"...and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the age." Matt. 28:20b
The power of faith is overthrown by several factors, and one of the substantive ways this is done is by systemic trivialization. For instance, one might point out that because so and so seemed to be a person of faith until his scorching sin was revealed the entire community of faith comes under suspicion This, of course hurts the ethos of the community. It is very real, and it is an old problem. There are many examples in the national and local press of such cases.
These cases are hard to bear because they negate the meaning of the faith community. The faith community is composed of those persons who have been transformed by Grace through the power of the Spirit of God because such persons have surrendered themselves to the compelling kerygma (good news) of salvation through the redemptive, and atoning death of the Iesous for all people. Such persons are then to grow up in the faith by accumulation more and more of the knowledge of God, and reckoning themselves dead to the practice of pre-grace behavior and attitudes.
I am well aware that there are those who grow up hearing these words, but have not availed themselves of their meaning apart from a social and religious context. There is the religious meaning of faith-words, and there is the real spiritual meaning of faith-words. This is the real object of our faith journey. To have the scales removed from our eyes so that we might see reality unspoilt by the narrow fiction of socially-sanctioned religion. This is not easy for anyone to master because of the weighty politics of social religion.
Please understand that social religion allows a person to remain unchanged within, but he or she has a smattering of religion and the 'official' vocabulary so as to be accepted by the group, and no one questions the profession of faith. God looks at the qualitative nature of faith. In the book of Revelation John wrote that 'his eyes were as a flame of fire' which denotes the power of the Iesous to see though all motives and designs of the heart. But in civil religion duplicity of life is reinforced because no one dares to ask if the profession is real for fear of offending the professing believer.
This is repressive faith. Real discipleship teaches disciplined freedom as a member of the faith community. There is on the other hand a faith that is real by the standard set forth by the Iesous. The eleven disciples met the Iesous on a mountain that he had chosen. It was on that particular mountain that he gave to them what had been called 'The Great Commission.'
The disciples were to go forth and teach first and then baptize new believers. The document never states that they were to preach in the modern western since of the word. They were to 'teach' by systematic elucidation of the biblical materials concerning the redemptive work of the Iesous and by lives rich in grace unencumbered by darkness.
Where has this faith commitment fled? God is watching the behavior and actions of his people. God had taken up residence in the temple of our collective hearts. Therefore, we must have a higher view of worship. We must take up the great commission to speak the word of life into a world in obvious decay.
The Iesous has promised us that he would be with us as we teach, and model the 'new' life for others. The verb 'I am' is filled with the sacred promise that Yahweh extended to Mosheh (Moses), with his great commission. God uses the same dynamic verb-name in order to show himself mighty on our behalf too. Our work will not be easy, it too requires the power of God. Discipleship is the key, it is biblical discipleship that is enjoined, not religio-cultural discipleship. The disciples were to go to all the nations (ethne) without reference to skin color, or hue or any other DNA imposed trait. People were to be addressed as those in need of the good news of faith.
We are now in the 21st century and the promise of the Iesous remains. If God is for us who can be against us? We may be certain that God is with us as we carry on our great and sacred duty. We can renew the way we are seen through the eyes of the watching world.
Blessings to you.
For more information about Dr. Rich and his teaching ministry please follow this blog and visit his website.
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
The Fragrance of a Selfless Act
"There came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he dined." Matt. 26:7
There was intuitive awareness on the part of this woman that a turning point had come in the public ministry of the Iesous. There was no coincidence that he was at the home of one Simon the leper. According to the Torah Simon had to observe certain restrictions because of his condition. Simon was not to come into contact with others because they could be contaminated by his disease.
The Iesous was in the home of a leper, and not only that he was there to eat with the stricken one. The event is filled with the pathos of the Iesous. This action on his part of dining with the leper is a poignant demonstration of Grace. This scene is a prototype of the love of God for all who have been stricken with a disease that begins deeper than the skin. No one knew it was there at first and yet over time the stricken one came to know that it was there for only him to know, but then that which was beneath the skin became obvious for all to see.
The disease of leprosy physically and spiritually disfigured an individual. The Iesous looked through the outward form of Simon distorted by disease and attended to the needs of his wounded soul. The Great Physician came to Simon the leper and comforted him with love that did not judge him by his outward condition. Simon was relieved of the anxiety of feeling defensive and guarded. The Iesous had come into where he lived to dine with him.
Prior to this scene we are told by Matthew that the religious leaders had come together to plot the arrest and murder of the Iesous. He was fully aware of their plans, but he went on with his plans attending to the needs of those who mattered little in the scheme of things. There was this other thing too that transcended the schemes and plots of the leaders, and that was the meal with Simon the leper.
A spiritually perceptive woman who had a very valuable box of perfume probably from India came into the home of Simon the leper, and ministered to the Iesous. She approached him and broke open the box of perfume and poured it over his head. It was her gift to him for all that he did for others.
His utter selflessness never left him as the religious leaders plotted to kill him. His utter selflessness never left him as evident by dining with Simon the leper in a very disagreeable atmosphere.
The disciples interpreted her act as waste and proceeded to reprimend her for being so irresponsible. She stepped into the highly critical arena where the Iesous constantly lived. His life was filled with chronic criticism and resentment. She stepped into the arena of disapproval to do a kindness for him. He loved her act toward him and he defended her act. He was not allowed to enjoy a moment of kindness without it being threatened by myopic descent.
Her heart knew why he was at the home of Simon of leper. Simon the leper was the forensic archetype of those whose lives had been ruined by a condition deeper than the skin. The disciples were grieved by her action. The Iesous knows his own. The disciples lacked spiritual perception. They were steeped in arrogant subjectivism. Their collective and common sense argument against her act was that the perfume could have been sold and the money given to the poor.
His response to the disciples was succinct and noteworthy. He said: "For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always." Nothing more was needed to be said by the Iesous. Yet he did say more, he told them that her act would become a memorial of her. The fragrance of her selfless act toward him would remain-forever. She braved the criticism and accomplished something wonderful for another.
Our world is in desperate need of those who would step into the arena of criticism and disapproval and do something beautiful for others. The opportunities are all around you. Are you halted by fear? Are you hampered by criticism? Take the risk, and do something wonderful for someone else. You will be criticised by some, but so what? Live before God, and be the perfume in a world so controlled by the leprosy of hate, and selfishness. Your good works to the world on the behalf of the Ieosus will be a memorial to you. I think I remember C.S. Lewis calling this 'Good Infection.' Blessings to you.
For more information about Dr. Rich and his teaching ministry, please follow his blog and visit his website.
There was intuitive awareness on the part of this woman that a turning point had come in the public ministry of the Iesous. There was no coincidence that he was at the home of one Simon the leper. According to the Torah Simon had to observe certain restrictions because of his condition. Simon was not to come into contact with others because they could be contaminated by his disease.
The Iesous was in the home of a leper, and not only that he was there to eat with the stricken one. The event is filled with the pathos of the Iesous. This action on his part of dining with the leper is a poignant demonstration of Grace. This scene is a prototype of the love of God for all who have been stricken with a disease that begins deeper than the skin. No one knew it was there at first and yet over time the stricken one came to know that it was there for only him to know, but then that which was beneath the skin became obvious for all to see.
The disease of leprosy physically and spiritually disfigured an individual. The Iesous looked through the outward form of Simon distorted by disease and attended to the needs of his wounded soul. The Great Physician came to Simon the leper and comforted him with love that did not judge him by his outward condition. Simon was relieved of the anxiety of feeling defensive and guarded. The Iesous had come into where he lived to dine with him.
Prior to this scene we are told by Matthew that the religious leaders had come together to plot the arrest and murder of the Iesous. He was fully aware of their plans, but he went on with his plans attending to the needs of those who mattered little in the scheme of things. There was this other thing too that transcended the schemes and plots of the leaders, and that was the meal with Simon the leper.
A spiritually perceptive woman who had a very valuable box of perfume probably from India came into the home of Simon the leper, and ministered to the Iesous. She approached him and broke open the box of perfume and poured it over his head. It was her gift to him for all that he did for others.
His utter selflessness never left him as the religious leaders plotted to kill him. His utter selflessness never left him as evident by dining with Simon the leper in a very disagreeable atmosphere.
The disciples interpreted her act as waste and proceeded to reprimend her for being so irresponsible. She stepped into the highly critical arena where the Iesous constantly lived. His life was filled with chronic criticism and resentment. She stepped into the arena of disapproval to do a kindness for him. He loved her act toward him and he defended her act. He was not allowed to enjoy a moment of kindness without it being threatened by myopic descent.
Her heart knew why he was at the home of Simon of leper. Simon the leper was the forensic archetype of those whose lives had been ruined by a condition deeper than the skin. The disciples were grieved by her action. The Iesous knows his own. The disciples lacked spiritual perception. They were steeped in arrogant subjectivism. Their collective and common sense argument against her act was that the perfume could have been sold and the money given to the poor.
His response to the disciples was succinct and noteworthy. He said: "For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always." Nothing more was needed to be said by the Iesous. Yet he did say more, he told them that her act would become a memorial of her. The fragrance of her selfless act toward him would remain-forever. She braved the criticism and accomplished something wonderful for another.
Our world is in desperate need of those who would step into the arena of criticism and disapproval and do something beautiful for others. The opportunities are all around you. Are you halted by fear? Are you hampered by criticism? Take the risk, and do something wonderful for someone else. You will be criticised by some, but so what? Live before God, and be the perfume in a world so controlled by the leprosy of hate, and selfishness. Your good works to the world on the behalf of the Ieosus will be a memorial to you. I think I remember C.S. Lewis calling this 'Good Infection.' Blessings to you.
For more information about Dr. Rich and his teaching ministry, please follow his blog and visit his website.
Monday, January 28, 2013
The Power of a Positive Attitude
"Grudge not against one another, brethren, lest ye be condemned..." James 5:9
When my maternal great grandmother gave birth to my grandmother she took her into a field and left her. A short time later my great grandfather found my grandmother lying there in the field and took her home to his mother and she raised her.
Years later when my great grandmother grew ill it was my grandmother who helped to take care of her until the day she died.
I was very young at the time, and I did not know the story of what had happened to my grandmother when she was born, but I did know much about my grandmother's gift for nurturing and that she loved her mother dearly in spite of being abandoned in a field at her birth. I got to see my great grandmother a few times before she died, and I was always amazed by the interaction the took place between mother and daughter. I could see that my grandmother loved her mother.
My grandmother was a woman of faith. Yes, there were times in her youth that she stirred up trouble. You see, she had blond hair and beautiful green eyes. She was a beautiful woman inside and out. Later, I would come to know some of the trials that she suffered in her life, but through all of them I could see that she remained a person of faith. In spite of her trials my grandmother was a free person. Her faith was a model to me. (Thank you, Nanny).
She was an example to me of this provocative verse. In the Greek Text the first word is not 'grudge, but a tiny word that means 'no' or 'not.' It means the prohibition of an attitude. The word 'grudge' is an imperative and means to stop at once an attitude that is not consistent with faith.
In this text 'grudge' means groaning, to sigh, grief, or murmur. The apostle James knew that the community cannot be whole if there is a spirit of disapproval therein.
As we go on through this verse James is unrelenting in his assertion. He uses the intensive prefix 'kata' before the words "...one another..." in the text. The prefix kata means down and toward and this is added to the prohibition 'not 'at the beginning of the verse. James is identifying the power of a negative attitude to infect the community. Think of what a negative attitude can do to a relationship, family, school, or business.
Let me encourage you today to develop the habit of a positive attitude. A positive attitude will turn your life around. It changes the energy that comes from you because your heart is at peace. The mind is very powerful. Believe that God can give you a positive attitude. A positive attitude begins with the volitional decision to make substantive change happen. Where do you really want to go in life? Who do you really want to be?
In the Scriptures, the primary example of the volitional decision to love is the Iesous. We read that the tax collectors and the common people loved him too. They could see that he loved and they were attracted to his love for people. They had lived under the unmerciful judgement of others for years. They had lived under the oppressive rule of their own negative attitudes toward themselves for years.
The Iesous did not oppress others with a negative attitude designed to slay self-esteem, and self-worth. His love set them free from chronic and insidious negativism.
Grudge not, beloved is a imperative statement because I am tied to my judgement of others. I may have the illusion that I am not tied thereby, but it is merely illusion held aloft by the winds of fantasy. My attitude either ties me up or sets me free. To hold a grudge imprisons my life too. Listen to the roof brain chatter that goes on within one's own soul when one holds a grudge against another. There is no freedom. Herein one is spiritually confined until the grace of release is extended to the 'other.' Beloved, live for God today and talk to him about the grudge in your heart. Tell him that you want to be set free.
Blessings to you today.
For more information about Dr. Rich and his teaching ministry, please follow his blog and visit his website.
When my maternal great grandmother gave birth to my grandmother she took her into a field and left her. A short time later my great grandfather found my grandmother lying there in the field and took her home to his mother and she raised her.
Years later when my great grandmother grew ill it was my grandmother who helped to take care of her until the day she died.
I was very young at the time, and I did not know the story of what had happened to my grandmother when she was born, but I did know much about my grandmother's gift for nurturing and that she loved her mother dearly in spite of being abandoned in a field at her birth. I got to see my great grandmother a few times before she died, and I was always amazed by the interaction the took place between mother and daughter. I could see that my grandmother loved her mother.
My grandmother was a woman of faith. Yes, there were times in her youth that she stirred up trouble. You see, she had blond hair and beautiful green eyes. She was a beautiful woman inside and out. Later, I would come to know some of the trials that she suffered in her life, but through all of them I could see that she remained a person of faith. In spite of her trials my grandmother was a free person. Her faith was a model to me. (Thank you, Nanny).
She was an example to me of this provocative verse. In the Greek Text the first word is not 'grudge, but a tiny word that means 'no' or 'not.' It means the prohibition of an attitude. The word 'grudge' is an imperative and means to stop at once an attitude that is not consistent with faith.
In this text 'grudge' means groaning, to sigh, grief, or murmur. The apostle James knew that the community cannot be whole if there is a spirit of disapproval therein.
As we go on through this verse James is unrelenting in his assertion. He uses the intensive prefix 'kata' before the words "...one another..." in the text. The prefix kata means down and toward and this is added to the prohibition 'not 'at the beginning of the verse. James is identifying the power of a negative attitude to infect the community. Think of what a negative attitude can do to a relationship, family, school, or business.
Let me encourage you today to develop the habit of a positive attitude. A positive attitude will turn your life around. It changes the energy that comes from you because your heart is at peace. The mind is very powerful. Believe that God can give you a positive attitude. A positive attitude begins with the volitional decision to make substantive change happen. Where do you really want to go in life? Who do you really want to be?
In the Scriptures, the primary example of the volitional decision to love is the Iesous. We read that the tax collectors and the common people loved him too. They could see that he loved and they were attracted to his love for people. They had lived under the unmerciful judgement of others for years. They had lived under the oppressive rule of their own negative attitudes toward themselves for years.
The Iesous did not oppress others with a negative attitude designed to slay self-esteem, and self-worth. His love set them free from chronic and insidious negativism.
Grudge not, beloved is a imperative statement because I am tied to my judgement of others. I may have the illusion that I am not tied thereby, but it is merely illusion held aloft by the winds of fantasy. My attitude either ties me up or sets me free. To hold a grudge imprisons my life too. Listen to the roof brain chatter that goes on within one's own soul when one holds a grudge against another. There is no freedom. Herein one is spiritually confined until the grace of release is extended to the 'other.' Beloved, live for God today and talk to him about the grudge in your heart. Tell him that you want to be set free.
Blessings to you today.
For more information about Dr. Rich and his teaching ministry, please follow his blog and visit his website.
Friday, January 25, 2013
The God Who Gives Second Chances
"Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time, saying..." Jonah 3:1
There is a rich message in these words. They convey a message of hope and renewal. You may remember that Jonah was called by Yahweh to take a word of redemptive grace to Nineveh. When the word of the LORD came to Jonah the first time he decided to reject God's word and flee. The time was 760 B.C., and Jonah was commissioned by Yahweh to go and preach against the great city of Nineveh.
Jonah refused to obey the word of the LORD. In chapter one we are told that Jonah ran away, but the Hebrew text has a different nuance. In the Hebrew text we are are not told that Jonah ran away, but that he 'reared up' at the word of Yahweh. Now we have a different story, do we not? Through this understanding we are afforded critical insight into why Jonah did not obey God.
Nineveh was the capital of the dreaded Assyrian empire. The Assyrian army or hoard had destroyed the Northern Kingdom of Israel in 722 B.C. and deported many of the inhabitants to other lands. The military practices of the Assyrian army are too heinous to recount for this article. Suffice it to say that they were extremely brutal and dehumanizing. Jonah knew their history and what had been done to his people, and now Yahweh wanted him to take a word of grace and redemption to the enemy of his people.
This is why the prophet reared up and found himself in active rebellion against the revealed will of Yahweh. Furthermore, the Hebrew text uses the word pasha to denote Jonah's mental state. Pasha signifies to revolt or refuse to submit to rightful authority. It is wonderful that this account is historical, and that we believers today are never given to pasha in our lives. (please note the sarcasm)
Jonah's mental attitude is demonstrated by the action of boarding a ship and attempting to flee from the presence of God. It's amazing that when God reveals his love for our enemies how we react. Cognitively, to say for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, and that whosoever believes's into him will have eternal life (zoe), is agreeable, but in actuality it may be offensive. How can God love those we do not love?
A long time ago I read a story entitled, "The Hound of Heaven." It was about the God who does not give up on us. Whomsoever he goes after he retrieves. The rebellious prophet is also the object of God's love. Jonah was never going to win this battle of the wills. Jonah rose up, fled and God pursued.
To believe that one can flee from the presence of the LORD is highly instructive. Jonah knew that Yahweh was not one of the Baals or localized gods of the indigenous people. He knew that Yahweh was the creator of all things, and yet with his will in active rebellion he tried to find 'comfort' for his decision in a theology of convenience.
Jonah faced a fantastic battle within himself. He was in conflict with God, and his attitude now tied to real guilt. He is now in unreality. He cannot run from God, and he cannot run from himself, but he is on the run. He has a conflicted soul. There is a balm for the psychic rupture within, but it will only be had through intentional repentance. He will have to own his decision, and the consequences thereof.
So many people attempt to continue to 'run' from their decisions thereby earning PhD's (piling higher deeper) in their original rebellion. We have a God who gives second chances. He does not delight in our ruin, but desires to show mercy to us. Our jobs, such as it is, is to go to him and receive his rich grace and mercy.
Will you stop running from God and accept his grace? You know that all of those substitutes that you have tried do not satisfy. In spite of all that he had done to evade the will of God, God gave Jonah a second chance. Oh, taste the Lord and see that he is good.
God gave Jonah a second chance, and so does he to us. Blessing to you.
For more information about Dr. Rich's teaching ministry, please follow this blog and visit his website.
There is a rich message in these words. They convey a message of hope and renewal. You may remember that Jonah was called by Yahweh to take a word of redemptive grace to Nineveh. When the word of the LORD came to Jonah the first time he decided to reject God's word and flee. The time was 760 B.C., and Jonah was commissioned by Yahweh to go and preach against the great city of Nineveh.
Jonah refused to obey the word of the LORD. In chapter one we are told that Jonah ran away, but the Hebrew text has a different nuance. In the Hebrew text we are are not told that Jonah ran away, but that he 'reared up' at the word of Yahweh. Now we have a different story, do we not? Through this understanding we are afforded critical insight into why Jonah did not obey God.
Nineveh was the capital of the dreaded Assyrian empire. The Assyrian army or hoard had destroyed the Northern Kingdom of Israel in 722 B.C. and deported many of the inhabitants to other lands. The military practices of the Assyrian army are too heinous to recount for this article. Suffice it to say that they were extremely brutal and dehumanizing. Jonah knew their history and what had been done to his people, and now Yahweh wanted him to take a word of grace and redemption to the enemy of his people.
This is why the prophet reared up and found himself in active rebellion against the revealed will of Yahweh. Furthermore, the Hebrew text uses the word pasha to denote Jonah's mental state. Pasha signifies to revolt or refuse to submit to rightful authority. It is wonderful that this account is historical, and that we believers today are never given to pasha in our lives. (please note the sarcasm)
Jonah's mental attitude is demonstrated by the action of boarding a ship and attempting to flee from the presence of God. It's amazing that when God reveals his love for our enemies how we react. Cognitively, to say for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, and that whosoever believes's into him will have eternal life (zoe), is agreeable, but in actuality it may be offensive. How can God love those we do not love?
A long time ago I read a story entitled, "The Hound of Heaven." It was about the God who does not give up on us. Whomsoever he goes after he retrieves. The rebellious prophet is also the object of God's love. Jonah was never going to win this battle of the wills. Jonah rose up, fled and God pursued.
To believe that one can flee from the presence of the LORD is highly instructive. Jonah knew that Yahweh was not one of the Baals or localized gods of the indigenous people. He knew that Yahweh was the creator of all things, and yet with his will in active rebellion he tried to find 'comfort' for his decision in a theology of convenience.
Jonah faced a fantastic battle within himself. He was in conflict with God, and his attitude now tied to real guilt. He is now in unreality. He cannot run from God, and he cannot run from himself, but he is on the run. He has a conflicted soul. There is a balm for the psychic rupture within, but it will only be had through intentional repentance. He will have to own his decision, and the consequences thereof.
So many people attempt to continue to 'run' from their decisions thereby earning PhD's (piling higher deeper) in their original rebellion. We have a God who gives second chances. He does not delight in our ruin, but desires to show mercy to us. Our jobs, such as it is, is to go to him and receive his rich grace and mercy.
Will you stop running from God and accept his grace? You know that all of those substitutes that you have tried do not satisfy. In spite of all that he had done to evade the will of God, God gave Jonah a second chance. Oh, taste the Lord and see that he is good.
God gave Jonah a second chance, and so does he to us. Blessing to you.
For more information about Dr. Rich's teaching ministry, please follow this blog and visit his website.
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
An Act of Faith
"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1
An insightful individual once wrote:
I am very fond of those words because they embrace a pivotal truth. Last night as I sat at a birthday party with my wife I was introduced to a young person who became a point of inspiration. Her recent personal history involved a disarming and unbelievable challenge.
Through a fortuitous accident she had an injury to one of her legs that introduced a flesh-eating pathogen into her body. Her leg was saved, but she was told that she would 'never' be able to do certain activities because of the injury. This unique individual thought otherwise, and the event that threatened to curtail her life became a doorway into a new awareness.
"I can" was the self-truth that dominated her thinking. There was no other alternative.
This amazing individual reminded me of the compelling power of faith. Faith's primary definition is non-empirical. That is, faith is not circumscribed by that which is seen by the eyes or 'figured out' in the mind. Faith looks not at the things that are seen, but at the things that are not seen. That which is seen can be manipulated, and therefore undermine faith. Here was an individual that had heard the results of clinical wisdom and appreciated its insight and took it to a higher level.
Clinical wisdom had accomplished much for her and her physical recovery, but now she had to take that wisdom and her own beliefs about herself and merge them into a higher platform of reality.
"I can" is a prescriptive formula that overthrows the "I can't" lie.
Faith is a deep mystery, and we need more exposure to its working. She may not have seen her astonishing recovery as an act of faith. In this case, however, her recovery is powerfully symbolic of the mystery of faith.
This person is very active. She is an avid athelete in many areas. She has an engaging spirit. Moreover, I had the chance to speak with a few of the persons in her family that make up her support system. Through speaking with them I could see why she is who she is. She is loved. By the way, this powerful example of faith is found in a young girl that is thirteen years old.
I believe that you too can do great things through the power of the Iesous. If you have faith the size of a very tiny mustard seed you can do unbelievable things. Believe God for something great today.
Blessings to you.
For more information about Dr. Rich and his teaching ministry, please follow his blog and visit his website.
An insightful individual once wrote:
"Whether you think you can, or think you can't you're right."
I am very fond of those words because they embrace a pivotal truth. Last night as I sat at a birthday party with my wife I was introduced to a young person who became a point of inspiration. Her recent personal history involved a disarming and unbelievable challenge.
Through a fortuitous accident she had an injury to one of her legs that introduced a flesh-eating pathogen into her body. Her leg was saved, but she was told that she would 'never' be able to do certain activities because of the injury. This unique individual thought otherwise, and the event that threatened to curtail her life became a doorway into a new awareness.
"I can" was the self-truth that dominated her thinking. There was no other alternative.
This amazing individual reminded me of the compelling power of faith. Faith's primary definition is non-empirical. That is, faith is not circumscribed by that which is seen by the eyes or 'figured out' in the mind. Faith looks not at the things that are seen, but at the things that are not seen. That which is seen can be manipulated, and therefore undermine faith. Here was an individual that had heard the results of clinical wisdom and appreciated its insight and took it to a higher level.
Clinical wisdom had accomplished much for her and her physical recovery, but now she had to take that wisdom and her own beliefs about herself and merge them into a higher platform of reality.
"I can" is a prescriptive formula that overthrows the "I can't" lie.
Faith is a deep mystery, and we need more exposure to its working. She may not have seen her astonishing recovery as an act of faith. In this case, however, her recovery is powerfully symbolic of the mystery of faith.
This person is very active. She is an avid athelete in many areas. She has an engaging spirit. Moreover, I had the chance to speak with a few of the persons in her family that make up her support system. Through speaking with them I could see why she is who she is. She is loved. By the way, this powerful example of faith is found in a young girl that is thirteen years old.
I believe that you too can do great things through the power of the Iesous. If you have faith the size of a very tiny mustard seed you can do unbelievable things. Believe God for something great today.
Blessings to you.
For more information about Dr. Rich and his teaching ministry, please follow his blog and visit his website.
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Intergenerational Slavery
"And God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM." Exodus 3:14a
God spoke to Moses. This is direct divine self-revelation, and it is specific not general. God spoke to Moses as his chosen one for a specific task that was to take place in history. Moses was chosen by God for this specific task and no one else.
God does these things in our lives does he not? We have the option, I will not say right, to refuse the mission of the divine encounter, but not without consequences.
Moses was tending sheep. He was married. He had a home and job security. He knew from day to day what he would be doing day in and day out. There he was in the desert. How he knew the desert! One day as he led the sheep in the desert he came to Horeb, the mountain of God.
The providential will of God that had led him out into the desert years ago was now ready to unfold before Moses his life's purpose. But why now when Moses is some eighty years old? He has more than earned retirement and his pension. He can work now just to have something to do.
God, however, unapologetically enters into, or rather breaks into, the routine of his life. God speaks to Moses from out of a bush. I'm sure that this bush was familiar to Moses. He knew this bush and many other bushes in that desert. This bush had taken on a new relevance for Moses because it became God's speaking platform to Moses.
This old/new bush was aflame before the eyes of Moses. Of course the chemical combustion of fire should have devoured the bush arithmetically, but that did not happen. For Moses the familiar had been transformed into the unfamiliar. God was now moving in his life in an unexpected manner. Moses was taken aback by the power of the vision of the bush that was ablaze but not consumed. This was God's teaching event. God used this event to awaken Moses form his 'dogmatic slumber.'
Moses was called of God to be he human vehicle through whom He would deliver His people from enslavement and callous disregard. Moses asks God to reveal to him why an abused and oppressed people should trust his words. By what power would such an incredible deed be accomplished? And the people of God lived in a land littered with gods. How would Moses' words stand out from the polytheistic environment that entrapped their collective minds?
Moses said to God, "Indeed when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they say to me, "What is his name ?" what shall I say to them?" God's answer to Moses was succinct and yet filled with power and promise. God's answer was formulaic.
Moses knows Egypt. He wants an answer that he does not need to defend given the nature of Egyptian polytheism. He also wants an answer that he can defend before the enslaved ones. He knew that not only were their bodies enslaved their minds were too. God's answer was prescriptive and consistent with the nature of the circumstances. Intergenerational slavery had torn asunder their self-esteem. They unconsciously passed on their downtrodden beliefs to their children. Their slave mentality had become automatic and ingrained. Please listen to me. The same tactics found in this narrative are still being used today.
God's answer, 'I AM THAT I AM' was sufficient for the situation. The formulaic nature of the words are made for those with little or no education. They can grasp the inherent nature of the words and the blessing contained therein. There is a Magna Carta in these words, there is a Manifesto in these words, but there is no self-serving struggle. There is a Bill of Rights in these words, but they are not eroded by legal fiat. There is the promise of God to 'be' the one who meets the needs of his people when they arise.
"I Am" is a verb formula. It presents God not as a static noun. God is presented in a manner that is consistent with the dynamic imagination of the Hebrew mind. There is release from the static idols of Egypt. The gods of Egypt have no dynamic involvement with suffering and release. Moses has entered into the very name of Yahweh.
In ancient theology to enter into one's name revealed the nature and character of the person. God reveals his name to those who trust him through the saving actions of the Iesous. Are you ready to experience the power of Iesous to release you from bondage? Are you ready to come out of your own "bondage" and start a new life? Give up the game because there are no winners. Ask God to reveal his will for your life. Guess what? He will. Blessings to you.
For more information about Dr. Rich and his teaching ministry, please follow this blog and visit his website.
God spoke to Moses. This is direct divine self-revelation, and it is specific not general. God spoke to Moses as his chosen one for a specific task that was to take place in history. Moses was chosen by God for this specific task and no one else.
God does these things in our lives does he not? We have the option, I will not say right, to refuse the mission of the divine encounter, but not without consequences.
Moses was tending sheep. He was married. He had a home and job security. He knew from day to day what he would be doing day in and day out. There he was in the desert. How he knew the desert! One day as he led the sheep in the desert he came to Horeb, the mountain of God.
The providential will of God that had led him out into the desert years ago was now ready to unfold before Moses his life's purpose. But why now when Moses is some eighty years old? He has more than earned retirement and his pension. He can work now just to have something to do.
God, however, unapologetically enters into, or rather breaks into, the routine of his life. God speaks to Moses from out of a bush. I'm sure that this bush was familiar to Moses. He knew this bush and many other bushes in that desert. This bush had taken on a new relevance for Moses because it became God's speaking platform to Moses.
This old/new bush was aflame before the eyes of Moses. Of course the chemical combustion of fire should have devoured the bush arithmetically, but that did not happen. For Moses the familiar had been transformed into the unfamiliar. God was now moving in his life in an unexpected manner. Moses was taken aback by the power of the vision of the bush that was ablaze but not consumed. This was God's teaching event. God used this event to awaken Moses form his 'dogmatic slumber.'
Moses was called of God to be he human vehicle through whom He would deliver His people from enslavement and callous disregard. Moses asks God to reveal to him why an abused and oppressed people should trust his words. By what power would such an incredible deed be accomplished? And the people of God lived in a land littered with gods. How would Moses' words stand out from the polytheistic environment that entrapped their collective minds?
Moses said to God, "Indeed when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they say to me, "What is his name ?" what shall I say to them?" God's answer to Moses was succinct and yet filled with power and promise. God's answer was formulaic.
Moses knows Egypt. He wants an answer that he does not need to defend given the nature of Egyptian polytheism. He also wants an answer that he can defend before the enslaved ones. He knew that not only were their bodies enslaved their minds were too. God's answer was prescriptive and consistent with the nature of the circumstances. Intergenerational slavery had torn asunder their self-esteem. They unconsciously passed on their downtrodden beliefs to their children. Their slave mentality had become automatic and ingrained. Please listen to me. The same tactics found in this narrative are still being used today.
God's answer, 'I AM THAT I AM' was sufficient for the situation. The formulaic nature of the words are made for those with little or no education. They can grasp the inherent nature of the words and the blessing contained therein. There is a Magna Carta in these words, there is a Manifesto in these words, but there is no self-serving struggle. There is a Bill of Rights in these words, but they are not eroded by legal fiat. There is the promise of God to 'be' the one who meets the needs of his people when they arise.
"I Am" is a verb formula. It presents God not as a static noun. God is presented in a manner that is consistent with the dynamic imagination of the Hebrew mind. There is release from the static idols of Egypt. The gods of Egypt have no dynamic involvement with suffering and release. Moses has entered into the very name of Yahweh.
In ancient theology to enter into one's name revealed the nature and character of the person. God reveals his name to those who trust him through the saving actions of the Iesous. Are you ready to experience the power of Iesous to release you from bondage? Are you ready to come out of your own "bondage" and start a new life? Give up the game because there are no winners. Ask God to reveal his will for your life. Guess what? He will. Blessings to you.
For more information about Dr. Rich and his teaching ministry, please follow this blog and visit his website.
Thursday, January 17, 2013
The Difference You Make
"...I was sick and you visited me..." Matthew 25:35
God loves people, and those who know God share in his love of people. The love that God has for people is not controlled by human thinking. God's ways are not our ways, and his thoughts are not our thoughts. There is no fragmentation in the character of God. His character is not beset by arrogance or unrestrained hubris. God is free to love us relentlessly even when we are sick.
While working as a chaplain intern I once visited with a patient who was in her mid-fifties. Her major presenting problems included rheumatoid arthritis of the lungs, and severe neurological pain associated with a degenerative spinal column. She described her pain as 'an electric shock' that lasted for prolonged periods of time. She had been prescribed powerful opiates for her excruciating pain events, and yet they seemed to only moderately control her intense pain experiences.
I met with this patient a second time when she had been readmitted to the medical center for acute breathing distress associated with pulmonary rheumatoid arthritis. I wanted to meet with her because she had sent a verbal message to me through the palliative care chaplain that she would like for me to attend her funeral. When we met together we had a profound discussion. She said to me "I can't handle this pain. I tell God that this is too much for me."
Sometime later she told me that in the midst of the pain God came to her and helped her. She said that when she was in terrible pain she would pray divine praises to God. Then she told me that she had learned to turn the pain into prayer. She said that that was the only way she could control what was happening to her when the pain was shooting through her body.
Her words and experiences were deeply powerful. She had allowed me to enter into her world and share in its mysteries. I visited her and she ministered to me. I intuitively knew that God was enabling her to use her intense pain events to give witness to the reality of faith. Not faith as mere subjective expression of her beliefs, but Faith as the expression of a soul that has been blessed by God to manifest His power in the midst of seeming weakness.
That dear lady had informed my philosophy of chaplaincy in an unexpected manner. Her faith had informed and transcended her immediate experience. She had a grasp of God's power and presence that can only be ours when we dare to step into the lives of another in a deeply meaningful way.
Too often our faith experiences are the result of artificial worship. God invites us to go deeper still. To serve God appropriately we must step out of ourselves. For many this is too hard. The Iesous inspects our faith. The Iesous also tests our faith. We are indeed members of one another, and we are challenged by Him to walk by faith and not by sight.
The fact that the Iesous speaks about the visitation of the sick should move us to examine our faith. This is not a call to chaplaincy it is a call to own our common vocation as believers. God is seen in the world through the actions of His people. Do you visit the sick? When you hear a friend speak of cancer do you hide from her pain? When a loved one is lost are you there to give comfort to the grieving? Beloved, ministry is there to bless you-not to take from you.
Blessings to you.
For more information about Dr. Rich and his teaching ministry, please follow his blog and visit his website.
God loves people, and those who know God share in his love of people. The love that God has for people is not controlled by human thinking. God's ways are not our ways, and his thoughts are not our thoughts. There is no fragmentation in the character of God. His character is not beset by arrogance or unrestrained hubris. God is free to love us relentlessly even when we are sick.
While working as a chaplain intern I once visited with a patient who was in her mid-fifties. Her major presenting problems included rheumatoid arthritis of the lungs, and severe neurological pain associated with a degenerative spinal column. She described her pain as 'an electric shock' that lasted for prolonged periods of time. She had been prescribed powerful opiates for her excruciating pain events, and yet they seemed to only moderately control her intense pain experiences.
I met with this patient a second time when she had been readmitted to the medical center for acute breathing distress associated with pulmonary rheumatoid arthritis. I wanted to meet with her because she had sent a verbal message to me through the palliative care chaplain that she would like for me to attend her funeral. When we met together we had a profound discussion. She said to me "I can't handle this pain. I tell God that this is too much for me."
Sometime later she told me that in the midst of the pain God came to her and helped her. She said that when she was in terrible pain she would pray divine praises to God. Then she told me that she had learned to turn the pain into prayer. She said that that was the only way she could control what was happening to her when the pain was shooting through her body.
Her words and experiences were deeply powerful. She had allowed me to enter into her world and share in its mysteries. I visited her and she ministered to me. I intuitively knew that God was enabling her to use her intense pain events to give witness to the reality of faith. Not faith as mere subjective expression of her beliefs, but Faith as the expression of a soul that has been blessed by God to manifest His power in the midst of seeming weakness.
That dear lady had informed my philosophy of chaplaincy in an unexpected manner. Her faith had informed and transcended her immediate experience. She had a grasp of God's power and presence that can only be ours when we dare to step into the lives of another in a deeply meaningful way.
Too often our faith experiences are the result of artificial worship. God invites us to go deeper still. To serve God appropriately we must step out of ourselves. For many this is too hard. The Iesous inspects our faith. The Iesous also tests our faith. We are indeed members of one another, and we are challenged by Him to walk by faith and not by sight.
The fact that the Iesous speaks about the visitation of the sick should move us to examine our faith. This is not a call to chaplaincy it is a call to own our common vocation as believers. God is seen in the world through the actions of His people. Do you visit the sick? When you hear a friend speak of cancer do you hide from her pain? When a loved one is lost are you there to give comfort to the grieving? Beloved, ministry is there to bless you-not to take from you.
Blessings to you.
For more information about Dr. Rich and his teaching ministry, please follow his blog and visit his website.
Monday, January 14, 2013
God's Attending Love
"For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." Hebrews 13:5
God's voice is above the tumult, and within the tumult because of the presence of His own. We are here for reasons that may elude us for the present. Our experiences may at times leave us reeling, and feeling unsupported by anything or anyone, and yet here we are. Even though buffed about by the bewildering tidings of bad or disappointing news.
We may be desperately seeking solace from a source that worked in the past as an oasis of hope, and it too has disappeared. Our financial anchor is not there, and our emotional anchor(s) is nowhere to be found. Our search for once was is fruitless. We are now on the edge of chagrin. We are in the midst of the trackless wasteland of a spiritual desert.
My struggle against the absurdity of troubles seem never to end. My troubles are an existential distraction to me, and I do not have the time to read God's Word, pray, or worship. My spiritual life is evaporating and I cannot escape this net of confusion. My soul roars within and is disquieted. I don't even know how to talk to God from the midst of my troubles.
Like Job I see trouble on every side coming toward me in wave after wave, crashing upon me. There is only trouble and me, but somehow I know that I am not desperate, and yes, I know that my life is but a vapor or breath, but there is a strength in my heart, and a still quiet voice that whispers His love to me.
I realize that God is with me. His presence is not physically tangible but He is with me. I know that I know He is there, and I am blessed with his peace that super-passes all human understanding. God has 'seen' my trouble. He knew that it would come to me. He therefore, prepared a place for me under the shadow of his wings where I would be safe from the threatening tempest.
God said: "I will never leave you nor forsake you." His promise is for me when the squall seeks to overthrow my faith. The ferocity of the storm that threatens to overthrow my faith may reveal my fragile faith, but how comforting that He blesses my faith in Him. I trust Him and He rewards me with stability of heart and purpose.
I know that He will absolutely never leave me nor desert me in the time of trail. "I will" recall the "I Am" formula of Exodus 3:14. In that passage Moses (Moshe) is given the assurance that Yahweh will be who he needs when the time arises. The Hebrew verb structure is marvellous and encouraging. Here in this passage God's attending love is demonstrated.
Remember Daniel in the Lion's Den or the men tossed into the fiery furnace... God was there in the midst of their troubles. God will absolutely not leave us either. Blessings to you.
For more information about Dr. Rich and his teaching ministry please follow his blog and visit his website.
God's voice is above the tumult, and within the tumult because of the presence of His own. We are here for reasons that may elude us for the present. Our experiences may at times leave us reeling, and feeling unsupported by anything or anyone, and yet here we are. Even though buffed about by the bewildering tidings of bad or disappointing news.
We may be desperately seeking solace from a source that worked in the past as an oasis of hope, and it too has disappeared. Our financial anchor is not there, and our emotional anchor(s) is nowhere to be found. Our search for once was is fruitless. We are now on the edge of chagrin. We are in the midst of the trackless wasteland of a spiritual desert.
My struggle against the absurdity of troubles seem never to end. My troubles are an existential distraction to me, and I do not have the time to read God's Word, pray, or worship. My spiritual life is evaporating and I cannot escape this net of confusion. My soul roars within and is disquieted. I don't even know how to talk to God from the midst of my troubles.
Like Job I see trouble on every side coming toward me in wave after wave, crashing upon me. There is only trouble and me, but somehow I know that I am not desperate, and yes, I know that my life is but a vapor or breath, but there is a strength in my heart, and a still quiet voice that whispers His love to me.
I realize that God is with me. His presence is not physically tangible but He is with me. I know that I know He is there, and I am blessed with his peace that super-passes all human understanding. God has 'seen' my trouble. He knew that it would come to me. He therefore, prepared a place for me under the shadow of his wings where I would be safe from the threatening tempest.
God said: "I will never leave you nor forsake you." His promise is for me when the squall seeks to overthrow my faith. The ferocity of the storm that threatens to overthrow my faith may reveal my fragile faith, but how comforting that He blesses my faith in Him. I trust Him and He rewards me with stability of heart and purpose.
I know that He will absolutely never leave me nor desert me in the time of trail. "I will" recall the "I Am" formula of Exodus 3:14. In that passage Moses (Moshe) is given the assurance that Yahweh will be who he needs when the time arises. The Hebrew verb structure is marvellous and encouraging. Here in this passage God's attending love is demonstrated.
Remember Daniel in the Lion's Den or the men tossed into the fiery furnace... God was there in the midst of their troubles. God will absolutely not leave us either. Blessings to you.
For more information about Dr. Rich and his teaching ministry please follow his blog and visit his website.
Friday, January 11, 2013
Go and Do Likewise
"And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him (Iesous), saying, good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life." Luke 10:25
The patronizing question of the lawyer wore a thin veil of respect that contained an arrogant disregard for the person of the Iesous. We are informed by the text that the lawyer stood up and asked the Iesous what should he "do to inherit eternal life?" The manner and bearing of the lawyer revealed that his inquiry was filled with acrimony. He wanted to challenge the Iesous before the watching crowd in order to entrap and embarrass and create a dismissive air toward the Iesous in the hearts of the auditors.
The Iesous did not take the incredulous bait, but he took it and used it as a point of departure for a more compelling and poignant discussion. The lawyer is placed on the defensive by his intended victim (Iesous) and asked a point of law. The lawyer is asked, "What is written in the law?" how readest thou?" The astute lawyer answers the question in a manner that was consistent with his obvious training. He said: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself."
The lawyer is commended by the Iesous for his academic training, but not for his insight that was sorely lacking. He knew the Scripture as a formula, but not with compelling spiritual insight. There was no real affect involved in the lawyer's recital of the Scripture. The Iesous said to the lawyer that if he would 'do' this he would live. But this answer from the Iesous was not enough for the lawyer he wanted more. The lawyer wanted to 'justify' himself. That is, he wanted the Iesous to know that he was ok just as he was.
He therefore asked the Iesous: "And who is my neighbor?" It is at this point that the Iesous introduces the didactic narrative of 'a certain Samaritan.' The Scripture never says 'the good Samaritan.' This narrative of the certain Samaritan would certainly catch the attention of the lawyer. The Iesous tells the story of the man who was savagely and brutally beaten and overcome by a group of professional thieves. The man's brutal treatment did not end there for as he lay on the side of the road a priest, and a levite saw him and left him there in his terrible condition. The priest, and the levite in the story shared the attitude of the lawyer. The lawyer who questioned the Iesous was in this story. The Iesous revealed the lawyer's attitude and then cautions the lawyer to go and become like the certain Samaritan.
The statement to go and do likewise rocked the world of the lawyer. The astute and compelling story of the Iesous cracked the cosmic egg of the lawyer. Most certainly there was a certain amount of cognitive dissonance. His world of rabbinic logic and abstract arguments had been undone by the Word made flesh.
Real people have real needs, and those needs may be dismissed by the merely cognitive and reduced to 'nothing buts.' But that is not the approach of God. God sees people as those who are in need of loving care by loving hands. Race and ethnicity have no place in the society of God's love for people. We are so divided by artificial boundaries by the social planners.
The love of God is at work in a world that is desperate with compelling need. Self-satisfied religion has no place in the society of God. Religion often times is so proud of its lifeless orthodoxy. God is involved in life and he challenges us to go and do likewise. Blessings to you.
For more information about Dr. Rich and his teaching ministry, please follow his blog and visit his website.
The patronizing question of the lawyer wore a thin veil of respect that contained an arrogant disregard for the person of the Iesous. We are informed by the text that the lawyer stood up and asked the Iesous what should he "do to inherit eternal life?" The manner and bearing of the lawyer revealed that his inquiry was filled with acrimony. He wanted to challenge the Iesous before the watching crowd in order to entrap and embarrass and create a dismissive air toward the Iesous in the hearts of the auditors.
The Iesous did not take the incredulous bait, but he took it and used it as a point of departure for a more compelling and poignant discussion. The lawyer is placed on the defensive by his intended victim (Iesous) and asked a point of law. The lawyer is asked, "What is written in the law?" how readest thou?" The astute lawyer answers the question in a manner that was consistent with his obvious training. He said: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself."
The lawyer is commended by the Iesous for his academic training, but not for his insight that was sorely lacking. He knew the Scripture as a formula, but not with compelling spiritual insight. There was no real affect involved in the lawyer's recital of the Scripture. The Iesous said to the lawyer that if he would 'do' this he would live. But this answer from the Iesous was not enough for the lawyer he wanted more. The lawyer wanted to 'justify' himself. That is, he wanted the Iesous to know that he was ok just as he was.
He therefore asked the Iesous: "And who is my neighbor?" It is at this point that the Iesous introduces the didactic narrative of 'a certain Samaritan.' The Scripture never says 'the good Samaritan.' This narrative of the certain Samaritan would certainly catch the attention of the lawyer. The Iesous tells the story of the man who was savagely and brutally beaten and overcome by a group of professional thieves. The man's brutal treatment did not end there for as he lay on the side of the road a priest, and a levite saw him and left him there in his terrible condition. The priest, and the levite in the story shared the attitude of the lawyer. The lawyer who questioned the Iesous was in this story. The Iesous revealed the lawyer's attitude and then cautions the lawyer to go and become like the certain Samaritan.
The statement to go and do likewise rocked the world of the lawyer. The astute and compelling story of the Iesous cracked the cosmic egg of the lawyer. Most certainly there was a certain amount of cognitive dissonance. His world of rabbinic logic and abstract arguments had been undone by the Word made flesh.
Real people have real needs, and those needs may be dismissed by the merely cognitive and reduced to 'nothing buts.' But that is not the approach of God. God sees people as those who are in need of loving care by loving hands. Race and ethnicity have no place in the society of God's love for people. We are so divided by artificial boundaries by the social planners.
The love of God is at work in a world that is desperate with compelling need. Self-satisfied religion has no place in the society of God. Religion often times is so proud of its lifeless orthodoxy. God is involved in life and he challenges us to go and do likewise. Blessings to you.
For more information about Dr. Rich and his teaching ministry, please follow his blog and visit his website.
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
The God of Patience and Comfort
"For whatsoever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. Now may the God of patience and consolation grant you to be like-minded one toward another according to Christ Jesus." Romans 15:4-5
The Letter to the church at Rome is Paul's theological magnum opus. The letter to the Romans is Paul'systematic elucidation of the doctrine of the Faith. Paul's dynamic encounter with the Iesous on the road to Damascus was the decisive event of his profound and meaningful life.
After Paul's life-altering encounter with the resurrected Iesous he knew that the key to life was not a something, but a someone. The Iesous claimed Paul as his own, and Paul claimed he Iesous as his own. The reciprocal relationship that Paul had with the Iesous completely changed his way of being.
Paul was no longer the isolated ego seeking to find his own way through myopic philosophical or mystical beliefs. Paul's life had been made radically new in quality through the power that claimed him completely. Again, encounter with the Iesous was merely the starting place in the new life that Paul received. An interpenetration occurs when one genuinely appropriates the living Iesous.
Paul's deep appreciation of the Iesous was received through the deep investigation of the Scriptures (Graphe, in Greek). Paul was highly trained in the Hebrew, Aramaic, and Koine Greek or the Greek of the common people or marketplace of his day. He also knew the teachings of the rabbis and the philosophers of his time too. He was therefore well-equipped as a theologian to teach the Faith to other saints.
Paul faced many challenges as a teacher of the Faith. His was not an easy life, but his was an effective life. He wrote that all believers have the mind of Iesous. God gave Paul the power to experience great difficulties through the sufficiency of Grace. God taught Paul dependency on him through suffering. Suffering has a way of getting our attention like nothing else.
We do not like the milieu of suffering. We seek to find the quickest way out from under the heavy hand of suffering. For the believer, however, there is another view of suffering. When suffering originates from the hand of God it is designed to teach us, but not to ruin us.
Paul uses the word patience in our verse, but in the Greek the word patience means to remain under trial or circumstances, stay under, and do not seek to remove one's self. It is also a quality that does not surrender to the suffering. It is the word hupomone. Hupomone is prescriptive for us. We must learn to let patience have its perfect work. That is, let the experience of the divinely ordained trail complete the process of teaching us why it is in our life. Learn from it, and then move on in life.
The Graphe is our source material for learning about the God of patience and comfort. We must constantly feed on the Bread of Life. We must have a healthy diet of 'eating' the Word of God as Ezekiel was instructed. Remember that Ezra first availed himself of the life changing source material of the Word of God. He had to edify himself before he could ministry to others. This truth has not changed. Too many believers are shadowy thin creatures today because of a scant diet of the Word of God.
Amen.
For more information about Dr. Rich and his teaching ministry, please follow his blog and visit his website.
The Letter to the church at Rome is Paul's theological magnum opus. The letter to the Romans is Paul'systematic elucidation of the doctrine of the Faith. Paul's dynamic encounter with the Iesous on the road to Damascus was the decisive event of his profound and meaningful life.
After Paul's life-altering encounter with the resurrected Iesous he knew that the key to life was not a something, but a someone. The Iesous claimed Paul as his own, and Paul claimed he Iesous as his own. The reciprocal relationship that Paul had with the Iesous completely changed his way of being.
Paul was no longer the isolated ego seeking to find his own way through myopic philosophical or mystical beliefs. Paul's life had been made radically new in quality through the power that claimed him completely. Again, encounter with the Iesous was merely the starting place in the new life that Paul received. An interpenetration occurs when one genuinely appropriates the living Iesous.
Paul's deep appreciation of the Iesous was received through the deep investigation of the Scriptures (Graphe, in Greek). Paul was highly trained in the Hebrew, Aramaic, and Koine Greek or the Greek of the common people or marketplace of his day. He also knew the teachings of the rabbis and the philosophers of his time too. He was therefore well-equipped as a theologian to teach the Faith to other saints.
Paul faced many challenges as a teacher of the Faith. His was not an easy life, but his was an effective life. He wrote that all believers have the mind of Iesous. God gave Paul the power to experience great difficulties through the sufficiency of Grace. God taught Paul dependency on him through suffering. Suffering has a way of getting our attention like nothing else.
We do not like the milieu of suffering. We seek to find the quickest way out from under the heavy hand of suffering. For the believer, however, there is another view of suffering. When suffering originates from the hand of God it is designed to teach us, but not to ruin us.
Paul uses the word patience in our verse, but in the Greek the word patience means to remain under trial or circumstances, stay under, and do not seek to remove one's self. It is also a quality that does not surrender to the suffering. It is the word hupomone. Hupomone is prescriptive for us. We must learn to let patience have its perfect work. That is, let the experience of the divinely ordained trail complete the process of teaching us why it is in our life. Learn from it, and then move on in life.
The Graphe is our source material for learning about the God of patience and comfort. We must constantly feed on the Bread of Life. We must have a healthy diet of 'eating' the Word of God as Ezekiel was instructed. Remember that Ezra first availed himself of the life changing source material of the Word of God. He had to edify himself before he could ministry to others. This truth has not changed. Too many believers are shadowy thin creatures today because of a scant diet of the Word of God.
Amen.
For more information about Dr. Rich and his teaching ministry, please follow his blog and visit his website.
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
The Necessity of Spiritual Clemency
"Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: as Christ forgave you, so also do you." Col. 3:13
These words are prescriptive and vital. They are given as appropriate spiritual care for those of us who are carrying around the pain that has been caused by others. The deepest pain most of us carry has been inflicted by family members or others close to us. In some manner they violated our personal space or boundaries. They really did hurt us, and we were deeply offended.
We did not outwardly express our rage and anger, rather, we buried it. Though we buried it, alas we did not. Pain is not buried dead it is buried alive. It will therefore make its presence know in our lives in our attitude and /or behavior. We cannot escape ourselves. We may delude ourselves, but we may never escape ourselves.
First of all, let me say that the wounds we carry in the soul are manifested in the body. The body suffers from the wounds of the soul. The body is the compelling witness of the state of my soul. "Hostility is often the term we us to embody several damaging emotions. Technically, hostility is defined as a feeling of enmity, ill will, unfriendliness, etc.; antagonism. It is an abiding, long-term state-something of a perpetual worldview."
When Paul tells us that we must be forbearing he is speaking into the depths of our lives. We may believe that reactionary hostility is an appropriate response to a hurt, but it is the contrary, it pulls us down deeper into a milieu of hostility. Ingrained hostility is an emotional and spiritual death sentence. Therefore we must give spiritual clemency to the one who has offended us. If we do not there is a price to pay, and the one that must give this clemency is the one that pays the price.
I have the power to stop my own spiritual suffering by showing mercy to an enemy or one who has offended me. I can walk in newness of life if I release my emotional claim against the offender.
If you find that you want to be free, but you do not have the power to do it on your own God will give you the power to show clemency to your offender(s).
There are incredible disease consequences for those of us who have resolved to never let go of the offender. We chose to imprison ourselves within the walls of hostility and anger to our hurt and those who love us and need us.
Please do not forget that unchecked hostility cuts off fellowship with God and with others. We are the temple of the living God and we owe it to the one who has given us eternal life to be clean temples.
Start right now, go before the Iesous and confess your enslavement to pent up rage, aggression, or hostility, and ask for divine power to overcome all of the consequences of spiritual negativism. You may today have God's own peace that passes understanding if you confess your need to Him.
Blessings to you.
For more information about Dr. rich and his teaching ministry, please follow his blog and visit his website.
These words are prescriptive and vital. They are given as appropriate spiritual care for those of us who are carrying around the pain that has been caused by others. The deepest pain most of us carry has been inflicted by family members or others close to us. In some manner they violated our personal space or boundaries. They really did hurt us, and we were deeply offended.
We did not outwardly express our rage and anger, rather, we buried it. Though we buried it, alas we did not. Pain is not buried dead it is buried alive. It will therefore make its presence know in our lives in our attitude and /or behavior. We cannot escape ourselves. We may delude ourselves, but we may never escape ourselves.
First of all, let me say that the wounds we carry in the soul are manifested in the body. The body suffers from the wounds of the soul. The body is the compelling witness of the state of my soul. "Hostility is often the term we us to embody several damaging emotions. Technically, hostility is defined as a feeling of enmity, ill will, unfriendliness, etc.; antagonism. It is an abiding, long-term state-something of a perpetual worldview."
When Paul tells us that we must be forbearing he is speaking into the depths of our lives. We may believe that reactionary hostility is an appropriate response to a hurt, but it is the contrary, it pulls us down deeper into a milieu of hostility. Ingrained hostility is an emotional and spiritual death sentence. Therefore we must give spiritual clemency to the one who has offended us. If we do not there is a price to pay, and the one that must give this clemency is the one that pays the price.
I have the power to stop my own spiritual suffering by showing mercy to an enemy or one who has offended me. I can walk in newness of life if I release my emotional claim against the offender.
If you find that you want to be free, but you do not have the power to do it on your own God will give you the power to show clemency to your offender(s).
There are incredible disease consequences for those of us who have resolved to never let go of the offender. We chose to imprison ourselves within the walls of hostility and anger to our hurt and those who love us and need us.
Please do not forget that unchecked hostility cuts off fellowship with God and with others. We are the temple of the living God and we owe it to the one who has given us eternal life to be clean temples.
Start right now, go before the Iesous and confess your enslavement to pent up rage, aggression, or hostility, and ask for divine power to overcome all of the consequences of spiritual negativism. You may today have God's own peace that passes understanding if you confess your need to Him.
Blessings to you.
For more information about Dr. rich and his teaching ministry, please follow his blog and visit his website.
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