Teaching and Pastoring

Colossians 2:1 For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, 2 that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4 I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments. 5 For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ.

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One of the things that impresses me and blesses me about Paul's tone of voice here is his obvious love for each church community. He is so good at blessing people, encouraging and building them up. He always takes time at the beginning of a letter to do this, and then goes on to teach the Truth. Paul has the dual gifting as teacher and pastor, coming along side individuals and communities as a shepherd in the pursuit of a life like Jesus.

Sometimes it is tempting to think that teaching and pastoring are the same gift. Certainly a teacher is helping to lead another person intellectually, and a pastor is teaching by example and influence, but these two personalities tend to break out in the church. Paul is unique to have both gifts so strongly knit together. This is my theory. A good teacher, like a professor, has the weakness of intellectualism and pride. He or she might, in moments of sin, think too highly of themselves. Pride breaks down the unity and community. It is possible to be theologically sound, and yet lack love - which is, of course, not so sound after all. On the flip side, a pastor might be good at building community and loving people, but lack the ability to clearly communicate the truth of the gospel. He or she might, in moments of confusion or distraction, deemphasize the pursuit of right thinking. So Paul is good at both, which isn't to say he didn't have his own weaknesses. A quick lesson to leaders is to emulate both qualities and self reflect on potential areas of weakness. If I am a teacher, do I allow my knowledge to puff up without building up? If I am a pastor, am I letting my fear of conflict get in the way of truth? The fact is, the truth will cause a church to become more unified and healthy, if not bigger. But the Word of God is like a double edged sword (even sharper actually), and sometimes the truth will seem to shrink community rather than grow it. But Love prunes us, otherwise it would not be Love.

A Deeper Healing

Acts 28:24 And some were convinced by what he said, but others disbelieved. 25 And disagreeing among themselves, they departed after Paul had made one statement: “The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your fathers through Isaiah the prophet: 26 “‘Go to this people, and say, You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive. 27 For this people's heart has grown dull,and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed; lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’ 28 Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen.”
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I know I've written about it before, but in this passage I am struck again by the reality of our condition. We are blind, deaf and lame. Our spiritual infirmaties are much more serious and permanant than physical maladies. So when Jesus forgave sins, he was healing on a much deeper level. The physical healing was a natural follow on step, showing God's sensitivity to the immediate as well as the eternal condition of mankind. But some people, including myself much of the time, are resistant to that kind of love. We are slow to listen to God, slow to see him and powerless to obey - or so it seems sometimes. Paul is so hopeful for the Gentiles though. I find him to be incredibly generous, as a Jewish leader, to dedicate his life for the spreading of the good news to the gentiles. Without that love and obedience, I would not have the explicit, written words of Paul inviting me into God's kingdom.

Home Away From Home

Psalm 84:3 Even the sparrow finds a home,and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young at your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God. 4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise! Selah
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Matthew 10:31 Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.
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Luke 9:58 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”
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My first point is that the Psalmist claims animals make their homes as an act of worship to God. He declares a blessing over those people who would live their lives and make their "homes" in the same fashion, under the authority and protection of God's "house". My second point is to point out the rather funny syllogism which Jesus offers - God values us even more than sparrows (and he does value sparrows). It is funny because it should be obvious, but it isn't. The problem of pain and evil in the world causes us to doubt God's goodness and His power to bring about justice. The world is wild. It isn't easy to find the kind of peace a sparrow seems to have at home in a nest made from twigs, leaves and feathers. Third point: God inserted himself into our displaced situation, making himself "homeless" like one of us and then going back to His Father to prepare a place for us.
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2 Corinthians 5:1 For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

The Miracle of Forgiveness

John 20:19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”
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One of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to this passage, seems to be the ability to declare the forgiveness of sins. If you recall, on multiple occasions Jesus demonstrated how this miracle, the miracle of forgiveness, was much more profound and powerful than physical healing. Physical healing, although wonderful and certainly indicative of God's goodness, is not lasting because our current bodies are mortal. Forgiveness which comes from the Holy Spirit is the ultimate act of healing, in a sense cleansing us of our permanent, spiritual leprosy. When was the last time you told someone that their sins were forgiven by God? Do you believe that God has breathed His Holy Spirit into you and that you have the authority to do what Jesus empowered the disciples to do? I believe that the miracle of forgiveness is essential to building authentic community. Jesus, as our King, has invited us into a loving Kingdom, a Kingdom community where all are forgiven and free. We are his agents of forgiveness in the world, welcoming people into that safe place.

Broken Beyond Healing

Proverbs 29:1 He who is often reproved, yet stiffens his neck,will suddenly be broken beyond healing.
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It seems to me that we often only learn the things we are willing to learn. Obvious? Perhaps. But here is the thing which captures my attention right now: the intersention between the will and the heart, or the will and the mind. Jesus said that the greatest commandment was/is to love the Lord with all of our heart, mind and strength. Loosely (because I am not taking the time to do a word study just yet) I read this to be love which requires the mind, the emotions and the will, in unison. In other words - everything about us which is human must be turned towards God in an act of love. This is what we were created to enjoy. This is who we were created to be. It is our highest calling and greatest mode of existence - Love. One of the things which Love does in our lives is make us capable of being corrected, by God and by others. When we know we are loved, we are able to open ourselves to honest input. When we know we are safe in a loving community, we are able to be more truly ourselves. But love is also hard on us in the sense that it won't alloow us to be lazy. God's love is rigorous and inspires others to live rigorously. I am praying that my local community would be so full of love that we would be able to open up to eachother and at the same time, spur eachother on to do awesome stuff. The alternative is really not pleasant. If we neglect to live lives of love and close ourselves off to the possibility of honest community, we will eventually be broken. And yet, if you are reading this and you feel broken, I suspect that there is still healing waiting for you. I think the crux of the Proverb here is that those who refuse healing will not be healed. Sad, but true.

Kingdom Community

Mark 3: 31 And his mother and his brothers came, and standing outside they sent to him and called him. 32 And a crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers [11] are outside, seeking you.” 33 And he answered them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” 34 And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.”
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Of course Jesus loved his mother and his brothers, but he also had a radical commitment to live in brotherhood with all mankind. I'm sure this was hard at times. When he hung on the cross and asked Peter to take his place as son to his mother, Mary, I'm sure there was intense emotional anguish. Was it worth it? For those of us who have been fortunate to experience the safety and love of a healthy family, it is hard to imagine giving it up for anything. But God calls us to lay this down, at the proper time, in order to open our families to the rest of the world. In order to do this I have to be willing to live a fairly transparent life, not always having to have it all together. But the the front doors of our homes are the side doors to the church. And conversely, the disconnected church goer has the opportunity to become reconnected to the body through home groups and intentional hospitality.