The Revisionist Bible

Thoughts on the Sabbath School Lesson fr 1.19.13

Once upon a time, the world happened, possibly with the help of some Higher Being. Finally, men and women came along. They began to worship the Higher Being and to tell and to write down stories about It (the Higher Being). In some of the stories, the Higher Being was called God. One of the stories described how some of the people thought God created the world and all the animals and people in six days. Another story was about a flood that God sent when the people weren’t paying enough attention to Him.     After that the stories were about lots of people who tried to do the right things to make God happy but they kept messing up so He gave them a set of rules that they had to follow. There are stories about wars and people who were good and people who were not.  The people wrote some poems to God. Some people wrote about things they said God told them were going to happen in the future.

After a long time, a baby named Jesus was born and he grew up and was a good man. He made some of the people who believed in God so angry that they killed him. But some people thought he was sent by God and they worshiped him and wrote about the things Jesus said and did while he was on Earth. Finally the people wrote a book about how God would get revenge on all the people who didn’t follow His rules. The End.

I just found out that Thomas Jefferson actually put together his own version of the Gospels. He called it, The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth. What he did was, he took six bibles – two in English, two in French and two that were in Greek and Latin. Then he actually cut passages out of the Gospels and pasted them back in another book, in chronological order. He put the same passages in English, French, Latin and Greek next to each other so he could compare them.

The final book, called The Jefferson Bible, is 86 pages long and is still around. The Smithsonian bought it from Jefferson’s great-granddaughter in 1895 for the huge sum of $400.

Pretty cool, right? Well, it was a good idea. But what Jefferson actually did while he was cutting and pasting was take out everything except 

“those parts that can be identified through reason and thought, … So out goes [sic] the miracles, out goes [sic] the resurrections and what remains is what he thinks is the life and morals of Jesus, the true teachings."
Jefferson even changed the grammar at one point. “On one page, he apparently didn't like the number of prepositions in a verse from Matthew that started, ‘For as in the days that were before the flood ...’ He cut out the word ‘as,’ changing the scripture to ‘For in the days that were before the flood ..."[1]

Here’s the whole text: 

“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.” Matthew 24:36-39

I don’t know, maybe leaving out a word here or there isn’t that big of a deal, but leaving out anything that can’t be “identified through reason and thought?” (Well, right off the bat, I object to the assertion that things that require faith exclude both reason and thought, but that’s a whole different article.)

What was Jefferson really trying to do though? The same thing people have been trying to do since just about right after the Fall. He was trying to take the “Godness” out of God.

If God is just a social construct (something that humans made up) and Jesus was just a really good guy, then we don’t have to believe in anything hard like a real six day creation, a catastrophic flood, a virgin birth, or a resurrection. If we can look at the Bible as a compilation of some really good stories that teach some good lessons, then we don’t have to believe anything that makes us uncomfortable like the Ten Commandments or a final accounting for the way we’ve lived our lives. We don’t have to be changed by a relationship with the God who made us … because, “if we admit that He made us,” as a friend of mine said, “we have to admit that He can tell us what to do – He has a right to be interested/involved in our lives.” That makes a whole lot of people really uncomfortable.

The truth is, whether we like it or not – whether we can understand it or not, the Bible is true. God created the world in six days and rested on the Sabbath. If we discount the Genesis account of Creation, then what’s to stop us from discounting any other part of the Bible that we can’t understand? And, once we start cutting and pasting only the parts we can understand, we’ll find that we’ve cut out God. After that, there’s nothing left.  

“God is the foundation of everything. All true science is in harmony with his works; all true education leads to obedience to his government. Science opens new wonders to our view; she soars high, and explores new depths; but she brings nothing from her research that conflicts with divine revelation. Ignorance may seek to support false views of God by appeals to science; but the book of nature and the written word shed light upon each other. We are thus led to adore the Creator, and to have an intelligent trust in his word.” E.G. White, Christian Education, p 196

"In the beginning [before all time] was the Word (Christ), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself. He was present originally with God. All things were made and came into existence through Him; and without Him was not even one thing made that has come into being. In Him was Life, and the Life was the Light of men.  And the Light shines on in the darkness, for the darkness has never overpowered it [put it out or absorbed it or appropriated it, and is unreceptive to it]." John 1:1-5AMP

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[1] Sally Holland, “Saving Thomas Jefferson's scrapbook Bible,” CNN, http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/03/11/thomas-jeffersons-scrapbook-bible/

Marked

Thoughts on the Sabbath School Lesson for 10.13.12

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”  2 Timothy 2:15

True confession time – I don’t know how to study. I know how to look stuff up and to read things … but I just don’t get the whole concept of “studying” something. Once I’ve read it, I don’t really know what else to do.

That’s become kind of a frustration for me when it comes to studying the Bible. Give me a passage to read and I can read it, no sweat. But reading isn’t the same as studying. Imagine going to a banquet and all you do is look at and sniff all the food – that’s not the same as actually eating the food. You can describe the food, but it hasn’t become part of you.

Now, I’m thinking, I’m not alone in my study impaired state. When January rolls around, we’re all set to start reading through our Bibles in a year, following the Bible Reading plan du jour. The problem is, after a few short weeks, we’ve fallen so far behind in our reading that we finally just give up. But even if we kept up with that, we’re just reading; that’s not studying! And besides all that, studying is hard, and boring, and it takes time I don’t have, and I don’t know how.

“But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:14-17.

In 2 Timothy 2:15, Paul tells us that to be approved by God and to be able to understand the word of truth, we have to study scripture.

That’s pretty clear, isn’t it? But, again, once I’ve read through it, I’m not sure what to do with it. How do I make the leap from just reading, to becoming equipped for “every good work?”

Well, I just read about the thing called “Inductive Bible Study” and I realize as I read through the steps, that I’d actually done it before, I just didn’t know the name. And it’s not hard or boring, in fact, it’s kind of fun!

I lived in Germany for a couple of years and during that time I spent Sabbath afternoons at the Servicemen’s Center in Frankfurt. It was run, during those years, by the most amazing couple, the Bowens. They always had something planned for Sabbath afternoon so that everybody didn’t just drift off and sleep all afternoon. One of the activities, that I really enjoyed, turned out to be “Inductive Bible Study.”

There are three steps involved in this method: Observation, Interpretation and Personalization. Sounds fancy, doesn’t it? But it’s not anything you haven’t done on your own probably many times without knowing it.

Observation – That’s just the initial reading of a certain passage. We have to make sure we understand what the writer is actually trying to tell us. What are the setting and the circumstances and how are they important to the story.

One of Mrs. Bowen’s favorite stories to do this process with was the feeding of the five thousand. We’d all be sitting around the living room and we would talk about what had happened just before this miracle and how that might have affected what was going on. She asked questions like, “Why was Jesus in that particular place on that day?” “Why were the people there?”

Then we would move onto Interpretation. After we’d discussed the story for a few minutes, she’d have someone read the passage again and then she’d have us sit quietly for several minutes and imagine ourselves in that place and time. Mrs. Bowen would tell us to pick a character in the story and imagine ourselves as that character. It could be one of the main people in the story or you could invent a character for yourself. The important thing was to imagine ourselves in the story. What would we be seeing, hearing, tasting, and smelling. How would the character we picked feel and react in the setting.  Mrs. Bowen would ask for someone from the group to take a couple of minutes and share who the character they picked was, why they were in that particular setting that day and what happened to them while they were there.

You can’t imagine how interesting it was to listen to everybody’s story about their chosen character. Some folks chose to be disciples, some folks chose to be a person in the multitude, it didn’t matter.  Everybody’s story was so different and interesting.

First, imagining your own character’s thoughts and feelings really helped each of us understand the story a little bit better. Then, listening and sharing with the other folks in the room expanded our understanding and broadened our perspective of the story itself.

Personalization is the last step in the process. We called it “debriefing” but it was the same thing. Mrs. Bowen would have us go back around the room and we would each describe what we had learned from the exercise and how we could use what we’d learned in the next week.

Who knew studying the Bible could be so fun! It was a great way to spend a Sabbath afternoon and to learn more about Jesus. Most important of all, we took away an experience with Jesus that most of us still remember.

Studying the Bible does several things for us. It helps us to be more settled in the truth so that when the enemy tries to deceive us, we’re less likely to fall for his lies. We will have filled our hearts and minds with the truth. Another benefit is that we get a clearer picture of Jesus and who He really is.

Admitted, we can’t always do the exercise with a room full of people, but even if you do it alone, the Word of God has become part of you and has changed you for the better in some way.

Craig Brian Larson, editor of Preaching Today.com, relates an experience that demonstrates how we can be changed through studying the Word of God.

“Over our office lunch recently I visited with a fellow employee named Cindy and learned that her father taught music at Wheaton College and also coordinated its Artist Series. Those positions allowed him the privilege to meet celebrated musicians who were to perform at the College.
“George Szell, legendary music director of the Cleveland Orchestra, was one of the musical celebrities Cindy met while in her early teen years. Cindy's father introduced her to Szell and pointed out that she played the viola.
Ever the taskmaster, the visiting maestro put his fingers under her chin and lifted to see the left side of her jaw. ‘It doesn't look like she practices much,’ Szell said, making a serious point in a playful manner.
“As violinists and viola players know, the more you practice, the more the skin under the jaw where the violin is held is darkened. Disciplined, hard work leaves its mark.”[1]

When someone looks at me, can they tell that I spend time with Jesus? Can they see the mark of my time with Him? I hope so.

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[1] Craig Brian Larson, editor of PreachingToday.com

Apprenticed

Thoughts on the Sabbath School lesson for 5.26.12

Have you ever tried to learn how to play a new game by just reading the directions? It’s pretty hard to do, isn’t it? It’s much easier if someone in the group already knows how to play the game and they walk you through the first couple of times.

Have you ever wondered how skateboarders and motocross riders learn to do what they do? Do they sit in classes, read books on their tricks, take tests over the physics involved and write papers? In fact, a person could read an infinite number of books about how to skateboard, but until he or she actually got on a skateboard and tried to ride it, he isn’t going to learn how, right?

When Jesus called His disciples, He followed the same pattern of teaching that we now know ensures the most success. First, He talked about what He wanted them to learn; next, He showed them, then He had them try it, both with supervision and without. That’s how apprentices used to learn their tasks.

We don’t have many apprentices around anymore, but my father, who was born in 1910, began his working life as a blacksmith’s apprentice.  Since he was kind of on the cusp of what we would consider “old world” ways of thinking and “modern” ways, he went to school too. He became a tool and die maker/machinist and never lost his love of creating things with his hands. He was also a sculptor and could make pretty much anything out of metal, stone or wood.

Now, even though my father learned his skill mostly through practice, I remember that he had a book he would refer to from time to time. It was called the Machinist’s Handbook. I really couldn’t tell you what all it had in it, even though I have looked through it many times, because it made absolutely no sense to me, but he could look through its pages and find a solution to a problem that he had encountered in one of his tasks. He even had parts of that book memorized because they were the most helpful to him. Hm…are you thinking what I’m thinking?

We could say that the disciples were Jesus’ apprentices, couldn’t we? Apprentice fishers of men.

“And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then He said to them, ‘Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.’ They immediately left their nets and followed Him.” Matthew 4:18-20

“The prompt, unquestioning obedience of these men, with no promise of wages, seems remarkable; but the words of Christ were an invitation that carried with it an impelling power. Christ would make these humble fishermen, in connection with Himself, the means of taking men out of the service of Satan, and placing them in the service of God. In this work they would become his witnesses, bearing to the world His truth unmingled with the traditions and sophistries of men. By practicing His virtues, by walking and working with Him, they were to be qualified to be fishers of men.”[1]

Can you imagine what that must have been like for the men that Jesus called? Did they really understand what Jesus was calling them to do? Did they have any idea what was involved in being a fisher of men? I’m thinking, probably not. And they went anyway…isn’t that odd? Do you think you would have gone? Did Jesus call to other people who chose not to go with Him? Do you realize that Jesus is calling us, right this moment, to become fishers of men, just like He did those men?

How do we become fishers of men? I mean, the disciples had Jesus right there with them for three and a half years and they still didn’t really figure it out until after Jesus died. How can we even begin to learn?

Well, in addition to the Holy Spirit, we do have the Bible. We can sit at Jesus’ feet almost like the disciples did and learn from His words. In some ways, it might even be easier for us, because it’s condensed to the most important information.

We have to remember though, that it’s easy to get stuck in the book phase of learning. We can get all caught up in theory and debate, but that’s probably not going to lead anyone to Jesus.

A few years ago, I decided to learn to crochet. I got a book or two, I looked on the internet. I read how to get started and I looked at picture after picture of all the different kinds of stitches. I looked at pictures of afghans and baby sweaters. But until I picked up a crochet hook and some yarn and started practicing, I hadn’t learned how to crochet.

Reading the directions is fine, but we have to move on from there. We have to start practicing what we’ve read. How many of us come to church every week, study our lesson, read our Bibles, and that’s all? We’re stuck in the first phase of becoming fishers of men.

That’s all good stuff to do, but it isn’t enough. We have to move on to phase two: practicing what we’ve been learning.

What? You don’t think you’re ready?

“One of the lessons I have learned in six and half decades of life is that very few dreams should go on hold while you improve the shortcomings of your life …. To be sure, there are times when you need to stop what you are doing and focus on conquering a flaw. But if you wait till all your shortcomings are remedied, your dreams will die. All our advances are with a limp.
“If you wait till you are beyond criticism to pursue your dream, you will never do it. You won't marry or stay married. You won't decide to have children or raise them. You won't take your first job or keep it. You won't go into missions or stay there …. Few things paralyze people more than their own imperfections. And there are always people around to remind you of your flaws and suggest you can't move forward until you're better.”[2]

You know what? On our own, we’ll never be ready. And Satan will make sure that we never, ever feel ready. We have to start anyway, holding Jesus’ hand, and He’ll take us where we need to be. We just have to start doing something. Jesus didn’t spend three and a half years teaching His disciples and then say, “OK, the teaching’s over, go home.” No! That’s when the real work started! If you doubt that, you need to re-read the book of Acts.

I’m sure that sometimes the disciples didn’t feel like they could do what they were supposed to be doing…and without the Holy Spirit, they couldn’t. But, with the Holy Spirit, they could do absolutely anything!

The same goes for you and me. There will be times when we’re tired or when we mess things up or just don’t know what to do next. But Jesus is right with us, whispering to us, “for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.” Matthew 17:20b

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[1] E.G. White, Gospel Workers, page 24.

[2] John Piper, Bloodlines (Crossway, 2011), p. 109

In the Same Boat

“And after He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him.  And suddenly, behold, there arose a violent storm on the sea, so that the boat was being covered up by the waves; but He was sleeping.  And they went and awakened Him, saying, Lord, rescue and preserve us! We are perishing!  And He said to them, Why are you timid and afraid, O you of little faith? Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great and wonderful calm (a perfect peaceableness).  And the men were stunned with bewildered wonder and marveled, saying, What kind of Man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him!”  Matthew 8:23-27

I think we can all imagine the storm itself:  The waves crashing, the water coming into the boat, the boat being pushed all over the place by the wind and the waves.  But there are a couple of things that a harder to imagine.

One, how anybody could sleep through that, and two, was there a way that the disciples could have come to Jesus and asked for His help, that would not have constituted a lack of faith?

A problem for me is that in the painting, the boat is so small that I can't imagine a place where anyone could even lie down, much less sleep, even on a calm sea...hmmm.  But that's probably beside the point.

Anyway, let's picture this:  We're on a small commuter plane that holds about 13 or 14 people, counting the pilot.  We're flying with Jesus up to Dallas or Oklahoma City.  As soon as we get on the plane, Jesus picks a seat, and goes straight to sleep.  Meanwhile, we hit turbulence.  Not just a bump now or then, but the roller-coaster kind where things start falling out of the overhead bins.  And we begin to worry that the structure of the plane won't be able to handle the stress of the turbulence.  Do we wake Jesus up and ask Him to save us?  Or is it enough to know that Jesus, awake or asleep, is on the plane with us? 

Tough question.  Does having true faith mean we're never afraid of anything?  Oh, me of little faith! (That's not a typo!)

If faith is the opposite of fear, I have big problems!  Admittedly, I'm better than I used to be, but, wow...How do I get to the point that just knowing that Jesus is in the boat with me is enough to help me not be afraid? (Not a rhetorical question!)

At least I know I'm not alone.  God spends a lot of time telling us not to be afraid of one thing or another.

“Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” Deuteronomy 31:6

 “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” Isaiah 41:10

“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.“ 1 John 4:18

“And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:..”Revelation 1:17

So, don't say it out loud, but how many things in your life have your done out of fear?  If you're anything like me, a lot.  Or, how many things have you NOT done because you were afraid?  Yeah, me too.

So really, forget boats and airplanes and storms, I can't even be brave in my every day life!  Maybe it's just me, but when I think of all the times I've sat quietly by while people that I consider friends make jokes about religion and God, I feel pretty discouraged. What about the opportunities to share the truth that I know that I haven't taken because I was afraid of being made fun of or laughed at.  Jesus didn't worry about that kind of thing.  The disciples finally came to the place where peoples' opinions of them were not important. 

How do we get to the place where we can stand boldly for Jesus when our lives are threatened when we can't even do it now, when the worst that could happen is that someone might think we're silly.

Read what Mrs. White has to say:

“God is the 'Rock of our salvation,' a present help in every time of need. Then let us be no longer babes in Christ, but bold and firm soldiers of the cross, rejoicing in suffering the will of God.” Gospel Workers (1892), page 425.“Surely there is need now of bold, fearless Calebs, who, under the influence of the Spirit, will use the talents of hearing and speaking with heroic courage, disregarding all personal dangers and anxieties.”  Rolling Back the Reproach (1900), page 29.

Would it help if we could remember that Jesus is right there with us all the time.  He's waiting for us to reach out and take his hand just like a child taking a parent's hand.  When a child has his parent's hand, he's brave!  When we have Jesus' hand, we can be brave, too.

Let's reach out boldly and take Jesus' hand so that we can stand and tell  people t what He's done for us.

“What then shall we say to [all] this? If God is for us, who [can be] against us? [Who can be our foe, if God is on our side?]” Romans 8:31

And let's not forget, Jesus is right there, in the same boat with us!

Brave

Nichole Nordeman

The gate is wide

The road is paved in moderation

The crowd is kind and quick to pull you in

Welcome to the middle ground

It's safe and sound and

Until now it's where I've been

Cuz it's been fear

That ties me down to everything

But it's been love, Your love

That cuts the strings

So long, status quo

I think I've just let go

You make me wanna be brave

The way it always was

It's no longer good enough

You make me wanna be brave

Brave, brave

I am small

And I speak when I'm spoken to

But I am willing to risk it all

Say Your name

Just Your name, and I'm ready to jump

Even ready to fall

Why did I

Take this vow of compromise?

Why did I

Try to keep it all inside?

I've never known a fire that didn't begin with a flame

And every storm will start with just a drop of rain

But if You believe in me

That changes everything

The Great Commission

I have learned that there are lots and lots of opinions floating around about The Great Commission.  It seems folks can't really agree on what it it; how it should be carried out; who should carry it and who  should receive it.

What am I missing?  Here we have Matthew's version:

“Then Jesus came to them and said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.'"  Matthew 28:18-20

Mark's version:

“He said to them, 'Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.'" Mark 16:15-20

And Luke's version:

“Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, 'This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.'" Luke 24:45-49

Do you sense any ambiguity or disagreement at all?  Maybe I'm over-simplifying (It's one of my hobbies) but The Great Commission seems pretty straight forward to me.  What do you think?

Jesus sat everybody down around the campfire and said, “It's time to get to work.”  And with some serious nudging (ok shoving) from the Holy Spirit, these guys went from being the guys hiding in the upper room to being the men who set the world on fire for Jesus.  Wow.  They didn't have any problems understanding any part of what Jesus told them to do.  So, then, why do some folks make it so complicated?

You need to study the right books.  You need to go to these certain classes (that will incidentally cost you a fortune).  Little churches are better than big ones.  Big churches are better than little ones.  Small home groups are the only way.  Evangelism only worked in the old days.  Evangelism only works in other countries.  You have to have a big church budget. 

I really don't think the disciples worried about any of those things.  Jesus said, “Go” and they went.  Just like when He said, “Follow Me” and the did.  Not a lot of intellectualizing going on there.

Some people might say that the disciples had Jesus standing right there in front of them and so it was easier to follow Jesus instructions.  Maybe, but then that doesn't explain all the folks who didn't follow Jesus, even when He was right there with them everyday.  And, we have the added bonus of hindsight.  Just think how much differently things must have looked to the disciples when they didn't know how everything was going to turn out.  It's pretty easy for us to look back at them and think it looked pretty easy. 

I think the bigger issue is though, that we are really good at making excuses for not doing what we know we ought to be doing...well, ok, I'm speaking for myself.  But, if we can say we can't witness because we haven't had the right training or read the right books, then we can feel like we're off the hook for the moment, right?  We tell ourselves that we're not good at talking to strangers or giving sermons.  We don't know how to turn conversations around to God.  But we know, deep down, that none of those things matter to Jesus. 

I heard a man say on one of my favorite programs, Really Living, that only two things are really important:  to love Jesus with all of our heart and to teach other people to love Him too.

Pretty simple isn't it? 

So what still holds us back? I think sometimes we think it's just too hard.  But read this from Ellen White:

“In simple trusting faith believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Take right hold of a power which you cannot create but which is for you. Let the workers be filled with a spirit of cheerfulness and thanksgiving and rejoicing. Let every one make a personal consecration of himself or herself to God's service. Let them surrender their hearts to the working of the Holy Spirit, placing themselves in the right relation to God. It is time that we believed that all heaven is interested in the work before us. Christ came to this world to give Himself a sacrifice for the saving of sinners. Then believe, believe, that He will be with all who give themselves unreservedly to this work.” Bible Training School, December 1, 1905, “The Word of God”

That doesn't sound hard or complicated, does it?  “In simple trusting faith believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.”  Yeah, I can do that.  I can take hold of Jesus power and be cheerful, thankful and ... rejoice-ful(?) ...  Anyway, I am willing to surrender my heart to the Holy Spirit and to be used by Jesus.  What about you?

I think sometimes we get caught up in wanting to do that big thing for God and never get around to it, because it involves money, planning, training, and other people.  And we're so busy waiting for time to do that big thing, that we miss a whole lot of little things we could do everyday.  Little things that may not even look like witnessing or evangelism or discipleship.  It's that whole, “Pay it forward” thing, only not so humanistic and new agey.  All Jesus ever asked us to do was to share His love and His salvation with the people we meet.  He didn't say we had to go to India to meet these people, but if you want to do that, that's great.  He didn't say we had to be great public speakers, but if you happen to be, great!  We don't even all have to be outgoing, gregarious people, because the quiet approach works too.  Each one of us has a personality trait, a gift, a talent, or an experience that Jesus gave us so that we could help someone learn about Him.  It doesn't have to be showy or even obvious to anyone, but the person Jesus put it there for...but they'll see it in you and be drawn to Jesus because of it.

Very simply, though, after all the discussion, all the excuses and all the delaying tactics, Jesus gave us a job to do.  And because He gave us the job, He gave us the tools to do it with.  Once we've surrendered to Him, He gives us everything we need to be His lead team – the folks who go out ahead of time and get people ready for His coming.

Remember that guy from the '80's football games who always stood on the front row and held up a sign with John 3:16 on it?  What did you think of him?  That he was kinda goofy?  But think about it...he was doing something for Jesus.  How many millions of people do you think saw that sign over the years?  I mean, how often do you remember seeing it?  I must have seen it 10 or 20 times at least!  Do you think it's just possible that somebody, somewhere saw that guy with the sign for the umpteenth time and thought, “Hmm, I wonder what that's about?”  Looked up the text and found what he (or she) had been looking for?  Do you think there will be anybody in Heaven because of that guy?  It's entirely possible...

The point is, that guy quit thinking about it and did something.  He didn't worry about what other folks thought.  I'll bet he took a lot of verbal abuse at the games, don't you?  And he had to pay admission for all those games – that was a lot of money.  But he went, and he watched the game, and spread the word about Jesus.  That doesn't sound that hard does it?

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16 

I'm all for having more patience... I just hate all the waiting!

Do you consider yourself a patient person?  I like to think that I am...but I'm not really.  I have somehow developed the ability to look relaxed and patient while my insides are one huge knot of frustration and impatience.  I guess that's a good thing sometimes, but it doesn't help me when the One I'm impatient with is God—what with Him knowing all my inner thoughts an all.

Am I the only one who gets impatient with God?  I tend to think not.  Not so much because I know so much about other people but because of the number of books and sermons I found that deal specifically with learning to “wait on the Lord”.  One book, especially, I think I want to check out.  It's called  You're Late Again, Lord!  The Impatient Woman's Guide to God's Timing.  The author, Karon Goodman, seems to really understand how hard it is to submit to God's perfect timing.  In the introduction to the book, Goodman sums it up quite nicely.

“We have become so accustomed to ordering and orchestrating and planning and scheduling that it is incredibly hard to admit that not all is within our control. Many decisions every day are ours to handle, and we get pretty good at taking care of things. We believe that we could carry on even better if God would only cooperate. We demand the answers we need from him, and yet we hear no response. We question and condemn the intolerable delays in the events we need to happen in our lives, and yet nothing changes. Doesn't God know that we need those answers NOW?
“Yes, he knows, but thankfully, he's smarter than we are. Because he knows how hard it is for us to wait, to abandon control and to trust beyond ourselves, he has devised a plan just for us. The basis of the plan appeared many years ago, but it applies so well today, to you and me. God is so clever.”

That's the hardest part, I think—trusting God enough to release our grip on our life and handing it over to Him,...even if we don't know or understand what He has in mind for us.

 

As Christians, I believe our definition of patience differs from the secular definition.  Secular patience can be defined as 

“the bearing of provocation, annoyance, misfortune, or pain, without complaint, loss of temper, irritation; the ability or willingness to suppress restlessness or annoyance when confronted with delay.”

Patience in the context of secular behavior is more about appearance than anything that might be going on in a person's heart or mind.  But in a Christian context, patience becomes something very different.  It is wrapped together with things like faith, contentment, and meekness.  Christian patience is about waiting or resting.  According to a pastor by the name of J. Hampton Keathley, III, 

“waiting means resting in God's timing and activity while taking care of our responsibilities—the things we can do and should do as set forth in the Word of God.”

Additionally, Keathley says that “waiting always means seeking the Lord.”  Waiting for God is not like waiting in a doctor's office.  There are things we need to be doing while we wait.  We need to be studying the Bible to find answers to our questions and

“claiming God's promises” and  praying for wisdom and understanding.
“The Lord is good to those who wait hopefully and expectantly for Him, to those who seek Him [inquire of and for Him and require Him by right of necessity and on the authority of God's word. “  Lamentations 3:2

Keathley states that 

“Waiting means claiming God's promises by faith and resting in what God is doing in our lives so we can faithfully follow God's principles and keep His values, priorities, and pursuits.”

If we're not waiting for the Lord or resting in Him, we are probably trying to solve things by ourselves, in our own strength.  We are trying to protect ourselves because we are angry, afraid and/or jealous.  We whine, grumble, or even run away from the problems. 

 “We try to control others, call attention to ourselves to bolster our feelings of inadequacy or to defend ourselves against the comments of others.  Out of fear of failure or loss we compromise our convictions, or what we know is rights.  But fear, which has displaced faith in the Lord, causes us to lean on the arm of flesh.”  

Keathley sure doesn't beat around the bush does he.

“To wait on the Lord means learning to be content and patient as we cling to God in a fallen world and rest in His love and wisdom.”

Paul already had that all figured out, didn't he. 

“Not that I am implying that I was in any personal want, for I have learned how to be content (satisfied to the point where I am not disturbed or disquieted) in whatever state I am.” Philippians 4:11.

Mrs. White made this comment about patience:  

“Patience under trials will keep us from saying and doing those things which will injure our own souls and injure those with whom we associate. Let your trials be what they will, nothing can seriously injure you if you exercise patience, if you are calm and unexcited when in trying positions.”  E.G. White, Our High Calling (1961), page 70. 

“Do your best, and then wait, patiently, hopefully, rejoicingly, because the promise of God can not fail. Christ's life of untiring effort has been recorded for our encouragement. He did not fail nor become discouraged. In time of trial, be patient. Patience is a precious jewel. It will bring health to heart and mind. Wait on the Lord until he sees that you are ready to receive and appreciate the blessings for which you ask. Exercise faith, even though the trials are severe. "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Of faith hope is born.” The Review & Herald, May 30, 1912.

Is that Faith?

“Into the experience of all there come times of keen disappointment and utter discouragement—days when sorrow is the portion, and it is hard to believe that God is still the kind benefactor of His earthborn children; days when troubles harass the soul, till death seems preferable to life.  It is then that many lose their hold on God and are brought into the slavery of doubt, the bondage of unbelief.  Could we at such times discern with spiritual insight the meaning of God’s providences we should see angels seeking to save us from ourselves, striving to plant our feet upon a foundation more firm than the everlasting hills, and new faith, new life, would spring into being.”  E.G.White, Prophets and Kings, p. 162.

Looking at the troubles that come into the lives of Christians and the Christian response to those trials, I started to wonder about the line between faith and fatalism.  What got me thinking about this was a radio preacher who was talking about King David toward the end of his reign.  The story is in 2 Samuel 15 and 16.  Absalom has staged a coup and has forced David to retreat from Jerusalem.  As he’s moving out with his loyal soldiers the steward of Mephibosheth (Saul’s grandson, who has been being supported by David all these years) meets him with donkeys and food for the journey.  That’s the only bright spot in David’s day though because he finds out from the steward that Mephibosheth is back in Jerusalem in the hopes that Saul’s kingdom will be taken away from David and restored to him.  And then, David comes up to the next town, only to meet a guy named, Shimei who starts throwing rocks at David and his posse.  And, as if that wasn’t bad enough, Shimei starts shouting curses at David: 

“’Get out, get out, you man of blood, you scoundrel! The LORD has repaid you for all the blood you shed in the household of Saul, in whose place you have reigned. The LORD has handed the kingdom over to your son Absalom. You have come to ruin because you are a man of blood!’" 2 Samuel 16:7-8 

At that point, Abishai, one of King David’s men, offers to go over and lop off Shimei’s head. 

“But the king said, ‘What do you and I have in common, you sons of Zeruiah? If he is cursing because the LORD said to him, “Curse David,'” who can ask, “Why do you do this?”’
“David then said to Abishai and all his officials, ‘My son, who is of my own flesh, is trying to take my life. How much more, then, this Benjamite! Leave him alone; let him curse, for the LORD has told him to.  It may be that the LORD will see my distress and repay me with good for the cursing I am receiving today.’
 “So David and his men continued along the road while Shimei was going along the hillside opposite him, cursing as he went and throwing stones at him and showering him with dirt.” 2 Samuel 16:10-13

When I first heard that, I thought, “That sounds like a man who has completely given up—who just doesn’t care anymore.  And who could blame him?  He had definitely reached a low point.

So how can we tell the difference between “the faith of a child” and fatalism?  Have you met a person who, on the surface, seems to have that complete, unwavering faith in God’s leading, but who really has ceased to take any responsibility for his (or her) own life.  No matter what happens, it was God’s will.  There’s a leak in the roof or a traffic jam on the expressway, but this person is unperturbed.  He’ll say, in a voice like Eeyore’s (Winnie the Pooh’s donkey friend), “Everything happens for a reason.”

Now, I know it’s not my job to decipher where another person is spiritually; that is totally God’s job, and He can have it.  My concern is that I will fall into fatalism and believe that I am resting in faith.  So I’ve spent some time trying to learn the difference between faith and fatalism.

In an essay called “Passivity, the Flip Side of Passion”, pastor Paul Anderson supplies a list of excellent comparisons between faith and fatalism.

“Faith has lips and legs; it makes statements and it takes steps.  Fatalism keeps us from moving anywhere or doing anything-because nothing matters anyway.

"Faith directs us to a preferable future.  Fatalism resigns us to an inferior present.
"Faith says ‘yes’ to the promises of God.  Fatalism says ‘yes’ to whatever blows through.
"Faith lays hold on the future with confidence.  Fatalism embraces the status quo with resignation.
"Faith brings the future to the present.  Fatalism cannot see the future because of the present.
"Faith places us on top of our circumstances.  Fatalism puts us under the circumstances.
"Faith pleases God.  Fatalism offends Him.
"Faith makes obedience essential.  Fatalism makes obedience (or disobedience) inconsequential.
"Faith responds to the faithfulness of God.  Fatalism gives in to a god who is distant and unknowable.
"Faith overcomes in trials; fatalism accepts it condition.
"Faith looks to what can be; fatalism accepts what is.
"Faith moves mountains; fatalism means that we get moved.
"Faith believes the best.  Fatalism accepts one’s fate, even if it is the worst.”

Believe it or not, fatalism is a very comfortable place to be because in that state we have no hopes, no desires, and whatever happens, happens.  Another author talked about this giant, beautifully built dome that the Buddhists built, but they don’t maintain it.  It’s called the stupa and is meant to decay.  The Buddhists teach, “that existence is pain, and like the dome suffers pain and ruin through whatever comes against it.  Ultimately, the goal is to become nothing, which is nirvana.”  Fatalism could be described much the same way.

But that’s not what the Bible says in Romans 8:28-39…or anywhere else for that matter.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
 "What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:  ‘For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."  No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

I don’t know what books you read growing up, but in the ones I read, conquerors were never passive.  They were out there making a difference.  They may not have won every battle, but they never gave up until they got to where they thought they belonged.

Satan would love for us to sit back and let life wash over us, eroding our lives, our spirits and, ultimately, our relationships with Christ, all the while believing that we’re accepting what God has chosen to give us. 

“Man is allotted a part in this great struggle for everlasting life; he must respond to the working of the Holy Spirit. It will require a struggle to break through the powers of darkness, but the Spirit that works in him can and will accomplish this. But man is no passive instrument to be saved in indolence. He is called upon to strain every muscle in the struggle for immortality, yet it is God that supplies the efficiency.” E.G.White, Our High Calling (1961), page 91.

As it turns out, David hadn’t given up at all.  He had at least three loyal spies in Jerusalem making sure he knew what Absalom was up to.  He had just learned over the years he spent commanding armies, that some battles are more important than others.  The battle for his throne was important; some guy throwing rocks and dirt at him was not.  Another thing that David had learned was that even though sometimes standing on the sidelines is a whole lot harder than being in the battle (just watch a basketball coach sometime), it’s important to know when to stand and when to fight.  He’d learned to let God tell him which was which.

Are you fighting any battles right now?  Are they the right ones or are you worried about satan throwing rocks and insults?  Are you fighting God and fighting your way closer to Him? 

“’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,’ declares the LORD, ‘and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,’ declares the LORD, ‘and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.’"  Jeremiah 29:11-14

How can you argue with that?  He promises to bring us back from those difficult places and to hear us when we pray.  Amen!

Attitude Adjustment

Thoughts on the Sabbath School lesson dated 12.2.11

If someone asked you to explain the difference between the old covenant and the new covenant in the Bible, could you?  I would have a really hard time, but with a lot of help from the Holy Spirit, I’m going to try.  Hold on to your seats.

I’ve always heard that the old covenant was grounded in salvation by keeping the law, while the new covenant was all about faith.  That always made me vaguely uncomfortable.  Why would a God who never changes, change the rules in the middle of the game?  Especially when the rule change seemed to be in our favor…what about all those folks who came before?  That just didn’t seem fair. 

I think I’ve learned something very important recently, though.  I think that the old and new covenants didn’t change the way God deals with us, but the way we deal with Him.

 

Hang on, let me explain – Abraham and Sarah’s story can illustrate both attitudes.  When Sarah and Abraham decided to help God by having a son through Hagar, they were living by the old covenant.  When they trusted God to keep His promise to them, they were under the new covenant.  God had not changed; they had.

“When I started a new church in Los Angeles County, California, I found that I was overwhelmed with pressure and stress. I was working more than seventy hours a week. My wife would ask me to take a day off, and I would say, ‘I can't.’ I wasn't sleeping at night, and I started to take sleeping pills. When the church was about a year old, I woke up in the night, and I had this strange sense that God was laughing at me. As I lay in bed, I wondered, Why is God laughing at me?
“It would take five years before I finally got an answer to that question. Here's how it happened: when we moved into our current house, I saved the heaviest piece of furniture for last—the desk from my office. As I was pushing and pulling the desk with all my might, my four-year-old son came over and asked if he could help. So together we started sliding it across the floor. He was pushing and grunting as we inched our way along. After a few minutes, my son stopped pushing, looked up at me, and said, ‘Dad, you're in my way.’ And then he tried to push the desk by himself. Of course it didn't budge. Then I realized that he thought he was actually doing all the work, instead of me. I couldn't help but laugh.
“The moment I started laughing at my son's comment, I recalled that middle-of-the-night incident and I realized why God was laughing at me. I thought I was pushing the desk. I know that's ridiculous, but instead of recognizing God's power and strength, I started to think it all depended on me.”[1]

That’s why Israel carried God’s covenant with them like it was such a burden; they believed that keeping the law was all about them. God intended the covenant to be a joy and a privilege pointing to the promise of salvation and the debt being paid by His Son.

“If we could be saved through our works, there would have been no need for the law or the sacrificial system, which pointed to Christ’s atoning sacrifice. The law is a ‘shadow of the good things that are coming’ (Heb. 10:1, NIV), but it could not save in Moses’ time, and it cannot save now.
“If an animal sacrifice could really make the people perfect, then there would have been no need for Jesus’ sacrifice. But “‘“sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings [God] did not desire”’” (Heb. 10:8, NIV). So Jesus came to earth to do His Father’s will (Heb. 10:9). Jesus was sent to do what the law and sacrifices were too weak to do.”[2]

That makes so much more sense to me.  Doesn’t it to you?

Check out this scene from the movie Get Low. It takes place in the 1930s in Tennessee.  An old hermit, Felix Bush (Robert Duvall), wants to throw his own funeral party while he was still alive. Felix visits the Rev. Gus Horton to get his help arranging his funeral.

Bush puts a wad of cash in front of the pastor, and says,

"‘It's time for me to get low.’ When Rev. Horton asks what he means by that, Felix replies, ‘Down to business. I need a funeral.’ When the pastor asks who the funeral is for, Felix says, ‘Me.’
“Rev. Horton is bewildered by the request, but Felix presses forward, asking, ‘Well, what would you say [about me]?’
“‘Oh, eulogy. Well, ah, I don't know. What would you want me to say?’
“‘Say what you'd say right now to my face.’ Felix replies sternly.
“‘Mr. Bush, I don't know much about you,’ the reverend responds. ‘I've heard stories, but …’
“‘What stories?’ asks Felix.
“‘Stories, you know. People talk,’ replies the reverend.
“‘What kind of stories?’ Felix asks.
“‘Well sir,’ the reverend answers, ‘my mother used to say that gossip is the devil's radio. What matters is when you come to the end of your life that you're ready for the next one. Now, have you made peace with God, sir?’
“‘I paid,’ replies Felix.
“By ‘I paid’ Felix means he has spent most of his adult life trying to atone for his sins. … Now forty years later, after his long self-atonement project, he hopes that he's finally paid his debt.
“But Rev. Horton wisely disagrees with Felix. ‘Mr. Bush,’ he replies firmly, ‘you can't buy forgiveness. It's free, but you do have to ask for it.’
“With that, Felix reaches and picks up the wad of cash and stomps out of the church.”[3]

Isn’t that really sad?  We would rather torture ourselves to earn our own salvation than to just ask for forgiveness.  That’s what living under the law is.  From the instant that Adam and Eve sinned, God promised them salvation by faith in Jesus Christ – period.

God never told Abraham that if he worked hard enough and never made any mistakes, that He would make him the father of many nations.  God just asked Abraham to trust Him, and “Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.”  Genesis 15:6

“As Scripture says, ‘Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.’  For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’”  Romans 10:11-13

[1] Adapted from Kyle Idleman, Not a Fan (Zondervan, 2011), pp. 96-97

[2] Dan Solis, associate pastor, Village Seventh-day Adventist Church, “Lesson 10 The Two Covenants,” The Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide

[3] Get Low (Sony Pictures, 2009), Directed by Aaron Schneider, Scene 2; submitted by Van Morris, Mt. Washington, Kentucky