Attempts at Honesty

Reflections on the interplay of the Bible and Culture

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Life as an ambassador

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Ambassador of Light
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When Joseph was propositioned by Potiphar’s wife, he responded by saying,

“. . . How then could I do this great evil and sin against God?” (Genesis 39:9)

Joseph had the understanding that he had a responsibility to God to behave according to God’s standards of conduct. His first allegiance was to God. He made the right choice in a difficult decision even though the short term cost was huge.

Fast forward about 1,900 years and there is a guy formerly known as Saul who found himself in many difficult situations. What is remarkable about this is that the Apostle Paul referred to himself as an Apostle (one who is sent) and am ambassador (see 2 Cor. 5:20 and Eph. 6:20).

It is the role of the ambassador to represent a government or king while traveling in a foreign country. Sometimes the ambassador has to represent his king in an environment that is difficult or hostile.

Like Paul, those of us who claim allegiance to Jesus have been given the responsibility to represent Christ in every situation in which we find ourselves. Jesus warned us that we would find tribulation in the world (John 16:33), so we should expect that we will sometimes find ourselves in difficult situations.

My guess is that every one of us has at least one difficult situation to deal with. It may be a family member, coworker, neighbor, church member or even a government. Aside from people problems, unemployment, underemployment, sickness or unfulfilled desires can cause frustration and difficulty.

When faced with difficulty (I admit that I have had relatively few real difficulties) I have a tendency to whine to God about the situation. My default position is one of self-pity and defeat.

Yet, if God is who Jesus represented him to be, then that God desires my well-being and the difficult situation is not an accident. Like Joseph, I may not see the reason for the difficulty while it is happening. I may not even see the reason for the difficulty while I remain in this life. But I can remain confident of two things: Jesus is with me in the difficulty (Matt. 28:20) and the difficulty is not random or meaningless (Romans 8:28).

Let’s return to the idea of being an ambassador. Perhaps part of the reason that God allows difficult situations in our life is so that we can be used to show His love in that situation. Rather than joining in the complaints against the terrible boss, I could work to make the situation better for all, including the boss. Rather than feeling aversion to interacting with a difficult person, I can live as a window that allows the light of God’s grace to shine through. Rather than whine to God about the difficulty, I can ask Him what I am to learn from the situation and ask for strength and wisdom to represent Him well.

I am writing as one who would like to do this well, but has failed so many times to do so. Yet, behind all my failures is a God who is big enough to redeem those failures.

The fight against inanity

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Merry-Go-RoundWarning: if you are put off by a few profanities and a misunderstanding of Calvinism, then please do not click the link below. If, on the other hand, you would like to engage with the culture around you, then please read the article. 

I ran across a post entitled The Bullshit Machine which I found challenging and thought I would share it with you. I am not sharing this for shock value, nor do I do it gratuitously. I realize that I risk alienating readers who frown upon the use of profanity, but the risk is worth it if the ideas are heard.

The author of the article points out the futility of living in an unthinking, uncritical society which lives for pleasure (or the avoidance of pain). For example, he writes:

Remember when cafes used to be full of people…thinking? Now I defy you to find one not full of people Tinder—Twitter—Facebook—App-of-the-nanosecond-ing; furiously. Like true believers hunched over the glow of a spiritualized Eden they can never truly enter; which is precisely why they’re mesmerized by it. The chance at a perfect life; full of pleasure; the perfect partner, relationship, audience, job, secret, home, career; it’s a tap away. It’s something like a slot-machine of the human soul, this culture we’re building. The jackpot’s just another coin away…forever. Who wouldn’t be seduced by that?

The struggle I have is that people in the church can be just as unthinking and un-engaged as the people the author describes in the article. In the church, we have real answers to real questions, but too often the church is the last place where people feel comfortable asking those questions. We erect ramparts of rules, lists and tradition as a defense against engaging the culture around us. The ramparts are effective in keeping the world out, but make impossible the mission that Jesus gave us to make disciples.

We, as the church, need to provide a refuge against the inanity that is all around us. We cannot remain content to offer cleaned up, “Christianized” inanity. We must offer real truth and articulate how that real truth speaks against the inanity. We must present the gospel in all its fullness by teaching and demonstrating how it speaks to every issue of life. We must make the church where it is safe to ask difficult questions. We need to provide more than simplistic answers to those questions.

We are flawed people living in a flawed world and we desperately need an intervention from God to make us something we cannot hope to become on our own. Life is a messy affair and the church needs to be willing to walk through that mess to bring people to Jesus.

Forget programs, forget gimmicks. Bring the gospel in a way that can be understood and help people out of the cycle that the author of The Bullshit Machine describes.

If we have the answer (we do in Jesus) we should be living in such a way as to attract people to find that answer. As Jesus said, Keep your light shining . . .

This little light of mine – Thoughts on Matthew 5:14-16

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#14 in the Sermon on the Mount Series

Matthew 5:14–16 (NASB) — 14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; 15 nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

For those of us who grew up in the church, we can easily power through these verses thinking the song “This little light of mine” neatly sums up what they are about. But in thinking about these verses, I would like to make some observations about the source, the nature and the effect of the light.

The source

Light of the Moon
Image provided by Freefoto.com

Jesus tells us that He is “the light of the world” in John 8:12 and John 9:5. If Jesus is the light, how then can we also be the light? The classic analogy is that of the moon and the sun. The moon dominates the night sky with its brightness, but the source of the light is the sun. In the same way, we may be excellent or poor reflectors of the light of Jesus. However in the darkness of night, even a poor reflection may provide sufficient light to be a guide.

Without Jesus and the good news concerning his birth, death, burial and resurrection, we have no light to offer. It is only the gospel of Jesus Christ that can rescue us from the darkness.

The nature

Darkness and light cannot coexist. When I turn on the light, the darkness vanishes. Where there is light there cannot be darkness; the converse is also true. This was true in Jesus’ day and remains true today. Light and darkness cannot be mixed; you have one or the other.

The same is true in the spiritual realm. I can embrace the truth or I can embrace a lie. There is no middle ground. Jesus is the light and truth or he is not. He cannot be “sorta” true. Jesus made some very bold claims about himself, claims that are ridiculous if they are not true. Just consider the “I am” statements in the gospel of John if you would like a taste of those claims.

The effect

It is the nature of light to dispel darkness and when it is given the opportunity to do so, the light of Jesus will dispel the spiritual darkness. He came to light our path to God. When that light shines, men are called to make a choice. We see this in John 3:20-21:

“For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”

Some prefer the darkness and seek to remain in it. Because light and darkness cannot coexist, to remain in darkness requires a suppression of the light. Should we be then be surprised by the level of animosity that is expressed against believers by those who want nothing to do with God? We should not.

Others move into the light that Jesus provides and move into relationship with God. There is no middle ground. There is no semi-light, no gray (or is it grey, I can never remember). When our deeds are exposed to the light, we can confess them and move toward forgiveness, or we can prefer those deeds and move away from the light.

I remember Chuck Colson once saying that it is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness. This is true because the candle makes the darkness flee. Even a dim light allows sight and movement. We should strive to be the best reflectors of the light of Jesus we can be but even a poor reflection can provide sufficient light to draw men to Jesus.

Three ways we can shine Jesus’ light to those around us

In reflecting upon this, I thought of three ways we can convey the light of Jesus to the world around us:

  • We can be the light that keeps people from danger – a lighthouse
  • We can be the light that makes the path forward clear – headlamps on a car
  • We can be the light that provides comfort in difficulties – fireplace

I am sure there are others. Can you think of some other ways that we can shine the light of Jesus? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

The Light that can be found – reflections on a lyric by 3 Doors Down

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3 Doors Down Logo

The song “When I’m Gone” by 3 Doors Down begins this way:

There’s another world inside of me
That you may never see
There’re secrets in this life
That I can’t hide
Somewhere in this darkness
There’s a light that I can’t find
Maybe it’s too far away…
Or maybe I’m just blind…

What struck me about this lyric is the comparison with light and darkness. The Bible uses this same image in describing the light of the Gospel (Gospel means “good news”) shining in the darkness of the world. In Matthew 4:16 it says, “The people who were sitting in darkness saw a great Light, And those who were sitting in the land and shadow of death, Upon them a Light dawned.”

There are two problems identified which cause someone to not see the light. The first is blindness: “The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it” (John 1:5). This is the starting point for all of humanity. We are all born in spiritual darkness. God shines the light of his love into that darkness and we have to choose our response to it. The difference between believers and unbelievers is that believers choose to respond to the light of the Gospel.

The second problem is willful blindness: “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil” (John 3:19). Some choose to reject Jesus Christ and remain in darkness. Often this rejection is in reaction to the behavior of some who claim to follow Jesus. I empathize with this reaction and would like to offer a response.

Even though believers have responded to the Light, Scripture teaches us that until death or rapture some of the darkness remains in us and we say and do things that are wrong. True believers do not think themselves better than unbelievers. Even the Apostle Paul, the writer of much of the New Testament, struggled with this. He writes, “For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want” (Romans 7:19).

The only difference is that believers have accepted the love and grace of Jesus Christ. If we are changed, it is a result of that love and grace changing us; we can claim no credit. While our motives may be improved sometimes our results are not. Some of the cruelest things ever said to me were said by believers. That is the icky truth.

My point is that believers still hurt people, say stupid things, struggle with addictions, act in selfishness and generally struggle with the same stuff the rest of humanity struggles with. This does not make the Gospel less true.

The fact that we are changed at all is testimony to the power of the Gospel.

If you are an unbeliever, I would ask you to consider Jesus based on what He said and did. He is the truth and the light. We believers are sometimes good reflectors and sometimes poor reflectors of his light. Please do not reject Christ because of our poor reflection of him.

I can tell you that life with Jesus, in spite of our failures, is good. Paul follows his lament about his own struggles with this statement, “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).

No condemnation, peace, forgiveness. Life is good (not perfect) in the light. Please join us. The Light wants to be found and is always available.

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