July 30, 2008
Jude 1:8-13
“Yet in the same way these dreamers also defile the flesh, reject authority, and slander the glorious ones. But when the archangel Michael contended with the devil and disputed about the body of Moses, he did not dare to bring a condemnation of slander against him, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” But these people slander whatever they do not understand, and they are destroyed by those things that, like irrational animals, they know by instinct. Woe to them! For they go the way of Cain, and abandon themselves to Balaam’s error for the sake of gain and perish in Korah’s rebellion. These are blemishes on your love-feasts, while they feast with you without fear, feeding themselves. They are waterless clouds carried along by the winds, autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, uprooted; wild waves of the sea, casting up the foam of their own shame; wandering stars for whom the deepest darkness has been reserved forever.”
I have just returned from my family reunion where every year anywhere from 75 to 200 people who call themselves members of the Fuller Family gather for a couple of days to play games, update each other, dine together and profess their gratitude that for generations we have been a God-fearing family. No reunion passes without prayer and we are blessed with the chance to learn of each other’s spiritual growth.
It strikes me that the church should be the same way. Each week we should have fun together, update each other, fellowship and be grateful for our relationships with God. But like the Fullers, we should also hold each other accountable for our spiritual growth and development.
In this section of the book of Jude, the author seems like he’s all over the place. He understands that he cannot communicate with the false teachers solely on his own authority as a pastor. They can easily overlook such authority but in Jude’s mind, it is much harder to balk at the texts of their Jewish Christian heritage. He refers to stories taken from The Testament of Moses, a pseudopigraphal work. He acknowledges stories from the Torah and ultimately he calls the false teachers and all of the people to understand that our salvation is worked out daily in the context of our relationships with God and with each other. The main point of this passage is that we must be obedient to God and committed to rolling up our sleeves to do the work of faith. We must constantly and consistently seek God and not turn toward ourselves in self-reliance. This part is the kicker . . . that any part of our fellowship that fails to nurture his/her relationship with God serves to negate the ministry of the church.
That last part is difficult for moderate minded people to grasp. We want to include everyone and in our inclusiveness we run the risk of exposing ourselves to influences that take us away from what it means to live a Christian life and to be the church. There is a balance of course.
I guarantee you that if you show up at a Fuller Family Reunion we will embrace you and love you but you will also be required to pay homage to the God we serve and who has blessed our lives. I guarantee Jude would have said the same. This should be the perspective of the church as well.
So the question remains, is it? Is this the perspective you witness in your church? Or do you witness people showing up for socializing and networking purposes? Maybe there are even leaders selected in the church who fail to let God be the guide for their decisions and thus steer the church wrongly! Could it be that the church is failing to be the church? Might this be the crisis of the moderate church in 2008? And, if so, what would it take to set a new course? I hope when you answer these questions for your church you find that every person is daily dedicated to the seeking of God’s direction for their lives. I also must confess my surprise if that is true! Yet still I hope! May it be so! Amen.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Monday, July 21, 2008
Ordering Life
July 23, 2008
Jude 1:5-7
“Now I desire to remind you, though you are fully informed, that the Lord, who once for all saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. And the angels who did not keep their own position but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains in deepest darkness for the judgment of the great day. Likewise, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which, in the same manner as they, indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural lust, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of fire.”
The beach seems to be the place where I am reminded the most of the order of life. The waves are meant to land on the shore sometimes softly other times by more powerful and even violent means. Nonetheless, each wave makes its journey to the shore before retreating. The sun, too, rises and plays its tag team game with the moon and even though they may be clouded from vision on occasion their order proceeds. There is something about the beach that with its celebration of order offers peace. There is something about faith that is meant to do the same.
As Jude enters this section of the writing, this is the message he hopes to communicate. He wants the reader at attention and uses this phrase that would have been common in ancient writings, “Now I desire to remind you . . ..” He wants them to understand that they already have all of the knowledge that they need and that before they allow themselves to be caught off guard completely by the false teachers among them they need to remember how God was at work among them—how God has always been at work among them. So he takes them for a stroll down memory lane. Remember how God saved the people when in Egypt. Remember Sodom and Gomorrah. Do not forget that God created an order to life and even to the life of faith. Sin is what totally disrupts God’s intended order. That simple perspective should help the people discern falsities among them.
There are many questions for us, as Christians, to consider here. How do we view God’s order? Do we even agree with Jude that God ordered life? There is the question of sin. What is our aversion to order and why do we buy so readily into its obstruction? What is it that order really offers you as you practice your faith? These, of course, are questions that only you can answer but as you do, I hope you find peace in the process. Amen.
Jude 1:5-7
“Now I desire to remind you, though you are fully informed, that the Lord, who once for all saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. And the angels who did not keep their own position but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains in deepest darkness for the judgment of the great day. Likewise, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which, in the same manner as they, indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural lust, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of fire.”
The beach seems to be the place where I am reminded the most of the order of life. The waves are meant to land on the shore sometimes softly other times by more powerful and even violent means. Nonetheless, each wave makes its journey to the shore before retreating. The sun, too, rises and plays its tag team game with the moon and even though they may be clouded from vision on occasion their order proceeds. There is something about the beach that with its celebration of order offers peace. There is something about faith that is meant to do the same.
As Jude enters this section of the writing, this is the message he hopes to communicate. He wants the reader at attention and uses this phrase that would have been common in ancient writings, “Now I desire to remind you . . ..” He wants them to understand that they already have all of the knowledge that they need and that before they allow themselves to be caught off guard completely by the false teachers among them they need to remember how God was at work among them—how God has always been at work among them. So he takes them for a stroll down memory lane. Remember how God saved the people when in Egypt. Remember Sodom and Gomorrah. Do not forget that God created an order to life and even to the life of faith. Sin is what totally disrupts God’s intended order. That simple perspective should help the people discern falsities among them.
There are many questions for us, as Christians, to consider here. How do we view God’s order? Do we even agree with Jude that God ordered life? There is the question of sin. What is our aversion to order and why do we buy so readily into its obstruction? What is it that order really offers you as you practice your faith? These, of course, are questions that only you can answer but as you do, I hope you find peace in the process. Amen.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Are you serving God or is God serving you?
July 16, 2008
Jude 1: 3-4
“Beloved, while eagerly preparing to write to you about the salvation we share, I find it necessary to write and appeal to you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints. For certain intruders have stolen in among you, people who long ago were designated for this condemnation as ungodly, who pervert the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.”
He arrived recently on the front door step of the church and I went out and sat down with him. He was hairy from not shaving for days and there was a slight odor about him as if bathing had not occurred either. His name was Timothy and he told a tale of having an army career and of having killed 450 people through those duties. He claimed that he had lived a bad life even shooting his own father in the foot. He wanted to change, or so he said, and he wanted to “be saved.”
For Jude, salvation is about an ever renewed life—one in which morals are in place, an awareness of God’s Spirit at work in one’s life is occurring and the believer is given to fellowshipping with like minded folk. While Jude wants to expand on that thinking, he simply cannot because there are false teachers that are diverting his work. He has no choice but to call attention to this behavior. Because their Christian perspective is being redirected, Jude wants them to understand that such redirection is a threat to their salvation. It is thought that the false teachers crept into the churches in clandestine fashion to purposely mislead Christians and cause them to deny Christ. These people were like spiritual terrorists in Jude’s view and the Christians must wake up to what is going on around them and see the truth for what it is! These words are their wake up call to protect their salvation and to recommit themselves to living lives that reflect God as their Lord!
I found myself listening to Timothy and thinking that his presence before me was not about being saved. What he really wanted was money. He balked at that when I told him that’s what I thought and so I realized that it was just best to play his game. I talked to him about Jude’s understanding of salvation. Salvation is not something you do for a moment to get something you want. It is a lifestyle choice and a relationship choice. I talked to him about God’s love and gave a smile and handshake. I think Timothy will continue to use God to get what he wants but I pray for him that one day he will let God use him as his servant.
Maybe that is the best question for us. In this world where our senses are bombarded with Godless images, how is that we are relating to God? How is that we are relating to our world? How is that we are relating to each other? And, ultimately, are we using God’s name and status to attain what we want in life or are we allowing ourselves to be used by God and then reaping the glorious and inevitable benefits? Let’s hope when we are honest we are at least striving for the latter. May that be our goal and may we reap joy from it! Amen.
Jude 1: 3-4
“Beloved, while eagerly preparing to write to you about the salvation we share, I find it necessary to write and appeal to you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints. For certain intruders have stolen in among you, people who long ago were designated for this condemnation as ungodly, who pervert the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.”
He arrived recently on the front door step of the church and I went out and sat down with him. He was hairy from not shaving for days and there was a slight odor about him as if bathing had not occurred either. His name was Timothy and he told a tale of having an army career and of having killed 450 people through those duties. He claimed that he had lived a bad life even shooting his own father in the foot. He wanted to change, or so he said, and he wanted to “be saved.”
For Jude, salvation is about an ever renewed life—one in which morals are in place, an awareness of God’s Spirit at work in one’s life is occurring and the believer is given to fellowshipping with like minded folk. While Jude wants to expand on that thinking, he simply cannot because there are false teachers that are diverting his work. He has no choice but to call attention to this behavior. Because their Christian perspective is being redirected, Jude wants them to understand that such redirection is a threat to their salvation. It is thought that the false teachers crept into the churches in clandestine fashion to purposely mislead Christians and cause them to deny Christ. These people were like spiritual terrorists in Jude’s view and the Christians must wake up to what is going on around them and see the truth for what it is! These words are their wake up call to protect their salvation and to recommit themselves to living lives that reflect God as their Lord!
I found myself listening to Timothy and thinking that his presence before me was not about being saved. What he really wanted was money. He balked at that when I told him that’s what I thought and so I realized that it was just best to play his game. I talked to him about Jude’s understanding of salvation. Salvation is not something you do for a moment to get something you want. It is a lifestyle choice and a relationship choice. I talked to him about God’s love and gave a smile and handshake. I think Timothy will continue to use God to get what he wants but I pray for him that one day he will let God use him as his servant.
Maybe that is the best question for us. In this world where our senses are bombarded with Godless images, how is that we are relating to God? How is that we are relating to our world? How is that we are relating to each other? And, ultimately, are we using God’s name and status to attain what we want in life or are we allowing ourselves to be used by God and then reaping the glorious and inevitable benefits? Let’s hope when we are honest we are at least striving for the latter. May that be our goal and may we reap joy from it! Amen.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Mercy, Peace and Love
July 9, 2008
Jude 1:1-2
“Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, To those who are called, who are beloved in God the Father and kept safe for Jesus Christ: May mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance.”
Son of John Lewis, the late former pastor of The First Baptist Church of Raleigh; Son of Tom Hearn the former President of Wake Forest University; Son of Kirby Godsey former President of Mercer University; Son of Bill Stillerman current President of the Baptist Retirement Homes; Daughter of R. G. Puckett, Editor Emeritus of The Biblical Recorder (the newspaper for Baptists in North Carolina); Daughter of Denny Spear, former North Carolina Baptist Pastor and leader during turbulent civil rights struggles in Eastern North Carolina.
All of these people (David Lewis, Tom Hearn, Raleigh Godsey, Todd Stillerman, Janet Wade and Julie Hammond) are members of our church family and are great leaders in their own rights, but in Baptist circles, when I say something about these fine leaders of our church family, I have to utilize the reference points of their fathers in order to communicate how fortunate we are to have these among us!
In the same way, the author of Jude has to establish himself in relation to others that people would know—servant of Jesus Christ and he just so happens to be the brother of the well-known James. It is thought that this Jude is probably Jesus’ brother as well. At this point in Christian history, Jude realizes how well known James has become and introducing himself as a relative of James gives him a new level of credibility.
In the course of this short letter, Jude seeks to correct the teachings of those who have falsely represented the Gospel and like the writing of a thesis paper, his thesis for this letter is wrapped up in three words—mercy, peace and love. This is different from the greetings of Pauline literature with the perpetual, “Grace and Peace to you” extensions. Jude seeks to expand on that and his goal for the letter is that by its conclusion, if it is to make a difference in the lives of the people then mercy, peace and love will become more evident than ever in their relationships.
These short verses raise a variety of seemingly scattered questions. I think we are invited to examine, first, how we define ourselves. What level of credibility must we gain among other Christians in order to set theological perspectives straight? Is it even worth the effort in our modern day to attempt what Jude is attempting here? Certainly, we have false teachers among our culture! Do we just let them be? What about these issues of mercy, peace and love? How do we practice these and what merit do they really have?
Hopefully, Jude will take us toward some profound answers. Though, we must remember, that in a book this short there is little ground that he can cover theological speaking. There simply isn’t enough time and space for great depth so from the get-go as readers we are invited to a posture of grace toward our author!
Wishing you mercy, peace and love as we begin another chapter of the journey!
Jude 1:1-2
“Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, To those who are called, who are beloved in God the Father and kept safe for Jesus Christ: May mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance.”
Son of John Lewis, the late former pastor of The First Baptist Church of Raleigh; Son of Tom Hearn the former President of Wake Forest University; Son of Kirby Godsey former President of Mercer University; Son of Bill Stillerman current President of the Baptist Retirement Homes; Daughter of R. G. Puckett, Editor Emeritus of The Biblical Recorder (the newspaper for Baptists in North Carolina); Daughter of Denny Spear, former North Carolina Baptist Pastor and leader during turbulent civil rights struggles in Eastern North Carolina.
All of these people (David Lewis, Tom Hearn, Raleigh Godsey, Todd Stillerman, Janet Wade and Julie Hammond) are members of our church family and are great leaders in their own rights, but in Baptist circles, when I say something about these fine leaders of our church family, I have to utilize the reference points of their fathers in order to communicate how fortunate we are to have these among us!
In the same way, the author of Jude has to establish himself in relation to others that people would know—servant of Jesus Christ and he just so happens to be the brother of the well-known James. It is thought that this Jude is probably Jesus’ brother as well. At this point in Christian history, Jude realizes how well known James has become and introducing himself as a relative of James gives him a new level of credibility.
In the course of this short letter, Jude seeks to correct the teachings of those who have falsely represented the Gospel and like the writing of a thesis paper, his thesis for this letter is wrapped up in three words—mercy, peace and love. This is different from the greetings of Pauline literature with the perpetual, “Grace and Peace to you” extensions. Jude seeks to expand on that and his goal for the letter is that by its conclusion, if it is to make a difference in the lives of the people then mercy, peace and love will become more evident than ever in their relationships.
These short verses raise a variety of seemingly scattered questions. I think we are invited to examine, first, how we define ourselves. What level of credibility must we gain among other Christians in order to set theological perspectives straight? Is it even worth the effort in our modern day to attempt what Jude is attempting here? Certainly, we have false teachers among our culture! Do we just let them be? What about these issues of mercy, peace and love? How do we practice these and what merit do they really have?
Hopefully, Jude will take us toward some profound answers. Though, we must remember, that in a book this short there is little ground that he can cover theological speaking. There simply isn’t enough time and space for great depth so from the get-go as readers we are invited to a posture of grace toward our author!
Wishing you mercy, peace and love as we begin another chapter of the journey!
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Choosing Obedience
July 2, 2008
Philemon 1:21-25
“Confident of your obedience, I am writing to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say. One thing more—prepare a guest room for me, for I am hoping through your prayers to be restored to you. Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends greetings to you, and so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas and Luke, my fellow workers. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.”
Have you ever met a really manipulative person? Manipulative and controlling people will use any angle they can find to accomplish whatever it is that they want. It would be easy for us to see Paul in that fashion. The words “confident of your obedience” at first glance suggest that kind of perspective that says, “I know you will do what I tell you to do or else there will be consequences.” This perspective aims at instilling fear in other people.
But that is not at all the perspective that Paul is trying to communicate. Paul is not that way because Paul has a strong relationship with God in which he understands that fear is not from God but love. So we are invited instead to see his words as a simple affirmation that suggests, “I know that you will do this because I know your heart.” Paul does know Philemon’s heart. They are close friends and they cherish each other’s opinions. Paul has been Philemon’s spiritual leader and he knows that a strong bond of trust exists between them. This perspective is rooted in love and his words that Philemon should prepare a guest room for him simply suggest an affirmation of that relationship. There is no doubt here that Philemon will do the loving thing, the right thing and the radical thing of freeing Onesimus one way or another because Philemon, like Paul, is a man of God’s love.
To me this passage is about where we choose to place our obedience. The oppressive, power hungry people of our lives like for us to believe that our obedience belongs with them and to them. Maybe you have people in your life like that. Maybe there are places that you are placing your obedience that don’t feel right to you but you know not where else to place it. This passage is a call to place our obedience with God, to always allow God to be our default and in the face of difficult decisions to trust that in our obedience to God the right paths for our lives will unfold. My prayer for us is that we will have the strength to lend our obedience to God in all things and that God will bring an ease to our lives for our faithfulness. May it be so! Amen.
Philemon 1:21-25
“Confident of your obedience, I am writing to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say. One thing more—prepare a guest room for me, for I am hoping through your prayers to be restored to you. Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends greetings to you, and so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas and Luke, my fellow workers. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.”
Have you ever met a really manipulative person? Manipulative and controlling people will use any angle they can find to accomplish whatever it is that they want. It would be easy for us to see Paul in that fashion. The words “confident of your obedience” at first glance suggest that kind of perspective that says, “I know you will do what I tell you to do or else there will be consequences.” This perspective aims at instilling fear in other people.
But that is not at all the perspective that Paul is trying to communicate. Paul is not that way because Paul has a strong relationship with God in which he understands that fear is not from God but love. So we are invited instead to see his words as a simple affirmation that suggests, “I know that you will do this because I know your heart.” Paul does know Philemon’s heart. They are close friends and they cherish each other’s opinions. Paul has been Philemon’s spiritual leader and he knows that a strong bond of trust exists between them. This perspective is rooted in love and his words that Philemon should prepare a guest room for him simply suggest an affirmation of that relationship. There is no doubt here that Philemon will do the loving thing, the right thing and the radical thing of freeing Onesimus one way or another because Philemon, like Paul, is a man of God’s love.
To me this passage is about where we choose to place our obedience. The oppressive, power hungry people of our lives like for us to believe that our obedience belongs with them and to them. Maybe you have people in your life like that. Maybe there are places that you are placing your obedience that don’t feel right to you but you know not where else to place it. This passage is a call to place our obedience with God, to always allow God to be our default and in the face of difficult decisions to trust that in our obedience to God the right paths for our lives will unfold. My prayer for us is that we will have the strength to lend our obedience to God in all things and that God will bring an ease to our lives for our faithfulness. May it be so! Amen.
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