Having Moved In by the Grace of God

Posted on April 5, 2011 by Pete

So reading through the last part of Joshua is nowhere near as exciting as reading through the first part. As the book shifts from tales of the conquest of the land to details of the carving out of the land, it kind of slows down. A little harder to stay engaged as you read the geographic descriptions of the borders of the land given to the tribes and then start trying to track through the lists of cities that were given to each tribe. But there has been a thought that repeatedly has come to mind as I’ve read through the dividing of the land . . . and it showed up in the divine record as I read this morning . . .

“Thus says the LORD, God of Israel . . . ‘I gave you a land on which you had not labored and cities that you had not built, and you dwell in them. You eat the fruit of vineyards and olive orchards that you did not plant.’ ” (Joshua 24:2a, 13 ESV)

Over the past few mornings, as I read through the list of cities given to each tribe, I couldn’t help but think how weird it would have been for these desert dwellers . . . and before that, they were slaves in Egypt . . . to move into these already built cities? And it’s not like they were run down ghost towns . . . abandoned by the previous owners and in need of some fixing up. These were fully functioning cities . . . with fully furnished houses . . . with fully foliaged vineyards and orchards . . . fully ready to be occupied.

I’ll be honest, I don’t like to dwell on the fact that these cities were, only a short time before, inhabited by men, women, and children who were now gone . . . God’s blessing for the Israelites coming at the expense of His judgment of the Canaanite nations. But I have wondered what it would be like to walk into those cities after the dust has settled and start to realize that this is your home now . . . to walk around the house you’ve just moved into and marvel at the gracious gifts of God . . . to look over the back-forty, pinch yourself, and know that you’ve gone from vagabond to vinedresser . . . to let it sink in that the desert you have known as home for so long has now been “upgraded” to this land flowing with milk and honey.

Dwelling in cities they had not built . . . eating of the fruit of vineyards and orchards they had not planted . . . not by their sword or bow (24:12), but by the mighty hand of God. Tell me grace isn’t all over the pages of the Old Testament!

I too am a possessor of that which I did not build . . . of that for which I did not labor . . . of that which was beyond realizing through any strength or ability of my own. My story isn’t a lot different . . . once in bondage to sin and the world . . . having done a few laps in the desert . . . having wandered in darkness, dead to the things of God. But then, rescued by a Deliverer . . . led out of bondage and into the power of a new life . . . given a new heart and new desire, not of my own making . . . brought into marvelous light . . . a new creation in Christ . . . a new reality to explore. And none of it my own doing . . . but all through the gracious and mighty hand of God.

And the “moving in” isn’t done yet . . . “this world is not my home, I’m just a passin’ through.” Soon to take up residence in another city prepared for those who love Him . . . soon to move into my room, having been made ready for me for the past 2,000 years . . . soon to behold the Father of Lights, the giver of every good and perfect gift . . . soon to go facedown before the Commander of the Lord’s Army, the Victor, not just of earthly battles fought, but of death and hell itself.

Dwelling in cities they had not built . . . eating the fruit of vineyard and orchards they had not planted . . . having moved in by the grace of God.

“O to grace how great a debtor . . . daily I’m constrained to be! Let Thy goodness, like a fetter, bind my wandering heart to Thee!”

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Whatever Condition

Posted on April 4, 2011 by Pete

Came across kind of a thought provoking “command” in my reading this morning. You just kind of sense that there was a lot of churn within the church at Corinth . . . a number of issues brewing. One of them looks to be the anxiety around the question, “What do I do now that I am saved?” If I was married, do I try and get out it? If I’m not married, should I make it a priority to take a believing spouse? If I’m uncirmcumcised, do I now have to become circumcised? If I’m circumcised should I try and get uncircumcised (how would you do that?)? I was saved a slave, that can’t be the Lord’s will, I must need to get out of that situation. And to all this churn, Paul kind of says, “Take a breath!”

“Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him . . . Each one should remain in the condition in which he was called . . . So, brothers, in whatever condition each was called, there let him remain with God.” (1Corinthians 7:17, 20, 24)

Perhaps this churn was more pronounced at Corinth because of the number of “newly saved” who were asking themselves the “Now what?” question. But it seems to me that there’s some instruction here for all believers concerning being content in “whatever condition.”

That God could have plans for us to totally turn our world upside down is entirely possible. That the accountant could be called to be a preacher is possible . . . that the handyman might be called to manage a supplies depot for a missionary organization halfway across the world, shouldn’t be dismissed . . . that a gal who could barely get through English 101 would be directed of God to learn a foreign language (or languages) in order to serve an unreached peoples, is within the realm of God’s possibility. But that His calling might too involve serving Him in your current situation . . . your current condition . . . is just as much a possibility. And so, says Paul, “Remain in the condition in which you are called.”

I’m not thinking this is necessarily a “remain there forever” thing, but it could be. It certainly though, is a “remain there for a least the next step” thing. While I need to be sensitive to the Lord’s leading . . . and need to be careful about being unwilling to step out of the box I’m content to be in . . . if I’m picking up what Paul’s laying down, then I also need to be careful about not recognizing my current situation as being the exact place God wants me to be in order that I might live the life He wants me to live for His glory.

I am to lead the life that Lord has assigned to me today. It might change tomorrow . . . could end up being radically different in the future . . . but for now, this is my “whatever condition.” This is where God wants me today and I can waste a lot of today churning about what I should be doing tomorrow or, I can leave that with the Lord.

The condition almost becomes secondary if I remember that I “was bought with a price” (7:23) and that ultimately I’m under new management. Paul says that the slave is a “freedman of the Lord” even if he remains in servitude to another. And that he who is free is, in reality, “a slave of Christ.” It’s not so much then about “the condition” it’s about the context . . . and my context is “in Christ.”

And so, “in Christ,” there should be a contentment with the “whatever condition” (Php. 4:11). For today, I can trust that God has me where He wants me and I can serve Him by doing whatever I do “heartily, as to the Lord and not to men” (Col. 3:23).

Get rid of the churn and rest. Trust that He is able to move me where I need to be moved . . . when I need to be moved . . . but that, for now, I’m exactly where He wants me to be . . . in whatever condition . . . for His glory . . . amen?

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Shiloh

Posted on April 1, 2011 by Pete

Think about God’s dwelling place in Israel and you immediately think about Jerusalem. But that wasn’t His first “address.” That isn’t where God, literally, first pitched His tent. No, Joshua 18 reminds me this morning that, after “the land lay subdued before them, . . . the people of Israel assembled at Shiloh and set up the tent of meeting there” (Joshua 18:1).

Shiloh . . . literally “place of rest” . . . that’s where God first took up residence within the freshly occupied promised land. Shiloh in Ephraim, not Jerusalem in Judah, was the initial resting place of the tent of meeting . . . the place where the ark first resided . . . the place where the glory first dwelt in the land . . . the place where Joshua could meet with the Lord (Joshua 18:8, 9). What a privileged place Shiloh was. What a blessed place. What a holy place. Oh, how tragic, that it became the “previous place” . . . the empty place . . . the place where the glory used to dwell.

I don’t know if the people who put my reading plan together did it on purpose, of if it is just a “God thing”, but I also came across Shiloh in my reading in the Psalms this morning . . . the one and only reference to Shiloh in the Psalms.

“When God heard, He was full of wrath, and He utterly rejected Israel. He forsook His dwelling in Shiloh, the tent where He dwelt among mankind and delivered His power to captivity, His glory to the hand of the foe.” (Psalm 78:59-61 ESV)

The Psalmist recounts the repeated gracious, mighty works of God on behalf of the descendants of Jacob, and the just as often repeated rebellion of “a generation whose heart was not steadfast, who spirit was not faithful to God” (78:8b) . . . who “tested God in their heart” (78:18) . . . who “did not believe in God and did not trust His saving power” (78:22) . . . who “tested and rebelled against the Most High God and did not keep His testimonies, but turned away . . . provoked Him to anger . . . moved Him to jealousy” (78:56-58) . . . so that God forsook His dwelling at Shiloh (see 1Samuel 1:3, 4:4-11 for more on Shiloh’s fall) . . . and moved out. (Deep sigh!)

Shiloh . . . the first home of God . . . the forgotten home of God . . . the place where the glory used to dwell. Kind of set me up for my reading in 1Corinthians this morning . . .

” ‘All things are lawful for me,’ but not all things are helpful. ‘All things are lawful for me,’ but I will not be enslaved by anything. . . . do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” (1Corinthians 6:12, 19-20 ESV)

Paul reminds me of another dwelling place of God . . . another place where, by His grace, He has taken up residence . . . another place where He desires His glory to dwell and to be known. Uh, that would be me. And while I don’t believe God would “move out” on a believer, I do know believers of whom it can be said, “The glory of God used to be on him . . . the presence of God used to be with her.” I can think of those who aren’t living up to the potential of God in them . . . of those who, though once were on fire for the Lord, are, for now at least, not finishing well. Sad thought . . . to be the place where God’s glory used to be known.

Oh that, by His grace, I might not be such a place. That, by the power of the Spirit in me, I might check any spirit of pride or rebellion . . . that I would resist any pull toward a half-hearted, compromising faithfulness to the things of the kingdom . . . that I would just say “No” to joining myself to that which would draw me away from my “first love” (Rev. 2:4). I so don’t want to be a Shiloh . . .

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So Not Done!

Posted on March 31, 2011 by Pete

The Psalmist’s questions are kind of haunting. Whatever his situation, you know it’s got to be desperate and confusing. The sort of circumstance where you need a bit of “heavenly sunshine” . . . where you’re looking for some evidence of God’s hand being active in the midst of it all . . . but the sort of situation where all you see is dark clouds . . . where you feel absolutely alone . . . where you wonder, “Where’s God?”

“Will the Lord spurn forever, and never again be favorable?
Has His steadfast love forever ceased? Are His promises at an end for all time?
Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has He in anger shut up his compassion?” Selah (Psalm 77:7-9 ESV)

The psalmist, to quote one of my daughters, “is done!” He can’t sleep at night . . . his soul is in a state of constant agitation . . . he is so troubled he can’t speak . . . the song is gone . . . the lyrics are forgotten . . . the melody has turned to a dirge. He is so done with this!

What to do? How to climb out of this hole? How to come up for a breath of air? The answer? . . . remember . . . ponder . . . meditate . . . on every evidence of God’s hand upon your life in the past . . . and know that He is so not done.

I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember Your wonders of old.
I will ponder all Your work, and meditate on Your mighty deeds. (Psalm 77:11-12 ESV)

Though he sees no evidence of God working in the present, the psalmist determines to recall the mighty deeds of God in the past. Though God seems silent to his trials right now, the psalmist sets his mind upon the wonder of the all too evident workings of God in the past. He would think of all the previous evidences of God’s presence . . . he would meditate, with renewed awe, on all God’s mighty deeds in the past.

And so, the psalmist recalls that God is holy . . . that He is great and like no other god . . . that He is a God who works wonders and makes known His might to His people . . . that He has, with a mighty and outstretched arm, redeemed His people . . . that He has led them like a flock (77:13-15, 20). He meditates on the God of the past and believes that He is the same God “yesterday, today, and forever” (Heb. 13:8) . . . that while the psalmist may “be done”, God is so not done.

It’s not a formula that commands the immediate intervention of God’s hand. And, it’s not the “three quick and easy steps” to a sunny outlook. What it is, is work. An effort-requiring determination to bring every thought into captivity in the midst of gut churning, spirit crushing circumstance and “remember the wonders of old.” It is faith in motion. Believing the promises of God enough to recall the past works of God and know that, while He may be momentarily silent, He has not forsaken you nor left you . . . and that He is not done.

This morning I also read this in 1Corinthians . . . ” the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God . . . and such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (1Cor. 6:9-11). How’s that for a work of the hand of the LORD” to remember? Consider that “wonder of old” . . . ponder that evidence of God’s active agency in our lives . . . meditate on that “mighty deed” . . . and know that God’s purposes in bringing us into the light will be accomplished . . . even when the day seems dark.

Praise God . . . even in the storm . . . that He is so not done! Amen?

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Kingdom Power

Posted on March 30, 2011 by Pete

You get the sense that the Corinthians thought they had it all . . . and, in a manner they did . . . they had been abundantly graced. Paul says that, in every way, they “were enriched in Him with in all speech and all knowledge” . . . that they were not “lacking in any spiritual gift” (1Cor. 1:5-7). Saved . . . knowing the word . . . having down the lingo . . . equipped with all the tools heaven had to offer . . . BUT . . . there was something amiss . . . something not quite right.

Rather than walking in a manner worthy of their calling, they were having problems walking at all . . . still crawling like infants. Petty jealousies . . . an air of prideful partisanship present among them as they chose sides . . . “puffed up in favor of of one against another” (4:6b). They viewed themselves as rich in Christ (4:8) . . . wise in Christ . . . strong believers, held in honor (4:11). They had a pretty high view of themselves . . . a lot of big talk . . . but for Paul, talk was cheap.

But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I will find out not the talk of these arrogant people but their power.
For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power. (1Corinthians 4:19-20 ESV)

The kingdom of God is about power. Not about talking about power, but about power. While all those who enter the kingdom do so by faith and through the grace of God, the kingdom is not about words, it is about works. The kingdom is not a theory to be discussed, but a dynamic to be experienced. The word for power is “dunamis” . . . the root from which we get dynamite . . . the kingdom is about “inherent power.” I can say I’ve entered the kingdom . . . I can talk about kingdom principles . . . I can glory in the kingdom’s future . . . but if there’s no “dynamite”, no power, then I really don’t know the kingdom at all.

And, it seems from this passage of Scripture, that arrogance subdues the kingdom.

Paul was just as graced as the Corinthians . . . just as knowledgeable . . . just as equipped . . . but, unlike the Corinthians he didn’t view it as something to boast in, but as a stewardship. “This is how one should regard us,” writes Paul, “as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy” (4:1-2). If there was ever a “super apostle” it was Paul. But the “S” Paul wore on his chest stood for steward . . . for servant . . . for slave of Christ. And in being a trustworthy steward of the gifts of God, in being diligent to faithfully put into effect that which God had entrusted him with, there was power . . . the kingdom of God was present. But not so with the Corinthians.

“For who sees anything different in you?” Paul asks the Corinthians, “What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?” (4:7)

That they were knowledgeable and spiritually gifted was not in dispute. But take knowledge and gift and mix it with arrogance and what you have is just talk . . . no real growth . . . no moving on to the meat of faith . . . nothing “different in you” . . . listless Christianity . . . an anemic dynamic . . . something less than the kingdom of God.

Oh, that I would resist any inclination to view myself worthy of God’s favor . . . that I would be on guard against feeling that somehow I deserve the grace. Instead, might I always view any talents, any gifting, any calling, all as a stewardship to be faithfully administered. Then, I believe, will I know the kingdom of God . . . in power . . . for His glory alone . . . amen.

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No Mere Human

Posted on March 29, 2011 by Pete

Ok . . . scratch that one from the list of excuses available to me. No more “Give me a break! I’m only human!” I might be a sinner saved by grace . . . I might be a jar of clay . . . I might be a work in progress . . . but I can’t hide behind being “merely human.” At least not according to Paul this morning.

“But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not being merely human?” (1Corinthians 3:1-4 ESV)

Being merely human . . . acting like mere men (NIV, NASB) . . . carnal (NKJV) . . . living after the flesh . . . navigating life according to the horizontal . . . settling for 3-D when 4-D or even maybe 5-D is available. That’s what the Corinthians were doing . . . and you sense it kind of frustrates Paul. Here they were, the people of God . . . the local testimony of the power of heavenly love and divine grace . . . and they were being mere humans. Bickering. Strife and jealousy running as an undercurrent in their midst. Some wearing “I Haul for Paul” baseball caps while others sported “I Follows Apollos” t-shirts. And Paul says, “I can’t even talk to you!”

Through faith in Christ they had become “new creations,” the old had passed away and the new had come (2Cor. 5:17). They were born again (1Peter 1:3). Sure, after a birth you have a baby . . . but babies are intended to grow up. So are “born agains.” But that wasn’t happening in the Corinth church. Spiritual people who were still being “merely human” . . . still behaving like babies in Christ. People who had been “in the program” for awhile but were still rookies. Acting just like they did before the were brought out of darkness and into marvelous light. Paul wanted to feed them some solid food . . . some meat from the Word . . . but they weren’t ready for it. They were still on milk and pablum. And Paul’s phrase, “Are you not being merely human?” is challenging me.

Now, I know I’m not to think of myself more highly than I should . . . but I’m also to think with sober judgment (Rom. 12:3) . . . to appropriately recognize who I am in Christ and conduct myself in a manner consistent with that. And, if I’m picking up what Paul is laying down, then I ain’t no mere human. I’m not super human . . . by no stretch of the imagination . . . but I am more than just a “natural man” subject to the “natural ways” of my “natural being.” I, according to the word of God, am “spiritual people.”

When I, by faith, acknowledged Jesus as Lord and Savior and received His death on the cross as the atoning sacrifice for my sin, I got re-wired. When I believed that Jesus rose from the dead, is alive, and wants to live in me, I underwent an “extreme makeover.” My spiritual DNA went from being twisted in sin to being tuned to the kingdom of heaven. The cloud that enveloped my brain was replaced with the mind of Christ. I underwent a heart transplant, my old heart of stone replaced with a “heart of flesh”, capable of being soft and supple to the things of God. The “old man” was given the boot and the Holy Spirit of God moved in, took up residence, and offered to take control. None of this was my doing . . . all of it God’s doing. Mine however, is to grow up . . . to live in a manner worthy of my calling . . . to stop being “merely human.”

By the grace of God given me, I am to build on the foundation of Jesus Christ laid within at my re-birth (1Cor. 3:10-11). No more “I’m only human” (though I am so aware of my human-ness), but I’m to live as a child of light who grows up to become a mature believer. I’m to feed on the Word that I might develop a “digestive system”, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit in me, that is able to feast on the deep things of God and the high and lofty things of the kingdom of heaven. And this, not that I would boast . . . no bragging to be done, it is the work of Christ in me . . . but that I might, by His grace, be conformed to the image of His Son (Rom. 8:29) . . . no longer being “merely human” . . . but living as “spiritual people” . . . for His glory alone! Amen?

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God’s PQ

Posted on March 28, 2011 by Pete

Unobservable . . . imperceptible . . . imponderable . . . such are the things God has prepared for those who love Him. But doesn’t that present a bit of a problem? If these things are beyond what any eyes have seen . . . so hidden that no ear has heard of them . . . so out there that our minds can’t even imagine them . . . then it’s good stuff beyond our reach . . . beyond our even knowing that there’s something to reach for. Stuff beyond any natural connection. Cue the supernatural . . . cue God’s PQ . . .

” . . . these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.” (1Corinthians 2:10 ESV)

A bit blown away this morning as I consider Paul’s assertion that, as believers, we have the mind of Christ (2:16). That we have received “the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God” (2:12). That we might comprehend things which are beyond the natural man’s comprehension. Not because we have a particularly high IQ . . . but because God has an out of this world PQ . . . because of God’s Power Quotient . . . the blessed Holy Spirit.

When Paul hit Corinth he didn’t come trying to convince them of the testimony of God with “lofty speech or wisdom” but determined, instead, to know nothing among them “except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (2:2). He didn’t approach the pagan culture with “plausible words of wisdom” but instead preached the foolishness of the cross that, any difference it made, would be a demonstration of the Spirit and of power . . . “that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God” (2:4-5). And once God’s PQ was manifest in this way . . . hold on to your hats . . . the flood gates of the unimaginable just open up.

“Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age . . . But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory.” (1Corinthians 2:6-7 ESV)

Secret things . . . hidden things . . . things ordained of God before even the creation of the world. High things . . . lofty things . . . heavenly, spiritual things . . . things beyond the grasp of natural man. And these things are imparted to us. The flood gates of the unobservable and imperceptible has been open to those who, by faith, have “seen” Christ crucified . . . risen on the third day . . . ascended into glory . . . interceding at the right hand of the Father . . . making ready a place for us . . . preparing for the day of His return. A little bit of faith opens up a lot of “secret and hidden wisdom” through the Spirit of God . . . through God’s PQ.

Oh, what danger when I start to think that I’m the one who’s getting it. Nope . . . instead, I’m the one who’s receiving it. It’s not about my skill in interpretation . . . but all about His grace in illumination and revelation. Not about my intelligence quotient . . . but about His power quotient, manifest through the Spirit of God, the One who will lead us into all truth (John 16:13) . . . even truth beyond our imagination.

Father, by Your grace, through Your Spirit, continue to open my eyes to the unobservable . . . and give me ears to hear the imperceptible . . . and a mind to ponder the imponderable. That I might know You . . . and the power of the Spirit in me. For Your glory . . . amen.

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Who’s In Charge?

Posted on March 25, 2011 by Pete

Kind of an interesting meeting . . . sort of a weird conversation . . . resulted in some less than typical behavior. It was an encounter between a commander and the Commander . . . it was an “either / or” question that received a “yes / no” answer . . . and it was a situation that merited doing that which ready soldiers didn’t often do. It was a meeting outside of Jericho . . . Joshua and Jesus getting straight on who’s in charge.

The transfer of leadership from Moses to Joshua was pretty much complete. If there was any doubt that Joshua had been given the mantel of authority, it was erased when they crossed over the Jordan river. Under Moses, God had dried up the Red Sea as the people left Egypt . . . and now under Joshua’s direction they had crossed over the Jordan on dry ground as they entered the promised land (Joshua 4). In addition, the land had been spied out . . . the report back from the spies was favorable, “Truly the LORD has given all the land into our hands. And also, the inhabitants of the land melt away because of us” (Joshua 2:24). Leadership transferred . . . reconnaissance favorable . . . all that was left was the taking. Ah, . . . not so fast . . . one more thing . . . let’s be clear who’s in charge here.

Joshua’s out and about and sees a man “standing before him, with his drawn sword in his hand” (5:13). Strange. Shouldn’t have been one of his men . . . no need to have his sword drawn. So who was it? A Canaanite? An enemy? Well, ask him. “And Joshua went to him and said to him, ‘Are you for us, or for our adversaries?'” Pretty straight forward question . . . it’s either / or . . . it’s one or the another . . . for us or against us . . . should be pretty simple to get to the bottom of this. But the answer would arrest him . . . more than that, it would drive him to his knees in submission . . . put him facedown in awe and worship.

“No; but I am the Commander of the army of the LORD. Now I have come.” (Joshua 5:14a ESV)

Either / or question . . . yes / no answer . . . it’s not about whether or not I’m for you . . . it’s about I’m in charge!

That this was a pre-incarnate visitation of Christ seems clear. Messiah is the Commander of the army of the LORD. The One who one day, riding a white horse, will lead the armies of heaven against the enemies of God. The One called Faithful and True . . . in righteousness He judges and makes war . . . a sharp sword being wielded from His mouth . . . ready to tread the winepress of the wrath of God the Almighty . . . recognized by all as King of kings and Lord of lords (Rev. 19:11-16). And on this, the eve of God’s chosen people starting the campaign to take the land promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the Commander of the army of the Lord meets with the commander of the army of Israel . . . and gives a “No” answer to a “for us or against us” question. It’s not about how He would align with the purposes of Israel, but about how Israel would align with the sovereign intent of God . . . about who was in charge.

And face-to-the-ground before Him in worship, Joshua submits to His authority and asks the Commander, “What do you want me to do?” The answer? . . . “Take off your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy” (Joshua 5:15). Strange thing to ask of a soldier. A prepared soldier was a soldier with his shoes on . . . a ready leader was leader ready to enter battle at any moment. They were in enemy territory. It should be shoes on . . . swords at the side . . . prepared, at a moment’s notice, to fight the fight. But now, Joshua in complete submission, “stands down” . . . takes off his shoes . . . the holiness of the presence of the Commander taking precedence over the self-preparedness of a servant. Not about Joshua’s readiness, but about the Lord’s holiness . . . and believing that He’s in charge.

How often do I ask the wrong question? Wanting to know if the Lord will bless my agenda . . . whether He’s for it or against it. Instead, I need to be reminded that He’s the Commander . . . that it’s about aligning my will to His . . . not about an “either / or” response, but about my “Yes, Lord” state of heart. And when I recognize that, will it not drive me facedown as well . . . stripping away my self-preparedness, my misconceived self-sufficiency . . . gladly receive the grace to stand on holy ground . . . to abide in His presence . . . to trust that the battle is His . . . to know that mine is simply to remember who’s in charge?

I’m thinkin’ . . .

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Willing and Able

Posted on March 24, 2011 by Pete

I’m wrapping up Paul’s letter to the Romans this morning. As I look back, I’ve covered a lot of ground . . . talk about your “drinking through a fire hose.” Ton of stuff behind me . . . doctrines of sin, salvation, and justification by faith. Teachings on putting to death the old man and putting on the new man and the dynamic of the Holy Spirit in living in newness of life. Promises to claim . . . all things works together for good . . . we are more than conquerors . . . nothing will separate us from the love of God. Commands to obey . . . I’m to present my body as a living sacrifice . . . I’m to be zealous in spirit and serve the Lord . . . I’m to cast off the works of darkness and put on Christ . . . I’m to pursue peace and edification . . . I’m to avoid judging my brother and to stop “majoring on minors”. And that little summary just scratches the surface. Yeah . . . a ton of stuff! How do I try and live up to it all? Well, it seems to me, that while I am to be willing, I need to know too that ,praise God, He is able.

“Now to Him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith–to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.” (Romans 16:26-27 ESV)

He is able.
He, the only wise God, is able.
He, the only wise God, is able to strengthen me.
He, the only wise God, is able to strengthen me in order to bring about the obedience of faith.

Chew on that a bit. Mull it over. Absorb it.

He who created the heavens and earth . . . He who has been faithfully fulfilling His promise to Abraham for thousands of years . . . He who spared not His own Son but so loved the world that He offered Him a once-for-all sacrifice . . . He who conquered death as evidenced by the empty tomb . . . He who abides within me through His indwelling Holy Spirit . . . He is able.

Able to illuminate me to understand the deep doctrines. Able to convict me of my sinful stubbornness to hold on to parts of the old man. Able to convince me in the inner man of the reality of the Spirit’s sanctifying work within me. Able to encourage me to take a risk and love and serve like He’s asked me to love and serve. Able to take my feeble attempt at crawling onto the altar of sacrifice and use the offering, such as it is, for His glory. Yes, He is able.

God is able . . . and mine is to be willing.

My “willing” and His “able” produces “the obedience of faith.” My “willing” and His “able” results in a walk worthy of the calling. My “willing” and His “able” leads to an authentic . . . not perfect, but an authentic expression of what it is to be a child of God and a follower of Christ.

And when we believers bring the “willing” and He faithfully brings the “able” . . . and there is, by His grace, some measure of fruit produced . . . then we too look heavenward with Paul and worshipfully exclaim, “To the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ!, Amen.”

My willing . . . His able . . . all for the glory of God. Amen?

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Self-Regulating

Posted on March 23, 2011 by Pete

It really was kind of a risky proposition . . . the church. I think if it were me setting up a new world-wide institution, I’d have put in place a lot more structure . . . put in place a lot more direct oversight . . . maybe dispatched a few legions of angels to keep things lined up. But God, in His wisdom, took these sinners saved by grace . . . these once spiritually dead people who were now made alive in Christ . . . the lost but now found people . . . these people who had been brought out of darkness into marvelous light . . . God took these people, sealed them and infused them with His Holy Spirit . . . and said, in essence, “Now go be the church . . . the representation of the kingdom of heaven on earth.” All, with really very little formal organization or training . . . with a limited number of “mentors” to go around . . . heavily reliant upon the Spirit of God . . . and counting on the fact that they could be “self-regulating.”

I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness,
filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another. (Romans 15:14 ESV)

There’s a number of “one anothers” in the letters of the New Testament . . . I’ve encountered a few of those already in Romans. We are to love one another and honor one another (12:10) . . . live in harmony with one another (12:16) . . . not judge one another but receive or welcome one another (14:13, 15:7). And there are ton of “one anothers” . . . a couple that come to mind are that we are to submit to one another (Eph. 5:21) . . . bear one another’s burdens (Gal. 6:2) . . . serve one another (1Peter 4:10) . . . and the list goes on . . . check it out, it’s a great study. This morning it’s the “one another” in Romans 15:14 that caught my attention . . . we are to instruct one another . . . and in that sense, the church is self-regulating.

Paul had not yet been to Rome (1:9-13), yet there was a church there. Not talking about a building, but an assembly of blood-bought trophies of grace gathered together to display the manifold wisdom of God to heavenly realms (Eph. 3:10) and to bring the good news of salvation by faith to a lost city and society. And it was a thriving church . . . not a perfect church . . . but a church whose faith was “proclaimed in all the world” (Rom. 1:8). And part of that, it seems, is that they were able to instruct one another.

How important is it for brothers and sisters in Christ to be able to instruct, or as the NKJV says, “admonish” one another? God raises up gifted men and women to teach and preach in a local church . . . but God also asks “ordinary believers” to draw alongside other believers to speak a word of encouragement or admonition . . . that we might build each other up in the faith. The Roman believers were full of goodness, the result of the sanctifying work of the Spirit . . . and they were filled with knowledge, the result of the illuminating work of the Spirit . . . and so, they were to teach each other, the body-building work of the Spirit.

There’s a dynamic present when believers get together over a cup of coffee and an open Bible and share with one another what God has shown them. There’s a depth of fellowship created when a brother or sister in Christ cares about another brother or sister in Christ enough to speak a bit of truth in to their lives. It makes everyone sharper (Prov. 27:17) . . . and it’s a big part of how the body builds itself up in love (Eph. 4:16).

When I spend time in the word, it shouldn’t be just for my benefit, but for the benefit of others. Not that we get all puffed up and start preaching at our family in Christ about what they need to be doing better . . . but instead, we view the knowledge we glean through our time in the word and the instruction of the Spirit as something that might benefit someone else. We’re ready to provide a word of encouragement when it’s needed . . . able to share some insight we’ve been graced with . . . even able to humbly and gently steer someone back on track, if required.

Risky proposition, the church. But if God be for us, who can be against. And, with the Word of God before us, and the Spirit of God inside of us, we are called to, and able to, self-regulate . . . for one another’s benefit . . . and for God’s glory . . .

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