Verbal Venom 2

Over the course of time, we disciples are given insight as a result of reading the Word and spending time with the Lord in prayer. This work of the Spirit is not done in a vacuum, however, but rather in and through the community of other like-minded believers and followers of Jesus. That has certainly the case for me in terms of this subject.

I have had a rough week. My sister-in-law, the one I posted about last week, died three days ago. Being 2000 miles away from the epicenter of my family (not to mention being a starving student) made that stressful, not only in terms of the grieving within my family - but also in terms of preparing to fly out for the funeral, etc. Here's my point. I haven't had time to follow up the Verbal Venom posting... much less the desire. Somehow, the loss of someone I love - someone who died too young - distracted me, and prevented me from thinking very clearly.
But God, in His mercy, provided insight through the community of online blog-ism. He provided Bub... probably not his (or her?) real name (if it is, perhaps we should flog the parents). Nevertheless, Bub came through for me in his response to the questions I asked in my last post. Since it is more likely others will actually see his response if they are posted afresh, his insightful, Spirit-directed advice on living with jerks (even in the community of God) is copied below in all its unedited glory:

interesting situation. seems strangely familiar. in reflecting on this situation, i'd venture a guess that this is all too common in our churches. this could be troubling, or it could be seen as an opportunity (or it could be seen as a troubling opportunity!) . i really think that our struggle really isn't against those pain in the butt types that we encounter in life. rather, it's a struggle against those forces of the enemy that may be at work in those pain in the butt types we encounter. ( i think that's Paul's take on it.) and let's be fair. who of us has not been the pain in someone's butt? we've all fallen short of God's glory, right? we all screw up.

so what's the difference in the body of Christ. honestly, my temptation would be to right off this veritable vomiter of verbal venom. you know, just disconnect completely and detach. classic conflict-avoidance. i'm not sure Christ will let us get away with that. admittedly, i can be kinda dim and there is a lot about Christ that is mysterious, but I think i get this much. Christ is about redemption and reconciliation. what if your friend didn't excuse or take this kind of behavior from her acquaintance? but what if she also surrounded this situation in prayer and invited others to join her in this truly spiritual battle? what if truth was spoken in love and sin was confronted and restoration began? what if the attempts of the enemy to fracture Christ's Body were thwarted because the members of the Body resolved to hang together and together, administer healing to this wounded member?

my life's experience is that those who bark loudest and bite hardest are often also hurting most profoundly.

i think if it were me, i'd advise your friend to pray for patience and grace. i'd counsel them to find a way to confront the sinful behavior and seek active loving ways to manifest Christ's healing to this injured individual. pie in the sky? a naive and pollyanna approach? maybe. but if Christ really can make all things new and if He expects us to get involved in the process, i guess i have to believe that He can make it happen.

i think that a largely non-christian world watching us "Jesus people" would sit up and take notice if we really loved eachother when it wasn't easy and resolved our conflicts in our churches.

anybody can love folks that are nice and just like them. even sinners to that. (have i heard that somewhere before?) i am hearing a call to a radical kind of love - a love i know precious little about and have absolutely no resources in and of myself to create....but i've got to believe it exists. otherwise, i've got nothin' to hang my hat on with this jesus.

Amen, Bub. It sounds like you have wrestled with these issues before, and we get to be the benefactor in an iron-sharpens-iron sort of way. Thanks for a thought-provoking response to a difficult set of questions.

Verbal Venom

Jesus (good mood): But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic.

Jesus (bad mood): The Lord answered him, "You hypocrites! Doesn't each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water?

Paul (good mood): Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

Paul (bad mood): You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard?

So... which is it? Are we supposed to love our enemies, or challenge the hypocrites? Are we supposed to not let any unwholesome talk come out of our mouths, or confront people with not-so-gentle phrases such as "you foolish Galatians" or "Who has bewitched you?"???

Yes.

The other day, I was talking with a friend about this very subject (yes, you know who you are!). She is dealing with a really difficult guy in her church community with the spiritual gift of entering a room and causing everyone to brace themselves for the emotional train wreck that will inevitably result. This guy jumps first, and thinks later. And, rather than apologize for the carnage he lays to waste, his way of showing remorse for his over-the-top behavior is to (on his terms of course) give a loud, seemingly insincere apology, then move on without even waiting for a response from the offended party. And this guy is a longtime Christian for goodness sake! People are so intimidated by his presence, most everyone avoids eye contact when they meet him in the hall, and prays he doesn't sit by them at a meeting... out of fear that his shotgun approach to relationship-building will accidentally be aimed in their direction.

So what should my friend do? Should she love her enemy, or grab this guy by the spiritual collar and forcefully tell him to knock it off? Should she build him up with kindness, or let this jerk have it with both barrels? Her flesh may want to rip him to pieces, but her spirit says that is not a proper biblical response. I offered some thoughts, of course (I always have a response)... I'll share them in the next day or so... but I'm wondering what you think. Just what is the appropriate response to such a pain in the keester? What is the very best thing for the person overall? For the community? For my friend? How does love look inside the community of faith when someone walks around so full of mean-spirited verbal venom? Feel free to reply with a comment... I know it's intimidating, but don't worry, it's easy... and I'd like to read your comments. Besides, there's only a handful of people who read this blog anyway - so it's safe.

God-Breathed

From 2 Timothy 3: Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God's way. Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us.

The Bible is a dangerous thing. Throughout history, people have used portions of God's Word to do very stupid things, and some have even used it to justify horrific and vile actions against humanity. Many try to use it as a simplistic code for morality, and yet - even though they endeavor to follow it's principles to the letter - their life and their actions can't be said to be defined by love.

What is it about the Bible that is so confusing... so perplexing? It's by far the best selling book in the world (so I'm told) - heck, most households have at least one Bible, and the majority of Christians have several. One look at the shelves of a Christian bookstore and you can see why... there may be one Bible but a whole plethora of versions, translations, etc. There's a Bible for any particular sub-group to which you may belong. It's kind of embarrassing... 'cause I'm willing to bet that even though practically every American has access to at least one Bible, not too many people seem to actually read it.

But I don't know what's worse... not reading the Bible, or reading it in a vacuum... apart from a community of people who desire to interpret and live out the fullness of what the scriptures teach. I believe Paul when he says, "Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us." But my experience and education have taught me that this "shaping" doesn't happen to isolated individuals - at least not very often - rather, it happens to people within an authentic community of faith. The problem, of course, is that not all communities are created (or shaped) equally. If those charged with proclaiming the scriptures seek to do anything more or less than love God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength (and consequently love their neighbor as themselves)... then the community won't be defined by the essence of God's character - that of self-emptying love.

So what's my point? Well, that's the beauty of a spiritual diary I suppose... it doesn't have to make complete sense! But Here's what I'm trying to articulate:

The Bible, in all it's beauty and mystery and authority, has been woefully misused and misunderstood over the centuries - both by the world and by God's people. It seems we either want to elevate it to the status of God (which is idolatry), or reduce it to a collection of nonsensical fables. But I don't believe the Bible should be force-fit into either of those categorical extremes.

It is not just a humanistic collection of stories... However, that claim cannot be understood apart from a hunger to know the person of God... the faith of a child to believe the Creator of the universe lives, and has made a way to communicate directly with His creation.

On the other hand, it is not divine either. The scriptures are not God... they are the witness of God... the revelation of God. How does the Bible reveal God? He is so gracious, He chose not to dictate every word that was written down... He didn't reveal Himself as abstract truth... Instead, He revealed Himself to a particular people, within a particular cultural context. Essentially, He gave the people what they could understand - the story of His grace interweaving through His fallen creation to redeem it. And that story of grace continues right up to the present day (and beyond). His Spirit helps us... within a community of faith... to interpret that same story for our own lives... enabling us to understand it in light of our own cultural context.

Therefore, the Bible is far more profound than what it may appear to be. My desire and calling is to inspire people to read it together... and interpret it together... and live it out together... It is the awesome story of God... the God who loves us... the God who emptied Himself... the God who came into this world in the only way that we could understand His love... the God who gave up His life for our sake. When it's all said and done, the Bible is not a simple collection of laws or principles for Christian living... it is ultimately about the Holy Person of Jesus Christ - the One who personally invites us to let His story be our story.

Why, Lord?

From Psalm 18 (The Message):

The cords of the grave coiled around me;
the snares of death confronted me.

In my distress I called to the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears.

Someone I'm very close to is dying. A dreaded disease has entangled itself around her organs and is slowly snuffing out her life. She is an extraordinarily positive person, and brave beyond my comprehension... both of which have likely kept her alive this long. But she is growing weary of the battle, I can sense it. I keep praying for a miracle... and believe He can touch her body if He chooses. That said, however, I want to walk a careful line between faith in Him and demandedness of Him.

It's kind of weird, but I've never had anyone really close to me die before - that is - except my grandparents and an elderly aunt and uncle. But somehow, my large nuclear family has managed to escape the inevitable loss of someone taken from us way before their time. Five brothers and sisters, with husbands, wives and kids,etc.... and yet, we've not had to deal with the shock of losing someone young. But I think we're about to experience a significant shock wave fairly soon. I feel so helpless. I'm 2000 miles away from my family, and really don't have the resources to do anything except throw out the occasional sound byte to God... "Lord, please heal her, give the family peace"... you know what I mean, don't you? Where's the power in that?

But tonight was different. Tonight was about much more than a sound byte to God. Tonight it all became real and powerful and searingly painful. Tonight I came to a whole new realization of the value each person brings into my life... especially family members - those I know more intimately. Tonight I got beyond my self-centered little world, and felt a tremendous amount of pain for someone I love... and as a result my heart is hurting deeply. I can't stop weeping. Why do people have to get sick? Why does death have to rob us of our togetherness? Why does life have to be so fragile and painful? Why do perfectly healthy, perfectly happy, perfectly young people have to suffer for no apparent reason... and why do we have to witness the beautiful gift of life slowly bleeding out of their body?

In my distress I called to the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears. There is one thing that is of great comfort in all this confusion and pain. Somehow, through the fog of our experience, the Lord reveals Himself as light in the darkness... He hears our cries for help. He may not answer our prayers in the way we would like Him to, but He does quiet our spirit when we're afraid. He does call us by name when we're feeling very alone and afraid. He does reassure us that He loves us very deeply and eternally when we're in deep spiritual pain.

Somehow, tonight was different... somehow, tonight my cry came before Him... tonight I prayed far more than a sound byte. And He heard me. He brought a sense of comfort to the person who is suffering. He brought His holy presence to someone who is in the darkest valley of their earthly existence. He poured out His anointing on a phone conversation, enabling two people to connect by means of His Holy Spirit. Tonight a prayer was heard, and felt, and answered. Tonight, we encountered together the One who is all too familiar with suffering and death... and He reminded me that He is also the One who was resurrected and lives for our sake.

Thank you, Abba, for filling our emptiness with your divine presence. Amen.

Go Away From Me!

Yesterday, I posted about Simon Peter's doubt when Jesus told him to let down his nets for a catch. But I missed another important element of the story. When Peter did obey, the nets were overwhelmed... and so was Simon. After spending an entire night of fishing with no results. Mind you, this was a "professional" fisherman who lived and breathed the vocation of hauling in the catch. It was his family tradition and primary source of income, so I think we can safely assume that Simon knew how to fish. And yet, nothing. A whole night of effort with no reward.

Then Jesus entered the picture, and everything changed. "Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch." I don't know where Peter spent his night fishing... presumably where he knew the deep underwater pools attracted the big fish to come and hang out for a midnight snack. To catch fish, you have to go to where they are. But for all his expertise, Simon and crew came up empty and exhausted. When Jesus hopped into his boat, I'm sure Simon was relieved to just sit there and listen to the Master teach the people. But when He was done, He told Simon to put out into deep water and let down the nets for a catch. Can't you just hear Simon's incredulity...? (Sigh)... Okay, Master, if you say so. (Parenthetical, sexist remark): Obviously Simon was a married man, because he was trained to resign himself to doing things somebody else wanted... e.g., "Yes, Dear."

Then comes the shocking haul of fish. When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. Wow, in the course of no more than a few hours, their labor went from fruitless to overwhelmingly abundant. By their own (legitimate) efforts... nothing, not even a minnow. However, after spending time with the Master... and consequently obeying His command... the nets begin to break due to the large number of fish in them.

Simon's response is what I'd really like us to consider... On the surface, it doesn't make any sense. Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man! Gee, Simon - the Lord does an awesome, otherwise unexplainable work of grace through your obedience - and you tell him to hit the road! In the words of Jar Jar Binks, "How wude!" How about a simple, "Thank you", or "Wow, You're awesome, Lord!" Nope, Simon's response is, "I don't want to be near you." Why?

Perhaps the answer lies in the second part of his surprising statement... "I am a sinful man!" I mean, I try, Lord, I really do... but often times my efforts don't get me anywhere. I've been working at this church for so long... and it doesn't seem like it's any better off now than it was when I got here. Or how about this: I've been teaching Sunday School for years now, and have never been able to lead anyone to Christ... I've been praying for my prodigal son (or daughter) to come back home for years now, but they're still living a destructive life... I've tried to be nice to my pastor (or priest) but he's so callous and impersonal... why don't you step in and help me, God?

We live by confident faith that God watches over our coming and going... but we also live with an understanding that God doesn't always answer our prayers - He is not our puppet. We have to guard against having a demanding spirit toward God's benevolence. Often times, He quietly weaves His grace into our lives without our knowledge. Sometimes, He chooses to remain quiet when we're going through difficult circumstances... but no matter what our emotions might want to tell us in the dark of night... we can rest assured that our heavenly Father never stops loving us or caring about the storms of life we face in this world.

But sometimes, He shocks us... overwhelms us with His holy presence... and even though it's a really good thing... our mind goes into spiritual overload... and, like Simon, we can't handle standing there before Him, feeling naked and utterly unworthy. I think it's because when God reveals Himself to us... we simultaneously see His holiness and our unholiness... causing us to shrink away from such perfection. I wonder what it will really be like when we supposedly "stand" before Him in the day of judgment...? Regardless of what Romans 14:10 says, I can't see us standing before Him whatsoever... In fact, I'm pretty sure we'll all be flat on our face, trembling in the wonderful, paradoxical mix of fear and joy associated with meeting Abba Father in His throne room.

Wow... What a day that will be! In the meantime, there's much work to be done... so let's push out to deep water and go fishing!

Let Down Your Nets

In Luke 5, Jesus told Simon Peter to push his boat out into the deep water and let his nets out for a catch. Simon agreed, but you can hear the serious doubt in his voice. "Master, we've been fishing all night and haven't even caught a minnow. But if you say so..."

Just because Simon doubted his Master's ability, doesn't mean he failed to obey Him when instructed to take action. These last couple of years in seminary have been very important in my relationship with the Master. When I came to KC, I thought I had so many of life's answers, and seminary would teach me how to put my thoughts into action. But to my surprise, that hasn't been the case at all. Somewhere along the way, I discovered that my little, boxed-in god whom my family and I brought with us to the Midwest is much bigger than I ever imagined. My days of listening to radio sermons and reading the latest books on pop-theology didn't really prepare me for what I encountered these past few years as a student. The pragmatic god of self-help and rational, practical answers has transformed Himself into the God of mystery and radical self-revelation. Don't get me wrong... since the time I was born again as an adult, I worshipped God with holy reverence and fear... but as I have read countless books and written countless papers and studied too late and spent all my money (and then some) trying to finish my theological education... something real and tangible has been infused into my understanding of God's holy character. Frankly, I was kind of scared that seminary would take away my fire and passion for Jesus Christ, but ultimately my experience has been quite the contrary... Rather, He has become more real to me than ever before. The more I learn about Him - and the way He chooses to interact with His creation, the more motivated I am to trust that I was made to serve His purposes, not the other way around.

Let down your nets for a catch... - Now that I'm just a few weeks from graduating, and the reality of pastoring a church - that is, being the lead pastor, the visionary, etc. - the doubt of Simon Peter is beginning to surface in my own heart. Lord, I've been fishing for a long time now, and haven't caught anything. I have been an associate pastor at a small church in Kansas City for five long years, and it's still a small... very, very small church. What makes me think I'll have any more success in another place if I haven't experienced much success where I've already been endeavoring to serve You day after day?

Let down your nets for a catch... - The church we're called to pastor has already failed at least once in its desire and attempt to turn the world upside down for Christ. Why should it be any different for us? Though I don't know all the details, surely this church started out with hopes and dreams of being a place of refuge for hurting souls, a place of revelation for those seeking God, and a place of meaning and purpose for those hungry for the presence of God. What makes me think we could do any better? What's so special about us? That's easy... Nothing whatsoever.

Master, I've been fishing all night and haven't even caught a minnow. But if you say so... - Maybe it's not that I have such great gifts or special talents... but because I've come to recognize my weakness and inability to do the impossible. Perhaps being aware of your weaknesses and shortcomings is as important as being aware of your talents and strengths. I don't know why Jesus chose Simon the fisherman to follow Him. Certainly it wasn't because of Simon's great ability to think before he spoke. Certainly it wasn't because of Simon's unwavering faith. Certainly it wasn't because of Simon's unceasing prayer... remember his nap in the Garden of Gethsemane? Perhaps it happened, not because he was bulletproof, but because he was willing... Not because he was perfect, but because he was moldable. Simon failed numerous times, and too often he stuck his foot in his mouth. But one thing he had going for himself... Even when he doubted, he obeyed his Master. He may have been shaking his head when he did it, but he let down his nets when Jesus told him to. And the result was astonishing. This is from The Message: It was no sooner said than done—a huge haul of fish, straining the nets past capacity. They waved to their partners in the other boat to come help them. They filled both boats, nearly swamping them with the catch.

Hmmm... Isn't it cool what God can do when He has a humble and willing - even if a little doubtful - servant who decides to obey His will? May we all learn the art of fishing for women and men... from our good friend and fellow disciple, Simon Peter. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church.