The days are just packed.
That is the title of one of the books filled with Calvin and Hobbes comic strips. Calvin and Hobbes is definitely my favorite comic. Just thinking about it makes me feel a little bit better about life in general. That title is how I feel about this semester (and about every semester, now that I think about it). I'm already in my fifth week of the year at Ozark, and as always, I feel overworked and stressed out. If I were honest with myself, however, I would admit that my problem is not that I'm too busy, but that I'm lazy and I waste a lot of time sitting around doing nothing productive. But I'm not that honest. I'm all about pinning my problems on external circumstances. One cool thing about this semester is that I have been preaching every week at First Christian Church in Commerce, Oklahoma. The church is basically made up of twenty senior citizens, so it's been pretty interesting. I'm learning that working with senior citizens really isn't that different than working with middle school students, so it's a good thing I have all of that youth ministry experience.
I have been reading through the book of Acts recently. Acts is one of my favorite books in the Bible. As I have been reading, I have noticed how trouble seemed to follow the apostles wherever they went. It's very obvious in the ministry of Paul--he goes to one city, preaches for a while until people start getting made at him and try to kill him, and then he goes to another city and does the whole thing over again. This is one of the major themes of Acts, of course. The church is persecuted, as Jesus himself promised it would be (Jn. 15:20). Paul lists out all of his trials in 2 Corinthians 11:23-29, and it's a pretty extensive list. So we see that wherever Paul went, he had opponents who carried out their resistance in aggressive ways. It was easy to tell where Paul was. All you had to do was follow the riots and shouting masses of people with rocks in their hands.
We live in much more civilized times now, however. The American church doesn't face persecution the way that the first-century church did. People are flooding the streets in search of preachers to kick out of town.
Why is that? Why is it now more or less socially acceptable to be a Christian? Why are people okay with the fact that we're part of a faith that gets people killed in other places and times?
In part, the answer to this question is that times have changed, and our culture is very different from the one Paul ministered in. We live in a nation with Christian roots, and the last time I checked, attempting to stone somebody is frowned upon. However, I do think there is another reason why our faith does not seem to cause the same sort of ruckus that Paul's did, and that may be that we are not living it out in as radical of a manner. People did not drag Paul before the city officials because he was keeping to himself and living a quiet life, being sure not to upset anyone with what he was doing. They did it because he was in the synagogues and in the streets unabashedly telling people about Jesus.
I feel like I'm am generally liked by other people. I'm not aware of anyone that I really tick off very often, even though I am pretty sarcastic and can be a bit of a jerk. I certainly don't have anyone that wants to beat me up. The closest I ever got to being in a fight was when I was seven years old or so, and I was in one of those giant ball pits at the Discovery Zone when I accidentally crawled over the top of a kid who was buried in all the balls. He stood up and was pretty heated about the incident, but he was a bit bigger than me, and I am the most passive person I know. So I left before things got ugly. For me. I'm sure he would've been fine.
Maybe my life should bother other people more, though. Maybe I should be living in a way that makes people upset. Not because I am mean or hateful or anything like that, but because I boldly proclaim the gospel and follow Christ in a lifestyle that stands opposed to the ways of the world. Because I love those whom the world has deemed unlovable. Because I live like I and those around me are going to be judged. Because I don't keep Jesus to myself as a personal matter of faith but present him to everyone I come into contact with as the Savior whom they need.
People can take all of this too far, of course. There are some Christians who hear Jesus' words about how the world will hate them and use it as an excuse to be unloving, abrasive, and obnoxious. They seek out conflict so that they can brag to others how they have suffered in Jesus' name. They wear their self-induced martyrdom like a badge of spiritual superiority. So please, don't be like that. It's unnecessary, anyways. When we live the way that Christ prescribed for us and that Paul modeled, the unbelieving world around us will take offense.
When I started writing this post, I suddenly became very tired and was hit with a narcoleptic-like attack. So I'm sorry if this one isn't my best. I feel like I owe you a good post, you know? You have been waiting anxiously for over two weeks, after all.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Monday, September 6, 2010
Rule-Keeping and Transformation
I'm in a familiar place right now--at the same desk I've used for the past four years in my dorm room while Five Iron Frenzy plays on my stereo, sitting down to write a long-awaited blog post while most other people are out carousing and engaging in the beginning-of-the-year ritual of scoping out the freshmen girls. I decided that I'm too old and creepy to partake this year. Besides, I can do basically the same thing on facebook while I write, all from the comfort of my own room. Like I said, I'm getting way to creepy.
I really like the Bible. Which is a good thing, because if I didn't, I probably wouldn't enjoy Ozark very much. We're all about the Bible. I know, however ,that there are many people in the world who do not like the Bible like I do. There are a lot of reasons for this, of course, but I think that one of the main ones is that they see the Bible as a giant 1142 page rulebook (if you have the Zondervan thinline edition, like me). They think that Genesis begins with "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, and he said, "Don't track mud into the church building." And then at the end of Revelation: "Then Jesus came back and said, "Now I can keep a better eye on you, so you'd really better not mess up. Amen."
I wouldn't like a Bible like that, and I don't think I would like a Christianity that functioned like that. I don't think Jesus would like it, either. In his day, the Pharisees put a lot of emphasis on outward rule-keeping without seeming to care much about the inner state of the heart. They were zealous about ceremony and washing and sabbatical minutiae, but they paid little attention to whether or not a person's character was reflecting that of God. And there was not a group of people that takes more heat from Jesus than the Pharisees. Jesus said that they "clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence" (Mt. 23:25). He also called them "whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean" (Mt. 23:27). Harsher words than you find in your normal Palestinian clown-session.
Sadly, many today, both within and outside of the church, approach Christianity in the same way as the Pharisees understood Judaism. The first priority is being sure to strictly follow all of the commands in the Bible, plus some more that we throw on top for good measure. The Christian life means that we work really hard to clean ourselves up and get our acts together. Discipleship means crossing all our t's and dotting all our i's. This is how we get God to like us; this is how we prove to the world that they should be Christians too--by keeping the rules.
The problem with this mindset of rule-keeping is that same as it was for the Pharisees. We end up washing the part of the dish everyone sees but leaving dirt on the parts they eat from. We splash white paint on the outside when we're full of dead things inside. Jesus seems to have been much more concerned with the inner state of people than how good they looked on the outside. He knew that we can have really clean hands but still hold on to a collection of vices that "come from inside and make a man 'unclean'" (Mk. 7:23). He knew that abstaining from adultery (outward rule) wasn't that impressive if we were still lustful (Mt. 5:27-30). He knew that not murdering (outward rule) isn't the main issue when we are still angry people (Mt. 5:21-22).
What needs to change, then, is our self, not just our behavior. Who we really are--our inner thoughts and attitudes, our being--this is the problem. A rule-keeper doesn't see this. He believes that the aim of Christianity is first and foremost behavior. The biblical picture, however, is that our inner being must first be transformed. Not that behavior is unimportant, but that behavior is a result, not the aim. Our actions are an outflow from our new, transformed nature. Christ changes us from the inside out, but rule-keepers focus only on the "out."
There are many passages in the New Testament that speak of how we should behave. However, in many of those passages, behavior is not isolated as its own subject, but is rather linked with discussion with transformation. A believer's new identity is Christ is the impetus for a new lifestyle. So Paul does not write, "Now remember kids, don't sin! You can do it if you try really hard!" Instead, he writes, "We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?" (Rom. 6:2b). Here are a few other examples of how Paul shows how holy behavior begins with inner transformation:
Many times, a question arises in the church about whether or not morality should be legislated. In our culture, this discussion usually focuses around the hotbutton issues of abortion and homosexual marriage. Understandably. many Christians are against these actions and adamantly push for legislation to enforce Christian ideals. They think that, if we can keep homosexuals from getting married and can stop women from getting abortions, then we have won, and we can high-five each other and run into the locker room and starting popping open bottles of champagne. I think there is a problem with such a view of this issue because it still only focuses on behavior. If conservative action wins out, the root of the problem hasn't disappeared. The truth is that homosexuals do not need to be unmarried, and women do not need to give birth. All of them do need Jesus, however, because only he can save them and transform their lives from the inside. Laws can only change what happens outwardly, but Christ changes the heart. Now, don't misunderstand me. I am against abortion and gay marriage, but not just because of behavioral implications. I support legislation that stands against these actions, but I do so because I believe it creates a society where more people can hear accurately about Jesus. And he's what they really need.
Sixteen days until National Elephant Day. I hope you're all as excited as I am.
I really like the Bible. Which is a good thing, because if I didn't, I probably wouldn't enjoy Ozark very much. We're all about the Bible. I know, however ,that there are many people in the world who do not like the Bible like I do. There are a lot of reasons for this, of course, but I think that one of the main ones is that they see the Bible as a giant 1142 page rulebook (if you have the Zondervan thinline edition, like me). They think that Genesis begins with "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, and he said, "Don't track mud into the church building." And then at the end of Revelation: "Then Jesus came back and said, "Now I can keep a better eye on you, so you'd really better not mess up. Amen."
I wouldn't like a Bible like that, and I don't think I would like a Christianity that functioned like that. I don't think Jesus would like it, either. In his day, the Pharisees put a lot of emphasis on outward rule-keeping without seeming to care much about the inner state of the heart. They were zealous about ceremony and washing and sabbatical minutiae, but they paid little attention to whether or not a person's character was reflecting that of God. And there was not a group of people that takes more heat from Jesus than the Pharisees. Jesus said that they "clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence" (Mt. 23:25). He also called them "whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean" (Mt. 23:27). Harsher words than you find in your normal Palestinian clown-session.
Sadly, many today, both within and outside of the church, approach Christianity in the same way as the Pharisees understood Judaism. The first priority is being sure to strictly follow all of the commands in the Bible, plus some more that we throw on top for good measure. The Christian life means that we work really hard to clean ourselves up and get our acts together. Discipleship means crossing all our t's and dotting all our i's. This is how we get God to like us; this is how we prove to the world that they should be Christians too--by keeping the rules.
The problem with this mindset of rule-keeping is that same as it was for the Pharisees. We end up washing the part of the dish everyone sees but leaving dirt on the parts they eat from. We splash white paint on the outside when we're full of dead things inside. Jesus seems to have been much more concerned with the inner state of people than how good they looked on the outside. He knew that we can have really clean hands but still hold on to a collection of vices that "come from inside and make a man 'unclean'" (Mk. 7:23). He knew that abstaining from adultery (outward rule) wasn't that impressive if we were still lustful (Mt. 5:27-30). He knew that not murdering (outward rule) isn't the main issue when we are still angry people (Mt. 5:21-22).
What needs to change, then, is our self, not just our behavior. Who we really are--our inner thoughts and attitudes, our being--this is the problem. A rule-keeper doesn't see this. He believes that the aim of Christianity is first and foremost behavior. The biblical picture, however, is that our inner being must first be transformed. Not that behavior is unimportant, but that behavior is a result, not the aim. Our actions are an outflow from our new, transformed nature. Christ changes us from the inside out, but rule-keepers focus only on the "out."
There are many passages in the New Testament that speak of how we should behave. However, in many of those passages, behavior is not isolated as its own subject, but is rather linked with discussion with transformation. A believer's new identity is Christ is the impetus for a new lifestyle. So Paul does not write, "Now remember kids, don't sin! You can do it if you try really hard!" Instead, he writes, "We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?" (Rom. 6:2b). Here are a few other examples of how Paul shows how holy behavior begins with inner transformation:
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature..." (Col. 3:1-5)
You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Therefore each of you must put off falsehood..." (Eph. 4:22-25)
Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules: 'Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!'?" (Col. 2:20-21)Over and over again, the New Testament seems to say, "You are made new in Christ, so live like it." But the newness comes first. Our nature is different; we are not who we once were. And because of that, we don't act like we once did. Transformation enables obedience. Obedience doesn't stand alone.
Many times, a question arises in the church about whether or not morality should be legislated. In our culture, this discussion usually focuses around the hotbutton issues of abortion and homosexual marriage. Understandably. many Christians are against these actions and adamantly push for legislation to enforce Christian ideals. They think that, if we can keep homosexuals from getting married and can stop women from getting abortions, then we have won, and we can high-five each other and run into the locker room and starting popping open bottles of champagne. I think there is a problem with such a view of this issue because it still only focuses on behavior. If conservative action wins out, the root of the problem hasn't disappeared. The truth is that homosexuals do not need to be unmarried, and women do not need to give birth. All of them do need Jesus, however, because only he can save them and transform their lives from the inside. Laws can only change what happens outwardly, but Christ changes the heart. Now, don't misunderstand me. I am against abortion and gay marriage, but not just because of behavioral implications. I support legislation that stands against these actions, but I do so because I believe it creates a society where more people can hear accurately about Jesus. And he's what they really need.
Sixteen days until National Elephant Day. I hope you're all as excited as I am.
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