 1 Corinthians 7:17-24 Principle--The Gospel and being part of the body of Christ are not primarily about social advancement and gaining personal rights and privileges but rather the humbling of oneself to become a slave, giving up ones rights. Key phrases: a. “has assigned” or “the place God has given you” = “merizo” and it means to divide, separate or distribute. b. “has called“ = “kaleo” and it means to call or invite, to be called by name or to bear a name c. “that condition” or “situation” = “klesis” and meand-- A call do do something or an invitation Thoughts: a. God has intentionally distributed his people throughout the world in various positions, places, social classes and more in order to have a witness and light available for all. The hope of the Gospel is not primarily to move up from social position to another, but to be faithful to the calling that God will give you in that situation. God does not become responsible to us to make our lives “better”…but we become responsible to Him to use our situation for his glory. b. “I surrender all, I surrender all. All to Thee my blessed Savior, I surrender all.” (Lyrics: J.W. Van Deventer , Music: W.S. Weeden) c. Some have said that this passage applies only to marriage and the marital relationship (as in, married people who are saved should not seek divorce or vice versa). While this passage comes sandwiched between to discussions on the topic of marriage, Paul also clearly applies this principle to other situations outside of marriage—circumcision, slavery, etc. From a missiological perspective a question can be put forth regarding those of other faiths-- What is the responsibility of a man or woman of another faith who comes to believe in Jesus? In the past such a person was immediately removed from his or her social networks and often times quickly “Christianized” in their ways of talking, dressing, praying and more. Now, Paul’s principle is being used to rethink and to consider how, and to what extent, this person can “remain in their situation” while also be faithful to Christ. It’s a difficult and slippery discussion, but of great importance for the church as it finds itself swimming in increasingly “Multi” world (multi-cultural, multi-faith, etc). deil My paraphrase of 1 Corinthians 717-24: Don’t be anxious to move up from the situation where God has placed you, even before you knew Him or desired to follow Him. The only change that matters is the change in your heart; your hope in Christ and your desire to follow and obey. Accept, even embrace, your God-given lot in life – this is a standard for all of God’s people everywhere. You don’t need to feel obligated change your cultural identity and your place in the community. You need not feel obligated nor should not feel as though you have the right to improve your social standing or your economic situation. You are free from the power of sin, that’s true, but you are all slaves to Christ. You need not avoid any blessings that might come your way, but always remember that your place in this world is meaningless; it’s not reality. God has paid a high price for you so stop serving the world and its many masters. Stay where you are and be a slave to righteousness. Application: a. Am I ashamed of the place that God has given to me? b. In what ways am I enslaved to the world rather than to God? c. Have I separated myself from the world around me to the point of losing any effective witness to people who do not yet know Christ? How can I re-integrate myself as light in this world? d. How can I take the principles form 1 Cor 9:19-21 and 7:17-24 and become a more faithful in my appearance, my talk, my habits and my interactions with the people in my community? Add Comment  1 Corinthians 9:19-21 Principle--We must be willing to change the way we think, act and talk (all the while remaining in Christ) for the purpose of help other to understand and know Jesus Christ. Key phrases: “Kerdaino” translated "to save" or "to win" means to escape from evil, to be spared, or can to enter into the Kingdom of God. Also seen in Mat 16:26; Mat 18:15; Mat 25; Phil 3:8 “Ginomai“ translated "to become like" means come into existence, to be re-created or remade, or to be brought about as a result of a miracle. Thoughts: 1. In Christ I am free to do as I like (while still in Christ, this is not a “license to kill”), but we give up this right for the sake of others—to become a slave to the way other view us and become more like them so that they might understand and know Jesus in a real and meaningful way. 2. This reminds of a phrase from a song by Chris Rice -- “We’re so thankful for the blessings but maybe we should lay them aside, I got a feeling we might missing the time of our lives…” (Chris Rice, Becky, not sure of the album titile) 3. Being Jewish no problem for Paul. Being under the law was no problem for Paul. Being like the Gentiles was surely difficult, frustrating, confusing and sometimes downright offensive. Being with people we know and understand is no problem. For those who have grown up in the church being with others who have grown up in the church presents no major problems (which is why they tend argue about secondary and third-ary issues). Yes, I know that's not a word. But when we move into the world, among people unlike ourselves and who have grown up in very different systems of thought and lifestyle, everything quickly becomes difficult, frustrating, confuisng and sometimes downright offensive! But Paul reminds us to always look for common ground with everyone. Our best witness is not in pointing out differences and focusing on where they are wrong...but in finding places to stand and talk, share, and live together. "Ginomai" is Jesus and Paul's preferred method of "kerdaino." My paraphrase of 1 Corinthians 9:19-21 Even though in Christ I am free and can do as I wish (as long as I remain in Christ, this is not a license to sin), I have chosen to not live according to my own rights. I do this for the purpose of helping others avoid the evils of this world and finding life in the Kingdom of God. When I am with small town Americans I speak, act and think like they do in order that they might better know and understand who Christ is and desire to follow him. When I with those who have long been in the church and following laws of the church, I become like them in as much as their law does not contradict the clear teachings of Scripture so that they might truly know the plan and purpose that they have in Christ. When I am with people very much unlike myself, even sinners and those with whom I am uncomfortable, I take interest in them and try to find a way to “fit” into their world so that I might have a voice to whom they desire to listen. I no longer try to fit them into the “church mold” but rather try to bring Christ to them. In all things I follow obediently the teachings and the ways of Christ. In every situation and with all people I try to find common ground in order to have a voice among them; a voice that they can hear and understand. I do this that some might respond and know the blessings of following Christ. Application: a. How can I become more like the people I seek to reach? b. Am I willing to move past my cultural values or right/wrong/appropriate in order to be able to speak of Christ from within the culture of the other person? c. Am I willing to truly “become like” or do I expect people to see my way? d. Do I expect people to get closer to me…or am I getting closer to them? I will do what you want me to do... 10/14/2011
 I will do what you want me to do Today Tomorrow And every breath I take I will be who you want me to be Today Tomorrow And every breath I take I will live the way you want me to live Today Tomorrow And every breath I take...every breath I take Back home again! 10/06/2011
I returned from eLand a few days ago and DEILboy immediately asked me when we were going to go fishing. I had gotten him a fishing pole some time ago but due to several scheduling conflicts we hadn't yet been able to go out and try them. So we went to a place not too far from our home and went fishing. We didn't catch anything, but we talked about how next time we would need to get some more weights for our line and maybe we could get our line far enough into the lake. On the way home he said to me, "Dad, thanks for today, it was great!" Gotta love those moments. My time in eLand was challenging--full of good fellowship, times of teaching and growing together, some disappointments, some joyous times, some pain and through it all--growth as the body of Christ. Remembering September 11 09/10/2011
 September 2011... I had resigned my teaching position the previous spring as my new wife and I were making plans to move to the Philippines. I had taken part-time positions at our Kuna branch as their worship director and also at a local Indian restaurant where I mostly made sure the lunch buffet was operating smoothly and enjoyed a free lunch on the days I worked. On September 11 I had the day off. It was morning and my wife of 8.5 months had already left for her job as 4th grade teacher at Shadowhills Elementary in Boise, Idaho. Sitting down to begin working on some assignments for a distance learning class I was taking through Fuller Theological Seminary -- Introduction to Islam -- I decided to turn on the TV. What I saw was a large building with billows of smoke spewing from it. I listened for awhile and the commentators mentioned that a plane had flown in to the building, but they seemed quite confused about the details. Just as I was about to turn the channel all of the sudden right there on live television a second passenger jet flew into the World Trade Center in New York City. I saw it. You saw it. It changed us. The Indian Sihk cook at the Indian Restaurant was beaten up on his way home because he wore a turban on his head. Our ignorance as a nation was on full display. But what disturbed me most was the attitude displayed by friends in the church--those who claimed to know the "amazing grace" of God and live according to the teachings of the Word of God and, more particularly, the teachings of Christ. Love your Neighbor... Pray for those who persecute you... Return evil with good... You get the picture. I was wanting to send out a September 11 email but then got way too busy to get it done. Then this morning--September 10th in Asia--I read this article and decided to sit down and send this message. I hope you'll read it and think about it as you remember September 11th on this 10th anniversary. Let me summarize briefly from the article the four ways that we can remember: 1. Historical remembrance--This is an important form of remembering that "places the event in context and refuses to easy labeling of one party or another as good or evil, or of thinking that this was an event that 'changed the world' when in actuality it only gave us Americans a reality check about the suffering going on throughout the world on a daily basis. 2. Cultural remembrance--This is where we who share cultural and national identity remember those who were victims. This can be appropriate as well when accomplished through humility and prayer and being mindful of the rhetoric coming from various places in society that might require us to contradict our identity in Christ and the attitude we are to have as his disciples. 3. Relational remembrance--This is the memory of specific people that we knew, families that suffered and the personal and emotional connection we had to the event. This is Job's friends sitting with him in silence as he mourns the loss of his children. 4. Delightful remembrance-- This is a "deliberate remembrance of the evil of the event...not a remembrance of delight--rather a perversely enjoyable remembrance of an evil done to us, remembered because it nurses our contempt for the perpetrators and simultaneously infuses us with a sense of mission, namely the perpetrator's destruction and our own triumph over them." This is the form of remembrance that makes us forget to pray for our enemies--for their welfare and spiritual condition and not about their eternal damnation. We easily forget that Christ spilled his blood for them, saying, "Father forgive them..." This form of remembering is sin. Regardless of what we've been told by our news media, by the multitudes of books that have been published, by well-meaning friends and by pastors from their pulpit (or on television for a select few of our Christian religious leaders), one things in certain--God loves our Muslim Neighbors! They are so much closer to us that you might ever know or imagine. Let's remember together. Let's cry together. Let's pray together--for our nation, that we would turn back to God and become Christlike disciples in our own nation and throughout the world; and for our Muslim Neighbors around the world, that they, too, would better understand and know the Messiah that is introduced to them in their own Book and seek to follow him. May the day come when we walk this road together. Do Everything In Love... Happy Holidays! 09/03/2011
"Did you enjoy your Eid?" is the question most people are asking around here. Basically it means, "We hope you had a happy holiday." We are back and mostly recovered from our cross-island journey to celebrate Eid al-Fitr with some of our Muslim friends. We had a great time of seeing people we hadn’t seen for a long time, sharing stories, eating lots of food (5 full meals in 5 hours time! Yikes!), watching our kids integrate seamlessly with the kids in the neighborhood (how cool is that?), lots of driving (15 hours of driving to get back home in holiday traffic...zzzzz...) and joining in the community activities to celebrate this most important holiday of the year (that means no sleep because the fireworks and celebration went on through the night). All in all not unlike many holidays in the States, minus the football. Well, they do have football but its the kind of football that requires the use of feet; unlike our version of football (otherwise called by such names as gridiron, American Football, or sissyball by our Australian rugby-loving friends...hey, don't come after me I just report the news). One friend, a young mother, we noticed was wearing her head covering for the first time since we’ve ever known her. I ask her why she was wearing it now and what did it mean to her? She answered that she was “finally ready” to wear it and that she decided to begin wearing it because she felt that her heart was now pure. Later I told her that I would be praying for her throughout this coming year that she would know the clean heart and forgiveness of sins that comes through faith in Isa al-Masi (Jesus, the Messiah). She thanked me for the prayer but then explained that she believed that her forgiveness had come to her through the Prophet Muhammad. Boldness check... Later I told that I had read much of her Scriptures and that I admired the wisdom of Prophet Muhammad when he said that Muslims ought to read the Gospel because it will answer their questions about the Messiah and that everyone who follows the Messiah will be considered worthy on the Final Day. “...I hope someday you’ll decide to follow Isa al-Masi,” I told her via sms after we had left her home. We hope you enjoyed this year Ramadan Emails (www.loveneighbor.weebly.net) and learned something along the way, were challenged to rethink some of your thoughts and encouraged to see that God is working among these Neighbors of ours--people that He loves dearly. If Jesus Goes With Me 07/11/2011
 It is not mine to question the judgments of the LORD; It is but mine to follow the leadings of His Word; But if to go or stay or whether here or there; I'll be with my Savior content anywhere. -- C. Austin Miles 1868-1946 Around the blog and back 06/21/2011
It's a great Tuesday morning. The birds are chirping, the kids are sleeping, and there's a refreshing coolness in their air. It's a good time just to share a few links and other bits of news. 1. The Deutero-what? series looks at the Book of Deuteronomy from a fresh angle. The most recent post in the series--Outsiders--examines chapter 10 of this fascinating book and concludes that from the very beginning it was God's plan for his people to be looking outwards towards those unlike themselves. [Read here] 2. Does God really expect us to give him EVERYTHING? 3. Read this book -- The Crescent Through the Eyes of the Cross by Nabeel Jabbour--you won't be disappointed. A Very Wet Wedding 06/18/2011
 The bride and groom enter the church together. One thing is certain—it was a day not likely to soon be forgotten. For the bride and groom, of course, it was the day of their wedding. But for anyone who was seated outside the church building during the ceremony this day was anything but typical.
In East Timor weddings are events for the community and the entire community throws themselves into the planning, organization and carrying-out of the occasion with great enthusiasm and energy. Unlike in my home country, where the bride-to-be is consumed with every detail of the affair, in East Timor most of the details are planned and taken care of by the family and the community or, in this case, the church. This is the nature of communal societies. It’s also the reality of not having significant financial resources. Choices, we must remember, spring primarily from excess. The wedding ceremony itself also reflects the community-oriented nature of the every day. event. The wedding is done as part of a regular Sunday worship service. During the course of the service the bride and groom will sit up front on a small couch or two decorated chairs while the rest of the family and church community sat behind them. The service begins as any normal Sunday service might—singing, praying, giving and a sermon. It is not until the end of the sermon that the wedding ceremony begins, much like we might have a baptism or baby dedication following the sermon. At this point the bride and groom stand before the pastor with their family and friends behind them and take their vows, exchange rings (if rings are being used, which they often are not) and kneel before both sets of parents to seek their blessing. If the bride is brave (read: not too shy) there might even be a kiss! At this point things usually move to another section of the building or outside where the cake (again, if there is a cake) will be cut and a variety of other traditions may or may not take place. Almost always, though, there is an ornately decorated couch where the couple will sit, eat, receive well-wishers and have their photos taken with guests. So, for days and weeks leading up to the event the church was a bee hive of activity. [click "Read More" to continue reading and see a photo of the kitchen where the feast was cooked] Stuff... 06/17/2011
Moving into a new home is never fun. But let's face it--it's our fault. We have too much junk. Yes, even those among us who have "given up everything" (or so people say) tend to collect too much stuff. But let's be honest again. This is also an American problem--we can't seem to live without our stuff. Our local students come to visit us for a week and bring nothing but a small backpack with a change of clothes, a towel, and necessary toiletries (like a toothbrush). We go somewhere for the weekend and we've got to pack an entire suitcase...for each member of our family! We have books purchased years ago that we've never read, clothes that haven't been removed from their hanger in years, and boxes of stuff that hasn't been looked at since the last time we moved. It's ridiculous. And I know you're probably not much different. So, although the house we moved into is bigger than our previous one, I'm renewing my commitment to REDUCE and DOWNSIZE. Come with me...let's find the freedom of having less stuff. We've already disconnected our TV. Ouch! Next project--get rid of half of my books. Ouch! What's your first step? | CategoriesAll AuthorLoving God and Neighbor... Being mentored by the Teacher... Journeying with my wife... Teaching my children the ropes... ArchivesApril 2012 |
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