Archive for » August, 2008 «

Hands and Feet

Sunday, August 31st, 2008 | Author:

so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.  Romans 12:5 (NIV)

To All The Others -  Can you see what Paul does not say?  Paul is comparing the congregation of the faithful to the physical body.  He says that the various members of a physical body all belong to the one body.  All the members are important to that one body.  But when he applies this analogy to the congregation, he does not say that each person in the congregation belongs to the one “body” of the congregation.  He says that each person in the congregation belongs to all the other people in the congregation.   Unless there are other gift-operating people in the assembly, there is no “body” to belong to.  The body is not something independent from the praxis of God-given gifts.  You do not join a building or a denomination.  You are grafted into a living, gift-operating, mutually interdependent assembly of followers.  If you joined anything less than that, you just have a club membership that sometimes requires dues.  God designed the church to work and every single person in the church is designed to work within that congregation.  If church is boring, it’s probably because it isn’t working the way God intended.

Two important factors emerge.  First, the only reason that this “body” exists at all is because each member of the body has a direct connection with Yeshua and a direct, secondary connection with every other follower of Yeshua.  That’s what it means to be “in Christ.”  We are in Christ insofar as we are participants in a life-giving relationship with Him and because of that relationship, we are connected with each other.  That’s why the “church” is a lot smaller than the audience that sits in the pews on Sunday.  The real church is vitally connected to Yeshua and demonstrates that connection by the love each member has for one another.  There are no strangers in this congregation (in spite of the current fad of mega-somethings).  The entire assembly is vitally connected – to Him and to each other.

Secondly, everyone brings something crucial to the table.  There are no “professionals” when it comes to relationship with Christ and love for each other.  The professional hierarchy is a man-made instrument for control of the “body”.  There is only one head of the church and His name is Yeshua.  The greatest threat to our version of church is allowing Yeshua to actually take over and be the Lord of the House.  That means letting go of the controls – something we are terrified to do because we do not trust Him.  Shame on us!  Imagine what “church” would be like if it were the place where you were honored for your gift, encouraged to use it and embraced because of it.  Imagine what would happen if you were surrounded by others who thrived when you were operating at 100% maximum productivity.  Imagine how exciting it would be to belong to a community that was blessed by all that you did and that blessed you in return.  That is church the way God intended!  The great tragedy of modern ecclesiology is the separation of members from their gifts.  This heresy leads directly to withering of the body.  We all pay the price.  The church is ineffective in its ministry and its testimony primarily because it does not revel in God’s gifts to people.  Where God reigns in freedom, the contemporary “church” just pulls on the reigns.  It’s time to break loose.  There are no strangers in God’s house and that includes you!  If you are not honored and loved for the way God made you, find an assembly where you are and go to work.

Topical Index:  Transformation

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Application Sermon

Saturday, August 30th, 2008 | Author:

For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ Romans 12:4-5

Function – Even in Greek it’s hard to miss the implication here.  The Greek word is praxis.  The implication is that each member of our physical body – and consequently, each member of the body of the congregation – has a practical use.  Paul is getting ready to outline the gifts given by God, but the first thing he wants us to understand is that these gifts have no value if they are not used.  They are not like nicely wrapped presents sitting on the shelf.  You can’t store them away for another time.  These gifts are just like the parts of the body.  Use them or lose them.

Praxis implies something else that is vitally important for our understanding of the congregational body.  A gift is not a position in the hierarchy.  Men and women are not gifted to be pastors or budget directors or choir leaders or deacons.  They may play those roles, but those roles are not the kind of gifts Paul has in mind.  The gifts are far more elemental and therefore, far more versatile.  Our culture has a tendency to think of professional clergy as “gifted” for the task, but this is not what Paul is talking about, as we will see.  What Paul is talking about is the practical outcome that the gift exhibits as it is used for the benefit of others.  If an arm doesn’t do any lifting, it’s not of much use.  The same is true with these gifts.  Until they are used according to God’s purposes, they don’t really amount to much.

Here’s the practical application.  Since everyone has a gift given by God, no one should be a passive member of the body.  Can you imagine your own body where most of the organs just sit around waiting for a few to do all the work?  You would die.  So, by the way, does the church when most of the congregation turns over the full functioning of the “body” to a few of the more visible members or the paid professional staff.  That is not what God planned.  A church with a lot of pew-sitters is boring and ready for the grave.  And a church staff that does not actively encourage the gift exercise of all of the members is responsible for the boredom and the tombstone.  In a healthy body, every cell gets in the action.  In a healthy church, every member is operating his or her gift for the benefit of all.

Now a word of caution.  Don’t run off to do a “spiritual gifts assessment” and think that you have captured Paul’s intent.  Paul is not talking about “spiritual” gifts (again, as we will see).  He is talking about the way each human being is wired from birth to be an active participant in God’s full picture.  Paul is also not talking about particular roles in the church (like deacon or elder).  Paul’s argument here is not about hierarchy.  It’s about a flat community where everyone is edifying everyone and all are dependent on all.  Paul is being immanently practical.  He is talking about praxis, what each person contributes according to the gift given.

A woman I know said something outstanding.  It’s a wake up call to all of us.  “God is not boring.  So, why is my church?”  Paul is about to give us the answer.  It starts with realizing that boredom comes from body parts that are asleep.

What about you?  Are you alive with your gift, or is your gift sleeping in the back row?

Topical Index:  Transformation

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Hebrew Yardsticks

Friday, August 29th, 2008 | Author:

“For I know the plans that I have for you,” declares YHWH, “plans for welfare and not calamity to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11

Hope - Did you know that this famous passage in Jeremiah is connected to Paul’s remarks about transformation in Romans 12?  Probably not.  When we read this verse, we don’t think like a rabbi.  We think like good Greek Christians.  We imagine that God has a special plan for us; a plan that will prosper us in the future.  Because we want to be prosperous, we hope that what God says is true.  So, we wait for our ship to come in.  With that kind of interpretation, we might as well be waiting for a ship in the middle of the desert.

Rabbi Paul saw a different connection.  The Hebrew word for hope in this verse is tiqwah.  It is not the usual word for “hope.”   Fifty times in the Old Testament, the word for “hope” is qawah.  It is the picture of what comes from being nailed down over the horizon; something assured in the future.  That makes sense, but tiqwah is a little different.  It has some peculiar characteristics that parallel Paul’s comments in Romans.  You see, there are two roots spelled exactly the same way (T-Q-W).  One of these roots is connected to qawah but the other is connected to qaw, and the word tiqwah that is connected to qaw doesn’t mean something that is nailed down in the future.  It means a measuring line.  It’s used in Isaiah, 2 Kings and the Psalms to describe a standard of measurement.  Here’s the critical piece of detective information.  This word is translated in Greek as metron.

Do you remember our examination of the “measure of faith” that God gives every person (Romans 12:3 on August 25)?  Don’t you think that Paul knew that the Hebrew word for his choice of metron was tiqwah?  Don’t you suppose that Paul also knew that tiqwah had two different meanings depending on the context?  Is it possible that Paul used the fact that tiqwah meant both “hope” and “measure” to provide a subtle reminder to his Greek/Hebrew audience that God’s standard is directly tied to the hope that God gives?  Don’t you think that maybe this all points to Yeshua?

Just think about it for a moment.  It’s no accident that Paul chooses metron to describe the measure of faith.  Remember that this implies that God provides a measuring standard, not that God supplies a quantity of faith.  Now, if tiqwah is the same as metron, then wouldn’t the reader who knew Hebrew also realize that the same word speaks about what is nailed beyond our horizon?  Doesn’t this suggest, at least a little bit, that God’s measuring standard and God’s provision of hope are both tied to something beyond our vantage point?  So, when Jeremiah uses tiqwah as the word for “hope,” he not only speaks of completely human expectations for this life; he also gives us a glimpse of something beyond us.  And Paul tells us that if we really want to exercise the gift that God gives, we must do so according to that standard that lies beyond our horizon; a standard that is exemplified in the death and resurrection of Yeshua.

It’s not quite enough to have great plans for life here and now.  God’s plans don’t stop when the lights go out.  God’s standard is set in eternity, not in the present realm of redemptive actions.  If we want to use most productively what God gives, we will set our sights on eternal measures.  This is something we can take with us.  And that gives us hope.

Topical Index:  Transformation

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94 Percent

Thursday, August 28th, 2008 | Author:

For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ Romans 12:4-5

Just As – The exclamation point comes first.  In the Greek text, this word (kathaper) is the first word in the sentence.  We change the word order in translation, but we shouldn’t miss Paul’s emphasis.  Sixteen of the seventeen occurrences of this word are in Paul’s letters (94%).  He uses it when he really wants to draw attention to the connection between two thoughts.  So, although he says “therefore,” he first says kathaper so his readers won’t have any doubt about the relationship between God’s measuring stick and God’s gifts.  We shouldn’t miss the point either.  The appropriate measuring stick of trust in God with regard to the exercise of the gift He gives each of us is His measuring stick, not ours.  We can use the gift for all kinds of purposes.  After all, it is a gift given to us at birth.  It is the way we are designed.  But the only measuring stick of the appropriate use of the gift is God’s determination about how we should use the gift.  Anything else is misuse or abuse.  You and I might think we are being successful or creative or productive, but it’s a sham.  If we don’t use the gift the way God intended it to be used, we lose.  That’s why Paul wants us to underline the connection to the body metaphor.  If you don’t use your arms or legs for what they were designed to do, they are not optimally productive.  You could walk on your hands, but doing so causes other problems for the body.  In exactly the same way, not using the gift God has given you in the way God wants it used will cause other problems for the corporate body.

Let’s use a real example.  A person I know has been given the gift of penetrating understanding and the ability to unpack and proclaim deeper meanings.  This gift is called nevuah (we’ll examine this later).  He is able to see where things are going before others have a clue.  He can quickly grasp the essence of a problem and reveal its solution.  In this regard, he understands more than most.  Used according to God’s measuring stick, this gift is a powerful addition to the edification of the community.  It brings clarity and depth, glorifying God by pointing the out the Way.  But it is always possible to use the same gift in another direction.  Seeing where things are going is a very useful tool when it comes to scheming.  This person has used the gift to manipulate others, guiding them toward certain personally advantageous conclusions while they were unaware of his objectives.   The same gift can be used to circumvent the law by finding all the loopholes.  Without a divine measuring stick, a person with this gift can be seductively crafty.  I know.  Gratefully, God forgives.

Examples like this must have been on Paul’s mind when he chose the word kathaper.  It’s not enough to have only the logical conclusion to Paul’s argument.  Like every good rabbi, Paul is interested in a change in behavior.  He wants us to see that the appropriate use of these gifts comes from deep humility and submission to God.  There is no other way to use them for the Kingdom.

As we will discover, each gift depends on and benefits all the others.  None stands alone.  That means that when it comes to the exercise of the gifts in God’s community, there is no hierarchy.  There are no professionals, no staff, no senior positions.  Those are the inventions of men designed to prop up our need for control.  But the exercise of gifts cuts right across such scaffolding.  There is only one head – Yeshua – and He orchestrates all the other functions as He sees fit.  Hands and feet, ears and eyes, mouth and nose are all equally, necessary equally able – and equally treacherous if misused.

The only remaining question is this: Are you using your gift as you should?

Topical Index:  Transformation

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Summing Up

Wednesday, August 27th, 2008 | Author:

For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ Romans 12:4-5

For – If we’ve learned anything about Paul, it has to be this:  he loves to draw conclusions.  Paul always seems to move from one point to the next as though he were a lawyer making a case.  So, when we read his letters, we must never skip over the connecting words.  It is unfortunate that the Greek connector gar is often left out of the translation (especially in the NIV).  Gar tells us that everything Paul said up to this point is now coming to a conclusion.  This is not a new, disconnected thought.  This is the summary.

Let’s review.  In the previous verses, Paul makes the point that we are living sacrifices.  As a result, we are not to be molded by this age.  We are to be transformed by thinking God’s thoughts after Him.  In doing so, we become the living examples of God’s will.  We see His handiwork in and through our lives.  The first thing we must conquer in this transformation is the natural desire to regard ourselves as important.  That is insanity (for a lot of good reasons).  The sane approach to life (the right mind) is to submit to the God of all creation and let Him run the show.  He provides each one of us with the correct standard for measuring our relationship with Him.

THEREFORE, we are to function just like a body.  Each one of us must exercise what God has given to us individually so that the entire body (the community) will be in alignment with God’s purposes.  No one is excluded and no one is more important than another.  Everyone has a role to play.  That role is not whatever each one imagines the part to be.  It is what God allots and assigns to each person.  Since God is directing this human orchestra, He determines the score and the instruments.  He knows exactly what you and I were designed to be.  When we play according to God’s design, we not only find ourselves perfectly fitted to the task, we delight God and benefit others at the same time.  That is the overall plan.

I am quite sure you have heard all this before.  It is common parlance in Christian circles.  But what you might not have realized is that Paul is arguing that if you are not participating in the community exactly as God designed you, you are frustrating His intention, compromising the performance of the community and corrupting yourself.  You are like the foot that wants to be the hand.  You are trying to drive with your feet.  It can be done, but feet weren’t designed to do that kind of work.  THEREFORE, if you don’t know exactly how God has designed you to function optimally in the world, you cannot help but experience discouragement and disappointment.  When we aren’t doing what God designed us to do, we don’t have joy at work.  We don’t experience avodah, that wonderful Hebrew concept that work and worship are the same thing.

There’s more to come on this subject.  Paul does not leave us wondering who we were born to be.  But it starts right here, with this word gar.  The transforming process is designed to push you to the place where you ask, “Who am I supposed to be?”  Are you there yet?

Topical Index:  Transformation

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The Divine Metric

Tuesday, August 26th, 2008 | Author:

as God has allotted to each a measure of faith Romans 12:3

Measure – I told you Paul was difficult!  Now you will see just how difficult he really is.  When you read this verse, what do you think it means?  Do you think that Paul is saying that God gives you some amount of faith, like a storekeeper who sells you one pound of roast beef?  Do you imagine that God pours a certain quantity of faith into you and bottles you up for further use?  That’s what this verse looks like it says, but that’s not correct.  The translation sends us in the wrong direction.  It ignores that whole context of faith by forcing faith into a Greek mold.  It violates the first principle of biblical interpretation: the Bible does not contradict itself.  And in the Bible, faith is not a thing; it is an active relationship of trust.  Try bottling that!  Impossible!

If we knew the Greek word here (metron), we would immediately know that Paul is not talking about quantity.  He is talking about the measuring tool.  Metron is not an amount.  It is the thing we use to measure an amount.  It is the standard of measurement.  That’s what God gives.  To every believer, God supplies the perfect standard for measuring our dependence and trust in Him.  God gives you the ability to determine how you are doing.  He makes it possible for you to judge your relationship with Him so that you know your devotion to Him precisely.  Just compare it to the standard.  You don’t have to be confused.  You don’t have to guess.  God makes sure that you are able to know.  Praise His name!  Some things are for certain.

What is the measuring standard?  It is faith.  Wait a minute.  Didn’t we just say that faith is not a quantity distributed like honey in a bottle?  Yes, that’s right.  Faith is the Hebrew equivalent of trustworthiness and dependability and truth.  God gives us the measuring stick of faith – His trustworthiness, His reliability and His truth.  It is not something we can store in a bottle.  It is His active benevolence toward us.

So, God has given to every believer (not just the “important” ones) a metron of faith, a measuring stick of what is good, fitted and fulfilled.  This is critically important because it means that the gifts given for the edification of the body (the next thing in Paul’s argument) do not and cannot come from you and me.  These gifts depend entirely on God’s gracious giving.  He allots them to everyone.  No one is exempt.  No one is excused.  God gives.  You receive.  What you do with the gift God has given is measured by the standard of faith, that is, by the standard of trustworthiness, reliability and truth.  The gifts are tied to this measuring stick just as weight is tied to a scale.

“OK, I get it, I think.  What you are saying is that faith is demonstrated in how I act, how I exercise the gift God has given.  God provides me with a standard and turns me loose to go for it with what He has given me.  I see that faith is not something I can keep in my pocket.  It only shows up when I am operating the way God intends.  I get that much, but how does this change things?”

Here it comes.  When I am living within the arena of the gift God has given me, I will discover His standard.  I will become the manifestation of His will.  I will experience good, fitted and fulfilled.  I will know what He wants me to do, and I will find that doing it is exactly what I want.  My “faith” will become my reality because I will delight God and bless others.  I will manifest who I was born to be.

The next step in Paul’s argument cannot be accomplished until we realize what he has been saying in these last few verses.  We need to re-read, supplying the missing elements of the translated text so that we can appreciate what comes next.  What comes next is the glorious interdependence of all the gifts orchestrated by God for the completion of the Body.  But first we need to understand what Paul is saying right here.

Topical Index:  Transformation

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Proper Order

Monday, August 25th, 2008 | Author:

not to think more highly of himself that he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has afforded to each a measure of faith. Romans 12:3

Ought – Understanding Paul is perhaps the most difficult task in New Testament theology.  Even Peter complained that he was far too complicated – and Peter spoke Hebrew and wrote Greek!  What in the world are we supposed to do?   The only way is to take this slowly, like the pieces of a picture puzzle, each one fitted to the next to complete the entire image.  Paul is building an argument about the role that every believer plays in the community of faith.  We must know this!  If we fail to understand his point, we will encounter only frustration and failure in our efforts to contribute to the edification of the body.  So, let’s press on in spite of the difficulty.  Don’t you want to know how you are going to be fully used by God?

Paul actually doesn’t say that humility is thinking more of yourself than you ought to.  His Greek expression is more forceful.  It uses the Greek word dei which means “must.”  Paul says that we are not to think of ourselves more highly than we must.  In fact, the phrase is striking.  “Do not (as a matter of actual fact, not merely hypothetically) have higher thoughts (the verb is used only here in the New Testament – meaning to consider of great importance) of yourself than you must have.  Denny comments that every man thinks of himself as the most important person in the world.  This is the natural expression of ego.  For those outside the bonds of Yeshua Messiah, the world revolves around them.  But the one who is being transformed (going through metamorphosis) has a radical change in ego perspective.  What was previously necessary and inevitable (dei) changes.  In the past, I thought it proper and right to consider my own interests.  It was necessary for my survival.  It was the automatic posture of self-defense and self-progress.  Paul exhorts us to see that all of this must change.

Paul’s solution to the inevitability of ego is “sound judgment.”  What is that?  It’s the same word used in Mark 5:15 to describe the demoniac’s return to sanity (right mind).  It is the entire goal of Proverbs – to exercise wisdom as a demonstration of godly humility.  Here Paul uses that special Greek construction eis to to point us toward purpose.  The purpose of ego deflation is sanity!  The Hebrew word picture helps us see God’s perspective here.  From a biblical perspective, the opposite of the Hebrew word redeem (ga-al) is pride (gay-ah).  The word pictures are striking.  Redeem is “God is lifted up” but pride is “strength lifted up.”  When I lift up God, I experience redemption and the consequence of redemption is a sane and ordered life.  I enter into the right mind.  I serve the King.  I find my place where I am a delight to God and a blessing to others.  But when I think of myself as most important, my pride sends me toward insanity.  When I lift up my own strength, I flaunt God’s way.  I think of myself as the captain of my own soul.  I am deluded and delusional, and the consequences are dire.

Yes, there is more here than just how I ethically ought to think.  This is not Pauline etiquette.  This is Pauline psychotherapy.  Paul isn’t concerned with just being a nice person by putting others first.  Paul is concerned with the very essence of the Christian way.  If you don’t get this, you don’t get any of it.  It’s not my world and I must not act as though it is.  Those who do are crazy.

Topical Index:  Transformation

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Tautological Confusion

Sunday, August 24th, 2008 | Author:

and do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect Romans 12:2

Good And Acceptable And Perfect – What is a tautology?  It’s a logical exact equivalence.  It’s a statement that merely repeats what it has already said in different words.  It adds nothing new to the meaning.  For example, it is a tautology to say that all single men are unmarried.  Of course they are.  That’s what it means to say they are single.

So, if we read this verse as though the three adjectives “good, acceptable and perfect” describe God’s will, we have a tautology.  God’s will is good, acceptable and perfect by definition.  To say this is to add nothing to the equation.  That means that this English translation (worse in the NIV) is confusing.  These three adjectives are not about God’s will.  They are about something else that adds to our understanding of God’s will.

The terms themselves are agathos, euarestos and teleios. Agathos means good, benevolent and useful.  You will remember euarestos from the previous verse; meaning what is well-pleasing or exactly fitted to the task.  Teleios is a word about fulfillment.  It can mean perfect but it also means complete, fully grown and finished.  So, these three adjectives paint a bigger picture than what we derive from the three English translated words.  Now, how do we apply them in this verse?  The answer is connected with “proving” God’s will.

Even the Greek text does not support ascribing these adjectives to God’s will.  But they do imply that when something is good, exactly fitted and perfect in fulfillment, that thing reveals God’s will.  Therefore, what Paul is saying is not that God’s will is good and acceptable and perfect.  Of course it is!  We already knew that.  What Paul is saying is that when you are transformed you will be able to determine what is good and acceptable and perfect, and acting on that discernment is God’s will.  I know this is complicated, but it is very important.  Paul is not offering us a secret method for knowing God’s plan for our lives.  God does not deal in secret methods.  His processes are clear to all who are willing to hear (shama – and obey).  All that is required is a willingness to be used by God according to His purposes, not ours.  As soon as that transforming process begins, what is good, acceptable and perfect will start becoming obvious.  Doing it advances the process.  Not doing it stops the growth.

So, if you want to know what is good and useful, acceptable and exactly fitted, complete and perfect, be obedient by active dedication to the ways of God revealed in His Word and through the Spirit.  When you see what to do, do it – and you will discover that the will of God is manifested in you.  Your own actions will prove it, to yourself and to others.  It’s not a mystery.  It’s not magic.  It’s Yeshua manifested in you.

Ah, the utter simplicity of it all!  Think God’s thoughts after Him and act accordingly.

Topical Index:  Transformation

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Tested

Saturday, August 23rd, 2008 | Author:

and do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect Romans 12:2

May Prove – Wouldn’t it be nice to prove what God’s will is for you?  Isn’t that what we all need to know?  Paul seems to suggest that the transformation process leads directly to proving God’s will.  That should spur us on to look at the deepest possible meaning here.  But what we find isn’t exactly what we expected.

Paul has a unique approach to Greek.  He often constructs his own way of saying things.  If we aren’t aware of the subtleties of his use of the language, we miss out on the deeper meanings.  This translation is a prime example.  The Greek is eis to dokimazein.  This combination of Greek words is translated “may prove,” but that isn’t quite right.  You see, Paul uses the construction eis to plus a verb infinite in a special way.  Forty-three times Paul applies this combination to indicate purpose.  So, what Paul is really saying is this:  “renew your mind with the purpose that you prove what God’s will is.”  Renewal has a goal.  That goal is wrapped up in the verb dokimazo.  What does this verb mean?  Well, it’s not about offering proof.  It’s about discerning, trying and distinguishing.  It is to examine (and therefore prove) by some method.  Now we see that Paul is not suggesting that renewal of your mind will give you divine insight into God’s perfect plan for your life.  What Paul says is that as a result of renewal, your transformed life will act as the testing ground for God’s will.  You will be the proof.  The purpose of the will of God will be demonstrated in you.  The goal is not for me to get the inside scoop on what God is doing.  The goal is that I am the vehicle that proves what the will of God is.

Does this discourage you?  Did you think that if you could just get the right frame of mind you would suddenly have your life’s plan all mapped out for you?  Do you see that thinking like this is out of character with God?  God never shows the cards before it is necessary.  Why?  The answer might be that if He ever did show us His full plan, we would crumble.  Imagine how Paul felt when Ananias came to him to tell him “all that he must suffer” for Yeshua.  Only a few of us could take that kind of announcement.  God graciously hides the truth until we are ready to receive it.  Furthermore, our preoccupation with knowing the future is idolatry.  It denies the sovereignty of God and blocks our practice of dependence.  Since God wants us to have constant communication with Him as Father, you can be assured that He will not reveal what you don’t need to deal with now.  He is training us to rely on Him, not to get tomorrow’s news today.  We read this verse as a secret door to the future because we want to be self-reliant and independent even in the midst of a relationship with God.  It’s time to see what it really says.

God’s will is showing itself in you.  How?  By the renewal of your mind.  By submitting to Him in every facet of your life.   That includes your plans for tomorrow.  When you take on God’s perspective, you become the proof of God’s will.  That is a moment-by-moment trust in His reliability.  “Give us this day our daily bread” is enough for the renewed person.  Is it enough for you?

Topical Index:  Transformation

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Fashionable

Friday, August 22nd, 2008 | Author:

and do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect Romans 12:2

Conformed – In case you haven’t lived long enough to notice, the world is preoccupied with fashion.  I’m not talking about runway models or designer labels.  I mean that the world is consumed with “what’s next.”  From business to politics to education to religion, the world flocks to the fad game.  It might be Japanese management (remember that one?) or cooperative education or bipartisan unity or religious tolerance, but it is all basically the same.  It’s whatever man can think of next.  It is a headlong rush away from God’s revealed plan for living.  If you want what the world has to offer, just wait until tomorrow.  But if you want what God wants, you will have to look back at yesterday.

Paul picks a Greek term that exquisitely captures this radical difference:  suschematizo.  If you look hard, you will see the English “schematic” here.  The addition of sus means “together with.”  In other words, Paul says “Don’t be shaped or molded or fashioned together with the things of this age.  Be radically different by being transformed.”  That’s what we all want, right?  That’s what we all claim.  We are under grace.  We have been transformed.  We aren’t like the world.

Really?  Maybe we need to ask ourselves a few questions that reveal our deeper (unconscious) conformity.

  1. Do you support or consent to an education process that holds up “success” as the primary goal of life?  Do you think that being educated is knowing a lot of things?  Do you push your children to become a significant part of the culture by playing important roles?  Or is knowing God and His will at the very top of your educational objective?
  2. Are your business practices (as boss or employee) governed entirely by God’s character?  Is compassion at the top of your “best practices” list?  Is money simply a means for honoring the King?  Would you pass up a promotion if it jeopardized your ability to be of service in your spiritual community?  Are you climbing the corporate ladder or looking for a way to help someone from the basement?
  3. Do you think life is about getting ahead?  Do you struggle with “significance”?  Do things look greener someplace else?  Or are you content to live as God provides?
  4. Is your faith so vital that it can withstand even the cruelest blows?  Are you so in love with the Master that you are unshakeable in your devotion?  Or do you find reasons to doubt?  Do you look for moral vacations?  Do you feel that you deserve better?

We could add to the list, I’m sure.  There are a host of “differentiators” that we usually ignore, like Sabbath-keeping and diet and pilgrimages and festival days.  Somehow we think that all of that is “old-fashioned.”  Maybe we have forgotten who wrote it.  God isn’t a fad.

Now let me ask you again.  How much of your life is fashioned together with this age?

Topical Index:  Transformation

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