Rowing Gently Into The Storm
In the last few weeks, many in our cyber community have engaged in the dialogue about the written and oral Torah, its place in the lives of believers and its status in the life of Jesus and Paul. This is all good debate as it is intended to bring us closer and closer to imitating Him, our only true standard and goal. But sometimes debate that stretches can become debate that tears. Tonight, I appeal to you, my dearest brothers and sisters, to row gently into the storm.
Nothing is more important to our Lord than the unity of His body. He pleads for this one thing above all else in his last prayer in the Garden. “That they may be one, as we are one.” This plea echoes throughout the New Testament writings. We are known not by the company we keep but by the way that we love each other. And since we know that love is a verb, that means our demonstration of the grace we have experienced before God must be the single measure of any debate’s success. It is perfectly right to be stretched, to open our minds and hearts to God’s work with past followers, to be sensitive and aware of His progressive revelation in our lives. When Abraham answered God’s call, He did not yet know the full extent of that demand nor did he understand the full character of God. But 130 years later, he had a much deeper appreciation of trust. This must be the way that we go forward, in gentleness, consideration and burden-bearing.
Some in our community have found a freedom within the fence of the Torah. We anxiously seek to recover the lost traditions, scuttled away when the Greek-based rationalism entered the early believing congregation and shifted the point of view from experience with the God who acts to analysis of the God who is. Much was lost that needs to be recovered, but it will not happen in a day. Perhaps not even in a lifetime. Those who are anxious to press on cannot arrive without those who find it difficult. Why? Because the concern of our Lord is unity, not intellectual acumen. If I cannot carry my brother, then I wait with him until he can walk.
Today’s Word will leave behind this topic while we all rest in the confidence that God moves the heart of the king like a man channels water in an irrigation ditch. It is His pace that matters, not ours. More than anything, it is my desire that we grow in love for each other. What does theological correctness matter if there is not love? As Paul says, “It is nothing but an annoying noise.”
Thank you, all, for being a part of this wonderful journey. Let us rest with the assurance that His purposes will prevail.
Love,
Skip
I enjoyed reading this article. I was originally drawn to it because I have been thinking about an image you left with me about a rowboat. I believe the image was of a man rowing not seeing his future but allowing God to guide it, then he could see he that he was fruitful by seeing his past (looking back). I don’t want to go any further so I don’t ruin the thought. Do you remember that lesson, and what verse we had studied? I would love to know. Thanks for any insight. I like your new site by the way. Good to see you are still plowing and sowing 🙂
Tony, this is the article you’re talking about I think: Row, Row, Row Your Boat. (This is my mom’s favorite article. 🙂 )
I am absolutely amazed at the judgement that comes from people when it is to come from God alone. “Judge not lest you be judged” was not a suggestion… it was orders from headquarters! We must allow people to be who they are. You don’t have to join in on things that you consider wrong for you, but even Paul through the unction of the Holy Spirit says “work out your own salvation”. None of us are on the same level spiritually, so we have to give people room to grow over time. Everyone has “stuff” and it tends to be the very people who bark the loudest that have more of stuff than others. Allow some grace and some time for those who do not believe the way you think is right to “catch up” and reach their potential in God. None of us can possibly know for sure that we are doing everything exactly right. Only Jesus was able to know that as He and the Father were one. Unity is essential, and bickering and getting heated about any topic is just immaturity and self righteousness. I doubt Jesus agrees with either one.
“None of us can possibly know for sure that we are doing everything exactly right.”
So we must learn to be comfortable with tension and ambiguity, which causes me to be that much more appreciative of God’s grace.
I agree with Dr Bolan, although I tend to be judgemental and analytical “to a fault.”
And just want to mention how much I appreciate Skip’s “row your boat” metaphor.
That captures perfectly what for me is the “only way out” of the “wilderness.”
That’s why we row gently. And sometimes we just have to float.
Skip
Skip, thx for giving me a chance to float for a bit. I was getting a little tired / beaten up rowing. 😉
Skip, letting it rest may be good I suppose. However, the perceived need for more gentleness could really be pointing to a much larger problem. The medium itself.
I have found email and e-comments to be extremely hard to decipher. The tone of voice, the emotion, the nuance is totally lost. This medium does not work for ANY kind of substantative dialogue, much less a “debate”. One can easily misinterpret anyones comments. Just like we can misinterpret your daily missives. I have had to learn the hard way, in personal relationships to NEVER email. Bascially, only FACTS can be communicated. Never anything with any possible emotional overtones.
It really is a major problem that I don’t know how to fix if “community” is the goal. It would be interesting how this debate would sound if we could actually HEAR the comments. It might already be quite gentle and we not even know it.
A great point and one that I am very sensitive to. So, I suppose the thing to do is to say, “Hey, let’s get together and talk about this.” I am working on that. One of my dreams is to have a place where we can just do that. That’s why I went to L’Abri years ago and spent time with Francis Schaeffer.
Emails and blogs are indeed imperfect forms of communication. We cannot judge the ‘tone’ or intent. That is one reason I try to use the little faces: 😉 🙂 😀 🙁 😎 Of course the reader still wants to know if it is real or a fake ‘face’.
I think the best approach for the Assembly of Messiah is to ASSUME (yes, I know what your father taught you about that word 😉 ) the best intentions of the writer. That way we don’t build up any (quite possibly false) negative attitudes about anyone- which is counter to loving them. If they really do have bad attentions…, then we let the only One who knows deal with them. …And we maitain pure hearts! o/o/o/ 😀
PS: I’m of to Israel for a few weeks and will be reunited with my family. Will probably have MUCH less time to blog. [are you there LaVaye??] 😉
Skip….Thank you for being so tender with us. This Spirit penetrates my heart at this hour! Love in Christ Jesus. Kelly
‘Hinei mah tov umah nayim shevet achim gam yachad’ ~ Psalm 133:1
It is beautiful, indeed to ADONAI and to us to be in unity…That’s always the danger with a growing in knowledge…we sometimes forget (teachers, of which I am one, can be the worst) that Scripture mentions we are to grow in the GRACE and knowledge of the LORD- Grace always mentioned first. In the acquiring of new and exciting knowledge of our faith, we forget Romans 8:29 ‘We’ve been predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son’…Who is full of grace and truth (which IS love).
Abba YHWH, thank You for answering the prayer of Your Son Yeshua in making us one as You are ONE! B’Shem Yeshua ADONEINU…for the sake of HaSHEM…May it be as You have predestined!
And for the rest of us who do not read transliterated Hebrew:
“How good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell in unity.” Actually, this verse from David is probably a reflection of just the opposite in Israel’s history, namely, the ancient story of Joseph and his brothers. Without unity, the results are disaster.
In the name (shem) of Yeshua our Lord, for the sake of The Name.
Skip