Happy All Saints Day

Yesterday I blogged about "Halloween" - which is actually "All Hallowed's Eve".  So if you haven't read that blog you might want to skip back a day and take a look at that before reading this one.

Today in the church's calendar year is the celebration of "All Saints Day"... that's You and Me too!
The word "saints" is used quite often in New Testament scripture.

It was used of those who arose from graves after the crucifixion of Jesus.  Matthew 27:52 (NASB) 
⁵² The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; 

And in the book of Acts it appeared several times:  The first time it was spoken by Ananias whom God called to go give Saul's sight back to him after he was struck down on the road to Damascus.  

Acts 9:13 (NIV)
¹³ "Lord," Ananias answered, "I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem. 

Of Peter shortly thereafter... Acts 9:32 (NIV) 

³² As Peter traveled about the country, he went to visit the saints in Lydda.

But Paul was the one who used the word liberally in his epistles to talk of the believers in the churches he was writing to:

 Romans 1:7 (NIV) 

⁷ To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

 Romans 8:26-27 (NASB) 

²⁶ In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words;
²⁷ and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.  

Romans 15:30-31 (NASB)
³⁰ Now I urge you, brethren, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God for me,
³¹ that I may be rescued from those who are disobedient in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may prove acceptable to the saints;

1 Corinthians 6:1 (NIV)
¹ If any of you has a dispute with another, dare he take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the saints?

2 Corinthians 1:1 (NIV)
¹ Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God in Corinth, together with all the saints throughout Achaia: 

Ephesians 1:1 (NIV)
¹ Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus: 

Ephesians 1:15-18 (NIV)
¹⁵ For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints,
¹⁶ I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.
¹⁷ I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.
¹⁸ I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,  

Colossians 1:3-4 (NIV)
³ We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,
⁴ because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints--

Altogether there the word "saints" is translated 104 times.  The greek word that is used is "hagios" and it means "one's set apart for a unique purpose".  In that sense all of us who know Christ Jesus are "saints".  We've been set apart for Christ's purpose.  We are citizens of His Kingdom and we are considered to be God's own possession.

How did "Saints" become special people and not all believers?  The answer lies in history and the institution of the Church - or as we know it - the early Catholic Church.  

Many believers in the early church went through great times of persecution.  Martyrdom was not an infrequent issue.  Many of those who were martyred were leaders...pastors, theologians, evangelists, teachers of the church.  The belief of Roman governors and leaders was that if they could destroy the leaders, they could stop the church from continuing on.  

With the coming of Constantine the early church gained a foothold in the empire.  Not as some teach that the church became the State church....it did not.  All that Constantine did was make being a Christian acceptable in the empire.  

The first "All Saints Day" was celebrated after Pope Boniface IV made the veneration (honoring) of those who were martyred to be celebrated on a common date - then it was in May of the year.

A century later another Pope expanded the celebration to include all saints...known and unknown and fixed the date to be Nov. 1st - quite possibly to counter a Pagan festival date, which I dealt with yesterday in the blog on "Halloween".

To say that we are saints is to say something much different than simply that we are people who believe, or are members of a church, or go to church.  

The word "Saints" applied to us means we are set apart for God's purposes.  

We are much more than believers...although we are believers....we are those who commit ourselves to learn from Jesus on how to live our lives as he would live our life.  

We are "saints" because we have made a commitment to have a life full of Jesus' life!

We are "saints" because our life is reflection of the holy quality of the new life of God's grace.

At least that's what we're suppose to be! 

Happy All Saint's Day!

Peace

  

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"All Hallowed's Eve"

So today across much of the U.S. there's the annual "fright" night, or better known "trick or treat" night known as Halloween.
In an attempt to "rescue" this day from the scary thing that it attempts to become, let me point out a few things that you may or may not know about how/what this day has come from.

Halloween has it's formation in Christian holiday - "All Hallowed Eves" - is the official celebratory event.   It is called that because it is the evening before "All Hallowed's day", or better known as "All Saints Day".
It was back in the 7th century that Popes Gregory III and Gregory IV moved the feast of All Saints Day to November 1st to honor all of the Saints that had gone before them.  Now the Catholic version of "sainthood" is much different from my own concept.  The Catholic church has historically only recognized certain individuals as Saints - because of their exceptional life, witness, and often sacrifice for the Church and Jesus Christ.  The scripture though says that all who know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior are Saints.

Now, what exactly do we mean "Saint"?  Saint comes from the greek word "hagios" and literally means "holy one".  While most of us would be hesitant to describe ourselves as "holy ones" - we need to realize that it simply means "one set apart for a unique purpose".  For example, my toothbrush is "hagios"...not because it is of God, but because it is set apart for one unique purpose...and only for me!  So also, we are "hagios"...set  apart for God's purpose, and therefore all of us are "saints"...whether we know it or not!  (For more on this, see Acts 9:32, Romans 1:7, Ephesians 1:15, and as well Colossians 1:4, to name a few passages that speak of us as Saints).

As for this day...the Catholic church sought to take away the Medieval Druid rites and ceremonies that came from their pagan worship.  Oct. 31st was the Celtic day of Samhain, a day of honoring the dead, and also killing/sacrificing for the dead (usually their captured prisoners).  For the Celts, Nov. 1st ended the "days of light" and moved them into the "days of darkness" - sort of an end of summer for them (there's an article on the history of this at, http://www.halloween-history.org/   For the Celts slaughtering animals for the winter food also meant sacrificing for the gods and the priests and priestesses (druids) were essential in keeping them alive through the Winter ahead.  Bonfires, spirits, sacrifice for the dead...all of it became a gruesome part of a yearly celebration that has evolved over time to be a part of the Halloween we know of witches and goblins, etc... It seems every year around this time Hollywood attempts to one-up last year's gruesome and horrible death by some new monster - often spirit in form.  Interesting isn't it?  We can never underestimate the enemy's ability to try to rob, steal and destroy.

SO, what do we do with this day as Christ's followers? 
One thing is to remember that the real celebration is tomorrow...All Saints Day.  Today is the eve of that celebration, and it's certainly wonderful to take time and celebrate what God has done in bringing us to himself and making us uniquely His own.

The larger thing for me is that  this day celebrates the real beginning of the Protestant Reformation.  On this date, Oct. 31st, Martin Luther, a German Priest/Professor in Wittenberg, Germany, took "95 Thesis" (Propositions for Debate) to the door of the Church of Wittenberg and posted them in order to challenge the rights and authority of the Popes over the word of God.  That must have been seen at the time as a fairly inconsequential action (I doubt if anyone paid any attention to what he was doing at the time, since public notices were often posted on the door of the church at that time).  What does the protestations of one priest mean to an empire of the Church Institutional?  
Yet from these small beginnings began the Reformation.  Lutherans still celebrate this date as "Reformation Day".  I like that.

Today, statistically, is the second largest spending event of the U.S. shopping year (only Christmas outpaces the spending that takes place on Halloween).  
So, what can we do?
I know many years ago I was struck by the lure of Halloween to my children.  I was struck by the irony of seeing kids dress up in costumes that for the most part were quite innocent - but could also embrace the dark side of the enemy's world.  
Not wanting to compete with Halloween we established an alternative ritual - we went as a family bowling!  We then went out for Pizza and bought some treats to keep at home...i.e., we sought to "redeem" Halloween from the Pagan to the Personal...a fun time.
Now my daughter, Son-in-law, and grandkids are back here, and that's exactly what we're going to do again tonight.  I'd prefer my grandchildren grow up thinking "what a fun night this is" than be sucked into a world that the next day I would never want them to be caught up in.

OK, one more thing...I'll come back tomorrow to finish this...and we'll celebrate All Saints Day.

Peace...and thanksgiving for "All Hallowed's Eve".

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More Praying Thoughts

It's been a couple of Sunday teachings now on Prayer.  All I can say is that I felt strongly that I was to encourage us to learn more about prayer.
I've spent the last two weeks talking about Prayer as Spiritual Warfare and it is important to know how true that is, but it is also relationship.  Here's where I find what Jesus says about Prayer to be so crucial.

Matthew 6:5-13 (NKJV)
⁵ "And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.
⁶ But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.
⁷ And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do.For they think that they will be heard for their many words.
⁸ Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.
⁹ In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.
¹⁰ Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.
¹¹ Give us this day our daily bread.
¹² And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors.
¹³ And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Six quick things to say:

        1.  Prayer leads us God’s Love - Intimacy

                “Our father who art in heaven, hallowed be Your name...”

        2.  Prayer leads us to Purpose and Wonder - “the Kingdom”

                “Your Kingdom Come...”

        3.  Prayer leads us to trust and surrender -

                “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven...”

        4.  Prayer leads us to trust in God’s Provision - Abundance

                “Give us this day our daily bread...”

        5.  Prayer leads us to Transformation -

                “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors...”

        6.  Prayer leads us to Preservation - Safe

                “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one...”

It's crucial that we learn that God has great delight in us as we turn to him in prayer.

Peace

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Thinking Through Free Will

I had a recent exchange with one of my students based on a class teaching, and some conversations in the area of God, creation of humans, free will, and the Fall.  I wrote a response back, and thought it might be good to post the whole exchange on the blog site...so here we go.

Hi DeeDee,

I'm answering this, and posting it on the class web site because it highlights some really good tensions that pertain to understanding free will and our sin nature.

FIRST though, let me answer your inquiry about Dallas Willard by pointing you back to the book and Chapter 2, which is entitled "The Gospel of Sin Management".  I think I used the word "problem" when I was referring to the issue that Willard brings up in that chapter - namely, that if we teach that the gospel is nothing more than our sins being forgiven, and leaves out the possibilities of transformation, growth, discipleship in Christ, then all we have is a gospel of sin management...keep our sins in check with repeated confession, repentance and forgiveness, but don't ever really change.  Don't mistake the idea of transformation as excluding confession, repentance and forgiveness - those will always be necessary elements of growth, but growth is meant to lead us towards Christ and His character as a part of our own character growth.

NOW, as to the questions on free will you stated:

Also I wanted to ask you a theology question. Based on our discussion last night on sin and free will I wanted to ask you what your opinion might be on this question: If our ability to sin is based on our free will (our choice) then what if we removed any "causal agents" (ie: things that tempt us into sin or sinning, like the serpent) that would start the thought process and/or plant the seed to sin/deception? 

If we were born without sin but with the ability to choose sin then might there be someone out there that has never chosen sin? I guess I'm wondering if we are born without sin don't we have the potential to never sin--given the choice (free will)? If not, then are we born with sin and just continue to chose to make the wrong choices which grows our "sin nature"? 

The short, brief answer (from my humbled, often need to re-think my own answers) point of view is:  Our picture of God is crucial to how we understand human nature and freedom.  In the answers to the atheist questions that Dr. Craig responds to, I totally agree that the starting point in terms of defining "goodness", "evil", "sin", "righteousness", etc...is God.  He is the one who defines all of those things, and it is our "mental picture" of God that is crucial to understanding His Character.  In other words, I know many Christians who think God is omniscient, omnipresent, all-powerful, loving, but entertain mental pictures of God as limiting, striking people dead, causing suffering for His own purposes, etc...

The fundamental lie of the Serpent in the garden was "You can't trust the character of God".  Some see in God's command a test for Adam and Eve...let's see if they'll obey?  But God was placing them in a place of both loving provisions, as well as loving prohibitions as free moral agents who were "made in His image".  What he wanted them to do was choose to allow God to be God over them; what the enemy did was challenge them to break free of that place of submission.

The Sin of Adam is now passed through the Human line.  We see it in children as soon as they are able to start making choices.  Our experiences, our perceptions, and our choices are tainted by this "nature" that still allows us the freedom to choose, even if our choices are Not to Trust God, or experience His fullness of love and communion and walk in humble obedience.

Still, we choose.

There are all sorts of ranges of evil and sin.  Certainly Adolf Hitler cannot be compared as a sinner with Mother Teresa.  They both are sinners in that they "miss the mark" and sin.  But Adolf Hitlers sins are much more visible, easier to spot than someone like Mother Teresa.

But let me add by going back to the theme of "free will".

I think it should be said, my commitment to Freedom of the Will is NOT the highest value or first principle for my Theology, and doctrinal construction.  My first principle in terms of theology (what I believe about God) is His character...as I read it comprehensively (and contextually) in scripture - but as primarily revealed in Jesus Christ.  The author of Hebrews said it best:

Hebrews 1:3 - The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. 

I don't struggle with God's sovereignty in relation to Human choices.  What I do object to is the notion that God controls human choices.  The garden narrative is the perfect picture of God directing, but allowing Human free will.  

What I also object to is the idea of God's sovereignty controlling human choices so that they are really/ultimately God's choices, since that then makes God the author of evil, as well as good.  

Besides it makes God quite ambiguous when it comes to morality.  

God gave to the man and the woman the freedom to choose God...that is why free will is such a risk.  

NOW, every parent knows that is true...but you do it, because to not do it is worse in outcome.  

God is the author of the biggest risk ever taken...that the human creation, tainted by the sin-nature, will still choose to love and obey.  This goes back to God's character.  

I believe the Scripture starts with God's goodness - "he saw it all as good" - and affirms the free will, with or without causal agents.  From this goodness comes all that describes love, justice, righteousness, moral perfection, etc..., and the willingness, and ability, to work through the risk to see a creation come back to him as God.

Hope this helps,

Elliott

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Making A Place For God

I was reading this morning in a new journal and the author referred to the latter part of Ephesians 3, and I was struck by the words Paul:

Ephesians 3:16-17 (NIV)
¹⁶ I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,
¹⁷ so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 

There is in these beautiful words something that struck me.  The first part is clear - we need the power of the Holy Spirit in our day to day life.  We need to be strengthened - growing stronger in terms of the work of the Spirit in our inner soul.  Our heart, motives, attitudes; Our will, desires, passions; all fall under the domain of our inner being.  It is Our Soul that Paul is saying needs this empowering.

It is in vs 17 that I am struck:  "that Christ may dwell in (y)our hearts through faith".

Linda and I have lots of different ways of hosting people.  We've had multiple friends, guests who've come into our home to talk with us, pray with us, listen to us, eat with us, celebrate with us.  It is our "dwelling"..."katoikeo" - where we live, the place we settle, reside in.

Read it again:  "that Christ may dwell - live, settle in, reside in - (y)our hearts through faith."

The deep desire of God's Spirit is to be comfortable in us.  That every day, wherever we are, we carry in our soul - that place of our motives, our attitudes, our desires, our passions, our heart, and our will - a place of dwelling for God's Spirit.

What would it be like if you were invited into someone's home and they offered you coffee..."thanks"...and then proceeded to yell at each other, break out into an argument, screaming vulgarities, etc...?
I think I would shrink back and hope to get out of there as soon as possible.

God comes to us just as we are...make no mistake about it, this is not a matter of perfection.  The Apostle Paul writes to Timothy a personal letter of encouragement to say "let your progress be evident".  It's never about perfection, it is about progress.
We may not feel worthy of God's Spirit dwelling in us, but His desire is to live within us and teach how to live in the fruit of His Spirit.

As you go to school, your work place - whether in an office or a field - remember that we carry God's Spirit with us and He desires to work within us - to "dwell" - within us...I think that is pretty awesome, don't you?

Peace

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Oil

I have been reading through the Torah - the first five books of the Bible - sometimes called The Pentateuch.  Torah means "instruction" and it gives an account of God's shaping the world for redemption.  Starting with the creation it leads the reader to see how the Fall of mankind is being reversed through the work of God in and through his people.

As I read recently I was struck by this particular passage:

Exodus 25:1-2 (NIV)
¹ The LORD said to Moses,
² "Tell the Israelites to bring me an offering. You are to receive the offering for me from each man whose heart prompts him to give...

⁶ olive oil for the light; spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense...


⁸ "Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them.
⁹ Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you. 

From there Moses goes on to explain the various things God directed him to have made.  They made a chest that would become the Atonement seat on the Ark of the Covenant.  They made Cherubim statutes that would serve as a reminder that God's presence was always there and that His Holiness was paramount in all that they did to worship Him.  They made a table for the bread to remind them that God was their provision, not their own ingenuity and skills.
But, one of the most important things as a reminder was the lampstands.  They made them from pure Gold and filled them with oil.

Exodus 27:20-21 (NIV)
²⁰ "Command the Israelites to bring you clear oil of pressed olives for the light so that the lamps may be kept burning.
²¹ In the Tent of Meeting, outside the curtain that is in front of the Testimony, Aaron and his sons are to keep the lamps burning before the LORD from evening till morning. This is to be a lasting ordinance among the Israelites for the generations to come.

My soul is in need of this reminder over and over again.  The lamp must keep burning and the oil must be continually maintained.  The oil does not come from within, it comes from the Holy Spirit of God.  The oil of God is that desire to ask God for help in everything...my prayers, my work, my marriage, my family, my friends and church...everything.  Day and Night I am in need of fresh oil...the fresh filling and working of the Holy Spirit of God.

We will dry up...the lamps go out...and we'll be tired, without hope, without motivation, with the wrong attitudes, with complaining and bitterness of soul without the oil of God's Spirit within.  From Him comes "love, joy, peace, perseverance, patience, self-control", and on and on it goes.

Sometimes....the greatest thing we can do is pray the prayer of "God I need you..."

"O God, because without you we are not able to please you; mercifully grant that your Holy Spirit would in all things direct and rule our lives, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, One God, Now and Forever, Amen."

Peace

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Building the Walls

A reading from the Old Testament book of Nehemiah is where my thoughts as a Pastor go today.

Nehemiah 4:1-6 (NIV)
¹ When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed. He ridiculed the Jews,
² and in the presence of his associates and the army of Samaria, he said, "What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble--burned as they are?"
³ Tobiah the Ammonite, who was at his side, said, "What they are building--if even a fox climbed up on it, he would break down their wall of stones!"...
⁶ So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart.

Later it is added:

Nehemiah 4:14-17 (NIV)
¹⁴ After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, "Don't be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes."
¹⁵ When our enemies heard that we were aware of their plot and that God had frustrated it, we all returned to the wall, each to his own work.
¹⁶ From that day on, half of my men did the work, while the other half were equipped with spears, shields, bows and armor. The officers posted themselves behind all the people of Judah
¹⁷ who were building the wall. Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other...

The events described  above may not be familiar to you, so let me paint a brief picture.  The nation of Israel went into captivity twice...first as the Northern 10 tribes known as Israel, or Ephraim; and second as the southern two tribes of Benjamin and Judah.  It was the second time in the period of 604 to 586 B.C. that Judah (which was the rightful heir of Israel) was attacked and destroyed by the Babylonians.  The walls were torn down, the Temple destroyed, and 1000's were taken into captivity - just a remnant of people were left behind.
The prophet Jeremiah wrote in this time period and he prophesied the captivity would take place.  He also stated that it would last 70 years - which interestingly coincided with the number of years of Sabbath years for the land that the Children of Israel failed to observe since they had come to the land.

The book of Nehemiah is written after all of this takes place.  The Babylonians fell from power in 540 BC.  The Persians allowed the Jews to go back to the land and rebuild, and they did...first under Ezra, and then later under the influence of Nehemiah.

That long introduction is to get to the main point in the passage.

The ability to survive as a people of God was only possible because they worked together, and as vs 14 says, they fought for...not fought with....or fought as...but they fought FOR each other.  They fought for their families.  They fought because they knew there was an enemy that was fighting to destroy them.  I don't know if believers in general believe there is an "enemy", and that a "fight" is going on for our families.  It seems pretty obvious in looking at our society that family life is under attack and that there are many families that are divided, frustrated and fractured - to the point of great vulnerability.

I have raised my four children and now they are raising their children (except the one Andy who is not yet married).  Raising kids has "eternal" significance in God's Kingdom.  Jesus reminded us that "the children should come unto me."

The wise person will work together with others to protect the family...BUILD THE WALLS so that they family is safe.

Peace

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