew it.
And they weep. They cry out. In Babylon.
And what happens when people cry out? In Egypt, the cry kick-started redemption. In Egypt they cried out in their slavery, and God heard their cry and did something about it.
When the system works for us, when we have the power and choice, when we’re ruling Jerusalem, when we have no needs to speak of, who needs to cry out?
Crying reminds us of our dependence on God
Weeping leads us to reconnect with God. (52-53)
Thursday, January 8, 2009
2009 - A Year to Give
Please read on even though I’m a pastor and I am going to talk about giving. Please don’t let the common misconception about pastors talking about giving make you think about budgets and pressure from the deacons. None of that is true for me in writing this article. Please don’t see any hidden agenda about making sure we meet budget or the fact we were behind in 08 cause you to read this article with a skeptical mind.
2009 is a year to give. Almost everyone today will tell you to hold onto what you have. It is a year to save. It is a year to cut back. It is a year to live in fear.
Please don’t hear this as a call to be irresponsible or foolish. Just be obedient. Give.
Let’s be clear, too, that giving is comprehensive. It is about money, but it is not all about money. It is about time, attention, encouragement, love. It has to do with investing in people.
Common reasons why you should give this year:
1. A whole lot of people are in need.
2. You still need to get your tax deduction for charitable contributions in 2009
3. So you don’t feel guilty.
4. The church staff won’t get paid if you don’t.
All of these have elements of truth to them, but they are not why you should give, although number 1 should stand out of the four above.
Giving is fundamental to what it means to follow Jesus Christ. There was no one who gave more than He did. He was and is the ultimate giver. And He says, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35) I believe, at the core of our being, we know this to be true. We’ve experienced it.
The getting and holding onto is tempting and easy but unfulfilling and does not last.
Talk to any parent. Talk to anyone who participated in the Community Christmas Program. Talk to anyone who’s served on a service project or missions trip. Look in the mirror and reflect on when you felt most blessed. Was it because you received that new flat screen tv? Was it when the stock market rallied? Was it when you chose to avoid giving to someone in need so you could have more for yourself?
How can you give some time away? How can you give some stuff away? How can you give some money away? How can you give?
The one who stores up what he has in silos and keeps it to himself dies.
The one who gives up all he has including his life lives.
Let’s see if God’s Word is true. “Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.” (Malachi 3:10)
2009 is a year to give. Almost everyone today will tell you to hold onto what you have. It is a year to save. It is a year to cut back. It is a year to live in fear.
Please don’t hear this as a call to be irresponsible or foolish. Just be obedient. Give.
Let’s be clear, too, that giving is comprehensive. It is about money, but it is not all about money. It is about time, attention, encouragement, love. It has to do with investing in people.
Common reasons why you should give this year:
1. A whole lot of people are in need.
2. You still need to get your tax deduction for charitable contributions in 2009
3. So you don’t feel guilty.
4. The church staff won’t get paid if you don’t.
All of these have elements of truth to them, but they are not why you should give, although number 1 should stand out of the four above.
Giving is fundamental to what it means to follow Jesus Christ. There was no one who gave more than He did. He was and is the ultimate giver. And He says, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35) I believe, at the core of our being, we know this to be true. We’ve experienced it.
The getting and holding onto is tempting and easy but unfulfilling and does not last.
Talk to any parent. Talk to anyone who participated in the Community Christmas Program. Talk to anyone who’s served on a service project or missions trip. Look in the mirror and reflect on when you felt most blessed. Was it because you received that new flat screen tv? Was it when the stock market rallied? Was it when you chose to avoid giving to someone in need so you could have more for yourself?
How can you give some time away? How can you give some stuff away? How can you give some money away? How can you give?
The one who stores up what he has in silos and keeps it to himself dies.
The one who gives up all he has including his life lives.
Let’s see if God’s Word is true. “Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.” (Malachi 3:10)
Hearing the Truth
Sadly, I am defensive by nature. I tend to get angry quickly when I feel attacked and often want to attack back.
I’ve always heard that with all criticism there are nuggets of truth to glean if you can get past the pride and anger. Some are better than others at this. I have a long ways to go. I am amazed at how quickly I can rationalize and make a case for something if I feel attacked. And sadly, often the person is not attacking at all, they are just sharing the truth as they see it. I just take it personally and then all my unhealthy defense mechanisms kick in.
We have to hear the truth and be open to how the truth may be a means to help us change. If my tendency toward pleasing people hinders my obedience to God’s direction, I need to hear the truth. If my self-centeredness hurts my family, I need to hear the truth. If my pride separates me from others, I need to hear the truth – even though the truth is hard to hear. And often the truth reveals flaws in me that need some attention.
I heard some truth the other day that I am still wrestling with. I saw one of the students I had in youth group while I was in Grand Rapids. He now has a Masters of Divinity (pastor’s degree) from Fuller Seminary, worked for a year in a homeless shelter in Los Angeles, and is currently pursuing a PhD in international economic development at Colorado State. He has a huge heart for Jesus and especially for those who are suffering around the world. He has been blessed to travel and see a great deal of the world. He longs to make a difference for Jesus by caring for those who suffer.
He is very skeptical of the church. He doesn’t see a whole lot of connection between the Gospel and what the typical church in the US is doing. He sees the rampant materialism and individualism and cannot reconcile that with what the Gospel says. He also wrestles with seeing that those making the greatest impact in the fights against poverty, in micro finance, in getting clean water to those who don’t have it, in overcoming corruption and oppression, and in responding to the AIDS crises is NOT the church. In fact, he sees the church bickering amongst itself over doctrinal issues and thereby hampering its ability to respond to the needs of many around the world. He doesn’t understand why often the church needs to put its label on these activities and actually will not partner with secular organizations who are already making an impact. It has to be the “Baptist” or “RCA” or “Assemblies of God” mission organization.
How does that make you feel? Before you do what I did and start making excuses or rationalizing or defending what the church is doing, let this truth sink in. Yes, it may not be completely true. Surely there are churches and denominations on the forefront of responding to needs, but hear the truth within what he is saying. Don’t take it personally. Remove yourself from the equation. Step back and ask yourself the question, “What does God want me to hear?” “How does God want me to respond?”
Sometimes admitting there is a problem (or at least the potential that there is a problem) is the first step to seeking God’s direction in knowing what we need to hear and how we may need to change.
Let’s make this a personal question, however. Let’s not just theorize or hop on our soapboxes. Let’s hear what God may be saying to each of us personally. We are the church. When we listen, when we act, it is the church.
And if you haven’t read, Just Courage by Gary Haugen, that would be worth your time. He speaks a truth we all need to hear.
I’ve always heard that with all criticism there are nuggets of truth to glean if you can get past the pride and anger. Some are better than others at this. I have a long ways to go. I am amazed at how quickly I can rationalize and make a case for something if I feel attacked. And sadly, often the person is not attacking at all, they are just sharing the truth as they see it. I just take it personally and then all my unhealthy defense mechanisms kick in.
We have to hear the truth and be open to how the truth may be a means to help us change. If my tendency toward pleasing people hinders my obedience to God’s direction, I need to hear the truth. If my self-centeredness hurts my family, I need to hear the truth. If my pride separates me from others, I need to hear the truth – even though the truth is hard to hear. And often the truth reveals flaws in me that need some attention.
I heard some truth the other day that I am still wrestling with. I saw one of the students I had in youth group while I was in Grand Rapids. He now has a Masters of Divinity (pastor’s degree) from Fuller Seminary, worked for a year in a homeless shelter in Los Angeles, and is currently pursuing a PhD in international economic development at Colorado State. He has a huge heart for Jesus and especially for those who are suffering around the world. He has been blessed to travel and see a great deal of the world. He longs to make a difference for Jesus by caring for those who suffer.
He is very skeptical of the church. He doesn’t see a whole lot of connection between the Gospel and what the typical church in the US is doing. He sees the rampant materialism and individualism and cannot reconcile that with what the Gospel says. He also wrestles with seeing that those making the greatest impact in the fights against poverty, in micro finance, in getting clean water to those who don’t have it, in overcoming corruption and oppression, and in responding to the AIDS crises is NOT the church. In fact, he sees the church bickering amongst itself over doctrinal issues and thereby hampering its ability to respond to the needs of many around the world. He doesn’t understand why often the church needs to put its label on these activities and actually will not partner with secular organizations who are already making an impact. It has to be the “Baptist” or “RCA” or “Assemblies of God” mission organization.
How does that make you feel? Before you do what I did and start making excuses or rationalizing or defending what the church is doing, let this truth sink in. Yes, it may not be completely true. Surely there are churches and denominations on the forefront of responding to needs, but hear the truth within what he is saying. Don’t take it personally. Remove yourself from the equation. Step back and ask yourself the question, “What does God want me to hear?” “How does God want me to respond?”
Sometimes admitting there is a problem (or at least the potential that there is a problem) is the first step to seeking God’s direction in knowing what we need to hear and how we may need to change.
Let’s make this a personal question, however. Let’s not just theorize or hop on our soapboxes. Let’s hear what God may be saying to each of us personally. We are the church. When we listen, when we act, it is the church.
And if you haven’t read, Just Courage by Gary Haugen, that would be worth your time. He speaks a truth we all need to hear.
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