Douglas Young

In response to the question, “How can one keep the law?”, Dallas Willard suggests,

Jesus well knew the answer to this question, and that is why he told those who wanted  to know how to work the works of God to put their confidence in the one God had sent (John 6:29). He knew that we cannot keep the law trying to keep the law. To succeed in keeping the law one must aim at something other and something more. One must aim to become the kind of person from whom the deeds of the law naturally flow. The apple tree naturally and easily produces apples because of its inner nature. This is the most crucial thing to remember if we would understand Jesus’ picture of the kingdom heart given in the Sermon on the Mount.”

Dallas Willard

The Divine Conspiracy

In my files are stored away a number of different quotes that I have collected over the years concerning different subjects. Several months ago I discovered one that I used in a lesson on evangelism. I  know nothing of the one who said it, nor do I remember exactly how I got it, but it goes like this: “Evangelism is one beggar telling another beggar where to get bread.” Such us true because “evangelism” is the spreading of good news. Where to find bread is “good news” to a beggar.

We shouldn’t be surprised that Jesus would use “bread” in a number of different analogies. What can compare to his “bread of life” analogy in John 6: living bread, bread from heaven, the bread of God, bread of life? It was powerful imagery!

Every so often, I find myself in discussions with others about what Italian food restaurant offers the best bread as an appetizer. Right now, Romano’s Macaroni Grill is on top of my list. That on several occasions I have found myself in the middle of such discussions, that were not started by me mind you, tells me that bread has an amazing appeal to our appetites. It’s good! If you, too, have a thing for bread, and I mean good bread, then the news of what you can get at Romano’s Macaroni Grill  is good news.

But the good news of the living bread of Jesus is better. In fact, it’s an unfair comparison, but hopefully it might help us see what we can get in Christ, one beggar to another!

The internet is a wonderful tool and an excellent medium through which to communicate. Web sites, blog sites and the like open doors for world-wide expression. But with open doors comes also the potential for people to freely come in and out as well. And they do. That’s the risk of utilizing a venue like this. People can come in, express affirmation or dissent, and then walk away. Often they do so under the protection of anonymity. 

That there are those who scour the internet, looking to dig up dirt on others, is difficult to deny. I have had to deal with them and so have many others. Once again, that is the risk that’s taken in utilizing a venue like this.

In the past, I have been relatively sporadic in my usage of my own site, for this very reason. Why bother when all you draw are hecklers hiding in anonymity? Now others with whom I am very close are experiencing the same. It’s embarrassing on a number of different levels.

But I refuse to let a commiserable minority exercise that kind of authority over me. Base tactics are for base people. That’s the kind of thing the Pharisees sought to do to Jesus. It’s what happened to the infant church. So we shouldn’t be surprised when similar treatment is received by those striving to be His disciples.

“When we had come to Jerusalem, the brothers gladly received us” (Acts 21:21).

The life of Paul, as told through the book of Acts, is a life of hostility (from and into), hope and hardship. That the New Testament church didn’t have it all together is evident in its treatment of people like Paul. It should seem odd for Luke to publish upon their return to Jerusalem what to us would be expected, but given the history of the early church, that Paul would necessarily receive a warm at Jerusalem upon his arrival, wasn’t a foregone conclusion. 

Upon his conversion to Christ, he spent time in Damascus honing his skills at nearby synagogues, but now seen as a traitor, he faced immense difficulty at the hands of the Jews (Acts 8:19-25). Eventually he would venture to Jerusalem, but the other disciples were reluctant to associate with him (v. 26). So at this juncture, he more than likely departs to Arabia (Galatians 1:17). Despite his role and reputation as a Jewish “strong arm” prior to his conversion (Acts 8:1-3; 1 Timothy 1:13; Phil. 3:4-6), his migration to Arabia and work away from Jerusalem proper left him a relative unknown to the Judean churches (Galatians 1:22).

Consequently, I think it is safe to suggest that his later confrontation with Peter over hypocritical treatment of Gentile converts (Galatians 2:11ff) would’ve earned him no rewards points in the minds of a not so insignificant number of the Jerusalem church. Paul had little issue with verbalizing his frustrations to his Jewish Christian critics (Romans 2; 1 & 2 Corinthians), neither was he afraid of apprising others of how wrong it was to hold brethren with contempt (Philippians 4:2-3).

So Acts 21:21 is fascinating. That the glad reception of the Jerusalem brotherhood warranted mentioning only goes to show that there was real grounds for concern and that their return was rather controversial. I can’t help but believe that Paul and Luke made the trip to Jerusalem with a sense of uneasiness about how the church would respond to them.

Paul was going back with a purpose though. He explicitly declares it to the Ephesian eldership. The Holy Spirit had testified that hardship was in store, although Paul admits that he doesn’t really know the particulars of what to expect when he arrives at Jerusalem. Undoubtedly, the non-Christian Jewish powerbase was at the forefront of his mind. They had before made attempts at his life, but given his difficulties with churches with which he was associated, Corinth for example, he more than likely would’ve been thinking similarly about Jewish Christians in Judea!

Have you ever been to a place but not been welcome there? We’ve all heard stories or even possibly seen for ourselves, first hand, the kinds of racial prejudices that would lead a person to post on the door of their convenience store, “No Blacks Allowed!” Many blacks can attest to what it means to not be well received. Of course, non-racist whites have their stories of not being “gladly received” in black communities as well. Regardless of who is on the receiving end, no one likes to not be welcome!

Acceptance is one of the great human needs. We long to be accepted both by God and by brethren. What could be worse, though, than being accepted by God, but not by brethren? God hasn’t been silent about this matter either. “As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions” (Romans 14:1).

I would like to think that Acts 21:21 is a testimony to the fact that by the power of God’s Spirit, people can be changed, prejudices can be surrendered, and poor attitudes can be replaced with the attitude of Christ. Can a once partial and prejudice people be shown the error of their ways? I would hope that the answer can be gleaned from a simple sentence from the book of Acts.

The other day Tisha told me that a certain passage was really bothering her. Specifically, it was Matthew 7:20, “Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.” Most of us know it well. It’s a statement that makes all the sense in the world, but it doesn’t necessarily sit well with a person when thought about introspectively. That was Tisha’s point. Her concern was about what, to her was a lack of fruit, might say about herself. Of course, I had been thinking the same thing about myself. What was my lack of fruit saying about me?

What kind of fruit was Jesus getting at? Was it about bringing souls to Christ or could it be about something else? Could this be a foreshadowing reference to how the fruit of the Spirit is the defining element to a person’s Christian character? 

I sense that both can be in view. Seeds of evangelism do not always grow. This we learn from the parable of the sower, as well as from the very ministry of Jesus. His message didn’t affect change in everyone with whom he spoke, but he touched the lives of many nevertheless. He made a difference. He wasn’t fruitless, but why was that?

One of my concerns is that we so rest on the fact that we are merely seed planters and waterers, trusting that God will give the growth(1 Cor. 3:6), but when that growth doesn’t necessarily develop, we simply say, “Well it wasn’t meant to be!” That’s convenient, but what if we’ve been the problem all along? What if it was the way we went about it that produced the end result? Or even worse, what if on the outside everything seemed proper, but that it was nothing more than a facade that God saw through, and because of our disingenuousness our efforts fell on infertile soil?

Could it be that evangelism without the fruit of the Spirit in us is futile?

Hebrews 12:14

Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.

Admittedly, there are passages of Scripture that, simply stated, slap us right up side the face. We know they are there, yet we speak of them very infrequently. We steer clear of them if possible, but the fact is they are there and they command our attention every bit as much as more often cited passages. Hebrews 12:14, to me, is one such passage. 

A Christian’s business is not to make war in any way. Many confuse the fact that Christian’s are engaged in spiritual battle (Ephesians 6:10-17; 2 Corinthians 10:3-6) with the ongoing investment in the war process. This is most unfortunate because we tend to transpose current societal states of affairs and approaches upon spiritual states of affairs, and then begin fighting spiritual battles with worldly means. 

Jesus, “the way, truth and life” (John 14:6) came to show a better way. In his book, The Jesus Way: A Conversation on the Way that Jesus is the Way, Eugene Peterson states, “Jesus is an alternative to the dominant ways of the world, not a supplement to them.” This couldn’t be more true. Jesus was legitimately bucking His culture, a hard sell to be sure, and yet it was with the intent of establishing a Way that will sustain God’s people for the long haul. God’s people will need it, for life is riddled with obstacles, distractions and disruptions.

The Jesus Way was a way of peace. Why? Because He had sealed the victory. His death, burial and resurrection secured it (1 Corinthians 15:50-58). The devil is defeated. He knows it. There’s nothing he can do about it, except try to bring as many people down with him. Isn’t this the message of Revelation? Consequently, this is why Jesus was tempted in the fashion He was by Satan (Matthew 4:1ff). Satan knew there was no way around the defeat, so he sought to throw Jesus off His Way. He offers Him “the kingdoms of the world” through an easier means other than the cross. I think He did so because he was resigned to defeat. Jesus’ Way of Life would not be thwarted by Satan, the Pharisees, the Sadducees, or by anyone else for that matter. Inevitably, Satan hits us the same way.

The war in which we are engaged is personal. You and Satan are going at it. Satan and I are going at it. He is a sniper looking to take us out. He is the one who plants bombs in our lives, hoping we step on one of his many destructive land mines. 

So many have become Satan’s casualties and don’t even realize it. So our battle iss’t with them. Paul emphatically states such. “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood” (Ephesians 6:12), but rather our fight is with “rulers…authorities…cosmic powers…spiritual forces of evil in heavenly places (emphasis mine).” The unfortunate thing is that people, Satan’s casualties, are caught up in the chaos. So the Christ-like imperative is to make peace not war with them. This doesn’t mean we ignore sin and error. It means we, with the mindset and heart of Jesus, “save others by snatching them out of the fire” (Jude 23). But we do so and people striving for peace, not agitating war! This, unquestionably, is the Hebrews writer’s point in Hebrews 12:14. Whence did it come? Could it be anyone but Jesus (cf. Matthew 5:9)?

We do this, in part, by way of respect, treating people with dignity. Peter tells of the need to “Honor everyone” (1 Peter 2:17). Paul encourages to “Outdo one another in showing honor” (Romans 12:10). When we resort to the often undignified tactics of war, it is impossible to treat people with dignity, respect and honor.

Our job is to strive to make peace with all of humanity. It is not to ridicule, belittle, denigrate and slander. Such  doesn’t reflect the mind of Christ. With Christ as our model, let us strive to make peace. Let’s speak truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). Let them be won to Christ with grace, kindness and love!

Thank you Father for new beginnings: the opportunities to make things right, to wipe the slate clean, to purge out the old leaven, and hope for a better today!

Today is not the end of the weekend, it’s Sunday, the first day of the week. It’s the day that Jesus was discovered to not be found in the tomb. Teach us God to appreciate it for it’s tremendous significance.

New beginnings. Today. Not tomorrow! Today! Thank you for new beginnings!

It seems as if there are a lot of things that are in a state of transition. Our country is currently transitioning into the feel of a new president. Someone is transitioning into a new house, job, or both. Some of us are merely transitioning into a new blog interphase. Regardless of who or where we are, transition is a constant force with which all must deal. 

I hope that the switch to Wordpress will help me find some peace with a medium of expression. I also hope that others who are interested in what I have to express will find some constancy in me through this medium. 

Thank you for bearing with me thus far. Please continue to do so as I work out the kinks that are before me!