“Pay no attention to that the man behind the curtain (er veil) ….”

“After the reading of the law and the prophets, the officials of the synagogue sent them (Paul and Barnabas) a message, saying, “Brothers, if you have any word of exhortation for the people, give it.”

It’s interesting to read of Paul and Barnabas’ experience in Antioch. They preached this great message from the scriptures in the synagogue at the urging of the leaders there. Started off really good, full of truth, very well crafted, articulate, everything one would expect in a setting like that except for one small problem, they shift the attention away from the law and focus it squarely on God, (Christ) and the free gift of salvation. Why would this be a problem? Paul sums it up in one single line:
“by this Jesus everyone who believes is set free from all those sins from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.”
Right about now you have to wonder if these leaders were questioning their decision to let Paul speak. They were probably expecting Paul to deliver a message that affirmed the law which he did, the history of them as a people and God’s hand upon them which he did, but speaking on favor of the ongoing need for them as leaders to perform all of the functions necessary for the people to maintain a relationship with God and affirming their job security? not quite a yes. Instead Paul says the law has now been fulfilled and for the most part their positions are obsolete. It’s kind of like telling a bunch of union auto workers that the plant is going non union and everybody is on the same level. The union dude who used to weld the chassis is now the same as the guy who cleans the bathrooms (the gentile non union guy). Maybe not quite this way but pretty close. There’s nothing more offensive for the person who’s looked upon as being “above” another by virtue of their position to suddenly not have their standing anymore. In this case Paul was merely speaking the truth, truth intended to set people free by the grace and righteous nature of God as demonstrated through His Son, Jesus. This truth “fulfilled”, is the proof of God’s ongoing promises. Good news! Great news! God is lifted up and exalted! Unless of course it drops your status in the process.

The next sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy; and blaspheming, they contradicted what was spoken by Paul.
It says in this passage that when they (the leaders) saw the people turning towards the message Paul preached and that they wanted to hear more, they became jealous. That’s the key word for sure jealousy. One would think they would criticize Paul for speaking against the “word of God” but it doesn’t it says they were jealous.
The people gathered to “hear the word of the Lord”, but these men couldn’t see nor hear past themselves, so much so they began to (are you ready for this) blaspheme by contradicting what was spoken by Paul. Ouch! Now that’s desperate! Not only that but Paul soon lost his “brother” status, they worked out a plan to drive Paul and his crew out of their midst to keep more people from being converted to the truth. They were willing to come against the very Truth that could set the people free from their sin for the sake of their own egos and standing among men, a very terrible thing you say? indeed, but it still happens today. There’s a very intricate net cast across a large number of God’s people which is used specifically to sustain men’s egos and standing among men. When someone comes into this environment who speaks the truth for the sake of exalting God and the eternal freedom of those who would hear and receive it, the messenger is soon looked upon as a liability and must be either silenced or pushed out. Trust me it happens. And I have, for sure, heard the gospel compromised in this manner for the sake of keeping people from finding true freedom and under the control of the leader.
A young guy, I’m guessing about twenty five years old stopped to talk to me the other day at a coffee shop, I had never met him before but he had noticed something on the screen of my laptop and asked me a question about it. As we talked we covered a lot of topics pertaining to the word of God, not so much the “church” but God, His testimony about himself, truth. He was really interested in some of the insight I brought to his attention from the word which challenged his views on “standard operating procedure”.
Most of what we’re taught regarding God focuses on the individual and what “we’ve” received in Christ rather than on God and his gory, the message is always “me” or “us” as the moral to the story, the closing remarks at the end of the sermon are mostly “you” with a nice smile, slightly tilted head and clasped hands just a few inches away from mid chest, sometimes referred to as the “Olsteen Oratory”. But if you’re a little more charismatic then the final statement is the check book and how God has intended that each passage of scripture is to be fulfilled by the “sending of the check”.
So here’s what happened, this young guy asked if he could take my name and number to contact me later. Ok, no problem. Then he goes on to say that his church has formed a transition team to help them set a new course for the future, how to be more effective in the world and that he had been selected to be on that team. Ok, no problem. He wanted to know if I might be able to come and share with this team (leadership) on some of the things we spoke about. Now I know his pastor and his pastor knows me from having been in weekly pastoral meetings with him and other pastors and I wasn’t looked upon as the most highly coveted person to be around. What I said about church form and function was less than warmly received among pastoral types, I was the non union bathroom guy if you will not a “pastor”.
The truth of the gospel lived out, will always produce fruit because God says it will, the law doesn’t produce fruit only death, because God says it will. The religious leaders of the day liked to maintain control for the most part, it was their “need and their feed”, the gospel allows for freedom through the corporate body in Christ. When the gospel isn’t being preached nothing happens other than attendance, repetitious attendance. Oh sure, there’s a lot of talk about spiritual stuff, learning, discussing, planning and strategizing but nothing more beyond that. When people present the gospel and people respond to it fruit happens, which threatens the institution which lacks any fruitful evidence.
I know this young guy has high hopes and a good vision for what could be, and he may truly want his leadership to hear exciting possibilities in Christ, but I’m hedging my bets the invitation won’t materialize. The sad thing is it really doesn’t involve a lot of effort just a healthy, truthful, fearful, passionate, desire to increase our love and understanding of God on a daily basis, something the religious leaders of Jesus day had either lost or chosen to give up.

Luke 11
“Therefore also the Wisdom of God said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute,’ so that this generation may be charged with the blood of all the prophets shed since the foundation of the world, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it will be charged against this generation. Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge** ; you did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering.” When he went outside, the scribes and the Pharisees began to be very hostile toward him and to cross-examine him about many things, lying in wait for him, to catch him in something he might say.

Proverbs 1:7
** The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

The pattern seems to be that God continues to bring forth truth which is despised and looked upon with much contempt, and it’s messengers are persecuted in hopes that they and their message may be silenced. It happened to the old testament prophets, to Jesus, the new testament apostles and disciples, and we should not expect anything to have changed. There’s a great battle to keep people from hearing, believing and knowing God both among the lost and among those who have been redeemed.

Game On!

The Origin of a Species

For well over the better two thirds of a century there has been a constant effort to instill in the minds of men the case for evolution as a scientific fact, or truth if you will. Many trying to draw a comparison between monkey and man, to some how show that the one belongs to the other and are in fact “of” one another in that they share similar characteristics whether it be behavioral or physical. The debate continues to this day.
Just because a monkey looks like a man and can sometimes appear to walk like a man, wear pants, jackets and perform certain vaudevillian tricks doesn’t make him a man and any bible believing Christian would argue the fact that a monkey is not and man and there is no reason for us to believe other wise. The argument is, that God made man in his own image and has given him a soul through which he can relate to and know God, something a monkey and other living creatures (other than man) lack. BNSV (basic nut shell version).
I agree, and that should settle it in the minds of all of those who believe in the bible. But let me propose an interesting argument for yet another truth which follows a similar premise.
Let’s say a monkey can’t enter the realm of man or even be considered to be like him because they are not in any way a similar “creature” right? The only way a monkey could be considered a man would be through some kind of transformation “by God” to be changed into a new creation (creature). Right? No matter how much time a monkey spends in our house living among us, eating at our table, watching television, driving with us in the car or helping with the household chores to the degree a monkey is able, it can no way be considered to be human just by having proximity to these things. Right?

“Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. He came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.” Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’

“And we speak of these things in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual things to those who are spiritual. Those who are unspiritual do not receive the gifts of God’s Spirit, for they are foolishness to them, and they are unable to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.”

How similar is the flesh man to the spirit man? Is it not true that when a man is “born again” he becomes a new “creation” a different being all together? Let’s say as different as a monkey is from a man? The only way a person is able to be spiritually transformed is to receive, believe and accept the truth of the gospel. The apostle Paul says this, “I have been crucified with Christ and now I live, but not I who live but Christ who lives in me ……” Paul also says, “the man he used to be is gone behold a new man lives instead”. (BNSV)
The death which transforms is found a the cross and it is to that place that every “flesh man” must travel.
I, as a regenerated man, must invite each person who is dead in his transgressions to this place of life, freedom, salvation, regeneration, transformation. Right? Then why is it we invite people to “church” and preach biblical teaching to them void of the gospel message. The things they hear sound foreign to them because they don’t have the spiritual faculties with which to understand nor discern them at all. What tends to happen is after awhile they learn how to “look” like they belong, they talk with words we talk with, hang out with us, eat at the table with us, do spiritual chores just like we do, they learn how to sing, raise their hands in the air, toss checks in the offering plate, they can do a heck of a lot of spiritual things …. just like we do! So heck, let’s make that quantum leap and declare, “That which is born of the flesh is just the same as that which is borne of the spirit!” Just look at what they can do!
“Hey, welcome to the family of God, brother!”
So after a year or so of having a monkey hanging around with us let’s get in the car and let him drive for a change. No? Why not? Oh, he can’t drive …. yeah probably true.
Let’s say on the other hand we need to have a bunch of men who are born of the flesh try to advance the kingdom of God through the power of the holy spirit. No? Why not? Oh … he can’t ….. no power.
I know I ‘m being incredibly facetious but maybe I’ve made a point in all of this. To some degree there is a vast collection of people sitting in pews and cushy chairs who have never made a stated confession to death in Christ and a heart devoted to His Lordship simply because they can’t. Those who are trying desperately to look, think and act like those around them and who (I”m sure), are frustrated beyond words that their hearts and lives just don’t seem to be getting any better no matter how much they go to “church”.

Was it something I said?

“After the reading of the law and the prophets, the officials of the synagogue sent them (Paul and Barnabas) a message, saying, “Brothers, if you have any word of exhortation for the people, give it.”

It’s interesting to read of Paul and Barnabas’ experience in Antioch. They preached this great message from the scriptures in the synagogue at the urging of the leaders there. Started off really good, full of truth, very well crafted, articulate, everything one would expect in a setting like that except for one small problem, they shift the attention away from the leaders and officials and focus it squarely on God, Christ and the free gift of salvation. Why would this be a problem? Paul sums it up in one single line:
“by this Jesus everyone who believes is set free from all those sins from which you could not be
freed by the law of Moses.”
Right about now you have to wonder if these leaders were questioning their decision to let Paul speak. They were probably expecting Paul to deliver a message that affirmed the law which he did, the history of them as a people and God’s hand upon them, which he did, and the ongoing need for them as leaders, who perform all of the functions necessary for the people to maintain a relationship with God, basically affirming their job security, not quite a yes. Instead Paul says the law has now been fulfilled and for the most part their positions are obsolete. It’s kind of like telling a bunch of union auto workers that the plant is going non union and everybody is on the same level. The union dude who used to weld the chassis is now the same as the guy who cleans the bathrooms (the gentile non union guy). Maybe not quite this way but pretty close. There’s nothing more offensive for the person who’s looked upon as being “above” another by virtue of their position, to suddenly not have their position anymore. In this case Paul was merely speaking the truth, a truth intended to set people free by the grace and righteous nature of God as demonstrated through His Son, Jesus. This truth “fulfilled” is the proof of God’s ongoing promises. Good news! Great news! God is lifted up and exalted! Unless of course it drops your status in the process. It says in this passage that when they (the leaders) saw the people turning towards the message Paul preached and that they wanted to hear more, they became jealous.

The next sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. But when the Jews
saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy; and blaspheming, they contradicted what was spoken
by Paul.

It states that the people gathered to “hear the word of the Lord“, but these men couldn’t see nor hear past themselves, so much so that they began to (are you ready for this) blaspheme by contradicting what was spoken by Paul. Ouch! Now that’s desperate! They worked out a plan to drive Paul and his “crew” out of their midst to keep more people from being converted to the truth. They were willing to come against the very Truth that could set the people free from their sin for the sake of their own egos and standing among men. A very terrible thing you say? indeed, but it still happens today. There’s a very intricate net cast across a large number of God’s people which is used specifically to sustain men’s egos and standing. When someone comes into this environment who speaks the truth for the sake of exalting God and freedom for those who would hear and receive it, the messenger is soon looked upon as a liability and must be either silenced or pushed out. Trust me it happens, and I have, for sure, heard the gospel compromised for the sake of keeping people from finding true freedom and under the careful control of the leader.
I had a young guy, I’m guessing about twenty five, stop and talk to me the other day at a coffee shop, we talked for about an hour or so. During that time we covered a lot of topics pertaining to the word of God, not so much the “church” but God, His truth, about himself. He was really interested in some of the insight I brought from the word that challenged his views on “standard operating procedure”.
Most of what we’re taught focuses on the individual and what we have received in Christ rather than on God and his gory. So here’s what happened. He asked if he could take my name and number so he could contact me later. Ok, no problem. Then he says his church has formed a transition team to help them set a new course for the future, how to be more effective etc. and that he was selected to be on that team. Ok, no problem. He wants to know if I might be able to come and share with this team (leadership) on some of the things we spoke about. Now I know his pastor and he knows me from having been in weekly meetings with other pastors and I wasn’t looked upon as the most highly coveted person to be around. What I said about church operation and it’s function was never really warmly received. I was the non union kind of guy if you will.
The truth of the gospel, lived out, will always produce fruit, the law doesn’t. The religious leaders of the day liked to maintain control for the most part. The gospel allows for freedom through the body corporate. When the gospel isn’t being preached nothing happens other than attendance, repetitious attendance. There’s a lot of talking about spiritual stuff, learning, discussing, planning and strategizing but nothing more beyond that. When a person presents the gospel all of the above feels threatened.
I know this young guy has high hopes and a good vision and he may truly want me to come and share with their leadership for what “could be” but I’m hedging my bets the invitation won’t materialize.
Was it something I said?
It’s hard for people to give up what they believe is theirs.

Wednesday Afternoon Quarterback

This will be attempt number two.
Monday morning I attempted to write a few comments on the Super Bowl, covering such topics as the hype of it all, how much I really don’t care about it, the time and energy spent on preparation, commentaries, statistics, and the ever present landfill of professional analysis.
The angle I was going to take was the part the church plays as it relates to the amount of planning it devotes to super bowl parties and how little time it spends preparing for a corporate gathering (considering the fact God’s word says, “where ever two or more are gathered together there I am in their midst”), but after jotting a few very well crafted lines I stopped, tapped my fingers upon my laptop for few minutes, pondered the validity of such a rant, tapped a few more times and finally decided to delete the entire effort and read the bible instead.
Later that day I ran into a man who attends a church in town who told me, “their church had a great super bowl party”. Ok, no problem, but then he told me their pastor raised $4,700 from various congregates in order to have the party. First they had to pay to secure the rights from the television network to “rebroadcast” the game, then it was massive big screen televisions, inflatable toys, clearing out all the seats from the sanctuary so everybody could bring their favorite comfort chair, and let’s not forget the free hot dogs, soda and inflatable play toys. To hear this kinda grated against the area of scripture I had read that morning just after I had decided to delete my first attempt on this subject? Galatians 2: 9,10 the apostles’ charge to Paul and Barnabas as they went out to preach to the gentiles,

” … they gave to Barnabas and me the right hand of fellowship, agreeing that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the
circumcised. They asked only one thing, that we remember the poor, which was actually what I was eager to do.” (nrsv)

Besides the gospel …… there was only one other charge …. ONE! …..
REMEMBER (to continually consider and entertain thought toward someone demonstrated by acts of benevolence in keeping with that thought … )
the POOR (those who have not, and who are suffering daily for lack of basic needs)

Paul ensures this in his response, “which was EXACTLY! ….. what I was EAGER! … to do”.
It would appear Paul, in the midst of his great desire to spread the gospel, had also given the poor much consideration prior to the instruction set forth by the council. He observed the need around him and had a place in his heart, and an attitude to match, that was bent towards the poor.
It’s hard for me to imagine Paul in Rome, setting aside a ton of money for “Coliseum Sunday”, getting everybody pumped to watch the Gladiator Finals, while hoards of people around him were in desperate need of daily provision.

I wonder what it does to the heart of a new convert or a visitor who is trying to keep the bill collectors a bay when they hear pronouncements from the pulpit inviting everyone to the Super Bowl Party right after church when they know these things don’t happen for free. Hey, if I don’t attend that fellowship and I know how much was spent on the event don’t imagine for one minute that figure didn’t spread quickly among those who do attend!

We were sitting in a service at a fellowship who has recently started constructing a new building and I have to say they have given a huge amount above the normal monthly amount in order to get this thing built, one month in particular they gave an additional $100,000. Now it has to be a little disheartening to have the pastor get up in front of the service and pray for the offering making known that they really need to, “have God come through in order to make the month”. What a bummer. Giving so much and it’s not enough because the building is eating up the hug amount which has already been given. There has been plenty of money to given to “make the month”, it’s just been spent on excavation and footings.

It seems the church is always “just getting by” because they keep tapping the tithing well to pay for things that actually create more debt and long term, fixed overhead. I’ve come to realize though this is nothing new, we were in Mexico and walked through a church built by the Germans several hundred years ago and I have to say it was HUGE and incredibly detailed. Now I know how much this area of Mexico has developed in just the last fifty years, so I can just imagine what it must have been like several hundred years ago when this church was going up, there was probably next to nothing for miles yet here you have this Empire State Building of a church spiraling up towards the sky dwarfing everything in the hemisphere! (no wonder the statues of all the saints look so sad). I can just imagine the nuns trying desperately to feed the poor hungry orphans in the shadow of this massive, gold gilded, marble encrusted, witness of God’s unfailing ability to provide for all my needs.

I talked with a man this week who went to a church he has attended for several years to ask them for assistance with some financial concerns, unfortunately they were not able to help him stating “there was very little money in their benevolence fund”, but fortunately they have this really cool, brand new sanctuary for him to praise and worship God in on Sundays (now that has to help take the edge off a little bit).

There are those who preach, “you can never out give God”, and I believe that’s true, but I also believe they’re also the ones who are always trying to out spend God while attempting to live out the mantra, “It is better to spend, once you have received.”

Felines and Other Lines

I’ve found over the span of a life time of nearly fifty years that people don’t always mean what they say. No big deal, it’s just a fact.
I often (sarcastically) say, “I believe half of what people say and doubt the rest”. That’s not to say I have no faith in people just that very few actually mean what they say, not in the day to day conversations pertaining to “stuff” but more so in the words which find their validity through demonstrative action.
The few I do believe in (what they say) are those I tend to participate with. I hang out with them, help them with things when they ask me to or participate in joint efforts together and we do dinner when we can. The rest? I politely listen to them knowing nothing will ever become of what they just said. It’s not a bad thing just a learned principle that keeps me from wasting my time on dead ends.

Anyway.

Just a little story about the difference between saying what you believe to be true and doing what you believe to be true.

I had a cat, Millie, (cool cat) our daughter brought her home when the cat was just a few weeks old.
“We were not going to have another animal, especially a cat”, was my bold objection from the living room couch. But undaunted our daughter placed the little beggar on my lap and it took to me right away. I had to go out to the barn and get something for my wife so I hoisted this little wad of meowing fur up on my shoulder and away we went. From that point on the cat was pretty much mine, where I went around our property the cat went. Every morning we would race to the barn. (I always won, but I know the cat backed off in the last few yards or so). Even when we moved into the city the cat would hang with me when I was outside doing projects, it would walk with me to the mail box and believe it or not we played hide and seek in the yard, each taking turns being “it”. (my wife couldn’t believe it, she’d just smile and shake her head).

This last December I noticed the cat hadn’t been around for a few days. I really wasn’t to concerned about it but just the same it wasn’t normal. On a thursday a lady came up to me at Starbucks and asked me if I owned a grey cat, I said, “yes I do”. She then proceeded to tell me that she had noticed a cat jump out of the back bed of my pickup truck at the intersection just two blocks from where we now were, I had been sitting at a traffic light and it jumped out, running towards an area where new construction was being done. She was in her car at the same light and saw my cat jump out of my truck. Unfortunately this had occurred two days earlier, it happened on tuesday and she was now telling me on thursday. Needless to say after looking throught the surrounding neighborhoods everyday for three weeks I never found the cat.

Her comment to me fits the category I mentioned earlier. “I’m so sorry. I was so concerned and I wanted to make sure you knew”. (Let me insert a comment here, my truck has my cell phone number on both doors and my web address across the entire tailgate)

Second story. Our son-in-law’s brother and his wife were out walking their dog in a large park along the river, a larger dog scared their dog and it took off from the couple (she lost her grip on the leash) the large dog chased it off into the thick brush and woods. Needless to say after looking for hours and the sun quickly setting they had to give up the search. The dog was missing for about a week in the snow and cold weather. But I received a phone call letting me know someone had found their dog. Here’s the short story: A park worker saw something ahead on the path went to inquire and noticed it was a dog. (a small greyhound variety) Believing it was lost he took it home and showed it to his wife, she then called her sister who said they should look in the paper, sure enough they saw the ad for the lost dog, called the couple, asked for a description and the owners were reunited with the dog.
The difference? Well first let’s set aside the fact the owners placed an add for the lost dog (no one hardly ever places an add for a lost cat because cats never look lost, but dogs do, they’re pretty obvious, but not cats?). We did however put up fliers in the area.
The difference is, the park worker cared and acted upon his concern, the lady who saw my cat didn’t do anything, there was no action associated with her concern for what was clearly happening. She could have easily gotten the phone number off of my truck or honked to get my attention and I could have gone back within a few minutes and possibly found the cat still in the area.
I ran into a guy at Starbucks who heard I had lost my cat (friends know friends who know kids who know etc …….) He said he actually knew the lady and that she felt so bad that I had lost my cat. I told him “no she wasn’t”. He was stunned, stating that he knew this woman and he assured me she really was the kind to be very concerned. But I assured him there’s a difference.
When I had heard that the couple had lost their dog I expressed my concern from a position of “detached” responsibility. Concern from a distance is a legitimate concern I wasn’t there and am limited to offering nothing more than a verbal consolation. But the park worker saw a situation and his assessment raised concern and he acted upon it based on his proximity to the situation. He could then say, “I was concerned”. To see the dog and walk away would have clearly been an act of non concern, knowing the dog would remain in a situation the man clearly assessed as being “not good” This lady on the other hand really has no place to say, “I was concerned”, if she were honest the more accurate thing to say was, “I didn’t care”. I saw something happening that didn’t look good and I failed (or chose not) to act on it”. Look, we’re not talking about having to run into a burning building or confront a bank robber, just a little bit of effort.
I remember a song in the early seventies, I don’t know who sang it but one verse went something like this

I look outside my window, there’s a woman being grabbed,
She’s dragged into the bushes and now she’s being stabbed.
Maybe I should call the cops and stop this awful thing,
but Monopoly is so much fun I’d hate to spoil the game
cause it really doesn’t interest, anybody, inside my small circle of friends.

The park guy “acted” on his concern. It took both time and effort driven by a simple understanding that something was wrong and he could act to make it right. (or at least try). Immediate concern causes us to think of and give consideration to others for their sake. Failing to act demonstrates a kind of selfishness and is a fairly good indicator of the kind of person you’re really dealing with. It’s not one hundred percent but it’s pretty darn close. Unfortunately I see this a lot. However, acting on concern has its advantages; accomplishments, new friendships, and to some degree it gives witness to what we’re really made of. I prefer walking away from a situation knowing I took the time to make a difference for someone which could have otherwise been a real drag for them if I hadn’t. I’ve been late getting to some places, dirty, out a little money and once or twice been susceptible to being hurt when I saw someone being beat up but my tendency is to get involved and I’ve never regretted it. I tend to care, which is why I still drive slow through certain neighborhoods of West Salem hoping to just maybe spot a cat who likes to play hide and seek.