Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Endure Trouble

be patient in tribulation (ESV)

Be patient in time of trouble (CEV)

Enduring in tribulation (EMTV)

Be patient in your troubles (GNB)



This passage would tell us to stay under the rule of faith and persevere during times when we are under pressure from difficult circumstances such as persecution, afflictions, disease, famine, poverty, broken relationships, loneliness, political oppression, rejection, abandonment, and abuse. We are not to flee from faith when we face hardships but to hold fast to our faith in Messiah Jesus during the hardest of times. The Apostle Paul would encourage us to be brave and not panic during times of trouble.



We live in a society that is not very patient. We do not endure a lack of pleasure or pain very long or very well. We live in an "instant" society and want immediate results. The idea of trusting God during hard and dark times is the opposite of what we would expect we would have to do. A call to be remain faithful to God and faith even when God is not keeping bad things from happening in my life is a difficult concept. This is especially true if by the giving up of our faith we can get rid of the pressure we are under. Messiah Jesus warns that some will receive the gospel with great joy but when persecutions and hardships arise will fall away. If the roots of our faith are shallow then that faith will not endure.



It is clear the Apostles did not have a theology that said that if a person had faith they would not have tribulation and trouble in this life. The normal Christian life is one where people struggle and suffer. Faith helps us endure the suffering it does not keep the suffering from coming into our lives. We live in a time when one of the central doctrines of faith in America is that God will rapture all Christians out of the world so they will not have to suffer tribulation. It is vital to the faith of many that they will not have to endure such a time of great trouble. Now prophecy aside, what we do know is that Christians do suffer great trouble and have suffered great tribulation during all of Church history.



In this year alone an estimated 175,000 people will be killed because of their faith in Messiah Jesus. There are millions of Christians who suffer persecution under oppressive governments around the world today. They are patient in their tribulation. Regardless of our prophecy we must be ready to endure trouble, persecution, oppression, ridicule, and poverty for the sake of Messiah Jesus.



Paul is really saying that true love for Messiah Jesus will endure all things. Our faith is a relationship of committed love. As we suffer various problems we need to gain God's strength in the relationship we have because of Messiah Jesus' death for our sins and resurrection from the dead. Seeing His love for us should inspire us to trust and love Him as well.



To be patient in my troubles also means that I will not give into frustration and anger. Most of our abuse of others occurs during times when we feel under pressure. Our worst outbursts of anger come when things go wrong in our life and we feel pain. We forget that undisciplined human anger cannot make things right. The gospel calls us to bless people in our pain even as Messiah Jesus prayed for those who crucified HIM. Part of living a life of love is learning to exercise self control when we are under pressure.



How can I increase my ability to be patient when suffering and not give in to frustration, anger, and fear? One way is to remind myself of eternity and the hope of Christ's perfect kingdom. Tribulation will not be forever. It is just a short time and then I will be free of pain and know only God's warm embrace forever. Another is to believe that there is purpose in all pain. God is at work in the trouble to bring about something good in my soul and in the world. All pain is pregnant with kingdom potential. When I know that there is a purpose in my suffering it helps me endure the pain. Finally, my kingdom focused suffering allows me to better understand the heart of Messiah Jesus. As I take up my cross daily and suffer for God's kingdom, I become more like Messiah Jesus in HIS taking up the cross for my sins. My suffering makes me more like my Lord Jesus

Saturday, May 08, 2010

Never Give In!

Never Give Up!

Not slothful in business (ESV)
... in diligence not slothful (ASV)
Never give up (CEV)
In carefulness not slothful (DRB)
... not lagging in diligence (EMTV)
Work hard and do not be lazy (GNB)
Never be lazy in showing such devotion. (ISV)

Here we understand that love works hard. Godly passion makes us focused, hardworking, and purpose driven. The gospel says we are not saved by works but calls us to work hard.

Oknerous, is the Greek word translated lazy or slothful and describes those who are slow due to hesitation, anxiety, or negligence. It is used in the Old Testament in Proverbs 6:6; 9 of those who allow inconveniences to stop them or who never move from the idea of a good action to actually do something about it (Proverbs 20:4; 21:25). Jesus the Messiah warns in Matthew 25:26 about professed disciples who hesitate to put their gifts to work and fail to live up to their eternal responsibilities.

The word translated "business" or "diligence" is the Greek word spoude which literally means speed or haste. Literally this verse would be "to not be slow in being speedy". But the word implies speaking or acting seriously. Doing what ought to be done as faithfully as we can do it. The meaning seems to be that we are not to become slow in doing what God wants to be the top priorities of our life.

The gospel calls us to a serious life. God sent His SON to die for our sins. God is serious about saving us. He wants us to share in being sober and serious people who are living disciplined and focused lives. We are to be seeking first God's kingdom and righteousness.

It is not easy to remain serious. We live in a culture that values entertainment and much of that entertainment makes us apathetic about seeking righteousness. Happiness is for us the opposite of being serious. Yet, only in being serious can we know joy.

For some of us we have been striving for decades. It is hard to keep the energy up. We sometimes lose heart. We feel the pressure of Ecclesiastes. We hear the song of "Vanity, Vanity, all is Vanity" ringing in our ears and we begin slowing down in our seeking the kingdom. Our acts of faith become tempered by fear of failure and cynicism has us abandon doing what we know God has called us to do.

We must never give up. By remembering what God has done for us in Messiah Jesus and has given us in Messiah Jesus we can keep ourselves focused on God's purpose and plan for our lives. The Lord who has started a good work in us will finish it.

In 1941, Prime Minister Winston Churchill spoke to a school. The days were dark. The power of Nazism seemed impossible to stop. It would be easy to give up and easy to surrender. In the midst of those dark and desperate times the Prime Minister spoke these words.

"Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never--in nothing, great or small, large or petty--never give in, except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy."

We are in battle against the world, the flesh, and the devil. The enemy is telling us to give up. To give in and choose the broad and easy way is tempting. How can we hope to make a difference in the middle of such a dark and broken world? Yet, we must remember Nazism does not win. God's kingdom will come and God's will done on this planet. We must never yield and be faithful in doing our duty with diligence, focus, and faith.

This reminds me of a hymn I sang as a child: "This is my Father’s world. O let me ne’er forget that though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet." (Maltbie D. Babcock – "This Is My Father’s World" 1901). We will need to review our performance and sing to our hearts the song of God's victory in Christ. As our morale rallies we will find that we can find new strength to press on and "never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never ...

Thursday, May 06, 2010

Church is suppose to be family

Love one another with brotherly affection ... ESV

In love of the brethern be tenderly affectioned one to another ... ASV

Love each other as brothers and sisters ... CEV

Loving one another with the charity of brotherhood ... DRB

Be warmly affectionate to one another with brotherly love ... EMTV

Love one another warmly as Christians .... GNB

Be devoted to each other with mutual affection ... ISV

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In English we might not see much difference between 12:9 where we are told to love without hypocrisy and 12:10 where we are told to love one another. But in the Greek you have two different words used. Romans 12:9 is talking about our "agape" which is an affection not based on performance and which indicates a calculated love based on making something the highest priority of our lives. It can be and most of the time is highly emotional, but it is emotion based on personal commitment. Agape love is not superior to other type of loves. It simply is a different type of love.

In this light one could understand Romans 12:9 as "Don't pretend to have the love God and others as your highest priority when it really isn't."

Now in Romans 12:10 we have two other Greek work used for love. One is philostorgos which is which is an old compound word used only here in the New Testament and philidelphia. Paul is now focusing on the idea that we are to not only agape God and others but now to give to Christians both philos and storgos type of love.

What is storgos? It is a love and loyalty based on a relationship outside of our control. It is the unconditional and long lasting love of family members for one another regardless of personality differences or performance. It is an affection that is given because of a unity we have with people that was simply destined to be by the providence of God alone. In this context Paul is saying we should feel affection for other Christians because God has chosen them to be our spiritual family. We are to give them loyalty, care, and warmth as we would family members.

Philadelphia is a word that strengthens this. It is when we actively pursue having deep and intimate family relationships. Storgos is the foundation for such a pursuit. But philos is opening our hearts to feel love towards our family members and seeking intimate friendship with them. Here is a commitment to emotional intimacy.

Now context always rules the varies shades of meaning these words may have. Here we have a call by Paul for Christians to recognize that the gospel of grace has made us a spiritual family and to love without hypocrisy we must open ourselves up to this new set of relationships found in the church and embrace other believers as relatives. This spiritual family is to have as much loyalty given to it as we would give to our physical families.

It also means that we must be seeking to make those in our local church those with whom we would have emotionally intimate friendships. Ultimately, these verses can only be experienced in the local church. We are to be ready to embrace any Christian at any time as a family member "storgos" and have a general "philos" attitude towards them, but it is in the company of believers we worship with that these words will take on concrete and real meaning.

The gospel calls us to make our local church the center of our social life. We are to be a company of friends who have faith in Messiah Jesus in common. Our love for HIM is to create love for one another.

At the present moment 39% of Americans attend church once a week. It would seem that weekly attendence at church would be the minimum effort people would have to make the local church the center of their social lives. We know that many who attend weekly have not done that. If we use the normal 80/20 rule we could speculate that in reality only about 8% of Christians in America have most likely made the relationships at church the central and most important relationships in their lives. Only 8% are experiencing to some degree the reality of what the Apostle Paul wants us to experience in our local church.

How can we open ourselves up to such intimate spiritual friendships? Many times we have been hurt in church and been disappointed by "hypocritical love" (see vs 9). It is God's will we give ourselves to this spiritual family and yet it is hard to do and hard to experience. May God grant each of us the grace to seek to deepen our love for one another.

Wednesday, May 05, 2010

Glued to Good

... hold fast what is good. (ESV)

... cleave to that which is good (ASV)

... hold tight to everything that is good (CEV)

Cling to that which is good. (EMTV)

Now we are not saved by our good works. However, this is due to the lack of such good works in our life and not because God does not take pleasure in our doing good. We have been saved by God's grace alone by the death of Messiah Jesus for us. Now that we have been saved, God has ordained us to live a life full of good works (Eph 2:8-10). We do good deeds not be be saved but because we are saved.

The Greek word here for "hold fast" is killao which is literally "glue". Strive to forever attach yourself to the good. To have the good stick to you is a literal image. We are to glue ourselves to the good or agathos. We are to become fully attached to virtue, health, usefulness, excellence, honor and that which brings true joyfulness into the world.

We are to run from in horror the moral depravity that causes pain and death and run passionately after moral good which causes true joy and brings life. We are to desire to become so attached to good that it would be like being "super glued" to something. We are to be unable to get rid of it without a lot of pain and trouble. To do good is to be and act like Messiah Jesus. It is to love God first and then have compassion on people. It is to live a sane, stable, and spiritual life consistently.

How can we get "glued to good"? Here are some ideas.

1. Wear goodness - This would mean first of all to dress in a modest way. It would mean for married people to keep their wedding bands on. It would mean to have something that reminds you of your relationship with Christ. Maybe a cross around your neck or a "big idea" card in your wallet. What can I do that will "glue goodness" to my appearance, dress, and routine of getting ready for daily life.

2. Read and talk about goodness to yourself. Watch your self talk and make sure that it is moving you in the direction of virtue and not vice. Talk to yourself about the goodness of God in dying for your sins in the person of Messiah Jesus. Remind yourself of the good character of God. Read the Bible and other devotional books which call upon you to seek goodness and run from evil.

3. Have your entertainment encourage being "glued to goodness" and not a temptation to vice. Entertainment has a lot to do with what we become "glued to" in our emotions and actions. Seek to find fun ways to seek a sane, stable, and healthy life. Some entertainment encourages our dark side while some fun activities help us appreciate living well. Is the music in your life encouraging virtue or vice?

4. Seek out relationships with people who encourage you being good. Bad company ruins good morals. We need people who will be "rubbing us the right way" and being cheer leaders for right behavior. This is one of the aspects of a small group since it can hold us accountable to what we know to be "good."

5. Make every meal a time to ask God to help you be filled with the Holy Spirit and seek first the Kingdom of God. By turning every meal into a reminder of God's love for us and our need to love Him, then this allows us to become "glued to goodness".

6. Make up self talk that summarizes all the benefits of doing good. Read this self talk part of your meal time and morning devotions. Sell yourself on the wisdom of doing what is morally noble over compromising with your darker desires. Fall in love with goodness.

7. Talk about good things with other people. Strive to take the "high moral ground" in conversations. Confess desire to do evil as wrong. Do not play with bad attitudes by expressing approval of wrong doing. Be a person who will counsel good behavior and wise living even when you struggle to do it.

8. Be alert to the opportunity to do good. Goodness will remain very abstract until we just "do it". By visiting the lonely, feeding the sick, encouraging the discouraged, giving to the poor, worshiping God with passion, sharing the gospel with the lost, giving wise counsel to the confused, and praying for those in need we become "glued to goodness" because it becomes a lifestyle.

9. Bathe yourself in reminders to be and do good. Have signs, posters, art, and rituals which remind you that because of Christ's goodness to you that now you desire to be good. Put reminders to do good and be good into your daily calender.

10. Become sensitive to the "clues" that you are beginning to backslide. Keep a radical moral inventory of your life up to date. Most of us become "unglued" over a long period of time. Our attachment to God's will for our lives is something lost by erosion rather than a radical decision to do evil. We simply stop reinforcing our commitment to goodness and then one day we notice we are in a very bad place spiritually.

Finally one more danger. Ignore anyone who says you are being too "religious" or taking seeking goodness to extremes. None of us on judgment day will be sad because we gained some virtue but many of us will regret the vices that still dominated our lives.

May God help me become glued to goodness this day.