Concentric Core of the Church

“God gave a person, then a proclamation, and then a people. This is the historical and theological order” (page xvii).



Ferguson, Everett. 1996. The Church of Christ: A Biblical Ecclesiology for Today. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.


The quote above from Ferguson’s book provides what I call “The Concentric Core of the Church.” His comment about the historical and theological order of what God gave is vital. Additionally, his reference to God being the Giver of them is significant as well.


• God’s ultimate gift to humanity is the person of Jesus as the incarnation of his love.


According to the Gospel of John, this gift of Jesus is offered because God so loved the world. The


little adverb “so” demonstrates the depth and breadth of that love. All four Gospel writers attempt to look at the gift from various angles, thus providing a rich and textured masterpiece of Jesus.






• God’s ultimate gift of proclamation to humanity is Jesus as the incarnation of his love.


The proclamation of the gospel actually begins in Acts chapter 2 and continues to the end of the book of Revelation. The four Gospel writers provide the content of Jesus’ ministry and teaching which later form the content of the proclamation. The good news is that Jesus has arisen from the dead, and is now seated on the right hand of God.


• God’s ultimate give of His people is the gift of community as Jesus incarnate to the world as a demonstration of His love.


Do you think it would make a difference if we saw the church as a gift of God for the world? Would it make a difference if the world saw the church as gift to itself? Are we living out our daily Christian life with a strong sense of this “giftedness?” I need to share this gift with others. My good news is shared with any and all who are deprived from enjoying this gift.


When the church emerges from the core of the person of Jesus, with a proclamation of the love of God in the risen Jesus, and demonstrates the power of that risen Lord in the presence of its people—no greater witness in the world can be found! May we realize such giftedness!


In Christian love, Curtis

GOD’S POSTURE OF HUMILIATION

Bruce L. Shelley begins his book Church History in Plain Language (Updated 2nd Edition) with this observation:



“Christianity is the only major religion to have as its central event the humiliation of its God.” (1995, page 3)


What an insightful statement to begin a work on church history! It was the “event of humiliation” that actually changed the course of history, and became the foundation of the Christian religion. This central event shaped and formed the Christian movement as it made its way from the cradle of Palestine and became a Diaspora into the known Greco-Roman world.


You may remember the story that Luke records in the book Acts. The treasurer from Ethiopia, employed by the queen, was reading from an Isaiah scroll. This is the passage of Scripture the he was reading:


“He was led like a sheep to the slaughter,


and as a lamb before its shearer is silent,


so he did not open his mouth.


33 In his humiliation he was deprived of justice.


Who can speak of his descendants?


For his life was taken from the earth.” (Isaiah 53:7,8)


Philipp joined this treasurer in his chariot, and from this very passage told him the good news about Jesus. As the church began to spread into different parts of the Hellenistic world, the message of Jesus was central to that movement. But what caused problems was that having a Messiah who was “humiliated” was humiliating to the Jews, and the Greeks wanted nothing to do with a weak and powerless God.


This may be why today the Christian message is still hard to take. That is why the fundamental Christian message is deceptively replaced with messages about health, wealth, fun, self-fulfillment, etc. with a veneer of Christian decorum. It is easier to sell that way!


But Jesus is fundamentally presented time and again in the New Testament as a humble servant. Again, in the Carmen Christi “Christ Hymn” of Philippians 2:5-11, we find that Jesus’ humiliation was the cross event. This cursed way of dying forever destroyed the Messianic expectation of military might and prowess. The resurrection vindicated his humiliation. As Jesus emptied himself, God took the posture of humiliation.


It is only out of the stance of brokenness and humiliation that we, too, can participate in the radical work of God. So much of Jesus’ life exemplified that posture of humiliation. Our life must be no less!

 In Christian love, Curtis

Increase our Faith!

Who among us does not believe that our depth and breadth of faith does not need increased?! But the strange thing is, I wonder if we have actually turned this request by the apostles (Luke 17:5) into our own prayer?



“The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith!’”


What shocks me even more is the context in Luke 17 in which the request occurs. Jesus had just said to his disciples that if one’s brother had sinned against them 7 times in a day, and seven times had returned to say, “I repent,” then they are to forgive him.


No wonder the apostles then responded, “Increase our faith.”


This immediate request revolves around several issues. I think the apostles realized how hard it would be to forgive someone who had sinned against them seven times in one day. They also realized how much faith it would take to do that, and that they obviously did not possess that kind of faith.


What does it mean to ask Jesus to add or increase our faith? I think it means at least the following:


1. Asking Jesus to give us the strength of faith and the resolve of Christian character to forgive others beyond the human tendency to want to stop.


2. Realizing with Jesus’ metaphor of the mustard seed that the latent power within faith is as astounding as saying to a mulberry tree, “Be uprooted and go dive into the sea,” and watching it happen!


3. Praying this simple prayer “Increase our faith” and simply believing that God, Jesus and the Spirit are actually capable of doing that!


4. Finally realizing that it takes “increased faith” in order to forgive others when they have wronged us because we know that our relationship with the brother or sister is more important than the sin!


When I read this episode in Jesus’ ministry, my head spins with incredulity! How far I am from this kind of faith! How much I need Jesus’ help to even think about getting there! And, how significant my willingness to forgive is related to God’s central concern about his children!


Lord, increase our faith!


In Christian love, Curtis

THE ONLY WAY WE CAN BE AT REST (3)

You may remember last week that we reflected again on the famous opening quote of Augustine’s timeless classic, Confessions. In Book I, chapter 1, paragraph 1 there is the following famous insight about human beings:“The thought of You (O God) stirs man so deeply that he cannot be content unless he praises you, because you made us for yourself, and our hearts find no peace until they rest in you” (Saint Augustine’s Confessions, translated by R.S. Pine-Coffin. 1961; 1983 reprint; New York, NY: Penguin Book Classics; page 21).



The phrase we want to focus on this week is: “because you made us for yourself.” In one short phrase Augustine has encapsulated rather succinctly the purpose for human beings. God made us for Himself. This implies at the following: covenant, calling, partakers of the divine nature, and love.


We are in covenant relationship with God through Christ. God made us for his own glory, and we participate in that glory when we surrender to Jesus Christ. This is why conversion is so powerful. It is relinquishing self to God.


We are called and chosen by God. This gives us our identity. God initiated this calling, and when we respond we are only returning to Him who made us.


We are partakers of the divine nature. Because God made us for himself, we are not surprised that New Testament writers remind us that we participate and partake of the divine nature. Our very soul yearns for the God who made us.


We are loved and beloved. The first reminds us that we are the object of God’s love, and the second reminds us that we stand every moment in the state of being beloved. That is who we are.


“Because you made us for yourself”: This has been the great failing of historic Christianity—religious movements and activities tend be self-centered and not God-centered. If we take Augustine’s statement seriously, then everything changes for the glory of God! In Christian love, Curtis

THE ONLY WAY WE CAN BE AT REST (2)

You may remember last week that we reflected on the famous opening quote of Augustine’s timeless classic, Confessions. In Book I, chapter 1, paragraph 1 there is the following famous insight about human beings:“The thought of You (O God) stirs man so deeply that he cannot be content unless he praises you, because you made us for yourself, and our hearts find no peace until they rest in you” (Saint Augustine’s Confessions, translated by R.S. Pine-Coffin. 1961; 1983 reprint; New York, NY: Penguin Book Classics; page 21).



In addition to the thought of God stirring us deeply, the second thing that Augustine raises in this insight about human beings is what makes us content. What does it mean to be “content,” and how does this idea fit into the Christian life? “Content” means a deep, inner feeling of satisfaction. It carries the idea of one’s being free from turmoil, anxiety and angst because of fulfillment.


Augustine hits the nail on the head when he maintains that contentment is based on and expressed by human beings praising God. This is because the words we use to praise God have a two-fold effect: honoring God and shaping the one who utters those words of praise. In short, words of praise shape a contented heart!


We cannot be content unless we praise God. The implications of this reality are enormous. Perhaps this is why we find so many people today discontented: praise is not a part of their life, either personally or communally. This praise can take the form of hymns/songs, prayers, doxology, and quiet contemplation in the presence of God. Do we intentionally make praise a part of life, and are we thereby contented people?

Also, contentment has a very practical application in day to day living. When John the Baptist began his preaching in the wilderness, some soldiers wanted to know how John's message could be lived out in their circumstances. Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?” He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay.” (Luke 3:14) This response by John is as un-American as it gets! Who in their right mind is going to be content with their pay?!

Could it be that John is offering a way of life, lived from the inside out, that escapes most of us? If we are constantly discontented with everything, one wonders how praise could ever come forth from such a heart! This challenges me to go forward with vigor and vitality in my Christian life, with its laudable goals, but at the same time do so from a contented heart that daily expresses itself in praise!



In Christian love, Curtis

THE ONLY WAY WE CAN BE AT REST (1)

Augustine’s Confessions is a journey into a Christian leader’s journal of struggle, openness and brokenness. This timeless classic is the first example of a Christian leader (after the Apostle Paul) of opening up his heart to his readers. It is a profound example of humility and a genuine search for God. In Book I, chapter 1, paragraph 1 there is the following famous insight about human beings:“The thought of You (O God) stirs man so deeply that he cannot be content unless he praises you, because you made us for yourself, and our hearts find no peace until they rest in you” (Saint Augustine’s Confessions, translated by R.S. Pine-Coffin. 1961; 1983 reprint; New York, NY: Penguin Book Classics; page 21).



I am struck by Augustine’s initial phrase…”The thought of You (O God)…” It makes me want to ask, “What kind of thoughts about God stir us deeply?” Over the years, without really being aware of it, my own experience, study and relationship with God has been slowly but surely answering that question intuitively. Right now, here are some of the thoughts about God that stir me so deeply. What about you?


1. The awesome creative power of God.


2. The unfailing love of God.


3. God’s covenant commitment to me no matter what.


4. The absolute trust I can place in His care for me.


5. His comfort as a loving Heavenly Father.


6. His image planted within me (Imago Dei).


7. His utter forgetfulness when he forgives my sins!


8. His being as the very source of truth and reality


9. Everything beautiful (tob, Hebrew) and good as part of his original design on the earth


10. His desire to be sought after and found


11. His absolute opposition to anything evil


12. His sovereign rule and power over the universe


13. The relinquishing of his son for sinful humanity


14. The incarnation


15. Three beings in one (Godhead/Trinity)


16. Mystery of God’s plan unveiled in Jesus


17. His eternal presence in heaven


No doubt you can add to this list. But each one of these areas raises the hair on the back of my neck as I contemplate the very existence of God. I pray that I will never get to the point in my life where these cease to stir my heart deeply!

In Christian love, Curtis

HOMECOMING

One of my favorite Christian authors is Henri J. M. Nouwen. One of the most gripping books he ever wrote was called, The Return of the Prodigal Son: A Story of Homecoming. He chanced to come across a reproduction of Rembrandt’s Prodigal Son painting. Sometime later he had the opportunity to actually go to St. Petersburg, and see the painting in person there in a museum. Through a friend of his, he was able to sit and meditate on the painting for over four hours. His book contains his thoughts on this experience.



What is unique about this book is that Nouwen weaves together parts of the biblical narrative, parts of Rembrandt’s own story, and his own reflections inspired by the painting itself. This tri-fold weaving of resources makes for a memorable and remarkable writing that forces one to think of deep issues of the heart.


When his friend introduced Henri to the Hermitage museum, he was afraid that, with all of the time and trouble it took to arrange a personal encounter with the painting, he would disappointed with the actual picture itself. He maintains the exact opposite. He says, “Its grandeur and splendor made everything recede into the background and held me completely captivated. Coming here was indeed a coming home”(p.8).


“Homecoming” is the dominant metaphor for Nouwen as he views the painting and reflects on the biblical story and how it touches the deep recesses of his own needy heart. This metaphor never grows old or out-dated. In the beauty of coming home, Nouwen maintains that reconciliation, forgiveness and love are felt and extended. This is what makes home so beautiful.


Viewing the painting itself, one sees the son kneeling in front of the father who gathers the son’s head into his bosom, placing both hands on the back of his shoulders. Brokenness embraced is a beautiful thing. Throughout this entire book Nouwen is slowly but surely building a strong case for brokenness being the ground of our Christian being. Only through our own poverty can we expect to feel the rich embrace of the Father’s love.

In our own life's calling, God is the Father who seeks to embrace us in our own brokenness. Such is the case in the midst of our own loneliness, angst of soul, anguish of heart and deep despair. Even in the pursuit of our own goals and agendas we find out how empty we truly are. Being a "wounded healer" ourselves, we continue down the path of chosen preparation to use our gifts to love and serve others. We can do no less!


In Christian love, Curtis

CHRIST IN US THE HOPE OF GLORY

My thoughts for 2012 have come from reading the apostle Paul’s letter to the church at Colossae. Read the following passage:



26 “…The mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. 27 To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.


28 He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ.” (Colossians 1:26-28)


Rarely do we think of “the glorious riches of the mystery of Christ” as being experienced in the particulars of “Christ in you, the hope of Glory.” I can see the apostle Paul writing to remind the Christians there in the church at Colossae that Christ lives in each of them, and as such, they are the richest people on the face of the earth.


The mystery that was hidden for ages and generations has now been disclosed to God’s people. How gloriously rich we are to have Christ living in each of us, and living among all of us! How gloriously rich we are to have such a hope of glory! How gloriously rich we are to have access to the kind of godly wisdom that will make us mature in Christ!


Our commitments and goals for 2012 come from this center of reality: Christ in us, the hope of glory. It is the presence and power of Christ that enables us to accomplish those things. The hope of glory articulates our future vision. It is what motivates us to never give up on what we feel God is calling us to.


I marvel at the implications of Christ being in us. He is the ground of our hope of glory. He is the only one that can impart the kind of wisdom that will produce spiritual maturity. May we all claim the glorious riches of the mystery of Christ!


In Christian love, Curtis

THE BOOK THAT BREATHES NEW LIFE

The above caption is the title of a book by Walter Brueggemann. In this book he addresses the issues of scriptural authority and biblical theology. In the next few weeks I will be addressing some of the comments and insights he provides in this work. Below is his first sentence in the Preface:



“The matter of biblical authority is ancient, endlessly vexed, and of immense importance in the church”[page xiii].


I have always personally found the issue of biblical authority a difficult topic to get my mind around. This is for several reasons.


First, articulated versions of “biblical authority” seem to be founded on different concerns from scripture itself. Usually (and historically) appeals are made to “scriptural authority” to manipulate you to see and practice things the way I do. It is almost as if the issue of “biblical authority” becomes the big stick of orthodoxy to wield over those we want to control.


Second, I do agree with Brueggemann that it is an issue of “immense importance in the church.” The role of Scripture in the life of the church is one of the most important topics Christians can think about. Perhaps we have viewed this topic almost schizophrenically…individually I can read Scripture the way I want to; communally you need to read Scripture my way so I can make sure you are right with me and my understandings.


Third, I am fascinated how Scripture just assumes authority over the life of the Christian and the community of faith without spelling out a full-blown doctrine of “scriptural authority.” I would say that the Bible only has the power to authorize if a person allows it to.


For me personally, I like how the Psalmists address the matter of biblical authority. It is a recognition of the powerful influence and interaction that one has with the word of God. Listen to this…”Blessed is the man who delights in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night” (Psalm 1:2). This is a perfect example of allowing the Word of God to have a claim on one’s life. Indeed, if it is the delight of my heart, and I meditate on it day and night, its authoritative and transformative properties will shape me into a “blessed” person!


In Christian love, Curtis

THE PRAYER OF GOD

“The prayer of God”—this is the strangest reference to prayer in all of the New Testament. I was made aware of this expression while reading Joseph Longking’s Notes on the Gospels, volume 2. This antique book was published in 1840 by Carlton and Porter in New York. It was given to me as a gift. As I began reading LESSON I the author comments on a section of Luke’s gospel, 6:12-19. It is in verse 12 where the expression under consideration occurs.


“And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.”


After checking 30 different English versions and translations of the Bible, 2 translated this expression at the end of verse 12, “The prayer of God”(Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition; Young’s Literal Translation).


While commenting on verse 12, Longking quotes Wesley. “Mr. Wesley renders the passage, he ‘continued all night in the prayer of God,’ and says, ‘the phrase is singular and emphatical, to imply an extraordinary and sublime devotion (page 2).


This made me ask the following questions: Since the expression “the prayer of God” is a literal translation of the Greek phrase, what are we to make of it? How are we to understand it? Why is it used this one time in reference to Jesus’ prayer life? Is it a dynamic of the spiritual/divine aspect of prayer that only Jesus could experience? Grammatically, it could refer to Jesus’ prayer being directed to God, or it could be prayer coming from God.


I am not sure we have to choose one or the other. I think what Luke is trying to say is that while Jesus spent that night on the mountain in prayer, he talked with God and God talked with him. Wouldn’t you just love to have been there eavesdropping on that night-long conversation! Perhaps the intense opposition building up against his ministry, and the need to choose twelve apostles the next day provided the need for this conversation.


The Wycliff Bible, (Old version republished by Terence Noble, 2001) says this, “he was all night dwelling in the prayer of God.” Presence and conversation, mutual exchange of the divine/covenantal relationship.


I am wondering what it might mean in my own prayer life to “dwell in the prayer of God?”


In Christian love, Curtis

What is the Protestant principle?

Historically and theologically Christianity tends to get divided into 3 major groups: Protestants, Catholics, and Orthodox. There are other ways of conceptualizing all of the Christian groups that have materialized over the centuries, but for the purpose of this article we will stick to these three. I want to reflect on the following quote:



“Christianity is final only in so far as it has the power of criticizing and transforming each of its historical manifestations; and just this power is the Protestant principle.” Paul Tillich, The Protestant Era


Would you agree that this is the “Protestant principle”? Perhaps Tillich is thinking of Martin Luther and his protest and critique of the church of his day with the 95 theses nailed to the door of the monastery in Wittenburg. If so, what is Tillich talking about?


Plainly, since the Protestant Reformation the church has learned to be self-critical in each of its historical manifestations. To be sure, each denomination and religious movement sometimes reaches the point of ceasing to do this. Church history has shown that when the church becomes complacent that is the beginning of its demise.


I am not sure that I would have stated like Tillich that this is “the” Protestant principle. It seems several principles actually converged to produce the Protestant movement. I am listing them below. You may want to add a couple of your own after looking at it.


1. The Bible available in the vernacular and available to every person to read for themselves.


2. The priesthood of all believers.


3. Moved Christianity from the cloisture to the community


4. Believed that everyday work was a divine calling.


5. An emphasis on personal conversion and individual piety


6. Some form of millennialism, Christ’s return for a 1,000 years (or, for non-millennialists, Christ’s Second Coming)


Each of these principles were significant in the Protestant Evangelical movements of the Great Awakening. Interestingly, as contemporary Christianity is being expressed in new and different forms, these 6 principles are still alive and well. Books could be, and have been, written on each of these 6. Suffice it to say, each of these principles are rooted in a biblical world-view that seeks to take faith seriously. Where do you see these principles working in your faith today?


In Christian love, Curtis

MY TRUE SON IN THE FAITH

It is customary to refer to other Christians with familial terms. The marriage and family bond is one of the strongest bonds in the human experience. It is no surprise then that it is appropriated by New Testament writers to designate how strong our bond is with one another in Christ.



In Paul’s letter to Timothy he begins by identifying him as “my legitimate/true child in the faith”(1 Timothy 1:2). This is a fascinating reference because of two words Paul uses.


First, Timothy is true/legitimate (gnesios). This word carries with it the idea of the real, genuine thing. When I read Paul’s two letters to Timothy, I am immediately struck with the genuine friendship and relationship that existed between these two Christians. Paul knew Timothy’s family well, and entrusted the young man to some very responsible tasks connected with the apostolic ministry.


Second, the tender word for “child” (teknon) helps Paul express how dear, special and familial Paul feels toward this young man Timothy. Later on in this very letter, once again, Paul addresses him as “Timothy, my son…”(1 Timothy 1:18). He wants to get Timothy’s attention as he instructs him how to fight the good fight of faith in the face of opposition. As his father in the faith, he knows that this precious young man in the faith is about to face some pretty stiff opposition.


For each of us today, God has placed in our stewardship a spiritual “true son/daughter in the faith.” Who is that person? Do they know of your spiritual concerns for them? Do they hear affirmation from you regarding the bond of genuine friendship? Do you watch out for their spiritual welfare, and seek to instruct them?


“My true son in the faith”—what a beautiful expression!


In Christian love, Curtis

Promoting and Advancing the Work of God

When the apostle Paul writes to Timothy about what he needs to focus on as a young evangelist, Paul is interested in how Timothy promotes or advances the work of God. In doing so, Paul uses one of the strangest phrases for ministry in all of the New Testament: “a stewardship of God in the faith.” What in the world can he mean by that?



Paul had expressly left Timothy in Ephesus to urge certain individuals not to teach anything differently. Early on in the church we already have a distinction between heterodoxy and orthodoxy. Anything taught differently from the apostolic tradition would be suspect and identified as “heterodoxy.” In this immediate context (1 Timothy 1:3-7) they were devoting themselves to myths and endless genealogies.


The myths were legendary, fictional stories-- but unfortunately Paul does not name them so we do not really know their content or anything else about them. Whatever they were, it is evident that they were designed to replace the central story of Jesus.


The next thing that was heterodoxy was the unending genealogies, or the tracing of one’s ancestors or family tree. Rogers makes the following apt comment on this practice: “In postexilic Judaism there was a keen interest in family trees, and this played a part in controversies between Jews and Judaism” (Rogers, The New Linguistic and Exegetical Key to the Greek New Testament, p. 487). Interestingly, this may be what is behind the very reason that both Matthew and Luke include a genealogy of Jesus.


Essentially what Paul is telling Timothy is that one does not promote or advance the work of God by making up stories to replace the central story of Jesus, nor trying to make a family connection that would prove one’s faithfulness to an established, traditional religion.


I am really intrigued by this expression “a stewardship of God in the faith” that Paul uses to describe ministry for Timothy. Does each one of us see our gifts and ministry as stewardship before God?


In Christian love, Curtis

SINCERE FAITH

What does “sincere faith” look like? Where does it come from? Why is it important, and how does one get it?



For starters this expression (“sincere faith”) is used by Paul twice in his correspondence with the young evangelist Timothy. The word “sincere” translates the Greek word, anupokritos. It can be translated literally into English as “non-hypocritical.” Here are both of those verses:


“The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith” (1 Timothy 1:5).


“I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also” (2 Timothy 1:5).


Some significant insights present themselves from these two readings. “Sincere faith” is one of three things necessary in order for a person to truly love.


Additionally, a “sincere faith” can be spoken of as something that lives in people. Because of Paul’s reference to Timothy’s mother and grandmother, the implicit implication that he does not spell out is that this “sincere faith” can be passed on to succeeding generations.


The questions that all of this raises is vital indeed.


1. Does my love for God and others flow from a “sincere faith?”


2. Does “sincere faith” live in me?


3. Am I gratefully aware of how that “sincere faith” first lived in my parents and grandparents and was passed on to me?


The greatest need of the hour for Christianity in our culture is a “non-hypocritical faith.” Does it live in me so that others can see Jesus? This is such a critical question as we pursue our academic careers and training. In the end, everything we learn is to help us have a more "sincere faith" so we can truly respond to the issues and problems presented in our various settings and cultures.

Another thing to remember is that our research is based on our "sincere faith" that truly wants to see things as they are. This is what truth is all about. Our empirical research is prayerfully pursued with a "sincere faith" that not only wants to see things as they are, but with the "eyes of faith" see things how they can be to the glory of God!


In Christian love, Curtis

THREE PRAYER WISHES

I was first introduced to John Baillie’s classic prayerbook through another author who quoted the following prayer-wish that has been special to me down through the years:

“O God, grant me a clearer vision of your truth, a greater faith in your power, and a more confident assurance of your love.”

For me, these three specific petitions to God define a Christian’s heart who sincerely wants to live a powerful and passionate life for God. It also defines the person who wants to make a difference in the lives of others by providing the foundation and motivation for such a lifetime commitment.

A clearer vision of your truth. We know what it is like to drive with snow on our windshield or try to see through condensation while driving. Clear windshields make for better driving! This reminds me of Paul’s observation: “now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known” (1 Corinthians 13). Our view of the truth is only partial, and we need God’s help to see better.

A greater faith in your power. Power is important this time of year: Christmas lights, tech toys, and media products. When unplugged, constant use drains the batteries. When we become unplugged from God, our soul-strength is drained, and our effectiveness and faithfulness is no more helpful than a drawer full of dead batteries. Asking for greater faith in God’s power helps create a constant awareness of my dependence upon God for everything.

A more confident assurance of your love. We all need reassurance of God’s love. We say it over and over, but often we do not down deep really believe it. That is mainly because we know our own faults only too well and, it is unthinkable that God could love us if he really knew us. But God made us, and the Psalmist reminds us that he remembers we are dust. God knows how frail and feeble and filled with foibles we are. Praying for a more confident assurance gives us pathways to peace and joy.

My prayer for all of you this year is that God will indeed grant you a clearer vision of his truth, a greater faith in his power, and a more confident assurance of his love!
In Christian love, Curtis

LIGHT AND DARKNESS

“O God, You have proven your love for humanity by sending us Jesus Christ our Lord, and You have illuminated our human life by the radiance of His presence…”

The above prayer begins the dawning of the day. Myriad are the ways that God has proven His love toward us. That proof comes in the form of blessings. That proof comes in the form of gifts. That proof comes in the form of His very presence.

The metaphors of light and darkness are used by biblical writers to point to deeper truths. The darkness of the human heart and human condition in the world is illuminated by God’s activity and presence in the world. As Christians we tend to make two mistakes relative to this: we either deny God’s activity and presence, or we dogmatically assert that we always know God’s presence and activity. The problem with both of these approaches is that it is ultimately an expression of human pride.

The thing we can assert with certainty is the darkness of our own hearts. Sin and pride become the fertile soil for a rebellious, dark heart. Even though this is true, we dare not despair. God has given us hope!

This hope comes to us in the gift of Jesus Christ. Jesus brought light into a dark world. In his gospel portrait of Jesus, the apostle John records Jesus as saying:

“And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God” (John 3:19-21)

“Light” for John is the illuminating power of God’s presence that brings everything out in the open. Hiding sin and harboring evil in our hearts is devilish and destructive. Christian counselors tell us that closed family systems, churches, and other relationships create darkness that is destructive.

May each of us claim the liberating freedom of the illuminating presence of Jesus as the ultimate gift from God during this holiday season! The illumination of Christmas lights and decorations cannot hold a candle to what we see because of Jesus’ presence in our hearts!

In Christian love, Curtis

ACCOMPANIED AND FORTIFIED

We begin another week with tasks and responsibilities staring us in the face. Some we get to choose, others we do not. Too often we slip into automatic pilot and perform those tasks and responsibilities without thinking about our relationship with God and the divine involvement in our carrying them out. Listen to following prayer to start the day out:

“O Lord my God, I kneel before You in lowly adoration, before I set out to face the tasks of another day. I thank You for the blessed assurance that I will not be called upon to face them alone or in my own strength. Rather, every moment of the day I will be accompanied by Your presence and fortified by Your grace.”

Accompanied by Your presence. This is a unique blessing that we as Christians carry into the dawn of the day with us. We are never alone. God’s presence is near. In the traditional hymn, Abide With Me, the composer of that hymn asks for a “sense of Your abiding presence.”

When we are aware of the divine presence, daily tasks are transformed. Even those tasks that seem impossible. Because we are “conscious of God”(1 Peter 2:19), our attitude and response to responsibilities are much different than they would be if we only trying to please ourselves. This moment by moment awareness and consciousness of God’s presence has traditionally been referred to in Christian literature as “practicing the presence of God.” Not only do we practice, but we participate in that presence!

Fortified by Your grace. We do not often think about the fortifying nature of grace. We perhaps are tempted to think of it only in terms of merit. We do not deserve the free gift of salvation in Jesus Christ. The gift is fortifying. Think of this illustration…I am anemic and sick and lack essential vitamins in my body. You give me for Christmas a huge box as a gift filled with Vitamin D and other fortifying vitamins and minerals. I do not deserve your gift, but when I take the vitamins and minerals they fortify my body. I take the gift in, and it transforms my body’s system.

Accompanied by God’s presence and fortified by His grace. If we live everyday to the glory of God with this awareness, our Christian witness and our daily example will be radically transformed. This gives us the power to live out of the heart of a loving servant. May God be that for each of us!

In Christian love, Curtis

ETERNITY UNTO ETERNITY

“O God, who art from eternity unto eternity, and art not at one time in one place because all times and places are in Thee…” (Baillie, A Diary of Private Prayer, page 65).

In my own prayer and in the prayers that have been written down through the ages, I am deeply and profoundly touched by a Christian’s recognition of the person and being of God. This is almost too simple to say: our view of God profoundly shapes our prayer-life.

Putting this spiritual dictum to the test, it makes me ask this: in what way does a recognition of the timelessness of God’s nature effect my prayer life? You may think of different ways yourself, but here is what I came up with:

1) God’s time is not our own. It is difficult to think of time as God does. For God time is immaterial. He was before time and is after time. For God, time is a parenthesis, and a very small one at that. Past, present and future is the same for God.

2) Patience on our part. Because such is the case, we have to be patient for God to answer our prayers. God’s timing in timelessness does not fit our timetable. We get impatient because intuitively we know we are not going to live forever, and we want to see some result while it is still relevant and before it is too late.

3) Ongoing work of salvation-history. God’s ultimate purpose in human history is the salvation of his creation. What went on in our past God knows how it is going to effect the present and the future. It may be a new thought for us to pray in view of the past.

4) God already knows what we need. Since this is true, prayer may be more for us than for God. The transformative power of prayer itself is seldom explored in discussions regarding prayer. God knows that the very utterance of the words that form our prayers can be transformative when we actually hear what we are saying.

5) Timelessness in our prayers? Is it possible then for our very prayers to take on a characteristic of timelessness? What if we viewed our Christian life as one continuous prayer in conversation with God? What if we were able to visualize the past, present and future coming together in our petitions?

God is from eternity unto eternity. The infinite hears the finite. The Uncreated One hears from the created. The timeless hears the time-bound. Our view of God profoundly shapes our prayer-life!

In Christian love, Curtis

THE ILLUMINIATION OF OUR DARKNESS

As a minister of Jesus Christ I find myself constantly in the role of encouraging others to go forward in their spiritual life. There are so many dimensions to growth in our spiritual life that it almost seems impossible to even think about all aspects at once. However, one helpful thing I find in my own life that I recommend to others is this simple advice: make sure that with your Bible you have a daily devotional guide, along with a collection of prayers.

I have a classic prayer/devotional resource that I have used daily for years. It is A Diary of Private Prayer by John Baillie. This author was a minister in Scotland (1886-1960) who was a serious Bible student, thinker and writer. He believed in bringing together rigorous, religious thinking and deeply spiritual living. His book on prayer is considered a spiritual classic.

I have two copies of his classic devotional on prayer, which was published in 1949. The younger generation is not familiar with this resource because it contains prayer in the old “King James Version” language. But the depth of spiritual insight, the passionate call for God’s presence, and the specific reference to everyday living has made this an abiding reference for the heart’s language in seeking God in prayer.

Just this morning I read the following prayer petition:

“O God, who of thy love and pity didst send us Jesus Christ for the illumination of our darkness, give me wisdom to profit by the words He spoke and grace to follow in the steps he trod” (page 37).

I am profoundly struck by the phrase “the illumination of our darkness.” In John’s gospel we find the cataclysmic battle between light and darkness. The scary thing is that there is some darkness in all of us. Only by the light of God’s spirit, giving us eyes of faith to see His truth, can the inner darkness be replaced by inner light.

“When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12)

In Christian love, Curtis

COVENANTING AS THE CORE

Over thirty years ago, Walter Brueggemann who was the Academic Dean of Eden Theological Seminary made the following statement:

“Covenant is the dominant metaphor for biblical faith by which human personality can be understood” (Interpretation 33.2: 115).

This profound insight into the essential nature of personhood radically shapes the life of the local congregation. This means that the Old Testament concept of covenant provides the background for the New Testament concept of covenant. What this provides is a framework for understanding the essence of biblical faith.

Biblical faith is covenantal, relational in nature. This may sound simple and trite, but it is transforming when properly understood. Faith is never presented in Scripture as a personal possession which is privately protected from others. Rather, faith is trust and core values lived out in the context of a believing community.

I am struck constantly by how many proofs I see in our culture that many Christians in their relationship with God, their spouse and their children are operating out of “contractual” model rather than a “covenantal” model. In a contract, one or both parties are looking for loopholes. A covenant is the opposite. It looks for commitment and permanence.

I am also struck by what I see in 21st Century Christians having a “contractual” mentality with their local church. Loopholes abound in the congregational commitment category:

A bad sermon, a cold preacher, less than stellar nursery, assembly worship styles, cliques, etc. The list becomes endless for individuals to use as loopholes in their contractual relationship with the family of God.

I wonder how the local church would look and operate differently if every child of God extended his/her covenantal relationship with God to other Christians, spouses and their children? Probably one of the most profound aspects of biblical theology and faith that our culture desperately needs is men and women of faith who are covenantal to the core!

In Christian love, Curtis