Now you’re meddling…
Growing up “in church”, I remember on occasion hearing a statement such as this: “Pastor, you stopped preaching and started meddling.” The statement was always followed by laughs and chuckles and exclamations about stepping on toes. But, that was usually the end of it. It was forgotten, left behind somewhere amid the neat rows of pews as the chandeliers were dimmed and the doors were locked.
But, what is meddling and is there a place for it among the church? This question came to my mind a few days ago when Kat (elder’s wife) mentioned it in this comment to my post called “Chrysostom on learning and doing“. (By the way, this post is not a response to Kat’s comment. Instead, Kat’s comment reminded me of our use of the word “meddle”.) According to one online dictionary, “meddle” means to “intrude in other people’s affairs or business; interfere unwantedly”.
I have a problem with this definition as it pertains to followers of Jesus Christ. “Interference” into one’s life by another believer should never be “unwanted”. We should not only desire other believers to “interfere” in our life, we should expect it.
If our brothers and sisters are not “interfering” in our lives we should be concerned. Are we closing ourselves off to the consideration and impact that others should have in our lives? Or, are our brothers and sisters passively allowing us to live our lives in isolation? Neither of these options are healthy for believers attempting to follow Christ together.
So, I would suggest, that “meddling” is not a valid concept between brothers and sisters in Christ. As we mature in Christ we need interaction with others through the Spirit. This interaction can come through exhortation and teaching, but also through admonition and rebuke. This is not meddling; this should be expected and welcomed.
Grace and Ruth
No, this post is not about two women. Instead, it is about one woman – Ruth – and how the grace of God impacted her life and, through her, the lives of many people. In a few weeks, we will be studying the Book of Ruth. And, as I’ve started studying, I’ve recognized how God’s grace drips from every word and episode.
On the surface, the short Book of Ruth connects the times of the Judges to the times of the kings in Israel’s history. Canonically (that is, reading Ruth within in the canon – especially the three-part canon of the Hebrew Bible), the Book of Ruth offers commentary and explanation concerning the “excellent wife” of Proverbs 31. But, thematically, I think we learn something much more from this short story.
Ruth is from Moab. When we read the Book of Ruth, we are reminded that she is a Moabitess more than ten times. Why would the author continue to refer to his heroine as “the Moabitess”? I think he did this as proof that God was demonstrating his grace toward Ruth and his grace towards Israel. And, this was not just any grace, but a grace than transcends the law.
In Deuteronomy, Moses reminds the children of Israel about God’s commands and about how God had brought them through the desert. Remember, the generation that left Egypt refused to enter the promised land, so they were forced to wander around the desert until that generation died. Now, a new generation was about to enter the promised land. But, this generation was not witness to the amazing miracles that God performed in order to release his people from captivity. As Moses reminded them about God’s provision, he also reminded them about a few warnings, such as:
No Ammonite or Moabite may enter the assembly of the LORD. Even to the tenth generation, none of them may enter the assembly of the LORD forever, because they did not meet you with bread and with water on the way, when you came out of Egypt, and because they hired against you Balaam the son of Beor from Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse you. But the LORD your God would not listen to Balaam; instead the LORD your God turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the LORD your God loved you. You shall not seek their peace or their prosperity all your days forever. (Deuteronomy 23:3-6 ESV)
Thus, according to the law, Ruth was not allowed to enter “the assembly of the Lord”, and since Ruth’s family were Moabites, Ruth’s descendants (for at least nine more generations) would not be allowed into “the assembly of the Lord” either.
Interestingly, the word translated “assembly” is the Hebrew word קהל (“qahal”) which is usually translated in the Greek LXX as εκκλησία (ekklÄ“sia – “assembly”). Thus, according to the law, neither Ruth nor her descendants would be allowed to gather together with God’s people.
But, something happened. When you read through the Book of Ruth, you find that God does not deal with Ruth and her descendants according to the law. Instead, he deals with her according to his grace. In fact, in Ruth 4:22, we find that Ruth is David’s great-grandmother. Not only does David assemble with God’s people, he is also responsible for calling God’s people into assemblies.
When we gather together with God’s people, do we realize that we are not together because we deserve to be together? Do we realize that we are not God’s children because of our abilities, talents, resources, or even our good looks? Do we realize that the only reason we are part of God’s kingdom if because of God’s grace?
We often quote Ephesians 2:8-9 to remind us that we are saved by God’s grace. Sometimes, we even add Ephesians 2:10 to remind us that any works that we do are actually done because of God’s grace. But, when we continue to read that chapter of Ephesians, we also can see that the only reason that believers can come together in unity is because of God’s grace:
Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands – remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. (Ephesians 2:11-22 ESV)
Why are we one new man (people)? Because of grace. Why are we fellow citizens (of the kingdom) and members of God’s household (family)? Because of grace. Why are we being built into a temple of the Lord, that is, a dwelling place for God? Because of grace.
I’m excited about our upcoming study of the Book of Ruth, because through this book we are going to be reminded continually of God’s grace. Every time we get together with other believers, and as we look around at the different faces, and as we remember the different stories about how God is working in their lives, let’s remember God’s grace and thank Him for bringing us together and allowing us to be part of his family.
Am I against church programs?
Many times, I am asked, “Are you against church programs?” Some people, knowing that I do not stress church programs, also make a jump in logic and ask, “Why are you against church programs?”
My simple answer is, “I am neutral toward church programs.” In general, I am neither for church programs nor against church programs. Of course, in a time when churches define themselves by their programs (check out most church web sites), stating that I am not for church programs usually causes those who are for church programs to view me as the enemy – somehow against the work of God in their programs. But, this is not the case at all. I recognize that God works in many different ways, including through many programs. So, my neutral stance should not be recognized as being antagonistic toward church programs.
This then, usually brings up another question: “Why are you neutral toward church programs?”
The best way for me to answer this question is to turn to Scripture, specifically Mark 7:1-13:
Now when the Pharisees gathered to him, with some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem, they saw that some of his disciples ate with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed. (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands, holding to the tradition of the elders, and when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other traditions that they observe, such as the washing of cups and pots and copper vessels and dining couches.) And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?”
And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.” And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition! For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ But you say, ‘If a man tells his father or his mother, Whatever you would have gained from me is Corban’ (that is, given to God) – then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother, thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do.” (Mark 7:1-13 ESV)
In this passage, Jesus deals specifically with traditions that had been handed down to and taught by the Pharisees. Notice that Jesus did not condemn these traditions, but neither did he promote them. However, Jesus did condemn any tradition that causes the individual or group to leave or reject the command of God.
Just to pick on a particular church program (tradition), let’s consider Sunday School. Sunday School is not a command of God. It is not required of believers to attend Sunday School. So, if we are not responsible for attending Sunday School, what are we responsible for? We are responsible to make disciples, to teach one another, to have fellowship with one another, to serve one another, etc. Many would say that these are the purposes of Sunday School. I agree that these are usually the purposes of Sunday School. But, when we teach “attending Sunday School” as a requirement for believers, then we are teaching our traditions instead of the commands of God, even though we may have held to our traditions as a means to keeping the commands of God.
Unfortunately, many times we teach people to hold to our traditions and to participate in our programs because the programs are easier to measure and control. For example, many times church organizations will use Sunday School attendance as a measure of discipleship. In the same way, the church organizations will control who can teach in their programs in order to protect from any instructions that would disagree with the stance of the organization. These programs and traditions, while probably started in order to help believers keep the commands of God, tend to replace the commands of God – either consciously or unconsciously – in the minds of the believers.
Thus, when asked if they are making disciples, believers can point to their attendance in Sunday School. When asked if they are evangelistic, they can point to the organization’s evangelism program. When asked if they are teaching their children to walk in the ways of God, they can point to their children’s ministry. When asked if they praise God, they can point to their participation in choir. When asked if they give to others who are in need, they can point to their tithes and offerings. When asked if they fellowship with other believers, they can point to their covered dish dinners. When asked if they worship God, they can point to their attendance at a Sunday morning meeting (“worship service”). However, while each of these programs may be means to helping believers obey God, attendance or participation are not the goal in and of themselves; and, furthermore, attendance or participation neither equates with obedience nor do they preclude the individual’s responsibility toward God and toward his fellow believers.
This does not mean that I think programs are inherently evil. Jesus did not condemn the traditions of the Pharisees in general, and I do not condemn programs in general. In fact, I have seen programs work very well. Usually, this happens when the program is organized for a specific and short-term purpose.
For example, if a family’s house is destroyed by fire, an organized program to help them with money, food, accommodations, etc. would be very beneficial. In this case, the “benevolence” program has a specific purpose: to help the church show kindness and to serve this family who is in need. When the need is met, then the program would stop. What usually happens, though, is that this “benevolence” program is continued after the need is met. Thus, we feel a need to continue to staff and maintain a “benevolence” committee or program which has no specific goal, other than show benevolence, which is the requirement of all believers, not just those in this program. The program becomes the goal, instead of the means to meeting a goal.
My friend Eric, from “Hammer and Nail“, described my position on church programs in a comment to his post called “Let Them See the Gospel“. He said:
I think one reason people outside the church may not see a living faith within the church is that we often rely on church programs to accomplish the work the individuals should be doing. I know that opens up a big “can of worms” about church programs. However, I think the connection is real. Programs, whether good or not so good, often lead people into shirking their personal responsibility to serve others by thinking that the church program will take care of it. Within the church, we need to talk much of personal responsibility to serve one another within the body and outside the body.
Thus, our goal should not be creating, promoting, staffing, and running church programs. Our goal should be discipleship, fellowship, evangelism, hospitality, service, etc. These things can happen within church programs. But, they can also be hindered when church programs become the focus and goal of our organizations. The church should focus on loving God and loving others through discipleship, fellowship, evangelism, hospitality, service, etc. instead of focusing on creating and maintaining programs.
More on Acts 29…
This morning, at 7:54 am, Dave Black published a list of people who would be included if Acts 29 was written. I’d like to add to his list.
Last night, our son, Jeremy, played in his first football game. He has wanted to play football for several years, and this is the first year that he has had the opportunity. His first game was in Raleigh, about 30-40 minutes south of us.
If Acts 29 was written, I think the families who travelled down to Raleigh to watch Jeremy play should be included. Not only did they travel 30-40 minutes each way and stay about 2 hours for Jeremy’s game, they were also very encouraging to both the players , the coaches, and the other parents. In fact, several parents noticed that we had a huge support section. There were more people there to support Jeremy than there were players on Jeremy’s team. These brothers and sisters know how to demonstrate their love for others. Some of them knew very little about football. But, they knew why they were there: because of their love for Jeremy.
I thank God for brothers and sisters like these.
The unhypocritical church
Most theologians comment about how “theological” the book of Romans is. This simply means that Paul speaks in terms that most closely resemble how modern theologians speak. Of course, Romans is far from a “systematic theology”. But Romans does include a good deal of theology – that is, Paul tells us what he things about God and people and salvation.
In fact, Chapters 1 through 11 are filled with theology. We learn that all people are sinful – all people are separated from God – all people deserve eternal separation from God. We also learn that the remedy is found in the person of Jesus Christ – his death, burial, and resurrection – and that the remedy is administered through the person and presence and power of the Holy Spirit. But, Paul doesn’t stop there.
In Chapter 12, Paul begins to show how his “theology” should work itself out in the lives of all followers of Jesus Christ. He begins by showing that a life sacrificed to God will lead to a life that is tranformed – changed – into a life that is acceptable to God. This life will demonstrate the gifts of the Spirit because it will be controlled by the Spirit. The Spirit will manifest himself differently in different people, but the manifestation of the Spirit’s gifts will always be for the same purpose. But, Paul doesn’t stop there.
In Romans 12:9-21, Paul lays down specific characteristics of the life that is led by the Spirit. This is what he says:
Let love be genuine (unhypocritical). Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be conceited. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:9-21 ESV)
Notice how the genuine (unhypocritical) love of Spirit-indwelled, Spirit-led believers is described:
- holding fast to good
- loving one another
- honoring one another
- serving the Lord fervently
- rejoicing
- patient
- praying
- giving to needy believers
- being hospitable (loving strangers)
- blessing
- living in harmony
- humble
- doing what is honorable
- living in peace with all
This is how the church of God should live. This is how the church of God should be described. In fact, the “theology” of the previous 11 chapters means little if the lives of believers are not being transformed by the indwelled Spirit.
So, where do you stop? Do you stop at discussing theology? Or, do you see the power of the Spirit at work in your life? How does a description of your life match up to Paul’s description of the Spirit-led, transformed life?
Where are you taking Jesus?
This was posted at “Chronicles of the Way” in a post called “Jesus in the school“. This doesn’t require any commentary:
Ssshhhh! Don’t tell anybody, but Jesus is going to Gra-Mar Middle School each day. The government and the far-left have been trying to keep him out since the late 60s and I’ve managed to sneak him in every day this year. Most of the time he shows up in the most normal of circumstances: in the hallways between classes, in the teachers’ lunchroom, and even in the office every once in a while–he picks up my mail. So far, nobody has objected to him being here. I hope no one ever does. I really hope everyone sees him, though. What a shame for me if no one ever noticed him. After all, it is I who bring him every day. Yep. He rides with me into the school every day. I’m pretty sure he hates the traffic like I do, but we both know that its worth it to minister to these kids who so desperately need it. Jesus handled the discipline of four kids today. I suspect it was very different than the ways some of the teachers or parents discipline these kids. There was no yelling, no sarcasm, no over-the-top punishment. I’m glad he was there. If it had just been me, I would have jerked a knot in their heads. There are approximately 165 more days of school left this year. Unless I’m out of town or sick, I plan on bringing him with me every one of those 165 days. I cannot wait to see what Jesus does tomorrow!
So, where are you taking Jesus?
Let us pray…
Earlier this week, I took part in a synchroblog on the topic of prayer. My contribution was called “Pray without ceasing“. This synchroblog was put together by Cindy, Erin, and Lyn. Over 40 people participated in this synchroblog, and I was very challenged and encouraged by reading their posts.
If you are not familiar with the concept, a synchroblog occurs when different bloggers publish posts on their individual blogs about the same topic, theme, or concpet. Thus, the topic for this synchroblog was “How do you pray?” This is my second synchroblog (see the post “Here I am to worship“). I completely enjoyed the entire process of synchroblogging, and I would recommend it to other bloggers. It is a great way to get to know other bloggers as you are all thinking about and writing about the same subject.
If you did not read all of the contributions to the prayer synchroblog, Cindy has compiled a list of all of the contributions and a few words about each one in a blog post called “Synchroblog Participants-thank you“. Here are her summaries:
Cindy Bryan “I’m waiting to find a groove again – a prayer groove in which I don’t doubt my own sincerity.”
Lyn Hallewell “I like the fact that there is no agenda with God and I. I love it when he just shows up, makes his presence known to me.”
Erin Word “Only in my nakedness will I become united with God.”
Rick Meigs “The vast majority of my prayers are short, spontaneous as the thought comes to mind“
Alan Knox “life does not interrupt God’s conversation with me; instead, life enters into God’s conversation with me as a third conversation partner.”
Julie Clawson “I have learned that there is meaning in the waiting. And so I wait in silence.”
Heather “The problem is that other than in these circumstances, there was no need for God to really enter my head.”
(Heather’s Husband) Prayer Synchroblog II
Lydia “God and I are still on speaking terms, but there’s nothing flowery or scripted about it.”
Che Vachon “I learned that I couldn’t make Him go away.”
John Smulo “Trying to follow this type of advice in the past has simply made me feel like I was a crappy Christian.”
Mary “If we pushed the right buttons, God would be obligated to perform. Prayer was presented as a way to get things done.”
Paul Mayers “i’m beginning to find prayer is sometimes conversation, sometimes request, sometimes questioning, sometimes sulking, sometimes begging and sometimes i come to the point of stopping praying my way for my things.”
Sonja Andrews “So, my prayer life looks nothing like what I was taught and I think it could be better. But … for right now, it’s what it is.”
Jon Peres “the language of the heart. i believe it is the true language the divine speaks, but we have forgotten how to speak it.”
Paul Walker …held a worship event on the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Builder that incorporated creative prayer times
Susan Barnes “The unknown is always a little frightening. And in this case, the stakes are high.”
Patti Blount “So, I guess I would say that I pray more courageously than I used to because they are prayers that involve the inner work of His Hand.”
Brother Maynard “Could it be that God is not found in the whirlwind, not in the fire, not in the earthquake… and sometimes not even in the whisper. Might he sometimes be found in the silence?“
Glenn Hagar “These things have driven me to honest prayer. I don’t think that it is very pretty nor eloquent prayer, just honest.”
Nate Peres “I pray almost recklessly. Divulging anything that comes to mind.”
Barry Taylor “Prayer at its best is simply the verbal expression of a loving relationship.”
Rhonda Mitchell “That lipstick started to give them back their humanity.”
Grace “I’m still learning to pray, but for now I’m going to put away the books and let the Holy Spirit be my Teacher.”
Lew A “I do not believe in a legalistic pattern for speaking to God.”
Jonathan Hallewell “by far the greatest motivation to pray to God in my life, is when God initiates the conversation.”
Deb “Um… Uh… God? Yeah. I opened up my prayer journal to write and then the cat horked.”
Jim “Yet if we are supposed to have a relationship with God through prayer, how many relationships do you have where you say the exact same things to the other person at the exact same times of day, every single time you talk with them?“
Barb “God was seated, leaning forward, not speaking, just breathing and listening for my breath.”
Doug Jones “it is the Jesus Prayer and Praying the Hours that inform and form my prayer life.”
Pam Hogeweide “I pray with art, with images and color that reflect outloud the embers that still burn in my bones. I pray with paint, and glue, and scraps of paper that I collage together.“
Rachel Warwick “I want to learn to pray like me, not like a pretentious formalised version of me.“
Jonathan Brink “I honestly didn’t know what I was going to write, other than my thoughts on prayer when just as I began to write, my 5 year old son came up to me…“
Andy “So…how do I pray? I am finding that the “how” isn’t what matters.“
Makeesha Fisher “There is a divine mystery that takes place when I simply acknowledge that God is near – – and that is ‘enough’“.
Cynthia Clack “When I questioned why Steve had to be the one to die, my feelings were cut short with a curt, ‘we don’t ask God why.'”
Barbara Legere “Here are five things that have caused me to NOT pray in the past.”
Joy “What does prayer look like now, in my post-church, post-patriarchy, post-evangelical, post-formulaic life?“
Robby McAlpine “My ultimate goal is that prayer would be as natural and instinctive as breathing. I’m not quite there yet!“
Larry “Talking with God is no problem. Asking for things is a little harder. Asking for things for someone else is very strange.”
Rick Stilwell “I’m conflicted in some of my thoughts this morning on what prayer is and what I need to be living out because of it.”
Chrysostom on learning and doing
John Chrysostom (349 – ca 407) as archbishop of Constantinople. He lived a very colorful life. After his death, he was given the surname of Chrysostom (“golden tongue”), most say because of his preaching.
He ended one of his homilies (sermons) on Genesis with this exhortation:
[W]hen you go home from here, lay out with your meal a spiritual meal as well. The father of the family might repeat something of what was said here; his wife could then hear it, the children too could learn something, even the domestics might be instructed. In short, the household might become a church…
Without discussing the various roles in the family, or the idea of a family becoming a church – both of which may be important ideas, but not my point – I think Chrysostom offers great advice. As we listen to teaching, we should continue meditating on what was said, discussing it with others, and comparing it to Scripture.
I think that one of the reasons that teaching in the context of the church has become less effective is that believers do not know what to do with the teaching once they’ve received it. It is assumed that the sitting and listening somehow imparts grace to the hearer. But, there are few – if any – benefits to being hearers only.
While I think that lecture style teaching should not constitute the majority of teaching within the church, if the kind of discussion takes place that Chrysostom suggests, lecture style teaching would be a little more effective.
However, Chrysostom does not stop with this exhortation, he continues:
So, to make us more enthusiastic, take good heed of what has been said already, and with right teachings give great attention to caring for your life. Scripture says, “Let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works, and glorify your father in heaven,” in order that your life may conform with your teachings, and your teachings reveal your life. After all, “faith without works is dead,’ and works without faith are dead. For even if we have sound teachings but fail in living, the teachings benefit us nothing; likewise, if we take pains with life but are careless about teaching, that will not be any good to us either. So it is necessary to shore up this spiritual edifice of ours in both directions as Scripture says, “Everyone listening to my words and acting on them will be likened to a wise man.” Notice how this person intends not merely to listen but to act, and to demonstrate his listening by his actions; this is the one called wise, the one giving evidence of deeds in the wake of words, whereas the one who stopped short at words was called a fool.
What is amazing to me about this passage is the context in which it was presented. This was not a sermon on obedience. It was a homily on Genesis 1.
But, shouldn’t this be the exhortation after any teaching or discipling or admonishing or exhortation? Should we not always exhort and expect people to hear and obey – not our words, but the words of God?
I think perhaps that we have been counting noses and putting the attendance numbers on our attendance boards for too long. It’s time to expect obedience to God not simply attendance and listening.
Pray without ceasing (synchroblog)
(This post is part of a “synchroblog” on the topic “How do you pray?” I will post links to the other posts in this synchroblog at the end of this post as they are published.)
I have been taught many things about prayer. I’ve learned that some of these things have more to do with tradition than with communicating with God (i.e., bowing your head, closing your eyes). Other things that I have been taught or have learned have proven very beneficial. For example, a long fast once taught me how to rely on God instead of material things that I thought I needed to be happy or to survive. I’ve learned how to spend long times of quiet solitude talking and listening to God. I’ve learned how to rest in his presence.
I have gone through many seasons of prayer in my life. Some seasons were marked by times of long prayers in the mornings. In other seasons, I mostly prayed at night. There have been times when songs and psalms dominated my prayer. There have been times of lament, and other times of praise. In each of these seasons, I’ve learned more about prayer, more about myself, and more about God. More importantly, in each season, I have found that God is speaking and communicating whether or not I am listening.
A few years ago, a new friend (at that time – now a dear friend) began to remind me often of 1 Thessalonians 5:17 – “Pray without ceasing”. This is a verse that has scared me in the past. I never understood how I could pray without ceasing. I wanted to pray longer. I wanted to pray more often. But, there was always something that would interrupt my times of prayer – and that something was usually life. Life happens. And, when life happens, life interrupts prayer. Right?
At first, it was easier to simply mark up 1 Thessalonians 5:17 as an example of hyperbole – exaggeration. Paul did not really mean that we should pray without ceasing; he simply meant that we should pray as much and as often as we possibly could. This was a nice, clean, doable answer for me. And, there is the problem. It was doable. This means that I could pray more and longer and feel good about myself. Thus, in this vein, prayer becomes an effort to reach God instead of the grace of God communicating with me.
But, if “pray without ceasing” is not hyperbole, then how should I understand it? Not too long ago, I was reminded about a little book by Brother Lawrence (1610-1691) called The Practice of the Presence of God. In the “Fourth Conversation”, Brother Lawrence says:
[W]e might accustom ourselves to a continual conversation with Him, with freedom and in simplicity… [W]e need only to recognize God intimately present with us, to address ourselves to Him every moment, that we may beg His assistance for knowing His will in things doubtful, and for rightly performing those which we plainly see He requires of us, offering them to Him before we do them, and giving Him thanks when we have done.
In this short passage, I think Brother Lawrence hits on a key to prayer: recognizing God as intimately present. God’s intimate presence is not dependent upon my activity or lack of activity. God’s intimate presence is not dependent upon silence or lack of silence. God’s intimate presence is not dependent upon solitude or lack of solitude. God is intimately present with his children through his Spirit at all times, in all places, in all circumstances and situations. Thus, prayer as communication and communion with God is possible at all times, in all places, in all circumstances and situations.
Through the short passage from Brother Lawrence, I learned about a misconception that I had about prayer. Prayer is not simply a two-way conversation between God and myself that can be interrupted by life. Instead, prayer is a two-way conversation between God and myself that, when life happens, turns into a three-way conversation between God, myself, and life. Thus, life does not interrupt God’s conversation with me; instead, life enters into God’s conversation with me as a third conversation partner. God does not stop communicating with me when life happens. It is possible that I stop listening to God when life happens, but that does not mean that God has stopped communicating with me or that I must stop communicating with God.
I love to sit in a group of friends as we talk with one another and listen to one another. I love the interaction and the symphony of many voices reaching understanding. I do not consider it an interruption when there is more than one other person present. In the same way, God is always a conversation partner – a constant, dependable, trustworthy, and true conversation partner. In fact, God is the only constant, dependable, trustworthy, and true conversation partner. The only difficulty in praying without ceasing is choosing to listen to God’s voice over the roar and den of the world as life happens. God is speaking. But we must listen.
Do I pray without ceasing? In some ways, yes, because God is always a part of my life and conversation whether I recognize it or not. But, in another way, I do not pray without ceasing because I do not always recognize and respond to God’s constant and intimate presence. Do you prayer without ceasing?
Those participating in the synchroblog today are:
Cindy Bryan at Run With It – Teach Me to Pray…Again?
Lyn Hallewell at Beyond the 4 Walls – God, Prayer and Me
Erin Word at Decompressing Faith – Prayer=Sex with God
Rick Meigs at The Blind Beggar – Prayer Helps that Get Me Deeper
Alan Knox at The Assembling of the Church – Pray without Ceasing
Julie Clawson at One Hand Clapping – Prayer Synchroblog
Heather at Deconstructed Christian – Synchroblog Prayer
Alex at Deconstructed Christian – Prayer Synchroblog II
Lydia at The Nunnery – How Do You Pray
Che Vachon at ThisStream – My Thoughts…
Paul Mayers at One for the Road – Praying and Learning to Pray Again
Sonja Andrews at Calacirian – The Appearance of Holiness
Jon Peres at Something Else – How Do I Pray?
Paul Walker at OUt of the Cocoon – One Congregation Experiments with Emerging Prayer
Susan Barnes at A Booklook – Synchroblog: How Do You Pray?
Brother Maynard at Subversive Influence – Fear Not the Silence
Nate Peres at Defined – How Do I Pray?
Barry Taylor at Honest Faith – Synchroblog:How Do You Pray?
Grace at Emerging Grace – Clearance Sale on Intercession Books
Jim Lehmer at Lord I Believe, Please Help My Unbelief – Synchroblog – How Do You Pray?
Lew A at The Pursuit – How Do You Pray? – Synchroblog
Jon Hallewell at Life-Shaped Faith – When I’m Spoken To
Deb at Another Unfinished Symphony – Prayer Synchroblog
Barb at A Former Leader’s Journey – Prayer Without Throwing Things
Patti Blount at Here Comes the Groom – How Do I Pray
Doug Jones at Perigrinatio – How I Pray
Glenn Hagar at Re-Dreaming the Dream – Prayer Phases
Pam Hogeweide at How God Messed up my Religion – The Art of Blue Tape Spirituality
Mary at One Thing is Needed – How Do I Pray?
Rhonda Mitchell at Rhonda’s Blog – Prayer SynchroBlog
John Smulo at SmuloSpace – Praying Naturally
Rachel Warwick at Not Where Next but Where Now – How Do You Pray?
Barbara Legere at Prodigal Daughter – How to Not Pray
Jonathan Brink at Missio Dei – Posture – Sitting With My Daddy
Andy at A Mile From the Beach – How Do I Pray
Cynthia Clack at A Life Profound – How Do I Pray
Makeesha Fisher at Swinging from the Vine – The Mystery of Prayer
Joy at My Emerging Faith – Synchroblog:Prayer
Rick Stilwell at Mmm…That’s Good Coffee – Push
Larry at Last Exit Before Oblivion – Prayer is Weird
Rob McAlpine at RobbyMac – Synchro-Prayer
Look also to the interests of others…
In his letter to the church at Philippi, Paul wrote:
So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus… (Philippians 2:1-5 ESV)
Many of us know what follows this passage. We’ve memorized it and studied it because of its Christological implications (pertaining to Christ and his divinity). Christology is very important. We should study Scripture to help us understand who Christ is – in our limited, human ability to understand Christ.
But, what do we do with these first five verses of the second chapter of Philippians? What does it mean to be “of the same mind”, to have “the same love”, or to be “in full accord and of one mind”? What kind of things should we not do out of “rivalry or conceit”? To what extent do we consider others as “more significant than” ourselves? How do we look out for “the interests of others” as we also look out for our own interests?
At first glance, these questions deal with the concepts of fellowship, community, and unity – very important concepts, but not as important as Christology. Right? Actually, I suggest that these concepts are directly related to our understanding of who Christ is, what Christ has done for us, what Christ is doing for us, and how Christ empowers us to interact with one another. In fact, I would suggest that when we get these things wrong – when we fail to live a life that demonstrates our love for one another – then all the facts that we know about Christ mean very little. Our Christology must be built on Philippians 2:1-5 as much as it is built on the verses that follow.
But, how do we apply Philippians 2:1-5 today?
Without trying to unwrap everything that Paul means in these sentences, we can begin with one thing that should be very obvious, but that we often overlook: we will not always agree with one another. If we always agreed, there would be no reason to consider the interests of others. If we always had the same opinions about things, then Paul would not have exhorted us to consider the other person’s opinion as more significant than our own. If we all had the same priorities and the same desires and the same attitudes, then Paul would not have to warn us about rivalries and conceit. If we always treated one another as Christ treated us, then Paul would not exhort us toward love and like-mindedness.
Yet, Paul expects us to act like Christ in spite of our differences with one another. In fact, the way the we deal with our differences toward one another demonstrates whether or not we are walking in the Spirit or not.
If we deal with believers who differ with us in attitudes of anger, jealousy, stubbornness, conceit, or pride, then this is an indicator that we are not living the abundant life of Christ. If we force people to agree with us, or if we refuse to fellowship with those who disagree with us, then again we are demonstrating that we are walking in our own understanding instead of walking in the Spirit.
If, however, we can give up our rights and give in to the opinion of others and welcome differences with love and acceptance, then we demonstrate that we are living in the unity and love that only the Spirit of God can produce within us.
When the Spirit controls our life, then the Spirit demonstrates himself by producing love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control in our lives – especially toward those who are different from us and who disagree with us.