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Beyond Spiritual Growth

The purpose of life is not spiritual growth.  Spiritual growth is a means, not an end.

Most of us need so much work when we come to Christ that the refurbishment and restoration process dominates the agenda and our thinking, for years. This process is so important, so complicated, so personal, so powerful and such a work of God’s grace that after a while I got to thinking of spiritual growth and renewal as being the main thing, or even the only thing. It’s not.

Important, to be sure. Essential, even. But not the raison d’être.

“Moses my servant is dead.” Such was the abrupt, astonishing and perplexing first recorded introductory phrase when God began speaking directly to Joshua.

“Moses my servant is dead,” so started God’s call and challenge to Joshua. An era has closed. A new one has begun. “Now, therefore, arise, cross this Jordan, you and all this people.”

Moses was the main event for the preceding 40 years. He led. Joshua followed. Moses was the mentor; Joshua was the mentee, the apprentice. Moses did. Joshua watched and assisted. No more.

As a young adult, Joshua joined Caleb to stand against the tide of overwhelming popular opinion and societal pressure. Joshua and Caleb believed. Besides Moses, not one person in the entire nation did.

And then forty years passed. Through Moses, God inaugurated the tabernacle, the covenant and ordinances of sacrifice and the Law, and an entire nation and worship culture. For those 40 years, Joshua watched. He was in training.

But now: Moses my servant is dead.

The purpose of training is not to be trained. It is to step forward and use that training; to do the work of the ministry.

Ephesians 4 outlines equipping the saints. Equipping the saints is not the end goal. It is an intermediate goal. The end goal is for the saints to do the work of ministry.

At some point the season of preparation ends, and the season of doing begins.

My Grandfather, wealthy in good humor and good heart, but not so much in things financial, found an old rusty cross-cut saw blade. It did not even have a handle. With his characteristic persistence, he went to work grinding off the rust down to the steel core. He sharpened each one of the 208 teeth. Each one had to be individually filed, and bent to one side of the blade, alternating from the tooth before and after. Finally, he bolted on a new handle, and the tool of choice went into the tool box (which he had built).

But it did not stay there. Nor did it go on a pedestal or museum, worthy though it was. It went to work. On countless projects, big and small. He and my Dad (with my small hands in the way) built a full-scale play house, a room addition, fences, custom corner moldings, step stools and toy boxes for kids, and an automotive console cup and storage holder decades before plastic versions became ubiquitous.

The purpose of the saw was not to be restored. It was to cut things.

It took a while. Abraham Lincoln is attributed as saying that if he had eight hours to cut down a tree, he’d use six hours to sharpen his ax. It’s a worthy lesson, even if slight hyperbole.

Preparation and education are not to be undervalued. They are essential. But they are a launch pad, not a dock.

My risk is not to undervalue preparation, it is to get stuck there.

There comes a time when the preparation stage ends. It may or may not be closer to the end of one’s life than the beginning. One size does not fit all. For me, it is at 55 years of age, coincidentally about the same age Joshua was. It truly is coincidental, because there is no universal timetable, no calendar. Moses was 80. Abraham was 90+. Samuel and David were teenagers. The Apostle Paul spent 17 years in isolation and preparation after a lifetime of rigorous religious training and then his conversion. One notable example was 30.

It’s not that preparation, training and spiritual growth should ever stop. They just stop being the priority. I am to be a lifelong learner. And even during those preparation years, part of the preparation is to be doing, to be training in action, with a certain amount of on the job training, hopefully under effective supervision. Training and doing coexist. But there comes a day when the lead changes from training to doing. Moses my servant is dead. The saw is sharpened. It’s time to get baptized and change some water into wine.

Our Father has invested a lot in us. He has a purpose for us. His initial purpose may have been to rescue, to redeem, to restore, to cleanup, to prepare, to educate, to train, to equip. But at some point the purpose is to go!

Moses my servant is dead. Now get up. Get going. Be strong and courageous. Take the land. Lead. Do.

SawI still have that saw, more than 50 years later. I still use it to cut things. The steel could use another polishing. And I wish my Grandfather was here to re-sharpen those 208 saw teeth. But those initial tedious hours he spent putting that saw into serviceable condition still make that saw what it is, a powerful, useful tool. As much as I treasure it and admire what it represents of my Grandfather’s thrift, and industry, I keep that saw where it belongs, not under glass, but in my tool collection, ready to be used on the next project, whether by me or the next generation or few. He would want it no other way.

In a large house there are not only gold and silver vessels (utensils, gear, tackle, implements, or tools), but also vessels of wood and clay, some for valuable, honorable and noble purposes, and some for ignoble, base or dishonorable ones. If one cleanses himself or herself from what is ignoble and dishonorable, he or she will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, set apart, useful to the Master, ready for every good work. 2 Timothy 2:20-21.

Moses my servant is dead …

~~~

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Jesus and the Accused Woman

Jesus went in the evening to the Mount of Olives. Early in the morning, Jesus came again into the temple. A crowd gathered around Him. Jesus sat down and began to teach them.

The Scribes, the expositors of religious law, and the Pharisees, who attempted zealous compliance with it, brought a woman caught in adultery. They set her in the center. They said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act. Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. What do you say?”

They said this to test Him, that they might be able to accuse Him of something.

But Jesus stooped down. With his finger, Jesus wrote on the ground.

They persisted in asking Him. Jesus straightened up and said to them, “He who is without sin, throw the first stone.” Again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. When they heard this, they went out one by one, beginning with the oldest ones first.

Jesus was left alone, and the woman in the middle of the crowd.

Jesus stood up. He saw no one but the woman. “Ma’am, where are your accusers? Has no one accused you?” “No one, Lord,” she replied. “Neither do I accuse you. Go and sin no more.” John 8:1-11

 

Jesus’ Posture

  • Jesus sits down, the posture of a rabbi, a teacher.
  • Jesus stoops down, lowering Himself, in humility. Jesus’ position on the ground is in solidarity and identification with the woman cast there, in contrast to the accusers towering over both of them. It is His kenosis, emptying Himself, described in Philippians 2. It was as if to say, if you will stone her, you must stone Me.
  • Jesus stands up, a posture of her defender. Jesus speaks wisdom directly. Jesus is humble, not weak.
  • Jesus stoops again, writing on the ground. He maintains His position, both physically and in his attitude in His exchange with the accusers, of strength, humility and wisdom.
  • Finally, Jesus stands up to speak to the woman. Jesus stands in place of those who had been standing in authority, domination and accusation. Now they have fled. Jesus stands in authority, but not to accuse, not to dominate, not to condemn, and not to use her for an agenda. Jesus stands to take authority over the situation to refute the atmosphere of accusation, spectacle and shame. Jesus authoritatively commands grace, forgiveness and freedom. The accusers brought her as a captive. Jesus rises in authority, power and dignity to set her free.

What Does Jesus Write?

Wouldn’t we love to know. Some have speculated that Jesus was writing the sins of the accusers, and that is why they disbursed. But is this consistent with the Jesus we see revealed in the rest of Scriptures? Is it like Jesus to keep a log of sins, to throw them back in one’s face at the opportune time? Not so. Throughout scripture, God promises to remove our sins, to cover our sins, to separate us from our sins as far as the east is from the west, to remember our sins no more.

Would it not be more like Jesus to write words like:

“I understand.”

“I love you.”

“I forgive you.”

“I accept and receive you.”

“Cast your cares on Me.”

“I who know no sin will become sin on your behalf.”

“I will shed My blood for you.”

“I will die for you.”

“Come follow me.”

Jesus Sees Only the Woman.

“When Jesus had raised Himself up [He] saw no one but the woman.” John 8:10b (NKJV) (curiously, some English translations omit this phrase, which is in the Greek). The accusers leave the woman and Jesus in the middle of a crowd in a public place. Jesus lifts his eyes, but he no longer sees the crowd he was teaching that morning before the commotion of the accusers arrived. He sees only one person, she who was formerly accused.

She is likely lying on the ground, cast there by her accusers, disheveled and disoriented. Her accusers have drug her into a very public place, a religious place. She has been tagged with a scarlet letter, two, actually: an “A” for adultery, and an “S” for shame. She has been deliberately shamed, and she looks every bit of it.

Jesus sees only her. Her. Not her appearance. Not her disarray. Not what she was accused of. Not her past.

Not her shame.

Only … her.

But He also sees her pain and distress, and He speaks into it.

Jesus Dispels Accusation

“Where are your accusers,” Jesus asked the woman. “Does no one accuse you any longer?” “No, not even one.”

Jesus’ ministry is not just to liberate the condemned, it is to silence the condemnation. He does not just excuse punishment for the indictment, He cancels the indictment. Jesus does not just defend against the accusation, He stops the accusation. There is never a guilty verdict from which to be exonerated. The trial never proceeds.

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Who is the one who condemns? It is Christ Jesus who died, rather was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who intercedes for us.

Where are my accusers? There are none. Not even one.

The Woman’s Response.

Her response is remarkably brief. There are no words of repentance or contrition. No admission of guilt. No request for forgiveness. No plea for mercy. No appeal for justice. No commitment to change, to turn over a new leaf, to do better. No apology. No sinner’s prayer. Or is there?

She called Him “Lord.” Master. A salutation of honor. A recognition of status and authority. An expression of respect – and submission.

The woman could have been hard, cynical or rebellious. Who were these men to shame her so? Who was this itinerant Teacher in whose presence she was cast, and what right had he to pass judgment on her or decide her fate?

With one word, her heart was revealed not to be resistant, but surrendered. “Lord.”

This was all the permission the Lord of Life needed to bring grace and healing to this broken soul.

Jesus Frees Into New Life

“Go,” Jesus pronounces. This is not banishment, but release.

This release was both from condemnation and shame, and into freedom, empowerment and life. Just as a key frees a captive from bondage, it also grants entry into an abode.

The statement coupled with it, “sin no more,” invokes the possibility, the expectation, and the power at Jesus’ word that life free from the power of sin can actually be lived. Jesus does not send the woman back to her old life. He releases her into a new life of freedom and purity, a radical reversal.

For He has delivered us from the dominion, the domination, the oppression of darkness. And he has brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves, in whom we have forgiveness and redemption from sin. He has delivered us out of a dominion, and into a kingdom, not another dominion. A dominion is oppressive. It is ruled by an oppressor, a despot. A kingdom has order and authority, but with a King like Jesus it is also a place of peace, freedom, vitality and life.

Jesus’ saying “go” was also saying “come.” Come in to My way of living, My Kingdom. Come to freedom. Come to life. Come to dignity. Come to freedom from shame. Come to Me.

Conclusion

Jesus stoops down to my distress. He stands with authority to deliver. He sees me, not my shame. He sees with eyes filled with grace. He cancels the indictment.

He says “go.” And He says “come.”

~~~

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Work. Transformed.

Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on him the Father, God has set his seal.” John 6:27

Every day I work for food that perishes. Every. Day.

Every day, I do the very thing Jesus says not to do.

What is Jesus calling me to? How should it be different?

1.            Jesus Triumphs Over Finite Resources

Therefore Jesus, lifting up His eyes and seeing that a large crowd [large enough to fill a professional sports arena] was coming to Him, said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these may eat?” This He was saying to test Philip, for Jesus himself knew what he was intending to do.

Philip answered him, “Two hundred denari [a year of wages] worth of bread is not sufficient for them, for everyone to receive a little.”

Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, “There is a lad here with five barely loves and two fish, but what are these for so many people?” …

He distributed to those who were seated; likewise also of the fish, as much as they wanted. … So they gathered … up … twelve baskets with fragments … left over … . John 6:5-13

I fret over limited resources. Time. Money. People. Jesus doesn’t.

The task and need are enormous. How am I to do the work of God when the need is so vast and what I have to offer is so small? Where am I to buy bread? And if there was a place, a year of wages will not make a dent. What are these meager resources I have on hand for so many people with such great needs.

Jesus tested Philip. He tests me.

When we are employed in Jesus’ task, the result is always such abundance that there are leftovers, and even the leftovers are abundant.

The work Jesus calls me to is not limited by resources I see. The work Jesus calls me to is to obey His word to do whatever is my small part, and to entrust the results to Him.

2.            Jesus Triumphs Over Threats, Obstacles and Challenges

16 Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, 17 and after getting into a boat, they started to cross the sea to Capernaum. It had already become dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. 18 The sea stirred up because a strong wind was blowing. 19 Then, when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near to the boat; and they were frightened. 20 But He said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” 21 So they were willing to receive Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going. John 6:16-21

The wind, the waves and the tide are all against me. I cannot make forward progress, at least not without fatiguing labor. Even then, progress is tedious and incremental. Rowing three or four miles.

Because it is dark. And Jesus has not yet come.

Jesus arrives. His presence is so unnatural, so supernatural, that it is terrifying. My fear of Jesus and how He will change things outweighs the distress of my dire circumstances.

I am on the horns of a dilemma. Am I willing to receive Jesus into my boat? Into my work? Will He judge me? Change me or circumstances in ways I don’t like?

The unfamiliar can be fearsome. But this is Jesus we are talking about. He came to save, not judge.

Laborious work was part of the curse. Work, as it was intended and to which Jesus now transforms it, is joy filled and Spirit powered.

I need to get over my fear of the unfamiliar and the power Jesus will bring.

I need to let Jesus into my boat. Into my work.

3.            Jesus Transforms Work from Perishable to Eternal

“Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on him the Father, God has set his seal.” John 6:27

“Will work for food.” Jesus says don’t bother. That food will not last, anyway. It is perishable. It will become moldy. Even if it is eaten while fresh, I will become hungry again. It is transitory, at best.

Jesus offers different food, food which endures to eternal life.

Jesus introduces a paradox. I am to “work” for this food which He “gives” me. I do not work for gifts. Jesus calls me to change my thinking from working for food, or a result, to working for Him. The food He knows I need He will give as a gift. And His gift will not become stale, moldy, or insufficient. The food He gives will endure to eternal life. Because the food He gives is Himself.

4.            Jesus Transforms Work from Labor to Faith

“What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?” Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” … John 6:28-29

This is the perennial question. What shall I do? What career path shall I choose? What field, skill or industry? Having settled on a career, will I work for myself or an employer, and if so, which one?

Even for God, what would he have me do?

There is a comfort about such thinking. It keeps me in control. What am I to do? If someone will just tell me, then I can control the outcome. Control is the name of the game.

Jesus’ answer: change doing to believing. Change the object from my feeble effort to control the result and outcome, to trusting Him. Trust does not seem like work to me. But trusting, believing, is exactly the “work” that is the work of God.

Being precedes doing. Believing is the doing, the work, that is the work of God.

5.            Jesus Is Not Merely the Source of Life, He Is Life Itself

30  “What then do You do for a sign, so that we may see, and believe You? What work do You perform? 31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread out of heaven to eat.’”

32 Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread out of heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven. 33 For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world.”

34 Then they said to Him, “Lord, always give us this bread.” 35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst. …

“LORD! To whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life.” John 6:30-35, 68

This final transformation is for Jesus to upend the goal, the object of my work. Jesus does not change just how I work (trusting in His unlimited resources, receiving His supernatural victory over obstacles, converting temporal work to eternal, trusting rather than laboring), He changes the goal, the object, the sought for result.

I focus on the outcome. Jesus wants me to focus on Him.

Jesus does not just offer better bread. He Himself is the Bread. This is why I can never work hard enough or skillfully enough to earn it, to earn Him.

Work, both the verb and the noun, are transformed. How I am to work is transformed. And the nature of my work is transformed.

Work I must. But in a wholly different way; a holy different way. And for a completely different purpose. Not for a result. But for a Person.

SUMMARY

Work. Transformed.

  1. When I face limited resources -I will obey my instructions and leave the result to Jesus.
  2. When I face threats and obstacles -I will accept Jesus into the “boat” of my circumstances and challenges.
  3. When I find myself working for “perishable food” -I will work for Jesus, and trust Him to provide for my needs as a gift.
  4. When I find myself trying to control the outcome by my own efforts -I will believe in Him whom God has sent.
  5. When I find myself working for the purpose of bread, for provision, or for a result -I will seek Jesus Himself.
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Prove It

You may not believe Jesus rose from the dead.  You may not believe in Jesus at all.  “Prove it” is a fair response.

That was Thomas’ response.

But Thomas, one of Jesus’ original twelve disciples, was not with them when Jesus came, risen from the dead.  The other disciples were saying to him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”

Thomas was one of Jesus’ first followers.  He was part of Jesus’ inner circle.  He had lived and traveled with him for three years.  Jesus had specifically told them in advance he would die and then be raised from the dead.

But Thomas was also an empiricist.  He wanted tangible, experiential, reproducible proof.  And he wanted it personally.  He was not willing to take someone else’s word for it, even from those close to him.

“Prove it,” said Thomas.

Fine.

After eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them.  Jesus came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.”

Then He said to Thomas, “Reach here with your finger, and see my hands; and reach here your hand and put it into my side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing.”  Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”  Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen me, have you believed?  Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.”

Jesus gave no rebuke.  No abstract theological argument.  No criticism.  No judgment.  Just proof.  The very proof that Thomas was asking for.

Sincere questions are always welcome.

Intellectual integrity requires that the request for proof be genuine.  That is, one legitimately asking for proof must in fact be open to it.  This is the difference between legitimately asking for proof and just being a scoffer.  One may have doubts.  That’s fair.  Or one may just be a flame thrower, close minded and dogmatic, with whom there can be no productive dialogue.  No amount of proof or reason will be productive if there is not openness to it.

Genuine discourse and dialogue, including between differing points of view, and especially between them, is as valuable as it is rare.  The public square is filled with the din of the bombastic, the rude and the shrill.  From all quarters.

But for those who want it, the call of “come let us reason together” endures.  Dialogue between and among those with varying viewpoints can and should be civil and respectful.  Every sincere comment should have a respectful listening ear, and every sincere question should be given a meaningful answer.

I love that Jesus included at least one doubter among those he called as disciples.  Come to think of it, that probably describes most of us.  Genuine faith usually results only after wrestling with genuine doubts.

What is it that challenges belief for you?  Don’t be afraid to express it.  To engage with others about it.  That is how we all learn and grow.

This site is one place where it is safe to ask.  Respectful comments, including those with different points of view, are welcome.  Indeed, those are the only ones that will be permitted.

Whether here or elsewhere, with someone you trust and respect, or even in private prayer, ask what it is that bothers you.  And don’t be surprised if Jesus shows up to answer.

~~~

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Authentic Worship

What is authentic worship?  This question was put to Jesus by a women in Samaria.  His response answered that question and more.

Therefore when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John (although Jesus Himself was not baptizing, but His disciples were), He left Judea and went away again into Galilee. And He had to pass through Samaria. So He came to a city of Samaria called Sychar, near the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph; and Jacob’s well was there. So Jesus, being wearied from His journey, was sitting thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour.

_2189There came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. Therefore the Samaritan woman said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask me for a drink since I am a Samaritan woman?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” She said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep; where then do You get that living water? You are not greater than our father Jacob, are You, who gave us the well, and drank of it himself and his sons and his cattle?” Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”

The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, so I will not be thirsty nor come all the way here to draw.” He said to her, “Go, call your husband and come here.” The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You have correctly said, ‘I have no husband’; for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; this you have said truly.” The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ); when that One comes, He will declare all things to us.” Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”

…  So the woman left her waterpot, and went into the city and said to the men, “Come, see a man who told me all the things that I have done; this is not the Christ, is it?” They went out of the city, and were coming to Him.  …  From that city many of the Samaritans believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all the things that I have done.”

So when the Samaritans came to Jesus, they were asking Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. Many more believed because of His word; and they were saying to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this One is indeed the Savior of the world.”  John 4:1-42

We love poles.  Which is correct?  Conservative or liberal?  North or South?  AFC or NFC?  Black bear or brown bear?

Experience or creed?  Predestination or free choice?  Catholic tradition or reformation theology?

Samaria or Jerusalem?

In this interchange, Jesus and the woman (I wish I knew her name; it seems so rude to call her “the woman”) enter into a dialogue that is both relational and doctrinal.  Jesus is clearly the initiator.  He initiates out of His needs, fatigue, hunger and thirst.  But even in His needs He begins by shattering prejudicial barriers.

This captures her attention.  She notices.  And she responds.  Already she is coming.  Or is He drawing her?

She starts her series of questions:  how is it that you being a Jew have anything to do with me, a Samaritan, and a woman?  Jesus answers her “how” question, which is a theology question, with a “who” answer.  “If you knew Who it was … .”

The Savior moves from His personal needs to her spiritual ones.  He affirms her ignorance – “if you knew.”  He salts her with “what,” (the gift of God) and, with “who.”  Actually, both the gift and the giver are the same.

It takes her a while to catch up.  Her initial response is to take him literally, mistakenly, still lost in her ignorance.  “Where’s your bucket?”  But Jesus stays on course.

Jesus takes her deeper.  He transits over from the natural to the supernatural.  He speaks of need, of thirst, and one’s efforts to quench it, an effort that is perpetual and temporary every time.  Jesus speaks of one last draught.  One that is not just another temporary slake in an endless series, but one that uniquely becomes something of a completely different character, a well, an endless source.

She’s still a little confused.  But now she’s moved beyond asking how, to asking for the gift Jesus offers.  But she’s still talking about natural water and her daily treks to get it.  Is it confusion, or is she mocking?  In any event, she takes Jesus up on His offer, and asks for this living water.  By asking, perhaps unwittingly, she asks, invites, Jesus into a place in her heart.  He goes there.  He confronts her about her sex life.

This confrontation inspires a doctrinal epiphany, if an incomplete one.  She now knows Jesus as a prophet, an office not occupied for 400 years, superior to the religious elite of the day.

Spunky that she is, and with formalistic barriers now well shattered, she takes advantage of meeting a prophet to present Him with her theological question which has confounded her from the beginning:  what is authentic religious worship?  Her incredulity at Jesus speaking with her came from the conflict between Jews and Samaritans, generations old, that had consigned her and her people (for which she feels quite an affinity, as we see) to marginalized inferiority.  Maybe there is hope?  Maybe this newly discovered prophet will vindicate the Samaritans and confirm they were right all along?  So, Prophet Jesus, which mountain is it?  Where – how – are we to worship?  What is the place, manner and method to approach the living God?  She is what some today might call a “seeker,” theologically inquisitive.  Her inquiry reveals a spiritual hunger and journey.  (And it doesn’t hurt to change the subject away from her sex life.)

Jesus’ answer:  First, the Jews have it right, but that is not the point.  The centuries old traditions of worship of both communities are both about to come to an abrupt close, including by further Roman occupation and destruction of the Temple in 70 AD.

Second, and more importantly, her entire paradigm, her starting point, her assumptions, are wrong.  True worship is not determined by place, which mountain, but by worship that is in spirit and in truth.

Spirit.  Truth.

Experience.  Doctrine.

Relationship.  Orthodoxy.

Spirit without truth risks subjectivity and error.  Truth without spirit risks lifeless rigidity.

These poles are not mutually exclusive.  To the contrary, they are both essential.

As is Jesus’ initiative, and the woman’s response.

Within this dance, clearly the Savior is the one who has initiated the Samaritan Woman’s entrance into life.  As for her response, can one untangle whether it is her own volition or the Savior’s drawing her?  Does it matter?  Must it be one or the other, or could it be both?

As the dance continues, as the relationship deepens, as her experience continues, her theological understanding grows.  She is not initially wrong, just incomplete.  She progresses in her understanding of Jesus from recognizing Him as :

  • Exceptional in His love by transcending barriers of prejudice;
  • A prophet;
  • Messiah; and
  • I AM.

How does she grow in this theological understanding?  Is it Jesus’ revelations to her?  Her diligent study and intellectual application?  Her experience and her relationship with Him?  Can these all really be strained and separated from one another?  Is there any need to?

All of our understanding of God comes from His revelation of Himself to us.

Theology – literally the study of God – is the practical systematization, organization, categorization, and labeling of His revelation of Himself.  Theology is a useful tool.  It is a natural human instinct.  Like all useful tools, it has valuable utility, and is also subject to misuse.  One can use theological systems for life application, further study, exposition, and more.  And, one can use theology for lifeless and pointless debate, and sectarian competition (e.g., Samaria versus Jerusalem; I am of Paul, I am of Apollos, …; I am of Luther, Calvin, Arminius, …).

Theology is a one-way street.  Meaning, God’s revealed truths about Himself, understanding that Truth is first and foremost a Person, flows into our theology, and not the other way around.  We categorize and label God’s revelation.  But once categorized, we cannot lay these systems, doctrines and terminologies back on God or His inspired scriptural revelation.

Our theological understandings must always be held somewhat tentatively, subject to our increasing understanding as God makes Himself known.  This should breed a sense of awe and wonder, and keep our focus on the living God, rather than dogma we would draft and debate about Him.  This approach also reduces certitudes that can divide, and to which no one can properly lay claim.

This is not to suggest at all that theology is relative, subjective, individual, or the like.  God has revealed Himself substantially in His relational experience with humanity, corporately and individually, in nature, and in scripture.  Yet our theology will always be somewhat incomplete, and a little beyond us.  We will simply never be able to fully comprehend God.  But we can know Him, increasingly.

Theology is the valuable and worthwhile study of God.  But it is not God Himself.

Our goal is not theology, it is to know God Himself.

The woman at the well experienced Jesus, and grew in her theology.  Her experience and theological growth came from both her relationship with Him and His expositional statements.

The woman then transmitted both what she had learned, and what she had experienced, to the rest of the town.  They responded, at first to her words, and then as they spent time with Jesus.

So,

“Come, let us return to the Lord.
For He has torn us, but He will heal us;
He has wounded us, but He will bandage us.
2 “He will revive us after two days;
He will raise us up on the third day,
That we may live before Him.
3 “So let us know, let us press on to know the Lord.
His going forth is as certain as the dawn;
And He will come to us like the rain,
Like the spring rain watering the earth.”  Hosea 6:1-3

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Parenting – What’s Marriage Got To Do With It?

Several years ago our kids’ youth pastor asked parents for recommended parenting techniques.  My response is below. 

 For single parents and those who know and love single parents, which is all of us, please see the Epilogue below with respect to single parents. 

 ***

My recommended parenting technique:

have a great marriage.

… walking with Great-Grandparents, married 60 years

The principle that a husband and wife are “one” is familiar to us.

“For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.”  Gen. 2.24.  Jesus repeats, “and the two shall become one flesh; so they are no longer two, but one flesh.”  Mark 10:8.

Why are a husband and wife “one?”  In Malachi 2:25, the Prophet writes:

Has not the LORD made them one?  In flesh and spirit they are his. And why one?  Because he was seeking godly offspring.

The benefits to children from a great marriage abound.

  • DSC_0334.NEFModeling.  It is helpful and influential for kids to have a good model to follow.  It gives a vision and a pattern.  To his spiritual children, the Apostle Paul exhorted, “Be imitators of me.”   Imagine building a building without plans, or cooking something totally new without a recipe.  It can be done, but having a pattern is a great advantage.
  • Security.  Kids derive security from the bond of their parents’ connection and commitment to each other.   Of course security also comes from honesty, trustworthiness, time spent with your kids, honoring and being responsive to your child’s needs, feelings and fears, and healthy boundaries.  And ultimately from God Himself.IMG_0413
  • Nurture.  A husband is to nurture and care for his wife, so that she is “like a fruitful vine within your house,” and “your children like olive plants around your table.”  Ps. 128.3.  But notice the primacy is first the wife, then the kids.
  • Balance.  We are all a little whacked.  We need our spouses to complement and balance us out.  Opposites do attract.  It is not good for man to be alone.  He needs a helper.  In my case that is especially true.  My wife is always the first one aware of when I am off track and how to get me back where I belong, especially in parenting.
  • Grace.  Grace abounds in a good marriage.  We all make mistakes.  Love keeps no record of wrongs.  The availability of grace and forgiveness opens the door to confession, repentance and authenticity.  Judgment and legalism chills those things.  When kids see grace at work in their parents’ marriage, they learn how to recover from mistakes, and that it is safe to do so.
  • Backup.  All critical systems, whether computer systems, automotive safety systems, or families, benefit from backups and redundancy.  If there is a problem with a system – or a parent – there is another solution.  If Mom or Dad is sick, traveling,  distracted or just having a bad day, God has designed for there to be not just an alternate, but a partner who is already in sync and up to speed, to step in and temporarily fill the gap with a minimum of disruption.

There is a great error prevalent in our society that in a family, the kids come first.  It is true that as adults, we parents (collectively) must sacrifice and attend to the needs of children who cannot meet their own needs.  But the family relationship that must come first is the marriage.  The imagery of an airplane oxygen mask is apt.  We first must put the mask on our self and then assist the child.  The reason for this priority is our ability to tend to the needs of our children depends first on our availability to do so.  A strong, healthy marriage makes both Mom and Dad more available to the kids.

The marriage comes first.  In natural terms, the physical union precedes the offspring.  In relational and spiritual terms, that is also true.

When the marriage is given priority and flourishes, loving and effective parenting follows.  If the marriage is placed subordinate to parenting, both suffer.

When the marriage is whole and healthy, that is a great platform from which to face the wonderful, complex, daunting and fulfilling mission of raising precious children.  When the marriage is out-of-order, the foundational (human) relationship in a family is not working.  All other parenting techniques take a back seat to this foundational one.

This is of course not all there is to parenting.  There is vastly more.  But this is the first step, and a very important one.

And there is much more that needs to be said than can be said here such as what makes for a great marriage, what to do if one is not married, and why marriage in the first place.  How can we encourage those married, and perhaps struggling, and the many single parents who especially need our love and support?  Perhaps, you reader, will comment?  Check back for more on these and other topics.

***

Epilogue for single parents:

Many are single parents for all kinds of reasons.  For vast numbers of families, perhaps the majority, including in the Church, children are not being raised by their parents who are married to each other.  Children are often, perhaps most often, raised in single parent or blended family households.

For me to hold out the ideal that parenting is best done by parents who are married to each other, and married well, risks hurting and alienating many excellent, loving parents who are single, never married, or remarried, for whatever reason, including many who are close and precious to me.  It is not my intention to cause pain or offend.  So how should we approach this issue?

None of us ever fully live up to our ideals.  All of us are damaged goods and imperfect people.  Yet this reality is not an excuse to disregard ideals or ever cease striving toward them.

May I suggest we keep these precepts in mind?

It is no coincidence that God promises to be a protector of the widow, and a father to the fatherless, or that James writes that true religion is for us to aid widows and orphans in their distress.  God knows life often does not go according to plan.  For this reason He promises His strength in our weaknesses, and grace that is more than sufficient for our shortcomings.  Rather than call us out, He comes to our aid, and calls us to aid one another.  Let us say, with Paul, that we forget what lies behind and strain forward toward what lies ahead, pressing on toward the upward call in Christ Jesus.

It should come as no surprise that we all fall short of God’s perfect plan in many ways.  But let us not adopt frequent or even typical circumstances as those that are optimum or ideal.  Let us not keep silent in proclaiming and modeling God’s best plan for families, marriages and children, or give in to a silence born out of well-intended but misplaced notions of politeness and sensitivity.  For the sake of the next generation, we must not accept as normal or accept as unavoidable what has gone wrong, but face it, lovingly in God’s grace, and keep striving for the best God has to offer.

Let us encourage marriages, come along side and help single parents, and make the best choices we can in whatever circumstances we find ourselves, with God’s help and strength.

***

 

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What Is Attractive About Jesus?

Now all the tax collectors and “sinners” (irreligious) were coming near Him to listen to Him.  Both the Pharisees and the Scribes grumbled, saying “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”

So He told them [these] parable[s] … a hundred sheep … ten [$100 bills] … two sons … one was lost … found who or what was lost … led to great rejoicing.

Luke 15

Why were the tax collectors and irreligious coming to Him?  Listening to Him?  What was attractive to them about Jesus?

The Pharisees and Scribes’ attitude toward the irreligious was separation, disdain, distance and judgment.  There is nothing attractive about that kind of attitude.

The Pharisees and John the Baptist both insisted on high moral standards. But there was a difference between them.  Crowds thronged to John the Baptist.  To the Pharisees?  Not so much.  What was the difference?

The Pharisees focused on rules for rules’ sake.  This, for example, is what got them in trouble over the Sabbath.  In their zeal for compliance with the Sabbath, they missed the point that the Sabbath was given as gift to bless and edify those who would observe it.  All of the commandments have this object.  The Pharisees lost sight of Who had given the rules and why He had given them, which was to bless the observant, not oppress or enslave them.

John the Baptist was also zealous for righteousness.  (“Bring forth fruit in keeping with repentance.”)  But John the Baptist saw past mere external compliance, which can be hypocritical and deceptive, to the heart.  For John the Baptist, external repentance was not enough.  He called for externally observable behavior that would reveal the heart – generosity (sharing clothing) and forsaking oppression (not over taxing).

The people perceived these differences.

DSC_7819-webEnter Jesus.  Jesus was also zealous for righteousness.  But Jesus  also understood the object of the commandments.  He saw past the externals and saw the heart.  He spoke to this inward condition in the parable of the two men praying, one a self-justified Pharisee, and the other a guilt ridden tax collector (Luke 18:9-14).

Jesus receives sinners.  Now that is an answer to a sinner’s prayer.  It is one thing to receive Jesus (where is that in the Bible?).  What is far more profound is that He receives us.

DSC_6134And they (we) know it.  Prostitutes show up at dinner parties not to solicit, but to worship.  Extortionist tax collectors host Jesus and their extortionist friends.  These, who were farthest from God’s standards of righteousness, were attracted to Jesus, desired to come into His presence, and invited others.  Why?

When Jesus encountered the woman at the well in John 4, He confronted her sin, and did not excuse it.  But He also did not condemn her.  His message to her was not to demand anything of her or from her, not even water, but the converse.  Jesus was the one offering.  To give.  That is Jesus.  A giver.  That is grace.  Giving.

Sinners – all of us – know two things:  1) we are sinners; and 2) we need something we cannot obtain or generate ourselves.  We may not even know what it is we need:  freedom; grace; forgiveness.  Jesus tells us that if we come to Him, He will give, and we will receive.

The woman with the issue of blood, the synagogue ruler with the sick and dying daughter, the centurion with the sick servant, Zachius, blind beggars, the Samaritan women’s towns people, the paralytic carried by his friends, the crowds around the Sea of Galilee, the Garasene demoniac, Mary Magdalene, Herod — everyone wanted to get near Jesus.  Why?  Because somehow, they all knew He had what they wanted and needed.  Grace.  Love.  Acceptance.  Their sin, while not acceptable, was not a barrier.  Not only did their sin not keep them from Jesus, they knew their malady would be cured by Jesus and so they came in spite of it.  Because of it.

How does Jesus’ message get through today?  How would He communicate it through you and me?

Perhaps we need to stop telling people their sin has separated them from God.  Sin didn’t separate anybody from Jesus.

Infirmity, deficiency and need do not disqualify one from receiving, but qualify one.  The sick go to doctors and hospitals.  The hungry go to grocery stores and restaurants.  The needy, when they hear about Jesus, go to Him.

We live in a world that does not acknowledge sin.  This makes proclamation that we have an answer for it uninteresting and irrelevant at best, and smug and vicious at worst.  But everyone has needs, even if not well understood.  How do we let people know they will be welcomed and received by Jesus, regardless of their needs and shortcomings, and will find their needs fulfilled?

In Celebration of Wayne Shuart

“For if you were to have countless tutors in Christ, yet you would not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel.” 1 Cor. 4:15.

Wayne Shuart became a father through the gospel to hundreds if not thousands. I am privileged to be among them. Few in my life have been as influential as Wayne. His words preached the gospel and taught us to be disciples of the Savior. But it was his transparent example that was the most impactful.

Wayne was not clergy. No bible college or seminary. No vestments or titles. Just a real, human, man, who followed Jesus consistently and exceptionally well.

Therein was Wayne’s impact. A model to follow. It was not a course of religiosity, but practical, day to day living for Jesus, in every area of life.

I met Wayne 47 years ago, when he was 38. By then, he had become a successful real estate developer, building quality homes, with no formal education or training. Wayne, his wife Mary, and their partners in ministry Herb and Helen Selby, had started out on college campuses in the 1960s, sharing the gospel of Jesus, and inviting folks into their homes to hear more. Wayne and Mary specially built a basement for 50 or more to gather on a Sunday night for worship and solid teaching, laying foundational truths for a lifetime. The crowd was unrefined, but drank in the love, hospitality, and training.

Their ministry grew to hundreds. When asked if they were a church congregation, their answer was “no, we just fellowship in Jesus.” They encouraged their flock to attend a church. But as the ministry continued to grow, their answer morphed from lower case to upper case into the name for what truly had become a congregation, “Fellowship In Jesus.” Even then, there was no charter, no budget, no building, no sign. Just the essence of worship, biblical teaching, and fellowship.

And most importantly, real relationships. Their gifts of time one on one, in small groups and large ones, mentoring, and discipling.

Wayne had two ministry passions. The first was to share the gospel with everyone he met. He always had a tract at the ready. But it was Wayne’s genuine warmth and kindness that would disarm strangers. He could not wait to share what to Wayne never became stale, and was always the fresh good news, shared with the enthusiasm of one beggar telling another beggar where to find food. Wayne could truly, personally affirm, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.” Romans 1:16

Wayne’s second ministry passion was discipleship. He authored a systematic plan (Wayne was big on systems and plans) of how to disciple others that anyone can use. His vision was exponential increase: if he could personally disciple three for four (he vastly exceeded those numbers), and each of those would disciple three or four more … . His touchstone verse for this was 2 Timothy 2:2: “The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful people who will be able to teach others also.”

Wayne’s other passions were the love of life and partner in ministry, Mary, their daughters, and grandchildren. Wayne’s love and faithfulness toward his family are enduring sculptures of how he modeled living as a godly man.

Wayne believed in good health and nutrition, long before it was a thing, and self-discipline and organization. Most of the rest of us could never live up to those standards. But Wayne loved us anyway, and it was part of what made Wayne, Wayne.

Wayne’s 85 years were very well lived. Parkinson’s’ Disease the last six years of his time on earth, though painful and exhausting, never dampened his spirit.

I miss Wayne. The day after Wayne passed, as I worshiped in church that Sunday morning, I felt Wayne’s presence worshiping with me – him on one side of eternity, and me on the other – but more joined than ever as together we worshiped along with the myriads worshiping before the throne. It was advent. The message for us earthlings was about the hope of God’s redemption, and the coming of his Son to rescue us. I was thinking about Wayne. That message is no longer merely a hope for Wayne. He is now fully experiencing its fulfillment.

While he was among us, Wayne was our encourager. He continues, now among the great cloud of witnesses surrounding us, still encouraging us on, to run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking only at Jesus, the author and perfecter of the faith.