First Century Politics in a Twenty-First Century World

As fall starts to show her face in my little neck of the woods (with signs everywhere of her coming), there is also a vivid reminder that this is election season. 

I love fall - not so much elections that often come with division, hurt, and wasted words. 

Do not get me wrong, I take very seriously my right to vote, paid for me at great cost and sacrifice.

I study, research, and read up on all the issues (I really care less about the people or the party).

After listing issues that are important to me, I ask myself, "What does the Bible have to say in some way regarding this topic?" 

I take this process even more seriously.

Then I vote the closest I can get to God's HEART 💗 on the issues.

I don't plan to blog about politics, that is for each of us to determine in our hearts, other than I will say - if you are a Jesus-follower you NEED TO DETERMINE YOUR BIBLICAL VALUES AND VOTE. 

Vote or do not complain about the direction of your country.

However, I was struck yesterday, as I began to study the life of an early Christian Church leader in the 1st century of an attitude that Paul took toward all things political, and I thought I would share. 

There's a tiny book in the New Testament comprised of one chapter. It's a brief letter to a man by the name of Philemon, who hosted the church at Colossae in his home. 

While Paul had never visited Colossae (yet), he was particularly fond of this church, for it had been founded by his child-in-the-faith, Epaphroditus. 

The link between Paul and Philemon was a runaway slave by the name of Onesimus. 

Historians estimate over 60 million slaves in the Roman Empire at that time, of which Onesimus was just one. 

Side note: a slave sold anywhere from 500 denarii (a denarii was a day's wage) for a common laborer up to 50,000 denarii for a highly educated and skilled slave. This to say - slaves were valuable property and a master did not want to lose a slave. While under strict laws, most owners treated their slaves accordingly, because of the price tag. 

It appears this young man had stolen from his master, ran for his life hoping to just get lost and dissolve in the large city of Rome. 

Somehow (we know how) his path crossed that of the Apostle Paul, and like most who "bumped" into Paul, he heard the gospel and became a Jesus-follower. 

The life of Onesimus changed drastically and he became an effective fellow-worker alongside Paul. His name meant "Useful," and useful Onesimus became to the prisoner "put for the gospel" in chains.

Even still, Paul's convictions did not let him just hide Onesimus, but knew he must return him to his master as he sent an additional instructional letter to the church at Colossae with Tychicus discussing the Supremacy of Christ in all matters. 

Of course, this issue was a BIG one to Philemon - and Paul pleads with him to care for Onesimus, not as valuable property, but as a brother in Christ. 

Paul says: 

"So if you consider me your partner, receive him (meaning: welcome him into the family circle) as you would receive me...I am sending you my very heart."

Paul earnestly urges Philemon, because he knows that Philemon is kind, loving, full of faith and an effective soul-winner for the gospel. Philemon is best known to "refresh the hearts of other saints (verses 4-7)."

Obviously, the issue of slavery consumed the hearts of caring people who longed to see it abolished even in 1st century AD. 

So why didn't Paul condemn slavery and tell Philemon to set Onesimus free?

This letter seems like an ideal time to do just that. 

Paul never speaks out against slavery, not in this letter or in any other letter where he talks specifically to Jesus-believing-slaves. 

Why not? 

I pondered it yesterday and remembered this truth about Paul: Paul focused on the gospel. 

Paul's desire to see salvation come to every household was not to be confused with politics. 

The times were not yet right for this issue to be boldly fought - Rome would have squelched the uprising pronto. 

For Paul, if preaching the political points of the nation (good or bad) in front of the lost, confused and buried the gospel, Paul stayed clear. 

He wanted nothing to obscure the gift of salvation. 

Paul no doubt prayed for change in the political climate as transformation came in the hearts of men and women who became new creations in Christ Jesus, but at that time, he kept the main thing the main thing.

Today, God has given us a voice through our vote. 

He gives direction to the issues through His Word. 

Both must line up together.

Pens can be mightier than swords, I hear. 

I'm bold enough to tell you if you ask what I believe and why I believe it; but, I will not push a dogmatic agenda.

REMEMBER:

The gospel matters most.

May it not be excluded, confused, or buried because of political argument.

There is a time coming for change...

BUT,

THIS WORLD IS NOT MY HOME! 

(No matter how beautiful it is in the fall!)

Let's keep the main thing the main thing at all times and in all ways...living the gospel.

My Own Personal Theology of Suffering

Well...I've come to the end of what's turned into a three month series on establishing a biblical theology of suffering to tuck away for "when."

By no means is it conclusive, and there are great books on suffering that I highly recommend (one being Paul David Tripps book entitled "Suffering...")

I simply like to dig, discover, and develop based on what I uncover, then read what others have to say. 

I admit it has been good for me!

However, as I wind this up, I feel the need to look back and remember each point as precisely as possible, so I can tuck it away the next time a struggle or hardship finds me. 

So, as I sit sipping on a cup of tea, looking back over the past blogs, here's what I now know:

Perspective is everything.

 Recognizing that the Lord doesn't protect us from sorrow and suffering is crucial, but He will use everything that comes our way for our good and His glory.

The furnace of suffering reveals what is in our hearts, and offers us an opportunity (an invitation, even) to do some internal house cleaning ---- and, while it is always good to examine our hearts, not all suffering is the result of personal sin. 

All suffering teaches us something; we must provide for ourselves still, sacred spaces where we can reflect and dissect what that might be. 

We'll never go through the trials unchanged; but, we get to determine the answer to this question: will I come through bitter or better? 

One of the best ways to learn some of those lessons is to ask others who've made the journey victoriously (after all, the worst thing we can do during times of trial is to isolate - those who've gone before us are always more than glad to go the extra mile with us).

One of the best perspectives I can embrace is this: suffering is a gift of grace...and, the Lord would love to see us use this gift as an opportunity to advance the gospel.

Speaking of suffering as a gift of grace, the Lord reminds us in one little Greek word (poikos) tucked away in two passages of Scripture that for every trial, no matter how dark or hard, there is a grace of equal shade that matches our difficulty. God's grace is sufficient for our every need.

Adding to the point above, suffering comes in various shades (that's what the Greek word, poikos, means)...some difficulties are, well, just more difficult than others. However, a trial is a trial, sorrow is sorrow, and pain is pain because all of it is so personal. It helps to NAME OUR SUFFERING, to label it what it is, no matter the shade. We simply can't gloss over them or we'll never receive what God has for us in the middle of the mess of it all.

 

Suffering can never strip away our ability to worship...and, in fact, even in the middle of the messiness of suffering, one of the best things we can do to remind ourselves that God is bigger than our pain is to praise His name!

In the midst of all we go through, we cannot forget (we must not forget) that the Lord is ever present. He is with us, hurting for us, grieving with us; and if He's here, we need not fear! He will see us all the way through.

Sometimes God allows things in our lives, things we don't understand, to accomplish something greater than we can ever imagine!

While we do what we can to alleviate the HARD of suffering, sometimes trust and prayer are the  two most practical things we can do.

All suffering is seasonal...there's a beginning and an end. 

Fixing our eyes on the Lord, remembering and rehearsing His character, will settle our souls in peace.

One last thought...

In the midst of life's storms, while tossed about on rough seas, we have a safe harbor and one anchor...

That harbor is in the arms of the Lord - don't turn your back on Him when in the middle of trials, run into His open arms.

That anchor is God's promises. In them, we find hope and a steadfast spirit to walk through this journey to the other side.

This here...in a nutshell...this is my Theology of Suffering.

Have you settled yours?

Who Sinned?

This morning as I sit to write on developing a Biblical Theology of Suffering,  there is one story in the New Testament that came to mind and is worthy of our time..

So, let's jump in...

The apostle John records a story in chapter 9 that caused quite a stir among the Pharisees and Saducees of Jesus' day...and, it convinced them that Jesus had to be a "sinner" because he healed a man-born-blind on the Sabbath (shock!). 

That is another lesson in itself; but, the one on which I'll focus begins right here (verses 1-5):

As Jesus passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" Jesus answered, "It was not that this man sinned, or his parents. But, that the works of God might be displayed in him, I must work the works of him who sent me while it is day...As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world..."

Do you find it interesting that Jesus' disciples found no cause for compassion as they walked past this poor man, but decided to use his plight as a point for theological discussion? There are times I simply shake my head at Jesus' disciples, til I am reminded, I am "they." 

The disciples were convinced someone had sinned and that's why this man was born blind - it either had to be the parents or the child himself, while still in the womb (seriously, certain Jewish leaders in that day believed this entirely possible). So, they asked Jesus: 

WHO SINNED?

Even today, it's a theological question that pops into our heads when someone is in the midst of trials...

Let's face it; our minds still go there...

Who sinned? What did they do, or didn't do, that put them in this position? 

In this regard, the disciples, and, me/myself, have come no further than poor Job's miserable friends, who insisted that Job just needed to confess his sin and all would be forgiven and made right in his world again. 

("If you would but seek God and ask Him for mercy..." This was Job's friends. No mercy. They simply assumed Job had sinned.)

In defense of all of us, we are fully aware that illness is certainly one of the results of Adam and Eve's sin.

With the fall of man in the Garden of Eden and sin entering the world, there is a universal truth to this young man's blindness being the ultimate result of sin.

Along with that universality is another truth: ALL HAVE SINNED AND FALL SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD (Romans 3:23).  

So, there's that, as well.

But specific sin being the result? 

Nah. Not necessarily.

And...even if it were...that's not for us to judge, but for each one of us to look inside and do a soul-check on ourselves, and not for us to play Holy Spirit to someone else.

This is exactly why God's anger burned against Job's friends; for they had misspoken against the Lord and His character. 

It's why Jesus was oh-so-quick to defend the man-born-blind to His disciples.

He would do the same to us, as well.

Sin is not always the root cause of sorrow and suffering.

Life happens.

It's not fair.

It's not right.

But above all the suffering, in all the suffering, throughout the days of our seasons of suffering, the attitude must be: What is God doing because of the trials? in the trials? through the hardships and difficulties? How is He at work and revealing Himself? 

Because in all the pain - the Lord wants His character to be rightly displayed. 

He desires to be seen above it all.

He longs for His light to shine to the lost who watch us -  

Even in (and maybe especially in) vessels that are broken, light often shines the brightest, through the cracks and holes. 

It's not because God is mean or selfish, but He chooses to use all things, even evil and hard things, to turn them for our good and His glory.

It's exactly what Joseph realized as he passed through his tribulations -

So, if you're in the midst of a "season," sit with it (just as Job did on his ash-heap).

Search your own heart - is there any need for repentance and a change of heart, mind and life? 

Then wait on God...

...and, live by faith!

If your neighbor is in the midst of difficulty...

Sit with them.

Shower them with compassion.

Talk to God and not at them.

Help strengthen them on their journey through the season to the other side.

Keep fanning the flame, so the light of God within them shines through the darkness for the lost to see.

 

The GIFT (!) of Suffering

Years ago I met a gal and her husband who attended the same church Bay and I attended in Phoenix, AZ. 

They were a precious couple who, you knew from the get-go, dearly loved Jesus.

As their story unfolded, they shared of how their son had been tragically killed in a car accident in recent months. 

As we expressed our grief and sadness for them, and promised to pray, I remember being struck by their response.

Not being able to remember exact words, this is the concepts they passed on to us.

"We find ourselves grateful that the Lord believed we were capable of handling this particular sorrow and struggle. We believe He knew we'd pass through these waters hanging onto the coattails of His grace and come through to the other side."

This is what stuck with me:

"GRATEFUL...He thought us capable."

GRATEFUL...as if the suffering the Lord allowed into their lives was a gift; and, that they could be relied on to receive that gift in full for His glory.

As a fairly newly married young woman (who hadn't really been a Jesus-follower that long yet), this thought caught me off guard. 

I looked to see if others in Scripture may have felt that way, and I recall bumping into this passage of Scripture:

Then they (the apostles) left the presence of the council (where they had been flogged and ordered to stop preaching about Jesus), rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer hardship for His name (Acts 5:41).

They were counted worthy.

To the apostles, their flogging and hardship was a gift that they had been GRANTED.

Earlier this week a friend sent me a link on Facebook to a Reel by a young man named Ryan Miller. 

I'm copying his script as he looks into his camera and says these profound words:

I heard this cancer patient the other day say something that just rocked my faith. They said, "I'm so grateful that God has given me such a rare gift. In the same way that He only gives some riches, because it is a dangerous gift, I am so grateful that He's given me suffering." 

It is a dangerous gift to give. It causes some people to run from God, just like riches, but it causes some people to lean into God more. It blew my mind that someone could have that perspective, to realize that the suffering in their life, wasn't just against them, but that God was doing it for them!  It's one of the most Christian things I've ever heard, and yet our culture hears that and it blows their mind to believe that God can use pain and suffering. We are so enamored by comfort. 

I speak about myself here; but, maybe the next time you're going through something...stop and pause and wonder is this a gift?  Jesus is pretty clear in His most famous sermon: 

Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted.  

In the middle of your suffering you begin to look like Jesus, and you get the gifts Jesus gives, namely his presence, MORE OF HIM!  (* highlights and underlines are my emphasis)

This is truly a paradigm shift, we must journey toward...

Suffering is a gift.

A dangerous gift, yes!

But, if he's gifted you...

He knows your heart.

He knows you can be counted on to be worthy of the gift.

He knows you will lean into Him more so that you can receive more of Him.

And, He knows you will walk through to the other side, BETTER.

Maybe not perfectly healed, or your situation perfectly ironed out as you hope and pray, but you will experience the MUCH-MORENESS (GK: the MEGAS) of JESUS.

AND, there's nothin' better than that!

What a gift!

-Romans 5:3a-

Lessons From Those Who've Gone Before

It's always of interest to me, when I start studying a subject (in this case the development of a Theology of Suffering), how often my path crosses with someone else who is studying the same thing.

Frequently, I'm led to more reading and research that I seem to stumble across.

I know this isn't random.

The Lord has His ways of assisting our growth, especially since He has directed it.

It's also heart-warming to me, that I'm not alone in my concerns or observations regarding the need to increase in knowledge.

Earlier this week, one of our former dorm students, now serving back overseas with his family, sent us their regular update. 

In his letter, he wrote:

Theology of Mundane and Suffering

Some of you may remember our desire to research ways to help the younger generation of missionaries understand the theology of the mundane and the theology of suffering.  Although this is a general assessment (there are exceptions), we have noticed a high enthusiasm and passion for sharing Jesus, but a lack of stick-to-it-iveness. How can we better prepare new people for long-term service? After lots of reading, praying, and conversations our conclusion became far simpler than we imagined.  The solution is understanding the gospel well. That’s it. That’s all. It’s all there. A bigger question is why is that missing so many?  Nevertheless, reading any missionary biography you can get your hands on is worth it... It’s important that our young people form the correct theology of suffering, and embracing the ordinary life, before heading to the field. From our reading, the one book I’d recommend to anyone, not just a new missionary, is, “A Gospel Primer” by Milton Vincent...

Interestingly, not more than a week ago, I downloaded Milton Vincent's book, recommended by another dear friend serving at a Bible college in New Brunswick.

Coincidence? Never.

A God-incidence? Absolutely!

One of the other things our former dorm son recommends is reading biographies of other missionaries.

There's another point in common. I've been doing the same, and have found myself reading and re-reading the biographies of some incredible men and women who served faithfully, in spite of difficulty.

These two things (1) utnderstanding the gospel of grace and 2) learning from those whose road map we can follow) are two very practical ways for developing our theology of suffering. 

In fact, the writer of Hebrews, after sharing a long list of men and women who grace the Hall of Faith (Chapter 11), and encouraging readers to run the race of faith with endurance (Chapter 12), instructs us all with the following in Chapter 13:7.

Remember your leaders (referring to those who've gone before), who spoke the Word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.

This I've done as I've read story after story of men and women whose lives are worthy of emulating.

A few notes I've jotted down as I "considered the outcome of their way of life," showed their lives overlapping in some general ways as they regarded sorrow and suffering, trials and tribulations, problems and persecutions.

Following is my short list.

As I've read their stories-of-steadfastness, I've worked through some practical application for myself.

Among each of these who breathed life into my soul through their faith-filled-lives, I discovered commonalities:

The gospel of Jesus Christ, which they each embraced, was worth any sacrifice if even one came to faith and escaped the judgment to come.

There was an absolute awareness The Lord was ALWAYS Present with them. 

There was a general belief that God owed them nothing, since He had already given them EVERYTHING pertaining to life and godliness...NOT EVEN AN EASY LIFE.

They each lived firmly in their identity in Christ Jesus, finding immense value in WHOSE THEY WERE, and it changed WHAT THEY LIVED FOR...  

Their "WHY" was their focus, and they never deviated from it. Their calling was sure and there was a longing to glorify God on this earth. One wrote:

"When I began to live for a purpose beyond my own vicious ambition, I saw a glimpse of pure joy and I wanted more..." 

Their hope was in the Prince of Peace, not the temporary peace found in this world.

Their eyes were ever upward, constantly looking for their Redeemer, who would one day stand again upon this earth. 

In every life-story, there was a hard leaning into this comforting passage from Habakkuk 3:16-17. In fact, these words seemed to be the life-song of each one:

Though the fig tree should not blossom,

nor fruit be on the vines,

the produce of the olive fail

and the fields yield no food...

Though the flock be cut off from the fold,

and there be no herd in the stalls...

YET I WILL REJOICE IN THE LORD;

I WILL TAKE JOY IN THE GOD OF MY SALVATION.

In my own words, if there is one theme I gleaned it would be this:

We will all run the race at a different pace,

But let us carry on and finish strong.

So, today, which torch from these who have gone before do you most need to pick up and carry? 

XXXXXX

 

Isobel Kuhn

Amy Carmichael

Darlene Diebler Rose

Helen Roseveare

Elisabeth Elliot

Hudson Taylor

David Livingstone

Mary Slessor

Eric Liddell

"Bruchko"

Martin and Gracia Burnham

"I think one of the devil's favorite devices is to try and make us dwell on the hardness of things in general, and to make us feel as if they will always go on like this. BUT THEY WILL NOT. They are shadows that pass.  This current shadow will pass. So, let's not lose hope. Let's press on, resting in truth and responding in faith, knowing our God always has, and will work everything for our good and His glory."

Amy Carmichael