So, I have never understood why Jesus would say, "Whoever is not against you is for you" (Luke 9:50). And, then just a little while later say, "He who is not with me is against me" (Luke 11:23). Those two statements seem to be in direct contradiction to one another.
There is a lesson we need remember when interpreting anything.... CONTEXT.
The first passage, Jesus is dealing with exclusion of those who are different. The disciples were arguing about who was the greatest and trying to 'one up' the others so they would be seen as the important one. Jesus responds to this exclusion by including anyone doing the same work.
In the second passage, Jesus has just been accused of casting out demons by satan's power. Here this statement is about limiting who is included in the kingdom. Those who want to be resistant to God and attack His kingdom are excluded.
Let's see if I can illustrate: Say I start a youth basketball league. It is for training and instruction. By the very nature of the league, we will accept all players who want to learn basketball, no matter how bad they are. If they are willing to learn, they are in... BUT, what if one young man shows up every week with soccer cleats and only wants to kick the ball. At some point, we have to tell that young man that this is NOT soccer but basketball.
It is the same with the kingdom of God. If you want to participate, you have to play according to the rules. You are accepted until you try to turn God's Kingdom into whatever you deem as important. I guess that is why the entry fee into this kingdom is the declaration "Jesus is LORD."
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Monday, October 11, 2010
Fear of the Lord
"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." (Prov. 9:10)
"Perfecting holiness out of reverence (fear) for God." (2 Cor. 7;1)
The Greek word for fear (and at times reverence) is fobu. The meaning is to be afraid...
I recieved an e-mail today from a man I greatly respect. He was "going off" on the fact that Americans are constantly talking about the love of God, but seldom want to mention the "fear of God."
There is this transition that happens as we mature. When I was young, I was afraid to go against my dad. He disciplined me, and I learned to obey. But, as I grew into a young man, I no longer feared his discipline. In fact, I remember vividly the day that we were wrestling, and I knew I could take him. I was 19 and home from college and we were goofing around. I had been in enough fights to know that hearing him say "uncle" was just one simple move away. I didn't do it.
From that day on, things changed with me and dad. Honestly, things got better. He actually asked me questions, and wanted my input. And, I still feared him, but not his disipline, but his disapproval.
The beginning of wisdom is to be afraid of God, but as we mature, we learn what it means to respect God. We no longer do what is right because we are afraid of his punishment, but of disappointing our Father.
If you are at the beginning.... be afraid, He alone has the power to send you to hell (Matt. 10:28) But, if you are a little older in Christ, begin learning what it is to respect God so much that you would never want to do anything that dishonor's Him.
"Perfecting holiness out of reverence (fear) for God." (2 Cor. 7;1)
The Greek word for fear (and at times reverence) is fobu. The meaning is to be afraid...
I recieved an e-mail today from a man I greatly respect. He was "going off" on the fact that Americans are constantly talking about the love of God, but seldom want to mention the "fear of God."
There is this transition that happens as we mature. When I was young, I was afraid to go against my dad. He disciplined me, and I learned to obey. But, as I grew into a young man, I no longer feared his discipline. In fact, I remember vividly the day that we were wrestling, and I knew I could take him. I was 19 and home from college and we were goofing around. I had been in enough fights to know that hearing him say "uncle" was just one simple move away. I didn't do it.
From that day on, things changed with me and dad. Honestly, things got better. He actually asked me questions, and wanted my input. And, I still feared him, but not his disipline, but his disapproval.
The beginning of wisdom is to be afraid of God, but as we mature, we learn what it means to respect God. We no longer do what is right because we are afraid of his punishment, but of disappointing our Father.
If you are at the beginning.... be afraid, He alone has the power to send you to hell (Matt. 10:28) But, if you are a little older in Christ, begin learning what it is to respect God so much that you would never want to do anything that dishonor's Him.
Monday, October 4, 2010
The Kingdom of God (part 1)
Several months ago, I acquired two books on the "Kingdom of God." These books could not have been written from two more diverse perspectives. One is more liberal, believing that Jesus is for all people, the other is ultra conservative, believing that the kingdom is for just a few followers who have special insight.
So lately, I have been reading the Gospels with an eye attuned to the "Kingdom of God." It makes reading the Gospels a lot more fun, when you are looking for some special purpose rather than just reading the same story over and over again.
What I am beginning to understand is that I don't understand the "Kingdom of God." To highlight what I am saying, consider this quote from one of those books:
We don't really understand the kingdom concept, because we live in a culture that has no "king." Our highest and most powerful officials are limited in their power (we hope) and are selected by the populace. But, in a real kingdom, the king is without equal and unquestioned in his power and authority. (That is why there were such power struggles to become and maintain a throne.)
So, the first step in understanding the kingdom is to recognize that it is centered around the KING. In this Kingdom of God, he is the king. He is the ruler, the power broker, the authority and the owner of it all. The kingdom doesn't exist for the subjects, but for the king.
So, our boredom with the subject is because we have this false notion that the kingdom of God is about us: another item to add to our already overcrowded lives. But when the message is declared, "The Kingdom of God is at hand," it is a message that God is about to establish HIS rule and authority.
More later....
So lately, I have been reading the Gospels with an eye attuned to the "Kingdom of God." It makes reading the Gospels a lot more fun, when you are looking for some special purpose rather than just reading the same story over and over again.
What I am beginning to understand is that I don't understand the "Kingdom of God." To highlight what I am saying, consider this quote from one of those books:
"But today, if we speak of the kingdom of God, the original electricity is largely gone, and in its place we too often find a kind of tired familiarity that inspires not hope and excitement but rather anxiety or boredom." (Brian McLaren, The Secret Message of Jesus, 138)
We don't really understand the kingdom concept, because we live in a culture that has no "king." Our highest and most powerful officials are limited in their power (we hope) and are selected by the populace. But, in a real kingdom, the king is without equal and unquestioned in his power and authority. (That is why there were such power struggles to become and maintain a throne.)
So, the first step in understanding the kingdom is to recognize that it is centered around the KING. In this Kingdom of God, he is the king. He is the ruler, the power broker, the authority and the owner of it all. The kingdom doesn't exist for the subjects, but for the king.
So, our boredom with the subject is because we have this false notion that the kingdom of God is about us: another item to add to our already overcrowded lives. But when the message is declared, "The Kingdom of God is at hand," it is a message that God is about to establish HIS rule and authority.
More later....
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