They Hid Themselves

 

I’ve started the “chronological” one-year Bible reading plan this week.  (Yes, feel free to check back with me in February.)  According to this plan, you read the Bible in daily segments arranged by the order that they happened historically, rather than the way it’s organized by literary genre in most published versions.  It’s the same Bible, but I hope to read it in a way that helps the overarching narrative to become clearer to me.  I’d love it if you’d read along–I’ll try to post some observations and thoughts here each week.

 

Here’s what stood out to me in the January 1st reading (Genesis, Chapters 1-3)…  Genesis 3:8 — “And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.”

 

We all have different ways of responding to the perception that God is distant from us.  Some doubt that God exists, or that he cares, because he seems far away.  Some assume that’s just the way it’s supposed to be, and they get on with living life on their own.  Some actively resent God for not being near in moments of crisis.  But I don’t hear very many people saying, “I have a habit of hiding myself from God because I feel guilty when I think of him.  I think that’s why he seems distant to me.”  We seem naturally inclined to see ourselves as the victims rather than the offenders.  But the first few chapters of Genesis are meant to show us foundational truth about our identity and relationship to God, and this reveals that we’re usually the ones trying to steer clear of God.  So what’s the cumulative effect of spending every day of our lives doing our own thing and then devoting only a few odd hours a year to groping for a Higher Being to help us?  I suppose it’s that he’s going to seem distant.

 

Thankfully, the Bible explains that God is compassionate and that he takes the initiative to reconnect with us.  In the Genesis account, God reenters the garden and finds the man and his wife, even though they’re hiding.  He takes their own effort to cover over their sin (fig leaves) and replaces it with his provision for them (animal skins).  This same story will eventually lead thousands of years later to a time when God sends his Son as a provision for our sin, nailing him up on the cross to pay for our offenses so we don’t have to hide anymore.

 

-Chris

 

Jan 2 (Gen 4-7)

 

Jan 3 (Gen 8-11)

 

Jan 4 (Job 1-5)

 

Jan 5 (Job 6-9)

 

 

Preaching at the Dirt

Exhaustion can make you do funny things. This past weekend it made me preach to dirt.  Let me explain…

I’ve become fond of a mild form of adventure racing that combines mileage and military style obstacles with mud and terrain.  One thing I’ve discovered is that the steeper the terrain is, the more you tend to look at the dirt.  If the race course turns you uphill, that innocent pile of dirt and rock (typically an actual mountain) becomes your adversary.  About 6 miles into Saturday’s 9.2 mile Bone Frog Challenge there was one particular climb where I was feeling beat down.  I needed a competitive edge.  I needed to psych the dirt out.  So I started to preach at it.  I started remembering and declaring Biblical realities that applied to my confrontation with the dirt.

For example, I told the dirt that even though I was made from dirt I was alive because God himself had breathed life into me.  I told the mountain that as big and imposing as it was, I actually bore the image of God.  As a human being I’m the crowning achievement of his creation!  I reminded it that it was static and I was dynamic. The life in me not only enables locomotion, but it means I can relate to and enjoy my Creator on a personal level.

But that’s all pretty general, so I got more specific with the dirt.  I recalled that even though Jesus died on a hill, he didn’t die for the hill.  He died for me!  I don’t deserve it any more than the dirt, but I told the dirt that there was grace promised for me—“grace to help in time of need”—but no grace promised for the dirt.  Because of my relationship to my God, my life isn’t a finite bucket of minerals but a conduit of endless love and energy.  All those things are true because the Bible says so.

I was pumped up enough to run through that climb, but more importantly I was reminded of the power of declaring truth in the face of dirt.  There are all kinds of troubling dirt in our lives and we need to “preach” at it!  We can’t let our troubles define us.  God our Creator has the right to define us and when we let other things define us we give them the place of God in our lives—that’s idolatry, even when it’s done passively!  Because we have the Bible, we have the raw data to be able to actively engage dirty trouble spots in our lives and set the record straight from God’s perspective.  He’s made his promises to us, not to our troubles.  Remembering the specifics of that usually brings strength and comfort.  If you’re feeling weak and overwhelmed, my advice is start preaching.

-Chris

The Rhythms of Discipleship

“And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” – Acts 2:42

 

Introduction

Most of Acts Chapter 2 describes what happened in ONE day!  (vv. 1-41)  The followers of Jesus started that day as 120 people who were waiting around trying to figure out what to do next, but they ended that day as a surging multitude of over 3,000 powerfully Spirit-filled disciples!

So now what?  Well, Acts 2:42 summarizes in one sentence what the new life of this vibrant community was like.  It says they devoted themselves to a new set of rhythms—a new set of habits for daily life.

On Sunday, I pointed out a few key things about these rhythms…

• The focus of these rhythms was Jesus, because of their new identity in him (not the habits themselves).
• They were pursued with devotion—that is, persistence even in the face of obstacles.
• They were practiced in community, not merely as individuals.

Here was the outline for the rest of the message on Sunday…

The Rhythms of Discipleship

1. Learning the truth about Christ      “the apostles’ teaching”
2. Sharing the life of Christ                  “the fellowship”
3. Celebrating the gift of Christ           “the breaking of bread”
4. Praying for the glory of Christ         “the prayers”

Discussion questions

1. Do you find yourself slipping into making your Christian experience about something other than these things?  If so, what?  And why?
2. Do you practice these rhythms, but forget that they are meant to help us experience Christ himself?  What would help you keep a more Christ-centered focus?
3. What obstacles are there to your devotion to each of these Christ-centered rhythms (the obstacles that give you the most resistance, personally)?  What are some ways that would help you counter those obstacles?
4. Do you feel like most of your Christianity is practiced in community, or is most of it a private experience that you acknowledge on Sundays?

A Tempting Shortcut

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.  And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.”  Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’”  Then the devil left him…  From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”  (Matthew 4:8-11, 17)

You know you want it.  You want to be regarded, to be recognized for your worth.  You want to be appreciated and adored.  You want all the fruits of your labor—your just desserts.  And you want it now.

For so many of us, that kind of gratification seems way out of reach.  We can’t catch a break, and we’re bitter because of it.  Others stumble into one opportunity after the other, and they get to live the sweet life now.  Jesus announces to us that the sweet life is right around the corner—in fact it’s here already!  But He also shows us powerfully by His own example that it isn’t for us to schedule our own dessert.  We don’t get it by grasping at the low-hanging fruit.  We wait patiently for God to ripen the harvest until the rewards that are closest to His heart begin to drop down into our lives.

Repent.  Submit.  Be patient.  Don’t long for your own kingdom.  Watch God’s kingdom sprout up around you and take your comfort and delight in Him.

-Chris

The High Cost of Organic

Cornerstone Church had one of our rites of Spring this past Monday night, the long-anticipated and much-celebrated annual business meeting.  This can tend to be dry fare, so my talk on Sunday morning was aimed at revealing some of the heart behind all the facts and figures.  As it turned out I didn’t cover everything I had hoped to, and one of the slides we didn’t get to might have given some good perspective on Monday night’s meeting…

One of the things I think many of us like about being a part of this church is the intimate family feel it has to it.  Part of that is due simply to our small size, but much of it is due to the fact that we settled on a philosophy of ministry 2 ½ years ago that didn’t emphasize pursuing all the trappings of an established institution.  Rather than rush to get a full suite of programs in place so we could seem “full-fledged” and “legitimate”, we’ve deliberately focused on nurturing a context for healthy relationship and discipleship.  We’ve majored on body-life—on being a vital organism.  If you ask yourself why you’re a part of Cornerstone, it probably has something to do with this.  That’s great, because that’s what we were aiming for.

But we need to acknowledge that our organic bent has involved a trade-off.  Rather than focusing on administrative savvy, we’ve looked towards growth in gospel-centered connection.  As a result, our experience of Scripture and community tends to be stronger than our satisfaction with clear plans of action.  We’ve had uneven growth, and that was evident as we discussed our goals on Monday night.

Of course, no organism can truly live and thrive without some level of organization.  God has built this into every living thing, and He’s built it into His people as well.  There isn’t even the hope of salvation without some basic organization—God has a plan!  That same principle needs to carry into our ongoing life as a church.  In Ephesians 2:21 and 4:16 God talks about His people being “joined together”, fitting and “working properly”.  These are clear areas for us to grow in.

We’re all wired a little differently.  Some hunger for relationship, while others thrive on structure.  But a skillful combination of the two is where it’s at.  That blend will enrich and enable the church to promote gospel-powered change.   If we recognize that we need one another’s strengths, and we remember what led us to our current position, it should help us stay patient and united with each other as we continue to develop in maturity and balance.

-Chris

Why Does Wisdom Cry? (Part 1)

From “The 17:18 Series”

Proverbs 1:20-21

“Wisdom cries aloud in the street, in the markets she raises her voice; at the head of the noisy streets she cries out; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks”

Study question: “What is personification?”

Wow, that seems like a technical question.  Not very interesting or devotional, right?  Wrong.

It’s true, personification is a literary device (yawn), but its use in the Scripture is far from boring.  Personification brings life and action to abstract ideas.  It takes something that we might mistake as being merely conceptual and gives it flesh and bones.  It helps the philosophical become visceral to us.

Personification in the Scripture is a comforting reminder that God—the supreme, eternal, transcendent, Creator-spirit—remembers that His creatures are bound in dusty flesh.  He condescends to make Himself better known to us when He speaks in human terms.  “Wisdom” can seem a million miles away when we associate it with the thoughts of God, but He brings it home to us in the “markets” and the “noisy streets”.  Wisdom isn’t enshrined in an ivory tower—it’s a crying woman in a public place.

But there’s something bigger here.  King Solomon personified wisdom as he began the record of his proverbs because he wanted his son to know that wisdom is not a simple commodity that is handed off from one man to another.  True wisdom is bound up in one Person, and if we will ever have it we must seek it in relational terms.  Sure, if you want to split hairs you can reasonably speak of “wisdom” as something separate from the actual personality of God.  But that’s just talk.  Try having wisdom apart from God in real life, and despite all your bluster you will eventually ring hollow, fall short and shrivel up.  Wisdom is personified because its source is so personal it could be said that wisdom is God Himself.  In fact, the Apostle Paul writes, “He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom and our righteousness and sanctification and redemption.  Therefore, as it is written, ‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.’” (1 Cor. 1:30-31)

Another New Testament writer, James, warns his readers against relying on “earthly” wisdom that reflects “selfish ambition”.  He commends to them a “wisdom that comes down from above”.  He explains that “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble” and then he explains how to get wisdom from above…  “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you”.

Of course wisdom is personified.  It’s not a cold, hard logic.  It’s God giving us the power of life as we connect to Him personally.  Have you connected with Him today?

-Chris

What are You Good At?

Here’s a piece of advice…  Take stock of your life and find out what you’re good at.  And then be very suspicious of it!

I’ve been reminded recently that I can easily get off track by lingering at what I’m good at.  I’ll share a couple reasons why, but first let me say that I’m not trying to draw a hard line with this.  I understand that God invented the idea of gifts and talents, and He’s designed us to be able to develop those.  I also understand the corporate mantra about “core competencies”.  But let me at least urge caution.

One reason to be careful of your strengths is that they can rob you of your sense of dependence on God.  This in turn can rob us of worship.  That’s bad enough, but overconfidence can also get us into everyday trouble.  We tend to try to solve problems with our strengths.  God gave you your talents for a reason, and He’s sure to use them, but maybe He’s got something else in mind for today’s problem.  Before you go and run roughshod over someone (simply because you feel so capable), slow down and pray.  Be led.  Don’t assume too much about your gifts.

Another thing to watch out for is that the development of your strengths doesn’t hinder growth in other areas of your life or in other people.  Physical therapists understand this.  They don’t let their patients favor their strong limbs.  They expose their weaknesses so they can develop and be made whole.  When I played tennis, my backhand was so bad I used to try at times to run around the ball just so I could blast a forearm ground shot.  I had some satisfying shots, but I didn’t win many matches that way.  It’s better to develop your whole game.  We should leverage our strengths, but we shouldn’t be one-dimensional.  This same principle extends outside of us as individuals.  If we’re constantly jumping in with our strengths, we hinder the people around us from growing in those same skills.  It’s better to be a mentor than a dominator.

Let’s be thankful for the things we’re good at, and let’s put them to good use.  But let’s not forget about God’s strength or about our need for balanced growth.

“…worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh…  Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on…  Let those of us who are mature think this way…”  (Philippians 3:3,12,15)

-Chris

A Profound Road Trip Tune

Psalm 133:1-3
¹ A Song of Ascents. Of David. Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity! ² It is like the precious oil on the head, running down on the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes! ³ It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion! For there the Lord has commanded the blessing, life forevermore.

King David wisely wrote this Psalm for the people to sing on their periodic pilgrimages up to the highlands of Jerusalem.  As the people gathered together for the most significant events of the year, they were reminded in this song of their critical oneness.  He reminds them of both the blessing of their unity and of its transcendent source.

We all have varying needs, opinions, motivations and goals, but David reminds us that it is better to reach unity than to cling to our own plans.  The Old Testament typology in this text is rich; the very act of Israelites leaving their own scattered homes and lives to converge on the holy city and appear before the Lord is illustrative.  It typifies what should happen as we leave our own agendas at the door and gather for guidance from God in gathered worship.

The Psalm shows us how desirable it is to be of the same mind.  In contrast, some people don’t care about unity.  Others value it, but see it in objective, detached terms and take it for granted.  Still others appreciate the subjective experience of unity, but see it only as a negotiable pleasantry (if we’re all in the right mood) or a bargaining chip.  David reminds us that it is not merely pleasant, but good to remain unified.  He calls us to a subjective appreciation of an objective joy.  So often God has fattened the calf for us, but we just want to gnaw on bones.  We have a reasoned incentive to receive one another and prefer one another in honor.  Maintaining unity is both right and rich.

Verses 2 and 3 are a little obscure in their figures, but they both point to the reality that our own goodwill is not the basis of true unity.  The figures further the theme that it is both good and pleasant to dwell in unity.  In these verses, David calls us to respond to something bigger and outside of ourselves. 

The precious oil on the head of Aaron is that which consecrated him as a priest to minister to God on behalf of the people.  His ministry was a type of Messiah’s ministry, who’s “soul makes an offering for guilt” (Isaiah 53:10).  The ultimate object of Jesus’ ministry was to redeem a believing people who would be joined with God in eternal community.  He made atonement as our High Priest so we could mingle intimately with the Godhead.  He overcame our narrow self-interest so we could enter into the thoughts and plans of God Himself.  Though oil on the head, beard and clothing sounds nasty to us, it was regarded as refreshing and regal and desirable in the culture of the Bible.  With this figure unity is shown to have high value.

David mentions the priestly garments, which were rich in symbolism.  How much he intended to imply isn’t clear to me, but here’s something interesting…  The collar of Aaron’s robes was a simple opening that was hemmed (so as not to tear) and embroidered with pomegranates and decorated with golden bells (Exodus 28:32-33).  As a foreshadow of Christ, this seems to illustrate the people of God (Jesus’ own rich reward) joyfully gathered around their exalted Head (Ephesians 1:22) without any tearing or fraying.  For the consecrating oil to be dripping onto this scene conveys that God in His authority has purposed that His people should dwell in unity, jointly focused on their Savior.

Lastly, David uses the figure of Mt. Hermon, a dominant feature at the northern border of the Promised Land.  Maybe he credits this mountain for the favorable weather patterns that made the land pleasant to dwell in.  Again, the mountain is bigger than any individual, came before any one person and stands to benefit the whole nation.  In part, it defines what it means to live among the people of God in the place of His blessing.  There—among His people, dwelling in unity—God has authorized what we all want, the blessing of life forevermore.  David appropriately connects the dots between our own deepest desires and the need for oneness in a community that is humbly, joyfully submitted to the word of God.

Unity isn’t a mere nicety to be enjoyed under the right conditions.  It is critical to a true experience of our lives in God.  What an awesome song to carry in our hearts as we approach each other in His presence.

-Chris

Parting Thoughts

As I sat by the pool yesterday after snorkeling all morning, someone asked me how I felt about flying back north to reality today.  It was a really neat moment because I realized there’s no part of my real life that I really don’t like.  The island vacation has been fantastic, and I’ve thought a number of times this week about how I could settle into a life here (like my Dad, who winters here for 4-5 months).  But the press of our family’s life in the states is OK with me.  I enjoy my work.  I have great friends.  I even don’t mind shoveling snow now and then.  The reality God’s given me probably doesn’t sound like anyone’s dream life, but I’m glad to have realized how satisfying it is to me.

-Chris

Empty Promises

From “The 17:18 Series”

Proverbs 1:10-19

¹⁰ My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent.

¹¹ If they say, “Come with us, let us lie in wait for blood; let us ambush the innocent without reason;

¹² like Sheol let us swallow them alive, and whole, like those who go down to the pit;

¹³ we shall find all precious goods, we shall fill our houses with plunder;

¹⁴ throw in your lot among us; we will all have one purse”—

¹⁵ my son, do not walk in the way with them; hold back your foot from their paths,

¹⁶ for their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed blood.

¹⁷ For in vain is a net spread in the sight of any bird,

¹⁸ but these men lie in wait for their own blood; they set an ambush for their own lives.

¹⁹ Such are the ways of everyone who is greedy for unjust gain; it takes away the life of its possessors.

Study question: “What will sinners entice the son with?”

I know it seems unlikely that many of us will ever be enticed to this level of violence.  However, given enough instability, we would all be subject to the kinds of fears that are at play in this scenario.  Even in our own mundane lives, many of the same enticements are repackaged and used on us for tamer temptations.  I’ve been made painfully aware of that, having just sat through the typical time-share presentation here on the island.  The warning in these verses is good for us to consider.

As I see it, the “sinners” entice the son with false offers in three areas: strength, gratification and belonging.

They will offer him the illusion of strength to cover over his sense of his own vulnerability.  They will play on his fears by inviting him to be among the predators rather than among the prey (“the innocent”).  They arrogantly and vainly imply that if he joins with them he will be as powerful as death itself. 

They will also test his faith and delight in God by insinuating an assumed dissatisfaction with God and His good gifts.  “We shall find…and fill…”  They are void of any sense of gratitude.  They will try to turn his desire towards the accumulation of gifts not given by God, and in doing so they entice the son with an imagination of happiness that can’t endure.

Finally, they prey on his self-centered fear of being alone and having to fend for himself.  With them, he can belong.  “Throw in your lot among us…”  They offer solidarity without the slightest hint of irony that their character is incapable of true loyalty.   These poor sinners have staked their own security in a supposed never-emptying group purse maintained by greed and violence.

I’m being enticed by appeals for strength, gratification and belonging every day.  I make bad decisions when I forget that it is God Himself who supplies those things to me.  I’m reminded in these verses that a continual posture of worship and gratitude are the best defense against such empty promises.

-Chris