December 17 - Philippians: The Prisoner Chooses Life to Focus on the Resurrection

Today’s Reading: Philippians

The Message

English Standard Version

Thought to Guide Your Reading

Paul doesn't care why a person preaches Christ. All that matters is that they point to Christ. God will do the rest.

Summary in 100 Words or Less

Paul and Timothy to Jesus-followers in Philippi:
I thank God because of your help. My imprisonment leads people to Jesus. Some preach for self-gain. So what? They preach Christ.
I desire a reunion with Christ but you need me more.
Just as Jesus became human for us, love each other sacrificially.
The usual: Believers live in God's Spirit. My religious credentials are rubbish. Focus on the Resurrection.
Euodia and Syntyche, get along. Syzygus, help them.
Celebrate God always! Fill your minds with good things.
I am always content. I have all I need—your help.
Receive and experience Jesus' Grace.

How Today’s Reading Contributes to the Gospel: God is Setting All Things Right

God used Paul's imprisonment to set relationships right.

In Daniel, God told Israel that they would be persecuted so the world would see an example of faithfulness. Paul is another fulfillment of that prophecy. His chains have not shaken his faith in Jesus as the Messiah ("Christ" is the Greek version of the Hebrew word "Messiah"). Because of Paul's faith, his guards know all about Jesus and Believers have had their faith assured. God uses persecution to show the world true faithfulness. If you feel persecuted and chained because of your faith, keep going. God may be showing the world how He works.

No one can preach Christ and point to themselves.

Paul's discussion of the people who preach for their own gain is interesting. He seems to think their motivations may be bad, but who cares! They preach Christ! God will have His Will done regardless of what they say. All they are doing is preventing their own reward, not the reward of people who are listening to them. No one can point to Christ and themselves at the same time. They either point to Christ and not themselves or to themselves and not Christ. Because of this Paul cheered them on. Better have more people know Jesus than bicker about someone's motivations.
Boy is this important for today! It almost seems the worst thing a preacher can be is popular and/or rich. Popular preachers get excoriated in every facet of their words, actions, lifestyles, incomes, and ministries. Rich theologians are considered an affront to the Gospel. We search for that one thing we disagree with and that blog post which becomes viral. We do such a great disservice to Christ when we discourage people from preaching the Gospel because they are afraid the platform will expose them to Christian snipers. Lighten up, people! Christ is being preached! I wonder what unchurched people think when they see Christians complain about preachers getting rich off of their teaching.
This brings me to the so-called "health and wealth gospel" I hear about. (Notice: Everything I write here will be ignorant and oversimplified. I have never sat down and listened to their programs for two reasons: 1. growing up I was indoctrinated that we do not watch other groups who teach the Bible in error—meaning anyone not "churches of Christ", and 2. I get bored easily watching sermons. Both of these are personal issues which limit my exposure to their teachings.) Unless they preach that their ministry/ministry head can save they point people to Christ. Do they have bad motives? Yes. Will they answer to God for those motives? Yes. But remember—we aren't their judge because we are not their master. Stop complaining about Christian preacher's motivations. They preach Christ!

In unity we defeat our real enemy—people who do not want to set things right.

The second reason Paul does not complain about the motivations of others is because we are to be united around Christ. We cannot defeat our enemy—this is war!—when we continue to wound each other. Paul uses Jesus as our example to emulate. He was God but died as a human to set our relationships right with God. By unifying the entire world behind His Sacrifice, He defeated our greatest enemy—death. When we are unified we can outlast our opposition. His humble obedience gave Him the Highest Seat where everyone in the world will one day bow before Him. One day, we can join Him if we humbly obey God.

Paul wants to be with Jesus but needs to stay with God's Chosen People instead.

Out of context, Paul's discussion of his want to die could sound like a person giving up. But instead it is a person who desperately wants to stay because he has more work to do. He exemplifies the Christian dilemma—living or dying are both great choices!

Real believers are those who live in God's Spirit.

Real believers are not the ones who worship God because they are God's Chosen People. Real believers are the ones who worship God because they see His Work in them and through them. It's not about baptism, church attendance, Bible memorization, or teaching ability. It's about living ability. Do you set things right? You are a real believer. Paul's religious upbringing and all he accomplished in the religious world he considered dog [censored]—the literal word used—because of Jesus. Don't hold on to the inferior brand of righteousness. Trust Christ, the embodiment of God's Righteousness!

We are citizens of Heaven waiting for God to take us home.

I love Pierre Teilhard de Chardin's famous quote, "We are not human beings having a spiritual experience; we are spiritual beings having a human experience" (The Phenomenon of Man, 1955). Our goal is not for people to have healthcare, good jobs, nice houses, a strong, healthy church, or the right beliefs on a myriad of subjects—although they are nice to have. Our goal is to help each other keep our eyes on the goal—a new body when Christ returns. We must be ready for that body when it comes.

Paul is content anywhere he is.

What gives Paul a sense of happiness is that God is still with him and that his work still gives glory to God. When we are working for God, no physical lack or physical blessing can phase our happiness.

What are your motivations for living a godly life?

November 29 - 1 Corinthians 1-4: Loyalty to Theologians with a Slick Theology

Today’s Reading: 1 Corinthians 1-4

The Message

English Standard Version

Thought to Guide Your Reading

The Corinthian church fought over theologians and lived in a city that thought their Message was ludicrous.

Summary in 100 Words or Less

Paul to God's church in Corinth:
Though God will never give up on you, you must stop fighting!
The Gospel seems ludicrous to outsiders, but God turns worldly wisdom into nonsense. Think about it, everything you have comes through Jesus.
God's Spirit worked through me—an inarticulate man—to help set your relationships right.
God gives His Plan to everyone when they commune with Him. That is why you frustrate me with how you treat each other.
Preachers are guides into God's Kingdom. I don’t care what you think of me. Only He is willing to guide us to maturity.

How Today’s Reading Contributes to the Gospel: God is Setting All Things Right

Paul begins the letter to the Corinthians by reminding them that God will never give up on them.

If a letter starts by reminding you that God will never give up on you, you know two things: 1) God will never give up on you (obviously!) and 2) What comes next is going to be a long list of things you messed up. Before we get into this book we need to remember, no matter how bad we mess up, God will never give up on us!
Today's reading comes at a great time. Yesterday I wrote at length about how we should be have a more humble attitude when discussing the differences between the churches of Christ and other denominations. I have had other difficult things to say which may lead a person to think I do not like my tradition or that I want to leave it. Many people in my generation have come to the same conclusions I have and have left jaded or bitter against us. Instead of leaving, I want us to realize we are like the Corinthians because we have many problems, but we are also like the Corinthians because God will never give up on us. We can become a group of people setting all things right if we remember that God will never give up on us, even if we have a laundry list of problems.

The Corinthian church elevated their theological influences higher than their relationships with their fellow Christians.

This section reminds me of something the Restoration Movement got right, at least we did for a while. As a student at a seminary, I noticed several factions within the denominational world—Augustine, Luther, Calvin, Azusa Street, African, Asian, Catholic, etc. These groups all had their favorite theologians and pitted them against each other. Paul wanted the Corinthians to remember that all theologians are servants of the Originator of the Message they preach. Don't focus on the servant. Focus on the God!

The Gospel seems silly to those who are "wise".

The Corinthians lived in a very educated, sophisticated culture which wanted either magic tricks to shock the crowds into believing (the Jews) or seamless arguments proving a tight theology (the Greeks). God's Message included neither of those things. Instead, He used a non-efficient method to spread a non-convincing Message—non-educated people teaching other non-educated people how to set things right because God came down and allowed Himself to become a brutal sacrifice. The truth is, neither magic tricks nor perfect, rational theology convinces a person to change. Only the words of a friend will truly convict a person to change. God uses an unlikely method to spread His unattractive Message—friends. Paul wanted to be impressive but failed. Instead, he allowed God's Spirit to convict others and great things happened. Paul wants them use that method of spreading God's Message. The Message itself is not slick. It's messy. It's tough. It doesn't sound very theological. It isn't easy to believe. Yet God's Message has gone throughout most of the world and no one can stop it. It requires a lot of faith because something you gain easily you lose easily.

God spreads His Plans for the world when we commune with Him.

God wants to tell the world what He is doing. He also wants them to listen. For that reason, He waits until they are willing to commune with Him before He lets them in on His Plan. When we commune with God, we learn how the world works.

Do you believe God will never give up on you?

September 28 - Nehemiah 8-10: Ezra, Nehemiah, and the Levites Renew God's Covenant with God's Chosen People

Today’s Reading: Nehemiah 8-10

The Message

English Standard Version

Thought to Guide Your Reading

Nehemiah and Ezra lead Israel to rededicate their lives to God.

Summary in 100 Words or Less

Everyone gathered to hear Ezra read the Revelation of Moses. Priests and Levites helped everyone understand it.
Nehemiah and Ezra sent everyone home to celebrate a holy day with their neighbors.
Israel's leaders gathered to deepen their understanding of the revelation. Israel celebrated the Feast of Booths for the first time since Joshua's days.
Ezra read from Moses' Revelation daily.
A few weeks later everyone confessed their sins and broke ties with foreigners. A group of Levites retold how God blessed their ancestors though they would not obey Him. Israel pledged to obey God then signed and sealed the pledge.

How Today’s Reading Contributes to the Gospel: God is Setting All Things Right

Nehemiah and Ezra work together to "re-baptize" Israel's hearts.

This section is similar to Exodus 24 and Deuteronomy 27 where Moses and Aaron lead Israel to promise to obey God; Joshua 24 with Joshua's challenge to Israel; and the dedication of the Temple in Honor of God with Israel responding to Solomon's prayer. It is meant to re-center Israel on obeying God's Word found in God's Law—similar to how baptism centers our minds on our Calling. They wanted Israel to publically seal their part in the Law, like baptism publically seals our part as God's Chosen People. Public proclamation of God's Word centers a group on God's Way.

Nehemiah and Ezra station Levites to help Israel understand the Law while they read the Law.

Ezra knows that reading God's Law does not help a person become wholly for God. They must live a life of setting things right to be holy. To help Israel live God's Law they positioned Levites throughout the area to help Israel understand what was being read. Later they brought together the heads of each family and the civic leaders "to get a deeper understanding of the words of The Revelation" (8:13, The Message). It pays immediate dividends—they celebrate the Feast of Booths for the first time since the days of Joshua. When God's Chosen People seek to understand God's Word, they can set things right.
One of the reasons I wanted to do this Bible in a year project was because I had read through the Bible in a year twice but felt I did not understand very much. I did not understand how all the pieces fit together and wanted to spend time each day putting them together. Thanks to the Petaluma Church I've had a chance to do that. By providing this resource I hope you have understood more of God's Way as presented in God's Word.

The Levites retell the story of God's Love for His Chosen People—Israel—to give a common bond.

We have read the entire Spirit-led, written history of Israel in nine months. This is a period of over 1000 years. In addition, almost no one in Ezra's audience grew up in Israel's land. They needed something to remind them of God's faithfulness to Abraham's descendents. It reminded Israel of God's perfect Holiness and Israel's record of unholiness. They had a chance to distance themselves from their father's sins and renew their Covenant with God. God wants the Story of His Faithfulness to Abraham's Descendents to be known to keep our Covenant fresh in our minds.
I hope churches keep track of their congregation's history beyond sheer numbers and names. Seeing how God helped the congregation through one test after another, even when the congregation failed to stay holy to God, helps the members see how God is working in their church today. I am afraid we stay in a 2000+ year-old history lesson and give the impression all God cares for now is the number of people who walk into the auditorium each Sunday. Let's tell our story completely from the Abram until today. Don't stop with John and the Revelation. That history may not be pretty, but it's to show God's Faithfulness, not ours.

Do you know the full history of your congregation of God's Chosen People?

Preaching and Teaching in the Time of Facebook - A Heartfelt Apology and Overdue Results from a Survey

In the Spring of 2011 I took a course entitled Church in the Age of Facebook where we completed a project in a certain area of study. I chose church education and using online content to supplement/replace local, spoken content. With the help of others, especially a good friend Carrie DuShey, I put together a nice survey. I let my Facebook friends know about it. I got 12 responses. In somewhat desperation I emailed several Christian bloggers and asked if they would place a link on their blogs for their readers. Scot McKnight, editor of Jesus Creed, one of my favorite blogs that often links to other great content, was the only one to take me up on the offer. This generated over 300 clicks and 200 completed surveys – enough to justify the entire project and I got an A for the class. He hoped I would share with him the results.

But I didn't.

To be honest, that time in our lives was so hectic I mostly forgot about the survey and what he did for me. I finished a quarter of school on a Saturday and we moved to Northern California the next day. We looked for jobs for a few months and have been working since September. We have been scraping by and I have not had the time/money to finish the final four courses to complete my degree.

And I have forgotten Fuller.

It seems like a distant, foreign memory. Like some kind of phase in my life which is over. It both saddens and scares me. Sad because I want to take what I learned and go forward. Scared because I spent so much time and effort and yet it escaped so quickly.

However, that is not an excuse.

I dropped the ball. I'm sorry, Scot. You went to bat for me and I let you down.

So, 14 months later I wish to rectify my wrong by sharing the outcome of my survey.

The unedited survey results. It is long and somewhat tedious.

The full project paper. It is also long and somewhat tedious. However, it also includes my discussion of trends found in secular education and connects the two.

I'll split what I learned into two headings: Things I Already Knew and Things that Surprised Me.

Things I Already Knew

Most of the people who took the survey came from Jesus Creed and so the results about reading blogs were expected – 80% visit daily or more. 3/4^ths of McKnight’s readers are male and also very educated – 57% have post-graduate degrees.

Half attend some type of in-person sermon or lecture weekly.

More people felt websites and podcasts they read/listen to helped them learn more about God, the Bible and how they fit into this world. I should put this in a pseudo-category “Things I figured but didn’t know.” I control what websites and podcasts I frequent. I can’t change the minister’s sermon.

Things that Surprised Me

When asked if in-person lessons help give purpose to their life less people “agreed” than “strongly agreed.”

Denominational affiliation was at the bottom of both lists of important aspects of both in-person and electronic messages. “Challenges me to think” came in first both times. This could be because Scot’s blog is inter-denominational or could be a shift in the Christian-cultural landscape. I hope for the latter, but that is more of an opinion than fact.

People seek in-person sermons to connect to others. They seek electronic lessons to learn from broader perspectives.

Most people considered their blog’s audience to be friends and family. But they wanted their audience to be challenged in their thinking and connect to their views while being exposed to different views. I’m not sure why this was surprising, but it was.

Conclusions

If you are a minister – think of your sermons and classes more as a place to connect people to each other since blogs often cannot do this, being removed from the reader’s life. Encourage the learning of facts to be done outside of class.

Encourage your members to seek out helpful materials to bring to class. Your role is more like an editor on Wikipedia instead of the editor of the Encyclopedia Britannica – an expert curator instead of an authoritative gatekeeper. Help understand what is going on outside instead of preventing it from ever getting in.

If you are not a minister – don’t be afraid to go outside your group to learn. And don’t be afraid to bring what you read and learn back to your group.

My only fear is that due to the single-blog source of traffic that this does not give an accurate view of churches today. If only the minister reads blogs and listens to podcasts then the minister must connect the member to the both Word of God and each other. However, I think if Christian ministers were to start openly asking members to contribute by bringing in posts it might start a snowball effect.

Many thanks goes out to Scot McKnight and his readers for helping me out in this project. I could not have done it without you. And Carrie – I’m sorry we haven’t kept in better contact.

What do you think? Leave a comment here or on Facebook.

Random Thought on Preaching - Preach the Gospel of Jesus

A random thought before diving into Romans.

Jessica and I visited a congregation near Nashville, Tennessee – which shall remain nameless. That particular Sunday was the preacher’s first there. Because of that he decided to start a series of lessons on the book of … Romans!

“A lesson on Romans! How wonderful!” I thought.

“Oh, great, Graham’s going to get more fodder for his Romans obsession,” my wife thought.

One of us turned out to be correct.

As a Romans-aholic, I know the basic idea of the letter. So I had my mental notes ready for him to use as he needed. Apparently he could not see them. His sermon consisted of 10 minutes of vague facts about the letter and then 15 minutes recounting how other major, historical theologians have misinterpreted the book. The three I remember were Augustine, Martin Luther and John Calvin. If I had never read the book of Romans before I would have left that sermon knowing more about how other people misunderstand the book than I would have understood what Paul wrote in the first place. To quote David Lipe, a retired professor from FHU, and James 3:10 (in the KJV), “These things ought not so to be!”

Me, when you preach this way.

I understand the idea behind this type of preaching. You don’t want people coming away from the sermon with the wrong idea. You want to prevent people from going down the wrong interpretation path. When I knocked doors for a summer in the northeast USA I had this on the mind. I began almost all conversations by finding out where they went to church and start into the talking points against that particular denomination. Then I had a revelation:

If I am a Gospel preacher, I should probably preach the Gospel of Jesus not the how-others-have-gotten-it-wrong Gospel of Jesus.

This brings me to an important question for Christians, especially ones in the Restoration Movement:

At what point do we stop preaching against “false doctrine” and teach what we are trying to restore? 

If you were to ask 90% of members of almost any denomination (and the Churches of Christ as well) to give their views on a theological topic they would either look at you blankly, make up something that sounds correct or tell you to see their pastor/preacher. They don’t know the teachings of Augustine, Luther, Calvin, or any other famous theologian. They probably have never read the doctrinal statement of their church (have you read your church’s charter?).

Knocking doors I became frustrated that I had to teach several people what their church taught before I could tell them why it was wrong. Does that sound dumb or what? No wonder I had little to no success. I wouldn't want to go to a church whose first act was to tell me what was wrong with the group I consider myself part of.

Preachers, teach what Jesus taught, not what is wrong with everyone else’s teachings. Then we will all understand the Bible.