The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. - Ecclesiastes 12:13 (ESV)
It is important to pay attention to the person talking. When reading, especially with Scripture, voice plays an important role in interpretation. The book of Ecclesiastes is an excellent example of this.
For chapters, the voice of the Preacher has been giving advice. Now we switch to the voice of the author/narrator; a person, I argue, that speaks from the perspective of God. There is quite a bit that can be said about the final verses of Ecclesiastes, but I was struck by one point - the centrality of God.
My biggest issues aren't taxes, marriage, and vocation. The greatest issue before me is and always will be God. Sure these other things are important and my interaction in them stems from my interaction with God, but the Lord remains at the forefront.
In the search for meaning, pleasure, and peace, the Preacher investigates every avenue. Our author doesn't leave us in the dark - our answer in these matters must begin with the Lord.
4/24/2007
Beach Treasures of the Gulf Coast - review
Beach Treasures of the Gulf Coast by S. Peter Dance and Harlan E. Wittkopf is a handbook that showcases the fabulous seashells found on the beaches that line the Gulf of Mexico. Both authors have several other books on seashells, including Compendium of Seashells, The Sanibel kaleidoscope, and Out of My Shell.
The pictures in the book are amazing and helpful. The text is easy to follow while still having considerable substance and insight. But the most interesting feature of this book is the unique contribution each author makes. You really get a sense of their passion for the shells.
This book is not yet under Amazon, so I don't know if you have to travel to Sanibel Island to buy it (I think they need to reprint since the first printing sold out). This book was a gift (but we'd be willing to consider a road-trip to Florida to try a get you one).
This is the sort of book that, if accompanied by a beach full of good seashells, can change your life. From what I understand, shelling is quite addictive. Even if you don't have the beach, it is still an excellent guide to the beauty found in the sand.
4/21/2007
1 Timothy 5 - Friend or foe, it doesn't matter
In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of the elect angels I charge you to keep these rules without prejudging, doing nothing from partiality. - 1 Timothy 5:21 (ESV)
Leadership. These are people you know; people that have labored in the faith with you. They could be friends or they could become people that get under your skin. But they are typically people we are familiar with and that introduces the likelihood of bias.
Paul is giving Timothy a bunch of rules when it comes to leadership, especially for elders. In this list, he sticks in an important qualifier - be unbiased. Sticking to these protocols protects the other leaders, the church, and glorifies God. No matter how tempted you are to fudge on this - don't.
I mean, Paul brings in God, Jesus, and the angels to back him up on this one.
[Insert positive or negative example here.]
[Please do this in your mind, not for the whole world to see. Thanks.]
Leadership. These are people you know; people that have labored in the faith with you. They could be friends or they could become people that get under your skin. But they are typically people we are familiar with and that introduces the likelihood of bias.
Paul is giving Timothy a bunch of rules when it comes to leadership, especially for elders. In this list, he sticks in an important qualifier - be unbiased. Sticking to these protocols protects the other leaders, the church, and glorifies God. No matter how tempted you are to fudge on this - don't.
I mean, Paul brings in God, Jesus, and the angels to back him up on this one.
[Insert positive or negative example here.]
[Please do this in your mind, not for the whole world to see. Thanks.]
4/20/2007
1 Timothy 4 - Important things
Devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching - 1 Timothy 4:13 (ESV)
There are quite a few things that can consume my time. Or yours. The key is to figure out what is important and make that the priority.
Paul gives Timothy a stripped down job description. As a pastor, this passage is very instructive, as other attention grabbers try to distract me from these tasks. But this passage is helpful for all of us.
If what Paul is telling Timothy to do is for the benefit of all believers, then wouldn't this commitment be easier if it was sough out by all believers? You see what I am driving at - we all should be devoted to listening to Scripture, to being exhorted (when needed), and to being taught. These are needs of every follower of Christ.
This reminds me of something Peter Scazzero wrote in his book, The Emotionally Healthy Church. He described a time where he was having all sorts of difficulties, especially with his family, and he needed a break. He wanted to just tell the church something like, "My family is having a rough time right now, so what we really need is for the congregation to just follow Christ, because we can't handle anymore conflict." (not a direct quote).
I think that radically following Christ doesn't get rid of all our problems, but it does make life a lot simpler and better. Especially when we follow Him together.
There are quite a few things that can consume my time. Or yours. The key is to figure out what is important and make that the priority.
Paul gives Timothy a stripped down job description. As a pastor, this passage is very instructive, as other attention grabbers try to distract me from these tasks. But this passage is helpful for all of us.
If what Paul is telling Timothy to do is for the benefit of all believers, then wouldn't this commitment be easier if it was sough out by all believers? You see what I am driving at - we all should be devoted to listening to Scripture, to being exhorted (when needed), and to being taught. These are needs of every follower of Christ.
This reminds me of something Peter Scazzero wrote in his book, The Emotionally Healthy Church. He described a time where he was having all sorts of difficulties, especially with his family, and he needed a break. He wanted to just tell the church something like, "My family is having a rough time right now, so what we really need is for the congregation to just follow Christ, because we can't handle anymore conflict." (not a direct quote).
I think that radically following Christ doesn't get rid of all our problems, but it does make life a lot simpler and better. Especially when we follow Him together.
4/19/2007
Leviticus 23 - While you celebrate
And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, nor shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the Lord your God. - Leviticus 23:22 (ESV)
Summary of Leviticus 23:
Announcement of the appointed feasts (vv 1-2)
The Sabbath (v 3)
The Passover (vv 4-8)
The Feast of the Firstfruits (vv 9-14)
The Feast of Weeks (vv 15-21)
Our passage above
The Feast of Trumpets (vv 23-25)
The Day of Atonement (vv 26-32)
The Feast of Booths (vv 33-43)
Thus Moses declared to the people of Israel the appointed feasts of the Lord. (v 44)
The questions is: why do you have this command in the middle of a list of appointed feasts, celebrations, and ceremonies? This is the perfect opportunity to remind people to be godly, that is like God. You see the Israelites were provided for by the Lord: through creation (remembered by the Sabbath), deliverance from slavery (the Passover), provision in harvest (Firstfruits and Weeks) - and they are to extend kindness and provision to those who are among them that do not have land, the poor and the foreigner.
The Lord is the one who provides to everyone. We can be used as a vessel of God's grace to others. Extending provision to the poor and the foreigner is not simply a means to have an 'in' on someone's life - it is the way that God will give to others. You can look at it like a command (such as not lying or having sexual purity/fidelity) or you can see it as something the reflects the very character of the Lord. Being a man or woman of God means we act as God would act if He were in our place. In the listing of Israel's celebrations, God reminds the nation to care for those who don't have.
Summary of Leviticus 23:
Announcement of the appointed feasts (vv 1-2)
The Sabbath (v 3)
The Passover (vv 4-8)
The Feast of the Firstfruits (vv 9-14)
The Feast of Weeks (vv 15-21)
Our passage above
The Feast of Trumpets (vv 23-25)
The Day of Atonement (vv 26-32)
The Feast of Booths (vv 33-43)
Thus Moses declared to the people of Israel the appointed feasts of the Lord. (v 44)
The questions is: why do you have this command in the middle of a list of appointed feasts, celebrations, and ceremonies? This is the perfect opportunity to remind people to be godly, that is like God. You see the Israelites were provided for by the Lord: through creation (remembered by the Sabbath), deliverance from slavery (the Passover), provision in harvest (Firstfruits and Weeks) - and they are to extend kindness and provision to those who are among them that do not have land, the poor and the foreigner.
The Lord is the one who provides to everyone. We can be used as a vessel of God's grace to others. Extending provision to the poor and the foreigner is not simply a means to have an 'in' on someone's life - it is the way that God will give to others. You can look at it like a command (such as not lying or having sexual purity/fidelity) or you can see it as something the reflects the very character of the Lord. Being a man or woman of God means we act as God would act if He were in our place. In the listing of Israel's celebrations, God reminds the nation to care for those who don't have.
4/18/2007
Dead Sea Scrolls in Kansas City
This past month we took a trip to Kansas City to see the Dead Sea Scrolls at Union Station. The event closes on May 13, and I would encourage anyone who is even remotely interested to make the trip.
The discovery of these scrolls was monumental. The exhibit demonstrated their significance and their contemporary importance. It was a real encouragement to my faith to be able to see real old documents of the OT and the hope these people had in a coming Messiah. There was an audio tour, artifacts to look at, video, and exhibit signs to read. Again, the exhibit was very well done and worth your time.
Plus it was awesome just to hang out with my parents.
I am not an expert by any means, but here are some additional resources that helped me:
A brief and slightly longer introduction to the scrolls.
The book that I read that piqued my interest in the scrolls (plus it was on sale at the exhibit). There is a corresponding video series if you'd rather sit and watch.
This dictionary is worth getting if you are interested in background issues during and immediately after the time of Christ. It has ten or so articles on some of the individual scrolls and the Qumran community.
Congratulations to Matt Proctor
My friend and pastoral-peer, Matt Proctor, successfully passed through the EFCA ordination process with flying colors (a unanimous vote, without any reservations)! It was an honor to be able to listen to some of the great truths of our faith be defended by someone I respect.
Matt, God's blessings to you and Carrie as you guys continue follow and serve our Lord Jesus Christ.
4/17/2007
The Bronze Bow - review
The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare is about a young Jewish boy during the time of Christ who struggles to come to grips with his hatred of the Roman Empire.
The story presents a vivid picture of the life of a hot-headed Jewish renegade. Daniel, the blacksmith/rebel, gives his devotion to a leader that will raise an army against the Romans. But in order to survive, this band often hurts the very people they are trying to deliver. The story interacts with Jesus and His followers. We see Jesus offering a different way than that of the guerrilla; Speare gives a good view on how the ministry of Christ would appear to someone like Daniel.
The Bronze Bow won the 1962 John Newbery Medal, an award for the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. I liked it.
4/16/2007
1 Timothy 3 - Interesting song choice
Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness:
He was manifested in the flesh,
vindicated by the Spirit,
seen by angels,
proclaimed among the nations,
believed on in the world,
taken up in glory.
- 1 Timothy 3:16 (ESV)
Paul gives Timothy a list of things to take care of in the church: pure doctrine (vv 1:3-20), prayer (vv 2:1-7), proper conduct (vv 2:8-15), and leadership (3:1-13). Now Paul quotes a creed/hymn that is hard to connect with what was just said.
While godliness is usually understood to mean a duty which people owe to the Lord, here Paul uses the term to refer to the basis of Christianity. I am reminded that at the heart of my faith is Christ, not a pattern for better living, nor a rule for pleasing God, but Jesus Himself.
He was manifested in the flesh,
vindicated by the Spirit,
seen by angels,
proclaimed among the nations,
believed on in the world,
taken up in glory.
- 1 Timothy 3:16 (ESV)
Paul gives Timothy a list of things to take care of in the church: pure doctrine (vv 1:3-20), prayer (vv 2:1-7), proper conduct (vv 2:8-15), and leadership (3:1-13). Now Paul quotes a creed/hymn that is hard to connect with what was just said.
While godliness is usually understood to mean a duty which people owe to the Lord, here Paul uses the term to refer to the basis of Christianity. I am reminded that at the heart of my faith is Christ, not a pattern for better living, nor a rule for pleasing God, but Jesus Himself.
4/13/2007
1 Timothy 2 - Pray for our rulers
First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior - 1 Timothy 2:1-3 (ESV)
Scripture lets it be known that there is a difficulty in following Christ; it is a hard and costly road. Some have deliberately inflicted themselves with pain and hardship (for the sake of the pain) to sort of 'create' a difficult life and feel good about their discipleship. This is a false discipleship, much like the individual who lets EVERYONE know they're fasting or giving.
Sometimes I'm tempted to pray for persecution. Or that the whole world would crumble around me so that the followers of Christ would shine like stars. You see the expansion of the Gospel in China (under Communist rule) and Africa (amid insurrections and instability) and you think, "We need the heat turned up." This passage takes us in a different direction.
Paul is not encouraging that Timothy would pray for persecution to get things going, but instead that Timothy would pray that Christians would be able to live a peaceful and godly life. Jesus tells us that we will have trouble in this world (John 16:33), but our prayers are for shalom; a holistic peace that God gives us in Christ. So pray for our leaders, as wells as those we know.
Scripture lets it be known that there is a difficulty in following Christ; it is a hard and costly road. Some have deliberately inflicted themselves with pain and hardship (for the sake of the pain) to sort of 'create' a difficult life and feel good about their discipleship. This is a false discipleship, much like the individual who lets EVERYONE know they're fasting or giving.
Sometimes I'm tempted to pray for persecution. Or that the whole world would crumble around me so that the followers of Christ would shine like stars. You see the expansion of the Gospel in China (under Communist rule) and Africa (amid insurrections and instability) and you think, "We need the heat turned up." This passage takes us in a different direction.
Paul is not encouraging that Timothy would pray for persecution to get things going, but instead that Timothy would pray that Christians would be able to live a peaceful and godly life. Jesus tells us that we will have trouble in this world (John 16:33), but our prayers are for shalom; a holistic peace that God gives us in Christ. So pray for our leaders, as wells as those we know.
4/12/2007
1 Timothy 1 - Love, the point of good doctrine
As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith. The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion, desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions. - 1 Timothy 1:3-7 (ESV)
Paul urges Timothy to curtail certain individuals from spreading false and divisive doctrines. There are two points in this passage that stick out to me:
1) Confidence and certainty are admirable qualities, but they are not king. There are people who seem to be experts, but yet they, in truth, don't understand what they are talking about. They speak with authority, casting everyone who does not agree with them as from the devil. They tend to use straw man arguments or personal attacks - but usually lacking in actual substance.
Be careful what you buy into. Always, ALWAYS, keep your nose in Scripture, test the proof texts offered, and don't be drug along by the latest and greatest. I am always and immediately leery of someone who has a pocket of truth that no one else has. I can't think of a time where this instinct has been unhelpful.
2) The goal is love, not being right. Curtailing bad theology is not for those that like to fight, but it stems from a goal of love that "issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith." (v 5) The motivation for wandering into the waters must be one of love for the individual and for the Lord. Love should hinder the pugnacious and prod the timid.
Paul urges Timothy to curtail certain individuals from spreading false and divisive doctrines. There are two points in this passage that stick out to me:
1) Confidence and certainty are admirable qualities, but they are not king. There are people who seem to be experts, but yet they, in truth, don't understand what they are talking about. They speak with authority, casting everyone who does not agree with them as from the devil. They tend to use straw man arguments or personal attacks - but usually lacking in actual substance.
Be careful what you buy into. Always, ALWAYS, keep your nose in Scripture, test the proof texts offered, and don't be drug along by the latest and greatest. I am always and immediately leery of someone who has a pocket of truth that no one else has. I can't think of a time where this instinct has been unhelpful.
2) The goal is love, not being right. Curtailing bad theology is not for those that like to fight, but it stems from a goal of love that "issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith." (v 5) The motivation for wandering into the waters must be one of love for the individual and for the Lord. Love should hinder the pugnacious and prod the timid.
Series on the Pastorals
These next couple of weeks, I will be doing a devotional series on the Pastoral Epistles - 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus. Stay tuned.
4/11/2007
Leviticus 15 - Discharges
So, Leviticus is about discharges and emissions. Good stuff. Lots of rules that probably didn't make sense to the Israelites, but to us (the biologically enlightened) it seems reasonable. Surely God was keeping disease from getting everywhere.
Well that may be part of the reason, but the text actually gives another:
Thus you shall keep the people of Israel separate from their uncleanness, lest they die in their uncleanness by defiling my tabernacle that is in their midst. v. 31
The tabernacle, the house of the Lord, was not to be defiled by uncleanness. They were to keep clean, because the Lord was with them. Sure disease was put at bay by good hygienic practices, but let us not try to be too smart for our own good. The concern was honoring the Lord; He was in their midst. That concern has not changed.
BTW - Is this chapter ever the OT lesson from the liturgy?
Well that may be part of the reason, but the text actually gives another:
Thus you shall keep the people of Israel separate from their uncleanness, lest they die in their uncleanness by defiling my tabernacle that is in their midst. v. 31
The tabernacle, the house of the Lord, was not to be defiled by uncleanness. They were to keep clean, because the Lord was with them. Sure disease was put at bay by good hygienic practices, but let us not try to be too smart for our own good. The concern was honoring the Lord; He was in their midst. That concern has not changed.
BTW - Is this chapter ever the OT lesson from the liturgy?
4/05/2007
Fifty Reasons Jesus Came To Die - review
Fifty Reasons Jesus Came To Die by John Piper is a short book that, well, tells us fifty Scriptural reasons that Jesus came to die. Each one of the fifty chapters is short and to the point at about two pages each. But Piper gives a depth to each of the reasons that is refreshing and thoughtful. Plus, he supplies passage after passage showing us all that was accomplished at the cross.
For example - chapter 28:
To Free Us from the Futility of Our Ancestry
knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.
1 Peter 1:18-19
Secular people in the West, and more primitive people in animistic tribes, have this in common: They believe in the power of ancestral bondage. They call it by different names. Animistic people may speak in terms of ancestral spirits and the transmission of curses. Secular people may speak of genetic influence or the wounding of abusive, codependent, emotionally distant parents. In both cases there is sense of fatalism that we are bound to live with the curse or the wounds from our ancestry. The future seems futile and void of happiness. p. 74
When God blesses, none can curse. ... Nor is any wound inflicted by a parent beyond the healing of Jesus. p. 75
Highly recommended - especially around Easter. Also found by the name The Passion Of Jesus Christ.
Leviticus 8 - According to the plan
And Moses did as the Lord commanded him v 4
He set ... as the Lord commanded Moses v 9
Moses clothed them ... as the Lord commanded Moses v 13
He burned ... as the Lord commanded Moses v 17
He washed ... as the Lord commanded Moses v 21
Moses waved ... as the Lord commanded Moses v 29
And Aaron and his sons did all the things that the Lord commanded by Moses v 36
A pattern is developing here, a pattern of doing what God commands. This same pattern will continue into tomorrow's reading in Leviticus 9.
Disobedience is coming, in fact it will start in chapter 10. But for a brief moment we see God speaking and His people doing what He says. Oh how I long for my life to look more like chapters 8 and 9 and less like chapter 10.
He set ... as the Lord commanded Moses v 9
Moses clothed them ... as the Lord commanded Moses v 13
He burned ... as the Lord commanded Moses v 17
He washed ... as the Lord commanded Moses v 21
Moses waved ... as the Lord commanded Moses v 29
And Aaron and his sons did all the things that the Lord commanded by Moses v 36
A pattern is developing here, a pattern of doing what God commands. This same pattern will continue into tomorrow's reading in Leviticus 9.
Disobedience is coming, in fact it will start in chapter 10. But for a brief moment we see God speaking and His people doing what He says. Oh how I long for my life to look more like chapters 8 and 9 and less like chapter 10.
4/04/2007
Leviticus 7 - Dedication
This is the law of the burnt offering, of the grain offering, of the sin offering, of the guilt offering, of the ordination offering, and of the peace offering, which the Lord commanded Moses on Mount Sinai, on the day that he commanded the people of Israel to bring their offerings to the Lord, in the wilderness of Sinai. - Leviticus 7:37-38 (ESV)
For people with a short attention span, Leviticus 7 can be hard to follow. There are provisions, time constraints, caveats, rationales, and penalties listed for presenting these various offerings. Regardless of the intricacies of these offerings, the nation of Israel was excepted to carry them out from the word go.
For us, we often allow people a considerable amount of time to grow; we don't place unreasonable expectations for new believers. This is good, but there can be a danger that we don't communicate the radicalness of following Christ - people are just easing into this new life. The root, more likely than not, of this non-radical growth is a non-radical commitment by those that have been living under the label of Christian for some time. Be gentle, helpful, understanding - yes. Be dispassionate, unmotivated, unchanged - absolutely not.
I guess the question I ask myself is this: am I giving others a good picture of what it means to follow Christ? Do they know, at least in part, what it would mean for them to submit to the Lordship of our Savior by watching me go through my day?
Continue to work in my own heart, O Lord.
For people with a short attention span, Leviticus 7 can be hard to follow. There are provisions, time constraints, caveats, rationales, and penalties listed for presenting these various offerings. Regardless of the intricacies of these offerings, the nation of Israel was excepted to carry them out from the word go.
For us, we often allow people a considerable amount of time to grow; we don't place unreasonable expectations for new believers. This is good, but there can be a danger that we don't communicate the radicalness of following Christ - people are just easing into this new life. The root, more likely than not, of this non-radical growth is a non-radical commitment by those that have been living under the label of Christian for some time. Be gentle, helpful, understanding - yes. Be dispassionate, unmotivated, unchanged - absolutely not.
I guess the question I ask myself is this: am I giving others a good picture of what it means to follow Christ? Do they know, at least in part, what it would mean for them to submit to the Lordship of our Savior by watching me go through my day?
Continue to work in my own heart, O Lord.
4/03/2007
Leviticus 6 - Being holy
Whatever touches them shall become holy... Whatever touches its flesh shall be holy... Every male among the priests may eat of it; it is most holy. - Leviticus 6:18b, 27a, 30 (ESV)
What makes us holy cannot merely be a function of our right actions, but an imputation by the Lord Himself. The situation in Leviticus 6 is confusing to the modern mind, but it points us to our atoning sacrifice - Christ.
We have an altar from which those who serve the tent have no right to eat. For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp. So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify [that is, to make holy] the people through his own blood. - Hebrews 13:10-12 (ESV)
What makes us holy cannot merely be a function of our right actions, but an imputation by the Lord Himself. The situation in Leviticus 6 is confusing to the modern mind, but it points us to our atoning sacrifice - Christ.
We have an altar from which those who serve the tent have no right to eat. For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp. So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify [that is, to make holy] the people through his own blood. - Hebrews 13:10-12 (ESV)
God is the Gospel - review
God is the Gospel by John Piper is a simple book that reminds us of a truth we often forget: "The best and final gift of the gospel is that we gain Christ." (p. 11)
Piper asks a profound question, "Could you be satisfied with heaven, if Christ was not there?" (p 14) "Propitiation, redemption, forgiveness, imputation, sanctification, liberation, healing, heaven - none of these is good news except for one reason: they bring us to God for our everlasting enjoyment of him. ... The gospel is not a way to get people to heaven; it is a way to get people to God." (p 47)
Piper brings out the implications for cherishing God above his gifts. For repentance: "The sorrow of true contrition is sorrow for not having God as our all-satisfying treasure." (p 107) For reconciliation: "The focus must not be merely the removal of enmity, but the arrival of joy in God." (p 120) For faith: "Trust must experience its thirst being satisfied." (p 130) For delight: "For the gospel-liberated mind, all joy in created things is seamless with joy in God. ... We can say to the believer: your delight in your child, rightly experienced, is delight in God." (p 141)
In a society where we are sold on the benefits, we neglect our greatest treasure - Christ.
This is a great book in traditional Piperesque style. This was a gift from a good friend; I'll make sure to treasure it by first treasuring God :)
For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God - 1 Peter 3:18 (ESV)
4/02/2007
Leviticus 5 - The other side of lying
If anyone sins in that he hears a public adjuration to testify, and though he is a witness, whether he has seen or come to know the matter, yet does not speak, he shall bear his iniquity - Leviticus 5:1 (ESV)
Sometimes we are called to speak up. Social, legal, and work-related events require us to speak up/ talk to the correct person. While being a required reporter immediately jumps to my mind, there are other implications of our silence as well.
Tim Keller has talked about looking for venues to proclaim the Gospel. He says that we need to be faithful with the opportunities that present themselves. There could be an opportunity to say prayer at a particular function, to sing a song, to give a speech, to talk about something exciting that has happened in your life - whatever the event may be - this event is an opportunity to share about the Good News of Jesus Christ.
We come from a culture that lives by the maxim: Cover your backside. We do what it takes to get by and work hard to make sure that something can't come back to haunt us. With this sort of mindset, there is little incentive to do well and to take risks. You do an adequate job trying not to get fired.
Our call as Christians is totally different. We called to testify to what God has done, to take risks in proclaiming the Gospel. Do we respond to the the 'public adjuration to testify' or do we keep our head down and be silent? Are we seeking venues to proclaim God's goodness?
Sometimes we are called to speak up. Social, legal, and work-related events require us to speak up/ talk to the correct person. While being a required reporter immediately jumps to my mind, there are other implications of our silence as well.
Tim Keller has talked about looking for venues to proclaim the Gospel. He says that we need to be faithful with the opportunities that present themselves. There could be an opportunity to say prayer at a particular function, to sing a song, to give a speech, to talk about something exciting that has happened in your life - whatever the event may be - this event is an opportunity to share about the Good News of Jesus Christ.
We come from a culture that lives by the maxim: Cover your backside. We do what it takes to get by and work hard to make sure that something can't come back to haunt us. With this sort of mindset, there is little incentive to do well and to take risks. You do an adequate job trying not to get fired.
Our call as Christians is totally different. We called to testify to what God has done, to take risks in proclaiming the Gospel. Do we respond to the the 'public adjuration to testify' or do we keep our head down and be silent? Are we seeking venues to proclaim God's goodness?
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