All Scripture …

𝟭 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗵𝘆 𝟯:𝟭𝟲-𝟭𝟳 𝗔𝗹𝗹 𝗦𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗚𝗼𝗱-𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘀 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗿𝗲𝗯𝘂𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗲𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀, 𝘀𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗚𝗼𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝘆 𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝗹𝘆 𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸.

The Word of God, the Bible, has been denigrated. It has been assigned as a noteworthy set of writings, perhaps useful in their time. It has been the subject of humiliation and abrogation, canceling any importance it could have in the lives of readers. There are, of course, passages that are both puzzling and in need of contextual explanation. There are popular misinterpretations that have been co-opted to justify even the evilest doctrines and actions.

None of that sullies its intent and overall accomplishment in the lives of people of faith. It arrests sin, does not promote it. It corrects, does not condone. The righteousness it engenders testifies to the voice that speaks through the human lives used to record its words.

Paul was describing only the part of the Bible we call the Old Testament. He had the equivalent of a modern day PhD in theology and the Tenach (with the Jewish Talmud – rabbinic teachings) was his specialty. He had no way of knowing his letters to Timothy and the early churches would be incorporated into the canon – the books making up the New Testament. Yet his words here apply to his own writing.

Critics of the Bible – and they are nothing new as a group – harp on things like details (where the oral tradition was not as concerned) and historical accuracy (erecting their own criteria). All the while, combining their reading of the text with faith and being inquisitive as to its ability to teach and correct is avoided for reasons of fear (Hebrews 4:2). If the Bible had those attributes, it would imply change and repentance. Those things are not acceptable to devoted critics.

It is the proposition of scripture that humankind NEEDS teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness – and that, only from the hand of Almighty God. We are not righteous in ourselves, indeed so sinful that Jesus needed to die to set things right with His Father. That story is the primary one to allowing scripture to do its work – or rather, we could say it is the first work scripture does.

The sorrow of the unrealized fruit waiting for anyone who neglects the jewel which is the Bible is great, but it’s also waiting patiently to be discovered for all. I remain eternally thankful for its work in my life.

The undergirding word

𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗯𝘀 𝟮𝟵:𝟭𝟴 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳𝗳 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁; 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗯𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗱𝗼𝗺’𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.

The “revelation” in this verse denotes a prophetic vision – a word from God concerning the current times and circumstances of the people. There are many instances of the Lord speaking through prophets, and it was often a word of correction or judgment, in response to sin or the ongoing obstinance of the nations. It happened in addition to the written Law of Moses. And the Law of Moses – the first 5 books of the modern Bible is what “wisdom” is in the verse (the word is “Torah” – Hebrew for Law).

Taken together, the lack of a recent, fresh prophetic word is taken by people as a signal to walk away from following God, to cast off restraint, give in to temptation or go after other pursuits. It is a dangerous proposition (as the KJV states – “the people perish”).

But blessed, or happy, is the one – now pointing to the individual – who remembers the eternal word of God and maintains restraint.

In the practice of corporate faith, there is an ongoing “vogue” of the latest thing spoken and heard. The fresh word from a prophet has a crisp feel to it; a relevance and personal, contemporary touch. There is a vibrant, vital preaching or worship ministry happening, and it captures hearts and attracts many followers. Growth may be exponential and blessing abundant and rich.

But, invariably, the season ends. The Lord ends it, if for no other reason than people start to depend upon it. As Keith Green sang – “nothing lasts except the grace of God by which I stand in Jesus”.

As a result, there can quickly develop a “what have you done for me lately?” accusation towards God. But God is not duty bound to provide a constant flow of special words for people or sustain any given movement or ministry. We have been given another, more eternal and powerful word already. That is what the blessed one has, undergirding it all.

Firstly, it is necessary test for any sermon or prophecy to align with the given Word of God. Secondly, to experience prophetic words and in-season messages and on-fire ministries should not be a source of pride; yet that can and does happen. With that pride, when the experience ceases, so do faith and obedience. Being rooted and grounded in the Word is critical at those points.

And likewise, there is no room for pride among those to heed wisdom’s instruction either, for wisdom demands humility. And there is blessing or happiness in being kept safe and in faith.

Kindness for the controller

𝙅𝙤𝙝𝙣 11:21 𝙈𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙝𝙖 𝙨𝙖𝙞𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙅𝙚𝙨𝙪𝙨, “𝙇𝙤𝙧𝙙, 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚, 𝙢𝙮 𝙗𝙧𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙙𝙞𝙚𝙙.”

The would/could/should haves – part of our entitled commentary to God about our take on life after events happen. While it’s perfectly understandable and good to review things that went wrong in order to prevent them from going (as) wrong next time, it’s presumption to read God the riot act. We simply don’t have the equipment or certainly the authority to instruct the Lord of our lives as to how things SHOULD have gone.

For Martha, this was completely in character. Though she followed this statement with “But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” (v 22), that was a self-perceived consolation to the sovereign will of Martha. This was the person who bossed her family around – taking umbrage that her sister Mary would not help her do her frantic, frenetic (and never ending) preparation, cleaning and (re)ordering of things for the guests. No, said Jesus, you can be like that, but Mary will certainly be allowed to sit and listen regardless.

It’s miraculous Jesus did up upbraid Martha – cut her down to size and knock her off her high horse. But he did not. As always, Jesus knew what was in a person, and Martha was hurting inside. We have no history regarding her past, but the need for control and intolerance of things not going according to plan is well understood even in our own lives. Martha had just lost her brother. Among the spectrum of things going wrong, that would be a biggie. Her pain in watching a loved one get sick and die is a well-known human experience. One of the earliest expressions of grief is anger – which blames. There’s little question that Martha had seen loss, along with personal criticism and shame. She felt things deeply.

It would seem a suitable emotional reaction to put Martha in her place, to let her know how selfish her manipulative control really was. But Jesus didn’t do that and it’s remarkable. Instead, Jesus grieved with her and then showed real sovereignty – that of Almighty God – and raised her brother Lazarus from the dead. That’s how God moves in the lives of the bossy, controlling, bullying people – shows them goodness in the dearest way.

It is so easy to sting back the people who dig and weasel and push and scratch their way into ordering your life according to THEIR program. Jesus shows what they need. Hardly acquiescence to their insistent wranglings but kindness in spite of them and in response to them. As usual, Jesus turns the world upside down and heals it. He’s glorious.

The loving eye and the bridle

𝗣𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗺 𝟯𝟮:𝟴-𝟵 𝗜 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗴𝗼; 𝗜 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗹 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗺𝘆 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝘆𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂. 𝗗𝗼 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝘂𝗹𝗲, 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗻𝗼 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗯𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂.

David came to his senses in Psalm 32 and opened his life to God, confessing sin and receiving forgiveness. When he had remained silent (vv 3-4) it had physical consequences – pain and exhaustion. But when he allowed God’s voice and conviction to come into his soul, he received pardon and regained God’s protection over his life. The famous “You are my hiding place” lyrics (v 7) are among the greatest statements in the Word of God about the shelter provided to the penitent.

The above verses are written as God’s words to David, and all readers. Whatever sin was confessed and forgiven is forgotten and God shows the way forward. It is his instruction that leads – and never into more iniquity. His advice and direction come from a motive of pure love and never manipulative self-advancement (God is quite secure as Lord over the universe).

Yet, obstinance is always a possible reaction from the human heart. Whether it stems from unbelief in God’s love and goodness or a desire to plot one’s own course, it reduces the person being directed to the mentality and willfulness of a brute animal. Even as humankind understands the need for means of controlling horses and mules, the rebellion of heart against God who grants the dignity of free will is held up as a right. And a right it is, but not without consequence.

Instruction is only good if it is imported as direction. Otherwise, it sits only as a varying opinion, and there is no shortage of those on the earth. Do I believe there is a God? Yes. Do I believe God’s instruction is a better teacher than my own wayward heart? Yes.

The walk is treacherous still, for the motives of people creep in, some even portending to speak for God – and others who really do speak for God in my life. The “loving eye” is key for me to see. God is for my good, not my control or frustration. May I see and walk with that knowledge. Amen.

The vast treasure of the little flock

𝗟𝘂𝗸𝗲 𝟭𝟮:𝟯𝟮‭-‬𝟯𝟰 “𝗙𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗻𝗼𝘁, 𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗳𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸, 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗙𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿’𝘀 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗱𝗼𝗺. 𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘆. 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘆𝗯𝗮𝗴𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄 𝗼𝗹𝗱, 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗹, 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗲𝗳 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗻𝗼 𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗵 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝘆𝘀. 𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼.

After pointing out God’s glory in all creation – in birds, flowers and grass and saying how trite they were – even in their existence – to human beings, Jesus gave the “therefore” passage above. It’s both supremely endearing and challenging, even convicting.

The “little flock” is nonetheless the object of God’s pleasure and recipient of the very Kingdom of God. This flies in the face of any “big flock” mentality. Small is good in this passage, and of course Jesus was speaking to the small band of original believers. As the church grew, “little flock” would no longer describe it, except in comparison with the overall population.

A strong part of Jesus’ description of the creation was God’s care for it. It was and is God who waters the earth, sends sunlight to plants and provides food for all the animal kingdom. This is an indication of his care for people, whom God cares about more. There is hierarchy in the creation, and humankind is its apex.

The instruction to sell possessions and give to the needy implies that one has possessions and one is not needy. Far from any human socialistic system, this is generosity after God’s own heart.

And once exercised, there is a new treasure obtained. This is a restatement of the proverb:

𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗯𝘀 𝟭𝟵:𝟭𝟳 𝗛𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗶𝘀 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝗼𝗿 𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗢𝗥𝗗, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗵𝗶𝗺 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗲.

… which is an almost scandalous truth concerning the heavenly economy. God becomes the debtor to human kindness and generosity. A reward is kept in eternity for the generous.

The final statement – “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” – shows that giving one’s possessions takes them off the throne of one’s life. You cannot worship something you give away and even renounce. Once done, the heart of a person – his/her intents and purposes – are directed and reside in heaven.

So, who is needy around me? Hands would go up if the question is asked. But clearly, there is godly counsel to be gained in this. Do I give grudgingly of any resource – finances, time, energy, etc. ? If so, that needs cleansing and correcting. I have freely received; get over yourself O my heart.

Do I demand notice and reward for my acts of kindness in this life? If so, Jesus says I have received my reward in full. That is NOT the treasure described in this passage. Give and I will prime the pump of blessing in my own life; that is very true. Let me be God’s conduit – his pipe – of blessing. Let it flow.

Logs and specks

Luke 6:42 How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye.

Fault-finding putdown artists are actors (hypocrites), says Jesus.  They have no intention of facing up to their own shortcomings, but only delight in point those out in others.  There is a preadolescent mindset that begins with the discovery that demeaning others makes one feel powerful and superior.  It’s a lie, says the Lord, for it leaves out the most important ingredient of all – humility.

Motives are cleansed by allowing God to convict and correct.  The trouble is that fault-finders cannot distinguish conviction and condemnation.  They count on condemnation disqualifying and eliminating others, so they cannot allow any scrutiny to be applied to their hearts or lives.  No, says Jesus, “first take the log out of your own eye” – let the truth penetrate your life, be forgiven and freed, THEN you will understand conviction and freedom for others.  At that point, when you remove THEIR speck, it will be out of love and desire for their best.

The teaching does NOT negate care to remove other’s specks.  My own log – however huge and ugly – does not make me unable to help others with their (albeit smaller) issues.

If I am in the business of the putdown of others, I then need to ask about my own state before God.  I can trust this – it’s a leading indicator of my own need for conviction, forgiveness, cleansing/healing and freedom.  If and when my motives are pure – that is, I am no hypocrite but instead fully acknowledge my own imperfection and struggles – I can love people enough to confront them with things they may not see in themselves.  For it’s no mistake the analogy involves the organ through which we see – we cannot see through a speck.

I rejoice in the freedom God gives me and all his children.  It never comes without struggle and the first person’s struggle I deal with is my own.  And then there is victory for us all!

The inner wash

Matthew 15:18-20 “But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.”

The “traditions of the elders” and nothing in scripture or the Law compelled the Jewish leaders to wash before eating.  It’s certainly not a bad idea but the compulsion is overplayed.  It was a point of compliance forced on the people by those who “knew best”.  Except, they did NOT know best.

Jesus’ description of what comes out of the mouth – in words which turn into deeds – is a list of depraved output that brings people into their worst state.  They reveal something very broken inside and that brokenness dwarfs any hand-washing or external action to cleanse the skin or extremities.  A good adage is “you can’t wash your heart”, because only God can do that.

The call is to integrity – to be the same person outside as inside.  It means acknowledging the ugliness and filthy thoughts within and allowing God to heal and cleanse.  It means not trying to look good (or look bad) or compelling others to look good.  As the evil-doer, adulterer and murderer and then heart-broken King David said:

Psalm 51:6 Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.

For it is not merely delusional to hide what’s inside, it’s deadly.  As David had ceased doing (though he knew better), let me let God do this:

Psalm 139:23-24 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

It is a sign of saving faith that I allow the light to shine even on my most shameful parts.

Come and see

John 1:46 Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”

Nazareth, in the region of Galilee, was far from Jerusalem, the center and capital of Israel. As a remote place, its insignificance was perhaps its most defining trait. But when Nathanael asked if anything “good” could come from there, it was a moral question. Like most nations, regional pride emphasizes the local good and the non-local bad, using whatever measures are available. We certainly have no record of conspicuous Galilean evil – the words and acts of Mary the mother of Jesus show there was certainly deep devotion to God in practice.

Philip’s reply is short but the best one to be offered to scoffers and skeptics. It echoes the Psalmist’s invitation:

Psalm 34:8 Taste and see that the LORD is good

as indeed Nathanael would. Jesus immediately displayed miraculous knowledge of Nathanael’s life before they met, at which Nathanael named Jesus as Messiah (see verse 49).

It is not up to any believer to prove who Jesus is; because the move of the Holy Spirit on anyone’s life is God-breathed and spiritually discerned. Humanity craves reasoned understanding and banks on its scientific proofs, which are hit-or-miss at best. Reasoning would have dismissed investigating this Jesus because he was, after all, from Nazareth. And, concerning the person of Jesus Christ, one can only be invited with a “Come and see”. The rest is up to that person to both come and see.

In Nathanael’s case, coming to Jesus involved some travel. Jesus did not come to him. For others, Jesus would indeed show up on scene and on point. But truly coming to Jesus requires “being there” – actually showing up with operational senses and a willingness to perceive what Jesus will say and do.

Seeing is not only a use of one’s eyes, but of one’s spirit. When prayer or worship receives a its replies, whatever the response, identifying that there really is a loving God who hears and answers is vital to spiritual perception. Relatively speaking, Nathanael saw the physical Jesus Christ and was immediately shown a miraculous sign. Later, and unto this very day, the miraculous still occurs, but there is almost always no audible voice. Many will explain God’s interactions with people as coincidence or wishful thinking. At some frequency those arguments become too thin to carry weight, and people who’ve refused to “come and see” don’t want others to do that either.

To be sure, the erosion of faith invariably has ever-decreasing “come and see” activity and perception. The invitation, then, is ongoing and vital. Something good – VERY good- has come from Nazareth.

“How”, not “when”

Luke 17:20-21 Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.”

The question was a “when” question that Jesus answered with a “how” answer. And in his answer how, he answered the “when” question with “right now”.

Having seen the miracles Jesus performed and listening to his teaching, many in Israel thought he would bring the kingdom of God as a political force that would rule the world from Jerusalem. There was no shortage of national pride in that expectation.

This was not the reign that Jesus was to bring. Instead, it was conquest of the human soul, a personal transformation paid for by his own sacrifice, the very opposite of the actions of the ruler they expected. They were both unwilling and incapable of understanding and experiencing the kingdom in their midst.

Jesus went on to explain to his disciples the dire times that would bring God’s kingdom in power upon the earth. It would (and will) not be a desirable period in which to live. Yet, it was not to happen in the lifetime of his hearers.

It is healthy for believers to long for Jesus’ return. There is only One who can deliver this world, and his appearing and final reign is before us all as a blessed hope.

But we should never assume that any man-made or -sustained system on this earth to be the expression of God’s kingdom “in our midst”. It is mine and ours, to have the reign of God within our hearts and the conformation to his image (Romans 8:29) be the signature work of power in this life.

Jesus instructed his followers to NOT chase after predictions of the times of his return (Acts 1:7) yet people act like the Pharisees in their speculation and relentless scheming. Let me stay away from that foolishness and treasure the Kingdom that is in our midst and in me. Amen.

The structures and tactics of conflict

Acts 16:20-21 They brought them before the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice.”

In Philippi, there was a slave who told the future.  Her masters made money from her gift, though it was not a gift at all but a spirit that was working through her.  When Paul and Silas went into the city and were preaching the gospel, she followed them around, incessantly saying “ These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.”  While this could initially be seen as encouragement, after several days it got old and so annoyed Paul that he cast the spirit out of the slave and she became incapable of fortune-telling.

Her owners were infuriated, so they rabble-roused a crowd and came before the authorities with the charge above.  It is very important to note that their charge had NOTHING to do with their underlying conflict.  The charge was only effective in gaining an angry crowd to go along with them, making a strong enough accusation to ensure the punishment of those who they felt had stolen from them.

This shows the structures and tactics of conflict.  The inner motives of aggression and vengeance are such powerful drivers that the origin of the argument is quickly lost.  Once this happens, lies and contrived accusations become the norm.  Woe to the judge or magistrate to make sense of what is said or done.  Teasing the truth out of such an atmosphere requires both wisdom and strong conviction, neither of which might be present.

But I am the judge of such conflict in my own life.  I can see the mechanisms working, conjuring up reasons to justify my position which have nothing to do with the deeper hurt or injustice.  Let me pray to uncover those base reasons and deal with them at the core of my soul, in prayer then in heartfelt communication with my offender(s).  Whatever their response is, let me at least be in touch with what’s really going on in me.  May I cut short the contriving schemes my clever mind hatches and simply forgive, grieve and move on.

And when conflict is brought before me, either as the accused offender or the judge, let me learn to discern what is really going on.  Let me ask deep questions that have nothing to do with the surface charges and insinuations, for they are craftily constructed veneers over the pain that is really the issue.  Then, learning where the true hurt lies, let me apologize, make amends or do justly according to what would acknowledge it, re-establish empathy and heal.