Friday, September 18, 2009

What is Spiritual Solid Food? Hebrews 5c thru 7a

I remember many years ago, gathered around a campfire somewhere, talking about people, events, and the Bible. There were about a half-dozen young men there, all between 16 and 26 years of age. We were very close friends. I believe it happened at Camp Shockley outside Francis, Oklahoma.

We got onto the topic of doctrinal distinctives of this, that, or the other denomination.

Inevitably, we all agreed that it was good that we understood the Bible as well as we did. Our understanding of the deeper things of Scripture meant that we had the special favor of God. He would bless our efforts to evangelize. We would grow in power and influence. We would not fall. Our faith (or so we called it) was firm.

What were these special doctrines? They were the points on which we differed from most other Christians, of course! We are only human, children really, that desperately need to be different from others (notice me!). A sense that we are different, in this case "right," gives us a sense of security when Judgment Day comes. But, is God going to judge us, based on how well we knew our own distinctives?

We patted ourselves on the back. We were feeding on Scriptural meat; raw, tough, manly beef! Yes, we were rugged all right!

But what is, actually, the spiritual meat, the "solid food" discussed in this Hebrews passage?

Solid food is for adults, who by conditioning have acquired senses trained to distinguish right and wrong.

The writer lists the basic foundations of faith, the "milk":


  1. repentance works that lead to death
  2. trusting God
  3. the washing and laying on of hands
  4. the eternal judgment
  5. the resurrection of the dead.

Those are the basics, the milk! The very stuff we considered "meat"!

So what then is the solid food from Scripture? Very simply, to follow Christ and walk in his steps! Is not love called "the greatest of these" by Paul? We get people into Church, and face to face with Christ, through the message of judgment, baptism, repentance from sins, etc. But far too many of us go no further than basic doctrines.

Christ called us to the higher things, the solid food - the part on which we all agree: that love conquers all! That humility and service to others is really what it's all about!

Leaving arguments and divisiveness aside, we press on to gentleness and selflessness - the most difficult step of all, yet the most simple. And there is no place at all, in the feast of the solid food, for divisions.

Our ancestors disobeyed God and ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Have you noticed that children have a much easier time than adults, in doing good? Kids are out playing, enjoying life. Even Hitler was once a child playing in the schoolyard! Adulthood changes us, presents us with a myriad of alternative paths to follow. We are bombarded with images of violence and immorality all the time: we gain the knowledge of good and evil! And we usually choose the evil!

We are not ready for this knowledge, so death had to be the outcome.

The Christian that feeds on the solid food of love and selflessness becomes one that can be presented with good and evil, and not be warped by it.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

The Problem of the Self-Appointed: Hebrews 5b

A single person, out of thousands, may self-appoint himself into a position of great authority over the thousands.

This happens all the time in American society. Our system is supposed to elevate the natural leaders to supervision of our government and laws. Our legislatures are supposed to be composed of people that are most representative of those represented, to go speak on behalf of the whole.

But instead we get partisan hacks that manipulated the system for their own benefit.

A democratic republic that is functioning efficiently, should never have a man as President, that nobody heard of four years ago. And it should not keep returning to office Congressmen that have forgotten what it is like to be Average Joe Citizen.

If there is a vacancy in my local Planning Commission, I can go in, fill out a form, be interviewed by the Township Board, and receive its appointment. I have, in effect, appointed myself to a position where I can tell your neighbors what they can and cannot do on their own property. I do not have to have any special credentials. It is not important that my values match those of my neighbors. I just have to step forward, and suddenly my influence has multiplied many times over. And really, the most important factor is that I want the job.

Sadly, the same dynamic holds true in our churches. Some young person claims to have been "called" to the ministry. He or she receives the requisite college preparation, followed by ordination. Next thing you know, a person of under thirty years of age bears the mantle of "church authority" that is not to be questioned.

Also, one doesn't bestow such an honor on oneself but is called by God just as Aaron was.

The scriptural record could not be more clear. If we would care to look, the requirements for any position of leadership in the Church are delineated in detail. But here, perhaps the most important point is made: Gods calls people to the ministry. They do not appoint themselves. And I have seen enough young people get burned out in the ministry, such that their marriages fail, that we should be wary about entrusting God's calling to a person whose frontal lobe is not fully developed (at about the age of 25 - the frontal lobe governs our ability to weigh options and make wise judgments.)

All across society, at every level and in every profession, I believe that we suffer because we let people (particularly leaders) select themselves for important roles. If the most important quality of leadership is humility, then it's no wonder there is a crisis of leadership.

Leaders in the Bible were dragged into authority. They begged not to be appointed, or called.

So, when leadership or representation is called for, let us consider praying for wisdom first. Let those making the selection consider carefully if this person truly is viewed as a leader. Is she humble? Do others respect her? If a person is called to be a representative - then does he truly fit into the beliefs and background of the people to be represented?

The party system may be easy. And we may believe that a person wanting to lead should at least want the job! Whatever. It's not the model God showed us. And it is not getting us good results.


Monday, September 7, 2009

Being Your Own High Priest: Hebrews 5a

God is very careful to select humble people for great tasks.

He selects the humble. The world selects the proud and arrogant.

With the possible exception of George Washington, every person ever elected President of the United States, wanted the job. They thought that it was owed to them. It is almost a requirement of the office, that you must believe you are better than the other person. And how arrogant is that?

What candidate for office ever said in a debate: "Please do not vote for me. I am slow of speech. I have a physical handicap. I'm not that sharp. Take one of these others."

It just doesn't happen that way, and it makes us wonder if anybody really gets the point of the connection between real leadership and humility.

And what about this "elected for life" concept? For example, in many local governments in Michigan, you will find elected officials that have held office for over 25 years. Not only do these people not step down, it becomes impossible for others to unseat them. Are they truly the only people out of the tens of thousands that they represent, that can do the job, over the course of decades?

The same is true in national office. Is Barney Frank the only person who can best represent Boston Massachusetts in Congress, for over two decades? Is he the one person that most truly represents the whole of his district? What is that saying about Congressman Frank? What does it say about his constituents?

The person that keeps re-inserting him or herself into elected office is anything but humble! But God always chooses the humble.

. . . every . . . high priest . . . is . . . subject to weakness.

So, God started out a system of government way back in the time of Abraham. The only position required at the time was that of high priest. But he made sure that the high priest knew that he was a weak vessel, just like the humans he represents. Imagine, what if every high priest to follow continued with humility. The writer of Hebrews says that the high priest has to make sacrifices for his own sins, as well as the sins of the people.

Humanity copied the idea of high priest, and turned it into a warped symbol of prestige and power. By the time of Christ, the pharasaical system had become the twisted result of what happens when we take something good from God, and put our own spin on it. The Scribes and Pharisees were the purveyors of condemnation and guilt. They had made themselves into God's representatives, looking down on others and living a high life.

We have high priests because we need them . . . all of us. Even the high priest needed a high priest.

Remember this as we go into an ugly season of partisan politics at the national level. It is Labor Day, and summer is over. The American national government is about to go to war with itself over health care reform. As you observe the debate, look for little hints of humility on the part of of "leaders" in Washington.

Sunday, September 6, 2009

Drawn Close Lately? Hebrews 4d

I read somewhere, that science has proven that we never use more than 15% of our brain's total capacity. Think about that for a second.

What does this mean? What could a fully engaged, 100% active brain do? The science-fiction buff in me shudders at the possibilities: mind-reading, levitation, telekinesis, foretelling the future, etc.

How many fully-activated brains would it take to solve the world's problems? Could a cure for cancer be devised in an instant? Could cancer even be thought-away? Could our 100%-brain-manipulated words persuade Kim Jung Il into resigning and, maybe, becoming a world-class Christian evangelist?

Maybe this is something God understands about us. It's why He didn't want us eating of the Tree of Knowledge. Maybe it contains vitamins and minerals that give us 100% brainpower, and we are not good, pure, and holy enough for that yet!

No, our brains are way underutilized, and will continue so until God bestows spiritual bodies upon us at the Return of Christ.

But what about another source of power that we never tap into? What about the throne of grace? God begs us to meet with Him there. Do we ever do it, though? We have a standing invitation from the Creator, to meet with Him. All of our answers are there. Grace and healing is there for the taking. Power that is greater than an entire brain, is there for the asking.

Then let us confidently draw near to the throne of grace and receive the mercy and find the grace that can give us timely aid.

I have not, if ever, been to the throne of grace. I've been close to it. I've reached out, perhaps, and felt its warmth. I have seen it from afar. Where John Wesley's chest was "strangely warm" once, mine has moved into lukewarm, maybe, a time or two in my life.

The writer of Hebrews says to go confidently to the throne of grace.

I don't know how this is done. I think you should be on your knees. I think you should have no other distractions. Having studied the Word of God recently can't hurt. Being around other Christians, that also long to touch the throne, helps.

But you have to try.

There is not a problem that God cannot solve. He is all around us. He is never far away. He sees it all and reaches out His hand. The problem isn't with God. It's with us. We need only focus on Him, notice Him, reach out to Him, and He will not disappoint. We are the ones that need to move.

Go to the throne today. Confidently. Go.

Saturday, September 5, 2009

Faith without the Word? Hebrews 4c

I marvel when professing Christians act worldly. You know you're acting worldly, if you are behaving like children. Throwing tantrums, getting your feelings hurt, insulting others, insisting on your way . . . these are immature behaviors. They are not godly, and they are not Christlike.

When you see a professing Christian acting this way, you may reasonably conclude that this person has not been reading (studying, meditating upon) his or her Bible.

I know myself, that when I am behaving inappropriately, it is because I have not been studying the Word.

A teenager expressed her doubts to me, that God is real. She complained that God hasn't done anything good for her, ever. But I also know that this particular girl does not read her Bible. It is not a habit to her.

The Bible is the Word of God. And the Word of God is Christ. Whatever you believe about who Jesus Christ is, chances are you admire his words and deeds. It stands to reason that, if you read about him, and learn his teachings, you will be influenced by him. You will become more like him. If you want to be more like Christ, fill yourself with him by reading the Bible!

If you have doubts, or questions, or difficulties, read the Word!

For the word of God is living, active, more cutting than any double-edged sword, and penetrating enough to sever soul from spirit and marrow from bone, while it judges the thoughts and passions of our hearts.

What then, you say, about Bible-thumpers, people that think they are better than others because they have "the truth"? How do these narrow-minded people, that read the Bible every day, fit into this model of the "Christ-like Bible student"?

The answer is simple. It is because they, indeed, study the Bible narrowly. They only see passages that fit their assumptions. They read "proof-texts" only, and skip the sections that address behaviors and beliefs that they should change in themselves.

You can spot these people easily in a Bible study. They will refuse to discuss difficult passages that would require them to examine their own lives. But they come alive when an essential doctrinal verse is discussed. How they love the Bible, when it agrees with them!

You cannot live in Christ, without studying his word. In essence, you are what you read, and many of you have not been reading good stuff. It shows in your behavior.

Friday, September 4, 2009

Vain Work: Hebrews 4b

I remember times when I worked hard on difficult, energy-draining projects. There were hot summer days helping a farmer down the road bale hay. There were times when it was just me, and the farmer's son. I would be up stacking them in the loft, and he would be loading the bales onto an elevator. I got paid for this, but I will admit, I hated the work! Back in those days, I often would get asked to help during hay-baling season. Dexter was still a farming community, and a lot of us were familiar with hard work!

There were other times, though, like the Summer of 1980, during a record-breaking heat-wave in Texas. I and some other men re-roofed the Shamrock Advent Christian Church. Except for some of the best cooking I have ever known in my life, none of us got paid to do this work. Yet, I loved it. My memories are positive. It was like play.

What was the difference?

It was all about motive. In one case, I was working for money. In another, I was serving others, and along the way having some excellent fellowship with a group of godly men.

The writer of Hebrews talks about our promised "rest," our reward for serving God. There will come a time when the curse is defeated, the curse that doomed us to work and toil throughout life, subject to thorns and thistles, disease and death. But one day, God promises, we will rest from our labors.

Now, we could just rest on Sunday, or Saturday (if you are a 7th Day-er). But how many of us actually "rest" on our Sabbath?

In Hebrews, this rest is treated as though it has already come. What is meant?

So there must be a Sabbath's rest still waiting for the people of God, and whoever finds this rest has rested from his own labors as God once rested from His.

Our final reward, our eternal rest, is still in the future, without doubt. But here we seem to be able to claim the rest today. How can we do this, when there is obviously work to be done? Who will mow the grass? Who will pay the bills?

I think it's all about attitude. Some people make a big deal out of work. They make noise while they're "working." They comment about it after "Whew! I'm whipped! Been canning beans all evening!"

Or, "I troubleshot 16,000 lines of code. Took six hours."

Or, "I work myself to the bone and no one lifts a finger to help me!"

We keep going back to work . . . to works. How we crave, and long, for attention!

Have you noticed how much little children want you to notice what they have done, or are doing? It is because children of all sorts are activity-focused. They are works-oriented. They only know activity. But adults should move beyond that! Their purview should shift from drawing attention to themselves, to focusing more on others. Becoming more Christlike . . . not more busy!

So yes, it is possible to rest, even while you are working yourself to the bone! You can work because you are doing it for the right reasons. You do not care who gets the credit. And if your bones begin to protrude through their protective layer of skin, smile about it! God is good and He will take care of you! But if you have to complain about how hard you have worked, or brag about it, then you have ruined it for yourself and everybody! You just turned an act of cheerful giving (in which you actually did feel refreshed afterward), into work. You have stepped back into the curse.

Once I was working with an older male relative. Over time he began to get critical of me. He pointed out things for me to do, that I was already doing. He found little nit-picky things to comment on - suggesting changes that he wasn't even doing himself. Little arguments erupted.

I had gone into the work project feeling cheerful, eager for the time and fellowship with this trusted elder. And while we were getting along, it was not work at all. It was fellowship. Worship. Rest.

Finally I said - "I love work when it's fun. But when it ceases to be fun I hate it."

"Baloney!" was his terse response.

This person was stuck in the paradigm that work has to be work. It has to be laborious. It isn't supposed to be fun. If you are having fun, you aren't working.

Baloney, indeed!


Thursday, September 3, 2009

"Today": Hebrews 2b thru 4a

Many people speak of our eternal reward as being in the form of a place, namely, "Heaven."

Others describe that place with a little more Scriptural accuracy: "The Kingdom of God," (or "The Kingdom of Heaven.")

We are conditioned to believe the world is a bad place. How many people have you heard moan about a new child being born, into this "awful world"? We have difficulty accepting what God said about Creation, that it is "good." But if God says it is good, we must accept it at face value. Wouldn't all of our relationships and lives be much better, if we could only believe God when He says that the world is "good"?

But we have concluded that the world is a bad place. This has driven our emphasis on there being a better place for us. We cannot take the world as it is - we do not see the beauty in it, so we build our lives around building nice places (homes) for our families. We put ourselves in different roles, and wear different disguises depending on what we are doing. So we go to work. We go to a store. We go to a park. And we dress and act the part. We really are not being ourselves.

And we have developed a religious system that mirrors this emphasis on place. We must have our church buildings, so we can go to church. And the process of going to Church aligns closely with the assumption that one day we will go to Heaven, or to the Kingdom of God.

God must be setting aside another day, namely the "today" he mentions . . .

But if you look closely, you will see that God is more interested in a time, or a state of being, than He is of a place. God is, after all, everywhere. We cannot ever go to where He is, for we are already there!

The temple of the Old Testament was stressed, due to our need to be able to go into a place to do various things. God segmented our lives, for we were but children. But in the New Testament, being made new in Christ, we are the Temple. The Church is everywhere, and we do not need to go anywhere to be in it!

God taught us a radical concept, one that no other world religion can comprehend: that the Kingdom of God is here. It's now. And we are it!

God uses the word "today" a lot. Think about all it's uses throughout Scripture: "Truly truly, I say into you today . . . " is a good starting point. God exists today. He's right here, right now. All the time.

This is the point - our reward is not necessarily in some far off place. Let's leave that for the other religions. God promises us constant, eternal now. Every day is today, and today never ends. This is why Christ told us not to worry about tomorrow. If you are enjoying the here and now, then you've got it.

I have observed that the older people get, the more they just focus on what they're doing right now. They learn to appreciate the company in front of them right now. They move more and more towards activities they enjoy. They know the magic of getting into a "zone", focusing on something they enjoy. They prefer activities in which time seems to stand still. They learn more and more to live for the moment.

Stop thinking about what will happen when you die, where you will go, etc. Isn't even the concept of "go to Heaven when you die," really the same as worrying about tomorrow?

Just enjoy this moment. Appreciate today. God has promised that, for those that believe and accept it, today will never end.