Attempts at Honesty

Reflections on the interplay of the Bible and Culture

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The View From the Boat

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BoatStatistics show that when given an opportunity to walk on water, 91.7% are too timid to try. Peter was the only one bold or impetuous enough to jump out. The other eleven stayed in the boat and watched from over the rail.

One of the things that prevents me from jumping out of the boat is that I sometimes take responsibility for the outcome rather than trusting the outcome to God. If I take this responsibility, I then get waylaid by fear of failure.

I am learning to let the results in God’s hands and focus on what has been put on my plate for today. I only need to step out in obedience. Perhaps this is part of the intention behind the statement, “give me this day my daily bread.”

Paul gave some advice to Timothy which seems to support this line of reasoning. In 2 Timothy 1:6-8, we read:

6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, 7for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God,

Like Timothy I am to work at developing the gift that I have been given. I am to step out in boldness and use it. To do so requires that I get out of the boat. It is often uncomfortable to step out. It is sometimes painful to step out, but I must step out of the boat.

Why should I do this? Because I am not given a spirit of fear, but one of power. Timothy was to tap into that power and be used by it to boldly proclaim the message of God. I am to tap into that power to be used by God for whatever he has for me to do.

But what if the message is rejected or if the messenger is persecuted for bringing the message? The results are in God’s hands and Timothy should not be ashamed of what to human eyes appears to be failure. Paul’s chains do not represent failure in God’s eyes, they are part of his plan. Therefore, they are not to be a source of shame.

I am not responsible for the outcome, I am only responsible to be obedient. I am to work hard to develop my skills. I am to be diligent in study and practice. I am to use every opportunity to use my gifts. There is no free ride.

The best news of all is that God is fully in control and if I am doing what he has gifted me to do then the outcome is assured to be a good one. I like that and when I rest in that, I am free to do my best without fear of failure or criticism.

LiveJournal Tags: Fear,failure,criticism,outcome,Timothy,Peter,Paul

Ed Stetzer, Jeremy Myers, Terry Jones and the Apostle Paul

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On Saturday, I saw this Tweet from Ed Stetzer:


I agree with Ed and apparently so do others since this was retweeted 100 times to date.

I also appreciated Jeremy Myers’ response in his blog.

This morning I read in Acts 17 where Paul proclaimed the Living God at the Areopagus in Athens. Perhaps Terry Jones has never had to preach through this particular section of Scripture. Had he studied it, I wonder if he would have thought that burning the Koran was a good idea.

In this passage, Luke records that Paul entered into the discussion group, acknowledged that the men were religious and went on to politely highlight the differences in belief between their polytheism and his faith in Jesus.

The same Apostle who preached in the Areopagus tells us to “speak the truth in love” in Ephesians 4:15. We are to tell people what they need to know about the living God but as the example of Paul in Acts 17 shows us, it should be done with wisdom and love. It should never be done in a way that intentionally gives offense.

Most people don’t react well to being told that they are evil or stupid. Most people do not react well when objects that they value are desecrated. It is just the way we are wired.

I like the proverb, “it’s better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.” Instead of telling people they are wrong, perhaps its better to gently and respectfully tell them what the Bible says.

If there must be an offense, let it be the offense of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Let it not be the offense of the messenger mangling the message.

No Other Gods . . .

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The drive to worship is deep in the heart of humanity. For evidence of this we need to look no further than any stadium in which an NFL game is being played. The energy behind the worship of the professional football team in the city near which I live is impressive. On game day during football season, green jerseys are seemingly everywhere. Thousands flock to the stadium, to bars and to homes to gather for worship of their beloved team.

I’m not saying that it is wrong to be a sports fan, I am saying that the fervor displayed by many fans is evidence of man’s inherent need and capacity to worship.

Apart from the Judeo/Christian world view, objects of worship are people, things or concepts that have their existence in the physical world. In some cultures they worship idols and other objects that are considered sacred. In the western world of the 21st Century, many worship science and technology as the saviors of mankind. All these religions (modern atheism demands the same level of faith and commitment as any religion) are grounded in what can be apprehended through the physical senses.

Demands for proof of the existence of God are rooted in the physical realm. It is considered foolish to believe in something that cannot be seen or touched. Yet, that is what God expected of Israel and what he expects of us today, to believe in him. He sets himself up as the God who is above and beyond the physical world and is worthy of worship.

He does not leave us in the dark to grope our way to him. He, the one who created the physical realm and our ability to perceive it, has provided the means for us to gain knowledge of him. There are two means of apprehending God that I would like to highlight.

The first is his word as revealed by the Biblical authors. God has revealed himself to us in terms that we can understand. He is a God who wants to be known and he makes that clear to us. I cannot touch God in a physical sense, but I can handle his word given to me. I cannot hear God’s voice with my ear, but I can hear through his word.

The second is the revelation of God in the person of Jesus Christ. The Apostle John writes about the fact that Jesus could be seen, heard and touched. Jesus, as God in the flesh, revealed the nature of God to us in a way that we can understand. He, being fully human and fully God, could bridge the gap of separation between us and God in a way that no human could do. To look on the face of Jesus was to look on the face of God.

These thoughts were prompted by my reading of Exodus 20 this morning which contains the Ten Commandments. One of the commands is that no images are to be worshipped. Yet we see that humanity has had a bias toward worshipping what can be seen over the God who is unseen. God alone is to be worshipped but men refuse to bow to him, preferring to put their faith in other men or in science or in their own ability.

Men and science do not have a particularly good track record to date. The 20th Century was the bloodiest century on record. The century which had the greatest “freedom” from God had the most tyranny and destruction.

A common business proverb is, “the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.” Yet we keep denouncing God and trusting men and we are disappointed every time. I guess that means that as a culture we are insane . . .

Anticipating an Important Letter

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How fast would you run to the mailbox if you knew that a personal letter from the President was waiting for you? Regardless of your political loyalties, to have such a letter would be an important occasion and you would have great anticipation as to how the letter will affect you.

While many of us believe God is the ultimate author of the Bible, if honest, we would admit that sometimes we take Scripture for granted. It is very easy to approach daily Bible reading as a task to be checked off.

There is something to be said for the discipline of doing a good thing even when we don’t feel like doing it. Discipline is important and will see us through when healthy tasks seem routine.

Yet, how much more would we get out of daily Bible reading if we keep in mind that the God who created the universe wants to speak to you (and me) directly through his word. It seems to me that any time we have opportunity to open the Bible should be a time of excitement and anticipation. We should anticipate being changed as a result with interacting with the living God. It should never be ho-hum.

I am reminded of a scene from the movie Luther which was released in 2003. One of my favorite scenes is when Luther is bringing his German Bible to Frederick the Wise (played by Sir Peter Ustinov). As Frederick is reaching for the Bible, his hands are trembling with anticipation. (Note that however historically inaccurate this scene is, I still like it)

Such should be my attitude. God has spoken, is speaking and will continue to speak in Scripture. I need only to reach out with fingers trembling in anticipation.

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