Sermon on the Mount - Can't be legalized.

The sermon on the mount can't be legalized, its almost completely internalized. What does externalizing a religious ethic lead you toward? Hypocrisy, an outward show of religion that is deficient of internal spirituality. Now I think freedom in Christ is a little bit different than we would expect. I can do anything, but for internal and not purely external reasons I choose not to do certain things. It comes down to where my love is at, and what I let into my heart.

God sees in secret. God sees deep into our heart and knows all our secrets. God knows what we do in private. This is not a covenant of works, but a covenant of love. This is not a covenant of self-denial, this is a covenant of love asking, 'where is your heart at when you do these things.' I'm not trying to earn God's love, but in the understanding of God's love I so desire to love like God. How is this not a religion of denying self, a stoic ethic? Because I know when I let the wrong things into my heart, they compete for my love of God. Therefor I don't desire the same things I once desired. A stoic ethic is much like a purification ethic, but because God sees deep into our hearts and convicts, I'm not doing this alone, I'm doing this through God's love. I don't have to be dependent on myself, I just have to seeking, keep following after Jesus because that's where my heart is leading me. I want to be a disciple, and I don't have to explain all the mysteries.

Oddly, many who reject Christianity know deep down in their hearts that only God can judge. They are aware of a higher accountability, but it doesn't lead them anywhere.

God sees in secret.

I was once extremely skeptical of the high number of  pew sitters in church, but perhaps they knew something I didn't. Living a servant life is not summed up as a Sunday morning exercise of volunteering. This was indeed my entry point, and I would not persuade a person away from activity in church. God sees in secret what you do when you leave church. God is right there. My service in church doesn't earn me any favor, nor is it an indicator of what God is seeing in secret. But my service in church has encouraged growth on many levels, and often in times of lament it has reminded me of how close God is. I've come to realize that being a servant happens in many ways throughout the week.

The pew sitters are there because they've responded to something, and we need to keep that in mind. Our local church many not be complete enough to utilize the servant gifts of the pew sitter. 

What else may the pew sitters know? 

There is something more to the Christian life than a public display of religious activity. So I have to check myself to make sure that I'm not being a hypocrite. Am I on stage for the right reasons? Have I received my reward? I don't know what rewards has the pew sitter has stored up in heaven if it's things in secret that play a role in defining who we are with God. Perhaps this is one of the reasons Jesus warns us not to judge, and why Paul warns against comparative spirituality. Don't be so high on yourself for what you've done in public, and what you see in public, for God sees in secret.

The danger occurs when you're been playing the game for so long that you no longer realize you're playing it, and this gives way to the worst kind of hypocrisy.  It's even dangerous when you've inherited the game, thinking this is normative Christianity and then try to break from game. 

Psalm 111 - reflection

Psalm 111 - reflection

Do we ever stop to consider the massive impact of the historical revelation of what God did in Egypt?  There are subtle echoes of this in the surrounding nations in Joshua, Samuel, and even into Kings.  This must have rocked the Ancient Near East, so much so that people were still talking about it hundreds of years later.  What a huge revelation it must have been in this world for God to set plagues on Egypt, bring His people out, and then deliver the land of Israel into the hands of his covenant people.  Over and over again you find God reminding the people that He brought them out of Egypt, and then a strange irony in that the surrounding nations, often in times of conflict, haven't forgotten this is the God who humiliated the Egyptian gods and conquered the land of Canaan for his people.

            Praise the Lord.
            I will extol the Lord with all my heart
            in the council of the upright and in the assembly.
         
            Great are the works of the Lord;
                they are pondered by all who delight in them.
            Glorious and majestic are his deeds,
                and his righteousness endures forever.
            He has caused his wonders to be remembered;
                the Lord is gracious and compassionate.
            He provides food for those who fear him;
                He remembers his covenant forever.
            He has shown his people the power of his works,
                giving them the lands of other nations.
            The works of his hands are faithful and just;
                all his precepts are trustworthy.
            They are steadfast forever and ever,
                done in faithfulness and uprightness.
            He provided redemption for his people;
                He ordained his covenant forever—
            holy and awesome is his name.
         
            The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
                all who follow his precepts have good understanding.
            To him belongs eternal praise.

Consider the Ancient Near East, what God's covenant with Israel was revealing to outsiders.  Now consider how in the new covenant we are conquering the world as God's people through peace, and how appropriate it is for this time in history.  God acts in the fullness of time, but He also acts within an appropriate revelation for that time.

God brought his people out of Egypt and says, "you shall have no other gods before me," speaking into a brutal pantheistic age.  The world begins a slow movement towards monotheism.  The other of the 10 Commandments start humanity towards less war and less violence, more humane living, more tolerance, less justice killings, and overall, better relationships.  Polygamy disappeared over time in the lands under Judeo Christian influence, as did slavery, and countless other things.  Ancient history is unsettling to study, it's horrific at times, and it bring you to a point of having almost culture sock when you glance into these ancient cultures.  You can't help but be in awe of what God has done from then to now.

Imagine the surrounding cultures staring into Israel.  What does God want them to see?  A lamp on a lampstand?  Yahweh is no tribal God, no, He is the one true God.  He is the creator God.  He is in control of history, or in a Christocentric sense, moving history to a point where the world is ready for His Son.  To do this, He must keep reminding His people to be faithful.  What does God gain by working miracles when His people have fallen away into idolatry?  The surrounding nations see them worshiping Ashera or one of the figures of Baal, and God loses ground if His work is not recognized as distinctly His own.  A victory in battle was a victory for God, for Israel, and for all future generations of the earth who comes to see the glory of God in clearer vision.  A lose for Israel also served as a revelation when they were not faithful, and yet God was still faithful to the covenant.  It took time.

We should be aware of how God is speaking to the world through the new covenant.  Jesus communicates this to us, through Kingdom language, through his prayers and teachings.  Torah law was often limiting ancient uncivil behavior and practice, attribute this to God's patience and commitment to redeeming creation; at times to be very grieved by human behavior, but as the timetable for transformation is sometimes slow, we should not view these laws as condoning or enabling things God was seeking to remove.. in His good time.  The world in the first century was ready for a savior, ready for radical new teachings and a covenant extended to all nations.  As we live as God's people, we should remember the lessons learned in the stories of the past by viewing God's work in the world, through a chosen people, but we should also be looking forward and speaking of the final promises yet to be fulfilled.  He remembers his covenant forever.

Humility -

It is utterly pointless to have knowledge of humility without servitude.  The recognition of humility in others is often seen through the benefits which accompany humility as a characteristic, then the downside is the expectation and not the posture.  Understanding humility and not practicing humility, mostly because the heart is not in a place where it can be humbled is simply an understanding to project onto others as an expectation.  A more true manifestation of humility comes in service to others.  And yes, it is not hard to be humbled by God, before God, specially in an understanding of His majesty.  On the horizontal field it yields an understanding that your neighbor is just as in need of God's grace as you once were [and continue to be], and that God wants to spread His grace through servitude, thus you can be comfortable with the idea of serving the fellowship table and not have to compete for the highest place at the table.  - That is what I would define as meekness. 

Easter 2012

1. To Be Alone With You - Sufjan Stevens

2. He Is Faithful - Bryan & Katie Torwalt

3. Your Love Is Deep - Ben Thomas arrangement 

4. Christ is Risen - Matt Maher

5. War On War - Wilco

6. Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven  Loretta Lynn

7. He Never Said A Mublin Word - Bifrost Arts

8. This Is Not the End - Gungor

9. Oh Our Lord - All Sons and Daughters 

Alternates - awareness of Jeroboam and Rehoboam

In 1 Kings 12-14, Jeroboam made the following critical errors; these are telltale throughout 1 Kings; trusting your own wisdom, following your own rational, and ignoring the statues and charges from God.

Rehoboam at first listened to bad advice, but later on he listens to the prophetic advice and avoids wars.  His concern shifted to the people, where as it was not with the people in the initial transfer of kingship from Solomon.

Jeroboam set up alternates in fear of losing the people, so he instituted idols (two golden calves), alternate worship sites, alternate festival, and alternate priests.  This is an allusion to Aaron 'thinking to himself,' and not trusting that God was in control.  A fear and panic set in, people then believed Moses would not come down off the mountain.  Jeroboam, much like Aaron, received some very bad advice, and then he acted out on that advice.  His spoken rational was that of a person seeking to win the people, or in other word, he wanted to be liked by the people.  I can imagine Aaron acting with the same motives.  The result was the dividing of worship from the true place of worship, instituting objects of worship, and appointing some not so holy priests.  This had deviating results.  In the end he ignored the prophetic warning on multiple occasion, along with all that he been given in scripture as commands.

Substitutes may win the people, but in the end you lose much more than you gain

A Kingdom Proclamation

Imagine the whole of Scripture as a 780,000 word grand marriage proposal, complete with the details of the wedding, the groom's character, and the background of his family (historical lineage and seeming 'across the ocean' distance). This proposal gives accounts of why he is good, why you have hope with him, and what he wants you to do during the betrothal period.

He lets you know of the feud taking place that is causing tension in the land and will reach its climax right before the ceremony. He explains that there will be a grand conflict between the groom's side of the wedding party and those principalities who oppose his family, partly because of the land deal involved, and partly because they reject the rule and authority of the groom's royal family.

Other principalities will try to talk you out of it, attempt to slander you, and sometimes persecute you. Later attempts may be made to cloud your perception of your value to the groom and his family, often suggesting he could not really love you. But the groom is patient, forgiving mistake after mistake, even though you may still have an occasional moment of doubt, anxiousness, or anxiety continuing up to the wedding day. However, he will persistently comfort and reassure you – even offer you rest in the interim.

Meanwhile, if you accept his grand proposal, he will give you a task in preparation for the upcoming wedding feast. Like a bride-to-be, your role will be to proclaim the good news of your beloved’s first coming and his coronation as king which will take place upon his second coming. You would also share with others about the goodness of your new family and frequently welcome others to join your family, even as you commune with your beloved while you await your anticipated marriage ceremony. These are no small tasks, so the groom has sent you one of his closest companions to serve as your counselor and to console you as you persevere until the groom himself can be with you.

Recently I've been interested in Biblical Theology, and as I get back into posting this should explain the direction of many of my thoughts. 

Please allow me to try to explain my interest in the Bible and theology. At times, as I seek to find God’s will for my life, these interests have become near obsessions taking on many forms and many questions: (1) What makes a good hymn and what constitutes good worship music? (2) What was wrong with the form of Christianity I was taught as a child such that it did not cause me to find Christ? (3) What is Christianity? (4) How do I understand my story? (5) How are we supposed to live as Christians today? [I always come back to this question.] (6) How do I communicate this to others in an understandable context?

Communication has proven to be the key. In some ways, I feel closer to God in Biblical studies than I do in the music/worship realm. Recently, I have felt close to God by becoming a servant to others by communicating Him to others. In this, I have found the answer to an earlier question about how to be closer to God outside of the worship service, church, and the whole of the institution. It's amazing how God shows up in one-on-one conservations, group discussions, Bible study groups, and other situations when the focus is not on our own selves. The Bible is not a self-help book, but it's a very long story about God's love for us. When I can communicate this properly, not as anthropocentric but as God-centered, away from soterian reductionism, then the whole of the Gospel comes to life. In some ways, we all have a dysfunctional quilt of inappropriately categorized and grouped Scripture, woven together by value appraisal, but largely disconnected from the narrative.