Why are you here?

One of the most burning questions inside every human being is about why we are on this planet. Why we exist? We are looking and searching for meaning. This is also true for the church. The collective church seems to struggle with answering this question in a consistent and compelling way. Many look to the day that the church is "called home" but make little emphasis on what is happening today. We are not here to simply endure the failures of culture, society, and the empire that governs us. So, why are we here? Peter helps give us perspective in the first 12 verses in his letter (1 Peter 1:1-12).

We are here to be a Chosen Marginalized

Peter calls the people of God "elect exiles." They are in direct disagreement and inner rebellion with the empire of Rome. The republic demanded conformity and the pressure to worship according to Rome's demands pushed the people of Jesus to the margins of society. This was where the impact on the poor, the broken, and the vulnerable began to mark the followers of Jesus. We were chosen for this task. The margins of society is the center of the kingdom of God.

We are here to display a Sure and Future Hope

The people of Jesus should possess more hope than any other people on earth. It doesn't always feel that way, however. There is a reason that Peter needed to remind and encourage the church that was in Asia about their secure hope: they were scared. They could not see hope so clearly in the midst of persecution. He points them to a hope that is "imperishable, undefiled, and unfading." Our present circumstances are not greater than our future hope.

We are here to form a Courageous Authenticity

Some of Peter's imagery and examples come from the Old Testament during the time of Babylonian Captivity. This time of "exile" for the people of God tested their authenticity. The "fire" of Babylon was very real for men like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They were found to have an authenticity that was greater than the gold of Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 3). Peter points to the same tests in other empires for you and me. The fires that we face are not destructive; they are refining. They change us, but they do not destroy us.

We are here to Enjoy Jesus

Jesus is better. Jesus is better than anything. He is what we are looking for and seeking in this world. His Gospel is the hope of this world. His radical grace is our purpose on this planet. Peter points us to grasp hold of what we cannot see. He tells us that this "unseen" Jesus is who we love, put our trust in, and joyously celebrate. This enjoyment of Jesus should mark us as a people. How different would we look to the world around us if this were our everyday attitude and expression.

We are here to Honor those that Came Before Us

We are surrounded by a "great cloud of witnesses." Peter didn't write this phrase (they don't think) but he could have. He believes it deeply. The prophets looked at the grace that was to come through the incarnation of Jesus with longing. The person or people that shared the Gospel with you and introduced you to Jesus looked at your faith with great expectation. Even the angels look on the life that you get to lead with awe. Jesus has caused all of this to happen because he loves you, he has a purpose for your life.

He has a mission for you.

Will you accept it?

Book Review: The First Time We Saw Him

When I first saw the title and make-up of this book I was intrigued and excited. I have been pursuing the life and teaching of Jesus for a while and I thought that this might offer a new viewpoint or a way that I could share the life and words of Jesus with others differently. At the very least this book held the potential to reconnect with familiar passages in a new way. As far as these are concerned I was not disappointed.

Mikalatos essentially retells the basic story of the Gospels in modern language but also places them in a contemporary setting. He recasts various stories from the Bible and guides the reader through the real emotions that might be present if we encountered Jesus today.

There were many things that I liked about this book. It is easy to read. It does not just tell the stories but Mikalatos interacts with the theology and implications of Jesus on our lives. The book has a fresh and up front way of talking about Jesus and the importance of the interactions told in the Gospels. For the new believer or the person that has grown weary of reading the same passages over and over this may be a good surge to the soul as they see Jesus differently. However, those who are still captivated by Jesus and seek to read in order to obey this book doesn’t really add much value, if any.

This brings me to the things that I did not like about the book. One issue is that the stories were cherry picked. I get that the author was not trying to retell the Bible but it feels like so much was left out. The other thing is that the author tried to harmonize the Gospels. He picked from different Gospel writers without carrying over the unique theological thrust that these stories communicate as they are tied together in a particular way.

All of that being said this is a good book. It may not  be for everybody but it is a well written and certainly creative expression of the life and teaching of Jesus.

New Heavens and New Earth

For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. - Romans 8:20-22

Paul is continuing and connecting his argument about the children of God being not just children but heirs because they are in Christ (chapter 6) therefore, a part of the solution. This solution is not just true for the children of God in and of themselves but the Spirit is given as a deposit (8:1-11) to what will be fully done for the whole of creation (8:18-25).

There is an idea that fills the church and even those that are looking at the church that salvation is an escape to heaven to live forever in the presence of God and that the only people that will enjoy this eternal bliss mansions of gold and pearls and floating along on clouds while they play their little harps and stroke their new tiny wings are Christians (those that have accepted Christ, more often than not in a short prayer that has little if any impact on the way they live). Their presentation of what they believe is the gospel (where would you go if you died today?) is that who wouldn't want this kind of eternal bliss? This concept of salvation is foreign to a fair reading of the Scriptures and to the Apostle Paul himself.

God is a God that makes "good" things (Genesis 1 and 2). The fall (Genesis 3) included man, woman, and creation (the serpent). The curse was put upon Adam (The Hebrew word for man or mankind) and Adamah (The Hebrew word for earth). Because of this God began a plan to work through man to set right the curse on both man and on the creation (the rest of the Bible).

So what does that mean for us? Well that means that the gospel is much more than a little prayer then a lifetime of doing nothing. It means that those who are in Christ have a part in bringing justice to this earth. They have a responsibility to share the message of what God will do for the creation with others. This also means that those that accept this plan to make things right (the Church) will commit themselves to begin to be identified with Christ here and now (the Body of Christ). There will be a resurrection of the body (1 Thessalonians 4) and a recreation of the earth (Revelation 21-22). 

Heaven then is a place where we wait and long for the day when heaven comes to earth (Genesis 1-2 and Revelation 21-22), when things are made right, and when we wage a war on evil and cast it from the earth. In this way "all things work together for good to those that love God and are called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28, in its proper context).

People need to know the mission of God to make things right!

They need to be challenged to be a part of the making of things right!

This is the Gospel; we have been saved, we are being saved, and we will be saved one day! (1 Corinthians 15:1-2)

No One is Righteous

"There is none who understands, There is none who seeks for God; All have turned aside, together they have become useless; There is none who does good, There is not even one." -Romans 3:10-11 from Psalm 14

There is a concept that we must understand to fully understand the Gospel of God. This concept has guided Paul's argument from Romans 1:18 and will see it through until 3:20. The concept I am referring to is a concept of who we are before God. Paul has taken his time in showing that we are all without excuse. God has made himself knowable through creation and everyone is accountable for pursuing truth. He has shown that the unbeliever is guilty as well as, the Jewish people for not seeking God. He will in this final passage of his first argument turn to show that the legalist and moralist are also guilty and therefore without excuse.

Everyone that does not seek after truth but rather pursues their own selfish end is deserving of God's justice. That justice comes in the form of a word that western culture has no palette for; judgement. Whether we are fond of the concept or not, Paul is clear that judgment will come and when it does we will all be deserving of God's wrath. 

We are all the same at this moment we are all:

Morally evil: Genesis 8:21; Luke 11:11-13; John 3:19

Spiritually sick: Matthew 9:12

Slaves to sin: John 8:34; Romans 6:16&20; 2 Timothy 2:26

Blinded to truth: 1 Corinthians 2:14; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Ephesians 4:18; Matthew 5:8

Lovers of darkness: Ephesians 5:8; John 3:20

Children of wrath: James 4:4; Romans 5:10; Ephesians 2:12

Spiritually, Physically, and Eternally dead: Ephesians 5:14; Romans 5:12; Romans 6:23

This is not the way that contemporary culture would say that God sees us. That is precisely the point Paul has so painstakingly made. Most church members would not describe their relationship with God in such ways. The truth is that in Romans 1:18-3:20 and in the testimony of Scripture as a whole if you come face to face with God then you will die! 

This begs the question, "What about Jesus Christ?" 

I am glad you asked. Paul will turn to the work of Jesus and explain justification in 3:21-5:21.

Look up, hope is here!

The Gospel of God

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God-

Romans 1:1

There have been many that have begun to preach through the book of Romans that have been said to spend multiple sermons on this one verse. It is full of truth and insights. I will not exhaust multiple entries on the many observations present here but I will allow, as is proper, this verse to set the tone for the rest of the study of the letter to the Romans.

I will assume that we know who Paul is and at least some of his history. I will take a moment to talk about Paul's approach to the gospel. Paul had three stances. Each of these were taken at the same time. It has been said that he had a foot in three countries at once (if he had three feet). One foot is in Judaism. Paul was a Pharisee, and by his own account, a good one (see chapter 11). Paul was deeply concerned with the Jews in each city he visited as he spread the gospel (see the book of Acts). Paul also had a concern that the gospel of God was not something new but something foretold by the prophets and in the Scriptures (see verse 1:2). It can be safely said that in Paul's eyes, the Christian movement was a Jewish movement.

His other foot was in the Hellenistic world. Paul was called to the Greek and Hellenistic societies. He was concerned with the freedom of these new communities to stand apart from the Torah (the Jewish law). Paul defended the rights of these churches in Jerusalem (Acts 15) and in front of Peter (Galatians). Paul primarily focused on the physical attributes of the Torah, like circumcision or dietary restrictions, but he also talked about the Gentiles as a fulfillment of God's promises to Abraham (see Galatians 4).

Paul's third foot (if he had one) is in the world of Roman government. Paul uses terms for Jesus that were normally reserved and used of Caesar. It was a way of Paul recasting allegiance to the true King, instead of the faux king of Rome. All three of these distinctions are prevalent in the letter to the Romans and we will highlight them as we have occasion. 

The gospel is a much bigger concept than a prayer involving the ABC's. The gospel is bigger than a decision that has been made or a pre-baptism ritual. For Paul, the gospel involved the efforts of God to make the world right again. God is a God of justice and that means that God will bring justice to creation. This has powerful ramifications for all of us (more on that later). The gospel involves us because God is involving us in his efforts to make the world right. If God is going to make the world right, then it is something that must come from his efforts. The gospel is God's way to save the world from itself (see 1:16).

In 1:18-3:20 we will explore Paul's expression of this truth.

The RetroChurch...

In our last post we asked the question, "How do we know we have 'real' Christianity?" To answer this question we must traverse three fields of thinking; theology, the Bible, and history. In short, we have a real reflection of the faith if we have presented God and His character/actions in an orthodox way. We have what is real if we have presented a biblical foundation for salvation/sanctification/glorification that is clear and verifiable. Also, we have a real faith if we have properly rooted and guided into the historical practices that were given for all by a "great cloud of witnesses."

This last sentence is where we have a tendency to say...wait...what?

Yet this reliance on history is an important and indispensable guide to capturing and protecting a reflection of the Christian faith that is "real". Without a faithful reliance on history you are not a faithful reflection of the church.

It is time for your church to go retro.

In Michael Svigel's book, RetroChristianity, he gives us a guide on discerning the influences of history. Let's face it, when I say that we need history in order to be "real", some not so good moments in the life of the Christian church can be conjured up. One may say, "there is a lot that we must avoid in history and by avoiding the bad the church currently looks the way we do." To be fair, we need to be aware and conscious when dealing with history. We need not take anything blindly. But we must not neglect the work of God through history by ignoring those that came before us. Svigel suggests these as a guide:

Some things Never Change and Never Should.

There are some things that simply should never change. The center of our faith is Jesus Christ. Not the healings of Jesus, but Jesus. Not the sacrifice (continually) of Jesus, but Jesus. Not the prosperity of Jesus...wait...okay that is just not Christian. Jesus is and should be the center of our faith. We can learn much from history (especially the early church fathers) on making Christ and his gospel the center of it all.

The story of our faith should be the Trinitarian creation (Father, Son, and Spirit all active in the creative acts), redemption, and restoration. Our faith can never leave this story. Our worship can never stop replaying this central drama. This is historical worship. This is Christian faith.

The markers (doctrines) of our faith should always stay the same. These markers come through the struggles and biblical wrestlings of our fathers. To leave our fathers behind is to say that we no longer need their voice, their thoughts, their fights. Sadly, many do this very thing. Some, even proudly.

Some things have Never been the Same and Never Will Be.

Still, some things can never be the same. There is a diversity among Christians today unlike any in history. We have different denominations and reflections on orthodoxy and that is not necessarily a bad thing. We cannot have the solidarity that our church fathers enjoyed. We cannot go back to that time and we should not seek to idealize it. What we can do is learn to embrace diversity. We can have unity in essentials while maintaining diversity (and discussion) of non-essentials. Without history we can (and have)...(and do)... easily confuse the two.

Some things Grow Clear through Trial and Error.

I do not advocate leaving the challenges of the present by blindly retreating to the "golden days" of the past. We are where, and when, we are. We have learned through the decades and centuries. We have grown through time. We must continue growing. But we can also keep learning through remembering. Many traditions and many time periods have golden gifts for us if we will accept them. We do not have to accept them all. We can continually be guided by theology and Biblical faithfulness.

As Michael Svigel says, "This is not returning to the past, but retrieving the past for the present."

The Locally Global Church

Many of us have grown up here around the "Bible Belt" of the United States hearing the phrase "going to church". In fact, church for me was always somewhere you went. People may ask, "Where do you go to church?" or "Are you going to church tomorrow?" It has simply become a part of our cultural language to "go to church".

Yet this phrase is absurd. The church is not located in space. Believers in Rwanda are connected in every way to believers in Portland, Oregon and Hoover, Alabama. They are not a different church. They are all a part of the same body, same family, same church. On this basis alone, the phrase "go to church" would be absurd.

But that is not all. The church is also not located in time. The church is not present only today, or tomorrow, or this coming Sunday. Believers that have passed on from life in this world into death have in no way, not one single way, ceased to be the church. In fact, they are more presently experiencing what we only get fading glimpses of. So, a body of believers that is in no one place and is connected throughout all of time cannot be a place that is visited. To say that I am "going to church" is an absurd picture of the Body of Christ.

The church is not a place, the church is a people.

However, the church is a local reality. The people that we gather with in worship and the people that push us to gain perspective on the eternal implications of living a life surrendered to Christ are people that we know and are, for us, located in a local body. Are we not to be especially connected to these local believers? Absolutely! We are to be spurred on to good works performed by faith in the one who works them in us as a body. This local body possesses the fruit of the Spirit (not individuals) and the gifts of the Spirit so that the local body may be an expression of Christ's presence. To be a part of this kind of gathering is special and should be praised.

But the local body that truly understands what it means to be the body will always, always, always point that local body to its connection with a global and timeless body. This is not done through once a year offerings (my apologies to Lottie Moon) or speaking engagements of missionaries. This is engaged in worship. Worship that understands the overwhelming reality that there in but one body. Worship that lifts its voice in a melody of praise that encompasses thousands of languages. Worship that proclaims God's Word with many tongues yet echoes in one single message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

At this moment the church has become locally global.

Here we have not merely "gone to church" but rather we have experienced the miracle of the people of God.

Such a Great Cloud of Witnesses

Our last blog post about reading Scripture in light of history ("History Glasses") brought up some very good questions in response. Two questions that surfaced regularly were "why?" and "how?" In other words, people wanted to know why history is such an important part of seeing Scripture more clearly and they also wanted to know how they could begin to tackle such a daunting task.

We have a far deeper and more rich fellowship within the church than many people realize and many churches (see our last post) refuse to acknowledge as a witness to various views. Hebrews calls this rich and deep fellowship "a great cloud of witnesses" (12:1). This "great cloud" that surrounds us allows us to "look to the author and perfecter of our faith". Some of us have grown up completely segregated from the church fathers and find them foreign and aloof. Many others approach them with skepticism and a Western idea that newer is better. We who live in the west have a natural predisposition to be wary of history because we can see their mistakes.

Christianity, however, points us to embrace history because the Spirit of God has been moving then, as now, to lead and guide us in faith (the point of Hebrews chapter 11). It is precisely because we can see the mistakes of others that history becomes more important for us. If we are led by the same Spirit, in the same faith, to worship the same Lord, then we might just be heading for some of the same errors. The fathers have given us a gift of seeing farther because we "stand on the shoulders of giants"(CS Lewis).

The barrier of how to go about engaging these fathers is a bit tricky. The immediate attraction is to pick up a history book and begin to read or purchase a paperback of the church fathers (here) and think that we can be in communion with them. These tasks may be helpful but they are not fellowship with the Christ in communion with the saints.

This kind of communion comes in worship, community, and mission. This comes as we celebrate, share, and serve together as we take into account the hearts, minds, and efforts that have come before. This means that pastors have a necessary responsibility to point us toward reflections, prayers, hymns, and confessions of the faithful. We need to be made aware where and when these meditations came from so that we can learn to appreciate them and even learn to read the fathers with eyes for insight. Our worship leaders need to purposely choose music that unites us with ancient paths and future ones.

Our faithful fathers of days gone by are not to be forgotten. They were, and are, the church. We owe much to them. We venture on a journey that has been laid bare by the feet of the faithful that have come before.

This ancient path is our guide as we walk into a glorious future.