Happy Halloween (or is it?)

What will you and your children do tonight, October 31, 2007. For much of the world, even Bangkok, Thailand, there will be Halloween parties and kids out trick-or-treating. For believers who are concerned about spiritual things, how should we respond? Whatever we decide, it should be based on a thoughtful desire to honor the Lord. Basing our decision on reasons like 'that's the way I grew up and I turned out alright' or 'it seems harmless enough' is not adequate.

For a thoughtful review relating to Halloween as well as an outline of various Christian response, check out what Southern Baptist speaker, author, and seminary president (he's also my former theology professor), Al Mohler, has to say about Halloween on his blog.

Mobile Fellowship

Philippians 4:11-13

"Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me."

Tonight, my wife and I left our house in Bangkok at around 5:45pm to go over to a friend's house for dinner at 6:30pm. Our friend gave me directions over the phone earlier today so I was not worried. At around 6:20pm, I felt we might have missed a turn so I phoned our friend to get some advice, but received no answer. We kept driving.

Eventually, after passing a few bridges and going along the river for a ways, we pulled over to consult the map. Two more phone calls went unanswered and we headed back in the direction we had already come, looking intently for the appropriate landmarks. More phone calls went unanswered. Eventually, we passed the place where we had turned originally, noting the jam of cars a few kilometers long now congesting the way back towards our friend's house. It was now almost 7:00pm.

Our friend called, apologizing that her phone had been on silent mode. I told her we should probably take a rain check on dinner since it would likely take another 40 minutes or more to make our way back towards her place. She understood and encouraged us to have a 'date night.' That sounded good, so we headed to a mall, getting there at about 7:15pm and enjoying dinner together.

After dinner, we boarded the Skytrain and headed to a night market where we stopped at a vendor selling DVDs. We chose a movie to watch together and headed back to the Skytrain, boarding and going to the stop near our house. We then got in a taxi where we realized, once we were 5 minutes from home, that we forgot our truck in the mall parking lot! Now we have to figure out whether or not to go pick it up tonight (traffic issues) or wait until the morning (high fee)...

Speaking honestly, nights like this can eat away at our sense of contentment and joy at our circumstance of living in one of the planet's biggest cities. For two kids (we're not grown ups yet) who grew up tromping around in the Appalachian mountains, Bangkok can feel fairly suffocating. We just go back from a short vacation to a beautiful new (to us) island. It seems that whenever we get away and breathe fresh air for a while, reacquainting ourselves with aspects of the planet other than concrete and asphalt, we have a discussion related to how sure (or not) we are that God wants us in Bangkok and not some mountain or beach getaway (people need Jesus there too, right?).

My phrase for what we experienced in the car tonight is 'mobile fellowship.' It's my humble attempt to apply the verses quoted at the beginning of this blog. We truly want to be content in all circumstances! Which is more enjoyable, sitting in the car for 1.5 hours and getting lost or having an edifying conversation with my wife, without kids? Well, they were one in the same tonight...praise the Lord! Yes, its' a small thing, but it illustrates a crucial point for our Christian walk: What dictates our contentment? Circumstances or the Lord? We certainly don't have it all figured out! We are truly thankful for God's Word in passages like this one that helps focus our hearts and minds in the right direction.

(I still don't know what to do about the truck.)

How Deep Are Your Roots?

Jeremiah 17:7-10
7 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
whose trust is the Lord.
8 He is like a tree planted by water,
that sends out its roots by the stream,
and does not fear when heat comes,
for its leaves remain green,
and is not anxious in the year of drought,
for it does not cease to bear fruit.”

9 The heart is deceitful above all things,
and desperately sick;
who can understand it?
10 “I the Lord search the heart
and test the mind,
to give every man according to his ways,
according to the fruit of his deeds.”

As I read this passage a while ago, I immediately asked myself, "How deep are my roots?" I began reflecting on the depth of my spiritual life in the Lord. As I reflected, the Lord called my attention to verse 9 and I was tempted to despair! What good will it do to think about the depth of my trust in God if my heart is so deceitful? Won't my heart just deceive me into thinking that I'm much better off than I really am? (For some the heart might deceive in the other way, loading a person with guilt...that's not my problem)

In the end, I realized once again that God's wonderful grace will sustain me. My relationship with God is not based on theological truths running through my head, or my status as a missionary but on His grace given to me in Christ. Trusting that grace is the only way to be saved. At the same time, the deepening of my spiritual roots is not dependent on my excellent powers of self-reflection and introspection but on the same grace that justified me in the first place!

It's good that the Bible reminds us that we need to root our lives deeply in the Lord. It's also good that the Bible warns us of our deceitful hearts that can easily fool us and lead us astray. In the end, it will only by by the grace of God that we grow ever deeper in our trust of the Lord, weathering the storms and trials of life as we honor Him.

How deep are your roots?

More to come on October 29

Many thanks to those of you who have been reading regularly. Our family was on a short vacation Oct 20-23 and I will likely be without Internet access while at a meeting Oct 25-28. Blessings!

Listen to the Poor...and Learn (Part 2)

"Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him?"
James 2:5

Go to Part 1

Why does the passage excite me? In spite of the sin of partiality that remains in my life at times, God has been gracious to show me examples that prove how much there is to learn from poor brothers and sisters in Christ.

In a recent trip to a restricted Southeast Asian country, I had the wonderful privilege of visiting a house church comprised of local believers. The church meets in the home of the core family, an aging mother along with about 8 family members (several unmarried daughters as well as some children from married siblings who are working elsewhere). The house is quite small (probably smaller than the combination of an average living room and kitchen in the USA. What struck me, however, was the uneasy feeling created by the fact that the house appeared as if it would fall down at any minute! There was literally a 40 degree slant to a few walls. Other walls were leaning in different directions and the ceiling was sagging in various ways. Suffice it to say that this family and the church that meets in their house are not well off!

These wonderful brothers and sisters taught me so much in the few short hours I spent with them! The light and joy of Jesus Christ was evident in their lives. I did not bring them money. I did not bring them gifts. The camera I took out of my bag to take pictures could have been sold to repair their entire house! Still, their excitement to see me was based on anticipation that I would share with them from the Bible. I'm convinced that I could have taught them for hours and hours and they would have never grown weary of hearing God's Word!

Their eagerness was not a show. I learned that the church meets daily for extended times of prayer. They meet longer on Wednesdays so they can have Bible time together. On Sunday, over half of the day is spent in worship and study of the Bible. On Saturdays, they go out in strategically planned ventures to share the love of Christ with those around them in their town and in surrounding villages. All of this is in addition to a work schedule that would cause most of us to quit in an instant!

Theses brothers and sisters are truly 'rich in faith.' They taught me about priorities and what it means to live lives that are truly centered around the Lord. The sobering reality for me is the realization that there are likely people just like them in my own church that I don't recognize because of my partiality.

Lord, please forgive me for sinning against poor brothers and sisters, however sub-consciously it may be. Forgive me for missing the valuable lessons You want to teach me through them. Please guide me to see people with Your eyes, never agin missing the Kingdom lessons of faith You want to bring my way through poor brothers and sisters. Amen.

Consider the Poor...and Learn (Part 1)

"Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him?"
James 2:5

These words from James come in the midst of a section where he warning Christians against showing partiality in the church. As I read the words of James 2:1-13, I get convicted and excited at the same time.

My conviction comes from the realization, as I examine my own life, that I am often guilty of showing partiality based on economic status. I think my subconscious mind goes through a process like this: Poor implies less educated or less diligent either of which gives less weight to what this person has to offer.

How wrong! Yes, it may be true that the perspective of someone with a 3rd grade education should be given less weight when discussing certain topics (like nuclear physics). Also, the Bible has things to say about sluggards which should inform our interactions with lazy people. Even so, there is absolutely no good reason for me to assume either of these things based on someone's economic status. Furthermore, even if one or both of these things is true about a poor person in the church, I need to realize that the rich, educated, and workaholic people also have sins and shortcomings in their lives.

Let's pray and ask God to reveal the sinful ways we show partiality to those around us in church. May He grant us wisdom to grow and to know what we are missing.

In Part 2, I will talk about why I get excited when I read this verse...

Worship & Rest...or 'Fun'?

Think of the way you spent your last 4 Sundays. What did you do? What was the focus of your heart, mind, and soul? Did your family focus on the Lord together? Did you rest?

In another good article from the Wall Street Journal's Opinion page, Molly Ziegler Hemmingway offers insightful analysis about Sundays in the ever-expanding consumer age. Check it out here.

I'm certainly not one who wants to become a Christian 'Pharisee' with a long list of do's and don'ts about the Sabbath! Still, my own heart is convicted as I ask myself the question, "What do my Sunday activities reveal about the true passions of my heart?"

Speak and Let Speak

"Will some of them boo? Yes, of course. So what? Too bad. That's the price you pay for being truthful at a tough time. And in America it's always a tough time." --Peggy Noonan

Peggy Noonan recently published an excellent column in the Wall Street Journal. I strongly encourage you to read it here.

As Christians, let's take the lead in boldly proclaiming what we believe with careful, well-thought discourse. Let us also take the lead in boldly listening to what others have to say and being willing to engage them with the truth. America needs this! Of course, to be useful in this type of discourse we, as Christians, need to be rooted in God's truth and mindful about how that truth informs the world around us...

Do You Tremble?

Jeremiah 5:22a
"Do you not fear me? declares the Lord;
Do you not tremble before me?"

Many times when we think of ways to express our desire to grow in our Christian faith, we use words like these:

LOVE - FAITH - JOY - CONTENTMENT - INTIMACY - DEVOTION - TRUST

All of these words represent aspects of a faithful Christian walk that are indispensable. Still, there are two words in Jeremiah 5:22 that we don't hear too often in discussions about Christian growth:

FEAR - TREMBLE

What's the purpose of these concepts for a Christian who is saved? Aren't the realms of fear and trembling for those who are not believers and, therefore, are facing eternity without Christ? For Christians, there is no need to fear these things since our sins are forgiven and heaven awaits, right?

The words that come just before the verse quoted at the beginning of this post in Jeremiah 5:21 are sobering:

"Hear this, O foolish and senseless people, who have eyes, but see not; who have ears, but hear not."

In verse 20, the Lord instructs Jeremiah to "declare this in the house of Jacob; proclaim it in Judah." House of Jacob! Judah! Wait a minute, those are God's people! They aren't supposed to fear and tremble...God is on their side! Not in this section of Jeremiah. God is warning of the coming judgment that will result from the people's rebellion against Him. Over the years, their zeal for the Lord grew cold and they turned to worthless idols for satisfaction.

If my 'Christianity' is anything less than a life-changing, all-consuming, ongoing encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ, there is much room for fear and trembling in my life. If I'm just going through religious motions, but my true passions lie in other things, how am I any different from Judah in Jeremiah 5? Do I cling to the 'sinner's prayer' that I prayed when I was 15? Do I visit the signpost I planted on the day of my baptism? Do these events have any meaning in the face of a life that is not truly fueled by Jesus Christ? For all who claim Christianity, yet fail to see fruit that comes from faith in their lives, fear and trembling need to play a significant role as motivators for faith and repentance.

Suppose my life is fueled by a growing and dynamic relationship with Jesus. Suppose I have assurance of my salvation that has grown as I've witnessed God-wrought changes in my life that only happened because of the free grace given to me in Christ. Do fear and trembling have a place in my life?

Absolutely! If my focus as a believer is on God, not merely on His gifts (like heaven), my number one passion will be to exalt His Name and spread that passion to other people. There is one major obstacle to fulfilling that passion, however...me! Fear and trembling come in because I know how weak I am; how incapable of bringing honor to God; how hopeless as a guide to the lost and perishing in the world. I'm like Paul in 1 Corinthians 2:3-5:

"And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God."

My greatest desire in life is that people will see and know the beauty and wisdom and power of God! I pray that the Lord will help me fulfill that desire with fear and trembling that serve to keep me humble and faithful in pointing people to Jesus rather than myself.

Introduce them to Jesus

The other day, as I was re-reading the first chapter of John's Gospel, I was reminded of a message given by one of the pastors at our church. Think about what comes to your mind when you hear the following names: John, Peter, Paul, Moses, Abraham, Andrew. Many might nod their heads until they get to 'Andrew.' Who was that guy anyway?

Your memory might be helped by my John 1 reference. In John 1:35-42, we read about Jesus' calling of the first disciples. We hear that two disciples of John were standing with him when they saw Jesus and He invited them to follow Him. One of these two disciples was Andrew. What did Andrew do after meeting Jesus and spending a little time with Him? Verses 41-42 tell us: "He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, 'We have found the Messiah'...He brought him to Jesus."

What immediately happens once Andrew brings his brother, Simon, to Jesus? The focus shifts to Simon! "Jesus looked at [Simon] and said, 'So you are Simon the son of John? You shall be called Cephas' (which means Peter)" (John 1:42). From what we read in the rest of the New Testament, we know that Peter is a very dynamic, up-front sort of guy. We can imagine the way his personality caused him to overshadow his brother, Andrew. Still, Andrew did not hesitate. He brought his brother to Jesus, perhaps giving up influence and notice for himself. Andrew's love for his brother and his desire to honor the Lord resulted in a leader like Peter, who was used by God to bring thousands to faith (see Acts 2:41)!

There is another setting in John's Gospel where Andrew plays a significant part in another opportunity to highlight and emphasize the power of God through Jesus. Remember the story of Jesus feeding the multitude? He took a small boy's lunch of 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread and distributed it to 5000 men plus women and children. In the face of all those mouths to feed, who brought the boy to Jesus? Andrew was the one (John 6:8-9).

What about us? Whatever gifts, skills, and abilities God has given. Whatever God's call on our lives. Are we willing to be like Andrew? Are we willing to operate in the background, giving our lives to the simple, yet powerful, process of introducing people to Jesus? Whether or not God calls any of us to be great and powerful leaders for His glory, I pray that we will all realize that the real power in the Gospel only happens when people get introduced to Jesus.

The Christian's Most Ridiculous Sin (Part 2 of 2)

In part 1 of this post, I suggested that worry in a Christian’s life might be a pointer to unbalanced priorities or undue attention to what others think when they are disappointed by our Christ-centered decisions. Sometimes, however, we do our very best, for God’s honor and glory and we still worry! The reality is that circumstances don’t always work out the way we plan, even with the best, most God-honoring intentions.

When it seems like living our priorities is getting us nowhere, what is our response? First, we should check our priorities and get counsel to make sure we’re not missing the boat. But what comes next? Worry in these situations, no matter how important the issues, can represent a lack of trust on our part.

It’s like the famous tightrope walker at Niagara Falls, ‘Blondin.’ He walked across the falls pushing a wheelbarrow! Later, in the New York Times, he communicated that he would gladly push any lady across for free (guys had to pay for the ‘privilege’)!

Would you get in the wheelbarrow? If you say that you believe he can do it with no harm, but won’t get in, do you really trust him and his ability? Maybe you go, but worry the whole time. That’s belief, but without complete trust (Like the Christian who strives to keep Godly priorities but gets in a jam and lets that ruin him). Or maybe you go with the faith of a child completely trusting and enjoying a thrilling ride unlike anyone else in the world!

We must believe we are God’s children and trust Him with our lives and priorities. We’ve got to obey the Lord by letting Him control our priorities. Finally, we need to pray that He will give us the joy-filled, childlike faith to trust Him when the priorities He has given conflict with the priorities of our sinful nature and the priorities of the world.

God’s Word is very clear. Do not worry! Pray instead with a thankful heart. This is the path to peace and joy that will shine brightly in the world because it is so peculiarly wonderful!

Philippians 4:6-7

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

In Memory of Khun Samien

Ecclesiastes 7:1-4
1 A good name is better than precious ointment,
and the day of death than the day of birth.
2 It is better to go to the house of mourning
than to go to the house of feasting,
for this is the end of all mankind,
and the living will lay it to heart.
3 Sorrow is better than laughter,
for by sadness of face the heart is made glad.
4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning,
but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.

Tonight I attended the funeral of Khun Samien, caretaker/handyman/guard at our church in Bangkok, Thailand. For most of the time we have been at this church, Samien has been sick with liver cancer. As a result, I didn't know Samien and I can't recall if I ever met him. Still, his funeral was something special because Samien knew Jesus and he led his wife and two daughters to follow Jesus as well. As a result, his service was one of celebration!

I truly believe that funerals are better than birthdays and weddings. Why? Funerals cause us to reflect on the truly important things in life. When a baby is born or two lovebirds are married it's easy to feel 'joyful' in ways that give little or no acknowledgment to the Lord. At a funeral, the only true joy possible comes from focusing on the Lord.

At this funeral, after singing, a recorded testimony from Samien himself, and heart tugging, challenging words from our pastor, the floor was opened to stories and testimonies from those present. I was amazed. Almost every story was one that described how Samien's life and words brought someone to faith in Jesus Christ. One man who knew Samien years ago declared publicly his desire to renew his commitment to Jesus!

I realized tonight that Samien lived well. He was a poor servant to a 27 year stream of (mostly) American pastors and staff members who lived at the church. Yet he was rich in the Spirit of God and his life was used powerfully to impact many.

I also realized that Samien died well. As cancer ravaged his body and frayed the edges of his family's emotional and spiritual stability, Samien remained rock steady in his faith. Praise God!

Lord, I did not know Your servant Samien, but his life impacted the hearts of many people who are dear to me. I praise You for him. I pray that You will work powerfully in my life during these 'easy' times, building my passion and joy in You. Strengthen me so that when tragedy, sickness, and death impact my life, my 'default mode' will be praise and joy! You are the King of life! Amen.

The Christian's Most Ridiculous Sin (Part 1 of 2)

Almost everyone will acknowledge the need for priorities in life. After all, there are only 24 hours in each day, 7 days in each week, and 52 weeks in each year. We are constantly faced with the need to decide what things in life are more important than other things? As Christians, the trick is to discern God’s priorities. We often look to verses like Matthew 6:23, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” as guidelines for our priorities. A typical Christian priority list might look like this…

GOD - FAMILY - CHURCH – WORK/SCHOOL – OTHER PEOPLE

Planning our lives around priorities like these is essential. However, as we trust God and remain faithful in these priorities, conflicts will arise (back to the 24 hours in one day thing). What is our response when priorities conflict and we face the constant struggle between what is ‘best’, the ‘tyranny of the urgent’, and the pull of our worldly desires?

Enter in: The Christian’s most ridiculous sin…worry. For many of us our response is to become anxious and frustrated because we cannot seem to accomplish everything we ‘need’ to do in a way that brings joy and fulfillment. We worry in spite of the Bible’s clear command that tells us not to worry (Phil. 4:6). What might our worry be telling us if we are willing to have a look?

Worrying may be a signal of not following God’s command in Colossians 3:23: “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.”

When we choose to spend time indulging our flesh (even if no blatant sin is involved), then we might find ourselves ‘without time’ for other things that are clearly more important. Selfishly indulging our ‘wants’ does not count as ‘working heartily’ and does not keep God at the center of our activity.

On the other hand, it might not be our selfish desires that rob our Christ-centered energy. Instead, we sometimes allow the responses of other people dictate our anxiety level. There will be times when a well-balanced and God-focused Christian disappoints people by making the best decisions. If we are working for men more than for the Lord, anxiety will inevitably arise when living our priorities conflict with the expectations of others.

Bottom line: Are we truly pouring out our lives through prioritized involvement in God-focused work? If the answer is ‘yes’, I believe we will be a step closer to a life of joy and contentment that is free from worry.

Go to Part 2

The Worth of the Word

Psalm 119:72
“The law of your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces.”

Would you be willing to give up your God-given blessing of having and reading His Word if someone paid you $1 million? Of course not! What about giving up the Bible for two or three months for $1,000? Again, a real Christian would not be interested. As Christians we agree with the psalmist when he writes “The law of your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces” (Psalm 119:72). We all nod our heads to this Scripture, but do we really believe it? Do we live it?

In reality, we sell out our opportunities to read and cherish God’s Word for a lot less than $1,000. Consider a Christian who desires to know God and, therefore, seeks to read the Bible everyday. Life gets busy and follow-through only happens on 4 days of the week. That’s 3 days per week without the Bible, which adds up to 5 months and 6 days per year, which, from college graduation to retirement, adds up to more than 18 years!

If you do an ‘average’ job of reading your Bible 4 days per week throughout your working years, you will sell out over 18 years worth of days for what? Extra sleep? That TV show you really don’t want to miss? More time at the office? Think of the days when you fail to read the Bible. Is there ever a day when you don’t spend 30+ minutes doing something at the ‘watch-the-TV’ level or less? Probably not many and the reality is that spending time with God in His Word is more important than eating (Job 23:12)! Nevertheless, we sell out the Bible for things that have no real value at all.

Let us get on our knees together and repent before the Lord for the way we have belittled the value of His most precious Word. Let us pray for the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with a passion for the Bible unlike anything we have ever imagined. Let us pray for the courage and the discipline to plan priority time each day that is centered on the Bible.

Christ's Example of True Love (Part 3 of 3)

This post is part of a multi-part series that is examining 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 to discover the nature of true love.

Go to Part 1, 2

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How can we hope to love with the same sort of life-encompassing selflessness that is described in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7? To ask how a sinful person like you or me can show forth the love of Jesus in every area of our lives is like…
• A caterpillar asking what he needs to do to fly
• A tadpole asking what he needs to do to jump
• A seed asking what it needs to do to smell like a rose!

• For a caterpillar to fly, he must be transformed into a butterfly
• For a tadpole to jump, he must be changed into a frog
• For a seed to smell like a rose, it must fall to the ground and die and then rise up, transformed into the beauty of a sweet-smelling rose

For you and me to have love like we see in this passage…
• We must be changed
• We must be transformed
• We must be born again
• We must be made new creatures by the grace of God through faith in the shed blood of Jesus Christ who died on the Cross and then rose from the grave, defeating sin and death, and making it possible for us to know our Creator!

When Christ changes our lives, he gives us the gift of love like that which is described in 1 Corinthians 13! Is your life characterized by this gift of love? Obviously, all Christians still struggle with sin, but does it bother you when one of your actions, words, or thought is not characterized by love? A true Christian’s life will show the fruit of true love!

You can be a faithful churchgoer; you can do great things to help those in need; and you can speak spiritual words of wisdom which seem to come from the mouth of God himself…You can do all these things….and more…without love!

All of us who would claim to be Christians must examine our lives to see if they are characterized by love! If not, we need to hear the warning of this passage! “If we do not have love, it profits us nothing.” Nothing! Nothing in this life or in the life to come!

My father-in-law is a big NASCAR fan, and I enjoy watching the races from time to time. Several years ago, I was in a NASCAR store in the USA. Inside the store, they had a real race car! I think it was from a famous driver at the time. I remember looking at it in amazement! … There was only one thing missing…the engine!

The car looked great on the outside, but it was lacking the one thing on the inside that makes it do what it is intended to do! Without that engine, what was sitting in the store was worthless racecar! It was only good for a store display!

A Christian is made to bring glory and praise to God through the love that is displayed in our lives. We have to ask ourselves…Do our lives lack love? If they do, we are like cars without engines. We cannot fulfill our purpose in life of bringing honor and glory to God! No matter how ‘good’ all the ‘spiritual’ things we do make us look on the outside, without love, we can are of no use to God.

I pray that we will examine our hearts, searching to see if our lives are characterized by love.

Christ's Example of True Love (Part 2 of 3)

This post is part of a multi-part series that is examining 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 to discover the nature of true love.

Go to Part 1

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To understand this passage, we need to look at the surrounding passages…Chapter 13 is in-between two chapters that deal specifically with spiritual gifts. This discussion on spiritual gifts comes within a larger section dealing with the public worship of the Corinthians. Apparently, members of the church were having ‘spiritual gift wars.’ Some were boasting about their gifts, while others must have been complaining about not having certain gifts. Whatever their problems were, Paul makes it very clear that spiritual gifts are given by God to bring the whole church closer to God.

When Paul talks about gifts, it’s also important to see that he’s not just talking about things given to ‘elite’ Christians. He was speaking to all the believers in Corinth because every believer is gifted and every believer is expected to use his or her gift.

With this truth in mind, we can see that this passage applies to all of us who are Christians. We can also see more clearly that Chapter 13 is used specifically by Paul to show us that for any part of our lives as Christians to have real value or meaning, it must be characterized by love!

• Relationships
• Marriages
• School
• Job
• ‘Good’ things
• ‘Spiritual’ things

In other words, the love that is described in verses 4-7 must characterize every part of our lives!

I like the way Eugene Peterson describes love in The Message, his paraphrase of the New Testament:

Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.
Love doesn't strut,
Doesn't have a swelled head,
Doesn't force itself on others,
Isn't always "me first,"
Doesn't fly off the handle,
Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn't revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end.

In other words, love is that attitude of heart that shows itself by a willingness to sacrifice our desires and needs in order to put others first! May God shine this type of love forth through my life every moment of every day!

Go to Part 3

Christ's Example of True Love (Part 1 of 2)

What do you think of when you hear the word, “love”? What does society think of when it hears that word? To get an idea, I went to Google and typed in the word ‘love.' In the top 10 sites, there is not one that mentions Christ's love! There's a love calculator, a site that connects love to astrology, several dictionary/encyclopedia entries on love, and a matchmaking site from India, to name a few! Unfortunately, these search results give what is probably an all-too-accurate picture of the moral state of our society! Thankfully, the top 10 don't include the pornographic side of the Internet that lurks just below the surface for that search.

When I consider these results as well as the reality I see all around in Bangkok, Thailand, I am tempted to throw my hands up in the air and cry “What’s the use? Our society’s too far gone!” “The Bible could never apply to this kind of gross immorality!” Actually, there was a specific city during the time of the Bible that probably would have had similar search results if the Internet had been a reality back then. That city is the Achaean city of Corinth, in what is today Greece.

Corinth was the foremost commercial center in southern Greece during Biblical times and it was renowned for its sexual corruption. Aristophanes, the Greek philosopher, coined a new word, corinthiazesthai, which means “to practice fornication, or sexual immorality.” Plato also spoke of “Corinthian girls” to talk about prostitutes. Additionally, it is estimated that theTemple of Aphrodite housed up to 1000 temple prostitutes!

Still, into this city of corruption, God sent Paul to bring the Gospel! The church that Paul established in Corinth was not without its problems, however…If we look in the book of 1 Corinthians, we find a whole chapter in which Paul denounces immorality such as that which was present with a man who was sleeping with his step mother!

It’s within this context that we find 1 Corinthians 13. This chapter is not just thrown in out of nowhere! It applies specifically to the believers in the Corinthian Church and I believe it applies to the church today. In the next few posts, I’ll take a closer look at the following passage from the Bible:

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

⁴ Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant ⁵ or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; ⁶ it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Go to Part 2

Righteous Anger? Maybe...

James 1:19

¹⁹ Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; ²⁰ for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness that God requires.

James 4:1-4

4 What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? ² You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. ³ You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. ⁴ You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

For some people, anger comes as a quick flash of temper that rises faster than a flash flood in a narrow canyon. For others, anger presents itself as a slow, simmering heat that almost never shows itself above the surface. Both, according to James 1:20, fail to lead down paths of righteousness.

What do we do, then, when we are wronged? Can’t I be righteously angry at someone who wrongs me as long as I ‘let it go’ sooner rather than later (see Eph. 4:26-27)? Isn’t anger, like what Jesus displayed in the temple with the money changers (see Matt. 21:12-13), sometimes required to ‘produce the righteousness that God requires’? The answer to all of these questions is a highly qualified ‘Maybe.’

The two passages quoted above give me some serious questions to consider before I might consider any anger I might feel is ‘righteous’…

1. Have I listened (‘quick to hear’) and fully comprehended the situation and the relevant issues before becoming angry?
2. Has part of my listening involved restraining my desire to argue, trying to make sure my point-of-view is fully heard (‘slow to speak’)?
3. Has my anger resulted slowly as I’ve listened and, even after giving others the benefit of any doubts, become convinced that there is something seriously wrong and dishonoring to God in the situation (‘slow to anger’)?
4. If I’ve come to the slow and considered conclusion that my anger is justified, can I honestly say that my own sinful passions and desires for things like pleasure, recognition, power, comfort, or convenience are not significant factors helping to justify my anger (see James 4:1-4 above)?

In my experience, my anger is rarely ‘righteous’ and almost always results because someone has acted or something has happened that does not fit my expectations of how I want my life to go. At root, I get mad because I feel some ‘right’ of mine to a pleasant life has been violated and I want everyone else to be sorry about that (or at least as miserable as I am)!

How can we have this attitude when we reflect on the fact that, “while we were enemies [of God] we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son” (Rom. 5:10)? When we are wronged, we must forgive (Matt. 18:21-22), not angrily demand apologies. When circumstances collide to make our lives difficult, we must not take it out on everyone around us or shake our fists at God. Instead, we must “know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Rom. 8.28).

As one who is not unfamiliar with of a quickening pulse as anger begins to rise, I pray regularly that God will give me the grace to love deeply, forgive freely, and to ‘count it all joy’ (James 1:2-3)!

Why pray, ‘Thy kingdom come’?

Matthew 6:9-13

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."

This weekend, while I was on a men’s retreat with my church in Bangkok, I was especially touched as we worshiped in song together. During one particular song, we repeated the chorus, ‘Come, Lord Jesus, come’ many times. As we sang these words, I felt, perhaps more than ever, the sincerity and urgency of my desire for Jesus to return to the earth in power. I wanted desperately for His light to break through the darkness of the night outside as He appeared along with legions of angels! I want it right now as well.

Why? Why do I have such a passionate desire for Jesus to return? Is it because I want to go to heaven? Do I want to see all the evil and injustice in the world erased in a moment? Of course I want these things! The reality that formed the base of my earnest desire for Jesus’ return during that song was more personal, however. God enabled me to see beyond the reward of heaven and beyond judgment for all those evil people out there. He poured into my heart a desire to see Him glorified, lifted high for all to see; a righteous anger at the way sin in the world clouds the ability to see clearly the One who is so worthy. At that moment, my spirit was broken within me and tears came to my eyes because I realized that, while He tarries, my sin also steals His glory.

Praise God that He made a way in Jesus to rescue every single glory-stealing rebel like me who repents and believes the gospel! Praise God that He sanctifies struggling saints, making us more and more holy. I know that God has perfect timing in His perfect plan for bringing glory to himself in this world. Right now, I’m not thinking about heaven or the evil of everyone else in the world…I simply want Jesus to come back right now so that no glory will be stolen from Him by even one more sin of mine.