Accept one another…
Can we accept one another?
This is an interesting concept that is mentioned three times in Romans. Look at the various translations of Romans 15:7 –
Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. (ESV)
Therefore receive one another, just as Christ also received us, to the glory of God. (NKJV, cf. KJV, NET)
Therefore, accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God. (NASB, cf. NIV, NLT, HCSB)
All of these English versions are translating the Greek word Ï€Ïοσλαμβάνω (“proslambanÅ“). According to a standard Greek lexicon (BDAG), Ï€Ïοσλαμβάνω carries a range of meanings: 1) to take something that meets a personal need (take, partake of), 2) to promote one’s own ends (exploit, take advantage of), 3) to take or lead off to oneself (take aside), 4) to extend a welcome (receive into one’s home or circle of acquaintances), or 5) to take or bring along with oneself (take along). According to the lexicon, all of the uses of Ï€Ïοσλαμβάνω in Romans fall into definition 4 above: to extend a welcome (receive into one’s home or circle of acquaintances).
Here are the other uses of Ï€Ïοσλαμβάνω (“proslambanÅ“) in Romans:
As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome (accept / receive) him, not to quarrel over opinions. (Romans 14:1 ESV)
Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed (accepted / received) him. (Romans 14:3 ESV)
Interestingly, in each case, the “accepting” or “receiving” is carried out in spite of differences. Therefore, even though someone disagrees with me, if that person is a brother or sister in Christ, I am supposed to receive that person into my home or circle of acquaintances. Why? Because that is the way that Christ received us (Rom. 15:7).
Have we forgotten what we were like when Christ received us? Read through the first few verses of Ephesians 2 if you have forgotten. There was nothing in us to deserve acceptance. In fact, we deserved (and still deserve on our own) condemnation – punishment – judgment. This is the definition of grace. We were accepted by God in spite of the fact that we were unacceptable.
Now, we are to accept or receive others in the same way – that is, in the same way that Christ accepted us. We can only accept one another (as they are) when we realize that there is nothing in us that makes us better than anyone else, nothing that makes us acceptable. As long as we think that we are better than others, then we do not accept them. As long as we expect something from others, then we do not accept them. As long as we value people for what they do for us, then we do not accept them. As long as we love, care for, and welcome only those who agree with us, then we do not accept them.
When we can learn to accept someone who is not worthy of being accepted, then we will begin to understand what it means to accept someone as Christ accepted us. When we accept someone even when they can offer us nothing, then we truly accept them. When we accept someone that does not love or accept us in return, then we truly accept them. When we accept someone in spite of our differences, then we truly accept them.
Unfortunately, many within the church continue to value people for the work that they do, or their intelligence, or their talents, or the time they have to put into church projects. Some are accepted because they can speak well. Some are accepted because they can sing well or play an instrument. Some are accepted because they have money to give. Some are accepted because they have a nice home and drive a nice car. Some are accepted because they can organize projects. This is not acceptance, at least not in the way that Christ accepted us.
If we accept the one who cannot speak well, and who cannot sing or play an instrument, and who has no money to give, and who is homeless or always needs a ride, and who cannot organize projects…
If we look at a brother or sister and recognize that Christ has accepted them and if we accept them as well with no strings attached, then we are learning to accept one another as Christ accepts us. And, according to Romans 15:7, this brings glory to God.
So, who are you welcoming into your home and into your circle of acquaintances? Are you “accepting” others as Christ accepts you?
Better, Faster, Stronger…
I enjoy reading Dan Edelen’s posts from “Cerulean Sanctum“. His lastest post is called “Better Than You“. He recognizes that we often compare ourselves to others – especially those with whom we compare favorably. As he says, thinking “I’m better than you” is not having the mind of Christ:
It doesn’t take much for us to compare, does it? The senses take in data and the judgmental wheels start grinding. Too often, they grind up others Jesus said are my neighbors.
I see an out-of-control parent fighting an out-of-control child and I think of that parent in terms of “I’m better than you.†I talk with a baby Christian who doesn’t have his doctrine down right and “I’m better than you†rattles around in my head, bouncing off every slightly off statement that newbie pronounces. I consider all the things I own, then look to some poverty-stricken soul in Africa, and I start singing the “I’m better than you†song.
Only that tune grates on the ears. Maybe not mine, but the Lord’s.
I have to admit that this post hits home. I find myself guilty of this wrong thinking too often.
I’m working on a post called “Accept One Another…” Could it be that looking at ourselves as better than others is one way that we do not truly accept one another? I hope to publish this post soon. I think Dan’s post is a good way to begin thinking about our attitudes toward others.
So, do you sometimes think you are better than others? Do you think others are better than you (not putting others’ desires above your own as in Phil 2, but actually thinking others are better)? Why are each of these attitudes wrong?
Spiderman 3…
Last night, my wife and I went to see Spiderman 3. I had read all the hype and the critics’ reviews. I had heard that Spiderman 3 made the Spiderman trilogy the best superhero trilogy ever (which is not saying much – remember Superman 3?). I had also read that without the special effects Spiderman 3 would still be an excellent movie.
So, what did I think? I think everything that I had heard and read was correct. The movie is wonderful! But, the reason that I liked the movie had little to do with what I had read.
I liked Spiderman 3 because the most powerful line in the movie was, “I forgive you”.
Matthew 18 and Discipline…
Yesterday, in response to my blog post “Local church again…“, a couple of people brought up the question of church discipline as it relates to structure and leadership. As I was thinking through this issue, and as I was reading through several passages about discipline, I found something new – at least, new to me. Now, I am not supposing that this is new to everyone, but since it is new to me, I thought I would post it here in case it was helpful to anyone else.
Here is the Scripture passage:
If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. (Matthew 18:15-17 ESV)
So, here is the interesting part… there are several commands given in this passage, and they are all given to the same person… that is, the person who is sinned against! (Now, before you ask about this, yes, I know that Jesus also says you should go to your brother if he has something against you.) Let’s step through this…
Brother A sins against brother B. Who is responsible for going to whom? Brother B is responsible for seeking reconciliation – that is, the one who is sinned against. In fact, brother B is commanded to go to brother A alone. (The commands that Jesus gives are 2nd person singular imperatives – “go and tell” – thus, they are given to the individual – brother B.)
If brother A does not repent, then who is responsible for taking two or three others? Again, brother B is responsible, and again Jesus commands brother B to carry out this step. (The command that Jesus gives is a 2nd person singular imperative – “take”.)
If brother A still does not repent, then who is responsible for telling the church? Once again, the command is given only to brother B, so the same brother who was sinned against is responsible for telling the church. (The command that Jesus gives is a 2nd person singular imperative – “tell”.)
Finally, if brother A does not repent when brother B tells the church, then who is responsible for treating him “as a Gentile and a tax collector”? Once again, it is brother B. Interestingly, Jesus does not say anything at all about how the two or three witnesses or the church should treat the unrepentant brother. Instead, the brother who is sinned against (that is, brother B) is once again given responsibility for how to treat brother A. (Jesus’ command is given to “you” as a 2nd person singular pronoun – “let him be to you”.) This is perhaps the most interesting point to me.
What does all of this tell me? It tells me that relationships with my brothers and sisters are MY responsibility. They are not the responsibility of other believers. If my brother or sister sins against me, it is MY responsibility (and no one else’s responsibility) to reconcile with my brother or sister. I would even extrapolate this to say that if my brother or sister feels that I have sinned against him or her, then it is MY responsibility (assuming the brother or sister does not approach me first) to reconcile with my brother or sister.
It would seem, if we take Jesus’ words at face value, that church discipline depends upon each believer – that is, discipline is all of our responsibility. Furthermore, neither structure, nor organization, nor leadership are necessary for effective church discipline, at least, not according to this passage. Perhaps, church discipline is not effective because I have not been upholding my responsibilities.
People and Pastors and the Will of God…
I know at least three people who are currently praying about opportunities that would require them to move to other states. All of these people are part of the church. They are all friends of our family, and they are all important members of the body of Christ.
One is praying about moving to San Francisco for further education. He and his family believe this is God’s will for them, and they are making arrangements to move this summer. We have been praying for them as a church for several months now.
Another is praying about moving to the northeast. They are planning to work with family members in an area where there are very few Christians. They believe this is God’s will, and they are waiting for their house to sell before they make a move. This decision has moved fairly quickly, but we are praying for them as a church.
The third friend has been contacted by a college in another state. The college has asked him to consider teaching for them full time. They are praying for this, and they have asked the church to pray as well. If they decide to accept a position on the college, they would move in just over a year.
This third example is my close friend, Mael (from “The Adventures of Mael & Cindy“). Mael asked the church to pray for him and Cindy as they try to discern God’s will in this (please, take the time to read his letter in the post “Deciding in Community“). I am very proud of Mael and Cindy for telling the church about this and for asking us for prayer. It was not an easy decision for them, and telling the church was a decision that many would counsel against. You see, Mael is one of our elders/pastors.
In many Christian communities, pastors keep this kind of thing secret from other people. Pastors generally do not tell the church that God may be moving them to another city or state. We expect people to ask the church to pray for God’s will in making decisions, but when it comes to pastors, things are different. I blogged about this a year ago in a post called “Are Pastors Part of the body?”
So, consider this: if a pastor thinks that God may be calling him to move to another state, what should the pastor do? Should he keep it to himself? Should he share it only with people who are outside the church? Should he share it only with a few people in the church? Or, should he share it with everyone in the church? What are the pros and cons of a pastor sharing this and asking the church to pray for him and his family?
Think about your answer. Does your answer show that you would treat the pastor the same or different from other members of the body of Christ? Why?
Overflowing…
I am writing this post late Saturday evening. As I have been thinking about the activities of today, and trying to come up with a title for this post, the word that keeps popping into my head is “Overflowing”. I wanted to share some of the things that God taught me today, some of the ways that God used me today, some of the ways that God used other people in my life today… but, I realize that there are some things that I just cannot share. In some ways, sharing these things would cheapen them… or else the telling itself would somehow lessen the reality. So, as you read through this post, please understand that you are not hearing the entire story. I am not going to tell you about all the prayers that have been prayed previously and answered today, or the conversations that have previously taken place, or the concerns that have been voiced in past days. Instead, I want to share a small part of why the only word that I can think of to describe today is “Overflowing”.
A couple of weeks ago, my friend Cindy (from “The Adventures of Maël & Cindy“) met a lady who was moving to Wake Forest, NC. This lady – a stranger to Cindy – mentioned that she could use some help moving. Cindy told some of her friends about this opportunity to serve a stranger. So today – moving day – several of us helped a stranger move into her new house. I couldn’t help thinking about how God has been teaching me about hospitality and “loving strangers”. In fact, it turns out that another church of a different denomination also helped the lady move. The lady said that she wanted to invite us all to dinner some time in the future. Wouldn’t it be like God to use a stranger to bring together two churches from two denominations at the same table?
When I returned home from helping this family move, I heard some very encouraging news. My son is an assistant coach for a five year old soccer team. His job is to let the boys and girls chase him around the field during practice without stealing the ball from him. Apparently, today the coach honored my son because of his attitude and service to the team. I couldn’t help but think back to our conversation last week about what God is doing in our lives. If you remember, my son said that God was teaching him how to help and care about people in need.
Later that morning, we rode to Dave and Becky Lynn Black’s farm (from “Dave Black Online“) for his “Student Day”. I was expecting to have some good food and good times at the farm. I was not expecting the tremendous fellowship that our family shared with another couple during the ride to and from the farm. My son and daughter look up to this young man and woman, and we are excited about the time that we were able to spend with them.
When we got to the farm – a little late, but just in time to eat – we heard Mrs. Black talk about missions. I was not expecting to learn more about being missional today. She talked about Moses and how he had to lay everything at the Lord’s feet – even his staff – before God could use him. She also talked about “the greatest missionary” – Jesus Christ. Perhaps, if we want to know what it means to be a missionary, or what it means to be missional, we should look no further than Jesus himself.
Also at the farm, I was not expecting to meet a family who plans to move into our neighborhood next week. This was a very special surprise, because they have a son just one year older than my son. It has been difficult for my son to make friends in our neighborhood for various reasons, and we were excited to hear this news. In fact, when we met this couple and heard that they plan to move into our neighborhood, our two sons were throwing a frisbee around the yard. They had already met one another.
On the way home, I was not expecting to get a call from a good friend saying that his grandfather had taken a turn for the worse. The couple who road with us to the Black’s farm asked if our children could stay with them while we went to the hospital. Because of their generosity and concern, we were able to spend some time with our friend whose grandfather was in ICU. We pray that we were a comfort and encouragement to them.
Now, as I look back over today – and this entire week – I am also thinking about tomorrow. You see, tomorrow I am planning to teach from Titus 2 –
For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works. (Titus 2:11-14 NKJV)
Today, and this week, God has revealed his grace to teach me how to live for today. Jesus gave himself to redeem me and purify me so that I could be zealous for good works. I wonder what has prepared me most to teach this Scripture: the time I spent studying the words of the text, or the time I spent living the words of the text. I believe God has used both in my life. I pray that he will continue to give me grace that teaches me how to live. And, as I learn to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, I know that Jesus will continue to overflow through me as I live.
Hospitality – vacancy or no vacancy?
A couple of weeks ago, some new friends came to visit from out of town. We wanted to be able to offer them a place to spend the night, that is, to offer them hospitality. Unfortunately, we currently do not have bed space for a couple (perhaps we should change this?). However, some friends of ours did open their homes in a true demonstration of hospitality. Because of this, I began to think about hospitality again. What is our responsibility to other believers? What is our responsibility to strangers? I thought that I would start with Scripture (that seems like a good place to start):
Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. (Romans 12:13 ESV)
Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach… (1 Timothy 3:2 ESV)
Let a widow be enrolled if she is not less than sixty years of age, having been the wife of one husband, and having a reputation for good works: if she has brought up children, has shown hospitality, has washed the feet of the saints, has cared for the afflicted, and has devoted herself to every good work. (1 Timothy 5:9-10 ESV)
For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. (Titus 1:7-8 ESV)
Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. (Hebrews 13:2 ESV)
Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. (1 Peter 4:9 ESV)
These verses translate various words as “hospitality” or “show hospitality”:
1. φιλοξενία (philoxenia) – “hospitality” (noun)
2. φιλόξενος (philoxenos) – “hospitable” (adjective)
3. ξενοδοκÎω (xenodokeo) – “show hospitality” (verb)
Also, I have previously discussed a different verb (Ï€ÏοπÎμπω – propempo) in a post called “Sending with hospitality…” This verb seems to denote sending someone on a journey with help that they may need on the journey. It can even mean accompanying them on their journey.
Etymologically, the words above for “hospitality” are built on roots meaning “loving strangers” or “thinking about strangers”. However, we know that etymology (looking at the source of words) does not always tell us the meaning of a word.
So, what do the Scriptures above tell us about hospitality? Well, for one thing, hospitality should be demonstrated toward those we know and toward those we do not know (strangers). Hospitality should be a characteristic of elders and widows (who would normally be older), but it should also be a characteristic of all believers. Attitude is important in showing hospitality – i.e., we should not complain (grumble) about showing hospitality to someone. Also, it seems that hospitality should normally cost us something.
When I look through this short list, without even actually answering the question “What is hospitality?”, I would have to say that I am not a very hospitable person. (This means, of course, that is 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 are “qualification” for elders, then I’m not qualified. But, of course, everyone knew that when they saw the “qualification” of “blameless”.) In fact, I know very few hospitable people. I do not even know many hospitable Christians. Now, I’m sure that I know some, but I think this characteristic has been overlooked and relegated to insignificance for far too long.
I started thinking seriously about hospitality almost three years ago when my family went to Nicaragua for a week. We stayed with a family that would be considered very poor by American standards. Yet, this family gave us their best room to sleep in – with our own private bathroom. They also fed us at least two meals per day – three meals when we were in their home in the evening. They also waited for us to come home each evening in order to spend time talking with us. Now, this “talking” thing was very interesting, and they also showed hospitality in this. I know a little Spanish (I can say, “This is my pencil” and “Where is the bathroom?”) and they knew a little English. But, each night, they provided ways for us to communicate. Two evenings, they invited friends who spoke more English to come over. For the remaining evenings, they purchased a Spanish-English dictionary.
What did I learn from this experience? I learned that hospitality is costly, and that I do not practice hospitality. Has anyone else been the recipient of hospitality? If so, please tell us about it and tell us what you learned
Friday and Saturday with Mark and other friends…
Last Friday evening and Saturday morning, I attended “The Last Twelve Verses of Mark: Original or Not?” Conference at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. I’m still thinking through the plethora of information that was presented at the conference itself. I plan to publish a post sometime next week reviewing the conference and presenters and reflecting on my thoughts after the conference. However, in this post, I want to discuss some of the times of fellowship that we had surrounding the conference.
Late Friday afternoon (or was it early Friday evening), my family had dinner with Lew (from “The Pursuit“) at Over the Falls Deli in Wake Forest. At the deli, we ran into Christy, who owns the deli along with her husband John and who we met a couple of months ago. Plus, it turns out that one of my Greek students, Kevin, works at the deli. The deli suffered smoke damage due to a fire in the basement a few months ago. We were glad to be able to support John and Christy, and we had a great time fellowshipping with Lew. My son especially enjoys spending time with Lew.
Just before the conference started, Steve (from “Theological Musings Blog“) and his wife Christy (from “Until My Last Breath“) arrived from western North Carolina. I had never met Steve and Christy before, but unfortunately there were only a few minutes before the conference was scheduled to begin. Plus, Lew and I planned to live-blog the conference, and we had a few more things to prepare. We had to settle for simple greetings. Also, before the conference started, a few more friends arrived, including Theron (from “Sharing in the Life“), Rob (I wish he had a blog I could list here), and Maël and Cindy (from “The Adventures of Maël and Cindy“).
For the Friday evening session of the conference, the presenters were Daniel Wallace (my summary and Lew’s summary), Maurice Robinson, (my summary and Lew’s summary), and Keith Elliott (my summary and Lew’s summary). After the conference, I had the opportunity to meet Josh (from “A New Testament Student” – see his report here). Unfortunately, we only had a few minutes to talk.
After the conference, Rob and his wife, Brandi, invited us to come to their apartment for coffee. So I, Steve and Christy, Maël and Cindy, and Theron and his wife Cheryl went to Rob and Brandi’s apartment. Plus, Leah (from “Our Payneful Memories“) joined us for coffee and fellowship. Leah and her husband Ed (aka tenjuices) had previously agreed to allow Steve and Christy to spend the evening with them. I appreciate their example of hospitality. It was a pleasure to get to know Steve and Christy, and to spend time with our friends. I had to leave early (11:00 pm, if that’s early), but the others stayed to talk until after midnight.
The next morning, the first hour of the conference included bagels, muffins, coffee, and juice. For those who know Steve and Christy, you will be happy to know that they found a Starbucks for their breakfast coffee.
For the Saturday morning session of the conference, the presenters were David Alan Black (my summary and Lew’s summary) and Darrell Bock (my summary and Lew’s summary). The conference ended with a panel discussion (my summary and Lew’s summary).
After the conference, we had lunch at a local pizza restaurant: Alan and Margaret (irrefutably the best wife in history), Lew, Maël and Cindy, Theron and Cheryl, Josh (one of my Greek students), Dave Black (from “Dave Black Online Blog“), David Nelson (Dean of Faculty at SEBTS), and Jim Baird and Ray Clendenen (from Broadman and Homan Academic). (See Dr. Black’s post – with photos – on his blog from April 14, 2007 at 7:38 pm) The food was delicious and the fellowship was wonderful!
Following lunch, Steve, Christy, Theron, Margaret, and I found our way to Starbucks. For those of you who are counting, that is two trips to Starbucks for Steve and Christy in 8 hours. We spent another couple of hours enjoying conversation and fellowship – along with coffee, frapuccinos, and ice cream. The weather was beautiful, so we sat outside and talked about how God had brought us all to this point in our lives, and how He continues to teach us and encourage us and lead us.
The conference was exceptional. But, I think what made this weekend most memorable for me was the times of fellowship that surrounded the conference. Thank you everyone for allowing God to use you to impact my life this weekend!
The Last Twelve Verses of Mark Conference…
The New Testament Conference “The Last Twelve Verses of Mark: Original or Not?” begins in a few hours at SEBTS. I contemplated blogging each of the presenters’ arguments during the conference, but my laptop decided to die last night. (It may have simply overheated, but I didn’t have time to check it.) I’m trying to talk my friend Lew (“The Pursuit“) into blogging during the conference. Check his blog for updates during the evening and tomorrow morning. I’ll post my thoughts about the conference later.
I’m looking forward to hearing from the presenters, but also to fellowshipping with several friends – both old and new. I’ll write more about this later as well.
(UPDATE: Thanks to my wife, I am going to try to blog during the conference. I will attempt to post each presenter’s major points after each session.)
Two on unity…
Here are two new posts on unity that I found very challenging.
Ted, at “Jesus community” (Didn’t I just link to him?), has a post called “unity in love“. He begins with this:
Our Lord delights in seeing his children getting along well together. In the love of Christ, this is how it’s to be. We’re to be united in spirit and of one mind, even though we don’t agree on everything. In most every case we’re to set disagreements aside. And when we do discuss them, to do so in love and agreeing in the end to not be disagreeable.
It seems that unity requires humility – both admitting that we may be wrong and that the other person may be right. That is not always easy for us, at least not by human nature. Perhaps it takes us living in a different nature to reach this unity in Christ.
Similarly, Terry, at “Sun Ministries” adds to the discussion with his post called “Unity“. He lists five things necessary for the church to recognize its unity. They are all important, but I think this one is especially crucial:
4. We must all become more Kingdom focused. Only when we value the growth of God’s Kingdom over the growth of our local church will we ever have opportunity for unity.
Are we willing to look beyond our “church” and understand that God is using people in His church to change His world? Perhaps we should do more sending than gathering…