Matthew 8:9 For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

Being under authority provides a flow of power and blessing.  Of course, it can also perpetuate a flow of hideous destruction.  It is the top-down course of permission and command that empowers the individual.

The Centurion was saying that he knew Jesus received his power to do the miraculous from God on high, just as he received his own power to act militarily from the hierarchy of Roman command above him.  Jesus was astounded by his understanding and faith and showered the human saying with praises heard nowhere else in the gospels.

Among Jesus followers, there is a tendency to either shirk or overplay human hierarchy.  After all, Jesus was only “under” God, right?  And there is another tendency to force submission and thus, proudly build ecclesiastical reporting structures that serve to build denominations or movements.  There is no question that hierarchy was in place in the early church, but there were no denominations and splinter groups were on their own.  So, we see human authority both abandoned and over-emphasized.  And while there is apparent freedom in refusing to submit, there is equal pride in being lone believers or leaders.  Pride will crimp the flow of God’s power, as it is pointedly opposed (see James 4:6).

In the story, power was needed for healing.  It was not power for power’s sake or just for show.

Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.

The dynamic, timely flow of power from hierarchical structure heals and delivers.  This does not negate relationship – indeed, the motive of love is ever present in the exchange.  The need to be “plugged in” to a corporate “tree” – even in Christ – is intrinsic. 

So let me heed and continue to be one “under authority”, in the right heart and the right place that I might avail the power of God in time of need.

Loving enemies

Luke 6:35-36 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.

There is perhaps no more non-intuitive teaching Christ gave than to love one’s enemies. Stored up antipathy/resentment, ongoing pain and shame, abuse and opposition – sometimes with the only issue that I am who I am – all stand in the way of obeying this commandment (and yes, it is a commandment).

But if my life is to echo that of God, if I am heaven’s ambassador on earth, if I am being molded into the image of Christ, it is unavoidable that I will have his character and practice.

To be sure, mercy does not mean absolution. Loving one’s enemies does not condone anything said or done. But it strongly tempers the desire for revenge and injects a strange compassion into the mix.

God loves all people. He blesses all people. He purposes that we all be saved. It is of course up to the response of people to his freewill offering of his Son on the cross, but the offering is NEVER withheld and never will be.

Loving one’s enemies is a do-it-first proposition. Feelings may follow; they may not. The unwarranted blessing is made akin to heaping coals on someone’s head – even a hardened narcissist takes notice and sees a debt s/he can’t or won’t repay.

Let me find and remember my enemies this day. And obey.

Insisting upon the Presence

Exodus 33:15-16 Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?”

God had announced that it was all well and good for the people of Israel to go and conquer (or try) Canaan, but that His presence would not go with them, because they were “stiff-necked” – in Hebrew  עֹ֙רֶף֙ (kaw-sheh’), meaning obstinate, but also cruel, hard and grievous.  He could well, therefore, be forced to destroy them along the way.  That announcement pointed out nothing new in the rough relationship the children of Israel had already acted out during their exodus from Egypt.  At every point of trial or difficulty, they had risen up, complained and threatened the position and even the lives of their leaders.  Their rejection of God was an historical fact and destined to repeat itself.

Moses said the words above in response.  Israel was a people identified by their God.  God was their distinction and His favor was signature to their being chosen among all the people of the earth.  Now, all nations in the ancient world had national gods.  But none of the small-g deities had delivered their people from their captors like the Israelites had been.  The manifest power of God’s presence and predominance of His will, purpose and favor was and remains without precedent.

So, Moses would not endorse going up to Canaan at all without the Presence (Hebrew word means “face”) of God.  Because to do so would abandon all that made Israel special.

It is the proposition of scripture that God has a people – those who call Him Lord by faith and desire to live after the pattern He spoke, by grace (unmerited favor) and by the power He provides.  They have, as a result, and unfair advantage over the faithless in living in love and righteousness.  It is also history in scripture that those same people can leave grace and decide, like those outside of grace, to live for themselves.  They don’t do so without a fight from the Lord – who guards His investments – but ultimately can decide to walk away.

Remaining, waiting and maintaining relationship – and it is one of serving, being humbled, forgiven and restored – with God, then, is the only way to preserve God’s favor in life.  This gets hard for all people of faith as it got hard for the Israelites.  There are real challenges and obstacles and we don’t see how to continue.  Trusting God to part a sea, bring water from a rock and manna every morning does nothing to stoke human pride.  Trusting God is not an accomplishment on many resumes.

Do I go up to Canaan without Him, then?  Well, even if I succeed in that endeavor, I am nothing special without God’s hand upon me.  And I’m only as strong as the latest conqueror of many can be.  There is an ongoing sequence of achievers who will outdo me in time.  No, I am only truly ennobled when I can point to all I have walked through and give glory and thanks to the One who called me to do them.  That is not just what I do, it’s who I am – one who by grace has learned to trust in the hand of the Almighty to do His bidding through me.

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.

Conflict gone ballistic

Acts 6:11 Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, “We have heard Stephen speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God.”

They had heard no such thing. Stephen simply had used the same scriptures they used to selectively enforce their oppressive reign over the people to show that Jesus was and is God the Son. And he was unbeaten in his debates; they simply had no answer for him.

So, out of that defeat and wounded pride came a set of false accusations that would eventually result in Stephen’s death. But first he would win one last debate – in front of the whole council of religious leaders.

The act of escalating a debate out of envy and malicious vengeance always produces overkill. But those who do it are pleased to gloat over their victory, however achieved. But it is of course no conflict resolution – it is only escalation to higher authorities who may or may not have the insight or even the compassion to judge or contend fairly and justly.

Do I handle conflict like this? Do I scheme, gather secret consensus and ally myself with those whose only agreement with me is resentment towards my foe? Certainly I can and must appeal to God my Father, both for encouragement and correction. But concerning correction – do I even entertain the possibility that I might be in the wrong? Am I refusing to learn, thinking I know it all? If so, I must remember the wisdom of humility, though it cost me some esteem for a time.

And when I am like Stephen, the winner of debate and the one who finishes atop my competitors, do I seek to reconcile with them, to re-establish peace and safety as much as is possible? We aren’t told about Stephen’s entreaties to his opponents; whether he approached them as friends after contending with them as ideological enemies. Whatever happened, there clearly was no reconciliation and matters only grew worse.

It’s not that peace is the ultimate goal. But it’s definitely one goal. Stephen was fighting, as any believer should, to proclaim the truth. Yet truth without mercy can be very cruel. Again, not being sure of what Stephen said or did, let me be sure to mend relationships when there has been the heat of debate or the bone of contention.

Healthy perspective on turmoil – Philippians 1:15-18 (December 6, 2013)

Scripture:

Philippians 1:15-18 Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.

Observation:

Paul wrote the letter to the Philippians while in a Roman jail. In this passage, he described how the work of church-building was going on in his absence from the field. Some were carrying the torch, inspired by his devotion that he held even as he awaited trial before Caesar. Those preachers had pure motives and saw Paul’s imprisonment as verification of the truth of the gospel – its proclamation threatened the corrupt powers in Rome. But also Paul had rivals. They were preachers who preached the gospel with bad motives – to ruin Paul’s reputation or to present a different slant on things that was “correct” while his was flawed. There was some variance between what they were saying and what Paul had said, but Paul considered it insignificant. “Christ is proclaimed” meant that the essentials of saving faith and disciple-making were intact in their message. They were out to hurt Paul but in so doing, were speaking truth that people needed to hear. And Paul, sitting in a Roman dungeon, was doubtless in constant prayer for them, not only forgiving their opposition but contending for the effectiveness of their message to reach hearts for Jesus. And it is a remarkable peace and assurance in the Holy Spirit that he had obtained, such that he could see good results from bad intentions. It’s also a testament to the power of the message itself.

Application:

It was not out of resignation that Paul promoted the work of his detractors. It was out of conviction. He was not hesitant to condemn others who were not faithful to the message of Christ, but with these he sought reconciliation. So immediately, do I long for that? Do I remember the sting of rivalry, the put-downs and sarcasm? Or can I see past that to God’s long-term work. I faced such a rival recently after not seeing him for years. My heart melted. I loved the man and we talked as good friends, because we were. I’ve known preacher and pastors who sullied the reputation of those who saw things differently and who had left their sphere of influence, even under peaceful and cordial circumstances. Do I accommodate ways of doing things other than my own? Can I see diversity in leadership as a good thing, and not one that threatens me and my paltry “kingdom” (I use the word in jest though I have seen leadership that confuse the church with their personally ruled domain). Can I rejoice that Christ is proclaimed where I have not proclaimed it? I certainly hope so, for therein is 99.99999% of its proclamation. Is my own approach to things so sacrosanct to me that I cannot learn from the approach of those others? And though their attitude may be as rotten as spoiled eggs, can I see the good things God is doing in and through them? That would be an arrival I could rejoice in and one that would supplant turmoil and hurt with deep peace and trust. It involves a long view, though. But we each run a marathon path. Why should I take my perspective at mile 11 as the one that matters? Or mile 26 even (that is, the end) when others are still beginning theirs? Is God bigger than how I see things? Of course!

Prayer:

Father, You know all things. Take this troubled heart and give it insight, peace and love for those that can legitimately be seen as enemies. Give me faith, I pray, to know how to pray and how to think and move. I give You all this trouble, all this anxiety once again. Thank You for speaking again, in Jesus’ name, amen.     

Merciful inclusion – Romans 9:22-24 (May 28, 2013)

Scripture:

Romans 9:22-24 What if God, although choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath—prepared for destruction? What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory— even us, whom he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles?

Observation:

The ninth chapter of the book of Romans was devoted to Paul’s explanation of the standing of his Jewish brethren before God, once the gospel had been revealed. He began by saying that he so longed for “ethnic Israel” (a term borrowed from my seminary professor – versus “spiritual Israel”) to come to the knowledge of Jesus Christ that he would forfeit his own salvation to see it happen. Then he explained the sovereignty of God in election, that it was believers in Christ who were the true Israel and God’s mercy was vividly on display in that action. The passage above sounds hypothetical only to get the reader to think – it’s not a “what if” question at all – it is exactly what happened. For the Jewish reader, who knew God to be just and holy, it served to introduce His overarching mercy. The “objects of his wrath” would be all people prior to receiving Christ, but to the Jewish reader, it would mean Gentile pagans – those outside the promises of Abraham, doomed for an eternity in Sheol. These very “objects” were treated with mercy and patience, rather than the wrath so well understood (or not) by the religious observers. This was not a reversal of a position on God’s part, but it was a prepared, ordained disposition “for glory” on behalf of all who would believe. He does NOT say others are prepared for judgment. But the overall duality of the communities and multiplicity of ethnicities producing this group prepared “for glory” is as important a part of the statement as any measure of mercy. This was a move of merciful inclusion.

Application:

How dare I ever consider someone outside the reach of such mercy? Do personal hurts, corporate offenses or any perceived thought, word or action cause me to give up hope in people, even hate them with religious venom, personal banishment and my own contrived condemnation? There are poisonous people that I must keep my distance from, but only to pray harder and hope for more diligently. God’s mercy has no expression except my life for the people around me; I am ashamed this very day to realize how poor an example I have been. But then, my reception of that mercy goes on in my life every day, so I mustn’t give up the knowledge that His mercies are new every morning, and drinking in and practicing those mercies as well. And this is of course not a condemnation of Jewish people either; or any other religious community. The preparation “for glory” of people from every nation was for the Jew first, and inasmuch as Jewish people were the first to come to Christ, it opened the door for all Gentiles who would ever come, including me. The whole church owes its existence, doctrinal footing and rich history to those first Jewish founders; it can never be a word from God to count them out or destroy them. The only exclusion is an exclusion from mercy. That is, those who will not receive mercy are the ones outside of Christ and the promises of God. But mercy can break through; it happens every day. May it find a home with me to do that very work.

Prayer:

Father, this is Your will and will be Your will forever. Let me never take it for granted or ever cease to show the mercy by which I have been saved. For it is for glory and I want that glory to shine. In Jesus’ name I ask this, amen

Functional, content body parts – 1 Corinthians 12:18-20, 26 (March 27, 2013)

Scripture:

1 Corinthians 12:18-20,26  But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.  If they were all one part, where would the body be?  As it is, there are many parts, but one body …  If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

Observation:

Heterogeneity is normal in the church.  People fill different roles, have different gifts and together they comprise the body.  As was the case concerning most aspects of their life together in Corinth, the believers there were jealous of one another’s gifts and callings.  Using the metaphor of the body parts, Paul wrote of a foot that longed to be a hand and an ear that longed to be an eye.  And if these parts were not granted their desired roles, there was an implied “I quit” coming from them.  But Paul said that had no weight.  A foot is a foot, so as to speak.  So there was a contentment to be gained as the realization of who they really were in the body took hold.  And the passage above went on to say it was God who made the parts and placed them as He did.  The differences were by design, then and it made logical sense.  For as a human body needed all its parts; so it was with the church.  Many parts/one body was a statement of composite unity.  That is, the church was no less unified because of people’s differences.  In fact, it was made more sound, functional and able to achieve all it was called to do.  And the ending thought was that since the body is one, like the human body any suffering was felt by all as was any honor.  The love that was to be shared among believers is such that all pain and all rejoicing caused a common experience among the people.  The toe on the foot that was stubbed was to be just as painful to the hand as to the foot itself.  This addressed both pride and separatism/independence.  Both were sins that ran counter to the dependent life of the body parts.

Application:

Do I know what part of the body I am?  Do I try to be something I’m not?  Certainly there are desirable roles, those holding microphones and doing public things.  But if that’s not my place, then I am dangerously out of order if I presume to do those things.  And if I am granted the high place, do I look down on the feet and unpresentable parts of the body?  Do I even notice them?  I should know that my place and ministry depends on those “underlings” such that they are not under me at all but beside me.  Do I see an appreciate God’s hand in all this?  Do I believe the church is just a random group of people who happened to meet in the same place pursuing the same goals in life?  That’s a club; it’s NOT the people of God.  If I believe anything about the church, then I must believe in God’s direct hand in forming it and having these exact people in this exact place with these exact gifts and roles.  It’s not that people can’t get it wrong- they can – just as they were doing in Corinth.  So let me encourage those who long to be someone they are not.  That which they think will make them happy will in fact put them in a disjoint state, with others depending upon them for things they could never deliver or do.  There’s mercy there, and grace, but also the call of God to find joy in what the world calls menial, and glory in the expertise and talent that goes unnoticed except among those who know the inner workings of the body.  The body functions when everyone is in his/her place doing his/her job.  And everyone can delight in that if they can gain eyes to see (or is it ears to hear? 🙂 ).

Prayer:

Father, help me fight jealousy from below and arrogance from above.  Grant me the sobriety to see my place in the body and the compassion to see that of others and to encourage them to go on in their calling.  I ask it in Jesus’ name, amen.

Unity’s bottom line – 1 Corinthians 11:22, 33 (March 26, 2013)

Scripture:

1 Corinthians 11:22, 33  Don’t you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God by humiliating those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? Certainly not in this matter! …  So then, my brothers and sisters, when you gather to eat, you should all eat together.

Observation:

The early church, including the church in Corinth, met in people’s homes.  Part of the meeting was a meal, which was named a “love feast”, denoting the fellowship experienced around the breaking of bread and the unity in the Body of Christ.  But in Corinth, there were people who were harming the fellowship by eating by themselves – gorging themselves – or by drinking too much prior to the meeting.  As a result, there were some who received nothing to eat.  And for those people, it was not just a matter of missing a snack, the meal was sustenance and they went hungry.  This was absolutely unconscionable to Paul, the poor were to be the special guest of honor wherein the wealthy were to serve them and share their goods as Christ shared His wealth with humankind.  To act in such a selfish way displayed that the church had not yet learned who Christ was and all He had done for them.  God is the exalter of the humble, but the humble in this case remained humiliated.  And to let that happen was to “despise the church of God”.  That is, at the core of the church’s existence was a mandate to love each other and that meant intentional inclusion of the least of those in the church.  So Paul’s evaluation was not one that praised this action at all; it was a travesty to think the church would behave this way.  And the solution, provided several verses later was that the people make it a point to eat together, not separately.  That simple adjustment would speak love to those in need and allow those who had plenty to become humble and inclusive.

Application:

The practice of eating together was only one activity where this principle applied, even in the ancient church.  And today is no different.  Do I make it a point to include those who would in society be separate, marginalized and isolated?  Do I even know what makes them feel that way?  Do I even speak to them, caring about their lives, however broken and dysfunctional?  It is from lives like that which Christ builds the church, let me learn it and know it well.  Do I gorge myself with time, toys and comforts while sharing nothing with those who would be blessed with a small portion of all I have?  Let me learn how to share.  Let me ask God for ways to creatively dole out all my goods and resources, not as a high-brow benefactor but as a brother who happens to have.  And where I do not have, let me be sure to be a humble but included part of the breaking of bread, enjoying the sweet fellowship of the family of God at each level of social, economic and ideological location from which they come.  For Christ is the Great Equalizer, making poor rich and rich poor so that liberty and unity can be the hallmarks of His church.  Let me make a very strident point of everything done together in the church, for I must assume when it is not done that way, damage is done or enforced, and the church becomes just like the toxic places people have fled.  We are one in Christ or we are many without Him; that is the bottom line.

Prayer:

Father, I pray that You would show me the practicalities of this teaching.  Let striving for unity enter my heart, never to be leave or be diminished by discouragement or fatigue.  I ask for it, in my life and in Your church, in Jesus’ name, amen.

Not a matter of talk – 1 Corinthians 4:18-20 (November 9, 2012)

Scripture:

1 Corinthians 4:18-20  Some of you have become arrogant, as if I were not coming to you.  But I will come to you very soon, if the Lord is willing, and then I will find out not only how these arrogant people are talking, but what power they have.  For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.

Observation:

In his absence, the people in the church at Corinth had gone off to their independent ideological corners.  They broke off into factions, ostensibly following different leaders and had left gross sin unaddressed.  Paul summarily called them on the carpet, telling them to live righteously both individually and corporately.  And he spoke against the outright defiance that had taken root in their midst.  He had founded this church, yet there were those who were treating him as if he was one with a merely divergent opinion.  In their pride they had dismissed his teaching as less than their own and his authority as distant and relative.  Here he named their arrogance for what it was and assured them the distance was not something that would remain for long.  He was returning to them and soon.  Then he provided a measure of the competitive-spirited doctrine of those who had raised themselves up.  It was that of power, presumably spiritual power to back up what they were saying.  That was to be the nature of the “bake-off” between them.  And Paul was not mincing words nor making idle threats.  He had been used by God to blind and silence people in the past; not every expression of power was for healing and deliverance.  And the competitors would have known this; the very thought of such a thing would humble them.  For Paul did not wield this power as a personal enforcer; it was used to preach the Word of God in all its fullness.  Could his detractors harness it?  Hardly.  Lastly, Paul supplied the trump sentence, defining the kingdom of God by its accomplishing power.

Application:

I cannot produce the power Paul spoke of; it must come from God Himself.  But do I allow it?  Do I expect it to accompany the faith I stand in?  I clearly should.  I need to know God is with me to accomplish His purposes not as the fruit of a successful debating club but as a declaration of the Creator of all things, not bound by laws of nature or people.  I need to read the book of Acts and see its miracles in the steps I take.  The believers were not apologetic in their message nor were they arrogantly in people’s faces.  They just went where God sent them and said what He told them to say and did what He told them to do.  They did not turn the world upside down with persuasive words but with undeniable acts of power.  Let me ask for it today; let me expect it tomorrow and in the future.  For either God is able to accomplish His word or He is not and my faith is in vain.  But there is the need to risk as well and that is where I – and many others as well – fall short.  When to risk what, how to take the risk, what to say and do when I take a risk .. these things plague me and tear at my confidence (please be honest with me).  The need for prayer and the knowledge that God will repeat Himself to teach me all things – He is amazingly though not infinitely patient – must be allowed to encourage me.  And comparing myself to others – as always – is death to this expression as well.  Let me just hear and act.

Prayer:

Father, take me to the basics again, hearing and trusting.  I need Your power if I am to walk this path at all.  In Jesus’ name, amen.