Head-dibs

A number of years ago I worked a job that involved oil tanker trucks. Loading and unloading these tankers was a challenge. One wrong measurement, one wrong move could lead to a gusher--either overfilling the truck or a back-flow from the main tank, or even overfilling the main tank--an uphill battle involving hundreds of thousands of gallons pushing down with gravity’s help, trying all at once to get out. Once, we had the fine occasion of hooking a full truck to the pump for an off-load and one tiny little clamp was not fastened down on the coupler--any guesses as to what happened? Anyone? At first all we did was soak in the rain of oil, trying to understand what was happening. Then we ran through the black deluge, yelling at each other, coordinating our efforts until the geyser could be contained. When the valve was finally closed and the spray ceased, all we could do was breathlessly take in the scene--dripping oil everywhere. The entire operation was shut down until we could ge...

While imprisoned and awaiting execution for curiosity, for teaching and for not believing the same gods as other Greeks, Socrates was visited by Crito early one morning and Crito had an offer: bribe the guards and escape! One wonders how long the 70 year-old man had to think it over because in the end, he went on to his execution. This is important because if he took Crito’s offer and escaped, a domino effect would have started and the world as we know it would not exist in the form of the absence of Plato. Socrates had to die and the reasons he gives are worth investigating. Plato's " Crito " is a short read. “TWO WRONGS DON’T MAKE A RIGHT” First, Socrates discourages the bribing of the guards on the grounds that two wrongs don’t make a right. “[W]e ought not to retaliate or render evil for evil to anyone, whatever evil we may have suffered from him.” Yes, there are problems in that an innocent man is condemned to death, but what happens to the integrity of a man if...

“And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” (2 Cor. 4:3-4, ESV) One inherent characteristic of an adversary is his need to remain undetected. Even an enemy who hides in plain sight does so with the intent to remain unseen. When we acknowledge our enemy, we do not merely say he exists, but point him out with neon light. The apostle Paul in writing to the calls out the enemy of the church: Satan. Satan is a person, “the god of this world,” not a principle or force and certainly not a polar “opposite God” but a created being who rebelled against God. “Well,” someone asks, “if Satan is not a god, why is he called one here?” Go back to John 12:31 when Jesus calls Satan “the prince of this world.” Paul later echoes this in Ephesians. Notice carefully how Satan is not called “god”...

“But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God.” (2 Corinthians 4:2, 5) The apostle Paul was accused of being self-serving, sneaky but his defense is an appeal to conscience and false accusations are betrayed. Living in truth means one is not bound to explain and defend every statement, every action; rather, it is to live openly before the Lord. When we live in obedience to His Word, we expose what is right, what is wrong and conscience will agree. This is where God does the fighting. When it comes to the way we use our words, we preach Christ Jesus the Lord. Paul defines his ministry in 3:6 as being “of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit” in other words, he is responsible to obey God’s Spirit in delivering the message of forgiveness of sins in Christ in order for people to become the s...

2 Corinthians 3 laid the foundations for true spirituality--but what do we do once we have it? Once we obey the prompting of the Holy Spirit allowing Christ to lift the veil of spiritual blindness and He writes on our heart what is on His mind for all men to read, “now what?” “Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart.” (2 Cor. 4:1) In other words, “we are not wearied to the point of fainting.” The source of living true spirituality comes with the courage found in God’s mercy which we receive by faith. Mercy is an attribute of God requiring a closer look because we often find God’s mercy at work when God’s people are in trouble. “And David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Please let us fall into the hand of the LORD, for His mercies are great; but do not let me fall into the hand of man.” (2 Sam 24:14) “When Jesus departed from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out and saying, ‘Son of David, have mercy on us!’” (Mt 9:27) “I thank C...

"Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we received mercy, we do not lose heart . . . Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day." (2 Corinthians 4:1, 16 NASB) Since nobody does it better, the Lion has the floor: It’s been said that “fear” has two meanings. The first is “Forget Everything And Run.” That’s how it is sometimes. We see courageous people do courageous acts, but one little thing happens to us and we crumble. The second is “Face Everything And Rise.” This is courage.  Webster defines courage as “the ability to do something frightful, difficult or dangerous.” In other words, courage is not the absence of fear but the mastery of it. The great Phillips Brooks preached: “Oh, do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men. Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers. Pray for powers equal to your tasks.” The last series of posts explored True Spirituality through 2 Corinthian...

What does true spirituality look like when the Holy Spirit has His way? True spirituality looks like freedom! “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:17) Rev. Eric Foley, CEO of Seoul USA, asked members of the North Korean underground church how Americans could pray for them. They answered, “You pray for us? We pray for you!” When I asked why, they responded, “Because Western Christians often put so much faith in their prosperity and political freedoms that they don't know what it's like to have to depend completely on God. And because of that, they often do not get to know Him in all the ways He invites us to.'" One North Korean prisoner described the pitiful conditions he experienced, but being a Christian in prison is the on...

“But their minds were hardened; for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed in Christ. . . . Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:14, 17-18) When Christ removes the veil, our lives are transformed and we can be truly spiritual. We can be free to do everything we should spiritually. If we remove the veil ourselves, we momentarily ignite our own glory but this eventually fades. The world talks of “secrets” to success;well, here’s the secret to true Spirituality: we don’t create our own spirituality ourselves. “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” (2 Cor 3:17) Here’s another way to look at it: if I can’t control my body functi...

“You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all . . . Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at Moses' face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end.” (2 Cor 3:2, 7) Have you ever thought of your spirituality as a letter that can be read by anyone? Paul contrasts two kinds of letters: one written on the heart and the other written on stone. Spirituality conveys a message as if it were a written message. The difference between a heart and a stone include the fact that one is warm and the other is cold. One is soft, the other is hard. It is also true that a heart can be hard and cold but a stone can never be warm and soft by itself. When we engrave words on a stone, the words are locked into the stone’s face. These words are unforgiving because they do not change or move. A stone cannot respond to the message it receives or communicates. ...

If the Apostle Paul had his way, operating by the plan he had for his own life, he would not have been in the line of work for which he is famous. No, if he had his way, he would have continued on with religious zeal, killing Christians. But he did not get his way. “Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” [2 Cor 3:5-6 ESV] Assume that we were able to construct our own spirituality: what guarantee do we have that we've got it right? How can our own spirituality be right if our own compositions are so different? The COEXIST bumper sticker is a lie because the gods represented there disagree with one other and the followers are not listening! Tolerate all you want: the god of my personal understanding (whoever he or she is) will always be greater than yours...

Paul uses contrast to help us recognize true spirituality. He examines the old against the new, the flesh in opposition to the Spirit, the Old Covenant (Mosaic law) counter to the Spirit of Life. God’s truth engraved in stone could only condemn as a law code under Moses; but, after the death and resurrection of Jesus, the Spirit of Life brought God’s truth to the heart. Externally, the law shows us where we fail to meet God’s perfect standard. Internally, His Spirit gives us more than enough to meet His requirements. This happens when we repent, are born again, putting off the old and putting on the new. Let’s examine the contrasts to test our spirituality: THE SUFFICIENCY OF THE OLD (SELF) VS. SUFFICIENCY FROM GOD “Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God” [2 Cor 3:5 ESV] In his defense, Paul doesn't think of himself as sufficient. Everything that has been accomplished by him has been accomplished by Go...

Last post we considered spirituality as a construction of men--and some difficulties with that approach. Now let’s consider another option, that true Spirituality is a Composition of Christ. “You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all. And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God.“ [2 Cor 3:2-4 ESV] Paul highlights Christ’s accomplishment in the Corinthian church not his own. His spirituality and their spirituality are not self-generated but is provided by Christ. He uses the example of an epistle, a letter to explain how Christ is the source of true spirituality. First he says, “clearly you are an epistle of Christ.” (2 Cor 3:3) The author and sender is Christ. You are the expression of what is on His mind. This is Paul’s seco...

How do you know you are a spiritual person? I met a man who said he was Christian because he carried a Bible presented to him as a child--it even had his name in it! Spirituality is not constructed of human accomplishment and recognition. “I’M SPIRITUAL BECAUSE I SAY SO” Look carefully at how Paul describes his ministry: triumphant ( 2 Cor 2:14 ); the fragrance of Christ in every place ( 2 Cor 2:15 ); sincere ( 2 Cor 2:16 ). The Corinthian church had the idea that Paul was prideful, bragging about his personal accomplishments in ministry. Are these the words of a self-made man or are these the words of a transformed man? Paul asks plainly, “do we begin again to commend ourselves?” (2 Cor 3:1). How easy it is to fall into the trap of human accomplishment when it comes to our spirituality. If my spirituality depends on my “say-so”, then I believe the lie that I can create my own destiny. Here’s how I know I can’t create my own destiny: I can’t control my own body functions. Can...

Comedian Brian Regan supposes: what if we played football the way we play chess? Here’s a question for you: How do you know when you are spiritual? Is there a definite way to know, or does one just “checkmate” their way in the spiritual realm? Some people say that spirituality is a personal matter, a matter that cannot be discussed. This is like playing football with chess rules. Others may say, “well, whatever god you believe in does not matter. We come from the same one." This is like saying "whatever meat you believe in. It all comes from the same chicken." “Success” sounds appealing when it comes to the outcome of our spiritual lives--but what does true spirituality look like? How do we recognize it? The best way to find out is by returning to our Creator and asking some hard questions of ourselves: What is my motive for wanting a spiritual life at all?  Why do I want to please God--if I do at all?  What does God say about my personal spiritual life?  H...

Ever hear that Muslims come from the line of Ishmael and were a result of Abraham’s sin? Who are the ones born under law as descendants of Ishmael (Galatians 4): Arabs or Jews? This half-hour podcast from the Zwemer Center discusses the Genesis, Galatians and includes an excellent summary of Tony Malouff's book, " Arabs in the Shadow of Israel: The Unfolding of God's Prophetic Plan for Ishmael's Line "  Listen to the podcast now.

A recent article of interest is “ How To Spot The Charlatans In The Personal Training Business ” providing helpful instruction on how to discern a fitness trainer from one who only says they are a fitness trainer. When folks tell me, “I want to train with you,” I make very clear from the outset that I am not a trainer, but they are welcome to join me at their own risk. The con-men and grifters on TV and in movies have become anti-heroes--but the reality remains: we must be careful. There are people out there who seem to be successful in ministry but they are actually charlatans. The Bible is filled with warnings against false teacher, starting with the 2nd commandment where taking the Lord’s name in vain means much more than a warning against dropping God’s name as a curse word. This foundational warning is against those who take God’s name on themselves then misrepresent Him to the world. The apostle Paul makes a clear distinction between a true minister and those who Satan uses...

If you had to lose one of your five senses, which would you choose? You can always close your eyes if you don’t want to see something and you can plug your ears if you don’t want to hear--but you can’t escape smell. Sure, you can hold your nose (or breath), but you must breathe--and when you do, every odor comes wafting in. If you did not smell, you could not taste. You might not even remember, as smells connect us with times and places. You can see, even hear from a distance, but smell requires close proximity--unless you’re a vulture. When I finish a long distance run, or a grueling training session outside, one might find me lying flat on my back in exhaustion. There have been times when laying on the ground, I look up in the sky and see buzzards checking me out, but they don’t mess with me because I smell alive. I may look dead, I may even feel dead, but those buzzards, who live by death, can tell the difference. Honestly, I am just troubled that they show up at all . . . To ...

The word we use that describes completion or achievement is “triumph.” We may even imagine a bit of a party going on. When one turns from sin, forgiveness can be given--that’s worth celebrating. Relationships are be restored. Animosity is ended. Paul’s ministry to the church in this second letter has been the correction of the wrong ideas regarding forgiveness. Now he reminds them of two occasions that serve as models for them. “When I came to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, even though a door was opened for me in the Lord, my spirit was not at rest because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I took leave of them and went on to Macedonia.” [2 Cor 2:12-13 ESV] CONCERN FOR THE LOST Paul first reminds them of his concern for the lost  “When I came to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, even though a door was opened for me in the Lord. ” Acts 16 gives the details of Paul’s ministry and how the Spirit of Jesus directed his ministry. Troas was the place of...

Satan can say many thing to deceive us. He could say things like: “There is no God.” The difficulty with this is that the evidence of God is overwhelming. Anyone who has the faith to believe Satan’s lie, God calls a “Fool.”  “There is no judgment.” The difficulty here is that anyone and everyone know that actions have consequences, not to mention the sense of “guilt” and “shame.” Instead, Satan's says things like this: “there is no hurry. Just listen to God’s word, and take care of matters--later.” You know as well as I that “later” never comes. Why should Satan gain by tempting us to put off what God says to do today--specifically, to forgive someone who turns from their sin, their own wrong-doing? God calls coveting a sin. A person who will go to ANY means to gain what they want, even if it means withholding forgiveness, is exactly like Satan, the devil. Why should Satan gain by deceiving the Church except to scar what Christ is building. Realize what Paul is saying he...

“So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him. For this is why I wrote, that I might test you and know whether you are obedient in everything. Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. Indeed, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ, so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.” [2Co 2:8-11 ESV] Another feature of forgiveness is comfort. This is what Paul intends by instructing the church to come alongside the man who repented, reaffirm him with Christian love. The idea here is that reconciliation has occurred AND both sides are talking, conversing. Fellowship restored so all that’s left to do is encourage, strengthening. Don’t let a repentant person to wallow in sorrow. Guilt is found in sin, not in forgiveness. The man was over- whelmed in sorrow, aware of his sin but also afflicted under punishment. Now it is time for the church to meet three objectives: First, “Reaffirm love” (2...