October 27, 2008
October 13, 2008
If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
Oppression has lead to anger in my life. The anger turned to bitterness and that, to hatred.
In this situation, a Christian worker, misused his position and wasn’t repentant. I did not handle my anger correctly which resulted in hatred.
Hatred, as Greg explained, turned to darkness within. Although I don’t see the affect, I have to realize that “God’s Word is true, and every man a liar.” Rom. 3:4
The manner in which I learn and process information is by experience. I have to rely on my brother, to identify “blind spots” in my life. In so doing, I will repent, as I have, and begin to do the right thing, which is to love my brother. The process is by my act of praying for him. Once I have experienced this truth, and see the darkness, I will be able to see where I was amiss. In this case, moving from darkness into light. Through the experience, and my learning, I hope to write more.
My cause was right, my response was not. Therefore, the cause became unworthy and darkness.
In this situation, a Christian worker, misused his position and wasn’t repentant. I did not handle my anger correctly which resulted in hatred.
Hatred, as Greg explained, turned to darkness within. Although I don’t see the affect, I have to realize that “God’s Word is true, and every man a liar.” Rom. 3:4
The manner in which I learn and process information is by experience. I have to rely on my brother, to identify “blind spots” in my life. In so doing, I will repent, as I have, and begin to do the right thing, which is to love my brother. The process is by my act of praying for him. Once I have experienced this truth, and see the darkness, I will be able to see where I was amiss. In this case, moving from darkness into light. Through the experience, and my learning, I hope to write more.
My cause was right, my response was not. Therefore, the cause became unworthy and darkness.
October 08, 2008
And reproofs for discipline are the way of life, Pr. 6
First, I want to acknowledge that the Sermon on the Mount is not easy to grasp; perhaps that is why it is seldom studied seriously. It is not just theological difficulties with Reformation Christianity that are the problem; the word pictures themselves are usually difficult. You had mentioned that the issues of salt and light were challenging for the group. I think I may not have understood how difficult much of this is.
The particular issue we talked about is a good example of the difficulty of the wording in Sermon on the Mount. Jesus said that the lamp of the body is the eye. Using a metaphor of a lamp in a house, Jesus points out a mechanism at work in man. "If therefore your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore, the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness." The image is simple at first, but becomes more difficult when we try to understand it. The word "clear" is more literally "without folds". Somehow the way we look at the world around us can result in light filling our body, or can result in great darkness throughout. The consequences of what Jesus described are profound, but we may not understand what a clear eye is.
It is perhaps easier to understand what John says in I John 2. "The one who says he is in the light and yet hates his brother is in the darkness until now. The one who loves his brother abides in the light and there is no cause for stumbling in him. But the one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes." This great darkness within will be like physical blindness; all aspects of the Christian walk will be like a blind man stumbling over obstacles he cannot see. Hatred of a brother will make progress impossible.
What John said is perhaps a good illustration of the difficult statement of Jesus. The eye is meant to be clear, single, literally without folds. Yet often we have are layers of perception. We want to consider truth at an abstract level, but deal with individuals at another level. We want to hold that God is our Father, but at the same time hate one who is just as much a child of the Father as us. The consequences of this layered perception of reality are overwhelming.
Discipleship is costly: it costs the soul. To make Jesus Lord is to submit to His commandment: love one another as I have loved you. Everything else is only a game, a pretense. Christianity without obedience to this new commandment is role-playing by blind men.
The Sermon on the Mount deals with three areas: outward, inward, and evil; there is a structure in what is taught. One third deals with evil; Jesus concludes this structured teaching with a warning to beware of false prophets. This is a significant aspect of Christianity; appropriately finding a way in this world of sheepskins is challenging. But the particular issue for false prophets, lawlessness, can become the particular point of stumbling for those who oppose them. If we lawlessly hate, we will just as much be false prophets as the ones with nice sheepskins.
How we deal with "posers" is vital; it is not separate from the rest of discipleship. If we fail at it, great darkness will fill us. We need to be able to pray for evil dictators in Africa; we need to be able to pray for evil impostors in America. We are priests not mockers.
Greg
The particular issue we talked about is a good example of the difficulty of the wording in Sermon on the Mount. Jesus said that the lamp of the body is the eye. Using a metaphor of a lamp in a house, Jesus points out a mechanism at work in man. "If therefore your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore, the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness." The image is simple at first, but becomes more difficult when we try to understand it. The word "clear" is more literally "without folds". Somehow the way we look at the world around us can result in light filling our body, or can result in great darkness throughout. The consequences of what Jesus described are profound, but we may not understand what a clear eye is.
It is perhaps easier to understand what John says in I John 2. "The one who says he is in the light and yet hates his brother is in the darkness until now. The one who loves his brother abides in the light and there is no cause for stumbling in him. But the one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes." This great darkness within will be like physical blindness; all aspects of the Christian walk will be like a blind man stumbling over obstacles he cannot see. Hatred of a brother will make progress impossible.
What John said is perhaps a good illustration of the difficult statement of Jesus. The eye is meant to be clear, single, literally without folds. Yet often we have are layers of perception. We want to consider truth at an abstract level, but deal with individuals at another level. We want to hold that God is our Father, but at the same time hate one who is just as much a child of the Father as us. The consequences of this layered perception of reality are overwhelming.
Discipleship is costly: it costs the soul. To make Jesus Lord is to submit to His commandment: love one another as I have loved you. Everything else is only a game, a pretense. Christianity without obedience to this new commandment is role-playing by blind men.
The Sermon on the Mount deals with three areas: outward, inward, and evil; there is a structure in what is taught. One third deals with evil; Jesus concludes this structured teaching with a warning to beware of false prophets. This is a significant aspect of Christianity; appropriately finding a way in this world of sheepskins is challenging. But the particular issue for false prophets, lawlessness, can become the particular point of stumbling for those who oppose them. If we lawlessly hate, we will just as much be false prophets as the ones with nice sheepskins.
How we deal with "posers" is vital; it is not separate from the rest of discipleship. If we fail at it, great darkness will fill us. We need to be able to pray for evil dictators in Africa; we need to be able to pray for evil impostors in America. We are priests not mockers.
Greg
October 07, 2008
Angry People
There are many black Americans who are angry people. Oppression in the natural man (regardless of race) instills anger.
Oppression, however, is a response to their current situation, not historical events.
Some black Americans have been oppressed in childhood; not by people in past generations but by fathers who have abandoned them; by mothers who have decided that other things were more important than their children; by role models who have violated their sense of security, trust, justice and equity.
A part of black America, an angry part, wants to vent. They have found a cause that appears worthy. That cause is prejudice. Yet, their venting produces more prejudice and alienates.
The worthy cause then becomes unworthy.
Any cause worth pursuing should not produce more of the same.
The reason I write this is because the man who discipled me confronted me about a similar behavior.
Tomorrow: The email
Oppression, however, is a response to their current situation, not historical events.
Some black Americans have been oppressed in childhood; not by people in past generations but by fathers who have abandoned them; by mothers who have decided that other things were more important than their children; by role models who have violated their sense of security, trust, justice and equity.
A part of black America, an angry part, wants to vent. They have found a cause that appears worthy. That cause is prejudice. Yet, their venting produces more prejudice and alienates.
The worthy cause then becomes unworthy.
Any cause worth pursuing should not produce more of the same.
The reason I write this is because the man who discipled me confronted me about a similar behavior.
Tomorrow: The email
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