Café Lisboa

Theological ramblings while drinking coffee in Lisbon

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Reflecting on Ecclesiastes

This year our men’s group at Igreja da Lapa studied the book of Ecclesiastes. It was an incredible couple of months as we worked through each chapter of this often neglected book in the Old Testament.

Ecclesiastes has a way of quickly putting you in your place and maybe that’s a big reason why we don’t hear many sermons on it.  Within the first chapter the author emphatically tells you that you are more insignificant that you have ever realized and my conviction is that this central idea could be, properly embraced, one of the greatest blessings of our meaningless lives!

Insignificance. It stings doesn’t it? Just saying the word conjures up a rebellion in our hearts. I’m not insignificant! I’m a somebody! Yet, here’s the deal. We live in a world obsessed with greatness and significance, not derived from God and His Word, but deeply rooted in our perverted sense of self-worth and self-importance. Sadly, what is produced is not greatness, but utter brokenness, more than we can handle. After all, we are already broken and what happens is akin to the awful analogy of shooting a dead horse; we heap brokenness upon brokenness, day after day after day.

Depressed yet? Good! That’s where the book of Ecclesiastes takes you! Meaningless, meaningless, a mere chasing after the wind…..All is HEVEL!

However, there is this undercurrent that flows through Ecclesiastes in the midst of the author constantly reminding you how insignificant and meaningless you truly are. The undercurrent is extremely hopeful, in fact, so much so that your heart begins to pound, wondering if there truly is something more than the brokenness we experience.

The blessing of insignificance, or understanding and embracing our insignificance in life, brings to me affirm the following points from Ecclesiastes:

1. It keeps God being God and you being you: one of our greatest problems as humans is our insane desire to usurp the Creator of the Universe and attempt to sit on his throne. We constantly desire power and recognition and one of the great things about affirming our insignificance is that we recognize that God is God and we are not! We have God-given limitations to who we are and what we can do and quite frankly, this is for our good!  The point here is to kindly say, “you’re not God so stop acting like it.”

2. It puts into perspective our place in time and space: when we realize how vast time and space is, we realize our insignificance. That can be a huge blessing and advantage because we don’t overstate our importance or try to compensate for our fears. We just know that we are a blip in time and space and what we accomplish is not actually that big in the perspective of time. We don’t need to be afraid of small contributions because even the largest accomplishment is minute in the grand scheme of things. And you know what that leads towards? Trusting God completely. Trusting that whatever God has us do on this earth is worth our time and effort.

3. It makes what Christ accomplished on the cross truly great and truly hopeful: If we understand how insignificant we truly are, it makes God’s love for us in Christ more significant that we can think or imagine. Ecclesiastes is right in putting us in our place, which highlights the incredible love and grace that God pours out to us — we are undeserving and insignificant, but what Christ does, by giving us abundant and everlasting life, is beyond description. The significance, therefore, is with Christ, that now works in and through us! This helps us continue to give God glory. In other words, as believers we want to continue to make much of God while downplaying our part as humans. And that’s the “blessed insignificant” part at work; when it’s less about us and more about God we are free to truly worship as we should.

4. It orientes us and anchors us to God’s purpose for life, for our good and for His Glory: If we recognize our own insignificance in life, it frees us up to receive instruction from God. Why is that? Because we quickly move ourselves out of the way for God’s purposes and plans. So often I trip myself up……with myself. In that sense, I am my own worse enemy. I constantly fight God’s good purposes, not because I disagree with God, but because I constantly think I’m more significant and important than I am. When in humility I can get out of my own way, I can allow God’s Word to anchor my life to Jesus (by the power of the Holy Spirit) and walk in step with God’s plan for my life.

Our insignificance doesn’t take away from our value as sons and daughters of God, but actually amplifies it in Christ Jesus — we are actually valued as opposed to a world that heaps on pseudo-significance and hollow praise while it eats you up and spits you out. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather be insignificant (by the world’s standards), but valued by God than to be deemed significant by the world and captured by a false construct that repeats that damned cycle of brokenness over and over again. It’s all, as Ecclesiastes says,  a chasing after the wind! And yet, the final plea in Ecclesiastes reinforces the points I just made. Life is an unhappy and meaningless affair when lived apart from God and His purposes. So embrace your insignificance, fear God and obey His commandments!

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The Sweet Song of Solomon

The central message of the Song of Solomon is human love on full display, according to God’s design for His people. This includes love that is divinely limited, designed to be enjoyed and points us to a greater reality than what we see in our culture or experience.

One important lesson in interpreting and teaching the Song of Solomon is to reject the tendency to look at this allegorically.  Mainly, that most people look for symbolic representation or metaphor within the Song to explain a hidden meaning. Therefore, allegory has imbedded within itself the  temptation to go beyond the intent of the author and in worse cases, draw applications to life that cannot be sustained or should never be recommended.

A second lesson in interpreting and teaching the Song is that we need to understand that the Song helps us understand God’s design for human relationship, including intimate relationship within a marriage, and thus points us exclusively to what Jesus accomplished on the cross. We have a unique opportunity to interpret and teach the Song in such a way that people understand what it means to live in truly human ways within marriage and reject an anti-gospel message that sows seeds of doubt, guilt or shame. It is interesting to me to think through the two places where we can go wrong with this; mainly in culture (what culture at large says about love or marriage) and within our own evangelical tradition. It is so important, when teaching the Song, to reject the lawlessness of culture and the celebration of promiscuity AND to reject the shame based and guilt driven “Christian” approach which treats the body with contempt.

A greater understanding of the Song of Solomon in life and ministry leads us to embrace the following points:

—helping to see that the physical is important and leads us to value what the Song talks about; sexual ethics, boundaries within relationships, purpose and fellowship within marriage —helps us to understand that God highly values how we treat one another, especially within the marriage relationship —helps us to reject false narratives in culture and in our own evangelical sub-culture —leads us to a better understanding of intimacy, according to God’s Word —points us towards the purpose of marriage and what Ephesians 5 explains: to reject sexual immorality (5:3) and embrace a biblical understanding of love and sacrifice within marriage that ultimately points to Christ and the church (5:25-33) —helps us to put words to our feelings, but in a healthy expression based on God’s Word (and in that, reject unhealthy ways to talk about our feelings, especially when it comes to marriage or sexual union) —linking what we know with what we do — it’s not just about knowing information about our relationship with God and others and the Song helps us to see how knowing God results in right relationship —the idea that there is protection in marriage and a relationship that honors God; creating a safety and security where intimacy can be enjoyed in the context of honoring each other and God

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Lamentations and Suffering

The theology of Lamentations affects my understanding of suffering by necessarily putting it into a category where God’s character is what drives the conversation, not my thoughts, experiences or emotions.

Chapters 1-2  provide example after example of the wickedness of the people and God’s righteous judgment being poured out through the destruction of Jerusalem and although chapter 3 continues along the same lines, we find in verses 19-29 the hope of salvation based on God’s character.  In this context, we aren’t looking at righteous suffering, but rather suffering based on sin and rebellion. So we must embrace the idea that suffering does exist as a result of sin and that God’s judgement is just and necessary. And at the same time, we recognize that God, because he is merciful and steadfast in love, offers hope and salvation to His people!

I am reminded of Ephesians 2:1-10 where Paul emphatically says that we were “dead in our trespasses and sins” but that God “made us alive together with Christ”. Why? It certainly isn’t because we deserved it or earned it , but because God is rich in mercy and love. I love how this is essentially what is happening even in Lamentations! That despite the depth of rebellion and the scarlet stain of sin, God is present and ready to save.

Picking up from a lecture given by one of my OT professors, Dr. Ferguson, I love the illustration about a good Father who loves his children, even in the midst of discipline. And that a child who is rightly disciplined still instinctively runs into the safety of the Father’s arms! The author of Hebrews, in chapter 12 picks up on this theme and says that disciple is actually for our good, so “that we may share his holiness.” Further, he explains, it yields “the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”

In that sense, the theology of Lamentations teaches us to cast ourselves on the mercy of God, not only when experiencing suffering through discipline, but also in order to experience the restoration that He alone provides to us through Jesus. This reminds us that our place here is temporary and God is preparing us for something greater. I must return to Hebrews because the author continues this thundering confession of our purpose, that we are “receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken” as we have come to Mount Zion, the heavenly Jerusalem and to “the city of the living God.” And therein is our response, according to Hebrews 12:28-29, to “offer God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.”

Lamentations ends with a vivid description of the desolation of Mount Zion with jackals prowling through its streets, but because of Jesus, the author of Hebrews can confidently describe that God has indeed restored His people, who by faith have trusted in His name!

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Get Smart!

Defining wisdom and foolishness according to Proverbs:

Before diving into defining wisdom and foolishness, it would perhaps be important to highlight, right from the beginning, what the entire book of Proverbs is working towards. In layman’s terms, the entire book screams, “wisdom, get it!” In more technical terms, the book begins by saying the point is to know wisdom and to increase in learning (1:1, 5). Further, it explains that the “fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” (1:7), which sets the stage for our journey into how wisdom and foolishness described.

Kidner, in his commentary on the Proverbs, says that the wisdom is “God-centered, and even when it is most down-to-earth it consists in the shrewd and sound handling of one’s affairs in God’s world; in submission to his will” (Kidner, Proverbs: An Introduction and Commentary, TOTC, 14). Therefore, whatever we learn about wisdom and foolishness in Proverbs has this at its base, mainly knowing how to navigate life according to God’s design.  Kidner also sees wisdom as a thread that runs through the OT simply because “God is self-consistent” and is thus revealed in all of the “themes of history, law, prophesy and apocalyptic” (Kidner, 14) writings. Therefore, we can conclude, like the authors of our textbook, that “God is the source and giver of wisdom, and in the theological principle of the fear of the Lord rooted in Israel’s covenant relationship with Yahweh” (Hill and Walton, Survey of OT, 441).

One final note that I think it important and will greatly influence the 3 practical ways to grow in wisdom: Kidner mentions that we should not stop at the old covenant, but that “a greater than Solomon was to come, choosing to teach in the forms and rhythms of the wise and and carrying their /māšāl/ to its ultimate perfection in his parables” (Kidner, 16). In defining wisdom we must necessarily go to Christ, not only in the definition, but especially in the application. Jesus’ life, death, burial and resurrection is the ultimate portrayal of wisdom—a wisdom that seems like foolishness to men, but reveals God’s incredible plan of salvation (1 Cor 1:26-31) for His glory. Paul’s point is that wisdom means being in Christ Jesus, “who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption” (1 Cor 1:30) and that the overall purpose in all of this is that our “faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God” (1 Cor 2:5).

Wisdom: —hearing instruction (1:8) —listening to reproof (1:23) —understanding of God will come (2:5) —leads to understanding of righteousness, justice, integrity, knowledge, discretion, deliverance (2:6-22) —leads to favor and good success in the sight of God and man (3:4) —means not being wise in your own eyes (3:7) —wisdom is turning from evil (3:7) —accepting discipline as from the Lord (3:11) —being attentive to instruction (4:1) —in getting wisdom, not forgetting it (4:5) —avoid evil at all costs (4:15ff) —consider the wisdom God has put before you (example of the ant ch.6) —memorizing God’s Word and instruction (6:20ff) —defines wisdom as instruction that is better than silver, gold or jewels (8:10-11) —wisdom is discerning what God hates (8:13) —understanding God’s sovereign rule over our world (8:22ff) —defines wisdom as a banquet “come eat and drink” and “live and walk in the way of insight” (9:1-6) —wisdom is instructing others (9:8) —the wise study and invest in knowledge (10:14) —blameless, upright, seeking counsel, gives freely (ch.11) —loves discipline and loves knowledge (12:1) and is willing to discipline his children (13:24) —promotes humility over vanity (12:9) —wisdom is good sense that wins favor (13:15) —fear of the Lord (which leads to wisdom) is a fountain of life (14:27) —a gentle answer, a gentle tongue (15:4) —wisdom leads to rejecting bribes and being fair (15:27) —being instructed in wisdom by the fear of the Lord (15:33) —slow to anger (16:32); good sense makes one slow to anger (19:11) —loves at all times (17:17) —wisdom is knowing that God’s name is a strong tower and to run into it and be safe (18:10) —intelligence is acquiring knowledge, seeking knowledge which leads to wisdom (18:15) —wisdom will affect subsequent generations (20:7) —allowing the Lord to execute justice and waiting for His deliverance (20:22) —seeing danger and responding appropriately (22:3) —speaking rightly leads to worship! (23:16) —wisdom is knowing when to speak, when to stay silent (25:11) —wisdom leads to contentment and understanding who we truly are (chapter 30 in particular) —chapter 31 is a good description of wisdom in action

Fear of the Lord = a desire for instruction + a heart of humility + God’s design for life which results in wisdom

Foolishness: —listening to evil plans (1:10ff) —refusing to listen; ignoring counsel (1:24-25) —leads to being cut off and rooted out (2:21-22) —rejecting discipline (3:11-12) —crooked speech, devious talk, swerving to right or left (4:24-27) —following after temptation (all of chapter 5, chapter 7 and the example of the adulteress) —sowing discord, perverted desires, slumber, lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, heart that devices wicked plans, false witness, one who sows discord (6:12-19) —pride and arrogance (8:13) —describes Folly as a loud, seductive and knows nothing who calls to fools and entices the simple (9:13ff) —sluggard, perverse mouth, slander, quick to talk, slow to speak (ch.10) —violence, cruel, evil, belittles, lacking sense, lacking discretion (ch.11) —a fool hates reproof and is stupid (12:1) —what is right in your own eyes (12:15) —despises the word and brings destruction (13:13) —the fool spares the rod and hates his son (13:24) —relying on a way that seems right to a man that leads to death (14:12) —a fool oppresses people and insults his Maker (14:31) —manifests in being hot tempered and stirring up strife (15:18) —a fool rejects wisdom and despises himself (15:32) —arrogance in heart (16:5) —plots evil, spreads strife, dishonest, violent, ignores evil (16:27ff) —listens to evil lips (17:4), seeks rebellion (17:11) —doesn’t seek to understand anything (18:2) —desire without knowledge brings a man to ruin because of his folly (19:2-3) —the fool stops listening to instruction which leads to straying from the words of knowledge or rejecting wisdom (19:27) —making rash vows! (20:25) —haughty eyes and a proud heart (21:4) —failing to see danger, but running ahead (22:3) —oppressing the poor to increase wealth (22:16) —giving oneself over to addiction (23:20, 30): examples within Proverbs are wine/strong drink, but also the adulteress and the prostitute —repeating folly is like a dog returning to vomit (26:11) : a good description of someone who continually rejects wisdom —foolishness is lack of self-control (15:28) —forsaking the law and praising the wicked (28:4)

Foolishness = rejection of instruction + arrogance + rejection of God’s design for life which results ultimately in death

3 ways to grow in wisdom based on Proverbs

1. Seek out wisdom by gaining instruction —in humility and with great purpose and intentionality —look for wise counselors in my life and ask for help —never stop learning and growing in knowledge and wisdom

2. Seek out wisdom by starting first with the fear of God —reject the temptation to define wisdom internally and by myself —work diligently to understand God’s Word so that my thinking, behavior and emotions are changed by God, not by culture or faulty sources

3. Understand wisdom by linking Proverbs to Jesus (or reading Proverbs through the lens of Jesus) —1 Cor 1:26 to 2:16 “for we have the mind of Christ” —relying on the Holy Spirit to give understanding and significance when reading through Proverbs and working to apply wisdom to myself, my family, my church and my ministry

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Unity

Ephesians 4 is my “go-to” passage about unity.  I was in a work call the other day and referenced this incredible passage, but then later realized that I hadn’t written anything about it lately.  So here is my take on Ephesians 4:1-16, which is really just my reflections on how unity encompasses our calling, our oneness and an ultimate purpose.  

Before jumping in let me just say why this is so important to me.  It’s something that comes up all the time.  In my own heart and in others as well.  We are so prone to focus on self and to pursue our own purposes and Ephesians 4 is like a refreshing slap to the face.  Like, WAKE UP and smell the unity!  Joking aside, it is a great reminder to know why we pursue unity and why it’s worth our every effort.  

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1. Our worthy calling: Paul urges us to walk according to the manner by which we have been called.  It would be worth going back and understanding what this means—that our calling out of sin and darkness (Ephesians 2:1-3) is because of God’s richness in mercy and His great love (Ephesians 2:4-10), made us alive together with Christ—by faith we have been saved etc.  So walking according to that calling means walking according to how we have been saved: saved by grace alone, by faith alone, by Christ alone!  We didn’t come to Christ by any merit or ourselves or good work, but simply because God extended mercy to us as miserable sinners.  We have been called to walk this way by incorporating humility, gentleness, patience, in love and maintaining peace in the Spirit.  And when we think about Philippians 2:1-11, isn’t it amazing that Jesus showed us, in his willing sacrifice on the cross, perfect humility, perfect gentleness, perfect patience, perfect love, and perfect unity within the Trinity.  It’s no wonder that Paul in Philippians 2 call us to have the same mind among ourselves that is ours in Christ Jesus.  Our unity necessarily must reflect humility, gentleness, patience, love and eagerness to maintain unity.  

verses 1-3 —walk in a manner worthy of the calling —with all humility —with gentleness —with patience —bearing each other in love —eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace

Questions: —If you had to rate how you are walking worthy of the calling based on Christ’s example of humility, gentleness, patience, love and unity, where do you think you would be?   —understanding that we are in the process of sanctification, what needs to grow in your life in order to continue to walk in a manner worthy of the calling?  Think about the areas of humility, gentleness, patience, love and unity to access where you are and where you need to grow.

2. There is ONE body: Even before talking about gifting and how the church should function, Paul hammers home the point about unity by demonstrating that we are one.  Not only one time, but in 4 separate ways, culminating in God the Father.  We cannot take this lightly.  There is no division in God (Father, Son, Spirit) and there is no division in the body of Christ.  If we worked back from Paul’s argument we would start with God and in incredible and perfect unity that permeates everything.  Our faith is one because God is one.  This really challenges our brokenness, doesn’t it?  We are no longer fragmented individuals that seek our own selfish gain, but now we have been grafted into one body.  The gifts that Paul mentions are to flow out of this unity, strengthening and building up the body.  Each member working towards unity, not as a separate member, but in a glorious cohesion that glorifies God.  Now, this is obviously the standard.  The standard is oneness and unity.  And yet we are in the process of sanctification, growing and understanding how all of this works out together.  So Paul moves to address this in the next section, but before moving there we must recognize and affirm the importance of unity and oneness, not as an ad-on or something that we can choose to participate in, but as the non-negotiable part of being part of the body of Christ.  As believers we confess and affirm, desiring to attain to the unity that God calls us towards, both in how we relate to one another and use the gifts that God has graciously given.  

verses 4-12 —one body and one Spirit —one Lord, one faith, one baptism —one God and Father of all who is over all, and through all and in all —grace given in the gifting of each one (apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, and teachers for the equipping of the saints for the ministry, for building up the body of Christ

Questions: —what does our unity (or lack of unity) say about God?   —what is the stated purpose of the gifts given to the church?  How do these gifts and the execution of the gifts work to maintain unity and reflect our calling?  

3. The ultimate goal: Paul now moves into the reason for unity and oneness.  It’s important to realize that the ultimate goal is not unity for unity’s sake.  Nor is it simply to have peace among brothers.  Far too often we accept the good results, but fail to recognize the overarching goal of unity within the body.  Do we want unity?  Yes!  Do we want peace among brothers?  Yes!  But those are results and not the ultimate goal of our oneness and walking in a manner worthy of our calling.  The ultimate goal of unity is Christlikeness in you and in me!  Paul calls it “to the measure of the stature and of the fullness of Christ.”  Why is this important?  So that we can speak the truth in love and function according to how Christ, the head of the body, desires us to work.  If the goal was simply unity, then we would compromise and “make peace” with one another.  Some would come out better than others.  Perhaps we would achieve some sort of an external facade of peace, but internally things wouldn’t be right.  But the goal is to be mature in Christ and to move together as a complete unit, directed and guided by Jesus.  There is great purpose in our unity and oneness and God wants us to be unified together in the body, directed and guided by Christ, to accomplish His purposes.  So unity and oneness all of a sudden takes on a whole different context!  When we desire unity for our team, marriage, church or relationships, we seek Christlikeness in others and for us.  It means our unity looks more and more like Christ and less like Mark or John or Susie or Jane.  It’s less individual each day and filled more and more with the fullness of Christ Jesus.  In our conversations.  In our attitudes.  In the way we work together.  In our thoughts.  In our purposes.  All done together in unity.  And it’s incredible what Paul says at the end in verse 16; from Christ the whole body is joined and held together, is equipped and each part working together makes the body grow as it builds itself up in love.  Incredible!  What a beautiful picture of what unity and oneness should be.  It speaks to identity and purpose.  Our identity as a son or daughter of God in Christ and our purpose to walk in a manner worthy of the calling, in unity, oneness and love!  

verses 13-16

—attaining the unity of faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ —so that we grow up (not being tossed around by every doctrine, human cunning, by craftiness or deceitful schemes —speaking the truth in love, grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body is equipped and works properly

Questions: —what kind of a difference do you see when people pursue “unity for unity’s sake” as opposed to the ultimate purpose like Paul is talking about? —how does having an ultimate purpose propel us towards a stronger unity among the body?  What things change as a result of knowing the end goal?   —define Christlikeness and how do you see this working out within your own life as you grow?  How do you see this working within your marriage, your church, your relationships etc.?  

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How do we do missions/evangelism work in the virtual world?

Today I was invited to participate in a City to City interview with the question, “How do we do mission/evangelism work in the virtual world?” Hopefully I’ll be able to put up a link to the recording soon, but here are my notes of what I wanted to communicate about the gospel work in the virtual world:

1. As a tool: it’s absolutely stunning how tech can be used to advance the gospel virtually—we can literally transmit the gospel into every home and into the hands of people.  However, we need to remember that it is only a tool to be used and it is not the gospel itself.  We have to remind ourselves that as amazing as tech is, it has its limitations.  It even gives us the opportunity to sin and create idols in our hearts.  It has to be used correctly so that tech or virtual engagement does not end up owning our souls.  We need to limit how and when we use tech—a good example, it irritates me greatly when I get work emails on Sunday.  Also, we need to recognize the limitations that virtual engagement: we can never be fooled to think that engagement is better or more effective simply because your Facebook ad “reached” more people.  We must be careful to make conclusions based on data and not on real relationships.  So use it as a tool, but not as the main thing.  

2. As a bridge: work in the virtual world (missions and evangelism) must always be a bridge towards the church—it does not substitute the real, physical gathering of the church.  We cannot afford to let the virtual world encroach upon the physical world, in the sense that it’s an end to itself.  The work done virtually must always bridge INTO the gospel and INTO the church.  That would be a great evaluative question for work within the virtual realm, “does this take people closer to the gospel and closer to the church?” It can be an incredible bridge for missions work and specifically for evangelism.  Recently I met a guy in Abu Dhabi and the only connection I have with him is virtual now that I’m back in Portugal.  So I continue to share gospel materials virtually (calling him to repentance and faith in Jesus—sharing the gospel) and continue to talk about the physical community of faith or the body of Christ.  The virtual world is great, but we can’t leave people there!  We must cross the bridge towards the gospel and the church with our online presence.  

3. As a warning: tech and virtual missions/evangelism is a cheap substitute for real physical community.  We can never replace the physical meeting together as when we do we are on a dangerous slope of promoting a false reality and rejecting the true meaning of relationship with Jesus and His Church.  I can’t emphasize this enough.   When we don’t have community, physical community, we start to lose aspects of what it means to relate to one another.  We need to be constantly bumping into others, in both loving and challenging ways. I’m convinced that the longer we go without true physical community, the greater the atrophy in our spiritual community muscles.  I’ll give you one example: when I’m physically with my church family I’m confronted with my lack of patience.  I have to work on it.  I have to listen attentively.  I have to talk less.  I have to stay late and hang in there and wow, Portuguese people love to stay and stay and stay—sometimes after a long day at the church on Sunday the last event ends and people still stand around talking for hours!!!  But when we don’t have physical community, I don’t have to develop that aspect of patience.  If I don’t want to talk to anyone I don’t answer the call.  I can walk away.  I don’t have to let anyone in. I control how and when I have patience.  So what happens?  My patience begins to atrophy and it quickly evaporates.  Community helps us strengthen these muscles, like patience, and gives us plenty of practice time as we grow through the community that God has placed us into.  The warning here is that an online presence can be a tool and bridge, but can never replace our physical and ongoing meeting together as the church.

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What I’ve learned during the COVID-19 crisis

1. We can do more than we think (creative and resourceful) during a crisis: I’ve been encouraged to see normal people respond in extraordinary ways.  I have a colleague in Spain who didn’t want to sit at home while people suffered and so he figured out a way to volunteer one time per week at a local retirement home.  He suits up with his PPE (personal protective equipment) and then spends a shift serving elderly people.  It’s not a glorious job or one that will be mentioned in any newspaper or report.  But he knew that many of the healthcare workers normally assigned to the home were either sick or couldn’t be there and so he stepped up and volunteered.  The human spirit is amazingly creative and resourceful and it shines brightest when confronted with a crisis.  

2. Tech is a cheap substitute for real physical community: initially people were super excited about staying home and being able to connect online.  And don’t get me wrong, I am not anti-tech, but after a week or two the fatigue started to set in.  And maybe it’s just me, but I began to desperately long for physical community.  To hug.  To give beijinhos.  To put my hand on a shoulder while I prayed for someone.  It’s just not the same thing to stare at a screen and try to connect.  It might be an incendiary statement, but tech is a cheap substitute for real physical community.  

3. Tech can be a tool, but it can never be the main thing: Like I said, I’m not anti-tech, but we need to remember its place.  It’s a helpful tool and it need to be used appropriately.  It needs to be used with wisdom and discernment.  It needs to be limited.  I speak from experience.  I am so prone to be addicted to tech and all of a sudden, tech is the main thing.  It’s the center of what I do.  We need to remember that should use tech wisely and never allow tech to use us.  And listen, this is coming from someone who relies on tech to connect to family spread all around the globe.  I’m thankful for that, but it’s vital that it never takes over.

4. We are built for community—without it we slowly start to atrophy:  I can’t emphasize this enough.  We are designed for physical community, regardless of being an introvert or extrovert.  I’ve seen a lot of memes and such about extroverts going crazy and introverts getting on just fine.  I don’t think it’s about that.  When we don’t have community, physical community, we start to lose aspects of what it means to relate to one another.  We need to be constantly bumping into others, in both loving and challenging ways. I’m convinced that the longer we go without true physical community, the greater the atrophy in our spiritual community muscles.  I’ll give you one example: when I’m physically with my church family I’m confronted with my lack of patience.  I have to work on it.  I have to listen attentively.  I have to talk less.  I have to stay late and hang in there and wow, Portuguese people love to stay and stay and stay—sometimes after a long day at the church on Sunday the last event ends and people still stand around talking for hours!!!  But when we don’t have physical community, I don’t have to develop that aspect of patience.  If I don’t want to talk to anyone I don’t answer the call.  I can walk away.  I don’t have to let anyone in. I control how and when I have patience.  So what happens?  My patience begins to atrophy and it quickly evaporates.  Community helps us strengthen these muscles, like patience, and gives us plenty of practice time as we grow through the community that God has placed us into.

5. You are not a church unto yourself—the church is not an individual: this thought flows out of the previous statement, but I’ve found that although it’s great to spend more time with family and we can continue to worship, we aren’t the “church” so to speak.  We are a part of the church, but we’re not an end to ourselves.  We need the church.  We need the other members.  We need others to speak into our lives and to pray for us as we do the same.  And yes, the church didn’t stop simply because of the COVID-19 crisis. It continues because the church is not just a building, but is the body of Christ, invisible and visible.  But that’s the thing.  We can’t have one without the other.  We need the visible expression of church because put simply, we are not the church unto ourselves.  

6. Manage the extremes: give lots of grace to the various responses: I’ve discovered that during this time it’s important not to get too worked up about small things.  I think we need to be attentive to the extremes and avoid going too far one way or the other.  Here is an example of how that happens: it’s not ok for someone to just give up and not work, but it’s also worrisome when someone emphatically states that this is the best, most amazing opportunity in the world and they are 1,000 times more productive than before.  Both demonstrate an extreme that is not healthy.  However, I’ve learned that it’s ok when people produce less than before and some produce a little more than before.  It’s ok to see people happy to have some time in the house and it’s ok to hear people lament being cooped up in the house.  There just needs to be a lot of grace during this time with how people act and react to this extraordinary time.  

7. Some go deep and others don’t; it’s not about competition or comparison: This flows out of the last point as well with the idea that there needs to be grace with both responses.  Some want to go deep and talk all about the crisis and others really don’t want to go there.  It’s ok.  It’s just ok.  Some will take time to talk and others will be so ready that it’ll be hard to find the off button after they get going (I’m the latter and I apologize for the over talking!).  But one thing I have learned, we all need to fight against the sins of competition of comparison.  Your story is your story. It’s not better or worse than anyone else.  So we have to fight our sinful nature to think that our narrative is better or worse.  The remedy?  Just lots of grace with people during this time.  Grace upon grace.  And pointing people to the greatest and never-ending source of grace:

===> J E S U S <===

“…by grace you have been saved….”

[mhsctb]

Isaiah 31

Often times people have trouble reading the Old Testament.  Or, that it’s difficult to find application as there is a lot of narrative or prophesies that are difficult to understand.  I completely understand the frustration, but reading the Old Testament regularly has been one of the biggest blessings of my quiet time with the Lord.  As all 3 of my readers know, each year I read through the Bible, using a chronological Bible.  A few months ago I was in Isaiah 31 and wanted to write down what I was reflecting on.

Isaiah is a large book, hence a major prophet.  We have major and minor prophets, not because some were more important, but rather based on the amount of text we have.  So Isaiah is placed in the major prophets whereas Zephaniah would be placed in the minor prophets.  Just a little background before jumping in.  And by the way, all of the following background is simply from Isaiah 1:1.  

—Isaiah was a prophet in the southern kingdom of Judah —son of Amoz —the book is full of visions he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem —during the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah

Here is my quick guide for helping to understand the OT: 1. Know the context 2. Know the audience 3. Know the message 4. How does this point to Christ? 5. What application can I make?

So, in Isaiah 31, we have the prophet Isaiah and the audience is the king of Judah, the people of Judah and Israel.  The message is a warning about trusting in Egypt for help instead relying on the Lord.  You see, Israel and Judah (divided kingdom after Solomon) repeatedly ask for help from foreign nations instead of trusting exclusively on the Lord’s help.  They are confronted with aggressive neighbors or invading kings and immediately think that they are not strong enough.  The easy way out during that time was to go down to Egypt and ask for help.  Typically that meant that tribute was paid or other concessions, but they would get help to stop the invading army or drive out an oppressor.  

But, what is interesting here is that Isaiah is called to speak against this.  Verse one begins, “Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help and rely on horses, who trust in chariots because they are many and in horsemen because they are very strong, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel or consult the Lord!”  And this is the crux of the problem and the main message that Isaiah is speaking to the people on behalf of the Lord.

How does this point to Christ?  Look at what the Lord says in verses 4-9.  He’s essentially saying that one day there will be full and complete protection over Jerusalem and that in that day the people will cast away idols and turn from their rebellion.  Well, knowing the story of Jesus, we know that true protection and peace only comes from the Messiah, who came and lived and established God’s kingdom on earth.  Not only that, but he gave his life on the cross for our sins in order to free us from sin and death.  His victory on the cross begins the era of the kingdom come, here and present and soon to be completed.  The only way that verse 6 can be understood is through Christ as rebellious men are reconciled to God through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross.

Now, here’s the application.  Often times we think the gap is massive between our time and Isaiah’s time.  But, I think it’s smaller than we think.  We don’t like to put ourselves in the shoes of the “bad” guys, but follow my logic:  I am just like the people of Judah and Jerusalem.  I too am quick to seek our help in other places, instead of trusting God.  When I’m confronted with a difficult situation, I quickly run and try to get help FIRST in places where I think there is strength.  

Just so we’re not simply talking about intangibles, let me share a story where this recently happened.  We have been working on getting our marriage recognized here in Portugal and it’s taking months and months.  What we thought would be a simply process is turning into a bureaucratic nightmare.  They want more documents.  They don’t like the address on the marriage certificate.  It has to have a certified translation.  And on and on and on.  Well, the other day I got a phone call from the lady who is processing the paperwork and she asked me for two additional documents.  And I was furious.  Thankfully I didn’t blow up on the phone, but as soon as I got off the phone, do you know what my first action was?  I called the lawyer and asked him for his help to sort this out.  Now, 99% of you are going to say, “exactly, what’s the big deal?”  Of course you call the lawyer.  You need some help to navigate the system and the lawyer is paid to handle these things.  

Well, I did call the lawyer and expressed my frustration and asked for his help.  And yes, the lawyer did help me.  But you know what?  About an hour later I was so convicted.  I had not once asked the Lord for help.  I assumed that I needed to resolve the situation by calling in outside help.  I never once stopped and took the matter to the Lord and asked him for wisdom or asked him how to proceed.  I simply jumped to the most logical course of action.  And frankly, that’s exactly what the people of Israel and Judah did too.  They got scared and called Egypt.  I got scared and called the lawyer.  

The point here is that I need to remember, it’s not by the might of Egypt or the power of the lawyer that things in this world are resolved.  In verse 3, it really hits home, “The Egyptians are man, and not God, and their horses are flesh, and not spirit.”  So sure, maybe after I prayed and talked with God I would have called the lawyer and worked out the problem.  But do you see the difference?!  My heart so quickly wants to look for power and human ways to attack my problems without consulting the Lord!  

My takeaway?  Consult the Lord, spend time with Him and be directed by Him in these matters. The end result might be the same, but your heart will be in the right place!

[mhsctb]

The Two Houses

I like to think I know a thing or two about houses.  I spent 6 years in the United States Air Force as a civil engineer and my specific training was in structural engineering.  Then, after getting out of the AF, while attending university, I also worked for a custom home builder, constructing million dollar homes.  Needless to say, I’ve spent a good amount of time studying building construction and practically seeing it get worked out.

Perhaps this is why I’m fascinated with Jesus’ teaching about the two types of foundations from Matthew 7:24-27 and Luke 6:46-49.  Here we have the same story, but from the two perspectives of Matthew and Luke.  Now, the story is vitally important, but Luke 6:46 sets it up like this:

“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord’ and not do what I tell you?”

Well, this is interesting.  What Jesus is going to teach about comes from the context of what we like to call “lip service.”  In other words, people liked to claim Jesus, but they obviously weren’t obeying him.  Ouch.  I can identify with that.  There have been times in my life where I’m quick to claim Jesus, but very reluctant to actually do what He tells me to do.  Well, let’s look at the two foundations and see what we can draw out.

To illustrate, Jesus gives two examples.  I’m going to use the example from Luke which says, “Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock.  And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built.”

So we have a well-build house that stands firm when disaster strikes.  Here are some of the characteristics that Jesus talks about: —the man dug deep —the man laid the foundation on the rock —it was well built —it stood up against the flood and stream

Then Jesus turns and compares this example with the following: “But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation.  When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.”

So by contrast, the house is build without a foundation and suffers great destruction when the floods came.  In Matthew’s account, he adds that the man builds on sand and when the rain falls, the floods rise and the winds howl, the house is utterly destroyed.  

So what does all this mean?  You’re probably thinking, “ok, ok, we’ve got this, this is kindergarten material.”  It’s funny that you say that because my earliest memories of church is singing that song about the wise man building his house upon the rock.  There are great hand gestures that go with it and everything!  Ok so what’s my point?  I think we know intellectually that we build upon the foundation of the rock, but often times I think we forget two things:

1. The sure foundation is nothing less than the rock of Jesus Christ.  The solid foundation is not your career, your education, your family background, your cultural heritage, your intellect, your good looks, your religious upbringing or anything else.  It is nothing less than Jesus Christ.   Later, Matthew, Mark and Luke all have the account of Peter’s confession of Christ and I think this is vitally important to understanding Jesus’ teaching here about the two types of houses.  In Matthew 16:13-20 Jesus asks the disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”  And of course we have the emphatic statement of Peter, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”  And Jesus’ reply is absolutely incredible as he says that upon this rock the church will be built and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.  Now, if we were Roman Catholics we’d be arguing for Peter being the rock, but the rock here that Jesus is referring to is none other than himself!  The rock, the sure foundation that the church and our lives is built on is only Jesus.  That’s why later in Ephesians Paul writes that Jesus is the cornerstone of the building, which is the church!  Our foundation is strong because it’s built on Jesus.  Our foundation is sure because it can never be moved.  Hell and death took their best shot against Jesus on the cross and what actually happened was that Jesus defeated death and sin once and for all.  So, yes, you better believe that the foundation is secure and is worth building on.  It is inconceivable (yeah, yeah, Princess Bride) that we would want to build on anything other than the foundation that is Jesus!  

The issue here is that often times we do exactly what Jesus warned us about.  We pay lip-service to Jesus being the Lord of our life, but day by day we have a hard time actually doing what he says.  Our obedience lags behind our lips.  Typically, and maybe I just speak for myself here, we are quick with words, but slow with action.  We are the first to claim the benefits of Jesus, but we have a hard time following up with daily gospel obedience.  What is important here is to remember that our confession of Jesus means that we are also doing what he says.  Which leads me to the second point.  

2. The building upon the rock does not come by your personal effort.  Jesus uses the illustration of a man digging deep, starting with the foundation on the rock and building a strong house.  It would be anti-gospel to say that we find the solid rock and then do everything else on our own effort.  In fact, that would be ignoring what we started with—Jesus was teaching people that it is foolish to say “Lord, Lord”, but then never obey him.   The gospel teaches us that coming to faith in Jesus is not done by personal effort, merit or anything else.  In the apostle Paul’s words, God is rich in mercy and saves us, pure and simple!  And we are saved to do good works, like Ephesians 2:8-10 talks about, but once again, this is done in relationship with Jesus—confessing him, but also obeying his words.  In that sense, it is God who builds (God is the master-builder) us in our life, our family, our church and whatever else we do in this world.  

I would have one word of caution; I think in our overly individualistic modern world the tendency is to read the story about the two houses and think it’s just all about me and my life.  But that’s why I wanted to throw in Peter’s confession because it makes us read the text a little wider.  It makes us realize that sure, we can apply this individually to our lives, but never apart from the church.  Our firm foundation is Christ, but we must always remember that the building that is being constructed is actually the church, the people of God.   We are not saved to a desert island of individualism, but to a great and glorious gathering of the saints in Christ Jesus!

Questions for reflection: 1. Which example of the houses best illustrates your life?  Why? 2. Are there times in your life where you forget that the foundation is the rock Jesus Christ?  What leads to this?  What needs to be confessed (like Peter) so that we remember that Christ is our sure foundation? 3. What does it mean practically to apply Jesus’ teaching to your life, but also to the church?  What does it mean to apply individually, but never apart from the church?  

[mhsctb]

Devotional -- Romans 6:1-2

“What shall we say then?  Are we to continue to sin that grace may abound?  By no means!  How can we who died to sin still live in it?”

The apostle Paul has just spent 5 full chapters arguing that we are saved by faith through grace, not of ourselves, but because of God’s mercy.  Now, he continues this by asking a rhetorical question: should we continue to sin just because we’ve been saved by faith?  Chapter 6 is a massive chapter for the believer because it takes the concept of “saved by faith” and takes it on an intense road test.  

Why the road test analogy?  In chapter 5, Paul is shifting from concept to the practical outworking of faith in our lives.  We’ve got the concept down, but now it’s time to see how this idea of saved by faith works out.  In fact, that’s exactly how Paul starts the chapter, doesn’t he?  Does saved by grace give us license to sin?  Does sin just produce more grace?  Paul is adamant about showing us that our new life in Christ means something.  It’s not a concept that is parked in your garage to admire every once in a while.  No, the concept of saved by faith is to be lived out every single day.  

Here’s a great analogy.  Imagine that you are given a brand new Ferrari F8 Tributo (you can choose the color).  It’s a great replacement for that clunky 1998 Ford Fiesta that you’ve been driving.  So, the Ferrari is sitting in your parking spot and you’re pretty much blown away because you didn’t deserve it and you certainly didn’t earn it.  Your new boss at your new job just gives away a Ferrari on the first day of work to each of his employees—the only catch it that you have to keep it clean, keep it running well, which is not a problem because your boss has generously offered to take care of all the repairs, pay for the gas and whatever else comes up.  Oh, and one more thing, you have to check in with your boss each and every day so he can check the Ferrari out and make sure everything is going well.  Now, the Ferrari is quite the machine.  It has an incredible engine, it goes 0 to 60 in about 2.9 seconds and tops out at around 211 mph or 339 kph!  Compare that with your Ford Fiesta that maybe gets to 60 after about 5 minutes on a good day.  

You love the Ferrari and it looks great, but you decide it’s better just to leave it where it’s at.  I mean, you know it’s not going anywhere so it’s not worth the risk of taking it out of the garage, right?  At work and at parties, you tell EVERYONE that you have a Ferrari F8 Tributo and you can even quote braking distances and how many horsepower the animal has.  You become an expert in theory, but you’ve never even taken the Ferrari out of your garage.  Instead, you jump back into your 98 Ford Fiesta because it’s what you are used to.  It’s comfortable.  Sure, it has candy bar wrappers on the floor and the interior hasn’t been cleaned in years, but it’s your space and you decide what to do—it would be such a hassle to drive the Ferrari and have to check in with the boss and it’s sooooo much easier to just do your own thing without anyone looking over your shoulder.

So, analogies break down and what I’m NOT saying is that once we become a Christian we get a Ferrari.  Or that our life will be perfect.  What I’m trying to say here is that it doesn’t make any sense for us to be given a new life in Christ (we are saved by faith) and then “put” that concept on the shelf and never live it day by day.  It’s like putting the Ferrari in the garage and never driving it.  You become an expert at quoting bits and pieces of Scripture or telling people that you’re a Christian, but you never really live that day by day.  Instead, you grab the concept and then live day by day with your old life wrapped around you like a dead carcass.  Or, in my analogy, you would rather jump back into that barely working 98 Ford Fiesta because it’s yours and you don’t have to be accountable to anyone for the way you drive it.  

My point here (yeah, it’s taking a long time to get there, but who cares, we’re on quarantine with nowhere to go!) is that in chapter 6, we are given a very encouraging reminder of what our life is like now:

New life:

—we have been buried/baptized with Christ to walk in the newness of life —we are united with Christ in his death and resurrection —our old self is crucified —we no longer are slaves to sin! —we have been set free —we are dead to sin, alive in Christ! —we can now present ourselves to God as instruments for righteousness —we are under grace, not law —God has made it possible for us to be obedient from the heart —we are set free from sin to become slaves of righteousness —the fruit that we now can practice leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life! —the gift of God is eternal life (way better than a Ferrari I might add!)

However, there is also a very sobering part as well:

Old life:

—our old life included obeying sinful passions —when we obeyed our sinful passions we presented ourselves as an instrument to sin —we were slaves to sin —we were impure and we practiced lawlessness —the end of sin is death —the wages of sin is death

The encouraging part is that we can now LIVE OUT what it means to be saved by faith.  We have new life.  God has made it possible for us, through Jesus, to walk in this new life and to live the way that He intended us to live.  This is good news!  But there’s also this sobering warning.  We can’t return to our former life.  We can’t return to our former sin.  Paul is going to use chapter 7 to talk about this struggle (new life vs old life and our human tendency to return to sin) and then in chapter 8 he’s going to show us what living in the Spirit looks like.  So there’s hope!  If you find yourself struggling today to walk in new life, be encouraged.  You have been set free.  Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross made it possible for us to be saved (justified), but aso to live this new life each and every day (sanctification).  We are called to a higher calling my friend, to pursue good and honorable things.  

I’ll wrap this up by pointing you to verses 17-18.  Paul tells us that thanks to God, we have now become obedient in our hearts.  This is good news indeed.  God in Christ Jesus has given us new hearts that now can be used for righteousness, not for sin.  Ezekiel 36:26-27 puts it this way, “And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you.  And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.  And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statues and be careful to obey my rules.”

Questions for reflection: 1. In what ways do you identify with the analogy?   2. In what ways do you still “return” to your former life? 3. What encouragement can you take away from Romans 5?  In what ways can you live this out day by day (in God’s power, not yours)?

[mhsctb]

Devotional -- Romans 5:3-5

“Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”

Just a little bit of suffering is enough to peel back the external layer and see what’s really on the inside.  Suffering is good at that.  It immediately exposes what’s really going on in our heart and mind.  Why?  Because we are creatures that love comfort and security.  We build our lives to maximize our pleasure and distance ourselves from danger.

But suffering comes, doesn’t it?  Now, before we get into the verses for today, we must look at the broader context.  Paul is making a long argument for justification by faith and in chapter 5 he’s really bringing it home.  So before we talk about suffering and what it produces, we must see what the base of all this is:

“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 

Not only that, but Paul explains that we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand.  Whoa.  Those are deep waters, aren’t they!  But let me tell you, you can’t begin to have the discussion on suffering, endurance, character and hope without this first.  As a believer, our right-standing with God through Jesus is a firm foundation.  We stand on the grace of God through Jesus, our precious and unchanging cornerstone.  With that in mind, let’s look at the key words in these verses.

Suffering: circumstances or events; evil in our world; injustice; our broken world; sin that produces guilt, fear and shame. Paul is talking about suffering as a consequence of living in the world as a believer, not because of sin that we are involved in.  Jesus promised that tribulation and suffering would be part of following Him (John 16:33) and we shouldn’t be surprised when this is just part of what we experience in this life.  

Endurance: the long game; the complete race; the pace that allows us to continue, to not give up or give in; that grit that keeps us going--think Hebrews 12 kind of grit—not based on us, but on fixing our eyes on Jesus and running the race.

Character: who we are; our identity in Christ; not simply what we do or produce, but who we are; like integrity for example—integrity is defined as doing the right thing even when no one is looking.  This is a good example of character—integrity isn’t something that we do, it’s who we are!  Faithfulness is perhaps the best example — we want to be faithful servants (1 Corinthians 4) that work in and out of season (2 Timothy 4).

Hope: this is not a Disneyland idea of dreaming or hoping for something to come true and having a fairy godmother grant a wish; this hope is a solid conviction of WHO God is and WHAT He has promised to accomplish; confidence on God’s faithfulness and His goodness and greatness; this hope is active waiting—never inactive and uncertain.  

The point that Paul is making is that we rejoice in suffering because we have peace with God, we are justified by faith through Jesus Christ and we stand on the grace that we have been given.  And if that wasn’t enough, the good news is that our suffering produces endurance.  And that endurance produces character.  God is forming us.  God is sanctifying us.  God is growing us!  And that character that God is forming in us produces hope and wow, here is the crescendo, our hope in God does not put us to shame!  It doesn’t disappoint.  It will not let us down.  It is a guaranteed done deal.  Why?  Because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

And how do we rejoice in suffering?  How do we have endurance?  How can we develop character?  How can we have hope?  

Not by ourselves.  Not by our effort.  Not by our intelligence or anything else that comes from us.  

As Hebrews 12 teaches us, we fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.  Through Jesus we have the strength to stand up under suffering, endure until the end, develop godly character and hope in our great God.  

We have this confidence because in Jesus because: —He suffered unto death, even death on a cross in our place (Phil. 2:8) —He endured until the end and defeated sin and death (1 Cor. 15:55-57) —He lived a perfect life and did what we could never accomplish (Rms 5) —He is our living hope and we will never be disappointed (1 Peter 1:3)

[mhsctb]

Devotional -- Psalm 34

“I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.”  (Psalm 34:1)

Just three words.  

*At all times*  

It doesn’t seem like such a big deal until the “all times” include the parts of life that are less pleasant.  It’s fairly easy to bless the Lord and sing his praise when times are easy, comfort abounds and life is sailing on smooth waters.  But, the rubber meets the road, so to speak, when comfort and security are gone or periods of suffering begins.  The “all the time” begins to test our faith as circumstances and challenges assault our normality.

Yet we are called to bless the LORD at all times: —in good times and in bad times —in health and in sickness —in peace and in conflict —in certain times and in times of doubt —in times of strength and times of weakness —when all is clear  and understandable and when all is hazy and unknowable —in comfort and in suffering —in freedom or restriction/imprisonment

When we look at the rest of the Psalm there are incredible truths to draw out.  Just the way my mind works, I’ve divided them between what the LORD does and what we do.  Here’s the first list of what the LORD does, according to Scripture and this Psalm:

—He delivers us from fear —He hears our cry —He saves us from trouble —His angels camp around us and deliver us —He provides for those who seek Him —He is against those who do evil —He hears the righteous —He delivers the righteous from all their trouble —He is near the brokenhearted —He saves the crushed in spirit —He redeems His servant

Wow.  What an incredible list when it’s written out like that.  And it makes sense, right, that the only way that we can bless the LORD at ALL times and praise Him continually is because He saves us, provides for us, delivers us and redeems us!  I absolutely love, love, love the first one; He delivers us from fear.  We struggle with that one, don’t we?  We struggle with fear of man, fear of circumstances or events and fear of the future.  We let it cripple us and take away our joy.  But in Psalm 34, David teaches us to bless and praise the LORD at all times, not based on us or our circumstances, but solely on the LORD who delivers us from fear!  

I’ve also put together a second list for us.  In the Psalm, David describes his role in all of this.  Or, his role in blessing and praising the LORD at all times.  I found it encouraging and helpful to me in these current times of uncertainty that we are facing.  My desire is to be this kind of a believer at all times in my life; in good times and challenging times:

—I will bless the LORD —I will praise His name —I will boast in the LORD —I will exalt His name —I will seek the LORD —I will taste and see that the LORD is good! —I will fear the LORD —I will keep my tongue from evil and my lips from speaking deceit —I will turn from evil and do good

I think these two lists are pretty incredible in our current circumstances.  Christian, remember this: God has saved you in Christ Jesus to be His forever.  He desires your worship at all times.  This isn’t possible in and of ourselves, but solely based on the work of Christ on the cross.  In whatever circumstance or challenge you find yourself today, be reminded that the LORD hears, delivers, and redeems!  He is near the brokenhearted and He saves the crushed in spirit.  He casts away fear!  So what is our response?  Let us bless and praise the LORD.  Let us exalt His name.  Let us taste and see that the LORD is good…all the time…and in every circumstance.

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Numbers 11: Pastoral Burnout

Each year I read through the Bible and it is utterly amazing how God continues to teach me new things through His Word.  This morning I was in Numbers 11 and here we find a fantastic example of pastoral burnout.  I would like to spend just a minute setting up the story and then giving 4 points of application that I believe are crucial when dealing with pastoral stress, exhaustion and burnout.  

The chapter begins (surprise, surprise) with grumbling and complaining.  The people of Israel, the text says, are complaining about the hardship that has been placed upon them.  Notice that God doesn’t put their circumstances in those terms, but they do.  They see God’s law and his very meticulous and detailed plan as a burden on their lives.  Further, they begin to complain about food.  In verse 5 it says that they remember how it was back in Egypt where they could eat a variety of foods instead of the manna that God has been providing.  Right away, the people are questioning God’s providence and His provision, and deciding for themselves what would be best for them.  

Verse 10 says that the LORD was angry and Moses was also provoked.  Moses cries out to God, frustrated and literally at the end of his rope.  If anyone could take you to the end of the road, it was the people of Israel!  Moses says to God, “Why did you burden me with all of these people,” and “I can’t carry all these people by myself.”  Moses, genuinely sharing his heart, has gotten to the point of pastoral burnout.  Frustrated with the people.  Hopeless because they have driven him to a dark place.  And the interesting thing is that God isn’t mad at Moses for being frustrated or provoked or even exclaiming, “I’m done, I can’t do it!”  

Instead, God answers Moses by providing a solution to the burnout.  God calls out 70 elders from Israel who will prophesy and God says that He’ll take some of the Spirit that is on Moses and put the Spirit on them.  Now, check this out, this part is important.  God does this so that they will help Moses bear the burden of the people, so that Moses does not have to bear it by himself.

Now, what happens is that the elders prophesy only one time and then that’s it.  But there’s two who stay in the camp and they continue to prophesy.  Others are bothered by this, but Moses isn’t, and we’ll get to why this is important in a minute.  

So what does all this mean to us?  What does this mean for pastoral ministry today?  Although it seems like there is a big gap between Moses’ situation and ours today, I think God has a lot to teach us here in Numbers 11.  Let’s see where this takes us:

Pastoral burnout is real and happens often: as pastors, we often talk like burnout can’t touch us or our ministry is going so well that it would be impossible for the stress and exhaustion to get us to the point where we throw up our hands and say, “I can’t do this anymore.”  But the reality is that this happens frequently during a pastoral career.  We get to the point where it’s difficult to continue on because we feel like Moses, carrying the burden all by ourselves.  

We need to confess our desperation to God: Moses doesn’t hold back and we shouldn’t either.  God knows what we’re dealing with.  God knows our struggles.  I love how Moses just puts it all out there to the LORD and in desperation confesses his frustration and hopelessness.  God isn’t upset with that at all, in fact, the text says that in this situation, the LORD was angry with the people’s attitudes and ungrateful hearts.  In our situations, we might not be exactly in Moses’ shoes with the people we are leading, but we do need to frequently confess to God what we’re feeling about our pastoral responsibilities.  It’s silly to try to hide this and act like we’re not anxious, stressed or even experiencing burnout.

God has answered and given us a permanent solution: where in the past with Moses, God provided a temporary help with the 70 elders to share the burden, today, because of Jesus Christ, God has given a permanent solution by giving us His Spirit.  Wait for it, to…..every…..believer.  No longer is God’s Spirit only on the leader or temporarily on some of the leaders.  Go to Acts 2:17-21 and get blown away by this passage.  In this passage (as the Holy Spirit is given at Pentecost),  Peter boldly refers to the prophet Joel and declares that God’s Spirit is now being poured out on all people (meaning believers—look at verse 21 “then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved).  THIS IS SERIOUSLY INCREDIBLE.  I know we know this, pastors, but do we truly believe it?  God has poured out His Spirit to each believer in the church.  Is the burden of pastoral ministry great?  Yes, indeed it is.  But thanks be to God, who in His wisdom gave us Jesus and now, full time, 24/7, the Holy Spirit.  The Spirit equips and enables each believer in order to help alleviate the burden, changing it from a duty into a joy.  It’s no wonder that later in Hebrews 13:17 we’re charged with obeying and submitting to our leaders so that they can do the task with joy and not with grief!  Think about it in the way that the apostle Paul describes in Ephesians.  He describes a body and a building.  Certainly, Christ is the head and Christ is the cornerstone.  And every body part and every level of construction has a purpose and a place.  It’s not just about the eye or the door or whatever.  So in the same way, think of your burnout not just about yourself, but about the church as a whole.  Thankfully, you are not the “end all” in pastoral ministry.  God has graciously given us the Spirit and also the body of believers who are to work in cooperation towards the purposes of God.  And that includes how we function as leaders.  Even in burnout God is providing the resources to help share the burden.  We are not alone!

God’s provision leads to thankfulness, not jealousy: In Numbers 11, everyone is worried about the 2 elders who keep prophesying.  But isn’t it interesting that Moses isn’t.  In fact, Moses says, “If only all the LORD’s people were prophets and the Lord would place His Spirit on them!”  Wow!  In first place, do you see that Moses’ exclamation is answered in Jesus?  In Acts 2, Peter says that God’s people will prophesy and God’s Spirit will be placed in each believer!  Second, Moses is totally content when others step up because it’s the movement of God.  No jealously.  No worry about title, position or ministry.  There’s absolutely nothing to be worried about when God uses His people to accomplish His desires.  I want that to be an encouragement today, especially to pastors.  When we cry out to God and God reminds us that He has poured out His Spirit, why should we be surprised when God uses faithful men and women to shoulder the burden, to share the load?  Don’t be upset or jealous, but be thankful!  Respond with joy, celebrating the fact that the Holy Spirit is active within the people of God.  

Prayer:

Father, we confess that we are prone to burnout.  Simply because like Moses, we feel like we carry the burden ourselves and we find that it is impossible to do this alone.  Help us to confess our desperation for You and to be reminded once again that the Holy Spirit has been poured out to every believer.  Father, you have given us many who will share the burden of leadership.  Some will come alongside us.  Some will hold us up.  Some will pray and others will serve.  Father, help us to accept this generously and to praise Your name when these people step up and You work powerfully in them.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

[mhsctb]

Latest podcast from the Lisbon Pirates. Listen and share!

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Acts 18

Looking at Historical Events through a Spiritual Lens

What I find fascinating about Acts 18 is an often overlooked detail.  In verse 2, we find out that Paul connects with a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, recently from Italy with his wife Priscilla.  Now, all of this isn’t overly interesting.  It’s just simply recording who these people were and how they connected with Paul.  But to me, the golden phrase is this: “…because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome.”

So, who are the players?

Claudius: Roman Emperor from 41 to 54 who during his time seeks to establish a more Roman focus on religion (thus expelling the Jews)

Aquila and Priscilla: as we found out, he is from Pontus, which is modern day Turkey and apparently had spent some time in Italy before moving to Corinth; obviously the move was precipitated by the edict from Claudius, but perhaps going to Corinth had something to do with their profession as tent makers

I don’t really need to mention Paul, because, well, he’s Paul.  It would be good to mention that Paul, in chapter 18, leaves Athens and finds himself in Corinth, once again persuading the Jews and Greeks.  Interestingly, later in the chapter he takes A and P with him when he sets sail for Syria.  

Ok, so what’s the big deal.  Well, it’s this fascinating fact that A and P end up in Corinth, where they meet Paul and then go with him and then later they are used mightily by God to explain the “way of God” more accurately to a bold witness named Apollos.  Think of these chess pieces on the table being moved around in a way that none of us could even dream up.  And what we’re getting at here is looking at these dots being connected in a sovereign way by God who is having all of this happen.  And ironically, part of the puzzle that God uses is an evil Roman Emperor named Claudius who expels the Jews from Rome.  What appears to be a tragic and sad move ends up being a massive boost for the gospel work in Corinth and in Ephesus!  

My main point is this.  I know it’s easy to get worked up when something bad happens.  Like Jews getting kicked out of Rome.  Or war in Syria.  Fires in Sacramento.  Floods in Africa.  Evil dictators.  Horrible decisions.  I’m not saying that any of these things are good in and of themselves.  But what I’m saying is that God uses these things and orchestrates them for the advancement fo the gospel.  Why do I know this?  Because here in Acts 18 we have a great example of how God sovereignly brings A and P out of Rome where they help Paul in Corinth and then at the end of the chapter are helping Apollos.  If you have time, check out a map and draw a line from Pontus (where A is from) to Rome, Italy (where they were living) and then to Corinth, Greece (where they met Paul) and then over to Ephesus (where they end up with Paul at the end of the chapter).  It gives you a pretty amazing perspective about how God sovereignly moves people around to accomplish His purposes.  

Application?  Well, I think for one I want to be less bothered when the decisions of others affects my life and look instead to the spiritual reality of what God is doing.  Cue Pastor Tiago’s sermon from Matthew 24, which was a great explanation of this from Jesus’ example of the fig tree.  It’s on our YouTube account, Igreja da Lapa.  Of course it’s in Portuguese so, here’s hoping you understand.  

[mhsctb]

Idolatry comes from the harvest

“Israel is a luxuriant vine that yields its fruit. The more his fruit increased, the more altars he built; as his country improved, he improved his pillars.”  --Hosea 10:1 ESV

What I find fascinating is two things.  First, we often struggle to find meaning in the OT prophets, but let me tell you, if you are patient enough, there is a treasure trove waiting for you.  A good example is here in Hosea.  Many find some application in the first couple of chapters with the example of Hosea and his prostitute wife (ok, hard to understand, but you can see the main point God is making about Israel).  But, after chapter 3, there seems to be constant judgement, accusation and punishment for Israel and Judah.  We skip over it sometimes, not really understanding or having time to dig deep and discover what’s under the surface.  Which, leads me to the second point.

Here in chapter 10, we’re going to discover two major issues going on.  First, in the context of Israel’s disobedience, we find a description of how the people have turned from God and followed their own desires.  And second, if we’re wise, we’ll see a common human pattern that tends to prowl in our hearts and is often hard to root out.  And that’s precisely what I want to talk about today.

The Word compares Israel to a luxurious vine that yields fruit.  So imagine a fertile grape vine that is healthy and growing and producing tons of grapes.  Big, succulent grapes that taste incredible.  The kind that you can’t stop eating.  And trust me, I’ve been to Israel and eaten fruit like this.  But, then the example goes south.  The glorious production of fruit does not result in praise and honor to God, but results in more and more idols being built.  Or as the country improves, the pillars are improved.  Which means that the focus here is not on God and what He provided, but taking His provision and making an idol.  

I won’t spend any time talking about how this applies to Israel because that’s very plain in the text.  But, my encouragement is this: don’t skip over these parts because they teach us about our hearts and our tendency to do exactly what Israel did.  Our human sinfulness wants to take what God has blessed us with (family, health, work, church, material goods, passion, intellect, etc.) and instead of giving God glory, we simply use what He’s given to construct idols in our hearts.  Idols that set our heart against the Holy One and idols that demand our worship through our time, energy and resources.  Idols that take us far away from intimacy and relationship with God.  Which is exactly what happened to Israel.  

In verse 2 God tells Israel what will happen: “their heart is false; now they must bear their guilt.  The Lord will break down their altars and destroy their pillars.”  God promises to judge their heart and God promises to destroy their altars and pillars.  And let me say this, He’s making the same promise to you today that He made to Israel.  THANK YOU, LORD!  Is that a strange response?  Perhaps, but here’s why I’m thankful: I’m thankful that God will always destroy the idols that so easily take root within our heart.  I’m thankful for His promise to destroy them.  And I’m thankful for HOW He decided to do this once and for all through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross.  Yes, our hearts are prone to idolatry and we are so easily enticed to take the blessings of God and turn them into idols.  But, wow, in this insane twist of the story, God, who promises that guilt must be atoned for and altars destroyed, has poured out His wrath originally destined for us completely and without reservation onto Jesus.  He took it all.  He took our guilt and died.  But thankfully that’s not the end of the story.  On the third day He rose again and shattered every altar and destroyed every pillar that has ever been raised up against God.  In that moment all was vanquished, including death.  And so now, through faith in Jesus, we receive forgiveness and restoration.  

The book of Hosea ends with perhaps one of the sweetest poems ever spoken.  Spoken, of course, by our Creator.  Take a minute to read chapter 14 and hear how God is calling Israel (and you) to return to Him.  Then pray and thank Him for Jesus, who sets us free from our guilt and from our idolatry.  And pray that we’ll be wise and give God glory for all that His hand has provided each day. 

Questions for reflection:

1. In what ways have I taken God’s blessing and turned it into an idol?   2. Am I quick to recognize Jesus’ death and resurrection on the cross and my desperate need for Him each day?  Do I fight off idolatry with Jesus or with my own wisdom and strength? 3. How can I develop an attitude of gratitude to God for what He’s given so that I’m not tempted to make an idol out of the blessings?