Archive for June 19th, 2009

Who Lives Next Door? (1)

Friday, June 19th, 2009 | Author:

And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service and to building up the body of Christ.  Ephesians 4:11-12

Equipping  - Why did the Lord provide the Body with all of these gifted people?  What is the purpose of those sent, those who reveal, those who bring good news, those who shepherd and those who instruct?  Paul doesn’t leave the question unanswered.  It is for equipping.  Now, what does that mean?

The Greek word here is a combination of kata and artios.   It means “fitted together” or “perfectly complete.”  Imagine all of the pieces that go into the construction of a house.  Each one is important to the finished product and each one depends on the others.  The foundation is not greater than the trusses.  The roof is not superior to the walls.  Unless they are all fashioned together, the house is useless.  It will not serve its purpose.  In the same way, an apostle is not elevated above a teacher, nor a prophet above a pastor.  Each one has a role to play.  There is no hierarchy of importance in house building.  It is the end product that matters, not the individual pieces.  It’s the fit that matters!

OK, now that we have that settled, what is the end product?  If you looked around, you might think that the end product of all this cooperative effort is a building called the church.  After all, if you want to meet those who claim to be apostles, prophets, pastors and teachers, you will probably find them in church buildings.  But we know, of course, that the building itself is not the goal.  In fact, there were no “church” buildings during the entire history of the New Testament.  So, the end goal is not literally a construction project.  It is about the people who make up the Body.  They are to be built up for a purpose and that purpose is works of service.  That means that the equipped body, the collection of those who are redeemed, is designed to do something.  They are to serve.

Ah, that must be that the body collects the offering, greets people at the door, arranges flowers, sings in the choir and knocks on doors with soul-winning intentions.  I don’t think so!  Paul intends us to see that we are equipped in order to make a difference in the lives of others. Paul’s Hebrew background adds an element found in Jewish Law.  Israel’s social policy stood on the foundation of God’s command concerning the neighbor.  Leviticus 19:18 was the inescapable obligation of service as an essential part of the religious experience.  “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” left no equivocation about the obligation entailed in community.  In the Hebrew view, willingness to service the needs of your neighbor are inextricably bound to service to God.  The Hebrew culture is defined not only by its exclusiveness in the worship of Yahweh but also by its divinely instituted relationship to the larger community.  No man exists simply to improve his own individual self-understanding.  His very existence is tied to the well-being of his fellow men. 

Contemporary Christianity often finds itself uneasily straddling both the Greek and Hebrew views of a readiness to serve.  On the one hand, we have been thoroughly indoctrinated by the post-modern culture where individualism reigns supreme.  Freedom is often viewed solely within the Greek mindset as my right to self-determination without obligation to any others.  In this view, if I choose to act on behalf of another, I do so from enlightened self-interest, not from a submersion of individual identity into the consciousness of the community.  Acts of charity motivated by a Greek worldview may be magnanimous, but they are not expressions of self-emptying in response to a divine imperative.  The church falls prey to this cult of the individual when it promotes service as a means of goal accomplishment.  Levitical charity does not ask for measurable returns.  It demands only unreserved distribution in the face of need.  Where budgets, program considerations and political implications blunt the demand to serve the “neighbor”, the church enters into the Greek world of calculated generosity.  It hears the Levitical call, but resists unwavering response because it is trapped in the polis of a world conformed to the thought patterns of the Greeks.  Even the designation of “neighbor” becomes problematical whenever “neighbor” is subjected to a socio-political calculus.

Jesus strengthened the concept of service.  Service is now not only an obligation issued by God; it is the defining mark of true discipleship.  Those who resist the call for self-emptying volunteers cannot enter into the true destiny of Man, nor will they find a welcome home with God.  Service is the human mission.

So, what does it mean to serve my neighbor?  You might want to think about that question until tomorrow.

Topical Index:  equip, serve, oikodome, church, body, Ephesians 4:11-12, Leviticus 19:18  

Category: Today's Word  | Tags: , , , , , ,  | 8 Comments

¿Quién vive en la Casa Vecina? (1)

Friday, June 19th, 2009 | Author:

19 de junio Y El dio a algunos el ser apóstoles, a otros profetas, a otros evangelistas, a otros pastores y maestros, a fin de capacitar a los santos para la obra del ministerio, para la edificación del cuerpo de Cristo; Efesios 4:11-12


Capacitar – ¿Por qué nos proveyó el Señor un Cuerpo con todas estas personas talentosas? ¿Cuál es el propósito de aquellos enviados, aquellos que revelan, los que llevan buenas nuevas, los que pastorean y los que instruyen? Pablo no deja la pregunta sin contestar. Es para capacitar. Ahora, ¿Qué quiere decir?

La palabra griega aquí es una combinación de kata y artios. Significa “encajado juntamente” o  ”perfectamente completo.” Imagina todas esas piezas que entran en la construcción de una casa. Cada una es importante para el producto final y cada una depende de otras. El fundamento no es más que las vigas. El techo no es superior a las paredes. A menos que todos encajen juntos, la casa no sirve. No servirá su propósito. De la misma manera, un apóstol no se eleva sobre el maestro, ni el profeta sobre el pastor. Cada uno tiene su propio rol que cumplir. No existe jerarquía de importancia en la construcción de una casa. Lo que importa es el producto final, no las partes individuales. ¡Lo que importa es cómo encaja!

Ahora que ya hemos establecido esto, ¿Cuál es el producto final? Si miras a tu alrededor, podrías pensar que el producto final de todo este esfuerzo cooperativo es un edificio llamado iglesia. A fin de cuentas, si deseas conocer a todos los que dicen ser apóstoles, profetas, pastores y maestros, lo más probable es que los encuentres en los edificios de las iglesias. Pero sabemos, evidentemente, que el edificio en si no es la meta. De hecho, no existían edificios de “iglesias” durante toda la historia del Nuevo Testamento. Así que la meta final no es literalmente un proyecto de construcción. Es sobre las personas que componen el Cuerpo. Deben ser construidas para un propósito y ese propósito son las obras de servicio. Eso quiere decir que el cuerpo capacitado, la colección de los redimidos, está diseñada para hacer algo. Están allí para servir.

Ah, debe ser que el cuerpo recoge la ofrenda, saluda en la puerta, arreglan las flores, cantan en el coro y tocan puertas con intenciones de salvar almas. ¡No lo creo! La intención de Pablo es que veamos que somos equipados para marcar una diferencia en las vidas de los demás. El trasfondo hebreo de Pablo añade el elemento que encontramos en la Ley Judía. La política social de Israel se erigió sobre el fundamento del mandamiento de Dios sobre el vecino. Levítico 19:18 era la obligación inescapable al servicio como parte esencial de la experiencia religiosa. “Amarás a tu prójimo como a ti mismo” no deja espacio de equivocación sobre la obligación apropiada a la comunidad. En la apreciación hebrea, la voluntad de servir las necesidades de tu vecino está inextricablemente ligada al servicio a Dios. La cultura hebrea se define no solo por su exclusividad en la adoración a Yahweh sino también por su relación divinamente instituida a la comunidad mayor. Ningún hombre existe solo para mejorar su propio autoconocimiento personal. Su existencia misma está atada al bienestar de los hombres.

El cristianismo contemporáneo frecuentemente se encuentra montando con dificultad las perspectivas griegas y hebreas simultáneamente sobre la voluntad de servir. Por un lado, hemos sido plenamente indoctrinados por la cultura post-moderna donde el individualismo reina supremo. La libertad se concibe frecuentemente únicamente dentro de la mentalidad griega como mi derecho de auto-determinación sin obligación a otros. En esta perspectiva, si escojo actuar a favor de otro, lo hago de mi propio interés personal iluminado, no por la inmersión de una identidad individual dentro de la conciencia comunitaria. Los actos de caridad motivados por la perspectiva griega pueden ser magnánimos, pero no son expresiones de vaciarse en respuesta a un imperativo divino. La iglesia cae presa de este culto al individuo cuando promueve el servicio como medios de cumplir metas. La caridad levítica no solicita retornos cuantificables. Exige solo distribución sin reservas ante la cara de necesidad. Donde los presupuestos, consideraciones de programas, e implicaciones políticas quitan el filo a la exigencia de servir al “prójimo,” la iglesia entra en el mundo griego de la generosidad calculada. Escucha el llamado de Levítico, pero resiste la respuesta contundente porque está atrapada en el polis de un mundo conformado a los patrones de pensamiento griegos. Aun la designación de vecino se complica cuando el vecino no se sujeta a los cálculos socio-políticos.

Jesús fortaleció el concepto de servicio. El servicio ya no es ahora solo una obligación emitida por Dios; es la marca que define el verdadero discipulado. Aquellos que resisten el llamado por voluntario que se vacíen a sí mismos no pueden entrar en el destino real del Hombre, ni encontraran un hogar cálido con Dios. El servicio es la misión humana.

Así que, ¿Qué quiere decir servir a mi hermano? Quizás quieras pensar en esa pregunta hasta mañana.

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A Mystery Story by God

Friday, June 19th, 2009 | Author:

A Mystery Story

 by God

 

 

 

but it is written, “THINGS WHICH EYE HAS NOT SEEN AND EAR HAS NOT HEARD, AND which HAVE NOT ENTERED THE HEART OF MAN, ALL THAT GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM.”  1 Corinthians 2:9

My wife, Rosanne, enjoys surprises.  But my choices for her surprises are not always what she really wanted.  So, I rely on the “wish list”.  Once she makes up her wish list, I get to choose when to surprise her with things that she will really cherish.  One of the things that she loves is a good mystery novel.  She just puts the name of her favorite author on the wish list and I know that I can get the next release.  The gift will be a surprise without surprises.

Everyone loves a wish list.  I remember as a child getting the Christmas Wish catalogue from Sears.  We would pour over the pages, thinking, “Wow.  Maybe I’ll get this.  Or better yet, maybe that.”  My brothers and I spent hours imagining how great it would be to get our wishes.

Did you know that God has a wish list for you?  It’s not quite the same as the Sears catalogue or Rosanne’s surprises.  It is a wish list that He fills out about you.  You don’t get to see it in advance, but you know that it is really something special.  In fact, it’s so special that you can’t even imagine how wonderful it will be.  It is so gloriously surprising that you have never heard or seen anything like it.  It is the wish list from heaven, sent special delivery to your door.

Paul introduces this thought to the church at Corinth with a shocking bit of personal background.  He begins by telling his readers that he was nervous and shaky when he spoke with them on his first visit.  He didn’t present himself as the magnificent apostle, called by Jesus to straighten out the good news to the gentiles.  No, he came with great humility, demonstrated by his uneasiness.  The only message he brought to them was the message of Christ crucified.  God helped him deliver that message in spite of his weakness.  The members of the church knew that it was not Paul’s fancy words they were hearing.  It was the power of the Spirit working through Paul. 

Now Paul is writing to this same audience.  He adds an important thought.  God’s wisdom is a mystery.  It is hidden.  The proof of this fact is found in the reaction of important people throughout the world.  They never saw it coming.  They had no idea what God was doing.  As a result, they killed God’s Son.  If they were really wise and important guides for the rest of us, they would have recognized who Jesus was.  The mystery of God is that God revealed Himself in a way that human wisdom just could not comprehend.

The Greek word mysterion is the word “mystery”.  It’s pretty obvious where our English word originated.  This Greek word comes from an older word, mueo, a word that means, “to learn a secret”.  Now you can see that every good mystery must ultimately be about a secret.  It is the secret that gives the mystery its power.  It is discovering the secret that gives the mystery its challenge. 

During the Greek ages, there were many mystery religions.  While the elements of these religious cults were not all the same, they all shared one common thread.  Followers were sworn to secrecy about the rites of the religion.  Secrecy protected the power associated with the ritual.  We have similar groups today.  Human beings have always wished to have secret power.  Just look at the continuous fascination with super-human action figures.  Hollywood understood long ago that power is the name of the game.  This is no surprise to Christians.  We have been taught from the beginning that sin is essentially about power – the power to be my own god.  But God’s mystery novel does not follow the usual human plot line.  It is all about weakness, not power.  Power is the appeal of self-determination.  Weakness is the submission to God’s determination.  You can’t have it both ways.

This mystery of weakness is the reason that important people in Paul’s day were clueless about God’s story.  They were looking for the God of great power.  They wanted fireworks, a spectacle, demonstrations of magic secrets and most of all, total control.  Unfortunately, this internal fascination with power caused them to look the other way when God showed up as a helpless baby.  And even though Jesus performed some miracles, His demonstrations did not meet the requirements of those who were looking for advantages of power.  Jesus “wasted” miracles on those who were essentially useless to the “greater good”.  The rules wanted overwhelming strength against their enemies.  Jesus only gave them God’s concern about the outcasts.  In the end, it was this lack of “useful” power that caused them to reject Jesus and kill him. 

Paul explains all this and then quotes Isaiah the prophet.  The quotation is not exactly what you will read in your Old Testament, but don’t worry.  Paul is using the Greek translation of the Old Testament as his source (because, of course, he is writing to Greek speaking Christians).  Paul is also picking and choosing the words that demonstrate his message.  And this is what he says:

God’s wish list for you is so incredibly tremendous that you can’t even imagine how spectacular it is.  You have never seen anything like it.  You’ve never heard anything like it.  But you can be completely confident that God is preparing it for you. 

Paul makes a simple comparison.  Everyone admits that the only person who really knows what you are thinking is you.  Don’t we say that all the time – “I can’t read your mind.”?   So, says Paul, the only one who really knows that plans of God is God Himself.  Unless God tells you what He is thinking, you won’t have a clue.

And that’s the best part of God’s mystery novel.  He does give us clues.  Lots of them.  The clues are found in His words and deeds and in the words and deeds of those He has called into service.  The stories of the Bible are not just history.  They are clues about the mystery of God’s great purposes.  The actions of Jesus are not just demonstrations of the incarnate Christ.  They are clues about the nature of God.  The words of every book in the Bible are clues about who God is and what he is doing.  This is the greatest mystery novel ever written.  And the best part is that it is non-fiction. 

One of the constant themes of the Bible studies that I teach is the importance of asking “why?”  Why does the text use this particular word?  Why does the story include this little detail?  Why did things happen this way instead of that way?  Why? Why? Why?  The more “why” questions you ask, the more you discover the hidden clues about this great mystery.  The Bible becomes a living book designed to lead you to the conclusion of the mystery. 

The next time you feel as though life is just not what you wanted it to be, take a break and read the world’s oldest and best mystery novel.  But don’t read the words that you have heard so many times without pausing every other moment to ask, “Why?”  Let God open your eyes to His clues.  You will discover an amazing secret.  God is preparing something so wonderful for you that you can barely imagine it.  God is writing a wish list just for you.

 

 

 

 

 

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