Attempts at Honesty

Reflections on the interplay of the Bible and Culture

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The Skill of the Craftsman

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I was reading Augustine’s Confessions this morning where he mentions a treatise by Cicero called Hortensius as the means by which God began to change Augustine’s heart.

Thinking that it would be interesting to read this work, I searched for a copy only to find out that Hortensius is a lost work.

My initial reaction was sadness to loose the tool that shaped the life of a great man like Augustine. The thought then struck me that the value of the creation depends less on the quality of the tool than on the skill of the craftsman. A skilled craftsman can use inferior tools to produce a good result.

Had we a copy of this work, we might find it to be inferior to other works of that period. The fact that God, in his sovereignty did not see to its preservation would seem to support this premise. Yet, it was used my God to shape a mind that has left a huge positive impact on all of Christendom.

From this I conclude that I should not mourn the loss of the tool, but praise the skill of the Craftsman who can use whatever tool is available to bring His vision into being.

The greatest virtue of the tool is availability to the Craftsman. If we are available, we get to participate in the bringing about of something beautiful.

Miscommunication Hurts

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CommunicationThe inability of the gelateria cashier to understand English (real or feigned) and my inability to speak Italian cost me an extra 4 Euros.

I tried to order three small gelatos, a decaf cappuccino, and two regular cappuccinos. What the attendant thought I ordered was three small gelatos, two medium gelatos and a decaf cappuccino.

The guy at the counter was nice enough to give us what we thought we ordered, but not nice enough to refund us the difference.

This story illustrates that miscommunication carries a cost. Four Euros will be little missed in the grand scheme of things. But what about the cost associated with miscommunication, through words or actions, of the Gospel of Jesus?

I need to be sure that my words and my living are not a stumbling block to those who need the Truth to set them free.

Am I living as though the veil is torn and I am in constant communion with a Holy God? Am I living as one who has been crucified with Christ? Do I live as though God is the only important preoccupation for me? Are my thoughts and words full of grace and truth?

Sometimes these things are true, but not often enough. I pray that what John the Baptist said would be true of me: “He must increase and I decrease.”

Training for the battle

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SoldiersI recently read in The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon concerning the training that the Roman army did in preparation for the battle.

Gibbon writes that the only difference between the field of training and the field of battle was the effusion of blood on the latter. In other words the training was rigorous enough to prepare the soldiers for battle. When they encountered the enemy their training allowed them to respond effectively.

Compare this to the average church meeting in America. Do we come together with the understanding that we are there to train for a spiritual battle? Are we challenged to grow in our understanding and spiritual depth? Are we preparing the congregants to encounter and give answer to a lost world?

The battle is real and preparation is vital to succeeding in our mission.

A Pattern for Discipleship

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Ezra 7:10 (ESV) “For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the Lord, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel.”

I like when things can be simplified. Why make things more complicated than they need to be? As a result, when I read this verse, I noticed a three step pattern for discipleship.

  1. Learn
  2. Do
  3. Teach

The Church (all believers) is commissioned to make disciples. As a result, I have seen churches embark on discipleship programs involving one-on-one meetings and workbooks. These things are not wrong in themselves, but it seems to me that discipleship is a natural result when leaders do what Ezra did.

Ezra studied the law of the Lord, learned to live out that law in his life and taught others to do the same. It doesn’t have to be complicated or programmed. Discipleship should be a natural outworking of living out the good news of Jesus Christ.

Meetings and workbooks might be used as tools in this process, but I have seen programs fail because the meetings and workbooks became the end rather than the means.

Discipleship is not a program, it is a lifestyle.

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