For the obedience of faith…
Over the last couple of days, I’ve shared posts related to some of our discussion with the church last Sunday when we studied Romans 1:1-17 together. (See my posts “Amazed at living in the last days” and “That I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you.”)
There was another phrase in that first part of Romans 1 that resulted in a great and encouraging discussion. It was the phrase “the obedience of faith.”
Here is the phrase in the context of Romans 1:
Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ (Romans 1:1-6 ESV)
Isn’t that an interesting phrase: “the obedience of faith.” We don’t often think about obedience in relation to faith like that.
Later, I searched for that phrase and found that it only occurs one other time Scripture… also in the letter to the Romans… and at the very end of the letter. Here is the only other occurrence of the phrase “the obedience of faith” in Scripture:
Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith — to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen. (Romans 16:25-27 ESV)
The fact that the phrase “the obedience of faith” occurs at the very beginning and very end of this letter (and nowhere else) could be very significant and could indicate a theme for this letter (a literary device called inclusio).
Now, you may have noticed that in both instances the phrase is included with a prepositional phrase that was translated as “to bring about the obedience of faith.” Without getting to technical, the phrase “to bring about” comes from a preposition that often translated “to” or “for.” In this case, I think it would have been better if the translators had left it as “for the obedience of faith,” instead of “to bring about the obedience of faith.”
Here are some other ways the phrase is translated:
… for obedience to the faith… (KJV and NKJV)
… to the obedience that comes from faith… (NIV)
… to bring about the obedience of faith… (NASB, with a note “for obedience of faith”)
Similarly, the HCSB offers a few different possibilities: to bring about (“to” or “for”) the obedience of faith (“the obedience that is faith,” “the faithful obedience,” or “the obedience that comes from faith”).
But, regardless of how we translate the preposition (and it is an important question), the phrase “obedience of faith” remains to be considered. You can see some of the questions raised by looking at the options given by the HCSB translators.
What do you think Paul meant by the phrase “the obedience of faith”?
That I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you
As I’ve mentioned a few times – most recently in my post yesterday “” – we’re currently studying through the book of Romans together with the church. A few weeks ago, we read through the entire book together – which was extremely rewarding, by the way. Then, last Sunday, we read, studied, and discussed the first few verses of the first chapter.
Of course, as we talked about Sunday, it’s difficult to break apart a book like this into little chunks. The book is a whole entity and should be considered as a whole. When we break it up, we often miss what the author is saying. But, it took us over an hour to read through the letter, and it would take several hours – perhaps several days – to talk about meaning and application and to discuss how God would have us respond to this letter.
So, for better or for worse, we have to break it up into chunks that we can read and discuss in 1 – 1 1/2 hours. (Yes, that’s usually how long we spend working through various parts of Scripture. Of course, it’s not one person talking for 1 – 1 1/2 hours, but that’s for a different post.) And, we try to keep the whole letter in mind while discussing various parts of it.
Last Sunday, we ran across this passage that is quickly becoming one of my favorites:
For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you — that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine. (Romans 1:11-12 ESV)
Now, there is so much that could be said about this short passage. But, consider this…
Paul had never been to Rome. In fact, in the very next sentence, he says that he had tried to visit them before but had been “prevented.” He knew a few Christians in Rome – obvious from chapter 16. But, for the most part, he did not know the Roman believers.
So, while he was looking forward to coming to Rome for many reasons – for example, as a base to continue to proclaim the gospel in Spain (Romans 15:24,28) – he was also looking forward to strengthening the faith of the Roman believers. He knew that God would use him to build them up and encourage them as they follow Jesus.
But, that’s no all. And, to me, this is the extremely exciting part. Even though Paul did not know many of the Romans, he knew that they would be able to strengthen and encourage him as well!
How did Paul know that his Roman brothers and sisters in Christ would be able to strengthen his faith?
1) He knew that God dwelled in them through his Holy Spirit.
2) He knew that those Roman believers would have opportunities to build him up.
Those two things must go together in order for the Romans to be able to strengthen Paul and for Paul to be able to encourage them.
I wonder what would happen if we expected God to work through us whenever we gathered with others in order to strengthen them in the faith? I wonder what would happen if (at the same time) we also expected God to work through our brothers and sisters in order to strengthen us in the faith whenever we were with them?
For me, I think this should be our attitude whenever we are with our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Amazed at living in the last days
Before you start reading this post, I need to clarify something. When I use the phrase “the last days” in this post, I’m not using it in the manner that it’s often used by those who love to study and discuss eschatology – that is, that time just before the world comes to an end.
Instead, when I use the phrase “the last days” in this post, I’m using it in the manner that Peter used it in Acts 2, when he quoted the prophet Joel: “And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams…” (Acts 2:17 ESV; Joel 2:28)
This reference to “last days” is often found in the Old Testament (such as that passage in Joel). This was a time that the people of the Old Testament longed for. They looked forward to the time when God would be with his people (“Immanuel”), when God would give them a new heart, and when they would live under a new covenant.
Here’s the thing… if Peter is correct (and I think he is), then he saw himself and those of his generation as living in “the last days,” and I would say that we still live in “the last days.”
The difference is, for the authors of the New Testament, there was an excitement – an amazement – a wonder – at living in “the last days.” I already mentioned what Peter said about “the last days” on the day of Pentecost. Now, consider these passages also:
When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. (Ephesians 3:4-6 ESV)
Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look. (1 Peter 1:10-12 ESV)
Paul and Peter both recognize that they were living in an exciting time – a time that others wondered about and look forward to. It was in their time (and our time) when God was demonstrating his grace to all peoples – even the Gentiles. Now, they (and we) know how God is with his people.
I started thinking about this recently when we were studying Romans 1 together with the church. There, in the opening address, Paul refers to this same idea of living in “the last days”:
Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord… (Romans 1:1-4 ESV)
Paul recognized that he and his readers were living out the promises that God had made generations before. And, he was amazed at this fact.
May we never lose the wonder and amazement at living during a time when God is with his people, indwelling us by his Holy Spirit.
Just smiling and cheering for his dad
For the last few days, I’ve been fighting a cold. So, Sunday morning, when we gathered together with our brothers and sisters in Christ, I tried not to get too close to most people – which was very difficult to do. But, Margaret told me to especially stay away from the babies – which is even harder to do.
I decided to sit across the room from my little friend Will, who just turned 7 months old. He was sitting on a blanket on the floor near his mother and father and some of their family and friends who were spending the weekend with them.
Will’s dad had brought his guitar, and was playing while we sang a few songs. A couple of the songs were about praising God.
Will sat on his blanket staring intently at his dad. Occasionally, Will would break out into a huge grin (ear to ear) and wave his arms around and sway back and forth. Then, he would stare at his dad again. He repeated this several times.
So, while we were singing songs about praising God (among other things), Will was watching his dad, smiling, and waving his arms.
And, of course, it hit me… that’s a picture of praise.
When we keep our eyes on God (our Father), and we cheer and celebrate when we see him doing something wonderful (even – or especially – when we don’t understand it)… that’s praise.
Of course, we also praise God when we submit ourselves to him and live in a manner that honors him. We also praise God with our words and songs.
But, perhaps the start of praise is always being awed and amazed at what God has done (both in the far and near past), what he is doing (close by and far away), and what he will continue to do (both in the near and far future).
I love it when God teaches me through “living parables” like this. To me, a “living parable” is an episode of life (usually simple and common and easily recognizable) in which God teaches a big spiritual lesson.
How about you? Has God ever taught you something through some kind of “living parable”? Care to share it with us?
Scripture… As We Live It #249
This is the 249th passage in “Scripture… As We Live It.”
But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it — the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe and then who do all the things that Christians are supposed to do. (Romans 3:21-22 re-mix)
(Please read the first post for an explanation of this series.)
Replay: All Day Worship Service
Six year ago, I write a post called “All Day Worship Service.” In the post, I wrote about a day – that also happened to be a Saturday – that we spent with the church – all day – with different brothers and sisters doing different things throughout the day. But, the entire day was a day of worship and service. No, there was no preaching… no music, bands, or choir… no singing. But, it was definitely a day of worship service. At least, this is what I consider to be an all day worship service. What about you?
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All Day Worship Service
The title of this post usually conjures up images of long meetings with teaching, singing, dinner on the grounds, etc. However, that is not the point of this post. Consider this passage:
As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies- in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. (1 Peter 4:10-11 ESV)
For some reason, God chose to give us several opportunities to serve Him through serving others last Saturday.
Saturday morning, we had the chance to video chat with some friends in another country. I’ve written about them before in the post “Praying with the Church“. They are still in a very dark place, and they have had some physical ailments lately. It was great to laugh with them, encourage them, wish the older daughter “Happy Birthday”, etc.
Saturday for lunch, I had the opportunity to eat with a couple of new friends – a father and his son. Again, we were able to discuss Scripture and God’s will and ministry while enjoying fellowship over a great meal of Mexican food.
Saturday afternoon, I met with another brother and his wife to again discuss Scripture and ministry. There was no meal this time, but the conversation was as nourishing (if not more so) than food would have been.
Saturday afternoon, my family helped another family with yard work. Truthfully, I did very little yard work. I arrived after most of the work had been done. This was a very encouraging time for me, because others had given up their Saturday to help as well. It is truly a beautiful sight to see brothers and sisters helping one another.
Saturday evening, we were able to share pizza and ice cream with another couple. These are very dear friends that we have known for several years. God has done a great work in all of our lives, and he keeps growing us closer to one another as he grows us closer to him.
In all, God allowed us to interact with nineteen brothers and sisters just on Saturday. No, there was no planned meeting or event. In fact, the lunch and afternoon meeting were not planned until Friday evening. The evening dinner was not planned until… well… Saturday evening. (We’re very spontaneous people.)
So, as I was thinking about these opporturnties to serve God by serving others, the passage from 1 Peter came to mind. I’m sorry to say that I did not think of this passage while we were talking and working with these brothers and sisters. But now that I think about it, I wonder… Did our words convey the truth of God? Were our actions carried out in order to serve by the power that God provides? If so, then we worshipped God.
I truly believe that this is the type of “worship” service that God desires. I pray that God allows my family – and others – many more opportunities to worship him by serving others.
Yes, we’re all equal in Christ, but whose name is on the sign?
I’ve noticed something over the last seven (almost) years that I’ve been blogging: posts about leadership among the church typically get a huge (often emotional) response from all sides of the issue. I’ve written several posts and several series of posts about leaders, elders, etc. among the church. Those posts tend to get the most comments and the most push back – again, from all sides of the issue.
I don’t write posts for these reactions, but those are the reactions that I typically get. And, as I read posts about church leaders on other blogs, I’ve noticed the same kind of reactions – regardless of the author’s views on the church and leadership.
In other words, regardless of what we say, we care alot about what people think, say, and write about church leaders. Why? Because we recognize that among the church today, leaders carry alot of weight… they have alot of influence… they often have control and power over people (even if they don’t want to)… their name is on the sign (even if it’s a little smaller than Jesus’ name).
I was thinking about this fact (the fact that leaders carry alot of weight among the church) over the last few days when I browsed through several really good posts about leaders. Here are several of them:
- “Leadership and the New Testament” by Chris at “Journeys of heart and mind“
- “No One Has Been Called to be a Professional Pastor” by Eric at “A Pilgrim’s Progress“
- “Because Elders Need More Time in Word & Prayer” by Miguel at “God Directed Deviations“
- “The Super Guru Culture” by Rob at “Real Church Life” (ht: Jim)
And, of course, earlier this week I published a post called “The changing face of full-time ministry.”
Because of my views on leaders among the church, I’m often charged with believing that there should be no leaders at all.
If by “leader” you’re talking about a hierarchy of control, power, responsibility, vocation, and service that is reserved for a few among the church who function on behalf of the church, then, yes, I’m in favor of removing that kind of leadership. I think the church would be healthier without those kinds of “leaders.”
If by “leader” you’re talking about mature followers of Jesus Christ who lives and words are a demonstration and example of what every believer should be like and who are among the church and function along with the church, then, no, I’m not in favor of removing that kind of leadership. In fact, I think the church would be far healthier with more and more of these kinds of leaders.
Beginning a relationship in a strange place
I don’t know if you remember or not, but I started a new job back in November 2012. And, by the way, I love it! I love the people I work with. I love the work. And, I love that my title begins with the word “Service.”
There’s only one bad thing about my new job. Our office is about an hour away from my house – more than an hour if I go during rush hour – a little less than an hour if I leave my house earlier. (The good thing is that I only have to go into the office three days each week, and I work from home the other two days.)
Since I drive to my office pretty early those three mornings (early for me, anyway), I’ve decided to use the fitness center in our building before work. I work in one suite of an business park that includes several shared areas including a deli/grill, restrooms, and a fitness center. Then, after hitting the weights for a few minutes, I shower and get ready for work (in the shared restrooms).
A few days ago, after showering and dressing and while shaving. A man came into the restroom with me. I had seen this man around before. He didn’t dress as nice as most of the people in the building. (Most of us don’t wear suits, but we also don’t wear dirty coveralls either.) I decided that I would speak to him.
Now, as all men know, there is a strict rule against talking in the restroom. (Apparently, this rule does not apply to women, since women often go to the restroom together.) So, I waited until he had finished (whatever he had come into the restroom to do), and after he had washed his hands, and just before he pulled the door open…
I said, “Hi. Do you work in this building.”
Surprisingly, he took his hand off the door handle and turned back toward me. He told me that he did not work in the building, but that he was a subcontractor who did alot of work for the owner of the building. I told him that I thought I had seen him around before (which was true), and he said that he had done several jobs for this lady.
For the next couple of minutes, I learned quite a bit about this man. I learned that he really likes working for the lady who owns the building that I work in. I learned that he would do contracting work for her all the time if she had enough work. I learned that the most of the business owners around that area are not very nice to subcontractors.
I told him it was nice to meet him, and he smiled and walked out of the restroom.
I’ll probably see him around the building again… and I’m looking forward to it.
Apparently, it’s possible to start a relationship with someone by breaking a taboo and speaking to a stranger in the men’s restroom.
How can you do for the least if you don’t know the least?
A couple of days ago, Jeremy at “Till He Comes” wrote a great post called “16 Ways to Build Relationships With the Poor.” (UPDATE: Thanks to Jeremy for pointing out that this post was actually written by Sam as a guest post on Jeremy’s site.)
As you can tell from the title, the point of Jeremy’s post is to help people build relationships with people in need. Why would Jeremy focus on “the least” among us? Well, Jesus did say something about God’s people (the righteous) being those who care for “the least.”
But, there’s another reason to focus on finding and building relationships with the least. Several years ago, I realized that I was living an isolated life – isolated from unbelievers and from the poor, hungry, sick, prisoners, etc. I was living in a “Christian bubble” (some call it a ghetto).
You see, as great as it is to spend time with other believers (and people who are like us), it’s just as important that we also disperse and spend time with those who are not believers (and people who are not like us). But, for Christians like me, this may be difficult to put into practice.
Because of that, examples like the ones that Jeremy gives in his post can be very beneficial. Jeremy lists these 16 ways to build relationships with the poor:
- Help unemployed single mothers and families find jobs.
- Help families find housing they can afford.
- Buy products and services from people you know are struggling to keep a roof over their heads. Don’t look for the “cheapest” option, but for the person or business that most needs your business.
- Refer people you know to a business or person who needs the business.
- Tip generously at restaurants, especially when you know that the person who served you really needs it. Sometimes you can tip people who don’t usually receive tips, such as the guy at the car alarm shop who repaired your car alarm.
- Give commendations to managers of businesses for employees who helped you, especially for employees you know really need their job.
- When things don’t go right in your dealings with a business, do not threaten an employee with “I’m going to get you fired,” or “You will get you in a lot of trouble.” That vicious threat can terrify someone for whom that would mean losing their only source of income, and their only way to provide food, clothes, and housing for their children.
- Volunteer to help. This might mean helping repair someone’s house or car (so they won’t need to pay someone to do it), taking them to the doctor (so they won’t have to pay someone to drive them), or even picking up something they need (so they won’t have to pay for the gasoline to get them there).
- As you walk, run, or drive around town, keep an eye out for furniture and other household items set out on driveways with “Free” signs attached. Some of these items are in excellent condition and can be given to someone who needs it.
- Find out what your friends need and decide if you can meet any of their needs with some of the “stuff” you have in the closets, garage, and attic.
- After an event where a lot of food was prepared, contact certain people who are short on food and plead for their help in “taking some of this food off our hands so we won’t have to throw it away.”
- Invite your friends to dinner and making sure they take plates of “extra” food home with them.
- If you find something at a store, garage sale, or thrift shop that you know one of your friends needs, buy it and give it to them.
- Remember friends on their birthdays and at Christmas. This might include flowers, a gift, or inviting them for dinner, but always includes spending time with them when possible.
- Pick up trash on inner city streets and alleys. This improves living conditions in several ways for the people who live there, many of whom are poor. Explaining how that works would require a post of its own.
- Spend time with your friends, especially when you know they need someone to sit with them, listen, hug them, weep with them, and rejoice with them.
Obviously, there’s nothing more right about doing the things above than doing other things to help, serve, and love the people around you in Jesus’ name. Of course, there’s nothing wrong about doing those things in Jesus’ name either.
The great things about Jeremy’s list is that he focuses on building relationships – getting to know people – not just treating them like a project or anonymous group.
So, whatever it takes, get to know the people around you – especially those who are poor, hungry, thirsty, sick, prisoners, etc. Serve them and love them in Jesus’ name… and while you’re doing that, don’t forget the first part: get to know them. You may be surprised to find that God will use them to teach you something about himself.
Learning to live as a follower of Christ is not a private thing
Fred at “On the Journey” wrote a very good post last week called “Lessons From The Man Who Ate New Orleans.” The post was triggered by an event called A Place at the Table that Fred and his wife Jan participated in back in January.
Fred describes part of the event like this: “[W]e watched a film titled The Man Who Ate New Orleans, about a minister who ate at every restaurant in New Orleans to learn about the city and its people.The film discussed the seven cardinal virtues of New Orleans: community, generosity, openness to outsiders, celebration, resiliency, diversity, and tradition.”
There are some great things to think about in those “cardinal virtues,” but for this post, I’d like to focus on two paragraphs later in Fred’s post.
While thinking about community, Fred writes this:
Learning to live as a follower of Christ takes more than hearing a sermon, singing songs, or sitting in a class. It is not a private thing. It must be lived out in community with others, and that must go beyond what happens in a once-a-week gathering. The second greatest commandment is to love our neighbor as ourselves. Jesus takes this further when he commands us to love as he loved us. That is a sacrificial love that can only be shown in relationship with others.
Living in community is messy, whether that community is a neighborhood in a city or a group of Christians. We’re dealing with human beings here! If we seek to live in community with other believers, we will get dirty helping other believers, we will be frustrated by other believers, and we will be hurt by other believers. Look all through Scripture and other histories. You will not find a Utopian community. We will sin against one another. That is why we are called to be people of grace and forgiveness. When we have a true view of sin, we can forgive others and love them. Forgiveness is one of the things we must practice in order to live in community, along with being a friend who listens and understands compassionately.
If you’re seeking to live in community in Jesus Christ, then I’d highly recommend that you think about what Fred wrote. None of us are perfect at following Jesus Christ and demonstrated the nature of our Father. Because we are not perfect, we will cause problems among our brothers and sisters in Christ. The problems are compounded when we realize that none of our brothers and sisters in Christ are perfect, and our imperfections and disobediences and preferences and selfishness will cause… well, like Fred said, a mess.
We are a messy people, even at our best. God loves us and forgives us in spite of our mess. In the midst of our messiness, God offers us grace.
This is an image of how we should treat one another in the midst of all of our mess: love, forgiveness, and grace.
The only other option is to stay away from other people, so that you don’t have to offer them love, forgiveness, and grace. But, for a follower of Jesus Christ, this is not a real option.